LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lycanthro & Whoop-Szo), Plus New Solo Videos!!

The last week of the month is upon us, so let's kick things off with a new news post on the SMS, and it includes some new videos from familiar solo musicians, but first, we have two interesting LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two months from now, so here's what you should know!

London sludge/post-metal quintet Whoop-Szo will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the third time on Thursday, April 16th when they play at.... The Sault Ste. Marie Museum!? Not too long ago, this would have been even more surprising, but just last week, the 690 Queen Street East museum opened it's doors to a concert from Brantford folk musician Benjamin Dakota Rogers that was well received, so click here for more on the museum's debut as a live music venue and how things may look for their second go-around. Of course, our city's museum has a lot of historic and cultural importance that adds to the appeal, and don't forget, Bone Yard/ex-That's Chester drummer Ric Datson is their assistant curator. Regarding Whoop-Szo proper, fans may recall seeing them at LopLops in 2018 and at the Dryer Fire pop-up venue in September. Known for their hybrid of everything from metal & grunge to folk & pop, Whoop-Szo should leave another big impression in April!

No opening acts are advertised, though both of Whoop-Szo's prior local dates had extra touring bands. Promoted by the aforementioned Dryer Fire's regular concert arm, this concert will take place inside the Museum's Discovery Gallery, and an early 6:00 PM start time is advertised for this presumably all ages concert. Like last week, local vendors will be on hand, and while an admission fee wasn't advertised, Benjamin's concert there ran for $15, and paid attendees will be able to actually tour the museum with their admission. Very intriguing show in all facets, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, a more traditional metal concert will hit The Rockstar Bar five days later, as Ottawa power/thrash metal quartet Lycanthro will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, April 21st! Delivering a decidedly old school brand of NWOBHM-influenced speed metal, this late stop on their Tour of the Wolf should provide a hard hitting metal blast for fans in two months time, so if you can swing coming out on a school/work night, Lycanthro should deliver the goods! Local openers will include an increasingly rare set from local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters, in their first concert of 2020, just their third in the past two years, and their first Rockstar Bar appearance since their Amon Amarth tribute set on Halloween weekend in 2017. Bear Hunters sets are getting rarer and rarer, but they have survived into a new decade and still have a new CD in the pipeline, so don't miss their latest long-awaited return in April to see what they have in store!

Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades are also advertised to open in their own first concert set of the year, and first of two announced dates for the spring after laying low through the winter. It'll be great to see Jack Spades back themselves, so don't be late! Seemingly self promoted through The Bear Hunters, this 19+ concert has an early-ish 8:00 PM start time advertised (given the date, hopefully that sticks), and an admission fee has not yet been announced. This should be a brutal night for metal fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details as they roll in!

We'll close today with some new videos, starting with the latest original song from former Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel, as posted there earlier this month. Entitled "Breaking Free", Cory says that this is about "breaking out of old habits and freeing ourselves from society's hold", and if you missed his heavier regular sound after his surprise "Love Yourself" cover, you'll be more at home here! Very bass-heavy, but it's a solid hard rocker that would have fit in one of his local bands, and watch for liberal usage of Facebook or Snapchat video filters while he sings to the camera. Unique touch, so give everything a look below!

Lastly, here's some new acoustic cover videos from local/Elliot Lake punk solo project Ashoka At The Show, as uploaded to project leader Darren MacDonald's YouTube channel last week! After a four month hiatus from new music (partially due to his wife's surgery), Darren has resumed uploading new videos on YouTube, largely reflecting his own gameplay of NHL 20 and his create-a-team, the Halifax Buccaneers, so if that interests you, he's got a lot of that to see! Musically, the two covers are a sped up rendition of Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" (a favourite of his daughter's), and as embedded below, John Denver's "Leavin' On A Jet Plane". These are far removed from his original punk base, especially if you recall the band's live era locally, but Darren's a good singer with clear guitar ability, and he adds a frank honesty on these covers! Give them a look above and below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!