LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Ripcordz, Rent Strike, Neither Could Dylan, And Agnosticism!!)

For today's post, we're focusing 100% on LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this summer, all either taking place at the same venue or with a common local musician as opener. If you crave some live punk music in different locales, you'll get some good ideas from these events, so here's what you should know in chronological order!

The first of this new batch of shows will see local folk punk/emo solo project Agnosticism return to The Distraction on Saturday, June 8th for their second show in a two week span, but this time, they are not headlining. On this night, they'll be opening for local alt-rock band The Haze, a name new to the SMS, but readers will recognize them under their old name Skinbox! If you didn't see their late 2023 dates, this band features (featured?) singer/guitarists Steve Edwards (ex-Pixo Control) & Brad Irwin (ex-Gnaeus) plus Sault Side Squad bassist Jordan Wardlaw. At least under the Skinbox name, they played 1990s-2000s alt-rock and Arctic Monkeys covers. Now, Steve was posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week looking for a drummer, presumably to replace Jordan's old Stoned To Deaf bandmate Jamie Labreche in this band, so who knows if that search could affect the show in three weeks or not. Stay tuned for updates!

Unless the name change also equals a sound change, I don't believe The Haze will lean to heavier/punk styles, but Agnosticism's acoustic folk punk sound will fill that quota for attendees! This all ages concert has a 9:00 PM start time and a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" entry model. Should be an entertainingly diverse sound between the two acts, so keep this show in mind, and see above for more details!

Next up, we'll jump ahead to Thursday, July 27th, when The Distraction welcomes Vaughan, Ontario "punkabilly" solo project Neither Could Dylan for their first local concert appearance! Led by singer/guitarist Jaimee Jakobczak, this project takes inspiration from punk, power pop, and indie rock in their diverse and well written original material, including from their new album "Foxchase", and Jaimee (and her band?) should deliver an entertaining set for multiple genre fans in two months! Opening here is Sylo frontman Eli Russell, who launched an indie rock solo project in between Raincourt/Sylo's hiatus last year and has played at The Distraction as a solo act in the past. Eli's solo stuff obviously isn't as hard rock-centric as Sylo's, but he's a talented performer, so don't be late! Neither Could Dylan's show has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and a "$10 or pay-what-you-can" entry format. See above for more details!

Today's only new concert not taking place at 72 East Street will instead find its way further downtown to Soo Blaster on Friday, August 9th, when two American folk punk bands cross the border! The headliners are Lansing folk punk band Rent Strike, whose rollicking and lore-heavy brand of original folk punk effectively cross genre lines with a solid intensity, and it will be neat to see them on a local stage, let alone one as big as Soo Blaster! Bangor, Maine "POS indie rock" band Milk St. will also hit the Soo on this date, and with a more emo-influenced and melodic brand of folk punk compared to Rent Strike, they'll have their own appeal for assembled fans, so definitely check both of them out! Local punk trio Vanity First (featuring Agnosticism's Mikhal Muto, a known folk punk performer & fan already) will be the local openers, and that's an ideal choice given who the touring bands are, so don't be late!

Another all ages concert, this show begins at 8:00 PM, and as it's not at The Distraction, there are flat admission fees ($15 via advance tickets or $20 at the door). You can buy tickets from Vanity First members and/or via an online link to be posted, so stay tuned to their social media accounts for details on that front. If you love folk punk, it'd be hard to pass this concert up, so visit the above links for more on all that's going down at Soo Blaster!

Finally for today, and just one day removed from Rent Strike, we'll head back to The Distraction on Saturday, August 10th, when Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz return to the Soo! This will be Paul Gott & company's ninth local concert in the past eleven years, but compared to their upstairs show at The Loft last fall, they're heading downstairs on August 10th, as they're not playing in the former barbershop proper. The building has a basement (accessible through a back door) that owners are opening to events on a limited/seasonal basis, dubbed The Stellar Door, and that's where The Ripcordz will set up shop for this concert. No word on what The Stellar Door is like as a venue, but it must be more amenable to hardcore punk for space and location! Local support will come by way of skate punk trio Hails (a.k.a. Vanity First with a different frontman) and the aforementioned Skinbox The Haze.

Owing to the still-not-huge capacity, only 30 advance tickets are being sold for this concert (contact Ha!ls guitarist Mikhal Muto if you want one), though the door charge is an identical $20 (yes, "pay-what-you-can" remains available). This show begins at 7:00 PM, and unlike at The Loft in September, this is absolutely an all ages event. This should be a must-attend concert for hardcore punk fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for much more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!