For today's post, let's cover some recent news and notes and break from, our recent single topic posts to fill in some lost ground! Along with recent festival fallout, we have some new videos, updates on a new album release, and more, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!
Waterloo, Ontario pop punk quintet Among Legends will make their local concert debut on Friday, October 4th when they rock Soo Blaster! Quietly announced on the venue's website, this show has (so far) gotten more promotion via bulletin boards at grocery stores than via social media, but it is 2+ months away, so a lot can happen before then. A relatively newer group who put out their debut album "Take Good Care" (produced by Siegfried Meier of "Woods 5" fame) in 2022, Among Legends' melodic brand of modern punk has many catchy qualities, strong percussion, and well written lyrics, so punk fans should find a lot to like from them this fall! The local openers are fast-rising metal trio The BAG (last seen in Leeburn this past Saturday), and while they're not a genre match, they'll inject some heavier energy to kick things off on a good note! Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door for this concert, which is likely 19+
You can buy advance "early bird" tickets at this link and presumably at the venue (no word on if The BAG have any), and this show has an advertised run-time of 8:00-10:30 PM, so it'll be an early-ish night. Punk and metal fans should find a lot to like with this double bill, so visit the above links for more details on Among Legends' local debut in October!
Next up, here's some details on local hard rock quintet HeadFirst's debut EP "Head Trauma", which was released on July 20th in limited quantities at Rotaryfest before its wide release at its launch party at Shooters Downstairs Lounge this past Saturday! I bought my copy at Loud & Proud on the 21st (#10 of the limited run of 20 discs that weekend). "Head Trauma" is very much a DIY production as far as physical pressings go, with burned CD-Rs with handwritten labels, and staples holding the cardboard packaging together, including the (mirrored) gatefold image of HeadFirst performing in concert at Reggie's Place (Saige Burch shot the included band photos). Lyrics are included for the four tracks via four individual lyric sheets in the sleeve, and while there are no guests, "Take You (Down)" does feature Liam & Anthony trading guitar and drums as also seen when played live.
Writing credits go to the entire band on "Hot Blooded Woman" & "Little Darling", all but Liam & Claire on "Take You (Down)", and just Red & Raine on "Don't Care, Don't Mind". Major streaming services like YouTube, Spotify, and even Boomplay have the album available, and physical copies will be on sale at future concerts, next including their return to Shooters on August 17th. Our review of "Head Trauma" will hit the site next month, as I'm reviewing Choking On Appendages' debut album tomorrow, but check out more from HeadFirst's... first EP above, and here's track #1!
Also today, here's some fallout from this past weekend's Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing, courtesy of the festival's Facebook page! Normally, these would get a fuller feature on the site, but alas, the page's administrator chose to upload all videos from Go North as "Reels", meaning that I can't embed any of them here (they're also vertical, short, and unplayable in background tabs, but my laments about "Reels" are well known by now). Videos from Centennial Grounds include Daniel Romano's Outfit beginning their set with "Field Of Ruins", Bleeker (née Bleeker Ridge) playing their song "Highway", and two "Reels" of The Trews' headlining set. This one features the end of their set, including guest appearances from fellow Go North performer Terra Lightfoot and Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle for the ending jam, while the other one has the band literally going into the crowd to perform their folksier classic "Ishmael & Maggie".
That must have been a thrill to have The Trews literally join their fans to sing this one together, and the sizable crowd definitely knew the song! "Reels" or not, the videos are solid quality and capture the stage setup on St. Joseph Island well, and it's great to see that lots of fans made the trip for the festival, whether making the hour's drive from the Soo or if they lived closer by! Check out the Go North clips above, and we'll let you know if any other public videos surface!
Finally, here's the latest from local skate punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, whose next local concert will see them open for The Ripcordz on August 10th, but they will also hit the road for another show in Bay City, Michigan at The We/Us House there on September 21st! This will be a one-year anniversary event at this venue, and will feature eight other metal/punk acts. I don't know how Brent & crew made the connections to be playing Michigan (let alone downstate), but clearly their debut in Bay City in April went well for them to come back! Unlike then, they'll be arriving as a four-piece thanks to new second guitarist Carmen Muto, and Ha!ls showed him off in this new video from their Facebook page, where he's playing the guitar solo that he wrote for their newer original song "Ghosts" alongside his unseen bandmates. I usually don't make a big deal about musician ages, but Carmen is 14 years old, and he has serious skill level already!
Unfortunately, this video was shot horizontally but framed into vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, meaning that it's tiny. Why do some Facebook videos get that treatment? It's just Carmen, so it'd have been better to just crop it into the vertical orientation! Embedded below however is a horizontal new video from Hails, specifically of them playing their newer original song "Crustal Displacement" at Queen Elizabeth Park for last month's Go Skateboarding Day festivities, and the filmer used the placement to the side of the big ramp to get a lot of focus on skaters as well as the band. Mikhal is mostly hidden behind amplifiers, but it's an intense performance, and long for a Ha!ls video, so check it out below!
Hey Rob, The BAG has tickets to the among legends show
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