Today's news post mostly looks at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE linked to a cancellation, alongside some big updates on a prolific local band's next album, so here's what you should know!
Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will not be playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tonight, but they will still be in action, if an hour southeast of here, as they'll make their St. Joseph Island debut TONIGHT at the Hilton Beach Community Hall in Hilton Beach! Profuse apologies for the short notice, HeadFirst only announced this show via their Facebook page this morning. I don't know whether they dropped out of the Shooters gig to take the Hilton Beach one or if Shooters had already cancelled beforehand, but note that HeadFirst last mentioned playing at Shooters tonight on their Facebook page on July 31st. That gap is concerning alone, but hopefully all's well with band & venue! TONIGHT's show at 3050 Hilton Road is a fundraiser dance in support of renovating the kitchen at the community hall, and there will be a cash bar, barbecue, and door prizes for the occasion. HeadFirst appear to be replacing The Retrofit Band here.
I don't know a thing about The Retrofit Band beyond that they play(ed?) classic rock covers, but hopefully all's well in their camp re: why they pulled out! Based on what I'm reading, TONIGHT's fundraiser dance has an admission price of $25, and if you aren't on St. Joe to get tickets at the stated physical locations, it appears to be the same price at the door. Remember, this is a fundraiser to renovate the hall's kitchen, hence the price. HeadFirst take the stage at 8:00 PM but doors open at 6:30 PM with a DJ bookending their set. Best of luck all around as HeadFirst hit the road for a good cause, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!
Next up, here's another new concert coming to Soo Blaster that has somewhat flown under the social media radar, as local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore will return there on Wednesday, August 28th when he opens for Winnipeg "hobo rock" musician Del Boy Druid! Of course, Chase is also playing at Soo Blaster tomorrow as part of the Sylo-headlined all-local concert there, but he and outsider folk singer/guitarist Shae Tull (also playing tomorrow) will serve as the local openers on the 28th for Del Boy Druid, a prolific lo-fi indie rock musician who has performed across Canada. Not a hard rock musician but he is a skilled songwriter with many original qualities and some surprise cover choices, and it will be interesting to see how Del Boy fares locally later this month! Given what I have heard, Chase's acoustic folk punk side will be a good match musically, as will Shae, so fans of outsider folk with a dash of punk rock will be into this concert (if you can swing the work/school night scheduling!)
This presumably 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and tickets are $10 in advance at this link or at Soo Blaster (I don't know if Chase or Shae have advance tickets on hand themselves), though admission jumps to $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more details on this mid-week concert, and don't miss Chase and Shae there tomorrow beforehand!
Also coming to Sault Ste. Marie next month is Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston for his fifth local headlining appearance on Friday, September 20th! Never playing the same local venue twice, B.A. will set up shop next month at The Whisky Barrel, in the acoustic-leaning Gore Street nightclub's second show with a touring headliner in under a month (and if you think this is odd for there, there's one more huge outlier to be announced!). B.A. Johnston last brought his eclectic and self-deprecating brand of acoustic punk originals here at Outspoken Brewing in August of last year, but this show thankfully has more public advance word, so if you've liked his amusing and hard-to-describe evenings of music and irreverence here, your next chance is coming! Local support is via Wyld Stallyns/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers in an increasingly common solo set.
I still am not positive how closely Rob's solo sets hew to his bands (I don't believe he has any social media pages for his solo work anyway), but he is a talented musician and will hopefully set the tone well next month! This 19+ concert is FREE and has an 8:00 PM start time (though I can't confirm if bringing Hawkins Cheezies will do anything tangible). Visit the official Facebook event page for more on B.A.'s local return next month!
Finally today, you may recall seeing my occasional mentions on the site since May that local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage had released (and then quickly taken down) a new album on Bandcamp on both May 15th and August 1st, with minor alterations to the cover artwork and album name for the August re-post. What exactly was going on there? Well, the album is now 100% slated to come out for real on Sunday, September 15th, and its final name is "The Waerlogas Sagas 1: Konfysion Of Fyck". As per the band's Facebook page this month, the album will be released alongside a 137 page read-along comic book, which may explain why it was temporarily uploaded twice beforehand! If you scan the provided QR code, you'll be taken to this sale page for the comic, which is legitimately being sold on paperback for $90. That may be beyond the pale for some, but the interactivity is fun and noted!
The album will permanently return to Bandcamp next month and will be on sale likely for $15, but will be freely streamable there too. The teaser images (featuring AI generated art) suggest that the comic will have 9 chapters and the album will have 34 songs, and if these are hints towards actual pages of the comic, the contrast of the text is very inconsistent. Some level of guest musicians will also be involved in the final product, but full credits will hit Bandcamp next month. Intriguing stuff all around, so visit the above links for more on Sykotyk Rampage's 70th album, and stay tuned for more on the site next week! Thanks everyone1
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