Friday, August 30, 2024

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Double Down, HeadFirst, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

For our last news post of the month, we're looking at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), all via weekend nightclub cover circuit regulars, so here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for concerts TOMORROW NIGHT and on Thursday, September 12th! Apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW's show, Curt only announced it via his Facebook page this afternoon, where he admitted that it was "a bit last minute, but I'll never turn down a gig". In one more kinda-new confirmation, he will be playing at the Rowdy Ranchers Horse Show at the Laird Fairgrounds on Friday, September 13th as well, joining the previously confirmed Saturday the 14th gig there, so whether you're into horses or just want to see his acoustic hard rock covers just outside of town, keep his dual bookings in Laird in mind in two weeks! Back to The Dive, Curt's show TOMORROW at the former Low & Slow will be an outdoor "Patio Play" gig, while his show on the 12th will be a part of the restaurant's "Think It Over Thursday" series, which is traditionally held indoors.

All three new shows are free, with The Dive shows being at 9:00 PM and 19+. The Rowdy Ranchers Weekend is definitely open to all ages, and while an 8:00 AM start time is listed, I don't know when exactly Curtis plays (pop rock cover quartet Lime are the Saturday evening headliners). The Weather Channel's current hourly forecast is calling for 20° temperatures and increasingly cloudy skies TOMORROW NIGHT, and there is a strong possibility of rain after midnight that could obviously abbreviate Curt's show, if not move it indoors. If you are at all concerned about the forecast, follow Curt or The Dive for updates. Visit the above links for more on Curt's September slate, and here he is live!


Next up, here's what was originally planned to lead off today's post before Curt's shows were announced, as The Esquire Club has announced their fall concert schedule through to the end of the year! After the Second Line West nightclub's two months summer break from the weekend cover band grind, they resume hosting live musicians next weekend, and surprisingly, only six different bands are in the rotation across these seventeen weeks. As per the official schedule shared on their Facebook page on Tuesday, they will welcome classic/hard rock cover quartets Silent 9 and Double Down there next month, but both bands already announced those dates on their social media and were thusly already announced here. Silent 9's website has all of their 2024 Esquire Club dates beyond listed too! The first new-to-us shows here from hard rock-leaning bands are courtesy of fellow classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, so when can you see them?

Soundcheck (still no space) return to Second Line West for the first time since late June when they take the stage on Friday, October 25th & Saturday, October 26th, with returns slated for November 22nd-23rd and then on December 20th-21st! No word yet on if The Esquire Club will hold their Halloween party early with Soundcheck or if they'll wait a day to do so with Silent 9 for a second straight year, but we'll keep you posted! Also note that Soundcheck's December shows are the last before Christmas, so there could be holiday themes there too. All six of Soundcheck's shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:30 PM start times, and good rocking covers will be present at all three!

While classic/hard rock veterans Double Down had announced their September dates at The Esquire Club (playing there on the 13th-14th and on the 27th-28th), their calendar doesn't go further than mid-October, leaving out two upcoming concert weekends there. Fans can see the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric back on Second Line West when they take the stage on November 8th-9th and December 6th-7th, so if you want to see this union of Griphook, Bone Yard, and Mojo alumni, you have four upcoming west end weekends to take note of! No major frills or holiday weekend tie-ins to note here, but Double Down's hard rocking blend of covers should attract positive notices once again, so keep their shows later this month in mind along with their already-known dates this month! Again, these are 19+ events with no cover charges and 9:30 PM start times

Finally, the other new dates from an established hard rock-leaning band come courtesy of rising young hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will return to The Esquire Club for one weekend only on the current schedule, that being on Friday, December 13th & Saturday, December 14th! The guys debuted here as late notice replacements for Mustang Heart (get well soon, Lorenzo!) in June, and while it is mildly surprising that HeadFirst (also no space) are only booked for the two gigs in this slate, they should inject things with a positive energy and lots of solid originals and covers! Note that new local classic rock band Headrush (who debuted at Toystock last year) are playing The Esquire Club for three weekends in the fall schedule. I plan to talk about them in an upcoming post, but despite both being bands with classic rock covers and having names starting with "Head" (which is bound to get confusing for some), they are very different.

Hopefully venues keep that straight if HeadFirst and Headrush are booked in close timeframes! Again, these are 19+ events with 9:30 PM start times and no cover charges. Sounds like a quality (if smaller than normal) lineup of upcoming bands at The Esquire Club, so definitely visit the above links for more on these bands, Bourbon Blue, and Mid Life Crysis' upcoming shows there! That's all for today, but stay tuned for our review of HeadFirst's debut EP on the site next! Thanks everyone!

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