Before we kick off another round of hard rock weekend concert previews, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spooky season festivities ahead and updates from a talented but defunct(?) local band, so here's what you should know on this rainy Wednesday night!
Beck's Bar have announced their Halloween weekend concert slate via their Facebook page, and for a second time in three weeks, they'll host a concert on the usually DJ/dance party-only Friday, seeing as it is Halloween proper this year! The October 31st concert will be headlined by a debuting local Pearl Jam tribute band named Even Flow, and while I have yet to find a public social media page or posting about this group, public Facebook shares of this poster indicate that former Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner will be behind the kit, possibly joined by a new-to-me musician named Cameron Brock. We'll let you know when more is publically known, but a locally based tribute to the grunge/alternative legends would be neat to see! The openers on Halloween are new (and online page-less) local rock cover quartet The Barbarians, who debuted at The Northern Vibe Festival this year.
Featuring ex-Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich's Taylor Emlaw & Rafael Medina, and Boat Dads drummer Kevin Harrison, I still don't know what range of music that The Barbarians play in relation to Rob's solo shows and past bands, but you can find out next Friday! Costumes are absolutely encouraged, with prizes being offered for best makeup, best duo, and most creative, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will also be on hand. No cover charge is announced for this 19+ concert, which begins at 9:00 PM.
Meanwhile, Halloween will extend to Saturday, November 1st, with the spooky themes, costume contests, and Tarot readings in effect that day as well, and for the occasion, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to the former Vibe Lounge as that night's headline band! This show has not (yet?) been announced on their website's concert calendar, but it comes just two weeks after they last rocked Beck's, albeit for a full weekend with an "uncorked" Sunday matinee (Out & Out Country have the honours on November 2nd). Good to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back for another night of rocking covers and originals in the west end, so don't put your costumes away yet, as there's more Halloween fun to be had a day late! We already knew about Tym Morrison's matinee concert next Saturday, and remember, he isn't "opening" for Bone Yard, he and they have two separate four hour concert blocks spaced two hours apart.
Like with The Barbarians and Even Flow on Halloween proper, your local 225 kick off their evening at 9:00 PM next Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Sounds like Beck's has a lot going on for Halloween weekend, so definitely visit the above links for more on what's in the cards there!
Next up, let's take a look at some updates from the now-defunct Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors... or are they? In their last post on their Facebook page to date, singer/guitarist Brett Siesel thanked their friends, family, and supporters throughout their run, and "although this chapter has reached its conclusion, we have not". The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners are now calling this "our indefinite hiatus", and Brett teased that they have an "album coming soon". If they have entered the studio in any fashion, I haven't seen reference to it, but given that an indefinite hiatus can last anywhere from a few weeks to forever (let alone that they called their house party gig in August their "farewell show"), I'm not inclined to move them back to our active links at this juncture. After all, they're far from the only local band to end activity when members leave the area for college, but it's always cool to see bands reunite afterwards!
While we're on the subject, let's end this post with one of the last two full concert set videos from their YouTube channel! Today, we'll look at "The Shamrock Show" at Three One Three On Ashmun in March, where Brett, Calvin, and Isaac joined (in their Sault Ste. Marie debuts) The Sky Pilots and About:Blank for a St. Patrick's Day weekend blast of hard rock and punk action. The 52 minute set features The Sole Aggressors playing (in order) "Kill Thy Neighbour", "Burning Down", "Teenage Guide", "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys", "Time To Commercialize!", "False Hope", "Heil Artificiality", "Fool", "State Of The World", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Melted Plastic", "Tale Of An American Hero", "Reject", "Down By The Bay", and "Hypocrite", followed by a new original song named "The Same Individualist", and in a rarity at this stage, a cover of Black Flag's "Six Pack".
While this gives us our fullest look at The Sole Aggressors' original catalogue yet, the visuals don't start off ideal, but if you hang on past the first four songs, the filmer does move the camera so that Brett's head isn't cut off and Calvin isn't entirely hidden behind him from this vantage point. That one stage light can be a little bright regardless, but the upbeat and fast punk action is well recorded at the former Back Door here, so if you miss The Sole Aggressors or missed out on their gigs on both sides of the border, give this full set upload a watch for yourselves below!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
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