The Easter long weekend is shaping up to be quiet for hard rock-leaning concerts, but we do have a packed post, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a surprise band breakup announcement, all at the same venue, no less! I also want to mention that Maynard Hayes bassist Gabrielle Abulencia's graduation recital from the Algoma Conservatory of Music (which is a public concert) takes place tonight at The Loft, so click here for details on what to expect, and congratulations in advance! Now, here's what you should know for full rock concerts this weekend!
Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will play their "final bar concert" on SATURDAY NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday. The band revealed that they want "to announce this band's retirement", and while they did not elaborate on a reason for the decision, "they say (that) all good things must come to an end, but the music lives on forever". The wording (in combination with what members said on personal Facebook postings) does leave the door open for a further farewell concert not at a bar, but the finality implications are there regardless. It is worth noting that guitarist Raine Rancourt posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week looking for a bassist for a new project that he is working on with (former?) Handsome Sandwich singer Taylor Emlaw and an unspecified second guitarist & drummer, but I don't know how related that new band is to HeadF1rst's fate.
This news is extra surprising because members of HeadF1rst had just served as the opening night judges for the returning Shooters Downstairs Lounge Talent Quest karaoke competition on Sunday, but their activity had slowed down over the winter, playing just three (mostly short notice) nightclub gigs since the beginning of December, not counting THIS SATURDAY. Originally spelled as HeadFirst, this group became a highlight of the local rock scene since their mid-2023 launch, which saw them release two albums, play at Rotaryfest Stage 2 and Toystock twice each, hit the road as far away as Sudbury, and open for touring bands like Avessel, Blood Opera, and Woodhawk, so they packed a lot into a sub-3 year run. HeadF1rst are a talented group of guys (and girl) who had a nice classic influence on their originals and cover choices, and it will be sad to see them disband, but you have at least one more chance on SATURDAY!
Despite the bittersweet nature, this is a standard SATURDAY NIGHT concert at the former Vibe Lounge, with a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. Between Raine's new band, Red's also-new project Bards With Beards, and the talent that Liam, Claire, and Anthony have, I'm sure we'll hear a lot more from all involved soon, but visit the above links for more details on HeadF1rst's swan song (at least for nightclubs) on SATURDAY! For a preview, here they are live at Rotaryfest last year!
Next up, that's not all for late notice Beck's Bar gigs of a heavier persuasion this weekend, as prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his acoustic solo act back to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for a matinee gig on Easter SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this gig was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday (as was the HeadF1rst show, albeit without referencing their breakup). Making his second live appearance since he finished healing up his broken pinky finger, SUNDAY's matinee show will be Tym's first at Beck's since ending his 2025 slate there on December 28th. Not Tym's most frequent venue in the mid-2020s, but it's good to see him back here after three+ months, so keep this one in mind if you want some early Easter SUNDAY entertainment! Given his increased focus on his faith in the 2020s, Easter is good timing for concert too!
As usual for SUNDAY shows at Beck's, this is a 3:00 PM matinee gig (running until 7:00 PM) with a 19+ age limit and no cover.If you missed Tym's return show at The Dive, then welcome him back at Beck's on SUNDAY to cap off the long weekend! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this show, and for a preview, here's Tym live!
We'll circle back to SATURDAY to wrap up this post, albeit with a show that did get advance notice before Monday, as new local hard rock quartet Five Dollar Bribe will make their live concert debut in Beck's Bar's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot before HeadF1rst's concert that night! A change in protocol from acoustic matinee acts there, this reminds me of when Reggie's Place hosted another high school-aged hard rock band (One Shot) in August, but I haven't heard a peep from One Shot since that weekend. In Five Dollar Bribe's case, their lineup includes singer/bassist Randy Lundigran, singer/guitarist Jayce Albury, guitarist Tyler Greely, and drummer Chase Chapman, and you can check out current media via their Instagram and TikTok pages. From what I have seen of this band so far, they have a nicely developing sound, a sense of humour, and an eclectic cover range, with bands from Alice In Chains and System Of A Down to Hum and Dinosaur Jr. cited, among others
It will definitely be interesting to see how they go over, and the next generation will be the mainstays of the scene's future, so don't bypass them! Remember, Five Dollar Bribe aren't "opening" for HeadF1rst on Saturday, the two bands have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart, but you can hang out to see both if you like. As with Tym Morrison the following day, Five Dollar Bribe are up from 3:00-7:00 PM on Saturday with no cover, and I'm not sure if this will technically be 19+ given their ages & the timeframe. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's 5.D.B. live!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more on the SMS soon, perhaps including more previews? Thanks everyone!
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