After a recently rare day off for the SMS, we're back with this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know! (Yes, I am aware of the Rotaryfest lineup announcements in progress, stay tuned for more when Saturday's lineup and/or Stage 2 are revealed!)
Saskatchewan post-hardcore trio Alien To The Ignorant will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only just announced via its official Facebook event page on Wednesday, and this is legitimately a late notice booking too. As you may recall, Alien To The Ignorant debuted here at local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty's private venue Mellow D's Underground in October, and clearly good connections were made, as The A.A. have been working to get them a local date on their way back out west. There was apparently a venue change before The Rockstar Bar was locked in, but kudos to them for helping out, especially for a recently rare Friday night concert there! If you didn't request the new locale of Mellow D's last fall, you'll have missed Alien To The Ignorant's lively modern hardcore sound, so good thing they're back TOMORROW!
Like last fall, the aforementioned Apocalypse Afterparty will open in their first announced public concert of 2022, so look for more upbeat rap-influenced hard rock originals and covers from the Stanghettas! TOMORROW'S concert is a 19+ affair with doors opening at 7:00 PM, and despite the touring headliners, there is NO COVER CHARGE. If you can make it out TOMORROW, a diverse night of heavy music lies waiting, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Alien To The Ignorant live!
Next up, local alternative hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich (or members thereof) will make their Shooters Downstairs Lounge debut TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was quietly announced on Wednesday the 15th on the band's Facebook page, but I didn't hear anything about it until this past weekend. While arguably better known from multi-band events, Handsome Sandwich have played solo headlining gigs on the weekend cover circuit before, and TOMORROW'S show at the Dennis Street nightclub fits in with that! The official poster notes that "members of Handsome Sandwich" are playing, with the name "Ourselves" given at the top, and that they'll be playing "radio hits", but the band proper have been plugging the show like normal on Facebook with no caveats, the full lineup is pictured in the poster, and they were an all-covers band before their pandemic hiatus anyway.
If the poster's very specific verbiage is accurate, does this mean that they're playing short-handed and/or with a guest fill-in, hence the Ourselves name and advertised covers focus? You can find out for sure TOMORROW at Shooters! A one nighter due to or resulting in classic rock cover quartet L!me's show there on Saturday, Handsome Sandwich (or "Ourselves") are on TOMORROW at 8:00 PM, expect a 19+ age limit, and there's no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich last year!
Lastly for currently known & announced hard rock concerts in the Soo this weekend, let's head to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The last of the second-quarter-of-2022 dates that the band announced back in April via this schedule, these will be Bone Yard's first gigs since their outdoor sets at the Queen Street Cruise last week, and for what it's worth, the band revealed on their Facebook page this past Friday that local country duo Jeff & Jeff (featuring Jeff McNiece) opened for them both days, an aspect never announced by event organizers. Apologies for missing that, hopefully the Jeffs set the tone well! Bone Yard last played at the downtown Reggie's over a month ago, and their hard rocking brand of southern fried covers should go over well once again this weekend with fans & regulars alike!
While we're on the subject, Bone Yard's next show after this weekend will take place on Saturday, July 2nd, when they return to the aforementioned Shooters Downstairs Lounge! That show was newly announced via the venue's Facebook event page yesterday, and will be their first show there since June 10th. Yes, it is a one nighter, as Shooters' Canada Day event on Friday the 1st is separately booked and I hope to cover that on the site shortly! Both this weekend's Reggie's shows and next Saturday's Shooters gig have 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and while the advertised start time at Reggie's is 9:00 PM, they're on at 8:00 PM at Shooters. Visit the Reggie's gigs' Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live-streamed videos of Bone Yard rocking out outside of GFL Memorial Gardens for the Queen Street Cruise this past Saturday afternoon!
The seven+ minute video starts with Bone Yard midway through a cover of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover of "Rolling Stone" (my mom would have loved that) before playing their last song of that set, Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" with definitely more of a hard rock base as you might expect. Despite the vertical camera angle, the filmer did move around to get closer and more varied angles, so you can easily see where the stage was set up at the Cruise and how fans were enjoying the music. Nice quality too, and Bone Yard were on their game, so check it out for yourself below before you see them at Reggie's this weekend!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the next few days! Thanks everyone!
Today's post is devoted to previews of two notable mid-week hard rock/metal concerts in Sault Ontario, one well over a year in the making, and the other featuring a lot of intrigue for it's cryptic locale and touring headliner, with both also featuring local openers we haven't seen in a long time. Here's what you should know!
The biggest Sault Ontario hard rock concert of the pandemic era will finally take place TOMORROW when Anaheim, California hard rock quintet Buckcherry will make their fourth local appearance (and first in this half of the Twin Saults) when they headline at Soo Blaster! This concert was originally scheduled to take place way back on May 13th, 2020 before everything went topsy turvy in March of last year, forcing a postponement to November 11th, and then ultimately to tomorrow night, but barring an imminent COVID outbreak, this show is taking place! Buckcherry are definitely in Canada and they have been touring across country all month, so fingers crossed! Well known rock radio staples from hit songs like "Sorry", "Lit Up", and "Everything", Buckcherry are touring in support of their new CD "Hellbound", so expect lots of familiar songs and new cuts in their first local stop since 2019's outdoor Kewadin Casino gig with Pop Evil, and before that, headlining Dreammakers Theater shows in 2011 & 2012.
This will also be Buckcherry's first local appearance since Billy Rowe replaced Kevin Roentgen on lead guitar last year. Amazingly, the local support acts remain unchanged since last spring, and they will include punk trio Redundant in their first public concert set since they opened for The Cancer Bats at Soo Blaster in August 2019, as far as I can gather. Obviously, it's great to see Justin, Andrew, and Rick back on stage after over two years, so don't be late for their familiar punk attack! The other opening band is local/Ottawa hard rock band Bad Chug in their long-delayed local concert debut, but they were previously active in Ottawa dating back to 2016! In case you're unfamiliar, their lineup features guitarist Aaron Desmoulin, bassist Kyle Dube (who was quietly re-added to their lineup anew), and drummer Matt D'Ettore, plus local folk singer/guitarist Jacob Quarrell as their newest member.
I'm not 100% sure if Jacob will play the same roles in Bad Chug (they credit him as "bender"), but readers may be familiar with his acoustic solo sets, previously under the project name Shit Creek Survivor. Bad Chug's mid-2010s Ottawa material had a solid carefree hard rock base, and it will be very interesting to see how they do in 2021 with in a new city, so find out first tomorrow night! Promoted by the Ottawa-based Diamond Mine Agency in their first major local booking with heavier bands, tickets are still available for $39.99 + taxes and service fees on Eventbrite, so click here to get yours online in advance! I presume you can also pay at the door, and yes, tickets bought for Buckcherry's 2020 dates will be accepted tomorrow. Everything starts at 8:00 PM, and unfortunately, this is a 19+ event. And as recently usual, attendees must show vaccine passports at the door to get into Soo Blaster.
Given the size and anticipation for this show, it's more important than ever that attending fans please mask up, follow social distancing guidelines at Soo Blaster, and use common sense to keep everyone safe, and thusly ensure that we get more concerts like this in the short term. Admittedly, I'm not a Buckcherry fan, but it's great to see that at least one of the COVID-postponed concerts is finally taking place, and hopefully Josh and crew deliver a fun set of up-tempo rock hits for fans tomorrow night, complete with local openers we haven't seen on a public stage at all in the 2020s! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Buckcherry live in Sault Michigan in 2019!
Finally for today, here's a special preview of a technically private concert taking place THIS THURSDAY NIGHT, but organizers are treating this as a public event, just with the venue being given out on request if you want to come out. The show in question will see Saskatchewan post-hardcore trio Alien To The Ignorant make their first ever local concert appearance when they headline at local party metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty's re-opened and relocated private venue Mellow D's Underground! Alien To The Ignorant's brutal hardcore sound and none-too-serious approach to their promotion should serve them well to attract an audience on Thursday, so don't miss out if you can come out on a work/school night! Local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters will play their first concert set in over two years on Thursday, which will also be their first live appearance since releasing their album "The Dead Testament" last fall, so hopefully they shake off the rust with their brutality!
And yes, The Apocalypse Afterparty themselves will perform in a rare live appearance that isn't purely a private house party, so what musical shenanigans will the Stanghettas be up to with their up-tempo brand of music? Be at Mellow D's Underground, wherever it is, to find out! There is no advertised cover charge for this concert, which has a thankfully early start time of 6:00 PM, and inquire with The Apocalypse Afterparty and/or Paul & Amanda for the address in case they never publicize it. Vaccine passports must be presented upon entry, and please use common sense re: social distancing. Visit the above links for more details, stay tuned for more updates, and here here's Alien To The Ignorant live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
After a personal break from active updates on the SMS (my mom's COVID-delayed funeral took place on Saturday), we're back with a new news post on this Tuesday evening, including some recent updates from a popular local Facebook group, new videos from two genre-defying local bands, and a new publically advertised but privately located house party concert to keep in mind for next month. Here's what you should know!
Saskatchewan post-hardcore trio Alien To The Ignorant will make their local concert debut on Thursday, October 21st when they headline at The Apocalypse Afterparty's revived Mellow D's Underground private venue! Readers may recall seeing Mellow D's Underground turn up as a host venue for Apocalypse Afterparty-linked concerts in early-mid 2017, and again in October 2019, but the Stanghettas are bringing it back after another 2 year hiatus for an all-too-rare extreme metal show at this stage of the pandemic. The (new?) location of Mellow D's isn't publically advertised, but it is on posters circulating on personal Facebook accounts. Alien To The Ignorant have an intense modern hardcore sound that should attract a solid response from fans, to go along with a clear sense of humour, so consider coming out to see them, especially as local death metal band The Bear Hunters will open in their first concert set of any kind in two years!
This will also be The Bear Hunters' first live gig since releasing their new album "The Dead Testament" last year, though they have yet to confirm any CD pressings of it to sell, let alone if they still want to have a formal launch party. The Apocalypse Afterparty are also opening with a fun party metal attack, though if you were in the know, you may have seen them in fully private events earlier in the pandemic. Doors will open at 6:00 PM for this concert, which has no advertised cover charge, but vaccine passports will be mandatory despite the house party locale. Visit the above links for continuing details as they roll in, and while we're on the subject, The Apocalypse Afterparty posted a new video from their teased music video shoot onto their Facebook page last month! Apologies for the public delay, updates from their camp are sporadic. Back in March, you may recall seeing this clip of the band performing in a bathroom, but how about now?
The new 56 second video features what appears to be the end of the video in question being shot, in a room full of pink lighting and a LOT of smoke, leading to Amanda, Paul, and Spacebag Productions' Josh Penno (who was filming the shoot) leaving the building. The room here looked bigger than the bathroom, so is the basic idea of the video (assuming it's just one video) that the band is playing in multiple rooms of a house? Time will tell, but give it a watch below, and hopefully the final product goes live soon!
Next up, new local alt-hardcore duo These Magnificent Tentacles have posted two new videos on their Facebook page in the last two months to tease some recent studio recording work they've done with Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios! Brent & Steve started these sessions on August 9th, and other than saying that they're recording "some new tracks", they didn't specify whether these would be part of an album of some kind, or just to have some more studio content ready. The first 18 second video is a low-res clip of what appears to be the guys tracking material with Dustin behind the computer (you hear more of the metronome than the actual song), but embedded below is last week's video shared from Tidal Records' Facebook page, where Brent & Steve use all twenty of their magnificent tentacles (ie: their fingers) simultaneously on a keyboard while in studio.
Metronome-heavy again, but you at least hear the rather trippy-sounding instrumental track clearly, and it's great to see that These Magnificent Tentacles are working on new material so they'll hopefully have more than one song on social media! Will we hear these new songs when they make their live concert debut at The Klub in the Pall Mall on Saturday night? Be there to find out, and give these new videos a look above and below!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all via recent postings on the the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from local musicians looking for new bands over the past month! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
Toronto-area rock bassist Chris Ricci is moving to Sault Ste. Marie this month and is looking for musical projects in town to play in/with. He is an experienced musician in Southern Ontario hard rock acts like Cocked & Loaded and Black Sun, plus multiple tribute bands for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, and AC/DC, and multiple videos are on YouTube from his recent band work if you want to see what he brings to the table. Sounds like a very promising pick-up for anyone looking for an experienced bassist, but message Chris at this link or via his group post from two weeks ago for more details!
Former Suicide Kings frontman Mike Gaetano is looking to either join or start a new local band. His post from last month notes that while he can play guitar and piano, he wants to focus on singing unless absolutely necessary. Ideally, his band would be playing covers and originals equally and he's hoping to play live once every couple of months at first, though he did not specify whether he'd want to play hard rock like in his prior major bands or something else. It'd be great to see Mike fronting a new local band, but message him at this link or through the group for more info!
A local musician named Taylor McKay is looking to start an extreme metal
band with like-minded artists (who have gear), and he can play bass &
rhythm guitar, as well as provide clean vocals. He also has a
home studio for songwriting purposes if need be. I'm not familiar with
Taylor musically, but message him at this link or via his group post (like Chris, also from two weeks ago) for details!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
I know things have been quiet on the site over the past week, and while the weekend's two day break was partially for personal reasons, the last two days were definitely due to a recent slow patch for stories at our news desk. That said, a busy weekend of concerts is upon us, including a few SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for good measure, so we'll tackle most of those today, while saving Saturday night's Rudyard Musicians Festival for tomorrow's post to give it proper emphasis given it's scale and timing. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend!
Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will play a rare concert at The Savoy Bar in Sault Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. A one nighter due to Banned's road trip to Gould City for a concert there on Saturday, TOMORROW'S show is, as best as I can tell, Banned's debut at the 117 West Portage Avenue nightclub, as hard to believe as that is. Fresh off of their successful return to the annual Sugar Island Music Festival, this should be another solid local showcase for Alex, Don, and Wayne, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind for some hard hitting and fan favourite covers! A 10:00 PM start time is in effect, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!
Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have reportedly been named as openers for TOMORROW NIGHT'S long-anticipated K.I.C.K. headlining concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Apologies again for the short notice, this show had been advertised for weeks as a solo event for the indie rock quartet, but The Elements were only just publically confirmed yesterday to kick things off. Arguably their biggest headlining concert yet, the Keep it Cool Kids will be playing multiple sets at The Canadian TOMORROW from their upcoming album along with new cuts, and this should be a prime opportunity for fans to check out K.I.C.K.'s skilled originals! As for The Elements, they're riding high off of their own headlining set last week at The Rockstar Bar, and their ska-influenced mix of heavy and alternative styles should help set the tone TOMORROW, despite their late confirmation! Another 19+ event, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised, though have money on hand in case there happens to be a cover charge.
K.I.C.K. have impressed fans routinely with their smooth indie rock sound in the past few years, and The Elements will add their own "element" to give fans of a heavier persuasion a little something TOMORROW NIGHT, so keep this huge show in mind, and here's The Elements live!
Lastly for new announcements, prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall THIS MONDAY & TUESDAY to go along with his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Mark's gigs, these were only just announced via their own Facebook event page on Sunday, and while their timing would suggest that we'd cover them closer to Monday, I'm lumping them with the Gliss shows for synergy & to ensure that the Rudyard Musicians Festival gets proper emphasis in our next post. Three weeks removed from his debut "weekend" at the new breakfast-centric diner at the Second Line West mall (with collectibles store and ice cream parlour from the same owners also now open there), Tym will have two more evenings of unplugged rock classics in store for fans and patrons there on MONDAY & TUESDAY!
And of course, Tym's ongoing weekly run at Gliss marches on with evening gigs tonight through Saturday, so keep this run of 5 matinee shows in 6 nights in mind! All of these shows have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that both venues are sit-down restaurants, albeit with very different menus and environments. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and above for more details on these 5 upcoming shows, and here's Tym live!
Finally for today's preview post, we'll close with a show that entirely had lots of advance notice, as Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Rockstar Bar! Don't let their name fool you, this band is actually an all-female group, and are the current project from former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy, so if you've missed that band on a local stage, here's a quality alternative! The Alien Boys' brand of upbeat yet edgy punk rock should find another solid audience tomorrow night, so keep them in mind for your weekend concert plans! Local openers will include online page-less death metal duo Twistory (in just their second public concert set of the year) and new local indie/hard rock trio Vol. in their second public concert total. If you missed Steve, Shane, and Matthew earlier this month, and don't want to wait for online media to be posted, come to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow to hear what Vol. have in store in their sophomore outing!
A rare Six, Two, Oh. concert to take place at The Rockstar Bar, tomorrow's 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a solid night of diverse musical action with some punk and metal sprinkled throughout, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Alien Boys live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Rudyard Musicians Festival preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
With a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hitting the wire this afternoon, here's a surprise second news post for your Thursday night! That is also joined by two more new concerts taking place over the same weekend in just under a month's time, so read on below for what you should know, and check out other weekend concert previews and more in the post below this one from this morning!
Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Moloney's Alley for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page earlier today. Still a largely unfamiliar venue for our coverage, the 227 West Portage Avenue bar played host to a private Project 906 show last month for Sault Area High School's class of 1997 reunion, but as far as I can tell, TOMORROW'S show is a regular, publically attendable show. Last seen at the King's Club Casino in Brimley two weeks ago, Project 906 are no strangers to branching out to atypical concert venues in the E.U.P., and hopefully things go well at Moloney's Alley TOMORROW! No word however on if the show will be outdoors again or indoors, but the picture they used to promote the event was from their outdoor set at the aforementioned reunion. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit, so check the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live last month!
Next up, here's some more new concerts with more than a day's public notice, starting with another new show from Sault Ontario promoters Six, Two, Oh.! Unusually taking place at The Rockstar Bar rather than their usual New A stomping grounds, this event on Friday, August 18th will be headlined by the local debut of Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys, but despite their name, they're actually an all-female group featuring former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy. This will be nothing new for fans who saw Beaver Slap locally last month, but The Alien Boys' solid and energetic brand of punk rock should gain them their own audience locally, so don't miss them on the 18th! Local support (both in their Rockstar Bar debut) will include death metal duo Twistory's second live set of the year, as well as the second concert appearance period from Vol., the new indie/hard rock trio from Pixo Control and Aldous alumni. Nice diverse lineup, so don't miss out next month!
A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, and a 9:00 PM start time is in effect. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and don't miss out on what should be a fun night of varying kinds of alternative music action! And yes, we are aware of a major concert event announced by Six, Two, Oh. for this fall, but we are waiting on confirmation on the venue and if it technically has a public address before we get ahead of ourselves on here. Stay tuned though, as this will be a big event!
Finally for tonight's post, the full lineup for this year's second annual Rudyard Musicians Festival in nearby Rudyard, Michigan was finally announced on Tuesday, so who all is rocking Rudyard Township Park on Saturday, August 19th? Mostly the same bands as last year, with only Stoned Ape Evolution, Second Offense, and The Gaskins not returning, so if you liked the inaugural Musicians Fest lineup, here you go! Despite previously indicating that there would be "NO METAL" this year, hard rock acts do populate two of the three top slots, with the aforementioned Project 906 headlining at 11:00 PM, as preceded by classic rockers/event promoters Steelhead (with guest performer Jimmy Bishop) at 10:00 PM, and sporadically seen experimental hard rock group The Karstens as one of this year's new bands at 9:00 PM. Good to see them back on stage! Fellow newcomers The Whole Shabang will tackle their own classic rock covers as well at 8:00 PM, while remaining performers are mostly in the online page-less country or bluegrass realm unless otherwise stated.
Other acts will include The North Country Band at 7:00 PM, The Wednesday Night Headliners at 6:00 PM, Robert & Bob Malaski at 5:00 PM, Jimmy Williams at 4:00 PM, pop artist Hayley Malaska at 3:30 PM, festival newcomer Kevin Blakeney at 3:00 PM, Crossroads alum Denny Verrett at 2:00 PM, Traverse City experimental outfit The Neighbourhood Dogs at 1:00 PM, and The (New?) Jazz Trio opening at 12:00 PM. Lots of talent on hand this year, so keep them all in mind! As well, organizers have confirmed that Friday the 18th will play host to an open mic night, as all of their equipment will be set up already, so "we might just as well use it" for a "Friday night free for all." You never know what you'll get with an open mic night, so if you're in the neighbourhood, this might be worth checking out! Free rustic camping will be available on sight for that weekend, while there will be a pig roast and other concessions for good measure. Admission is $5 a person, but kids 10 years old or under get in FREE, and like last year, all proceeds go to Rudyard Area Schools' music and band programs, which is always a worthy cause!
Despite promoters' earlier claim of no metal this year (no word on if that's specifically why Stoned Ape Evolution aren't back), it's nice to see some music on the heavier spectrum again this year, so if you're a fan of country or some more rocking music, you have options in this sophomore event, which is for a great cause and definitely looks to be a friendly event for fans of all ages! Visit the above links for complete details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Fest, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
With a mid-week Canada Day this year, we have some mid-week SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on to end the month with, but to spread things out a bit given the amount (and preview of a Tuesday night show TONIGHT), our preview of Havadder's Studio 10 concert tomorrow will come in a second post today, and yes, we are aware of the Rotaryfest stage lineup reveals, those are likely coming tomorrow! Now, here's what you should know for Canada Day!
Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus have been added to the lineup for TOMORROW'S first annual Peace Love Music festival! Apologies for the short notice, the guys were only officially confirmed for the lineup yesterday, though their involvement had been teased in preceding days. To be held at Club Current, the new nightclub/venue inside of Waterfront Legend (formerly Docks Riverfront Grill), this event is the culmination of a long dream from promoters Justin Roy & Michael Babcock to hold this kind of event in the Soo, which will primarily be an outdoors event outside of Club Current featuring live music from 1:30-10:00 PM, food and drinks, and of course, a great view of the Canada Day fireworks from the waterfront, so keep Peace Love Music in mind for TOMORROW! Despite the Woodstock-esque themes, this is actually primarily a house/DJ/electronic themed event, with Gnaeus the only full "band" that I can confirm on the lineup, but their set will co-headline tomorrow at 7:00 PM, with Justin Roy DJing as the headliner until 10:00 PM.
Other performers include Motus Canere (real name possibly Tyler McCaig, but I can't 100% confirm that) at 6:00 PM, Rhyan Lotto Toivanen at 5:00 PM, electronic duo Electric Therapy at 4:00 PM, Michael Babcock at 3:00 PM, and Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson at 1:00 PM. Note as well that earlier postings on the Facebook event page listed that artists named Montel J & Manzini Sangiovese were playing, but they've since been removed (or renamed?) for unannounced reasons. Peace Love Music admission will be $10, and this is presumably 19+, but note that it is an outdoor event primarily during the day. For more details, visit the above links! It's great to see some concerts at Club Current (and the former Docks), and while there's only one "band", keep this event in mind for some live club and house music from this talented DJ roster, plus Gnaeus' own post-punk originals! For a preview, here's Gnaeus' full Lopstock set!
Next up, local classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood will play their own Canada Day concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via this Facebook event page on Friday, but at least they gave us a few days notice for a change (in fact, this is their first show to get plugged on their own Facebook page in two months, and first with an event page in three!) Terry, Steven, and T.J. are no stranger to mid-week shows (they just played a Wednesday nighter at Reggie's last week), but this week's is obviously timed for Canada Day, so if you're up for some live cover action, here's an option for you! For reference, Sault Online still lists Mourning Wood's Thursday jam nights at Rednecks on their music calendar page as an ongoing weekly event, but the band hasn't acknowledged new jam nights on Facebook at all this month, so unless they've held them without online comment, I don't believe they're still on.
Also, if the guys have weekend concert plans too, they won't be back at Rednecks on Friday night due to Mike Haggith's CD release party, but we'll let you know if anything is announced. Mourning Wood's Canada Day show TOMORROW goes down at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Mourning Wood live last year!
Finally for this post, here's our preview of a Tuesday night concert going down TONIGHT, as Montreal psychedelic punk band Saturn Alien will rock The New American Pub for the first time! Playing a nicely varied hybrid of punk, funk, and psychedelic rock into a sound that's hard to describe while still retaining an edge, Saturn Alien should leave a good impression on this last day of June, so definitely give them a listen and see what you think! Two local opening bands are on board for tonight, including the aforementioned Gnaeus and newer local alternative/punk quartet Id Iota (in their New A debut), and both have their own punk hybrid sounds that will slide in nicely as openers tonight! Apparently promoted by Id Iota (who launched the Facebook event page), there is a $5 cover charge for this 19+ concert, and everything starts at 9:00 PM, but remember, tomorrow is a holiday, so you probably don't have to worry about this being a late night during the week!
Punk and alt-rock fans should have a great time at this show, so check the above links for more details, and send June off in style TONIGHT! Here's a Saturn Alien music video!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Havadder preview and much more this week! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for another missed Mourning Wood concert, as they did indeed play at Reggie's Place downtown last night in place of the cancelled Beaumont Avenue show at The Rockstar Bar, as per frontman Terry Eaton's personal Facebook page. We mentioned the possibility of Mourning Wood playing yesterday in our last post, but word of it on Facebook again came on too late of notice to cover it on here, but we would have had we known, and we'll let you know if we hear who's filling in for Terry & T.J. tonight! Now, today's post mostly features previews of Sunday concerts, one short notice, but we'll start with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!
Local independent record label Tidal Records are hosting a local skateboarding event TOMORROW at Queen Elizabeth Park at The John Rhodes Community Centre in honour of Go Skateboarding Day, and there will be live bands during the show, including the long awaited return of... Garden of Bedlam! Apologies for the short notice, this event was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Yes, Garden of Bedlam will bring their hard rock attack back to the concert stage for the first time since 2013 (stag & does aside), and while it's anyone's guess where they've been for the past year, be sure not to miss their return set TOMORROW! Other acts playing tomorrow will include local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control, Frasiers-succeeding glam/pop trio Caroline Divine, and a joint set by local rapper Conika (a new Tidal Records signing) featuring Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson. As well, Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay is among the Tidal Records' skate team members that will be showcasing their skills tomorrow, so keep that in mind too!
Promoted by Tidal Records' J.D. Pearce, this is a FREE & ALL AGES event that begins at noon TOMORROW with a projected end time of 5:00 PM, but set times for the bands aren't listed. There will also be giveaways from Tidal Records and local sponsors (including The Rad Zone), so for more details, check the above links! Despite the early timing, there's a great lineup of bands and what promises to be a fun afternoon of skateboarding action, not to mention the end of Garden of Bedlam's long hiatus, and I hope to see you guys at the skatepark TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam at The Canadian!
Next up, here's another new show before we finish off this weekend's concert previews, as Montreal psychedelic punk band Saturn Alien will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, June 30th at The New American Pub! Definitely a unique band who put a funky spin on their originals that are often hard to pin down into one genre, they should make a big impression one week from Tuesday during their Canadian tour, so be sure not to miss Saturn Alien then! Local support will come via VM Radio Battle of the Bands winners Gnaeus and new local alternative/punk quartet Id Iota (much more on them to come on the site), and both are solid and fitting openers that have their own genre-melding originals, so don't be late! Apparently promoted by Id Iota (they launched the Facebook event page, at least), this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time, and while the show is on a Tuesday, remember that the next day (July 1st) is Canada Day, so it's a holiday anyway!
This should be an entertaining concert if you love punk and alternative music, and given the holiday, it should allow more people than usual to come out on a Tuesday for this one! Check out more details at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Gnaeus & Id Iota's recent Lopstock performances!
Returning to weekend concert previews, here's one with something for many musical tastes, as Toronto doom metal trio IRN (all capitals) will make their own local concert debut TOMORROW EVENING, also at The New American Pub! IRN's crushing, slow, and relentless original songs are sure to impress metalheads tomorrow night, so if you're up for some Sunday night doom metal, you know where to be! Naturally, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will open in their New A debut and the kick-off to their upcoming Ontario tour (good luck to them, for sure!), but after that, the local openers take varied turns in sound. Also scheduled are local lo-fi/punk project Telephone & Address, but it's still unclear whether their briefly advertised addition of Sam Decter on drums will be revealed tomorrow, especially given that references to Sam & Chris collaborating were quietly deleted from Facebook, at least in a public form. We'll let you know if anything is clarified either way!
The lineup will be rounded out by local rapper Conika with guest DJ Seith (fresh off of their Go Skate Day set) and fellow local rapper Mikey Thomas, so if you like hip-hop, come early, and I mean early, as the show will nowbegin at 4:00 PM to accomodate the ALL AGES theme, as minors can't be in the pub past 9:00 PM. Odd, but necessary, so hopefully there's a good turnout! Note that the show was moved from 180 Projects earlier this month due to personal commitments of that venue's staff. This Six Two Oh-promoted concert has an $8 cover charge, so be there TOMORROW at 4:00 PM to take in all of the action, and here's IRN live earlier this year!
Finally for today, we'll close things across the river in Sault Michigan, where a rare Sunday night concert goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Kewadin Casino, courtesy of Massachusetts-based Rush tribute band Lotus Land! An acclaimed tribute to the legendary Canadian progressive hard rock trio, Lotus Land tour the United States and have played at the annual convention Rushcon at least twice, so their faithful sounding take on the live Rush concert experience should be more than ready for tomorrow night! Usually, heavier tribute bands play on this side of the border when they come through our area, but if you're in the E.U.P., don't miss this one! Tickets for the concert are just $12.50, and they can be bought at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and there are still plenty of tickets available in each row, so get on that A.S.A..!
Like usual for Dreammaker's Theatre shows, this is an ALL AGES event with a 7:00 PM start time. If you love Rush, you'd be well served to check out Lotus Land live at the Soo Kewadin tomorrow night, so check the above links for more details, and here's a sample video of the their Rush tribute experience!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind tomorrow, and we'll see you guys at the Go Skateboarding Day concert as well! Thanks everyone!
