LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival & Curtis McKenzie), Plus More Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's round out this weekend's currently announced hard rock concert previews today, focusing on Saturday-only events, but to lead off, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one of a huge scale, the other on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!

Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Vape Escape on MacDonald Avenue for another solo concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday, and it was held for our second preview post due to it's relatively later scheduling among shows over this stretch. This will be Curt's fourth solo appearance at the new e-cigarette/vaping lounge behind Tim-Br Mart, and first in over a month, though he has played a pair of solo concerts elsewhere in the interim. That said, this show will be different from his prior Vape Escape sets, as he'll have a special guest on hand, namely former Haggith bandmate Caleb Cachagee, who is advertised to be playing a set on bass. It's not 100% clear whether Caleb is opening for Curt or is backing him up for one set, but it's great to see them back on stage together, so come out TOMORROW to see how this shapes up!

Like his prior Vape Escape shows, TOMORROW's event is a 7:30 PM affair with no announced cover charge, and you must be 18 or older to attend. Curtis' resurgent solo project has been impressing fans all over again locally, and it's clear that The Vape Escape has been a favourite venue for his solo sets in recent months, so definitely consider attending this one for some solo hard rock cover action! See above for more details, and here's Curt live!



Next up, here's one more huge show before our Destroyer preview, as Six, Two, Oh. are hosting the Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival on Saturday, September 9th! We waited to plug this on the site, as the venue was originally somewhat ambiguous, but we can now confirm it's taking place in Leeburn, Ontario (near the Bruce Mines town limits) at Robbie's Church near the Highway 638 & Center Line Road turnoff, though I don't know if this is a formal active church or just the name given to it. Sort of a distant spiritual successor to Das Bunkerfest, this concert will see twelve musical acts playing all day, including 5 out of town attractions, so who all can you expect? In no particular order, the touring bands will include Sudbury punk trio Lightmares, Barrie all-female punk quartet Beaver Slap (fresh off of their Rockstar Bar show last month), Toronto country/indie rock quartet Run Coyote, Hamilton garage punk rockers Artificial Dissemination (who opened for K-Man & The 45s here last fall), and Thunder Bay "desert rock" quintet The Franquilizers (who opened for 1971 here last summer.)

The roster of local bands at the Oh!NO Festival will include punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, doom metal trio (and Six, Two, Oh.'s own) AlgomA, a debuting local band named Slumshine (no word on their lineup, sound, or online pages at press time), alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, reunited extreme metal quartet Winkstinger (in their first public concert in well over a year), new local indie/hard rock trio Vol. (featuring Pixo Control and Aldous alumni), and a solo set by Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle. How's all of that for a stacked lineup? I admittedly can't find any details yet on Slumshine, but it's great to see Winkstinger back on stage after a lengthy hiatus (they're back in our active band links), and it'll be interesting to hear how each band sounds! Also, just for clarification, Run Coyote no longer feature ex-Caddy Street Avenue drummer Andrew Dal Cin in their lineup, in case you saw the name and assumed he'd be back home for this event.

Six, Two, Oh. will be filming bands at the Oh!No Festival, which takes place at 11:00 AM until 2:00 AM with no stated age limit, and admission is $25, though this includes pick-up & drop-off at The Station Mall parking lot in a rented bus (a'la 2013's Big Loonie Bus Show), so if you'd rather not drive an hour, you have an alternative! Camping, a bonfire, and food vendors will be available on site, and tickets are now available at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Northland Music, Coch's Corner, Big Guns Barbershop, and maybe The Gore Street Cafe. This concert is shaping up to be a huge event to help ring in the fall, so visit the official Facebook event page for current & upcoming details!

Finally for today, we'll wrap up this weekend's currently known hard rock concert previews, as Windsor-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario with a headlining gig at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Making their fourth local concert appearance on record tomorrow, this will be Destroyer's first trip north to the Soo in over two years, and for fans clamoring for Kiss classics on a a local stage again, this tribute should deliver the visual and auditory goods! You wanted the best, so here's the next best thing to the best! Unlike their May 2015 show here (opened by the now-inactive Griphook), Destroyer have no advertised local acts kicking off the evening tomorrow. This 19+ event has a 10:00 PM start time, and while official sources oddly aren't publicizing prices for tickets (available at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk), 2015's show saw $12 advance ticket sales that jumped to $16 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Destroyer live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news either tonight or tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

For the first time since Saturday, we have a post on the SMS that's not a monthly feature! With school and work back in play, this is often a slow month for news, but with Halloween creeping closer and closer, things will pick up. Today, we're tackling weekend concert previews for the most part, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related new video!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will return to the stage on September 24th (one week from Saturday) when they open for local/Toronto indie rock musician Jesse Merineau at LopLops Lounge! This will be The Din's first show since launching their debut studio album at The Tech last month, and their first at LopLops since opening for Sulfur City in May, so if you haven't given in yet, come on down to the gallery & lounge next weekend! This will also be a rematch of sorts from the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands in March, where Jesse Merineau took first place and The Din came in second, so keep that angle in mind as well! Jesse is hyping this show as both his first formal headlining concert, and his last before recording his debut studio album, and while not metal, he's a talented singer/songwriter, so don't bypass him! No public word on if the dormant Caroline Divine will return as his backing band or not, like they did at the Speak Easy Battle, but 2/3rds of the band are confirmed attendees on the Facebook event page, so read into that however you choose.

Promoted by Jackson Reed at Ears & Eyes Online, this 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be an entertaining concert for alternative and indie rock fans, or those who loved the Speak Easy Battle, so check the above links for more details, and before we move on, The Din have a new video courtesy of their Facebook page! Another short comedic clip, this one has guitarist Tammy Hill observing that her bandmates have a drinking problem, before repeatedly asking what Mike and Brandan are doing during said binge, with a plug for the concert at the end. Cute video, if a little silly, but check it out below, and stay tuned for more from The Din!



Next up, let's move to previews of this weekend's currently announced hard rock concerts, starting with longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's latest three acoustic matinees at Gliss Steak & Seafood, as he'll be rocking out there TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Continuing his lengthy run of unplugged shows at the downtown restaurant, Tym should be in fine form to rock out (in a more reserved setting) once again this weekend, and remember that he has quite the extensive repertoire of songs at the ready! As usual for his long-term run at Gliss, there are no announced cover charges or age limits for this weekend's shows, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's Tym live a few years back!



In a brief detour to the Sault Michigan area, let's cover the return of Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm, who will rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in July, the Peril sister band have long proven to be a favourite out-of-town attraction at this Kewadin branch, and this weekend should see another solid weekend of metal and hard rock favourites! Unless there's a late announcement, this is Scarkazm's last concert weekend of the year in the E.U.P., so don't miss out, as they likely won't be back until 2017! However, Peril will be playing here for two more weekends this year, including at the Soo Kewadin in two weeks. Scarkazm will hit the St. Ignace Kewadin stage tomorrow & Saturday at 9:00 PM, both shows are 21+ events, and neither have age limits. Check the above links for more details, and here's a sampler of live Scarkazm covers!



Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the return of Montreal ska punk quintet K-Man & The 45s THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The New American Pub! A fall show in Sault Ste. Marie from this fan favourite band is becoming a tradition of sorts, with this being K-Man and crew's fourth show here in as many autumns, and with their high energy original songs and "Ska-mones" tribute set, fans won't want to miss their local return on Saturday night, especially as they're touring in support of their new self-titled CD! Support bands will include Hamilton garage punk duo Artificial Dissemniation, whose minimalistic but hard hitting brand of punk should attract a nice audience this weekend, so don't bypass them! Opening the night are local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements in a reprise of their opening slot from last year's 45s show at The New A, and you know what a good fit they'll be as a result (especially via their frequent Sublime covers), so come early for the local action!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. (who also put on last year's K-Man concert), this "Ska Saturday" event has a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. Whether you've seen any of the last 3 local K-Man & The 45s shows or not, this should be appointment viewing for punk and ska fans, as their shows are definitely a fun, fan-friendly experience, and make sure to bring extra cash to get their new album too! Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and here are the headliners live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Deathsticks & Eclipse), Tantrym Tyme Updates, And More!!

(Updated on Monday at 3:25 PM) Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing local classic/hard rock cover band Mourning Wood's shows at Reggie's Place this past weekend, as the band didn't publically plug them on their Facebook page (we only heard about them after the fact via drummer Glen Thomas' personal page today.) Hopefully they were great shows, we'd have plugged them had we heard about them! Now, today's post features two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), plus a new concert video and more updates, so let's get things rolling!

Fresh off of opening for The Ripcordz last night, local modern hard rock quartet Eclipse will head to The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for Montreal stoner rock trio The Hazytones in their local debut! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about Eclipse's involvement via the headliners' new Facebook event page on Friday (an earlier private event page didn't list Eclipse.) The Hazytones' brand of psychedelic originals have been getting a solid response during their Canadian tour, and while they're not a metal band, their songs do have some heavy thematic qualities, so don't miss them TOMORROW NIGHT! Eclipse will join forces with local indie rock quartet and fellow VM Radio Battle finalists K.I.C.K. on TOMORROW's lineup, so look for K.I.C.K. to keep it cool mid-show also! Admission for this 19+ show is $5, and the headliners have confirmed that it will take place at a typical 9:00 PM start time, not 5:00 PM.

This should be an intriguing show for fans of a few different styles, with psyhedelic, indie, and hard rock all represented on the bill, so definitely keep this special Monday nighter in mind TOMORROW! Also, I believe the guys in K.I.C.K. are largely responsible for promoting the show, marking a rare original show at The New A that's not from Six, Two, Oh. Check the above links for more details, and here's Eclipse live!

 
Next up, here's a new show that Six, Two, Oh. are definitely putting on, as Whitby, Ontario garage/noise rock duo Deathsticks will make their local concert debut at The New American Pub on Saturday, October 15th! Described by Six, Two, Oh.'s Boyd Rendell as his "favourite new band discovery" from AlgomA's recent tour run (having played together in Peterborough in June), Deathsticks' hard hitting brand of "power slop" originals definitely have original and entertaining qualities, so come see Matt & Laura lay into the Soo for the first time in two months! A debuting (one off?) hardcore punk band named The Eighties will open the proceedings, and while I can't confirm their lineup yet, they appear to be a supergroup merger of AlgomA & Winkstinger alumni. Sounds promising, we'll let you know if we hear more from The Eighties, whether they launch a Facebook page or not! At least one more local band is to be announced to round out the lineup.

Admission fees haven't been announced yet for this 9:00 PM & 19+ concert, but in the event that promoters don't announce them, bring $5 or so just in case. Sounds like a solid time, with Deathsticks carrying a solid endorsement from the guys in AlgomA, not to mention the debuting Eighties, so circle this show on your calendars for your fall plans, and visit the official Facebook event page for more info as it comes in!

Also today, here's a new video from Sault Michigan hard rock band Tantrym Tyme, in their first Facebook page update in almost a year(!), so it's great to see that they're still alive and well! This comes from a (publically unannounced) outdoor set that the guys played during the annual Downtown Days events earlier this month, with the video capturing Tantrym Tyme covering A Perfect Circle's "Judith", so how does the 75 second clip sound? The vertical camera angle does the band no favours, but the guys are definitely progressing their material and cover selection towards more difficult and less predictable songs, and they sound good from what I can hear, with Jacob Hotlen's voice maturing very well! It should be noted that the video does not feature second guitarist Michael McLeod, who played with Tantrym Tyme at last year's Superior Festival, but with no visible public evidence of him playing with the band since, it's looking more & more like his involvement was a one-off.

Michael was a solid guitarist from the videos that I saw from the Superior Festival, and hopefully we see him in a band again at some point! I wish Tantrym Tyme would update their public online pages with more frequency (what else have we missed in the past year?), but hopefully Jacob, Mike, and Ethan have much more to come for fans in the E.U.P., and give their Downtown Days video a look below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Hamilton garage punk duo Artificial Dissemniation have been added as the third and final band on the K-Man & The 45s concert at The New American Pub on September 17th, where they will play second between the headliners and The Elements. Promoters Six, Two, Oh. confirmed their addition on the Facebook event page on Wednesday, and Artifical Dissemination's hard charging minimalist punk should give this "Ska Saturday" an extra kick, so see above for more details on this event!
• During last night's Ripcordz concert at The Canadian Nightclub, local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades reportedly enlisted a special guest performer during their set, and while there hasn't been a public confirmation, personal postings indicate that the guest was Dayglo Abortions bassist Willy Jak! Nice surprise to be sure, and hopefully media turns up of Willy with Jack Spades! For reference, fellow performers Project 421 reportedly debuted at least one new original song too, as per sister band Eclipse's Facebook page.
• We have moved local cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The Crucify the Whore side project hasn't posted a public update since releasing their "Kittens Have Crustys" album on August 10th last year, with their Facebook page having since been taken over as C.T.W.'s new Facebook home. Malignant Neoplasm were a creative studio act for Blood Shed loyalists, if an acquired taste for many newcomers, but don't miss Tyler Gibson in all of his other active bands!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and notes as this week continues! Thanks everyone!