LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (K-Man & The 45s And Eye Of Horus), Plus New Videos!!

With a pair of big new concerts announced today, let's focus today's news post around these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but with a few new videos to cap things off! Here's what you should know!

Edmonton melodic death metal quintet Eye of Horus will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Canadian Nightclub on Sunday, August 27th! Capping off their Eastern Canadian Tour here in just under a month, Eye of Horus' blackened death attack should whet the appetites of extreme metal fans with their technical set, so be sure to check them out in advance of the 27th to see what Eye of Horus has in store! Joining them here for this concert are Guelph progressive metal quintet Becomes Astral, who fans may recognize from their set at The Algonquin Pub opening for fellow Edmonton metal band Elements (not the local Elements) two years ago. Becomes Astral should entertain new and old fans alike with their extreme and proficient originals, so don't bypass them either! Note that local advertising lists Eye Of Horus as headlining, despite Becomes Astral's higher poster placement. Local openers will include local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters in just their third concert of the year (and Live705 debut), as well as resurgent hard rock quartet Eclipse.

As of this writing, this will also be the first Live705 concert without A Dire Setback opening, which will be surprising to see, but they admittedly would be an outlier on this death metal-heavy event. Another licensed ALL AGES event with a 7:30 PM start time, this continues with Live705's recent reversion to advance ticket sales rather than vouchers, so get your $5 advance tickets from local openers or at The Canadian Motor Hotel front desk, or pay $7 at the door. Arguably the heaviest Live705 show to date, this should be a face melting good time, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for potential updates!

Next up, remember how Montreal ska-punk quintet K-Man & The 45s returned to the Soo for a concert in March, way sooner than expected given their four year run of local dates in the fall? Well, the balance has been restored, as they'll be headlining at LopLops Lounge on Tuesday, October 10th! Consider March's show a bonus, as The 45s will be back in our area for another autumn set of high energy ska punk originals and "Ska-mones" covers, and if you've seen them in their other four headlining appearances, you know how fun and memorable they are in person! Saskatoon noise/punk duo The Faps will also return to the Soo as a featured opening act, marking their first Soo stop since headlining at The New A in September 2014. This edgy minimalist duo made fans with their unique genre blend three years ago, so prepare for a belated second round in October! Local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic will be the local opening act, and they should provide solid support like they did in March for K-Man and company!

Finally, local DJ The Dub Selectah will also be on hand on October 10th to spin ska and reggae music between bands, so keep that angle in mind! Quite possibly the first Six, Two, Oh. show ever held at LopLops, this will be the fourth straight K-Man show here from this agency, who also hosted The Faps in 2014 under their old Oh! Right Arm Promotions moniker. Unfortunately, the cover charge of this show is $10 (up $5 from K-Man's last three local stops), but it's still a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time. It's always great to see K-Man & The 45s here, who have quickly grown into local favourites with their ska attack, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with some new videos, starting with some recent footage from prolific local concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel! He has two more big shows with video to touch on in the coming days, but we'll start with the earliest ones here, as he was on hand for Mike Mikus' local farewell gig at LopLops Lounge two weeks ago! Posted three days afterward, Chris didn't upload anything from Id Iota's opening set, but he did shoot two videos of the Montreal-bound solo headliner's set, including one of an old Pixo Control song! The other video is of two apparent solo songs (if I forgot that one was a non-album original, apologies), with the first song being softer in tone, and the other being a faster & heavier number reminiscent of "Scratch". Embedded below is Mike, Dustin, and Keeghan playing their old band's lengthy song "Potpourri", which closed The Pixo Control's only CD "Probably Not", and it must have been a thrill for fans to hear that band's material one more time before Mike's big move!

The audio quality is good (admittedly better on softer stretches), and it's nice to see the guys rocking out in what had to be a bittersweet night, and while there are many attendee heads in the way of the camera, this was a highly anticipated concert. Hopefully Mike got a great sendoff, and best of luck to him in Montreal, I know he'll do great things as he progresses his solo career! Give Chris' videos of Mike's local swan song a look above & below!



Finally, local alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback live-streamed this video to their Facebook page on Thursday evening, and it features their preparation and setup prior to their set opening for Treble Charger at LopLops. That said, just when the band is starting to run through a soundcheck performance of "Catastrophe", the cell phone used to film the video falls over thanks to subwoofer vibrations, and ultimately falls to the stage floor after 11 minutes before being rescued in the waning seconds. Unique video in more ways than one, and A.D.S. sounded good during the soundcheck, so give their new live stream video a look/listen below!




That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates soon, plus our newest CD review tomorrow or Monday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (SNFU & Debutaunt), The Astral Gunk Concert Preview, And A New Video!!

Here's another news post for your Tuesday morning, and of course, I hope that our American readers had a great Fourth of July! Today, we have one more video from a major recent major concert, a special mid-week concert preview, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for you punk fans, so here's what you should know!

Edmonton pop punk quartet Debutaunt will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, August 9th when they headline at The New American Pub! Hitting the "road to nowhere" on their Canadian tour next month, Debutaunt are touring in support of their new EP, and have a fun alternative punk sound that calls to mind a number of big punk acts, so they should attract a solid response next month at The New A! There will be at least one local opening band, identity to be established, and we will let you know when there is a public announcement on the local band(s). Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. in their latest New A event, this 19+ concert will start at 9:00 PM, and the Facebook event page curiously lists both a $5 cover charge and a "pay what you can" model of entry, so we'll clarify that on here if promoters specify their intended payment method(s). Punk fans should circle August 9th on their calendars for Debutaunt's local debut, so stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's another major show for punk (and hardcore) fans on Thursday, September 1st, as Vancouver hardcore punk legends SNFU will return to The Rockstar Bar for what should be another huge headlining show! Last seen almost a year ago during promoter J.D. Pearce's Gonqshow concert series, Mr. Chi Pig and company are no strangers to the area, always attracting a lively crowd for their classic songs, and things should be no different to kick off September! Like last year, J.D.'s punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will be on the opening lineup (fittingly so, given that they cover "Drunk on a Bike" frequently), while there will be at least one additional local band to be announced. For reference sake, last year's SNFU show was opened by Destroilet (who haven't played live since the fall), while the dormant Bad Back were once scheduled too before quietly dropping out. This 19+ show is being held at 9:00 PM (the 3:00 PM start time on the Facebook event page is obviously incorrect.)

As for admission, this is another show that's so big, it warrants online advance ticket sales, and they are $20 a piece at this link starting at 10:00 AM today! There is apparently a limit of 100 advance tickets, and I can't confirm if admission at the door will be raised at all, let alone possible given the advance ticket sales. It's great to see SNFU back in the Soo, and much quicker than the previous six year delay prior to last year's show, so check the above links for full current details on this concert!

Also today, here's a special Wednesday night concert preview, as Sackville, New Brunswick "punk gnar-wave garage psych" quartet Astral Gunk will rock The Gore Street Cafe in their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT! Punk fans should be interested in checking out Astral Gunk's blend of old school punk and retro styles that even add some new wave and techno to their sound, and they should deliver tomorrow at the laundromat! Venue co-owner Sam Decter's new experimental/rap duo The Leash Kids were originally advertised to open the show, but they have quietly been removed from the lineup for unannounced reasons (maybe Mikey's unavailable?) In any event, the Facebook event page lists a band to be announced as the openers, and if they are confirmed, we will let you know! Could it be one of Sam's numerous recent one-off bands? This ALL AGES event will have a "pay what you can" model for admission, and assuming there is an opener, will start at 7:00 PM. Check the above links for more details, and here's Astral Gunk live!



We'll close today with (at least) one more video from the Hedley concert at The Yard from Tuesday night! Uploaded by attendee Chris Paci on Sunday to his YouTube channel, this came well after the bulk of his Hedley concert videos were posted, hence why we didn't acknowledge it during that morning's SMS post. This is of the Abbotsford, B.C. pop punk quartet playing their song "Anything" (which I believe closed their set), complete with introductions of the band's members, and it's a good & lively video to cap off Chris' videos from this massive concert, so give it a look below, and see more of Chris' videos above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for concert previews and more later this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Astral Gunk, The Din, And Mourning Wood), And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's our second weekend concert preview post for this weekend, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (including some on SHORT NOTICE), plus a few more new shows for next month to fill things out! With that said, here's what you should know for this weekend & beyond!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will reportedly return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, after previously playing there yesterday too! Apologies for the short notice, and for missing last night's show, we only got wind of the shows yesterday via members' personal Facebook pages (and remember that Mourning Wood never announce Reggie's Place shows in advance publically for one reason or another.) Playing their first solo shows in almost a month (though they played at the Redneck Rock Bash two weeks ago), these will be Terry, Steven, Paul, and Glen's first dates at the original downtown Reggie's since the May 7th weekend. I wish they'd plug their Reggie's shows publically, but fans should take to Mourning Wood again TONIGHT & TOMORROW, and I hope yesterday's show went well! There's no announced cover charges for these 19+ shows, which have 9:30 PM-ish start times. See above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, here's some more new shows coming up next month, including a unique event at The Gore Street Cafe on Wednesday, July 6th that will be headlined by Sackville, New Brunswick "punk gnar-wave garage psych" quartet Astral Gunk in their local debut! A talented genre-melding blend of old school punk rock and multiple retro-leaning genres have blended into a strong chaotic attack that should provide a solid capper on July 6th, so be sure to check Astral Gunk out! Opening will be The Leash Kids, the pageless experimental/rap duo from venue co-owner Sam Decter and rapper Mikey Thomas that debuted at Redneck Rock Bash II earlier this month, and while they're not a perfect genre match, they should deliver an entertaining opening set! A "pay what you can" event like most Gore Street Cafe shows, this is an ALL AGES event, and the show will start at 7:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for any further details!

In another new concert, local alternative hard rock standouts The Din and Id Iota will hit the stage at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, July 16th at the venue's second straight Rotaryfest Stage 2 afterparty show! Though not 100% stated on the Facebook event page, this strongly hints that the two bands will be making their first appearances at Rotaryfest's all-original second stage this year, joining Gnaeus & K.I.C.K. on the bill, but we await finite information on the date and schedule from the festival before plugging that on here. In any event, it's great to see the former Second Stage promoters hosting another afterparty, and The Din and Id Iota are a nice compliment with lots of talent between them! For reference sake, while we've seen The Din often since, this is Id Iota's first announced local concert since their local CD release show in April, but the band did play a private family event last month.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ show, which starts at 9:00 PM, but remember, the two bands are likely for the Second Stage, so if you want to see them earlier, outdoors, and without age constraints, head down to Clergue Park beforehand! Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more on Rotaryfest soon, plus The Din's next show on Tuesday!

Finally for today, here's our likely last concert preview of the weekend, as London sludge/punk trio Foam will make their local concert debut THIS SUNDAY NIGHT when they headline at The New American Pub! Fans of sludge metal and noise rock should take to Foam's grungy, brutal sound on Sunday during this stop on their "West Toast Tour", so don't miss out if this sound is up your alley for your weekend plans! Newer local death metal duo Twistory (featuring Pillory & Faceityoureametalband alumni) will provide some of their own brutality as openers, so if you haven't seen them yet, keep their set in mind! New local death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora (featuring Bring the Fallen and RedD Monkey alumni) will kick off the show with their own metal assault, so don't be late for them either! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's, despite it's short length, the only Foam concert video that I could find!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, updates, and concert previews soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, I'll note that there was briefly a Facebook event page online for a Stiffler's Mom concert on Saturday at The Rockstar Bar, but that has since been deleted, as one of this weekend's previously announced shows was moved there. Hopefully we hear more from them soon though! Now, let's touch on the hard rock shows that we currently know about through Saturday, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood will make rare appearances at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apolgies for the short notice, the band only confirmed these shows via the official Facebook event page earlier this week, but at least these shows got that much for advance advertising! Unless a publically unadvertised show took place there in the interim, these will be Terry, Steven, and T.J.'s first shows at this west end venue in over three months, and following their OLG Casino and Rotaryfest debuts earlier this month, it's nice to see the guys continuing to spread their wings into unfamiliar and less frequent venues! Like usual for Mourning Wood shows, there are 9:30 PM start times in effect, no announced cover charges (but bring cash just in case), and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links, and here's the guys' country side earlier this month, plus special guests!

Moving to previously announced concerts, longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert arrangements will continue this weekend, as he's back at Gliss Steak & Seafood near the Station Mall TONIGHT, TOMORROW, AND SATURDAY, all preceding his long running Harp Bar & Grill shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like recently usual, SooToday confirmation of these shows came prior to any Facebook announcements, but Tym recently began using his official website's calendar again to confirm upcoming concerts at both venues, so we can source from there again! However, shows listed there are once again for an exceedingly long period (Gliss shows are listed weekly through February 2020, and Harp shows are listed through June 2022), but whether theis is all accidental formatting, positive hopes, or truthful long term booking for both venues is up for debate.

Given the presumption of Tym playing at The Harp and Gliss for the forseeable future, we will address his shows in our calendar a month at a time like usual, as it's way too excessive to list 5-7 years worth of shows on the SMS. Stay tuned for details on his August gigs though!  His matinees at Gliss are all 6:00 PM gigs with no announced cover or age limit (but remember, this is a restaurant), while the regular Harp nighttime gigs are 10:00 PM events with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details on this talented local hard rock veteran, and here he is live at Mill Square!

In a brief detour to Sault Michigan, Kinross hard/classic rock trio Banned will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault's Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Making their first appearances at this Kewadin branch in four months, these will be Banned's last shows before returning to the annual Sugar Island Music Festival next Friday. Alex Traynor and company are always staying busy, from Banned shows to Alex's own recent solo recordings (seen here, including a new Britney Spears cover), and fans should know their quality and often heavy covers by now, so definitely consider a trip to The Rapids Lounge this weekend for their own entertaining live show! There's no announced cover charges for this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 9:00 PM start times in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Banned live last year!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head to The Rockstar Bar for an apparently relocated (upstairs) installment of J.D. Pearce & Tidal Records' Gonqshow concert series THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, which will be headlined by Edmonton hardcore metal quintet Elements in their local concert debut! Not to be confused with the recently dormant local funk rockers The Elements, Elements' brutal modern hardcore sound with progressive hints should find it's way to a solid audience this Saturday! Guelph progressive metal quintet Becomes Astral will open this concert in their own local debut, and their extreme technical sound is also making them many fans, hopefully with more to come this weekend, so check them out too! Avoiding a name conflict by adding the local Elements to the bill, local classic metal quartet Project 421 will open things in their second show with new drummer Chris Thompson, so don't be late for their attack!

Originally scheduled for The Algonquin Pub, the show has apparently been moved upstairs to The Rockstar Bar, as per the venue's own Hayley Warnock on the Facebook event page on Monday. A reason for the move wasn't announced, but it may be due to the venue's new Rockstar Republic events kicking off this weekend (more on that in the coming days), but in any event, J.D. himself questioned the move, feeling that metal bands of this style "wouldn't fly" upstairs. We'll let you know if there's any clarification! In any event, a $5 cover charge is likely for this 19+ concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's an Elements music video!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review likely next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Gatgas, Evilheart, Elements, And Hard Up!!)

In today's second post, we're 100% focusing on local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's new Gonqshow summer concert series at The Algonquin Pub, as there are plenty more concerts announced on it's Facebook event page through September for it! Four of the five shows that we hadn't touched on yet here are below in chronological order, so here's what you should know, and check out this weekend's concert previews (remember: Europe rock Kewadin Casino TONIGHT!) and more in the post below this one!

We'll start with the previously hinted concert on Saturday, June 27th at The Algonquin Pub, which we can now confirm will be headlined by London hardcore punk quartet Gatgas! The band featuring Sault natives Bob Bromley Jr. and Garry Ingram memorably made their local concert debut in September upstairs at The Rockstar Bar for Hardcore Homecoming, but they're the announced headliners this time, and their gritty and aggressive originals should find a similarly high reception in June! Actually, this may be considered a sequel of sorts to Hardcore Homecoming, especially as the announced openers both played that show too, they being local hardcore punk veterans Destroilet (in their third announced show as a sextet) and local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, and they should fit in fine once again! I wonder if we'll see Garry join Destroilet again for another rousing cover of "Evil God Hater"? No word yet though on the Fistmagnet reunion show that was teased for June.

Like most of J.D.'s Gonqshow events, this concert has a $5 cover charge unless later stated otherwise, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! Hardcore punk fans will want to sit up and take notice of this event, especially if you loved Hardcore Homecoming, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up in the Gonqshow is a concert on Saturday, August 1st that will be headlined by Elements! No, not local funk rock quartet The Elements, I mean Edmonton hardcore metal quintet Elements, who will make their local concert debut this summer. Their hard hitting progressive-tinged originals should be welcomed by metalheads to kick off August, so be sure to check them out! Another touring band will join them in the Soo, that being Guelph progressive metal quintet Becomes Astral, and their own relentless brand of extreme metal has earned them a solid following that will hopefully grow even more in the Soo come showtime! One more (presumably local) band is to be announced, so contact J.D. A.S.A.P. if you want in, but imagine if the local Elements opened this one? Again, this is a 19+ show with a likely $5 cover and a 10:00 PM start time, so see above for more details, and give the out of town bands a listen!

Less than a week afterwards, The Algonquin Pub will also welcome a Gonqshow event on Friday, August 7th, and the headliners appear to be Montreal folk/punk quartet Hard Up! Also making their local concert debut, I believe, Hard Up mix punk and bluegrass together with stand-up bass and banjo thrown in for good measure, and if you like bands like The Rising Tide or The Brains, you'll find a lot to like with Hard Up! Local rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty will open in their first announced concert apearance at The Algonquin Pub, and hopefully they add well with their diverse and creative sound for what may end up being as diverse a show as the AxMinister Gonqshow event! At least one more local band is being sought, so get on that if you want in. Like above, this will presumably have a $5 cover, a 10:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit, so see above for more details, and keep this show in mind!

Finally for today, here's one of at least two Gonqshow events at The Algonquin Pub in September, as Mexican blackened death metal trio Evilheart will make their local concert debut on Monday, September 21st (and yes, I meant the country Mexico!) Evilheart's brutal brand of death metal has alot of technicality and ferocity going for it, so metalheads should not miss this show, especially as how often do we see bands from Mexico play this far north? Fittingly, local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will open the proceedings this fall, while the aforementioned Apocalypse Afterparty are also scheduled to open in a slightly surprising addition, but their entertaining stage show should find it's audience to kick things off! Unless later stated otherwise, expect a 19+ age limit, $5 cover, and 10:00 PM start time, but 5 months from showtime, a lot could change. Check the above links for more details, and don't forget about this show for your fall concert schedule!

There is one more September concert to announce here, plus some assorted updates for previously announced Gonqshow events, so look for those and more in the coming days, plus more news and notes! Thanks everyone!