(Updated at 4:40 PM) We're finally closing this weekend's concert previews with a lengthy look at an annual holiday season event, but before we get there, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, and a SHORT NOTICE one for TONIGHT!
Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will return to LopLops Lounge TONIGHT to open for Saskatchewan southern rock trio Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities! Apologies for the extremely short notice, we only heard about The Din's involvement earlier today after the band originally announced the gig on November 9th via this promotional slideshow video, though note that the official Facebook event page doesn't acknowledge a local opener at all, and The Din never promoted the show with written text until just yesterday, so if you skim past photos & videos, you'll have missed it. This will mark The Din's second show of the day, following their Oddfellows Hall set at 6:00 PM TONIGHT during The Live 705 Show, so if you can't make the former or prefer the latter, keep this one in mind! As for the headliners, you may recognize Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities from headlining last month's punk rock bingo event at The New A (more on that in a second), and this engaging southern rock band will play the Soo again on their way back home TONIGHT!
A 19+ age limit is in effect for TONIGHT'S 10:00 PM concert, which has a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit the above links, and apologies again for the short notice, The Din's involvement in this show wasn't well advertised on it's own, piggy-backing on this weekend's other shows if mentioned at all. Come find The Din TONIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall or LopLops, stay tuned for our Toystock preview later in this post, and here's The Din live!
Next up, Edmonton punk/alternative quartet Blood Guy will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, December 27th when they headline Six, Two, Oh.'s sixth punk rock bingo event at The New American Pub! Formerly known as Rotbottyrot, Blood Guy's experimental but hard hitting blend of punk should deliver a solid concoction of rock intensity over the holidays, and while I encourage checking them out online, look for Rotbottyrot links, as there's much more readily available under that name than under the Blood Guy moniker. At least one local band will be added as an opener, and we'll let you know when they are confirmed. The bingo aspect of the night will likely be called by Brenton Ellis once again, so if you want to win some irreverent prizes, get your dabbers ready, and bring cash for cards! A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which is advertised to start at 9:00 PM. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates on The New A's latest round of punk rock bingo!
Next up, here's our extended preview of TOMORROW'S fifth annual Toystock! Making it's second straight trip to The Grand Gardens on Great Northern Road, Maxx Entertainment (or Choose Maxx) is once again hosting this special ALL AGES charity concert, with all admissions and donations going towards Christmas Cheer, which is always a great cause! The Stuff-A-Bus will once again be on site, while Santa & Mrs. Claus, princesses, and the Elf on a Shelf will all be in attendance to meet the kids, and there will be face painting, photos, cotton candy, a play area, and prize giveaways & draws for the occasion, so check the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! Once again, Toystock features 10 bands in 10 hours, all donating their time for the cause, and all but one are new to the event, so who can you expect tomorrow? The headliners at 9:00 PM are country rock cover quartet Bone Yard in their record breaking fourth Toystock set (third as headliners), so stay late for their tried and true sound!
1960s-themed classic rock quartet The Peace Vibe will co-headline at 8:00 PM, while classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will be the highest slotted heavier band at 7:00 PM, notably in their first non-Rockstar Bar show with new guitarist Bill Brouillard. The aforementioned Din will take the stage at 6:00 PM, while That's Chester alums Greg Simpson & Gabe Tessaro's acoustic rock duo Guitars & Tequila (or Tequila & Guitars) will replace The Rude-Offs as the 5:00 PM band. Funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will perform at 4:00 PM (no word on if Josh and Jonas will be back though), while ex-Flat Stanley frontman Jim O'Leary will debut his new rock band Shyte at 3:00 PM, similarly to how his old band Griphook launched at the first Toystock. We have no info on Shyte otherwise yet, but be at Toystock TOMORROW to get the scoop! Fan favourite punk trio Redundant will make an increasingly rare live appearance with a set at 2:00 PM, so if you've missed Justin, James, and Rick lately, don't be late!
The online page-less, sporadically seen hard rock quintet The Band Camp Rejects (succeeding last year's one-off Under the Influence) will be on at 1:00 PM, while students from Case's Music will replace Bocturoc Academy students to kick off Toystock V. Will they bear similarities to the late Mike Case's Junior All Stars bands? We'll find out before long! Once again, admission for tomorrow's festivities is via donation of a new or gently used toy, non-perishable food, or cash, while extra donations are definitely appreciated, and The Grand Gardens will help supply food and drinks for attendees to partake in during the event proper. Toystock V is shaping up to be another fun day of live music and Christmas goodwill to help kick off the season, especially coming fresh off of the Santa Claus Parade tonight! This event, in some ways, is like a fall/winter Rotaryfest, just indoors and with a much wider artist rotation, so whether you're in it for new, familiar, or rarely seen bands, you have options!
After missing last year's Toystock due to family health concerns, I will be in attendance for my third Toystock, and first concert at the Northern Grand Gardens (I've been there for a wrestling event, but I believe that's all), so this should be very interesting to see how things look and sound! That's all for today, but I hope to see everyone there for Toystock V, here's a 3 Day Millionaires video as a preview, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!
With a stacked Halloween weekend of concerts, and existing out of town plans limiting time for the next few days, let's get our last weekend concert preview up on the site, along with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month and some overdue updates from a fast-rising local band! Read on for what you need to know, and check out more of this weekend's concert previews in the posts below to get caught up on the Halloween shows in the area!
Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will headline their own solo concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, November 5th (one week from tomorrow!) Fresh off of their Halloween headlining set at The Rednecks Saloon THIS MONDAY, this
will be Project 421's first solo show with no openers in a month, and
their first Rockstar Bar appearance since opening for The Anti-Queens in
July. This 1980s nostalgia mindtrip should deliver another solid night
of metal classics next weekend, so if you can't make it on Monday and
want some hard hitting metal classics, you know where to be next week! A
10:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ show, which also has no
cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and keep both this concert and Monday's four-band concert in mind for some classic metal action!
Next up, here's our last concert preview for this stacked Halloween concert weekend, held until now because of it's timing (and the fact that it had advance notice), as THIS SUNDAY NIGHT will see a Devil's Night edition of Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series at The New American Pub!
After a six month hiatus since April's Black Tremor show, the long
awaited fifth installment of this fan favourite event will return with
two local metal bands backing up Saskatchewan southern rock trio Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities
in their local concert debut, and they are named honestly, but Johnny
can definitely get a good sound with them! Fans of raw southern rock
should take to these guys, but if you crave metal, local doom/sludge
trio AlgomA will provide support, fresh off of their set opening for
Norilsk tonight! Also, promoters have quietly confirmed that local
goregrind duo Rotopsy
will kick things off in their first local concert appearance since the
summer, though note that they hadn't publically acknowledged the show
themselves at press time.
Note that Johnny 2 Fingers
& The Deformities will also be playing at LopLops Lounge on
November 19th on the way back west during their Eastern Canadian tour,
so keep that in mind as well! The bingo itself starts the night at 9:00
PM with caller Brenton Ellis back, so get your dabbers ready to win some
random prizes, and there will be a costume contest of some description
too! There is a $5 cover and additional fees for bingo card purchases,
and this is a 19+ event. Whether you like southern rock, metal, and/or
bingo, this should be a fun night for many attendees, so visit the
official Facebook event page for details, and here's AlgomA live!
Lastly for today, here's some more recent updates from local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota, and apologies for the delay in getting these on the site! Last month (prior to their recent Ontario tour run), Shawn Thicke of the music website Bucket List reviewed their debut EP "Maudlin Fair", giving it an 8.5/10 rating, saying that "it is catchy, well-constructed, and fitting of its subject matter", albeit "too wordy" and with somewhat dated production. Overall, this in-depth review is very positive, especially given Shawn's perception of their "underdog" status compared to larger bands, so give it a look at this link! Back in local territory, SooToday briefly included a snippet of Id Iota's Rotaryfest Stage 2 set from multiple camera angles at the beginning of their recap video of the summer festival from July, and while the original audio isn't present, the video quality is fantastic! Also, look for progressive rock veterans Machines Dream near the end of the video.
We can't embed videos from SooToday's video host here, but we can embed this, as Id Iota are featured in this video filmed by Jim Fur-era, the owner of The Grinning Gator in London where they played earlier this month! Shared by the band on their own Facebook page, the 2:17 video's first half is of Id Iota playing an unidentified newer original from a nice camera angle, but the second half (sideways for some reason) features their new original track "American Literature". Everything sounds good, with Id Iota rocking out nicely on this funk-tinged first original and the more laid back second song, but that camera angle doesn't help the viewer experience, and there's often someone standing right in front of Christian in the latter. Still, kudos to Jim for getting this video, so check it out below, and don't miss Id Iota opening for Mike Mikus at LopLops on November 26th!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, and more updates in the near future!! Thanks everyone!
The month of August is winding down, so let's get at least one more news post in for good measure! Today on the SMS, we have some assorted recent news and notes that tie into our lead stories, plus a pair of new concert video finds from out of town, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this fall, so here's what you need to know! (Yes, I know about THIS SUNDAY'S Dumpster Mummy show, but due to the late notice, we're holding our full preview for Thursday's weekend concert preview post.)
Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series will return to The New American Pub on Devil's Night (Sunday, October 30th), and local doom metal trio AlgomA will be among the local openers! Playing their first announced show since next month's Castle concert, this should be another solid avenue for their crushing sludge attack, so don't miss AlgomA at The New A the night before Halloween! The show will be headlined, in another varied genre event from the promoters, by Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan southern rock trio Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities, who are a skilled and energetic band in their own right! Also, note that frontman John Dale actually only has 2 fingers on one hand, but trust me, he plays guitar very well with them! One more local opening band is to be announced, and if some recent Six, Two, Oh. shows have taught us anything, it's that anyone could be signed on, so stay tuned for updates! As a Halloween weekend event, there will also be a costume contest, so come dressed to impress and you may win a prize!
As for the punk rock bingo, this is the fifth installment of that series, and first since April's Black Tremor show, so if you missed this event over the summer (especially after it's removal from July's Cocaine Moustache show), get your dabbers ready for October 30th! Brent Ellis will also return as the caller. A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a 9:00 PM start time, and additional fees are applicable for the bingo cards, though remember that prizes await! For more details, visit the Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from Six, Two, Oh. at post's end!
Next up, here's a new video of local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades playing at the annual Spiderfest in Meyersburg, Ontario last month! No strangers to this annual punk festival an hour east of Peterborough, this was posted by YouTube user eatmills yesterday as part of their massive slate of uploads from the festival, and it's both the band's most recent concert to date, and if personal Facebook postings are accurate, their last before bassist Justin Lam cut his hair short. The 24 minute video features Jack Spades playing "They Live", "Rise", "Breakneck Speed", "Crossroads", "Motorwolf", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X" (with Paul Gott himself on guest vocals), "To The Left", and "Negative Headspace", so click each link to go to each individual song! Though the video starts with some odd post-production usage of band photos in the titles, and an introduced rendition of "Fear Corps" wasn't played, the video is well shot from a good angle, and fans don't get in the way much thanks to the raised stage!
Jack Spades sound solid as ever, and they make the most of their current one-guitarist sound, so kudos to eatmills for the footage, give it a look below, and don't miss Jack Spades THIS THURSDAY at The Rockstar Bar when they open for SNFU!
Also, here's a new video posting of inactive local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger from their set at the annual Koi Music Festival in Kitchener in September 2013! Posted by YouTube user BandAid Babe two weeks ago, this is one of numerous concert videos on her channel, though no word on why this took three years to come online. The video is of Greig, Bill, and company playing their classic song "Red", albeit on a very far angle from the vertical cell phone camera perspective, and for only 58 seconds. If you can get around those elements, the audio is fantastic, and it's nice to see this footage at last, so check it out below!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or event name:
The aforementioned AlgomA (and Saskatchewan stoner metal band Chronobot) had their split vinyl EP reviewed by Patrick "Dragon" Whitaker of Metal Nexus earlier this month, where he positively critiqued both bands' halves of the split, essentially saying that the two bands aren't for the weak hearted, but are recommended for genre fans. Not a bad little review, if with some reservations, so check it out at this link!
Remember how it was suggested on Facebook that THIS THURSDAY'S SNFU show would be J.D. Pearce's last promoted show of the year? Well, in a comment on the Facebook event page (linked above) for October 30th's punk rock bingo event, he confirmed that he'll "be hosting a Halloween party that night." If this remains a publically attendable concert like before, it'll be his 12th straight, but the Sunday placement would be atypical compared to past years. We'll keep you guys posted when/if more is announced!
Along with the punk rock bingo announcement, promoters Six, Two, Oh. have also plugged a show for Friday, October 28th (just three days prior) to be headlined by Gatineau, Quebec doom metal band Norilsk, with AlgomA and a yet-unknown local band opening. With that said, we are awaiting confirmation of a venue before officially calling it on here, but for reference sake, Six, Two, Oh. usually promotes at either The New A, The Oddfellows Hall, The Moose Lodge, or 180 Projects. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and when a venue is confirmed, we'll let you know!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and previews this week! Thanks everyone!
Before we dive into our first news post of the month, I'd like to apologize for a missed concert, as local hard rock quartet Late Shift apparently returned to the stage on April 2nd at The Grand Gardens as the musical entertainment during the annual dinner from the Algoma Autism Foundation. This was a public event, but given Late Shift's lack of an online page, and the event's unfamiliarity for our coverage, it was off of our radar. Profuse apologies, we'd have plugged it had we known, but hopefully it was a huge hit in advance of next month's Ride For Autism! Now, we have some assorted news, new videos, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!
Six, Two, Oh.'s fifth installment of punk rock bingo will go down on Tuesday, July 12th at The New American Pub, and it will be a concert event with Vancouver hard/blues rock quintet Cocaine Moustache headlining in their local concert debut! Delivering a passionate blend of heavy soul that calls to mind bands like Clutch, Cocaine Moustache should deliver a strong set in July, and definitely check them out in advance of this summer show! Local support will come from the debuting Gianni Gagoots, an interestingly named new band who don't have an online page at present, but the Facebook event page says that they are "hard and heavy." Personal conversations with promoters confirm that their lineup includes veteran local punk drummer Frank McCormick and Late Shift guitarist Matt Sibilo, but we await full public details on Gianni Gagoots, so stay tuned for when we hear anything else! As for the bingo aspect, expect more irreverent prizes from art & clothing to books & music to win if you are the first with a line on your cards on July 12th!
Though not explicitly stated there, caller Brent Ellis (a.k.a. Buck Norris) is a confirmed attendee on the event page, and I imagine he'll call the bingo once again. Once again, this punk rock bingo installment with have FREE admission (but expect bingo cards to have a fee), this is a 19+ event, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. Unless there's a bingo event to be announced in the interim, we have two months to prepare for this one, and there's strong headliners and debuting openers to take in, so see above for details!
Next up, here's the third episode of Blood Shed Productions' "BreakinSh!tWithBloodShed" webseries, as uploaded to the Blood Shed Weekly YouTube channel on Thursday! This time, it's of Blood Shed artists destroying wooden boards and an end table, as once again set to songs by the label's metal acts (especially 3 minutes in.) Complete with slow motion replays, comedic voices, and even the first injury afflicted during this series (it's nothing gruesome, don't worry), this will satisfy Blood Shed fans who crave the destruction of inanimate objects, so give it a look below!
Also today, here's a new video from local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota's Facebook page! Their first posting there since their LopLops shows last month, this is a sequel to their "slow mo" video of drummer Blair St. John from last month's Southern Ontario tour run, this time of Blair drumming in slow motion (though the brief clip ends with the footage in real time.) It's interesting to hear how his drum work sounds slowed down, so give it a look!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the past while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
Santo Premoli of the Italian metal website Unpure reviewed local doom trio AlgomA's split EP with Saskatchewan's Chronobot, and you can check it out at this link (though you'll need a translator if you don't know Italian.) He scored the split with an 8/10, praising AlgomA's "Wall of sound" and both bands' sludge variants, so give the review a look if you want, but have a translator handy!
Local alternative hard rock trio The Din are indeed opening for The Pixo Control atthe Sky's the Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech THIS THURSDAY NIGHT, as per the band's Facebook page yesterday! Though organizers still haven't confirmed the full opening lineup, The Din had publically indicated that they'd be willing to play the event, but couldn't make the original audition date, so it's great to see that things worked out! Stay tuned for more on this special event in our weekend concert previews!
Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, we have a new news post for your Wednesday morning, including a new cover video posting, lots of updates from a few linked local bands (ranging from a drummer addition to a concert cancellation), but first, here's a preview of a special Wednesday night concert TONIGHT!
Six, Two, Oh.'s fourth installment of punk rock bingo at The New American Pub goes down TONIGHT, and for just the second time, live bands will be on the menu! Following December's Shit Liver-headlined event, tonight's entertainment will be headlined by Saskatchewan instrumental doom/classical trio Black Tremor, who'll bring their devastating yet haunting blend of metal to the local stage for the first time, so definitely check them out to see what they have to offer! Local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will open the band portion of the night in what has become the de facto release party for their new vinyl split EP with fellow Saskatchewan doom rockers Chronobot, who Black Tremor have also shared the stage with. Copies of the split will be on sale for $20, and fresh off of some high profile out of town gigs, AlgomA should be in fine form! Of course, the night will start with punk rock bingo proper, with Brent Ellis returning as the caller, and many irreverent punk and assorted prizes in store for winners, so keep that in mind whether you're new to it or not!
The Facebook event page continues to advertise that more info is "coming closer to the date", though the date is TONIGHT, so no word on if Six, Two, Oh. will elaborate on anything today. In any event, it's a 19+ concert with a 9:00 PM start time, and while a cover charge isn't announced, bring money just in case (especially as Black Tremor are out of towners), and bingo cards are 50¢ each. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Black Tremor live!
Next up, here's some updates relating to local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control, starting with the cancellation of the planned Moon King-headlined concert at LopLops Lounge on April 21st. Promoter Jackson Reed revealed on the Facebook event page on Monday that the Toronto indie pop duo are "no longer available" to come for the show, though he didn't elaborate on the reason beyond that. Hopefully nothing bad happened, in any case! Now, The Pixo Control weren't advertised as opening on the event page (Aldous & Telephone and Address were), but they were apparently added as openers for the show before the cancellation, as per a poster on their Facebook page. No word on if they were a third local band, or if they were replacing someone, but it's a moot point now. However, their mini-tour of Ontario is still a go this month, with bassist Dustin Goodall's other band Id Iota joining them as previously announced, but local post-punk quartet Gnaeus have been added as well!
As a result, the tour dates (in Toronto, Barrie, and Bayfield next week, plus a Sudbury gig on April 22nd) will mark the debut of Gnaeus' new lineup, as the band has finally confirmed on their Facebook page that Alex Proulx has signed on as their new drummer, replacing the relocated Brendan Garlick. Much like Gnaeus' members upon their debut two years ago, Alex isn't a widely known commodity from what I've been able to find, but bassist Matt Fronzi did praise him when he noted his addition in a personal conversation last month, so we'll have to see how Alex does with Gnaeus! Remember, his local debut with them will come at the Summer Bash concert at The Rockstar Bar on April 29th. Lastly for our notes on the tour, the three Southern Ontario dates (sans a cancelled Waterloo show) will all be jointly part of label Tidal Records' "Skate By Day, Rock By Night Tour", with label representatives and local skateboarders coming along to show their stuff as well!
Also advertising rapper Conika for the dates (who may only be performing during the skateboarding sessions), this should be a fun way to get some exposure for Tidal Records' music and skating arms, with Id Iota's Christian Lemay notably performing in both! See above for more details, and remember not to miss The Pixo Control's next local concert on May 5th!
Finally for today, here's local alternative hard rock trio The Din's delayed Cover of the Month video, this time a rendition of City & Colour's "Fragile Bird"! A recent favourite addition to The Din's live setlists, this was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel yesterday. Unlike their earlier cover postings, the band experimented with a pseudo music video here, including a silent movie-esque monochrome filter, and assorted clips of Mike, Tammy, and Brandan exhibiting deadpan & morose behaviour. I concede liking the live versions of this song better, but fans of The Din's indie influences should enjoy this cover, so give it a look below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
We're nearing the mid-point of March 2016 already, and let's keep March going like a lion on this Monday morning with a post heavy on extreme metal content, including the latest from a prolific goregrind artist, a preview of the delayed third installment of a punk-themed event, and first, big updates on an upcoming split release from a talented local band!
The long teased split EP from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan stoner/doom quintet Chronobot will officially be released on Friday, April 1st through AlgomA's label Deadbeat Media! As recently revealed on their Bandcamp page, the split is visibly untitled (I guess "AlgomA/Chronobot Split" will have to do), and it will be released in both digital formats and on a 12'' vinyl record, with each band having a side of the record to themselves. AlgomA are contributing two new songs to their half, namely "Phthisis" and "Electric Fence", while Chronobot will include three songs on theirs (don't read too much into that, remember that AlgomA are no strangers to long and slow originals.) And yes, artwork for the split was provided by Adam Geyer, who also did the art for AlgomA's 2014 debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest". You can pre-order digital copies now via the above links for $6 (no word on if that will jump upon release), though physical records will likely be primarily available through Deadbeat Media or at AlgomA concerts.
No word yet though on AlgomA's other teased split album with Hooded Menace, or if these AlgomA songs will be included on any future solo releases by the band. It's great to hear more on AlgomA's first of two split EPs, and it will be interesting to hear how this sounds and is recieved! Check the above links for more info, and get ready for April 1st!
Next up, here's our preview for the third installment of punk rock bingo at The New American Pub THIS WEDNESDAY, courtesy of AlgomA members' promotion agency & studio Six, Two, Oh.! After the late cancellation of February's planned third installment, things are back on for the delayed trilogy of this ongoing event, though for what it's worth, the Facebook event page notes that "this is going to be the first organized one." Like it's first two installments last year, punk rock bingo will see irreverent prizes for winners who get a line on their bingo cards (of which there's 9,000 ordered, with dabbers), and you could win everything from albums, movies, and video games to used clothing, artwork, skateboard decks, and.... breakfast with caller Brent Ellis at The Gore Street Cafe?! If that's a legit prize, it's a carry-over from the planned February bingo night. As usual, there is FREE admission (but cards are 50¢ each), this is a 19+ event, and everything starts at 9:00 PM.
Also note that reunited local extreme metal band Winkstinger were originally advertised to play their first public show in almost two years on Wednesday, but they have since dropped out of the event, possibly due to their ongoing singer vacancy. As such, this will be like the inaugural punk rock bingo via being just a punk-themed bingo night, not a concert with bingo (if you want that, be at The New A on April 6th), but it should be a fun & unpredictable time, so keep it in mind for Wednesday night, especially if don't plan to be at the VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinals!
Finally, here's the latest from local goregrind musician Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson's solo projects, mainly Crucify the Whore! C.T.W.'s newest demo album "The Beautiful Sounds of Nature" was released onto their Bandcamp page on Saturday, featuring 20 songs (including a Mortician cover), and while the songs will please fans of their minimalist goregrind and death metal sound, the songs are a bit longer than average compared to older releases, with only 6 songs coming in at under 90 seconds in length. I won't list every song name here due to potentially offensive content, but some newer titles include "I Love Godzilla But I HATE Cloverfield" and "TEXAS". Physical copies are coming next month, but if you won't be chatting with Tyler in the interim, when are C.T.W. playing live next? In a post on their new Facebook page (more on that in a second) from last week, Tyler conceded that he hasn't "gotten as much set in stone" as he'd hoped, "but the word is still out there, and anything can happen."
Tyler did confirm that he'll be playing live at an event of some kind on Tuesday, August 2nd in the Soo, and he believes that C.T.W. or his two-man-band Rotopsy will be involved in a house show and maybe an Oddfellows Hall concert in April, and maybe a show in June, but the only firmly announced event at the moment is the Iskra-headlined concert at The Moose Lodge on July 14th. No word on if any of these potential shows will be courtesy of Heavy North Entertainment, who are still "no longer active until further notice", but one would imagine that Blood Shed Productions artists would factor into H.N.E. shows if do come back this year. And lastly, at some point since last fall, Tyler took down C.T.W.'s original Facebook page for unannounced reasons, and moved that project's activity in full over to his cybergrind project Malignant Neoplasm's page, essentially taking that page over.
This can't be a good sign for Malignant Neoplasm's future, but barring an official announcement regarding their status, we'll keep them in our active band links until at least August, and they're now linked on the SMS via their Bandcamp page. Though still as polarizing as ever, Crucify The Whore and Tyler's other active metal bands continue to do what they want without apologies, and fans should get a kick out of the newest C.T.W. originals, which are as heavy as ever, so check out more from them at the above links, and here's one of two new YouTube uploads of their new songs to the Blood Shed YouTube channel, namely "Organic Hipster Beer"! The other's title may be offensive to some readers.
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our preview of Wednesday night's last semifinal in this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
For this second post on this Saturday, we're covering a pile of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring months, with some cover band action, an out of town band, a notable return to the stage, and a double shot of punk rock bingo all ahead! Read on below for what you should know in chronological order, and remember to check out current details on the VM Radio Battle of the Bands schedule below this post!
Local extreme metal band Winkstinger will make their long awaited return to the stage on Wednesday, March 16th when they rock The New American Pub as part of the third installment of Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series! Last seen in a public live concert in May 2013, it's great to see Jesse & Jonas back on stage with this fun and explosive metal band, and while they're not "punk" per say, they should provide a solid soundtrack for the next punk rock bingo installment in their New A debut! The Facebook event page confirms that they have a new bass player (identity yet to be revealed), but there's no word there about their current singer... is Alan Wells back too, or is someone else now handling vocals? We'll let you know if we hear anything! A rescheduling of the originally planned third punk rock bingo from earlier this month (which would have seen Sam Decter and friends performing), more irreverent prizes await for winners, from CDs to skateboard decks to... breakfast with caller Brent Ellis?!
Admission is once again free (with bingo cards being 50¢ a piece) for this 19+ concert, which has a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! It should be noted that this show takes place the same night as the second semifinal of next month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands (where Jesse Cook is playing during Jack Spades' guest set), but as Winkstinger aren't expected to play at The New A until around midnight, I imagine they can schedule things so Jesse can play at both venues. It's great to have Winkstinger back after an almost three year stage hiatus, so stay tuned for more as it comes in on this punk rock bingo installment!
Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan, where new local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will play their second & third live concerts when they rock Dondee Lanes on Friday, April 1st & Saturday, April 2nd! Coming two weeks after their live concert debut in Brimley on March 17th, this will be the first full weekend set from Ten Kings/Full Throttle bandmates Joe Jenkins & Will Storey's newest local band project. We don't hear about regional hard rock bands playing at the Dondee as much as we used to, so we'll have to see how Project 906 do there to start April off! Early start times of 8:00 PM are in effect for these shows, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from Project 906 when we hear it!
Heading back to Sault Ontario, let's return to The New American Pub once again, where Six, Two, Oh. have announced the planned fourth punk rock bingo installment already, to take place on three weeks after next month's on Wednesday, April 6th! In this case, the punk rock bingo series will welcome an out of town band for the first time that night, they being Black Tremor, an instrumental doom/classical metal trio from Saskatoon, who will bring their violin-laden doom originals to the Soo for the first time. Intriguing sound with some creative flourishes, so check them out if you like the included genres! Local doom/sludge trio AlgomA will open in their first local concert appearance since December's second punk rock bingo installment, but it will actually follow a pair of out of town gigs that AlgomA are playing next month alongside bands like Empyrean Plague and IRN in Sudbury & Toronto. Great to hear, and hopefully they continue to spread the doom as they rise in prominence!
According to the Facebook event page, more info is "coming closer to the date", but this currently has a 9:00 PM start time, will be 19+, and while 50¢ cards for that night's bingo with Brent (or "Buck Norris") is to be expected, as well as the requisite irreverent prizes, the presence of an out of town band may warrant a cover charge to be announced. I hope both of these punk rock bingo installments go forth as scheduled, as too many previous attempts have had to be cancelled or postponed, but this round of "doom metal bingo" should be a fun time on April 6th! Keep posted for more details!
Finally for today's all-concert announcement post, local cover hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will rock The Garden River Community Center on Saturday, April 9th when they provide the house music once again for the second annual Ride For Sight chili cook-off! After a successful first run of this fundraising event for the annual motorcycle rally for blindness prevention & research, this event returns in advance of the Ride For Sight proper once again, with the chili cook-off awaiting fans and foodies alike. Stiffler's Mom will be continuing their strong support of the ride with another set of partying favourites, so keep all of this in mind for April 9th at 7 Shingwauk Street! Tickets are $20 for this ALL AGES event, which takes place at 5:00 PM again, but it's not yet clear on if there will be prize raffles, or where tickets will be available outside of Ride For Sight committee members.
As for the cook-off proper, Redundant frontman Justin Langlois and his wife Monique will return as competitors, and contact the official Facebook event page for details on how you can be one of the 10 entered teams, or to get more details on what should be another fun event for a great cause! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge (albeit late, my apologies) that last Wednesday's planned third installment of punk rock bingo at The New American Pub was cancelled due to inclement weather (ironic given the "die, winter, die" theme.) The punk rock bingos have been cursed a bit, given that three installments have now been called off, but hopefully things work out for next time, as it's a fun event! Had they played, Sam Decter's planned band would have been called "Sammy D & The Morlocks", and had teased a post-punk element in their set. Now, we have some new videos, recent updates, and first, the latest from a talented local frontman, so here's what you should know!
Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie has been busy of late in terms of his solo material, so what's he been up to? As per his solo Facebook page last week, he has announced that he plans to finally release a debut solo album in August 2016, with more details to follow. It's not clear what form this release will take, but note that he has hinted at working with local bassist Jason Morbin in the past, and he once advertised musician searches for a planned band that wouldn't play metal or hard rock, though it's unclear if these are linked. Given the latter, we don't even know if this will be a release that fits our coverage, or when recording will begin, but stay tuned for more! Remember, some originals from his old band Haggith began with earlier bands of his, so you never know if some will re-appear as new solo tracks. On a larger scale, Curtis has thrown his hat into the ring for The Stone Temple Pilots' contest to find a new lead singer, so what should you know on that?
While this is arguably a long shot, Curtis registered on the Indaba Music-hosted contest where the platinum selling hard rock band hopes to find their new lead singer through. To that end, Curt posted an audio track of him singing "Plush" along with the backing track, and he sounds good, as fans of his bands should know! Voting hasn't opened yet, but hear Curtis' version of "Plush" at this link, and stay tuned for when voting opens, as imagine how cool it would be to see him do well in this contest to find The Stone Temple Pilots' new frontman!
Next up, here's some new videos that were uploaded to YouTube in the last few days, including this clip of 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard covering Van Halen's "Light Up The Sky", with him handling guitar, bass, and drums! Uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday, this showcases the Sault Michigan standout's multi-instrumental skill nicely, with an accurate tone and strong performances (especially on the guitar, as you'd expect), so give his newest solo video a look below!
Also, here's a new video of Sault Ontario solo musician and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe covering Black Sabbath's "Into the Void"! Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday, this has the now clean-shaven Mike covering this Sabbath classic nicely, if a little rough around the edges, complete with an extended intro where he talks about the song and how he's playing it. Not badly done at all, so check it out below, and check out Audiofumes for some strong local and out-of-town original material!
Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind profiles! I have restored photos to our profiles of 2008's Skid Row and Case's Music Battles, and 2009's YMCA & Kiss Battles, as the links for those photos went dead after SooToday's design & layout changes from last month, so we've restored them with their new links. In our profile of 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, we added a reference in the trivia to how current local rap/metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty have taken on originals from "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta's older band The Fury, who finished second in that battle. And for our profile of 2012's Sault Humane Society Battle, I added a link to the official poster to give it a "Sources/More Info" section, as it didn't have one at all before, though it's event pages and sites have all been taken down since. That'll cover things for now, but stay tuned for updates of later battles in due course!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!
With some big recent news hitting our desk, I thought a second post was in order for today! Lying ahead, we have a SHORT NOTICE preview of a fan favourite event TOMORROW, the first public details on a big returning event for next month, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!
Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din (formerly Mike Haggith & The Din) and local pop punk quartet Stereo North will join forces for their first ever acoustic concert on Friday, March 4th at The Gore Street Cafe during the upcoming Fishbowl Festival of Community, Arts, and Culture! As previously hinted, this is the second announced hard rock-leaning show during this month-long arts festival at The Gore Street Cafe (joining this month's Like A Pisces show), and while the laundromat/venue isn't an exclusively acoustic location, this will mark a rare chance to see both The Din and Stereo North going unplugged, and it should be very interesting to hear how both do in this setting! An early 7:30 PM start time is in effect for this show, which has no announced age limit, and while there is a $5 cover charge, admission is free if you buy a $25 pass at the cafe for the whole festival, and click here for full details on the Fishbowl Festival's other announced events!
This should be an intriguing concert, especially for fans unfamiliar with The Din & Stereo North's softer sides, and it's a nice addition to the Fishbowl Festival schedule next month! Of course, if you want to hear The Din go unplugged, they performed their newer original "Hex" on the 7L podcast last month in an acoustic style, so give that a listen! Stay tuned for more on this show and the Fishbowl Festival, and click here for more on this concert!
Next up, the second annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands has officially been announced, so what should you know? Overall, it's structure is very similar to last year's, with The Canadian Nightclub hosting four nights of action scheduled for the first four Wednesdays in March, with semifinals planned for March 2nd, 9th, and 16th, and the finals taking place on March 23rd. Presented by VM Radio and Tidal Records once again (with additional sponsors including Case's Music, The Rad Zone, Labatt Breweries, Maxx Graphix, and The Canadian itself), there will be at least 10 slots for bands this year, perhaps up to 12, but five are already reserved, and while no one has been officially announced yet, last year's runners-up The Bear Hunters have strongly indicated that they'll be competing again, which would mark their first live concert since October. Like last year, the registration fee is $100, but your packages will again include ten $15 ticket passes to sell, so you'll make your money back (plus) if you sell them all!
The event page notes that there will be multiple returning acts from last year, and while we await confirmation of competitors, note that Gnaeus (pictured) edged The Bear Hunters by two points to win last year's VM Radio Battle, Mannapool & The Apocalypse Afterparty were the other finalists, the other semifinal competitors were The Din, Honest Job, Infamous, Project 421, Stereo North, and the now-defunct Danger Cats & Haggith, and The Pixo Control played the first semifinal as a guest band out of competition. Other battle details, including individual prizes, time slots, judges, and more are to be revealed, but we'll definitely keep you posted when things are announced! It's great to see the VM Radio Battle back for a second year (third if you count 2013's very similar Rockstar Bar Battle), and it'll be very interesting to see the full lineup and details come in, but remember to sign up A.S.A.P. if you're in a band and are interested in competing, so message promoter J.D. Pearce (Johnny Pints) A.S.A.P. at this link or above for full details on how you can compete!
Remember, you WILL get the $100 entry fee back once you sell even 7 of the 10 ticket packages that you'll receive, so don't let the entry fee scare you! For prospective attendees, the admission fee hasn't been announced yet either for individual nights, but if last year's rates maintain, they'll be $5 a night for the three semifinals and $10 for the finals on March 23rd, so a $15 package for the full battle will save you $10 from buying for individual nights! 8:00 PM nightly start times are likely from last year as well, and this battle is 19+ once again. Visit this link for full details, and stay tuned for much more on this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands as it rolls in! Finally for today, here's a SHORT NOTICE alert for you punk and/or bingo fans, as Six, Two, Oh's third local installment of punk rock bingo goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Apologies for the short notice, promoters only announced it on the Facebook event page yesterday. Over a month removed from the last installment, this fan favourite union of punk rock and oddball prizes with bingo will return with a "Die, Winter, Die" theme, so attendees are encouraged to wear summer-themed and Hawaiian clothing for the occasion, which is fun! Like in December, there will be live music for a second time, this time courtesy of Boxes of Boom's Sam Decter and unannounced "friends", so while this won't be "punk", be prepared for some creative fusion originals, and perhaps a preview of his Like a Pisces involvement at the Fishbowl Festival? Admission is FREE at 9:00 PM TOMORROW NIGHT, and while bingo cards will cost, look for prizes ranging from CDs and movies to art and skateboard decks! Though not a full punk concert like in December, this should be a fun event, despite the very late notice, so if you love bingo, punk, or a combination therein, be at The New A TOMORROW, and don't bypass Sam's music, he's very talented! Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news shortly! Thanks everyone!
We can't go three days without a new post on the SMS (it's no rule, I just don't like to), so here's a new news post for your Monday evening! We're mostly focusing on previews of special Wednesday night concerts for your pre-Christmas plans (with Christmas over the weekend this year, these make sense), but we also have a local metal band's long awaited documentary, and first, a new addition to our band links that may be familiar to some readers! Here's what you should know!
We have a new-ish local hard rock band to add to our band links, and they are The Creepy Little Coffee People, an acoustic hard rock quartet from Sault Michigan! A revival of a band that originally launched circa 2000, The Creepy Little Coffee People were apparently "one of the first acoustic acts in the Soo", and played numerous gigs in their heyday at local bars and casinos, even opening for touring bands, but as their run predates most online media, it's hard to know about and research their first run. Their original and revived lineup includes Integrated System of Machines singer Bob Helsten (a.k.a. Orb Hearthstone) and guitarist Art Dietz alongside Retro Troop drummer Troy Earls on guitar & former Clownsack bassist Tony Rogers on the djembe (an African drum), which he formerly played with Electric Motor Fish as well. Listing their varied influences as Alice In Chains, Iced Earth, and Tantric, The C.L.C.P. are described as a "laid back original band" with "cover songs that have inspired us" in a lounge atmosphere.
Alongside pictures of a gig at the former Brewster's Nightclub (which I believe is now Zim's), The Creepy Little Coffee People are planning to unveil new originals, pictures, and shows, though further details are to be announced. Given my age, I'm unfamiliar with this band from their early run, but they have a lot of talent and familiar faces from the local metal scene, and from a city that later gave us acoustic acts like Unleashed & Wild Fate, how could this band not deliver again? Stay tuned for more from The Creepy Little Coffee People when it rolls in!
Next up, here's our preview of a special Wednesday night concert THIS WEDNESDAY, as Six, Two, Oh.'s long awaited second punk rock bingo event will also be a live concert! After the cancellation of planned punk rock bingos over the last two months, this unique event returns (at last) to The New American Pub on Wednesday with live bands in tow, they being local/St. Catherine's grindcore trio Shit Liver and local doom metal favourites AlgomA! This will be Shit Liver's first local concert set since August, and it's good to see their ferocious grime/punk hybrid back over the holidays, while AlgomA are a fitting choice given their ties to the promoters, and they should sludge things up nicely on Wednesday! As for the bingo side of things, ex-Lion Ride bassist Brenton "Buck Norris" Ellis returns as the caller for the games, with irreverent prizes ranging from albums to artwork to food available for winners, so have your dabbers ready for the second local installment of punk rock bingo!
There is NO cover charge for Wednesday's concert/bingo night, but keep in mind that bingo cards will presumably cost an unlisted amount. This is a 19+ event, and everything starts at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though one could arguably call this "metal bingo" given the performers, this should be a fun and unique event for your holiday season plans, so be at The New A on Wednesday to enjoy the music and/or play some punk rock bingo! For a preview, here's the previously teased Shit Liver tour documentary, as posted to the band's YouTube channel on Friday! Entitled "A Long Grinding Road", the 57 minute video summarizes their Northern Debauchery Tour from April & May of this year, and there's obviously a lot of ground to cover within, so what should you know? Without spoiling anything, the video outlines the tour from post to post, including testimonials from band members and friends of the band about what happened and was experienced on the road. For reference, the section on Shit Liver's two local shows in April comes 4:30 into the video, features a clip of The Bear Hunters live, and runs for about 6 minutes.
Among things you'll see: Road footage & mishaps, jamming, eating, camping, and relaxing between shows, many odd sights along the way, irreverent jokes & conversations, screaming across bridges, the "Calgary counter", failed Victoria bookings, final thoughts on the tour, and yes, live concert clips, albeit mostly from bands they played with (however, Shit Liver songs are heard multiple times.) Very entertaining overall, with Josh, Mike, and Matt all showing good senses of humour, and you see the struggles & benefits of such a D.I.Y. tour, plus many great sights from western Canada! Definitely check it out below, and don't miss punk rock bingo on Wednesday!
Finally for today, here's another preview for a special concert THIS WEDNESDAY, as local classic metal quintet Project 421 will join forces once again with funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and new local nu-metal outfit Eclipse for an encore of their December 5th concert at The Rockstar Bar! Entitled "We Wish You A Metal Christmas", this replaces the 421 reunion trappings with a seasonal theme, but if you missed the three bands' joint concert from two & a half weeks ago, here's a chance to see everyone again, and fans should know the performers' talents whether you're a metalhead and/or funk fan! And remember, Eclipse (who still don't have an online page) are a side project of Project 421 members, but we do await full public information regarding their lineup, and we'll let you know if something comes out, but see Eclipse for yourselves on Wednesday! There is no announced cover charge for this show (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 or older to attend, and everything starts at 10:00 PM.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a very solid concert with a little something for everyone, so don't miss out on Wednesday, and here's Project 421 live last year! (Also, note that a Project 421-hosted New Year's Eve show at The Rockstar Bar, that would have featured them alongside Eclipse and Caroline Divine, was announced via two separate Facebook event pages on Friday, but both were deleted for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened!)
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and previews this week! Thanks everyone!
Here's a new news post on this Saturday evening, so what lies within? Mostly extra fallout from Toystock IV, including new videos and news coverage, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a special Christmas season event! (Updated at 7:47 PM)
Th next installment of Six Two Oh's punk rock bingo has been announced, and unlike before, it'll have live bands! To be held at The New American Pub on Wednesday, December 23rd (presumably not at month's end like before due to New Year's holiday commitments), the expected bingo with irreverent punk-themed prizes will be on with Brent Ellis again calling, but this time, there's some live music to take in over the holidays, with local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver returning to the Soo for the first time since August as headliners! Great to see them back home, and hopefully they tear up The New A in a few weeks! Local doom metal favourites AlgomA will also return to the stage as openers, fittingly given their Six Two Oh ties, so don't miss their low and slow blend of metal either! For the record, advertising credits this as "Punk Rock Bingo II" despite this being the third that has been promoted locally, as last month's was reportedly cancelled quietly for unannounced reasons (thanks to Rihkee Strap for the confirmation!)
Admission is free for this 19+ event at 9:00 PM on the 23rd, though bingo cards will presumably cost again, and look for prizes ranging from CDs to art to food, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Though the band choice indicates more of a "metal bingo" night, this should be a fun attraction for the Christmas holidays, so get your devil horns and/or bingo dabbers ready come the 23rd!
Next up, here's some more fallout and videos from the fourth annual Toystock charity concert event at The Grand Gardens from this past Sunday! SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand for part of the evening's festivities, posting this article on SooToday on Wednesday, where she confirmed an attendance of hundreds for this year, helping raise $1,400 for Christmas Cheer. Interview remarks are included from promoter/performer Greg Simpson, where he notes the inspiration behind Toystock, it's growth (to the point where they're turning down bands that want to play), and how the local music community comes together for it. Nice and well written to be sure, and it's also worth mentioning that Greg hopes that Toystock grows to a point where it could be hosted at The Essar Center in the future (ambitious, but it'd be interesting to see!) Donna wasn't there all day, but she did 10 solid photos, including three from classic/hard rockers Havadder's set, one of Greg, and six of attendees, so give them all a look above!
And for the record, we will not be addressing or covering the reported incident from that night involving a car vandalism and related conflict between performers. We are not in the market to promote such negative personal matters, and I just hope everyone can settle things if possible & move forward, especially given the charitable nature of Toystock.
Closing with videos from Toystock, let's touch on the videos of the last three bands from Sault Online's Mike Caruso's YouTube channel! The headliners, local country cover quartet Bone Yard, were filmed covering Gary Allan's "Get Off On The Pain", which is well done and fun for the genre, so check that out if you want! The other two videos that we have from Toystock include this video of one-off punk tribute band The Rude-Offs covering the Christmas carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", with the aforementioned Greg Simpson on vocals. This union of Destroilet, Treble Charger, and Stiffler's Mom alumni looks like they had fun, and while the video's edits and quality jumps from post-production are noticeable, this should sate your punk Christmas desites! Note that there are other videos from The Rude-Offs' set on personal Facebook accounts, but as best as I can tell, they're not available for public view. Check it out below, and hopefully The Rude-Offs play again down the road!
And lastly, here's the co-headliners from this past Sunday, local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus, who were filmed playing their original song "Lovers". Aaron's vocals are a little muffled, but they do a strong job on one of their more familiar tracks (sure to be on their upcoming "Loomings" CD), so check it out below, and see more from this year's Toystock at the above links!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for assorted news and notes in the coming week! Thanks everyone!
We're nearing a week since our last news post without an attached concert preview, so let's correct that with today's post, which features new archive video discoveries, the latest from a popular music webseries, and a preview of a non-concert event for you punk fans, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!
Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will mark the second anniversary of their live debut with a headlining concert on Saturday, December 5th (or, next Saturday) at The Rockstar Bar! As announced yesterday via the official Facebook event page, this show should be a fun time for fans of Project 421's fan favourite covers and increasing originals, and while it's upstairs rather than at The Algonquin Pub downstairs (the site of their live debut), they should rock the house next weekend! Opening bands will include funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and the mysterious new band Eclipse (not spelled Eclypse like before), but what do we know on them now? Not a lot, but the concert poster uniquely lists covered bands by each group, and Eclipse are listed as covering nu-metal and modern rock bands ranging from Billy Talent to Disturbed to Three Days Grace. Interesting range! Also, the poster credits this as as their live debut, implying that they didn't play the Jason Michaud benefit after all, but the band advertising for that event was always vague.
I believe I know at least one band member's identity, but we'll wait to confirm anything until something is publically announced! There will be a $5 admission fee for this concert, you must be 19 or older to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates on this concert (and Eclipse) in the coming week!
Next up, here's our preview of the rescheduled second installment of Six Two Oh's punk rock bingo at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! After the planned October installment was postponed following the late Sabrina Pelchat's passing, the punk rock bingo encore goes down tomorrow, so get your dabbers ready to mark those cards, and unlike in September, the prizes are described online! The Facebook event page notes that everything from CDs & VHS tapes to skateboard decks & paintings, and even cans of soup, plus an apparent contest to make the Six Two Oh gang sign. Sounds like a fun time, and even if it's not a concert, expect punk music on the loudspeakers and many prizes befitting the genre! Once again, prolific local hardcore punk singer/bassist Brent Ellis will be the caller for tomorrow's bingo action, which has a lower price of 50¢ per card, no cover otherwise, a 19+ age limit, and an 8:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more details, and don't miss out on tomorrow's punk rock bingo action!
Also today, here's the latest from Local2's ongoing music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper! While most recent episodes have not directly touched on metal, punk, and hard rock bands (including ones featured around DJ Seith & Conika, The Mayhemingways, Kalle Mattson, The Gore Street Cafe, and The Elwins), the newest episode is set at the K'Man & The 45s concert at The New American Pub on November 8th, so what should you know within? Bookended and interspersed with concert footage, the episode features Donna interviewing frontman Kristin "K'Man" McNulty about his experiences playing live & on tour, what he expected from the crowd that night, and future recording plans, with the requisite bloopers during the credits as well. Fairly concise (especially with no mention of the local openers), but it's a fun interview, and K'Man definitely seems to like playing in the Soo! It's nice to see a new Tuned episode focusing on recent punk or metal bands, and The 45s sound good in the clips, so give it all a look at this link! Remember, I can't embed Local2 videos here.
Finally for today, I wanted to acknowledge some old local concert videos that a reader shared with me in a recent e-mail conversation! A few days ago, reader Mark Felt sent me links to videos from an early 2000s local punk band named Polly Pockets Melting In The Microwave (a.k.a. PPMM, PPM², or Polly) that has never crossed our radar since the SMS started. According to Mark, their lineup featured future Stripped Of His Wings singer Matt Parent, guitarist Steve Mogg, bassist Ivan St. Jules, and future Motion Carried bassist Jamie Whalen on drums, though he also played guitar at times. Details on PPMM are minimal at best, but Jamie's YouTube channel features four videos from two concerts from their 2001-2003 run, mostly posted there 5 years ago, so what can be seen there? Covers of The Screeching Weasels' "Talk To Me Summer" and d.b.s.' "Sunday" are featured from one show (the latter with d.b.s. singer Jesse Gander on guest vocals), while the other two videos from a different concert venue are of Face To Face's "Blind" and, as embedded below, Minor Threat's "Look Back & Laugh", so give these a look!
It's odd that these videos have flown under the radar for our purposes for this long, but kudos to Mark for alerting me to these! The quality is mixed given the age of the videos, but P.P.M.M. have a hard hitting skate punk sound that looks like it attracted positive notices during their heyday, and the band sounds good overall! To get d.b.s.' own singer to guest on a cover of theirs, you'd have to be! Check these videos of Polly Pockets Melting In The Microwave out above and below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features as we wind down the month! Thanks everyone!
