Hempfest, BFGs, And Catgut Concert Previews!!

In our second post of the day, we're focused on more concert previews in an unusually drawn out stretch of shows, this time focusing on metal/hard rock concerts going down tomorrow and on Monday night! Yes, our Pop Evil preview is coming too, likely on Tuesday. Read on below for these previews (including a festival's return and two punk/metal gigs on Monday), and of course, check out this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Infrastrate in the post below this one!

Regional marijuana culture festival Hempfest returned for it's 15th installment (and third under it's current ownership) on Monday, and TOMORROW'S last day will see the return of hard rock! Sure, there hasn't been a sizeable contingent of local or metal bands since 2011, but the lineup's much larger than last year, and there's a mix of both regular Hempfest performers and tribute bands to take in, including headliners Mama Kin! This Toronto-based Aerosmith tribute band are a popular local sight (last seen here in April 2012), and they have a faithful and entertaining take on the original songs and look of Aerosmith, so they're worth checking out for sure! Mama Kin will actually have two sets tomorrow night at 7:30 & 9:00 PM, bookending a set by rappers Radar & J. Frost at 8:30 PM. The rest of the lineup in descending order includes a comedian of some kind at 7:00 PM, Hamilton folk/ska quintet Blind Mule at 6:00 PM, Radar & Blind Mule again at 5:30 & 4:30 PM, the finals of this year's Willy High Games at 4:00 PM, Newmarket punk band The Salads at 2:15 PM, a live speaker of some kind at 1:45 PM, and Remedy, a Southern Ontario-based Black Crowes tribute opening at 12:00 PM.

As usual, Hempfest is in it's usual home of Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario (an hour east of the Soo), and tickets are $40 at the door and $50 if you're going today too (click here for today's schedule, but there's no heavier bands), while attendees with federal marijuana exemptions get in free (if you show your paperwork on arrival.) This year's Hempfest is generally 18+, but minors can attend with a guardian. For all details for this year's remaining events, check the above links! While I'd love to see more local talent, the expanded lineup is great to see, and tribute bands have a lot of success, so hopefully this year's Hempfest is another hit, and don't miss the last days! For a preview, here's Mama Kin playing "Dream On" last year!



Now to a surprisingly busy Monday for original metal/punk concerts, starting with another new show at The New American Pub courtesy of local concert promoter & musician Jamie Vincent! While not all ages like his other concerts, an entertaining mix of grunge and punk will hit this Bay Street venue on Monday night, including headlining Edmonton grunge rockers Catgut! Featuring Jamie's old Flint bandmate Jesse Silkie on drums, Catgut's alternative sound and punk sensibility give them a solid 1990s-esque sound that fans should like, even if it's not the most aggressive sound! Jamie's own grunge project Bad Back (featuring him on vocals & guitar and his Fuller bandmate Nathan Sauve on drums) will open for Catgut in their second live concert set, while the show itself will begin with a half-Nebraska Arms reunion courtesy of an unplugged set from Wayne Watkins & Dave Prendergast (expect acoustic punk songs.) Admission will be $5 on Monday night for this 19+ show, and doors open at 8:00 PM, which is somewhat early. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Though the 19+ nature is odd given the promoter, fans of punk and alternative hard rock should find a lot to like, and the success of this show could be telling for future original hard rock/metal concerts at The New A, so don't bypass it if you're not going to see the BFGs! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Catgut live in Edmonton last year!



Finally for the regional metal/hard rock concerts through Monday, Toronto hardcore punk legends The Bunchofuckingoofs will hit The Roosevelt Hotel that night for a well anticipated concert in itself! Thirty years into their run, their aggressive, reckless, and heavy originals should get some great mosh pits going at The Rosie, and it will be awesome to see Crazy Steve Goof and company laying down their classic material in the Soo on Monday! Victoria garage punk trio The Last of the V8 Interceptors will join them for their first of two local concerts this year (they're opening for The Dayglo Abortions next month too), and while I don't know a lot on their sound, their Mad Max themes and punk talents should fit in well! Local support will come courtesy of hardcore punk quintet Destroilet (in their third show of the year) and the Rosie return of local grindcore/death metal trio Shit Liver, and both should fit in very well for this feast of hardcore punk and metal! Originally scheduled to be held at The Algonquin Pub before being relocated, this show is a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time and a $10 entry fee. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I won't recommend hitting either Catgut ot The BFGs preferably, as they're different kinds of shows, but The BFGs will appeal to the hardcore punk angle more, so if you prefer that, be at The Rosie, and keep in mind The BFGs notoriety and success over their lengthy run! Both should be great shows, so go occupy a venue, and for a preview, here's The Bunchofuckingoofs playing "Go Get Screwed" live a couple months ago!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Swampstravaganza review either tomorrow or early Monday! Thanks everyone!

Upcoming Concert & Mike Haggith Updates, Plus New Videos!!

In our first of two posts today, we have a bunch of recent news items to get to, albeit without a newly announced concert that you Frightlight fans may have been looking for, as promoters are securing a new venue after being briefly being advertised for The Algonquin Pub. That'll be up on the site when a new venue is confirmed, but for today, we have new videos from some local metal/hard rock acts, and the latest updates on an upcoming album, but first, here's some big updates for some upcoming concerts, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start with updates to a bunch of local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming metal/punk concerts, including a new out of town band addition for both the Bunchofuckingoofs & Dayglo Abortions concerts on August 12th & September 9th, that being Victoria, British Columbia garage punk trio The Last of the V8 Interceptors! This was confirmed on each show's Facebook event page (linked above), as they're opening for each band on their respective tours. Featuring a unique Mad Max/Road Warrior theme and inspiration, the only song I've found of them so far has an edgy and reliable punk sound that should fit each gig well, so don't miss them! As well, a poster for the BFGs show by Destroilet drummer Matt Waples can be seen on your right, and it's awesome as usual, but it was uploaded before the band addition and the venue change, as both it and the Sanitarium/Frightlight short film benefit show on July 27th have been moved out of The Algonquin Pub for unannounced reasons, as per their respective Facebook event pages yesterday.

A new venue for the Sanitarium show isn't public yet (so I've temporarily pulled it from our concert listings), but the BFGs show will now take place at The Roosevelt Hotel (similarly to the Dayglo Abortions concert.) I'm not sure why The Algonquin's no longer hosting these shows, but hopefully nothing bad has happened to cause the exits, and I know the music will be awesome no matter what, so click the above links for more details on all of the above shows, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, here's the latest from Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's prolific solo project, starting with more information on his upcoming 46th solo album "Where It Ends"! On Monday, he uploaded this image onto his solo Facebook page featuring a planned setlist for the album overtop of it's artwork, and if things hold up, it'll feature 11 tracks. These include the previously unveiled "Grace", the first high quality version of his 2008 song "The Curse (of 13)", a cover of "The Trip" by his Windsor band S.C.A.R., and at least three songs dropped from his 2012 album "Neighbourhood Watch" ("Wicked Midnight Ride" "Fading", and a cover of The Black Hole Suns' "The Man In Green"). Mike also reiterated plans for a fall release, while indicating that vocals would be recorded locally at Paperclip Productions, but check the above links for more details! This is shaping up well from early indications, and I have an inkling that it'll be heavier than his most recent album "The Present Din", but time will tell as more media leaks out.

While we wait for more details on "Where It Ends", Mike also uploaded the first "album" from his live acid jam band Mike Haggith & The Din onto his YouTube channel yesterday, and it's a collection of live recordings from their set in Goulais Mission on June 29th during Haggith's private Canada Day weekend bash! Titled "Despite the Insects...", it features 5 songs from that set, including Mike and The Din playing the songs "Analog Palace", "The Ballad of K2/K3", "Lay My Body Down To Rest", "The Plumber & The Electrician", and "Limb Coast", so click each link to see them in their own YouTube videos (they were uploaded as a playlist as well) Note that I don't know if the title was changed from the previously announced "Perpetual Musings", or if that's being given to a studio-only release. I have no clue if Mike plans to put "Despite The Insects..." up for sale, but the songs do sound nice in terms of recording quality (if a bit uneven in individual instrument loudness), and the extended jam nature of these songs is unique and adds something different to the material!

I've embedded "Analog Palace" below to stream, but stay tuned for more news and notes relating to Mike's various projects as it comes in, especially concerning new albums and shows! Enjoy the Din!



Finally for today, do you remember the short lived 2011 comedy metal band T.E.N. that actually broke up days before we first mentioned them on here? Well, guitarist Tyler Gibson posted what I can only assume is an old track from their brief run onto his YouTube channel on May 29th that I've only just now managed to get to work! Entitled "It's Your Mother, But Better", it's an instrumental number with only Tyler featured, and while the comedy aspects of their old work aren't visible, there's some promise here as the introduction of a metal track! It just needs to be finished with some instruments before I can really comment. I don't know if this is part of a planned resurrection of T.E.N. or not, but give this new-ish song a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Sneaky Pete later tonight! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Suicide Kings & The Bunchofuckingoofs), Plus New Videos!!

On this 56th straight day of SMS updates, we're staying busy with more recent news and notes, and while we're taking a break from Woods of Ypres/Juno talk to cover some other recent items, we'll touch on the latest fallout from that huge story from this weekend in our next full news post! Today though, we have new videos from a handful of local artists, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend and this summer, so here's what you need to know (and check out this month's YouTube Channel Profiles in the post below this one!)

Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands finalists The Suicide Kings will play at The Roosevelt Hotel for the first time this weekend! A full weekend with shows on Friday & Saturday, these will be the band's first non-battle appearances in over a month, and their first double weekend engagement since their first Docks gigs in February, so I'm sure fans of theirs will be itching to hear their full live concert sets again! Of course, if they perform well or win at the Rockstar Bar Battle finals THIS WEDNESDAY, they should be amped up and bringing their A-game to The Rosie this weekend, but we'll have to see what happens at the finals first! If you're up for some Suicide Kings action on Friday & Saturday, then both shows have 19+ age limits, 10:00 PM start times, and no cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! As the battle finals haven't happened yet, I won't give any in-depth thoughts on their next shows until we preview these gigs on Thursday, but hopefully The Suicide Kings have a successful weekend of hard rocking originals and covers at The Rosie, and don't miss them in the Rockstar Bar Battle Finals on Wednesday!

Also in new concerts, a venue has finally been confirmed for the other newly announced show from local punk/metal promoter/singer J.D. Pearce, so now, we can properly promote The Bunchofuckingoofs' concert in Sault Ontario on Monday, August 13th! This infamous Toronto hardcore punk quartet will headline what should be a brutal concert at The Algonquin Pub (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar), and their brutal and catchy sounds should be welcomed by local metalheads and punk fans this summer! At least two local opening bands will play support, including resurgent hardcore/punk quintet Destroilet (in likely their first gig there since opening for The Ripcordz) and local grindcore trio Shit Liver, in their own Algonquin Pub debut! It's good to see both bands playing more, as neither has been that visible in the past few months, so don't miss some brutal local action before The BFGs rock The Gonq! Admission prices and start times have yet to be confirmed, but I believe this will be a 19+ event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should be another intense concert of metal and punk action, and kudos to J.D. for yet another major concert in town this summer! Hopefully The BFGs and the local openers deliver a great night of action, so don't miss this show on August 13th, and for more on J.D.'s upcoming concerts, check out our post full of the rest from Saturday!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with footage of two eliminated bands from The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Semifinals!  One comes from local punk band The Northern Tragedy's third place set on April 10th of them playing the song "3 2 4" (courtesy of their YouTube channel), and while it's filmed well from a good angle with talent clearly present, their energy, crowd engagement, and enthusiasm needs major work for future concerts. The other videos are from local stoner/death metal quartet Giwakwa's second place set last week, and they capture their full four song set across two videos, including their opening songs "Stoned To Death" & "Winter's Hunger" and (as embedded below) "Endless Bummer" and "Iron Lung"! Uploaded by YouTube user Zaphradoo yesterday, and as filmed from a far angle to the right of the stage, these offer a unique angle of Giwakwa's set, but drummer Chris Thompson is often blocked from view by guitarist Chris Page as a result. This was a good & very heavy performance, but I'd like to see them take more of a Crowbar or funeral doom influence, as at times, it often sounds like a slightly slowed down Bring The Fallen. If you're gonna go the doom/stoner route, go all the way with it!

Still, I enjoyed their set, it's great seeing Nolan and Josh back together on stage after two years, and hopefully we'll see Giwakwa back on stage soon with a longer set! Check out the second half of their battle set below, and don't miss Josh Stephney in Wednesday's finals anyway with his other band The Bear Hunters!



Finally for today, local grind/horror rap label Blood Shed Productions have uploaded two songs from their upcoming Crucify The Whore/Tomgrindy split demo "Grindshed" onto their YouTube channel! The C.T.W. track is called "I Like Shepard's Pie", while the Tomgrindy song is called "Tongue Tearing Taco" (a likely sexual reference.) Postings on the bands' Facebook pages linked above imply that the demo will be released on Friday, though it's unclear it will be just a demo or more professionally packaged (copies do cost $5 on request when released.) "I Like Shepard's Pie" shows more development of C.T.W.'s sound despite it's length, though it still feels incomplete lyrically and musically, and the pig squeal vocals do take a back seat to actual death growls! The Tomgrindy song, however, is longer and fuller sounding insturmentally, though the vocals are a mix of assorted noises with few discernible words. On both, images of the demo's likely artwork and assorted logos are featured, but as some feature pictures that some may find disturbing or offensive, I'll only embed the audio here of "I Like Shepard's Pie". If you're up for some more surprisingly prolific material from Blood Shed's grindcore artists, check the above links, and hear C.T.W.'s new song below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for our preview of Wednesday's final round of the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, plus more news (including more Woods of Ypres/Juno Awards fallout) as it comes in! Thanks everyone!