LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Garden of Bedlam & Saturn Alien) And This Weekend's Last Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for another missed Mourning Wood concert, as they did indeed play at Reggie's Place downtown last night in place of the cancelled Beaumont Avenue show at The Rockstar Bar, as per frontman Terry Eaton's personal Facebook page. We mentioned the possibility of Mourning Wood playing yesterday in our last post, but word of it on Facebook again came on too late of notice to cover it on here, but we would have had we known, and we'll let you know if we hear who's filling in for Terry & T.J. tonight! Now, today's post mostly features previews of Sunday concerts, one short notice, but we'll start with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local independent record label Tidal Records are hosting a local skateboarding event TOMORROW at Queen Elizabeth Park at The John Rhodes Community Centre in honour of Go Skateboarding Day, and there will be live bands during the show, including the long awaited return of... Garden of Bedlam! Apologies for the short notice, this event was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Yes, Garden of Bedlam will bring their hard rock attack back to the concert stage for the first time since 2013 (stag & does aside), and while it's anyone's guess where they've been for the past year, be sure not to miss their return set TOMORROW! Other acts playing tomorrow will include local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control, Frasiers-succeeding glam/pop trio Caroline Divine, and a joint set by local rapper Conika (a new Tidal Records signing) featuring Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson. As well, Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay is among the Tidal Records' skate team members that will be showcasing their skills tomorrow, so keep that in mind too!

Promoted by Tidal Records' J.D. Pearce, this is a FREE & ALL AGES event that begins at noon TOMORROW with a projected end time of 5:00 PM, but set times for the bands aren't listed. There will also be giveaways from Tidal Records and local sponsors (including The Rad Zone), so for more details, check the above links! Despite the early timing, there's a great lineup of bands and what promises to be a fun afternoon of skateboarding action, not to mention the end of Garden of Bedlam's long hiatus, and I hope to see you guys at the skatepark TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam at The Canadian!



Next up, here's another new show before we finish off this weekend's concert previews, as Montreal psychedelic punk band Saturn Alien will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, June 30th at The New American Pub! Definitely a unique band who put a funky spin on their originals that are often hard to pin down into one genre, they should make a big impression one week from Tuesday during their Canadian tour, so be sure not to miss Saturn Alien then! Local support will come via VM Radio Battle of the Bands winners Gnaeus and new local alternative/punk quartet Id Iota (much more on them to come on the site), and both are solid and fitting openers that have their own genre-melding originals, so don't be late! Apparently promoted by Id Iota (they launched the Facebook event page, at least), this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time, and while the show is on a Tuesday, remember that the next day (July 1st) is Canada Day, so it's a holiday anyway!

This should be an entertaining concert if you love punk and alternative music, and given the holiday, it should allow more people than usual to come out on a Tuesday for this one! Check out more details at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Gnaeus & Id Iota's recent Lopstock performances!

Returning to weekend concert previews, here's one with something for many musical tastes, as Toronto doom metal trio IRN (all capitals) will make their own local concert debut TOMORROW EVENING, also at The New American Pub! IRN's crushing, slow, and relentless original songs are sure to impress metalheads tomorrow night, so if you're up for some Sunday night doom metal, you know where to be! Naturally, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will open in their New A debut and the kick-off to their upcoming Ontario tour (good luck to them, for sure!), but after that, the local openers take varied turns in sound. Also scheduled are local lo-fi/punk project Telephone & Address, but it's still unclear whether their briefly advertised addition of Sam Decter on drums will be revealed tomorrow, especially given that references to Sam & Chris collaborating were quietly deleted from Facebook, at least in a public form. We'll let you know if anything is clarified either way!

The lineup will be rounded out by local rapper Conika with guest DJ Seith (fresh off of their Go Skate Day set) and fellow local rapper Mikey Thomas, so if you like hip-hop, come early, and I mean early, as the show will now begin at 4:00 PM to accomodate the ALL AGES theme, as minors can't be in the pub past 9:00 PM. Odd, but necessary, so hopefully there's a good turnout! Note that the show was moved from 180 Projects earlier this month due to personal commitments of that venue's staff. This Six Two Oh-promoted concert has an $8 cover charge, so be there TOMORROW at 4:00 PM to take in all of the action, and here's IRN live earlier this year!



Finally for today, we'll close things across the river in Sault Michigan, where a rare Sunday night concert goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Kewadin Casino, courtesy of Massachusetts-based Rush tribute band Lotus Land! An acclaimed tribute to the legendary Canadian progressive hard rock trio, Lotus Land tour the United States and have played at the annual convention Rushcon at least twice, so their faithful sounding take on the live Rush concert experience should be more than ready for tomorrow night! Usually, heavier tribute bands play on this side of the border when they come through our area, but if you're in the E.U.P., don't miss this one! Tickets for the concert are just $12.50, and they can be bought at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and there are still plenty of tickets available in each row, so get on that A.S.A..!

Like usual for Dreammaker's Theatre shows, this is an ALL AGES event with a 7:00 PM start time. If you love Rush, you'd be well served to check out Lotus Land live at the Soo Kewadin tomorrow night, so check the above links for more details, and here's a sample video of the their Rush tribute experience!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind tomorrow, and we'll see you guys at the Go Skateboarding Day concert as well! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Pixo Control), AlgomA & Redundant Updates, And More!!

With a new week upon us, let's keep the news rolling on this Monday afternoon, including assorted recent updates, a lengthy new video from a popular local punk band, and updates regarding an upcoming concert and an opening band's tour plans, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control will return to LopLops Lounge on June 20th (one week from Saturday) when they open for Edmonton psychedelic/garage rock band The Archaics once again! Yes, they just headlined at The New A last week, but on their way back home from Quebec during their summer tour, they're hitting some of the same cities they already played, hence why they're playing here twice in 20 days. Obviously, The Archaics left a positive impression last week too, so if you liked their garage rock originals or missed them, here's your second chance! Of course, The Pixo Control will be hitting LopLops for the first time since Lopstock II, and their aggressive grunge throwback sound will be more than welcome back next weekend, so don't miss them either! Note that this is ostensibly a more intimate show, hence why there's only one local opening band. Also, this show is apparently being promoted by Danger Cats guitarist Paula D'Agostino, which is good to see, hopefully this is a hit!

This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and don't miss the return of The Archaics and The Pixo Control next weekend!

Next up, here's some updates relating to the upcoming IRN-headlined concert on June 21st, including the news that it's been moved from 180 Projects to The New American Pub, as per promoter Jamie Vincent on the Facebook event page last week. A reason for the move wasn't announced, but the show will still be ALL AGES despite moving to a bar. Hopefully nothing bad happened with 180 Projects, but The New A should be a solid venue, so get more details on this show via the above links! As previously indicated, the show will serve as local openers AlgomA's kick-off to their upcoming tour, and we now have more details on that, so what should you know about their first ever formal tour run? According to the new poster from their Facebook page, the tour will take them from the Soo on the 21st to Sudbury in June 28th, with mostly Southern Ontario dates in between, though the June 26th & 27th dates between St. Catharine's and Sudbury are currently open.

This should be a great way to get some exposure and new fans throughout Ontario, so if you live in Sudbury or Southern Ontario, be sure to check Facebook for event pages for your area's closest AlgomA concert! Stay tuned for updates, including on the IRN show, when they come in!

Also today, local punk trio Redundant have re-emerged for the first time in 2015 with a new YouTube video... a 94 minutes long video at that! Uploaded to drummer Rick White's YouTube channel yesterday, it's a movie called "The Fun We Have, Vol. 1", but how can Redundant fill a non-concert video with over 90 minutes of content? Well, it does feature many assorted videos from Redundant concert sets, but we also get band members trying oysters, ghost peppers, 40 year old apple wine, dog treats, and hot sauce, adventures with an outhouse, footage from the 2011 Hempfest, multiple types of hair removal, pre- and post-show footage from the Riding Shotgun/Project Mars show in 2012, dancing, jamming, outdoor discoveries, a bonfire, and assorted other drunk fun and good times, and even a full studio song ("What'll You Do") and slideshow 63 minutes in! Note however that there isn't much in terms of videos visibly from 2013 and later, or from their beginnings as Motion Carried, but "Vol.1" implies that a sequel is coming.

Fans of Redundant will have a great time with this video, which captures their fun covers, originals, and off-stage antics (just don't try many of them at home!) It's still unclear what lies ahead for Redundant given bassist James White's college plans out of town this fall, but be sure to check out early Redundant antics and concert performances below! Note also that the video is dedicated to the memory of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold (a very good friend of frontman Justin Langlois), with the "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery" video closing the movie.



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

• We have moved local industrial metal band Riverin to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. Featuring Dirty Virgin alumni Matt Hicks & Matt Clement, Riverin haven't posted an update referencing band activity on either their Facebook or Twitter pages in well over a year. Riverin seemed to have big plans, but activity has never came fast or large from their camp. Hopefully we hear from the Matts again soon!
• I've shuffled the link lists on the left & right of the Sault Metal Scene's main site to promote our local band listings (both active and inactive) to far higher spots. This will allow readers to check them out and visit them easier without having to scroll far down the page just to directly check out a band, which is arguably more of a priority than our listings of past feature posts, which are otherwise untouched. Hopefully this is a positive move!
• Though still labelled as part of the Gonqshow concert series, the SNFU-headlined concert on July 24th will actually take place upstairs at The Rockstar Bar rather than in The Algonquin Pub. Given SNFU's notoriety and success, this sounds like a good plan! As also confirmed on the Facebook event page via the show's new poster (designed by Destroilet's Matt Waples), SNFU are touring to support the 30th anniversary of their debut album "...And No One Else Wanted to Play", which they'll also play in full during their set! Awesome to hear, and stay tuned for more!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (IRN, Destroilet, Highway 63, And Long Shot!!)

For a second time in as many days, we have four new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to announce on the site, as the spring/summer concert series is clearly heating up! These include new shows in Sault Michigan and Sault Ontario, including one new addition to the Gonqshow (which we'll have a lot more on later this week), but for now, here's what you should know on these shows in chronological order!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will play their first Eastern U.P. concerts outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella next weekend, when they rock The Satisfied Frog on Friday, May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd! As announced on their Facebook page, these will be their first concerts since playing in St. Ignace earlier this month, while frontman Henry Switzer pointed out that these will be his first concerts there with any band in 2 years (presumably referencing the defunct Sir Charge), and though we haven't heard about local hard rock bands playing at The Frog all that much lately, hopefully Highway 63 can make their mark next weekend and play there more often in the future! There are no announced cover charges next weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 10:00 PM start times in effect. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more updates!

Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock quartet Long Shot will make their Rockstar Bar debut for a one-night-only concert on Saturday, May 16th! Fresh off of playing two different shows on May 1st, this will be a great solo showcase at a more familiar venue for the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands runners-up, and hopefully they leave a huge impression come next month! No word on why the Dawes, Nathan, and Jeremy aren't playing there that Friday though, but the band recently indicated on their Facebook page that they've submitted an application to play at Rotaryfest this July, so we'll have to see if they make the bill! Their May 16th concert at The Rockstar Bar has a 19+ age limit, a $5 cover charge, and an announced 10:30 PM start time, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for much more from Long Shot as it comes in!

Moving downstairs to The Algonquin Pub at the end of the month, local punk/metal bands Destroilet & Jack Spades will rock out there on Saturday, May 30th in a show to help fund the release of their upcoming split album with The Ripcordz! The second show in Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's Gonqshow summer concert series there (as announced yesterday on it's Facebook event page), this show is among the methods that the local bands are doing to help get their three-way split out there, including their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign (get on that, people!), and hopefully this show can help put a dent into the cash required to get this released! For reference, this will also be Destroilet's first announced concert of the year, and just their second since Brenton Ellis joined as their new co-lead singer, so if you haven't seen the new six-piece lineup yet, here's your chance! At least one more band is to be announced, and while I imagine we'd know by now if it was them, imagine if The Ripcordz made the trip for this?

Given the fundraising nature of this show, admission will be $10 (no word on if Kickstarter incentives might carry over to the concert), while it will be a 19+ event with a likely 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! This should be a great concert, and if it helps chip away at the needed funds to get this three-way split in out hands, then it'll have done it's job! Again, stay tuned for updates on the show and split as they roll in!

Finally for today, we'll head to 180 Projects on Sunday, June 21st for a very diverse ALL AGES concert that will be headlined by Toronto doom metal trio IRN! (Yes, that's all capitals.) A punishing band known for long, doomy, and unrelenting originals, IRN should leave quite the mark in their local concert debut in June, so don't miss them either if you love the genre! Naturally, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will be among the openers (in what they're hyping as the kick-off for their tour, full dates to be revealed), but beyond them, things will widely vary. The other openers will also include local punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address (in their first set since the "Rust Orchid" release show), local rappers Conika & Mikey Thomas, and the turntable stylings of DJ Seith, though no word on if he'll be playing solo or alongside either rapper like he's recently done with Conika. Doom metal, lo-fi acoustic punk, and rap, where else will you get all of that on the same night at the same venue?

This Oh! Right Arm! Promotions event has an $8 cover charge, a 7:00 PM start time, and yes, it is ALL AGES! Much like the AxMinister-headlined show at The Algonquin two weeks later, this show may just have a little something for everyone (Mikey will even be opening both), so no matter whether you like one or multiple genres on June 21st, 180 Projects may be the place to be! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and concert announcements to come this week! Thanks everyone!