Barring extremely late notice concert previews, let's close out this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews with some events taking place just outside of Sault Ste. Marie, so if you're living on the outskirts of town or are up for a road trip, here's what you should know for this weekend!
The first annual Northern Vibe Festival begins TODAY at the old Hempfest location on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario, and will welcome punk/country favourites The Billy Bastards back to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT! Two years after Hempfest's local swan song, the guys over at Planetary Pride (who put on the first 11 Hempfests) are throwing their hat back into the concert festival game for this freshman event, which will focus on the music for this summer-ending bash featuring musical performers on two stages, so who all can you expect in Ophir this weekend? One stage is the "Beach Stage", as it's backdrop is the waterfront in that area, and will be devoted to DJs and turntablists, so click here to find out who's playing and on what day! Yes, the Northern Vibe Festival's website lists performance orders finally, but oddly, not set times (no word on why, but it may be in case of lineup changes or set length uncertainty.) Bands and solo musicians will be playing on the "Forest Stage", so who can you expect on the lineup there?
TONIGHT's abbreviated band lineup features Burlington reggae rock favourites The Killin' Time Band as headliners, with local support via alt-folk favourites The Boot Hill Crooners and local/Toronto folk musician Cody McMillan and his band The Soft Shoe Shufflers. TOMORROW'S main band lineup will be headlined by Kitchener folk quartet Drew Leith & The Foundation, with the aforementioned Billy Bastards (with relocated guitarist Paul Michael Stos in tow) co-headlining in their first concert since December 2013. It's been way too long for The Billys' punk/country attack on the local stage, and might we see their long teased new material during their set? In listed order, other Saturday bands will include veteran local soul/funk outfit The Hustle Brothers, blues rock notables Al Wood & The Woodsmen, cover rock quartet Changing Lanes, roots rock collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, and in a late replacement, solo folk musician Kylie Precepa, who is filling in for Britta Wolfert on Saturday due to personal family matters overseas.
And finally, local/Wawa keyboardist and busker Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda will open Saturday's lineup, if there are no late notice changes. As well, Sunday's action on the Forest Stage will be devoted to group jamming, drum circles, and open mic performers, so keep that in mind, as you never know who'll be playing! Also, keep an eye out for fire spinners, hula hoopers, yoga, and art installations during the festival's duration. Tickets are $125 for the full weekend with no single day rates advertised, while there are group rates if you have a party of 10 people. Tickets
can be bought locally at Planetary Pride on Queen Street East or online
at this link,
and while The Northern Vibe Festival is a 19+ event, kids and pets can come (if absolutely necessary) with an adult attendee if you
follow the instructions at this link (which includes has full info on festival guidelines.) For full posted details on The Northern Vibe Festival, visit the above links!
It never hurts to have a new summer concert festival in the area, with shades of Hempfest (in organization and location) and the LopLops-ran Second Stage (in band content), so keep those angles in mind, and if you love punk with a splash of outlaw country, don't miss The Billy Bastards' first public set in over a year and a half TOMORROW NIGHT! I have heard some grumbling over the ticket cost and lack of single day pricing, but hey, you've got to start somewhere, and if all goes well, we'll see The Northern Vibe Festival back in 2016! Stay tuned in case there's fallout from the event, and for a preview, here's The Billys live a few years back!
Finally, we'll take a look at local party hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom's next concert, as they're hitting the road for a rare St. Joseph Island concert TOMORROW for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach! That's an hour southeast of the Soo. Fresh off of last week's one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, Greg, Mike, and Jon will rock out at this motorcycle show & shine event, which will raise funds to help repair Hilton Beach's baseball diamond fence, so keep the cause in mind, and remember to dress in your best pirate costume for the costume contest if you go! Stiffler's Mom's set itself will take place at 1:00 PM, the Biker Pirate Party itself is presumably all ages, and there's no admission fee unless you're entering the motorcycle show. As for the address, everything will the place at The Island Bar at 3117 Marks Street. For more details, visit the above links! Nice to see Stiffler's Mom spreading their wings and helping out for a cause, so consider checking them out tomorrow afternoon in Hilton Beach! For a preview, here's Stiffler's Mom live at another charitable event a few years ago!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone
Before we begin, I profusely apologize for missing Lucky 13's Rednecks Saloon concert yesterday for coverage on the SMS, as the public announcement of it came too late for us to slide it into a post, but we did address it on our Facebook page. We'd have plugged it if it had more advance word, but hopefully it was a hit! Also, Tym Morrison might not be playing at The Harp TONIGHT due to their possible broadcast of UFC 190, but his own Facebook event page still lists a show tonight. In other words, proceed with caution if you go, as I can't 100% confirm if it's on. Now, today's post features a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and more recent updates, so here's what you should know!
Local classic/hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will take a rare road trip out to St. Joseph Island for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach on Saturday, August 29th! The event itself will see a motorcycle show & shine event with a pirate costume contest to match, with proceeds going to repair the baseball diamond fence in Hilton Beach (an hour southeast of the Soo), so hopefully everyone can help fulfill that goal! Stiffler's Mom's set will be at 1:00 PM, while this presumably all ages event will begin at The Islander Bar at 3117 Marks Street at noon that day, and there's no listed admission charge unless you're entering the motorcycle show. Intriguing event that mashes together a few very different styles of events into one day, but it's for a good cause for the community, and if you're in St. Joseph Island or are up for the events, consider the Biker Pirate Party with Stiffler's Mom at the end of the month! See the above links for more details!
Next up, local concert venue The Rockstar Bar (and it's downstairs sister venue, The
Algonquin Pub) are now on board for a new weekly nightclub event called Rockstar Republic that may impact future concerts at the venue. According to this SooToday article,
this will effectively turn The Algonquin Hotel's two bars into a
double-floor dance club with DJs, electronic music, drink specials, and
an open patio on every Friday, with the aim being to "change the face of
Sault Ste. Marie's nightlife". The Rockstar Republic Facebook page will have more details on this new weekly event, but for reference,
note that the page originally was for Club Current at Waterfront Legend
(the former Docks), though I have no word on if this means anything dire for music
events there. The Rockstar Republic's "grand opening" (it's treated like
it's own venue) was last night, and it'll be interesting to hear how night #1 went!
Assuming
this is a successful venture with the former Club Current gang, this
presumably would end Friday night bands on either floor of The Algonquin
Hotel, but on a quick scan, only the Hard Up-headlined Gongshow event this coming Friday would be affected, and we'll keep you posted if there's clarification about it. I wonder if this is an attempt to compete with The Canadian
Nightclub's own dance party and club nights? Of course, best of luck to
everyone involved, hopefully Rockstar Republic is a huge hit for the
nightlife scene in the Soo!
Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last week or so, as we slowly catch up on things now that I'm home! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or promoter name:
Former Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking for a drummer for his new local band project, which he describes as "playing some heavy music". Nice to see him back in the local scene, he has been missed, but if you're interested in trying out for this band, message Dan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
After some initial uncertainty on if they'd be able to play, new local alternative/hard rock duo Infinity Grinder have finally been confirmed as the opening band for the Ballot Burner-headlined concert at The New American Pub on August 17th, which will mark their New A debut. Great to see, and give Terrence & Brad's new project a look then if you haven't yet! Our source is the Facebook event page on July 15th.
In another Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting, local musician Kiefer Barone is looking for a drummer that plays metalcore, presumably for his own new local project. He's posted on this group before regarding artist searches, but if you can help out this time, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from last week!
Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has reportedly ended his work as a local concert promoter once again, as per a post on his personal Facebook page last week, citing "too much stress" & upcoming personal & band commitments for the reasons why. This disappointing news may be deja vu for fans who recall when he left the promotion game 3 years ago after his brief run with the Rosie metal nights, but hopefully Mitch comes back to promoting when the time is right, and message him at this link if you can take on the Dusty Tucker show in October!
Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood have quietly dropped out of next week's Superior Festival at Aune-Osbourne Park in Sault Michigan, as per the new poster for the event, with Sault Michigan cover rock quartet Retro Troop replacing them. A reason for the change was not announced, but Mourning Wood never confirmed their involvement in the event, and remember that playing shows across the border (either way) isn't easy. Should be a great festival though, so check the above links for full details, including on a motorcycle giveaway!
As previously mentioned in our review of his most recent CD "Fleabag Hotel", Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's upcoming 13th album will be called "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter", as per his Bandcamp page. No word on what the title references (perhaps a concept or inside joke?), but the name turned up no obvious results on Google. If his recent album schedules are any indication, look for this one to come out in the fall, but stay tuned for updates!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!
Finally, we'll take a look at local party hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom's next concert, as they're hitting the road for a rare St. Joseph Island concert TOMORROW for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach! That's an hour southeast of the Soo. Fresh off of last week's one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, Greg, Mike, and Jon will rock out at this motorcycle show & shine event, which will raise funds to help repair Hilton Beach's baseball diamond fence, so keep the cause in mind, and remember to dress in your best pirate costume for the costume contest if you go! Stiffler's Mom's set itself will take place at 1:00 PM, the Biker Pirate Party itself is presumably all ages, and there's no admission fee unless you're entering the motorcycle show. As for the address, everything will the place at The Island Bar at 3117 Marks Street. For more details, visit the above links! Nice to see Stiffler's Mom spreading their wings and helping out for a cause, so consider checking them out tomorrow afternoon in Hilton Beach! For a preview, here's Stiffler's Mom live at another charitable event a few years ago!
