Inner City Surfers & Toystock Updates, And Much More!!

This was a quiet weekend regarding the SMS, but we are back with a new news post on this Monday night, so what's on tap? A lot of assorted notes, mostly regarding cleaning up our own links, but we do have some big updates for a major concert this weekend, and to kick things off, a surprise album release, so here's what you need to know!

Are you an Inner City Surfers fan? Did you think that the defunct local punk quartet only had three studio albums? Well, think again, as a fourth album was put on sale via iTunes in May! Posted at the same time as their other released CDs for sale there (as well as on Spotify and Soundcloud), the album is called "Time To Travel On", and while it's actual recording date isn't given, Spotify lists it coming out between 2002's "Laughing On The Outside" and 2007's self-titled CD, though I have never seen it referenced as an album release prior to May of this year. Even official links and posts don't reference the back story of "Time To Travel On", but it's 10 songs are not shared with other Surfers albums. My theory is that the album just didn't get released for one reason or another, was shelved indefinitely prior to recording their last album in 2007, and was released posthumously as a fan bonus this year. If so, kudos to the guys for finally sharing it! With all of that said, it is a paid album release ($9.90 on iTunes), so when might we review it?

As we didn't find out about "Time To Travel On" until just recently, it's no longer a "new" release (assuming it didn't have a limited release run at the time), so now, precedence would go to their debut self-titled album from 2000. Surprisingly, we have yet to review an Inner City Surfers album on here, which definitely has to change! Check out "Time To Travel On" via the above links for more of The Surfers' energetic punk originals, and hopefully we see them back on stage in the future!

Next up, here's some late updates concerning THIS SUNDAY'S fifth annual Toystock charity concert at the Northern Grand Gardens! As per the new Facebook event page, local Christmas-themed punk outfit The Rude-Offs have quietly dropped out of this year's Toystock for unannounced reasons. Hopefully it's as simple as a band member being unable to attend, it'd have been fun to see them back! However, guitarist Greg Simpson will still pull double duty on Sunday, as his acoustic rock duo Guitars & Tequila (listed on the event page as Tequila & Guitars) will replace them in their own Toystock debut. Greg plays in this act alongside That's Chester bandmate Gabe Tessaro, and their mellower blend of covers should be a solid attraction in their own right, especially if you've missed That's Chester in recent months! With that said, the lineup has been almost completely overhauled, with country rock cover quartet Bone Yard (now the only returning band from any prior Toystock) the only band to retain their old time. Check the image on your left for the new order!

The same picture (which is the Facebook event page's cover photo) also newly confirms that there will be cotton candy, some type of appearances from the Elf on a Shelf and (Disney?) princesses, plus a play center on site, adding to the family-friendly vibe of past years. Toystock V is shaping up to be a fun event, especially with the varied and largely different lineup from past years, and remember, entry is via Christmas Cheer donations! Stay tuned for our full preview of this year's Toystock this weekend!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter stories from the last while, mostly focusing on updates and deletions from our "Other Local Metal Links" section on the bottom right! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or company name:

• The teased amalgamation of Stiffler's Mom drummer Greg Simpson's event promotion and graphic design companies Maxx Entertainment and Maxx Graphix under the Choose Maxx banner has taken place, with the former retitled under the new name on Facebook and elsewhere, and the latter deleted as planned, so our links have been updated as a result. Choose Maxx is a clunky name to me, but it tells you what to do if you need an event booked or a logo designed, so it works that way, and don't miss Toystock on Sunday!
• Project 421 bassist/Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton launched a search to find a replacement for singer Curtis McKenzie in at least one of the bands last weekend via a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group. He noted that he's looking for someone with stage experience and a high & "fairly large" vocal range, while paid gigs will start in January. No word on which band he means (or if it's for both), but for what it's worth, neither has posted anything on Facebook since Curt's departure and it's immediate fallout. Message Daniel here or above for more details!
• We have removed local music management agency Escape Into Music from our "Other Local Metal Links" section due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page in recent months. This somewhat ambitious attempt to have a local company to manage musicians and assist in their expenses never visibly got off the ground, but best of luck to Stephanie in the future!
• In another page deletion from that same section, we have removed defunct local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith's official online store from our band links, as it's Facebook (and only online) page was also deleted in recent months. The band had still been posthumously selling some merchandise through there after dissolving, and while it's a shame that it's been taken down, message their Facebook page if you want to see if they still have merchandise or albums available!
• Also now deleted from the same link section is Pure Sonic Audio, a short-lived concert promotion agency that would have marked Autumn Roots singer Jeremy Hannah's return to putting on concerts in 2014, as he memorably did with Big Voiced Records in the mid-late 2000s. Despite ambitious plans, Pure Sonic Audio's online pages have all been taken down or repurposed for other uses (their Facebook group is now a general use group on the local music scene), but hopefully Jeremy returns to promoting down the road!
• One last change to our "Other Local Metal Links" section is to update our links to SooToday's classified sections that are relevant to local musicians, plus their entertainment page, as those received new URLs when the site received it's overhaul and new design earlier this year. Those have been updated and work as normal once again, so give them a look and make use of them if you can!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock) & More Assorted Updates!!

Today's news post is mostly devoted to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but we also have a handful of assorted recent updates to round things out. With all of that said, here's what you need to know!

The official lineup for this year's fifth annual Toystock charity concert has been announced, with 10 bands rocking for 10 hours once again! The event returns to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road for a second straight year on Sunday, November 20th, and while the lineup and poster have been floating around personal Facebook pages for a few weeks, we only received public confirmation of the lineup via local news sites like SooToday and Sault Online earlier today. Harbouring a very different lineup than last year, only two bands are returning from 2015, including country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record breaking fourth Toystock set) and the return of Christmas-themed punk outfit The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet and Treble Charger alumni), so it'll be fun to see them again, especially as their non-seasonal spin-off band Killer hasn't been up to much publically! These are the advertised headlining bands via local news media, and while the poster's band order isn't identical, we'll treat the lineup from articles as accurate unless otherwise stated.

They're presumably on at 9:00 & 8:00 PM each, while the remaining lineup of debuting bands includes funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 7:00 PM, punk trio Redundant at 6:00 PM, classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires (with new guitarist Bill Brouillard in tow) at 5:00 PM, debuting local rock band Shyte at 4:00 PM, 1960s-themed classic rock quartet The Peace Vibe at 3:00 PM, alternative hard rock trio The Din at 2:00 PM, unidentified Case's Music students at 1:00 PM, and online page-less hard rock quartet The Band Camp Rejects (successors to 2015 one-off band Under the Influence) at 12:00 PM. Notably, the Case's Music students are replacing a previously advertised return of students from the Bocturoc Acacemy of Music for unannounced reasons, though Bocturoc was only advertised before public announcements were made. As for Shyte, promoter Greg Simpson confirmed on Facebook that they're a new band from veteran local singer Jim O'Leary, of That's Chester & Flat Stanley fame.

This wouldn't be the first time that Jim debuted a band at Toystock, as his old band Griphook were revealed at Toystock I in 2012, but how will Shyte look and sound? We'll let you know if we hear anything! Promoted once again by Maxx Entertainment (now officially called Choose Maxx), this year's Toystock is again an ALL AGES charity event, with Christmas Cheer food, toy, and/or money donations being readily accepted on site, and those are also the admission fee as usual. The Stuff-A-Bus will be back as well, while Santa & Mrs. Claus will be on hand to meet the kids, and there will be refreshments on sale, and various prize giveaways. Toystock V is shaping up to be another fun marathon concert, and while it maintains it's usual Rotaryfest Stage 1-style lineup, there's a nice sampling of original performers as well (including Redundant, who we don't see live nearly enough anymore), and it'll be interesting to see how the Case's Music students do also! Will they resemble the late Mike Case's Junior All Star bands from Toystocks II & III? Be there to find out!

There's a little something for everyone at this year's Toystock, so be at the Northern Grand Gardens (not the Dennis Street location) on Sunday, November 20th for 10 hours of live music action and Christmas good will from 10 talented local bands, and stay tuned for updates! We'll close today with some assorted recent news and notes from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters have officially been confirmed to open THIS FRIDAY'S Norilsk concert at The Oddfellows Hall! There had initially been concerns about work and other personal commitments scuttling plans, but the band and promoters have confirmed that they are able to play in what will be their first live concert appearance since drummer Johnny Belanger's birthday concert there in May. This has been a long summer without The Bear Hunters, but welcome them back to the stage on Friday, and stay tuned for our full preview later this week!
• We have removed former Queen Street bar and acoustic concert venue Bottoms Up Lounge from our defunct venue links, as it's only surviving online page (a personal account named after the venue) has been turned into ex-owner Lori Lanoce's own personal Facebook page in recent years. Bottoms Up was a nice quality venue, especially for Tym Morrison solo gigs once upon a time, and hopefully regulars maintain good memories of it!
• The planned one-off Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute (named "Hey, What About Us?!") has quietly been removed from the lineup of THIS SATURDAY'S Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub for unannounced reasons. Maybe a key member(s) can't make it? A replacement act is to be announced, and we'll let you know if they're confirmed by the time of this weekend's concert previews!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features in short order! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Pixo Control), A New Concert Video, And More!!

We're back on this Monday afternoon with our first news post of the month, so what's in store? Some assorted recent news and notes, a new concert video find, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and lots of assorted updates from the band in question, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control have announced a new local concert that will go down on Friday, February 12th at The Rockstar Bar! Announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday, the band didn't offer details on the show proper, but it's very likely that this is one and the same as the Valentine's Day-themed concert that Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton is promoting, though he hasn't officially revealed full details yet. If correct, this show will have 3 or 4 bands, and one will be local musician Jacob Quarrell's acoustic solo act Shit Creek Survivor (as seen at 2014's Sault Band-O-Rama), who confirmed his involvement for the same date and venue on his own Facebook event page last week. Nice to see him back out there! No word yet on the other band(s?) for next Friday, including possible involvement from one of Daniel's bands, but we'll let you know when there's a fuller announcement! Also, no word yet on a cover charge, but a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit are to be expected. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more!

Staying with The Pixo Control, the guys have been busy as of late, so what's new from them beyond this show? Well, they've announced their second mini-tour, which will see them head back to Southern Ontario for shows in Toronto and Barrie over the April 14th weekend, and it'll be great to see them back down south again! These of course follow three February shows in the Soo, including next week's Sheepdogs show at The Machine Shop, and the Like A Pisces show during The Fishbowl Festival on February 20th, so keep those in mind (also, note that Honest Job's Mister Tahti is no longer listed as performing on the latter show. Hopefully nothing bad happened!) Also, The Pixo Control's debut album "Probably Not" is now on sale via on iTunes, so if you want a digital copy, they cost $9.99 there, with individual songs also available! Finally for today, the guys have posted three more videos to their Instagram page, so what should you know about these?

All filmed around their Sudbury concert last month, one video has the guys jokingly singing The Spice Girls' "Wannabe" in their tour van, while another video has bassist Dustin Goodall's observations of some... "ribald" art backstage at the venue they played at (it's not linked here in case some find it offensive.) Embedded below though is a short clip of The Pixo Control jamming an acoustic version of "Land of the Moles", which is apparently part of more Sudbury footage to be posted that they filmed with Sudbury's Here Kitty Kitty Productions, which will apparently include more performance clips, and "a salty surprise". Sounds good, so stay tuned for more above & below!

What a weekend. We spent a lot of time in front of cameras so get out the popcorn, ya fucks. #loveisintheair #orisitpoop

A video posted by The Pixo Control (@thepixocontrol) on Jan 24, 2016 at 3:00pm PST

Next up, here's a new video from November's fourth annual Toystock fundraiser concert, this time of one-off punk cover band The Rude-Offs! This was uploaded to Facebook in December by guitarist Christian Foisy, and shared on their full-time successor band Killer's Facebook page as a sample of Killer's likely sound, but we still don't know a whole lot on Killer apart from Rude-Offs media. It's of the band (with Treble Charger's Greig Nori on lead vocals) covering The Pixie's "Where Is My Mind" at The Grand Gardens, and it's a solid rendition at a good angle, with fans enjoying it from what I can see! Hopefully we hear more from Killer soon, but check out this new Rude-Offs video below!



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

• Local concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment announced last week that their Facebook page is "no longer active until further notice". The post followed their November declaration of a hiatus due to schedule conflicts, but no word what happened internally to bring about this newest update. H.N.E. have not promoted a concert since September's Fuck The Facts show at The Oddfellows Hall, but hopefully Tyler and company come back to the promotion game if/when "further notice" rolls around!
• Former State of Misery drummer Nick Kainula is again looking for musicians for his next local band project, and now, he wants to find a singer and bassist for his yet-to-debut metal band. Nick hopes to jam and play shows again, so if you or someone you know is interested in trying out, message Nick A.S.A.P. at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
• In a house cleaning note regarding a Sault Michigan area concert venue, we've moved Timmy Lee's Pub in St. Ignace from our concert venue links to our "Other Local Metal Links" section, as it hasn't been visibly used for hard rock concerts in well over a year. Though it's still open, it's website is no longer up, so we've also changed it's link to it's Facebook page. Hopefully we see more bands there again in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Punk Rock Bingo) & More Toystock Fallout!!

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!

Toystock IV Concert Preview, Eugene Orlando Services, And New That's Chester Videos!!

For our post on this Saturday morning, we're largely tackling a major returning seasonal concert for a preview, but we also have some new videos from a recent event that feature a recently passed fixture in the local music scene, who leads things with information on his final services. Here's what you should know!

The obituary for late That's Chester guitarist Eugene Orlando has been posted on SooToday at this link, which confirms that his funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at St. Gregory's Church (71 Estelle Street, near St. Theresa Catholic School) with Father Alex Saurianthadathil presiding. Visitation will be held at The O'Sullivan Funeral Home at 215 St. James Street on Monday at 5:00 PM and Tuesday at 11:00 AM, and interment will follow the services at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Eugene was just 56 years old, and he is survived by his wife Estelle, his three daughters, his grandson, his father, and other extended family members. His family would appreciate donations to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation in his memory, and you can offer online condolences at this link. This is all still very sad for friends, bandmates, and fans of Eugene's, but I do hope everyone remembers the good times he had and brought during next week's functions. Stay tuned at post's end for more from his last live concerts, and R.I.P. Eugene!

Next up, here's our preview of the fourth annual Toystock fundraiser concert, which goes down TOMORROW with 10 bands in 10 hours once again rocking out for a great cause! Moving from The Canadian Nightclub to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road this year for size concerns & to encourage more families to attend, this annual seasonal concert will still provide loads of quality ALL AGES entertainment from the accumulated bands, with all proceeds going to Christmas Cheer, a great cause as always! Despite the move, expect the Stuff-A-Bus to be on site like before, as well as food & drinks, prize giveaways (including a GoPro camera as the door prize), and yes, appearances from Santa & Mrs. Claus too, so keep all of this in mind if you're planning to attend! Like in past years, Toystock is largely focused around cover bands and scattered younger talent, but only three of this year's bands are back from prior installments, so things will be suitably different for year 4, but who can you expect to see during tomorrow's festivities?

In apparent order from online materials, the headlining band will be country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record-tying third Toystock set) at 9:00 PM, and they'll be immediately preceded by post-punk quartet Gnaeus, who should have lots of songs from their forthcoming CD "Loomings" in store! A one-off punk cover band named The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet's Christian Foisy, Adam Larocque, and Matt Waples, Treble Charger's Greig Nori, Bone Yard's Greg Simpson, and special guests) will take the stage at 7:00 PM for a set of punked-up Christmas carols, which should be an intriguing attraction to say the least, so make sure you stay for their set! The debuting local rock trio Under The Influence (featuring Turner Up/Wishbone alum Brent Royer alongside guitarist Mike Muto & bassist Ryan Bell) will hit the stage at 6:00 PM, but what do they play, and how do they sound? Be the first to find out!

A pair of classic/hard rock cover quartets will take the stage in the preceding blocks, they being Havadder (replacing Nikkfitt) at 5:00 PM and Mourning Wood (in their second straight Toystock set) at 4:00 PM. Blues rockers Mojo will rock the house at 3:00 PM, as preceded by all-female classic rockers Domina (who are also returning from last year) at 2:00 PM, veteran country trio The Algo Rhythms at 1:00 PM, and students from the Bocturoc Academy of Music kicking things off at 12:00 PM. Very solid lineup, so come early for all of the talent on display! It should be noted that Toystock comes just days after the sudden passing of Eugene Orlando, who was a bandmate of Bone Yard's Greg Simpson and Ric Datson in That's Chester, and was a friend and colleague of many of the night's performers. Nothing has been announced regarding a possible tribute as of this writing, but if we hear anything, we'll let you know!

Promoted by Maxx Entertainment as usual, this all day and ALL AGES concert event has admission via a donation of a toy, non-perishable food, or (if you can't donate either) money, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Once again, Toystock IV sounds like a great event for a great cause, especially at this time of year, so be sure to consider attending for this all-day lineup of local talent tomorrow (and remember, it's now at The Grand Gardens, out near The Trading Post!) I do wonder why Lucky 13 aren't on the lineup though, this is the first Toystock that they've missed... hopefully all's well with them! See above for more details, and here's Gnaeus live earlier this year!


 

We'll close today with some newly posted videos from local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester's performances during the live production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop earlier this month, as per drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel in the last few days. These hold more resonance now given that they were the final live concert performances from guitarist Eugene Orlando, so take note of them on that basis as well, and at least this was quite a high note to go out on! These three newest videos include That's Chester covering The Who's "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy",, "Underture" (both with cast members providing vocals), and as embedded below, "Amazing Journey", with Greg Simpson singing as the narrator. All preceded once again by lengthy credits, these show That's Chester in fine form as both a band and as the backing musicians for the play at hand, and "Amazing Journey" is a fitting selection to show Eugene's skill at both the guitar and keyboard! 

Vocals are muffled again on these videos, but the multi-camera angles and professionalism come through well, and while it's too soon to speculate on That's Chester's future, Eugene's diverse talents are very much on full display! Our condolences again go out to his family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time, but give these new Tommy videos a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates in due course! Thanks everyone!

Toystock & Pixo Control Concert & Lineup Updates!!

Before we touch on this weekend's concert previews, let's clear out some big recent news on two (well, three) big upcoming concerts, including lineup details for each, and updates on an upcoming CD release! Here's what you should know, and check out this month's poll results below too!

Here's some overdue recent updates concerning the fourth annual Toystock at The Grand Gardens on November 29th, so what should you know now? In terms of the lineup, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder have replaced classic rockers Nikkfitt on the bill, as per the new Facebook event page. A reason for Nikkfitt's withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened in their camp, and it'll be nice to see Havadder in their Toystock debut later this month! Moving to the debuting Under The Influence, personal Facebook postings indicate that their lineup features singer/drummer Brent Royer (ex-Wishbone, Turner Up) alongside guitarist Mike Muto and bassist Ryan Bell, neither of whom are immediately familiar from local bands. No word as of yet on their genre(s) or if they have an online page, but we'll stay on top of it as we approach their debut at Toystock! Our source is Brent's personal Facebook page. As for the one-off seasonal punk band The Rude-Offs, we can now confirm their full lineup, so who all's involved? 

Basically a temporary side project from the members of Destroilet, their Facebook page confirms that Christian Foisy, Adam Larocque, and Matt Waples will reprise their guitar, bass, and drum roles from their main band, but in lieu of Mike and John, some special guests will join them on guitar and vocals on the 29th, they being Toystock promoter Greg Simpson (who's already singing with Bone Yard that night), and no less than Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori (you read that right!) This should be a very interesting set, and hopefully The Rude-Offs add some punk edge to this Christmas Cheer fundraiser at month's end! Finally, if you were wondering why Toystock moved from The Canadian Nightclub to The Grand Gardens this year, Greg noted on the Facebook event page that the move is intended "to attract more children and families", going with their yearly intent to "introduce the next generation to live music" (though Matt Waples also noted in a personal conversation with me that size concerns were a factor for the move too.)

This presumably references the clash of holding a family charity concert at a nightclub, which does make sense, but The Canadian felt like a natural host for the event in past years. Hopefully The Grand Gardens succeeds it well this year though! This concert should be a huge event for Christmas Cheer and fans of local music, especially with 10 bands in 10 hours once again, so visit the above links for all current details!

Next up, here's some updates regarding local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control's CD release concerts (remember, there's two) at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, December 12th, so what should you know? First off, their lineup will look very different from what fans saw this summer, as they've apparently parted ways with both bassist Steve Edwards & drummer Matthew Thibert. The band itself hasn't publically commented on any lineup changes, but their departures were indicated in a now-deleted thread on the new Facebook event page that had gotten somewhat heated between those that posted. I just hope that things aren't quite as bad as some of the replies indicated! The Pixo Control themselves haven't publically announced their new bassist or drummer yet either, and we'll let you know if we hear anything. Steve was a solid fit on bass, and I heard good things regarding Matthew at The Emergency Festival, so best of luck to both in the future, they're definitely talented!

Posts on the now-deleted thread also seemed to confirm that Steve recorded the bass parts on The Pixo Control's forthcoming debut CD "Probably Not" before leaving, but nothing concretely confirmed whether Matthew or original drummer Keeghan Rosso (or both?) recorded the drum tracks. As for the CD release party itself, the above Facebook event page confirms that local post-punk quartet Gnaeus are playing the 19+ 9:00 PM concert only, and are not playing at the all ages 2:00 PM concert (Caroline Divine are indeed playing both), so if you're 19 or older and want to see Gnaeus, come for the 9:00 PM show! Postings have also confirmed that "Probably Not" will be available for $10 separately from concert admission, and it's not free with paid entry, so make sure you have cash on hand for both next month! Finally, a 41 second teaser video for "Probably Not" was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Sunday, featuring text referencing the release next to footage of frontman Michael Mikus appearing to be reflected through a camcorder lens, plus brief clips of studio recordings from the CD.

Though the quiet lineup changes took me by surprise, I'm just glad to see that the CD is finally getting released next month, and I hope fans can look at the accomplishment of the release! I'm also curious to see who Michael enlisted to round out the new lineup, but the reveal might be intentionally being kept secret until next month. We'll know within the month, so check the above links for more from The Pixo Control's CD release parties on December 12th, and here's their teaser video!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next, including a late notice show that Pixo Control fans might want to pay attention to! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Toystock & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's get our post-Halloween concert previews rolling on this Thursday morning, and while there's a visible drop in major concerts to start November, we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month and a touring Michigan band's return north, plus a major returning concert event to announce for later this month! Note that we will touch on Sunday's K'Man & The 45s concert and potential late notice announcements in the coming days, so don't worry! Now, here's what you should know!

With a new month upon us, and Facebook confirmations of this weekend's gigs now online, we'll now add longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's November slate of acoustic solo concerts to our listings! These include returns to Gliss Steak & Seafood for matinees on each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the month, and with one likely exception, regular nighttime concerts at The Harp Bar & Grill on each Friday & Saturday in November, and both do include shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on those, we were waiting for Tym to confirm them outside of his website, and again, we take these a month at a time due to their uncertain length and exceedingly lengthy scheduling on his website. This all amounts to 19 November dates, including shows on the 12th-14th, 19th-21st, and 26th-28th, but we haven't listed a November 14th gig at The Harp due to the bar's likely broadcast of UFC 193 that night.

All 12 of the Gliss matinees are at 6:00 PM with no announced cover charges or age limits (but remember, it is a restaurant), while the 7 Harp shows are all 19+ events at 10:00 PM with no announced cover charges (and again, he's at Gliss TONIGHT and both venues TOMORROW & SATURDAY!) For more details, visit the official Facebook event pages here & here, and don't miss Tym's entertaining hard rock covers this month! Here he is live in Heyden!

Next up, the fourth annual Toystock charity concert event will go down on Sunday, November 29th! After three years at The Canadian Nightclub, the annual Christmas Cheer fundraiser is moving to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road for unannounced reasons, but this should be a larger location, and hopefully it works out well for involved! As in prior years though, donations to Christmas Cheer (be they toys, non-perishable food, or money) will garner you admission to this ALL AGES event, and like in past years, expect the Stuff-A-Bus on site, appearances from Santa & Mrs. Claus, food & drinks, prize giveaways, and more, so check out the official news press release from promoters Maxx Entertainment at this location! Once again, the lineup is focused around veteran local cover bands, but only three bands are returnees from past installments, with the rest comprised of new faces (to the Toystock series) and some surprises, so who can you expect?

In apparent order from the press release, the bands this year (10 in 10 hours once again) will include country cover veterans Bone Yard (in their record-tying third Toystock set), VM Radio Battle-winning post-punk quartet Gnaeus, a one-off punk cover band named The Rude-Offs (more on them in a second), a mystery band named Under The Influence (let us know if you can confirm anything on them!), the recently revived classic rock quartet Nikkfitt, classic/hard rock quartet Mourning Wood (in their second straight Toystock set), blues rockers Mojo, all-female classic rock quintet Domina (also back from last year), veteran country trio The Algo Rhythms, and students from the Bocturoc Academy of Music to open the day. Regarding The Rude-Offs, I can confirm that their lineup will feature Destroilet drummer Matt Waples and other performers to be finalized, and their set will be comprised of punk covers of Christmas songs, which should be very interesting! We'll let you know if we hear anything final on their lineup, or the identity of Under The Influence!

Note that while the lineup is largely different from past years (including the absence of Lucky 13 for the first time), remember that last year's Toystock also only had 3 returning bands, and this way, there's a fresh lineup for a new year, with plenty of talent to go around! Toystock IV begins at 12:00 PM at the Grand Gardens on November 29th, and check the above links for full current details! There's a little something for everyone, with lots of familiar faces, so don't miss Toystock's grand return at month's end, and stay tuned for updates (both on Under The Influence and in general!)

Finally for today, here's a final pair of previously announced concerts for this weekend, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there (or anywhere in the Eastern U.P.) four months ago, the Peril sister band have been well and busy as of late, and if you've missed Adam, Dave, and Jeff's heavy covers and originals up here, be in St. Ignace either tomorrow or Saturday! Of course, if you'd rather see Peril, they'll be back in our area over the December 18th weekend. Scarkazm will be on at 9:00 PM both nights, you must be at least 21 years old to attend, there's no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the above links! Scarkazm's hard hitting setlist should serve them well this weekend, so keep these shows in mind, and here's Scarkazm live last year!



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