LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Hells Bells, Original Song Contest, And Halloween Party), And More Concert Previews!!

Before we begin today's post, one of this weekend's concerts was quietly cancelled, namely tomorrow's Deathsticks-headlined show at The New American Pub. Promoters confirmed on the Facebook event page last week that the Whitby garage punk duo can't make the trip due to work obligations, which is disappointing, but hopefully Deathsticks can come here in the future, and that we see the debuts of local openers Dark Garfunkel and Sleeping Together elsewhere! Now, here's three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one for TOMORROW) and the rest of the weekend's concert previews!

Tidal Records' previously announced songwriters competition goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge, and yes, some hard rock and punk artists are performing! Apologies for the short notice, the lineup was first publically announced last week, though it has since been updated. Though this isn't considered a "battle of the bands", 10 local musicians (largely singer/guitarists) will convene at LopLops TOMORROW to compete to have an original song recorded with Tidal Records head Dustin Jones, Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti, and Case's Music owner Jay Case at Dustin's own Mission Control Studios, including a digital release package, and the option to have studio musicians back them up if so desired. Performers will include hard rock and punk band alumni Justin Langlois (Redundant), Ed Vowels (Lucky 13), Cory Murchison (Skeyes of Seven), Andrew Pucci (Stereo North), and Jim O'Leary (ex-Griphook), alongside Nathan Albidone (Thin Ice), Jacob Quarrell (Shit Creek Survivor), and solo artists Tyler Moreau, Jenna Bannister, and Amanda Ridley, while Greg Callaghan (Northwest) is no longer listed as competing for unannounced reasons.

Nice roster of performers, including some unfamiliar faces, and it will be interesting to see who all plays what! Maybe some artists will break out new originals for their current bands, or resurrect songs we haven't heard in a long while? Each artist will apparently play two original songs and a cover song TOMORROW, with a $5 cover charge in effect for attendees of this 19+ event, which presumably has a 9:00 PM-ish start time, though I'm not sure about who all is judging or if there are runner-up prizes. Given the competitive nature, we won't feature a preview video here, but best of luck to all performers TOMORROW, and don't miss out for some diverse acoustic original music at LopLops!

Next up, and also in the realm of Tidal Records, promoter J.D. Pearce is hosting his 12th annual Halloween Party concert at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday, October 29th! Returning to The Algonquin Hotel's downstairs bar for the fourth time in five years, this year's Halloween bash will see an all-local lineup for just the second time since the Halloween Party left Coch's Corner in 2012, while the event is taking on a tribute band theme for a second straight year. The announced headliners are Hey, What About Us?!, a one-off tribute to Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, the punk band best known for covers of decidedly un-punk songs. Though their lineup isn't publically listed, promoter J.D. Pearce is their apparent frontman, marking his return as an official performer after not fully fronting a band last year. We'll let you know if their full lineup is announced! Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will join in as well on the 29th as "SSM of a Down", obviously covering System of a Down songs.

The advertised openers are funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who will trade last year's Sublime tribute set for a general 1990s rock tribute this year under the moniker "The Plaid Martens". Solid lineup once again, and you've got to love the concept of Hey, What About Us?! doing a covers-only set of a covers-only band! A $5 cover charge is in effect for this year's 19+ concert, which will start at around 10:00 PM, and of course, bring your costumes, and expect a costume contest of some description! This should be another fun night of Halloween punk and hard rock action, so keep it in mind for in two weeks time, and visit the official Facebook event page for updates!

Lastly in new concert announcements, The Rockstar Bar will welcome back Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells for a headlining concert on Saturday, November 12th! Last seen at the same venue almost one year ago, this concert is basically a make-up date for Hells Bells' cancelled local date in May (Project 421 replaced them on late notice), and while I'm still not 100% sure what happened in the spring, it's great to see Hells Bells back with their brand of high voltage rock n' roll next month! AC/DC fans are sure to appreciate their faithful sounding and looking tribute to the hard rock legends, so circle this one on your calendars! Possibly because of the cancellation and delay, advance tickets are now $10 rather than $12 in May, though the admission fee will jump to $15 at the door, so get your tickets at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk to save $5! This is a 19+ event, and while an oddly early 7:00 PM start time is listed, expect it to be more like 10:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with the weekend's remaining hard rock concert preview, including the local debuts of two Sudbury hard rock bands at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, including headlining rock quartet The Blackwood Sinners and alternative rock quartet Vintage Slang! Fans of bluesy hard rock should take to The Blackwood Sinners, who have had a steadily rising profile in the Sudbury area since debuting, and their effective originals should draw a solid response in their local debut tomorrow, so be sure to check them out! Vintage Slang (replacing fellow Sudbury rockers The Fortunate Losers) will provide a nice compliment to kick off this concert, having established themselves in the Sudbury rock scene in recent months by winning this year's Q92 Rock Rumble, and their diverse influences should carry them to a quality set as well tomorrow! A local band is announced on the Facebook event page, but they have not been publically confirmed, if even still planned to play. This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM door opening time and $7 cover charge.

It's great to see more Sudbury bands playing in Sault Ste. Marie (we don't see enough bands from there making the trip west), and both bands should deliver a solid dose of hard rock for fans at The Rockstar Bar, so check the above links for more details, and here's The Blackwood Sinners live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Blackwood Sinners), Local Fringe Rock Radio Updates, And More!!

Let's get our first news post of October up on the site, and yes, if you're wondering about why we haven't covered the Project 421 or Moon Tan shows yet, they are coming in this weekend's concert previews! They weren't covered last week in the midst of a slow news period, forcing their delay. In this post, we have some friendly information for fans of rock radio stations on the fringe of this market, and a new video from a local band, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week! (Updated at 1:42 PM)

A double whammy of Sudbury hard rock is hitting The Rockstar Bar on October 15th (one week from Saturday), as rock & roll quartet The Blackwood Sinners and alternative rock quartet Vintage Slang will each make their local debut! Sudbury bands don't make their way out west nearly like they used to, so kudos to both bands for hitting the Soo next weekend! Featuring alumni of Set in Stone and Long After Dark, The Blackwood Sinners' bluesy hard rock sound has been making waves in the past year, including from many high profile concerts and album plans. Similarly, Vintage Slang (replacing fellow Sudbury rockers The Fortunate Losers) harbour an entertaining alt-rock sound inspired by mamny Canadian artists, which helped them win this year's Q92 Rock Rumble, so don't miss either band next week! A local band is advertised to open this show as well, but they have not been publically announced yet.

Doors open at 9:00 PM for this 19+ show, which has a $7 cover charge. This should be a fun concert for hard rock fans, especially if you want to see Sudbury bands playing here, so check the official Facebook event page for more details, stay tuned for updates, and hopefully nothing bad happened with The Fortunate Losers, it'd be nice to see them play here!

Next up, here's a new Facebook video from local alternative hard rock trio The Din! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Wednesday, it's another of their comedic clips that doesn't feature a live music focus, this time as a black & white parody of charity commercials for helping feed the poor (a'la UNICEF or The Christian Children's Fund of Canada), only the needy here are starving musicians (The Din), with frontman Mike Haggith portraying the representative talking to the camera. I'm sure some viewers might not entirely agree with the parody basis here, but if you can take it lightly, it has it's moments, so check it out below, and watch for the surprise ending!

Finally for today, I wanted to give a long overdue update to our listings of Michigan rock radio stations that, while not locally based, get fringe reception in the Twin Saults. Fans familiar with Northern Michigan radio will likely recall the Cheboygan stations Classic Rock: The Bear (WCHY, 97.7 FM) & Rock 105 (WGFM, 105.1 FM), and Petoskey's KLT: The Rock Station (WKLZ, 98.9 FM), but in recent months, I've discovered through bandscans that two more classic rock stations in Michigan can be received here on a typical FM radio if all lines up the right way. One is WRUP in Manistique, which airs at WRPP 92.7 FM (not to be confused with the former Q92 in Sudbury), repeating from it's main station in Marquette. WRUP airs "real classic rock", and from what I've seen, it's playlist is a little heavier than The Bear, plus it broadcasts Green Bay Packers games if you're a fan of that team. I picked it up locally on a smartphone's FM radio last night (Ozzy Osbourne was playing), and it might be worth checking out if you want some variety!

The other fringe classic rock station that you might want to take note of is Thunder 100.7 (WWTH) in Oscoda, which has broadcast classic rock since dropping their country format in 2013. Information isn't too prevalent online on Thunder 100.7 (their online pages are largely assimilated into their parent company's True North Radio Network sites), and it's tougher to pick up here reliably, but I have heard and streamed it a few times in the Soo, and if you're closer to St. Ignace or have a larger antenna, you may have more consistent luck. WWTH notably airs the syndicated morning drive show Free Beer & Hot Wings, which has aired on Rock 105, 93 Rock in Marquette, and on AM radio in Petoskey, so keep that in mind too. I don't believe any other non-local FM rock stations will pick up here without a big external antenna or atmospheric quirks, but for fans who don't like Rock 101, wish WLSO aired heavier stuff more frequently, or just want some rock radio variety in this market, it's well worth remembering these 5 stations!

From my experience, the easiest of these to pick up in the Soo is KLT, followed by The Bear, Rock 105, WRUP, and then Thunder 100.7. The Bear is similar to it's old local affiliate in Newberry (no more Nights with Alice Cooper though), KLT reminds me of Rock 101 mixed with The Bear, and Rock 105 airs a heavier and more modern selection (a'la WRIF in Detroit), in case you need a refresher on those three. You may need the right antenna, weather, or position, but don't let these pass you by for some rock radio variety on the FM dial! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!