The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock & Punk Concert Previews!!

Today, we're capping off an unusually busy weekend of hard rock, metal, and punk concerts with our second preview post, including shows taking place tomorrow and over both TONIGHT and tomorrow in Sault Ontario! Without any further adieu, here's the remaining concert previews, barring any short notice announcements!

We'll start today's previews at The Rednecks Saloon, where local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will return for the first time in over three months TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! The former Suicide Kings have timed these shows for the March Break holiday, but as drummer Ben Boudreau can't make it home from Hamilton for the weekend, the guys have enlisted bassist Mitch Sirie's Bear Hunters bandmate Johnny Belanger to fill in for what they were calling "Fauxmont Avenue" for the weekend. Johnny has talent in multiple rock genres, and he should fit in well for these shows! In any event, it's great to see the guys back at the former Nicolet Tavern this weekend, so don't miss out TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Admisison should be free for these 19+ shows, and 10:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's Beaumont Avenue live at Rotaryfest last year!

Next up, fans will see local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison continue his regular weekly run of concerts at The Harp Bar & Grill TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of a full double booking at the former Madison's Pub last weekend (it looks like they didn't broadcast the UFC last Saturday, my apologies!), Tym should be in solid form this weekend to deliver his acoustic hard rock covers all night as his successful relationship with The Harp continues in it's second year! I'll also note that recent updates to the calendar on his website do not reference Friday shows as still being jam nights that he hosts, instead as just regular solo shows, but I can't confirm yet whether the jam nights have ended or not. Either way, Tym will be on at 10:00 PM TONIGHT & TOMORROW, there's no announced cover, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, click here, and here he is live a few years back!



Moving to Saturday-only concerts, local Celtic/punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will wrap up a busy March tour run with a headlining date TOMORROW at... the Searchmont Resort? This isn't that abnormal if you're familiar with The Tide, as they have headlined there before, and this is a special event taking place at the regional ski resort tomorrow, that being a slope style skiing contest. That should be fun in it's own right, but there are assorted external activities, including a "Cardboard Classic" race for kids, a roast beef dinner, and the guys playing a special 3:00 PM concert in between it all, so visit Searchmont's Facebook page for complete details! Fresh off of TONIGHT'S Boot Hill Crooners CD release show, Dustin & The Tide should be in great spirits to rock out at Searchmont, so whether you're a skiier or fan, keep their show in mind! This is ALL AGES, and the concert itself has no announced cover charge, but again, see above for more info. Don't miss is, and here's the guys live in Sarnia!



Finally for this weekend (in all likelihood), we'll head to The Rockstar Bar for a pair of out of town bands TOMORROW NIGHT, including the return of Saskatoon hard rock quartet One Bad Son! Local fans may remember seeing this exciting modern rock band from opening for supergroup Crash Karma at the same venue in October 2013, and it's great to have them back in our neck of the woods once again as they tour in support of their new album "Black Buffalo"! Kelowna southern hard rock quartet The Wild will open tomorrow's show in their Sault Ste. Marie debut, and their country-tinged aggressive rock should provide just the right kick to this concert, so prepare for their "wild" originals as well! This show has a special low cover charge of $5 (great deal!), and a 9:00 PM start time advertised, but this is a 19+ event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a solid hard rock concert, so keep it in mind for TOMORROW, and here's One Bad Son live in Toronto last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Band, Northwest News Coverage, And Much More!!

For this last post of the month, we're tackling some assorted news items, plus lots of recent news attention for a talented local punk band, and adding a new metal band to our links, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local metal band to add to our active band links, and they are Troubled Mind! Essentially the successors to the defunct Skull After Betrayl, their lineup features S.A.B. bassist Adam Brett on vocals & guitar alongside frontman Mike Vincent (also formerly of D.O.T.H. & The Bear Hunters) on vocals & drums. You may also recognize Adam & Mike from working together in past bands like Death Rise and Despised Eyes, though with Troubled Mind, they'll be playing more operatic and alternative metal. No word on potential bassist additions yet, but they have teased adding keyboards to original material, which apparently "do not make sense." Launched earlier this week via their Facebook page, Mike has revealed plans to post a video of Troubled Mind jamming so we can hear how they sound, and hopefully they can build on the steady promise that Skull After Betrayl had during their brief run! Stay tuned for more on Troubled Mind as it rolls in!

Next up, here's the recent Village Media-related news coverage of local indie/punk quintet Northwest, who as you may know, opened for The Poor Young Things at LopLops last night! SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand for their Rockstar Bar show last week to talk to Northwest for both this SooToday article and the newest episode of Local2's Tuned webseries, so what should we know within both? In the SooToday article (posted on Thursday), it's revealed that Northwest's name was indeed inspired by the name of Kanye West & Kim Kardashian's daughter (very much in the news when they were formed in mid-2013), while it was confirmed as well that Northwest's self-titled debut EP was created to gain exposure while they work on their proper full length debut album! Frontman Wayne Watkins confirmed in the article that they're focusing on writing right now and not rushing into recording, but this is promising to hear!

The article also includes positive remarks on their recording process and personal relationships, and it's a good read! Donna also included 9 photos from their set (albeit all black & white), and they're excellent in quality, as usual! Note however that neither the SooToday article or Tuned episode feature coverage of The Cover Up and The Pixo Control, who also played last week. As for the Tuned episode (also uploaded on Thursday), Northwest are the lead story, where Donna talks to the guys outside of The Rockstar Bar about their inception, EP, album plans, and why they don't play live all that often, among other topics. It's a good watch, though Wayne and guitarist Greg Callaghan definitely do most of the answering in the interview. There's also performance footage from their set interspersed during their segment, while the closing performance footage continues Tuned's 12 Musicians of Christmas spotlight from LopLops, this time via Case's Music owner/Lake Effect member Jay Case's set.

Also, the "News & Notes" segment on upcoming concerts is once again not in the actual episode, instead in text below it, which now appears to be a permanent change. Myself, I'd prefer to see it included in the episode itself, but this time, they did plug more shows than usual (four, in this case), including Northwest's LopLops show yesterday. Strong episode as usual, so give the new Tuned episode (which we can't embed here) a look above!

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

• After briefly being rescheduled to the same day as next week's Benighted concert at The Oddfellows Hall (which would have apparently begun before and ended after it, while featuring common bands), the postponed Blood Shed Productions 11-way split release house party was quietly cancelled earlier this week for unannounced reasons, as per the deletion of the Facebook event page. That said, the split was officially released earlier this week, so contact them at this link if you want a copy before the Benighted show!
• The One Bad Son-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar on March 21st will have a low admission price of just $5 (no advance ticket sales), so there's a great added bonus if you want to check out the return of this talented Saskatoon hard rock band next month! Our source is the new official Facebook event page.
• Local punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address will be joined by Boxes of Boom frontman Sam Decter for an opening set at the planned "Rust Orchid" CD release party at The Gore Street Cafe on March 12th, as per the official Facebook event page. This is a bit of a surprise, but Sam's music has creative qualities, and he should fit in on the 12th!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we begin a new month, plus our previews of both of this week's battles of the bands! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Anvil, One Bad Son, & Telephone And Address) And A New Local Band!!

Before we get into this post, we have concert cancellations to acknowledge, as new Sault Michigan hard rockers Ten Kings are not playing at the Sault Michigan Kewadin this weekend. The guys revealed the news on their Facebook page last night, citing a scheduling conflict. Another hard rock band is playing this weekend instead, and we'll have more on that in this weekend's concert previews, but check out more from Ten Kings (including their first live photos) above! Now, today's post features three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the early spring, but first, here's a new local hard rock band discovery!

We have a new-ish local hard rock band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Meant To Last, who are more less the successors to These Sins of Time! As it turns out, Meant To Last were the intended band from frontwoman Alexa LeClair's various musician searches in the past year, so T.S.O.T. appear to be defunct, and they've been moved to our inactive links. Launched last April, their lineup features Alexa alongside T.S.O.T. bandmate/ex-Acention frontman Dalton James Boissineau, as well as Tantrym Tyme drummer Ethan Twardy, showcasing a rare sight: a local hard rock band with members from each side of the border! Meant To Last are technically active on our scale for now, but they haven't updated their Facebook or Twitter pages since the month it's launch, and have never announced the addition of a bassist, so I'm not sure if they're a functioning band right now.

When they were posting, they revealed "I Can't Help Myself" as a planned demo title, shared some original lyrics, and announced plans to play at last June's Algoma Ride For Autism alongside the then-Suicide Kings, though I don't believe either actually played the event. Hopefully Meant To Last pop up again, as Alexa's past T.S.O.T. work showed a lot of promise, but check out what's available to check out on them above!

Next up, here's three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with the official CD release party for local post-punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address' new album "Rust Orchid"! In a change from Chris Shoust's last two CD release shows, this one will be a solo headlining appearance at The Gore Street Cafe at 164 Gore Street (down the road from 180 Projects) on Thursday, March 12th. Far cry from last year's IDNS show, but this will likely be a better fit for the ambient instrumental sounds on "Rust Orchid", though I admit now knowing much about The Gore Street Cafe as a concert venue. Of course, "Rust Orchid" was released online on Bandcamp last week, but if you attend the CD release show on the 12th, you can pay a special $10 price for a CD copy of the album for that night only (prices likely will be $15 after that), so keep that deal in mind! There's no announced age limit for this show, an 8:00 PM start time is advertised, and admission is via a "pay what you can" system.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a nice concert for fans of Telephone & Address and their varied acoustic originals, so keep it in mind for next month, and remember, our review of "Rust Orchid" is very possible next month too!

Our last new concerts today both take place at The Rockstar Bar in the early spring, starting with the return of Saskatoon hard rock quartet One Bad Son to the Soo and this venue on Saturday, March 21st! Our source is The Rockstar Bar's Martin Fiser in a recent e-mail, while the band also revealed the show earlier this month on their own Facebook page. Last seen opening for Crash Karma at The Rockstar Bar in October 2013, One Bad Son's freewheeling D.I.Y. hard rock should fit in nicely as they headline in the Soo next month in support of their new album "Black Buffalo"! Joining them on their spring tour are Kelowna southern hard rock quartet The Wild, whose aggressive country-influenced rock n' roll should find a strong audience as well on March 21st, so don't miss their opening set! This will be a 19+ concert with a likely 10:00 PM start time, but the venue has yet to confirm the ticket or door prices. We'll let you know when we hear anything!

For more details, check the above links! It's great to see One Bad Son back after almost a year & a half, and The Wild should live up to their name as well, so don't miss this show on a busy weekend next month (remember, Metallica tribute Sandman return to the Soo on the 20th as well, and $12 advance tickets are now on sale at The Algonquin Hotel!)

We're saving the best for last though, as Toronto metal legends Anvil will return to Sault Ontario on Wednesday, April 1st for the third time since their resurgence! After two shows at The Canadian Nightclub, the Juno nominees will make their first ever Rockstar Bar appearance on April Fools Day (no, it's not a joke) in the midst of their 2015 Hope In Hell Tour, and their hard hitting classic originals like "Metal On Metal" should be more than welcomed back to the Soo! This will also be Anvil's first local date since Chris Robertson replaced Sal Italiano on bass, but how will he sound alongside Steve & Robb come April 1st? Unlike last March's show, Anvil have no bands joining them from out of town for this show, but 2 of last year's local openers will pick up where they left off, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and classic metal quartet Project 421, both fresh off of high profile Canadian Nightclub sets, so be sure to come early for them on April Fools Day!

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, $15 advance tickets for the show can now be bought at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk (the price jumps to $20 at the door), this is a 19+ event, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Anvil back, and at what might be their most intimate venue of this short tour, so be sure to keep their return in mind, and I assure you, this is no prank! Stay tuned for potential updates as they roll in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, previews, and feature posts later this week! Thanks everyone!

Mike Haggith & The Din's Breakup, And Much More Assorted Notes!!

Back to the news today as we slowly wind down October 2013, so what's on tap for this Monday afternoon? Mostly some recent shorter news items, but first, we do have new goregrind material and a new band breakup to take note of, so read on below for what you need to know! (Updated on Tuesday at 4:20 PM)

Local acid jam/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din are also breaking up (or have already?), joining sister band Haggith's planned dissolution in December. The news was revealed on frontman Mike Haggith's solo project's Facebook page on Saturday night, and though a direct public reason for The Din's breakup hasn't been made, I'm fairly certain it's for the same amicable/personal reasons that Haggith are breaking up. Featuring 3/4ths of Haggith in shuffled roles, and playing extended jam versions of Mike's solo material, this short-lived project only played one public concert in Sault Ontario (at Bushplane Musical Madness II in July), though other gigs took place at private events, and helped provide nice quality audio recordings that later made their way to YouTube. I thought Mike Haggith & The Din was a solid outlet to get more of Mike's original material to a wider audience, but best of luck to Mike, Curtis, and Daniel in their future plans! No word though on what this means for other bands that Haggith members were in this year (i.e. Sound X, Purple Core, and The Nirvanabees), but I don't believe Mike's solo project as a whole is ending.

Perhaps as a last act as a band, Mike did post two live audio recordings of him & The Din playing the originals "Lay My Body Down To Rest" and (as embedded below) "Limb Coast" at Bushplane Musical Madness II onto his YouTube channel on Saturday, and it provides the same entertaining jam rock sound that fans were accustomed to from their few live dates, so give it a look below, and don't miss Haggith's last two shows at The New A next month and at The Algonquin in December!



Next up, here's a new audio upload from Blood Shed Productions goregrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm! This video comprises of this project's part of the label's "Bloody 3-Way" split demo with Rotopsy & Brutaly Fatal, and though we've heard most of these 5 songs before, the first and last ones ("Malignant Neoplastic Disease" & "Postmortal Inflammation") are new to YouTube and weren't posted earlier as single tracks. Totalling just 5:26 in length, the songs continue with Ringsnaps Gibson's medical & more techno-influenced themes while incorporating his usual grind vocals & style, so if you like his other projects and this genre, give the full Malignant Neoplasm third of the demo a listen below!



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

• As they've now hosted two distinct public concerts with hard rock/metal acts (the Soul Killing Female & Project Legion-headlined shows), I've now added 180 Projects' Facebook page to our active Sault Ontario venue listings on your left! A concert spot and art exhibition space at 180 Gore Street (the former MJ's building), it's great to have an active host for concerts on Gore again, and stay tuned for more on their next show bookings!
• Recently dormant hardcore quintet As It Stands revealed on their Facebook page on Friday that they're back to jamming and hope to play some concerts A.S.A.P.! They also said that they're planning to have mostly new material, but unlike their 2010 reunion, they will have a few older songs & were asking through Facebook what old songs should be brought back. I don't think they should scrap most of their old songs, but I can't wait to see As It Stands back, as it's been far too long! Stay tuned for updates!
• I've moved both the new Coch's Corner and The Harp Pub & Grill (formerly Madison's Pub) to our active Sault Ontario venue listings as well due to their recent return to hard rock bookings, albeit in their current all-acoustic directions (so for convenience, I've noted there that both venues host only unplugged music acts.) I also deleted the separate Madison's link that we had, as it was changed to a Harp personal account to go with the new name, and no other Madison's pages remain online.
• Last week, a review and photo album of last weekend's One Bad Son/Crash Karma show at The Rockstar Bar by SooToday's Donna Hopper was posted online at this link, featuring some positive comments on the bands, including the headlining supergroup! For hard rock fans, she gave nice brief thoughts on them and also took 5 photos of them in the included album (though all 22 are black and white.) Solid as usual, so check everything out above!
• I don't usually go back & edit news posts this old, but I was asked to give full name credit to an earlier artist mention on here, so I thought I should do that! In this November 2012 post (mostly related to assorted shorter stories like this), I mentioned that an artist named "Morkryd" had featured on metal material from ex-Dark Salvation singer's Kevin Calder's most recent solo work, but I now know that Morkryd's real name is John Verdone. Thanks to John for the clarification!
• Asylum Country drummer T.J. Case (who recently had brief stints with Jack Spades & Project Legion) is again looking to join a new local band, as he's not playing live often, and he's even open to fill in with a band if need be. T.J.'s a solid drummer with metal experience, so if your band needs a drummer, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for more updates and our preview of Wednesday's Bear Hunters-headlined all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's now time to preview the weekend's slate of regional metal/hard rock concerts, and before anyone asks, our preview of Sunday night's Haggith show at The New A will likely be in our next news post, as I don't want to make this post too long. For now, here's what you should know for concerts tomorrow & Saturday night on both sides of the border, including a few notable out of town bands, and some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

After 7 months away from the region, Marquette hard rock quartet Nudge will finally return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on their Facebook page on Monday, and I held them until now to avoid a redundant double post in a few days time. Last seen locally in April, these shows will be business as usual despite the wait, with the full Nudge show rocking The Frog all weekend, as preceded by the return of frontman Danzo McCracken's acoustic solo sets there yesterday and tonight, so keep that in mind for a softer and more intimate experience! Nudge's entertaining modern hard rock show is great to have back in the Soo this weekend, and it has definitely been too long, so keep it in mind for your weekend plans! There's no announced admission price, a 9:00 PM start time is likely, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details, hopefully we're not waiting another 7 months for the next Nudge shows, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Drowning Pool's "Bodies" in Skanee!



We'll shift to Sault Ontario for the Friday-only hard rock shows this weekend next, starting with Saskatoon/Vancouver hard rock quartet One Bad Son, who will hit The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT as openers for Toronto rock supergroup Crash Karma, who are making their second local appearance! As you may remember, Crash Karma (featuring Our Lady Peace, Tea Party, I Mother Earth, and Zygote alumni) played the Soo three years ago at The Canadian Nightclub, and given their experience, talent, and past successes in older bands, you know they'll impress once again! However, like their 2010 show with Desperate Union, Crash Karma have a heavier opening band this time, as One Bad Son have a solid southern rock-tinged sound that brings some fun aggression and excitement to the stage, so don't show up late to miss them! Tickets are $12 in advance at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel or at The Rad Zone, while they'll be $16 at the door. This event is 19+, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's great to have Crash Karma back, as you know they'll be familiar and very talented, but if you want something a little heavier, be at The Rockstar Bar early for One Bad Son tomorrow night, and hopefully this show's a huge hit! For a preview, here's a full One Bad Son set from March of this year!

Also TOMORROW NIGHT, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will apparently continue his successful run of regular dates at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road with yet another solo acoustic gig! I will note that while Tym confirmed this show with me in a Facebook conversation earlier this month, a Facebook event page or public acknowledgement from him on the show has yet to be made, so there is a possibility it's not happening. If I hear that Tym's not playing at The Roadhouse this week, I'll try and update this post! If he is, prepare for an entertaining evening of hard rock and metal covers in an unplugged setting, and you know Tym has the talent and experience to keep things interesting, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! Admission should be free, you must be 19 to attend, and there will be a start time of around 10:00 PM if the show is indeed on. Head to The Roadhouse tomorrow night if all is still official for some acoustic hard rock covers, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Extreme's "More Than Words" with special guest Luke LeBlanc a few years back!



Finally for the known local hard rock concerts this weekend, Charlevoix, Michigan classic metal trio Peril will make their long awaited return to the Eastern Upper Peninsula TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Last seen in the region in June (and in St. Ignace in February), this skilled veteran band will be making their last announced E.U.P. stops of 2013 this weekend, barring any December announcements. With frontman Jeff Hudson's more recently active bands Audio Circus and Scarkazm not regulars for area concerts, it's always nice to have Peril's cover attack back, so if you're not seeing Nudge at The Frog, you have options! There's no announced cover charge at The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and a 9:00 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, check the above links! Peril should rock as usual this weekend, so don't miss out, and for a preview, here's a new video find of Peril covering Theory of a Deadman, Poison, Deep Purple, and Linkin Park in Vanderbilt last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's new poll on the SMS TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Darwin Project, One Bad Son, The Thrill Junkies, And Banned), And More!!

(Updated at 12:57 PM) The news keeps on coming, so what's in store for today? Mostly LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the fall, including a live debut, an out of town package, and a pair of Sault Michigan-area shows, but we have some assorted other notes too, so read on below for what you should know, starting with the new shows in rough chronological order!

I apologize for the late notice on this, but Cheboygan hard rock notables The Darwin Project will return to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill in Sault Michigan TONIGHT! This show (which isn't on their Reverbnation page's schedule) was only just announced on their Facebook page this morning. Unless I missed any in the interim, this will be their first local stop in over a year, last playing a parking lot party at The Corner Pub in August 2012. At least this time, I heard about the show before it happened, so we can get a late push for it! With a growing profile, their "Beautiful" EP, and numerous Michigan and midwestern US dates under their belts in recent months, it'll be great to have The Darwin Project back in the Soo TONIGHT, so keep it in mind if you're across the river! A 9:30 PM start time is in effect, there's no cover charge announced, and you must be 21 to attend, though I'm not positive on if this will be an outdoor parking lot gig again or not. Check the above links for more details, don't miss the return of The Darwin Project TONIGHT, and for a preview, here they are playing their song "Saviour" live in Alpena in April!



Next up, local classic/hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies will make their Sault Ontario debuts this month with at least three shows, including their first ever stops at The Nicolet Tavern one week from today, followed by their Roosevelt Hotel debuts on September 20th & 21st! Though the band previously played in Spanish as part of the Rock N' Roar festival & their connected battle of the bands, these will be our first live local glimpses at this new band, who feature 4 of Turner Up & Havadder's collective 2012 members, alongside Redundant's Justin Langlois on bass. There's been a lot of advance hype for this new band (especially if you didn't see them in Spanish), but I'm hearing very good things for their heavier cover blend and their reported original intentions, so keep their Soo debut in mind! Both next weekend's Nic show and their Rosie dates have 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so click here & here for more details, and stay tuned for updates from their camp as they roll in!

And just for reference sake, Havadder have been resurrected with a new lineup, with longtime singer/guitarist Jason Roy joined by guitarist Jamie July, the returning Lucas Bugyra on bass, and Jack Spades/Asylum Country drummer T.J. Case. Nice to see Jason keeping Havadder alive, and stay tuned in case they have some metal or hard rock covers to feature on here!

Also in September concerts, Kinross, Michigan hard rockers Banned have announced their next local gig, though not for this weekend, as they'll return to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran on Saturday, September 14th (one week from tomorrow!) This will be their first announced stop at this regular venue for them since May, so if you've missed the Traynors and company in Moran, keep next weekend's show in mind! Admission should be free, you must be 21 to attend, and there's an earlier start time of 8:00 PM for it. Click here for more details on it and their other upcoming dates, including their previously announced Sault Kewadin stops on the 20th & 21st, and (in a completely new alert) a show in... Grand Rapids?! Yes, they'll play their furthest "job" yet on September 28th when they play at The Last Chance Tavern & Grill in Michigan's second largest city, so check the above links for more info on this huge opportunity! I have no idea how that came about, but best of luck for sure, and keep an eye out for this varied band's next news!

Finally in new heavier concert announcements, Saskatoon/Vancouver hard rock quartet One Bad Son will hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, October 18th as openers for Toronto rock supergroup Crash Karma! Almost 3 years after their first local stop at The Canadian, Crash Karma (featuring Our Lady Peace, Tea Party, I Mother Earth, and Zygote alumni) have a wealth of experience and talent under their belts, so don't miss their material and entertaining live show, especially if you love 1990s Canadian rock music! However, One Bad Son will inject a heavier edge into the proceedings like Desperate Union did in 2010, with a 1970s southern rock flavour to add to their hard modern rock sound, and they should be a welcome sight at The Rockstar Bar next month as well! Tickets are $12 in advance at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel or at The Rad Zone, while they'll cost $16 at the door. This event is 19+, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a great concert for rock fans, with a little hard rock to go around, so keep it in mind for next month, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

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

• Frightlight guitarist Rick "Styles" White is opening guitar lessons classes at Superior Hodge Podge at 138 Gore Street on September 15th! The basic rate is $15 for each half hour, but you can save a bit if you sign up early, so call the shop at (705) 450-1255 or message Rick at this link if you're interested in learning how to play guitar!
• Redundant bassist (and current Frightlight guest performer) James White is looking to write stuff for a new local music project, but any other specifics are vague. This could be intriguing if it does lead to new original material, so message James at this link if you're interested, or check out his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday!
• In a recent interview with the women's metal webzine Sonic Cathedral, Theatre of Night singer Gaby Koss briefly discussed her work with the local classical metal band among her numerous other foreign music projects, and there's some good discussions about her varied & prolific singing work there, so click here for the full article! (Note that it's shared with one of her collaborators in other projects, Carlos Mosquera.)

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news & notes soon! Thanks everyone!