If I Look Strong, You Look Strong Concert Preview, Plus New Treble Charger & Din Videos!!

As promised, today's post is being led off by a preview of a rare Tuesday night punk/metal concert, but to round things out, we have some new videos, one of a local band shooting for a new milestone, and two from a recently reunited band's most recent concert! Here's what you should know!

A special Tuesday night concert goes down TONIGHT at The New American Pub, where three different touring bands will take the stage for a night of punk and metal intensity! The lineup will include headlining Calgary noise/experimental trio If I Look Strong, You Look Strong, a curiously named though very talented twosome who have some aggressive elements in their progressive sound, so don't bypass I.I.L.S.Y.L.S. tonight! Also playing at The New A are Zaum, the Moncton, New Brunswick "Middle Eastern mantra doom" outfit best known locally from headlining Haggith's final concert at The Rednecks Saloon back in May 2015. Good to see Zaum back in our area after over 2 years, so prepare for some dark chanting-laden originals from them also! The other touring duo tonight are Ottawa/Pembroke hardcore punk rockers Flying Fortress, who'll bring aggressive but also somewhat more accessible originals to the stage, so don't be late for their set either! Apologies for earlier promotion hyping the three above bands as being duos, the headliners have since confirmed that they're currently touring as a three-piece.

Tonight's local openers are new local indie/hard rock trio Vol. (featuring 2/3rds of The Pixo Control's mid-2015 lineup), who will get a very intriguing show to make their public concert debut with, so come early to hear how they sound! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., tonight's "Saul St Marie" stop has a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and $7 cover charge. This is shaping up to be a nicely varied but constantly aggressive night of music, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on tonight's concert, and here's If I Look Strong, You Look Strong live!



Next up, we have some new videos of local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger to share on here, but not from last month's return show at LopLops! Though not visibly advertised on the band's few active online pages, they continued their teased tour run with a set at the third annual WTFest in Brantford on Saturday, July 29th, where they were among the openers for Our Lady Peace and Collective Soul at Lions Park. Looks like a solid event with a great turnout from what I've seen of WTFest, and hopefully their whole set was a hit! As best as I can tell, two YouTube users posted videos of Treble Charger's set, including wisptubeify, who filmed their rendition of "American Psycho" and posted it to his channel later that same day. The guys sound good on this punk-era classic of theirs, but they seem to be a bit restricted in movement given the stage setup, and the camera can have some blurry moments. Check it out below!



The other known YouTube video of Treble Charger's Brantford set last month comes via user Dure Yeah, who posted this video of their early hit song "Red" to his channel that same day as well. This softer Bill Priddle-sung original is very well done here, which will please fans of Treble Charger's first albums, and though the camera angle isn't as centered or close, it's actually clearer overall! Give it a look below as well, and see more from this year's WTFest at the above links, on YouTube, or via Brantford-area news media!



Finally for today, here's the latest from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, so what have they been up to lately? Alongside continued studio demo recordings, a new photo shoot with Josh Pace, and a "HUGE surprise" relating to the impending one year anniversary of their debut studio album "Give In To The Din", the band has also been actively trying to reach 700 fans on their Facebook page. As part of that goal, this comedic new Facebook video was posted online on July 30th, and while I do apologize for the delay, at least it's still relevant to share, as they sit at 697 fans as of this writing. The nearly 6 minute-long video is a "field record", where drummer Brandan Glew proposes that, if the band launches rockets into space, that might be enough to push them over 700 fans. I won't spoil the details on the rockets, launches, or aftermath, but there is humour to be had throughout, plus a surprise ending! Give it a look below, and like The Din if you haven't already so you can help them shoot for 700!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week, plus this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Alien Boys, Rudyard Musicians Festival, And Project 906!!)

With a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hitting the wire this afternoon, here's a surprise second news post for your Thursday night! That is also joined by two more new concerts taking place over the same weekend in just under a month's time, so read on below for what you should know, and check out other weekend concert previews and more in the post below this one from this morning!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Moloney's Alley for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page earlier today. Still a largely unfamiliar venue for our coverage, the 227 West Portage Avenue bar played host to a private Project 906 show last month for Sault Area High School's class of 1997 reunion, but as far as I can tell, TOMORROW'S show is a regular, publically attendable show. Last seen at the King's Club Casino in Brimley two weeks ago, Project 906 are no strangers to branching out to atypical concert venues in the E.U.P., and hopefully things go well at Moloney's Alley TOMORROW! No word however on if the show will be outdoors again or indoors, but the picture they used to promote the event was from their outdoor set at the aforementioned reunion. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit, so check the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live last month!

Next up, here's some more new concerts with more than a day's public notice, starting with another new show from Sault Ontario promoters Six, Two, Oh.! Unusually taking place at The Rockstar Bar rather than their usual New A stomping grounds, this event on Friday, August 18th will be headlined by the local debut of Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys, but despite their name, they're actually an all-female group featuring former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy. This will be nothing new for fans who saw Beaver Slap locally last month, but The Alien Boys' solid and energetic brand of punk rock should gain them their own audience locally, so don't miss them on the 18th! Local support (both in their Rockstar Bar debut) will include death metal duo Twistory's second live set of the year, as well as the second concert appearance period from Vol., the new indie/hard rock trio from Pixo Control and Aldous alumni. Nice diverse lineup, so don't miss out next month!

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, and a 9:00 PM start time is in effect. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and don't miss out on what should be a fun night of varying kinds of alternative music action! And yes, we are aware of a major concert event announced by Six, Two, Oh. for this fall, but we are waiting on confirmation on the venue and if it technically has a public address before we get ahead of ourselves on here. Stay tuned though, as this will be a big event!

Finally for tonight's post, the full lineup for this year's second annual Rudyard Musicians Festival in nearby Rudyard, Michigan was finally announced on Tuesday, so who all is rocking Rudyard Township Park on Saturday, August 19th? Mostly the same bands as last year, with only Stoned Ape Evolution, Second Offense, and The Gaskins not returning, so if you liked the inaugural Musicians Fest lineup, here you go! Despite previously indicating that there would be "NO METAL" this year, hard rock acts do populate two of the three top slots, with the aforementioned Project 906 headlining at 11:00 PM, as preceded by classic rockers/event promoters Steelhead (with guest performer Jimmy Bishop) at 10:00 PM, and sporadically seen experimental hard rock group The Karstens as one of this year's new bands at 9:00 PM. Good to see them back on stage! Fellow newcomers The Whole Shabang will tackle their own classic rock covers as well at 8:00 PM, while remaining performers are mostly in the online page-less country or bluegrass realm unless otherwise stated.

Other acts will include The North Country Band at 7:00 PM, The Wednesday Night Headliners at 6:00 PM, Robert & Bob Malaski at 5:00 PM, Jimmy Williams at 4:00 PM, pop artist Hayley Malaska at 3:30 PM, festival newcomer Kevin Blakeney at 3:00 PM, Crossroads alum Denny Verrett at 2:00 PM, Traverse City experimental outfit The Neighbourhood Dogs at 1:00 PM, and The (New?) Jazz Trio opening at 12:00 PM. Lots of talent on hand this year, so keep them all in mind! As well, organizers have confirmed that Friday the 18th will play host to an open mic night, as all of their equipment will be set up already, so "we might just as well use it" for a "Friday night free for all." You never know what you'll get with an open mic night, so if you're in the neighbourhood, this might be worth checking out! Free rustic camping will be available on sight for that weekend, while there will be a pig roast and other concessions for good measure. Admission is $5 a person, but kids 10 years old or under get in FREE, and like last year, all proceeds go to Rudyard Area Schools' music and band programs, which is always a worthy cause!

Despite promoters' earlier claim of no metal this year (no word on if that's specifically why Stoned Ape Evolution aren't back), it's nice to see some music on the heavier spectrum again this year, so if you're a fan of country or some more rocking music, you have options in this sophomore event, which is for a great cause and definitely looks to be a friendly event for fans of all ages! Visit the above links for complete details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Fest, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (If I Look Strong, You Look Strong), A New Local Band, And More!!

Here's another new news post for your Sunday afternoon, as we continue to get caught up following one extremely busy weekend of concerts! Today's post features some assorted recent updates, a new solo cover video, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but leading off, here's initial details on a debuting local band playing that very concert!

We have a new local band to add to our active band links, and they are Vol. (pronounced "volume"), so what should you know on them? Self-describing themseles as an "indie rock" band, they cite Alexisonfire, Queens of the Stone Age, City & Colour, and Dinosaur Jr. as influences, so I would assume that a high volume noise/hard-alt sound would not come amiss when media turns up. Specifically, Vol. indicated on their Facebook page that their sound has "high energy, crispy tones, (and) crunchy distortion", so read into that however you will. Their lineup features original Pixo Control bassist Steve Edwards on vocals & guitar alongside their mid-2015 drummer Matthew Thibert, with their ranks filled out by former Aldous guitarist Shane Storozuk. Solid lineup, and it's great to see that Steve and Matt stuck together following their abrupt Pixo departure! Vol. quietly launched last year, but when can you see them live and on stage for the first time?

On Tuesday, August 8th, for a newly announced New American Pub concert from Six, Two, Oh., that's where! Vol. will debut as local openers for a trifecta of out of town metal duos, including headliners If I Look Strong, You Look Strong (yes, that's their name), an experimental noise rock duo from Calgary. Very creative and progressive sound with punk and hardcore tinges, so definitely give them a listen in advance of this show! Moncton, New Brunswick "Middle Eastern mantra doom" duo Zaum will play the Soo for the first time since their Rednecks headliner in May 2015 as this show's co-headliners, and their blend of dark metal and chanting vocals should appeal to genre fans once again, so don't bypass Zaum next month either! The other touring two man band is Ottawa/Pembroke hardcore punk outfit Flying Fortress, whose sound is arguably the most accessible of the the three groups, but still heavy and relentless, so don't be late for their fast-paced originals either!

A 19+ concert, this show has a $7 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. While one would assume that Rotopsy, Them, or Twistory as openers would have fit the two-man-band lineup better, Vol. have a solid showcase ahead for their debut, surprisingly as the night's largest band, so definitely keep this rare Tuesday nighter in mind for August 8th, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's a new solo cover video from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel on Wednesday, surprisingly his first upload there this year! A cover of "Drown" by the Texas-based modern rock band Fighting Gemini, the well-bearded Ryan sticks to vocals in this cover, and he showcases a solid voice (as old Riot! By Night fans can attest), and it's nice to see him tackle a song that uses more vocal range with such ease! That said, the black and white colouring and the raindrop filter effect can be distracting. Give Ryan's newest solo cover a look below, and hopefully more comes soon!



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

• Following a positive reception for their YouTube video for their song "Straus", local progressive metal project Kraken Mara have announced that all of the songs on their upcoming self-titled debut EP will have a music video made for them, and are fielding fan suggestions for locations to shoot them at. Sounds like a good plan to me, so message Brendan and/or Jacob at the band's Facebook page to suggest filming spots!
• Just as a house-cleaning note, I've replaced the link for local subscription crate company Ma Lady Menace from their website (which is currently blank) to their Facebook page. This company was supposed to promote the ambitious CureCon concert/convention next month, but haven't issued any updates on venue, lineup, or specific details since May when indicating website maintenance, and it's not clear if the company are still actively operating. Ma Lady Menace had promising ideas, and hopefully more comes out!
• If you're wondering why we didn't cover this year's Ride For Sight motorcycle rally and attached concerts on the site, it's because the musical lineup didn't feature a hard rock band for the first time since the local arm of the rally began in 2012. This year's musical entertainment featured country quartet Bone Yard and their acoustic side project The Bearded Lounge, alongside 1960s-themed classic rock band The Peace Vibe playing out at Stokely Creek Lodge over the July 7th weekend. Hopefully everything went well, it's a great event for a great cause!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week on the site! Thanks everyone!