A New Hempfest Band, A Kiss Update, The Old Roger Concert Preview, And More!

Alright, lots of news today, I wasn't expecting to have so much so soon after having two posts yesterday, but all the better for you guys! Remember, for my opinion on the supposed Kiss snub, and news on a show at Coch's Corner this October, check the post immediately below this one! But to start, we have another band on the Hempfest lineup, so here's what you need to know!

Now, no complaining at me for being late announcing this, Hempfest still haven't announced full lineup details. But thanks to listening to Rock 101 this morning, I can now confirm that there will be at least one more hard rock band on the lineup! Mama Kin, an Aerosmith cover band from Toronto, will be playing there Saturday night, on the same night that Lion Ride will perform! I don't have a definite start time for either band, both of their MySpace pages say that they play at 8:00...if I hear official schedules for Hempfest, I'll tell you guys, but as of now, I know nothing about when they take the stage. As for Mama Kin themselves, they're alright at their Aerosmith covers, good stage presence, they should do pretty well at Hempfest! Check them out at their official MySpace page, and to see and hear them, click here to see them play "Sweet Emotion"!

And I will preview all that is metal at Hempfest tomorrow or Thursday, so stay tuned for that! Now, I'm sure the whole Kiss news has sunk in by now. Whether you're optimistic or disheartened, that's up to you, but if the new comments from The Essar Centre are any indication, then I think what I said about the situation on the SMS last night may be closer to the truth. Essar Centre marketing & events manager Trevor Zachary sent a message to SooToday's David Helwig concerning the Kiss issue. He said, and I quote:

"Hey Dave, please note that although the City was all but guaranteed a tour date during KISS's current tour, we have been informed that KISS will be in Sault Ste. Marie (including Oshawa & Kingston) and other secondary markets, at some point during the second leg of this tour. Although disappointed, I remain hopeful."

Just as I suspected. Kiss are putting us in the SECOND LEG of the tour. This goes along with what I said yesterday, that there were more dates in the works and we probably weren't screwed, we were just pushed back a bit. I got thinking afterwards that maybe, Kiss are booking all the smaller cities and arenas for the second leg, so their stage setups and equipment are downsized to fit smaller venues, so maybe that's why. But all I know is, Kiss are definitely still in the cards, and we weren't fucked over.

Chances are, they're coming, but it just won't be as soon as we hoped. Besides, it's not like it's unprecedented for us to think they're coming and then have the date change. Remember their original Kewadin Casino show for 2006? They cancelled that cause of tour conflicts, but they made good on their word and came the next year, so it's not like this is that unprecedented. Be patient, as I said yesterday, wait to hear more, but this should give you guys some more hope! I just wish more people read things carefully before complaining and throwing insults and hate at Kiss, cause nowhere did it say Kiss weren't coming EVER. Read everything before you comment, that's my respectful advice!

And now, it's time to preview an upcoming local show! Tomorrow night at Coch's Corner, Vancouver punk/metal band Old Roger will take the stage! According to their official MySpace page, they will be on at 10:00 PM! Admission is free, as usual for a Coch's show, but buy a drink before they hassle you! They're pretty good, maybe not as heavy as some bands that come through here, but it's a good punk/metal mix, so they're worth seeing! I dunno if I'll be able to go, but if you are,we'd love to hear from you! Check out some of their quality originals at this location, and for a preview, check out this excellent live clip from a Vancouver concert!



And finally for today, remember a few months back when I mentioned that SooToday reporter Donna Hopper was holding a photo exhibition of her concert photos (including metal show pics) at Loplops Lounge? Well, as you can tell from my lack of mentioning it since that it didn't take place in July like originally announced. No matter, it's been rescheduled, and opening day is one week from Thursday! Entitled "Now Let's Shoot That Fucking Band", it will feature photos from local shows including Kiss, Three Days Grace, The Scorpions, Grady, and many more, metal or not! You can tell from all the photos you see from local shows on SooToday that Donna does great work, and it's nice to see her get more recognition like this! The exhibition opens September 3rd at 7:00 PM, and runs through October 1st! If you're interested, go check it out! And visit the Facebook event page at this location!

That's all for today, stay tuned for my Lion Ride and Hempfest concert previews and much more! And, FYI, I will be at the Lion Ride show at Coch's Corner on Friday night, and I will have free CDs! Stay tuned!