Thursday, May 20, 2010

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Downtown Showdown), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!

Happy Thursday, metalheads! Eventful post today, with some assorted news to cap it off, previews of this weekend's three metal concerts (Well, the ones known to me), and firstly, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! So here's what you need to know!

The first bands for next Friday's Downtown Showdown Battle of the Bands have been announced! A new poster for the event has been posted on The Fresh Magazine's Facebook group's wall, confirming four bands to be included at the battle, and I can now confirm that there will be metal! Probably most notable is Bring The Fallen, the local death metal band who notably won the YMCA and Algoma University battles in 2009! Fresh off their supporing slot for Doom Cannon on Tuesday, this will be their first show at The Oddfellows Hall since October's Upheaval of an Exorcist concert! Will they claim a third battle victory? SBD are one of the bands who'll stand in their way, as the new experimental hard rock project from No Arrow's Dann Pichette & Brad Griffith hit the live stage for just the second time, coming off their debut performance at Foggy Notions earlier this month! They're an entertaining band that will surely bring some new flavour to the battle!

Also joining the fray are rising local band The Fury, who coincidentally supported SBD at their debut show! Very original band (the lack of guitars is proof), don't classify them by genre, just go and enjoy their unique sounds! The other confirmed band so far is local indie rockers The Tenagens, who are mellower and softer than the other confirmed bands, but they're really good musically, and have a good following! More bands are likely to be announced. Check out all four of the announced acts for Downtown Showdown by clicking the above links! Nothing else new to announce for the battle, it is still on May 28th at 7:00 PM at The Oddfellows Hall, with NO COVER CHARGE! If bands (of an average age of 25 or under) still want to sign up, a $25 entry fee is needed, get full details on how to enter by visiting the Facebook event page! I might just swing by The Oddfellows for this before I go see Phatstick next Friday. It's my birthday weekend, damnit, I'll treat myself! Hopefully there's a good turnout, Oddfellows shows are rarer and rarer lately, it's completely ALL AGES, and who doesn't love FREE admission? I'll keep you posted with any updates I have on Downtown Showdown!

But before we get to next weekend, we still have this weekend to discuss, and the shows taking place during it! Three concerts this weekend, to be exact...well, these are the ones I know about. So here are your local concert previews!

Sault Michigan hard rockers Nixxon Dixxon are back at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino this weekend! Just one weekend after rocking The Bird, these young rising stars will hit the stage tomorrow night and Saturday night to rock the night away with classic covers and some originals of their own! Both shows begin at 9:00 PM, there is NO cover charge, and you must be 21 to get in. As always, expect a great show from Nixxon Dixxon, I'm always impressed by them, and you won't want to miss them this weekend! Especially considering they won't be back for another scheduled local show til the last weekend of June, when they play at The Bird. So make it out to this if you can! Get more information on Nixxon Dixxon, including their tour schedule, some audio samples, photos, and more, at this location! For a video preview, here's a clip of Nixxon Dixxon covering the Alice In Chains classic "Rooster" from when they backed up Pop Evil at The Dreammaker's Theater in February!



The other concert this weekend is a big one, as Lion Ride come back home! In their first local show of 2010 (last seen at The Rockstar Bar in December), the high profile punk/metal onslaught that is Lion Ride return to the scene of their heartbreaking Kiss Battle of the Bands loss, The Canadian Nightclub, to deliver a night full of their hits to their adoring fans! This will also be their first Sault Ste. Marie concert featuring temporary live bassist Carmine "Cobra Carmander" Romano in place of the now departed Diamond Brent Panther. It's been a while since we've seen Lion Ride around these parts, and in that span, they've been recording some new studio material for their upcoming full length album, so don't be surprised to hear some killer new stuff on Saturday! Playing support are local hard rockers Sense of Truth, last seen on stage in February at The Canadian! Always entertaining to see live, the Skid Row battle winners and Kiss battle finalists will have loads of exciting originals in store, including some to be featured on their upcoming debut E.P.! Hard rock lovers and metalheads won't want to miss either band, I guarantee it! Click the above links to check out original material and information on both bands!

This concert will take place at The Canadian Nightclub Saturday night at 10:00 PM. There is no announced cover charge, but bring cash, cause I expect you'll have to pay something to get in. Also, this is a bar, so make sure you're 19 or older before you try getting in. This has all the makings to be one hell of a concert, and you can guarantee I'll be there on Saturday night! A review and photo album will of course be posted on Sunday, as well as new videos of both bands! It's been a while since I've been out to a concert, I need my fix, and I reckon Lion Ride & Sense of Truth will help with that! Confirm your attendance for this concert at the Facebook event page, and for a video preview, here's the only YouTube video I've found featuring the current touring lineup of Lion Ride, as they cover the Saigon Hookers song "She Blows My Mind" (with a special guest) from a March show in Burlington!



Three quick news stories to cap today's post! These are in order by band or website name:
  • Hey Energy Rock Radio fans, can you make a good metal face? You know, an angry or demonic face like a pissed off metalhead? Now's the chance to show it off! Energy Rock Radio are running a contest for you at home to show your best metal face! Upload a picture by replying to the contest details at this location to enter! You have until September 1st, and the top 5 will win some yet-to-be-announced prizes! I might just try this out! Oh, and notice the new ERR site layout and logo? I miss the old look, but I can get used to this!
  • Lion Ride have booked two more out of town concerts for next month! They'll be rocking The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto once again on June 3rd, and then two days later, they'll be back in Waterloo for a show at The Legion! Should be good shows, good thing we get them here first though!
  • Anyone out there have graphic design talent? Well, Woods of Ypres want you! According to a new Facebook page posting, the band want to design a special t-shirt for the band's upcoming tour, and need help in designing some new shirts! If you can help, e-mail woodsofypres@hotmail.com! Hopefully someone out there can help, and can make these shirts look killer!
That's all for today, in the next four days, look out for these on the SMS: More news, of course, my review of Saturday's Lion Ride/Sense of Truth show, my review of "Castle Stories: A Rock N' Roll Scrapbook". and my profiles of Human Disorder and Summon, two more metal bands who just happen to have local representation! Should be a fun weekend over here, hope you guys return soon to see what's coming up next!

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