Weekend Concert Previews, Including The Rotaryfest Second Stage!!

First off, before I forget, I likely won't have a new post tomorrow, as my computer is being brought to Staples in the morning for repairs. Trojan horse on the C: drive that I can't delete, system restore isn't working, bla bla bla. Hopefully it won't be in the shop for long, but just in case, I don't anticipate it being back until probably Saturday. If anything goes up before it comes back, it will be an auto-post, but even that might be iffy. So until I let you guys know of my computer's return, I will definitely keep you all updated on the Facebook and Twitter with my iPod if something noteworthy comes up! Note that my computer issues won't interfere with my concert-going on Saturday, so I'll still see you guys downtown!

That being said, today's post is solely and completely dedicated to profiling this weekend's stacked metal/hard rock concert lineup! Oddly, every concert I've came across for this weekend on the heavier end of the musical spectrum is in Sault Ontario, but if there's any metal shows in Sault Michigan this weekend, let me know! Five concerts, including a special benefit show and part of a major festival, so let us begin! (Check out the final installment of the GarageBand Profile Mini-Series at the post below!)

First off, we'll head to The Nicolet Tavern for a pair of concerts, both featuring local classic hard rock cover band Turner Up! These are extra notable because they will mark the debut of former Wishbone drummer and Settle For Silver frontman Brent Royer behind the mic! After the departure of Todd Killam and a pair of shows as a four piece, the Brent-fronted lineup will make their live debut tomorrow night with a new totally-classic music objective and a lot of anticipation on the band's end! Still sad to see Todd gone, but by all accounts, Brent is more than capable as a singer, so hopefully things will work out! So the band will be rocking The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow night and Saturday night, both of which start at around 9:30 PM! There's no announced cover charge for either night, and you must be 19 to get in. Should be good shows, and the notability of these being Brent's live debut will make them even more enticing! For more information, check the links above, and the official Facebook event page! And for a preview, here's a Todd Killam-era clip of Turner Up covering Def Leppard's "Hysteria" from a show this past spring!



The rest of the concerts we're profiling today will be taking place on Saturday, and first, we'll discuss a very special benefit concert at Foggy Notions! On Saturday at 5:00 PM, three local bands will hit the stage at Foggy's for a great cause, headlined by local horror punk/metal band Frightlight! Though you'll be sure to get their great brand of Misfits-influenced music, they're not the focus of this concert. The show is in benefit of Frightlight guitarist Rick White's two year old nephew Logan, who lost much of his hearing after a bout with meningitis. Logan needs special treatment in Toronto to undergo some testing and recieve hearing devices. Because of this, their family needs to raise money to cover the expenses involved in making trips to Toronto and getting Logan the help and care he needs, so all proceeds from this concert will be given to Logan and his family. This is a great cause, and hopefully lots of money is raised! Kudos for Rick, the guys in Frightlight, and the staff at Foggy Notions for putting this on!

Also scheduled to perform: Local guitar-less rockers The Fury (featuring ex-D.O.T.H. drummer Joe Bumbacco) and local rock band Tiny Trebuchet, who were one of the cancelled openers for Frightlight's Coch's Corner show last weekend! A band named Jesus Chrysler featuring Rick White and others were originally announced as well, but the newest schedule doesn't list them. The Fury open this special concert at 5:00 PM with Tiny Trebuchet at 6:00 PM and Frightlight at 8:00 PM! And also, at 7:00 PM, local sideshow entertainer Inferno from Alowishes Grotesk's Traveling Tent Museum & Snake Oil Show will perform for an hour of sideshow feats, and who doesn't love those? This concert is ALL AGES, it runs until 9:00 PM, and admission is $5 at the door, with donations to Logan's family also being accepted. Also make note that a potluck benefit to raise money for Logan will be held before the concert at Foggy's at 1:00 PM, so if you wanna show your support by attending that, you're more than welcome! Details on the potluck at this location!

I'm definitely going to be at the concert portion, it's for a great cause and there's lots of great music (and I love sideshow freaks), and it'll be over just in time for a certain Rotaryfest headlining act around the corner (More info in a second.) Hope to see you guys out for this one! Confirm your attendance at this location, and for a preview, here's Frightlight playing their original song "Dead Town" from their concert last weekend!



Quick detour to The Bottoms Up Lounge, as local metal singer/guitarist Tym Morrison returns to the live stage for a solo performance! Though he's kept busy in recent weeks by hosting Coch's Corner jam nights, the Caveman Morrison frontman will return to the stage as a concert headliner on Saturday night! Expect a night chock full of acoustic metal covers from one of the area's most prolific hard rock musicians! There's no announced cover charge, the show starts at 10:00 PM, and you have to be 19 to get in. As always, this'll be a great show, you'll no doubt enjoy Tym Morrison's guitar skills, wide knowledge of songs, and intimate atmosphere, and if you've been waiting patiently for the return of Caveman Morrison, this is definitely the next best thing! For more information and to check out original material from Tym Morrison, visit his official website, and get more details on the concert at this location! No videos of Tym's solo concerts yet, but believe me, you'll have a good time!

And that takes us to the final metal concert of the weekend, and the biggest one, as the Tenaris Second Stage returns to Rotaryfest! Tomorrow night and Saturday, Square One of Queen Street East (the block with The Grand Theater, the stage will be in front of it) will be turned into an outdoor ALL AGES concert venue featuring standout local musicians and select out of town bands rocking the night away! The Second Stage has been going strong since 2005, and has sporadically featured local metal/hard rock acts, but after a year's absence, the metal returns on Saturday! But before I tell you guys what you need to know, let me state that because this is The Sault METAL Scene, I won't completely detail the bands and information at The Stage at Clergue Park, The "secret" stage at Bottoms Up Lounge, or the Friday lineup of The Second Stage because there's no metal or hard rock bands playing there. But rest assured, there is LOADS of quality bands at each stage, no matter what genre! So let me quickly go over the notable bands (and metal band alumni) at each! And remember, ALL STAGES ARE FREE!!!!

Tomorrow's Second Stage lineup will be a short 5 band affair, headlined by Toronto folk rockers The Wooden Sky, with local rock bands The Craig West Band, RedD Monkey, and Kalle Mattson also among the performers! Interesting to note that three past or present Gates of Winter members (Brian Holmes, Kevin Overton, and Jimmie Chiverelli) will be performing with one of the three local bands! RedD Monkey are probably the heaviest of the Friday Second Stage bands, but head there for all of them! The second annual "Secret Stage" will take place tomorrow at 5:00 PM at Bottoms Up Lounge, and doesn't feature any local metal band alumni to my knowledge, but it will feature local acoustic talent like Al Wood & Lindsay Pugh, Brian Tremblay, Flat Stanley's Jim O'Leary, and more! Plus, you'll get your fill of sushi and martinis if you go there tomorrow! Click here for more Secret Stage details!

As for "The Stage" at Clergue Park, tonight will feature an assortment of jazz bands, so if that's your thing, have a great time! Tomorrow's First Stage entertainment will feature local classic rockers That's Chester (featuring Greg Simpson of Sin Stereo/Stiffler's Mom), along with notable local bands like Mustang Heart and Thin Ice (featuring Josh Donofrio of Garage Inc.!) Saturday's full lineup of bands includes headliners Glory Days, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band featuring some Saultites, along with local bands like Gsis Murphy, Bone Yard (also with Greg Simpson), and Boogie Fever (with Mark Oliverio from Foothill Road) among many other talented local bands! Get full details for bands at "The Stage" at this location!

Now, onto the Second Stage lineup for Saturday, where the headliners will surely give Sault Ontario a heavy dose of metal, as Garden of Bedlam return to the stage at Rotaryfest!! After roughly two months away from the stage to record their upcoming full length album, the band will make their long-anticipated return at 10:00 PM on Saturday night to cap off Rotaryfest on the heaviest note possible! The remainder of the lineup is not very metal at all, the closest opener being the very first band at 1:00 PM, Blues Harvest (featuring Jake Rendell of Garage Inc.) They are absolutely one of my favourite non-metal local bands, so they'll be a must see! Also scheduled: Local acoustic performers Catharine Taddo and Greg MacLachlan at 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM respectively, local indie rockers Porter at 4:00 PM, British Columbia folk rockers Billy The Kid at 5:00 PM, local country band The Wild Turkeys at 6:00 PM, Ottawa solo artist Amanda Rheaume at 7:00 PM, local rock band Big Wheel & The Spokes at 8:00 PM, and Midland, Ontario indie rockers Born Ruffians at 9:00 PM. Solid lineup there, especially if you like indie and roots music! Again, like with the other days and stages, it's FREE and ALL AGES to go to the Second Stage on Saturday!

I'll absolutely be at The Second Stage on Saturday night for Garden of Bedlam! I won't be able to see most of the other Rotaryfest bands, even if there were metal bands sprinkled in, cause I'll be at the Frightlight benefit show at Foggy's first, but keep this in mind: Foggy Notions and The Grand Theater (where The Second Stage will be set up in front of) are VERY close, you can swing both very easily! Frightlight will likely be done near the beginning of Born Ruffians' set, so you won't miss Garden of Bedlam at all! So just walk on over when the benefit's done, cause there's much more music in store! I'll be at both, so I'll have reviews, videos (I stress, "videos"), and photos of both Frightlight and Garden of Bedlam on Sunday! Of course, check out more from Garden of Bedlam at this location and more on the entire Second Stage lineup and details at this location! For a preview, here's video of the Kiss openers themselves playing their original song "Three Days" at The Garden River Community Center" from their last show in May!



So that's your preview of this weekend's local metal concerts! Make sure to see some this weekend, especially at Rotaryfest, cause there's loads of live bands this weekend to enjoy! I'll be back with a new news post very soon, fingers crossed my computer's back from Staples at some point tomorrow, but if not, I promise to make it up to you guys for any postless gaps! And I will see you guys downtown on Saturday night!