Halloween Weekend Concert Previews & A Cancellation!

Halloween weekend is drawing near, and luckily for you metal and hard rock fans, the area's got tons of concerts this weekend to capitalize on the occasion! Halloween itself is on a Sunday this year, so the concert selection is small for Sunday, but there's plenty tomorrow and Saturday (Devil's Night) to get excited over! In most cases, Saturday will have the more Halloween bang for your buck in terms of costumes and themes, but that could vary! On the metal/hard rock side of things, we have eight concerts to go over in this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews, but before we get to that, here's a cancellation!

I just recieved word earlier today that the scheduled Keep The Faith concert tomorrow night at The Canadian Nightclub has been cancelled. Jay Perron confirmed the new to attendees on the event page via a Facebook e-mail, but did not give a concrete reason for the cancellation. Replacing them tomorrow are debuting local pop rock band Cherry Crush, featuring Foggy Notions owner Taryn Bugyra on vocals. Shame that this show was cancelled, especially for Bon Jovi fans, as they have a really good sound close to the real thing! But I have a hunch they'll be back, as they play here a lot for a tribute band! Remember, Keep The Faith are NOT playing here tomorrow!

Firstly, we'll head to Sault Michigan for the only KNOWN hard rock concerts taking place there this weekend, as new local metal band River Witch return to The Bird for two shows this weekend! Note that their Facebook page hypes these shows as being on October 20th and 30th, but they very likely meant the 29th for the first show, so I chalk that up as a simple mistake. These will be the first local dates for River Witch since a pair of unannounced shows three weeks ago. Though details aren't specified on the dates, they will very likely have 10:00 PM start times and no cover charge. You must be 21 to enter. No word on if they'll do anything Halloween specific there this weekend, but if you're looking for that, Saturday will be more likely to have it than Friday will. Remember, River Witch are the modern/classic rock band made up of 3/5ths of defunct local rockers Blind Baby. They feature members of Kilacel and Scofflaw in their ranks as well, so there's talent to be had! I still don't know how River Witch in particular sound, but check out more on them at their Facebook page linked above! Check out Blind Baby's page too to get a possible glimpse at their sound! So if you're in Sault Michigan and want some Halloween weekend entertainment, here's an option!

Back to Sault Ontario for the rest of the weekend previews, and we'll start at The Nicolet Tavern, where local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison return for a pair of weekend concerts! These come a week after a late cancellation of their planned shows there, but they're absolutely playing there this weekend! No word on any specific Halloween festivities for this weekend, but don't be surprised to see costumes and such around the Nicolet on Saturday! As usual, both of these shows will have 10:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge. Get more details at the official Facebook event page! After a weekend off from public concerts (though they did play a house party last weekend), expect some great metal and hard rock covers from Tym and company this weekend, as they play a little something for everyone! And of course, loads of metal! For more, check out the above links (including some Tym & Caveman Morrison clips at their website), and for a video preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" from a show last month!



Next up, local classic hard rock cover band Turner Up hit the stage for not one, not two, but THREE shows this weekend! And of the bands covered in today's previews, they're the only ones actually playing on Halloween itself! We'll get to that in a second, but first, make note of their "Halloween Bash" at The Vibe Lounge tomorrow night and Saturday night! They're openly encouraging the Halloween theme for both nights at The Vibe Lounge, so make sure you're in the spirit of the season if you go see them there! But then, if you're looking for something on Halloween night itself, you'll wanna be at Foggy Notions instead, as Turner Up play a special one night only set there on Sunday night! Foggy's are pulling out all the stops for this one, including Halloween drink specials and costume contests as well! But above all else, go for the classic hard rocking that Turner Up always deliver on! All three shows start at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge for any of them, and all should have 19+ age limits.

Should be fun shows, they're a fun band to rock out with, so make note of their Halloween shows all weekend! For more, check the above links, click here for the Vibe Lounge event page, here for the Foggy's event page, and here for a video preview of the band covering a Gavin DeGraw hit!

Finally, we head to Coch's Corner, where an annual Halloween weekend tradition continues! Yes, the famous Halloween party at Coch's Corner returns for a fifth straight year on Saturday night, and this promises to be a great night of music and Halloween entertainment! As was the case last year, the lineup is three bands, so here's what to expect! Headlining, in just their second live concert appearance, are local hardcore metal band WinkStinger! Fresh off their successful debut at the Zombie Walk afterparty, look for these guys to bring the house down with their very brutal and heavy brand of metal! Trust me, WinkStinger aren't to be missed! Also on the bill are horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, one year after their live concert debut at last year's Halloween show, and also returning from the Zombie Walk afterparty! With a built-in horror theme and loads of Halloween-fitting material, there's arguably no local band better suited from the get-go to play a Halloween concert! Opening the show is a local band called The Mothermakers. They don't have a webpage of any kind, but I have it on good authority (Frightlight band members) that The Mothermakers are one & the same as Glamoween, who played at last year's Halloween concert. The only differences are the name and sound/theme, as they'll be playing old school punk covers this year instead of glam rock covers. Sounds promising, but I have no audio to go on.

Unlike most Coch's Corner concerts, this one will have a cover charge of $5. Don't complain though, as this show will go beyond what you typically see there thanks to the Halloween decor, atmosphere, and themes! You might have caught a glimpse of some of it during Frightlight's set at the Zombie Walk afterparty, but I won't spoil nothing if you weren't there. The show starts at 10:00 PM on Saturday night, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I hope to be at this show, and hopefully a great crowd turns up for it! Who doesn't love a good Halloween party, after all? Check out all of the above links for more on the bands and show, and for a preview, here's WinkStinger playing their original song "Cheese Grader Face" at their debut concert!



That's all for public concerts this weekend to my knowledge, but also make note of the Halloween house party/music video shoot by Brimley hard rockers Half A Man taking place on Sunday night at frontman Erik Rintamaki's house! Click here for more details, but remember, it's a house party and not a public event at a bar or concert venue, so make sure of everything before you go. That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely news post tomorrow or Saturday, and hopefully a review of the Coch's Corner Halloween show on Sunday! Thanks everyone!