This Week's Local Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

As promised, it's time to preview some upcoming concerts! It's not often where we dedicate a post to just mid-week concert previews, but as is usually the case during the holidays, there's a lot of shows going on! In the next three days, we have four concerts with metal and hard rock bands to mention, and before anyone asks, I will be at ALL FOUR of these shows! I know I've missed a bunch lately, but blame homework, my Detroit trip, family holiday commitments, and my lost camera charger for that. I'm in the clear this week, and you'll see a lot of concert reviews this week, you have my word! Now, let's get previewing!

We'll start with tomorrow's concert, appropriately titled "The Nightmare After Christmas Party"! I should note that there has been a quiet lineup change to this show since it was announced, but we'll get to that in a second. A few recently prominent local bands will hit the stage for this concert tomorrow night at Foggy Notions, including headliners Frightlight! Over a month after their last show at The Oddfellows Hall, the local horror punk/metal quartet are ready to rock with their brand of Misfits and horror movie inspired music! Hard to believe this will be my sixth time seeing them live this year! Also on the bill is local hardcore metal band WinkStinger, sharing the stage with Frightlight once again! They've made a huge impression over the past two months with their fast and brutal metal attack, and they'll definitely leave a deep impression on fans at Foggy's tomorrow night! Now the original third band was supposed to be the returning Scary Uncles, but according to the Facebook event page, they've been replaced by local/Toronto classical/punk trio RedD Monkey, adding to a busy stretch of three shows in four days for them. No word on why the change was made, but good news for Scary Uncles fans, as frontman Justin "Frenchie" Langlois will be playing a solo set tomorrow as well! I'm not sure what sound he'll take on, but no matter what, it'll be nice to see him back on stage! Plus, you'll get a chance to see The Scary Uncles on Wednesday too, so not all is lost! Check the above links for more on the scheduled bands!

This show will be at Foggy Notions tomorrow night at 10:00 PM! There is a $3 cover, and you must be 19 to enter. $3 is a good value for the four acts you'll get tomorrow, and if you're in the post-Christmas blahs, why not rock out at Foggy's? I'll be there, and you all should come too! Get more details and previews at the above links, and for a video preview, here's Frightlight playing their song "She Screams" from their Foggy Notions show in October!



Now to the metal shows on Tuesday, and it's a packed night, with eleven bands playing at two venues, including four hard hitting metal bands to ensure everything has an appropriate edge! And first, it's a HUGE all ages local concert at The Oddfellows Hall, entitled "Soo Music Mash-Up"! No less than EIGHT bands are scheduled, so let's go through who to expect! Your headliners are local metalcore quintet As It Stands, returning to The Oddfellows Hall for the first time since their reunion! Expect a hard hitting set of intense hardcore from this talented band, who've quickly returned to prominence in the local scene! Two more metal bands are scheduled, including death metal rockers Bring The Fallen (ignore the poster, they're on and they're fifth on the bill), and new local hardcore band Changing Waves immediately before them! After a bit of a gray area on Bring The Fallen's participation, it's awesome to see them bringing their brutal death metal sound to this concert, with intense moshing sounding very likely as a result! As for Changing Waves, it's great to see them back on stage after a solid debut, though I'd still like to know more about them! Though the rest of the bands aren't "metal", there is lots of solid and entertaining music to be had, so here's the other five bands scheduled for tomorrow!

Local experimental emo band The Crossed make a rare concert appearance tomorrow night as the co-headliners, right before As It Stands! I admit never being a huge fan of theirs, but The Crossed are very talented, and have a large and dedicated local following! Plus, one of their former bassists is Nathan Bouliane, who's played in a few metal bands and is providing lights at tomorrow's show as well! Local bass rockers The Fury are also on for tomorrow, right before The Crossed. They'll prove once again that guitars are not mandatory, as they bust out some high energy originals and covers like only The Fury can! Also, fresh off tomorrow's show at Foggy's, RedD Monkey take the stage for a set of cello-infused punk rock, which will definitely make a mark amidst the vast lineup! They're sandwiched between The Fury and Bring The Fallen. The opening two bands are the local indie/acoustic acts Tea With Lincoln and Ocean View, who'll both set the pace with some mellow indie rock! Tea With Lincoln are a newer local duo who've played many area shows, while Ocean View is the new acoustic solo project from promoter and former local hardcore frontman Jeremy Hannah. For more details on all of the announced bands for this concert, check out the above links!

Doors open at 6:00 PM on Tuesday evening for this ALL AGES concert! Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. If you still want to get advance tickets, contact Jeremy Hannah, Nathan Bouliane, Alice Rose, or Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere! This should be one packed, but fun night of music! Sure, it's not mostly metal, but there's quality AND quantity to be had, and it's worth checking out! I'll be there, and even if you're going to the show later that night that we're mentioning next, you'll have time to hit both, like I'm doing! For more details, visit the above links and the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's As It Stands playing the song "Eeny Meeny Miny Ho" from their return show in August!



So, you want more metal for your Tuesday? How about some Lion Ride? Yes, after seven months away from the local stage, these local hard rockers make their long awaited return home for a headlining show Tuesday night at The Canadian Nightclub! With a new album still in the works, and loads of existing high quality originals in store, look for a triumphant return set from these guys on Tuesday! Hopefully a better crowd turns out than at their May 2-4 weekend show! Opening for Lion Ride on Tuesday night are two bands that may not seem like the best genre matches, but will still entertain! One is The Billy Bastards, the punk/country quintet featuring alumni of local metal bands like Destroilet and The Harsh Heads! They have a nice sense of humour and a good mix of Southern sounds with punk attitude, so they'll be worth keeping an eye on! The other opening band is The Pinecones, the local indie band featuring members of bands like Terminal and Nebraska Arms, including former Downfall guitarist Mike Yakasovich! I don't know much about their sound, but there's lots of talent in The Pinecones, so take note! For more details on the announced bands, click the above links!

The show is scheduled to start at 9:00 PM, though I have a hunch it might not actually begin until later. There's no announced cover charge, but bring cash just in case, as The Canadian Nightclub usually has one. And yes, it's 19+, but at least there's an all ages show beforehand! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always notable when Lion Ride return home, and I'll definitely be at The Canadian following the Soo Music Mash-Up show! I might miss part of the openers at The Canadian depending on how long things go, but I'll be there at some point! Lion Ride's high energy brand of metal with a punk swagger will be sure to get a great crowd, and I hope to see you guys there! For a video preview, here's Lion Ride playing their new original "Stick It In" at their last local show!



And finally, while we're on the subject of Lion Ride, a special concert is taking place on Wednesday night at Coch's Corner, featuring a unique debut show of sorts from a new local band! Ironically taking place about one year after Detroit's last local concert, Lion Ride & Detroit's own Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion) headlines a local supergroup named The Mark Rand Band, who'll perform a set of his own solo original songs and covers! His Toronto-based solo project has given birth to loads of fast hardcore songs similar to his past Detroit work, while this local supergroup is ready to bring these songs to life on stage! His live band will comprise of guitarists Marco Pedalino (Lion Ride), Dave Prendergast (Nebraska Arms), and Marc Lafrance (Renderware), along with bassist Guy Thiffault (Nebraska Arms), and drummer Mikey Hawdon (Lion Ride, Inner City Surfers, etc.), with Talk Shit's "Brown" Dave Brunton credited for "alcohol", though his band contributions beyond that aren't known publically yet. Mark Rand will handle lead vocals on Wednesday, giving a live voice to his solo material! My confirmed source for this information is Mark's MySpace page! With that kind of a lineup backing Mark up, you know this will be an awesome show, but there's more to be said!

The opening bands include local punk/metal quintet Destroilet, one night after guitarist John Conway shares the stage with some Mark Rand Band members in his other group, The Billy Bastards! After their own seven month hiatus, Destroilet are back for just their third public concert, ready to impress with their loud and heavy style of music! Also scheduled are the returning Scary Uncles, two nights after frontman Justin Langlois' solo set at Foggy's in lieu of their original return show! Awesome to see them back, they'll be sure to give the fans a great set with their energetic punk sounds! This show takes place at 9:00 PM on Wednesday night, with NO COVER CHARGE and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This is shaping up to be a night to remember, featuring a literal local supergroup ready to rain down an old school hardcore assault on their fans, with two other very talented bands ready to rock as well! I will also be at this show, and hopefully you guys don't miss it, as who knows when The Mark Rand Band will be back? Check out all of the above links for more, and for a video preview, here's one of Mark's blistering original solo songs, "Question"!



That's all for tonight, but I will have more news very soon, along with our summative look at 2010 and a post on what to look out for in 2011, along with (of course) concert reviews, and previews of this weekend's shows around Thursday! Stay tuned, and I'll see you guys at Foggy Notions TOMORROW NIGHT!!