LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (That's Chester) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

With the Sault Michigan concerts of the weekend previewed (remember Joan Jett tomorrow night!), it's time for previews of this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario! There may be more coming, but I don't know if bands like Full Circle or Tym Morrison have any late shows to announce (if they do, I'll let you guys know!) Also, I can confirm that there will not be a Roosevelt Hotel metal night tonight. With promoter Rich Moreland occupied with running Feedback, Stephane Vincent from The Rosie told me via e-mail that the Thursday metal nights are taking a break, but there are hopes to bring them back in a few weeks. It will be odd having no metal night at The Rosie tonight for the first time since April 7th, but thanks to Rich and Dismembertainment for 37 great Thursday nighters over the past 11 months, and here's hoping metal nights come back in some form soon! Now, to the currently announced concerts, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester are back on the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! After scattered concerts from the last few months, this talented group of local music veterans will return to Docks Riverfront Grill this weekend for their first shows at the Foster Drive bar in over 5 months! They had frequented Docks for much of late 2010 and early 2011, so it's nice to see them back there over the next two nights! After all, don't you think we need more classic hard rock covers and good times? Apologies for the short notice too, these shows were only just announced yesterday. Admission should be around $4 for both tomorrow & Saturday night, you must be 19 to attend, and both shows should start at around 11:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always good to see That's Chester back on the local stage, and hopefully they'll deliver some great hard rock sounds all weekend long at Docks! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times" at Docks in March!



Next up, it's the Soo Zombie Walk Afterparty on Saturday night! Now before we get to the music, just a reminder that the Zombie Walk itself is where (hopefully) hundreds of local zombie fans get dressed like the walking dead and rampage downtown for brains, and all for a good cause, as admission is canned goods for the Algoma University Student Food Bank! Click here for all details on how to register and participate in the Zombie Walk, it'll be loads of fun! As for the afterparty, there will be hard rocking to be had, courtesy of Sykotyk Rampage! The original crash band will take to the public stage for the first time in four months on Saturday as the opening act for this year's afterparty, and you know that with their latest album being called "Zombiez", there'll no doubt be some clear links! They'll be opening for local burlesque troupe The Salty Mollies as well as DJ Seith (and possibly more) at the afterparty, so if you want some dance music or burlesque, stick around after the rampage concludes! Unlike last year's afterparty at what is now Feedback, this year's event will take place at The Grand Theater (same as the Zombie Walk's start/end point), so if you've missed hard rock there since Grady last year, don't miss this show! The afterparty will be a 19+ event (it'd have to be, knowing The Salty Mollies' act), but I believe the Zombie Walk itself is all ages.

Admission should be secure if you bring canned good donations just for the afterparty, and Sykotyk Rampage will open things after the walk ends at around 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the Facebook event page! I'm going to the Zombie Walk for a second straight year (I'm gonna be a British gentleman zombie), and yes I'll stick around for Sykotyk Rampage! Their unique improvised hard rock will fit right in with the zombie theme, and hopefully fans eat up their sound, not their brains! I can't stay for the other acts (you'll know why in a second), but I hope to see you there at some point! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Called In Dead" last year!



Also for concerts this weekend is the return of local hard rock quartet Half Past on Saturday night at The Rockstar Bar! If you want some more hard rock after Sykotyk Rampage's set, this will work nicely! This will be Half Past's first show in Sault Ontario itself with new singer Jordan Rains, and just their fourth live show in the past 19 months, following a Rockstar Bar show in February and their two Hempfest sets in August. They'll also have former bassist Harley Syrette (ex-No Arrow & Quite Frankly) filling in temporarily for Arthur Lacasse on Saturday, which will be interesting! I heard good things about his brief 2009 stint in what was then Fingerbone, but only now is he playing live with them, so this should be worth checking out! Aside from that, the band will have new merchandise on sale for fans in attendance, along with lots of covers and hopefully their originals! Admission will be $3, you must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at around 10:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's been forever since I've seen Half Past live, and I'm curious to see how Jordan does after his Hempfest debut, so I fully plan on being there (in zombie makeup or not) after Sykotyk Rampage wrap up on Saturday night! I'm 2 months overdue for a live local concert, so I better get things back in gear with a bang on Saturday, and two shows will do it! Hope to see you guys there for Half Past's return, and for a preview, here's Half Past covering System of a Down's "Hypnotize" at Hempfest this year!



And finally, here's some updates I made to a few of our Defunct Local Band Profiles to make them more accurate, informative, and current. I edited the M7K and Death Rise profiles to restore references to Mike Vincent & Adam Brett's work in the reactivated Skull After Betrayl and remove mentions of The Dead Kings, who didn't last long enough to be worth mentioning. Similarly, I added to The White Knights profile to note that Rick White is back in Caveman Morrison for his current activity. I added to the Divinity Collapsed profile to mention a sound comparison to the active local project Candle Hour, though I don't believe the bands are connected. On the Renderware profile, I made a small edit to reflect drummer Adam Sauve's current work in the local indie band The Business Suit Trappers (along with former members of Nebraska Arms & Terminal.) Not my thing, but they are talented! And finally, thanks to Internet Archive caches of their old website, I've added two more ex-Bad Side members to their past lineups! Both are drummers, those being Brooks Elliott (from Charlevoix hard rock trio Peril) in the mid 2000s, and Rob Johnson, who was briefly Bad Side's live drummer circa 2007. Hopefully things are up to date now in this monthly series, so check the above links for all the updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow, our YouTube Channel Profile on Bad Side's YouTube channel on Saturday, and reviews of Sykotyk Rampage & Half Past's shows on Sunday! Thanks everyone!