LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Turner Up & Banned), Plus New Videos!!

Before we get to this post, I just wanted to briefly apologize for not getting Powerslug's show at Dan's Place in Rudyard on here on Friday. We didn't have enough news that night to supplant a short notice post (especially given that the show was announced on short notice), but hopefully Facebook gave you guys some word on it, and hopefully it went awesome! Now, today's post features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two New Year's Eve shows, a new guitar performance clip, and our fourth Christmas surprise uploads, so here's what you need to know!

After 3 months away from the local concert stage, local classic hard rock quintet Turner Up will be back for one last time in 2012 on New Year's Eve at a venue we've never touched on before, that being Gusto's Bar & Grill at the Wellington Square Mall on Trunk Road! We only tend to talk about The Rad Zone and The Roadhouse this far east, but Gusto's has booked scattered live music acts this year, and their restaurant is well received from what I can tell, so hopefully they'll be up to the challenge of Turner Up's classic hard rock stylings one week from tomorrow! Notably, this will be Turner Up's first concert with their full lineup since July (guitarist Jason Roy missed their September gigs at The Nic), but I'd expect them to be back to their old ways next week to end 2012 on a high! I just wish they played a bit more frequently, but maybe 2013 will be busier. Now, this is essentially a New Year's party with live entertainment, not the other way around, so I'll warn you now that tickets are $45 for adults and $20 for minors, but this also includes a midnight buffet and dancing and all the rest.

Tickets are available at Gusto's in person or through Turner Up band members, while I'd expect a 10:00 PM-ish start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Turner Up back, even if in somewhat unfamiliar waters, so if you can swing the admission price, it'd be worth coming out to see the guys (and girl) pump out some heavier leaning covers to ring in the new year! Stay tuned for any potential updates!

The other newly announced concert for New Year's Eve will go down at Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan, where Kinross hard rockers Banned will return for one last concert of the year! As revealed on their Facebook page yesterday, this is (I think) Banned's second New Years Eve concert in the area since their inception, and given that Todd's Tavern has proven to be one of their favourite recent venues, I'd expect their covers and originals to be in top shape next Monday! Note that I believe guitarist Alex Schrovenwever is back home in the Eastern U.P. for the holidays, which could facilitate his first show with Banned since August, but I've heard no confirmation either way on if he'll be back with Banned next week. This show has an 8:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a likely 21+ age limit, so check the above links for more details! This should be an exciting concert, perhaps the last heavier one in the Sault Michigan area this year, so if you wanna ring in 2013 in a rocking way, a drive to Moran might work next week! If any updates come in, we'll have them here!

We'll close with some new videos, starting with the newest video from Ashes to Dust guitarist Alex Hemy! Posted on his YouTube channel on Friday, this is of his cover of John Mayer's "Vultures", in what's actually his first solo video in over a month. It's well performed for the style, if somewhat minimalistic without a backing track, but hopefully Alex has some heavier songs in the works to cover too! Check out Alex's latest solo guitar cover below!



And finally for today, here's our fourth batch of surprise song uploads for the Christmas season, and it's the only CD from inactive local metal band Stillbroke! As you may remember, the future Borderline Divine released their debut EP "Never Enough" in November 2009, which was recorded with producer Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios in early 2009 with the band's classic lineup, including singer/guitarist Jesse Frigault, future drummer Sam DeDominicis on rhythm guitar, current Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey on bass, and Jenny Hooper on drums. Featuring 5 tracks ("Never Enough", "No Reason", "Forget", "Wash It Away", and "Tear Me To Pieces"), the EP was well hyped during it's release, including a music video for "No Reason" with their 2010 lineup, but "Never Enough" went out of print that year, likely around the beginning of their 2 year concert hiatus. Over three years removed from it's release, I thought it'd be nice to finally post the full "Never Enough" EP online for fans to check out for the holidays, especially as it captures Stillbroke at what was arguably their peak in the local music scene!

Though there are a few noticeable absences (i.e. "Sick & Tired" and their self titled song), their talents were on full display, with Jesse's melodic and heavy vocals contrasting well with their hard rock sound, including very good bass work and nice catchy structures all around! Though their sound arguably improved with their heavier evolution to Borderline Divine, "Never Enough" strikes me as an underrated disc, and hopefully Jesse & Sam will bring the band back down the road if the time is right! Check the above links to hear this EP in full, and here's the disc opening title track!



That's all for today, but of course, try and hit Andres Duchesne's funeral at The O'Sullivan Donnelly Funeral Home at 4:00 PM today, with the visitation beginning at 2:00 PM. I wish I could go, but I'll be there in spirit, and hopefully we'll all be thinking of his talents and great qualities, over what happened last week. Thanks everyone!