LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Airbourne), Mike Haggith Updates, And Much More!!

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers! In honour of the holiday, today's post is all Sault Ontario-centric, but we'll get to some overdue Sault Michigan-area news tomorrow! For today, we have a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, the latest from a local solo musician's upcoming original material, and plenty of other shorter recent news stories, so read on below for what you need to know!

J.D. Pearce has done it again, as he's bringing quite the show to The Canadian Nightclub on Monday, August 19th, as Australian hard rock notables Airbourne are coming to the Soo that night! Their AC/DC inspired sound has carried them to big success in recent years, including hit songs like "No Way But The Hard Way", "Too Young Too Fast", and "Running Wild" (which topped the Canadian rock charts in 2007), and with their new album "Black Dog Barking" climbing the charts, you won't wanna miss the rare opportunity to see Airbourne (let alone any metal band from Australia) live in the Soo! Orillia, Ontario hard rock quintet Bleeker Ridge will join Airbourne as openers for this show, in what's somewhat of a makeup date for them, as they were scheduled to open for Buckcherry & Papa Roach at Kewadin Casino in March 2011 before visa issues caused them to pull out. It'll be great to see them in the area finally, and with a new album named "Four" full of energetic and gritty hard rock originals, they should fit well on August 19th for their own local debut!

Two local openers have been signed, including local hard rock standouts Garden of Bedlam (in their first announced show since their Quebec gig last month) and Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings (in what may be their first show as a quintet, pending their bassist search's outcome), and both are great picks to add some big local names to this huge show! Now, unlike J.D.'s usual concerts, tickets will primarily be available online for $30, and less than 300 are available, so get your A.S.A.P. at this location! A credit card or PayPal account is required, but if you'd like to skip the online ordering and get your more directly, message J.D. on Facebook at this link for details (as best as I can tell, they're not available directly from local merchants or The Canadian itself.) Crank Sound Distribution will provide sound for this 19+ show, and an 8:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

If this isn't a huge show for the Soo (let alone The Canadian), I don't know what is, and as one of the most intimate shows on Airbourne's Canadian tour, you definitely won't wanna miss all of this hard rock action! Get your tickets A.S.A.P. before they're gone, and stay tuned for any possible updates!

Next up, here's the latest from local solo musician/Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's original material plans! While we wait for the fallout from his bands' private Goulais Mission shows this past weekend, Mike has kept fans up to speed in the last few weeks on his next solo albums via his solo Facebook page, including revealing the artwork and name of his 46th solo album "Where It Ends". The name's not foreshadowing anything finite about his music, as his previously announced album "The Tower" (his first to be recorded locally at PaperClip Productions in it's entirety) is still in the works, it's just planned to come afterwards (perhaps as late as next year.) One instrumental demo from "Where It Ends" has been posted online, and it's entitled "Grace", but what should you know on it? As a Facebook video upload, I can't embed it here, but it has a very orchestral and grand feel to it, though I don't know if this is the general sound that "Where It Ends" will have. Check out "Grace" and more recent details on Mike's solo work at the above links, and don't miss the Haggith band at The Rosie on Thursday!

Finally for today, here's six shorter recent news items (most of which come from the Musicians Wanted Facebook group), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

•  Following past attempts to launch a punk band, local musician Chris Raginskis is now exploring the possibility of launching a hair metal band locally, as per the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday. We've had bands that touched on hair metal in part before (like Late & Loud and Dirty Virgin), but a full on hair metal band could be fun to have in the area, so message Chris above or at this link if you're interested!
•  Local drummer Fernando San Martin is looking for an experienced guitarist to join his new rock band, which would cover everything from Guns N' Roses & Bon Jovi to Journey & Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you're interested in trying out, message Fernando on Facebook at this location or through his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on June 13th!
•  Former local concert venue Madison's Pub (at 701 Pine Street) officially re-opened under it's new name and Irish theme as The Harp Pub & Grill on June 25th. No word yet on possible concerts of any genre, but their karaoke nights are still on Wednesdays, and they're hosting open mic nights and the Mixed Music Musician of the Month contest on Fridays. I've heard good things about the new look and theme, but we'll have to see if heavier bands ever return there after such a long hiatus!
•  Newer local metal band The Hydra's Teeth (essentially Late & Loud's successors) are officially looking for a lead singer & rhythm guitarist to add to their lineup, as per their Facebook page on Friday. They're hoping for someone with a good old school metal voice and/or someone who can competently play harmony and back-up guitar parts. If you're interested, message the band at this location!
•  Ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth is looking for an improv drummer to jam some "funky progressive music" with, and though metal doesn't appear to be front & center, he's hoping for someone who can impress like Primus' Les Claypool. If you're interested, message James at this location or through his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last month!
•  Former Smeltzer/The Fury bassist Paul Stanghetta is looking for musicians to complete a new "hard music" project that he's starting, which I assume he's handling guitar for. Posts on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group late last month implied that the band would be "high energy and fun", and one of at least two bands he's working on right now. If truly metal-leaning, this could be an intriguing addition, so message Paul (a.k.a. Puablos Stancu) at this link or at the group above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Sault Michigan news and notes tomorrow! Thanks everyone!