LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (RPM) & Most Of The Weekend's Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

For this post, we're going to focus on most of this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews, but due to the amount and some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, I'm going to postpone The Suicide Kings' dates at The Rosie to tomorrow's post, but trust me, they're coming! Note that I know of no Sault Michigan hard rock dates this weekend, but we'll touch on any late notice ones tomorrow if I hear of them. Now, let's begin our first of the weekend previews! (Updated at 8:37 PM)

A new-ish local classic/hard rock band named RPM will make their Rockstar Bar debuts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, a Facebook event page for these shows was only just launched yesterday. While they may seem unfamiliar, you may recognize RPM as the band that played with local punk trio Redundant at the Rock For Dimes fundraiser at The Grand Gardens last March, but they appear to have been publically dormant since. I was able to find out a bit more about RPM (thanks to Rick from Redundant!), so I can confirm that their lineup still includes guitarists Dino Mazzuca & Marcel Rizzo, bassist Lindsay Pugh, and drummer Ben Pascuzzi, with all but Lindsay credited for vocals. Aside from Lindsay (who's been a prolific sight in bands like Al Wood & The Woodsmen), I'm not overly familiar with the lineup, but cover selection samples that I heard sound promising, with everyone from AC/DC and Bon Jovi to Trooper and ZZ Top mentioned, so keep their 2014 debut in mind!

A $5 cover charge is likely for tomorrow & Saturday night, you must be 19 to attend, and 10:30 PM start times are advertised. For more details, check the above links! No online pages for RPM yet, but I'm curious to see if they can gain more of a local foothold in 2014, and hopefully their first solo dates this weekend are a good start! Don't miss RPM at The Rockstar Bar this weekend!

Moving to previously announced shows, a big ALL AGES metal concert goes down TOMORROW at The Oddfellows Hall, as North Bay extreme/tech metal trio TheKillingField will make their long awaited return to the Soo! Last seen at The Rosie in September 2011 (and at The Oddfellows in 2009), their entertaining and very brutal sound has been missed around these parts, so hopefully they devastate the stage in their local return! They're headlining at 11:30 PM tomorrow night, with fellow North Bay metal notables Buried Out Back also returning to the Soo for the first time since June 2012 at 10:30 PM! Featuring former Empyrean Plague guitarist Dave Strba, their death metal & hardcore originals should fit right in for their second local appearance, so don't miss them tomorrow either! The rest of the lineup includes 7 local acts, with thrash quartet Pillory finally returning to the stage at 9:45 PM for their first show since the summer and just their second with a full lineup, following their November 2012 debut!

Marking the debuts of new members Josh Amendola & Tyler St. Amour tomorrow, I'd expect Pillory to also have copies of their new EP "Cringe At The Cross" on sale too, so pick yours up if you like their thrash assault! Local goregrind duo Rotopsy returns to the stage tomorrow at 9:00 PM, while local melodic death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will make their 2014 debut at 8:00 PM, and Rotopsy's Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson's solo project Crucify The Whore will be on at 7:15 PM. Funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes will technically make their Oddfellows debut at 6:30 PM (though they were born there in October), while new local metal quartet Project 421 will play just their second live set at 5:45 PM, with Strange Coyotes frontman Chase Wigmore opening with an acoustic solo set at 5:00 PM. Note that while this is the first concert promoted by Pillory's Tyler St. Amour since launching his new concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment, it shares many similarities with the Devil's Night show at The Oddfellows that he promoted, with all performers except Brutaly Fatal & 3/4ths of Crimson Crusade returning, so if you loved that show, don't miss this one!

Tickets are $10 in advance (through members of Pillory & Crucify The Whore) or $13 at the door, Chase opens the day's events at 5:00 PM, and again, it is ALL AGES! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a huge and diverse event for metalheads, and a nice early night of brutality to help kick off 2014, so don't miss it, and for a preview, here's TheKillingField's entire set from a Sudbury show last month!



Finally for today (and remember, The Suicide Kings' previews are coming tomorrow), Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Harp Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT for an eighth straight solo acoustic gig in his current weekly concert arrangement! Currently the last confirmed dates in his run at the former Madison's Pub (though I assume February dates are to be announced), this will again be both a solo concert and a jam/open mic night for interested attendees, so whether you're a fan of Tym's and/or open mic, keep The Harp in your Friday contemplating! Like his other Harp events, a 10:00 PM start time is in effect for tomorrow, you must be 19 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, which is early enough for us to acknowledge this week! Tym's always a good time, and he's full of quality covers and hard rock classics, so if you go to The Harp tomorrow, enjoy the music, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Bossy's!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Suicide Kings previews and more TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!