LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), Upcoming Album Updates, And More!!

The first month of 2014 is now over, and we're kicking off February in style with a packed news post, so what's on tap for this morning? A new live concert video, upcoming album updates (including some audio recordings for one), and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a new weekly series' debut installment, so read on below to get caught up!

THIS THURSDAY'S first installment of local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's new Thursday metal/punk concert series Heavy Thursdays at The Rosie is now official with a complete 3 band lineup, so who's slated? Fittingly, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters (the original Rosie metal nights' most frequent band) are the listed headliners in their first Roosevelt Hotel appearance of the new year, and they should brutalize their fans on familiar ground this coming Thursday! Newer local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring 2 members each of The Suicide Kings & Project 421) will also play on Thursday in their Rosie debut, first show of 2014, and just their third live concert set, and it's nice to see that they're still active and gigging after some recent quietness, so watch out for their high impact originals and covers! The third slot will go to a new local band named The Elements, and while they don't have a known online page yet, their lineup features Side FX singer Rob Speers and Redundant bassist James White alongside a yet-unidentified guitarist & drummer

Unless things have changed since Rob's post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month, Elements appear to play a mix of funk rock and alternative music, which should be interesting to check out, so don't miss their debut on Thursday either! There's a $5 cover charge and 19+ age limit in effect, and the announced start time is 10:00 PM. Click here for more details! Sounds like a really solid way to kick off the new Heavy Thursdays series, so hopefully there's a big turnout for the debut, and stay tuned for updates! (As for The Side FX's current status, I'm waiting for a bit more info before we assume anything either way.)

Next up, local hard rock standouts The Suicide Kings have unveiled two new studio recordings via their Facebook page in the past week! Presumably recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room last year towards their forthcoming debut CD, the songs were posted as Facebook videos, and they include their first original "Into The Fray" and, as embedded below, "Jesus Concubines", which I think is a somewhat newer song. Given that I still expect to review their CD upon release, I'll hold on major comments at present, but fans shouldn't have anything to complain about for the sound or recording quality! Note as well that their Facebook page on Thursday suggested that they have "some important news & maybe a surprise or two" to unveil at some point, but it remains to be seen what's specifically intended from said teaser. Check out The Suicide Kings' new studio tracks above and below, and keep an eye out for more news from their camp!

Speaking of upcoming albums, Sault Michigan hard rock group The Highest of Fives recently reemerged from a few months off to resume public work on both their debut CD and their short film (both titled "Bang!", likely cover art featured) as per their Twitter page last week. Guitarist Devin Anderson shared some extra info with me the other day on Facebook that he wanted me to pass the word on, so here's what you should know! The CD has 10 tentative songs (including a self-titled song and the previously previewed "Sweet Apple Pie"), while they'll also be releasing some full length songs soon, including a song written by singer Mitch Goetz named "Take My Time" and one written by recent collaborator Travis Theel (who I believe is a member now) named "The U.P. Song". Plans for media postings, including the short film and new songs, are currently in the works, and we'll have them for you guys when they're public.

I admire The Highest of Fives' ambition, and I'm curious to see what they have in the works! A lot of their recent activity has been related to the short film and collaborations with Travis' solo material (his song "Look How Far We've Come" is also planned for "Bang!"), though the other samples I have heard are promising, so hopefully things work out well for the gang in 2014! Keep an eye out for updates at the above links!

Finally for today, local/London deathcore band Saints & Serpents (a.k.a. the successors to The Valentine's Day Massacre) are the subject of a new YouTube video posting from their live debut in December! Uploaded onto singer Steve Rhodes' girlfriend Taylor Phillips' YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is of the band playing their original song "Lovecraft Cthulhu" at The Richmond Tavern in London, and I'll note that this song is a holdover from the V.D.M. days, being unveiled shortly after the members moved south in the fall of 2012. This is of better video quality than their prior video from this show (especially in terms of lighting), and it's nice to see the guys on stage together again, which we'll get a reunited taste of in May when they open for Fuck The Facts at The Oddfellows Hall! Also, the video's information hypes their drummer search to replace Ian Timmermans (who left after this show), so if you are or know a drummer in the London area, message the guys above, and check out this new live video of Saints & Serpents!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!