LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Archelon), A New Local Punk Band, And More!!

Alright, we do have one more news post before TONIGHT'S Ripcordz concert, and it includes some assorted recent news & notes, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to go with an already stacked Halloween concert lineup, and first, a new local band to take note of, so here's what you need to know!

We have a new band to add to our active links, and they are The Red & Black, a new punk/grunge duo that are officially credited as hailing from Garden River. The newest in the increasing slate of two man bands in the area, their lineup features Telephone & Address founder Chris Shoust on vocals & guitar alongside talented local pianist Damjan Binda (a.k.a. Spider Fingerz) on drums. Information on The Red & Black is minimal so far, and it's unclear if they plan to transfer to the live stage, but two original songs are now online via their Bandcamp page, where both can be streamed and even bought if you so chose. One's named "The Army Song" (complete with repeated chorus shouts of "Left! Right!"), and the other is called "Talk Talk Talk". Both are reminiscent of Chris' recent Telephone & Address originals, just with guitar instead of bass and a live drummer rather than programmed drums, so fans of "Need Not Apply" will be right at home with The Red & Black! Stay tuned for more on The Red & Black as we hear it!

Next up, here's another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning the Halloween season, as Heavy North Entertainment are putting on a second annual Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall on Thursday, October 30th! Last year's Devil's Night show wasn't the first under the H.N.E. name, but it launched Tyler St. Amour's promotional run at formal venues, so it's cool to see him turn this into an annual event! Though with such an extensive lineup, I'm surprised we're only getting just over two weeks notice. Subtitled "Local Mash-Up" (Oddzfest reference?), this show currently has 12 announced acts, and though Sudbury metal quintet Archelon (who have played with local bands at recent events in Cochrane & Spanish) are the nominal headliners, much of the advance press revolves around the local homecoming of experimental solo musician Chase Wigmore & his death metal duo This Is Your Band On Drugs, neither of which have been seen in town in 5 months due to Chase's out of town work commitments.

It's great to see Chase back in town, and his irreverent and very talented music should be welcomed back in both his solo and T.I.Y.B.O.D. sets on Devil's Night! The lineup will also include three bands with Paperclip Productions ties, including grunge/alternative notables Haggith, classic metal rockers Project 421 (in their first show since the departure of singer Curtis McKenzie), and local doom/punk trio The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal), while the heavy portion of the lineup is rounded out with Blood Shed Productions goregrind acts Crucify The Whore & Rotopsy, and former Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth (credited under his Delusionair Lionhair alias) in a solo set. Timeslots for all of the above artists are to be determined, but this second Devil's Night show will kick off at 5:00 PM with a three-way set of local rappers (the first time H.N.E. has booked that genre at a non-house party), and the rappers in question are Phat Boii, Miracle Man, and Mikey Thomas, so keep their joint set in mind if you're coming early for some hip-hop!

For reference & continuity sake, every official performer from last year's Devil's Night show is back this year, with the exception of Crimson Crusade (who went on hiatus after last year's show) and The Bear Hunters. This ALL AGES concert kicks off with the rappers at 5:00 PM, and admission will be $5 in advance (details to be announced) and $7 at the door, which is a fantastic value! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I've said it before, the Halloween season is the peak of the metal & punk concert calendar during the fall season, and this is continued proof of that, so don't bypass Devil's Night at The Oddfellows Hall during your seasonal concert plans! Stay tuned for updates!

Finally, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Bear Hunters guitarist/Beaumont Avenue bassist Mitch Sirie is again looking to start a side metal band project, this time one with an emphasis on natural, earthy songwriting and diverse unpredictable musical quality. He'll have time and jam space to start early next year, so if you're interested, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Thursday!
• In a comment reply on that very same Musicians Wanted group post, Giwakwa drummer Chris Thompson mentioned that the band (who is indeed still alive) is looking for a new singer and bassist, presumably still due to Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville's out of town work commitments. Mitch indicated clear interested in one or both positions, but if you're interested in trying out for either role yourself, message Chris at this link!
• After a three week break from studio work, Haggith drummer Mike Haggith revealed on his Facebook page on Wednesday that he is working on a new studio album called "The Warinside" (the missing space appears to be intentional), and though it deals with "relevant recent happenings", there's no timetable for it's release as of yet, and what this means for his announced third compilation album, the re-release of "Neighbourhood Watch", and the indefinitely postponed "The Tower" isn't clear yet. Get more info (including the cover art) at the above links!

That's all for today, but we'll see you guys at The Algonquin Pub TONIGHT for The Ripcordz! Thanks everyone!