LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Biipiigwan, Beaumont Avenue, And Lucky 13), And The Exes For Eyes Concert Preview!!

Hope everyone's having a great week so far! I'm currently out of town due to a family emergency, hence the delay in our recap of Wednesday's VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinal, but it is coming! I have one more post to get up beforehand, due to it having a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, and a preview of one more big concert TONIGHT, but also read on for two more big shows taking place next weekend and next month that fans should enjoy! Now, here's what you should know, and thanks for your understanding at this busy time!

Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for a one-night-only gig at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed the gig via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Fresh off of their short notice weekend at The Rednecks Saloon, this talented veteran quartet will be playing their first announced concert there since January, but this is a one nighter due to the previously announced Journey tribute concert tonight (more info here.) Despite the limited notice again, Lucky 13's talent and experience speaks for itself, so for look for a solid night of hard hitting covers TOMORROW at 10:00 PM! There's a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's the guys at Toystock last fall!

Also in new concert announcements, local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will return to the stage on Friday, March 20th & Saturday, March 21st at The Rednecks Saloon! Last seen in January at The Rockstar Bar (and at Rednecks on Boxing Day), the former Suicide Kings had originally announced that they wouldn't be back until the summer, but they timed these shows with the March break, which makes sense for availability! However, drummer Ben Boudreau isn't available to come home from Hamilton for the shows, so bassist Mitch Sirie's Bear Hunters bandmate Johnny Belanger will fill in for the weekend, and he should fit in well with the 2013 Rockstar Bar Battle winners! Just in case we don't see Beaumont Avenue back until the summer this time around, don't bypass these shows next weekend, which both have 10:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see the guys back together (though it'd have been nice to see Ben back too), so stay tuned for updates on Beaumont Avenue's March break reunion when and if they come in, and hopefully we hear much more from them in 2015!

Finally for new shows, the previously teased return of Ottawa sludge metal trio Biipiigwan to the Soo will take place on Thursday, April 30th at 180 Projects! Last seen in November 2013 at The Moose Lodge, this hard hitting and doomy trio have made many fans in the area, and it's great to see them finally back in our neck of the woods! Joining them at this show are Sudbury studge/stoner trio Horse Lung, who some of you may recognize as one of the bands scheduled for Das Bunkerfest II in August, but are otherwise making their local debut next month. Their hard hitting, doomy originals should also find a strong audience on April 30th, so be sure not to miss them! Local support will come via local doom metal trio AlgomA, in their first concert of the year and their first since the release of their "Reclaimed By The Forest" CD last fall (might this count as their official release concert?) Nice to see them back on stage in any event, especially on the same bill as Biipiigwan!

This show will be opened by local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control in their 180 Projects debut, and though they're the only non-doom band on the bill, their rising talent and energy will set the tone well next month! The first metal show that we've heard about at 180 Projects since AlgomA opened for Skynet last year, this show is promoted by drummer Jamie Vincent & Oh! Right Arm! Promotions (their first show of the year too), this is an ALL AGES event with an $8 cover charge & a 7:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the Facebook event page, and stay tuned for much more on what should be a great doomy time for local metalheads!

Finally for today, we close with our preview of arguably the biggest of this weekend's metal and punk concerts, as Toronto/Montreal groove metal quartet Exes For Eyes will make their local concert debut TONIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub, in a nice intermission of sorts from that venue's battle of the bands! Fronted by Endast's "Big" James Arsenian, Exes For Eyes are touring in support of their new album "Tongues Like Figure Eights", the subject of their recent "platinum project" to sell 1 million copies of the album for $1 in an attempt to go platinum. Exes For Eyes' brutal and intense sound should endear them to local fans, be you an Endast fan already or not, so be sure to come on out for their original attack! Joining them on this local stop on their "Tours Like Figure Eights" tour are three local bands, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first local concert set of the year, and I know the show ties in with frontman/promoter J.D. Pearce's birthday, so be sure to wish him a happy birthday TONIGHT!

Joining them tomorrow are two bands from this month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands (our recap is coming next), including death metal standouts (and finalists) The Bear Hunters  and new local punk quartet Stereo North in their third local concert set, and fresh off of a strong performance in Wednesday's semifinal. so come early for their fast-rising punk renditions! This ALL AGES concert has a 7:00 PM start time and a $10 cover charge, so visit the Facebook event page for more details! This should be a great concert for metal and punk fans alike, and it's great to see Exes For Eyes finally in the Soo, so don't miss TONIGHT's action at The Canadian! For a preview, here's Exes For Eyes' music video for "Stop Thinking, Start Feeling"!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our recap of Wednesday's second night of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands later today, I promise! Thanks everyone!