LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (IRN, Destroilet, Highway 63, And Long Shot!!)

For a second time in as many days, we have four new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to announce on the site, as the spring/summer concert series is clearly heating up! These include new shows in Sault Michigan and Sault Ontario, including one new addition to the Gonqshow (which we'll have a lot more on later this week), but for now, here's what you should know on these shows in chronological order!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will play their first Eastern U.P. concerts outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella next weekend, when they rock The Satisfied Frog on Friday, May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd! As announced on their Facebook page, these will be their first concerts since playing in St. Ignace earlier this month, while frontman Henry Switzer pointed out that these will be his first concerts there with any band in 2 years (presumably referencing the defunct Sir Charge), and though we haven't heard about local hard rock bands playing at The Frog all that much lately, hopefully Highway 63 can make their mark next weekend and play there more often in the future! There are no announced cover charges next weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 10:00 PM start times in effect. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more updates!

Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock quartet Long Shot will make their Rockstar Bar debut for a one-night-only concert on Saturday, May 16th! Fresh off of playing two different shows on May 1st, this will be a great solo showcase at a more familiar venue for the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands runners-up, and hopefully they leave a huge impression come next month! No word on why the Dawes, Nathan, and Jeremy aren't playing there that Friday though, but the band recently indicated on their Facebook page that they've submitted an application to play at Rotaryfest this July, so we'll have to see if they make the bill! Their May 16th concert at The Rockstar Bar has a 19+ age limit, a $5 cover charge, and an announced 10:30 PM start time, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for much more from Long Shot as it comes in!

Moving downstairs to The Algonquin Pub at the end of the month, local punk/metal bands Destroilet & Jack Spades will rock out there on Saturday, May 30th in a show to help fund the release of their upcoming split album with The Ripcordz! The second show in Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's Gonqshow summer concert series there (as announced yesterday on it's Facebook event page), this show is among the methods that the local bands are doing to help get their three-way split out there, including their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign (get on that, people!), and hopefully this show can help put a dent into the cash required to get this released! For reference, this will also be Destroilet's first announced concert of the year, and just their second since Brenton Ellis joined as their new co-lead singer, so if you haven't seen the new six-piece lineup yet, here's your chance! At least one more band is to be announced, and while I imagine we'd know by now if it was them, imagine if The Ripcordz made the trip for this?

Given the fundraising nature of this show, admission will be $10 (no word on if Kickstarter incentives might carry over to the concert), while it will be a 19+ event with a likely 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! This should be a great concert, and if it helps chip away at the needed funds to get this three-way split in out hands, then it'll have done it's job! Again, stay tuned for updates on the show and split as they roll in!

Finally for today, we'll head to 180 Projects on Sunday, June 21st for a very diverse ALL AGES concert that will be headlined by Toronto doom metal trio IRN! (Yes, that's all capitals.) A punishing band known for long, doomy, and unrelenting originals, IRN should leave quite the mark in their local concert debut in June, so don't miss them either if you love the genre! Naturally, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will be among the openers (in what they're hyping as the kick-off for their tour, full dates to be revealed), but beyond them, things will widely vary. The other openers will also include local punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address (in their first set since the "Rust Orchid" release show), local rappers Conika & Mikey Thomas, and the turntable stylings of DJ Seith, though no word on if he'll be playing solo or alongside either rapper like he's recently done with Conika. Doom metal, lo-fi acoustic punk, and rap, where else will you get all of that on the same night at the same venue?

This Oh! Right Arm! Promotions event has an $8 cover charge, a 7:00 PM start time, and yes, it is ALL AGES! Much like the AxMinister-headlined show at The Algonquin two weeks later, this show may just have a little something for everyone (Mikey will even be opening both), so no matter whether you like one or multiple genres on June 21st, 180 Projects may be the place to be! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and concert announcements to come this week! Thanks everyone!