Swampstravaganza V Concert Preview!!

Hey guys, here's our extended preview of TOMORROW NIGHT'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza! Yes, the annual ALL AGES alternative music marathon event will return to an early May timeframe for a second straight year, though after 4 years at The Oddfellows Hall, promoter Steve Mozarowski has relocated the event to The Canadian Nightclub for 2015, which should be a great location for this year's Swampfest! There's a stacked lineup once again with 9 acts (four from past years), and despite a later 4:00 PM start time, things end later at 2:00 AM, so things aren't too compressed! So, who all is playing? Headlining at 1:00 AM are local post-punk quartet Gnaeus (in their return to the site of their VM Radio Battle of the Bands victory), with local alternative/blue rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage playing their third straight Swampfest and first concert of 2015 before them at 12:00 AM.

Local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven (featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni) are on third-last at 11:00 PM in their first concert in over two years, just their third concert ever, and their first show with their new quartet lineup, with ex-bassist Mike Mannarino and ex-drummer Jonny Amendola now replaced by prior guitarist Alain Fletcher and new drummer John Mignacca (who played Swampfest in 2011 with As It Stands.) It's great to have them back finally! Promoter Steve Mozarowski will play a solo acoustic set under the "faceityoureametalband" handle at 10:20 PM, following open mic appearances last year and sets with RedD Monkey at this event from 2011-2013, while local indie/punk quintet (and recent CBC Searchlight competitors) Northwest will take the stage at 9:30 PM. Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will keep their perfect five year Swampstravaganza streak alive with their 8:30 PM set tomorrow, so kudos to them on that level!

Note that they're not playing later despite being prior Swampfest headliners, as Mitch & Johnny are playing at The Rockstar Bar with Beaumont Avenue later tomorrow night. Local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith will play their third straight Swampfest tomorrow in their first concert set since the VM Radio Battle and the release of "XIV" tomorrow at 7:30 PM. It will also see the return of former bassist Caleb Cachagee on guitar to replace Daniel Horton, but how will the new lineup sound? Local death metal duo Brutally Fatal (featuring members of Rotopsy and The Revolution from last year) will hit the stage at 6:40 PM in their Canadian Nightclub debut, while new local hard rock/alternative duo Infinity Grinder will play just their second ever concert as tomorrow's first band at 6:00 PM, in what will be drummer Terrence Gomes' third straight Swampfest appearance (with The Northern Tragedy in 2013 and open mic last year.)

Swampstravaganza V will kick off for a second straight year with a 2 hour open mic block at 4:00 PM, so anyone's welcome to perform once again until 6:00! For reference, last year saw open mic sets by Johnny Belanger, Steve Mozarowski, Terrence Gomes & Katie Huckson, Paul Stanghetta, and Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, but will any of them pop up again? Note that two bands (rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty and prog rockers Mannapool) dropped out of the event over the spring for unannounced reasons, with Steve's solo set replacing the former and the open mic night being extended to 2 hours to replace the latter. TOMORROW'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza is ALL AGES, and admission will be $10 at the door, but no word on if we'll see vendors and food sales like last year had. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I haven't missed a Swampstravaganza yet, and with the new location and later start time, hopefully I'll see a great turnout at The Canadian TOMORROW for what should be a great union of local talent! Don't miss out, this will be a fun time, and I will see you guys there! For a preview, here's Gnaeus at The Canadian in March, and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow before or during the event! Thanks everyone!