LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), Bad Back Updates, And Much More!!

You know it's September when local hard rock and punk concert frequency suddenly plummets, and unless there's some late notice confirmations coming, it's looking more or less like that this weekend, with only one act scheduled on the hard rock side of things as of this writing. To fill things out, we have some new material releases from a local band, a unique recent concert video, and some assorted updates, so here's what you should know!

With shows confirmed for this weekend, we'll now add local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's September slate of acoustic solo concerts to our concert listings! The longtime Caveman Morrison frontman will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood TODAY, TOMORROW, AND SATURDAY, and will also be back at the downtown restaurant for matinee performances on September 10th-12th, 17th-19th, and 24th-26th, while his simultaneous regular arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill continues TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and then on September 11th & 12th, 18th & 19th, and 25th & 26th! Apologies for the short notice for this weekend's shows too, we were waiting for Facebook confirmation of those dates, which came last night. Note however that there is a UFC pay-per-view on Saturday night, an event that The Harp often broadcasts, but the Facebook event page for Tym's Harp shows this weekend does not indicate that he's been bumped for the UFC. Still, proceed with caution if you want to see Tym on Saturday.

And remember, due to the immense length of Tym's listed bookings on his website, we are taking these a month at a time, so we'll cover October's dates when they're confirmed elsewhere. The Gliss gigs are all ages events with no announced cover, and 6:00 PM start times (but remember, these are restaurant matinees), and the Harp gigs are 10:00 PM events with 19+ age limits and no cover. For more details, click here and visit the above links, and here's Tym live at The Harp!

Next up, remember how local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back released two minimally advertised demo CDs last fall? Well, they're finally online in some form via the band's new Bandcamp page, so what should you know on each? Given release dates of October 10th and December 28th, they're titled "VOLumes!" and "VOLumes TWO" (you'd have to ask the band why "volumes" is pluralized, and why "VOL" is in capitals), and similarly to Telephone & Address' recent albums, the digital cover art is not the same as what physical copies had. The former's songs are "Lung Bucket", "Boyz", and "Togna Sharogna", while the latter has "Shirt Tucker", "What I Want", and a cover of Ivory Tower's "Clarity", with both available on "name your price" models. It should be noted that the second one is contracted from what's listed on physical liner notes, which also listed "#1 Hit Single", "Oh!", and "Stop Listening to Phish" on the track listing. No word on why they're not on Bandcamp, or if the first CD is also missing tracks. Still, the production's not bad on these, so Bad Back fans should enjoy things!

That said, are reviews on the SMS expected of either in the imminent future? No, for three reasons: They're not "new" CDs anymore, there are missing songs on at least one of them, and Bad Back completed recordings on a proper debut album in June that may or may not feature the same songs. We don't yet know when that album will be released (especially considering that Bad Back haven't updated their Facebook page since June), but precedence will go to it for both being a new and larger release than last year's demos, which even I didn't know about until after the second one had already mostly been sold. Stay tuned for more when it comes in!

Also today, here's a new video giving a glimpse into a recent private wedding event that a local punk band played! Posted by YouTube user pytorduncan last week, this is of local/Toronto Celtic punk band Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide joining Nate Zahn and Peter Bastedo (the groom & best man, respectively) for a cover of Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel" at the wedding. If they're familiar names, it may be from their past work together in the Thunder Bay indie rock band Cosmic Granola, who played here back in 2008. I find "Wagon Wheel" to be overplayed, but this is a fun and lively rendition with The Tide and company playing solid backup to Nate and Peter, though the vertical camera angle is what it is. Check it out below!



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

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA were recently interviewed for the next issue of the British metal publication Northern Darkness Print Zine, which comes out on October 1st, but it's not free, and costs roughly $6 when exchanged from it's listed price of £3.00 (British pounds.) If you're interested in pre-ordering a copy, visit this link, and if we hear anything from it, we'll let you know!
• Though oddly not acknowledged on the band's Facebook page until last week, local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will take a road trip to Sudbury TOMORROW, when they open for Toronto death metal quartet Fragile Existence and Sudbury metal veterans Catharcyst at Little Montreal. Sounds like a great show, so keep it in mind for this weekend if you're in Sudbury! Stay tuned for big album news from the guys when announced, hopefully soon!
• Presumably in an extension of his earlier search for a bassist, ex-Wishbone drummer Brent Royer is looking for a vocalist for his new "80s and 90s rock" band, as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Tuesday. This likely confirms that Brent will be drumming for the project, despite his past work as as a singer for bands like Turner Up and Settle For Silver. If you're interested in trying out, message Brent at this link or above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!