LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Heavy Head), A New Local Band, VM Radio Battle Updates, And More!!

Let's keep the news rolling along on the SMS for this cold Saturday morning! Ahead, we have some more updates to one of our past battle of the bands profiles, some assorted recent notes, and big updates on one of next month's battles of the bands, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT linked with a new local band that you should know about!

We have a new local hard rock quartet to add to our links, and they are Heavy Head, who feature many familiar faces in their lineup! Though not listed on their Facebook page yet, personal Facebook postings indicate that their lineup features ex-Suicide Kings frontman Mike Gaetano alongside Jack Spades bandmates Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger on guitar & drums, and Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton, which is definitely a talented collection of local favourites! Along with an Easter Island/Maoi statue motif, the band admittedly indicates that their sound is "a sweet mix of rock and pop", with the only covered bands listed to be The White Stripes and Maroon 5, but with these four guys, they're bound to lean towards heavier songs unless this is a huge departure from their norms (and, remember that The Suicide Kings covered "Seven Nation Army" in their cover medley.) As for their live debut, Heavy Head will take the stage for the first time at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, February 26th with pop punk quartet Stereo North as openers!

This should be a good concert, especially to see how Heavy Head sound in their debut outing, so keep it in mind in two weeks' time! There is a $5 cover charge for this 19+ concert, which Stereo North will kick off at 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'm also curious to see how frequently Heavy Head play live, as Mike aside, the guys are all in at least two other active bands each (along with the above, Jesse's in The Elements & Winkstinger, Johnny's a Bear Hunter, and Daniel's in Eclipse), but no matter how often they play, this definitely is a local supergroup! Stay tuned for more from Heavy Head!

Next up, here's the latest on next month's second annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub, as two more bands have been confirmed to join Stereo North on the lineup, so who else is in? As per promoter J.D. Pearce on the official Facebook event page, one new band is local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who will be making their third battle of the bands appearance next month, and are the second confirmed returning band from last year! In last year's VM Radio Battle, (Mike Haggith &) The Din competed in the third semifinal, with Curtis McKenzie then on guitar, but they did not advance to the finals. Can their new lineup make a bigger statement and move onto the finals the second time around? The other confirmed band is local acoustic rock quartet K.I.C.K. (short for Keep It Cool Kids), marking their first appearance at a local battle of the bands. Their lineup features singer/guitarist Simon Shearsby (ex-Starlit Sins), guitarist Tyson Letang, new bassist Kevin D'Orazio (ex-State of Misery), and drummer Aaron Dunn (ex-Cowboys & Indians)

K.I.C.K. don't play live all that often, and their members aren't recent battle veterans from other bands, but will they leave a big impression on judges with their unplugged attack next month? There are limited spots available for this year's battle, and if you or your band is interested in applying, remember that registration packages are available starting today at The Rad Zone and Case's Music, and while they are $100, you'll make that money back and more by selling your ticket bundles that come with it! Huge prizes and exposure await, so check the above links for all current details, and stay tuned for continued updates as they are announced!

Also, here's three assorted shorter notes from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• While we await new updates from local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back's camp, drummer Nathan Sauve uploaded two new recordings to his Soundcloud page last March that we only just discovered (out apologies for the nearly year-long wait!) One is an "unreleased banger" that he wasn't sure of the title of, while the other features a slowed down abstract take on Aerosmith covers. Both are interesting listens from the jam room, with the "banger" capturing them in their true element, so check them out at the above links (and A.S.A.P. too, given the rumours of Soundcloud shutting down!)
• We have moved Strongs/Eckerman, Michigan hard rock quintet Moss to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band hasn't posted an online update since unveiling a new song during label Werehold Records' Friday the 13th music event one year ago today, though in all fairness, they rarely posted updates that didn't relate to the Friday the 13th events, which didn't occur in November due to "downtime" for many label acts, so they may re-emerge if Werehold revives the event on Friday, May 13th. They're a solid band, so hopefully they do come back, and best of luck to David, Jason, Nicholas, Terry, and Robert in the future!
• Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night have posted a new song named "Metal Mozart Concerto 11" to their Reverbnation page! Basically a metal version of the title work by the acclaimed composer, it's well performed and up to Craig and company's usual standards, so give it (and more) a listen above!

Finally for today, here's some more updates to one of our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, namely our profile of 2012's Battle For The Blood! There, we restored all photos, and updated notes on the bands' current whereabouts, namely winners Winkstinger's reunion last fall and the demise of The Valentine's Day Massacre's successor band Saints & Serpents. In the section on performers' later bands, we added Infinity Grinder and London's Rattlesnake Hotel (featuring The V.D.M.'s Andrew Angelic), and noted that Winkstinger guitarist Jesse Cook is a member of both The Elements & Heavy Head. The trivia section now has notes on host venue The Roosevelt Hotel's transition into Reggie's West, the demise of non-competitive performers T-Rex Manning, Changing Waves bassist Terrence Gomes run in last year's Speak Easy Battle with his current band Infinity Grinder, and Winkstinger guitarist Jesse Cook's run in last year's Rock N' Roar Battle in Spanish with his current band The Elements.

Lastly, we added a "Sources/More Info" section at the end to list the battle's Facebook event page, it's only substantial surviving online page outside of the SMS. Hopefully that's updated now, so stay tuned for more battle profiles soon, and for more news and notes in the coming week! Thanks everyone!