FireHouse & Ripcordz Concert Updates, New Din Videos, And More!!

August is already upon us, so let's keep things rolling with a new news post on this Monday morning! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, new video features from a talented rising band, and lineup shifts for an upcoming show, but first, here's some late major updates for what could be the biggest Sault Michigan-area show of 2016!

We have lots of big updates concerning THIS SATURDAY'S FireHouse-headlined outdoor concert in Sault Michigan, so what's new to report on it? In terms of location, the show has indeed been moved from behind Moloney's Alley to a proper street party locale on Ashmun Street, specifically the stretch between Harmony Health Foods and Zim's between West Portage Avenue and Maple/Ridge Street. Both listed establishments will act as sponsors and contributors for the show as well, with Zim's providing refreshments during the festivities, and hosting an autograph signing & afterparty inside their bar on Saturday at 10:00 PM. No word of if live hard rock bands will return to Zim's in the process, but it's great to see them going all out for the occasion! As for the lineup, Rochester post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris have quietly dropped out for unannounced reasons (for what it's worth, the band hasn't posted on Facebook since May), but the teased battle of the bands is on for this Saturday!

To take place at 3:00 PM as the opening sets for this ALL AGES show, promoters Superior Entertainment have yet to confirm the performing lineup or prizes at all, but might we see past local battle winners Tantrym Tyme back for it, especially given drummer Ethan Twardy's ties to Harmony Health Foods? If/when we hear anything on the battle lineup, we'll let you know, but visit the official Facebook event page for full details on this intriguing show! Updates have been slow to come for this event, but everything seems to be falling into place for the returns of FireHouse and Redburn, so get your tickets for $25 (less for children) at this link A.S.A.P.!

Next up, and staying in the realm of concert lineup updates, the full lineup for the Ripcordz-headlined all ages show on Saturday, August 13th at The Canadian Nightclub is now out, as Sault Ontario classic metal band Project 421 & their sister hard rock group Eclipse will return to the site of their most recent battles of the bands next weekend! Though neither skew to the hardcore punk stylings of The Ripcordz, both bands are very talented, and should set the tone well before Jack Spades and the headliners rock the stage! It should be noted that Project 421 (who were added to the lineup first) are a replacement for local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet, who have quietly withdrew from this concert for unannounced reasons, though note that they haven't played live since (ironically) The Ripcordz' local show last October, due to varying personal matters. Hopefully we see the guys back at it soon, but see above for more on next week's ALL AGES Ripcordz show!

Also today, here's some new features on local alternative hard rock trio The Din from two prominent local news video sources! One is the newest episode of SooToday's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, as posted online yesterday, so what should you know on it? Filmed at Rotaryfest's Stage 2 last month (where The Din opened the day's lineup), Donna interviewed all three band members about their formation, musical evolution, upcoming debut CD and release concert, their songwriting process, and frontman Mike Haggith's extensive solo discography, with clips from their set interspersed within as usual. In terms of scoops, the Tuned episode does give some extra info on Pretoria Hill Productions (where their CD was largely recorded), while drummer Brandan Glew did note that they hope to work with Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios again on future projects. Solid episode that covers a lot of ground, so give it a look at the above links!

As SooToday's video host doesn't allow external embedding, we can't feature it here, but this one is embedded below, courtesy of Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie's YouTube channel on Friday! Filmed at a jam session with interview segments in their van (Id Iota's Christian Lemay conducted it but isn't heard on camera), it treads some of the same ground as the Tuned episode, but it features extra insights on why they dropped "Mike Haggith &" from their name, the band's fast rise, The Din's efforts to involve the crowd in their sets, and their social media presence. Another solid feature that touches on their personalities well, so give it a look below too, especially if you missed it on channel 10 last month!



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

• In case you haven't noticed lately, Facebook has unveiled a new streamlined look and design for pages (including ours), which includes easier tab access and more of a vertical layout. It takes some adjusting, but it seems to address some problems with the earlier layout, so just a heads up on the update, which you can get more info on at this link! It wasn't my call, other Facebook pages should look the same on your computer!
• Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus were spotlighted in this SooToday article from Donna Hopper on Saturday, where they discussed how they began working on their debut CD "Meditations" (out THIS FRIDAY) and their songwriting process, while also noting the spots where you can buy it, including one surprise spot: M&M Food Market, as bassist Matt Fronzi's parents own the frozen food shop chain's local branches, so if you buy groceries there, add "Meditations" to your shopping list! Solid read, so check it out above, along with 7 black & white photos from their LopLops show on July 22nd! Sadly, none of Long Shot's set are included.
• This is probably late to the party, but I thought I'd acknowledge it. Local musician Kyle Derasp is looking for people to jam with at his place, which has a full set-up with drums. He has "beers & beats" every weekend, and requests those interested to not ask him to bring his drum kit to you. If you're interested in jamming with Kyle, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!