LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mourning Wood), Weekend Concert Previews, A Band Discovery, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to briefly acknowledge the upcoming Guy Thiffault benefit concert on Tuesday, which was announced on short notice just a couple of days ago. This will be a massive show, and we will absolutely cover it in our next news post, as with only a week's notice, I didn't want to basically say the same things about it twice in a few days' time. Look for our full preview over the weekend, and I promise, you will NOT want to miss this one! Now, we have this weekend's concert previews, updates for an upcoming concert, and first, a surprise defunct band discovery, so here's what you should know before Christmas!

We have a "new" band to add to our defunct local metal & punk band links, and they are Second Guess, the 2004-2005 predecessors to the short-lived ska-punk band Break the Violence, and more famously, hardcore favourites As It Stands! I'm surprised it took this long to find their Tripod page, apologies if you've been wondering why it wasn't linked here already. Their last publically stated lineup featured A.I.S./B.T.V. bandmates Garrett Masters on guitar, Angelo Huckson on bass, and John (then going by Johnny) Mignacca on drums, though intriguingly, their frontman was noted local folk singer/guitarist Cody McMillan, of Blackwater & Soft Shoe Shufflers fame, while current actor Dylan Cook was credited as an ex-band member. Second Guess didn't directly cite their genre, other than to say that they have "a little something by the late Kurt Cobain for your eyes", but they did play a gig at the former Downstairs Bar on Great Northern Road on January 21st, 2005.

A CD with 7 songs was in the works at one point, and Second Guess had teased playing shows with alternative/emo favourites The Crossed and Calgary Christian rock band Kiros, though I'm unsure if these sets went ahead. There's not much else online about Second Guess, but it's interesting to see this page and check out what As It Stands members and Cody were doing before their local music work really took off! I'd love to hear the music that the guys were working on, but alas, if Break the Violence material and As It Stands' EPs still haven't publically surfaced online, what are the odds? Give Second Guess a look above!

Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will play their last show of 2016 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the concert via it's Facebook event page yesterday, though at least this show had one. Despite some Facebook postings implying that their Reggie's West shows earlier this month would be their final of the year, this absolutely will be, so if you've missed their request-heavy, fan favourite covers since their last Rednecks show early last month, don't miss Mourning Wood TOMORROW NIGHT! Presumably, Mourning Wood aren't playing on Saturday due to the venue closing early for Christmas Eve, but this isn't publically stated by band or bar. Expect a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit for TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!

Lastly for announced concerts on this holiday weekend, longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for solo acoustic concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Similarly to Mourning Wood, Tym is not playing there on Christmas Eve, again presumably due to The Quality Inn's house restaurant closing early for the holiday, so we have removed that show from our concert calendar (at the time we added it, there was no public word regarding any holiday preemptions.) Making his penultimate Gliss stops of the year, Tym's unplugged hard rock covers should provide some solid entertainment before Christmas, so don't miss out tonight and/or tomorrow at Gliss! As usual for his long-term run at this venue, expect 6:00 PM start times, and no announced age limits or cover charges, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today, here's some updates for new local concert promoters/label Live705's second official concert on Saturday, January 21st, starting with word that the event has been relocated from The Oddfellows Hall to The Canadian Nightclub, as per the official Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for the move wasn't announced, but performers and Live705 flagship band A Dire Setback did have a well received set at The Canadian during last week's YouTube Party, so that could have been an impetus for the venue shift. Works for me, The Canadian's a big and high quality venue, and it should be a nice backdrop for this event! As for the lineup, it has been rounded out with three more bands, including local alternative/hard rock trio The Din & new local punk/metal trio Stegadeth (both of which played Live705's first concert), as well as a band named SleepWellCity, which is the current Ottawa-based electronic project from former local alternative/punk bassist Nathan Bouliane!

You may recognize Nathan (a.k.a. Jonna Maximilian) from bands like The Crossed, As It Stands, Stillbroke, and Like Father Like Son, so he's played it all locally, and it'll be interesting to hear his new electronic material in his long awaited return to the local stage! Finally for updates, Live705 have confirmed that the show's cover charge has jumped from $8 to $10 (possibly due to the relocation), though advance tickets will still be $8, though availability hasn't been confirmed. Things look like they're shaping up well for this concert, so check the above links for full current details, and stay tuned for more news this weekend! Thanks everyone!