LOCAL CONCERT ALERS (Searchmont Skateapalooza & Fishbowl Festival), New Videos, And More!!

With our Sault Michigan-heavy stretch on the site seemingly past for now, we're currently in the midst of a strong run of posts with key features about Gnaeus and The Din, which speaks to how busy they've been as of late for show bookings and updates! To round things out, we have some new Facebook videos from another band and a long overdue look at a new face in the realm of band photography, but let's start with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Just over a month removed from their joint LopLops Lounge concert on Boxing Day, fans can see post-punk quartet Gnaeus, alt-hard rock trio The Din, and indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. together again on February 4th (one week from Saturday) when they headline the first ever Searchmont Skateapalooza event at the Searchmont Resort! A spiritual northern sequel to last year's Go Skateboarding Day and Gnar-BQ events from promoters Tidal Records, this rare punk/hard rock show at Searchmont is part of a full day of events starting at 1:00 PM on the 4th, where local skateboarders will demonstrate their skills at the Searchmont Community Center's skate sanctuary (734 Highway 532), with games, tips, and prizes available for those inclined to get involved. The concert proper takes place at 8:00 PM over at the resort (103 Searchmont Resort Road), rather than during the skateboarding, but the nighttime setting will prove fitting to cap things off! 

No word on if the bands will be playing indoors or outdoors, but it would be neat if the latter was the case, I love the concept of outdoor winter concerts. Both the skateboarding and concert are FREE & ALL AGES, but given the potential difficulties of travelling from Searchmont, Tidal Records are providing a return bus from the resort where fans can come home at 12:00 AM at a charge of $10. This is an intriguing event that should give a unique locale to the extreme sports and music action next weekend, especially with these talented & familiar bands, so check the above links for more details, and message contact@tidalrecords.ca to reserve a seat on the return bus!

Next up, the aforementioned Din will return to The Gore Street Cafe on Friday, March 10th when they headline one of the last events of this year's second annual Fishbowl Festival! Yes, the laundromat is bringing back the month-long arts festival from early February-early March (timed with the Pisces astrological sign's duration), with an assortment of community, music, and culture events once again planned throughout the month, and it's great to see Nicole and company bring the festival back! With all the difficulties that The Gore Street Cafe had last year, this can only be a positive sign, and hopefully they see a great turnout throughout! The Din toplined an acoustic show last year (which resulted in their debut live CD), and while it's unclear if their March show will be similarly formatted, note that this venue typically hosts acoustic acts. As of this writing, no openers are confirmed, but the festival's Facebook event page notes that ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus and folk musician/promoter Jackson Reed were once planned to open.

No word yet on potential other concerts with SMS-covered bands (there were three total last year), nor on admission details, but for reference, last year saw $5 general admission for each event, or $25 for a full festival pass. The laundromat is typically ALL AGES, and shows tended to start at 7:00 PM. This should be another fun and varied arts festival on Gore Street, and there's more events to be announced, so check the above links for more on The Din's show and currently announced events, and for details on how to perform at or host your own, message gorestreetcafe@gmail.com!

Also today, we have a trio of new videos (albeit incomplete) from new local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback's co-headlining set at last week's January Jam at The Canadian Nightclub! Filmed by uncredited attendees beside the stage, these are all under 2 minutes long, and include their original songs "Catastrophe", "Nightmares", and as embedded below, a song whose name I can't verify (currently posted A.D.S. songs with titles don't match.) Larry Babic's vocals can be hard to make out, and the vertical angle on "Catastrophe" is unfortunate, but these are solid videos of this promising newer band in action, so give them a look above & below!



Finally, I wanted to give a belated but very deserving acknowledgement of a relatively new face in the local photography community, namely Josh Pace, who you may have seen taking some great pictures at a few recent concerts! As far as public photos through the Josh Pace Photography Facebook page, we first were alerted to his work at last month's Guy Thiffault benefit concert at The Rockstar Bar, where Josh photographed the aforementioned A Dire Setback (pictured), Stegadeth, and AlgomA in both colour and black & white, though he sadly didn't shoot the final bands. However, Josh actually started posting concert photos in late 2015, typically of shows with AlgomA, such as that fall's Sabrina Pelchat benefit. Most recently, Josh was on hand for the aforementioned January Jam event, where he got great pictures of every band except headliners Gnaeus, but despite their absence, his photos are awesome!

Using shadows, colour, and angles very well, his work is very professional and crisp, and he looks to be a very promising addition to the local band photography circle! Also note that one shot from last weekend features A Dire Setback being interviewed by Shaw TV, so look for a feature with that in the coming weeks. Josh is planning to sell limited edition prints of the above A.D.S. photo at their next concert, and is looking to do promotional photography with bands, so visit the above links for more from Josh Pace, and his photography page is now linked in that section on the SMS! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!