A New Local Hard Rock Band, Plus The Rest Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

On this Friday afternoon, let's close down the remainder of this weekend's concert previews, and yes, this month's Defunct Local Band Profile is coming next! Before we tackle those shows, including a pair of double-night runs in the E.U.P., we have a long awaited addition to our band links to acknowledge, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Electric Church, the Garden River blues/hard rock band you may have seen at varying events in the past year! Many months after their public debut, the guys finally launched a Facebook page earlier today, so what should you know about this band? Comprised of singer/guitarist Spencer Bradley Pine, bassist Elijah Nielsen, and drummer Beau "The Beast" Whitfield, we first heard about Electric Church via their try-out for & set at the Sky's the Limit fundraiser at The Tech last May, and they've since been seen at some White Pines Collegiate gigs, as well as opening for Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne at The Canadian, and rocking out at Live705's inaugural show at The Oddfellows Hall last fall. The guys describe themselves as having "a unique sound" with "a modern twist on old school rock", among other vivid descriptions, and while we've mostly seen them cover Jimi Hendrix and blues artists in prior videos, new Facebook postings showcase original material and teased future studio sessions.

Shared from Bradley Shingwauk's personal Facebook page, these two videos showcase Electric Church at a youth gala of some kind (possibly at White Pines?), and these are apparently both original songs, including this slower number and, as embedded below, a faster & heavier track that may be titled "I Ain't Got None". Electric Church have showcased a solid talent base and nice old school sensibility since day one, with Spencer clearly demonstrating vocal and guitar ability in spades, and they definitely add a new flavour to the younger portion of the local hard rock scene! Give them a look, and don't miss them TOMORROW at The Canadian, full preview at post's end!



Next up, we'll start our remaining weekend concert previews at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace, Michigan, as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return there for shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Originally listed as shows for their sister classic metal band Peril, these will instead be the first concerts of 2017 in the E.U.P. for this hard hitting group, as part of a run where they're generally alternating a weekend a month between the St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin lounges. If you can't make it to see Adam, Dave, and Jeff in the Soo next month, don't bypass Scarkazm's first regional gigs of the year this weekend! You can take in their metal covers and possible originals tonight and/or tomorrow night at 9:00 PM, neither show has an announced cover charge, and you must be 21 or older to attend. Click here & here (and/or the above links) for more details, and here's a live Scarkazm promotional clip!

Next up,  we'll head north to Sault Michigan, where Kinross classic/hard rock cover trio Banned will return for Rapids Lounge gigs at the Soo's Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen out in Newberry last month, these will be Banned's first shows in Sault Ste. Marie since their four-nights-in-five run at The Rapids Lounge during I-500 week. There's no major frills to be had this weekend compared to last month, but if you want some hard rocking covers from this talented veteran band, then don't miss out on the Traynors and Wayne tonight and/or tomorrow in Sault Michigan! They're not advertised to return to the Soo Kewadin for two months, after all. Like with this weekend's Scarkazm shows, these are 21+ events with no announced cover charges, and each starts at 9:00 PM. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live a few years back!

Closing this weekend's previews (barring an extremely late notice announcement), we'll head back to Sault Ontario to take a look at the third concert from newer local promoters Live705, as the March Mash-Up goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub! Presumably so-named to highlight the varying genres on display, this show will unite six local acts for a night of entertaining musical action, so who's on tap? The advertised headliners are Live705's flagship alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, while alternative hard rock trio The Din will ride the momentum of tonight's Fishbowl Festival gig as co-headliners, and the aforementioned Electric Church, who played in Live705's debut last fall. The remaining three bands are new to the auspices of Live705 events, and they include death metal trio Pillory in their first show of the year, DJ Seith rocking the turntable in an apparent solo set, and newer alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic (with new drummer Travis St. Amour in tow) in their Canadian Nightclub debut.

The March Mash-Up is a 19+ event at The Canadian, doors open tomorrow at 8:00 PM, and while door admission is $10, promoters distributed $2 vouchers to performers that, if you obtain them, will knock $2 off of admission, so keep this experiment in mind if you'd rather pay $8 at the door. This sounds like a fun concert with a little something for every taste, and I guarantee I'll be there! I'm overdue to see Electric Church and Bizotic live as it is. Visit the official Facebook event page for full details, and here's A Dire Setback live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!