LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Gutter Demons & Stiffler's Mom), Plus New Videos!!

For the first time since April 1st, we have a new news post on the SMS that has no imminent concert previews! This has been a long time coming, but I'm back home, and we have some big stories to touch on regarding recent video uploads, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Montreal psychobilly/punk trio The Gutter Demons will make their way to The Algonquin Pub for a headlining concert on Monday, May 1st! It's been too long since the last psychobilly headliners in the Soo, but The Gutter Demons will help fill the void with their creative fusion sound, as seen during numerous live concerts over the past 15 years, so prepare as they tear up a local stage in three weeks time! The local openers will notably both feature guitarist Jesse Cook and bassist James White, with their new punk/alt-rock trio Handsome Sandwich rocking out in their second live concert appearance and Algonquin debut. If you missed their debut at LopLops in February, keep this show in mind, especially as this uniquely named band has yet to post media of their sound! The advertised opening band are local funk/hard rock favourites The Elements in their first concert set of the year, so if you've been waiting patiently since Toystock, here's your next chance!

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce in his first announced concert of the year (nice to see him book his old bandmates as openers!), this show has a 19+ age limit, $10 cover charge, and 9:00 PM start time. Fans of punk, alternative, and psychobilly would be well served to check out this show at the beginning of next month, despite it's unfortunate Monday scheduling, so check the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, local party hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will return to The Esquire Club for shows on Friday, June 9th and Saturday, June 10th! Announced with unusually long notice, these actually come from a concert calendar shared on the venue's Facebook page for shows in the second quarter of 2017, presumably also distributed in person at the venue, so if you're curious as to who's playing there through the end of June, give it a look! We'll likely see Stiffler's Mom elsewhere before June, but this will mark the guys' first concert weekend at this west end venue since December, and just their second weekend there in the past year. Greg, Mike, and Jon should be in their usual fine forms come June, so don't miss their fan favourite covers then at The Esquire Club! As usual, expect 10:00 PM-ish start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits for both nights. Visit the above links for more info!

And yes, I am aware of Mourning Wood concerts being listed on the above calendar, but given their teased assimilation into their newer Soundcheck project "very soon", I am waiting for public confirmation regarding whether these shows are now Soundcheck concerts, or if they're using the Mourning Wood name in transition. Stay tuned!

Closing with some new videos, remember how local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback were interviewed by Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie prior to their headlining set at the January Jam at The Canadian? Well, it has finally aired on channel 10 and was posted to Shaw TV's YouTube channel last week, so what should you know? Aired as part of Shaw's "Community Producers" program and produced specifically by frontman Larry Babic, this features all four band members passing the mics to talk about their inception, original material, songwriting, and more, complete with on-screen graphics to credit band members, though they misspelled guitarist Chris Nielsen's last name. The interview is also interspersed with concert footage from A Dire Setback's set at the January Jam (as seen in full at this link), though we await Shaw TV's premiere of their footage from last month's March Mash-Up concert, which A Dire Setback headlined.

The interview proper isn't too long, but it's a fun and light way to introduce casual fans to A Dire Setback,who are on the fast track locally, and given their hints in the interview towards future recording sessions, hopefully they keep on their current trajectory in the local scene! Give their Shaw TV interview a look below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!



Finally, here's a new YouTube video featuring Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night, as set to footage of the video game Elite: Dangerous! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Saturday, this is of a new 7 minute long demo instrumental named "3303". The song is appropriately epic for the space adventure setting of the game footage, giving things a suspenseful and grandiose feel without getting boring, and hopefully Theatre of Night can build on this with some more orchestral metal epics soon! Give it a look below, and see above for links regarding the game!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along. Thanks everyone!