LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Two Inactive Band Notes, And A New Video!!

Here's another new post for you guys on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap for this morning? A new solo performance video, two notes on bands to be moved to our inactive band links, and leading things off, an unexpected LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will play acoustic sets at a unique event on Sunday, May 28th, namely the Family Market on the Greens at.... Crimson Ridge Golf Course?! That's a first for us! This event will see over 40 local vendors displaying and/or selling their wares under a tent outside, with access to the gold course proper and their Hickory Bar & Grill also available that day, and there will even be a bouncy castle for the kids, games, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! The Din's sets will be as an acoustic duo sans drummer Brandan Glew (no word on why he's missing out), but Mike & Tammy have adapted to an unplugged atmosphere well in the past, and they should provide a solid soundtrack to the family market one week from Sunday! They'll play at scattered times during the day between 12:00 & 9:00 PM, there is FREE admission, and this is certainly ALL AGES.

And just for clarification given it's unfamiliarity for our coverage, Crimson Ridge is at 418 Fourth Line West, very much in the west end, so keep that in mind if you're curious on the locale. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully this intriguing family market is a hit!

Next up, we have a band to likely move to our inactive band links, that being local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger. The band hasn't issued a public update since opening for The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall one year ago on Sunday, which notably comes just over three years after the first time we relegated Winkstinger in our listings for very similar reasons. After a successful local run from 2010-2013 that saw them play numerous high profile concerts and win 2012's Battle for the Blood, the Operation: Killdozer successors fell inactive for 2 and a half years, before guitarist Jesse Cook & drummer Jonas Gasperas brought Winkstinger back in October 2015. Their new lineup returned for two shows last spring, both at The Oddfellows Hall, but no public updates have followed, and members have been working on separate projects in recent months, including Jesse & Jonas' recent collaborative work in The Elements, and solo projects from new members Keith Gagnon & Andrew MacDonald.

Winkstinger's return to the stage was definitely welcomed last year, even if the new members were an adjustment following their successful run in the early 2010s, and I have no idea what's happened to them in the past year. Granted, Jesse has been busy since with Jack Spades (well, until the fall), The Elements, and his new band Handsome Sandwich, but Winkstinger's brutal metal onslaught was always a fun sight on local stages, and the new lineup had promise from what we saw! Best of luck to Keith, Jesse, Andrew, and Jonas (plus other former band members) in the future, and hopefully Winkstinger turn up again down the road!

Also, we have a local hard rock solo project to move to our inactive band links too, that being of Din frontman Mike Haggith. Now, Mike is most certainly still active in the local music scene (as you'll next see THIS SATURDAY), but we're talking about his prolific solo project, as an update reflecting his own solo material has not been posted to his Facebook page since one year ago on Monday, admitting then that his solo work "isn't even a priority" due to The Din's local rise. After launching his solo music career in his Windsor hometown in 2005, Mike recorded a staggering 47 solo albums, including a number of prominent albums since moving to the Soo in the fall of 2010, such as his last solo CD "The Warinside" from 2015. Mike did play scattered solo gigs locally, including at Swampstravaganza IV and at Sault College events, but will be best known on the live stage from work with bands like The Din, Haggith, and The Strange Coyotes.

When Mike first came onto our radars at the SMS, it was a massive influx of back catalog material that initially made an impact, but he's since became a prominent and talented frontman & drummer in locally-originated projects, and has found a lot of success and visibility in that regard! Of course, his solo career isn't entirely behind him, as he's carried over a number of solo songs to The Din (and previously featured some with Haggith), but hopefully he revisits his own solo music down the road, including the unreleased "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited". Stay tuned for much more from The Din!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! Like his Alter Bridge cover from December, this is far more in line with keyboardist Craig Harrison's solo channel postings of late despite being posted on Theatre of Night's channel. An original ballad named "Without Your Love", this maintains the same visual structure of Craig's recent solo videos on either channel (sepia tone, holding a Go-Pro camera selfie-style, cowboy hat), but it has a similar emotional message to loved ones of his, and has dramatic piano accompaniment that gives the song a dark yet familiar feel. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, poll results, and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!