LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Electric Church/Speaker Concert Preview, And New Sky's The Limit Videos!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert on here, as Toronto-area Bon Jovi tribute band Keep The Faith (who came to Sault Ontario twice in 2010) played a pair of extended sets at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in nearby Brimley, Michigan last Friday. No word on if it was at the Back Bay Grille or not, but this definitely fell outside of what we've researched in recent months. Profuse apologies for missing it for coverage here, hopefully it was a great show! Now, let's tackle a few more weekend concert previews (one on SHORT NOTICE) and some new videos!

It is now 100% official: Local alternative hard rock favourites The Din are indeed playing an acoustic show TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for public confirmation from The Din on if this event was still on, as it was unlike them to not acknowledge the show despite LopLops' website listing it, but there is now a Facebook event page for it. Not long after their Family Market on the Greens set as an unplugged two-piece, frontman Mike Haggith and guitarist Tammy Hill will reprise their more reserved unplugged sound TOMORROW, presumably due to drummer Brandan Glew's non-availability, as they've played at LopLops plugged in and with Brandan acoustically each in the past. Mike & Tammy should have a solid set in store TOMORROW, so don't miss out! Two solo performers will open the proceedings, including former Din guitarist (and current Eclipse frontman) Curtis McKenzie in his first non-Vape Escape set since resuming his solo career last month.

Curt's a talented artist, as is well known, and it'll be nice to see him at a familiar downtown venue in this setting! As well, Autumn Roots frontman and SaultMusicScene promoter Jeremy Hannah will kick things off in a rare solo set, so come early for his indie rock renditions! This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time TOMORROW, and a $5 cover charge is in effect. See above for more details, and a for a preview, here's a new video of The Din live at last month's Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert at The Tech! This was posted on the band's Facebook page yesterday rather than on YouTube, unusual as it's a performance clip and not comedic. Filmed by Algoma Family Services executive Ali Juma from the front row, the video features The Din playing their song "Out Of My League", but with a twist: Guest rap verses from fellow performer Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow!

Whether you find that The Din needed a rap/rock detour is a matter of taste, but Tristan had good and rapid-fire rhymes here, and I just wish he was a little louder in the mix compared to Mike's singing. Check out this unique rendition below, and if you were hoping to see The Din on Sunday at the cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, don't miss The Din (well, 2/3rds of them) with Curtis and Jeremy TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops!



Next up, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, as Live705's latest concert goes down THIS SUNDAY NIGHT with a special Father's Day event full of talented performers, including a touring out-of-town band for their first time! That band is Toronto hardcore quartet Speaker, whose aggressive originals and punk essence should provide a solid musical kick to this concert, so don't miss out on their local debut on Sunday! However, Speaker are not the closing band, presumably due to touring commitments, and local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will instead close out the night like they did at Live705's Easter Bash. Look for more entertaining originals from this fast-rising group! A stacked opening lineup will also include Live705's in-house punk quartet A Dire Setback, fellow newer punk standouts Stegadeth,the Live705 debut of reunited hard rockers Eclipse, indie rock trio The Autumn Roots, and the return of performers from the Soo York City hip hop collective.

For reference sake, the Facebook event page confirms that the S.Y.C. rappers on Sunday will be St. James (returning from Live705's Soo Art Rocks! event), Universal Language, and Big Kowgs, though no word on if DJ Seith will be spinning vinyl to back them up again and/or providing mixes between bands. An 18+ event (not a typo, under 19 attendees can get in with wristbands again) beginning at 7:05 PM, admission is $10 at the door unless you have a $2-off voucher, but there are two ways to get in for $5: Confirm that you are a dad (it is Father's Day, after all!), or bring a ticket bought for Sunday's cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, so if you're still bummed or annoyed over that event, you can still see bands rocking the Soo on Sunday night, and for cheap! Another varied night of local entertainment is in store for fans on Sunday, including Live705's first toe in the water of out of town attractions, so don't miss out on all of the action in a couple of days!

For a preview, here's a new video from headliners Electric Church's Facebook page! Streamed live by Bradley Shingwauk at the aforementioned Sky's The Limit fundraiser and only just shared on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday, the video features the guys playing their song that I believe is called "Take Me Away" to close their set, before briefly being interviewed by an Algoma Family Services representative on-stage, which is a regular occurrence at this event. The interviewer asks how long the guys have been a band & the role music plays in their personal lives, and while the answers are a little hard to hear, it's a solid video overall, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!