LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Go Skate Day, Id Iota, And Soundcheck), Plus More Recent Updates!!

Our next post at the SMS was supposed to be our review of last night's CKY concert, but due to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, we'll squeeze a news post into our schedule beforehand! Along with that new show, we have two more new events with more advance notice to touch on, plus some extra updates, so read on below for what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will hit The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via the venue's own Martin Fiser on their Facebook group last night, and as has been recently common, the band has not given the concert even a day's notice publically. A one nighter due to tomorrow's Handsome Sandwich-headlined concert, this is the Mourning Wood successors first show in two weeks, and will be their first concert at The Rockstar Bar in two months. Despite the late notice, this should be a fun concert for fans of Travis, Terry, Paul, and Steven's hard rocking and occasionally varied covers, so don't miss out TONIGHT after Soundcheck completes their soundcheck! Expect a 10:30 PM start time TONIGHT, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and when public video footage turns up of Soundcheck live, we'll share it here!

Next up, here's a pair of newly announced concerts with reasonably advanced notice, starting with the fifth annual local installment of Tidal Records' Go Skateboarding Day festivities at Queen Elizabeth Park on Wednesday, June 21st, as this event welcomes back live bands for the third straight year! This annual celebration of skateboarding and the culture within it will see more skate competitions, educational sessions, and presumably some vendors and giveaways as usual, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full details on non-musical events! A lineup familiar to attendees of recent Live705 events will hit the stage on the 21st, including alternative hard rock trio The Din (who played Go Skate Day and the similar Gnar-BQ last year), fast-rising punk quartet A Dire Setback, and blues/hard rock trio Electric Church, so keep an eye out for all three as they rock the skatepark in under two weeks time, especially given the unique outdoor setting!

No word yet on if DJ Seith will return to spin tunes between bands, especially as he was the only act to perform at the last two Go Skate Day events here, but we'll let you know if he is confirmed. Festivities on June 21st are once again FREE & ALL AGES, and bands will perform from 5:00-8:00 PM, which I believe is a little later than in past years. This is shaping up to be another intriguing night of music, especially if you can't see all but The Din at The Canadian on the Sunday prior, so check the above links for current details on this fan favourite returning event!

Tonight's other new show is a bittersweet one, as local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota will once again open for former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus in a solo set at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, July 15th, but this actually will be Mike's final concert before moving to Montreal later this summer. I haven't heard a public reason as to why Mike's moving, but he's staying active in music, and he and Id Iota are positioning this show was a big going away party, so keep this show in mind to send Mike off in style! He has promised that his set will include all songs from his yet-released solo CD "Squareheads & Frogs", as well as selections from The Pixo Control's "Probably Not" album, so if you miss that band's harder edged material, here's your last shot before he heads east. Id Iota are perfect choices to open, given how frequently they've played live with Mike since his solo debut last fall (plus, guitarist Dustin Goodall is in Mike's band), so keep their entertaining original material in mind also on July 15th!

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which starts at 10:00 PM. Though I reckon Michael will return for occasional concerts, he will be missed locally, whether you're a Pixo Control fan or take more to his pop rock solo material, so keep this show in mind for next month and make sure that he gets a great turnout at LopLops before the big move, and visit the official Facebook event page for full details!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades have announced a trio of out of town tour dates for July in the lead-up to their return to Spiderfest in Meyersburg on July 14th! The new dates on this mini tour will be in Toronto, Oshawa, and Montreal, with the former notably taking place at The Bovine Sex Club (which is no stranger to Saultites.) Visit their Facebook page for details, and stay tuned for our review of last night's CKY concert that they returned at!
• This doesn't bear directly on the local scene, but the annual Rock 'N Roar Festival in Spanish (2 hours east of here) has been cancelled due to a "decline in sales and lost interest by spectators", as per a statement on their website. Refunds for this August's installment are available online or by contacting promoters directly. Sault-area bands were often seen competing in the annual battle of the bands to fill opening slots at the festival proper (like Soundcheck this year), with Havadder, The Thrill Junkies, and The Suicide Kings each earning festival slots from 2012-2014. This is very disappointing to hear, but hopefully organizers rebound in their future ventures!
• Band Camp Rejects bassist Ryan Bell is looking for one or two guitarists to fill out a cover rock band that he's working on. He already has a drummer in mind and a jam space set up, keyboard ability is an asset, and he wants someone with experience and maturity that can cover material dating back to the 1960s. No word on if this is to replace Mike and/or Jamie in The B.C.R.s, or if this is for a new band project, but message Ryan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday for details!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our CKY concert review on the Sault Metal Scene next! Thanks everyone!