2019: A Preview & What To Watch Out For!!

Happy New Year, everyone! After a quieter year than usual for events, concerts, and SMS posts, I'm hopeful that 2019 will be even busier and more impactful, and this annual year kick-off post will explore things we know are on the horizon for the 12 months ahead, and what we might see. Without any further adieu, what can you look forward to in the new year?

In terms of new concerts, two big concerts have been announced already for the spring, starting with the return of Windsor hard rock trio The Tea Party on March 27th at The Machine Shop, and this should be another huge hit for them! Tickets are available at this link or at the box office for $40. Then, we will see hair metal notables The Killer Dwarfs make their return to Sault Ontario at Soo Blaster on April 27th alongside local openers to be announced, and tickets are also on sale at this link for $24.50, with higher VIP/meet & greet packages also available. Other currently announced hard rock concerts in the area are of the weekend bar cover variety, including the return of 415E to the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on January 11th & 12th, plus St. Ignace Kewadin stops from Highway 63 & Peril later this month. Also, look for Tym Morrison's long-term Gliss Restaurant engagement to continue as usual this year, plus occasional gigs at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill, with more details on each coming later this week.

Regarding concerts that aren't publically announced yet, look for heavier and punk bands to potentially return for annual events like Rotaryfest (Stages 1 & 2), Toystock, J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party, The Northern Vibe Festival, The Sky's The Limit, Go Skateboarding Day, the Oh!No festival in Leeburn, and The Soo's Got Talent, but questions remain. Will Rotaryfest try a "Rewind" theme again? Could The Fishbowl Festival return elsewhere following The Gore Street Cafe's closure? Will teased CD release concerts from some notable bands finally take place? Sault Michigan should see live music return via The Sugar Island Music Festival and Rudyard Musicians Festival, but will hard rock acts be on their bills again? Follow sources like the SMS, SooToday, Sault Online, the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page, and other social media outlets in the coming months for more on this year's slate of hard rock, metal, and punk concerts in the Twin Saults and surrounding area!

Finally, we'll close with new albums, and there's always a lot to look for each year! 2018 was especially stacked for new album releases from heavier local acts, but will 2019 measure up? In our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post (coming tomorrow), you can read up on the current release statuses of announced albums from local acts like A Dire Setback, The Bear Hunters, Electric Church, The Elements, Gates of Winter, Id Iota, Mike Haggith, Mike Vincent, Pillory, Skeyes of Seven, The Sorrow Fields, and Telephone & Address. How many of these will finally see a paid release in the new year? What kind of releases will we see from Tyler Gibson and Chase Wigmore-led projects and other Blood Shed Productions collaborators? How many score and/or traditional albums does SweetKenny have lined up for 2019? What new albums could be announced from other acts, and will our 13 month streak of consecutive new CD reviews continue this month? Stay tuned!

I'm hopeful that 2019 will be even bigger, better, and more eventful than 2018, so stay tuned to the SMS as we cover everything that goes down in local metal, hard rock, and punk, and look for our first news post and weekend concert previews of the year in the coming days! Thanks everyone!