LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), More Weekend Concert Previews, And A New Video!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews before we lose track of time! For previews of this weekend's Tym Morrison, Fluid 5ive, and Alex Traynor shows (plus the We Will Rock You production), visit the post below this one! We're tackling shows on both sides of the border tonight, plus apparent lineup shifts in one band, with a new concert video too, so let's begin with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook event page earlier today, and these gigs are not listed on their concert calendar posted on Facebook in February. Just two weeks removed from their last stops at this fan favourite west end venue, Soundcheck are promising to make up for those shows, as members were battling various illnesses that weekend. Assuming everyone is free and clear health-wise now, TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT'S concerts should provide more hard rocking good times from this talented group, so don't miss Soundcheck then! These shows have 10:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we'll head to the E.U.P., where Sault Michigan classic/hard rock veterans Highway 63 are slated to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These are Highway 63's first announced shows since rocking the Dondee in February, and will be their first St. Ignace stops since January. However, changes may be afoot in Highway 63, as frontman Henry Switzer was teasing that the band playing this weekend will feature "¾s of The Mamas Boys and half of Highway 63", a lineup that has been rehearsing for the last month & a half, and will be "one of the best darn bands in this town." In case you don't recall, The Mamas Boys were a classic rock quartet in the early-mid 2000s that (as of 2007) featured Henry and Highway 63 keyboardist Brian Drumheller alongside brothers Ray and Russell Mayer on bass & drums. No, they weren't the same band as Jager/Monkey's Uncle.

Given the hints Henry made regarding the lineup this weekend, did Highway 63 enlist one of the Mayers to replace George or Justin in their lineup? That seems like the easiest explanation, but we'll let you know when something is stated publically. You can see this new(?) supergroup incarnation of Highway 63 tomorrow and Saturday at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charges and a 21+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Lastly for this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for one more big concert, as original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans will make his local concert debut THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Though long overshadowed by his successors, Dave was AC/DC's first lead singer from 1973-1974, and was in the band for their first single release, so he is an important historical member of the Australian hard rock legends. Sonically, Dave does not resemble Bon or Brian, with a deeper yet more melodic singing voice, so how will he sound to a local audience tackling both his and Bon's era of the band, plus select originals and covers? You can find out tomorrow! Originally, Dave was advertised to be playing alongside an AC/DC tribute band named Thunderstruck, but this was changed in mid-April, as this tour run will actually see Dave playing alongside/after Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells, who will be familiar to readers from our past coverage!

Fans will recall seeing Hells Bells locally for shows in 2010 & 2015, though two attempts at a local booking in 2016 failed to take place as scheduled, so hopefully the third time will be the charm during their 25th anniversary celebrations! It's not clear if Hells Bells will be opening with a Dave-less set or not. Tickets for this 19+ concert are $16 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, or $20 at the door, and an 8:00 PM start time is advertised. It will be very interesting to hear how Dave Evans goes over with AC/DC fans locally this weekend, but a good time is in the cards, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Dave live!



We'll close today with a new live concert video from local independent label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel, featuring label head Tyler Gibson playing a solo set at the West of Hell concert at The New American Pub on April 17th, but as which project? The show was advertised to feature his rarely seen cybergrind project Malignant Neoplasm, but this video is credited to his better known goregrind act Crucify the Whore. Unreported switch, belated retcon, or intentionally blurred lines? In any event, the prior video of this set felt more like C.T.W. aside from maybe some extra backing effects, so judge for yourselves. The 2 minute video features two short clips of whichever of Tyler's bands this is, with the first half featuring him shredding a solid riff, and the second half featuring his requisite pig squeal vocals, but they are quieter in the mix via this recording. The vertical camera angle works fine given that this is a one man band, so I won't nitpick the orientation here.

While I'm still not as used to Tyler without long hair, the performance is solid and it feels like C.T.W. in their heyday (if not necessarily Malignant Neoplasm!) Nice to see him playing a little more often again, so give this video a look below, and stay tuned for more on Tyler's studio work soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!