LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rotaryfest Stage 2) & Last Month's Poll Results!!

Here's another news post for your Tuesday evening, and it's divided between two topics: The results of our last "favourite _____ of 2018" poll, and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Here's what you should know!

The lineup for this year's 14th annual Rotaryfest Stage 2 is now out, so what should you know for this year? Taking place at the outdoor stage at Clergue Park beside the Art Gallery of Algoma for a fifth straight year, the scheduling for this year's Second Stage reverts to a one day format on Saturday, July 20th after being held across three days last year as part of the Rotary Club anniversary celebrations. Presented by SooToday once again, Stage 2 will welcome eight acts next month, with only three returning from past installments, so if you want some new blood, this may do it! Headlining at 8:00 PM are local indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. in their third official Stage 2 set (fourth if you count 2013), making them just the fourth local band to headline the Second Stage twice. After missing last year's on hiatus, it'll be great to see the Keep it Cool Kids back on familiar ground next month! This year's only heavier or punk act is indie/punk quintet Northwest in the co-headlining 7:00 PM slot.

Previously seen on Stage 2 in 2017, Northwest should be up to their usual original tricks in their festival return with this increasingly rare live set, so don't miss them then! Ottawa folk musician Jack Pine will become just the second out of town act to play the Second Stage in the "Redirected" era at 6:00 PM, though he's not new to the area, as Northern Vibe Festival-goers will attest from last summer. Hopefully he delivers an entertaining performance next month! Local jazz trio The Peach Thieves (featuring Pillory, Id Iota, and Ashes To Dust alumni) will make their Rotaryfest debut at 5:00 PM, while folk/pop solo artist Hannah Lindsay will shockingly be the only act from 2018's Stage 2 lineups to return this year. Her set at 4:00 PM will notably be alongside backing musicians Shane Storozuk (Vol.) and Beau Whitfeld (Electric Church), so keep their presence in mind also! New local indie/alt-rock band Man Feelings (featuring Bizotic's B.J. Swire) will make their own festival debut at 3:00 PM.

The remaining acts, both new to Rotaryfest, include young alt-pop musician Jillian Katzenback at 2:00 PM (who will apparently release her new EP that day), and hip hop duo Planet Rock in the opening 1:00 PM timeslot. As usual, the Stage 2 action is FREE & ALL AGES on July 20th, so visit the official Facebook event pages linked here for more information. While not as heavy as some past years, there's a nicely stacked roster of talented indie and alternative artists to take in next month, so visit the above links for much more on this year's Second Stage action!

We'll close today's post with the final results of last month's poll on the SMS, as we posed this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2018? Alas we only got 6 votes last month, which is probably my cue to wrap up polls for a bit (next month's on shows in the first half of 2019 excepted), but we do have a clear result and winner, so here's the final tally from the past 30 or so days!

Oh!No II at Robbie's Church in Leeburn on September 8th (3 votes, 50%)
Rivers of Nihil & Alterbeast at The Rockstar Bar on July 6th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
I Mother Earth at The Machine Shop on April 18th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
Big Wreck at The Machine Shop on February 13th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
The Din & A Dire Setback at LopLops Lounge on July 21st (0 votes)
The Gabba Heys at LopLops Lounge on September 22nd (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, despite finishing second in our second-half-of-2018 poll last month, the second annual Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn rallied past the Rivers of Nihil show to win the top honours over the past month, and after that huge event with an even bigger third year on the horizon, it's very encouraging to see a strong response from festival supporters! I just wish more of them voted. Rivers of Nihil's drop was most surprising of the single vote getters, especially moreso than I Mother Earth (the winners of the first-half poll), who only registered 2 votes in that poll to begin with. Part of me wondered if Big Wreck fans would rack up the votes for that concert in memorial to the late Brian Doherty, but that did not occur. Of the two shows with no votes, I'm most surprised by The Gabba Heys, who finished in third in the second-half poll before plummeting here, but alas, it's all in who votes. Congratulations to Oh!No II on the ultimate victory, and we'll see you back here next month with our first half of 2019 poll for your favourite concerts!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another new news post on the site tomorrow, with weekend concert previews on Thursday! Thanks everyone!