Friday, July 5, 2019

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Michale Graves, The Faps, And Darsombra), Plus Northwest Updates!!

Alright, let's finally get caught up on some big recent news on the SMS, and I apologize profusely for the delays in covering these newly announced concerts on the site, one in particular! We also have big road trip and related coverage for a prominent punk band at post's end, but let's lead off with those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in chronological order!

Saskatchewan trash-punk duo The Faps will return to Sault Ste. Marie for their sixth live concert appearance on Wednesday, July 31st when they headline at the Dryer Fire summer pop-up venue at 123 Bruce Street! Certainly no strangers to local fans or this site, some readers will have just seen Blair & Skylar's intense and irreverent live show back in April at The New A, and while this isn't quite a return to autumn normalcy, it's great to see The Faps back at another downtown venue at month's end, presumably with women's clothing in tow! Local surf rock instrumental band The Dynowaves are advertised to open, and they should deliver a fun set of their own to kick things off! Remember, bassist Brenton Ellis opened for The Faps in April with his solo project Slumshine, more on them in a bit. Note that I have not found a local Facebook event page to plug this show at press time, but it is advertised at Dryer Fire via July event posters like this, so that'll do for now.

An exact cover charge is not public yet, but The Faps' last local show charged $5, and many Dryer Fire events are "pay what you can" or free to enter as it is. While this is a mid-week show, Dryer Fire concerts generally take place at 7:00 PM and are ALL AGES as a rule, so don't let the Wednesday scheduling scare you off. This should be a fine attraction for new and old fans alike who want The Faps' minimalist noise punk attack, so don't miss the action then, and see the above links for more details!

Next up, Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will return to The New American Pub for their second local concert appearance on Saturday, August 17th! This show comes over two years after this exceedingly unique band last played The New A, and if you recall that concert, you'll remember the audiovisual presentation, extended jam sessions, lack of a singer or drummer, and their unique hybrid sound that united psychedelia, drone rock, and classic metal stylings. Darsombra has to be seen to be fully appreciated, I highly recommend tracking down videos (or coming to the show proper next month!) Online page-less folk solo project Slumshine will open in what is advertised as their album release show, while Brent will have original artwork for sale during the concert. A local act launching an album in a support slot isn't unheard of locally (Telephone & Address did the very same in 2016), and hopefully Slumshine make a big splash in this regard next month!

A second opening act is to be announced, though for reference, 2017's Darsombra show was opened by Pointless and late fill-ins Pillory. Presented by Six, Two, Oh. once again, this concert has a 9:00 PM start time, an $8 cover charge (up $1 from last time), and a 19+ age limit. It should be quite a night when Darsombra come back to the Soo, and with this being a Saturday nighter for a change, hopefully that + the strong reception in 2017 will help make this even bigger and better! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Lastly for our overdue concert announcements, but certainly not least, former Misfits frontman Michale Graves has finally announced the make-up date from last year's cancelled Canadian Nightclub concert, as he'll be there on Saturday, September 28th, exactly one year & one week later! As many fans may recall, Michale and the two touring opening bands were unable to make it into the U.P. (let alone Canada) last September due to severe winds closing the Mackinac Bridge, and forcing a very short notice tweaking of the concert into a free, all-local jam night. Well, if you've held onto your tickets from last year for this long, then you can absolutely use them on September 28th to see Michale Graves in concert, though on this American Monster Tour, he is performing his two Misfits albums ("American Psycho" & "Famous Monsters") in their entirety during his set, so how's that for extra incentive? Opening bands have not been announced yet, but for reference, Argyle Goolsby & The Roving Midnight, Nim Vind, and locals Jack Spades were to have opened last fall, and I'd be shocked if Jack Spades didn't open still.

Still an ALL AGES and licensed concert promoted by J.D. Pearce, this 8:00 PM event will have slightly lower advance tickets going for $22.50 at this link, with in-person availability to be announced. And remember, tickets from last year's show are accepted for the new date, except if you got a refund. It's great to see Michale Graves finally trying again for a local concert date, and with a year's anticipation and full Misfits albums in his set, this should be a packed house, weather permitting! Visit the official Facebook event page for continuing updates as they roll in!

Finally for today, here's the latest from local indie/punk quintet Northwest, and apologies again for the delay in this making the site! Back in April, you may remember seeing local news releases where organizers of the Rock on the River Festival in Timmins were looking for Northern Ontario bands to send in submissions to play at their Northern Roots Stage on July 26th or 27th. Well, Northwest took them up on it, and they will represent the Soo at the festival on Friday, July 26th! They're the first listed band that would be playing on the Northern Roots Stage, while they'll be playing on the same day as past local headliners like The Sheepdogs, Tim Hicks, and The Road Hammers. Definitely a huge opportunity for Northwest, and hopefully they make lots of new fans 6 hours east in three weeks' time! To hype up the set, the band posted this 15 seconds-long video onto their Facebook page last month, which features black & white band photos, a brief song clip, and text promoting the festival.

Short but sweet advertising that gets the point across, so give it a look below, and click here for full details on the Rock on the River Festival, including on how to attend if you're up for a road trip or live in/near Timmins!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

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