Bands: White Cowbell Oklahoma
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: January 26th
Info: The first major local hard rock show of 2019 with a touring headliner saw Toronto southern hard rock veterans White Cowbell Oklahoma return to the Soo after four years away with another eclectic and hard hitting night of originals! Honouring their 20th anniversary on this tour run, and playing locally with Sault native Curtis Faux for the first time, the chainsaw and angle grinder-laden attack was another hit with fans, but would you vote for it?
Bands: Rotopsy, Awokest, Crucify The Whore, Chase Wigmore, Black Cloud, and Reeder
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: February 26th
Info: A bit of a throwback to mid-2010s Oddfellows Hall shows came to The New A over the winter, where various Tyler Gibson and Chase Wigmore projects united for a night of grind and experimental metal action! Despite some late lineup shuffling, long-time Blood Shed Productions followers came out to enjoy this all-local lineup, notably featuring the apparent live debut of Black Cloud, plus a late notice opening rap set from Reeder. Did this show impress you the most?
Bands: The Cover-Up, Destroilet, Jack Spades, members of Northwest, Coral Fang, The Elements, and Stegadeth
Venue: Both floors of The Algonquin Hotel
Date: March 2nd
Info: Following Joni Radford's death in January after a lengthy cancer battle, her friends in the music community banded together to host a memorial concert in her memory at The Algonquin Hotel, with seven punk bands playing across both floors of the venue. A huge crowd come out to honour Joni and rock out with this stacked lineup, including a rare Cover-Up headlining set and Destroilet's first show in 2 years, but would you vote for it in this poll?
Bands: OZbourne & The Paul DellaVedova Band (now The Dell Bros.)
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: March 23rd
Info: The first of a trifecta of tribute band headlining concerts locally in March saw Winnipeg-based Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath tribute band OZbourne end an eight year drought for Ozzy tribute bands around here, and they delivered a faithful looking and sounding show for any Ozzy or Sabbath fan! Notably opened in a surprise genre clash by blues rock trio The Paul DellaVedova Band, was this night of classic covers enough to get your vote?
Bands: Parabol & The Elements (as "Scar Tissue")
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 23rd
Info: While Ozzy fans flocked to The Canadian, Tool fans instead headed to The Rockstar Bar on March 23rd, as local Tool tribute Parabol continued their early promise with another well recieved local concert date! This talented group knows Tool hits inside and out, and fans got more than their fill on this night, with The Elements playing an all-Red Hot Chili Peppers cover set to kick off the night! Was this tribute show your favourite local show of early 2019?
Bands: The Tea Party & The Proud Sons
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: March 27th
Info: After previously rocking the Soo in July 2017 after a lengthy local absence, Windsor hard rock veterans The Tea Party returned for another headlining concert, this time at The Machine Shop (and with paid, 19+ admission.) Fans ate up their familiar rock radio hits, with Winnipeg southern rock band The Proud Sons impressing with their own rising originals to kick off the night. Would you vote for this concert over all others listed in the poll?
Bands: Destroyer & Griphook
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: March 30th
Info: The final of March 2019's tribute band run in the Soo saw Windsor-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer return to town for the first time in four years, and their well-tested brand of Kiss classics surely gave fans the next best thing to the best! Notably also featuring an opening set by hard rock cover quartet Griphook in their first public concert date in almost two years, this show helped send March out with a bang, but would you agree?
Bands: Conika, West of Hell, Expain, and Malignant Neoplasm
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: April 17th
Info: After a five year absence, Vancouver death metal quintet West of Hell brought their melodic yet brutal original attack back to the Soo with this headlining concert at The New A, with fellow Vancouver metallers Expain joining them on this tour stop. Also featuring a rare live set from cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm (or was it C.T.W.?!) and a closing rap set from Conika, would Six, Two, Oh.'s 2019 kick-off be your #1 pick?
Bands: The Killer Dwarfs & Re:Born
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: April 27th
Info: 1980s and early 1990s hair metal fans flocked to Soo Blaster in April to see Oshawa hair metal legends The Killer Dwarfs and their amusing stage show back in town after a lengthy absence, as put on and well advertised by Sault Online & Rock Talk columnist Ernest Skinner. While a battle of the bands to find openers never panned out, power rock quartet Re:Born's new lineup delivered a fitting opening set! Would you vote for this concert?
Bands: Dave Evans & Hells Bells
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: May 4th
Info: A cool curiosity for AC/DC fans if there ever was one, original early-1970s AC/DC frontman Dave Evans made his way to Sault Ste. Marie in May with a set full of AC/DC classics and his own later original material. Fans seemed to respond positively to Dave's set, as backed up by the locally familiar AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells, who also played an opening set of their own with newer set selections. Would you vote for this show here?
Bands: Dopethrone, AlgomA, and Shit Liver
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: May 20th
Info: Six, Two, Oh. brought another hard hitting night of doom and death metal to The New A a couple of months back, with Montreal "slutch metal" band Dopethrone making their local concert debut with a suitably slow and crushing set! Also featuring local death metal standouts (and "Trading Faces" splitmates) AlgomA & Shit Liver in their first local concert appearances in over a year, was this brutal concert your top pick of these six months?
Bands: K-Man & The 45s and Dave Smasher
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: June 6th
Info: Despite a late venue change and opener replacement, ska punk fans were surely still in attendance at The New A last month when Montreal's own K-Man & The 45s came back to Sault Ste. Marie for the seventh time in the 2010s, delivering more fan favourite original material as they have so regularly around here! Now featuring Planet Smashers bassist Dave Smasher in a surprise opening set, did this concert impress you more than the rest?
Bands: Anvil, Striker, Jack Spades, and Re:Born
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: June 9th
Info: What originally was announced as just a Striker concert with Re:Born opening soon doubled in size and scope when Toronto metal legends Anvil and fellow locals Jack Spades were added on, making this one of the early highlights of the summer concert season! Anvil's very familiar metal on metal and Striker's old school NWOBHM-influenced sound paired well with the attending crowd, but were you there to vouch for it here?
Bands: The Elements, The Cover-Up, Coral Fang, and The Dynowaves
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Park
Date: June 21st
Info: The seventh annual local Go Skateboarding Day festivities saw a fifth straight year of live music atop the big ramp at the skatepark outside of The John Rhodes Center, with 2018 returnees The Cover-Up joined by funk/hard rockers The Elements, Distillers tribute Coral Fang, and surf rock band The Dynowaves. This free, all ages, and outdoors event saw many music fans and skateboarders enjoy themselves, but were you among them?
Bands: Monster Truck & The Fortunate Losers
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: June 28th
Info: The first half of 2019 ended with a bang when Hamilton hard rock band Monster Truck made their local concert debut at Soo Blaster with their brand of Juno winning, southern rock-tinged original material! Also featuring Sudbury's own Fortunate Losers as an opening band, this concert didn't have the best turnout, but fans eager to hear Monster Truck live certainly ate this one up. Would you say this was your top local show so far this year?
Other: Did we miss your preferred concert in early 2019? For reference, artists like B.A. Johnston, Body Lens, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, The John Barber Band, Poison Girl, The River Jacks, Stoned To Deaf, Soundcheck, The Thirties, Tripod the Dog, Tym Morrison, and The Wyld Stallyns all played public local concerts between between New Year's Eve and Canada Day, along with shows not included involving some of the above acts in other shows in the poll. Maybe you preferred a Sault Michigan-area show instead? If your favourite local metal/hard rock/punk concert of early 2018 isn't listed above, vote for "Other"!
VOTE TODAY! You guys have until August 21st (due to the Rotaryfest delays) to cast your votes in this poll, and it'll be interesting to see how things go in a busier half-year for heavier concerts so far! I just hope there's a decent turnout. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!
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