LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (First Jason) & A New Local Punk Band!!

Today's post will be very notable for you punk, horror, and horror punk fans, as we have two big topics to address on those spectrums. One is a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT with some unique hooks in the spring, and leading off, here's a new addition to our band links that was over four months in the making!

We have a new local punk band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they The Sick Sons, who have became a quickly prominent sight in the second half of 2019! Originally named The Filthy Dadicals, they made a big splash via two major punk concerts at The Rockstar Bar, where they opened for Random Killing in July and The Ripcordz last month, though they only just launched their Facebook page on November 26th. Fans of defunct ska punk group The 12 Gauge Ready will be very interested in The Sick Sons, as they feature guitarist Lucas Schmiedendorf, bassist Dave Barrett, and drummer Clint Wilson in their lineup! Of course, don't forger that Luc and Clint were previously bandmates in both Bankshot and the short-lived 2017 group The HTs. This band's lineup is rounded out by former Downshift guitarist Steve Zuppa (who shares vocal duties with Luc), and their Facebook bio says that they are "fueled by their love of punk rock and craft beer."

You can next see The Sick Sons opening for Northwest on December 20th and The (former?) Cover-Up on the 28th, both shows taking place at LopLops. With a stacked lineup of local punk veterans from numerous high profile groups, it's no wonder they have got such a good reception at their initial gigs! While they don't dip too far into the ska well a'la The 12 Gauge Ready, they easily tackle lots of 1990s and 2000s punk favourites with skill, so give their first public videos a watch at this link, and stay tuned for more!

Next up, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and it's a newsworthy one, as New York punk/metal band First Jason will make their local concert debut at The Canadian Nightclub on Sunday, April 26th! The band's name is surprisingly literal, because their frontman is Ari Lehman, who played Jason Voorhees in flashbacks and the climax of the original Friday the 13th movie from 1980, filmed when he was just 14 years old. Afterwards, Ari moved onto a music career as a keyboardist and soundtrack composer, but he formed his own horror punk band in 2004, where he is the lead singer and plays a keytar shaped like a machete. How's that for a back story for a band playing here? As a band, First Jason have an entertaining sound that merges a few different genres into a heavy package with lots of Friday the 13th and horror movie fan service for good measure, and they are definitely worth checking out to see what you think! Adding to the intrigue, local horror punk standouts Frightlight will return as local openers for their third post-reunion show!

Last seen opening for Michale Graves in September at the same venue, it would admittedly be ridiculous to call this another one-off concert when we just saw them live less than three months ago, so I have restored them to our active band links for the first time since 2014. It looks like their status nowadays is to only play special or major concerts, and this definitely counts, though no word on if Rick will be back after missing the Graves show. At least one more local opening band is to be announced, we'll let you know when they are. Promoted by Frightlight's own J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints), this show is a co-production with Steel City Events, the organizers behind the first annual Steel City Nostalgia Fair taking place that same day, where Ari Lehman will be signing autographs and meet local fans, so click here for full details on that event! The organizers also hold the annual Steel City NerdCon at the Bushplane Museum, FYI.

This concert is considered to be the official after-party of the fair, though if there's a bundle admission option for both events, it's not yet public. Concert tickets go on sale online tomorrow (link to be posted on the Facebook event page), and they will run $15 in advance or $20 at the door, with physical ticket availability to be announced next week. A limited "Crystal Lake VIP package" will also be offered where you can get early entry, a photo with Ari, and an autographed Jason mask, so if that interests you, that runs for $40. This is a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time. There's a lot to take in here, but if you love horror punk and the original Friday the 13th, how can you pass this show up? Visit the above links for complete details, and here's Ari's preview video for both the Nostalgia Fair and concert here, as shared from Steel City Events' Facebook page on Friday! It's short, but Ari hypes things very well, and the neon Jason mask is a nice touch!



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