LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Anti-Queens, The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Bridge Heads, And Handsome Sandwich!!)

Today's news post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (all with plenty of advance notice too!), and there are a lot of familiar faces to go around here, from prominent local musicians to previously seen touring acts. Here's what you need to know in chronological order!

Local "no genre" (if alternative/punk-leaning) trio Handsome Sandwich will play a pair of solo headlining dates at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, February 28th & Saturday, February 29th! Fresh off of their unplugged set at the (reportedly) now-closed Room 21 on Friday, this will be a rare advance notice opportunity to see Johnny, Jesse, and James on stage in a weekend bar band capacity with no advertised opening acts. What kind of set will be on display from this curiously named trio at month's end, and will it be as irreverent in humour and cover selection as their other post-return gigs? Be at The Rockstar Bar next weekend to find out! As usual for single band local gigs at this venue, these are both 19+ engagements with no cover charges and likely 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more from their camp as it rolls in (they even updated their Facebook page for the first time in almost 2 years yesterday!)

Next up, the other two bands from Friday night's Acoustic Heartstrings concert will join forces the following week at the same venue, as new local hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads and acoustic pop rock quartet Big Mistake will rock The Rockstar Bar on Friday, March 7th! Both bands (each featuring Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton) made their public live debuts on Friday, so this will be a way for fans to see how both bands are developing. Big Mistake will likely not be too different thematically from night #1, being acoustic by design, but this will be our first chance to see Haggith/Eclipse successors The Bridge Heads with plugged in instruments and a full drum kit. This should be an intriguing way for fans to see two new (yet familiar) bands on stage in one fell swoop, so don't miss out! While this is also a 19+ event, the Facebook event page unfortunately lists a $5 cover charge, as well as a later 9:30 PM start time. Should be an entertaining yet diverse night of music, so see above for more details!

Also new next month, the aforementioned Handsome Sandwich and rap/metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will hit LopLops Lounge on Friday, March 13th as the local support for Thunder Bay post-pop mainstay Jean-Paul de Roover and his backing band The Bandaid Solution! Self-described as "alt rock prog pop", the backing band is new to me, but Jean-Paul is no stranger to the Soo, having played here solo at least six times since 2009, most recently at LopLops last October. I wouldn't say Jean-Paul crosses the hard rock line, but he is renowned for his energetic live sets and diverse blend of styles in his original material, including pop rock, acapella, and electronic influences. It's great to see him back in the Soo once again! Of course, the local acts will provide some heavier and punk styles, with Handsome Sandwich getting a tune-up before opening for A Dire Setback there two weeks later, while this will be The Apocalypse Afterparty's first public concert set not affiliated with The Soo's Got Talent since their minimally advertised pop-up gigs in 2017.

No word on if Alice will be back on second bass next month, but this should be a solid showcase for The A.A.'s own energetic genre blending sound! For what it's worth, the Facebook event page lists Jean-Paul and his band in the middle slot, implying that The Apocalypse Afterparty are closing that night, but there's been no elaboration on that front. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has a $10 charge at the door (no word on online ticket availability.) This sounds like a fun concert with something for everyone, so visit the above links for more details!

Finally for today's new concert post, all-female Toronto punk/grunge quartet The Anti-Queens will return to Sault Ste. Marie when they headline at the aforementioned Rockstar Bar on Saturday, May 23rd! This will be The Anti-Queens' first local concert appearance since headlining at this same venue back in July 2016, though they headlined on short notice after guitarist Valerie Knox's other band Black Cat Attack had tour van issues. Four years later, The Anti-Queens are the featured headliners from the start, and their hard hitting brand of modern punk should get a solid audience at The Rockstar Bar in three months! While not yet listed on the Facebook event page, it was created through local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' Facebook page, heavily implying that this will be their first concert since their tour run with Random Killing in September. Surprisingly long layoff (Tiffany moving acknowledged), but they opened for The Anti-Queens last time and should do great again here!

Another opening act is to be announced, but for reference, the second local band in 2016 was the now-defunct Project 421. Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this 19+ concert has a $10 cover charge (up for $5 in 2016) and a 9:30 PM start time. Punk fans will want to circle this date on their calendars, and with this one in close proximity to my 31st birthday, this might be a good way to celebrate! See the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!