LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), A Band Reunion & Breakup, And Much More!!

Plans for a single-topic post today went out the window once I discovered a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, but not from the band I expected! To round things out, we have a surprise band reunion from a decade or so ago (with a linked band dissolution), and some assorted recent updates, so let's get things rolling!

For a second straight post, we're leading off with a new date from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, as they'll hit Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook page on Wednesday, with Tarnished following suit a day later. Yes, TONIGHT's show (attached to a hunter's bash at the former Joe's Bar & Grill) was supposed to be headlined by fellow local hard rockers Rhythm & Brews, but Huck's quietly edited all promotion of this concert on Facebook to reflect the band change (click the three dots and "View edit history" for proof), so this truly is a short notice booking! A reason for Rhythm & Brews' withdrawal was not publically announced, but they deleted their mention of TONIGHT's concert outright. Hopefully all's well in their camp, but Tarnished are a fitting replacement!

Hunter or otherwise, you can enjoy Tarnished's hard rock and 80s metal-inspired covers & originals TONIGHT at 11358 West Main Street (a half hour from the Soo), with a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Please follow and respect social distancing and public health measures posted at Huck's to ensure that you and everyone else has a safe time, especially in light of Michigan's new face mask recommendations for indoor gatherings. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Half Past are back after being defunct for over nine years! The band made the announcement on their Facebook page on Monday. Originally known as Fingerbone, Half Past launched in 2008, and peaked in popularity & live frequency in 2010, complete with original songs & EP plans, but lineup turnover often stalled their momentum, and they last played live in October 2011, before dissolving early the next year. The new lineup is mostly a revival of Half Past's early-mid 2011 incarnation that you may have seen at that year's Hempfest in Ophir, with Isolation Sessions bandmates Jordan Rains (ex-NAClamation) on vocals & Arthur Lacasse (Lockdown/Soo Fighters) on bass, plus Parabol's Alain Fletcher on guitar. On drums, they have enlisted ex-Disciples of Rock/Stoned To Deaf drummer Jamie Labreche, replacing Chris Thompson for unannounced reasons.

Hopefully nothing bad happened with Chris, and that we see him back behind the drumkit in due course, but remember that he still(?) plays with Arthur in his other active bands! You may have noticed that everyone but Al are also in the new local hard rock band Dealing Without, so where do they fit in? Nowhere, apparently, as that band's Facebook page was quietly taken down at some point in recent months, so it looks like they have broken up, with the new Half Past succeeding them outright. Dealing Without had launched in March of this year, and uniquely planned to play live with two different lead singers, but they never really got off the ground despite a promising lineup. Best of luck to Robert, Rick, and James in the future though, they'll be assets in their next bands! I have removed Dealing Without from our band links, as they had no other online pages.

As for Half Past, it's great to see them back after almost a decade away! While this is mostly a reunion of a relatively short-lived period from their original run (Half Past's best known singer, Luke LeBlanc, died in 2015), their 2011 dates showed a lot of promise and the same instrumental heft fans had came to expect from them, and it'll be very interesting to see and hear what they bring to the table for their relaunch. Stay tuned for updates!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• In one more Facebook page contest in the lead-up to Sunday's music video release, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty are allegedly giving fans $1 each if they take a picture of themselves holding something with the band's name written on it, and people who do so will be entered to possibly win gift cards, a lottery ticket package, and/or shout-outs from the band on social media. The contest runs for a month, and click here for full details!
• Prolific local metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month looking for opportunities to jam with local musicians and/or play live concerts. While he cited that he's a "solo acoustic metal act", he's open to playing pre-written material and has no genre preferences. Chase's talent level is well established, and he has been missed on stage during the pandemic, so message him at this link or above if you want to play with or book him!
  
• Lockdown/Soo Fighters singer/guitarist Jules Cote posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Wednesday looking for a drummer for an "easy-going, fun-loving cover band". The sound & setlist description heavily points towards this being for Lockdown, and while they're not a hard rock act, they share three members with The Soo Fighters, one being ex-(?)drummer Chris Thompson, who is not part of the aforementioned Half Past reunion (Arthur Lacasse is in all three bands). The group post does not reference The Soos directly, but if you want more details regardless, message Jules at this link or above, and hopefully Chris is doing alright!
  

 

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