LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Here's a rarity: Two posts in one day! As our newest Metal Morpheus recap post was delayed into the wee hours of Thursday the 18th, we have a second post to cover both weekend concert previews and some other news, like a new video and related updates from one band, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from another! Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished will make their apparent Bird's Eye Outfitters debut on Saturday, November 27th when they topline a 1980s hair band night at the venue! This will be Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh's first concert since their Rapids Lounge gigs this past weekend, and it definitely marks the first show we've covered at Bird's Eye Outfitters (the outdoors store/cafe on the site of the former Golanka's Bar/The Bird at 107 East Portage Avenue) since the onset of the pandemic. Bird's Eye have hosted live music sporadically this year, so Tarnished aren't the first band back, but they have to be the first heavier band since 2019, and they are up for an '80s hair metal theme, especially given the current hair lengths of 3/4ths of the group! While the Christmas season will be fully upon us by next weekend, attendees are encouraged to dress up as their favourite '80s artists.

Note that the venue didn't name the headliners in their Facebook advertising, but Tarnished confirmed that they were the band in question on their own Facebook page earlier today. A 21+ age limit and no cover charge are likely in effect for this show, which has an early 6:00 PM start time, and yes, there will be drink specials of some kind that night. Please honour and respect any and all social distancing and public health guidelines at Bird's Eye to ensure that everyone has a safe and responsible time next weekend. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Tarnished's camp!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for some weekend concert previews, and barring some late notice gigs (always a possibility), this looks to be relatively quiet overall for heavier bands. However, local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will end their two month break from the stage when they rock Reggie's West TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After dropping out of a planned Reggievelt date in August due to a band member illness, you could call these dates a rescheduling (if after twelve weeks), but fans will have last seen Justin, Shane, Matt, Robin, and Tony at an outdoor fundraiser event in September. Always good to see Fort Creek back with their hard rocking blend of covers, but they won't be alone! Stemming from a Facebook search on November 10th for "up and coming talent" that wanted the chance to open for Fort Creek, they will actually have an opening act for these shows!

Namely, the openers are Whiskey & Beer, an acoustic classic rock duo from local musician Jeremy Logan Newman and colleague Jeff Rimmer. Jeremy's a talented musician, and it'll be interesting to see/hear how they do in this spot, if atypical given that bands on the weekend bar cover circuit don't usually have openers! 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits are in place, there will be another merchandise giveaway, and vaccine passports must be shown upon entry, and please respect Reggie's West's social distancing measures. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Fort Creek live at the same venue!

Lastly for this weekend (barring something on late notice), let's head downtown to The Rockstar Bar, where genre-hating quartet Handsome Sandwich will play their first proper headlining concert since before the pandemic THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Be advised that Handsome Sandwich have not updated their Facebook page since initially announcing this show almost a month ago, and The Rockstar Bar's Facebook page hasn't promoted it at all, but as of this writing, no one has said it's cancelled, so we'll treat it as normal unless given word otherwise. This will be the second live appearance (and first in Sault Ste. Marie city limits) for Handsome Sandwich since their revival and since expanding to a quartet with Taylor Emlaw & Mitch Sirie on vocals & bass respectively, so fans who missed them at The Northern Vibe Festival might want to make a trip to The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs venue on Saturday!

Remember, Handsome Sandwich were working on their debut album "Lettuce" this summer, so expect new and already teased original songs on Saturday as well! Assuming nothing was called off quietly, this concert will have a 9:30 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit, and do not forget your vaccine passports if you want in the bar! Of course, please respect and follow any and all public safety and health measures in place to ensure that everyone leaves as healthy as they arrived (alcohol intake notwithstanding). Visit the above links for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich's new lineup playing one of their originals!

Finally, I've gotta cover these items before bigger things happen with this band in short order, as local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty have had some new teasers for their planned music video launch (and more?) on Sunday! This past weekend, they did launch a contest on their Facebook page for fans to suggest drummer Amanda Stanghetta's first ever tattoo, and the most liked choice (barring anything offensive) will be what she has to get. Bold and risky, keep this in mind if you want to take part! As for the prior contest for a $100 Station Mall gift card, the winners of that and other undisclosed prizes will be drawn in a Facebook live-stream video tomorrow at 8:00 PM, so you still have time to enter if you haven't already! And yes, Paul & Amanda took part in a hot wings roulette challenge on their Facebook page two weeks ago, and you can witness their pain in this 20 minute video of the festivities!

If you're familiar at all with video challenges/demos of people trying obscenely spicy hot sauces, you can imagine what they're going through in this video, and yes, be advised of adult language (not to mention the sideways camera angle for most of it). While not seemingly musical, the last four minutes do feature The Apocalypse Afterparty loosely covering Say Anything's "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too", but the cymbals on Amanda's drums override Paul entirely in this recording. Give everything a watch below, though you may need to tilt your head, and stay tuned for their "List of Demands (Reparations)" music video's premiere on Sunday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon, perhaps tomorrow if any late notice shows surface! Thanks everyone!