LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Apocalypse Afterparty & Fort Creek), Plus A New Album Release!!

Before we get into this post, just a heads up that the Black Label Society-headlined concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday has been postponed (again) after consultation with tribal health professionals, as per the Facebook event page last week. You can look into COVID case rates in Michigan on relevant news sites, and of course, this is disappointing to miss out on B.L.S. locally yet again, but tickets can be held on to for the planned rescheduling in 2022. On to happier news, as we head to Sault Ontario for a big new album release and, leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to the stage for concerts at Reggie's West on Friday, November 19th and Saturday, November 20th! Making their first live concert appearance in just over two months, fans will have last seen Fort Creek in a injured motorcycle riders fundraiser on September 11th, but Fort Creek last rocked The Reggievelt back in July, following a cancellation at the same venue in late August due to an undisclosed band member illness. Twelve weeks later, the guys are finally back there, and during their two month break from the stage, they were learning new songs and even gave away some more merchandise in another Facebook contest, so they've hardly been idle. Hopefully Justin, Shane, Matt, Robin, and Tony have another strong weekend of covers in store for fans next weekend, so if you're up for some live music, keep these gigs in mind!

Another merchandise giveaway will take place next weekend, for the record. 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits are in effect, but remember that vaccine passports must be shown to enter Reggie's West for either show, and as usual, please mask up where necessary and use common sense to keep yourself and everyone else safe. Visit Fort Creek's Facebook page for more details on next weekend's concert action!

Next up, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will play a rare public concert set on Saturday, November 20th when they perform at Glambition, a festival set up at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center as a fundraiser for local youth homeless shelter Pauline's Place! The title of the event is apt, as Glambition isn't just a concert, but promises to have "entertainment from every part of the community", including fashion shows, dancing, and of course, musical acts, with multiculturalism also promoted on the Facebook event page. Despite it's wonderful artistic and charitable goals, there are a lot of unknowns for Glambition, especially given that the event is 11 days away, and that organizers have not confirmed a performer lineup/schedule at press time, but The Apocalypse Afterparty signaled their own involvement (with an 8:00 PM set) on their Facebook page yesterday.

Note that a performer slot was still open as of 4 hours ago, so click here for details on how to apply, while Handsome Sandwich singer Taylor Emlaw promoted a performer search for it on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group late last month (that band proper has not publically confirmed if they're playing or not). In any event, admission is $10 via ticket sales at this link or at the door, food & drinks will be available, this is an ALL AGES event, and it starts at 6:00 PM. Vaccine passports must be shown upon entry, and please use common sense re: the pandemic, especially as kids will be present. Intriguing event with more to announce, so stay tuned for updates!

Also, after almost four years, local/Thompson, Manitoba alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith finally released his 51st studio album "Bridges" on Saturday! The date wasn't announced in advance, but Saturday was Mike's 30th birthday, so the timing works out well in that regard! Released via Mike's own MorningStar Studios and recorded at Thompson's Lionheart Audio, "Bridges" is Mike's first canon album with an outside producer, Justin Sobey, who is a guest musician on three songs. Digitally, the ten track album is available on Bandcamp for just $5, but physical copies are available through Kunaki for $10 (CD) or $35 (vinyl, albeit with an altered track listing). Mike gave a long write-up about the album proper on Bandcamp, where he clarifies that "Bridges" is a concept album inspired by isolation and mental health issues, and that it reflects heavily on his early months living in & adjusting to Thompson after moving there in the fall of 2017.

Despite it's delayed release, Mike does note that "Bridges" sounds like a musical transition point between his old band The Din's 2017 album "Suburban Dream" and last year's "If Ever Comes The Day", and while it "is a straight-cut retro rock throwback" with more in common to The Din, he did acknowledge that his solo music has moved "toward lighter instrumentation and more pop-inspired tones", with more symbolism of the songs and cover artwork following. Of course, you can buy "Bridges" above and/or stream it on major streaming platforms, but Mike does have one more test printing of the album on vinyl that he's giving away in a contest if you are so inclined! You can hear a sample from it in this video from Mike's Facebook page, which has a factory test sleeve, but closer audio quality to the final pressings. Like, share, and tag a friend in that video's post to enter for a chance to win that test copy!

The winner will be drawn during Mike's next Facebook live-streamed concert on Saturday. Also, he has posted official lyric videos for most songs onto his YouTube channel, each with unique visuals! The exception is "The Nature Of The Times", which has it's own proper music video, albeit without lyrics. There's more to get into from Mike's new album (click here to get a head start before we cover them), and it's extremely likely that "Bridges" will be reviewed on the SMS later this month. For now, watch the lyric video for the opening song "From The 55th Parallel" below, and buy it above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!