Spades GT & The Northwest Updates, Plus More Recent News & Notes!!

I hope everyone's long weekend is off to a good start! On this Good Friday, we're playing catch-up with a very punk-leaning post, including the latest from a resurgent quintet, some assorted recent updates, and leading off, some big updates for a prominent band, so here's what you should know!

Here's the latest from local/Barrie punk/metal band Spades GT (née Jack Spades), who played their first concert since 2019 and since their relocation & name/lineup changes last night! As you may recall, Spades GT were among the support acts for a Dayglo Abortions/Random Killing show at The Queens Nightclub in Barrie last night, and based on personal Facebook postings, it looks like their set and the show proper were well received! It would have taken personal postings to learn that, however, as their Facebook page has vanished for unannounced reasons. If intentionally deleted, it could be to signify a fresh start, but the prior Jack Spades page was updated to reflect the new name and other changes, so who knows. This page for "Jack Spades GT" was launched last summer, but if it's official, it hasn't seen any updates aside from a non-specific profile picture. We'll let you know when/if a new Facebook page surfaces!

For now, Spades GT are linked on the SMS via their Bandcamp page. As for how Spades GT looked, photos shared from the event indicate that they are currently a four piece, belatedly confirming that guitarist Tiffany Stocco has left the band for a second time, presumably due to not moving to the GTA like J.D. & Daniel. Look for more music from her soon, hopefully! While she hasn't been replaced, there was one more lineup alteration, as Daniel Rodbard has replaced Steve Lorenz on bass with Spades GT for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened with Steve, but Daniel is an experienced Toronto-area bassist from acts like the Hip tribute The Tragically Hits and the thrash metal band Burning The Day, so it looks like he has the chops! No word on media from their debut, but members of Spades GT will be back in action in the GTA next month, so what should you know there?

Much like they did in the headliners' local dates, Spades GT will be among the openers for legendary metal trio Anvil's concert at The Rockpile in Toronto on May 28th, so if you'll be down south at the end of next month, keep this concert in mind, and click here for more details! Guitarist Daniel Horton has also indicated that he (at least) will be taking part in the Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute at The Queens Nightclub in Barrie on May 5th as part of a six band tribute concert, but it wasn't clear if Spades GT proper were the tribute or if this was a supergroup of area musicians.  It's great to see Spades GT are off & running at long last, and see above for more on J.D., the Daniels, and Tyler's 2022 activity!

Next up, here's the latest from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest, who received some surprise national TV exposure on Saturday night (well, early Sunday morning in this time zone) when their brand new song "Long Hair (Longer Nights)" was used as outro music during a third period commercial break of the Edmonton Oilers/Colorado Avalanche game on Hockey Night In Canada on CBC! Very cool, and while the band oddly did not plug the appearance before or afterward on their Facebook page, personal videos are floating around featuring the moment the song was played. When this occurred, the Oilers were leading 1-0, but the Avs won 2-1 in the shootout. Also on Saturday, Niagara Falls music website From The Strait interviewed Wayne Watkins & Mike Yakasovich from The Northwest for this article, so what do we learn?

The interview features the guys talking about the meaning of "Long Hair (Longer Nights)", how they formed, their musical inspirations, favourite current Canadian bands, and what to expect in the future. While mostly a light, CliffsNotesy dialogue with no direct references to the Soo, The Northwest do reveal that their third EP "All In" is scheduled for release on Friday, June 10th, and gigs are in the works! Very good to hear, and if the date holds, it just adds to a surprisingly busy stretch for local hard rock & punk album releases as of late! Our monthly review backlog means it's tentatively pencilled in for a July review, for the record. Check out much more from The Northwest above!

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

 

• In their first Facebook posting in almost three months, local alternative/genre-hating quartet Handsome Sandwich revealed on Wednesday that the rhythm guitar, bass, and drum recording sessions for their upcoming debut album "Lettuce" are complete! No word on vocals (or lead guitar?) yet, but it's good to see that the guys are staying busy behind the scenes, and we'll let you know when more updates surface!
• The Midnight Echo concert in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, April 30th has been moved from Soo Blaster to The Rockstar Bar, as per the latter venue's new Facebook event page. A reason for the venue change was not announced, but note that outside of the SooToday article on Soo Blaster's spring 2022 concert series, they never advertised The Midnight Echo as playing there on social media. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but kudos to The Rockstar Bar for stepping in to ensure the show goes on! No word on admission fees, we'll let you know if something is said.
• Algoma University's campus nightclub/concert venue The Speakeasy re-opened last month after two years of pandemic inactivity with a newly renovated interior and a new regular open mic night series! As per their Facebook page, current operating hours are 6:00-11:00 PM on Wednesdays-Fridays, but one imagines that will expand with time, and could be flexible if outside events are booked there. It'd be great to see some concerts at The Speakeasy again when the time is right, but see above for what's going on there in 2022 so far!
  

 

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