LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Wasting Time, Go Skateboarding Day, And Tarnished) & The Northwest's New EP!!

The summer season is sure giving me a lot to write about at the SMS, so apologies in advance if anything gets/is delayed for coverage on the site, I'm working on it! Today's post features a new live concert video, details on a new local album release, and leading off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS that you punk fans will definitely be interested in for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to Snows Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville for a concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page last night, even lampshading the short notice by saying "Better late than never!". Tarnished debuted at Snows (at 1187 South Park Avenue, 40 minutes south of the Soo) in February during the venue's involvement in this year's Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest pub crawl, but TONIGHT'S concert does not have any advertised frills or themes. Regardless, it's their first announced concert since their (also late notice) Rudyard gig three weeks ago, but Tarnished have hinted that they will have shows to announce soon that have advance word. In fact, after TONIGHT, they'll hit the road for non-local shows in Gould City and Curtis later this month, so visit their Facebook page for continued details on those events.

Despite the late notice, fans can expect more hard hitting originals and covers from Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh TONIGHT in Cedarville, so don't miss out if you're able! This concert has an 8:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!

Next up, after a two year hiatus for very obvious pandemic-related reasons, Tidal Records will bring back their Go Skateboarding Day festivities on Tuesday, June 21st with five Sault Ontario bands hitting the stage (well, top of the ramp) at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre! After previously celebrating Go Skate Day annually with a free skateboarding community event from 2013-2019 (featuring live bands since 2014), it's great to see Dustin and crew (and sponsors) bringing this back at last! As usual, expect skate games, refreshments, and family fun, and if you can skate, you're welcome to come down! As for the musical side, the advertised headliners are local punk & alternative quintet These Magnificent Tentacles, while Dustin's re-activated (and still online page-less) cover punk band The Cover-Up will play their first show of 2022 as the only returning band from any prior Go Skate Day. 

The other three bands are all younger local groups, including acoustic roots/ska collective Unorganized Township (who you may remember from the 2019 Fringe North festival), punk quartet Vanity First (in their public concert debut, though note that they have not updated their Facebook page in almost three months), and hard rock quartet Raincourt (in their first show outside of White Pines C&VS). Nice diverse lineup that should set the tone for the extreme sports action well! Admission is free for this all ages concert, which begins at 4:00 PM one week from Tuesday, expected to end at 9:00 PM. Sounds like a fun time, so definitely see above for details!

Also, let's head to Soo Blaster, where Toronto pop punk quartet Wasting Time will make their local concert debut on Wednesday, June 29th! Wasting Time have been active in the Southern Ontario scene since 2017, and their upbeat brand of modern skate and pop punk will definitely appeal to genre fans with its spontaneity and energy, so definitely give them and their new album "Once More Without Feeling" a listen to see what they bring to the table! Young local classic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will open in their first public concert of 2022 following their late withdrawal from the Clusterfolk Festival in April (more on that soon, if belatedly), and while they're not a perfect genre match to the headliners, The Uncanny Valley's talents and raw potential will be on full display, as fans will have seen at Soo Blaster in October! This is the fourth stop on Wasting Time's Bite Fight Tour of Canada this summer.

Tickets for this show run for $15 in advance (presumably at the venue, I haven't seen a link to buy them online) or $20 at the door. This is a 19+ event as far as I know, and doors open at 8:00 PM. Hopefully things wrap up somewhat early given that there are only two bands and it is a Wednesday night, but visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and if you like skate punk, definitely consider coming to Soo Blaster on the 29th!

Finally, here's a very big story for local punk fans, as The Northwest's long awaited third EP "All In" was released yesterday! The indie/punk quintet put the EP out on Spotify as expected, as well as on Apple Music, but crucially, it is on sale for digital download via their Bandcamp page for $7, so it is officially in line for a formal review on the SMS! No word on physical copies, but your first chance to see if they exist would be at the Elliott Brood show at LopLops next Friday. Produced at Unsalted Audio by Pointless bandmates Dustin Goodall & Bill Priddle (with Dustin engineering and mixing solo), "All In" was mastered by Bryan Lowe at Joao Carvalho Mastering (where Id Iota's EP was mastered too), and the album artwork was made by frontman Wayne Watkins' old Small Town Rivals bandmate Jesse Nelson and prolific local punk musician/Cross Dog bassist Mark Rand.

The EP has six songs, including the three preview singles and three previously unreleased songs named "Unsober October", "Lights", and "Walls". It's great to finally see "All In" on sale and available to stream for free if you are so inclined, but when will we be reviewing the EP on the site? Honestly, it won't be until August, as this month is already set for Chase Wigmore's new album, while Sykotyk Rampage's surprise new album is ahead in July due to it going on sale sooner. We'll go all in on "All In" in a couple months, but give the whole thing a listen above! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site next week! Thanks everyone!