LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Apocalypse Afterparty), Plus Handsome Sandwich & Spades GT Updates!!

Before we get to today's post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's previews, as local funk/hard rock sextet The Wyld Stallyns played at The Whisky Barrel last night. I profusely apologize for missing this one, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday, with the band following suit yesterday, and amidst all of the new shows (late notice or otherwise) that were covered in the last two days, it completely slipped me by. I apologize again, hopefully the show was a hit, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Now, let's dive into some new videos & updates, starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will play their first show of the year on Monday, March 20th when they headline the Fishbowl Festival's closing party at... Broers Jansen? This is the wine bar/restaurant at 674 Queen Street East formerly known as The Wine Barrel (so renamed as it's owned by the Jansen brothers), and while they're normally closed on Mondays, it's interesting to see them open their doors to the Fishbowl Festival to close out their 2023 return year! Remember, the festival is held only during the Pisces stretch of the astrological calendar, hence the Monday scheduling. An eclectically diverse lineup will play at Broers Jansen that night, with The A.A. joined by folk rock veteran Brian Tremblay (apparently sans The Sinister Hearts) and online page-less dark synth pop solo artist OwenMK.

This show has $10 advance tickets (availability unclear but check with Broers Jansen, festival organizers, and/or the performers for details), a 19+ age limit, and a 6:30 PM start time, with the Stanghettas headlining at 8:30 PM. Broers Jansen will have food and drinks available to purchase as well. This should be an interesting cap to the Fishbowl Festival, and hopefully Nicole and everyone else involved with organization see lots of positive results over the next month! Of course, it's great seeing The Apocalypse Afterparty back for more up-tempo rap metal action, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, I feel like I'm the last person in the city to talk about this, but local hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich released their music video for their debut single "Bitter" on Wednesday! Not only that, but it is also available on "all platforms" (if by "all", you mean the five music streaming platforms linked here), so they're definitely getting a jump on May's planned "Deconstructed" album release! As hinted by its teaser video, Handsome Sandwich filmed the video proper at Topsail Island at Bellevue Park last fall, including shots of the band walking in the area, performing on the waterfront, and frontwoman Taylor Emlaw singing while sitting in one of the five big blue chairs that popped up in town a couple of years ago. Oddly, credits for the filming of the video proper weren't given in the video description (it was uploaded as scheduled on their YouTube channel on Wednesday), but full production and mastering credits for the song/album were noted.

I'll hold comment on the song proper until our album review ("Deconstructed" is still slated for a May 5th release), but the video is fun and gives some nice scenic visuals to accompany the music, which has been well received by others so far, and I still have to sit in one of those blue chair myself! Note that in the band's newest Facebook page posting from earlier today, they noted that "morning creations went well", referring to a picture of bassist Rafael Medina & drummer Johnny Belanger working at a laptop, appearing to be rendering the band's logo on a black circle. Physical CD/record label, album art in progress, or something else? We'll keep you posted, but give the "Bitter" music video a watch below!

We'll close with Johnny's old band Jack Spades (now Spades GT), as the local/Barrie crossover thrash band is hard at work on their new full length album! On January 19th, the band revealed that they would be hitting the studio in February with Toronto-based producer Kyle Marchant to record their third CD, following 2014's "The First" EP and their involvement in 2015's "Fed Up!" split, but this will be the first under their current GTA incarnation. The guys hit the studio on Monday, with guitarist Daniel Horton already recording his parts, while frontman J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) is apparently tracking vocals this weekend. It is worth noting that Jay Sarrazin isn't pictured in the photos posted from the sessions, with one picture of the band minus J.D. being tagged "3 out of 4 ain't bad". If I read that accurately, then his involvement on rhythm guitar at the Walter Froebrich memorial show must have been as a guest.

If Jay is out/was never in permanently, then he sure did Spades GT a solid by filling in on bass late last year, and he does have a busy slate with his current bands Hellrager and Sierra Pilot as it is! The band is aiming to release the album "this spring", implying that we should see it by May, and if you're friends of band members on Facebook, then they'll have spilled more beans there about the album makeup. In terms of live dates, they'll make their way to Guelph on March 24th, Newmarket on April 1st, and their new hometown of Barrie on April 24th, so while none of these are local, it's good to see the guys back at it for normal concerts once the recording sessions wrap up! Each show's Facebook event page is linked via the city name. Notably, new bassist James Roy Daley is doubling up in Guelph by also playing with his other band Stand Against Fear, while Daniel will also be playing with his second band The Fast Life in Newmarket.

As for the Barrie show, it will see Spades GT open for all-female Toronto punk/grunge quartet The Anti-Queens, who headlined locally at The Rockstar Bar back in July 2016 and were supposed to return there in May 2020, a show cancelled for very obvious reasons. Jack Spades opened in 2016 and were supposed to debut their never-revealed new lineup in 2020, so give it three years and a relocation 6½ hours southeast, and that show finally got re-booked... kinda! See above for much more on what Spades GT are up to in the GTA, and look for more updates when they roll in from them and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!