LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Jack & Double Down), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Another weekend is upon us, so let's begin this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due to the amount of shows this weekend, I am holding the previously announced Bone Yard and Soundcheck gigs for our next post, hopefully hitting the site early tomorrow, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend off, particularly via SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these gigs via their Facebook page on Monday. Their second concert weekend of 2024 and their first gigs at Reggie's since November, these will feature their full lineup after bassist Brad Stephen had to miss out on that weekend, so if you've missed the full band at this Queen Street East staple, you know where to be TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! Note as well that singer/guitarists Joel Syrette & Adam King both celebrated birthdays this week, so give them sufficient greetings if you're there! You can enjoy this veteran foursome's classic and hard rock covers both nights at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. No word yet on when Double Down will hit the stage next, but don't miss out on all of the action TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's! See above for more details, and here's Double Down live last year!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where new local hard rock quintet Double Jack will play their second ever live gig and first ever headlining date THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Merchants Bar! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band also only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday, but in a mild surprise, The Merch's Facebook page also confirmed it via this weekend schedule image yesterday (they rarely plug concerts there, so this is encouraging, if still short notice!). Last seen placing in third at the LSSU Battle of the Bands in November, Double Jack have been busy behind the scenes ever since, and if you noticed that I called them a quintet, that's no mistake. Regarding their teased guitarist switch, they officially announced that Alex Zimmerman has joined the band, replacing Melvin Willis. A reason for Melvin's departure was not announced, but hopefully all's well with him and that we see him in another band soon! 

Alex is not familiar to me from past local bands, but the teaser video that Double Jack posted in December proves that he has the chops! If the usage of the EVH guitar was intentional to lead fans to Chris Hubbard first, then kudos, as they fooled me! Also, it's ironic that Isaac & Nathan would leave a band with a guitarist named Alex, only to be in a different band with another guitarist named Alex! As for that teased fifth band member, they're actually a lead singer, namely Amy Beach, who long-time SMS readers may recognize as former Shift frontwoman Amy Beairl! It's been well over a decade since we heard from Amy in a live music context on here, so it's great to see her in a new local band, and she was definitely a talented rock singer back in the day! Yes, we will have more on Double Jack's work with Molly Escherich last fall in an upcoming post. Between the gap since their debut and the new lineup, SATURDAY's show is very intriguing!

A one-nighter due to or resulting in Gary Hatch's show at The Merch tomorrow, SATURDAY NIGHT's event is at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit. See above for much more on the new look Double Down's sophomore live gig, and for a preview, here's Double Jack live at the battle of the bands last fall!

We'll end this preview post by heading north to Sault Ontario for local folk punk/extreme metal guitar virtuoso Chase Wigmore's first concert of 2024, when he debuts at The Distraction on East Street TOMORROW! With his teased retirement/hiatus from music yet to be reached (and his long-gestating "Chaotic Rite" album still in progress), Chase will break out his acoustic guitar for an evening of his unplugged original music (and perhaps a few covers) tomorrow Just in case there aren't too many more live dates ahead from him, don't miss his unplugged folk punk stylings tomorrow! Local/Toronto outsider folk singer/guitarist Shae Tull will open the proceedings, and her talented & very distinct brand of music will set the tone nicely, so don't be late for her set either! This is an all ages concert with a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" setup for admission, and it has an early start time of 5:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Chase live in concert last summer!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard and Soundcheck previews (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!