LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (IDNS), Tuned With Random Killing, And More!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge a recently cancelled concert that we actually hadn't plugged on the site before it was called off, that being a planned show by local hard rock cover quartet Griphook at The Speak Easy at Algoma University that would have taken place tomorrow night. The show (which would have been their Speak Easy debut and first gig since Rotaryfest) was cancelled due to "unknown circumstances" this weekend, as per their Facebook page, but they indicated that they have future gigs to announce. Hopefully all's well from the band and venue, and stay tuned for more! Now, today's post has recent assorted notes, the new Tuned episode, and an archive video, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

First, here's a special preview/LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as the recently advertised IDNS concert at "Das Bunker" in Garden River TONIGHT finally has a public address! AlgomA frontman Darby Wigwaus is putting on what you could call a sequel to August's Das Bunkerfest tonight, which will feature the return of recent Oddfellows Hall-headlining Toronto crust punk band IDNS, and it will be nice to see them here again! The other previously scheduled bands include the aforementioned AlgomA, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters (in their likely last gig before their CD release party), and local punk/metal standouts Jack Spades (in a rare appearance at a non-Johnny Pints Presents show), but there are teased and tentative additions. The lineup points to a reunion of the Soo Band Roulette-winning Cat Sass (featuring 2/3rds of AlgomA) and "a possible special attraction" to start the night. I have seen a personal Facebook posting hinting that a recently inactive metal band might be said attraction, but we'll hold further comment unless something more official is stated.

This all ages event will be held at 1472 Highway 17 E in Garden River (this address is publically posted there), it will have $5 admission, and snacks, band merchandise, and VHS tapes will be on sale, but it will be a dry event too. 8:00 PM start time as well, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! This should be another interesting event, so be sure to check it out if you're up for some metal & punk action in Garden River TONIGHT, and hopefully I can make it out too! For a preview, here's IDNS live in Toronto!



Next up, the new episode of Local2's music profile video series Tuned with Donna Hopper is finally online, and if you loved Hardcore Homecoming at The Rockstar Bar, you'll definitely want to check this out! The first ever Tuned episode with a parental advisory warning due to explicit language, the 15 minute episode starts with 5 minutes of Random Killing's headlining set that night (and a snippet of Destroilet before the intro) before transitioning to Donna interviewing Random Killing's Drew Kiteley on the Rockstar Bar patio, where they discuss why it's taken them 17 years to come back home, why they still play certain concerts where they don't get paid much, how Drew first got into punk rock, and even an aside from filmer (and Elements frontman) Rob Speers' memories of being at a classic Random Killing show at the Club Princess. Solid light-hearted interview for sure, though it'd have been nice if it was a bit longer. Donna follows that with a concert calendar update that includes the Gob show on October 29th (albeit still listing Seaway as opening instead of Northwest.)

The episode closes with video footage of the opening bands, including the aforementioned Elements, London punk rockers Gatgas, Destroilet (with Garry Ingram), and Jack Spades, and as usual, all are well filmed with nice audio quality, with bloopers again during the credits. Another great Tuned episode that will be great for fans to relive Hardcore Homecoming with (or catch up on what you missed), so check everything out at this link! Remember, Local2's video host doesn't allow external embedding.

Also today, here's another archive video of local hard rock cover band Havadder, also from YouTube user Danabelle39's channel! Like the recent Havadder videos that we've shared on here, this is of their 2012 Turner Up-hybrid lineup, specifically one of their first gigs together at the former Nicolet Tavern that January, where they covered The Travelling Wilburys' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man". The video quality isn't as good as in Dana's February videos of Havadder, with the colours seeming very warm and limited, and the camera angle cuts off then-guitarist Robert Brown often, but it's a well done cover, and Jason Roy's vocals seem to fit the original song! Check it out below!



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

• Just as a note of clarification, local/Toronto celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide enlisted Northwest drummer Clint Wilson to fill in for Mikey Hawdon for their local and Thessalon shows last month, as per their Facebook page at the time. Presumably due to external commitments, Mikey has missed some of The Rising Tide's recent concerts, but as far as I know, he hasn't left the band. Hopefully Clint fit in well last month!
• Though not announced on their Facebook page, Sault Michigan hard rock trio Power Slug took a road trip to play at the Kewadin Casino in Manistique this past weekend. Out of our coverage range, but hopefully the show went well! Our source is frontman Chris Leask's personal Facebook page.
• A local guitarist named Shane Bromfield is looking for other people to jam with, and his influences include everyone from Dimebag Darrell to Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Solid range, but if you're interested in playing with Shane, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Saturday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new archive punk video showcase tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Local Concert Previews!!

Hello everyone! We have seven hard rock/metal concerts to my knowledge this weekend, so today's post is dedicated solely to them, so if you need help picking a concert to attend this weekend, I have you covered! So here's what you need to know for this weekend's concerts!

We'll quickly start in Sault Ontario tomorrow night, as Turner Up return to the live stage for the first time since Todd Killam's departure for a show at The Nicolet Tavern! This show was originally part of two scheduled for next weekend, but was pushed back and cut in half in favour of a singular show tomorrow night. Despite the recent confirmation of Brent Royer at their new frontman, Turner Up will play tomorrow's show as a four-piece while they "prepare" Brent. So for tomorrow, drummer Scott McClurg will handle lead vocals, which should be interesting! The show starts at 10:30 PM, there's no announced cover, and I imagine you myst be 19 to get in. If nothing else, you should go for the unique nature of this show, and for the classic hard rock covers they'll bring to the table! Check out more from Turner Up at their official Facebook page, confirm your attendance by clicking here, and for a preview, here's an old Todd Killam-era video of the band covering Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music"!



Now we'll head to Sault Michigan for the next four shows, before returning to Sault Ontario for the final two. We'll start just outside of town in Kinross, where locals Nixxon Dixxon take the stage for a unique show of their own! As part of the entertainment at a National Guard golf scramble event at The Oaks at Kincheloe Golf Course, Nixxon Dixxon will play a concert set at the course's on-site bar, The Bunker Bar & Grill! I never pictured Nixxon Dixxon and golf together at all, but hey, they're one of the area's best young bands, they'll do fine! They're just playing tomorrow at 9:00 PM, there's no listed cover charge (keep in mind that there may be members restrictions though, this is a golf course), and I believe there's a 21+ age limit. Great to see Nixxon Dixxon live, hopefully they knock it out of the park as they lead up to their Kewadin festival appearance! Get more info on this concert and the band at this location, and for a preview, here's the band covering Metallica's "Master of Puppets" from last December!



Meanwhile, back in Sault Michigan, an out-of-town band will make their long awaited return here tomorrow night! Cheboygan hard rockers The Darwin Project are making their way back to town for a concert tomorrow night at The Corner Pub Bar & Grill! There's no announced cover charge, and there's definitely a 21+ age limit. It's been a while since we last saw The Darwin Project live locally, but if you've followed the Sault Michigan scene for a while now, these guys should be quite familiar! They've played here numerous times, notably at the July 2008 "Rock Starz" show at The Soo Theater, and they should be set to deliver another fun night of radio-friendly hard rock to the partons at The Corner Pub! I like what I hear, heavy yet accessible! Click here for more from The Darwin Project, and for a preview, here's the band playing their song "Back To Dust" in Traverse City in January!



Finally for the Sault Michigan previews, local hard rock band Blind Baby will return to The Bird for a pair of shows this weekend! According to their Reverbnation page, the band will take the stage tomorrow night and Saturday night for two likely 21+ shows, with start times of around 10:00 PM. If you wanna hear some solid progressive hard rock this weekend, you've got a great example of it at The Bird! Melodic and well played hard rock with gritty vocals and a hard edge, it's good stuff! Check out more from Blind Baby at their official Reverbnation page! No videos are online of them yet, but rest assured, they'll put on good performances this weekend! There's more from Blind Baby coming soon!

Now we're back in Sault Ontario for the last two metal concerts of the weekend, but one I'm actually starting to second guess. It was confirmed last week that local hard rock quartet Silver Dream would be making their live concert debut on Saturday with local indie band Broken House at a concert at Foggy Notions. The event pages for it (frontman Matthew Silver's and Broken House's Jason McBride's) are still online, with listed start times of 10:00 PM, and the show would likely have a $3-$5 cover and a 19+ age limit. That we know or can guess. But I'm second-guessing this show because Matthew Silver, the founder and mainman of Silver Dream, has both shut down his Facebook account AND his YouTube channel. Those were the only internet pages that had anything to do with Silver Dream, who had no music page. So you can understand why I might have thoughts that this show was cancelled, or possibly worse. I hope nothing bad or drastic happened with Silver Dream, I know how much Matthew's been putting into this band and how much he wants to make it big! Good stuff that I heard too!

I'm just not comfortable calling this show right now, so I'm removing it from the concert listings, but if I hear different, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Last I heard, Broken House might still be playing, if that counts for anything, though I can't verify that. Fingers crossed that Silver Dream are still alive in some fashion! I'll keep you guys posted!

That leads us to the last concert this weekend to preview, and this I can 100% verify is on! Local punk/metal quartet Frightlight will bring their horror-influenced concert set to Coch's Corner on Saturday night, in their first publicly advertised concert since Halloween 2009 (not counting the "secret show", of course!) Featuring Fitswitch mainstays J.D. Pearce & Rick White, bassist Mike Gingras, and Caveman Morrison drummer Jeff Richards, they'll bring their Misfits-influenced sound to Coch's on Saturday for a very unique concert! It's unique in that, they'll be recording their first album LIVE at the concert, to be produced and mixed by iT's Nick Jackson! Is that more incentive to go? Really, how often can you be present for a recording session, this'll be a special moment! Also to be featured is local rock trio Marshmellow Gun in their live debut! They have sort of a Tom Waits/punk style which is very unique locally, so don't expect the typical stuff with them! Click here and the above links to check out the bands! There's no cover charge, you must be 19, and the show starts at 10:00 PM! Get more information at the Facebook event page too!

I guarantee I'll be at Coch's Corner on Saturday for this, I can't pass up a show of this type, especially after missing Frightlight so much since their inception! I'll have a review, video, and photo album on Sunday, so stay tuned for that! I'll be tweeting live from Coch's too during the concert, so FOLLOW US ON TWITTER for live updates! For a video preview, here's a live video of Frightlight playing their song "Dead Town"!



So there are your concert previews for this weekend! It just gets bigger from here though, with two weekends of major music festivals on the horizon, starting with Rotaryfest next weekend! I'll be there for Garden of Bedlam, hopefully you guys are too! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene around midnight for the fourth installment of our GarageBand Profile Mini-Series, on local solo artist Mike Cliffe! Expect a new news post on Saturday, and my Frightlight review on Sunday! Lots of excitements here over the next few days, stay tuned for it all!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Blind Baby & Nixxon Dixxon), A Fifth Way Video, And Rotaryfest Updates!!

Well, as I expected, I have yet another post tonight, as I continue to get old news stories out to the public as they deserve! I have another major concert video and the latest Rotaryfest lineup news, but first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Check my post below for another new concert next weekend, previews of this weekend's concerts, and a cool local concert photo discovery!)

Conveniently, today's new concerts are courtesy of the two metal bands playing in Sault Michigan this weekend! And firstly, let's discuss local metal band Nixxon Dixxon, who will be playing a special concert on July 9th in the Sault Michigan area at a place you may not expect! That night, they'll be entertaining fans at The Bunker Bar & Grill in Kinross (just outside of town), which doesn't sound that odd on the surface. When you add into account that this bar is located at The Oaks at Kincheloe Golf Course, you'll see what I mean by this being not what you expect! Nixxon Dixxon are the live entertainment that evening for a National Guard golf scramble tournament, which is pretty cool! Show starts at 9:00 PM, I imagine it's a 21+ show because they're playing at a bar. Check the above links for my sources on this concert! Should be a good show (they're only playing once that weekend to my knowledge), and if you're a golfer, you'll get treated to some awesome metal and hard rock from one of the area's most talented bands! Stay tuned for more Nixxon Dixxon news soon!

Meanwhile, local progressive hard rockers Blind Baby are also hitting the stage as well next weekend, as they have booked a weekend set at The Bird! According to their Reverbnation page, they'll be playing there next Friday and Saturday at 10:00 PM both nights, there's no announced cover charge, and I wouldn't expect the shows are all ages like the page says, cause The Bird is a bar. No other word on what else might be going on, sounds like a standard concert weekend for Blind Baby, not that that's bad! If you want some great hard rock from one of the area's more promising new metal bands, head to The Bird next weekend! Check out more from Blind Baby at this location, and I'll keep you posted with more on them as I hear it!

Now onto some more news stories to clear out, and firstly, we have a new video from a recent major local concert! A few days ago, I shown you guys the videos that Duane Roy took at last week's Tesla concert at Kewadin Casino, and when I did, I noted that there was no videos of the opening band, Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way. Never fear though, we have one now! This was uploaded four days ago onto the band's official YouTube channel, and it features the band performing their song "Rock N' Roll" (No, not the Led Zeppelin song, this is an original.) Sounds good, a bit muffled at parts, but it's well recorded! Nice heavy song, it has a nice groove and they seem really into it! I love the angle too, it feels like you're above the concert in a balcony or something! Nice to finally see some Fifth Way video from the concert, especially at such quality, and the full song to boot! Check it out below!



Finally, here's the latest lineup news for the stages at this year's Rotaryfest! Firstly, two more bands have been announced for the Tenaris Second Stage, and though they're not metal, they're playing the same stage at the same festival as Garden of Bedlam, so I should at least mention them. Yesterday, the first mystery slot was revealed to be Amanda Rheaume, a solo indie artist from Ottawa. She'll be performing at 7:00 PM on Saturday, July 17th. The other newly announced Second Stage band is The Wooden Sky, a roots rock band from Toronto. They're headlining the Second Stage on Friday, July 16th at 9:00 PM, despite the Facebook event page's initial claim that the headlining slot for that night wouldn't be announced until tomorrow. Two more Second Stage band announcements to go, on Saturday and Monday, stay tuned for those, especially if there's a metal band lurking!

Also, the lineup for the First Stage (or simply, "The Stage") at Clergue Park has been completely announced, and sadly, there is no metal to speak of. It's not unheard of to see metal on the first stage though (Stillbroke played there in 2008), so it was worth exploring! The full lineup for The Stage can be checked out at this location, and here's some highlights! Thursday, July 15th will be "Jazz in the Park", with just local jazz bands from 6:00-10:30 PM, headlined by Jazzy Goodtimes. The Stage will host bands on Friday the 16th from 6:00-11:30 PM, with the headliners being local classic rock cover band That's Chester, who are fronted by Greg Simpson from Sin Stereo and Stiffler's Mom! They'll be worth seeing, and they're probably the closest thing to a metal band on The Stage! Also of note: former Garage Inc. bassist Josh Donofrio will play that night with local country band Thin Ice! Saturday presents bands from 2:00-11:30 PM, headlined by Gsis Murphy and a Bruce Springsteen tribute band named Glory Days! You may notice a few local metal musicians in that lineup too, including Foothill Road's Mark Oliverio in Boogie Fever, and Greg Simpson again, fronting Bone Yard! Remember, for full First Stage lineup details, click here!

That's all for tonight, I promise to have a new post tomorrow, likely two. Also, will you guys see me at Foggy Notions for Phatstick, or will I be there Saturday? We will soon find out! Stay tuned as well for the second of six GarageBand profiles in our special mini-series on Saturday! I'll be back real soon with more local metal news and updates!