LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Northern Vibe Festival) And The Ballot Burner Concert Preview!!

Before we look at Emergency Festival fallout and more recent news, let's dive right into a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for two weeks from now that we've missed to cover on here for way too long, but there's also a Monday night concert preview at post's end to look at! Here's what you need to know!

Local punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards will make their long awaited return to the concert stage on Saturday, August 29th when they perform at the first annual Northern Vibe Festival on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario! Yes, that is the former site of Hempfest when it was held in the Soo, as the guys over at Planetary Pride are trying to jump back into the summer concert festival game for the first time since their last of 11 Hempfests in 2009. Encouraging to see, we can use more summer festivals in the area, but what should you know about this one?  Hyped as an end-of-summer bash over two separate stages, one will be the "Beach Stage" for DJs and club musicians (locally based and out of town alike, click here for the full lineup there), while the main "Forest Stage" will feature live bands and solo musicians. A full listing of set times is not out yet, and the band orders on the official poster and the above links are very different, but Burlington reggae rockers (and past Hempfest favourites) The Killin' Time Band will headline this new festival.

The other out of town band is Kitchener folk quartet Drew Leith & The Foundation, while the extended local roster (featuring many Second Stage alumni) will include, in no guaranteed order, local/Toronto folk musician Cody McMillan and his band The Soft Shoe Shufflers, local roots rock collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, the aforementioned Billy Bastards, local alt-folk favourites The Boot Hill Crooners, blues rock veterans Al Wood & The Woodsmen, and veteran local soul/funk sextet The Hustle Brothers. As well, the festival website lists veteran jazz/folk singer Britta Wolfert, local/Wawa keyboardist & busker Spider Fingerz, and local cover rock quartet Changing Lanes as performing also, but note that they're not on the poster (we'll treat them as on the lineup unless said otherwise.) The only full punk band on the lineup (with their blast of outlaw country blended in for good measure), this will be The Billy Bastards' first public concert since December 2013, so if you've missed The Billys, keep their return in mind at month's end!

Also, note that The Billys will be playing as a quintet for the first time in a long while (guitarist Paul Michael Stos lives out of town and doesn't play at some shows as a result), so if you've missed the full lineup, here you go! Might some of the band's long-teased new material be unveiled as well? Now, there are still some questions about the schedule, as the festival will take place from Friday, August 28th through Sunday the 30th, but festival organizers have yet to post a full itinerary or set times for bands, so keep posted to online pages for details on that front! In any event, tickets for the full weekend are $125 for the full weekend, including camping, so come prepared, as there does not appear to be single day rates for the Northern Vibe Festival. Tickets can be bought locally at Planetary Pride on Queen Street East or online at this link, and it is a 19+ event, but under special, absolutely necessary circumstances, kids and pets can come with an adult attendee if you follow the protocols at this link (which includes full info on what you can and can't do at the event.)

And yes, there will be food and drink vendors on site, plus art installations, yoga, and hula hoop and fire spinners, and keep in mind that this isn't explicitly a marijuana culture event like Hempfest, it's more about the music, so make of that what you will. For full current details, visit the above links! I apologize for this being later on here than it should have been, but it's great to see the original Hempfest minds back for another summer festival in Ophir, and while tickets are expensive, you've gotta start somewhere. Keep it in mind for month's end, whether you missed the Billys or want one last summer party with plenty of talented bands!

Finally for today, here's a preview of a special Monday night concert going down TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub, as Regina crust punk trio Ballot Burner will make their local concert debut as headliners! Possessing a grimy, intense, and attitude-fueled blend of originals, Ballot Burner sound like what would happen if Destroilet and Shit Liver were blended together, and it'll be very interesting to see them on the local stage tomorrow night! A pair of local two-man bands will open the proceedings, including grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back (in their first show since their quiet album recording sessions concluded) and newer local alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder (in their third local concert and first at The New A), so come early for the heavy duo action! The latest concert from Six Two Oh, there is a 19+ age limit and $5 cover charge in effect, while the doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Sounds like an explosive night of punk and alternative music that fans of the included genres won't want to miss, especially for a double shot of the recent influx of duo bands in the area, so be at The New A TOMORROW NIGHT for all of the action, and here's Ballot Burner live last month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for lots of news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

BALLOT BURNER PREVIEW

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Golers, Ballot Burner, And Long Shot), And Haggith's Second Breakup!!

Before we touch on a busy concert weekend in the Twin Saults, here's a stacked post for your Wednesday afternoon, largely focused on LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from next week through next month, but we'll close with a show that doesn't have a venue yet, but will see a familiar local band saying what will likely be their final farewell, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quartet Long Shot have two upcoming shows to add to their concert schedule, both next weekend, including a return to The Rockstar Bar on Friday, July 17th, which they'll follow with a stop at the Fraternal Order of Eagles' clubhouse on Friday, July 24th! Both were announced on the band's Facebook page on Monday in a post outlining their upcoming dates. The Friday show will see Long Shot join forces with local punk quartet Stereo North (who also played with Long Shot at The Rockstar Bar's Summer Bash last month), and if you were curious, the other two bands from the Summer Bash are playing a short notice show there this weekend that we'll cover in tomorrow's concert preview post. This concert is a day out from Long Shot and Stereo North's own debut Rotaryfest sets, so keep both in mind if you want some entertaining live music! As for the solo Heyden show, this may be an unfamiliar venue for many, but Long Shot played at least two shows there last year, and Tym Morrison used to frequent the Eagles Club, so don't bypass this show if you're in that area!

Also, it's likely that next Friday's show will mark drummer Jeremy Ganuelas' return from his European vacation, but this hasn't been firmly stated by the band yet. The Rockstar Bar show with Stereo North has a 19+ age limit and a likely 10:00 PM start time, while if last fall's Eagle Club show is anything to go by, the July 24th show will have an earlier 7:00 PM start time & no announced age limits, and bring cash just in case either has a cover. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Long Shot and Stereo North as it comes in!

Next up, two intriguing metal shows from Six Two Oh have been announced for The New American Pub next month, with the first featuring the return of Vancouver thrash metal quartet The Golers on Sunday, August 9th! Making their third appearance in Sault Ontario, The Golers were last seen here over two years ago when they made two Thursday night appearances at The Roosevelt Hotel in the summer of 2013, and their new material from this year's "In 'n Out Outlaws" only seems to be getting heavier and thrashier, so fans shouldn't want to miss their New A debut next month! Local doom metal trio AlgomA (who opened for The Golers in June 2013) will play their first announced local show since their recent tour as the announced co-headliners, and they'll presumably have their new band t-shirts in tow, so keep that in mind as well! Local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters will open the show in what might be their first ever set at The New A, so make sure to come early for their set, as it's not often that The Bear Hunters open a show nowadays!

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, whose doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This show has a bit of a throwback vibe to The Rosie's heyday, especially given that The Golers are one of the few out-of-town bands to headline a Thursday metal night twice, so don't bypass this show next month!

The other New American show next month from Six Two Oh will come just over a week later on Monday, August 17th, and it will be headlined by Regina crust punk trio Ballot Burner in their own local debut! With a new album forthcoming, Ballot Burner's blistering and attitude-fueled crust punk originals should get a solid response from the attending Saultites next month, so if you want so grimy and fast-paced punk, give Ballot Burner a listen! Local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back will open in the first show since their quiet album recording sessions wrapped up, but will we get any hints or reveals to that end on August 17th? A third local opener is to be confirmed, and while promoters are targeting local alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder for the last slot, they're awaiting confirmation from the band themselves (if confirmed, this would be Infinity Grinder's third concert and their debut at The New A.) Like the Golers shows, this is a 19+ show with a $5 cover and doors opening at 9:00 PM. For more, visit the official Facebook event page!

With AlgomA's tour in the books, it's great to see the guys put their local promoter caps back on for some August dates that are sure to melt some faces, so whether you're into brutal metal or alternative and punk rock, keep both of these New American Pub concerts in mind for next month! Stay tuned when/if updates roll in for either concert!

Lastly, local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith will headline what the guys are calling their "final farewell show" on Wednesday, August 19th at a venue to be confirmed. You read that right, Haggith are disbanding for a second & presumably final time, which they revealed on this show's Facebook event page earlier today. Other than to say that they're moving on to other projects, a reason for the breakup wasn't announced, but like their first breakup in December 2013, they will headline the aforementioned farewell concert to formally close their run. It should be noted that Haggith only played two shows with their current lineup, both over the May 10th weekend, and with members Mike Haggith & Curtis McKenzie playing more & more dates with their band Mike Haggith & The Din, that could be a contributing factor to this recent news. Details on a venue and additional bands are to be confirmed for the August 19th farewell show, but for reference, Haggith's first final show in 2013 was at The Algonquin Pub, and featured four opening bands.

I imagine there will be some references made to this being deja vu, but Haggith got a lot done in the last year & a half since their initial reunion, and with multiple albums, battle of the bands success, and many big shows under their belts, they've done about all they can do within local confines. There's a lot to be announced regarding the farewell show, but wouldn't it be neat if Daniel Horton came back for the show, giving fans a one-off quintet lineup for the farewell? We won't list this in our concert listings until there's venue confirmation, but check the above links for more details, and keep what will likely be Haggith's last show in mind for next month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the first of this weekend's concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!