Glambition Festival/Concert Preview, Plus New Videos!!

As promised, our weekend concert previews conclude today with an extended look at a very intriguing (if somewhat cryptic) community festival tomorrow, plus some new videos of relatively new band lineups to round things out with. Here's what you should know!

Local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will play their first public concert set of the year TOMORROW NIGHT when they take part in the oft-delayed Glambition fundraiser festival at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre! Readers and interested parties may recall hearing about this event dating back to its original date on November 20th of last year, but pandemic capacity restrictions, COVID-19 case count rises, and unforeseen circumstances forced it to be postponed to December 18th, January 30th, April 23rd, and ultimately, tomorrow. Glambition is a benefit event for local youth homeless shelter Pauline's Place and in support of community togetherness, a very important idea as we start Pride Month, so the right intentions are present throughout, and kudos to the organizers for sticking with Glambition for six & a half months rather than just giving up on the idea! 

This is presented as multi-cultural community festival with musicians, singers, dancers, fashion shows, stand-up comedy, food/drink vendors, and a raffle of some kind, but organizers have surprisingly not listed a performance schedule on Facebook, let alone a list of the scheduled artists. Pauline's Place fundraising manager Karam Singh was quoted hyping Glambition in this SooToday article by new reporter Alex Flood, while Karam was also interviewed on ONNtv's First Local on Monday about Glambition, again without citing performers by name. Apocalypse Afterparty frontman Paul Stanghetta did tell me in a Facebook conversation that a young local jazz band was performing too, but unfortunately, that's all I've got. The A.A. have been hyping their involvement in Glambition right along though, and hopefully Paul & Amanda make some more fans at this diverse family-friendly festival tomorrow!

A 6:00 PM start time is in effect for this all ages event, and tickets run for $11.34 at this link. Door entry is presumably an option of capacity allows, but Glambition will reportedly be capped at 300 attendees, so get yours A.S.A.P. just in case. Despite the cryptic nature of the performer lineup, it is awesome to finally see Glambition going forward tomorrow night (assuming there's no sudden postponement again), and helping Pauline's Place is a wonderful idea, so don't miss out at the Bushplane Museum tomorrow! Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Apocalypse Afterparty live!

Next up, here's some new videos from both of Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie's newest local band projects, starting with the first publically posted clip of the expanded five-piece These Magnificent Tentacles lineup! Shot by Dryer Fire's Nicole Dyble at their Wilson Street open house last month (apologies again for missing that in our weekend concert previews at the time) and shared to the company's Facebook page on May 23rd, it was joined by a video of fellow performers The Dynowaves that same day, plus a short video of vendors at the open house. As for the T.M.T. video, it was uploaded in square dimensions, and it sees The Tentacles playing an instrumental piece for one minute, all looking very determined and serious in the moment (except maybe Brad, who's largely obscured by Steve at this angle). As such, this may not be an ideal look at the new lineup, but what we hear sounds promising enough!

Surprisingly doomy but still melodic piece that deviates well from their punk-leaning base of old, and it will be interesting to see how the guys progress throughout mid-late 2022! Give it a look below, and see more from Dryer Fire's open house above, and also keep tabs on their summer concert series, which is largely hard rock-devoid, but certainly not lacking in musical talent! Give Nicole some support and check them out!

Finally, here's two new jam session clips of local death metal band Exploring Detritus, as posted to their Facebook page on Wednesday and earlier today, though neither features Mitch, who hasn't been seen in any of their videos since he was announced as their singer/guitarist last month. Busy personal schedule, or have they not reported his exit yet? Click here to watch the former Kaepora Gaebora playing for a minute, but I'm actually embedding the shorter 30 second clip below, as guitarist/founder Dan Souliere is handling lead vocals in it, and he sounds suitably brutal while it lasts! We'll let you know if there's any clarification about their frontman status, but give these four-piece jam videos a watch above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's delayed "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Rhythm & Brews Concert Previews, New Videos, And Much More!!

Let's get a proper news post up on the SMS after what feels like somewhat too long, and while the hard rock concert calendar in Sault Ontario remains slight as restrictions are phased out, we do have a pair of shows to preview today in the region, plus some assorted stories and new videos. With all of that said, here's what you should know on this Thursday evening!

Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron's first concert weekend of 2022, their third total that has had public advertising, and their first set of gigs at The Rapids Lounge since they made their live debut there in July. This talented supergroup of Nixxon Dixxon, 415E, Monkey's Uncle, and Ten Kings alumni should deliver a strong weekend of hard rocking tunes for fans in the E.U.P. so consider a trip to the Soo Kewadin tomorrow and/or Saturday! Both of these Rhythm & Brews dates are 9:00 PM affairs with no cover charges and 21+ age limits, but please respect and follow any public health guidelines posted at the lounge/casino to ensure everyone has a safe time. See above for more details, and we'll let you know when Rhythm & Brews videos of any kind surface!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario for some new videos, starting with the latest from local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek! After publically spending the holidays and renewed pandemic restriction period holding merchandise giveaways, the band posted this video onto their Facebook page yesterday, featuring short clips of a song from their upcoming EP! The end credits imply that they were recording at Voodoo Bones Studios in 2020, but if that's an accurate date, they've been sitting on the tracks for quite a while! Regardless of when the were in the studio, they are planning to release the EP this summer. The video proper just has black & white teaser images with some post-production effects, plus some warning alerts at the start to set the mood. There's not enough here to critique the songs yet, but give the teaser a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Fort Creek's camp!

Also, young local punk band Vanity have posted two new original song demos to their YouTube channel in the past couple of days, titled "Playboy Magazine" and, as embedded below, "White Ghosts"! The former is mid-tempo with heavier choruses and somewhat nasal clean vocals, while the latter is more of a straightforward punk song, and both are promising signs of diversity from this rising group! No word yet on if they are indeed making a bassist change, but give Vanity's new originals a listen above & 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: 

 

• The Glambition fundraiser concert at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre has been postponed once again to Saturday, April 23rd, as per a quiet update to its Facebook event page. This is the fourth public date for the Pauline's Place benefit (scheduled to feature The Apocalypse Afterparty), with the prior three called off due to rising COVID-19 case counts and/or the Ontario capacity restrictions, including the last planned date of this past Sunday. Hopefully things level out enough for Glambition to finally occur!
• Local alternative/hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich revealed on their Facebook page on January 21st that "we have not been stagnant during this period", and that recording sessions for their debut album "Lettuce" were ongoing, with drummer Johnny Belanger completing drum tracking that week, even including this photo. Before then, Handsome Sandwich hadn't posted on Facebook since their Rockstar Bar show in November, and hadn't referenced "Lettuce" at all since a pre-production update in July, so it's great to see that they are still hard at work! Stay tuned for updates!
• If you're wondering why we never recapped Mike Haggith's Facebook live-stream concert on January 25th, it's because he postponed it the morning of due to "feeling pretty run down" after a busy month, so he "opted to take today to rest and refocus". The live-stream will now take place on February 12th (one week from Saturday), and scheduled guest Jacob Quarrell will be interviewed as planned for the new date. Given Mike's day job, his explanation makes a lot of sense, and I'm surprised he hasn't postponed a prior live-stream for similar reasons before. Hopefully everything works out for next weekend, including both share contest covers!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site by the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tripod The Dog & Soundcheck), Concert Cancellations, And Much More!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up on two more concert cancellations for later this month. First, the planned Jack Russell's Great White acoustic show at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next Friday has been cancelled outright "after meeting with Tribal health professionals", which appears to be how Kewadin explains shows called off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic & related rises in positive case counts. No word on why they're not trying to reschedule it, but it is a shame to lose an intriguing hair metal show like this, and hopefully either version of Great White comes back down the line! All tickets will be refunded, contact kewadinboxoffice@saulttribe.net if you have any extra concerns. Meanwhile, in Sault Ontario, the Glambition fundraiser for Pauline's Place next Saturday at the Bushplane Museum has been postponed a month to December 18th.

As per this SooToday article yesterday, the date change was "due to unforeseen circumstances", though they did not elaborate on if COVID was part of the reasoning or not. Tickets bought for next Saturday will be honoured next month, but refunds are available on request. While the postponement pushes Glambition out of Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, it will now be seasonal reflecting Christmas for the homeless community, which is a great idea! All other aspects of the event will be unchanged, though aside from The Apocalypse Afterparty, a performer list is not public yet anyway. Stay tuned for Glambition updates as they roll in!

Now, today's post is mostly comprised of new videos, but it appears that I can't escape SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS this weekend, as we have four more to take note of in the west end, so let's start there, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, Soundcheck only announced these shows via their Facebook event page this morning, as recently usual for their non-Esquire Club gigs. Fans may have seen Soundcheck at Reggie's West last night too as hosts of their weekly open mic night (which is they only sporadically promoted online), but TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows will be their first proper concerts at The Reggievelt since Halloween weekend. Despite the late notice, their brand of hard rocking covers should go over fine with attendees this weekend!

TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, but vaccine passports are mandatory to attend, and please respect and follow any social distancing and public health guidelines. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Soundcheck live at The Esquire Club last week! Posted to their Facebook page on Sunday, this features the guys covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" with guitarist Cameron Oliver on lead vocals. Honestly, I hate this song, but Soundcheck do liven it up a fair amount compared to the original, and the recording quality is solid! Give it a look below, and don't miss these shows!

Next up, veteran local alternative hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will play their first concerts of the pandemic when they return to The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only heard about these gigs via bassist John Amendola's Facebook event page late last night (remember, Tripod The Dog have not launched any social media accounts to reflect their 2018-present activity, and their 2000s Facebook group is not administrated by current members). Note that John only refers to the band as "Tripod" on the event page, no word on if he's just using the common short form or if the band actually changed their name. Tripod The Dog had last been seen on stage at the same venue in February 2020 before the pandemic ground their live schedule to a halt, but after 21 months, they're back and ready to roll, and hopefully their pace of concerts isn't as sporadic as it was in 2019!

Yes, they are back in our active band links too. You can see Mark and the Amendolas TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 10:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges, but please respect any and all social distancing and public health measures at The Esquire Club, and you must show your vaccine passport to get in the building. See above for more details, and here's a classic Tripod (The Dog) original!

Finally, I have regrettably moved local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers to our inactive band links. After previously falling inactive in 2013, The Surfers reunited for a highly successful show at LopLops Lounge on August 3rd, 2019, and followed that up by hitting the studio to record three new songs, but only one ("Excess Express") has seen a public release to date, and the pandemic stopped plans to hold a Toronto reunion gig last year as well. The band proper has not updated their Facebook page since wishing fans a happy Halloween last year by way of a Poison parody, so we're well past our standard one year mark. Given their further music commitments and half the band currently living out of town, activity seems to be a bonus when everyone's available, and hopefully they'll return when the time is right, especially given the pandemic! However, I hate to end a Surfers topic on a low note.

Instead, here's a new video from when bassist Brad "Example" Lacell was recently in town, featuring him, frontman Dustin Jones, and Dustin's daughter/frequent guest performer Jett covering the late great John Prine's song "Angel of Montgomery"! Uploaded to Jett's YouTube channel on November 3rd, this is obviously a huge departure musically from The Surfers, but the entire band are huge fans of John Prine, and it's nice to see Dustin & Brad playing together again, if acoustically. The audio quality isn't crystal clear, but everyone performs well, and Jett's developing a strong voice herself, so give their cover a watch below!

Unless there's another hard rock band with short notice gigs this weekend, that's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Apocalypse Afterparty & Fort Creek), Plus A New Album Release!!

Before we get into this post, just a heads up that the Black Label Society-headlined concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday has been postponed (again) after consultation with tribal health professionals, as per the Facebook event page last week. You can look into COVID case rates in Michigan on relevant news sites, and of course, this is disappointing to miss out on B.L.S. locally yet again, but tickets can be held on to for the planned rescheduling in 2022. On to happier news, as we head to Sault Ontario for a big new album release and, leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to the stage for concerts at Reggie's West on Friday, November 19th and Saturday, November 20th! Making their first live concert appearance in just over two months, fans will have last seen Fort Creek in a injured motorcycle riders fundraiser on September 11th, but Fort Creek last rocked The Reggievelt back in July, following a cancellation at the same venue in late August due to an undisclosed band member illness. Twelve weeks later, the guys are finally back there, and during their two month break from the stage, they were learning new songs and even gave away some more merchandise in another Facebook contest, so they've hardly been idle. Hopefully Justin, Shane, Matt, Robin, and Tony have another strong weekend of covers in store for fans next weekend, so if you're up for some live music, keep these gigs in mind!

Another merchandise giveaway will take place next weekend, for the record. 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits are in effect, but remember that vaccine passports must be shown to enter Reggie's West for either show, and as usual, please mask up where necessary and use common sense to keep yourself and everyone else safe. Visit Fort Creek's Facebook page for more details on next weekend's concert action!

Next up, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will play a rare public concert set on Saturday, November 20th when they perform at Glambition, a festival set up at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center as a fundraiser for local youth homeless shelter Pauline's Place! The title of the event is apt, as Glambition isn't just a concert, but promises to have "entertainment from every part of the community", including fashion shows, dancing, and of course, musical acts, with multiculturalism also promoted on the Facebook event page. Despite it's wonderful artistic and charitable goals, there are a lot of unknowns for Glambition, especially given that the event is 11 days away, and that organizers have not confirmed a performer lineup/schedule at press time, but The Apocalypse Afterparty signaled their own involvement (with an 8:00 PM set) on their Facebook page yesterday.

Note that a performer slot was still open as of 4 hours ago, so click here for details on how to apply, while Handsome Sandwich singer Taylor Emlaw promoted a performer search for it on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group late last month (that band proper has not publically confirmed if they're playing or not). In any event, admission is $10 via ticket sales at this link or at the door, food & drinks will be available, this is an ALL AGES event, and it starts at 6:00 PM. Vaccine passports must be shown upon entry, and please use common sense re: the pandemic, especially as kids will be present. Intriguing event with more to announce, so stay tuned for updates!

Also, after almost four years, local/Thompson, Manitoba alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith finally released his 51st studio album "Bridges" on Saturday! The date wasn't announced in advance, but Saturday was Mike's 30th birthday, so the timing works out well in that regard! Released via Mike's own MorningStar Studios and recorded at Thompson's Lionheart Audio, "Bridges" is Mike's first canon album with an outside producer, Justin Sobey, who is a guest musician on three songs. Digitally, the ten track album is available on Bandcamp for just $5, but physical copies are available through Kunaki for $10 (CD) or $35 (vinyl, albeit with an altered track listing). Mike gave a long write-up about the album proper on Bandcamp, where he clarifies that "Bridges" is a concept album inspired by isolation and mental health issues, and that it reflects heavily on his early months living in & adjusting to Thompson after moving there in the fall of 2017.

Despite it's delayed release, Mike does note that "Bridges" sounds like a musical transition point between his old band The Din's 2017 album "Suburban Dream" and last year's "If Ever Comes The Day", and while it "is a straight-cut retro rock throwback" with more in common to The Din, he did acknowledge that his solo music has moved "toward lighter instrumentation and more pop-inspired tones", with more symbolism of the songs and cover artwork following. Of course, you can buy "Bridges" above and/or stream it on major streaming platforms, but Mike does have one more test printing of the album on vinyl that he's giving away in a contest if you are so inclined! You can hear a sample from it in this video from Mike's Facebook page, which has a factory test sleeve, but closer audio quality to the final pressings. Like, share, and tag a friend in that video's post to enter for a chance to win that test copy!

The winner will be drawn during Mike's next Facebook live-streamed concert on Saturday. Also, he has posted official lyric videos for most songs onto his YouTube channel, each with unique visuals! The exception is "The Nature Of The Times", which has it's own proper music video, albeit without lyrics. There's more to get into from Mike's new album (click here to get a head start before we cover them), and it's extremely likely that "Bridges" will be reviewed on the SMS later this month. For now, watch the lyric video for the opening song "From The 55th Parallel" below, and buy it above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!