As promised, here's a new news post on this rainy Tuesday, though things are still creeping along at an unreasonably slow pace for local metal, hard rock, and punk activity, so unless there's late notice concerts to preview, I'm not forecasting a new post on the site until Friday. Hopefully things start picking up sooner or later! Now, all of today's topics have an attached video, and we'll start with two uploaded to St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown's Facebook page this fall! One is a 7 second clip from September of their tracking computer, with singer Brandon West screaming a bit in the background (the Snapchat-esque caption notes that "screams sound funny without music.") Not too substantial, but it is a sign that their new album is getting closer! Embedded below is their newest album teaser video from exactly one month ago, whose attached post notes that "mastering starts next week" and that they "will be dropping a couple (of) singles very soon."
Clearly, "very soon" means more than a month, but there is definitely visible progress from their camp! The video in question features a 42 second sample of one of their new original songs, as accompanied by a heavily filtered shot of the tracking computer, and the words "Almost Done" end the video. Sounds like things are well at hand for H.L.T.C., so give these videos a look!
Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison posted another original song onto his YouTube channel earlier today! Entitled "God Vs. Drugs", it's about how praying to God will help a drug addiction, and as such, it fits well with Tym's modern day Christian beliefs. No Filmora trial watermark here, this actually has a proper video made up with song lyrics, visual effects, and a slideshow of relevant photos. The song itself is a mid-tempo rocker that is well composed, but starting so many verses with "God" feels a little overdone to me. Give Tym's new song a listen below!
Also, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback shared a new video on their Facebook page on Friday, but it's not what you may be expecting. Here, bassist Matt Quinn is on (standing) drums playing alongside Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" from the Frozen movie soundtrack, with his daughters (kinda sorta) joining in on karaoke vocals. Cute for what it is, and Matt does have some hidden percussion talent put to surprising use! Give it a watch below!
Finally, I wanted to belatedly address a studio-released song by local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger that has definitely flown under my radar over the years, but came up in my research on their Defunct Local Band Profile last week. In August 1994, just a month after the release of their debut album "nc17", Treble Charger were featured on "Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young", a two CD set released by Sony Music that was also split into two halves and released separately (in this format, Treble Charger appear on "Into the Black: An Electric Tribute To Neil Young"). Proceeds from the album's release went to The Bridge School for special needs children that Neil's then-wife Pegi co-founded, which is a wonderful cause, as fans of his Bridge School Benefit concerts will know! Treble Charger submitted a cover of "Albuquerque", a deep cut from Neil's 1975 album "Tonight's The Night", and their cover is track #8 on "Into The Black".
This cover (let alone the album) is not on major streaming services at press time, but you can buy used CD copies, and the songs do circulate online, with this YouTube copy thankfully uploaded by user Yrret Noskcaj two years ago. Admittedly, I'm not an ardent Neil Young fan, but I definitely respect his songwriting and career, and this Bill-sung cover is respectfully done with a rock edge, and it would fit in well on Treble Charger's first two albums! Give their take on "Albuquerque" a listen below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site by Friday! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this post, I'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rush drummer and author Neil Peart, who passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 67, after a three year battle with brain cancer. The news spread quickly around social media and the rock music community, and understandably so, given Neil's impact as one of the greatest drummers of all time, and as a key member of Rush from 1974 through their final concert tour in 2015. Older local fans may recall seeing Neil play live with Rush at the former Sault Memorial Gardens thrice from 1975-1977, shows that received some renewed attention locally in the past week. Neil's passion and skill level was unrivaled, as was his courage to return to music & writing in the wake of his wife and daughter's deaths in the late 1990s. With his drumming ability and classic lyrics, Rush wouldn't have become what they were without him, and he will be deeply missed. R.I.P. Neil!
Today's post otherwise dives into recent video postings and an inactive band note, and we'll start there, as I have moved local extreme metal band Winkstinger back to our inactive band links. The group has not issued a public update since their last announced concert at December 2018's True North Talent Entertainment multi-genre Christmas concert at Soo Blaster (their Facebook page shared archive photos from the early 2010s last year, but it wasn't maintained during their last active run as a band.) After taking a year+ hiatus, Winkstinger returned for a third active run in August 2017, which saw the return of Ryan Sherman on bass and the debut of Twistory's Josh Amendola on vocals, taking the band into full death metal territory as a result. The new lineup played 7 recorded concerts in the latter halves of 2017 & 2018, including sets at the first two Oh!No festivals, the "Trading Faces" split release show, and concerts headlined by The Faps & The Costanzas.
Given their lack of an online presence in their 2015-2018 reunions, it's always possible that Winkstinger are just lying low again, but it's been well over a year since we last heard anything from their camp. Of course, you can still see constant members Jesse Cook & Jonas Gasperas with The Elements, while Jonas frequently guests with Jesse's acoustic band The Wyld Stallyns, so don't miss seeing them there, and best of luck to them, Josh, Ryan, and other former members in the future!
Next up, here's some newly discovered live videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck from one of their Reggie's West concerts earlier this month! Filmed by SaultOnline's Mike Caruso for his YouTube channel, these are the only heavier-leaning concert videos he has uploaded in the past month, but definitely give his channel a look to see other live videos from veteran cover acts as of late! Despite the outdated band photo at the beginning of each video, these do feature Soundcheck with their new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver. Regarding the covered songs, one has Soundcheck covering David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy" (with guitarist Terry Eaton on vocals), which is particularly notable because it's the full song, rather than the bookends of their Travis-era cover medley. The others have Cameron singing, and they are of The Eagles' "Take It Easy" and, as embedded below, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son".
Overall, these videos sound good, and Cameron seems to be acquitting himself well to Soundcheck so far! His distinctive voice works well on southern rock and country songs, which presumably bodes well for Reggievelt gigs in particular. Alas, bassist Paul Belair was largely obscured by that post on stage once again, I wish they could do something about that. Give Soundcheck's new videos a look above & below!
Finally for today, here's some new drum cover videos from former As It Stands mainstay John Mignacca! These were uploaded to his "Flo McNasty" YouTube channel in the past 6 months, which is otherwise focused on video gaming footage (more or less). John will be most familiar locally from his hardcore drumming, and was most recently seen as Jesse Merineau's new live drummer, but his new covers are largely distant from his band work. Since last summer, John has covered songs by A Day To Remember, Machine Gun Kelly, , Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, and Merkules, but embedded below is his cover of "2001" by Mike Froh, the former frontman of past Oddfellows Hall headliners The Holly Springs Disaster. John's videos are strongly recorded with good usage of multiple camera angles, and he plays with energy and skill, as you would expect! Very eclectic group of songs, but there are some glimmers of metal and hardcore within, so give John's new drum covers a look above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
I'm back from Maniotulin Island, and I have loads of news to get to, but our main story tonight is fallout from the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival, which wrapped up last night! Loads of stuff from there to get to, but first, an apology on missed shows. Apparently, this past weekend, Marquette hard rockers Nudge played at The Satisfied Frog this weekend for at least two concerts (Friday night and last night), though I can't verifiably prove if they played a "Nudge-coustic" show on Thursday night like they typically do. The band's MySpace page updates frequently to delete past concerts, so I can't check to see if they were there, but their Facebook page lists them, and according to it, the shows went well! Last time I checked their concert listings on MySpace, I'm pretty sure there was no local concerts listed for July, so either these were a late announcement or I didn't look hard enough. My deepest apologies to anyone affected by this slip-up, and I bet the shows were great!
And now, it's time to go over stuff that went down at the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival, starting with SooToday's coverage! Donna Hopper was there on Thursday for the Bret Michaels/Vince Neil-headlined opening night, and took a unique angle with her review by grading Bret and Vince individually on points to determine who had the better set! Donna gave Vince Neil points for his energetic drummer Zoltan Chaney and his performances of Motley Crue classics, but gave negative points for his 20 minute break while his solo band jammed covers. She gave Bret Michaels points for persevering from his major health setbacks and for his Poison classics, but docked him points for wearing a shirt with his own picture on it. Interesting way to review their sets, for more of the point breakdown, and to find out who "won", read Donna's article at this location! There's also 28 photos from their sets online, including some crowd shots, but there are no photos of any of the other bands, entertainers, or events. Reviews of the other nights on SooToday have not been posted as of tonight. SooNews.ca's Tami Fremlin got photos and filmed some segments at the festival for upcoming episodes of a SooNewsTV webprogram called Winging It!, and articles are online of Tami's encounters with Bret Michaels, Henry Winkler, DJ Chef, and the Playboy Playmates! Click on their names to read them! As of tonight, there's nothing else Kewadin Festival-related on there. The Sault Star also had Kewadin Festival stuff to share afterwards, though only one piece revolves around metal or hard rock bands. Rachelle Labrecque from The Sault Star took a number of photos of Bret Michaels' set and the crowd during it, and there's some good shots, but there's nothing of Vince Neil or anything else from the festival in this album. Still good though, click here to check out her photos! The rest of the articles from The Sault Star so far revolve around Meat Loaf's set last night, including the panic beforehand that he may not perform after cancelling a Detroit concert on Thursday due to his doctor's recommendation. No worries, he performed as scheduled! Head to The Sault Star's official website for more on Meat Loaf, and of course, check your newer copies of the paper for the same articles above in print! Oddly, The Soo Evening News (the major newspaper in Sault Michigan) has had the least Kewadin Festival coverage that I've seen, the only new item I've seen being a photo of the mechanical bull ride. Hey, it's variance from the rest of what we've seen, but that can't be it, can it? I find it kinda odd as well that no major Sault-area news sources covered at least Three Doors Down on Friday, or any of the non-headlining bands, but hey, you take what you can get! If I hear or see anything else come out from the festival, I'll have it here!
And now, to cap off today's post: Videos, but believe it or not, there isn't a massive amount of videos yet. I thought there'd be tons by now, especially considering the bands, but regardless of genre or content, I've only found THREE Kewadin Festival videos as of tonight! YouTube user madmaddy361 uploaded a 10 minute video of the fireworks from one night of the festival, a date isn't specified for which day it was. Nice footage, but I was hoping for more concert clips, especially of the metal/hard rock bands! The only band videos I've seen from the festival (or "RockFest", as it's accidentally labelled) come from YouTube user Jeremy Dolce, who uploaded two concert videos onto his YouTube channel! One is a live video of Three Doors Down playing their song "Superman", and it's got nice quality audio, but the camera work is very shaky. Luckily, Jeremy did get some hard rock video, as he got a clip of Bret Michaels talking to the crowd, thanking them for their support, and sharing some cool possibilities for next year's tour, before starting into "Look What The Cat Dragged In"! Check it out below, and when new videos pop up online, I'll be sure to share with you guys!
I'll leave you guys with that for tonight, but stay tuned tomorrow for more news and updates that I have to get to! Lots of exciting things coming up, plus my next CD review and out-of-town band profiles! Stay tuned!
Second post today, and we'll focus on just concert previews today, as we have both a local band's weekend return, and of course, a very large music festival! But before we discuss these new shows, we have a cancellation, so here's what you should know!
Last month, I announced to you guys that AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who would be performing at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night with local band Wishbone opening. Well, the concert appears to have been cancelled, as the event page for it has been deleted, and the band's Facebook page announced that their show in London on Friday would be their last Ontario show on the tour, implying that they wouldn't be coming here on Saturday like was previously announced. Really, I should have known about this cancellation earlier, because Turner Up are already scheduled for The Rockstar Bar on Saturday in their place (more on that in a second), but remember, I was without a computer all weekend, so that didn't help. I don't know what happened to cause the cancellation, but it's disappointing, cause I'm a fan of Who Made Who and would have definitely went if I could have! Well, hopefully they'll be back down the road, they put on a great show!
So with Who Made Who's cancellation, The Rockstar Bar found more than suitable replacements with local classic hard rockers Turner Up, who are also booked for a concert on Friday as well! And yes, I know I just alerted you guys to their shows earlier today, but this is to preview the concerts, and I gotta do it today before the Kewadin festival starts, so I apologize for the redundancy. In just their second weekend performances featuring new frontman Brent Royer, Turner Up will be on at 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday for two concerts with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit! Confirm your attendance for these shows at the official Facebook event page! These should be fun, hopefully Turner Up get some good attendances for these shows! And for a preview, here's a video from the Todd Killam days of the band covering Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music", and yes, once video of the band with Brent on vocals pops up, I'll show you guys!
And now, it's time for the biggest event of the weekend, maybe even the summer, as tomorrow marks the kickoff of the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival! Kewadin Casino's been going strong since 1985, and to mark this milestone, they are holding a major three day ALL AGES music festival outside at Kewadin Casino featuring loads of entertainment, from bands to celebrities to games and much more! As of Tuesday, most of the stages and tents were set up (click here for SooToday coverage of the festival construction), and all the festival needs now is YOU! We'll start this preview by going over each day's entertainment, with special attention paid to the scheduled metal and hard rock bands, with ticket and parking information and other assorted tidbits at the end! And if there's an item or band that I haven't covered yet on here, I'll let you know, cause some new stuff popped up during the weekend when I couldn't post about it. Sources for my information come from the official festival page and it's official blog, with other links included as needed.
Tomorrow is the festival's kick off, and it starts with a bang, as two legendary hair metal frontmen headline at the festival, neither of which are strangers to the Sault area! Poison frontman Bret Michaels (who is definitely healed enough from his recent health scares) and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil are headlining tomorrow's festivities at the Kewadin Festival! You'll no doubt remember seeing Bret Michaels here in 2005 at Sault Ontario's Eastgate Hotel and from his 2008 birthday concert at The Dreammaker's Theater, while Vince Neil and his Motley Crue bandmates played the first ever major concert at the then-Steelback Center way back in December 2006! It's great to see both of them back here, and they're sure to rock Kewadin Casino pretty hard tomorrow night! Vince hits the stage for his solo set at 7:15 PM, which will feature a mix of solo originals (including hits like "Sister of Pain" and "Tattoos & Tequila"), covers, and Motley Crue classics, while Bret Michaels performs at 9:00 PM to sing some of his hits with Poison, and solo tracks like "All I Ever Needed" and "Nothing To Lose"! Hair metal fans will no doubt have a ball with the headliners tomorrow, and Vince and Bret are sure to deliver nothing but a good time tomorrow night! For previews of their sets, here's two music videos for Bret Michaels' solo song "Menace To Society" and Vince Neil's "Tattoos & Tequila"!
That's hardly all on Monday though, as there's much more music and entertainment to go around! Backing up Bret & Vince on the main stage are local metal band Nixxon Dixxon, who you'll remember as the short-notice backup band for Bret Michaels at his 2008 Kewadin concert! Fittingly, the picture I'm using here is of Nixxon Dixxon & Bret Michaels, I wonder if they'll get another one this time around? Nixxon Dixxon open the main stage tomorrow at 5:00 PM, with another local band, Electric Motor Fish, playing at 6:00 PM. Though not metal, they are talented, and feature Shift drummer Tony Rogers, so that's worth noting! Also, there will be other stages! The announcement of new stages was made while my computer was in the shop, so here's what else you should know for tomorrow!
As it turns out, the Rock Camp youth group (which I think is connected to The Guitar Studio) & local country singer Paul Perry WERE NOT dropped from the lineup, they just weren't on the main stage, as they'll both be performing tomorrow! According to the schedule, the Rock Camp group will be playing from 12:00-5:00 on the second stage, which seems VERY long, so either there's multiple Rock Camp bands, or they're taking breaks mid-set. I can't verify which band(s) in particular are on the Second Stage, but I found a rock camp band named Aux on YouTube that very well could be the band, or one of them, check them out at this location! Paul Perry will be performing on the third stage for three 1 hour sets at 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00, with DJ Chef spinning tunes and cooking gourmet meals at 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00! The Rock Camp band(s) are also on for the same times on Friday, and Paul Perry & DJ Chef will both be playing at the same times on Friday and Saturday too. Saturday's second stage bands will NOT be the Rock Camp bands, I'll detail that lineup when we get to it.
Friday's main stage bands are mostly non-metal, but there is one SMS-coverable band! Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way, fresh off opening for Tesla at Kewadin Casino, will return to Sault Michigan on Friday as one of the opening bands! They'll be on for a 45 minute set at 6:00 PM on Friday, and here's who else to look out for that day! Multi-platinum Mississippi rock band Three Doors Down will headline the Friday festivities at 9:00 PM, with Boston pop rockers StilrizE (one of Papa Roach's opening bands from their 2009 show here) at 8:00 PM, and Essexville indie band Finding Clyde at 7:00 PM. Opening the main stage on Friday at 5:00 PM is Grand Rapids pop punk band Dannison, with Fifth Way following them at 6:00 PM! Note that the second and third stage entertainment (Rock Camp, Paul Perry, & DJ Chef) is no different from tomorrow's schedule. Sounds like a good Friday lineup, even if we only get one really "hard rock" band. Three Doors Down should pull in a great crowd though, and it should be fun! Nice to see Fifth Way back locally too, I really like their sound, and they'll hopefully deliver a good set! For a preview, here's Fifth Way playing their song "Rock N' Roll" from the Tesla show last month!
Saturday's main stage entertainment is headlined by rock legend Meat Loaf, who is sure to impress us Saultites to cap off the festival! But there will be some metal to go around on Saturday, courtesy of the returning Clownsack! Yes, the local funk hard rockers return after a long live break to bring their unique brand of music to us once again, and give you all the reason in the world to love their clown sauce! Great to see them back, and maybe they'll play some new material from their forthcoming CD? Time will tell! Clownsack are immediately before Meat Loaf at 7:45 on Saturday, with Meat Loaf's set running from 9:15 til close. The remaining main stage acts on Saturday include International Idol winner Kellan Perron at 5:00, Lansing classic rockers Showdown at 5:45, and that newer local band Elipzis at 6:45. If anyone can tell me anything about Elipzis, let me know, cause I can't find anything at all about them! Very solid lineup to cap the festival, and it will be great to see Clownsack on stage again, cause their live shows have just been getting rarer and rarer lately. Head on out, you won't be disappointed by Clownsack! For a preview, here's the video for Clownsack's song "Clown Sauce"!
As for the smaller stages on Saturday, Paul Perry and DJ Chef are on for the same times for the third stage, but the second stage will have different performers than the earlier two Rock Camp-centric lineups! This is also a new announcement, and yes, there will be metal, as Nixxon Dixxon return for a second set at the Kewadin Festival on the second stage! They're on for an hour at 2:30 PM on Saturday, immediately backing up Dannison, who are also returning after a main stage slot on Friday! Electric Motor Fish also return from the Thursday main stage for a set on the Saturday second stage at 1:15 PM, with a brand new performer, local blues/cultural artist Jody Gaskin, opening the second stage on Saturday at 12:00 PM. Nice to see some bands get a second crack at a slot at the festival, and it will be great to see Nixxon Dixxon again too, because they are absolutely one of the best known and most talented young local bands around! For a preview of both of their sets, really, here's Nixxon Dixxon's set from December's Kiss Battle of the Bands!
So those are the bands scheduled for the Kewadin Festival, and here's some more details on scheduled entertainment! From 1:00-3:00, 4:00-7:00, and 8:00-10:00 each day, a strolling magician will be doing magic tricks for those in attendance (no, it's not my dad), while there'll be lots of fun games going on from 12:00-4:00, including a NASCAR simulator, Nintendo games, "birdie golf" (probably mini golf), bumper cars, and a mechanical bull, with carnival food on sale as well! Numerous local merchants and vendors will be on hand for the entire festival to sell and advertise, get a complete list of the vendors by clicking here! From 1:00-3:00, each day, there will be eating contests and connected registration for them, so if you wanna show off your iron stomach, there's your chance! Also during this time frame, there will be celebrities on hand to meet you guys and sign autographs, including Playboy playmates Amber Campisi, Shannon James, and Brittney B. tomorrow, Detroit Lions legends Herman Moore & Billy Sims on Friday, and The Fonz himself, Henry Winkler, on Saturday! A bean bag toss tournament will be held from 1:00-7:00 daily, and fireworks will cap off each night's music after each headliner's set concludes! Kewadin's certainly pulling out all the stops, hopefully it all flies without a hitch!
Now, onto details about how to get to the festival and tickets, because it's not sold out! Tickets are $50 for an individual day and $75 for all three, so if you're planning to go on two days, buy a three day pass, not two single day passes, it's a better value! Hopefully you have your ticket already, but if you don't, you can buy tickets online at this location, or in person at The Dreammaker's Theater box office at the casino! Doors open at 11:00 AM for each day of the festival, and there are no discounts available on tickets. The festival itself will be held in the south parking lot (the Superior lot) and in the RV park. As such, and because large crowds are anticipated, extra parking has been set up for the festival at Sault High School, the old Wal-Mart building, The Big Bear Arena, and at The Cultural Center. There will also be a shuttle to transport festival goers back to these parking spots each day, which is nice and convenient! Food and drinks will be on sale at the festival, contests can be registered for at the registration table, the seating is general (first come first serve), no coolers and outside drinks are allowed, and tickets and 21+ patrons will be marked and monitored. For more questions, call Kewadin at 1-800-539-2346 for more information, and ask about meet and greets too, because Kewadin often has those with performing bands.
This should be a very fun festival, if very ambitious at the same time, and here's hoping for it to be a huge success! I don't think I'll be there for it, I'd be most inclined to go on Thursday but I dunno if it's entirely worth the money given my typical preferences. Should be awesome though, and hopefully the festival is a huge success, cause it's been suggested that it could be a yearly event if it's a hit! As I hear more on festival updates, including videos, news coverage, and band info (especially concerning Bret Michaels, Vince Neil, Nixxon Dixxon, Fifth Way, and Clownsack), I'll let you guys know! And if you're going to the festival, have a blast, make it a weekend to remember!
That's all for today, stay tuned for more backlogged news tomorrow and, after a bit of a delay, the results of last month's SMS poll and our brand new poll! Thanks everyone, I'll be back very soon!
HUGE news today, I'd have had it earlier but I've had a busy day in and of itself. Believe me, this is a big deal, a lot more than just a continuation of an earlier story! Hold onto your hats, here's what you need to know! (Oh, and check out my review of I.S.O.M.'s debut album in the post below!)
Remember on Monday when I mentioned that Kewadin Casino was planning a 25th anniversary summer concert festival in late July? Well, a whole pile of info has been released for it, and most importantly, the headlining acts for each night of the festival are confirmed and announced! And metalheads rejoice, as two legendary hair metal singers will be headlining on the first night! Poison frontman Bret Michaels and Motley Crue's own Vince Neil are the confirmed headliners for Thursday, July 22nd of this huge festival! Of course, you'll no doubt recognize Bret Michaels from his work in Poison and as the star of the "Rock of Love" reality series, but he also has five solo albums to his name, including such singles as "All I Ever Needed" and "Go That Far"! Vince Neil, himself a reality show veteran, has three solo albums himself, including notable songs like "Sister of Pain" and "Can't Change Me"! But no worries, they'll have loads of their Poison and Motley Crue classics to go around, so there'll be lots of stuff you'll be likely to remember!
Both are touring in support of new albums, "Custom Built" and "Tattoos & Tequila", and will also be making their long awaited returns to the Sault area! Michaels was last seen here on his 45th birthday in March 2008 at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino, though he'd earlier played in Sault Ontario at The Eastgate Hotel in October 2005! Neil of course headlined the first ever concert at the then-Steelback Centre in December 2006 with Motley Crue, though this will be his first ever solo show in the area! As I always do for major shows featuring bands who've been here before, here's two video clips of their last local stops: SooToday's montage of footage from Bret's 2008 concert, and Vince Neil (with Motley Crue) playing "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" here in 2006!
Now that's just what's metal that I know so far, there's a TON more stuff to say! The headliners for July 23rd and 24th are major too, and I'm sure there's plenty of fans of theirs out there! On the 23rd, Three Doors Down, the multi-platinum rockers from Mississippi, will headline the festival, while on the 24th, legendary rock vocalist Meat Loaf will close the festival on an extremely high note! I know both acts have a ton of fans, so don't bypass a chance to see them if you can help it! There's tons more bands to be announced, including out of town opening acts each night, and three hours of "live entertainment" each day! (I assume concerts will be at least part of that.) And aside from music, there's MUCH more going on for this special 25th anniversary festival! There's tons of entertainment planned throughout each day of the festival, including a golf simulator, bumper cars, Rock Band, a NASCAR simulator, and an electronic bull ride! There will also be vendors yet to be announced daily, and scheduled events like a DJ, a strolling magician, food eating contests, "baggo tournaments" (I think that's basically a bean bag toss), and post-concert fireworks! And last but not least, autograph signings! Thursday, there will be Playboy playmates, Friday has Detroit Lions players, and Saturday? The Fonz! Details to date on the schedule and planned events are available at this location!
Now how's all that sound? Awesome, I hope? Very ambitious and promising, I hope it's a success! And how can it be a success? By us buying tickets, of course! Tickets will cost $50 for a single day of the festival, or $75 for all three days! So all things considered, the three day pass is the best deal, even if you only plan to go two days, because two individual tickets together costs MORE! And really, if you're going to complain about the price, look at the combined value it gives you? Lots of music and entertainment the likes I don't think Sault Michigan's ever had in one festival! Tickets go on sale in a little under two weeks, on April 23rd, so get your wallets ready! Three day passes will be available at The Dreammakers Theater box office ONLY on April 23rd before being released online as well the next day. Single day passes will be available both ways from the get-go. It appears to be entirely outdoors (a'la the Kiss show), and will go on rain or shine, so make sure you prepare for the weather and the outdoors setting!
As soon as I hear more info on this very special 25th anniversary festival, I'll have it right here for you guys, especially where tickets and metal bands are concerned! Click here for everything on this festival as it currently stands!
Closing today's post is more festival news, but of a different type! J.D. Pearce from Coch's Corner (you also know him as Fitswitch and Frightlight's frontman) posted a topic on the new 705 Video Magazine forums where he inquires about bands for a potential Sault Ontario-area festival! Apparently, Labatt (yes, the beer company) contacted him and asked for his help in pulling together bands for a possible concert festival to be held on the last weekend of August in Echo Bay (which is just 20 minutes outside of town!) The rough estimate has 20-22 local smaller bands and 2-4 big name headliners, no listed genre restrictions, and he's looking for our help! This isn't final by any means, but J.D. is looking for input and suggestions about the festival or bands in general, so if you've got something, reply to the topic at this location to offer an idea or tip! Remember, you have to register a new account there to post or reply, old The705Scene accounts didn't carry over. If I hear more on this possible festival, I'll certainly let you all know!
After losing Bell Border Jam and Hempfest, I was worried that we'd be stuck with just Rotaryfest to cater to fans of local concert festivals. Looks like things are looking up, on a pretty big level! I knew with the level of this Kewadin festival (which may become yearly depending on this year's success), I had to make it the major focal point of this post, but don't worry, I have more assorted news coming soon, so stay tuned! Remember, it's July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, with the metal kicking things off on the 22nd!
