LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Electric Church/Speaker Concert Preview, And New Sky's The Limit Videos!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert on here, as Toronto-area Bon Jovi tribute band Keep The Faith (who came to Sault Ontario twice in 2010) played a pair of extended sets at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in nearby Brimley, Michigan last Friday. No word on if it was at the Back Bay Grille or not, but this definitely fell outside of what we've researched in recent months. Profuse apologies for missing it for coverage here, hopefully it was a great show! Now, let's tackle a few more weekend concert previews (one on SHORT NOTICE) and some new videos!

It is now 100% official: Local alternative hard rock favourites The Din are indeed playing an acoustic show TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for public confirmation from The Din on if this event was still on, as it was unlike them to not acknowledge the show despite LopLops' website listing it, but there is now a Facebook event page for it. Not long after their Family Market on the Greens set as an unplugged two-piece, frontman Mike Haggith and guitarist Tammy Hill will reprise their more reserved unplugged sound TOMORROW, presumably due to drummer Brandan Glew's non-availability, as they've played at LopLops plugged in and with Brandan acoustically each in the past. Mike & Tammy should have a solid set in store TOMORROW, so don't miss out! Two solo performers will open the proceedings, including former Din guitarist (and current Eclipse frontman) Curtis McKenzie in his first non-Vape Escape set since resuming his solo career last month.

Curt's a talented artist, as is well known, and it'll be nice to see him at a familiar downtown venue in this setting! As well, Autumn Roots frontman and SaultMusicScene promoter Jeremy Hannah will kick things off in a rare solo set, so come early for his indie rock renditions! This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time TOMORROW, and a $5 cover charge is in effect. See above for more details, and a for a preview, here's a new video of The Din live at last month's Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert at The Tech! This was posted on the band's Facebook page yesterday rather than on YouTube, unusual as it's a performance clip and not comedic. Filmed by Algoma Family Services executive Ali Juma from the front row, the video features The Din playing their song "Out Of My League", but with a twist: Guest rap verses from fellow performer Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow!

Whether you find that The Din needed a rap/rock detour is a matter of taste, but Tristan had good and rapid-fire rhymes here, and I just wish he was a little louder in the mix compared to Mike's singing. Check out this unique rendition below, and if you were hoping to see The Din on Sunday at the cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, don't miss The Din (well, 2/3rds of them) with Curtis and Jeremy TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops!



Next up, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, as Live705's latest concert goes down THIS SUNDAY NIGHT with a special Father's Day event full of talented performers, including a touring out-of-town band for their first time! That band is Toronto hardcore quartet Speaker, whose aggressive originals and punk essence should provide a solid musical kick to this concert, so don't miss out on their local debut on Sunday! However, Speaker are not the closing band, presumably due to touring commitments, and local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will instead close out the night like they did at Live705's Easter Bash. Look for more entertaining originals from this fast-rising group! A stacked opening lineup will also include Live705's in-house punk quartet A Dire Setback, fellow newer punk standouts Stegadeth,the Live705 debut of reunited hard rockers Eclipse, indie rock trio The Autumn Roots, and the return of performers from the Soo York City hip hop collective.

For reference sake, the Facebook event page confirms that the S.Y.C. rappers on Sunday will be St. James (returning from Live705's Soo Art Rocks! event), Universal Language, and Big Kowgs, though no word on if DJ Seith will be spinning vinyl to back them up again and/or providing mixes between bands. An 18+ event (not a typo, under 19 attendees can get in with wristbands again) beginning at 7:05 PM, admission is $10 at the door unless you have a $2-off voucher, but there are two ways to get in for $5: Confirm that you are a dad (it is Father's Day, after all!), or bring a ticket bought for Sunday's cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, so if you're still bummed or annoyed over that event, you can still see bands rocking the Soo on Sunday night, and for cheap! Another varied night of local entertainment is in store for fans on Sunday, including Live705's first toe in the water of out of town attractions, so don't miss out on all of the action in a couple of days!

For a preview, here's a new video from headliners Electric Church's Facebook page! Streamed live by Bradley Shingwauk at the aforementioned Sky's The Limit fundraiser and only just shared on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday, the video features the guys playing their song that I believe is called "Take Me Away" to close their set, before briefly being interviewed by an Algoma Family Services representative on-stage, which is a regular occurrence at this event. The interviewer asks how long the guys have been a band & the role music plays in their personal lives, and while the answers are a little hard to hear, it's a solid video overall, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCEERT ALERTS (Vaultry, The Din, And Electric Church), Plus More Recent Updates!!

Before we dive back into Alter Bridge concert videos (yes, there's enough for another post on them!), we have a post full of news to touch on for this Saturday morning! Along with some assorted shorter items, we're leading off with three big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the summer featuring some varied lineups, so here's what you should know!

Live705 have announced their next two promoted concerts, and both will mark their first stabs at promoting out of town touring acts! First up from them is a Father's Day concert on Sunday, June 18th at The Canadian Nightclub, and that show's featured touring act is Toronto hardcore quartet Speaker, whose hard hitting punk-influenced fury will be welcomed by local fans for the first time next month, so keep them in mind! Presumably due to their touring commitments, Speaker are not the advertised headliners on the 18th, with local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church reprising their Easter Bash role as the night's closing act. Solid choice, and if you've seen them lately, you'll know the talent these guys bring to the table! A high quality and suitably varied opening lineup continues with Live705's own punk quartet A Dire Setback, rising punk trio Stegadeth, reunited hard rock quartet Eclipse (in their Live705 debut), folk/indie trio The Autumn Roots, and unidentified Soo York City hip hop performers once again.

Curiously listed as an 18+ show on the poster (not by accident, 19+ attendees will have wristbands), this show starts at 7:05 PM on Father's Day, and admission is $10 with Live705's recent requisite $2-off vouchers available from performers in lieu of a cheaper advance ticket price. Also, as this is on Father's Day, dads get in for just $5 (no word on if a voucher applies before or after that discount, but keep it in mind!) This sounds like a fun and varied concert to take in next month, though note that it will be the same night as the Rock the Border Music Fest, so plan accordingly. Stay tuned to the Facebook event page for continued updates!

Next up, here's another Canadian Nightclub show to announce before we get to Live705's July show, as new local promotion agency The SaultMusicScene (no relation to this site or the 2000s website) will host their first concert there on Friday, June 30th to help kick off Canada Day! Headlining at the end of next month are local/Toronto indie rock musician Jesse Merineau in a rare headlining appearance, while the band he edged out in last year's Speak Easy Battle (local alternative hard rock trio The Din) will also return to the stage fresh off of their Rock The Border Music Fest set as co-headliners! Supporting bands will include two returning acts from Live705's Father's Day show, namely the aforementioned Autumn Roots (fronted by promoter Jeremy Hannah) and Eclipse, while alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic are currently listed as tentative openers on June 30th. If they are confirmed or have to drop out of this concert, we'll let you know!

The lineup may still see an addition, so message Jeremy at the above links or the Facebook event page if your band wants in on this show or planned future events from The SaultMusicScene! This 19+ concert has $10 door admission, $5 advance tickets (details forthcoming), and an 8:00 PM start time, while there will reportedly be two door prize draws, though we await word on what they'll be for. It's been a long time to see Jeremy promoting again after a few false starts under old names, and hopefully this show is a huge hit to spur along more from him in the coming months! See above for current and upcoming details as they roll in!

Lastly for today's new show announcements, we have a true hybrid event on Friday, July 7th when Live705 return to The Canadian Nightclub once again with not one, but two out of town headline attractions! Victoria, British Columbia alternative/punk quintet Vaultry will headline this show in their local debut as they wrap up their This Is Our Eulogy Canadian tour, and their melodic brand of alternative originals should be a nice match this summer! Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface (who headlined at The New A in February) will return to the Soo as co-headliners for another punk/rap fusion event on July 7th, and his dark and unique rhymes should appeal to genre fans that night as well! Local openers will include the aforementioned A Dire Setback (who opened at the previous Garbageface show here), Soo York City rapper Rick E in a solo set, and two more acts to be announced.

Might the new acts maintain the punk/rap hybridization? Time will tell! Like with the Father's Day show, expect a 7:05 PM start time, and there will again be $2-off vouchers from local openers to knock $2 off of the $12 door admission fee. As for the age limit, this is also listed as being 18+ with wristbands for older attendees, in the second show where they're experimenting with allowing in attendees a year younger. Is this a first step towards Live705 all ages shows at The Canadian, or just a bonus for those a little too young to come? Stay tuned, but for more details on this intriguing mash-up show, visit the official Facebook event page!

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

• Sault Michigan music store Grooves Music has changed ownership and name, with Gary Hatch retiring and selling the Ashmun Street business to former Half Stupid frontman Zac Crook and his wife Christy, and the store will fittingly be known as Crooked Music upon it's re-opening in June. The store's Grooves-era services (lessons, gear, local albums) will still be maintained, but the Crooks plan to sell band t-shirts and vinyl records there as well. It's great to see that 540 Ashmun is remaining a music store to serve the E.U.P., so keep tabs above for details on the upcoming relaunch, and we've updated it's link on the site and relegated Grooves' page!
• Local/St. Catharine's death metal trio Shit Liver have quietly dropped out of Oddzfest II at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, June 17th, as per their removal from the lineup on the Facebook event page. A reason for their withdrawal wasn't announced, but remember that the guys do live in Southern Ontario now, and one or more of them may not be able to make the trip home that weekend. Promoter Josh Stephney is looking for a replacement co-headliner and an extra opening band to boost this show to six acts, so message him at the above links if you or someone you know are interested in playing next month! 
• I have replaced the link inactive Sault Ontario concert promotion agency Spotlight Canada in our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it's domain name expiring, so it now links to their Facebook page. A short lived attempt at a promotion agency in 2015 with national ambitions for touring and promoter networking, this was the aforementioned Jeremy Hannah's last stab at promoting concerts before returning to that avenue with the new SaultMusicScene this month. There's not much to speak of left of Spotlight Canada themselves, who never held a concert proper, but I thought I'd acknowledge the link update!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this weekend! Thanks everyone!