LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rad Zone Battle of the Bands), New Videos, And More!!

In what may be our last news post of the month, we have some big stuff to touch on today, including some assorted recent updates, new videos from two bands at recent Live705 concert events, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT regarding a major concert event, so here's what you should know!

The first band is official for the Rad Zone Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday, June 3rd, as local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback will take part in their first ever battle in five weeks' time! No strangers to The Canadian in recent months, A Dire Setback have carved a big profile locally since their debut last fall, but how will they do in this third annual event? As you may surmise from their registration, interested bands can now pick up entry packages for this year's battle at Case's Music & The Rad Zone, as per sponsors Tidal Records on the Facebook event page, so if you want in, head down to either location! Bands must pay a $100 registration fee again to enter, but they will recieve 15 tickets to sell for the event (a'la the past two years), so if you sell 10 tickets, you make the money back, and have 5 more to make a profit! Click here for the front page of registration forms, via A.D.S.' Facebook page. "Limited slots" are available for competitors, but note that no one-night local battle since 2008 has exceeded 10 bands.

While no other bands are 100% confirmed at press time, local rock bassist James White showed interest on the event page towards his bands The Elements and Handsome Sandwich signing up, but nothing is official from them yet. The registration deadline for this year's Rad Zone Battle is Saturday, May 20th (two weeks from showtime), so check the above links for all current details, and stay tuned for continued updates on the lineup, admission, ground rules, prizes, judges, and more!

Next up, here's that other new video from local alternative hard rock trio The Din that we teased yesterday, plus one more update! As you may know, The Din will be rocking out at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, May 20th, and an opening band has finally been confirmed for that show, they being local indie rock trio The Autumn Roots! This was announced on that show's Facebook event page, and it reunites two of the bands from the NLFB Meltdown audition again at the same venue, so hopefully Jeremy, Chase, and Greg (sorry, Carlos) deliver a solid set before The Din rock the stage! As for that video, The Din's full one hour set at Live705's March Mash-Up at The Canadian was posted onto their YouTube channel back on April 18th, and we've delayed this one long enough, so what should you know? This was actually filmed by Shaw TV's Christian Lemay towards their future features from the show, and kudos to him for letting The Din share the full set!

In order, the set features The Din playing "Flux", Haggith's "75" (with "Leamington, Ontario" intro), "In Search of The Perfect Moment", "Alleyways & Apartments", "35's The Limit", "High Park", Mike's solo songs "Potato (Should Have Known Better)" & "Leon the Janitor", The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", Mike's solo song "We Met As Surrogates" (partly retitled as "We Met at The Circus"), and "Suburban Dream", so click each link to go to a specific song. Very well filmed and recorded, though there is some colourful language peppered within, so check out this full Din concert set below, and stay tuned for our Sky's the Limit concert preview next week!



Also today, here's a new video from local hard rock/blues trio Electric Church's headlining set at Live705's Easter Bash earlier this month! Posted to their Facebook page on Sunday, this is of their original "Take Me Away" from their delayed set, and while it was unfortunately filmed at the vertical cell phone camera angle, it captures this fast rising trio in good form, so check it out below, and don't miss them at The Sky's The Limit either!



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 event name:

• Following their largely well received European tour run, local doom metal trio AlgomA are back home, and were scheduled to play at Toronto's Bovine Sex Club on Wednesday (source here). However, the band has opted to cancel the show while guitarist Boyd Rendell recovers from surgery he had while the band was overseas. Out of respect for it's personal nature, I won't elaborate unless the band does, but stay tuned for word on AlgomA's local return show next month, and get well soon, Boyd!
• In a clarification note from our recent coverage of Gianni Gagoots concert videos, we can now confirm that recent guest guitarist & conga player "Ronnie Famiglia" is in fact Jaime Jacques, who has drummed in guitarist Liam Seymour's recent blues/country bands The Barn Board Trio and The Boatload Killers. When a guest performer gets his own Italian parody stage name, you know that's a good sign! Thanks to drummer Frank McCormick and fan Alex Moore for the confirmation!
• Local musician Rob Charlebois is again looking to start a local rock band, and while he's open to most styles, he does not want to play thrash, metal, or "Cookie Monster" (presumably meaning death metal growling.) If you're interested in jamming with him towards a new band project, message Rob at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Saturday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soo Art Rocks), Plus Din & Apocalypse Afterparty Updates!!

Here's a surprise second post for your Thursday, as one of the stories relates to a private event going down tonight! Today, we have a new video and promotion for an upcoming show, an apparently impending EP release (finally), and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an ambitious concert in two weeks time, so here's what you need to know, and check out this weekend's concert previews in the post below this one!

Live705's next promoted concert goes down at The Canadian Nightclub on Friday, May 12th, as they host "Soo Art Rocks", a hybrid concert event and local art exhibition! If you were wondering what the teased "interesting twist" was, now you know! Returning to their most frequent venue after this month's Rockstar Bar trip, Live705 have enlisted their biggest music lineup yet, and it includes local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota (in their Live705 debut), fellow alt-rock standouts The Din (more on them in a second),  Live705's own punk quartet A Dire Setback, newer alternative quartet Bizotic, death metal/punk duo Them (in their first public concert appearance in over a year), Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci's current acoustic solo project (which finally has a Facebook page), and unidentified performers from the Soo York City rap collective, which has boasted familiar faces like Conika and DJ Seith in the past. As for the art side of things, what should you know?

Credited artists will include photographers Josh Pace (of recent A.D.S. events) and Chandra Barnett (who snapped pictures like this at the Fishbowl Festival's garage show), plus art from Aaron Knight and Lion Ride/Detroit alum Brenton Ellis, who will all be displaying and, in some cases, selling their wares on May 12th. Very intriguing, it will be interesting to see if the art angle is a hit! There will be a door prize as well, strongly hinted to be a print of one of Josh's concert photos. A 19+ show with doors opening at the conveniently specific time of 7:05 PM (get it?), this show is the third straight from Live705 to have a straight ticket & admission price ($10) with obtainable $2 off vouchers instead of $8 advance tickets, so this must be a working formula for the promoters if they've stuck with this experiment this long. If you're so inclined, you can get your vouchers from performers, and tickets are on sale at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk. For more details on Soo Art Rocks, visit the official Facebook event page!

From the art show angle to the wide ranging genre lineup to the continued voucher usage, Live705 aren't afraid to try new things and push boundaries with their events, so whether you're in it for the music or the art, there's a little something for everyone! Check the above links for much more on Soo Art Rocks, and stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Next up, it appears to be happening at last: The Apocalypse Afterparty's debut EP "Bufflesnort" will finally have it's initial soft release TONIGHT at a private concert at Mellow D's Underground! Their sister band The Noochin' Lanterns will reportedly have copies for sale at this show, which will have an open mic block too, and while there's no other confirmation of performers, I don't think The A.A. proper are on the band lineup. As per their Facebook page on Sunday, The Apocalypse Afterparty will have "Bufflesnort" available on USB thumb drives and a to be announced "variety of other media" (CDs not among them), with plans to unveil vendors tomorrow where you can buy your own copies. If things line up as planned, then it's great to finally see "Bufflesnort" released, as the EP has been teased to come out for months now, and has been in the works in varying forms for well over 2 years. Assuming it does come out as scheduled, look for our review of "Bufflesnort" this weekend, and inquire above if you want to check out the action at Mellow D's tonight!

Finally, here's some updates from the aforementioned Din, and yes, we will touch on their recent full concert video in the coming days as well! Today's updates all relate to their set at next week's second annual Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech, starting with a pair of new lineup confirmations, both returnees from last year who successfully auditioned again last week. One is Electric Church, the rising young blues/hard rock trio who first came onto our radar at last year's event (stay tuned soon for a new video of theirs as well), and Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow, who performed as White Noize last year. Great to see both back for year #2 and the causes it supports! No word yet on the other performers, but remember that promoters never publically unveiled a performer lineup last year. As for The Din, they posted this new video onto their Facebook page on Tuesday, so what should you know on it?

The video features The Din hyping the show and what you should know as attendees, before realizing that Tristan is also there unannounced. The video ends with a parody "endorsement" from a public figure, and while I won't turn the site political over it, I'll say that it's funny, though not a perfect impersonation. Give it a look below, see above for info on how to attend The Sky's The Limit II at The Tech, and stay tuned for that full Din concert video!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stiffler's Mom & Mourning Wood), The Latter Band's End, And More!!

It's now time for our last concert preview post of the month, barring any further late notice announcements, and if you're wondering why we haven't covered either Live705's new concert or new Din videos, don't worry, they will be in our next news post! Now, let's kick things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two bands, including the previously announced demise & merger of one of them!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will end their local run with concerts at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for confirmation of which band name these shows would be under, which only came via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Three weeks after announcing their impending merger with sister band Soundcheck, Mourning Wood will cease operations under that name after this weekend's shows, with the event page confirming that they're dropping that name going forward due to "a lot of backlash", presumably for it's provocative origins. Technically, these will be Mourning Wood's only gigs with "new" guitarist Travis Sharpe, and with Steven Flint moving to drums to replace Glen Thomas, but these are Soundcheck shows in all but name, and you'll see the same lineup moving forward as that band, including at The Esquire Club on May 19th & 20th in two more new confirmations, albeit announced for Mourning Wood at the time!

Our source for the May weekend is this concert calendar from the venue, and if they are not being transferred to Soundcheck, we will remove the shows from our listings. TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and next month's Mourning Wood/Soundcheck concerts have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details! Mourning Wood have been a very familiar sight at numerous venues since their debut in mid-2014, and while I often wished that they'd promote shows with more advance notice (or any notice at all for their country-tinged Reggie's Place gigs), they were always reliable in concerts for familiar classics & fan requests. Memorable sets at Rotaryfest 2015, two Toystocks, and their week-long Reggie's run last year were among their highlights, and I'm sure Terry, Paul, and Steven will carry that along with them with Travis in Soundcheck as 2017 rolls along. Best of luck to them, T.J., and Glen in the future, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, local hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page yesterday, though the venue's physical marquee board had advertised it for at least a day prior. After a month away from the local stage, this veteran party band will continue their recent Rockstar-only stretch of concerts to start 2017 with another night of familiar fan favourites on SATURDAY NIGHT, so don't miss out! No word though on who's playing at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night, and if you're hoping to check out Stiffler's Mom outside of The Algonquin Hotel, remember that they will be back at The Esquire Club in June. Expect no cover charge and a 19+ age limit for this concert, and a 10:30 PM start time is likely for SATURDAY, so check the above links for more details, and here's Stiffler's Mom live!



Finally for today's currently known hard rock concert previews, veteran local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for his previously announced regular acoustic gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Wrapping up another busy month at The Quality Inn's house restaurant this weekend, Tym's unplugged cover favourites should prove to be another solid musical backdrop for patrons and fans at this downtown location this weekend, so keep Tym's Gliss shows in mind if you want a more reserved night of classics! Remember that we will address his likely May concerts at this venue in time for next week's concert previews. In terms of tomorrow & Saturday, expect 6:00 PM matinee start times, no announced cover charges, and no official age limits, but remember where these shows are being held. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: FRANKIE BANALI & Amanda Brown

With a slow news patch and a forecasted quiet concert weekend ahead, I expect to do some condensing this week, so let's keep the site active with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles a day early! Our monthly spotlight of 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least 50% local metal, hard rock, and/or punk content has taken us to two channels this month, including one unfortunate video hyping a show that didn't happen, but more still from a unique local band who we haven't seen nearly enough of on stage. Here's what you need to know!
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FRANKIE BANALI (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBO9pKFVZd0rB-EtNqiwwbg)

Owner: Unknown (the channel is named for Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali, but I don't think he'd launch a YouTube channel solely to advertise a single concert.)

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 29th, 2013; Only video uploaded on March 13th, 2017

Channel Summary: Posted two weeks out from their planned headlining concert at The Machine Shop on March 30th, this short video features Frankie Banali hyping up Quiet Riot's intended local return show, as well as noting that tickets were selling fast. This video felt slightly rushed, but it was solid promotion for this show, straight from the metal legends' longest serving member! It's too bad that promoters CSA International indefinitely postponed the concert due to "reasons beyond our control", and it's not clear if the show will ever be re-booked, so keep that in mind when viewing this clip. Also, this channel has not been publically used otherwise.


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Amanda Brown (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBO9pKFVZd0rB-EtNqiwwbg)

Owner: Noochin' Lanterns drummer, Apocalypse Afterparty songwriter, and Smokin' Heroines co-founder Amanda Brown, a.k.a. Apocalypse Afterparty MPC sample player "z"

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 23rd, 2014; Videos posted from that August through December 2016

Channel Summary: Ostensibly a personal use channel, Amanda has devoted five of her six videos to early performances and songwriting by her band The Apocalypse Afterparty, though all of these videos precede the debut of "z" in their lineup. Her only other video is of her and boyfriend/bandmate Paul Stanghetta touring their new house this past December, and is not otherwise music related.

Why You Should Watch: You should give Amanda's channel a look primarily as a source for early footage of The Apocalypse Afterparty, before their public concert debut and expansion beyond two man sets, so if you're curious to see this elusive band in action, this is a good spot! However, this channel doesn't feature any content from The Apocalypse Afterparty's public concerts or later quartet lineups, nor does it feature footage of The Noochin' Lanterns, though Amanda's last noticeable usage of her channel isn't that long ago, so newer videos could easily turn up.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Apocalypse Afterparty- The Crowd: Four of Amanda's five Apocalypse Afterparty videos come from their set at Six, Two, Oh.'s private concert festival Das Bunkerfest in Garden River back in August 2014, where The A.A.'s initial duo lineup were among the openers for The Archaics. Featuring founding singer/bassist "Z" & former drummer "X" (a.k.a. Paul Stanghetta & ex-Smeltzer bandmate Steve Mozarowski), they're seen here playing two untitled songs (linked here & here), as well as a cover of Lorde's "Glory & Gore" and, in Amanda's most popular video, a rendition of "The Crowd" from Paul's old band The Fury. Solid crowd reception here for this masked twosome, complete with a British accent & a dress, and these videos capture The Apocalypse Afterparty's unique rap/metal hybrid sound in it's minimalist early months! FYI, their public concert debut occured the following month.



New song!: Shortly after her Das Bunkerfest uploads, Amanda posted this video of her and Paul working on a new song for The Apocalypse Afterparty, with Paul rapping and playing the piano one-handed, and both handling percussion. The song doesn't sound familiar to the four tracks that made the cut for their 2017 debut EP "Bufflesnort", but it has a lively sound for fans of The A.A.'s more hip-hop-based material, and Paul does handle the drums and piano fairly well given that he's doing them simultaneously!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll again be looking at multiple profiles, as our next random selection gave us a channel with a single video, so we randomly chose one more channel with two distinct video types to round things out. That said, we'll look at YouTube user lukera81's channel (featuring a video from Kiss' Kewadin Casino concert in 2007) and local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements' official YouTube channel (featuring videos from two October 2015 concerts) next month, so look for these then, and stay tuned for more news and concert previews soon! Thanks everyone!

Noochin' Lanterns & Them Updates, Mellow D's Next Private Concert, And More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, we have some news and updates to touch on, largely focusing on a newer local concert site and videos from bands that recently played there, but we also have some shorter assorted items to round things out. Now, here's what you should know!

Here's some new videos of bands at new local private concert venue Mellow D's Underground, which returns for it's (at least) fourth event tonight! Just in terms of that event, it'll take place tonight at 7:00 PM, have "an underground whiskey bar", and at least three bands, including newer local power punk quintet The Noochin' Lanterns. For what it's worth, a shared post notes that "The Apocalypse Afterparty invite you to come join us" tonight, implying that they'll end their 2 year concert hiatus for this event, but that hasn't been referenced elsewhere. Message promoters and the involved bands above to inquire about the address and extra details! As for the videos, The Apocalypse Afterparty shared this Noochin' Lanterns video from frontman Paul Stanghetta's personal Facebook page on Wednesday where the band (sans Amber McKay) sit around on a front step listening to the first mix of an original song of theirs, implied to be via Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios.

There has been no public confirmation yet on if The Noochin' Lanterns are working on a debut CD (we're still waiting on "Bufflesnort" release info), but it's a nice sample, and uniquely framed, so check it out above! The remaining new videos were all filmed by Them frontman Tyler St. Amour and posted to Mellow D's Facebook page on Wednesday, though these may actually be delayed uploads from their March 1st private gig, given the lack of Amber or new guitarist Tyler Gibson. Three videos (titles unclear) were filmed from this set, linked here, here, and below, and while they were all unfortunately filmed in portrait orientiation, these capture vibrant and energetic originals that Paul, Matthew, and Amanda handle pretty well! And yes, they have their pajamas on here too! Also, the setup reminds me a tiny bit of Sykotyk Rampage's "Cave" that they hold jam sessions in, just with brighter lighting. Give these new Noochin' Lanterns videos a look!



Next up, the aforementioned Them have some new videos of their own, courtesy of their set at the Mellow D's Underground private show on February 24th (unless they played a later one without a public acknowledgement!) Posted to the grind/punk duo's Facebook page on Wednesday as well, these constitute the band's first promotion of a concert set since opening for Gorod at The Oddfellows Hall almost one year ago, so it's great to see that Tyler and Anthony are back at it, albeit at a private venue! One video can be seen at this link, while the longer clip is embedded below. Unfortunately filmed at a vertical camera angle again (though it does work better for a two man band), these capture Them at a good ferocity and energy level, but Tyler could be clearer on the mic, and announcements of song names would have helped. It's great to see Them alive and well, and hopefully they return to a public stage sooner or later, but give their Mellow D's clips a look above & below, and keep tonight's event in mind if you're curious!

 

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

• We have updated the link on the SMS for Castlegar, British Columbia internet radio station Energy Rock Radio (which broadcasted locally from 2008-2011), as their old "Radio Last Call" domain is no longer active, in favour of the more expected www.energyrockradio.com. Now that's accurately linked again, and check out Ryan and the Brew Crew's original programming and metal playlist there for an alternative radio option with local roots!
• Have you been wondering why we didn't cover Tuesday's announced lineup reveal for June 18th's Rock The Border Music Fest? Assuming there's hard rock or punk on the bill, we would have, but the lineup announcement was postponed to yesterday as promoters CSA International were "waiting on one more contract", but yesterday's new deadline has came & went too. This event still has promise, especially as what looks like a larger scope rebound from CSA's postponed Quiet Riot concert, so stay tuned to the Facebook event page for updates! For what it's worth, the lineup will reportedly have an American, Canadian, and Australian band.
• I have reluctantly removed former local recording studio Stereo Soul Studios from our "Other Local Metal Links" section due to the apparent expiry of their website's domain name, and I can't find a comparable replacement for our links. Best known for producing albums from bands like Gates of Winter and Woods of Ypres throughout the late 2000s, studio head Miguel Gauthier has since found success in photography and film in Los Angeles. Hopefully he keeps up the great work, and he's definitely been missed up here!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

Eclipse/Hazytones Concert Preview, Jack Spades' New Bassist, And Much More!!

Here's another new post for your Friday morning, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, new video footage from a concert this past weekend, and a newly confirmed lineup change in a prominent local band, but first, here's our promised preview of a special concert on Sunday that's nearly an encore of a concert from 8 months back!

Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will return to the stage THIS SUNDAY NIGHT, when they and funk/hard rock jam quintet Gianni Gagoots open for Montreal stoner rock trio The Hazytones at The New American Pub! After nearly 5 months away from the stage, plus a teased April 1st return show that never happened, Eclipse will finally be resurrected after a tumultuous break-up last fall, but how will Curt, Dan, Fred, and Chris fare in their return? Find out on Sunday night! Note that hashtags used in recent Facebook page promotion of the show reference Jimi Hendrix and Rush songs... are they dipping a little older for cover choices? Gianni Gagoots will continue their recent momentum with another set that will surely make some more fan of their creative improvised instrumentals, so keep them in mind as well on Sunday! And yes, the headlining Hazytones will make their second local concert appearance on Sunday, following a well received late notice gig in August at the same venue that Eclipse also opened, though K.I.C.K. were the second openers.

Though not a full "hard rock" band, The Hazytones' psychedelic and retro-styled originals left a solid impression on fans last summer, and they should be up to similar tricks at The New A in a couple of nights, so don't miss them either! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. associate and punk rock bingo caller Brenton Ellis, this 19+ event has a 19+ age limit, and while there is no listed cover charge, note that last August's Hazytones concert had a $5 cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Eclipse live!

Next up, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades have announced the addition of Talk Shit guitarist Steve Shaw to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing Justin Lam, as per their Facebook page on Wednesday. A reason for Justin's departure hasn't been publically announced, but when ex-drummer (and Bear Hunters bandmate) Johnny Belanger confirmed his own departure from the band in February, he didn't know at the time if Justin was leaving too or not, hence why we didn't call that on the site at the time. Justin has been a skilled component on bass since Jack Spades' 2013 debut, but don't miss him with The Bear Hunters when they return to the stage at Oddzfest in June! As for Steve, he has proven to be a solid addition to the reunited Talk Shit as a guitarist, but how will he do as a bassist with Jack Spades' new lineup? You can find out at the CKY concert in June, so don't miss that show, and stay tuned for the reveal of Jack Spades' new drummer!

Also today, here's some new videos from the aforementioned Gianni Gagoots' headlining concert at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, courtesy of YouTube user Alex Moore's channel! Previously known from posting Stiffler's Mom's demo there, "Mr. Evil Gobi" has struck again with almost 12 minutes of footage from the Gagoots' latest concert, with the longer 9 minute clip featured below (click here for the first shorter video.) Of note, their earlier teasers of having two drummers are even more true on these clips, as "Bergio the IceBurg" has not just the congas, but his own full drum kit beside Frank, so if you've ever wondered what a band with two drummers at once sounded like, here's a sampling! The loose informality is clearly on display here though, as mid-way through the longer video, guitarist Matt Sibilo randomly comes back after not playing in the first portion, and then an uncredited guest shows up to play the congas.

Alex noted that his camera's memory card filled up before this song wrapped up due to it's "intensity & epic-ness", so if an announcement was made regarding the guest conga player's name, it's not recorded. You never know what you'll get with Gianni Gagoots, and they showcase their fun jam/improv style here, so check out their new videos above & below, and don't miss them with The Hazytones & Eclipse on Sunday!



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 event name:

• Autumn Roots guitarist Chase Wigmore is looking for musicians to form an industrial band, part of a long-term ambition of his as a musician. He doesn't even mind if he only finds one singer willing to sign on (remember This Is Your Band On Drugs?), but additional musicians would be a bonus. Industrial metal isn't a genre we see a lot of locally, with Riverin one of the few recent examples of note, so message Chase at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday if you're interested!
• According to personal Facebook postings, local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota featured ex-RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski as a guest performer during their set opening for Windigo at The New American Pub on Monday. That would have been cool to see, and Pete has been missed on local stages in recent months, so hopefully some video footage turns up!
• We have changed the name of the Facebook group for Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's concert promotion agency back to Johnny Pints Presents in our "Other Local Metal Links", as the group's name had been switched back from Tidal Records Presents last month. J.D. is still on positive terms with Tidal Records, but maybe the name was causing confusion between events that Tidal management themselves were putting on? Either way, the link is updated now!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The 3 Day Millionaires), Weekend Concert Previews, And A Cancellation!!

Before we kick off this weekend's concert previews, we have a late cancellation to take note of, as tonight's Deathsticks-headlined concert at The Gore Street Cafe was quietly cancelled in recent weeks, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced by the band or venue, but note that Deathsticks haven't posted on their Facebook page yet this month. This is the second time in six months that a Deathsticks show in the Soo was cancelled, but hopefully we see them here at some point down the road! Now, let's preview still-scheduled shows this weekend, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. After taking the past two months off, this talented veteran outfit should be refreshed and ready to rock TOMORROW with a night full of familiar classic hits at their favourite recent venue, so don't miss out in advance of their Rock 4 Autism set next month! Note that this is a one night only event due to country veterans Bone Yard playing at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night. TOMORROW'S 19+ concert has no announced cover charge, and a 10:30 PM start time is advertised. Visit the above links for more details, and here are The 3 Day Millionaires live last year!

Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts with former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's next round of Gliss Steak & Seafood concerts, as Tym will bring his acoustic hard rock covers back there TOMORROW & SATURDAY! His impressively enduring run at The Quality Inn's house restaurant shows no signs of slowing down, and his unplugged classic and hard rock renditions should provide another quality backdrop of music for fans and patrons at Gliss tomorrow and/or Saturday! As usual for this long-term arrangement, expect 6:00 PM matinee start times both nights, and while these shows don't have announced age limits or cover charges, be cognizant of where they're being held. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym Morrison live!



Now, let's head south to the Eastern Upper Peninsula for shows at Kewadin Casino lounges, starting with the return of Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Though historically better known in our area for playing at the St. Ignace Kewadin, the Peril sister band will rock The Rapids Lounge for the first of at least three weekends in 2017 over the coming days, and it's great to see the guys further north once again! Unusually for such a weekend of live bands at a Kewadin lounge, Scarkazm's shows this weekend are themed, with Kewadin's Facebook page noting that this is an "80's Hair Band Rock Fest", complete with drink specials and awards for "the most awesome" 1980s costumes and best air guitar skills to be awarded. Honestly, I feel that Peril would better fit this theme, but it's an interesting pull regardless, so break out your hair metal and 1980s clothing if you're heading to see Scarkazm this weekend!

As usual for Scarkazm's local gigs (including their St. Ignace Kewadin gigs in two weeks), these shows have 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Check the above links for more details, and here's Scarkazm playing assorted covers live!

Finally for today's previews, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though not newly acknowledged by the band on their Facebook page, their own concert calendar posting from earlier this year confirms that they will be back in St. Ignace for their second weekend there in 2017 over the next couple of nights, which the casino's entertainment page also backs up. Henry, Nathan, Chris, and Ron should have another solid weekend of fan favourite and often heavy covers in store for St. Ignace fans, so don't miss Highway 63 there tomorrow or Saturday night! Like with this weekend's Scarkazm shows, expect 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next, including the Eclipse/Hazytones preview! Thanks everyone!