LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Pixo Control & Ten Kings), A New Album, And Gonqshow Updates!!

Let's touch on some recent big news items on the site today, including updates to an ongoing concert series, a surprise new album release, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! If you're wondering, our River Jacks concert preview is coming in our next post. Now, here's what you need to know!

New Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings will play outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella for the first time next month when they rock The Savoy Bar & Nightclub on Friday, June 5th & Saturday, June 6th! It's great to see this regional supergroup expanding their territory to take some different stages, so whether you haven't seen Ten Kings live yet, or you're familiar with them from their Kewadin gigs, you might want to write these dates down! Just for reference, remember that The Savoy has hosted outdoor gigs under their old Summerfest umbrella in the past, but nothing indicating that is on the band's own Facebook event page. Both shows have 10:00 PM start times, neither has an announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend either. For more details, check the above links, and stay tuned for more from Ten Kings!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock/alternative trio The Pixo Control will headline a huge fundraising concert on Friday, June 12th at The Rankin Arena! The self-promoted event is intended to raise funds for the band to produce a quality North American tour this summer and full release of their upcoming debut CD, and to that end, the show will feature free pizza, games, prizes, and a cash bar as added incentives to take the drive out to The Rankin Arena for this event. You don't see a whole lot of fundraisers of this scale from local hard rock bands (Garden of Bedlam and Stillbroke had notable ones during their heyday), but if this can put a dent into what it takes to get their CD and tour rolling, then all will work out! Opening will be new local rock band Caroline Divine (featuring ex-Frasiers members) in their second announced concert, but what exactly do they play? Attendees can find out then, or at The Algonquin on June 5th!

Entitled "Pixo Plays For Food" and sponsored by Case's Music & The Rad Zone, tickets are available for $15 at both locations and via Pixo Control members. The event will take place on June 12th at 8:00 PM, though it is sadly a 19+ event. For more details, visit the above links! Adding to a surprisingly busy concert weekend at this Batchewana Street arena (joining The Danger Cats' roller derby sets the next day), hopefully this is a huge success for Michael, Steve, and Keeghan, so stay tuned as more info rolls in!

Also today, here's some info on a surprise album release, as Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist SweetKenny (real name Ken Sutton) quietly released his 12th solo album "Fleabag Hotel" on his Bandcamp page a few days ago! Honestly, a new mid-year release was likely given his usual schedule, but not as much was said about this one this time. Officially scheduled to recieve it's physical release on June 15th, the 11 song album is self-described by Ken as "a heavy rock, vocal, instrumental, high energy fun album", and it includes instrumentals and songs with vocals like usual. The album notably includes SweetKenny's Woodbangers Entertainment theme song "A New Dawn" among other new songs, some with amusing titles like "You Can Pet My Cat". Digital copies of "Fleabag Hotel" can be bought now at the above links for $12, but when can you expect a review on the site?

Not until July at the earliest, as we only reviewed last year's "Amazonian" in January, and we're still within our 6 month buffer period to avoid showing a bias or favoritism (Haggith's "Apocalypse" is coming in the next few weeks, and next month's review is to be determined.) Also, "Fleabag Hotel" is definitely next, as January's "Slobber" won't really be a "new" album anymore by the time SweetKenny's next review makes the site. Look for that then, and check out SweetKenny's albums above!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, all relating to upcoming Gongshow events at The Algonquin Pub! Our source for each is recent updates on the Facebook event page, and all are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA have been added as openers for the Wilt-headlined Gonqshow concert on Saturday, September 27th, though one more band is to be announced. I believe this will be AlgomA's debut at The Algonquin Pub, and their brutal sludge metal should be a good compliment, so keep this show in mind for the fall!
• Toronto thrash trio AxMinister are no longer listed as headliners for the Gonqshow event on July 4th, again via recent event page updates. A reason for their exit hasn't been announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! The show (also featuring Alberta punk quintet Calling All Captains and local rapper Mikey Thomas) is still on though, and a replacement band is to be announced, but will promoters stay with the varied genre theme? Stay tuned for more!
• New local metal trio Faceityoureametalband (featuring RedD Monkey, Pillory, and Bear Hunters alumni) have been named as the final local openers for the Gatgas-headlined Gonqshow concert on June 27th! Good to hear that they're definitely not a one-off project, and they'll fit the show well, but we have yet to find an online page for them. We'll keep you posted when we hear more!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some mid-week concert previews and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!

It's now time for last month's poll results and our newest poll, as we're finally closing down our "favourite _____ of 2015" polls by revealing the results of last month's question, which was "What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2014?" Only 15 votes, which I did expect would occur, as past years have seen a drop off when we combined shows that recieved votes in the half-year polls for one last go around. There's some interesting results though, so here they are!

Fuck the Facts at The Oddfellows Hall on May 4th (3 votes, 20%)
Anvil & Caym at The Canadian Nightclub on March 15th (3 votes, 20%)
Pillory & Rotopsy at The Oddfellows Hall on January 24th (3 votes, 20%)
The Ripcordz at The Rockstar Bar on October 11th (2 votes, 13%)
Gob & Jack Spades at The Rockstar Bar on October 29th (1 vote, 6¾%)
Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall on May 10th (1 vote, 6¾%)
Late & Loud at The Rockstar Bar on February 21st (1 vote, 6¾%)
Other (1 vote, 6¾%)
Punch at The Roosevelt Hotel on February 6th (0 votes)
Jack Spades at The Rockstar Bar on May 16th (0 votes)
Anciients & Havok at The Canadian Nightclub on June 24th (0 votes)
Late & Loud and Haggith at The Rockstar Bar on August 1st (0 votes)
IDNS at The Oddfellows Hall on September 6th (0 votes)
Random Killing at The Rockstar Bar on September 13th (0 votes)
Devil's Night at The Oddfellows Hall on October 30th (0 votes)
Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub on October 31st (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, while I expected the lower vote turnout this month, I did not expect both Jack Spades' CD release show in May or October's Halloween Party (featuring Frightlight's last gig) to not get a single vote, after each winning this poll's half-year versions. I know it's all in who votes, but it's quite a drop! Actually, most of the options here fell to 0 votes after getting at least one before, with only two summer or fall shows getting even one vote, which is very odd, but you can't predict stuff like this. The Ripcordz' concert from October did get bumped up to fourth place, which is encouraging, and as for the winner amidst the three way tie? Though last January's weather-impaired Oddfellows Hall show and the spring's Anvil & Fuck The Facts concerts all tied for first place with 3 votes, we always give ties in polls like these to the most recent of the deadlocked choices.

As it had less time in our minds to get the same number of votes, I'll declare last May's Fuck The Facts-headlined concert at The Oddfellows Hall to have "won" the poll! This was a solid concert from this brutal Juno nominated band who I've been lucky to check out twice, especially bolstered by Shit Liver's first homecoming, and I know fans there enjoyed it! Thanks to everyone for voting in these polls, and here's to a continued great 2015!

As for this month's poll, I'm posing this question to you guys: When you attend a local concert, what's your ideal number of bands on the lineup? I was inspired to have this as our next poll following the very uneven attendance at Swampstravaganza V earlier this month, which featured 9 bands and 2 hours of open mic, yet only attracted a medium attendance at it's peak just after the show's midpoint. While I know you can't expect m most people to attend a show of this length from bell to bell, this is a topic worth addressing again, albeit while noting that we have touched on similar material in the past for our polls. From weekend cover bands to major festivals, local concerts come in all shapes and sizes, but you guys might have a preference for the bands you want to see, or can manage seeing in a given night, so let's tackle this poll with the choices below!

Just one act: Do you prefer seeing just one band at a local concert, or only come out usually to see just one? This choice can apply to people who only tend to go see weekend cover bands at local bars, especially as most original bands nowadays play with other bands on the same bill. Maybe you tend to only attend shows for your favourite band, or your friend's band? This is the choice for you in this case!

Two bands: You don't see a whole lot of two band shows nowadays, but maybe you only come out to most shows for the two headlining bands, or can only attend for a short time? If you'd rather see two bands at a concert over a larger number, vote for this!

3-4 bands: Many local concerts nowadays have a lineup of this size, including most of this year's Gonqshow events and the vast majority of old Rosie metal nights, just as an example. A headliner and 2 or 3 local openers makes for a nice sized event, without stretching for too long, but is this the option for you, or do you crave more (or less?)

5-6 bands: Now we're getting into larger events, such as many Oddfellows Hall events and some of the larger one day battles of the bands. Such shows are often all ages events that start in the early evening, but is this an ideal size for your concertgoing?

7 or more bands: Here's our maximum for the poll, which would include events like the Swampstravaganza, Toystock, most summer concert festivals, and many Heavy North Entertainment shows, among others. These concerts often have an afternoon start time, run all day, and often have a wildly varying attendance depending on who plays when. Are you among the fans who love to stick through it and take in all of the bands on the lineup of a show of this size, or the vast majority of them?

No preference: Do you go to concerts regardless of band amount or a number you'd intend to see? If I was voting, this would be my choice, as I'd hope most people would go to concerts because they wanted to see the whole thing, or at least support every band while focusing on a favourite, but it'll be interesting to see the final results. If you go to shows for the music and don't pre-plan what bands you're going to stay for, vote here!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until June 18th to cast your votes, so do so at the above links, and stay tuned for more news and notes over the coming week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats), Haggith's New CD, And New Videos!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to apologize for not getting official plugs of last night's two Mourning Wood concerts (a matinee at The New American Pub and a normally timed Rednecks Saloon show) on the site yesterday. Both only recieved short notice plugs on personal Facebook accounts a few hours before showtime at The New A, and as we couldn't rush a new news post in time to plug both, we covered them on our Facebook page. Had we recieved more advance word on both, we'd have definitely plugged them here, but our apologies either way! Now, today's post features new videos, a recent album release, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Local all-female hard rock/punk quartet The Danger Cats will rock The Rankin Arena at 17 Batchewana Street on Saturday, June 13th during... a roller derby event?! Yes, the girls' second announced show of the summer will come during Border Brawl, a Sault Roller Derby event that will see two games between Ontario and Michigan teams (with game 1 featuring Northern Ontario's own NORD Starz.) If you're not familiar with roller derby, it's a fun and physical game that the whole family can enjoy, so give it a look online to see if this is up your alley! Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Kougar confirmed in personal e-mails that they'll be playing during halftime of both games, so with each starting at 6:00 & 8:00 PM, their mini-sets will presumably be at around 7:00 & 9:00 PM. This may seem like an odd show for a local band to play, but some of the members are involved in local roller derby events, hence the connection. (Calico Katie even designed the poster!)

Admission is $10 at the door or via advance ticket sales through derby players,  while kids under 12 get in FREE! Also, note that there's an afterparty at The Rockstar Bar too, but if The Danger Cats (or any other band) are playing it, nothing has been publically stated yet. For more details on this unique concert event, check the above links, and don't bypass roller derby, give it a look and see if you'd want to check out Border Brawl!

Next up, here's some overdue notes on a recent album release, as local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith released their newest CD "Apocalypse II" on May 9th prior to their set at that night's Swampstravaganza V! Apologies for the delay in getting this on the site, it fell through the cracks way too much. Released a day earlier than anticipated, "Apocalypse II" is the band's fourth full length studio album and second in their "Apocalypse" concept series, as recorded over the past year+ at PaperClip Productions. The album features (in various lineup arrangements and instrument roles) the band's late 2014-early 2015 lineup, including singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie, ex-guitarist Daniel Horton, bassist Jordan Leach, and drummer/vocalist Mike Haggith, though only Daniel is credited on all 10 songs, and his Project 421 bandmate Frank McGillivray is credited with playing guest guitar on the three "Home" tracks.

"Apocalypse II" was on sale for $5, and likely will be at the band's upcoming concerts as well. You can stream all 10 songs ("Apocalypse", "Hands of Death", "Immunity", "Spreading The Disease", parts 5, 6, and 7 of "Home", "Tribute to Mike Haggith", "We Are The Damned", and the title track) at Haggith's YouTube channel for free as well, but will we be reviewing the album on the site this month? No, because it only makes sense to go in chronological order for the "Apocalypse" series, so look for our review of 2012's "Apocalypse" (at last) by month's end! Check out both above!

We'll close today with new videos, including this clip of Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve tracking drums for a guest spot he's doing for an upcoming Rotopsy track! As uploaded to his YouTube channel on Monday, the overhead video features him tracking his part in a speedo (as he pointed out), and it sounds good to add to a Rotopsy song! While a little monotonous, live drums top a drum machine and help give more of the full band feel to their goregrind intensity, and it'll be interesting to hear the final product! Give Nathan's new video a look below!



Finally, here's a new solo instrumental recording by prolific Sault native and Alberta metal guitarist Paul Melanson! The first upload to his YouTube channel in 5 months, the song is called "Split the Sphere", and it's a well recorded and performed original song with a nice solo and strong songwriting! His recent hard rock and cover work in Lethbridge is solid, but it would be interesting to see him tackle a full metal project like this again. Give his new video a look below, and see more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (P.O.D. & Theory Of A Deadman), The Return Of I.S.O.M., And Theatre Of Night Updates!!

For the first time in what seems like way too long, we have an all-Sault Michigan post for you guys on this Saturday afternoon, so what lies within? Updates from a popular local studio metal project, a surprise return of a related metal band, and two major LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the Soo Kewadin this summer, so here's what you need to know!

A huge modern/alternative rock concert is hitting The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 3rd that will feature three multi-platinum selling rock bands! The listed headliners are San Diego alternative metal quartet P.O.D. (best known for hits like "Alive" & "Youth of the Nation") in their first local concert appearance, and they'll be joined by fellow California hard rockers Hoobastank (who you may remember from their hits "Crawling In The Dark" & "The Reason") and Pennsylvania post-grunge quartet Fuel (of "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" & "Shimmer" fame), and given their familiar rock radio hits and long standing success, it's great to have all three here! You may also recognize Hoobastank & Fuel from opening for Staind in 2009 and Buckcherry in 2012 respectively at The Dreammaker's Theatre, though Fuel have since changed drummers, with Shannon Boone now behind the kit in place of Ken Schalk. If you've missed both bands in recent years, then circle July 3rd on your calendars!

Support will come via Saginaw rap/rock band Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel earlier this year, among other local appearances) and.... Integrated System of Machines?! You read that right, the local epic metal band has reunited after a 6 year breakup and will play live for the first time in the 2010s at this show, which is awesome to hear! Though fans did get unofficial successors End of Existence in studio in recent years, I.S.O.M. had their own big following at their late 2000s peak, including one CD, but what else do we know about their reunion? While I haven't found a newly updated online page for I.S.O.M., personal Facebook postings imply that their new lineup features original singer Bob Helsten (a.k.a. Orb Hearthstone), his Power Slug bandmate Chris Leask on bass, drummer Bart Rennels (a.k.a. Black Trab), and guitarist(?) Art Dietz, with longtime keyboardist Craig "Tubesock" Harrison noticeably absent.

This doesn't appear to be a one-off, as one Facebook posting suggests that I.S.O.M. are working on a demo of some kind, but we'll keep you posted when/if more is announced, and Integrated System of Machines are now back in our active band links! As for the P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel concert in general, it is being promoted by local MMA promoter Robin Cook via his new concert promotion agency Superior Entertainment (also now in our links), who also put on the Saving Abel show earlier this year. Tickets for this ALL AGES show are $38.50 in advance or $42.50 at the door, and you can buy tickets right now at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. For more details on this huge upcoming show, check the above links, and stay tuned as updates roll in!

One more big modern rock concert is hitting The Dreammaker's Theatre this year (just one week after P.O.D. in fact), as British Columbia hard rock quartet Theory of a Deadman will rock the Sault Kewadin on Friday, July 10th! Making their second local concert appearance (after a headlining show at The Dreammaker's Theater in 2012), Theory of a Deadman have 3 platinum albums in Canada, and are well known from hit songs like "Bad Girlfriend", " Lowlife", and "Nothing Could Come Between Us", and their own familiar hits and selection of heavier favourite should serve them and fans well during this stop on their Summer Savages Tour The announced openers are Missouri hard rock quintet Shaman's Harvest, who have charted some rock rasdio hits with songs like "Dragonfly" & "Dangeorous", and should fit in nicely in their local concert debut on July 10th! There will reportedly be one more band added to the lineup, we'll let you know when/if they're announced.

Promoted by Allstar Promotions in their third show since resurging (though their first in their usual modern rock wheelhouse since then), this show has a flat $36.50 ticket fee, and like the P.O.D. show, tickets for this ALL AGES event are available at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. For more details (including a Facebook contest from Allstar Promotions where you could win backstage and/or meet & greet passes), visit the above links! These two shows will help bolster the summer concert season in the twin Saults, so if you enjoy modern hard and alternative rock, definitely keep your eyes on these two July shows! Stay tuned for more info!

We'll close today's all-Sault Michigan post with some news from local classical metal band Theatre of Night, so what's been going on in their camp? In terms of new music, the band featuring I.S.O.M. and End of Existence alumni have uploaded new "zombie soundtrack" songs named "Demonslayer" and "Revenge of the Living Dead" to their Reverbnation page, but whether this is an intended album theme or not isn't stated there. Both sound good and dramatic, so check them out above! Theatre of Night have also launched a campaign on the crowdfunding website Patreon, which is like Kickstarter, but allows fans to fund artists per each completed work to help them continue producing more in their medium. A lengthy biography written by keyboardist Craig Harrison can be read there, where he outlines Theatre of Night's history and past work, and it's a nice read! That said, if you pledge money to fund Theatre of Night projects, what will you get?

If you pledge $1 per song, you can get new songs as released for free plus possibly studio outtakes and Craig's own art prints. Higher amounts (i.e. $100 and $200 a song) could see money donated to the Wounded Warrior Project or you recieving ALL produced music. Crowdfunding is still a new and hit & miss idea for local bands, but hopefully fans can jump on board to help Craig, Steve, and Gaby to continue making music and finally get that third CD out, so click here for full details on the Patreon campaign, and stay tuned!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Sault Ontario news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Bear Hunters, Mike Haggith & The Din, And Havadder) & More Concert Previews!!

We have a lot of news to come on the site, and we'll touch on some of that with today's post, including the last of this weekend's concert previews (late notice announcements aside) and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from TONIGHT through July, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder will return to The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT for one night only! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Keeping their recent steady string of concerts going, this will be their first show at the former Nicolet Tavern in two weeks, though it's not stated whether a separate booking or the band's own commitments are why they're not playing on Saturday. Fans of Jugga and company should be up for another night of hard hitting covers and classic favourites, so despite the short notice, keep TONIGHT'S show in mind! Like usual for Havadder's Rednecks shows, there is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, check the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!



Moving to some other new show announcements, a diverse lineup of bands will hit The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday, June 6th, with local hard rock and metal bands opening for Sudbury blues rock quartet Patrick Wright et les Gauchistes! As the name implies, they are indeed a Francophone band whose songs are all in French, which is something we don't see often in the Soo. Though not "heavy", their blues and folk rock originals show clear talent and maturity, so give them a listen! The openers will include local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters, hard rock quartet Haggith, death/grind trio Them (in their Canadian debut) and possibly local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, though their involvment is tentative as of this writing. Very wide-ranging show with no bands really sounding alike, but maybe that was the intention, and this way, there's a little something for everyone!

Promoted by Haggith bassist Jordan Leach and sponsored by Paperclip Productions, this show (labelled "Rock in Steel Town") has tickets for $5 in advance (details forthcoming), while the price jumps to $8 at the door. An 8:00 PM start time is advertised, and oddly for a Canadian Nightclub concert, it will be 19+. For more details on this diverse concert in three weeks, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for updates!

Staying close to the Haggith camp, drummer Mike Haggith will officially launch his newest solo album "The Warinside" with a full CD release concert on Friday, July 3rd at The Rednecks Saloon! The first time that one of Mike's solo albums has ever recieved a full CD release party, the show will be headlined by Mike's side project band Mike Haggith & The Din, who will definitely play songs from the album (also spelled "The Warrenside" on some postings), and yes, it will be on sale for just $5 that night! 3 more local opening bands are being sought, and though there is interest from the band Haggith, a yet-to-debut Mitch Sirie project, and Faceityoureametalband (looks like they're not a one-off!), no one else has been confirmed yet as of this writing. Promoted by the aforementioned Mitch Sirie, this 19+ show has a 10:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Whether I'm able to go or not, it looks like we know our likely CD review for July on the SMS, and kudos to Mike on what will be his biggest solo album launch yet! He's came a long way since moving here, and hopefully there's a great turnout on July 3rd! Stream the whole album at this link, and stay tuned as updates roll in!

Finally for today, here's our last known hard rock concert previews for the weekend (barring some even later-notice announcements), as Kinross, Michigan hard rock trio Banned will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Last seen in Drummond Island on April 18th, these shows will be Banned's first within an hour of the Soo in well over a month, and their first in St. Ignace in four months, so if you've missed Banned, keep this weekend's shows in mind to get your fill of Alex, Don, and Wayne's fun and often heavy covers and originals! Like usual for their Kewadin shows, there are 9:00 PM start times in effect, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits. For more details, visit the above links! It's great to see Banned staying active, so don't miss them this weekend, and here's Banned live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Sault Ontario Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

For today's SMS post, we're sticking to weekend concert previews, as there's a fair amount of concerts going on this weekend, espeiclaly with all of these having some advance notice! We'll touch on potential short notice shows (and this weekend's Banned concerts in St. Ignace) tomorrow, but for now, here's this weekend's previews in rough chronological order!

We'll start back at The Rednecks Saloon for TONIGHT'S expected weekly jam night from local classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood, as they're very likely back at the former Nicolet Tavern tonight for the tenth straight week! As in past weeks, this will see Terry, Steven, and T.J. as the house band at Rednecks, with encouragement for attendees to jump on stage with them and jam along, such as is often done with Mojo's jam nights, so this should be another fun one if you either enjoy this sort of event or just want to see Mourning Wood in concert! For reference, I have seen no confirmation of the guys playing any regular weekend dates yet, but the operative word is yet, as we're coming to expect late notice show announcements from their camp. TONIGHT'S jam night has no announced cover, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:30 PM start time, so check the above links for more details, and here's the guys last year!

Next up, we'll head to The Algonquin Pub TOMORROW NIGHT, as J.D. Pearce & Tidal Records' Gonqshow concert series kicks off with Toronto groove metal favourites Caym headlining at The Algonquin Pub! Though they've parted ways with drummer Tyler Reiner since their last local stop last spring, Caym should still be tighter than your dad's boots in their first headlining set in the Soo, and they should provide an explosive set of metal originals for fans at The Algonquin tomorrow during their New Breed Tour! Local support will come via punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (who opened for Caym last year) and local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, both of whom are great and intense fits, so don't be late! Also, Jack Spades will take the trip out to Sudbury on Saturday to join Caym and fellow local concert alums Archelon in a show there, so click here for more details on that event!

Note that this show was originally scheduled to be held at The Oddfellows Hall, and once was planned to be promoted by Heavy North Entertainment (complete with the band Them also opening), but H.N.E. & Them have since dropped out of involvement with this show, and it'll now kick off the (at least) 12 date Gonqshow series. With that, the cover has been cut to just $5, but it is sadly now a 19+ event. Everything starts at 10:00 PM, so check the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and don't miss Caym TOMORROW NIGHT! Here's Caym live earlier this month!



Also this weekend, fans of Tym Morrison's solo act can check him out, as usual, TOMORROW AND SATURDAY NIGHT at The Harp Bar & Grill! Pushing a year and a half of nearly weekly solo acoustic gigs at the former Madison's Pub, Tym will surely keep up the same good vibes with lots of unplugged hard rock covers and classics tomorrow and Saturday, and don't worry if you notice no shows this weekend on his website's calendar, as there's a Facebook event page confirming this weekend's events! You can check out the longtime Caveman Morrison frontman tomorrow & Saturday at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge for either night, and as usual, you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Tym back at The Harp this weekend, and here's Tym covering Metallica!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to The Algonquin Pub's upstairs neighbour, The Rockstar Bar, where local hard rock quartet Long Shot will make their debut on SATURDAY NIGHT! This is a bit more of a conventional concert from this rising local band, but with the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands runner-up title under their belts, and many unique concerts on their resume, this could be a great opportunity for the Dawes, Nathan, and Jeremy to make a big impression! For reference, this is a one-nighter due to tonight's Rockstar Bar show headlined by Toronto pop rock band OzGoode. Long Shot are on Saturday night at 10:30 PM, there is an announced cover charge of $5, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and definitely give Long Shot a look this weekend if you can! Here's the guys covering The Darkness live early in their run!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews and updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lopstock II & Id Iota), Plus New Videos!!

Before we begin this news post, I wanted to acknowledge that SooToday's "Soo-To-Do List" last week mentioned that Havadder were apparently playing at The Rednecks Saloon this past Saturday in place of Stiffler's Mom. As far as we can tell, Havadder never confirmed this online, but if we did miss a band change, our apologies!  Now, today's news post features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month and some new videos, so read on below for what you should know!

Two debuting bands and a recently returned band will join for a concert at The Algonquin Pub on Friday, June 5th! The newest (and last?) confirmed show for J.D. Pearce & Tidal Records' Gonqshow concert series, the event's announced headlining act is Id Iota, the newest local project from Habitat Shuffle/ex-Free Beer frontman Christian Lemay, who you may have seen teasing the project on Facebook & Instagram via recent recording sessions at Tidal Records' own Mission Control Studios. Other than that, we have nothing 100% verifiable on them, but will Id Iota bear resemblances to Free Beer and/or Habitat Shuffle, or be something completely different? Also scheduled are local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven in their fourth ever concert and their debut at The Algonquin Pub, and after a successful return on Saturday, look for the guys to keep the momentum going on June 5th!

The other scheduled band is Caroline Divine (not to be confused with Stillbroke's late-era name Borderline Divine), and they're apparently a new band from the members of defunct local pop rock band The Frasiers, sans frontman Charlie Derrer. This may be the same band that drummer Devin Williamson was searching for a guitarist for on the Musicians Wanted group, and if that's the case, they're influenced by everyone from Van Halen to The Arctic Monkeys. If still true, it's intriguing! Like most other Gonqshow events, this has a 19+ age limit, a $5 cover, and a 10:00 PM start time, so check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more on the new bands!

Also in new June concerts, fans can see the aforementioned Caroline Divine at LopLops Lounge the very next day when they take part in Lopstock II! After a successful first go-around last year, this Woodstock-inspired "bohemian conclave" will return for a sequel on Saturday, June 6th, though this year, the show is visibly being promoted by Gnaeus' Brendan Garlick rather than Ears & Eyes Online. Featuring out of town bands for the first time as well as 5 returning bands, Lopstock will be headlined by local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control at midnight, with folk/garage quintet Honest Job on at 11:00 PM, and and Burlington folk rock project Kirby (I think) playing at 10:00 PM. Oddly, there's a 3 hour gap on the schedule from 7:00-10:00 PM, which will apparently serve as an intermission given the ticket price options. The 6:00 PM band will be another out of town band, Guelph blues/garage rock band The Galacticats. Both are solid bands in their genres, so give them a listen!

The current lineup is rounded out by Brendan's own garage punk band Gnaeus at 5:00 PM, plus acoustic trio K.I.C.K. at 4:00 PM, Caroline Divine at 3:00 PM, and local indie solo act Aldous at 2:00 PM, with the 1:00 PM slot open at present. Lopstock II will have $15 ticket prices ($10 for just the three post-break bands), and while not stated on the event page, last year's Lopstock was an all ages event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Great to see a new Lopstock next month, and with many of the same acts to boot, so keep it in mind for next month, and thanks to Brendan for the Caroline Divine info!

Next, here's some new videos from new Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings... thirteen of them, in fact! Attendee Tamara Spencer attended their gigs this past weekend at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, and posted her videos onto the band's Facebook page earlier this week, though only one surpasses a minute in length. The videos include Ten Kings covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", The Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows", Live's "I Alone", Grand Funk Railroad's "Some Kind of Wonderful", The Black Keys' "Gold on the Ceiling", Nirvana's "About A Girl", Florida Georgia Line's "Stay", Velvet Revolver's "Slither", four short instrumental clips that I can't place (here, here, here, and here), and as embedded below, Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite", so how do Ten Kings sound?

While all abbreviated and filmed vertically, Ten Kings sound good and show the members' skilled background well, but I do concede that Brandon Carr's voice isn't a perfect fit on some songs (his range isn't a problem, but his vocal tone doesn't mesh with some of these covers.) Kudos to Tamara for getting all of these videos, so check them all out above and below!



Finally for today, here's a 15 second video shot by Id Iota's Christian Lemay that he posted onto Instagram on May 1st, courtesy of the Biipiigwan show at 180 Projects last month! Specifically of local doom metal openers AlgomA, this appears to be of the guys playing "Tertiary Syphillis", but it's only 15 seconds long, and the lighting isn't too hot, despite showing a clearer quality that gives us a better look at the projected backdrop. Check out Christian's brief AlgomA video below!

A video posted by Christian Lemay (@lemaychristian) on Apr 30, 2015 at 9:50pm PDT

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!