Bear Hunters & Banned Concert Previews, Plus The Local Iron Maiden Comic Book Launch!!

Let's finish off this weekend's concert previews today with two Saturday nighters on each side of the border for you guys to take note of, with the former being extended given what all is going on with it, but we also have a preview of a special event going down tomorrow that, while not a concert, has a unique and very clear metal tie, so here's what you should know!

Prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger's highly anticipated birthday concert will go down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall, with a stacked lineup of local metal and hard rock bands joining forces for the occasion! At least seven bands will take the stage for "Johnny B's #Litfam Birthday Sheezy" tomorrow, which comes in advance of Johnny's 27th birthday next week, and while 100% final timeslots are not confirmed, the official poster lists most of the scheduled bands, including Johnny's death metal band The Bear Hunters (in their first public concert appearance of the year) and his punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, plus reunited extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, modern hard rockers Eclipse, Johnny's hard/pop rock quartet Heavy Head, and new death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora (who were confirmed on the Facebook event page earlier this month, but were added after the poster was made.) Notably, the latter three bands will be making their Oddfellows Hall debuts tomorrow, so come early to see them!

Now, Johnny noted two weeks ago on the event page that "a band" will be making a "special guest appearance", and while their identity hasn't been leaked, recent postings there strongly indicate that Bear Hunters rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney is coming up from Brampton for the birthday "sheezy." Might we see the full quintet Bear Hunters lineup for the first time since 2014? Does Josh factor into the guest band in some form, perhaps via a one-off band reunion? I don't know for certain, but be at The Oddfellows Hall TOMORROW to find out! Though the poster lists a 7:00 PM start time for bands, the event page credits 6:00 PM as the start for this show, which will have $5 admission, be ALL AGES, and will also have a barbecue on site for the birthday festivities (though what form and price isn't established that I've seen.) This is shaping up to be a fun concert for local metal and punk fans, with many familiar faces to be seen, and with a guest band that fans will apparently not want to miss, so don't miss out tomorrow night, and here's The Bear Hunters' full lineup live a few years back!

Lastly for this weekend (barring a super-late notice concert announcement), classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to their hometown of Kinross, Michigan for a headlining show TOMORROW NIGHT at The Orioles Club inside of the Kinross Township Hall! The Traynors and Wayne will play their only public show of the weekend tomorrow at 4916 West Curtis Avenue in their first date at this venue since November, and while I can't confirm if there's a special event tied to this concert, it appears to be similar in scope to their debut there. In any event, an early 7:00 PM start time is in effect, and there are no announced age limits or cover charges. Banned's talented and often heavy sets should get a good reception at The Orioles Club tomorrow, so keep Banned's hometown show in mind for your plans, and here's Banned live!

Finally today, remember how Saulite and artist Darren Emond recently signed on to provide the artwork for an upcoming Iron Maiden comic book? Well, the comic book is complete and ready for release, and it will see it's local launch TOMORROW at The Rad Zone! As per their Facebook page, Darren will be on hand at the Wellington Square Mall store tomorrow, with copies on sale for $5, while personal Facebook postings indicate that for $10, he will autograph your copy and also draw a sketch of Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie the Head for you, so keep both options in mind! Proceeds will help get Darren to next month's Niagara Falls Comic-Con to promote his new graphic novel "Giiwedanon" with local author Darin Corbiere. Some of Darren's other works will be on display as well, and he will be at The Rad Zone from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM. A handful of preview shots for the comic are floating around online, with this link confirming that the storyline is a partial biography of Eddie, while also outlining the birth of the Iron Maiden herself.

As a comic book fan who recently enjoyed some Free Comic Book Day events in the Detroit area, I definitely plan on being at The Rad Zone tomorrow to get a copy of the Iron Maiden comic book, and it must be a thrill for Darren to see this released, let alone after working with a legendary metal band! A review would indeed follow on the site too after I get my copy, so keep an eye out for that, and don't miss Darren's comic book launch tomorrow! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more this weekend! Thanks everyone!