Oshawa Rocks This June: Your Guide to the Loudest Gigs in the City!

Summer kicks off with a blast from the past as two of Canada’s iconic bands pull into the Bond|St. Event Centre. One of the best bands this country has produced, Sloan, from Halifax, returns to Oshawa on Saturday, June 21. Sloan first played Oshawa in the mid-1990s, having formed in 1991, and has performed in the city periodically ever since. As the band has grown as artists, they have gained new fans and released several albums. Twice Removed, in particular, has been critically acclaimed as one of the great Canadian albums, joining the likes of the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Lowest of the Low, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The band features the same four friends who started it: Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson, Patrick Pentland and Andrew Scott, with all four contributing songs. “The Good in Everyone,” “Underwhelmed,” “Money City Maniacs,” and “The Other Man” are among the hits from their 13 studio albums.

The Money City Maniacs themselves, Sloan, will be in Oshawa on Saturday, June 21, at the Bond|St. Event Centre.

The Bond|St. Event Centre also houses the storied basement club TwoTwoTwo, named for the Canadian Auto Workers Union Local 222. Once known as The Dungeon, it has hosted countless punk and metal shows. The Ripcordz, from Montreal, is one of the original Canadian punk bands, dating back to 1980. Forty-five years later, the band is still rocking, rolling and raging, and will play the TwoTwoTwo on Saturday, June 28. The Ripcordz will share the stage with GFU, School Damage, Wise Guise and Difficulty Breathing. The Bond Street Events Centre is located at 44 Bond St. E. One block away, at 39 King St. E., is the Biltmore Theatre, another top-notch venue in the downtown core. This month, the Biltmore hosts Fish in a Birdcage on Friday, June 20. Fish in a Birdcage is as unique as the name suggests and is the project of Calgary-based artist Dustan Townsend. American singer-songwriter Shayfer James will open the show.

The Biltmore Theatre is also presenting a couple of local showcases for homegrown artists, and anyone looking to get the full ShwaRock City experience should make a point of attending one or both of these shows. On Saturday, June 14, post-hardcore band Judgement will headline a night that includes F!TH from Ottawa, Tarbox from Montreal, Wolves on Tape and At This Point. ShwaRock City is indeed a place for hardcore music fans.

Catch Oshawa's own Judgement at The Biltmore Theatre on Saturday, June 14.

On Friday, June 6, the Biltmore presents another local lineup. Local rockers Of the Unknown will be joined by Not That I Care from Barrie, Social Era, and Bad Thieves.

The Biltmore Theatre has also begun to share a hidden gem: the intimate showcases it hosts on the Mezzanine, an art deco bar on the second floor. On Thursday, June 12, The Acoustic Blvd — featuring Terry Crawford, Rick Johnson and Roger Watson — will perform classic folk-rock songs by America, Bruce Springsteen and The Band.

The Regent Theatre, located at 50 King St. E. across from the Biltmore, has a full month of music scheduled, with a variety of tribute acts on the calendar. Meanwhile, The Atria, celebrating more than 40 years, has some great punk and metal shows coming up, including performances by Stonefree, Dead Drops, Free Couch and Bluff. On Friday, June 20, local psychobilly musician Jackson Begley will host a release party for his debut album, and on Friday, June 27, local heavyweights Vs. the Borg will perform.