LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Soo's Got Talent) & The Tym Morrison Concert Previews!!

To cap off this weekend's concert previews, our gaze drifts to events tomorrow (and one on Monday for good measure), and we'll start with an extended SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know on this Saturday afternoon!

The Soo's Got Talent will return TOMORROW NIGHT at the now-renamed Blaster Powerhouse for a special winter gala, and hard rock musicians are advertised! Apologies for the short notice, the performer lineup was only unveiled this past Sunday on their Facebook page (click here to see the complete lineup of name). Originally, TSGT was supposed to hold its seventh annual installment this fall, and second with the Voice-esque Soo Voxx format, but a lower-than-anticipated competitor lineup forced organizers to re-adjust. Instead, they'll be holding a winter gala (in mid-November with no snow) featuring past competitors, judges, performers, and supporters taking the stage in varying forms, and there will be no competive format or stakes TOMORROW. Karaoke singing will be a heavy component, but there will be at least one formal band playing, though there could be more specifics than what is already out there.

As always, The Soo's Got Talent donates proceeds to a local charity, and this year, they will be going to Therapeutic Ride Algoma, who specialize in teaching horseback riding to children for therapy and adaptive needs, but TOMORROW's gala will also serve as a tribute to late Soo's Got Talent co-organizer and judge Darren Robertson, who lost his battle with cancer one month ago today. The format change to a one-night gala was made with his blessing before he passed, and in his memory, an all-star band comprised of fellow judges and guest musicians will perform TOMORROW. Who all will be involved? Come to the former Soo Blaster to find out! The performer lineup will include three of the six past champions of The Soo's Got Talent (2022 winner Amanda Phillips, 2024 winner and Lime/Honey & Groove frontwoman "Miss" Madii Schomogyi, and last year's Soo Voxx champion David "Bobbie Lex" Ikechukwu.)

Among names from our coverage, you'll recognize Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Bandmate/Drifters frontwoman Elly McWatters (herself a former TSGT finalist), with Mike's band being a multi-year house band for the finals already, a role that Riverside Stasis frontwoman Taylor Emlaw also filled in with Handsome Sandwich in the past, so she will be here TOMORROW too! If their current bands will be present, then the other members weren't advertised. Other familiar faces will include frequent finals guest judge Tim Murphy, judge & Generations frontwoman Valerie Powley, Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson, Soundcheck/TNT singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe, and former Bourbon Blue singer and finalist Robert Nevitt (who was replaced by Elly in Re:Born), plus fifteen more names from Soo's Got Talents past. Could more surprise guests be in store? Come down to Blaster Powerhouse TOMORROW NIGHT to find out!

This all ages event goes down tomorrow at 3:00 PM, and admission is by donation, so keep that in mind to help Therapeutic Ride Algoma, a worthy charity who do good work with the kids and horses alike! It's an oddly early day but there's a lot of music happening tomorrow for a good cause, to promote talented local artists, and honour Darren's memory, so consider coming to Blaster for all of the action! See above for more details, and as given that there isn't a real scheduled hard rock act, just individual listed artists, I'll forgo a preview video, but lots of videos are out there from The Soo's Got Talent and performers' other events! Best of luck tomorrow!

Finally, let's round out this weekend's concert previews with another Saultite with talent, namely classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will have a rare doubleheader of shows ahead, including a matinee gig at Reggie's Place TOMORROW before debuting at the relocated Full Throttle Saloon on MONDAY NIGHT! Tym is no stranger to playing Sunday matinee concerts at different venues, with tomorrow's Reggie's show being the penultimate gig of his late 2026 bookings there, but Monday's concert is a new one, as he hadn't been a performer at the former Primavera Hall before Rosa moved the Full Throttle to Cravings Diner at Market Mall. The now-west end bar is experimenting with hosting solo acoustic musicians during their wings and fries nights on Mondays, hence the unusual day for a covers-centric concert from Tym, but hopefully he gets a good reception at a new locale!

Tomorrow's matinee show at Reggie's is at 3:00 PM, while Monday night's Full Throttle Saloon gig is at 7:00 PM (both have 4 hour runtimes, though note that the latter has smaller capacity limits). Both are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charge. Busy weekend-ish for Tym, but he is a pro with a deep setlist, so hopefully tomorrow's and Monday's concerts are big hits! Visit the official Facebook event pages on Tym's Facebook group for more details, and for a preview, here he is live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Riverside Stasis), A New Local Punk Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Let's look at some recent news and updates along with a somewhat prolonged continuation of this weekend's concert previews because there are two Sunday events. As such, we have one preview here, plus new concert videos, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, and leading off, a new addition to our active band links, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our links, and they are young skate punk trio Worst Case Scenario! Publically debuting this past Tuesday at the Hails-headlined all ages concert at The Speak Easy, their lineup is comprised of singer/guitarist Skyler Corbett, bassist Devon Pyne, and drummer Gage Lacasse, whose father is Half Past/Fort Creek bassist Arthur Lacasse. None are overtly familiar from past local bands (their ages acknowledged), but at least Skyler was in Superior Heights Collegiate's student rock band Steel Rock in the past school year. Interestingly, there are "rival" Instagram pages for bands named "Mediocre Scenario" and "Best Case Scenario", so props for keeping the in-joke going extra! WCS' first gig was a private event of some kind last month, where they were filmed covering Pennywise's "Fuck Authority" and Operation Ivy's "Knowledge" for Instagram-exclusive videos linked here

Videos from later events in the same locale followed where they covered The Descendents' "I'm Not A Loser" and Bad Religion's "You" (both of which were cross-posted to Facebook in perma-"Reel" vertical dimensions despite being shot horizontally), plus a Halloween cover of Millencolin's "Bullion". That and their video below from the Speak Easy (also of "I'm Not A Loser") are also only on Instagram. So far so good to me, Worst Case Scenario have clear talent for their age, some surprising cover choices that don't go with just the obvious mainstream punk singles, and Skyler's vocals hit the right melodic notes throughout, so they'll be a band to watch entering 2027! See more from Worst Case Scenario above and below!

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Next up, local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will play a somewhat unusual concert on Friday, December 4th, when they will be the only proper band opening for local rapper Mike "Sawbe" Preston's album release party at Blaster Powerhouse! The idea of a rock band outlier on a rap bill at the former Soo Blaster is usually the territory of The Apocalypse Afterparty (no word on if they turned this booking down or not), but you may recognize Riverside Stasis singer Tea Emlaw from guesting on the hook of Sawbe's song "All Eyes", so a link is definitely there. No word on who will be behind the drumkit in three weeks, but Riverside Stasis' newest Facebook post confirmed that Brandan Glew was just filling in for their shows last month (Anthony's departure was not addressed). If we hear anything about who is drumming next month, we'll let you know! In support of Sawbe's new album "Nikamowin", other openers will include his frequent collaborator Stoneburgh, rapper/one-time punk musician Bold Noize, ...

...and fellow local hip hop artists Greasy Goods, ColdXWorld, and Notorious Nate. If Tristan ever reposts the whole "God Save Me" album, I would still be interested in reviewing it on here! A live DJ will be present for an afterparty once Sawbe's set wraps up, but this all ages show will cost $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door, with $50 VIP passes also available, though the perks of VIP tickets are not yet given on Eventbrite or the Facebook event page. A 7:00 PM start time is given for general attendees. Sawbe is a talented rapper with a good local following, and congratulations in advance on the release, so see above for more on the release party (with a dash of rock!)

Staying in the realm of local rock bands with a female singer, we'll resume this weekend's concert previews briefly, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Private events aside, Generations will be playing their first show since another one-nighter at Reggie's last month, with Valerie and the guys last playing at the downtown casino two months ago. Should be a fun night of classic rock hits and some heavier selections from this veteran group, who hopefully won't have "certain circumstances" to force a late notice Jus' Chillin show tomorrow! Tomorrow's action goes down at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, as usual for Gateway Casino dates. Visit the above links for more details on tomorrow's concert, and here's Generations live!

Finally for tonight, let's come full circle at the aforementioned Speak Easy concert at Algoma University on Tuesday. First, the Algoma University Music Facebook page mentioned the show after the fact, noting that the one band (made up of members of Algoma's jazz ensembles) was actually named Peasant Poetry, not The Mario Kwon Quartet as seen on the posters. Regardless of name, that band is pictured in the photo with the post, and hopefully everyone involved had a good set! If you want to see some more videos from that night (and not ones on Instagram or crammed into vertical dimensions), then good news, as 5 Dollar Bribe's Facebook page has a couple! One is a 14 seconds-long clip of them covering Suicidal Tendencies' "Cyco Vision" (their cover pulls impress me more and more), and the raison d'etre of sharing this one is that guitarist Tyler Greely left the stage to play with moshing fans!

I don't see a need for the hard-coded caption in the bottom right, and I really wish this was longer than 14 seconds, but it's fun while it lasts! The teenage hard rock quartet were also filmed by bassist Randy Lundigran's dad Chad for the video embedded below that 5DB shared to their Facebook page, which sees them playing their new original song "Cold". This has another 1990s alt-grunge vibe with a hard rock edge, with Tyler on lead vocals and Randy dropping some impressive screams for good measure, and it's well performed overall! It helps that it's the full song (and horizontal), so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from 5 Dollar Bribe!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more concert previews and updates on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, The Sidekicks, And Curtis McKenzie) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another round of weekend concert previews today! The Halloween weekend buzz has definitely subsided, as on the hard rock-leaning spectrum, it's a much lighter weekend of covers-centric bands, but there's still enough to warrant a second post, so Generations and Tym Morrison will follow in a our next post. Now, let's start this round of weekend concert previews with a batch of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local alternative/hard rock singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced last week when he confirmed on his Facebook page that last week's announced Dive concert was off due to a scheduling conflict (I have no idea who The Dive booked on last week's "Think It Over Thursday", as they rarely plug musical performers on social media anymore). As such, the show was postponed one week to TONIGHT, and unless he has a short notice show next week, this will be the former Project 421/Eclipse frontman's last public date before he puts on (and plays at) the first Sault Retro Con next Sunday. Even though he doesn't do "livestream performances" (though I do think he should post more concert videos, at least), his old school slate of rock covers should get a good reception TONIGHT!

All of the action goes down in "The Naughty Corner" TONIGHT at 10:00 PM (do shows at The Dive seem to be drifting later and later?), this is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. Despite the late postponement and short notice anew, hopefully Curtis' rocking covers go over well at the former Low & Slow TONIGHT! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these were a part of the full schedule listing for this month as seen in the venue's November poster, but I held them for this weekend's previews because I couldn't fit them into a post last week. TOMORROW'S concert will mark Tracey, Steve, and Dan's first stop at their most frequent venue since their 1980s-themed Halloween party there, so if you want a more typical night of hard rocking covers with a wider timeframe focus, be at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW for all of the action! As usual, this Great Northern Road nightclub hosts different nightly acts, with sporadically seen local rock cover band Westridge scheduled on Saturday night, but Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre won't be idle that night, as we'll get into in a second. 

As usual for Water Tower Pub concerts, TOMORROW'S Sidekicks gig is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sidekicks live!

Also, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (7.3?) will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice on this weekend's shows, we only learned about them via personal Facebook postings earlier this week (Reggie's haven't updated their Facebook page in over four months, and while Soundcheck have resumed plugging gigs on their Facebook page as of late, these shows have not gotten any sort of public hype). Fresh off of Esquire Club shows last week, these will be Terry, Travis, Dan, and Johnny's first stops at Reggie's since early last month, and hopefully their retro-leaning slate of classic and hard rock covers go over as well as ever at the Queen Street East staple TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As usual, these shows will be at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges.

In terms of lineup, no, I don't know who (if anyone) is filling in for Dan TOMORROW due to his being double booked with The Sidekicks, but according to this post from the Sault Live Music Gig Announcements Facebook group, Separate Wayz frontwoman Nicole Thibodeau may join her bandmates (and Travis) on at least one night this weekend. Recent Soundcheck gigs haven't advertised an "epic crossover" with Separate Wayz, who themselves haven't updated social media since September, so whether a guest song or something more, don't be shocked if Nicole takes the stage with the guys TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck (7.3?) live!

Finally for this preview post, here's shows that did get advance notice, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Discounting the private birthday party this past weekend, these will be Headrush's first public gigs since opening for The Killer Hooks on Halloween night, and their first stops at the Second Line West bar in almost a month. There should be a good atmosphere of regulars and fans alike for Headrush's vintage rock cover action this weekend, so don't miss out if this is up your alley! If you can't make it, the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank will be back at The Esquire Club next month. Tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are both at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend, while the Facebook event page notes that they will be "hitting the stage hard with new tunes".

No teasers were given as to what new tunes have been prepared for their sets this weekend, but be present at The Esquire Club to find out how they "pulled a switcharoo"! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Headrush hitting the stage hard earlier this year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone! 

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Ashoka At The Show

For our penultimate Defunct Local Band Profile of 2026, we're again shining the spotlight on a defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk act that was randomly selected from our band links, and in a sense, this profile is nine years in the making! I had originally tapped this act for a profile in this series in 2017, not realizing they had recently came back from an inactive spell, so I shifted gears at the time. In 2026, however, they haven't been active on social media in over five years, and their number has been called again, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday night!

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Ashoka At The Show (formerly known as Mayadevi)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/Thessalon/Elliot Lake, Ontario

Genre: Pop Punk/Emo

Lineup: (Members not in their last lineup are in italics. I do not know what Oliver's last name is. Let us know if you can fill in that blank!)

Darren MacDonald, vocals/guitar
Aaron Gasparetto (The Undead Warriors), guitar
Oliver ??????, guitar
Mike Kyle (Sibling, Shit Liver), bass
Don Henderson, bass
Kristan Surge (OBCD), drums
Joey Graham (The Undead Warriors, Kaepora Gaebora), drums

Audio/Video: While a Mayadevi-era studio album named "The Great Panic Attack" was once planned, most surviving material comes from their work as a 2010s solo project. The best surviving source for media is Darren's 184Films channel, which features dozens of acoustic covers and originals, including a handful of free "albums". Public media of the full band is limited to two videos filmed by Kenneth Coventry for YouTube at Central Algoma Secondary School in Desbarats, including Ashoka At The Show playing an apparent original song named "Modest" unplugged at a fashion show in 2008 with Darren, Oliver, and Joey on stage. Featured here is the plugged-in & full colour Mayadevi-era cover of Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance" (with Don in place of Oliver) from 2007 at a CASS Cafe event, but check out Ken's channel for more contemporary videos, including solo performances by Darren that are not tied to the band! Of other band members, OBCD likely had the most musically in common, though the heavier Shit Liver far outlasted them.

Info/Analysis: Originally active from circa 2005-2008, Mayadevi (named for the mother of Buddha) was primarily seen as a live act at CASS Cafe events during members' teenage years, though they once teased playing sets at Oddfellows Hall concerts. The band changed their name to Ashoka At The Show (another reference to a Buddhist figure) circa 2007, and after a few years writing and performing strictly under his own name, Darren resurrected the AATS name for his music in 2013. He would post music frequently through April 2020, though he did take some extended breaks in the late 2010s, and also began focusing on e-gaming videos for NHL video games on a newer channel that once featured music as well. Ashoka At The Show updates ceased during the first pandemic lockdown (ironically considering it was a solo project), though Darren did post NHL 21 videos on their Facebook page upon its release until February 2021. Despite spending most of their active run as an acoustic solo act out of our coverage range, Darren is a talented singer and guitarist, and it would be neat to see Ashoka back at The Show!

Darren managed to get 10,000+ views on seven YouTube videos (three being Avenged Sevenfold covers), and he has a good singing voice, an ease on camera, and solid guitar skills that were all evident even in his CASS Cafe performances with the full band, and his original compositions were also promising, if clearly not fleshed out as much as old Mayadevi fans may have once hoped for. Give his Ashoka At The Show videos a watch, and hopefully we hear more from Darren down the road! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around December 10th when we look at our last randomly selected past local band of 2026, and it will be 2009-2014 and 2018-2021 local horror punk band Frightlight! Look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sault Retro Con), A Tuesday Night Concert Preview, And A New Video!!

Let's tackle some news and notes for this Monday night post, including intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend, a preview of a rare Tuesday night all-local and all-ages concert, and a new video from one of tomorrow's bands, so here's what you should know!

The musical lineup for the inaugural Soo Retro Con has been announced! Unusual among local comic/pop-culture conventions for hosting live musicians in the first place, the Soo Retro Con will take place on Saturday and Sunday, November 20th-21st at Great Lakes Hall, a newer events space at 288 Korah Road that just so happens to be located beside Stuff, the recently refurbished antiques/collectibles store owned by former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie (both are right near Jay's Piston Broke Pub too). For full details on the comic con aspects of this event, including vendors, door prizes, gelball, pool, and even catering, visit the official Facebook event page! Perhaps owing to space in Great Lakes Hall (and even the largest Steel City Nerd/CollectorCons didn't have full bands mid-event), the Retro Con will only be hosting solo musicians on both days from 12:15-4:15 PM, with two of them doubling up.

Your headliner both days is local blues musician Josh "The Preacher" McNally (sans his Jackleg Band) at 3:15 PM, while veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will take the stage in both days' middle set at 1:30 PM. 2024 Soo's Got Talent finalist Celeste Burton will open up the Saturday program only at 12:15 PM, while the aforementioned Curtis McKenzie will kick off the music on the Sunday afternoon (it's his own convention, why not?). Hopefully everyone proves to be a fitting soundtrack while attendees shop for pop culture treasures in the west end! The Soo Retro Con runs from 12:00-5:00 PM both days, and admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for a full weekend pass (kids aged 10 and younger get in free). Tickets are on sale at Stuff, The Skeleton Key Used Bookstore next door, The Dive Gastro Pub, Kanto Kreations, and at the door.

In the wake of the end of the Steel City conventions from Vintage Games N' Junque, a few different conventions have cropped up this year to fill the void (including the Great Lakes Geek Fests from Kanto Kreations and the touring SaultCon in July), but how will Curt do with the Soo Retro Con? Get more details on musical and non-musical fronts at the above links on what to expect at the Great Lakes Hall next weekend!

Next up, here's a special Tuesday night concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as five local bands will join forces at The Speak Easy at Algoma University! Why an all-local concert is on a Tuesday, I don't know (Remembrance Day on Wednesday isn't a statutory holiday), but this should be an early night, as it is an all ages event. Headlining tomorrow night are local crossover thrash trio Hails (who may have teasers of their current studio sessions to show off), and they'll be joined by ska/crust punk quartet ASDP (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) and fast-rising young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe in their Speak Easy debut. Two bands will play their first public concerts here, including The Mario Kwon Quartet, led by the jazz musician behind Yecharo from this year's Go Skateboarding Day and the Underground Events SSM compilation album, so you may recognize Mario thusly.

Opening tomorrow are Worst Case Scenario, a new teenage skate punk band. I was privately shown a video of them covering Pennywise's "Fuck Authority", but there's no public pages or media of them yet. Intentionally a surprise band or not, come to The Speak Easy for the best case scenario for learning who Worst Case Scenario are! This concert goes down tomorrow night at 6:00 PM, the bar will not be open, and admission is $20, with tickets on sale at this link or at the door (if you have valid student ID cards, door admission is slashed to $10). Should be a fun punk-leaning night of live music, with some jazz for good measure, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Hails live!

Finally for tonight, here's a new video from the aforementioned 5 Dollar Bribe's Facebook page! Uploaded two weeks ago in their first Facebook update since August (despite playing shows in the interim), this comes from their set opening for Customer Service at Blaster Powerhouse on October 24th, a show that also featured ASDP on the bill. The video features 5DB playing their new original song "Underneath" with guitarist Jayce Albury on vocals, and if you're wondering why they're in costumes, this was Underground Events SSM's Halloween concert, as they didn't book anything on the actual (and quite busy) Halloween weekend. Looks like Randy was The Cat In The Hat (and the hat/mask must have been hot!), Tyler & Chase seem to be channeling The Misfits, and I'm not 100% sure who Jayce was dressed as. In spite of the promoters crediting them as a "post-hardcore" band for tomorrow's event page, this is a 1990s grunge-inspired hard rock number with a nicely tuned melody and a casual ease as it goes along.

If you didn't know better, you wouldn't assume that this was a band of teenagers, which is a compliment for how they're developing as a live act and as songwriters! The lighting is too red (Halloween mood lighting for a show with a touring headliner, I know), but give this a watch below, and go see 5 Dollar Bribe tomorrow at The Speak Easy!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan Videos, Recent Missed Concert Notes, And More Recent Updates!!

To lead off today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a show in this weekend's previews and note another that I didn't cover due to its private nature, even though it did get a public shoutout. In the former case, I profusely apologize for neglecting to preview Nate's Chow's announced concert at the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023 tonight after the VFW's fifteenth annual Veteran's Day ATV ride. While I covered it when first announced late last month, it was regrettably bypassed in culling this weekend's previews, despite covering Nate's Chow's upcoming Kewadin Casino gigs in yesterday's post. Given the charitable aims of helping military veterans, I should have caught this event, especially as it wasn't announced on late notice on the band's end, but I'm sorry, and I hope that everyone had a great time in Brimley tonight! Note that Nate's Chow erroneously gave the date on their AI-generated poster as being on Friday, November 7th, rather than Saturday.

The other note is in Sault Ontario, where Headrush bassist John Amendola posted on the band's Facebook group last night "Happening now at The Rockstar (Bar)!! Come on down!", which heavily implied that they were playing a gig there. From what I have gathered from photos and John's later replies, this was a birthday party (the decorations and balloons helped give that away), and unless there was firm public advertising with ticket sales or open admission, I likely wouldn't have covered it here anyway... but yet John was encouraging fans to come on late notice? Regardless, I hope the party went well, and we'll let you know when Headrush return to the public stage!

Today's post otherwise looks at new videos from two Sault Michigan bands, plus some assorted Sault Ontario news and notes, but we'll start with videos from the EUP, including this one of local punk duo About:Blank live at The Merchants Bar on October 17th! Belatedly uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, this features Parker and Kade playing their original song "What You Wanted" during this rare headlining gig. The performance is sound with a grungy essence, but the recording quality isn't fantastic. Already shot vertically, the filmer set the phone up on a table at such an angle where the lower third of the screen is just the table surface, and while they do slightly nudge the phone to the right as it goes, you never see Kade beyond his drumsticks at this vantage point. I'm glad that the video was successfully filmed while the phone had battery life though, as at 12%, they were cutting it pretty close!

As you may recall, About:Blank had to withdraw from the annual LSSU Battle of the Bands last month when Kade was called into work late that night, so Parker played on solo and still came in third. This was the band's last show before the battle, so if you want a preview of how things may have sounded at The Arts Center had Kade been present, give the full video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank soon!

Next up, local hardcore punk trio Viscera have shared two new videos exclusively on their Instagram page from their latest out-of-town concert, and following the recent Meta decision to link Facebook and Instagram accounts and whatnot, video embedding appears to work for Instagram again! Both of these come from Blind Bob, Chris, and Mitchell's set at the Marquette Fringe Festival (similar to the former Fringe North in Sault Ontario) on October 24th, where they played on a bill alongside Marquette power pop band Addicus. You may have seen the two bands together here at Three One Three On Ashmun back in August. The gig proper took place at Ore Dock Brewing Co., and as you can see in this photo, they do have a merchandise table for gigs, including CD copies of "From Feast To Famine", DIY t-shirts, and some very politically charged stickers. The two videos include this vertical clip of them in an instrumental stretch, and it's good to see an animated crowd!

Embedded below is a highlight reel from their set, featuring multiple camera angles of them in action, including one much closer to the stage that shows off members' face paint(!), and this was ran through some post-production filters prior, including a fish eye lens and one replicating a VCR on a CRT TV (even though you weren't likely to find a 1:1 square aspect ratio TV monitor). I would far prefer full recordings of these songs rather than assorted clips, but Viscera sound good and as varied for styles as listeners of their EP can expect, and the wood pallet paneling on the stage is sure distinct, so give Viscera's new Marquette Fringe videos a watch above & below!

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Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from Sault Ontario, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Over a month after their successful debut at Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar, new local punk quartet Dead II Society will release their second studio single "Lean On" on Thursday! Like with "Dead & Buried", it will be on major streaming platforms and will have a Spacebag Productions-shot music video once again. On their Facebook page, D2S showed still preview images of the video, featuring acting roles by guitarist Mike Yakasovich's old Northwest bandmate Greg Callaghan as well as frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau's son Silas. We'll have more when things go live!
• On October 17th, local crossover thrash trio Hails revealed on their Facebook page that they were recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, with that being day 1 of the sessions, and photos were included. Updates have not publically followed, so it's not immediately clear if they're working on an album, EP, or just a single or two, but the song(s) in question would mark the studio debut of new guitarist Anthony Orazietti. Whether the Dag Nasty song is a hint towards how things are sounding or not, I don't know, but Ha!ls may have previews of what's being worked on at The Speak Easy on Tuesday, preview forthcoming!
• Local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis have indeed parted ways with drummer Anthony Boudreau, as per his removal from their Instagram page's bio. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, but note that Liam got an announcement when he left, so I hope things were at least amicable. Tony had drummed with the HeadFirst successors for their six summer gigs, but was replaced by Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew for their dates last month, though Brandan has not (yet?) been publically confirmed as his permanent replacement. Best of luck to Anthony in whatever is next, as he's a solid drummer across different genres!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nate's Chow, Generations, And Tym Morrison), And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews tonight, but we also have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month of the covers-centric variety, so here's what you should know for this weekend and beyond in the Twin Saults!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on Saturday, November 14th! Fans last saw this veteran foursome in a one-nighter at Reggie's last month, after they dropped out of that Friday's gig there (Pierre & Tony's former classic rock band Jus' Chillin were brought back as late replacements, perhaps a sign that Valerie and/or Joe's absence was the "certain circumstances" being alluded to). Generations last rocked the downtown casino in mid-September, and hopefully next Saturday's show provides more of the old school rock favourites that fans are used to, especially as they skipped the Halloween concert crush! This concert is at 8:00 PM, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the band's Facebook group for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations on the SMS when announced!

Next up, here's a new show tied to a weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be the first SMS-leaning artist to play at the relocated Full Throttle Saloon on Monday, November 16th, eight days after his next acoustic matinee concert THIS SUNDAY at Beck's Bar! While this Sunday's show is the last currently scheduled show at Beck's for him at press time (more could easily be announced at any moment), next Monday's will be our first covered show at the new Full Throttle Saloon, now located inside Cravings Diner at Market Mall on Second Line West. The peculiar Monday scheduling appears to be an attempt for Rosa and staff to spruce up their new Monday wings & fries night, plus Mondays aren't common for booking regular cover concerts, so why not try and see if it sticks? Leslie Cook and Nelson McKay were the first two Monday night artists there.

Outdated pre-haircut picture on the AI generated poster aside, next Monday's concert is at 7:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit and no announced cover, though note that the new Full Throttle Saloon has a limited capacity. This Sunday's show at Beck's (his second straight there) again soundtracks their weekly euchre tournament with a 3:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. Visit the Beck's Facebook event page at the above links for more on Tym's unplugged concerts ahead in the west end, and here he is live!

Now, let's briefly head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow will be the apparent penultimate band to rock The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 20th & Saturday, November 21st! Newly confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page, these shows were not on the band's AI-generated calendar from late August, though at the time, we thought that The Rapids Lounge was closing earlier than it is. The heavy renovations (for a waterpark and new sports bar) won't begin until at least December now, so The Rapids Lounge will survive for at least this month, with The American Band slated to be last up in three weeks' time. These will actually be the only Nate's Chow-era gigs for them at The Rapids Lounge, as Jody and Jason last played there in December of last year when they were still known as Unfortunate Sun (with Skip and Tony still in the fold, even).

Nate's Chow will actually kick off a busy run of three shows in six days here, capped off with their annual "Drinksgiving" show on the night before Thanksgiving at The Merch on November 25th. Their Kewadin gigs will both be at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know when more comes out on both the band and Kewadin Casino's remodel!

We'll close tonight's post by heading back to Sault Ontario for this weekend's main event, as Finnish folk metal veterans Korpiklaani will make their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Arguably the biggest band brought to town by Underground Events SSM (on an international scale, no doubt), Korpiklaani's brand of medieval influenced extreme metal will bring crushing extremity and fun party vibes to the former Soo Blaster, and with twelve albums of accordion and violin-implemented original material to source from, it should be a blast seeing legit Scandinavian metal on local soil tomorrow night! Toronto melodic death metal quintet Crimson Shadows will be joining Korpiklaani on their Canadian tour with their own power metal-influenced original onslaught, while your local openers tomorrow include death metal quartet Eden Plague (f.k.a. The Bear Hunters) and debuting local "midwest screamo" band Free Drugs.

In the past month+, I have seen no public posts of any kind about who Free Drugs are or what they play, so be at Blaster tomorrow to learn more! Notable in the promotion from Eden Plague spearheading a new poster to replace the venue's AI-generated one, this is an all ages concert starting at 8:00 PM, and tickets cost $25 via local openers, at this link, or at the door (there has not been anything said about a hike for paying thusly). It's rare for touring original bands from Europe of any genre to play here, so make it to Soo Blaster tomorrow if you can! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Korpiklaani live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this weekend! Thanks everyone!