The Ethereal Tomb Concert Preview, A Surprise Upcoming Album Release, Pillory Updates, And More!!

Keeping things moving on the SMS, let's begin a very busy string of concert previews with a special Wednesday night metal show, while also looking at a surprise upcoming album release, a new full concert set video, and more assorted updates, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday morning!

If you want something a little heavier than what Rotaryfest is offering this weekend, you may want to consider hitting up Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT, as three touring metal/hardcore bands will take the stage there for a special Wednesday nighter! The bands in question are Barrie/ doom metal outfit Ethereal Tomb, Brampton hardcore band Mile End, and Chilliwack, B.C. hardcore punk quintet Smuther, Solid mix of abrasive styles here, with Ethereal Tomb's slow and sludgy originals sure to contrast well with the faster intensity of frequently tour mates Mile End, let alone Smuther, so don't miss this touring trifecta tomorrow! Local support will come by way of crossover thrash quartet Hails in their first show since releasing their self-titled album ate last month, and while this may seem like the de facto release party, note that they said on their Facebook page that they are working on physical copies for "Ha!ls", though they didn't give a timeline there.

Also, I wanted to briefly apologize for any erroneous mentions in past posts about the relationship of Hails guitarists Mikhal & Carmen Muto, as they are cousins, not brothers. Thank you to the Rotaryfest program for clearing that up! They debut on Stage 2 on Saturday. Despite teasing that online tickets would go on sale, this Mikhal Muto-promoted concert will instead have a $15 cover charge at the door. It is all ages, and doors open at 6:30 PM. Should be a solid night of hard hitting metal and hardcore action, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Ethereal Tomb live!

Next up, here's a surprise impending album release, as defunct local grunge/alternative trio No Arrow are belatedly putting out their unreleased album "Souls For Sale" on Monday! This was announced last week via Mike Haggith's label MorningStar Records' website, in a press release outlining the 2005-2011 band's run & posthumous plans. As you may recall, No Arrow featured singer/guitarist Dann Pichette (later of SBD) and drummer Joe Falco (ex-Faithless Sin) alongside a handful of different bassists, with Harley Syrette (Quite Frankly/ex-Half Past) and Brad Griffith (ex-Bizotic) handling the low end on the "Souls For Sale" sessions. What's unsaid there is that Dann, Mike, and Brad's paths have crossed multiple times over in recent years via those "independent DIY musician promotion" YouTube programs and their related communities, with Dann (Wayek) and Brad (Gortium85) often submitting solo material to the same outlets that Mike does.

In terms of local grunge bands, No Arrow's heyday never crossed the timeline with Mike's eponymous band Haggith (who formed in 2012), but given Mike's work as an indie label head, he is doubly fitting as someone to help get No Arrow's only album finally on sale as originally intended in the late 2000s! Specifics on the release (price, streaming availability, if it will be largely identical to the free demo copy or not) are to be revealed, but Mike has confirmed that it will go on sale on Monday at this link in both CD and vinyl, which may have blown No Arrow's minds had that been a realistic option back then! Very exciting news for Dann, Joe, bassists, and fans alike, so stay tuned for updates on the album as they roll in!

Also, apologies for the delay in this making the site, but a full set video of local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's set opening for Sentiment Dissolve at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on May 19th was posted to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel two days later! In a minor shock, Bret said in the description that this was the first time that Pillory has ever played at the former Roosevelt Hotel, which sounds hard to believe, but I think he's right! One of their last shows with Blair St. John on bass (more on that in a bit), Pillory were seen here playing "End Of Small Sanctuary", "Specimen Of Egotism", "Abhorred Apprehension", "Sculptor Of Cadavers", "The Passing", "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt",  their cover of Sepultura's "Territory", "The Curse Of Eternal Sickness", and "Exhaustive Incarnation". While re-ordered, this is largely identical to what they played at The Pit at Soo Blaster in April.

The only exception is that they replaced "The Angst Of Existence" with their closing song "Exhaustive Incarnation". Things sound sufficiently brutal and technical to my ears, which is what you want from Pillory, though the Soo Blaster video may be preferable for the lighting and angle of the camera, especially given that that cursed support beam on the stage at Jay's is still there, and frequently blocked Blair from view (Bret said that the camera was placed where it was to avoid distracting fans in attendance). The Pillory logo watermark was well placed given where speakers were! Good stuff overall, so check out Pillory's May concert set in full below!

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

 

• In a late lineup addition for the first annual WestFest at Anna Marinelli Park on July 26th, local classic rock duo Frankly Speaking have been added to kick off the day's musical entertainment at 1:45 PM, as per the festival's Facebook page on Wednesday. As such, Frank & Frank will be the only act at WestFest that has never played at Rotaryfest Stage 2, though they did play at Stage 1 last year. See above for more on this debuting Jamestown/Steelton-area community festival next Saturday!
• After going this long without listing their full lineup in text on social media, we can now confirm that local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush's lineup is rounded out by Fusion alum Frank Mannarino on rhythm guitar/keyboard and veteran local musician Gino Pulente on drums. Credit to the 2025 Rotaryfest program (as delivered in local mailboxes last week) for finally filling in the blanks for fans who haven't been out to see them live yet. Don't miss Headrush as the closing band on Stage 1 this Saturday!
• The aforementioned Pillory have reportedly welcomed back Devon Lucier on bass, replacing Blair St. John, as per a quiet update to the intro on their Facebook page. A reason for Blair's departure was not announced, but things are definitely still amicable, as he still plays with Pillory frontman Robert Sartini in the cover rock trio All Over The Map (among other varied projects, so you'll see him around!). Best known as the frontman of 2010-2013 death metal band Crimson Crusade, Devon was a member of Pillory at the end of their original thrash run in 2014, and it will be neat to see how he factors back in with Robert & Bret after 11 years!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the beginning of our Rotaryfest concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Recent Updates From Spades GT & Their New Album!!

Before we fall completely behind with a busy weekend ahead, let's dive into the album release and launch party for local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT in this single-topic post! As promoted in this "Reel", Spades headlined their release party for their second GT-era album "United" at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto on July 5th. The "Reel" was mostly just guitarist Daniel Horton hyping the show from the jam room with background interjections from his bandmates, but a longer and wordier hype video came on July 3rd from drummer Tyler Reiner, and this one was not a "Reel", so I can embed it here. Shot from the drivers seat of his vehicle, Tyler pumped up the concert and album, while also noting that they'd be filming content at Rye Field Studios in Brampton on July 5th as well, much like they did in late 2023 when they took part in a "Live In The Whiskey Pit" performance and a video interview.

Whatever Spades filmed at Rye Field is not public yet (there's likely an editing turnaround), but keep tabs on their YouTube channel when things go live! Tyler next plugged their planned tour run with Kaos Attack in Southern Ontario from July 7th-9th, but all three of those dates (in London, Guelph, and Hamilton) were cancelled due to "reasons beyond our control". Very disappointing, but hopefully they turn up in all three cities soon! Tyler then confirmed that Spades GT would have new merchandise on sale at the release party on the 5th, as well as CD copies of "United", and he also plugged some of the streaming platforms that would be hosting the album. Solid updates, so check things out for yourselves below!

Before the release party, "United" was released "everywhere" early on July 5th, and by "everywhere", they mean YouTube Music, Apple Music (it costs $7.92 on iTunes), Amazon Music, and Spotify. I have no idea when/if physical copies will be stocked in the Soo, so stream it on one of the above services to check it out! If you were curious about the guest performers, they're backloaded at the end of the album's track order, with "Wrecked" featuring backing vocals from Daniel's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse, "Strong" featuring a rap verse from Julien "Mersinary" Dos Santos, and "Die On Our Feet" featuring former second guitarist Jay Sarrazin. Due to the glut of new local albums in June & July, our review isn't hitting the site until November, but reviews from other outlets are making their way online, with LoudTO's Jay Broderick getting an advance listen for this article.

While Jay didn't get a chance to review 2023's "Sewer City Radio", he made up for lost time on "United", calling it "an exceptional sophomore release" (obviously not referencing their Jack Spades-era output there), praising the overall production value, timely lyrics, and even saying that it "just keeps getting better with each listen". High praise, and with lots of punctuation marks and enthusiasm dotted within, which is good to see! The Southern Ontario-based Facebook page New Music Showcase also gave "United" a good review, calling it "a vibrant manifesto" containing "bangers only", and while there's a lot of hyperbole without individual performer credits, it's great to see more platforms raising 'em up and causing a scene! Check out their review at this link. Dennis Eikenkotter of the German website Crossfire Metal gave "United" an 8/10, though the original review is obviously not in English.

Spades did share a screenshot of a translation of Dennis' review, and while it mostly prefaces brief thoughts with outlining Tyler's dad Robb Reiner's work in Anvil, Dennis was very complimentary of  "United", and how their music is ideal to drink beer, party, and drive fast to. Another European metal music reviewer named Dennis got a hold of this album, as Dennis Jarman reviewed it this weekend for PlanetMosh out of Great Britain. Like on prior reviews highlighted in this post, Dennis J. used a lot of evocative hyperbole to pump up his feelings on the eight included songs, so click here for his very positive review of this "full on album"! We'll feature videos and highlights from both the release party on July 5th and their next show this past Friday on the site soon, as they returned to the annual Spiderfest in Meyersburg on short notice, but the guys have also teased that online availability of their new merchandise will commence soon.

Guitarist Matthew Voros reportedly recorded an interview with Dave Standridge of This Is Pop Punk Promotions that will be released soon as well, while Spades GT are also planning to release a music video for a song from "United" later this month, as well as recap videos from their last two shows and the Brantford/Rye Field trip. Click here for more on Spades GT's imminent plans, and stay tuned hopefully soon for our coverage of public videos from the album release party! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Night Ranger) & Recent Videos & Updates From Sault Michigan!

Kicking off our busiest week of the year is an all-Sault Michigan news post, including an inactive band note, new videos, and more, but leading off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall!

San Francisco hair metal/hard rock quintet Night Ranger will return to Sault Michigan for a headlining concert on Friday, October 3rd at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! Hair Scare diehards and 1980s rock fans will have last seen Night Ranger way back in September 2013, and in the 12 years since, they have released three new albums and replaced guitarist Joel Hoekstra with Keri Kelli. Of course, their classic hit singles like "Sister Christian", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", and "Sentimental Street" remain staples of their setlist, and here's hoping they deliver another entertaining night of rock in three months! Your openers are Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson (best known for their hits "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection"  & "After The Rain") in their apparent local debut, but their set in October will be unplugged, so keep that angle in mind in terms of how their classic material will sound this fall!

And yes, don't forget that the Nelson twins are the sons of Ricky Nelson and the grandsons of Ozzie & Harriet Nelson (quite a lineage!). Presented by Rock 101, this all ages concert has an 8:00 PM start time, and admission will start at $60 (much higher than in 2013, but there's been 12 years of inflation since). Public tickets go on sale on Friday, so click here for details on that end, including on VIP packages and meet & greets. Ticket offers will also be made on air on Rock 101 for early birds tuning in, and you can also get tickets from Friday onward at 1-800-KEWADIN or at the in-person box office. This should be another retro rock blast for you hair metal lovers, so visit the above links for more details on this huge show!

Next up, it's been way too long since I've talked about local hard rock cover band Exit 808 on here, so what have they been up to in the past few weeks? Well, before some of that, the band shared a "Reel" on on their Facebook page on June 9th from their set at Drewpalooza 2 in Republic in June of last year (their debut gig with co-vocalist Dillion Semasky). Shot by attendee Courtney Johnson, the video sees everyone (sans Amy and plus a guest backing vocalist) covering Pantera's "Walk" with strong enthusiasm and intensity! Of course, "Reels" are vertical, unembeddable, and unplayable in background tabs, so click here to give it a watch! Exit 808's next proper concert took place at the Walloon Junction Bar & Grill in Walloon Lake on June 14th, which saw the return of Blaze Beairl on bass after he missed their last few gigs dating back to the spring. However, guitarist Alex Zimmerman was on vacation (hopefully that went well!), so who filled in for him?

None other than Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins, so kudos to him for making the 2 hour drive for this gig! Former guitarist Nathan Webber also made the trip to fill in on second guitar, while members of Elmira hard rock band Driving Dawn (who played with Exit 808 at the Musicians Unite fundraiser in March) joined in as guests on a few songs here. Two videos were uploaded from the Walloon Lake concert, including this vertical clip of the guys covering the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" (look at Joe's guitar solo!), but embedded below is a horizontal video of Exit 808 covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" with Driving Dawn's Danny Grim on guest vocals alongside Dillion (Amy doesn't sing in either clip). While this is by far Rage's most overplayed single, Exit 808 and guests do a good job with this cover, and the rustic cabin motif adds an extra something!

Good stuff from this talented (if well travelled) local band, and if you were wondering why we didn't cover their Merchants Bar show in the Soo yesterday, it's because it was cancelled due to Dillion and Alex having schedule conflicts relating to their day jobs, as per Exit 808's Facebook page on Wednesday. Disappointing for fans (if productive the other way), but unless a new booking is made, their next truly local dates will be at the St. Ignace Kewadin at the start of August, so look for everyone then! Give these new Exit 808 videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more!

Finally for today's all-E.U.P. post, we have a band to surprisingly remove from our active band links, namely local hard rock quartet Dirty Musky. A reason for their apparent demise wasn't publically announced, but their Facebook (and only known online) page was quietly deleted at some point in recent months, which is historically a poor sign for a local band's status. Aside from that, drummer Jamie Costner recently joined The Nameless, who have been playing live more regularly as of late anyway. Publically active for just under two years, Dirty Musky united Jamie with Clownsack and 415E alumni into a talented four-piece with lots of entertaining and sometimes unexpected covers dating back to their debut(?) at the Government Bay Barge Bash in 2023. We had last heard of Dirty Musky publically at the Musicians Unite benefit at Bird's Eye Outfitters in March. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that we hear more from Dave, Fran, and Brett soon!

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

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: AlgomA

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, as we again check out a local metal, hard rock, or punk act from the past in order to profile their run and activity for modern readers! This month's randomly selected band is one of the most prominent metal bands to come out of the Algoma District in the 2010s, so here's what you should know on them!

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AlgomA

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal

Lineup: (The stage names were primarily used in social media postings in 2013-2014, and were dropped outright by 2015)

"Marty Chase" Kevin Campbell (BeeFMouTH), vocals/bass
"Darby Wigwaus" Boyd Rendell (Molten Imp), vocals/guitar
"Geezer D'Artagnan" Jamie Vincent (Fuller), drums

Audio/Video: AlgomA released four albums on physical media in a three year span in the mid-2010s, though only their debut (October 2014's "Reclaimed By The Forest") saw a CD release. In April 2016, AlgomA released a split with Saskatchewan stoner quintet Chronobot on vinyl records, and they put out another vinyl split in January 2017, this time a single with Finnish doom metal band Hooded Menace. Their final release in September 2017 was one more split named "Trading Faces", this time physically exclusive to cassette tapes, featuring them & local grindcore trio Shit Liver covering various punk and metal songs, including a song of each other's. Note that AlgomA's studio release catalogue comprises of just 12 songs, but the average length of each song is 6+ minutes! While there are some fan shot videos out there from live concerts on YouTube and Facebook, the band's YouTube channel and Boyd's video production company 62nd Chamber Media's channel are the best sources for AlgomA videos nowadays. Here's a full AlgomA concert set at the former Oddfellows Hall in 2014!

Info/Analysis: Publically launching in November 2012 as much-belated successors to Boyd & Kevin's old band BeeFMoutH, AlgomA debuted at 180 Projects on Gore Street in March 2013. While not as prolific as other local bands for amount of concerts (never playing more than five public local gigs per year), AlgomA made their mark opening for familiar touring bands like The Golers, Biipiigwan, Fuck The Facts, and Beaver Slap during their run, often under their own agencies Oh, Right Arm! Promotions and Six. Two. Oh., while also mounting multiple mid-2010s Ontario tours, a Quebec tour in December 2016, and a European tour in the spring of 2017. Partially thanks to their label affiliation with Malaysia's Deadbeat Media, their discography was well covered & reviewed by international metal websites and zines. AlgomA were also known for their series of 2014 private gigs at "Das Bunker", among other varied regional locales.

After taking a 19 month hiatus from live concerts, AlgomA played their final show in May 2019 when they opened for Dopethrone at The New American Pub (their last of seven gigs there). Sporadic social media updates ceased that fall, and the band never re-emerged after the pandemic lockdowns. Bringing local doom metal to heights only otherwise seen via Woods of Ypres, AlgomA's slow and punishing brand of original sludge was a captivating listen, it sometimes cryptically presented, and while Kevin took on more of the vocal load than in the BeeFMouTH days, fans of that band could drop right in after a decade with ease! AlgomA carved a deep local niche in their run, and here's hoping they come back if the time is right!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Our next feature in this series will take us a few years prior to local grunge/psychedlic trio SBD, so look for our next randomly selected profile in this series on or around August 10th! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, HeadF1rst, And Generations) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing Tym Morrison's Think It Over Thursday acoustic gig at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight in this weekend's previews. While Tym only announced the show on late notice via his Facebook group yesterday, the show was listed right along in The Dive's July 2025 concert calendar, which completely slipped me by in our recent coverage. My profuse apologies again, but don't miss Tym at The Eagles Club next Saturday, and hopefully tonight's Dive show was a hit! Now, here's what you should know for a reasonably quiet pre-Rotaryfest concert weekend as hard rock in the Twin Saults & area goes, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced their scheduled solo headlining concerts for this month, and after taking this past weekend off, they'll pick things back up TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced one week ago today by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group. Last seen on Canada Day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows will be their first at this familiar Queen Street East tavern since the end of March, so don't bypass these gigs if you want some hard rock-leaning cover action, especially with some other venues and bands taking a July-August break! After their previously announced Friday headliner at Rotaryfest next weekend, Generations will hit Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, July 25th & Saturday, July 26th as well, so west end fans will approve!

Yes, Generations (sans Valerie) will also host the weekly Thursday jam night on the 24th as well, but we don't treat jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their in-built unpredictability. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Reggie's concerts and the end-of-July shows at Jay's are all 9:30 PM events with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Generations' Beck's Bar debut last month! Filmed by Monique Chartrand for their Facebook group, this sees Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre covering Linda Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou" Sadly, this was shot vertically, but the cover is soundly done, and you get a good & bright view of the Canada Day-flocked staging at Beck's, so give it a watch below!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will make their debut at Les Cheneaux Distillers' Tipper Room in Cedarville on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this date via their Facebook page yesterday. Last seen in Brimley two weeks ago, this will be Project 906's first stop an hour away in Cedarville since their Government Bay Barge Bash gig last year (I'll have to see if anyone SMS-amenable is playing that this year too). The Tipper Room is Les Cheneaux Distillers' second location at 74 East Hodeck Street that opened in January, and serves as (from my understanding) a less formal bar/venue than their main production facility/tasting room on South Meridian Street. If you're into vodka, rum, gin, and/or whiskey, keep Les Cheneaux Distillers in mind regardless! Project 906's show there on SATURDAY will uniquely be a 4:00-7:00 PM matinee, so note the timing!

Drummer Jason VanLuven will not be on hand on SATURDAY due to his other band Unfortunate Sun's gig in St. Ignace that night (more on that in a bit), but 906 did not announce if they'd be replacing him or not (they have played with just Brian on hand drums before). This is a 21+ concert regardless with no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from their Facebook page of the guys at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino last month covering Styx's "Renegade"! Just a 30 second clip, but it's performed with enthusiasm, and it's a good showcase for Billy's vocal range in particular, so check it out for yourselves below!

Also in late notice announcements, Sault Ontario hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will head to Goulais River on SATURDAY NIGHT to take part in this year's Goulais Community Days! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only announced their involvement in this year's festivities via their Facebook page this past Saturday, though frontman Red Jettison did reference the booking in his interview on The Community Pulse last month. SATURDAY's concert continues in the post-pandemic trend of Goulais Community Days hosting a rock concert, with the now-defunct Soundcheck playing there annually from 2022-2024, so HeadF1rst are picking up where they left off on SATURDAY at  the Captain Tilley Community Centre at 592 ON-552. While HeadF1rst are blocked for a full matinee timeslot of 5:00-8:30 PM, the headline attraction on SATURDAY is actually local country musician Brendan Hodgson, who takes the stage at 9:00PM to cap off the night's events.

Whether you like rock or country, you'll find something to like on SATURDAY! Visit the Captain Tilley Community Centre's Facebook group and this schedule poster for more on what family events are going on just north of the Soo between tomorrow and Sunday. This all ages concert has admission via event bracelets ($5 for a day, $8 for the whole weekend, kids 3 and under free), though if you don't want a bracelet and just want to see the concert, admission is $2. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadF1rst live rocking out!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll head back to the E.U.P., as Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will return to the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they debut at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Surprising how they've never played there yet, though maybe Fake Chow did? Unfortunate Sun are coming back from a two month break from concerts, last playing live as a short notice fill-in band at the Sault Kewadin branch in May, and it will be good to see Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason rocking out with their proficient covers once again to kick off their summer slate! Yes, this is why Jason will be absent from Project 906's late notice Cedarville concert on SATURDAY. Whether you're placing bets on the band's kickass levels or not, tomorrow and Saturday's concerts are 21+ affairs at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

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

Our Recap Of Mike Haggith & Red Jettison's 2+ Hour Video Interview From Last Month!!

Apologies for the three week delay in this making the SMS, but local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and HeadF1rst frontman Red Jettison took part in a 2+ hour long video interview on June 16th! This was for The Community Pulse, a series out of Scarborough hosted by musician Frank Terzo, and while his name would seem very appropriate for a local musician to have, this is one of those "do-it-yourself indie musician" feature programs that Mike has gravitated to in his modern day solo era. If you've followed his interviews and appearances in this realm since 2018, you'll recognize names among prior episode guests that have either worked with, interviewed, or spotlighted Mike. This episode of The Community Pulse actually begins with a Frank Terzo music video (he promotes his own music in this series as well as via guests and collaborators), before the introduction, which includes specifics on the format.

While interviews are definitely most of the story, The Community Pulse features artist spotlights, song premieres, indie music news, and more, so it's a good catch-all if you're in this oeuvre of DIY indie rock artists helping out other DIY indie rock artists! The actual show begins 7:34 into the 2:28:23 episode, with Frank setting things up, acknowledging Father's Day, and plugging some independent musicians and hosts featured in the introductions. We finally see Mike and Red on camera at the 13:50 mark, but I want to preface things by noting that Red is also referred to by his real name Carson Hiltz in the episode, by Mike, Frank, and in text (the Red Jettison stage name is exclusively used in the band's own promotion though). Also, Red is referred to as the "co-host" rather than a guest, which goes along with prior episodes of The Community Pulse, in that Frank always has a remote musician credited thusly, even if they don't ask many questions themselves.

After Frank asks how Mike and Red met, he promotes Mike's own indie label MorningStar Records (more on the No Arrow mention soon) and does some plugs and shoutouts, before he played "Tour Bus Fantasy" from HeadF1rst's new album "Road Trippin'" at the 27 minute mark. Once it concludes, Frank highly praised the song's retro rock vibe, and Red discussed the songwriting process for it, heavily crediting guitarist Rainey Rancourt's contributions there. After discussing the deadlines and time crunch for getting physical copies of "Road Trippin'" pressed and shipped, Red noted that HeadF1rst are already working on new original songs, before Frank does some more shoutouts. We next transition to talk about Mike's music, where he plugs his Frequent Flier fan club/newsletter program, and how you can get his new studio album "Frequent Flier" for free (eventually), while also explaining his thought process beyond releasing it for sale.

Basically, Mike wants to keep the album special for Frequent Fliers, hence why only three songs are posted to stream for free, but he also wanted to offer the whole thing to people who buy physical media and/or non-subcribers interested in buying the songs. The lead single "Brand New Day" is played at 47:57, and when we come back to the interview, Frank immediately calls it a "killer track", again complimenting the retro classic rock vibes of it (I'll hold comment until our review of "Frequent Flier" later this month). Mike next outlines the recording process for this song, particularly the backing vocals. Following more shout-outs, Frank asked how Mike first got into music, leading into Mike discussing his extensive discography, noting that "Frequent Flier" is not one of his "mainline" solo albums, and is one of nine in his back catalogue that is "off to the side". He next outlines his aims for MorningStar Records and promoting other independent acts there.

Red jumps back in next to discuss his feelings on MorningStar and his hope to do a concert featuring just MorningStar-affiliated acts. Frank next sets up Mike's original song "Hot & Cold" from 2023's "All The Best In All You Do", as prefaced by Mike's songwriting process for it and the inclusion of Southern Ontario-based metal guitarist Hetriani (another indie musician who pops up on The Community Pulse and similar shows) as a guest. The song proper (via its lyric video) is played at 1:08:19, capping off the first half of the episode. After strong praise from Red and Frank, another guest pops in on the livestream, namely Laurie Pepi Igo, a pianist out of Massachusetts who also frequents this indie music sphere via her channel Laurie's Mishmosh. After more shout-outs from Frank, Laurie (a Frequent Flier cardholder, no less), praises Mike's program and its offerings, while Red elaborates more on HeadF1rst's lineup and plans for the future.

Laurie gets the spotlight next, with a short song by pianist Donna Mitchell played at 1:31:40 (I guess Laurie features regularly to showcase an independent pianist). After Laurie signs out, Red asked how soon Mike knows what will make his albums (especially given his extensive discography), before we transition to talking about the next song played on air, namely Mike's song "All The Best" from his 2023 album, and you can hear it at the 1:40:55 mark. More discussion about art and songwriting follows, before Frank asks Mike about the freak accident at Rotaryfest 2023 when Mike dislocated his knee while playing "Hot & Cold" on Stage 1, and played on while laying on his back until the ambulance arrived (read our initial coverage of that at this link). At least at this point, Mike can look back and laugh about everything, but he was a trooper for getting through all that two years ago! Frank next asks Mike about how he devised the Frequent Flier program.

The last song played on air in this mammoth episode is the namesake for Mike's label, namely "MorningStar" from his 2020 album "If Ever Comes The Day", as prefaced by Mike elaborating on the song's inspiration and recording process, especially as he started using GarageBand for iOS with that album. You can hear that song at 2:08:19, with 15 minutes to spare. This Community Pulse episode continues with Frank asking about Mike's live music plans, with Mike noting that he and The Big Finish Band were hoping to return to Rotaryfest, but they weren't selected for 2025, though he is hopeful that they might be picked for next year. He did promote their return to the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir next month, while a pro-shot, multi-cam, full concert video of Mike & crew's set at HeadF1rst's album release party in May is planned to be posted on YouTube soon, along with a live album of that entire concert!

Not all of Mike's announced/teased live album plans have seen their intended conclusion ("Face To Face", for one), so that will be neat if it does come out thusly! Red also plugs upcoming HeadF1rst gigs, including a short notice show to be previewed on the SMS tomorrow, a teased return to the Loud & Proud family fun day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (we await confirmation on that event), and their Rotaryfest and Northern Vibe sets ahead this summer. After final words and plugs from everyone, Frank closes by playing "Family" by Liz Aday over the end credits. Entertaining and casual interview/hangout that painted Mike and Red in strong lights! Red was less "co-host" and more "co-interviewee", with Frank asking way more questions, but this is Red's first real toe in the water to this community (unless I missed something). It's always neat to see all of the live-stream commenters and interactions in videos like these too, including many repeat names!

There's a lot to take in, but check out the full Community Pulse episode for yourselves below, and we'll have more from HeadF1rst and Mike Haggith on the SMS this month, starting with a short notice show preview from the former tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Krang & Project 906), The M1 Concert Preview, And A New Punk Cover!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, which is half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with the back half featuring a special Wednesday night concert preview and a new studio cover to check out, so let's get things rolling!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on Saturday, July 19th! Not yet announced by the band on social media, this concert was announced by the venue's Facebook page two weeks ago in this poster advertising July events (or lack thereof, as they closed for two days during the Fourth of July long weekend). Last seen on stage in Brimley late last month, the guys last played in Eckerman at the end of May, and hopefully the #summerof906 continues well with another night of strongly performed and crowd friendly hard rock classics next Saturday! You can see Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian take the stage at The Strongs Tavern next Saturday at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Project 906's next show, unless they announce something on short notice prior!

Next up, remember how two Swiss death metal bands played in Sault Ontario this past Sunday night? Well, another band is trekking all the way from Europe to play in the Soo, as Czech skate punk band Krang will make their local concert debut on Monday, September 8th at The Distraction! An upbeat pop punk band whose songs are heavily based on retro pop culture and nostalgia (yes, the songs are in English), Krang will absolutely pique the interest of local punk fans this fall, so don't bypass their fun original attack in two months! Local support will include online page-less "east end rock & roll" duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring ex-Fitswitch/Redundant bassist Andrew MacDonald alongside Ralph Barber) and A.S.D.P., which I am 99% sure stands for "Adam Smith Death Parade". You may recall seeing them debut as a late replacement band at the private Go Skateboarding Day replacement event last month, which also featured The Spaceship Opening.

The venue describes A.S.D.P. as "crackrocksteady", so does the "rocksteady" reference imply ska punk? I don't known anything else on A.D.S.P., but stay tuned when we hear more! Taking place in The Distraction's current basement locale on East Street (all shows were moved out of the former hair salon upstairs starting last summer), this all ages concert will have a 7:00 PM start time and a cover charge of $15 or "pay what you can". Sounds like a fun way to kick off the fall season in style, so don't miss this stop on Krang's Real Canadian Moose Pit Tour if you can swing coming out on a work/school night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, here's a special mid-week concert preview for your Motorhead fans in the area, as Calgary-based Motorhead tribute band M1 will rock Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! The first time that a touring band has headlined at Beck's since the Goulais Avenue nightclub re-opened three months ago, M1 will bring a faithful sounding (if not looking) tribute to Lemmy Kilmister and crew to local audiences, and it will be neat to hear Motorhead songs other than "Ace Of Spades" covered at a local concert, let alone this many! As per a quiet update to the Facebook event page, Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer will open tomorrow's festivities. Having an acoustic solo artist open for a Motorhead tribute may seem odd, but Jason has ample experience in hard rock bands, most notably the out of town groups Phatstick and Human Disorder, so I'm sure he'd tailor his set somewhat for the occasion, and he is a very talented musician, so don't be late!

This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time (moved up from 7:00 PM), and despite featuring a touring headliner, it will have no cover charge! While the work night scheduling won't be ideal for many, Motorhead fans won't wanna miss M1, especially at that (lack of) price, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Finally, remember how local crossover thrash quartet Hails released a self-titled album last month without much public warning? Well, that was prefaced by their appearance on the new compilation album "Punk Canada Vol. 4", and they released their contribution to it errrrrrrrrvrywhere on major streaming services on June 10th! Curated and released by Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz, you can get physical copies of the album (which features covers of Canadian punk bands by modern acts) on vinyl via Ha!ls members, and you can hear the whole thing on Bandcamp at this link, including Sault native Ash Richtig's band Avoid The Comment Section's cover of Grimskunk's "Dead End Violence". Hails contributed a cover of "Meathook" by Toronto punk legends The Almighty Trigger Happy, in their first studio recording with guitarist Carmen Muto in the fold. How is the cover overall?

Played a touch faster than the original (running for just 92 seconds), this isn't quite as ferocious as Ha!ls can get on their heaviest originals, but it's a faithfully executed cover that Trigger Happy fans will like, with a good pace & solid hardcore punk intensity! Give it a listen below or on other major streaming services, check out "Punk Canada Vol. 4" above, and look for our review of Hails' new album in October!

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