New Local Solo Videos, Plus More Assorted News & Updates!!

(Updated on Wednesday at 12:42 AM) Before the snow piles on any more, here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon! Along with some assorted news and notes, we're largely tackling new videos today, including regarding this year's Toystock and a prominent local solo artist's busy plans, but we'll start today's post with a very fitting cover from local/Thompson, Manitoba hard/alt-rock solo artist Mike Haggith, as uploaded to his Facebook page on Saturday. Fans of his old band The Din will recall their frequent live cover of The Barenaked Ladies' "The Old Apartment", and as fate would have it, Mike recently moved from his initial apartment in Thompson to a new building, so what better way to send off his own old apartment than by covering that very song in it? This is a very serviceable acoustic rendition that fans should enjoy, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's solo project when it rolls in!



Next up, here's the latest from experimental folk/metal solo artist (and Mike's former Strange Coyotes bandmate) Chase Wigmore, starting with the launch of his own recording studio! Entitled Clever Bastard Records (I didn't name it!), Chase is hyping up the studio by saying that you can get your original material mixed "for pretty much free", and any genre is welcome, among other irreverent tweaks of that statement. If this is accurately described, than this is a generous service that Chase is offering, so visit the above links for more details, and the studio's now in our "Other Local Metal Links"! As for his music, Chase did post the link to Soo Blaster's second Indie Music Showcase on his Facebook page, but no one had plainly confirmed that he's playing the November 30th event at press time. He also quietly launched a Soundcloud page, which features free streaming copies of two of his solo albums, and most recently, he posted a new original song entitled "Psychic Driving", so what should you know on it?

Allegedly a song that Chase has been working on for a while now, this eight minute long original has a swinging 1990s alternative vibe with heavier stretches and great bass work, while this is a solid drum showcase too, and the lyrics have some requisite creativity! Unfortuantely, Chase would quietly take the video down for unannounced reasons on Tuesday, but it was a good song, hopefully it resurfaces! Stay tuned for updates either way!

Also today, here's a new Toystock-related video, as shared by organizer Greg Simpson to their Facebook event page on Friday, and as originally posted to veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page! Those familiar with The Freq's drum work locally will know that he has made and donated drum kits for Christmas Cheer each holiday season for over 20 years, and at the last four Toystocks (where Glen played with Mourning Wood & The Peace Vibe), he has given a drum kit to a child in attendance after their set, which is a great gesture at a very giving time of year! This will recur later this month when Glen plays Toystock VII at The Northern Grand Gardens with Soundcheck, and you can see him showcase his garage-turned-drum assembly line in the video below. Interesting look at a great bit of holiday generosity, so kudos to him for what he's doing for a few lucky kids each year, give his video a look below, and don't miss Soundcheck and 9 other acts in two weeks!



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:

• Local rapper Chuck "Lil' Majick" Charrette quietly replaced Bom Kronik on the lineup of Thursday night's Lightmares concert, as per updates on the Facebook event page. A reason for Bom Kronik's late withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! Genre fans may recognize Lil Majick (formerly Lil' CZ) from his work with True North Talent Entertainment, and hopefully his set was well received last week!
• In their first Facebook page posting since July 2017, local death metal trio Pillory revealed last week that their new album "is getting there", with guitar tracking now underway, and with vocals and mixing apparently next on the docket. Rivers of Nihil show aside, we have heard next to nothing publically from Pillory in the past year, but it's great to see that they are still plugging away, so stay tuned for updates when they come in!
• Tickets are now on sale for Theatre of Night's Christmas tour stop at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on December 15th! Unlike usual concerts there, this will be in the venue's table seating configuration, with traditional theatre seats ($15) and dinner tables ($25) for a more intimate experience. Pick them up at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in person box office! No word yet though on the teased December 16th concert.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site as the week progresses! Thanks everyone!