Theatre Of Night & Soo's Got Talent Videos, Mike McCleary Updates, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I have to apologize for missing a concert to cover on here, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet Highway 63 played at The Brickyard Bar & Grill in nearby Rudyard this past Friday for that venue's Halloween party. This event was only announced earlier that same day on Highway 63's Facebook page, which left us little time to cover it, but it had a week's notice on the venue's Facebook page. Alas, we've missed previewing the last three Highway 63 concerts on here, which I profusely apologize for, but there wasn't much I could have done about Friday's show. That said, you may already be familiar with The Brickyard, as it was previously known as Dan's Place, and occasionally hosted hard rock concerts through at least 2014. The 18794 South Tilson Road nightclub relaunched under it's new name in June, and has hosted occasional live music since at least July. It's good to see Dan's is back up and running with a new identity, and hopefully there's more live music to come at this Rudyard favourite!

Now, today's news post otherwise looks at some new video postings from the last while, and some long awaited updates from a prolific local solo musician, so here's what you should know! We'll stay in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula to start, via local classical metal band Theatre of Night's last un-addressed videos shared to their Facebook group in the lead-up to their third Christmas tour, which began tonight in Jackson. Best of luck to everyone in the kick-off show, hopefully it's a huge hit! One video from October 13th is of keyboardist Craig Harrison recording at the computer once again, this time tracking choir and string parts for their studio tracks for the tour. Short but a nice teaser to their more orchestral and grandiose elements! Embedded below is this video of Steve, Scott, and Erik jamming a cover of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe", wnich may not be seasonal, but it showcases the guys having fun and tackling a metal classic, so give it a look below!



Also today, remember how I mentioned that Miranda Siegrist's YouTube channel feature more Soo's Got Talent footage that we didn't know about, including of third place finishing Sault Ontario party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty? Well, let's tackle those here! Miranda posted four videos from the finals at Soo Blaster on October 11th, both of songs not featured in SaultOnline's full video of the final round. Finalist Coulson Perri's hair and clothing line up in both videos, especially as he shed his jacket and tie during "Hungry Like The Wolf", hence my certainty of the date. Perhaps these were bonus performances after the judges' verdict? One is of Coulson covering Frank Sinatra's "My Way", and the other is of folk singer/guitarist Colin Gasparelli (who was eliminated in the semifinal round) playing an original song with drum accompaniment from Apocalypse Afterparty frontman Paul Stanghetta.  Both are solidly done for genre fans, so give them a look above!

As for The A.A.'s videos proper, they are of their songs from the actual final round competition, namely their cover of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", and as embedded below, their own original song "Island." Filmed from a distant camera angle in the crowd, the solid audio quality salvages the perspective, and while the SaultOnline/ONNtv footage of each song (linked here & here) is obviously higher quality, I'd never complain about an alternate angle from a fan like this. Give these videos a look above and below!



Finally for today, here's the latest from local solo hard rock musician Mike McCleary, who is back at (public) work on his own music! As you may know, Mike took a hiatus from most social media accounts in mid-late 2019 while his wife Sara ran in the local MP elections, but he reactivated his Facebook page in August and expressed a hope to "return to normal" last month. In August, he revealed that he is in the process of re-recording and revising some of his old original songs, including material that he previously took down (perhaps meaning "The Party Album" & "Propaganda Model".) To that end, he has posted nine new tracks onto his Soundcloud page in the past 3 months, including a new instrumental named "Cyclone", a remake of his 2018 album track "End of Days", and a number of new versions of songs from "Weight of the Truth." However, we haven't heard any updates from his camp since October 22nd, so time will tell what he has up his sleeves next.

Mike's a solid musician who's used his solo platform to express political and mental health beliefs to good effect, even if some of the opinions may be somewhat polarizing, so it'll be interesting to see what form the new versions of these songs take. Luckily, the songs he's re-posted so far retain his musical gifts, but will his existing albums be formally re-released or edited to reflect the new versions and perhaps additions/removals therein? Follow along at the above links to find out, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!