Vanity First - "Identity Crisis" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 180th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we complete fifteen years of reviewing heavier/punk albums every month without fail! This month, we are looking at local skate punk trio Vanity First's second CD and first non-demo release "Identity Crisis", which was released to major streaming platforms and physically via MorningStar Records on April 20th! Effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2022 "Vanity" demo, it features re-recordings of each song (except "Breathe") at their own Studio 702, alongside four newly recorded original tracks. Vanity First are represented here by singer/bassist Andrew Beggs (replacing Nick McClelland from the 2022 demo on bass here), guitarist Mikhal Muto (who produced the album and sings lead on three songs), and drummer Keeghan McAllister. Despite playing at the release concert at Soo Blaster, part-time(?) guitarist Carmen Muto is not on the album.

As hyped in this MorningStar Records promotional piece, "Identity Crisis" is on sale via Kunaki's print-on-demand method on CD ($10) or vinyl ($40) at this link, though I cannot confirm local in-store availability. You can stream it on all streaming platforms Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer, with Amazon and iTunes selling it via mp3 download for $8.91 apiece. As I have reviewed the "Vanity" demo already for the SMS, I won't re-review the five re-recorded songs here, but I will compare and contrast the new versions with the originals. With nine songs running for about 28 minutes, let's begin this month's CD review!

Like the 2022 demo, "Identity Crisis" leads off with "Hard Feelings", which is relatively similar to the original but with much rangier and better harmonized vocals, as well as a slightly faster tempo and a new spoken word intro about quite a scenario about walking through a cornfield. The crisper production is evident, and just upgrading the lyrics with screaming and more distinct backing vocals improves things! This is still a fun choice of opening song for skate punk fans, and it benefited from being revised for this album! The first brand new song (and first with Mikhal on lead vocals) is next, namely "Off With Their Heads", which they jokingly described as "the most hilariously inaccurate viking song". If not for Mikhal's distinctive emo-esque tone of voice (Agnosticism fans, take note), this would easily fit in metal playlists with its galloping power metal riffs! The guitar solo is also welcomed.

I will say that it's a little repetitive by the end, as the base melody never really changes throughout the 3+ minute runtime, but if you like your Vanity a little heavier, this will do the trick, and it's a solid early highlight! Third here and on the 2022 demo is "Empty Home", which is also played at a faster tempo here, so much that it usurped "Hard Feelings" as the album's shortest song. That said, the 2024 version is closer in structure and approach to the original, only really differing musically via more aggressive backing vocals, so fans of the prior straightforward punk attack will get more of the same via the re-recording! Next is the second brand new song, "When I Fall", which Mikhal also sings lead vocals on. If you want something more punk-centric with Mikhal on vocals, this will do the trick very nicely!

If we're being honest, I think Andrew's vocal style fits skate punk better than Mikhal's, but his emo-influenced singing will appeal to genre fans, and the song still has a lively up-tempo nature that is relatively timeless as modern punk goes, and Keeghan's drumming is particularly good here, so "When I Fall" will be quite easy to get into, even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel! Track #5 here was track #4 on the 2022 demo, namely "Black Flies", which is basically a straight re-recording (not really any faster) but more intricate guitar work and stronger backing vocals, including some screaming. I liked this song for its structural variance that allowed the guys to show their skills moreso with a 1980s retro vibe at points, and the updated version here is an improvement all around! We break from the alternating pattern of old and new songs next via the revision of "Playboy Magazine", which was track #2 on the 2022 demo.

The final song here with Mikhal on vocals (and the only one with Keeghan as a co-writer), and it retains an identical structure and mostly benefits from the boosted production quality. All three of Mikhal's lead vocal tracks are different from each other, so fans of power pop and indie rock will still take to this one and it's more direct lyrics, but aside from the opening verse being too processed, this is an improvement all around from the 2022 version, particularly benefiting with stronger backing vocals! Still a little too laid back compared to what I like from this band though. Andrew sings lead the rest of the way, including on the next two brand new songs for "Identity Crisis", starting with its longest song, "Get Out", which opens with more cornfield talk like on "Hard Feelings (I must have missed the in-joke here!)

The most metal song on offer for the Andrew-sung tracks, this has shouted verses and clean choruses, the latter of which remind me a bit of Avenged Sevenfold. To a point, I think the guys handle punk better, but it is nice to see them spreading their wings stylistically, and this might be Andrew's best performance on bass so far! Not a bad hard rock song that doesn't get repetitive despite its length, so fans looking for something not as punky should give this a listen! The penultimate song (and final new cut) is the partially eponymous "Habitual Vanity", another song that stretches from their skate punk base with a darker and more melodic sound, and while I do think that punk suits them more, this is a cool sound with effective use of vocals, strong bass, and a good structure that keeps things moving at a slightly ominous clip! I'd have went a little heavier with it, but it's another good change of pace for (Habitual) Vanity First!

The album closes with the last re-recording, "White Ghosts", which is similar to the original aside from better production, more varied vocals, and a faster conclusion for the ending guitar solo to come in. Like the original, I wish this ran longer, but the production upgrades accentuate this strong closer to the album that brings things back on a punk track for fans!

So, what are my final thoughts on Vanity First's new CD? Overall, this is a strong update that better realizes their earlier songs and adds some entertaining new material to fill things out, which point to a promising future for them! At its core, it's an expanded remake of the "Vanity" demo (sans "Breathe"), and all five returning songs maintain their original structure and integrity while benefiting from the new production, more aggressive backing vocals, and sometimes faster pacing, so if you liked that demo, almost everything carried over is the same or better! Of the four new songs, it felt to me like Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan wanted to show what they could do beyond skate punk, as only "When I Fall" of those four songs really feels like it could have fit on the 2022 demo. The guys have range and it'd be interesting to see what sound(s) direct their next studio effort! Andrew's bass work does the job well here also.

No song is bad here, especially the punk-leaning ones, but I would like to hear a few more guitar solos, and Mikhal's vocals are trickier to have fit certain subgenres without going full emo. I'd also have re-recorded "Breathe" here, as it would further highlight their musical variety, and they had plenty of room for it on the physical copies. If you liked the "Vanity" demo, you'll absolutely like "Identity Crisis", so be sure to buy or stream it at the above links! As for our next CD review at the SMS, we'll kick off year #16 of album reviews (wow) with our third straight review of a Mikhal Muto project's album, namely his new hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages' debut EP "Macabre"! Our anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same artist doesn't apply to multiple bands from the same musician, hence the trifecta. We haven't even talked about this project on the site yet, so stay tuned for that and more next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), One More Concert Preview, And More Recent Updates!!

Well, how does one more weekend concert preview post sound for the Canada Day long weekend? Along with some new live videos and assorted updates, we have one more show accidentally omitted from our existing previews and a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know on this Saturday afternoon!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will reportedly play at The Dive Gastro Pub THIS MONDAY NIGHT for a special Canada Day matinee concert! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by the venue's Facebook event page this morning. This will be Tym's second show at The Dive in a five day span, following his "Think It Over Thursday" date inside the former Low & Slow, of course bookending yesterday's Mike Case Memorial Stage gig and today's Misty's Fifties matinee. However, MONDAY'S concert will be a "Patio Play" event on The Dive's outdoor patio, much like their Saturday bookings. Hopefully Tym provides an entertaining soundtrack of classic and hard rock hits for fans at the Queen Street East nightclub on MONDAY EVENING! This show has a 5:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover.

Weather-wise, The Dive indicated on the event page that "it looks like the weather will be on point", and while it's too soon to see an hourly forecast for MONDAY EVENING, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather with no chance of rain and a high temperature of 22°. If that holds, "on point" would be accurate for most, especially given that rain is likely on Tuesday in the current forecast! Visit the above links for more on Tym's holiday weekend capper on MONDAY, and here he is live!

Next up, here's one more weekend concert preview that I neglected to include when we covered this band's Water Tower Pub show last night, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will hit the road for nearby Echo Bay (just outside of town) TONIGHT! This concert will see Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen serve as musical entertainment for this year's Elks Bay Days Slo-Pitch Tournament, with the Soundcheck concert being inside The Elks Lodge at 96 Church Street as the musical entertainment after day #2 of this year's Elks Bay Days Slo-Pitch Tournament! Despite the trappings of being linked to a baseball tournament, this is publically attendable, so if you're in Echo Bay/just east of the Soo, you may want to head to The Elks Lodge to enjoy their hard rocking classic and country covers tonight! Unless registered for the tournament, this is free with a 9:00 PM start time and no stated age limit. 

Be advised that Soundcheck had teased playing at a Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road tomorrow afternoon as well, but I have not found any public advertising or references to it on social media beyond what the band said on their Facebook page over a week ago. That doesn't mean that there won't be a car show with Soundcheck playing (they haven't always had high online advertising), but I'm erring on the side of caution by not including it here given the lack of promotion. Stay tuned in case something is confirmed, but to preview their Echo Bay gig tonight, here they are live!

Also, we have some new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations to share! A day after we previewed their late notice gigs at Jay's Piston Broke Pub yesterday and TONIGHT on the SMS, frontwoman Valerie Powley posted four videos of the band at a recent private stag & doe booking to their Facebook group on Friday, so what can you see here? The videos include Generations covering Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Refugee", Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy", The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking" (with bassist Pierre Anthony on lead vocals), and as embedded below, Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker". Unfortunately, these videos do suffer from a vertical orientation, a tight side-stage angle that completely cuts drummer Tony Santoro out of frame, and Pierre and Tony K. often being out of frame or blocked from view. Also, aside from the Sheryl Crow cover, these are all under a minute long.

However, the audio quality from the filmer's camera is really strong, and Valerie's powerful vocals are put to good display on the three songs that she sings lead on, none of which are frequently filmed from what I know, and it's nice to see things a little heavier as such! Check out all four of Generations' stag & doe videos above and below, and don't miss them all back at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TONIGHT!

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

 

• I have sadly removed local death metal band Kaepora Gaebora (a.k.a. Exploring Detritus) from our inactive band links due to the deletion of their Facebook page (their only formal social media page) at some point in the past three months. The subject of our Defunct Local Band Profile from March, Kaepora Gaebora (led by ex-Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere) peaked as a live band in early 2016 but struggled to otherwise get off the ground, including in their 2022 relaunch. I wish they'd have left the Facebook page up, but hopefully we hear more from ex-members soon, and don't miss drummer Anthony Boudreau in HeadFirst!
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have quietly dropped out of Giovanni's Italian Festival at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on July 27th, as per their exclusion from the full performer lineup and the band's removal of the gig from their website's calendar. A reason for their withdrawal was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and they are still playing at a Giovanni's sponsored event next month, namely the COPPA Soccer Tournament next Saturday! Veteran classic rock quartet RPM have replaced Silent 9 in the 4:00 PM timeslot at the Italian Festial.
• For the first time, Rotaryfest will feature a Stage 3 in 2024! Nicknamed "Wild Beats", the third stage will take place at the Downtown Plaza on Friday, July 19th only, and will feature three EDM artists/DJs, perhaps taking inspiration from The Northern Vibe Festival's hosting of separate Forest and River Stages for bands and DJs (two of the three performers are indeed playing in Ophir in August). Obviously, this doesn't cross the SMS' music genre radar, but it'll be interesting to see how Stage 3 does, as opposed to prior attempts to counter-program the festival (remember The Bottoms Up Lounge's old "Secret Stage"?)
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst!!)

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst have announced six upcoming concerts that we didn't know about via this concert calendar on their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS? Not counting their already-occurred June dates and their Rotaryfest Stage 2 opening set on July 20th, the guys' next brand new show will see them rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday, July 21st as part of this year's Sault Pridefest Loud & Proud family fun day! This annual event occasionally (but not always) hosts heavier bands, and while some past installments have been at the Bushplane Museum, things are under the big tent next month. Expect family friendly activities and lots of LGBTQ+ community awareness and inclusion events and vendors on this day, but we await a formal public announcement of the lineup/itinerary.

This will take place rain or shine at 1:00 PM (running until 4:00), it's absolutely all ages, and there is no announced cover charge. Stay tuned for more on Loud & Proud when details roll out! Then on Saturday, July 27th, HeadFirst will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for... their EP release party?! While they did release their single "Don't Care, Don't Mind" last month, this is the first 100% public confirmation that they recorded a formal EP rather than just a one-off single, which is encouraging for fans! As noted in their Facebook post about the new dates, the EP will be called "Head Trauma" and will feature four original songs (I assume "The Walk" is one, but they haven't posted full videos of any other originals live). No word on if physical copies will be on sale, but "extra goodies" will be unveiled at Shooters on the 27th, and the EP will drop on major streaming services the following day. Exciting times for HeadFirst, obviously, so stay tuned for more on "Head Trauma"!

As best as I can tell, the release party remains a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and like normal this year, Shooters hosts DJs on Friday nights, hence why this is a one-nighter. Moving to August, their first date that month (at Shooters on Saturday the 17th) was already announced publically, but it is the leadoff in a string of four straight Saturday nighters for Red, Raine, Liam, Claire, and Anthony, with their next show being at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on August 24th for the first ever ARCH Run! This is the new splinter motorcycle rally being held at Jay's after the Dragonfly Run (née Ride For ARCH) moved to The Grand Gardens. I won't get into the controversy about why the rally split into two competing events on consecutive days, but don't lose sight of the fact that both are fundraisers for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, and I don't want to discourage anything that will help them.

HeadFirst will be playing from 5:00-6:00 PM on August 24th during the street party outside of the former Roosevelt Hotel, which will feature more live bands, vendors, prizes, and a silent auction, basically like what the Dragonfly Run did at Jay's last year before the schism. A motorcycle rally for the cause is the event's centerpiece, and pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue (members of which played last year as Nicky & The Southpaws) will be the headliners inside Jay's that night. We await fuller details on the live entertainment in and out of Jay's during the ARCH Run, but it's a FREE & ALL AGES event unless pledging for/riding in the rally, and it starts at 10:00 AM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Ending their summer concert slate, the guys will return to the aforementioned Shooters for a show on Saturday, August 31st, which notably falls on the Labour Day long weekend, so don't forget that angle!

Lastly, HeadFirst will play a rare full weekend on Friday, September 6th & Saturday, September 7th when they return to the site of their live debut, namely Reggie's Place, so help the guys kick off the fall concert season then! Their Shooters date the previous week and these Reggie's shows will all be 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits, so if you want some hard rock cover and original action downtown in late summer/early fall, keep these dates in mind! That's all for this single band post, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Poutine Feast!!)

Live music will return to this year's fourth annual Poutine Feast this weekend, including hard rock-leaning bands TOMORROW & SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice all around, lineup information from some bands trickled out on their own on social media in recent weeks but I was waiting for the full lineup reveal, which only arrived on social media on Tuesday (the full lineup can also be seen via the city of Sault Ste. Marie's website). This year, Poutine Feast relocates from the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site to the brand new Downtown Plaza at 526 Bay Street (behind Tim Hortons and beside Soo Market at the corner of Queen & Brock), marking our first ever concerts covered there. The plaza alone was a touchy subject for many, but it does look nice and hopefully it's getting continued and increased usage for special events like this. The Poutine Feast would definitely make use of the space!

While there will be four days of visiting food trucks serving up poutine & other edible wares alongside family activities and whatnot (see above for more on the non-musical aspects), there will be live music for the first three days, omitting Monday, possibly to avoid conflicting with the live music at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for their Canada Day program? Tonight's limited program only includes pop rock cover quartet Lime and folk singer/guitarist Matthew James, but on the weekend proper, five acts take the stage nightly. TOMORROW NIGHT, two SMS-amenable bands close the program, namely alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (jokingly renaming themselves "Attractive Poutine" for the occasion) at 5:45 PM, preceded by guitarist Jesse Cook's funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns at 4:30 PM, in their third straight year at the Poutine Feast (and first with this lineup) after headlining night #1 last year. 

Handsome Sandwich will be fresh off of their Sudbury gig tonight during the NOMFA ceremony weekend, so they should have momentum on their side, and kudos to Jesse for pulling double duty! While ending heavier, the earlier acts include folk/country solo musician Brian Tremblay (also back from last year) at 3:15 PM, Wawa house DJ Shrugby (who dropped out of The Bear Hunters' private reunion concert in Leeburn last July) at 2:15 PM, and rising young folk duo Distich opening at 12:00 PM. Attendance is FREE (what you buy at food trucks aside) & absolutely open to all ages, and the Feast proper is open from 11:00 AM-9:00 PM nightly from Friday-Sunday (they close up shop at 6:00 PM Monday). As this is outdoors, be advised that The Weather Channel is calling for showers in the afternoon, but not for most of the day, and with temperatures from 16-20°.

If you are at all concerned about any potential rain TOMORROW that could affect the Poutine Feast and/or the live music program, check your preferred local weather source and event organizers closer to showtime for any updates on the weather & festival proper. See above for more on TOMORROW'S music program, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!

Finally, the SUNDAY program will feature alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB smack dab in the middle at 3:15 PM! No stranger to outdoor festivals and community events, this will be their first concert since last week's teddy bear picnic at Thomson Farms, which went off successfully despite threats of rain. Hopefully Mikey and crew deliver a strong set of scarcely seen covers for attendees on SUNDAY afternoon! Way Backs frontman Jeffrey Wright will headline with a country set at 6:30 PM, preceded by Handsome Sandwich's new sister band, folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels at 5:30 PM. Preceding BookcluB, local folk/standards duo Just The Two Of Us (seen here at Tazzi's for Oktoberfest) take the stage at 2:25 PM, while the aforementioned Jeffrey Wright will bookend Poutine Feast day #3 with a duo set alongside Meggy Lee to lead off at 12:00 PM.

Once again, the SUNDAY program is FREE & ALL AGES (not counting what is bought from food trucks) with an 11:00 AM-9:00 PM runtime for the festival proper. 9&10 News is currently forecasting a partly cloudy day with a high temperature of 16°, so a little cooler but no chance of rain at the moment. Visit the above links for much more on Poutine Feast IV in the Soo, and for a preview, here's BookcluB live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, we have more weekend concert previews on this very busy Canada Day long weekend today, but of course, check out this morning's post featuring late notice show confirmations for this weekend in the post below. All of today's previews are of shows that had advance notice, but we will start with a band with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to confirm for next month, so here's what you should know!

Traverse City, Michigan classic metal cover trio Peril will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and while we're at it, they'll also return to this Kewadin branch on Friday, July 12th & Saturday, July 13th! The dates next month are newly confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page, and we will touch on any July dates not yet announced by hard rock bands there in an upcoming post. Two months removed from their last E.U.P. dates at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo, Peril will take over St. Ignace's branch via these four summer dates, so fans of their hard hitting covers won't wanna miss out! This weekend's and next month's shows are at 9:00 PM with no cover and 21+ age limits, as is standard for concerts at Kewadin's lounges. See above for more details on all four concerts, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where Bullet Train/ex-Sense Of Truth frontman Cory Murchison will play a rare solo acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Soo Blaster! The latest in Soo Blaster's summer concert series of (generally) solo musicians on (generally) Friday nights, this isn't Cory's first time as an unplugged headliner, but I don't believe we've seen him in a public concert setting since his current band Bullet Train launched. That band hasn't played live yet at all, so could Cory break out some of their original songs along with his usual modern hard rock covers? Come out tomorrow to find out! As usual for Soo Blaster's summer concert series, this show has a 19+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a recent acoustic cover video from Cory's YouTube channel!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! No sign of a jam night from them tonight, but fans of Greg, Alex, and Warren's hard rocking and fan favourite covers (and select originals) will be right at home at Reggie's this weekend, and yes, stickers and their infamous "Bone Yard shot" will be available also! It's worth noting that their brand new studio original song, presumably named "F.A.F.O." (short for "fuck around (and) find out") is expected to be released online on Sunday on major streaming services (note the ones on the image), so keep tabs on their Facebook page to find out where to hear it then! Tomorrow and Saturday's concerts are 9:30 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on this weekend's shows, and here's your local 225 live!

Finally for this weekend, we'll head back to the E.U.P. for Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Exit 808's return to a truly local stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Merchants Bar! Compared to when local fans last saw the former Double Jack there in January, a lot has changed (as fans in Alpena, Republic, and Ewen saw first hand). Name change aside, this will be Exit 808's first show within an hour of the Soo since the additions of co-lead vocalist Dillion Semasky and rhythm guitarist Will Robbins, and since the departures of guitarist Nathan Webber and bassist Isaac Royer, so if you didn't hit the road for their last so many gigs, you can see what the new-look band brings to the table on Saturday! Regarding their still-open bassist position, recent fill-in Blaze Beairl will sit out on Saturday, with Exit 808 calling in Bob Libick from Marquette hard rock band Spun to guest with them, much as he did on their "N.I.B." studio cover earlier this year.

Kudos to Bob for making the drive east to help Exit 808 out, and fans of Spun's past local dates will like that angle! Note that Exit 808 have also confirmed new dates in Republic and Mackinaw City (singer Amy Beach's hometown) for August, and while neither are local, head to their Facebook page for details on both. Saturday's concert at The Merch has a 9:00 PM start time, no cover, and a 21+ age limit. For a preview, here's a brand new video from their set this past Saturday at Rally In The Valley in Ewen (4½ hours west of here), so what is there to see here? Shot by Hunter Josephson of the Ishpeming metal band No Expectations, the video sees Exit 808 covering Seether's "Gasoline" with Dillion on lead vocals and Amy on backing vocals. Blaze made the trip with his mom's band, but is not playing bass in the clip. As best as I can tell, that's Bob from Spun (who also played at Rally In The Valley), but I am not 100% sure given the angle.

At least it's a high quality clip and shot horizontally! Blaze did play on some songs with Exit 808 and even guested on drums with Spun, which had to have been a thrill, and you can see more of their adventures at this outdoor festival at this link. Give this solidly handled cover (if only 2 minutes of it) a watch below, and don't miss Exit 808 at The Merch on Saturday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Poutine Feast previews to cap off this busy long weekend stretch tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Generations, And Tym Morrison!!)

A very busy Canada Day long weekend is in store for the SMS, and I am projecting needing three posts to address everything taking place for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults as a result! This post will lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE) and a Friday nighter, while I am planning to look at previously announced Friday-Saturday nighters and this year's Poutine Feast in post #2, and Sault Michigan/E.U.P. shows will be part of a news post on Friday to round things out. Now, here's what you should know to start things in Sault Ontario!

Joining his fifth straight week of double solo dates TOMORROW NIGHT at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post and on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this gig was only announced via edits to his batch Facebook event page for gigs at the former Low & Slow in recent weeks. Note that his previously announced concert there on Thursday, July 4th was removed, so Occam's Razor would suggest that his booking there was bumped up a week early. Regardless, TONIGHT's show is Tym's second at The Dive as a Thursday headliner, and he will be back for a third "Think It Over Thursday" on August 1st, as per the Facebook event page linked above, so prepare for some fan favourite hard and classic rock covers TONIGHT & then from this talented local music veteran!

Of course, Tym will then rock The Mike Case Stage tomorrow evening, but be advised that as of this writing, The Weather Channel is calling for showers when Tym's set to be playing, so follow your preferred local weather forecast closer to for updates, as Tym has cancelled outdoor dates due to weather before (the current projected temperature is 17-18°). Sunday's matinee at Misty's will be indoors for you west end fans as well, of course, so if you want to take things earlier, you know where to be! While we're on the subject, let's add Tym's July slate of shows to our calendar so they are in the system without being on short notice, so look for Tym Morrison at The Trading Post on Friday, July 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, while his Misty's Fifties shows next month will be on Saturday the 13th, 20th, and 27th! Tym had previously confirmed that he would not be playing there on July 6th, but has not publically said why that I have found.

TONIGHT'S and August's Dive shows are at 6:00 PM and 19+, tomorrow's and next month's Trading Post gigs are at 7:00 PM (weather permitting), and Saturday's and next month's dates at Misty's are at 4:00 PM and presumed to be 19+. Visit the above links for much more on Tym's weekend slate (and beyond), including his Trading Post and Misty's event pages linked here and here, and for a preview, here he is live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will kick off their brave new world sans Thursday jam night hosting duties by rocking The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this one-nighter was first announced via the band's Facebook page on June 19th, and we didn't have enough time to fit it into a post before it got to be in our short notice range (under a week out). Regardless, the venue hasn't advertised their live music schedule on social media since the end of May. It's been a few months since Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen have rocked the Great Northern Road venue, and hopefully their classic and hard rock cover slate goes over well with fans and regulars alike TOMORROW! No word on who's playing there on Saturday night. Expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover TOMORROW NIGHT. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live a few years back!

Finally, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the band's Facebook group on Saturday. Last seen publically at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago and at Jay's back in March, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows should prove to be a good way to enjoy Generations' old school cover slate in advance of their Rotaryfest return next month! It is worth noting that the band (minus singer Valerie Powley) will be the first of the rotating fill-in bands for the Thursday jam nights at Jay's after the aforementioned Soundcheck withdrew from full-time hosting duties last week, and while we don't cover jam nights as full "concerts" for our purposes, keep the Tonys and Pierre in mind if you want to jam with them on stage at the former Rosie tonight!

TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge, and the same would apply for jam night tonight. Generations seem to have the run of things this weekend at Jay's, so fans of their skilled covers won't wanna miss out! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for weekend concert preview post #1, and we'll look at the Poutine Feast, Bone Yard 225, and Cory Murchison concerts later today! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: id iota & kaepora gaebora

A day early for a change, here are this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Continuing our monthly spotlighting of YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians/concerts, this month's first randomly selected channel only had two videos period, so I had to pick another with a single video to round things out. Both take us to contemporary local bands of the mid-2010s, so here's what you should know on each of this month's channels!

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id iota (http://youtube.com/@idiota9153)

Owner: A member of 2015-2019 local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota, exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 30th, 2016; Videos uploaded in January and May 2017

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Id Iota, it features just two videos, namely an upload of their sole EP and a teaser video for an upcoming concert.

Why You Should Watch: There's not a lot here in hindsight (they used their Facebook page far more for video uploads, before and after early 2017), but their EP will draw fans from their original run, and the teaser video was amusing! Fans of theirs would be best served to check out their Facebook uploads and supplement the EP alongside, but hopefully we haven't heard the absolute last from Id Iota!

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

id iota - Maudlin Fair (Full EP): Nine months after its release in April 2016, Id Iota posted a free YouTube copy of their debut and only EP "Maudlin Fair", which was recorded at guitarist Dustin Goodall's own Unsalted Audio and mixed by Joao Carvalho Mastering in Toronto. Featuring Dustin alongside singer Christian Lemay and drummer/studio bassist Blair St. John (this was recorded between a bassist change), the four included songs are "California Wasted", "Permanence In Pencil", "One Cent Vaudeville", and "Bitter Tea". This was a solid EP featuring laid back and grungier material in about equal measure, and while this free copy is handy, consider buying it on Bandcamp to support their work, if eight years later!

May 12th!: Cross-posted to their Facebook page, Id Iota's final video on YouTube was this promotional clip for their set at Soo Art Rocks, a mash-up event of live musicians and visual artists held by Live705 at the former Canadian Nightclub in May 2017 (read our review at this link). The 46 seconds-long clip sees Dustin calling his bandmates (including then-bassist Dan Linklater) and Sell This!/ex-RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski (who guested with them at Soo Art Rocks) to remind them about/summon them to the show, in a very dramatic fashion, while the recipients are in varying degrees of unreadiness for the call. Amusing hype for their headlining set, and Dustin's announcer voice is strong! The clip ends with a few seconds of the guys (and Pete) performing at The New American Pub in April 2017, but as far as I know, that video was never separately posted in full.

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kaepora gaebora (http://youtube.com/@kaeporagaebora8159)

Owner: A member of 2015-2017 & 2022 local death metal band Kaepora Gaebora (later known as Exploring Detritus), exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 8th, 2016; Only video posted that same day

Channel Summary: Kaepora Gaeboara (who, as the caption notes, still thought they were a band) posted a sampler jam session video to their brand new YouTube channel, in what would be their only substantive act there. Labelled as "day 210" (possibly hinting at the time since they formed), the band at the time featured singer Joey Graham, his old Undead Warriors bandmate Dan Souliere and Bring The Misery alum Daeson Lesage on guitar, Jeph Brown on bass, and ex-Gates of Winter/RedD Monkey drummer Kevin Overton. This isn't very long, and the audio quality can be a little harsh, but this group of local metal veterans delivered the extreme goods on this clip, and it's a shame that Dan could never get this project that far off of the ground!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This series will return on or around July 26th when we look at a single randomly selected YouTube channel, and it's another official channel of a local band, namely active(?) death metal quartet The Bear Hunters' channel WeAreTheBearHunters! Look for that then and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Curtis McKenzie), New Videos, And Much More!!

I hope everyone is having a good Monday so far! Today's post features new videos, updates from a prominent local hard rock musician, some assorted recent notes, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this summer, so here's what you should know!

Former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will bring his revived solo act back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a third time on Thursday, August 8th! Unlike his two shows there earlier this month, Curt's show in August will be indoors as part of the former Low & Slow's "Think It Over Thursday" series of acoustic musicians inside the 648 Queen Street East nightclub. Hopefully Curtis' brand of hard rock and grunge covers go over just as well the third time out, so keep this show in mind, especially if you can swing coming out on a work night! Note that Curt has shared his setlist from his two Saturday patio gigs at The Dive onto his Facebook page, where he has played three sets a night of 11 or 14 songs apiece. No originals from his past bands, but fans of them won't be alienated by what he's covering! This is a 6:00 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details!

Next up, let's stay at The Dive for one of the first videos on their Facebook page from one of their acoustic concerts, specifically from their "Patio Play" outdoor show on Saturday, June 15th headlined by former Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer! Of course, Jason has resumed playing solo shows this year after a four year hiatus, last seen unplugged at The Rockstar Bar in 2020. The Dive's live-streamed video is of him covering Shinedown's "Symptom Of Being Human", a song that I'm honestly not a fan of, but the 29 second clip is well shot with good quality, and it's nice to see video of him performing again! Is this indicative of a hard rock-leaning set in this day and age? Not yet sure, but check it out below!

Also today, let's look at Curtis McKenzie's old bandmate Mike Haggith, so what has he been up to from Barrie as of late? Along with sharing this picture of the Barrie-based musicians' jam space Just Some Noise (no word on if he's working on full band shows down south or not), Mike confirmed that his local live backing band for summer festivals (Northern Vibe among them) in this photo, and while the instrumentalists were already confirmed via jam videos earlier in the year, Mike will 100% welcome back ex-Re:Born singer and 2023 Soo's Got Talent finalist Elly McWatters as a backing vocalist too! Note that in his recent full band shows here, Elly has only sung on select tracks later in the set. Barring an interim announcement, you'll next see Mike and crew at Rotaryfest next month, and hopefully his knee cooperates this time! We do have a new video to share, but it's not what you may be thinking!

On June 13th, Mike (a known baseball fan) was asked to sing "O Canada" before an Intercounty Baseball League game between his adopted hometown Barrie Baycats and the Brantford Red Sox, and Baycats games are live-streamed for free on their YouTube channel! Now, that game was postponed early on due to rain, but Mike's anthem performance made it into the stream beforehand (he walks out at 4:48, and is introduced at 5:30). Mike sings well here, and his deep voice does translate nicely to the anthem, so it's an interesting watch, even if they only got to play ball for a few minutes! 100 copies of his CDs were also to be given out to fans in the stadium. Check out Mike singing "O Canada" 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 promotional images for Saturday's It's The Pits festival in Leeburn on the Facebook event page, the one for local crossover thrash/punk trio Hails features individual photos of four members, the extra one being guitarist Mikhal Muto's brother Carmen, who guested with Ha!ls at The Distraction last month and with Mikhal & Keeghan's other band Vanity First in April. That image aside, Hails have not confirmed Carmen's status with the band on their own social media accounts, but if he's only involved part time like with Vanity First, they could always list him on their Facebook bio with "Rip It Sometimes"! We'll let you know if we get clarification!
• SooToday contributor Chris Belsito interviewed Saultite metal guitarist Matt Hanchuck for this article late last month! There, Matt talked about his local upbringing before moving to Thunder Bay in the early 2000s, leading to discussion of his day jobs since and his more recent work as the guitarist in the higher profile metal bands Wreck-Defy and Gutter Creek (oddly, his show with Gutter Creek at Soo Blaster in September 2022 was not mentioned). Good article that fills in what Matt has been up to in the past decade musically, and it's be great to see him play another show here!
• Minnesota hair metal band Vixen (who are among the openers for Ace Frehley at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on July 20th) have announced the addition of Rosa Laricchiuta as their new lead singer, replacing Lorraine Lewis (click here for details). A native of Montreal, Rosa finished in third place on Quebec's version of The Voice (La Voix) in 2015, and later had stints as a vocalist with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and The Headpins, so she definitely has the chops! Lineup changes for touring bands with announced dates here are not common, but hopefully Rosa will add to the experience for Vixen fans in St. Ignace, Michigan next month!

 

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