Today's SMS post features some new videos from some familiar local faces, but leading off on this Tuesday evening, here's what you should know about a brand new local album release!
It's been over a week since it was released, so let's spend some time talking about local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst's second CD and first full length album "Road Trippin'"! Launched on May 4th when they headlined the Steel City CollectorCon's pre-party at Soo Blaster, CD copies were on sale there for $20 and continue to be available through band members (I do not know if any brick-and-mortar stores are selling them). In an announcement perhaps foreshadowed by Mike Haggith's opening set that night, HeadF1rst have signed with Mike's indie label MorningStar Records, and you can read more about them and their signing in this press release from the label's website. If you didn't know that singer Red Jettison and bassist Claire Jeffrey were siblings, you do now! With Mike's backing and print-on-demand album methods, "Road Trippin'" is far more professionally packaged than their 2024 debut EP "Head Trauma", which is great to see, but it does not have a proper album booklet, so there are no song lyrics this time.
"Road Trippin'" has nine songs, all of which were played on May the 4th at Soo Blaster, and the album was produced by Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle at Unsalted Audio, with studio head Dustin Goodall credited for mixing and mastering the album. The band confirmed on social media that Bill plays additional guitar on "Slay The Dragon", but the lack of an album booklet means that I don't know if there are other guest performer credits. In the band proper, guitarist Rainey Raincourt is credited thusly (he had previously omitted the Y), drummer Anthony Boudreau is listed with the nickname "Moosejaw", and Claire is also credited for playing some guitar on the record. Beyond physical copies, you can hear "Road Trippin'" on "all streaming services", and by "all", the guys mean YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. As well, mp3 copies can be bought on iTunes for $8.91.
After a brief dip into archive album reviews last month, we will be looking at "Road Trippin'" for this month's CD review at the SMS, so look for that in the next few weeks, but the professionalism in sound and packaging are good omens for HeadF1rst's sophomore effort, so do buy or stream it at the above links, and here's the album's opening song "Tour Bus Fantasy" courtesy of their YouTube Music upload of the full album!
We'll close today with new videos, starting with a new clip of local folk punk solo project Agnosticism live! This comes from the April 12th concert that Mikhal opened in the kitchen of former Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno, who played here with (half of) his current country/bluegrass band The Golden Scoundrels alongside Ottawa folk band Bastards & The Buzzards. Now, thanks to Agnosticism's presence, I did briefly acknowledge this show here but did not actively cover it on the site because I don't cover concerts without public addresses as a rule (it was said to "ask a punk" in that regard), but it was publically advertised, and it does look like the gathered punks had fun with this acoustic folk concert! One attendee was Piecing It Together Shows head Nicole Dyble, who filmed all three acts for the local promotion agency's Facebook page, uploading them as a batch post there on April 13th.
This oddly square video (thanks to being cross-posted on Instagram) is filmed a little too low, so Mikhal's head is cropped below his eyes when he's singing, even though the camera isn't stationary. Aside from that, the audio quality holds up well, and fans of Agnosticism will enjoy this raw folk punk performance! It is short though, running for just 39 seconds, but again, this was cross-posted to Instagram, which has video length limits. Very pink lighting in Josh's kitchen too, but folk-inclined fans will have fun with the rest of Nicole's videos, so give them all a look above and below!
Finally for today, here's a surprise new audio cover from defunct local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck! Uploaded to final drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel last week, this is an audio cover of Luke Combs' "Beer Never Broke My Heart" that was recorded in 2020 during the pandemic lockdowns, but never completed or uploaded at the time, so Glen finished it for a YouTube release five years later. Soundcheck were represented at the time by their 2019-2023 lineup, also including singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver, guitarist Terry Eaton (now of Separate Wayz), and current Silent 9 bassist Paul Belair, who all recorded their parts remotely. Glen recorded new harmony vocals for the final version of the cover, which has to make use of rough draft vocals due to things not being 100% completed at the time. Note that Glen's explanation of the recording process eats up the first minute.
This will obviously appeal mostly to fans of country music (let alone Cameron's solo concerts) more than rock fans, and while Cameron's vocals do feel somewhat soft and processed given that they're not the intended final recording, this is a solid enough country cover! Of course, it is worth noting that Cameron and Terry have reunited in "The Band" alongside final Soundcheck bassist Jim Michaud and former Bourbon Blue drummer Brent Royer for a handful of concerts in early-mid 2025, with Cameron possibly moving out of town to further his solo career later this year. Keep tabs on his upcoming solo/band shows if you're a country fan, and check out this rare Soundcheck at-home cover below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
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