Local Metal/Hard Rock Video Showcase!!

In today's news post, we're looking at some relatively overdue live concert videos from bands on both sides of the border, so here's what you should know on this Sunday afternoon!

Let's lead off with a new video from local progressive metal band Convergence, as I surprisingly haven't talked about them in a while on here! As fans may be aware, Convergence didn't post any audio or video content from their live debut at The Pit at Soo Blaster in April, only posting teaser clips and "Reels" in the lead-up, so you had to actually be at that event to hear how they sounded as a live band, let alone with Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio on vocals (they haven't let anything with him singing from their recent studio sessions slip either). For their sophomore gig at The Upheaval at Soo Blaster three weeks ago, they did finally post a public video of the current lineup in action, so what is there to see? Just a disclaimer up front that the video has rapidly strobing red lights on the stage at Soo Blaster, so if you have any history with epileptic seizures, approach with caution. This was uploaded to their Facebook page on July 1st and is 72 seconds long.

Thankfully shot horizontally, this features the guys playing an original song, and if you were curious about Stephen's singing in this band, he does do harsh metal screaming primarily, so don't go into this expecting a reprise of The Saturday Nights or his stage musical work. Obviously not a full song, but the brutal technicality is well sampled here, and hopefully things went in their Rotaryfest Stage 2 debut today, rain acknowledged! Check out this new video below, and look for more from Convergence soon!

Next up, here's new videos from a band that played at Rotaryfest Stage 1 on Friday (albeit from a prior gig), namely local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations! On July 1st, they headlined the Canada Day festivities at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and drummer Tony Santoro's wife Dawn had her camera rolling, filming ten videos from their sets that evening that made their way into a batch post (along with photos) on their Facebook group the following morning. Dawn filmed Generations doing songs with all four band members on lead vocals, with frontwoman Valerie Powley fronting covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams", Bryan Adams' "Summer Of '69", Nazareth's "Turn On Your Reciever", and Nick Gilder's "Roxy Roller". Tony S. handled lead vocals on covers of Trooper's "We're Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time)", The Sheepdogs' "Take Me For A Ride", Grand Funk Railroad's "Some Kind Of Wonderful", ...

...and Stealers Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You". Bassist Pierre Anthony did the honours on David Wilcox's "Do The Bearcat", while guitarist Tony Kajnar sung lead on Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle". At least as far as what was filmed, Generations' set looked to be at least half Cancon, which is great for July 1st, and above & beyond what the CRTC wants for radio stations! While Dawn did get some horizontal photos, all of her videos here were shot vertically, which is never ideal (why accentuate the low crowd levels on the floor like this). That aside, these are solid and lively performances, and props for the custom Canada Day shirts! Do give Generations' July 1st videos from under the tent above, and in a nod to Canada Day, here's "Summer Of '69"!

Now let's head to Sault Michigan for some new videos from bands across the river, starting with local hard rock quintet Exit 808, whose next gig after their Walloon Lake debut last month saw them return to Republic (3½ hours west of here) on June 20th where they took part in the third annual Drewpalooza, a birthday/charity fundraiser concert at The Pine Grove Bar there. Exit 808 have made the drive there each year that it's been held, and five videos from this year made their way to their Facebook page. The first was actually a brief clip of Marquette alt-rock band Jasno's set that afternoon, with Exit 808 co-headlining the night #2 lineup before Marquette notables Spun headlined. Exit 808's set saw the return of guitarist Alex Zimmerman after he was on vacation during the Walloon Lake concert. while former guitarist Nathan Webber made the trip for this one once again.

Attendee Angie Hood is to thank for the other four videos, with her personal Facebook videos being shared onto Exit 808's page after the fact. The videos see them covering Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" with No Expectations singer Drew Collister on guest lead vocals (Amy & Dillion backed him), Skid Row's "Youth Gone Wild" and Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Coming" with Dillion Semasky on lead vocals, but embedded below is their cover of Volbeat's new single "By A Monster's Hand", which has Amy singing more than on the other clips. Alas, all of Angie's videos were shot vertically, and the audio can be quite scratchy, but the performances are sound, so check them out for yourselves above & below!

Let's close with a long overdue piece about newer local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank, who I completely forgot to address re: their Musicians Unite fundraiser concert set at Bird's Eye Outfitters in March. I think that was partly because, in John Bullman's official media from the Mary Jo Jenkins benefit concert, his video from About:Blank's set was just of set-up prior to it. I don't think any proper videos of their set were publically uploaded on social media after the fact, but let's make up for lost time for Parker, Nathan (as seen above with Exit 808) and Cade via their set opening for Dick Texas and Violet Scum at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in May. Uploaded to their Facebook page on May 6th, this has About:Blank playing an original song named "Tweak". Filmed from a good close angle, this is an energetic performance with strong pointed vocals from Parker, so check out About:Blank's Pickles video below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & A Locally Relevant Cover Song!!

Today's post covers a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from a prominent local band as they book up their remaining dates for the summer, while a cover of local note ends things. Here's what you should know!

While local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 aren't playing at Rotaryfest again this year, they're staying busy with new show announcements for next month, so where can you see Greg, Alex, and Warren in August? All of these shows were announced on the band's website's calendar, and follow two private gigs and two tour dates, one being at Thessalon's Community Days on August 1st and the other actually already having taken place, that being the Motorcycle Poker Run in Kirkland Lake (a whopping 7 hours northeast of the Soo) this past Saturday. Props to them for supporting the cause and making that far of a drive! Frontman Greg Simpson used to live in Kirkland Lake, and he even did a radio interview with CJKL 101.5 on their morning drive show the previous day too. In terms of the new concerts, Bone Yard's next local date will take place on Friday, August 8th when they rock Reggie's Place!

The guys will also headline there on August 29th & 30th for the Labour Day long weekend, so fans of this prominent downtown venue will like that your local 225 are returning there a few times next month! If you're wondering why Bone Yard aren't playing at Reggie's on Saturday the 9th, it's because they are returning as the headliners at this year's Algoma Tree Services community meet & greet/charity barbecue that night! Like last year, expect Bone Yard to rock out at 7:00 PM with classic rock veterans Angry Joe & The Growlers also returning as the lead-off band at 1:30 PM, and alongside the music and food, there will be family activities, a staff meet & greet, and a bonfire. Keep this public outdoor event in mind at 1424 Haviland Shores Drive in Goulais River next month! After another Thessalon road trip (a second straight gig at the Aubrey Falls Trading Post Pig Roast), they have two charity gigs lined up in late August.

On Thursday, August 21st, "the dirty three" will perform at the Cruisin’ To End MS motorcycle show at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road, so hopefully the weather holds up for this outdoor fundraiser event for multiple sclerosis! Expect some vendors and refreshments along with MS Canada donations and promotions, plus the bike show, far from the first such event that Bone Yard 225 have been involved in at a local A&W. Lastly for their August calendar, Bone Yard will rock the returning Dragonfly Run motorcycle rally for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice on Sunday, August 24th, as it returns for its third year since rebranding from the Ride For ARCH and second at its current homebase at The Grand Gardens North. Bone Yard remain heavily involved in the Dragonfly Run's organization, and this special charity concert should also feature family activities, vendors, a silent auction, and games like last year, though keep tabs for updates.

No word yet on the full band schedule, but last year, Bone Yard played at 5:00 PM sandwiched between Mid Life Crysis and the recently-dormant The Haze, with bands beginning at 2:00 PM. Only the Reggie's shows next month are 19+ with 9:30 PM start times. The Algoma Tree Services event begins at 1:30 with Bone Yard at 7:00 PM, and the A&W sets begin at 6:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's end-of-summer schedule as their hard rocking "sermons" continue march onward!

We'll close this post with a nod to tomorrow night's cancelled Headstones show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, as I was saving a cover of theirs with a local relevance for our preview of the event. Alas, I was writing up the preview when I found out that the concert was off! In 2019, the Kingston punk/alternative veterans recorded a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" as a non-album single. Of course, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sunk in Whitefish Bay in 1975, just 15 miles from the Soo, and the ship's loss remains a vivid memory for many in the Twin Saults and area almost 50 years later. While Hugh Dillon and crew aren't local, their website's page on the cover notes that they found the original song "profoundly meaningful", and it got strong feedback from fans when it was played at VIP soundchecks. For the single release, they even shot an official music video for the cover, so what should you know there?

In the video, Headstones members are seen walking across ice covered waters while footage of ships, shorelines, and the wreck itself are seen in between, eventually transitioning to the band performing outside at nighttime. The cover is very Headstonesy and would fit in well with their original radio hits, and drives around at a steady clip that rocks up the song but doesn't distract from the somber tone. The harmonica comes in at a good time too! Whether The Headstones would have covered the song here tomorrow, I don't know (Setlist.fm last logs them playing it in a regular set in 2023), but the local relevance is noted regardless. Check out The Headstones' Gordon Lightfoot cover below!

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

Rotaryfest 2025 (Stage 2) & Tym Morrison Concert Previews!!

Today's post wraps up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, and if there's something else on late notice, I'll slot it in where I can. We're mostly looking at the Second Stage at Rotaryfest, but there are a couple more acoustic matinees to take note of, so here's what else you should know for this weekend on this Friday morning!

It's time to preview this weekend's eighteenth annual Rotaryfest Stage 2, as blues bands (tomorrow) and original-leaning acts (Saturday) set up shop at the outdoor stage beside the Art Gallery of Algoma at Clergue Park! In year #9 of the "Redirected" era, this lineup of FREE & ALL AGES music (just a short walk from Stage 1) features thirteen acts for 2025, and in its fourth year on the program, The Sault Blues Society is curating a Friday Night Blues themed lineup tonight that is devoid of hard rock or punk acts. If you're curious to check out the blues rock action, the lineup is headlined at 8:30 PM by local/St. Catharine's blues veteran Rusty McCarthy (credited as "Rusty McBlues") in his fifth solo Second Stage set. The Michael Yurich-led Smokehouse co-headline at 7:30 PM for their third year at Rotaryfest, and one night before they rock Beck's Bar. Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers are in the middle slot at 6:30 PM in their Stage 2 debut.

Fans of Generations may want to see them in their second consecutive year here, as Tony K. and Pierre will join past fill-in guitarist Mike McDonald in their lineup! New local power blues band Dark Eyed Junko (who have a stacked lineup of their own) debut at 5:30 PM, and Josh "The Preacher" McNally will lead off the Friday Night Blues action at 4:30 PM in his own first time at Rotaryfest. Mostly cloudy weather with temperatures of 18-21° is expected, and see above for more details on the Stage 2's opening night!

Veteran local alt-rock guitarist and Unsalted Audio head Dustin Goodall returns as the curator for the regular Second Stage lineup TOMORROW, and an eight band program is in store for fans of (mostly) original rock music! Your headliners tomorrow are local post-hardcore/midwest emo trio Fuller in their Rotaryfest debut and their first gig since their December 2023 reunion at LopLops and since releasing their sophomore album in the spring! You could call this the de facto release party, but A. they haven't confirmed anything about physical copies of "II" going on sale, and B. bassist Mark Rand will not be present for unannounced reasons (though remember that he has lived out of town for years). Former Nebraska Arms guitarist Dave Prendergast will reportedly handle the low end in Mark's stead, so hopefully things go well for Fuller's second post-reunion gig! They're up at 8:30 PM tomorrow.

Preceding them at 7:30 PM is local indie/pop rock band Jupiter Marvelous in their second Stage 2 set, and before them, fans can enjoy Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson at 6:30 PM in his first solo set at Rotaryfest (as in, not alongside Conika or in Planet Rock), and his turntable mixes will be original in their own way! In the heaviest booking on Stage 2 in two decades (if not ever), local progressive/djent metal quartet Convergence (featuring members of The Jazz Cats from tomorrow's Stage 1 lineup) will take over Rotaryfest for the first time at 5:30 PM, while hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will hit the stage at 4:30 as they continue building on their recent momentum! This heavier suppertime block begins at 3:30 PM with the Stage 2 debut of crossover thrash quartet Hails, and before then, we ease into things with two singer/songwriters, including Soundcheck alum Cameron Oliver at 2:30 PM in his first (only?) Stage 2 set.

Fresh off of his covers-leaning set with Mile 38 on Stage 1 tonight, this will be a chance to hear his own solo original material (no idea if he will have a backing band here) before his teased move out of town to further his solo career, so country fans won't want to miss him there! Opening on Saturday at 1:30 PM is folk singer/guitarist Matthew James in his second time on the Second Stage. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy weather with a high of 18°, which is relatively cool as July goes, but be advised that there is a 30% chance of rain that morning, so keep tabs on the forecast if you have any concerns. Visit the above links for much more on Stage 2 this weekend, and here's Fuller live!

Finally, local classic /hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has a busy weekend ahead, as he will double up with two previously announced acoustic gigs this weekend, including at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on SATURDAY NIGHT and at Beck's Bar for a matinee on SUNDAY! As it turns out, we did announce Tym's Sunday stop at Beck's when first announced, it's easy to lose track given how often he schedules similar solo dates. Last seen with a short notice gig at The Dive last week, these two will be a good way for fans to enjoy Tym's unplugged slate of rocking covers from his extensive setlist, especially as he has never played at Rotaryfest that I am aware of. Tym last rocked Aerie #3991 three weeks ago, while it'll be almost four weeks since he rocked Beck's. It is worth noting that, as per Beck's Facebook page, Tym's show there on Sunday is actually taking place on his birthday, so help him celebrate in style, and I hope his show adds to his festivities well!

The Eagles Club show on Saturday is at 8:00 PM, while the Beck's date on Sunday is a 3:00 PM matinee. Both shows are 19+ affairs as far as I'm aware, and neither has an announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Tym's two shows this weekend, and here he is live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Curtis McLenzie & Tarnished), Concert Previews, And A Big Cancellation!!

Before we begin this post, we have a major concert cancellation to note here, as Saturday night's Headstones/Fortunate Losers show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion is no longer taking place, as per this SooToday article by Greg McGrath-Goudie last night. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced by the bands or promoters Cabin Media Entertainment, but I sensed something was up, as I was literally writing up my preview of the concert when I noticed that ticket links and advertising had dried up in the past week. An obvious major concern with the show as scheduled was that it was booked opposite Rotaryfest's final day, as this ticketed concert (individual tickets ran for around $75) was up against the free bands at Clergue Park, five of which were scheduled across Stages 1 & 2 during or after the Headstones show was to have begun at 7:30 PM, including touring AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who on Stage 1, which was also getting advertised on local radio. Headstones ticket refunds are available from Cabin Media at point of purchase.

Very disappointing to hear that The Headstones aren't coming here (yet), especially as they're getting a lot more rock radio airplay now that we have 104.3 The Fox in Sault Ontario, so hopefully Hugh and company will try again down the road, as it's been 28 years already! Otherwise, for this second weekend concert preview post, we're leaving Clergue Park to look at hard rock shows this weekend outside of the Rotaryfest umbrella, and while we'll knock most of those out today, our previews of Tym Morrison's shows this weekend will be lumped in with Friday's Stage 2-led preview post, so don't miss all of that then. Here's what else you should know for this weekend, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will reportedly return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these dates were included in updates to Kewadin's entertainment page reflecting who's playing at their on-site lounges through the end of August, and while I missed that when first announced there, Tarnished have yet to corroborate these bookings on their own Facebook page. These will actually be Tarnished's second and third shows in St. Ignace this month, having rocked the Music By The Bay summer concert series there as well. Note that Tarnished were once advertised to play at The Northern Pines Lounge over the May 16th weekend, but the band never confirmed those bookings on social media, so while I do apologize for not acknowledging them in our previews that month, I don't believe they happened either. At least they're back this weekend!

Between the casino, the Music By The Bay gig, and their shows at the Driftwood Bar, Tarnished have been spreading their wings in St. Ignace a lot this year, but hopefully their hard rocking covers and originals find a strong audience at The Northern Pines Lounge once again this weekend! TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live! 

Next up, let's head north of the border for another late notice gig, as former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will play a matinee concert at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday morning (we'll address Tym Morrison's also-short notice SUNDAY matinee there in our next post). As far as I'm aware, Curt has never played at Rotaryfest, but it will be interesting to see how his show there on SATURDAY does when there's the festival running concurrently, but there should be west end fans eager for something a little lighter musically! As usual at the former Vibe Lounge, they're doubling up with a separate nighttime concert at 8:00 PM, with this week's late band being blues rock veterans Smokehouse (fresh off of their Friday Night Blues set on Stage 2), but Curtis isn't "opening" for Smokehouse. These are two distinct concerts on the same day.

Curt takes the stage at Beck's on SATURDAY at 3:00 pm with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. This should be a fun change of pace if you want to enjoy some unplugged hard rock and alternative covers far from the downtown events, so check the above links for more details, and here's Curtis live! 

Finally for today, we'll head back to Michigan, as local hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! First announced via
the venue's Facebook page last month, this will be Project 906's first stop at this favourite venue of theirs in almost two months, and is the only advertised July event there if this poster is anything to go by. This should be a fun night of hard rocking covers from this familiar and well-tested local hard rock band, so keep things in mind if you're out west or want to take the hour's drive to Eckerman! The guys should be whole again on Saturday after drummer Jason VanLuven missed their Cedarville matinee gig last week due to a scheduling conflict with his other band Unfortunate Sun, so keep his return in mind as well. Saturday's concert is at 8:00 PM with no cover and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's 906 live!

That's all for now, but we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next with Rotaryfest Stage 2 and Tym Morrison (and more?) tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2025 Concert Previews (Stage 1!!)

The busiest concert weekend of the year is upon us, so let's start things off today with a look at who's playing Rotaryfest Stage 1 at Clergue Park! This is the 25th year since Rotaryfest adopted its current staging and format for the covers-centric pop-up stage beside the Centennial Library, and as usual, there will be three days' worth of FREE live music for all ages over the weekend! Visit the festival website for more on non-musical activities going on downtown before, during, and after the bands. Here's what you should know on the musical end of things!

Andrew Stuetz is returning as the MC for Stage 1 this year on all three days. We'll start our Rotaryfest weekend concert previews off TOMORROW for night #1, as the first four bands in this year's program will take the stage, three of which being festival newcomers. In a first for the Thursday lineups, a touring headliner will close things, namely Billy & Elton: The Legends, the joint Billy Joel/Elton John tribute show from accomplished & relocated local musicians Mick Dalla-Vee and Michael Sicoly in a relatively rare local concert appearance from them in any project. They headline at 9:30 PM, while hard rock fans will get the largest bone of the evening at 8:00 PM when classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 pause their summer break in their second straight appearance on Stage 1. Debuting local ten-piece yacht rock/R&B band The Lock City Rollers will take the stage at 7:00 PM, while pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue will make their Stage 1 debut at 6:00 PM.

Like Silent 9, Bourbon Blue are taking a couple months off from bar gigs, so if you've missed either as of late, be at Clergue Park tomorrow! The current weather forecast from 9&10 News has sunny skies with temperatures of around 17-18°, but there is rain currently expected tomorrow morning, so follow your preferred weather outlets for specifics closer to. Sounds like a talented and varied lineup to kick off Rotaryfest for 2025, and Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve should deliver some hard rocking favourites for the occasion, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Silent 9 live!

Next up, let's profile night #2 of Stage 1 music on FRIDAY, as six local bands will grace the stage, four being returnees from past Rotaryfests. Your headliners are classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations in their third consecutive year on Stage 1 and first turn as the closing act on a given day, so don't miss their old school cover classics at 10:20 PM! Jeffrey Wright's classic country cover band The Way Backs will themselves play Rotaryfest for a third straight year at 9:00 PM, and country fans will also want to check out Soundcheck alum Cameron Oliver's one-off band Mile 38 at the 8:00 PM timeslot. Handsome Sandwich guitarist Jesse Cook will notably be showing his musical diversity in Mile 38, though with Cameron's teased move out of town this fall, see them on Friday while you can! Classic rock cover veterans RPM will play Stage 1 for a fifth time at 7:00 PM, while fellow classic rock staples Flathead Ford play their seventh Rotaryfest at 6:00 PM.

Opening on Friday at 5:00 PM are The Jazz Cats (not to be confused with 2017's "Jazz Catz"), a newer local jazz cover quintet featuring Convergence bandmates Jacob Valois & David Peredun, so while the metal is a day away on Stage 2, the technicality will be present on Stage 1! As of this writing, we're too far from Friday for an hourly forecast, but 9&10 News is currently calling for partly cloudy weather with a high of 21° then. Another varied but very talented lineup of musicians for fans to check out on Friday, with Generations ending things on a heavier note, so visit the above links for more on night #2, and here's Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre live!

Your closing lineup of bands on SATURDAY is, as usual, the longest of the three days, with ten bands taking over Stage 1, and your featured touring headliners are Toronto-based AC/DC tribute Who Made Who in their fifth local concert appearance since 2010 and first since they played at the former Canadian Nightclub in 2019. Good to see their faithful take on the Australian hard rock legends again on home soil, and hopefully they infuse Stage 1 with lots of high voltage rock n' roll on Saturday night! As normal, the touring attraction aren't the final band, with Who Made Who playing at 8:30 PM, but the closing band this year will be classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush, closing the festival at 10:30 in their Stage 1 debut, which ain't a bad spot to be in at all! Working backwards, local pop rock cover quartet Lime will rock Stage 1 for a fourth time at 7:00 PM, while alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB will play Rotaryfest for a third straight year at 6:00 PM.

Classic rock quintet Encore will hit the big stage at 5:00 PM in their fourth time on Stage 1, while The Northern Jazz Ensemble will return at 4:00 PM in their sixteenth time at Rotaryfest and seventh consecutively (both records among this year's lineup). Two of Sault Ste. Marie's four active high school rock band programs will rock Stage 1 in the 3:00 & 2:00 PM timeslots, namely Crusade from St. Mary's College (in their Rotaryfest debut) and Steel Rock from Superior Heights Collegiate (who played last year). The kids are alright, as you'll see on Saturday afternoon! Funk/dance rock cover band The Rhythm Junction will play Stage 1 for a second time at 1:00 PM, and the day's music lineup will be led off by local blues rock veteran Rusty McCarthy and his new classic rock cover outfit Rusty & The Soft Parade, and you can see them kick off the day #3 program at 12:00 PM. 

For both the amount of bands total, the multiple SMS-amenable acts, and the concurrent Stage 2 program on site (more on that tomorrow), Saturday will likely appeal the most to diehard readers, but don't bypass any of this year's lineups on Stage 1, as there's loads of talent on hand! The current weather forecast is calling for mostly cloudy weather with a similar high temperature of 21°, but there is a 30% chance of rain at press time. Again, keep tabs on your preferred weather forecast for updates as we approach the festival proper. Visit the above links for much more on all three days of Stage 1 action at Rotaryfest, and here's Who Made Who live!

That's all for now, but we'll next dive into non-Rotaryfest previews and Stage 2, so stay tuned for all of that shortly! Thanks everyone!

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 late 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!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!