The Realignment Project - "The Frustration Sessions" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 194th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and as our current backlog of new local metal/hard rock albums plods into a new month, we're actually jumping a couple months back in the timeline to look at local industrial metal solo act The Realignment Project's sophomore EP "The Frustration Sessions"! Independently released to major streaming services on April 28th, the four month delay for our review was due to it coming out just three months after their debut EP "Afterthought", which we reviewed in February. I have long had a self-imposed buffer period of six months between album reviews from the same project (to avoid showing a bias), hence why we didn't look at this EP in the spring. The Realignment Project is still led by former Dirty Virgin drummer/Riverin frontman Matt Hicks without extra credited performers. You can buy this EP on mp3 format on Bandcamp on a "name your price" model or on iTunes for $5.94.

Meanwhile, it can be streamed on Bandcamp, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and KKBox, but consider buying it to support Matt's work! Song titles are linked to their Bandcamp copies. With six songs running for about 25 minutes, let's begin our look at "The Frustration Sessions"!

The EP leads off with "Rocketship", which is about taking off on a rocket to live on a new world after humanity stripped Earth of its resources. This song definitely leans way more to industrial than metal, with a steady percussion beat, synth instrumentation, and a melancholy pace that rarely deviates from the initial trajectory. Matt's low melancholy singing does get across the bleakness of the song's message, but it's just not that varied and lively for my preferences, and definitely not a rocker. Interesting change of pace to start though! Next up is "Minor Outburst", which contrasts kinda dance rock verses with intense hardcore screaming on the choruses, at a level of aggression that I don't remember "Afterthought" having! The pointed lyrics feel like this might as well be the title track for the EP given the varying frustrations on display, but the techno beat on the verses is too much of a contrast, and the whispered bridge was hard to discern words in.

Still a big improvement for metal content, and it'd be neat to hear Matt scream like this more in T.R.P. originals! Third here is "Static",  with the title referencing static in outside pressures, hatred, and distractions in life. A little more aggressive and pointed then the opener, but this is definitely more reserved and ominous as a constant whole than on "Minor Outburst". Not a bad composition, and it has an eerie ambiance a little more vocal diversity, but the lyrics are very repetitive, especially given its runtime. I didn't mind it though!  The second half of the EP begins with "Fireside", which has more pointed commentary and anger to it, with screamed choruses and more of a traditional rock song structure while still having an electronic ambience. Again, this song has repetitive lyrics, but I like the pacing, the bass line, and intensity that contrasts well with the industrial effects, so it's a welcome diversion for fans of the project's heavier side!

The longest song on offer is the penultimate cut, namely the 6+ minutes long "Stupid", which is basically about how humanity is stupid for letting corporations and personal jealousy and greed get in the way of improving our world. In tonal structure, this feels like "Rocketship" with the choruses of "Minor Outburst" for the first half, but there is an extended bridge that feels very Rage Against The Machiney, albeit with industrial instrumentation laid in. While a little too long, the verses are more substantial here, and there's good aggression where needed here, so this is a late highlight! The final song is its shortest, the 2+ minute "Medicated (A Spade Is A Spade)", which calls out the perceived over-medication, brainwashing, and control over the populace. This is basically one lengthy extended verse with lots of rhyming before the subtitle is invoked when shouting the chorus over and over. I appreciate the direct messaging, but this song doesn't feel finished.

Making this basically a poetic rant didn't leave a lot of room to make a standalone song beyond having a dark industrial essence, but it fits in line with other Realignment Project offerings on this EP, and it was well put together despite being so cramped! So, how is Matt's second solo outing? Similarly inconsistent for my preferences, but the songs have definitely evolved, and you do get a sense that Matt was in a different place when writing these songs, with a darker feeling and more social commentary about society's ills, as opposed to the more personal material on "Afterthought". While the songs are not uniformly heavy, he puts aggressive screamed vocals to more effect on choruses here, and is making more of an effort to sing on verses. Everything is well composed, and Matt has a good ear for techno and industrial effects, so fans of his solo work dating back to the Riverin days will like how things are coming out!

Is it better than "Afterthought"? I think that EP was a little more lively as music, and had less repetitive lyrics, but Matt did expand his range as a singer here, and it is heavier at its peaks (especially on "Minor Outburst" and "Fireside"). I think I like it a smidge more, but industrial fans should be eager to check both out at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's album review, and we get back to our chronological timeframe for new reviews next month when we look at local emo/folk punk solo project Agnosticism's June 2025 EP "Atticcore Fornication". Watch for that in September, and for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Nameless), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this weekend's non-Northern Vibe Festival weekend concert previews, we have cancellations to take note of, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808 are not playing at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino tonight and tomorrow night. The band revealed on their Facebook page earlier today that they made the decision to drop out due to the Soo Kewadin not allowing bassist Blaze Beairl into the bar due to being underage (he's only entering grade 10). Blaze wasn't a permanent member of Exit 808 when they last played there in January, and the band said that "we're just not feeling comfortable stepping onto the stage" without a full lineup, so this may have been a short notice decision once the casino realized that a teenager was in the band. Exit 808 have played shows without Blaze this year, including at Musicians Unite in March, but if this was a late call, it'd be tough to get a guest fill-in for this weekend anyway.

Based on the photo shared with the announcement, ex-guitarist Nathan Webber is pictured, but I don't know if that's a giveaway that he'd have played this weekend or not. Also, the band did note that the St. Ignace Kewadin and Bay Mills have exempted Blaze for concerts at their lounges despite being casinos, but keep all this in mind, as if The Rapids Lounge don't budge, we might not see Exit 808 back there with Blaze in tow until 2031! I don't know if a late replacement band was signed or not. Stay tuned for more from Exit 808, but let's start our previews with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, with a missed concert apology to follow!

Local hard rock quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via the band's Facebook page yesterday, and true to form, The Merch's Facebook page has not acknowledged the gig whatsoever. Fresh off of their tent-protected outdoor show in Goetzville this past Saturday, this will be their first public date in Sault Ste. Marie proper since rocking The Merch at the end of May. According to their Facebook page, TOMORROW'S show will be The Nameless' last before "we take a little break to focus in a bit and spice up the setlist", so if you're a fan of Joshua, Michael, Mike, and Jamie's hard rocking covers, come down to The Merch, as I don't know how little this break will be! The Nameless are up TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Now to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will hit the stage for another solo acoustic concert at The Fraternal Order of Eagles Club TOMORROW NIGHT, but sadly, we missed a show of his last night. Much to my surprise, I saw this brand new photo on Facebook this morning of him performing at The Dive Gastro Pub yesterday for their latest "Think It Over Thursday" concert (of note, he was playing outdoors on their patio rather than in the "Naughty Corner", presumably a summer bonus when weather cooperates). Alas, Tym only announced the booking via a Facebook event page yesterday morning, with The Dive following suit an hour later (they didn't post an August calendar on Facebook either), so the late notice combined with yesterday's Northern Vibe focus didn't help at all. I profusely apologize for missing yesterday's Dive concert, but hopefully Tym and attendees had a blast, and I'd have covered it had I known!

If you want an encore or make-up date, head to Steelton tomorrow for a show that had lots of notice! Tym's latest Eagles Club show (and last one until November) takes place at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a presumed 19+ age limit. Visit the Eagles Club concert's Facebook event page for more on tomorrow's acoustic hard rock cover action on Wellington Street West, apologies again for missing his Dive show yesterday, and here's Tym live!

Finally for this preview post, the tenth annual Dragonfly Run goes down on SUNDAY NIGHT with live music in tow! For the third year since the former Ride For ARCH rebranded, this annual charity event will see a motorcycle rally through town to support the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, and the homebase returns to The Grand Gardens North for a second straight year, so attendees can take in local vendors, family friendly entertainment, bike games, prize tables, caricatures, tattoos, food & drinks, and more, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! While the Facebook event page says that there will be "live bands all afternoon", only two are playing on Sunday, including returning southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 (who have spearheaded this event right along), and in a mild surprise that is on physical posters but not well marketed on social media, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith & his Big Finish Band in their second show of the weekend!

Good to see Mike & crew back in the Soo proper (and one day after their Northern Vibe set tomorrow), so don't miss out on their set! According to Mike's Facebook page, they're on at 3:00 PM with your local 225 headlining on Sunday evening. The Dragonfly Run proper begins at 10:00 AM, it is absolutely all ages, and it is a FREE event, though donations to ARCH are definitely encouraged. While The Grand Gardens hosts bands indoors for Toystock, the bands are slated to perform outside in the parking lot, so be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of thunderstorms from Sunday morning onwards. The run will go on rain or shine, but I don't know if they have provisions to move the bands indoors if need be, so keep tabs with event organizers for updates on that front. Whether riding in the rally or enjoying the Grand Gardens festivities, the Dragonfly Run is a great event for a great cause!

Visit the above links for complete details on what to expect at the Dragonfly Run (especially depending on what Mother Nature has planned), but come out to enjoy the fun if you can, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site next! Thanks everyone!

The 2025 Northern Vibe Festival Preview!!

The tenth annual Northern Vibe Festival kicks off TOMORROW NIGHT with another stacked lineup of local and touring musicians descending upon the old Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road in Ophir, so here's our extended preview! This annual camping & concert festival once again sees vendors, activities, food & drinks, and more along with the live music, so be sure to visit the official website for this weekend's complete non-musical details! Once again, there are two distinct stages for Northern Vibe, with DJs and EDM artists performing on the Roost River Stage (click here for its schedule), while bands and solo musicians will set up shop on the Forest Stage once again, as curated by Spades GT frontman J.D. Pearce for a fifth straight year in his annual return to local concert promotion. 15 acts (up from 10 last year) will grace the Forest Stage between tomorrow and Saturday, so who all can you expect to see an hour east of the Soo this weekend?

Just to preface things: the official schedule (released unusually early on August 11th) was considered "tentative" at that point, but there has been no contradictory announcements to go against what was stated then. Five bands will perform tomorrow during the shorter opening day program, which will be headlined by the local debut of Sudbury-based Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band Avessel at 10:00 PM. They have the chops, so welcome them to the Algoma District in style tomorrow night! New (and maybe one-off) jazz/standards group The Josh Norling Quartet will co-headline at 9:00 PM, while hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will be the only band from this year's Rotaryfest to pull the summer festival double at 8:00 PM. The Friday bill kicks off with an extended rap block, including the merged Fvcksxvad/Sound Syndrome supergroup SoundSxvad at 7:00 PM & The CSWS Crew at 6:00 PM.

Nice diverse array of music to check out tomorrow, including heavier stretches from Avessel and HeadF1rst to keep things rocking, so keep everything in mind if you'll be in Ophir for night #1 of Northern Vibe X! 9&10 News is calling for cloudy skies with temperature going from 26° down to 18° as the night progresses. Note that they are forecasting rain in the 11:00 PM hour, which may affect Avessel's set, but the forecast isn't projecting more than a 20% chance prior. Visit the above links for more on the Friday Forest Stage lineup, and here's Avessel live! 

The longer program on SATURDAY will feature ten bands, and your headliners this year are local Pink Floyd tribute band Dark Side Of The Soo, as the Bourbon Blue side project will build on their recent Beck's gig by closing Northern Vibe in prog rock style at 10:00 PM! Niagara Falls prog/improv rock band The Road Waves will return to Northern Vibe as the 9:00 PM co-headliners in their fourth Ophir appearance, while local alt-hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich will become the only band to play all five years of this festival since the post-pandemic relaunch at 8:00 PM. This year's other two touring bands (both from Cornwall) take the stage prior, including hard rock quartet Don't Tell Sarah in their second straight year at Northern Vibe at 7:00 PM, and speed metal band Hellrager (featuring ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin) at 6:00 PM, returning for their own second year after dropping out last year.

Folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels (featuring fellow Spades alum and Handsome Sandwich drummer Johnny Belanger) will return for their second Forest Stage set at 5:00 PM, preceded by the first of two shows this weekend from local/Barrie alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band at 4:00 PM, one year removed from their set that had professional cameras rolling. Will things get filmed thusly again? As revealed on Wednesday the 13th, the 3:00 PM band named The Barbarians are actually the new band fronted by ex-Elements/Wyld Stallyns singer/guitarist Rob Speers (replacing his originally announced solo set), and he will be joined by Handsome Sandwich bandmates Taylor Emlaw and Rafael Medina as well as Boat Dads drummer Kevin Harrison. They're described as a "party band", but what specifically do they play, especially compared to Rob's old bands?

Note that these three musicians have backed up Rob at some solo dates this year, but is this the start of a formal new band, or are The Barbarians a one-off? The 2:00 PM block is listed as "bingo break" on the schedule, and based on promotion since then, it appears to literally be a break in the schedule with no band. I haven't seen direct reference to bingo being played or scheduled elsewhere, but get your dabbers ready just in case! We'll let you know if something else is afoot then. The 1:00 PM set belongs to debuting local punk/hard rock quartet Spun Out (featuring Caveman Morrison and Half Past alumni), who were themselves late additions to the Forest Stage lineup, so come out to Ophir to hear how they sound! The Saturday bill will be lead off by "Benny's Acoustic Thing", which has yet to be elaborated on in official social media promotion. I believe I know who Benny is, but just in case, I won't make an assumption in case I'm incorrect.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a high of 22° dipping to the mid teens on Saturday night, and there is a chance of showers in the afternoon, though they're not expected for most of the day (skies are projected to be mostly cloudy early and partly cloudy late). Note that 2023 Forest Stage performer and local magician Ryan McFarling will be back this weekend as a general performer on the festival grounds and does not have a formal timeslot, so keep an eye out for him! Even with no A Dire Setback this year, this year's Northern Vibe lineup is stacked, and after it briefly looked like last year's festival would be the final one, it's great to see everything back and in full swing for the tenth installment! This 19+ festival goes on rain or shine, and if you haven't bought your tickets yet, online sales closed yesterday, so you'll need to buy yours at the gate. The in-person rate isn't given online, but it will be higher than the advance fee was.

For reference, advance tickets cost $125 in advance (for the full weekend) and $80 (Saturday only; there were no Friday-only passes), and while Sunday is part of the schedule, that's strictly for campers to pack up and wrap up, there's no bands that day. There's a lot to take in off the grid once again this weekend, so visit the above links for full details on Northern Vibe in 2025, and for a Saturday preview, here's Don't Tell Sarah live! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

Bone Yard 225 & Silent 9 Videos And Updates!!

Today's first post lets us play catch-up with two veteran and covers-heavy bands and their recent activity on stage, at private and public gigs alike, so here's what you should know on that front!

We'll start with new videos and updates from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, so what else have they been up to beyond their end-of-summer local dates? On July 20th, they posted this video to their Facebook page of Greg panning a camera around at a private wedding that they played at the previous night. No concert audio to speak of, but good to see that this booking went well for them! Note that bassist Warren Reville asked at the end of the video "What is Rotaryfest?" (the festival ended that night). That seems like a possible dig, and while I don't know the context, note that Bone Yard haven't played at Rotaryfest since 2022, after playing Stage 1 eight times since 2010. On August 11th, the guys revealed on their Facebook page that "its album tracking time", complete with a black & white photo of studio equipment, and this TikTok-exclusive video features a drum track teaser.

In this TikTok video (which was at least shared to their Facebook page), we see Warren and guitarist Alex D'Ettore performing backing vocals, and while the video implies that this is towards the album sessions, note that they appear to be singing the chorus to Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (that, or they wrote an original where they sing "All I know, sad songs" too). Good to see that the album is in full swing, and we'll let you know more when they give more updates from the sessions! Also in the realm of unembeddable videos, the Aubrey Falls Trading Post in Thessalon filmed two "Reels" of Bone Yard 225's set at their annual pig roast on Saturday that were shared on the band's Facebook page. There, you can see the guys covering AC/DC's "Ride On" and Kim Mitchell's "Lager & Ale". Unfortunately, as "Reels", they are short clips (90 seconds long) and vertical, but the filmer was far enough away to capture the full band in frame.

What we hear sounds good in both videos, even if I'd have zoomed in (or shot horizontally) to mask low crowd levels up front. Hopefully the pig roast show went well, but is there a new 225 video that I can embed here? Yes, from their prior Thessalon show on August 1st at their annual Community Day! This also vertical video (though not a "Reel") was posted last week from their outdoor set at Thessalon's marina, and it focuses on singer/drummer Greg Simpson during the end of their cover of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'". Interesting Stryper-esque angle of Greg in action here, and the cover sounds good, if only the end of it, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them today at the older A&W's Cruisin' The Dub motorcycle show or at the Dragonfly Run, preview forthcoming!

We'll close today with some new videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook page! On August 10th, they shared a video of them covering part of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" at a private camp party off of Bass Lake, the third straight year that they've played at that event. While sadly shot vertically, it's a strong rendition from what we hear, and the vivid stage lighting against the natural outdoor night setting is a good contrast! In more vertical footage from outside of town, Silent 9 shared a "Reel" on Tuesday from their Laird Fair gig on Saturday where we see clips of them covering "We're Not Gonna Take It" again as well as Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train". The filmed uniquely focused on fans more than the band, including folks who climbed into the rafters of the stage to rock out, which is a neat visual, and it looks like they had a blast out in Laird this past weekend! Also, here's a question: What is Wolf Fest?

The band shared this "Reel" from Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Facebook page from Monday of people asking what Wolf Fest is, referencing a teased festival on Saturday, September 27th, though the brewery remains cagey on what is happening. Silent 9 sharing it would hint that they're playing, but we await firm confirmation on Wolf Fest, let alone if it's happening at the Tap Room or if they're thinking bigger. Stay tuned, but check out Silent 9's Bass Lake video below, and look for more from them soon!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sylo & Tarnished), Mid-Week Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a cancellation to take note of, as the planned Krang-headlined concert at The Distraction on September 8th is no longer taking place. Promoter Mikhal Muto said on his personal Facebook page that it was "due to the current situation with The Distraction", likely referring to the East Street venue's fire safety compliance needs following the Ripcordz concert cancellation last month. With almost three weeks to go, it's a wonder why they're not looking for a new host venue, but this is still disappointing, and hopefully Krang get a chance to play here again, let alone that The Distraction re-opens with all approved safety measures soon!

Now, today's post features an unusually robust lineup of mid-week concert previews, including two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus some assorted updates, but let's lead off with one of the two brand new shows, as Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal cover quartet Tarnished will play a special outdoor concert TOMORRROW NIGHT at Lake Superior State University outside of Brady Hall! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page earlier today, even calling this a "surprise show" there. Tarnished did not specify why they're playing a random outdoor show at LSSU outside of one of their residence halls, let alone TOMORROW, but this is orientation/move-in week for students enrolled in the fall semester at Lake State, so this must be a fun pop-up concert for the new and returning students to check out to escape from the usual preparations and unpacking!

Despite the university campus trappings, Tarnished are on TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with no cover charge, and while there's no stated age limit or restrictions for students/non-students, mind the locale if you want to check things out. 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies TOMORROW with no chance of rain, and temperatures ranging from 64-66° (18-19° Celsius), so conditions should be really good for some live hard rock covers. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Sylo will headline a special mid-week concert at Beck's Bar TOMORROW  NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced on Sylo's Instagram page on Saturday.  With very rare exceptions so far (like the Motorhead tribute M1), Beck's has only hosted full electric bands on Saturdays since re-opening, so it'll be interesting to see how an originals-infused local band does TOMORROW there, especially given the atypical scheduling for a local headliner! On their Facebook page, Beck's called this "a special treat" and referenced that "we love welcoming up and coming new bands to the scene" (even though Sylo debuted in 2021). An unsaid motivation for this concert may be frontman Elijah Russell's university commitments out of town, which caused the band to take a hiatus from August 2024-May 2025. If Eli is heading back to school, TOMORROW may be the last Sylo show for a while.

Whether Sylo are going on hiatus again or not, they are a talented young group, and hopefully their Beck's debut TOMORROW goes off without a hitch despite the unusual scheduling! This is a 19+ concert at 9:00 PM with no cover charge. Visit the above link for more details on TOMORROW's stop at the former Vibe Lounge, and for a preview, here's Sylo live!

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Also today, here's one more mid-week concert preview, but it's one we knew about already, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will headline the annual Cruisin’ The Dub motorcycle show at the older A&W at 121 Great Northern Road on THURSDAY NIGHT! Weather permitting, the last few years have seen joint classic car and motorcycle shows to support Multiple Sclerosis Canada at both of the A&Ws on Great Northern Road (the newer one down the highway hosts a car show), and given Bone Yard's affinity for motorcycles, it's a no-brainer that they'd support a great cause like this at the bike show half! August 21st is Burgers To Beat MS Day too, so buying a burger will help out even if you don't come out for the concert and bike show, which includes games, raffles, popcorn, and more. There will reportedly be live music at the newer A&W for the car show but I'm unsure which band. We'll let you know if something is publically said.

For more charitable motorcycle concert action, Bone Yard 225 will also rock the annual Dragonfly Run on Sunday, and our preview of that hits the SMS this weekend. While the bike (and car) show starts at 5:00 PM, your local 225 don't take the outdoor stage until 6:00 PM on Thursday. This is absolutely an all ages concert with no cover charge, but donations to MS Canada will absolutely be encouraged. 9&10 News is currently calling for similar conditions on Thursday evening, with partly cloudy skies, no chance of rain, and a weather in the 22° range. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's first charity motorcycle concert of the week, and here they are live!

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:

 

• SooToday's Greg McGrath-Goudie reviewed B.A. Johnston's concert at Venue in May for this article, going into solid detail about the eclectic happenings at the Hamilton outsider punk musician's latest local stop and what goes on at his shows in general. Two pictures were included, even of him performing on top of a car outside of the Queen Street East events space, and Greg did get some interview remarks with B.A. post-show as well. Entertaining read that does as good of a job at outlining his hard-to-describe live shows as you can, so check out the full article above!
• Newer local death metal band Bardo, progressive metal quartet Convergence, and online page-less metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad will join the previously confirmed Maynard Hayes as the local openers for the Napoleon-headlined concert from Heavy North Entertainment at Soo Blaster on Friday, September 26th, as per a quiet update to the Facebook event page. Notably, this will mark Convergence's first time opening for a touring band, while this will be Bardo's first concert in almost a year, after debuting when they opened for Selias at the same venue this past September. Looks like a solid lineup to me, so visit the above links for more details!
• I have moved local punk quintet The Gambit to our inactive band links. The former Sick Sons have not issued a public update since their Rotaryfest Stage 2 set in July of last year, but note that they have always been sporadic for their social media updates and live gigs, having played just once a year since their name change and late 2022 revival. The Gambit were working on original material and had teased future plans, so hopefully we do see Lucas, Steve, Christian, Dave, and Clint back when the time is right, especially with that stacked lineup of local punk veterans!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Sole Aggressors), More From Them, And A New Album Release!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to note a late concert cancellation from yesterday's rainy weather, as local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished did not perform at American Legion Park in St. Ignace for their planned Music By The Bay outdoor concert. While The Nameless' outdoor show in Goetzville went on despite the forecast, Tarnished confirmed on their Facebook page that their concert was off last night at 6:32 PM, 28 minutes prior to when it would have began (note that they never plugged the show on Facebook prior to then). Disappointing, but Mother Nature can be inconvenient at this time of year. Hopefully Tarnished try again for the Music By The Bay series in 2026!

Today's post otherwise features a new local album release, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related band breakup, as Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors will reportedly play their final public concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this via their Facebook page yesterday (their first Facebook post since March, though they have played live and plugged shows via Instagram since). The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners revealed that they are disbanding "due to recent events... before we all part ways for college". While they didn't elaborate on what the "recent events" were, The Sole Aggressors are far from the only example locally of a high school-aged band splitting up due to members moving out of town after grade 12. TOMORROW'S show will take place in the garage at guitarist Brett Siesel's residence, and the address is on the poster.

While the show will technically be all ages, they "ideally" request no alcohol or drugs on the premises. The concert takes place TOMORROW at 7:00 PM, and there is no cover charge, but they will be selling merchandise and taking donations. It is worth noting that The Sole Aggressors were also supposed to play at an outdoor house party concert in Thessalon, Ontario yesterday featuring loads of familiar Sault Ontario names across multiple genres, but even if Thessalon was within our coverage range (it's over an hour from Sault Ste. Marie), it too was rained out. The Sole Aggressors made a solid name in their two year run via their battle win and by being a rare example of an E.U.P. band to play in Sault Ontario (let alone more than once), while also being a pure punk band, which has never been common in Sault Michigan. Even if they never have a reunion, they made their mark in multiple ways, and have a solid sound and quality original music.

Of course, best of luck to Brett, Calvin, and Isaac (and Henry) in whatever lies ahead for them, but send off The Sole Aggressors in style TOMORROW NIGHT, and for a preview, here's one of three full concert videos from their YouTube channel that we have yet to feature on here! How I've been slacking on their YouTube channel in the past year, I don't know, but I'll get to all of their uncovered videos there soon, and we'll start with their set opening for Dick Texas at a Serious Business-promoted concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in November of last year. The 39 minutes-long set was actually filmed by Dafter solo musician Molly Escherich and her mom Tiffany, and in order, the guys played "Down By The Bay", "State Of The World","Teenage Guide", "Kill Thy Neighbour", "False Hope". "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Time To Commercialize!", "Reject", "Melted Plastic", "Hypocrite", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", ...

... "Tale Of An American Hero", "Fool", and "Heil Artificiality". While re-arranged in the order, every song from their set at Pickles in August 2024 is featured here, alongside "Tale Of An American Hero" & "Heil Artificiality" as new additions. Camera angles are all stationary here, but the Escherichs did move it a few times, particularly closer for the last two songs. Not a packed house but there's some loyal fans on the floor throughout. Maybe they're blocking the camera a bit, but The Sole Aggressors have a strong and in your face punk sound that comes through really well in this full set video with a slowly improving stage presence. Give it a look below, and go see The Sole Aggressors one last time in the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT!

Finally for today, here's a surprise album release, as Sault Ontario "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage released their 71st studio album onto their Bandcamp page last week! Entitled "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show", this is a thematic sequel to their prior "WYRD Radio" albums from 2015 & 2022, themed around the pretense of the songs being played on a fictional radio station. While the end of 2022's "WYRD Radio 2: Kype The Jesus Boots" hinted at their next "broadcast" being about alien abductions, this album has a fantasy epic theme not unlike last year's "Waerlogas Saga 1: Konfysion Of Fyck", though not sharing that storyline or multimedia comic book spinoff. As usual, "WYRD Radio 3" was recorded at The Cave completely improvised, and was mastered at their own River Front Recreation Studios, with singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarist/vocalist Dirk Becker, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio all back here. The album is well over 2 hours in length with 30 tracks.

While this may seem like a lot for a local hard rock album, remember that "WYRD Radio 2" had 40 tracks and would need three CDs if sold thusly. While Sykotyk Rampage have a presence on major streaming services, I believe the new album is currently a Bandcamp exclusive, though note that they officially list "September 1st" as the release date there. In any event, you can buy it on mp3 there for $15 or stream it for free. Without ongoing backlog of new album reviews on the SMS, "WYRD Radio 3" is currently pencilled in to lead off 2026 on the SMS, so look for that in January, and check out the album above! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!

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

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews (barring any more short notice confirmations), and we're mostly sticking to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. today, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a related apology for a missed date. Here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just learned about these shows this past weekend via concert calendar posts on their Facebook page, but they have been listed prior on Kewadin's website's entertainment page. While we're on the subject, I profusely apologize for missing one more show from them, as they performed during the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park in St. Ignace yesterday. How that bypassed me is anyone's guess, especially as the show was listed last month when we covered Tarnished's outdoor gig there, but the idea of Peril playing E.U.P. dates outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella is still quite uncommon, despite also playing there on July 17th. Hopefully yesterday's show was a blast for Jeff, Howard, and Brooks, and an indoor encore is incoming for fans in the Soo TONIGHT & TOMORROW!

You can enjoy Peril's old school hard rock and metal covers at The Rapids Lounge TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and these will be their last local dates of the summer. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing Peril's St. Ignace show yesterday, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario briefly, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, these will be Generations' first concerts at Reggie's in three weeks, so if you've missed this veteran foursome at the venerable Queen Street East nightclub, this is your last chance for the summer! In the recent posting on their Facebook group, drummer Tony Santoro revealed that they will have Muckrakers frontman Mike McDonald sitting in with them this weekend, as he did multiple times during their guitarist vacancy in 2023. The implication is that Mike is filling in for an absent Tony Kajnar on guitar, but if we hear that Tony K. will still be there, we'll let you know. Generations take the stage tonight & tomorrow at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Back to Michigan now, and remember how Peril played at the Music By The Bay concert series in St. Ignace yesterday? Well, we won't miss the next SMS-amenable show there, as local classic/hard rock (and now covers-only) quartet Tarnished will set up shop at American Legion Park's outdoor stage TOMORROW! While not freshly plugged on the band's Facebook page, this will be Tarnished's second and final stop in this annual series for 2025, and well timed for a Saturday, so if you're up for an evening of hard rocking covers from Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, you know where to go tomorrow! Music By The Bay concerts run from 7:00-8:30 PM at 200 North State Street, and they are obviously all ages with no cover charge. Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain for much of showtime in St. Ignace tomorrow, so while the stage is covered, I don't know if the weather would complicate things.

Keep tabs with the band & park if you're at all concerned about the forecast. Temperatures will be hovering around 75° (23° Celsius) during showtime as per the current forecast, so keep everything in mind for this show as well as The Nameless in Goetzville and Silent 9 in Laird, Ontario tomorrow given that we have a lot of scheduled hard rock shows outdoors during the upcoming rain event. Visit the above links for more details on Tarnished's outdoor park show in St. Ignace tomorrow evening, and here they are live!

Finally for this weekend's known previews, we'll stay in St. Ignace, where local deathcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown will make their annual August appearance in their hometown with a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! After hosting the 2nd Street Music Festival the last two years on that very street, H.L.T.C. have moved the show both a week later than planned but also to a formal indoor venue, namely the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street. Regardless, the concert still ties in with frontman Brandon West's birthday earlier this week. Heavy Lies The Crown teased on the Facebook event page that they'll have "a wild surprise" regarding their return to Alpena next week that will be revealed tomorrow, and while I'm unsure of the context, note that temporary guitarist Paul Nolan is still featured in their most recent band photos, so his involvement "for the time being" may continue through tomorrow.

Heavy will be joined tomorrow in St. Ignace by Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora (returning from last year's 2nd Street Fest as replacements for Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water), as well as Detroit-area metalcore band Nothing After This and alt/nu-metal quintet Influence, both in their E.U.P. concert debuts. Brandon's Birthday Bash is a FREE event at 6:00 PM with no age limit, and with the move to VFW Post 5114, it is no longer an outdoor event (just as well given the forecast). This should be a blast for extreme metal fans in the E.U.P. and tip of the mitt, so don't miss out on the action tomorrow night, as Brandon's birthday only comes once a year! Visit the above links for more details, and here's H.L.T.C. live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nameless & Silent 9!!)

While nowhere near as busy as what we saw locally in July, things are definitely busier locally for hard rock concerts this weekend, and we will have to stretch out our weekend concert previews to two posts as a result. As such, this weekend's Heavy Lies The Crown, Generations, and Tarnished shows will feature in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know otherwise, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! 

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have a busy weekend ahead, and it starts TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co., followed by the featured headliners slot at the annual Laird Fair outside of town on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on both fronts, the band only announced both dates on their Facebook page on Monday, though they have been advertised for the Laird Fair in their own promotional materials before then. TOMORROW'S show is the second late notice one in as many weeks from an SMS-amenable band at the Tap Room, and is a bit of a surprise booking from Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve, as they normally take the summer off from standard nightclub shows, only playing festivals and private bookings then. In fact, while we're on the subject, they'll be back at the Tap Room on Saturday, September 27th as well!

That show was quietly confirmed on their website's concert calendar, and we'll wait on other public shows there for now due to the later scheduling but they will be more active publically this fall. As far as I can tell, there's no raison d'etre for TOMORROW'S brief pause of their summer break from bar shows, but the fun classic and hard rock covers will be in full swing at Northern Superior, especially at a venue better known for acoustic acts! TOMORROW'S and next month's shows are at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. As for the Laird Fair (a.k.a. the North Shore Agricultural Fair), Silent 9 are this year's headlining band, taking over for the now-defunct Soundcheck on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Friday band slot this year was replaced by karaoke. Loads of family friendly entertainment is in store in Laird (outside of Echo Bay), both for farming and agricultural events and for games and activities, so be sure to visit the fair's Facebook page for the complete schedule!

Silent 9 will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT under the covered (but not entirely indoors) stage at the fairground site at Lake George Road East once again, which bodes well for the rainy weather forecast, but do follow your preferred weather forecast for updates on Laird Fair events like this (9&10 News is calling for a high of 27° that night). The concert proper is a licensed 19+ event at 9:00 PM, and admission to the concert is included with fair passes, which run for $10 for the day and $20 for the full weekend. Visit the above links for more on Silent 9's busy short notice weekend, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Next up, let's skip over to Michigan for another new confirmation, as local hard rock quartet The Nameless will debut at The Goetzville Tavern in nearby Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by the band on their Facebook page on Sunday, though the venue has been plugging this show on their Facebook page since last month. Stalwart Agricultural Fair aside, this is the first standard concert that we've covered in Goetzville (outside of Pickford) since 2014, believe it or not. The Goetzville Tavern may be better known to local readers as Yooperman's Bar & Grill, and it re-opened under its new name and ownership in April at 18017 East M-48. Concerts have sporadically taken place there since last month, with The Nameless being the first heavier-leaning act there, so welcome them to a new locale an hour south of here in style on SATURDAY!

The Nameless take the stage on SATURDAY at 7:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Note that The Goetzville Tavern technically closes at 10:00 PM nightly, but they will clearly extend their hours for concerts if need be, and The Nameless are advertised to play until 11:00 PM. The official Facebook event page strongly hints that the show will be outdoors under a tent, so given that, 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain on SATURDAY dipping to 40% at night, with temperatures expected in the mid-high 70s (a high of 27° Celsius). I have no idea if they have provisions to postpone the show or move it indoors due to rain, so follow The Goetzville Tavern and/or the band on social media for updates if you are all concerned. Otherwise, visit the above links for more details on the hard rock action in Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT, and here's The Nameless live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!