The Future Of The Canadian Motor Hotel, LSSU's Internet Radio Reboot, And New Videos!!

At last, here's our first proper news post of June 2021, and there's definitely some stuff to talk about here! Half of this post is devoted to Sault Michigan topics, including a local internet radio station's big changes from earlier this year, and some new videos from a prominent local band, but let's start in Sault Ontario for some big updates on the future of a popular local venue!

The Canadian Motor Hotel has been sold to new ownership, and big changes are underway at the property. As per this SooToday article by Darren Taylor yesterday, The Canadian was sold by the Marrelli family in April (following the death of owner Carmen Marrelli in November) to developer Jim Brogno from Realty Executives Castle Alliance. Jim has renamed the hotel to The Canuck, and he has big expansion plans in progress, including new signage, adding a second story of hotel rooms, expanding The Upper Deck Bar & Grill (which may be renamed), a new chef, take-out pizza, and more Molson beer offerings. As for the downstairs Canadian Nightclub, the article heavily implies that Jim isn't planning to maintain it as a separate bar and concert venue, and is quoted there "I’m thinking a gym club would actually be a great fit." Jim hopes to re-open The Canuck in mid-June once this lockdown ends.

If this is the end for The Canadian Nightclub as a concert venue, it's definitely very disappointing, as it was a centrally located spot for mid-sized concerts, sometimes even all ages, and many shows there had a strong level of buzz, most recently the cancelled First Jason show there from last year. Personally, The Canadian was my first 19+ concert venue back in 2008, and it's where I judged a couple of major battles of the bands, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. That said, I understand that if the main difference between the upstairs and downstairs floors is a concert stage, and the pandemic has thrown live music into total disarray, I do understand that turning the nightclub into a gym or something else that can generate revenue short term is a better move financially. Besides, maybe The Upper Deck's expansion would lead to more live music (they did host acoustic acts already.)

In any event, it is great to see that The Canuck still has committed local ownership with a strong plan for the future, and I do wish Jim and the old/new staff the best of luck in growing the property into the 2020s! Of course, if we hear anything there regarding the future of live music on any floor of The Canuck, we will let you know!

Next up, Lake Superior State University's campus internet radio station has had another big overhaul! After five years of operation on the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's Student Radio Network via Backbone Radio, the former WLSO 90.1 FM moved it's internet radio operations over to a brand new station in March, as announced on Instagram. Officially renamed Laker Radio rather than The 46th Parallel (or Superior) Radio, this new station was launched via Live365, and airs a completely different rotation than they had through Backbone, with much more of a focus on a mainstream music variety comparable in range to The Moose FM in Elliot Lake. As I was writing this, The Offspring and Blink-182 songs played in succession, which was a definite surprise, but the rotation is clearly on autoplay right now (albeit with student bumpers) and those songs were bookended by tracks from The Lumineers, Chuck Ragan, The Doors, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

Musically, I did prefer their station on Backbone Radio, which favoured independent & underground music, and had more of a music discovery element, whereas the Live365 rotation is mostly artists I already know & usually don't like. Hearing a couple of punk songs in succession was neat, and maybe LSSU will invest in proper programs again in the fall semester, as they do need something to help the station stand out. They're not on FM anymore, and the competition in internet radio is VAST. At least the Live365 player is more reliable & nicer looking, and it doesn't crash on station identifications, but hear Laker Radio for yourselves at this link or above!

We'll close today by staying in Sault Michigan for a pair of new videos from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel, both as uploaded on Tuesday! Like their preceding "Military Theme Song Medley" video last week, one was made up clearly as a tie-in to Memorial Day (if posted a day late), and it features another cut from their 2012 CD "The Dawn's Early Light" set to suitably patriotic video clips & photos. In this case, it's for "Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier", and the somber yet uplifting imagery is a fitting match as you'd expect! Embedded below is the other video from that day, which is not from any of their released albums, and it features their song "Sword Of Odin". This is supposed to be themed around a fictional story inspired by Viking lore, but the track as uploaded is instrumental. Like their other recent videos, this features assorted clips that match the theme.

In this case, you'll mostly see nature footage, but it also includes a few alluding to vikings and bonfires. "Sword Of Odin" is by no means a traditional "viking metal" song (don't go into it expecting Amon Amarth), but it has an ominous & atmospheric quality that would befit the story it's intended to score. if only there were vocals! Give Theatre of Night's new videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Tuesday! Thanks everyone!

Theatre Of Night Updates, More From Sault Michigan, And Other Assorted Notes!!

Here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon reading, and today's is largely devoted to Sault Michigan news and notes, though we do have a handful of shorter Sault Ontario stories to cap things off with. Along with a prominent band's latest happenings, some local radio updates, and a new teaser clip, read on below for what you should know!

We'll start today with the latest from local classical metal project Theatre of Night, starting with some more clarification for dates on their Christmas tour, which starts in Blanchard this weekend! Based on new event pages, the planned December 8th show was moved from Holland (where they are still playing two weeks later) to The Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, while they will be appearing on Grand Rapids cable access channel GRTV on November 16th for a special televised performance. That should be some great exposure, so keep this in mind if you're in the Western Lower Peninsula and have Comcast! No word yet though on the teased December 1st weekend shows in Grand Rapids or the Sunday, December 16th gig in the Soo, those three dates do not have event pages or confirmed venues at press time. The guys have also posted a pair of videos to their Facebook page as the build towards the tour continues, including a re-posting of their version of "Carol of the Bells" with former studio singer Gaby Koss.

Embedded below is their newest video from Saturday night, a live-streamed rehearsal performance of "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" by all of the tour performers sans singer Rachel Mender, who hasn't surfaced in any of their jam teaser clips. Filmed by keyboardist Craig Harrison (who's still playing one handed here), this is a strongly done rendition at this stage, and they're sounding good in advance of their Blanchard gigs! Give this a look below, and see much more from Theatre of Night's Christmas tour plans above!



Next up, here's a first, if brief, overture into new Sault Ontario streaming box local TV channel ONNtv (via local news website Sault Online), as this preview video for the Steel Panther concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on December 1st was posted to their YouTube channel last month! The 16 second video just features singer Michael Starr announcing the show and encouraging fans to get their tickets A.S.A.P., even in spite of work the next day. Short but sweet, so give it a look below, and tickets are still available at this link for $25! Center seats are almost sold out, but there are still tickets in the left and right sections from the seventh row and back!




Also, I wanted to acknowledge Lake Superior State University's campus radio station The 46th Parallel Radio, which has been a familiar sight on the dial at WLSO 90.1 FM since 1993. Station followers may have noticed a severe decline in (off-campus) public updates on WLSO after the fall of 2016, with 90.1 FM not visibly broadcasting since early last year, their website closing after March 2017 following years of disuse, and Facebook page updates ceasing before then, despite their well hyped 2016 rebranding and online relaunch. With no major off-campus statements from LSSU, I have done some research, and here's what I've learned. While WLSO still has an FCC license (source here), it does look like the FM signal was taken dark, with operations continuing as an internet radio station only, even if slightly under the radar. LSSU's website links to this web player, and through it's assorted links, we can confirm that the station is a part of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's Student Radio Network, via Backbone Radio.

On a listen to what LSSU alternately calls "Laker Radio", it still has an adult album alternative/indie rock base for it's setlist, albeit with an even more underground roster of artists, and even a few metal surprises like Deafheaven. Oddly, the streaming player above crashes before scheduled station identification breaks, and I have to restart it to resume the music, so make of that what you will. Barring a sudden resumption of WLSO on the FM dial, this appears to be where we're at, and while the move off of terrestrial radio is disappointing, hopefully the internet station is working as well as hoped for university and station staff! Give it a listen above!

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:

• 11 months removed from their last public update, Sault Ontario rap metal/party rock group The Apocalypse Afterparty resurfaced on their Facebook page on October 19th to say that "hibernation is ending", complete with a photo of a guitar and amplifier for good measure. The band has only posted three times on their Facebook page in the past 2 years, despite a handful of gigs last summer (largely of the unadvertised "pop up" variety), and an unfulfilled teaser of something coming on November 8th of last year. Hopefully X, z, X, and z have more up their sleeves in the near future!
• Prolific local rock bassist & SleepWellCity mainman Nathan Bouliane is looking for local musicians & bands with music videos for an upcoming Northern Film Showcase that he is holding next year, similar to a fantasy-themed film event he held in April. The idea is to unite musicians and filmmakers as a means of promoting visual arts locally, with the creators introducing and discussing their work on the big screen, and perhaps even performing live. If you're interested in submitting a music video or getting more information, message Nathan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Friday!
• I will be moving local hardcore punk trio Programmed To Fail to our inactive band links soon, as they have not issued a public update since their last Facebook page posting one year ago tomorrow. Active off and on from 2016-2017, Programmed To Fail (p.k.a. The Transjenners) never appeared in a public concert, and never visibly revived their deleted Soundcloud page from their first run, despite showing some raw promise on "We Push Back". Hopefully we hear more from Justin, Craig, and Corry in the future!

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

Lots Of Theatre Of Night Updates, A New Video Find, And More Recent Updates!!

Here's another new post for your Tuesday morning, so what can we find out today? Alongside some shorter recent stories, we have another recent video find that hadn't previously been shared here, and leading off, some long overdue news on a local metal band's surprising resurgence of activity, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today with some intriguing news from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night, who are teasing a Christmas tour run to take place at some point over the winter! When you consider that this band's only public concert (that I'm aware of) took place back on Memorial Day 2013, this revelation four & a half years later is even more surprising! Keyboardist Craig Harrison has been teasing the planned tour in Facebook page posts since last month, with specific updates slowly making their way online in the ensuing weeks, and while a potential local date isn't confirmed yet, one comment reply implied shows would take place in the Grand Rapids area. Craig & guitarist Steve Giles have enlisted five extra musicians to join them on tour, and they include singers Jordan Flesch & Stacie McCarthy, former Elipzis guitarist Chris Webster (great to see him working with a local band again!), and bassist Scott Andringa of the Holland blues rock band Shame on Susan.

Finally, the lineup is rounded out by prolific Grand Rapids-area rock drummer Erik Sales (replacing the long-departed Greg Giles), who has performed with Stacie in some recent ventures there. How's that for a massive lineup? No word on if they're all official band members now or if they're just touring performers, or if Germany's Gaby Koss will still perform on studio material with Theatre of Night, but this all sounds very encouraging! There are precious few details on the tour proper at press time, but there are a decent amount of preview videos uploaded or shared to Theatre of Night's Facebook page of tour preparations, so here's what you should know on those! All comprised of Christmas carols in a symphonic metal style (remember their "Christmas Night" CD?), the videos include a preview of a studio version of "O Holy Night" with vocals, Craig playing "Silent Night" on the keyboard, and Jordan singing "Away In A Manger" in two videos (linked here & here). All are abbreviated previews, but you get a skilled sampling of what's to come!

The other two videos are of the full septet rehearsing in Holland, though "Away In A Manger" also serves as the preview carol in both. One video is a montage of Snapchat-style clips of rehearsals & preparation therein, but embedded below is a fuller video showing the band in action, though Craig and Chris don't play at this point, and Stacie is obscured from view. There is more to share from Theatre of Night unrelated to the tour, but for now, this is all very interesting to hear, and this will spice up the holiday season with some partially local T.S.O.-style action! Stay tuned for updates on the band & tour as they roll in, and give all of these videos a look above & below!

Next up, here's another new find from Obsession guitarist Gabe Tessaro's YouTube channel, this time from his old classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's involvement in the local stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop in Sault Ontario back in November 2015! Poignantly uploaded the day of bandmate Eugene Orlando's passing (three weeks after Tommy wrapped it's local run), this is of the early numbers "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy", and while not heavy songs by any stretch, the guys handle things well on these softer numbers, and Gabe & Eugene have a nice moment where they take center stage to perform together! For reference, there's no sign of frontman Greg Simpson here, who's not visibly performing with the ensemble at this point in the production, but he did play Cousin Kevin and front other songs later on. The video has a nice camera angle from the balcony to show the whole stage, and it's worth a watch for The Who & That's Chester fans, so give it a look below!



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

• I have changed the link for Lake Superior State University's campus radio station The 46th Parallel Radio (WLSO, 90.1 FM) from their website to their Facebook page, as the former was taken down during LSSU website upgrading earlier this year. Though still broadcasting, the Sault Michigan station hasn't had an active online presence this year, had been off air when I scanned it over the summer, and have not visibly commenced their previously stated plans to move all station operations to internet streaming. Hopefully things pick up, but click here for details on the station and/or student volunteering with WLSO!
• As documented in a SooToday article by David Helwig on Friday, Essar Center events manager Robert Santa Maria proposed a new system to create an event development fund so that the Sault Ontario arena can bring in more major touring events and concerts in which up to $1 from every ticket sold be put aside towards bringing more things here, capping at $50,000. Most responses seem to be positive, but will City Council approve the idea? Time will tell, but it'd be nice to have more concerts there beyond Dokken!
• The ninth annual Soo Zombie Walk will return to The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center on Saturday, October 21st for a fifth straight year, and music will return with it pre-walk once again! Performers have not been announced yet, but for reference sake, dormant blues/crash rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage and Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan have each played the walk in the past 6 and 4 years respectively. Visit the official Facebook event page for current details on the walk, and stay tuned in case punk or metal music returns next month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Moon Tan Concert Video Showcase, Plus Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to new concert videos from a recent show, as we previously hinted on Wednesday, but we have some extra assorted updates at post's end as well. Let's start with those videos, courtesy of prolific local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel, as he was on hand for last week's short notice Moon Tan concert at The New American Pub! He did film each band, so let's start with the nominal headliners (even if they didn't actually play last), as Chris filmed the Winnipeg prog/funk rock trio playing their songs "The Cure", this instrumental jam (I can't place the name), and as embedded below, "The Faceless Knight". Moon Tan have a solid look and sound on these videos, combining moon faced costumes with songs that seem to combine Rush with funk rock, and it works well for them, with fans visibly getting into the groove! Check out Moon Tan live at The New A below, and see more from their debut local set above!



Next up, Chris filmed both of the night's local bands, including this video of alternative/hard rock trio The Din covering The Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly", albeit from a further camera angle than Moon Tan had. Well done cover that suits The Din's sound, though an attendee up front does get in the way of Tammy at times. Check it out below!



Chris' other video from last week's concert is of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who enlisted guest saxophonist Josh Norling once again for this show, which is always a nice addition! I'm not 100% positive, but it also looks like Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas filled in for Alex Hagerman on drums, which he has done in the past. This video has The Elements, Josh, and Jonas covering Tenacious D's "Kielbasa" with enthusiasm, and Rob Speers has some solid conviction to his voice here, so check out this new Elements cover below, and don't miss them as "The Plaid Martens" in two weeks!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by venue or station name:

• Petoskey, Michigan classic rock radio station KLT (WKLZ, 98.9 FM) and it's originating station in Kalkaska were among eight stations sold by Northern Broadcast to Blarney Stone Broadcasting last month. Though KLT remains on the air as usual, early reports have the KLT stations either becoming simulcasts of existing Grayling rock station Q100.3, or vice versa with KLT adopting Q100's larger and more request-driven playlist rotation. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but pay attention to 98.9 FM (which gets fringe reception in the Sault Ste. Marie area) for potential changes!
• Lake Superior State University's campus radio station WLSO (90.1 FM) officially re-branded this summer as The 46th Parallel Radio (referencing the circle of latitude that the Sault area sits upon), and plan to launch online streams of the station via TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This followed a listener contest to name what was announced as their "new online station", but it has since been confirmed that they meant the FM station proper and it's online stream. The new name doesn't really reflect the school so much as the region, but be sure to check The 46th Parallel Radio out, and remember that they do occasionally run heavier music!
• New Sault Ontario outdoor concert venue The Yard has a new co-owner, namely Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori! The news was revealed in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly earlier today, where Greig reflects on the fondly remembered Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor venue Castle Farms, and his hopes to bring a similar concert roster and feel to the Huron Street location. The idea of making this a "new" Castle Farms has been floated before, and it'd be great to see that come to fruition, so hopefully Greig can help make The Yard a regular and major concert destination in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates next week! Thanks everyone!