The 2 Stoned Crows In The River Concert Preview, New Videos, And More!!

Before I kick off this post, I wanted to apologize for two missed concerts for coverage on the SMS in this busy month. The most recent is an apparent gig by local punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB at Peace Restaurant at 250 Queen Street East this past Friday, a show implied to be on their outdoor patio based on the Facebook "Stories" promoting it (the only way the band even acknowledged it on social media; Peace never said a thing). The possibility exists that this was a private event, but if it was public, I do apologize, but I can't cover something that no one announces in a permanently sharable way! The other show was a bonus Mike Case Memorial Stage concert for Tym Morrison, who played outside of The Trading Post on Friday, July 10th, as per this Facebook event page separate from his every-Wednesday summer concert arrangement there.

Alas, this would be easy to miss given that the only distinguishing characteristic of the event page compared to his batch one for the Wednesday shows is the date, especially as a Friday show is far more amenable for concert-goers, but the event page went up with less than 3 hours to go before showtime, so it was extremely late notice anyway. Was he a last minute fill-in for someone else? Still, I do apologize, but Tym will be back there on Wednesday! Now, here's one more weekend concert preview to cap off this beyond stacked run on the SMS and some new videos from both sides of the border as we start playing catch-up!

In the last show of this final full concert weekend of July 2026, an all-local concert named "2 Stoned Crows In The River" goes down TONIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Promoted by Underground Events SSM, this show is so named because of two bands each with "Stone" and "River" in their names, with a "Crows" reference for good measure. In presented band order on the Facebook event page, tonight's bands (all relatively newer ones to the local scene) include indie/southern rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools, alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis (in their final gig with outgoing rhythm guitarist Liam Dinsmore), "diamond rock" quartet/Doo & The Boyos spinoff Stones At The Alter, and blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows. Not a bad lineup of rising local talent, and in many cases, familiar faces in new projects! Of course, props to Anthony Boudreau (a.k.a. Tony Stone) for drumming with both Stones & Crows and Riverside Stasis tonight too.

This is an all ages show as usual for the former Soo Blaster, it has a projected 7:00-10:00 PM runtime (just as well on a work/school night), and admission is a flat $15 at the door with no advance tickets. Whether you saw The River Fools and Stones & Crows at Rotaryfest Stage 2 last week or not, there's a lot to like from this mix of bands tonight, and while Eli's new band isn't as hard rock leaning as their fellow performers, don't bypass their talented original sound either! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, best of luck to Liam in his swan song with Riverside Stasis, and here they are live!

We'll close today with new videos, and we'll start with the first public video (that I am aware of) from yesterday's ARCH Run outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub, specifically of local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe's closing set! This was uploaded to drummer Chase Chapman's mom Jodi's Facebook page before being shared publically to the band's Facebook page, and sees them covering Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy". I don't think this song suits Jayce's vocal range, especially with how low the original's are, but it's well covered overall! Bands again played on a flatbed trailer, and a tent was put up there as well, but I believe they mostly dodged rain despite cloudy overcast skies all day. Alas, while the video was shot in horizontal landscape mode, it was uploaded into vertical letterboxed dimensions, making it tiny, and I'll never understand how that keeps happening. Check out the new 5 Dollar Bribe video below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan punk/hard rock duo About:Blank's Facebook page from two weeks ago! Remember, Jon appears to have been just a guest bassist in their video from last month. This video sees Parker and Kade playing a new original song named "Pollution", which notably starts off with a 30 second clip where Parker expresses his frustration with pollution and they agree to write (and immediately perform) a song on the idea. A surf punk-inspired number that has a "Crocodile Rock"-ish vocal melody at points, it's a fun song, but this clearly isn't an ideal setup in terms of capturing the audio, as the guitar is extremely muffled. Not badly performed all the same, so give it a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile and CD review before the month is up! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Riverside Stasis & The Nameless) Plus Related Updates!!

Before we get into another round of weekend concert previews, let's take a look at some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS ahead next month, plus related updates from two of the bands in question, so we'll start today in the E.U.P.!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless have announced multiple gigs into the fall via this image on their Facebook page! Unusual to see them post a proper schedule, but I'll gladly take this over short notice plugs the week of! We already knew about next weekend's St. Ignace Car Show-timed gig at The Driftwood, and they're also playing a private party the following day, but when will you be able to see Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie after that? On Saturday, July 25th, they will be the house band at the third annual American Legion Riders' Hell To Paradise motorcycle rally, and the name is more literal than you think, as participating bikers are travelling from Stockbridge (15 minutes west of the town literally named Hell) to Sault Ste. Marie (over an hour east of the town named Paradise). That alone is a near 5 hour drive, as Stockbridge is outside of Lansing, so even over two days, kudos to everyone making that kind of trip for a good cause!

The Hell To Paradise ride is in support of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health awareness, as those with PTSD or depression often literally feel stuck between Hell and Paradise, so click here for details on the rally proper! The rally will end with a buffet dinner & awards ceremony at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino, and with The Nameless rocking out at The Rapids Lounge, but they have not (yet?) confirmed if they'll be playing there on Friday the 24th or not. Based on the FAQ page, you do not have to buy dinner to enjoy the band, but click here if you do want to participate or donate, and this will obviously be a 21+ concert at 9:00 PM. On August 15th, The Nameless will make the 3½ hour trek west to Republic for a gig at The Pine Grove Bar, which readers may recognize from multiple Exit 808 road trips during their run. The Nameless will end the summer with gigs at a Kewadin Casino branch over the last weekend of August, but which one?

Oddly, they have yet to 100% confirm which branch (Kewadin's entertainment page isn't even updated for July yet), and while they are debuting at The Rapids Lounge next month, their only prior public bookings under the Kewadin umbrella were in St. Ignace in July 2024. The last show on the calendar is just barely outside of our coverage range, as they'll play an early Halloween party at the Paradise Inn (one guess where that is) on Saturday, October 17th, but despite being in Chippewa County, it is a 70 minute drive from the Soo. Maybe not a packed summer for truly local gigs, but it's good to see The Nameless stretching their legs, so visit the above links for more details, and we'll have more from them soon!

Next up, four newer Sault Ontario rock bands will join forces for an all-local concert at Blaster Powerhouse on Sunday, July 26th, entitled "2 Stoned Crows In The River"! The name alludes to all four bands, as two have "Stones" in their name, and two have "River" in theirs. Whether the poster and Facebook event page's band order is reflective of the actual order come showtime or not, the "River" bands are listed first, including new local southern rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools (featuring Sylo, Sense Of Truth, and Pesto Shirts alumni) and alternative/hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis (featuring 3/5ths of Headfirst and half of The Barbarians). The show will also feature newer hard rock quartet Stones At The Alter in their first multi-band event without their sister band Doo & The Boyos, and blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows (featuring Riverside Stasis drummer Anthony Boudreau). There's a lot of established and newer talent here, so don't miss out!

Promoted by Underground Events SSM (check out the lovingly hand-drawn and not-at-all-AI poster that Mikhal made!), this all ages concert will have a flat $15 admission fee at the door, and no advance tickets will be sold online. While it will be on a work/school night for many, this will be an early show, running from 7:00-10:00 PM. If you want to check out some new local talent in one convenient package, then come to the former Soo Blaster for all of the action next month, and visit the above links for more details!

We'll close today with new media from the aforementioned Riverside Stasis, who posted two new videos onto their Facebook page in the last few days! The first video sees the band jamming their new original song "Love You More" to promote their live debut at another all-local show from Underground Events SSM at Blaster Powerhouse on June 27th, though the beginning has no vocals, and Liam is nowhere to be found in frame (if he was there, this is another point in favour of shooting horizontally!). If you want more of "Love You More", let alone with Liam present and in view, then check out their newest video embedded below, which sees Tea and the guys jamming this song in another locale for 65 seconds (if you want to see it in full, go to Blaster next weekend). From what is heard, this will obviously appeal to fans of early-mid 2020s Handsome Sandwich, and it has a catchy groove to the guitar!

I do wish that this wasn't shot vertically, but it is good to get some more previews of what Riverside Stasis bring to the table, and hopefully fans are not in stasis when they debut one week from Saturday, so give their new videos a watch for yourselves above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Separate Wayz, Stones At The Alter, And Greg Simpson), Plus The Cory Marks Concert Preview!!

Let's dive into what is an interesting weekend for hard rock fans in terms of live music! Due to the amount of shows, we'll hold our previews of of the previously announced Bone Yard 225 and Epic Rush concerts this weekend for our next post. Here's what you should know, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend!

Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will bring his "Ranting Rockstar" acoustic solo concert back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday. While there may have been an assumption that Greg's solo debut at The Dive was a stopgap measure for him to keep playing while Bone Yard were still on their spring break, the band proper is back, so perhaps we will see Greg back sans Alex & Warren for more "uncorked" gigs beyond TONIGHT! Regardless, if you like your local 225 (or the former Bearded Lounge), you'll be right at home with Greg's unplugged southern and hard rock covers, though if you want the full band back, they'll be at Beck's tomorrow (preview forthcoming). TONIGHT's show will definitely be in "The Naughty Corner", as Greg's show last month was.

Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge at the former Low & Slow TONIGHT, so visit the above links for more details on Greg's third solo show of 2026, and here he is live at The Dive!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will hit up Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday (note that the venue has not corroborated this booking on their own Facebook page at press time). While fans last saw their sister band Soundcheck two weeks ago at Jay's and a month ago at Reggie's, these will be the first Separate Wayz-branded concerts with Nicole present since April, when they played a standalone gig at Jay's and an "epic crossover" weekend at The Esquire Club with Soundcheck. Surprisingly, I can't find record of Separate Wayz playing at Reggie's since their debut last year, so if you're an existing fan or are curious to see how Soundcheck sound with a female singer, keep TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows in mind! No word on when we'll see Soundcheck back on stage, but we'll let you know.

As usual for weekend cover action at Reggie's, TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's concerts are at 9:30 PM with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See the above links for more details on Separate Wayz' Reggie's debuts, and for a preview, here they are live!

Also newly announced for this weekend is the headlining debut of new local hard rock quartet Stones At The Alter, who will play a special outdoor concert on SATURDAY NIGHT outside of the aforementioned Dive Gastro Pub! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, though note that the band's Facebook group has not seen any updates in over a month. The Doo & The Boyos side project will set up shop outside of the former Low & Slow on SATURDAY to take advantage of that day's Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer, the annual LopLops Lounge-promoted event that returns to The Downtown Plaza, which is just down the road. Note that I don't know if Beerfest will have their own music lineup at the Plaza (they did last year), but we'll let you know if something comes out late. Hopefully S@TA can fit their full setup on The Dive's patio!

Note that Curtis McKenzie had advertised playing at The Dive on Saturday himself (in an announcement that slipped us by last month), but he blamed a "double booking accident (by) the venue" for the mixup. We'll let you know when he'll be back there soon! This rare plugged-in "Patio Play" gig will be an 8:00 PM nightcap at The Dive with a 19+ age limit and no cover. 9&10 News is calling for a high of 20° on Saturday with a low of 9°, and while we're too soon to see an hourly forecast, be advised that the chance of rain on Saturday in general is about 50/50 at present. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know when Stones At The Alter videos surface!

Finally for this preview post, it's TONIGHT'S main event, as North Bay country/hard rock musician Cory Marks will return to The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for a headlining concert! While promotion calls this the "first concert ever" at the Bushplane Museum (Cory himself says as much in this promotional video), that isn't true, as multiple locals-only shows have happened there, not to mention Cory's acoustic concert last year for Hope Air Day. However, for a high scale, high production concert, this is uncharted territory for the 50 Pim Street venue, and tickets are selling well for Cory's genre hybrid sound, which we last saw in a full band, electric splendour at The Machine Shop in 2023 & 2024. He has had charting singles on US rock radio, and some very high profile guest spots, so if you like hard rock and/or country, there will be something for you! In a late confirmation, former Northwest bandmates Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich will open tonight in an acoustic set.

While their acoustic exploits largely haven't crossed our radar, Greg does cover some punk in his solo dates, so hopefully the set things off on the right foot! This concert takes place in the hangar proper tonight at 7:30 PM (running until 10:00), it is all ages, and limited general admission tickets cost $40 at the door. Online sales have ended, and VIP passes (which get fans an early acoustic set from Cory at 6:30 PM among other perks) have completely sold out. Food trucks will be on site tonight too, as they are every Thursday this summer. Click here and visit the above links for more on what should be a big night for the Bushplane Museum and fans of Cory's, and here he is live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 and Epic Rush previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & Stones At The Alter), A New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (or "May 2-4") long weekend is upon us, and as always, it's busy in Sault Ontario for concerts, but not as much as you'd think on the hard rock side. One show that I did want to acknowledge is that cover rock trio Wheelhouse (featuring Stiffler's Mom alumni Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson) have reunited, and now feature Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger in their lineup, and they're playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow night. I don't know what exactly Wheelhouse play beyond the date range of their setlists (and I'm not using band logos from their AI-generated images as proof), but we'll let you know if they hew close to Stiffler's Mom in sound and cover choices! Now to this weekend's full previews!

We'll start with a brand new addition to our band links, namely hard rock cover quartet Stones At The Alter! Yes, the last word in the band's name is spelled like that, not the more accurate "Altar". Publically launched in February, this is a side project from members of the also new classic rock/country cover band Doo & The Boyos ("Doo" being singer/guitarist Douglas White and "the boy-ohs" being everyone else). The two bands share a near identical lineup, but Stones At The Alter play a heavier set, with their Facebook group noting that they cover "punk, heavy, (and) diamond rock". So far, S@TA have only taken the stage as a supplementary band at Boyos concerts, starting with that band's debut at Beck's Bar in February, so if you've been out to see Doo & crew live, you've kinda sorta got two bands for the price of one! Douglas aside, who all is in both bands?

The Boyos consist of guitarists Jason McCoy (who is the lead singer for Stones At The Alter) and Sydney Hollebone, bassist Ben Eder, and drummer Sean White, while S@TA have enlisted With Gunfire/A.S.D.P. bassist William Wardlaw as their new lead guitarist, and he will debut in that role on SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, I only learned about this band's existence this week. As best as I can tell, William is replacing Sydney in Stones At The Alter, as Sydney wasn't credited by name in recent posts focused on that band. At Doo & The Boyos' first two shows, including a Beck's return in March, Stones At The Alter (who were unnamed for gig #1) played the third and final set, and from what I have gathered, Douglas isn't in the heavier sister group. Also, according to their Facebook group, S@TA will headline at Beck's Bar all on their own on Saturday, November 21st!

We'll know more soon, I'm sure, but it is interesting to see two new sister bands launching basically simultaneously, especially with their lineups comprised mostly of unknown commodities as far as SMS coverage goes! SATURDAY's Boyos/S@TA joint concert at Jay's is at 9:30 PM, November's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ with no cover charge. See above for more details! As far as I'm aware, there's no public videos of Stones At The Alter proper yet. Their sole video on their Facebook group appears to be part of a Boyos song and only focuses on Sydney, though note that Doo & The Boyos do perform some of Douglas' own original music.

Next up, who is playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than fellow new hard rock band 5 Dollar Bribe, who will also be making their debut there over the long weekend! Like with Stones At The Alter, 5 Dollar Bribe cut their teeth at Beck's, and they have been making waves with their talent levels and unique setlist choices, and the guys were actually spotlighted in this Soo Spaces (SooToday's social media platform) article by Andrew Stuetz on May 5th. It goes into detail about the members' upbringing and path towards becoming musicians (I didn't know at least one band member lives in Bruce Mines), and while there's no massive scoops, they did tease that they are "getting ready for some summer shows". Good write-up, give it a look above! While 5.D.B. and S@TA are taking over Jay's this weekend, 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Beck's later this month!

In today's other LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, they'll play a special Wednesday night concert at the former Vibe Lounge on May 27th! Why it's mid-week, I have no clue, but this is a band on the rise, so don't miss Jayce, Randy, Tyler, and Chase in just under two weeks' time! Like with Stones At The Alter, expect a 9:30 PM start time tomorrow at Jay's and 9:00 PM at Beck's on the 27th, and both shows should be 19+ (5 Dollar Bribe members' own ages acknowledged) with no cover. Visit the Beck's show's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview of tomorrow's concert, here they are live at Beck's last month!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, and while it's not a long weekend there, a big show descends upon (well, in the basement of) Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street featuring newer local hardcore punk trio Viscera on SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their second show at the restaurant in a two week span (and their second with new bassist Chris Lovins), this will have more of a genre spread than the prior show there, as Viscera will be opening for two non-heavy touring acts in their apparent local debuts. One is local/Detroit electronica project Priority Waste (give them a listen on Soundcloud) and the other is Scanners, a drone/shoegaze band from Grand Rapids, so while metal/punk content will be lacking for the headliners, there sure is a unique mix of sounds here that you rarely even see on the Canadian side of the border! This is promoted by Serious Business, who have put on most of the eclectic multi-band E.U.P. shows of the mid-2020s (here's their Instagram page).

This 18+ concert goes down on Saturday night at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door. This should be an intriguing concert with the sounds you'll get to experience at Pizza Hut, and with Viscera planning a couple of out of town dates ahead (details forthcoming), who knows when you'll get to see them in the Soo next? Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Viscera live in January!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Jeff Hagan

After a slight delay, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly spotlight of YouTube channels featuring content primarily on local metal, hard rock, and punk artists & concerts, as randomly selected from our 200+ YouTube subscriptions! This month's selection features lots of concert footage from some major recent concerts, so here's what you should know!
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Jeff Hagan (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_KmHRJvgtcTvFpNyGLgRA) 

Owner: Sault Michigan-area resident Jeff Hagan

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 12th, 2013; Videos posted from January 2014 through May 2017

Channel Summary: With one exception, Jeff's channel is devoted to videos from hard rock concerts at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie last year, including one of Pop Evil and sixteen of Alter Bridge. Jeff's first upload, footage of a snow removal truck in January 2014, is the sole exception.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will be of primary interest to Alter Bridge fans, especially as Jeff filmed almost their entire setlist before the encore (only three or so songs didn't get filmed by him), while Pop Evil fans will appreciate his video from their concert last year too! The snow removal video may be of interest for those aware of last year's winter conditions in the area, but has no musical connection beyond it's hosted channel. Also, note that this channel hasn't seen any visible activity in the past year.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

100 in a 55 - Pop Evil: Jeff's first concert video on his channel came from Muskegon hard rock quintet Pop Evil's headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater on February 26th, 2017, and it's of their early hit single "100 in a 55". Filmed at a high but zoomed angle, the washed out lighting, muffled audio, and the abbreviated length don't help matters, but it's a solid video for diehard Pop Evil fans! Other videos from this concert are floating around on YouTube, primarily at this link (which also includes this concert's opening acts.)



Alter Bridge - Intro/Writing on the Wall: Jeff's remaining 16 videos come from Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge's headlining concert at the Soo Kewadin on May 16th, 2017, including videos of their songs "Come to Life", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "Cry of Achilles", "Addicted to Pain", "Rise Today", "Metalingus", "Open Your Eyes" (erroneously uploaded twice), "My Champion", "Crows on a Wire", "Blackbird", "Slip to the Void", frontman Myles Kennedy's acoustic renditions of "Watch Over You" & "Wonderful Life", and as featured here, their opener "The Writing on the Wall" and it's preceding introduction. The audio has it's muffled moments, but this is a nice entry into Jeff's Alter Bridge uploads, and he has a nice central angle of the band from his high vantage point!



Alter Bridge - Waters Rising 5/16/17: The lone video of Jeff's not linked above is of Alter Bridge playing their song "Waters Rising", notable for featuring guitarist Mark Tremonti on lead vocals. This song doesn't reach the thrash levels of his namesake metal band Tremonti, but it's a solid performance from their "Fortress" album, and well worth a watch for long-time Alter Bridge fans! This concert was blessed with loads of YouTube videos from multiple channels (some featuring openers In Flames), so be sure to search for them on YouTube for alternate takes and songs that Jeff didn't post, including of the mid-set marriage proposal.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at multiple channels again, as our first randomly selected channel only had 3 videos of the same style, and our second only had one period, so it's another triple header for June! Our next profiles will be on the channels of former F.A.T.I.L. guitarist Brook Moreau (featuring 3 solo covers) user deresti64 (featuring a Tea Party concert video from last year), and Maltheas (featuring a Treble Charger song posting), so look for those on or around June 26th, and for more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Uncle Ray & Gianni Gagoots), And Still More Alter Bridge Concert Videos!!

After a quiet Monday, we are back with a new news post this morning featuring more recent concert videos to check out, and leading off, a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year, so here's what you need to know!

Windsor grindcore quartet Uncle Ray will make their local concert debut on Sunday, July 9th when they headline at The New American Pub! Specializing in ferocious yet short original songs, Uncle Ray's brand of "grinding power violence" has left a good impression on Southern Ontario fans, and hopefully they bring the same intensity to The New A later this summer, so give them a listen! Local support will include local doom metal trio AlgomA in their second local show since the end of their European tour run. With a very intriguing new album in the works from AlgomA with another notable band (more on that shortly), the second half of 2016 should be very eventful for them, so stay tuned! The other opening act will be local death metal duo Them, in their first publically announced concert of the year, not having played live publically since opening for Dumpster Mummy last fall (apologies for missing that show in previous references to their stage hiatus.)

Solid choice, and hopefully Tyler and Anthony can pick up where the left off in seven weeks' time when they open for Uncle Ray at The New A! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this concert has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for potential updates as they roll in!

Next up, local funk/improv/hard rock quintet Gianni Gagoots' second show under their Like Ten Productions promotional banner will take place on Saturday, September 2nd when they open for Montreal jazz/rap/funk trio The OM Sound at The New American Pub once again! Fans may remember seeing the Gagoots open for this band at The New A back on December 30th during Six, Two, Oh.'s Holiday Funk Show, and it's clear that The OM Sound left an impression on attendees with their "hip-hop/electro/jazz funk" stylings, so if you like said genres and want another sampling, here's your Labour Day weekend booking, with some harder edged instrumental jams from the local openers to kick things off! More details may be forthcoming (the show isn't for over 3 months, after all), but expect a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more details in the interim!

Finally for today, we actually have a few more videos from last week's Alter Bridge concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino to acknowledge on here! Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Five come from Infathom manager Michael Cole's YouTube channel, as he belatedly followed Wednesday's "My Champion" video with five more clips uploaded yesterday. Five day delay or not, it's great to see these! Michael's new videos are of the Orlando hard rock quartet playing their songs "The Writing On The Wall", "Come To Life", "Farther Than The Sun", "Addicted To Pain", and as embedded below, "Ghost Of Days Gone By". Filmed at a similar angle and quality as seen previously from Michael, these videos have a great angle of the band, but slightly muffled audio. Check them out above & below, and if more videos turn up on YouTube, we'll try to acknowledge them!



Lastly, promoters Allstar Promotions's Facebook page shared two videos from owner Dave Atkinson's personal Facebook page last week that feature Alter Bridge doing their soundcheck before the show proper began! The sub-2 minute clips (one linked here) feature instrumental performances before doors officially opened, though gathered onlookers do applaud and cheer after songs wrapped up.  This is a very unique way to view this concert, especially when you combine the empty seats and lack of vocals, and diehard fans will definitely want to check these out above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the month rolls along! Thanks everyone!

Even More Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Videos!!

As previously teased, here's our third and presumably final showcase of videos from Tuesday night's Alter Bridge/In Flames concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Kudos once again to everyone who was filming at this concert, we were beyond spoiled! We'll start with a frequent sight for concert video postings around here, namely Christopher Paci, who shot sixteen videos at this concert, including ten of Alter Bridge's set, so what should you know? Uploaded on Friday, Chris filmed the Orlando hard rockers playing their songs "The Writing On The Wall", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "Cry of Achilles", "My Champion", Myles Kennedy's acoustic renditions of "Wonderful Life" & "Watch Over You" in the same clip, "Open Your Eyes", "Metalingus", "Show Me A Leader", "Rise Today", and as embedded below, "Blackbird". The camera can be a little jittery at times, and heads can get in the way, but he had a solid angle of the band, and the audio's usually solid! Give his Alter Bridge clips a look above & below!



Chris also posted six videos of opening Swedish metal standouts In Flames from Tuesday, including their songs "Where The Dead Ships Dwell", "Moonshield", "Before I Fall", "Cloud Connected", "Take This Life", and as embedded below, their opening track "Wallflower". Similar quality to the Alter Bridge videos (naturally) though with not quite as much zoom, these capture In Flames' set nicely, and you can see them above & below as well!



Next up, fellow attendee Jeff Hagan (a prior filmer from this year's Pop Evil show) uploaded sixteen videos of his own from Alter Bridge's set to his own YouTube channel on Friday! Sadly, Jeff did not post anything of In Flames, but he did get most (if not all) of Alter Bridge's songs from Tuesday in at least partial form, including "The Writing on the Wall", "Come to Life", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "Cry of Achilles", "Addicted to Pain", "Metalingus", "Open Your Eyes", "My Champion", "Crows on a Wire", "Waters Rising", "Blackbird", "Slip to the Void", "Watch Over You", "Wonderful Life", and as embedded below, "Rise Today". Filmed from a higher and further angle than the rest of the videos I've seen from the concert, Jeff got some solid videos all the same with a clear view of the band, though the audio can be a little muffled, "Blackbird" is regrettably filmed on the vertical camera angle, and "Open Your Eyes" was accidentally posted twice. See more from Jeff above and below!



Finally, we have two more clips from YouTube user Kathleen Hardy, who followed up her "My Champion" video from Wednesday with two additional videos on Thursday, those being of Alter Bridge's songs "Slip To The Void" and, as embedded below, "Waters Rising", notable for featuring guitarist Mark Tremonti on lead vocals rather than Myles. Filmed at her excellent angle from before with awesome audio and video quality, these are a nice way to cap off our Alter Bridge video showcases, so give these a look as well!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

More Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Videos!!

For this Friday afternoon post, we're tackling yet more videos from Tuesday night's Alter Bridge/In Flames concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! A lot of people filmed a lot of footage for YouTube at this concert, and there's more yet to be featured on the site, so thanks to everyone who filmed on Tuesday! We'll start today with the filmer we closed with on Wednesday, namely Anne McIntosh, who uploaded eleven more videos to her YouTube channel yesterday to join her prior two Alter Bridge clips! Despite the wait in between, kudos to her for putting up even more! Eight were of Alter Bridge's headlining set, filming the Orlando hard rockers playing their songs "Rise Today" (their closer, preceded by dueling guitar solos from Myles & Mark), "Slip to the Void", "Waters Rising", "Crows on a Wire", "Ties That Bind", "Cry of Achilles", "The Writing on the Wall", and as embedded below, "Show Me a Leader". Why this song? Beforehand, there was an on-stage marriage proposal!

You don't see this every day, let alone in the Soo, and while I won't spoil the details, would we share it here if she said "No"? Nice moment for sure, and as for the videos proper, Anne's new videos are even better than before, with a nice and close angle to the stage, a horizontal camera orientation, and strong performances throughout, so check everything out at the above links and below!



Anne also filmed three videos of In Flames, marking our best footage yet of the Swedish metal notables from Tuesday night, and she filmed them playing their songs "Moonshield", "All For Me", and as embedded below, "Deliver Us", one of only four songs not captured in James Jones' videos of the concert. Again, these have similar qualities and angles to Anne's Alter Bridge clips, and you get a good sense of In Flames' set and command of the crowd, regardless of band era, and as I stated the other day, their newer material sounds better live! See more above & below!



Next up, here's a pair of new uploads from Alter Bridge's set, including this one from the YouTube channel of Michael Cole (manager of Munising metal band and prior local headliners Infathom), and he filmed their song "My Champion". More of a higher side-stage angle on this clip, and while the video is clear and nicely framed the location, the audio is muffled. Not bad though, so give this perspective a look below as well!



Finally, we have a video of Alter Bridge playing "Open Your Eyes" on Tuesday night, courtesy of YouTube user Mitch MacDonald! Though there's nothing in the title or description confirming it was from the Soo show (all of his videos are titled "Mitchy" with numbers following), the stage setup and clothing match other videos I have seen. At a quick glance, you'd assume this was one of Anne McIntosh's videos given the angle and quality, which is a positive sign, as this is a very solid video of one of Alter Bridge's early hits, though the audio is a little crackly. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post at the SMS is devoted to videos from last night's Alter Bridge/In Flames concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, and based on social media discussion, the show appears to have been a hit! We'll start with a substantial amount of footage from attendee James Jones' YouTube channel, as he filmed over 48 minutes worth of content from the show for uploading there! Kudos to him for the work on these videos, that's above and beyond the call of duty! First, he got the opening 14 minutes of Alter Bridge's headlining set, filming the Orlando hard rock quartet playing their songs "The Writing on the Wall", "Come To Life", and "Farther Than The Sun", so click each song name to go to each song. The performances here are very solid, and Myles Kennedy's voice is in top form, but the vertical camera angle, distance from the stage, and scratchy audio do the clip no favours. Still, this much footage is awesome, so give it a look below!



Unusually, James voiced his dislike for Alter Bridge as a band and preference for their predecessor group Creed in the description (to each their own, but why tell the world when you posted the video anyway?) However, it appears he liked opening Swedish metal band In Flames more, filming 34 minutes worth of footage from their set across two videos! Starting four songs in, James filmed In Flames playing their tracks "All For Me", "Where The Dead Ships Dwell", "Moonshield" (complete with extended intro thanking "Mike at the deli" for the request), "Before I Fall", "The Truth", "Paralyzed", and most of "Cloud Connected". All of that is in the video below, while his second video features their closing number "Take This Life", skipping "The End" in between. The quality of these videos is no different than before, but you get a nice cross-section of In Flames eras here, and dare I say, the newer alt-metal songs sound better live? See for yourself below!



Next up, here's a pair of Alter Bridge videos from from YouTube user Anne McIntosh's channel, including "Blackbird" and, as embedded below, Myles' acoustic medley of "Wonderful Life" & "Watch Over You", so click on each song name for specific tracks once again. Musically, I prefer "Blackbird", but the unplugged change of pace is nice to see! Anne was much closer to the stage, and her videos have much clearer audio, so keep them in mind on that basis, while the acoustic clip actually benefits the vertical camera angle, so give her clips a look above & below!



Finally here's our only video on a horizontal landscape angle for today, courtesy of YouTube user Kathleen Hardy, and it's of Alter Bridge playing their song "My Champion"! Despite a brief 86 second runtime, this is by far the best quality video from the show that I have seen so far, and not just because of the angle! She is nice and close to the stage, and her camera takes excellent videos, so fans would be well served to check hers out below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and last month's poll results tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Preview, New Soo Art Rocks Videos, And More!!

We are back with this new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's contained within? New videos and fallout from a recent concert, clarification and news from a new local promoter with a familiar name, and leading things off, our preview of a special Tuesday night concert in the E.U.P. with some huge headline acts, so here's what you should know!

Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge and Swedish metal veterans In Flames will make their way to our area TOMORROW NIGHT for the latest Allstar Promotions concert event at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Of course, Alter Bridge have had a ton of success with rock radio hits like "Addicted To Pain", "Isolation", and "Open Your Eyes", and their fan favourite originals and soaring vocals should be very well received when they rock the Soo Kewadin tomorrow! In Flames will also be very interesting to see locally, as while they have seen a very polarizing response to their newer alternative material, they have many fans from their recent era and older death metal albums alike. Are you in this for "Clayman", "Come Clarity", or "Battles"-era In Flames? Hopefully there's a little something for all tastes, but it's great to see them here! Note that a previously announced opening set by Tennessee hard rockers Devour the Day is no longer advertised by them or Allstar Promotions.

No word on if they are indeed off the show (and if so, why), but it would be nice to see them finally play a local gig! This stop on Alter Bridge's "The Last Hero" tour goes down tomorrow at 7:00 PM, this is ALL AGES, and tickets are still available from the first row and back for $38.50, though at press time, only 15 center section seats remain. Get your tickets A.S.A.P. if you don't have any yet at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and check out Allstar Promotions' Facebook page for details on how to enter for meet & greet passes! This should be a great concert for hard rock and metal fans, so see above for more details, and here's Alter Bridge live!

Next up, here's some extra details from that new Facebook personal account called The SaultMusicScene that launched on Friday, so what should you know on it now? After some ambiguity about the identity of the administrator (and confusion on if I was involved), it has been confirmed that Autumn Roots frontman Jeremy Hannah is running it, and it's not just a tool to help promoters advertise their events: He's promoting shows again! Fans will remember Jeremy for his work with Big Voiced Records in the mid-late 2000s at The Oddfellows Hall, but he has dabbled into promotion and live sound since with Pure Sound Audio, Spotlight Canada, and the cancelled Music Mayhem show in April 2012, though none of those got very far off the ground. Jeremy has elaborated that he is open to working with other promoters on events, and is apparently planning to promote shows at The Canadian Nightclub and The Upper Deck Bar & Grill upstairs from that venue.

First up from Jeremy's new agency is a Canada Day weekend show on Friday, June 30th at The Canadian, which will have 6 bands to be announced, a door prize, and $5 advance admission (which doubles at the door.) Click here for more details, and we'll let you know if metal, hard rock, or punk makes the lineup! While I think the SaultMusicScene name is a little too familiar to the 2000s website of that name (especially as Scott MacLeod's not visibly involved), it is great to see Jeremy back in the promoting game, and if this lives up to it's ambitions, this will be an asset to bands and fans alike! See the above links for more, but remember, you have to be a friend to read postings on the main page, unless Jeremy relaxes the privacy settings.

We'll close today with new videos from Friday night's Soo Art Rocks concert at The Canadian Nightclub, but first, just a note from promoters Live705's Facebook page! In their latest post there, they thanked everyone making Soo Art Rocks a success, noted that their next concert will be in June (details coming this week), credited Pointless frontman Bill Priddle for helping A Dire Setback make "notable changes to polish our songs", and teased that they will be booking touring bands in the future. Very encouraging all around, so stay tuned as more details fall into place! As for the videos, A Dire Setback are the subject here, as photographer Josh Pace filmed the punk quartet playing the end of their set-closing self-titled original on Friday night for his personal Facebook page, which the band subsequently shared publically on theirs.

Though only 38 seconds long, the guys are in great form, and this is a nice showcase for bassist Matt Quinn too! The side stage angle puts him in the background on this clip, however. I do plan to film this song in full as well at an upcoming concert, but given that it's tended to be a set closer, I may have to have a backup video ready in the event of a file error, but I'll figure something out. Check this clip out below, and stay tuned for more from A Dire Setback and Live705 when it comes in!



Finally, here's a new clip from Live705's Facebook page, which is a live stream of the end of an early song during Id Iota's headlining set, including the introduction of guest cellist Pete Mozarowski to the crowd. Given the short length, vertical angle, and placement in the song's runtime, this isn't an optimal look at Id Iota, but it's nice to see some new footage of this alt-hard rock quartet, and they sound good from what we hear, so give it a look too!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Alter Bridge), Recent Concert Videos, And More!!

After a Family Day break, we are back with a new news post on the site on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, and videos from a recent Sault Ontario event, but first, here's a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring that was just announced this morning!

The teased new Sault Michigan concert from Allstar Promotions is now official, as Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge and Swedish death metal veterans In Flames will make their local concert debuts on Tuesday, May 16th at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault's Kewadin Casino! As first announced on Scott & Brian in the Morning on Rock 101 earlier today, this show will see Alter Bridge rock the Soo with their hit singles like "Isolation", "Ghost of Days Gone By", and "Open Your Eyes", and they should deliver a solid night of high impact originals  during this tour date in support of their new CD "The Last Hero"! Note that Alter Bridge feature 3 members of Creed, but they don't play any of that band's songs live. As for In Flames, metalheads will recognize them from fan favourite songs like "Only For The Weak", "Take This Life", and "Cloud Connected", and while their newer alt-metal albums have polarized many fans, they have a lot of classic songs, and it's a very pleasant surprise to see them in our area, let alone at a high profile venue like this!

Tickets go on sale this coming Friday for $38.50, and you can buy them at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and the show itself will begin at 7:00 PM on May 16th, with no age limit advertised. As well, Allstar Promotions' Facebook page notes that if you share the post with the event poster, you could be entered for a chance to attend a meet & greet with Alter Bridge (maybe both bands?), so keep that in mind also. This should be a massive show at the local Kewadin Casino, and will hopefully continue Allstar Promotions' momentum following Pop Evil this weekend, so check the above links for full current details!

Next up, we have some brand new concert videos to share from a recent Sault Ontario event, courtesy of Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again! Chris has been busy lately in his ongoing solid work filming local concerts, posting a bunch from the Brad Paisley and Brett Kissell shows that country fans will want to check out, but the ones here come from the Gianni Gagoots-headlined concert at LopLops Lounge from this past weekend! It doesn't appear that Chris filmed the debuting Handsome Sandwich, but he got videos of the other two bands, so what can we observe? Two are of the headlining funk/alternative quintet, including this short clip of the band leading fans in a chant of their name (odd as it is, fans are getting behind it!), while embedded below is 9 minutes of their extended improv jamming. The video quality is a little shaky, and fans' heads can get in the way, but it's another fun look at this promising new band's unique stage show, so give these videos a look below & above!



Chris also filmed a song by new local alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic at this show, just their second live appearance total, and it is a different song than the one Bizotic themselves included in their first video, but the title isn't given. Chris has a closer look at the band in action here, and Louise Lamothe's trumpet is better accentuated here than on "Subway Delay", but the angle leaves Kevin Overton completely obscured. Solid song overall, and a little more varied and upbeat while retaining some grit, so give it a look below!



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

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA & Finnish death metal band Hooded Menace have finally posted their full songs on their new split vinyl single onto their respective Bandcamp pages, linked here & here! This is welcome to see for fans waiting for local in-person availability, or don't have a record player, while it also means that the split will absolutely get this month's CD review at the SMS! Look for that in the coming week, and stream both songs above!
• General admission tickets for the Quiet Riot-headlined concert at The Machine Shop on March 30th are now available for $45 at this link! VIP tickets are $60, and the sale page notes that having such a ticket will mean you get a line bypass and balcony overview, so keep both in mind. Act quick to get your tickets to this anticipated concert before they're gone, and if you would rather buy in person, get down to Mill Square A.S.A.P.!
• As per personal Facebook photos in recent days, Havadder frontman Jason Roy made a guest appearance of some type with bandmate Scott McLurg's fellow classic/hard rock cover band The 3 Day Millionaires at The Rockstar Bar this past Friday! I have no idea where Jason (and Havadder) have been since their most recent gig in July, but hopefully this is a sign that we'll see this veteran trio back out there at some point soon!

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