Studio Updates & New Material From Three Local Bands!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that Brutally Fatal frontman Austin McCrea's obituary was posted on SooToday yesterday, confirming that he sadly passed away on Boxing Day. While it doesn't go into the specifics that the GoFundMe campaign did about his medical battles, it does detail his courage & resilience, as well as his love of music, even noting some of the projects he was involved in in the 2010s. He is survived by his parents, son Richard, sister Jasmine, and many friends. Among those he was predeceased by was his brother Matthew Nadon, who you may remember was supposed to get a tribute concert in the winter of 2022-2023 that Austin's band Far From Fine were scheduled to play at. Visitation will be on Friday from 1:00-3:00 PM at the Arthur Funeral Home's Barton & Kiteley Chapel, with a celebration of life at the Holiday Inn Express from 4:00-8:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Algoma Autism Foundation would be appreciated by the family. Hopefully there's a good turnout on Friday to pay their respects, and we'll let you know when more comes out on the tribute concert that's in the works. R.I.P. Austin!

Today's post otherwise looks at new studio material from three local bands, starting with newer hard rock quartet Maynard Hayes, who I didn't even know were in studio! In their first post on their Instagram page in five months (remember, that's their only social media account), the band revealed that their debut single would drop on December 20th, accompanied by this teaser video featuring rare public video of them in concert at Soo Blaster. Why not post that in a fuller and not pillarboxed form factor somewhere with the raw audio? The song in question is named "No Security", which you can now stream on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Anghami, Boomplay, and embedded below via YouTube, and the lyrics (seemingly about empowering someone to stop using drugs and better themselves) can be read at this link. How is Maynard Hayes' first original song overall?

It's a melodic hard rock number with Damon King using some deeper clean singing to good effect, even if the song is more casual sounding than the pointed lyrics would suggest. Musically, I was kinda reminded of Avenged Sevenfold structurally, but the vocals definitely don't match. Solid enough first track, and we'll have to see if Maynard Hayes have more in the works! Also, thanks to artist credits on streaming sites, we can now confirm that their bassist is Gabrielle Abulencia, an Algoma University student that I'm unfamiliar with from prior local bands. Stay tuned for more from Damon, Nathan, Gabrielle, and David when it comes in, and here's "No Security"!

Speaking of active bands featuring drummer David Peredun with new original songs from last month, his progressive metal band Convergence released the updated version of their song "The Ebb" on Christmas Day as promised! As long-time fans may remember, this song was originally seen on their 2023 debut EP "One", but Brendan & Jake have since wiped their two instrumental EPs from streaming services in order to basically relaunch as a full band with David and singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio now in the fold, with their first full-band EP (possibly still named "In Bloom") still in the works. You can stream the new version of "The Ebb" on YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Anghami.. I'll hold comment on the song for now, as unlike Maynard Hayes, we do know that an album or EP from Convergence is on the way, even if we don't know many current specifics.

This is our first full song sampler of Convergence with Stephen on vocals outside of live videos, so don't bypass it above and below, especially as they posted this lyric video to their official YouTube channel on the 25th! Stay tuned for more from Convergence as the year continues!

Finally for this post, we have a studio teaser clip to share from local southern hard rock quartet Fort Creek's Facebook page! After a very quiet 2025, the band resurfaced with their first proper new update in four months on New Year's Eve via this 13 second sample of their second original song from their long-gestating debut album. As teased in the summer, it's for their song "Sweet Rosie", and while there's not enough here to comment on even without knowing that an album is in the works, what we hear sounds promising, especially as it's a full electric song compared to last year's acoustic "One For The Road". Check out Fort Creek's new teaser video below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225), Hails Updates, And More!!

Before we get too far in today's news post, I wanted to update folks on memorials for the two local metal musicians that we lost last month. I normally wouldn't mention this without a public posting, but a tribute concert to late Brutally Fatal frontman/Far From Fine drummer Austin McCrea is in the works, and the family has asked his friend Taylor "Tea" Emlaw (Handsome Sandwich's singer) to put it on. She is currently looking for performers, so contact her via her personal Facebook page if you want in, and we'll let you know when formal public details go out! No sign of an obituary yet for him or Rebel Priest/Glass Statues guitarist Ben Kemp-Reynolds, but the surviving members of Rebel Priest are hosting an open memorial for Benny tomorrow at The Moose, the Vancouver bar that he worked at. I know that most SMS readers aren't in British Columbia, but in the event that you did know Ben, are out west, and want to pay tribute, keep this in mind!

An earlier post by Rebel Priest did say that they were working with Ben's family towards giving him the right sendoff, but I don't know if any public memorials in the Soo or Central Algoma are being planned, let alone ones that would involve music (note that Rebel Priest never played a show here). We'll keep you posted when anything extra comes out regarding Austin or Ben, and they are continually missed!

Now, today's post features some new videos and updates, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have more shows ahead this month, all courtesy of their website's concert calendar! We already touched on TONIGHT's and TOMORROW'S short notice gigs at Beck's Bar on the site on Thursday, but "the dirty three" will be seen thrice more later this month, starting with their first Water Tower Pub show of 2026 on Friday, January 23rd! Even though electric bands routinely play at the Great Northern Road nightclub, Bone Yard always play there "uncorked", so if you prefer seeing their acoustic shows there, keep this one-nighter in mind! Their next regular plugged-in concerts after this weekend take place on January 30th and 31st, when they take over The Esquire Club for a full weekend, in their first stops there in over two months. Keep all three shows in mind if you love your local 225!

Neither venue has corroborated these late-January bookings on Facebook, but we'll let you know when either posts a 2026 concert calendar. The Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM, the Esquire Club gigs are at 9:30 PM, and these are all 19+ affairs with no cover charges. See above for more details, but while we're on the subject, what else have the guys been up to lately? In a jokey video on their Facebook page from December 3rd, we see Greg and Alex "grinding", but let's just say it's not on a new song! The following day, bassist Warren Reville starred in this video reflecting on "the 225 life", which at that moment, amounted to being "in the studio finishing shit". It was taken in jest, but it's good to see work on new songs is ongoing! Frontman Greg Simpson also starred in two different vertical videos (linked here & here) to promote each of their last two shows of 2025 and reflect on each prior day's weather.

In terms of performance videos, we have more plugged-in concert videos of Bone Yard 225 to share, but let's pause for now with this clip from their "uncorked" gig at Beck's on December 14th, which was uniquely filmed during a lull in the matinee when Greg's battery died mid-set. While that was sorted out, Warren played an impromptu vocal/bass original song to narrate those proceedings. Fun way to fill time, and kudos to whoever filmed this clip, which you can watch below!

Let's close with the latest from local crossover thrash band Hails, and they started 2026 with some very surprising news, as they have parted ways with guitarist Mikhal Muto. A reason for his departure wasn't announced, but in yesterday's post about his exit on their Facebook page, they did call him a "guitar wizard" and they thanked him for helping them move forward in developing their sound, so things do seem amicable. Mikhal had been a key member of Ha!ls since their early 2023 debut, but he does have many irons in the fire as it is, with The Apocalypse Afterparty, his Agnosticism solo project, and his new ska punk band A.S.D.P. all being active concerns, so we'll be seeing lots of him ahead! No word yet on if Hails will be replacing Mikhal, but remember that they were a trio before his cousin Carmen joined the band in the spring of 2024, so they could easily move forward as one again. With all of that said, what else is new from them?

This slipped us by last month, but the long-teased physical release of Ha!ls' self-titled album is getting closer, with the band sharing this image on Facebook of a test pressing of the album on vinyl. No word yet on when copies go on sale, but it is encouraging to see them making full vinyl records! At one point, other formats were also teased (remember Brent's old projects getting DIY cassette tapes?), but no finite word on CD or tape copies yet. Stay tuned for more from Hails, including videos from their last show with Mikhal next week, along with more recent news and notes! Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Austin McCrea (1995-2025)

The Sault Metal Scene would also like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of local metal musician and rapper Austin McCrea, who just passed away in the past week, as per a number of personal Facebook postings. He was just 30 years old. This didn't cross my radar at the time, but Austin (a.k.a. Jayrald Micky) had been in hospital since September due to pancreatitis, and endured a number of devastating medical setbacks in the ensuing months, which you can read more about via this GoFundMe campaign that was launched on his behalf by his sister two weeks ago. As a local musician, Austin is arguably best known as the frontman of the goregrind/death metal band Brutally Fatal (once intentionally spelled "Brutaly Fatal"), who had two different incarnations between 2012 and 2019, and had brief and more mainstream turns under the names Re-Born and The Revolution.

Austin was a co-founder of the local goregrind/death metal/rap label Blood Shed Productions alongside his late-era Brutally Fatal bandmate Tyler Gibson, and his bands turned up multiple times at Blood Shed-affiliated concerts in the 2010s, be they late-era Oddfellows Hall concerts or house parties, while they also performed at the 2014 & 2015 Swampstravaganzas. Austin also dabbled in hip hop in the early-mid 2010s, rapping under the handle Miracle Man. While Austin primarily provided vocals, guitar, and bass in his best known bands, his most recent public music work was as the original drummer for local hard rock band Far From Fine (née Ravencore), performing with them at the 2022 Toystock and helping on their original material for their unfinished album, but he left that band by June 2023. Austin was also tapped to drum with Frightlight at The Northern Vibe Festival in 2023, but the horror punk band dropped out of that event and fell inactive afterwards.

I didn't know Austin well, but he was a talented and improving multi-instrumentalist who played the music he wanted to play without apologies, even if the imagery & lyrics weren't always to a wide audience's taste. When we profiled Brutally Fatal on the SMS four years ago, I linked to much of their known public music, including their demo EPs, while you can hear the originals he was working on with Far From Fine (albeit after he left) via their Lopstock 2023 set linked here. Losing someone over the holidays, let alone after this prolonged fight, is something I can't even imagine, and our thoughts are with the McCrea and Nadon families at this time. When details on services go public, I will let you know. R.I.P. Austin!

Pop Evil Concert Videos, Plus More From Sault Michigan!!

Before we begin today's all E.U.P. post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's previews, as local hard rock/metal band Tarnished played a solo headlining gig at The Savoy Nightclub last night. Of course, they were among the openers there for Scotty Austin/Redburn on Thursday night, but the band announced that they were playing "round 2" there on their Facebook page two hours before showtime, and the venue's Facebook page never posted that Tarnished were pulling double duty. Maybe the idea of Tarnished playing last night came together quickly after how things went on Thursday, but I do profusely apologize for missing this show on here, I'd have covered it had I gotten more notice!

That said, The Savoy's Facebook page does have a couple of relevant videos to the big show on Thursday, one being this brief promotional clip from February where Scotty Austin himself plugged the local date. He even mentioned playing in the Soo previously and that Redburn have been up here before (they opened for Saving Abel here in 2015), and little details like that make a video like this seem less cookie cutter and more personal, so kudos! The other video comes from the show proper, as a Savoy staffer(?) filmed who I believe to be opening local hard rock band The Nameless, specifically the (vocal-devoid) last 20 seconds of their third-to-last song. The video quality isn't great, with the filmer panning around quickly to show the packed house more than the band, not to mention the vertical camera angle, so we never see enough of the band with any clarity. If you told me I was wrong and that this was Tarnished, I wouldn't be shocked!

In any event, I don't know off hand what song this is based on the instrumental snippet on offer (The Nameless were covers-centric upon their debut last year, and if this was Tarnished, it doesn't match any of their or Alex's studio originals). For what little we hear, it sounds good, and the solid audience at this early stage is encouraging, so give it a look below, and we'll let you know if more videos turn up!

The rest of today's post is devoted to the Pop Evil-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on March 17th, as the ever-prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel has us covered with videos of all three bands from last week! As far as I have seen so far, Chris is the only person to upload videos from this show on YouTube, at least publically. Yes, I am aware that he filmed videos at the Leash show in Sault Ontario earlier this month, check back for those next week. As for the Pop Evil concert, Chris uploaded 12 videos from that night, including seven of the Muskegon hard rock mainstays' headlining set, those being "Breathe Again", "Torn To Pieces", "Footsteps", "Skeletons", "Dead Reckoning", "Paranoid (Crash & Burn)", and as embedded below, "Eye Of The Storm". The audio quality on his camera/this sound setup is fairly raw, but Chris had a strong central angle of the stage!

You can tell that Pop Evil are very much on their game here with good energy, and if soundboard audio existed, I can tell that it'd be fairly similar to the studio tracks, so fans of Pop Evil's ample rock radio hits should be right at home with these videos above & below!

Phoenix metalcore band The Word Alive were filmed thrice for Chris' channel, including their original songs "Trapped", "Why Am I Like This", and as embedded below, "Nocturnal Future". The same audio quality harshness aside, The Word Alive are well captured here with a nice melodic flavour on their modern aggression, and the stage lighting for their set is accentuated nicely, so check it out below!

Finally, Seattle metalcore band Avoid got two videos from Chris, namely "Song About James" and, as embedded below, their opening two songs "Gator Fest" and "Cowabunga". Avoid's electronic-tinged attack helped get this show off on the right foot with some explosively energetic songs to boot, and I can see how them opening was the best call, so check out their videos above & below, and stay tuned for Chris' Leash videos next week!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scotty Austin & Bone Yard!!)

Two topic post on the SMS tonight, as we have lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to look at, including a bigger E.U.P. show for the spring, but let's start with lots of new dates from a familiar local weekend staple!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard have announced their first 2023 concert dates via this concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today, ending their month+ break in the process! As you can see, four of the first six dates will come at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, which was the site of their last dates of 2022 as well, so if you're itching for some hard rocking classics from Greg, Alex, and Warren, head to the former Rosie on January 27th & 28th, and then on February 17th & 18th! The guys will also return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concert weekends on February 10th & 11th and then on March 10th & 11th, with next month's gigs being their first at the Dennis Street venue in over three months. The local dates wrap up with stops at Reggie's Place on Queen Street on February 24th & 25th, their first appearances at that downtown staple since early December.

As for the March 3rd & 4th dates, those will see Bone Yard make a rare road trip to Sudbury to play at The Coulson Entertainment Center, which last came up on the SMS when Soundcheck hit the road for gigs there in September. It's always neat seeing local bands make the four hour trek east for gigs in Sudbury, and hopefully Bone Yard make lots of new Boneheads in March! No word on if Bone Yard's gap weekend of February 3rd & 4th is currently open, an intended break, or if their sister band The Bearded Lounge are playing somewhere else that weekend, so stay tuned if we hear of bookings then. As for the ten new local dates, all are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges, and the start times are 8:00 PM at Shooters, 9:00 PM at Reggie's, and 9:30 PM at Jay's. Visit the above links for more details on these new shows, and stay tuned for more from Bone Yard when it rolls in!

Next up, here's a post-pandemic rarity for Sault Michigan: Touring hard rock acts coming to the area, but not to Kewadin Casino, as former Saving Abel frontman Scotty Austin will return to town for a headlining concert at The Savoy Nightclub on Thursday, March 23rd! Now, Scotty is not the singer who fronted Saving Abel on radio hits like "Addicted" and "The Sex Is Good", but he was their lead singer for their last three local dates, including Muddfest in 2019, so if you've frequented modern hard rock and post grunge shows in the Soo, he won't be an unknown commodity. Scotty left Saving Abel in 2021 to pursue a solo career, and will be touring the US extensively this year as part of his King of Rock Tour, so it'll be good to see him back at the site of 2015's Superior Festival that he and Saving Abel headlined! Also neat seeing The Savoy hosting bands again, I can't think of anything major there in years.

Saginaw rap rock band Redburn will make their long awaited return to the Soo as co-headliners, having last played here when they opened for two separate hard rock shows at The Dreammakers Theater in 2015, Saving Abel among them. Nu-metal fans should be excited to see Redburn back in the area in two months! Female fronted New Munster, Wisconsin hard rock quartet The Almas will make their local debut on this bill as well, and their up-tempo, direct brand of originals should be a welcome addition on March 23rd, while local hard rock quartet Tarnished will set the tone in their Savoy debut, and you know they'll bring their A-game for this one! "N More" are also credited on the Facebook event page, so if additional acts are added to the event, we'll let you know. Presented by Blowout Biker Promotions, this 21+ event has an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets will run for $15 if you believe Tarnished's Facebook page (no word on a hike at the door).

If 2015's Superior Festival is anything to go by, tickets should be on sale at The Savoy at 117 West Portage Avenue, and perhaps through Tarnished, but there have not been firm statements about ticket availability at press time (though this show will be cheaper than the Superior Festival was). Mid-range hard rock events with touring acts not at Kewadin are a rarity in Sault Michigan, so take advantage of this one if you want more like this to stop there, and many hard rock tastes should find something to like between Scotty and the opening bands! Visit the official Facebook event page for continuing details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!

Squatfest Concert Preview, Plus A New Live-Streamed Concert!!

Let's close up our first true hard rock concert weekend in the Soo in over four months by previewing a big outdoor house party event tomorrow night, with a live-streamed concert to round things out! Here's what you should know!

With the hard rock concert schedule in Sault Ontario easing back into operation this week, here's the first public multi-band event in the pandemic era, as lots of Blood Shed Productions-affiliated artists will congregate in nearby Heyden TOMORROW NIGHT for Squatfest! To be held outdoors at 5 Dixie Drive (near Christie's RV; look for Nessie), promoters have confirmed that this is a publically attendable event with paid admission, despite the Facebook event page being set to private. Similar in spirit to the Oh!No festival in Leeburn, attendees are welcome to camp at the Squatfest site, enjoy the outdoor amenities on the property, stay overnight, and even come by tonight for a planned bonfire jam and to help set the stage up. Promoted by Blood Shed owner Tyler Gibson and assorted collaborators, a huge lineup of familiar and somewhat newer acts are slated for tomorrow night at Squatfest, so who all can you expect? I will go in order of listed acts on the event page here.

Four solo acts are listed at the top of the event page's lineup, including ex-Brutally Fatal/Revolution frontman (and Blood Shed co-founder) Austin McCrae in a rare solo set, former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti, prolific folk/punk musician (The Ghost Of) Chase James Wigmore, and Tyler's drum-and-bass side project Alegendary. Chase will reunite with Strange Coyotes bandmate James Watterworth for that funk metal band's second reunion set tomorrow night, while Blood Shed-affiliated death metal one man bands Black Cloud and Tyler's own Crucify the Whore will also take the stage. Party/rap metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will make a rare live appearance at Squatfest, as will rappers Joonas "JSK" Kamula and Austin's rap alter ego Miracle Man. Lastly, the Strange Coyotes will split off into two more solo acts, including James' scarcely seen solo set, while Chase will deliver some extreme metal under his Awokest handle. More unadvertised performers are also planned, we'll let you know if we hear anything.

This presumably all ages event has a 12:00 PM start time, and while a $5 admission fee was previously advertised, it is no longer referenced on the event page. Band and Blood Shed merchandise will be on sale, food and drinks will be available (please don't bring glass bottles), and while Tyler is asking attendees to respect the area and stay clean and on the property, nothing directly references social distancing measures, but of course, please use common sense. This sounds like an ambitious but fun event, especially if you love the Blood Shed roster of artists, so consider a trip up to Heyden tomorrow for Squatfest! For a preview, here's Chase live!



Finally for today, let's get into local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's 34th live-streamed concert, which took place on Tuesday on his YouTube channel! I won't lump yesterday's live-stream in here as it was at a separate location (the Motley Market, host of his Thursday matinee gigs this month), but I am currently planning to hold that one for when we preview his show there next week. After blocking external embedding privileges of his last 7 live-streams, that quarantine has quietly been lifted, so this episode is embedded below! Again, I hope it wasn't because of anything I said or did. Yesterday's live-stream begins about 7 minutes in with a Spanish guitar instrumental, which seems rare to lead off these at-home shows with, but it's well performed as usual! The covers proper lead off with Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", Supertramp's "Breakfast In America", Amy Holland's "Shooting For The Moon",  ...

...Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", and Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart", before Tym played an original song named "The Hardest Stone", which he originally did with his old Hollow bandmates. Tym next tackles Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver", before dipping into the instrumental well again with an adaptation of a classical piece, followed by a cover of The Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon", a partial version of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)". and two Days of the New songs ("Shelf In The Room" & "Touch, Peel, and Stand"). After playing a lengthy original instrumental, Tym finished with covers of Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven", and The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". Fun set with lots of classic and occasionally heavy cuts to check out from this talented local veteran!

There did seem to be more chatter between songs with the live viewers, but Tym offered good insights into certain songs and his compositions! However, fans who aren't as into instrumentals may not like their extra focus here, and the Bryan Adams and Jim Croce songs were repeated from last Thursday's live-stream. For the first time in almost a month, give this live-stream a watch below, and stay tuned for his Thursday show in an upcoming post!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Squatfest) & A New Solo Performance Video!!

Kicking off a new and hopefully a much busier (and more positive) month at the SMS, we have a new solo clip to check out, but first, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the Sault Ontario area, believe it or not, and much sooner than you think! Here's what you should know!

Over four months after the Sault Ontario concert calendar ground to a halt, Blood Shed Productions head Tyler Gibson is planning to host a outdoor concert festival called Squatfest on Saturday, August 8th (one week from today!) The Facebook event page is set to private, but Tyler confirmed there that the show is publically attendable and will have paid admission. To be held at 5 Dixie Drive in nearby Heyden (down the road from Christie's RV; look for the Loch Ness Monster statue), this seems to be formatted similarly to the Oh!No festivals, even down to encouraging attendees to stay the weekend and partake in outdoor activities in the vicinity. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet, and while this is outdoors, use common sense if you take the trip north next week. The stacked lineup includes a lot of acts shared between prior projects, many with ties to the Blood Shed label, so I'll be deviating from the Squatfest's advertised artist order here, and it is subject to change.

Tyler himself will perform as his grindcore solo project Crucify The Whore and as his drum & bass side project Alegendary, while his frequent collaborator Chase Wigmore will be performing as himself (presumably doing his folk/punk originals) and as his extreme metal project Awokest. As well, Chase will reunite with Blackwater alum James Watterworth for The Strange Coyotes' second reunion set, though I have yet to hear publically if the band proper is back beyond one-offs, let alone if they will be formatted similarly to their December acoustic gig. James will apparently also play a solo set, much like he frequently did in the early 2010s. Blood Shed co-founder Austin McCrea is scheduled twice for Squatfest, including a regular solo set (perhaps doing Brutally Fatal or Revolution material?) and as his scarcely seen rap alter ego Miracle Man. The remaining acts are not shared elsewhere, including ex-Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti, death metal project Black Cloud, ...

...party rap/metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, and rapper Joonas "JSK" Kamula, who has collaborated with Chase in the past. More yet-revealed acts are also advertised, we'll let you know if they are announced next week. Squatfest is an ALL AGES event with a recommended $5 donation upon entry, and merchandise from Blood Shed and performing acts will be on sale. Camping is welcomed, and while food & drinks will be on sale, Tyler is asking attendees to not bring glass. As well, Tyler is welcoming possible attendees to come to the site as early as Friday to hang out, jam at a planned bonfire, and help set up the stage. Given the climate with the pandemic, any ambitious multi-band concert like this would have to be outdoors due to indoor space limitations and what have you, and Squatfest seems like a workable alternative, if under somewhat limited notice! If you love Blood Shed Productions and Tyler, Chase, James, and Austin's back catalogues, this will be well worth a trip north to Heyden, so see above for more details!

Finally for today's post, here is a new solo performance video from ex-Brain Tuel guitarist Zach Reid's YouTube channel, as posted last month! An instrumental acoustic number, this folksier song is well done (if a little repetitive down the stretch), and it's nice seeing Zach still working on some new music during these crazy times. Give this video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

We Will Rock You At The Gardens, Plus New Videos & More Updates!!

On this (Canadian) long weekend, let's tackle some more recent news and notes before we enjoy Thanksgiving proper, so what's on tap tonight? Some assorted recent stories, new videos from recent concerts, and leading off, a big event announcement for you fans of both live musicals AND hard rock!

Remember how St. Mary's College students put on a production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You in May? Well, the real thing is coming to GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday, January 29th! Though not a concert in the traditional sense, this live stage production will bring two dozen Queen songs to life in a jukebox musical about individuals rising against their oppressive leaders in a dystopian future, though if you saw the local production in May, you'll already know that. A very late (if not the last) stop in the fall/winter tour for We Will Rock You, this should be a fun way for Queen and musical theater fans to see these classic songs in a unique, over-the-top presenation, and preview videos I have seen showcase a lot of talented performers! Tickets run from $78.50 to $98.50, VIP packages aside, and plenty of great tickets are available at this link, at the Gardens' in-person box office, or at 1-866-775-9422. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, we have a new video of local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns to share here, courtesy of their concert at The Canadian Motor Hotel's Upper Deck Bar & Grill this past Friday, which I regrettably missed for coverage on here. The band did plug it this past Monday on their Facebook page, but not afterwards, and the venue's Facebook page never mentioned it either. I profusely apologize for missing this show on here, I will try harder to stay on top of their gigs in the future! In any event, this was their first publically advertised show at The Upper Deck since November of last year, and seeing them outside of The Whiskey Barrel nowadays isn't common. That all said, we do have a video from their show on Friday, courtesy of SaultOnline's Mike Caruso, who is still posting a ton of videos from local cover bands onto his YouTube channel, and (barring new uploads) we'll have at least one more hard rock band clip of his to share later this week. Also, ignore the horse thumbnail, it's not part of the actual footage.

The video proper is of The Wyld Stallyns (plus Rob & Jesse's Elements bandmates James White & Jonas Gasperas) covering Dusty Springfield's "Son of A Preacher Man", which sounds good, but the vocal clarity is muddled through the audio setup. Also, why was Mike's stationary camera set up so far from the band? If you can avoid showing all of the empty seats at this point in the gig, you should do it! Still a solid clip, especially if you like seeing all of The Elements (and Christina) together in an unplugged setting, so give this video a look below, and apologies again! Hopefully the show was a hit!



Also today, here's a new video from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith's Facebook page, courtesy of a "coffeehouse concert" he played at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Thompson last month, though it was only posted last week. This video features Mike playing his new song "The Best You Never Had", which was the song sampled in his original teaser video for his now-next CD "If Ever Comes The Day", so this is our first chance to hear the song in full, albeit live. I'll hold comment on the song proper for now, but this video uniquely includes a poll at the 0:50 mark, asking if Mike should release the full song as the second single from the new album. As far as I can tell, "Yes" is winning, so take that for what you will! The video proper is well filmed, despite an oddly low angle, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's new album as it rolls in, including more recent live material from Thompson!



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:

• Brutally Fatal frontman & Blood Shed Productions co-founder Austin McCrae is looking to join a band as a guitarist, as per his posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on September 21st. He said that he misses playing on stage, and is "down for any genre", though note that his prior local band work has ranged from death metal to doom/punk. No word on what this means for Brutally Fatal, who claimed in May to be releasing a new album "this summer", but message Austin at this link or above if you want more info!
• A Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute band has quietly replaced the planned White/Rob Zombie tribute at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party at The Rockstar Bar on November 1st, as per updates (including a new poster) to the Facebook event page. A reason for the switch was not announced, but remember that inactive local punk band The HTs did a Gimme Gimmes tribute set at this event in 2017. I am unsure if the 2019 tribute is related otherwise, but one imagines J.D. himself may be singing. Look for lots of punk covers of non-punk covers from this band, in any event!
• I have moved local metal musician Mike Vincent to our inactive band links, as he has not posted a public update regarding his solo project since posting his newest song "Nocturnal" on his Bandcamp page in September of last year, past our one-year cut-off. The Skull After Betrayl & Bear Hunters alum had revived his solo project in 2017, and even released two solo albums in March 2018, but updates for his planned third album "For Dear Life" were few and far between, and he never launched a public page outside of Bandcamp to promote his music with. Mike's a talented guy, hopefully he revisits his solo work down the road!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week, and to all of our Canadfian readers, have a great Thanksgiving! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota EP Updates, The Revolution's Only Studio Song, And Much More!!

On this Sunday morning, we have to keep the news rolling and get our cache of backlogged stories a little more cleared out, so we have some assorted notes, lineup notes on an upcoming concert, and a posthumous studio track today! First though, here's all you should know on a recent CD release!

With it's successful local release at Thursday night's LopLops Lounge concert, I absolutely purchased a copy of Id Iota's debut EP "Maudlin Fair", so what should you know about it? This is the full album cover, and as previously teased in official photos, the EP features 4 songs ("California Wasted", "Permanence In Pencil", "One Cent Vaudeville", and "Bitter Tea"), with the tracks running for just over 14 minutes in length. Performers on the album include singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and drummer Blair St. John, though recording sessions largely took place between bassist Justin Girardi's departure and the addition of Dan Linklater, so Blair handles bass on the studio tracks. Similarly to The Pixo Control's debut CD, Dustin recorded and mixed "Maudlin Fair", with mastering done in Toronto by Chuck Carvalho of Joao Carvalho Mastering. The EP appears to be an independent release, and the tray plugs their unlaunched website as http://www.id-iota.com.

Copies of "Maudlin Fair" sold for $5, and will presumably be available at future concerts, but online availability is yet to be established. That said, when can you expect a review of "Maudlin Fair" on the SMS? I have Id Iota tentatively pencilled in for next month, as the AlgomA/Chronobot split EP is coming in the next week, but stay tuned for much more on Id Iota's debut CD soon, and get a hold of band members if you want a copy beforehand!

Next up, remember The Revolution (formerly the second version of Brutaly Fatal?) They were the 2014-15 doom/punk band that played a few notable local shows and had began recording sessions at PaperClip Productions towards a debut EP named "Roll Call" before breaking up (twice) last year, but as part of a special 4/20 surprise on PaperClip's Facebook page, we can finally hear the only completed studio track from the recording sessions there! Recorded early last year, this is for the band's song "Get High With Me", and the Facebook video confirms the EP's planned cover art as well. The lineup here includes singer/guitarist Austin McCrae (now back with the original Brutally Fatal) and drummer Brandan Glew (The Din) alongside Pillory bassist Jordan Leach, who replaced Rainey Vincent on bass before recording sessions began, but never played live with The Revolution. With all of that said, how does The Revolution's only studio track sound?

Harbouring more of their punk sound than doom, it's lively and well written, but Austin's vocals sound a little forced at times, and the lyrics can be a little repetitive. Still, it's great to finally hear some of The Revolution's cancelled recording sessions make it out there, and it'd be interesting to see the band reunite again if the stars align! Check out "Get High With Me" below!



Also today, remember The Sky's The Limit, the May 5th all-ages concert at The Tech that's being headlined by The Pixo Control as part of Algoma Family Services Children’s Mental Week? As you may remember, promoters were filling the opening slots with auditions at The Tech earlier this month for artists 29 and under, but as of this writing, promoters have yet to officially announce any openers. That said, there have been some confirmations and hints from artists themselves to give us an idea! One is Tristan "White Noize" Goslow, a local Christian rapper whose involvement was confirmed by his dad on the Facebook event page. He's got good flow, and should impress rap fans on the 15th! Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din expressed interest in auditioning as well, but at a different date due to guitarist Tammy Hill being out of town, and an organizer apparently sent a message in reply. The Din haven't said if they're playing or not since, but they'd be a good fit if they are! Our last clue comes via this video that apparently came from the audition at the former St. Mary's College site, so what should you know?

This is of a group of three young musicians, including guitarist Spencer Pine alongside musicians named Elijah and Beau, and while I believe all are current White Pines Collegiate students, I can't 100% verify the others' full identities. Uploaded to what appears to be Spencer's YouTube channel on April 7th, this is of the three covering Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" at the audition, which Spencer says that they "nailed" in the video title, but again, promoters haven't publically confirmed the openers yet. The guys do a good job here, with decent vocals and a strong solo, and they'd be fun to see on the 5th, so see more on the possible openers above & below!



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

• Shawn Miller of The Metal Observer reviewed local doom metal trio AlgomA's split vinyl EP with Saskatchewan's Chronobot at this link, where he gave it an 8/10 score, saying that the split brings "a truckload of Sabbathian riffs that would make (Tony) Iommi smile like a proud father." Very positive overall review with few negative comments, so check it out above!
• The aforementioned Austin McCrae is looking to start a punk/grunge band that would play original and cover material, and needs guitarists and a drummer (he'd presumably be on vocals and bass.) He has practice space and spare equipment, though it's not clear if this is part of a Revolution revival or an entirely new project. If you're interested in trying out, message Austin at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last week!
• In a clarification & apology regarding new local death metal band Kaepora Gaebora's lineup, we can confirm that their new bassist is Jeph Brown, who I don't recall from any other recent local bands. We erroneously noted on the site earlier that Twistory's Josh Amendola was their bassist, so I apologize for that, I can be bad with faces sometimes (plus, the band still doesn't list Jeph on their Facebook page's lineup.) Stay tuned for more on Kaepora Gaebora's next concert later this week!

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

Skynet/Chronobot Concert Preview, Swampstravaganza Lineup Updates, And More!!

In quite possibly our last news post before TOMORROW'S Anvil concert at The Canadian, we have our last of the weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews (barring something on late notice), big lineup updates for an upcoming all ages show, and some new videos related to a (possibly still alive?) hard rock act, so here's what you need to know!

On Sunday night, an interesting lineup of metal and punk bands will hit 180 Projects for that Gore Street venue's first metal show of the new year, including the long awaited local debut of Hamilton progressive metal quartet Skynet as the headliners! Featuring alumni of Straight Reads The Line, you may remember Skynet from briefly being scheduled to headline at The Locals Attack in November 2012, but now they're finally going to devastate the local stage with their groove & djent influenced originals, so you won't wanna miss them! Joining them are Saskatchewan stoner/doom metal quartet Chronobot, who have a space-influenced vibe that will definitely help them stand out among the other bands tomorrow, and of course, doom metal fans should be right at home too! The local openers include local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA in their first show of the new year, and while they haven't played live in 7 months, they've hardly been idle due to the recording of their "Reclaimed By The Forest" EP, so might we hear some new material from them on Sunday night?

Local punk trio The Northern Tragedy will open this show in their second 180 Projects appearance, and while they're the only non-metal band on the bill, their entertaining originals should gain a solid audience all the same! Promoted by Jamie Vincent & Oh! Right Arm! Promotions in their first collective show of the year, Sunday night's ALL AGES show has a $5 cover charge, and a 7:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I like the diverse lineup of bands, and there should be a lot of heavy action going down on Sunday, so don't miss out! I hope I can go, but we'll have to see how busy I am that night. For a preview, here's Skynet's music video for their song "Deception"!



Next up, three more acts have been announced for this year's fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza on May 3rd at The Oddfellows Hall, though considering the combined lineup of one, it's almost four! One is local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes, in what will be the second straight Swampstravaganza appearance for bassist James Watterworth, but it remains to be seen how their drummer situation will look by then. For reference sake, their Facebook page has not made any drummer announcements yet, but their predecessor band Project Legion operated solely with temporary fill-ins, and the surviving members play solo often without the need for a drummer. Speaking of which, their former drummer Mike Haggith is also slated to perform this year in what's currently being advertised as a solo set (perhaps his first of this kind since his Outback gigs early in his local residence.) Mike did say on the Facebook event page that it could be expanded to a set by his acid jam band Mike Haggith & The Din, but he did admit that he'd like to showcase his original material live, so we'll have to see what happens in his own second Swampstravaganza!

The other new band is actually credited as a joint set, as remember local/Grand Rapids folk/acoustic trio Ye Olde Mold Pickers from the second Swampstravaganza in 2012? Well, they're reuniting for at least one night on May 3rd in a combined set with their successors, Grand Rapids ragtime/blues trio The Filthy Cur, whose lineup is almost the same (just swap out Rihkee Strap for Mickey MacKenzie.) It remains to be seen if the two bands will merge for a full set, or if each individual band will play short mini-sets, but Ye Olde Mold Pickers had a unique sound that will be interesting to see back on the local stage, if only for a day! If they do play a combined full set, would Ye Olde Filthy Curs be a fitting name? Finally, the advertised solo set from promoter/RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowski under the "faceityoureametalband" handle has been removed from the event page's lineup for unannounced reasons, though Steve did say that his performing involvement was not final.

Disappointing, but kudos to him for bringing the Swampstravaganza back this year! This year's Swampstravaganza lineup now has 7 confirmed acts, and I would assume at least 2 or 3 more are forthcoming, so stay tuned for updates at this link and here at the SMS!

Finally for today, here's some new videos from Brutaly Fatal frontman Austin McCrae! Uploaded to their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Wednesday, these join YouTube re-posts of two recent Facebook videos that Austin was featured in, and they're covers of Weezer's "Pork & Beans" and (as embedded below) Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy"! Now, neither are metal songs, but I mention them here because they are both credited setlist songs of Austin and Tyler Gibson's punk/grunge band Re-Born, which morphed from the original Brutaly Fatal last month before they resurrected that band. I still don't know whether Re-Born are still operating independently or not, but either way, these are samples of what we can/could expect from that project. They do show Austin's development as a musician, and he can carry a tune, but the lack of a guitar here is noticeable, and will be more so live for this style. Check out his Marcy Playground cover below, and stay tuned in case we hear any updates on Re-Born's active status!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, and I'll see you guys at The Canadian for Anvil! Thanks everyone!