LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Carried Away), Rotaryfest Footage, And A Unique New Record Store!!

I hope all of our Caandian readers are having a great Civic Holiday! Today on the site, we have some long overdue coverage of a unique new-ish record store, a lengthy full-set concert video, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you need to know!

Toronto pop punk quartet Carried Away will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, August 28th when they headline at The Rockstar Bar! Already making waves in Southern Ontario since their launch 3 years ago, this female fronted outfit have impressed fans with their high energy punk sound, complete with emo and alternative influences, and they should keep up their positive and proficient original material with Saultite fans in three weeks! The only announced opening band is Man Feelings, a new (and online page-less) local alternative rock band featuring Bizotic/Sounds From The Green Room alum B.J. Swire, though I don't know anything else about their lineup or sound. Other than a cancelled Downtown Street Party set last month, I have no other details on Man Feelings, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! This concert is a co-presentation of former A Dire Setback singer Larry Babic and photographer Josh Pace, in their first promotional booking of 2018.

This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and it currently has an advertised start time of 8:00 PM, which may not be inaccurate given the work-week scheduling, but we'll let you know if it's actually later. The Tuesday night scheduling may not be optimal for many local punk fans, but if you can make it to The Rockstar Bar for this one, you should be musically rewarded! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, have you been hoping for some more videos from Rotaryfest's stages? Well, how does the entire Stage 1 set (more or less) from early-2010s classic/hard rock cover veterans Turner Up sound? Yes, the former Full Circle were the focus of this video from new local filmmakers Passionate Wolf Productions, as uploaded to their YouTube channel last week. After a nicely detailed introduction, Turner Up's set included covers of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times", The Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush", Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", April Wine's "Just Between You & Me", Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny", The Outfield's "Your Love", April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen", Velvet Revolver's "Slither", and Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band on the Run", so visit each link to hear each song. Travis Sharpe's between song banter was usually cut from the final upload, and the audio is often somewhat muffled, but the video quality is great otherwise here!

While this is a composite lineup from across Turner Up's prior runs (and Travis was previously their bassist, not singer), this performance seems to have been a success, and Passionate Wolf had a nice close angle of the action, but will this be the last we've seen of Turner Up? Give their Stage 1 set at Clergue Park a watch below, and don't miss Travis with Soundcheck in the interim!



Also today, here's something that I admittedly should have acknowledged on the site long ago: A new local record store named Oosik Records! That said, it may be easy to miss, given that owner Al Bjornaa set it up in a used meat trailer, and it's believed to be the smallest record store in the world! I profusely apologize for the delay in covering this joint on the SMS, it has been open since June of last year, but better late than never! I can't find a firm address for Oosik Records, but it's home base is nearby Batchewana Bay along the highway. In it's trailer locale, Oosik (named for a specific part of whale anatomy in Inuit) plays host to hundreds of vinyl records and cassette tapes, plus books, art, stickers, patches, old record & tape players, and even vintage toys from local retailer Puke Skywalker. Hours are flexible to nonexistent at Oosik Records, with a come-and-go, pay-what-you-can model when Al's not around.

If you peruse the albums on past and present offer on their Instagram page, you'll find a ton of independent artists who I've never even heard of, plus many we all have, so you never know what you'll come across! And if a trip to Batchewana is too far or impractical, Al has brought stock with him for sale at Sault Ste. Marie events affiliated with Nicole Dyble's Dryer Fire promotion company, from the old Gore Street Cafe to her recent open mic, concert, and night martket events on the M.S. Norgoma. They even hosted an acoustic show at Oosik Records headquarters last month, so maybe more is on the horizon there in that regard? I don't have many Batchewana connections (partly hence why Oosik Records was off my radar for so long), but this definitely warrants a trip that direction! I like Al's ambition and generosity, and the eclectic selection is more than welcomed, so be sure to visit the above links and this SooToday article by Jeff Klassen for more on Oosik Records!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide), And Much More!!

In our last post of July 2015, we're tackling a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW and a related news article, but we also have a band's returning singer to note (and just in time for their next show, also tomorrow), with a new music video with punk ties to wrap things up. Now, here's what you should know, and check out our review of SweetKenny's new CD in the post below this one!

Local/Toronto Celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will return to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT when they head to The Voyageurs Lodge in Batchewana Bay (Highway 17 North, 45 minutes from the Soo) for their annual Musicfest! Apologies for the short notice, we only just heard about this show yesterday via this Sault Star article, more on that in a second. The second of two shows from Dustin and The Tide (with Late Shift's Clint Wilson on drums) this weekend, TOMORROW'S show will follow a Thessalon gig tonight, and will see the talented local band open for Waterloo folk sextet The Royal Streets, a talented and easy-going band that should get a good reception up in Batchewana tomorrow! As best as I can tell, this will be The Rising Tide's first regional show since The Boot Hill Crooners' CD release party in the spring, and they should be in great spirits to rock this show for their return,so keep a trip north in mind if you've missed them!

TOMORROW'S show starts at The Voyageurs Lodge at 7:30 PM, admission is $20 or $15 in advance, ans ask ahead if there will be an age limit in effect. For more details, check the above links, and as for the Sault Star article (entitled "No Rush for Rising Tide") is courtesy of the paper's own Brian Kelly, who talked to Dustin Jones about his recent Tidal Records focus and dialed down Tide tour schedule, how the guys will tackle planned covers tomorrow night, and plans for their fourth album, which will apparently begin writing sessions this fall, but Dustin emphasized that they hope to relax and take their time for it. Solid, if brief, article and interview that gives some good insights into Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's recent activity, but note that the included photo features former drummer Mikey Hawdon, rather than Clint or another recent skinsman.

Check out the article above, don't miss The Rising Tide's return in Batchewana Bay TOMORROW (or in Thessalon tonight), and here's the guys live!

Next up, here's a late notice lineup addition/return for TOMORROW'S Elements-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar, as local openers Project 421 have welcomed former singer Curtis McKenzie back to the band, once again making them a quintet. The news was quietly revealed on the classic metal quartet's Facebook page in recent days, with Curt confirming his return yesterday on his personal Facebook page. Curtis (also well known from The Din & Haggith) sang for Project 421 in early 2014 before departing the band due to personal commitments, but with Haggith reportedly breaking up next month, there appears to be renewed time in his schedule! Of course, Blair Burch remains with the band on guitar and backing vocals, like during Curtis' first stint with the band, while his return reunites him with former Haggith guitarist Daniel Horton.

This is great news, especially given Curt's vocal talents, so be sure to welcome Curt back to Project 421 TOMORROW NIGHT (and remember, this is new drummer Chris Thompson's second show with ther band as well!) Check the above links for more on this Gonqshow event!

Finally for today, I wanted to give special mention to the new music video from local/Ottawa folk/indie artist Kalle Mattson, who doesn't normally cross into the SMS' genre range, but is a talented and extremely accomplished musician whose new music video definitely is worth a look! Yesterday, Kalle's new music video for his song "Avalanche" (off of the EP of the same name) went online on YouTube, and it's already attracting a lot of attention based on the creative theme, which sees him and bandmates recreating 35 of his favourite album covers in-studio, with most clumped for quick costume, prop, and effect changes. Though his music doesn't skew to this genre, punk fans will enjoy the Clash, Ramones, and Sex Pistols recreations within, plus many more classic & alternative rock covers, and overall, it's very well done and deserves the attention it's recieved!

Musically, I'm not the right person to judge this song, as folk and indie rock isn't in my wheelhouse, but it's well performed for the genre, and Kalle is a creative talent! Give the "Avalanche" video a look below,and keep an eye out for many familiar covers (I won't spoil them further!)



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more as we enter the month of August! Thanks everyone!