Mike Haggith - "Under A Moonlit Sky" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 205th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and as we continue slowly mowing through our new album release backlog, we'll head back to Sault Ontario this month to look at prolific local/Barrie alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith's new live album "Under A Moonlit Sky"! In a brief detour from his studio album catalogue, this is his first solo live album since 2018's acoustic "From The Nickel Stage" and his first full-band live album since The Din's "Technically Live" in 2021. This was recorded during Mike's headlining concert with his Big Finish Band at The Downtown Plaza on September 25th, 2025, which was originally planned as a battle of the bands before being cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances". Now a rare Mike Haggith headlining concert in the Soo, it was recorded for posterity from the soundboard, with Mike Blair's 705Live Sound Co. running things.

Mike Haggith produced and enhanced the raw audio for the album proper, which was released by his own MorningStar Records on November 30th. Mike is on lead vocals and rhythm guitar here, and The Big Finish Band (in their album debut) were represented by their current lineup, including A Dire Setback/With Gunfire guitarist Chris Nielsen, ex-Gnaeus bassist Matt Fronzi, Mike's old Din bandmate Brandan Glew on drums, and Drifters/ex-Re:Born frontwoman Elly McWatters on backing vocals and tambourine (she didn't play rhythm guitar here due to her then-recovery from rotator cuff surgery). You can stream "Under A Moonlit Sky" on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Anghami, and (of course) Boomplay, while you can buy the album in mp3 download format on Bandcamp and iTunes for $10, give or take a cent. You can also watch the whole unedited concert from multiple pro-shot camera angles at this link!

CD copies were teased for "early 2026", but have not arrived at press time. Just to clarify how this review will be formatted... as this is a live album primarily comprised of re-recordings, I will only formally "review" tracks that were never previously included on a (Mike) Haggith or Din album that I have previously looked at. As was the case when I reviewed The Din's three live albums on the SMS, I will compare the performances of established songs to their studio version where possible, but if you want to read my thoughts of the songs in their original form, my reviews of those albums will be linked below. Also note that the full video of this concert is about 6 minutes longer than the album, thanks to closing credits and some minor clean-up of between-song breaks. Unlike on "Technically Live" (which omitted "Of Cars & Criminals"), no full songs from the proper concert were cut from the album.

With 19 tracks running for about 69 minutes, let's begin this review! The opening song for the album and concert was its shortest proper song "Brand New Day", which led off Mike's 2025 mailing list subscriber-exclusive album "Frequent Flyer". Aside from a slightly extended drum intro by Brandan and an adlibbed remark about the nice weather that evening, this is pretty faithful to the original song, retaining its upbeat power pop nature, but I do prefer the backing vocals on the live version, which feel more naturally included. This bleeds right into "Missing", which Mike and Brandan originally recorded for The Din's second and final studio album, 2017's "Suburban Dream". The live concert energy and Mike's improved vocal range give this some some more life and energy while still harbouring a melancholy mid-tempo vibe.

Structurally, some notes are held extra for effect, but the song is basically the same as what The Din recorded originally. I prefer more fully upbeat hard rock-leaning compositions, but it's still a good track! Third up is (technically) the shortest track here, namely "Guitar Adlib", which is literally just 40 seconds of Mike improvising on his acoustic guitar while offering some sung filler vocals and banter with his bandmates. Amusing for what it is, but this really could (and should) have been tacked on to the next proper song, "MorningStar", which was first heard on 2020's "If Ever Comes The Day". I did find that this song felt a little empty as originally presented, so filling it out with a live band,and more electric instrumentation does help it! Otherwise, the song is structured the same, aside from being played a little faster, and it's still a pleasant reflection on a lost love that fans of the original will still enjoy!

After plugging his merchandise table, Mike next plays "Carousel" (from his most recent proper "mainline" studio album, 2023's "All The Best In All You Do"), but here, the addition of a live backing band actually doesn't lead to complimentary backing vocals, which fit prior songs better here. Chris' lead guitar work has more flourish than the studio version had, but this live take is otherwise structurally similar, and it still has a soaring emotional quality that suits Mike's modern catalogue! Mike next introduces Matt on bass, crediting him for helping write their next song, "You Are The Sun" (from "Frequent Flyer"). The live version drastically shortens Matt's opening bass intro, but for the bulk of it, the composition is similar, but with extra jangly percussion. While not Mike's most "rocking" song, the live atmosphere does give it an energy boost, and it remains one of his more upbeat, casual recent songs!

The next two songs are Mike's newest originals (as of 2025), and have yet to make a studio album of any kind, so consider these full reviews. The first is "I Really Hope This Gets To You", which is basically a message to an ex-romantic partner explaining why one had to leave the relationship. A driving rocker with direct yet melodic lyrics, this will definitely appeal to fans of Mike's hard rock-leaning material, and Elly's backing vocals are a nice compliment in this setting! Brandan's drumming is a strong compliment, and while not short, it blows by at a good pace right into the other new song, "No Love", which feels like a sequel to the prior track in which Mike/the narrator gets a letter back from their ex, and stands firm about not having feelings for them anymore despite their implied remorse. Of the two, I prefer "I Really Hope This Gets To You" for its melody and edge, as the main riff on "No Love" is too relentlessly pulsating, and I think they over-harmonized the choruses.

It's not a bad song, and it compliments the preceding cut well for lyrical content and overall tone, but it doesn't feel as loose yet direct all at once. The last song of the first half of the album/concert is "Hot & Cold", as first heard on "All The Best In All You Do". This live version cuts 2 minutes from the studio copy's 6+ minute runtime, primarily extended instrumental sections, while Mike and The Big Finish Band do play it faster. As I noted in the "All The Best..." album review, I was familiar with live versions of this song before that review was written, and at the time, I preferred this song live, as the studio copy felt overproduced with added synths and keys that took away from the rocking edge. Three years later, I still feel the same way, as this live take is one of the highlights of the album, and Mike's knee held up throughout!  Next is the album's title track "Under A Moonlit Sky", which is one of three filler spoken word tracks here.

This just serves as the extended intro to the next two songs, both from "If Ever Comes The Day". Personally, I'd have just rolled this intro into the start of "Back Away Slowly" (whose lyrics contain the album name), but this is hardly the first time that Mike has included spoken word banter or setups as their own track on a live album. "Back Away Slowly" comes across as shorter and tighter than the studio version, with the full band input livening up what was already a solid song (note Chris having extra room to show off on lead guitar). Still an upbeat power pop song with personal lyrics that is complimentary of a full band, keys/synths-devoid setup! That's followed by "The Best You Never Had", which actually opened "If Ever Comes The Day". The live version here is similarly paced and structured to the studio version, but without the piano parts, it does come off more like a rock song, which is to its benefit again.

I prefer songs where Mike uses his voice moreso than the low, affecting, and almost-spoken word verses here, but it's a good song with weighty lyrics in any format! The live version is a little longer thanks to post-song banter to promote their merchandise on sale. Next up is the second of three filler spoken word banter tracks, namely "Moving West", where Mike addresses the ongoing recording of the live album from the 705Live soundboard, and then talks about his move from the Soo to Thompson, Manitoba to further his ambitions of becoming a commercial pilot, and what awaited him when he lived there and to continue striving for his ultimate goal. Again, I'd have just rolled this into the opening of the next song ("An Act Of Strength" from his 2021 studio album "Bridges"), especially as the live track is a minute shorter thanks to the intro being absorbed into "Moving West".

"Bridges" was the most synth-heavy of Mike's post-pandemic solo albums, so stripping that away for the live concert version does give it a more direct focus, but I did find the percussion to be too constant. Not my favourite of the live staples here, as it's more along one or two tracks throughout without ever kicking into a high gear, but it's well performed! The final spoken word track is next, and on "The Power Of Community", Mike explains how this show came together on relatively short notice (Mike does not directly address the planned battle of the bands), and how the community came together to make this special headlining concert come together. Mike also introduces The Big Finish Band here, with Elly doing the honours to introduce Mike (who flew in from Barrie the previous night!). They play another "Bridges" cut next, namely its first single "The Nature Of The Times", which is actually longer than the studio version is.

Despite the intro being absorbed by the prior spoken word intro, The Big Finish Band add an extended outro rather than the fade-out on the studio album. This song comes out similarly otherwise to the original, but with more of the full band oomph and less harmonic elements, but it will still appeal to fans of Mike's more indie rock-inspired material, and the band gets room to show off! Matt's bass is particularly solid here. The last two songs from Mike's solo catalogue on the setlist are played next, both courtesy of "All The Best In All You Do". Of those, first is "All The Best", which is similarly composed but longer thanks to an extended outro to replace the fade-out, and there's no synth here, so the full rock potential of the song is met. I'd still have more varied chorus vocals, but it's a solid track that capped off regular versions of the original CD in style, and it suits a full band approach!

The penultimate song here was "Twist Of Fate", which is played very similarly to the studio version aside from crowd banter & having a definite ending. The backing vocals could be somewhat overdone on the choruses, but as one of Mike's heaviest and fastest original songs of his post-move era, this is a definite highlight that largely translates well to the stage! Mike & crew return for an encore of "75", which began life when his old grunge band Haggith recorded it for "Deuce" in 2013, but The Din's cover on 2016's "Give In To The Din" shares more in common with the 2025 live take. In any form, this is a very punk-inspired track with a power pop influence, and its chorus remains as catchy as ever! The backing vocals are implemented better than they were in 2013, but it's the same song and that's not a bad thing. It's a perfect capper to the set that fans of Mike at his heaviest will enjoy, and Chris shines on the solos!

How do I grade Mike's first solo live album with a full backing band? Overall, it's a strong window into Mike Haggith's modern local concerts with The Big Finish Band, and given as high quality of a recording and post-production as they can muster, and it shows! The soundboard recording (while muting fan levels somewhat) is crystal clear, and while the presence of a backing vocalist and two guitarists does pump up the sound, things do come off bigger and better for recording quality here than on The Din's live albums. Yes, the idea of Mike and the gang playing a headlining concert rather than a short battle of the bands set was short notice, but they made the most of the challenge and opportunity, and I did find that many of the songs (for what I go for in rock) were improved via the immediacy, crowd engagement, and lack of synth backing, so Din fans will like those aspects.

Of course, I go for Mike's hard rock and power pop-tinged stuff like "Twist Of Fate", "Hot & Cold", and "75" the most from what was played live at the Downtown Plaza here, but he picked a good cross-section of his recent solo catalogue, and The Big Finish Band were collectively up to the task (see most of them in the country rock cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters when Mike isn't in town!). I wouldn't have bothered segmenting the spoken word intros and the guitar adlib into their own individual tracks, backing vocals were inconsistently applied, and there are songs of Mike's that I'd be interested to see played live, here or in general (like "If Ever Comes The Day", "Over Indecision", and "Miles & Memories"). This is an ideal way to experience the Mike Haggith live concert experience in the mid-2020s, and don't miss him and The Big Finish Band next month at the next Downtown Street Party and the Northern Vibe Festival!

Buy or stream "Under A Moonlit Sky" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, we'll stay in Sault Ontario for a look at local ska punk band ASDP's debut album "Atom Bombs & Lemonade" from December, as we continue hollowing out our new album backlog. Look for that by month's end, and stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of Mike Haggith's Community Pulse Video Interview From Last Month!!

Today's single-topic post takes us back to the Scarborough-based independent music webseries The Community Pulse, who interviewed local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith for a second time on December 22nd! You may remember when Mike was interviewed (alongside HeadF1rst frontman Red Jettison) in episode #67 back in June, and he was invited back for another remote interview for episode #94. Now, this is their Christmas episode, and we're obviously almost a month removed from it, so make note of the belated seasonality before watching, but given holiday commitments, the odds that I would have been able to make time to watch and cover this before Boxing Day were slim. The two hour episode begins with audio recordings of "Li'l Miss Blu" playing "We Three Kings" on piano, followed by host Frank Terzo's orchestral version of "This Christmas", so if you want to skip straight to the interview, head to the 8:35 mark.

Frank (who is not from the Soo despite his fitting name) starts by setting up the episode and The Community Pulse's official Christmas playlist, as well as bantering with this episode's co-host, a Racine, Wisconsin indie musician only known as J.J., a.k.a. Mr. Folkpunk. Laurie Pepi Igo (the Massachusetts-based pianist who hosts Laurie's Mishmosh) also pops up 13:45 in for her regular guest spot, this time before Mike joined in the chat. Shout-outs after Laurie entered suggest that former Inner City Surfers bassist Brad Example was watching, which is neat! After addressing why Mike is in this episode, Frank plays two more songs on air, including Laurie's own version of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" alongside Hugh Caldwell, plus "Joy Throughout The World" by the British pop rock musician P.A.L. (pronounced "Paul"). The hosts and Laurie return on camera at 29:45.

Once credits and comments are made on those two songs, Laurie signs out of the episode (after a brief false start), and Mike first appears on camera at 31:45, sticking around for the remaining 90 minutes, song and video breaks aside. Apologies to Detroit Lions fans reading this over Mike's Green Bay Packers sweater! We get around 20 minutes of unbroken interview time to start, with Mike leading off by addressing the cancelled battle of the bands at the Downtown Plaza in September and how he & his Big Finish Band rushed to turn the 15 minute battle set into an 80 minute headlining performance in just 48 hours, how well the concert went over, the lucky strike that led to this concert getting the high quality recordings needed to release a proper live album, and why Mike opted to release "Under A Moonlit Sky" in conjunction with their Toystock set at the end of November for Christmas Cheer.

Sensing a chance to support a great local cause at the holidays, Mike opted to launch a fundraiser related to buys and streams of both the album and the YouTube video of the concert through the end of December, and he got in contact with Frank and The Community Pulse to get the word out for the charity drive, which he hoped would generate $1,000 in donations. J.J. next asks how much practice time that Mike gets with The Big Finish Band (answer: not a lot, he lives in Barrie), with Mike outlining how much pre-planning goes into their sets. He next gives credit to everyone in the band, and even acknowledges former Din guitarist Tammy Hill here, plus why ex-bassist Jacob Quarrell left in 2024. He also confirmed that Elly McWatters didn't play guitar at all last year due to recovery from rotator cuff surgery, but she may pick the guitar back up in 2026.

In the follow-up discussion on their setlist, Mike confirmed that his newer solo song "No Love" has had a studio demo recording and will be on his next album (presumably alongside "I Really Hope This Gets To You"), and the working title for the album is currently "Was It Just A Dream?". At the 52:30 mark, two consecutive songs from the "Under A Moonlit Sky" video are played on air, specifically "No Love" and "Hot & Cold". While the second half of the episode begins 1:00:15 into the livestream, we don't stay in the proper interview for long, as Frank sets up two more songs by indie musicians in their community next, including Hamilton folk duo Jo & Barrie Glenn playing "In The Bleak Midwinter" and British singer-songwrtier Harriet B. playing "In Time For Christmas". Mike, Frank, and J.J. return at 1:10:25 with some light discussion, and the introduction for Mike & the band's next on-air song.

From "Under A Moonlit Sky", we next see the live performance of "An Act Of Strength", which Mike talks about in regards to how different the live version is from the piano-heavy studio version from "Bridges".  That song is played at 1:16:15 with the interview resuming at 1:20:10, after which Mike addresses a young fan up front of the stage having a blast and the gear he was using that night. We next get two more Christmas songs from community members, including "Incarnation" by New York pop rock duo Mike & Dawn Ginese, and Christian musician DLynn's cover of "A Holly Jolly Christmas", and the guys return to the interview at 1:35:20. When the interview resumes, Mike discusses living in the Soo and his run with The Din here, which lead directly into Mike's last video from The Downtown Plaza show here, namely their cover of The Din's "Missing". That plays at 1:38:30 and ends at 1:42:30.

After plugging that performance and the (as of December 22nd) Christmas Cheer proceeds from streams/buys of the album and video, the last song/video of the episode is played, namely an "adult version" of the novelty song "Nuttin' For Christmas" by Denver rock musician Chris Lane Sr., which is a clear tonal jump (if an amusing one) from some of the earlier, more sincere carols! The interview returns for good at 1:50:40 for its final stretch, with final plugs and thanks, where the saying "All Hail Haggith" came from, Mike's positive perceptions of the music scene in the Soo, and the connectivity and relationships fostered here (Laurie even returns at the very end), before closing with Lou Monte's novelty song "Dominick The Donkey". A lot to pack in here, especially given that it dragged me back into Christmas mode in mid-January, but it's an effective interview that lets Mike expand on his career, good nature, and musicianship to good effect, and it's clear that Frank and J.J. appreciate his work and musical talents!

While the July interview was entertaining as well, it was heavily about HeadF1rst too given Red's involvement, so if you want to focus on Mike & The Big Finish Band, you may want to watch this one first, and depending on your tolerance of Christmas music out of season, navigate those songs as your preferences dictate (or wait until the end of the year). Give episode #97 of The Community Pulse a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Mike as 2026 continues! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Pop Evil), A New Christmas Album, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

We're back after a quiet weekend with a stacked post on this Monday night, including a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a brand new album release, and a new concert video & related updates, so here's what you should know!

Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return to our area on Sunday, April 12th, but this time, they'll be making their debut in Sault Ontario at The Machine Shop! Yes, it is 100% the local Machine Shop, not the one in Flint. Fans have seen these Rock 101 mainstays seven times in Sault Michigan over the years (all but one at their Kewadin Casino), including their most recent date here in March 2023, but if you Canadian readers were previously unable or unwilling to cross the border, then you'll want to circle this date on your calendar! Like last time, Pop Evil are touring in support of their new album, so expect to hear cuts from "What Remains", plus existing hits like "Skeletons", "Trenches", and "Breathe Again" in the spring! This will also be their first local stop since Blake Allison replaced Hayley Cramer on drums. No word on potential openers yet, but this show will not feature Sabaton, who Pop Evil are opening for on much of their early 2026 tour run.

Tickets for this all ages and 8:00 PM concert run for $40 + additional processing fees at this link at presumably at the door. We've been getting a good run of big new rock concert announcements in Sault Ontario for early 2026 so far, and this will absolutely help in that, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's a new-ish album release from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! On Friday, they released "Christmas Night 3" to their Reverbnation page for $7.99, and it's not on other paid or subscription streaming services beyond their YouTube channel. If you're not familiar, the original "Christmas Night" came out as an instrumental album in 2011, before they re-recorded and expanded it with then-singer Rachel Mender in 2022 as "Dreams Of Winter" (I assume they're considering that to be "Christmas Night 2"). For this third go-around with a seasonal album, Theatre of Night are collaborating again with German soprano singer Gaby Koss, who was once an official (if remote) band member in the early-mid 2010s, and worked with Craig, Steve, and crew again last year for a free  "Celtic Christmas metal EP", but there were teasers at the time that Gaby would be working on more material with them.

The five songs from last year's batch are included on "Christmas Night 3" along with five new additions, and note that of the 10 songs, "The First Noel", "O Come Emmanuel", "Let All Mortal Flesh", and "Good King Wenceslas" are all brand new to Theatre Of Night's paid studio output and did not feature on the two prior albums. How do these sound, and how do the other six compare to prior versions? I think we'll find out this month, as I'm going to bump our album review queue all up a month so this can be reviewed in a timely fashion! Otherwise, it'll be blocked for mid-2026 at the earliest, nowhere near Christmas (No Arrow will 100% come next month). Stream "Christmas Night 3" for yourselves below!

Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the long awaited full concert video from Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band's outdoor-ish headlining show at the Downtown Plaza in September! Of course, this concert was released as a live album named "Under A Moonlit Sky" late last month, but Mike promised right along that the the full video would be posted to his YouTube channel, and that went live on Thursday. 705Live Sound Co. were on hand to provide sound for the concert and this album, while videography was credited to Big Finish Band backing vocalist Elly McWatters (who must have set up one of the stationary cameras), guitarist Chris Nielsen's A Dire Setback bandmate Matt Quinn, and Celeste Maurer. There's at least three stationary cameras on hand here (one pointing directly at the stage, one at a corner angle, and a drumcam for Brandan Glew's sake), while Matt and/or Celeste was roaming to capture various close-up angles. 

For what it's worth, the last two songs are solely featured via the main stationary camera with no switches to other views. Of note, the stage was tarped on three of four sides with a forest/sky motif, but the material wasn't opaque, so natural lighting is reflected in the skyline, and as the show took place during sunset and dusk, things do darken naturally. It is a neat visual! The concert proper is longer than the album, so more of the between-song banter and gaps are left in, but in tagging each individual song in the YouTube description, Mike opted not to credit the guitar adlib or the separated introductions (aside from "The Power of Community") for the video proper. As you may be aware, Mike pledged proceeds from streams of "Under A Moonlit Sky" to Christmas Cheer this month, and that includes 10¢ from every view of the concert video.

Mike was interviewed by SooToday's Darren Taylor for this article about the live album and charity drive, where Mike talks about getting the idea to support his old hometown (remember, he lives in Barrie now), where he focuses his attention for gigs when he comes back north, and the change of plans from the battle of the bands to the full concert on September 25th, apparently on just two days notice! Solidly informative article, even if The Big Finish Band name wasn't given, so read it above! I'll hold my thoughts on the concert proper for our review of "Under A Moonlit Sky" next year, but it's very well shot and edited with some neat views of the plaza stage, so give it a watch below and support Christmas Cheer in the process!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

Our Extended Preview Of Toystock XII!!

Today's post is solely devoted to our extended preview of the twelfth annual Toystock, which goes down TOMORROW at The Grand Gardens North! Held annually since 2012 (the 2020-2021 pandemic hiatus aside), this special holiday concert event sees ten bands in ten hours donating their time to support Christmas Cheer, and as usual, donating for the cause is how you enter! Admission is via donating new toys, gently used puzzles, games, and/or books, new gift cards, mitts, scarves, hats, grooming items, or cash (nothing was said this year about non-perishable food). While The Grand Gardens is licensed and the bar will be open, Toystock is absolutely an all ages & family friendly event, and activites like face painting, arts & crafts, temporary tattoos, a play zone, and Christmas ornament decoration will be available along with the live music, and Santa Claus himself will stop by at 3:00 & 6:00 PM tomorrow, so I hope everyone has been good!

Yes, the Stuff-A-Bus will be on site once again. Visit the official website for complete non-musical details! Now, which ten bands will fill Toystock XII's ten hours? As usual, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 (fronted by promoter Greg Simpson) will headline at 9:00 PM in their record eleventh appearance at the event, and all kudos to them and their colleagues for putting on this wonderful event once again! After playing the past two years in indie rock quartet Skinbox/The Haze, Steve Edwards & Brad Irwin have snagged the 8:00 PM co-headlining slot tomorrow for their new successor band The Reeves, where they are now joined by Long Shot alumni Adam Dawe & Jeremy Ganuelas. Time will tell how The Reeves sound compared to members' prior bands, but you can be the first to find out tomorrow at The Grand Gardens! At 7:00 PM, attendees can check out Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band on what wil be a big day for them!

Playing their second Toystock together and their first local gig since they rocked the Downtown Plaza in September, tomorrow will also be the release date of the alt-hard rock band's brand new live album "Under A Moonlit Sky", which was recorded that night. Mike and crew are donating proceeds from purchases and streams of the album to Christmas Cheer, which is a fantastic idea and well timed, so consider helping out whether you're at Toystock or not! Some of Mike's bandmates will play the prior set, as guitarist/backing vocalist Elly McWatters will front her country cover band The Drifters at 6:00 PM. Local country cover veterans Out & Out Country (featuring former Bone Yard drummer Ric Datson) will take the stage at 5:00 PM, and it is neat seeing Ric back at Toystock after three years away! Also debuting at Toystock tomorrow are indie rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous at 4:00 PM.

Notably, this will be Jupiter Marvelous' first show after the departure of guitarist Jacob Quarrell (formerly of Mike Haggith's band and Bad Chug), whose farewell gig with them is actually tonight at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Taproom. Best of luck to Jake in his next endeavours! Hard rock quintet and 2023 Toystock performers HeadF1rst will rock the Great Northern Road events hall at 3:00 PM, as preceded by cover rock quartet Separate Wayz (featuring singer Nicole Thibodeau alongside Soundcheck and Obsession alumni) in their Toystock debut at 2:00 PM. Debuting local blues/classic rock band Sunday & The Broken Hearts (replacing Redundant) will rock Toystock at 1:00 PM, and while not a lot is known about them yet, hopefully Jason Gasparetto & crew deliver a solid cover set for fans in the afternoon! Your openers tomorrow are online page-less blues rock quartet The Associates at 12:00 PM.

The Associates are back from 2024 and are this year's annual music school/store representatives, with Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville bookending tomorrow's band schedule as such. Musically, there's a lot to like this year, including six Toystock newcomer acts and a nice array of sounds for all tastes, so hopefully there's a great turnout with lots of quality Christmas Cheer donations! There's many needy families that will be extremely appreciative. Visit the above links for complete details on Toystock XII, here's Bone Yard 225 live, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Cory Murchison), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

As promised, this latest SMS post features our preview of one more hard rock concert this weekend, but filling things out, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the end of the year and a big new live album release coming out later this month, so here's what you should know!

Bullet Train/ex-Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison will return to the concert stage with an acoustic hard rock set on Saturday, December 27th when he opens for the reunited Odd Man Out at The Water Tower Pub! Cory has sporadically played unplugged gigs over the years when not working on his full bands (no word on when Bullet Train will resurface), and this will be a reprise of when he opened for Odd Man Out at the same venue back in July 2018. Good to see Cory back out there, and his solo sets definitely lean to what he plays in his bands (just acoustic), so keep his set in mind! Of course, Odd Man Out (featuring Cory's old Sense of Truth bandmate Steve Myers) are a very popular but increasingly scarcely seen jam rock band whose reunion next month was presumably aided by it being the holiday season. Not a hard rock act, but their live show speaks for itself, and they have loads of talent!

Note as well that this will be Odd Man Out's first public concert since releasing their new album "Quadranium" last summer, so could you call this the de facto release party?  While a bigger deal than your usual Water Tower Pub concert, this one seems to be standard fare for the venue in terms of attendance, including no cover, a 19+ age limit, and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to Beck's Bar as their matinee performer on SUNDAY! This show comes eight days after he was replaced by Silver Strings as the Saturday matinee act there last week (despite Tym never confirming that he wasn't playing on the Beck's shows' Facebook event page), but it's good to see that things are A-OK between Tym and Beck's, and hopefully this matinee gig has lots of entertaining classic and hard rock favourites for fans in the west end! His first show at Beck's in three weeks (with three more matinees scheduled in December), Sunday's concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 3:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more on Sunday's action, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally, here's the latest from local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, so what has he been up to in recent weeks? While he and The Big Finish Band did not return for The Soo's Got Talent finals again this year (another reason why we didn't cover this installment, beyond the all-karaoke setup), and his planned debut concert appearance in his current Barrie homebase was postponed (click here for details), he hasn't been idle, as he has a live album coming out! Mike has toyed with releasing solo live albums in the past (most recently 2018's "From The Nickel Stage"), but this one is a full band effort, coming out on Sunday, November 30th. The album will be named "Under A Moonlit Sky", and will comprise of their complete set at the Downtown Plaza on September 25th. Mike called it "the concert of our lives", which is high praise when it was a late replacement for a cancelled battle of the bands!

You can pre-order the album (which will have 19 tracks) on Bandcamp at this link, where you can also check out three songs as pre-release teasers, and you can pre-save it via major streaming services on DistroKid at this link. Based on the track listing, it differs from the actual setlist in that it includes an unlisted encore song ("75"), as well as four tracks not listed there: "Guitar Adlib", the album's title track, "Moving West", and "The Power Of Community". The former is self-explanatory, but the other three correspond with scheduled breaks in the set for Mike to talk to the audience, so I don't believe we're looking at brand new songs of his. We'll know for sure in just over a week! To support Christmas Cheer (beyond Mike & crew's set at Toystock, also on November 30th), they'll be pledging cash donations to Christmas Cheer based on Spotify streams and Bandcamp purchases of "Under A Moonlit Sky".

Mike also plans to pledge money based on streams of the full concert video when it goes live on YouTube next month, so we'll keep you posted on that when it's uploaded. Is "Under A Moonlit Sky" in line for a review on the SMS? We have caught up on all of his studio albums released since he first relocated to the Soo, so unless I dipped into his early Windsor era back catalogue or he releases a new studio album first, this has priority. For local relevance and Mike's own musical evolution, I think he would greatly prefer that I reviewed "Under A Moonlit Sky" rather than "Hotel For Transients" anyway! Look for this review in April 2026 given our ongoing backlog, and for more news and notes on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock XII!!)

The full lineup for the twelfth annual Toystock has been announced, so what should you know for this year? This annual Christmas Cheer benefit concert will return to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road on Sunday, November 30th for a ninth straight installment, and like in every year since 2012 (the two year pandemic hiatus aside), ten bands will again donate their time for a ten hour marathon of live music for the cause, with Christmas Cheer donations (toys, gift cards, gently used games/books, non-perishable food, new winter clothing, and/or cash) being the entry fee to come on out. Like in past years, there will be a mix of family entertainment and kids activities on site, as well as the Stuff-A-Bus, an appearance from Santa Claus, and more, while the bar will be open if you are so inclined. Visit the official Toystock website for further details on the non-musical side of this special event! Now, who all is playing at Toystock XII?

Five bands are returnees from past Toystocks, while there are five newcomers to the festivities, as listed on their website's music page. As usual, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are your headliners at 9:00 PM, having played every year besides 2013 (when frontman/organizer Greg Simpson instead played with other bands of his). It goes without saying, but kudos to Greg & Kerry for the work they do annually for Christmas Cheer by putting this huge show on! Co-headlining at 8:00 PM are a mystery band named The Reeves, who I have precisely zero information on. Does the name reference small township mayors, or the last name, or something else entirely? We'll let you know when we learn more! Though only listed as "MH", the 7:00 PM band is clearly Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band in their second straight Toystock, and Mike & Brandan's third if you count The Din's 2016 set, so don't bypass their original rock tunes then!

New local country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters (featuring multiple members of The Big Finish Band) will make their Toystock debut at 6:00 PM, as preceded by veteran cover quintet Out & Out Country at 5:00 PM. Notably, this will mark the return of drummer Ric Datson to Toystock for the first time since he left Bone Yard at the beginning of 2022, so while in different projects, it is cool to see him share a bill with Greg & Alex again! Indie rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous will also rock Toystock for the first time at 4:00 PM, preceded by hard rock quintet HeadF1rst (who played this event in 2023 before putting the 1 in their name) at 3:00 PM. Newer local cover rock quartet Separate Wayz (featuring Soundcheck alumni Terry Eaton, Jim Michaud, and Steven Flint plus singer Nicole Thibodeau) will make their Toystock debut at 2:00 PM, though we still don't know what they play and how similar they are.

Local punk trio Redundant (who have only played at Toystock since they returned from hiatus in 2023) will make their fourth appearance at this event at 1:00 PM, which will presumably also be their second show with their current bassist. No word on why we don't see them out there for other events anymore, but it's always good to have them back! Filling the annual slot for a band representing a local music store, online page-less blues rock quartet The Associates (comprised of Long & McQuade staffers) will return from last year to kick off Toystock XII at 12:00 PM. Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville will thusly bookend the festivities by playing in the first and last bands, so keep that in mind as well! Note also that two bands who played in both 2023 & 2024 are not back this year, namely pop rock cover quintet Bourbon Blue and the now-inactive indie rock band The Haze (née Skinbox).

Another stacked lineup of talented local musicians stepping up to the plate to help support Christmas Cheer and families in need over the holidays, so absolutely visit the above links for much more on everything that's going down at The Grand Gardens next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Hot Girls), Plus The Mike Haggith & Napoleon Concert Previews!!

A busy weekend is upon us to end September 2025 with, so we'll have to break things up into three posts once again! As such, our previews of Wolf Fest, Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest, and Bone Yard 225  & Tym Morrison's next shows are slated for our next post, with Double Down's Saturday nighter coming after that. Look for all of those shortly, but let's lead off our previews with some downtown shows tonight and tomorrow, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Grand Rapids punk/power pop trio The Hot Girls will make their local concert debut TONIGHT at The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the short notice, this show was announced with time to spare on September 16th via the venue's Facebook page, but between The Whisky Barrel not being an SMS staple and the band not seeming amenable to our coverage on sight, I didn't jump the gun at the time. A well travelled touring band with a clear sense of humour, The Hot Girls' upbeat brand of original rock should find a willing audience TONIGHT, so don't miss out on what should be a fun concert with riffs and laughs at the Gore Street-based Scottish pub! Unusually for a show with a touring band, TONIGHT'S concert is FREE, but it is definitely a 19+ booking with an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's show, and for a preview, check them out on Bandcamp! I honestly can't find a live concert video of theirs to embed here.

Next up, remember how there was supposed to be a battle of the bands TOMORROW at the Downtown Plaza featuring Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band? Well, the battle has been turned into a normal concert, with Mike & crew now headlining! The plaza nor 705 Live Sound Co. have elaborated on the reason for the changes, but I can only assume that band signups weren't terribly high (remember, there hasn't been a battle on this side of the border in eight years), so organizers are turning lemons into lemonade by hosting a normal concert with who signed up. As such, this will be The Big Finish Band's first concert since the Dragonfly Run, and perhaps their last outdoor gig of the year given that it's now the fall, so consider coming out to the Downtown Plaza for all of the action! Online page-less space rock duo The Spaceship Opening will (fittingly) be opening tomorrow, so don't miss Andrew and Ralph to lead things off this evening!

No word on if The Spaceship Opening had signed up for the battle too, though I wonder if the promised $200 voucher will be given to one/both bands? Tomorrow's concert will be a FREE event at 7:00 PM and it is definitely ALL AGES. With the outdoor locale at the Downtown Plaza (covered stage acknowledged), 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies with a temperature hovering around 16°. While it is a shame that the battle proper isn't taking place, kudos to everyone involved for keeping the show going, even on a work/school night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more on tomorrow's special concert, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Mike & The Big Finish Band live! They had cameras rolling at the Dragonfly Run in spite of the rainy forecast on August 24th, and while they had protection from the elements, it looks like the weather held up enough!

At the annual ARCH Hospice motorcycle rally outside of The Grand Gardens North, Mike had multiple cameras set up to film their sets (click here to check out their full setlist from that day), and while I don't know if we'll be seeing more from the Dragonfly Run, two videos were shared to Mike's Facebook page of him and the band playing "Carousel" and, as embedded below, "An Act Of Strength".  Strong performances as you'd expect from Mike, Chris, Elly, Matt, and Brandan, so look for more of the same (and with better weather) tonight at the Downtown Plaza!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head to Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT for the local concert debut of Toronto post-hardcore quartet Napoleon! Headlining the fourth show from local promoters Heavy North Entertainment since their relaunch last year, Napoleon bring an in-your-face blend of punk, screamo, and metal to the table in their intense live attack, so come on down tomorrow to jump in the pit! The opener lineup has drastically changed since this show was first announced in July, with the original roster of four local bands dropping to three, with only one band (online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad) surviving throughout. Originally, the openers were also to include promoter Tyler St. Amour's dormant death metal band Bardo, progressive metal quartet Convergence, and Instagram-only hard rock quartet Maynard Hayes, but all three have quietly dropped out for unannounced reasons. Hopefully all is well with all three bands!

In their place, fans will get to see veteran hard rock quartet Half Past in their first show since May (and a rare turn for them opening for a touring band), as well as party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first of two Soo Blaster gigs in an eight day span. Still a solid and diverse lineup, so don't be late tomorrow! The aforementioned 705 Live Sound Co. will be at the controls for this ALL AGES show, which has an early runtime of 5:00-10:00 PM, and tickets run for $12.75 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Napoleon live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Damage Case & A Battle Of The Bands), Plus A New Full Concert Set Video!!

Before we dive into weekend concert previews, here's some more recent updates on the SMS, including a new video discovery of a newer band in concert, and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band will reportedly compete at the 705 Live Sound Co. Battle of the Bands at the Downtown Plaza on Thursday, September 25th! An official performer lineup has not yet been publicized, but Mike's Facebook page confirmed their involvement back in July. It's entirely possible that they'll be guest non-competition performers given the band's stature, but much of The Big Finish Band has battle experience pre-pandemic in groups like Haggith, The Din, and (as bassist Matt Fronzi knows well) Gnaeus, who won two local battles in a three week span in 2015. If Mike & crew are competing, they'll be among the favourites for sure! As of September 8th, organizers were still seeking bands to sign up to compete, so click here if you want to try to get in on this late. Bands must have 2+ members, all aged 16 or older, and bands must play three original songs (no covers) within a 15 minute timeslot. Unusually, the judging criteria and points system are given publically on the sign-up forms.

A $200 voucher awaits the winning band, and while that may not seem like a lot, this is year #1 for this battle, and we literally haven't had one in Sault Ontario in over eight years. We also await word on who the judges are, let alone a possible admission fee for attendees (this should be all ages), but this has a 7:00 PM start time, and I have no idea if there are provisions for inclement weather given the locale, covered stage acknowledged. I apologize for the lack of plugs for the battle in recent months, but with no lineup announcement yet, things have been relatively slow, so I wanted to say something while there was still some time. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, Hornepayne classic/hard rock quartet Damage Case will make their local concert debut on Saturday, November 22nd at Soo Blaster! It's rare when we hear of a band from Hornepayne (4½ hours north of here) performing in Sault Ste. Marie, but Damage Case have the look and talent, and you can see them ripping through a nice selection of heavier-leaning rock covers on their Facebook page, so do give them a listen to see what they bring to the table! There will be a familiar face to some readers in this band, as former local metal guitarist Will Tholberg is Damage Case's bassist. We haven't covered him on here since his black metal project Abhorrent Forest fell inactive in the late 2010s, so whether you knew him from that work or his earlier bands like Despised Eyes and Death Rise, welcome Will back home in style in two months! Steve Lemieux (who I believe is another Hornepayne musician) will open this concert, so keep him in mind that night as well.

This all ages show takes place at 8:00 PM on November 22nd with a cover charge of $5, and there will be advance tickets on sale. Touring Ontario rock bands from points north or west are not commonly seen on stages here, so it will be neat to see how Damage Case go over in two months! Visit the above links for more details on this intriguing concert!

We'll close this post with an extended look at a band that we haven't had a lot to say about since their debut, namely newer local metal band The Sault Side Squad! As you may recall, the S.S.S. debuted at the all-local metal Crucifest replacement gig in Leeburn in July of last year, but after a year+ of support gigs, they still don't have an online page on social media. In case you need a refresher, their lineup includes former As It Stands singer and local rapper Justin "Nadj" Pregent, A Dire Setback/Big Finish Band guitarist Chris Nielsen, former Jack Spades/Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti, Stoned To Deaf/The Haze bassist Jordan Wardlaw, and former Wyld Stallyns/Soldiers of Misfortune drummer Jonas Gasperas, who was Anthony's bandmate in Winkstinger. Unless you saw them live, that's as much as has been made public about this stacked supergroup, but a 45 minute full set video has now been linked publically, so what's to know there?

The video below is technically unlisted, but it was given on the official Facebook event page for the Broke & Hungry benefit concert at Beck's Bar in December as their link, so it's not a hidden secret anymore. This comes from their set opening for Cross Dog in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West (yes, a tattoo parlor) last October, and was filmed by former Honest Work/Nebraska Arms drummer Adam Sauve for his YouTube channel, though it is unlisted. The 45 minute set stats with covers of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" and Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon", before we get an original whose title sounds like (but likely isn't) "My Personnel". Pantera fans get more love next via "Fucking Hostile", followed by another original, possibly named "Silence Is Golden". Another Pantera cover is played next, namely "I'm Broken", followed by The Deftones' "My Own Summer (Shove It)".

The set closed with one more original, which got an introduction but not an announced title. Why this video has been unlisted for almost a year, I don't know, but it's a strong sampling of what this talented quintet has up their sleeves! As It Stands comparisons will be inevitable given Justin's presence, but this band leans far more metal than hardcore (especially early-1990s Pantera), and they have the chops to tackle whatever they're thrown, and it'll be interesting to hear how they sound nowadays! Give the full Sault Side Squad (get it, it sounds like Suicide Squad?) video a watch below, and I wonder if Adam has more unlisted videos from this night?

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