Cory's Bon Voyage Party Concert Review!!

Happy Canada Day to all of our Sault Ontario readers! It's now time for a new concert review at long last, as I was in attendance for Saturday night's Re:Born-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar which served as a going away party for roadie/filmer Cory Burch before his impending move west. Disappointingly small turnout, but on the Canada Day long weekend and a busy Saturday concert lineup (including Slaughter in St. Ignace), I can't be too shocked. Fans in attendance were definitiely into everything! Also, I apologize if I missed any nuances or certain moments on Friday, I had a persistent headache for most of the show, but I am fine now.

Opening this concert was a shorthanded version of local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, who were originally asked to open this show alongside funk/hard rock quartet The Elements. However, with Rob Speers, Tiffany Stocco, AND Jonas Gasperas unavailable over the long weekend, the two bands sort of had to combine operations. For this set, Elements guitarist Jesse Cook rejoined Jack Spades for the night, while his replacement Daniel Horton shifted over to bass a'la Project 421. All told, this temporary lineup got the job done with this slightly stilted set, which saw the intro for "Breakneck Speed" chopped and "Rise" shifted until unusually late in the set. A single guitar sound isn't optimal, but everyone performed well, with J.D. Pearce up to his usual entertaining standards on vocals, and Johnny Belanger's drumming was on point! Nice to see Jesse break out some solos with Spades once again too. Not the optimal conditions, but Jack Spades made things work out well!

As for Elements bassist James White, he was here too, as in a mild surprise, fans were treated to a mini-set next from local alt-punk/"no genre" trio Handsome Sandwich! Their concert sets nowadays are very sporadic and often unannounced, like at what became of last year's Michale Graves show, so it was good to see them again! Of course, Jesse and Johnny remained on stage from Jack Spades' set, but the guys weren't alone, as James' Stoned To Deaf bandmate William Jordan Wardlaw guested on lead vocals for all four songs. As far as I know, Stoned To Deaf have only played one public concert to date, so if you missed their debut, you could call this a preview! Their short set included covers of Rise Against's "Like The Angel", two Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs, and in a throwback to Stoned To Deaf's debut, Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name." Handsome Sandwich performed well, and while William's voice was a good match (especially for Rage), his stage presence could be a little looser. Hopefully we hear more from everyone soon!

Your co-headliners on Friday, in another surprise, were local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback, in their first concert set of the year! Fresh off of the completion of their album recording sessions, the guys dipped into their original material well for a set focused on familiar tracks like "Kicking & Screaming", "Faded", and "Forget This Memory", and they got a good reception from assembled fans. Chris Nielsen's vocals are definitely improving in a live setting, and he and Matt Quinn played off of each other well on guitar and bass, while Nick Kainula's drumming was reliable and added strong rhythm! I liked their jokey nature on stage too between songs, definitely keep up with that in the future. I don't know when we'll see the album on sale, but A Dire Setback's return was definitely well received, and here's hoping for a stronger crowd here on July 20th!

Finally, your featured attraction (and the only one with advance notice) were local power rock quartet Re:Born, of course featuring Cory Burch's dad Blair on guitar. This was the first time I've seen Re:Born since Elly McWatters replaced Robert Nevitt on lead vocals (and since Frank McGillivray left the band entirely), so how did they sound? Pretty good overall, they're adapting well with this lineup! Compared to last year, their sound has more melodic material, but rather than covering bands with female singers (Halestorm aside), Re:Born instead tackled more glam and hair metal, with Poison and and Guns N' Roses now making their setlist, alongside many old standby covers like "Children of the Sea", and select originals/421-holdovers like "Running Away" & "Die Another Day." Elly's voice is strong and confident on this material, and she was a solid pick-up for the band, but she does need to work on her stage banter a bit. Blair's guitar work was as solid as ever, and Fred & Brandan handled the low rhythm end just fine! A new rhythm guitarist isn't necessary, for what it's worth.

Even featuring a guest singer late whose name I did not catch, Re:Born's set seemed to be the best send-off for Cory before his big move this week, and everything went pretty good despite the turnout! In spite of my headache, it was nice to be back out for another concert, and you can check out my photos and videos at this link or at our Facebook page. Video-wise, here's Jack Spades playing "Crossroads", Handsome Sandwich covering The Chili Peppers' "Can't Stop", A Dire Setback playing "Nightmares", and Re:Born covering Motley Crue's "Live Wire"









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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Re:Born), Plus More Assorted News & Notes!!

Let's tackle some more overdue news and notes in tonight's post, mostly reflecting a lot of updates from a prominent heavier local band, but we have some assorted notes to round things out. Here's what you should know!

In an extended Facebook page posting on Tuesday, local power rock quartet Re:Born announced a number of upcoming concerts in conjunction with some big band news, so what can be said therein? Firstly, their next concert will take place on Saturday, June 29th (one week from today) when they headline at The Rockstar Bar, but there's an ulterior motive here. The somewhat short notice gig will serve as a send-off for guitarist Blair Burch's son Cory, who is moving out of province next month, ending his lengthy tenure as a roadie, filmer, doorman, and overall supporter of Re:Born, Project 421, and their respective concerts. Cory's not a musician (that I'm aware of), but he's a good guy and very encouraging and helpful at concerts, even if his dad's not playing, and this is a nice way to throw one more big bash before he heads west, so hopefully there's a good turnout next week! Re:Born will not be the only band on the 29th, as at least two mystery local bands will be hitting the stage as well, now that they've been shaken from the tree.

No public word on their identities as of yet (we'll let you know if something is said), but the Facebook event page does strongly hint that jamming and a looser, more casual atmosphere will be present, especially as they're calling this "a party that happens to have a stage." Given the occasion, this concert has no cover, but a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit remain in effect. Hopefully this bash can help give Cory the best possible send-off, so visit the above links for more on this show in particular!

Next up, here's another new Rockstar Bar show for Re:Born this summer, as they'll be back at this venue on Saturday, July 20th in honour of drummer Brandan Glew's birthday! This looks to be more of a traditional concert than next week's party, but hopefully there's a great turnout again to help give Brandan a great night for the occasion! This show notably takes place on the last night of Rotaryfest, so if you find that day's music lineup at Clergue Park to be lacking for hard rock and punk acts, this show may help remedy that. In fact, two bands that played Stage 2 last year (alt-punk trio A Dire Setback & funk/hard rock quartet The Elements) will play support on the 20th, so cast your gaze to The Algonquin Hotel to see them next month instead! Notably, this is A Dire Setback's first announced concert set of 2019, following the completion of their CD recording sessions, and it's great to see them back at last, though for full disclosure, A.D.S. themselves have not confirmed this date publically at press time.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this concert, presumably also having a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit, though it doesn't have a Facebook event page (yet?) This should be another fun concert as we get deeper into the summer season, so visit the above links for full details on this event!

One more show was announced in the above post (an apparent set as part of the Loud & Proud concert at The Bushplane Museum on July 21st during this year's Pridefest), but given that organizers have not publically announced details at press time, I will defer a write-up here until more comes out beyond Re:Born's involvement. The other breaking news from Re:Born's Facebook page earlier this week is that they have officially parted ways with guitarist Frank McGillivray. Back in November, the band announced that Frank would be taking a hiatus from the band until April due to work commitments out of town, but he ended up more or less moving there permanently, hence the belated confirmation of his departure. After being a member of Project 421 throughout their run, Frank & Blair launched Re:Born last year, with Frank playing at their first three concerts, though aside from early jam videos with new singer Elly McWatters, he never played a public show with the current lineup before he headed north.

If there are plans to replace Frank in Re:Born, they weren't stated on Facebook, but remember that they've been playing as a four-piece all year without the need for a fill-in guitarist. It's a shame to see Frank leave, as he is a kind person and a very strong musician, and he was always good to discuss politics and philosophy outside of a band setting. Of course, we wish him the best, and hopefully we'll see him on stage again down the line!

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

• After two years in the old Grooves Music building at 540 Ashmun Street, Sault Michigan music store Crooked Music is packing it's bags... for 539 Ashmun Street, taking up residence in a spot beside Austin Oak Tobacco & Cigar starting in August. Whether the move across the road is due to increased space, better rent, or another factor isn't clear, but the "Abbey Road" parody image on their Facebook page is clever! Hopefully this move is the best move for all parties, and luckily, customers won't have to go far for the new Crooked Music locale in a couple of months!
• Remember how Kewadin Casino was going to have a battle of the bands in Sault Ste. Marie last week to find an opener for the Great White concert in Manistique on July 27th, with entry open to any U.P. bands local to their five casinos? Well, the battle was cancelled outright on June 12th, citing a "lack of participation" as the reason. No word on how they'll pick an opener now, but Manistique is outside of our coverage range anyway. Very disappointing, but maybe a battle this ambitious was too complicated for it's own good?
• Sault Ontario acoustic hard rock duo Tattoos & Scars are looking for a second guitar player to join the group, who they describe as "a southern rock/rock band." We haven't heard a whole lot from Tattoos & Scars (or Halfway Loaded) as of late, but maybe finding a new guitarist to join Justin & Shane will help speed things along? There is some interest, but if you'd like more information, message Tattoos & Scars above or via their Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Return For Refund), More March Mash-Up Videos, And More!!

Before we tackle this weekend's concert previews, here's a new news post for you guys to check out, if you are so inclined! This post contains some new videos from a recent concert, and some assorted recent updates, but let's kick things off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Toronto hard rock quartet Return For Refund will make their local concert debut on Thursday, April 6th when they headline at The New American Pub! Harbouring a 1990s-feeling blend of genres like grunge and alternative, with even some bluesy touches, Return For Refund are touring in support of their new CD "Lift You Up", and they should prove to be a well-recieved and entertaining attraction at The New A in three weeks! Local support will come via newer local pop punk quartet A Dire Setback and former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus (in his solo debut at this venue), and while neither are a "hard rock" act, their talents speak for themselves, and they should prove a nice compliment on the 6th! Note that I'm unclear who's promoting this show, as Live705 nor Mike are claiming it, so it may have been through the venue. In any event, this is a 19+ show with a $5 cover charge and 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on this intriguing concert!

Next up, here's a pair of new videos posted to the aforementioned Live705's Facebook page during this past Saturday's March Mash-Up at The Canadian Nightclub, showcasing two bands from that day's events. One is of local death/thrash metal trio Pillory, as uploaded during their set, albeit posted twice when promoters weren't sure if the first copy went through. This was one of the band's first songs during their set, though I'm not 100% certain of the title, partly as this is is just 41 seconds long and doesn't feature a part with vocals. Still, this is some quality side-stage devastation from Robert, Jordan, and Bret, so give it a look below!



Live705's other video is of new local alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic playing a song during soundcheck before the concert proper actually began, though given my still light knowledge of their songs by name, I can't title this one. Given that this is from soundcheck, Bizotic are lacking the spontaneity and atmosphere of their actual set (not to mention, their plasma clock), but they sound good here, and the trumpet is largely audible! Check it out below!

 

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

• Project 421 frontman Blair Burch is "looking for an outlet" where he can play guitar in a hard rock or metal setting, though he doesn't want to play in a band with death metal growling vocals, and he has lots of available time and a jam space. What this posting means for the future of Project 421 (who indicated that "we aren't going anywhere" on their Facebook page three weeks ago) isn't clear, but he's a talented guitarist, so message Blair at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday if you're interested in jamming with him!
• I have deleted former Gore Street concert venue GLOW (a.k.a. The Other Place, Nite-Life Dance Club, etc.) from our inactive concert venue links due to the deletion of it's last known surviving Facebook group at some point in recent years. Also, it's old FreeWebs page has since been "frozen" itself too, and I doubt Mike would revive it at this point, so there goes the backup plan. The GLOW location always felt like a quality locale for concerts prior to it's ultimate closure in 2010, and hopefully it finds a new long-term purpose!
• It's official: Sunrise Records is taking over HMV's spot in Station Mall later this year! The Soo location was among the first 29 new branches announced for the Ancaster-based record store chain's takeover of at least 70 HMV stores, and this has since been confirmed via local news media. I hope Sunrise Records does well in the Soo, and can at least match the decade-long runs that Music World and HMV had in this location of the mall, so stay tuned for when they open hopefully later in the spring! For reference, HMV liquidation sales are now at least 40-60% off everything in store, and they must close by the end of next month.

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