Bush/Candlebox Concert Video Showcase!!

It took only three posts for us to head back to the EUP in terms of the focus of tonight's post, but this time, it's to look at videos from the Bush-headlined outdoor concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on July 18th! Despite concerns over the air quality index from the Northwestern Ontario forest fires (this took place concurrently with Rotaryfest Saturday), the show went on, and attendance was quite good despite the competition an hour north! It is worth noting that the Barenaked Ladies show last year also took place on Rotaryfest Saturday, so this is nothing new for Kewadin. Social media buzz from the show seemed positive, and the air quality was manageable in St. Ignace, but if you want to see for yourself, at least three YouTube filmers were on hand, though two only filmed Bush's set. We'll start with Dr. Death Defying, in his first ever concert videos.

Dr. Death Defying filmed the British post-grunge/hard rock quartet playing their songs "Glycerine", "Everything Zen", "Machinehead", and as embedded below, "Ghosts In The Machine". The framerate isn't too high, but Dr. Death Defying had a good view of the former BushX (ask a Canadian), if with a head or two in the road. I'm not a huge fan of Bush, but I will say that Gavin Rossdale sounds really good compared to their 1990s hit singles, and the stage lighing gives the show a big time feel, so check these out!

Next up, the YouTube channel named Echoes From The Stage was also on hand for this concert, and while they have extensive video uploads from major rock concerts in Michigan and Ontario, this video of Bush playing "Glycerine" in St. Ignace is their only local upload to date, so they likely aren't from this part of the state/province. This video has a much better framerate than Dr. Death Defying's take, and while the audio quality doesn't seem too hot, "Glycerine" was always a low-toned ballad and I think that's just how it came off live. Gavin's singing here seemed a little forced compared to their harder rocking songs too, but see what you think below!

We'll close with prolific Sault Ontario filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, as he headed to St. Ignace for this concert after seeing Mid Life Crysis at Rotaryfest that afternoon. Chris' videos are last in this post because he's the only one of the three filmers that got Candlebox videos, but he by far has the most Bush videos here, filming 9 videos last month, including "Little Things", "Swallowed", "Glycerine", "Everything Zen", "The Land Of Milk & Honey", "The Chemicals Between Us", "Bullet Holes", "Machinehead", and as embedded below, the extended closing version of "Comedown". Filmed from one of the first few rows of seats, you do get the sense that Gavin's voice was getting run down by the end of the night, but the crowd was very receptive and happy to sing along, and the whole band have good energy and play these songs very well! As this was outdoors, it is neat to see the skies get darker.

You can tell during "Everything Zen" that the sun was setting, and while none of the the three filmers got "Human Sand" afterwards, it was black out from "Glycerine" onward, and I always liked that contrast! Check out all of the Bush concert videos (so far?) above and below!

Finally, Chris got four videos of Seattle grunge/alternative rock quintet Candlebox's opening set, and while they were in a support slot an hour south, it was nice to finally see them in our region 6+ years after their April 2020 concert at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin was cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown! I wonder if anyone tried to see if their 2020 tickets could be transferred to this show? Chris filmed Candlebox playing their songs "You", "Far Behind", "Arrow", and as embedded below, "Change". Partially thanks to the steady daylight, the Candlebox videos give the best steady look at the crowd density up front, and the guys come off good in the videos here! Kevin Martin's voice has aged really well, and while only he and Peter Klett are still around from their heyday, the new band nails these grunge-era favourites, so don't miss Chris' videos of Candlebox's set above and below! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & Other Indoor Weekend Concert Previews!!

With Rotaryfest's remaining music schedule still very much up in the air (no pun intended), it may be worth noting that there are other concerts locally over the next two days, and indoor ones at that, so if you want to see some live music on what's supposed to be a busy weekend, you have alternatives! The focus around here is always on metal, hard rock, and punk concerts, but I thought that it's appropriate to mention other known concerts in Sault Ontario tomorrow and Saturday before we dive in to regular previews. Country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride are playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub tonight & tomorrow night, DJ Dark Mark will be spinning tunes at Beck's Bar tonight only, Juliana Regan & Convergence guitarist Jacob Valois will play a joint acoustic gig on Saturday at The Whisky Barrel, and a reunion of classic rock veterans Pegasus is slated for tonight at The Water Tower Pub. Consider these as possible alternatives if you're in the market!

Now to heavier concerts, and we'll start those previews with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck will reportedly rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned of the gigs via confirmation by Separate Wayz singer Nicole Thibodeau in a comment on this post from the Sault Live Music Gig Announcements Facebook page. At press time, neither Soundcheck (nor their sister band Separate Wayz) have publically corroborated these bookings on social media, with Soundcheck not updating their Facebook page since May, and Reggie's hasn't confirmed them publically online either. Based on shares of this photo, these appear to strictly be Soundcheck gigs and not "epic crossovers", as Nicole reportedly isn't singing on a local stage again until the fall, but kudos to her for at least mentioning these bookings!

Note that recent live photos and videos of Separate Wayz appear to show a synth player in the back of the stage, but I have not seen a firm public confirmation of his identity on social media, let alone if he has joined one/both bands full time. Regardless, singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe should be back TONIGHT and TOMORROW after missing the Separate Wayz-branded concerts at Jay's last week (which weren't promoted as "epic crossovers" anyway). TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Reggie's concerts are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. While Soundcheck haven't played Rotaryfest in two years, you can still rock out with them this weekend, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, here's quite the nightcap TOMORROW NIGHT regardless of if Rotaryfest proceeds with music or not, as Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz will return to the Soo that night as headliners at Beck's Bar! While technically their first local stop since they rocked The Distraction in August 2024, it's not for a lack of trying, as their planned return there last year was cancelled during the openers' sets due to police stopping the show after reported fire code violations (The Distraction has been closed ever since). Paul Gott and crew love touring here, and local fans give them great receptions time and time again, so kudos to Beck's for bringing The Ripcordz back for what should be a ferocious night of punk, especially indoors and within the fire code! Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box (as seen at The Distraction in May 2025 and at a private event here last month) will help set the tone as openers tomorrow night, while the local openers are crossover thrash trio Hails in their first local gig of the year.

Unless you saw them in Toronto last week, this will be your first chance to see Ha!ls with With Gunfire guitarist Anthony Orazietti in place of the Muto cousins, and what a way for him to debut in city limits! This concert has a $10 cover charge (first come first serve, this is expected to draw well, Rotaryfest or not), a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. If Stage 1 takes place as scheduled, Hails (who played Stage 2 last year) will take the stage during Zed's featured set at Clergue Park, with The Sidekicks still to come there. Hardcore punk fans won't want to miss out on all of the action in the west end tomorrow night, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Ripcordz live!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head to Michigan, where London, England post-grunge/hard rock quartet Bush (a.k.a. BushX for Canadians of a certain vintage) will make their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT with an outdoor concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Long-time rock radio staples thanks to hit songs like "Everything Zen", "The Chemicals Between Us", and "Mouth", Bush were among the most prominent rock bands of the 1990s, and while I was admittedly never their biggest fan, this show should be a good time for fans, especially if air conditions improve! As of this writing, Kewadin Casino have not said anything about possible air quality provisions on social media, but the air quality index is high an hour south of here too, so follow Kewadin's website and so forth if you are at all concerned. Planned openers Candlebox (of "Far Behind" fame) can relate, as this has hit them here before when they last planned to play in the E.U.P..

The Seattle grunge/alternative veterans were supposed to headline at the Soo Kewadin in April 2020 before the first pandemic lockdown scuttled that gig, so hopefully something similar doesn't recur! Presented by Northern Michigan's Rock 105 & 95.5 and Classic Rock: The Bear, this show is nearly sold out, with limited tickets still available in the right section for $106 USD and the general admission lawn area for $96 at this link, in person, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. The show starts at 7:00 PM, it is definitely all ages, and 9&10 News is calling for clear skies with temperatures around 67-72° (low 20s Celsius), smoke risk aside. If all goes well, this should be a huge concert for 1990s rock fans, so see above for more details, and here's Bush live!

That's all for now, but between air quality reports, the possibility of further adjustments to Rotaryfest (let alone Bush), and other news and notes, we're not sitting idle despite this weekend's concert previews seemingly being done, so stay tuned for more on the SMS shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bush), A New Punk Album Release, And An Unreleased EP!!

Today's post is half devoted to big news from two fronts in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and to a surprise belated album release from some familiar faces in Sault Ontario, but let's start in Michigan with a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the summer concert calendar!

London, England post-grunge/hard rock quartet Bush will make their local concert debut on Saturday, July 18th when they headline an outdoor concert at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace! The first SMS-amenable outdoor concert at the St. Ignace branch that I am aware of since the late Ace Frehley rocked out there in 2024, Bush have been staples of rock radio for decades thanks to hit songs like "Glycerine", "Machinehead", and "Comedown", and while they're not my favourite 1990s band, it will be neat to see Gavin Rossdale and company in the E.U.P. this summer! Joining the former BushX (ask a Canadian) in four months are Seattle grunge/alternative quartet Candlebox (best known for their hit single "Far Behind") in a regional set six+ years in the making. As you may recall, Candlebox were slated to headline at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin in April 2020 before the first pandemic lockdown scrapped it.

You may not consider this to be a makeup date when it's A. as a support band, and B. an hour south of the Soo, but it will be good to finally see Candlebox on a local stage in July! Interestingly presented by Rock 105 & 95.5 and Classic Rock: The Bear in the tip of the mitt rather than Rock 101, tickets go on sale on Friday at 10:00 AM at this link, at the in-person box office, and at 1-800-KEWADIN. Including convenience/handling fees, tickets reportedly start at $96 USD, but remember that this is a large-scale outdoor show, and neither band has been up here before (VIP packages will also be offered). Visit the above links for more details on what should be a huge concert in St. Ignace later this year!

Next up, here's a mild surprise, as inactive local hardcore punk trio The Sole Aggressors have released their self-titled debut album that was teased last year! Given that the band was parting ways with members leaving the area for university, it's understandable that this is unexpected, especially when they never outright said how much work had progressed on the album. "Sole Aggressors" was mixed & mastered by Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas in Detroit, and features cover artwork by regional comic artist Andrew Krahnke (the brother of former Bad Side frontwoman and Yes FM DJ Melissa Krahnke). The album features a whopping 21 songs, including all 18 originals seen in their live concert videos from 2023-2024 alongside three new songs (a self-titled opener, "Napoleon's Bonaparte", and the closer "No Part"). The band claims that the album is on "all platforms", but where is it exactly?

"All platforms" really isn't accurate in this case, as the album is not currently on YouTube Music! You can actually stream "Sole Aggressors" on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Tidal. In terms of outlets to actually buy the album in mp3 files, iTunes is selling it for $9.99, so it is officially on sale there! It is 100% free to download on Bandcamp though, not even via a "name your price" model. Alas, this adds to our insane backlog of new local metal, hard rock, and punk album releases for our monthly reviews, so I won't be looking at it until the fall, but definitely give this rare example of Sault Michigan punk rock in studio form a listen via the above services!

Finally, as you may recall, mid-late 2010s Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements had been working on a debut EP since at least 2016, and they posted "Need A Friend" from the sessions onto their Facebook page in February 2020. However, the guys never issued another public update, even after the pandemic lockdowns ended. Much to my surprise, the EP was posthumously posted to bassist James White's recording studio White Wreckords' YouTube channel two weeks ago! James appears to be reviving his studio, and he has posted other songs that he has worked on there as well, but The Elements are the only recognizable act off hand. What should you know about this EP as it stands six years later? In upload order, then five songs are "HHH", "Into You", "G20", "Freikorps Ball", and the aforementioned "Need A Friend". No sign of their originals "Liar", "The Rut", or "Riptide", for the record.

I don't know if the songs are presented in their intended track listing order. The Elements are represented here by their 2016-2020 and best known lineup, with James joined by Barbarians/ex-Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich/ex-Jack Spades guitarist Jesse Cook, and With Gunfire/ex-Winkstinger drummer Jonas Gasperas. Rather than a unified album cover, each song has AI-generated artwork to represent them, which obviously wouldn't have been an option in 2020. Given that this isn't a paid and structured release for major streaming services (yet?), I won't add it to our lengthy local album review backlog, but I'll give some thoughts on what's here, and it's a solid batch of funk/groove metal and hard rock songs that fans of The Elements will want to hear at long last! While unreleased, it is cool to hear Rob and Jonas on completed studio material also, and Rob's distinctively raspy vocals add an effective layer!

Why The Elements broke up (pandemic acknowledged) is not known to me, and it's a shame that this EP never saw its intended release, but kudos to James for finally posting it for everyone to hear! While James isn't in a current band that I'm aware of, everyone else is active musically, and White Wreckords are back in operation, so follow what the guys are up to that way. Give The Elements' unreleased EP a listen above & below, and here's "HHH"!

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

More COVID-19 Concert Cancellations & Updates, Plus A Concert Preview!?

In what's fast becoming a new normal for The Sault Metal Scene (sigh), we might as well look at the latest on the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and it's effects on the local hard rock/punk concert calendar. The big news that broke today is that Kewadin Casino has postponed the Candlebox-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre in Sault Michigan on April 18th, as per their Facebook page (the Little Texas show was also postponed.) As with the Black Label Society concert, you can hold already-purchased tickets to be honoured when the Candlebox show here is rescheduled, but refunds are available from Kewadin at point of purchase. This is definitely disappointing, but alas, it's not entirely unexpected, especially with the recent news that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive order to close all bars, nightclubs, and restaurants in the state through the end of March, as they work to contain the coronavirus (click here for details.)

Now, in terms of our concert calendar in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, this surprisingly doesn't affect that too much, as we didn't have any nightclub shows from local or touring hard rock bands listed there anymore, but this theoretically would interrupt local hard rock band Tarnished's "every Thursday" matinee run at Biggby Coffee, where they were expected to play at 12:00 PM this and next Thursday. I will tentatively remove those dates from our calendar too, but if Tarnished or Biggby confirm otherwise, I will add them back. I suppose they/Alex could play just for people picking up to-go/take-out orders (which will still be allowed in Michigan)... stranger things have happened! Also, I will leave Traverse City hard rock trio Scarkazm's April 10th weekend concerts at the St. Ignace Kewadin in our concert listings for now, as they take place after the March ban ends, but this situation is fluid and could get far more volatile, so stay tuned for updates on those and other April events as they roll in.

Over in Sault Ontario, the provincial government was not issuing a ban for restaurants and nightclubs at this time, as the evidence does not support doing so right now, but Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams is now strongly recommending that they close. Click here & here for more on this subject. In any event. Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street have announced on Facebook that they are closing their regular business hours as of today due to COVID-19, but they will re-open for reservations booked there and will bring in staff accordingly. They did not give a timeline for when they'll be back in full, but this would appear to interrupt Tym Morrison's weekly matinees there on Fridays & Saturdays. Again, I suppose he could be brought in to play for reserved guests, but that's not truly a "public" concert, so I'll also de-list his March gigs there until otherwise stated. Unless given reason otherwise, his March 27th gig at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill will remain in our calendar for now.

Also, The Rockstar Bar's Martin Fiser noted on their Facebook group today that they will be closed through this weekend due to the coronavirus, and they may have to cancel events into April pending how the pandemic unfolds. SMS-wise, this would primarily impact next month's Just Heart & Lycanthro concerts, but it is too soon to make judgments on them.

The last surviving hard rock or punk concert left on our calendar for this weekend was The Sick Sons & Slumshine at LopLops Lounge on Friday, and that show has also been cancelled, as per it's Facebook event page. No word on if this will be rescheduled, but both bands are local, so watch their social media accounts for details either way.  As well, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck have announced on Facebook that their planned Wawa road trip in two weeks (to play at a women's curling event that they were a part of before) has been cancelled, and they are "officially off for a few weeks", with updates pertaining to scheduled gigs to be announced. Soundcheck have only plugged their concerts on short notice (if at all) in 2020 so far, and accordingly, they were not listed in our current concert calendar anyway, but any heads-up to fans is welcomed! With all of this said, we surprisingly still have a concert to preview, so what should you know there?

The aforementioned Slumshine are still advertised to play their "Story Time With Slumshine" concert at Home Bakehouse Bed & Breakfast at 168 March Street THIS WEDNESDAY! The relatively unfamiliar venue has been gaining fans in recent months with their homemade baking and their requisite B&B operations, and they have confirmed that they are staying open to help serve the community, as of 3:09 PM (they don't have a real dine-in operation anyway.) Slumshine's planned acoustic punk originals will be joined by Brent telling short stories about them, VH1 Storytellers style, and he hinted that more "Story Time" shows are in the works. This special Wednesday evening concert has a 7:00 PM start time, a "pay what you can" entry model, and no age limit. Assuming this show isn't called off amid the coronavirus fears, this should be a unique but entertaining event at Home (2 minutes north of Gliss), and Slumshine's established unplugged punk attack should make and keep lots of fans!

If you're craving live punk music, this could be one of very few chances to see it for a while, assuming it goes on as scheduled, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, here's Slumshine live, and if we hear anything regarding this show's status, we'll let you know!



Unless a short notice concert pops up that boldly tries to go on amidst the COVID-19 panic, we will have no concert previews this weekend, which is bizarre, but isolating and keeping the coronavirus contained is essential, and we can only hope that things improve in the near future for everyone's health and safety. That's what's important, concerts can wait until we figure things out. Stay safe, everyone, and we'll have more news on the site this week!

The Rest Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, Cancellations, And New Videos!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that Traverse City, Michigan hard rock band Scarkazm are not playing at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino this weekend, and are instead playing two Lower Peninsula dates in Thompsonville (source here.) As best as I can tell, Scarkazm themselves never advertised any concerts for this weekend in the Soo, with those dates originally being reported on Kewadin's entertainment page when they announced early 2020 lounge bookings here and in St. Ignace. This weekend's scheduled act was quietly changed by the venue to local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, but given frontman Henry Switzer's own shared post on their Facebook page last month referring to his own recovery from a heart ailment and being unsure when he will be able to play a full show, I will err on the side of caution and not cover Highway 63 as playing this weekend unless they publically confirm the dates.

Whether Scarkazm had a scheduling conflict or Kewadin simply made a mistake, this is disappointing, but Adam, Dave, and Jeff will be back in the E.U.P early next month at the St. Ignace Kewadin, so if you can't wait until their next advertised Sault Ste. Marie gigs in October, keep the St. Ignace stops in mind! Now, we do have two more weekend concert previews to tackle today, plus some videos of note, so here's what you should know!

We'll pick things back up with Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert slate at Gliss Restaurant, as he'll be back there like clockwork for dinner-time matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY! That's not all though, as Tym will be playing two other relatively unfamiliar venues from his recent live slate this weekend, including an afternoon matinee at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Taproom on SATURDAY (sandwiched between the Gliss shows), before capping off the weekend with a return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for one more matinee concert on SUNDAY! No late nights over the St. Patrick's Day weekend for Tym's upcoming shows, but his acoustic hard & classic rock covers should find another strong audience, and might you still see green beer given the impending St. Patrick's Day festivities? The Gliss shows tomorrow & Saturday are at 6:00 PM, the Northern Superior gig on Saturday is at 3:00 PM, and Sunday's Searchmont concert is at 4:00 PM.

None of these four dates have age limits (all are matinees anyway), nor do they have announced cover charges. Sounds like another entertaining weekend of music from Tym Morrison, a skilled guitarist and singer with years of live experience, so keep these four shows in mind if you want some early unplugged hard rock cover action! Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Lastly for this weekend's concert previews, we'll head to LopLops Lounge, where local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will play their first announced concert of 2020 THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! This concert will have a two-pronged raison d'etre, including a big pre-St. Patrick's Day bash, as is customary for The Tide each year. Given the seasonal angle, expect green beer and holiday frills for the occasion! The other big occasion on Saturday is that this show will take place on LopLops owner Stephen Alexander's birthday, and what better way to celebrate than with a popular and talented group of local music veterans playing Celtic-tinged punk music? Of course, we should hear some new material from The Rising Tide's upcoming new album, so keep that angle in mind too! There are no advertised openers for this 19+ & 10:00 PM concert, which has a $10 cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Dustin & crew live!

Finally for today, here's a belated acknowledgement of a collection of videos that Lansing, Michigan promoters Meridian Entertainment have posted online as of late to hype their recent major headline concerts bookings at the Kewadin Casino branches in the Soo, St. Ignace, and Manistique. These occasionally find their way onto Facebook, and we have featured a few here in the past, though these often get deleted from there once the concert in question comes and goes. However, Meridian's YouTube channel has a bunch still online if you are at all interested! I won't spend hours discussing them all, as most are under 30 seconds and just feature members of a band playing here hyping up a concert that has already occurred, but these do include a number of recent hard rock bands that played here, including members of Autograph, Buckcherry, Faster Pussycat, Kix, Pop Evil, Tantric, and Theory of a Deadman, plus Chris Jericho promoting Eric Martin's show here.

Two upcoming hard rock concerts have a similar shoutout video, including clips from members of Tripp n' Dixie and The Lows (who each play at The Rapids Lounge in June for their Rapids Sessions series), plus the video embedded below, which features Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin hyping up their Dreammakers Theater show on April 18th, which The Lows are also opening, but their video above is specifically for their June gig. These videos can often seem cookie cutter, but it's nice to see artists directly plugging local dates, and hopefully they help drum up interest and ticket sales! Give these a look above and below, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!



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 (Barely Covered & The Wyld Stallyns), CBC Searchlight Info, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, just an acknowledgement that members of Soundcheck (specifically guitarist Terry Eaton, drummer Glen Thomas, and ex-drummer Steven Flint) hosted local blues rock trio Mojo's weekly jam night at Reggie's West last night, due to members' commitments with Maxx Entertainment running sound at the Jack DeKeyzer show at The Machine Shop. We don't consider jam and open mic nights to be "concerts", but had this had more notice, I'd have at least mentioned it on here, and I do apologize! Now, here's some recent news and notes, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will reportedly return to LopLops Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned of this concert via personal Facebook postings earlier this week, though it was quietly listed on the venue's website's events calendar (albeit spelling "Stallions" the non-Bill & Ted way). A one nighter due to the recent run of Friday concerts there by local folk/blues duo The Town Criers, this will be The Stallyns' first show since their Rockstar Bar cancellation last week due to a band member illness, but in longer terms, this will be their first announced show here since April. Unlike then, this show isn't on "Bad Idea Thursday", and there isn't an advertised "pizza and a pint" deal, but the Elements side project's wide array of covers should fit LopLips well TOMORROW! Expect a $5 cover for this 19+ show, which has a 9:30 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, the aforementioned LopLops website's events calendar also listed a show on Saturday, February 29th by a new local band named Barely Covered, so what should you know in this regard? This show does have a Facebook event page, which describes this band as playing "rock, punk, and pop covers" from the 1980s-2000s. Meanwhile, LopLops' website lists a wide array of acts ranging from Nirvana to The Descendents to The Matthew Good Band among their live cover selection. In other words, they definitely fit our coverage, and I'd link them on the SMS if they had a known online page! Lineup-wise, this band is effectively succeeding the mid-2010s cover rock quartet Changing Lanes, though sound descriptions for that band were softer. Returning from that group are guitarist Steve Myers (ex-Sense of Truth/Parabol), bassist Josh Norling (of numerous other bands on bass & saxophone), and drummer Roy Kreutzberger (ex-Startlefish/Leaves Off Trees.)

In lieu of the relocated Buzz, the lead singer of Barely Covered is Maggie Gasparetto, who I am unfamiliar with from prior bands, though you may have seen her with the guys already, as Barely Covered made their live debut at LopLops on September 21st. I profusely apologize for missing that show on here, but now we know about them, and look for an entertaining show on Leap Day at month's end! Expect a 9:30 PM start time, $5 cover, and 19+ age limit once again. See above for more details, and hopefully we hear more from Barely Covered soon, online page or otherwise!

Also today, it's that time of year again, as CBC Music's annual Searchlight competition is back in it's annual quest to find Canada's best unsigned and undiscovered musical talent! Partnering with The Juno Awards this year, first round voting opened on Tuesday, and will run until next Thursday at 3:00 PM, with the 50 highest voted bands and 50 judges panel selections moving on to the second stage, which will be eventually whittled down to a first place winner on March 5th. The top prizes this year include a placement and industry showcase at this year's Allan Slaight Juno Master Class in Toronto, a week's residency at Studio Bell in Calgary, slots at JunoFest at this year's Junos in Saskatoon and at the CBC Music Festival in Toronto, and tickets to the Juno Awards proper. There's a lot to look forward to, but of course, this is the Sault Metal Scene, and there is a lot of local representation in the Ontario province to vote for, so who should you search & show your support for?

As usual, indie punk quintet Northwest have thrown their hat in the ring, as have alt-rockers Man Feelings once again, and other locally relevant acts this year include Hannah Nicoletta, M.D. Dunn, Renee Landry, and former Shattervox frontman Eric Brombacher's current Toronto rock project Eric & The Soo. I could be missing others, but it's great to see this many local musicians alone in the running! Again, I think exposure for Searchlight would be greater locally if CBC Music had an FM signal in Sault Ste. Marie, but hopefully some local connections make the top 100! You can vote once a day per artist, so click here to search for and check out all of this year's entrants!

Finally for today, here's a lineup update for an upcoming Sault Michigan concert, as Detroit hard rock quintet The Lows have been added as the openers for the Candlebox concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino on April 18th! The news was broken on the Facebook event page, and this will give The Lows an earlier than expected local debut before their "Rapids Sessions" gig at The Rapids Lounge on June 12th. Very nice platform for this band, and hopefully the Candlebox show boosts their attendance when they come back north! To promote the concert, Lows frontman Angelo Coppola shared this video on the event page on January 4th where he plays a solo blues rock song all about this particular concert. This goes above and beyond the usual plugs you see from touring acts toward a specific tour date here, and it's a well done (if short) while it lasts! Give it a look below, and get your tickets for $30-$35 each at this link!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Candlebox), The Rad Zone Updates, And New Videos!!

Let's get a new news post up on this cold Friday night, and it includes some new videos, big updates from a fan favourite retail establishment with many ties to the local music community, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next year! Here's what you should know!

Seattle grunge/alt-rock notables Candlebox will make their local concert debut on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One of the biggest alternative hard rock bands of the 1990s thanks to hit songs like "You", "Simple Lessons", "It's Alright", and of course, the Rock 101 staple "Left Behind", their familiar and hard-edged brand of original music should be more than welcomed to the local stage in the spring, so don't miss out on this one if you can help it! Potential opening acts have not been announced at press time. Tickets for this all ages, 8:00 PM concert go on sale on Friday morning at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, and they will start at $30. If you've ever wanted some big name 1990s grunge or alternative bands to roll through, this is definitely a nice change of pace, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, we have some sad, if not entirely unexpected news from a Sault Ontario retail mainstay, as local record (et al) store The Rad Zone and it's attached Hole In The Wall Bookstore will be leaving The Wellington Square Mall at the end of the month, with plans to move to a new location in 2020. If you follow local news media, you may be aware of announced plans to heavily restructure the Trunk Road complex into a modern strip mall (source here), which left the future of the mall's non-Food Basics tenants in doubt. It's not 100% clear whether The Rad Zone is leaving on their own accord or if they weren't part of the mall owners' future plans there. Paul "Monk" Muncaster has owned The Rad Zone (née Radical Records) for 32 years, including the past 17 at this location, but he does plan to move the store elsewhere next year, location and re-opening date to be announced. For what it's worth, their secondary "Rad Zone 2" location at Vintage Games 'N Junque on Queen Street East seems to be unaffected by these developments.

That said, before the big move, The Rad Zone is having a 2 week closeout sale starting tomorrow and running through Friday, November 29th, with most used items running 50% off, new items 40% off, and VHS tapes for 99¢ each, not counting consignment items. Visit the official Facebook event page for full pricing details. This is disappointing news, but hopefully Monk, Mel, Evan, and crew find a great new location next year, as we need a great record, gaming, skateboarding, collectible, and book store here, and they fill that niche exceedingly well, while also being great supporters of local musicians. Best of luck all around, and get down to The Rad Zone while you can!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the last upload from Christopher Paci's footage from Muddfest at the aforementioned Dreammakers Theater in Sault Michigan on November 1st, namely his clip of opening Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric playing their song "Down & Out." It's not as well known as "Breakdown", but it's a catchy enough rocker, and it's well filmed like the rest of Chris' Muddfest videos, so give it a look below, and see much more at his YouTube channel!



Finally, here's a brand new original song from local hard rock/metal solo musician Tym Morrison's YouTube channel yesterday, entitled "Street Preacher"! If you know Tym personally at all, you may be aware that he has embraced Christianity in recent months, and while this song does retain his heavy music background, the lyrics definitely have a (positive) religious bent. That said, I can barely hear his singing in this recording, but the music holds up and has a solid chugging riff, plus a quality solo. Give it a listen below, and don't miss Tym at Gliss tomorrow evening!



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