LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Ricky Mullen & Project 906), Plus New Live Concert Videos!!

After a couple of off days for a personal matter, we're back with the SMS on this Wednesday morning, including new videos from recent concerts and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months, so here's what you should know as we get back into the swing of things!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock band Project 906 will return to The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel for one night only on Saturday, May 3rd! They announced this concert via their Facebook page on Sunday when thanking everyone for their successful Back Bay Grill & Games show in Brimley this past weekend, and it will be their first show in Hessel since playing there in August. Good to see the guys staying busy again with the weather generally getting nicer, and hopefully we hear of more mid-2025 dates from 906 to come! As you can see in the promotional image shared by the venue's Facebook page, hand drummer Brian Duford is pictured with the guys (front and center, no less), which seems to more or less confirm that he has officially joined Project 906, making them a quintet. Brian had guested with 906 since at least mid-2023 but his presence became more and more common, as seen in live media.

Having two percussionists may seem like overkill for some, but Brian's presence in Project 906 concerts gives them a unique aspect that you don't see from other local cover-leaning rock bands, and his drumming can add an extra flavour to their shows! Next month's Hessel concerts is a 21+ affair with no announced cover charge, and an early 7:00 PM start time is listed (past Project 906 shows there started at 9:00 PM but last month's Shipheads On Shore concert was indeed at 7:00). See above for more details!

Next up, folk punk fans will want to circle Independence Day on their calendars, as Mikhal Muto is hosting a Sault Ontario folk punk show at The Stellar Door under The Distraction on Friday, July 4th! Yes, this is in the basement again, they haven't visibly hosted shows in the former barbershop space since last summer. Your headline acts on the Fourth of July are Cambridge solo artist Ricky Mullen and Guelph solo project The Washout, with Ricky's catalog having more of an in-your-face punk attitude that would suit a full band, but The Washout's more reserved material has its audience, and Derek is a solid songwriter with good honest lyrics! Local folk musicians Shae Tull and Tye Lawless Co. will kick off the evening with their own distinct brand of original acoustic music, so don't be late for their sets! Despite his own affinity for folk punk, Mikhal's solo project Agnosticism is not scheduled for this concert.

As usual for Stellar Door/Distraction concerts, this is ALL AGES with a "pay what you can" admission model, though $10 is suggested. Doors open at 6:30 PM for this show, which should pique the interest of folk and punk fans, so keep all of the action in mind in three months, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll spend the rest of this post by looking at new videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's Facebook page, starting with one of their shows at Jay's Piston Broke Pub over the April 4th-5th weekend! Two videos from the same night's gig (it's unclear which one) were uploaded on the 6th, and they include covers of Collective Soul's "Heavy" with guitarist Joel Syrette on lead vocals and, as embedded below, The Cult's "Fire Woman" with his cousin Beej on vocals. Both videos are short (33 and 43 seconds apiece), but the renditions are strong from what we hear, and the horizontal videos capture a unique overhead angle, so check both out above & below!

Finally, as part of Double Down's recent focus on promoting and getting the word out for concerts from other local cover rock bands, an unidentified band member was in attendance for veteran classic rock cover band Mid Life Crysis' show at The Esquire Club on Friday, where they were filmed covering most of Queen's "I Want To Break Free". Featuring recent Double Down guest bassist Lori Reinholtz, M.L.C. don't generally lean heavier, but this is a well done rendition with quality vocal melodies that Queen fans should enjoy! Alas, this is a horizontally shot video that was uploaded in vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, so apologies for how tiny it is, that's out of my hands. Check out this Mid Life Crysis cover below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news/notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Bring The Fallen's EP Release, More Rotaryfest Videos, And Some Other Recent News!!

Approaching the end of one of our busiest ever months on the SMS, today's post is half dedicated to the remaining Local2 Rotaryfest hard rock videos, but we also have some shorter recent news items to get to, and leading off, details on a surprise recent EP release, so here's what you need to know!

Let's kick off this post with some info on Bring The Fallen's debut (and only) EP, which FINALLY got a physical paid release at Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their reunion/farewell concert, over four years after sessions began! As you may remember, the sessions for their EP (named "Stand Before") were held in mid-2009 at Green Room Productions with producer (and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist) Brad Griffith, having won them at the YMCA Battle of the Bands that March during their live debut, but financial difficulties left the EP unreleased by the time of their 2011 breakup. Flash forward to last Friday, where fans finally got copies of it, so what should you know? "Stand Before" was released on a pay-by-donation model, and while there was no full artwork or liner notes, the jewel case and CD label are all done up professionally with band photos, a song listing, and two different CD designs released, and I've replicated my copy's design on your right as if it was the cover art.

The EP features their songs "Stand Before", "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", with tracks 2-3 making their official public debut in studio form, having not been uploaded to their MySpace page as a preview at the time. I like what I've heard so far, and it's nice hearing "Kill Your Life" again after so long, but if you missed Friday's show, that was likely the only day that copies will be available to purchase given that it was a one-off return. As for when we could be reviewing it on the site, I won't commit to anything yet, but with Crimson Crusade a lock for next month, it's looking extremely likely for the fall! Stay tuned!

Next up, here's the other two hard rock covers from Rotaryfest's first stage at Clergue Park that we didn't feature on the site yesterday! Filmed by Local2's Mike Caruso as part of his "Everything Sault" series, these were uploaded to Local2's YouTube channel last week. I held back these two from yesterday's post because they're both covers of songs by The Cult, so why not feature them together? The first of them is a cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" from Friday, July 19th's lineup, courtesy of local classic rock cover quartet Mid Life Crysis. Featuring singer/guitarist Dan Hodgson, lead guitarist David Kettles, bassist Lori Reinholtz, and drummer Len Legacy, this is a solid cover for the most part, if played slightly softer than the original, but their talents are on point, and Dan's vocals fit the melody and vibe of the track! Mid Life Crysis are a popular sight for weekend gigs at local bars, and though their sets are completely varied across all genres, they can rock a little harder once in a while, so don't bypass them completely! Check out their cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" below!



The last of Mike's filmed hard rock covers from Rotaryfest comes from reunited local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's set on Saturday, July 20th, as their Local2 video has them covering The Cult's "Fire Woman"! Nice to see the guys back together, and their fun chemistry and talents came back too, but the guitars seem oddly low in the mix compared to some other videos from Rotaryfest that I've seen. I have no idea if That's Chester have any more shows coming up this summer, or if this reunion is on a limited or sporadic basis, but they haven't lost a step in their year-long stage hiatus, so give their "Fire Woman" cover a look below!



Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, company, or event name:

• Local metal concert promotion agency Dismembertainment is back... just not in the Soo. After a 14 month hiatus, owner Rich Moreland announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that he's recieved an offer to book concerts at The DV8 Tavern in his current home of Edmonton, where he moved last fall. Great to hear, even if it's so far from here, but if you want a concert booking in Edmonton, give Dismembertainment a shout!
• The proposed Heavy North metal festival in September at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre has quietly been called off in the last month or so, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page. A reason hasn't been publically announced that I'm aware of, but J.D. had a good idea that would be neat to re-explore in the future!
• Former Turner Up/Johnny Lunchbox singer Krista Marshall is looking to start a new local hard rock cover band that would cover groups like Halestorm and Lacuna Coil. She apparently has a bassist lined up already, and is specifically looking for a drummer and at least one guitarist. It's be nice to have her playing live again, so if you're interested in trying out, message Krista at this location or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Wednesday! (Note that she's not to be confused with recent Haggith guest vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall.)

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Tesla concert videos and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!