LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), Darsombra Concert Updates, And A New Pillory Song!!

I'd like to begin today's post by offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darsombra synth player/vocalist Ann Everton, who passed away on Friday in a car crash in Essex County, New York. She and her husband/bandmate Brian Daniloski had been on the road towards Montreal for the beginning of their fall North American tour, which was slated to include a local concert this Friday at the Downtown Plaza, but their tour van collided with a police cruiser this past Friday. Brian and the police officer inside the cruiser were hospitalized with minor injuries, and you can read more about the incident at this link. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money for Brian and Ann's family to cover related expenses in the aftermath of this tragic accident, so consider donating to help out. Local fans will recall seeing Darsombra (all the way from Baltimore, Maryland) thrice here at three different venues in the past.

The psychedelic hard rock duo's multimedia stage show debuted here at The New American Pub in July 2017, before rocking LopLops Lounge in August 2019, and they last played here at the so-called March Street Stage in July 2023. All but the Six, Two, Oh.-hosted LopLops gig were promoted by Dryer Fire (now Piecing It Together Shows), and Darsombra were to have played at the Downtown Plaza on Friday alongside British Columbia punk band Mean Bikini, locals The Floor Between Us, and a Muel Goods-hosted independent sellers market. That show will still take place, and according to P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble on their Facebook page, they'll be showing Darsombra videos on the screen above the Plaza's stage, Brian will still receive his artist fee despite being unable to perform, and Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales on Friday to him. Kudos all around for the support being shown in Ann's memory, both locally and afar!

I was unable to see Darsombra's local dates, but their brand of "post-apocalyptic galaxy rock" made a mark on local fans, and it was impressive to see an American touring band come here this much! Darsombra's mix of hard rock, drone, psychedelic, and experimental sounds, plus a diverse visual experience that Ann had deep involvement in, made them a captivating watch. I've heard very good things about Ann as a person, and I feel so bad for Brian and the rest of their family at this difficult time. We'll have more on Friday's concert in this weekend's concert previews, but consider coming out to show your support and still see some live outdoor music. R.I.P. Ann!

Today's post otherwise features a new song from an upcoming album and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent hiatus by headlining at Gateway Casino on Saturday, October 18th! This will be Generations' first concert in over two months, last seen at the now-closed(?) Reggie's Place in late July, and their first show at the downtown casino in four months, so fans will have been waiting a long time to see them in action! This wasn't a summer break like some other local cover rock bands had, as drummer Tony Santoro was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, as per their (now-private) Facebook group. Of note, next Saturday's show will be Generations' first since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar after a two year run with the band, with Tony S. confirming that he left "due to personal reasons pursuing a new project".

 

Otherwise best known around here from Flat Stanley and The Peace Vibe, hopefully Tony K.'s new band is successful, but it will be easier to not have to specify which Tony when covering Generations! Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (who filled in with Generations before Tony K. came on board) will guest on guitar for next Saturday's one-nighter, which takes place at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Valerie, Pierre, and Tony's return to the stage!

Finally for today, here's the first advance single from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's upcoming full length album "Old Soul!" Released on September 30th to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music (all linked here) as well as their new YouTube Music channel, the song in question is "The Angst Of Existence", which has been a staple in Pillory's sets since their mid-2010s revival era. Of note, the Distrokid tags for the album credit 2015-2017 bassist Jordan Leach as a co-writer of the song alongside Robert and Bret. I have no idea if Jordan (who moved out of the country for work reasons in 2017) recorded bass tracks remotely for the album, or if this is just giving him credit for co-writing the song, but we'll let you know if the band confirms anything! I'll hold comment on "The Angst Of Existence" until we review "Old Soul" on the site next year, but give it a listen below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Darsombra & BookcluB) And A New Video Interview!!

Before we begin this post, just a brief apology and clarification, as Tym Morrison did indeed play a solo acoustic show at Misty's Fifties on Saturday, not country musician Allan Mooney. While the promotion for that matinee timeslot was more active on Allan's end, he cited "a mixup in bookings" as to why he wasn't playing (source here), and Tym did quietly share the Facebook event page for his Misty's shows afterwards. I wish Tym would have said more about this gig, but I do apologize for the mix-up on my end, and hopefully this Misty's matinee went well! If you missed it or want more, he will definitely be back there this Saturday, preview forthcoming!

Today's post otherwise dives into a new video, and leading off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month, and we'll start on Saturday, September 20th, when local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will surprisingly open for Toronto-based Bob Seger tribute band Forever Seger: The Silver Bullet Experience at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! Much like the Hotel California show this summer with locals Headrush opening, the big tent downtown will play host to a major touring tribute band, and while Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band aren't hard rock or metal, they have a talented and faithful stage show in store for fans of his! BookcluB will provide the SMS tie here with their varied setlist and supergroup lineup, though this will be their first announced show following guitarist Brandon Ruch's move to Barrie, and the band has yet to announce a replacement for him. We'll let you know if we hear anything in that regard!

Tickets cost a flat $44 at this link or at the in-person box office at GFL Memorial Gardens. The show is all ages and it has a 7:00 PM start time. I've never been a massive Seger fan, but Forever Seger definitely do him justice with their faithfully sounding stage show, and Bookclub should set the tone well with their cover mix! Visit the above links for more on this big tribute show later this month!

Next up, Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra and Cumberland, British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini will both return to the Soo on Friday, October 10th for a joint concert at the Downtown Plaza! This concert is part of local promoters Piecing It Together Shows' newly announced fall concert calendar, and the only one to have heavier or punk bands on the bill. The same promoters brought both bands here in the past under their old name Dryer Fire, with Darsombra playing three different venues here between 2017-2023 (most recently the so-called March Street Stage), while Mean Bikini headlined at The Speak Easy in September 2023. Good to see both bands back next month, and hopefully the weather holds up for their unique and distinctive original sounds given the outdoor locale! Local comedy/alternative band The Floor Between Us will open the proceedings.

Muel Goods (who you may recognize from vending at last year's It's The Pits Festival in Leeburn) will host an independent sellers market that night too, and visit the Facebook event page for information on how you can be a vendor at said market. This concert is FREE & ALL AGES with a 7:00 PM start time, and it should be a fine way to kick off the Thansgiving long weekend, weather permitting! Visit the above links for more details on this intriguing multi-genre show, as well as P.I.T.S.' other fall concerts!

Finally, remember how local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT had teased an impending video interview with guitarist Matthew "Fang" Voros by Dave Standridge of Hershey, Pennsylvania's This Is Pop Punk Promotions, not unlike what J.D. and Daniel had taken part in last year? Well, that interview has not yet been posted online (if it was even recorded already), but in looking up This Is Pop Punk Promotions' YouTube channel to see if it was posted there yet, I found another very locally relevant interview, and coincidentally, it's with a former bandmate of Daniel's, namely fellow local/Barrie musician Mike Haggith! If Mike plugged this interview on social media after it went live in April, then it completely passed me by. The 28+ minutes-long interview starts right away with Dave asking Mike about the inspiration behind starting his own indie label MorningStar Records, with The Din and the Soo coming up here in context.

This evolves into Mike's exploration into print-on-demand CD/vinyl manufacturing and the DIY indie musician community on YouTube, and of course, the artist-friendly affiliation model rather than musicians signing everything away. Dave next asks Mike about his biggest influences (for musicians and labels) and favourite Barrie-area musicians, and the major act that Mike would most want to work with, before asking some non-musical questions. Among those: Mike's favourite movie, his best vacation, the charity that he'd donate $1 million to, what historical person he'd talk to, what there is to do in Barrie, and his favourite baseball team, which leads into lots of baseball/MLB talk at the end of the interview. This is all definitely more about MorningStar Records and Mike as a person than his solo music career, but it's a good and light interview that fans of his will take to easily!

I do still think that Dave should have more natural segues between questions and points of discussion, as there are a bunch of abrupt topic changes, but he and Mike got along well here, and the baseball discussion came off very natural, even to me, someone who doesn't watch it. Check out Dave & Mike's full interview below, and we'll let you know when/if Fang's interview goes live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lopstock III) & Darsombra Concert Videos!!

Two topic post on this final day of June, including new videos from a unique outdoor concert from earlier this month, but let's lead off with a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

After an eight year hiatus, Lopstock is back for a third installment at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, July 29th! As you may recall, Lopstock was a Woodstock-inspired "bohemian conclave" that took place in June 2014 & 2015 thanks to then-Gnaeus drummer Brendan Garlick in cooperation with Ears & Eyes (at least in year #1). A third installment in 2016 didn't take place in part due to Brendan moving out of town for a spell, but aiming to help LopLops post-pandemic return to prominence led to him suggesting the return of Lopstock in 2023, which will also serve as the launch event for his new promotion agency Sault Noir. You can read more about Lopstock's rebirth and how the original events came together at this SooToday article by Chris Belsito, and Brendan offers some interesting insights as to the original Lopstock plans in 2014! One note is that Lopstock bands are asked to play all-original sets aside from (if desired) one cover song.

Ten bands are scheduled in the eight hour timeframe for Lopstock III, and while none are returnees from the mid-2010s, there are some returning artists in different bands. The advertised headliners are online page-less indie rock trio Pointless (led by Treble Charger's Bill Priddle), with local alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich co-headlining in what may be their post-relaunch debut at LopLops. Fellow Rotaryfest Stage 2 band The Hollow Heads will also play at Lopstock 3 with their indie rock originals, while rappers Ethan Stoneburgh & Sawbé will rock the mic in a joint set next month, and Christian rapper Bold Noize will also add to the hip-hop credentials with a set of his own. As far as bands go, you can also see rising young metal trio The BAG, new-ish local hard rock quartet Far From Fine (in their second show of the year), and pop rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous.

Talented young folk/pop rock solo musicians Hannah Lindsay and Juliana Regan (no word on if Blair St. John will join her again) are the advertised openers. This 19+ event has a 5:00 PM start time on July 29th, and tickets run for $25 (plus processing fees) at this link, though no word on in-person availability or a price hike at the door. Brendan will serve as MC, and Crank Sound Distribution will be on hand. This should be a great time for fans of current original music, including via three hard rock-leaning acts, and I hope this does well for Brendan, LopLops, and Sault Noir, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with some recent concert videos from Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, and while he did film at the Josey Scott's Saliva concert, those will get their own upcoming post given the amount of bands on that bill. Instead, let's head back to the Darsombra-headlined outdoor show on June 21st on what promoters Dryer Fire called the "March Street Stage", so where exactly was that? My assumption that it was at the corner of March and Queen Street East was almost accurate, as the naming was kind of a misnomer. The stage was built in the open patio area beside June & Friends Hair Salon at 485 Queen Street East, so it was close to but not actually held on March Street. Musicians faced the patio seating and the OLG building in the distance, with their backs to Queen Street proper. Chris filmed three videos of the headlining Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo, so what can you see here?

Firstly, I'll have no luck titling the songs on offer given Darsombra's progressive jam approach and theatricality coming ahead of playing the songs as heard on studio albums, but click here and here to see the shorter videos (the longest one, embedded below, runs for over 15 minutes). Their set features a projector screen full of creative visuals, what appears to be a fly mask, and lots of impressive (if drone-friendly) trippy jam rock that won't be for everyone, but you have to admire what Darsombra are doing here, and with zest and energy! Hopefully the turnout was decent, but give things a look for yourself above & below, and stay tuned for more from him!

Lastly, Chris got one video of local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's opening set, and between the daylight, lack of a projector screen backdrop, and Chris' sharper angle of the stage here, you get a better sense of how things were laid out for this unique outdoor concert. Looks like a decent setup that could hopefully be replicated for other shows! In a surprise, Chase actually covered Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" in this video, but he adds his own intense touches and rapid fire guitar flourish along with his distinct vocals, so fans of his folk punk side won't be left out in the lurch! Give Chase's video a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Wednesday Concert Previews, Plus Soundcheck/Obsession Concert Videos!!

It's unusual where two concerts that cross our radar take place on a Wednesday, let alone both outdoors, so let's preview those to start this Tuesday evening post, which is capped off with live videos from a unique recent concert. Here's what you should know!

We'll start with Tidal Records' ninth annual Go Skateboarding Day festivities at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of The John Rhodes Centre TOMORROW, and for a seventh year, live music will be on tap for skaters and fans to enjoy! Along with the skating, refreshments, vendors, and games, four local bands will take to the stage atop the big ramp tomorrow, all new to Go Skate Day, with online page-less punk trio Hails (featuring These Magnificent Tentacles & Vanity First alumni) headlining. Their sound is tailor-made for extreme sports like this, so they're a fine pick! Support bands include also-online-pageless alternative/punk quintet Bookclub (featuring event organizer/ex-Cover-Up frontman Dustin Jones), rap collective Sound Syndicate (featuring ex-As It Stands singer Justin "Nadj" Pregent), and young local metal trio The BAG. Nice array of current music for all tastes, including rap for the first time since 2016, so keep this event in mind!

Whether you're skateboarding or not, Go Skate Day is FREE and ALL AGES, and a 4:00 PM start time is advertised. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny conditions in the 25° range, so unless you hate summer, this should be optimal for both skating and seeing an outdoor concert. Go Skateboarding Day is always June 21st, so the Wednesday timing won't be ideal for many on work/school schedules, but at least it'll be an early event with good weather, and hopefully a solid array of established and new skateboarders turn up for all of the fun, let alone the music! See above for more details, and in lieu of a public video of Hails, here's Bookclub live!

Next up, there's more hard rock-leaning live music taking place outdoors downtown TOMORROW, as Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will return to the Soo for a special gig at a pop-up stage on March Street! The second and final concert in Dryer Fire's summer concert series that crosses our genre radar, this will be Darsombra's third local appearance, following indoor gigs at separate venues in 2017 & 2019. Given their audio/visual presentation and extended jams in their set, it will be interesting to see how Darsombra do in an outdoor setting, though at least by the time their set is slated to begin at 9:45 PM, it will be getting darker! Local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore will open tomorrow, presumably in acoustic folk punk confines, and his guitar wizardry should be more than welcomed by fans, especially following his Dryer Fire set opening for Hails in March!

As best as I can gather, this show will be held at or near the corner of March Street and Queen Street East (somewhere near The Queen's Tarts), and was moved from the Bellevue Park Bandshell for unannounced reasons. This is also a FREE & ALL AGES concert (the crowd-funding campaign worked!) with Chase opening at 8:30 PM, preceded by a local vendor's market with food by Jiggs & Reels at 6:30 PM. 9&10 News is calling for sunny-clear skies at this later point tomorrow, with temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. Should be a very memorable show on musical and visual fronts, as Darsombra have to be seen to be fully appreciated, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

Now let's look at a bunch of videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's special Esquire Club show on Saturday, June 10th alongside three former Obsession singers! Drummer Glen Thomas uploaded nine videos from the gig to his YouTube channel last week, all labelled as "Soundcheck with (the) Obsession Angels" (presumably as there were three of them, like Charlie's Angels). A commemoration for the 18 year run of Obsession (featuring Soundcheck bassist Jim Michaud), the videos show Soundcheck playing alongside Obsession's first three lead frontwomen (Kim Liguori, Lorrie Lynn Bolduc, and Valerie Powley), who appear to have sung together on stage for the duration rather than trade off for solo songs. Seven people on stage must have gotten crowded! The nine videos include renditions of April Wine's version of Hot Chocolate's "You Could Have Been A Lady", ...

Nick Gilder's "Hot Child In The City",  Electric Light Orchestra's "Rock N' Roll Is King", The Eagles' "Heartache Tonight", two different versions of Shania Twain's "(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here!" (this one and an updated version with multiple camera angles), Trooper's "Raise A Little Hell", and Janis Joplin's version of Roger Miller's "Me & Bobby McGee", which also had the two upload treatment by Glen, but this time, both versions were composites from multiple camera angles (this is the original, the final updated copy is below). Mileage varies, but it is clear that Soundcheck didn't know all of these songs equally. Still, it is fun seeing them rock out in a relatively unique setting like this, and the ladies pair up well together! You can see why they all were remembered from their tenures in Obsession, though it would have been nice to see their final singer Jessica Amadio also involved here.

Credit to Glen for going the extra mile for the Shania and Janis covers by cobbling together available video footage (as best as I can tell, none uploaded publically on their own elsewhere) so we can see lots of angles of Soundcheck, the Obsession singers, and the audience in action, and even if some footage was vertical, he at least tiled it over horizontal clips! Give everyone tackling "Me & Bobby McGee" a watch below, and look for more from Soundcheck when we hear it!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for formal weekend concert previews on Thursday, and more news and notes otherwise soon! Thanks everyone!

A Renamed Local Band, Their New EP, And Much More News & Notes!!

Before we begin today's news post, I wanted to apologize for not one, but two missed concerts in this weekend's concert previews. Firstly, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard played an unplugged concert at Gateway Casino last night, a show that was only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday afternoon. Bone Yard did not promote this show on their Facebook page, and this weekend was left blank in their summer concert calendar, otherwise full for another four weekends, leading me to believe that this concert truly came together on late notice. Interestingly, it was originally advertised for their acoustic side project The Bearded Lounge, who last played live at the casino in March, but was later revised to specify that this was "Bone Yard unplugged". Is this in deference to bassist Warren Reville being present, or have The Bearded Lounge been folded in favour of just using the Bone Yard name across the board?

If the former, no reason has been given for the unplugged switch, but the full electric band will be back at the Queen Street Cruise this coming weekend! The other missed show is from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, who did indeed play a standard concert at The Esquire Club on Friday night before their special gig with three former Obsession singers last night. Initial advertising focused only on the Saturday nighter with guests, and Soundcheck only confirmed that they were playing on Friday too via their Facebook page at 4:24 PM that day. I profusely apologize for missing both bands' shows, I'd have covered them had they gotten more reasonable advance notice, but hopefully they were hits!

Today's post otherwise features some assorted recent updates, and leading off, a surprise band revival, as local progressive metal band Kraken Mara are back, and have a new name to show for it! Only explained by saying "we've shuffled some things around", their new name is Convergence, as per their Facebook page yesterday, and their social media links are changed to match. In case you forgot, the former Kraken Mara was the long-gestating project from ex-Late & Loud guitarist Brendan Christie and his brother-in-law Jake Valois that was first active in fits & starts from 2015-2018 before resurfacing in 2021 with new EPs (yes, plural) that were streamable but, despite appearances, not buyable from their Wix website, which was oddly the only place where you could access them. While not hyped up on Facebook, Kraken Mara Convergence have finally posted an EP for sale that actually works on Wix, named "One"!

Originally, they had eight songs across two EPs named "Press Start" & "Game Over" that you could stream on Wix in the summer of 2021, but they have been condensed down into this five-track EP, with three prior songs ("Vibe Check" & "Minmaj" from the former and "Escort Mission" from the latter) not present (maybe on "Two"?). Notably, Kelowna, B.C.-based drummer Cliff Aubut is only credited on "The Woodward" this time out, but he is still listed as a session performer on the "About" page on Wix, as well a name we haven't heard much about locally in years, namely former State of Misery/Valentine's Day Massacre singer Steve Rhodes! Steve moved to London with The V.D.M. back in 2012, and has surprisingly not played a local date with his more recent Southern Ontario bands like D3athcharg3r or Prosector. He is not on the Convergence EP, but it'd be great to hear Steve's screaming vocals again in a local context!

"Many others" are teased as collaborators, but not named. At present, this EP is available exclusively on Wix for $9.99 (despite individual tracks costing $1 each), and can be streamed for free there as well. Note that it was produced & mastered at the band's own Yellow Room Studios, but how much of that work is new this year, I can't say. Yes, I do plan to review "One" on the SMS, but alas, we have quite a backlog for our monthly CD reviews, so it won't hit the site until October, as we're booked solid for four months. Still, it's great to see Brendan & Jake back yet again, and hopefully their djent-heavy, ultra technical brand of prog metal takes off as intended in 2023! See and hear much more at the above links!

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

• The Darsombra-headlined concert from Dryer Fire on Wednesday, June 21st has been moved from the Bellevue Park Bandshell to.... the March Street Stage? A reason for the move was not announced, but this was clarified in Facebook advertising since May 14th, and the new locale will also feature a local vendors market featuring food by Jiggs & Reels Catering from 6:30 PM onward that day. Oddly, they did not specify where on March Street that this pop-up stage will be located, but the event page defaults to the Downtown Association offices, so closer to Queen Street East would be my guess. See above for more on this FREE summer solstice concert!
• We now know who Rotaryfest Stage 1 performers Lands & Forest (not Land & Forest) are, based on personal Facebook posts, and they are a blues/rockabilly quartet featuring Johnny & The Revelators alumni Jason Gasparetto and twins Byron & Marshall Jaaskelainen (the latter of Rising Tide fame), plus Marshall's old Barn Board Trio bandmate Jaime Jacques. This group debuted at The Water Tower Pub last night, and while not a hard rock act, it's good to know who they are! Their Rotaryfest set will be on Saturday, July 15th at 2:15 PM.
  
• I have moved local Tool tribute band Parabol back to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band has not issued any public statements or played live since their headlining gig at Soo Blaster on June 4th last year, which is their only concert in the past 3½ years, pandemic acknowledged. Parabol were never a frequent presence on stage, so the potential of them coming back out of the blue for a big headlining date is definitely out there, but best of luck to John, Steve, Al, and Anthony in whatever's next! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Darsombra, Mike Haggith, And Fort Creek), Plus A New Video!!

We have a packed news post to check out on this Monday night, including a recent live concert video and, to lead off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next two months, so here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to the stage with headlining concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, May 12th & Saturday, May 13th! Last seen opening for Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster earlier this month, these shows will be Fort Creek's first traditional nightclub gigs since rocking Jay's early last month, with studio work filling much of their time since then. Good to see the guys back at it, and hopefully sizeable crowds turn up at the former Reggie's West next month for their hard rocking covers and select originals! On Friday the 12th only, they will have an opening act, namely ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison, who we last saw in his dormant acoustic duo Short & Sweet. Cory's a talented singer & guitarist, so don't be late on the Friday! No word on possible merchandise giveaways, but these are 19+ concerts with 9:30 PM start times and no cover charges. See above for more details!

Next up, remember how veteran local musician/photographer Brian Tremblay revealed at the end of his interview with Mike Haggith on Rock N' Roll Heaven on The Borderline that they'd be taking part in "a very intimate singer/songwriter evening" next month? Well, the details are finally out on that, as Mike and Brian will join forces for what they're calling Face To Face, a joint concert to be held at The Art Hub on Spring on Friday, May 26th! The second show that we've covered at the relatively new Art Hub (joining the Hails/Chase Wigmore concert last month), this will be Mike's first show in Sault Ste. Marie since Rotaryfest last summer and since his move to Barrie last fall. The conceit of this concert feels very reminiscent of the old VH1 Storytellers series, where performers in a more intimate location play their songs and talk about the origins and backgrounds of them, and some intermingling between the two is implied for their sets.

Sounds like a fun evening, especially with the storytelling aspect that comes so naturally to Brian (a folk rock veteran who fronts The Sinister Hearts) and Mike given the former's radio show and the latter's ample Facebook live-streams and personal lyrics! The show may be recorded for a live album of some kind, and there will be complimentary food & drinks for attendees, so how's that for a bonus? This all ages concert has a 7:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $22.63 (this includes extra processing fees) at this link. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Lastly for new concerts is the only show in local promoters Dryer Fire's mid-2023 slate of concerts with a heavier component, as Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday, June 21st for a rare rock concert at the Bellevue Park Bandshell! I can't think of the last time that a scheduled and advertised metal/punk concert (re: not a pop-up gig) was held there, but it's great to see Nicole and crew giving it a shot! You may recall seeing Darsombra live in 2017 and 2019 via shows at The New A and LopLops respectively, both courtesy of the now-inactive Six, Two, Oh., and if you saw one/both, you'll recall Darsombra's minimalist instrumental sound well, including extended jams and quite a different audio/visual presentation than what you may expect. How will this translate to an outdoor setting? Be there to find out! Local folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore is slated to open this concert.

Last seen opening for Hails under the Dryer Fire banner at last month's Fishbowl Festival, it remains to be seen how his long gestating "Chaotic Rite" album will play into his presumably unplugged set, but it''ll be good to see him on stage again! Notably, Dryer Fire's six shows from April-June are being funded via an Indiegogo campaign, and backing it for $10 will get you admission to one show, Darsombra or otherwise, but general admission will be low/non-existent if they get $2,100 crowdfunded. Click here for full details on what rewards are available and for full details on what Dryer Fire have planned. Fingers crossed that things go well, as the varied acts are more than welcome, so see above for more details!

We'll close today with a new video from the aforementioned Jay's Piston Broke Pub's Facebook page, as a venue representative filmed fellow local southern hard rock band Bone Yard during their show there on Friday! The video (uploaded on Saturday morning) is short and vertical, but thankfully, it's not a "Reel", so it can be embedded externally, and it features the guys playing an unidentified instrumental section for 15 seconds. Not a lot to comment on, but the band sound good while it lasts, and fans are having fun! Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Jay's!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (B.A. Johnston), Darsombra Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

Let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews with a look at the remaining announced hard rock show of the weekend, complete with a late lineup change and opener addition! Along with that, we also have lots of new concert videos and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this fall!

Hamilton comedy/folk punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, November 9th when he opens for Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks at The New American Pub! Local fans may recognize B.A.'s irreverent mix of outsider folk and punk rock from his well received headlining sets at the same venue in April as well as at Cafe Natura back in 2015, and with his creative and somewhat polarizing original set, you know there'll be a lot to take in at The New A this fall! Of course, he's opening for Dany Laj & The Looks in that band's fifth local concert appearance since 2015, though this will be their first Soo gig in almost two years. With their upbeat and proficient power pop originals, Dany and company should be more than welcomed back to the Soo themselves, so don't bypass them! Potential local openers have not been announced at press time. This show is a presentation of Girl Friday Productions, who also booked B.A. here in April.

An 8:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert,  which will have admission via $12 tickets that will be available at The New A and at an online source to be announced, and they apparently go on sale on Thursday. This should be a fun show for power pop and punk fans, including two local favourites delivering in their own diverse ways, so visit the official Facebook event page for more updates as they roll in!

Next up, here's our last concert preview for the weekend, as Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will play their second local concert TOMORROW NIGHT when they hit LopLops Lounge! This show was moved on short notice from the aformentioned New A to LopLops, as per promoters Six, Two, Oh. on the official Facebook event page yesterday, though a reason was not announced for the relocation. Fans may recall their eclectic stage show at the same venue two years ago, where their instrumental form of "trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock" made a bunch of new fans, and with their ambitious audio-visual presentation and extended jams, this is a show that has to be seen to be believed! Openers will include ex-Lion Ride bassist Brent Ellis' masked alt-folk solo project Slumshine, in a set that will also serve to launch his debut solo album "SLMSHN" on a physical run of cassette tapes (Six, Two, Oh.'s debut indie album release), so keep this angle in mind as well!

The other opening band, who we just learned about, are local drone/noise rock trio Pointless (led by Treble Charger's Bill Priddle), who opened for Darsombra in 2017 as well. This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time with an $8 cover charge, while Brent will also be selling some of his own original artwork tomorrow as well. This should be a fun and very diverse night of music with a little something for everyone to enjoy, and with Darsombra's impressive and hard to describe set, you won't want to miss out at The New A tomorrow! See above for more details, and here's Darsombra live!



Finally for today, here's eighteen new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck from their road trip to Wawa for another show at their annual drag races earlier this month! These were uploaded to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel over the past couple of days, all but one as filmed on a stationary camera. These don't appear to have been uploaded in performance order, as the sky will tell you. Seventeen of the videos include Soundcheck covering The Outfield's "Your Love", Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me", The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough" & "New Orleans Is Sinking", The Offspring's "Why Don't You Get A Job?", Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl", Def Leppard's "Hysteria", Kenny Loggins' "Footloose", Dwight Yoakam's "Fast As You", Sublime's "Santeria", David Bowie's "Let's Dance", David Wilcox's "My Eyes Keep Me In Trouble", Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69", ..

...Van Morrison's "Wild Night", Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" (plus a fan-shot alternate video), and REO Speedwagon's "Take It On The Run". These covers largely feature Travis Sharpe on lead vocals, with the exception of the Cheap Trick, Offspring, Dwight Yoakam, David Wilcox, and REO Speedwagon covers, plus "Blow At High Dough", which all have Terry Eaton taking the lead. Also, be warned of an over-exuberant fan with an "adult" item dancing on stage during "Fast As You". Embedded below is Soundcheck's regular 10+ minute cover medley, which features renditions of David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy", Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time", Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'", and a reprise of "Riverboat Fantasy". As usual, Travis handles the lead vocals for the Journey, Boston, and Bon Jovi covers, with Terry doing the rest. Of course, huge thanks to Glen for getting all of these videos filmed, he certainly didn't have to!

Capturing a whopping 83 minutes or so from the Wawa drag races, I can't quickly confirm if this was their whole concert, but you sure get two regular sets' worth, and Soundcheck generally sound solid throughout this diverse range of covers! Fans will definitely want to give these a look, and don't miss Soundcheck TONIGHT & TOMORROW at The Reggievelt!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Michale Graves, The Faps, And Darsombra), Plus Northwest Updates!!

Alright, let's finally get caught up on some big recent news on the SMS, and I apologize profusely for the delays in covering these newly announced concerts on the site, one in particular! We also have big road trip and related coverage for a prominent punk band at post's end, but let's lead off with those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in chronological order!

Saskatchewan trash-punk duo The Faps will return to Sault Ste. Marie for their sixth live concert appearance on Wednesday, July 31st when they headline at the Dryer Fire summer pop-up venue at 123 Bruce Street! Certainly no strangers to local fans or this site, some readers will have just seen Blair & Skylar's intense and irreverent live show back in April at The New A, and while this isn't quite a return to autumn normalcy, it's great to see The Faps back at another downtown venue at month's end, presumably with women's clothing in tow! Local surf rock instrumental band The Dynowaves are advertised to open, and they should deliver a fun set of their own to kick things off! Remember, bassist Brenton Ellis opened for The Faps in April with his solo project Slumshine, more on them in a bit. Note that I have not found a local Facebook event page to plug this show at press time, but it is advertised at Dryer Fire via July event posters like this, so that'll do for now.

An exact cover charge is not public yet, but The Faps' last local show charged $5, and many Dryer Fire events are "pay what you can" or free to enter as it is. While this is a mid-week show, Dryer Fire concerts generally take place at 7:00 PM and are ALL AGES as a rule, so don't let the Wednesday scheduling scare you off. This should be a fine attraction for new and old fans alike who want The Faps' minimalist noise punk attack, so don't miss the action then, and see the above links for more details!

Next up, Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will return to The New American Pub for their second local concert appearance on Saturday, August 17th! This show comes over two years after this exceedingly unique band last played The New A, and if you recall that concert, you'll remember the audiovisual presentation, extended jam sessions, lack of a singer or drummer, and their unique hybrid sound that united psychedelia, drone rock, and classic metal stylings. Darsombra has to be seen to be fully appreciated, I highly recommend tracking down videos (or coming to the show proper next month!) Online page-less folk solo project Slumshine will open in what is advertised as their album release show, while Brent will have original artwork for sale during the concert. A local act launching an album in a support slot isn't unheard of locally (Telephone & Address did the very same in 2016), and hopefully Slumshine make a big splash in this regard next month!

A second opening act is to be announced, though for reference, 2017's Darsombra show was opened by Pointless and late fill-ins Pillory. Presented by Six, Two, Oh. once again, this concert has a 9:00 PM start time, an $8 cover charge (up $1 from last time), and a 19+ age limit. It should be quite a night when Darsombra come back to the Soo, and with this being a Saturday nighter for a change, hopefully that + the strong reception in 2017 will help make this even bigger and better! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Lastly for our overdue concert announcements, but certainly not least, former Misfits frontman Michale Graves has finally announced the make-up date from last year's cancelled Canadian Nightclub concert, as he'll be there on Saturday, September 28th, exactly one year & one week later! As many fans may recall, Michale and the two touring opening bands were unable to make it into the U.P. (let alone Canada) last September due to severe winds closing the Mackinac Bridge, and forcing a very short notice tweaking of the concert into a free, all-local jam night. Well, if you've held onto your tickets from last year for this long, then you can absolutely use them on September 28th to see Michale Graves in concert, though on this American Monster Tour, he is performing his two Misfits albums ("American Psycho" & "Famous Monsters") in their entirety during his set, so how's that for extra incentive? Opening bands have not been announced yet, but for reference, Argyle Goolsby & The Roving Midnight, Nim Vind, and locals Jack Spades were to have opened last fall, and I'd be shocked if Jack Spades didn't open still.

Still an ALL AGES and licensed concert promoted by J.D. Pearce, this 8:00 PM event will have slightly lower advance tickets going for $22.50 at this link, with in-person availability to be announced. And remember, tickets from last year's show are accepted for the new date, except if you got a refund. It's great to see Michale Graves finally trying again for a local concert date, and with a year's anticipation and full Misfits albums in his set, this should be a packed house, weather permitting! Visit the official Facebook event page for continuing updates as they roll in!

Finally for today, here's the latest from local indie/punk quintet Northwest, and apologies again for the delay in this making the site! Back in April, you may remember seeing local news releases where organizers of the Rock on the River Festival in Timmins were looking for Northern Ontario bands to send in submissions to play at their Northern Roots Stage on July 26th or 27th. Well, Northwest took them up on it, and they will represent the Soo at the festival on Friday, July 26th! They're the first listed band that would be playing on the Northern Roots Stage, while they'll be playing on the same day as past local headliners like The Sheepdogs, Tim Hicks, and The Road Hammers. Definitely a huge opportunity for Northwest, and hopefully they make lots of new fans 6 hours east in three weeks' time! To hype up the set, the band posted this 15 seconds-long video onto their Facebook page last month, which features black & white band photos, a brief song clip, and text promoting the festival.

Short but sweet advertising that gets the point across, so give it a look below, and click here for full details on the Rock on the River Festival, including on how to attend if you're up for a road trip or live in/near Timmins!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pseudo & Bay Mills Bands Together), Darsombra Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

For the first time in almost a week, we have a news post on the site that isn't primarily focused on concert previews or inactive bands, though there is one concert preview to note for a rare Monday night concert in a couple of days. Alongside that, we have some recent tour videos from a prominent local band, and to lead off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this fall, so here's what you should know on this Saturday evening!

The third Bay Mills Bands Together fundraiser concert in nearby Brimley, Michigan has been announced for Saturday, September 2nd with a special Labour Day event that's unlike any that the non-profit organization has held yet! This benefit event will be in honour of recent Brimley High School graduate Brandon Mills, who was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year and has been undergoing treatments in Detroit. You can find out more about Brandon's fight at this link, and while there have been fundraisers already this summer for him and his family, this has to be the first one that's a joint concert and softball tournament! Instead of Pickles, this event is to be held at the Bay Mills Ballfield (roughly across from the Police Department building on West Lakeshore Drive) in order to facilitate the "Labour Day Rock & Jock Softball Tournament", and for full details on that aspect of the fundraiser, visit the official Facebook event page or the event poster on your right.

The only confirmed band at the moment is hard rock quartet Project 906 as headliners, returning from the last two B.M.B.T. concerts, with remaining sets intended for acoustic performers, including an afternoon open mic block. If you're interested in playing either, contact organizers via the above links! Timeslots aren't out yet, but the event will begin at 8:00 AM, with softball ending at 10:00 PM and Project 906 playing into the night. Food, a bat raffle, and a 50/50 draw will also be on hand for this FREE (competitors aside) & ALL AGES benefit, though donations will surely be accepted. It's great to see another huge fundraiser like this for Brandon and his family, so stay tuned for updates when they roll in!

Next up, here's one of three new Halloween weekend concerts that was recently announced (the other two are coming, but they lack a public venue at press time), as Live705 will host their first ever Halloween event on Saturday, October 28th at The Canadian Nightclub! As of this writing, the show only has out of town headliners confirmed to perform, but if you saw the February 21st Six, Two, Oh. concert at The New A, consider this a sequel eight months later, as Toronto punk trio Pseudo and Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface will return to the Soo for this event! Evidently, the two acts left a huge impression earlier this year to get re-booked together, and Garbageface similarly made many fans at the Vaultry show earlier this month, so prepare for another night of punk and rap action on October 28th!  Local opening acts have not been announced yet, but for reference sake, both A Dire Setback and Mikey Thomas opened the aforementioned shows in February and this month, alongside other acts in the latter case.

Given the Halloween weekend timing, expect a costume contest, drink specials, and giveaways during this concert, which has an advertised 8:00 PM start time, though ticket prices, voucher or advance ticket availability, and a prospective age limit (or lack thereof) are not public knowledge yet. There are a lot of unanswered questions as of yet, but Live705 have delivered regularly with their local concerts so far, and hopefully they can conjure up a scary good time on October 28th, so visit the official Facebook event page for current details, and stay tuned for updates!

Also today, here's our preview of a special concert taking place THIS MONDAY NIGHT, as Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will make their local concert debut with a headlining set at The New American Pub! An exceedingly creative and unique instrumental duo, don't expect singing or drumming from Darsombra, whose guitar/synth attack lends itself very well to their audiovisual stage show, replete with 10 minute+ extended jams that can be heavy, psychedelic, or droning at any given moment, so be sure to watch some Darsombra videos to see what's in store! Do not just listen, trust me! Local openers will include alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic alongside new local drone/noise trio Pointless (featuring Treble Charger's Bill Priddle alongside The Peach Thieves' Jordan Leach & David Peredun), so don't be late for their own unique original material! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this concert has a 19+ age limit, $7 cover charge, and 9:00 PM start time.

This rare Monday nighter should deliver a very intriguing and diverse blend of genres at The New A, and Darsombra need to be seen to be fully understood, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this night of trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock, and here's Darsombra live!



Finally for today, here's some overdue videos from local alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback's Facebook page last week, as they filmed some pre- and post-show videos from their Timmins road trip when they played there on July 8th! Apologies for the delay in these making the site, this busy concert weekend took up a lot of time. Three videos are considered parts of a series called "The Road to Timmins", with part #1 (embedded below) features an interview of sorts where bassist Matt Quinn asks guitarist Chris Nielsen about the show and trip while he drives one of their tour vehicles. Part #2 is about "the search" for frontman Larry Babic and drummer Nick Kainula during a stop, and without giving anything away, the search doesn't take very long! Part #3 features an amusing exploration of trees along the highways, and discussions about what a cockle is, while an epilogue video features Matt talking directly to the camera about how the show went, what the guys dodged on the road, and their trip home.

As well, a video posted by Chris' wife Heather onto her personal Facebook account was shared by A Dire Setback publically , and it features Chris & Matt singing a song about a little black crow on the side of the road. Nice to see some light and fun videos from A.D.S.' successful road trip, which I hope is repeated on future runs, so definitely give them a look above & below, and I wonder if anyone got any footage at the concert proper?



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days as we continue getting caught up post-Rotaryfest! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Darsombra), An Online(?!) Battle Of The Bands, And New Videos!!

On this summer solstice, here's a new news post to take in this morning, so what will you find? Updates on a recently re-opened and renamed local business, new videos of a reunited hard rock band, and preliminary details on a battle of the bands unlike any you've seen locally before, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!!

Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will make their local concert debut when they headline at The New American Pub on Monday, July 17th! One of the most unique bands to hit a local stage this summer, Darsombra unite a guitarist and synth player (no vocals or drums) into an audiovisual experience with a video screen, extended 10 minute+ jams, and a hard to pin down sound that can be heavy, droning, or trippy at a moment's notice. They're hard to describe, so I recommend watching Darsombra videos online to see what they have to offer (don't just listen!) Local openers will include alternative/funk/hard rock quartet Bizotic and new local drone/noise trio Pointless (featuring Treble Charger, Pillory, and Ashes To Dust alumni), and both should compliment things in their own way in just under a month's time! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time and a $7 cover charge.

This promises to be one of the most unique concert bills of 2017, with Darsombra an experience all of their own, Bizotic continuing their upward momentum, and Pointless playing just their second concert that we've heard about, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full current details, and see above for more on the bands next month!

Next up, here's an intriguing announcement from the aforementioned Six, Two, Oh., courtesy of their Facebook page yesterday, as the local concert promoters will be hosting an online battle of the bands at some point after December 5th! Rather than host a typical battle as part of a live concert, this is actually an online contest, with the aim being to have at least 7 bands enter with $150 entry fees (which is high, but you have over five months to save money if you're interested.) As far as I can tell, competitors will be featured in individual episodes of the label's dormant YouTube series Live @ Six, Two, Oh. in the winter, and after a one-per-person voting period (specific details not yet clear), the winner will earn the chance to record a fully mastered EP of up to 22 minutes in length at Six, Two, Oh.'s studios. The EP will also be released in a limited cassette tape run (a'la AlgomA's upcoming split with Shit Liver) if at least 7 bands sign up for the online battle.

In terms of who can register, Six, Two, Oh. have opened the floodgates to any acts (including rappers) in the Twin Saults, as long as you can make it to their studios to tape the Live @ Six, Two, Oh. episode for your entry. This is definitely a unique idea, and I'm very curious to see how it shapes up come December, especially if some Sault Michigan bands try their hand in it! Entries will start being accepted on November 20th, so if you want in on Six, Two, Oh.'s first online battle of the bands, start saving that $150, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also today, here's the first videos of local hard rock quartet Eclipse post-reunion, courtesy of their Facebook page on Monday! Filmed at their Rockstar Bar set on June 10th, no less than ten videos were posted from the show, apparently comprising their entire set, and before anyone's scared off, these are full concert videos, not audio recordings! The identical image of the band was added in post as a thumbnail, similarly to frontman Curtis McKenzie's recent solo uploads. Covers from the show include System of a Down's "B.Y.O.B." (with Handsome Sandwich frontman Johnny Belanger on guest vocals) and "Lonely Day", Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song", Velvet Revolver's "Slither", Billy Talent's "Fallen Leaves", and Seether's "Remedy", while the other four are of originals or songs taken on from the defunct Haggith & Punch, including two with a pair of songs each. Those include both "Metal Cage" & "Wasted", the newer "Upon the Hills", "Tyranny", and as embedded below, both "Cry Wolf" & "Silver Bullet"

All filmed from a stationary camera amongst the tables at the venue, the quality is mixed on these videos, with solid audio undercut by occasional frame rate drops and attendees standing in front of the camera, sometimes for extended periods. That said, Eclipse sound good compared to their first run, and if you look past the obvious newer touches (Handsome Sandwich's banner, Fred's longer hair), it's like they never broke up at all! Give Eclipse's new videos a look above & below!

Finally, here's the latest from Sault Michigan music store Crooked Music, which re-opened two weeks ago after renovations at the former Grooves Music wrapped up! Now owned by former Half Stupid/Plastic frontman Zac Crook and his wife Christy, the "new" store was profiled in this Sault Evening News article by Nick Nolan, which features interview remarks from the Crooks, so what can we glean from the article? Well, it turns out that Grooves owner Gary Hatch was looking to sell the business (hence the ownership change), Crooked Music is open daily except Sundays, they have expanded their inventory to include vinyl records, band t-shirts, and memorabilia, they explain the meaning behind the new yellow table & chairs in front of the 540 Ashmun Street storefront, and more. I like that Crooked Music is expanding more into record store territory, and hopefully local music CDs are still stocked there to go along with the added vinyl!

Crooked Music are still offering instruments, gear, and lessons, with instructors there now including Zac's former Plastic bandmates Matt Williams (bass) and Aaron DePalma (drums), as well as Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins, who stars in the store's Facebook page's only video so far, where he demonstrates a Fender amplifier that they have on consignment. Nice bluesy performance from this talented local axeslinger, and I'm sure he'll be a quality instructor! Best of luck to Zac, Christy, and staff with Crooked Music, and if you're a musician or music lover in the E.U.P., consider a trip there in the near future! Give Joe's new video a look below!



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