Seether Concert Video Showcase!!

As promised, today's post is totally dedicated to videos from last week's Seether-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as we finally have enough videos for a dedicate post surrounding it! Buzz online from the concert has been positive, and you can view meetl-and-greet photos on Allstar Promotions' Facebook page, but if you want to see for yourself, Christopher Paci's back at it with 17 more videos from last week's concert! Massive kudos to him once again, be sure to check out his excellent YouTube channel for dozens of major local concert videos he was kind enough to share! We'll start with videos of South African hard rock favourites Seether, who he filmed playing their songs "Fake It", "Betray & Degrade", "Broken", "Fine Again", "Country Song", "Words as Weapons", "Let You Down", "Stoke The Fire", and as embedded below, their closer "Remedy". Mostly filmed from a reasonably close (if sharp) angle, you get a good look at Seether in action on these clips!

The videos have typically solid sound, but it's easier to hear frontman Shaun Morgan on softer songs, and I''m surprised he's off to the left rather than being more central on stage. Fans were very receptive on the bigger hits, and rightfully so, as you can see above and below!



Christopher also got five videos of opening Tennessee hard rock quintet 10 Years last week, including their songs "Novacaine", "Through the Iris", "Burnout", "Shoot It Out", and as embedded below, their biggest hit and closing song "Wasteland". These videos get more of a central (if more crowded) angle, and 10 Years mostly sound good, but Jesse Hasek's vocals sound really strained at times. Nice to see 10 Years back in Sault Ste. Marie, so give their videos a look above and below as well!



Chris' other three videos are of Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads' opening set, filming them playing their songs "Super Tiny", "Ghosts", and as embedded below, their closing (and new) song "Starry Sky". Not a bad sound from this talented hard rock band, it's easy to see how they got a good reception to kick off the night, so give Chris' clips of them a look too!



Finally, this video actually comes from The Dead Deads' official YouTube channel, with a band associate filming frontwoman Leticia "Meta Dead" Wolf and Seether's Shaun Morgan (plus their touring guitarist Corey Lowery) covering Damien Rice's "Volcano" last week. Filmed in eerie-looking black and white, this isn't a song that I'm familiar with, but it's well performed, and Shaun & Leticia match up nicely. If only Meta Dead filled in the Amy Lee role on "Broken"! Give this clip a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Seether, Sugar Island Music Festival, And Project 906 Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the second half of this weekend's concert previews, all concerning Sault Michigan-area events today and tomorrow! Nothing short notice to touch on that I know of, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today's concert preview post in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 will return to The Superior Cafe for a headlining concert TONIGHT! This will be more familiar territory for this fan favourite quartet, who have not played the Superior Cafe/Bird's Eye Outfitters complex since the spring. Venue advertising notes that Traverse City's Right Brain Brewery will be holding a "tap takeover" at the venue tonight, so if you're up for some regional beer, keep that angle in mind also! Project 906's set proper is at 8:00 PM, I'd assume this is 21+ given the above theme, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's hard rock action, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live! (Note that the band will also be playing a special set at a Tahquamenon Motorcycle Club motorcross event in Newberry on September 8th, but that's outside of our coverage range.)



Next up, let's head east to Sugar Island for the 18th annual Sugar Island Music Festival, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will return as night #1 and #2 headliners TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! These sets will keep the Traynors-led band's 8 year streak of Sugar Island Fest appearances going strong, and with prime night-closing timeslots to boot, so make sure to stay late to see Banned in action! Of course, the festival will see local crafts, food and drinks, a dance floor, kids entertainment, a bean bag toss tournament, and more fun & merriment all weekend long, so visit the official website for full non-musical details! Traditionally a folk, country, and acoustic-centric festival full of online page-less acts, you can get full scheduling details above as well, but tonight's bill will see Banned preceded by The Schutz Boys, Hillsdale jam band All Arms, 2 Cents, Jack Grim & Clownsack alum Fran Blackwood, Davey MacLeod, and Dave Morrison "and friends".

Dave Morrison aside, all of Friday's bands are returning on Saturday, alongside 3½ Men, Joel Choate, Gentleman George Snider and friends, Chicago folk duo February Sky (with special guests Moose River), Flex, and an open mic block, but the big surprise here is Birch Run, Michigan progressive death metal band Abstract Aura, who will make their apparent local concert debut tomorrow at 8:00 PM! Abstract Aura may seem like an out of left field inclusion this year, but guitarist Travis McInerney appears to have connections in the E.U.P., given that he played the open mic block in 2012 (source here.) They're a brutal technical outfit from what I've heard, and while it'd be interesting to hear how Abstract Aura do in Sugar Island, take this with a slight grain of salt, as they announced a break last week due to their recent drummer vacancy. Sunday's hard rock-free lineup runs from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM, and largely features returning acts from prior days.

Banned are on at 9:30 PM tonight and tomorrow, with the music beginning at 5:00 PM & 11:00 AM respectively.  As usual, admission is via purchase of a $10 souvenir button that will get you in all 3 days, but kids under 12 (with an adult) remain FREE. Camping rates are $15 for the weekend, and there are no 1-2 day festival passes. Buttons are available at Ed's Bayview Store, The Hilltop Bar & Grill, or the Westshore Convenience Store in Sugar Island, and at Crooked Music in Sault Ste. Marie, or presumably at the door. This sounds like another great and varied Sugar Island Festival, so see the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!

Finally for today, here's the main event of the weekend, as South African hard rock trio Seether will return to our area TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie! Fans will recall seeing this platinum selling mainstay on Rock 101 and the Billboard rock charts when they opened for Three Days Grace in Sault Ontario 10 years ago. Since then, Seether have gotten even bigger with hit songs like "Tonight", "Words as Weapons", and "Let You Down", so their grunge influenced hard rock onslaught should be more than welcomed by the sizable crowd tomorrow! Knoxville, Tennessee hard rock quartet 10 Years will also return to our area tomorrow night, 8 years after they opened for Sevendust at the same venue. This band recently had their biggest rock radio hit since "Wasteland" 12 years ago with "Novocaine", and their modern and hard hitting sound will be a nice compliment! Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads (replacing LTNT) will open in their local concert debut tomorrow as well.

This 3/4ths female group have an energetic and creative sound with punk and sci-fi influences, and they should deliver a solid set to kick things off! General floor seating is still available via $46 tickets, which you can buy at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. This is an ALL AGES event (brought to you by Allstar Promotions), with an advertised 7:00 PM start time. This should be a huge concert for modern hard rock fans, with numerous familiar songs to be had, so visit the above links for complete details, and here's Seether live here in 2008!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Project 906 Concert Preview, A New Live Album, And Much More!!

In what I project will be our last post of the month on the SMS, we have some assorted shorter topics from recent weeks, a new cover video, and a new album release to take note of, but first, here's one more concert preview for the Canada Day long weekend, ironically in Michigan!

We'll start today by wrapping up our publically known and advertised hard rock concert previews in Brimley, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT at the Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino! Quietly postponed two weeks from the venue's originally advertised date, this will be their first stop at "your perfect up north retreat" since August of last year, and it's the first of three scheduled stops that they're making at the waterfront bar and restaurant through September. Fans of 906's hard rocking covers should have a fun time in Brimley tomorrow, so don't miss out on all of the action then! This 21+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge. See the above links for more details, and for a preview, we have a new live video of Project 906 to share! This was filmed at their Strongs Tavern set last week during the Brenda Holmes benefit fun run afterparty, as filmed by attendee Tina Knox, so what should you know on it?

Shared to the band's Facebook page on Monday, this is of Project 906 covering Mountain's "Mississippi Queen" alongside a young attendee named Riley on his own guitar. Nice of the guys to invite the kid on stage, and while Joe Jenkins' placement isn't optimal for view of the band, he's clearly engaging with Riley and playing along with him, which is nice to see! The cover's solid, and Billy Bernier's vocals are particularly strong, so give this cover a look below, and don't miss Project 906 in Brimley tomorrow night!

Next up, we have a surprise album release to take note of on here, namely a new live album from Sault Ontario solo artist and former Din frontman Mike Haggith! Entitled "From The Nickel Stage", this was recorded at Mike's solo acoustic headlining set at the Nickel Days festival in Thompson, Manitoba this past Sunday, and was quickly released on a "name your price" model on his Bandcamp page on Monday. The album is comprised of 7 songs, 6 being newer originals (including the title track for his next planned studio album "Bridges"), as well as a cover of The Din's original song "Missing". Whether this set had additional outside covers or not isn't clear, but this does all fit into a half hour set with room to spare. This is Mike's first album as a solo artist since the release of "The Warinside" three years ago, and his first live album in four years, so this has been a long time coming for his revived solo project! With all of this stated, is a review imminent?

I'd say no, as precedent goes to studio albums, and with "Bridges" announced for later this year (if not with recording sessions underway), I'm inclined to wait for that album and not risk delaying it by reviewing a live album with versions of these songs that aren't the final studio copies. Plus, who knows if The Din's ongoing July 21st, 2018 teaser has anything to do with said album, as no one's showing their cards regarding the date yet. Still, give "From The Nickel Stage" a listen above to hear Mike's Manitoba-based new material, and consider buying it as well!

Also today, here's a new solo cover video from Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer, courtesy of the still-on-hiatus band's Facebook page on June 17th, but it's not of a song you might be expecting. The cover in question is "I Can Only Imagine" by the Christian rock band MercyMe, which Henry spoke above on how the song was inspiring to him and that hoped to "touch people's hearts" with this performance. This may seem out of left field, but Henry's singing is solid, and remember that Sault Michigan has more of a history with Christian rock than Sault Ontario, with notable bands like Seeking Reverence, Outshined, and OmegaRock in recent years. Give it a look below!



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

• Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads have been added as the second openers for the Seether/10 Years concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on August 11th, as per promoters Allstar Promotions' Facebook page on June 18th. This 3/4ths female group have an energetic and creative sound with influences from grunge to science fiction, and they're definitely worth coming early for! Tickets are still available for $46, so act now before it's too late!
• Though curiously not advertised on Rotaryfest's website, their individual performer Facebook event pages indicate that Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have been added as the opening band for Stage 2 on Saturday, July 21st at 1:30 PM! This makes them the only heavier band playing on the last day, which we already outlined in our post on the Rotaryfest schedules, so I won't restate our original write-up here. Hopefully The Elements have a blast in their Second Stage debut next month!
• If you've seen references to a concert from Jesse Cook at The Sault (Kiwanis) Community Theater Center on March 31st, 2019, be advised that this is not the prolific local metal and punk guitarist going solo. Rather, this Jesse Cook is a Juno Award winning flamenco/jazz guitarist from Toronto, and genre fans would be well served to give this show a look! Of course, you can see the Soo's Jesse Cook with Winkstinger, Handsome Sandwich, The Wyld Stallyns, and the aforementioned Elements at local stages near you later this year, but wouldn't it be something if he opened?

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