Sault Pridefest Loud & Proud Family Fun Day Concert Review!!

The day after I saw eight bands in under four hours at Rotaryfest, I headed back downtown for one more free outdoor(-ish) concert yesterday, namely the annual Loud & Proud family fun day that kicks off Sault Pridefest every year, pandemic willing! I can't compare first-hand to how Loud & Proud was at the Bushplane Museum, but yesterday's entertainment was under the big tent of the Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and while it was another warm July afternoon, the shade and provided tables/chairs helped along with drinks and refreshments from vendors! Despite an advertised run-time of 1:00-4:00 PM, musicians didn't begin their formal sets until 2:00 PM, giving attendees lots of time to check out the vendors, crafters, and businesses supporting Pridefest, and of course, I'm fully supportive of the local LGBTQ+ community and the causes they're fighting for, so I was glad to be there! I wish it wasn't so muggy, but that's out of their hands.

After introductions from Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke, the first band up yesterday was local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, fresh off of their Rotaryfest Stage 2 debut the previous day. I was unable to see them at Clergue Park, but this was a fair make-up date! Their eight song set included six covers, including Joan Jett and Weezer songs with bassist Claire Jeffrey on lead vocals (trading roles with singer Red Jettison), as well as covers of Green Day, The Pixies, and The Flobots. They ended with two originals from their debut EP "Head Trauma", which was indeed on sale in limited physical copies at Pridefest! We'll have more on the EP in the coming days, but they played "Don't Care, Don't Mind" and "Take You Down", the latter seeing guitarist Liam Dinsmore and drummer Anthony Boudreau trading roles. Everyone put in a good and energetic showing for the all-ages audience, and Red was more animated when playing bass here!

Raine Rancourt had some strong lead guitar work, and while I'll hold comment on the originals pending next month's review of "Head Trauma", the guys had a tight set with strong musicianship and some good crowd banter! Of course, if you want to hear a lot more from HeadFirst, including more originals, come see them at Shooters Downstairs Lounge for their EP's proper launch party this Saturday night! In between the musical acts at Loud & Proud, two local drag perfomers came to lip sync and dance throughout the pavilion while interacting with attendees. The two performers were Lana Von Archer (who lip synced to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and Robyn's "Dancing On Your Own" and Luke McAnally-Gore-Shadow (who lip synced to Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse's "Valerie" and Busted & Hanson's "MMMBop 2.0"), with each doing a song after the first two acts.

I'm very new when it comes to drag, so I apologize if I sound ill informed, but Lana definitely showed off some impressive moves when making her way through the pavilion (those splits and tumbles got a strong fan reaction!), while Luke's dancing was much more casual and jauntier, but still fun all the same, and a perfect fit for a Sault Pride event! The middle performer yesterday was local folk singer/ukeleleist Giimiwan Ikwe, who I have seen perform in less formal settings than this, but never at an advertised & scheduled concert. Giimiwan (who uses they/them pronouns) mostly played acoustic covers of songs by the likes of The Four Tops, Jason Mraz, Tom Petty, and Otis Redding, with their cover of The Animals' "The House Of The Rising Sun" being greatly altered with new & longer lyrics. Only a couple of originals here, including the set closer featuring drumming from their sister and shaker percussion from their daughter.

Giimiwan (whose father is a family friend on my dad's side) sounded good on these minimalistic but authentic performances, with a good singing voice and quality messages to convey, and they added some strong variety and culture to the proceedings! After the last drag performances, Loud & Proud ended with a short five song set by local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, who don't play live all that often, so it was good to see them back out there! Famous for featuring no guitar at all, they covered songs by Say Anything, Millencolin, and Metric, though I wasn't 100% certain if their set opener was an original or not. Frontman Paul Stanghetta (of Smeltzer and The Fury renown) added some edgy zest to these heavier and more abrasive songs, and now featuring prolific local punk guitarist Mikhal Muto (Vanity First, Hails, et al.) on second bass, the distorted and locally unique sound won over some new fans!

Paul's wife Amanda kept the beat well on drums, and their more aggressive takes on some unexpected covers ended things on a cool note for this reviewer, but I can see why their guitar-devoid sound will be an acquired taste for some. Strong finish, and hopefully we see The A.A. back at it (and with better social media advertising) soon! Overall, this was an entertaining community event that the LGBTQ+ community, allies, and/or music fans in general could find something to like at! I just wish that Sault Pride did a better and more consistent job with advertising the scheduled musicians by name, as they are a pull for attendees to come out, but I only heard about the lineup from the performers themselves. You can see our photos from Loud & Proud at this link or via our Facebook page, and I also shot videos of the three musical acts! I didn't film Lana & Luke because Facebook's copyright bots won't play ball with their backing tracks.

In order, here's HeadFirst covering Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law", Giimiwan Ikwe covering The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker", and The Apocalypse Afterparty covering Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks"!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert fallout by other people/sites on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Loud & Proud, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison!!)

At long last, our fourth and final consecutive day of Rotaryfest weekend concert previews has reached its conclusion, as today we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TODAY to cap things off with, as well as one more new show that, shockingly, has a couple weeks' advance notice! Here's what you should know!

There will indeed be a couple of hard rock acts playing at the Loud & Proud Family Fun Day at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TODAY as part of this year's Sault Ste. Marie Pridefest! Apologies for the short notice, organizers have not announced a schedule on social media, so huge kudos to ex-Project 421 frontman Blair Burch for inquiring with the right people! Of course, Loud & Proud unites live music, vendors, artists, refreshments, and lots of family entertainment to help support LGBTQ+ empowerment and inclusivity in the area, which is always more than welcomed, so definitely consider a trip to the Bushplane Museum TODAY to show your support!  The 4 hour event will feature sets from hip-hop duo Planet Rock at 4:10 PM, drag performer Bebe Lala at 3:30 PM, local alternative/punk quintet These Magnificent Tentacles at 2:50 PM (capping bassist Mitch Sirie's very busy weekend), ...

...a speech by LGBTQ+ advocate Teddy Syrette (a.k.a. Ozhawa Anung Kwe) at 2:40 PM, rising young punk trio Vanity First at 2:00 PM, and a set by a mystery act named Woodwind at 1:20 PM. As best as I can gather, the Tentacles never advertised their involvement in Loud & Proud online in advance (they often don't as of late), but Vanity First did via this event poster that curiously doesn't detail the Family Fun Day's name/purpose, just the location. Yes, it does list two upcoming events in Goulais River this weekend, I will include them in our next batch of weekend concert previews, but I'll refrain from embedding the poster here because it includes a private address (though publically advertised, one of the shows is at a cottage). As for Loud & Proud proper, it is absolutely FREE & ALL AGES, and inclusivity and outreach are very much encouraged, so don't be shy to come out & enjoy yourself!

I wish organizers had publicized the schedule in advance (thank you again, Blair), but a nice diverse lineup of entertainment is in store at the Bushplane Museum TODAY, so don't miss out on all of the action THIS AFTERNOON, and yes, Magnificent Tentacles fans, I am well aware of the contest they're in right now, I hope to address that on the site this week. It's just so busy for concerts this weekend, but I promise we'll start to make up for lost ground tomorrow! See above for more on Loud & Proud, and here are These Magnificent Tentacles live!

Next up, let's finally close up shop on this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as prolific local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for a matinee concert THIS AFTERNOON himself! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page last week. Usually, Tym only plays at Reggie's about once a month, so getting to see him twice in a three week span for their SUNDAY afternoon matinees will be fun for fans and patrons! Believe it or not, Tym has never played Rotaryfest as a solo musician, so if you're game for some classic and hard rock covers from this talented musician after the festival concludes, and can't make The Trading Post on Wednesdays, you know where to be TODAY! As usual for matinees there, this has a 2:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally, let's jump ahead(!), as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will play a rare gig in nearby Prince Township on Saturday, July 30th at the Prince Township Outdoor Rink! It is rare for Prince Township (20 minutes west of the Soo) to turn up on the SMS, but their recreation committee has been holding a summer concert series at their rink, and weather-wise, note that the stage is under a pavilion. The band has not confirmed this date on their own Facebook page at press time (given their usual patterns, don't expect them to until the week of), but their brand of often heavy classic covers and select country hits should find a receptive audience in Prince Township at month's end! This 19+ event has an 8:00 PM start time, and unusually for Soundcheck concerts, this one does have a $10 cover charge, but remember that this is a community skating rink, not a nightclub who does this all the time, and admission fees help them host more events.

As for the location, the Prince Township Outdoor Rink is outside of the township's Community Centre at 3042 Second Line West, which is proof that even though Prince is technically separate from the Soo, it's still reasonably close given that Second Line straddles here and there. Should be a fun concert and a change of pace from Soundcheck's usual rotation in city limits, so definitely keep it in mind if you live in the area, and see above for more details! That's all for today, but stay tuned for some actual news that isn't related to imminent concerts tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The Sky's The Limit's Return On Facebook, Plus Some New Acoustic Performances!!

Let's end another work week with our 54th straight daily post at the SMS, which is again devoted to videos, including a pair of acoustic renditions and the virtual return of a recent annual concert! Here's what you should know!

As you have probably gathered by now, the fifth annual Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert for Children's Mental Health Week did not take place yesterday as planned due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Algoma Family Services made due with an online installment on their Facebook page! The Sky's The Limit V would have been held at Korah Collegiate last night, but it's a great idea to migrate the event to a Facebook video so that they can continue promoting mental health awareness with the help of talented young local musicians! The 1 hour+ video starts with an introduction by Algoma Family Services CEO Ali Juma where he talks about their mission, what they offer the community even with offices closed, and what music offers to people, and he even plays a bit of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" to start! A.F.S. counsellor and Dell Bros. bassist Marc Williamson returns as the event's MC to introduce acts.

Musicians were not credited in the description, but who all performs in The Sky's The Limit V? The opening act is singer/guitarist Tianna Legacy, who nicely covers Alicia Keys' "Underdog" and Bill Withers' "Lean On Me". Next up is the surprise reunion of Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine & bassist Elijah Nelson, in the first time I've seen them perform together since this event in 2018! Beau has moved out of town, for what it's worth. The guys cover Thrice's "Hurricane" with a nice injection of soul and emotion, followed by the old Electric Church original "Take Me Away". Given how Marc introduced them, I will stop short of moving Electric Church back to our active band links for now, but it's great to see Spencer & Elijah still playing music! L!me frontwoman Madi Schomogyi follows with covers of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" and Hedley's "Old School" on vocals & keyboard, and she has a good voice on these renditions too!

Next is former Din frontman Mike Haggith, returning to The Sky's The Limit for the first time in three years (recorded from Thompson, of course), and while not in the exact location of his #LockdownLive sets, the performance quality is as high as on those! Mike performs "MorningStar" from his new album "If Ever Comes The Day" (buy it next week!) and "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost" from his next album after that, "Bridges". Rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow performs his original songs "Life I Live" and "Glow" from his new album "Noize.", and his rhymes are smooth and effective as usual! The final performer is singer/guitarist Joely Gough, who debuted in this event last year, and she covers Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar" and Lana Del Ray's "Happiness Is A Butterfly" with a nice authenticity! Ali returns with closing remarks at the end, and all of the musicians offer thoughts about mental health and their experiences during their segments.

While not ideal compared to the last four years, this Facebook concert helped make lemons out of lemonade, and it's great to see a who's who of top-line performers from past installments back virtually here! Of past Sky's The Limit headline acts, only The Pixo Control were not represented. There's a nice variety of music to check out from these six acts, and lots of honest remarks about mental health as well, so give The Sky's The Limit V a watch!



 We'll close today with a couple of new Facebook videos from Redundant frontman Justin Langlois, as posted to the local punk trio's Facebook page yesterday! These are acoustic renditions of their original songs "That December" and, as embedded below, "Miles Apart", and they sound good in this form factor! Both songs still retain that punk energy, and "Miles Apart" is particularly effective like this, so give both videos a watch above & below!



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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Luoto Family & Tony Marcello

After a couple of days of convalescence due to a major cold, we are back with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, our ongoing monthly feature series spotlighting 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists and concerts. This month's randomly selected channels reflect a major concert from over a decade ago and a veteran musician in Sault Ontario, so here's what you should know!
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Luoto Family (http://www.youtube.com/tokenfinn)

Owner: YouTube user and Eastern Upper Peninsula resident Cory Luoto, though the channel name credits it to his whole family

Channel Timeline: Launched on November 11th, 2006; Videos posted from July 22nd, 2007 through October 16th, 2017

Channel Summary: Half of Cory's eight videos come from New York hard rock legends Kiss' outdoor concert at Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan on July 20th, 2007, filming them playing their songs "Let Me Go Rock 'n Roll", "All American Man", and with a channel-topping 53,000+ views, their opener "Detroit Rock City", plus a short clip of Gene Simmons breathing fire on stage. Though the now-11 year old videos aren't very clear in retrospect, the audio holds up well enough via Cory's footage, and Kiss Army diehards definitely loved this concert, as shown with their raucous reception, and this remains one of the better-stacked channels for footage from this show! Cory's last four uploads are personally geared without a musical tie, and they include a firefighting boat landing, a NBC 7&4 news clip, singing Samoan firefighters, and a kindergarten class graduation, with no channel activity visible in almost a year.


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Tony Marcello (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSDBcGummoIxw-3rFyzk1Q/) 

Owner: Killer Hooks singer/guitarist Tony Marcello, also previously known from bands like Gsis Murphy, Midpoint, The Hellfish Bonanza, and Your Mother, among others

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 16th, 2014; Videos posted from that day through September 17th, 2017

Channel Summary: In it's sporadic usage, Tony has focused his channel around some of his local music work, including one video of his old band Midpoint and two of his current band The Killer Hooks.

Why You Should Watch: This will be of the most interest to fans of The Killer Hooks, especially as this could be considered their de facto official channel, while the Midpoint video will definitely pique the interest of local music scene followers from 3 decades back! However, this channel hasn't seen visible usage in the past year, and despite the archive posting of one of Tony's old bands, there's no footage of any of his other former projects, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Mr Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne performed by Midpoint: Tony's most popular and first video is of his old local hard rock band Midpoint, who were filmed on tour in Thompson, Manitoba for a local TV show there named "The Pit" back in 1991. Midpoint are represented here by Tony alongside guitarists Keith Davis & Rob Struk, bassist Steve Batenchuk, and drummer Mark Webster. Though the opening is cut off, the cover is well done with very solid guitar (and keytar!) work, but the vocals don't quite have the optimal range compared to the original. Still, seeing rare Midpoint footage is worth a click, let alone out of province! Tony, Keith, and Steve would later collaborate on 1998's "Local Steel" compilation, while Keith would later join Tony in Gsis Murphy.



Dead or Alive As Performed by The Killer Hooks and Crowd: The other two videos on Tony's channel are of his current pop rock cover band The Killer Hooks live late last year, though neither exceeds 70 seconds in length. One is a cover of The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" at a private event, but featured here is their cover of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" at The Rockstar Bar. The Killer Hooks are represented here by Tony and Midpoint bandmate Rob Struk alongside bassist Tony Rota (Touch of Class) and drummer Paolo Erme (Glory Days.) Filmed by a friend of the band named Gillian, this better captures the crowd singing the opening verse than anything, partially due to the vertical camera angle and red lighting, but the performance sounds good overall! However, there are more substantial videos of the band online.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This series will return on or around October 26th with another multi-band month, as the first channel that we randomly selected only had one surviving video, and the second only had 5 videos (all from the same set), so we're tripling up next time! As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of inactive Sault Michigan hard rock band The Highest of Fives, Cary Orsborne (featuring videos from a Half A Man concert in 2013), and 6Immortal6Fears6 (featuring Woods of Ypres' debut EP.) Look for these next month, and for more news and weekend concert previews(?) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) And Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's first concert preview post, I wanted to note that we're not including the previously announced Friday nighter from The 3 Day Millionaires at The Canadian Nightclub, as the show wasn't listed on the venue's marquee board when last seen, and the band and venue haven't acknowledged it online. If the show is confirmed to still be on in time for tomorrow's concert preview post, we'll profile it then, but if it's off, hopefully all's well! Now, let's dive into the first of this weekend's concert previews, specifically hard rock bands verified to be playing on Thursday and Friday, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Alongside his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood matinee gigs TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey on Queen Street East for a solo nighttime concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on the Barrelhouse gig, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. For a third straight week, Tym is pairing his ongoing weekly trifecta at Gliss with at least one gig elsewhere in a more typical concert timeslot, with SATURDAY'S return to the downtown tapas restaurant marking his first Barrelhouse gig in almost a month. This talented hard rock solo musician should have more great cover action in mind x 4 this weekend, so don't miss out on all of these!

The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced age limits as usual, SATURDAY NIGHT'S Barrelhouse show is at 10:30 PM with a 19+ age limit, and none of these gigs have a cover. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to entirely previously announced concerts, next up is the return of Marquette, Michigan hard rock quartet Spun to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT (and maybe Saturday!) Currently their last advertised gig(s) in our neck of the woods until at least November, this will be another solid opportunity for fans to take in the Nudge successors' hard hitting and fan favourite range of covers, so keep this show or shows in mind! Note that the Facebook event page only lists a Friday nighter for Spun this weekend at The Frog, but this is atypical for their trips east, and their Facebook page just says that they'll be here "this weekend". I won't call a Saturday show if not advertised, but if you want to gamble on Spun playing that night, have at it! Tomorrow's show (and Saturday's?) is a 21+ affair with no announced cover charge and a 9:30 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Spun live!

Also this weekend, fans will see Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their Kinross Speedway gigs, these shows comes just three weeks after their previous at the St. Ignace Kewadin, an unusually short turnaround for the Traynors and Wayne to play at the same venue. Fans in St. Ignace should be eager for a second weekend of Banned's cover action in the same month, so keep these ones in mind if you're in the area! As usual for Banned's Kewadin stops, expect 9:00 PM start times for tomorrow and Saturday's concerts, these too have 21+ age limits, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!



Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a special lunchtime outdoor concert THIS SATURDAY, as local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will continue their farewell tour with an acoustic set at the Soo Locks during the Sault Pridefest's cosplay optional family picnic! Ostensibly your last chance to see The Din in an unplugged setting (and to see them play songs in the same vein as "The Din Does Laundry"), this event will help end this year's local LGBTQ support festival with a picnic, arts & crafts, children's games, and yes, cosplay and costumes are encouraged for the occasion. Sounds like fun, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for full details on remaining Pridefest events and the picnic! Note that The Din will be playing as a duo without drummer Brandan Glew for unannounced reasons, source here. This concert is FREE & ALL AGES, and the picnic begins at the locks at 11:00 AM. It's great to see The Din offer their support to Pridefest once again, so don't miss out on all of the family friendly action on Saturday, and here they are live and unplugged!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Project 906 preview and more in our next post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), More Weekend Concert Previews, And Show Cancellations!!

(Updated at 2:52 PM) As planned, we have our preview of tomorrow's Northwest show here, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, we're now leading off with that in this post! Also, we're rounding things out with one more preview for later this weekend, and a pair of big concert cancellations, so here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned will return to The Runway Bar in nearby Hessel for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this show via Banned's Facebook page yesterday, though the venue's Facebook page first announced the set via this photo last week. Banned haven't announced non-Kewadin shows with advance notice in months, which also explains why we missed their April 13th & 14th Hessel gigs for coverage on here last month (belated and profuse apologies for that), but The Runway Bar has announced both earlier than Banned has, so I'll have to pay more attention to their Facebook page in the future. In any event, Alex, Wayne, and Don should have another night full of familir favourites for fans out in Hessel TONIGHT, so don't miss out on all of this action! There is a 9:00 PM start time for this show, which has a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See the above links for more details, here's Banned live, and we will stay more on top of Banned's future Hessel gigs, I promise!

Next up for this weekend, Sault Ontario indie/punk quintet Northwest will play their first public concert of 2017 when they headline at LopLops Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! After taking a 9 month hiatus from the stage since opening for 1971 last August, this talented veteran outfit will take a break from their recent studio sessions to headline at LopLops with a show full of their established and newer originals alike, so don't miss out on Northwest's return tomorrow! Guitarist Greg Callaghan was confirmed as a late opening act via his personal Facebook page this afternoon, so don't be late for his often evil covers! Also, in case you were curious, Winnipeg country musician Richard Inman is playing at LopLops tonight. Tomorrow's Northwest show has a 9:00 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more information on this concert, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's Northwest live in concert last year!



Also, here's one more concert preview for later this weekend, as local alt-hard rock trio The Din will provide special acoustic sets during SUNDAY'S Family Market on the Greens at Crimson Ridge Golf Course! A very unique locale and event for our coverage, the Fourth Line West location will welcome dozens of local vendors and businesses to the golf course under provided tents to display and sell their wares, while the golf course proper and the on-site Hickory Bar & Grill will also be available to attendees, and there will even be a bouncy castle, games, and more to take in, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! The Din will be playing scattered sets throughout the day as a two-piece sans drummer Brandan Glew for unannounced reasons, but as we have seen in the past, The Din acclimate well to an unplugged setting, with or without a drum kit or cajon present, so keep an eye out for Mike & Tammy on Sunday!

Events kick off on Sunday at 12:00 PM for the Family Market on the Greens, admission is FREE, and this is certainly an ALL AGES event. For more details on all of the entertainment and vendors on Sunday at Crimson Ridge, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's The Din live!

Finally, we have a pair of Canadian Nightclub concert cancellations for next month to take note of. One is the planned Rad Zone Battle of the Bands scheduled for next Saturday, with the event page noting that the event will be rescheduled for an unspecified later date. Promoter J.D. Pearce noted to me that slow band registrations were a contributing factor, which is definitely disappointing, but hopefully the battle gets a new date soon! A now-deleted post on the Facebook event page noted that the judges next week would have been Dustin Jones and myself once again alongside Pointless frontman Bill Priddle (replacing Rob Speers), and while I can't speak for potential changes for the new date, I'm happy to return if available! The other cancellation is for the Jesse Merineau/Din concert from Jeremy Hannah's new SaultMusicScene agency on June 30th due to an "unfortunate circumstance", as per the Facebook event page earlier today.

No word on what happened specifically, but Jeremy did direct fans to follow the July 7th Vaultry concert at the same venue from Live705. Hopefully Jeremy can get his concert bookings back off the ground, so be sure to stay tuned for updates on their next gigs! For what it's worth, blues/country outfit The Barn Board Trio had replaced Bizotic as tentative openers prior to the cancellation. That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Two Inactive Band Notes, And A New Video!!

Here's another new post for you guys on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap for this morning? A new solo performance video, two notes on bands to be moved to our inactive band links, and leading things off, an unexpected LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will play acoustic sets at a unique event on Sunday, May 28th, namely the Family Market on the Greens at.... Crimson Ridge Golf Course?! That's a first for us! This event will see over 40 local vendors displaying and/or selling their wares under a tent outside, with access to the gold course proper and their Hickory Bar & Grill also available that day, and there will even be a bouncy castle for the kids, games, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! The Din's sets will be as an acoustic duo sans drummer Brandan Glew (no word on why he's missing out), but Mike & Tammy have adapted to an unplugged atmosphere well in the past, and they should provide a solid soundtrack to the family market one week from Sunday! They'll play at scattered times during the day between 12:00 & 9:00 PM, there is FREE admission, and this is certainly ALL AGES.

And just for clarification given it's unfamiliarity for our coverage, Crimson Ridge is at 418 Fourth Line West, very much in the west end, so keep that in mind if you're curious on the locale. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully this intriguing family market is a hit!

Next up, we have a band to likely move to our inactive band links, that being local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger. The band hasn't issued a public update since opening for The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall one year ago on Sunday, which notably comes just over three years after the first time we relegated Winkstinger in our listings for very similar reasons. After a successful local run from 2010-2013 that saw them play numerous high profile concerts and win 2012's Battle for the Blood, the Operation: Killdozer successors fell inactive for 2 and a half years, before guitarist Jesse Cook & drummer Jonas Gasperas brought Winkstinger back in October 2015. Their new lineup returned for two shows last spring, both at The Oddfellows Hall, but no public updates have followed, and members have been working on separate projects in recent months, including Jesse & Jonas' recent collaborative work in The Elements, and solo projects from new members Keith Gagnon & Andrew MacDonald.

Winkstinger's return to the stage was definitely welcomed last year, even if the new members were an adjustment following their successful run in the early 2010s, and I have no idea what's happened to them in the past year. Granted, Jesse has been busy since with Jack Spades (well, until the fall), The Elements, and his new band Handsome Sandwich, but Winkstinger's brutal metal onslaught was always a fun sight on local stages, and the new lineup had promise from what we saw! Best of luck to Keith, Jesse, Andrew, and Jonas (plus other former band members) in the future, and hopefully Winkstinger turn up again down the road!

Also, we have a local hard rock solo project to move to our inactive band links too, that being of Din frontman Mike Haggith. Now, Mike is most certainly still active in the local music scene (as you'll next see THIS SATURDAY), but we're talking about his prolific solo project, as an update reflecting his own solo material has not been posted to his Facebook page since one year ago on Monday, admitting then that his solo work "isn't even a priority" due to The Din's local rise. After launching his solo music career in his Windsor hometown in 2005, Mike recorded a staggering 47 solo albums, including a number of prominent albums since moving to the Soo in the fall of 2010, such as his last solo CD "The Warinside" from 2015. Mike did play scattered solo gigs locally, including at Swampstravaganza IV and at Sault College events, but will be best known on the live stage from work with bands like The Din, Haggith, and The Strange Coyotes.

When Mike first came onto our radars at the SMS, it was a massive influx of back catalog material that initially made an impact, but he's since became a prominent and talented frontman & drummer in locally-originated projects, and has found a lot of success and visibility in that regard! Of course, his solo career isn't entirely behind him, as he's carried over a number of solo songs to The Din (and previously featured some with Haggith), but hopefully he revisits his own solo music down the road, including the unreleased "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited". Stay tuned for much more from The Din!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! Like his Alter Bridge cover from December, this is far more in line with keyboardist Craig Harrison's solo channel postings of late despite being posted on Theatre of Night's channel. An original ballad named "Without Your Love", this maintains the same visual structure of Craig's recent solo videos on either channel (sepia tone, holding a Go-Pro camera selfie-style, cowboy hat), but it has a similar emotional message to loved ones of his, and has dramatic piano accompaniment that gives the song a dark yet familiar feel. Check it out below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The 3 Day Millionaires), Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews, And A New Video!!

Another weekend is upon us, so here's out first weekend concert preview post! With a few Sault Michigan hard rock shows known for Saturday, including one big out-of-town headliner, we'll hold them for tomorrow's post, as well as any potential late notice confirmations, so don't worry, they're coming! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend in Sault Ontario, including a newly posted concert video to fill things out!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to the stage for another weekend of hits TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via the official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Though The 3 Day Millionaires are two weeks removed from their last Rockstar Bar shows, members Travis Sharpe & Scott McLurg are entering their third straight weekend at this venue, following shows there with their sister band Havadder last week. The guys have been staying busy this weekend, and their hard and classic rock favourites should find another strong audience TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so keep both shows in mind! There's NO COVER for this weekend, you must be 19 or older to attend, and both shows have 10:30 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!



Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts, including the ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood from local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, which continues as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though Tym hasn't posted Facebook event pages for this weekend's shows as of this writing, they're surely coming for these latest gigs in his long-term run at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, and fans of his skilled acoustic covers should be ready for another busy weekend at Gliss! As usual for his run of matinee shows there, 6:00 PM start times are to be expected for these shows, and while there's no announced cover charges or age limits, remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, Tym will be keeping busy with one more show this weekend, as he'll return to Runway Park THIS SATURDAY as part of the musical entertainment at this year's Family Fun Day for the Algoma Autism Foundation's annual Algoma Ride For Autism motorcycle rally! Tym will join local punk trio Redundant (in their third straight appearance at this event), so if you've missed seeing Redundant live in the past year, this might be worth checking out for them alone! Like in past years, this fundraising event coincides with the annual motorcycle rally to raise awareness and money for autism charities, a'la the Ride for Sight, so whether you want to ride in the city-wide rally or just support the cause, see the above links for complete details! Alongside the above artists (no one else is publically advertised), family entertainment at Runway Park on Saturday will include live vendors, a sensory play area, costumed character meet & greets, blow up bouncy houses, food, and more, so there's a little something for everyone!

The Family Fun Day is naturally ALL AGES, and will be held outdoors, and while there's no admission fees, bring cash just in case, especially if you're not riding in the rally yourself. Individual music set times aren't listed, but the event itself will begin at 11:00 AM. This should be a fun event as usual for all ages, and there's some solid entertainment for hard rock and punk fans to enjoy as they support the Ride for Autism, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Redundant live!

Finally, here's a new live concert video from local doom metal trio AlgomA, courtesy of their set opening for Shit Liver during the punk rock bingo event at The New American Pub on December 23rd! This was only uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Tuesday, with the delay possibly being due to editing together the multiple camera angles, one stationary from beside the stage, and two held by attendees in the crowd. The video features AlgomA playing their original song "Failed Stunt Fatality" (which isn't on any of their physical albums yet), and crushingly doing so, which you can check out below in this well edited clip, and visit their Facebook page for full details on their upcoming Ontario tour run, which will see them share the stage with familiar bands like The Golers, Archelon, and Striker later this month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan Videos, And Lots Of Recent Sault Ontario News Items!!

Before we get to the news, I just wanted to apologize for a possible missed concert for promotion on here, as local classic/hard rock cover band Griphook (who we recently began formally covering on here) were listed as playing at The Nicolet Tavern last night on SooToday's Don't Say There's Nothing To Do In The Soo List (link here.) However, neither Griphook's Facebook page nor members' personal pages said anything about a show at the Nic last night, so I can't definitively say if that show went on. If it did, my profuse apologies for missing it, but I have no clear proof that it happened.

Now, this post largely clears out our cache of unposted news items on the site, and it's half divided between videos from the Sault Michigan area, and a bunch of recent shorter stories from Sault Ontario! We'll start with this somewhat hard to describe promo video from local hard rock/metal band The Highest of Fives (featuring 415E, RamWagon, and Free Refill alumni), which was uploaded to guitarist Devin Anderson's YouTube channel on Sunday. According to the description, the video is a preview of an upcoming "TV show" that The Highest of Fives are making with local "Twitter personality" Crusty Puck, though I don't know much about him. The video features assorted out of context clips set to music (presumably a Highest of Fives song), though everything seems to be parts of sketches rather than performances, and I don't think the full band features even in an acting role. I wouldn't write off the video too fast, as the band's past preview clips for their upcoming album "Bang!" have amusing moments and some inspiration, so if this takes off (presumably as a web series), there might be value to it! Give the preview video a look below!



Also in new videos, remember on Monday when we covered that Tesla cover from the Music In The Park event in Brimley on July 4th? Well, there's one more acoustic hair metal cover from the event that sound engineer/Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki filmed and uploaded to his YouTube channel last week, and it's of The Mills Family (identities not clear beyond the family connection) covering Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" on the 4th! One of two videos of this quartet that Erik shot (joining a black & white cover of Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville"), it's well performed, albeit quainter sounding than the original, and the singer handles the track nicely! Bon Jovi fans should like the cover, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter stories from Sault Ontario in the past little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• In a somewhat odd replacement for the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza on August 10th, local folk artist Guy Smith has replaced young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust as the show's opening band, as per promoters on the Facebook event page on Thursday. A reason for the switch was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened in the Ashes To Dust camp! Guy's a talented musician and poet, though definitely an outlier for this type of show, but give his work a listen above and see what you think!
• Local musician Chris Raginskis is again exploring the possibility of launching a local band, this time eyeing a Christian hard rock band that would cover artists like Chevelle and Switchfoot. Christian rock bands are definitely more common in Sault Michigan, but this one sounds like it'd be heavier if it took off (similarly to Outshined), so if you're interested in being a part, message Chris at this link or at his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on June 5th!
• Late & Loud successors The Hydra's Teeth announced the addition of ex-Sativa Rose/Winkstinger guitarist Anthony Orazietti to their lineup on their Facebook page yesterday, replacing the already departed Talon Risto. Anthony proved to be a quality addition in his last two bands, so hopefully this new gig works out, and stay tuned for more as we hear it!
• Also from the Musicians Wanted group, new local musician Jason Hayward is looking to play some "angst driven rock covers" in a local band (for the record, he plays bass and can sing.) If you're interested in jamming with him, message Jason at this link or via his post from last week at the above link!
• Local thrash band Pillory are still at work on their debut EP "Cringe At The Cross", with bass and drum tracks complete, and guitar and vocal tracks now in the process of being finished, as per posts on their Facebook page this month. A return to the stage would help their prominence and exposure for the EP release, but I don't think they've found a replacement for the late Andres Duchesne yet. Hopefully things are coming along well for them, and stay tuned for updates!
• Newer local classic/hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies have added Redundant frontman Justin Langlois to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing Jamie Cameron. With no online pages yet, my source is drummer Scott McLurg's personal Facebook page. Barring an interim announcement, their new lineup will debut at the Rock N' Roar festival in Spanish next month, so keep it in mind, and hopefully Justin proves to be a solid addition in this new band!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week, especially as we approach Rotaryfest weekend! Thanks everyone!