LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pillory & Half Past), An Inactive Band Note, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this news post, just a heads up that Curtis McKenzie did not play at The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday despite announcing the show on his Facebook page. Curt confirmed that "an accidental scheduling conflict" was to blame, but I don't know if it was on his end or the venue's (though note that The Dive never publically announced a Saturday musical act on their Facebook page). Disappointing for fans, but he will be back at The Dive before you know it, check back in our next weekend concert preview wave for proof! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and other recent assorted updates from Sault Ontario bands!

Local hard rock quartet Half Past will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, October 11th! While we just saw them open for Napoleon at Soo Blaster earlier this month, this will be this talented veteran act's first solo headlining concert in five months, so they must have been among the local covers-leaning bands who took a summer break. It's good to see Jordan, Alain, Arthur, and Johnny back in their element as four-set headliners at a local bar, and hopefully this Thanksgiving long weekend concert is a big hit! No word yet who is playing in the Saturday matinee slot that day, Beck's will no doubt announce it on Monday the 6th, but remember that Beck's hosts DJs on Fridays. This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Should be a fun time for hard rock fans in the west end, so visit the band's Facebook page for more details on this concert!

Next up, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will indeed release their full-length album next month via a CD release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday, October 25th! The album will be named "Old Soul" (apologies for erroneously giving its name as "Old Stone" last week), and it was recorded earlier this year at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall. Pillory plan to release the album on major streaming services on October 27th, but concert attendees will get to buy it on CD two days early, and a vinyl pressing is also in the works. Fans will have heard the likely songs from "Old Soul" dating back to their late 2010s rebirth as a death metal act, and it will be neat to hear them fully realized, especially 12 years after their demo EP "Cringe At The Cross" came out, so come on down to Soo Blaster next month to check everything out! Support will come by way of progressive metal quartet Convergence and crossover thrash quartet Hails, so expect a very heavy night of local metal!

Admission for this presumably all ages concert will be $20 in advance through band members and at Soo Blaster "within the next week", and the door charge will jump to $25. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more from Pillory and this album as it rolls in!

Also, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being skate punk trio Vanity First. We have not heard a public update from them since they headlined a free barn show just outside of Thessalon on September 21st of last year, past our one year inactivity threshold. Since then, guitarist/vocalist Mikhal Muto, drummer Keeghan McAllister, and occasional late-era guitarist Carmen Muto (Mikhal's cousin) have focused on playing in the aforementioned hardcore punk/crossover thrash band Hails, with singer/bassist Brenton Ellis in place of Vanity First frontman Andrew Beggs. Known simply as Vanity until March 2022, they debuted in 2020 and became a reasonably prominent young punk band as we emerged from the pandemic, releasing a self-titled demo in 2022 followed by their studio album "Identity Crisis" in the summer of 2024. Fans may recall seeing them open for bands like Leash, Inconsistent Me, and Rent Strike in the early 2020s, along with multiple headlining dates.

It's fairly obvious now that everyone (sans Andrew) have moved onto Hails as their primary band, after they co-existed with Vanity First for most of 2023 & 2024, and while Ha!ls are a heavier band on average, there is obviously shared DNA there. Don't bypass them if you miss Vanity First, and while I hope we haven't heard the absolute last of that project, best of luck to Andrew and Nick in their next musical outlets as well!

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

 

• SooToday's Brandon Walker got a picture of local alternative/punk supergroup BookcluB's set at Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest street party on Saturday for this article on the event, confirming there that the band played as a quintet sans guitarist Brandon Ruch. It was already known that Brandon moved to Barrie earlier this month, but he did come home to help BookcluB open for Forever Seger, so it remains to be seen if that was his farewell with the band or if he will keep coming home for BookcluB shows when able. We'll let you know if something is said about their second guitarist slot, but hopefully the Oktoberfest set was a hit!
• In the newest video from the aforementioned Ha!ls' Facebook page on August 22nd, guitarist Carmen Muto is seen playing through their original song "All Systems Go" from their new self-titled album. I'll hold comment on the song pending that album's review next month, but Carmen shreds beyond his years in this clip, as fans will be well aware, so if you like Ha!ls' ferocious original attack, give this playthrough video a watch above! Unfortunately, Facebook content matched the studio recording that Carmen played along with in the video, so I can't embed it here.
• Online page-less metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad have quietly added The BAG frontman Spencer MacGillivray as their new lead singer, replacing Justin Pregent, as confirmed via the artist profiles on the Facebook event page for December's Broke & Hungry benefit concert at Beck's Bar. A reason for Nadj's departure wasn't announced, but remember, The Sault Side Squad don't have an online page to announce lineup changes with. I don't even know when Spencer joined, but note that The BAG haven't issued a public update since opening for Virvum in July. Hopefully all is well with Justin, but based on what I know of The S.S.S.'s setlist, Spencer will fit in with them well going forward!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Vanity First - Topic

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel profiles, now that our most recent weekend concert previews are wrapped up! This monthly feature post looks at a randomly selected YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians/concerts, in order to spotlight it and its content for current readers! This month gives us a dormant but familiar local punk band's offerings on major streaming services like YouTube (Music), so here's what you should know on it!

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Vanity First - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCpYvTCkSYOmy61FJuDJ2x2g)

Owner: If anyone, an unidentified member of local punk band Vanity First, though the channel is auto-generated to facilitate the band's catalogue being available on YouTube Music

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 15th, 2022; Videos uploaded from that day until April 2024

Channel Summary: The official YouTube Music channel for Vanity First, it features their 2024 studio album "Identity Crisis", two pre-release single uploads from the same album, and "single versions" of two other songs later included on that album.

Why You Should Watch: If you enjoy Vanity First's studio material, this channel will be well worth your time, though of course, these songs are also on other major streaming services if you'd rather hear "Identity Crisis" somewhere else. While comprehensive for their post-name change material, their February 2022 self-titled demo "Vanity" was not re-uploaded to YouTube Music, though all of its songs (save for the ballad "Breathe") were re-recorded for "Identity Crisis", and the original demo remains available to stream on the band's official YouTube channel, which also has videos and non-album material. Note that this channel hasn't been updated since "Identity Crisis" came out, and the band hasn't played live in six months, possibly due to Mikhal and Keeghan's focus on Ha!ls as of late.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Playboy Magazine (Single Version): The first songs on offer here are "single versions" of songs that were later re-recorded for "Identity Crisis". The first song is the "single version" of "Playboy Magazine", which debuted on the 2022 "Vanity" demo, and is by far their most popular song on YouTube Music. This was released the same month that they rebranded from Vanity to Vanity First and bassist Nick McClelland left the band, though I don't know if he is on this particular recording (singer Andrew Beggs replaced him on bass). Also featuring guitarist Mikhal Muto (who sings lead on this song) and drummer Keeghan "Ljubov" McAllister, the "single version" is a few seconds longer than the final 2024 version, and doesn't have as dynamic production but it is a louder file. Not their punkiest or fastest song, but power pop fans will take to it well, especially ones familiar with Mikhal's vocals!

Get Out (Single Version): The other "single version" predating the "Identity Crisis" release is the August 2022 re-recording of "Get Out", an Andrew-sung number that is one of Vanity First's heaviest originals. About 10 seconds shorter than the final 2024 version (cornfield banter at the start aside), the 2022 version differs primarily from the 2024 one by its more reserved, punk-leaning vocals that remind me somewhat of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn", whereas Andrew more screamed the verses for the "Identity Crisis" sessions.  Strong track that was one of my favourites from Vanity First's catalogue, regardless of version, though the recording is again definitely louder with less dynamics than what we got a couple of years later.

Habitual Vanity: In terms of songs from "Identity Crisis" itself, I wanted to highlight one of the newer songs recorded for the album that hadn't debuted as a "single version" or on the 2022 demo. I went with their partially eponymous song "Habitual Vanity", which was released to YouTube Music twice, first as an advance single and then re-uploaded with the full album. This Andrew-sung number is darker than a lot of their earlier punk originals and has a nice melodic structure with ominous elements that help showcase the diversity in sounds that they were exploring! Hopefully we haven't heard the absolute last from Vanity First, but follow what Mikhal and Keeghan are up to with Hails in the interim!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll get back to YouTube channels actually ran and controlled by the band apart from the YouTube Music format, this time by way of Bullet Train - Canada, featuring the local hard rock band's original songs so far! Look for that on or around April 26th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

Before we begin our second weekend concert preview post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of former Great White frontman Jack Russell, who passed away yesterday at the age of 63, a month after retiring from touring following his diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. Visit your preferred music news websites (like this) for more details. The classic and longest tenured frontman of the Los Angeles hair metal icons best known for tracks like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "The Angel Song", Jack fronted versions of Great White at least thrice in the Soo area, including on New Years Day 1990, where they opened for Alice Cooper at Sault Memorial Gardens. Great White would headline at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino 19 years later, before the splinter version Jack Russell's Great White headlined outside of the St. Ignace Kewadin in June 2017.

Jack wasn't in the original Great White anymore when they opened for Ace Frehley at the St. Ignace Kewadin last month (he had already retired anyway), but fans of theirs will absolutely recognize Jack's talents as a singer and frontman from their late 1980s-early 1990s heyday until the modern era, and hopefully fans have lots of good memories, both from his local gigs and beyond. R.I.P. Jack!

Today's post otherwise completes another round of hard rock/punk weekend concert previews in the Twin Saults, and we'll pick things back up in Brimley, where a rare multi-band event with a touring artist goes down at Pickles Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Two known SMS-amenable local bands are playing Brimley for the first time, those being Sault Ste. Marie rock quintet The Nameless and 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands-winning punk band The Sole Aggressors, so if you like what these rising groups bring to the table, head to Pickles to see them in action! The headliner here is Detroit electronica musician R. Solomon, with Detroit experimental duo Sean & Diego also making the trip north, and if that seems out of left field, remember that promoter Brighton LeBlanc of Serious Business brought in a diverse mix of genres in his Satisfied Frog show in November featuring four touring acts from around the state, so this genre mix isn't new.

This 18+ (not 21+) concert takes place at 9:00 PM in the lower level of Pickles at 11204 West Lakeshore Drive tomorrow night, following an unrelated matinee gig by local jazz duo Midnight Sun at 5:30 PM, and it has a $10 cover charge. It is great that the E.U.P. is getting some promotion of multi-band shows with touring musicians like this, and hopefully tomorrow's festivities are a huge hit so Brighton keeps this up with even more! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sole Aggressors live!

Before moving to our remaining Sault Ontario concert previews, just a heads up that Bone Yard 225's debut gigs at Gino's Fired Up Kitchen & Bar tomorrow night and on the 31st have been cancelled, as per bassist Warren Reville in comment replies on our Facebook page earlier today. Warren implied that Gino's have stopped/been prohibited from hosting live music period, but I haven't heard an announcement from the restaurant on this front (their social media last referenced hosting live musicians on July 27th). Hopefully this isn't 100% it for acoustic concerts there, but if all else fails, you can still see Bone Yard at the Laird Fair tonight!

Resuming this weekend's previews, let's head to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will return for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be HeadFirst's... first concert since their CD release party for their debut EP "Head Trauma" at Shooters three weeks ago (our review of it is coming up this month), and while there's no raison d'etre for tomorrow's concert beyond just playing live, the band should have CD copies of "Head Trauma" on sale. With momentum at their backs, hopefully tomorrow's concert is a huge hit full of their entertaining hard rock originals and covers! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights this year, tomorrow's concert has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's HeadFirst live! Yes, I am well aware of their new Rotaryfest video, we'll finally resume our Rotaryfest 2024 fallout coverage on the site soon!

Finally for this weekend, let's head to Soo Blaster, where a rare all-local concert goes down on SUNDAY NIGHT featuring four local groups and two solo musicians! In a mild surprise, young local hard rock band Sylo (the former Raincourt) will headline in their second public show of the year and first since parting ways with bassist Owen Dearing. Sylo's social media presence has been slim at best since they returned from hiatus earlier this year, but given that frontman Elijah Russell is reportedly moving from the area for college shortly, this could be your last chance to see the band for a while, so keep Sunday's show in mind! Joining Sylo at Soo Blaster on Sunday are local punk quartet (assuming that Carmen did join) Vanity First, thrash metal trio The BAG, and comedy rock band The Floor Between Us, alongside prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore and anti-folk/outsider singer/guitarist Shae Tull.

Notably, we haven't seen Chase at a public concert since February, and it's good to see that he's still gigging despite his prior teasers about stepping away from music after his next album comes out! Unlike most of Vanity First guitarist Mikhal Muto's recent blitz of self/co-promoted concerts at The Distraction and Soo Blaster, Sunday's festivities do not have advance ticket sales, just a flat cover charge of $10. It is definitely ALL AGES, and doors open at 8:00 PM. An all-local show with this many acts, especially not attached to a festival, isn't as common as it once was, so don't miss out on all of the action on Sunday! In lieu of a Sylo video (they haven't uploaded anything since the name change), here's Vanity First live!

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

More Weekend Concert Previews In Sault Ontario & The E.U.P.!!

Somehow, this weekend has proven to be bizarrely busy for hard rock and punk concerts! Yes, it's the summer, we see more shows at this time of year, but there's no Rotaryfest or provincial/state holidays this weekend to create more shows to happen, and I still have to dedicate FOUR posts to previewing concerts this weekend! Yes, Selias fans, I am well aware of that show, I hope to cover it and other things I'm behind on on Saturday and beyond. This preview post looks at bands playing shows tomorrow in some fashion, with a stacked lineup of Saturday-only gigs to be looked at tomorrow. Now, let's resume our weekend previews!

We'll start at Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT for a big punk concert featuring two American folk punk bands coming north of the border, including headlining Lansing, Michigan folk punk band Rent Strike! This intense and very lyrical group should please folk punk subgenre fans with their freewheeling brand of original music, and it will be neat to see John and crew rock out on this big stage! Bangor, Maine "thinking man's punk" trio Milk St. will also make their way north tomorrow with their appealing blend of emo and grunge that should keep fans in strong spirits with their own well-written genre blending original music, so don't bypass them either! Your local openers are local punk trio (quartet?) Vanity First in their... first Soo Blaster gig since opening for Master Nate & The Reprobates last month. Guitarist Mikhal Muto is a known folk punk artist & fan, so they'll fit in tomorrow like a glove!

This ALL AGES concert takes place tomorrow at 8:00 PM, and tickets run $15 in advance at this link or in person at Soo Blaster (the "early bird" verbiage is clearly how they refer to advance tickets in general, not a lapsed exclusivity period), with admission jumping to $20 at the door. With lots of high energy folk punk to enjoy, let alone from two American bands on this side of the border (less of a rarity than it once was but still uncommon), hopefully there's a great turnout for this concert tomorrow night, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Rent Strike live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's weekly summer arrangements at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY will both march on this weekend! One week after dropping out of his planned Thursday nighter at The Dive due to illness (I never heard if he similarly didn't play at the other two venues), fingers crossed that Tym is feeling better for his two acoustic shows this week, once again setting up shop on the outdoor stage beside The Big Moose Ice Cream Parlor tomorrow before heading down Second Line West for an indoor matinee on Saturday. If you like Tym's well produced brand of hard rock covers and his extensive setlist therein, you won't want to miss this weekend's concerts, though he will be back through next month! As usual, tomorrow's show is at 7:00 PM with no age limit.

Saturday's Misty's matinee is at 4:00 PM and 19+, and neither has a cover charge. Be advised that 9&10 News is currently calling for a 30-40% chance of rain tomorrow evening with temperatures hovering at around 17°, which is cool for this time of year even if the precipitation holds off. Tym has called off outdoor shows for rain and/or temperatures before, so if you are at all concerned that his Mike Case Stage show might not take place, keep tabs on his social media for updates. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Now let's head to Sault Michigan for two familiar bands playing at both regional Kewadin Casino lounges this weekend, starting with Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird, who will return to the E.U.P. TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin branch! These are Jamie & Rikk's only dates within an hour's drive of Sault Ste. Marie this summer, with their next truly local stops coming in St. Ignace in October, so if you want to see Fyrbird's hard hitting blend of minimalist two man covers, head down to The Rapids Lounge for all of this weekend's action! Yes, Fyrbird will be in Gould City later this month, but that town is beyond our coverage range, though it's absolutely of note if western Mackinac County is not hard to get to. Tomorrow & Saturday's shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Fyrbird live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll head south to St. Ignace, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock band Exit 808 will make their debuts at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen on the road for another outdoor gig in Republic in the Western U.P. this past weekend, these will be Exit 808's first local dates since their Rapids Lounge debuts three weeks ago. These will also mark their first ever local appearances with their full current lineup, as singer Amy Beach & new guitarist Will Robbins were absent that weekend, while debuting bassist Myke Young split duties there with outgoing fill-in Blaze Beairl. No word on if there will be any direct changes to their set as such, but Amy teased on their Facebook page on July 30th that they were considering adding "a couple (of) country songs" to their set, albeit after "heavying them up", and were taking fans' suggestions. 

Yes, Blaze appears to have lined up a big new gig as drummer of a different local band, but we'll have more on that as our weekend concert previews continue. Like with Fyrbird, this weekend's St. Ignace Kewadin shows are at 9:00 PM with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live video of theirs! Well, there's also a newly edited live video of their studio cover of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." via Marquette-based Kish Productions, which is well done, but I do prefer seeing full/raw live footage., The new live video is courtesy of Angie Hood, who filmed Exit 808 covering Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" outside of The Pine Grove Bar in Republic last week, as shared by the band to their Facebook page from her personal account! Obviously, Amy Lee Beach is on lead vocals here, with Dillion Semasky singing the Paul McCoy parts.

The vertical camera angle is unfortunate, but it looks like everyone is performing well on this 2000s rock radio classic, and Amy's voice is given a strong display here, with Dillion's parts working well for contrast! Audio's a little thin, but it's a good teaser of the new new look Exit 808, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them in St. Ignace!

That's all for now, but look for weekend concert preview post #3 next, which will likely focus on Saturday's concerts from Heavy Lies The Crown, Project 906, and Bone Yard 225 (likely only the three because I have more to touch on from one of these bands), with The Ripcordz, Handsome Sandwich, Generations, and Curtis McKenzie capping off this deceivingly busy weekend concert preview slate by Saturday morning. Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Blood Opera, The Damn Truth, The Fixer, And Sylo!!)

After a couple of quiet days due to some prior engagements, I am back with a stacked post on the SMS on this Sunday afternoon, 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in Sault Ste. Marie in the next two+ months! Here's what you should know in chronological order!

In a type of all-local event that we haven't seen a lot of in the Soo in the 2020s, six original-leaning local acts (many heavier in nature) will join forces for a concert at Soo Blaster on Sunday, August 18th! Curiously, the headliners of this show are local hard rock band Sylo, who we have not heard from publically since their return from hiatus in February, dropping out of the Hazytones show in the interim. It is worth noting that the former Raincourt privatized their Instagram page and seemingly parted ways with bassist Owen Dearing (now absent from their listed lineup there). I don't know if Eli or Alder are taking over on bass or if they're looking for a new hire, but hopefully Sylo's return in two weeks goes over well, and that everything's alright with Owen! A healthy roster of local openers includes punk trio (quartet?) Vanity First, metal trio The BAG, comedy rock band The Floor Between Us, and two solo singer/guitarists.

These include prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore (last seen at a Distraction show in February with many common musicians) and outsider/anti-folk musician Shae Tull. This show will be ALL AGES, it has a flat $10 admission fee at the door (no advance ticket sales of any kind), and doors open at 8:00 PM. This could be a late night for many given that the concert is on a work/school night, but if you want to see six talented local music acts in one stage (let alone that none of them played at Rotaryfest), keep the action in two weeks in mind! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, there's more heavy action one week later at Soo Blaster via two touring (and female-fronted) bands rocking Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday, August 25th, including headlining Thunder Bay gothic metal quartet The Fixer! An outfit who have been decently active out west in the 2020s so far, fans of bands like New Years Day will find a lot to like from their melodic hard rock originals, so don't miss out on The Fixer's Soo debut in three weeks! Winnipeg-based metal quartet Indigo will open here, and their sound is more aggressive with harsher Pantera-esque vocals at their heights, so they should turn a few heads at Soo Blaster as well! Further signalling that they are back for good, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will open in their second public gig of 2024 and first show in Sault Ste. Marie city limits in almost five years. Hopefully there's much more to come from Robert, Blair, and Bret in the near future!

Announced on personal Facebook pages last month before going 100% public in recent days, tickets will run for $15 in advance at the venue or $20 at the door (online sales have not begun at press time) This show will also be ALL AGES, and while it's another 8:00 PM show on a work/school night, there are half as many bands as the previous week. Metal fans should definitely look into this concert for some hard hitting music later this month, so visit the above links for more details!

Also coming to Soo Blaster is Montreal classic/hard rock quartet The Damn Truth, who will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Tuesday, September 17th! A 1960s-inspired group who infuse a few different styles into their high energy and melodic originals, singer Lee-La Baum's husky Janis Joplin-esque vocals definitely help them stand out from the pack, and it'll be interesting to see how The Damn Truth go over this fall! In a mild surprise, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will open next month, in their first show in the Soo since opening for The Ripcordz in September of last year! Yes, they'll be back at the Northern Vibe Festival later this month, but Chris, Matt, and Nick don't play all that often anymore, so if you've missed their intense punk originals and select covers, be at Soo Blaster next month! The official poster suggests that "other acts" are to be announced, but at press time, it's hard to find any social media press for this show.

I literally only heard about this one because I was on Soo Blaster's ticket page seeing if the Fixer concert above had the online sale link up yet, but hopefully the local press ramps up soon. I don't even know if A Dire Setback's own Live705 are putting this on! In any event, tickets are $20 at this link or $25 at the door, this again starts at 8:00 PM, and unlike the shows above, I can't immediately confirm if this will be all ages or 19+. If Sunday isn't ideal scheduling for many, Tuesday really isn't, but hopefully there's a solid turnout for this array of live original rock music next month, and see above for more details!

Finally for this all-Sault Ontario concert post, Toronto "dead metal/zombie glam" band Blood Opera will return for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 19th at  The Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters Downstairs Lounge! As you may recall, Blood Opera were the after-party headliners at the Steel City CollectorCon in May, and clearly they had a strong reception for their highly theatrical and violent horror movie-inspired stage show, as organizers Steel City Events are bringing them back five months later to do the honours in closing out the Steel City NerdCon that weekend! Very similar event, a pop culture/comic convention featuring dozens of vendors and artists from the Soo and beyond, and preliminary details on that day's festivities at the Quattro Hotel (the NerdCon proper) and The Queen Of Hearts Club (this concert and the karaoke/card game tournament pre-party on Friday the 18th) can be found at this link.

Notably, the Facebook advertising also lists Blood Opera as part of the NerdCon proper at Quattro (no idea in what capacity yet), while Steel City Events are looking for one or two local opening bands for the 19th. Message them above or via Vintage Games & Junque's Facebook page if you/your band are interested! For reference, the openers in May were The Apocalypse Afterparty. No word yet on admission details, but in May, it was a 19+ concert with a 9:00 PM start time and $20 admission, though there were CollectorCon ticket packages that included free admission to see Blood Opera if purchased. There's a lot to learn, but Blood Opera aren't to be missed, so visit the above links for initial details!

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

More Of This Weekend's Hard Rock & Punk Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's part #2 of this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews, covering previously announced shows tonight and tomorrow night across the Twin Saults and area (minus The Nameless, check back tonight or tomorrow morning). Here's what else you should know!

We'll resume our previews in St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino branch! You don't see bands returning to a Kewadin lounge this soon for another weekend engagement very often, but this weekend's shows will be Peril's first at the St. Ignace casino's lounge in just two weeks, so if you're ready for more of Jeff & crew's hard rocking cover attack (or missed them last month), you won't want to miss tonight and/or tomorrow night's action! It's too soon to know when they or their sister band Scarkazm will return to the E.U.P., but neither are scheduled again at the St. Ignace or Soo Kewadins until at least the fall. Note that a comment on their promotional image on their Facebook page implies that the casino was advertising locals Tarnished as playing St. Ignace weekend, so what's that about?

As best as I can tell, that was a mix-up with physical advertising at the St. Ignace branch, as Tarnished are indeed playing at The Northern Pines Lounge next weekend. While Peril replied that "there were a couple of schedule changes", our coverage has always went off of online advertising, which always had Peril this weekend and Tarnished following them. Visit the above links for more on Peril's last local concerts of the summer, and for a preview of these shows, here they are live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Like Peril, these shows come just two weeks removed from their prior shows at the same venue, so west enders and regulars at the former Roosevelt Hotel will want to keep their return in mind! Generations are in the middle of a string of concerts on consecutive weekends during this busy summer slate, with their next show after this being at Rotaryfest Stage 1 this coming Thursday. This weekend's shows should be a good warm-up, if not nearly as warm given that they'll be indoors this weekend compared to Rotaryfest! Yes, Generations filled in as jam night hosts at Jay's yesterday as well, the second time they have done so since Soundcheck stepped down as the regular weekly hosts last month. Hopefully that went well for all involved!

Like two weeks ago, this weekend's concerts are 9:30 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' Jay's return this weekend, stay tuned for their Rotaryfest return on Thursday, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, if you crave some original and/or punk music, Napanee, Ontario ska punk band Master Nate & The Reprobates will deliver that in spades TOMORROW NIGHT when they make their local debut at Soo Blaster! A relatively newer band who are currently in the late stages of a suite of eight album releases, their up-tempo ska punk stylings, raspy vocals, and strong lyrics should draw sub-genre fans downtown tomorrow, so don't bypass their brand of "rock revolution" then! You may also recognize Master Nate & crew from sharing the stage with locals The Northwest at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto in April 2023. However, your local openers tomorrow night are local skate punk trio (quartet?) Vanity First, who last rocked Soo Blaster in April for the "Identity Crisis" release party. Good to see everyone back on the big stage tomorrow, and as Mikhal's bands are not at Rotaryfest this year, keep this show in mind if you want to see them!

This 19+ concert has $10 admission at the door or via advance ticket sales on Soo Blaster's website, and doors open at 9:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on tomorrow's punk action, and for a preview, here's Master Nate & The Reprobates live!

Finally, let's close things back in the E.U.P., as Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will continue the "summer of 906" when they return to The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in nearby Kinross TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason at The Well Diggers' outdoor stage last summer, and they'll be back there tomorrow in a rare hard rock concert at this Kinross nightclub/restaurant (remember that Exit 808's planned debut there last month was cancelled for unannounced reasons). Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a big hit for Project 906, and that there's a solid turnout! Note that there will be a 50/50 draw and food specials as well. Everything takes place at 3047 West M-80 in Kinross tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, and there is no announced cover charge. Weather-wise, The Weather Channel is calling for sunny to clear skies tomorrow night, and they should beat the rain forecast scheduled for early Sunday morning.

Temperatures tomorrow evening are projected to range from 71-80° Fahrenheit (21-26° Celsius), so it should be a warm evening for summer lovers. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on Project 906's Kinross return tomorrow, and for a preview of the hard rock action in store, here's 906 live at The Well Diggers last year!

That's all for now, but look for our Nameless preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

Vanity First - "Identity Crisis" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 180th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we complete fifteen years of reviewing heavier/punk albums every month without fail! This month, we are looking at local skate punk trio Vanity First's second CD and first non-demo release "Identity Crisis", which was released to major streaming platforms and physically via MorningStar Records on April 20th! Effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2022 "Vanity" demo, it features re-recordings of each song (except "Breathe") at their own Studio 702, alongside four newly recorded original tracks. Vanity First are represented here by singer/bassist Andrew Beggs (replacing Nick McClelland from the 2022 demo on bass here), guitarist Mikhal Muto (who produced the album and sings lead on three songs), and drummer Keeghan McAllister. Despite playing at the release concert at Soo Blaster, part-time(?) guitarist Carmen Muto is not on the album.

As hyped in this MorningStar Records promotional piece, "Identity Crisis" is on sale via Kunaki's print-on-demand method on CD ($10) or vinyl ($40) at this link, though I cannot confirm local in-store availability. You can stream it on all streaming platforms Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer, with Amazon and iTunes selling it via mp3 download for $8.91 apiece. As I have reviewed the "Vanity" demo already for the SMS, I won't re-review the five re-recorded songs here, but I will compare and contrast the new versions with the originals. With nine songs running for about 28 minutes, let's begin this month's CD review!

Like the 2022 demo, "Identity Crisis" leads off with "Hard Feelings", which is relatively similar to the original but with much rangier and better harmonized vocals, as well as a slightly faster tempo and a new spoken word intro about quite a scenario about walking through a cornfield. The crisper production is evident, and just upgrading the lyrics with screaming and more distinct backing vocals improves things! This is still a fun choice of opening song for skate punk fans, and it benefited from being revised for this album! The first brand new song (and first with Mikhal on lead vocals) is next, namely "Off With Their Heads", which they jokingly described as "the most hilariously inaccurate viking song". If not for Mikhal's distinctive emo-esque tone of voice (Agnosticism fans, take note), this would easily fit in metal playlists with its galloping power metal riffs! The guitar solo is also welcomed.

I will say that it's a little repetitive by the end, as the base melody never really changes throughout the 3+ minute runtime, but if you like your Vanity a little heavier, this will do the trick, and it's a solid early highlight! Third here and on the 2022 demo is "Empty Home", which is also played at a faster tempo here, so much that it usurped "Hard Feelings" as the album's shortest song. That said, the 2024 version is closer in structure and approach to the original, only really differing musically via more aggressive backing vocals, so fans of the prior straightforward punk attack will get more of the same via the re-recording! Next is the second brand new song, "When I Fall", which Mikhal also sings lead vocals on. If you want something more punk-centric with Mikhal on vocals, this will do the trick very nicely!

If we're being honest, I think Andrew's vocal style fits skate punk better than Mikhal's, but his emo-influenced singing will appeal to genre fans, and the song still has a lively up-tempo nature that is relatively timeless as modern punk goes, and Keeghan's drumming is particularly good here, so "When I Fall" will be quite easy to get into, even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel! Track #5 here was track #4 on the 2022 demo, namely "Black Flies", which is basically a straight re-recording (not really any faster) but more intricate guitar work and stronger backing vocals, including some screaming. I liked this song for its structural variance that allowed the guys to show their skills moreso with a 1980s retro vibe at points, and the updated version here is an improvement all around! We break from the alternating pattern of old and new songs next via the revision of "Playboy Magazine", which was track #2 on the 2022 demo.

The final song here with Mikhal on vocals (and the only one with Keeghan as a co-writer), and it retains an identical structure and mostly benefits from the boosted production quality. All three of Mikhal's lead vocal tracks are different from each other, so fans of power pop and indie rock will still take to this one and it's more direct lyrics, but aside from the opening verse being too processed, this is an improvement all around from the 2022 version, particularly benefiting with stronger backing vocals! Still a little too laid back compared to what I like from this band though. Andrew sings lead the rest of the way, including on the next two brand new songs for "Identity Crisis", starting with its longest song, "Get Out", which opens with more cornfield talk like on "Hard Feelings (I must have missed the in-joke here!)

The most metal song on offer for the Andrew-sung tracks, this has shouted verses and clean choruses, the latter of which remind me a bit of Avenged Sevenfold. To a point, I think the guys handle punk better, but it is nice to see them spreading their wings stylistically, and this might be Andrew's best performance on bass so far! Not a bad hard rock song that doesn't get repetitive despite its length, so fans looking for something not as punky should give this a listen! The penultimate song (and final new cut) is the partially eponymous "Habitual Vanity", another song that stretches from their skate punk base with a darker and more melodic sound, and while I do think that punk suits them more, this is a cool sound with effective use of vocals, strong bass, and a good structure that keeps things moving at a slightly ominous clip! I'd have went a little heavier with it, but it's another good change of pace for (Habitual) Vanity First!

The album closes with the last re-recording, "White Ghosts", which is similar to the original aside from better production, more varied vocals, and a faster conclusion for the ending guitar solo to come in. Like the original, I wish this ran longer, but the production upgrades accentuate this strong closer to the album that brings things back on a punk track for fans!

So, what are my final thoughts on Vanity First's new CD? Overall, this is a strong update that better realizes their earlier songs and adds some entertaining new material to fill things out, which point to a promising future for them! At its core, it's an expanded remake of the "Vanity" demo (sans "Breathe"), and all five returning songs maintain their original structure and integrity while benefiting from the new production, more aggressive backing vocals, and sometimes faster pacing, so if you liked that demo, almost everything carried over is the same or better! Of the four new songs, it felt to me like Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan wanted to show what they could do beyond skate punk, as only "When I Fall" of those four songs really feels like it could have fit on the 2022 demo. The guys have range and it'd be interesting to see what sound(s) direct their next studio effort! Andrew's bass work does the job well here also.

No song is bad here, especially the punk-leaning ones, but I would like to hear a few more guitar solos, and Mikhal's vocals are trickier to have fit certain subgenres without going full emo. I'd also have re-recorded "Breathe" here, as it would further highlight their musical variety, and they had plenty of room for it on the physical copies. If you liked the "Vanity" demo, you'll absolutely like "Identity Crisis", so be sure to buy or stream it at the above links! As for our next CD review at the SMS, we'll kick off year #16 of album reviews (wow) with our third straight review of a Mikhal Muto project's album, namely his new hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages' debut EP "Macabre"! Our anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same artist doesn't apply to multiple bands from the same musician, hence the trifecta. We haven't even talked about this project on the site yet, so stay tuned for that and more next month! Thanks everyone!

It's The Pits, Inconsistent Me, And BookcluB Concert Previews!!

Before we finally cap off this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews, just a friendly tip that Wyld Stallyns/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another acoustic show on their patio tomorrow night. I'm still not 100% sure if his solo dates are similar to his bands in set/sound or not, hence why I'm not covering it as normal here, but keep it in mind if you want some downtown unplugged music! Now, let's wrap up this weekend's previews by looking at a big festival an hour or so outside of town, plus two Sunday events, so here's what you should know!

We'll start at Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, where local concert promoters Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire) will host their biggest ever concert TOMORROW, namely the It's The Pits! Yes, live music returns to the site of the late 2010s Oh!No fesitvals and last year's private Bear Hunters reunion event, and P.I.T.S. (peach pit motif fully intact) will be bringing a wide array of styles to the church tomorrow, and while the former Dryer Fire have never been known as a metal/punk-first promotion agency, two of the ten acts tomorrow are SMS-amenable! Half of the bill is comprised of touring artists, and while it's not clear if the poster gives away the performance order (we don't know set times anyway), Toronto electronica duo LAL are definitely the headliners tomorrow night. Also making their way here are Toronto skate punk trio The Mendozaz, who genre fans will definitely take to with their melodic sound!

Other touring acts tomorrow are Ottawa indie rock singer/guitarist Catriona Sturton (who played in the Soo in October), Toronto "deep Earth folk" project Twintwa, and Grand Rapids, Michigan "dark folk" duo Rabbit Fur. The local contingent tomorrow includes crossover thrash/punk band Hails (who will be back in Leeburn for Crucifest next month), DJ Seith (who joined Ha!ls at the private Leeburn event last July), Chris West's local/Quebec indie solo project Tampa, lo-fi "anti-folk" singer/guitarist Shae Tull, and the cryptic regional Americana project Tye Lawless Co.. Note that ex-Shit Liver bassist Mike Kyle's folk project Sibling dropped out of It's The Pits last month after deciding to step away from music, and they were not replaced on the bill. Sam Emerson from local quilting/product repair company Muel Goods is tomorrow's host, and numerous arts and culture vendors will be selling their wares on site.

It's The Pits (which has no stated age limit) takes place tomorrow at 2:00 PM into the night at 5756 Highway 638 outside of Bruce Mines, and attendees are welcome & encouraged to camp out on site and leave on Sunday if they so choose. Just respect the space, and mind tomorrow's rainy weather forecast (though the concert proper is indoors). Tickets cost $45 in advance at this link or via P.I.T.S. staff, and the price jumps to $50 at the gate. Hopefully It's The Pits is a huge hit for Nicole and crew, so that they make this an annual event, and punk fans will enjoy The Mendozaz and Hails in particular among this talented lineup! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Mendozaz live!

Next up, let's head back into Sault Ste. Marie city limits for two concerts taking place on SUNDAY, starting with a matinee performance by online page-less local alternative/punk cover sextet Bookclub as the headliners during that day's teddy bear picnic at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery! Last crossing our radar when Tym Morrison had a weekly run there in late 2019, the 4057 Third Line West mill/winery will host their first ever teddy bear picnic on Sunday afternoon, where families and their kids are encouraged to come down (with picnic blankets and plush toys in tow) to enjoy refreshments, family entertainment, games, prize draws, local vendors, and of course, music! BookcluB will be headlining at 1:00 PM (running for three hours), while veteran R&B/soul sextet The Hustle Brothers will open the picnic with a few sets starting at 10:00 AM. What's unclear is if they'll be playing inside at the Wine Barn or fully outdoors.

Regardless of age, tickets run for $10 at this link or presumably upon entry, though if you have a baby 2 years or younger, they'll get in free. The Weather Channel is currently projecting partly cloudy weather in the 22° range on Sunday afternoon, but showers do bookend the 10 AM-4 PM timeframe, so if you are at all concerned about the rain messing with the picnic, keep tabs on your preferred local weather reports closer to Sunday. It'll be interesting to see how things go at Thomson Farms, both for the atypical concert setting, the potential weather impairment, and just how the teddy bear picnic goes, but BookcluB should get a good response! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

Finally for this very busy slate of weekend concert previews, let's head to The Distraction, where Detroit pop punk solo project Inconsistent Me will headline on SUNDAY NIGHT! One of a surprising number of Michigan-based touring bands to play in Sault Ontario in recent months (if only Sault Michigan bands were similarly crossing over), Inconsistent Me's brand of up tempo & nostalgic pop punk should draw a good response from fans at the old barbership on East Street, so don't miss out if you can swing coming on a work night! No word on if Brendan will be playing solo with a backing track or if he has a band with him (both have happened in the past). Local support will come by way of punk trio Vanity First, capping off a busy weekend for Mikhal and Keeghan (and Carmen?) following their sister band Hails' sets at Go Skateboarding Day tonight and at It's The Pits yesterday! Also, this is their first show since releasing "Identity Crisis" in April.

Oddly, Vanity haven't been promoting this show much in recent weeks, but it does appear to be on for Sunday as scheduled, and as usual, this is an all ages concert. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and admission is via a "$10 or pay-what-you-can" model. If the rain scared you off of Go Skate Day, and if Leeburn is a little too remote for tomorrow, punk fans may find that Inconsistent Me is what the doctor ordered, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Inconsistent Me live!

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