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!

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!