Our Recap Of Greig Nori's Interview On The Borderline From June 2023!!

With the recent announcement of a Treble Charger reunion concert at The Machine Shop on March 7th, now's as good a time as any to finally cover an audio interview that singer/guitarist Greig Nori took part in last June! I profusely apologize for the delay in this making the site, it fell through many cracks, but the timing is right given the reunion concert! This was for an episode of Rock N' Roll Heaven on The Borderline, as hosted by veteran local musician/photographer Brian Tremblay, and it runs for 76 minutes, albeit including eleven Treble Charger songs during the runtime, starting with "Takes Me Down". If you want to skip past Brian's introduction and this song, the interview proper begins at about 4:40 into the episode. Brian first asks Greig about when he decided to move back to Sault Ste. Marie full time and how his relationship began with the Algoma Conservatory of Music and The Loft, of which he is the general manager.

If you're only familiar with Greig as a musician, his work as a producer in Toronto comes up here, including where he got the idea to merge a studio with a live performance venue rather than his high-end studio in Toronto that was seeing a declining usage into the 2010s, with emphasis on bands taking advantage of the setup for social media purposes and promotion. The next two songs are "Don't Believe It All" & "Friend Of Mine", which sandwich more studio equipment talk. Greig next goes into his apparent involvement in an upcoming film soundtrack featuring some surprising attached names, before Brian begins asking about Treble Charger (if you're looking for that part, jump to the 20 minute mark). Greig brings up how Treble Charger formed, why they changed their name from nc-17, and how they technically weren't from the Soo originally, having formally joined forces down south.

After "Morale" is played on air, Brian asks about why Treble Charger broke up in 2004 (quite a leap in the timeline!), with Greig even admitting that he didn't really want to continue playing the pop punk-leaning music that Treble Charger was playing at that point. Their reunion show in Toronto in 2012 (Greig was off a couple years on the date) is brought up next before "Motor Control" is played. Next, they discuss the end of Greig's work with Sum 41 (he produced both "Does This Look Infected?" & "Chuck"), his time working on disBand on MuchMusic from 2008-2010, and why that show ended. We next hear "Red" to cap off the first half of the interview, after which Brian reads some statistics about how many songs get uploaded to (and heard from) streaming services, with Greig offering his advice to musicians hoping to get discovered. Treble Charger's biggest punk-era hit "American Psycho" is played on air next.

The discussion about helping rising newer musicians get noticed is continued afterwards, with Greig suggesting some specific routes that bands should take (he recommends the Canadian Musicians Co-operative), with this segment interrupted by a playing of "Brand New Low". After we hear "Business", Brian asks about Greig's current songwriting plans, albeit not attached to a specific project yet, along with his individual work songwriting with musicians who record at the Conservatory/Loft (the teased new Treble Charger album from the late 2010s is not brought up here). This is where the interview ends, but the episode ends with playings of "Favourite Worst Enemy" and "More's The Pity", sandwiching Brian's episode closing plugs and thank yous. Solid listen that, if a little heavy on industry talk, lets us hear from Greig on a wide range of topics! You don't hear him interviewed much nowadays.

This may be a perception thing more than reality, but the episode feels over-edited, like how the Treble Charger discussion leaps from their beginnings to their end without really talking about their heyday, while the Sum 41 chunk is only how that relationship ended. Is there an unedited cut with this stuff intact? I still think Brian should either place the songs in more natural spots or have more obvious transition markers so they don't come in so abruptly, but fans of Treble Charger will definitely want to hear this whole interview from last summer at this link or above! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Moon Tan Concert Video Showcase, Plus Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to new concert videos from a recent show, as we previously hinted on Wednesday, but we have some extra assorted updates at post's end as well. Let's start with those videos, courtesy of prolific local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel, as he was on hand for last week's short notice Moon Tan concert at The New American Pub! He did film each band, so let's start with the nominal headliners (even if they didn't actually play last), as Chris filmed the Winnipeg prog/funk rock trio playing their songs "The Cure", this instrumental jam (I can't place the name), and as embedded below, "The Faceless Knight". Moon Tan have a solid look and sound on these videos, combining moon faced costumes with songs that seem to combine Rush with funk rock, and it works well for them, with fans visibly getting into the groove! Check out Moon Tan live at The New A below, and see more from their debut local set above!



Next up, Chris filmed both of the night's local bands, including this video of alternative/hard rock trio The Din covering The Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly", albeit from a further camera angle than Moon Tan had. Well done cover that suits The Din's sound, though an attendee up front does get in the way of Tammy at times. Check it out below!



Chris' other video from last week's concert is of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who enlisted guest saxophonist Josh Norling once again for this show, which is always a nice addition! I'm not 100% positive, but it also looks like Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas filled in for Alex Hagerman on drums, which he has done in the past. This video has The Elements, Josh, and Jonas covering Tenacious D's "Kielbasa" with enthusiasm, and Rob Speers has some solid conviction to his voice here, so check out this new Elements cover below, and don't miss them as "The Plaid Martens" in two weeks!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by venue or station name:

• Petoskey, Michigan classic rock radio station KLT (WKLZ, 98.9 FM) and it's originating station in Kalkaska were among eight stations sold by Northern Broadcast to Blarney Stone Broadcasting last month. Though KLT remains on the air as usual, early reports have the KLT stations either becoming simulcasts of existing Grayling rock station Q100.3, or vice versa with KLT adopting Q100's larger and more request-driven playlist rotation. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but pay attention to 98.9 FM (which gets fringe reception in the Sault Ste. Marie area) for potential changes!
• Lake Superior State University's campus radio station WLSO (90.1 FM) officially re-branded this summer as The 46th Parallel Radio (referencing the circle of latitude that the Sault area sits upon), and plan to launch online streams of the station via TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This followed a listener contest to name what was announced as their "new online station", but it has since been confirmed that they meant the FM station proper and it's online stream. The new name doesn't really reflect the school so much as the region, but be sure to check The 46th Parallel Radio out, and remember that they do occasionally run heavier music!
• New Sault Ontario outdoor concert venue The Yard has a new co-owner, namely Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori! The news was revealed in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly earlier today, where Greig reflects on the fondly remembered Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor venue Castle Farms, and his hopes to bring a similar concert roster and feel to the Huron Street location. The idea of making this a "new" Castle Farms has been floated before, and it'd be great to see that come to fruition, so hopefully Greig can help make The Yard a regular and major concert destination in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates next week! Thanks everyone!

The New Tuned Episode, Blood Shed Productions Updates, And Much More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap today? Assorted shorter recent news items, a new song from a talented local musician that has a lot of personal meaning, the lastest updates from a local label, and leading off, a popular webseries' newest installment, so here's what you need to know!

The newest episode of Local2's ongoing music spotlight webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper was posted on Wednesday, so what should you know on it? The lead story features Donna interviewing Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori on his relocation of his recording studio from Toronto to The Machine Shop at Mill Square, which you may have read about on SooToday earlier this month. Featuring part of an acoustic rendition of their song "American Psycho", the interview features Greig discussing how he got involved with Mill Square and Algoma University for his studio's move home, plans for new concerts & recordings that he'll help bring to The Machine Shop, and his optimism for the development plans at Mill Square. I won't spoil the contents of the interview, but he genuinely seems very excited about what's going down! He also plugged Treble Charger's own concert at Bon Soo on February 6th, which Donna also mentioned in the concert calendar segment.

The episode closes with footage of Chris Johns' set at LopLops last month during their 12 Musicians of Christmas event, and as usual, bloopers during the credits. Another strong episode, and while there's still a lot to be revealed about Greig's local studio and his work with The Machine Shop, we should know more once things open in the spring! We'll keep you posted, and check out the full new Tuned episode at this link! Remember, Local2's video host doesn't allow external embedding.

Next up, here's the latest from local independent metal/rap label Blood Shed Productions, who have been hard at work in recent weeks! The track listing for their upcoming 11-way split CD is now available to check out on local goregrind duo Rotopsy's Facebook page, and it features 28 songs (remember, many of the featured bands specialize in very short songs.) You can see the full track listing at this link (we won't embed it here due to some potentially offensive song titles), but 18 of the 28 songs are from local artists, none are featured on more than 3 tracks, and two bands (The Apocalypse Afterparty and Britain's Peppermint Green) are only included once each. This split album is ambitious to be sure, but we'll surely hear more come next month's release party! Rotopsy bassist/label owner Tyler Gibson has also revealed some big news from his own solo project Crucify The Whore, so what should you know from their camp?

In the past week via their Facebook page, Tyler has revealed that C.T.W. are working on a planned split release of some kind with North Bay grindcore band Scrotox (more on that is coming in March), and that he's working on a mini-tour for C.T.W. & Rotopsy this summer (that may include American dates.) He also teased a second Dank Fest concert, which would be a sequel to last April's 10+ band all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall. There's more afoot from the Blood Shed, but the guys are definitely busy and aren't even close to done, so follow along at the above links!

Also today, here's a new solo song from Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison, though it has a very personal connection. The first upload on his YouTube channel since Sense of Truth's live debut six years ago, it's of an original song named "Just A Fiction", which Cory wrote about his dad's struggle with depression after suffering a stroke last year., and how attention should be brought to depression and mental illness. The video features scrolling text about the song's origin before transitioning to a slideshow of photos of him and his dad, plus other relevant pictures to the song's message, ending with how his dad is doing now. It's a a dark but soft song that has an Alice In Chains feel to it at times, but above all else, it does bring attention to depression, which Cory has had to witness first hand, and it's worth watching on that basis especially! Give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's three more assorted shorter updates from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by event, venue, or company name:

• Edmonton garage rock band The Archaics (who played locally last summer) and pageless newer local metal trio Them are new confirmations for the second annual Das Bunkerfest, to be held at "Das Bunker" over the August 28th weekend. Solid choices, and stay tuned for fuller information on each day's full band schedule! Remember, we'll know the address "when we need to." Our source for the above info is the Facebook event page.
• After a month's hiatus to undergo renovations, local concert venue LopLops Lounge re-opened on Friday, so fans and regulars should be excited to hear that news! Our source is the venue's Facebook page. No word yet on the next hard rock or punk bookings for LopLops, but we'll let you know when we hear anything!
• New local internet radio network VM Radio (who recently launched a permanent sixth feed for electronic music, VM Bounce) have pledged to donate $1 to the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (or ARCH) for every person that likes their Facebook page, up to a $5,000 maximum. That's a great idea for a great cause, but VM Radio are only past halfway, so like them above, listen to VM Rocks, and click here for more details on the campaign!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood), And Much More From The Past Week!!

We weren't expecting to have a second post tonight, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, we couldn't ignore them! Those lead off tonight, but we also have some interesting news regarding a local musician's studio plans, the newest Tuned episode, and more, so here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood will rock Reggie's West all weekend with shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only just confirmed the concerts this morning via their Facebook event page. Last seen at The Rockstar Bar two weeks ago, these will be Terry, Steven, and T.J.'s first shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel in almost two months, and while we haven't heard from other heavier-leaning bands at this Korah Road venue since Reggie's bought it, the presence of even one non-country centric band is promising! For reference, these are the first Reggie's West shows we've covered in full on here, as Mourning Wood's past gigs there were either before we added them to our coverage, or on even shorter notice than these. There's no announced cover charge either TONIGHT or TOMORROW, 10:00 PM start times are advertised, and you must be 19 to attend. Check the above links for more details, and here's the guys at Toystock in November!



Next up, here's some intriguing news from Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, who's moving his Toronto recording studio to his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, specifically at The Machine Shop at Mill Square! As outlined in a SooToday article by Donna Hopper on Tuesday, Greig has been working on an incubator to help develop independent bands to be shipped to major labels, and leading from that, has decided to move his studios home and establish a commercial relationship with Algoma University's music department. Interview excerpts with Greig are included, where he doesn't mask his enthusiasm for the Mill Square development at the former St. Mary's Paper site, even saying that "the Sault, believe it or not, is going to become the template for other cities to learn from", and that something is being created that doesn't exist elsewhere.

The new Machine Shop Studio is projected to be fully operational by September for the fall semester at Algoma University, but Greig hopes that it'll be ready for local artists to use in the spring. I applaud him for bringing his studio home to the Soo, and while there's no guarantees on what genres of bands that we might see there, I know there are many local musicians that are optimistic! The Mill Square development has been coming along nicely, and hopefully will be a huge boon for the downtown sector when complete, so see the above links for more info!

Also today, here's what you should know on the latest episode of Tuned, Local2's ongoing webseries that spotlights local musicians and concerts! Posted on Tuesday, this episode (which runs for just over 7 minutes) mostly focuses on the White Cowbell Oklahoma concert at The Rockstar Bar at the end of November, so what can you see in it? Surrounded by clips of the Toronto southern hard rock favourites' set, the aforementioned Donna Hopper interviews frontman Clem C. Clemens on their newest album (and it's unique limited domestic release), their growth and evolution over their run, and their successes in Europe. Solid and fun interview, and I won't dare spoil the non-musical accoutrements filmed during their set, but if you're familiar with a certain prop that West of Hell uses, you'll see that and more! The concert calendar segment afterwards does mention next week's Project 421/Haggith show (also at The Rockstar Bar), before closing with footage from LopLops' 12 Musicians of Christmas event.

This is another quality episode of Tuned, albeit not featuring any footage of openers The Paceshifters, though if you missed the White Cowbell Oklahoma show (like I did due to our Toystock coverage), this will give you a nice sample of the insanity that went down! Check it out at this link, and we'll let you know when the next episode goes online!

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

• According to comments on a post by Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque on the VM Radio Battle of the Bands' Facebook event page last week, the local hardcore punk band & local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades are apparently hitting the studio soon to record a split CD! Further details from the band's own pages have yet to be revealed, but we'll keep you guys posted when more is stated!
• New Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings have announced their planned live debut, which will apparently come on February 27th & 28th at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, but we won't call them on here just yet. Kewadin's entertainment page still lists local classic rock cover band Ricochet for that weekend (as does that band's Facebook page), so is there an error on one band's end? We'll let you know when we hear more!
• Pageless new Sault Ontario metal trio Them (featuring Bring The Misery, Revolution, and Infamous alumni) will fill one of the two empty spots at the Blood Shed Productions 11-way split release concert on February 21st, despite not being on the split. They'll be on third-last at 8:30 PM, though the identity of the headline act is still to be confirmed. It'll be interesting to hear how Them sound, so stay tuned for updates on them and this event next month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's new poll soon! Thanks everyone!

qaz