LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The BAG & The Apocalypse Afterparty), Plus New Videos!!

We have made it to October, and if today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS are any indication, local hard rock fans may finally have some big Halloween weekend shows to check out beyond single cover band gigs for the first time post-pandemic! Those lead off today, as well as new videos from an artist playing one of these events, so here's what you should know!

Eight local music acts will join forces for a special Halloween weekend concert on Saturday, October 28th at... Triple H Cabins in Goulais River? Yes, a cabin/outdoor gear rental business at 317 B Harmony Beach Road is actually hosting a concert of this scale, and yes, it is publically attendable (admission is by donation), with the poster circulating on Facebook pages over the past week, some publically. I am unsure if the poster's order of acts is accurate, but given that many acts share performers, I'll jump around a bit. The apparent headliners are party/rap metal duo (trio?) The Apocalypse Afterparty, and while I don't know if Mikhal Muto will be playing bass with them again on the 28th, he will be playing here with his online page-less folk punk/emo solo project Agnosticism as well, if early in the evening given the poster. Highly placed there is a band named The Floor Between Us who we've never mentioned here before, so who are they?

They're an newer outsider folk/comedy band fronted by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli, who you may have seen at the Fringe North Festival in August and at an array of private gigs, often ones featuring Agnosticism. There's some humour to be had from their original material, and a comedy band like this is certainly distinct in this market! Colin is also slated to play a solo set on this night. The other four acts playing in four weeks are rising young metal trio The BAG, prolific extreme metal/folk punk solo musician Chase James Wigmore, a rare non-Fringe North set from acoustic punk solo project Slumshine (led by Mikhal's Ha!ls bandmate Brenton Ellis), and DJ Seith's online page-less hip hop duo Planet Rock. Quite a stacked lineup of (mostly) rising younger talent, and it's been four years since we've seen a heavier, multi-band Halloween concert like this here, so keep that in mind!

This all ages event takes place at 5:00 PM at Triple H Cabins, refreshments will be available, and costumes are encouraged (no word on a contest). Again, admission is by donation. A half hour drive north of the Soo may not be ideal for some, but it's certainly a unique event with a very intriguing array of performers, and weather permitting, being up on Harmony Beach may be nice for you nature lovers! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, you know how I said that we hadn't really had a multi-band Halloween concert like this in the Soo area in four years? Yeah, well we're not done, as another one is taking place on Halloween night proper (Tuesday, October 31st) at The Art Hub at Spring! This one will have no cover charge but a tip jar for musicians will be on hand, and it'll be a B.Y.O.B. event if you are so inclined. The full lineup is not yet out, but The BAG confirmed on a post on their Facebook group last week that they will be playing this event too, so expect more metal mayhem for Halloween before the month is out! The rest of the lineup is to be announced, but the show is being promoted by Skinbox bandmates Steve Edwards (ex-Pixo Control) and William Wardlaw (ex-Stoned To Deaf), strongly implying that this new local rock band will be playing on the 31st. Despite already debuting live, their full lineup and sound is still not publically posted, we'll keep you posted when more is known.

Stay tuned for updates on the full lineup as well! This show takes place at 504 Queen Street East on Halloween night at 8:30 PM, there is no stated age limit, and again, it's free but tipping the artists is encouraged. Halloween or not, a Tuesday nighter isn't ideal for many, but hopefully a solid turnout comes out to rock out on Halloween night itself downtown! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with new songs from the aforementioned Chase Wigmore, who has posted two new original songs onto his YouTube channel over the past three weeks! Both have attached music videos featuring that choppy and possibly AI-generated style that he has recently been using. The first of the new songs/videos is for "The Speciesist", which Chase noted on his Facebook page was about "our impending extinction and coming to terms with the fact that we probably deserve it". The video realizes this message by showing various demonic aliens laying waste to the planet, so now you know how the doomsday will occur! I don't know if this will be on his long-gestating "Chaotic Rite" album or not, so I'll hold comment for now, but it is definitely a metal song but with drone-style clean vocals. Embedded below is his newest song from September 23rd, entitled "A Song For The Apocalypse", which feels like a direct sequel to "The Speciesist".

The visuals here show destruction of Earth, wastelands, and people observing the state of the planet, so yeah, not the most optimistic video out there, but the visuals are cool looking! This is more of a progressive metal song with more ominous overtones and screaming, plus an acoustic interlude, so you get a wide breadth of his styles here, but again, I'll hold comment in case this song is on "The Chaotic Rite". Give Chase's entertaining new videos a watch above & below!

 

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Vanity First), New Videos, And More!!

Before we finish off this weekend's concert previews, I wanted to note that Soo Blaster's website advertises a show from Ottawa indie rock band No Hits on Sunday night that local alt-punk quintet These Magnificent Tentacles were allegedly opening. As best as I can tell, that is an outdated listing, as the Tentacles have never plugged the show on social media, physical posters at Soo Blaster only mention Distich as opening, and their own Facebook page says their next show will be The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir next month. A reason for T.M.T.'s withdrawal from this show has not been announced, but note that frontman Brenton Ellis indicated in a personal Facebook post that drummer Brendan Garlick was unavailable for their recent outdoor festival gigs, so that could be related. No Hits aren't a hard rock/punk band, but they are talented for genre fans, so look into this minimally advertised show if you're at all curious, as I am pretty sure it is still on!

Now, today's post otherwise features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (mostly on SHORT NOTICE), plus a new videos from a performer playing this weekend, so here's what you should know!

Local punk trio Vanity First will play a special matinee gig THIS SUNDAY at... Harmony Beach Lakeview Resort in Goulais River?! Apologies for the short notice, the show was announced via this concert poster on July 10th, but between last weekend's concert preview slate and the generally busy times for the SMS this month, it got pushed back and back. SUNDAY's show will see Andrew, Mikhal, and Keegan playing at Harmony Beach's annual beach clean-up, which takes place at 11:00 AM at the resort, with the free-by-registration event seeing attendees helping clean up the beach. Nice idea, if somewhat sad that they have to make a point to giving the conceit an annual event, but hopefully everyone does their part to keep Harmony Beach beautiful! Organizers didn't go into great detail about the format of Vanity First's concert, but they will have an opening band (Sylo, who I know nothing about, stay tuned in case anything pertinent comes out).

Note that Vanity First will also be playing a house party event tomorrow at a cottage in Goulais River, and as I'm wary about advertising events at private residences, I won't cover it here due to the nature of the location, but be advised that the address is on the poster linked above. Hopefully it goes over well! SUNDAY'S beach clean-up is an all ages event, lunch and refreshments will be provided, and the resort is at 128 Harmony Beach Road. Assuming they're playing outdoors, be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 35-40% chance of scattered thunderstorms with temperatures of 19°. See above for more details, and here's Vanity First live!

Next up, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play matinee concerts THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday the 31st, but not at Reggie's Place, at Shooters Downstairs Lounge! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced these shows via their Facebook event page on Monday, with Shooters posting their own yesterday on their Facebook page. Clearly, Shooters' deep dive into live concert bookings in 2022 is going well, as they're now trying their hand at the Sunday matinee like the downtown Reggie's has hosted for years, and Tym's up first there THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday! Despite playing there two straight weeks, this isn't the start of a new weekly arrangement for Tym, as the Dennis Street nightclub will be hosting multiple artists for their Sunday matinees, including country singer/guitarist Leslie Cook on the first two Sundays of August.

Shooters' Sunday matinees have 3:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Tym's acoustic classic and hard rock covers should find a receptive audience further down Queen Street THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday, so definitely keep these shows in mind for some dinner-time music! See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Let's close today with some new videos from Vanity First guitarist Mikhal Muto before these get pushed back any further in our backlog! In between sporadic full band-related updates on their Facebook page, two videos were posted there of Mikhal solo on June 27th & July 8th, with the first being a 32 second clip of him playing the guitar solo from their song "White Ghosts". Very well done, any punk band in the Soo would be lucky to have Mikhal on board playing like that!. Embedded below is the slightly longer second video, which sees him playing a section of a new original (and partially eponymous) song named "Habitual Vanity", which they're reportedly debuting the house party in Goulais River tomorrow. The video is not as high quality (and it's clearly mirrored), but it's still a solid showcase of Mikhal's skill, and as a new song, it was worth sharing here! Check out both videos, and don't miss Vanity First at Harmony Beach on SUNDAY!

That's all for today, but our Rotaryfest concert video coverage will continue on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tantrym Tyme), A New Album Release, And More From Sault Michigan!!

As promised, today's post is completely focused around the Sault Michigan scene, so what's in store for this Independence Day weekend? Today, we have news on a band who DIDN'T break up (and their recent updates), a new band on two upcoming Kewadin Casino concerts, and a brand new album release, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to an upcoming community event, so here's what you need to know!

Young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme have announced two new concerts that I can 100% verify and source! Often, their shows either get late or no notice, and take place on an outdoor stage at various regional locations, but we do have some info on their next dates, starting with sets outside of Harmony Health Foods on July 26th & 27th as part of Sault Michigan's annual Downtown Days! Also known as the Sidewalk Sales, this is a yearly community event featuring outdoor sales from local merchants, kids games, and live music (you may remember that Free Refill frequented the Downtown Days during their run), so shoppers and Saultites in general should find something to like! Tantrym Tyme's location for the shows isn't random either, as drummer Ethan Twardy's parents own Harmony Health Foods (at 217 Ashmun Street, just seconds from The Corner Pub), and the band have played, been sponsored by, and sold merchandise there in the past. No times for their sets have been announced, but given the outdoor setting, there's obviously no cover charge or age limit. Check the above links for more info!

One more show was announced too on their Facebook page last month, but I'm waiting for more info before plugging it on here (especially concerning other bands.) Tantrym Tyme on rising fast in prominence and talent, so don't miss their next (announced) shows during Downtown Days in three weeks, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Next up, a new local album was just released on June 30th, so it's time to give it some overdue press, as Dafter solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's sixth original studio album "Perception" is now on sale! Independently released through and recorded at the Waterfall Recording Studios earlier this year, this is a much longer album than it's predecessor "Doo Hickey", featuring 10 songs. In terms of personnel, it looks like Ken handled all instruments (I don't believe collaborator Scott Schroen is featured this time), while one song ("Pages the Break of Dawn") was sang and co-written by Plastic drummer Paul "Dorothy" Burns (formerly of Bent Rollercoaster & Hammerspace). Ken describes the album as "a fun rock n' roll album with a summer feel to it", and the album's page on his website describes some of the songs' themes. "Perception" is now available to buy for $9.99 in mp3 format (or $12.97 on CD) at this location, while all 10 tracks are streamable at this link as well, but buy it to support SweetKenny's work! With that all said, when is a review of it coming to the SMS?

Not until the fall, as it's still too soon from our review of "Doo Hickey" in March, but I'm currently leaning towards the fall for it (as the summer's booked up, and I don't know finite dates for Mike Haggith's next solo album to be exact otherwise.) SweetKenny's newest CD will get a fall review though, so don't worry! I'll hold full thoughts on the album until we review it, but pick it up above, as Ken's a very talented veteran guitarist who deserves the support!

Also in recent news, Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way will apparently return to Sault Michigan for two opening dates at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino later this month, as they've been announced as openers for Shinedown & Devour The Day on July 21st AND Tesla on July 27th! My source is guitarist/Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on Fifth Way's Facebook page on Thursday, though note neither the promoters or venue have officially confirmed their addition. The Shinedown gig will be Fifth Way's first local appearance since opening for Evans Blue at The Dreammaker's Theater in September, while it will also see yet another bassist change, as this will be their first local date since Anthony Palsgrove replaced Victor Wooten in the band last fall (by my math, that's 5 bassists in a 4 year span!) As for the Tesla show, that's familiar ground for Fifth Way, as they opened for Tesla at their last local concert in June 2010, so hopefully their modern hard rock blend will be welcomed back after 10 months away from the Soo in time for these huge concerts! Stay tuned for more if it comes in!

Finally for today, I have an apology to make, as in April, I incorrectly reported that local hardcore band The Eleventh Hour (formerly Angelic Genocide) had likely broken up due to the deletion of their Facebook page. Usually, that's a good indicator, but instead, they quietly launched a new Facebook page last fall and didn't delete the old one right away, hence the confusion. Their current lineup credits singer Sean Roush, guitarist Josh North, and drummer Joe North as still being in the band, alongside new addition Zach Howe on clean vocals (replacing Cathy Burgos), while guitarist Cody Reed left the band as well last year, and a Google cache of their Facebook page indicates that former bassist Alex Boyer had briefly rejoined before leaving again. The band was temporarily named Changing You For Better Days earlier this year before reverting to The Eleventh Hour, and while news has been slow (partly due to Zach living in the Traverse City area), they have rough plans to release an EP called "Eyes of the Wretched", with lyrics to an original song named "I Have A Voice" posted on Facebook as well.

The new Eleventh Hour page features one original sample via a Facebook video (as a result, I can't embed it here), but it's a rough instrumental that suffers from staticy audio. It's heavy enough though, and I'm curious to hear newer material of theirs with better quality and vocals! It's great to see The Eleventh Hour are still together and plugging away, and hopefully they can get over the hump that many recent extreme metal bands have been stopped by in Sault Michigan, and make a big name for themselves! Check the above links for more, my deepest apologies for the mix-up, and they're now back in our active band links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Sault Ontario news and updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!