Local Metal/Punk Video Showcase!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving on the Canadian side of the border! Before we begin this all-video post, I did want to apologize for missing a very late notice show on here, as classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison was a late replacement for today's Thanksgiving dinner concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, something only announced on the venue's Facebook page this morning. Apparently, Tym filled in on short notice for Soundcheck's Cameron Oliver, who withdrew from the matinee booking for unannounced reasons. Kudos to Tym for filling in, and I'd have happily covered this show on the SMS had it not been announced so late! Apologies again, and I hope everything went well for Jay's Thanksgiving!

As for tonight's videos, we'll go in alphabetical order by starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, who uploaded two videos from their Water Tower Pub show on Friday to their Facebook page yesterday! Both incomplete (but at least filmed horizontally), the covers are of No Doubt's "Hella Good" with Joel Syrette on lead vocals, and as embedded below, The Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush" with his cousin Beej on lead vocals. The former is a very surprising cover given that it's from No Doubt's dancier post-ska punk era, while the latter is (to me) not the best showcase of Beej's vocal range, though given that it's not the full song, it does avoid the repetitive back half of "Plush". Still, both covers are strongly performed, so give these new Double Down videos a watch!

Next up, here's the latest from local hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, starting with the surprise reveal that they'll be on the "Punk Canada Vol. 4" compilation album next year! This is the next in an annual series by En Guard Records featuring many name domestic bands. Hails will have two very familiar discmates next year, including British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini (who headlined at The Speak Easy last year) and Windsor hardcore punk band Avoid The Comment Section, one of the current bands from prolific Saultite guitarist Ash Richtig. I'd love to see Ash bring one of his bands up here for a show, but it's neat to see him on this! Keep in mind that the Punk Canada compilations exclusively feature bands covering older Canadian punk bands, so who will Ha!ls be tackling? Find out next year! In the realm of new videos, Hails did post one on their Facebook page on Friday!

The 23 seconds-long video features the guys playing "something we're working on", which they will reportedly debut when they open for Skoff at Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween party at The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on October 26th. The video focuses primarily on guitarist Carmen Muto playing a solo (only he and Brent are seen on camera), and it's definitely promisingly heavy for what we see, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Ha!ls when we hear it!

Also, here's a new live concert video from local hard rock quartet Half Past's big headlining concert at Soo Blaster on Satutrday night! As uploaded to their Facebook page, this video sees them covering almost all of Crossfade's "Cold", which is expertly timed given that Crossfade just announced that they had reunited. Alain's backing vocals could be louder but this is a solid cover that lets Jordan stretch his vocals to good effect, and it looks like they got a quality presentation for the larger venue! Check everything out for yourselves below, and look for more from Half Past soon!

We'll close today with a 52 second clip of Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head's headlining concert at The Machine Shop last month! This comes from Mike Blair at 705Live Sound Co., who manned the soundboards on this night and often films a video for their Facebook page from shows that he works on. Mike filmed Teenage Head playing their song "Infected", albeit largely when Dave Desroches left the stage mid-song, and everyone sounds good for what we hear! Nice to see a good crowd of people, especially given the mental health fundraising angle of this concert, so check everything out if you want below, and we'll let you know if more videos surface!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Skoff, Exit 808, And Peril) Plus The Teenage Head Concert Preview!!

(Updated on Sunday at 9:40 AM) To begin this revised post, we have a cancellation to note, as today's Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road (which would have featured local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck as musical guests once again) has been cancelled due to today's rainy forecast, as per drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. It's not clear if there will be a make-up date this fall, as this was to have been the final A&W car show of the year, but given the likely downpour this afternoon, I totally get why the event was called off. Hopefully we see Soundcheck live again soon! 

Now, let's lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a big weekend concert preview, starting with Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th! These are the only new-to-me metal or hard rock shows at either Kewadin branch on the newly updated schedules for both regional Kewadin lounges' entertainment pages, but, I profusely apologize for missing Peril's shows at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin branch yesterday and tonight for coverage on the SMS. I don't know how these slipped me by, other than to say that I am aware that Kewadin hasn't been booking as many hard rock shows at their lounges as of late, and Peril didn't plug this weekend's gigs on their Facebook page until earlier today, after the Friday nighter had already happened. Still, those are excuses, I know.

Given how Peril have been rocking the local Kewadin branches since the SMS launched, I should be keeping track of everything every time, so I apologize again, and hopefully this weekend's shows were huge hits, as will next month's in St. Ignace! These dates have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Do not miss Peril back in the E.U.P. in three weeks, and I apologize again for blanking on covering their Soo dates this weekend! I will definitely be on top of their next Rapids Lounge dates!

Next up, here's two more new shows as we start adding Halloween events to the schedule, and given that October 31st is on a Thursday this year, expect to see seasonal concerts both the week prior and the day after given the timing! In the former's case, Toronto grunge/punk trio Skoff will make their local concert debut on Saturday, October 26th when they headline local promoters Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween party at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West! A newer band making waves in Southern Ontario with their raw and explosive sound that early 1990s rock fans will definitely take to, it should be interesting to see how Skoff go over locally, especially given the seasonality and costumes galore! Local support will be provided by crossover thrash quartet Hails (last seen opening for The Ripcordz) alongside electro synth pop musician Owen MK, who debuted for the former Dryer Fire at an all-local event two years ago.

Aside from the scheduling and the promotion of this being a Halloween party, we don't know any further details yet about spooky frills or entertainment beyond the implication of costumes being welcomed, but this is just the second Eagles Club show that P.I.T.S. are trying (the first is next week). This all ages event has a 7:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $15 at this link or $20 at the door. Since the pandemic and the end of J.D.'s Halloween party, multi-band events like those have not been common, so this could fill a void for fans of punk and metal! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this event!

Meanwhile, as Halloween is on a Thursday this year, some bands/promoters will take advantage by hosting their festivities a day late on Friday, November 1st, and one of those will be Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808, who will topline The Merchant's Bar's Halloween party that day! With their next show at Team Century 21's A Night Of Music a week away, the Hallowen gig at The Merch is their next advertised date as of this writing, and there will definitely be a costume contest with prizes for attendees, so don't put your getups away yet! No other specifics yet on what to expect, but of course, Exit 808's dual  vocalist-lead hard rock covers will provide the sound you need as usual! This event has a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Exit 808 soon!

Finally, here's the big Sault Ontario concert TONIGHT featuring a touring headliner to wrap up this weekend's concert previews, namely Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head at The Machine Shop! As hyped in this SooToday article from Alex Flood on Tuesday, this concert goes beyond being Teenage Head's first local stop in the internet age, as it's a fundraiser for the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. This cause is very important to the band and promoter Ed Lofstrom of Martin's Trailers & Accessories, who is an avid fan of the band's dating back to their early years. Mental health is a serious issue, and it's great to see everyone come together to support such a wonderful charity, and to the extent that Teenage Head are calling this one of the most important shows of their career! Before their garage punk classics like "Let's Shake" and "Some Kinda Fun", Korah Collegiate's student band Mustang Sally will open.

Very atypical choice for openers, but the talent is always there from the current Colts! This show (during Teenage Head's 50th anniversary year, no less) has no age limit, an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets running for $45 at this link (VIP mezzanine tickets run for $60). On a musical and charitable level each, this will be a huge show for old school punk fans, and I hope all goals are exceeded for Ed and Teenage Head tonight! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Teenage Head live!

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

HeadFirst - "Head Trauma" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 182nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and to cap off the summer season, we're looking at newer local hard rock quintet HeadFirst's debut EP "Head Trauma"! Independently released on July 20th in limited physical copies at their Rotaryfest Stage 2 set (with the wide release coming one week later at Shooters Downstairs Lounge), this EP was produced and mixed by Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios earlier this year. HeadFirst are represented here by singer Red Jettison, guitarist Raine Rancourt (ex-Raincourt) and Liam Dinsmore, bassist Claire Jeffery, and former(?) Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, with he and Liam trading roles on one song. CD copies of "Head Trauma" (all handmade) are on sale at HeadFirst concerts, and streaming copies of the EP are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and even Boomplay.

Download copies on mp3 are on sale through iTunes and Amazon for $3.96, so consider buying it thusly or on CD to support HeadFirst beyond the free streaming locations! Song names below are linked via Spotify. Note also that the band has more original songs than these, as heard in concert, but they're intentionally holding those for future releases. With four tracks running for about 12 minutes, let's kick off this review!

"Head Trauma" begins with "Hot Blooded Woman", which is about falling in love with a seductive woman who doesn't necessarily reciprocate the feelings forever, and seemingly likes to play games with one's emotions. This retro rocker has a bit of a hair metal edge to it, but rawer and with some Bon-era AC/DC inspiration in Red's singing that comes through well enough! Not a ton of frills here (what sounds like clinking keys in the bridge aside), but the song cooks well with strong guitar work (especially Raine's solo) and a good overall groove, but the very abrupt ending comes out of nowhere. Solid opener until then, at least! Next is "Take You (Down)", which is the song where Anthony plays guitar while Liam moves to drums, a switch repeated in their live concerts. A much wordier song about exacting revenge for someone's negative actions, this is much different song tonally that reminds me a bit of Clutch (not a complain, just an observation).

This one actually has a very swingy riff and structure, especially in the verses, but Red's singing is much more serious and direct, with only the chorus having much melody. To me, HeadFirst are suited better with more casual and rollicking songs like the opener, and given how the lyrics can be in more of a repetitive structure, I'd have trimmed them down but stretched out what was left, if that makes sense. Strong solo and a less abrupt ending, but this song doesn't hit the heights of "Hot Blooded Woman" for me. Third on the EP is its shortest song, "Little Darling", which is more along the lyrical lines of the first song, and is very much about an... "intimate encounter", if you catch my drift. This song is a nice showcase for Claire's bass work, and while it's a more steadily paced song that doesn't make busy use of the dual guitarists, this has a much livelier, free-wheeling nature that better suits HeadFirst's range!

Red is allowed to let loose here moreso vocally, and Raine puts in another good solo, so this is an improvement for me, but the backing music and lyrics do have somewhat of a contrast that doesn't always click as you would assume they should. Still a fun track that sees HeadFirst swinging back to form! "Head Trauma" closes with it's only 3+ minute song, namely the pre-release single "Don't Care, Don't Mind". whose lyrics about being attracted to a woman and wanting to go further with her in spite of potential roadblocks and red flags. Despite the hair metal-reminiscent lyrics, this is arguably the most modern sounding song on offer for hard rock fans, and while not as raucuous musically as the odd-numbered songs, it has a fuller sound with a better meld of Raine & Liam's guitar riffing and Red's most controlled singing. Granted, another abrupt ending is not how I would have ended the EP.

That aside, "Don't Care..." is a solid, fully realized song that shows everyone's talents well without overstaying its welcome, and if you want something a little less '80s, this may do the trick! So, what are my final thoughts on "Head Trauma"? Overall, this is a promising debut effort that points to a solid future if they keep at it! Despite most of the band not being known local commodities before forming, they have a good talent base that is definitely in tune with retro 1980s rock music, and with well written lyrics that definitely could have come from hair bands of the era! Red's melodic and often diverse vocals pair well with Raine and Liam's strong guitar work, while Claire and Tony handle the rhythm section steadily, and the backing vocals and the Liam/Tony trade weren't badly done either! Musical issues on my end come from "Take You (Down)" is way too serious compared to other songs, while "Little Darling" doesn't always gel with the lyrics.

Half of the songs end way too abruptly for my liking, and while I fully understand that this was an independent EP and their first release of any kind, the packaging could definitely stand to be more professional for their sophomore disc (kudos for including lyrics though!). HeadFirst are sitting on more originals for their next album, and musically, they're gotten off on the right foot, so it'll be very interesting to hear what they have in store next! Buy or stream "Head Trauma" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! A new album review will very likely hit the site next month, continuing our uninterrupted string of new album reviews dating back to late 2022, and while it will likely be Sykotyk Rampage's new epic "Waerlogas Sagas 1: Konfysion Of Fyck" (scheduled for September 15th), it could be usurped if it's delayed or something else comes out.

We'll let you know regardless what album is reviewed on the SMS in September, but that's all for today, and stay tuned for much more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Among Legends), HeadFirst EP Updates, And New Videos!!

For today's post, let's cover some recent news and notes and break from, our recent single topic posts to fill in some lost ground! Along with recent festival fallout, we have some new videos, updates on a new album release, and more, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!

Waterloo, Ontario pop punk quintet Among Legends will make their local concert debut on Friday, October 4th when they rock Soo Blaster! Quietly announced on the venue's website, this show has (so far) gotten more promotion via bulletin boards at grocery stores than via social media, but it is 2+ months away, so a lot can happen before then. A relatively newer group who put out their debut album "Take Good Care" (produced by Siegfried Meier of "Woods 5" fame) in 2022, Among Legends' melodic brand of modern punk has many catchy qualities, strong percussion, and well written lyrics, so punk fans should find a lot to like from them this fall! The local openers are fast-rising metal trio The BAG (last seen in Leeburn this past Saturday), and while they're not a genre match, they'll inject some heavier energy to kick things off on a good note! Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door for this concert, which is likely 19+

You can buy advance "early bird" tickets at this link and presumably at the venue (no word on if The BAG have any), and this show has an advertised run-time of 8:00-10:30 PM, so it'll be an early-ish night. Punk and metal fans should find a lot to like with this double bill, so visit the above links for more details on Among Legends' local debut in October!

Next up, here's some details on local hard rock quintet HeadFirst's debut EP "Head Trauma", which was released on July 20th in limited quantities at Rotaryfest before its wide release at its launch party at Shooters Downstairs Lounge this past Saturday! I bought my copy at Loud & Proud on the 21st (#10 of the limited run of 20 discs that weekend). "Head Trauma" is very much a DIY production as far as physical pressings go, with burned CD-Rs with handwritten labels, and staples holding the cardboard packaging together, including the (mirrored) gatefold image of HeadFirst performing in concert at Reggie's Place (Saige Burch shot the included band photos). Lyrics are included for the four tracks via four individual lyric sheets in the sleeve, and while there are no guests, "Take You (Down)" does feature Liam & Anthony trading guitar and drums as also seen when played live.

Writing credits go to the entire band on "Hot Blooded Woman" & "Little Darling", all but Liam & Claire on "Take You (Down)", and just Red & Raine on "Don't Care, Don't Mind". Major streaming services like YouTube, Spotify, and even Boomplay have the album available, and physical copies will be on sale at future concerts, next including their return to Shooters on August 17th. Our review of "Head Trauma" will hit the site next month, as I'm reviewing Choking On Appendages' debut album tomorrow, but check out more from HeadFirst's... first EP above, and here's track #1!

Also today, here's some fallout from this past weekend's Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing, courtesy of the festival's Facebook page! Normally, these would get a fuller feature on the site, but alas, the page's administrator chose to upload all videos from Go North as "Reels", meaning that I can't embed any of them here (they're also vertical, short, and unplayable in background tabs, but my laments about "Reels" are well known by now). Videos from Centennial Grounds include Daniel Romano's Outfit beginning their set with "Field Of Ruins", Bleeker (née Bleeker Ridge) playing their song "Highway", and two "Reels" of The Trews' headlining set. This one features the end of their set, including guest appearances from fellow Go North performer Terra Lightfoot and Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle for the ending jam, while the other one has the band literally going into the crowd to perform their folksier classic "Ishmael & Maggie".

That must have been a thrill to have The Trews literally join their fans to sing this one together, and the sizable crowd definitely knew the song! "Reels" or not, the videos are solid quality and capture the stage setup on St. Joseph Island well, and it's great to see that lots of fans made the trip for the festival, whether making the hour's drive from the Soo or if they lived closer by! Check out the Go North clips above, and we'll let you know if any other public videos surface!

Finally, here's the latest from local skate punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, whose next local concert will see them open for The Ripcordz on August 10th, but they will also hit the road for another show in Bay City, Michigan at The We/Us House there on September 21st! This will be a one-year anniversary event at this venue, and will feature eight other metal/punk acts. I don't know how Brent & crew made the connections to be playing Michigan (let alone downstate), but clearly their debut in Bay City in April went well for them to come back! Unlike then, they'll be arriving as a four-piece thanks to new second guitarist Carmen Muto, and Ha!ls showed him off in this new video from their Facebook page, where he's playing the guitar solo that he wrote for their newer original song "Ghosts" alongside his unseen bandmates. I usually don't make a big deal about musician ages, but Carmen is 14 years old, and he has serious skill level already!

Unfortunately, this video was shot horizontally but framed into vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, meaning that it's tiny. Why do some Facebook videos get that treatment? It's just Carmen, so it'd have been better to just crop it into the vertical orientation! Embedded below however is a horizontal new video from Hails, specifically of them playing their newer original song "Crustal Displacement" at Queen Elizabeth Park for last month's Go Skateboarding Day festivities, and the filmer used the placement to the side of the big ramp to get a lot of focus on skaters as well as the band. Mikhal is mostly hidden behind amplifiers, but it's an intense performance, and long for a Ha!ls video, so check it out below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review tomorrow and more news and notes soon!     Thanks everyone!

Neither Could Dylan, Salty Marie Trails Fest, And HeadFirst Concert Previews!!

Given that one of the remaining un-previewed hard rock/punk concerts in the Soo area this weekend is an afternoon matinee tomorrow, let's get our last weekend concert preview post up tonight to avoid putting things off any further! This last preview post looks at three shows tomorrow of varying appeal levels, so here's what else you should know!

We'll pick things back up TOMORROW with the second annual Salty Marie Trails Fest, which returns to Hiawatha Highlands with a bigger and better installment, now including live music! While the Trails Fest proper is a mountain biking/foot racing event featuring local vendors and family activities (click here for full details on how to attend or participate in the festivities), two local covers-centric bands will grace the "salty stage" tomorrow afternoon! Coverage of the bands hasn't been paramount in the recent festival promotion, but alt-punk cover sextet Bookclub are your headliners in their first show since Rotaryfest Stage 1 last week, and they should provide a fun soundtrack of scarcely heard covers for fans at Hiawatha tomorrow afternoon! No word on if bassist Dustin Jones (who missed Rotaryfest while on vacation) will be back in time for the Trails Fest or not, but note that ex-guitarist Dave Bahun returned to fill in for him last week.

Newer local pop rock cover band The Dead Stops (led by ex-Garden of Bedlam frontman Erik Boissineau) will open at 12:00 PM, and hopefully they leave a good impression! The "salty stage" will be set up behind Hiawatha Ice Cream at 780 Landslide Road, and 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 16-24° during the Salty Marie Fest, so weather should be great for the outdoor bands, running, and biking, humidity aside! Attendance is free for spectators (click here to see what race events have openings, but most are booked solid), and while things begin in the morning, both bands play in the afternoon. Visit the above links for more on all of tomorrow's action, and here's Bookclub live!

Next up, after a quiet two months with only sewing events being promoted there, The Distraction on East Street returns to host a formal concert TOMORROW NIGHT, as Vaughan, Ontario "punkabilly" solo project Neither Could Dylan will be making their local concert debut! Neither Could Dylan blend many disparate genres into their original material and live show, with punk, power pop, and indie rock all being detectable in their live show, and it'll be interesting to see how Jaimee goes over to Saultites tomorrow! Sylo frontman Eli Russell will open with his indie rock project launched between Raincourt/Sylo's 2023 hiatus, so if you heard his solo album or saw him solo already, prepare for some talented singer/songwriter material! This concert takes place at 7:00 PM, there is no age limit, and admission is "$10 or pay what you can". Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Neither Could Dylan live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will headline their EP release party TOMORROW NIGHT! While attendees of last week's sets at Rotaryfest Stage 2 and Loud & Proud had first crack at buying advance copies of "Head Trauma", tomorrow is the full wide release of the EP beyond the 20 copies brought to the downtown festivals for early birds. If you didn't buy a copy last week (like I did), they cost $15 and feature four songs: "Hot Blooded Woman", "Take You (Down)" (which Liam & Anthony trade roles for live), "Little Darling", and the advance single "Don't Care, Don't Mind". At the moment, "Head Trauma" is exclusively available at their concerts, with the band noting on their Facebook page on Monday that there's "no online store yet", but availability of the full EP on major streaming services is expected tomorrow or soon after.

For the record, "The Walk" is not on the EP (singer Red Jettison told me that it's more intended as a live jam for now), but the band will be playing multiple non-EP originals tomorrow along with the four included songs and some covers, as this is a four set deal a'la weekend headliners on the cover band circuit. There will also be giveaways of signed gear and free CDs to "three lucky winners who rock out with us", so if you want to win some swag, stay until midnight for the reveal! Remember, Shooters hosts DJs on Fridays this year, hence why this is a one-nighter. Tomorrow's concert has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:30 PM start time. See above for more details on HeadFirst's big night, and note that the official trailer for the EP release is online, and it happens to feature live performance footage of the guys at what appears to be Robbie Adamson's old church in Leeburn!

No, this wasn't from a public concert (that I know of), but HeadFirst aren't the only band to use the church for a shoot. Remember The Bear Hunters' music video? Opening with lit firecrackers, the video (uploaded to their Facebook page on Tuesday) features clips of the guys playing live there, but "Hot Blooded Woman" aside, the songs seem like they were edited to look synced up and actually weren't. Lots of post-production graphics and effects (including a filmstrip motif) spice things up, and it's a good teaser of what's to come tomorrow, so check it out at this link! I can't embed it here due to Facebook content matching the studio material clips, but for a preview, here's HeadFirst live at Shooters!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Plus Mikey & His Uke, Mike Haggith, And HeadFirst Updates!!

Before we dive head first into this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews (we have no choice, it's Rotaryfest weekend), let's get one more news post up, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a new cover video, upcoming album updates, and more Rotaryfest band updates, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

Joining the previously announced concert by Bone Yard 225 at this year's Laird Fair on Friday, August 16th, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will also hit the road for this annual event just outside of town one day later on Saturday, August 17th! One week after Bone Yard will take over for Soundcheck at this year's Algoma Tree Services meet & greet, both bands will head outside of Echo Bay to deliver their brands of cover hard rock for fans at the Laird Fair (a.k.a. the North Shore Agricultural Fair), so keep both shows in mind! Of course, visit the fair's Facebook page for complete non-musical details on that weekend's family friendly events. Note that Bone Yard 225 are debuting at Gino's Fired Up Kitchen on August 18th, but I don't know if that is due to or the result of Soundcheck playing in Laird that night. Both bands are playing under the covered stage at the fairground site at Lake George Road East at 9:00 PM.

I don't believe there's a cover charge to just see one of the bands, and there's no age limit for fair attendees. Note that camping is encouraged if you are so inclined, and buses will be provided to get Saultites home safely if needed. Summer concert-goers have some solid options here, with Soundcheck's brand new confirmation rounding out what should be a fun weekend out in Laird, so visit the above links for more details, and look for our preview of Soundcheck's Rotaryfest return soon!

Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will be releasing their debut EP "Head Trauma" a week sooner than originally thought! The release party at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday, July 27th will still be happening, but as "we're so excited" for it, they've decided to sell limited CD quantities of "Head Trauma" at both of their gigs this weekend, including their sets at Rotaryfest Stage 2 at Clergue Park on Saturday and at Sault Pridefest's Loud & Proud family fun day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday! Just 20 copies will be available (they weren't clear if they meant total this weekend or 20 each day), and they will cost $15. The cover artwork for the EP was also released, which has a good concept but the layout isn't as even for the filmstrip proportions as I'd have liked. The wide physical release of "Head Trauma" begins at Shooters next Saturday, as does its release on major streaming services.

While not super transparent in advance about their EP plans (we still don't know the full track listing, and the guys hadn't even confirmed that it'd be on CD until yesterday), it's awesome to see HeadFirst move so fast to have their debut EP ready, so look for copies at both of their downtown festival gigs this weekend! I currently have "Head Trauma" pencilled in for review on the SMS next month, as this month is reserved for new hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages' debut EP "Macabre".

Also, song #11 in local punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's 30th anniversary series of covers of Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie" went live on the project's YouTube channel on Monday! While it took just over a month after song #10 ("When I Come Around") for this one to be uploaded, it wasn't as long as the prior wait, for what it's worth. For the rest of the series, Mikey and crew are tackling late-album deep cuts, as all of the "Dookie" singles already occurred in chronological order, so while this cover of "Coming Clean" may not seem like it'd be of more note than prior covers, don't pre-judge. Here, the guest singer is Gob frontman and Sum 41 guitarist Tom Thacker, who is a huge get for Canadian punk fans! Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon (on ukelele, then guitar) and ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer are back as usual, while Buck-O-Nine bassist Andy Plafoot returns on bass here for his sixth appearance so far.

This cover is very soundly performed for Green Day fans, with a good melodic base that Tom's vocals definitely help amplify! No concept or story within the remotely filmed clips here, but everything is crisply filmed & edited, with Tom singing from the comforts of a bathroom, while Darren broke out another baseball jersey for his video, albeit one that many readers will be A-OK with! We have two songs (three if they tackle the bonus track "All By Myself") left, with "Emenius Sleepius" coming next. Given past timelines, it should arrive between Sunday and August 20th (the current average would be on July 31st). Stay tuned as the series resumes, and check out "Coming Clean" below!

Finally, here's some updates from local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, who recently took part in a 2+ hour YouTube interview, but we'll touch on that in an upcoming post given how busy things are on his and our fronts. Next week, Mike will get a complete do-over as anthem singer and guest at a Barrie Baycats baseball game after the game that he sang "O Canada" at on June 13th was rained out. Yes, the anthem happened last time, and you can watch it at this link, but they called Mike back for another game on July 10th that was also postponed due to rain before it even started, and will now be on July 24th. Hopefully the game and CD giveaway go off without a hitch then, and we'll keep you posted when the live-stream goes up! Mike returns to the local stage for the first time in 2024 when he opens Rotaryfest Stage 1 this Friday, and his local band appears in this new Facebook "Reel" jokingly modeling stage attire!

Now named "The Big Finish Band", everyone (sans Mike) is seen wearing clothing that drummer Brandan Glew (if he isn't the one modelling the outfit) criticizes. Amusing for what it is! Embedded below though is a new video (sadly vertical, but not a "Reel"!) where The Big Finish Band rehearsed for Rotaryfest, but noticed that something was missing, namely Mike himself. Was he missing for normal "lives/works out of town" reasons? Watch on below, but it's another fun clip for fans, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for our Rotaryfest previews on the site in the near future!

That's all for now, but stay tuned as we begin the biggest weekend concert preview run of the year next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst!!)

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst have announced six upcoming concerts that we didn't know about via this concert calendar on their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS? Not counting their already-occurred June dates and their Rotaryfest Stage 2 opening set on July 20th, the guys' next brand new show will see them rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday, July 21st as part of this year's Sault Pridefest Loud & Proud family fun day! This annual event occasionally (but not always) hosts heavier bands, and while some past installments have been at the Bushplane Museum, things are under the big tent next month. Expect family friendly activities and lots of LGBTQ+ community awareness and inclusion events and vendors on this day, but we await a formal public announcement of the lineup/itinerary.

This will take place rain or shine at 1:00 PM (running until 4:00), it's absolutely all ages, and there is no announced cover charge. Stay tuned for more on Loud & Proud when details roll out! Then on Saturday, July 27th, HeadFirst will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for... their EP release party?! While they did release their single "Don't Care, Don't Mind" last month, this is the first 100% public confirmation that they recorded a formal EP rather than just a one-off single, which is encouraging for fans! As noted in their Facebook post about the new dates, the EP will be called "Head Trauma" and will feature four original songs (I assume "The Walk" is one, but they haven't posted full videos of any other originals live). No word on if physical copies will be on sale, but "extra goodies" will be unveiled at Shooters on the 27th, and the EP will drop on major streaming services the following day. Exciting times for HeadFirst, obviously, so stay tuned for more on "Head Trauma"!

As best as I can tell, the release party remains a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and like normal this year, Shooters hosts DJs on Friday nights, hence why this is a one-nighter. Moving to August, their first date that month (at Shooters on Saturday the 17th) was already announced publically, but it is the leadoff in a string of four straight Saturday nighters for Red, Raine, Liam, Claire, and Anthony, with their next show being at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on August 24th for the first ever ARCH Run! This is the new splinter motorcycle rally being held at Jay's after the Dragonfly Run (née Ride For ARCH) moved to The Grand Gardens. I won't get into the controversy about why the rally split into two competing events on consecutive days, but don't lose sight of the fact that both are fundraisers for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, and I don't want to discourage anything that will help them.

HeadFirst will be playing from 5:00-6:00 PM on August 24th during the street party outside of the former Roosevelt Hotel, which will feature more live bands, vendors, prizes, and a silent auction, basically like what the Dragonfly Run did at Jay's last year before the schism. A motorcycle rally for the cause is the event's centerpiece, and pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue (members of which played last year as Nicky & The Southpaws) will be the headliners inside Jay's that night. We await fuller details on the live entertainment in and out of Jay's during the ARCH Run, but it's a FREE & ALL AGES event unless pledging for/riding in the rally, and it starts at 10:00 AM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Ending their summer concert slate, the guys will return to the aforementioned Shooters for a show on Saturday, August 31st, which notably falls on the Labour Day long weekend, so don't forget that angle!

Lastly, HeadFirst will play a rare full weekend on Friday, September 6th & Saturday, September 7th when they return to the site of their live debut, namely Reggie's Place, so help the guys kick off the fall concert season then! Their Shooters date the previous week and these Reggie's shows will all be 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits, so if you want some hard rock cover and original action downtown in late summer/early fall, keep these dates in mind! That's all for this single band post, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Teenage Head), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have one more late update for tonight & tomorrow night's HeadFirst concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, as the guest drummer filling in for Anthony Boudreau will actually be ex-Bourbon Blue drummer Brent Royer, as per the band's Facebook page this morning. The originally planned guest drummer (local/Waterloo musician Celeste Bond) will still be present to guest on vocals on a few songs. I think that finally covers the changes to expect at Jay's this weekend, and hopefully things go well for HeadFirst, Brent, and Celeste!

Now, we're wrapping up this weekend's advertised hard rock concert previews today (and more), but first, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, as Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head will headline at The Machine Shop on Saturday, September 21st! Quietly announced on social media back in February, this is the first local appearance on record for Teenage Head (I'm sure they must have played here in the pre-internet days), who punk fans will know dating back to the 1970s for hit songs like "Somethin' On My Mind" and "Tornado", among others. It'll be neat to see Teenage Head in the Soo this fall, and their garage-influenced punk originals should attract a good audience! Interestingly, Korah Collegiate's student band Mustang Sally are the advertised local openers. Definitely surprising, but they always have a talented lineup and are well known locally from diverse events and covers alike, so don't bypass them!

This concert is being promoted by, believe it or not, Martin's Trailers & Accessories on Fifth Line East. Quite a big first leap into concert promotion, hopefully it's a big hit for Martin and crew! Tickets are now on sale for this all ages concert at this link for $45 ($60 for the VIP mezzanine access), and proceeds will go to the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Sounds like an intriguing night of music for classic punk fans, and for a great cause, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's concert previews with two upcoming one-nighters, starting with local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison, whoss bi-weekly arrangement at Misty's Fifties is scheduled to resume TOMORROW! The former Caveman Morrison & Nostalgic Band frontman is back for another acoustic matinee concert at the long-running Second Line West venue, and here's hoping that Tym's proficient and extensive setlist of classic and hard rock covers finds another receptive audience to end April with! If you can't make it, Tym will be back like clockwork every two weeks until the end of June, so fans will have at least four more chances to see Tym on Saturdays at Misty's in this run. Expect a 19+ age limit, no cover, and a 4:00 PM start time as usual. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live last year!

Lastly for known/announced hard rock shows this weekend in the Twin Saults, fans can check out local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT when they go unplugged ("uncorked" if you like) at Gateway Casino! Last seen at the downtown casino a little over a month ago, this will be the fourth consecutive traditional concert for Bone Yard at as many venues, with full weekends at Reggie's bookending this string of April one-offs (not to mention their hosting duties of the Thursday jam nights at Reggie's, though that was cancelled this week). As usual for their casino stops, tomorrow's show is acoustic, so prepare for a stripped down but still hard rocking night of covers from your local 225 then! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover, and 19+ age limits tomorrow. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live video of Bone Yard!

Live-streamed to their Facebook page, this comes from last Friday's late notice one-nighter at The Esquire Club, and it sees Greg, Alex, and Warren playing a lively cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" to cap off their final set. Despite being deep into the 1:00 AM hour, fans were engaged and rocking out to this strongly performed classic, and while the vertical camerawork is far from ideal (if not unexpected), the filmer did get a good look at the band and crowd in good measure. Check it out below, and don't miss Bone Yard 225 "uncorked" tomorrow at Gateway Casino!

We'll close today with new "Shorts" videos from local progressive/djent metal band Convergence, who quietly teased two songs from their upcoming "Gemini" EP on their YouTube channel two weeks ago! One is the title track and is embedded below (at least you can embed "Shorts" externally, unlike "Reels"), but the other song is called "In Bloom", related in name only to the Nirvana song. I'll hold comment on these songs pending a possible review of "Gemini" later this year (even if it's out quickly, I'm only reviewing "Convergence" in the next few days), but fans of proficient instrumental prog-metal will want to check these out above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Heavy Head

After a weekend concert preview-induced delay, here is this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, continuing our regular looks at local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands in our inactive band links! This month's randomly selected band gives us some very familiar faces in a union doomed to a short lifespan, so here's what you should know on them!

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Heavy Head

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Hard/Pop Rock

Lineup:

Mike Gaetano (The Suicide Kings), vocals
Jesse Cook (Handsome Sandwich, The Wyld Stallyns), guitar
Daniel Horton (Spades GT, Haggith), bass
Johnny Belanger (Handsome Sandwich, The Bear Hunters), drums

Audio/Video: Heavy Head released no studio material, but they did have at least two original songs despite their brief lifespan, one entitled "Mikey Doesn't Whiskey". Their diverse array of covers included Blink-182, NOFX, and Sublime sharing a setlist with The Black Crowes, The White Stripes, and (believe it or not) Maroon 5, among others. Videos aren't plentiful from Heavy Head's run, but I did film them covering Walk The Moon's "Shut Up & Dance" (yes) at The Canadian and, as featured here, their other original "5 AM" at The Oddfellows Hall!

Info/Analysis: Launched circa January 2016, Heavy Head were a supergroup formed shortly after The Suicide Kings' dissolution, debuting the following month with a headlining gig at The Rockstar Bar. After just that show, they performed in the VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub, but did not advance to the finals. Facebook updates stopped in April, but Heavy Head did press on for a few more months, including two multi-band events at The Rednecks Saloon and an appearance at Johnny's birthday concert at The Oddfellows Hall in May. That was their final official set, but members did perform together at a public jam session in November before dissolving for good. Heavy Head had a good thing started with an excellent lineup of talented & familiar local musicians, and while their cover range wasn't as hard rock-centric as with Mike's Suicide Kings work, that at least helped them stand out as their own entity!

Having seen them at their second and final concerts, I did notice a big improvement in chemistry and stage presence, plus a dialing back of the pop rock covers, and a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" didn't end well at the battle. Mike's solid vocals and the instrumentalists' established skill was a good mix, and it's unfortunate that Heavy Head didn't last into 2017, but follow members' current project to see what they're up to in the 2020s!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! To end 2022 in this series, we'll look at another randomly selected local band, this one a more recent pick with some more familiar faces, namely local power rock quintet Re:Born! Look for that on or around December 10th, and for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!