Today's post is primarily devoted to weekend concert previews, as intertwined with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with three bands confirming SHORT NOTICE gigs for this weekend within them! Due to the amount, I'll hold our preview of Saturday night's Bookclub/Wyld Stallyns show for our next post, hopefully hitting the site tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend!
Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig tonight on their Facebook page, and they said "this was also late notice for us as well", so alas, we'll take what we can get for advertising here. Full disclosure, The Merch's Facebook page has not mentioned this show at press time, but they routinely don't promote bands playing there on Facebook, focusing instead on general themed events and drink specials. Last seen opening for Steel Panther, TOMORROW'S show will be Tarnished's first at The Merch since July, and hopefully the guys continue melting faces for their fans and bar patrons alike! You can see Tarnished TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, new Sault Ontario metal trio The BAG will play their third and fourth public concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! Again, apologies for the short notice, these dates were only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Arguably one of the heaviest local bands to play at Reggie's (a primarily country bar pre-2020), the genre gates have definitely widened with Randy LaPossie managing the bar, so it will be interesting to see how The BAG are received TOMORROW & SATURDAY! You can take in Spencer, Austin, and Bradley's hard hitting covers (expected and surprise alike) and early originals this weekend at 9:00 PM both nights with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new BAG live video from their Saturday nighter at The Esquire Club on December 3rd! Filmed by Val McGillivray once again, this was shared to their Facebook group on Sunday.
This sub-2 minute video features The BAG covering the ending of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock", and while the quality is similar to Val's prior "Folsom Prison Blues" video, this one was shot horizontally from a closer angle, so you get a better view of the whole band. Plus, you don't hear this AC/DC song covered as often locally, and they acquit themselves well to it, at least the chunk we hear, so check it out for yourself below, and don't miss The BAG at Reggie's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY!
Now let's hop back across the border for another newly discovered gig, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only confirmed this show via their Facebook event page earlier today, but Huck's Facebook page had been advertising their booking since late last month, if quietly. While Project 906 aren't mentioning this aspect of the event, SATURDAY'S concert takes place during an ugly Christmas sweater party at the former Joe's Bar, so if you're making the trip out to Rudyard for Project 906's blues and hard rock covers and select originals, pack an ugly sweater for the occasion! No word on if there's an attached contest or not. SATURDAY's show has a 9:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no cover, so see above for more details, and here's Project 906 live earlier this year!
Lastly for today, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will play their apparent final shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club, but they will be back in 2023! As you may recall when I first rolled Obsession into our full coverage earlier this year (before Jess even joined the group), I noted that they were already listing shows for 2023 on their website's concert calendar, and it's now about time to list them on the SMS! They'll be back at The Esquire Club one weekend a month for the first half of 2023, with dates on January 6th-7th, February 10th-11th, March 17th-18th, April 21st-22nd, May 12th-13th, and June 9th-10th, and after an apparent summer break, they'll be back at the Second Line West nightclub on September 8th-9th, October 27th-28th (a.k.a. Halloween weekend), and December 15th-16th. Clearly you can tell that The Esquire Club is their favourite venue, so they're making the bookings there count!
The other already-confirmed dates are at Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where Obsession will return on March 31st & April 1st, September 22nd-23rd, and November 17th-18th. No word on other venues yet, but remember that less bars have booked bands regularly since the pandemic. This weekend's shows (and next year's Esquire Club dates) all start at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover, and the same applies for the Shooters gigs except for earlier 8:00 PM start times. See above for more on Obsession's old school hard rocking shows in the year ahead, click here and here for this weekend's Facebook event pages, and here they are live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Bookclub/Wyld Stallyns concert preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!
It's about time to tackle this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and while it's relatively quiet for announced gigs, the first full weekend of the holiday season is not lacking in scope! To give it proper emphasis closer to showtime, our preview of the returning Toystock charity concert will hit the site either tomorrow or on Saturday. Now, let's start the previews with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!
Local southern hard rock cover duo The Bearded Lounge will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page yesterday. Even without the late announcement, this show is a bit of a surprise given that this is Toystock weekend (Bearded Lounge frontman Greg Simpson organizes that event, which returns the next day). Maybe a low stress acoustic show on SATURDAY will be a good lead-in for him and Alex before the craziness at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday, so head to Sault Ontario's casino for all of their unplugged hard rock cover action! Last seen onstage at the same venue last month, this installment of the casino's SATURDAY NIGHT concert series has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, stay tuned for our Toystock preview in the coming days, and here's The Bearded Lounge live!
Next up, let's head to Michigan for two heavier concerts that did get advance notice, starting with Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews' apparent debut at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! The band hasn't updated their Facebook page since September, but members' personal Facebook pages have confirmed the date with the help of Photoshop. Saturday's gig at the former Joe's Bar will double as Ladies' Camo Night, not just Ladies Night, so don't forget your camouflage attire before heading out for this one! There are drink specials as well, if that's your thing, and it is worth noting that Huck's will also be screening the Michigan vs. Ohio State NCAA football game on Saturday afternoon. You can enjoy this this talented supergroup on Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and no preview videos yet!
Lastly for today's previews (Toystock will be featured closer to Sunday), let's head back to Sault Ste. Marie proper, as Los Angeles glam/comedy metal quartet Steel Panther make their long awaited return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the local Kewadin Casino branch THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there almost four years ago, this will be the first stop on Steel Panther's Claws & Paws Holiday Tour running through December 4th. Well known (if not notorious) for their ribald comedy glam metal songs & parodies like "Death To All But Metal" & "Party Like Tomorrow Is the End Of The World", Steel Panther got a great reception from Hair Scare loyalists in 2018, and here's hoping the guys deliver more hilarious but proficient goods on Saturday! Opening the first two dates of the tour are Columbus, Ohio hard rock quintet Harmless Habit (they swap out for The Small Town Titans for the remainder), and their melodic modern hard rock sound should deliver the octane well!
Local hard rock quartet Tarnished will play one of their biggest local concerts as the first band on Saturday, and fresh off of their Wednesday nighter at The Merch, hopefully Alex & crew set this one off on the right foot with their modern and classic hybrid sound! Presented by Allstar Promotions (who also brought Steel Panther here the last time), this 7:00 PM show has tickets running for a flat $29.50 (up $4.50 from 2018) and they are still available from the third row onward! You can get yours at 1-800-KEWADIN, at this link, or at the in person box office. Should be a great show to help kick off the holidays, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Steel Panther at Kewadin last time!
Now, the Steel Panther show is getting a lot of promotion as of late, with two different radio stations interviewing performers on Saturday this week, which we'll address on the site tomorrow (videos are online from both). We'll close today with this short clip of Steel Panther frontman Michael Starr promoting the show, as uploaded to Allstar Promotions' Facebook page on November 12th. There's nothing new to learn here, but it's always cool seeing major touring musicians plug their local date like this, and Michael is sure enthusiastic in this clip, so check it out below!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, which may or may not have our Toystock preview, pending how long it ends up being, so that may not hit the site until Saturday. In any event, stay tuned!
Today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows late next month, both on the same weekend, but very different in size, purpose, and country of origin, so let's look at both in chronological order!
Local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will make their apparent debut at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard for a one-nighter on Saturday, November 26th! This show has not been confirmed by the band's Facebook page yet (it may never be given how infrequently it's updated), but Huck's Facebook page announced the date yesterday via this event calendar. Some readers may recall Rhythm & Brews being booked at the former Joe's Bar in November 2021 for a hunter's bash, only to withdraw for unannounced reasons and be replaced by Tarnished on late notice. A year later, and it looks like Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron are ready to try again, let alone on ladies night (old Back Door regulars will like that!) Hunters are welcome too, of course. You can enjoy Rhythm & Brews' hard rocking covers on November 26th at 8:00 PM with no cover and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details!
Next up, and after a two year, pandemic-induced hiatus, Sault Ontario Christmas Cheer fundraiser concert Toystock returns for its ninth installment on Sunday, November 27th at The Grand Gardens North! In case you need a refresher, Toystock is the annual fundraiser put on by Bone Yard frontman Greg Simpson of GS Entertainment & Design (formerly Maxx Entertainment) to raise money for Christmas Cheer and collect toy & non perishable food donations for the cause, traditionally being held in late November to help kick off the holiday season. Wonderful cause, and kudos to Greg for sticking with it through the last two years to bring it back in 2022! If past years are anything to go by, look for local vendors, an appearance by Santa Claus himself, and perhaps the return of the Stuff-A-Bus, but further details have not been announced as to the non-musical aspects of Toystock IX. Visit the official website for continuing details!
As in all past years (including the last five at The Grand Gardens), ten bands will be playing in ten hours on November 27th, with the aforementioned southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard hitting the stage as headliners at 9:00 PM! This will be Bone Yard's record eighth Toystock set, only missing out in year #2 from 2013 (where Greg sang with two other bands of his). Classic rock quintet Mustang Heart will surprisingly make their Toystock debut as the 8:00 PM co-headliners, while country musician Brendan Hodgson will play his third straight Toystock at 7:00 PM. Classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will take the stage at 6:00 PM for their fourth straight Toystock, though no word yet on if drummer Glen Thomas will bring back his annual drumkit giveaway. The other six bands are Toystock newcomers, including debuting pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue at 5:00 PM.
Details on them are slim so far, but they feature Soo Fighters/ex-Cherry Crush frontman Jules Cote in their lineup. Country musician Rob Wagner "and friends" take the stage at 4:00 PM, preceded by a mystery band named Ravencore at 3:00 PM. The name sounds intriguing for SMS-friendly genre ties, but I have no inside information whatsoever on them, so we'll keep you posted! Punk trio Vanity First will get some solid exposure with a new audience in the 2:00 PM timeslot, while the Long & McQuade Band will perform at 1:00 PM. I presume this band is made up of music students at the McDonald Avenue music store, and this conceit is hardly new for Toystock, as music student bands (either from Case's Music or the Bocturoc Academy) have played every year except the first one in 2012. Lastly, singer/guitarist Jeremy Logan Newman (who opened for Fort Creek at shows this year) will kick off Toystock IX at 12:00 PM.
705Live Sound Co. will be on hand to work sound this year. Admission to this all ages holiday event is strictly by donation (toys, non-perishable food, and money all counts), and it's great to see Toystock back at last to help give needy families something to celebrate over the holidays! I know Greg didn't want to cancel Toystock the last two years, but it's back now and hopefully the return is bigger and better than ever, so visit the above links for current details on Toystock next month, stay tuned for updates, and look for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
The news backlog continues to slowly get dealt with, and today, we have a single topic post, courtesy of new updates, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and missed concert apologies all concerning a specific E.U.P. band!
Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished announced a pile of new concert dates on their Facebook page, both local and away! The guys have been surprisingly quiet for the last few weeks aside from plugging far-flung dates Gould City and Curtis, but they actually did play a local concert-ish on Monday, as they performed on a float during Sault Ste. Marie's Fourth of July parade! The band did not promote this in advance on their Facebook page, so my profuse apologies for not being able to cover it here (I would have if they had said something!). They did post pictures on Facebook, and Sara Eisinger of local news website SooLeader (a new sister site of SooToday in Sault Ontario) did get this picture of Tarnished rocking out during the parade as part of their coverage of the parade & fireworks on Monday. SooToday actually cross-posted that article, so maybe the Tarnished picture will pique some Canadian interest?
As for the new shows proper, the first one listed is allegedly THIS SUNDAY at Northern Light Cannabis, a new dispensary in Dafter, but the band's own schedule says this show is "TBA", so it doesn't sound like it's 100% set in stone as of that post's publication. If we hear anything about it either way, we'll let you know, but I'll hold it from our concert calendar until it's fully confirmed. Their first publically advertised concert in over a month will be on Saturday, July 16th when they return to Snows Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville, with further returns slated for Saturday August 6th and Friday, September 2nd! Good to see the guys back at a recently familiar venue, so don't miss out if you're in the area! Expect these three shows to have 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Their next show after that is on the road in Curtis (80 minutes west of here) on the 23rd.
Local fans can also see Tarnished back at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard on Saturday, July 30th, marking their first show back at the former Joe's Bar since Thursday, June 30th when Tarnished played at Huck's Thursday bike night series. Again, I profusely apologize for missing that date, Tarnished never plugged that show in advance on Facebook, so unless you follow Huck's on Facebook, you'll have missed online advertising for it outright. Hopefully it was a hit with fans and bikers alike! Their show on July 30th (thankfully with advance notice) will presumably be a 9:00 PM affair, and again, this is a 21+ event with no announced cover charge. Tarnished's next two advertised dates are out of town, in Toledo, Ohio on August 5th and then at the Grand Marais Music & Crafts Festival (almost two hours west of the Soo) on August 13th, but their last six new dates will all be at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin Casino branch!
Last seen at The Rapids Lounge in March (unless there was another late notice/never announced online booking there), Tarnished are slated to return for Friday & Saturday night slates on August 19th & 20th, October 14th & 15th, and November 18th & 19th, and note that while Tarnished's own schedule does not list August 20th, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page does (yes, the other new hard rock shows there will be covered soon!). These six shows all have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits once again. Sounds like a busy summer ahead for Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh, so definitely visit the above links for more on their upcoming dates, locally or otherwise! Before we wrap this post, I did want to briefly acknowledge Tarnished's newest TikTok video postings, and no, they didn't plug the Fourth of July parade or the Huck's show last month on there. Activity on TikTok has slowed, but five videos are new to us, so what can you see?
The new videos include frontman Alex Traynor being the victim of an early April Fool's prank from drummer Josh Fair, Alex getting back at Josh with "The Cranberry Challenge", Alex trying to give bassist Isaac Royer some canned cranberries whether he wants them or not, guitarist Nathan Webber having fun during gear loading for a recent gig, and the guys playing at a Burger King play place (yes, they were allowed in) before a recent concert! I'm unsure if this was filmed at the local Burger King before their Rapids Lounge shows in March or elsewhere, or if there's another Soo date that they didn't plug, but it looks like the guys had fun! I remember enjoying the play places at the McDonalds and Hardee's on the Business Spur as a kid! Definitely give Tarnished's new (and old) TikTok videos a look above, they are amusing, but I can't get the embed code for TikTok videos to work on the SMS (it's not Tarnished's fault).
I think we're reasonably caught up on Tarnished's updates now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow, with more news to follow! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this post, just a heads up that the Glambition fundraiser concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (scheduled for this Saturday) has been postponed again due to the rise in regional COVID-19 cases, as per the event's Facebook group late last month. The Facebook event page confirms the date change to Monday, January 30th, but the statement confirming the postponement was not cross-posted there. Disappointing but understandable, and hopefully things quiet down in time for next month! Still, we do have some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, plus a new videos from some familiar faces, so here's what you should know!
Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his second concert at Mane Street Cafe & Lounge on Queen Street East TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page on Monday. Apparently "back by popular demand", Tym made his debut at the Square 1 Mall cafe & hair salon spinoff on November 12th, and hopefully he delivers another skilled night of unplugged classic & hard rock hits for assembled fans TOMORROW! Yes, there will be half priced martinis and snack board specials if these interest you. An early 7:00 PM start time is in effect TOMORROW, prepare for a 19+ age limit, and there are no announced cover charges. Crucially, please use common sense to maintain social distance, wear face masks, and do not forget your vaccine passport if you want to attend this concert safely. See above for more details, and here's Tym live & in concert!
Next up, we'll head to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, where local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard on SATURDAY NIGHT for their themed ugly sweater party! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was also only announced on Monday, this time via the band's Facebook page. Last seen via their replacement gigs at The Rapids Lounge two weeks ago, this will be Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh's first Rudyard stop since playing at Huck's (the former Joe's Bar & Grill) almost a month ago at a hunter's bash. Given the seasonal timing, SATURDAY'S concert will be in the holiday spirit, with attendees encouraged to wear ugly Christmas sweaters, and there will be prizes of some kind on offer (perhaps for the ugliest sweaters of all?) Yes, there will be drink specials too, no word on if you have to wear a sweater to get them. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect on SATURDAY, as well as a 21+ age limit and no cover.
Please be sensible and follow any public health guidelines posted at Huck's to ensure everyone's safety, especially with recent rises in COVID case counts and the new omicron variant. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
We'll stay in the E.U.P. to wrap up this post via some new videos, including new teasers over the past week from St. Ignace progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown, who have posted one new video on their YouTube channel each day over the past week hyping that their long-teased full length album will be released tomorrow! You can pre-save its Spotify copy on Distrokid, but the band has not confirmed if it will be available elsewhere, let alone via outlets where it'd be on sale. The teaser videos (all under a minute long) feature audio clips from the album alongside thematic imagery and text hyping the release, but I embedded today's presumed final teaser video here, as it's the longest and gleans the most information. The album will be self-titled, and it will include twelve songs, including at least three of the songs from their 2019 EP "Scatter Brain", sans "Thing #1" unless they renamed it.
I cannot 100% confirm if the "Scatter Brain" carry-overs are re-recorded or not, but the version of "Knuckle Butter" from their music video in July used the 2019 recording. The album's cover artwork is embedded above, which can be seen on Distrokid and the YouTube teasers. Could H.L.T.C.'s new album leapfrog the Room 206 vinyl re-release in line as our next album review? It does have being a mostly new album and an earlier release date on its side, but it also has to officially be sold, not just posted for streaming. We'll let you know, but stay tuned for the full release tomorrow (our coverage should be short to follow), and check out this week's teasers above & below!
Finally, here's a surprise: New guitar performance videos from former local metal guitarist Mike Libertoski! The Galactic Alignment, Slackjawed Rats, and Swayze Train alum no longer lives in Sault Ste. Marie, but he is still musically active, currently performing in the White Lake deathcore band Bleak Life. After a nine year hiatus from his YouTube channel, Mike resumed posting new videos there in the last couple of days, and while all are short, it's great to see Mike is back and hasn't lost any of his considerable guitar skill! The videos include two teasers of Bleak Life original material (one audio only, one in black & white), plus a sweep picking arpeggios demo, and two cover snippets of Archspire's "A Dark Horizontal" and, as embedded below, Necrophagist's "Stabwound". I wish these were longer, especially the Archspire clip, but Mike's still got it, and Bleak Life have brutal songs of their own, so give everything a watch above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
Plans for a single-topic post today went out the window once I discovered a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, but not from the band I expected! To round things out, we have a surprise band reunion from a decade or so ago (with a linked band dissolution), and some assorted recent updates, so let's get things rolling!
For a second straight post, we're leading off with a new date from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, as they'll hit Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook page on Wednesday, with Tarnished following suit a day later. Yes, TONIGHT's show (attached to a hunter's bash at the former Joe's Bar & Grill) was supposed to be headlined by fellow local hard rockers Rhythm & Brews, but Huck's quietly edited all promotion of this concert on Facebook to reflect the band change (click the three dots and "View edit history" for proof), so this truly is a short notice booking! A reason for Rhythm & Brews' withdrawal was not publically announced, but they deleted their mention of TONIGHT's concert outright. Hopefully all's well in their camp, but Tarnished are a fitting replacement!
Hunter or otherwise, you can enjoy Tarnished's hard rock and 80s metal-inspired covers & originals TONIGHT at 11358 West Main Street (a half hour from the Soo), with a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Please follow and respect social distancing and public health measures posted at Huck's to ensure that you and everyone else has a safe time, especially in light of Michigan's new face mask recommendations for indoor gatherings. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Half Past are back after being defunct for over nine years! The band made the announcement on their Facebook page
on Monday. Originally known as
Fingerbone, Half Past launched in 2008, and peaked in popularity & live
frequency in 2010, complete with original songs & EP plans, but lineup turnover often stalled their momentum, and
they last played live in October 2011, before dissolving early the next
year. The new lineup is mostly a revival of Half Past's early-mid 2011
incarnation that you may have seen at that year's Hempfest in Ophir, with Isolation Sessions bandmates Jordan Rains (ex-NAClamation) on vocals & Arthur Lacasse (Lockdown/Soo Fighters) on bass, plus Parabol's Alain Fletcher on guitar. On drums, they have enlisted ex-Disciples of Rock/Stoned To Deaf drummer Jamie Labreche, replacing Chris Thompson for unannounced reasons.
Hopefully
nothing bad happened with Chris, and that we see him back behind the
drumkit in due course, but remember that he still(?) plays with Arthur
in his other active bands! You may have noticed that everyone but Al are
also in the new local hard rock band Dealing Without, so where do they
fit in? Nowhere, apparently, as that band's Facebook page was quietly
taken down at some point in recent months, so it looks like they have
broken up, with the new Half Past succeeding them outright. Dealing
Without had launched in March of this year, and uniquely planned to play
live with two different lead singers, but they never really got off the
ground despite a promising lineup. Best of luck to Robert, Rick, and
James in the future though, they'll be assets in their next bands! I
have removed Dealing Without from our band links, as they had no other
online pages.
As for Half Past, it's great to see them back after
almost a decade away! While this is mostly a reunion of a relatively
short-lived period from their
original run (Half Past's best known singer, Luke LeBlanc, died in
2015), their 2011 dates showed a lot of promise and the same
instrumental heft fans had came to expect from them, and it'll be very
interesting to see and hear what they bring to the table for their
relaunch. Stay tuned for updates!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
In one more Facebook page contest in the lead-up to Sunday's music video release, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty are allegedly giving fans $1 each if they take a picture of themselves holding something with the band's name written on it, and people who do so will be entered to possibly win gift cards, a lottery ticket package, and/or shout-outs from the band on social media. The contest runs for a month, and click here for full details!
Prolific local metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month looking for opportunities to jam with local musicians and/or play live concerts. While he cited that he's a "solo acoustic metal act", he's open to playing pre-written material and has no genre preferences. Chase's talent level is well established, and he has been missed on stage during the pandemic, so message him at this link or above if you want to play with or book him!
Lockdown/Soo Fighters singer/guitarist Jules Cote posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Wednesday looking for a drummer for an "easy-going, fun-loving cover band". The sound & setlist description heavily points towards this being for Lockdown, and while they're not a hard rock act, they share three members with The Soo Fighters, one being ex-(?)drummer Chris Thompson, who is not part of the aforementioned Half Past reunion (Arthur Lacasse is in all three bands). The group post does not reference The Soos directly, but if you want more details regardless, message Jules at this link or above, and hopefully Chris is doing alright!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
Just a heads up, this post originally featured notes on two concert cancellations for next weekend, but due to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that broke afterwards, I have removed those to make room for it, so the concert can have even one day's word on the SMS without lengthening this post any more than necessary. The show cancellations will return in our next multi-topic news post, I promise! Now, let's dive into this weekend's concert previews tied in with new shows, starting with a pair of gigs TOMORROW that were both announced on late notice!
Local hard rock musician Tym Morrison will make his debut at Mane Street Cafe & Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its official Facebook event page on Monday. If you're unfamiliar with Mane Street Cafe, the name is not a typo, as the cafe is inside/adjacent to the Mane Street Salon & Spa in the Square 1 Mall at 626 Queen Street East (right beside Case's Music), with "mane" referencing hair. Mane Street is by no means new to the downtown core, having been open since at least 2018, but live music there pre-pandemic never strayed into hard rock, so Tym's set is a mild surprise for us. Still, he's no stranger to playing at venues not familiar for otherwise hosting heavier acts, so this fits in that way, and hopefully Tym makes a great first impression! Note that Tym is allegedly the first live musician back at Mane Street, but they have had artistic events since.
Tym will be on at 7:00 PM TOMORROW, expect a 19+ age limit, and there's no announced cover charge, and yes, there will be half price martini specials. Of course, vaccine passports must be shown upon entry TOMORROW, and please use common sense to keep everyone safe, especially with case counts where they are. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!
Next up, Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman TOMORROW NIGHT as part of the owner's birthday celebrations! Again, apologies for the short notice, Project 906 only announced this show via their Facebook page just this evening, but the venue's Facebook page did first announce it this past Friday. The Strongs Tavern only hits our coverage for Project 906 gigs there, so I don't think to check there as often as I maybe should, alas. This will be the band's first public concert since playing at The Inn in Paradise on October 23rd for that bar's annual Halloween bash, though Paradise is just outside of our coverage range (an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie). Whether you consider Paradise to be fully "local" or not, that show slipped us by to even acknowledge on the SMS last month in the first place, so I apologize again!
You don't hear of too many hard rock bands playing in Paradise, and it is nice to see 906 taking the trip west to play there! As for TOMORROW'S Strongs Tavern show, it is absolutely a public event despite the birthday trappings, but be sure to wish Heather a happy birthday if you come out for Project 906's hard rocking covers, last seen at this venue in June. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover, but please respect any and all social distancing and public health measures in effect there. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live!
Also, let's head a half hour southwest to Rudyard, where new Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will play their third public concert on Saturday, November 20th when they make their debut at Huck's Pub & Grill! Better known to some readers as Joe's Bar & Grill before it's re-opening, name change, and renovations by new owners in 2017, Rhythm & Brews will be the featured band at a hunter's bash there next Saturday, and hopefully their brand of hard rock sets the right musical note! This show does finally confirm that the reunited 415E (also featuring guitarist Chris Hubbard and bassist Brett Blackwood) weren't a replacement or successor for Rhythm & Brews after that band's debut at The Rapids Lounge in July, so the two bands do seem to be coexisting, if playing shows relatively sporadically, all told, but if you've been anxious to see the latter band again, here you go!
This union of Nixxon Dixxon, 415E, and Highway 63 alumni can be seen next Saturday at Huck's (11358 West Main Street in Rudyard, a half hour southwest of the Soo), with their concert being a 9:00 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Please respect and follow any and all social distancing and public health measures at Huck's to keep everyone safe, as usual, and visit the above links for more details!
Finally, let's flash back to this weekend for concerts that had advance notice, as local hard rock band Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the aforementioned Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Tarnished's first E.U.P. dates since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin in September, with their last three announced bookings seeing them hitting the road for dates in Gould City, Grand Rapids, and most recently, Clio for their Croptoberfest event last month (bizarrely, Tarnished never promoted playing that event in advance on Facebook, but it's a 4 hour drive from here regardless). Despite the photo on the Facebook event page featuring their three piece lineup, I assume these shows will feature their quartet lineup, despite still not confirming the identity of their new bassist on Facebook, but yes, the new bassist played with Tarnished in Clio.
Look for Tarnished to play more fan favourite covers and originals tomorrow & Saturday night at 9:00 PM, these are 21+ events, and there's no announced cover charges, but please respect and follow any and all public health measures at the lounge and/or casino to ensure everyone has a safe and healthy time. After all, there's a reason why Kewadin are cancelling and postponing Dreammakers Theatre shows as of late! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!
After taking the weekend off while seeing family out of town, I'm back with a new news post on this Monday morning, including some assorted recent updates, but first, here's some new Facebook videos, starting with one from local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church! Filmed by an uncredited attendee during their set at Odeno at Sault College for their reunion events on Friday, this video is of their cover of Gary Clark Jr.'s "When My Train Pulls In", and while incomplete and containing no vocals, it captures Spencer, Elijah, and Beau in fine form on this more modern selection! Give their newest video a look below, and stay tuned for more on their upcoming EP!
Next up, here's some interesting "new" videos of local author George Case (Led Zeppelin FAQ, Whole Lotta Zeppelin, etc.) from his Facebook page on Friday, courtesy of the launch party of his book "Arcadia Borealis: Childhood and Youth in Northern Ontario" at LopLops Lounge back in early 2008! That evening, George picked up his guitar to play some songs, including an original named "The Bartender Is My Friend", while he was also joined by future Turner Up guitarist and then-Rad Zone mainstay Len Ward for some covers, like Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free" and, as embedded below, Kiss' "Hard Luck Woman". These aren't bad, and I like the laid back feel for the book launch, complete with a LopLops stage that's nigh unrecognizable compared to it's state nine years later! It's nice to see Len performing here, and while George's singing voice isn't the rangiest in the world, he makes it work on these performances. Give them a look above & below, and see above for details on his bibliography and how to purchase his books!
Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, event, or venue name:
After a six month hiatus, local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest re-emerged with a new single on their Bandcamp page yesterday, entitled "Thorn of Torment". Wyrn says that this won't be on any albums "since I haven't been home in months", and it's been "collecting mildew" while other songs were cut. The song delivers more brutal instrumental death metal action, despite being somewhat repetitive, so give it a listen at the above links!
I have removed Brian Tremblay Photography from our links of local concert and musician photographers due to the closure of his website, the last remaining substantive link to his work in this field. Brian had indicated prior to December 2016 that he'd left photography to move on to another career, but we left him in our links as he still had an active website at the time. Best of luck to Brian in his current endeavours!
I've also deleted Joe's Bar & Grill in Rudyard from our listings of Sault Michigan-area concert venues, due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page at some point earlier this year. As it turns out, Joe's was bought by new owners, and after a period of renovations, it re-opened in June as Huck's Pub & Grill, with concerts booked so far appearing to lean towards country acts. Hopefully Huck's finds continued success, and we'll be sure to cover hard rock and/or metal shows if we hear that they're booked there!
Former Bear Hunters guitarist & Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent has revived his solo project (again!) After over a year's hiatus for personal reasons, the Sault Ontario mainstay posted a new instrumental song on his Bandcamp page on Saturday named "Filters of Fire", and while the recording quality isn't perfect, the song isn't bad, and it has a good bite to it, with elements of groove metal with some doomier stretches! Give it a listen above as well, and Mike's back in our active band links!
Ride For Sight Northern Ontario planning committee chairman Dave Ostrowski-Gallant and his wife Nicole have announced that they are stepping down from organizing the annual blindness motorcycle rally (and related concert), as per the event's Facebook page on Friday. Dave cited their personal lives getting busier and heading "down a different path of good change" for their reasons, but he thanked everyone for helping put on the rally for the past 6 years, and to message him on Facebook if you're interested in taking over as chairman next year. Good luck to Dave & Nicole in their next projects, and hopefully the rally continues on!
Room 21 co-owner Billy Blackula is looking for artists to play weekends at the new nightclub above Low & Slow on Albert Street West, though he's specifically looking for trios and smaller (possibly due to space concerns or sound limitations.) Best known to our coverage from recent Tym Morrison shows, it'd be nice to see Room 21 expand further with a wide array of artists, but message Billy at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday if you're interested in playing there!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as this week continues! Thanks everyone!
