Belated News Coverage & Interviews About This Year's Clusterfolk Music Festival!!

Today, I wanted to give a much belated look at some of the coverage for April's revived Clusterfolk Music Festival, which had hard rock involvement via The Uncanny Valley, though they did withdraw from the proper Clusterfolk concert at The Rockstar Bar on late notice. In case you need a refresher, Clusterfolk in 2022 was primarily an online festival concocted by Jackson Reed, 180 Projects, the NORDIK Institute, and various grant organizations, with Bad Taste Cinema filming high quality music videos of eight young and (mostly) local indie/folk acts, with mixing & engineering done at Unsalted Audio. The eight videos had staggered uploads in April leading up to the concert, with Jupiter Marvelous, Distich, and late replacements Sainte Marie (who didn't get a Clusterfolk video) performing at The Rockstar Bar to cap off the festival on April 23rd, and reactions seemed to be positive!

In advance of the concert proper, Clusterfolk did get some positive press from regional news media that I apologize for missing until now! CBC Radio One's Northern Ontario culture/lifestyle show Up North did a 10 minute piece on Clusterfolk on April 11th, where producer Bridget Yard talked to Jackson about the genesis of the new Clusterfolk, how things came together (apparently they had wanted to do the festival in 2021 if not for pandemic challenges), aims & aspirations, what the original 2010-2011 Clusterfolk was like, artist feedback, a preview of the Clusterfolk concert proper (albeit before The Uncanny Valley and Bad Actors dropped out), and plans to bring back the festival in 2023 as an in-person summer event, before playing local folk duo Distich's song "Seams" from their festival video. Effective promotion to be sure with some new info, but I am surprised that host Jonathan Pinto didn't ask the questions.

If you didn't catch the feature live on Up North on 89.5 FM, you can hear it on demand at this link, so definitely do so if you want! CTV Northern Ontario's Christian D'Avino spotlighted Clusterfolk in this piece for the former MCTV on April 22nd, featuring interview remarks from both Jackson and Bad Taste Cinema owner Curtis Carriere, and while there's not a lot of new details to glean from it, the regional network television coverage was surely appreciated, so if you missed it on channel 11 (Shaw) or 2 (over the air), click here to see it for yourself! SooToday's Lisa Dobrovnik also covered Clusterfolk for this article on April 5th that approached everything from a future lens, as it beat other outlets to the punch, but it's definitely also worth a read to see how this came together! However, the biggest coverage was via Adrian Vilaca of local internet radio station The Borderline, so what should you know there?

On April 20th, Adrian interviewed Jackson about Clusterfolk for this episode of his main Borderline series The Smart As Trees Podcast, which runs for a solid 53 mintues, so what do we learn here? The interview starts with Jackson discussing his promotional work at the old Cafe Natura and what he's done artistically and abroad since then, before playing Jackson's original song "Go" with his recent solo band The Tweeds about 5:30 in, before getting into Jackson's promotional company Ears & Eyes, and then outlining Clusterfolk and the staff behind it, with Jackson discussing all four of the bands who were supposed to play at The Rockstar Bar, obviously still including The Uncanny Valley, who are brought up first as the intended headliners. Jackson noted that their music video for "Stuck In Rotation" was actually filmed at Unsalted Audio, and you can hear it at 16:10.

Sudbury folk duo The Bad Actors (the other late withdrawals) are brought up next, though Jackson doesn't bring up that their song ("Kelly's Wine") was not a video in the series. That song is played at 22:05, and Jackson does plug Sudbury's Will Powers (who the Bad Actors replaced initially) afterwards, but doesn't get into that lineup change on air. Distich are plugged next with "Seams" played on air 28:10 in, before Jackson plugs something I didn't know until now: All eight Clusterfolk songs were released as a compliation album on Bandcamp on April 19th! The album (put out through Jackson & Will's indie label Care Records) is a totally free download (no "name your price" option), but you can also order it on cassette tapes for $10, and it was sold at the concert! I recall seeing private Facebook pictures of Clusterfolk tape cases, but I never heard anything about a public release, so why wasn't that pumped up more?

Incidentally, a formal album review of this tape wouldn't be imminent, as I typically don't look at compilations with only one or two hard rock/punk songs (this is why I never reviewed the Dunnplugged CDs), but I really should buy a tape for myself! Jackson last discusses mixed-genre local band Jupiter Marvelous, and their song "Stress" is played at 38:55, after Jackson & Jacob Quarrell's joint song "The Moon" at 34:50. The last 10 minutes features Jackson discussing his post-secondary music program experience, the Clusterfolk poster design, the 2011 Clusterfolk (Jackson did get the old organizers' blessing to use the name), hopes to bring live bands back to the Bellevue Park Bandshell, and final hype for the Clusterfolk concert proper, before playing Jackson's solo song "The Sun" on air at 50:30. Very informative interview with lots of push for the concert proper and the overall conceit of the festival!

I do wish they'd have at least mentioned Storm Rausch, Xeno, and Gabrielle Dumas (the other three Clusterfolk video/album acts who were never advertised for the concert), but kudos to Adrian for having Jackson on for this much time to hype Clusterfolk, and here's hoping it comes back bigger & better in 2023! Definitely visit the above links for all of the Clusterfolk coverage, and check out all eight songs on YouTube and/or Bandcamp, and if you have a cassette deck, consider buying a tape for yourselves! Still surprised that wasn't hyped more. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Local Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is devoted to recent live concert videos (yes, Muddfest is coming soon), and we'll start with one from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's Christmas tour kickoff concert at the Sandstone Congregational Church in Jackson (40 minutes south of Lansing) on Sunday! Attendee Lonnie Overmyer filmed this video of Theatre of Night playing their set-opening carol "What Child Is This?" for his YouTube channel, and he even acknowledged that it was uploaded with permission, which is rarer than you think for local acts. The video quality is very fuzzy, almost looking like a concert video you'd see posted from a show in 2005, but the audio quality holds up, and you get a neat vantage point from where Lonnie's standing. He starts off beside singer Rachel Mender before her walk to the stage as her verses begin, and if you're not familiar with Theatre of Night's live shows, this song and Rachel's entrance traditionally kick things off. Give this video a look below, and don't miss their second Christmas tour stop in Blanchard on Friday night!

Next up, here's another live video from a church out of town, this time from Sault Ontario/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, who uploaded this video of him playing another brand new original song to his Facebook page on Halloween! Entitled "2145", Mike intends this to be a "CD-exclusive bonus track", presumably for his upcoming album "If Ever Comes The Day", though hopefully local fans have a way to hear the studio copy beyond snail mail orders. Recorded at one of his unplugged coffee house shows at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Thompson, Mike admits that this is a "rather somber renditon", and he also broke his own rule not to use lyric sheets in order to play the song as intended without mistakes. I'll hold comment pending our review of the full CD, but if you like Mike's darker and softer material, you should take to "2145", so give it a watch below! Yes, we will cover his new studio track on the site soon!



We'll close today with new videos from SaultOnline journalist Mike Caruso's YouTube channel, which continues getting stockpiled with live videos of local cover bands and musicians in recent concerts, and a handful of hard rock performances are sprinkled within! Two of Mike's videos come from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's double header at The Water Tower Pub this past weekend, though curiously, the band does not feature singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe in either video, similarly to their Cheap Trick cover filmed there in September. No word on where Travis was, but Terry, Paul, and Glen sound good despite being shorthanded! The filmed covers are of Loverboy's "Working on the Weekend", and as embedded below, Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream", and both work well with their sound and Mike's dual camerawork, so give both a watch above and below!



Finally, here's Mike's video of local country rock veterans (and Toystock VII headliners) Bone Yard covering April Wine's version of Hot Chocolate's "You Could Have Been A Lady" at Reggie's West on Halloween night! While primarily known for country covers, it's great to see Greg, Alex, Brad, and Ric break out the occasional rock song, and they handle this early hard rock classic with ease! While not dressed for the occasion, Mike did add a Halloween flourish in post production via some clips of ghosts and monsters in a creepy room, but it's up to you whether these add much after October 31st. Give Bone Yard's Reggievelt video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Muddfest videos and weekend concert previews in due course! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Raygun Cowboys), New Studio Material Postings, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday entertainment, so what can you look for today? A new live performance clip, new studio material from two local bands, and kicking things off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Edmonton psychobilly quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut on October 17th (one week from Tuesday) when they headline at The New American Pub! If you ever wanted to know how The Gutter Demons would sound if Glenn Danzig was their singer, The Raygun Cowboys would give you an idea, and with a punk swagger to go along with their standup bass and horn section, fans of psychobilly and related genres should keep this one in mind for Tuesday the 17th if they're at all able to come out mid-week! Promoter J.D. Pearce is currently looking for local openers for this show, so message him through the Facebook event page if you're interested in opening this one! A $7 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ show, which has a 9:00 PM start time. It's great to see another psychobilly concert hit The New A after six months, so check the above links for more on this new stop on The Raygun Cowboys' ongoing Canadian tour!

Next up, here's our first look at local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's second and final studio album, namely it's first single "Give Me A Reason", courtesy of their YouTube channel on Tuesday! A newer song of theirs from the spring, this joins other undetermined originals on their sophomore effort, which you can preview in recording session videos on their Facebook page. I can think of at least 7 other originals that aren't on their debut, not counting Mike Haggith solo covers, but we'll know soon what made the final cut. I won't review the song yet, as I fully expect to review their last album in full later this year, but check out "Give Me A Reason" below!

Also today, here's the latest from local pop/hard rock quintet The Noochin' Lanterns, so what have they been up to lately? Well, they played another publically unannounced show on September 29th at The Speak Easy, as per drummer Amanda Brown's personal Facebook page. If this was advertised publically in some form, my apologies for missing it, but it could have been another one of their "pop-up" shows from the summer that intentionally recieved little notice. In any event, that show marked their public debut with a new keyboardist, as Sarah Jackson has replaced Amber McKay in the group. A reason for Amber's departure has not been announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and they had been working with Sarah since at least June. That said, where can you can hear Sarah with The Noochin' Lanterns for the first time? In their first studio single "Drop the Gloves", as uploaded to Amanda's YouTube channel on Tuesday!

Continuing the hockey themes of their sister band The Apocalypse Afterparty's EP,  the song has almost a fast-paced folk bent with a punk attitude, and it fits with frontman Paul Stanghetta's local band work! Sarah's keyboard and synthesizer input almost sounds like a theremin in the bridge, which gives the song a spacey vibe, and it will be interesting to hear how she fits in with The Noochin' Lanterns in the coming months! Intriguing song, so give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more from them as it comes in!



Finally for today, here's a new jam session video from new local Foo Fighters tribute (and Cherry Crush sister band) The Soo Fighters! I should first clarify that this video is an unlisted upload on YouTube, but since the band publically shared it to their Facebook page this afternoon, I'd say it's fair game to acknowledge. A rendition of The Foos' classic "This Is A Call", this video is is our first look at the band with guitarist Jeremey Salatuk in tow, and it's a solid cover that better suits Jules' vocal range! The camera positioning isn't great though, as you see far more of the ceiling than you do Jeremey, but The Soo Fighters are coming along, so give their newest video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the coming days, including some long awaited videos from a big recent concert! Thanks everyone!

Nothern Lights Festival Boreal Meltdown Review & Results!!

Hey everyone, here's my review of last night's Northern Lights Festival Boreal Meltdown audition/battle of the bands at LopLops Lounge! I haven't missed attending a judged local battle of the bands since the Algoma University Battle in late 2009, so even with late lineup notice, how could I resist? Of course, this event was held and designed by organizers of the NLFB, which is the annual folk/indie music festival in Sudbury each July, which has been going on since 1972, so you know this is a big and established deal. Festival staff were on hand to promote the NLFB, sell tickets, seek volunteers, and sign up attendees on their mailing list (complete with a raffle for festival passes), and hopefully this western outreach pays off come July! Even Sudbury's own Stack Brewery was on hand to dole out beverages for the night. Judging the battle were SooToday's Donna Hopper alongside NLFB executive director Max Merrifield (who MCed the Meltdown), outreach coordinator Krisha Patel, and marketing coordinator Shawn Kosmerly, plus Sudbury music scene veteran Darlene DarlenYa.

Before we begin our review of the performers, just a heads up that one previously announced band dropped out of the event, they being progressive rock veterans Machines Dream, the advertised closing act. The band cited "unforeseen circumstances" for their withdrawal, as per their Facebook page, and though they didn't elaborate further, note that they have been focusing on studio work since their Rotaryfest set last summer, and don't appear to be playing live until their teased CD release party later this year. It's still disappointing to see them drop out, but hopefully Machines Dream are back with a vengeance soon!

Performers only had 15-20 minute sets, so as bands averaged around 4 songs each, apologies if I seem to sum things up quickly. The opening act at the Meltdown was local folk singer/guitarist M.D. Dunn in a rare appearance at a local battle-formatted event from a solo performer. He played a short 3 song set, including originals named "Master of Doubt" and "Solace", plus an instrumental titled "Barnswallowing", and while his style isn't something I hear a lot of, his singing was pleasant and melodic, and he is a solid guitarist in this more reserved, laid back style! I wish he had played longer though, as all of the other bands played at least one more song, and none of them had an instrumental. Next up was alternative/hard rockers Id Iota (the only quartet of the night, believe it or not), and they powered through a 4 (well, sort of 5) song set of newer originals like "Happy Sailor" that got early fans moving!

Their first song had a definite late era-Chili Peppers vibe, while their second song was much faster and heavier, but I wish they announced song names a little more. Christian Lemay handled vocals and the melodica with ease, and everyone had good energy, especially bassist Dan Linklater. Good stuff all around, and it'll be interesting to hear how things shape up for their forthcoming full length CD! Third last night was local pop rock singer/guitarist Mike Mikus, in the first time I've seen his current solo project live, so what can I say? Well, in terms of his backing band, it was a surprise throwback to his old deal's final lineup, as he's replaced drummer Mitchell Harris with Pixo Control bandmate Keeghan Rosso, which was a nice surprise! Nothing bad happened with Mike and Mitch, as you'll see later in the review. Mike and crew (including Id Iota's Dustin Goodall) played a four song set included his debut solo original "Drowning Crown" and three more newer originals.

The latter two had more of an alternative/indie essence, but the second song (possibly titled "Electric Kiss"?) sounded like a Pixo Control outtake, with a very heavy and fast structure, which was really cool to see! I can't say whether Mike is trying to find his solo sound, or if he's intentionally varying things in his current music, but there was a little of everything, and hopefully he keeps at it in 2017! After a 10 minute break (the Meltdown was running ahead of schedule), newer local indie rock trio The Autumn Roots hit the stage in their LopLops debut, where they played a 5 song set including such originals as "Moon Song", "The North", and "Falling Down". A drummer wouldn't come amiss for their quickly expanding slate of material, but The Autumn Roots had a solid set, with Jeremy Hannah's melodic vocals fitting their songs well, and he and Chase Wigmore have a good rapport on guitar! Chase was really getting into it during their set, almost as if there was a metal show going on in his head.

Greg "Carlos" Carscadden needs to be more animated on stage, but overall, The Autumn Roots have a good thing going for their sound, and it'll be interesting to see how things shape up for them as this year rolls along! Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din hit the stage next, looking for their first battle of the bands victory in their fifth try, and they delivered an entertaining four song set including "High Park", "35s The Limit', and "Potato (Should Have Known Better)", with all but the latter expected for their next album. I've seen The Din a lot lately, so I don't have a lot to add (especially with their short set), but they played to their standards, with Tammy Hill's guitar work on point, and Brandan Glew kept the rhythm going well on drums, but be sure to check out The Din at upcoming shows when they're not as time-limited! The audition closed with local folk artist and Ears & Eyes promoter Jackson Reed playing a solo set, as joined by Mike Mikus on bass and his former solo and Fever Tops bandmate Mitchell Harris on drums.

Jackson and crew played a 4 song set largely culled from his "November Gales" cassette EP from last fall, including "Generation Vietnam" and "Welcome Home". I'd never seen Jackson perform live before last night, and if I had to compare his sound to anyone, I sort of got hints of Bob Dylan and Randy Newman from his sincere folksy originals, though he could stand to be a little more confident on stage. Mike's backing vocals could be a little distracting, but overall, Jackson has a good thing going for his genres, and ended the Meltdown in fine form! Afterwards, judges deliberated the winner, and when Max came back to the stage to make the announcement, he did acknowledge that this was a very tough decision, and it was like comparing apples & oranges. With all of that said, who won The Northern Lights Festival Boreal's first ever Sault Ste. Marie audition?

M.D. DUNN! Yes, Mark D. Dunn has claimed the surprise victory in the Meltdown, and has won the all expenses paid trip to Sudbury in July to play at this year's NLFB, as well as opportunities to participate in musical mentorship programs that same weekend. Congratulations to Mark on his victory, he's a talented veteran presence in the local music scene, and this is a nice feather in his cap, so hopefully he makes lots of fans out east! On the surface, this is an upset win given that he had no backing band, played first, and only played three songs, but his talents are clear as day, and Max did note in his introduction that the judging critera also included suitability for the festival lineup. Given their usual genre range, M.D. is a very good fit for the NLFB, and should fit in very well! Runner-up placements were not publically announced, nor were prizes for second place and beyond, but hopefully second place is considered if there's a vacancy at some stage!

For what it's worth, pre-audition advertising noted that there would be two winners in solo and band categories, but that was not the case, possibly as M.D. Dunn was the only true solo performer on the bill (Mike and Jackson had backing bassists and drummers with them.)

Kudos to everyone on strong performances last night, and the turnout was solid too, despite the relatively late notice on the competing bands! After the battle, Id Iota and Mike Mikus played bonus sets, but I couldn't stay for them, though I hope they continued to rock the lounge as well as they did during the battle proper! Surprisingly, this was the first local battle of the bands with judges where I was just a spectator since Downtown Showdown in 2010, so I was in full reviewer/photographer mode, and you can check out my shots from the Meltdown at this link or via our Facebook page! As for videos, I got everyone's first song, so here's M.D. Dunn playing his song "Master of Doubt", Id Iota playing "Intro To American Literature", Mike Mikus playing "Drowning Crown", The Autumn Roots playing "Rock Bottom", The Din playing "Suburban Dream", and Jackson Reed playing "Generation Vietnam"!













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