LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Northern Vibe Festival)!!

The ninth (and final?) Northern Vibe Festival goes down this weekend, and as has been the case annually post-pandemic, the full band schedule was not made available before the week of the festivities, so here are some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS re: this year's Forest Stage lineups! Apologies for the short notice, I wish organizers would publicize the schedule much earlier than they do, even if the idea is for attendees to come and camp out for the whole weekend. As of this writing, the band-centric Forest Stage lineup has not been posted publically, but kudos to Mike Haggith for sending me a tentative schedule that he had received in conversations with organizers, so we know who is playing and when! If there are late variances, I'll edit this post to address them if they come up prior. Of course, Northern Vibe returns to the former Hempfest site on Poplardale Road in Ophir (just outside of Bruce Mines) this weekend.

Along with the camping in the forest just outside of town, attendees can expect vendors, food trucks, outdoor activities, and loads of DJs on the Roost River Stage on site. There will even be (paid) wifi this year! Be sure to visit the official website and the Northern Vibe Facebook page for complete non-musical details, and a complete schedule for the River Stage is on the latter if you want party with the EDM musicians playing there. Like in the past three years, Spades GT frontman and former local concert promoter J.D. Pearce will come back home to curate this year's Forest Stage, and bands will again play TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY, with Sunday being a camping/closedown day with no live bands. The band lineup begins TOMORROW NIGHT, and will be headlined at 10:00 PM by new local folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels. They also closed Rotaryfest Stage 2 last month, so they're getting huge endorsements already!

The rest of TOMORROW's lineup is hard rock/punk-themed, including local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his backing Big Finish Band co-headlining at 9:00 PM in their return to Ophir. Mike & crew are fresh off of a successful Rotaryfest set last month themselves, and Mike's got a much better knee than he played through at Northern Vibe last year! Alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will play Northern Vibe for their fourth straight year when they hit the stage at 8:00 PM, while Cornwall hard rock trio Don't Tell Sarah will open TOMORROW'S proceedings at 7:00 PM in their local debut. Don't Tell Sarah should leave a big impression with their up-tempo and hard hitting originals, so don't miss them! Admission details for the weekend will be at post's end, but we are looking at cloudy 18-21° weather in Ophir according to 9&10 News, with a slight chance of rain early in the band program.

Hopefully the weather holds off TOMORROW, especially as there's more of a chance of rain on SATURDAY, but Northern Vibe goes on rain or shine (the Forest Stage has a roof), so bring any protective gear you need in the event that the sky starts crying! Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S band lineup, and for a preview, here's Mike Haggith and his band's complete multi-camera set in Ophir last year!

As for SATURDAY's Forest Stage band lineup, the longer six band program will be headlined by Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s in their ninth local concert since 2013 and their second straight year as the closing band outright, and they are slotted for 9:45 PM. Fans of horn-infused ska punk and Ramones covers should be well used to K-Man and crew from their Soo dates, and hopefully their Ophir encore is well received on SATURDAY! Alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (featuring Golden Scoundrels bandmates Brandon Ruch & Johnny Belanger) will play Northern Vibe for a fourth straight year at 8:00 PM, while Sudbury psychedelic hard rock trio The Dirty Mystics slot in at 7:00 PM for their first ever concert appearance (somehow we got a truly non-local band's live debut!). Local funk/hard rock cover quintet The Wyld Stallyns (the Friday headliners last year) are blocked at 6:00 PM on SATURDAY in what would be their fourth year too.

Now, The Stallyns have not been up to much publically this summer, with singer/guitarist Rob Speers picking up the slack with unplugged solo gigs. The band and/or Rob (who doesn't have a public social media page devoted to his solo project) have not publically acknowledged Northern Vibe on social media in recent weeks, so I don't know what format their scheduled set will take, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Local folk/country solo artist Brian Tremblay (a late addition like The Dirty Mystics) will play Northern Vibe for the first/only time at 5:00 PM, and the day's program begins at 4:00 PM with a set by local rap collective Fvksxvad. They'll be a good bridge for fans coming over from the River Stage, so don't miss these familiar MCs! Weather-wise, the current forecast has 20-24° temperatures, and while there are currently showers projected for the first couple of bands, clouds are expected to go away as night draws near.

With this being the official lineup, we can confirm that Cornwall speed metal band Hellrager, Spades GT bassist James Roy Daley, and North Bay electronic rock band Medussah have all dropped out of the festival. Reasons for the three touring acts' withdrawals were not announced, but none have been credited in Facebook promotional materials since July 4th, and none have gotten the individual images there to plug their sets. Hopefully all is well with the three groups, especially after Hellrager and James' past local appearances! Also, note that local magician Ryan McFarling (who had a formal Forest Stage set last year) will be back in Ophir as an on-site special guest, but does not have a scheduled set on either stage, so keep an eye out for him! Online ticket sales for Northern Vibe have closed, but if you haven't already bought passes, they are on sale at the gate. Admission on site cost around $150 (full weekend) & $85 (Saturday only) last year.

Note that organizers haven't clearly specified if that price held steady for 2024 or not. Click here for all of the ground rules and directions you could ask for! While not hinted at in recent social media postings, organizers said on Facebook last month that this "will (likely) be the last" festival due to concerns about not being able to make Northern Vibe better each year, and thusly being "time to take a break and re-evaluate". Whether this is the last installment or not, come out to Poplardale Road TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT to enjoy all of the action! Visit the above links for full public details, and for a preview of SATURDAY's bill, here's K-Man & The 45s live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our previews of this weekend's two ARCH benefit motorcycle rallies and Wax Mannequin's return next as we wrap up these previews! Thanks everyone!

Early Lineup Details For This Year's Northern Vibe Festival's Forest Stage!!

The initial band lineup is now out for the ninth annual Northern Vibe Festival at the old Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road in Ophir, so what should you know there? The festival returns on the last full weekend of August once again from Friday the 23rd through Sunday the 25th, and for a fourth straight year, Spades GT frontman J.D. Pearce will return to his old local concert promoter guise to curate this year's band-centric Forest Stage (the DJ-centric River Stage lineup is also out). If past years are anything to go by, the Friday band lineup will be the shorter of the two, followed by a longer Saturday progam on the 24th, while that Sunday will be the camping/wrap-up day with no scheduled bands. As has been custom for Northern Vibe post-pandemic, the daily schedules/timeslots are not out yet, hence why we're not calling this a formal local concert alert, but organizers did announce them publically last year, if on late notice.

While the above poster implies that "more (is) TBA", the currently advertised list of eleven acts equals who played last year on the Forest Stage, including six returning bands, but they do appear to be leaning on touring acts more this year, as three of the five Northern Vibe newbies are from out of town. This year's advertised headliners (presumably the 9:00 PM Saturday act if that holds) are Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s, who were last year's closing band at Northern Vibe, and famously played seven local concerts from 2013-2019. Clearly, K-Man's return to our area was a hit last year, so it'll be good to see their horn-laden punk attack back at the Forest Stage in four months! The other returning touring band is Cornwall speed metal group Hellrager, who still feature part-time Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin. Counting his bass fill-in with Spades in 2022, this will be Jay's third straight trip to Ophir.

It'll be good to see him and Hellrager tear it up again! While Spades GT proper are not playing this year, bassist James Roy Daley will be making his first trip to the festival with an apparent solo set. I don't know if they mean his psychobilly band Killroy A.D. (which he drums in) or if this is purely a solo gig, but we'll let you know if we get confirmation! Also making the trip to Ophir for Northern Vibe IX are two more bands making their local debuts, including Cornwall hard rock band Don't Tell Sarah, a raw & high energy quartet with an old school flair and strong talents that will serve them well with local festivalgoers! The other touring band is Medussah, a female-fronted electronic rock duo from North Bay whose name was misspelled in much of the early festival promotion (omitting the H at the end). Definitely a stylistic jump from other bands playing the festival, but they are talented and will give some zest to the proceedings!

For the six announced local acts playing this year, four are returnees from last year's Northern Vibe Festival, including alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich, local/Barrie solo standout Mike Haggith (in his first announced full-band show of 2024 and since Matt Fronzi replaced Jacob Quarrell on bass), sporadically seen punk trio A Dire Setback, and funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns (who headlined the Friday lineup last year). All but Mike are playing Northern Vibe for the fourth straight year, so if you've liked the local aspect so far, you'll be right at home in 2024! The two newcomers from the Soo are new local folk/bluegrass band The Golden Scoundrels (featuring Shit Liver's Josh Penno and Handsome Sandwich bandmates Brandon Ruch & Johnny Belanger) and local rap collective Fvksxvad, who we've primarily covered members of individually on the SMS in the past.

The Golden Scoundrels have gotten positive reviews since debuting earlier this year (Dirtfight fans should like them), while Fvksxvad have talented MCs and they'll add a unique dimension to this year's Forest Stage lineup! Crank Sound Distribution will be on hand once again to keep everyone sounding their best at this year's festival. Once again, Northern Vibe is a 19+ festival, and you can get all the ground rules for attending, camping, and directions to Poplardale Road via their official website. The first wave of early bird tickets completely came and went before the Forest Stage lineup reveal, but weekend passes for wave 2 of the early bird availability are now on sale for $110 ($200 for VIP passes) at this link, and official festival shirts/hoodies are available when buying tickets. At this juncture, Saturday-only tickets are not out yet, but for reference, admission closer to the opening date was $150 for the weekend and $85 for Saturday alone.

It's great to see Northern Vibe back for a ninth year (and tenth anniversary of the original installment), and hopefully things go smoothly for organizers in terms of performers, attendance, weather, and attendee conduct this August! If you're up for the music and/or camping off the grid, definitely visit the above links for more details, and in all likelihood, look for this month's CD review on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Northern Vibe Festival)!!

The eighth annual Northern Vibe Festival returns to the old Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir this weekend, and for the first time since 2019, organizers have announced the timeslots for the bands! Granted, they only did so on their Facebook page on Saturday, making these SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but I'll take this over scouring performers' Facebook pages for schedule hints (like in 2021) or hoping that one of them will post the schedule on their own accord (like last year)! For a third straight year, Spades GT frontman J.D. Pearce is dusting off his old local promoter hat to curate the Forest Stage at this year's Northern Vibe Festival, which joins the DJ-centric Roost River Stage (which similarly had a lineup reveal on Saturday) in bringing music to the masses once again, but who can you expect in Ophir and when on the band-centric Forest Stage this weekend?

Firstly, I apologize for the short notice for both nights of music at Northern Vibe VIII, as the Forest Stage lineup only officially came out on Saturday, but this is still earlier than not at all! Keeping with recent formats, there are no bands on Sunday, which is primarily for camping purposes. As usual for recent Northern Vibes, TOMORROW'S band program has the shorter bill, and will be headlined by local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns in their third straight set at Northern Vibe, so look for them at 9:00 PM! Newer local punk/hard rock quartet Far From Fine will co-headline at 8:00 PM in their fourth live set and first show outside of Sault Ste. Marie city limits, though they have not announced if Blair St. John will be filling in on drums again or not. Cornwall speed metal trio Hellrager (featuring J.D.'s Spades GT bandmate Jay Sarrazin) will make their local debut at 7:00 PM.

Finally, your Friday openers at 6:00 PM are local punk trio A Dire Setback in their third straight set at this festival, just over a week out from their and Far From Fine's joint gig opening for The Ripcordz at The Loft. Strong lineup for punk fans with a slightly more commercial lead-out to the festivities, so don't bypass the opening night's band action! We'll get into ticket/admission details at post's end, but be advised that 9&10 News is calling for thunderstorms during the band timeslots (though organizers plan to press on, rain or shine, and the Forest Stage does have a roof). Temperatures will range from 18-23°. See above for more details on the Friday roster, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

As for the longer bill on SATURDAY, that will be headlined at 9:00 PM by Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s, making their long awaited return to the Soo area for the first time post-pandemic! As anyone who saw K-Man & The 45's explosive and fan friendly brand of ska punk in their seven local concert appearances from 2013-2019 can attest, their horn section-laden attack will be a fitting capper to the weekend, so don't miss their set! Local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich will play their third straight Northern Vibe as co-headliners at 8:00 PM, while in a mild surprise, magician Ryan McFarling will have a formal set on the Forest Stage at 7:00 PM. Ryan wasn't previously advertised among the bands on the poster, rather as a featured attraction like in past years, but it'll be interesting to see how his illusions go over as the Forest Stage takes a brief pause from rock music, and he should go over well!

The aforementioned Jay Sarrazin will also bring his Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot to Northern Vibe for their first ever local set on Saturday at 6:00 PM, so while we're not getting Spades GT this year, this will help fill the gap a bit! In his first local concert since his freak knee dislocation at Rotaryfest last month, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his local backing band will have a do-over on Saturday at 5:00 PM, with Mike reportedly sitting down for the set as he continues his recovery. Fingers crossed that things go as planned this time for him, his bandmates, and his fans making the trip east! Online page-less punk/alternative cover quintet Bookclub will take the stage at 4:00 PM to cap off their busy summer, while revived local rock duo The Castletons (featuring Frightlight bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras) will open the proceedings on Saturday at 3:00 PM.

Handsome Sandwich aside, every act on Saturday is new to that stage (Ryan McFarling's past off-stage performances acknowledged), so expect lots of varied and entertaining music from this batch of performers, with lots of punk and hard rock to go around for genre fans! Saturday is too far out for an hourly forecast from 9&10 News, but they're calling for partly cloudy weather with a high of 23° that day, and only a 10% chance of rain. Visit the above links for more details on this stacked roster of bands on Saturday, and here's K-Man & The 45s live!

Conspicuous from their absence from the schedule is the one-off reunion of local horror punk quintet Frightlight (fronted by Forest Stage curator J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce), and while no public statement was made, J.D. confirmed on his personal Facebook page last week that the band "isn't gonna be able to make it to Vibe". A reason for their withdrawal wasn't announced, but given that J.D. and Mike will be present, the unavailability of one/both guitarists or the replacement drummer (whose identity was never made public) could be why. Hopefully Frightlight rise from the dead again in the future if things line up! While Ryan McFarling's set seems like a likely replacement candidate, I'm told that Frightlight were supposed to have headlined tomorrow. Rather than get a late replacement band, The Wyld Stallyns were promoted to headliners with an extended set (they're used to that given their solo nightclub gigs!)

Crank Sound Distribution will provide sound at the Forest Stage. Outside of the music stages, Northern VIIIbe (get it?) will also feature local artists, vendors,  and all-weekend camping, so be sure to click here and visit the festival's Facebook page for full details on what to bring and expect when making the hour's drive east from the Soo! Facebook has more specific details on the specific vendors and sponsors, for the record. Also, the festival takes place rain or shine and is very much off the grid, so be prepared. Directions to Ophir are posted at the links above, but note that there is a road closure until tomorrow evening on Highway 638 from Echo Bay, so definitely check Facebook for recommended detour routes. Northern Vibe takes place rain or shine, it is a 19+ event, and while online ticket sales have closed, you can still pay at the gate, with prices jumped up thusly to $150 (full weekend) or $85 (Saturday only).

There are no Friday-only options, but the option of a Saturday-only ticket is welcomed! Whether you're a Hempfest veteran, a Northern Vibe regular, or just love a good outdoor concert/camping trip, The Northern Vibe Festival should be a fun time, so definitely visit the above links for full details on this weekend's festivities, and stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Initial Details On The Northern Vibe Festival's Forest Stage Lineup For 2023!!

Single topic post today, as the band lineup for the Forest Stage at this year's Northern Vibe Festival at the old Hempfest grounds in Ophir has been announced via the event's Facebook page yesterday, so who can you expect over the last weekend of August? Just as a primer beforehand, the performance times were not stated yesterday, keeping in line with the last two years since J.D. Pearce began curating the Forest Stage, which never saw a full schedule reveal from organizers. Unless protocols have changed this year, stay tuned to the bands' social media pages for any details on when they are specifically playing. Eleven acts are currently scheduled for the eighth annual Northern Vibe, which is down one from last year (three if you count withdrawn bands), but there will be more touring bands than in 2022. The advertised headliners are Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s, making their first local appearance in over four years!

Fans will recall seeing K-Man & crew on a local stage seven times in six years from 2013-2019, and it will be great to see them back with their horn section and fun energy in tow! The other two touring acts both feature Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin returning to Ophir, albeit not with Spades GT. Rather, his Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot and his Cornwall speed metal trio Hellrager will both make their regional debuts at Northern Vibe VIII. Both deliver the genre goods, so don't bypass either in late August, and do check the out to see what they bring to the table! With that said, Spades GT are surprisingly not playing this year's festival.... but Frightlight are! Yes, the inactive local horror punk quintet will rise from the grave for a one-off reunion, in their first gig since this event in 2021! No public word yet on who will take over on drums for the late Chris Thompson, but the drummer was revealed in personal Facebook postings.

Three other acts are all returning from the past two Northern Vibe installments, namely alternative quintet Handsome Sandwich (don't miss their CD release party at The Loft TONIGHT!), punk trio A Dire Setback, and funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns. All will be riding some good momentum after high profile 2023 shows, so they're fine picks to return for a third year! No word on why The Soo Fighters and Dynowaves aren't pulling the triple themselves, however. The newbies to Northern Vibe include local/Barrie alt-hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith (no word on if his new album will be done in time or not), online page-less alternative/punk supergroup Bookclub (sharing the stage with The Wyld Stallyns once again), and new local hard rock quartet Far From Fine (née Ravencore) in their first announced show of the year. The other advertised band are The Castletons, who are new to the SMS, but who are they?

As it turns out, they're a revival of a rock duo that was active locally from 2017-2018, featuring Frightlight bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras in their ranks, However, they were always cagey in their initial run about their full identities and sound, but based on the intimate venues that they frequented at the time, I'd assume that they're an acoustic act. We'll let you know if anything extra goes public! Northern VIIIbe (see what I did there?) takes place from Friday, August 25th-Sunday, August 27th, but if past years are any indication, bands will only play on Friday and Saturday, with the Friday lineup being shorter (last year had five bands on Friday and seven on Saturday). Like in past years, camping is more than welcomed in Ophir (east of Bruce Mines), and decorations are welcomed, but not glass bottles. Tickets for this year run for $100 minimum, which is down from last year, and packages also exist with bundled t-shirts and/or hoodies!

As is normal for Northern Vibe, there are no single-day ticket options, perhaps justifying why they don't release daily schedules if everyone's paying for the whole weekend anyway, but that's just conjecture on my part. Buy your tickets and/or clothing items at this link, and the implication is that these are early bird prices that will go up in June, so act fast! Sounds like another fun time is ahead for concert-goers, partiers, and campers alike, especially with the River Stage full of talented DJs also on site once again, so visit the above links for complete current details on Northern Vibe VIII later this summer! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Hard Rock & Punk Concert Previews!!

After a quiet week for news and updates on the site, we're back with a busy weekend concert preview slate, and as of this writing, all are previously announced gigs to boot! In fact, we'll start with an unusually busy Thursday night slate for metal/punk concerts in the Soo , so here's what you should know for tonight and beyond! (Our preview of Sunday night's Anvil concert will hit the site in our next news post to give it a closer look.)

We'll start at The Grand Gardens North, where a handful of local music acts will join forces for a special fundraiser concert TONIGHT! As some of you may know already, local realtor & mother Shelby Kerns was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, and to fund specialized treatments out of town, this special event will help cover costs for her and her family, including partner Cory Murchison of Skeyes of Seven & Sense of Truth fame. For the occasion, there will be raffle and door prizes and a pasta dinner, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full details on the non-musical events. Previously announced musical performers will include local Tool tribute band Parabol in a rare set outside of The Rockstar Bar, while their frontman will front the eponymous John Barber Band tonight as well. Who else is in the band, are they a one off, and will they take inspiration from John's past local hard bands? We'll find out tonight!

A third music act was quietly confirmed on the event page on May 22nd, namely the Tidal Records duo of Shannon Moan & Frank Deresti, who will play an acoustic set after supper. Nice way to ease into things, and they're both talented musicians in their own right! Tickets are $30 at Exit Realty Lake Superior at 207 Northern Avenue or through their employees, while you can donate $20 or more to show support without attending, which will get you a door prize entry. The event starts at 5:00 PM, and has no stated age limit. It's great to see everyone showing their support for Shelby and family at this time of need, so see above for full details, and here's Parabol live!

Next up, fan-favourite Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s will make their seventh local concert appearance in the last 6 years TONIGHT! Before we get too far, just a heads-up to some late changes that broke on the Facebook event page earlier this week, including the move of the concert from The Rockstar Bar to The New American Pub. Promoters (Choose) Maxx Entertainment revealed that the show was forced to move on short notice due to a scheduling conflict with a celebration of life at The Rockstar Bar, which is totally understandable, and our condolences go out to the deceased's family & friends. Of course, The New A isn't foreign territory for K-Man & The 45s, as they've played there thrice before, including in March 2017, so regulars of their sets won't be out of place! However, the opening act has been replaced, apparently due to budgetary concerns at the smaller venue, despite The New A's K-Man shows having local bands open in the past.

As such, local punk quartet The Cover-Up are out (hopefully we see them back soon), but Planet Smashers bassist Dave "Smasher" Cooper will now be the surprise opening act, bringing him back to the Soo after the full band last played here in 2005. How will Dave sound as a solo artist? Be at The New A TONIGHT to find out! A $10 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time. Changes aside, this should be a great time for ska-punk fans, and The 45s are well known for their wild live shows and Ska-Mones tribute, so see above for current details, and here they are live!



Moving to shows on the regular weekend schedule, we'll next address the ongoing weekly acoustic concerts from veteran hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will play his first full concert weekend of June 2019 TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant, sandwiching his latest nighttime show at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Another busy month lies ahead, and you can take in Tym's extensive live setlist at the Spring Street restaurant for these two evenings, but if you like your live music at a full nighttime timeslot, head to the east end tomorrow night for his first of two Roadhouse gigs this month. Fans should get a solid sampling of Tym's skill and fan favourite nature this weekend, so keep all three gigs in mind! The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no stated age limit, the Roadhouse show is 19+ at 10:00 PM, and none have a cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews (Anvil are coming in our next post), we'll head to Reggie's West, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are advertised to return for solo headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted by the band on their Facebook page, These shows are listed on their 2019 concert calendar, though it is worth noting that the band has not newly promoted them online, and that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page lists The Bearded Lounge as playing at The Reggievelt this weekend instead, possibly as 5:00 PM matinees before Soundcheck hit the stage. If we hear any clarification either way, we'll let you know, but we'll treat these as Soundcheck shows taking place unless otherwise stated. A busy concert slate for Soundcheck should prove to see them firing on all cylinders as they kick off a new month, so don't miss out on their hard rocking covers in the west end this weekend!

Expect 19+ age limits, no cover, and a 10:00 PM start time to be in effect, as usual for Soundcheck's stops at the former Rosie. Visit the above links for more details on these shows, and here's Soundcheck live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates (including our Anvil preview) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

K-Man & The 45s And Din/James Blonde Concert Previews, Plus More News & Notes!!

In our latest SMS post, we have two special concert previews for mid-week shows that you punk and alt/hard rock fans will want to take notice of, but to round things out, we have news on a reunited local band and a local solo artist's recent recording sessions. Here's what you should know!

We'll start with a preview of a big show taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, as Montreal ska-punk quintet K-Man & The 45s will return to Sault Ontario for a headlining concert at LopLops Lounge! Marking their sixth local concert appearance since 2013 (and fifth consecutive fall season date here), the change in venue from prior years shouldn't affect what should be an entertaining evening of reggae-influenced punk originals and "Ska-mones" covers, and if you've seen them live before, you'll know how entertaining their live show is! Joining them are Saskatoon noise/punk duo The Faps in their first local date since headlining here back in 2014, so expect more hard hitting minimalist action from them in their Soo encore tomorrow night! Local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic (who opened for K-Man & company here in March) will reprise that role tomorrow with more creative originals, while local DJ The Dub Selectah will also be on hand to spin ska and reggae tunes between bands.

Intriguing yet familiar lineup all around, so don't miss out tomorrow night! A rare LopLops date from promoters Six, Two, Oh. (who put on the last four K-Man shows & 2014's Faps concert), this show unfortunately has a higher cover charge of $10 compared to their prior shows here, but you can knock the price to $8 by buying advance tickets at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Big Guns Barbershop, The Vape Escape, and possibly the venue if you're early enough. This concert is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's K-Man & The 45s live!

Next up, here's another mid-week concert preview that's also regarding a LopLops Lounge event taking place THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT, as local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will play their penultimate local concert set and final set as an opening band when they open for Niagara Falls indie/pop rock trio James Blonde! While not their final LopLops appearance (that's their finale/CD release on October 21st), time is running out to see Mike, Tammy, and Brandan's skilled alt-rock originals on the local stage, and this should be another solid night of older and newer original material & select covers, so don't miss this one on Wednesday if you can help it! As for James Blonde, they're touring in support of their new self-titled album, and their folk-influenced but modern pop rock sound is a solid fit for LopLops, so if you're a genre fan, definitely give them a listen to see what you think! Like the K-Man show tomorrow, this is a 19+ event at 9:00 PM, and I would expect a cover charge of at least $5.

In any event, LopLops' website does not have pages or online ticket sales posted for either of these mid-week events, but they are both good to go, and definitely consider a trip there on Wednesday for The Din's second-to-last show opening for James Blonde! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Din live!



Also today, here's the latest from former Bear Hunters guitarist & Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent's revived solo project, so what's new from his camp? Well, he posted two more songs from his debut solo album to his Bandcamp page last week, including "Chapter 2: Glow of the Dark" and a "bonus/single" named "Ultimate Chaos". As per Mike's personal Facebook page, recording sessions are compete for the album, which will also be called "Ultimate Chaos", with the previously teased EPs ("Six, Six, Six" & "We're Of Nothing") now considered it's first & second halves. With that said, the album is not (yet?) for sale in a full album format, but Mike signalled in his personal post that he already is planning work on a second solo album. I have no idea if he plans to formally package "Ultimate Chaos" into even a proper Bandcamp album with a price, cover art, track listing and all that, but pending a formal sale, I'll hold comment on the new songs.

That said, if Mike does properly release the album in a sale format, it would be eligible for a CD review on the SMS, and fans of his existing solo music should enjoy these instrumentals, so check the above links for more on Mike's recent solo work, and stay tuned for more from him!

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

• Local hardcore punk group Programmed To Fail quietly reunited last fall, as per their new Facebook page, and have enlisted former Northern Tragedy bassist Corry Rideout into their lineup! That's the extent of their new updates, with nothing else new to speak of beyond 2016 posts, but it's great to see Corry back in a local band after a few years away! Stay tuned for more from Programmed to Fail when it rolls in, and they're back in our active band links!
• As of September 26th, promoters Maxx Entertainment (or Choose Maxx) were still looking for musical performers for this year's sixth annual Toystock charity concert at The Northern Grand Gardens on November 26th. Full bands, duos, and solo acts of "pretty much any genre" can apply to perform, so message them at their Facebook page if you're interested in performing at Toystock VI next month! For what it's worth, comments there implied interest in sets from Soundcheck and a returning The Peace Vibe.
• In a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Friday, Vol. frontman Steve Edwards noted that he's looking for practice space and willing to pay rent for "a 4 piece alt-rock group" that would practice 2-4 times a week in the lead-up to a concert. He didn't directly specify if the intended band is for Vol. or not, but if it is, their apparent expansion to a quartet is news to me. If he meant Vol., stay tuned for word on their new member, and message Steve at this link or above if you can help out the band in question!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and previews on the site as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), K-Man & The 45s Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

Let's dive into some more news and updates on this Saturday afternoon, so what can you find today? New video postings from a major recent concert, and a preview of a major punk show tomorrow night (including an apparent lineup change for one of the openers), but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and new video from a popular E.U.P. hard rock group!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will return to Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley for a St. Patrick's Day concert on Friday, March 17th! Aside from presumed seasonal trappings, this show (the band's first since last month's Bay Mills Bands Together fundraiser) will be a milestone for the guys, as it will mark the one-year anniversary of their debut concert, also held at Pickles in honour of St. Patrick's Day. Project 906 have visibly been a success since debuting, and have easily outlasted Joe & Will's prior band Ten Kings, so here's to much more great things from them in 2017! This concert, thankfully announced with some advance notice, will take place at 10:00 PM on the 17th, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 or older to attend. This should be a solid concert, so definitely keep it in mind for two weeks from now, and before we move on, Project 906 have a new Facebook video to share!

Filmed as a live stream by Stoned Ape Evolution's John Napoletano and shared by Project 906's Facebook page afterward, this comes from the Bay Mills Bands Together event, and it features the guys covering .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely". Filmed extremely close to the stage (basically right in front of bassist Dustin Paras), the song is well performed, but scratchy audio can distract a bit, and Joe Jenkins' guitar melodies suffer as a result. Not a bad cover overall, so give it a look below!

Next up, here's our long awaited preview of TOMORROW'S return of Montreal ska-punk quintet K-Man & The 45s to the Soo, as they'll rock The New American Pub in their fifth local headlining appearance! A fan favourite sight throughout their prior four headlining appearances in the last four autumns, this show is unusually soon after the previous, but it's a good sign that K-Man and crew have developed a strong local following, so don't miss their high energy originals and usual Ska-mones tribute tomorrow, even if it's not the fall! Local support bands will include newer punk/metal trio Stegadeth (in their New A debut) and new alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic, who reportedly have a lineup change to take note of, as Bring the Fallen alum Travis St. Amour has heavily indicated that he's joined this band in personal Facebook postings, replacing Kevin Overton. The band itself hasn't confirmed the change (not that they list their lineup publically anyway), so a reason for Kevin's departure hasn't been announced that I've seen, but hopefully nothing bad happened with him!

Travis is a solid drummer, as most recently seen with The Autumn Roots, and it will be interesting to hear how he sounds with Bizotic! Note that he may have played with them already at LopLops Lounge last month, but in all available footage, the drummer is completely obscured. Tomorrow's K-Man & The 45s concert is promoted by Six, Two, Oh. for the third straight time,  and there is a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and $5 cover charge in effect. This should be a fun blast of music for punk and alt-rock fans, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's K-Man & The 45s live!



Finally for today, here's the last two videos (that I currently know of) from last week's Pop Evil concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One comes from YouTube user Jeff Hagan, who filmed the North Muskegon hard rock favourites playing their early hit "100 in a 55" from a very high camera angle, but at least he zoomed in. The lighting can really wash out the band here, the audio is a little muffled, and the 2 minute video doesn't capture the whole song, but it's a nice video of one of Pop Evil's more reserved songs, so give it a look below!



The other new Pop Evil concert video comes from YouTube user Jayce McRorie, who filmed their hit song "Torn To Pieces". Shot from the regular seating area, the video quality is better here, and the lighting is not nearly as much of an issue, but fans' heads and arms can get in the road. Solidly done overall, and hopefully Pop Evil come back north in the near future1 Give Jayce's video a look below, and see more above!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (K-Man & The 45s, Banned, and Gianni Gagoots), And A New Video!!

In what may be our last news post of the month, we're largely tackling LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including a pair of the SHORT NOTICE variety for you readers in the E.U.P., but we also have a new video find to touch on at post's end! Now, here's what you need to know!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for special mid-week shows THIS TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Banned only just announced them yesterday via their Facebook page. Joining their previously announced Rapids Lounge gigs on Friday and Saturday, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY'S shows coincide with the week's festivities surrounding the annual International 500 snowmobile race. Banned played last year's I-500 both at the outdoor beer tent and for a weekend at the casino, and while it's unusual to see them playing mid-week (let alone four nights in a five day span), don't miss the Traynors and Wayne at The Rapids Lounge TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY NIGHT! Just for clarification, we'll preview their shows this coming weekend in our next weekend concert preview post, as they are technically a separate concert weekend with an off day prior.

Despite the mid-week scheduling & I-500 timing, these next two Banned shows are still 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. For more details on these shows and the I-500 proper, check the above links, and for a preview, here's Banned live at last year's 1-500!



Next up, here's some shows with more than a couple of days notice, starting with newer local funk/hard rock instrumental jam quintet Gianni Gagoots' first ever headlining concert, as they'll be rocking LopLops Lounge solo on Saturday, February 18th! Also making their first live appearances ever at this venue or anywhere in 2017, this will be a good chance to check out this interestingly named band's vocals-less improv hard rock in a familiar downtown setting, and with Redefined, Sailor's Tongue, and Rising Tide alumni (plus a conga player), you'll know you're not in for business as usual in three weeks time! As usual for LopLops concerts, this show has a $5 cover charge, you must be at least 19 or older to attend, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. If you haven't seen Gianni Gagoots live yet, circle this show on your calendars, and visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Lastly for new concert announcements, Montreal ska-punk quintet K-Man & The 45s will be back in Sault Ontario much sooner than you think, as they are scheduled to headline at The New American Pub on Sunday, March 5th! After four straight gigs in the fall locally, this one will come at least 6 months earlier than locally usual, but if their fun ska-punk originals, exciting stage presence, and "Ska-mones" covers are any indication, local fans will welcome them back to the Soo with open arms in March! The all-local openers will include new punk/metal trio Stegadeth (in their New A debut) and new alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic (featuring Smeltzer, SBD, and Sounds From The Green Room alumni), so if you haven't seen either band in concert yet, don't miss the relatively new blood at this downtown venue in five weeks! This concert will be promoted by Six, Two, Oh., who have promoted each local K-Man concert since 2015.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this concert, which has a 19+ age limit, and an advertised start time of 9:00 PM. It's great to see K-Man & The 45s back so soon for a fifth local concert appearance, and ska punk fans will not want to miss out on what should be a highlight of the spring concert season, so visit the official Facebook event page for all current details!

Finally for today, here's a new video of new local alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback at last month's YouTube party at The Canadian Nightclub! Uploaded by promoters Underground Empire Records' YouTube channel on December 17th (apologies for the delay), this gives us our first look at the event's complete lineup, albeit belatedly, as promoters never listed a lineup publically in the lead-up to the event proper. Truth be told, A Dire Setback's section of the video is brief, with their performance of "Kicking & Screaming" sandwiched between 11 minutes or so of rap sets each, initially from U.G.E. rappers Chuck "Lil' CZ" Charrette & Ryan "R.D." Derasp, and ending with prolific local rapper Mikey Thomas. The video quality can be a little blurry, the editor cut out a lot of fan reactions between songs, and the on-screen bug really doesn't have to be permanently on screen, but things turned out largely well overall, and everyone performs as you'd expect!

The rappers are skilled in their sound, and A Dire Setback are on point, but hopefully U.G.E. advertises the lineup better if they host a sequel event, and if you're going to brand it as a YouTube party, why not attempt a live YouTube stream of said party? Check out the full YouTube party compilation below, and A Dire Setback's performance is about 10:56 in!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review in all likelihood next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Long Shot) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we get into the details of this month's poll, let's cover this weekend's hard rock & punk concert previews, as there's some interesting shows going down, including one TONIGHT, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend!

Newer local hard rock quartet Long Shot will play their next gig on September 26th (one week from tomorrow) when they play at the Fraternal Order of Eagles' clubhouse in nearby Heyden! The band featuring the Dawe brothers, Nathan Muto, and Jeremy Ganuelas were last seen at a LopLops event in August, and while a show at the Eagles club may seem a bit odd, remember that many of Long Shot's gigs have been in unique settings (and Tym Morrison used to play regular gigs here.) There appears to be some sort of on occasion for this show though, as Mexican food will be on sale, so keep that angle in mind too! There is no cover charge, Long Shot will be on at 7:00 PM, and there's no announced age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Should be an interesting show, so if you're in the Heyden area, remember Long Shot's next show next Friday, and stay tuned for updates!

Moving to this weekend's previews, Montreal ska punk quintet K-Man & The 45s will make their second headlining appearance in Sault Ontario when they return to The Rockstar Bar for a special Thursday night show TONIGHT! Well known for their fun reggae-infused punk rock originals and Ramones covers (hence the alternate Ska-Mones moniker), K-Man & The 45s impressed when they came here in October, and they should be up to similar standards tonight, so don't miss them for a good old fashioned night of ska! Like last fall, local all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will be opening this show in their second Rockstar Bar appearance of the month, and their entertaining blend of covers & originals should fit right in tonight as well! Keep in mind however that guitarist Paula Panther got hit with an illness (as per their Facebook page status referencing that they're "cursed"), but they'll power through! Promoted by J.D. Pearce, you may also remember that this show was originally planned to be an afterparty for the now-cancelled Misfits concert that would have taken place today, so at least we still have something!

This show has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:30 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Ska-punk fans would be well served to head down to The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for all of the action, so don't miss K-Man & The 45s & The Danger Cats, part 2! For a preview, here's the headliners playing three songs live last year!



Next up is week #42 of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill, as he returns there for solo gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like usual for his lengthy run at the former Madison's Pub, Tym will be hosting and playing at their weekly jam night tomorrow, before headlining a usual unplugged solo concert on Saturday, so he'll be delivering some solid tunes and hard rock renditions regardless of the day you come by! Tym's approaching 10 full months of his Harp run, easily the longest of his weekly engagements at a venue since moving back to the Soo, so come see a solid night of acoustic classics either night! Like usual, there's no announced cover charge, 19+ age limits, and 10:00 PM start times in effect. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Extreme!



Finally for known area hard rock concerts this weekend is new Rudyard, Michigan hard rock quintet Exiled, who will be rocking out at the first annual "Wild In Da Wilderness" party for the local branch of the Jokers Motorcycle Club of Michigan THIS SATURDAY! Sort of a different show compared to what you'd expect, but I assume at least one Exiled member is in the Jokers club. The event itself will feature food, bike games, 50/50 raffles, and free camping, with Exiled (featuring Absolute, Full Throttle, and Division of Sanity alumni) rocking out at some point later in the day, I'd assume, though I can't confirm if there will be other bands. The event (which is open to the public) will be held at 7100 M-129 (close to the 7 Mile Road turnoff), with a $10 cover charge ($15 for couples), doors opening at 1:00 PM, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and Exiled's own page for their own confirmation about the event! If you're interested in hitting up this Jokers club party (biker or not), then keep it in mind for Saturday! No preview videos yet of Exiled though.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and this month's new poll later today! Thanks everyone!