Jonesy Land Updates, Plus Details On A Briefly Released New Album!!

Today's post looks at a different band who released a new studio original song on May 31st, along with more on their recent song postings on streaming services, and we'll cap things with another band who put out something for digital consumption last month... just not for long. Here's what you should know on this rainy Wednesday!

One year to the day that they released their debut album "Zoom - Out", online page-less local punk/alternative solo project Jonesy Land released their new single "The Lucky Ones" onto major streaming services on Friday! Their second studio release of the year (following their "Be My Baby" cover last month), this is Jonesy Land's fourth standalone original song that isn't (yet?) on an album. According to project leader Dustin Jones' personal Instagram page, this song features his Bookclub bandmate Erin Antonello on horns and Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti (a long-time collaborator in Jonesy Land material) on bass. The song in the usual places to hear for free, but Dustin's label Tidal Records' YouTube channel now has a lyric video for "The Lucky Ones", which was obviously recorded at his own Mission Control Studios. While this song is a departure from the folksy "Zoom - Out", it also doesn't flow with Dustin's best known punk material.

"The Lucky Ones" is more genre-ambiguous, and is darker in scope with imagery to match, including video of him in a dark location ranting about the ills of current society and how we are (sarcastically) the lucky ones who get to live through it. Some of the lyrics are slightly off in the transcription (it's "hemming & hawin'", not "hymn & hawin'"), but it's certainly one of the most direct and issue driven songs that I've ever heard from Dustin and/or Jonesy Land, if (thankfully) not political. Solid bass line and percussion here too! While we're on the subject, Dustin quietly released one more Jonesy Land song on major streaming services in December, namely a cover of The Beach Boys' Christmas song "Little Saint Nick"! Dustin has talked up Brian Wilson as a major production influence, so the shoe fits in that regard, but I might have been more timely to cover it here if Jonesy Land had social media accounts to promote their material with!

As it turns out, this isn't brand new, as Dustin actually recorded this cover back in 2018 under the one-off project name "The Snow Boys" alongside Frank, then-Rising Tide drummer Chris Johns, and prolific local indie musician Jay Case. This may explain why the song was quietly dumped onto Jonesy Land digital storefronts five years later, but if you like the original Beach Boys classic, you'll take to this! How often will you find local bands using a glockenspiel anyway? Click here to give it a listen if you don't want to wait for the Christmas (in July?) season. In one more Jonesy Land note, their cover of the aforementioned Ronettes song "Be My Baby" was spotlighted in this SooToday article on May 15th by arts writer and local musician Chris Belsito. It features interview remarks by Dustin about the song, his appreciation of Phil Spector and (by extension) Brian Wilson as producers, and why he chose this song to recreate.

Of note, his new Bookclub bandmate Josh Norling (saxophone) and backing vocalists Storm Rausch (the reigning Soo's Got Talent champion), Madi Schomogyi (Lime), Isabelle Deady-Bell, and Jett Jones (Dustin's daughter) were the "miscellaneous people" not credited by name in the official YouTube upload at the time. Also, lead singer Gabrielle Dumas (Hollow Heads) is apparently recording a solo album with Dustin right now. Good article that covers one song to the nth degree, so read it here, see above for much more from Jonesy Land, and check out "The Lucky Ones" below!

We'll close today with another new music release from a local band last month... well, briefly. I mentioned this earlier this week in our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post, but it has yet to make a normal news post, so I wanted to acknowledge it here. If you have a Bandcamp account and follow groups on there, you may have noticed that local alternative/blues rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage released their 70th album (and first album of 2024) on May 15th, entitled "Waerlogas Sagas Konfysion Of Fyck". In hindsight, I should have checked it out sooner than I attempted to, as by month's end, the album was taken down for unannounced reasons. I also can't find extant reference to the album being on other services, and while the band rarely acknowledges their albums in advance on social media, Occam's Razor would suggest that the album was delisted already due to further edits or due to jumping the gun to release it too soon.

This is the album cover (at least, as of May 15th), which is viewable in the notification e-mail that Bandcamp sent out. A "waerloga" is Old English for a liar or traitor, and "warlock" is derived for it, while the letter Y is used for some U sounds in Finnish, so keep those in mind as thematic hints. I don't know if/when we'll hear "The Waerlogas Sagas", but seeing as it was briefly online/for sale, the songs do theoretically exist. We'll let you know when/if Sykotyk Rampage's 70th album (this or otherwise) goes on sale, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Double Down), Plus Jonesy Land & Bookclub Updates!!

Before we begin today's otherwise all-Sault Ontario post, I wanted to apologize for missing Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's unplugged concert this past Tuesday at the Sault Area Arts Center's ribbon cutting ceremony for their relaunch at their 217 Ferris Street location. Alex Traynor & Josh Fair brought back their late 2010s acoustic two man band for a matinee set that day, which the band did not promote on social media. Hopefully things went well for the Arts Center and Tarnished equally, and I apologize again, I'd have plugged it here had I known Tarnished would be there! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and new updates from two linked projects north of the border!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to the stage for concerts at Reggie's Place on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th! The shows were announced via the band's new Facebook page yesterday, but there will be changes afoot compared to when we last saw Double Down at the end of last month. The big news is that they have quietly parted ways with singer/guitarist Adam King for unannounced reasons, and he has been replaced by "a new band member", whose identity has yet to be revealed. Notably, the band's prior Facebook page (the one formatted as a personal account that you had to add as a friend) hasn't been updated since March, so was Adam its primary administrator, hence the need for a new page? Hopefully things are amicable between Adam and the band, and that we see him back out there soon, as he'd be an asset to other bands!

We'll let you know more on the band's new guitarist(/singer?) when they are revealed, but they could be waiting for a grand unveiling at Reggie's in two weeks. In any event, Double Down have teased having new songs in their set (possibly influenced by their new member coming aboard) to play that weekend, so keep everything in mind then! Expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges on both nights. Visit the above links for more on Double Down's upcoming plans!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have confirmed two more new dates for next month! While we already knew about their Gateway Casino debut on Saturday, May 18th, they will kick off the Victoria Day long weekend by rocking The Water Tower Pub once again on Friday the 17th. That will be their first show since playing at the same venue this past weekend, so fans of the central venue will have an option to see them next month before they head back downtown! Speaking of which, fans can also now see Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre at Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a third one-nighter in just over a week when they take the Dennis Street stage on Saturday, May 25th! Good to see bookings ticking up for Generations, and hopefully things are even busier for them as we enter the summer season! The Water Tower Pub show is at 9:00 PM, while the Shooters concert takes place at 9:30 PM.

Both of these new dates have 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Hopefully things keep rolling along for the Jus' Chillin successors in their second year of classic and hard rock hits, so visit the above links for more details on Generations' May schedule!

Also today, let's dive into two local projects from local punk musician Dustin Jones, starting with his online page-less solo project Jonesy Land, who released their first studio recording since their debut album "Zoom - Out" came out last May, but it's not what you may be assuming compared to their 2021-2022 punk singles or the folk/alternative singer/songwriter material from the album. Since at least 2022, Dustin has wanted to record a full studio cover of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby", inspired by his appreciation of the musical work of producer Phil Spector, Much of the music had been recorded for this classic 1960s pop cover already, but Dustin had waited to find the right local singer for it, and he eventually went with Hollow Heads frontwoman Gabrielle Dumas, who has been recording her own material at Mission Control Studios as of late herself.

Dustin is joined on guitar here by his old Rising Tide bandmates Sheldon Jaaskelainen (strings) and Chris Johns (drums), alongside his current Bookclub bandmate Josh Norling on horns, as well as fellow horn player Vince Filetti, the ever-prolific Jay Case on bass, and "miscellaneous people" on added instrumentation. You can hear the "Be My Baby" cover on major streaming services, but a video featuring Gabrielle singing the track was posted to Tidal Records' YouTube channel on Tuesday. Music from this era isn't really in my wheelhouse, but it is well produced and performed, and Gabrielle adds some quality rasp to the proven melodies here, so see what you think of outside-the-box cover below!

We'll close with Dustin's current (and also online page-less) local alternative/punk cover band Bookclub, who played at the Great Lakes Outdoor Show at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre last week, but there are lineup confirmations to make after that set! First, it does appear 100% confirmed that the aforementioned Josh Norling (also of The Wyld Stallyns) has joined the band on saxophone, confirming Searchmont Resort's listing of him being a band member when they plugged Bookclub's Kiln show in January. It's too bad that Bookclub seem set on 1980s-leaning alt-rock covers, as with Josh and Erin as a horn section, they'd kill doing ska punk! Josh was listed with everyone else in tags for videos shared on personal Facebook accounts from last Saturday, as was Handsome Sandwich guitarist Brandon Ruch, who appears to have replaced Dave Bahun in Bookclub for unannounced reasons.

Hopefully nothing bad happened with Dave (Mikey & Dustin's old Inner City Surfers bandmate, mind you), but Brandon is a talented guitarist on the rise, and hopefully he fits in well with Bookclub, assuming that he is 100% in the band now! Alas, without a proper social media page for Bookclub, there was no 100% public confirmation of lineup changes beyond what may have been said in concert. There were black & white videos floating around from the Outdoor Show set too, but alas, I think they were Facebook "Stories" and thusly not viewable more than once (I really don't see the point of "Stories"). Stay tuned for more from Bookclub when we hear it, and for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Details On Dustin Jones' Interview On Across The Tracks On The Borderline!!

Back in June, two veteran local punk musicians were separately interviewed for radio shows on local internet radio station The Borderline, and I do apologize for both being so late to be covered on the SMS! We'll start with the June 23rd interview with Jonesy Land frontman/Bookclub bassist Dustin Jones, marking his second long-form interview with the station, following an episode of Sev's Cellar three years ago. This time, Dustin featured on Borderline founder Adrian Vilaca's interview series Across The Tracks, which focuses on detailing original songs, and the episode runs for 53 minutes. Conducted in studio, it's clear from the off that they've known each other for years, which helps for the comfort level! The interview started with Dustin explaining why he launched the Jonesy Land project apart from his bands, as well as the overall lighter/reserved tone of the project's debut album "Zoom-Out".

Like in past episodes of Across The Tracks, Adrian asks about the origins and themes behind songs by the interview subject, and while he does not stick to the release order of the album, the songs in question are played after that segment wraps up (though they are rarely directly introduced by Adrian, so that can catch you off guard at times). "Father Time" comes up first, but "Ode To The Boys" is discussed next, and it's neat hearing some insight as to The Inner City Surfers' heyday! The song actually wasn't directly about his old bands, moreso old friends, but Dustin does also give some advice to current musicians to start their careers, especially with how easy self-promotion and networking is compared to when he was younger. The debut single "Old Man" is next to be outlined, though note that the interview predates the music video for the song. Next, they discuss his love for Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District.

That ties directly into their discussion of the Jonesy Land track "Superior Sons" and some of his surprising inspiration in that song's composition. Adrian next asks about Dustin's own Mission Control Studio and his experiences working with musicians who record there, leading into talk of "Keep Trying", which featured Shannon Moan on guest vocals. Dustin next talks about his views on the local music scene at present, as well as his experiences running a local songwriters competition with Greg MacLachlan pre-pandemic, while explaining how he's approaching music as he gets older, and how this album has a different edge than on his prior albums. This led into "Lonely Boy", before Adrian asks Dustin about fatherhood and his experiences with his kids, while also noting the experience he had making this album and some of the (largely) positive reaction that he received from listeners.

Given the talk about his family, this naturally led into "Shine On" (written for his daughter Jett), and the interview naturally wrapped up with "Summer's End", which was written for his late stepfather and written in the style of music that he loved. The interview ends with Dustin thanking Adrian for all he does locally, as well as plugging Jonesy Land, Mission Control Studios, and Tidal Records, though no sign of a dedicated band page for Jonesy Land yet. Fun interview that really explores the "Zoom-Out" album in depth and Dustin's maturity as a songwriter, and while the album proper is light on "punk" content, you can see how his life's experiences as a whole shaped things on the final product! I'm kinda surprised that he didn't talk about Bookclub though, as they are is current live band, past teasers about Jonesy Land playing shows again acknowledged. Check out this Across The Tracks episode at the links above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next, and that other June interview with a local punk icon on The Borderline will be covered in an upcoming SMS post! Thanks everyone!

Jonesy Land - "Zoom-Out" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 170th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at ex-Inner City Surfers/Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones' online page-less solo project Jonesy Land's debut album "Zoom-Out"! Released through his own label Tidal Records to major streaming services on May 31st (my birthday!), this album is the long-held realization of Dustin's to release a "singer-songwriter" album inspired by his life so far. Dustin is the only official member of Jonesy Land, but co-producer/Lake Effect alum Frank Deresti (who played in Jonesy Land's live dates in mid-2021) guests on much of the album, which was recorded locally at Mission Control Studios and mixed by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines. Guests on "Zoom-Out" include singer Shannon Moan on "Keep Trying" and Dustin's Bookclub bandmates Allan Watson (drums) on two songs and Erin Antonello (trumpet) on "Superior's Sons".

Among the array of links on Linktree, you can hear "Zoom-Out" on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon, but if you want to actually buy mp3s of it, Amazon and iTunes have you covered, with Amazon's price running for $9.49. No word yet on a possible physical release of "Zoom-Out", but consider buying the mp3 copy to really support Dustin's work! Song names below are linked to their Spotify copies. With eight songs running for about 24 minutes, let's begin this album review!

We open with the first single "Old Man", which is not a Neil Young cover, rather seeming to reflect on Dustin's relationship with his father and how life has led at an ultimate crossroads. Musically, this hints at the path that Dustin takes on this album, largely shelving punk for a folksier, more introspective sound, though Dustin's vocal tone still provides a punk flavour. This song is definitely well written lyrically, but the repetitive guitar strumming, "oh-oh-oh" vocals, and drawn out ending didn't gel for me as much as the verses did. Not a bad song, but this wouldn't have been my first pick for a music video of the eight songs here. Second is "Shine On", where Dustin reflects on some regrettable moments of his youth, and hopes that his daughter (and his shining star) will be stronger than he was at that age. I take it that the spacey sound effects in the background are supposed to play into the "shining star" references.

As a pure composition, this song is better than "Old Man" for variance and energy, and Dustin uses his vocals to better effect with more of a passioned delivery, but some of the chorus vocal layering feels slightly delayed. The spacey background noise seemed superfluous to me at first, but it kinda grew on me after a while, so the album is trending upward early! Third up is "Father Time", where Dustin reflects on life and his travels, and how he has to hold the memories close as Father Time isn't slowing down for him. The fullest sounding song yet for instrumentation, this is basically a country song, just with Dustin singing it. For my own musical preferences, which don't really lean to country, it's not for me, but I will praise the song for having the best written lyrics on offer yet, and the clear intent to make this sound like more of a band is very much noted!

The first half of "Zoom-Out" arrives with "Superior's Sons", which is the closest thing yet to a Bookclub original song based on the inclusions of both Erin and Allan as guests (note that press releases didn't say that there was a drummer guesting on this particular track). Lyrically, it's about how Dustin and his friends have stuck together in Northern Ontario through thick and thin for all these years. I was getting a bit of a Tragically Hip vibe here on the verses (not so much the choruses), and it's an effective song that adds a bit more of a rock influence, which is welcomed! The stop-start choruses didn't really fit the flow of this song, and while Erin's trumpet work being more atmospheric helps her fit into the track, I'd have boosted her volume a tad. So far, I do like the even numbered songs more than the odd numbered ones, so make of that what you will! Jonesy Land's fifth song on offer here is "Ode To The Boys", which Allan returns to the drumkit on.

This is basically about Dustin looking back on the good, if often wild, times that he had with his old local punk bands in the 1990s and 2000s. The lyrics alone will intrigue Surfers fans, but this is very much a folk rock song that calls to mind Great Big Sea more than Green Day, if that makes sense. Again, the layering of the vocals in the chorus doesn't work as cleanly for me as I'd like, but the direct and honest look at a more carefree time is well handled, and this would work well as a drinking song of sorts in concert! Next is "Lonely Boy", which is thankfully not a Black Keys cover. This is basically the sequel to "Old Man", with Dustin reflecting on the apparent death of his father and how he wished he was still here for guidance.

The longest song on the album, we revert to a stripped down, percussion-free presentation here. Having lost my mother three years ago, I can relate to a lot of what Dustin's singing here, and while the music on offer is a little reserved and folksy compared to my wheelhouse, you have to admire the personal messages and emotion being expressed. Not for me as music, but as a lonely son myself, I thank him for writing this! The penultimate song is "Keep Trying", which appears to be a reflection of Dustin's relationship with his wife (with Shannon Moan standing in for her on vocals), and how they'll keep trying to make things work if the other equals the effort. The contrast in singing styles here is interesting, and I'm not sure that the "pop right back up" verse required that aggressive tone, but if you liked the folksy ambiance of "Lonely Boy" and thought that a female vocalist would add to it, you'll like this!

"Zoom-Out" ends with its shortest song, "Summer's End" (extra fitting as we're nearing the end of August). This feels like a coda to "Lonely Boy", in the sense that he'll always cherish the (metaphorical?) summer, but he can let a loved one go now, and it's time to move on. Oddly, this is solely presented as an acapella multi-tracked vocal performance with only some backing harmonics to send things out with. I'm not sure how intentional this was, the recording quality feels lower for this song, like they were trying to replicate an old 78 rpm record. Not how I'd have ended the album, but A for effort! Honestly, "Shine On" feels like something more suited for track #8.

So, what are my final thoughts on Jonesy Land's debut album? While hardly a punk album aside from lyrical references and Dustin's vocal style, it's an effective collection of songs that showcases his range and growth as a musician! Remember, we're 20+ years removed from The Inner City Surfers' debut album, I'd hope things hadn't stagnated musically or professionally! Dustin was always one to include folk influences on his past band work, and those come to the forefront here with care and professionalism, and while his vocals may not always suit a pure acoustic folk record, the messages and intent always came off as genuine and honest. He and Frank did a good job here, but for my preferences in music, I did think that the album peaked on the two songs with drums, Yes, the intent was a singer/songwriter album, but diehard fans who still want those unreleased 2019 Surfers songs or the unfinished final Tide album may be left wanting more.

I can appreciate the album lyrically full stop, but a few too many choruses didn't have vocals layered in a way that I'd consider optimal, and I didn't quite get the first and last songs on offer. Most other nitpicks are just based on my musical preferences, but I do think that Dustin should have included the three Jonesy Land standalone singles from 2021 & 2022 ("Sunshine Parades", "Moral Blackout", and "Ain't Dead Yet") on the final product. Perhaps they were omitted because two of them were full on punk songs and that's not the style that he wanted for the album, but it's a short album and they'd have been welcome filler, even as just bonus tracks. Still, as a window into the man that Dustin Jones was, and has became, "Zoom-Out" is an effective and well made album with a lot of honest reflections, and while I do prefer his full punk work, I do recommend that fans of his solo career check out the album or buy it on your preferred streaming services!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Our next monthly review will be on local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT's new album "Sewer City Radio" from June of this year, so look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), Plus New Videos!!

I figured that we might see some more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, so those are leading off this otherwise new video-heavy post on this Friday morning, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page yesterday, and the band has not confirmed them at press time, not having plugged a concert on their own Facebook page in almost a month. Yes, these did follow Soundcheck's regular jam night hosting duties last night, while singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver played an acoustic country set with Matt Tarantini for their Wing Wednesday matinee this week, so Soundcheck have had the former Roosevelt Hotel on lock this week! Not counting jam nights, these will be Soundcheck's first traditional concerts at Jay's since June, and hopefully their brand of classic and hard rock covers go over well with west end fans once again TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT!

TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT's concerts are 9:30 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a couple of new videos of Soundcheck from... their Instagram page?! On July 25th, they opened a page on that platform, promising "weekly uploads" with media from each gig, but only three batches of pictures and two videos have been posted, ending on the 27th. The videos were both shot on stage by Cameron himself, so despite both being vertical, you do get a unique vantage point! One is of Terry Eaton playing the guitar solo from (I think) David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy" at Reggie's Place earlier this year, while the other is of the band rocking out on an unidentified song at a recent jam night at Jay's alongside an uncredited jam night musician on guitar. Cameron typically does not perform at jam nights, but he was here for this one in some capacity.

Interesting videos that let us literally see things from Cameron's point of view, but of course, I'd like to see longer and horizontal videos even more, and of course, ones with the full band in action. Give these a look for yourselves above and below, and don't miss Soundcheck at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT!

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Next up, here's a new music video from online page-less folk/punk solo project Jonesy Land! Their fourth music video and first for a song from their debut studio album "Zoom - Out", this was uploaded to label Tidal Records' YouTube channel on Monday. The video is for the song "Old Man", with the video produced by the local consulting/marketing agency Dig. I'll hold comment on the song proper for now, as our very next album review on the SMS will be on "Zoom - Out", but the video features Dustin playing the song alone in a forest while surrounded by seven old CRT televisions playing footage of him, either from past videos of this & other bands of his, or alternate camera angles of this very song in progress. It's very well put together and shot in a way that suits the song, while also showing off his growth as a musician over the years, so give it a look below, and look for our "Zoom - Out" review later this month!

Finally, here's the second live video posted onto new local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook page! Again shot at last month's Cory Marks show at The Machine Shop, the 65 second clip features the Obsession successors tackling The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away", which you don't see too many local bands covering, and they seem to pull it off well! The video is really nice too, with a solid view of The Machine Shop's unique staging while being able to see the band & front row fans very clearly, so give it a watch for yourself below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

Details On Brand New Albums From Spades GT & Jonesy Land!!

Today's post is devoted to two brand new album releases from this week, both from punk-adjacent acts led by very familiar faces, so here's what you should know about each one before you give them a whirl!

Online page-less local folk/punk solo project Jonesy Land's debut album "Zoom - Out" was released as planned on Wednesday, so what should you know here? Recorded at Mission Control Studios and released through Tidal Records, the album was mixed by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines. This is the first completed album from veteran local musician Dustin Jones since his non-local punk supergroup The Conspirators' self-titled 2020 album, though three standalone Jonesy Land songs were put out in 2021 & 2022 which are not on "Zoom - Out". SooToday's Chris Belsito spotlighted Jonesy Land and the album in this article from Wednesday, where Dustin noted his songwriting process as he gets older, the recording process, inspirations for the songs & themes therein, how the album name was conceived, and much more, and it's a good read to see how everything came together over the last few months!

Notably, Dustin co-produced the album with Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti, who appears throughout. The final album cover can be seen above, following lots of promotional images that turned out to be just that and not the final product. The Indiana Jones font is timed well to both match Dustin's last name and the release of Dial of Destiny later this month! Eight songs made the cut for "Zoom - Out", which is described as "a singer-songwriter record" focusing primarily on more mature, folk-leaning styles with less of a punk or drinking song influence compared to his prior local band work ("Moral Blackout" and Jonesy Land's mid-2021 live dates acknowledged). Frank aside, guest appearances on the album include singer Shannon Moan on "Keep Trying" (not "Old Man", as it turns out), and Dustin's Bookclub bandmates Al Watson (drums) on "Ode To The Boys" and Erin Antonello (trumpet) on "Superior Sons".

Surprisingly, Dustin's old Surfers and Tide bandmates do not appear, at least not publically. You can now stream "Zoom - Out" in full on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon, among other sites. Yes, you can buy the album through Amazon and Apple on mp3, with Amazon copies running for $9.49. Be advised that this image shows a lot of website/application logos, implying that the album is available on hosts like TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitch, so take that with a grain of salt. Personal Facebook postings suggest that bigger plans are afoot for the release beyond just dropping online, but I'll wait for public word on that front. With new albums from No Funeral and Handsome Sandwich beating it to market, I have "Zoom - Out" pencilled in for an August review on the SMS, but buy or stream it at the above links, and check out the new lyric video for "Old Man" courtesy of Tidal Records' YouTube channel below! Uploaded on Tuesday, the video was made by Loathing Hearts Productions.

Without reviewing the song (I'll hold comment until August), the video features slowly rotating images and scenes of musicians and beachfront scenery, with some of the latter being familiar from social media teasers for the album. Well made and nicely layered, so give the video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Jonesy Land soon, especially if they finally launch a social media page beyond Dustin's personal Instagram page. Alas, Bookclub and The Cover-Up don't have one (yet) either, but neither of them have a brand new album to hype up!

Finally for today's post, another new punk-related local album was released as promised earlier today, namely local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT's studio album "Sewer City Radio"! While the local press hasn't as big for this one yet (moving to Barrie arguably didn't help in that respect), you can now stream the eight included songs on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, possibly among other services. Oddly, there's no visible sale point through Amazon, but the album is on sale through iTunes for $7.92, which is the same price as "Zoom - Out" there. Released through bassist James Roy Daley's imprint Books Of The Dead Press, this is Spades' first album since the former Jack Spades took part in 2015's "Fed Up!" split, and their first album with every band member aside from frontman J.D. Pearce. No word yet on the music video for "Final Girl", but you can hear the studio copy below while you wait!

Guest appearances come from guitarist Daniel Horton's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse on "XS" and Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow on a yet-specified song (though you can easily pick it out once you hear it). No word yet on the teased physical release of the album, but if ready, your first chance to buy it in the Soo will likely be at the Josey Scott's Saliva concert in three weeks. I'll hold comment on the album for now pending our planned review of "Sewer City Radio" in September, but buy or stream the whole thing above and below, and stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT & Fort Creek Updates, Plus More Recent News & Notes!!

In a post that really should have went up last night before time got away from me, we're clearing out more of the news backlog by looking at some recent updates from two prominent local hard rock-leaning acts, plus some assorted quicker topics as of late, so here's what you should know!

Here's the latest from local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT, so what's new from them in the past two weeks? First off, their streak of daily "Reels" on their Facebook page quietly ended on its 12th consecutive day on April 24th, with the last two "Reels" seeing the band (sans Jay and Tyler) playing on-stage behind a series of pop art-esque filters, and one of drummer Tyler Reiner in action during a concert, with no major post-production filters to speak of. I can't say that I miss the daily "Reels" for multiple technical reasons, but if you do, they did share one from Tyler's personal Facebook page on Sunday of him borrowing his brother's drumkit during a rehearsal. Painfully short, but it sounds good while it lasts! In terms of concerts, Spades GT successfully opened for The Anti-Queens in Barrie this past Thursday, and they will return to The Queens Nightclub there in two weeks when they open for both The Brains and K-Man & The 45s on May 18th!

Of course, local fans will remember seeing both groups on stage in the Soo in the 2010s, especially K-Man & The 45s, so this will be a familiar night for former and visiting Saultites on the 18th who like psychobilly and ska punk respectively! Before then however, they were added on late notice to a Toronto gig taking place tomorrow night at Sneaky Dee's headlined by Toronto progressive metal band Aunest. No familiar bands from past local gigs there other than the former Jack Spades, but hopefully this show is a hit! The big announcement from the Spades GT camp yesterday is the cover artwork for their new album "Sewer City Radio", courtesy of Germany-based artist Cliff Terrafolio, and it features an alleyway at nighttime with the album name and a spade on a manhole cover, and the band's new text logo in the upper left. Works well enough! The band has teased "dropping all sorts of stuff" from the record soon, so stay tuned for that.

A release party is expected, albeit likely in the GTA and not here, though remember that the band last said that it would come out this month. We have yet to hear studio material from the recording sessions, but the band hinted on Sunday that the internet radio station CGCM Rock Radio may have Spades GT in their rotation already, so visit there if you're curious! To close, here's a brief new video from April 24th that, shockingly, is not a "Reel", so we can embed it here! Still a short & vertical clip, it features the band (minus Jay) giving a final push for the Anti-Queens concert, with guitarist Daniel Horton holding the camera and speaking on behalf of the band. Check it out below, and see more from Spades GT above!

Next up, let's cover some recent content from local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, starting with a new timeframe for their long-gestating debut EP, as in a comment reply on their Facebook page on Monday they indicated that it is "set to be released (in the) fall (of) this year".  Of course, they had planned to initially put this out last summer, so things are definitely behind old projections, but hopefully things are on track in 2023, and that we hear more beyond "Hammer Down" in the lead-up to the release date! In terms of videos, they have posted two on Facebook that we have yet to address, though neither features the full band. One video from April 17th just has 12 seconds of their stage setup when they opened for Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster last month, with no band members present. Not the first time that they've shared a video like that, for the record, but it sure looked professional!

Embedded below is a short clip from January 15th, vertical as it may be, of guitarist Bill Brouillard playing while standing on a rolling cart in front of the stage at Soo Blaster, with bassist Robin "Bones" Lee pushing it along for good measure. Amusing on one hand, and a good showcase of Bill's guitar talents on the other, so check it out for yourself below!

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:

 

• Wyld Stallyns/ex-Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner will reportedly fill in with Winnipeg/Denmark metal band Gutter Creek (featuring Saultite guitarist Matt Hanchuck) when they open for Tantric in Kalkaska, Michigan on May 20th! This was confirmed in personal Facebook posts only but seemed worth mentioning given the scope. Derek is a late fill-in due to Gutter Creek's normal drummer being unavailable, and Kalkaska is 2½ hours south of the Soo near Traverse City. Huge opportunity for sure, and hopefully Derek nails it in a couple of weeks! Note that Traverse City metal trio (and Kewadin Casino lounge regulars) Scarkazm are also playing at this concert.
• In a "Reel" on Tidal Records' Facebook page on April 21st, online page-less local punk/folk solo project Jonesy Land shared a new teaser clip from their upcoming debut album "Zoom-Out" (still planned to drop on May 31st), while also noting the album's inspirations from frontman Dustin Jones' life lessons and self-discovery. The album was mixed by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines, and if song names shared on Dustin's personal Facebook page are any indication, the song we're hearing here is "Old Man", which will feature Shannon Moan on guest vocals. Stay tuned for more news on "Zoom-Out"!
• Dustin's Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers bandmate Mikey Hawdon was profiled in this new SooToday article by Chris Belsito on Tuesday, which outlines Mikey's move back to Sault Ste. Marie last year, the formation of the also-online-pageless Bookclub, and promotion for their set at the Festival of Beer this Saturday. Aside from some reveals of bands that Bookclub cover live, there's no real scoops here, but this is a solid article for fans of Mikey's recent band work in town, so give it a read at this link!
  

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (May 2023 Update)

For our second post of the day, we have this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, featuring our look at the newest updates and release statuses of upcoming albums that are publically known to have had recording sessions begin, and while no entries are new this month, four of the seven have updates! If planned release dates hold up, this series will dramatically shrink come June, but for now, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: Multiple

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera last year, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as well as the final artwork, while in promotion for his last release, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final eponymous solo album.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine for when this will finally come out, but remember that Chase is very prolific and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo, or by being released online for free. Regardless, he has been working on the rock opera for years to ensure a quality product, so stay tuned for updates from his camp!

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Fort Creek's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Hammer Down"

Background: Local southern/hard rock quintet Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, and while the pandemic lockdowns may have gave them more time to record, they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared this snippet of their single "Hammer Down" their Facebook page, later posting this 72 second clip. The guys debuted it at their headlining concert at Soo Blaster in June, and have played it live regularly since, but they have yet to release any full tracks online. The band has been working in studio in early 2023, revealing that "it's coming along" in a Facebook post on March 22nd.

Current Release Status: Fort Creek revealed in a comment reply on their Facebook page on April 17th that their originals are "set to be released this fall", which follows their unrealized plans to release an EP in "late summer", then "late 2022". There are a lot of unknowns either way, especially given the 2+ years of production time and that this is a band primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit (though some members do have experience in name original bands, especially Tony). It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned!
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Handsome Sandwich - "Deconstructed"

Rumoured Songs: "All Or Nothing", "Bitter", "No Entry", "No Idea", "Better Off"

Background: After taking a year+ long hiatus during the pandemic, local "no genre" band Handsome Sandwich reunited in mid-2021 with a new lineup, with Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger now joined by singer Taylor Emlaw, guitarist Mitch Sirie, and (as of last summer) bassist Rafael Medina. Via their new Facebook page & YouTube channel, the band almost instantly began teasing a debut album (after previously being covers-only from 2017-2020), posting videos of them playing original songs. In June 2021, the album had began pre-production, with recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Bill Priddle & mixer Dustin Goodall. In November, the band confirmed that the album's name was changed from "Lettuce" to "Deconstructed", and recording sessions wrapped in January, with Jordan Zadorozny mixing the tracks at Skylark Park in Pembroke. Their songs "Bitter", "Better Off" , and "No Entry" have came out as pre-release singles, complete with their own music videos. The album will have a CD print run, and the cover artwork was revealed last month.

Current Release Status: The band has had a release date of this Saturday planned for this album since last fall, and that will culminate in a release concert at The Loft, which is The Algoma Conservatory of Music's third floor intimate concert venue and attached recording studio. Handsome Sandwich did tease that this set will be "live recorded", but they have not specified if they meant in video or audio format, and if the latter, if they plan to release their set as a live album or not. Saturday night should be a huge occasion, especially given the fancier setting for the release party, so stay tuned!
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Jonesy Land - "Zoom - Out"

Rumoured Songs: "Sunshine Parades", "Moral Blackout", "Ain't Dead Yet"

Background: The current solo project from former Rising Tide/Inner City Surfers frontman Dustin Jones, he has been working under the Jonesy Land name since 2021 when he played a handful of summer festival dates, while also sporadically releasing new studio original recordings with attached music videos. While public teasers towards Jonesy Land's future plans have been made before 2023 (primarily via this SooToday article), Dustin finally announced in February that he is working on a studio album named "Zoom - Out" at his own Mission Control Studios, to be released through his label Tidal Records, and to be produced by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines. Jonesy Land is a fluid project for genres and performers, and it was confirmed through a "reel" on the Tidal Facebook page that local folk musician Shannon Moan will be among the guests, though more musicians are to be announced.

Current Release Status: This "reel" (cross-posted from Dustin's TikTok page) confirms a planned album release date of Wednesday, May 31st (my birthday!), barely confirming earlier teasers of a spring release. If this holds, it will be great to see a new studio album from Dustin for the first time in over a decade, but be advised that Jonesy Land do not have a formal social media page (not counting TikTok, which is personal use as well) to promote themselves with. As such, updates on the album may be slower than with other bands, let alone focused on his own personal accounts, where he has gleaned more about the album's planned makeup, which may not even feature their initial three singles. In any event, we'll keep you guys posted on the release!
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Mike Haggith - "All The Best In All You Do"

Rumoured Songs: "I've Seen It Before", "Twist of Fate", "If Only You Could Hear Me", "All You Do", "Love Will Light The Way", "All For You"

Background: During his live-streamed Facebook concert in February 2022, local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith revealed that he was working on his newest studio album, entitled "All The Best In All You Do". Like his other post-Sault Ste. Marie albums, this will have an overarching concept, this time about the transition out of depression and being manipulated by others, into a happier personal life. At the time, Mike was 35% done with the album, which will reportedly have ten songs, some of which he has previewed in 2022 concerts and in his Facebook live-streams. A single version of "Twist of Fate" was unveiled in July, and live videos of some songs can be found on Mike's Facebook page and/or YouTube channel in individual uploads. Mike moved to Barrie, Ontario for work reasons at the end of 2022, and has resumed working on his studio material there. This may also be put out on Mike's own indie label MorningStar Records, which he has used as a name-only imprint previously.

Current Release Status: Given Mike's day job, personal commitments, and admitted issues with Facebook, he hasn't been as active on social media in recent months, but he was playing live dates last year and presumably working on recording the new album where time allows, though all of the personal and professional changes involving his move to Ontario are definitely acknowledged. Hopefully things are progressing naturally, and we'll keep you posted!

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Spades GT''s first full-length album

Rumoured Songs: "Cenobites", "Hands"

Background: After a successful local run from 2013-2020 that included their 2014 debut EP "The First" and six more studio tracks on 2015's "Fed Up!" split, local crossover thrash quintet Jack Spades were relaunched in late 2021 as Spades GT, once frontman J.D. Pearce moved to Barrie for work reasons. After playing live throughout 2022, the band announced plans to record a full-length album in January, hitting the studio in Toronto with producer Kyle Marchant in March. Only J.D. remains from the Jack Spades-era CDs, now joined by late-era Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton (who also moved to the GTA) plus new additions Jay Sarrazin, James Roy Daley, and Tyler Reiner on guitar, bass, and drums. The album will feature guest appearances from Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow on guitar and Daniel's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse on vocals.

Current Release Status: The band announced via this Facebook post in March that the album is "coming out in May", and if that projection holds, it's convenient timing given that Spades alumni Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger's debut album with Handsome Sandwich is also slated for release this month! Given the extra opportunities and availability that Spades GT have in Southern Ontario, things can easily come together quicker and on a higher profile compared to their mid-2010s efforts. Keep posted to Spades GT's online pages for further updates, and songs from the new album have been filmed in live concert videos!

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The Uncanny Valley's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "The Uncanny Valley", "Glowin'", "Middle Man", “This Love is Psychedelic”, "Stuck In Rotation", “Sweet Like Sugar”, "Fumbling Through"

Background: The new classic hard rock band from 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan, fans will have seen original material of theirs right from the start, as The Uncanny Valley debuted their own songs in their first live concert at The Canadian on New Year's Eve 2019. Live concert & jam session videos have followed on their Facebook page featuring their own material as well. After posting a teaser audio clip of "Sweet Like Sugar" in September 2020, they posted the full studio version of "Middle Man" that October, finally confirming there that they are working on their first album. The guys did record a studio version of "Stuck In Rotation" at Unsalted Audio for the Clusterfolk Music Festival and a related compilation album in April 2022, but whether that exact recording will be included on the band's own album is unclear.

Current Release Status: No clue, which isn't helped by The Uncanny Valley's age and relatively unfamiliar profile for many readers, not to mention the complications of the pandemic, but they have played a number of local concerts last year. That said, they are a talented group who seemed to be taking the right steps for the future, and hopefully more updates on The Uncanny Valley's debut album follow in some form or another when ready!

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 I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around June 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile one week from tomorrow. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!