LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & HeadF1rst), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's tackle another round of weekend concert previews on the SMS, though due to the amount, we'll push Saturday's Dos Amigos and Nameless concerts to tomorrow's post. Just for clarification, cover rock quartet Separate Wayz (featuring half of Soundcheck's final lineup) are at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this weekend, but we still await confirmation of their sound/setlist, while Sault Michigan's Tarnished are playing at the annual Michihistrigan Rendezvous motorcycle rally on Saturday in Gould City, which is a 90 minute drive from the Soo and thusly outside of our coverage range. Keep these dates in mind if you're interested though, but let's lead off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst are the latest local band to debut at Beck's Bar, and will do so on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this booking via Beck's Facebook page on Tuesday, but the band first announced it on their Facebook page on Wednesday of last week, getting lost in the shuffle as we were focusing on that week's concert preview cycle. According to the band's Facebook page, "we're kicking off our tour" with this concert, their first since their album release party at Soo Blaster last month, though a planned Sudbury road trip was cancelled for last week. To promote the concert, drummer Anthony Boudreau stars in this Facebook "Reel" where he is seen having a spit take after leaving Millie's Mini-Mart nearby before checking out Beck's for himself. It's more hype for the venue than the band, but it's great to see that Beck's is catching on!

It's great to see HeadF1rst back at it, and hopefully SATURDAY'S debut at this new-ish west end venue is a blast for fans and regulars alike! This week's 3:00 PM Saturday matinee is Dodge This/ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer (no idea if his solo sets are basically one man Dodge This gigs or not), but this is a separate concert earlier in the day and he isn't "opening" for HeadF1rst. SATURDAY'S HeadF1rst concert (a one-nighter due to Friday DJ nights) has a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and here's HeadF1rst live!

Next up, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will return to Beck's Bar for another matinee gig on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this gig was also only announced via Beck's Facebook page on Tuesday, but in this case, Tym quietly added SUNDAY'S concert to his batch Facebook event page for shows there, along with even more dates! His scheduled August 31st show was cancelled for unannounced reasons (granted, you could argue that it was rescheduled to any of the new dates), but the two new bookings are both Saturday matinees, which will see Tym rock the former Vibe Lounge on Saturday, June 21st and August 9th! He is scheduled for two further dates in the fall but we'll hold those for now due to the timeframe, so our concert calendar isn't clogged with one act's shows that far out. Good to see Tym getting lots of new bookings at Beck's, THIS SUNDAY'S included, so don't miss his busy summer slate!

As usual for matinees at Beck's (Jason Taillefer on Saturday included), Tym's shows on SUNDAY and ahead are all at 3:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to shows that had advance notice, it's a busy weekend for local alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB, who will rock The Prince Township Pavilion TONIGHT to kick off Prince Township's summer concert series for 2025! This show is on the borderline of our coverage range going west, so it'll be a slight hike for fans in Sault Ontario proper, but their fun blend of atypical rock covers and ample live experience will serve them well at this outdoor-ish venue! The all ages show takes place tonight at 7:00 PM at 3042 Second Line West with a rare $10 cover charge. After that, Bookclub will perform at this year's Sault Ste. Marie Festival Of Beer at the Downtown Plaza on SATURDAY, where they are the only SMS amenable band playing this year's also outdoor-ish festivities for craft beer patrons and vendors on Queen Street East. The lineup was announced on Facebook last week, so who else is playing?

As per LopLops' Facebook page, the nominal headliners at 6:00 PM are local DJs (also opening the day's program at 12:30 PM), while musical performers include Winnipeg indie pop duo Sundayclub at 4:30 PM, BookcluB at 3:30 PM, and a mystery local band named The Catalina Wine Mixer at 2:30 PM. This show is free to check out at the Downtown Plaza with mostly cloudy weather of 14-15° projected by 9&10 News, as well as a 20% chance of rain. Hopefully things hold up there as they should tonight in Prince, so visit the above links for complete details on the Festival of Beer and tonight's concert, and for a preview, here's Bookclub live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll stay downtown, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be their first public concerts in two weeks (also at Reggie's), after cancelling their "uncorked" show at The Water Tower Pub this past weekend due to a double booking. They have since heavily implied that they were playing a private event on Saturday (as teased in this Facebook video from that evening), so now you know what was going on. Good to see the guys back and plugged in at Reggie's this weekend, and hopefully these two "sermons" deliver all of the old school rock action and originals that fans are hoping for! Yes, Bone Yard did tease on their Facebook page on May 30th that "the album is coming along nicely", and they hope to have it ready by the end of the year. First I heard that they're working on a full album, which is great news!

Time will tell if their existing three original songs will be on it, but hopefully things go according to plan for your local 225! Tomorrow & Saturday's Reggie's shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details on Bone Yard's gigs this weekend, and here they are live! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), Thursday Concert Previews, And New Videos!

(Updated at 9:58 PM) This weekend's concert slate is quite busy again after getting a relative reprieve last week, so let's start things a day early today! After all, two (three?) of the shows are Thursday evening affairs, and have more to say than normal given the setting of them, so here's what you should know to start, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! We'll touch on Friday-Saturday nighters and/or the Northern Vibe Festival in preview post #2 hitting the site tomorrow.

Joining the previously confirmed Soundcheck concert at the Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road tomorrow, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will indeed be headlining the concurrent motorcycle show at the old A&W at 121 Great Northern Road TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice on Bone Yard's end, public advertising confirming their involvement only showed up on Facebook earlier today, but remember that they have been busy prepping for the Dragonfly Run on Sunday (preview forthcoming). The dual sets by both bands at the respective A&W car and bike shows is a reprise of last year's Cruisin' The Dub festivities, only this year, Mother Nature isn't going to interfere, as 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and weather of around 23°. Both car & bike show were rained out in 2023, so things should run smoothly across the board!

As expected, Cruisin' The Dub is in support of Multiple Sclerosis Canada, with lots of classic cars and motorcycles to check out across both Great Northern Road A&Ws, along with family friendly games, prize draws, and refreshments, and a hard rocking local band at both locations, so keep all of this in mind TOMORROW! A much bigger follow-up to the car-only show that Soundcheck played in June, the car and/or bike show will have no cover, they're absolutely ALL AGES, and both run from 5:00-8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S action, stay tuned for more from both bands this weekend, and here are both bands live, including one of three new videos of Bone Yard 225 live via their Facebook page! Two of them were live-streamed from their concert at the Laird Agricultural Fair on Friday, including one of them covering The Ramones' classic "I Wanna Be Sedated" with bassist Warren Reville on lead vocals.

While it is vertical, the filmer largely only focused on Warren, so the orientation isn't so bad in that regard! Solid cover but the vocals came through very quiet. The other Laird Fair video (which is horizontal) sees them covering ZZ Top's "Tush" with guitarist Alex D'Ettore on lead vocals, and it's a solid cover with good energy! Embedded here is their (also horizontal!) new video from one of their Reggie's Place gigs in July, where they covered The Tragically Hip's "Little Bones" with singer/drummer Greg Simpson handling vocals. Another strong cover filmed in high quality, if slightly to its detriment given the stage lighting at Reggie's, but check this out for yourselves below, and don't miss Bone Yard TOMORROW!

Next up, Hails frontman Brenton Ellis' acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play a rare live set TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to the Sault Ste. Marie Museum for their third straight set at the annual Fringe North Festival! The only SMS-amenable music act playing Fringe North this year, Slumshine will see Brent break out his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask for the first time since last year's Fringe North when he opens up "the Comet Stage", which will be set up outside of & behind the museum tomorrow night (as such, expect the same sunny & 23° weather conditions as at Cruisin' The Dub). The official program outlines all of the details you could ask for re: this year's festival, including a complete performer lineup at the Museum and elsewhere, celebrating art and culture in all of its diverse forms. Like last year, Slumshine's set (named "A Work In Progress") will be themed around Brent's recovery from drug addiction.

Click here to read more about Slumshine's modus operandi and what to expect lyrically from their set, courtesy of Fringe North's website. While Slumshine's set opens tomorrow's program at "the Comet Stage" at 7:00 PM, each individual performer is priced separately at different tiers, with no batch price packages to cover an entire day's musicians on one stage. Brent will be a musical outlier anyway tomorrow, as he precedes sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and rappers from local label Sooicide Records at 10:00 PM. If you want to see Slumshine's set tomorrow from 7:00-8:00, the minimum advertised price is $5, though $15 is the "support the artist" rate (note that the program lists both tiers as being $5 higher than the online ticket page does). It is also worth noting that Brent will be jetting off to Southern Ontario for shows with Hails this weekend!

On Friday and Saturday, they'll be opening for Toronto "hypnofolk" band Twintwa (who also played with Ha!ls at It's The Pits in Leeburn) and Hamilton electro-noise rock band Better Homes For Meaner People, across both nights, the former at Vertagogo in Hamilton and the latter at the third annual Humber River Art & Music Festival in Toronto, where the three bands will be joined by Peterborough rapper Garbageface, the Soo's own Shae Tull, and many others. Hopefully both shows are hits for Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan this weekend, but don't miss Slumshine tomorrow at the museum first! See above for more details on Fringe North 2024, and for a preview, here's Slumshine live back in 2019!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Slumshine) & New Videos!!

Keeping this steady string of new posts going this week, we have two more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from the same artist to look at in the next month, along with some new videos, so let's get this post started!

Local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play at the annual Fringe North Festival for a third straight year when they rock "the Comet Stage" outside of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum on Thursday, August 22nd! Unfortunately, I completely missed plugging Slumshine's show at Fringe North last year, but I didn't miss this year's! As confirmed in the official program (Slumshine haven't updated their Facebook page since 2021), they will be the opening act on the Comet Stage for day #2 of the annual arts, culture, and inclusivity festival taking place at multiple downtown venues, though primarily at the Museum. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask in tow, and presenting a show inspired by his recovery from addiction, Slumshine play at 7:00 PM next Thursday, preceding sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, ...

...Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and local rappers from Sooicide Records closing at 10:00 PM. Despite the tight scheduling, acts across Fringe North are individually priced at two levels (general admission and a much higher "support the artist" rate), with no batch pricing options for an entire day's lineup. While openly "pay what you can", the minimum advance admission price for Slumshine's set is $5 for the former and $15 for the latter, though $10 and $20 are suggested in the program. As this year's only hard rock/punk outpost, hopefully Slumshine go over well, so visit the above links for complete Fringe North details for this year! While we're on the subject, we have one more new show to take note of from Slumshine, as they will make their Soo Blaster debut and (I believe) their first non-Fringe North concert since 2020 when they open for Ottawa alternative/folk singer/guitarist Rory Taillon on Tuesday, September 3rd!

Rory hasn't played here since headlining at the former Gore Street Cafe in 2016, and while not punk-influenced like Brent's solo material is, his music does have thematic similarities via lyrics about mental health and his personal life, so the shoe fits in that way, and he is a talented musician with a distinctive voice! This stop on Rory's support tour for his new album "Now It's Quiet" has a likely 19+ age limit, 8:00 PM start time, and admission of $10 at this link or $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more on this all-acoustic Tuesday nighter next month, and don't miss Slumshine next week!

Next up, here's our first video look at reunited local death/thrash metal trio Pillory in concert! Filmed by an uncredited attendee of their return set at last month's all-local Crucifest replacement event at Robbie Adamson's old church in Leeburn, this was uploaded to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel two weeks ago. It captures their entire 44 minutes-long set, though there is a bit of minor post-production editing to cut out some dead air. Unfortunately, Bret did not list songs by name with timecodes in the description, and multiple songs were not introduced live anyway, but Pillory are continuing along the path they were carving in the late 2010s, with frontman Robert Sartini deploying Death-inspired harsh vocals, so don't expect close similarities to their "Cringe At The Cross" EP from that front alone. Prolific local musician Blair St. John is on bass here, continuing in that role from their final 2010s gigs.

This video was shot vertically, but at least the filmer captured Pillory from that high platform that other Leeburn concertgoers have used for a unique vantage point from above, and as such, the guys are least laid out for a vertical orientation better! The lighting is very inconsistent though, with Robert basically performing in shadow from what we see.  If you like brutal thrash-inspired death metal, Pillory's return after a five year hiatus (with a few false starts in the interim) will be very welcomed, so give their return set a watch below, and don't miss them opening for The Fixer at Soo Blaster on August 25th, with more to come!

Finally for this post, here's the latest videos from local progressive metal band Convergence's YouTube channel! As the wait for their third EP "Gemini" continues, the guys posted two new sampler videos of new original songs in the past month, including the previously teased "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon" (yes, that is how they censored it), but embedded below is guitarist Brendan Christie playing an apparent new original song named "You Are Not Flesh". No one else is seen in this video, but I believe Jake Valois is also playing in the other clip (granted, no one's face is shown on camera there). "You Are Not Flesh" is not visibly tied to "Gemini" in the video proper or description, but it definitely sounds the part for fans of djent and progressive metal, and of course, Brendan and Jake are considerable talents on guitar, so it'll be interesting to hear more come out! Give Convergence's new teaser clips a watch, and stay tuned for updates!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bookclub & HeadFirst) Plus New Studio Song Teasers!!

Today's post features some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for mid-2024 and some teasers for new studio material from two local bands, so here's what you should know on this sunny Tuesday!

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst have announced their concert calendar for the next month via their Facebook page! I will hold their shows this weekend for our weekend concert previews due to being announced on late notice, and we already knew about their set opening for Greg Rekus & The Inside Job at The Distraction on Thursday, May 23rd (event page linked here), but they will be back at Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for a one-nighter on Friday, May 31st! This appears to have fallen into place due to their booking on Saturday, June 1st at Shooters Downstairs Lounge (which has been booking DJ nights on Fridays in 2024), so they're ending May on the right foot before kicking off June in style a little further downtown! Bone Yard 225 had already confirmed that they're playing at Reggie's on June 1st after a one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub on the 31st, so both bands solved their full weekend booking problems!

If you want to check out HeadFirst for a full weekend at Reggie's afterwards, they will be back there on Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th, so keep these four new dates in mind! All are 9:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and remember, we will be addressing this weekend's HeadFirst shows in our weekend concert previews on Thursday. Meanwhile, remember how HeadFirst vaguely teased on Facebook last month that "Something. Is. Coming." on May 18th (this Saturday)? Well, we now know what exactly. Is. Coming. on the 18th, namely their first studio single! Rather than release the previously filmed "The Walk" thusly, the single (strongly hinted to have been recorded at Mission Control Studios) will be for their original "Don't Care, Don't Mind", and it will be accompanied by a music video featuring footage of the band performing at Case's Music.

The 67 second teaser clip also features the band hanging out, fans dancing at one of their shows, and cigarette package imagery. No vocals, so you aren't spoiled too much yet! Oddly, the teaser video was uploaded sideways, so if you want to watch it without tilting your device/head, you will sadly have to watch it as a "Reel". I can't embed "Reels" here, so the sideways teaser is embedded below, but check it out if you want before the launch on Saturday, and stay tuned on Thursday for our late notice preview of their shows this weekend!

Next up, online page-less local alternative/punk cover sextet Bookclub will perform at this year's second annual Salty Marie Trails Fest at Hiawatha Highlands at 780 Landslide Road on Saturday, July 27th! If you're not familiar, the Salty Marie Fest is a festival of mountain bike and foot races alongside family activities, refreshments, local vendors, and more (click here for SooToday's coverage of last year's event), and this year's sophomore outing is shaping up to be bigger and better, so click here and above for current details on what's going on this year and, if you're up for it, how you can enter one of the races! Among the upgrades for year #2 is live music on "the salty stage", with Bookclub playing in their first confirmed summer festival gig of the year, so don't miss their up-tempo and atypical covers slate then! I have no idea if other musicians will be playing in two months, we'll keep you posted if we hear of anything.

Note that The Salty Marie's Facebook promotion gives us our first official (non-live) photo of Bookclub since adding Josh Norling on saxophone and since Brandon Ruch replaced Dave Bahun on guitar. Presented by Red Pine Tours, the trails fest is absolutely an all ages event, and as best as I can tell, the only admission fee would be for registrants taking part in the bike/foot races. A start time for The Salty Marie has not been announced yet, let alone for Bookclub's set, but based on last year's public media, I'd be shocked if Bookclub weren't on during daylight hours. Visit the above links for more details on the festival and races to come in July!

We'll close today with some punk cohorts of Bookclub's founding members, namely veteran local punk quintet The Gambit, who posted on their Facebook page last week to reveal that they are recording in studio! An 18 seconds-long video was attached featuring drummer Clint Wilson drumming at what appears to be a home studio, and we don't hear any tracks from the rest of the band, but it is a good sign that the former Sick Sons are working on studio material! Fans will recall seeing this band play a few originals live, and you can hear at least five in their live-stream from the Fuller reunion concert at LopLops in December, which I had titled as "Lonelier Tomorrow", "Lucky Seven", "Depth", "Clickbait", and "Faultline" (some could be mislabelled, blame the audio quality of the stream). Are they just recording a one-off single, or is more afoot? We'll keep you posted, but watch Clint's video below, and stay tuned for more from The Gambit!

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

Recent Local Concert Videos, Plus A Unique Drum Solo!!

Today's post is devoted to some recent videos, mostly from cover-centric musicians, and let's begin with bands recently seen in concert, starting with two live-streamed videos from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard's Facebook page at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Friday night! One is a 30 second clip of the guys covering ZZ Top's "La Grange", but embedded below is a much longer (if not full) rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". Alas, both were filmed vertically, but the person behind the camera got good angles of Bone Yard in action, especially on "La Grange" while it lasted, and the guys sound solid overall on both! Give Bone Yard's newest concert videos a watch above & below!

Next up, here's some newer videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' show at Shooters on Friday the 13th, as filmed by attendee Monique Chartrand and uploaded to the band's Facebook group the following day! One is a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" with drummer Tony Santoro on lead vocals, but the video embedded below is longer and features frontwoman Valerie Powley on vocals. I admittedly cannot identify this cover, but that's not the fault of Monique or her camera, as there's an abnormal level of audience chatter during it that really complicates trying to hear Valerie's singing in any detail. Like with Bone Yard's video above, these were filmed vertically, but more distantly from a table, so keep that in mind. Well performed all around, if not entirely ideal to viewing quality depending on what you prefer, so give these a watch above & below!

Also today, here's some new videos from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback's Facebook page in the past week! Well, less videos and more "Reels", as all of their recent uploads are as such, making them all permanently vertical, unable to be played in background tabs, and unable to be embedded on external websites. Interestingly, these "Reels" mostly feature footage shot when they opened for The Nameless Friends at Reggie's Place earlier this month, despite the band never plugging the concert on Facebook. Despite being brand new concert footage, four of the "Reels" just feature edited clips set to audio from their 2020 self-titled debut album ("Faded", their self-titled song, "Kicking & Screaming", and "Everlasting"), along with lyrics for included song snippets laid on screen. Local bands that post exclusive video footage in "Reels" rarely post the raw/full video separately, but it'd be neat if A Dire Setback did!

The only other new "Reel" was made to promote "Kicking & Screaming" music video and their debut album, with a (pillarboxed) clip from the video and more lyrics superimposed. It is great to see A Dire Setback ramp up their online presence this month after largely being quiet on Facebook post-pandemic, and while I've never been fond of "Reels", at least they're giving fans some new media. Check them out above!

We'll close today with a video that I should have covered on here months ago just on novelty factor alone, and it features Double Down/ex-That's Chester drummer Ric Datson playing a drum solo.... inside the Sault Ste. Marie Museum?! Yes, the museum at the corner of Queen & East hosts live concerts occasionally as well as the Fringe North festival, but it's still not the first locale you think of for a drum solo. Of course, Ric is the assistant curator of the museum, so he had an in to get his gear inside! Ric set up his Crush acrylic drumkit inside an empty gallery during a changeover in temporary exhibits, and was mainly filmed for fun to see how this newer kit sounded in a big, empty room. As uploaded to his YouTube channel in June, the video starts with 38 seconds of sped-up footage of Ric setting up his drums, before jumping to him drumming for almost four minutes.

The main view is an overhead shot from behind him, while the other (seen in an inset window in the upper left) is from a straight-on view to his left. This is a neat video for fans of Ric's (let alone drum solos), and while I'm sure you'd better appreciate the acoustics of the room in person, the echo and reverb does come through in the video, and it's certainly a unique way to see a local drummer show his stuff! Give it a watch for yourselves below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Slumshine), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed (if abbreviated) concert earlier this week, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck played at a car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road on Thursday. The band never promoted this gig on their Facebook page, and I only belatedly heard about it via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page... but the show only lasted for an hour before heavy rain washed the band out and they were unable to continue. Hopefully their gear wasn't damaged, and I do apologize for missing the show, I'd have covered it if someone said something! Now, here's a weekend concert preview & a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine are back and will headline day #3 of this year's Fringe North Festival with a concert at The Sault Ste. Marie Museum TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Slumshine's Facebook page has not been updated to reflect this date, but project leader Brenton Ellis' personal Facebook page, and Fringe North's own promotional materials have picked up the slack. Slumshine had been publically dormant since the release of their "Slumlord" EP in May 2021 and the launch of Brent's current band These Magnificent Tentacles that same week, and they hadn't played live at all since early 2020, so you can see how a new Slumshine gig could take fans by surprise! As you may recall, the Fringe North Festival is the annual arts & culture festival intended to showcase open, censorship-free, and limitless performances from artists of all stripes, and is hosting in-person events again this year.

While many Fringe North performances remain as videos viewable by ticket purchasers only (The Uncanny Valley participated as such last year), and there's no linked Up The Arts Festival at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion like there was pre-pandemic, The Sault Ste. Marie Museum at the corner of Queen & East is the 2022 home base for in-person events. However, recent Facebook promotion indicates that the poor weather forecast for this weekend has forced Fringe North to move previously planned outdoor events inside the Museum, but capacity is limited across the board whether they were in the museum or not. Full details on any schedule adjustments are available on the Fringe North Facebook page. The only hard rock/punk-leaning in person act this year, Slumshine will be performing in the Museum at the Durhan Gallery TOMORROW NIGHT at 10:00 PM as part of a six act program, with Slumshine as the only "band".

Also scheduled are a performance of the one-act play Danielle at 8:30 PM, a Haus of Gore drag show at 7:00 PM, musical comedy troupe The Floor Beneath Us at 5:30 PM, a Project Nishin Niizh watch party (for indigineous culture videos reflecting the impact of the pandemic) at 4:00 PM, and Tim Murphy's historical one-man-show Wasn't It Grand? at 2:30 PM. It is worth noting that Slumshine's set TOMORROW NIGHT is plugged in the official Fringe North program as "a personal recovery based musical performance piece incorporating visual art", implying that Brent's paintings will be involved along with personal song lyrics, but of course, his pink knit ski mask is a given. Performances at Fringe North are individually priced, and while the format is "pay what you can", organizers suggest $10 for most acts and $20 as a "support the artist" price. Age limits are not specified, but use your discretion given the open culture.

Space limits inside the Museum for both size and pandemic protocols mean that there will be only 35 paid attendees allowed to see most acts, Slumshine included, so head down to the Museum A.S.A.P. if you want to ensure you're in before showtime! I'm very surprised to see Slumshine back, if at a very restricted event for capacity, but hopefully Brent has a lot more up his solo sleeve after TOMORROW NIGHT, so look for his entertaining unplugged punk originals downtown! Visit the above links for more details, Slumshine are back in our active band links, and here they are live!

We'll close tonight's post with one more weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a matinee concert THIS SUNDAY! Tym debuted at the Dennis Street nightclub last month with two consecutive Sunday matinees before ceding the timeslot to Leslie Cook over the last two weeks. Tym's back over the next two Sundays, and while I don't know if he and Leslie are trading two Sundays in rotation for the time being or not, fans of his deep covers setlist should find a lot to like in a couple of days! No weather issues to deal with either, doubly so given that it's at Shooters Downstairs Lounge. Whether this works out better for you than his Trading Post gigs or if you can't get enough, Tym's show on Sunday has a 3:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (White Cowbell Oklahoma, The Midnight Echo, And Parabol!!)

Today's news post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS at a notable downtown venue that's helping get the local concert scene back in the swing if things in the months ahead, so here's what you should know!

As part of plans to help kickstart the local concert scene after 2 years of damage from the pandemic, Soo Blaster on Queen Street East is launching a concert series there from this month through early June, with seven live events (mostly from musical acts) hitting the stage there. As revealed in this SooToday article from last week, the series kicks off on April 16th with a show by local pop rock cover band The Killer Hooks, while the next two include Canadian rap legend Robbie G on April 20th and touring comedians Kenny Robinson & Darren Frost the next day (tickets for all three are now on sale at this link). We already know about Fort Creek's headlining show at Soo Blaster on May 7th, while the series will end with a show by Fernandez The Hypnotist on June 9th. The other two shows (plus one event not officially part of the series) fit the SMS' coverage range, so if you've been itching to see some more live music, here's what you should know!

First up for hard rock or punk acts at Soo Blaster this year is Vancouver alt-punk quartet The Midnight Echo, who will hit Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Saturday, April 30th!  Coming around the middle of the band's Whatever Happens, Happens Tour of Canada this spring, The Midnight Echo's sound will definitely appeal to fans of locals Northwest in particular, with a pop punk based amped up with atmospheric synth elements and catchy melodies (think like a middle ground between Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves). The Midnight Echo should appeal to a lot of locals with their distinct yet familiar brand of original music, so don't miss out at month's end! No word on admission fees or start times yet, but expect at least $10 tickets based on other shows in Soo Blaster's concert series so far, and this should be a 19+ event. Visit the above links for more on The Midnight Echo!

Next is a show that is not listed in the official concert series reveal on SooToday, but is still a publically attendable concert at Soo Blaster regardless, as Toronto southern hard rock standouts White Cowbell Oklahoma will return to Sault Ste. Marie for their first ever Soo Blaster date on Friday, May 13th! The show proper is the kickoff event for this year's Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer put on by LopLops Lounge, with this year's festival taking place primarily at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. The festival went on hiatus in 2020 & 2021 for very obvious reasons, but fans of craft beer and IPAs will be glad to know that it is back, so see above for full details on the festival proper! This will be White Cowbell Oklahoma's first Sault date since rocking LopLops in January 2019, and while they can't return there due to that venue's continued closure since the pandemic onset, Soo Blaster should be big enough to contain their wild stage show next month!

As best as I can tell, W.C.O. still feature former Detroit/Maximum RNR guitarist Curtis Faux in their lineup, but the band is usually coy on official band pages about who is currently enlisted. The sparks will literally fly (remember, they use power tools on stage) on May 13th with a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and $25 advance ticket fee, and you can get tickets at this link (nothing is said about in-person availability, inquire with LopLops if you're curious). White Cowbell Oklahoma's over-the-top, southern fried-yet hard rocking blend of music and showmanship will be more than welcomed in the Soo again, so see above for full details!

Finally, local Tool tribute band Parabol will play their first concert in over two & a half years when they rock Soo Blaster on Saturday, June 4th! Be advised that Parabol have not updated their Facebook page since November, and we will let you know if this show does not occur for one reason or another, but it is listed on the schedule in the above SooToday post. As you may recall, Parabol consist of Redefined, Sense of Truth, Half Past, and Late Shift alumni, and were a popular sight on the local concert scene from late 2018-late 2019, last seen in October of that year at Soo Blaster,. Their original Facebook page was taken down for alleged copyright infringement strikes (they apparently sounded too close to Tool), and the pandemic helped keep them off stage regardless, hence the live hiatus. Hopefully the guys shake off the rust in time to deliver another proficient night full of prog metal classics, and it'll be great to see Parabol back in action!

Attendee details are not public yet, but note that October 2019's Soo Blaster show was a 19+, 10:00 PM affair, and tickets went for $5 in advance or $8 at the door. Visit the above links for continuing details on these and other upcoming concerts at Soo Blaster, and it's great to see that they're getting back into the swing of things for live entertainment! Hopefully other venues aren't too far off, and of course, I do hope everyone is sensible re: the pandemic, as while things are more open, it's not done yet. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

The Rundown On Mike Haggith's Ninth #LockdownLive Concert!!

Hey guys, this is an auto-post due to my taking today off from the SMS due to my 31st birthday, but I wanted to keep our streak of daily posts going in spite of that, and with Mike Haggith live-streaming his ninth #LockdownLive concert on his Facebook page last night, that will be excellent post fodder for #76! I normally watch these after the live-stream ends to avoid any technical glitches, but this time, I did tune in to the live airing to ensure that this post was complete and scheduled before midnight.

That said, given that this is my first live sit-in for the series, I picked quite the day, as Mike's theme for #LockdownLive IX was "The Sault Profile", focusing on covers of songs by local musicians that he enjoyed and/or was influenced by during his time living in the Soo from 2010-2017, and even beyond! Mike starts the live-stream by explaining his change in set-up for his camera and computer for ease of access, and reminding everyone about the contest for the most shares from live viewers, with the winner picking the cover Mike has to do at #LockdownLive X next week. Of course, irreverent banter remains a constant too! The set starts with two covers of early songs by Kincheloe, Michigan alternative solo project The Black Hole Suns, including "It Takes Time" (which Mike covered on his 2013 album "The Present Din") and "The Man In Green". It's always nice to see cross-border music appreciation like this, I wish Sault Michigan-area bands got more attention up here, and vice versa!

After introducing a drinking game, among other topics, Mike next tackles "Lovers" from defunct local post-punk quartet Gnaeus' 2016 CD "Meditations", which Mike previously covered at #LockdownLive V, and who Mike heavily credited for helping him step up his game locally. Afterwards, Mike discusses 2014-2016 punk quartet Stereo North, leading into his cover of "She Died First" from frontman Andrew Pucci's 2017 debut solo album "Truth & Consequence". Next, Mike reprises another local cover from a past installment (#LockdownLive IV), namely "Closure" by local alternative studio project Auxillary Disconnect, before discussing 2016-2018 local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic, who opened for The Din's Suburban Sendoff concert in fall of 2017. Mike covers two songs of theirs, namely "Psychic Vampire" and "Subway Delay", and though Bizotic never released a studio album, videos of both songs are floating around online if you want to check them out.

Next, Mike covers "Girl From My Dreams" by local folk musician Jacob Quarrell from his 2019 solo album "Small Town Troubles", which Mike also covered in this series before, back on #LockdownLive VII. Afterwards, Mike talks about veteran folk musician Chris Belsito, from whom he covers "Room 702" from his 2010 studio album "Revelation Come Late". At least on the live feed, glitches started occurring while Mike was discussing his old band The Din, from which he plays two of their original songs, including "The Price That You Pay" from 2017's "Suburban Dream" (the only song played last night that Mike wrote) and drummer Brandan Glew's composition "Flux" from 2016's "Give In To The Din". Mike closes the local section of the show by addressing his 2012-2015 local grunge/hard rock band Haggith, specifically discussing their 2012 concept album "Apocalypse", from which he plays the ballad "Days".

Mike wraps up #LockdownLive IX by covering The Gourds' version of Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice", as requested by Brandan for winning last week's live-stream share contest. This rendition is full of amusing spoken word asides, but the music proper is fun and lively, if not as country-reminiscent as The Gourds' version (watch for a Bob Dylan style parody late!) Afterward, Mike checks out the comments one more time, and announces plans to announce the share contest winner later today, as well as promoting the planned #LockdownLive X for this coming Saturday. Aside from some glitches late (people were even kicked out at one point), watching the live-stream live was a fun experience, especially with songs I knew and were familiar with already from so many recent local musicians! Mike's performances were solid as always, and it's great seeing local talent covering other locals like this. Give #LockdownLive IX a watch below, and I'll see you guys with a new post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison's Live-Streamed Twitch Concert, New Covers, And More Updates!!

Let's keep things rolling on the SMS to close another supposed work week, and we have some assorted shorter topics and surprise covers to check out today, but leading off, here's what you should know for an extended live-streamed concert set from a familiar (if shorter-haired) face!

With his regular weekly acoustic shows at Gliss and elsewhere still on hold until further notice, former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is adapting to the times by resurrecting his Twitch page and beginning to play live-streamed concerts from home, with the first one being recorded on Tuesday! A Facebook event page for the Twitch streams implied that he was going to be doing this yesterday as well, but no such video is uploaded, though he also scheduled sets for streams next Tuesday & Thursday as well. Tuesday's stream is entitled "Live Guitar & Singing Of All Mightyness 7th Show" (even though there weren't six preceding shows), and it is embedded below to watch, but what is on offer? First off, ignore the near-3 hour running time, the "Starting Soon" screen and initial setup takes up the first 48 minutes, but fans will still get 2+ hours of Tym in action! In performance order, Tym covers Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" ...

...Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)", Night Ranger's "Sister Christian", Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", Cheap Trick's "The Flame", Phil Collins' "One More Night", A-ha's "Take On Me", a familiar sounding instrumental, Amanda Marshall's "Trust Me (This Is Love)", Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud", The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun", Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise", Tom Petty's "Yer So Bad", Richard Marx's "Hold On To The Nights", The Animals' "House Of The Rising Sun", The Travelling Wilburys' "Handle With Care", Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again", Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Kansas' "Dust In The Wind", Tesla's "Love Song", and Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven", before closing with his original ballad "Say That You Care". There's a lot to take in here, but Tym's vocal & guitar talents are on full display!

It's rare to see such an extensive lengthy video of his acoustic solo act, so savour this one, even if it leans more to classic rock than metal, and he performs to his usual standards! That said, the echo on his performance was very noticeable during breaks, and at times, the audible Facebook notification sounds on Tym's computer made me think that I had messages. Time will tell if he does this again on Tuesday as scheduled, but give Tym's 2+ hour live-streamed set from home a look below!

Next up, here's a pair of recent videos posted onto SooToday's YouTube channel (with accompanying articles linked here & here) featuring Rising Tide/Inner City Surfers frontman Dustin Jones and his daughter Jett covering some country classics at Mission Control Studios! Friends of Dustin's may recall seeing him post videos on his personal Facebook page where he and Jett sing together during this pandemic, but these two are publically shared, and they include a cover of Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" and, as embedded below, Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere", which fans of Dustin's will recall him performing with both The Surfers and The Tide in the past, such as in this video. The new covers are cute and lively, and are definitely worth a watch if you've missed Dustin's bands on stage as of late! Give them a look above & below, and look for Dustin's son Jaycee in a late cameo during "I've Been Everywhere"!



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

• In a bit of foreshadowing for a future installment of our WLSO 90.1 FM retrospective series, I have added an old show of theirs to our Other Sault Michigan Links Section, namely Classic Rock Nights With Gerard, which aired on Lake Superior State University's college radio station during the 2013-2014 school year on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM. Hosted by Gerard Guysky, their Facebook page still features a number of episode previews and even a couple of full playlists that heavily feature hard rock in them, so see more above, and look for part 3 of our WLSO series in the near future!
• Sault Ontario punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' song "They Live" will be featured on independent Hamilton record label Lockdown Records' fourth punk rock compilation, which will be released on May 20th on their Bandcamp page! It will be on sale there for $10, and while the most familiar band on this compilation (from past local shows) are Broomfiller, many other name acts can be found on the preceding three compilations. Very solid exposure for the Spades crew, and see above for more details!
• The Music City Sault Ste. Marie program is moving into it's next phase of municipal development in music and the arts, as per this SooToday article from earlier this week. Plans now include a music industry assessment survey, interviews with takeholders, and coordination of a task force to develop a future strategy regarding building the city's music and cultural sectors. There's a lot of technical details to take in, but things sound like they're well thought out and planned, so see above to dig into the Music City plans so far!

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