LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

A relatively quiet concert weekend lies ahead in the Twin Saults, albeit the calm before the Halloween weekend storm. Still, I am holding one big event for tomorrow's post, namely the semifinals of The Soo's Got Talent, as I was waiting for as much public video from round #2 to turn up, but did it? Stay tuned then, but now let's dive into traditional hard rock concerts this weekend, and some details on a major local development that may have SMS ties in time, but first, here's SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the dates via their Facebook event page yesterday, but at least they made one for them! The guys (sans Cameron) will also be hosting jam night there tonight as usual, and while we don't consider jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their in-built unpredictability, Soundcheck are calling this their "triple decker weekend" at Jay's. This should be a fine weekend for fans of Soundcheck's classic and hard rock cover attack, so don't miss out on all of the action TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, perhaps also including jam night tonight if you don't mind seeing mystery guests join in for mystery covers! These are 19+ events at 9:30 PM with no cover charge. See above for details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some shows that had prior notice, starting with local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard returning to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be Bone Yard's first gig at the Dennis Street nightclub in two months, and is a one-nighter as usual for this venue this season due to Shooters hosting DJs on most Saturdays. If you'd enjoy seeing Greg, Alex, and Warren unleash some hard rocking classic and southern rock hits, you know where to be tomorrow! Note that Bone Yard have confirmed that they will return to Toystock at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday, November 26th, as per their updated Facebook concert calendar pictured here, but I'm waiting for the full lineup announcement before going into details on the SMS. Tomorrow's Shooters show is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live at Shooters in the summer!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Postponed a week due to the band trading weekends there with The Steeltown Playboys, fans of their first few months together will especially want to take notice of tomorrow's show, as drummer Tony Santoro revealed on their Facebook group yesterday that original guitarist Brandon Ruch will return to fill in for an absent Tony Kajnar. This is a one-night-only switch (the band didn't say why Tony K. will be unavailable), but it'll be neat to see Brandon back! Both Tonys will be present on Saturday. Just to clarify scheduling, it does look like singer Valerie Powley will be 100% available on Saturday too, as The Soo's Got Talent's semifinals (where she is judging) begin at 6:30 PM at Soo Blaster and are projected to wrap up in time for her to get down to the west end. Stay tuned tomorrow for our belated round 2 coverage & semifinal preview for The Soo's Got Talent!

Generations' classic and hard rock covers can be enjoyed at The Esquire Club tomorrow and/or Saturday night at 9:30 PM, these are 19+ events, and there's no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Generations! This was shared to their Facebook group by Mario Naccarato, and it features the Jus' Chillin successors covering Alannah Myles' "Love Is" at Reggie's this past weekend. Rare when you Alannah covered locally, especially when it's not "Black Velvet", but Valerie is more than up to the vocal task! Alas, the vertical camera angle is not ideal, and Tony S. is completely blocked from view from where Mario was filming. Give it a look for yourselves below!

Let's close today with a topic that I have completely resisted talking about on the SMS for the longest time, namely the downtown plaza. Many will have followed the plans, delays, agreements, and construction of the plaza beside the new Soo Market at the corner of Queen Street East and Brock Street, and while a concert stage was teased as part of it since early on, I've opted not to cover the plaza on the SMS because it's not really relevant until it is. It has to get heavier bookings first, let alone open successfully, which seemed up in the air for a time as things got delayed. Local news outlets have kept fans abreast of the plaza's progress, but we got some finite plans re: concerts there, as SooToday parent company Village Media have donated $50,000 towards construction of a stage & video screen, and $100,000 towards maintenance & advertising over the next 10 years on what will be called the Village Media Stage (click here for SooToday's coverage).

The stage isn't ready yet, but the plaza will be officially opened to the public on Saturday, October 28th at 10:00 AM, and will be used in its current state as part of Halloween festivities downtown as well as Bon Soo events to be identified. I don't suspect that concerts will be on the docket until the stage is 100% complete (not to mention once winter is over), so look to the spring of 2024 at the earliest for possible concerts. I hope the plaza is a successful investment for the downtown core and for the Soo at large, and we'll let you know as SMS-relevant details come in! That's all for today, but stay tuned for The Soo's Got Talent coverage next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Destroyer & The Wyld Stallyns), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

A relatively quiet concert weekend is upon us for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults, but we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) to pad things out with, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will provide musical entertainment at TOMORROW'S street party on Queen Street East to coincide with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' home opening game! Apologies for the short notice, I only heard about this show earlier today via SooToday, but a Facebook event page had been online for the past two weeks. Regardless, The Stallyns have not confirmed their involvement on their own Facebook page, but given drummer Derek Turner's ties with Village Media, them playing makes sense when you realize their precise location TOMORROW. Queen Street will be closed between Bruce & Dennis (naturally given where GFL Memorial Gardens is), but rather than play at street level on a pop-up stage as normal, the band will be playing on the rooftop of Village Media headquarters at 298 Queen Street East!

Very Beatles-esque conceit there, but totally unique for this city, so look up for The Wyld Stallyns' rocking covers TOMORROW! Food/alcohol vendors, OLG promotions, and family activities will also be on tap for this all ages event, which takes place at 3:00 PM in the leadup to the Greyhounds hosting the Sudbury Wolves in the Gardens at 7:00 PM. Likely one of this year's final outdoor hard rock shows in the Soo, 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 20° TOMORROW during the festivities. Visit the above links for more details, here's The Stallyns live, and go Hounds go!

Next up, we'll pause our weekend concert previews for a second for another new concert taking place further in the timeline, as Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to Soo Blaster for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 14th! Announced oddly late given who the headliners are, this will be Destroyer's (at least) sixth local headlining concert, most recently taking the stage at Soo Blaster in April of last year. Fans who have seen Destroyer live will know that they deliver a faithful rendition of Kiss classics in visual and auditory senses, so if you want the best, the next best thing will be here in a little over two weeks! Local support this time will come by way of new local pop rock cover quartet Bourbon Blue (featuring Turner Up and Soo Fighters alumni), and while not as heavy as Fort Creek from last year, there's a lot of talent in their ranks, so don't be late for their lead-off set next month!

Admission for this 19+ & 7:00 PM concert is $20 in advance (on par with last year) or $25 at the door, and VIP booths will be available if desired. No word on online ticket sales yet, but last year's Destroyer show did have them. Should be a good time for Kiss Army members in the Soo, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Moving back to this weekend's concert previews now, we'll next stay downtown on Queen Street for local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard's scheduled return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! A one-nighter due to Shooters' fall decision to host DJs on Saturdays, this show was announced via the venue's Facebook event page last month, but has not received active promotion on their end nor the band's since. Assuming that all is well, Bone Yard should have a solid evening of hard and southern rock favourites in store for fans and Shooters regulars alike tomorrow, so keep this show in mind for your end-of-month delectation! This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Lastly for this weekend's known hard rock concerts, we'll head to the west end, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are slated to rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their first of two concert weekends booked for the last third of 2023 at this venue, these will be their first shows since playing at Jay's last week with guest singer Darrel Ford, and as far as I can tell, their full lineup (with Cameron) will be back in full force for this weekend's gigs. While the band proper hasn't publically acknowledged them on Facebook, The Esquire Club has, so fingers crossed that the guys have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock favourites ready to go for fans this weekend! As usual for their gigs here, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges tomorrow and/or Saturday. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live last year!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2023 Fallout & Videos (Part 4!!)

To cap off the month of July, let's resume our fallout from this year's Rotaryfest at Clergue Park, so musically speaking, what else should you know from two weeks+ ago? We'll pick things back up with the one-off reunion set of local classic/hard rock cover veterans That's Chester, whose steady stream of multi-camera videos from that night has continued on a daily basis on their Facebook page! All edited together by drummer Ric Datson, the videos include covers of Doucette's "Mama Let Him Play", AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock", The Refreshments' "Banditos", Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' With Disaster", Deep Purple's "Highway Star", this two song video featuring The Knack's "My Sharona" & Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down" (plus a guest appearance from late guitarist Eugene Orlando's grandson), Harlequin's "Thinking Of You", Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz", ZZ Top's "La Grange", and as embedded below, their first two encore songs.

Specifically, they covered April Wine's version of Hot Chocolate's "Could Have Been A Lady" and the April Wine original "Roller" back to back. Along with the first four songs that we addressed in this Rotaryfest fallout post, these videos constitute That's Chester's complete reunion set, and they sound very good across the board with a nice hard rock edge and some welcomed Canadian content for fans of 1970s and 1980s domestic rock acts! Hopefully this won't be the last that we'll see of That's Chester, but check out these well shot & edited videos from Rotaryfest above & below!

Next up, we'll leap from the very last act to play this year to the very first, but not via a video. As you're likely well aware, the Thursday opener on Stage 1 was local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his local backing band in a set cut short after just three songs due to Mike severely dislocating his right knee during his second song (he finished it while laying on his back, and managed to play the third while surrounded by paramedics before the ambulance took him to Sault Area Hospital). One week after all of that happened, Mike was a guest on the podcast Inside The Village (naturally a product of SooToday parent company Village Media) to talk about his abbreviated set with hosts Scott Sexsmith (membership director) and Michael "Frisco" Friscolanti (editor in chief), plus producer Derek Turner (yes, The Wyld Stallyns' drummer). You can hear the 34 minute episode at this link or on other major podcasting services.

After bantering about Michael Amadio bringing the Stanley Cup home to the Soo and discussing some local stories in Southern Ontario (as in, local to other markets served by Village Media news websites), the Mike Haggith portion of the episode begins 10 minutes in after a brief commercial break. Here, Scott asks Mike about the beginnings of his musical career and the planning for his Rotaryfest set this year before diving into the set proper, including how things went until he collapsed, the amusing initial reactions from his bandmates (who didn't immediately know that he wasn't just being theatrical), the quick response from on-site paramedics, the decision to play "I've Seen It Before" while laying on his back with a twisted knee, the crowd response to their set, his prognosis for the knee (as of the interview, 4-6 weeks on crutches with physio and ortho), how Sault Area Hospital staff responded to everything when he was first admitted, ...

...his surprisingly early (initial) exit from the hospital, reaction to his social media accounts afterwards, his hopes to get a Rotaryfest do-over in 2024, and his set at the Northern Vibe Festival next month (where he will be seated). The last six minutes of the episode feature more discussion about Mike's injury and similar stories about persevering through injury, with Derek's musical point of view coming up here, as he drummed with the Stallyns on Stage 1 that same Saturday. Informative interview with Mike getting more candid than ever about the events of July 13th, so I highly recommend checking out the interview above (and he dislocated his right knee, Jacob's live-stream was mirrored. My apologies!)

We'll close today with some fallout from Stage 2 near the Art Gallery of Algoma, as I've barely talked about that stage at this point! Granted, the two heavier bands to play this year haven't posted videos from their sets, but what is posted publically to check out? From the Saturday program of original-leaning bands, surprisingly not too much. Machines Dream posted a video on their Facebook page of them playing the first part of "Boundaries", so fans of this exceedingly talented progressive rock band will want to give that a look, especially as this was the last of this run of shows for their reunited original lineup! The other public video that I know was shot on Saturday was a "Shorts" video uploaded by YouTube user Owerri Chic TV, and it captures The Hollow Heads (I think), though the video is confusingly titled "End of Rotaryfest" (they were the third-to-last band on Saturday). Sounds good while it lasts!

The other known public videos to date are from the Friday Night Blues program on Stage 2, and I will touch on those in some form in an upcoming post, especially if any hard rock covers snuck into the sets/videos. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Stage 1's Thursday headliners Abba Soo were photographed by The Sault Star in this article on the opening day's festivities. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

Two Recent Interviews With Heavy Lies The Crown!!

Remember how St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown had been interviewed for a podcast in March, only to get lost in our backlog despite me mentioning it in posts? Yeah, well they actually have another one from early 2023 that I didn't know about, so let's take some time today to finally address them! The new-to-me interview (I don't even think H.L.T.C. posted about it) is even earlier still, premiering as a Facebook live-stream on January 26th, and it was conducted via Zoom by Dustin Noell of Ghost Media Entertainment, a promotional agency based out of Missouri, with co-hosting duties by his young daughter Zelda, believe it or not. Heavy Lies The Crown are represented here by singer Brandon West and guitarist Ted Olson, and I do recommend that you crank the volume on your device while watching the interview, as Brandon & Ted are very quiet compared to Dustin & Zelda in the live-stream.

In the 59 minutes-long interview, Brandon & Ted talk about how their current lineup came together (including complications at some venues given drummer Jaxon Massaway not even being 19 yet), playing music for the passion vs. the money, their evolution from jamming to actually being a real band, their upcoming album and planned heavier material as of January, working with David Dominguez on mixing some older material, plans to play more shows in 2023, their favourite songs to play live, the inspirations of various songs of theirs, how they came up with the Heavy Lies The Crown name, their favourite (and most disturbing) movies, the band that they'd most like to play with, issues playing live when most of their shows are 5 hours away, their upcoming concerts & label aspirations, and much more. Zelda asks a few questions too, and Brandon's daughter even makes a cameo.

Fun interview with a casual atmosphere that benefits from Brandon & Ted knowing Dustin already (he clearly has Michigan ties and even notes plans to move back there for work reasons), and the addition of Dustin's daughter Zelda for the whole interview helps keep things light and approachable! How many metal band interviews feature bits about stuffed animals and Arby's, after all? Not many scoops to note beyond plans that may have already began rolling out (I am behind on recent Heavy Lies The Crown news), but give their Ghost Media Entertainment interview a watch below!

As for the interview from March 13th that I did know about, that one was actually an audio interview done for a podcast, namely Dark Side Of The Scene, which is hosted out of Indiana by To My Dismay frontman Brandon Wright and his co-host Ed Corella. This podcast (whose episodes are cross-posted to their YouTube channel) is themed around touring musicians and the ups & downs that they go through with bandmates, promoters, and venues, and given that H.L.T.C. travel downstate for the vast majority of their concerts, they should have stories to tell! In their 92 minute episode (the fourth ever for Dark Side Of The Scene), they talk to the whole band except Ted, now including guitarist Christian Thanasiu, bassist Christian Cook, and drummer Jaxon Massaway. The interview begins about 4 minutes in with plugs for their recent studio work and how things have been going for recording the material.

Diving into the themes of the podcast moreso, Heavy Lies The Crown next discussed how there's nowhere for them to play in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (they have gotten offers to play in Sault Ontario but various issues keep them from coming across), and how they have to commute downstate for almost all of their gigs. They also discuss how there isn't a massive scene for metal bands in St. Ignace and/or the E.U.P., but they do praise local musicians in general and how kind people are up here. The band do talk up the opportunities that they've had in the Lower Peninsula, but they are candid (if always polite) about their negative experiences from tour runs and the shows that they've played, which will be especially interesting if you were at these concerts. H.L.T.C. next discuss their lineup, how close apart they live, and exactly what led to Nathan, Danny, and Cale leaving last year, before going into experiences recording in studio.

After some more casual discussion about life in the E.U.P. and whatnot, they address the Heavy Lies The Crown name and how it is also being used by an existing death metal band from Indiana (I'm surprised that the two have coexisted for this long), before addressing their then-current merchandise, the genre that they consider themselves to be, and more assorted topics before playing "God's Butter" on air. Another solid interview, if often very respectful without taking any overtly direct shots at the bad experiences that they've had on the road, let alone their being an outlier in the E.U.P. in terms of contemporary original extreme metal bands. Check their Dark Side Of The Scene interview below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown and other local bands on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soo Zombie Walk) & Integrated System Of Machines Updates!!

A new month is upon us, and before we know it, a new season will be too, so let's kick off September 2015 in style with a new news post on this Tuesday morning devoted to two topics: A major recent concert set by a returning local band, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

The band lineup has been announced for next month's seventh annual Soo Zombie Walk, so what should you know for this year? Returning to The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for a third straight year on Saturday, October 24th, the musical entertainment will once again rock out there prior to the walk itself, but things are now both later and condensed, with pre-walk activities taking place from 4:00-6:00 PM rather than 2:00-5:00 PM. The lineup will be familiar from last year though, with listed performers including local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage headlining in their fifth straight Zombie Walk set, so look for more zombified originals from these crash favourites in their third show of the year! Sudbury unplugged hard rock band Aggressive Acoustic (fronted by ex-Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan) are listed as co-headlining, which is a bit of a surprise given that the band apparently parted ways in December, as per their Facebook page.

Have they reformed, will this be a solo performance by Brian, or is there an error? We'll let you know if we hear anything, but it'd be nice to see Brian back home again! Two local solo musicians will open things, including Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan (in his third straight Zombie Walk set) and ex-Phlashback/Kick Start guitarist Terry Becker (brother of Sykotyk Rampage's Paul & Dirk Becker), which is awesome to see, especially given his recent health battles, so don't bypass his set! Other pre-walk activities will include zombie face painting, a photo booth, games & contests, local vendors and merchants, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full details on what to expect before the walk! Zombies will take to the streets for the walk at 6:00 PM, with prizes and the closing ceremony at 7:00 PM. Also, the 19+ afterparty will return to Coch's Corner after spending last year at Wacky Wings, but given the post-2012 shift of the main musical entertainment to the pre-show, don't expect much for live bands there beyond possible acoustic acts, though we did get a few there in 2013.

Admission is $3 + a canned food donation for attendees, while kids are FREE with a canned good, and check the above links for more details! It's great to see the Zombie Walk back, and at a slightly later time (and still on the week prior to Halloween) to boot, though local metal and punk fans may find themselves pulling double duty given that night's Ripcordz concert just down the road at The Algonquin Pub. Keep this fun annual family event in mind for your Halloween season plans, especially if you love Sykotyk Rampage and related bands, and stay tuned for updates!

We'll close today with some excellent new footage of the recently reunited Integrated System of Machines from their return show at July's P.O.D. concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Filmed by Wayne Kozeyah at W.K. Media and uploaded to his YouTube channel on Thursday, this follows earlier rough cut samples from the show that he uploaded, but none were labelled as being of the local epic metal quintet, hence why we didn't know about them at the time. Apparently the first time that Wayne and/or W.K. Media have been on hand to film a full concert set like this, three camera angles captured the show, including a drum-cam (possibly a GoPro) on Bart Rennels, giving a unique first person view to much of it! In order, the performed songs include "Screams", "Patterns", "Stays The Same", "I.S.O.M.", "The Writer", "Last Time", "Prison Farm", and a short song whose title isn't given. Long time fans should know that "Patterns", "The Writer", "Prison Farm", and the closer were not on their prior CD "Apocalyptic Vision", so give those an extra look!

Now, you may notice that frontman Orb Hearthstone indicated during between-song banter that they had a CD (and t-shirts) on sale during this show, and the songs they played during their set were on the album in order, so it looks like the current lineup re-recorded four songs from "Apocalyptic Vision", but as you can tell from this video, there are two major differences. Obviously, there's no keyboardist anymore (Craig Harrison didn't return and wasn't replaced for the reunion), and Orb's growling is far less utilized than in their original incarnation, which fans will notice when comparing the old studio versions of these songs ("I.S.O.M." aside, which didn't have growling originally.) I have no idea yet whether this CD is a fully packaged and pressed release, or just a loose demo like Elipzis and Half a Man distributed at concerts, but I would be very curious to hear these songs in studio form!

In any event, copies would likely be available at future concerts when announced, though no word on if Grooves Music would have stock of it. Of course, if the band had new online pages to plug their shows and recordings, that'd be an obvious plus, but no word on if a new online presence is imminent. The video itself is excellent, albeit without as many camera angle switches as it could have used, and the new I.S.O.M. lineup sounds great! Solid work all around, so give WK Media's full I.S.O.M. concert video a look below, and stay tuned for more from the guys when announced!



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

VM Radio's Pilot Stream Info, Plus More Recent Updates!!

With a new week in full swing, there's news and notes to touch on now that we're fully out of the Halloween weekend, and hopefully everyone had a fun time seeing The Brains last night! Today, we have plenty of assorted recent updates, and first, your first chance to sample a new network of regional radio stations, so here's what you need to know!

SooToday parent company Village Media's new digital radio network VM Radio is now in it's pre-launch pilot phase, so we can now check out samples of each! Though originally planned for a September debut with 3 stations, it's better late than never, especially as there's actually 5 feeds, so what's available to check out? SMS readers will likely be most interested in VM Rocks, whose description says will feature modern rock, alternative, metal, and classic rock, citing bands like Gob, Seether, The Black Keys, and locals Garden of Bedlam & Jack Spades among it's playlist, so click above to hear the current stream! The other four stations include the previously announced VM Roots (for folk, roots, and blues rock), and in lieu of the originally hyped "Mix" station, VM Bounce (for hip-hop, dance, and club music), VM Indie (for indie, pop, and electronic music), and VM Y'All (for country music.) All streams are available to check out right now with less commercials than on terrestrial radio, but a full launch involving news and weather broadcasts is expected for later this week.

The idea of a full new network of local internet radio stations is a sound one, especially as Sault Ontario only has Country 104 and Kiss 105 for locally produced FM stations (and even with Sault Michigan stations, there aren't any FM indie or roots stations here.) Also, with Energy Rock Radio moving out west a few years ago, it's nice to have a full local internet radio presence based out of here again! For my own experience checking out the pilot streams of the stations, I've had no problems with the audio quality or speed of the playback, though the player's own page is very plain looking. For potential listeners of VM Rocks, today's rotation included artists like Big Wreck, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Steely Dan, Crash Karma, and ZZ Top, so it will cover a wide gamut of rock genres, with lots of Canadian content! That said, plans for potential programs or genre blocks with live DJs haven't been publicized yet, so I can't say with certainty if metal or punk fans will get a dedicated show on VM Rocks, but it'd be cool to see!

I'm very curious to see where VM Radio (and VM Rocks) go from here, including on if there will be other ways you can listen (i.e. through TuneIn Radio), so stay tuned for more updates on the full launch as they are made, be sure to check out all of the stations at the above links, and VM Rocks is now in our Sault Ontario internet radio/podcast links!

Finally for today, here's _ shorter assorted recent news items from the last few days, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, website, or company name:

• Local concert promoters Oh! Right Arm! Promotions have launched a sister promotional company named GFC Promotions that will specialize in shows outside of Sault Ste. Marie, specifically in Garden River like next August's Das Bunkerfest II, related private house parties, and perhaps future attempts at Echo Bay concerts? No word what "GFC" stands for, but like them above, and GFC Promotions are now in our "Other Local Metal Links"!
• In his latest local band search posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on October 30th, local bassist Jordan Leach is now looking for a singer, guitarist(s), and drummer for a horror punk band he's launching, though "other interesting instruments" are also welcome. The band would mostly play originals with some covers. With Frigtlight's demise, there is a horror punk void now, so hopefully this takes off, and message Jordan at this link or above for more details!
• On his solo Facebook page on October 15th, Haggith drummer Mike Haggith revealed the tentative setlist for his upcoming 49th studio album "The Warinside", and while most of the 10 songs are new, the CD will apparently include a re-recording of his 2009 song "Lay My Body Down To Rest" (which Mike and The Din have played live recently.) Intriguing titles, so stay tuned for updates on this and his other upcoming solo plans!
• Though not a formal review of the show, a new SooToday article from Donna Hopper on Halloween costumes and parties in the Soo from this past Friday does feature photos of Frightlight's headlining set at The Algonquin Pub during frontman Johnny Pints' annual Halloween party (in colour too!), and they're excellent as usual, so click here to see them and all of the great costumes from Halloween 2014 at four different downtown bars!
• In the first finite info regarding this year's third annual Toystock fundraiser concert, promoters Maxx Entertainment revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that the event is still slated for Sunday, November 30th at The Canadian Nightclub, will feature 10 live bands once again for a roughly 10 hour duration, admission will be via a toy or food donation (money is accepted too), while the band lineup will be revealed shortly. Great to see Toystock back once again, and stay tuned for confirmation of this year's bands!
• Sault Band-O-Rama promoters, Mourning Wood bandmates, and local metal band alums Terry Eaton & Steven Flint have launched a new live event sound company named Twin City Sound that are available to book for various types of events, presumably including concerts (like Sault Band-O-Rama at the Primavera Hall on November 21st.) Though the "Twin City" name implies that they'll cover Sault Michigan too, nothing is explicitly stated regarding cross-border bookings. This should be interesting, and Twin City Sound are now in our "Other" links section!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as November rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stiffler's Mom), AlgomA's CD Release, And More!!

Aside from this past weekend's concerts, news has been fairly slow over the last while, but let's cover most of our cache today! We have some new searches via the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, a new song, details on an upcoming album release, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

Veteran local classic/hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will return to The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, September 27th where they'll take a rare opening slot for an out of town act, that being Britain/Vancouver pop rock artist Kieran Strange! Note that while Stiffler's Mom haven't confirmed this show yet on their pages, Kieran Strange has plugged it among her Canadian tour dates this month via her Facebook page, and the marquee board inside The Rockstar Bar advertises both acts for the 27th. Kieran Strange plays a self-described "nerd rock" style that references nerdy pop culture amongst her techno & pop-inspired rock originals, so while her music isn't "heavy", she has a fun and upbeat sound, so don't pass her by later this month! For Stiffler's Mom, this will be their first public gig in over a month, so look for their hard hitting party rock to set the tone in just under two weeks! A $5 cover is likely, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is to be expected. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for potential updates!

Next up, we finally have some release details for local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA's debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest", so what should you know? According to label Deadbeat Media, the album will officially be released on Wednesday, October 8th, though similarly to Woods of Ypres' later discs, the North American release will apparently come at a later date to be specified, given that Deadbeat Media are based in Malaysia. To hype the release, a teaser video was posted online by the label that features samples of the songs (including the previously revealed "Fell Down A Well") along with a new image from the packaging that we haven't seen before, and a brief clip of AlgomA's set at Dank Fest at The Oddfellows Hall, though the live audio isn't featured. It's also unclear what kind of a release "Reclaimed By The Forest" will have in terms of local in-store availability, or if there will be a proper CD release show, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Exciting times are afoot for AlgomA, so check the above links for more, and here's the teaser video!



Also today, here's a new ultra-short original song from local goregrind duo Rotopsy! Uploaded to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Friday, it's simply titled "No One Gives A Fuck" (they titled it, not me), and at just 7 seconds in length, it's barely needs describing. If you like Crucify The Whore's "Batch Cones", this will be similar! Also featuring four slideshow pictures, check out their new song if you want below, and stay tuned for more from the Rotopsy camp!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last little while, all via the Musicians Wanted Facebook group! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie is looking for a local metal band to open for them and Livid & The Bloodthirsty at The Algonquin Pub on October 18th for The Bear Hunters' CD release party, as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post yesterday. The selected band would start at 10:00 PM, and would be slotted for an hour at the show's beginning. Sounds like a big opportunity, so if your band wants in, message Mitch at this link!
• Danger Cats drummer "Calico" Katie Maskell is exploring the idea of forming a full ska punk band that would have a horn section, with bands like The Aquabats & Streetlight Manifesto among her influences. With bands like The 12 Gauge Ready and Free Beer split up, we could always use some extra ska around here, so message Katie at this link for more info, or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last week!
• A local musician named Kiefer Barone is looking to jam with other musicians, with 1980s hard rock, heavy metal, and hardcore cited among his target genres. I'm unfamiliar with his music background, but if you want more information, message Kiefer at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from September 7th!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Misfits), VM Radio Updates, And New Videos!!

Before we begin this post, we send our best wishes out to Mike Gingras and Wayne Kozeyah on the screenings of their short films "The Kid Who Made The Face" and "LemmaFest" at TODAY'S Soo Film Festival at The Soo Theatre in Sault Michigan, hopefully you guys get a great reception (for possible attendees, their films will be part of the 3:00 PM screenings!) Now, today's post features new concert videos, updates on an upcoming regional radio station, and first, here's a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

New Jersey horror punk legends The Misfits will be hitting Sault Ontario on Thursday, September 18th for their first ever publically advertised concert in our area! Known for classic songs like "Last Caress", "Hate Breeders", "Astro Zombies", and "Scream" (among many others), The Misfits have long been a favourite cover choice for many different local bands, and now Jerry Only and company will finally be playing a public concert for Sault-area fans! Fitting an event of this scope, this will be a rare heavier concert at The Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre at 1007 Trunk Road (also the site of White Pines Collegiate), so metal and punk fans in the east end will like that convenience! For Black Flag fans, note that The Misfits' current guitarist is Dez Cadena, and they are known to cover some Flag originals live too! Local support will come from local punk/metal quintet (and ardent Misfits fans) Jack Spades, and this will be familiar territory for frontman & promoter J.D. Pearce, who has opened for The Misfits in Toronto with Frightlight, and has teased going on tour with them this September, so we'll have to see how that shakes out!

At least one more opening band has been teased on personal Facebook postings, though details haven't been publicized yet. Co-presented by J.D., The Sault Ste. Marie Arts Council, and VM Radio (more on them in a second), this concert will be ALL AGES (and licensed), an early 6:00 PM start time is advertised, and tickets will be around $35 (including tax) at the Kiwanis Theatre box office at the Station Mall (no word yet on other ticket locations.) For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! No matter which Misfits era you prefer, this is a huge announcement, and hopefully there's a fittingly big turnout next month, as this is shaping up to be one of the biggest local metal/punk concerts in our area this year! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, remember how SooToday & Local2's parent company Village Media has been in the planning stages of launching a new local internet radio station named VM Radio? Well, some more public details have been released, so here's what we now know! According to their new Facebook page, VM Radio (whose logo is pictured) will actually be three separate stations, with one dedicated to rock music, one to roots music, and one for a mixture of other genres. Great idea, especially to ensure that specific music genres get sufficient attention and timeslots! A launch date is teased for at some point next month, but announcements relating to on-air programs, streaming formats, and on-air personalities have yet to be made. I have high hopes that VM Radio will fill in the Sault Ontario-produced radio gaps that have been vacant for too long, especially as we only have 4 Canadian FM stations, and only 2 are locally produced. I'm very excited to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates on VM Radio as we hear it!

Closing with new videos, here's a bunch of clips from local hard rock quartet The Danger Cats' set at The Esquire Club last weekend! Uploaded to the girls' YouTube channel over the last few days, an attendee shot these clips of the band covering Blondie's "Call Me", the last half of The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" & AC/DC's "Big Balls" (both part of one video with bassist Jamie Jaguar on lead vocals), and as embedded below, renditions of The Runaways' "I Love Playing With Fire" and The Scorpions' "The Zoo", so click each link to check them out! Inconsistent lighting, but the girls sound good on these covers, and they're shot at a good close angle to the stage! They're definitely coming into their own, and you can see more of that TONIGHT when The Danger Cats open for Late & Loud one last time(?) at The Rockstar Bar, though they'll have a special guest too, as former Sativa Rose singer Marisa Valois revealed on her solo Facebook page that she'll be joining them for a couple of songs. That should be interesting, so don't miss that TONIGHT, and here's The Danger Cats at The Esquire Club!



Finally, here's a newly shared Facebook video of local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control from one of their sets at Gusto's Bar & Grill at the Wellington Square Mall way back in April! This is of their cover of Nirvana's "Come As You Are", as filmed by attendee/Heavy North Entertainment owner Tyler St. Amour, and while it was only posted on his personal Facebook page at the time, The Pixo Control just shared it publically today. Aside from The Pixo Control's early 2014 shows here, Gusto's isn't largely known for heavier concerts, and with the video being dark and somewhat grainy, it's hard to get a sense of it's band setup, but there's a solid crowd, and the guys play a faithful energetic version of this Nirvana classic! Check it out below, and don't miss their set at The Emergency next Saturday!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E), Suicide Kings Concert Previews, And More!!

Before TONIGHT'S TheKillingField show at The Oddfellows Hall, we have a new news post for you guys today, so what's on tap? A new video from a recent major concert, big news from a local metal band, previews for the shows we couldn't fit into yesterday's post, and starting things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will end a 5 month hiatus when they return to the local stage next weekend (Friday, January 31st & Saturday, February 1st) at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! The news was just broke on their Facebook page yesterday, though the casino has yet to officially confirm the dates on their site. Last seen at the end of August last year, the band led by Nixxon Dixxon alum Chris Hubbard and his former Splitshot bandmate Dave Menard have been missed lately, and hopefully their hard hitting covers & originals are welcomed back to the stage next weekend! Note that I can not 100% confirm whether bassist Jack Slater or drummer Devin Anderson will be playing with 415E this coming weekend, especially as both of their personal Facebook pages list that they currently live out of town, but I'll keep you posted if I hear anything either way. Admission should be free for next weekend's 21+ shows, and 9:00 PM start times are likely. Check the above links for details, and it's great to see 415E coming back!

Next up, here's our remaining weekend concert previews for TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT in the Sault area, as local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will play their first shows of the new year at The Roosevelt Hotel this weekend! Though we did last see the Rockstar Bar Battle winners at The Rosie on Boxing Day, they haven't headlined a solo weekend like this in 8 months, so hopefully this weekend's shows help contribute to a busier start to the year for this entertaining and prominent band! Note that you can also see bassist Mitch Sirie with his other band The Bear Hunters TONIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall as one of the local openers for TheKillingField, but they'll be done in time for him to get to The Rosie for The Suicide Kings! Also, for reference, The Border City Band will play a separate set there later this afternoon as the featured matinee performers. There's no likely cover charge for The Suicide Kings' shows tonight & tomorrow, you must be 19 to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are to be expected.

Click here for more details via the Facebook event page! It's great to see The Suicide Kings keeping busy, and don't miss their 2014 debuts this weekend if you can help it (and/or go see Mitch at The Oddfellows Hall tonight!) For a preview, here's The Suicide Kings at The Bushplane Museum last summer!

In some other recent news, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA have surprisingly announced that they now have a label deal! Yesterday, it was revealed that AlgomA are now signed with the Malaysian metal label Deadbeat Media, who will release their upcoming debut CD (whose newly confirmed title is "Reclaimed By The Forest"), though details on when it might come out aren't public yet. Awesome news, and hopefully everything works out well with Deadbeat Media and beyond for their 2014 plans! A snippet of the album cover was also shared on their Facebook page on Tuesday, as produced by notable American artist Adam Geyer, though beyond the bird visible in the sample, the full scope of the finished cover isn't clear yet. Might we learn more about "Reclaimed By The Forest" during/in time for their show at 180 Projects in March? It's shaping up to be a big year for AlgomA either way, so stay tuned as more comes in!

Finally for today, we have one more video from Saturday night's Bret Michaels concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino to share on here! Uploaded on Tuesday by YouTube user Chad Carter, this went online after our showcase post of videos from this concert (including Chad's earlier video of "Talk Dirty To Me"), hence why we have it late. This video is of Bret covering most of Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn", and while it has the same muddy video as earlier, the audio quality is still solid (especially as this is a ballad), so fans of Poison and Bret should like this close side-stage angle! Check it out below, and if more Bret Michaels or FireHouse videos turn up, we'll have them here!



That's all for today, but don't miss TONIGHT's Oddfellows Hall show for TheKillingField, Buried Out Back, and 7 local acts! Thanks everyone!