LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Algoma Ride For Autism, Havadder, And Stereo North) & More Concert Previews!!

On this busy concert weekend, we're devoting a second post to weekend concert previews today, mostly concerning Saturday events, including a bunch of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Just to note, if Mourning Wood have late notice shows to announce, we will touch on them as soon as possible, if possible, so keep an eye out. Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page yesterday, though personal Facebook posts hinted at them in prior days. These will be Havadder's first concerts since drummer Scott McLurg's recent heart attack, and while he's on the mend, the guys have enlisted Peace Vibe/Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas (who, like Scott, is also a Wishbone alum) to handle the skins for this weekend's shows, similarly to when he filled in for then-drummer T.J. Case at a few gigs last fall. Good fit, and nice of Glen to step in during Scott's recovery! Yes, we know of the upcoming fundraiser for Scott coming up later this month, that's coming in our next post. This weekend's Havadder shows are otherwise business as usual, with 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits.

As the saying goes, the show must go on, and hopefully Havadder and Glen have a solid weekend of classic hard rock action for fans at the former Nicolet Tavern this weekend (and get well soon, Scott!) See the above links for more details, and here's Havadder (with Glen, incidentally) last fall!



Next up, new local pop punk quartet Stereo North will play a unique event TOMORROW when they rock Mill Market at Mill Square during Habitat for Humanity's Great Dog House Build! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement in the event on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Making their first concert appearance since last month's River Jacks concert, Stereo North will reportedly be playing three sets from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM during this charity event, where teams will unveil doghouses that they built in recent weeks, which will be judged and auctioned off in the afternoon, with some proceeds going to help spay and neuter animals in the area. Nice cause, and Habitat For Humanity do great work on their own as well, so consider a trip downtown to see the completed doghouses and Stereo North as well! For the sake of clarity, the event is advertised as taking place at Mill Market, not The Machine Shop on the same site, but this does return Stereo North to the site of their live debut!

The Great Dog House Build is a FREE & ALL AGES event (and dog friendly too!), so check the above links for more on this very intriguing event for a great cause, and for a preview, here's Stereo North live at The Canadian!



Lastly for late notice show announcements as of this writing, live bands will once again rock this year's third annual Algoma Ride For Autism motorcycle rally during their Family Fun Day events TOMORROW at Runway Park, including pageless local hard rock quartet Late Shift, veteran punk trio Redundant, and acoustic hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison! Apologies once again for the short notice, bands only confirmed their involvement online in recent days, though the Family Fun Day event page confirmed bands as late as April (apologies again for missing that entirely.) Not unlike Ride For Sight, this event features a motorcycle rally through town starting at 11:00 AM to raise awareness and funds for the Algoma Autism Foundation, and the Runway Park activities on Airport Road will include vendors, games, prizes, children's activities, and more, so be sure to check the above links for full details on what to expect and how to get involved in the rally itself, be you a rider, supporter, or both!

In terms of the bands, this will be Redundant's first concert appearance of 2015 and second straight at Algoma Ride For Autism (great to see them back!) and Late Shift's first shows that we've heard about since February (though remember, they don't have a known online page), while this adds to Tym Morrison's busy weekend, especially given that he's not at The Harp tomorrow night. Admission is FREE & ALL AGES tomorrow morning and afternoon, so check the above links for more details! Kudos to the artists for jumping on board this great cause, so hopefully a lot is raised for autism awareness and programs again tomorrow! For a preview, here's Late Shift live at The Rockstar Bar in February!



Closing with a previously announced show taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, local all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will play their farewell concert sets at The Rankin Arena during tomorrow's Border Brawl roller derby event! After a successful year-and-a-half run in the local scene, the girls will hit the stage for the last time before Kate Kougar's move out of town during halftime of tomorrow's roller derby games between Ontario and Michigan teams, with the first featuring the area's own Nord Starz. If you don't know the connection as to why The Danger Cats are playing at this sort of event, both Jamie Jaguar and Calico Katie are involved in Sault Roller Derby, so they're a solid fit on that basis! No word on if they have anything special planned for tomorrow, but their halftime sets are likely taking place at around 7:00 & 9:00 PM, given the scheduling of the two games at 6:00 & 8:00 PM. Roller derby is a fun and physical sport that is getting quite a following in the area, so give it a chance if you're up for some live entertainment tomorrow evening!

Note that The Danger Cats are not playing at the advertised afterparty at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night, Cherry Crush are. Tickets are $10 with kids under 12 admitted FREE, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Whether you're in this for The Danger Cats, the derby, or both, you'll be entertained tomorrow, but if you missed their set at The New American Pub earlier this month, here's your last chance to go on the prowl with The Danger Cats, who will be missed! For a preview, here's the girls last summer, and best of luck in whatever the future holds!



Thats all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post TONIGHT (if there's any more late notice shows) or tomorrow (if there isn't!) Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bon Soo Marquee), Treble Charger Concert Preview, And More!!

Today's second post rounds out the weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews, and it's very much themed around the 52nd annual Bon Soo Winter Carnival, including an extended preview of a big opening night concert TOMORROW, a related recent news article, and all of the details (at last) on this year's Marquee entertainment stage (also TOMORROW), so here's what you should know, and check out more previews in the post below this one!

The lineup for the third annual Marquee performance stage at this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival was finally announced yesterday via this SooToday press release, so what should you know? Moving from The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to the Mill Market at Bon Soo's new home of Mill Square this year, The Marquee (as previously reported) is only a one day event this year, but now being held on Bon Soo's opening day. Once again, it is being promoted by Sault College's Public Relations Event Management program in cooperation with Bon Soo itself. As for the performer lineup, there is one punk band playing tomorrow, so consider this a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! The band in question is Stereo North, who some readers may remember from their search in December for a bassist on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group. They identified as playing punk and modern rock, and their drummer is Brett Norton, but I know nothing else on them yet. Hopefully we'll all find out more tomorrow, and we'll let you know when more comes out!

The full lineup for The Marquee also includes local acoustic cover duo Frankly Speaking, solo artist Jesse Merineau, and local beatboxer Robert "Killabeatz" Drolet (all of whom played at The Marquee last year) alongside North Shore frontman Jeremy Hannah, Aardvark the Magician (my dad!), local DJ Michael Babcock (a.k.a. Soldjure), the cast of Korah Collegiate & Vocational School's production of "The Phantom of the Opera", Thunder Bay's Eric the Juggler, local progressive rock quartet Mannapool, the aforementioned Stereo North, and local blues/country musician Cody Watt, with Mr. Bon Soo and "a special surprise" also teased. Quite a varied lineup, which isn't necessarily a change from last year, just condensed into one day. The Marquee kicks off at 4:00 PM tomorrow at Mill Market at the former St. Mary's Paper site, complete with a new film-themed stage, though I can't 100% confirm if The Marquee will still be outdoors.

Admission will be via a purchase of a $7 Bon Soo button at the door, at Wal-Mart (either location), or at Scotiabank, and this is definitely ALL AGES. For more details, visit the above links! I was hoping that Marquee organizers would (be allowed to?) promote the lineup and advertise the acts playing more visibly and with more advance notice, especially after last year (which had a Saturday crowd of 1 person; myself, at points), but given that The Marquee is now part of Bon Soo's opening night, that should be an easy fix for the attendance. I love the concept of an outdoor winter concert festival, and hopefully that is proven this year so it can grow for the future! Keep it in mind for TOMORROW, and apologies again for the short notice!

Of course, that's not all for SMS readers at Bon Soo's opening night, as local punk/alternative veterans Treble Charger will make their long awaited return to the stage when they headline at The Machine Shop at Mill Square TOMORROW NIGHT! Hyped as the official opening night for this Huron Street venue (though they have hosted sporadic events in the past, like the 2013 Gino Vanelli concert), this will also be the first major event following the announcement of Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori's new partnership with Mill Square and Algoma University, which will see his recording studio and more concerts brought to the site in the coming months. This well advertised concert (which has even had commercials on MCTV) will be Treble Charger's first in the Soo since a Searchmont Resort fundraiser last January, and this Juno-nominated quartet should be raring to rock their hometown once again tomorrow with classics like "American Psycho" and "Red", with guests and surprise covers also teased (source here.)

Opening for them will be local roots collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect and young alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control (pictured), and while neither are perfect genre matches, they're both very talented and will bring a lot to the table, so don't miss them either! Tickets for this show cost $39.95, and while that does seem high, they're less than half of what the Searchmont fundraiser admission was, so keep that in mind (there are limited VIP tickets with meet & greets for $69.50 as well.) This is an ALL AGES concert AT 7:30 PM tomorrow, and tickets can be bought at this link, at the door, or at the LIFEforia Wellness Club at 681 Pine Street. For more details, visit the above links, plus SooToday and The Sault Star's coverage of the show! Among other coverage of this concert, a new Sault Star article from Brian Kelly went up on their site yesterday (and presumably in yesterday's paper) featuring interview excerpts with Greig Nori, so what should you know on that?

Entitled "Nori jams with Algoma U", the article goes further in-depth on Greig's new local plans, which include returning full time to the Soo this summer to teach commercial music production courses with Algoma's existing music program, something he's done at a few Southern Ontario schools since the late 2000s. The plans still involve construction of a full recording studio at The Machine Shop, he wants students to get experience recording and filming bands that play there, and he's working on getting a similar position here for Treble Charger bandmate Bill Priddle. The article also confirms that Greig and Bill wrote four or five new Treble Charger songs last fall (their first in over 12 years), but they're holding off on recording them until the Algoma program starts so they can involve students.

And yes, Greig really is coming home, he's purchased a new home here, and he said in the interview that he knew he had to move back when he saw the development going on at Mill Square, which he's enthusiastically hyped in prior interviews with local media. It's a solid article that sheds more light on what Greig is planning for the Soo, and while there's still a lot to do and reveal, I'm cautiously optimistic! Check it out above, and be sure to see above for more details on the Treble Charger concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Machine Shop! For a preview, here's Treble Charger playing "Brand New Low" live in Southern Ontario in 2013!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the weekend, plus Treble Charger (and Marquee?) concert fallout as well! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Havadder), The End Of Pillory, And Much More!!

As we continue to clear out our recent news cache, we have an inactive band to take note of, big changes for a yearly music event, and some more assorted notes, but first, here's SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for THIS WEEKEND! (Edited at 10:49 AM)

Local classic hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to The Rednecks Saloon for headlining concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, frontman Jason Roy only just announced the shows yesterday via their Facebook event page. Keeping with their recent trend of playing one weekend a month at the former Nicolet Tavern, this weekend's shows are apparently Havadder's last of the year, so if you want one last 2014 show with Jason and company, you know where to be for their often heavy covers! The event page implies that they have both new songs in their setlist and "old members", though it's not clear if they're meaning guest spots by ex-members or not. We can confirm though that ex-drummer Scott McLurg will fill in for T.J. Case for at least a third straight weekend, at least partly due to T.J.'s conflicting date with Mourning Wood TOMORROW at The New American, so keep that in mind also! Our source is Scott's personal Facebook page.

Admission for TONIGHT & TOMORROW is likely free, both shows have 10:00 PM start times, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links, don't miss Havadder's cover attack this weekend, and here are the guys at The Rednecks Saloon this fall!



Next up, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being Sault Ontario thrash metal quartet Pillory. While their Facebook page hasn't been updated in over 8 months, we can confirm their demise via their entry on the Encyclopaedia Metallum, which confirms that the band split up in August, after being "on hold" since April. Any update there must be sourced when a report is submitted, so it's likely that a band member sent it in to confirm their status. Pillory had been active since 2012 as one of the Soo's few pure thrash bands of recent years, debuting live at The Canadian Nightclub that November. After founding guitarist Andres Duchesne's sudden passing the next month, the band wouldn't hit the stage again with a full lineup until the winter of 2013/14, where they played a handful of all ages gigs and released their only EP "Cringe At The Cross" in December 2013. Later updates were sporadic and mostly concerned lineup changes, though it should be noted that frontman Robert Sartini's other recent projects have all quietly closed most of their online pages this year as well.

Pillory were a talented and brutal band that had a lot of promise, especially on their EP, but Andres' death and other delays didn't help their live concert frequency. It would be nice to see Robert get back into bands again (Pillory or otherwise), as he has the skill and drive, and the same goes for Josh, Devon, Bret, and other surviving ex-members in the future!

Also today, remember The Marquee, which is the outdoor concert stage from the last two years of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival? Well, it will return for a third year in February, but with a changed format. According to Bon Soo's website, The Marquee will be retracted from a daily event throughout the festival to a one-day event on Friday, February 6th (Bon Soo's opening day for 2015), with acts only playing from 5:00-9:00 PM. A reason for the retraction hasn't been announced, but as you may remember, The Marquee struggled with attendance issues earlier this year, as addressed in our review of the night I attended, which could be blamed partially on the cold weather and poor advertising, among other factors. According to a post on a local music Facebook group by co-organizer Jessica Bolduc, The Marquee will move indoors from The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to The Mill Market, which goes along with the whole festival's move to Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site for 2015.

With all of that said, if you or your band wants to play at The Marquee on February 6th, message co-organizer Aislyn Ireton A.S.A.P. at aislyn.ireton@student.saultcollege.ca. I'm disappointed to see The Marquee shrunk so much this year, as I do think the concept of a multi-day outdoor winter music stage has potential (especially if it's well advertised online), but if the shorter one-day indoor version can prove more sustainable, maybe they can expand The Marquee again for 2016? We'll keep you posted if hard rock or punk bands are on the lineup next year!

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

• The Bloody Boxing Day Basement Jam at 11 Hearst Street later this month has had a slight lineup adjustment, as the vacant slot will be filled by Brutally Fatal frontman Austin McCrae in a solo acoustic set, perhaps a throwback to his old Re-Born work? However, his solo set will now open the show at 6:00 PM, with the rappers bumped up a half hour, and Mikey Thomas now in the previously vacant 8:00 PM slot. Interesting, so visit the Facebook event page for more info!
• Leading from our addition of Telephone & Address' next album plans to yesterday's "Where Are The New Albums?" post,the Chris Shoust-led solo punk/grunge project is now distributing copies of their recent albums "The Rotten EP" and "Need Not Apply" on the online music store Interpunk! Nice to see, so keep that in mind also if you want to order physical copies! Both albums retail for $11,75 there, minus shipping fees.
• Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Drew will replace Greg Callaghan at the second annual X-Mess acoustic punk revue at The Algonquin Pub on  December 20th, and will be playing an acoustic set of Distillers covers under the handle "Ms. Tillers". Promoter J.D. Pearce revealed the change on the Facebook event page on Tuesday, confirming that Greg's out due to a scheduling snag. Disappointing for him and fans, but it's great to see Kate back, so stay tuned for more updates when they come in!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a Toystock fallout post next on the site! Thanks everyone!

Haggith Updates, New Videos, And Much More!!

Entering the last week before the Canadian Thanksgiving break, we have some more news and back items to cover, including a lot of recent shorter items, a new guitar performance clip, and leading off, some recent updates from a prominent Sault Ontario band that have fallen by the wayside in the last week, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start today with some long overdue news from local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith, and after a brief announcement of drummer Mike Haggith's departure (since retracted), it's good to know that everything's alright in their camp! While it remains unclear if the personal concerns Mike was working through are continuing to delay their album plans, a new song from their upcoming concept release "Apocalypse II" named "Spreading The Disease" was posted onto their YouTube channel last month, and while I'll hold thoughts on it for now in advance of our next Haggith CD review, it's actually a folksy country-esque number with spoons and hand drum (no bass though.) Featured below however is a 21 minute private concert set that Haggith played at PaperClip Productions headquarters last week, as filmed with a cell phone camera from the back of the stage. This is our most extensive sneak peek at the band with new bassist James White yet, but what's played in this video?

In order, the set (entitled "Don't Ask") includes a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'N Roll", the band's own originals "Metal Cage" & "Wasted" from their other upcoming CD "XIV", and covers of Van Halen's "Panama", Bad Company's "Rock 'N Roll Fantasy", and Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", so click each link to hear each song! Visually, you don't see much beyond Curtis, James' head, and Mike's close-up hat, and with the dark lighting, couldn't they have moved the camera to a better spot? The audio's alright though, and it's a nice glimpse at some of Haggith's newer songs and less familiar covers, including some surprises, so give it a look below!



Next up, here's a new solo guitar video from Exiled's Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel! The former Full Throttle and Bottom Line axeslinger posted this video online on Friday, and it's of him playing a composition named "Jedi Flip" that has a bluesy hard rock groove that's pretty catchy, and it'd be cool to see him expand this to a full band scenario! The "shot from below" camera angle and glare from the ceiling light are a little odd, but give Joe's newest guitar performance clip a look below!



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

• Sault Michigan hard rockers 415E have finally replaced departed members Jack Slater & Devin Anderson, as the band have confirmed the addition of Jack's Highest of Fives bandmate Mitch Goetz as their new bassist, while enlisting Chris' dad Tony on drums, reuniting 3/5ths of the original Splitshot lineup in the process! The news was announced on their Facebook page on September 23rd, and the new lineup will debut in two weeks at The Rapids Lounge, so don't miss it!
• The first studio track from The Apocalypse Afterparty's upcoming debut EP is now online via their new Reverbnation page! A cover of The Fury's "The Crowd", fans of their rap/metal stylings should enjoy this, and it's recorded well. but we'll hold further comment until the EP's release. Give it a listen above!
• If The Marquee entertainment stage returns at the next Bon Soo Winter Carnival in February, it will do so at a new location once again, as the festival will be moving from the Roberta Bondar Pavilion area to Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site, as per this SooToday article by Michael Purvis on Friday. The move is to give Bon Soo more room for expanded activities and make the event more accessible, though it's not clear yet whether The Marquee would be at The Machine Shop or elsewhere on the site. We'll keep you posted if we hear more!
• Local acid jam/hard rock collective Mike Haggith & The Din are apparently looking for a new drummer to go along with a "dramatic" lineup shift, though it's not clear whether someone left or moved to a separate instrument. The plans are for the band to become more structured than they have been in the past, though what this means for their recent recording plans isn't clear yet. If you're interested, message Mike or bandmates Curtis McKenzie or Daniel Horton on Facebook, or visit Mike's Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday!
• Maxx Entertainment have confirmed that a third annual Toystock concert will take place on Sunday, November 30th at The Canadian Nightclub, and they are still looking for bands to play this year (presumably of the cover/bar variety to go with past themes.) Only a few spots remain, so if your band is interested in playing this event (which supports toy donations to Christmas cheer), message Maxx Entertainment at the above link!
• Sporadic local concert venue and banquet hall The Verdi Hall has been sold and had it's name partially changed to Bucci's Verdi Hall, reflecting the new owners, who I believe are the same as the owners of Bucci's Place (host of last year's Big Loonie Bus Show) in Echo Bay. Things seem to be going good there for bookings and Facebook updates, and we'll let you know if any metal or punk concerts are booked there in the coming months!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as we inch closer to the Thanksgiving weekend! Thanks everyone!