LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations & Double Down), Plus The First Half Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

A busy concert weekend is upon us, so let's dive right into the first half of this weekend's previews! Due to the amount, I'll hold Sault Michigan previews, plus Bone Yard and Vanity First, for our next post that hopefully drops early tomorrow, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, let's begin with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday, though personal Facebook posts featuring official band imagery have also been floating around this week. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows come just one week removed from Double Down's debut appearances at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, marking their first bookings in back-to-back weeks, but these will be their first gigs at the downtown Reggie's in just over a month. Hopefully Double Down's old school brand of classic and hard rock covers goes over swimmingly TOMORROW & SATURDAY! These are 9:00 PM events with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video from their Facebook page!

Live-streamed at Jay's on Saturday for attendee Beej Syrette's personal Facebook page and subsequently shared by the band publically, this has Joel, Adam, Brad, and Ric tackling Lonnie & Ed Young's "Chevrolet", albeit a later rock cover of it. Everyone sounds good on this blues rock number, and it's a good pick to showcase their musical heft, but it's a shame that Beej filmed this vertically, moreso because it really highlights how few fans were on the floor close to the stage at this point of the night. Let's hope it was more packed off camera, but check it out below, and don't miss Double Down at Reggie's TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Next up, fellow new local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will hit the aforementioned Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows on their Facebook group on Monday. The Jus' Chillin successors actually debuted at Jay's on April 7th, but had not played there since, so if you've missed them at the former Reggie's West, don't miss out TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Generations last took the public stage at The Esquire Club at the end of May, but they have played at least one private gig since, and of course, Valerie sang with Soundcheck for their Obsession tribute show this past Saturday. TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT'S concerts are at 9:30 PM with no advertised cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live earlier this year!

We'll next look at two shows that did have advance notice before this week, including local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck hitting Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! As alluded above, these will be Soundcheck's first gigs since rocking The Esquire Club last week, notably including three former Obsession singers as guests on Saturday, but they have not played at Shooters in over a month. Hopefully the core four-piece lineup delivers a strong night of hard rocking covers for fans at the Dennis Street nightclub tomorrow! A one-nighter due to or resulting in a video dance party on Saturday night, tomorrow's festivities are at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live (yes, I am aware of the Obsession gig videos from Saturday, look for those on the site soon!)

Finally for today's previews, let's stay downtown for the only concert during this year's third annual Summer Moon Festival that crosses over with the SMS, as online page-less local alt-hard rock cover quintet Bookclub will perform TOMORROW NIGHT as part of the Street Yourself Street Party! The Summer Moon Festival is a downtown arts and culture festival at multiple locations with loads of family-friendly entertainment and specialist events for different artistic topics, so click here to see what all is planned! The Street Yourself Street Party specifically takes place on a closed section of Queen Street East from Gore to Tancred, and beyond the music, attendees can take part in a "glow in the dark foam party" and a meet & greet with artists who painted murals for the festival, while a mini-collector's convention and concessions from Ernie's Coffee House are also planned. Fresh off of their Festival of Beer set, Bookclub will be tomorrow's opening band at 8:15 PM, with roots rockers The Hustle Brothers headlining at 10:00 PM.

This is a FREE and ALL AGES event, and as our first true outdoor concert of the summer season for the SMS, I am happy to report that 9&10 News' weather forecast is calling for mostly clear conditions with a temperature of 7-14°. Hopefully Bookclub's diverse array of punk-tinged covers prove to be a fun way to kick off the street party before The Hustle Brothers get down, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Bookclub live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bookclub), The Queen Tribute Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

Packed news post on this Saturday night over the Victoria Day long weekend, including new videos and related updates, the last preview for this weekend's hard rock/punk slate, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Here's what you should know!

Online page-less local alternative/punk cover quintet Bookclub will return to the stage on Friday, June 16th for an outdoor set at the corner of Queen Street East and Gore Street as part of the third annual Summer Moon Festival! If you're unaware of this event, the S.M.F. is an annual arts festival that grew from outdoor murals amid pandemic restrictions in 2021 to a full scale festival with arts and music events at multiple downtown locations over the Father's Day weekend next month, so definitely visit the official website for complete details on the Summer Moon Festival itinerary this year! Live music debuted at this festival last year, and while the vast majority of the artists don't fit our active coverage, Bookclub will provide a rock respite during the Street Yourselves Street Party on the 16th alongside a meet & greet session with muralists who painted in the area, a mini-comic/collector's convention, and vendors from restaurants in the area of the street party proper.

Bookclub will be joined by local roots rock veterans The Hustle Brothers for the street party, and in a mild surprise, The Wyld Stallyns will not play at the Summer Moon Festival at all, which (I believe) is a first for a Bookclub gig. As far as the Street Yourselves Street Party goes, this is an all ages event at 8:00 PM with no cover charge, and bars in the vicinity of the stage will be open. Weather permitting, this should be fun for outdoor concertgoers, so visit the above links for more detail!

Next up, we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews by heading east to the Sault Community Theatre Centre, where Australian tribute band Queen: It's A Kinda Magic will return for another high profile local concert TOMORROW NIGHT! As Queen fans may recall, this tribute played here in May of last year to a strong turnout, despite being postponed twice across an almost two year span due to the pandemic. Assuming that there isn't another deadly pandemic breaking out this weekend, this Sunday's concert should hold, and if you saw Queen: It's A Kinda Magic last year, you'll know that their faithful looking and sounding stage show will deliver the goods compared to what you know of Freddie, Brian, John, and Roger's heyday, particularly their 1986 world tour! While selling well like last year, tickets are still available from the fourth row and back (side sections) and the eleventh row and back (centre section).

Tickets for this all ages & 7:00 PM concert are available at this link or at the S.C.T.C. box office at Station Mall for $72 (adults), $43 (kids 12 and under), and $67 apiece in a group of 6+ adults, price points all being $10 higher than last year. Hopefully things go just as well for this bohemian rhapsody of rock classics from Queen: It's A Kinda Magic tomorrow night, so visit the above links for more on their returne, and here they are live!

Staying in the realm of new videos, I was unable to attend the Dayglo Abortions/Random Killing concert at Soo Blaster last night due to a trip, but we can get a glimpse of the headlining Victoria, B.C. hardcore punk band's set via the video below! Uploaded to promoters Live705's Facebook page earlier today, this 6 minute clip captures three songs from The Dayglos' set, though there's not much in the way of breaks between them, so note that when checking this out. It features most of "Two Dogs Fucking", "My Girl", and "Dog Farts", and don't shoot the messenger, I didn't title these songs! While unfortunately shot vertically, and including an odd aside where the filmer left the bar proper during "Dog Farts" (did he take the suggestion if he wanted to work or not?!), the video comes through nicely and was shot with good stable views of the stage and even some of the fans! I like the video projection behind the drumkit too.

Murray's vocals can be hard to hear, complicating my work identifying the songs, but fans of The Dayglo Abortions will take to this video below, and we'll let you know if any more footage from last night turns up!

We'll close with some updates from local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT, starting with the reveal that they are shooting their first ever music video! The former Jack Spades didn't make one for their local output, but despite their bigger platform in the GTA, they did call home to get this video done, specifically bringing in ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's Spacebag Productions for the shoot! He's also filming a video for guitarist Daniel Horton's other current band The Fast Life while in town. Lots of teaser images from the set have been shared on the band's Facebook page, indicating that they're playing in a (well lit) barn, with a plotline involving an axe wielding maniac (played by bassist James Roy Daley) stalking a female victim. Based on the video plot, it seems likely that the song in question will be "Final Girl". It'll be interesting to see how the final product looks, presumably before June 2nd!

Before wrapping things up, the band released one more advance single from their forthcoming album "Sewer City Radio" to their YouTube Music channel on Thursday! The song in question is "XS" (as in "excess"), which is the track featuring Fast Life frontman Andrew Moorehouse on a guest verse. I'll hold comment on the song pending our eventual album review, but the band said that it is a "lil (sic) something different for us", so judge for yourself below, and stay tuned for more from Spades GT!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Adelitas Way), Upcoming Album Details, And More!!

I have a new news post for you guys to check out on this Family Day (Presidents Day for you Yoopers), and it includes a few new videos, information on two upcoming album releases, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring, so here's what you should know!

Las Vegas alternative hard rock band Adelitas Way will return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for a headlining show on Thursday, May 18th! This will be Adelitas Way's second local concert appearance, after opening for Theory of a Deadman at the same venue way back in November 2012, so this is certainly a long time coming! At the time of that show, Adelitas Way were at their commercial peak off of rock radio hits like "Criticize", "Sick", and "Collapse", plus the theme song for WWE Superstars, and while they have not matched that chart success since, they have plenty of up-tempo modern hard rock originals under their belts, so don't bypass them in three months! Support will come via fellow Las Vegas hard rock band Otherwise (who also have Billboard rock charting songs), Seattle rock & roll quartet Moon Fever, and newer Boston alt-metal band Above Snakes.

A presentation of Allstar Promotions (who put on the Theory/Adelitas Way show in 2012), this all ages event will have a 7:00 PM start time. Tickets run for $20 and $25 depending on location, but despite the poster claiming that they are now on sale, I can confirm that they are not as of this writing, either via Adelitas Way's website or Kewadin's ticket page. If you want to inquire within or try your luck in other ways, call 1-800-KEWADIN or go to the in-person box office. Despite the mid-week scheduling, this should be a fun show for modern hard rock fans, and quite an affordable one too, so visit the above links for more details on this concert!

Next up, here's the latest from St. Ignace metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, who confirmed on their Facebook page earlier this month that they are indeed working on their second full length album! There had been teasers about them being in the studio, some more humorous than others, but as of Tuesday, H.L.T.C. noted that instruments were tracked & almost finished being mixed, with vocal tracking "and a little more mixing" planned next, and "the finish line is in sight". In the past five days, they have been posting a cryptic countdown to something via very short videos of band graphics or new images of logos and the mask of their duck mascot Iggy, but on Saturday, they gave more elaboration on the album, calling it "a whole new direction" and sees them looking to the future and not trying to win approval on mainstream radio, rather to write music that they love and that they would listen to.

Allegedly, Iggy will become "our comic book hero" (how literal that will be is up for debate), and the album will very much be a DIY effort in all aspects. Sounds to me that they're going more underground and extreme with this album, and you can sample a song from these sessions below via this teaser video for a full song to be released tomorrow (that's what the countdown was leading towards). The clip is dubbed into a scene from the anime Bocchi The Rock!, with the starring Kessuko Band now playing H.L.T.C. all of a sudden. Give it a listen below, and we'll have more from Heavy Lies The Crown (album or otherwise) soon!

Now to Sault Ontario, and if you're a friend of former Inner City Surfers/Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones (in person and/or on Facebook), you'll have seen him reference his short term plans for his Jonesy Land solo project, but as Jonesy Land have always been devoid of a public online band page, I've only addressed what has been noted on public sources. We got such an update on Saturday, when Dustin shared a post from his personal Facebook page to both his label Tidal Records and studio Mission Control Studios' Facebook pages, confirming publically that he has been working on Jonesy Land's debut album, named "Zoom - Out". As of Saturday, its sessions were "coming to an end", with Dustin referencing how he has been a "Searcher" throughout his life looking for "all those magic moments that feel gifted to us from something bigger". The post notes that "Zoom - Out" is planned for a release in "spring 2023".

As for the image, I have no idea if it is the planned album art or not, but the square dimensions are noted. One imagines that the first three Jonesy Land singles (2021's "Sunshine Parades" and last year's "Moral Blackout" & "Ain't Dead Yet") will be included along with the other songs to be unveiled. It's great to see Dustin finally shed some public light on Jonesy Land outside of a SooToday article for the first time in quite a while, and it'll be interesting to see how varied the final product is both from musical styles and collaborators. The Tide's fourth album never got completed, so maybe this will fill the gap? Stay tuned for more from Jonesy Land soon!

We'll close today with a new video courtesy of local rap metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty's Facebook page last month, as shared from frontman Paul Stanghetta's personal Facebook page, and it features he and Amanda playing 30 seconds worth of music at what I think is the Afroman show at Soo Blaster in October (if I'm wrong, it was the Tech N9ne show, but regardless, his upload was well afterwards). The side-stage clip doesn't have pristine audio clarity, but the Stanghettas are in fine form here and have solid energy, so give it a look below, and don't miss them at Broers Jansen in exactly one month!

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

Moon Tan Concert Video Showcase, Plus Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to new concert videos from a recent show, as we previously hinted on Wednesday, but we have some extra assorted updates at post's end as well. Let's start with those videos, courtesy of prolific local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel, as he was on hand for last week's short notice Moon Tan concert at The New American Pub! He did film each band, so let's start with the nominal headliners (even if they didn't actually play last), as Chris filmed the Winnipeg prog/funk rock trio playing their songs "The Cure", this instrumental jam (I can't place the name), and as embedded below, "The Faceless Knight". Moon Tan have a solid look and sound on these videos, combining moon faced costumes with songs that seem to combine Rush with funk rock, and it works well for them, with fans visibly getting into the groove! Check out Moon Tan live at The New A below, and see more from their debut local set above!



Next up, Chris filmed both of the night's local bands, including this video of alternative/hard rock trio The Din covering The Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly", albeit from a further camera angle than Moon Tan had. Well done cover that suits The Din's sound, though an attendee up front does get in the way of Tammy at times. Check it out below!



Chris' other video from last week's concert is of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who enlisted guest saxophonist Josh Norling once again for this show, which is always a nice addition! I'm not 100% positive, but it also looks like Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas filled in for Alex Hagerman on drums, which he has done in the past. This video has The Elements, Josh, and Jonas covering Tenacious D's "Kielbasa" with enthusiasm, and Rob Speers has some solid conviction to his voice here, so check out this new Elements cover below, and don't miss them as "The Plaid Martens" in two weeks!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by venue or station name:

• Petoskey, Michigan classic rock radio station KLT (WKLZ, 98.9 FM) and it's originating station in Kalkaska were among eight stations sold by Northern Broadcast to Blarney Stone Broadcasting last month. Though KLT remains on the air as usual, early reports have the KLT stations either becoming simulcasts of existing Grayling rock station Q100.3, or vice versa with KLT adopting Q100's larger and more request-driven playlist rotation. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but pay attention to 98.9 FM (which gets fringe reception in the Sault Ste. Marie area) for potential changes!
• Lake Superior State University's campus radio station WLSO (90.1 FM) officially re-branded this summer as The 46th Parallel Radio (referencing the circle of latitude that the Sault area sits upon), and plan to launch online streams of the station via TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This followed a listener contest to name what was announced as their "new online station", but it has since been confirmed that they meant the FM station proper and it's online stream. The new name doesn't really reflect the school so much as the region, but be sure to check The 46th Parallel Radio out, and remember that they do occasionally run heavier music!
• New Sault Ontario outdoor concert venue The Yard has a new co-owner, namely Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori! The news was revealed in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly earlier today, where Greig reflects on the fondly remembered Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor venue Castle Farms, and his hopes to bring a similar concert roster and feel to the Huron Street location. The idea of making this a "new" Castle Farms has been floated before, and it'd be great to see that come to fruition, so hopefully Greig can help make The Yard a regular and major concert destination in the future!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Moon Tan, Project 421, Tym Morrison, And Telephone & Address), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another concert weekend is upon us, and due to a number of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (plus recent slow news stretches), this post is entirely devoted to weekend concert previews referencing concerts that hadn't been formally plugged on the site until now! Apologies abound here (especially for Project 421), but had we known about them earlier, we'd have covered them here earlier! That said, our preview of the previously announced Highway 63 shows in Sault Michigan is coming in our next post, in order to spread things out. Now, here's what you need to know for this weekend, and in one case, beyond!

Winnipeg progressive/funk rock trio Moon Tan will make their local concert debut TONIGHT when they rock The New American Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this was only announced locally via it's official Facebook event page on Friday, too soon to plug without a redundant similar write-up. Touring in support of their new EP "The Faceless Knight", Moon Tan have a very creative visual look (complete with moon phase-themed costumes) and technical prog rock originals, and they should leave a firm impression on local fans TONIGHT, so be sure to check them out, as they aren't a cookie cutter band by any stretch! Though the feature touring act, they are actually playing second TONIGHT, between headlining local alternative hard rock trio The Din (fresh off of the Bloody Diamonds show this past weekend) and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements to kick things off. Solid choices to compliment Moon Tan, so don't miss out TONIGHT!

I'm not entirely sure who is promoting this show (for reference, The Din alerted me to it), but it has a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:30 PM start time. This should be a fun way for Moon Tan to kick off their Canadian tour, so don't miss out on what should be a creative and funky night of hard rock TONIGHT at The New A, and here's Moon Tan live!



Next up, we'll add the month of October's concert slate for Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, as he will (in all likelihood) continue his long-term weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with solo headlining concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, plus the next three weekends (October 13th-15th, 20th-22nd, and 27th-29th!) Apologies for the short notice regarding this weekend's shows, we typically wait for Facebook confirmation of his solo shows in this lengthy run before adding another month's worth to the site. With his thrice-weekly schedule maintaining at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, fans can check out Tym's proven blend of acoustic hard rock hits this month, including TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, so don't miss out if you're up for a more reserved night of classics! No word though on if the 27th-29th weekend will have any Halloween themes.

As usual, these are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this is a formal sit-down restaurant. Visit THIS WEEKEND's official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live in concert a few years back!

Also new for this weekend, local classic metal quintet Project 421 will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for a headlining concert at The Rednecks Saloon! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this show was announced last Tuesday via it's Facebook event page, but in the midst of a slow news period last week, it got too delayed, hence why it's only getting wrote up here now. After taking a month off from the stage, this will be Project 421's first show since opening for Dumpster Mummy at The New A, their first Rednecks gig since June, and their first solo headlining concert since the spring, so if you want wall to wall classic metal favourites and select originals, head to the former Nicolet Tavern TOMORROW NIGHT! Just to clarify, there is no advertised opening band (not even Eclipse), so prepare for 421 all night! This show has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time, so visit the above links for more details, apologies again for the delay, and here's Project 421 live!



Finally for this concert preview post, local post-punk solo project Telephone & Address will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Gore Street Cafe when they open for Winnipeg indie pop quartet Iansucks in their local debut! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday, despite being the official CD release party for Telephone & Address' new album! No word on why this was announced with under a week's notice, but copies of Chris Shoust's fourth official solo CD "Are You Now or Have You Ever." (no "Been" at the end anymore) will officially go on sale on SATURDAY at the laundromat, so definitely consider a trip down to get your copies first! As for Iansucks, they're a somewhat gloomy yet poppy alt-rock outfit that should be a good fit at the cafe, so don't bypass them either if you're a genre fan! As is typical for The Gore Street Cafe, this is an ALL AGES, pay-what-you-can event, with an advertised 7:00 PM start time.

For those curious about the album, the above photo is a mockup of the front cover (based on this picture Chris shared on the event page), and it looks to be packaged similarly to his prior 3 albums, which will also be on sale on SATURDAY. No word yet on online availability, prices, or full track listing, but for reference, last year's "Rust Orchid" was sold for $15, and was also launched with a concert at the same venue. We'll keep you posted, but consider making it out THIS SATURDAY for Iansucks & the acoustic punk action, and here's Telephone & Address live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Highway 63 concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm & Tym Morrison), Plus Das Bunkerfest II Info!!

Keeping the news rolling along for this early stretch of October, we have a recent jam session video, big updates concerning an event almost a year away, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month (encompassing the only known concert previews we have this weekend in terms of "heavier" artists), so here's what you need to know!

Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will make their Sault Michigan debuts (I think) when they hit The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin Casino branch TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band quietly announced the shows on their Facebook page in August, but they only just came to our attention yesterday. These shows appear to be replacements for previously scheduled gigs by local country band Perry Hatch (source here), and follow a handful of successful weekends at the St. Ignace Kewadin in the past year, most recently in April. Featuring Peril frontman Jeff Hudson on drums, it's great to see Scarkazm finally come up to the Soo for a change, and their groove metal originals & covers should find a solid audience in their latest U.P. stops, so keep their shows this weekend in mind if you're up for some live metal action! 21+ age limit, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 age limits are in effect, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's the guys live last year!

Also newly announced, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has confirmed via Facebook that he'll be back at The Harp Bar & Grill TONIGHT, so we'll add his October concert schedule there to our concert listings! Remember, due to the immense length of scheduled bookings on his website's calendar, we're taking these shows a month at a time, as it'd be excessive to add continuous dates into the 2020s to our listings. In October, Tym is advertised on his website to return to the former Madison's Pub tonight & TOMORROW, as well as on October 10th & 11th, 17th & 18th, 24th & 25th, and on Friday the 31st (we'll list Saturday, November 1st too just to complete that weekend), though it's not explicitly clear yet whether Tym and/or the venue will have a Halloween theme then. For reference, the event page for this weekend only explicitly references tonight's show, not tomorrow's, but as his website still lists a Saturday gig, we'll list it as on unless we get additional clarification.

Pushing his ongoing weekly concert arrangement at The Harp into it's 44th-48th straight weekends, Tym will be on each night at around 10:00 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, check the above links! Whether you're up for his full solo show on Saturdays or his sets along with open mic acts on Fridays, keep Tym Morrison's Harp shows in mind this month, and for a preview, here's Tym live at The Harp last winter!



Finally, here's a surprise announcement for almost a year away that's almost a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Remember Das Bunkerfest, the private Garden River weekend concert event in August by Oh! Right Arm! Promotions that got a lot of online notice? Well, promoters are giving it a second go around over the last weekend of August 2015 (specifically, August 28th-30th, all 3 days), and they've already tentatively slotted in an intriguingly massive lineup for it! Remember though, with 11 months until show time, this can very easily change. As of right now, Das Bunkerfest II will feature Hamilton all-female hardcore punk band Pantychrist, Toronto crust punk quartet IDNS (as seen at "Das Bunker" last month), London doom/punk trio Moon Hag, Sudbury doom metal trio Horse Lung, and North Bay hardcore punk quartet The Muff Huffers, along with local metal & punk bands Shit Liver, Destroilet, AlgomA, Crucify the Whore, The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Bear Hunters, Rotopsy, Jack Spades, and surprisingly, a reunion of the older local punk band Nullified Youth, whose lineup featured AlgomA alumni!

The lineup is (for now) rounded out by local rappers Mikey Thomas, Conika, Phat Boii, and Brownman, with local DJ Hakan' Loob also scheduled for an "after hours dance party". Stacked lineup, and with a lot of female talent partly thanks to the out of town bands, so hopefully things don't change too much in the next year! A co-promotional effort by Oh! Right Arm!, Blood Shed Productions, and Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this will again take place at "Das Bunker" in Garden River, but this is absolutely a public event (at least one shuttle bus is planned too, a'la 2013's Big Loonie Bus Show in Echo Bay.) That said, as is our usual protocol, we don't list a show in our concert listings unless there's a publically advertised address, and if prior "Das Bunker" shows are any indication, we'll know the address "when we need to". Tickets will be $15 and will go on sale in May 2015, so stay tuned to the Facebook event page for full updates as they come in for the very intriguing second Das Bunkerfest!

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

New Videos And More Assorted Recent News & Notes!!

For this news post, we have a lot of shorter recent items to clear out of our news cache, along with some new video postings that might be of note, so read on below to get caught up! We start with a new video from 2/3rds of Toronto metal legends Anvil, who issued this video greeting to local fans yesterday in advance of NEXT WEEK'S headlining show at The Canadian Nightclub! Just 15 seconds long, it's basically a brief show plug from frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow" and drummer Robb Reiner, and while nothing new is stated, it's great to get some direct advertising from Anvil themselves! Remember, they rock The Canadian this coming Saturday with fellow Toronto metallers Caym and local opening bands Jack Spades, The Suicide Kings, and Project 421, and tickets remain on sale for this 19+ concert for $20 (or $25 at the door), so get yours A.S.A.P. at The Rad Zone, The Canadian, or from local band members while they last, and check out the new video below!



Next up, Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's newest solo cover is now up via his YouTube channel, this time a cover of Green Day's "21 Guns"! Uploaded last night, it continues his recent multi-instruments trend with vocals, and while I'm honestly not a fan of this song at all, he does handle it as well as I'd expect! I'd be curious to hear how Alex does on older Green Day songs too, but for now, check out his newest solo video below!



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

• In their first public update in 5 months, long gestating Sault Ontario hard rock band Acention updated their Facebook page on January 10th, where (I believe) frontman Dalton Boissineau blamed the lack of activity on personal issues & internal drama. However, he did promise that music will be up as soon as possible, and when things come together, the band will talk about potentially writing an EP. Fingers crossed things work out, because progress has been way too slow from their camp!
• Local concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment are looking for metal bands that might be interested in playing a concert of theirs in almost two weeks on Friday, March 21st. No word on the venue or already enlisted bands yet, but this might be the same show that the on-hiatus Crimson Crusade turned down an offer to play at last month. Stay tuned for updates, and if you're interested in playing, message promoters at this link!
• Barring a re-emergence of activity by then, we'll likely be moving local progressive hard rock project The Mourning Glory to our inactive Sault Ontario band links on Tuesday due to a year's inactivity. Despite teases for material and such this year, the band has made no public updates since this post on drummer Glen Thomas' forum Freq's Music Planet last March. Hopefully the band turns up again, but either way, follow Glen and Tony's main band Flat Stanley for their current work!
• I have deleted former Sault Michigan record store New Moon Records from our Other Sault Michigan Links section, as their old website's domain name is now held by a California independent label of the same name, after previously expiring by the end of last year. New Moon Records (which was in the current Dotgames location) closed long before we were aware of the site, so this isn't a big loss, but I just wanted to let you guys know!
• London/Thessalon metal quintet Papa Fogals Chair (featuring a number of current Saultites) will hold a one-off reunion on May 3rd at The Moose Lodge as part of the entertainment for bassist Mike Bird's stag & doe! The event will also feature drummer Derek Turner's current band Garden of Bedlam (in their first announced set of the year) and acts to be announced. Given the personal nature of stag & does, we don't call them as full public "concerts", but click here for more information!
• Local goregrind duo Rotopsy are the fourth confirmed act on this year's Sewer Swampstravaganza on Saturday, May 3rd, in the first appearance at this yearly Oddfellows Hall all ages event by a Blood Shed Productions band. Should be interesting, and stay tuned for further lineup confirmations as they come in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, as well as this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on Monday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sneaky Pete), Sativa Rose's New Guitarist, And Much More!!

Hello there, metalheads! April's already off to a quick start, and today, we have some news that's mostly backlogged stuff that I'm finally able to stick in a post, though there are some new stories! Today, we have stuff from Frightlight, Half A Man, Sativa Rose, and some shorter stories from the past while, but kicking things off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Just four days away from their debut concert, local hard rockers Sneaky Pete have already announced their second show, which will take place on Saturday, May 7th at The Roosevelt Hotel! The band officially announced the show on Saturday night with a status update on their Facebook page. Full details haven't been announced as of today, and there's no Facebook event page yet either, but I suspect it will have a 10:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit, much like their debut show on Friday night at The Rockstar Bar. It's great to see bookings for Sneaky Pete after so long, and hopefully they have much more in store than just a show a month! I've heard promising things from these talented local veterans, and they should deliver a fun night of hard rock on Friday and next month! Check out the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more Sneaky Pete news as I hear it!

Next up, here's a lineup update for a local metal band! Sativa Rose have announced the addition of guitarist Anthony Orazietti to the band, officially making the band a quartet. I don't know exactly when he joined (I'm assuming last month) but he was added to the lineup on their official Facebook page at around the same time as when they added some amusing changes to their band info. I'm not aware of Anthony's musical background before joining Sativa Rose, but bassist Adam Veale highly praised him to me in recent e-mail conversations, so I have faith that this will work out! They're smart guys, and they know this will only add to their sound! With that said, Anthony will make his live debut on Saturday night at The Sewer Swampstravaganja all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall, so if you're curious how Sativa Rose will sound with two guitarists, you'll find out on Saturday! Sounds good to me, and I'll be there on Saturday to tell you how Anthony does with the band! Stay tuned for more from Sativa Rose as it comes in!

Thirdly, here's the latest from Brimley hard rockers Half A Man, who've been keeping very busy lately! Firstly, the band have announced that they are now signed to Blackened Moon Records, the label that drummer Mikey Bishop's Lansing black metal band Summon are signed with! Details on the signing are kinda sparse, but the band are planning to record their debut album very soon, and release it through Blackened Moon Records afterwards, with attached CD release shows in both Sault Michigan and Lansing. Sounds good, hopefully we hear some concrete recording details soon! As well, the band have announced brand new t-shirts that honestly look better than the ones they were previously selling, and as you can see on your right, those are all the details on them! The shirts go for $15 or higher for larger sizes, and you can call (906) 440-8712 for ordering details! Plus, I assume you can buy these at their Merchant's Bar concert on April 16th. It sounds like Half A Man have things under control, and hopefully these big plans follow through, they deserve it! Check out the above links for more from Half A Man!

Fourthly, here's the latest from local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight! The band recently launched a brand new Facebook page, presumably to replace or compliment their Facebook group, and it does feature some new band information! A ton of concert photos have been added to the page, which you can check out at this location, and they include album "title cards" and assorted photos that aren't even necessarily of Frightlight. Good shots though! The page also includes what appears to be an updated stage name for drummer Jeff De Rose, as he's now credited as "Mr. Bates" rather than "The Count". I'll assume this is a reference to Norman Bates from Psycho, and maybe this will be a future on-stage costume theme? Check the above links for more details on their new Facebook page! As well, remember their Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands campaign to make it to the Vans Warped Tour stop in Mississauga in July? Since March 21st, they've catapulted from 22nd to 8th in the voting, and are only 856 votes away from the top 5! I'm very happy for Frightlight for getting this far, and I've been voting the whole way through, so let's help get them further in this contest! Click here to vote, you must have a free account though. VOTE TODAY!!

And finally, here's three shorter news stories from the last while, in alphabetical order by band/website name:

• In case you haven't heard, Motley Crue tribute band Crued are looking for openers for their show on April 30th at The Canadian Nightclub. If you or your band are interested, click here! This seems like it'd be up Browbeat 101, Dirty Virgin, or Sativa Rose's alley, but who knows who could get the gig? If an opener is announced, I'll let you guys know who it is!
• This is over a month late, but SooToday's Friday Hot Shot from February 25th was of Maximum RNR guitarist Keith Carman during their local concert six days earlier at Foggy Notions! Nice picture, thanks to Donna Hopper for taking it! Click the above links to check it out!
• If you noticed that our "Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles" list on the SMS was longer lately, it's because I visibly separated the links so that each profiled band gets their own link. The posts aren't altered, but now the last band alphabetically each month isn't listed last for each link. So if you were wondering what happened, there you go!

That's all for today, but I have much more tomorrow (maybe earlier?), so stay tuned! Thanks everyone!