Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Ashoka At The Show

For our penultimate Defunct Local Band Profile of 2026, we're again shining the spotlight on a defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk act that was randomly selected from our band links, and in a sense, this profile is nine years in the making! I had originally tapped this act for a profile in this series in 2017, not realizing they had recently came back from an inactive spell, so I shifted gears at the time. In 2026, however, they haven't been active on social media in over five years, and their number has been called again, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday night!

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Ashoka At The Show (formerly known as Mayadevi)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/Thessalon/Elliot Lake, Ontario

Genre: Pop Punk/Emo

Lineup: (Members not in their last lineup are in italics. I do not know what Oliver's last name is. Let us know if you can fill in that blank!)

Darren MacDonald, vocals/guitar
Aaron Gasparetto (The Undead Warriors), guitar
Oliver ??????, guitar
Mike Kyle (Sibling, Shit Liver), bass
Don Henderson, bass
Kristan Surge (OBCD), drums
Joey Graham (The Undead Warriors, Kaepora Gaebora), drums

Audio/Video: While a Mayadevi-era studio album named "The Great Panic Attack" was once planned, most surviving material comes from their work as a 2010s solo project. The best surviving source for media is Darren's 184Films channel, which features dozens of acoustic covers and originals, including a handful of free "albums". Public media of the full band is limited to two videos filmed by Kenneth Coventry for YouTube at Central Algoma Secondary School in Desbarats, including Ashoka At The Show playing an apparent original song named "Modest" unplugged at a fashion show in 2008 with Darren, Oliver, and Joey on stage. Featured here is the plugged-in & full colour Mayadevi-era cover of Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance" (with Don in place of Oliver) from 2007 at a CASS Cafe event, but check out Ken's channel for more contemporary videos, including solo performances by Darren that are not tied to the band! Of other band members, OBCD likely had the most musically in common, though the heavier Shit Liver far outlasted them.

Info/Analysis: Originally active from circa 2005-2008, Mayadevi (named for the mother of Buddha) was primarily seen as a live act at CASS Cafe events during members' teenage years, though they once teased playing sets at Oddfellows Hall concerts. The band changed their name to Ashoka At The Show (another reference to a Buddhist figure) circa 2007, and after a few years writing and performing strictly under his own name, Darren resurrected the AATS name for his music in 2013. He would post music frequently through April 2020, though he did take some extended breaks in the late 2010s, and also began focusing on e-gaming videos for NHL video games on a newer channel that once featured music as well. Ashoka At The Show updates ceased during the first pandemic lockdown (ironically considering it was a solo project), though Darren did post NHL 21 videos on their Facebook page upon its release until February 2021. Despite spending most of their active run as an acoustic solo act out of our coverage range, Darren is a talented singer and guitarist, and it would be neat to see Ashoka back at The Show!

Darren managed to get 10,000+ views on seven YouTube videos (three being Avenged Sevenfold covers), and he has a good singing voice, an ease on camera, and solid guitar skills that were all evident even in his CASS Cafe performances with the full band, and his original compositions were also promising, if clearly not fleshed out as much as old Mayadevi fans may have once hoped for. Give his Ashoka At The Show videos a watch, and hopefully we hear more from Darren down the road! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around December 10th when we look at our last randomly selected past local band of 2026, and it will be 2009-2014 and 2018-2021 local horror punk band Frightlight! Look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sault Retro Con), A Tuesday Night Concert Preview, And A New Video!!

Let's tackle some news and notes for this Monday night post, including intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend, a preview of a rare Tuesday night all-local and all-ages concert, and a new video from one of tomorrow's bands, so here's what you should know!

The musical lineup for the inaugural Soo Retro Con has been announced! Unusual among local comic/pop-culture conventions for hosting live musicians in the first place, the Soo Retro Con will take place on Saturday and Sunday, November 20th-21st at Great Lakes Hall, a newer events space at 288 Korah Road that just so happens to be located beside Stuff, the recently refurbished antiques/collectibles store owned by former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie (both are right near Jay's Piston Broke Pub too). For full details on the comic con aspects of this event, including vendors, door prizes, gelball, pool, and even catering, visit the official Facebook event page! Perhaps owing to space in Great Lakes Hall (and even the largest Steel City Nerd/CollectorCons didn't have full bands mid-event), the Retro Con will only be hosting solo musicians on both days from 12:15-4:15 PM, with two of them doubling up.

Your headliner both days is local blues musician Josh "The Preacher" McNally (sans his Jackleg Band) at 3:15 PM, while veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will take the stage in both days' middle set at 1:30 PM. 2024 Soo's Got Talent finalist Celeste Burton will open up the Saturday program only at 12:15 PM, while the aforementioned Curtis McKenzie will kick off the music on the Sunday afternoon (it's his own convention, why not?). Hopefully everyone proves to be a fitting soundtrack while attendees shop for pop culture treasures in the west end! The Soo Retro Con runs from 12:00-5:00 PM both days, and admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for a full weekend pass (kids aged 10 and younger get in free). Tickets are on sale at Stuff, The Skeleton Key Used Bookstore next door, The Dive Gastro Pub, Kanto Kreations, and at the door.

In the wake of the end of the Steel City conventions from Vintage Games N' Junque, a few different conventions have cropped up this year to fill the void (including the Great Lakes Geek Fests from Kanto Kreations and the touring SaultCon in July), but how will Curt do with the Soo Retro Con? Get more details on musical and non-musical fronts at the above links on what to expect at the Great Lakes Hall next weekend!

Next up, here's a special Tuesday night concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as five local bands will join forces at The Speak Easy at Algoma University! Why an all-local concert is on a Tuesday, I don't know (Remembrance Day on Wednesday isn't a statutory holiday), but this should be an early night, as it is an all ages event. Headlining tomorrow night are local crossover thrash trio Hails (who may have teasers of their current studio sessions to show off), and they'll be joined by ska/crust punk quartet ASDP (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) and fast-rising young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe in their Speak Easy debut. Two bands will play their first public concerts here, including The Mario Kwon Quartet, led by the jazz musician behind Yecharo from this year's Go Skateboarding Day and the Underground Events SSM compilation album, so you may recognize Mario thusly.

Opening tomorrow are Worst Case Scenario, a new teenage skate punk band. I was privately shown a video of them covering Pennywise's "Fuck Authority", but there's no public pages or media of them yet. Intentionally a surprise band or not, come to The Speak Easy for the best case scenario for learning who Worst Case Scenario are! This concert goes down tomorrow night at 6:00 PM, the bar will not be open, and admission is $20, with tickets on sale at this link or at the door (if you have valid student ID cards, door admission is slashed to $10). Should be a fun punk-leaning night of live music, with some jazz for good measure, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Hails live!

Finally for tonight, here's a new video from the aforementioned 5 Dollar Bribe's Facebook page! Uploaded two weeks ago in their first Facebook update since August (despite playing shows in the interim), this comes from their set opening for Customer Service at Blaster Powerhouse on October 24th, a show that also featured ASDP on the bill. The video features 5DB playing their new original song "Underneath" with guitarist Jayce Albury on vocals, and if you're wondering why they're in costumes, this was Underground Events SSM's Halloween concert, as they didn't book anything on the actual (and quite busy) Halloween weekend. Looks like Randy was The Cat In The Hat (and the hat/mask must have been hot!), Tyler & Chase seem to be channeling The Misfits, and I'm not 100% sure who Jayce was dressed as. In spite of the promoters crediting them as a "post-hardcore" band for tomorrow's event page, this is a 1990s grunge-inspired hard rock number with a nicely tuned melody and a casual ease as it goes along.

If you didn't know better, you wouldn't assume that this was a band of teenagers, which is a compliment for how they're developing as a live act and as songwriters! The lighting is too red (Halloween mood lighting for a show with a touring headliner, I know), but give this a watch below, and go see 5 Dollar Bribe tomorrow at The Speak Easy!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan Videos, Recent Missed Concert Notes, And More Recent Updates!!

To lead off today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a show in this weekend's previews and note another that I didn't cover due to its private nature, even though it did get a public shoutout. In the former case, I profusely apologize for neglecting to preview Nate's Chow's announced concert at the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023 tonight after the VFW's fifteenth annual Veteran's Day ATV ride. While I covered it when first announced late last month, it was regrettably bypassed in culling this weekend's previews, despite covering Nate's Chow's upcoming Kewadin Casino gigs in yesterday's post. Given the charitable aims of helping military veterans, I should have caught this event, especially as it wasn't announced on late notice on the band's end, but I'm sorry, and I hope that everyone had a great time in Brimley tonight! Note that Nate's Chow erroneously gave the date on their AI-generated poster as being on Friday, November 7th, rather than Saturday.

The other note is in Sault Ontario, where Headrush bassist John Amendola posted on the band's Facebook group last night "Happening now at The Rockstar (Bar)!! Come on down!", which heavily implied that they were playing a gig there. From what I have gathered from photos and John's later replies, this was a birthday party (the decorations and balloons helped give that away), and unless there was firm public advertising with ticket sales or open admission, I likely wouldn't have covered it here anyway... but yet John was encouraging fans to come on late notice? Regardless, I hope the party went well, and we'll let you know when Headrush return to the public stage!

Today's post otherwise looks at new videos from two Sault Michigan bands, plus some assorted Sault Ontario news and notes, but we'll start with videos from the EUP, including this one of local punk duo About:Blank live at The Merchants Bar on October 17th! Belatedly uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, this features Parker and Kade playing their original song "What You Wanted" during this rare headlining gig. The performance is sound with a grungy essence, but the recording quality isn't fantastic. Already shot vertically, the filmer set the phone up on a table at such an angle where the lower third of the screen is just the table surface, and while they do slightly nudge the phone to the right as it goes, you never see Kade beyond his drumsticks at this vantage point. I'm glad that the video was successfully filmed while the phone had battery life though, as at 12%, they were cutting it pretty close!

As you may recall, About:Blank had to withdraw from the annual LSSU Battle of the Bands last month when Kade was called into work late that night, so Parker played on solo and still came in third. This was the band's last show before the battle, so if you want a preview of how things may have sounded at The Arts Center had Kade been present, give the full video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank soon!

Next up, local hardcore punk trio Viscera have shared two new videos exclusively on their Instagram page from their latest out-of-town concert, and following the recent Meta decision to link Facebook and Instagram accounts and whatnot, video embedding appears to work for Instagram again! Both of these come from Blind Bob, Chris, and Mitchell's set at the Marquette Fringe Festival (similar to the former Fringe North in Sault Ontario) on October 24th, where they played on a bill alongside Marquette power pop band Addicus. You may have seen the two bands together here at Three One Three On Ashmun back in August. The gig proper took place at Ore Dock Brewing Co., and as you can see in this photo, they do have a merchandise table for gigs, including CD copies of "From Feast To Famine", DIY t-shirts, and some very politically charged stickers. The two videos include this vertical clip of them in an instrumental stretch, and it's good to see an animated crowd!

Embedded below is a highlight reel from their set, featuring multiple camera angles of them in action, including one much closer to the stage that shows off members' face paint(!), and this was ran through some post-production filters prior, including a fish eye lens and one replicating a VCR on a CRT TV (even though you weren't likely to find a 1:1 square aspect ratio TV monitor). I would far prefer full recordings of these songs rather than assorted clips, but Viscera sound good and as varied for styles as listeners of their EP can expect, and the wood pallet paneling on the stage is sure distinct, so give Viscera's new Marquette Fringe videos a watch above & below!

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Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from Sault Ontario, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Over a month after their successful debut at Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar, new local punk quartet Dead II Society will release their second studio single "Lean On" on Thursday! Like with "Dead & Buried", it will be on major streaming platforms and will have a Spacebag Productions-shot music video once again. On their Facebook page, D2S showed still preview images of the video, featuring acting roles by guitarist Mike Yakasovich's old Northwest bandmate Greg Callaghan as well as frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau's son Silas. We'll have more when things go live!
• On October 17th, local crossover thrash trio Hails revealed on their Facebook page that they were recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, with that being day 1 of the sessions, and photos were included. Updates have not publically followed, so it's not immediately clear if they're working on an album, EP, or just a single or two, but the song(s) in question would mark the studio debut of new guitarist Anthony Orazietti. Whether the Dag Nasty song is a hint towards how things are sounding or not, I don't know, but Ha!ls may have previews of what's being worked on at The Speak Easy on Tuesday, preview forthcoming!
• Local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis have indeed parted ways with drummer Anthony Boudreau, as per his removal from their Instagram page's bio. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, but note that Liam got an announcement when he left, so I hope things were at least amicable. Tony had drummed with the HeadFirst successors for their six summer gigs, but was replaced by Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew for their dates last month, though Brandan has not (yet?) been publically confirmed as his permanent replacement. Best of luck to Anthony in whatever is next, as he's a solid drummer across different genres!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & Homeroom Hero Updates!!

For our first proper news post of the month, we're diving into LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and related updates from a veteran local rock band, plus new info on a recently debuted punk band that they'll be sharing the stage with later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local southern/hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced concerts through August 2027 on their newly redesigned website's concert calendar earlier this week! Our rule of thumb re: our own local concert listings is to only go as far in the timeline as where multiple bands have announced shows that far ahead, so we'll stop in May for now, and will address Bone Yard's June-August bookings once other shows from other artists are announced in that timeframe. "The Dirty Three" are next scheduled to headline the previously announced Toystock on November 29th, but the first of the brand new confirmations will be on Friday, December 11th at The Water Tower Pub. As usual for gigs there, this will be an "uncorked" show, not a full electric date (even though they do host plugged-in bands regularly), and it will be a one-nighter, as the Pub doesn't book the same band on back-to-back nights. This will be at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover.

All other new Bone Yard dates (so far) are at Beck's Bar, all being Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders on January 23rd & 24th, March 6th & 7th, April 17th & 18th, and May 22nd & 23rd! If they're playing single night bookings at all at Beck's in early 2027, they're to be announced, but all four weekends will see Greg, Alex, and Warren in their full electric splendour as the Saturday night headliners before playing "uncorked" Sunday matinees. Of note, the May shows will be on the Victoria Day ("May 2-4") long weekend. The three current public local dates for the summer will be confirmed when someone else confirms shows that far along, but keep all of these shows in mind for your local 225 fix! The Beck's shows are at 9:00 PM on Saturdays and 3:00 PM on Sundays, with 19+ age limits and no cover charges across the board. Visit the above links for more details, but while we're on the subject, let's look at their new website!

The front page goes into greater detail about their cover range live than I have ever seen, and of note, it really downplays the southern rock/country side, perhaps a definitive sign of their drift from country to rock (insert Q104/The Fox analogy here) by the late 2010s. Interestingly, their electronic press kit is now password locked, perhaps to ensure that only prospective bookers can see the numbers, but Bone Yard are definitely taking bookings for next year, so we are bound to see them at other nightclubs and events in 2027. In fact, to hype that search for 2027 bookings, they posted this hype video to their Facebook page featuring clips of them covering The Tragically Hip, Golden Earring, The 4 Non Blondes, and Pink Floyd at various venues here and afar, plus an instrumental section and one of their originals. Hard-coded captions run on the screen to point to what they offer as a live band.

I'm not sure that "What's Up" is an ideal example of an audience participation song (I may be biased from local band overplay of it), but it's an effective highlight reel to show off a range of what the 2022-present version of Bone Yard bring to the table, and hopefully we see the guys at lots more local and out-of-town dates in the new year! Give the new video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Bone Yard 225!

Lastly for today, I wanted to mention the live debut of new local pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero at The Art Hub At Spring this past Friday, so first off, who has replaced Larry Babic as their new lead singer? Former Quite Frankly frontwoman Haley Alopaeus, who was a semifinalist in The Soo's Got Talent in 2024 and guested with her old band at their Prince Township show last month. If you missed the Devil's Night concert with Ha!ls, you may have been able to see a video featuring four covers from their set, but alas, it was only uploaded and shared as a "Story", meaning that it was only viewable for a day, was forciblty letterboxed into vertical dimensions, and if you watched it, it vanished forever. I do not like "Stories", and I'd want new fans to be able to see the video in perpetuity, especially given that they're relatively original as current local bands go, but what can I do? The video featured clips of Homeroom Hero covering My Chemical Romance's "Helena", ...

...Green Day's "Holiday", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", and SR-71's "Right Now". I typically don't review "Stories" as they're not something that I can link to, but as this was our first proper video of Homeroom Hero, I did check it out when able, and they have a good sound that mid-2000s Oddfellows Hall concert-goers should appreciate! Maybe a little stiff yet, and you could tell that Haley was unsteady with these songs, but that will surely improve by the time of their next show (PetFest at Blaster Powerhouse on November 21st). Hopefully some permanent and linkable videos will surface soon, but see above for more on Homeroom Hero, and look for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Dos Amigos) And Devil's Night Concert Previews!!

Halloween weekend is upon us and for the first time since 2020 (when the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into the holiday for many), October 31st is on a Saturday! There's no shortage of live music to take in at local concert venues this weekend, and things will need at least three posts to get to everything! We'll start here with Devil's Night shows tomorrow, including two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and one previously announced Friday nighter, so here's what you should know for the end of spooky season!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will cap off their run of fall festival gigs at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this booking via (you guessed it) a Facebook "Story" shared by the band members' personal accounts, as the band's social media hasn't publically acknowledged TOMORROW'S booking, let alone the mill, whose AI generated poster for this weekend's festivities doesn't even mention live music. For the closing day, Thomson Farms will have the haunted corn maze open for one more night, and the usual family entertainment, vendors, and refreshments seen throughout October should also be on hand. Dos Amigos will be playing from the 5:00 PM opening TOMORROW until 8:00 PM, this is definitely all ages, and there are no cover charges. Proceeds TOMORROW will be helping the U12 AA Soo Jr. Greyhounds hockey team.

The haunted maze proper costs $15, and while Halloween decorations are certainly implied, the farm hasn't 100% confirmed anything about costumes (they don't appear to be open on Saturday, so I assume they'd be okay with costumes TOMORROW). 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures of 7-8°. I do wish that Dos Amigos were plugging events in permanent posts through the band's own accounts, but hopefully their unplugged punk covers provide a fun soundtrack to the evening! Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S festivities at Thomson Farms, and for a preview, here's Dos Amigos live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Beck's Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this Devil's Night gig when Beck's announced their weekly entertainment schedule on their Facebook page on Tuesday. Now, these shows were originally announced as being for fellow classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 on that band's website's calendar, but it has was quietly updated in recent weeks to remove both tomorrow's gig as well as one at Beck's on Saturday, November 14th (all that is listed there now are private events). A reason for Silent 9 dropping out of both dates has not been publically announced, but hopefully all is well in their camp! Soundcheck have taken on TOMORROW'S gig, and in a mild surprise given their increasingly rare social media updates, they have plugged them on their Facebook page!

As such, they have finally acknowledged the "Soundcheck 7.3" branding from their recent AI generated artwork on Facebook, but have yet to confirm online if they have indeed changed their name or if it's just a logo element (let alone what "7.3" means. Richter scale?). Also, TOMORROW'S show is not advertised as an "epic crossover" gig with their sister band Separate Wayz, who have not updated their Facebook page in over a month. In terms of Halloween accoutrements, while Beck's is hosting Elly McWatters & The Drifters on Saturday night, TOMORROW will also be a Halloween party, with costumes encouraged, and there will be a contest, with prizes in store for those with the scariest and funniest costumes, as well as the best character impersonation. Soundcheck will kinda sorta have an opener TOMORROW, namely local magician Ryan McFarling at 7:00 PM.

I say "kinda sorta" as Ryan's show will be ticketed, whereas Soundcheck have no cover charge for their 9:00 PM-starting concert, which is 19+ as usual. There's a lot more than this going down at Beck's, so be sure to check their Facebook page for the complete weekend itinerary (Sunday matinee included), but hopefully Soundcheck (7.3?) hold up their end of the bargain with their hard rocking old school covers at the Goulais Avenue nightclub TOMORROW! See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head to The Art Hub At Spring (technically at 504 Queen Street East) for a FREE multi-band Devil's Night concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but there has been a late headliner switch. Originally, local alternative/hard rock quartet The Reeves were supposed to headline, but they dropped out "due to unforeseen circumstances" on Monday, as per the official Facebook event page, though they promised that "we will still be in attendance". If they'll still be there, is someone sick or hurt? No idea, but hopefully everyone's alright! Replacing The Reeves tomorrow are local crossover thrash trio Hails, who are no strangers to The Art Hub following frontman Brenton Ellis' recent art exhibit residency there, and with the cancellation of the private Devil's Night At Dirtbag's tomorrow, their schedule was open! Ha!ls will be joined by debuting pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero.

This promising band has yet to reveal the identity of their new female singer, but you can be the first to find out tomorrow (possible Halloween costume acknowledged), and click here to sample them covering The Offspring! Opening is former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci, so if you've missed him and were curious what his solo material sounds like following the cancellation of his open mic set at Rotaryfest Stage 2 following the air quality index concerns, keep this in mind! A dance party is planned after the bands, there will be complimentary food and drinks, and costumes are welcomed (no word on a contest). While this will be a free and all ages concert at 8:00 PM, organizers recommend RSVPing first, and while the event page suggests contacting performers/organizers to "get on the list", I did see a reference on Facebook where just saying that you're going on the Facebook event page would be enough. I'm assuming all of this is due to The Art Hub's smaller size.

Compared to some of the other multi-band events for Halloween downtown, this one's punk slant, price point, and Friday scheduling will definitely appeal to some, and while it is unfortunate that The Reeves aren't playing despite their promotional involvement, hopefully there's a strong turnout at The Art Hub tomorow night! See above for more details, and here's Hails live!

That's all for now, but our weekend concert previews continue tomorrow with shows actually on Halloween night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock XIII) & Two Local EP Uploads From 2014!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up that Friday night's "Devil's Night At Dirtbag's" concert at a private location has been cancelled. According to Underground Events SSM's Facebook page, "Dirtbag" (implied to also be a member of one of the scheduled bands) hurt his foot, hence the cancellation. Why the rest of the bands can't play on, I don't know, but hopefully "Dirtbag" heals up soon, and there's no shortage of concerts at public venues to check out for Halloween weekend! Now, this post features a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the impending Christmas season and some surprise local EP uploads, so here's what you should know!

The full lineup for the thirteenth annual Toystock was announced on their website and Facebook page last week! Returning for its tenth installment at their current homebase at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday, November 29th, this is the annual Christmas Cheer fundraiser concert held in late November by GS (formerly Maxx) Entertainment, where 10 bands play across 10 hours, all donating their time to the cause. Along with music, each Toystock features kids activities like face painting, arts and crafts, a play area, and visits with Santa Claus himself, and the Stuff-A-Bus may make another appearance for good measure. For adults, The Grand Gardens is licensed and the bar will be open if so inclined, and food will be on sale as well. Admission is FREE with the donation of new toys or winter clothing, new or gently used books, games, and puzzles, or gift cards, though you can also donate cash.

Visit the above links for full non-musical details! For just the second time (after 2018), most bands from the previous year are returning for the following year, and in a mild shocker, there are no mystery debuting bands next month. As usual, your headliners at 9:00 PM are local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who have played every event save for 2014, when frontman (and Toystock promoter) Greg Simpson took the stage with other bands of his. Eternal kudos to Greg and his wife Kerry for all they do to help those in need over the holidays! After debuting last year as late replacements, local blues/classic rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts will leap up the bill to serve as the co-headliners at 8:00 PM, while country rock cover quintet Elly McWatters & The Drifters will return to Toystock for their own second straight year at 7:00 PM.

Fittingly, the 6:00 PM timeslot belongs to Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band (in their third straight year), and the timing works out, as The Drifters and The Big Finish Band share a lot of members between them! While this will be Steve & Brad's fourth straight year, their current hard rock quartet The Reeves will be playing Toystock for the second time next month at 5:00 PM. Toystock newcomers make up most of the first half of the bill, including blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows (Spencer knows Bone Yard well now!) at 4:00 PM, young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe at 3:00 PM, and new pop punk/emo band Homeroom Hero at 2:00 PM (see them debut on Friday night at The Art Hub At Spring!). Continuing the annual trend of giving a timeslot to representatives of a local music store/school, blues rock quartet The Associates are up at 1:00 PM

This will be The Associates' third straight year at Toystock, and they will once again feature Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville before he joins the rest of "The Dirty Three" that night, along with fellow colleagues of his from Long & McQuade. The opening act this year is a solo artist, namely local country musician Jazmine "Jazz Marie" Ladouceur at 12:00 PM in her Toystock debut. It's great to see another stacked lineup of talented local musicians back for Toystock XIII, and hopefully there's a huge turnout of music lovers, families, and festive folks at The Grand Gardens once again on the last Sunday of November! Visit the above links for full current details!

Finally for today, remember how mid-2010s local punk/grunge duo Bad Back released two demo EPs in late 2014 that were amended somewhat for their digital release? Well, physical copies of each have finally been uploaded to YouTube! Originally limited to 25 copies apiece, the band from former Fuller bandmates Jamie Vincent and Nathan Sauve had released the EPs (now named "VOLumes!" and "VOLumes TWO!") on Bandcamp, but they opted not to use the physical artwork in either case, and the setlists of both had cuts. Jamie's old AlgomA bandmate Kevin Campbell owns copies of each EP, and he posted both to his Canadian Punker YouTube channel in August. On the first originally self-titled demo, Jamie & Nathan dropped "Drum My Way Home" and "Number One Hit Single" for Bandcamp, possibly because they re-recorded them for 2015's full length "ALbums". 

"Bad Back Vol. 2" had "No. 1 Hit Single" again, and "Oh!" was also redone on "ALbums", but the eight minutes long instrumental jam "Stop Listening To Phish" was completely dropped from the Bandcamp release without being redone. I get the sense that "ALbums" was intended to be their representative final act with the best songs and recordings, hence why it had cherry picked remakes, but why not post "Stop Listening To Phish" on Bandcamp? Unless you bought one of the 25 CD copies, you can hear it now though! A review of either isn't imminent (neither are new, and look at our backlog), but give Bad Back's original demo EPs a listen above & below, and thanks to Kevin for posting these after a 12 year wait!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Hails), A New Local Punk Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we dive into weekend concert previews, here's a new news post for your Tuesday night reading, which includes some shorter recent updates, a new video, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and leading off, a new band making their debut later this month, so here's what you should know!

New local pop punk band Homeroom Hero have launched their own Facebook page, so now we can add them to our active local band links! Debuting on Friday, October 30th at The Art Hub At Spring when they open for The Reeves (details here) with a further gig coming next month at PetFest, Homeroom Hero are hyping themselves up big towards fans of early-mid 2000 pop punk and emo bands, which will definitely be a niche that has been underserved locally in the 2020s. Their lineup includes former No Shadows Cast guitarist Brian Lester, newer local guitarist Dennys Andrade, bassist Paul Fowler, and former As It Stands drummer/Forever Will Be leader Ryan McLaughlin. The band originally had ex-A Dire Setback frontman Larry Babic on vocals, but he has quietly departed Homeroom Hero for unannounced reasons, as per a recent Facebook Messenger conversation with Paul.

Hopefully nothing too serious happened with Larry, as he has been missed on stage since the late 2010s! In Homeroom Hero's first video on Facebook, you can hear their apparent new singer (a woman, based on the voice) covering the last chorus of The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright". Doesn't sound bad to me, but who is she, and will the band reveal her identity prior to Devil's Night? And what other covers do Homeroom Hero have up their sleeve? We'll know more soon, but check out their first audio teaser below!

Next up, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, this time an all-local show from Underground Events SSM on Tuesday, November 10th at The Speak Easy at Algoma University, and despite being on a work/school night, this will have a stacked lineup of five local bands, two debuting! Your headliners are crossover thrash trio Hails, while their former guitarist Mikhal Muto (promoter of this very event) will front his ska/crust punk quartet ASDP as co-headliners. Young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe (or, if you believe the poster, $5 Bribe) will make their Speak Easy debuts here, while the other two bands are brand new. One is The Mario Kwon Quartet, a jazz outfit led by the musician behind the Yecharo solo project that some readers may recall from this year's Go Skate Day, while the other is a debuting skate punk band named Worst Case Scenario. I have no public details on them yet, we'll let you know if something comes out in the next few weeks!

Tickets are on sale at this link for $20, and the price is unchanged at the door, unless you're a current Algoma student with valid student ID, as you'll get in for half that price. The bands start at 6:00 PM and this is absolutely an all ages concert (the bar will not be open and they ask not to bring in outside alcohol). If you can swing coming out on a Tuesday, this should deliver the goods for fans of hard rock and punk, and it'll be interesting to get more on Worst Case Scenario, so visit the above links for more details!

Also today, the above poster (made by Mikhal) sort of ties into our next topic, as Eden Plague guitarist Mitch Sirie starred in this new Facebook video to promote their gig opening for Korpiklaani at Blaster Powerhouse next month. While ostensibly to hype availability of tickets (all members except Justin were credited in the description as having some to sell), Mitch spends most of the video criticizing generative AI usage, especially to advertise events. Veronica Miller of Mother North Studio designed the official poster for the concert, which came about after the former Bear Hunters disapproved of the AI-generated poster that the former Soo Blaster made for the concert (which you can still see on the venue's concerts page; I recall Mitch complaining that the AI program distorted the Eden Plague logo). To their credit, Blaster has used Veronica's poster for all promotion elsewhere since, including physical copies.

Mitch doesn't mince words about his distaste for generative AI posters, while also plugging his hairstylist and locally-made beard oil for good measure. I do agree that you should support real artists, regardless of medium, and I would rather see art made in a legit computer program or by hand, so hopefully we get more of that regardless of source! As for the concert promo, it did take a back seat for much of the video (still no word on who Free Drugs are), but getting Korpiklaani here all the way from Finland on November 7th will be huge, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Mitch's video!

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

• Local rapper Kodex has replaced Shae Tull on the lineup for this Saturday night's Customer Service concert at Blaster Powerhouse, as per promoters Underground Events SSM's Facebook page. Unspecified "scheduling issues" were cited as to why Shae withdrew from the Halloween-themed concert, and hopefully all is well with her! Kodex's inclusion makes him even more of a genre outlier than Shae would have been at this majority-punk concert, but he is a talented MC, so don't bypass him, and our preview of this show will hit the site in a few days!
• A celebration of life for late local classic rock musician and American Federation of Musicians Local 276 union vice president Paul Leclair will take place at The Water Tower Inn on Saturday at 1:00 PM, as per this entry on SooToday's obituary page. This takes place eight months after Paul passed away at the age of 74, and I am glad to see that his friends and family will finally get a public chance to pay their respects and celebrate his memory. R.I.P. Paul!
• In another "Story" from Riverside Stasis frontwoman Tea Emlaw's solo Facebook page, she shared a brief clip of the band playing at Village Media headquarters this past Friday for the (slightly) relocated Village Sessions kickoff event. I don't understand why you wouldn't let everyone see and share the video whenever we want, but it did give some sense as to the intimate space of the event. Also, ex-Din drummer Brandan Glew was behind the kit for this gig, though the band still has not officially clarified on social media if he has replaced Anthony Boudreau or if he was just filling in. We'll let you know when they formally announce something!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dos Amigos), Recent Facebook "Story" Videos, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran local musician and Soo's Got Talent co-producer Darren Robertson, who passed away at the Algoma Residential Community Hospice on Wednesday, just three days after his 56th birthday. Darren had been fighting esophageal cancer since May of last year, and you can read more about his fight via this GoFundMe campaign on his behalf. He is survived by his parents, wife Judy, his kids Aiyah, Jaeden, and Julian, his brother Ryan, and other extended family. A recognizable face in the local music scene for decades (even if his band work largely predates social media), Darren primarily crossed our radar for his work as a producer, judge, and MC of The Soo's Got Talent, who have done a lot to promote rising local singers and other performers since 2019, while supporting deserving charities along the way, and he was promoting this fall's event online earlier this month.

Darren was also the creator of the free news/entertainment publication Soo Now, and you may recognize him from his one-time day job at Eazy Express. Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of life will be held at a later date, but arrangements were entrusted to the Damignani Burial, Cremation, and Transfer Service. A kind supporter of local music and wonderful causes, and a talented musician in his own right, Darren has been rightfully eulogized by so many people this week, and with The Soo's Got Talent returning with a non-competitive winter gala next month, there will be more chances to remember him and his work to come. R.I.P. Darren!

Today's post otherwise looks at recent video shares that many may not have even had the chance to see, some assorted recent updates, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will play their second show in three days TOMORROW when they return to Thomson Farms Cider & Winery! Apologies for the short notice, Thomson Farms only confirmed that Mikey & Dustin would be playing via this AI-generated poster yesterday. While music has been a frequently advertised component of their fall fair this month, Dos Amigos are the only act credited by name in any of the AI-generated posters, having played at the Third Line West cider mill two weeks ago. Fresh off of last night's intimate Village Media gig, hopefully their unplugged punk covers get another strong reception TOMORROW! As usual, lots of family entertainment and activities are also going on.

TOMORROW's fall fair activities run from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM with Dos Amigos playing from 12:00-3:00 PM, and it is definitely free and all ages, on-site purchases notwithstanding. Assuming the concert will be outdoors (the patio will be open), temperatures will noticeably warm up from what we have seen recently, as 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 15°, and no chance of rain. Thomson Farms says that it will be "at the Wine Barn" (at, not in). Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Also today, a lot of Facebook "Stories" have popped up in recent weeks from concerts at Beck's Bar featuring videos from concerts there. My dislike of "Stories" is well known by now, as even beyond the brief and vertical trappings, they are basically temporary videos that self-destruct and vanish forever after being seen once or twice on your news feed. I'm sure I missed others from Beck's that didn't turn up on Facebook for me, but I can confirm that recent "Stories" of theirs included Curtis McKenzie covering Velvet Revolver's "Fall To Pieces", Stones At The Alter covering Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", and online page-less Soundcheck sister band TNT covering both Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Fastball's "The Way". Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe sang each cover respectively, while Rusty Barrel joined them on cajon as a guest percussionist again.

My job isn't to call out Beck's over posting "Stories" (they have their reasons), but if it was me, I wouldn't give a fleeting teaser of a show in progress that people can't re-watch and share, let alone this frequently. If you're one to skip the "Stories" strip, you might want to give it a look, as occasional videos that aren't permanently uploaded elsewhere do turn up there, even if I wish they were!

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

 

• Local crossover thrash trio Hails will play Sudbury for the first time with their current lineup on November 21st when they head to The Townehouse Tavern to open for Hamilton punk band Losing Streak. Sudbury is, of course, a 3+ hour drive east, but we do have readers who live/work out there, so keep this show in mind if you'll be in the area next month, and best of luck to Brent, Tony, and Keeghan on their upcoming road trip!
• Among recent shares of photos from their ongoing recording sessions at The Loft on their Facebook page, local hard/blues rock quartet The Reeves confirmed on Wednesday that they are indeed working on an EP, something that was previously only stated in public writing in the Rotaryfest program. As of Tuesday, frontman Brad Irwin was tracking guitar parts, and hopefully things are progressing as well as they seem from the outside!
• In one more note from a Facebook "Story", Riverside Stasis frontwoman Tea Emlaw's solo Facebook page revealed last week that the band is recording new singles in studio. The verbiage used was "singles", not an album/EP, though that doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't getting one either. Why you'd want to reveal this in a post that vanishes upon viewing, I don't know, but keep things in mind from this talented group! She also starred in this short black & white video on the band's Facebook page to plug last week's set opening for The Lazys (though oddly not their headlining show at Beck's later that night.)

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!