LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Virvum & Convergence), Derev Concert Updates, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a concert cancellation to take note of, as The Raygun Cowboys are not playing at The Whisky Barrel tomorrow night due to "an artist scheduling error", as per promoters Piecing It Together Shows' Facebook page yesterday. The show is still being advertised by the Edmonton psychobilly/punk band on social media, but note that they are scheduled to play in Ottawa tonight, and did not have a show lined up afterwards until Thursday in Alberta. Hopefully all is well with The Raygun Cowboys and that they try here again on a future tour! Remember that this show was always going to have no cover charge or tickets.

Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and related updates on the heavier side of things! Firstly, if you missed the all-local metal concert named The Pit at Soo Blaster on Good Friday, then you'll want to take note of its sequel, named The Upheaval, and it goes down at the same venue on Saturday, June 28th! This is a very similar show, with two returning bands both making their second local concert appearances on this night, including headlining progressive/djent metal quartet Convergence and new local hard rock quartet Maynard Hayes! No word yet on the former's teased tour run, but we can now confirm (most of) Maynard Hayes' lineup, which features singer/guitarist Damon King (ex-Infamous) and Convergence drummer David Peredun alongside guitarist Nathan Snider and a bassist who uses the handles "gabdontlike" and "gabnolike" on social media (I don't know his real/full name to my knowledge). 

Maynard Hayes still have no public videos on social media, but there is some personal media out there! The third and final band at The Upheaval will be The Sault Side Squad, the online page-less (not even Instagram) metal supergroup that played three shows in mid-late 2024, most recently opening for Cross Dog in October. Good to see them back in the new year, but hopefully they get some public online material soon! Despite having one fewer band than at The Pit, this show has a $15 ticket cost and $20 door charge, $5 higher in both cases. Click here to get your tickets for this all ages show, which has a 7:00 PM start time. Another intriguing show for metalheads, so see above for more details!

Next up, here's some more extreme metal action taking place deeper into the summer, as two Swiss death metal bands will be rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Sunday, July 6th! Yes, as in from Switzerland! The bands in question are Zurich progressive death metal quintet Virvum and Geneva blackened death metal band Stortregn, obviously both making their local debuts. Fans of extreme and death metal will be very interested in this show, with Virvum's technical brutality and Stortregn's more atmospheric intensity both boding well, so definitely check both groups out to prepare for this intriguing concert! Local support will come by way of metal trio The BAG, who are also opening for Sentiment Dissolve at Jay's on Monday, preview hitting the site tomorrow. I don't know if The BAG are the promoters/facilitators for the former Roosevelt Hotel's return to hosting touring extreme metal bands, but hopefully things go well both tomorrow night and in July!

This 19+ concert on Virvum's Canada Takeover tour starts at 8:00 PM and has an advance ticket cost of $15.99 at this link (I don't know if you can buy advance tickets at Jay's or via BAG members, or if admission fees will jump at the door). Just from being hosting two European metal bands alone, this show will be of note, even on a work/school night for many, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more on this huge death metal show!

Also today, promoters Heavy North Entertainment finally announced the local openers for the Derev-headlined concert at Soo Blaster on Friday via the new official Facebook event page on Tuesday, so what familiar faces are opening for the Toronto progressive metal band next week? One will be local hard rock quartet Sylo in their first public concert set since their Soo Blaster headlining date in August, and if you want to know more about them, bassist Alder Devries actually has launched a website for them on Wix! As such, we can finally give them a proper link here that doesn't reflect their original run as Raincourt (though their two singles from then are linked there). The site hasn't been updated to reflect new guitarist Owen Middleton joining the group yet, but if lack of content and information on Instagram has stymied you on Sylo, do check out their website! A video of Sylo is also there, so what should you know on that?

The clip sees Eli, Alder, and Jakob playing "War Times" at Soo Blaster last summer, and it has a good casual hard rock groove that will serve them well during their (summer?) return! You can watch the video at this link, but be warned that, while Sylo aren't on Facebook, this is basically a Facebook "Reel", as it's vertical, unplayable in background tabs, and unembeddable on external websites. Also, why would the filmer have shot it vertically to accentuate the crowd levels on the floor like that? Back to the Derev show, your other openers on Friday are party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in a rare Soo Blaster appearance opening for an actual band as opposed to a touring rapper, while prolific local folk punk/extreme metal solo artist (and new Eagles Club jam night host) Chase Wigmore will open in an increasingly rare appearance at a multi-band concert like this. Solid lineup of diverse opening local talent!

Note that, as of Tuesday, Heavy North Entertainment were openly looking for a co-headlining band for this concert (none of the three openers were labelled as such), but at press time, one had not been added. We'll let you know if they find one late! As for other specifics that this show didn't have when it was first announced, a start time of 6:30 PM is listed on the event page, and tickets run for $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Nice to get some big specifics about the "mayhem" in store on Friday, so visit the above links for more on this concert, and stay tuned for more news and notes over the long weekend! Thanks everyone!

Victoria Day Long Weekend Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (a.k.a. May 2-4) long weekend is upon us, but in a bit of a surprise, this is a pretty quiet weekend for hard rock and punk concerts. Nothing on short notice (yet) either, but here's who to look for this weekend, including two shows with touring headline acts!

We'll start at The Distraction TONIGHT, where Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box will set up shop in the basement for a headlining concert! The work/school-night scheduling won't be ideal for many, but fans of modern punk rock with hardcore and alternative influences will take to Danger Box's original attack, and hopefully their local debut goes down well with fans on East Street tonight! Fresh off of opening for The Dayglo Abortions last week, local crossover thrash quartet Hails (featuring concert promoter Mikhal Muto on guitar) will be the local support in their second gig of the year, and they should slot in well with their blast of original thrash and punk songs! Tonight's stop on Danger Box's Reality Tour across Canada has a 7:00 PM start time, it is absolutely all ages (the venue is not licensed), and admission is $20 or "pay what you can". Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Danger Box live!

Next up, let's head further downtown to Reggie's Place, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen "uncorked" at The Water Tower Pub this past Saturday, this is the fourth weekend in the past seven that "The Dirty 3" have played at Reggie's, with a return also scheduled for the last weekend of May. Bone Yard have been definitely making themselves at home at Reggie's this spring, and hopefully sizeable crowds turn up to witness Greg, Alex, and Warren's latest "sermons" over the May 2-4 long weekend! If you can't make it this weekend, their next show will be at the Dragonfly Run pre-party at the Downtown Plaza one week from Saturday. This weekend's shows from your local 225 have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! This weekend's shows will end their month+ break, having last seen Generations at The Water Tower Pub at the beginning of April, and last at Jay's two months ago. If you've missed this skilled veteran outfit on a local stage, head west for their classic covers! As usual for Generations' stops at Jay's, the band (minus singer Valerie Powley) are hosting tonight's weekly jam night before their full band concerts go down, so if seeing the guys perform with/without guest musicians (or yourself?) is of note, head to the former Reggie's West tonight! We don't cover jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their unpredictability. Generations' long weekend shows have 19+ age limits, 9:30 PM start times, and no cover. See above for more details, and here are Generations live!

Finally for this surprisingly quiet long weekend on the hard rock/punk front, we'll end things at The Whisky Barrel, where Edmonton psychobilly/punk veterans The Raygun Cowboys will play their first local concert (on record?) THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! A longstanding presence among genre fans out west, The Raygun Cowboys' genre hybrid sound will appeal to many readers with their horn section, upbeat energy, rough-edged vocals, and punk attitude all colliding into a fun live experience that fans won't want to miss, let alone at an intimate venue like The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street, who only sparingly host touring bands. Many of you have Monday off anyway, so why not rock out with The Raygun Cowboys in three days' time? This concert is promoted by Piecing It Together Shows (the former Dryer Fire) and does not have a local opener. An 8:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ show.

Despite the touring headliner, this show has no cover charge, but P.I.T.S. encourage everyone to buy merchandise and/or drinks to help support The Raygun Cowboys on their current tour. Should be a blast for fans of punk, rockabilly, ska, and everything in between, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Raygun Cowboys live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Raygun Cowboys, Derev, Danger Box, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

Today's post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including one that I should have gotten to last month, but there's some intriguing acts hitting Sault Ontario in the next few weeks, both local and touring, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box will headline at The Distraction on East Street on Thursday, May 15th! Announced on less than two weeks notice on Friday, this show will be highly worth checking out for punk fans, with Danger Box's raw but melodic (and occasionally hardcore-tinged) original sound definitely up the alley of many genre fans, so don't bypass this show next week! Support will come by way of local crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails (featuring this show's promoter Mikhal Muto), who will be one week removed from opening for The Dayglo Abortions at Soo Blaster, preview forthcoming. This will be Ha!ls' second show of 2025, so pack the venue to rock out with them! This show is once again being held in the basement space, not the former barbershop upstairs, and at this point, I'm going to assume that this has been a permanent change dating back to last summer.

Also, they haven't used the Stellar Door name for the basement venue in months, so that's clearly now officially The Distraction, no name distinction needed. We'll let you know if concert bookings clearly happen upstairs again though! A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for this ALL AGES concert (the venue is not licensed), and admission is $20 or "pay what you can". Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this high energy show next week!

Next up, Edmonton psychobilly/punk quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut (as far as I'm aware) on Sunday, May 18th when they invade The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the delay in this making the site since being announced in mid-April, this show fell through the cracks. A familiar veteran presence in the Alberta music scene with their brassed-up brand of punk and rockabilly, The Raygun Cowboys deliver a fun and loud sound with their genre hybrid attack, distinctly gritty vocals, and upbeat, crowd-friendly energy, and it will be fun to see them in town! There are no advertised local openers whatsoever. A still relatively rare concert from a touring act at The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street, this show is a presentation of Piecing It Together Shows (the former Dryer Fire). It's a 19+ event with an 8:00 PM start time, and has NO COVER CHARGE. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, Toronto progressive metal quintet Derev will play Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Friday, May 23rd at Soo Blaster! Announced in this SooToday press release on Sunday, this show has oddly only seen minimal promotion on social media so far, but it will be the third post-relaunch concert promoted by Heavy North Entertainment, and their first modern show not headlined by Selias. Derev will be a relatively unique local headliner as touring acts go, combining melodic progressive rock, metal, and Middle Eastern influences (two band members met in Kuwait before forming the band in Toronto), and with their intricate & technical music and solid baritone vocals, Derev will be bound to turn local heads in 2+ weeks! As of Saturday, Heavy North Entertainment were still looking for local support bands for this concert, so message them at this link if your band wants in!

Tickets for this all ages show were supposed to go on sale on Eventbrite in the last full week of April, as per H.N.E.'s Facebook page, but I have not found any public link to that end. We'll let you know when more comes out about this show's opening band(s), start time, and/or admission fee, but hopefully things are on track, especially as the concert isn't that far away. Visit the above links for more details on Derev's local concert on the 23rd!

Lastly for today's new concert announcements, former Eclipse/Project 421 singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will bring his solo acoustic show back to the stage for two shows later this month, including a Saturday matinee at Beck's Bar (the former Vibe Lounge/White Eagles Club on Goulais Avenue) on May 24th before rocking The Dive Gastro Pub once again for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig on May 29th! These shows will end a nearly 2 months-long public break for Curt, who last played an acknowledged concert in early April at The Dive, so it will be good to see this prolific local hard rock/grunge musician back at it with more entertaining cover sets at month's end! Both gigs are 19+ affairs with no cover charges, and while his Dive show is at the usual 9:30 PM start time, the Beck's show on May 24th is in the 3:00 PM matinee timeslot (I do not yet know what band is playing there that night). Visit Curt's Facebook page for more details!

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

Raygun Cowboys Concert Preview, Plus New Ripcordz Concert Videos!!

A busy week is likely upon us at the SMS, so let's get things rolling with today's post, largely devoted to new videos from a big recent concert, but first, here's a concert preview for a Tuesday nighter that you punk fans will want to pay attention to!

We'll start with a special Tuesday night concert preview, as Edmonton psychobilly quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Occuring about midway through their Canadian tour in support of their new CD "The Cowboy Code", this punk-infused rockabilly outfit should rightfully please genre fans, especially with the very Misfits-influenced lead vocals, so if you can come out on a work/school night, don't bypass The Raygun Cowboys tomorrow! Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will open in their first public concert appearance in three months, which could serve as a preview of their upcoming "SSM of a Down" tribute set on Halloween weekend, so keep that angle in mind, just in case! They were announced to open back on Thursday via promoter J.D. Pearce on the Facebook event page, alongside local punk trio Stegadeth, but J.D. confirmed in a personal Facebook posting the following day that they can't play tomorrow due to a scheduling conflict.

At press time, a replacement for Stegadeth had not been publically confirmed, but if you're interesting in being a late fill-in, message J.D. at this link or above! A 9:00 PM start time is in place for tomorrow at The New A, while there is a $7 cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the above links for more details on this psychobilly and hard rock fusion tomorrow night, and here's The Raygun Cowboys live!



Next up, here's some brand new videos from another recent concert attended by the very generous Christopher Paci, as he posted eight videos from the Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar two weeks ago onto his YouTube channel last night! Just after we wrapped up our Dokken video coverage, Chris is back with more, which is always welcomed, so what do we have from him today? Well, six videos come from The Ripcordz' headlining set, filming the Montreal hardcore punk legends playing their songs "X", "Ghosts of Griffintown", "I See The Light", "Girl In The Pit", "Anarchy", and as embedded below, "Elvis Death Cult". While reasonably close to the stage, fans on the floor can get in the way of the band, and camera angles are often a little crooked. That said, the performances are predictably strong and attitude-infused, and fans of The Ripcordz should enjoy these videos, so give Chris' new uploads a look above & below!



Chris also filmed one video each of the local openers, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades playing a new song labelled as "Zenobyte", but given J.D.'s penchant for horror movie references, I'd guess it's actually spelled "Cenobite", referencing the Hellraiser book and movie series. In any event, the song fits in with their sonic catalog, and is lively and aggressive, though fans completely cover up Tony and Chris, even with a less crowded floor. Solid new track, so give Jack Spades' newest song a look below!



Finally, Chris filmed one video of the aforementioned Stegadeth during their opening set, playing what I believe to be their original "The Song Not Called 'The Wire'", which debuted back in April. Sung by guitarist Tiffany Stocco, the short song isn't bad, and has a familiar catchiness to it that fans will appreciate! Despite being filmed the furthest away of Chris' videos, the lack of fans on the floor actually makes up for the distance, so it's worth watching extra on that basis, and you can do so below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Sault Michigan post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Raygun Cowboys), New Studio Material Postings, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday entertainment, so what can you look for today? A new live performance clip, new studio material from two local bands, and kicking things off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Edmonton psychobilly quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut on October 17th (one week from Tuesday) when they headline at The New American Pub! If you ever wanted to know how The Gutter Demons would sound if Glenn Danzig was their singer, The Raygun Cowboys would give you an idea, and with a punk swagger to go along with their standup bass and horn section, fans of psychobilly and related genres should keep this one in mind for Tuesday the 17th if they're at all able to come out mid-week! Promoter J.D. Pearce is currently looking for local openers for this show, so message him through the Facebook event page if you're interested in opening this one! A $7 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ show, which has a 9:00 PM start time. It's great to see another psychobilly concert hit The New A after six months, so check the above links for more on this new stop on The Raygun Cowboys' ongoing Canadian tour!

Next up, here's our first look at local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's second and final studio album, namely it's first single "Give Me A Reason", courtesy of their YouTube channel on Tuesday! A newer song of theirs from the spring, this joins other undetermined originals on their sophomore effort, which you can preview in recording session videos on their Facebook page. I can think of at least 7 other originals that aren't on their debut, not counting Mike Haggith solo covers, but we'll know soon what made the final cut. I won't review the song yet, as I fully expect to review their last album in full later this year, but check out "Give Me A Reason" below!

Also today, here's the latest from local pop/hard rock quintet The Noochin' Lanterns, so what have they been up to lately? Well, they played another publically unannounced show on September 29th at The Speak Easy, as per drummer Amanda Brown's personal Facebook page. If this was advertised publically in some form, my apologies for missing it, but it could have been another one of their "pop-up" shows from the summer that intentionally recieved little notice. In any event, that show marked their public debut with a new keyboardist, as Sarah Jackson has replaced Amber McKay in the group. A reason for Amber's departure has not been announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and they had been working with Sarah since at least June. That said, where can you can hear Sarah with The Noochin' Lanterns for the first time? In their first studio single "Drop the Gloves", as uploaded to Amanda's YouTube channel on Tuesday!

Continuing the hockey themes of their sister band The Apocalypse Afterparty's EP,  the song has almost a fast-paced folk bent with a punk attitude, and it fits with frontman Paul Stanghetta's local band work! Sarah's keyboard and synthesizer input almost sounds like a theremin in the bridge, which gives the song a spacey vibe, and it will be interesting to hear how she fits in with The Noochin' Lanterns in the coming months! Intriguing song, so give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more from them as it comes in!



Finally for today, here's a new jam session video from new local Foo Fighters tribute (and Cherry Crush sister band) The Soo Fighters! I should first clarify that this video is an unlisted upload on YouTube, but since the band publically shared it to their Facebook page this afternoon, I'd say it's fair game to acknowledge. A rendition of The Foos' classic "This Is A Call", this video is is our first look at the band with guitarist Jeremey Salatuk in tow, and it's a solid cover that better suits Jules' vocal range! The camera positioning isn't great though, as you see far more of the ceiling than you do Jeremey, but The Soo Fighters are coming along, so give their newest video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the coming days, including some long awaited videos from a big recent concert! Thanks everyone!