A Newly Discovered Mike Haggith Performance Video, ASDP Updates, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in our weekend concert previews, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison played at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club's summer barbecue party/open house yesterday. Click here for details on the all ages festivities. It's been a while since Tym has played a regular nighttime show at Aerie #3991, and while he didn't plug his involvement on his solo project's Facebook group, I do apologize for missing what looked like a fun event! I'd have covered it had I known! Now, here's some new videos and related updates from three acts who played at a major concert festival this weekend!

While we await the teased full-set video from his Northern Vibe Festival return yesterday, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith has a new long-form video to check out, but not from his own channels. When I was getting the link for his 2024 Northern Vibe video for our festival preview post last week, I stumbled across a 30+ minute acoustic set that he recorded for Underscored Sound, a acoustic performance-based webseries that records VH1 Storytellers-style sets from artists at the Canadian Musicians Co-operative headquarters in Barrie, in association with LiveBarrie and Alex Ciprian Media. Artists pay to appear and receive high quality copies of their sets in multiple formats. Mike was the 10th performer in season 1 of this series back in August 2024, with all five songs later being uploaded as separate videos (plus some vertical "Shorts") to the Underscored YouTube channel if you're so inclined.

I don't recall Mike mentioning his Underscored appearance at all, possibly because it was aimed towards Barrie and Southern Ontario at a time when we were focused on Northern Vibe and summer concerts here, but better late than never! The performance begins with Mike introducing himself and setting up his backstory, before introducing his first song "MorningStar" from 2020's "If Ever Comes The Day". He follows that up by tackling "Of Cars & Criminals" from 2015's "The Warinside", which is mildly surprising as it A. predates his modern Thompson/Barrie output, and B. was cut from The Din's live album "Technically Live" two+ years prior. Mike then reflects on his personal life and how it influenced his next song, "Back Away Slowly" (also from "If Ever Comes The Day"), followed by the title track of his 2021 album "Bridges". This acoustic showcase ends with "Brand New Day" from his not-yet-released 2025 album "Frequent Flyer".

The reason why there's only five songs is also why I compared it to VH1 Storytellers and not MTV Unplugged, as Mike outlines the personal inspiration and stories behind each song performed here, and Mike is candid about his life and the events that informed his music! The Soo does come up for the first few introductions. There's no interviewer or host, just Mike talking to the viewer, and the audio and video quality is excellent, including three different stationary camera angles. Really good stuff, even two years late, so fans of Mike's acoustic work will want to check out his Underscored set below!

Next up, we do have a public video to share from the Northern Vibe Festival in nearby Ophir this weekend! I'm expecting more in due course, especially with many musicians only coming back on the grid from the Poplardale Road bush today, but the festival went off without any weather-related glitches, and thank goodness for that! A festival representative filmed this video of Timmins pop punk band Saving Bambi covering Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "Bad Reputation" on the rebuilt Forest Stage for their Facebook page. Alas, it's 39 seconds long and vertical (why accentuate the lawn like this when you can flip the phone sideways?), and this cover may be a slightly obvious pick for an all-female punk band, but what we do hear is lively and well performed, and it's great to see the Forest Stage looking refurbished and strong after the 2025 storm. Give Saving Bambi's video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from the festival when it goes live!

Finally, here's some updates from the subject of this month's album review from this morning (and another Northern Vibe act), local ska punk quartet ASDP! Apologies for only mentioning these after the fact (out of town or not), but checking Instagram is still not second nature for me, and the band still doesn't have Facebook. Last week, Mikhal, Tucker, William, and Ralph took their first ever road trip for shows out west, when they headlined at Shooters Bar in Kenora on August 21st, before heading to Winnipeg to play at the Sargent Skate Jam at the Sargent Skatepark the next day. Click here for more info and the posters of both concerts. As far as I can tell, an AI-generated skateboarding amplifier did not headline the Skate Jam, but it did feature Winnipeg punk quartet Shit Happens, who you may recall from headlining at the still-closed Distraction in March 2024. I do apologize again for not mentioning these at the time, but I hope the gigs went well, especially given the 12+ hour drive to Kenora alone!

A public video from their westward trip has surfaced though, but not from the band proper. 90 minutes east of Kenora, the guys stopped in Dryden, where they met the Christian musician Mr. World Peace at a 7-Eleven there (the idea of Northern Ontario having 7-Elevens still surprises me). The short & vertical video sees him and ASDP members doing a "World! Peace!" call & response in the parking lot. Kudos to both Mr. World Peace and ASDP for giving each other some exposure, so check this clip out below, and stay tuned for more from ASDP on the SMS likely next month!

That's all for now, but will we have one more post before August is done? Stay tuned either way, and thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Northern Vibe Festival XI!!)

The full daily lineup for the band-centric Forest Stage at the eleventh annual Northern Vibe Festival was finally announced on their Facebook page this past Friday, so here's two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Apologies for the short notice, Northern Vibe routinely announces the full schedules on short notice, though at least they do it now, unlike in the early 2020s (note that the EDM/DJ-centric Roost River Stage lineups had not been posted at press time). After five years curated by former Frightlight/Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, the curator baton of the Ophir-based concert festival was passed to Golden Scoundrels/ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno, and luckily, the weather gods appear to be welcoming him, as the forecast looks much better this weekend than it did last year, when a severe thunderstorm wrecked the Forest Stage overnight, rendering it unusable on the Saturday and forcing a number of band dropouts.

The Forest Stage has been rebuilt, and organizers, staff, and vendors are ready, with Josh cobbling together a whopping sixteen acts this weekend, which is the most ever for a Forest Stage lineup post-pandemic (and no one has dropped out!). With all of that said, who all is rocking Poplardale Road at the old Hempfest stomping grounds this weekend?

Starting with TOMORROW'S shorter band lineup, the 10:00 PM headlining slot (in a mild surprise) will go to local funk rock cover quartet The Rhythm Junction, with their set following the annual fire lighting ceremony at 9:45 PM. Newer blues rock cover quintet Sunday & The Broken Hearts will co-headline at 9:00 PM, while tomorrow's only returning act plays at 8:00 PM, namely local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith (presumably alongside The Big Finish Band). Mike and crew have played each of the last three Northern Vibes, but they were among the acts who salvaged a set on plywood after the Forest Stage's destruction last year, so it will be good to see Mike's hard rocking originals back on the stage proper! Local blues singer/guitarist (and mayoral candidate!) Josh "The Preacher" McNally will take the stage alongside his Jackleg Band at 7:00 PM, while alternative hard rock band Riverside Stasis will open the festival at 6:00 PM.

Featuring members of HeadFirst and The Barbarians from last year's Northern Vibe, they're used to kicking off a local summer concert festival this year, having also done so at WestFest, and while Raine & Anthony got their set in before the storm really wreaked havoc, Tea and Rob will like being back on The Forest Stage proper! We'll detail admission specifics at post's end, but 9&10 News is calling for 13-20° temperatures and clear skies throughout the band program TOMORROW, and if you're arriving at the festival grounds early, the nice conditions will be present all day. Visit the above links for more on the Friday bill, and here's Mike Haggith & the gang live at Northern Vibe two years ago! You can guess why they didn't film last year's set.

Now to the larger SATURDAY lineup, and after splitting some touring acts on both days last time, this year's four touring acts are all backloaded on this day's bill, so hopefully the forecast holds up! Headlining at 10:00 PM is Flint, Michigan ska punk band The Write-Ups (the first American band to play at Northern Vibe), with this being their second local gig in a four month span. Things clearly went well at The Speak Easy for them to get a callback so soon, so don't miss out if you love ska punk original action! Josh Penno's own folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels will co-headline at 9:00 PM in their third straight year at Northern Vibe, with country singer/guitarist and former Way Backs frontman Jeffrey Wright kicking off the country nighttime block at 8:00 PM. All-female Timmins pop punk quartet Saving Bambi will make their local concert debut in Ophir on SATURDAY at 7:00 PM.

Newer Sudbury hard rock quartet Pressure Event will play our neck of the woods for the first time at 6:00 PM, preceded by local ska punk quartet ASDP (whose debut album will be reviewed on the SMS by Monday!) at 5:00 PM. Rappers take the Forest Stage for the two sets prior, including Sudbury MC Ronin705 (a late replacement artist at Northern Vibe in 2021) at 4:00 PM and local rap collective Soundsxvad at 3:00 PM, with the merger of Sound Syndrome and Fvcksxvad returning after playing the Friday bill last year. Like last year, there is a "bingo break" slotted in the SATURDAY afternoon (I don't know if last year's happened in spite of the Forest Stage damage or not), but this is dependent on volunteer availability. Have your dabbers ready just in case for 2:00 PM? Solo artists will kick off the music on day #2, including local/Peterborough folk singer/guitarist Michelle Moran at 1:00 PM.

The opening two acts will get half-length sets, including late addition & Steel Rock alum Darius McRae at 12:30 PM and a solo set by Josh credited as "Pen Pen Happy Fun Time" at 12:00 PM. Still don't quite get that name (I'd go with Quarter Scoundies myself). Following an expectedly calm forecast overnight, 9&10 News is calling for partly-to-mostly cloudy skies on SATURDAY with a high of 25° and a low of 16°, but this is going up too soon for an hourly forecast for the evening and beyond. Of note for campers, rain is expected on Sunday, but that is always the wake up/tear down day and has no scheduled bands. See above for more on the SATURDAY Forest Stage program, and for a preview, here's The Write-Ups live!

Outside of the bands, visit the festival's Facebook page or website for the full list of DJs playing on the Roost River Stage, even if the schedule isn't out (yet?) Notably, among the arts and culture vendors in Ophir this weekend will be magician Ryan McFarling, who was a scheduled Forest Stage performer in 2023 but was just present on the festival grounds for other years. Northern Vibe XI will have camping encouraged as usual, so click here for the ground rules re: what to expect if you're spending a night or two, and how to respect the space and prepare for being off the grid. Online ticket sales ended on Wednesday, and organizers can't guarantee availability of passes at gate, but this is a 19+ event, and early bird full-weekend passes had been on sale for $125, so keep that in mind re: what chancing admission on-site would cost. If you're up for a weekend rocking out in the bush, this will be a hell of a way to end the summer, so hopefully you have your tickets!

With weather forecasts on Katrina's, staff's, performers', and vendors' side, hopefully everything goes off without a hitch after last year's rather hitch-laden band schedules (too bad Avessel haven't came back for a drier second go-around yet), so visit the above links for full details on this year's Northern Vibe Festival and its band schedules TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and weekend concert previews for the Soo and EUP resume next! Thanks everyone!

Initial Lineup Details For This Year's Northern Vibe Festival!!

The lineup for the band-centric Forest Stage at the eleventh annual Northern Vibe Festival was announced via their Facebook page yesterday, so what should you know there? While not announced in official promotion, this year will mark a change for Forest Stage promotion, as former Jack Spades/Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce has stepped down as the curator of the lineup, after handling things there since the Ophir-based festival returned from their pandemic hiatus in 2021. As you may recall, last year's Forest Stage lineups were severely impaired by a Friday night rainstorm, which ultimately caused heavy damage to the stage overnight that left it unusable on the Saturday, with six band withdrawals. That alone isn't an ideal foot to leave off on, especially if this ends up being J.D.'s last turn as a local concert promoter, but kudos to him for booking and curating at Northern Vibe for the past five years despite his move to the GTA! Hopefully we hear more from him soon!

For 2026, Golden Scoundrels/ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno has taken over curation duties on the Forest Stage, and this isn't an isolated happening, as he booked the Dopethrone concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last month. The Northern Vibe Festival will return to the former Hempfest stomping grounds on Poplardale Road in Ophir from Friday, August 28th-Sunday, August 30th (rebuilt Forest Stage in tow), and 15 acts are currently listed on the above promotional poster. If that holds steady, it will be the biggest Forest Stage lineup since the pandemic, and likely ever given how infrequently lineup details were published in the 2010s. However, it remains to be seen what days everyone is playing on, which lines up with the J.D. era, as a full daily schedule was generally only made public the week of the festival, if at all. I do get that this encourages people to buy full weekend passes, but still.

If scheduled similarly to past years, no bands will be playing on the Sunday. Four of the acts this year are out-of-town touring artists, with the nominal headliners being Flint, Michigan-based ska punk band The Write-Ups (the first American band ever booked for Northern Vibe), who headlined at The Speak Easy early last month. Good to see them back in our area so soon, and they're a fun band for ska fans! Two touring bands will be making their local debuts here in August, and both are relatively new acts, including Sudbury hard rock quartet Pressure Event and Timmins all-female pop punk quartet Saving Bambi, whose own advertising indicates that they'll be playing on Saturday the 29th (though Northern Vibe isn't technically in Leeburn). As well, Sudbury rapper Ronin705 will return to Ophir that weekend, five years after serving as a late replacement performer at Northern Vibe in 2021.

Of the eleven local acts, only three are returnees from Northern Vibes past, and they include the aforementioned folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels (who played the last two years), local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith for a fourth straight year (presumably with The Big Finish Band in tow again), and local rap supergroup Soundsxvad (members of Sound Syndrome + Fvcksxvad) in an encore from their Ophir debut in 2025. This year has more ties with recent Rotaryfest lineups, with debutantes including funk rock cover quartet The Rhythm Junction, blues rockers Sunday & The Broken Hearts, former Way Backs frontman Jeffrey Wright in a solo country set, and blues musician Josh "The Preacher" McNally and his Jackleg Band, fresh off of their Stage 2 set next month. Other acts at Northern Vibe XI include new local alternative hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis ...

...ska punk quartet A.S.D.P., local/Peterborough folk/country musician Michelle Moran, and curator/Scoundrels frontman Josh Penno in a solo set curiously branded as "Pen Pen Happy Fun Time". Is "Quarter Scoundies" too obvious? Meanwhile, the EDM/DJ-centric Roost River Stage lineup has also been revealed, so click here to see who will be spinning tunes there. As usual at Northern Vibe, you can expect vendors and on-site camping all weekend long to cap off the summer with, though detailed specifics are to be announced on what to expect. In 2025, the daily schedules were expected to run from 6:00 PM-11:00 PM on the Friday and 12:00 PM-11:00 PM on the Saturday, the storm and this year's larger lineup acknowledged. This is a 19+ event, and tickets are currently on sale at this link in the "early bird" tier 1 phase, going for $125 for the full weekend.

No word on if the price will go up once "early bird" sales end, but if you're holding out for single day passes or other tiers, stay tuned to Northern Vibe social media accounts for updates. Definitely a more varied lineup for musical styles, leaning more into blues and country while still harbouring alternative and rap from past years, which is a testament to Josh's aims as a curator, and hopefully things go smoothly with much better weather in a couple of months! Visit the above links for more on this year's Northern Vibe Festival, but we'll let you know when daily schedules and timeslots are announced, and look for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

The Scotty Austin Concert Preview, Plus New Videos From Each Side Of The Border!!

We're back on this Wednesday morning with some new videos, but leading off is a preview of a big local concert tomorrow night that I wanted to preview separately from our normal Thursday weekend concert preview post because it's that night, so giving it the extra day will be good to give it proper attention. Here's what you should know!

A rare multi-band Sault Michigan hard rock concert with touring acts outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella goes down TOMORROW NIGHT when former Saving Abel frontman Scotty Austin makes his solo debut here at The Savoy Nightclub! The man behind the microphone for Saving Abel's last three local stops (including 2015's Superior Festival at the Savoy), Scotty returns to the Soo tomorrow in the midst of his extensive King of Rock Tour of the US. While his Saving Abel run came after that band's commercial peak, his strong vocal stylings and local familiarity bode well for his first local appearance since Muddfest in 2019, so don't miss out! Joining him on the Michigan/Ohio wing of his tour are Saginaw rap rock band Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel locally in 2015) and New Munster, Wisconsin hard rock quartet The Almas, who each have their own fun brand of modern rock to bring to the table!

Of course, Redburn have not been back to the Soo in over seven years, but The Almas' energetic original stylings are new to a local audience, and both should be worthy compliments to Scotty's headlining set tomorrow! Two local hard rock bands are playing support, including the more classic metal-leaning sound of Tarnished in their Savoy debut, and fresh off of their late notice St. Patrick's Day show at The Merch, hopefully their upward momentum continues here! The lead-off band is local hard rock quintet The Nameless in their first show of 2023 and first since opening for the dormant Buddy Repperton & The Camaros last spring, as well as their first gig since ex-Tantrym Tyme bassist/guitarist Mike East replaced Nick Fish in their lineup. How will the band look and sound after their long break? Find out tomorrow! Presented by Blowout Biker Promotions, advance tickets for this 21+ concert run for $15.

As far as I know, there's no online sale point for tickets, but you can buy them through the local openers and presumably at The Savoy proper, though note that Tarnished said on their Facebook page on Sunday that "we only have a few tickets left". An 8:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, and it should be a big one for modern hard rock fans in the E.U.P.! A lot of familiar faces and newer acts are on this stacked bill, and the price is definitely right, but how will The Savoy do in their return to heavier concert bookings? Find out tomorrow! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Scotty Austin live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario to take a look at the newly released (if delayed) second music video from local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's forthcoming debut album "Deconstructed"! After being postponed from the single's release on major streaming services on March 15th due to unspecified "complications", the video was released to their YouTube channel on Monday, and it features the band performing their song "Better Off" (together and separately) through heavy post-production filters on a changing colour backdrop, not unlike those old Apple iPod commercials from the 2000s. As a Photoshop user, this reminds me of what would happen if the Photocopy filter came to life! I'll hold comment on the song pending our planned review of "Deconstructed" in the summer, but give it a watch for yourselves below, and look for one more advance single from the album next month!

Lastly for today, here's a clip of Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson playing 55 seconds of their song "A Hellbound Heart" on acoustic guitar! Uploaded to the St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band's Facebook page on Saturday, Ted asked fans if they'd be interested in hearing H.L.T.C. play an acoustic set, and while commenters more complimented the guitar/performance than answered the question, it's an interesting idea, especially if they have enough songs with clean vocals to fit! Ted's playing here (combined with the right pedal) helps this unplugged clip sound pretty nice, though I believe the video is mirrored. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown soon!

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

Muddfest Concert Video Showcase!!

In arguably my all-time biggest gaffe in the history of our weekly concert previews, I completely forgot to preview the Muddfest concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday. November 1st! I profusely apologize for missing such a big concert, there is no excuse on my end, though in hindsight, I am surprised at the lack of social media buzz given the lineup that was here just this month, featuring five bands with big rock radio hits in their heyday for just $29.50 a piece! Brought to us by Allstar Promotions, the social media reactions that I have found seem to be positive, and hopefully this and the same company's recent country shows did well overall! That said, it took a while for us to cover videos from the show, as I have only found one YouTube user who shot videos that night (the ever-generous Christopher Paci), and he only completed his uploads on Saturday. Thanks to him once again for all of his hard work! To keep this post at a reasonable length, we'll touch on his video of opening Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric in an upcoming news post.

We'll start today with Chris' videos of headlining Kansas City alt-rock/post grunge quartet Puddle of Mudd in their local concert debut, who were filmed playing their songs "She Hates Me", "Famous", "Psycho" , "Drift & Die", "Uh Oh", "Control", "Go To Hell", and as embedded below, their set-closer "Blurry", albeit an extended version with a faster jam to wrap things up with. Chris has a nice and close angle to the left of the stage, and Puddle of Mudd sound solid enough overall for fans, but Wes' voice is definitely straining on heavier songs. Give their videos a look above & below!



Next up, Chris filmed three videos of Memphis nu-metal quartet Saliva (also in their local concert debut), as they played their songs "Your Disease", "Ladies & Gentlemen", and as embedded below, "Click Click Boom". Now, this show came just a day or two after it was announced that ex-frontman Josey Scott was returning to the band (source here), but Bobby Amaru was still behind the mic on November 1st, and he's honestly a fine fit, even having a bit more of a raspy edge to his voice, so don't let recent news scare you off of the current(?) lineup. Check out Chris' Saliva videos above and below!



The middle band at Muddfest was California alt-hard rock quartet Trapt in their first local show since opening for Hinder here in 2013. Chris shot four videos of their set, including of their songs "Stand Up", "Contagious", "Still Frame", and as embedded below, their biggest hit & closing track "Headstrong". Trapt seem to have tuned down compared to their heyday, but the songs still hold up and have good energy, so give those a look too!



Finally for today (Tantric are coming soon!), Chris filmed Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel playing their songs "Addicted" and, as embedded below, "The Sex Is Good". This was Saving Abel's fourth local stop and first since the Superior Festival in 2015, and their sound has really held up for fans of their post-grunge-tinged original attack, especially given the four year wait. And yes, it looks like they and Trapt swapped places from the poster. Give their videos a look above and below, and thanks again to Chris for all of these!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week, and apologies again for neglecting to preview Muddfest on the site! This was a huge show full of hitmaking hard rock acts, and hopefully they all come back out way! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Puddle Of Mudd), A New EP Release, And More!!

While we dig out from the latest blizzard, here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's in this one? Big updates regarding an upcoming concert and it's opener search, details on a new album and when you'll see it's review, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall!

A blast of early-mid 2000s hard rock and nu-metal is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 1st, with Kansas City alt-rock/post grunge quartet Puddle of Mudd headlining in their local concert debut! Best known from hit singles like "Blurry", "Away From Me", and "Psycho" among others, these Rock 101 staples should put on a solid show at this installment of their ongoing "Mudd Fest" tour run, so don't bypass this one, especially assuming that there's no on-stage issues! The stacked opening lineup will feature Memphis nu-metal quartet Saliva (of "Click Click Boom", "Always", and "Ladies & Gentlemen" fame), and while Josey's no longer their lead singer, they have plenty of familiar tracks to bring to the table! Two returning hard rock bands will also rock Sault Ste. Marie on November 1st, including Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel (best known for their hit single "Addicted"), in their fourth local concert appearance and first since 2015's Superior Festival.

The other returning band is California alt-hard rock quartet Trapt, who you'll best know from their debut single "Headstrong", and who last played here in 2013 when they opened for Hinder (a band that Saving Abel also opened for locally.) Finally, the lineup will be rounded out by Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric (of "Breakdown" fame) in their apparent local debut. If this isn't a stacked lineup for fans of 2000s radio hard rock, I don't know what is, and it'll be great to hear so many hit singles live this fall! While not yet confirmed by Kewadin Casino proper, this is the first major concert announcement of 2019 for Allstar Promotions, who confirmed this show on their Facebook page this morning after word leaked out before Rock 101's planned announcement next week. Ticket prices are not out yet, but they go on sale on Friday, March 8th at 9:00 AM at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office.

Meet & greet packages are also planned for later announcements, as are ticket giveaways, so keep posted for details on those. Mudd Fest is looking like a huge event, reminding me very much of the P.O.D.-headlined Kewadin concert from July 2015 in scope, size, and genre, and hopefully this one lives up to the hype after Halloween! For more details, visit Saving Abel's Facebook event page and the above links!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary released his new EP "Propaganda Model" to his Bandcamp page last week! Apologies for the slight delay, but it's great to see Mike back to his usual prolific ways after an 8 month wait from the "What You've Done To Me" release! After prior material teasers, we can now confirm that this EP (his sixth paid original solo album) features six songs, including the previously shared "The Hand That Feeds",  "Opposite Opus", and "Y.V.L.M.", as well as "High Horse", a title track, and an untitled instrumental intro. If you are curious, each song has information on their lyrical and thematic inspirations on Bandcamp, though keep in mind that Mike's political and social messages are often very blunt. "Propaganda Model" is on sale on Bandcamp for a "name your price" model, and can be streamed free there too. With time ticking on this month, I will confirm that we will review this album by Thursday, so look for that this week, and buy/stream the whole EP above!

Finally for today, remember the plans for a battle of the bands at Soo Blaster this Friday to find an opener for the Killer Dwarfs concert there on April 27th? Well, that event has been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page yesterday, and local power rock quintet Re:Born have been acclaimed as the show's openers as a result, as they were the only confirmed entrants, according to their Facebook page. A public statement by organizers regarding the lineup never came out, hence why we never plugged their involvement, but the Project 421 successors did strongly hint that they'd be competing. As such, this is their first announced concert since Elly McWatters became their new lead singer, but will this be their first show with her on the mic, and will Frank be back from out of town in time for April 27th? This is a huge opportunity for Re:Born, and while the battle cancellation is disappointing, maybe directly gearing it to 1980s rock acts limited the pool. See above for more details on this well anticipated concert!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Superior Festival Video Showcase!!

At last, we have some YouTube videos to share from Friday night's first annual Superior Festival, and that's the focus of today's post, so what should you know? All courtesy of frequent regional concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again, he filmed 10 videos from the show, including every band save for Sault Ontario openers The Elements and Mourning Wood (not sure why, but they were the opening two bands, so if he was running late, that'd explain it.) Oddly, I haven't heard a whole lot from those bands online concerning how their sets went, and I've only found a single photo from Mourning Wood's set, but to be fair, both bands only sporadically update their Facebook pages. There is some big lineup news to note from Mourning Wood though in time for their next shows, so stay tuned for that later this week! And yes, the festival was held inside The Savoy Bar & Nightclub rather than outside for unannounced reasons, despite the lack of rain on Friday. Maybe it was logistically easier?

Six of Chris' ten videos are of the headliners, Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel, whose videos from the show were of their songs "Addicted", "18 Days", "15 Minutes To Fame", "The Sex Is Good", their set-opener "Ready To Burn", and as embedded below, "Drowning (Face Down)", complete with frontman Scott Austin calling fans to come up closer to the stage. It's odd seeing a platinum selling band like this at a venue like The Savoy, but the more intimate environment is great to interact with the fans, and I like how their sound has gotten a bit heavier since Scott took over on vocals! Good audio, and Chris got a nice close angle of the festivities, so give his videos a look above & below!



Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris co-headlined on Friday in their second local concert appearance, and Christopher filmed them playing one of their more melodic originals, "Rochester To Rochester". Not bad for the genre, and it's definitely something different compared to what Sault Michigan shows often get, but their more aggressive material had more of an impact on me than this one. Not bad though, so check it out below!



Chris also got two videos of Sault Michigan metal quartet Tantrym Tyme (with debuting second guitarist Michael McLeod) covering Alter Bridge's "Metalingus" and, as embedded below, The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California". We already featured the band's own clip of the Alter Bridge cover on here yesterday, hence why the Chili Peppers cover is in this post, but I will concede that this song is not a good fit for Tantrym Tyme. They excel on heavier and more melodic songs, and Jacob Hotlen is almost inaudible on vocals here, but their talent still comes through, and give their videos from the Superior Festival a look above and below as well!



Last of Chris' clips from the festival is Muskegon hard rock band Voodoo Theory (in their local concert debut, I believe) covering The Foo Fighters' "Everlong". Not a bad rendition of this Foo Fighters classic, but like above, this cover doesn't fully show their energetic modern hard rock sound seen on their originals. Still solid, so give it a look, and hopefully they're back again!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder), Pixo Control Updates, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Friday afternoon, and remember not to miss any concerts this weekend, there's a lot going down! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, lots of updates from a rising young band, and first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Havadder will return to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for one night only! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show yesterday via the Facebook event page. Fresh off of a recent one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, this will be Jugga & company's first show at Studio 10 since Canada Day, and marks a rare show at the Hudson Street "gentlemen's club" from the guys to not fall over a holiday weekend (no word on why it's a one nighter either.) Aside from the band's classic favourites (and, yes, the "dancers"), the ongoing draw for AC/DC tickets in Toronto continues this weekend, so consider that as well if you're coming out for the entertainment tomorrow! A 10:30 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, and there is no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!

Next up, here's the latest from the alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control's camp! First, if you happened to have seen a concert poster advertising that they were playing with local folk/indie project Great Chamberlain at LopLops Lounge this Wednesday (complete with poster), you're not alone, but all of The Pixo Control's allusions to the show have quietly been deleted for unannounced reasons. The concert is still going on (source here), and will notably be Great Chamberlain's last local show before project leader Chris West moves to Ottawa, so keep that in mind if you're a fan and want to send him off in style! We will, of course, let you know if The Pixo Control are still playing, but their posts must have been deleted for a reason. Also, Pixo Control members Michael Mikus & Steve Edwards were interviewed by Boxes of Boom's Sam Decter on his blog The Tinderbox two weeks ago (in his first interview of a heavier local band), so what should you know from this interview?

Within, Sam asks the guys about what sets them apart from local bands, what local bands they currently like, how things are going with Tidal Records, how recording sessions for "Probably Not" went, their retro influences, the journey from Michael's earlier solo music, how he handles being a band frontman, why drummer Keeghan Rosso left The Pixo Control, and their future tour plans. In terms of scoops, there's nothing dramatically new to report, but Michael confirmed that Keeghan left as he's "just not really in the right mindset to devote himself to playing music right now", but they've got to keep moving forward as life won't always be the same (Matthew Thibert debuted as their new drummer on Sunday.) Solid and informative interview that shows the guys' maturity and musical knowledge, and it'd be interesting to see Sam interview more local bands! Read the full interview at this link, and get more from the guys above!

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

• Local celtic/punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will take a road trip out to Ottawa to play two shows at D'Arcy McGee's this weekend! Personal Facebook posts imply that My Son The Hurricane drummer Cooper Hannahson will be behind the kit this weekend, as he often is for the band's Southern Ontario gigs. Best of luck to the guys, and hopefully we see them back on a local stage soon! Our source is Tidal Records' concert listing page, which also notes a D.J.R.T. private event on Sunday, location not given.
• Long time Sault Michigan music instrument/lessons store Steve's Music Center quietly closed last year, as per posts on their Facebook page. A public reason for the closure of the Ashmun Street store wasn't announced, but personal Facebook postings note that owner/ex-Full Throttle guitarist Steve Pevarnic moved to Washington state at some point in the past year, so that could be related. Disappointing for fans, but best of luck to Steve with his new home, and if you need music gear in Sault Michigan, Grooves Music is seconds down the road from Steve's!
• In advance of TONIGHT'S first annual Superior Festival in Sault Michigan, SooToday's Donna Hopper interviewed Saving Abel guitarist Scott Bartlett for this article on the event, where Scott discussed why the Mississippi hard rock notables don't mind playing an smaller debuting event, the switch from Jared Weeks to Scott Austin on vocals (even though they already played with this lineup in the Soo in April), and the influence of southern rock on their music. Good article, so check it out above, and remember, if you're at The Superior Festival TONIGHT at The Savoy, you can hang out with Saving Abel post-show!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, Including The Superior Festival!!

Now, let's dive into the first of this weekend's concert previews in a fairly busy weekend for hard rock and metal concerts! We'll get into the Diemonds, Banned, and Stiffler's Mom shows, plus potential late notice ones, tomorrow, so stay tuned then for them, but today, we have a big debuting festival and some performers with gigs TONIGHT, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concerts at Gliss Steak & Seafood and The Harp Bar & Grill are expected to continue this weekend, including matinees at Gliss TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, and regular nighttime shows at The Harp TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though yet to be acknowledged on Facebook, his website and SooToday's entertainment page confirm them. Tym's been staying busy in recent months by playing five shows almost every weekend, and it looks like more of the same this week, so if you enjoy his acoustic renditions of hard rock classics, head down to either Gliss or The Harp this weekend for all of his solo action! None of the shows have an announced cover charge (but remember that Gliss is a restaurant), the Harp shows are 19+ and start at 10:00 PM, and the Gliss shows start at 6:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Tym live in Heyden a few years back!

Next up, pageless local classic/hard rock quartet RPM will make their Roberta Bondar Pavilion debut TONIGHT as part of the city's annual Summer Concert Series! Yes, the veteran quartet featuring Lindsay Pugh and alumni of his adult music camp will hit the downtown outdoor stage as the third last of 16 bands this summer, and the only one that we cover on the SMS as playing hard rock in any high quantity. RPM are developing well, and though their announced concerts are sporadic at best, consider a trip down to the Pavilion to see them tonight for some entertaining cover favourites! This is a FREE & ALL AGES event, and they'll be playing for two hours starting at 7:00 PM. For more details, visit this link, and here's RPM live!



We'll close this first preview post with the first annual Superior Festival, which goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! Promoted by Superior Entertainment, this Sault Michigan concert event was originally scheduled to take place two weeks ago at Aune-Osborne Park, but after concerns with possible rain (that barely came, for the record) impacting the outdoor festival, promoters postponed it and moved it 5 minutes up the road to The Savoy Bar & Nightclub where it will be held outdoors a'la the venue's Summerfest events (it would be moved indoors if there was inclement weather, but the festival should beat tomorrow's storm forecast.) Fitting a big debuting summer festival, the headliners are Mississippi Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet Saving Abel, best known for hit songs like "Addicted", "The Sex Is Good", and "Drowning (Face Down)", so if you missed Saving Abel at Kewadin Casino in April, here's your next chance! The co-headliners are Rochester, New York post-hardcore quintet Lights Out Paris, who you may recognize from last month's P.O.D. concert.

Other openers will include young local metal trio Tantrym Tyme in their first publically announced concert of the summer, Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory in their local concert debut, and in a bit of a surprise, two Sault Ontario bands, marking rare cross-border appearances by local bands that aren't Touch of Class. Those bands are local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood, and though neither band has acknowledged their involvement on their own pages, it's great to see them expanding their presence, and hopefully they make some new fans tomorrow! Note that a number of acts were removed from the lineup when the date and venue changed, those being Integrated System of Machines, Power Slug, Retro Troop, Terry Talentino, and Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte, while early coverage of the festival listed Lonestar, Chump Change, and Missy Zenker as tentative acts, so don't expect to see any of them at The Savoy tomorrow night.

Presented by SooToday & sponsored by Kewadin Casino despite not being held there, the Superior Festival tarting TOMORROW at 7:00 PM, tickets are a flat $25, but previously purchased tickets (including the old discount kids rate) will be honoured upon entry. You can buy them at The Savoy, by phone at (906) 430-5242, or at the door, and yes, minors under 21 can attend if accompanied by an adult. For complete festival details, visit the above links! Though original plans didn't fall into place for the Superior Festival, hopefully this is a huge hit to ensure that it comes back next year! If you love hard and modern rock, be at The Savoy TOMORROW, and here's Saving Abel live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more previews and updates shortly! Thanks everyone!

Major Superior Festival Updates, Plus New Sault Michigan Videos!!

Before we dive back into concert previews, here's an all-Sault Michigan post for your Friday afternoon! Along with a pair of videos from local solo artists, we're leading off with huge changes for a hyped debuting concert festival, so here's what you should know!

We have some big updates regarding the first annual Superior Festival in Sault Michigan, which has been postponed, relocated, and downsized all at once. Originally planned to be held tomorrow at Aune-Osborne Park, promoters Superior Entertainment have confirmed that the ambitious festival has been moved ahead two weeks to Friday, August 21st, and will now take place at The Savoy Bar & Nightclub (5 minutes up the road.) According to this new Sault Evening News article, the move in date and location was due to concerns with the weather forecast for Saturday and to avoid the financial hit of cancelling the event if there was rain, with The Savoy being a safe option to safeguard against the weather. If the forecast is good, they can set up outdoors like with their Summerfest series, but if they're calling for rain, they can hold it indoors and still have over 500 fans. Despite the new location, minors under the age of 21 can still attend if accompanied by an adult.

With the changes, the lineup has been downsized from what was previously announced, with planned local openers Integrated System of Machines, Power Slug, Retro Troop, and Terry Talentino, and Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte all now out of the event. Reasons for their individual withdrawals weren't announced, but remember that the festival was postponed two weeks, and the new date may not jive well with many personal schedules. A trio of out of town bands are still on board, including Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet (and recent Kewadin Casino headliners) Saving Abel, Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris (who played last month's P.O.D. show), and Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory. Local hard rockers Tantrym Tyme are the only remaining Sault Michigan band, while the last two bands are both from Sault Ontario, including the return of classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood (who had been replaced by Retro Troop initially.)

The only new additions are Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, marking their Sault Michigan debut and first announced concert since the spring, which is both surprising and nice to see! Also note that SooToday (which Elements frontman Rob Speers works for) are now listed as a presenting sponsor on the poster, but I have yet to see confirmation on SooToday's end regarding their involvement. Everything is later now too, running from 7:00 PM-2:00 AM instead of 12:00-11:00 PM. As best as I can tell, tickets are now a flat $25 with no discount option for kids, but previously purchased tickets will be honoured on August 21st, or can be swapped at point of purchase (though note that Kewadin Casino's ticket page doesn't have a new link for online ticket sales yet.) New tickets can be bought at The Savoy itself or at (906) 430-5242 as well, though no word on if the planned motorcycle giveaway will continue given the festival changes. For full details on the Superior Festival's changes, visit the above links!

I will note that the weather forecast for tomorrow currently calls for partly cloudy conditions and a peak chance of rain at 15% tomorrow afternoon, but for a first year outdoor festival, I can understand promoters playing things safe just in case. Hopefully the Superior Festival is still a huge success in two weeks despite everything, and I'm especially curious to see how the two Sault Ontario bands do on the U.P. stage! Stay tuned when and if more updates roll in, and see above for all of the changes!

We'll close this post with new videos, including a brand new song from local extreme metal solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died! Entitled "Execute", it's an unusual posting in that it's the first song posting in over 2 years that doesn't coincide with label Werehold Records' usual Friday the 13th music events from their YouTube channel (the next Friday the 13th is in November.) This short instrumental showcases Life's Eclipse frontman/Werehold founder Jason Mills' brutal metal talents well, but it could use a little variance (or vocals) to break from some monotonous parts. Give The 1,000,000's Who Died's new song a listen below!



Finally, here's a new guitar solo video from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, as uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday! An attempt at replicating a live guitar solo from recent tour dates by Eddie Van Halen (who Chris is a huge fan of, if you don't follow his solo postings and band work), comments on the video are already lauding Chris' performance here for it's accuracy to EVH himself, and even if you're not familiar with that solo, this is still excellently done! Give Chris' new video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews in short order, including, yes, possible late notice ones! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Superior Festival) And New Videos!!

Before we dip back into Rotaryfest fallout, let's touch on some non-Rotaryfest updates today before they fall way behind on us, so what's on the bill for this Tuesday morning? New videos from bands on each side of the border, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for early next month, so here's what you should know!

A long teased outdoor concert festival is now official for Sault Michigan on Saturday, August 8th, as Superior Entertainment are bringing us the first annual Superior Festival that day at the Aune-Osborne Campground at 1225 Riverside Drive! As previously revealed but not yet 100% finalized in this Sault Evening News article, the minds behind the P.O.D. concert will bring back Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet Saving Abel as headliners, following their concert at Kewadin Casino in April, while a stacked and varied lineup of regional and out of town talent is also secured, so who else is on board? In listed order, bands will include local epic metal quintet Integrated System of Machines (in their second show since reuniting), Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris (who played the P.O.D. show), Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory, young local hard rock trio Tantrym Tyme, and veteran local hard rockers Power Slug.

The lineup is rounded out by young Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte, Chump Change frontman Terry Talentino in a solo set, and in the biggest surprise of all, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood, in a rare cross-border set by a local band (Touch of Class aside.) Very encouraging, hopefully more of this can happen! Note that the above Sault Evening News article listed Nashville country band Lonestar, Chump Change proper, and local country/pop artist Missy Zenker as tentative acts for the lineup, but none are listed on the Facebook event page as of this writing. An ALL AGES event at the campground/park by the waterfront and the East Portage Avenue transition to Riverside, the Superior Festival will start at 12:00 PM and run until 11:00 PM at night, though a full schedule of set times is not public yet. The event will have $25 tickets (great deal!) or $10 for youths 15 and under, though if you're 17 or under, you must be accompanied by an adult (bummer for 16 & 17 year olds though.)

Though not being hosted at Kewadin Casino, their website and the in-person box office will have tickets, so head to either to get hooked up, and check the above links for more details! This sounds like a great event, if very ambitious, but hopefully there's a great turnout and weather to match in just under three weeks! If we couldn't get LemmaFest V this year, the Superior Festival will fill the gap just fine, so stay tuned for updates when & if they come in, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

We'll close today with new videos, including this new concert video from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings! Filmed during one of their St. Ignace concerts this past weekend at their Kewadin Casino, this was filmed by attendee Dawn Brown and shared on the band's Facebook page on Sunday. Like most of their videos, this is a short one (77 seconds), and mostly spotlights guitarist Joe Jenkins covering Van Halen's classic instrumental "Eruption" (which I assume segued into "You Really Got Me", but the video cuts off before then.) Strongly done, Joe's a clear talent, so give it a look!



Finally for today, we'll close things back in Sault Ontario with a new video from local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control, as per their Facebook page last week! Labelled a "Caroline Divine tribute" (complete with members of that band jokingly replying in the comments), it appears to be a short style parody of their sound and live show from Pixo Control members Michael Mikus and Steve Edwards (on drums here), but see what you think below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for the first of our Rotaryfest fallout posts later today! Thanks everyone!