News & Updates From Two Sault Michigan Hard Rock Bands!!

For today's second post, we're catching up on some recent news from two Sault Michigan hard rock bands (incidentally, ones with two ex-band members in common now), so here's what you should know on both fronts!

We'll start with the latest from local hard rock/classic metal trio Tarnished, so what's new from them? Almost two weeks after their new studio single "Lightswitch" was aired on Rock 101's Scott Cook In The Morning, the band proper will appear in studio on The Sault's Rock Station's weekday morning drive show tomorrow at 8:00 AM! It's not a true "concert", but apologies for the short notice, they only announced this earlier today on their Facebook page, both in writing and in this "Reel". Tarnished are no strangers to local radio, having appeared on Rock 101 and classic hits station Eagle Radio 95.1 (which rebranded as Bridge FM in April, FYI) in the past, but it's always good to see Scott give some love to original rock bands in the Twin Saults! The only chance you ever really get to hear local bands on 101.3 FM is during his shows. Tarnished will be interviewed tomorrow morning and will also perform a mystery acoustic song.

Hopefully things go well at WSUE tomorrow morning, and if you're able to tune in on your FM dial or via the free internet stream, the interview is slated for 8:00 AM midway through Scott Cook In The Morning! Tarnished's next true concert will take place at Byce's Michihistrigan Bar & Grill in Gould City (90 minutes southwest of here) on Saturday as part of the Michihistrigan Rendezvous festival there, and Chris Leask & Ron Suchey from Rhythm & Brews will return as the guest rhythm section, like they did at The Merch last month. Gould City is beyond our coverage range, as a 90 minute drive from the Soo isn't quite "local", but keep it in mind if you're up for the poker run, music, and everything else! For reference, Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird (who play at the regional Kewadin Casino lounges often) are the Friday headliners there. Hopefully everything goes well at the Rendezvous this weekend, weather permitting!

Lastly, remember how Tarnished won an AI generated music video for placing third at the Rock Recovery Battle of the Bands in Alpena in March? Well, the video is complete and was posted to the band's Facebook page on Saturday! I can't embed it here due to Facebook content matching the audio, despite it being for Tarnished's own song, so click here to watch it. Made by the crew at the Traverse City-based podcast The South Of The Straits Show, the video is for "Lightswitch", and features an AI-generated hair metal band performing in concert, and interacting with each other and the singer's girlfriend, and some vehicles are driven too. AI still has many limitations, but it's interesting to see what they cranked out here!

Next up, here's the latest news and notes from fellow local hard rock band Exit 808, so what have they been up to in the past couple of weeks? On May 29th, they posted jam session photos onto their Facebook page, where they revealed the surprise addition of rhythm guitarist Will Robbins to the band, replacing Nathan Webber. A reason for Nathan's departure wasn't announced, but note that the band never acknowledged Melvin and Isaac's exits either. After leaving Tarnished, Nathan co-founded the former Double Jack last fall, but was last credited in band materials in March. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see him back out there in due course! This leaves drummer Jackie Moon as the only member of Double Jack's original lineup left in Exit 808. As for Will, I am not familiar with him at all from past local bands, but hopefully he fits in fine long-term!

If you want to see how Will slots in with Exit 808, you can now do so, as videos from his debut with the band are available to watch on their Facebook page! Normally, I'd wait to cover these until this weekend's concert previews, as they return to a truly local stage on Saturday in Kinross, but there's enough videos here where we don't have to be stingy. These all come from their set on Saturday at Drewpalooza 2, a public birthday concert/mental health fundraiser in Republic (20 minutes west of Ishpeming), so odds are most local fans didn't take the 3+ hour drive out. These videos were all filmed by attendee Angie Hood, and give us our first look at Exit 808 since adding ex-Infathom frontman Dillion Semasky as their joint lead singer, while fellow vocalist Amy Beach's son Blaze Beairl is still filling in on bass (if he has joined permanently, they haven't 100% confirmed it). Angie shot four videos, and while all are sadly vertical, what can you see here?

They include covers of Def Leppard's "Let It Go", Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog", and (believe it or not) Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina", but embedded below is their rock cover of Eminem & Rihanna's "The Monster". The latter obviously makes good use of the joint male/female singers, but on the other three songs, "Let It Go" had them sharing vocals about 50/50, and the other two had Dillion on lead vocals with Amy backing. Sounds good to me, and while the balance of having two dedicated singers together like this may need more dialing in, Amy and Dillion seem to pair well, and Will's guitar work sounds solid enough! Give Exit 808's new videos a watch above & below, and don't miss them in Kinross on Saturday!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Just Leppard), Josey Scott's Saliva Concert Updates, And More!!

Got a new news post to check out on this Monday night, which includes updates on a big upcoming concert, a new original song teaser, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, so here's what you should know!

Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, November 11th (yes, Remembrance Day) for a special double header of tribute band action at Soo Blaster! It was around that time last year when Just Leppard made their third local stop (and first at Soo Blaster) for a date with AC/DC tribute The AC/DC Show, but this time, they'll take the stage alongside fellow Sudbury tribute band Saturday Night Special, who pay homage to southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd! I'll admit that neither source band is my favourite, but Just Leppard have gotten a solid response in their prior local stops, and Saturday Night Special seem to have the Skynyrd sound down well, so this should cover a wide range of classic rock fans this fall! Advance tickets for this 19+ event (which starts at 8:00 PM) run for $40 at this link, which is up from the $32 advance price last year.

No word on a price hike at the door, but last year's Just Leppard/AC/DC Show concert jumped to $35 if you waited to buy until you got there, so I'd at least prepare for the possibility. This should be a good time for Def Leppard and Lynyrd Skynyrd fans (especially if you happen to be both), so visit the official Facebook event page for details on what to expect!

Next up, here's some updates on the Josey Scott's Saliva-headlined concert at The Machine Shop on Saturday night, starting with a band withdrawal, as Louisville, Kentucky post-grunge quartet Tantric have dropped out of this event, according to promoters Superior Entertainment on the Facebook event page yesterday. This is due to frontman Hugo Ferreira being unable to enter Canada, and while they didn't go into specifics as to why, he has had legal issues in the past that may be a factor, and other rock websites will go into detail on that if you are so inclined. Disappointing to hear, but hopefully Tantric can come back this direction again when able! A replacement band has not been announced, but Superior Entertainment has asked ticket sale host Etix to adjust show prices to the pre-sale discount rate rather than the week-of price of $53.50 (as of this writing, the price has not visibly been lowered). Click here to check on any potential price adjustments, in any event!

In terms of promoting the event, (this version of) Saliva's frontman Josey Scott has made some video appearances to get the word out, including via this brief clip uploaded to Superior Entertainment's Facebook page last week, where he invited fans to "party with us" and "shake the lake" on Saturday night. Not the best audio quality, he didn't mention any of the other bands, and he pronounced "Sault" like "salt", but any direct promotion is cool to see, so check it out above! For longer-form promotion, Josey was interviewed by Ernest Skinner of the local YouTube interview series Border City Rock Talk on Friday, so what comes up here? In the 18 minute interview, Josey talks about why he left the original version of Saliva, ex-Motley Crue singer John Corabi saving him from a bar fight, the passing of his old Saliva bandmate Wayne Swinny earlier this year, how they united musically, new material plans, ...

... working with Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on the "Hero" single, his love of ketchup chips, and more. This was recorded before Tantric dropped out, but neither Ernest nor Josey remembered the local openers' names (Josey did pronounce "Sault" right here though!) Good and laid back interview that will be a good primer for the show on Saturday night, so check it out below, and also give Border City Rock Talk a watch for much more video interviews, if not always with musicians playing locally in the near term!

We'll close today with a new video from local progressive metal duo Convergence's YouTube channel! The first unequivocally new upload there (not counting Kraken Mara-era videos that they left up/rebranded), this was uploaded as a "Shorts" video (a.k.a. YouTube's answer to "reels"), but at least you can embed "Shorts" externally and play them in background tabs! The video features a snippet from a new original song named "Chimera" courtesy of their computer tracking program, and it certainly sounds the part for prog metal fans, but it's worth noting that their Facebook post about the video says that "we're working on another track for our album". Now, their debut EP "One" is on sale on Wix, but are implications correct that "One" is a work in progress that they're going to add to as songs get completed? I can't say for public certainty, but give Convergence's new song snippet a listen below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for Wednesday concert previews and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage - "Scott's Pub & Crash Music" Album Review!!

It's time for our 164th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and as promised, we're looking at one of local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage's three new albums from the past six months, but which one? Opting against the new "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of..." album as I haven't reviewed its predecessor yet, I decided to go with their first of two albums released in September of last year, namely "Scott's Pub and Crash Music", as it is generally heavier and has clearer recording quality than its follow-up "Love Muffin". Posted to their Bandcamp page on September 8th with a listed release date of September 1st, this album (alternately named "S.C.O.T.T. Pub & Crash Music") is 66th in Sykotyk Rampage's 68 albums-deep discography, and was recorded last year at River Front Recreation Studios and (in the case of the live recordings) their jam space The Cave.

The original crash band are represented once again by singer/drummer Paul Becker, his brother Dirk on guitar and vocals, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio. "Scott's Pub & Crash Music" is on sale for $15 at this link, and while you can stream it there for free, consider buying it to support the band's work! This is a digital exclusive album, but if released physically, it would require two discs, running for 84 minutes across 16 tracks. Now, let's kick off this review!

First up on this album is the very topical "COVID Spreading Party", which opens with the band jokingly declaring that they'll host the title party, and Paul even coughs before the first verse (this all comes off very tongue in cheek, if you couldn't tell). This song doesn't stray from musical form for the masters of the crash, but it's very vocal/drum driven with Dirk & Shane's guitar work very muted and going for more of a background breezy tone, if that makes sense. It's drawn out a little too much for my liking, and while it's very much on brand, the free-wheeling nature was too inconsistently applied for me. Second is "Different Part Of The Same Thing", which is slower and woozier in nature, with Paul explaining personal regrets in spoken word and even breaking the fourth wall for some truly improvised singing about what's next in the recording (remember, Sykotyk Rampage traditionally improvise new originals on the fly when recording).

The song as a composition isn't as strong as the opener, but the more audible & involved guitar work improves things, so it's a wash for my enjoyment. Still, the entertainment level is there for fans! Third is the 99 seconds long "Fire Soul", which is basically a jam rock instrumental, spoken word banter at the end aside. It's the best song on offer so far, and the percussion is catchy in particular with good bass to match, but it does feel like an unfinished idea waiting for vocals and a longer playthrough. Next is "Get Some Whiskey In Me", a newer entry in their long line of Sykotyk Rampage's drinking songs. This song grinds along at a very grungy tempo, with Paul's singing low and bluesy to match, and while I'm not sure it hits the live crowd engagement levels of earlier such songs, it's the most consistent song with vocals yet! Tony's bass fits in very well, and the mood is well captured, so we're looking up!

The first of five live recordings is next, namely "Gotta Get High", a live version of a song from their 2016 album "Alarm Alarm", which I have not reviewed on the SMS yet. This is recorded similarly to the original, a steady rocker with more of a bluesy driving overtone, but if you're going to listen to both back to back, boost the volume on the live version, as Paul's vocals are very hard to hear. As a guitar showcase, this is the best so far, with a nice shredding guitar solo, but the song proper is somewhat overlong and meandering by the end. Good track overall though! Sixth is the oddly titled "Limmed Limmeda", which runs for an album-low 62 seconds. Very punk-influenced, the track (if still bluesy by default thanks to the vocals), it's promising but sort of buried under feedback and ends before it really gets going, alas. Song #7 is "Another Beer Love Song", which speaks for itself.

Arguably the best song so far for what I like out of Sykotyk Rampage, this fits better into their drinking song oeuvre with more of a consistent freewheeling nature, more energetic singing & drumming from Paul,  and a vibe better fitting drinking beer than "Get Some Whiskey In Me" had for its title drink! It also doesn't overstay its welcome and ends near when it starts getting repetitive, so yeah, a definite early highlight! The album's first half concludes with the first of a three song run of live versions of older tracks, starting with "Lost You At A Party", previously seen under the name "Lost You In A Party" on their other 2016 album "Kock Block Rock", which I also haven't reviewed yet. Unlike "Gotta Get High", this isn't a straight re-recording, and it suffers from a sparer first section and muffled recording quality compared to the original studio version.

The song still works on a jam rock level, but it is definitely not as spontaneous and fun as the 2016 version (not helped by an abrupt ending), which fit more into the band's usual wheelhouse on Paul-sung tracks, though I'd say listen to both to compare. Next is a live redo of "9 Days", the opening track from their 2008 album of the same name that they previously re-recorded twice on later albums, including a "live" version on 2017's "Live At The Paris Hilton". Of the three earlier recordings, I did review the 2017 version, which is fitting for comparison's sake, though I am familiar with the 2008 original dating back to when I first discovered the band. "9 Days" was an early favourite song of mine in their catalog, but I did find the 2017 version to be slower and more laboured once you put the faux audience noise aside. For the 2022 version, the track is still slowed down compared to what the guys did in 2008, and the drums still come off too methodical.

The recording is clearer than the 2017 version, but the music is somewhat sparer as a result, and I feel that Dirk & Shane's guitar riffs aren't as loud in the mix as this song is used to. I think "9 Days" is best experienced in its original faster form, but you have four ways to compare! This trilogy of live songs ends with "White Girl Wasted", but if this is indeed a redo of an older song of theirs, then it was either not released on an album or it was renamed, as no titles match in their discography. As is, this song has more liveliness to it while still retaining their usual bluesy overtones. We do get some very solid guitar soloing late and strong bass from Tony, so the musical performances here are on point, but while I do prefer this to the "9 Days" redo, it's not as freewheeling as the band is at their peak. The album briefly returns to studio recordings next via "Freedom To Listen To No One", which is more of a down & dirty blues rocker.

Good showcase of bass and drums over the guitars, which feel secondary here, and Paul's lower gruff singing fits the mood that they're going for. This isn't so much the tone I prefer but Sykotyk Rampage, but it comes together as a composition better than many songs here, if not for the quieter guitar parts! The fifth and final live song is next, namely "Fear: I Am Machine", which was previously seen as just "Fear" on 2011's "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect: Hallucinogenic Musical Brain Scans" (unreviewed by me yet). The re-do is a minute+ longer, but similar structurally, with a slow, psychedelic intro featuring trance-like background vocals that slowly builds into more of a truly sykotyk rock number. Toned down effects & distortion aside, this version differs primarily from Paul's more layered vocals.

I like this song and how it grows & evolves to a point where you forget its relatively long runtime, but I do think the original version benefited production-wise, so again, check out both to compare! The final four songs lead off with "Reality Is A Virus", which again buries Paul's vocals in the background, even with an echo on them and audible shifts in quality when his vocal track comes in, and I don't quite get why they did it like that. A mid-tempo rocker, this again plays up the rhythm section more than the guitars, with Tomy's low grinding bass giving this song a staticy overtone. Not a bad song for fans, but I'd have made Paul clearer and the guitars louder. "Sweet William's Demise" comes next with its album-long 10:55 runtime, though the first third is mostly psychedelic instrumental jamming before things slow down. The middle section is more feedback-driven with an ominous feeling and more isolated drumming..

The song builds to a heavier and more chaotic final stretch, with some nice spacey guitar work. Paul's singing is buried in the mix again, but once things truly get going in the final four minutes, the song proves itself and has everyone performing to their best, so this is another highlight if you sit it out! No word on who Sweet William is though. Second-last is the shorter but still long (9:39) "Path Through Your Mind", which is the first and only song on "Scott's Pub & Crash Music" featuring guitarist Dirk Becker on lead vocals, with Paul also singing at points. Alas, Dirk's vocals are buried in the mix too, which isn't ideal, but not shocking on this album. The song itself leans more into psychedelia and jam rock once again, and sticks to flavours of that sounds for its entire runtime, so it's never boring as a result! I like my Sykotyk Rampage with more of a "rampage", but genre fans should dig the marathon here!

Lastly on this album is a reprise/re-recording of track #5, called "Gotta Get High: On Life Version", which is similar to the first one but slightly faster and with more distortion and fuzz, plus some spacier guitar riffing late. Honestly, if you asked me which one was the "...High On Life" version without me knowing, I'd assume it was song #5, not song #16! I think I prefer the original redo over this take for the clearer recording quality, though Paul is louder in the mix on this one, so again, listen to each to compare for yourself as to which one is better.

So what are my final thoughts on Sykotyk Rampage's 66th studio album? I have heard better from them, and no word on who Scott is, but long-time fans of theirs will want to dust off their environ-mental suits, as their tried and true formula largely pays off! If anything, this album is a showcase for Tony's bass work in particular, as he got lots of moments to shine, and he and Paul matched up well on multiple songs, especially on songs that didn't call for psychedelic guitar work and soloing. The brand new songs will mostly deliver for acclimated fans, with "Sweet William's Demise", "Another Beer Love Song", and "Reality Is A Virus" being among the highlights on this double album, but the live covers are generally not improvements on the earlier studio versions ("White Girl Wasted" aside, as I can't verify what its alleged earlier version was called). The big issues with this album for me was a lack of freewheeling hard rock jams and frequently low mixes.

If Paul was louder for the duration, let alone Dirk & Shane's guitar riffing, the album would easily have gained points for me, but of course, in a band with 68 albums now, they have more than enough songs that do fit the bill so it's not like we're all lacking. I'd also have liked to have heard Dirk on lead vocals more than once, but again, they have 67 other albums. Not my favourite SKR album, but still a fun effort, so do check it out at the above links, and I hope you liked this month's CD review! Look for our review of local pop punk project Forever Will Be's debut album "Dead & Dishonest" on the site next month, for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next, and for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

Live Streams From A Dire Setback & The Hair Scare, Plus More Assorted Updates!!

Here's another new post on the site today, and while I am running dry on topics to start the week, I guarantee we will have a new post each day through at least Thursday! This post has some assorted shorter stories of note, and a live-streamed video from a popular local radio show, but leading off, here's even more big updates relating a recently released punk album!

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and widespread concert cancellations may have wrecked A Dire Setback's plans for a CD release show at LopLops on Saturday, but the guys made due by live-streaming a release party on their Facebook page that night! As preluded by Facebook posts about their plans to get the gear set up for live-streaming, the local alt-punk trio ensured that the show went on (albeit from their jam room), and while an actual release concert with CDs in hand is still planned for the future, fans got the next best thing on Saturday! The whole thing is embedded below, though the video began rolling 19 minutes before the promised 10:00 PM start time, so fast forward as such to get to the actual start of the set. In performance order, the guys played "Everlasting", "Faded", "Forget This Memory", their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" with bassist Matt Quinn on lead vocals, "Catastrophe", "A Dire Setback", "Endless Dream", a cover of Green Day's "Longview", "Drop Dead", ...

..."Kicking & Screaming", "Nightmares", and covers of The Misfits' "Last Caress" & Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", both with Matt singing lead again. One thing I noted way too late while watching is that "Drop Dead" is actually the renamed version of one of A Dire Setback's earliest originals, "Wasting Away", apparently at the suggestion of producer Bill Priddle to make the song angrier. I should have caught on to that way sooner, apologies for sounding ignorant! Performance wise, the analog audio recording setup & warm lighting aren't ideal, and this is a very casual performance, but in light of what's going on in the world, how can you nitpick? The guys are clearly having fun, and I've never seen Chris so talkative between songs! The new covers ("Ace of Spades" aside) are nice surprises too, so fans will definitely enjoy this live-streamed set, as well as this thank you video for fans who watched, where they also reiterate plans for a real release concert, show off their gear, and ask for feedback.

Also, A Dire Setback's self-titled debut CD dropped on other services beyond Spotify yesterday, so you can now stream it on Apple Music and YouTube, and buy it on Bandcamp and Google Play (the latter two for around $9). Whatever your preferred source, definitely buy or stream it A.S.A.P., especially with the CD release in limbo! See above for much more the album, read our review of it in yesterday's post, and here's their full live-stream!



Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where long-running Rock 101 program The Hair Scare finally has it's own official Facebook page! Their official Facebook group is still alive & well, but that is more of an officially recognized fan club, compared to the new page, which host Scott Cook created back in January. Of course, The Hair Scare provides a 3 hour blast of hair and glam metal classics from the late 1970s-early 1990s every Saturday at 9:00 PM on 101.3 FM, and you can now see an hour-long glimpse of Scott at the controls from the newest episode via the live-streamed video embedded below, so if you've ever wanted an insider look at The Hair Scare in action, this will do it! In order, you'll hear Scott play Sven Gali's "Under the Influence" (joined in progress), Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", Poison's "Look What The Cat Dragged In", Skid Row's "Sweet Little Sister", Slaughter's "Mad About You", Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine", Trooper's "Raise A Little Hell", ...

...Whitesnake's "Judgement Day", and much of Tesla's "Modern Day Cowboy", plus all of the breaks in-between where Scott takes requests, reminisces about the Soo area and past concerts, and talks to fans tuning in. This is an entertaining inside look at this popular Rock 101 staple in action, if not as clear for audio as the actual show would be! If you're a hair metal fan, The Hair Scare is appointment listening every Saturday, and if you like when Rock 101 diverts from their standard playlist, both The Hair Scare and Scott Cook In The Morning are your best bets for anything with local DJs! Give this Hair Scare live stream a look below, and don't forget to tune in on Saturday!



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

• SooToday previewed the Facebook live-streamed Coronafest event on March 21st via this article earlier that day, featuring remarks from organizer Brian Cattapan and fellow performer Cory Murchison. The article neglects to mention that there were more than two Saultites on the bill (Brian, his wife Krista and Jason "J Wyza" Wysynski are all from here too), but it's great to see Coronafest get some local news attention! A sequel on April 18th is also in the works for Krista's birthday the next day, so click here for details.
• If Mike Haggith's CD release concert at LopLops goes through on May 15th, then his live backing band that night will include one more musician, as local folk/alternative solo artist Jacob Quarrell (formerly Shit Creek Survivor) will be the lead guitarist on this night, as per the Facebook event page last week. Jacob opened for Mike at his Outspoken Brewing acoustic concert in August, which Mike credits as "the show that kicked off this album in the greatest possible way." While his solo music isn't hard rock, Jacob's very talented and should deliver well with Mike and crew in May... I hope!
• Local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be interviewed tonight at 9:00 PM on The Taxi Passenger Revue, a radio show hosted by Mike Robillard on new local internet radio station The Borderline. The series features in-depth conversations akin to what you would have with a cab driver, hence the name, and if the Facebook event page is anything to go by, the interview with Tym will heavily deal in his recent conversion to Christianity. This should be an enlightening listen for fans, so check it out tonight at 9:00, especially if episodes aren't posted to stream afterward!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our second installment in our seven part WLS0 9O.1 FM retrospective series tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Soundcheck Concert Previews, New Videos, And Much More!!

So as to focus on our (delayed) close to last month's poll and newly launched poll tomorrow, here's a second post on this Thursday, and it includes some assorted recent news, a new video and related apology, a music video from a prominent solo artist, and leading off, the last of our Easter weekend concert previews. Here's what you should know!

First, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's previously announced shows at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After playing their last few concert weekends outside of their 2019 schedule posting, they're back with another pair of dates that had lots of advance notice, marking their first announced gigs there in two months. This frequently seen veteran group should have another solid weekend of hard rocking covers in store for fans at this west end venue this weekend, so keep Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen's shows there in mind for your Easter weekend plans! As usual, these shows should have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's the third and final music video from Kinross/Mount Pleasant, Michigan solo artist Alex Traynor's debut EP "Crazy World", as posted to his YouTube channel on Monday! This is for his (somewhat) softer original song "What Everything Is Like (High Life)", which was also third on the EP, and the video was shot by Eric Cairns at Third Cinema Productions, a long-time collaborator of Alex's for solo and Banned projects. The video features Alex waking up on a playground carousel, before roaming through a park in the wintertime, singing in front of forest settings and a brick wall (even playing guitar at the end.) Many of the visuals mimic an older 8mm film camera, complete with letterboxing and pillarboxing to simulate smaller aspect ratios, so there's a nostalgic quality in some ways. Well shot and edited, this is a nice way to round out Alex's music video trilogy, and it'll be interesting to see where his original solo work goes from here! Check the video out below!



Also today, here's our belated first video look at Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive, courtesy of a show that they played on Friday, February 8th at... Room 21?! I profusely apologize for missing that concert on the site, the venue's coverage completely slipped us by at the time, though as best as I can tell, it had under a week's notice upon it's announcement, and the band's Facebook page never acknowledged it publically. I will definitely try and stay on top of Fluid 5ive bookings more in the future, but at least we have a video out of it! Live-streamed by the venue that same day, this is of Fluid 5ive covering Radiohead's "Creep", less than 3 months after indie rockers Man Feelings covered it in a prior live-stream. Fluid 5ive have a good handle on this song, though frontman Colin Nelson's vocals almost sound too casual, if that makes any sense, and you see a lot more of the bar's strip lighting than you do of drummer Jeff Pennett for the duration.

The vertical camera angle is unfortunate on the whole, but it's great to have a video of Fluid 5ive at long last, and as you can see in the video and the above image from the show, they definitely weren't lying about having a saxophone in their repertoire! Hopefully there's more videos and updates of Fluid 5ive down the line, but give their Radiohead cover a look below, and I apologize again for missing their Room 21 show in February!



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

• Last week, defunct local horror punk quintet Frightlight posted on their Facebook page to say that "it's been too long" and that they "have booked a show", details forthcoming. In case this is another one-off like at Halloween, I'll wait before making a change to their status, but what does this apparent return show entail? Stay tuned!
• The Internet Archive recently posted what they call the MySpace Dragon Hoard, a 1.3+ terabyte batch of songs downloaded from MySpace as part of an anonymous research study from 2008-2010. This is by no means comprehensive for what used to be on MySpace before last year's song deletions, but it's nice to see hundreds of thousands of songs saved! The mechanism for the Dragon Hoard is a horrendous RAM hog, so make sure your device isn't lacking for RAM, and copy & paste your search inquiries for best results. I have found Woods of Ypres, Treble Charger, and Clownsack songs, and there's likely more local acts.
• Despite his announced retirement from live bands last summer, former Soundcheck/Turner Up drummer Scott McLurg posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on April 1st to say that he was looking to play live once or twice a month, and to private message him at this link for details. I waited to mention this here in case it was an April Fools joke, but the posting is still up, so it looks serious. If Scott's able to play live again with some regularity, I'd be glad to see him back out there, and message him above for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Awokest's New Song, And Much More!!

Today's news post (possibly our final of the month) is half devoted to lots of assorted shorter stories as of late, but we also have a new video upload to take note of, and first off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW, giving this weekend at least one SMS-fitting concert to cover! Things will be busier in October, I guarantee it. Here's what you should know!

On this unusually quiet concert weekend, we do have one hard rock show to take note of, as local acoustic singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will be playing TOMORROW at the Fall Fest at... Scott Coffee Co.?! Apologies for the short notice, neither Tym nor the venue have publically confirmed his involvement, though he is mentioned in personal Facebook advertising. This special event will be taking place at the coffee shop at Lowe's Plaza at 248 Northern Avenue (beside Golden Dragon), and Scott Coffee Co. will have free samples and seasonal blends ready for patrons, while there will be face painting, a vintage clothing sale, and a used book sale from the Friends of the Library Bookstore at the Centennial Library downtown, so keep those aspects in mind for TOMORROW! Tym is cited as performing at the Fall Fest alongside at least two other solo acts, namely indie standout Jackson Reed and folk/jazz veteran Britta Wölfert (whose personal Facebook page confirmed the lineup.) Solid and diverse array of performers, so look for all three inside (outside?) of Scott Coffee Co. TOMORROW!

A special early start time of 4:00 PM is in effect for TOMORROW'S Fall Fest, and while I can't confirm when Tym's set will be, the event is advertised to end at 9:00 PM. This is n ALL AGES event with no announced cover charge, so if you're up for some seasonal coffee, local vendors, and live music, swing by Scott Coffee Co. TOMORROW, even if you're already shopping or just curious! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live! (FYI, he's not playing at La Terrazza Franzisi in Richards Landing this weekend, that restaurant closed for the season after last weekend.)



Next up, here's a new "EP" from new local grindcore solo project Awokest's YouTube channel, as uploaded there two weeks ago. This appears to be one 10+ minute song rather than a traditional EP, and it has an incredibly long name to match (too long for the video's title!) It'd be easier to just call it "Screams of the Primordial Lord...", which saves 38 words. The music on display here is of the instrumental cyber-noise variety, with heavily processed vocals in the background. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but you can't say it's not original locally, so give Awokest's new song a listen!



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

• New local jazz/hip-hop quartet Bom Kronik have been added as a second opening act at the Faps concert at LopLops Lounge on Wednesday, as per a quiet update to the Facebook event page. Local rap followers may have seen this band open for Naughty By Nature in July, and their lineup is comprised of vocalist Conika (who's still advertised with a solo set) alongside Honest Job's Mister Tahti on keyboard, Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth, and ex-Gnaeus drummer Brendan Garlick. Eclectic and talented lineup, so look for some intriguing tunes from Bom Kronik before The Faps' noise-punk attack, and stay tuned for our preview!
• Hudson Street adult nightclub & occasional concert venue Studio 10 formally changed it's name to The Dime in June, following a two month period of renovations, as per it's Facebook group and radio advertising. The name change goes along with the venue's "new look" and "great vibes", though I believe The Dime was an informal nickname used by some regulars already. SMS readers will best know Studio 10 as the site for a few late-era Havadder concerts, and we'll let you know if live bands return to The Dime!
• If you've noticed a Facebook event page floating around advertising a Jackyl concert at The Machine Shop on December 14th, be advised that the show is not taking place in Sault Ste. Marie. The show is actually taking place in Flint, Michigan (4 hours south of here), where they also have a concert venue named The Machine Shop that long predates ours in that usage. Similar confusion arose regarding Devildriver's show in Flint in November. It'd be great to welcome Jackyl back to Sault Ontario, but alas, not yet!
• Following the brief advertising of J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party concerts at Soo Blaster, the Queen Street sports bar/arcade have announced their final Halloween events for the same days, via the Facebook event pages linked here and here. Friday's will be a dance party with live DJs, while Saturday's will feature rappers, including familiar names like the aforementioned Conika, Rick-E, and Kodex. I don't know whether these events are due to or the cause of J.D.'s concerts moving to The Algonquin Pub, but keep them in mind if you want some turntable mixes or hip hop for Halloween!
• Sykotyk Rampage have belatedly posted their last 31 studio albums for sale on their Reverbnation page, after originally going online as free streaming copies only. This includes everything from 2011's "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect" to 2016's "Sanctuarium", joining their prior releases and their newest album "Live At The Paris Hilton" in having $9.99 or $10 sale copies. It's great to see the option finally available, so visit the above links to pick up these albums if you are so inclined to buy tons of original crash music! Yes, we could review these on the site down the line.
• Toystock is returning for a seventh annual installment on Sunday, November 25th! As per organizers Choose Maxx's Facebook page, the Christmas Cheer fundraiser concert will return to The Grand Gardens North for it's fourth straight year, with appearances from Santa Claus and Mr. Bon Soo planned alongside kids entertainment, plus another stacked musical lineup. Performers have not been announced yet, but the last 6 Toystocks have proudly featured "10 bands in 10 hours", and I'd be shocked if Bone Yard weren't involved, given that they've only missed one installment. Stay tuned for the lineup reveal when announced!

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

Lots Of Inactive Band Notes, A Prominent Drummer's Retirement, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday morning reading, as it happens, it mostly inactive artists, including bands being moved out of our active links, as well as a noted drummer retiring from the scene, but we do have a new video from an active band tfill things out. Here's what you should know!

We have regrettably moved local hard/party rock trio Stiffler's Mom to our inactive band links. While the band has not formally acknowledged their active status, they haven't issued a public update since their Esquire Club concerts over the weekend of September 9th, 2017, past our one year cut-off point for active bands. One of the longest running hard rock bands in the city, Stiffler's Mom had been active in varying permutations and names since 1996 (save for a brief 2011-2012 breakup), becoming fan favourite attractions at solo nightclub concerts, festivals, and other community events during that span. Fans may recognize Stiffler's Mom from their 2004 demo CD, 2007's INXS concert, their finals run in 2009's Kiss Battle of the Bands, three Rotaryfest Stage 1 gigs in the mid-2010s, and the first two Toystocks, among many other events. In the past year, singer/drummer Greg Simpson has stayed musically active with his country cover bands Bone Yard & The Bearded Lounge.

I don't know what happened to Stiffler's Mom, but they've always been a reliable and fan-friendly band over the years, something apparent even when seeing them rock a Bawating Collegiate dance about 14 years ago! Their brand of party rock and their old originals have served them well with local audiences for over two decades, and hopefully we haven't seen the last of Stiffler's Mom on stage! Best of luck to Greg, Michael, and Jon in the future!

Next up, we have some sad news regarding a veteran local musician, as prolific hard/classic rock drummer Scott McLurg has left Soundcheck and retired from performing in bands due to health concerns. Scott's last show with them was at The Water Tower Pub on August 25th, and while Scott had suffered a heart attack back in 2015, I don't know if that's related to this current news. Scott had replaced Steven Flint as Soundcheck's drummer in recent months, and will be very familiar to SMS readers for his work with bands like Turner Up, Havadder, The 3 Day Millionaires, Wishbone, The Thrill Junkies, and Full Circle, plus bands that predated the site, like Generation Gap, One Bad Habit, Lois Lane, Blender, and Big River. This news is definitely a bummer, as Scott's always been a talented and prolific sight in our coverage over the past decade, while being friendly and cordial to me over the years as well. That said, his health obviously comes first.

Hopefully his musical retirement goes as smoothly as possible, and our best wishes go out to Scott and his family, he'll be missed behind the kit! Also, no word on Soundcheck's (still?) open drummer position, we'll let you know when they confirm a replacement and/or hit the stage next!

Also today, here's a more positive story via a brand new upload to Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! This is a YouTube copy of their rendition of the Christmas carol "What Child Is This", featuring German classical singer Gaby Koss, who was an official studio member of the band in the early 2010s. Though not a new recording, this is an effective symphonic metal performance, with Gaby's vocals excellently suited to the song, and the dark snowy visuals are a good match as well! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!




Finally, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all regarding bands moved out of our active band links in recent days. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• I have removed local metal solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died from our active links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook page in recent months (it's possible it was deactivated for disuse, but either way, it's their only online page.) Led by Werehold Records founder Jason Mills, this project was best known from songs during the label's old Friday the 13th music events, last posting a new song on the Werehold YouTube channel in January. The Billions Who Died had some solid instrumental tracks, and hopefully Jason revisits the project down the road!
• We have also moved Sault Ontario hard rock cover quartet Griphook back to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. While they haven't been seen on stage since Rotaryfest 2016, Griphook announced the end of their then-year+ long hiatus on their Facebook page last August, an announcement that had no public followthrough. They were a solid band in their original run, and hopefully Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony actually return down the line!
• Also, we have moved Sault Michigan metal quartet Stoned Ape Evolution to our inactive band links, as they haven't posted on their Facebook page regarding band matters since their Bay Mills Bands Together concert in Brimley on September 2nd, 2017 (though they continued sharing memes unrelated to the band through January.) A mid-2010s effort to bring a large-scale theatrical metal band back to the area (complete with Clownsack-esque usage of masks and hidden member identities), Stoned Ape Evolution had clear promise and originality, and hopefully John, Melvin, and company bring this group back in the future!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Nameus), Din Updates, And Much More!!

I wasn't expecting to have a full news post today, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALRT, we can't avoid it, so that leads off this post! Alongside it, we have some cool news from local radio, a local band's latest video and road trip news, and a belated song posting from a band of the late Guy Thiffault, who we memorialized this afternoon, so read that post below if you missed the original announcement. Here's what you need to know!

New local classic/hard rock cover trio Nameus (no formal new name yet) will make their Rockstar Bar debut TONIGHT! Apologies for the extremely short notice, we only got full confirmation about the show via the venue's Facebook event page this afternoon, though note that their physical marquee board had previously advertised "Travis Band" as playing today, which we now 100% know was meaning frontman Travis Sharpe. A one-nighter due to tomorrow's return of pop rock cover band Crush (formerly Cherry Crush), this won't be Nameus' last concert of 2016, but it'll be their last regular, non-New Year's Eve party event of the year, so if you want to take in some hard hitting covers, be at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Also, note that this is the first publically announced Rockstar Bar show for a Terry Eaton/Steven Flint band at The Rockstar Bar since Mourning Wood played there back in February. There's no announced cover charges for TONIGHT'S 19+ show, and despite what the event page might tell you, expect a 10:30 PM-ish start time.

I wish the guys in Nameus would have plugged this show in some form of advance fashion (and/or launched an online page already), but if you're familiar with the guys' chemistry and backgrounds, you'll know that they should have a solid night of covers in store at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Don't miss out if you can help it, hopefully videos turn up soon, and apologies again, we'd have covered this with our weekend concert previews had we known about it beforehand!

Next up, here's the latest from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, starting with some intriguing news, as they're taking a road trip to Toronto for their out-of-town debut at The Revival Bar on January 6th! The show is part of Landmark Events' Showcase Festival, a concert series that will help rising musicians network with other acts, radio personalities, and industry professionals. No word on the complete lineup yet, but the show will apparently be live streamed as an i-PPV event, so if you buy an e-ticket, you can watch it online as it happens! It looks like their set is at 3:45 PM on January 6th, and e-tickets are $13, just $1 less than the regular in-person admission, for what that's worth. If you're interested in watching the stream, click here and visit The Din's Facebook event page for full details! For something new that you can watch free, The Din's eighth Cover of the Month video was posted to their YouTube channel yesterday, so what should you know on that?

Their first of this video series to have it's cover suggested by a fan, this month's cover is of The Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy", but in this case, it was recorded at Mission Control Studios, where they have been recording something or another recently. The multi-camera video is well shot and the band sound as reliably good as ever, with the cover suiting their sound, but I'd have angled the camera up a bit for the wide shot, as too much of the table is in the road. Give The Din's latest cover a look below!

Also today, here's some surprising yet cool news from the world of local FM radio, as Brian Davie has returned to Rock 101 to resume co-hosting Scott & Brian In The Morning! The surprise announcement was made on air at 101.3 FM and via the show's Facebook page on Tuesday morning (also Brian's first day back), with co-host Scott Cook jokingly saying that Brian was back "by mediocre demand". A 20 year veteran of local radio, Brian originally left the Sault Michigan rock station in March of last year for personal reasons, with Scott hosting the morning show solo in the interim, but fans definitely seemed to welcome back Brian with open arms! He was always very kind and cordial to our work here at the SMS, and he always had a great chemistry and rapport with Scott in the mornings, which was often very noticeable over the past 21 months when Scott had no one to play off of. Tune in to the newly renamed Scott & Brian in the Morning weekday mornings from 6:00-10:00 AM on Rock 101 for music, infotainment, and much more for your morning drive!

Finally, here's a new song that I found online today from the late Guy Thiffault's mid-2000s punk band The Hangdowns! Guy himself posted this song to his YouTube channel (his only upload there) in October 2012, and it's of their original "No Man Is An Island", which notably wasn't on the band's MySpace page previously. I can't date this song specifically, but it could be from their planned 2004 album, which I can't verify if it ever saw a public release or not. The fireman picture is a little ambigiuous, but it's a solid fast-paced punk number of this missed band, so give it a listen below, and continue keeping Guy in your thoughts at this difficult time!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates over the weekend. Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Gnaeus), New Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

Let's launch a new news post for you guys on this Monday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent updates, plus some long awaited new cover videos from a pair of Sault Michigan artists, but let's kick things off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Local post-punk/garage-wave quartet Gnaeus will return to the stage for a solo headlining concert on Friday, November 18th at LopLops Lounge! The band hasn't confirmed this show publically yet (or posted on their Facebook page in three weeks), but the venue announced the show via their own Facebook event page yesterday, as part of a mass posting of event pages for upcoming concerts there. This is Gnaeus' first advertised concert since Tidal Records' Gnar-BQ last month, and their first LopLops appearance since headlining there in July. No word on if there's a special quirk or theme for this show, or if it is truly just a regular Gnaeus concert, but fans of their varied post-punk originals and select covers should definitely consider a trip down to LopLops next month! This show has a $5 cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Gnaeus when it rolls in!

Next up, we have some new solo performance videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with the latest cover postings from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel! In his first postings there in three months, Ryan (who now lists his "Moe Brown" alias on the channel's name too) posted vocal/guitar covers of Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and, as embedded below, Matchbox Twenty's "Bright Lights" there last week. Both featuring color filters put on in post, these aren't badly done renditions, and Ryan's vocal range continues to get more confident, so check out his latest covers above & below!



Also new to YouTube is the first solo cover video from ex-Insipid Brutality/Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie's YouTube channel in over two years! No word on what took him so long, but this video is a cover of the guitar solo and outro from Pantera's "Floods", and doing so flawlessly from what I could tell! Scott was always a highlight among Sault Michigan-area metal guitarists, and hopefully we see him in a new band soon, but check out his take on "Floods" below!



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

• Former Why guitarist Chris Nielsen is looking for local bands to round out the lineup of a planned all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, November 19th. 6 bands are scheduled, and as of this past Saturday, he had 3 enlisted to play 30 minute sets, though if Chris is playing in a (new?) band that night, I can't confirm their identity yet. There's even interest regarding a possible Fitswitch(?!) reunion, but if you're interested in playing, message Chris at this link or via his post on the Sault Ste. Marie All Ages group!
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires have quietly enlisted ex-Sneaky Pete rhythm guitarist Bill Brouillard to join the band, replacing Travis Sharpe, while bassist Steve Dowding is now credited as their full lead vocalist. A reason for Travis' departure wasn't announced, but he was quietly removed from their lineup and cover photo on their Facebook page over the past day. Hopefully nothing bad happened with Travis, but fingers crossed that we see him in a new band soon, and Bill should be a nice fit with the Millonaires, so stay tuned for the new lineup's debut!
• Tidal Records' songwriting contest at LopLops Lounge on Saturday was won by Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone, so he'll be recording his original song "Show Me What That Is" with Tidal Records in the near future. While a hard rock or punk artist would have been nice to see win, congratulations to Nathan on a well deserved victory! He's a talented country musician, as Thin Ice fans will attest to! For reference sake, the most recent postings advertising the contest didn't mention Jacob "Shit Creek Survivor" Quarrell as performing anymore, though if true, I don't know why he dropped out.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the next while! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Havadder & Mourning Wood), A New Song, And Much More!!

As predicted, we have one more set of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, so those will lead off today's second post, but we also have a new show next week, a new song posting, and some assorted recent updates! Here's what you should know, and check out the rest of this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews in the posts below this one!

Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood will be rocking Reggie's West TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about these shows via SooToday's entertainment page this afternoon, and while the band hasn't confirmed the shows on Facebook as of this writing, note that they generally only announce gigs on a few hours notice via personal accounts. In any event, this weekend's shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel will mark their second straight weekend at a Reggie's venue following their shows at last weekend's Reggie's Place 25th anniversary festivities. This talented trio should deliver some solid cover action to fans in the west end this weekend, so keep TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows in mind if you don't have other plans! They are 19+ gigs at 9:30 PMwith no announced cover, so see the above links for more info, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock band Havadder will hit The Rockstar Bar next Saturday (June 20th) as part of the lineup for a second fundraiser concert for drummer Scott McLurg during his heart attack recovery! Though a lineup for the event hasn't been announced yet, Havadder confirmed on the Facebook event page for TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Rednecks Saloon gigs that they'll be playing at the fundraiser, with fill-in drummer Glen Thomas joining them for that show as well. Promoted by The Rockstar Bar's Hayley Warnock, next Saturday's event is a formally scheduled and planned benefit to help raise funds for Scott and his family while he's off work. Performers are being sought to play the show, so if you're interested in playing or donating raffle prizes, message Hayley or anyone involved with the event at this link! The fundraiser will have a minimum door charge of $5, it's presumably 19+, and a 10:30 PM start time is advertised. Check the above links for more details!

It's great to see a larger fundraiser booked to help Scott and family out (last week's Lucky 13 show was a late replacement gig, so there wasn't a lot of time to plan it like next week's is getting), and it'll be interesting to see who all joins on to play! Maybe some of Scott's former bandmates? Time will tell, but stay tuned for updates, and of course, get well soon, Scott!

Also, here's a brand new studio track from local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven! Uploaded to their YouTube channel yesterday, it's of their song "Enough", and while not stated there, personal Facebook postings mention that the song was recorded at Mannapool guitarist Korey Deluca's studio. Their second studio track and first with their current lineup (featuring Al Fletcher on bass and John Mignacca on drums), this is a mid-tempo rocker that has a dark edge to it and nice melodic vocals, and it's another strong composition from this rising band! Check it out below!



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

• Local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will still be playing at The Rockstar Bar THIS COMING FRIDAY! The original Facebook event page was deleted for unannounced reasons in the spring, but the show is either back on or still on, and the band confirmed on the new event page that drummer Ben Boudreau will indeed be back for the first time in 5 months after returning home from college! Great news, so keep this show in mind for next week! No word yet though on the July gig that was also advertised.
• Barring sudden new activity, we'll be moving local hard rock band Meant To Last to our inactive band links next week. The cross-border project featuring These Sins of Time and Tantrym Tyme alumni are nearing a year since singer Alexa LeClair last referenced the band in Musicians Wanted Facebook group searches, with their own Facebook page not updated since last April. The members are talented, and I liked the international angle for the band, but hopefully they keep active in music, and best of luck to Alexa, Dalton, and Ethan in the future!
• While the wait continues for the full schedule on both stages, Rotaryfest's website now confirms that two tribute acts will headline the main stage on July 18th, those being the joint Toronto-based Fleetwood Mac & Tom Petty tributes Fleetwood Nicks and Practically Petty, making the second straight year that the Clergue Park stage has featured a Tom Petty tribute (after year's local one-off Free Falling.) Should be fun for classic rock fans, so see above for more, and stay tuned for the full schedules!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, and much more in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

As May winds to a close, here's a new news post for your Friday afternoon, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, an extra concert preview for tomorrow, a local band's campaign to get on Rotaryfest, and some assorted recent updates, so here's what you need to know!

Following Havadder/Wishbone drummer Scott McLurg's sudden heart attack on Wednesday, a fundraiser headlined by fellow local cover hard rock quartet Lucky 13 will take place TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Originally scheduled to be a one-night-only Havadder gig due to tonght's Destroyer concert, what happened to Scott obviously knocked Havadder out of the show, but it's great to see Lucky 13 (featuring Scott's Wishbone/ex-Turner Up bandmate Jeff Gray) come on board on short notice to show their support! As such, this is a fundraiser concert, with proceeds going to Scott during his recovery and time off from work, so while a cover charge isn't stated there, bring money to donate no matter what. This is a 19+ concert, and a 10:30 PM start time is advertised. For more details on tomorrow's fundraiser, visit the official Facebook event page!

While it's unclear what all of this means for Havadder's short-term future, Scott's health is of the greatest concern right now, and at last word, he is currently in Toronto for further treatment. We again send out best wishes and hopes out to Scott and his family at this difficult time, and hopefully he's back better than ever when all is said and done! Consider showing up TOMORROW NIGHT to help Scott out, and for a preview, here's Lucky 13 live!



Meanwhile, there will be another fundraiser going on downstairs from The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, as local punk/metal bands Destroilet & Jack Spades will hit the stage at The Algonquin Pub to raise money for their upcoming split album with Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz! The third show in Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's Gonqshow concert series at The Algonquin, this joins the local bands' Kickstarter campaign to help fund the split plans, and while it's unclear if donations at the show will result in similar rewards as on Kickstarter, keep both in mind as ways to get this ambitious CD out as planned in the fall! Of extra note, this will be Destroilet's first concert appearance of 2015 and just their second with new co-lead singer Brenton Ellis, so if you haven't seen their new six-piece lineup, here's your chance! Opening tomorrow's show is local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control in their Algonquin debut, and their entertaining and skilled originals will set the tone nicely tomorrow night!

There will be a $5 cover charge (and donations accepted) for TOMORROW'S concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an excellent concert, and hopefully the guys make a dent in their album funding plans when all is said and done! I will absolutely see everyone there tomorrow, and not just because I'll officially be 26 years old once midnight strikes, so come on down to The Algonquin for all of the action, and here's Destroilet live!



Also today, remember a couple years back when The Bear Hunters openly campaigned to try and get on the lineup on one of Rotaryfest's stages? Well, the local death metal favourites have resumed those plans via this petition on iPetition, where they're seeking 100 signatures to show that they have the support to play on Rotaryfest's Second Stage! Now, this is a bit of a surprise announcement, as we have yet to hear official word from The Rotary Club regarding either a return of the Second Stage (which went on hiatus last year due to sponsorship and funding decreases) or any cover bands for the first stage at Clergue Park, but if The Bear Hunters know something that we don't, the Second Stage's return would mark it's 10th installment in 2015. If it comes back, it remains to be seen if it will still be held on the outdoor Queen Street stage or not, but it'll presumably have new organizers given LopLops Lounge's focus on the second-year Emergency Festival.

We'll of course keep you guys posted when more is said regarding Rotaryfest's stage(s?) this year, but The Bear Hunters have arguably grown in prominence and skill since the last time they tried a fan campaign to get on our annual local summer festival's band lineup, so join me in signing the petition at this link! Only a few more to go!

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

• The Emergency Festival has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help fund this year's second installment of the annual summer concert festival, to take place downtown on August 15th. They're seeking $10,000 for assorted costs in running the festival and paying bands, so if you're interested in helping out, visit the above links! Note that the page indicates that there will be a "licensed ticketed area" along with free stages this year, but we await details on stage locations and lineups.
• The Menstrual Munchies-headlined concert in Sault Ontario on June 25th will no longer be hosted at The Oddfellows Hall, as per co-promoter Tyler Gibson on the Facebook event page on Monday. A reason for the move wasn't announced, but it may be for similar reasons to the cancellation of last month's Dank Fest II due to unspecified "contract issues." In any event, a replacement venue is to be announced, and we'll let you know when we do!
• This doesn't bear directly on the local punk scene, but local independent label Tidal Records have launched their own skateboarding team! Not a bad idea to expand their reach and name, so if you're a skateboarder or fan of the sport, give everything a look at the above links! Also, note that one of their first four sponsored riders is Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!