Recent News & Updates From Bone Yard 225, Eden Plague, And Fort Creek!!

For today's second post, let's continue clearing our our July backlog with some more recent news and updates from three local bands, so here's what you should know as the Civic Holiday long(?) weekend continues!

Let's go in alphabetical order by starting with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who released their fourth studio single (and first since January of last year) to major streaming platforms yesterday! I'll hold comment on the song for now, pending our review of Bone Yard's long-gestating debut album, but the song is named "Welcome To The ShitShow", which the guys have used as a tagline for live concert introductions in the past, and they have been playing it during their full-band plugged-in concerts. As per Distrokid, you can hear the song on Spotify, Apple Music, and (as embedded below) via YouTube Music, while it is definitely on Amazon Music too and a handful of smaller/foreign-targeted services. Without giving too much away, it is classic rock-tinged. No idea why it has taken well over a year and a half for them to release a new studio track, but it's good to see things progressing!

Of course, hopefully this weekend's Beck's concerts were a hit on all fronts, and if you want to hear the song live, your next chance will likely be at the Algoma Tree Services meet & greet concert on Saturday, preview forthcoming. Check out "Welcome To The ShitShow" (no space before "Show") below or on your major streaming platform of choice! 

Next up, here's the latest from local death metal quartet Eden Plague (née The Bear Hunters), so what's new from their camp? Following the fulfillment of their 11 year old petition to play on Stage 2 at Rotaryfest last month, the band revealed on their Facebook page on July 23rd that frontman Nik Deubel had "just finished recording vocals for our first two singles" (presumably referencing "Primal Genesis" & "Colony Of Parasites"). The attached photo features Nik standing in a mystery location, which the band noted "doesn't look like a studio", and invited suggestions as to where he was. Occam's Razor would (to me) suggest a music video shoot, but the band did share a "Story" on Facebook last month featuring Nik tracking vocals for one of the new songs at Dustin Jones' Mission Control Studios. Alas, "Stories" vanish forever after being seen once or twice, so as much as I'd prefer a permanent public source, you'll have to take my word for it.

On Tuesday, drummer Johnny Belanger starred in the video embedded below live from Beck's Bar where he and the members of Cornwall metal band Hellrager promoted that night's concert featuring the two bands. Fun promotion while it lasted, and interesting to see two very different eras of Jack Spades/Spades GT uniting with Johnny and Jay on camera together! Three videos of Eden Plague's set on Tuesday were also shared from Instagram user frutigeraerhoe's page, but either due to their privacy settings or the fact that they're tiled in a batch post, I can't embed them here. Well shot and with a familiar brutality that old Bear Hunters fans will appreciate, especially as I recognize the songs being played! Solid camera angles by frutigeraerhoe too from a side-stage angle that you don't often see at Beck's. The last of the new videos is another vertical update video, though external embedding of it is not allowed.

Why, I have no clue, but it stars guitarist Mitch Sirie, who rarely stars in online promotion like this. The video (shot while lying down with his cat) featured him complimenting the Hellrager show, even positively comparing it to the former Roosevelt Hotel metal nights, and then plugging the Krash concert at Blaster Powerhouse that they're helping open on Sunday, August 16th. He accidentally called fellow local openers ASDP "ADSP" twice (believe me, I have made that mistake a lot), but he hyped the show well and highly complimented Krash! See above and below for more from Eden Plague, and if you need $10 advance Krash tickets, contact the band A.S.A.P.!

Finally, we have new updates from local southern hard rock band Fort Creek, who had been largely silent on band matters since last year, so what's new in their camp? Last week, the band posted on their Facebook page to reveal that they were finally looking for a new bassist so that they can begin playing live concerts again, and they encouraged fans to pass the search along or suggest possible candidates. Fort Creek last played live when they opened for Josey Scott at The Rink at The Canal District in August 2023, with then-bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano quietly leaving shortly afterwards. The band opted to scrap original material written with them and start their debut album over fresh, with Fort Creek since adding a new drummer and releasing their first formal studio single ("One For The Road") last year, followed by a teaser for their next song "Sweet Rosie" in December.

Fort Creek also revealed yesterday that they are planning to shoot a music video this month with Golden Scoundrels/ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's Spacebag Productions (who handled the "One For The Road" music video), and they are looking for an actress to play the flag girl for a drag racing scene. Is this for "Sweet Rosie" or a different song? Does this imply that they're shooting at Runway Park or somewhere else? In any event, click here for full details on the actress search, and for more updates from Fort Creek, who will hopefully end their 3 year concert hiatus soon! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), The Project 906 Concert Preview, And More!!

Let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews in today's second post, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, with some big recent updates from a prominent local band to round things out. Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will play at Jay's Piston Broke Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on their Facebook group on Monday. A one-nighter due to their focusing on their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut tomorrow night, TONIGHT's show should be a solid way to check out Valerie, Brandon, Pierre, and Tony's classic and hard rock covers, whether you'd prefer being in the west end, don't want to risk any rain that may come tomorrow, or just don't want the hustle and bustle of a summer festival. Hopefully things go swimmingly TONIGHT for Generations at the former Reggie's West, but if you are planning on seeing them tomorrow regardless, their Clergue Park set begins at 6:15 PM. TONIGHT'S show at Jay's has a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Generations live earlier this year!

Next up, let's finish off this weekend's known hard rock concert previews by heading to Cedarville, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will take the stage at Snow's Bar & Grill for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! A month+ removed from their last stop at the same venue, this will be their first Snow's booking with new drummer Jason VanLuven, who was double booked with Fake Chow last month, leading to Brian Duford filling in for that gig. 906's modern hard rock covers should find another solid audience 40 minutes due south of the Soo, so don't miss out on all of the action tomorrow night! A one-nighter due to or resulting in TONIGHT'S late notice Tarnished show, Project 906 are on tomorrow at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live!

Now let's head back north to Sault Ontario for topics that have nothing directly to do with local concerts this weekend, specifically the latest from local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT! First, yet another "Reel" was uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday featuring a clip of them playing their newer original "Red" in Oshawa last month, and as is always the case for "Reels" of theirs, I really wish that they'd upload the full video as a normal video, not a vertical, abbreviated, and unembeddable thing. It looks and sounds good while it lasts! Second guitarist Jay Sarrazin is not visible in either the Oshawa "Reel" or the band's official pictures from their belated album release party in Barrie on Sunday, but again, don't read anything too drastic into that, as he's a busy guy with at least three concurrent active bands on the go right now (two of which he's bringing to The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir next month!)

Attendee Steve Tait filmed Spades GT playing "Succubus" on Sunday for a minute-long and square-dimensioned video posted in the comments of their pictures from that gig, but I can't find a way to embed it here. Not a bad video overall! Their newest announced show will see them open for Random Killing in another far flung hardcore homecoming, this time in Toronto at The Bovine Sex Club (yes, that is still its actual name) on Saturday, September 23rd, so keep that in mind if you'll happen to be in the area in two months! Long-time readers may recall seeing local bands like Lion Ride and Detroit playing at The Bovine over a decade ago. Of course, all of this is burying the lead a bit, as the former Jack Spades finally released their music video for "Final Girl", the lead single of "Sewer City Radio" on Monday (a day later than planned), so what should you know about the final product?

Posted to their YouTube channel, this was directed by the Soo's own Josh Penno (pictured with the band above) via his company Spacebag Productions, and true to the teasers, the plot of the video sees a titular "final girl" (played by actress Jessica Latour) being stalked by an axe wielding maniac played by bassist James Roy Daley in a mask, intermixed with footage of the full band playing inside a run-down (but well lit) barn. I'll hold comment on the song pending our full album review in September, but the video is excellently shot and edited, if a little too bright and sunny for such a horror-inspired plotline (at least for me), so give the full "Final Girl" video a watch for yourself below!

That's all for today, but I promise, the Rotaryfest Stage 1 set that went viral last night will be discussed on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

Josey Scott's Saliva Concert Fallout & Videos!!

Today's post is devoted to Saturday night's Josey Scott's Saliva concert outside of The Machine Shop, so what should you know on this Monday evening? First off, while official promotion didn't make the exact staging of the show clear, it definitely wasn't at The Yard, nor was it completely outdoors as implied, as it took place under a roof at The Rink at The Train Station (f.k.a. The Rink at The Canal District), which sporadically hosts outdoor concerts when not serving as an ice skating rink. You may recall Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest being held here last fall. Luckily, it didn't rain on Saturday night, but the roof would have offered some protection that way, while still letting fans of the summer weather enjoy the warmer temperatures! In terms of videos, the only YouTube user so far to post videos is local DJ Ryan Hall, a.k.a. DJ-RJ, who uploaded eight (technically five) videos of the headlining Memphis, Tennessee hard rock band, though sadly, he did not film any of the openers.

DJ-RJ also filmed at the Summer Moon Fest, but these are his first concert videos to cross our radar. Three of his eight Saliva videos are "Shorts" (a.k.a. YouTube's answer to Facebook "Reels"), and are just vertical re-posts of his regular videos. Not sure the point unless "Shorts" are part of his marketing strategy for uploads there, given that it's mostly home to his own DJ mixes (check out this Treble Charger/Birdbrain mashup he just did!) The actual five videos see Josey and crew cover Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" and Chad Kroeger's "Hero" (which featured Josey Scott himself), while the Saliva originals filmed were "Superstar", "Broken Sunday", and as embedded below, "Survival of the Sickest". That Rage cover is the last one that I want bands to do (exceedingly overplayed), but Josey Scott's Saliva sound good here, and while Josey did struggle to hit some higher/longer notes, he still sounds the part!

How does he compare to Bobby Amaru (who replaced him in and still fronts the original Saliva)? Bobby has a raspier voice and energy to match, and he does justice to Josey-era songs, but you can tell that Josey was the original voice when you hear him. In terms of the venue setup at The Rink, you'd be hard pressed to tell that this was technically outdoors based on the professional staging, and it looks like there was a decent turnout for this one, no doubt helped by years of Saliva airplay on Rock 101! Give DJ-RJ's videos a watch above and below!

Next up, another video was uploaded from the show by former Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's video production company Spacebag Productions (who filmed openers Spades GT's still-to-be-released music video), which was posted to the Spacebag Facebook page. Josh says that is his "event coverage" of the show, which he filmed for free as a means of getting his name out there as a professional videographer, and he asked that people like/share the video to "get this to the right people's eyes so I can continue to find work in a creative space". This is only 33 seconds long, features the studio version of Saliva's "Click Click Boom" rather than live concert audio (despite also showing the opening bands), and oddly has no video footage period for the first five seconds, but what Josh shot looks excellent, and I do hope that he posts the raw footage online in some fashion! The bands are shown in chronological order by when their set was.

You don't see a ton of Spades GT's set here, but you can probably tell that only four band members were present at The Rink, as rhythm guitarist Jay Sarrazin did not make the trip north for unannounced reasons (at least not online). Don't read anything negative into that, as Jay has a lot of bands on his plate, and he will be coming to the Northern Vibe Festival in August with his Southern Ontario bands Sierra Pilot & Hellrager (Spades GT themselves are not playing in Ophir this year). Give Josh's well shot and edited (if all too brief) video from the Saliva concert a look below!

Finally, sound at the show was provided by 705Live Sound Co. (not promoters Live705), and Mike Blair from 705Live did film one video for their Facebook page, namely this 36 second clip of them playing "Ladies & Gentlemen" (which I know best as the WrestleMania 23 theme song, the year I went in person!)  Further back by necessity (so much so that you can see daylight at the edge of the video), this sounds strong, which is a testament to the band, 705Live, and Mike's camera! If only this wasn't just 36 seconds long. Give it a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations), New Videos, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that local funk/hard rock sextet The Wyld Stallyns are not playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tonight. Other than saying on their Facebook page that they "had to cancel", they did not publically elaborate as to why they dropped out, but hopefully all's well in their camp! Pop rock cover band L!me (who were playing at Shooters tomorrow anyway) are stepping in to play tonight instead, and don't miss The Stallyns at the Festival of Beer next month! Now, here's new videos and SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS tied to a new local band!

We have a new local classic/hard rock cover band to add to our links, and they are Generations! This is the band that succeeded classic rock veterans Jus' Chillin, who only announced their dissolution earlier this month, with Generations re-appropriating their Facebook group as their own. This is not a renaming, Generations are considered to be a different band. Jus' Chillin never (knowingly?) crossed the hard rock line for SMS coverage, but Generations are getting off on the right foot in that regard, helped by former Obsession frontwoman Valerie Powley fronting this new group! We hadn't heard much from her in a rock band context since she left the now-defunct Obsession last summer, and she should fit in nicely in this new project! Their guitarist is recent Algoma University music program graduate Brandon Ruch, while long-time Jus' Chillin mainstays Pierre Anthony & Tony Santoro continue handling bass & drums here.

If you're curious, Jus' Chillin were a trio that whose guitarist appeared to change relatively frequently, though Brandon was on hand for their final gigs at Jay's Piston Broke Pub in February (they also often had guest musicians at their shows). Generations debuted at Jay's on April 7th-8th, and you can see videos from those nights on their Facebook group, including multiple shot by Sharilyn Van Scoy, including covers of Amanda Marshall's "Let It Rain", Linda Ronstadt's "When Will I Be Loved?", The Tragically Hip's "Little Bones" (with Brandon singing), and this song with Tony singing that I cannot make the words out for (which was also filmed by Dawn Santoro from further back). Dawn also shot them covering Stealers Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You" and a Brandon-sung take on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down A Dream", but embedded below are two songs filmed by Mario Naccarato.

He taped covers of David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy" with Pierre on vocals and The Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running" with Valerie singing. Generations' third show was a one-nighter at Reggie's Place on Saturday, and their fourth and fifth shows comprise those SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as they debut at The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were announced on their Facebook group on the 10th but I only added them to our full coverage today. It is worth noting that this weekend's shows were originally advertised for Obsession as part of their planned 2023 concert slate, which was listed through June while Valerie was still in that band, so the correlation is noted, if unintentionally! TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, as usual at this location.

From what I have seen and heard of Generations so far, I don't think they are quite as heavy as Obsession often got, but they do seem further in that regard than Jus' Chillin from what I knew of them, and with Valerie's input and very strong vocals, that can not hurt their existing formula one bit! Don't miss them at The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW to see what Generations bring to the table, and see more from them above & below!

Finally for today, I again feel like the last person in the city to talk about this, but local alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's third and final advance single for their upcoming debut album "Deconstructed" was released to major streaming services as scheduled on Wednesday, complete with a music video on their YouTube channel! This is for "No Entry", and while it was teased via "Reels" on their Facebook page, we don't have to settle for those now! I'll hold comment on the song proper pending our review of the entire album, but the video was filmed by former Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno and his filmmaking company Spacebag Productions, and Josh (credited as "Penno Cash") has an acting role in the video. It cuts between performance footage of the band and acted scenes of them going to see Dr. Penno, a plastic surgeon who promises to make the band "handsome" (well, if the sandwich is handsome already, it's a natural extension!)

Singer Taylor Emlaw gets the most screen time during her appointment, but I won't dare spoil what happens with her, Josh, and the band. Note that Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling (who was previously advertised to be guesting on this song) does not appear on camera or in the end-of-video credits. Fun video and well shot by Josh and his team, so do give it a watch below, and look for this and much more to be played at their album release show at The Loft two weeks from tomorrow!

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

A New Addition To Our Band Links, Plus New Videos From Both Sides Of The Border!!

We have a new news post to check out on this warm Tuesday, and while we're half focusing on videos from a recent Sault Michigan concert, let's stay in Sault Ontario to start, courtesy of a new teaser video and a newly added solo project to our full coverage! Here's what you should know!

We have a new local solo musician to add to our local band links, namely Kush Wood (real name Kristien Woodcock), an alternative/grunge musician who has actually had his solo Facebook page up and running since 2015! Apologies for the delay in finally rolling Kush Wood into our band links, of course, but let's make up for lost time! Kristien is not familiar from past local bands, but you may have first heard of him via his run of grunge and alternative-leaning unplugged videos posted to his YouTube channel through 2017 (partially uploaded when he was working in Costa Rica), plus his entry into the Stone Temple Pilots singer contest that you can still hear on Soundcloud. In March 2020, Kush Wood returned with long hair after a three year public hiatus, and has continued posting new and re-recorded videos and original singles over the past year, with many now available on digital platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music.

The grunge influence is very prevalent in Kush Wood's originals, and while Kristien seems to have Scott Weiland as a vocal inspiration, his own songs are closer in spirit to "Jar of Flies"-era Alice In Chains, if more optimistic. Production can be a work in progress, especially with the obvious drum programming, but Kush Wood is on to something, and it's nice hearing a grunge-inspired solo act like this around here! Give Kush Wood a listen above, and here's his video for "Love Replace This"!

Next up, here's a very brief teaser video for something that local party metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty were recording with Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's Spacebag Productions in March. Uploaded to drummer Amanda Stanghetta's personal Facebook page and subsequently shared publically to the band's own Facebook page, this features frontman/Amanda's husband Paul covering Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)" in a bathroom, with Josh manning a very professional camera at a close angle. No one else is playing the song proper in this 13 second clip, but given the setting, there might not be room for everyone anyway! If this is going to be a professional multi-angle video of this cover, other band members will have been shot separately, but so far, I don't believe it's out yet. We'll let you know when/if the video is released, but give Amanda's teaser clip a watch below!

Let's head to the Sault Michigan area to close, via new live videos of local hard rock trio Tarnished's "summer rock party" concert outside of Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in nearby Hulbert Township on Saturday night! The venue's Facebook page uploaded or live-streamed five videos of Tarnished's set, which allow us to see their outdoor stage setup, which will also be used for their set opening for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in August. Looks professional enough to do the job, though it's placement sideways along the slope of a hill is definitely an interesting visual! As for the videos proper, two are from later in the night from a closer zoom of the stage, with Tarnished covering Seether's "Remedy" and Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn". The other three are in daylight and are thankfully much longer, including covers of Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue On Black" and Everlast's "What It's Like".

 

The other video is over 9 minutes long and captures songs from near the start of their set, including the end of frontman Alex Traynor's solo track "Life Is Made Of Lies" and covers of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust". This video has definite audio quality difficulties, so I'd be embedding another one here, if Hulbert House hadn't blocked external embedding of these videos, alas. Given that the two full songs in the 9 minute clip are very bass heavy, who is playing bass in Tarnished now? Alex himself (and on a five string bass, no less!) It is surprising to see him not on guitar, but if him switching instruments allows them to play live short term, go for it! Unfortunately, only the Everlast cover is on a horizontal camera angle, but the filmers do zoom in and get closer to the stage on the other clips. Performance-wise, Tarnished are on their game!

Despite not having a high turnout (remember, the band didn't plug this date until Wednesday, and Hulbert is an hour's drive west), they're in good spirits and clearly happy to be back on an E.U.P. stage for the first time since March! And again, this will be a preview of what to expect when they play Hulbert House's outdoor stage again in August, pandemic willing. Give these videos a look via the links above, and that's all for today, but look for our next Defunct Local Band Profile by Friday! Thanks everyone!