Cross Dog & Half Past Concert Previews, Plus More Updates!!

In today's SMS post, we are finishing off this weekend's hard rock concert previews with two big downtown shows tomorrow night, along with updates from a prominent local band & a new live video with some familiar faces, so here's what you should know!

We'll pick up our weekend concert previews TOMORROW NIGHT, when Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will return to the Soo for a special headlining concert in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West! Featuring ex-Fuller/Lion Ride/et al. bassist Mark Rand and his wife Tracy Ashenden on vocals, this will be Cross Dog's first local concert since their appearances at 2018 & 2019's Oh!No festivals in Leeburn, and their first public concert in Sault Ste. Marie proper since opening for The Dayglo Abortions at the former Roosevelt Hotel in 2013. Now, another homecoming for Mark should be a big deal, but be advised that as of 6:17 PM, their tour bus broke down outside of Sudbury, and they were waiting on a mechanic scheduled to fix it tomorrow morning. Hopefully things are repaired in short order so that tomorrow's local date goes off without a hitch, but we'll let you know if something changes!

Local openers will include online page-less indie punk quartet Honest Work (last seen when they debuted at Fuller's reunion concert in December) and new local hardcore quintet The Sault Side Squad (in their third public concert), so come early for these newer supergroups! Doors open for tomorrow's public festivities at 7:30 PM with admission of $15 through local openers and $20 at the door, and there is no stated age limit. It will be great to see Cross Dog's furious and no-guitar originals back in town tomorrow, let alone in the basement of a tattoo parlor, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Cross Dog live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, let's head to Soo Blaster, where local hard rock quartet Half Past will have their biggest headlining date since their comeback TOMORROW NIGHT! Metalheads may have last seen Half Past among the openers for Selias at the same venue two weeks ago, but this will see Half Past at the top of the bill, with their proficient modern hard rock covers sure to fill the big Soo Blaster stage tomorrow! They'll even be selling their own band t-shirts tomorrow, which is a neat sign for fans! Bullet Train frontman Cory Murchison (billed as "Cory Daniel" like when he opened for Fort Creek two years ago) will open with an acoustic set, so if you like the former Sense of Truth and Skeyes of Seven singer/guitarist's extensive local career, he should have a solid block of unplugged tunes to kick things off!

This ALL AGES concert takes place tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, and admission is $10 in advance at this link, at the venue, or through performers directly, though you will have to pay $12 at the door if you didn't get yours beforehand. Fans of modern hard rock won't want to miss out on all of the action at Soo Blaster tomorrow night, especially given the scope for Half Past, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

Also today, here's some updates on the aforementioned Fort Creek, so what is the southern hard rock band up to nowadays! After unveiling a new band logo in May (which you can now buy official t-shirts with it on), they spent much of the summer working behind the scenes, only posting optimistic teasers about future activity. On September 1st, they revealed on their Facebook page that they were "wrapping up final vocals on our first release", namely an acoustic version of a song named "One For The Road". No updates followed until October 1st, when Fort Creek announced the addition of former Role Models/PROV3RB5 drummer Phil Greco to their lineup, replacing the already departed Anthony Fabiano. The guys talked up his skill set and professionalism, and he is a solid drummer that would be an asset to a long-term band, so it'll be interesting to hear how he factors in! We may not hear him immediately on the acoustic version of "One For The Road", granted, but we'll let you know when their new songs surface.

Fort Creek also posted the new band photo above of Phil alongside Justin, Shane, and Bill standing outside of a truck, but it remains to be seen how they'll handle their bassist vacancy (Robin "Bones" Lee left along with Tony last year). It's been a long and often quiet year for Fort Creek, but hopefully these recent updates are a positive sign, so visit the above links for more from their camp!

We'll close with a new video from (former?) Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' solo acoustic concert at The Dive Gastro Pub this past Saturday! For the record, it was indoors, so clearly the "Patio Play" conceit is done for the season. Uploaded to The Dive's Facebook page, this is our first public video look at Rob's solo concerts since he began them in earnest, and while this isn't a hard rock or metal cover, I did want to mention it today because Rob's playing with most of Handsome Sandwich here! For this cover, he was joined by singer Taylor Emlaw, guitarist Jesse Cook (Rob's old Elements and Wyld Stallyns bandmate), and bassist Rafael Medina, while the guest hand drummer appears to be local classic rock/country singer/guitarist Jeremy Logan Newman. Handsome Speerwich (how's that for a hybrid name?) are seen in this 24 seconds long clip covering Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy".

Never a song I loved, but this group cover exudes with good vibes in what we see, and it's fun seeing everyone jamming like this! Check it out below, and look for more acoustic concerts at The Dive to come this fall!

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

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Today's post is an all-video one to help catch up on recent news desk items, and we'll start the proceedings by looking at local extreme metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore's new album "Living Divisions", which was released for free on his YouTube channel on Saturday! Despite teasing on his Facebook page on June 2nd that this album would be released for sale on proper digital services, I have not found it on Spotify, Amazon, or Apple Music at press time, so time will tell if he changed course or if the paid edition is forthcoming. One thing that has changed since June 2nd is that this album is no longer an 8 song, 80 minute release. No, the YouTube copy also includes a "Disc Two" (there's no word on a physical release either, for the record) with three extra songs, with the new closing song "The Bastard Mass" running for over 34 minutes! The total runtime is almost 2 hours & 40 minutes, so strap in!

Also, it looks like an unspecified "Disc One" song after "Soul In Eclipse" was split in two, meaning that there's now nine songs rather than eight. I'll hold comments for now, pending the previously suggested paid release of "Living Divisions" (for all of this work and technicality, it'd be fitting to see it on sale), but this will be absolutely worth your time if you love extreme progressive noise metal, and/or Chase's prior metal output under any project name, so give "Living Divisions" a listen below!

Next up, here's a new original song from local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's YouTube channel! In a departure from some of his more political recent songs, this is an uplifting ballad called "Energy Surrounds Me", as set to peaceful (if sometimes trippy) light visualizations. If you like Tym's softer original music (and his reminiscent-in-tone acoustic shows), this will be right up your alley, and the lyrical messages about surrounding yourself with love energy do feel natural and from the heart! Musically, I prefer heavier, but this has it's place, so give "Energy Surrounds Me" a listen below!

Also today, here's a very short teaser clip for Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' acoustic set on Low & Slow's patio on Canada Day, as shared by the restaurant's Facebook page the day of the show, not long after Rob posted it on his personal Facebook page. The 44 second clip features Rob covering a portion of The Eagles' "Hotel California" with lyrics changed to promote going to the restaurant. Fun promotion, if short and very late notice for when his set actually began, so give it a belated look below!

 

 

Finally, here's another new video from Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson's YouTube channel, this time a 70 second instrumental named "Visual Justice". Featuring Ted (TedShred, if you prefer) playing indoors on his headless Strandberg guitar, this is another quick but nicely technical and well put together performance by the St. Ignace, Michigan product, so progressive metal fans will want to check out this well shot multi-camera footage below, and stay tuned for more from Ted and/or H.L.T.C.!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison And Rhythm & Brews), Plus A New Local Band!!

My original plans for this post was to be all Sault Michigan-related, with the back half to be devoted to touring band dates at Kewadin Casino lounges for later this year. However, those have been postponed to our next news post tomorrow, as we have a bunch of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to get to! We knew about the two in Sault Michigan, but as Sault Ontario is now in Phase 2 of pandemic re-opening, socially distanced and regulated concerts can occur once again, like we saw from June-December 2020 and February-April 2021. As such, Sault Ontario dates are popping up quickly, so we'll end there, but let's start in the E.U.P. with a debuting (and very familiar) quartet!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Michigan band links, and they are Rhythm & Brews, a supergroup featuring two members each of defunct local hard rock bands Nixxon Dixxon and Highway 63! Their lineup specifically includes Nixxon Dixxon bandmates Brandon Carr (ex-Ten Kings) on vocals and Chris Hubbard (ex-415E) on guitar, joined by Highway 63 alumni Chris Leask (ex-Power Slug) on bass and Ron Suchey (ex-Monkey's Uncle) on drums. The new band's name does appear to be more of a pun to reference both music & beer, rather than an indication of their sound, as their past résumés would indicate that they will play hard and/or classic rock, and they have already called themselves "the U.P.’s hottest new rock band" on their Facebook page. Other than that, all they have posted so far are pictures (including of Chris' guitars), so specifics on their setlist & potential original material are forthcoming, but when can you see them live for the first time?

How does TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT sound? While the band proper has not acknowledged these dates on Facebook, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page confirms that Rhythm & Brews will be the first band back as they resume live weekly concerts at The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie this weekend! Of course, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about these dates earlier this week when Kewadin's new shows went public. These are the only Rhythm & Brews dates at either local Kewadin branch this year, so coupled with the lack of advertising by the band, could they see this more as a tune-up/test launch? Time will tell, but if you're in the E.U.P. and miss Nixxon Dixxon and/or Highway 63, keep Rhythm & Brews' live concert debuts in mind TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As usual for Kewadin lounge bookings, these are 21+ shows with no cover charge and 9:00 PM start times, and please follow any advertised public health guidelines. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario, where the local concert scene is resuming (with strict pandemic guidelines) TODAY, as the relocated Low & Slow barbecue restaurant will be hosting three live musicians on their patio, including veteran hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison and ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers in a rare solo concert! Apologies for the short notice, Low & Slow only announced this show on their Facebook page on Tuesday. As you may recall, a concert at Low & Slow used to be common enough when they had their upstairs bar Room 21 at their old Albert Street West location, but they moved to 648 Queen Street East (the former J. Caroline's) shortly before the pandemic began, and thusly stopped having concerts... or so we thought. This may be a special occasion given that they have their patio open for the summer, let alone on Canada Day, but if you want to see some live music, come by TODAY to see all of the action!

This will be Tym's first show since playing at Reggie's Place in March, while Rob's solo set will presumably be similar in tone to his lead vocal songs with The Wyld Stallyns (more on them tomorrow), so Stallyns fans shouldn't be out of place. The third musician TODAY is a singer/guitarist named Elijah Russell (or Elijah Steven) who I know nothing about, but come out at 12:00 PM to see what he has in store! Each musician has a four hour block to perform in, with Rob's set beginning at 4:00 PM and Tym's closing at 8:00 PM, so this is definitely a very long concert! You could argue that it's three separate shows, but they do flow right into each other. It's also worth noting that Low & Slow did host a live musician (Jazmine Ladouceur) on their patio over the June 18th weekend while we were still in Stage 1, so there is precedent for today's show to be done safely. TODAY'S sets don't have stated age limits or cover charges, but given that this is a restaurant (let alone their patio), buying something may be preferred to attend.

Of course, please respect and follow all of Low & Slow's public health recommendations if you come out today, including wearing a mask where mandated, and keeping social distance as much as possible, to ensure that you and everyone else is safe. Vaccines are making the rounds in the province, but we're not where Michigan is yet, so let's not take a step back here. Visit the above links for more details on TODAY'S concert on this sunny day off, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another new news post full of new concert announcements tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before everyone heads down to the OHL Championship Series opener at The Essar Center (and preceding street party on Queen Street East at 4:00 PM), here's this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Remember, you guys can watch game 2 at some of these venues on Saturday before/during the concerts in question, so if you want to cheer on the Greyhounds, I'm sure you'll have lots of chances! Now, let's begin this weekend's concert previews with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (credited as "The Wyld Stallyns" again) will return to Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT to headline their Star Wars Day party! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen at the Low & Slow sister bar last month, TOMORROW'S show coincides with the Star Wars fan holiday ("May the Fourth be with you"), and with that in mind, Room 21 have drink specials for the occasion, and attendees who show up in Star Wars costumes will get exclusive specials, so keep that in mind if you're planning to come out! As for Rob & Jesse, expect more fan favourite covers once again TOMORROW, with guest appearances and crowd involvement likely, so don't miss out at 10:00 PM! This show is a 19+ event with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Rob, Jesse, and guests live at The Rockstar Bar!



Next up, we'll add local unplugged singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's May slate of Gliss Steak & Seafood shows to our concert listings, so you can see him there TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on May 11th-12th, 18th-19th, and 25th-26th! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's shows, remember that we take Tym's Gliss bookings on a month-by-month basis due to their long term nature. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows continue a busy week for Tym Morrison, who just played three nights at Mark's Breakfast Plus from Monday through yesterday, and with a new month of Gliss shows now listed, fans can get more of his acoustic hard rock hits over the coming days! As usual for Tym's long term run at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, expect 6:00 PM matinee start times TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and throughout the month, with no advertised cover charges or age limits.

No word yet regarding shows of Tym's at other venues this month, but his hard rock covers should go over well with Gliss patrons at supper time this month, and definitely consider a run downtown to see him in May for a prolific slate of acoustic rock classics! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also this weekend, fans can check out classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck twice to start the month, including returns to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT and The Rockstar Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, we only heard about the former show via the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page on Tuesday, and the latter via The Rockstar Bar's Facebook event page on Monday. The band proper has not publically plugged either concert online at press time, but for reference, they only mentioned their Esquire Club shows last month on their Facebook page hours out from the Friday nighter. The Water Tower Pub has been a more frequent venue for Soundcheck in 2018 so far, but SATURDAY'S show will be their first at The Rockstar Bar in almost three months. This talented veteran quartet should have a pair of solid nights of hard rock and classic rock covers in store, so don't miss them on Great Northern Road TOMORROW to start!

Note that Soundcheck's shows are split across two venues this weekend due to The Water Tower Pub traditionally booking different acts each night (a one-off Tom Petty tribute is there on Saturday), while The Rockstar Bar has booked bands for single nights often lately as it is. TOMORROW'S Water Tower Pub show is at 9:30 PM, while SATURDAY'S Rockstar Bar show is listed at 9:00 PM, with both having no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and no public Soundcheck videos yet!

We'll close today's concert previews with shows that had lots of advance notice, as Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking April off from advertised concerts, this constant live favourite will play their first non-Sault Michigan concerts since February, where they played in Hessel, Engadine, and yes, St. Ignace. These may be Banned's only shows this month (barring a possible confirmation to come), so don't miss Alex, Don, and Wayne's hard rocking covers at The Northern Pines Lounge over these two nights! As usual for Banned's Kewadin bookings, these are 21+ concerts with 9:00 PM start times and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Banned live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

With the first concert weekend of April 2018 drawing closer, here's most of this weekend's concert previews! Due to the amount, we're holding our preview of Saturday night's Don't Look Back show in Sault Michigan for our next news post, coming tomorrow or Saturday morning, so don't worry, it's coming! Now, here's what you need to know on the Ontario side of the border, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated on Friday at 4:52 PM)

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will join forces for another acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Room 21! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier today. Three weeks removed from their most recent joint concert appearance at The Rockstar Bar, this will be their first trip to the concert venue above Low & Slow since February, with event advertising crediting them under the Wyld Stallions name again (with Bill & Ted 3 rumblings, why not?) This show should see more acoustic hard rock and funk/blues classics for fans TOMORROW, and if you haven't seen Rob & Jesse in this setting, look for guest appearances (possibly including Daniel Horton again) and more encouragement of fan involvement. Note that the event page openly admits that they are up against "a certain other show", likely meaning tomorrow's Shit Liver concert, but they do encourage fans to head west and finish the night at Room 21 after that show wraps up!

A 10:30 PM start time is in effect for this show from Rob & Jesse (or The Wyld Stallions, or The Kariokeheads), while this is a 19+ event, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Rob & Jesse live at The Rockstar Bar!

Next up, and with a new month fully in force, let's add prolific hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison's slate of Gliss Steak & Seafood matinee concerts to our listings, including shows there TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on April 13th-14th, 20th-21st, and 27th-28th! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's shows, remember that we take Tym's Gliss bookings one month at a time on here due to the long-term nature of it's scheduling. These shows join an already busy month for the former Caveman Morrison frontman, who just played a pair of matinees at Mark's Breakfast Plus and will return there thrice more in a few weeks, while his Thursday open mic nights at The Canadian are also marching on, though at press time, there had not been an announced continuation of his bi-monthly Roadhouse shows. Tym's talented and fan friendly brand of hard rock covers should attract another good audience at Gliss throughout the month!

Also, in case you heard reports of a kitchen fire at the restaurant proper, don't worry, they are back open! This month's Gliss shows (including those TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT) are 6:00 PM matinee events with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this isn't a traditional nightclub venue, it's a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll next look at the homecoming of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver as they kick off their Canadian tour here TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Originally announced to take place at The Algonquin Pub, the venue was quietly changed in recent weeks to The Speak Easy, but the show was forced to relocate Friday afternoon due to venue staffing issues, forcing the late notice move to Rednecks. Kudos to them for stepping up and helping out with thhe local release concert for Shit Liver's new studio album "Hitting the Fan"! This will be Josh, Mike, and Matt's first show here since the "Trading Faces" release show last fall, so if you're hoping for a vinyl record copy or related merchandise, here's your first non-mail order chance! Of course, Shit Liver's brutal and crusty death metal onslaught is the headline attraction, but a surprisingly varied night of music will see them be joined by punk trio Stegadeth and indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota (replacing a drummer-less Vol.), so there should be a little something for everyone to rock out to at Rednecks, whether you're buying a record or not!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., tomorrow's show has an $8 cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and (sadly) 19+ age limit, while copies of "Hitting the Fan" will run you $20. It's great to have Shit Liver back home after half a year away, and with good reviews already coming in (ours soon to come...), hopefully there's a huge response to help launch their release tour! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Shit Liver live!



Finally for today's previews, local AC/DC fans will not want to bypass this one, as Who Made Who (the definitive tribute to AC/DC) will return to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! About a year removed from their last show here, this fan favourite tribute band will be back for another night of high voltage rock 'n roll, and if you haven't seen their past local appearances here dating back to the early 2010s, then prepare yourself for a faithful looking and sounding experience from Who Made Who tomorrow! This one night only event has an advertised 10:30 PM start time, you must be 19 years of age or older to attend, and admission is $10 in advance (tickets are available at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk) or $15 at the door. However, venue staff is expecting this show to sell out, and are advising interested attendees to not chance it and buy tickets A.S.A.P., so keep that in mind. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Who Made Who live in Southern Ontario!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Don't Look Back preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time for our St. Patrick's Day weekend concert previews! I know many of you are awaiting coverage of both Shit Liver's new album and A Dire Setback's recent debut CD-related announcements, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, I've gotta hold them until our next news post. Don't worry, they are coming! On the hard rock side of the spectrum, there's not a decent amount of shows to partake in with green beer in hand, so here's what you should know for this weekend! (Updated at 6:01 PM)

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Sportsman's Lounge at Dondee Lanes for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the shows via it's Facebook event page last night, with the venue's Facebook page previously doing the same yesterday morning. These will be Banned's first shows at the Dondee in over three months, and their first anywhere since rocking Hessel last month, so if you're overdue for another night or two of Alex, Don, and Wayne's hard rocking favourites, you know where to be TONIGHT and/or TOMORROW! Note that a comment on their Facebook page heavily implies that they'll be performing at the first annual Michihistrigan Rendezvous event in Gould City over the Father's Day weekend in June, but remember that the Lower Peninsula is outside of our coverage range.

As usual for Banned's stops at The Dondee, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's shows are 8:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charge, and make sure to bring your green clothes and Irish spirit for presumed holiday festivities! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!



Next up, Elements bandmates and Jack Spades alumni Rob Speers and Jesse Cook will bring their acoustic hard rock show to The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario as part of their St. Patrick's Day festivities TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Rob did plug it at the end of Jack Spades' set at the Archelon show this past Saturday, but it was only announced online via it's official Facebook event page yesterday. Three weeks removed from their last show of this nature, this will be Rob & Jesse's first Rockstar Bar stop in a month, but this time, the luck of the Irish will be upon TOMORROW'S concert, given the holiday trappings! As such, expect green beer (of course), some form of prize giveaways, and even lreprechauns themselves? Of course, in terms of the music, expect more unplugged cover favourites from Rob & Jesse, plus guest performers, and the venue did hype up that you can "bring your guitar and join in the fun!"

No cover charge was announced for this 11:00 PM, 19+ event TOMORROW NIGHT, but given the seasonal trappings, have cash on hand just in case. Visit the above links for more details, and here's "The Kariokeheads" live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, fans can also check out prolific local hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison as he returns to Gliss Steak & Seafood for two more matinee headlining gigs TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Keeping up with his busy schedule of shows there, and fresh off of his minimally advertised Mark's Breafast Plus shows earlier this week (including one yesterday, apologies for missing it here), Tym's latest stops at The Quality Inn's house restaurant should provide more of the same acoustic hard rock classic action, so don't miss out on these next two supper-time gigs! Note that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page advertises Tym as playing at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill tonight, but neither he nor the venue have otherwise confirmed that. If either does, we'll edit this post!  As usual for Tym's Gliss stops, expect 6:00 PM start times, and no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

This post originally ended with a preview of a New American Pub show THIS SUNDAY NIGHT to have been headlined by Louisiana punk trio Layden & The Lion, but it as confirmed this evening that they had to cancel their tour for unspecified "personal reasons". Our source is co-promoter/performer Jackson Reed via a share of the now-updated Facebook event page. Hopefully all's well in Layden and company's camp, it would have been nice to see them in town! Unusually, their exit means that the entire original lineup has dropped out of this show, as planned openers Telephone & Address and Greg Callaghan has previously dropped out for unannounced reasons too, leaving their spots to be filled by Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle, folk/pop artist Shae Tull, and the aforementioned Jackson Reed (who is also Telephone & Address' new drummer.) The show will go on though on Sunday night, and while it no longer contains no punk acts, consider a trip to The New A at 8:00 PM for the indie and folk rock on display! The $5 cover charge and 19+ age limit remain intact from earlier incarnations of this show.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The 3 Day Millionaires & Rob And Jesse), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

The last weekend of February 2018 is fast approaching, so here's this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Though there's not much in the realm of original music to speak of, there's lots of cover action of the electric and acoustic varieties, including a debuting band, so let's begin with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will continue their recent dalliance into acoustic hard rock concerts with a return to Room 21 above Low & Slow TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier this week. Two weeks removed from their Rockstar Bar debut in this setting, this will be Rob & Jesse's first joint unplugged gig at this newer Albert Street West venue of 2018, and continuing with their name ambiguity, they're called The Wyld Stallions rather than The Kariokeheads on the event page. Bill & Ted spelled it "Stallyns", but you can't hate the reference! The guys are again encouraging attendees to jam with them TOMORROW, and at least three guest performers are implied on the event page: Rob's wife Christina on vocals, Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton (who's pictured in the cover photo there), and "the sax man", presumably meaning frequent Elements guest performer Josh Norling.

A 10:00 PM start time is advertised for TOMORROW'S Rob & Jesse/Wild Stallions/Kariokeheads concert, which has no announced cover charge. No word on if these shows are a stopgap during an Elements hiatus or just picking up steam, but things seem to be going well for these acoustic nights, so keep things in mind for TOMORROW NIGHT, and here's Rob, Jesse, and Daniel live at The Rockstar Bar earlier this month!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to Reggie's West for another weekend of hard hitting and fan favourite renditions TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Monday. Already having rocked the former Roosevelt Hotel three weeks ago, this will be The Millionaires' third concert weekend at this west end venue of 2018 so far, and this should be another prime opportunity for fans of this veteran outfit to check out their entertaining live show once again! You can see The 3 Day Millionaires TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM each night, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here they are live last year!



Moving to previously announced concerts, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has yet another busy slate of unplugged shows in store for this weekend, including his ongoing long-term arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood continuing for matinee shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, plus a return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT! Still a regular weekly presence at Gliss for the foreseeable future, Tym's unplugged classics should find another receptive audience over these two evenings, while tomorrow's Roadhouse return will be his fourth of (at least) six bi-monthly shows there through the end of March. Fans have no shortage of opportunities to see Tym Morrison live this weekend, so don't miss out! Note that we will cover his Mark's Breakfast Plus matinees early next week in an upcoming post to give them more timely coverage, while we will address Tym's 10 Gliss and 2 Roadhouse gigs scheduled for next month during next weekend's concert previews.

None of this weekend's three shows have an announced cover charge, and while the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced age limit, tomorrow's Roadhouse concert is at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live in concert a few years back!



Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews is the long awaited live concert debut of new local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive as they hit The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Almost a year and a half removed from their public launch in late 2016, this new band from singer Colin Nelson, guitarist Joe Miller, bassist Pierre Anthony, drummer Jeff Pennett, and keyboardist Rob Irving should have an entertaining night of hard and classic rock covers in store for their first show, so keep them in mind for something new on the bar scene on Saturday! This is a one-night-only event, no word on if it's due to a separate Friday booking or if they're starting slow. For what it's worth, Fluid 5ive have been unusually quiet on their Facebook page in the past month, but as the venue is still actively promoting this concert, I wouldn't read into anything. There is no announced cover charge on Saturday, this is a 19+ event, and a 10:00 PM-ish start time is likely.

With covers of everyone from Deep Purple and Van Halen to Tom Petty and The Allman Brothers Band teased in their setlist, Fluid 5ive sound promising, but how will they do on Saturday, and might there be videos to follow? Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Big Wreck Concert Videos, The Din's New Live Album, And More!!

Happy President's/Family Day, depending on which side of the border you're on! Today's post on the SMS is loaded with some recent news and material from Sault Ontario, including a new album release and linked new solo video, and another new performance clip, but let's start with videos from last Tuesday's Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop! While videos from this one are surprisingly scant on YouTube, Rock 101's Facebook page has things covered again, with videos of both of last week's bands being uploaded mid-show. One was of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots playing their song "Misery" from a distant corner angle to the stage, and while it sounds good and lively for the genre, the vertical camera angle and stage setup don't help the view (at least the filmer zoomed in!) As for the headlining Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet, WSUE filmed Big Wreck playing "That Song" and, as embedded below, "Look What I Found", so how'd they turn out?

Both filmed from the back of the crowd section, these are again on a vertical camera angle, but the audio comes through fine, and it's nice to see both a single and a deep cut from "In Loving Memory Of..." filmed for Rock 101's page!  Give each clip a look above and below, and hopefully there's some more footage floating around from this show!

Next up, here's another new album release already for this still-young new year, as defunct local alternative hard rock trio The Din released their posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff" to their Bandcamp page on Friday! They only announced the release date on Wednesday, so when they teased it was coming soon, they were true to their word! Recorded via soundboard audio at the album's eponymous farewell concert at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, this purportedly comprises of the entire concert's audio without edits, but as they noted in the description, "the human element is on full display." The extended 19 song setlist features every song from The Din's two studio albums, except for "The Rose", plus frontman Mike Haggith's old solo original "We Met At The Circus" (or "...As Surrogates".) In a mild surprise, they also left in the encore cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough", despite previously axing the four external covers from the Bandcamp release of "The Din Does Laundry" last year.

No word on if it's in continued tribute to Gord Downie, worth the copyright hassle to keep the set intact, or a combination therein, but it's welcome to see it make the final cut! "Suburban Sendoff" is available on a "name your price" model through Bandcamp, but consider paying an amount to support The Din's hard work, even after their breakup! With all of that said, when can you expect to see a review of "Suburban Sendoff" on the SMS? Honestly, with our self-imposed 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act, it can't come until June at the earliest, as we just reviewed "Suburban Dream" in December, which was itself delayed a couple of months for similar reasons. That said, our album review schedule is set for the first half of the year (May aside), assuming nothing gets delayed! Also, there is new solo cover video from the aforementioned Mike Haggith from his current Thompson, Manitoba home base, so what should you know on it?

The first posting on his YouTube channel in almost two years, this is an acoustic cover of Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With", and it's an entertaining cover of this folk classic, with the well-bearded Mike handling this with a light and optimistic air! Give it a look below, and check out his new Thompson pop rock band Between the Ditches!



Finally for today, here's a new video of local acoustic hard rock duo Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (a.k.a./p.k.a. The Kariokeheads) from their show at Room 21 on December 16th, as uploaded by the venue's Facebook page shortly afterward! However, the cover performed is not what you may expect, with the Elements bandmates playing a surprise unplugged version of Khia's "My Neck, My Back" alongside Rob's wife Christina (I think) on guest vocals, and Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton on guest guitar. I'll just say that everyone's got a sense of humour, and it's a nice casual performance, so give it a look if you want below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rob & Jesse) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

This weekend's concert previews are here for your delectation, and just a disclaimer: This is a shorter post than usual due to recent quietness for other news, and a relatively quiet weekend for hard rock and punk shows ahead. Of course, we'll touch on next week's Pop Evil and Big Wreck shows early next week, but it's way too soon to preview them now, so look for them on Sunday or Monday. Now, let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will join forces for an acoustic concert at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier this week, though it was previously advertised on the venue's physical marquee board as a Rob Speers solo concert.  Making their first live appearance in this setting of the year, fans may recall Rob & Jesse playing as "The Kariokeheads" at Room 21 late last year, but that name is used nowhere on the event page. No word on whether they've dropped it, they're not incorporating live karaoke TOMORROW, or if the name was Room 21's idea, but it's the same base act! Now describing their sound as "bluesy acoustic rock", but surely with a harder edge akin to their electric bands, Rob and Jesse will be playing covers for assembled fans, and expect guest appearances from their friends and bandmates, as well as Rob's wife Christina, who guested with them at one of their Room 21 shows.

No word on why they're not playing on Saturday, but Rob & Jesse/The Kariokeheads are on at 10:00 PM TOMORROW, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully the guys launch an online page or post some public media at some point!

Moving to previously announced concerts, fans can take in another two matinee concerts from ex-Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison also as his weekly concert arrangement continues for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Only playing at Gliss this weekend (Wednesday open mics at The Canadian aside), this weekend's shows should provide fans and restaurant patrons alike with another entertaining pair of evening concert sets from this prolific veteran performer, so don't miss out at The Quality Inn's house restaurant tomorrow and/or Saturday! As usual for Tym's long-term gigs at Gliss, these are 6:00 PM events with no announced age limits or cover charges, but mind the non-traditional locale (well, outside of Tym's shows, at least.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Lastly for known hard rock concert previews this weekend is a big show for blues rock fans, as Sault Michigan hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 will be among the openers for Ann Arbor blues rock singer/guitarist Laith Al-Saadi as he makes his local debut on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch! Entitled “The Best of Michigan Blues”, fans will recognize Laith as a finalist on The Voice in early 2016, but don't judge on that, as he has since carved his own path in solo music with a rich and skilled blend of blues rock, so don't miss out on Laith's headlining set on Saturday! Fellow Ann Arbor blues/funk act The Chris Canas Band will co-headline with their own powerful take on the blues, so definitely keep them in mind, especially with how well their shows tend to be recieved! Project 906 will add a hard rock touch to this show, which is just their second announced gig with new drummer Tommy Korcal, so see how they do on this big stage on Saturday!

Reunited local blues group Chord On Bluz (featuring Clownsack alumni) will open this show as well, and it'll be nice to see them back on a local stage! Despite an earlier rumour, this show (presented by U.P. Beat Entertainment) is not cancelled, and will go on as scheduled for Saturday night at 7:00 PM, with tickets going for $30 at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. At press time, seats are still available from the second row and back, so act A.S.A.P. for the best possible spots! This should be a fun time for fans of the blues, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Laith live tackling a Jimi Hendrix classic!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next, in all likelihood! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (A Dire Setback), New Videos, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we post our review of last night's Vaultry concert, we have a new news post to check out for your Saturday morning, so what will you find? A handful of recent news updates, new videos from two local metal bands, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month featuring one of tonight's bands, so here's what you should know!

Local punk quartet A Dire Setback and alt-hard rock trio The Din will be among the openers at The Canadian Nightclub on Thursday, August 10th for the newest Live705 show, this time headlined by Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks! If they sound familiar, it's because you're aware of their LopLops Lounge show from December 2015 (opened by Caroline Divine in their final standalone local concert set), and while not a "heavy" band so to speak, The Looks have a catchy and upbeat brand of power pop that should be welcomed back to the Soo for the first time in a year & a half, so give them a listen! This will be A Dire Setback's first announced concert since Rotaryfest (remember, they're skipping the Project 421 show), while The Din will continue their "Summer of Din" with their fifth show in just over a month on August 10th, so don't miss out on both acts then! The opening band will be indie rock quartet K.I.C.K., whose skilled originals should find another solid audience to kick things off that night, so don't be late!

Another ALL AGES event as Live705 continue down that path (19+ attendees will have wristbands), K.I.C.K. will "kick" things off at 7:30 PM, and while admission at the door is $10, advance tickets will be on sale for $7 rather than distributing $3-off vouchers, marking the first time Live705 have promoted advance ticket sales since their January Jam. No word on if this is a one-off reversion from their recent voucher plans, but keep this change back to the norm in mind! This should be a fun show with a little something for many tastes, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's some new videos to check out on this Saturday morning, starting with a new concert video from local doom metal trio AlgomA! Though this is technically an unlisted video, guitarist Boyd Rendell shared it publically on the Facebook event page for TOMORROW'S Uncle Ray concert at The New American Pub, so it looks safe to share here. The video was actually filmed and uploaded back in December 2015 when AlgomA opened for Shit Liver at The New A for that month's punk rock bingo installment, and the video features AlgomA playing their song "The Longest Swim" on three cameras at once! The description noted that a similar Shit Liver video was forthcoming using four cameras, but unless that's unlisted too, it's not online. This is a unique way to film the concert, and it's nice to see alternate perspectives, but I would have made the top left camera stationary too, as when the filmer moves it, the angle is sometimes too similar to the top right. AlgomA aren't playing this song tomorrow night, but give the video a look below!



Also, here's what I believe is the first ever YouTube video from local progressive metal project Kraken Mara, as posted to the band's YouTube channel on Thursday! Don't watch the Facebook video copy, it's just a preview slideshow. A guitar play-through of their original instrumental "Stratus", the video proper features Brendan Christie and Jake Valois playing the song's guitar parts downtown at Mill Square, overlooking the former St. Mary's Paper's pulp tower and the International Bridge. Filmed at three separate camera angles, this is a solid visual look at Kraken Mara's technical and heavy sound with some local visual flair, and hopefully they continue to progress and post more public updates! Note that the Kraken Mara YouTube channel was previously Brendan's personal channel, and videos posted there of Late & Loud and his earlier solo work have sadly been deleted. Give Kraken Mara's new video a look below!



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

• Local musician Ben Eder is looking to form a local hard rock band, and while he can play guitar, bass, and drums, he noted that "singing is my thing". I don't know much about Ben's musical past or skills, but if you're interested for more details, message Ben at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting from June 10th!
• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades have announced the addition of Elements frontman Rob Speers as their new bassist, replacing Steve Shaw, as per their Facebook page on Tuesday. A reason for Steve's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see him on stage with Talk Shit again soon! After just two shows with Steve on bass, Rob took over four string duties full time with Jack Spades at their Canada Day Bash set at The Rockstar Bar, and though I'm not familiar with him as a bassist, hopefully he fits in well going forward, starting with their tour run next week, plus September's Diamond Head show!
• Local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven were featured in a new album from local photographer Josh Pace's Facebook page on Monday, showcasing their current lineup primarily in studio, including their first official pictures with new rhythm guitarist Kyle Sweet. These also appear to confirm that As It Stands drummer John Mignacca is back in the fold, a year and a half after leaving the band when he moved to Sudbury, with a replacement never publically confirmed in the interim. It's great to have John back home and in Skeyes of Seven, so stay tuned for updates from them, and give Josh's great pictures a look as well!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of last night's Vaultry concert on the site next! Thanks everyone!