Let's get a new news post up on this cold Friday night, and it includes some new videos, big updates from a fan favourite retail establishment with many ties to the local music community, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next year! Here's what you should know!
Seattle grunge/alt-rock notables Candlebox will make their local concert debut on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One of the biggest alternative hard rock bands of the 1990s thanks to hit songs like "You", "Simple Lessons", "It's Alright", and of course, the Rock 101 staple "Left Behind", their familiar and hard-edged brand of original music should be more than welcomed to the local stage in the spring, so don't miss out on this one if you can help it! Potential opening acts have not been announced at press time. Tickets for this all ages, 8:00 PM concert go on sale on Friday morning at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, and they will start at $30. If you've ever wanted some big name 1990s grunge or alternative bands to roll through, this is definitely a nice change of pace, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!
Next up, we have some sad, if not entirely unexpected news from a Sault Ontario retail mainstay, as local record (et al) store The Rad Zone and it's attached Hole In The Wall Bookstore will be leaving The Wellington Square Mall at the end of the month, with plans to move to a new location in 2020. If you follow local news media, you may be aware of announced plans to heavily restructure the Trunk Road complex into a modern strip mall (source here), which left the future of the mall's non-Food Basics tenants in doubt. It's not 100% clear whether The Rad Zone is leaving on their own accord or if they weren't part of the mall owners' future plans there. Paul "Monk" Muncaster has owned The Rad Zone (née Radical Records) for 32 years, including the past 17 at this location, but he does plan to move the store elsewhere next year, location and re-opening date to be announced. For what it's worth, their secondary "Rad Zone 2" location at Vintage Games 'N Junque on Queen Street East seems to be unaffected by these developments.
That said, before the big move, The Rad Zone is having a 2 week closeout sale starting tomorrow and running through Friday, November 29th, with most used items running 50% off, new items 40% off, and VHS tapes for 99¢ each, not counting consignment items. Visit the official Facebook event page for full pricing details. This is disappointing news, but hopefully Monk, Mel, Evan, and crew find a great new location next year, as we need a great record, gaming, skateboarding, collectible, and book store here, and they fill that niche exceedingly well, while also being great supporters of local musicians. Best of luck all around, and get down to The Rad Zone while you can!
We'll close today with new videos, starting with the last upload from Christopher Paci's footage from Muddfest at the aforementioned Dreammakers Theater in Sault Michigan on November 1st, namely his clip of opening Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric playing their song "Down & Out." It's not as well known as "Breakdown", but it's a catchy enough rocker, and it's well filmed like the rest of Chris' Muddfest videos, so give it a look below, and see much more at his YouTube channel!
Finally, here's a brand new original song from local hard rock/metal solo musician Tym Morrison's YouTube channel yesterday, entitled "Street Preacher"! If you know Tym personally at all, you may be aware that he has embraced Christianity in recent months, and while this song does retain his heavy music background, the lyrics definitely have a (positive) religious bent. That said, I can barely hear his singing in this recording, but the music holds up and has a solid chugging riff, plus a quality solo. Give it a listen below, and don't miss Tym at Gliss tomorrow evening!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
Today's second post rounds out the weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews, and it's very much themed around the 52nd annual Bon Soo Winter Carnival, including an extended preview of a big opening night concert TOMORROW, a related recent news article, and all of the details (at last) on this year's Marquee entertainment stage (also TOMORROW), so here's what you should know, and check out more previews in the post below this one!
The lineup for the third annual Marquee performance stage at this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival was finally announced yesterday via this SooToday press release, so what should you know? Moving from The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to the Mill Market at Bon Soo's new home of Mill Square this year, The Marquee (as previously reported) is only a one day event this year, but now being held on Bon Soo's opening day. Once again, it is being promoted by Sault College's Public Relations Event Management program in cooperation with Bon Soo itself. As for the performer lineup, there is one punk band playing tomorrow, so consider this a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! The band in question is Stereo North, who some readers may remember from their search in December for a bassist on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group. They identified as playing punk and modern rock, and their drummer is Brett Norton, but I know nothing else on them yet. Hopefully we'll all find out more tomorrow, and we'll let you know when more comes out!
The full lineup for The Marquee also includes local acoustic cover duo Frankly Speaking, solo artist Jesse Merineau, and local beatboxer Robert "Killabeatz" Drolet (all of whom played at The Marquee last year) alongside North Shore frontman Jeremy Hannah, Aardvark the Magician (my dad!), local DJ Michael Babcock (a.k.a. Soldjure), the cast of Korah Collegiate & Vocational School's production of "The Phantom of the Opera", Thunder Bay's Eric the Juggler, local progressive rock quartet Mannapool, the aforementioned Stereo North, and local blues/country musician Cody Watt, with Mr. Bon Soo and "a special surprise" also teased. Quite a varied lineup, which isn't necessarily a change from last year, just condensed into one day. The Marquee kicks off at 4:00 PM tomorrow at Mill Market at the former St. Mary's Paper site, complete with a new film-themed stage, though I can't 100% confirm if The Marquee will still be outdoors.
Admission will be via a purchase of a $7 Bon Soo button at the door, at Wal-Mart (either location), or at Scotiabank, and this is definitely ALL AGES. For more details, visit the above links! I was hoping that Marquee organizers would (be allowed to?) promote the lineup and advertise the acts playing more visibly and with more advance notice, especially after last year (which had a Saturday crowd of 1 person; myself, at points), but given that The Marquee is now part of Bon Soo's opening night, that should be an easy fix for the attendance. I love the concept of an outdoor winter concert festival, and hopefully that is proven this year so it can grow for the future! Keep it in mind for TOMORROW, and apologies again for the short notice!
Of course, that's not all for SMS readers at Bon Soo's opening night, as local punk/alternative veterans Treble Charger will make their long awaited return to the stage when they headline at The Machine Shop at Mill Square TOMORROW NIGHT! Hyped as the official opening night for this Huron Street venue (though they have hosted sporadic events in the past, like the 2013 Gino Vanelli concert), this will also be the first major event following the announcement of Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori's new partnership with Mill Square and Algoma University, which will see his recording studio and more concerts brought to the site in the coming months. This well advertised concert (which has even had commercials on MCTV) will be Treble Charger's first in the Soo since a Searchmont Resort fundraiser last January, and this Juno-nominated quartet should be raring to rock their hometown once again tomorrow with classics like "American Psycho" and "Red", with guests and surprise covers also teased (source here.)
Opening for them will be local roots collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect and young alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control (pictured), and while neither are perfect genre matches, they're both very talented and will bring a lot to the table, so don't miss them either! Tickets for this show cost $39.95, and while that does seem high, they're less than half of what the Searchmont fundraiser admission was, so keep that in mind (there are limited VIP tickets with meet & greets for $69.50 as well.) This is an ALL AGES concert AT 7:30 PM tomorrow, and tickets can be bought at this link, at the door, or at the LIFEforia Wellness Club at 681 Pine Street. For more details, visit the above links, plus SooToday and The Sault Star's coverage of the show! Among other coverage of this concert, a new Sault Star article from Brian Kelly went up on their site yesterday (and presumably in yesterday's paper) featuring interview excerpts with Greig Nori, so what should you know on that?
Entitled "Nori jams with Algoma U", the article goes further in-depth on Greig's new local plans, which include returning full time to the Soo this summer to teach commercial music production courses with Algoma's existing music program, something he's done at a few Southern Ontario schools since the late 2000s. The plans still involve construction of a full recording studio at The Machine Shop, he wants students to get experience recording and filming bands that play there, and he's working on getting a similar position here for Treble Charger bandmate Bill Priddle. The article also confirms that Greig and Bill wrote four or five new Treble Charger songs last fall (their first in over 12 years), but they're holding off on recording them until the Algoma program starts so they can involve students.
And yes, Greig really is coming home, he's purchased a new home here, and he said in the interview that he knew he had to move back when he saw the development going on at Mill Square, which he's enthusiastically hyped in prior interviews with local media. It's a solid article that sheds more light on what Greig is planning for the Soo, and while there's still a lot to do and reveal, I'm cautiously optimistic! Check it out above, and be sure to see above for more details on the Treble Charger concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Machine Shop! For a preview, here's Treble Charger playing "Brand New Low" live in Southern Ontario in 2013!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the weekend, plus Treble Charger (and Marquee?) concert fallout as well! Thanks everyone!
Entering the last week before the Canadian Thanksgiving break, we have some more news and back items to cover, including a lot of recent shorter items, a new guitar performance clip, and leading off, some recent updates from a prominent Sault Ontario band that have fallen by the wayside in the last week, so here's what you need to know!
We'll start today with some long overdue news from local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith, and after a brief announcement of drummer Mike Haggith's departure (since retracted), it's good to know that everything's alright in their camp! While it remains unclear if the personal concerns Mike was working through are continuing to delay their album plans, a new song from their upcoming concept release "Apocalypse II" named "Spreading The Disease" was posted onto their YouTube channel last month, and while I'll hold thoughts on it for now in advance of our next Haggith CD review, it's actually a folksy country-esque number with spoons and hand drum (no bass though.) Featured below however is a 21 minute private concert set that Haggith played at PaperClip Productions headquarters last week, as filmed with a cell phone camera from the back of the stage. This is our most extensive sneak peek at the band with new bassist James White yet, but what's played in this video?
In order, the set (entitled "Don't Ask") includes a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'N Roll", the band's own originals "Metal Cage" & "Wasted" from their other upcoming CD "XIV", and covers of Van Halen's "Panama", Bad Company's "Rock 'N Roll Fantasy", and Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", so click each link to hear each song! Visually, you don't see much beyond Curtis, James' head, and Mike's close-up hat, and with the dark lighting, couldn't they have moved the camera to a better spot? The audio's alright though, and it's a nice glimpse at some of Haggith's newer songs and less familiar covers, including some surprises, so give it a look below!
Next up, here's a new solo guitar video from Exiled's Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel! The former Full Throttle and Bottom Line axeslinger posted this video online on Friday, and it's of him playing a composition named "Jedi Flip" that has a bluesy hard rock groove that's pretty catchy, and it'd be cool to see him expand this to a full band scenario! The "shot from below" camera angle and glare from the ceiling light are a little odd, but give Joe's newest guitar performance clip a look below!
Finally for today, here's six shorter assorted news stories from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or event name:
Sault Michigan hard rockers 415E have finally replaced departed members Jack Slater & Devin Anderson, as the band have confirmed the addition of Jack's Highest of Fives bandmate Mitch Goetz as their new bassist, while enlisting Chris' dad Tony on drums, reuniting 3/5ths of the original Splitshot lineup in the process! The news was announced on their Facebook page on September 23rd, and the new lineup will debut in two weeks at The Rapids Lounge, so don't miss it!
The first studio track from The Apocalypse Afterparty's upcoming debut EP is now online via their new Reverbnation page! A cover of The Fury's "The Crowd", fans of their rap/metal stylings should enjoy this, and it's recorded well. but we'll hold further comment until the EP's release. Give it a listen above!
If The Marquee entertainment stage returns at the next Bon Soo Winter Carnival in February, it will do so at a new location once again, as the festival will be moving from the Roberta Bondar Pavilion area to Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site, as per this SooToday article by Michael Purvis on Friday. The move is to give Bon Soo more room for expanded activities and make the event more accessible, though it's not clear yet whether The Marquee would be at The Machine Shop or elsewhere on the site. We'll keep you posted if we hear more!
Local acid jam/hard rock collective Mike Haggith & The Din are apparently looking for a new drummer to go along with a "dramatic" lineup shift, though it's not clear whether someone left or moved to a separate instrument. The plans are for the band to become more structured than they have been in the past, though what this means for their recent recording plans isn't clear yet. If you're interested, message Mike or bandmates Curtis McKenzie or Daniel Horton on Facebook, or visit Mike's Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday!
Maxx Entertainment have confirmed that a third annual Toystock concert will take place on Sunday, November 30th at The Canadian Nightclub, and they are still looking for bands to play this year (presumably of the cover/bar variety to go with past themes.) Only a few spots remain, so if your band is interested in playing this event (which supports toy donations to Christmas cheer), message Maxx Entertainment at the above link!
Sporadic local concert venue and banquet hall The Verdi Hall has been sold and had it's name partially changed to Bucci's Verdi Hall, reflecting the new owners, who I believe are the same as the owners of Bucci's Place (host of last year's Big Loonie Bus Show) in Echo Bay. Things seem to be going good there for bookings and Facebook updates, and we'll let you know if any metal or punk concerts are booked there in the coming months!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as we inch closer to the Thanksgiving weekend! Thanks everyone!
Seattle grunge/alt-rock notables Candlebox will make their local concert debut on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One of the biggest alternative hard rock bands of the 1990s thanks to hit songs like "You", "Simple Lessons", "It's Alright", and of course, the Rock 101 staple "Left Behind", their familiar and hard-edged brand of original music should be more than welcomed to the local stage in the spring, so don't miss out on this one if you can help it! Potential opening acts have not been announced at press time. Tickets for this all ages, 8:00 PM concert go on sale on Friday morning at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, and they will start at $30. If you've ever wanted some big name 1990s grunge or alternative bands to roll through, this is definitely a nice change of pace, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!
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