LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fluid 5ive), Northwest & Highway 63 Updates, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for this late Sunday night, including some assorted shorter stories, big lineup updates, and full details on a recent album release, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for at year's end... literally!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will end 2018 with a bang when they headline The Rockstar Bar's New Year's Eve party on December 31st (a.k.a. next Monday!) This will be the first show from this talented veteran group since last month's Habitat For Humanity Builders Bash, and their first at this venue in just over a month, and this should be a prime opportunity for New Year's Eve revelers to get a solid dose of hard rocking hits next week! The Monday night timing is unfortunate, but if you can swing a trip out, this should deliver the heavier goods! As usual for The Rockstar Bar's New Year's celebrations, this event has 8:00 PM door opening times and a 19+ age limit, and while admission is at $10, remember the holiday ties and the drink specials and party favours that are expected at such a bash. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on New Year's weekend hard rock concerts in the area as they roll in!

Next up, local indie punk quintet Northwest's second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" was successfully released last night at their release party concert at LopLops Lounge, and it's also now on sale via their Bandcamp page, so what should you know on their sophomore effort? Recorded since mid-2017 at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, the EP was later mixed and mastered by Kyle Whittaker of the St. Catharines-based Strange Pumpkin Studio, who had previously worked with fellow locals K.I.C.K. and Brendan Hodgson on their own studio releases. Mirroring their 2014 debut, "Songs From 2015-2017" features four songs, namely "Swayze Train" (no relation to the defunct Sault Michigan band), the previously unveiled "Sorry Sunday" & "True North", and "Hangover Habits", with their prior unreleased original "Drinking Games" nowhere to be found. Also, the album artwork was provided by photographer Keith Descoteaux.

I cannot speak for the physical distribution of the EP from LopLops last night, but Bandcamp copies run for a $4 minimum, and yes, you can stream the whole thing for free there.I've heard good things from the release party, and I'm glad to see that Northwest gave their second album a successful launch, so be sure to pick it up or stream it at the above links! And yes, "Songs From 2015-2017" will end 2018 as our last album review of the year, so look for that at some point later this week, definitely by Monday!

Also today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock veterans Highway 63, who returned after a year+ long hiatus from the stage at Dondee Lanes' own Double D Bar & Grill on Saturday! As revealed at that night's Christmas party (and on their own Facebook page), we can now confirm the full identities of the band's two new members, so who's now in the fold? Now on bass is George Belleau (replacing Chris Leask), who fans may recognize from playing in the preceding rock cover bands RamWagon & Full Throttle with existing Highway 63 guitarist Nathan Switzer. The other new addition is the band's first ever permanent keyboardist, namely Brian Drumheller, who previously played in popular local cover acts like The Hixx and The Mamas Boys (the latter alongside Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer.) George and Brian are both talented musicians with existing chemistry with the Switzers, and hopefully the new lineup rides this momentum well into 2019!

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:

• In October, Sault Ontario grindcore solo project Crucify the Whore announced plans to record an EP named "Crucifiction Inquisition" (complete with cover artwork), and shared said post anew on their Facebook page earlier this week. No other details were given, but Blood Shed diehards will want to follow C.T.W. above for details! 
• Veteran local drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is looking for a keyboardist with backing (or perhaps lead) vocals for his new "hard rocking" band, albeit one that is "not metal". Acts like Alice Cooper, April Wine, and Grand Funk Railroad were cited as bands they're tackling in some form, and he would prefer videos if you have them. If you're interested in trying out, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicans Wanted Facebook group post from December 9th!
• The True North Talent Entertainment Christmas concert at Soo Blaster on Thursday (featuring Winkstinger) now has a confirmed MC, namely "ShakaDoctor", who I know nothing on. If we hear anything, we'll let you know! This was confirmed on a new event poster, which curiously doesn't credit some of the openers, namely The Dynowaves, Trace Prince, DQ, and Sawbe. If that was on purpose, we will again let you know later this week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as Christmas week progresses! Thanks everyone!

New Solo Videos, And Much More Recent News & Notes!!

In what may be our last news post before kicking off Halloween concert previews on Thursday morning, we're covering some assorted recent updates (including the three bumped from Saturday's post), plus some new videos, so let's begin with a new guitar cover from Jack Spades/Stegadeth guitarist Tiffany Stocco's YouTube channel, notably her first posting on there since last year! This is a cover of The Distillers' "Dismantle Me", and while not stated there, this has to be a teaser for her upcoming sets at THIS FRIDAY'S Halloween Party concert at The Algonquin Pub, where she will channel Brody Dalle on guitar and vocals in a one-off Distillers tribute band. For what it's worth, personal Facebook postings indicate that Tiffany will be joined by current bandmate Johnny Belanger on drums, alongside A Dire Setback frontman Chris Nielsen on guitar & Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque, and the four will also serve as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and H.I.M. tributes that same night

This news surprises me, as that's a lot of work to put in for one concert, but everyone here is very talented, and it'll be interesting to see how each tribute set looks and sounds, especially with The Distillers and H.I.M. not being regular cover selections locally. As for Tiffany's Distillers cover video, it's a fine rendition with a good tone, and fans should enjoy her take, but does she have a handle on Brody's singing too? We'll find out on Friday, but give Tiffany's guitar cover a look below!



Next up, veteran local rock drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is hoping to return to local music and has posted a handful of videos to the Musicians Wanted Facebook group since last month in the hopes of drumming up interest in jamming with like minded performers. Two videos feature him playing on a djembe & cajon, but the other three are of him on a full drumkit, including videos linked here & here, with the longest and most recent one below. Jeff hasn't been involved in local bands in a long while, but he showcases solid skill in the videos he's shared, and it'd be cool to see him back out there in a new project! Click here for more details, and here's Jeff in action this fall!



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

• The all ages Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall on October 30th (next Tuesday) has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page earlier this month. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but public updates were slow to nonexistent after the event page went online last month. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, I know many fans were eager to see a new Oddfellows metal show again after far too long!
• In their first Facebook page posting since May, local/Toronto Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide revealed that they are recording new material at Mission Control Studios, and that the songs are "guaranteed to put a pep in your step." No word on if this is towards their fourth studio album or not, but recent live drummer Chris Johns is tagged in the attached photo, implying that he's taking over for Mikey Hawdon behind the kit for at least these sessions. It's been over 6 years since the last new Rising Tide CD, so hopefully the new tracks prove to be worth the wait, and see above for more details as they roll in!
• Local power rock quintet Re:Born have parted ways with singer Robert Nevitt, as per their Facebook page on Thursday. The split is 100% amicable, with the band citing "time commitments" for Robert's exit, though the door was left open for him to guest with the band in the future. Re:Born have only played three public concerts to date, but Robert was progressing well as a frontman, and hopefully he turns up in a new band down the line! No word yet on a potential singer search, but fans of their predecessors Project 421 know that guitarist Blair Burch can handle lead vocals if need be.
• Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie has changed it's name to Shaw Spotlight, which appears to be a nationwide change with the cable provider's local access channels, presumably as an acknowledgement of the stations "spotlighting" their communities. Despite teasers reflecting a new Facebook page, that is for the national Shaw Spotlight networks, and is not geared only to the Soo, so I won't update our link yet. Hopefully some more local music content finds it's way to channel 10 soon, they're a quality resource!
• I have moved local Foo Fighters tribute quartet The Soo Fighters to our inactive band links. A Cherry Crush side project, this band played twice publically last fall, but were primarily formed to play at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, and have not shown any public sign of life since. The one year mark from their last public update will be on Saturday, and despite launching a Facebook page at the time, it looks more & more apparent that their run was a short term thing for the season. Don't miss Jules & the Amendolas with Cherry Crush, and hopefully we hear more from Jeremey soon also!
• Mik & Steve guitarist/Pixo Control alum Steve Edwards is again looking for a drummer "to form an original band", preferably between 18 and 30-something in age, and who "must be committed to practicing and playing." I don't know whether this it towards an expansion of Mik & Steve, a revival of Vol., or a new band entirely, but Steve's been looking for a while, and hopefully the right drummer comes along soon! Message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested in trying out!

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