LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), A New Video, And Much More!!

After a quiet weekend out of town, we have a new news post for your Sunday evening, so what's within this one? Lots of assorted short stories from the last week or so, but we also have a new video featuring a guitar review, and leading off, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few days!

Prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for three more matinee concert sets TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page earlier today. Tym will hit there for the first time in about a month, keeping with his usual trend of playing Mark's for early week matinees that don't conflict with his similarly timed Gliss shows from Thursdays-Saturdays. As a result, we are approaching the mid-point of a nine show run in just ten nights, and if you're up for some unplugged hard rock favourites in the west end, be at Mark's TOMORROW, TUESDAY, or WEDNESDAY! As usual for Tym's matinee gigs at either restaurant, expect 6:00 PM start times over the next three evenings, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's a new video from prolific local rock guitarist and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel on December 2nd, featuring his review of a unique guitar! The instrument in question is the Seagull Merlin 4, a dulcimer-inspired acoustic guitarwith only four strings. Very folksy, bluegrass-reminscent sound, but it's an intriguing guitar that might be worth a look for guitarists and fans of Mike's music alike, and you can do so below!



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

• I have deleted local music promotion/photography company For The Music Inside from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it's Facebook (and only surviving online) page being taken down at some point in the past 6 months.  Though most of their latter content was from Southern Ontario events, I liked what Joseph and Sean were doing to promote local shows and get great photos therein, and hopefully F.T.M.I. is revived down the road!
• In his first Facebook page posting in over a month, local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary shared a new acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" from his Soundcloud page this past Tuesday! This version is a slower re-arrangement that has some intriguing compromises for it's style, with Mike also confirming that unspecified health issues were to blame for his November break, but new originals and his debut EP are still forthcoming!
• In another deletion from our "Other Local Metal Links", we have also removed inactive local label/recording studio Paperclip Productions due to it's Facebook (and only online) page's deletion in recent months as well. Best known as the independent label and studio for the band Haggith and their side projects in the early-mid 2010s, it is unfortunate to see their last online page taken down, but you can hear much of their output via band pages!
• In one final deletion from that same section, we have also removed what we labelled as "Sault Ste. Marie Concert Archive", which was a results listing of local concerts via Canadian news/entertainment site Canoe prior to their major design overhaul earlier this year, with the concert listing search no longer functioning to my knowledge. It was a great resource, especially when sourcing when certain notable touring bands played here in the pre-Facebook era, and hopefully Canoe restores it in some form!
• Just a belated acknowledgement from our coverage of Sault Michigan-area label Werehold Records' final Friday the 13th music event in October, as cross-Michigan metal project Shatterhand (featuring Werehold founder Jason Mills) have resurfaced via their own YouTube channel! Only one song is there so far ("Faulty", complete with vocals), but whether channel exclusivity, lack of vocals, or another factor are to blame for their removal from Werehold's channel is up for debate. Shatterhand aren't a true local band, but I wanted to acknowledge the missing songs here!
• The planned third installment of J.D. Pearce's seasonal acoustic punk revue X-Mess on December 23rd was cancelled late last month. While the show hadn't publically had a venue confirmed for it, he noted on the Facebook event page that it was primarily cancelled due to "a charity gig" taking place "super close" to it. J.D is likely referring to the second Guy Thiffault tribute concert on December 27th, which he and scheduled performer Lucas Schmiedendorf are both playing with Jack Spades and The HTs respectively. Disappointing on one hand, but the memorial show will be a blast once again, so see above for details on it!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next, likely tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dour & Project 906), The Wolves Of The North, And More!!

After a much needed weekend off from the site, I am back in full force with a stacked news post today, featuring two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and a new video from one band in question, and some assorted updates from a local promoter, so here's what you should know!

Saskatoon grindcore band Dour will make their local concert debut on August 23rd (one week from Wednesday!) when they headline at The New American Pub! Another talented extreme metal attraction to help end the summer season with, Dour's sludgy and crusty originals provide a solid punk-tinged attack with lots of brutality to go around, and they should rock The New A sufficiently next week! Local openers will include death metal favourites The Bear Hunters (in their first New A set of the year) and the long awaited return to the stage of extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, ending their year+ long hiatus with their first show since May 2016. It's great to have Winkstinger back in action in advance of their Oh!NO Festival set next month, but are there any changes or new additions? Be at The New A next week to find out! Notably, this show is being co-promoted by Slumshine's Brenton Ellis and Gore Street Cafe owner Nicole Dyble, despite not being held at the laundromat, which is interesting to see!

This late stop on Dour's No Sign of Grief Canadian tour has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time. This should be another brutal concert to help send August out with, especially with Winkstinger's return and The Bear Hunters continuing to re-assert their place in the scene, so stay tuned for potential updates, and look for our preview next week!

Next up, we'll head across to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 have one more new show to announce, as they'll return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only on Saturday, September 23rd! Announced last week in a schedule posting on their Facebook page (though this was the only show there not previously acknowledged publically by the band), this will mark Project 906's first trip to this venue in over five months, and it should provide another solid opportunity for fans in this area to hear their entertaining cover selection! A 9:00 PM start time is announced for this 21+ show, which has no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and before we forget, here's a new Facebook video of Project 906 from their outdoor Moloney's Alley set this past weekend during Moloney's Michigan Beerfest, and it's an amusing cover of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?"!

Project 906 will look different here, both via guest bassist Barney Gravelle for a mini-Ten Kings reunion, and by featuring drummer Will Storey on vocals (I assume Billy moved to drums here.) Despite the vertical camera angle and distant filming location from the stage, the rendition is funny, and should bring to mind Shit Liver's own humorous take on this song from shows on the Canadian side of the border! Give it a look below, and don't miss them at the Rudyard Musicians Festival THIS SATURDAY!



Finally for today, here's the latest from Jack Spades frontman and local concert promoter J.D. Pearce, who's been busy over the past week! His promotion agency's Facebook group has been renamed "Northern Superior Brewing Co. Presents", reflecting his recent working relationship with the local brewery. This also returning his agency to a sponsored name after previously aligning with Tidal Records, hence their recent "wolves of the north" teasers. Hopefully this is a fruitful partnership on both sides, and it's great to see two different local entrepreneurs joining forces! To that end, J.D. has announced a few new events, including a mini-tour of Northern Ontario in early November entitled "Wolves on Parade", where Jack Spades and bassist Rob Speers' other band The Elements will open for Sudbury death metal band Archelon, who have played in the Soo before, most recently in October 2014. A local date hasn't been confirmed publically for before or after the tour, but of course, we'll let you know if one is set up!

In any event, this should be a fun tour, also giving fans a rare chance to see The Elements on the road, so see above for details on the Sudbury, North Bay, and Timmins gigs! The other new show from J.D. will be the return of his X-Mess acoustic punk concert event after a two year hiatus, with local punk mainstays Lucas Schmiedendorf and Greg Callaghan scheduled to perform alongside other acts on Saturday December 23rd at 9;00 PM. The cover will be $10, but a venue has not been publically confirmed as of this writing. Stay tuned for updates on that front, but it's great to have X-Mess back for the holidays, and click here & above for current details on J.D.'s late-2017 plans!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tidal Records Xmas Showcase) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's our weekend concert preview post for what's shaping up to be a packed holiday season in the twin Saults, but be sure to check out the results of last month's poll and our newest poll in the post below this one! We'll touch on any short notice confirmations tomorrow on the site (and Saturday if necessary), but for now, here's what's going down tomorrow & Saturday for hard rock and punk fans in Sault Ontario, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! (Updated at 5:18 PM)

A special Christmas showcase concert from local independent punk/roots label Tidal Records will take place THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for confirmation of the scheduled bands, which only came in a public form this week. Saturday night's long-teased Christmas show will feature three of the bands from the similarly formatted Tidal Records launch party show at the same venue last November, and also like then, a newer band will close the night, that being a debuting local quartet named The Cover Up. No word yet on their genre or potential online pages, but their lineup features Wing-Its bandmates Dustin Jones (also of The Rising Tide) and Marco Pedalino, plus his Sinners bandmate Clint Wilson (also of Late Shift), and former Room 206 frontman Mike Yorke. I don't know yet if this band is replacing the recently inactive Wing-Its or not (or if the name implies an all-cover set), but come out on Saturday for your first taste of The Cover Up!

Local Celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide are slated for their second of three local shows this month as the co-headliners (they'll be back on Boxing Day too), while the Jaaskelainen brothers will pull double duty with their folk band The Boot Hill Crooners as well! Local roots singer/guitarist Frank Deresti is listed to open (no sign of The Lake Effect), but his Facebook page implies that he will join The Crooners during their set, so keep that in mind also! This 19+ event has a likely $5 cover charge, and should start at around 9:00 PM on Saturday. For more details, visit the above links! This sounds like a great showcase for Tidal Records, so keep it in mind for your holiday season concert plans, and here's The Tide live at Searchmont!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll head to a unique venue TOMORROW, as local grunge/alternative trio The Pixo Control will play an acoustic gig at Low & Slow Smoked Fusion BBQ at 113 Gore Street (Remember, that's the former Grazia's Italian Restaurant, not the old GLOW building at 119 Gore!) Still riding high off of their successful Toystock set, this unplugged show isn't unfamiliar territory for Michael, Steve, and Keeghan, as you may remember their run of acoustic sets at Gusto's Bar & Grill earlier in the year. Look for an entertaining (if more reserved) set of originals from this talented young trio tomorrow night, and it'll be curious to see how Low & Slow fares as a concert venue if this is successful! Note that The Pixo Control announced on their Facebook page on Tuesday that "we're pretty damn excited right now and we aren't allowed to tell you why", though it's not clear yet if they'll reveal what they're getting at tomorrow or not.

Promoted by Boxes of Boom frontman Sam Decter, there's no announced age limit or cover charge for tomorrow night, and the show starts at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the Facebook event page! Hopefully this is a successful show for The Pixo Control that  opens more doors in their fast development, and enjoy some slow cooked barbeque ribs too if you're hungry! For a preview, here's the guys at Lopstock earlier this summer!

Also this weekend, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Harp Bar & Grill for his last shows of the year, barring a New Year's gig of course! Despite the recent deletion of all future gigs on his website's calendar (and most past Harp gigs, including all after February), his year-long run at the former Madison's Pub will continue for at least this weekend as per this Facebook event page, but were the calendar updates a sign of what's to come, or just a formatting error? We'll let you know if we hear anything, but the listing of weekly dates through the 2020s did seem excessive. Look for an entertaining mix of hard rock covers at both TOMORROW'S weekly jam night and SATURDAY's usual solo gig, so keep Tym's Harp shows in mind this weekend! Remember, Tym is not playing there on Boxing Day weekend, as those dates were removed before the recent schedule wipe.

There are no cover charges, 19+ age limits, and 10:00 PM start times for both tomorrow and Saturday night. Check the above links for more details, we'll let you know regarding Tym's next solo show plans, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica!

Finally for known hard rock & punk concerts this weekend, we'll head back to The Algonquin Hotel THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, and as the Tidal Records Christmas show entertains upstairs, a different punk show will rock The Algonquin Pub downstairs, that being the second annual X-Mess acoustic punk revue! Promoted by local concert promoter J.D. Pearce in his last promoted show of 2014, this is a sequel to his successful X-Mess event last year at LopLops Lounge, though the event has moved to The Algonquin since, with LopLops instead booking That Nineties Band on Saturday (I'll have to find out more on them!) Though this year's X-Mess installment is smaller for advertised bands, there's solid entertainment afoot, including local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements in a rare acoustic set, a one-off unplugged band named Sleigher (formerly Mistlechode) featuring members of Jack Spades, and a one-off Distillers acoustic tribute named Ms. Tillers from Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Drew (replacing Greg Callaghan.)

This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details on X-Mess 2, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a fun change of pace once again for your seasonal concert plans, so get ready for a night full of punk action on two floors of The Algonquin on Saturday night! For a preview, here's The Elements live at Rock For Dimes last month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for possible short notice show announcements and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Highway 63), New Video Finds, And More!!

After a two day run of weekend concert previews and battle of the bands updates, let's take a look at other stories from recent days before we dive back into the battle pool, and believe me, there's big news on both to mention shortly! For now, we have some neat video finds, assorted recent notes, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for over the holidays, so here's what you need to know!

Newer Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Highway 63 will play their last gigs of the year (barring a New Year's Eve show) when they return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, December 26th and Saturday, December 27th! Coming just three weeks after the Sir Charge successors' most recent Soo Kewadin dates, I will note that these shows are not among those listed on Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, but they may be waiting to list the 2015 schedule there before updating it. The Switzers and company should be in good form after a successful late 2014 string of concerts, so if you're up for some post Christmas hard rock action, you know where to be! Our source is the band's Facebook page, which also revealed yesterday that the guys are getting ready to record "our demo for the Petoskey casino", presumably meaning that they're auditioning to play gigs at the Odawa Casino & Resort there.

Sault area cover bands playing in the Lower Peninsula aren't unheard of (Highway 63 bassist Chris Leask has played down there with Power Slug), and it'd be great exposure, so hopefully things work out for the guys on that front! As for their Boxing Day weekend shows in the Soo, there's no announced cover charges, 21+ age limits, and 9:00 PM start times in effect, so check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Highway 63 as we hear it!

Next up, here's some older performance videos that we just recently came across on YouTube, starting with defunct Sault Ontario hard rock cover quartet Sneaky Pete live at The Rockstar Bar! Uploaded to lead guitarist Mario Carlucci's YouTube channel in October, the video itself is undated, but it was likely filmed in 2011 (it's not the same show as the one we filmed at in January 2012, and they didn't play live in other years.) The almost 9 minute long video features Sneaky Pete covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" before transitioning to Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" to close what was filmed, and the guys sound good here! Mike Oakley's vocal range does come up short at times, but Sneaky Pete had chemistry and a good thing going, and it's s shame that they only played live concerts for less then a year after such a long stretch of preparation. The colours are also badly washed out after post-correction, but kudos to Mario for posting this after 3 years! Give it a look below!, and hopefully the guys turn up in bands again!

Also today, remember how Mourning Wood drummer T.J. Case frequently takes over lead vocals for renditions of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" during their shows? Well, it turns out that he's been singing AC/DC live long before Mourning Wood were ever a thought, as evidenced by a video posted on YouTube over 4 years ago! Uploaded by user TheLilspirit, this appears to come from his brief run with the veteran local rock band Wishbone, specifically their show at The Roosevelt Hotel (now Reggie's West) on November 20th, 2010. While the Dennis Duguay-fronted band is best known for their original material, they do play the occasional cover, and TheLilspirit filmed 2 at this show, including The Surfaris' instrumental "Wipe Out" and the aforementioned AC/DC cover, though in this case, T.J. and Wishbone did AC/DC's classic "TNT". Both are well performed, and while "TNT" benefits from having two guitarists, the backing vocals are barely audible & aren't as effective.

I'll also note that both videos are definitely centered on T.J. over Wishbone (the songs are credited to T.J. only in the title, and the other Wishbone members aren't in frame), but a reason for the single member focus isn't stated. Maybe the filmer has a personal connection, and/or the videos are intended as a solo showcase? Give Wishbone's "TNT" cover a look below, see more above, and don't miss Mourning Wood at Rednecks TONIGHT!



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

•  Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have quietly been added to the lineup for the second annual X-Mess acoustic punk show at The Algonquin Pub next week, as per the Facebook event page a few days ago. No word on how their set will adapt to an unplugged setting (especially concerning drums), but it's great to see the guys on board for this seasonal event! Stay tuned for more updates, and the first 11 people in the door on Saturday will get a gift!
• Redundant frontman/Thrill Junkies bassist Justin Langlois is looking to join another band on bass, saying "I need to play more bass" via a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group this past Friday. Justin's talent and resume speaks for itself, but if you're interested in jamming with him, message him above or at this link!
• Speaking of bassist searches, a new local modern rock/punk band named Stereo North are also looking for a bassist, as per a post on the Musicians Wanted group yesterday by drummer Brett Norton. The band is comprised of experienced members, have a setlist ready with new and old songs, and plan to begin playing live once a bassist is found. If you want to try out for Stereo North, message Brett A.S.A.P. at this link or at the Musicians Wanted group!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more updates over the weekend, especially concerning both of next year's battles of the bands and the acts playing them! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Beaumont Avenue), A Missed Concert Apology, And More!!

Before we get too far into things, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert, as local Celtic/punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide returned to the local stage for the first time in over 3 months last night as the pub night entertainment at the Rankin Arena during the venue's Silver Creek Cup hockey event. We originally mentioned the show on the site last month when it was added to their label Tidal Records' website's schedule, but at the time, it listed the show as taking place at the Silver Creek Golf Course in Garden River, which was unfamiliar as a concert venue, and gave us pause in case this was incorrect and/or or a private event. We were right to second guess the listed venue (Silver Creek sponsored the tournament but didn't hold the concert), but this was definitely a public event, and blame me for not keeping up with the venue confirmation to plug it on the site. No word on who drummed for them last night either, given that they've used guest drummers at some recent events.

Our sincere apologies for the mess-up, and don't miss Dustin and company on Boxing Day at The Rockstar Bar, and stay tuned also for more details on the Tidal Records Christmas show on the 20th, whose bands are to be announced! Now, let's get to some more recent news, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for over the Christmas break, and more assorted notes, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will return to the stage with two solo headlining concerts over the holidays! The former Suicide Kings will play their first show in almost four months on Boxing Day (Friday, December 26th) at The Rednecks Saloon, which they'll follow up a week later on Friday, January 2nd when they rock The Rockstar Bar! Both appear to be one night only engagements, and it's worth noting that the Rednecks concert will be their first there since May, while the Rockstar show is our first verified local hard rock concert of 2015. Beaumont Avenue have been taking a break since August due to drummer Ben Boudreau's out of town school commitments, but they're making the most of the Christmas break while he's back home, as the guys revealed on their Facebook page last night that they'll be working in the studio over the holidays, are "finally recording", and will hold a release party for their debut CD in "early 2015".

The post suggests that the guys are starting over from scratch with their album rather than using what they recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room last year, while the "early 2015" timeline likely points to an April release at the earliest, assuming Ben doesn't return home until after the next school semester ends. Also, the guys' Urawk live karaoke series recently announced that they're "on hiatus" (source here), though it's not clear whether it's due to Beaumont Avenue's resumption of activity or not. Both of the guys' new concerts have 19+ age limits and likely 10:00 PM start times, and while the Rednecks show has no announced cover, bring $5 to The Rockstar Bar just in case. For more details, visit the Boxing Day show's Facebook event page & the above links! It's great to see Beaumont Avenue back in action for the season, so don't miss their hard rock originals & covers over the holidays, and stay tuned for updates on their CD and more!

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

• I'm surprised that we never mentioned this in a news post on here, but local metal/rap duo The Apocalypse Afterparty released the studio version of their song/The Fury cover "The Crowd" to their Reverbnation page in recent months! We'll hold our thoughts for now, assuming that we'll review the band's planned debut CD next year, but it's well recorded, so give it a listen above!
• On November 24th, local alternative/grunge band Haggith revealed on their Facebook page that their upcoming album "Apocalypse II" will likely be complete by next month, and is just undergoing mixing, while "XIV" is delayed until at least March due to the band's split with bassist James White and his White Wreckords studio. The band also revealed there that a surprise new live album named "Time Machine: Live" is also in the mixing stage for a planned February release, though we've heard little else on that front. We'll keep you posted as we hear more!
• The newest episode of Local2's music spotlight video series Tuned with Donna Hopper went online last week, and while it doesn't have a large focus on heavier or punk bands (mostly featuring an interview & performances by Toronto folk duo Scarlett Jane during their recent local show), Donna does plug the X-Mess acoustic punk show at The Algonquin Pub on December 20th in the concert calendar segment. It's still a good watch, so give the full episode a look above, especially if you like folk rock!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a video-heavy post TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Havadder), The End Of Pillory, And Much More!!

As we continue to clear out our recent news cache, we have an inactive band to take note of, big changes for a yearly music event, and some more assorted notes, but first, here's SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for THIS WEEKEND! (Edited at 10:49 AM)

Local classic hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to The Rednecks Saloon for headlining concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, frontman Jason Roy only just announced the shows yesterday via their Facebook event page. Keeping with their recent trend of playing one weekend a month at the former Nicolet Tavern, this weekend's shows are apparently Havadder's last of the year, so if you want one last 2014 show with Jason and company, you know where to be for their often heavy covers! The event page implies that they have both new songs in their setlist and "old members", though it's not clear if they're meaning guest spots by ex-members or not. We can confirm though that ex-drummer Scott McLurg will fill in for T.J. Case for at least a third straight weekend, at least partly due to T.J.'s conflicting date with Mourning Wood TOMORROW at The New American, so keep that in mind also! Our source is Scott's personal Facebook page.

Admission for TONIGHT & TOMORROW is likely free, both shows have 10:00 PM start times, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links, don't miss Havadder's cover attack this weekend, and here are the guys at The Rednecks Saloon this fall!



Next up, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being Sault Ontario thrash metal quartet Pillory. While their Facebook page hasn't been updated in over 8 months, we can confirm their demise via their entry on the Encyclopaedia Metallum, which confirms that the band split up in August, after being "on hold" since April. Any update there must be sourced when a report is submitted, so it's likely that a band member sent it in to confirm their status. Pillory had been active since 2012 as one of the Soo's few pure thrash bands of recent years, debuting live at The Canadian Nightclub that November. After founding guitarist Andres Duchesne's sudden passing the next month, the band wouldn't hit the stage again with a full lineup until the winter of 2013/14, where they played a handful of all ages gigs and released their only EP "Cringe At The Cross" in December 2013. Later updates were sporadic and mostly concerned lineup changes, though it should be noted that frontman Robert Sartini's other recent projects have all quietly closed most of their online pages this year as well.

Pillory were a talented and brutal band that had a lot of promise, especially on their EP, but Andres' death and other delays didn't help their live concert frequency. It would be nice to see Robert get back into bands again (Pillory or otherwise), as he has the skill and drive, and the same goes for Josh, Devon, Bret, and other surviving ex-members in the future!

Also today, remember The Marquee, which is the outdoor concert stage from the last two years of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival? Well, it will return for a third year in February, but with a changed format. According to Bon Soo's website, The Marquee will be retracted from a daily event throughout the festival to a one-day event on Friday, February 6th (Bon Soo's opening day for 2015), with acts only playing from 5:00-9:00 PM. A reason for the retraction hasn't been announced, but as you may remember, The Marquee struggled with attendance issues earlier this year, as addressed in our review of the night I attended, which could be blamed partially on the cold weather and poor advertising, among other factors. According to a post on a local music Facebook group by co-organizer Jessica Bolduc, The Marquee will move indoors from The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to The Mill Market, which goes along with the whole festival's move to Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site for 2015.

With all of that said, if you or your band wants to play at The Marquee on February 6th, message co-organizer Aislyn Ireton A.S.A.P. at aislyn.ireton@student.saultcollege.ca. I'm disappointed to see The Marquee shrunk so much this year, as I do think the concept of a multi-day outdoor winter music stage has potential (especially if it's well advertised online), but if the shorter one-day indoor version can prove more sustainable, maybe they can expand The Marquee again for 2016? We'll keep you posted if hard rock or punk bands are on the lineup next year!

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

• The Bloody Boxing Day Basement Jam at 11 Hearst Street later this month has had a slight lineup adjustment, as the vacant slot will be filled by Brutally Fatal frontman Austin McCrae in a solo acoustic set, perhaps a throwback to his old Re-Born work? However, his solo set will now open the show at 6:00 PM, with the rappers bumped up a half hour, and Mikey Thomas now in the previously vacant 8:00 PM slot. Interesting, so visit the Facebook event page for more info!
• Leading from our addition of Telephone & Address' next album plans to yesterday's "Where Are The New Albums?" post,the Chris Shoust-led solo punk/grunge project is now distributing copies of their recent albums "The Rotten EP" and "Need Not Apply" on the online music store Interpunk! Nice to see, so keep that in mind also if you want to order physical copies! Both albums retail for $11,75 there, minus shipping fees.
• Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Drew will replace Greg Callaghan at the second annual X-Mess acoustic punk revue at The Algonquin Pub on  December 20th, and will be playing an acoustic set of Distillers covers under the handle "Ms. Tillers". Promoter J.D. Pearce revealed the change on the Facebook event page on Tuesday, confirming that Greg's out due to a scheduling snag. Disappointing for him and fans, but it's great to see Kate back, so stay tuned for more updates when they come in!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a Toystock fallout post next on the site! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (X-Mess 2), A New Interview, And Much More!!

Before we get to this post, here's another apology for a missed Mourning Wood concert, as they plugged Reggie's West shows for Friday night & last night on their Facebook page, but they didn't confirm a day for the shows in the first post, and we had no time plug the latter on here once we heard about it. Our sincere apologies, but don't miss them TODAY at Toystock! Now, here's one more post before we head to Toystock (and take care of concert reviews from the weekend), including assorted updates, new videos, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!

Local concert promoter J.D. Pearce will host a second annual X-Mess acoustic punk concert on Saturday, December 20th at The Algonquin Pub! Some of you guys may remember that this event originated at the LopLops Lounge last year (no word on why it moved this year), but like then, there will be a number of unplugged punk-leaning acts playing for the Christmas season, and after last year's positive reception, it's no surprise that we're getting a second go-round! Two performers are currently confirmed for X-Mess 2, including Northwest guitarist "Evil" Greg Callaghan (who played last year) and a presumably one-off band named Sleigher (formerly Mistlechode), whose lineup will be comprised of yet-identified Jack Spades members. Could they bear similarities to drummer Johnny Belanger's recent acoustic sets, just an unplugged Jack Spades set with seasonal music, or something else entirely? Find out on December 20th!

At least one more act is to be confirmed, but for reference, the artists last year included Greg, The Danger Cats, Bankshot alum Lucas Schmiedendorf (as "Dr. Sal Velinus"), and a one off band named The Debts featuring Jay Case, Jake Rendell, and Ryan Seabrook. This show has a 10:00 PM start time on the 20th, there's a $5 cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend, though no word yet on if there will be a recommendation to wear ugly Christmas sweaters again. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more info on this intriguing second X-Mess!

Next up, here's a neat new interview with former Woods of Ypres guitarist Joel Violette which features some insights and remarks on his run as the local blackened doom metal band's final lead guitarist! Conducted by phone with the YouTube interview series Behind The Screams (which focuses on metal singers), the interview largely focuses on Joel's current black metal band Thrawsunblat (who feature all surviving members of Woods of Ypres' last lineup), but there are three chunks of the 54 minute interview that Woods fans will be especially interested in! Around 10 minutes into the interview, Joel discusses the songwriting process & his contributions to their last CD "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" and the band's shift to a Type O Negative-inspired sound, wherein he also noted that he and late frontman David Gold planned to have most of the album ready for live concerts (with "Lightning & Snow" planned as a set opener), but the band obviously never got to that point before David's passing.

About 31 minutes in, Joel indicated that when Thrawsunblat begin playing live (which is an eventual goal), they'll likely play at least one Woods of Ypres song in their set, and he even demoed a black metal version of Woods' doom ballad "Finality" on air to show how it might sound. Lastly, at around 46 minutes in, he addressed when he began listening to Woods and the impact and recognition that followed their signing with Earache Records in 2010. Great interview overall, and it's nice to see Joel open up about Thrawsunblat too and the writing and processes for their albums and next material, so check it out below!

Also today, Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison has uploaded a pair of new videos onto the band's YouTube channel over the past few days! One video takes fans behind the scenes to the writing process for the Sault Michigan classical metal band, basically showing Craig playing a short solo composition on the keyboard which is presumably for a Theatre of Night original. Well done, though obviously not what the full song would sound like, so give it a look above! Embedded below though is a cover of Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses" that Craig posted on the band's channel, and it might be of extra note to fans of his old '80s metal cover band Dust 'N Bones! Featuring vocals and keyboard only, it's a well done version of this hair metal ballad with strong vocals (though no word on why it's in black & white) so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!



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

• Local musician Chris Raginskis is once again looking to start a band with him on vocals and/or rhythm guitar. He's focusing on Volbeat, Skillet, and some punk for preferred genres. It'd be nice to see Chris finally get a band going, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on November 20th!
• Last week, local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements revealed on their Facebook page that they'll be taking a break from concerts so they can write some original songs. That should be cool, and well be sure to welcome them back to the stage when the time is right!
• Newer local grunge/punk duo The Red & Black uploaded a new song to their Bandcamp page last week entitled "Not The Only One"! It's a short and somewhat sludgy original, but it's not yet clear if they plan to include it on their announced debut CD. Check it out at the above links though, and stay tuned fo more!

That's all for now, but I'll see you guys TODAY at Toystock, and remember, our Bear Hunters CD release show review is coming! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) This Weekend's Other Concert Previews, And More!!

Unless there's another short notice concert announcement, today's post covers the rest of this weekend's regional metal/hard rock concerts that I can verify! That leads off today's post (including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), but we also have news on a local concert venue's change in name & focus, and some more assorted updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Harp Pub & Grill for another solo acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only just announced the show on Wednesday. The third straight Friday night show that Tym has played at the former Madison's Pub, the Facebook event page for tonight's show says that he's live at The Harp "every Friday", which appears to indicate that Tym has another weekly concert arrangement set up with a local venue, which is nice to see! Tym hasn't had an ongoing regularly scheduled series like this since his early 2012 run at another central venue (Bossy's Pub N' Grub), and hopefully this finds similar success (or bigger) if it's of a similar consistent length! Note however that I don't know what this means for Tym's frequent recent appearances at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill, where he generally played his Friday shows at this year. TONIGHT'S show at The Harp has no announced cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Tym ramping up bookings at The Harp (his debut there on November 1st must have been a huge hit), and assuming this new series continues, keep an eye out for an announcement of a December 27th show there! For a preview, here's Tym live at Mill Square this summer!



Now to quite a unique concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT for our second hard-rock featured Loplops Lounge concert spotlighted on the SMS in just over a week! The show is X-Mess, an all acoustic punk rock revue at this higher-end downtown lounge, but there will be some hard rock on hand, as all female rockers The Danger Cats will break out the unplugged instruments for their sixth live concert! It'll be interesting to hear how they adapt in this environment, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! Also, no word on if singer Summer Snow-Leopard will be back for this show, but a personal Facebook posting implied she's back in town, so we'll have to see! The advertised headliners are an acoustic punk act named The Debts, and though public information has yet to be revealed on them, I will say they're a trio and feature some established names in local music, so they should put in a great set! The other acts are credited solo performers, including North West guitarist Greg Callaghan (who has played a number of solo unplugged punk shows in recent months) and "Dr." Sal Velinus, of whom I know little regarding his musical background.

Promoted by J.D. Pearce, this concert goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at 10:00 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an interesting and unique seasonal concert (you're even encouraged to wear ugly Christmas sweaters), so don't bypass it tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's The Danger Cats covering Hole at their live concert debut!

Also today, a local concert venue has had a major change to it's name and theme in recent months, as The Nicolet Tavern at 304 Albert Street West is now a country themed bar named The Rednecks Saloon. A reason for the change hasn't been publically announced (at least online), but this poster jokes that The Nicolet was "gunned down by a redneck." Renovations took place as well for the new look in late October, with the bar re-opening on Friday, November 1st, and though their phone number & much of the menu are unchanged, I haven't heard a whole lot about bands playing there since. The Nic last featured a hard rock band (Griphook) on October 25th, a week prior to the re-opening, with bands in recent years there generally leaning towards veteran cover groups. I have no clue at present if the new Rednecks Saloon will have an all country focus for music (a'la Reggie's) or if it's just the general theme of the bar now, but hopefully they won't completely forgo some classic hard rock once in a while! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!

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

• A selection of professional photos from Saturday night's Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert were taken by attendee Jeff McKersie and uploaded to his photography website earlier this week! Joining some earlier local musician shots, he got 5 great pictures each of F.F.U. and co-headliners Wilson (none of the local bands though), and they turned out great, so check them out at this link, and Jeff's now in our local concert/musician photography links!
• As a thank you to fans for their support during their run, defunct local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith have posted free streaming copies of their two "mainline" studio albums "Dragon Joy Ride" and "Deuce" on their BandCamp page! No word on if "Apocalypse", non-studio album releases, or any unreleased material will find it's way there eventually, but check out the free copies at the link above, and follow the members' current bands!
• Speaking of posthumous Haggith-related activity, the band revealed on the Facebook event page for their final show earlier this month that frontman Curtis McKenzie is "rumoured to be entering sessions" to complete his Sound X solo project's debut album "Three Year Relapse", though nothing further has been publically stated. Hopefully Curtis gets that project back up & running!

That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we get it, along with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats) & The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

As promised, the rest of this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews are in today's post! Nothing known with public word in the Sault Michigan area, but there's the return of heavier music to an unfamiliar location TONIGHT and a huge and very intriguing concert at The Canadian TOMORROW NIGHT for you Bam Margera fans! First though, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend relating to one of this weekend's previewed shows!

Just over a week after their LopLops Lounge debut, new local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats will return to LopLops on Saturday, December 21st (one week from tomorrow) as one of the performing acts at X-Mess, an all acoustic concert with an emphasis on punk performers! Promoted by prolific local punk/metal singer J.D. Pearce, the girls are slotted as co-headliners for this unique event behind a band named The Debts who (like Keep It Lit and Project 421) have no public info going into showtime. J.D. did sound excited by their setlist, but if anything public comes out on them, I'll let you guys know! The other performers are North West guitarist Greg Callaghan in a solo set, and a performer named "Dr. Sal" (presumably Sal Velinus, one of the credited hosts on the Facebook event page), though I'm not sure how Sal sounds or if he'll have any guests. Given the seasonal theme, J.D. recommends wearing ugly Christmas sweaters to this concert, which has a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links!

Note as well that I don't know whether Danger Cats singer Summer Snow-Leopard will be back for this show or not, but if I hear confirmation either way, I'll let you guys know! Quite possibly J.D.'s last promoted concert of 2013, this should be a very unique event, with a little spice of hard rock, so keep it in mind for next weekend!

Speaking of The Danger Cats at LopLops, they'll make their first appearance at this generally unfamiliar hard rock venue TONIGHT when they open for local folk/jazz rock quartet The Pesto Shirts! Essentially a moved re-do of a planned concert from last month, this will be the first show at 651 Queen Street East with a hard rock band that I can source since C'Mon played at LopLops in June 2011, so this has been a long time coming for this artistic local lounge and concert spot! Of course, The Pesto Shirts (last seen sharing the stage with a heavier band in their third place Battle of the Bands run in April) have a lot of talent and skill in their genre, and they should fit well at LopLops tonight as well! Admission is $5 for this 10:00 PM show, and you must be 19 to attend (same as the X-Mess show.) For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Hopefully The Danger Cats build on their momentum from the Haggith farewell show TONIGHT, so don't miss this different sort of show this evening, and for a preview, here's their temporary lineup covering The Misfits last weekend!



And finally for today's post, the main event for this weekend's metal & punk concerts goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, when Jackass/Viva La Bam star and professional skateboarder Bam Margera brings his band Fuckface Unstoppable to The Canadian Nightclub! Already notorious from his TV shows and the mayhem brought with them, Bam and his band (featuring members of Pennsylvania alt-metallers CKY) has been tearing up the stage since late last year, and with a hard hitting and very entertaining mix of covers and some irreverent originals of their own! I've been a fan of Bam Margera's for years, and I'm very curious to see what goes down tomorrow in concert, so come on down to The Canadian to find out! Joining Bam and company are Detroit hard rock quintet Wilson, who have their own attitude-fueled original sound that has a lot of promise and entertainment value, so don't miss their set either! Note that fellow advertised guests Kissing Candice (a New York electronica/metal band) are only playing select dates of this tour, and the Soo show is not among them.

Three local opening bands will open the proceedings tomorrow, including promoter J.D. Pearce's new punk/metal band Jack Spades, who will debut new second guitarist Jesse Cook (Winkstinger) during tomorrow's set! They've been leaving a good impression in recent months, and so have fellow openers Destroilet, who will tear up The Canadian's stage for the first time tomorrow themselves with their own hardcore punk insanity! The lineup is rounded out by local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, who won last month's Viva La Battle for the right to the last slot at tomorrow's concert, and their brutal originals should leave a heavy impression to start the evening! With an early start time, they'll be on at 7:15 PM tomorrow, with the lineup on the Facebook event page listing the other band times as Destroilet at 8:15 PM, Jack Spades at 9:00 PM, Wilson at 9:40 PM, and Fuckface Unstoppable headlining at 10:30 PM. Despite the early timeslots, this is still a 19+ concert, and tickets are still available for $25 ($40 for the V.I.P. experience) at The Canadian's front desk and at The Rad Zone.

Check the above links for more details! This should be a very fun concert, and given some of the reviews and setlists I've read from this tour, there's bound to be a lot of different and crazy stuff wrapped around Bam Margera's set! Them and the openers should all put in a great time, and kudos to J.D. for bringing this package of bands here! Plus, it helps that I'm already a big fan of CKY, so F.F.U. should help bring some of that experience tomorrow as well! I'll see you guys there TOMORROW NIGHT, get your tickets A.S.A.P., and for a preview, here's Fuckface Unstoppable playing their original "Moonshine" live this spring!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for hopefully a new news post before TOMORROW'S Fuckface Unstoppable concert, and if not, I'll see you guys there! Thanks everyone!