LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Live 705 Local Show), New & Returning Local Punk Bands, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Canadian Nightclub DJ and former local concert promoter Jay Perron, who reportedly passed away earlier today at the age of 43. Given the sudden word, we don't know details about final services yet, but will get them to you when announced. A familiar sight for fans of club nights and dance parties at The Canadian under his handle "DJ Reverend J", Jay frequently hosted such events under the Total Package Entertainment and Edge Entertainment brandings, including planned Halloween events this weekend, while he also has DJed at venues like the former GLOW, Vibe Lounge, and Docks locations in the past. Jay had also dabbled in rock concert promoting in the past, and in The Sault Metal Scene's early years, he was extremely helpful in letting me know about concert cancellations and lineup clarifications for shows at The Canadian, and was still friendly and reliable when needed even after the venue cut back on solely-local concert bookings.

Though we weren't in as much contact in recent years as we had been, Jay was a very nice guy and always willing to help when clarifying or confirming news on the site, and he even gave social advice beyond music coverage. As a personal aside, his mother was the maid of honour at my parents' wedding in 1988. No word yet on the status of Jay's planned Halloween parties at The Canadian this weekend, but visit the above links for information in that regard, and our thoughts and best wishes are with everyone affected by this sad news. R.I.P. Jay!

Now, today's post features an intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but as it involves a debuting local band, we'll lead off with that! The new local band in question is A Dire Setback, who feature some familiar names in their lineup, including former A Fall From Innocence singer Larry Babic, ex-The Fallout/Shore guitarist Chris Nielsen, bassist Matt Quinn, and ex-State of Misery/Stealing Kisses drummer Nick Kainula. The members' past bands may hint towards a punk/alternative genre, but in personal Facebook conversations, Nick has told me that they have "a different sound" and aren't "super punk", while their Facebook page lists their genre as "TBD", so take that for what it's worth. A Dire Setback have been recording in some form or another since August, and have already ordered a stage banner, so they're on their way to a public launch, so when will that be?

How about at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, November 19th? Courtesy of the band's new in-house concert promotion agency Live 705, the band and company will debut that night for "The Live 705 Local Show", whose lineup calls more to the late 2000s punk/alternative Oddfellows shows than more recent death metal/grind events there. A Dire Setback are the listed co-headliners, with indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. headlining in a rare Oddfellows appearance (perhaps their first?) Other listed bands on the 19th include a pair of bands that played at the Sky's The Limit fundraiser at The Tech in May, including online page-less classic rock trio Electric Church (in the Spencer Pine-led band's Oddfellows Hall debut) and alternative/hard rock trio The Din, so if you liked that event, keep this one in mind! Also, here's an unexpected surprise for punk fans, as late-2000s punk quartet Talk Shit have reunited and will play their first show in seven years on the 19th!

No online pages yet (or then), but singer/drummer Adam Sauve, guitarist Marc LaFrance, and bassist Ian Robinson are back alongside new guitarist Steve Shaw, who is replacing the relocated Andrew Angelic in their new lineup. This is an unexpected surprise (increasingly so if you miss members' earlier band Renderware too), so it'll be interesting to hear how Talk Shit sound in their return, and hopefully they finally launch an online page of some type! The lineup is rounded out by hard rock quartet Eclipse and local rapper Jasmin "Jizzy Baby" Sky, who you may recognize from recent Soo York City rap events. I'm not familiar with her musically, but we have seen rappers open Oddfellows shows in the past, so she should set the tone well! This ALL AGES show next month has a 5:30 PM start time, and tickets are now available for $8 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, the Thomas Walls School of Music, and directly from band members (if there's a planned price hike at the door, it's not publically stated.)

This is a very intriguing concert for punk and alternative fans, including a nice balance of established, returning, and newer faces, and it does call to mind the more varied punk shows at The Oddfellows Hall from the mid-late 2000s! Absolutely stay tuned for updates, both A Dire Setback and Live 705 are in their appropriate sections for our links now, and stay tuned for more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock) & More Assorted Updates!!

Today's news post is mostly devoted to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but we also have a handful of assorted recent updates to round things out. With all of that said, here's what you need to know!

The official lineup for this year's fifth annual Toystock charity concert has been announced, with 10 bands rocking for 10 hours once again! The event returns to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road for a second straight year on Sunday, November 20th, and while the lineup and poster have been floating around personal Facebook pages for a few weeks, we only received public confirmation of the lineup via local news sites like SooToday and Sault Online earlier today. Harbouring a very different lineup than last year, only two bands are returning from 2015, including country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record breaking fourth Toystock set) and the return of Christmas-themed punk outfit The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet and Treble Charger alumni), so it'll be fun to see them again, especially as their non-seasonal spin-off band Killer hasn't been up to much publically! These are the advertised headlining bands via local news media, and while the poster's band order isn't identical, we'll treat the lineup from articles as accurate unless otherwise stated.

They're presumably on at 9:00 & 8:00 PM each, while the remaining lineup of debuting bands includes funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 7:00 PM, punk trio Redundant at 6:00 PM, classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires (with new guitarist Bill Brouillard in tow) at 5:00 PM, debuting local rock band Shyte at 4:00 PM, 1960s-themed classic rock quartet The Peace Vibe at 3:00 PM, alternative hard rock trio The Din at 2:00 PM, unidentified Case's Music students at 1:00 PM, and online page-less hard rock quartet The Band Camp Rejects (successors to 2015 one-off band Under the Influence) at 12:00 PM. Notably, the Case's Music students are replacing a previously advertised return of students from the Bocturoc Acacemy of Music for unannounced reasons, though Bocturoc was only advertised before public announcements were made. As for Shyte, promoter Greg Simpson confirmed on Facebook that they're a new band from veteran local singer Jim O'Leary, of That's Chester & Flat Stanley fame.

This wouldn't be the first time that Jim debuted a band at Toystock, as his old band Griphook were revealed at Toystock I in 2012, but how will Shyte look and sound? We'll let you know if we hear anything! Promoted once again by Maxx Entertainment (now officially called Choose Maxx), this year's Toystock is again an ALL AGES charity event, with Christmas Cheer food, toy, and/or money donations being readily accepted on site, and those are also the admission fee as usual. The Stuff-A-Bus will be back as well, while Santa & Mrs. Claus will be on hand to meet the kids, and there will be refreshments on sale, and various prize giveaways. Toystock V is shaping up to be another fun marathon concert, and while it maintains it's usual Rotaryfest Stage 1-style lineup, there's a nice sampling of original performers as well (including Redundant, who we don't see live nearly enough anymore), and it'll be interesting to see how the Case's Music students do also! Will they resemble the late Mike Case's Junior All Star bands from Toystocks II & III? Be there to find out!

There's a little something for everyone at this year's Toystock, so be at the Northern Grand Gardens (not the Dennis Street location) on Sunday, November 20th for 10 hours of live music action and Christmas good will from 10 talented local bands, and stay tuned for updates! We'll close today with some assorted recent news and notes from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters have officially been confirmed to open THIS FRIDAY'S Norilsk concert at The Oddfellows Hall! There had initially been concerns about work and other personal commitments scuttling plans, but the band and promoters have confirmed that they are able to play in what will be their first live concert appearance since drummer Johnny Belanger's birthday concert there in May. This has been a long summer without The Bear Hunters, but welcome them back to the stage on Friday, and stay tuned for our full preview later this week!
• We have removed former Queen Street bar and acoustic concert venue Bottoms Up Lounge from our defunct venue links, as it's only surviving online page (a personal account named after the venue) has been turned into ex-owner Lori Lanoce's own personal Facebook page in recent years. Bottoms Up was a nice quality venue, especially for Tym Morrison solo gigs once upon a time, and hopefully regulars maintain good memories of it!
• The planned one-off Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute (named "Hey, What About Us?!") has quietly been removed from the lineup of THIS SATURDAY'S Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub for unannounced reasons. Maybe a key member(s) can't make it? A replacement act is to be announced, and we'll let you know if they're confirmed by the time of this weekend's concert previews!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features in short order! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota Updates & Tour Fallout, New Woods Of Ypres Video Finds, And More!!

The last full week of October is upon us, so let's kick things off in style with a stacked news post! Today, we have a new Sault Michigan cover video, and surprise archive videos from a dearly departed local metal band, and leading off, the latest videos and coverage of a fast-rising local hard rock act, so here's what you need to know!

Let's start by tackling some overdue recent notes and updates from local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota, who recently wrapped up their Ontario tour run with ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus! While in Ottawa earlier this month, Mike and Id Iota recorded an interview and some in-studio songs for Carleton University campus radio station CKCU FM 93.1's program Carleton Music Showcase, with the episode airing last week, but if you don't live in Ottawa, you're in luck, as the episode is online! The hour-long program is largely a music showcase (naturally) of various artists, notably leading off with fellow Sault Ste. Marie-native Renee Landry, while the local band portion begins about 5:57 in with Mike's debut pop rock solo single "Drowning Crown", followed by a brief interview by co-host Andrew Knox with both Mike and Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay. The interview proper features discussion about both acts' music and background, how both joined forces to tour, and more, and while it's brief, it's an amusing clip!

For reference sake, Christian did bring up The Pixo Control in the interview when referencing how he and Mike met, but nothing was elaborated on regarding their demise. Also, Mike's new solo band features Pixo Control holdover & Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall on bass alongside Mike's old Fever Tops bandmate Mitch Harris on drums, so followers of his whole music career will be right at home! The interview is followed by one more new Mike Mikus original (the laid back "Figures as Much") and two Id Iota songs ("Permanence In Pencil" & "California Wasted" from their debut EP "Maudlin Fair".) Solid performances overall, so definitely check out the full interview and episode at this link, and get ready, as the Mikus/Iota segment runs for 22 minutes! As for the tour proper, Id Iota had their cameras rolling for three video uploads on their Facebook page, all 1 minute or less in length, including this video in Toronto, and this heavier song from London.

Embedded below is the only song they titled in the descriptions, namely their newer track "Seas Envy Skies", with Christian manning some type of beeping effects board early during this portion of their set in Ottawa. I wish the filmer had shot longer videos, but kudos for what they did get, and remember, the technical last stop of their tour comes on November 26th at LopLops Lounge, so watch for them then! See and hear more above and in the coming days, and check out Id Iota in Ottawa below!

Next up, here's some surprising new video finds from defunct local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres! These were actually uploaded to the David Gold's Legacy Facebook page shortly after his passing in December 2011, but they absolutely flew under the radar here and there, with the 4 videos only having a combined 8 likes on Facebook as of this writing, and it took a recent YouTube re-posting by fan Hlynur Svartaduhter for us to have even found them. These four videos come from Woods of Ypres' set at the one-off Obey the Flame Festival in Montreal, Quebec on May 25th, 2003, back when they were a Windsor-based black metal outfit. Based on an Internet Archive copy of their website from May 2003, their lineup here includes eventual frontman David Gold on drums, alongside singer Robin Cross, guitarists Dustin Black & Colin Wysman, and bassist/clean vocalist Aaron Palmer (all but David left Woods of Ypres by year's end, when he relocated to Toronto and started over with new band members.)

Filmed on camcorder by an attendee, the videos feature Woods of Ypres playing "Intro: The Shams of Optimism", "Crossing the 45th Parallel", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", and (as embedded below) "A Meeting Place & Time". Notably comprising all of their 2002 debut EP "Against the Seasons" save for the closer "Awaiting the Inevitable", the audio's solid despite the videos' age and recording format, and while it's still unusual to see Woods of Ypres without David up front, these capture the future Juno winners in brutal form from their early Windsor days, and hopefully more turns up! Fans should definitely check them out above & below!



Finally, here's a new solo cover from Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel, as posted last week! The Sault Michigan native again revisited his old Dust N' Bones side for this cover, where he sings "We All Die Young" by Steelheart, as later popularized in the 2001 movie Rock Star. Filmed on a Go-Pro or similar handi-cam, and with a sepia tone filter placed over top of the video, this isn't a bad rendition, and Craig can hit higher notes well, but some of his singing does sound a little strained. Check it out below, and see more from his various projects above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (9 Lives & Counting), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Let's cover the rest of this weekend's concert previews (barring any supremely late notice events) in this post, with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and a new Shaw TV video to round things out for good measure! Now, here's what you need to know!

Toronto hard rock quartet 9 Lives & Counting will make their local concert debut with a headlining show at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, November 25th! As the Facebook event page says, trouble is coming to "the Sault Ste. Marie" for this concert, with 9 Lives & Counting touring in support of their debut CD "Beautiful Distraction", and their groovy blend of hard and alternative rock should be a solid attraction for local fans next month! Haggith alumni will populate the local opening slots, with modern hard rock quartet Eclipse and alternative/hard rock trio The Din returning to The Rockstar Bar to deliver their own original songs and select covers for fans, so don't miss out and don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and while an oddly early start time of 8:00 PM is advertised, I'd assume bands won't play until at least 9:00. This should be a fun night for fans of modern hard rock, and 9 Lives & Counting definitely aren't a cookie cutter band, so check the above links for more details on next month's show!

Next up, let's tackle this weekend's remaining hard rock concert previews, all in the Sault Michigan area, starting with Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned, who are advertised as returning to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Though Banned have curiously not posted on their Facebook page in over a month, this weekend's shows are the last currently advertised on their Facebook page's cover photo (they have yet to acknowledge their last two Kewadin weekends that the venue previously confirmed.) Unless something is said to the contrary, we'll treat these as on! Fans may want to check out frontman Alex Traynor's recent feature in Shotcaller Magazine though, as he gets a one page spotlight in the Midwest U.S. photography magazine's latest issue. Seems like an odd fit, but it's a nice look into Alex's influences and musical background, so check pages 42 &43 at this link for the full article via it's online edition!

As for this weekend's scheduled Rapids Lounge gigs, look for Alex, Don, and Wayne at around 9:00 PM tonight and tomorrow, with no cover charges and 21+ age limits in effect both nights. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!



Lastly for this weekend, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Again, Highway 63 haven't newly plugged these shows, but both the band and venue confirmed them publically in earlier schedule announcements.This veteran outfit remain a steady and entertaining attraction with their monthly gigs at both local Kewadin Casino branches, and with alumni of Monkey's Uncle, The Mama's Boys, I.S.O.M., and Deprecor in their lineup, you won't want to miss out on this weekend's action! Highway 63 will be on at the St. Ignace Kewadin tonight and tomorrow at 9:00 PM, and also like Banned's shows, expect 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Check the above links for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!

Finally, here's a new Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie feature video on local post-punk quartet Gnaeus! Posted onto Shaw TV's YouTube channel yesterday, this wasn't acknowledged online by the band prior, but I believe it aired on channel 10's news video rotation before making it's way to YouTube. The piece was filmed by Shaw TV's Christian Lemay (Id Iota), with performance footage from their set opening for The Din at The Tech in August scattered within interview clips of Gnaeus shot downtown in front of the MS Norgoma. The interview proper features all 4 members discussing Gnaeus' formation, why Brad Irwin plays the synth, the guys' enjoyment of what they do, their debut CD "Meditations" and the origin of the album's name, experiences recording the album and playing live, where to buy the CD (there are copies at Pino's, believe it or not), and more. Solid interview that covers a lot of positive ground in a short time, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Christian and Id Iota very soon as well!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soo Zombie Walk & Mourning Wood) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's get back into the swing of things with the first of this weekend's concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including a big returning event! Sault Michigan previews and any even-later notice concerts will come in out next post, either tonight or tomorrow, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their official Facebook event page earlier this week. Playing at the former Nicolet Tavern for the first time since last month's Garth Brooks tribute afterparty, Mourning Wood has indicated that "the full band" will be back for TOMORROW'S show, implying that their last few gigs there were shorthanded (though I thought all 4 members played last month.) No word on why this is a one-night-only concert though, which is reasonably unusual for them, though if it's due to a Saturday night booking elsewhere, it hasn't been publically announced. You can take in Mourning Wood's varied and often heavy blend of covers TOMORROW at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. See above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, the musical contingent for this year's Soo Zombie Walk afterparty has finally been announced, as local alternative punk/blues veterans Sykotyk Rampage, Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan, and Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci will be rocking out at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center THIS SATURDAY prior to the walk! Apologies again for the short notice, organizers didn't publically confirm any performers until Tuesday on the Facebook event page, much later than usual. For this eighth annual local Zombie Walk (and fourth straight at the Bushplane Museum), local zombies of ALL AGES will patrol downtown for brains and to combat the resistance, so click here for full details on events in regard to the walk proper and how to get involved! This year's music lineup will be familiar as well, with Sykotyk Rampage and Greg making their sixth & fourth straight appearances at the annual Halloween season event, with Sykotyk Rampage's involvement being especially notable as this will be their first public local concert since last year's Zombie Walk! Only Andrew is new, and if you're familiar with Stereo North, you'll know his vocal & guitar talent!

It's been way too long to see Sykotyk Rampage back on a local stage, so if you've missed them in 2016, be at the zombie walk on Saturday for their crash music! No word though on if their set will be acoustic again or not. Also, there are no online references to an afterparty for this year's Zombie Walk, and if there is no afterparty, it would mark the first walk without one since the inaugural event in 2009. For reference, last year's afterparty took place at Coch's Corner, which also hosted 2010 & 2013's afterparties, and it featured the same music lineup as the pre-walk festivities had. If anything is confirmed regarding an afterparty, we'll let you know! Sykotyk Rampage are on last on SATURDAY at 5:00 PM, with Greg and Andrew playing at 4:30 & 4:00 PM respectively, and their sets sandwich children's and adult's brain eating contests. After orientation and rules, the walk itself will take place from 6:00-7:00 PM, with award presentations following upon return to the museum.

Admission to this year's Soo Zombie Walk is $3 with a canned good donation (kids under 10 only need a canned good), while click here for full details on waiver and registration forms, particularly if you're underage. While the music announcements are on short notice and with some lingering questions (re: the afterparty), there's a fun lineup in store, including the long awaited local concert return of Sykotyk Rampage, so whether you're hungry for brains or just want to enjoy some live punk music, be at The Bushplane Museum on Saturday! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage live!

Finally, we'll close with prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's previously announced concerts, as he is scheduled to return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for three more acoustic solo concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! With the month of October winding along, Tym's three-peat of weekly concerts at The Quality Inn's restaurant should be another reliable and reserved attraction for fans this weekend, so keep Tym's latest unplugged shows in mind for some acoustic hard rock cover action! Remember, he is playing at Gliss next weekend, in case you want some Halloween weekend plans. As usual for Tym's long-term arrangement at Gliss, tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday's shows are 6:00 PM matinee events with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember where these are being held. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym Morrison live a few years back!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Gnaeus), New Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

Let's launch a new news post for you guys on this Monday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent updates, plus some long awaited new cover videos from a pair of Sault Michigan artists, but let's kick things off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Local post-punk/garage-wave quartet Gnaeus will return to the stage for a solo headlining concert on Friday, November 18th at LopLops Lounge! The band hasn't confirmed this show publically yet (or posted on their Facebook page in three weeks), but the venue announced the show via their own Facebook event page yesterday, as part of a mass posting of event pages for upcoming concerts there. This is Gnaeus' first advertised concert since Tidal Records' Gnar-BQ last month, and their first LopLops appearance since headlining there in July. No word on if there's a special quirk or theme for this show, or if it is truly just a regular Gnaeus concert, but fans of their varied post-punk originals and select covers should definitely consider a trip down to LopLops next month! This show has a $5 cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Gnaeus when it rolls in!

Next up, we have some new solo performance videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with the latest cover postings from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel! In his first postings there in three months, Ryan (who now lists his "Moe Brown" alias on the channel's name too) posted vocal/guitar covers of Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and, as embedded below, Matchbox Twenty's "Bright Lights" there last week. Both featuring color filters put on in post, these aren't badly done renditions, and Ryan's vocal range continues to get more confident, so check out his latest covers above & below!



Also new to YouTube is the first solo cover video from ex-Insipid Brutality/Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie's YouTube channel in over two years! No word on what took him so long, but this video is a cover of the guitar solo and outro from Pantera's "Floods", and doing so flawlessly from what I could tell! Scott was always a highlight among Sault Michigan-area metal guitarists, and hopefully we see him in a new band soon, but check out his take on "Floods" below!



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

• Former Why guitarist Chris Nielsen is looking for local bands to round out the lineup of a planned all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, November 19th. 6 bands are scheduled, and as of this past Saturday, he had 3 enlisted to play 30 minute sets, though if Chris is playing in a (new?) band that night, I can't confirm their identity yet. There's even interest regarding a possible Fitswitch(?!) reunion, but if you're interested in playing, message Chris at this link or via his post on the Sault Ste. Marie All Ages group!
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires have quietly enlisted ex-Sneaky Pete rhythm guitarist Bill Brouillard to join the band, replacing Travis Sharpe, while bassist Steve Dowding is now credited as their full lead vocalist. A reason for Travis' departure wasn't announced, but he was quietly removed from their lineup and cover photo on their Facebook page over the past day. Hopefully nothing bad happened with Travis, but fingers crossed that we see him in a new band soon, and Bill should be a nice fit with the Millonaires, so stay tuned for the new lineup's debut!
• Tidal Records' songwriting contest at LopLops Lounge on Saturday was won by Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone, so he'll be recording his original song "Show Me What That Is" with Tidal Records in the near future. While a hard rock or punk artist would have been nice to see win, congratulations to Nathan on a well deserved victory! He's a talented country musician, as Thin Ice fans will attest to! For reference sake, the most recent postings advertising the contest didn't mention Jacob "Shit Creek Survivor" Quarrell as performing anymore, though if true, I don't know why he dropped out.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the next while! Thanks everyone!

Moon Tan Concert Video Showcase, Plus Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to new concert videos from a recent show, as we previously hinted on Wednesday, but we have some extra assorted updates at post's end as well. Let's start with those videos, courtesy of prolific local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel, as he was on hand for last week's short notice Moon Tan concert at The New American Pub! He did film each band, so let's start with the nominal headliners (even if they didn't actually play last), as Chris filmed the Winnipeg prog/funk rock trio playing their songs "The Cure", this instrumental jam (I can't place the name), and as embedded below, "The Faceless Knight". Moon Tan have a solid look and sound on these videos, combining moon faced costumes with songs that seem to combine Rush with funk rock, and it works well for them, with fans visibly getting into the groove! Check out Moon Tan live at The New A below, and see more from their debut local set above!



Next up, Chris filmed both of the night's local bands, including this video of alternative/hard rock trio The Din covering The Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly", albeit from a further camera angle than Moon Tan had. Well done cover that suits The Din's sound, though an attendee up front does get in the way of Tammy at times. Check it out below!



Chris' other video from last week's concert is of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who enlisted guest saxophonist Josh Norling once again for this show, which is always a nice addition! I'm not 100% positive, but it also looks like Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas filled in for Alex Hagerman on drums, which he has done in the past. This video has The Elements, Josh, and Jonas covering Tenacious D's "Kielbasa" with enthusiasm, and Rob Speers has some solid conviction to his voice here, so check out this new Elements cover below, and don't miss them as "The Plaid Martens" in two weeks!



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

• Petoskey, Michigan classic rock radio station KLT (WKLZ, 98.9 FM) and it's originating station in Kalkaska were among eight stations sold by Northern Broadcast to Blarney Stone Broadcasting last month. Though KLT remains on the air as usual, early reports have the KLT stations either becoming simulcasts of existing Grayling rock station Q100.3, or vice versa with KLT adopting Q100's larger and more request-driven playlist rotation. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but pay attention to 98.9 FM (which gets fringe reception in the Sault Ste. Marie area) for potential changes!
• Lake Superior State University's campus radio station WLSO (90.1 FM) officially re-branded this summer as The 46th Parallel Radio (referencing the circle of latitude that the Sault area sits upon), and plan to launch online streams of the station via TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This followed a listener contest to name what was announced as their "new online station", but it has since been confirmed that they meant the FM station proper and it's online stream. The new name doesn't really reflect the school so much as the region, but be sure to check The 46th Parallel Radio out, and remember that they do occasionally run heavier music!
• New Sault Ontario outdoor concert venue The Yard has a new co-owner, namely Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori! The news was revealed in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly earlier today, where Greig reflects on the fondly remembered Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor venue Castle Farms, and his hopes to bring a similar concert roster and feel to the Huron Street location. The idea of making this a "new" Castle Farms has been floated before, and it'd be great to see that come to fruition, so hopefully Greig can help make The Yard a regular and major concert destination in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates next week! Thanks everyone!