LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fringe North/Up The Arts Festival & Tym Morrison), Plus More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the continuation of this busy concert preview stretch, and yes, our Darsombra preview is coming next! For now though, let's tackle other Sault Ontario gigs this weekend, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

As part of this year's Up The Arts Multi-Arts Festival (in conjunction with the Fringe North International Theater Festival), The Arts Council of Algoma are hosting three FREE & ALL AGES concerts this weekend at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and two have hard rock and/or punk acts! Apologies for the short notice on both of these events, they did get reasonable advance notice on sources other than their website (thankfully), but I've had a lot on my plate both on the site and away from it as of late. TOMORROW'S first show will be toplined by local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (who did play as part of this festival last year) at 11:00 PM, while frontman Rob Speers' other electric band Jack Spades will bring their punk/metal hybrid assault to the stage at 10:00 PM. If you miss seeing more aggressive bands under the big tent downtown, you won't want to miss out on TOMORROW NIGHT'S action!

Other bands include blues rock veterans The Dell Brothers (née The Paul DellaVedova Band) at 8:00 PM, former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti at 7:00 PM, and new local acoustic jam rock band Unorganized Township at 6:00 PM, while "Max" and Grup the Clown will open the event at 5:00 PM, adding a Fringe North touch to this one. There's a little something for everyone on this night, and the intensity builds towards the heavy closing bands, so don't miss the FREE & ALL AGES action TOMORROW, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Elements live!

The second day of free music at the Pavilion is on SATURDAY, where The Elements' unplugged side project The Wyld Stallyns will also return from last year's Fringe North/Up The Arts festivities! Playing a rare show away from The Whiskey Barrel, their fan-friendly acoustic covers should find another solid audience, and you can see them kick off SATURDAY'S lineup at 4:30 PM! Max & Grup aside (who will technically close that night at 11:00 PM), your headliner is Juno Award-winning local country musician Crystal Shawanda, and given that this show is FREE, genre fans shouldn't want to miss her return home! Her headlining set is at 9:00 PM, while classic rock cover veterans Mustang Heart will open at 6:00 PM after The Stallyns wrap up. Once again, SATURDAY'S entertainment is for FREE and is available to ALL AGES, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

For reference, Sunday's Up The Arts music lineup is an earlier affair leaning to acoustic performers and Fringe North performers, Max & Grup again included, so click here for details on that front. As for SATURDAY, this should be a fun show for country fans in particular, especially if you missed Crystal at the Go North Festival, and The Wyld Stallyns will set the tone well, while Mustang Heart are known to have a few heavier covers too! See above for more info, and here's The Stallyns live last year!



Next up, prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has another stacked concert weekend ahead, as while we'll see him back at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY and at La Terrazza Franzisi in Richards Landing on SUNDAY, he will also return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road for a few shows this month and beyond, including TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only confirmed the Roadhouse shows via their Facebook event page on Monday. Adding to his already stacked concert calendar (which recently included a few private events, according to Tym's personal Facebook page), he has lined up 10 more nighttime gigs at this popular east end tavern for this month, November, and next February & March, but of course, we approach Tym's extensive and often long-term gigs a month at a time. As such, TOMORROW'S show is an immediate must if you miss seeing him at night in more of a typical venue!

The other August gigs are next Thursday & Friday, August 22nd and 23rd, with the former being his only Thursday nighter in an otherwise Friday-centric slate there. All of these three Roadhouse shows (his first there since June) are 10:00 PM & 19+ affairs with no cover charge, while his usual Gliss and seasonal La Terrazza Franzisi gigs are 6:00 & 1:00 PM matinees respectively with no cover or age limit to speak of, but remember, these are restaurants first and foremost. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here, and above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally for today's previews (Darsombra aside), let's head to Reggie's West, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return for three shows TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY! Yes, I said three, as while they will be playing their usual solo concerts at 10:00 PM both nights, they will be doubling up on Saturday via their second straight appearance at the annual Ride For ARCH motorcycle rally's pre-show festivities outside of the venue! Of course, this charity event for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice is an exceedingly worthy cause, and it's great so see so many riders and supporters bringing this event back to The Reggievelt on Saturday, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full details on how to enter the rally or attend the Korah Road street party! The regular nighttime shows are 19+ affairs with no cover, but the Ride For ARCH is ALL AGES.

Soundcheck's 5:30 PM slot will precede country cover quartet Bone Yard headlining at 9:30 PM, plus classic rockers Flathead Ford at 8:00 PM & the aforementioned Dell Brothers at 6:30 PM, while acoustic country duo The Bearded Lounge and folk/classic rock band The Algo Rhythms will open at 3:30 & 2:00 PM each. Lots of veteran cover talent for the cause, and everyone should deliver a great set on Saturday, with lots more Soundcheck where that came from beforehand & afterward! See above for more details on these gigs, and here's Soundcheck live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Darsombra preview and much more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rudyard Musicians Festival), Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Let's kick off a busy weekend for concerts to preview at the SMS, and we'll start with an all-Sault Michigan/E.U.P. installment today! As best as I can gather, we'll tackle the Fringe North/Up The Arts shows with punk/hard rock acts later today, plus Tym Morrison and Soundcheck, with Darsombra to follow on Friday in a regular news post, though this is all subject to change. Now, here's what you should know to start things off, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT & related apology!

Local hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to the fourth annual Rudyard Musicians Festival at Rudyard Township Park (18725 South Mackinac Trail) THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the lineup was quietly unveiled back in June, but 906 haven't actively plugged the festival online at all. Marking their fourth straight appearance at this annual fundraiser festival, with proceeds again going to Rudyard Area Schools' music & band programs, this year's Musicians Fest will see a smoked pork dinner, local concessions, and on-site camping as usual, so see the above links for full non-musical details! While not part of 906's open date search from earlier this year, fans can look forward to a later co-headlining set in year #4, with their set taking place at 10:00 PM. Surprisingly, Rudyard cover rock band Steelhead are not playing this year despite their promotional ties to the event, with Second Offense taking on the headlining slot at 11:00 PM in their third Musicians Fest set.

Classic rock band The Whole Shabang will play for the third straight year in the 9:00 PM slot, while, as usual, remaining acts are largely in the country/bluegrass vein. Fans can look for The North Country Band at 8:00 PM, Rob & Bob (Malaski) at 7:00 PM, Brian Harrison at 6:00 PM, The Flock at 5:00 PM, Denny Verrett at 4:00 PM, Rusted Spurs at 3:00 PM, Jimmy Williams at 2:00 PM, Joyride at 1:00 PM, and Kevin Blakeney opening at 12:00 PM. Aside from The Flock and Joyride, I believe every act this year has played a credited set in a past Musicians Fest, so if you like past lineups, you are in good hands! We'll let you know if anyone beyond Project 906 has hard rock songs up their sleeves. As usual, Musicians Fest IV is a $5 event at the door (kids 10 and under are FREE), and it's great to see another stacked roster of local musicians join forces in Rudyard on SATURDAY for a great cause! For a preview, here's a new video of Project 906!

This comes from their short notice set at this year's Sidewalk Sales on August 2nd, where they played outside of Crooked Music's brand new location, just across the road from their original Ashmun Street building. I profusely apologize for missing this show for coverage on the site, but 906 only put the show's event page up with six minutes to spare, and Crooked Music's Facebook page never credited the band by name in advance. We'd have covered it had we gotten a semblance of prior notice! You can tell that this was a big event given the Sidewalk Sales ties and Crooked Music's grand re-opening festivities that weekend, and congratulations to Zac and Christy and all the staff on the big move, short as it is! As for the video, this is of Project 906 covering Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business" and The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See", as live-streamed for the store's Facebook page.

Clearly in a 1970s kick at this point in the day, Project 906 handle these covers well and with good passion, though a zoom would have helped, and it's a shame that there wasn't more of a crowd turnout when Crooked Music's camera was rolling, especially with all the chairs laid out. Solid video overall, so give it a look below, don't miss Project 906 THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at the Rudyard Musicians Festival, and visit the above links for more details!



Finally, let's address the continuation of new local hard rock band Tarnished's run of early morning matinee gigs "every Thursday" at Biggby Coffee, as they'll be back for another go-around TODAY! After their Sugar Island Music Festival set this past weekend with the full band and electric instruments, this will see Alex & Josh back in their acoustic, drummer-less form at the Ashmun Street coffee shop, so if you want to see them break out more hard rocking covers for tips and coffee, and you're up for a morning concert, you know where to be! This 10:30 AM matinee has no age limits or cover charges as usual, and just for reference, Tarnished are not playing an Ashmun Alive! set today, as according to their Facebook page, they are hitting the road for Alex's current homebase of Mount Pleasant for a show there tonight. Of course, we wish Alex & Josh the best down south, so see above for more details, and here's Tarnished live last month!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for Sault Ontario weekend concert previews starting later today! Thanks everyone!

Two Band Reunions, An Update To Our Band Links, And Much More!!

Let's keep the news train rolling on this Monday evening, so what will you find here? A couple of videos, bands being moved out of and into our inactive band links, and leading off, big updates concerning the openers of a major concert next month, so here's what you should know!

Inactive local horror punk quintet Frightlight and local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will provide support at the Michale Graves concert at The Canadian Nightclub on September 28th, as per updates on the Facebook event page last month! A surprise announcement to say the least, this will one of A Dire Setback's biggest trio-era platforms ever, but of course, this will be Frightlight's first show since the Halloween weekend last year, and just their second since 2014, though this is being advertised a one night only reunion once again, so they remain in our inactive band links. Of course, Frightlight were well known for their covers of and inspiration from Graves-era Misfits, so they are a beyond fitting choice to open! Notably, this will also see the return of rhythm guitarist Kevin "St. Mayhem" Powe after he missed their reunion set last year, and as a teaser, Frightlight posted this short video onto their Facebook page on July 31st of Kevin (sans makeup) covering "Rust Angel".

Of course, "Rust Angel" began life as a surf rock-inspired Fitswitch song before their successors adopted it in a heavier form factor, so fans of both bands will like this! The over-exposed lighting and tight camera angle don't add to the visual quality, but it's great to see Kevin playing this song again, and you can see him do so with his Frightlight brethren once more at The Canadian Nightclub next month, so give it a look below!

Next up, here's another notable band return for this fall, as inactive local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters announced on their Facebook page last week that they have reunited with a new lineup! As such, they will return to the stage on November 1st, very likely at J.D. Pearce's previously announced Halloween Party that night, which they played at two years ago in their second and final concert to date. It does make sense that they would be the Foo Fighters tribute for this year, so if you liked them in 2017, here's your next chance! In a time where Parabol, Coral Fang, and Poison Girl can all exist as local tribute bands, why not one more? However, only singer/guitarist Jules Cote (with Dave Grohl wig in tow) will be back for their return, as he will now be joined by ex-2 Minute Warning guitarist Wes Greco, Jules' Chunks of Manh bandmate Max Ambeault on bass, and Elements/Winkstinger drummer Jonas Gasperas, all replacing Jeremey Salatuk and John & Jonny Amendola.

A reason for the lineup departures has not been announced, but remember that this lineup was from two years ago, and Jules & the Amendolas haven't played together with their primary pop rock cover band Cherry Crush since August of last year, so we would be considering them to be inactive for SMS purposes. The new lineup seems promising, but how will they sound at this year's Halloween party? Stay tuned for updates, and unless this proves to be a one-off, The Soo Fighters are back in our active band links!

Also today, I wanted to acknowledge a solo musician being moved to our inactive band links, namely Mike Cliffe. A constant presence in our band links as long as we've had them, Mike is a skilled veteran guitarist whose progressive and often heavy originals are always worth listening to, but as you may know, his music was increasingly entwined with his work as the host and curator of the local music podcast Audiofumes. The 24 archive episodes showcase an eclectic collection of music from the Soo and far flung locations that would be more than at home on public or freeform radio, and collaborations between Mike and artists heard on Audiofumes were once very common. While I have never found a statement confirming it's status. no new episodes have been posted since April of last year, nothing has been posted on the Audiofumes or Sound Bacon pages reflecting Mike's music or new episodes since last summer, and the Audiofumes Facebook group is now largely used as a posting board for songs and some local concerts.

Mike's a very nice guy and an extremely creative musician, so whether or not the podcast ever resurfaces, I hope he dives back into his own music again when the time is right, and you can hear lots of his surviving music on his Reverbnation page. As one of the few Sault Ontario-originated rock radio/podcasting outlets, Audiofumes deserved more listeners, and with the diverse, unconventional array of music in each installment, there was always something to hear and nothing you expect! We'll let you know if Mike and/or Audiofumes return to activity in some form in the future!

We'll close today with a new teaser video for local Tool tribute band Parabol's headlining concert at Soo Blaster on October 12th, as shared to their Facebook page on Thursday! Featuring an assortment of new-ish images and band logos alongside some opening post-production effects, the video is set to a bunch of assorted audio clips of the guys playing live, and while it'd be nice to hear the full songs, you do get a sense of how faithful their sound is to the real thing! Give it a look below, and click here for more concert details!



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

Inner City Surfers Reunion Show Fallout, Love & Rehab Info, And Much More!!

As we continue getting caught up on recent news and updates, here's a two pronged news post, with half of it devoted to assorted shorter stories as of late, and leading off, lots of fallout from a major recent concert, so without any further adieu, here's what you should know!

Let's finally tackle the fallout from The Inner City Surfers' reunion show at LopLops Lounge earlier this month, but first, why not go back even further? On July 29th, Andrea Relf from the new local news website Positive Soo posted this article online which features interview remarks from Dustin Jones & Brad Example, plus lots of fittingly positive remembrances of their run and connections with fans and each other. Solid promotion before the show, so give it a look above! As for the concert proper, SooToday's Donna Hopper was absolutely in attendance, capturing 17 great colour photos from the night for this review, which is very positive, and it seemed to feel like not much had time had passed in the past decade 6½ years! Regarding openers Love & Rehab (who were photographed twice), it actually turns out that they're a reunited punk band featuring Brad alongside singer/guitarist Mike Theriault, guitarist Joey Clement, and drummer Alexis Mantello, as spotlighted in this other Positive Soo article.

Fans may recall seeing Love & Rehab on an early compilation release "Junk In The Trunk" from Tidal Records, and while the band formed in Toronto, they did share the stage with The Surfers on a number of occasions back in the day. Personal Facebook postings are floating around with more photos from their set, and even videos, but as far as I can tell, this is a one-night-only reunion, partially because Brad lives out of town. Between their Toronto inception and my age, I think that's why Love & Rehab were unfamiliar to me, but if you want to hear them, their original song "The Ruiner" (from the aforementioned single) is on the Positive Soo article. Sort of a folk punk song that reminds me more of The Rising Tide, it's well performed, and it'd be interesting to see the whole compilation surface! As for The Surfers' set, there are a couple of videos online from it, courtesy of YouTube user junkyardjim's channel!

You may recall junkyardjim as a frequent filmer of local concerts circa 2007, so it's a nice nostalgic touch that he had his camera rolling at LopLops on this night, where he filmed The Inner City Surfers covering John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane", and as embedded below, playing their hardcore punk original "Ten Commandments." Great visual quality on this camera, with a nice high angle to capture both The Surfers in fine nostalgic form, plus the packed floor full of their fans, who are definitely into every word! Give Jim's videos a look, and yes, Positive Soo are now linked on the SMS!



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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback have launched an official website! Here, you'll find lots of updated biography information (heavily leaning towards Chris, for what it's worth), plus photos and relevant links, and the reveal that their upcoming debut CD is indeed being mastered at West West Side Music in New York. The site is well put together, though it could stand to be filled out further, so give it a look at this link, and stay tuned for album updates!
• On their Facebook page on Saturday, revived local party/rap metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty revealed plans for a "mini-tour" from October 14th-November 1st, which will see them play shows in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, and Toronto, though further details aren't available yet. If true, it's great to see this masked group back on stage after far too long! Note that their previously teased May-June trip to Toronto has some photos shared, where they clearly saw Death From Above live.
• I have moved local/Elliot Lake punk solo project Ashoka at the Show to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The Darren MacDonald-led group last posted on their Facebook page in June of last year, ironically in a posting where he swore that "something new is coming soon." Darren had revived the former Mayadevi as a solo act in mid-2017, but updates only followed for a year or so, and Ashoka at the Show never returned as a full live band. Hopefully Darren brings them back in some form down the road!
• SooToday's James Hopkin interviewed Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier about their Soo Blaster (and Canadian tour kickoff) concert next month for this article on Thursday! Within, Liam discusses the response to their new CD "Sparks That Move", their sound evolution, as well as a lineup difference fans can expect, as Alexisonfire/Gallows alum Wade MacNeil will guest on guitar in place of Scott Middleton while he takes a paternity leave. Solid and informative article, so give it a look at this link, and get your tickets!
• I have also moved local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage back to our inactive band links, as the band hasn't posted on their Facebook page since a profile picture update last June. After a prior 2017 hiatus, the original crash band resumed activity via the "Live at the Paris Hilton" album release last year, but nothing followed in studio or on stage, and the Becker brothers haven't really been active on social media in the last year+ anyway. I hope we haven't seen the last of their irreverent improvised music, but best of luck to Paul, Dirk, Shane, and Tony in the interim!
• A photo of local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns can be seen in Darren Taylor's SooToday photo album from last month's first Downtown Street Party of the season, which captures Rob & Christina Speers in action on Queen Street East. Solid photo, and there's a lot more where that came from as the above link! Look also for The Bearded Lounge, plus AlgomA guitarist Boyd Rendell's new tie-dye clothing company Wild Man Wigwaus.

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

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Banned

For today's second post, let's tackle this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, as we continue our monthly spotlighting of defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, in order to look back on their runs and see what they accomplished & where they went! This month, our rotation brought us to the Sault Michigan area, and this month's randomly selected choice was a very prominent band throughout the 2010s that only recently confirmed their demise, so here's what you should know!
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Banned

Genre: Classic/Hard Rock/Country

Hometown: Kinross, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Alex Traynor (Tarnished), vocals/guitar
Wayne Lawrence (Bad Side), bass
Don Traynor, drums/vocals

Mike Straw, vocals/keyboard
Tara Starr, vocals
Alex Schrovenwever (Steelhead), guitar/bass/vocals
Denny Smith (Thieves In The Night), guitar 
Steve Jacobus, bass
Jim Pentland, bass
 
Audio/Video: Banned never released any studio material, but they did play select original songs in at least their early concerts, as documented by Alex's sister/Don's daughter Ashley's YouTube channel, including such original songs as "Cocaine Riot", "Plaid Girl", and "Yoopers Got Talent" that didn't survive to Alex's later solo project. Ashley's & Banned's own YouTube channels are the best sources for live cover videos from their active run, alongside Banned's Facebook page, though scattered other videos are extant online. However, note that no videos from 2017-2019 were ever publically posted by Banned, and certain 2013-era videos have long since been taken down. Here's Banned covering Nirvana's "Come As You Are" in 2016!

Info/Analysis: Effectively launched by January 2011 when an early lineup played at a talent show, Banned was formed by the father/son duo of Don and Alex Traynor, who were the group's only constant members throughout their 8 year run, with future Steelhead frontman Alex Schrovenwever a common sight in their early years. The band saw frequent lineup upheaval from 2012-2014, including expanding to a quintet for a few spells, as well as a country-centric period in 2013 when Tara Starr was their lead vocalist, before settling on their final trio incarnation. Frequently seen via "jobs" at regional nightclubs, community events, and battles of the bands, the Traynors & company would later make their name with occasional gigs outside of the E.U.P., while also notably playing eight times annually at The Sugar Island Music Festival. Despite Alex's move to Mount Pleasant in late 2017, Banned continued playing regularly through a March 2019 show in Grand Marais, before amicably dissolving that summer.

Over their eight years together, Banned delivered a solid sound that could appeal to a wide audience while also delivering a harder edge, and considering that Alex was just 16 when Banned launched, his musical growth over that time was always welcome to see! I was never on board with their late-era marketing that only focused on Alex, and the 2013 country run was tricky to maneuver on The Sault Metal Scene, but they always had a strong cast of musicians on hand for their often exceedingly frequent gigs, and their videos will have ample proof of that. Don't miss Alex's new band Tarnished and/or his solo project to hear what he's been up to as of late!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band profile! Next month, our rotation will bring us back to Sault Ontario, but as the first band we randomly selected doesn't have enough surviving information to warrant a single profile, we randomly picked on more to fill it out. Ironically, and in a coincidence I did not plan in advance (I use a random number generator!), we'll be looking at two linked black metal projects from the mid-2010s, namely Abhorrent Forest & Dullahan! Look for these on or around September 10th, and for more news next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Oh!No & Doreen!!)

Before we dive into this weekend's post (devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS), just a heads up that I learned of a trio of shows this coming weekend too late to cover on here before their weekend concert preview cycle. Between low advertising and my own personal schedule, they should have been on here well in advance (which I apologize for), so just to get a jump on things, visit the links here & here for info on two FREE Roberta Bondar Pavilion shows next week with hard rock content, and here for details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, before we preview them on Thursday. Now, here's what you should know for those new shows!

Edmonton art punk quartet Doreen will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, August 20th when they headline at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street! Not your typical sound for a punk band, Doreen take a lot of inspiration from indie and garage rock, but they have a creative blend of styles, as seen on their new CD "Ruthless Severance", and they should be a fine fit at this temporary venue later this month! Local experimental musician Chase Wigmore (not playing as Awokest) will open with a set of his own irreverent, in-your-face original material, and it's always an experience seeing him live, so don't miss his set either on this special Tuesday nighter! Yes, we have a lot to discuss regarding him and Awokest, stay tuned for what we've missed as of late. This ALL AGES concert has a $10 cover charge and a luckily early start time of 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this show, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, the full schedule for this year's third annual Oh!No concert festival at Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn was finally announced via their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know in this regard? We announced the lineup for the September 6th-7th event on the SMS two months ago in this extended write-up, but as Oh!No III is a two night event, I waited to call these as a true LOCAL CONCERT ALERT until organizers Six, Two, Oh. confirmed each day's itinerary, and there are a few changes from what was announced in June. The band lineup on Friday, September 6th is a shorter nighttime affair, which will be toplined by Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, who are night #1's only touring attraction. Remaining performers will include rapper Kodex at 11:40 PM, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 11:00 PM, folk/pop musician Hannah Lindsay at 10:20 PM, punk trio Stegadeth at 9:40 PM, and alt-folk solo project Slumshine opening at 9:00 PM.

In case you didn't notice from the lineup reveal in June, Hannah Lindsay is a new addition to the bill, replacing Dusty Hazelwood for unannounced reasons, though note that everyone but drummer Mitchell Harris will still be present as a promoter or in other bands. As for Saturday, September 7th, the surprise headliners will be St. Catharines crossover thrash band Pisser at 1:00 AM, as preceded by Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog at 12:00 AM, Sudbury punk standouts Lightmares at 11:00 PM, Thunder Bay hardcore band Femur at 10:00 PM, and Montreal classic rock project Wrecker at 9:00 PM. Local drone rock trio Pointless (no longer billed as a Bill Priddle solo set) will be the only local act playing after dark via their 8:10 PM set, with Peterborough rapper Garbageface, Thunder Bay hardcore group Lord Hidetora & desert rockers The Franquilizers, and Toronto indie quartet Forest City Aurora playing at 7:30, 6:50, 6:10, and 5:30 PM respectively.

With two exceptions, earlier acts that day are all local, including surf rock band The Dynowaves at 5:00 PM, revived lo-fi punk project Telephone & Address at 4:30 PM, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 4:00 PM, and rapper Conika at 3:30 PM. The mystery band named The Angry Spells (who are on at 3:00 PM) actually aren't local, as their updated Facebook page reveals that they're a new side project of Beaver Slap vocalist Midge Beaver's, so if you were hoping to see them back this year, hopefully this new band will fill the void! Local hip hop duo Planet Rock will play at 2:30 PM, following Barrie punk quarter The Speed Humps at 2:00 PM, while the two local opening solo acts will be indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and C.T.W. side project Malignant Neoplasm in a rare live set at 1:00 PM. As previously announced, tickets are $40 for both nights, and tickets are on sale at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and at Dryer Fire.

Remember that camping on-site will be available for fans making the 45 minute trek to Leeburn, and this is a B.Y.O.B. event. It's great to finally have each night's schedule, and there's lots of hard rock and punk action to go around on both nights, so visit the above links for complete details on Oh!No III!That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mike Haggith) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

We're back to a quieter weekend for live concerts, so barring the already-previewed Tarnished shows from today and yesterday, I think this will contain everything with reasonable advance notice! Note that tonight's Downtown Street Party in Sault Ontario never had a firm music lineup announcement beyond the Fringe North showcase, so if a hard rock or punk performer played at all, I apologize for not covering it today. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Former Din frontman Mike Haggith will return to Sault Ste. Marie THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for a special acoustic concert at Outspoken Brewing at 350 Queen Street East! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page this past Saturday. Almost two years removed from Mike's move out to Thompson, Manitoba, this will be just his second public concert in the Soo since then, though it's been a longer wait for a solo gig, as I don't think he's played an eponymous set like this here since the fourth Swampstravaganza back in 2014. However, that set was electric with backing tracks, and SATURDAY will see him in more familiar unplugged confines. Expect lots of originals from his upcoming album "Bridges" and perhaps some brand new tracks as well! Support will be provided by local folk solo musician Jacob Quarrell (f.k.a. Shit Creek Survivor), whose own talented originals should provide a solid compliment on Saturday night!

This show is a FREE & ALL AGES event at 7:00 PM, and while Outspoken Brewing still isn't a common venue for our coverage, it's location across the road from Soo Blaster will be convenient for many readers. If only for one night, it's great to see Mike come back home, and hopefully lots of laughs and good times are had with fans and friends alike! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Mike live in Thompson!

Next up, we'll move to shows with more than a week's notice, starting with another noted acoustic performer, as former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY before returning to Richards Landing restaurant La Terrazza Franzisi all day on SUNDAY! You could copy and paste our write-up of last week's shows of his here and little would change, but if you don't get a chance to see his skilled unplugged covers, a trip to Gliss' new location and/or the wharf-front St. Joseph Island restaurant would be reliable sources of hard rocking entertainment this weekend! While all of these shows (at public restuarants, mind you) are free & all ages, the Gliss gigs are 6:00 PM matinees, and he'll be at La Terrazza Franzisi all day starting at 1:00 PM. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Now we'll head across to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula to close out this weekend's previews, starting with Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm's latest gigs in our area, as they'll be headlining at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in late June, this will be Scarkazm's first of two concert weekends in the E.U.P. this month alone, with shows at the Sault Kewadin branch following in two weeks time. Adam, Dave, and Jeff always deliver a strong live show when they play north of the Mack, and hopefully tomorrow's and Saturday's shows provide more of the same hard hitting covers (and originals?) for local fans this weekend! As usual, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



Finally, let's head to the 19th annual Sugar Island Music Festival in nearby Sugar Island, where new local hard rock band Tarnished will play a set THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Marking Alex's ninth straight set at this festival and first after his old group Banned dissolved, this isn't advertised as an acoustic show, making this a rare appearance of their electric trio incarnation, last seen at Kinross Speedpark with Project 906's Tommy Korcal on drums. Tarnished will get the co-headlining slot on Saturday at 8:45 PM, preceding headliners 3 Zip, while remaining bands (of the folk/country and online page-less variety) will include 3½ Men, Aberdeen, 2 Cents, All Arms, Joel Choate, The Gentleman George Band, Walkers Rye, Moose River and February Sky, and an Al Gross-hosted open mic block opening at 11:00 AM, so past festival attendees will see a lot of familiar faces. Most of these acts will be seen tomorrow and/or on Sunday as well, though not Tarnished. Click here for the full schedule itinerary, as well as directions to the stage!

This ALL AGES outdoor festival has admission via $10 full-weekend souvenir buttons for adults (kids 12 and under are FREE), and you can buy yours at Ed's Bayview Store, The Hilltop Bar & Grill, or the Westshore Convenience Store in Sugar Island, and at Crooked Music in Sault Ste. Marie, and presumably at the gate. For full details, including on non-musical activities, see the above links, and for a preview, here's a new video of Tarnished at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers' Market yesterday, via their Facebook page! A short 15 second clip of Alex & Josh covering Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", it sounds good while it lasts, and look for much more on Saturday at Sugar Island!



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