Molten Imp - "Double Dose (Me)" EP Review!!

It's now time our our 145th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and we have another new release to look at this month, namely new local noise/industrial metal solo project Molten Imp's debut paid single "Double Dose (Me)"! Independently released to their Bandcamp page on May 28th, this is a single on the surface (only two songs representing "side A" & "side B" are streamable for free), but paid downloads include two bonus tracks, so this is more of a covert EP in content. Self-produced and mixed, it was mastered only by Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio. Molten Imp's only publically credited member is former AlgomA singer/guitarist Boyd Rendell (a.k.a. Darby Wigwaus), marking his first paid musical release since AlgomA & Shit Liver's split cassette tape "Trading Faces" in 2017. "Double Dose (Me)" is available for $4 on Bandcamp as a digital download, which is the only way you can hear all four tracks, so keep that aspect of the single in mind.

With four songs running for over 11 minutes in length, let's begin this review with the first track, "Double Dose (Me)/Steeltonia"! Both of the two public songs have two titles like that, FYI, but only this one has a full break that could hint at the titles being separate songs. This track slowly ascends from a techno/electronica track into more of an aggressive noise metal song about 2 minutes in, complete with Boyd screaming, if with more processing and not as full-throat as we saw with his live bands. The music in offer is more electronic based than metal, with lots of feedback and distortion early, though the percussion feels a little too robotic. At 3:47, the apparent "Steeltonia" section begins, and it's just a cascade of ominous noise to end "side A". Heavy yet not all at once, the first song sets the tone well for Molten Imp's hybrid sound, especially if you like industrial and noise rock!

"Side B" is the slightly longer "Rusted Hinges/News At 11:11", which opens up in much heavier and distorted territory, with lots of ominous vocals layered in the background, plus some occasional beeping. It's certainly moshable but it can take some sifting to separate the instruments, aside from the pounding percussion. Though there's not a complete break, the last two minutes again signifies a musical shift, so if this is "News At 11:11", the song is more of an industrial techno piece with a catchy percussion line and sort of an upbeat factory nature to the music. Honestly, this kind of feels like it'd fit well as the background music in a beat 'em up video game, though I'm sure that was intended. Entertaining track(s) for what it is/they are, and metalheads will get their fix early! This is where "Double Dose (Me)" ends for free streamers, but if you bought it, what are the bonus tracks?

The extra songs are entitled "Beat I" & "Beat II", and run for 16 and 18 seconds apiece. "Beat I" is just a percussive bass beat with some Christmasy jingling in the background, while "Beat II" is faster, less predictable, and has a little more distortion on the beats (and no jingling). For me, "Beat I" is catchier, but "Beat II" feels more like part of a full song. Are these worth buying "Double Dose (Me)" to get? That's subjective, but they certainly didn't hurt as freebies, especially if you're more of a drum-and-bass fan!

So what are my final thoughts on Molten Imp's debut paid single? It's a short listen, but it's an interesting and creative genre hybrid that makes a solid first impact! Compared to their free one-off singles before this, the songs on "Double Dose (Me)" definitely have more of a metal aspect, but rather than go the obvious route or just relive AlgomA's run, Boyd seems to be deconstructing the genre here, mashing up metal song elements with industrial and noise music on the two primary singles. Do I have a song preference? I'd say the title track is more tuneful and catchy for my liking, and benefits from screamed vocals, but the all-noise "Steeltonia" didn't do a whole lot for me. "Rusted Hinges" certainly is the heaviest song half on offer, but it's not as catchy as "News At 11:11", which is more of an electronic song. Still, it works while it lasts, and shows more of Molten Imp's diversity!

The two short "Beat" tracks don't hurt things as a bonus, but they're not essential to the experience. As my musical tastes go, Molten Imp aren't dead center, but this is an interesting first single, and I'm curious to see what kind of experimental paths Boyd goes with next in their future releases! Buy or stream "Double Dose (Me)" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! So, what are we reviewing on the site next month? I'm not sure, but check our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post next week for ideas on upcoming albums that could be next. If nothing new comes out from a local hard rock, metal, or punk act, we'll dip into the archives, but our 6 month anti-bias buffer period remains in effect, so don't expect Molten Imp, Late & Loud, Slumshine, or Swampgut to be next in the event any of them have something new on sale in the month ahead.

Keep an eye out by August 31st in any event, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, Rotaryfest Fallout, And New Videos!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Friday evening, and it includes a concert preview for this weekend, some news and notes from the return of Rotaryfest this past weekend, and a couple of new videos. Things have been quiet lately, but hopefully this will help, and here's what you should know!

 

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for one night only THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! Last seen at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post last week, this will be Tym's second show of the month at the downtown Reggie's, following his patio gig there on Canada Day. No word on if he'll be confined to the patio again or if he'll be properly indoors, but remember that we were still in Stage 2 on July 1st. Given Reggie's long-term Sunday matinee gigs, I'm surprised that Tym's show is in a later timeslot, especially on a work night, but hopefully he delivers a fun night of classic covers for patrons at Reggie's on Sunday, and with his vast setlist, you know he'll play something for everyone! This is a 19+ event at 7:00 PM with no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live in concert before the pandemic!

Next up, here's some fallout from the drive-thru Rotaryfest at the former Lowe's Plaza from this past weekend! SooToday posted this article featuring photos by Violet Aubertin of activities at the festival on Saturday afternoon, including a few pictures of The Northern Jazz Ensemble and Spyder's Web's sets. Not as populated as it would be when I came later that day, but still nice to see a little normalcy, if adapted for the times! Four pictures of classic rockers Obsession's set from later that night can be seen in The Sault Star's photo album from the festival, photographer uncredited, and while the picture quality is better, the focus here is more on attendees having fun. The Sault Star's Brian Kelly published this article online/in the paper on Monday which features reflections from Rotary Club personnel on how successful this year's festival was in spite of the pandemic.

Nice read that shows that the changes they made this year worked for the best, but what about 2022? Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the first local Rotary Community Day Parade, and Rotary Club president Michael Stone is quoted as saying “I think the plan is for it to be a lot bigger than what we’re doing this year". A presumed return to Clergue Park would definitely allow that, but how big are we talking for the milestone year? Time will tell, but congratulations all around for pulling off Rotaryfest at all this year! Also, we do have a video from one of the heavier acts to share today, courtesy of young local garage/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley's set on Saturday afternoon! This was uploaded to what I believe is new bassist Brendan Betrand's personal YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it features the band covering about half of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times".

Unfortunately, the uncredited filmer was both far away from the stage AND shot the video in a vertical orientation, but they do zoom in a bit. The Uncanny Valley seem to have a good grasp on this Zeppelin classic, and Adrian's voice is a good match, so if you've missed this rising young band since last year, give their Rotaryfest video a watch below!

Finally for today, here's a new video from St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown's YouTube channel on Wednesday, and it serves as a playthrough video with bassist Danny Tucker playing alongside the studio track for their song "Time Diffuser" from their 2019 debut EP "Scatter Brain". Recorded outside with some post-production effects and extra camera angles (including Danny providing backing vocals in close-up), the unique setting gives this video some extra interest, even if it isn't the most metal visualization. Danny's a solid bassist as shown here, so give his playthrough a watch below!

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

Our Recap Of The First Episode Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Today's post is devoted to our long overdue recaps of the premiere episodes of Metal Morpheus, the new metal-centric radio show on local internet station The Borderline, which premiered on Sunday, July 4th and airs live on Sundays at 9:00 PM. Unlike some other on-demand episodes on the station's website, episode playlists aren't posted on their respective pages, so what can you expect going in? Starting with episode #1 (which runs for 62 minutes), it leads off with an introductory theme song that honestly sounds too busy, before former Winkstinger/Twistory frontman Josh Amendola (curiously credited just under his last name) introduces us to the show proper, which is themed around the beginning of heavy metal in both local and global senses. Fittingly, the first song played is Black Sabbath's eponymous song from 1970, and Josh does explain the back story of how that song was written. It's a long song, so the next segment doesn't begin until around the 9 minute mark, in case you want to skip ahead.

Josh next sets up Led Zeppelin in a very similar fashion, outlining the band & their song "Whole Lotta Love", before introducing a segment on Deep Purple at around 16:30, with the played song being an abbreviated version of their 1970 epic "Child In Time". By about 21:30, Josh transitions to a segment on Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore's later band Rainbow, whose played song is "Man On The Silver Mountain". Ending the first half of the episode is a bit on Motorhead at about the 28 minute mark, from which their slower but still heavy classic "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" is played. The second half moves into local territory, with Josh picking up here at 33 minutes or so by discussing local black/doom metal band Woods of Ypres, from which he plays "The Will To Give" from 2004's "Pursuit Of The Sun & Allure Of The Earth". Note that at 41:24, the on-demand stream glitches out.

At this point, it abruptly jumps from Josh outlining his appreciation for the riffs in that song to the middle of him appearing to credit members of Woods of Ypres' 2008-2009 lineup (back when they had members of Gates of Winter in their lineup). Speaking of which, that very band is brought up next, with Josh playing "Omega", the closing number from the long lamented progressive/death metal quintet's 2008 CD "Lux Aeterna". At about 47:30, Metal Morpheus heads back across the pond for a segment on Judas Priest, from which Amendola plays both "Dreamer Deciever" and "Deciever" (one flows right into the other, after all.) The episode's final segment hits at about 56:45 when Josh gives some closing remarks and comes full circle by playing one more Black Sabbath song, "Wicked World". Interestingly, he records a station promo at the very end and gives some biographical information, name dropping some of his bands (I never knew he was in Pillory once!)

Having now checked out episode #1, what are my thoughts on Metal Morpheus' premiere? Not bad at all, and Josh was especially good at giving each band a capsule spotlight to explain some of their backstory, songwriting, and why they made an impact! A few names could be mispronounced, but this is the premiere, and I don't know that Josh has done something like this before. Honestly, he came across very approachable and friendly in the episode, and you get the sense that he'd love to talk about metal music with others (could musician interviews happen down the line?) I would have kept Judas Priest in a chronological order with the prior pioneering bands, while perhaps elaborating on the local side of things beyond just Gates & Woods, but again, this was the first episode. Two more hour-long episodes premiered on the 11th and 18th (about doom metal and grindcore respectively). 

I will absolutely recap those episodes in future posts on the SMS (one/both could drop as soon as this weekend), and yes, both do spotlight at least one local band each, as teased in the photos on both episodes' pages. As far as I know, the fourth episode of Metal Morpheus will premiere on The Borderline this Sunday at 9:00 PM, so give it a listen to see what genre or topics are getting the spotlight! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2021 Concert Review!!

(Updated on Monday at 10:13 PM) For the first time in well over a year & a half, I have a review of a local concert on The Sault Metal Scene, as I went to check out the final bands at this year's pandemic-adjusted, drive-thru edition of Rotaryfest! Moving to the parking lot outside of the former Lowe's at the corner of Great Northern Road & Northern Avenue, organizers did note/recommend that most attendees would only stay for two bands, so I figured I could probably swing seeing three bands before anyone got annoyed with "that guy" snapping pictures, so I do apologize for not coming early for The Northern Jazz Ensemble, Spyder's Web, The Uncanny Valley, or Greg MacLachlan's sets. However, I had my vehicle's radio tuned to 107.1 FM well and early to have it ready and to see how far the transmitter reached, and despite the advertised 1 kilometer range, I can confirm that I got fringe reception from about 3 kilometers away. It cut in and out, but I was able to hear Greg MacLachlan's last song!

If you're curious, Greg and his backing band (including K.I.C.K.'s Aaron Dunn on drums) did an extended mash-up of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication" and a number of songs by rappers or featuring rap verses, everything from MC Hammer & Vanilla Ice to Beck and the C&C Music Factory. Definitely amusing to hear, especially from the unexpected rap interludes (a close comparison would be Redundant's "El Scorcho"/"No Scrubs" crossover). Greg doesn't have social media accounts, but give his stuff a listen if you can find it, he did release a new folk album last year! Upon arrival at Rotaryfest there was no one taking donations, so I just drove around slowly until I found the best parking spot, and I ended up in the third row, but perfectly dead center with the stage (I was able to get into the second row for Obsession's set). The stage was placed about in front of Value Village, with bands looking out towards Pennington's & Great Northern Road.

After a string of Bob Marley songs over the transmitter and an introduction by returning host Andrew Steutz, the first band I actually saw last night was the debuting Jonesy Land, featuring the non-Jaaskelainen members of The Rising Tide and The Lake Effect's Frank Deresti playing songs from across frontman Dustin Jones' local career and outside covers. About half the set was Dustin's songs from The Inner City Surfers (like "Won't Belong") and The Rising Tide (like "Molly Malloy"), plus his 2020 solo song "Counting The Days" & the debut Jonesy Land song "Sunshine Parades", but despite the event advertising, I didn't catch any Conspirators songs (granted, they are not as familiar locally). The rest were covers of country and pop artists, including the four mid-set songs they did with Dustin's daughter Jett on guest vocals. Jett did come across as nervous, but as you saw in her videos with her dad, she can carry a tune!

Notably, their cover of "I've Been Everywhere" was the Surfers-era version with a verse listing Northern Ontario locations, and Jett handled vocals nicely for it! As you'd expect for a modern day Dustin Jones band, everyone performed well, merging punk and folksier/poppier sentiment nicely, with Dustin's vocals as familiar as ever and Liam Seymour shining on guitar, but it felt like Chris Johns' drumming wasn't meant for the transmitter, as his live playing almost sounded delayed from 107.1 FM. This wasn't his fault, just an observation. Fun set from Jonesy Land, and time will tell if this band continues beyond Rotaryfest!

Co-headlining yesterday were veteran local classic rock band Obsession in their eleventh Rotaryfest set since 2008, and they had a familiar face filling in on second guitar (Alex Trecroce left the band a few years ago and wasn't replaced). Sound tech Dan Belanger joined in for the set, much like he did with That's Chester (also featuring guitarist Gabe Tessaro) during their two Rotaryfest reunion sets after Eugene Orlando's passing, so Dan fit in like a glove! Nominally, Obsession's all-covers set was blocked out by decade, going from the 1960s (Chuck Berry, Janis Joplin) to the 1970s (AC/DC, Steve Miller) to the 1980s (Pat Benatar, Loverboy), but when they realized they were ahead of schedule, the end of the set became a free-for-all of songs they'd rehearsed. Obsession delivered a strong set, with Valerie Powley's powerhouse vocals delivering on all facets (especially for Janis Joplin renditions), while Gabe picked up the slack for between-song banter well and via lead vocals on two songs.

He and Dan paired well on guitar, while Jim Michaud and Steve Porco handled the rhythm end as smoothly as you'd expect, and with a more "rock"-based band than Jonesy Land were, the misaligned drum timing with the transmitter wasn't as obvious, but you could still hear it. If you love classic rock, Obsession delivered the goods last night, and look for them at nightclub gigs later in the year when the pandemic is hopefully even less of an issue!

After thanking everyone for coming out and helping put on Rotaryfest, a special dedication to stage manager Shaun Antler, and the $40,000+ 50/50 draw announcement, (not to mention sunset and nightfall), southern rock cover quartet Bone Yard hit the stage to close out Rotaryfest, and while they played less songs than the preceding bands, they also had longer songs on offer. Continuing to signal their departure from country covers, Bone Yard's set was classic rock-centric, with covers of everyone from Golden Earring & The Tragically Hip to The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, while bassist Brad Stephen & guitarist Alex D'Ettore respectively handled lead vocals on their set-closing Don Nix/J.J. Cale & Marshall Tucker Band covers. Another strong set with no real stage rust visible, with Greg Simpson's vocal and guitar work more than impressing, as did Ric Datson's tried and tested drumming!

I think there could have been some more banter between songs, but Bone Yard delivered in their seventh Rotaryfest appearance (not counting the virtual set last year), and if you ever wanted to see That's Chester with more of a southern rock edge, you'd be right at home! Overall, Rotaryfest 2021 was a very interesting experience, and it was great to see live music in Sault Ste. Marie again! I've been hesitant to go see cover bands in pandemic-limited conditions at bars in the past year, but this was a fun attraction, and very comfortable given that we could use our vehicles for seating and air conditioning! The FM transmitter worked very well in spite of drum timing, but the live speakers were still loud enough for anyone from the second row of cars to hear the bands without compromise. Good thing too, as I wanted to be outside to get photos and videos of the bands, and yes, I did wear a face mask when not in the vehicle.

Most other attendees didn't mask up outside (I am not judging anyone), but I won't be getting shot #2 until this coming Saturday, so I didn't want to take any needless risks just in case. You can see my photos at this link or at our Facebook page, while for this special occasion of a major multi-band concert in the Soo during the pandemic, I filmed two songs of each band for Facebook! My plan was to film two straight songs from each, which worked for the first two (Jonesy Land covering The Inner City Surfers' "Screwed" & Michael Buble's "It's A Beautiful Day, and Obsession covering The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and Bob Seger's "Rock and Roll Never Forgets"), but my camera had a low battery warning for most of Bone Yard's cover of the Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing", a long song by itself. As such, I didn't film their next song, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here".

However, with fresh batteries, I did film the song after that, fittingly also by Pink Floyd ("Young Lust"), so if you watch that video, that explains why there is a sudden break and a change in location. Give my Rotaryfest videos from last night a watch below!

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

Tarnished Concert Previews, A New Original Song, And Lots Of Recent Updates!!

Here's a rarity during the pandemic: TWO posts in ONE day! Due to the craziness of the Rotaryfest drive-thru weekend, I completely forgot about a pair of concerts taking place this weekend in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, so let's rush one more post before I'm partially late to the party! To round things out, we do have a new video and some recent news and notes to touch on, but here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock trio Tarnished will make their first post-lockdown appearances at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Originally announced last month by the band, with Kewadin confirming these and much more on their website, these shows were only minimally promoted by the band online this week, which is kind of odd given the locale. In any event, Alex, Nathan, and Josh have been honing their craft in various Northern Michigan gigs (largely outside of the E.U.P.) as of late, so hopefully their return to local quarters will prove a success with strong hard rocking covers and originals this weekend! Tonight & tomorrow's shows are at 9:00 PM with no cover charges or age limits, but please respect any public health guidelines at the casino to ensure everyone's safety. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, here's a new original song from Inner City Surfers bassist/ex-Role Models frontman Brad Example's YouTube channel entitled "Reckless Life", but he had help to make this one from two familiar faces. Not only did his Surfers bandmate Dustin Jones mix, master, and produce the song (presumably at Mission Control Studios), but Slumshine frontman and prolific local punk musician Brenton Ellis provides guest vocals! This is reminiscent tonally of Brad's Atikokan-era solo music, where it's not overly heavy or punk inspired, but his gritty vocals add that extra something, and Brent's in-your-face delivery on the second verse sounds extracted from one of his old bands! The music is laid back with a good groove, almost reminding me of a 1990s trip hop song, though the video (featuring slow motion footage of a few conflicted guys seemingly contemplating their future) is open for interpretation. but seems to play into the lyrics a bit.

Fun song while it lasts (it's over in no time at all), but if you like Brad's modern-day solo output, you'll like what's on offer here, so give "Reckless Life" a look below, and hopefully we hear more from him solo and/or with The Inner City Surfers in the near future!

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:

 

• A local singer named Drew Borchardt is looking to join or start a new band, and while he listens to everything from country to metal, he is looking to sing rather than scream or growl. Drew isn't an established local name (he is from Thunder Bay), but he has 15 years of experience singing in bands there like John Thomas, and he included a video of him covering Journey's "Wheel In The Sky" in concert in the comments of his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from June 24th. Drew does have talent, and while he has attracted interest already, click here or above for more details!
• In their newest Facebook page postings, Handsome Sandwich have revealed that their planned debut album will be titled "Lettuce", and it is currently in pre-production at Unsalted Audio as of June 27th with producer Dustin Goodall, and no less than Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle is helping out as well! Other than that, all we have are teaser photos, but it's great to see that plans are quickly coming together for their new lineup! Stay tuned for updates!
• St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown belatedly uploaded their debut EP "Scatter Brain" to their YouTube channel earlier this week, notably including lyrics for all four songs in the description and an alternate album cover that is way more to the left than what was on physical copies. Good to see the EP getting some more exposure, and hopefully their new album is still making solid progress behind the scenes!
  
• After a month or so of vague postings and meme shares, Sault Ontario noise metal solo project Molten Imp teased that they were working on a cover of Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'"that is 75% done and would feature guest vocals, but opted to hold it from completion after discovering that industrial metal legends Ministry (a personal influence of Boyd's) already covered it on their 2008 covers album "Cover Up". If it's different enough to stand alone, I don't see why Molten Imp's version can't come out, but voice your opinion either way on their Facebook page!
• Local punk trio Redundant revealed on their Facebook page on Tuesday that they are "hard at work at new material" (you can decide for yourself if anyone wore Crocs while songwriting), before plugging the rescheduled Buckcherry concert at Soo Blaster on October 19th, which they are still opening, as the show has seen a renewed social media push now that the pandemic is where it is in the province. Click here for full details on the show as of July 16th!
• New Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews do appear to have enlisted ex-415E bassist Brett Blackwood to replace Chris Leask in their lineup, as per tags from a photo of their debut concert on guitarist Chris Hubbard's personal Facebook page. My hunch was correct about the bassist's identity, but given his longer hair than I was used to, I didn't want to immediately say 100% that this was Brett until more confirmation turned up. Stay tuned for info on when Rhythm & Brews will hit the stage next!
  

 

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

Early Fallout From Rotaryfest's Music Stage In 2021, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar, who suddenly passed away on Wednesday at the age of 58. At press time, a cause of death hadn't been revealed, but he is survived by his son, Tantric guitarist Sebastian LaBar. Visit your preferred rock music news sources for further details as they roll in. Local fans may recognize Jeff from his appearance with Cinderella at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in April 2011, not to mention their Hair Scare-approved classics like "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", "Nobody's Fool", and "Shake Me" that fans got to see singer Tom Keifer perform solo here just before the pandemic began. I'm not a diehard glam metal fan, but Jeff was a talented guitarist who supplied strong work where needed, and our best wishes go out to everyone affected by his loss. R.I.P. Jeff!

Now, today's post is otherwise all about Rotaryfest, which returned to in-person activities yesterday in drive-thru form in the parking lot outside of the former Lowe's, and you can see video from early in The Steeltown Playboys' opening set yesterday in this SooToday article, plus shots of Ribfest and some of the paths vehicles take. From what I have seen in Facebook photos, organizers opted to bring the Clergue Park-era Stage 2 set (or a close facsimile) to Lowe's Plaza for the bands, rather than cart the much larger Stage 1 set north. If you want to have your FM radio ready before arriving, the frequency carrying the music is 107.1 FM, which is interference free, as there are no proper local stations immediately around it. I can confirm that 107.1 FM does carry music before/between bands, presumably to keep the music going for everyone who attends if they choose, so you can leave the radio there for convenience.

A video of Blues Harvest's reunion set is floating around personal Facebook pages, and things seem to go smoothly, but I can't confirm if the audio is from a car radio or if it's the much quieter live sound. Chris Paci (who filmed a lot of major concert videos pre-pandemic) told me that attendees could get out of their vehicle to see the bands if they wore a mask and maintained social distance, and vehicle-less attendees were asked to watch in the grassy hill by Pennington's. The live music feed was loud enough to be audible without an FM radio, so while it's still quieter than normal, keep that in mind. Lastly from his report, there was a lot of honking in usual applause breaks, which seems to go with the territory (thanks again, Chris!) You can also read more about the 2021 Rotaryfest changes in these preview articles by SooToday's James Hopkin and via The Sault Star's Brian Kelly, plus new photo postings from the newspaper.

The Sault Star's article said that only every second parking space in the stage area would be allocated for attendees, with 50 cars estimated as a maximum attendance, and organizers saying that most attendees would likely only stay for two bands. Be advised that all of this came out while Ontario was in Stage 2 of re-opening, and specifically planned to abide by it's regulations. Despite the province entering Stage 3 yesterday, this follow-up article by Brian Kelly confirms that the already-planned format is not changing, as it's too late logistically and organizers are fine with how safe it is. Most of the articles otherwise are just going over the rules to enter and safely get ribs/see the bands, while optimistically talking up this year's format and the hope for a return to Clergue Park in 2022. Kudos to The Rotary Club for doing what they can to ensure that this year's festival takes place safely!

Finally, here's the debut single from Rotaryfest newcomers Jonesy Land... at least in name! While the band you'll be seeing at 7:00 PM tomorrow is a proper punk band paying tribute to frontman Dustin Jones' back catalog, the Tidal Records YouTube channel posted this video last month for their song "Sunshine Parades" which features a softer reggae-inspired sound and motivational lyrics about seeing better days and coming together, with suitable photos interspersed with videos of Dustin singing neck deep in water and while strumming the guitar on the beach. So far, this is the only Jonesy Land-branded song that has been released, but Dustin had been posting occasional new acoustic originals online during the pandemic that were never tied to one of his bands, so are they for Jonesy Land? In any event, the video does not feature any of the backing members of the live band you'll see tomorrow.

The song is fun and cheerful, and perfectly fits the lyrical content, so fans of Dustin's softer and folksier music won't jump too far to see where he's going with this! Time will tell if Jonesy Land is just a name for Dustin's truly solo exploits of if tomorrow's show is actually the debut of a proper full-time band (they don't truly have social media pages yet), but give "Sunshine Parades" a watch below, and maybe we'll hear it tomorrow?

That's all for today, but stay tuned for new news posts in the coming days, and don't miss day #2 of Rotaryfest tonight, with the final 7 bands playing tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

An unusually busy concert weekend is upon us on Sault Ontario, but with a major festival returning, a preview is a must! Leading off are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his second public concert since lockdown ended when he makes his debut at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post at 1332 Great Northern Road TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Originally advertised as a patio gig before being adjusted to the proper outdoor stage beside The Big Moose Ice Cream Parlour, this will be Tym's first publically advertised solo concert since playing on Reggie's Place's patio on Canada Day, though this show has slightly more notice and more of a proper concert setting. The Mike Case Memorial Stage is a popular setting for live music in the summer months, if not typically of the heavier persuasion, so hopefully Tym's set goes well TOMORROW at 7:00 PM! There is no stated age limit or cover charge.

If you don't wanna drive all the way north down Great Northern Road, Tym has one more show to announce, as he will return to the aforementioned Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for one night only on Sunday, July 25th! No word on if this will be another patio gig or if it will be indoors, but he is scheduled for a four hour show that night at 7:00 PM, presumably 19+ with no cover charge as usual. Nice to see Tym back out there this month with his vast setlist, and while he's never on the Rotaryfest schedule, you can still see him live TOMORROW in the area! Click here & above for full details on both of his new dates, and here's Tym live in concert last year!

Next up, here's our extended preview of this year's Rotaryfest music lineup, as the Soo's annual summer festival is back in person after being held virtually last year! Due to pandemic restrictions (Ontario is only just entering Stage 3 this weekend), this year's in-person activities have been heavily reduced, with no midway and a focus on just live music, Ribfest, and a 50/50 draw (the "Take Your Pick" draw has been delayed to later in the year). For presumably this year only, Rotaryfest will move from Clergue Park to the former Lowe's/future Princess Auto plaza parking lot at the corner of Great Northern Road & Northern Avenue, in the half closer to Pennington's. As such, the festival will be a primarily drive-in event with restrictions enforced to ensure that everyone has a safe and suitably distant time, so mask up when you leave your vehicle and enjoy the music and ribs responsibly! Click here for full details on the layout, directions, and social distancing guidelines.

Regarding the music, there is no Second Stage this year, but original and cover acts alike will be on the SooToday Stage (effectively Stage 1), and similarly to drive-in movies, the music played by each band will be fed through FM transmitters, rather than risking a noise complaint outside of Lowe's Plaza. Make sure your vehicle has a working FM radio (or you at least have a portable radio on you) to pick up the required frequency, which will presumably be revealed upon entry. 15 artists are scheduled across all three nights, a lesser number than usual due to between-set sanitation and clean-up given the pandemic, but who all is playing this weekend?

Four acts will kick things off TONIGHT, with local acoustic hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns headlining at 10:00 PM in their Rotaryfest debut & second show of 2021. Good to see a heavier (if unplugged) band closing out night #1! Progressive rock sextet Machines Dream's new lineup will make their sixth Rotaryfest appearance and first on Stage 1 tonight at 8:30 PM, while their sister band Blues Harvest will reunite after eight years away to rock Rotaryfest for the fourth time (all previously on Stage 2) with a set at 7:00 PM, and their blues rock covers should go over well once again! Local blues/rockabilly quartet The Steeltown Playboys will make their festival debut to open today's festivities at 5:30 PM. Solid lineup of varied rock music to take in, so don't miss out! This is all ages (16+ to drive, naturally) with admission by donation. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Tomorrow's lineup is devoid of primarily-hard rock bands, but two classic rock bands & Stage 1 mainstays will headline, namely Mid Life Crysis & Mustang Heart at 10:00 PM & 8:30 PM respectively. Both do have heavier covers in their extensive setlists, but note that Rotaryfest organizers are promoting their sets as being centered around the 1980s and Canadian classic rock each. If you like country, come early tomorrow for Strait Country (a one-off George Strait tribute band led by local singer Mark Tarantini) at 7:00 PM and the Rotaryfest debut of Brendan Hodgson at 5:30 PM. Same entry rules apply, so come tomorrow for loads of classic rock and/or country music!

As for SATURDAY, seven acts will hit the stage for the closing night, but with the pandemic, there is no touring headlining band. Your featured bands that night are southern rock cover quartet Bone Yard at 10:00 PM and classic rock veterans Obsession precede them at 8:30 PM, both of whom are very frequent Stage 1 performers, and both do cover hard rock in their wide setlists, so don't sleep on either band! Debuting local punk group Jonesy Land will hit the stage at 7:00 PM, with the non-Jaaskelainen members of The Rising Tide and Frank Deresti joining forces to play favourite tracks from frontman Dustin Jones' past local and Toronto band work. If you like The Tide, Inner City Surfers, or Conspirators, don't miss out, and look for Dustin's daughter Jett in a guest vocal spot! Veteran folk musician Greg MacLachlan will play his first solo Rotaryfest set since rocking Stage 2 eleven years ago at 5:30 PM.

Rising young hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their festival debut at 4:00 PM in their first public concert of the year and their first show since Brendan Bertrand replaced Adam Fahrer (now of Brendan Hodgson's backing band) on bass. Good to see this fast rising group back, hopefully they have more original songs ready to go! One-time Rotaryfest mainstays Spyder's Web will bring their classic rock cover set back to the festival for the first time since 2014 at 2:30 PM, while The Northern Jazz Ensemble will become the only band to play each of the last three in-person festivals when they open on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM. As before, Saturday's music is for all ages, and admission is by donation. Note that entry to the stage proper is from Great Northern Road only, specifically the road to the right of Pennington's, with the Northern Avenue entrance intended for Ribfest patrons, so be careful of how you enter the premises, especially if you usually come in the other way.

It's great to see Rotaryfest back, even in compromised-by-pandemic form, and hopefully everyone has a fun and safe time this weekend! I know there has been grumbling from potential attendees who don't have access to a vehicle, but hopefully carpooling and making use of the FM transmitter (which has a 1 km radius if you can find the signal) in the region will help. Visit the above links for complete details on Rotaryfest 2021, here's to a normal installment in 2022, here's The Uncanny Valley live, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!