LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm & Peril) Plus New Videos!!

In our first proper news post of 2023, we're mostly looking at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the Eastern Upper Peninsula for the first couple of months of this year, but a few videos from each side of the border will cap things off well. Here's what you should know!

Kewadin Casino have announced concerts at The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie and The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace for the first three weekends of the month/year, as seen in the entertainment pages linked above! For reference, the two newer bands playing this month are Charlevoix classic rock cover quartet Derailed and Mackinaw City blues/country rock cover band Mighty Hiawatha, but the only unequivocally heavy band booked in the six weekends booked so far are Traverse City classic metal trio Peril, who will return to The Rapids Lounge for their first 2023 shows anywhere on Friday, January 20th & Saturday, January 21st! Not only that, they're not booked anywhere else through February, so if you want to take in Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking old school covers and possible originals, head to the Soo Kewadin later this month, especially as they haven't rocked The Rapids Lounge since August of last year!

As usual for Peril's E.U.P. dates, these are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and no age limits. See above for more details! Now, while Kewadin haven't went beyond January 21st for lounge concert scheduling yet (they've generally announced things monthly or bi-monthly in recent memory), Peril and their sister bands Scarkazm and Project 6's concert schedule through February was announced on Scarkazm's Facebook page on Monday. The acoustic Project 6 (no relation to locals Project 906) only scarcely play north of the Mackinac Bridge, but Scarkazm are Kewadin regulars and, according to the band, they'll bring their original & cover metal stylings back to The Northern Pines Lounge on Friday, February 17th & Saturday, February 18th! Scarkazm play live much more frequently than Peril do, so fans downstate will see planet of them beforehand, but Scarkazm were last seen in St. Ignace in November.

Like with Peril later this month, Scarkazm's shows next month have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. It's great to see Peril and Scarkazm come back to the Soo and St. Ignace once again, and having talented and familiar bands from downstate reliably making the trip north for concerts multiple times a year is always welcomed, so hopefully both bands get great responses across both weekends! Visit the above links for more on these new dates, and stay tuned for more! 

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for some new "Reel" videos on local concert venue/nightclub LopLops Lounge's Facebook page! Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of Reels, as they're basically TikTok video clones that are vertically oriented and short by design, unable to play while on a separate tab, and impossible to embed externally, but at least they don't vanish after viewing them like "Stories". LopLops have dove head first into making Reels in the past two months, largely to promote and show clips from shows they put on, either at their Queen Street East homebase or elsewhere. These principally included two Wyld Stallyns concerts last month, with LopLops filming The Stallyns (minus Josh) covering The Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'" at the Bookclub show on December 17th, while the headliners were filmed covering, believe it or not, Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline".

The Wyld Stallyns' video sounds good while it lasts, but the Bookclub video (despite being uploaded in monochrome) is longer and captures more of the solid crowd in attendance, fitting given how "Sweet Caroline" is suited to audience involvement! Their last two reels are from the My Son The Hurricane show at the Bushplane Museum on New Year's Eve that The Stallyns opened, and while only the headliners were filmed for Reels, you do get a sense of their amped up, fan friendly brand of brass-hop via the eclectic covers therein! As I can't embed Reels here, give these and more a watch above or at this link, and here's to a big 2023 at LopLops!

Finally, here's a new video from St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown's Facebook page earlier today, which appears to be our first sample of their recent songwriting efforts! The guys have been taking time away from the stage since the fall to work on new material (their first with this lineup), and the video features a 62 second instrumental clip set to a filtered version of a 1990s Jell-O commercial parody from SkyCorp Home Video. Just as a warning, the video has adult language and situations, it just looks like a real old commercial at first, but click here if you want to see the original without H.L.T.C.s music or filters. They've definitely amped up the humour in their social media since last year's lineup changes, and this fits in that vein! The audio clip is promisingly heavy & technical, though obviously incomplete, so check it out for yourself below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (January 2023 Update)

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! or our first post of 2023, here's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" installment, where we're again looking at the current release whereabouts of upcoming Sault Ontario metal, hard rock, and/or punk albums! Inclusions here must have had publically acknowledged recording sessions commence for an album or EP, not just songwriting or recording a stand-alone digital single for free platforms. This month's installment has six entries, two updated with new information (as noted with their titles in italics), plus a now unlikely-to-be-released album is noted at post's end. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: Multiple

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera last year, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs from the album have surfaced on his Facebook page, as well as the final artwork, while in promotion for his last release, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final eponymous solo album.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine for when this will finally come out, but remember that Chase is very prolific and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo, or by being released online for free. Regardless, he has been working on the rock opera for years to ensure a quality product, so stay tuned for updates from his camp!
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Fort Creek's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Hammer Down"

Background: Local southern/hard rock quintet Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, and while the pandemic lockdowns may have gave them more time to record, they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared this snippet of their single "Hammer Down" their Facebook page, later posting this 72 second clip. The guys debuted it at their headlining concert at Soo Blaster in June, and have played it live regularly since, but they have yet to release any full tracks online. It's not clear if new rhythm guitarist Bill Brouillard will be part of the recordings, or if his predecessor Matt Sibilo's tracks will remain on the final product.

Current Release Status: Fort Creek originally planned to release the EP in "late summer", later adjusted to "late 2022", but both timeframes have obviously came and went. The band had been part of a three month hiatus late last year, but whether the break was to work on the EP isn't publically known. There are a lot of unknowns either way, especially given the 2+ years of production time and that this is a band primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit (though some members do have experience in name original bands, especially Tony). It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned!
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Handsome Sandwich - "Deconstructed"

Rumoured Songs: "All Or Nothing", "Bitter", "No Entry", "No Idea"

Background: After taking a year+ long hiatus during the pandemic, local "no genre" band Handsome Sandwich reunited in mid-2021 with a new lineup, with Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger now joined by singer Taylor Emlaw, guitarist Mitch Sirie, and (as of last summer) bassist Rafael Medina. Via their new Facebook page & YouTube channel, the band almost instantly began teasing a debut album (after previously being covers-only from 2017-2020), posting videos of them playing original songs. In June 2021, Handsome Sandwich revealed that the album had began pre-production, with recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall. The band also confirmed in July that guest saxophonist Josh Norling will appear on their new song "No Entry". In November, the band confirmed that the album's name was changed from "Lettuce" to "Deconstructed", and that recording sessions had wrapped, with Jordan Zadorozny set to mix the tracks at Skylark Park in Pembroke

Current Release Status: If you believe Taylor's on-stage remarks at The Soo's Got Talent in October (source here), the album is slated to be released on May 5th, an oddly specific date given the then-7 month time gap. Regardless on if that date will prove to be true, the new look band has definitely hit the ground running since resuming activity in 2021, and they have gotten a positive reception for the new material so far, so stay tuned for updates from Handsome Sandwich's camp when they have them!

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Mike Haggith - "All The Best In All You Do"

Rumoured Songs: "I've Seen It Before", "Twist of Fate", "If Only You Could Hear Me"

Background: During his live-streamed Facebook concert in February, local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith revealed that he was working on his newest studio album, entitled "All The Best In All You Do". Like his other Thompson-era albums, this will have an overarching concept, this time about the transition out of depression and being manipulated by others, into a happier personal life. At the time, Mike was 35% done with the album, and he has played two new originals planned for it in live-streams and in his 2022 concerts, as well as "If Only You Could Hear Me", a still-unreleased song from early in his time in Thompson. A single version of "Twist of Fate" was unveiled in July, and live videos of all three songs can be found on Mike's Facebook page and/or YouTube channel.

Current Release Status: Given Mike's day job and personal commitments, he hasn't been as active on social media in recent months, but he was playing live dates last year and presumably working on recording the new album where time allows. It is worth noting that Mike did move out of Thompson late last year, but outside of personal remarks, he has yet to publically elaborate on his musical future beyond vague teasers. Hopefully things are progressing naturally in studio, and we'll keep you posted!

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Mike McCleary - Fallout From Midnight Tides

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: After taking a couple of years off from public updates on his solo music (and taking down much of his prior back catalog from streaming services), local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary announced on his Facebook page in January 2022 that he was working on new original music. In April, Mike clarified that this would be an instrumental album (his de-listed albums all had vocals) inspired by his own curiosity and creative thinking. Mike has since posted a sampler video featuring the planned album artwork and title, and he also revealed the album's planned track structure (seven songs, three being 7+ minutes long), but has kept most specifics close to his vest.

Current Release Status: Mike was very optimistic about the album's progress, but was intentionally not putting a public timetable on when it will be completed, and things were complicated when his hard drive containing his new music crashed in October (the files still hadn't been recovered as of the 10th, and no updates have followed). Hopefully he can recover everything and that this isn't a huge bump in the road towards his new album, but we'll keep you posted when we hear more!

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The Uncanny Valley's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "The Uncanny Valley", "Glowin'", "Middle Man", “This Love is Psychedelic”, "Stuck In Rotation", “Sweet Like Sugar”, "Fumbling Through"

Background: The new classic hard rock band from 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan, fans will have seen original material of theirs right from the start, as The Uncanny Valley debuted their own songs in their first live concert at The Canadian on New Year's Eve 2019. Live concert & jam session videos have followed on their Facebook page featuring their own material as well. After posting a teaser audio clip of "Sweet Like Sugar" in September 2020, they posted the full studio version of "Middle Man" that October, finally confirming there that they are working on their first album. The guys did record a studio version of "Stuck In Rotation" at Unsalted Audio for the Clusterfolk Music Festival and a related compilation album in April, but whether that exact recording will be included on the band's own album is unclear.

Current Release Status: No clue, which isn't helped by The Uncanny Valley's age and relatively unfamiliar profile for many readers, not to mention the complications of the pandemic, but they have played a number of local concerts in the past few months. That said, they are a talented group who seemed to be taking the right steps for the future, and hopefully more updates on The Uncanny Valley's debut album follow in some form or another when ready!

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As for the album removed from the series (at least for now) due to its current unlikely release status, here's what you should know on it:

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Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's fourth album

Rumoured Songs: "Lost & Found", "All Broke Down", "No Control"

Background: Local Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide began recording sessions by October 2018 at Dustin's own Mission Control Studios, as per their Facebook page. In January 2019, the band confirmed that they were indeed recording a fourth studio album (and first since 2012), which would presumably be released through Tidal Records, and would also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour & drummer Chris Johns. While "All Broke Down" was initially cited as the first single in December 2018 (source here), the first two released singles were "Lost & Found" in March 2019 & "No Control" in December 2020. Credits on the above songs' music videos note that Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharine's was mixing the album, as he had done for multiple Tidal/Mission Control releases. Dustin posted a handful of solo songs on Tidal Records' YouTube channel in 2020, but it's not publically known whether or not they would also be used as new Tide originals. 

Reason For Removal: I've opted to remove this album due to The Rising Tide being moved to our inactive band links, after going one year since their last social media update, though tangible updates regarding new/future Tide activity had not occurred since 2020, partially due to fiddler Sheldon Jaaskelainen working out of town. Frontman Dustin Jones has hardly been idle since, working on studio material for his solo project Jonesy Land that often bears thematic similarities with The Tide, so definitely follow them on streaming services and Tidal Records/Mission Control Studios accounts to see what Dustin's up to nowadays for original music. Still, it'd be neat to see The Rising Tide's fourth album completed!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around February 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will either be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile or this month's CD review, so stay tuned for that and more news & notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

2022: A Look Back In The Year Of Local Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk

As always, let's end the year for our last post of 2022 by looking back at the year that was for The Sault Metal Scene! 2022 got off to a quiet start out of COVID-19 pandemic-related necessity, as a partial lockdown in January and a rollback in indoor capacity measures ground most Sault Ontario concerts to a halt until March. Since then however, things have slowly gotten better, aided by the end of vaccine passports in February and indoor mask mandates in March, and while we're not back to where we were in 2019, this was our busiest year for positive news since then!

This was evidenced by touring acts to play in Sault Ontario and area this year, including names like The AC/DC Show, Alien To The Ignorant, B.A. Johnston, Blessed, Crush, The Glorious Sons, Gutter Creek, Just Leppard, The Killer Dwarfs, Marianas Trench, Pyramid Theorem, Sandman, Taming Sari, The Trews, and White Cowbell Oklahoma, not to mention two Queen tribute bands two months apart! Rotaryfest (Stages 1 and 2) and Toystock both returned to their full pre-pandemic splendor, while The Northern Vibe Festival returned with another stacked lineup in August, the long-delayed Glambition fundraiser finally took place, and the Clusterfolk Music Festival was reborn with a dual focus on music videos and young band promotion. Rap/rock hybrid shows also gained prominence via the multiple $onny Vybe$ benefit concerts and The Apocalypse Afterparty's involvement in rap gigs at Soo Blaster.

Loplops Lounge also resumed hosting in-person concerts in 2022, while Handsome Sandwich made multiple appearances during The Soo's Got Talent, Dryer Fire brought a wide array of genres to their Wilson Street temporary venue, and an impressive lineup of local musicians performed at Outspoken Brewing's second annual Oktoberfest at The Machine Shop. It's a slow process to get back to where we had them before March 2020, but this year had a lot of positive events if you looked for them!

Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula were not lacking for an uptick in concerts and live gigging bands in 2022 either, with The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino hosting two high profile metal concerts this year, starting with the oft delayed Black Label Society concert on May 6th (with Nita Strauss opening!), followed by Steel Panther's holiday season return show on November 26th. Both were surely aided by the end of the PCR test requirement for Canadian travellers, of course. Touring hard rock bands like Fyrbird, Overdrive Orchestra, Peril, Scarkazm, Spun, and Sunspot made their way to the E.U.P. for multiple dates in 2022, while locals Buddy Repperton & The Camaros and The Nameless debuted at the former Back Door in April, and cover mainstays like Tarnished, Project 906, 415E, and Rhythm & Brews were also seen. Look for much more from hard rock bands in the 12 months ahead.

Pandemic and concerts aside, a lot of important news stories happened in the local scene this year. For concert venues, Reggie Daigle put the wheels in motion to divest his two concert venues, with Reggie's West becoming Jay's Piston Broke Pub and Reggie's Place itself being up for sale. The Oddfellows Hall sold years after ceasing concert promotion in the late 2010s, while The Rockstar Bar put concerts on an indefinite hiatus in June, and The New A and The Canadian both closed, but Shooters Downstairs Lounge opened their concert floodgates, and The Esquire Club resumed nighttime bookings this fall. Local acts like Heavy Lies The Crown, Theatre of Night, Spades GT, Obsession, The Northwest, The Uncanny Valley, Soundcheck, and Tarnished hit the road for gigs outside of our area, with The Northwest's profile beyond the Soo really expanding with press features and airplay on non-local radio stations and even on NHL telecasts last season!

Also this year: the Kim Mitchell and Anvil concerts were cancelled, Metal Morpheus aired its final first-run episodes on The Borderline, Mikey & His Uke relocated to the Soo while continuing their impressive slate of cover videos, Jonesy Land continued their push with multiple music videos, the Marconi Meets World festival debuted this summer, Fort Creek hosted two instrument raffles for charity, and Sault Michigan's Tarnished performed on a float during their Fourth of July parade. With things getting busier in 2022, the outward growth should continue next year, for better or worse!

2022 was a big year for local album releases from heavier and punk bands, as evidenced by 11 of our 12 monthly reviews this year being of new albums from late 2021 onward! While not sold on CD, the biggest in scope would arguably be indie/punk quintet The Northwest's third EP "All In", which got a strong reception here & afar after its release in June! These Magnificent Tentacles, Vanity (First), and Forever Will Be also put out their debut digital EPs for fans on the punk spectrum, while Chase Wigmore, Molten Imp, and the re-emerged Sykotyk Rampage enjoyed a busy 2022 with multiple new album releases this year alone. Metalheads could enjoy local progressive metal project PROV3RB5' debut EP "What Dreams May Come" and Theatre of Night's new Christmas-laden re-release "Dreams of Winter", while The Uncanny Valley factored into this year's Clusterfolk compilation tape. Here's to more new local albums next year!

An intriguing crop of new local metal, hard rock, and punk bands emerged in 2022, if with a surprising lack of online pages for them to promote themselves with. The highest profile one may be new alternative/punk supergroup Bookclub, whose Oktoberfest debut and recent LopLops gig have let the Surfers-laden quintet get off on the right foot! Fans have also welcomed new local metal trio The BAG and Jamie Vincent's new noise duo No Funeral to the stage this year, while the already launched Vanity First and Sylo (née Raincourt) played their first public gigs outside of White Pines, Suicide Kings successors Ravencore debuted at Toystock, and two Skeyes of Seven alums brought the acoustic Short & Sweet to Parabol's return concert. Also, Sault Michigan welcomed both Buddy Repperton & The Camaros and The Nameless to the stage at Three One Three on Ashmun in April. Look for much more from these bands in 2023!

With 2022 being a busier year in general, there was even more lineup changes therein, and none saw more overhaul than the revived Exploring Detritus, with guitarist Dan Souliere adding Ryan St. Pierre, Justin Lam, a returning Anthony Boudreau, and (briefly) Mitch Sirie for their revival. Mitch also was part of the expansion of These Magnificent Tentacles from a duo to a quintet, with his long-time bandmate Johnny Belanger and half of Gnaeus joining Brent & Steve too this summer, and Mitch & Johnny also formed half of the revived Soo Fighters this fall. The Wyld Stallyns confirmed Alex White, Derek Turner, and long-time guest Josh Norling in their expanded six-piece lineup, while 3/5ths of Heavy Lies The Crown was swapped out, with Brandon & Ted now joined by younger St. Ignace-based musicians. Of course, the now-Barrie based (Jack) Spades GT saw J.D. Pearce & Daniel Horton round out their new lineup with GTA musicians.

Also this year: Warren Reville joined (and Brad Stephen & Ric Datson left) the stripped down Bone Yard, Jessica Amadio replaced Valerie Powley as Obsession's singer, Rafael Medeira joined the now five-piece Handsome Sandwich on bass, Bill Brouillard replaced Matt Sibilo on guitar in Fort Creek, and Raine Rancourt left his own namesake band Raincourt (now Sylo). Hopefully all of these changes prove successful for these bands, and that the former members rebound in other projects!

Things have picked up in the scene, but we're still not back to pre-pandemic rates, and it does show in the bands we said goodbye to in 2022, with only one major heavier band (power rock quintet Re:Born) firmly announcing their dissolution in February, without ever emerging from their pandemic hiatus despite their announced lineup additions. However, a handful of familiar bands were moved to our inactive band links after last being heard from late last year, including death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, Buckcherry openers Bad Chug, and punk trio Redundant. Horror punk quintet Frightlight fell inactive with Chris Thompson's passing and J.D.'s move to Barrie in 2021, and notable bands like Parabol, Tripod The Dog, and Sault Michigan's 415E, Buddy Repperton & The Camaros, and The Nameless have all been publically dormant since the spring. Fingers crossed that we haven't heard the absolute last from these bands!

Like in prior year-in-review posts, we'll end with comebacks and reunions, and with things opening up more than ever, we weren't lacking in this area! For bands in concert, The Northern Vibe Festival saw the returns of Jack Spades (now Spades GT), A Dire Setback, and The Soo Fighters after spending a year or more off the local stage, while fellow Northern Vibe performers The Cover-Up had already returned at this year's returning Go Skateboarding Day festivities. Mike Haggith, Parabol, Slumshine, and The Sick Sons (renamed The Gambit) all came back after a year+ away, while (The) Northwest made their own full comeback from the pandemic, and Heavy Lies The Crown did the same while almost exclusively playing in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This year also saw the rebirth of Great West Falls as Forever Will Be and solo original project Stone Smyth, and the return of Downtown Street Parties, among other returns this year!

2022 was an eventful year, even if things weren't quite at the levels we might be used to from the 2010s, but it's only up from here... right? Have a Happy New Year, please drink responsibly if you're going out, and we'll see you guys back on the SMS next week (and next year!) Thanks everyone!

New Year's Eve Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this wet Thursday evening, let's look at this weekend's hard rock concert previews, all with ample advance notice, and all factoring in New Year's Eve into their plans! Here's what you should know!

We'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Casino in nearby St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will end their 2022 concert calendar with shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy year for both Peril and their sister band Scarkazm with numerous gigs at Kewadin, this should be a prime chance to check out Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking old school covers, in their first E.U.P. stops since rocking the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin in August. No word on holiday frills on Saturday for New Year's Eve, but ringing in 2023 is very much a part of the advertising for that night's concert, so if you want to end the year on a heavy note, Yooper readers know where to go! Both tomorrow's and Saturday's shows have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page & the above links for more details, and here's Peril live in concert!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario with a solid range of New Year's Eve options for heavier music tastes, but let's start with the arguable biggest show of the weekend, as local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will take the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre as the local openers for Toronto "brasshop" favourites My Son The Hurricane! The Stallyns have had quite a busy year at traditional nightclubs and community events alike, but this rare support slot should provide them with a huge platform to show their varied setlist and heavier cuts, so don't be late on Saturday! My Son The Hurricane (featuring former Redefined/Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea) are certainly no strangers to the Soo, having played here twice already in 2022, and multiple times in years past, and their eclectic mix of funk and dance rock should be a fun way to end the year!

No word on seasonal frills beyond the headliners' presence, but this is a licensed 19+ event at the Bushplane Museum, and it's the culmination of pandemic-altered plans for My Son The Hurricane to play in town on December 31st since 2020. Presented by LopLops Lounge, tickets run for $64.67 at this link, and doors open at 8:00 PM. The scope, holiday tie-in, and headliners alone will make this must-see for many, but The Wyld Stallyns will bring the heavy (if mixed with other funk covers) to kick off the night, so don't miss out! Visit the above links for more details, and here are The Stallyns live in concert earlier this year!

Also taking place THIS SATURDAY NIGHT is local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek's first ever gig at The Water Tower Pub for that venue's own New Year's Eve party! Last seen headlining their "Christmas blowout" at Soo Blaster three weeks ago, Saturday will prove to be another high profile event for Fort Creek and their hard & heavy covers (and new originals), but in very different ways. The Water Tower Pub are absolutely going all out for New Year's Eve, with their event having $60 admission, but included in that price are an appetizer buffet, midnight toast, and party favours, so expect all of those frills if you're weighing our December 31st options. New Year's Eve room packages at the Great Northern Road venue's attacked inn are also available, click here for details. Advance tickets are on sale at The Water Tower Inn's reception desk, and presumably at the door, while this show is obviously 19+, and has a likely start time of 8:00 PM.

Between this and My Son The Hurricane/The Wyld Stallyns, $60+ tickets will scare many off, but remember what you're paying for in both cases, and at least The Water Tower Pub are open as to what they're providing on Saturday, so hopefully lots of revelers come out to send 2022 off and rock out with Fort Creek, especially in their debut there! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend is local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's own New Year's Eve show, which takes place at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SATURDAY NIGHT! Thursday jams nights aside, this will be Soundcheck's first concert since playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past Friday, but unlike that show, Saturday's New Year's Eve party has had plenty of advance notice on both the band's and venue's fronts! Soundcheck have played often at Shooters this year to positive audiences, so they should be a fine choice to send 2022 out at the Dennis Street nightclub with their old school hard rocking covers! Expect some type of New Year's frills, as this show will have a cover charge, but only $5, so if you want a much cheaper option than the Sault Ontario shows above, here you go! There will be a 19+ age limit as usual, and the festivities have a later run time of 9:00 PM-3:00 AM.

This has been a quiet year for concerts as we come out of the pandemic control measures, but it's good to see a solid slate of hard rock action in the Twin Saults on Saturday for your New Year's Eve partying needs, so visit Soundcheck's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at Shooters!

That's all for today, but unless there's late notice shows, I'll next see you guys on Saturday for our annual year-in-review post! Thanks everyone!

The Northwest/Gambit Concert Preview, Plus New Videos!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (and Hanukkah) and got in lots of family time and presents underneath all of this snow! With the year winding down, here's a new news post on this Tuesday morning, and it mostly includes new videos, but leading off, here's a mid-week concert preview to check out, assuming you can swing it on a work night!

Local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will headline a special charity concert TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Ending their eventful 2022 in style, this will be The Northwest's first LopLops appearance since the pandemic began, their first local gig since the Marianas Trench show in September, and their first show period since their Guerrilla Grooves date in North Bay in October. This should be a fine way for the guys to cap off the year with their increasing profile & strong originals, so don't miss out tomorrow night! Revived and renamed local punk supergroup The Gambit (née The Sick Sons) will play their first concert since their LopLops dates in December 2019, preceding a three year pandemic hiatus, name change, and reportedly adding a fifth band member (identity yet unclear). It's great to see The Sick Sons Gambit back at long last, and remember that drummer Clint Wilson is a Northwest alum himself!

Reportedly taking place during renovations at the Queen Street East nightclub, tomorrow's 19+ show has an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is $20 at the door or via advance tickets purchased through the Facebook event page. However, The Northwest are holding a charity drive for St. Vincent's Place tomorrow (something they hope to reprise next year), where non-perishable food or hygiene product donations will get you either $15 door entry or $5 back (LopLops will match each donation for $5 apiece). Wonderful idea, as even after Christmas, many are still needing help from the community! Visit the above links for more on this holiday season concert, and here's The Northwest live!

Next up, let's dive into some videos, starting with the latest Mikey & His Uke cover video, as uploaded to the project's YouTube channel on December 16th! It's not a seasonal song or a carol, but that's just as well given that I'm only covering it now. This time, Mikey and crew are tackling Rancid's "Daly City Train", with Mikey himself on guitar and (at first) ukelele once again. Vocals are split four ways here, courtesy of Slackers frontman Vic Ruggerio (also on accordion), Buck-O-Nine singer Jon Pebsworth, Bedouin Soundclash frontman Jay Malinowski, and Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer/ex-Jimmy Kimmel Live announcer Dicky Barrett. Jon's Buck-O-Nine bandmate Andy Plafoot handles bass, while ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer (a former bandmate of Mikey's in The Dookies) rounds out the lineup here. I'm not a massive Rancid fan, but everyone acquits themselves well on this rendition!

Having four different singers spreads the wealth and lets some strong names in on the action, and they each do Tim justice in their own ways, and the instrumental performers more than hold their own (even the accordion isn't out of place!) Solid stuff as usual, so if you love punk rock, don't bypass Mikey & His Uke's latest effort below!

Also today, here's a new videos from prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page on Friday! This video sees him covering "No Children" by folk band The Mountain Goats, which Chase noted that he has covered in a video before, but allegedly didn't know what he was doing originally. The grainy monochrome quality of the video proper is at least livened up by rapidly changing backgrounds laid overtop of the original footage that seem to feature outdoor forest settings and animal skeletons in a living state. I'm not familiar with "No Children", but Chase gives it an ominous building quality with good vocal passion, so do check it out below, and more is coming soon!

Finally, here's a new acoustic version of a song from new local pop punk solo project Forever Will Be's YouTube channel two weeks ago! This is the unplugged version of "Downsides" from their debut album "Dead & Dishonest", and while I'll hold full comment on this song pending our review of the album (currently pencilled in for February), it translated well enough to this format, though the peppy, upbeat nature suits a full plugged-in band more. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Forever Will Be!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

The Northwest Updates, Plus New Christmas Cover Videos!!

Before we get into today's post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert to preview on here, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck actually played at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last night. This one-nighter was only announced on Jay's Facebook page on Thursday, and the band has not posted on their Facebook page in three weeks. With the local concert calendar being very quiet given that today (Christmas Eve) is a Saturday, I frankly wasn't expecting any heavier bands to announce shows this weekend, but hopefully there was a decent turnout at the former Rosie last night, and I'd have covered this show had I heard about it prior!

Today's post is mostly video related, including two seasonal offerings as we near Christmas, but we'll start with a charitable update for an upcoming post-Christmas concert, namely the Northwest/Gambit show at LopLops Lounge on Wednesday! Our proper preview of that show will hit the site early next week, but on the 15th, the headlining indie/punk quintet announced that they would be holding a charity drive for St. Vincent's Place that night. If you bring non-perishable food items or hygiene products with you, you'll basically save $5 on admission (the ticket price is otherwise $20), so you'll either get in for $15 or you'll get $5 back if you bought yours in advance. In response, LopLops will match all donations by giving $5 apiece to St. Vincent's Place. Wonderful idea, and especially at a screwy time of year for many, so hopefully lots of money and food is raised for the needy at St. Vincent's Place on Wednesday night!

The charity drive is also addressed in this new SooToday article by Chris Belsito yesterday, which also looks at The Northwest's busy 2022, from high profile live dates to their EP release to their airplay on radio and during televised NHL games over these past 12 months. Frontman Wayne Watkins is quoted in the article, where he praises the grants that the band has received from the Ontario Arts Council, as well as the assistance that they have received from Cultural Industries Ontario North towards mentorship and networking in the Canadian music scene. Wayne teased that The Northwest already has "voice memo demos" for what they hope will be a full length studio album next, before closing by plugging Wednesday's concert. Strong promotion that points to what should be a big year for The Northwest, so click here or above to give it a read!

To cap off the Northwest portion of today's post, they did post a few new videos onto their Facebook page (mostly text-heavy "Reels" to promote the concert/food drive), but the only actual video (uploaded on Wednesday) features Wayne and guitarist Greg Callaghan plugging the show while also wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Fellow guitarist Mike Yakasovich is also present, but says nothing, which isn't anything new if you recall prior speech-heavy Northwest videos. Good and light promotion for the festivities on Wednesday, so check it out below, and see more recent updates and content from The Northwest above!

 

Next up, here's another new Christmas carol covers from former Brain Tuel guitarist Zach Reid's YouTube channel! He has clearly been in the Christmas spirit since I shared his acoustic guitar rendition of "Christmas Time Is Here" on the SMS last week, as he has posted eight more carol covers there since! These include versions of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "I Saw Three Ships", "Greensleeves" (a.k.a. "What Child Is This?"), "Silver Bells", "Somewhere In My Memory" from Home Alone as a "Short" video, and as embedded below, the Canadian standard "The Huron Carol". These quiet, intimate acoustic carol renditions might be just what the doctor ordered with the snow still coming down in the Soo area tonight, so give them a watch above & below!

Finally for today, here's one more video to watch by the fire... as it literally has one! As you may recall, Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night released their new/revised Christmas album "Dreams of Winter" on December 2nd, and it has made its way to YouTube for free streaming twice. Once is via the automated YouTube channel hosting select studio material for YouTube Music, but the other is in one batch video on their official YouTube channel as set to a 56 minute video of a yule log on the fire! All 14 of the new/re-recorded songs are present in order as seen on the album (and timestamped in the description), so this will surely be the most metal yule log video you'll watch this year, at least as far as local bands go! Looping it to run longer aside, the only thing I'd have changed would be to make the video in full widescreen, as having it in square Instagram dimensions seems counter-productive. Check it out below!

That's all for today, but I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and I'll catch you back on the site on Monday or Tuesday! Thanks everyone!

Theatre Of Night - "Dreams Of Winter" Album Review!!

With a very quiet concert weekend ahead, let's get this month's 162nd CD review up on the SMS, and to end the year, we're going seasonal with a look at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's sixth paid album "Dreams of Winter"! Independently released on their Reverbnation page on December 2nd, this is their first album with a paid release (Spotify playlists excepted) in almost 5 years, and is effectively an expanded revision of their 2011 album "Christmas Night", a seasonal release that foretold Theatre of Night's future as a touring act. Credits for the album aren't listed, but they have worked on and teased Christmas studio plans for years, some of which may or may not reflect the final product on this album. Their current lineup includes returning keyboardist Craig Harrison and guitarist Steve Giles from "Christmas Night", now joined by singer Rachel Mender, bassist Luke Bernard, and drummer Erik Sales.

Note that Scott Andringa was their bassist from 2017-2021, but it's not clear if he recorded anything present on the released album. You can buy "Dreams of Winter" at the above links for $9.99, and it can also be heard on most major streaming platforms, including on YouTube. As this album is mostly re-recordings, I won't re-review most songs, but I will compare them to the original album as to what changed. For reference, I am using the original all-instrumental 2011 version of the album for comparisons, not the later digital copy that featured vocals from ex-singer Gaby Koss and guest Ida Elena on select songs, and click here for my review of the original album. Featuring 14 tracks running for about 56 minutes, let's begin another Christmas night, 11 long years later!

The track listing of the albums have differences, but both start with "What Child Is This". The new version keeps the same arrangement but with some extra crescendos, and crucially, Rachel on vocals in the second half. She puts her pretty, operatic vocals to good use, with an effective drop in pitch late! I'm not sure that the added early instrumentation truly added anything, but you can see why this song kicked off the albums and their live Christmas concerts! Moving way up to track #2 is "Carol of the Bells", which is more or less a verbatim re-recording from the original a decade ago, and while there's no differences to speak of compositionally, the production quality is definitely cleaner and less fuzzy on the new version! Given how the Trans-Siberian Orchestra popularized this carol in a metal context, Theatre of Night's version continues to fit their mold very well!

The next eight songs are in order on both albums. Next is "Road To Bethlehem" (no "The" at the end anymore), which remains a short original instrumental with an identical arrangement. New recording quality aside, the biggest difference is that the opening 15 second introduction gradually gets louder, whereas it was a static volume originally. This mildly eerie orchestral piece still sets an interesting mood at this early stage! It is followed by "Little Drummer Boy", which sees the return of Rachel on vocals, but not singing the complete lyrics, opting not to do the "pa-rum-pum-pum-pum" parts until the title character asks Mary if he can drum for the baby Jesus. I assume they opted to hold that until the boy actually started drumming in universe, but something feels missing when you don't have them there. Otherwise, this is the same song with higher production values, and it's a strong & dramatic rendition!

Next is "Christmas Night" (formerly "Arabian Christmas Night"), which retains the original instrumental piece's structure but does tone down some of the twinkling and windy background effects, and I think I hear some vocal harmonies layered into the recording. Not a heavy song, but a pretty bridge between established carol renditions then and now! The albums' shortest song "Away In A Manger" follows with Rachel's return on vocals and more of a prominent drum track than on the original. Erik is a little loud in the mix here, especially given the softer nature of this carol in both versions, but Rachel's addition fits very well, and it's a nice mellow break as we reach the mid-point! Song #7 is "Dance of the Sugarplums" (previously named "The Nutcracker"), which remains an instrumental with the same structure, but Steve does show off a little more on guitar, and the drums are more prominent & rock based.

I think this revision is the best of the instrumental ones so far in terms of adding to the song, giving this holiday ballet staple some extra zest! The second half of "Dreams of Winter" leads off with "Silent Night", which Rachel sang on the Spotify version of "Christmas Night" too. Unlike her prior songs on the new album, her vocals are used from the start rather than after an instrumental verse. Her vocals are well done again and suitably orchestral, but I'd have dialed them back a little just given the song's mellow & spare tone. Still effective, and maintains the original version's musical framework! "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" is next up, and for the first time on the album, Rachel sings on consecutive songs, but only to do partial choruses and the final verse. You have her here, why not use her? The drum track is also more prominent here, so fans of Erik's work will be happy!

Well performed version of this classic carol that sticks to old formulas with additions, but again, I'd have had Rachel sing more of this. The run of eight consecutive songs in order across both albums ends with track #10, "Star In The East" (no more "A" at the beginning). While still an original instrumental, this arguably has the most changes to the song proper yet, including a shorter intro, a steady percussion track (the original had no drums), and an electric guitar solo rather than the spare plucking fans originally heard. As such, the 2012 version is definitely more metal, and it does feel a little more like a Theatre of Night song compared to the slighty muzak-ish original! With "Carol of the Bells" launched up to song #2, the final two songs imported from "Christmas Night" remain as tracks #11 & #12 here, with "O Holy Night" up next.

The longest song on offer then & now, this version keeps the same arrangement, but adds drums and vocals to the mix, and they are a massive help, as the original was kind of monotonous as just a keyboard/guitar instrumental. Clearly the prior re-release with Ida on guest vocals became the canon version of this carol to update! It's still a little long compared to prior songs, but adding in the full band heft was the right call, and Rachel arguably has her strongest vocal performance yet! The final song adapted from "Christmas Night" is "Hark The Herald" (no "Angels Sing" at the end anymore). Like the original, this is a orchestral-heavy rendition, but about 1:20 in, Rachel and Erik jump in to add vocals and drums to the proceedings. They generally help things out, but having Rachel only sing some verses partially with the instrumentation "singing" first just made the song sound unfinished.

Leaving in the low, spare, and drawn out ending of the original more or less intact isn't what I'd have done, but it's still effectively performed! The last two songs on "Dreams of Winter" are new to Theatre of Night albums and were not on either the original or the patched revision of "Christmas Night". First of them is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and while this is new to their discography, the formula is not dissimilar, including a sparer intro and a full band middle section with vocals, plus Craig's solid orchestral keyboard work throughout. Alas, this song also does the "Rachel sings only the back half of some verses" thing, which I really don't get (if the band is "singing" the first chunk, it should be a more prominent solo from Steve than what we're getting). That aside, this carol has always lent itself well to rock covers and Theatre of Night do it justice, and I like that the outro wasn't dragged out for as long as on earlier tracks!

The new album closes with a rendition of "We Three Kings", This is arguably one of the heavier cuts on offer, and the chugging riff is solid (if a little low in the mix). Mercifully, Rachel's verses are all intact here, and the composition is strong on this carol, with a nice symphonic fade out to boot, but this is a song that is repetitive on its own, so playing it traditionally (if metalled up) for 5+ minutes means that it does drag a bit by the end. Solid rendition all the same, and a nice bonus to cap off the album with!

So, what is the final verdict on Theatre of Night's second Christmas album (or it's re-recording?) Overall, this is a strongly done update that adds a lot to the existing songs and better reflects Theatre of Night as the live band that we know and love today! With the exception of "Star In The East", the songs are seriously identical structurally (I bounced back and forth in Audacity to cross-reference the 2022 changes), but adding vocals to most of the carol renditions is largely a plus, and I had forgotten that Greg Giles' drumming on the original wasn't a constant across those songs, so having a more regular inclusion of percussion was very welcomed. On the whole, these songs were generally heavier and more varied with the expansions, and Craig's orchestral flourish on keyboard helps set these apart! However, I don't really like the "Rachel only sings half of a verse" approach used on some songs.

Given the heavier, full band approach, letting Steve loose on guitar would be a plus if it happened more, and I do think Theatre of Night slightly missed the boat by not basically making this a verbatim studio version of their live concert, complete with bridging spoken word narration. Still, this is an improvement on "Christmas Night" (original or revised), and it'd be neat to see Theatre of Night tackle more Christmas classics down the line! Buy or stream "Dreams of Winter" at the above links, I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and stay tuned for our review of Chase Wigmore's newest solo album on the site early next month! Thanks everyone!