Handsome Sandwich News & Updates, Plus A New Drum Cover Video!!

To try and get some of the news backlog cleared out, here's another full news post on this Tuesday morning, including a new drum cover video, and leading off, lots of updates from a prominent local band in the midst of quite a big week, so here's what you should know!

Here's some more recent news and updates from local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich, in advance of their CD release concert at The Loft this Saturday night! Our preview of that is coming later in the week, but there is more to talk about in the interim, starting with the confirmation on their Facebook page on April 14th that they will return to the Northern Vibe Festival in nearby Ophir in late August! The band debuted their new lineup twice over at the last two installments of this event, so it makes sense for them to return, but of course, it may be a while before we hear what day they're playing on. Organizers never released daily schedules in the past two years, and didn't do so for the DJ centric River Stage's lineup reveal last month. For the record, the full band lineup for the Forest Stage is expected to be announced soon, and we'll keep you posted when they announce everything, with or without dates.

To promote their recent activity, SooToday contributor/musician Chris Belsito spotlighted them in another article on April 27th, which features interview remarks from all five band members, including guitarist "Jessie Cooks" (odd typos there!). The article features talk of the positive response to the band's first two music videos (an unidentified friend of the band in Great Britain apparently covered "Better Off" in some form), technical details on their video shoots, saxophonist Josh Norling's contribution to "No Entry" (if not the video for it), and hype for Saturday night's release concert. The biggest scoop in the SooToday article is that they're planning to return to the studio to record a five song EP with Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori at the Algoma Conservatory of Music this fall, with a single planned to be recorded first "within the next couple of weeks". Remember also that they teased recording the release show in some form.

Informative and positive article that hypes up Handsome Sandwich's upward momentum towards the release show on Saturday, so give it a read above! While there were a few vague teasers about the release plans for their debut album "Deconstructed", the band confirmed on their Facebook page on Friday that the album will be released on CDs and not just via digital downloads and streaming services, and they're going the DIY route here rather than getting them packaged and sent back from afar. The album cover proper was unveiled on Saturday, and can be seen on the right. Kind of shows the titular sandwich in progress, as it takes some effort to get it to be handsome! Finally from the Sandwich crew, they posted a new video interview conducted by the aforementioned Greig Nori with drummer Johnny Belanger and release concert openers Man Feelings' guitarist Paul Gabrylewicz yesterday, so what do you learn here?

In the video, Greig promotes the release concert proper, and asks Johnny about the recording of and release plans for "Deconstructed", while asking Paul (a.k.a. Gabby) about his vision for "collaborative creativity" and Man Feelings' existing studio output, plus both Johnny & Paul's support for fellow local musicians and their past shows together. Not a deep expose or anything, but good promotion and it's interesting seeing Greig front and center here (gives me old disBand vibes!). Check out much more from Handsome Sandwich above and below, and look for our preview of the release show proper on Thursday or Friday!

Finally for today, let's hop across to St. Ignace, Michigan for a new cover video from Heavy Lies The Crown drummer Jaxon Massaway's YouTube channel!  In the description for the video below on March 31st, Jaxon revealed that he had a full drum setup at home again, and plans to begin posting drum covers there, starting with this one of Breaking Benjamin's "Sooner Or Later". Playing in a well lit room, the cover (along with the original studio track) is solidly done, but I'd move the camera next time, as Jaxon's head is right behind a cymbal at this camera angle. Give it a look below, and if you like country, give his guitar covers of country songs from last month a look as well, as he has musical range!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Go North Music Festival) & New Videos!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up that the Adelitas Way-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on May 18th has been cancelled, as per Allstar Promotions' Facebook page yesterday. A reason for the cancellation was not announced, but refund details will be sent to those who purchased advance tickets. Disappointing to hear, but hopefully the bands all find their way back up to this area in due course! Now, we have some new videos and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to take note of in Sault Ontario and area, so here's what you should know to kick off the month of May!

Local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will hit the road for nearby Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island as part of this year's fifth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 8th! Debuting in 2017 with a two year pandemic hiatus in the middle, this festival will return to Centennial Grounds at 1511 Richards Street (where Cornfest was) for another weekend full of live music and entertainment, including food and arts vendors, a family zone with kids activities, and on-site camping. Be sure to visit the official festival website for ongoing festival details! The Northwest will take over for the dormant Uncanny Valley as this year's local support act, with the headliners this year being Juno Award winning Toronto alt-rock trio The Monowhales in their local debut. Given their critical acclaim and rising profile on Canadian alternative radio, they are a big get, so don't bypass their set in Richards Landing in two months!

Four more touring acts will play on Saturday the 8th, including London alternative rock quartet Texas King, Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles (who dropped out of Go North last year following COVID exposure isolation), Toronto country/folk musician Jeremie Albino, and retro-styled Toronto rock quartet Propter Hawk, and the five bands are in that order on the website promotion with The Northwest opening, though timeslots are not out yet. No word either on if organizers will bring back the "family stage", where select bands played a second earlier set geared at families/kids elsewhere on the grounds. The shorter program on Friday, July 7th will be country-centric, and will feature Toronto honky tonk band The Holy Gamblers, Port Hope country artist Nickola Magnolia, and Kingston roots/country musician Solomon Woodland. This all ages festival has gates opening at 6:00 PM on Friday and 3:30 PM on Saturday.

Tickets are available at this link, with adults running for $71.28 (full weekend), $60.55 (Saturday only), and $28.34 (Friday only), while 13-18 year old student fees are $33.71, $28.34, and $17.61 respectively (kids 12 and under are free). VIP parking passes are also on sale. Of course, Richards Landing is 40 minutes southeast of Sault Ste. Marie, so if you want some entertaining and diverse live music, with a dash of punk, in some nice natural settings, it won't be too far of a trip! Visit the above links for more on Go North V, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, I have forgotten about this video for far too long, namely the newest Mikey & His Uke collaborative cover! Posted to the project's YouTube channel on March 31st (apologies for the delay), this cover sees Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon and a remotely-filmed all-star band covering The Circle Jerks' "Live Fast, Die Young", with Mikey on guitar and (initially) ukelele once again. Joining him this time from afar are Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer/ex-Jimmy Kimmel Live announcer Dicky Barrett (who split vocals on the Rancid cover in December), his Defiant bandmate (and Smashmouth guitarist) Greg Camp, prolific session bassist Hasma Angeleno, and Tosh "The Drummer" Peterson, a rising young artist who has drummed with modern rap/pop musicians like Young Thug and The Kid LAROI. Yes, the video is in a 4:3 standard-definition aspect ratio.

The cover is really good and if you wish Dicky's gravelly voice was on something a little less ska, this will be up your alley! Nice and intense performance on all fronts, including solid camera work on Hasma's end, and Dicky singing in the back seat of a moving vehicle. Mikey performs here in a less obvious locale than in his recent videos, appearing to be some kind of industrial area with bags of insulation. Short cover but it packs a punch, so give Mikey & His Uke's newest video a watch below!

We'll close today with new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, courtesy of drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel! On April 22nd, the band played at a stag & doe, and despite being a private event, Glen filmed two songs there and presumably got permission to do so and upload them. The videos see Soundcheck covering Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and, as embedded below, Blink-182's "All The Small Things", both featuring Cameron Oliver on vocals without playing guitar. I'm not sure that Blink-182 is a great fit for Cameron vocally, but the covers are well handled and the audio quality isn't bad despite the sometimes jittery camera angles. Check these out above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!

Mike McCleary - "Fallout From Midnight Tides" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 167th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary's seventh album "Fallout From Midnight Tides"! An instrumental album unlike his pre-pandemic efforts with vocals, this was independently released to his Bandcamp page on February 1st, and is one of only two albums in his back catalog currently available to buy/stream (his prior discography has been reworked or de-listed wholesale). Recorded last year with Mike on all instruments, "Fallout From Midnight Tides" is on sale on Bandcamp on a "name your price" model, and while it can be obtained for free, consider buying it to support his work! While one short track was cut from the planned album due to Mike feeling that it sounded forced, there are still 6 songs spanning 32 minutes to check out here, so let's begin this album review with a look at the first track, named "Entanglement"!

Inspired by the abstractness of time, this is definitely a departure from his prior output, in that it has dramatic overtones that remind me of a marching battalion in a fantasy movie. If you're expecting a guitar showcase, look elsewhere, but Mike shows off his range as a composer to good effect! The plodding four-time note throughout is something that I'd have held back on or cut, but it's an interesting diversion that reminds me of something that Mike could easily slot into a score if he wanted to write one! Track #2 is "Perpetual Motion", which comes from the constant string tap reminding him of the titular machines. This is an acoustic composition that has benefits from Mike adding that tap to give the song a bit of percussion that otherwise wouldn't be present, and it'd be interesting to see him play this in a video. Far from a ballad, this is a very effective showcase of his guitar skill and it's well worth checking out on its own merits!

Third up is the album's shortest song, "Harmonic Objectivity", which is inspired by staying objective in difficult conversations, and he emphasized listening to the song in stereo due to two guitar performances being intentionally split across audio tracks. The balance is clearly discernible! While relatively spare like the preceding song, it does have pretty qualities to it as a guitar piece, so fans should appreciate it, though I would have made one channel's audio be clearly different in tone or instrumentation to better reflect the theme. The second half begins with "Bismarck", which is influenced by imperialism & World War II, and thusly named for the German battleship. If you've been waiting for a song more akin to his prior output, than this is the song for you, as it's a proper hard rock composition with guitar, bass, and drums, and makes the most of its 7 minute runtime with multiple shifts in tempo and intensity.

My favourite part is the intense speed metal chunk that begins about 3:53 into the track, and Mike also lays down a solid guitar solo! The guitar riffs do seem to have a fuzz on them, and I do feel like the bass isn't layered as well as it could have been, but this is an entertaining number, and you can see how it inspired Mike to do an instrumental album! The album's title track "Fallout From Midnight Tides" is next, and it is inspired by anxiety-prompted emotions when lying awake at night. The longest song on the album, it opens with 2:20 of soft and ominous playing accentuated by well placed guitar work, before jumping into galloping thrash metal, and eventually leaning into solos and showing off Mike's guitar abilities at the forefront. The late bridge wasn't for me, but more often than not, this song works quite well! The final song is "Spaghettification", which is inspired by an object being compressed and stretched in a black hole.

A spacier opening leads to a heavy chugging riff that reminds me of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction", but it bounces between that and softer stretches that allow Mike to lay down some more guitar solos of varyingly softer qualities, though the extended guitar solo 5:50 in will please metalheads the most, and it is quite a capper to the album! 

So, what are my final thoughts on Mike McCleary's new instrumental album? It's hard to compare to his prior output, both from the lack of vocals and from most of his other work not being available to hear nowadays, but this might be his best album in terms of pure musical quality! Without needing to stick to a traditional song structure, let alone how he views his vocal range, Mike gets to show off his skills as a composer and guitarist to good effect, and those last three songs prove that he could be quite an asset in a local metal band if he were to join/form one! Even without lyrics, there's a maturity there that is welcomed on multiple levels. The opening three songs are interesting compositionially and show his range beyond just rocking out, but my biggest problem with the album is the track layout. I wouldn't have had the three short experimental songs first and the metal epics last, as it's really imbalanced this way.

Spreading the six songs more evenly and tweaking a few minor things here and there would have made the whole package stronger, but this is a very solid release that hard rock and metal fans should give a whirl, especially tracks 4-6! Mike hasn't posted on his Facebook page since the album's release, but hopefully he's still at work behind the scenes, and show your support by buying or streaming "Fallout From Midnight Tides" at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and stay tuned next month when we look at Crucify The Whore & Molten Imp's "Pyrolytic Punishment" split, and for more news next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Skid Row/Buckcherry, Northern Echoes, And Soo Soundcheck!!)

As promised, today's post is stacked, courtesy of three big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS across both sides of the border, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich & indie/punk quartet The Northwest will hit up The Sault Community Theatre Centre for the first time each as part of a four band event on Saturday, June 10th! Entitled Soo Soundcheck (no known relation), this is one of two multi-band events taking place in June at the former Kiwanis Theatre that share very similar branding & support from the Canadian Heritage Fund & Case's Music (if these aren't promoted internally, I don't know who's putting them on). This will be Handsome Sandwich's first announced concert since their album release show at The Loft next Saturday, while The Northwest have yet to play on a local stage in 2023. This event will see them & indie rock quartet Man Feelings (Handsome Sandwich's openers next week) opening for sporadically seen progressive rock band Machines Dream.

Be advised that the image on the ticket sale page does not include The Northwest, and while Occam's Razor says it's an old listing, we'll let you know if they actually dropped out (the image above was from Machines Dream's Facebook page on Monday). An all ages event with doors opening at 6:00 PM, tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for students, seniors, and kids 12 and under, and you can buy them at this link (use the code s@undcheck2023 by Sunday to get $4 off of an adult ticket). Very intriguing idea, especially to use such a large theatre for an all-locals concert like this, talented as they all may be, so visit the above links for more details, but we're not done with the S.C.T.C. yet!

The other June show at White Pines' on-site theatre will see local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns and online page-less alternative/punk quintet Bookclub join forces again on Sunday, June 25th, this time in a concert dubbed Northern Echoes! Making their fourth joint appearance since Bookclub debuted last fall (with the Festival of Beer coming next for them next Saturday), Northern Echoes is suggested on the ticket sale page to be tribute band-centric, though if Bookclub and The Stallyns are taking on one-off tribute themes for the day or not, I couldn't tell you with certainty yet. This does call to mind J.D. Pearce's old Halloween parties, which leaned into one-off and temporarily renamed cover bands by the late 2010s, but again, I know nothing. At least one more band is teased to join this bill though, and we'll let you know when they are revealed, tribute/cover band-themed or not.

Ticket prices and start times are the same for Northern Echoes and Soo Soundcheck, but be advised that Northern Echoes has $8 admission for kids 12 and under, not $12 (no word on why there's a distinction). Click here to buy Northern Echoes tickets! Presumably, the S.C.T.C. box office at Station Mall can also hook you up for both. Something about these events leaves me thinking that there's more going on with them/the venue than current promotion is letting on, so stay tuned in that regard, but hopefully The Wyld Stallyns and Bookclub make use of the huge stage in mid-June, despite being a work/school night for many. Visit the above links for continuing updates on both concerts as they roll in!

Finally, here's that big new concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as New Jersey glam metal quintet Skid Row and Anaheim hard rock quintet Buckcherry will join forces there on Saturday, October 28th! Both bands are no stranger to the Soo area, with headliners Skid Row last playing here in October of 2005, back when the late Johnny Solinger and Dave Gara were on vocals and drums. This time, Erik Gronwall and Rob Hammersmith have the honours, and Skid Row have been getting lots of positive renewed attention since Erik took the mic thanks to their new album "The Gang's All Here", so expect cuts from that disc and hit songs like "18 & Life", "I Remember You", and "Monkey Business" in their set this fall! Yes, Skid Row were also supposed to play at Runway Park in Sault Ontario in June 2008, in a cancelled show more famous now for the linked battle of the bands won by Sense of Truth (imagine if they reunited to open for this!)

Meanwhile, Buckcherry have played in our area at least four times since 2011, most recently at Soo Blaster in Sault Ontario in October 2021, at the Soo Kewadin in an outdoor gig with Pop Evil in 2019, and in The Dreammakers Theatre proper in 2012. While not a hair/glam band, Buckcherry have multiple songs with lyrics and themes that fit right in with Skid Row, and the contrast in sounds will appeal to a wide array of local rock fans! Expect Buckcherry hits like "Lit Up", "Sorry", and "Crazy Bitch" in their return set this fall, of course. Support will come by way of Philadelphia hair metal quartet Britny Fox, who Hair Scare fans may recall seeing at The Dreammakers Theatre way back in January 2009 when they opened for Great White. In the 14+ years since, only bassist Billy Childs remains, but hits like "Long Way To Love" & "Dream On" are to be expected!

Presented by Rock 101, tickets go on sale to the public on May 12th at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office. Tickets will start at $45, but the full price range is not out yet. Pre-sale codes will be available if you sign up at this link, and the pre-sale tickets become available on May 10th. This is an all ages event with an 8:00 PM start time. This should be a huge concert for hard rock and hair metal fans, and with this being the Halloween weekend, who knows what horrors await in six months! There's plenty of time to get amped up for this one, so visit the above links for complete details, and stay tuned for this month's CD review and more news and notes on the site very soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Before we begin today's post (including weekend concert previews), just a heads up that SooToday's events calendar is still advertising a Wyld Stallyns show at Gateway Casino on Saturday, despite the casino being closed since April 16th due to a system outage following a cyber attack affecting all Gateway locations in the province (visit your preferred news outlets for details). Though never announced on Facebook, the SooToday listing predated the closure. Gateway Casinos are expected to re-open in phases starting later this week, but there is no current timeline on when the Soo branch will re-open. I don't expect that The Stallyns' show will take place on Saturday, but I'll let you know if I'm wrong!

Now to the post at hand, featuring weekend concert previews for another light weekend for hard rock shows in the area, and some new videos to round things out with, and we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via venue owner Jay Scott in a post shared to the pub's Facebook page on Monday. Yes, these follow tonight's regular Thursday jam night, and they mark Soundcheck's first traditional concerts since rocking Jay's three weeks ago, having filled time since at private gigs. In Jay's promotion of this weekend's gigs on Monday, he implied that one (if not both) of these dates will double as their Bring Back Summer Party, so what does that entail, waiting for June to arrive aside?

Giveaways for Molson and Labatt products were plugged, as well as some sort of draw or contest for a floating island. The conceit of a themed gig TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY is not new for Soundcheck at the Korah Road venue, as they have played a few such gigs at Jay's in 2023. Themed or not, you can enjoy Soundcheck's classic and heavier covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with no cover charges and 19+ age limits, and note that singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver will pull double duty on SATURDAY with an acoustic country matinee set at 2:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and here's a new video of Soundcheck live! This was uploaded to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel after their Esquire Club gig on St. Patrick's Day, and it features clips of them covering Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" and Big & Rich's "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)".

The former is vertically shot and features singer/guitarist Terry Eaton on vocals, while the latter is in horizontal orientation and has Cameron singing lead (the two videos are also from opposite sides of the stage). Saying that this upload has "video snippets" undersells them a bit, but if you like Soundcheck's country covers, you'll like these even with the mixed audio quality. I prefer their more frequent rock stylings, but the fans on the floor were digging them! We'll have more from Soundcheck soon, but give these a watch below, and don't miss them at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY!

Next up is this weekend's only other known and announced hard rock/punk show in the Twin Saults, as local punk trio Vanity First will rock Reggie's Place for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Announced three weeks ago but oddly not plugged on the band's Facebook page since, I believe this is Vanity First's.... first crack at a weekend nightclub show on the cover circuit, where they'd have a four hour block with four sets and breaks and whatnot. It'll be interesting to hear how Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan do in this setting, especially at Reggie's, a venue not known for punk music despite the current regime's efforts to expand their reach. Speaking of which, Vanity First aren't playing there tomorrow due to or resulting in The Hip Hop Chronicals' concert there. Rap at Reggie's, who'd have ever thought they'd see the day?! This is a 9:00 PM & 19+ event with no cover.

With 2/3rds of the band recently forming Hails, it is good to see that Vanity First are still active and gigging, and hopefully their up-tempo originals and covers can adequately fill four sets and deliver lots of rock for fans on Saturday! See above for more details, and here's Vanity First live!

 

There's a fair amount of big stuff in our backlog that I don't want to bury at the end of the post, so let's end tonight with something a little unexpected, namely a cover of Linkin Park's "Given Up" by Half Past bassist Arthur Lacasse! The first uploads on his YouTube channel since posting Half Past jam session videos over a year ago (no word on where that band has been), this is the first solo video to show up on his channel. You don't see a lot of local bassists doing this, surprisingly, but Art handles this song (my favourite cut from "Minutes To Midnight") very well and with clear poise! The camera angle is a little tight, but good stuff, so give it a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a stacked news post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Heavy Lies The Crown

Now is the time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, continuing our monthly spotlighting of YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk concerts and/or artists! This month's randomly selected channel is a rare one that is still in active use, and from arguably the most prominent active metal bands in the E.U.P., so here's what you should know on it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavy Lies The Crown (http://youtube.com/@heavyliesthecrown7705)

Owner: A member of St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown (either singer Brandon West or guitarist Ted Olson, if not both)

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 16th, 2019; Videos posted from March 2020 onwards

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Heavy Lies The Crown, it features 31 videos of or featuring the band, though all but 10 are primarily just song uploads, including complete copies of their 2019 EP "Scatter Brain" and their 2021 self-titled album (later renamed "Knucklebutter"), plus songs for their to-be-released album. The proper videos largely include music videos and playthroughs of their studio tracks.

Why You Should Watch: This channel is must-watch for H.LT.C. fans, with loads of studio content in particular to check out, and seeing as this channel and the band are still very active (their newest video is just a month old), look for more there soon, including a music video recently teased on their Facebook page! Be advised that, as of this writing, the band's current lineup only really factors in the three newest videos. Also, the channel has no live concert videos, which have been Facebook exclusive as far as the band's official content goes.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Heavy Lies the Crown - Voices (Official Music Video): By far the most popular video on Heavy Lies The Crown's channel, over 4,600 views have came to date for the music video for their song "Voices", posted in August 2021 in advance of their full length album release that December. Then featuring rhythm guitarist Nathan Switzer, bassist Danny Tucker, and drummer Cale Krist in their lineup, the video features the band performing in a room with rocky walls along with dark red lighting. The visual impact sets the tone well for this song, which was a solidly heavy cut on the album, if not my favourite track therein! Music videos for "Knucklebutter", "Thing 1" (since renamed "A Hell Bound Heart"), and "Every Step Of The Way" have also been uploaded (so far).

Heavy Lies the Crown - Time Diffuser or something else (playthrough): Playthrough videos from Brandon, Ted, Nathan, and Danny have all been posted to the H.L.T.C. channel, but let's feature this more recent example, with Ted playing their song "Time Diffuser" (later adding "Or Something Else" to its extended title) in February of last year. While not as embellished in post-production as other playthroughs on offer, you do switch between three different angles of Ted shredding this original, of course using his headless guitar throughout. Strong showcase of Ted's ample abilities, and click here for his other playthrough video for "Choke"!

Heavy Lies the Crown - Gods Butter: As part of the pre-release hype for their second full-length album and first with their current lineup, Heavy Lies The Crown have uploaded three advance singles to their channel in the past couple of months, including "Cigar With The Devil", "Celebrate The Night", and as featured here, "Gods Butter". Featuring lightning effects over a recent photo of the band (now featuring rhythm guitarist Christian Thanasiu, bassist Christian Cook, and drummer Jaxon Massaway), the song is a promising hint at what's to come for H.L.T.C. in 2023, and more is definitely on the horizon from the new album!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around May 26th for a randomly selected look at Sault Ontario punk bassist/solo artist Brad Example's YouTube channel, while our next monthly feature post will be this month's album review, hitting the site at some point between Friday and Sunday. That's all for today, but look for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Darsombra, Mike Haggith, And Fort Creek), Plus A New Video!!

We have a packed news post to check out on this Monday night, including a recent live concert video and, to lead off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next two months, so here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to the stage with headlining concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, May 12th & Saturday, May 13th! Last seen opening for Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster earlier this month, these shows will be Fort Creek's first traditional nightclub gigs since rocking Jay's early last month, with studio work filling much of their time since then. Good to see the guys back at it, and hopefully sizeable crowds turn up at the former Reggie's West next month for their hard rocking covers and select originals! On Friday the 12th only, they will have an opening act, namely ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison, who we last saw in his dormant acoustic duo Short & Sweet. Cory's a talented singer & guitarist, so don't be late on the Friday! No word on possible merchandise giveaways, but these are 19+ concerts with 9:30 PM start times and no cover charges. See above for more details!

Next up, remember how veteran local musician/photographer Brian Tremblay revealed at the end of his interview with Mike Haggith on Rock N' Roll Heaven on The Borderline that they'd be taking part in "a very intimate singer/songwriter evening" next month? Well, the details are finally out on that, as Mike and Brian will join forces for what they're calling Face To Face, a joint concert to be held at The Art Hub on Spring on Friday, May 26th! The second show that we've covered at the relatively new Art Hub (joining the Hails/Chase Wigmore concert last month), this will be Mike's first show in Sault Ste. Marie since Rotaryfest last summer and since his move to Barrie last fall. The conceit of this concert feels very reminiscent of the old VH1 Storytellers series, where performers in a more intimate location play their songs and talk about the origins and backgrounds of them, and some intermingling between the two is implied for their sets.

Sounds like a fun evening, especially with the storytelling aspect that comes so naturally to Brian (a folk rock veteran who fronts The Sinister Hearts) and Mike given the former's radio show and the latter's ample Facebook live-streams and personal lyrics! The show may be recorded for a live album of some kind, and there will be complimentary food & drinks for attendees, so how's that for a bonus? This all ages concert has a 7:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $22.63 (this includes extra processing fees) at this link. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Lastly for new concerts is the only show in local promoters Dryer Fire's mid-2023 slate of concerts with a heavier component, as Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday, June 21st for a rare rock concert at the Bellevue Park Bandshell! I can't think of the last time that a scheduled and advertised metal/punk concert (re: not a pop-up gig) was held there, but it's great to see Nicole and crew giving it a shot! You may recall seeing Darsombra live in 2017 and 2019 via shows at The New A and LopLops respectively, both courtesy of the now-inactive Six, Two, Oh., and if you saw one/both, you'll recall Darsombra's minimalist instrumental sound well, including extended jams and quite a different audio/visual presentation than what you may expect. How will this translate to an outdoor setting? Be there to find out! Local folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore is slated to open this concert.

Last seen opening for Hails under the Dryer Fire banner at last month's Fishbowl Festival, it remains to be seen how his long gestating "Chaotic Rite" album will play into his presumably unplugged set, but it''ll be good to see him on stage again! Notably, Dryer Fire's six shows from April-June are being funded via an Indiegogo campaign, and backing it for $10 will get you admission to one show, Darsombra or otherwise, but general admission will be low/non-existent if they get $2,100 crowdfunded. Click here for full details on what rewards are available and for full details on what Dryer Fire have planned. Fingers crossed that things go well, as the varied acts are more than welcome, so see above for more details!

We'll close today with a new video from the aforementioned Jay's Piston Broke Pub's Facebook page, as a venue representative filmed fellow local southern hard rock band Bone Yard during their show there on Friday! The video (uploaded on Saturday morning) is short and vertical, but thankfully, it's not a "Reel", so it can be embedded externally, and it features the guys playing an unidentified instrumental section for 15 seconds. Not a lot to comment on, but the band sound good while it lasts, and fans are having fun! Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Jay's!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!