Initial Details On The Northern Vibe Festival's Forest Stage Lineup For 2023!!

Single topic post today, as the band lineup for the Forest Stage at this year's Northern Vibe Festival at the old Hempfest grounds in Ophir has been announced via the event's Facebook page yesterday, so who can you expect over the last weekend of August? Just as a primer beforehand, the performance times were not stated yesterday, keeping in line with the last two years since J.D. Pearce began curating the Forest Stage, which never saw a full schedule reveal from organizers. Unless protocols have changed this year, stay tuned to the bands' social media pages for any details on when they are specifically playing. Eleven acts are currently scheduled for the eighth annual Northern Vibe, which is down one from last year (three if you count withdrawn bands), but there will be more touring bands than in 2022. The advertised headliners are Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s, making their first local appearance in over four years!

Fans will recall seeing K-Man & crew on a local stage seven times in six years from 2013-2019, and it will be great to see them back with their horn section and fun energy in tow! The other two touring acts both feature Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin returning to Ophir, albeit not with Spades GT. Rather, his Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot and his Cornwall speed metal trio Hellrager will both make their regional debuts at Northern Vibe VIII. Both deliver the genre goods, so don't bypass either in late August, and do check the out to see what they bring to the table! With that said, Spades GT are surprisingly not playing this year's festival.... but Frightlight are! Yes, the inactive local horror punk quintet will rise from the grave for a one-off reunion, in their first gig since this event in 2021! No public word yet on who will take over on drums for the late Chris Thompson, but the drummer was revealed in personal Facebook postings.

Three other acts are all returning from the past two Northern Vibe installments, namely alternative quintet Handsome Sandwich (don't miss their CD release party at The Loft TONIGHT!), punk trio A Dire Setback, and funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns. All will be riding some good momentum after high profile 2023 shows, so they're fine picks to return for a third year! No word on why The Soo Fighters and Dynowaves aren't pulling the triple themselves, however. The newbies to Northern Vibe include local/Barrie alt-hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith (no word on if his new album will be done in time or not), online page-less alternative/punk supergroup Bookclub (sharing the stage with The Wyld Stallyns once again), and new local hard rock quartet Far From Fine (née Ravencore) in their first announced show of the year. The other advertised band are The Castletons, who are new to the SMS, but who are they?

As it turns out, they're a revival of a rock duo that was active locally from 2017-2018, featuring Frightlight bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras in their ranks, However, they were always cagey in their initial run about their full identities and sound, but based on the intimate venues that they frequented at the time, I'd assume that they're an acoustic act. We'll let you know if anything extra goes public! Northern VIIIbe (see what I did there?) takes place from Friday, August 25th-Sunday, August 27th, but if past years are any indication, bands will only play on Friday and Saturday, with the Friday lineup being shorter (last year had five bands on Friday and seven on Saturday). Like in past years, camping is more than welcomed in Ophir (east of Bruce Mines), and decorations are welcomed, but not glass bottles. Tickets for this year run for $100 minimum, which is down from last year, and packages also exist with bundled t-shirts and/or hoodies!

As is normal for Northern Vibe, there are no single-day ticket options, perhaps justifying why they don't release daily schedules if everyone's paying for the whole weekend anyway, but that's just conjecture on my part. Buy your tickets and/or clothing items at this link, and the implication is that these are early bird prices that will go up in June, so act fast! Sounds like another fun time is ahead for concert-goers, partiers, and campers alike, especially with the River Stage full of talented DJs also on site once again, so visit the above links for complete current details on Northern Vibe VIII later this summer! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

Handsome Sandwich Release Concert Preview, Plus Destroyer Concert Videos!!

As promised, we're rounding out this weekend's concert previews today with a special extended preview of a big event tomorrow night, with some concert videos from last month to round things out with. Here's what you should know, starting with that concert preview!

An album release date months in the making comes to fruition TOMORROW NIGHT when local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich release their debut album "Deconstructed" at their release party at The Loft! As a refresher, The Loft is the concert venue on the third floor of the Algoma Conservatory of Music at 75 Huron Street (the former St. Mary's Paper building), and is managed by Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, whose bandmate Bill Priddle was very much involved in the "Deconstructed" recording sessions. By all public accounts, The Loft is very high end as concert venues in Sault Ste. Marie go, both from attendance and performance standpoints, so click here for full details on the amenities and technical qualities that are in store for this and other concerts. We have not seen Handsome Sandwich on stage since The Soo's Got Talent finals in October, though they've hardly been idle since then!

It's also been at least since T.S.G.T. last year that they had May 6th dialed in as a release date for this album (I still don't know the significance of May 6th), and after 7+ months of final studio work, video shoots, mastering, and promotion, we're almost over the finish line for "Deconstructed"! In the pandemic era, heavier album releases on physical media have been the exception, not the rule, so fans of physical media will love that "Deconstructed" will be on sale tomorrow on CD (price unclear), so bring extra cash to get yours! I do not know if streaming copies of the album go live before the show or afterwards. Set-wise, Handsome Sandwich plan to play every song on "Deconstructed" in order, allegedly the only time that they plan to do this live, and the set will be filled out by newer original songs not on the album (no word on possible covers).

Their set is at 8:30 PM, while local indie rock quartet Man Feelings will open the proceedings at 7:30 PM. Not a hard rock or punk band, but they're a talented group in & of themselves, so don't miss them either! An all ages event, admission is $25 at the door or via this link, though seating is limited. If you can't make it, Handsome Sandwich have confirmed that at least their set will be "live recorded" (The Loft is adjacent to a recording studio and is wired for soundboard audio/HD video), but what form they mean for the recording is not known. This is primed to be a huge night for Taylor, Jesse, Mitch, Rafael, and Johnny, so don't miss out tomorrow, visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's the Sandwich live!

We'll close today with videos from the concert from Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster on April 15th! Apologies for the delay in these making the site. Filmed for Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, he uploaded ten videos from this show, including eight of the headliners tackling the Kiss classics "Firehouse", "Shout It Out Loud", "Calling Dr. Love", "I Was Made For Loving You", "Love Gun", "Detroit Rock City", "I Stole Your Love", and as embedded below, "Rock & Roll All Nite". Really nice seeing a sizeable crowd on the floor for this show, and while the audio can be scratchy with the audio setup and/or through this camera (I can see why Chris didn't title "I Stole Your Love"), you get a really good sense of Destroyer's authentic sounding and looking presentation! I wonder if the Kiss cabbie was there? I imagine he'd approve! Give these a watch for yourself a look above and below!

Chris' other two videos are of local openers Fort Creek, with their videos being of them covering Black Stone Cherry's "White Trash Millionaire" and, as embedded below, The Goo Goo Dolls' "Long Way Down". Unexpected cover in the latter case, but the southern hard rockers pull it off well and it lets Justin flex his melodic vocal abilities! Possibly thanks to not being on the floor while filming, the audio quality is clearer on these too, so check them out for yourselves above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard & Soundcheck) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend is upon us, and with May now in full swing, there's a decent amount of hard rock/punk concerts to check out in the Sault Ste. Marie area! So much so that there are too many for one post, so I'm moving Saturday night's Handsome Sandwich concert to tomorrow's post, so look for that then, and now, let's lead off our previews with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two bands!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows on their Facebook page this morning, and the venue has not confirmed them on their own Facebook page at press time. Last seen at Shooters early last month, these shows come fresh off of Soundcheck's usual jam night hosting duties at Jay's tonight, and their last traditional gigs (also at Jay's) last week, including the "Bring Back Summer" party that was on the Saturday only. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows aren't their only Shooters commitments though, as Soundcheck have actually signed on as judges for Shooters' karaoke talent quest competition taking place from this Sunday through August 13th, with a $1,000 cash prize and a Las Vegas trip awaiting the winner. Click here for more details!

Interesting jump for Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen, but hopefully they have fun on Sunday nights this summer and discover some new talent in the process! If you'd rather see them with instruments in hand, playing some classic and hard rock covers for your delectation, be at Shooters TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! These shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at a private event last month!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Bone Yard only announced these shows on their Facebook page on Monday, and the way they phrased the post ("Well well BoneHeads!!! What do ya know!!!") suggests that it was somewhat unexpected on their end too. Last seen at the same venue two weeks ago, the guys have been busy working on original music in studio since, as seen via this "Reel" of the guys checking out one of frontman Greg Simpson's drum tracks on a computer. What we hear sounds good, but are these sessions leading to an album of some kind? We'll keep you posted! Bone Yard also confirmed on Sunday that they will return to Sudbury for at least one show in July at The Coulson Entertainment Center, date(s) unclear, so keep that in mind if you're that far east.

If you're up for Bone Yard's brand of southern-fried classic and hard rock covers, consider a trip to the former Reggie's West TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! Expect 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits both nights, while Bone Yard t-shirts and their shot will also be available. See above for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

We'll next take a detour to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Manistique, Michigan hard rock duo Fyrbird will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Announced with lots of advance notice on the band's and venue's ends, these will be their first gigs in our coverage range since rocking the Soo Kewadin three weeks ago, but of course, they do hit towns in the western parts of Chippewa and Mackinac County (plus venues in Luce County) more frequently, so do visit their Facebook group for their 2023 calendar. Jamie and Rikk should have a hard hitting weekend of covers in store for fans in St. Ignace both nights, so don't miss out on all of the action! Expect 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's two videos from Fyrbird's Friday nighter at The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie last month!

These were live-streamed by frontman Jamie Hider's wife Shannon for her personal Facebook page and were subsequently shared to Fyrbird's Facebook group. One is a 26 second clip of a nice drum solo by Rikk Corwin, and the other (embedded below) sees the guys playing 10 minutes worth of music, including covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" (joined in progress), Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride & Joy", and AC/DC's "Highway To Hell". The vertical camera angle is very unfortunate, especially with the lack of fans on the floor, but the covers come through well and have a good grit to them, so check them out for yourselves below!

Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the returning 11th annual edition of the Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer, which goes down THIS SATURDAY at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre! While not historically a concert hotbed, this year's installment will welcome three acts to the stage near the museum's main entrance, including online page-less alternative/punk quintet Bookclub, funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns, and singer Gabrielle Dumas (now advertised as a solo act in place of her pop rock band The Hollow Heads for unannounced reasons). Nice varied selection that should have something for everyone on Saturday! Of course, you can expect beer at the Festival of Beer via 20 provincial craft breweries, plus other local vendors, so visit the above links and organizers LopLops Lounge's Facebook page for full non-musical details! Obviously given the theme, this is a 19+ event, and it runs on Saturday from 1:00-7:00 PM.

As such, if you're concerned about this conflicting with Handsome Sandwich's release party, don't worry! While musician timeslots are not out, Bookclub are the headliners with The Stallyns in the middle. Limited tickets are still available at this link for $38.15 ($35 in person at the Bushplane Museum), which may be steep, but remember what's being offered here, especially for the craft beer aficionado. Should be a fun time for beer fans, and with some solid local music to boot, so visit the above links for much more on the Festival of Beer, and here's Bookclub live!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Handsome Sandwich preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT & Fort Creek Updates, Plus More Recent News & Notes!!

In a post that really should have went up last night before time got away from me, we're clearing out more of the news backlog by looking at some recent updates from two prominent local hard rock-leaning acts, plus some assorted quicker topics as of late, so here's what you should know!

Here's the latest from local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT, so what's new from them in the past two weeks? First off, their streak of daily "Reels" on their Facebook page quietly ended on its 12th consecutive day on April 24th, with the last two "Reels" seeing the band (sans Jay and Tyler) playing on-stage behind a series of pop art-esque filters, and one of drummer Tyler Reiner in action during a concert, with no major post-production filters to speak of. I can't say that I miss the daily "Reels" for multiple technical reasons, but if you do, they did share one from Tyler's personal Facebook page on Sunday of him borrowing his brother's drumkit during a rehearsal. Painfully short, but it sounds good while it lasts! In terms of concerts, Spades GT successfully opened for The Anti-Queens in Barrie this past Thursday, and they will return to The Queens Nightclub there in two weeks when they open for both The Brains and K-Man & The 45s on May 18th!

Of course, local fans will remember seeing both groups on stage in the Soo in the 2010s, especially K-Man & The 45s, so this will be a familiar night for former and visiting Saultites on the 18th who like psychobilly and ska punk respectively! Before then however, they were added on late notice to a Toronto gig taking place tomorrow night at Sneaky Dee's headlined by Toronto progressive metal band Aunest. No familiar bands from past local gigs there other than the former Jack Spades, but hopefully this show is a hit! The big announcement from the Spades GT camp yesterday is the cover artwork for their new album "Sewer City Radio", courtesy of Germany-based artist Cliff Terrafolio, and it features an alleyway at nighttime with the album name and a spade on a manhole cover, and the band's new text logo in the upper left. Works well enough! The band has teased "dropping all sorts of stuff" from the record soon, so stay tuned for that.

A release party is expected, albeit likely in the GTA and not here, though remember that the band last said that it would come out this month. We have yet to hear studio material from the recording sessions, but the band hinted on Sunday that the internet radio station CGCM Rock Radio may have Spades GT in their rotation already, so visit there if you're curious! To close, here's a brief new video from April 24th that, shockingly, is not a "Reel", so we can embed it here! Still a short & vertical clip, it features the band (minus Jay) giving a final push for the Anti-Queens concert, with guitarist Daniel Horton holding the camera and speaking on behalf of the band. Check it out below, and see more from Spades GT above!

Next up, let's cover some recent content from local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, starting with a new timeframe for their long-gestating debut EP, as in a comment reply on their Facebook page on Monday they indicated that it is "set to be released (in the) fall (of) this year".  Of course, they had planned to initially put this out last summer, so things are definitely behind old projections, but hopefully things are on track in 2023, and that we hear more beyond "Hammer Down" in the lead-up to the release date! In terms of videos, they have posted two on Facebook that we have yet to address, though neither features the full band. One video from April 17th just has 12 seconds of their stage setup when they opened for Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster last month, with no band members present. Not the first time that they've shared a video like that, for the record, but it sure looked professional!

Embedded below is a short clip from January 15th, vertical as it may be, of guitarist Bill Brouillard playing while standing on a rolling cart in front of the stage at Soo Blaster, with bassist Robin "Bones" Lee pushing it along for good measure. Amusing on one hand, and a good showcase of Bill's guitar talents on the other, so check it out for yourself below!

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

 

• Wyld Stallyns/ex-Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner will reportedly fill in with Winnipeg/Denmark metal band Gutter Creek (featuring Saultite guitarist Matt Hanchuck) when they open for Tantric in Kalkaska, Michigan on May 20th! This was confirmed in personal Facebook posts only but seemed worth mentioning given the scope. Derek is a late fill-in due to Gutter Creek's normal drummer being unavailable, and Kalkaska is 2½ hours south of the Soo near Traverse City. Huge opportunity for sure, and hopefully Derek nails it in a couple of weeks! Note that Traverse City metal trio (and Kewadin Casino lounge regulars) Scarkazm are also playing at this concert.
• In a "Reel" on Tidal Records' Facebook page on April 21st, online page-less local punk/folk solo project Jonesy Land shared a new teaser clip from their upcoming debut album "Zoom-Out" (still planned to drop on May 31st), while also noting the album's inspirations from frontman Dustin Jones' life lessons and self-discovery. The album was mixed by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines, and if song names shared on Dustin's personal Facebook page are any indication, the song we're hearing here is "Old Man", which will feature Shannon Moan on guest vocals. Stay tuned for more news on "Zoom-Out"!
• Dustin's Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers bandmate Mikey Hawdon was profiled in this new SooToday article by Chris Belsito on Tuesday, which outlines Mikey's move back to Sault Ste. Marie last year, the formation of the also-online-pageless Bookclub, and promotion for their set at the Festival of Beer this Saturday. Aside from some reveals of bands that Bookclub cover live, there's no real scoops here, but this is a solid article for fans of Mikey's recent band work in town, so give it a read at this link!
  

 

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

Where Are The New Albums? (May 2023 Update)

For our second post of the day, we have this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, featuring our look at the newest updates and release statuses of upcoming albums that are publically known to have had recording sessions begin, and while no entries are new this month, four of the seven have updates! If planned release dates hold up, this series will dramatically shrink come June, but for now, 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 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. The band has been working in studio in early 2023, revealing that "it's coming along" in a Facebook post on March 22nd.

Current Release Status: Fort Creek revealed in a comment reply on their Facebook page on April 17th that their originals are "set to be released this fall", which follows their unrealized plans to release an EP in "late summer", then "late 2022". 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", "Better Off"

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, the album had began pre-production, with recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Bill Priddle & mixer Dustin Goodall. In November, the band confirmed that the album's name was changed from "Lettuce" to "Deconstructed", and recording sessions wrapped in January, with Jordan Zadorozny mixing the tracks at Skylark Park in Pembroke. Their songs "Bitter", "Better Off" , and "No Entry" have came out as pre-release singles, complete with their own music videos. The album will have a CD print run, and the cover artwork was revealed last month.

Current Release Status: The band has had a release date of this Saturday planned for this album since last fall, and that will culminate in a release concert at The Loft, which is The Algoma Conservatory of Music's third floor intimate concert venue and attached recording studio. Handsome Sandwich did tease that this set will be "live recorded", but they have not specified if they meant in video or audio format, and if the latter, if they plan to release their set as a live album or not. Saturday night should be a huge occasion, especially given the fancier setting for the release party, so stay tuned!
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Jonesy Land - "Zoom - Out"

Rumoured Songs: "Sunshine Parades", "Moral Blackout", "Ain't Dead Yet"

Background: The current solo project from former Rising Tide/Inner City Surfers frontman Dustin Jones, he has been working under the Jonesy Land name since 2021 when he played a handful of summer festival dates, while also sporadically releasing new studio original recordings with attached music videos. While public teasers towards Jonesy Land's future plans have been made before 2023 (primarily via this SooToday article), Dustin finally announced in February that he is working on a studio album named "Zoom - Out" at his own Mission Control Studios, to be released through his label Tidal Records, and to be produced by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines. Jonesy Land is a fluid project for genres and performers, and it was confirmed through a "reel" on the Tidal Facebook page that local folk musician Shannon Moan will be among the guests, though more musicians are to be announced.

Current Release Status: This "reel" (cross-posted from Dustin's TikTok page) confirms a planned album release date of Wednesday, May 31st (my birthday!), barely confirming earlier teasers of a spring release. If this holds, it will be great to see a new studio album from Dustin for the first time in over a decade, but be advised that Jonesy Land do not have a formal social media page (not counting TikTok, which is personal use as well) to promote themselves with. As such, updates on the album may be slower than with other bands, let alone focused on his own personal accounts, where he has gleaned more about the album's planned makeup, which may not even feature their initial three singles. In any event, we'll keep you guys posted on the release!
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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", "All You Do", "Love Will Light The Way", "All For You"

Background: During his live-streamed Facebook concert in February 2022, 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 post-Sault Ste. Marie 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, which will reportedly have ten songs, some of which he has previewed in 2022 concerts and in his Facebook live-streams. A single version of "Twist of Fate" was unveiled in July, and live videos of some songs can be found on Mike's Facebook page and/or YouTube channel in individual uploads. Mike moved to Barrie, Ontario for work reasons at the end of 2022, and has resumed working on his studio material there. This may also be put out on Mike's own indie label MorningStar Records, which he has used as a name-only imprint previously.

Current Release Status: Given Mike's day job, personal commitments, and admitted issues with Facebook, 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, though all of the personal and professional changes involving his move to Ontario are definitely acknowledged. Hopefully things are progressing naturally, and we'll keep you posted!

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Spades GT''s first full-length album

Rumoured Songs: "Cenobites", "Hands"

Background: After a successful local run from 2013-2020 that included their 2014 debut EP "The First" and six more studio tracks on 2015's "Fed Up!" split, local crossover thrash quintet Jack Spades were relaunched in late 2021 as Spades GT, once frontman J.D. Pearce moved to Barrie for work reasons. After playing live throughout 2022, the band announced plans to record a full-length album in January, hitting the studio in Toronto with producer Kyle Marchant in March. Only J.D. remains from the Jack Spades-era CDs, now joined by late-era Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton (who also moved to the GTA) plus new additions Jay Sarrazin, James Roy Daley, and Tyler Reiner on guitar, bass, and drums. The album will feature guest appearances from Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow on guitar and Daniel's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse on vocals.

Current Release Status: The band announced via this Facebook post in March that the album is "coming out in May", and if that projection holds, it's convenient timing given that Spades alumni Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger's debut album with Handsome Sandwich is also slated for release this month! Given the extra opportunities and availability that Spades GT have in Southern Ontario, things can easily come together quicker and on a higher profile compared to their mid-2010s efforts. Keep posted to Spades GT's online pages for further updates, and songs from the new album have been filmed in live concert videos!

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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 2022, 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 last year. 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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 I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around June 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile one week from tomorrow. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

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!