Sault Ontario Thanksgiving Weekend Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

The Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend is upon us, so let's preview this weekend's relatively compact slate of hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults! Here's what you should know before you settle in for turkey and football on Monday! (Updated on Friday at 8:21 AM)

Cumberland, British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini will return to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline a special outdoor concert at the Downtown Plaza! Coming just over two years after their local debut at The Speak Easy, this inclusive and politically-charged foursome are touring in support of their new album "This Ain't Gonna End Well...", and they deliver an upbeat and rough edged brand of punk that should make old and new fans alike tomorrow! Local support will come by way of comedy rock project The Floor Between Us. This show was originally to have been headlined by Baltimore psych rock duo Darsombra in their fourth local appearance, but following the car crash in New York this past Friday that tragically took synth player Ann Everton's life, the rest of the concert will proceed in her memory. Promoters Piecing It Together Shows plan to show Darsombra videos on the big screen above the plaza stage.

Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales to her family, while an independent sellers market hosted by Muel Goods will also be on hand at the plaza, a'la at last year's It's The Pits Festival in Leeburn. This is a FREE & all ages show, so if you want to donate to Ann's family at the concert aside from buying a Mean Bikini shirt, get in touch with P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble tomorrow evening. A 6:00 PM start time is in effect, but be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 60-70% chance of rain during the projected showtime (temperatures will be 12-13°), so we'll let you know if the weather throws a wrench into the concert. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, here's Mean Bikini live, and R.I.P. Ann!

Next up, let's look at some covers-leaning bands on the weekend nightclub circuit this weekend, starting with southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225's return to The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen rocking Reggie's Place two weeks ago in their final(?) concert bookings, these will be the first stops from "the dirty three" at this Second Line West staple since the spring, partially thanks to The Esquire Club's annual summer break from hosting live bands. Should be a good time for fans of Bone Yard's hard rocking array of covers and their three originals (so far), so keep things in mind this weekend! Meanwhile, your local 225 are now openly taking 2026 concert bookings (click here for details), and they will be back for the annual Toystock next month, whose lineup was just announced earlier today, so stay tuned for full coverage of that on the site this weekend.

This weekend's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges as usual for The Esquire Club. Hopefully things go well for Greg, Alex, and Warren as they return to the west end tomorrow and Saturday, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will set up shop at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent gigs at at Beck's Bar (they definitely didn't play at Reggie's last week despite never confirming that those concerts were cancelled), these will be Double Down's first shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel in almost a month. The band confirmed early Friday morning on their Facebook page that Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz will sit in with the band once again in lieu of a still-laid up Dan Beaupre, so come on down to Jay's this weekend to see what you missed out on the last few weekends, and Lori does sing here and there when filling in! You can enjoy Double Down's Cancon-laden array of rock covers tomorrow and Saturday at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges as usual. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for today's previews, we'll head to Misty's Fifties for one more cover rock show in the west end, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his busy 2025 slate there with yet another matinee show on SATURDAY! Two weeks removed from his last show at this Second Line West nightclub and restaurant, Tym should have another fun batch of classic and hard rock covers in store for fans on this long weekend, so keep everything in mind if you want an earlier batch of rock that day! If you can't make it, Tym will be back at Misty's next Saturday as well. This weekend's matinee concert takes place at 3:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), Darsombra Concert Updates, And A New Pillory Song!!

I'd like to begin today's post by offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darsombra synth player/vocalist Ann Everton, who passed away on Friday in a car crash in Essex County, New York. She and her husband/bandmate Brian Daniloski had been on the road towards Montreal for the beginning of their fall North American tour, which was slated to include a local concert this Friday at the Downtown Plaza, but their tour van collided with a police cruiser this past Friday. Brian and the police officer inside the cruiser were hospitalized with minor injuries, and you can read more about the incident at this link. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money for Brian and Ann's family to cover related expenses in the aftermath of this tragic accident, so consider donating to help out. Local fans will recall seeing Darsombra (all the way from Baltimore, Maryland) thrice here at three different venues in the past.

The psychedelic hard rock duo's multimedia stage show debuted here at The New American Pub in July 2017, before rocking LopLops Lounge in August 2019, and they last played here at the so-called March Street Stage in July 2023. All but the Six, Two, Oh.-hosted LopLops gig were promoted by Dryer Fire (now Piecing It Together Shows), and Darsombra were to have played at the Downtown Plaza on Friday alongside British Columbia punk band Mean Bikini, locals The Floor Between Us, and a Muel Goods-hosted independent sellers market. That show will still take place, and according to P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble on their Facebook page, they'll be showing Darsombra videos on the screen above the Plaza's stage, Brian will still receive his artist fee despite being unable to perform, and Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales on Friday to him. Kudos all around for the support being shown in Ann's memory, both locally and afar!

I was unable to see Darsombra's local dates, but their brand of "post-apocalyptic galaxy rock" made a mark on local fans, and it was impressive to see an American touring band come here this much! Darsombra's mix of hard rock, drone, psychedelic, and experimental sounds, plus a diverse visual experience that Ann had deep involvement in, made them a captivating watch. I've heard very good things about Ann as a person, and I feel so bad for Brian and the rest of their family at this difficult time. We'll have more on Friday's concert in this weekend's concert previews, but consider coming out to show your support and still see some live outdoor music. R.I.P. Ann!

Today's post otherwise features a new song from an upcoming album and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent hiatus by headlining at Gateway Casino on Saturday, October 18th! This will be Generations' first concert in over two months, last seen at the now-closed(?) Reggie's Place in late July, and their first show at the downtown casino in four months, so fans will have been waiting a long time to see them in action! This wasn't a summer break like some other local cover rock bands had, as drummer Tony Santoro was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, as per their (now-private) Facebook group. Of note, next Saturday's show will be Generations' first since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar after a two year run with the band, with Tony S. confirming that he left "due to personal reasons pursuing a new project".

 

Otherwise best known around here from Flat Stanley and The Peace Vibe, hopefully Tony K.'s new band is successful, but it will be easier to not have to specify which Tony when covering Generations! Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (who filled in with Generations before Tony K. came on board) will guest on guitar for next Saturday's one-nighter, which takes place at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Valerie, Pierre, and Tony's return to the stage!

Finally for today, here's the first advance single from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's upcoming full length album "Old Soul!" Released on September 30th to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music (all linked here) as well as their new YouTube Music channel, the song in question is "The Angst Of Existence", which has been a staple in Pillory's sets since their mid-2010s revival era. Of note, the Distrokid tags for the album credit 2015-2017 bassist Jordan Leach as a co-writer of the song alongside Robert and Bret. I have no idea if Jordan (who moved out of the country for work reasons in 2017) recorded bass tracks remotely for the album, or if this is just giving him credit for co-writing the song, but we'll let you know if the band confirms anything! I'll hold comment on "The Angst Of Existence" until we review "Old Soul" on the site next year, but give it a listen below!

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

Riffs For Remembrance Concert Review!!

Saturday night saw a special benefit concert at Soo Blaster named Riffs For Remembrance: A Memorial For Tori, held in honour of local music fan Victoria Childs, who suddenly passed away last month as just 34 years old. Victoria was my ex-girlfriend and a good friend of mine for far longer than that (we met at Oddfellows Hall punk shows in 2005), so I knew I had to come out for the occasion, one that she would have been so grateful to have had take place! I know there were some fears that this would become a de facto wake full of grieving and not celebrating, but rest assured, this was a concert. Admission ended up being free, but organizers took donations to the psychosocial/mental illness rehab program Hope House - Club 84, and Paul confirmed that a $250 donation was made, which is wonderful! Attendance wasn't bad early but things did thin out by night's end, possibly because many attendees and musicians brought young family.

At least the Blue Jays game ended early (and happily) to avoid being a distraction on the big screens, and Victoria did love going to Soo Blaster, so the locale was a great choice! The diverse performer lineup deserves credit for donating their time for the cause, and possibly thanks to the all ages nature with kids present, the show ended by 11:00 PM with artists only playing for about 20 minutes apiece. The day began with Blind River folk singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W., who I was completely unfamiliar with before being announced for Riffs For Remembrance, and she did a good job with her all-original set! Linsaey has a strong professional but melodic voice that she put to good use on songs like "My Biggest Fan", and while she was a little stiff (her entire set was performed while sitting down), she showed her talents well to the biggest audience of the day, and hopefully she keeps on her upward momentum!

Local acoustic folk musician Gimiiwan Ikwe (a family friend who I saw at last year's Pridefest Loud & Proud Family Fun Day) took the stage next, and they knocked out a series of covers of the likes of Tom Petty, Jason Mraz, The Animals alongside originals like "Gentle Days" and "Ambe". A few of the covers felt a little rushed to cram them into a solo/ukelele form factor, but Gimiiwan had a pleasant and melodic set that Victoria would have appreciated (they were friends), so kudos to Gimiiwan for coming for the show last night, and for bringing their family! Always nice to see Animal out and about! The solo trifecta capped off with veteran local country musician Leslie Cook, who was a bit of a sonic wildcard between the folk prior and the rock ahead, but Victoria did like country music, so she would have liked this! Leslie employed backing tracks to fill out his live sound beyond the acoustic guitar, a'la Tym Morrison's solo concerts.

While I was familiar with Leslie from his ample prior local gigs, he's never really crossed our radar beyond schedule notes, but he impressed fans with his skill set and familiar covers! He tackled the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, and The Zac Brown Band during his set, and jokingly thanked everyone for not throwing tomatoes at him, so there was a sense of humour! I say this with the utmost respect, but Leslie's singing voice kinda reminded me of Geddy Lee from Rush, so if you ever wanted to picture Geddy covering country songs, go see Leslie live. Thanks to Leslie for agreeing to play here, and do check him out if you like classic country! The show moved into bands with the debuting Bards Waith Beards, who were indeed a new project from HeadF1rst/ex-Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, but you'd be remiss if you thought this was just a shorthanded HeadF1rst set, just with the beard-less Liam and Claire absent.

Anthony sang lead on most songs for Bards With Beards' set, but bassist Red Jettison did the honours on the opening and closing songs, and he and guitarist Rainey Rancourt provided backing vocals throughout. Red actually told me post-set that he and Rainey aren't intended to be full members of Bards With Beards and they're actually just temporary players who didn't get a lot of rehearsal time in, so we'll have to see what bearded bards come on board for the future. Classic/hard rock would be how I'd characterize the covers-only set, which saw the guys tackle a range from Neil Young & Jimi Hendrix to Radiohead & Sublime, and some really unexpected cuts, like Cab Calloway, Omar & The Howlers, and even the Newfoundland folk song "The Night Paddy Murphy Died". The guys had a loose and fun set for the most part (even if "Creep" is overplayed), and Anthony acquitted himself well to the simultaneous vocal/drum role!

Your headliners on Saturday night were local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, whose frontman Paul Stanghetta and drummer Amanda Stanghetta (his wife) put this show on in Victoria's memory, with Paul also doubling as the MC. All props to them for taking the initiative to host this event and donate proceeds to a wonderful cause! Co-bassist Mikhal Muto is a cousin of Victoria's and he did speak about her briefly between songs as well. While The A.A. have original songs, their set was (as best as I could tell) all covers from a diverse array of bands like MGMT, Foster The People, and Metric, all rocked up with no guitar and two bassists in a very high energy and punk-infused fashion. The Stanghettas and Mikhal don't play live super often, but they delivered a fun and in-your-face set to end the night. Victoria would have approved, as she saw Smeltzer and The Fury multiple times back in the day!

Overall, this was a fun night of live music that would appeal to many tastes, and I know Victoria would have been right there with everyone if at all possible! I would have made use of the screen behind the stage to show pictures of her between sets, but I cut Paul and Amanda a lot of slack here, as this was their first time promoting a concert themselves, and the fact that they wanted to help honour her memory is huge. Victoria's mom, sister, and many friends and extended family came out and had a good time, so I'm glad that things were done respectfully in a way that she and they would approve of! You can see my photos of the musicians at this link or at our Facebook page, and as for my videos, here's Linsaey L.W. playing "Tie These Strings", Gimiiwan Ikwe covering Pat The Bunny's "Song For A Chicken Named Jenny", Leslie Cook covering Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues", ...

...Bards With Beards covering The Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)", and The Apocalypse Afterparty covering Say Anything's "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too"!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week. Thanks everyone, and R.I.P. Victoria, we all miss you so much! 

Where Are The New Albums? (October 2025 Update)

After a slight delay, here's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Our monthly feature looking at the current release whereabouts of announced local metal, hard rock, and punk albums that have begun studio recording sessions enters October with six entries, half of which have their titles in italics due to new information. There has been one removal, namely Handsome Sandwich's successfully released new album "Collage", which is the best way for an album to drop from these posts, so do check it out on most major streaming services! So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Bone Yard 225's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "F.A.F.O.", "Gypsy Spell", "Fuck!", "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (Mike Posner cover)

Background: After months of teasers that they were planning to record original music (as previewed in their live concerts prior), local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 began releasing their own songs on major streaming services in July 2024, a whopping fifteen years after the pre-225 band debuted as a country cover quartet. Their first three singles (all recorded at their home studio) were posted online by January, though it took until May 2025 for the band to confirm on their Facebook page that they were indeed working on a proper album. It's not immediately clear if their existing three singles will be included, but it's not a given, as Jonesy Land fans saw with "Zoom-Out". As of August 11th, it was reportedly "album tracking time", while this video from three days later shows bandmates Alex D'Ettore and Warren Reville recording backing vocals for their cover of Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". That will be one of "a couple of covers" for the album, as confirmed by frontman Greg Simpson during recent concerts.

Current Release Status: In that Facebook post from May 30th, your local 225 said that "the album is coming along nicely", and they hoped to release it "by the end of 2025", but Greg has since adjusted the timeframe to "early 2026" when mentioning it during live shows. While singer/drummer Greg Simpson did release an EP with his old band Stiffler's Mom, it's hard to compare the release methods and schedule given that "The Demo" came out in 2004.  It is neat to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren are going all in on a studio album, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

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Bullet Train's upcoming EPs

Rumoured Songs: "Atmosphere", "Illusions", "Profit", "Wayside"

Background: The current hard rock band from former Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchsion and ex-Fort Creek bandmates Robin "Bones" Lee and Anthony Fabiano, Bullet Train have existed solely as a studio band so far, releasing four original songs recorded at their own home studio to their YouTube channel in 2024, all very much influenced by their take on current events. After a quiet summer due to "life's trials", Bullet Train resurfaced on their Facebook page last September to reveal that they were working on two demo EPs, with the first one entering post-production as of the 9th, though it's not clear if their 2024 singles will be on them.

Current Release Status: No idea yet, especially as this band has no prior track record for releasing albums, though all three band members have experience writing and recording studio material to varying degrees. Bullet Train claimed on September 9th that a release date for EP #1 would be announced "in the upcoming weeks", a timeline not realized as of this writing, and the band will hit a year without a public update on band activity in December. It'll be interesting to see how fast things come along for Bullet Train, so keep tabs on their Facebook page for further updates!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: "The Cities Alive & It's Angry"

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 in 2022, 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 have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, as well as the final artwork. In more recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his prolific original material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Chase elaborated on Facebook last summer that the album was 95% done earlier that year when the files "got trapped on my desktop's hard drive", and he had been unable to procure a backup of the material or recover the files as of that post. In any event, three of the full songs uploaded to Facebook in the previous year were clarified as not being planned for "The Chaotic Rite", but they could surface on a separate EP. Fingers crossed that Chase is able to save this album and put it out when able, especially given the years that he's put into the making of it!

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Convergence - In Bloom

Rumoured Songs: "Gemini", "In Bloom", "Breaking News", "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon", "Kraken Mara", "You Are Not Flesh"

Background: Just over a month after releasing their sophomore EP "Dead And Dreaming", local progressive metal band Convergence announced in February 2024 that EP #3 would be named "Gemini", with its cover artwork being released at the same time. Teaser clips of most songs from the EP were posted on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel throughout much of 2024, but most prior media was wiped as they retooled as a full band, now including singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and drummer David Peredun. Convergence have been working in studio recently with producer Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, documenting the sessions in Facebook "Reels", and while they did get cagey about the endgame for the studio sessions, they have confirmed in concert that the EP (now named "In Bloom") is still in progress. Live versions of early instrumentals (now with vocals) have also been played in their early sets.

Current Release Status: No clue, and given the complexity of their music yet their independent studio trappings so far, that could bode a quick or lengthy timeline for "In Bloom" to come out, depending on what angle you take. Since their modern studio cycle commenced in 2023, things have been relatively steady for Brendan and Jake as a recording act, and here's hoping that Convergence keep that up for their third offering! 

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Fort Creek's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "One For The Road", "Sweet Rosie"

Background: Background: Local southern/hard rock band Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, but they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared (now-deleted) clips of their original song "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page. The guys would play it regularly at concerts from 2022-2023, with studio sessions taking place in early-mid 2023 as well. After the departure of bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano (both now of Bullet Train) in the fall of 2023, Fort Creek opted to abandon material recorded with them "as a show of good faith", and have been working on new material and rebuilding their studio over the past two years. Now featuring Phil Greco on drums, their first single (the acoustic "One For The Road") was posted online in January, with the band confirming plans to now record a 10 song album at Jettison Studios prior to returning to live concerts. Their new single "Sweet Rosie" was said to be coming next, and they teased being back in studio to record that very song as of August 31st.

Current Release Status: Prior release timelines for their debut EP reflected their early 2020s lineup's material, and Justin, Shane, Bill, and Phil have largely kept things somewhat close to the vest prior to putting out "One For The Road". There are a lot of unknowns, especially given the 5+ years of production time and their decision to basically start over in 2023, and that this is a band that was primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit before their rhythm section left. It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates!

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Pillory - Old Soul

Rumoured Songs: "End Of Small Sanctuary", "Specimen Of Egotism", "Sculptor Of Cadavers", "The Angst Of Existence", "The Passing", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Curse Of Eternal Sickness", "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt"

Background: After a five year hiatus dotted with occasional reunion teasers from band members on social media, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory fully reunited last summer, picking up where they left off in their 2015-2019 run. During that time, they fully moved to death metal with harsh/growled vocals, completely abandoning their originals from their 2013 debut EP "Cringe At The Cross" in the process. While established mid-late 2010s songs and new material have been played in concert in the past year, Pillory only confirmed in this Facebook post on band t-shirts from May 19th that they were working on a full-length album. "Old Soul" was confirmed as its title this summer, complete with cover artwork and the release of "The Angst Of Existence" as an advance single on September 30th. It's not yet clear if Devon Lucier, his predecessor Blair St. John, and/or frontman Robert Sartini will handle bass on the final product, but the album was recorded at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall.

Current Release Status: Pillory have confirmed that they will release "Old Soul" on October 25th via a CD release party at Soo Blaster, with it dropping on major streaming services two days later, and a vinyl release has also been teased. This is all very exciting for local extreme metal fans, let alone Robert, Bret, and Devon after such a long run together, so whether you come to the release show or not, prepare for brutality at month's end!

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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 November 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile that is pencilled in for this Friday. That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Selias), More Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

As promised, this post wraps up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, but we also have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, plus some new videos, so here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will rock Soo Blaster for the third time in fourteen months when they return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, November 15th! Local metalheads may recall when Heavy North Entertainment brought Selias here in September of last year in their first relaunch-era concert (with Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner in tow), before returning sans-Jeeb in March. Getting any original touring band to come here this much this soon is an accomplishment, and Selias are a brutal and proficient band who should appeal to established fans and new ones alike! Touring in support of their new album "Killkarma", Selias will be joined by three local opening bands, including hard rock quintet HeadF1rst (who opened for Selias in March), online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad (who opened for Selias last year), and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, who are headlining at Soo Blaster tonight.

Diverse but heavy lineup of local talent before Selias take the stage, so don't miss out next month! Newburgh metalcore band Ascension Blacklist are advertised to be joining Selias on tour on the official poster, but the official Facebook event page does not list them otherwise. We'll let you know if they will indeed be playing in the Soo or not! This all ages concert has doors opening at 6:00 PM and tickets run for $15 plus processing fees at this link, and presumably at the venue or through promoters/openers. Prepare for a true Ontario onslaught at Soo Blaster in mid-November, so visit the above links for more details on Selias' third local stop!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's hard rock concert previews by heading to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club, where local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will set up shop for another acoustic show TONIGHT! The prolific and talented musician and former Caveman Morrison frontman's busy solo schedule marches on into another night, with tonight's show being his first at the Eagles Club in two weeks. Hopefully there's a good turnout of Steelton and west end fans for his proficient and diverse setlist and talent range this evening as usual! If you miss out, Tym will be back at Aerie #3991 in three weeks, and his next proper show is a Misty's matinee next week. Tonight's concert is at 8:00 PM with no announced age limit or cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live not too long ago!

To close out this weekend's concert previews, let's head to  The Sault Community Theater Centre, where Winnipeg/Las Vegas classic rock tribute band Ikons Of Rock will headline TOMORROW NIGHT! This touring act will call to mind music legends shows in Las Vegas, where musicians impersonate and pay tribute to a wide swath of iconic musicians and bands, with Ikons Of Rock paying tribute to rock legends from the 1970s onward, with Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Queen, Heart, Kiss, and Def Leppard cited among the source acts in their multimedia stage show. Hard to sum things up in under a paragraph, but this will be a fun concert for rock fans, and there is bound to be something to like multiple times over! Alumni of bands like Harlequin and Streetheart also play in the Ikons Of Rock live band. Ticket's for tomorrow's all ages event at 7:30 PM run for $69 (general admission) and $59 (kids & students).

You can buy yours at this link or at the in-person box office at Station Mall. At press time, the front three rows in the center section are sold out, but there are plenty more seats still on sale (none are being sold in the gallery). Ikons Of Rock have a fun and diverse array of tributes to past and present rock legends, so definitely consider coming out to the former Kiwanis Theater at White Pines Collegiate tomorrow, even on a work/school night! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Ikons Of Rock live!

To close this news post, let's look at new videos that I would have featured here yesterday had classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's presumably cancelled shows at Reggie's Place still taken place (read Thursday's post below for what we do and don't know about what's going on there). Last week, Double Down set up shop at Beck's Bar for a Saturday nighter with Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz filling in for a laid-up Dan Beaupre (also pictured here is Beck's owner Becky Sawyer), A camera was set up from a high central vantage point aimed downward at the band for three videos posted on their Facebook page, and they were filmed playing the first half of Green Day's "Warning" (with drummer Ric Datson on vocals), Collective Soul's "Precious Declaration" (with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals), and as embedded below, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself For Loving You" with Lori on vocals.

Alas, all but "Warning" were uploaded in vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, despite being shot horizontally, and "Warning" was posted first, so I have no idea what happened there. As such, the other two videos are tiny, so maximize a computer window while watching them for best results. Apsect ratio issues aside (let alone the dark lighting at Beck's), everyone performs strongly with professionalism and a good chemistry on the three clips! Lori's singing voice is more melodic than edgy for a Joan Jett cover, but she fits in well with the guys, and kudos to her for helping out while Dan's off, so give these new videos a watch above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Our first weekend concert previews of October 2025 are here, so let's dive in with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Saturday's Tym Morrison concert and Sunday's Ikons of Rock concert will be in our next news post, so don't worry, they are hitting the site soon!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to Hulbert Happy Hour in Hulbert Township for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via their Facebook page on Monday. Believe it or not, this will be Project 906's first show at the 10402 South Maple Street nightclub since February 2022, and thusly their first there with Jason VanLuven and Brian Duford on percussion, but there is a reason for this return booking beyond just rocking out. SATURDAY is the Hulbert Freedom Festival's ATV Poker Run, with 906 serving as the night cap to the day's events, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for the poker run's details. Meanwhile, one of the stops for the poker run is Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard, and they'll be hosting Project 906 on Friday, October 31st for their Halloween party, as announced on the bar's Facebook page yesterday!

As you might expect for a Halloween concert, Huck's will be hosting costume contests at month's end, with the best overall, funniest, and best couples' costumes winning prizes. Good to start seeing another Halloween concert on the schedule, so stay tuned for more as spooky season continues! Project 906 will bring the hard rock on SATURDAY at 8:00 PM and on Halloween at 9:00 PM, neither show has an announced cover charge (you don't have to register for the Poker Run to come to Hulbert), and these are 21+ events. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where San Francisco hair metal quintet Night Ranger will headline at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! The first of two 1980s glam metal concerts at the Soo Kewadin this fall, Night Ranger will be rocking the casino for the first time in over 12 years tomorrow, and they will remain very familiar to local rock fans from their hit songs "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and "Sister Christian", among others. With more classic songs, three new albums, and a switch from Joel Hoekstra to Keri Kelli on guitar, hopefully they deliver a solid night of glam metal action for fans tomorrow! Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson (of "(Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection" fame) will open tomorrow with an acoustic set, so come out early for Matthew & Gunnar setting the tone with some unplugged rock!

Tickets for this all ages concert are still on sale at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. Limited seats are still available for $80 in rows 1-10 and $70 for seats further back, but the vast majority of tickets are sold, so act now if you haven't already just in case. VIP passes with extra perks are also available online if you are so inclined. This should be a fun night of 1980s metal action for you Hair Scare fans, so visit the above links for more details on this Rock 101-sponsored concert, and for a preview, here's Night Ranger live in the Soo in 2013!

Also this weekend, let's head to Sault Ontario for a special memorial concert on SATURDAY NIGHT at Soo Blaster, as local musicians will gather that night for Riffs For Rememberance: A Memorial For Tori! The show is in honour of Victoria Childs, an avid local music fan who suddenly passed away last month at the age of 34. Victoria was my ex-girlfriend and was a great person & mother who I actually met at Oddfellows Hall punk concerts in 2005 when we were in high school, and I know she would be absolutely thrilled that friends and musicians were coming together to pay their respects like this! Local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (featuring her cousin Mikhal Muto) will headline on Saturday, and it was Paul & Amanda's idea to host a tribute concert to her, so all kudos to them for taking the initiative like this! A very diverse lineup will also include three solo artists.

These include her friend Gimiiwan Ikwe, country cover veteran Leslie Cook, and folk singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W. while the last mystery act is Bards With Beards. Paul told me that they're a new band from HeadF1rst drummer Anthony Boudreau, but I don't have any other information on them at press time. We'll know more on Saturday! This all ages event has doors opening at 7:30 PM, and admission will be $5, with all proceeds going to Hope House - Club 84, a psychosocial rehab program for those with mental illness, and who helped and supported Victoria in times of need. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on what should be a great night in Victoria's memory (I'll absolutely be there), and here's The A.A. live!

Finally, I wanted to acknowledge advertised shows for this weekend that I have doubts are on as scheduled. When local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down announced their fall calendar a few months ago, this included a return to Reggie's Place for concerts tomorrow & Saturday night (here is their Facebook event page). However, if you were following the social media promotion for Bone Yard 225's shows there last week, there was a lot of teased finality regarding the gigs. Bone Yard are alive and well (they'll be at The Esquire Club next week), but band members, attendees, and the venue dropped a number of Facebook hints towards Reggie's ending or closing in some form or fashion, with your local 225 saying that this would be their "last weekend playing there" on September 26th. What we do know is that last week's shows marked the five year anniversary of Reggie's under Randy Lapossie's management, but is he opting out after that long?

No one has come right out and said what was going on at 458 Queen Street East, but regardless, Double Down haven't newly promoted this weekend's Reggie's dates, and the venue hasn't posted on Facebook since Saturday, so with all of that acknowledged, I'm going to treat the Double Down shows as off unless otherwise confirmed. Whether Reggie's is closing, rebranding, or changing operations in some form, we'll let you know when something is firmly and publically said! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT Videos & Updates From August-September 2025!!

For our first post of October 2025, let's resume playing catch-up with local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT's recent activity by acknowledging the recap video from the fifth annual Rye Fest in Brantford on August 9th! In doing my research for our last Spades-centric post on September 21st, this completely slipped me by, which I apologize for, so kudos to guitarist Daniel Horton for sending me the link after that post went live! After we hear a clip from "Wrecked" from their new album "United", we see Daniel in his vehicle getting ready to meet the rest of the guys in Brantford, before we get to see the whole band setting up for their set and Daniel mingling with multiple Rye Fest attendees and performers (many horns are thrown in this segment). The desserts on offer looked good too! We do get brief raw video footage of Spades GT playing "Rise" late, but it's side-stage, vertical (as ever), and just of the start of that song.

I'm not sure of the advantages of the taped-together beer staff, but this was an entertaining recap video for fans of these types of uploads! I still prefer full live songs, let alone horizontally shot ones, but it looks like the guys had a blast at this all-day metal festival, so check everything out below!

On September 2nd, the band announced on their Facebook page that they were featured in the newest issue of the Niagara-On-The-Lake-based Plunk O Rama zine, but it's a legit physical zine like in the good old days, hand-stapled and everything. As such, you'll have to head down there to buy a copy and/or read the Spades article, assuming that the band doesn't re-post it online. In the former Jack Spades' first show of their fall concert calendar, they returned to their hometown of Barrie for the first time in "a while" (almost 3 months) on September 6th, where they and their friends in G.F.U. opened for Daniel's other band The Fast Life at C.W. Coop's. This show did get a vertical recap video as well, if a shorter one (granted, it was a smaller concert), so what can you see here? Along with mingling and setup, we get a lot of talk about wildlife in the Barrie area from Daniel and Tyler, and the odd sight of J.D. singing while wearing a bucket hat.

I'm not sure that the slow jam backing music in the first half is a good fit, but we do get (all too brief) raw video footage of all three bands in the back half, with a focus on Daniel playing a guitar solo in the Spades clip. Also, props to Sean's choice of t-shirt, now we just need to see him play in that band's hometown! J.D. said that they "killed it", and from what we see of the show, I'm unable to disagree, so give the Coops recap video at this link! Unfortunately, Facebook was able to content match "Wrecked" in this particular recap video, so I'm unable to embed it here. On September 18th, the guys asked on their Facebook page for suggestions towards adding a possible new cover song to their setlist, implying that it would be for "spooky season" or at least Halloween themed, so offer suggestions there in the event that they haven't added such a cover yet! The following day, they did post a new (vertical) video that I can embed here, so what is there to see?

Shot in drummer Tyler Reiner's vehicle, Tyler (or "T", as it were) shows off a copy of the Plunk O Rama zine that they're featured in, though you can't really read the shown pages clearly on the video. Copies were sold at their merchandise table at their next show, however! Tyler also plugged (in particular) their Toronto show opening for The Exploited on October 19th, which they are actively selling tickets for, as well as their debut in Niagara Falls this coming Friday. Good updates all around, so give this one a watch!

For today, we'll close with Spades' return to Newmarket at The Lion Pub & Grill on September 20th, which was basically an encore of the top half of the C.W. Coop's show, with all three bands making the 40 minute drive south for it. A vertical recap video was shared from this gig, which leads off after the titles with Daniel and bassist Sean MacNab outside of the venue. Sean teases that they may have "exciting news around October", so we'll have to see what he was hinting at now that it is October! After everyone arrives at the venue, we do get some brief raw footage of the guys playing "United" at The Lion, along with some brief clips of Daniel with show attendees and performers, as well as The Fast Life & G.F.U.'s later sets. Effective recap video within the confines of what fans can expect from them, even if vertical and heavily edited, so give the Newmarket one a watch below!

We'll pick things back up with Spades GT with a new video interview that Dan & Sean recorded last month, plus new show announcements and their gigs this weekend, so stay tuned for all of that and more soon! Thanks everyone, raise 'em up, and cause a scene!