Bone Yard 225 & Silent 9 Videos And Updates!!

Today's first post lets us play catch-up with two veteran and covers-heavy bands and their recent activity on stage, at private and public gigs alike, so here's what you should know on that front!

We'll start with new videos and updates from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, so what else have they been up to beyond their end-of-summer local dates? On July 20th, they posted this video to their Facebook page of Greg panning a camera around at a private wedding that they played at the previous night. No concert audio to speak of, but good to see that this booking went well for them! Note that bassist Warren Reville asked at the end of the video "What is Rotaryfest?" (the festival ended that night). That seems like a possible dig, and while I don't know the context, note that Bone Yard haven't played at Rotaryfest since 2022, after playing Stage 1 eight times since 2010. On August 11th, the guys revealed on their Facebook page that "its album tracking time", complete with a black & white photo of studio equipment, and this TikTok-exclusive video features a drum track teaser.

In this TikTok video (which was at least shared to their Facebook page), we see Warren and guitarist Alex D'Ettore performing backing vocals, and while the video implies that this is towards the album sessions, note that they appear to be singing the chorus to Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (that, or they wrote an original where they sing "All I know, sad songs" too). Good to see that the album is in full swing, and we'll let you know more when they give more updates from the sessions! Also in the realm of unembeddable videos, the Aubrey Falls Trading Post in Thessalon filmed two "Reels" of Bone Yard 225's set at their annual pig roast on Saturday that were shared on the band's Facebook page. There, you can see the guys covering AC/DC's "Ride On" and Kim Mitchell's "Lager & Ale". Unfortunately, as "Reels", they are short clips (90 seconds long) and vertical, but the filmer was far enough away to capture the full band in frame.

What we hear sounds good in both videos, even if I'd have zoomed in (or shot horizontally) to mask low crowd levels up front. Hopefully the pig roast show went well, but is there a new 225 video that I can embed here? Yes, from their prior Thessalon show on August 1st at their annual Community Day! This also vertical video (though not a "Reel") was posted last week from their outdoor set at Thessalon's marina, and it focuses on singer/drummer Greg Simpson during the end of their cover of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'". Interesting Stryper-esque angle of Greg in action here, and the cover sounds good, if only the end of it, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them today at the older A&W's Cruisin' The Dub motorcycle show or at the Dragonfly Run, preview forthcoming!

We'll close today with some new videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook page! On August 10th, they shared a video of them covering part of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" at a private camp party off of Bass Lake, the third straight year that they've played at that event. While sadly shot vertically, it's a strong rendition from what we hear, and the vivid stage lighting against the natural outdoor night setting is a good contrast! In more vertical footage from outside of town, Silent 9 shared a "Reel" on Tuesday from their Laird Fair gig on Saturday where we see clips of them covering "We're Not Gonna Take It" again as well as Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train". The filmed uniquely focused on fans more than the band, including folks who climbed into the rafters of the stage to rock out, which is a neat visual, and it looks like they had a blast out in Laird this past weekend! Also, here's a question: What is Wolf Fest?

The band shared this "Reel" from Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Facebook page from Monday of people asking what Wolf Fest is, referencing a teased festival on Saturday, September 27th, though the brewery remains cagey on what is happening. Silent 9 sharing it would hint that they're playing, but we await firm confirmation on Wolf Fest, let alone if it's happening at the Tap Room or if they're thinking bigger. Stay tuned, but check out Silent 9's Bass Lake video below, and look for more from them soon!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sylo & Tarnished), Mid-Week Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a cancellation to take note of, as the planned Krang-headlined concert at The Distraction on September 8th is no longer taking place. Promoter Mikhal Muto said on his personal Facebook page that it was "due to the current situation with The Distraction", likely referring to the East Street venue's fire safety compliance needs following the Ripcordz concert cancellation last month. With almost three weeks to go, it's a wonder why they're not looking for a new host venue, but this is still disappointing, and hopefully Krang get a chance to play here again, let alone that The Distraction re-opens with all approved safety measures soon!

Now, today's post features an unusually robust lineup of mid-week concert previews, including two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus some assorted updates, but let's lead off with one of the two brand new shows, as Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal cover quartet Tarnished will play a special outdoor concert TOMORRROW NIGHT at Lake Superior State University outside of Brady Hall! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page earlier today, even calling this a "surprise show" there. Tarnished did not specify why they're playing a random outdoor show at LSSU outside of one of their residence halls, let alone TOMORROW, but this is orientation/move-in week for students enrolled in the fall semester at Lake State, so this must be a fun pop-up concert for the new and returning students to check out to escape from the usual preparations and unpacking!

Despite the university campus trappings, Tarnished are on TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with no cover charge, and while there's no stated age limit or restrictions for students/non-students, mind the locale if you want to check things out. 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies TOMORROW with no chance of rain, and temperatures ranging from 64-66° (18-19° Celsius), so conditions should be really good for some live hard rock covers. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Sylo will headline a special mid-week concert at Beck's Bar TOMORROW  NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced on Sylo's Instagram page on Saturday.  With very rare exceptions so far (like the Motorhead tribute M1), Beck's has only hosted full electric bands on Saturdays since re-opening, so it'll be interesting to see how an originals-infused local band does TOMORROW there, especially given the atypical scheduling for a local headliner! On their Facebook page, Beck's called this "a special treat" and referenced that "we love welcoming up and coming new bands to the scene" (even though Sylo debuted in 2021). An unsaid motivation for this concert may be frontman Elijah Russell's university commitments out of town, which caused the band to take a hiatus from August 2024-May 2025. If Eli is heading back to school, TOMORROW may be the last Sylo show for a while.

Whether Sylo are going on hiatus again or not, they are a talented young group, and hopefully their Beck's debut TOMORROW goes off without a hitch despite the unusual scheduling! This is a 19+ concert at 9:00 PM with no cover charge. Visit the above link for more details on TOMORROW's stop at the former Vibe Lounge, and for a preview, here's Sylo live!

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Also today, here's one more mid-week concert preview, but it's one we knew about already, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will headline the annual Cruisin’ The Dub motorcycle show at the older A&W at 121 Great Northern Road on THURSDAY NIGHT! Weather permitting, the last few years have seen joint classic car and motorcycle shows to support Multiple Sclerosis Canada at both of the A&Ws on Great Northern Road (the newer one down the highway hosts a car show), and given Bone Yard's affinity for motorcycles, it's a no-brainer that they'd support a great cause like this at the bike show half! August 21st is Burgers To Beat MS Day too, so buying a burger will help out even if you don't come out for the concert and bike show, which includes games, raffles, popcorn, and more. There will reportedly be live music at the newer A&W for the car show but I'm unsure which band. We'll let you know if something is publically said.

For more charitable motorcycle concert action, Bone Yard 225 will also rock the annual Dragonfly Run on Sunday, and our preview of that hits the SMS this weekend. While the bike (and car) show starts at 5:00 PM, your local 225 don't take the outdoor stage until 6:00 PM on Thursday. This is absolutely an all ages concert with no cover charge, but donations to MS Canada will absolutely be encouraged. 9&10 News is currently calling for similar conditions on Thursday evening, with partly cloudy skies, no chance of rain, and a weather in the 22° range. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's first charity motorcycle concert of the week, and here they are live!

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:

 

• SooToday's Greg McGrath-Goudie reviewed B.A. Johnston's concert at Venue in May for this article, going into solid detail about the eclectic happenings at the Hamilton outsider punk musician's latest local stop and what goes on at his shows in general. Two pictures were included, even of him performing on top of a car outside of the Queen Street East events space, and Greg did get some interview remarks with B.A. post-show as well. Entertaining read that does as good of a job at outlining his hard-to-describe live shows as you can, so check out the full article above!
• Newer local death metal band Bardo, progressive metal quartet Convergence, and online page-less metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad will join the previously confirmed Maynard Hayes as the local openers for the Napoleon-headlined concert from Heavy North Entertainment at Soo Blaster on Friday, September 26th, as per a quiet update to the Facebook event page. Notably, this will mark Convergence's first time opening for a touring band, while this will be Bardo's first concert in almost a year, after debuting when they opened for Selias at the same venue this past September. Looks like a solid lineup to me, so visit the above links for more details!
• I have moved local punk quintet The Gambit to our inactive band links. The former Sick Sons have not issued a public update since their Rotaryfest Stage 2 set in July of last year, but note that they have always been sporadic for their social media updates and live gigs, having played just once a year since their name change and late 2022 revival. The Gambit were working on original material and had teased future plans, so hopefully we do see Lucas, Steve, Christian, Dave, and Clint back when the time is right, especially with that stacked lineup of local punk veterans!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Sole Aggressors), More From Them, And A New Album Release!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to note a late concert cancellation from yesterday's rainy weather, as local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished did not perform at American Legion Park in St. Ignace for their planned Music By The Bay outdoor concert. While The Nameless' outdoor show in Goetzville went on despite the forecast, Tarnished confirmed on their Facebook page that their concert was off last night at 6:32 PM, 28 minutes prior to when it would have began (note that they never plugged the show on Facebook prior to then). Disappointing, but Mother Nature can be inconvenient at this time of year. Hopefully Tarnished try again for the Music By The Bay series in 2026!

Today's post otherwise features a new local album release, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related band breakup, as Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors will reportedly play their final public concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this via their Facebook page yesterday (their first Facebook post since March, though they have played live and plugged shows via Instagram since). The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners revealed that they are disbanding "due to recent events... before we all part ways for college". While they didn't elaborate on what the "recent events" were, The Sole Aggressors are far from the only example locally of a high school-aged band splitting up due to members moving out of town after grade 12. TOMORROW'S show will take place in the garage at guitarist Brett Siesel's residence, and the address is on the poster.

While the show will technically be all ages, they "ideally" request no alcohol or drugs on the premises. The concert takes place TOMORROW at 7:00 PM, and there is no cover charge, but they will be selling merchandise and taking donations. It is worth noting that The Sole Aggressors were also supposed to play at an outdoor house party concert in Thessalon, Ontario yesterday featuring loads of familiar Sault Ontario names across multiple genres, but even if Thessalon was within our coverage range (it's over an hour from Sault Ste. Marie), it too was rained out. The Sole Aggressors made a solid name in their two year run via their battle win and by being a rare example of an E.U.P. band to play in Sault Ontario (let alone more than once), while also being a pure punk band, which has never been common in Sault Michigan. Even if they never have a reunion, they made their mark in multiple ways, and have a solid sound and quality original music.

Of course, best of luck to Brett, Calvin, and Isaac (and Henry) in whatever lies ahead for them, but send off The Sole Aggressors in style TOMORROW NIGHT, and for a preview, here's one of three full concert videos from their YouTube channel that we have yet to feature on here! How I've been slacking on their YouTube channel in the past year, I don't know, but I'll get to all of their uncovered videos there soon, and we'll start with their set opening for Dick Texas at a Serious Business-promoted concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in November of last year. The 39 minutes-long set was actually filmed by Dafter solo musician Molly Escherich and her mom Tiffany, and in order, the guys played "Down By The Bay", "State Of The World","Teenage Guide", "Kill Thy Neighbour", "False Hope". "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Time To Commercialize!", "Reject", "Melted Plastic", "Hypocrite", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", ...

... "Tale Of An American Hero", "Fool", and "Heil Artificiality". While re-arranged in the order, every song from their set at Pickles in August 2024 is featured here, alongside "Tale Of An American Hero" & "Heil Artificiality" as new additions. Camera angles are all stationary here, but the Escherichs did move it a few times, particularly closer for the last two songs. Not a packed house but there's some loyal fans on the floor throughout. Maybe they're blocking the camera a bit, but The Sole Aggressors have a strong and in your face punk sound that comes through really well in this full set video with a slowly improving stage presence. Give it a look below, and go see The Sole Aggressors one last time in the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT!

Finally for today, here's a surprise album release, as Sault Ontario "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage released their 71st studio album onto their Bandcamp page last week! Entitled "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show", this is a thematic sequel to their prior "WYRD Radio" albums from 2015 & 2022, themed around the pretense of the songs being played on a fictional radio station. While the end of 2022's "WYRD Radio 2: Kype The Jesus Boots" hinted at their next "broadcast" being about alien abductions, this album has a fantasy epic theme not unlike last year's "Waerlogas Saga 1: Konfysion Of Fyck", though not sharing that storyline or multimedia comic book spinoff. As usual, "WYRD Radio 3" was recorded at The Cave completely improvised, and was mastered at their own River Front Recreation Studios, with singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarist/vocalist Dirk Becker, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio all back here. The album is well over 2 hours in length with 30 tracks.

While this may seem like a lot for a local hard rock album, remember that "WYRD Radio 2" had 40 tracks and would need three CDs if sold thusly. While Sykotyk Rampage have a presence on major streaming services, I believe the new album is currently a Bandcamp exclusive, though note that they officially list "September 1st" as the release date there. In any event, you can buy it on mp3 there for $15 or stream it for free. Without ongoing backlog of new album reviews on the SMS, "WYRD Radio 3" is currently pencilled in to lead off 2026 on the SMS, so look for that in January, and check out the album above! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews (barring any more short notice confirmations), and we're mostly sticking to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. today, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a related apology for a missed date. Here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just learned about these shows this past weekend via concert calendar posts on their Facebook page, but they have been listed prior on Kewadin's website's entertainment page. While we're on the subject, I profusely apologize for missing one more show from them, as they performed during the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park in St. Ignace yesterday. How that bypassed me is anyone's guess, especially as the show was listed last month when we covered Tarnished's outdoor gig there, but the idea of Peril playing E.U.P. dates outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella is still quite uncommon, despite also playing there on July 17th. Hopefully yesterday's show was a blast for Jeff, Howard, and Brooks, and an indoor encore is incoming for fans in the Soo TONIGHT & TOMORROW!

You can enjoy Peril's old school hard rock and metal covers at The Rapids Lounge TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and these will be their last local dates of the summer. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing Peril's St. Ignace show yesterday, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario briefly, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, these will be Generations' first concerts at Reggie's in three weeks, so if you've missed this veteran foursome at the venerable Queen Street East nightclub, this is your last chance for the summer! In the recent posting on their Facebook group, drummer Tony Santoro revealed that they will have Muckrakers frontman Mike McDonald sitting in with them this weekend, as he did multiple times during their guitarist vacancy in 2023. The implication is that Mike is filling in for an absent Tony Kajnar on guitar, but if we hear that Tony K. will still be there, we'll let you know. Generations take the stage tonight & tomorrow at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Back to Michigan now, and remember how Peril played at the Music By The Bay concert series in St. Ignace yesterday? Well, we won't miss the next SMS-amenable show there, as local classic/hard rock (and now covers-only) quartet Tarnished will set up shop at American Legion Park's outdoor stage TOMORROW! While not freshly plugged on the band's Facebook page, this will be Tarnished's second and final stop in this annual series for 2025, and well timed for a Saturday, so if you're up for an evening of hard rocking covers from Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, you know where to go tomorrow! Music By The Bay concerts run from 7:00-8:30 PM at 200 North State Street, and they are obviously all ages with no cover charge. Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain for much of showtime in St. Ignace tomorrow, so while the stage is covered, I don't know if the weather would complicate things.

Keep tabs with the band & park if you're at all concerned about the forecast. Temperatures will be hovering around 75° (23° Celsius) during showtime as per the current forecast, so keep everything in mind for this show as well as The Nameless in Goetzville and Silent 9 in Laird, Ontario tomorrow given that we have a lot of scheduled hard rock shows outdoors during the upcoming rain event. Visit the above links for more details on Tarnished's outdoor park show in St. Ignace tomorrow evening, and here they are live!

Finally for this weekend's known previews, we'll stay in St. Ignace, where local deathcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown will make their annual August appearance in their hometown with a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! After hosting the 2nd Street Music Festival the last two years on that very street, H.L.T.C. have moved the show both a week later than planned but also to a formal indoor venue, namely the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street. Regardless, the concert still ties in with frontman Brandon West's birthday earlier this week. Heavy Lies The Crown teased on the Facebook event page that they'll have "a wild surprise" regarding their return to Alpena next week that will be revealed tomorrow, and while I'm unsure of the context, note that temporary guitarist Paul Nolan is still featured in their most recent band photos, so his involvement "for the time being" may continue through tomorrow.

Heavy will be joined tomorrow in St. Ignace by Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora (returning from last year's 2nd Street Fest as replacements for Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water), as well as Detroit-area metalcore band Nothing After This and alt/nu-metal quintet Influence, both in their E.U.P. concert debuts. Brandon's Birthday Bash is a FREE event at 6:00 PM with no age limit, and with the move to VFW Post 5114, it is no longer an outdoor event (just as well given the forecast). This should be a blast for extreme metal fans in the E.U.P. and tip of the mitt, so don't miss out on the action tomorrow night, as Brandon's birthday only comes once a year! Visit the above links for more details, and here's H.L.T.C. live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nameless & Silent 9!!)

While nowhere near as busy as what we saw locally in July, things are definitely busier locally for hard rock concerts this weekend, and we will have to stretch out our weekend concert previews to two posts as a result. As such, this weekend's Heavy Lies The Crown, Generations, and Tarnished shows will feature in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know otherwise, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! 

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have a busy weekend ahead, and it starts TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co., followed by the featured headliners slot at the annual Laird Fair outside of town on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on both fronts, the band only announced both dates on their Facebook page on Monday, though they have been advertised for the Laird Fair in their own promotional materials before then. TOMORROW'S show is the second late notice one in as many weeks from an SMS-amenable band at the Tap Room, and is a bit of a surprise booking from Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve, as they normally take the summer off from standard nightclub shows, only playing festivals and private bookings then. In fact, while we're on the subject, they'll be back at the Tap Room on Saturday, September 27th as well!

That show was quietly confirmed on their website's concert calendar, and we'll wait on other public shows there for now due to the later scheduling but they will be more active publically this fall. As far as I can tell, there's no raison d'etre for TOMORROW'S brief pause of their summer break from bar shows, but the fun classic and hard rock covers will be in full swing at Northern Superior, especially at a venue better known for acoustic acts! TOMORROW'S and next month's shows are at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. As for the Laird Fair (a.k.a. the North Shore Agricultural Fair), Silent 9 are this year's headlining band, taking over for the now-defunct Soundcheck on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Friday band slot this year was replaced by karaoke. Loads of family friendly entertainment is in store in Laird (outside of Echo Bay), both for farming and agricultural events and for games and activities, so be sure to visit the fair's Facebook page for the complete schedule!

Silent 9 will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT under the covered (but not entirely indoors) stage at the fairground site at Lake George Road East once again, which bodes well for the rainy weather forecast, but do follow your preferred weather forecast for updates on Laird Fair events like this (9&10 News is calling for a high of 27° that night). The concert proper is a licensed 19+ event at 9:00 PM, and admission to the concert is included with fair passes, which run for $10 for the day and $20 for the full weekend. Visit the above links for more on Silent 9's busy short notice weekend, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Next up, let's skip over to Michigan for another new confirmation, as local hard rock quartet The Nameless will debut at The Goetzville Tavern in nearby Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by the band on their Facebook page on Sunday, though the venue has been plugging this show on their Facebook page since last month. Stalwart Agricultural Fair aside, this is the first standard concert that we've covered in Goetzville (outside of Pickford) since 2014, believe it or not. The Goetzville Tavern may be better known to local readers as Yooperman's Bar & Grill, and it re-opened under its new name and ownership in April at 18017 East M-48. Concerts have sporadically taken place there since last month, with The Nameless being the first heavier-leaning act there, so welcome them to a new locale an hour south of here in style on SATURDAY!

The Nameless take the stage on SATURDAY at 7:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Note that The Goetzville Tavern technically closes at 10:00 PM nightly, but they will clearly extend their hours for concerts if need be, and The Nameless are advertised to play until 11:00 PM. The official Facebook event page strongly hints that the show will be outdoors under a tent, so given that, 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain on SATURDAY dipping to 40% at night, with temperatures expected in the mid-high 70s (a high of 27° Celsius). I have no idea if they have provisions to postpone the show or move it indoors due to rain, so follow The Goetzville Tavern and/or the band on social media for updates if you are all concerned. Otherwise, visit the above links for more details on the hard rock action in Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT, and here's The Nameless live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone! 

A Missed Concert Apology, More Ripcordz Cancellation Fallout, And New Videos!!

Before we dive into what is looking like a little busier concert weekend in the Twin Saults, let's look at some news and notes from both sides of the border, including new video uploads, updates on a major recent concert cancellation, and more, so here's what you should know!

To lead off this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this past weekend's round of previews. Given how slight last weekend's hard rock/punk slate was, knowing about this one would have been extremely optimal! This past Saturday, local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos returned to Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Tap Room for a one-nighter, after playing their third announced show there in June, but unfortunately, the venue only plugged the gig on their Facebook page that morning and it completely slipped us by. On Dos Amigos' end, the BookcluB side project also never acknowledged the booking on their Facebook page prior. I profusely apologize for missing this show regardless, but acoustic acts do well at the unique setting of the Tap Room, and hopefully Mikey & Dustin had a good show on Saturday! Actually, we can see if they did for ourselves now, as they shared a video from the concert the following day!

The first public video on Dos Amigos' Facebook page (and their first post there of any kind in almost four months), the video sees Mikey & Dustin covering Rancid's "Roots Radical" and doing a solid job of adapting it to a two man unplugged setting! I wish the filmer got more than 24 seconds, but everything sounds and looks good at the Tap Room. and the vertical camera angle isn't as objectionable because both guys are in frame without issue. Give it a watch below, and apologies again for missing this show in last weekend's previews, I'd have happily covered it with even a day's notice!

Next up, here's more on the mid-show cancellation of last month's Ripcordz concert at The Distraction in Sault Ontario! In a follow-up article on SooToday on July 30th, Sault Fire Services public education officer Aaron Gravelle confirmed that the show was cancelled following "a fire safety complaint", with police and fire crews determining that the basement space didn't have sufficient fire/life safety measures in place, and was thusly not approved for use as a concert venue. Fire Services and the city's building division will reportedly work with The Distraction towards ensuring "future building compliance", but whether this means that concerts will return to the East Street nightclub and when, I don't know. In the article, Ripcordz frontman Paul Gott is interviewed in text and in an attached video by contributor and former Honest Job frontman Drew Armstrong, where Paul praised the Soo and small concert venues like The Distraction.

Despite the cancellation, Paul was cordial and respectful on camera about the abbreviated concert and the local scene, let alone the younger generation of punk fans and musicians, and it's a good watch for fans! Unfortunately, I can't embed videos directly embedded onto SooToday (this isn't from YouTube) on the SMS, but give it a watch above, and it includes black & white photos from the local openers' sets!

Finally, let's zip over to Sault Michigan for some relatively rare videos of local classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished's current lineup in action! These actually come from the Fourth of July parade in the Soo last month, where Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron performed on a float once again (the band as a whole has done this for at least three years now). At least two people posted their own copies of the half hour-long parade route to YouTube, one being user onewxone, who was stationed beside the Ashmun Street Bridge. In his video, Tarnished become audible 24:30 into the 30 minute video (which was edited slightly in post-production to reduce the dead air between floats). While in earshot, Tarnished were covering The Go-Gos' "We Got The Beat" and while you only see them on camera for about 25 seconds, you can hear them at varying levels of clarity for two minutes before and afterwards.

Click here to jump straight to Tarnished's spot in the parade, but I won't embed that particular video here because of the sharp stationary angle of the procession. Embedded below is the parade video shot by Sunshine Gregory, who was filming further down the route at the corner of Ashmun and West Portage Avenue, capturing the procession with more of a side view, and not on a tripod. In Sunshine's video, you can first hear Ron's drumming at 24:17, and the guys are covering Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" at this juncture. Like they did for at least part of last year's July 4th parade, Alex & Josh walked alongside the float while both cameras were rolling, with Chris and Ron performing on the float itself, and you get a better view of that in Sunshine's video given her placement en route. Here, Tarnished are only on camera for 16 seconds, but Sunshine was moving her camera around to better capture what an attendee might see.

You can hear Tarnished finish the song, so they're audible in this parade video for about 80 seconds. The guys sound good on both covers, and Alex was definitely having fun engaging with the crowd from what was captured! If you're curious, the Independence Day parade actually featured two bands, as the E-Free Church's Sault Ste. Marie campus had contemporary Christian performers on their float, which rode down midway through the parade. They had a camera of their own rolling for their own parade video on the float itself, which gives a unique view from the other side, but check out the full parade and Tarnished's performances there above and below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Northern Vibe Festival 2025!!)

In a major change in approach from past years, The Northern Vibe Festival's (tentative) Forest Stage schedule was publically revealed yesterday via their Facebook page, meaning that we can formally give the Ophir-based outdoor concert festival's 2025 lineup the LOCAL CONCERT ALERT treatment with advance notice to spare! Since the J.D. Pearce-curated era began for the Forest Stage in 2021, the band schedule has never been publicized any sooner than the week of the festival (and not at all in 2021 or 2022 by festival organizers), but this has slowly been improving, and I'm glad to cover things nice and early! Even if the intent was to ensure that you have to be there for the whole thing, I'd still wanna know who's playing on what day and when.  So, who all will grace the stage at the former Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road this year? As of yesterday, all acts from April's tentative lineup (possibly sans one) are still scheduled, plus late additions Spun Out, so who's on & when?

The shorter Friday lineup on August 22nd will be headlined at 10:00 PM by Sudbury-based Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band Avessel in their local concert debut, which isn't a bad spot for them to make a first impression on Algoma District fans! Avessel are Friday's only touring band, and with the fire lighting ceremony (remember the impressive bonfire?) coming in between, the Friday co-headliners are new local jazz/standards group The Josh Norling Quartet at 9:00 PM. Hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will make their Ophir debut at 8:00 PM, and the day's program begins with hip hop performers, including Fvcksxvad/Sound Syndrome supergroup SoundSxvad at 7:00 PM and online page-less collective The CSWS Crew at 6:00 PM. Very eclectic musical lineup for night #1, but there's a lot of talent to be had whether you're into rock, rap, or jazz, so don't miss out next Friday as the tenth annual Northern Vibe begins in style!

As for the longer Saturday, August 23rd program, organizers have similarly given the 10:00 PM closing duties to this year's other tribute band, namely local Pink Floyd tribute (and Bourbon Blue side project) Dark Side Of The Soo, while the highest slotted touring band at 9:00 PM are Niagara Falls prog/improv rock band The Road Waves in their fourth appearance at Northern Vibe and first in three years. Local alt-hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich will become the only band to play on the Forest Stage in all five years of the J.D. era at 8:00 PM, while touring bands from Cornwall will return in the preceding two timeslots. Hard rock band Don't Tell Sarah (who played last year) are up at 7:00 PM, while speed metal veterans Hellrager (featuring ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin) will return at 6:00 PM, following their 2023 set in Ophir and their quiet withdrawal from last year's event.

Fellow (Jack) Spades alum Johnny Belanger will play his first of two sets that day at 5:00 PM with folk/country band The Golden Scoundrels, who also played here last year, while the 4:00 PM timeslot belongs to local/Barrie alternative/hard rock standout Mike Haggith & his Big Finish Band in their third straight year on the Forest Stage. Questions arise with that afternoon's band slots, starting with "Barbarians" at 3:00 PM. I am not 100% certain on who this band is, but one possibility is the Vancouver speed metal quartet of that name. Note that former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers is the only absent name from the April lineup posting on this schedule, so could The Barbarians be a new band of his? Regardless, we'll let you know when more is publically confirmed! The 2:00 PM slot is listed as "Bingo Break", and barring this being a Rob Speers-led project, could that legitimately mean that bingo is being played for an hour?

Again, when more is confirmed, we will let you know on if Bingo (Break) is literally a band's name-o or if you'll need your dabbers for the occasion! New local alternative/punk quartet Spun Out (featuring Caveman Morrison, Half Past, and Disciples Of Rock alumni) will make their live concert debut on the Forest Stage at 1:00 PM, and the Saturday lineup will be led off at 12:00 PM by "Benny Acoustic Set", previously labelled as "Benny's Acoustic Thing". I have a hunch as to who Benny is, but no concrete proof in writing, so I'll leave it there for now, but he should get things off on the right unplugged foot if I have the right guy! Assuming that organizers continue posting promotional images for individual bands on their Facebook page in the next two weeks, we should eventually know more on The Barbarians, Benny, and (if this is a band) Bingo Break, so follow along there for potential updates!

The concurrent & DJ/EDM-centric Roost River Stage schedule was also released on Friday, so click here to see who's performing there next weekend. Tickets for The Northern Vibe Festival remain on sale for $125 (full weekend) and $80 (Saturday only) at this link, so if you haven't bought yours yet, do so while you still can! The festival takes place rain or shine, it is 19+, and while Sunday the 24th is part of the schedule, that's the camping/pack-up day with no scheduled bands. Click here for full details on expectations, ground rules, and directions to what should be a blast in the bush next weekend, visit the above links for more on this year's Forest Stage lineups, and look for more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!