Spades GT - "United" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 197th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and as our new album release backlog continues being cleared out, we're taking a look at local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT's new album "United"! Independently released via the Sewer City Records imprint on July 5th, "United" is the follow-up to their first GT-era album (2023's "Sewer City Radio"), and is their fourth album total when counting their two releases as Jack Spades before they relocated from the Soo in 2021. Like on the prior album, the guys recorded this one in February at Room 21 in Toronto with producer Kyle Marchant. "United" features Spades founder & lead singer J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce, guitarist Daniel Horton, and drummer Tyler "Jeeb" Reiner once again, and they are now joined by rhythm guitarist Matthew "Fang" Voros, who sings on a track here as well.

"United" was recorded in between bassist changes, as James Roy Daley left the band last summer, and Sean MacNab didn't join Spades until shortly after the sessions wrapped up (though he is pictured and thanked in the liner notes). Daniel was shown tracking bass in teaser videos from the sessions, but I have not seen a public reference as to if he played bass on all eight songs. Former Spades guitarist Jay Sarrazin and Daniel's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse return as guest performers for a track each on "United", while rapper Julien "Mersinary" Dos Santos also guests on a song here. Physical copies of the album are on sale at concerts (alas, Spades haven't played a local date since June 2023), while "United" can be streamed on YouTube Music, Apple Music (it costs $7.92 on iTunes), Amazon Music, and Spotify. Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. With eight songs running for about 27 minutes, let's begin this review!

The album opens with its shortest song "Anthem", which is a hard driving rocker with a really catchy lead guitar line, plus a solid guitar solo that lets Dan show off well! I was going to compliment the backing vocals, but the shouted chorus (which opens the song right off before the opening verse too) got really overdone after a little while. To me, it seems forced and monotone, and eats up too much time for a song that doesn't even crack 3 minutes. If you're going to commit to the "bashers, misfits, et al." thing, I'd have had J.D. actually sing it. Solid opener that Spades fans will enjoy musically, but I'd have rethought the choruses. Next up is the CD's title track (and the longest song on offer) "United", which was the lead advance single for the album as well. This song leans more into J.D.'s past punk music work with a more melodic rhythm and vocal style that calls to mind his Graves-era Misfits fandom, which will be nice to see for fans of his 100% local output!

Unlike on "Anthem", the backing vocals aren't overdone on repeated shouting choruses, and while your mileage may vary on that, this one seems like a much better candidate to sing along with at concerts (just need to get a new local one already). Strong drumming from Tyler and another good (if shorter) solo helps make this an early highlight, especially if you were following Fitswitch and Frightlight prior! Third is "Demons", which has another punk influence to it but it a touch slower and darker, with J.D. singing in a slightly lower register without backing vocals. There's an intensity here from the lyrical content that would actually call for a heavier or thrashier sound, but the contrast isn't badly done, and there's a strong groove to the guitar and bass here, and Tyler beats the hell out of the kit even when the song is more measured around him. Not uniformly intense and dark but I do like it!

The first half of the album is capped off with "Filthy Lie", which uniquely has J.D. sharing vocal duties with a bandmate, as Matthew (who fronts the psychobilly band The House Of Haunt) sings the choruses and bridge here with J.D. handling verses. The bouncy and upbeat riff is well placed here, and Matt more than holds his own vocally on the choruses with a distinct but natural range, so if there was ever an emergency where J.D. couldn't sing live, he could easily fill in! Of the songs so far, this changes tempo and pace the most in its runtime, so there's a little for many tastes. Not the best overall song here, but a fun shake-up of formula! Song #5 is the last one without guests, namely "Game For Two", which isn't as in your face vocally but it has a really strong instrumental structure, and I wish the vocals were more upbeat and intense to match. Dan & Matt deliver some of their best co-op riffs here, and we get another quality solo too, so guitar fans won't be thrown off at all!

As a pure song, this is an album highlight with some of the heaviest music yet from Spades GT on this album, but the vocals are too low and reserved by comparison. The three songs with guest performers are backloaded on "United", with Fast Life frontman Andrew Moorehouse (who sang guest vocals on "XS" from the last album) doing so again here on the sixth song, "Wrecked".  This song has one of the best intros on the album for its galloping and freewheeling instrumental performance, which is cool to see! Andrew's role on this song is bigger than on "XS", as he and J.D. trade lines during verses and share vocals on the choruses. A fast moving song with a punk influence, this is a fun one with some bouncy lead guitar, and while I'm not sure that the vocals gel as well on the chorus, it's a welcome diversion for fans who like Spades' punkier side, and Andrew acquits himself well!

The penultimate track on offer is "Strong", which features Reel Wolf Productions rapper Mersinary on guest vocals, and who has done this song live with Spades at least once. This song has a full and intense riff and full-band performance that doesn't let up, including really good bass work, and J.D. sings in a more melodic full voice on the verses, so that lines up well with the music! Mersinary crops up at 2:24 to drop bars in the bridge, and while a solid rapper whose delivery wasn't out of line with the music, he's only there for about 20 seconds and he didn't feel integral to the existing structure. He certainly didn't hurt it though, and "Strong" one of the better full songs here! "United" ends with "Die On Our Feet", featuring the return of 2022-2023 rhythm guitarist (and Tyler's old Caym bandmate) Jay Sarrazin, who played on two songs on "Sewer City Radio" (namely "Final Girl" & "Red").

Fans of guitar solos will be rewarded early as well as before the last chorus, and while this song doesn't reinvent the wheel from what works from the Spades camp, it has a hard driving riff, strong melodic vocals from J.D., and a better use of backing gang vocals on the choruses. Anyone else get a "Hallowed Be Thy Name" vibe from the guitar line in the bridge? What really hurts "Die On Our Feet" is a fifteen seconds-long fade-out during the second guitar solo, and is that really how they wanted to end the album? The solo was really cooking, why not actually write a proper ending to a quality song?

So, how do I grade "United" overall? There are things that I would address, but it's a fun sophomore effort for the Spades GT era of the band! It feels like the guys were experimenting a little more musically, with songs leaning into punk moreso, having J.D. experiment more in terms of his vocal range, and having three songs were someone else hops on vocals too. No matter what, they were in strong form as a full band, and the fuller sound from having two guitarists on every track shouldn't be overlooked either! Their fast and freewheeling brand of crossover thrash will still appeal to Jack Spades-era fans while benefitting from the production and networking upgrades since they moved south, with everyone performing to their musical strengths, including steadily great drumming from Tyler! The title track was probably my favourite song front-to-back on the album, and nothing here was bad, but I did notice a lot of little things I'd have changed.

Specifically, the overdone shouted choruses on "Anthem", an uneven contrast of vocals and instrumentation on some songs, Mersinary's verse on "Wrecked" feeling dropped in, and the way-too-long fade-out ending of "Die On Our Feet" could all have been adjusted to tighten up this album. Regardless, this is a fun and hard hitting collection of new songs that any era of Spades fan will take to, so buy or stream "United" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! We'll end 2025 by looking at defunct local grunge band No Arrow's belated CD "Souls For Sale", so watch for that next month! Thanks everyone, raise 'em up, and cause a scene!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9), The Selias Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this otherwise all-Sault Ontario post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in last week's previews, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless headlined the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023's annual Veteran's Day ATV ride this past Saturday. While the event was publically attendable, the band did not publicize it in advance, though maybe I should keep better tabs on it, as Project 906 did the honours in 2023 & 2024. I'd have happily covered it had I known or someone had said something, but hopefully The Nameless, veterans, and riders had a great time! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one more weekend preview, and more recent Sault Ontario notes!

While their public concert calendar for 2025 (the Searchmont Ski Runners holiday mixer aside) ends this weekend at The Esquire Club, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first few 2026 shows via their website's concert calendar, so when can you see them in the new year? Unless something is announced in the interim, their first gig of 2026 will see them headline at the Bon Soo Winter Carnival's opening ceremonies for a second straight year on Friday, February 13th! As far as I am aware, this will take place inside The Machine Shop at Mill Square once again, which is the site of their live concert debut as well, so hopefully this fan-friendly foursome delivers a strong night of covers to kick off Bon Soo 2026 in style! They'll be on at 8:00 PM with admission via a Bon Soo button, and with no announced age limit. For normal nightclub gigs, when can you see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve afterwards?

As of this writing, their next solo headlining nightclub concert will be on Saturday, March 14th, when they make their debut at Beck's Bar! Kinda surprising that they haven't played there yet, but hopefully the luck of the Irish is on their side for this pre-St. Patrick's Day concert in the west end! Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. We'll hold their September show for a future post given the 10 month gap, but stay tuned for more from Silent 9 when announced, and don't miss them this weekend at The Esquire Club!

Next up, here's one more SMS-amenable weekend concert preview, as Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will rock Soo Blaster for a third time in a fourteen month span TOMORROW NIGHT! Previously seen here in September of last year and then again in March (with Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner in tow for the former), Selias have quickly proven to be a reliable favouite touring attraction for extreme metal fans, and their technically sound but crushing brand of original music should get a solid reception tomorrow, especially given the Saturday timing! Your local openers tomorrow include hard rock quintet HeadF1rst, online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad (now featuring The BAG's Spencer MacGillivray on vocals), and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first of two Soo Blaster shows this month, preceding the Robbie G hip-hop concert in two weeks.

Of course, The S.S.S. and HeadF1rst respectively opened one of Selias' prior local stops each, so it is neat to see them get an encore! Promoted once again by Heavy North Entertainment, this stop on Selias' Ontario Onslaught tour (in support of their new album "Killkarma") has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and ticket prices of $15 at the venue or at this link.  Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Selias live!

Also today, we have an act to move to our inactive band links, namely local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine. We have not heard of a public update from them since opening for Rory Taillon at Soo Blaster in September of last year, and despite playing shows off and since returning from their last public hiatus in August 2022, they haven't updated their Facebook page in any fashion in over four years. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his requisite pink knit ski mask and ultra personal song lyrics, Slumshine initially returned from a year+ break at the 2022 Fringe North Festival, and became regulars of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum-hosted arts & culture event for its most recent three installments, but them and the Rory Taillon show are it for public activity since. Brent has definitely been keeping busy with Ha!ls in the past year, and he has even carried over some Slumshine songs to the full band, so follow them to see what he's up to nowadays!

To close today, here's a very rare video that was posted to social media this week, and it is the only known video filmed at Woods of Ypres' recording sessions for their final album "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! As you may recall, frontman David Gold and guitarist Joel Violette recorded the album at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario back in August 2011 with producer Siegfried Meier, who filmed this brief 30 second clip of David tracking drums for "Keeper Of The Ledger" and sent it to Shiver James as part of the work being done on his upcoming biography Deepest Roots: The Woods Of Ypres Story. The video had a fuzzy retro filter put on it that really hampers the video quality (it's hard to even see David behind the kit), but unless there's something in the vault from fall rehearsals, this may be the only video featuring David playing anything from "Woods V" on camera.

Kudos to Siegfried for sending this video after fourteen long years (let alone producing that classic album), and to James for posting it to the book's Facebook page! I'm glad that someone is telling David and the band's story after all these years, so follow the book's progress and the teaser postings above, and here's the video of David playing "Keeper Of The Ledger"!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9, Double Down, And Generations) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

This weekend is a tad busier for hard rock concerts in Sault Ste. Marie, so our preview of Saturday's Selias concert will be in tomorrow's post. With that said, today's focuses on covers-leaning bands, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know as we enter mid-November!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! In a way, I apologize for the short notice, but these shows have been announced since August via their Facebook event page. I erroneously listed them for next weekend when we first covered them, despite knowing that they are playing at The Water Tower Pub next Friday. That's on me, I'm sorry, but at least I caught the error! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows will end a month-long break for this skilled veteran outfit, last playing at Jay's over the October 11th weekend, and they should have a good array of classic and hard rock covers in store for west end fans! As has been the case for all of their fall dates so far, bassist Dan Beaupre will be absent as he continues recovering from an undisclosed ailment, so his "stunt double" (Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz) will be back for both nights.

Lori has played all but one of Double Down's concert weekends so far since they ended their summer break, and she has fit in well with the Syrettes and Ric, so hopefully things go well again TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and that Dan gets better soon! These shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Again, apologies for the short notice, drummer Tony Santoro only announced this show via the band's Facebook group on Monday. Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, this marks just their second show at the Goulais Avenue nightclub, last playing there in June. SATURDAY'S concert also marks the debut of their new guitarist, as veteran local musician Joe Miller has joined Generations, replacing the already-departed Tony Kajnar. Joe has been a presence in the scene dating back four decades, and while blatant credits for his band work aren't easy to find on social media, hopefully he fits in well with Valerie, Pierre, and Tony S. on SATURDAY! The matinee act that evening at Beck's is new local duo Silver Strings, who are not "opening" for Generations, and have their own full timeslot from 3:00-7:00 PM.

This is a one-nighter as usual for Beck's, but that's just as well for singer Valerie Powley, as she will be judging the finals of this year's The Soo's Got Talent tomorrow at Soo Blaster. We didn't cover it this year because it was full-on karaoke for 2025, partially thanks to it's The Voice-inspired audition rounds, but note that Convergence frontman Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio is one of this year's six finalists. Good luck to him and the other finalists tomorrow! Generations' Beck's concert on SATURDAY is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

Also, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but that's not all for them in 2025! While their website's calendar only lists three private gigs for the rest of 2025 (making this weekend's shows their last traditional bar gigs of the year), one of them isn't as private as you may think. On Friday, December 5th, you can see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve set up shop at The Rockstar Bar when they headline the Searchmont Ski Runners' holiday mixer! This may sound odd, but they did the honours for the S.S.R.'s fall social in October 2023, which also took place at The Rockstar Bar, which remains available to host special ticketed or private events, but has been closed as a standard nightclub since mid-2022. Despite the band claiming it's private, the Ski Runners' Facebook page is publically advertising the mixer, which is a fundraiser for the youth alpine skiing organization.

Sounds like a fun time for a worthy cause, so keep this in mind if you want to support the Ski Runners and/or enjoy an all-too rare Rockstar Bar concert! Tickets run for $35 but that also enters you into a contest to win passes to Searchmont, and you can buy tickets for this 19+ event at 7:30 PM at this link. Before then, they wrap up their normal nightclub slate for 2025 tomorrow & Saturday at The Esquire Club, so don't miss Silent 9's crowd and party-friendly mix of rocking covers this weekend! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with no cover charge and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, stay tuned for more on Silent 9's 2026 plans, and here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison is slated to rock The Fraternal Order of Eagles Club on Wellington Street West on SATURDAY NIGHT! Before we get too far, just a note that Tym was originally advertised to be playing the matinee timeslot at Beck's Bar on Saturday himself, but the venue is listing the aforementioned Silver Strings from 3:00-7:00 PM that day. A reason for Tym's withdrawal from the Beck's booking was not publically announced, but his batch Facebook event page for shows there still lists this Saturday's matinee. He is currently slated to return to the former Vibe Lounge as their matinee performer next Sunday, so I'll let you know if that goes on as planned! And no, Tym's not in Silver Strings, here's a video of them from earlier this year. While Tym has pulled double duty for his solo acoustic act in the past, he'll just be rocking Aerie #3991 on Saturday night.

Regardless of venue or timeslot, Tym's prolific setlist and clear-as-day talents as a vocalist and guitar player will bode well for attendees at the Eagles Club on Saturday, so don't miss out! If you do however, he'll be back in two weeks. As usual there, this is an 8:00 PM start time, no cover, and no advertised age limit. See above for more details, and here he is live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Selias preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile: Stone Smyth

After a slight delay to cover an interview with the artist in question that I really should have noticed last year, let's get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up before we focus on weekend concert previews! This monthly feature again looks at a defunct or inactive local band (as randomly selected from our band links) in order to spotlight them and their content for current readers, and this month's selection is bittersweet timing given that their founder and only permanent member passed away just two months ago. Here's what you should know on them! 

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Stone Smyth (previously known as StrykerGC and StonesmithGC)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Hard/Classic Rock

Lineup:

Troy Isaac (Angel Dust), all instruments

Audio/Video: A studio only project that had aspirations of playing live concerts and going on tour, Stone Smyth posted over three dozen original songs to major streaming services (one being a re-recording of Troy's "Local Steel" song "Cold Rain"), and while a formal album was never put on sale featuring their material, there's lots to hear, especially on their Reverbnation page and their YouTube channel. Songs on YouTube are generally accompanied by stock footage videos loosely themed around their lyrics (and often featuring attractive women), though later videos did feature some newly shot video. Note that the channel's later focus was shared by Troy's outdoor webseries Maverick Fish Hunter, reflecting his love of fishing and boating in particular. Here's one of their better late-era tracks, "My Blue Jeans"!

Info/Analysis: The final active music project from veteran local rock guitarist Troy Isaac (who passed away from cancer in September at the age of 63), Stone Smyth publically debuted in 2014 and began regularly posting new music to various platforms into the early 2020s. Originally known as StrykerGC, the project was named for his home studio & planned guitar company (hence the "GC"), with the Stone Smyth name inspired by blacksmithing, but with altered spelling and a space to distinguish them from Aerosmith. Aiming for uplifting and relatable lyrical content in their songs, Stone Smyth had planned to evolve into a live band with additional members, a full stage setup, and tour plans, but the pandemic curtailed their 2020 work, and despite teasing a future tour and live setlist as recently as the fall of last year, Troy's death came before things could fall into place as hoped, let alone before they could release an proper album.

Troy was a talented guitarist who made the most of his years of experience from B.C. to Germany with a good ear for catchy classic rock-inspired songwriting, and if you like the style of local musicians like Tym Morrison and SweetKenny, you'll be right at home with Stone Smyth's range of material! Not the rangiest singer, but he made the most of what he had vocally, and songs like "Psychonaut" and "Southern Steel" showed his wide range of influences. Stone Smyth even had tentative setlists for live shows planned out, so it's a shame that things didn't work out as hoped, but check out their music and Troy's Borderline radio interview to learn more! R.I.P. Troy!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around December 10th for its final installment of the year, but as the first band that I randomly selected has minimal information to utilize to fill out a post, I've added a randomly chosen band in a similar state to round things out. With that in mind, we'll be looking at 2019 Volbeat tribute band The Guitar Gangsters and 2024 hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages! Look for these next month and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Three Days Grace) & Exit 808 Updates!!

No, I didn't forget the big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from yesterday morning, so here's what you should know about that, as well as some updates from a local band's recent Halloween gig!

Norwood, Ontario hard rock quintet Three Days Grace will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday, April 28th at GFL Memorial Gardens! Announced yesterday morning as part of the band's world tour in support of their new album "Alienation", this will be Three Days Grace's first appearance in the Soo since headlining at what was then the Essar Centre in December 2009, and third total after debuting at the downtown arena in January 2008. Of course, in that sixteen year gap since we last saw them, singer Adam Gontier left the band and was replaced by bassist Brad Walst's brother Matt, only for Adam to return full time last year with Matt sticking around, giving 3DG two frontmen. We never saw Three Days Grace with Matt Walst as the sole singer here, but they kept on racking up rock radio hits with him like "Painkiller", "The Mountain", and "So Called Life", so how will they sound with Adam singing too?

This won't be Matt's first time performing in the area though, as he fronted his old band My Darkest Days (of "Porn Star Dancing" fame) at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in April 2012, while Adam fronted his own band Saint Asonia at The Dreammakers Theatre in February of last year, shortly before he rejoined Three Days Grace. No matter which singer/era of the band you prefer, it's awesome to see Three Days Grace coming back to the Gardens, especially with current hits like "Mayday" and "Apologies" in their back pocket, so don't miss out in five months' time! Joining them for most of the Canadian leg of the tour is Burlington alt-hard rock quintet Finger Eleven, in their first local concert appearance since opening for I Mother Earth at The Machine Shop back in April 2018, and their (at least) fifth total here, each one at a different venue. Since we last saw them, they just released their new album "Last Night On Earth".

Fans can expect a set full of classics like "Paralyzer", "One Thing", and "Good Times" in Finger Eleven's return to the Soo after eight years, so don't bypass them either! Edmonton hard rock quartet Royal Tusk will make their local debut as the opening act in April, and they have been building decent momentum with their radio-friendly brand of metal originals like "Aftermath" and "First Time" (no relation to the Finger Eleven song of the same name), and they should set things off on the right foot in the spring! No word on whether Rock 101 or 104.3 The Fox will be the presenting radio sponsor for this Live Nation concert, but both local rock stations have announced ticket giveaway contests. Public on-sale tickets go live at the in-person box office or online at this link on Friday at 10:00 AM, and tickets will start at $55 with VIP packages also being available. This will absolutely be an all ages concert, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised.

Tuesday nighter or not, this will be a huge concert for local hard rock fans, and even if Three Days Grace were coming solo, the sixteen+ year wait alone (and all of the hits they've released since) will ensure a strong reception in twenty-four weeks' time! Visit the above links for much more on Three Days Grace and Finger Eleven's show at the Gardens next year, and get your tickets A.S.A.P., as they are guaranteed to move quick!

Let's close today with some new updates from Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808, starting with the clarification on their Facebook page that bassist Blaze Beairl was definitely at their Halloween weekend "Fright Night On The Bay" concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on November 1st. While not seen in videos from the event, they did share pictures featuring him in costume as a rapper, and as it turns out, he was trading off with new band member Brad Pringle throughout the night. Whether the two will juggle/alternate bass indefinitely or if Blaze will hop on other instruments in the future, I don't know, but as the band said, "(we) love our teenagers on stage!". Of note, singer Dillion Semasky appeared to have a mad scientist costume for part of the night but he did not have the coat on in the videos. Speaking of which, we have a new video to share with Blaze on bass, so what should you know there?

Uploaded to their Facebook page on Friday, this Brad and Amy-less cover of AC/DC's "T.N.T." also features guest singer Molly Escherich (as the other two videos did), and has her and Dillion trading verses. Filmed from a strong horizontal angle (if only for 39 seconds), this cover is well handled with the two singers adapting well without cloning Bon's vocal style! No word on how bar patrons were reacting to game 7 of the World Series, but if any Sault Ontarians were in attendance, I feel your pain! Check out Exit 808's AC/DC cover below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

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

Our Recap Of Troy Isaac's 2024 Across The Tracks Interview On The Borderline!!

Today's post was supposed to be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, with the former local hard rock solo project Stone Smyth randomly selected for the honours last month. However, I am going to slightly delay it so we can belatedly take a look at frontman Troy Isaac's interview with Adrian Vilaca on his series Across The Tracks on local internet radio station The Borderline! This interview premiered on May 29th of last year, fifteen months before Troy lost his battle with cancer, and alas, I didn't knew he did an interview with The Borderline until shortly after his passing. Better late than never, and this will help with additional context and information for when the Defunct Profile on Stone Smyth goes live! Before this interview, Adrian hadn't met Troy before, but he first came to know who he was via his presence on the 1998 compilation CD "Local Steel", where he played "A Long Cold Rain Comin' Down".

Troy starts the discussion by elaborating on how he first got into playing music as a kid in British Columbia, what instruments he played early on, and his early run in the band Angel Dust. In his youth, he lived in West Germany as a time while his stepfather served in the military overseas, and he played in a band named Machine Head (no relation) while living there. He began songwriting at about 15 years old in the late 1970s, and followed a normal career path as opposed to chasing the musician dream, but eventually started recording his own music, and was taking advantage of at-home recording software now that it was much more affordable and accessible than it was. Aside from guest female singers, all of Stone Smyth's music was purely a solo operation. Troy next discusses the recording experience for "A Long Cold Rain Comin' Down", which led to the "Local Steel" release concert at the former Peachy's.

The re-recording of that song by Stone Smyth (now titled simply "Cold Rain") is played in full at the 9:45 mark, with the interview picking back up at around 14:50. After discussing why he re-recorded the track, Troy discusses the sounds and styles he liked incorporating in his music, Troy talks about some of the favourite concerts of his as an attendee, and his far flung times living all over Canada, before setting up the second full song played in the interview, Stone Smyth's "Hanging Onto Fire", which comes on 19:20 into the episode. The second half of the interview begins at 23:20, with Adrian asking about Troy's one-man operation and recording process, with Troy aiming to take Stone Smyth to live concert stages (it is sad that he never got to realize that goal), while addressing how the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns affected his music plans back in 2020.

At this stage of his life, Troy was focusing on doing what he loved artistically rather than money, and this leads into the third song played during the episode, "Last Chance Mountain" (27:15). Adrian picks things back up at 30:40 by talking about how much he likes Troy's new song "Summertime", and asking about what kinds of messages Troy wanted to convey in his original music. He did note that he wanted to have uplifting messages in his music more than political or divisive content. "Summertime" is played on air at 34:15, with the interview resuming at 37:40. When asked about his then-future plans, Troy noted that he had a stage setup built for eventual live gigs, and eight more songs (as of May 2024) ready to release, while also acknowledging the rings that he wore to the interview. After setting up the final song to be played on air ("Hari Cari"), we hear that at the 40:40 mark, and the last segment of the interview beginsat 44:05.

To close, Adrian asks where we can hear Troy online, and he finally addresses where the Stone Smyth name comes from here, specifically a play on "blacksmith" without using the same spelling as Aerosmith, and he used the name for his own studio and planned guitar line as well. Troy was also hoping to begin shooting live videos in the fall of 2024, Nice casual interview that helps explain a bit about who Troy was and what he was aiming for with his music, and it is a shame that he passed at just 63 before some of his bigger future plans could be fully realized. Hearing this finally will be good to fill in some blanks for our Defunct Local Band Profile, but give the full Borderline interview a listen at this link or above, and R.I.P. Troy!

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From Early-Mid October 2025!!

On this snowy Sunday afternoon, let's dive into recent updates from St. Ignace deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what's been going on in their camp in the past month+? On September 30th, frontman Brandon West starred in this new update video on their Facebook page, where he hyped their newly announced concert on October 11th at The Sanctuary in Hamtramck (outside of Detroit), where they were among the openers for Detroit death metal band Living Dissection. If the name is familiar, it's because they're the current band from prolific local metal guitarist Mike Libertoski (formerly of The Slackjawed Rats, Galactic Alignment, et al.), marking a rare time where two metal bands with Yooper members joined forces downstate! Surprisingly, Brandon doesn't mention this at all in the video, but he does note that he's wanted to play at The Sanctuary with H.L.T.C. for years, and they have more shows lined up there.

Brandon next references their upcoming single, multiple new music videos, and hinted that the release date for the single was hidden in clues on their social media posts that you can figure out if you want to. We also get a brief interruption from Brandon's kid asking him to play hockey, which has to be a first for these vertical update videos! He closes things by teasing that three brand new songs that have never been played live before would be unveiled at the Sanctuary gig. Effective updates that say a lot without giving much away, so give this video a watch below!

Entering the month of October, Heavy Lies The Crown's social media updates were primarily teasers towards an apparent music video shoot featuring three band members in creepy clown costumes, and on October 3rd, they confirmed that the video was for a new song named "Happy Fun Fun", which was to be released on "all platforms" on October 17th. I somehow doubt it was released on Tidal, Napster, Bandcamp, or dozens of other platforms, but never mind. In advance of it being uploaded to major streaming services, the full video was posted to their YouTube channel on October 10th. I'll hold comment on the song pending our 2026 review of Heavy's new album, but the video features Brandon, Jaxon, Christian, and Kaycee performing in costume around a bonfire at nighttime (one assumes Brandon wasn't in the teaser photos because he took them), interspersed with an investigation of abandoned property full of cryptic messages, ominous threats, and a lot of balloons.

How much of this video shoot and concept was inspired by the late lamented local hard rock band Clownsack (who were wearing clown costumes on stage almost two decades ago) is up to you to decide, but they certainly weren't as aggressive and horror-influenced as what Brandon and crew got up to here! Effectively shot and presented, and certainly brutal while it lasts, so give the "Happy Fun Fun" video a watch below!

On October 13th, Brandon starred in another solo vertical update video, this time a 6+ minutes-long one where he first thanked everyone for coming out to the Living Dissection show in Hamtramck two days previously, which had a good turnout that stuck around from bell to bell. Heavy Lies The Crown got asked for an encore, even, but they ran out of time, and he noted their recent lineup shuffling (particularly Kaycee moving to drums) as a factor in their recent live preparation. After noting the commute to Metro Detroit and back, he thanked original H.L.T.C. guitarist Ted Olson for letting them borrow a pedal that was essential to play "Happy Fun Fun" effectively on stage (Brandon actually hopped on rhythm guitar for that song). After thanking that night's other bands, he eventually noted that they'll be restocking their merchandise for future concerts, and asked fans what they'd want to see sold.

At the end, he noted their next scheduled shows (this weekend, in fact), which will see them rock The Sanctuary in Hamtramck again on Wednesday before rocking Battle Creek on Thursday. Neither are local, obviously, but good luck on the 4+ hour road trip ahead! "Happy Fun Fun" was successfully released on October 17th to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Boomplay, Qobuz, Anghami, and Assis Feijo. Certainly not "all platforms", but more than most local acts bother with! Embedded below is one more 6+ minutes-long update video from "Heavy here", where Brandon immediately addresses their lineup instability in recent years, and how the guys frequently swap instruments live, with all four current members having multi-instrumental talent (Jaxon has even sang a bit live). but regardless, they're there to have fun and make the most of things.

After teasing an upcoming show that they may take on, Brandon confirmed that they're planning to bring back Exit 808 bassist Blaze Beairl on drums, who hasn't been present in new band materials since the spring for unannounced reasons. If things lined up, it would be cool to see Blaze back! For this show, Colorado-based DJ Tyler "Dirty6" Chambers was supposed to join them as guest performer during a return home to Michigan. Tyler and Brandon went to high school together, and H.L.T.C. have long teased wanting to incorporate a DJ/turntables into their music more, so this might be a fun diversion! Kaycee Mason (who left guitar to take over for Blaze on drums) wasn't acknowledged by name in the lineup plans but he was counted when Brandon named off where members currently live. With all of that said, what is the mystery show that Brandon was teasing?

It would appear to be one that just took place on Friday night, as they opened for Chicago progressive metalcore band Born Of Osiris at at The Crofoot Ballroom (presumably in The Vernors Room again) in Pontiac, basically an encore of when they opened for Born Of Osiris there in May of last year. That was actually Blaze's debut with Heavy Lies The Crown (albeit as a one-off DJ), so you can see why the occasion and scope would call for a fuller lineup. Did Blaze and Tyler make the trip for Friday's concert? We'll know more when we next catch up on H.L.T.C.'s updates, but give the October 17th update video a watch for yourselves below!

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