LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Ripcordz, B.A. Johnston, The Nameless, And Dodge This!!)

Today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next three months, with two of the cited bands also having lineup changes to take note of, so here's what you should know in chronological order!

Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie for his sixth local concert on Friday, May 23rd! Notably playing all of his local dates at different local venues without ever repeating, that pattern will continue for this show, as he will be headlining at... Venue? Yes, that is its name, and it is a new public events space at 482 Queen Street East that is capable of hosting small & intimate concerts (their website lists a capacity of 60 guests, 30 seated). While new to the SMS, readers may recognize 482 Queen as the former location of the Fortune Shop, Queen Street Beads, and the boutique store/cafe Void Vinyl. B.A. Johnston was last seen here at The Whisky Barrel in September of last year, and his eclectic blend of punk, offbeat humour, and audience interaction is well worth checking out and remains as hard to sum up and detail in text as ever, so do watch some live videos for more of an idea!

Former(?) Wyld Stallyns/Elements frontman Rob Speers will return as the local opener on the 23rd, after doing the honours for B.A.'s last local stop, and who knows if he'll have any familiar faces guesting with him, which has been common at his recent solo dates! This show has an 8:00 PM start time, no announced age limit, and a $10 cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on B.A.'s return! 

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover duo Dodge This will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another headlining concert in "The Naughty Corner" on Saturday, May 31st, as per the venue's Facebook page's concert calendar! For a second straight month, Jason & Jamie are hitting the stage at the former Low & Slow on its final Saturday, and hopefully they keep the good vibes rolling with some more solid rocking unplugged covers in a few weeks' time! Like last month, singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer will also play a solo show without Jamie (or Jeff) beforehand, as he'll take the stage this Saturday the 17th, but whether his solo gigs differ substantially, I couldn't tell you. As usual for The Dive, this month-capping concert has a 10:00 PM start time (Saturday shows now start a half hour later than Thursday nighters), a 19+ age limit, and no cover. See above for more details!

Also newly confirmed is the return of Sault Michigan hard rock cover band The Nameless to Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard on Saturday, June 14th! The guys just returned there for a headlining date this past weekend at the unusual matinee timeslot of 4:00-8:00 PM, but matinee concerts appear to be the new normal at the former Joe's Bar, as all of their advertised concerts since the end of February have been matinees starting no later than 6:00 PM. That is when The Nameless will be playing over the Father's Day weekend, and they'll be preceded on the 14th by local country veteran Gary Hatch at 2:00 PM (he isn't "opening" for The Nameless, this is a separate 3 hour concert earlier in the day). It's worth noting that The Nameless have officially parted ways with drummer Justin Lawless and backing vocalist/his wife Anna for unannounced reasons, and they have enlisted Dirty Musky drummer Jamie Costner into their lineup.

Our source is the band's Facebook page's updated lineup, plus personal Facebook postings. Jamie debuted as a fill-in drummer with The Nameless when they played at The Merch last month, and she did indeed drum with Joshua and the Mikes in Rudyard this past Saturday. Hopefully things are still amicable with Justin & Anna, and that we see them back out there in due course, but Jamie is a strong drummer and she will definitely fit in well here! Next month's Huck's show runs from 6:00-10:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details on this show!

Finally for today's new show announcements, it's a big one for punk fans, as Montreal hardcore punk icons The Ripcordz will return to the Soo on Friday, July 25th when they headline at The Distraction! Their tenth local date in the past twelve years, Paul Gott and crew will return to the basement of the former East Street barbershop once again, memorably kicking off concerts in what was then known as The Stellar Door in August of last year, with The Distraction permanently moving all of their concerts downstairs afterwards. The Ripcordz raved about the basement space and atmosphere last year, both during and after the show, so if you want more of the same or missed out, you know where to be this summer, let alone to experience their fast-paced and hard-hitting hardcore punk originals! Crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails will return as local openers from last year's Ripcordz concert, and they should keep the ferocity up with their high impact originals!

In a mild surprise, local hard rock band Sylo will also open here in their first public gig since headlining at Soo Blaster in August. The former Raincourt had been on hiatus while frontman Elijah Russell attended university out of town, so it is cool to see Eli bring them back while home for the summer! Their Instagram page implies that they are looking for more summer dates, and also now credits Owen Middleton on guitar. Nominally, he's replacing Owen Dearing (same name, different musician), but Owen Dearing was their bassist, so my best guess is that Alder DeVries is handling bass right now? I wish Sylo had more of a social media presence, but hopefully they make a good impression in the coming months! Promoted by Ha!ls guitarist Mikhal Muto, this all ages concert has a 7:00 PM start time and an admission fee of $20 or "pay what you can", though message Mikhal if you want advance tickets.

Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on what will be a huge concert for hardcore punk fans, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Acention

Here is this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, our recurring series on local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands from the past, always randomly selected from our inactive band links! For this month, we head back over a decade for a look at a promising band that sadly didn't get too far off the ground, so here's what you should know on them!

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Acention

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Hard Rock/Alternative/Post-Grunge

Lineup: (Members not in their last full lineup are in italics)

Dalton James Boissineau (Meant To Last, These Sins Of Time), vocals/guitar
Josh Willet, guitar
Caleb Cachagee (Haggith), guitar/bass
Cayne Cachagee, drums

Danielle Wierzbicki, vocals
Mikey Cachagee (20 Pack Of Marshmallows), bass
Konar Zayet (Suffacation), bass
Jonny Amendola (Half Past, Skeyes Of Seven), drums

Audio/Video: Acention had cited Papa Roach, Evanescence, and Three Days Grace among the groups that they were covering as of their initial launch, and they shared a setlist in June 2012 on their Facebook page featuring covers of the likes of Nickelback, Buckcherry, and Theory of a Deadman, among other hard rock and post-grunge groups, while Dalton had teased posting an unplugged cover of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Strip My Mind" at one point. Original songs were also being composed during their active run, but they never played a public concert, and their only posted media is this Facebook video of Dalton & Josh working on an original song with acoustic guitars. It's obviously a very incomplete glimpse of what Acention were aiming for, but there is a promising guitar line here!

Info/Analysis: Forming in the fall of 2011 before making their public launch in April 2012, Acention were comprised primarily of teenage musicians at the time, and posted frequent updates that spring and summer as they worked on their sound and setlist. Postings drastically slowed down from that fall onward, and despite teasing a new original song and some new song lyrics in early 2013, the band would cease updates after a January 2014 post where Dalton cited personal matters and in-band drama for their recent inactivity. It's hard to know how Acention would have sounded as a full/live concern, but their modern rock radio-centric set would have had local fans, and be sure to follow Caleb & Jonny's more recent bands!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! In a coincidence that I absolutely did not plan (I use a random number generator to pick bands in this series), our June profile will be of former Acention bassist Mikey Cachagee's prior hard rock band 20 Pack Of Marshmallows! Look for that on or around June 10th, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations, The Nameless, And Unfortunate Sun), Plus More Concert Previews!!

As promised, we're wrapping up this weekend's concert previews today, complete with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (mostly SHORT NOTICE ones), so here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, but these shows are legitimately on late notice, as Unfortunate Sun have stepped in as the replacement band this weekend. According to Kewadin's entertainment page, Lansing classic rock veterans Showdown were supposed to make the trip north TONIGHT & TOMORROW, but they have quietly dropped out of this weekend's gigs for unannounced reasons. Hopefully all is well with Showdown, and that we see them back in the E.U.P. this summer, but kudos to Unfortunate Sun for taking on these bookings! As far as I'm aware, these will be the Fake Chow successors' first shows at either regional Kewadin Casino lounge (they were previously scheduled to debut at the St. Ignace branch in July), and will come two weeks removed from their last shows in Rudyard.

Unfortunate Sun will grace the Rapids Lounge stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Unfortunate Sun's shows on unfortunately short notice this weekend, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, fellow local hard rock cover band The Nameless are advertised to rock Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard TOMORROW! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on Tuesday via this promotional graphic on Huck's Facebook page. At press time, (The) Nameless have yet to publically promote TOMORROW'S show on social media, but if this is 100% on, it will be their first stop at the former Joe's Bar since September of last year. Yooper fans will have last seen The Nameless at The Merch last month, and TOMORROW'S concert will likely see the return of drummer Justin Lawless after he missed their most recent gig. Assuming the venue is correct about this booking, it will be good to see The Nameless back at it TOMORROW, so don't miss this talented hard rock quintet then! Intriguingly, this show is slotted in the 4:00 PM matinee timeslot, running until 8:00 PM.

A reason for the early scheduling wasn't announced, but Huck's wasn't advertising a separate musical act for tomorrow evening, so inquire within if you're curious. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW'S Nameless show in Rudyard, and here they are live!

Before going back to this weekend's previews, let's flash forward to Saturday, May 31st, where Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will take the stage for one night only at The Water Tower Pub! This show was announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Wednesday, and it will be their first public booking there in almost two months. Good to see bookings tick up a bit for this talented veteran group, and hopefully they end May in style at this Great Northern Road nightclub! Remember, The Water Tower Pub hosts different musical acts nightly, so Generations won't be playing there on Friday the 30th. Of course, if you can't wait to see them in action, they'll be at Jay's Piston Broke Pub next weekend, but on the 31st, this is an 8:00 PM concert with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' May concerts!

Finally for today, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews by staying at the aforementioned Water Tower Pub, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for another "uncorked" concert! If you like seeing Greg, Alex, and Warren's acoustic concerts (or miss The Bearded Lounge), then tomorrow will be your first chance to see them thusly in city limits since they rocked the same venue in February (their unplugged Thessalon gig last month aside). Though bands can and do play at The Water Tower Pub with full electric setups, Bone Yard historically show off their lighter side there, and you can sample that in this brand new "Reel" (unembeddable as always) of the guys playing, as far as I can tell, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" there. In any event, it's an instrumental clip. Sounds nice while it lasts, though the vertical dimensions and restrictive nature of "Reels" are always noted.

As The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly musical acts, tonight's band there is classic rock quartet RPM. Your local 225's latest "uncorked" sermon goes down tomorrow at 8:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live in a video that I can embed here! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Due to a trifecta of hard rock concerts later today in Sault Ontario, this round of weekend concert previews is up on the site nice and early so that there's time to get info on them! Well, most of them, as I'll cover Bone Yard 225 and The Nameless' gigs on Saturday in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Joining his previously announced matinee concerts at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY and at Beck's Bar on SUNDAY, local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will also hit The Dive Gastro Pub for this week's "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on TONIGHT's show, it was only announced via the venue's concert calendar on their Facebook page on Saturday. Last seen at Misty's two weeks ago after his Eagles Club show last week was cancelled, this unusually busy stretch (at least as far as publically advertised gigs go) will see Tym rock three different local venues in a four day span. Hopefully all three shows go well for Tym, including at Beck's, marking his first show at the former Vibe Lounge since his early 2010s gigs there with his band Caveman Morrison! TONIGHT'S show at The Dive's "Naughty Corner" is at 9:30 PM, but the two matinees are at Misty's at 4:00 PM on Saturday and at Beck's at 3:00 PM on Sunday.

None of these shows have an announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here for more details, and for a preview, here's a new original song on Tym's YouTube channel from last month! Entitled "Hypocrisy", this is about the hypocrisy of religion (Tym is a devout Christian), and features a video with lots of stock and AI footage relating to his viewpoints. I won't go into detail on all of that, but this is an intense classic metal song that will play well for fans of his "Solo Project" CD and 1980s speed metal, complete with a quality solo! Not that this will be very indicative of his acoustic concert sets, but check out "Hypocrisy" below!

Next up, there's two big touring headiners hitting Sault Ontario TONIGHT, starting with the long awaited return of Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions, who will be taking the stage once again at Soo Blaster! Punk fans will have seen The Cretin and gang at Soo Blaster two years ago, with tonight's show being their fourth in the Soo in the past fifteen years, out of town gigs with Spades GT acknowledged. The Dayglos' hard hitting and in-your-face brand of hardcore punk always draws a local crowd, and while the mid-week timing will be difficult for some, I fully expect a strong turnout! Joining The Dayglo Abortions on tour are Vancouver "west coast skacore" band Dirtnap and Prince Edward Island folk punk outfit The Devil's Punchbowl, who bring their own distinct styles to the table in their first Soo concert appearances, though Dirtnap have a more aggressive punk base.

Don't bypass either group tomorrow, nor the local openers, namely crossover thrash quartet Hails (featuring this show's promoter Mikhal Muto on guitar) in their first public concert set of 2025, and while they're getting a later start to the year, what a way to get back at it! No word on if they'll have copies of "Punk Canada Vol. 4" on sale though. This ALL AGES concert has admission of $20 in advance through Ha!ls members or $25 at the door (online sales have ended) and doors open at 6:30 PM. You won't want to miss out on this diverse punk attack at Soo Blaster tonight, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Dayglo Abortions live here in 2023!

Also taking place TONIGHT is the third local concert appearance of Australian tribute band Queen: It's A Kinda Magic at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! After not stopping here for their 2024 tour run, Queen: It's A Kinda Magic will rock the former Kiwanis Theatre tonight for the first time in two years, and if you are at all a fan of Queen's, you won't want to miss their faithfully presented and performed take on the British hard rock legends' back catalogue, particularly what was played on their 1986 world tour! This concert at White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School's on-site theatre takes place tonight at 8:00 PM, and tickets have sold very well, with just two floor section seats still available as of this writing, along with a selection of gallery seats. Regardless of location, tickets cost $69 in advance ($40 for kids 13 and under) at this link or at the Station Mall box office, and presumably at the door if any are still available then.

QIAKM have proven to be a steady local success in their prior local stops, and with their huge stage show and replication of Queen's music (let alone touring to support the 50th anniversary of "Bohemian Rhapsody"), you won't want to bypass this one if you're a huge Queen fan! Visit the above links for more details, and here's a kinda magic live!

Finally for this preview post, let's head to The Esquire Club, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will set up shop TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Northern Superior Brewing Co. last month, these will be the first shows at this Second Line West staple from "the Sault's premier party band" since late March, and according to their Facebook page, "our last one until the fall". By that, they mean bookings at The Esquire Club, as Silent 9 will again take the summer off from regular bar/nightclub concerts in favour of festivals and private events, as per their website's concert calendar. They are scheduled at The Water Tower Pub in two weeks, but that'll be their last normal bar gig for the spring, and their next public concert afterwards will be at Rotaryfest Stage 1 on Thursday, July 17th. I traditionally wait to cover all of that for when the full schedule is dropped, but it's good to note that they'll be back there in two months!

For now, you can enjoy Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's eclectic mix of classic and hard rock tunes at The Esquire Club tomorrow and Saturday at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Silent Nin9 live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 and The Nameless previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Raygun Cowboys, Derev, Danger Box, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

Today's post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including one that I should have gotten to last month, but there's some intriguing acts hitting Sault Ontario in the next few weeks, both local and touring, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box will headline at The Distraction on East Street on Thursday, May 15th! Announced on less than two weeks notice on Friday, this show will be highly worth checking out for punk fans, with Danger Box's raw but melodic (and occasionally hardcore-tinged) original sound definitely up the alley of many genre fans, so don't bypass this show next week! Support will come by way of local crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails (featuring this show's promoter Mikhal Muto), who will be one week removed from opening for The Dayglo Abortions at Soo Blaster, preview forthcoming. This will be Ha!ls' second show of 2025, so pack the venue to rock out with them! This show is once again being held in the basement space, not the former barbershop upstairs, and at this point, I'm going to assume that this has been a permanent change dating back to last summer.

Also, they haven't used the Stellar Door name for the basement venue in months, so that's clearly now officially The Distraction, no name distinction needed. We'll let you know if concert bookings clearly happen upstairs again though! A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for this ALL AGES concert (the venue is not licensed), and admission is $20 or "pay what you can". Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this high energy show next week!

Next up, Edmonton psychobilly/punk quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut (as far as I'm aware) on Sunday, May 18th when they invade The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the delay in this making the site since being announced in mid-April, this show fell through the cracks. A familiar veteran presence in the Alberta music scene with their brassed-up brand of punk and rockabilly, The Raygun Cowboys deliver a fun and loud sound with their genre hybrid attack, distinctly gritty vocals, and upbeat, crowd-friendly energy, and it will be fun to see them in town! There are no advertised local openers whatsoever. A still relatively rare concert from a touring act at The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street, this show is a presentation of Piecing It Together Shows (the former Dryer Fire). It's a 19+ event with an 8:00 PM start time, and has NO COVER CHARGE. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, Toronto progressive metal quintet Derev will play Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Friday, May 23rd at Soo Blaster! Announced in this SooToday press release on Sunday, this show has oddly only seen minimal promotion on social media so far, but it will be the third post-relaunch concert promoted by Heavy North Entertainment, and their first modern show not headlined by Selias. Derev will be a relatively unique local headliner as touring acts go, combining melodic progressive rock, metal, and Middle Eastern influences (two band members met in Kuwait before forming the band in Toronto), and with their intricate & technical music and solid baritone vocals, Derev will be bound to turn local heads in 2+ weeks! As of Saturday, Heavy North Entertainment were still looking for local support bands for this concert, so message them at this link if your band wants in!

Tickets for this all ages show were supposed to go on sale on Eventbrite in the last full week of April, as per H.N.E.'s Facebook page, but I have not found any public link to that end. We'll let you know when more comes out about this show's opening band(s), start time, and/or admission fee, but hopefully things are on track, especially as the concert isn't that far away. Visit the above links for more details on Derev's local concert on the 23rd!

Lastly for today's new concert announcements, former Eclipse/Project 421 singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will bring his solo acoustic show back to the stage for two shows later this month, including a Saturday matinee at Beck's Bar (the former Vibe Lounge/White Eagles Club on Goulais Avenue) on May 24th before rocking The Dive Gastro Pub once again for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig on May 29th! These shows will end a nearly 2 months-long public break for Curt, who last played an acknowledged concert in early April at The Dive, so it will be good to see this prolific local hard rock/grunge musician back at it with more entertaining cover sets at month's end! Both gigs are 19+ affairs with no cover charges, and while his Dive show is at the usual 9:30 PM start time, the Beck's show on May 24th is in the 3:00 PM matinee timeslot (I do not yet know what band is playing there that night). Visit Curt's Facebook page for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Tarnished, And Exit 808), And More!!

With something of a backlog accumulating for local metal, hard rock, and punk news/notes, let's begin digging ourselves out of that hole with a primarily Sault Michigan/E.U.P. post on this Monday night, along with a new original song teaser from a metal band on the Ontario side of the border, but let's lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Kewadin Casino's website's entertainment pages have been updated to reflect concerts at their on-site lounges through the end of June, so who is taking the stage and when among hard rock/metal acts? Three definitely heavier bands are scheduled, with the first being local classic metal/hard rock quartet Tarnished, who will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin branch on Friday, May 16th & Saturday, May 17th! The band has yet to corroborate these bookings on social media, but they will be Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's first stops in St. Ignace since their gigs at the Driftwood Sports Bar last month, and their first at The Northern Pines Lounge in almost two months. Should be a fun time for fans of Tarnished's old school covers and hard hitting originals, so don't miss out, in just under two weeks! These are 21+ concerts with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times as usual.

I also wanted to acknowledge that, in the original schedule listings on Kewadin's entertainment pages before the June shows were added, the casino had listed shows from local hard rock cover quartet Rhythm & Brews at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin that same weekend. Of course, bassist Chris Leask and drummer Ron Suchey are in both bands, so unless there was something I didn't know re: lineup changes, I assumed that there would be a cancellation on one side or the other, and in the current listings, the Soo shows that weekend now belong to online page-less local classic rock cover group The American Band. Hopefully we hear more from Rhythm & Brews in time! 

Next up, Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will make their way north of the Mackinac Bridge for two Kewadin Casino weekends in this two month stretch, starting with shows on May 30th & 31st at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace before rocking The Rapids Lounge in the Soo on June 27th & 28th! Their month-ending dates in St. Ignace will be their first there since mid-March, but their Sault stops next month will be their first at The Rapids Lounge yet this year. It's good to see this Jeffrey Hudson-led band back at both branches in relatively quick succession, and hopefully there's a strong turnout across both weekends for their tried and true old school covers! Like with Tarnished this month, all four Peril shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charge and 9:00 PM start times (and no, their sister band Scarkazm are not scheduled in this timeframe). Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Peril up here!

Lastly for verifiably heavier bands under the Kewadin Casino umbrella, local hard rock band Exit 808 will return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on June 6th & 7th! Fans last saw Exit 808 at the Musicians Unite fundraiser concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters last month, with next month's St. Ignace stops being their first at that Kewadin branch in 2025. It's always good to see this talented and modular hard rock group back with more double vocalist-led cover action, so keep both of their upcoming shows These dates should have Blaze Beairl back on guitar or bass after he missed Musicians Unite, but it's not yet clear if Exit 808 will have any guest musicians or new additions over that weekend. Expect these to be 21+ shows at 9:00 PM with no cover once again, and see above for more details on Exit 808's mid-2025 plans!

Finally for today, here's a mild surprise, namely a new teaser video from Sault Ontario metal duo Hollow Sky! In their first public update since May of last year, Liam and Adam revealed on their Facebook page on April 18th that they are "working on some new material", attaching this vertical video of a tracking computer featuring a snippet of a new original song featuring clean and harsh vocals. Way too soon to comment on the song proper (which would be Hollow Sky's third original), but it's promisingly heavy, and Adam seems to like it! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Hollow Sky!

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

Steel City CollectorCon Pre-Party/HeadF1rst Album Release Concert Review!!

After way too long, here's a new concert review on the SMS, as I was in attendance for last night's HeadF1rst-headlined Steel City CollectorCon pre-party at Soo Blaster! Beyond the bands, this was a special event to hype up today's comic/collector's convention at the Quattro hotel, and there were vendors on hand selling clothing, crafts, and even tattoos(!) before and during the sets! Headf1rst and Mike Haggith were selling band merchandise as well (no table for Handsome Sandwich that I noticed), but all three bands' newest CDs were offered in the raffle draw. I can't speak for what was said and took place during the VIP-exclusive function after HeadF1rst's set, but hopefully we'll learn more on that front soon! Good turnout of concertgoers as well! Your openers were local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his backing group The Big Finish Band in their first concert since The Soo's Got Talent finals at the same venue last fall, but they had a slight change.

Rhythm guitarist Elly McWatters recently suffered a rotator cuff injury and was wearing a sling last night, so Mike played guitar instead (aside from the closing song), while Elly still took part on backing vocals and playing the tambourine. Hopefully she gets well soon! Mike & crew blasted through a 45 minute set of recent originals from Mike's solo back catalogue like "The Best You Never Had", "Hot & Cold", and "The Nature Of The Times", plus a couple of newer cuts like "I Really Hope This Gets To You", and everyone fired on all cylinders with an energetic blast of rock led by Mike's deep, melodic vocals and strong lead guitar work from Chris Nielsen, while Matt Froni laid some booming bass lines throughout, and drummer Brandan Glew was up to his usual standards behind the kit. Good stuff all around, and hopefully we see Mike & The Big Finish Band (with Elly healed up) again soon!

The middle band last night was alternative hard rock band Handsome Sandwich in their first own first show of the year, but they played as a four piece, with rhythm guitarist Brandon Ruch absent. I am not 100% sure if he was just not available last night or if he left the band, but note that their current cover photo on their Facebook page (updated in October) is from a show with his predecessor Mitch Sirie. Brandon had joined Handsome Sandwich in January of last year, and seemed to fit in well, but if he has left, hopefully things are amicable, and remember that he is still in new local country band The Golden Scoundrels with drummer Johnny Belanger!

Regardless of what's going on with their second guitarist position, Handsome Sandwich delivered a fun set of new and old originals to wrap up their seven+ month break! Alongside songs from their debut CD "Deconstructed" like "Monkey", "Conquest", and "Bitter", we also got to hear cuts from their upcoming EP (possibly named "Collage"?), including "Partyfuel", "Change A Bit", and "All Done Now". Taylor Emlaw's distinctive, cutting vocals led the way, with a stage presence this time that reminded me a bit of Joe Cocker (this isn't a complaint), and both Johnny and bassist Rafael Medina held up their end of the bargain on the rhythm and low end! The lack of a rhythm guitarist was noticeable compared to their five-piece shows since Rafael joined, as the guitar riffs and melodies were quieter with just Jesse Cook playing, but if you like Handsome Sandwich's unique yet relatable original songs, you'll have enjoyed things! 

Your headliners last night were the newly renamed Headf1rst (with a 1, not an I) in their album release party, so this was your first chance to buy their new studio album "Road Trippin'"! We'll have more on the album proper on the site soon, and yes, it will be this month's CD review on the SMS. All nine songs from the album made their setlist last night (albeit not in track listing order), as well as two holdovers from their 2024 debut EP "Head Trauma" and a surprise cover of The Killers' "When You Were Young". If you haven't seen HeadF1rst live, their hard hitting and classic-influenced brand of hard rock was a crowd pleaser, with Red Jettison's well suited vocals and very active stage presence keeping things lively, making up a lot of the slack during their set! Raine Rancourt's lead guitar work was excellent, shredding it up with the best of them, and while Claire and Liam could be a little stiff up there, they performed well!.

A fun, promise-filled, and adaptable group, HeadF1rst kept the good vibes rolling all night and gave their album the best launch possible, so definitely check them out at their next dates, local or otherwise! This was a fun collection of local talent, and while not emphasized at all in marketing, it is nice to see that all three bands have mixed gender lineups (Elly's injury acknowledged). More women in local rock bands is certainly welcomed! You can check out my photos and videos from last night's concert at this link or at our Facebook page, and as for videos, here's Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band playing "Back Away Slowly", Handsome Sandwich playing "Without You", and HeadF1rst playing "Tour Bus Fantasy"!

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