LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Even Flow), A New Local Band, And An Inactive Band Note!!

June is here and so is the summer for all intents and purposes, so let's kick off another month with a packed news post, including a major band moved to our inactive links, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big outdoor community event later this month, and first, a familiar new group that will be debuting on stage in a few weeks, so here's what you should know!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Riverside Stasis, the new alternative band that is debuting at the all-local Blaster Powerhouse concert on June 27th! We knew going in that this was the new band from former Handsome Sandwich singer Tea Emlaw and former HeadFirst guitarist Raine Rancourt, but as it turns out, 3/5ths of HeadFirst are back in this project, with guitarist Liam Dinsmore and drummer Anthony Boudreau also involved. Rounding out their lineup is ex-Jack Spades bassist Rob Speers, who played with Tea in the short-lived cover rock band The Barbarians last year. Riverside Stasis' new Facebook page describes them as an "indie/pop rock band", but given this lineup and the show they're debuting at, I'd be hard pressed to not cover them. Their first original song is named "The Fool", which you can sample in this performance video edited by A Dire Setback bassist Matt Quinn.

While the band has more HeadFirst DNA, post-pandemic Handsome Sandwich fans will be drawn to this via Tea's vocals, which remain as distinctive and cutting as they were on "Deconstructed" and "Collage". The song proper only gets to a harder rock sound on the chorus, but we only get the first 99 seconds of what is clearly a longer song. Given members' diverse musical backgrounds, there's a lot of potential sounds that Riverside Stasis could draw from, but it's good to see many familiar faces joining forces in this new band, so get more details above, and check out their first video below!

Next up, new Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers will pick up the microphone to join his other active local band (Pearl Jam tribute quintet Even Flow) when they play at this year's first Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, June 25th! Specifically, Rob and crew will be among the performers at the corner of Queen and Brock for one of two outdoor stages for this street party, the first since the City of Sault Ste. Marie took over management of downtown events & development from the former Downtown Association. Queen Street will be closed from Pim to Brock Street (i.e. The Rockstar Bar to the former RBC), with each street party (all on Thursdays) progressively moving their way west each month, though specifics and music lineups for the other three are to be announced. As best as I can tell, Even Flow (in just their third public concert since debuting last fall) are the only hard rock-leaning band playing on either the Brock Street or Pim Street stages on June 25th, but who else can you look for on this Thursday evening? 

I don't know if the You Belong SSM Facebook page has bands listed in performance order, but Even Flow are listed between "Half Scoundies" (frontman Josh Penno and fiddler Todd Webb of local bluegrass/folk band The Golden Scoundrels in a stripped down acoustic set) and veteran classic rock cover trio The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the other stage at Queen & Pim will play host to blues/rockabilly trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock mainstays Angry Joe & The Growlers, and former(?) Mustang Heart keyboardist Vito Tassone. The two stages should be far enough apart where music shouldn't bleed over between ends of the block party! Attendees can also expect beverage gardens, deals from Queen Street businesses open during the event, a vendor market, and family activities, including a rope walk course in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum. Click here for full details!

Downtown Street Party #1 goes down on Thursday the 25th from 6:30-11:00 PM (if Even Flow are indeed second, I'd expect them to be playing in the 8:00 range), this is absolutely an ALL AGES and licensed event, and there is no cover charge. Despite the contentious end of the Downtown Association last year, it is good to see the City picking up the ball to keep bringing community events to the downtown core like this, and hopefully Even Flow's brand of grunge and alt-rock classics from the Pearl Jam catalogue add to the festivities later this month! See above for more details!

Finally, I have reluctantly opted to move local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT to our inactive band links. While not at our one year inactivity threshold, activity in their camp abruptly stopped on December 18th after what I would characterize as "sudden personal differences" arose on social media. Things got fairly divisive, and it's out of my depth to wade in on this discourse on a music site, so I'll let you find out what exactly happened five months ago if you want. The band has not made any official public statements or online updates since then, but none of their 2025 band members directly list Spades in their Instagram bios now, and they dropped out of all scheduled bookings into 2026, including the annual Walterstock in Toronto in January. Barring a revival, this ends a successful 12 year run for the former Jack Spades, who relaunched in the GTA in late 2021 after frontman J.D. Pearce and guitarist Daniel Horton both moved out of town during the pandemic.

While J.D. hasn't signalled work with a new public band as of yet, Dan is still in The Fast Life and is also now playing in a classic rock cover band named Tonehenge, guitarist Matthew Voros and bassist Sean MacNab are still performing together in the Toronto psychobilly band The House Of Haunt, and drummer Tyler Reiner is working as a session drummer and podcaster. Spades accomplished a lot in their four years down south, including two album releases, some wide tour runs and high profile gigs in the GTA and beyond, and lots of fun video content, plus two return trips for local concerts in 2022 and 2023. Best of luck to all prior (Jack) Spades members in the future, and hopefully we see the band again in some form!

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

Pillory - "Old Soul" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 203rd monthly CD review on the SMS and with our lengthy backlog for new album releases stretching into 2027, our next new album in release order is local death metal trio Pillory's full length album "Old Soul"! Independently launched at their Soo Blaster release party on October 27th, this is the long awaited follow-up to their 2013 thrash demo EP "Cringe At The Cross". In the works since at least mid-2024, songwriting for this album began during their 2015-2019 run where they evolved into a death metal band. Recorded at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, Pillory are again represented here by singer/guitarist Robert Sartini (All The Tired Horses/All Over The Map) alongside former Issues/Lazer Queen drummer Bret Shuttleworth. Though recorded during Blair St. John's time in the band and released after Robert's old Crimson Crusade bandmate Devon Lucier rejoined, former bassist Jordan Leach recorded on "Old Soul".

Online marketing does not clarify whether Jordan (who lives abroad nowadays) recorded parts remotely for the album, or if he tracked bass parts during his 2015-2017 stint in Pillory, but it is good to see him involved in new material with a local band after almost a decade away! As linked via Distrokid, the album can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer, while it can also be heard on Bandcamp, YouTube, and a handful of other smaller services. The album can be bought on mp3 format for $9.99 on iTunes or $15 on Bandcamp, and CDs cost $20 at The Rad Zone, on Bandcamp, and at Pillory concerts. With nine songs running for about 37 minutes, let's get put in the pillory once again!

The album leads off with "The Angst Of Existence", a bass line-driven track that leans well into their modern death metal sound! With the benefit of studio recording quality, the influence from the band Death and Chuck Schuldiner's songwriting/vocal style is very evident, but Robert does have a slightly lower rasp. The first half of the song is more deliberately paced while still being intense and pointed, but there is a faster break at the midway mark. Bret's drumming and pedal work goes off like a machine gun in the closing stretch (his talents are well known by now), and while I'd like more of a guitar solo, this is a fine way to introduce modern Pillory in studio form! Next up is "Abhorred Apprension", which is a little more ferocious out of the gate, and lets Robert show off a little more for his guitar riffing and melodies. When there are are proper verses, the song does dial up in heaviness generally, which is good to see!

However, the bridge just before the 3 minute mark is almost too punishing and amelodic, and breaks the existing flow of the song. Again, I'd like to hear a true guitar solo in this relatively short track, but this delivers the brutality with professionalism and a solid edge more often than not! "Curse Of Eternal Sickness" follows with a galloping (dare I say, Amon Amarthy) riff and structure, but the verses are more relentless and in your face. This will absolutely incite mosh pits at their concerts, and can a death metal band ask for more? A relatively soft bridge does stall the momentum, but when the song is firing on all cylinders, it benefits from a strong bass line from Jordan and assuredly technical drumming from Bret. While not as intricately plotted as the first two songs, it crushes as a straightforward death metal song Fourth is "Wasting" (as in, "wasting time", not "wasting away").

This song has more in common with the first two tracks with its structure and riffing, and it has some of Robert's best guitar playing on the album so far! Some of his clearer screaming/growling too, I always appreciate when there's audible enunciation in death metal! This song benefits from a tight structure, no dead air, and steadily relentless percussion, to add up to one of my favourite songs on "Old Soul"! The ending came from out of nowhere though, I was ready to rock out for longer. The midpoint of the album falls on "Sculptor Of Cadavers", which honestly has a little groove metal flourish in its riffing at points in the first half, but it is still assuredly a death metal song. We get another soft bridge in the middle that stalls the momentum (honestly, if you're gonna commit to doing that, I'd try clean vocals then), but when at full gear, everyone performs well , and Bret's going off on drums, especially in the back half. Those pedals got a workout!

Good stuff that has a little something for all extreme metalheads within (well, aside from no guitar solo), so don't bypass it! Song #6 is "The Passing", a charging death metal song with catchy yet heavy riffs and Robert giving purposefully aggressive vocals throughout, and this is another song that is just primed to incite opening up the pit! Fast, technical, but still a fairly no frills song that gets by from their talents and aggression alone, so this is another highlight for subgenre fans! The last 27 seconds are sampled from a vintage recording of the song "It's A Lonesome Old Town" (possibly by Kay Starr?). That's followed by "Specimen Of Egotism", which is the shortest song on this album, as well as its only instrumental. Arguably, vocals would get in the way, as this is (for my money), the heaviest and most punishing song on offer, especially via Bret's hammering drums and the quality bass lines!

While they still aren't including full guitar solos, Robert does noodle a bit more late, so there is some melody in the back half beyond the crushing nature of this song. Good stuff, and it stands alone as a showcase of how heavy Pillory are willing to go as pure musicians! The penultimate song is "To Know Is To Suffer", which shows off their musical talents well, but it does feel somewhat dialed back in aggression for a slower (for them) pace that almost has trancey guitar work, if contrasting with Bret's technical percussion. By no means a bad song, it will lead to headbanging, and Robert's vocals are on point, but it has a more diverse soundscape that leans into atmospheric moreso than progressive, and if you particularly got into the earlier songs on the album, this may be too much of a jump. "Old Soul" closes with its longest song, "Exhaustive Incarnation". which brings back the technical and prog-influenced time signatures and riffing, and despite the length, they don't waste a moment!

...well, maybe the slow break with ominous sampling at around 4:40 aside. Robert lays in some of his strongest guitar work on this song, with Jordan and Bret more than holding their own in response! Honestly, some of Bret's best drumming is in this song, but in the extended fade-out, and why they decided to have the song fade out for 20 seconds is beyond me. At least it's not an abrupt ending, but still! This intricate and brutal song is easily one of the best on the album, so Pillory end things on a high note!

So, what are my final thoughts on Pillory's proper full length debut album? Overall, it's a very strong release that will appeal to fans of progressive and technical death metal! Solid production and 12 years of improved musicianship since their first EP help a lot here, and the guys apply everything well to deliver brutality while also showing off their skill sets. Robert's aggressive vocal work sets the tone, and his shredding and riffs compliment Jordan's bass lines well, and Bret's drumming has jumped leaps and bounds in the past decade (give his own YouTube channel a watch for proof of that). The influences of the band Death are obvious at points, but they do vary things enough in speed and structure, with little of their early thrash beginnings left at this stage as songwriters. If there's one thing from "Cringe At The Cross" that I would have liked to have seen retained, it's guitar solos, which are virtually absent across "Old Soul".

That was my biggest negative point on this album, though some songs also had abrupt stops in momentum for soft patches, and the closer takes way too long to fade out. The good far outweighs the bad though, and especially on songs like "Wasting" and "Exhaustive Incarnation", you get a full look at what Pillory have to offer in the 2020s. Brutal, punishing, and proficient work from everyone involved, and here's hoping that we're not waiting another 12 years for Pillory's next CD! Buy or stream it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's album review! We'll kick off the summer season by looking at Sault Michigan hardcore punk band Viscera's October 2026 EP "From Feast To Famine" next month, so look for that and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Soundcheck!!)

A pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS fell into my lap this morning, so here's a rushed post to get those accounted for, along with a bunch of upcoming concerts from a familiar returning presence!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced these shows via the AI poster on their Facebook page overnight, and the band has not corroborated any bookings on their own Facebook page since their Esquire Club shows four weeks ago. Fans were last able to "get wobbly" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar this past Friday, at a show where Beck's filmed them covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" (with Travis singing) for a Facebook "Story" video, hence why I can't link to/embed it here. Jay's fans last saw Soundcheck late last month, and it should be another welcoming audience for their hard driving slate of covers! The marketing on Jay's end only credits Soundcheck, so this does not appear to be an "epic crossover" weekend with Separate Wayz.

Along with the requisite "good times, cold drinks, (and) great people!", these are 9:30 PM concerts with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges, and as usual at the Korah Road nightclub, the kitchen will be open late. Visit the above links for more on Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's late notice return to Jay's TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are back from their recent break, and they have announced a huge slate of concerts for the summer! "The Dirty Three" had been publically idle since their acoustic St. Patrick's Day show at Smitty's, and hadn't played a plugged-in show since February, due in part to personal concerns (R.I.P. Ally), but their website's calendar has loads of new dates in store for June-August, so when can you see the guys next? Bone Yard will return to action next week on Friday, June 5th at The Water Tower Pub, and they will bookend their summer slate at the same venue on Saturday, August 29th! As usual for this central venue, these are "uncorked" (re: acoustic) shows, and both are 19+ events at 8:00 PM with no cover. In their first proper plugged-in electric concert together in four months, Greg, Alex, and Warren will rock Beck's Bar for one night only on Friday, June 12th!

They'll also make their way to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for Saturday nighters on June 27th and August 1st, and "uncorked" matinees play into both of the weekends with Bone Yard shows on Saturdays, but in different ways. On the 27th, they'll actually play the acoustic matinee timeslot before the full band show that same night, with the marathon double-booking coinciding with the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot event, as Beck's hosts the barbecue at the end of the motorcycle rally. Click here for more details on the Shoot & Scoot proper, but it is neat that this rally finally crosses our radar! The August 1st show (which falls on the Civic Holiday long weekend) will be complimented by an "uncorked" Sunday matinee on August 2nd, so that'll be good timing for your local 225! The two acoustic shows are at 3:00 PM, the nightcaps are at 9:00 PM, and expect 19+ age limits and no cover.

On Friday, June 19th & Saturday, June 20th, Bone Yard 225 will return as the annual house band for the Queen Street Cruise! The band's own schedule lists the venue as The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (homebase for the cruise once again), but the official schedule says that they will be playing "on the boardwalk" both days. As best as I can recall from past coverage, the Friday evening show at 6:30 PM is indeed under the tent during the cruise proper, but they set up shop on the proper boardwalk near Montana's for a 12:30 PM outdoor matinee concert on the Saturday during the car show. If we hear clarification, we'll let you know, but click here for full details on how to participate in the cruise! Admission is free for general attendees, and it is an all ages event. July 2026 appears to be devoted to out-of-town and private events, including gigs in Chapleau and Kirkland Lake and a stag & doe, but we'll let you know if the listed Bruce Mines date on July 4th ends up being a public event.

The last new public and local date for Bone Yard (so far) will see them return to Algoma Tree Services' annual charity barbecue & community meet and greet on Saturday, August 8th! This will be the third straight year that your local 225 have headlined this event (no word on if Angry Joe & The Growlers are opening again), and will presumably see them rock out at the Goulais River-based business' outdoor festivities at 7:00 PM (no announced cover, all ages). Time will tell if we hear of Bone Yard at other local venues or festivals this summer, but it's great to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back in the saddle, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Woodward Avenue Studios

After a road trip-accelerated delay, here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile in our second post today! This monthly feature looks at a randomly selected YouTube channel whose uploads are at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians/concerts, and this month's selection gives us a prominent and extremely talented local metal band, albeit an earlier glimpse as their studio work before their current lineup fell into place. Here's what you should know on this sunny Thursday!

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Woodward Avenue Studios (http://youtube.com/woodwardavestudios)

Owner: Convergence guitarist and Woodward Avenue Studios owner Brendan Christie, also known from prior work in local bands like Late & Loud, Stillbroke, and The Hydra's Teeth, and as co-host of the Late & Legends podcast

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 12th, 2009; Current videos uploaded from November 2023 until October 2024

Channel Summary: Originally a personal use channel that predated his best known local band work, Brendan converted the channel into focusing on his current progressive metal band Convergence in 2023, with the channel branded after Woodward Avenue Studios since 2024. All videos prior to late 2023 have long since been taken down from the channel, and Brendan exclusively uploads "Shorts" videos here now rather than standard videos, so all are vertical and typically under a minute each. The vast majority of the twenty-four "Shorts" are focused around Convergence teasers, but their most recent video hypes up Woodward Avenue (formerly Yellow Room) Studios for other musicians' professional recording needs.

Why You Should Watch: The limitations of "Shorts" acknowledged, this channel is still worth watching for fans of Convergence for some of their most frequently updated video content! While the channel likely still serves a purpose given that it is branded after the studio, Brendan has since focused on uploading videos (both regular longform/horizontal ones and "Shorts") on the band's own YouTube channel, suggesting that Convergence are prioritizing the newer channel for official content. Note that "Shorts" on the new channel are often jokier for social media promotion than the Woodward channel got. Still, the older channel does have some of the last extant public content from their second EP, so fans won't want to overlook it!

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Chimera Teaser: Possibly because it was forgotten in the culling of prior instrumental-era Convergence social media accounts, teasers for the band's early studio material make up most of the content on the Woodward Avenue channel. I wanted to highlight their very first "Short" here because it features an audio sample of "Chimera", an original song planned for their 2023 debut EP "One" that did not make the final cut for one reason or another. Convergence were represented here by Brendan and his brother-in-law Jake Valois, both on lead guitar. Visualized here via the song being tracked on Mixcraft 9 Pro Studio, this minute-long teaser is effective to sample what was a promising prog metal track, even if unreleased!

 

 

Glass Statues Short https://convergencessm.bandcamp.com/album/dead-and-dreaming #metal #metalcore: Ten of the "Shorts" on this channel are sub-minute long clips of songs from Convergence's first two EPs "One" and "Dead & Dreaming", and the latter is particularly notable because the band delisted it from streaming after relaunching as a full band with singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and drummer David Peredun. The band has signalled plans to re-record songs from "Dead & Dreaming" for their forthcoming album, but this channel wasn't wiped, so if you want to hear that EP's initial instrumental versions, you have a partial way. I preferred "Glass Statues" out of the five songs on "Dead & Dreaming" thanks to its melodic structure and variance, even if the EP had heavier songs than this, and while a potential full-band version could still be ahead, it is nice to hear this again!

 

 

You are not flesh playthrough #metal #djent #guitar #metalcore #guitarist: Eight videos on the Woodward Avenue channel are of Brendan and/or Jake playing along to their studio material, including two Kraken Mara-era clips of them playing "Stratus" at the Bushplane Museum in 2021 (mainly to hype their endorsement of Halo Guitars). The most popular video on this channel is a playthrough video featuring Brendan playing "You Are Not Flesh" (the first unveiled song from their unfinished third instrumental EP "Gemini") in September 2024. Will this be reworked with vocals and live drums? Time will tell, but Brendan lays down the gauntlet here with professionalism and technicality in a promisingly heavy sample, and there's more to look at from Convergence's instrumental beginnings on this channel!

 

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I hope that you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Then next installment (hopefully moreso on time) is scheduled for around June 26th, so look for that then, plus more news and notes soon, as well as this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Headrush) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this final batch of hard rock weekend concert previews of May 2026 (and arguably, the spring), we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to lead off, along with a pair of other new show for next month, so here's what you should know on this sunny Thursday!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced the gigs via their Facebook event page on Monday, and alas, the venue has opted not to post an early 2026 concert calendar on social media this year, instead plugging bands week by week. Last seen opening for Crazy Babies at The Full Throttle Saloon three weeks ago, fans last saw the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank at The Esquire Club early last month. Headrush (no space) will definitely be live and loud TOMORROW & SATURDAY with their 1980s-leaning cover rock slate, so if you want to "come out & dance, party, and get your freak on", you know where to be! In their last shows before their incoming summer slate, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's gigs are 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 a brand new jam session video from Headrush's Facebook group! Uploaded by bassist John Amendola, the video sees them covering Triumph's classic single "Lay It On The Line", and given how well Triumph went over in their concert here last month, it's good timing to cover them, especially when they handle the song this well! John Anderson hits the necessary notes on vocals too, but will you see it TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY? Be at The Esquire Club to find out!

Next up, let's jump ahead a tiny bit, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for shows at Gateway Casino on Saturday, June 6th and at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, June 27th! Generations are in the late stages of a two month break, partly due to an unspecified family emergency for Valerie or Joe, having last taken the stage at Searchmont last month for their Snowcross weekend. Fans last saw this talented veteran quartet rocking Gateway Casino in early March, while the June 27th Water Tower Pub show will effectively be a rescheduling of their cancelled April 18th concert there (they last successfully played at this venue in February). Good to see the Jus' Chillin successors back at it, and keep both of their one-night-only shows in mind for your concert planning next month! Both shows are at 9:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details!

Back to weekend concert previews now, and we'll head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino next, as Munising, Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will make their way back east TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fronted by former Electric Motor Fish/Swayze Train singer Melissa Strand, this weekend's shows will be The Sky Pilots' first in the EUP since they rocked The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin in March, and their first at the St. Ignace branch since November of last year. It's good to see Melissa back in our area with her entertaining current project, and fans can expect "live music, classic rock, and 90s hits" all weekend, so keep these May-ending shows in mind! As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, tomorrow and Saturday's previously announced concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sky Pilots live in their hometown!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for veteran local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Misty's Fifties for a matinee concert on SATURDAY! Fresh off of his Dive Gastro Pub show last week (which was 100% a "Patio Play" gig), this Saturday's concert is the last at the Second Line West nightclub advertised by Tym in his batch Facebook event page covering shows there, and it remains to be seen when/if he will announce summer dates at Misty's. He will definitely have shows elsewhere this summer, but just in case, consider a run to Misty's Fifties on Saturday to enjoy his well produced classic and hard rock covers! As usual for Tym's shows here, this is a 3:00 PM matinee concert with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird & Tarnished) Plus Wednesday Night Sault Ontario Concert Previews!!

Today's post is half devoted to previews of two mid-week concert previews in Sault Ontario tomorrow, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for concerts in Michigan's E.U.P. next weekend during an upcoming festival!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will reportedly be rocking The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th! Kewadin's entertainment page has confirmed the bookings as part of their calendar updates through the end of next month, which is great to see, as Tarnished's own show announcements over the past seven months have all been with (at best) three days' notice. At least some venues get the word out prior! The classic/hard rock cover quartet had just played at The Driftwood there this past Saturday, which will be a good primer for their return two weeks later, and while not specified on Kewadin's end, this is a good weekend for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron to be in town. Next weekend is the Bronco The Mac festival, where owners and fans of the Ford Bronco will congregate for a ride across the Mackinac Bridge, plus parades, a drone show, and more varied activities for truck owners and everyone else.

Whether intentionally timed for Bronco The Mac or not, Tarnished should get an attendance bump for their hard rock and classic covers, so keep things in mind whether you'll be around for the festival or just wanna hear some live music! As usual for Tarnished's stops at the regional Kewadin Casino lounges, next weekend's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, that's not all for fans in the Straits/Mackinac County next weekend, as Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will also return to the E.U.P. on Saturday, June 6th when they rock The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace! While not a common venue for our coverage, it just came up on the SMS the other day when I apologized for missing Tarnished's recent show there, but I am trying to keep better tabs on The Driftwood's own advertising, which is how I heard about this booking yesterday. We haven't heard of a new Fyrbird booking in our coverage area since Jamie & Rikk played at the St. Ignace Kewadin in March of last year, possibly complicated by lengthy schedules not being posted on their Facebook group recently, but I haven't seen any Kewadin shows on the casino's end either, so this may legitimately be their first show within an hour of the Soo in over a year. It will be good to see their minimalist and hard edged cover attack back next week!

The Driftwood's own advertising even mentions Bronco The Mac, so they're likely expecting an attendance bump next Saturday. Like with Tarnished, Fyrbird's show next month is a 21+ event with a 9:00 PM start time and no cover charge. See above for more on what should be a busy weekend in St. Ignace for live rock and Ford Bronco fans alike!

Now to previews of two special Wednesday concerts TOMORROW NIGHT in Sault Ontario, starting with the final concert of Piecing It Together Shows' nine month residency at their pop-up venue at 331 Wellington Street West! While music at the Steelton locale in this spell has either been not SMS-amenable or open mic/jam nights right along, the former Dryer Fire will end things a little heavier when Victoria, B.C. noise rock project Pet Retina and drummer Max Patterson's solo outfit i.o will both return to the Soo for the season closing concert! Fans last saw both Pet Retina and i.o here at Shae Tull's album release party in May of last year, but this time, they are the advertised headliners, and their brand of abrasive yet creative noise punk should turn heads again tomorrow! Local support includes comedy rock quartet The Floor Between Us (who I hope to talk about more soon) and online page-less experimental rock group A.D.H.D.

This all ages concert goes down tomorrow at 8:00 PM (it is projected to end at 11:00 PM for folks who work or have school in the morning), and $15 advance tickets remain available at this link. The door charge will jump to $20, but "no one (will be) turned away for lack of funds". This looks like a fun way to cap off a successful nine month stay on Wellington Street for Nicole and crew, so hopefully there's a solid turnout to welcome Pet Retina back to town tomorrow evening! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Pet Retina live!

Finally for today, if you want some mid-week hard rock concert action, you can also get it at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT via the return of fast rising local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe! Why this is on a Wednesday, I truly don't know (the venue says they booked them mid-week "just because", but perhaps Beck's weekend slots are booked solid?). Regardless, this talented young group made their public debut at the Goulais Avenue nightclub to a strong reception in April, and kudos to Beck's on bringing them back for an encore! If you missed their ample videos from their debut, you can expect lots of heavy covers along with some rock classics and a bunch of really surprising pulls and deep cuts (especially for their ages), so keep things in mind if you're up for it! This will be a later night (9:00 PM-1:00 AM) with a 19+ age limit for attendees, and no announced cover charge. For a preview, we have a new video of 5.D.B. live!

While videos from their debut were plentiful, only one video from their second show (at Jay's Piston Broke Pub two weeks ago) was shared to their Facebook page, this time shot by bassist Randy Lundigran's dad Chad for his personal Facebook page. Continuing their impressive run of covers of bands that you do not see tackled locally, this sees 5 Dollar Bribe covering Husker Du's "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" with Randy on lead vocals.  Well framed from a close and horizontal vantage point, Randy captured a strong rendition of this post-hardcore staple, and when else are you going to see Bob Mould covered here? Check it out for yourselves below, and look for much more tomorrow night from 5 Dollar Bribe at Beck's!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Switchfoot & Sandman), The Dopethrone Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's previews, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished returned to The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace last night. While the venue (which doesn't regularly host live bands) had been promoting the show for over two weeks, Tarnished only announced the show on under three hours notice on their Facebook page, blaming this on frontman Alex Traynor forgetting "to hit 'Post'". Tarnished haven't announced a booking on more than three days notice since (ironically) their Halloween show at The Driftwood last year, so I can't be too shocked, but I do apologize, and hopefully the concert was a hit for the band & attendees alike!

Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and an SMS-adjacent event's return, and we'll start with Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will return to Sault Ontario when they become headline at The Full Throttle Saloon on Saturday, July 25th! Making their (at least) fifth local appearance, local fans last saw Sandman when they played at the former Soo Blaster in July & October 2022. Notable as the only tribute band that Metallica has officially licensed (details here), you may also recognize members Rick Van Dyk, Paul Fonseca, and Brent Niemi from being mid-late 2000s members of Helix. I have seen Sandman twice, including at my first ever 19+ concert in June 2008, and they deliver the goods for fans of 1980s and early 1990s Metallica, so hopefully things go well when they invade Steelton in two months! No word yet on a local opener, but note that Headrush (who opened for Crazy Babies here) feature guitarist Wes Greco, who opened the October 2022 Sandman show with The Soo Fighters.

This 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and ticket prices will cost $50 at the venue. If you're curious, their Soo Blaster gigs in 2022 had advance tickets that cost just $20. This is still cheaper than the $70 Crazy Babies show, but all of The Full Throttle Saloon touring tribute concerts have had tickets that are considerably higher than comparable local shows elsewhere, so be mindful of everything prior. No word on if the former Primavera Hall will permit admission at the door (they did not for Crazy Babies). Hopefully this is another hit as they continue bringing in tribute rock bands, so see above for more details on the Saloon's third touring tribute concert!

Next up, here's the big new concert announcement from two weeks ago at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as San Diego alternative/hard rock quartet Switchfoot will make their local debut on Friday, October 9th! Best known for their early 2000s top 20 crossover hits "Mean To Live" and "Dare You To Move" (and decades of success on the Christian charts), Switchfoot have drifted away from their earlier hard rock material somewhat in recent years, but they should have lots of early hits in store along with cuts from their new album "Forever Now", and it will be interesting to see how they go over in four months' time! Florida alt-rock/emo band Anberlin will open on October 9th in their own local debut, and they're best known for their songs "Feel Good Drag" and "Impossible". Like Switchfoot, they are a Christian band but also strive for mainstream appeal, and their sound has crossed many subgenres!

Presented by Rock 101 (though The Promise or KFM easily could do so too), tickets run from $71-$91 USD depending on location in the theatre, while VIP admission for $191 will guarantee you a center section seat in the first six rows, among other perks. You can buy tickets for this all ages and 8:00 PM concert at this link, at the in-person box office, and at 1-800-KEWADIN. This should be an interesting night for fans of 2000s rock, and something a little different from what typically comes to Kewadin Casino, so visit the above links for more details on this fall concert!

Now to a special Monday night concert preview in Sault Ontario, as Montreal "slutch metal" veterans Dopethrone will rock the Soo for the first time in seven years TOMORROW NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Last seen at the former New A in May 2019, fans can expect another blast of sludgy doom metal from this well travelled and punishing trio, so don't miss out if you can swing the work/school night action! Joining them on tour are Vancouver goth metal band Tribunal, a mixed-gender group whose brand of orchestral and atmospheric doom will definitely deliver something a little different for fans in attendance tomorrow! Local support includes a one-off 15 minute set from 2010s grindcore staples Shit Liver (who opened for Dopethrone in 2019 in the final concert of their original run). It will be great to see Josh, Mike, and Matt back for one more blistering good time, if not a long time!

The relaunched Bear Hunters (now known as Eden Plague) will kick things off in their first show since a private Leeburn event in 2023, and their first public gig in city limits since 2021. Same lineup, but new songs and a fresh start, so it will be very interesting to see how Eden Plague go over tomorrow after eight years of sporadic activity, hiatuses, and breakup teasers! Promoted by Shit Liver/Golden Scoundrels frontman Josh Penno, this 19+ concert has a 7:30 PM start time, and tickets cost $20 at Jay's and The Rad Zone, with door admission costing $25. This should be a brutal night of metal, and a nice throwback to the 2010s from the openers, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Dopethrone live!

Finally, do you remember when The Distraction on East Street hosted occasional "punk rock sewing club" nights in 2024 & 2025? Well, they are back at a new venue! As you may recall, The Distraction closed indefinitely (permanently?) due to the fire code issues reported during last July's Ripcordz concert, but promoter Mikhal Muto (of Underground Events SSM) has struck a deal with The Speak Easy at Algoma University to bring the conceit back for three Thursdays this summer (June 25th, July 23rd, and August 20th). The idea is to sew and craft your own projects (theoretically patches on clothing given the "punk sewing" theme. but there's no limits), and while you're encouraged to bring crafting materials, tables, scrap fabric, and (of course) punk background music will be provided. The idea exists where musicians could play here too, presumably acoustic ones, which did happen at least once at The Distraction.

This is more "SMS-adjacent" given that it's a craft night and not a concert, but the punk themes are all over the place here (think of all of the patches you see on people's clothing at concerts!), and Mikhal has been a supporter of this idea right along. Promotion emphasizes that this is a safe space too, so if you want to hang out in an inclusive area and sew patches and anything else while listening to punk rock, circle these three Thursdays on your calendar, and who knows if this could lead to more? That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!