New Sault Michigan Videos, Recent Missed Concert Notes, And More Recent Updates!!

To lead off today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a show in this weekend's previews and note another that I didn't cover due to its private nature, even though it did get a public shoutout. In the former case, I profusely apologize for neglecting to preview Nate's Chow's announced concert at the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023 tonight after the VFW's fifteenth annual Veteran's Day ATV ride. While I covered it when first announced late last month, it was regrettably bypassed in culling this weekend's previews, despite covering Nate's Chow's upcoming Kewadin Casino gigs in yesterday's post. Given the charitable aims of helping military veterans, I should have caught this event, especially as it wasn't announced on late notice on the band's end, but I'm sorry, and I hope that everyone had a great time in Brimley tonight! Note that Nate's Chow erroneously gave the date on their AI-generated poster as being on Friday, November 7th, rather than Saturday.

The other note is in Sault Ontario, where Headrush bassist John Amendola posted on the band's Facebook group last night "Happening now at The Rockstar (Bar)!! Come on down!", which heavily implied that they were playing a gig there. From what I have gathered from photos and John's later replies, this was a birthday party (the decorations and balloons helped give that away), and unless there was firm public advertising with ticket sales or open admission, I likely wouldn't have covered it here anyway... but yet John was encouraging fans to come on late notice? Regardless, I hope the party went well, and we'll let you know when Headrush return to the public stage!

Today's post otherwise looks at new videos from two Sault Michigan bands, plus some assorted Sault Ontario news and notes, but we'll start with videos from the EUP, including this one of local punk duo About:Blank live at The Merchants Bar on October 17th! Belatedly uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, this features Parker and Kade playing their original song "What You Wanted" during this rare headlining gig. The performance is sound with a grungy essence, but the recording quality isn't fantastic. Already shot vertically, the filmer set the phone up on a table at such an angle where the lower third of the screen is just the table surface, and while they do slightly nudge the phone to the right as it goes, you never see Kade beyond his drumsticks at this vantage point. I'm glad that the video was successfully filmed while the phone had battery life though, as at 12%, they were cutting it pretty close!

As you may recall, About:Blank had to withdraw from the annual LSSU Battle of the Bands last month when Kade was called into work late that night, so Parker played on solo and still came in third. This was the band's last show before the battle, so if you want a preview of how things may have sounded at The Arts Center had Kade been present, give the full video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank soon!

Next up, local hardcore punk trio Viscera have shared two new videos exclusively on their Instagram page from their latest out-of-town concert, and following the recent Meta decision to link Facebook and Instagram accounts and whatnot, video embedding appears to work for Instagram again! Both of these come from Blind Bob, Chris, and Mitchell's set at the Marquette Fringe Festival (similar to the former Fringe North in Sault Ontario) on October 24th, where they played on a bill alongside Marquette power pop band Addicus. You may have seen the two bands together here at Three One Three On Ashmun back in August. The gig proper took place at Ore Dock Brewing Co., and as you can see in this photo, they do have a merchandise table for gigs, including CD copies of "From Feast To Famine", DIY t-shirts, and some very politically charged stickers. The two videos include this vertical clip of them in an instrumental stretch, and it's good to see an animated crowd!

Embedded below is a highlight reel from their set, featuring multiple camera angles of them in action, including one much closer to the stage that shows off members' face paint(!), and this was ran through some post-production filters prior, including a fish eye lens and one replicating a VCR on a CRT TV (even though you weren't likely to find a 1:1 square aspect ratio TV monitor). I would far prefer full recordings of these songs rather than assorted clips, but Viscera sound good and as varied for styles as listeners of their EP can expect, and the wood pallet paneling on the stage is sure distinct, so give Viscera's new Marquette Fringe videos a watch above & below!

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Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from Sault Ontario, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Over a month after their successful debut at Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar, new local punk quartet Dead II Society will release their second studio single "Lean On" on Thursday! Like with "Dead & Buried", it will be on major streaming platforms and will have a Spacebag Productions-shot music video once again. On their Facebook page, D2S showed still preview images of the video, featuring acting roles by guitarist Mike Yakasovich's old Northwest bandmate Greg Callaghan as well as frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau's son Silas. We'll have more when things go live!
• On October 17th, local crossover thrash trio Hails revealed on their Facebook page that they were recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, with that being day 1 of the sessions, and photos were included. Updates have not publically followed, so it's not immediately clear if they're working on an album, EP, or just a single or two, but the song(s) in question would mark the studio debut of new guitarist Anthony Orazietti. Whether the Dag Nasty song is a hint towards how things are sounding or not, I don't know, but Ha!ls may have previews of what's being worked on at The Speak Easy on Tuesday, preview forthcoming!
• Local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis have indeed parted ways with drummer Anthony Boudreau, as per his removal from their Instagram page's bio. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, but note that Liam got an announcement when he left, so I hope things were at least amicable. Tony had drummed with the HeadFirst successors for their six summer gigs, but was replaced by Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew for their dates last month, though Brandan has not (yet?) been publically confirmed as his permanent replacement. Best of luck to Anthony in whatever is next, as he's a solid drummer across different genres!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nate's Chow, Generations, And Tym Morrison), And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews tonight, but we also have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month of the covers-centric variety, so here's what you should know for this weekend and beyond in the Twin Saults!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on Saturday, November 14th! Fans last saw this veteran foursome in a one-nighter at Reggie's last month, after they dropped out of that Friday's gig there (Pierre & Tony's former classic rock band Jus' Chillin were brought back as late replacements, perhaps a sign that Valerie and/or Joe's absence was the "certain circumstances" being alluded to). Generations last rocked the downtown casino in mid-September, and hopefully next Saturday's show provides more of the old school rock favourites that fans are used to, especially as they skipped the Halloween concert crush! This concert is at 8:00 PM, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the band's Facebook group for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations on the SMS when announced!

Next up, here's a new show tied to a weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be the first SMS-leaning artist to play at the relocated Full Throttle Saloon on Monday, November 16th, eight days after his next acoustic matinee concert THIS SUNDAY at Beck's Bar! While this Sunday's show is the last currently scheduled show at Beck's for him at press time (more could easily be announced at any moment), next Monday's will be our first covered show at the new Full Throttle Saloon, now located inside Cravings Diner at Market Mall on Second Line West. The peculiar Monday scheduling appears to be an attempt for Rosa and staff to spruce up their new Monday wings & fries night, plus Mondays aren't common for booking regular cover concerts, so why not try and see if it sticks? Leslie Cook and Nelson McKay were the first two Monday night artists there.

Outdated pre-haircut picture on the AI generated poster aside, next Monday's concert is at 7:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit and no announced cover, though note that the new Full Throttle Saloon has a limited capacity. This Sunday's show at Beck's (his second straight there) again soundtracks their weekly euchre tournament with a 3:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. Visit the Beck's Facebook event page at the above links for more on Tym's unplugged concerts ahead in the west end, and here he is live!

Now, let's briefly head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow will be the apparent penultimate band to rock The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 20th & Saturday, November 21st! Newly confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page, these shows were not on the band's AI-generated calendar from late August, though at the time, we thought that The Rapids Lounge was closing earlier than it is. The heavy renovations (for a waterpark and new sports bar) won't begin until at least December now, so The Rapids Lounge will survive for at least this month, with The American Band slated to be last up in three weeks' time. These will actually be the only Nate's Chow-era gigs for them at The Rapids Lounge, as Jody and Jason last played there in December of last year when they were still known as Unfortunate Sun (with Skip and Tony still in the fold, even).

Nate's Chow will actually kick off a busy run of three shows in six days here, capped off with their annual "Drinksgiving" show on the night before Thanksgiving at The Merch on November 25th. Their Kewadin gigs will both be at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know when more comes out on both the band and Kewadin Casino's remodel!

We'll close tonight's post by heading back to Sault Ontario for this weekend's main event, as Finnish folk metal veterans Korpiklaani will make their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Arguably the biggest band brought to town by Underground Events SSM (on an international scale, no doubt), Korpiklaani's brand of medieval influenced extreme metal will bring crushing extremity and fun party vibes to the former Soo Blaster, and with twelve albums of accordion and violin-implemented original material to source from, it should be a blast seeing legit Scandinavian metal on local soil tomorrow night! Toronto melodic death metal quintet Crimson Shadows will be joining Korpiklaani on their Canadian tour with their own power metal-influenced original onslaught, while your local openers tomorrow include death metal quartet Eden Plague (f.k.a. The Bear Hunters) and debuting local "midwest screamo" band Free Drugs.

In the past month+, I have seen no public posts of any kind about who Free Drugs are or what they play, so be at Blaster tomorrow to learn more! Notable in the promotion from Eden Plague spearheading a new poster to replace the venue's AI-generated one, this is an all ages concert starting at 8:00 PM, and tickets cost $25 via local openers, at this link, or at the door (there has not been anything said about a hike for paying thusly). It's rare for touring original bands from Europe of any genre to play here, so make it to Soo Blaster tomorrow if you can! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Korpiklaani live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Soundcheck, & Bone Yard 225) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

(Updated at 9:49 PM) This post originally had a preview of Curtis McKenzie's announced concert at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight, but he has since confirmed on his Facebook page that it has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict (note that The Dive rarely announces scheduled concerts on social media anymore). We'll address the new date in an upcoming post, but to keep our weekend concert previews on track and free up space in our second preview post (featuring Korpiklaani and Tym Morrison) for other stories, I have added extra previews to replace Curt's show. Now, let's lead off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!    

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play at least one more show before Toystock, as they'll go "uncorked" for an acoustic concert at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via the venue's November concert calendar on their Facebook page yesterday, and we'll outline relevant shows ahead there in upcoming posts. Also, note that Bone Yard did not announce TOMORROW's show on their website's concert calendar, hence why I didn't allude to it in our post yesterday, and that would point to it legitimately being booked on late notice. Regardless, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first stop at this Great Northern Road nightclub in almost a month, and hopefully the good unpl... er, "uncorked" vibes are flowing all night TOMORROW! As usual, this is a one-nighter, with Tex Riviera & The Ride playing there on Saturday.

Everything goes down TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. This should be a good night of chiller and intimate tunes from your local 225, as Bone Yard don't play electric shows here, so visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S short notice action, and for a preview, here are "The Dirty Three" live in concert last year!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where reports of The Rapids Lounge's closure were slightly premature, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will play at the local Kewadin Casino's nightclub for one final weekend TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Kewadin Casino is definitely still closing The Rapids Lounge to make way for heavy renovations at the Soo branch (including a water park and a new replacement sports bar), but there has been a stay of execution, as their entertainment page now lists bands all month, and we'll address the pre-Thanksgiving weekend performers in an upcoming post. In fact, Tarnished had previously indicated that their Kewadin gigs in August would be "the last show(s) at the Rapids (Lounge) for us", so if you enjoy Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's retro hard rock cover attack, why not one more go-around while you can?

Assuming the closure isn't delayed again, the final scheduled Rapids Lounge concerts will be headlined by local classic rock veterans The American Band on November 27th & 28th. Fresh off of their Halloween road trip to Engadine, Tarnished are up TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:00 PM at The Rapids Lounge, with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Tarnished's Rapids Lounge swan songs (2.0), and here they are live!

We'll hop back to Sault Ontario next for concerts from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (7.3?) at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but in a brand new confirmation, they have been tapped to headline the New Year's Eve party at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Thursday, December 31st! Jay's Facebook page confirmed that booking via this AI-generated poster (that notably doesn't include the 7.3 in the name or branding), which also indicates that it will be a 1980s-themed party at year's end. New bassist Dan Beaupre will be used to that, as his other band The Sidekicks' Halloween concert at The Water Tower Pub was identically themed. No word on if costumes will be encouraged, but expect lots of 1980s covers and retro frills then, and as the guys set up shop in the west end this weekend, more vintage rock covers from Terry, Travis, Dan, and Johnny are to be expected! Neither this weekend's nor next month's shows are marketed as "epic crossovers" with their recently quiet sister band Separate Wayz.

Note that the aforementioned Water Tower Pub's concert calendar lists "The Guilty Party" as playing there on November 21st. That was the band name briefly used by Terry Eaton alongside the retired Jim Michaud and drummer/singer Brent Royer in late 2025 just prior to the Soundcheck revival (Brent left beforehand due to scheduling difficulties). Is that band back in some fashion, or was the name not corrected when booking long-term? We'll let you know! This weekend's shows and the New Year's party are all 19+ with no cover charge and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details on the Soundcheck shows ahead, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll bop back across the Michigan border for shows at the not-closing Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will play their last EUP shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there back in May, the current group from former Swayze Train & Electric Motor Fish frontwoman Melissa Strand have become a fan favourite live act across the peninsula, and hopefully their often heavy slate of covers find a good audience in St. Ignace on both nights this weekend! As usual for their (or any) concerts at The Northern Pines Lounge, tomorrow & Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the nightly event pages on the band's Facebook page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live in Munising last year!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & Homeroom Hero Updates!!

For our first proper news post of the month, we're diving into LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and related updates from a veteran local rock band, plus new info on a recently debuted punk band that they'll be sharing the stage with later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local southern/hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced concerts through August 2027 on their newly redesigned website's concert calendar earlier this week! Our rule of thumb re: our own local concert listings is to only go as far in the timeline as where multiple bands have announced shows that far ahead, so we'll stop in May for now, and will address Bone Yard's June-August bookings once other shows from other artists are announced in that timeframe. "The Dirty Three" are next scheduled to headline the previously announced Toystock on November 29th, but the first of the brand new confirmations will be on Friday, December 11th at The Water Tower Pub. As usual for gigs there, this will be an "uncorked" show, not a full electric date (even though they do host plugged-in bands regularly), and it will be a one-nighter, as the Pub doesn't book the same band on back-to-back nights. This will be at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover.

All other new Bone Yard dates (so far) are at Beck's Bar, all being Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders on January 23rd & 24th, March 6th & 7th, April 17th & 18th, and May 22nd & 23rd! If they're playing single night bookings at all at Beck's in early 2027, they're to be announced, but all four weekends will see Greg, Alex, and Warren in their full electric splendour as the Saturday night headliners before playing "uncorked" Sunday matinees. Of note, the May shows will be on the Victoria Day ("May 2-4") long weekend. The three current public local dates for the summer will be confirmed when someone else confirms shows that far along, but keep all of these shows in mind for your local 225 fix! The Beck's shows are at 9:00 PM on Saturdays and 3:00 PM on Sundays, with 19+ age limits and no cover charges across the board. Visit the above links for more details, but while we're on the subject, let's look at their new website!

The front page goes into greater detail about their cover range live than I have ever seen, and of note, it really downplays the southern rock/country side, perhaps a definitive sign of their drift from country to rock (insert Q104/The Fox analogy here) by the late 2010s. Interestingly, their electronic press kit is now password locked, perhaps to ensure that only prospective bookers can see the numbers, but Bone Yard are definitely taking bookings for next year, so we are bound to see them at other nightclubs and events in 2027. In fact, to hype that search for 2027 bookings, they posted this hype video to their Facebook page featuring clips of them covering The Tragically Hip, Golden Earring, The 4 Non Blondes, and Pink Floyd at various venues here and afar, plus an instrumental section and one of their originals. Hard-coded captions run on the screen to point to what they offer as a live band.

I'm not sure that "What's Up" is an ideal example of an audience participation song (I may be biased from local band overplay of it), but it's an effective highlight reel to show off a range of what the 2022-present version of Bone Yard bring to the table, and hopefully we see the guys at lots more local and out-of-town dates in the new year! Give the new video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Bone Yard 225!

Lastly for today, I wanted to mention the live debut of new local pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero at The Art Hub At Spring this past Friday, so first off, who has replaced Larry Babic as their new lead singer? Former Quite Frankly frontwoman Haley Alopaeus, who was a semifinalist in The Soo's Got Talent in 2024 and guested with her old band at their Prince Township show last month. If you missed the Devil's Night concert with Ha!ls, you may have been able to see a video featuring four covers from their set, but alas, it was only uploaded and shared as a "Story", meaning that it was only viewable for a day, was forciblty letterboxed into vertical dimensions, and if you watched it, it vanished forever. I do not like "Stories", and I'd want new fans to be able to see the video in perpetuity, especially given that they're relatively original as current local bands go, but what can I do? The video featured clips of Homeroom Hero covering My Chemical Romance's "Helena", ...

...Green Day's "Holiday", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", and SR-71's "Right Now". I typically don't review "Stories" as they're not something that I can link to, but as this was our first proper video of Homeroom Hero, I did check it out when able, and they have a good sound that mid-2000s Oddfellows Hall concert-goers should appreciate! Maybe a little stiff yet, and you could tell that Haley was unsteady with these songs, but that will surely improve by the time of their next show (PetFest at Blaster Powerhouse on November 21st). Hopefully some permanent and linkable videos will surface soon, but see above for more on Homeroom Hero, and look for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (November 2026 Update)

After a quiet Halloween hangover, we're back for November 2026 with this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This monthly feature post looks at upcoming albums, CDs, and EPs from local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians who have publically confirmed recording sessions for albums are underway. Here, we have seven entries, including one newly added EP and one more with substantial updates, and anything with new content (as opposed to minor date adjustments) is noted with the album name in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out! 

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Bone Yard 225's debut album

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

Background: After months of teasers, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 began releasing their own songs on major streaming services in July 2024, fifteen years after the pre-225 band debuted as a country cover quartet. Their first three singles (all recorded at their home studio) were posted online by January 2025, though it took until last May for the band to confirm on their Facebook page that they were indeed working on a proper album. As of last August, it was reportedly "album tracking time", while this video from that month shows bandmates Alex D'Ettore & Warren Reville recording backing vocals for their cover of Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". That will be one of "a couple of covers" for the album, as confirmed by frontman Greg Simpson during recent concerts. "Fuck!" was renamed "The F Word" on streaming services in December, but it's not clear if the less explicit name will stick on the album. The band was still "in the studio finishing shit" as of December 4th, source here, and a new single "Welcome To The ShitShow" was released on streaming services in August.

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

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

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

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera in 2022, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, as well as the final artwork. In more recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his prolific original material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Chase elaborated on Facebook in mid-2024 that the album was 95% done earlier that year when the files "got trapped on my desktop's hard drive", and he had been unable to procure a backup of the material or recover the files as of that post. In any event, three of the full songs uploaded to Facebook in 2023 were clarified as not being planned for "The Chaotic Rite", but they could surface on a separate EP. Fingers crossed that Chase is able to save this album and put it out when able, especially given the years that he's put into the making of it!

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Eden Plague's third album (and first under that name)

Rumoured Songs: "Primogenesis", "Colony Of Parasites"

Background: Local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters had teased plans to record a "final album" on their Facebook page in July 2024, during the band's long slowdown in activity dating back to late 2017 (which included the unceremonious release of their second album "The Dead Testament" during the pandemic), but they surprised many by relaunching under the new name Eden Plague in May of this year. Nik, Mitch, Justin, and Johnny immediately signalled that they were working on new original music, debuting at least two songs during their mid-2026 concerts. They were recording two singles in studio in July (with Nik seen tracking vocals at Mission Control Studios in a Facebook "Story"), and the guys recently took a break from the stage, as they were "shifting all gears to our debut LP" (as Eden Plague). The band allegedly "discreetly revealed" the album name on social media earlier this year, with a free copy of the album promised to whoever figures it out first.

Current Release Status: The band has vaguely given a "sometime in 2027" timeframe for the release on Facebook, but things sound early for the final product, as as of September 3rd, five songs were still in demo stages. The former Bear Hunters are no strangers to album recording sessions, and with no pandemic and band activity uncertainty clouding things in 2026, here's hoping that this gets a deservingly widescale release when things are done!

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Fort Creek's debut album

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

Background: Local southern/hard rock band Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, but they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared (now-deleted) clips of their original song "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page. The guys would play it regularly at concerts from 2022-2023, with studio sessions taking place in early-mid 2023 as well. After the departure of bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano in the fall of 2023, Fort Creek opted to start the album over, and have been working on new material and rebuilding their studio over the past three years. Their first single (the acoustic "One For The Road") was posted online in January 2025, with the band confirming plans to now record a 10 song album at then-drummer Phil Greco's own Jettison Studios prior to returning to live concerts. Their new single "Sweet Rosie" was released to major streaming services in September, which featured the studio debut of drummer Sam DeDominicis. New bassist Arthur Lacasse appears in the music video, but Liam Seymour played bass on a session basis.

Current Release Status: Prior release timelines for their debut EP reflected their early 2020s lineup's material, and Justin, Shane, Bill, and crew have largely kept things somewhat close to the vest prior to putting out "One For The Road". There are a lot of unknowns, especially given the 6+ years of production time and their decision to basically start over in 2023, and that this is a band that was primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit before their rhythm section left. It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates!

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Mike McCleary's new album

Rumoured Songs: "Carousel"

Background: Background: A talented studio hard rock musician who has released multiple solo albums in the past (albeit almost entirely delisted from streaming services as his musical approach and personal life changed), Mike announced plans to record an instrumental album in 2023, but after a year+ public hiatus, he opted to shelve that unfinished album in 2025 in favour of a new album with vocals. He signed with Swedish indie label Rexius Records, with plans to put out an 8 song album covering "a variety of topics" and featuring "some fun, catchy, and energetic rock music for everyone to enjoy". A teaser video from the sessions was posted onto his Facebook page on December 6th, and the planned first single ("Carousel") was released online in June.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine, but as this is is a one-man project likely aimed at streaming services, this album could pop up at any time, and may be close given that an advance single is was unveiled this summer. The Rexius Records connection is a variable, but Mike is a strong musician with morals and a lot to say about himself, and hopefully this album comes out successfully in the near future!

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The Realignment Project - Signal Decay

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: The current industrial metal solo project from Dirty Virgin/Riverin alum Matt Hicks, The Realignment Project are known for their quick recording schedule, with four EPs and a full length album being released since the beginning of last year alone. In April, Matt confirmed on the project's Facebook page that he had already begun work on their second full length album, days removed from the release of their full length debut "Long Cold Winter". Sessions were complete as of October 5th, with the cover artwork and name "Signal Decay" unveiled four days later.

Current Release Status: Matt plans to put "Signal Decay" out physically via East London Recordings and digitally on major streaming platforms next month, though an exact date has not yet been unveiled. This release timeframe is on par with that of "Long Cold Winter", and Matt has already began writing for his third T.R.P. full-length album, so he's definitely keeping busy as 2026 winds down! Stay tuned for further updates on "Signal Decay" and music to come!

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The Reeves' debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Future", "Waiting On The End", "Till The End", "Don't Even Bother"

Background: The new hard/blues rock band from former Skinbox/Haze bandmates Brad Irwin & Steve Edwards alongside Long Shot alumni Adam Dawe & Jeremy Ganuelas, The Reeves debuted at Toystock last year, and prior to their second gig ever at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in July, the Rotaryfest program indicated that they would be playing "a collection of songs that will become their debut EP". After playing just one more show, they began recording the EP at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music on September 8th with producers Dustin Jones (interesting to see him not at his own Mission Control Studios) and Frank Deresti. Sessions were ongoing as of October 14th, with teaser videos shared to their Facebook page, and they showed everyone but Adam recording parts for the EP in social media postings. While a title has not been formally revealed yet, the presumed lyrics "Feels like I'm waiting on you..." have been shared a few times as photo captions.

Current Release Status: No idea, especially as it's not publically clear if the sessions have wrapped or not, but it is an encouraging sign to see The Reeves hit the ground running as an original band! Members all have experience in original bands who have released studio material in the past in different projects, so this ain't their first rodeo, and hopefully things progress naturally for a release presumably next year!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around December 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, scheduled for one week from tomorrow. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & More Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

Here's the third and final Halloween weekend concert preview post on the SMS for 2026! Here, we're looking at three big Halloween party concerts in Sault Ontario tomorrow night, with a new video of one of the bands for good measure, but leading off, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT attached to a preview of a Sunday matinee concert, so let's start there before winding back to the apex of spooky season!

Joining his previously announced matinee concert on SUNDAY at Beck's Bar, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will also perform at Beck's one week later on November 8th! I forgot that Tym announced this Sunday's show well in advance on his batch Facebook event page for fall shows there, but the gig one week from Sunday is a new addition. Of course, this Sunday's matinee concert is first on tap, and hopefully there's a good sized crowd for both the euchre tournament and his unplugged rocking covers! I have no idea if Beck's will lean into any Halloween frills or branding a day late, but remember that Tym's strong religious faith may not jive with spooky goings on. Of note, Tym's show is the same day as the first elimination round for the venue's Vocals & Victory karaoke competition, with $2,500 awaiting the winner later this year. Good luck to the singers competing on Sunday night!

As usual for Beck's matinee concerts, Tym is up this Sunday and next at 3:00 PM, there is a 19+ age limit, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, we'll snap back to TOMORROW'S Halloween slate, and in the arguable main event, local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will open for local/Toronto pop rock quartet The Killer Hooks at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for Fright Night At The Museum! Similarly to this summer's Cory Marks show, the hangar will be open for a big production concert, with The Killer Hooks (led by Gsis Murphy alum Tony Marcello) breaking out their video dance party-format concert for the occasion, so expect big video screens to accentuate their set, which does include the occasional hard rock cover. Headrush will fill the quota in their set, and it should be a fun night of live rock music with all of the spooky frills you could ask for! There will absolutely be a costume contest, with prizes for the best individual and group costumes. This show is sponsored by Northern Superior Brewing Co., hence the lack of a Tap Room show tomorrow.

Unlike most shows this weekend, this will be a ticketed event, and tickets cost $35 at this link, at the Bushplane Museum, or at Northern Superior. Unfortunately, this is a 19+ concert (but it will be licensed!), and doors open at 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a rare long-form video of The Killer Hooks playing hard rock covers, specifically of them tackling Queen classics at the former Canadian Nightclub in 2019! Had to wade through a lot of sub-30 second "Reels" to find this, but they sound good, and still do, so look for more tomorrow night!

Also on the Halloween slate, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks will return to The Water Tower Pub to headline their Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Playing their first Water Tower Pub show since the spring (and fresh off of a Beck's show last week), The Sidekicks will topline this special 1980s-themed Halloween party, and while I doubt the AI generated poster nailed Tracey, Steve, and Dan's costumes, break out your best from that decade to party along with The Sidekicks, who have a number of 1980s covers in their back pocket! The poster (whose logo doesn't seem to know how our Water Tower is shaped) claims that there will be "prizes", but doesn't outright confirm if there will be a costume contest and/or some other type of giveaway. This is a one-nighter as usual for The Water Tower Pub, who are hosting RPM tonight, while bassist Dan Beaupre is playing a short notice gig with Soundcheck TONIGHT at Beck's Bar.

Tomorrow's '80s party with The Sidekicks is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on what should be a fun night of classic and hard rock covers from this year's closing band at Rotaryfest, and here they are live!

Finally, also taking place TOMORROW NIGHT is a double whammy of local tribute bands at Blaster Powerhouse, where Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Mellowship Slinky and Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow will join forces! Both bands have had productive years (Even Flow actually debuted on Halloween weekend last year), and if you like 1990s-leaning rock, you should find something to like between the two bands, including lots of grunge classics from Even Flow, plus some heavier early RHCP tracks from "the Soo's slinkiest" Chili Peppers tribute band (is there a less slinky active one?). Of note, if you were hoping to see Mellowship Slinky frontman Brad Irwin this weekend, be at the former Soo Blaster tomorrow, as his active original band The Reeves dropped out of tonight's Art Hub At Spring concert. Aside from the tribute action, this is plugged as "one spooky Saturday night".

If there are frills beyond Halloween decor, no one has publically said anything, but there is no firm public mention of a costume contest tomorrow at Blaster. Even Flow will kick off the night at 9:00 PM, this is all ages and licensed, and tickets run for $20 at this link, through band members, or at the Queen Street East venue, with the door charge jumping to $25. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a new jam session video of Even Flow covering Pearl Jam's "Daughter"! This was shared from frontman Rob Speers' personal Facebook page to the band's Facebook page to promote tomorrow's show, and while it sounds good with Rob sounding like Eddie Vedder in the ways you hope, the tight camera angle completely blocks out bassist Mike Bird and drummer Derek Turner from view (apologies, PFC fans!). Also, this video is needlessly letterboxed into vertical "Reel" dimensions despite being in landscape.

Yes, they fill one of the black boxes with text captions about tomorrow's concert (at least it's not hard-coded on the video proper), but I'd far prefer if this was uploaded in full horizontal resolution so it's not so unnecessarily tiny no matter how you watch it. Regardless, it's a good preview, so give it a watch below!

That's all for our marathon Halloween concert preview slate, so go occupy a venue of some kind this weekend tonight or tomorrow night, and we'll be back next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Nameless), And Halloween Concert Previews, Part 2!!

For Halloween weekend concert preview post #2, we're heading largely to the Eastern Upper Peninsula via two concerts tomorrow (one a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), but to fill things out and commemorate this rare Saturday timing for October 31st, I'll take some time in the back half to note what non-hard rock/punk acts are playing publically verified concerts tonight or tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know in the EUP (and remember, bridge fares are slashed to $1.50 USD or $2 CAD tomorrow from midnight to midnight to celebrate the International Bridge's 50th anniversary, so if that's an incentive to head across to enjoy concerts for cheaper on either side of the border, keep tomorrow's discount in mind!)

Local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar to headline their Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on their Facebook page this past Saturday, and as usual, The Merch doesn't acknowledge bands playing there by name on social media. This actually won't be The Nameless' first Halloween concert of the month, as they hit the road to play at The Paradise Inn's annual Halloween bash two weeks ago. Paradise is just outside of our coverage range (an hour's drive from the Soo), but hopefully The Nameless had a good show out west! If you're wondering, The Paradise Inn has their Halloween party early because they close for the season in late October. TOMORROW'S Merch show (their first in the Soo since August at Kewadin Casino) promises "fun", "music", "prizes", "Lume (Cannabis Co.) swag", and "gift cards", presumably as prizes.

As you'd hope for Halloween night, there will be a costume contest TOMORROW, where the top three costumes will net their wearers $300, $200, and $100 (Not bad!). The Nameless have also revealed that TOMORROW'S concert will be their final one with drummer Jamie Costner, who is "shipping off downstate" next month. As old Dirty Musky fans know, she is a talented drummer, and best of luck to Jamie in her move and in whatever comes next! Everything goes down TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's The Nameless live earlier this year!

Next up, let's take the half hour drive southwest to Rudyard, where local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will headline the Halloween party at Huck's Pub & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen in Eckerman last week and in Rudyard during Summerfest weekend in July, tomorrow's concert will be far from 906's first rodeo as Halloween headliners, and they should have some fun costumes to go along with their hard rocking cover slate! In terms of seasonal frills, Huck's hasn't given much away, but there will be a costume contest, with prizes going to those with the best overall, funniest, and best couples costumes. Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian hit the stage at the former Joe's Bar tomorrow at 8:00 PM, expect a 21+ age limit, and there's no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of the action at at Huck's tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's Project 906 on Halloween at The Islander Bar in Hessel a few years ago!

To cap off this post (the other heavier previews are coming), as a public service, I wanted to run through all of the other known musicians playing shows tonight and tomorrow in the region that aren't hard rock or punk acts. Halloween on a Saturday only comes once every 6-11 years, after all! In Sault Ontario tonight, RPM plays at The Water Tower Pub, The Preacher & His Jackleg Band will be at Outspoken Brewing, and Frankly Speaking will rock The Whiskey Barrel. For bands doubling up tomorrow & Saturday night, Jay's Piston Broke Pub will host Bourbon Blue and Reggie's Place will welcome Smokehouse. Tomorrow only, Beck's Bar will welcome The Stumpy Coldwater Trio (matinee) and Elly McWatters & The Drifters (night), the relocated Full Throttle Saloon hosts Flathead Ford, Matthew James will be at the aforementioned Whiskey Barrel, and for Saturday matinees, Leslie Cook is at the Royal Canadian Legion and Forty Creek (not Fort Creek) are at The Moose Lodge.

Over in Sault Michigan and the EUP, NuCorp will be the final band to ever play at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino tonight & tomorrow night before their heavy renovations begin, while Tom Katalin & Highway 41 will be playing at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin those same nights. Tomorrow, Viscera frontman "Blind" Bob Quinn & Louie Radecki will be playing at Moloney's Alley, Shipheads On Shore will be at The Islander Bar in Hessel, and Frank Gillotte will be performing at The Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley. Note that this just counts bands within an hour of the Soo, but if you're up for a drive, Tarnished will be playing at The Pine Bar in Engadine on Saturday. Remember, levels of Halloween celebration and frills (from decor to drink specials to costume contests) will vary from venue to venue, so check in with each establishment and/or band before you commit to anything.

If you're free and able, go occupy a venue this weekend! The calendar blessed us with an ideal weekend for Halloween concerts, and there won't even be an October 31st on a Friday until 2031, so take advantage where you can. We'll wrap up our Halloween previews with three shows tomorrow night and one short notice Sunday matinee, so stay tuned then! Thanks everyone!