Heavy Lies The Crown - "Notions" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 207th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and we have finally entered this calendar year as our dig through our new album release backlog continues! This month, we're taking a look at the first local metal album of 2026, namely St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown's second EP and fourth paid album "Notions", which was independently released to major streaming services on January 30th. "Notions" compiles five of the six one-off studio singles that Heavy Lies The Crown released after April 2024. Lead singer Brandon West and guitarist/ex-drummer Jaxon Massaway are credited on streaming for production and mixing the EP at North Shore Audio, but I have not seen any firm credits as to who played on what song. During the timeline of these songs' recording, they were joined by guitarist Nathan Switzer, guitarist/drummer Kaycee Mason, bassist Christian Cook, and drummer Blaze Beairl.

All but Blaze have since left HLTC, though note that Brandon has reportedly drummed on some prior studio material despite not being explicitly credited as such. Also, note that the cover artwork for the EP was designed by Christian before he left the band. "Notions" is available on multiple streaming services, including the big four (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music), and you can buy it in mp3 format via iTunes for $4.95, though like their prior releases, it isn't available on physical formats. Note that the formal EP was never uploaded to Spotify, but all five songs are individually streamable there. This is a short EP, as its five songs only clock in at 12 minutes, so let's begin this review!

First up is the title track "Notions", which has a suitably djenty opening riff, but feels more industrial and processed, with Brandon's vocals less raw and more layered. The song is very heavy, but it kinda feels like it's not really going anywhere, and the sludgy breakdown late (while likely a mosh pit starter live) ends the song on a bit of an anticlimax. Honestly, "Notions" comes off like it's a heavy stylistic change but without the freewheeling spark and variance in styles that I was hoping for. Next is "Shame", which is an instant improvement from its cleaner, less processed sound, including Brandon screaming in full voice overtop of the music. It's just a shame (natch) that it's an EP-low 80 seconds long! This feels extremely unfinished, like it's all verses and choruses with no instrumental time to breathe. A crushing song while it lasts, and fans of their earlier material should take to it!

Another sub-2 minute song caps off the EP's first half, namely "Marble Skin". which shares more in common with the title track, if not as mechanical sounding. Riff is punishing, the drums are the best that we've had yet, but it again has the vocals in a more processed, layered-in-the-mix state, and I'm not sure that ending songs with breakdowns is ideal. If anything, they should be a bridge to a final chorus, but given the length, I guess it had to go somewhere? Not a bad song but the deathcore influence, vocal processing, and brevity don't help it. The longest song here is next, namely "Road To Detroit" (inspired Heavy's road trips downstate), and the softer intro does help set the tone, as does the return of Brandon singing clean on verses! This feels more introspective than other songs on offer, and harsh vocals are more accent items than a focus, and this honestly gives me Deftones vibes, which isn't something I can say often about a local band!

While not their heaviest song by any stretch, it drives along well with an effective atmospheric vibe, and while their recent music has otherwise trended more extreme, it would be interesting to see Brandon, Jaxon, and crew do more stuff like this! The curiously titled "Happy Fun Fun" closes the EP, and things end on a heavy note, with djenty riffs, aggressive vocals, and more of a deathcore essence again, though like on too many songs here, the vocals come off too processed and layered, rather than letting Brandon let loose at the forefront. Suitably creepy spoken word and piano work fitting the title is also included here (it makes sense if you've seen the music video), and while the song is an effective closer that improves on some things, it still ends somewhat abruptly, and could have done more with the vibe of innocent childhood items in an unsettling horror setting like this.

So, what are my final thoughts on Heavy Lies The Crown's new EP? It's not their peak for my preferences, but if you're more into modern deathcore, you'll like how things have drifted! This is a short listen (probably too short), though the guys did say upon release that "Notions" was "a glued version of what we have to offer at this moment", and if that's the case, I'd have glued more on. I do miss the guitar solos that have largely been absent since the self-titled album (a.k.a. "Knucklebutter"), the drift towards deathcore and end-of-song breakdowns isn't necessarily for me compared to their earlier stuff, and I would really prefer Brandon's singing to be clear and audible and not so processed. Musically, everyone performs well with strong riffs, but when the best song ("Shame") doesn't even clear 90 seconds, it just left me wondering why they didn't fill these songs out moreso.

Deftones fans will like "Road To Detroit", and recent fans will like these songs, but I really would have included their mid-2024 single "These Walls". I don't know if it was omitted due to being co-written by Nathan before he left the band, or if the clearer metalcore structure, 4+ minute length, and clean choruses didn't fit where Heavy were at last year, but it would have been a highlight for me. What we do get is solid enough, just not at their peak for my preferences, but buy/stream "Notions" above and see what you think! I hope you guys liked this month's album review, and next month, we're staying in Michigan for a look at local metal solo project X's & Y's' new EP "Face The Moon, Forgive The Stars"! Thanks everyone!

The Ethereal Tomb & Tym Morrison Concert Previews, New Reeves Videos, And More!!

(Updated at 6:40 PM) Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a short notice concert that we missed in our previews, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished returned to St. Ignace for a set outside of The Little Bear East Arena & Community Center last night! The reason for the last minute announcement (only made yesterday morning on their Facebook page) was the meet & greet prior to today's Trek The Mighty Mac, an annual off-road vehicle parade crossing the Mackinac Bridge. Multiple bands played last night, though there was no formal announcement of them from promoters. Despite the late notice, hopefully the guys had a fun show last night, and we'd have happily covered it had it even had a day's notice!

Now, today's post looks at some assorted recent updates, new videos of a band in studio, and leading off, two previews of upcoming concerts, starting with local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Beck's Bar as this week's Sunday matinee performer there TOMORROW! While not a regular sight at the former Vibe Lounge, Tym last played the Sunday matinee slot there in mid-August, and this will be the third straight week where he has played a matinee gig on this day of the week, following two consecutive Reggie's Place dates. As usual for Beck's, they are hosting their weekly euchre tournament tomorrow during the concert proper, so hopefully Tym's hard rocking covers prove to be a fitting soundtrack whether you're playing or just want to enjoy the music! As usual for Beck's Sunday matinee timeslot, tomorrow's concert is at 3:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover.

If you can't make it tomorrow for this particular show, Tym's next Sunday matinee gig will be at Reggie's in two weeks. Visit the Facebook event page for more details on the unplugged hard and classic rock covers ahead, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, we end this batch of concert preview with the return of Barrie doom metal trio Ethereal Tomb, who will headline a "DIY garage show" on MONDAY NIGHT at Unnecessary Noise! Remember, this is the house party venue used for multiple Underground Events SSM concerts this year, but the address remains private, so if you want the address, "ask a punk" (though note that only one punk band is scheduled on Monday). Ethereal Tomb previously played at what's now Blaster Powerhouse in July of last year, and while the scale of their return is definitely lower, their sludgy brand of "Turtle Island street metal" should melt faces at Unnecessary Noise, so keep this in mind if you can swing the work/school night action! Local support will come by way of ska/crust punk quartet ASDP (led by promoter Mikhal "Cha" Muto) and young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe in their first public concert set in almost two months.

Neither are as heavy as what's to come, but there's a good array of styles to check out on Monday! This concert is all ages, has a 6:00 PM start time, and admission is $10 or "pay what you can". Sounds like a fun time, and you can sample the Unnecessary Noise concert experience by clicking here, so see above for more details, "ask a punk" (and/or members of 5 Dollar Bribe) for the address, and here's Ethereal Tomb live!

Also, here's some new videos of local hard rock quartet The Reeves' recent recording sessions at The Loft at The Algoma Conservatory of Music! After sharing photos of drummer Jeremy Ganuelas tracking "our first batch of songs" on their Facebook page on Tuesday, they shared two vertical videos from the sessions in progress, one featuring Jeremy drumming to an unspecified song while his bandmates observe in the studio. The longer of the two is embedded below, and it starts with an uncredited band member observing the view of the skyline and International Bridge before walking to the studio as Jeremy is in the booth again, and note that the camera is pointing down at his feet/the floor for the entire walk (not sure if that's to preserve some of the mystery of The Loft's layout or just where the camera was naturally pointed). Hopefully the sessions are going well, whether their teased album is still the end goal or not, so give these a watch above and below!

Finally for today, you may have seen this article on SooToday about new local funk/jazz fusion band Honey & Groove following their win at the Big Nickel Music Festival Battle of the Bands in Sudbury. While not a heavier group, their lineup features Lime frontwoman "Miss" Madii Schomogyi, River Fools/ex-Sylo frontman Eli Russell on drums, and Maynard Hayes bandmates Nathan Snider and Gabrielle Abulencia on guitar, alongside new-to-me bassist Zach Smith. That's a stacked lineup of young local talent, and congratulations to them on winning that battle of the bands (I wish we could get one to successfully take place here though!). I partly bring Honey & Groove up because I don't know if their existence means anything negative towards the future of Maynard Hayes, but the local hard rock quartet has been publically inactive since January, when they released "No Security" on major streaming services.

It's worth noting that Maynard Hayes don't have social media accounts outside of the limited Instagram, and their 2026 hiatus may have a lot to do with drummer David Peredun's move to Southern Ontario, though he remains active in Convergence (at least in studio). If they were linked on the SMS (Instagram-only bands are not), I wouldn't be classifying them as inactive for a few months, but hopefully Damon and crew aren't done yet, and give Honey & Groove a look above, as they have a good and lively sound that has impressed here and afar! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and features on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Peril), Crush Updates, And More News & Notes!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Friday evening, and it's mostly focused on Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula, so here's what you should know, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for the presumed final times on Friday and Saturday, October 9th & 10th! The shows were quietly announced via Kewadin's entertainment page this month, and these could be the last heavier-leaning concerts before the casino begins their massive renovations to The Rapids Lounge, with a new sports bar scheduled to open on/near that location next year. It's not a long weekend for Yoopers then, but if you want to rock out with a Jeff Hudson band one more time at The Rapids Lounge as we know it, keep things in mind for in two weeks! Next month's shows are 21+ affairs with no announced cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. If you're curious, Kewadin lists Rapids Lounge bookings through at least Halloween (soul/R&B cover band NuCorp), but is that it? We'll let you know when more details are announced!

Next up, let's head over to Rudyard, where local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to Huck's Pub & Grill as the headliners of their Halloween party on Saturday, October 31st! The #summerof906 ended quietly with no publically announced shows (or updates in general) since their set at the Barge Bash in Cedarville early last month, but this will be their first show at Huck's since the Summerfest weekend in July. Halloween is always a key date for bands to get, and Project 906 also got the honours last year (when October 31st was a Friday), so why not get another expertly timed return booking? Along with the usual spooky frills for Halloween night, and Project 906's established and fan favourite hard rock covers, there will be a costume contest, with yet-to-be-announced prizes going to the best overall, funniest, and best couples' costumes, similarly to last year's party.

Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian will take the stage at 8:00 PM on Halloween, this will have a 21+ age limit, and there is no announced cover charge. Where Project 906 have been lately, I don't know, but we at least have a date ahead, and on a fitting weekend in many respects, so visit the above links for more details on the spooktacular night ahead! 

Also today, here's a few updates from local hard rock trio Crush's Facebook page! As you may recall, Crush (who play out of town gigs more frequently than their sister band Tarnished) hit the road for Gould City yesterday to open for Tribe989 at Bates Corner Bar & Grill. The guys were hyping this up like it was a local gig, and for some readers, it will have been, as Gould City is a 90 minute drive west of the Soo, which is a half hour past our coverage range. Towns like Paradise, Newberry, and Gould City are beyond the one hour mark from Sault Ste. Marie, hence why we don't cover anything in those towns full bore, but they do put on some big events at Bates Corner, and yesterday's show was outdoors, even! You may recall seeing this outdoor stage with the eight poles on each side in past Tarnished and Crush media. Hopefully the concert (also featuring Hannahville metal band Ghidora) was a hit all around!

To plug the impending concert, bassist Isaac Royer (a.k.a. "Igman" here) filmed this vertical video of him, Alex, and Josh en route to Gould City, but they were running "way late" as of 5:50 PM due to construction en route. I can't tell where they exactly were when Iggy was filming, but hopefully they made it in time for the regular soundcheck, and they still plugged the show as best they could! Give the video a watch below, and hopefully we see Crush within an hour of the Soo before too long!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items (including some from Sault Ontario!) from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

 

• Sault Ontario hard rock/metal trio The BAG will headline a private concert on Friday, October 30th! The Devil's Night show will be held "at Dirtbag's" (message performers if you want to know where that is, let alone who Dirtbag is), and will feature The BAG's first announced concert set in over four months, alongside Hails, ASDP, and With Gunfire. While the show will have "pay what you can" admission, we historically don't cover private or house party concerts with no public address unless it's a repeat named location like Unnecessary Noise. It does sound like fun though, so visit the above links if you want to inquire further!
• A devastating fire caused severe damage at Snow's Bar & Grill in Cedarville, Michigan on September 9th, as covered in this St. Ignace News article by Erich Doerr, featuring photos of the bar during the blaze and after it was put out. Needless to say, Snow's as we know it was destroyed, and it's way too soon to know what the next steps are there, but owner Amy Salter confirmed on their Facebook page that they have insurance, and that process is ongoing. Snow's was sporadically featured here from hosting hard rock cover band concerts, most recently the aforementioned Project 906 in February. Our best wishes go out to Amy and her family and staff at this time!
• New Sault Ontario hard rock/blues trio Stones & Crows had special guests for their concert at Beck's Bar on August 27th, as per photos from the show on their Facebook page. Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew took Tony's spot behind the drumkit for at least one song, while someone only credited as "Bongo Boy" joined in for at least that same song with Brandan, and you can guess what he was playing. Fun to see some guests like this, and we'll let you know when Stones & Crows announce their first fall date!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for concert previews and more in our next news post! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Korpiklaani & Generations), Plus Convergence's New EP!!

Here's a second post late on this Thursday night, which is half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this fall, plus a surprise new album release and related videos, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced three concerts for next month, as per this concert calendar on their Facebook group! The first of the shows will be a one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, October 2nd, marking their first show of any kind since a private event last week, and their first at this central venue since early August. They're not scheduled anywhere over the Thanksgiving weekend, but Generations will return to Reggie's Place for a full weekend on Friday-Saturday, October 15th and 16th as well, after playing there late last month. No word yet on if we will see Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony anywhere over Halloween weekend, but keep all three shows in mind for their talented mix of classic and hard rock covers next month! These are all 19+ with no cover, with the Water Tower Pub show at 8:00 PM and the Reggie's gigs at 9:30 PM. See above for more details!

Next up, here's the big new show announcement that caught many extreme metal fans by surprise, as Finnish folk metal sextet Korpiklaani will make their local concert debut on Saturday, November 7th at Blaster Powerhouse! A veteran staple of metal in Finland for over two decades, Korpiklaani (which means "The Backwoods Clan") deliver an effectively folk-inspired sound that often sounds like a medieval party, complete with a violin and accordion(!) in their live repertoire, but they are decidedly a metal band with harsh vocals, and certainly not something we see often in this part of Ontario, so welcome them to the Soo in six weeks' time! Opening on their Canadian tour in November are Toronto melodic death metal quintet Crimson Shadows in their own local debut, and their power metal-influenced brutality should get the pits going in their own right, so definitely give them a listen as well!

Local support will come by way of local death metal quartet Eden Plague (the former Bear Hunters) and debuting local "midwest screamo" band Free Drugs. I have no intel on who they are, but assuming they're not a surprise band that night, we'll let you know when anything goes public! Promoted by Underground Events SSM, this all ages show at 7:30 PM has tickets running for $25 (no word on a hike at the door or if local openers will have any), which you can buy online at this link. Legit Scandinavian metal legends coming here is rare, so do not bypass what will be a major highlight of the fall calendar for local metalheads! Visit the above links for more details!

Also today, here's a surprise new EP release, as local progressive metal quartet Convergence quietly dropped their long awaited first studio effort with their current lineup on major streaming services on September 7th! After previously teasing that it'd be self-titled or named "In Bloom", the EP has reverted to the "Gemini" name that they were planning to use in 2024 before Stephen and David came on board, despite "Gemini" being their third release. "The Ebb", the title track, "You Are Not Flesh", and "In Bloom" are the four included songs, with "The Ebb" being a holdover from their de-listed all-instrumental 2024 EP "Dead & Dreaming" (now with a full band) and the other three songs all originated in the planning for album #3 in any form. Convergence have been very quiet this year, partly due to drummer David Peredun now living in Southern Ontario, so hopefully the abrupt release of "Gemini" isn't a bad sign re: their future!

In any event, you can actually buy this EP for $5.99 on Bandcamp, or hear it for free there and on the usual streaming haunts. Our review backlog remains quite large, so "Gemini" is currently pencilled in for April, so look for that then, and hopefully we hear more new songs and re-recordings alike from Convergence when able, as they were teasing a full album as recently as the spring! To promote the release, new videos have been posted to the band's YouTube channel in recent months, including guitar playthroughs from Brendan and Jake of both the title track and "You Are Not Flesh" in amusingly suburban locales, complete with on-screen tabs if you want to try and play along or learn how the songs were constructed. Watch for Rocky the dog in the latter video! Completing the set with prior lyric video uploads, Convergence also uploaded lyric videos to their channel for both "You Are Not Flesh" and "In Bloom".

The whole EP was also uploaded as one single YouTube video (as opposed to the auto-generated songs on YouTube Music), but embedded below is the playthrough video for "You Are Not Flesh" starring David, as it's the only one of the three where the band member in question is fully seen on camera (Brendan and Jake's heads are continually out of frame on theirs). Despite his move down south, it is encouraging to see David still working with Convergence, and while I'll hold comment on the song pending our full review next year, his drum abilities are certainly not in doubt. Give these new videos (and the "Gemini" EP) a look above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend concert preview post, just a heads up that Sault Michigan hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow are not playing at The Merchant's Bar on Saturday anymore, as per this updated concert calendar that removed the gig (but added three more Merch shows for later in the year that we will look at in an upcoming post). A reason for this Saturday's cancellation wasn't announced, but we'll have more on their returns soon, as they'll be back before you know it! Now, here's what you should know for most of this weekend's pre-Sunday hard rock concert previews for this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only confirmed on members' personal Facebook pages yesterday, and have not been publically announced on their (nor the venue's) Facebook pages at press time. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows got an AI-generated poster on personal accounts again giving their name as Soundcheck 7.3, which has still not been publically corroborated on the band's social media accounts, but it does promise "live classic rock" and "timeless hits" that are "always loud", among other promotional taglines. The shows will mark Soundcheck's second weekend at the former Reggie's West with new bassist Dan Beaupre, and he has finally been confirmed to have also joined their sister band Separate Wayz, as per a live photo and a "Story" from their Facebook page.

If you Hollow fans have missed this reunion of Dan & Terry so far, then keep TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Jay's shows in mind! These are not promoted as "epic crossover" gigs with Separate Wayz, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Nicole won't pop in. Also, no word if the song used to soundtrack said AI poster (Three Days Grace's "Just Like You") is a teaser of their planned sets. Both of this weekend's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck (7.3?) live a few years back!

Next up, let's head a half hour or so east of town to Echo Bay, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will headline their Elks Lodge #535's "End Of Summer Bash" on SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at the Bruce Mines Fall Fair even further east on Highway 17, this Saturday's show will send out the summer (which officially ended on Monday) in style with a night full of classic, hard, and southern rock favourites from "the dirty three", and while I'm not sure if there any other frills or perks to this event, the music may be all you need. If you'd rather see Greg, Alex, and Warren in city limits, they'll be rocking Beck's Bar next Saturday. The Elks Lodge in Echo Bay is located at 96 Church Street off of the old Highway 17B, and admission is $15 via the hosts on the Facebook event page or at the door. There is no stated age limit, and the show starts at 8:00 PM. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard live in concert last year!

Also on SATURDAY NIGHT is the latest concert from local promoters Underground Events SSM, as Ottawa extreme metal bands Salem Trials and The Jenova Projekt will both make their first stop in the Soo at Blaster Powerhouse! The former's brutal brand of deathcore and the latter's sharp metalcore sound will be a solid complement on Saturday, so don't bypass what will be a devastating one-two punch for metalheads at the former Soo Blaster this weekend! Local support will come by way of space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (kinda sorta making up things after dropping out of the 94Fatso show there last month). Neither is gonna do much yelling or growling, but they're both talented bands, so don't be late! Promoted by A.A. bassist Mikhal Muto, advance tickets are still on sale for $25 at The Rad Zone or through members of the local opening bands.

Admission at the door will jump to $30 for this all ages concert, which is slated to have doors opening at 8:30 PM. The Saturday timing is certainly advantageous for Mikhal and all involved performers, so if you love brutal extreme metal, this show will deliver the goods! Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this stop on the Ottawa bands' Heavy Is The Head Tour, and for a preview, here's Salem Trials live!

Finally, let's head south to Sault Michigan for the latest concert from Soo Tang Records, as local hardcore punk trio Viscera will headline another concert in the basement of Pizza Hut on SATURDAY NIGHT! Now named "Sault Slaughter" on the new poster, this concert will again pair Viscera with touring Michigan bands, but one fewer than we realized, as Marquette "ghostcore" band Particle Thrower dropped out of this concert, as per Viscera's Instagram page on Sunday. A reason for their withdrawal was not announced, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that we see Particle Thrower make the 3 hour drive east in the future! Possibly due to the short notice, they were not replaced on Saturday's bill, but there will still be two touring acts here, namely Grand Rapids death metal quartet Life Sentence and Marquette progressive deathcore quartet SilentLife, both in their local debuts. Three bands worth of extreme metal and hardcore punk sounds like a fun way to spend your evening if you wanna head to Pizza Hut!

Doors open at 7:00 PM with a $15 cover charge, and this show is absolutely all ages. Visit the above links for more details on all of Saturday's action, and for a preview, here's a new video of Viscera live! This was uploaded to frontman "Blind" Bob Quinn's personal Facebook page before being shared onto the band's Facebook page by drummer Mitchell Leon on September 3rd, and it features vertical (alas) video clips of their gig at Three One Three On Ashmun last month set to live background audio with some grainy filtering in post-production. No attempt to sync the audio, but it's an effective sampler with some neat panning camera angles of the action at the former Back Door, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post next! Thanks everyone!

The Aneurysm/Bloodshots Concert Preview, Plus New Concert Videos & Tarnished Updates!!

Let's cover some recent news and videos in tonight's post from both sides of the border, but first, here's a special mid-week concert preview!

We'll begin today with a special mid-week concert preview, as Winnipeg-based Nirvana tribute band Aneurysm and their sister "nu grunge punk n' roll" band The Bloodshots will both debut at Beck's Bar on WEDNESDAY NIGHT! While we have welcomed a Nirvana tribute here before (Like A Pisces a decade ago), that was a Pixo Control one-off, where this Wednesday's concert has far more in common with the Crush/Pyramid Theorem show at Reggie's in 2022. There and here, an original touring band is doubling up as a tribute band, with the latter being the headliner and the primary focus in promotion. Aneurysm deliver the goods for fans of early 1990s grunge, but don't bypass The Bloodshots, as their hard to categorize and melodic yet in-your-face original attack will set the tone before they channel their inner Kurt, Krist, and Dave! It is a shame that this is a work/school night, but alas, we can't control tour routing.

Wednesday night's concert is a 19+ affair at Beck's, with a 9:00 PM start time and a $10 cover charge. If you can swing coming out, this will be a fun time for grunge and alt-rock fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and with public Aneurysm videos hard to come by (I recommend crawling personal accounts), here's The Bloodshots live!

Next up, let's stay with Beck's Bar's Facebook page to look at their own videos from the Bone Yard 225/Spencer Pine concert there on September 9th! A Wednesday nighter itself, you can see more videos from this special collaborative jam on Bone Yard's Facebook page, but Beck's got three of them, though two are sub-40 seconds long, and alas, all three are vertical. One is of an instrumental jam, while another sees them covering Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride & Joy" with Spencer on vocals, with (by far) the longest of the three being a slower instrumental jam session. For some reason, both instrumental clips have unnecessary text captions slapped on them, but the videos capture a fun and unique night for your local 225 as they welcomed Stones & Crows' frontman for a jam, and Becky sure enjoyed the results, so give them a watch above! Unfortunately, Beck's content matched the audio to themselves, so I can't embed the videos here.

Now let's head to Michigan for some new videos from recent concerts, and we'll start with Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird's concert at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace this past Thursday! The venue's Facebook page shared this video of Jamie and Rikk covering Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (seemingly the Guns N' Roses version) during this Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend event. Alas, this video is vertical, filmed distantly from the stage (at least zoom in a bit!), and only 14 seconds long, but they get a decent sound out of this slow cover despite being a two man band. Check it out below, and hopefully we see Fyrbird back soon!

We'll close today with the latest from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished, who also played at The Driftwood on Saturday, and we'll save the bar's video of Tarnished for our next preview of one of their local gigs. Their busy truck show weekend there was lightened a bit though, as their planned Kingston Kitchen show on Saturday night was cancelled, as per the band's Facebook page just 14 minutes prior to showtime. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but hopefully all is well in their camp (let alone the restaurant), and we'll let you know when Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron make their next hour's trip to St. Ignace! I don't know when we'll see Tarnished within an hour of the Soo next, but they will be hitting the road for Engadine (90 minutes west of here) on Friday, October 30th for a pre-Halloween party at The Pine Bar! Click here for the AI-generated poster for that on-the-road gig.

Finally, remember how Tarnished played on an alleged pirate ship for a matinee concert in Mullett Lake near Cheboygan on September 5th? Well, a video was shared to the band's Facebook page via bassist Chris Leask's personal Facebook page! It was bizarrely hard to find details on this event (which looks reminiscent of the Government Bay Barge Bash in Cedarville), but Tarnished were playing on a pirate ship replica that matches one used at the Cheboygan Pirate Invasion festival in May. I wish the filmer had zoomed in, as the ship is distant to a point where I can't make out most of the band, but this cover of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" sounds good for the 48 seconds we get, so give it a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Reeves) & Fort Creek Updates!!

For a second straight day, we have an SMS post of two topics, one being an extended look at a band's new music video/single release, but leading off is a Halloween weekend LOCAL CONCERT ALERT with a lot to say itself, so here's what you should know on this Sunday morning!

Local hard/blues rock quartet The Reeves will headline an early Halloween party at The Art Hub At Spring on Friday, October 30th! This Devil's Night show will mark the Haze/Long Shot successors' return to the Queen Street arts venue following their set opening for Autopilot there two weeks ago, and will be their first show since beginning their recent recording sessions, so they should be in fine form to show off their already impressive array of original material, let alone the spooky themes! Opening here is the debut of new local pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero, whose only social media presence so far is on Instagram, but their descriptions so far point to a sound that fans of MySpace-era pop punk and emo will enjoy. Their lineup includes former A Dire Setback/A Fall From Innoncence singer Larry Babic, guitarists Brian Lester (ex-No Shadows Cast) and Dennys Andrade, bassist Paul Fowler (ex-Keep It Lit), and former As It Stands/For July guitarist Ryan McLaughlin on drums.

Intriguing lineup given the names involved (though Dennys is a total unknown to me), so keep their debut in mind for late next month! Former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci will open with an acoustic set (featuring some originals), and if you were hoping to see him as part of the cancelled open mic block at Rotaryfest Stage 2, keep this indoor event in mind, especially as it will be FREE! However, the Facebook event page still specifies that it is "by invite only", so they ask to contact performers to get on the list, though "last minute admission may be available". I assume this is more to do with the smaller size of the Art Hub, as the event is absolutely publically advertised and marketed. Regardless of that implied hoop to jump through, there will be complimentary snacks and drinks, a post-show dance party (no idea if there will be a DJ as such), and while costumes are welcome, they aren't necessary. They did not specify if there would be a costume contest of some kind either.

This is absolutely an all ages event with music starting at 8:00 PM, and it is shaping up to be a welcome addition to the Halloween weekend festivities, and not just thanks to the debut of Homeroom Hero. We'll let you know if they get a more substantial social media presence or post any media of them prior, but thanks to Brian for telling me what he did about the group! Visit the above links for more details on what to expect, and remember to contact members in advance to get on the list just in case!

Next up, let's talk about another local band who just released a new single and music video directed by Josh Penno from Spacebag Productions, but in this case, it's southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek! Just eight days after announcing their new lineup (now featuring bassist Arthur Lacasse and drummer Sam DeDominicis), the band announced that they completed shooting the music video for their new single "Sweet Rosie" on September 1st, later confirming that it would be released on "your favouite streaming platforms" this past Friday. What if your favourite is Bandcamp, where the song isn't available? Regardless, the song was mixed and mastered by Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, though the credits on major streaming platforms don't give details on the song's producer (they were working at former drummer Phil Greco's Jettison Studios before he left the band earlier this year).

Interestingly, Lime/ex-Rising Tide guitarist Liam Seymour is credited on bass for the studio recording rather than Art, but I don't know if this was strictly as a session musician or if he was briefly their bassist before Art (who does play in the video) signed on. The video features performance footage of the whole band on a darkened set intercut with scenes of a drag race featuring actress Jennifer Valotaire as the flag girl. This is the first original song release featuring the full plugged-in band, though note that the shelved "Hammer Down" did have preview clips posted online once. I'll hold full comment on the entire track in lieu of their debut album in progress, but fans of melodic hard rock will enjoy what's on offer here, and there is a southern rock edge to the instrumentation! It's great to finally see Fort Creek making some big progress as they re-emerge as a full band with material to show for it, but are concerts next? Give the "Sweet Rosie" video a watch below!

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