New Sault Michigan Videos, And Lots Of Recent Sault Ontario News Items!!

Before we get to the news, I just wanted to apologize for a possible missed concert for promotion on here, as local classic/hard rock cover band Griphook (who we recently began formally covering on here) were listed as playing at The Nicolet Tavern last night on SooToday's Don't Say There's Nothing To Do In The Soo List (link here.) However, neither Griphook's Facebook page nor members' personal pages said anything about a show at the Nic last night, so I can't definitively say if that show went on. If it did, my profuse apologies for missing it, but I have no clear proof that it happened.

Now, this post largely clears out our cache of unposted news items on the site, and it's half divided between videos from the Sault Michigan area, and a bunch of recent shorter stories from Sault Ontario! We'll start with this somewhat hard to describe promo video from local hard rock/metal band The Highest of Fives (featuring 415E, RamWagon, and Free Refill alumni), which was uploaded to guitarist Devin Anderson's YouTube channel on Sunday. According to the description, the video is a preview of an upcoming "TV show" that The Highest of Fives are making with local "Twitter personality" Crusty Puck, though I don't know much about him. The video features assorted out of context clips set to music (presumably a Highest of Fives song), though everything seems to be parts of sketches rather than performances, and I don't think the full band features even in an acting role. I wouldn't write off the video too fast, as the band's past preview clips for their upcoming album "Bang!" have amusing moments and some inspiration, so if this takes off (presumably as a web series), there might be value to it! Give the preview video a look below!



Also in new videos, remember on Monday when we covered that Tesla cover from the Music In The Park event in Brimley on July 4th? Well, there's one more acoustic hair metal cover from the event that sound engineer/Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki filmed and uploaded to his YouTube channel last week, and it's of The Mills Family (identities not clear beyond the family connection) covering Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" on the 4th! One of two videos of this quartet that Erik shot (joining a black & white cover of Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville"), it's well performed, albeit quainter sounding than the original, and the singer handles the track nicely! Bon Jovi fans should like the cover, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter stories from Sault Ontario in the past little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• In a somewhat odd replacement for the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza on August 10th, local folk artist Guy Smith has replaced young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust as the show's opening band, as per promoters on the Facebook event page on Thursday. A reason for the switch was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened in the Ashes To Dust camp! Guy's a talented musician and poet, though definitely an outlier for this type of show, but give his work a listen above and see what you think!
• Local musician Chris Raginskis is again exploring the possibility of launching a local band, this time eyeing a Christian hard rock band that would cover artists like Chevelle and Switchfoot. Christian rock bands are definitely more common in Sault Michigan, but this one sounds like it'd be heavier if it took off (similarly to Outshined), so if you're interested in being a part, message Chris at this link or at his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on June 5th!
• Late & Loud successors The Hydra's Teeth announced the addition of ex-Sativa Rose/Winkstinger guitarist Anthony Orazietti to their lineup on their Facebook page yesterday, replacing the already departed Talon Risto. Anthony proved to be a quality addition in his last two bands, so hopefully this new gig works out, and stay tuned for more as we hear it!
• Also from the Musicians Wanted group, new local musician Jason Hayward is looking to play some "angst driven rock covers" in a local band (for the record, he plays bass and can sing.) If you're interested in jamming with him, message Jason at this link or via his post from last week at the above link!
• Local thrash band Pillory are still at work on their debut EP "Cringe At The Cross", with bass and drum tracks complete, and guitar and vocal tracks now in the process of being finished, as per posts on their Facebook page this month. A return to the stage would help their prominence and exposure for the EP release, but I don't think they've found a replacement for the late Andres Duchesne yet. Hopefully things are coming along well for them, and stay tuned for updates!
• Newer local classic/hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies have added Redundant frontman Justin Langlois to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing Jamie Cameron. With no online pages yet, my source is drummer Scott McLurg's personal Facebook page. Barring an interim announcement, their new lineup will debut at the Rock N' Roar festival in Spanish next month, so keep it in mind, and hopefully Justin proves to be a solid addition in this new band!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week, especially as we approach Rotaryfest weekend! Thanks everyone!