Norilsk Concert Video Showcase!!

Before heading back home after spending the Halloween weekend out of town (I hope to be at Rednecks tonight though!), let's close the month with a concert video showcase post from Friday night's Norilsk-headlined show at The Oddfellows Hall!  These all come from prolific local concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, so kudos to him once again for getting more solid videos, it's great of him to do so! Chris filmed six videos on Friday, including two of the headlining Gatineau, Quebec doom metal quartet, with their videos being of their songs "Japetus" (well, most of it), and as embedded below, "Potsdam Glo", which are both featured on their debut EP and full length album.  The lighting is inconsistent, and harsh vocals can be very hard to make out, but Norilsk deliver a nice & brutal blend of doom metal that pairs nicely with AlgomA in particular! Check out Chris' videos of Norilsk from Friday night above & below!



Next up is a twelve minute long video of local co-headliners AlgomA playing what I believe is "Extinct Volcanoes" (if I'm wrong, this will be corrected), and their relentless doom/sludge attack is in full force with this performance, with both Boyd and Kevin unleashing their vocal ferocity with purpose! Check out this new AlgomA video below!



Also from Chris' channel is this video of local death/thrash metal trio Pillory playing a song whose name wasn't captured in this upload, but I can't confirm the title offhand. Uniquely featuring frontman Robert Sartini wearing headphones and bassist Jordan Leach in a mask (remember, this was a Halloween weekend show), Pillory continue to hone and intensify their death metal sound, even with Jordan singing some lead vocals that fit the mood, but the lighting and further camera angle don't help on the visual end. Check out Pillory from Friday night below!



Finally from Chris' videos are local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, who were surprisingly the opening band in their first live concert appearance in five months! This video is of The Bear Hunters playing one of their newer songs for their upcoming second CD "The Dead Testament", but I can't verify it's exact title (all I know is what songs it's not.) Back as a quartet with Josh still living out of town, The Bear Hunters are in devastating form comparable to their more recent four-man shows, just with Justin's shorter haircut. Check it out below, and hopefully we hear more from The Bear Hunters soon!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys TONIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon to cap off the season! Thanks everyone, and Happy Halloween!

SweetKenny - "Gator's Bayou" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 88th monthly CD review, and for this month, we're taking our seventh look at an album by Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton! While I deliberated reviewing April's solo album "In Your Face" this month, I felt it was too old to be  a "new" release, and we prioritize new albums for our reviews, so we're instead taking a look at his most recent release, the instrumental score album "Gator's Bayou"! This came out on June 27th, marking our second review of his score/soundtrack albums, following our review of "The Hitman Files" in January. Like most of his recent original output, Ken recorded this at at Waterfall Records earlier this year, and he intends "Gator's Bayou" to be used in action/adventure projects with elements of comedy, inspired by 1960s and 1970s films of that kind. Featuring Ken himself on all instruments, "Gator's Bayou" is available for $7 via his official Bandcamp page, and can be streamed for free there too, but consider buying it to support his work!

Featuring 11 songs clocking in at around 31 minutes in length, let's begin this review with the first track, "Gator Bait"! Ken describes this as a take-off of the theme song from the film "White Lightning", and it has sort of a down and dirty southern rock flavour that honestly does sound like it could be the theme for a southern action film set in a swampy wetlands area. Sort of hard to describe, but it sets the tone well for the score as a whole! That's followed by "Sheriff on the Hunt", which Ken says is a "funky 60's style track", and despite what I said about the first song, this is the one he mentioned having a bluesy swamp feel. Personally, I find the first song better matches that, and I don't really get a "sheriff on the hunt" vibe from it either, but the songs has thematic similarities, and the guitar picking and bluesy tone don't hurt either! This song also feels like a fuller composition that would be better suited to live performance, and if intended for that environment, it works!

Third is "Making Moon at Night", obviously referencing illegal moonshine production and running, and while Ken calls this a "very cool track", it's only that in stops and starts to me. At it's peak, the song is up tempo, bluesy, and fast paced, and easily the heaviest song to date, but mid-way through, the song drops off and becomes reserved and drawn out (maybe this stretch is intended to reference making moonshine and not running it?). Everything picks up at the end, and for it's bookends, the song works well! Then we have "The Serpent Dance - Dusk to Sun Up", which has another strung out Southern blues instrumental vibe, but it allows Ken to deliver some fun guitar riffs! The eeriness suggested by the title creature doesn't really climax here though, and the song does seem to drag on a little bit, though for it's first half, it's a very effective piece of the overall puzzle!

Song #5 is "Bootlegging", which no doubt follows closely in the intended script with the third track, and I'd argue that this song feels the most like a song from one of his traditional albums out of anything so far! It has some nice backing effects, including snake rattles and howls, but the rest is a mid-tempo blues rocker that doesn't necessarily feel like it was meant to be on a score. Good guitar and bass work, effective tone, but I'd be interested to hear the song with vocals and a heavier overall style. The album's shortest track is next, namely "Caught in the Act", and it takes a definite turn from earlier tracks with more of a techno vibe, odd considering the police implications of the title. In it's own unique way, the keyboard parts give some ominous vibes, but the song ends too abruptly, and if it wasn't for the score's overall intent, I'd say it felt like a filler track.

Next is "On The Run From The Sheriff", whose title gives away the intended point of the script. Desptite the title alluding to a chase from police capture, the song feels more like it's the backing music for a tense jailbreak or escape. It has some unique effects and sound-bites, including some catchy drumming, but the guitar's certainly not at the forefront here, and to me at least, it's just an interesting diversion to change the pacing of the score. Eighth up is "The Swamp at Night", which Ken describes as "kind of a spooky track" wherein you can picture yourself in a dark swamp. Given the tones and background noise, this at times feels like you're on a submarine rather than a swamp (albeit, a submarine with a rattlesnake), but it does have a spooky disconnect at times, and fits along with earlier tracks where the guitar takes a back seat to other musical effects!

Ninth is "Smugglers & Runners", in what you could call the third song of the moonshine trilogy on "Gator's Bayou". In another example of a song featuring mismatched elements compared to it's title, a computer-like siren effect is frequently heard here, despite not referencing a chase or escape from the law like earlier songs had. That said, I love the marching drum beat, and it has an overall cool sound that suits it's effects and post-production, even if the title doesn't seem right, and it's my favourite of the score's less guitar-driven songs! The penultimate song is "Just Before The Crossroads", which ends the more experimental stretch of the album by returning us to the general sound of the opening 5 tracks. The song has the bluesy feel of the first half, complete with some foreign musical touches, and while it's not a "heavy" track, it's nice to get back to the basics, more or less!

The album and score wrap up with "Gator's Bayou - Main Theme", which is fittingly the album's longest song, and presumably the intended song for the credits if this was used in a movie. Aside from some added effects and snake rattles, this track is a nice and casual blues number that's drawn out without dragging on, and it wraps up the score well in familiar territory!

So, what are my final thoughts on "Gator's Bayou"? Overall, this is (once again) hard to review compared to our usual base, as it's a score and meant to represent the sum of it's parts. That said, when compared to last fall's "Hitman Files" score album, "Gator's Bayou" isn't as consistent in evoking the intended themes and settings, especially in the four-song section late where the songs seemed to trade the guitar for effects, post production, and techno touches. I found that the first half and last two songs were much better at creating the intended mood and environment, with bluesy riffs, some heavier material, and tinges of country to go along with them. SweetKenny hasn't been as prolific this year as he has been lately, releasing just 3 score albums and one traditional release in 2016 as of this writing, but he remains a creative artist thinking outside the box, and while I prefer "The Hitman Files", "Gator's Bayou" is definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for a unique score with some cool themes, so do that above!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month on the site, we hope to review a new album, but that depends heavily on if I obtain one that gets a public paid release. For example, Telephone & Address' "Are Your Now or Have Your Ever" is out for sale, but I don't have a copy yet, and it's not available for streaming yet either. Also, I do have an advance copy of The Apocalypse Afterparty's "Bufflesnort", as have others, but it's not publically on sale yet, and they haven't announced a timeframe in that regard. If neither lines up for November, and nothing new comes out otherwise (check our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post next week for possibilities), we'll dip into the archives, but just for clarification, we will not be looking at a SweetKenny, RedD Monkey, or Din album next month, as we are within our 6 month buffer periods on them to avoid showing a bias towards or against any bands. No matter what album comes next, look for our 89th monthly CD review next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 421), Punk Rock Bingo V Concert Preview, And Id Iota Updates!!

With a stacked Halloween weekend of concerts, and existing out of town plans limiting time for the next few days, let's get our last weekend concert preview up on the site, along with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month and some overdue updates from a fast-rising local band! Read on for what you need to know, and check out more of this weekend's concert previews in the posts below to get caught up on the Halloween shows in the area!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will headline their own solo concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, November 5th (one week from tomorrow!) Fresh off of their Halloween headlining set at The Rednecks Saloon THIS MONDAY, this will be Project 421's first solo show with no openers in a month, and their first Rockstar Bar appearance since opening for The Anti-Queens in July. This 1980s nostalgia mindtrip should deliver another solid night of metal classics next weekend, so if you can't make it on Monday and want some hard hitting metal classics, you know where to be next week! A 10:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ show, which also has no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and keep both this concert and Monday's four-band concert in mind for some classic metal action!

Next up, here's our last concert preview for this stacked Halloween concert weekend, held until now because of it's timing (and the fact that it had advance notice), as THIS SUNDAY NIGHT will see a Devil's Night edition of Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series at The New American Pub! After a six month hiatus since April's Black Tremor show, the long awaited fifth installment of this fan favourite event will return with two local metal bands backing up Saskatchewan southern rock trio Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities in their local concert debut, and they are named honestly, but Johnny can definitely get a good sound with them! Fans of raw southern rock should take to these guys, but if you crave metal, local doom/sludge trio AlgomA will provide support, fresh off of their set opening for Norilsk tonight! Also, promoters have quietly confirmed that local goregrind duo Rotopsy will kick things off in their first local concert appearance since the summer, though note that they hadn't publically acknowledged the show themselves at press time.

Note that Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities will also be playing at LopLops Lounge on November 19th on the way back west during their Eastern Canadian tour, so keep that in mind as well! The bingo itself starts the night at 9:00 PM with caller Brenton Ellis back, so get your dabbers ready to win some random prizes, and there will be a costume contest of some description too! There is a $5 cover and additional fees for bingo card purchases, and this is a 19+ event. Whether you like southern rock, metal, and/or bingo, this should be a fun night for many attendees, so visit the official Facebook event page for details, and here's AlgomA live!

Lastly for today, here's some more recent updates from local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota, and apologies for the delay in getting these on the site! Last month (prior to their recent Ontario tour run), Shawn Thicke of the music website Bucket List reviewed their debut EP "Maudlin Fair", giving it an 8.5/10 rating, saying that "it is catchy, well-constructed, and fitting of its subject matter", albeit "too wordy" and with somewhat dated production. Overall, this in-depth review is very positive, especially given Shawn's perception of their "underdog" status compared to larger bands, so give it a look at this link! Back in local territory, SooToday briefly included a snippet of Id Iota's Rotaryfest Stage 2 set from multiple camera angles at the beginning of their recap video of the summer festival from July, and while the original audio isn't present, the video quality is fantastic! Also, look for progressive rock veterans Machines Dream near the end of the video.

We can't embed videos from SooToday's video host here, but we can embed this, as Id Iota are featured in this video filmed by Jim Fur-era, the owner of The Grinning Gator in London where they played earlier this month! Shared by the band on their own Facebook page, the 2:17 video's first half is of Id Iota playing an unidentified newer original from a nice camera angle, but the second half (sideways for some reason) features their new original track "American Literature". Everything sounds good, with Id Iota rocking out nicely on this funk-tinged first original and the more laid back second song, but that camera angle doesn't help the viewer experience, and there's often someone standing right in front of Christian in the latter. Still, kudos to Jim for getting this video, so check it out below, and don't miss Id Iota opening for Mike Mikus at LopLops on November 26th!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, and more updates in the near future!! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 421, Mourning Wood, Highway 63, And The 3 Day Millionaires), And More Previews!!

Before we begin this second weekend concert preview post, I wanted to alert readers that Canadian Nightclub DJ and former local concert promoter Jay Perron's obituary is now up on SooToday. Therein, it confirms that his final services will be held at the Arthur Funeral Home at 492 Wellington Street East on Sunday at 2:00 PM (no presiding reverend indicated), with the celebration of life fittingly continuing at The Canadian at 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in his name be made to The Heart & Stroke Foundation's local branch and/or The Animal Assistance Group. Jay is survived by his wife Helen, his five children, his mother, his sister, and his extended family, and he will be dearly missed by his many friends and colleagues in the local music community.

Whether you're familiar with him as "DJ Reverend J" or as a fixture at Canadian Nightclub concerts, Jay's loss is still very sad and shocking, so definitely consider going to his services on Sunday to pay your respects, and our continued thoughts are with all affected. R.I.P. Jay!

Now, let's get to our concert previews, all being SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with the marathon to end all marathons for local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood, who are scheduled to rock Reggie's Place on Queen Street East TONIGHT, TOMORROW NIGHT, SUNDAY NIGHT, MONDAY NIGHT, AND TUESDAY NIGHT, and they played there last night too! Apologies for the short notice (and for missing last night's show), we only heard about them via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page last night, which was too late to rush this post for. You'd think a SIX NIGHT run of concerts would get advance notice, but alas, the band almost never publically promotes stops at the downtown Reggie's, and this weekend was no exception. Obviously, Reggie's is going all out for live entertainment over the Halloween weekend, and I'd assume costumes would be encouraged at least on MONDAY, so keep that in mind too!

You have five more options to see Mourning Wood's often heavy and requests-laden sets over the weekend, and start times of 10:00 PM, 19+ age limits, and no covers can be expected TONIGHT, TOMORROW, SUNDAY, MONDAY, and TUESDAY, and it'll be interesting to hear how this marathon goes, in case it recurs there or elsewhere! Apologies again for missing yesterday's show, we'd have plugged it had we had advance word, but keep this Mourn-a-thon in mind through November 1st, and here they are live!



Next up, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return to The American Legion for a third straight Halloween weekend concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only just announced this show via their Facebook page on Thursday. A very rare concert appearance for the Monkey's Uncle successors that isn't at a Kewadin Casino branch, this continues what's becoming an annual tradition for this talented veteran outfit, so if you're looking for a hard rock show in the E.U.P. over the Halloween weekend, head to 3 Legion Drive (off East Water Street) TOMORROW NIGHT! A costume party (with a $75 top prize) and pig raffle are also in effect for this publically-attendable concert, which is a 21+ event at 8:00 PM with no announced cover charges. Despite the extremely late notice, Highway 63 should be at their usual entertaining for this Halloween party, so keep it in mind in Sault Michigan for TOMORROW!

For a preview, here's a new video of Highway 63 from their weekend at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino earlier this month! Filmed by by fan Leann Ross and posted to their Facebook page on Sunday, this 30 second clip is of Highway 63 covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", with a band member (presumably frontman Henry Switzer) adding that this was "my favourite song we do." Powerful voice on the intro here, and while the instrumentation sounds good, we don't hear enough of the song to really make a judgment. Check out this new video below, and don't miss Highway 63 TOMORROW at The American Legion!



Also, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will debut their new lineup TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar, and will then return for a Halloween night concert THIS MONDAY! Once again, apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced via the official Facebook event page earlier this week. TOMORROW'S show will be The 3 Day Millionaires' first live appearance since replacing guitarist Travis Sharpe with Sneaky Pete alum Bill Brouillard, so how will Bill fit in with the Millionaires? You have two chances this holiday weekend, as this veteran quartet will also provide Halloween entertainment on MONDAY, and after having Sunday to rest, they should be ready to conjure up some spooky good times! I do imagine costumes are expected for Halloween's show, but I can't confirm if the venue has a costume contest or anything like that planned. Both TOMORROW & MONDAY'S shows have 10:30 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits in effect.

For reference, The Millionaires are not playing tonight due to a previously announced concert by The Boatload Killers' new spinoff country rock band The Barn Board Trio. While The 3 Day Millionaires have been mum on Travis' departure, Bill's a strong guitarist who was a key member of Sneaky Pete during their local run, and he should fit in well with Steve, Jeremey, and Scott going forward! Welcome him to the fold at one/both of this weekend's shows, see above for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!



Finally, four local bands will hit The Rednecks Saloon for their own Halloween night concert THIS MONDAY! One more time, apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via it's own Facebook event page earlier this week. Entitled "Halloween Nightmare", this PaperClip Productions show features a varied but mostly heavy lineup of bands, and while the lineup order isn't consistently stated, we'll go by the poster here. Classic metal quartet Project 421 are advertised there as the headliners, just over three weeks removed from a solo gig at the former Nicolet, and they'll be joined by funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and 421's modern hard rock sister band Eclipse, with both bands fresh off of their Halloween Party set at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday. They aren't advertised to reprise their tribute band themes from that show, but just in case, keep an eye out! The opening band is the live debut of new indie rock trio The Autumn Roots, featuring former March Into Regression bandmates Jeremy Hannah and Travis St. Amour (ex-Bring The Fallen) alongside bassist Greg Carscadden.

Despite the presence of local extreme metal alums, The Autumn Roots appear to be spiritual successors to Jeremy's old indie projects like The North Shore (formerly Like Father Like Son) and Ocean View. This new band should be interesting to see debut on MONDAY NIGHT, even if they're not as heavy as what's to come, so check them out early! "Halloween Nightmare" has NO COVER CHARGE and a 19+ age limit, and will start at 10:00 PM. Sounds like a fun and heavy way to cap off Halloween, so don't miss out on MONDAY, and here's Project 421 live playing "Am I Evil", fittingly for the season!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes later today, plus this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

The First Of The Halloween Weekend Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Another stacked Halloween weekend is upon us in the Sault Ste. Marie area, so here's our first of at least two weekend concert preview posts! We're going in rough chronological order, specifically hard rock shows that take place from Thursday-Saturday with no later dates, so if you're hoping to see previews of Sunday's punk rock bingo, the newly announced 3 Day Millionaires shows, or the late notice Rednecks Saloon show on Monday, watch for them in our next post! Now, here's what you need to know for this weekend to start! (Updated on Friday at 9:15 AM)

We'll start at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, as long-time Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return for three more acoustic concerts! In a unique twist (presumably to tie in with the holiday), the Facebook event page notes that Tym will be playing longer tomorrow & Saturday night, with those shows extended to 12:00 AM, so if you have later plans or just want to see him at a more typical time, you have options! Tonight's gig remains a 4 hour event ending at 10:00 PM. This prolific local singer/guitarist should be up to his usual tricks with a weekend chock full of unplugged hard rock favourites, and fans should definitely keep these matinees in mind! However, we can't confirm if Gliss and/or Tym will harbour any seasonal Halloween themes or not, but Gliss' Facebook page does not hype up Halloween at all, for what that's worth.

As usual for Tym's long-term run at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember where this show is being held. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!



(Note that, according to a personal Facebook posting this week, Tym did not play his usual Gliss show this past Thursday, despite it being a listed date on last week's Facebook event page. Other than to say that he "had the Thursday off", he didn't elaborate on why he only played twice last week. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and apologies for missing that, we'd have indicated the contraction had we known!)

Next up, the first of two seasonal concerts from local metal promoters Six, Two, Oh. goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, as Gatineau, Quebec doom metal quartet Norilsk will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Oddfellows Hall! Touring in support of their latest album "The Idea of North", Norilsk's brutal blend of doom and death metal has quickly been winning crowds over in the past four years, and they should deliver a heavy punch to local fans at The Oddfellows Hall tomorrow, so don't miss out! Local openers will include doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA, death/thrash metal trio Pillory (in their first live appearance in 3 months), and for the first time since the spring, a set by local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters! It's been way too long to see The Bear Hunters on stage in the Soo, so welcome them with open arms and horns! Doors open at 7:00 PM tomorrow for this ALL AGES concert, and while admission is $10, you can save $3 by bringing a canned good donation with you, which is a great gesture!

And no, I have no idea if Halloween costumes are encouraged or not, but Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo event on Sunday (which we're previewing tomorrow) will no doubt be more timely either way. This should be a fun concert for local metalheads, with a four-way of extreme metal in store for all ages, so see above for more details, and here's Norilsk live!

Moving on to The Tech, fans will see local party/hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom rock the former St. Mary's College THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at their own Halloween party! An event in support of The Tech's athletic programs, this will see Stiffler's Mom rock out with their fan favourite classics, but the Halloween-specific attractions will include a "haunted hallway", food and refreshments, prizes & giveaways, and a "secret unveiling" of a new Northern Superior Brewing Company product that will take place at 11:00 PM tomorrow, so be there Saturday to get the scoop! No word though on whether Stiffler's Mom are playing in The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium or somewhere else. Despite the venue's long history as a high school (and the event's 8:00 PM start time), this is sadly a 19+ concert, while admission is $10 via advance ticket sales at The Tech and presumably at the door.

This is somewhat unusual compared to the shows we usually see Stiffler's Mom play at, but it does come with the Halloween territory somewhat, and I'm sure Greg, Mike, and Jon will rock out solidly at The Tech tomorrow night! Definitely keep this event in mind for something a little different in your weekend plans, click here for more details, and here's Stiffler's Mom live!



We'll finish this concert preview post at The Algonquin Hotel for one half of their double decker of Halloween concerts THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, as promoter J.D. Pearce (in association with Tidal Records) is hosting his 12th annual Halloween Party concert downstairs at The Algonquin Pub! Hitting this venue for the fourth time in five years, Jack Spades' frontman is throwing another huge Halloween weekend bash, with a likely costume contest joining a talented lineup of hard rock and punk bands, and for just the second time since leaving Coch's Corner in 2012, it's all local this year! Returning to last year's tribute band theme, the currently advertised bands are local hard rock quartet Eclipse and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (back from last year), who will cover System of a Down & various 1990s rock songs under the temporary monikers "SSM of a Down" & "The Plaid Martens". Both styles play to the bands' strengths, so don't miss out on this tribute band action!

The planned headliner was Hey, What About Us?!, a one-off tribute to Me First & The Gimme Gimmes with J.D. on vocals, but that has quietly been removed from the Facebook event page for unannounced reasons, and at press time, a band was still waiting to be announced. We will let you know when/if one is added! Costumes are definitely encouraged for this 19+ concert on Saturday, with a $5 cover charge in effect and a 9:00 PM start time advertised. This should be a fun show, as fans of J.D.'s annual Halloween shows should have come to expect, so get your costumes ready for some hard rocking tributes at The 'Gonq, and here's "SSM of a Down" live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews tomorrow, and yes, I promise that The 3 Day Millionaires, punk rock bingo, and Monday's Rednecks Saloon show will all be in that post, perhaps with more late notice confirmations too? Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Joe Jenkins

Now's a good time to post this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site, as we're once again looking at a YouTube channel that largely focuses on local metal, hard rock, and or/punk-relevant videos! This month's randomly selected channel focuses on a prolific Sault Michigan-area artist who you may recognize as both a live guitarist and solo guitar demonstrator online, so read on below for this month's YouTube Profile!
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Joe Jenkins (http://www.youtube.com/phatman1478)

Owner: Project 906 guitarist "Big" Joe Jenkins, also known from older Sault Michigan-area bands like The Bottom Line, Exiled, Full Throttle, and Ten Kings

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 16th, 2011; Videos posted from April 2012 until March of this year

Channel Summary: A personal use channel whose launch predates his recent local band work, Joe describes his channel as being "about having fun with the guitar & effects". To that end, he has 19 videos posted of him playing guitar for either performance or demonstrative purposes, including two covers, a series of instrumental songs and segments, and increasingly in the past year, tests of new gear and pedals. As well, his first video is a short basketball slam dunk clip and is not music related.

Why You Should Watch: If you enjoy YouTube channels featuring guitarists performing solo compositions, covers, and tech demos, this is well worth your time, especially given that Joe is a local talent! However, videos of his local bands are not featured on his YouTube channel, with videos of them typically being posted on bands' own online pages when active. With all of that said, Joe has dozens of videos and followers on his Instagram page, which has most (if not all) of his YouTube uploads as well, plus more references to his bands, so that may be more worth subscribing to if you're an Instagram user.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

TRUE LIES - KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD (COVER): Joe's YouTube channel is not highly populated with covers (Instagram has more), but with over 800 views, his rendition of Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "True Lies" from September of last year is far and away his most popular on that site. Featuring a black & white film grain filter, Joe handles this blues rock number nicely, as played along with the original track, and he nails the guitar solo with some extra flourish, so fans should enjoy this cover! His other YouTube cover is of Soundgarden's "Outshined".



PITCH BLACK (ORIGINAL SONG) BY BIG JOE JENKINS: Not counting original riffs, solos, and jams, Joe has two named original songs that he performed for YouTube videos, including "Jedi Flip" and, as featured here, "Pitch Black", a song featured by name in no less than four of his uploads. This copy, from October of last year, is a re-recording to allow an unidentified friend to record a drum track, though if the version with drums was publically released, it's not on YouTube. The track is obviously unfinished, and could use more of a solo, but a solid hard rock number is there, and hopefully a fleshed out version comes online at some point!



GUITAR PEDAL GAIN STACKING!! (PAUL C TIMMY + IBANEZ TS808 + TS9 + NEW IBANEZ ANALOG DELAY MINI!!): In the past year or so, Joe's YouTube channel has focused largely on videos to show off, demonstrate, or compare his guitar gear, and if his Instagram following is any indication, there's a definite audience! One of the better ones, despite a cold he was battling, features Joe trying out some new guitar pedals that he bought in March, and offering some running commentary on how they sound and feel. Guitarists in particular will appreciate his videos on his gear, and he definitely knows what he's talking about, but again, visit Instagram for more similar videos!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on November 22nd, and after a random selection we have chosen multiple channels, as the first channel that we randomly drew only had one video, as did the second! With that said, we'll be looking at YouTube user matti7915's channel (featuring one Dirty Virgin video), local pop punk project Anthems vs. Ocean's channel (with one For July-era song), and A Dire Setback drummer Nick Kainula's YouTube channel (featuring a video of his old band Unbound), so look for all of this on or around November 22nd, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Live 705 Local Show), New & Returning Local Punk Bands, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Canadian Nightclub DJ and former local concert promoter Jay Perron, who reportedly passed away earlier today at the age of 43. Given the sudden word, we don't know details about final services yet, but will get them to you when announced. A familiar sight for fans of club nights and dance parties at The Canadian under his handle "DJ Reverend J", Jay frequently hosted such events under the Total Package Entertainment and Edge Entertainment brandings, including planned Halloween events this weekend, while he also has DJed at venues like the former GLOW, Vibe Lounge, and Docks locations in the past. Jay had also dabbled in rock concert promoting in the past, and in The Sault Metal Scene's early years, he was extremely helpful in letting me know about concert cancellations and lineup clarifications for shows at The Canadian, and was still friendly and reliable when needed even after the venue cut back on solely-local concert bookings.

Though we weren't in as much contact in recent years as we had been, Jay was a very nice guy and always willing to help when clarifying or confirming news on the site, and he even gave social advice beyond music coverage. As a personal aside, his mother was the maid of honour at my parents' wedding in 1988. No word yet on the status of Jay's planned Halloween parties at The Canadian this weekend, but visit the above links for information in that regard, and our thoughts and best wishes are with everyone affected by this sad news. R.I.P. Jay!

Now, today's post features an intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but as it involves a debuting local band, we'll lead off with that! The new local band in question is A Dire Setback, who feature some familiar names in their lineup, including former A Fall From Innocence singer Larry Babic, ex-The Fallout/Shore guitarist Chris Nielsen, bassist Matt Quinn, and ex-State of Misery/Stealing Kisses drummer Nick Kainula. The members' past bands may hint towards a punk/alternative genre, but in personal Facebook conversations, Nick has told me that they have "a different sound" and aren't "super punk", while their Facebook page lists their genre as "TBD", so take that for what it's worth. A Dire Setback have been recording in some form or another since August, and have already ordered a stage banner, so they're on their way to a public launch, so when will that be?

How about at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, November 19th? Courtesy of the band's new in-house concert promotion agency Live 705, the band and company will debut that night for "The Live 705 Local Show", whose lineup calls more to the late 2000s punk/alternative Oddfellows shows than more recent death metal/grind events there. A Dire Setback are the listed co-headliners, with indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. headlining in a rare Oddfellows appearance (perhaps their first?) Other listed bands on the 19th include a pair of bands that played at the Sky's The Limit fundraiser at The Tech in May, including online page-less classic rock trio Electric Church (in the Spencer Pine-led band's Oddfellows Hall debut) and alternative/hard rock trio The Din, so if you liked that event, keep this one in mind! Also, here's an unexpected surprise for punk fans, as late-2000s punk quartet Talk Shit have reunited and will play their first show in seven years on the 19th!

No online pages yet (or then), but singer/drummer Adam Sauve, guitarist Marc LaFrance, and bassist Ian Robinson are back alongside new guitarist Steve Shaw, who is replacing the relocated Andrew Angelic in their new lineup. This is an unexpected surprise (increasingly so if you miss members' earlier band Renderware too), so it'll be interesting to hear how Talk Shit sound in their return, and hopefully they finally launch an online page of some type! The lineup is rounded out by hard rock quartet Eclipse and local rapper Jasmin "Jizzy Baby" Sky, who you may recognize from recent Soo York City rap events. I'm not familiar with her musically, but we have seen rappers open Oddfellows shows in the past, so she should set the tone well! This ALL AGES show next month has a 5:30 PM start time, and tickets are now available for $8 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, the Thomas Walls School of Music, and directly from band members (if there's a planned price hike at the door, it's not publically stated.)

This is a very intriguing concert for punk and alternative fans, including a nice balance of established, returning, and newer faces, and it does call to mind the more varied punk shows at The Oddfellows Hall from the mid-late 2000s! Absolutely stay tuned for updates, both A Dire Setback and Live 705 are in their appropriate sections for our links now, and stay tuned for more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock) & More Assorted Updates!!

Today's news post is mostly devoted to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, but we also have a handful of assorted recent updates to round things out. With all of that said, here's what you need to know!

The official lineup for this year's fifth annual Toystock charity concert has been announced, with 10 bands rocking for 10 hours once again! The event returns to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road for a second straight year on Sunday, November 20th, and while the lineup and poster have been floating around personal Facebook pages for a few weeks, we only received public confirmation of the lineup via local news sites like SooToday and Sault Online earlier today. Harbouring a very different lineup than last year, only two bands are returning from 2015, including country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record breaking fourth Toystock set) and the return of Christmas-themed punk outfit The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet and Treble Charger alumni), so it'll be fun to see them again, especially as their non-seasonal spin-off band Killer hasn't been up to much publically! These are the advertised headlining bands via local news media, and while the poster's band order isn't identical, we'll treat the lineup from articles as accurate unless otherwise stated.

They're presumably on at 9:00 & 8:00 PM each, while the remaining lineup of debuting bands includes funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 7:00 PM, punk trio Redundant at 6:00 PM, classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires (with new guitarist Bill Brouillard in tow) at 5:00 PM, debuting local rock band Shyte at 4:00 PM, 1960s-themed classic rock quartet The Peace Vibe at 3:00 PM, alternative hard rock trio The Din at 2:00 PM, unidentified Case's Music students at 1:00 PM, and online page-less hard rock quartet The Band Camp Rejects (successors to 2015 one-off band Under the Influence) at 12:00 PM. Notably, the Case's Music students are replacing a previously advertised return of students from the Bocturoc Acacemy of Music for unannounced reasons, though Bocturoc was only advertised before public announcements were made. As for Shyte, promoter Greg Simpson confirmed on Facebook that they're a new band from veteran local singer Jim O'Leary, of That's Chester & Flat Stanley fame.

This wouldn't be the first time that Jim debuted a band at Toystock, as his old band Griphook were revealed at Toystock I in 2012, but how will Shyte look and sound? We'll let you know if we hear anything! Promoted once again by Maxx Entertainment (now officially called Choose Maxx), this year's Toystock is again an ALL AGES charity event, with Christmas Cheer food, toy, and/or money donations being readily accepted on site, and those are also the admission fee as usual. The Stuff-A-Bus will be back as well, while Santa & Mrs. Claus will be on hand to meet the kids, and there will be refreshments on sale, and various prize giveaways. Toystock V is shaping up to be another fun marathon concert, and while it maintains it's usual Rotaryfest Stage 1-style lineup, there's a nice sampling of original performers as well (including Redundant, who we don't see live nearly enough anymore), and it'll be interesting to see how the Case's Music students do also! Will they resemble the late Mike Case's Junior All Star bands from Toystocks II & III? Be there to find out!

There's a little something for everyone at this year's Toystock, so be at the Northern Grand Gardens (not the Dennis Street location) on Sunday, November 20th for 10 hours of live music action and Christmas good will from 10 talented local bands, and stay tuned for updates! We'll close today with some assorted recent news and notes from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters have officially been confirmed to open THIS FRIDAY'S Norilsk concert at The Oddfellows Hall! There had initially been concerns about work and other personal commitments scuttling plans, but the band and promoters have confirmed that they are able to play in what will be their first live concert appearance since drummer Johnny Belanger's birthday concert there in May. This has been a long summer without The Bear Hunters, but welcome them back to the stage on Friday, and stay tuned for our full preview later this week!
• We have removed former Queen Street bar and acoustic concert venue Bottoms Up Lounge from our defunct venue links, as it's only surviving online page (a personal account named after the venue) has been turned into ex-owner Lori Lanoce's own personal Facebook page in recent years. Bottoms Up was a nice quality venue, especially for Tym Morrison solo gigs once upon a time, and hopefully regulars maintain good memories of it!
• The planned one-off Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute (named "Hey, What About Us?!") has quietly been removed from the lineup of THIS SATURDAY'S Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub for unannounced reasons. Maybe a key member(s) can't make it? A replacement act is to be announced, and we'll let you know if they're confirmed by the time of this weekend's concert previews!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features in short order! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota Updates & Tour Fallout, New Woods Of Ypres Video Finds, And More!!

The last full week of October is upon us, so let's kick things off in style with a stacked news post! Today, we have a new Sault Michigan cover video, and surprise archive videos from a dearly departed local metal band, and leading off, the latest videos and coverage of a fast-rising local hard rock act, so here's what you need to know!

Let's start by tackling some overdue recent notes and updates from local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota, who recently wrapped up their Ontario tour run with ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus! While in Ottawa earlier this month, Mike and Id Iota recorded an interview and some in-studio songs for Carleton University campus radio station CKCU FM 93.1's program Carleton Music Showcase, with the episode airing last week, but if you don't live in Ottawa, you're in luck, as the episode is online! The hour-long program is largely a music showcase (naturally) of various artists, notably leading off with fellow Sault Ste. Marie-native Renee Landry, while the local band portion begins about 5:57 in with Mike's debut pop rock solo single "Drowning Crown", followed by a brief interview by co-host Andrew Knox with both Mike and Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay. The interview proper features discussion about both acts' music and background, how both joined forces to tour, and more, and while it's brief, it's an amusing clip!

For reference sake, Christian did bring up The Pixo Control in the interview when referencing how he and Mike met, but nothing was elaborated on regarding their demise. Also, Mike's new solo band features Pixo Control holdover & Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall on bass alongside Mike's old Fever Tops bandmate Mitch Harris on drums, so followers of his whole music career will be right at home! The interview is followed by one more new Mike Mikus original (the laid back "Figures as Much") and two Id Iota songs ("Permanence In Pencil" & "California Wasted" from their debut EP "Maudlin Fair".) Solid performances overall, so definitely check out the full interview and episode at this link, and get ready, as the Mikus/Iota segment runs for 22 minutes! As for the tour proper, Id Iota had their cameras rolling for three video uploads on their Facebook page, all 1 minute or less in length, including this video in Toronto, and this heavier song from London.

Embedded below is the only song they titled in the descriptions, namely their newer track "Seas Envy Skies", with Christian manning some type of beeping effects board early during this portion of their set in Ottawa. I wish the filmer had shot longer videos, but kudos for what they did get, and remember, the technical last stop of their tour comes on November 26th at LopLops Lounge, so watch for them then! See and hear more above and in the coming days, and check out Id Iota in Ottawa below!

Next up, here's some surprising new video finds from defunct local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres! These were actually uploaded to the David Gold's Legacy Facebook page shortly after his passing in December 2011, but they absolutely flew under the radar here and there, with the 4 videos only having a combined 8 likes on Facebook as of this writing, and it took a recent YouTube re-posting by fan Hlynur Svartaduhter for us to have even found them. These four videos come from Woods of Ypres' set at the one-off Obey the Flame Festival in Montreal, Quebec on May 25th, 2003, back when they were a Windsor-based black metal outfit. Based on an Internet Archive copy of their website from May 2003, their lineup here includes eventual frontman David Gold on drums, alongside singer Robin Cross, guitarists Dustin Black & Colin Wysman, and bassist/clean vocalist Aaron Palmer (all but David left Woods of Ypres by year's end, when he relocated to Toronto and started over with new band members.)

Filmed on camcorder by an attendee, the videos feature Woods of Ypres playing "Intro: The Shams of Optimism", "Crossing the 45th Parallel", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", and (as embedded below) "A Meeting Place & Time". Notably comprising all of their 2002 debut EP "Against the Seasons" save for the closer "Awaiting the Inevitable", the audio's solid despite the videos' age and recording format, and while it's still unusual to see Woods of Ypres without David up front, these capture the future Juno winners in brutal form from their early Windsor days, and hopefully more turns up! Fans should definitely check them out above & below!



Finally, here's a new solo cover from Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel, as posted last week! The Sault Michigan native again revisited his old Dust N' Bones side for this cover, where he sings "We All Die Young" by Steelheart, as later popularized in the 2001 movie Rock Star. Filmed on a Go-Pro or similar handi-cam, and with a sepia tone filter placed over top of the video, this isn't a bad rendition, and Craig can hit higher notes well, but some of his singing does sound a little strained. Check it out below, and see more from his various projects above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (9 Lives & Counting), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Let's cover the rest of this weekend's concert previews (barring any supremely late notice events) in this post, with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and a new Shaw TV video to round things out for good measure! Now, here's what you need to know!

Toronto hard rock quartet 9 Lives & Counting will make their local concert debut with a headlining show at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, November 25th! As the Facebook event page says, trouble is coming to "the Sault Ste. Marie" for this concert, with 9 Lives & Counting touring in support of their debut CD "Beautiful Distraction", and their groovy blend of hard and alternative rock should be a solid attraction for local fans next month! Haggith alumni will populate the local opening slots, with modern hard rock quartet Eclipse and alternative/hard rock trio The Din returning to The Rockstar Bar to deliver their own original songs and select covers for fans, so don't miss out and don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and while an oddly early start time of 8:00 PM is advertised, I'd assume bands won't play until at least 9:00. This should be a fun night for fans of modern hard rock, and 9 Lives & Counting definitely aren't a cookie cutter band, so check the above links for more details on next month's show!

Next up, let's tackle this weekend's remaining hard rock concert previews, all in the Sault Michigan area, starting with Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned, who are advertised as returning to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Though Banned have curiously not posted on their Facebook page in over a month, this weekend's shows are the last currently advertised on their Facebook page's cover photo (they have yet to acknowledge their last two Kewadin weekends that the venue previously confirmed.) Unless something is said to the contrary, we'll treat these as on! Fans may want to check out frontman Alex Traynor's recent feature in Shotcaller Magazine though, as he gets a one page spotlight in the Midwest U.S. photography magazine's latest issue. Seems like an odd fit, but it's a nice look into Alex's influences and musical background, so check pages 42 &43 at this link for the full article via it's online edition!

As for this weekend's scheduled Rapids Lounge gigs, look for Alex, Don, and Wayne at around 9:00 PM tonight and tomorrow, with no cover charges and 21+ age limits in effect both nights. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!



Lastly for this weekend, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Again, Highway 63 haven't newly plugged these shows, but both the band and venue confirmed them publically in earlier schedule announcements.This veteran outfit remain a steady and entertaining attraction with their monthly gigs at both local Kewadin Casino branches, and with alumni of Monkey's Uncle, The Mama's Boys, I.S.O.M., and Deprecor in their lineup, you won't want to miss out on this weekend's action! Highway 63 will be on at the St. Ignace Kewadin tonight and tomorrow at 9:00 PM, and also like Banned's shows, expect 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Check the above links for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!

Finally, here's a new Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie feature video on local post-punk quartet Gnaeus! Posted onto Shaw TV's YouTube channel yesterday, this wasn't acknowledged online by the band prior, but I believe it aired on channel 10's news video rotation before making it's way to YouTube. The piece was filmed by Shaw TV's Christian Lemay (Id Iota), with performance footage from their set opening for The Din at The Tech in August scattered within interview clips of Gnaeus shot downtown in front of the MS Norgoma. The interview proper features all 4 members discussing Gnaeus' formation, why Brad Irwin plays the synth, the guys' enjoyment of what they do, their debut CD "Meditations" and the origin of the album's name, experiences recording the album and playing live, where to buy the CD (there are copies at Pino's, believe it or not), and more. Solid interview that covers a lot of positive ground in a short time, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Christian and Id Iota very soon as well!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and updates soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soo Zombie Walk & Mourning Wood) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's get back into the swing of things with the first of this weekend's concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including a big returning event! Sault Michigan previews and any even-later notice concerts will come in out next post, either tonight or tomorrow, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their official Facebook event page earlier this week. Playing at the former Nicolet Tavern for the first time since last month's Garth Brooks tribute afterparty, Mourning Wood has indicated that "the full band" will be back for TOMORROW'S show, implying that their last few gigs there were shorthanded (though I thought all 4 members played last month.) No word on why this is a one-night-only concert though, which is reasonably unusual for them, though if it's due to a Saturday night booking elsewhere, it hasn't been publically announced. You can take in Mourning Wood's varied and often heavy blend of covers TOMORROW at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. See above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, the musical contingent for this year's Soo Zombie Walk afterparty has finally been announced, as local alternative punk/blues veterans Sykotyk Rampage, Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan, and Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci will be rocking out at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center THIS SATURDAY prior to the walk! Apologies again for the short notice, organizers didn't publically confirm any performers until Tuesday on the Facebook event page, much later than usual. For this eighth annual local Zombie Walk (and fourth straight at the Bushplane Museum), local zombies of ALL AGES will patrol downtown for brains and to combat the resistance, so click here for full details on events in regard to the walk proper and how to get involved! This year's music lineup will be familiar as well, with Sykotyk Rampage and Greg making their sixth & fourth straight appearances at the annual Halloween season event, with Sykotyk Rampage's involvement being especially notable as this will be their first public local concert since last year's Zombie Walk! Only Andrew is new, and if you're familiar with Stereo North, you'll know his vocal & guitar talent!

It's been way too long to see Sykotyk Rampage back on a local stage, so if you've missed them in 2016, be at the zombie walk on Saturday for their crash music! No word though on if their set will be acoustic again or not. Also, there are no online references to an afterparty for this year's Zombie Walk, and if there is no afterparty, it would mark the first walk without one since the inaugural event in 2009. For reference, last year's afterparty took place at Coch's Corner, which also hosted 2010 & 2013's afterparties, and it featured the same music lineup as the pre-walk festivities had. If anything is confirmed regarding an afterparty, we'll let you know! Sykotyk Rampage are on last on SATURDAY at 5:00 PM, with Greg and Andrew playing at 4:30 & 4:00 PM respectively, and their sets sandwich children's and adult's brain eating contests. After orientation and rules, the walk itself will take place from 6:00-7:00 PM, with award presentations following upon return to the museum.

Admission to this year's Soo Zombie Walk is $3 with a canned good donation (kids under 10 only need a canned good), while click here for full details on waiver and registration forms, particularly if you're underage. While the music announcements are on short notice and with some lingering questions (re: the afterparty), there's a fun lineup in store, including the long awaited local concert return of Sykotyk Rampage, so whether you're hungry for brains or just want to enjoy some live punk music, be at The Bushplane Museum on Saturday! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage live!

Finally, we'll close with prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's previously announced concerts, as he is scheduled to return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for three more acoustic solo concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! With the month of October winding along, Tym's three-peat of weekly concerts at The Quality Inn's restaurant should be another reliable and reserved attraction for fans this weekend, so keep Tym's latest unplugged shows in mind for some acoustic hard rock cover action! Remember, he is playing at Gliss next weekend, in case you want some Halloween weekend plans. As usual for Tym's long-term arrangement at Gliss, tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday's shows are 6:00 PM matinee events with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember where these are being held. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym Morrison live a few years back!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Gnaeus), New Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

Let's launch a new news post for you guys on this Monday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent updates, plus some long awaited new cover videos from a pair of Sault Michigan artists, but let's kick things off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Local post-punk/garage-wave quartet Gnaeus will return to the stage for a solo headlining concert on Friday, November 18th at LopLops Lounge! The band hasn't confirmed this show publically yet (or posted on their Facebook page in three weeks), but the venue announced the show via their own Facebook event page yesterday, as part of a mass posting of event pages for upcoming concerts there. This is Gnaeus' first advertised concert since Tidal Records' Gnar-BQ last month, and their first LopLops appearance since headlining there in July. No word on if there's a special quirk or theme for this show, or if it is truly just a regular Gnaeus concert, but fans of their varied post-punk originals and select covers should definitely consider a trip down to LopLops next month! This show has a $5 cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Gnaeus when it rolls in!

Next up, we have some new solo performance videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with the latest cover postings from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel! In his first postings there in three months, Ryan (who now lists his "Moe Brown" alias on the channel's name too) posted vocal/guitar covers of Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and, as embedded below, Matchbox Twenty's "Bright Lights" there last week. Both featuring color filters put on in post, these aren't badly done renditions, and Ryan's vocal range continues to get more confident, so check out his latest covers above & below!



Also new to YouTube is the first solo cover video from ex-Insipid Brutality/Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie's YouTube channel in over two years! No word on what took him so long, but this video is a cover of the guitar solo and outro from Pantera's "Floods", and doing so flawlessly from what I could tell! Scott was always a highlight among Sault Michigan-area metal guitarists, and hopefully we see him in a new band soon, but check out his take on "Floods" below!



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

• Former Why guitarist Chris Nielsen is looking for local bands to round out the lineup of a planned all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday, November 19th. 6 bands are scheduled, and as of this past Saturday, he had 3 enlisted to play 30 minute sets, though if Chris is playing in a (new?) band that night, I can't confirm their identity yet. There's even interest regarding a possible Fitswitch(?!) reunion, but if you're interested in playing, message Chris at this link or via his post on the Sault Ste. Marie All Ages group!
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires have quietly enlisted ex-Sneaky Pete rhythm guitarist Bill Brouillard to join the band, replacing Travis Sharpe, while bassist Steve Dowding is now credited as their full lead vocalist. A reason for Travis' departure wasn't announced, but he was quietly removed from their lineup and cover photo on their Facebook page over the past day. Hopefully nothing bad happened with Travis, but fingers crossed that we see him in a new band soon, and Bill should be a nice fit with the Millonaires, so stay tuned for the new lineup's debut!
• Tidal Records' songwriting contest at LopLops Lounge on Saturday was won by Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone, so he'll be recording his original song "Show Me What That Is" with Tidal Records in the near future. While a hard rock or punk artist would have been nice to see win, congratulations to Nathan on a well deserved victory! He's a talented country musician, as Thin Ice fans will attest to! For reference sake, the most recent postings advertising the contest didn't mention Jacob "Shit Creek Survivor" Quarrell as performing anymore, though if true, I don't know why he dropped out.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the next while! Thanks everyone!

Moon Tan Concert Video Showcase, Plus Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to new concert videos from a recent show, as we previously hinted on Wednesday, but we have some extra assorted updates at post's end as well. Let's start with those videos, courtesy of prolific local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel, as he was on hand for last week's short notice Moon Tan concert at The New American Pub! He did film each band, so let's start with the nominal headliners (even if they didn't actually play last), as Chris filmed the Winnipeg prog/funk rock trio playing their songs "The Cure", this instrumental jam (I can't place the name), and as embedded below, "The Faceless Knight". Moon Tan have a solid look and sound on these videos, combining moon faced costumes with songs that seem to combine Rush with funk rock, and it works well for them, with fans visibly getting into the groove! Check out Moon Tan live at The New A below, and see more from their debut local set above!



Next up, Chris filmed both of the night's local bands, including this video of alternative/hard rock trio The Din covering The Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly", albeit from a further camera angle than Moon Tan had. Well done cover that suits The Din's sound, though an attendee up front does get in the way of Tammy at times. Check it out below!



Chris' other video from last week's concert is of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who enlisted guest saxophonist Josh Norling once again for this show, which is always a nice addition! I'm not 100% positive, but it also looks like Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas filled in for Alex Hagerman on drums, which he has done in the past. This video has The Elements, Josh, and Jonas covering Tenacious D's "Kielbasa" with enthusiasm, and Rob Speers has some solid conviction to his voice here, so check out this new Elements cover below, and don't miss them as "The Plaid Martens" in two weeks!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by venue or station name:

• Petoskey, Michigan classic rock radio station KLT (WKLZ, 98.9 FM) and it's originating station in Kalkaska were among eight stations sold by Northern Broadcast to Blarney Stone Broadcasting last month. Though KLT remains on the air as usual, early reports have the KLT stations either becoming simulcasts of existing Grayling rock station Q100.3, or vice versa with KLT adopting Q100's larger and more request-driven playlist rotation. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but pay attention to 98.9 FM (which gets fringe reception in the Sault Ste. Marie area) for potential changes!
• Lake Superior State University's campus radio station WLSO (90.1 FM) officially re-branded this summer as The 46th Parallel Radio (referencing the circle of latitude that the Sault area sits upon), and plan to launch online streams of the station via TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This followed a listener contest to name what was announced as their "new online station", but it has since been confirmed that they meant the FM station proper and it's online stream. The new name doesn't really reflect the school so much as the region, but be sure to check The 46th Parallel Radio out, and remember that they do occasionally run heavier music!
• New Sault Ontario outdoor concert venue The Yard has a new co-owner, namely Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori! The news was revealed in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly earlier today, where Greig reflects on the fondly remembered Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor venue Castle Farms, and his hopes to bring a similar concert roster and feel to the Huron Street location. The idea of making this a "new" Castle Farms has been floated before, and it'd be great to see that come to fruition, so hopefully Greig can help make The Yard a regular and major concert destination in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates next week! Thanks everyone!