Updates From Project 906, Two Local Solo Artists Named Mike, And Much More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer profuse apologies for a missed concert in this past weekend's concert previews, as local punk trio Redundant played what was advertised as a "surprise acoustic show" on Friday night at Room 21, only publically confirming that concert via it's Facebook event page just four hours prior to showtime. No word on if this was a late replacement gig or just wasn't advertised until that evening, but hopefully the show went well, and had we known about it in advance, we'd have previewed it here! Now, we have some updates from two local solo musicians, a Sault Michigan band, and more, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with a new concert video from Sault Michigan hard rock/blues quartet Project 906, who just took a road trip out to Hulbert Township for a rare concert there on Saturday! If you're wondering why we didn't cover it in this past weekend's concert previews, it was because Google Maps has always listed Hulbert as being a 62 minute drive from Sault Ste. Marie, just past our one hour coverage range on the SMS, but as this show's venue is listed as being a 54 minute drive from here, I will now make Hulbert Township our cutoff point going west into the Upper Peninsula. Hard rock shows there don't happen too often as it is, but we'll cover anything there that crosses our radar going forward! The show in question took place at Hulbert Happy Hour (yes, that is it's name) at 10402 South Maple Street, and the video shot here is of Project 906 covering Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4". Filmed by attendee Cindi Jenkins (a relative of guitarist Joe Jenkins), how do the guys sound here?

Pretty good, they effectively add an edge here for this song that you wouldn't expect to see on the SMS most days, and Billy Bernier's vocals are particularly strong! Dustin's often obscured from view, but this is a solid clip of Project 906's new lineup, so give it a look below, and in case they or other bands return to Hulbert, look for SMS coverage if possible!

Next up, here's the last of our backlogged news items from local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary! Stemming from his recent public awareness movements, Mike and his wife Sara have launched a non-profit organization called We've Got This to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness, a major theme of Mike's recent social media postings and his "Weight of the Truth" album. We've Got This was recently spotlighted in this SooToday article by James Hopkin with interview remarks from both Mike & Sara (though it doesn't mention Mike's music), while a GoFundMe page has been launched to begin fundraising towards an intended awareness event with music, food, public figures, and more, with the date of April 21st teased on Facebook. Ambitious, but the McClearys are very passionate about this, and hopefully they can reach their $5,000 goal! At press time, they were at $425, so if you want to support We've Got This and this potential charity concert, visit the above links!

As for Mike's music, he was interviewed by Twist Online on February 21st for this article, where he talked about how his music career started, his inspirations, his new album and it's response, his aspirations in music, and his upcoming plans. Informative overall, especially for those unfamiliar with Mike as a musician! The big scoop here was Mike confirming that his 2016 debut album "In Ruins" is being revamped, and he's "hoping to have it done in a couple of months." That likely explains why it was pulled from online streaming sites, so keep an eye out for updates therein!

Also, here's a couple of new solo performance videos from Haggith/Din alum Mike Haggith from out west in Manitoba, courtesy of his Facebook page in the past week! One from just yesterday is a cover of Sarah MacLachlan's "Possession" that Mike actually appears to keep in the key of the original song. This is a pleasant cover, if unexpected, and if you like his soft higher-registered singing, this will be extra notable! Embedded below is Mike's acoustic rendition of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "In Your Time", which is similarly reserved to "Possession" in this area, but has a solid tone and emotion to match! Mike has also teased updates regarding his solo recordings, but in the meantime, give his newest Facebook cover videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for more Mike Haggith updates from Thompson when they roll in!



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

• Prior to their local return show, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will play Sudbury's Peddler's Pub for the first time in 2 years on March 17th alongside fellow locals The Barn Board Trio, as per label Tidal Records' Facebook page. It's great to see the local Celtic punk favourites back in gear, and don't miss their Soo return at The Speak Easy on the 22nd! For reference, a personal Facebook posting by Dustin indicates that Lake Effect drummer Chris Johns will be behind the kit for these shows, as he was in Sudbury two years ago.
• SooToday posted this news release on Saturday regarding the return of the Northern Lights Festival Boréal Meltdown Competition in Sudbury on March 31st, but it does not indicate that a sophomore installment of the Sault Ste. Marie-hosted competition is forthcoming this month. The article does encourage potential competitors to travel to Sudbury for the battle, and if you are travelling from out of town, you could be eligible for a registration fee refund. If the omission implies no Soo return, it's very disappointing, but consider a trip east if you want on the NLFB lineup this July!
• After a year & a half-long hiatus, Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series will return for a 6th installment on Friday, April 20th at a new home (The Rockstar Bar!) Now, the bands playing aren't in our covered genres, but they do include Saskatchewan southern rock fan favourites Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities and the live debut of The Dynowaves, the new surf rock trio from Slumshine frontman and bingo caller Brenton Ellis. It's great to see punk rock bingo back after taking 2017 off, so visit the Facebook event page for full details, and get your dabbers ready again!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!