LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Hey everyone, just a heads up that due to personal commitments today (specifically, my 29th birthday), this weekend concert preview post is an auto-post entirely written yesterday afternoon. A such, if there's any more late notice show announcements, I won't be able to get to them until Friday. With that said, there's a solid weekend of music in store to help kick off the month of June, so here's what you should know, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, partially on SHORT NOTICE! (Due to the amount of shows this weekend, our preview of Sunday's Dumpster Mummy concert will be in our next news post, coming on Friday or Saturday.)

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT as part of their Finger Food Friday festivities! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page last night. Two weeks removed from their Upper Deck Bar & Grill debut, the Elements side project will return to their favourite venue for the continuation of Room 21's new Finger Food Friday series, where appetizers will again be on hand for willing patrons to enjoy along with the live musical entertainment. Rob, Christina, and Jesse should have another fun night of hard and funk rock covers in store at the Low & Slow sister bar TOMORROW, so don't miss out on the unplugged action then! Expect a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit TOMORROW NIGHT, so visit the above links for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live earlier this year!



Next up, and with June about to begin, let's add Tym Morrison's latest array of acoustic hard rock solo concerts to our concert listings, including Gliss Steak & Seafood shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on June 8th-9th, 15th-16th, 22nd-23rd, and 29th-30th! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's shows, remember that we take his Gliss bookings one month at a time due to their long term nature. Elsewhere this month, we knew of Tym's upcoming Mark's Breakfast Plus shows from June 11th-13th already, but there are two Thursday nighters to note in advance of his expected return to thrice-a-week Gliss gigs next month, as Tym will return to The Water Tower Pub for a rare solo show there on June 14th (as per this venue schedule), while he will play a special "Back to the 80s" concert on Thursday, June 21st at.... Burger Don?! Yes, the restaurant at 7 Great Northern Road (formerly Gigi's Bistro) does host live solo musicians on occasion, and this will be Tym's debut there!

With a 1980s rock-centric setlist expected for this themed concert, hopefully Tym has a great set at Burger Don in three weeks time, and might a successful night lead to more gigs there? Tym Morrison's Gliss shows (TOMORROW & SATURDAY included) are 6:00 PM matinees, while the Burger Don show on the 21st is at 8:00 PM, and the 19+ Water Tower Pub show on the 14th is at 9:30 PM. None of these dates have announced cover charges, but remember, both Gliss and Burger Don are sit-down restaurants, not traditional nightclubs. Visit the Gliss concerts' Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll touch on the long awaited return of Live705 to local concert promotion after a 9+ month hiatus, as they're bringing Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years to The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT for their local concert debut! Touring in support of their new album "High Blood Pressure", A.T.W.Y.'s upbeat and familiar punk rock style should be a fine fit in the Soo on Friday, so genre fans should be right at home when they take the stage to kick off the month! Local support will include Live705's flagship punk band A Dire Setback in just their second show of 2018 and third as a trio, while in a late confirmation, fellow local punk trio Stegadeth will take the stage tomorrow as well, replacing the already departed Skeyes of Seven. Solid choice that helps add to this show's punk-heavy nature, and they should have a fun set! Local heavy rock quintet Re:Born will play just their second live concert set as openers on Friday night, so prepare for an old school heavy attack before punk rock takes over!

Note that both All The Wasted Years & A Dire Setback will be heading back to Timmins on Saturday for the headliners' official CD release party, so good luck to both bands out east this weekend! As for the local show tomorrow, it is a 19+ affair with a $10 cover charge and an advertised 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's All The Wasted Years live a couple of years back!



Also this weekend, let's head south to Kinross, Michigan, where hometown classic/hard rock trio Banned will play their first of three special concerts at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark during this summer's racing season THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Specifically, Banned will be serving as the musical entertainment for Saturday's post-practice festivities, with the full season schedule commencing on Sunday, so whether you're in this for the fast driving action or Banned's hard rocking covers, entertainment is likely for Saturday!  They'll be back at Kinross Speedpark in three weeks after practice for the Triple Crown event later this month, so keep that return in mind also. Saturday's show has a 9:00 PM start time with no age limit or cover charge (though the races proper have paid admission), while the race practice itself is from 12:00-4:00 PM. See the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes by this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Go Skateboarding Day, The Cover-Up, And Gianni Gagoots), And A New Video!!

Here's a new news post for your Wednesday afternoon reading! There is a new video to check out at the end, but this mostly concerns three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this summer in Sault Ontario, so without any further adieu, here's what you should know on them!

Two online page-less punk cover groups will join forces on Friday, June 15th, when reunited supergroup The Cover-Up and the sporadically seen Bananas Guerrillas take the stage at LopLops Lounge! This is basically a Redundant-less sequel to LopLops' Punk Covers Night in March, and if you love punk rock classics, this will be an ample chance to see them on stage this summer! Of course, The Cover-Up unite Rising Tide bandmates Dustin Jones and Marshall Jaaskelainen with ex-Lion Ride guitarist Marco Pedalino and K.I.C.K. drummer Aaron Dunn, while The Bananas Guerrillas (a renamed continuation of the Blink-182 tribute from last year's Halloween Party) again feature ex-Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci and ex-Gnaeus drummer Brendan Garlick in their ranks. Lots of talent between these two bands, so don't miss out on their high impact covers in a couple of weeks! Promoted by Tidal Records (and as announced via their Facebook page), this is a 19+ show with a $5 cover and a 9:00 PM start time.

Coverage of this show would benefit if both bands had more of a presence on social media, but both The Cover Up and The Bananas Guerrillas have promising lineups and setlists (you can find The Cover-Up's on personal Facebook accounts), and hopefully this is a fun night for punk fans! See above for more details, and we're not done with The Cover-Up yet today!

Next up, and for a fourth straight year, local musicians will hit Queen Elizabeth Park for Tidal Records' Go Skateboarding Day festivities on Thursday, June 21st! This is the sixth year for the local independent label's sponsorship of Go Skate Day at the John Rhodes Center-adjacent skate park, and bands are back for another go-around of live music action at the top of the big ramp, so who all is playing this year? Believe it or not, there are no returning bands from the last three years, with the announced lineup including the aforementioned The Cover Up, indie/punk quintet Northwest, "no genre" alt-hard rock trio Handsome Sandwich, and indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota. Stacked lineup with bands who should be a great fit as a soundtrack to the skateboarding action in three weeks time, and it's very surprising that it took this long for Tidal Records owner and Cover-Up frontman Dustin Jones to play at Go Skate Day himself!

Note that Garden of Bedlam (whose final concert to date was Go Skate Day 2015) are depicted on the above poster, but unless I'm completely out of the loop, they're not back together for this year's festivities. Beyond the music, there will be a skateboarding competition, free skate lessons, and assorted vendors and sponsors will be on site as usual. Once again, Go Skateboarding Day is a FREE & ALL AGES outdoor event, so make sure to prepare for any adverse humidity or temperatures if coming out, while everything will start at 3:00 PM. This should be a great union of punk/alt-rock and extreme sports once again, so visit the above links for complete details!

Also today, there's one more new concert to acknowledge on here, as reunited local funk/hard rock/improv collective Gianni Gagoots will return to the stage on Friday, July 13th when they return to LopLops Lounge as openers for Niagara Falls experimental prog rock quartet The Road Waves! This will be the Gagoots' first local concert appearance in over nine months, having abruptly disbanded last fall, before quietly reuniting in February. The sauce masters have kept up the joking Italian lingo and references in posts since, but will they be able to shake off the rust effectively at LopLops in July? We'll find out then! As for the headliners, fans will recognize The Road Waves as headliners at The New American Pub last June (a show that Gianni Gagoots opened and promoted), and with a hybrid sound collecting blues, jazz, and funk rock into a creative improvised arrangement, it'll be neat to see them back on a local stage after over a year away!

No word on if this is show is being promoted by Gianni Gagoots' dormant in-house agency Like Ten Productions or not, but the Facebook event page was launched by the venue. A rare LopLops show with NO COVER, this July 13th event has a 10:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit. With Gianni Gagoots hyping up 2018 as their year as they come "back to the main land", hopefully this show sees them picking up where they left off last fall, as you should be in for a fun time with all of the improvised rock on hand! Visit the above links for more details on this concert!

We'll close today with a short new video from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback's YouTube channel, but if you visit their Facebook page, it's nothing new. Bassist Matt Quinn made a cover video for that page featuring a smoky skull apparition and text announcing that they are recording their first album, which you can pre-order at their Patreon page (which is essentially equal to becoming a $10 backer or above there.) More YouTube content is teased, but this clip is cool looking for what it is, and it's nice to see Facebook cover videos getting some more usage! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for our June Jam concert preview tomorrow!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our first weekend concert previews for June 2018 tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Jeff Hagan

After a slight delay, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly spotlight of YouTube channels featuring content primarily on local metal, hard rock, and punk artists & concerts, as randomly selected from our 200+ YouTube subscriptions! This month's selection features lots of concert footage from some major recent concerts, so here's what you should know!
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Jeff Hagan (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_KmHRJvgtcTvFpNyGLgRA) 

Owner: Sault Michigan-area resident Jeff Hagan

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 12th, 2013; Videos posted from January 2014 through May 2017

Channel Summary: With one exception, Jeff's channel is devoted to videos from hard rock concerts at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie last year, including one of Pop Evil and sixteen of Alter Bridge. Jeff's first upload, footage of a snow removal truck in January 2014, is the sole exception.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will be of primary interest to Alter Bridge fans, especially as Jeff filmed almost their entire setlist before the encore (only three or so songs didn't get filmed by him), while Pop Evil fans will appreciate his video from their concert last year too! The snow removal video may be of interest for those aware of last year's winter conditions in the area, but has no musical connection beyond it's hosted channel. Also, note that this channel hasn't seen any visible activity in the past year.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

100 in a 55 - Pop Evil: Jeff's first concert video on his channel came from Muskegon hard rock quintet Pop Evil's headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater on February 26th, 2017, and it's of their early hit single "100 in a 55". Filmed at a high but zoomed angle, the washed out lighting, muffled audio, and the abbreviated length don't help matters, but it's a solid video for diehard Pop Evil fans! Other videos from this concert are floating around on YouTube, primarily at this link (which also includes this concert's opening acts.)



Alter Bridge - Intro/Writing on the Wall: Jeff's remaining 16 videos come from Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge's headlining concert at the Soo Kewadin on May 16th, 2017, including videos of their songs "Come to Life", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "Cry of Achilles", "Addicted to Pain", "Rise Today", "Metalingus", "Open Your Eyes" (erroneously uploaded twice), "My Champion", "Crows on a Wire", "Blackbird", "Slip to the Void", frontman Myles Kennedy's acoustic renditions of "Watch Over You" & "Wonderful Life", and as featured here, their opener "The Writing on the Wall" and it's preceding introduction. The audio has it's muffled moments, but this is a nice entry into Jeff's Alter Bridge uploads, and he has a nice central angle of the band from his high vantage point!



Alter Bridge - Waters Rising 5/16/17: The lone video of Jeff's not linked above is of Alter Bridge playing their song "Waters Rising", notable for featuring guitarist Mark Tremonti on lead vocals. This song doesn't reach the thrash levels of his namesake metal band Tremonti, but it's a solid performance from their "Fortress" album, and well worth a watch for long-time Alter Bridge fans! This concert was blessed with loads of YouTube videos from multiple channels (some featuring openers In Flames), so be sure to search for them on YouTube for alternate takes and songs that Jeff didn't post, including of the mid-set marriage proposal.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at multiple channels again, as our first randomly selected channel only had 3 videos of the same style, and our second only had one period, so it's another triple header for June! Our next profiles will be on the channels of former F.A.T.I.L. guitarist Brook Moreau (featuring 3 solo covers) user deresti64 (featuring a Tea Party concert video from last year), and Maltheas (featuring a Treble Charger song posting), so look for those on or around June 26th, and for more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Redundant, Banned, And Half Of Project 906), Plus A Dire Setback Updates!!

A new post was not planned for today, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS now known for the Eastern Upper Peninsula, I have thrown this post together with those, another new show for next month, and a local band's recent album progress! Also, just a reminder that TONIGHT is Six, Two, Oh.'s (short notice) 1990s dance party fundraiser at The Rockstar Bar, with proceeds going towards this fall's Oh!No festival in Leeburn. This is not a concert, but if you love the 1990s and want to ensure that Oh!No II is on, why not come down? 19+, $5, 9:00 PM! Now, here's those new concerts!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will play a special charity set TONIGHT in their hometown at the Chippewa County Fairgrounds as part of Carol's Corral Foundation's first annual rodeo fundraiser! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this event had been announced since January, but Banned only confirmed their involvement via their own Facebook event page this afternoon. Also called the "Bull-Rageous & Barrel-Rama Rodeo 2018" on event advertising, this is actually a three day ALL AGES event with bull riding, barrel racing, and other such rodeo entertainment, with proceeds going to different charities each day (TONIGHT's for law enforcement and emergency groups, tomorrow's veterans and active military, and Sunday's for cancer patients), which are all worthy causes! A beer tent and food will be available all three days, with the rodeo itself starting at 7:00 PM, and live musical entertainment each night following at 8:00 PM. Banned are only playing TONIGHT, while solo musician Bill Badour is the only other advertised performer this weekend.

I wish Banned had gave more notice about this set, but with a great charitable cause each night, hopefully this rodeo fundraiser is a smash hit, so head down to 124 Fair Street TONIGHT if you want some classic and hard rock cover action with your rodeo fun! Admission for all three nights (TONIGHT included) is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and youths 13-18 years old, and FREE for kids 12 and under. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!

Next up, Project 906 bandmates Billy Bernier and Joe Jenkins will play a rare duo set TOMORROW NIGHT at The Superior Cafe in Sault Michigan as part of that venue's second musicians showcase! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only heard of the involvement of any Project 906 members via their Facebook page yesterday. Soon to be two events into their permanent shift from competitions to "showcases", The Superior Cafe have indicated that they will be hosting this event on the last Saturday of every month (in other words, circle June 30th on your calendars), so how will the sophomore event of this style go, and who all else signed up as part of the "full lineup"? Find out TOMORROW NIGHT! Billy & Joe are no strangers to playing unplugged in this setting, having played at the Superior Cafe's first musician competition as such, though with their full band sets more common, how will their hard and blues rock covers sound in a more intimate setting?

Project 906's advertising also notes that Crooked Music owner, Half Stupid alum, and local solo musician Zac Crook will guest with them for Billy & Joe's set TOMORROW, which should be interesting, so keep watch for him then! Billy & Joe will apparently be on at around 6:30 PM, but the showcase proper begins at 5:00 PM. This is an ALL AGES event, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and consider a run to The Superior Cafe at 107 East Portage Avenue for lots of talented local musicians! We don't have a public video of Billy & Joe alone to preview their set with here, hopefully one turns up.

Moving to Sault Ontario for a concert with plenty of advance notice, local punk trio Redundant will be among the live entertainment on Saturday, June 16th for Algoma Ride For Autism's afterparty at The Bridge View Banquet Hall! Involvement from Redundant with the annual autism awareness/fundraiser motorcycle rally is nothing new, as frontman Justin Langlois played a solo set at their pre-ride fundraiser at The Canadian last year, while Redundant played the AR4A's annual family fun day from 2014-2016, so it's great to see the guys lending their support once again! The other band playing on the 16th is country rock cover band The Ride (billed as Tex & The Ride), who should deliver for genre fans next month as well! Involvement in the motorcycle rally proper is not required to attend the afterparty, which has a $20 admission fee, though riders will get in free if you are a full participant. The afterparty proper starts at 6:00 PM, and I presume it's all ages (the venue appears to be licensed.)

And yes, there will be a pasta dinner provided. For reference, the Facebook event page implies that The Grand Gardens now owns the Bridge View Banquet Hall (formerly The Verdi Hall), but if the name changed, I haven't seen official reference to it. It's great to see live concert action returning to help gain proceeds and awareness for the Ride For Autism, and hopefully this year's installment is a huge hit for the cause! Check the above links for more on the ride and the afterparty, and stay tuned for possible updates!

We'll close today with the latest from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback, as they began final recordings of their debut album on Sunday! The guys started this process with Nick Kainula's drum tracks, and you can follow the progress of the recordings on their Facebook page and (if you're backing them) their Patreon page. Things sound like they're going well so far, if challenging, and hopefully sessions are on track! A Dire Setback did share this video on Facebook on Monday of Nick tracking drums in studio, and he's solidly in the groove on this clip! The camera moves around well to show off their recording studio and setup also, and with the other tracks only audible to him on his headset, this is a unique way to hear an isolated track before the final song is compiled. Whether you can make it to The June Jam next week or not, be sure to follow A Dire Setback online to see how recording sessions go, and give Nick's video a look!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Whoop-Szo) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

I know, things remain quiet as of late, and that has translated to this weekend's concert previews, but there's still some intriguing concerts this weekend, even one to note that doesn't even have announced bands?! That said, we do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month to lead off with, so here's what you should know on this Thursday evening!

London "true-psych/post-metal' quintet Whoop-Szo will make their local concert debut on Friday, June 29th when they headline at... Outspoken Brewing?! Yes, the craft brewery at 350 Queen Street East (beside Shabby Motley Handcraft) doubles as a venue for live events, but this is the first time that an SMS-fitting concert has ever taken place there that I'm aware of. Whoop-Szo will definitely deliver a unique sound to the local stage at the end of next month, with electronic, psychedelic, folk, and sludge influences in their experimental "noisy mountain", but they are definitely heavy enough to appeal to genre fans, so keep their set in mind! Hamilton garage rock band Billy Moon will open in their own local debut, and with an accessible, lo-fi brand of original material in store (maybe even some guided meditation), they should attract an audience next month as well! Advance tickets for this (presumably) 19+ concert are $10, and can be bought online at this link, though a potential hike at the door isn't stated on the Facebook event page.

This show is also advertised to start at 9:00 PM on June 29th. It's nice to see Outspoken Brewing host a heavier show, and one with lots of musical creativity on both sides of the coin, so visit the above links for more on Whoop-Szo, Billy Moon, and the venue/beer in advance of this concert!

Next up, let's move to this weekend's concert previews, starting with former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's latest Gliss Steak & Seafood shows, as he'll rock The Quality Inn's house restaurant once again TOMORROW & SATURDAY! With his long-term weekly run of acoustic matinees wrapping up another month this weekend, prepare for more unplugged hard rock and classic rock covers at this downtown locale over these two evenings from this local music veteran! Note that we will approach Tym's June concerts (his presumed last before returning to thrice weekly bookings there) next week, as we take his long-term Gliss shows one month at a time due to their length and frequency. As usual for Tym's Gliss gigs, these shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also this weekend, we'll head south to Brimley, Michigan, where Munising hard rock quartet Infathom will travel for a headlining concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! This infrequently seen group (fronted by former Saultite Dillion Semasky) will be making their first E.U.P. concert appearance of 2018 on Saturday, though fans will have seen them open for Theory of a Deadman in the Soo in December, and previously at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley last fall. This will be Infathom's debut at the waterfront nightclub at "your perfect up north retreat", and their hard hitting covers and originals should provide a Memorial Day weekend spark, so keep their Back Bay Grill show in mind for Saturday! Note that this concert does not conflict with former Nudge frontman Danzo McCracken's advertised acoustic gig on Saturday, he's playing in the Northwoods Lounge at Bay Mills that night (and tomorrow.)

This 21+ concert has no announced cover charge, and has an advertised start time of 10:00 PM. It's great to see Infathom back east for another night of metal and hard rock hits, so keep their Brimley return in mind for Saturday night, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Infathom live in Sault Ste. Marie in December!



Finally, I wanted to acknowledge an event taking place TOMORROW NIGHT at Room 21 in Sault Ontario entitled Jiannipaloozahtoo (The Sequel), which curiously has no publically advertised bands, so what is there to say about it? Well, first off, apologies for the short notice, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page yesterday. Jiannipaloozahtoo has nothing (visibly) to do with the reunited Gianni Gagoots, as it is actually the belated sequel to prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger's 2016 birthday concert at The Oddfellows Hall (entitled "Johnny B.'s #Litfam Birthday Sheezy".) The event page indicates that Room 21 are going to "bring together a bunch of instruments" and host "musical performances from everyone", with drink specials also planned to be offered. The lack of an announced performer lineup suggests that this may be more of an informal jam session event with performers coming and going, but the event page's confirmed attendees may shed light onto who's playing tomorrow!

For reference, Johnny's 2016 "birthday sheezy" featured his bands The Bear Hunters and Jack Spades alongside Winkstinger, the dormant Exploring Detritus, and the now-defunct Eclipse and Heavy Head, while Johnny has since joined Stegadeth and Handsome Sandwich. That said, Room 21 hasn't been a haven for extreme metal since launching last year, with smaller and acoustic acts being the norm, so I would imagine this will be a whole different animal than 2 years ago. In any event, hopefully Johnny has a great birthday bash with his second "paloozah", I imagine a fun night of music is in store from him and his friends tomorrow night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Theatre Of Night & June Jam Updates, Plus More News & Notes!!

I hope everyone's having a great Victoria Day/May 2-4 weekend! News remains at a slow pace this month, so today's post is largely comprised of assorted shorter stories, but we are leading off with some big updates from bands on each side of the border, starting with the latest from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night! Yesterday, the group revealed on their Facebook page that they are indeed planning their second Christmas tour run for the end of the year, and had recently conducted "late night sessions" towards the tour. After the positive response to their gigs last year from here to Illinois and points in between, hopefully the encore is bigger and better for them! While not seasonally timed, this preview video was posted to their YouTube channel yesterday, which is ostensibly of their November 2011 debut CD "Christmas Night", but actually features newer recordings featuring their recent touring band members (as distinguished particularly by the inclusion of vocals.)

The video proper combines live concert footage from the tour with some in-studio performances, as well as some scattered photos. It's well put together and a nice sampling of what to expect this winter, so if you can get past the seasonal content in late May, give Theatre of Night's new video a look below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Next up, here's some new updates related to the upcoming June Jam concert at The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario on June 1st, starting with a lineup withdrawal, as local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven have dropped out of this concert, as per their Facebook page. A reason was not publically stated for their exit, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them back on stage sooner or later! At press time, they have not been replaced on the bill, we will let you know if they are. Ticket details have also been confirmed for the June Jam, with prices at $8 in advance online (details on that front are not public yet) or $10 at the door, so keep those in mind. Of course, this Live705-promoted show will feature Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years alongside locals A Dire Setback and Sault Ontario heavy/power rock quintet Re:Born, who posted four new jam session videos onto their Facebook page last week, so what can be said on those?

The videos include Re:Born covering The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", Saxon's "Denim & Leather", and their precedessors Project 421's original song "Into The Darkness", but embedded below is their new cover of "Lavatory Love Machine" by the German power metal band Edguy. That's gotta be a first from a local band! Though we don't get an optimal look at the band on these clips (we only tend to see singer Robert Nevitt from behind), these performances are solid given the setting, and it'll be cool to see them back on stage next month, especially after their spring break! Give Re:Born's new videos a look above and below!



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

• Local punk trio A Dire Setback (of the aforementioned June Jam) will hit the road for a second out of town show this summer, as they'll be featured on a rock/rap hybrid event at The Asylum in Sudbury on Saturday, July 28th! Full details are not out yet, beyond the involvement of an act named Mooch, but this should be another big chance for A.D.S. to make new fans outside of the Soo, so hopefully this show goes as well as their Timmins trip next month!
• I have deleted the former WLSO radio show CRaMPS from our "Other Sault Michigan Metal Links" section due to the quiet deletion of it's Facebook page for unannounced reasons in recent months. Airing on Friday mornings on Lake Superior State University's campus radio station in late 2010, the student-hosted program hadn't visibly on the air since then, though to be fair, I don't even know if 90.1 FM still broadcasts on terrestrial radio at all. Hopefully Pat and Seth have found success in more recent endeavours!
• Former Din bandmates Mike Haggith and Tammy Hill reunited in Windsor on Saturday when they travelled from Manitoba and Sault Ontario respectively to attend the long awaited Canadian premiere of the movie Ashes of K, whose soundtrack is entirely comprised of songs from The Din and Mike's solo project. It's great to see this movie finally released and distributed, and you can see photos of Mike, Tammy, and Din producer Daniel Schmidt on the red carpet at their Facebook page! (Yes, a review of Ashes of K could make the SMS if we can find a way to see it.)
• I have also deleted former local concert venue Docks Riverfront Grill from our inactive concert venue listings, due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and last surviving online) page in recent months. The Foster Drive nightclub and restaurant had initially been sold to new ownership in 2014, and after brief stints as Waterfront Legend and The River Cookhouse, it became The HD Sports Grill in 2016, and has sporadically hosted live music since Docks itself ended. Hopefully more is on the horizon there down the road!
• The Indie Spring concert at LopLops Lounge on Saturday had a late lineup withdrawal, as Sudbury garage rock headliners The Almighty Rhombus were forced to drop out after bassist Laura Willett badly cut her finger in an accident. That's definitely a bummer, hopefully Laura gets well soon! In their place, local indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota played an extended headlining set.
• A local musician named Jay Daug is looking for a "heavily influenced (John) Bonham drummer" between 20 and 40 years of age, as per a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on May 9th. Jay didn't specify if this was for a band he's working on, for informal jamming, or something else, but message him at this link or above if you fit the bill and need more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns), A New Local Band, And Much More!!

I was not expecting to have a news post today (more likely Sunday), but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to rush this one. That said, we can get the postponed Mike McCleary story from yesterday back up, as well as some assorted updates from an upcoming festival and some recent news and notes, but let's start with a new addition to our band links directly tied to that new show, and check out last month's poll results and this month's new poll in the post below this one!

We have a new-ish band to add to our active band links, and they are The Wyld Stallyns, a.k.a. the two man acoustic hard rock act from Elements frontman Rob Speers and guitarist Jesse Cook! Yes, it appears that the Bill & Ted homage is 100% their official name now, though remember that they were previously called The Kariokeheads and Rob & Jesse, depending on who was advertising their concert online. This band is nothing new locally, having debuted back in November, but The Wyld Stallyns only just launched their Facebook page today, hence the delay for making our band listings. Their bio indicates that Rob's wife Christina is a permanent member of the band now, and while their cover photo features Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton, he's not listed in their official lineup. The page indicates that they play "rock from the '60s to today", and can customize setlists for specialized gigs, and have encouraged crowd involvement at past shows.

Primarily seen at Room 21, your next chance to see The Wyld Stallyns will actually be TONIGHT,  as they'll play a rare hard rock show upstairs at The Upper Deck Bar & Grill above The Canadian Nightclub! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced this afternoon via it's official Facebook event page. This will be their venue debut, and it will have an early-ish 9:00 PM start time with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. It's great to see Jesse and the Speers' finally expand their online presence, and hopefully the phone booth trip to The Upper Deck doesn't have any hang-ups! Don't miss their unplugged cover action there TONIGHT, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live at The Rockstar Bar earlier this year!

Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary, who was once pencilled in for yesterday's weekend's concert previews himself, as he had advertised recently that he'd be playing a special acoustic set today at the local New Democratic Party office on Queen Street East in the lead-up to the provincial election. Mike cited "the unpredictable nature of politics" for the set being put on hold, as per his Facebook page, but he teased that updates will follow. If you can get past the political nature, it'd have been a unique setting! Leading from that, Mike's Soundcloud page strongly hints that his next solo album will be entitled "The Party Album", based on a preview playlist there featuring 5 songs, including an intro, a title track, "Superstition", "Rain", and "The Great Musical Landscape". This presumed cover artwork is also online, which features the colours of the NDP, Liberal, Conservative, and Green Parties. Is Mike's aim to release this on or around the provincial election on June 7th? Time will tell!

We'll keep you posted when more comes out on it, but Mike has two new videos on his Facebook page to close with! One from this past Saturday is a lyric video for his "Hourglass" song "Lest Ye Be Judged" (which is about the West Memphis Three, and features extra information about the trial and case), but embedded below is something a little lighter, namely a solo acoustic rendition of title track from his "Weight of the Truth" album, featuring a cameo appearance from his son. Solid casual performance, and it's cute to see father and son like this, so check out Mike's new videos above and below, and stay tuned for more on "The Party Album"!



Also today, here's the latest updates for the second annual Oh!No concert festival in nearby Leeburn, Ontario on September 8th, so what's new to report there? Well, there have been two lineup alterations, as the aforementioned Elements have been added as an 18th act for their second appearance at this event, while the still drummer-less Vol. have been replaced by frontman Steve Edwards and guitarist Mikaela Murtonen's duo project Mik & Steve, who fans will have seen at the Steves concert at LopLops earlier this month. Nice to see Steve and Mikaela still on the bill, and hopefully The Elements deliver a fun set once again! This poster was unveiled last week on the Facebook event page to add The Elements, and revised on Monday to replace Vol.. The poster also confirms admission fees and ticket availability for Oh!No II, as tickets will jump from $25 last year to $35 (which is unfortunate, but remember, there are 5 more bands this year.) Tickets are reportedly on sale at both Case's Music and The Rad Zone, and presumably through promoters Six, Two, Oh. and perhaps some of the local openers.

Also, while doors open at 11:00 PM, a full setlist has not been confirmed at press time. That said, the poster does list the out of town bands (including the relocated Shit Liver) above the locals, and if the band placement is intentional, does that mean Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface is headlining? Time will tell, but this is an immense lineup for Oh!No 2018, so visit the above links, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

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

• This doesn't bear directly on the local radio market, but The Bob & Tom Show returned to Northern Michigan last fall after Black Diamond Broadcasting moved the syndicated morning drive radio show from Classic Rock: The Bear (now at 95.3 FM) to 106.3 Mac FM in Onaway, coinciding with that station's move from adult contemporary to classic hits. Read more on the changes at this link. It's great to see that Bob & Tom weren't off of the Northern Michigan FM dial for long, and 106.3 FM arguably gets much better reception here than The Bear's post-Newberry signals ever did, so keep their new local-ish home in mind!
• After a couple years of uncertainty and rumours to this end, The Gore Street Cafe will close by the end of June, as per this photo of the letter received from property owners advising of the rental agreement ending, as shared to the laundromat's Facebook page. I won't elaborate further here, give the negative feelings and personal details in the thread, but I hope business is strong in the final weeks! Nicole's done great work for the community with the unique events and concerts, "pay what you can" meals, and local engagement done there, and hopefully she stays busy in related ventures after June 30th, even if a new cafe isn't imminent!
• I have replaced the link for former local concert/marijuana culture festival Hempfest in our concert festival links, as it's website's domain name has expired and been adopted by a women's clothing seller (there's no visible connection whatsoever to hemp or any fest.) It's new link here is it's Facebook page, which is teasing details on the forthcoming 2018 return after a year's hiatus and ownership change, but it remains to be seen if it will remain in Moonbeam, return to Ophir, or move elsewhere entirely. If we hear anything locally relevant, we'll let you know!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll And Your Final Poll On Your Favourite 2017 Concerts!!

It's the 18th again, so let's shut down last month's poll and launch our new one to round out our "favourite _____ of 2017" polls for another year! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys last month: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2017? Only 9 votes came in this past month, which is actually an improvement on our first half of 2017 poll, so there's that, and thanks to everyone who voted!

Diamond Head at The Rockstar Bar on September 2nd (3 votes, 34%)
The Din & Bizotic at LopLops Lounge on October 21st (1 vote, 11%)
Taryn Bugyra benefit at The Rockstar Bar on October 14th (1 vote, 11%)
AlgomA & Shit Liver at The New American Pub on October 2nd (1 vote, 11%)
Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in Leeburn on September 9th (1 vote, 11%)
Mike Mikus & Id Iota at LopLops Lounge on July 15th (1 vote, 11%)
Vaultry & Garbageface at The Canadian Nightclub on July 7th (1 vote, 11%)
Darsombra & Pillory at The New American Pub on July 17th (0 votes)
Project 421 & The Din at The Canadian Nightclub on July 22nd (0 votes)
Treble Charger & A Dire Setback at LopLops Lounge on July 27th (0 votes)
Dany Laj & The Looks at The Canadian on August 10th (0 votes)
The Din at the Fringe North Theatre Festival on August 12th (0 votes)
Project 421 at The Canadian Nightclub on September 8th (0 votes)
Dokken & Firehouse at The Essar Centre on September 30th (0 votes)
The Ripcordz at The Algonquin Pub on October 7th (0 votes)
K-Man & The 45s at LopLops Lounge on October 10th (0 votes)
Halloween Party night #1 at The Rockstar Bar on October 27th (0 votes)
Halloween Party night #2 at The Algonquin Pub on October 28th (0 votes)
Dany Laj & The Looks at The Rockstar Bar on November 18th (0 votes)
Guy Thiffault tribute at The Canadian on December 27th (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? In ascending order, you'll notice that all but 7 choices received 0 votes, of which the Treble Charger, Dokken, and Ripcordz shows surprise me the most, given their scope. Alas, it's all in who votes! Six shows tied with a single vote each, which can be hard to accept as a "second place" finish given the turnout, but someone liked each of these shows the best, which is important! All six were big in scale or importance in their own way, from a large-scale festival to a farewell concert and everything in between, and they'll all be back for this month's poll! However, the clear winner of this poll with a third of the overall turnout is the Diamond Head concert at The Rockstar Bar in September, and for all the NWOBHM fans that came out in full force for this concert, I can easily see a pocket of attendees voting this show as the poll winner! There's one more poll ahead, but for the second half of 2018, Diamond Head's local debut is your victor, and thanks to everyone who voted!

As you may expect, we're now bringing the voted shows from last July's poll on your favourite concerts of 2018 together with the aforementioned 7 shows for one final poll on this topic, so here's the question we're posing this month: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2017? Remember, to make the poll, this show must have received a vote in one of our half year polls, so if something's missing, that's why, and if you must vote for it, "Other" will return as an option. Now, here are your final choices as we close the book on 2017 and find out what show was your favourite in all of last year!

Bands: Gianni Gagoots, Bizotic, and Handsome Sandwich
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: February 18th, 2017
Info: What started as the first headlining showcase for creative instrumental jam/hard rock project Gianni Gagoots soon evolved into a special showcase for them and two new local bands, including the second live set from alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic and the debut live appearance from punk/alt/no genre trio Handsome Sandwich. With three extremely original bands on hand, including the headlining sauce masters, it's easy to see why it was well received, but would you concur?

Bands: Bone Yard, Justin Langlois, and The 3 Day Millionaires
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 6th, 2017
Info: A fundraiser concert to help kick off last year's Algoma Ride for Autism and help buy sensory equipment for the Algoma Autism Foundation's Sensory Lending Library, May 6th's Rock For Autism was a well attended and received event for a great cause, with country veterans Bone Yard and classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires sandwiching a solo set by Redundant frontman Justin Langlois. Kudos to everyone for their support, but was this your #1 choice?

Bands: Northwest & Greg Callaghan
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: May 27th, 2017
Info: After a 9 month hiatus from the local stage, indie/punk quintet Northwest re-emerged from the studio with a headlining set at LopLops two months ago, reintroducing themselves to fans with their up-tempo originals that punk and indie rock fans can each appreciate! Opened in a solo set by guitarist Greg Callaghan's solo project, this concert received a solid reception, and surely gave fans a preview of their upcoming second EP, but can you vouch for it in this poll?

Bands: CKY, The Wild, Jack Spades, and A Dire Setback
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: June 8th, 2017
Info: Despite the late drop-out by the reunited As It Stands, fans flocked to The Canadian on June 8th for this highly anticipated concert, with Pennsylvania alt-metal trio CKY hitting the Soo for the first time with a set full of classic and new originals alike! Joined by Victoria, B.C. hard rock standouts The Wild, the new-look Jack Spades' first show since late 2016, and a rousing opener from A Dire Setback, this concert won many fans over, but after winning our early 2017 poll, would you vote for now?

Bands: The Din, A Dire Setback, and Electric Church
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Park
Date: June 21st, 2017
Info: A free and all ages concert returned for a third straight year for Tidal Records' annual Go Skateboarding Day event at the John Rhodes Center's skatepark, with The Din returning from 2016 for another vibrant set of original hard rock action, as joined by recent live favourites A Dire Setback and Electric Church in rare outdoor appearances. All three bands rocked the top of the ramp while local skaters demonstrated their skills, but was this concert your favourite of last year?

Bands: Rick E & Kodex, A Dire Setback, Garbageface, Vaultry, Bizotic, Coach Bombay, Handsome Sandwich, and Mikey Thomas
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: July 7th, 2017
Info: Arguably Live705's biggest concert of last summer in scope, this July concert united the worlds of punk and rap into a well received clash of styles at The Canadian, including three out of town acts, fan favourite Peterborough rapper Garbageface among them. Despite mid-show lineup placements for the touring performers, this show was a success, but can you vouch for it?

Bands: Mike Mikus & Id Iota
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: July 15th, 2017
Info: Fresh off of both acts' Rotaryfest Stage 2 appearances that same afternoon, LopLops would play host to former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus' final concert as a solely local artist before moving to Montreal. Also featuring his bandmate Dustin Goodall's indie-hard rock quartet Id Iota, Mike got a great sendoff, and we even got a Pixo throwback, but was this your favourite 2017 show?

Bands: Diamond Head, Jack Spades, and Project 421 
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: September 2nd, 2017
Info: Fans of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal were undoubtedly excited when the legendary Diamond Head came to Sault Ste. Marie to help kick off the fall season with hits like "Am I Evil?" and "Helpless" in tow! Also featuring explosive heavy rock from Jack Spades and Project 421, this well received show was definitely a highlight, but after winning the late 2017 poll, does it win your vote now?

Bands: DJ Seith, Run Coyote, Beaver Slap, Lightmares, Artificial Dissemination, The Franquilizers, Vol., Jack Spades, Pointless, A Dire Setback, The Elements, Slumshine, Winkstinger, and
Handsome Sandwich
Venue: "Robbie's Church" in Leeburn
Date: September 9th, 2017
Info: Finally realizing their goal for a large-scale concert festival, local promoters Six, Two, Oh. hosted the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival last September to a very positive response, attracting dozens of concertgoers for the wide array of local and out of town bands, and the camping and hangouts surrounding it! With this year's now announced, was Oh!No I your pick?

Bands: AlgomA, Shit Liver, Winkstinger, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The New American Pub 
Date: October 2nd, 2017
Info: Death metal fans flocked to The New A in October for local/St. Catharine's favourites Shit Liver's tour finale in support of their and fellow locals AlgomA's split covers cassette tape "Trading Faces", with both bands unloading lots of brutal renditions for the occasion! Notably featuring AlgomA's only tour stop after prior medical concerns, did this concert win your vote in this poll?

Bands: Lucky 13, The 3 Day Millionaires, Cherry Crush, and The Soo Fighters
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 14th, 2017
Info: Four local bands joined forces last October to help raise funds for the family of Cherry Crush frontwoman Taryn Bugyra, due to medical expenses related to her battle with kidney cancer. A big crowd came out to support her and bear witness to a one-off Lucky 13 reunion and the debut of the Soo's own Foo Fighters tribute band, but were you among them to pick this show?

Bands: The Din & Bizotic
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: October 21st, 2017
Info: After a successful local run together, alt-hard rock trio The Din announced their dissolution last fall following their "Suburban Sendoff" concert, where they ended their run with a bang via releasing their final studio album "Suburban Dream". Fans packed LopLops to see Mike Haggith off before his move to Manitoba, and the show & CD received rave reviews, but would you have agreed?

Other: Did we miss a show that you'd prefer to vote for in 2017, perhaps one with few or no metal, hard rock, or punk bands, or one in Sault Michigan? For reference, acts like Adam's Mind, The Alien Boys, Anavrin, The Apocalyspe Afterparty, The Bananas Guerillas, The Band Camp Rejects, Bankshot, Curtis McKenzie, Darsombra, Destroyer, Dokken, Dri Hiev, Eclipse, The Faps, Firehouse, Flying Fortress, Gnaeus, The Gutter Demons, The HTs, If I Look Strong, You Look Strong, Incredible Woman, K-Man & The 45s, Love 'N Revenge, Mike McCleary, Mourning Wood, Nebraska Arms, The Noochin' Lanterns, The Old Wives, Pillory, Pseudo, The Raygun Cowboys, Return For Refund, The Ripcordz, River Jacks, Rob Speers & Jesse Cook, Ruptured Birth, Skeyes of Seven, Soundcheck, Special Ops, Stegadeth, Stiffler's Mom, Talk Shit, The Tea Party, Telephone & Address, Thekillingfield, Them, Treble Charger, Twistory, Tym Morrison, Who Made Who, Worst Days Down, and Zaum all played shows this year not otherwise included in the poll, not to mention shows only featuring bands who played in shows listed in the poll. If, for whatever reason, we missed your preferred choice, "Other" is for you! 

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until June 18th to cast your votes, and it'll be interesting to see who the ultimate winner is before we shut the polls down for a month! This is it, so vote A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for more news in the coming days! Thanks everyone!