LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm & Banned) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we cover some newly announced concerts (including a big tribute show in March), let's tackle our first hard rock concert previews of February 2019 to end this month! Due to the amount of shows, we're bumping our preview of Saturday night's Chase Wigmore concert at The Rednecks Saloon to tomorrow's post, which will also (in theory) allow an extra day for public information on the lineup, as updates haven't been quick since the postponement. Now, let's kick off this weekend's previews with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will make their first live appearance of 2019 when they rock the beer tent at the annual International 500 snowmobile race in Sault Ste. Marie TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig via it's Facebook event page on Friday. In spite of the ongoing polar vortex and frigid temperatures, the show must go on, and Banned are still slated to rock the I-500 pre-race festivities, as they previously did in 2016, not to mention their rare mid-week Kewadin Casino gigs timed with the I-500 in 2017. This will be Banned's first concert outside of Manistique since the fall, so if you've missed the Traynors and Wayne in recent months, and can withstand the cold, head to the I-500 beer tent at the race site at 984 West 4th Avenue! Much like Project 421 did last year, Banned are on TONIGHT at around 8:00 PM after the Woody’s Challenge race, with their set coinciding with the annual I-500 downtown pub crawl, so keep that in mind if you're so inclined.

Musical entertainment is not advertised on other days for this year (usually, the beer tent only has a band on the Thursday), but click here for the full schedule, and follow necessary links there for details on the race proper and potential admission fees where required. Of course, the I-500 race begins on Saturday morning, and I believe 1230 AM will call the action for those curious. Visit the above links for more details, hopefully Banned put on a great show in spite of the temperature TONIGHT, and here they are live!



Next up, we'll stay in Sault Ste. Marie, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will rock The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but that's not all from their camp, as they've announced more 2019 dates for the E.U.P. via a spree of Facebook event page postings last week! We already knew of local gigs from Scarkazm and sister band Peril in the first quarter of 2019, but as linked en masse here, we can now confirm the rest of Scarkazm's Kewadin Casino slate for this year, so where and when can you see them in the coming months? At the aforementioned Rapids Lounge, you can see Scarkazm on May 17th-18th, September 27th-28th, and November 29th-30th, while they'll return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace for concert weekends on June 21st-22nd, August 9th-10th, October 4th-5th, and December 20th-21st. Aside from April and July, E.U.P. fans will get their Scarkazm one weekend a month for the rest of the year!

Of course, don't forget about tomorrow & Saturday night's Scarkazm gigs in the Soo, and with convenient timing during the I-500, that should be a nice attendance boost, so consider a run to The Rapids Lounge for some hard hitting tunes this weekend after each day's festivities! All of these Kewadin gigs from Scarkazm have 21+ age limits, 9:00 PM start times, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for full details, and here's Scarkazm live!

Now, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local acoustic hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant with matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Unlike the next two weekends (where he has a nighttime concert elsewhere), this weekend's bookings are solely the usual Gliss ones, but his unplugged covers are always worth a listen, especially with his prolific setlist, so don't bypass Gliss on Spring Street for all of the action this weekend! If you'd rather see him at nighttime, be at Room 21 or The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on each of the Fridays after this week. As usual for Tym's shows at this downtown restaurant, both of these shows are 6:00 PM evening events with no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to The Machine Shop, where this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival will welcome back local bands via the first annual Soolebrity Showcase SATURDAY concert event! Promoted by (Choose) Maxx Entertainment, this will be an indoor event unlike Bon Soo's old Marquee series, and it will unite live bands with local artists of various media (like painting, crafts, and photography), while local craft brewed beer will also be on tap to purchase, so this should be a prime chance to support varying local talent! Visit the official Facebook event page for full details on the artists and brewers you'll see at The Machine Shop on Saturday. Country rock cover quartet Bone Yard are headlining on Saturday at 10:00 PM, preceded by classic/hard rock veterans Soundcheck at 9:00 PM for the night's only heavier kick, and their Machine Shop debut.

The opening bands are both acoustic country duos, namely Bone Yard side project The Bearded Lounge at 8:00 PM & The Jeff & Jeff Show at 7:00 PM. Yes, all four of these bands played at Toystock in both 2018 & 2017, so if you want an encore/spinoff, you know where to be this weekend! Admission is free with the purchase of a Bon Soo button from local merchants or at the door, and despite the craft beer angle, this is an ALL AGES event. While I wish The Marquee lived up to it's potential, it's great to see Bon Soo trying a local-centric concert again, and hopefully this is a big hit for the festival! Check the above links for more, and here's Soundcheck live!



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

Awokest - "Enter The Nightlands" Album Review!!

It' now time for our 115th monthly CD review (and first of 2019) at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're looking at new local experimental/death metal solo project Awokest's new compilation "Enter the Nightlands"! Released on January 14th, this is the first paid album released under the Awokest banner, but it does follow last year's free YouTube-exclusive EP "The Tweakening", not to mention releases tied to Awokest or the project's alter-ego in the unfinished 12 EPs of Christmas series. This act is solely led by prolific local folk/metal musician Chase Wigmore, who uses the ribald alias "Dick Jerkins" here, but the stage name/alter ego isn't a tightly kept secret on the level of Dullahan. Presumably recorded at Clever Bastard Records,"Enter the Nightlands" is available on Bandcamp for $7 at this link, with physical copies not yet confirmed publically, and while you can stream the whole album for free there, consider buying it to support Chase's work!

Song names below are linked to their Bandcamp copies. Note that the vast majority of the songs on this album were previously released by Chase as part of other free and demo albums from his vast solo back catalog, typically under other project names, and they are credited as we go along. As best as I can tell, none are re-recordings. Also, Awokest have been advertised in the past as having various collaborators coming and going, but none are credited aside from "Dick" on Bandcamp. With 10 songs running for about 43 minutes in length, let's begin our review of "Enter the Nightlands"!

The album leads off with it's shortest song, "Violent Fucking Energy", which was seen on Chase's album "Seven Curses" as "Violent Negative Energy". Opening with a catchy programmed drum beat that's soon joined by some sampled vocals and backing effects, the song proper takes on a steady industrial metal vibe that gives the vibe of a factory in motion. Despite the title implication, the song only really displays true violent energy for a brief dubstep-tinged stretch late. The song is an effective starter for the album, and showcases Chase's diversity well, but if you'd prefer something heavier and with vocals, you'll have to keep listening. Second is "Hit By A Truck", which was on his industrial project The Black Lodge Masters' album "Speed Demons" as "I Got Hit By A Truck Again".

This has a minimalist distorted quality as instruments trade off, with Chase talking in an ominous and harsh tone throughout. Awokest builds to a noiser and more chaotic crescendo, while maintaining the same laid back guitar riff throughout, which is effective in it's own way, though you never feel as though you were hit by a truck, a'la the title. Creative song while it lasts!

Third up is "Sacred Chaos",  from Chase's "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" split with Crucify the Whore. This has a very 1980s-sounding drum beat, industrial guitar riffs (arguably the heaviest on the album so far), and a lot of sampled audio, seemingly from news-centric interviews, but the distortion and guitar volume makes them very hard to decipher. Other than the sampling, this is a solid instrumental, with Chase's guitar riffing on full display, but the song felt like it was building to a chaotic onslaught that never came. That's followed by "The Tweakening", which was the opening track on last year's EP of the same name. The first true death metal song on the album, Chase lets loose with intense, Death-reminiscent blackened vocals, an assaulting guitar riff, solidly paced drum programming, and just enough distortion to take things over the line. The ending's too abrupt for my liking, but this will whet any death metal appetite!

Song #5 is "City of Shadows", which is the first song I can't find reference to on Chase's public back catalog. This more of a laid back number that lets Chase show off his guitar ability as set to sounds of the title city, especially ambulance sirens and indecipherable crosstalk. The contrast between Chase's excellent shredding, the pleasant backing music, and the backing effects is very well done, but as an instrumental showcase, I'd have boosted the guitar volume a little. Solidly done, and my favourite lead vocal-devoid song so far! Then we have "Haunted Jazz Machine", from The Black Lodge Masters' album "Dragon Coaster Mix". Calling this techno instrumental a "jazz" song is a stretch on the surface (you wouldn't hear this on 98.3 FM overnight), but it definitely feels haunted, with the machinery-like effects and deliberate pacing making up the difference. Very well programmed, fans of industrial-tinged electronica will enjoy this track, but if you want extreme metal, this won't do the job compared to other tracks.

Seventh is the other new track, "The Cosmic Joke", and after a two song instrumental detour, the vocally-led death metal returns here, and this is a strong showcase of Chase's multi-instrumental skills, with some strong guitar work and effective bass! My big problem with the song is the mixing, as the vocals are too buried for my liking (especially compared to Awokest's live jam of this song), and the guitar track doesn't pop either, especially during the solo late, where the screaming vocals are ironically too high. The metal on display is effective, but I wish the mix accentuated that more. Next is "Nightshift", from Chase's solo album "The Good, The Bad, and The Strange." This is an ominous mid-tempo song that's punctuated by alternating monotone vocals and painful background screaming, until Chase lets loose with a strong guitar solo that's fits the song's pace well. The distortion works well late, and this song is nicely composed, but there wasn't a killer hook.

The penultimate song on "Enter The Nightlands" is "Black Lodge Masters" (also from "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards"), which is named after Chase's past moniker for industrial solo music. In spite of that, this isn't as industrially focused as a song like "Haunted Jazz Machine" with Chase shredding overtop of the percussion and backing effects, with distorted sampled audio referencing "the gods of chaos" sprinkled in between. The song proper ends in a darker techno vibe, almost like an avalanche hits at the end. Solid track for what it is, and while not a death metal blitz, it covers some wide ground! The album closes with the 10+ minute long "Opening The Gates Of Yoss Merrrto", from The Coyote Speedfreaks' "Songs To Chew Your Leg Off To". A slowly paced and ominous techno song, the instrumentation builds well into it's midpoint, eventually taking on an ethereal chant essence, and a heavy focus around the drum track, hitting it's heaviest point near the end.

I applaud Chase for keeping this song varied and interesting (Yoss Merrrto definitely isn't a boring place to visit!), and while the lengthy instrumental may be trying for some novice listeners, it's an entertaining capper to the album that showcases his rock-tinged industrial creativity! If only the song didn't end so abruptly, but he made the most of the 10 minutes!

So, what are my final thoughts on Awokest's first paid album? Despite primarily existing as a compilation for prior songs, this is a nice cross-section of Chase's dark, heavy, and industrial material for new fans, and it showcases his creativity and talents well! Existing fans of his studio material and live shows know his intense and skilled acoustic guitar work, but here, you get a sense of his varied musical tastes apart from electric instruments and programming, and while the album is very uneven in tone, there's a little something for any fan of extreme metal and industrial techno here. Honestly, I was surprised at how much instrumental electronic music was here given Awokest's prior hints towards being a fuller death metal project, but with only two (or less?!) songs here being visibly new recordings, maybe that'll come with time. Myself, I liked "The Tweakening", "City of Shadows", and "Opening The Gates Of Yoss Merrrto" the most, but there's a lot of good moments.

The uneven mixing and production should be evened out when we next see a full studio album of new material under the Awokest banner, and whether you're a new fan of that project or a long-time follower of Chase's repertoire, "Enter The Nightlands" is a worthy listen to see what he's been up to musically in recent years, and a likely window to the future! Give it a listen or buy it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's album review! So, what is being reviewed on the site next month? At the moment, I do not know, and I can't confirm if our year+ streak of new album reviews will continue either. Our next review will not be of an album by SweetKenny or Sykotyk Rampage due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer, I know that much. We'll dip into the archives if nothing brand new is released for sale by the end of February, but stay tuned for more on that when it comes out, and for this weekend's concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal/Punk Video Showcase!!

In what may be our final concert preview-free news post of the month, we're covering videos from a quartet of varied local acts today, so here' what you should know from each video and band!

We'll start with a full concert video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's Christmas tour finale at The Park Theater in Holland on December 23rd! A month removed from that event, the 74 minute long video was finally posted online, though unlike their prior full concert videos from their 2018 tour, this was posted to their YouTube channel rather than on Facebook. Much like the previous tour uploads, the show in Holland (40 minutes west of Grand Rapids) was filmed on a stationary camera in the audience, but it's positioned well to capture the guys in action! The setlist is identical to the prior filmed shows due to the structured conceptual nature & pre-recorded introductions, but with the benefit of YouTube links that start at a given time, you can click on these song titles to easily hear each given song: "What Child Is This", "Carol of the Bells", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Away In A Manger", "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy", "Silent Night", "O Come All Ye Faithful", ...

..."O Holy Night", "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "We Three Kings", with instrumental/aria numbers also sporadically dotted in between. If you can put up with the belated post-Christmas nature of these metallized carols, then you'll get more solid and dynamic performances from this talented quintet, and the audio and video quality holds up well for the duration! Give Theatre of Night's full Holland set a look below, and stay tuned for more from them when it rolls in, including on if they have a third Christmas tour planned for 2019!

Next up, here's the latest from local solo artist Chase Wigmore's active projects! On January 18th, Chase posted on his Facebook page to note that he'd be taking a break from regular posts to focus on his new music while also clarifying how he's dividing up his music for future social media attention. Going forward, he plans to keep his new death metal material on the new Facebook page for his new solo project Awokest, while keep his folk/experimental material on his eponymous Facebook page. If he truly intends to separate all further extreme metal work under the Awokest banner, than this is a good idea, but we won't drop Chase's solo project from our band links after this new distinction, as he still has older metal material under his own name, and his acoustic work still has heavier & punk glimmers. Also, what does all this mean for Chase & The Bastards and The Black Lodge Masters, let alone the remaining EPs of Christmas? Stay tuned!

To go along with the above Awokest news, Chase posted two new songs from that project in the last couple weeks, including the 7 minute title track from his upcoming album "Solving the Human Condition" (which is now credited as an Awokest release), and as embedded below, his new "live jam" named "Cosmic Joke". For reference, these were posted on his Facebook and YouTube pages respectively, not Awokest's. The former's unmixed, but the chaotic assault comes through nicely on both songs, and the vocals are more black metal reminscent, so genre fans may appreciate these in that way! Give Chase/Awokest's newest songs a listen above & below!



Also today, Chase's past Blood Shed Productions colleague Tyler Gibson has a new solo track to share from his grindcore project Crucify the Whore, entitled "Scab Transfer"! Posted to the Blood Shed YouTube channel on January 18th, this is credited to an upcoming C.T.W. EP named "Crucifition Inquisition" (sic), and its just the instrumental track at this point, with vocals to be added. The first half will please Blood Shed diehards with it's live metal attack, but the second half is largely the drum machine track and extra effects played backwards (I ran the song through Audacity to make sure.) Not a bad song at this stage, so give it a listen below!



We'll close today with a Sublime cover from new local alternative rock band Man Feelings! Filmed at their Room 21 show on Saturday (as live streamed to the venue's Facebook page), this is of the band covering "What I Got" with Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay on guest vocals, so if you've missed that band live in recent months, this may help tide you over. Nice to see Man Feelings dipping into the ska punk well, and Christian definitely makes the most of his stage presence on this well done cover, but the vertical camera angle isn't optimal. Give Man Feelings' new video a look below, and we'll let you know if any heavier or punk covers of theirs turn up!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site next, so look for that if you're an Awokest fan! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: ThePickMeUps

It's now time for our first YouTube Channel Profile of 2019! This monthly feature series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% relevant to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists or concerts, in order to spotlight them and their content for readers and potential subscribers, with channels randomly selected as usual. This month's selection is the channel from a talented young band from the E.U.P. who deserved a higher profile run, so here's what you should know!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ThePickMeUps (http://www.youtube.com/thepickmeups)

Owner: A member of defunct Sault Michigan ska punk trio The Pick-Me-Ups (my guess is frontman Matt LaPointe, but I'm not 100% certain)

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 12th, 2009; Videos posted from the following day through August 12th of that year

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for The Pick-Me-Ups, no less than 31 videos were uploaded there in a four month span. About half of the videos are devoted to live performances & "Studio Daze" recordings, with the remainder focused on humorous videos of band members & friends in non-musical situations, with all but two running for under one minute in length.

Why You Should Watch: This channel is naturally worth checking out for old Pick-Me-Ups fans, while anyone interested in seeing a rare Sault Michigan-based punk band in action might want to see this promising (but short lived) band's content! The comedic videos might be worth a watch if you like seeing silly lighter moments from local musicians. However, note that this channel has not been actively used since the band's 2010 breakup.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Pick-Me-Ups - Eureka Street (Live): 14 of The Pick-Me-Ups' videos relate to their public concert debut, which took place at a youth event of some kind at The Big Bear Arena in April 2009. Following their drive to the arena, the guys played 12 songs, including six originals, namely "Crawl Back", "Just A Shame", "What It's Like", "Grape Kool-Aid", and "Pick It Up", and featured here, their original "Eureka Street", which is their channel's most popular video. The Pick-Me-Ups are represented here by singer/guitarist Matt LaPointe, bassist Trevor Yake, and ex-Elements of Madness drummer Landon Mattson. The video quality on these clips isn't overly sharp, and warping can occur on occasion, but the audio comes through well enough, and their bouncy brand of ska punk with faster and heavier breakdowns would surely have went over really well had they lasted into the 2010s!



The Pick-Me-Ups - Badfish (Sublime Cover): The other six full songs performed at the aforementioned Big Bear Arena show were covers, including of The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop", Dispatch's "The General", The Misfits' "Astro Zombies", Blink-182's "All The Small Things", and Rancid's "Time Bomb", but featured here is their version of Sublime's "Badfish". Nice laid back take on this ska classic, and everyone performs strongly, with Matt guitar work matching well with the rhythm! The last shot video at this event was an impromptu karaoke "version" of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle" by Trevor and ex-Cherubic Red frontman Steven Dahkle.



Studio Daze (Bass Track: Grape Kool-Aid): In July & August 2009, The Pick-Me-Ups recorded a self-titled demo at Lake Street Studio in nearby Brimley, featuring 10 original songs, and while this is unavailable in full online today, six songs were posted to the band's MySpace page. Four of their final six YouTube uploads were from the demo's recording sessions, hence the "Studio Daze" moniker, including Matt recording vocals for "Eureka Street" and Landon recording backing vocals for "Picket Fences". The other two are of Trevor's bass tracks for the songs "Just A Shame" and, as featured here, "Grape Kool-Aid", with bandmates looking on in each. You don't really see him playing the actual audio in either, but these give a nice isolated look at the recordings, and hopefully the full demo turns up down the road!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, our random selection has given us a local band's official channel for the third straight time, as we'll be looking at defunct Sault Ontario alt-hard rock trio The Din's channel! Look for this on or around February 26th, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Destroyer), Northern Film Showcase Preview, And Much More!!

Before we begin today's post, just one more Joni Radford-related note, as her obituary is finally on SooToday, which notes that memorial contributions to the Canadian Cancer Society, ARCH Hospice, or the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society. Also, it's made clear there that yesterday's services were a private family event, which I didn't know when including in our last post, as the spread on social media among contacts made it seem more open. If I erred in mentioning them here, I do sincerely apologize, and our best thoughts remain with the Radford and Morin families.

Now, let's dive into today's post, which includes some assorted recent updates, a new song, a preview of a special event taking place this weekend, and first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Windsor-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, March 30th at The Canadian Nightclub! This will be Destroyer's fourth local concert appearance in the 2010s, and their first since May 2015 (their July 2017 show at The Rockstar Bar was cancelled on short notice, which slipped us by at the time.) Kiss Army members should definitely keep an eye on this show, as Destroyer's faithful looking and sounding brand of Kiss classics should deliver a solid turnout at The Canadian in March, so don't miss their local return then! In a surprise announcement, the local openers will be reunited hard rock cover quartet Griphook, in their first public concert appearance since Rotaryfest 2017. Griphook had previously opened for Destroyer locally in 2015, so if you loved that show, here's an encore!

It's great to see Griphook finally end their nearly 2 year long hiatus, and they are now back in our active band links, but how will they sound after the layoff? Be at The Canadian in two months to find out! This 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and while admission fees have not yet been announced, note that Destroyer's 2015 concert had $12 advance tickets and a $16 door charge. This should be a great chance for fans to get their live Kiss fix and welcome Griphook back to the public stage, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, this isn't a concert, but for an event as unique as this, I felt it deserved one more preview on here, as local filmmaker and rock bassist Nathan (Jonna) Bouliane and McBully Productions are hosting their second annual Northern Film Showcase THIS SUNDAY at Shooters Downstairs Lounge (formerly Breakaway Bar & Grill) at 69 Dennis Street, with a theme centered around music videos from local artists! This event is intended to bring local musicians and filmmakers together to make connections, generate exposure, and network for future collaborations, and creators on both sides are encouraged to attend the showcase, which will feature mystery live performances, speeches from local musicians, and a screening of at least 10 music videos. Two are on the heavier spectrum for SMS readers, including The Bear Hunters' "I Fear No God" & Mike Haggith's "The Nature of The Times", though I'm fairly certain neither is performing live.

The other videos come courtesy of Audiosmile, Renee Landry, Kalle Mattson, Mike Mikus, Jackson Reed, Mic Swiff, Britta Wolfert, and at least one publically uncredited performer (one is in the new Facebook cover video for the event, so you might be able to play detective.) Tickets are $10 and can be bought at Shooters or presumably at the door, while this has a special 4:00 PM start time. This is definitely a unique event for this area, but it'll be a great chance for musicians and filmmakers to meet and discuss mutual interests, and local music and film lovers can see some professionally done music videos as well! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also today, here's some updates regarding the Ozbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub in March, starting with a date change, as the show has been moved from Friday, March 29th to Saturday, March 23rd, as per updates to the Facebook event page. A reason for the date switch wasn't announced, but it's not often where a concert is moved to an earlier day, so fans will get their Winnipeg-bred Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath tribute action a little sooner! A local opener has also been announced, they being blues rock trio The Paul DellaVedova Band, in a rare non-Rotaryfest support appearance from them. Interesting genre disparity here, but Paul and company can go heavy on occasion, and they should warm the crowd up well in two months! Notably, they replaced acoustic country duo The Bearded Lounge as the openers, with that band originally advertised last week at this link, but a reason for their withdrawal wasn't announced either. See above for updates!

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 column name:

• As per their Facebook page, local indie/punk trio Northwest will try their hand at CBC's annual Searchlight music competition again this year! The guys made the Northern Ontario regional semifinals in this event back in 2015, and with a new EP, now seems like a good time for them to try again in this national search for Canada's best new artist! Full contest details for prospective musicians can be found at the above links, and stay tuned for when voting kicks off!
• In their first proper Facebook page post since it's launch, new local Tool tribute band Parabol thanked everyone for liking them so far (they're already at 255 fans!), and they teased "possibly scheduling a show in March." With Destroyer and Ozbourne already booked for that month, why not one more tribute band concert for good measure? If this gets confirmed, we'll let you know!
• The most recent installment of Ernest Skinner's Rock Talk column on SaultOnline went online on January 12th, where he largely talked about live albums from bands and his opinions & reminiscences on them. Interesting read with a lot of good points, so give it a look at this link! No sign yet of new Rock Talk columns, including some with more teased musician interviews.

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

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

Before we begin this weekend concert preview post, just a heads up that Joni Radford's final services will take place today at 1:00 PM at the East Korah Maxwell United Church at 4 Fourth Line East, with the graveside placement of her ashes immediately following, while friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of life at The Oddfellows Hall later today. Our source for the above information is Joni's personal Facebook page, as a public obituary is not (yet?) on SooToday. On this difficult day, I hope everyone reflects on Joni's life with all of the zeal and optimism she showed throughout it, and our best thoughts and wishes are still with her family and friends! Also, Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones recorded a tribute song to Joni named "Punk Rock Princess", which was posted to Tidal Records' YouTube channel on Tuesday, and this is a well performed and emotional number that has already received many accolades from those that knew her, and you can give it a listen below. R.I.P. Joni!



Now, let's dive into this weekend's currently announced hard rock concert previews, starting with the continuation of Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but that's not all, as we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS courtesy of his February schedule, now in our concert listings also! Of course, you can enjoy his acoustic hard and classic rock hits at Gliss on Spring Street this weekend, but he'll be back there on February 1st-2nd, 8th-9th, 15th-16th, and 22nd-23rd, so regulars at this downtown restaurant will be in good musical hands next month as usual! As well, Tym will be playing two traditional Friday night concerts next month, as he'll be at Room 21 on Albert Street West on February 8th, and then at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road a week later on February 15th. Fans of Tym's unplugged solo act have 10 chances to see him next month, but don't forget about this weekend's Gliss gigs either!

As usual, this weekend's and next month's Gliss shows are 6:00 PM events with no announced age limits or cover charges (but mind the locale), while the Room 21 & Roadhouse gigs next month are 19+ gigs at 10:00 PM with no cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and for a preview of this weekend's shows, here's Tym live!



Also this weekend, let's head south for the return of Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril, as they'll return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be the first E.U.P. gigs of 2019 for any of Jeff Hudson and Adam Crawford's linked hard rock bands, with Scarkazm not returning to our area for another week, and Project 6 only playing up here on occasion. It's great to see Peril back after a two month break from our region, and their old school brand of metal covers should be welcomed back by St. Ignace faithful tomorrow and/or Saturday! If you can't make these shows, Peril will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the end of March, with Soo Kewadin gigs still to be announced. This weekend's concerts have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live in Vanderbilt a few years back!



Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where Toronto southern hard rock sextet White Cowbell Oklahoma will make their long awaited return to the local stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! A fan favourite band known for their energetic and theatrical stage shows with fire and power tools thrown in for good measure, we haven't seen W.C.O. in town since they rocked The Rockstar Bar over four years ago, back in November 2014. This will also be their first Soo date since adding former Detroit/Maximum RNR guitarist Curtis Faux to the fold, and it'll be great to see him back in his hometown on Saturday! White Cowbell Oklahoma have a new album and almost 20 years of action to ride back into the Soo this weekend, and if you haven't seen them before, now would be a good time to see their wild live show for yourself! Despite teasers on the Facebook event page, a planned opening band has not been announced at press time.

This show was also hyped earlier this week in a new SooToday article by James Hopkin featuring interview remarks with singer Clem Clemsen, where he discussed expectations for Saturday's concert, their new album, their 20th anniversary, and their ongoing tour. Fun read for fans, but you'll have to come to LopLops for yourself to see if it does actually fold inwards into a seventh dimensional space! Tickets for this 19+ show are $20 at this link and presumably at the door, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. White Cowbell Oklahoma should put on an excellent live show once again, so see above for more details, and here they are live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for another news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

New Videos And More Recent News & Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to send our deepest condolences out to the family and friends of Joni Radford, who passed away early yesterday at the age of 30, after a six year battle with breast cancer. A known punk fan, SMS readers may recognize Joni from her guest backing vocal appearance with local hardcore punk veterans Destroilet on their cover of The Rebel Spell's "Murderers" (as seen on 2015's "Fed Up!" split CD), while this sad news comes just over a year after a benefit concert in her name at The Canadian Nightclub, where Redundant, A Dire Setback, and Stegadeth took the stage to help raise money for medical expenses. I didn't know Joni well, but her courage, determination, and positivity throughout her illness was wonderful to see, especially in light of family health issues I've experienced in recent years, and I'm sure she fought this horrible disease as long as she could. Our best goes out to all that knew her, and stay tuned to local news media for information on services when appropriate. R.I.P. Joni!

Now, today's post is otherwise a catch-up one, with just some assorted recent stories to touch on, starting with a new video from local/Thompson, Manitoba hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith, as shared to his Facebook page yesterday! Shot in "selfie mode", Mike made this video to acknowledge milestones and his already highly eventful month of January 2019, which included his debut music video, his first FM radio appearance, and nearing 500 likes on Facebook, and he encouraged viewers to follow along on social media for what he hopes will be a big year. Nice video that outlines his recent successes, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned at the end for outtakes!



Next up, here's a couple of long overdue hard rock cover videos posted onto local classic rock cover band Obsession's YouTube channel two years ago! We cover this veteran band (featuring singer Valerie Powley, bassist Jim Michaud, and drummer Steve Porco) on the SMS when footage of them tackling heavier songs turned up, and I do apologize for these having to wait so long for coverage on here. Back in January 2017 at The Water Tower Pub, the band made their first concert appearance with ex-That's Chester guitarist Gabe Tessaro, and six videos were posted from that show, including Nick Gilder, Bob Seger, Janis Joplin, and Elle King covers. The other two are heavier, including renditions of Heart's "Barracuda" and, as embedded below, Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz". Audio can be a little muffled, but Obsession sound lively and proficient on these covers, and Valerie's singing is as strong and passionate as ever! Give these and more a look above and below!



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:

• The Fishbowl Festival will indeed return for a fourth year next month, as per their new Facebook page! The Pisces-timed arts & concert festival was a staple event at the now-closed Gore Street Cafe from 2016-2018, and while a host venue hasn't been confirmed for this year, remember that organizer Nicole Dyble and her promotion company Dryer Fire have been highly active since then at the MS Norgoma museum ship. Will we see hard rock or punk concerts back between February 20th & March 20th after being absent last year? Stay tuned for updates, and the festival is now linked with other festivals on the SMS!
• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' 2014 debut EP "The First" was belatedly reviewed by Jon Dunn of the blog Outlaw Review last week, where he positively commented on it's "well placed harmonies with a fast paced driving sound", and he recommended it for people "with eclectic tastes looking for something new but familiar." It's great to see Jack Spades' first album still making fans abroad five years later, so read the whole review at this link!
• After taking a public hiatus from music updates since June 2018, local hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary announced on his Facebook page this month that he is writing and recording again, and apparently already has another EP ready, possibly named "Propaganda Model." He also shared two new songs from his Soundcloud page, namely "The Hand That Feeds" & "Opposite Opus", which both explore heavier metal territory than we've seen from Mike. These sound promising and have a nice fast pace with brutal riffs, but will these be on said EP, and how far along is it? Stay tuned for updates at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dave Evans & Soundcheck), Plus New Videos!!

Let's get a new news post up on this very cold Saturday afternoon, and it's packed with some big stories, including a new teaser for an upcoming event, new video footage of a new local band, and leading off, here's two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for early 2019 that are big in very different ways!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will be among the performers at the Soo-Lebrity Showcase Saturday concert at The Machine Shop on Saturday, February 2nd! Organized by (Choose) Maxx Entertainment, this intended-to-be annual event will take place as part of this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival (which begins the previous day), and it will unite local bands, local artists (photographer/promoter Josh Pace among them), and local craft beer for one high profile event. In fact, you could call this a mini-sequel to Toystock (if more adult in tone), as all four of the bands on February 2nd performed at the last two Toystocks, so fans of that event may want to take extra notice! Soundcheck will co-headline Soo-Lebrity Showcase Saturday at 9:00 PM, preceding country rock veterans Bone Yard at 10:00 PM, with their acoustic side project The Bearded Lounge and fellow unplugged country notables The Jeff & Jeff Show kicking things off at 8:00 & 7:00 PM each.

Admission is free with the purchase of a $7 Bon Soo button, and while an age limit wasn't stated, the presence of craft beer may just say it all. It's great to see a local performer-friendly concert back at Bon Soo this year, and while I do think that the outdoor Marquee concerts never lived up to their full potential, everyone can stay warm with the bands while enjoying local art and beer at the same time! Visit the official Facebook event page for more on the Soo-Lebrity Showcase in two weeks' time!

Next up, here's a surprising but very intriguing concert announcement, as original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans will make his Sault Ste. Marie debut on Saturday, May 4th at The Rockstar Bar! Diehard AC/DC fans will know that Dave Evans was their lead singer in 1973 & 1974, and featured on their debut single before being replaced by Bon Scott. While he didn't feature on the vast majority of AC/DC recordings, he does renditions of Bon-era songs live, as well as the two tracks from the above single, select originals, and outside covers. Dave's voice is deeper and somewhat more melodic than his successors, and while he didn't stick around long with AC/DC, it'll be interesting to hear how he handles these classic songs locally! In fact, his backing band will be an actual AC/DC tribute band named Thunderstruck, and while the Facebook event page indicates that they're from Australia, I've seen conflicting posts online about which specific AC/DC tribute named Thunderstruck is playing on Dave's 2019 Canadian tour.

No word at press time on potential opening bands. This 19+ concert has an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $16 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, or $20 at the door. Regardless of how long he was in the band, it is very cool to see an original member of AC/DC on a local stage, and hopefully this show is a hit come the spring! See above for more details!

Also today, here's some new videos from new local Tool tribute band Parabol, courtesy of their live concert debut at the aforementioned Rockstar Bar on October 27th during that weekend's Halloween Party! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Wednesday, these feature the then-unnamed band covering "The Pot", "Schism", and as embedded below, "Sober", which we hadn't previously featured here from prior videos shot that night. Camera angles are inconsistent (only "Schism" is filmed in landscape orientation, and the other two can be quite crooked), but their authentic sound and proficiency comes through nicely on each, so give these a look!



Finally, did you notice that the Facebook event page cover video for the Northern Film Showcase on January 27th at Shooters Downstairs Lounge was quietly deleted from our post from last Sunday? Well, organizers McBully Productions opted to replace it with a new video hyping three more music videos to be screened at this special event later this month. As embedded below, it confirms that local death metal band The Bear Hunters' new video for "I Fear No God" will be featured at this event, alongside new videos from solo artists Renee Landry and Britta Wolfert. Nice to see (at least) 8 diverse local music videos on the docket, and get more details at the above links!



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

Our Poll On Your Favourite New Local Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk Bands Of 2018!!

With 2018 now in the rear view mirror, let's try our year-end polls on the site again! Vote totals last year weren't very high at all, but we'll see if things turn around this time out. As usual, we are starting by posing this question:  What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk band of 2018? Last year was a lean one for debuting bands on the heavier spectrum, but enough launched, especially in the latter half of the year, to warrant this poll returning. To be included in the poll, the band must have publically launched AND played live in the 2018 calendar year, hence why Fluid 5ive (who launched way back in 2016) and Awokest (who dropped out of their sole advertised show last year) missed the cut. It's also worth noting that I can't confirm the genre range of new (and online page-less) Sault Michigan trio Roadhouse, so I opted not to include them. Of course, if we missed your preferred choice, "Other" is back too!

Lastly, in the poll form proper (on the right of the page), I specified which bands were tribute bands, just as a means of helping readers recall who they were, as upon their debut, only one of them had a publically acknowledged name on social media. Now, here are your choices in alphabetical order!

Coral Fang: Debuting at night #1 of last October's Halloween Party at The Rockstar Bar, Coral Fang are the Distillers tribute band from Jack Spades/Stegadeth bandmates Tiffany Stocco & Johnny Belanger, alongside A Dire Setback's Chris Nielsen and Destroilet's Adam Larocque. The band received positive notices at this show and at their LopLops gig with The Cover-Up last month, but would you agree that they're your favourite new local band of last year?

Parabol: Though they remained unnamed until this month, many fans felt that Parabol stole the show in their live debut at night #2 of the aforementioned Halloween Party with their authentic and proficient tribute to prog-metal legends Tool. Featuring ex-Late Shift bandmates John Barber & Anthony Gagnon alongside Odd Man Out's Steve Myers and Skeyes of Seven's Al Fletcher, this band has the skill level to go far, but did you like them more than the other options here?

Poison Girl: Tiffany & Johnny were very busy on October 26th, as they launched two new cover bands that night, including the HIM tribute Poison Girl alongside Stegadeth bandmate Bill Bennett and Machines Dream keyboardist Brian Holmes. Individual local covers of the Finnish gothic rock standouts are rare enough, so Ville Valo fans certainly ate up Poison Girl's debut last fall, and while more shows haven't yet followed, did you see enough then to vote for them in this poll?

Re:Born: The only poll option that is not a tribute band, Re:Born are the new power rock band from Project 421's Blair Burch & Frank McGillivray, Eclipse's Fred Dunn, and The Din's Brandan Glew, with the now departed Robert Nevitt singing at all three of their 2018 gigs. Sets opening for Archelon & All The Wasted Years gave them strong exposure, and while their 2019 debut with new singer Elly McWatters is up in the air, did their initial shows earn them your vote over the tribute band trio?

Other: Did we miss your preferred new band of last year? Should we have included Fluid 5ive their pre-2018 launch? Did a band that never played live in 2018 impress you more, like Awokest, Hubbard, or Tattoos & Scars? Are Roadhouse a heavier rock band? Maybe you preferred a new band that isn't hard rock or punk based, or even one that's not local? If, for whatever reason, we didn't include the band you want to vote for, pick "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until February 18th to cast your votes, and it'll be interesting to see which band comes out on top after a quieter than usual year for local metal and punk band debuts. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Elements & Chase Wigmore) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's now time for another round of weekend concert previews for your hard rock delectation! Barring further late announcements, we have three batches of shows to get to in the area this weekend, but we'll start with two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will headline a special karaoke-infused concert at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert only came to our attention via advertising on the venue's physical marquee boards on Wednesday. While Friday karaoke nights have been teased and promoted at varying levels this season at The Rockstar Bar, the Facebook event page for TOMORROW'S concert clearly states that The Elements' set will be married to the karaoke aspect, as attending fans are encouraged to come up and sing with The Elements as the live backing band. One assumes frontman Rob Speers will sing when no one's ready to join in, and likely host in between time. This may call to mind Mourning Wood's brief 2015 run of Thursday jam/open mic nights at The Rednecks Saloon, but unlike those, The Elements will be playing each song, rather than handing off to new performers at unknown times.

In any event, this will be The Elements' first public concert appearance of 2019, and first show since their Chili Peppers tribute turn at the same venue last month. They should be in fine form with their alternative, funk, and metal covers TOMORROW, but who will sing with them, and what? Find out then! There is no cover charge for this 19+ concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's The Elements live!



Next up, remember that poll that Chase Wigmore's Facebook page ran on January 4th that asked if fans would be interested in attending a free show at The Rednecks Saloon this month? Well, 77% of fans voted in the affirmative, and the show will take place on Saturday, February 2nd! Originally planned for this Saturday before being postponed two weeks "to make thing a little easier", Chase is calling this a "free concert/jam" that will include "various acts", though it's not clear whether they're all intended to be a mystery, or if the search for performers is still ongoing. The presumed headliner is Chase himself, who will perform his rock opera "A Story About A Kid Named Todd" in full for his first public concert set of the year, and if you've seen that in action, you'll know that his intense storytelling will appeal to both folk and metal fans! Of course, we'll let you know if other acts are announced.

This FREE concert has a 19+ age limit and early advertised start time of 8:00 PM. There's a lot of unknowns as of yet for this concert, but Chase's irreverent stage show and extreme musical diversity alone should be worth your attention next month! Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Also, let's continue with this weekend's concert previews by moving to Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term weekly arrangement with acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Fans of his unplugged live shows should be in fine company on these two evenings, and if you like your hard and classic rock covers in a more intimate setting, this should be worth a trip either night! Tym's prolific setlist and solid talent should seal the deal, and you can take in all of the action tomorrow and/or Saturday at 6:00 PM. Both shows are free with no stated age limits, but remember that this is a formal restaurant, not a typical nightclub venue. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, here's Tym live, and stay tuned next week for details on his February concert schedule at Gliss and elsewhere!

Finally for this weekend(?) is the 2019 debut of Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quintet Highway 63, as they are advertised to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Just as a heads up, Highway 63 have not acknowledged these shows on their Facebook page, and have only posted there once in 2019 so far, via photos of studio updates they recently made. However, these shows are still advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page, so we will treat them as on unless otherwise stated. These are Highway 63's first advertised concerts of the new year, and their first at the St. Ignace Kewadin since 2017, and just their second & third gigs since bassist George Belleau, drummer Justin Lawless, and keyboardist Brian Drumheller joined the Switzers in the group. How will the new-look band sound this weekend? Head to The Northern Pines Lounge either night to find out!

As usual for Highway 63's prior Kewadin gigs, expect these shows to have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Highway 63's old lineup live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this weekend, plus a new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (OZbourne), Two New Local Bands, A New Album, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Wednesday morning, and it includes some assorted recent updates, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and first, two new additions to our band links, one with a new album, so without any further adieu, here's what you should know!

We have another new band to add to our active links on The Sault Metal Scene, and they are Parabol, the name finally bestowed upon the local Tool tribute band that debuted last fall! Taking their name from the Tool song "Parabola" (though they were briefly known as Lateralus upon their Facebook page's launch), fans will remember this band's live debut at The Rockstar Bar during the second night of last October's Halloween Party, with a headlining encore taking place at the same venue last month. There's very little posted on their page as of yet, but assuming there's been no quiet lineup changes, they are comprised of former Redefined/Driving Dave Home singer John Barber, Wild Iris/Odd Man Out guitarist Steve Myers, Skeyes of Seven bassist (and John's former Fingerbone bandmate) Alain Fletcher, and ex-Groove Committee drummer Anthony Gagnon (who also played with John in Late Shift.)

It's great to see the guys keep this tribute going with a permanent name, and as anyone who saw them at The Rockstar Bar in late 2018 will attest, their brand of Tool covers was extremely proficient and entertaining, and they put in the time to ensure that the songs sounded just right! If Coral Fang and Poison Girl can become actual bands following Halloween, why not Parabol? Become a fan of theirs at the above links!

Next up, here's a surprise: A Chase Wigmore solo album with a paid online release! Rather than his free EP postings and sporadic physical pressings, he has released an apparent paid debut album for his experimental metal project Awokest via their new Bandcamp page, which is sufficient to add them to our active band links as well! Still using the ribald alias "Dick Jerkins" in Awokest, he describes this project as an "experimental metal band (that) shifts between genres", with "old school industrial" cited alongside phases of black metal and grind. Though ostensibly a solo project, Chase/Dick alluded to frequent membership changes, despite never indicating any identities. The album itself is not the forthcoming "12 EPs of Christmas" entry named "The Mostest Awokest", rather a full studio album named "Enter the Nightlands", which features 10 songs, including "The Tweakening", a carried-over title from the free EP of the same name.

Chase certainly knows how to stay busy, doesn't he? Strange Coyotes aside, Bandcamp wasn't on my radar for his studio work, but it's great to see a digital download album of his there, and you can buy it for $7 right now. Also, "Enter the Nightlands" is now the favourite to be our next CD review on The Sault Metal Scene, so look for that later this month! I'll hold comment on the album until then, but fans of his diverse material will want to check it out above or below via a new upload on Chase's YouTube channel!



Also, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Winnipeg-based Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath tribute band OZbourne will make their local concert debut on Friday, March 29th at The Canadian Nightclub! To my knowledge, this is the first Ozzy/Sabbath tribute band to hit Sault Ste. Marie since Blizzard of Ozz played at The Canadian in 2011, so fans of the Prince of Darkness have been waiting a long while for a comparable local tribute show, and this should make up for lost time. OZbourne call themselves "The Ultimate Ozzy Experience", and from the videos I've seen, they look and sound the part, and Ozzy lovers should definitely consider a trip to The Canadian in March for their faithful brand of old school metal! A cover charge is not yet advertised on the Facebook event page, but a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit are expected. It's great to see The Canadian hosting a metal tribute again, so visit the above links for current details!

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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback revealed on their Facebook page two weeks ago that they have finished pre-production on vocals for their debut album, and were getting ready to record the final vocal tracks. They also teased that they'll return to the stage "this summer when it's all done." Hopefully things are on track for the album, and stay tuned for updates!
• Elliot Lake promoters AstroRabbit Entertainment are planning on hosting a major metal concert of some kind at the Elliot Lake Airport in early August, with hopes being to attract 10,000 fans. Elliot Lake is over 2 hours east of Sault Ste. Marie, well past our coverage area, but I mention it here because SooToday did cover it yesterday. There are a lot of unknowns regarding this event, including lineup, ticket prices, and the exact date, but there is clear ambition here, and might this be a spiritual replacement for Rock 'n Roar in Spanish? Follow AstroRabbit for more details!
• Local promoters Choose Maxx (or Maxx Entertainment) posted a photo on their Facebook page on Monday featuring the logo for a teased Bon Soo concert event called "Soo-Lebrity Showcase Saturday", which will take place at The Machine Shop on Saturday, February 2nd, and will feature local entertainment, artists, and brew. No word as of yet regarding the full format, lineup, prices, or Bon Soo frills, but there's already some positive buzz, so visit the above links for more details, especially if hard rock bands are in!

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