LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bon Jovi Forever & Handsome Sandwich) And A New Local Band!!

(Updated at 4:08 PM) It's a new month already, so here's our first post of February 2020! This post is half devoted to a new and promising local hard rock band with a lot to say already, with the back half focused on LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!

We have another new band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are The Uncanny Valley, the band led by 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan! He name-dropped this project when discussing his future plans after winning that event in the fall, but they only surfaced with Facebook & Instagram pages last month, plus a website. Adrian didn't play any hard rock songs in The Soo's Got Talent, but this band definitely skews that way, with their website citing inspirations from classic & psychedelic rock to country, and their original songs so far have a 1970s hard rock feel to them (helped by covering Kiss, Boston, and even Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young on video.) Adrian is on vocals & guitar here, as joined by guitarist Matt Ferlaino, bassist Adam Fahrer, and Stanley Hill drummer Dylan Turner (the son of Garden of Bedlam/Papa Fogals Chair alum Derek Turner.) Young group of musicians that aren't mainstays of our coverage, but they have the right skill set!

The Uncanny Valley made their live debut on New Year's Eve at The Canadian Nightclub when they opened for country musician Brendan Hodgson (who has featured Adam in prior studio material), and they followed that by playing at last week's relaunch party for The House Restaurant & Bar, which is located at the Community First Curling Center at 124 Anita Boulevard. That's a new location for us re: local concerts, but you may recall the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Battle of the Bands inside the curling rink proper 10 years ago. Will The House become a more prominent live venue going forward, or was this a special occasion? We'll keep you posted! And yes, I do apologize for missing those shows for coverage on the SMS, but I didn't know what The Uncanny Valley played yet. Seven videos are uploaded on Facebook, including three originals, like "Glowin'" and "Middle Man".

Embedded below is The Uncanny Valley's self-titled song. The videos aren't pristine quality for the audio, but the guys have talent and decent chemistry from what I've seen, and their older cover focus calls to mind a band like Electric Church, only with less of a blues focus. There are times when Adrian's voice doesn't seem to mesh with the song proper, but I am very curious to see where The Uncanny Valley go from here, especially as some welcomed new blood. Give them a look above & below!

Next up, resurgent local alt/punk (albeit genre hating) trio Handsome Sandwich will headline at The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via the venue's Facebook event page this afternoon, after they were signed as late replacements for another Elements side project, The Wyld Stallyns. That band was originally scheduled for a short notice gig of their own tonight, but withdrew this morning due to a band member falling ill, as per the venue's Hayley Warnock on that show's Facebook event page. Their identity wasn't given, but it's not guitarist and Handsome Sandwich member Jesse Cook, who is playing TONIGHT. Hopefully all's well in the Speers camp, but kudos to Johnny, Jesse, and James for stepping in on short notice, and this could be a good chance to re-introduce yourself to their irreverent cover selection if you missed them over their dormant period in much of 2019!

As would have been the case for the Stallyns, TONIGHT's show has a likely 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!



Finally, here's one more new concert to watch for later this month, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return to Sault Ste. Marie when they headline at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday, February 22nd! This will be the third local concert appearance from this particular Bon Jovi tribute, following appearances at the same venue in May 2016 and last October, so fans of Bon Jovi should be familiar with this particular tribute. Delivering a faithful sounding and looking experience for fans of their early hair metal work and more general rock of the new millennium, Bon Jovi Forever have received acclaim over the years, and to come back to the Soo for a third time in 5 years, they must be doing something right! This 9:00 PM & 19+ show has tickets available at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk, and while a ticket price is not listed on the Facebook event page, last year's show cost $15 in advance, $20 at the door. See the above links for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!