The Rundown On Mike Haggith's Ninth #LockdownLive Concert!!

Hey guys, this is an auto-post due to my taking today off from the SMS due to my 31st birthday, but I wanted to keep our streak of daily posts going in spite of that, and with Mike Haggith live-streaming his ninth #LockdownLive concert on his Facebook page last night, that will be excellent post fodder for #76! I normally watch these after the live-stream ends to avoid any technical glitches, but this time, I did tune in to the live airing to ensure that this post was complete and scheduled before midnight.

That said, given that this is my first live sit-in for the series, I picked quite the day, as Mike's theme for #LockdownLive IX was "The Sault Profile", focusing on covers of songs by local musicians that he enjoyed and/or was influenced by during his time living in the Soo from 2010-2017, and even beyond! Mike starts the live-stream by explaining his change in set-up for his camera and computer for ease of access, and reminding everyone about the contest for the most shares from live viewers, with the winner picking the cover Mike has to do at #LockdownLive X next week. Of course, irreverent banter remains a constant too! The set starts with two covers of early songs by Kincheloe, Michigan alternative solo project The Black Hole Suns, including "It Takes Time" (which Mike covered on his 2013 album "The Present Din") and "The Man In Green". It's always nice to see cross-border music appreciation like this, I wish Sault Michigan-area bands got more attention up here, and vice versa!

After introducing a drinking game, among other topics, Mike next tackles "Lovers" from defunct local post-punk quartet Gnaeus' 2016 CD "Meditations", which Mike previously covered at #LockdownLive V, and who Mike heavily credited for helping him step up his game locally. Afterwards, Mike discusses 2014-2016 punk quartet Stereo North, leading into his cover of "She Died First" from frontman Andrew Pucci's 2017 debut solo album "Truth & Consequence". Next, Mike reprises another local cover from a past installment (#LockdownLive IV), namely "Closure" by local alternative studio project Auxillary Disconnect, before discussing 2016-2018 local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic, who opened for The Din's Suburban Sendoff concert in fall of 2017. Mike covers two songs of theirs, namely "Psychic Vampire" and "Subway Delay", and though Bizotic never released a studio album, videos of both songs are floating around online if you want to check them out.

Next, Mike covers "Girl From My Dreams" by local folk musician Jacob Quarrell from his 2019 solo album "Small Town Troubles", which Mike also covered in this series before, back on #LockdownLive VII. Afterwards, Mike talks about veteran folk musician Chris Belsito, from whom he covers "Room 702" from his 2010 studio album "Revelation Come Late". At least on the live feed, glitches started occurring while Mike was discussing his old band The Din, from which he plays two of their original songs, including "The Price That You Pay" from 2017's "Suburban Dream" (the only song played last night that Mike wrote) and drummer Brandan Glew's composition "Flux" from 2016's "Give In To The Din". Mike closes the local section of the show by addressing his 2012-2015 local grunge/hard rock band Haggith, specifically discussing their 2012 concept album "Apocalypse", from which he plays the ballad "Days".

Mike wraps up #LockdownLive IX by covering The Gourds' version of Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice", as requested by Brandan for winning last week's live-stream share contest. This rendition is full of amusing spoken word asides, but the music proper is fun and lively, if not as country-reminiscent as The Gourds' version (watch for a Bob Dylan style parody late!) Afterward, Mike checks out the comments one more time, and announces plans to announce the share contest winner later today, as well as promoting the planned #LockdownLive X for this coming Saturday. Aside from some glitches late (people were even kicked out at one point), watching the live-stream live was a fun experience, especially with songs I knew and were familiar with already from so many recent local musicians! Mike's performances were solid as always, and it's great seeing local talent covering other locals like this. Give #LockdownLive IX a watch below, and I'll see you guys with a new post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!