Let's cover some recent news and updates on the SMS today, primarily from a pair of notable hard rock bands in the E.U.P., but there is lots of recent stuff to touch on from a prominent Sault Ontario musician as well. Hopefully there's more where this came from, but here's what you should know!
Here's the latest (non-TikTok) updates from Sault Michigan hard rock band
Tarnished, starting with a surprise lineup change, as they have officially parted ways with drummer Gary Croad. Unlike in their prior drummer departure last year, the band did elaborate on
their Facebook page on Thursday, where they implied that Gary made the call to leave, as "he's got his own path to follow", but they praised him and the great ride they've had with him. Gary was confirmed as Tarnished's new drummer in May of last year, replacing Tommy Korcal behind the kit, and he played with them at the Rock The Block concert in July, but he only sporadically took part in their videos posted to social media. Tarnished hinted that Gary "got in with
Project 906" (if true, ironically replacing Tommy again),
but that has
not been confirmed by Project 906's camp at press time. We'll keep you posted on if that proves to be an accurate report or not!
Gary's a solid musician, and while he did seem to be somewhat detached from their social media videos, he will be missed, and hopefully we hear from him again soon! Before Gary left, he did feature (at least) one more time with Tarnished in their fourth
"Friday Sessions" appearance on
9&10 News' lifestyle newsmagazine series
The Four last week! Here, they played their original song "The Path", in a similar setting to their prior CBS performances, but here with more stage lighting. Solid work as usual, and if you missed The Four on channel 10(.1) last week, check it out at the above links! I can't embed videos from 9&10 News' website here.
Next up, here's a new video from the aforementioned
Project 906's Facebook page! Apologies for the delay on this clip, which was uploaded on Christmas Eve, but it remains their most recent posting there (again, no word on if they did switch drummers as of this writing). Around three weeks after posting
a Chris Stapleton cover as part of a planned "Songs From The Bedroom" solo performance video series, frontman Billy Bernier returned with a new video, this time not visibly in a bedroom, and this time of a new 906 original song! Entitled "Where's The Love?", this acoustic vocal/guitar rendition is obviously incomplete from how the band will play it, but it has a bluesy rock base that fits their usual sound, and it's well sung! That said, I'd have framed the camera better, too much dead space in the top half. Give Billy's new video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Project 906!
Now let's head north to Sault Ontario for the latest from prolific local singer/guitarist
Chase Wigmore! In a lengthy post on
his Facebook page on January 17th, Chase revealed that he has a new full length acoustic album ready to be recorded, and while he was in the process of scheduling record time for it, he hoped to finish it within two months. Later in the post, Chase noted that he is planning to release "The Chase James Wigmore Collection" for sale on USB sticks, featuring his entire solo discography, from raw early trials to his more refined and seriously approached work of more recent years, as part of three volumes. He is currently in "Volume 3" of his solo career, which he teased "will probably be the end" of his solo work, but he never plans to stop playing guitar. Hopefully that's not too finite, he still has a lot to offer musically! Chase also teased further work with
The Strange Coyotes, who reunited in late 2019 for a one-off gig at the Dryer Fire pop-up venue, but the pandemic is obviously in the way.
At the end, he noted that he's working on writing a book about the guitar, under the title "Ars Cithara" (which stands for "The Art Of Guitar"), and Chase called it "the single most important project I will ever work on" and "perhaps even my life's purpose." No pressure, clearly, but I'd be very curious to read this when completed! The other note from this post regarded his side project
Awokest's new album
"Beyonder", which had recently been mixed after some prior technical issues, and two weeks later after this post was made, the album came out as promised as a free upload on
his new YouTube channel! If you like Chase's electronic and industrial works with a tinge of extreme metal, you should take to "Beyonder", especially as it's free, though this is a primarily instrumental album. Give Awokest's new music a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Chase's camps when it rolls in!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week, plus our latest Defunct Local Band Profile on Monday or Tuesday! Thanks everyone!
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