Black Label Society's Concert Rescheduling, A Band Reunion, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, just an apology for not covering local hard rock band Tarnished's acoustic matinee gig at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmer's Market on Wednesday, marking Alex & Josh's first unplugged show there since 2019 (you can guess why they didn't play there last year). The show was only plugged that same morning by both the band and market, when we didn't have enough time or content to rush a post on here, but it was covered on our Facebook page. I do apologize, and I'd have covered it here had it had more notice! Now, today's post mostly deals in some notable Sault Michigan topics, plus a Sault Ontario band reunion, so here's what you should know!

In a promising sign that a more normal concert calendar is ahead, the Black Label Society-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino has been rescheduled once again, and is now slated to take place on Saturday, November 13th! Now scheduled to take place exactly 20 months after the originally cancelled March 13th date, this show is part of B.L.S.' Doom Trooping Over North America tour in October & November, and Tampa, Florida death metal legends Obituary will be back for this tour run, as they were last year. Last year's planned opening act Lord Dying are not on this new tour, but New York groove metal legends Prong (of "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" fame) will open the proceedings this time around, and it'll be neat to see them in their local debut! Standing-room only tickets remain at $27.50 , and you can buy them online at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office.

Nothing is concretely said about if tickets bought for Black Label Society's cancelled March or August dates last year will be honoured, and while I don't see why they wouldn't be, inquire within if you are at all concerned, or if the new date doesn't work for you and you want a refund. Regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ticket page says "masks may be required, more info closer to the event", so keep that in mind, though case counts have definitely been dropping in both Ontario and Michigan as vaccinations become more and more widely available. Of course, the border shutdown is still a concern, especially with how many ticket sales that Kewadin pulls from residents in Sault Ontario and the surrounding area, but Kewadin seems to be optimistic that the border will be opened this summer, as Big & Rich will be playing an outdoor show in St. Ignace on September 4th.

Also, note Kewadin's free Cue The Music series of smaller touring bands at The Dreammaker's Theater taking place on select weekends this summer (including Mac Saturn this weekend), and while none of them feature hard rock acts, it's definitely a good sign that the casino's willing to host live music again. A lot can change (for good and for bad) with the pandemic, but hopefully there's no further waves to worry about, and that we can get back to seeing concerts in the fall and beyond! See above for more details on Black Label Society this fall and other upcoming Kewadin Casino concerts (so far!) 

Next up, here's some new videos from Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson's YouTube channel from earlier this week! One video sees Ted thanking viewers and subscribers for their support, as well as plugging Heavy Lies The Crown, and hinting at his future plans & new gear. Sincere words for sure, and you do get a softer instrumental composition to hear during a teaser, but the "Oh wait, there's more!" hype is a little anticlimactic. Embedded below is Ted's newest full song upload, for his instrumental track "Blood Moon", as accompanied by sped up sunset footage on the Mackinac Island waterfront, as shot from a boat (you can even see a window reflection at times). The personal hyperbole in the description is subjective at best, but Ted's progressive metal guitar skill is put on good display here, and you can't say Ted is lacking in confidence! Solid while it lasts, so give Ted's new song a listen below!

Finally for today, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, as local alternative/punk band Handsome Sandwich are back, but with big changes! We were first alerted to their reunion yesterday via their new Facebook page, despite their original Facebook page still being online, and I have no idea why they didn't just update that one. Handsome Sandwich had been inactive since the cancellation of the Jean Paul de Roover show last March that they were to have opened, and the pandemic seems to have been at least a partial factor in their year+ absence. In any event, they will look different when they return to the stage, as drummer Johnny Belanger's Bear Hunters bandmate Mitch Sirie has replaced James White (now of Dealing Without) on bass for unannounced reasons. Surprising, but hopefully we'll see James back on stage soon, and Mitch should have easy chemistry in his new band!

As well, Handsome Sandwich have enlisted Taylor Emlaw as their new frontwoman, replacing Johnny on lead vocals. Aside from her guest parts on a few Haggith songs & her brief tenure singing with Big Mistake, I don't know much about Taylor musically, but it'll be interesting to see what her presence adds and changes to Handsome Sandwich's genre defying sound! Now self-described as "4 weirdos making weirder music than your uncle's Jorts", stay tuned for more on the new Handsome Sandwich when it rolls in, and they're back in our active band links! That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Tuesday! Thanks everyone!