Before we begin this news post, I just wanted to note that Frightlight/Soo Fighters/et al. drummer Chris Thompson's obituary is now up on SooToday, confirming that he suddenly passed away on Monday night at Sault Area Hospital with his family by his side. Chris is survived by his wife Stephanie Nelson, his kids Destiny & James, his parents, his sister, and numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews, among other extended family & friends. At Chris' request, there will not be a public funeral service, but a celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Arrangements will be handled by the Arthur Funeral Home and Barton & Kiteley
Chapel, and the family would appreciate donations (by check) to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Having lost my mother last fall, I know all too well what the Thompson clan are going through, and my continued thoughts go out to them!
Given his deep musical connections, a tribute concert would be extremely apt, whether that's what the celebration of life will be or not, but I have no inside information. With Christmas just a month away, keep Stephanie, Destiny, James, and the rest of their family in mind over the holidays, and hopefully they hold their great memories as close as they can. R.I.P. Chris!
Now, today's post features some assorted updates from a couple of local hard rock/metal acts, and we'll start out in Thompson, Manitoba (literally), as prolific local alt-hard rock musician
Mike Haggith will play his first public concert since before the pandemic there this Saturday! Of course, Thompson is ever so slightly out of our coverage range (22 hours west of the Soo), but if you're curious, Mike is opening for
a stand-up comedy show benefiting
Thompson's Seniors Community Resource Council, and he will have a full backing band with four additional musicians, finally realizing a goal from his cancelled CD release party last year! It'd be very interesting to see Mike with a full band again, hopefully someone's filming! Mike will also be hosting the annual Thompson Santa Claus Parade earlier that day, but if he's performing any music there, no one has confirmed that.
Sure, none of this is taking place locally, but in the wake of the "Bridges" release (our review coming in the next few days) and with the long wait for Mike to return to some sense of normalcy as a live musician, I had to mention his busy weekend ahead. Moving things more towards "Bridges", the album did get a review on the Winnipeg-based blog Bad Gardening Advice, which didn't grade it proper or really analyze individual tracks, but the review uses a lot of symbolic and regional references for the overall concept, which helps when you're in the same province and know about the Mystery Bridge already! Finally for today's Mike updates, let's finally take things truly local, as The Sault Star's Brian Kelly interviewed him for this article last week, so what should you know there? Mike discusses isolation and mental health, his adjustment in moving to Thompson, and the album release proper, ...
...though most of the interview is via Brian's solid write-up, hitting most of the relevant bullet points about Mike's recent activities. Solid read, so give it a look at this link, above, or in the November 18th edition of The Sault Star, and look for our review of "Bridges" by Tuesday!
Finally for today, here's the latest from local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, who may not be a duo for long! As per the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday, they're looking for "a willing musician... to balance the band", specifically looking for a second bassist or a keyboardist, and similarly to prior musician searches they held in the past, skill level and experience are not required and they'll teach interested parties. The A.A. were a trio pre-pandemic with two bassists (Alice Rose being their last publically named bassist aside from Paul), but in their masked days, they were a quartet with Amanda playing an MPC controller before moving to drums (they have never had a guitarist). Given their wide criteria, it's anyone's guess who The Apocalypse Afterparty will bring on, but we'll let you know when/if a new members signs on, and message the band above or here for more details!
Lastly from the Stanghetta camp, The Apocalypse Afterparty's newly released studio cover of Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)" has been included on "Nooooooo!!! Volume III", a Noise Rock Now compilation album to benefit German indie rock band Trigger Cut after they lost all of their gear in a fire two weeks ago. This is the third such compilation album already, and all three are available for €1 minimum. The A.A. are the only locally recognizable band on any of these compilations, but give them a listen to see what you think, and consider buying one to help Trigger Cut out! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next, plus a review of "Bridges" before the month ends! Thanks everyone!
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