LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sandman), Plus A Few New Videos!!

Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, let's clear out some more recent news stories on the SMS, including a bunch of new videos and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Here's what you should know!

Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, July 9th when they headline at Soo Blaster! Featuring Helix alumni, Sandman were last seen on a local stage over seven years ago when they played at The Rockstar Bar in March 2015, with a planned April 2020 concert at The Canadian Nightclub cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown. Sandman were the very first band that I ever saw at a 19+ concert back in June of 2008 when they headlined at The Canadian, so I'll always have a soft spot for them. Their faithful brand of Metallica renditions (licensed by the real thing themselves) will absolutely appeal to thrash metal fans, so don't miss out on this tribute show in two months' time! No word on a possible opening band, but note that a debuting Fort Creek were supposed to open for Sandman in 2020 had that show went on as planned.

This concert has a 19+ age limit and 9:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $20, which is on par with what the cancelled 2020 show had charged. You can buy yours online at this link and presumably in person at Soo Blaster. It will be great to see Sandman re-enter the Soo again after way too long, and given the size of the venue, hopefully a sizeable crowd of old school Metallica fans turns out for this one! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and we'll let you know if any updates surface!

Next up, here's a new video from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's Soo trip last month, but not from his Mane Street Cafe show. As uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday and filmed on April 20th, this is entitled "The Steeltown Sessions", and it captures 17 minutes worth of Mike playing songs from his 2020 studio album "If Ever Comes The Day" in a private jam session with local backing musicians, specifically A Dire Setback bandmates Chris Nielsen & Matt Quinn on guitar & bass plus Mike 's long-time Din bandmate Brandan Glew on drums (Mike was on vocals & acoustic/rhythm guitar). If this all sounds familiar, it's likely because this is the very belated realization of Mike's planned full band for his cancelled CD release party at LopLops in May or November 2020, albeit with Chris in place of Jacob Quarrell. Not a full live set, but it is definitely better than nothing!

Here, you can see Mike, Chris, Matt, and Brandan playing "If Ever Comes The Day", "MorningStar", and "Back Away Slowly", and much of the between song banter is also included, albeit with edits (often coinciding with sudden shifts from colour to black-and-white). The loose and casual vibes are welcomed for these fun performances, with the songs ("MorningStar" largely excepted) getting more of a hard rock boost with a full band involved! No word on if they played for longer than this and/or if more "Steeltown Sessions" videos are forthcoming, but give things a watch below, and we will recap Mike's recent live-stream on the site soon!

Also today, here's a new video from Mike's old Strange Coyotes bandmate Chase Wigmore's Facebook page yesterday, featuring him playing a new original instrumental named "Spiritual Casualties"! The four minute video features Chase (in colour and with some nice shades) on an acoustic guitar delivering more progressive flair and fast fingerwork that you've come to expect from Chase's past unplugged instrumentals. Solid talent display as always, so give it a watch below!

Finally for today, here's a new teaser clip for local/Barrie punk/metal quartet Spades GT's set at Spiderfest in Meyersburg in July! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, the 41 second clip features frontman J.D. Pearce walking alone at night while reciting lyrics from their song "Rise" in an ominous tone, before the video cuts to relevant logos and posters alongside the studio version of that song. While Spiderfest is by no means a local event, this video is still interesting, as its a presentation I don't recall Jack Spades ever doing in their 2013-2020 activity in the Soo, and it's well edited while it lasts! Give it a watch for yourself below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!