A Mid-Week Concert Preview, Spades GT & Chase Wigmore Updates, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday evening reading, and it includes some assorted recent updates, a local solo musician's big plans, and the latest from a prominent punk/metal band (in a write-up postponed from our last news post due to a concert preview). Speaking of which, here's a mid-week hard rock concert preview to take in before the month ends!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will likely return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post for another outdoor matinee gig TOMORROW NIGHT! While not currently advertised with a Facebook event page or anything like that, note that Tym only posted a Facebook event page for last week's Trading Post show on the morning of. Good thing I knew to anticipate his regular weekly arrangement there, but time is definitely ticking for The Mike Case Stage in 2022, as it is only open on a seasonal basis and closes for the year at some point next month. As such, I won't rush to include new Wednesday evening gigs from there in advance in our concert calendar, but we'll absolutely let you know if he confirms September dates there or not! As usual for Tym's summer series at The Trading Post, expect no age limit, no cover charge, and a 7:00 PM start time tomorrow. 

Weather wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy/mostly sunny conditions, but their temperature projection is 14-15°, which could be enough for the show to be called off due to it being too cold out (Tym has made a call like that for warmer evenings than this). If you're at all concerned, follow Tym above or via his personal Facebook account if you're a friend of his. For now, see above for more details, and here he is live!

Next up, here are some recent updates from local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT, who hit the road with Anvil on a few Northern Ontario dates before heading to nearby Ophir for their first ever post-Jack Spades local set at the Northern Vibe Festival on Friday (fallout forthcoming), with a further Anvil support gig planned in Brampton on September 16th (details here). Their August shows were done with a guest fill-in bassist, namely drummer Tyler Reiner's old Caym bandmate Jay Sarrazin (now of the Cornwall metal band Hellrager), so anyone who saw Caym's local concerts will at least be slightly familiar with Jay on stage! A reason for regular bassist Daniel Rodbard's absence from this run of shows wasn't announced, but hopefully all's well with him & the band!

One new, if very brief, video from Spades GT's Sudbury show at The Coulson Entertainment Centre on Thusday was posted to their Facebook page, and it features the end of a drum solo from Tyler shot from behind Jay on stage. He clearly approved, as did the sizeable crowd! Short video, yes, but a good teaser, and hopefully more pops up from their Northern Ontario tour run! Get more from Spades GT above & below!

Also today, here's the latest from prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page, and while he has nothing new to show for videos, he has elaborated a lot on his upcoming studio plans! Two weeks ago, he clarified in a post that the overdub-free album that he's currently working on ("Is This The End Of...?") will focus on multiple genres, and he cited four tentative song names, including "All We Really Have" from his last video upload. He dwarfed that post with a massive one last week which starts by detailing the genesis of a concept album he's had plans for named "The Stone", which would heavily be influenced by and parody religion & the Freemasons (read it for yourself, it's way too deep for me to summarize!). "The Stone" has evolved into an album named "The Chaotic Rite", which he estimated won't be complete until "probably next year or the year after it", but he calls it his "magnum opus".

If "The Chaotic Rite" sounds familiar, Chase uploaded a 12 minute acoustic performance of a song of that name back in March. His ambitious plans call for the album to be across two CDs, and be accompanied by the backing tracks, MIDI files, notation, and supplementary literature and art to fit the album's very deep concept. Yes, he did acknowledge his long-gestating rock opera "A Kid Named Todd" too, but according to him, its second episode is "just sitting on the shelf". It'll be very interesting to see if Chase's plans for "The Chaotic Rite" come to fruition as described, but given the thought and research he's put into these topics, it'll be an event when finished! Read more at the above links!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• If you've been hoping to see more of local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard on public stages in the next month beyond their Shooters gig on September 16th, then the wait appears to be extended, as their newest Facebook page posting noted their thanks for the reception they got at a recent wedding gig, and they confirmed that "more private events (are) coming up". Good to see that Bone Yard are in demand, but hopefully their frequency of normal concerts returns to its early summer pacing at some point!
• In their first Facebook page posting in over a month (the guys didn't even promote their Northern Vibe set), local indie/punk quintet The Northwest plugged this article by Darryl Sterdan of the music website Tinnitist, where their song "Shoreline" was given a showcase on Thursday! The article features remarks by frontman Wayne Watkins on the song's origins, the band's aspirations since receiving an Ontario Arts Council grant, and how the pandemic & social distancing influenced how their new EP "All In" came together. Solid promotion to a largely non-local audience, so give it a look above, and stay tuned for more from The Northwest!
• Don't expect late notice concerts at local venues from classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck this weekend, as they'll be taking a rare road trip to the aforementioned Coulson Entertainment Centre in Sudbury for shows on Friday & Saturday, as per their Facebook page! A road trip four hours east my seem odd, but Soundcheck actually did play two gigs at The Coulson in September of last year, which appear to have went well to warrant an encore road trip almost a year later. Best of luck to Soundcheck on the road! If you really want to see them this week, the guys will host their usual weekly jam night at Reggie's West on Thursday.
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, Plus News From Vanity First & Raincourt/Sylo!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's concert previews, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck played a normal concert at Reggie's West on Friday night. The show was not announced on the band's Facebook page, though singer/guitarist Terry Eaton did launch a Facebook event page on his personal account (albeit on the day of the gig), and it notably featured guest bassist Cory Valentine (who previously filled in with Soundcheck in 2019) in place of Paul Belair. I profusely apologize for missing this show, I'd have covered it had it got any kind of public advance notice, but hopefully it was a hit! Soundcheck played a private event in Echo Bay last night.

Now, let's dive into today's post, starting with a concert preview, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for his third Sunday matinee gig there TODAY! Tym previously played there on July 24th and 31st before ceding way to Leslie Cook for two weeks, and after Shooters skipped this past Sunday for a matinee performer, Tym is back for a third go-around this afternoon! If you like his unplugged classic and hard rock covers, let alone while beating the heat as we bring August to a close, don't miss out on today's action on Dennis Street if you can help it! He should be back at The Mike Case Memorial Stage to end the month on Wednesday, and at Shooters next Sunday, for the record. This show has a 3:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Today's post covers otherwise has recent updates and/or videos from two different local bands, and we'll start with the apparent demise of a young local hard rock band as we knew them, namely Raincourt. In a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Thursday, guitarist/namesake Raine Rancourt posted looking to join local bands in need of a lead guitarist, and while he plays hard rock & heavy metal, he's open to alternative, punk, and other genres. In the comments, he confirmed that he not still in the band Raincourt, and given that they're named for him, that's very surprising! Raincourt last posted on their Facebook page on June 16th to hype the imminent release of their second single "War Times", and never even promoted their set at Go Skateboarding Day later that month. Raincourt only launched in August of last year, and were primarily seen at events held on campus at White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School.

My first thought was that the band may have ended due to the end of the school year (young local bands going out with their Grade 12 year has happened), but that doesn't appear to be the case. If you look up Raincourt's singles "Penny Arcade" & "War Times" on YouTube or streaming services, they are no longer listed under that band name, rather Sylo, which is the name you may recall being used by a mystery band who opened for Vanity First during the Harmony Beach clean-up gig from last month. Based on personal Facebook posts, it looks like Sylo are basically Raincourt minus Rancourt, and Elijah, Owen, and Jakob reportedly played together at Reggie's Place on August 13th (apologies again for missing that, I still didn't know who Sylo were then). From what I've seen, a reason for Raine's departure from the band was not publically announced. At this juncture, they have not rebranded Raincourt's Facebook page or visibly launched a new one.

Given how big Raine hyped up Raincourt in his Boar's Nest interview in April, this didn't seem like an option so soon, and while it looks like the rest of the band stuck together, a name change was necessary if Raine left. Hopefully Raine gets a new band going soon, he's a very talented guitarist with a lot of upside, and we'll keep you posted when more comes out on Sylo! For now, I have renamed the band to Sylo in our active band links.

Finally, here's the latest from the aforementioned local punk trio Vanity First, who have advertised two more concerts on their Facebook page this month, both at private residences (including the locale of one of their gigs last month). I'm hesitant to cover shows at locations like this, but hopefully the Harmony Beach gig yesterday was successful, as well as their show next month! Their other big new update is that they released a new single named "Get Out" to major streaming services and their YouTube channel on August 16th! Do not listen to it on Facebook though, as it was, believe it or not, partially muted due to a copyright claim, meaning that Facebook flagged their own upload of the song for matching itself on other services! Amazing. The song proper feels very reminiscent of Pennywise musically (if not lyrically), and while Andrew's vocals don't always mesh on the chorus, it's a solid modern punk track! Give it a listen below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Nathan S

After a mild delay due to family commitments, here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we're again spotlighting a YouTube channel (randomly selected as ever) whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands/concerts, in order to showcase the channel's uploads for current readers! Today's channel takes us back to the mid-2010s for one of the more familiar, if not that long lived, of the timely explosion of 1-2 man bands in Sault Ontario, with a cameo from a timely band reunion, so here's what you should know!

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nathan s (http://youtube.com/channel/UChwG1p_eVz_bQjN2ckXCYVw)

Owner: Former Lion Ride bassist and Fuller/Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve, a.k.a. "Naythang Sauvege"

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 27th, 2011; Videos uploaded from May 2014 until August 2015

Channel Summary: Despite previously uploading seven videos of his hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back opening for Biipiigwan at The Moose Lodge on his sauvij channel in November 2013, Nathan opted to instead post future Bad Back videos on a separate personal YouTube channel that he created in 2011, which had no videos of its own beforehand. Nathan uploaded 19 videos to this channel, including eleven from live concerts (all but one featuring Bad Back), and seven from jam sessions. Nathan's only upload not related to a local band is a video of his dog.
 
Why You Should Watch: This is a must watch channel if you liked and enjoyed Bad Back during their 2013-2015 local run, and you get a nice cross section of their minimalist punk & grunge originals throughout the different settings! The lone non-Bad Back concert video is also very notable given who's in it, while the video of Nathan's dog will appeal to dog lovers! Remember, this channel doesn't include 2013 content, which was put on Nathan's prior channel before he opted to focus on this one, but new videos continued for about as long as Bad Back was a going concern.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

bad back uncut jam june 17 2014 official video: Nathan's first five uploads here are all jam session recordings from mid-2014, featuring him and singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent (also formerly of Fuller). Two are of them playing their own original songs "Girl, Do You Wanna?" & "Number One Hit Single", but the other three are all 50+ minute off-the-floor videos of them playing original songs and covers intermixed with amusing camaraderie, start-and-stop performances, and in-the-moment live mishaps. The channel's most viewed video of these is this jam from June 17th, 2014. It'd be a fool's errand to link to every single song attempted in the three longform videos, but Nathan loosely notes the songs and bands tackled, with some tantalizingly irreverent captions in between. Strong recording quality and enthusiasm across the board, these are a fun watch to see the guys letting loose (also, gotta love the band poster wall!)

bad back - two tongues at the new a july 15: Three different Bad Back shows were filmed for Nathan's second channel, including a private house party in their jam space via this 36 minute video, but the other two are from public events at downtown nightclubs. One was when they opened for The Archaics at The New American Pub in July 2014, where they were filmed covering NOFX's "Linoleum" and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "American Girl", as well as playing their originals "Shirt Tucker", "Drum My Way Home", and as featured here, "Two Tongues". Despite muffled vocals, Jamie & Nathan deliver strongly with nice audio quality on these hard hitting songs, but the overhead camera angle will not be for all tastes. It has grown on me, but be advised that none of Bad Back's videos on this channel go with a straight-ahead view from the floor.

Detroit Reunion Show December 23rd 2014: While two more jam session videos followed in 2015, Bad Back's last filmed public concert here was when they opened for the one-off reunion of local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit at The Algonquin Pub in December 2014. Six videos were shot for Nathan's channel that night, including four Bad Back originals & a cover of Hole's "Violet", but featured here is 5½ minutes of Detroit playing the last bit of "Blue Collar", "Lord, Beer Me Strength", "Fortress" (with Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque on guest vocals), and the beginning of "Shithouse Ratt". Remember, Detroit originals were very short, hence why so much was crammed in this one video. Featuring Slumshine/These Magnificent Tentacles frontman Brenton Ellis, ex-Maximum RNR guitarist Curtis Faux, Cross Dog bassist Mark Rand, and Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon, this side-stage video captures another unique high angle, and they tore through their fast paced originals with ease! Note that the Bad Back videos from this event were shot on the opposite side.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we're looking at multiple channels due to our first randomly selected channel only having one SMS-fitting video, As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of Paul Stanghetta (featuring an Apocalypse Afterparty video) and NassieHysteria (featuring a dozen Treble Charger lyric videos). Look for all of this on or around September 26th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The 2022 Northern Vibe Festival!!)

Today's post is 100% devoted to previewing this year's Northern Vibe Festival, which returns for its seventh annual installment from Friday-Sunday at the old Hempfest site on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir! 2020 aside (for obvious reasons), Northern Vibe has proven to be a huge end-of-summer bash for local concert goers and campers alike, and this year's is shaping up to be a fun one once again, especially with the pandemic at a lesser state! Food & art vendors will also be on site once again, and be sure to visit the official festival website for full non-musical details. Like usual, there will be two stages, including the Roost River Stage for DJs, and the Forest Stage for live bands, this year named the Thompson Memorial Forest Stage in honour of the late Chris Thompson, who drummed with three bands at last year's Northern Vibe before he passed away last fall. A little birdie told me that the memorial t-shirts made up in his memory might be on site this weekend, so if you ordered one, keep that in mind!

Like last year, the bands and DJs (regardless of stage) are mixed up on the official poster, but alas, organizers have not publicized the daily performer schedules on either stage this year, which is sadly on par with 2021. Maybe they're trying to encourage full weekend ticket purchases, so you can't cherry pick going to see specific bands and leave, but I don't know that for certain. However, Cover-Up frontman Dustin Jones did post the Forest Stage band schedule in a photo on his personal Facebook page, and while there has been a band withdrawal from his copy since, I want to give massive kudos to Dustin for sharing that, as it makes my job today much easier! Like last year, the Thompson Memorial Forest Stage is curated by Spades GT/ex-Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce, who moved to Barrie in 2020 but has came back home to work with Northern Vibe and resume his live booking magic both last year and this weekend.

With all that said, let's cover these SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS now that I have a band schedule on hand (apologies again, it's their call to not post a schedule publically), and TOMORROW'S opening night will be headlined by the aforementioned Spades GT, as the local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet will play their first Soo area gig since their final concert as Jack Spades in late 2019. This will also be your first chance to see them since new bassist Daniel "Odie" Rodbard and drummer Tyler "Jeeb" Reiner joined & Tiffany, Rob, and Johnny left, while Spades GT should play their newest originals tomorrow as well. Very good to see J.D., Daniel, and crew back on a local stage, so don't miss them at 10:00 PM! Remember, Chris Thompson was briefly Jack Spades' drummer in 2017. In a late lineup addition not reflected in the poster, Niagara Falls prog/improv rock trio The Road Waves (who played at Northern Vibe in 2017 & 2018) will co-headline at 9:00 PM tomorrow!

Only confirmed for this year two weeks ago, The Road Waves made a good impression with their soul-influenced funk rock stylings, and it'll be neat to have them back this year also! Sporadically seen local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters will return to Northern Vibe for a second straight year at 8:00 PM, in their first show since the Halloween weekend last year, and in the debut of their new lineup, with singer/guitarist Jules Cote & guitarist Wes Greco now joined by bassist Mitch Sirie (replacing Arthur Lacasse) and his Bear Hunters/Handsome Sandwich bandmate Johnny Belanger (replacing the late Chris Thompson). Thanks for Johnny for the clarification on their exact current lineup! A reason for Art's departure hasn't been announced, but hopefully we see him back out there at some point, and The Soos should deliver a fun set for Foo Fighters fans tomorrow, especially with Chris in mind!

Online page-less punk cover quartet The Cover-Up will play their second show of 2022 when they rock Northern Vibe tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM, while local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will end their year-long stage hiatus when they open the Friday schedule at 6:00 PM. Nice double whammy of modern punk rock to kick off the festival, so don't be late! I'll detail admission fees and such at post's end, but 9&10 News is calling for sunny-to-clear weather in the 17-22° range tomorrow evening. For a preview of the Friday lineup, here's Spades GT live!

SATURDAY'S longer lineup will be headlined by Toronto pop rock duo Goodnight Sunrise at 10:00 PM, marking their second regional summer festival appearance of 2022, following sets at this year's Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing. Not a heavier band, but still talented with a big sound, so don't leave early! The highest slotted local band is the diverse, genre-hating quartet Handsome Sandwich, who debuted their current lineup in Ophir last year, so look for more alternative and hard hitting jams from them at 9:00 PM! On Dustin's schedule, local punk/alternative quintet These Magnificent Tentacles are advertised in the 8:00 PM slot, but they apparently have withdrew from Northern Vibe, according to performer Johnny Belanger. If accurate, a reason for their exit has not been publically announced, but note that while the Tentacles were on the poster, they have not posted on their Facebook page in over a month.

Hopefully all is well in the T.M.T. camp! How timeslots will look with them apparently out, I can't say, but I'll go off of Dustin's schedule for consistency, though expect adjustments if you'll be in Ophir on Saturday. The 7:00 timeslot is given on his schedule as a Chris Thompson tribute, which I believe will be handled by the one-off Hey, What About Us?!, which is the band name that J.D. Pearce was planning to use for a Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute at his annual Halloween party in 2016. Whether Chris' tribute will also focus on Me First cover covers or not, I can't say, let alone the band members, but expect the good times & reminiscences to flow during this timeslot! The remaining Saturday bands include funk/hard rock cover quintet The Wyld Stallyns at 6:00 PM, instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves at 5:00 PM, indie punk quintet The Northwest at 4:00 PM (an oddly early timeslot given their recent profile), ...

...and indie rock quartet Man Feelings kicking off the Forest Stage lineup on Saturday at 3:00 PM. Solid group of recently prominent local bands to start the day, including some heavier/punk stylings from The Stallyns & Northwest! If you're wondering what happened to the previously announced set by local punk trio Redundant, it looks like they too have dropped out, which is reflected on Dustin's schedule, though like the Tentacles, they were still on the final poster from two weeks ago. A reason for Redundant's withdrawal has not been publically announced, but note that they have not played a concert since last fall, and have only posted on their Facebook page to note deceased musicians since then. Hopefully we see Redundant back on stage again soon! 9&10 News is calling for similarly sunny-clear weather on Saturday, with warmer weather in the 23-27° range. With all of the bands covered, what else should you know?

Camping gear is welcome to sleep over tomorrow & Saturday night (the festival ends Sunday but there's no bands that day), decorations are also welcome, but glass bottles and weapons are prohibited, as are renegade stages (this is actually something that has happened there before!). Online ticket sales have closed for Northern Vibe, but if you want to attend at the gate, full weekend passes will cost $125 there, and if last year was any indication, Saturday-only passes will run you at least $60 (understandably, organizers aren't hyping that up). Looks like a great time is in store for music fans in the Soo, so definitely consider heading east to Ophir (outside of Bruce Mines) for all of the action this weekend, and we'll have fallout when it arises! For complete details on the location, ground rules, and more, visit the above links, and for a preview of Saturday's lineup, here's Handsome Sandwich live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Obsession & Bone Yard), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this early weekend concert preview post, here's a surprise concert cancellation, as Toronto metal legends Anvil's show at Soo Blaster on Saturday has been cancelled, as per this Facebook post from the venue, who cited "unforeseen circumstances" for the cancellation but didn't publically elaborate. Very disappointing, but Soo Blaster will refund tickets, and they are planning to announce a rescheduled date for the spring, so stay tuned on that front for sure! With an all-Northern Vibe Festival post dropping tomorrow, let's get an early jump on this weekend's hard rock concert previews, intertwined with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to the public stage for a one-night-only concert at Shooters Downstairs Lounge THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, but along with that previously announced date, they'll also return to The Esquire Club for new shows on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! Friday's concert will mark Bone Yard's first truly public concert (as in, not birthday parties, weddings, or anniversaries) since July 18th at the same venue, so if you've missed Greg, Alex, and Warren's hard hitting blend of classic covers at a regular nightclub, you know where to be on Friday! As for November's Esquire Club dates, they are in lieu of what appears to be Tripod The Dog dropping out of that weekend, and will see the current three-piece Bone Yard's first ever appearances at the Second Line West venue, having not taken part in their "Buckets, Bands, and Birds" matinee series earlier in the year.

Hopefully Bone Yard deliver a knockout punch or two when they return to The Esquire Club in three months! Those dates have 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, and while the same can mostly be said for their Shooters show this Friday, it starts at 8:00 PM. Also, the Saturday band this weekend is L!me. Visit the Shooters concert's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Next up, here's a couple of other new shows for later this year, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge themselves for shows on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! The band's website's schedule quietly confirmed both dates, as the venue haven't gotten that far ahead yet for Facebook event page promotion. As you may recall, Obsession surprisingly parted ways with frontwoman Valerie Powley and replaced her with Jessica Amadio (the guest back-up singer from Rotaryfest weekend) last month, and while the new look Obsession did play at Poohfest in White River this past weekend, their local debut with Jess on full lead vocals is currently slated for the fall, barring anything shorter notice beforehand. They'll be at The Esquire Club for two weekends first, but this full weekend booking at Shooters will be Obsession's first there since May.

Obsession's Facebook photos from Poohfest indicate that things went well for Jessica's full debut, but with months ahead, hopefully she and the guys are in full form with no rust when they make it back to the Dennis Street venue in November! As usual for Shooters gigs, expect 8:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss Obsession at The Esquire Club over Halloween weekend!

Back to this weekend, let's head to the temporary Legion Bar downstairs at The Marconi Cultural Event Centre, where Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will play his third local concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing B.A.'s humorous, unpredictable, "you-had-to-be-there" brand of punk rock at two different venues in 2015 and 2019, but tomorrow's concert will be in relatively unique confines, as The Legion Bar is a temporary space at The Marconi Club to basically host the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 while their proper home base on Great Northern Road is demolished and rebuilt. The Legion proper was scarcely highlighted on the SMS as a venue, but hopefully B.A Johnston leaves a positive mark there and that this leads to more concerts while the Legion Bar exists! Shortly before they head to Ophir for Northern Vibe (more on that tomorrow), local instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves will open this concert.

Fresh off of dropping out of Rotaryfest and (ironically) Marconi Meets World last month, hopefully The Dynowaves deliver a solid concert for fans in their return! Tickets for this all ages event run for $12 (up from $10 at The New A in 2019), and you can buy them at this link or at The Marconi Club during office hours. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a small sampling of the wild, hard-to-describe B.A. Johnston live experience from earlier this year!

We'll last trek south to Sault Michigan, where Madison, Wisconsin hard rock trio Sunspot will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino on FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like last year, Sunspot are crossing state lines to play during the Michigan Paranormal Convention (or MiParacon), which is the annual gathering for fans and supporters of everything related to aliens, ghosts, sasquatches, and anything in between, so click here for full details on the convention proper! Sunspot proper are an ideal band to be in town for MiParacon, with their own brand "weird Wisconsin rock anthems" inspired by a wide array of themes and often paranormal events, and their psychedelic and power pop influenced hard rock should be a perfect nightcap to convention attendees! No, you do not need to have a pass for MiParacon to see Sunspot at The Rapids Lounge, it's an adjacent event open to everyone whether you're at the convention or not.

As usual for Rapids Lounge gigs, this is a 21+ event with no cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Sunspot is not an easy band to sum up briefly, so definitely look them up and their very eclectic mix of original songs to see what they bring to the table, live and in studio! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Sunspot live at The Rapids Lounge last year! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel last September (apologies for missing it then), this is one of the better quality live videos I've seen from the Soo Kewadin lounge, and this rendition of "I Don't Wanna Be A Ghost" is fun & lively with strong musicianship, so definitely check it out for yourself below, and don't miss them at the casino!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our full Northern Vibe Festival preview (lack of a full band schedule acknowledged) tomorrow, with more news to follow over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Molten Imp, Slumshine, And Soundcheck), And Esquire Club Concert Details!!

Today's post was going to be totally different, but some interesting LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS dropped for the fall from two sources, namely Second Line West venue The Esquire Club and local promoters Dryer Fire! The former reflects The Esquire's return to proper nighttime weekend concerts from local cover bands after months of pandemic-influenced matinee gigs, while Dryer Fire have four currently announced shows for the fall at three different downtown venues. Genres vary wildly on both fronts, but here's what you should know on their hard rock/punk-featured gigs ahead!

We'll start with Dryer Fire, who have booked the recently revived art punk solo project Slumshine to open for British Columbia folk solo project Ghostly Hounds on Saturday, September 17th! This show will take place at Dryer Fire's temporary venue at 285 Wilson Street, with Nicole extending the lease there into October (more on the second fall show there in a bit). Slumshine just returned to the stage for the first time post-pandemic at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum this past weekend, but one presumes there won't be the same capacity restrictions at 285 Wilson on multiple fronts, so this could be the first chance many of you have to see Brent & his pink ski mask on a public stage in over 2 years! While Ghostly Hounds don't play punk up front, there are darker thematic elements on display, and they should entertain with their personal take on acoustic folk next month in their local debut!

This presumably all ages concert has $15 advance tickets that you can buy online at this link, while the door price jumps to $20. Regardless, doors open at 7:00 PM. Should be an entertaining show for fans of unplugged folk rock hitting multiple genres on the way, so keep this one in mind, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! The next two Dryer Fire shows don't have hard rock or punk acts, but note that ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's solo folk project Penno Cash will open for Zachary Lucky at The Elks Hall on September 20th (details here).

Next up, let's leap to The Esquire Club, who have announced a full band schedule through mid-December for weekend nighttime cover band action, and they first dip into primarily heavier waters on Friday, September 23rd & Saturday, September 24th when classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck make their return to this popular venue! Soundcheck were not part of the rotation for The Esquire Club's "Buckets, Bands, and Birds" matinee series earlier this year, so this will be their first set of concerts there since November 2021. Good to see Terry, Cameron, Paul/Rob, and Glen back at a relatively fresh venue, at least as far as recent bookings go, and hopefully their hard rocking covers find a strong audience there next month! Note that in a comment on the Facebook picture of the schedule, singer/guitarist Terry Eaton implied that Soundcheck were at least in talks to return there on November 4th & 5th as well, but are not listed to play those dates.

If the poster is any indication, pop rock cover quartet L!me will be playing that weekend instead, but we'll let you know if the poster is in error or not, especially as Soundcheck only have the one weekend booked there otherwise. Bands playing at The Esquire Club this fall are starting at 9:30 PM nightly with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Soundcheck soon!

We'll next head back downtown to 285 Wilson Street for the final of Dryer Fire's fall concert series (as of today, at least), where local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp will make their live concert debut on Friday, October 21st as one of the openers for Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface! Local fans will be no stranger to Garbageface from four regional concert appearances in the late 2010s at both Live705 events and at the former Oh!No festival in Leeburn, and his intense, distinctive brand of hip hop should be welcomed back by fans! Like in Garbageface's prior local stops, this is very much a mixed genre show, but how will Boyd Rendell present Molten Imp as a live act, both as a solo artist now and given the soundscapes he programs? It'll be interesting to find out! Yes, this is the show teased on Molten Imp's Facebook page, and will mark Boyd's first live concert set since AlgomA's final gig in 2019. 

The other scheduled performer on October 21st is Owen MK, a local "dark synth pop" artist who I've never heard of and can't find an online page for. I'll let you guys know if anything else surfaces, but Owen's presence adds to the genre free-for-all! Same as the Ghostly Hounds/Slumshine gig, expect no age limit, doors opening at 7:00 PM, $15 tickets at this link, and $20 door admission. Visit the above links for more details on this and other Dryer Fire-booked events hitting the Soo this fall!

Finally for today, let's take one more look at The Esquire Club's late 2022 concert schedule! First off, if you don't know who Buzzsaw Jaw (playing there next month and in December) are, I do know that they are the current band from former Stiffler's Mom bandmates Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson. Whether they play heavier songs on average or not, I don't know (I can't find an online page for them yet), but keep that band in mind! You may also have seen that local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession (now featuring Jess Amodio on vocals) are booked for two weekends ahead there, but the band already confirmed those dates on their website and we listed them already from there. Also, the poster clearly shows the weekends of October 7th-8th & November 18th-19th as having a replaced band with the original band name taped over, but a G is poking out from the November listing.

I may be wrong, but this does look like Tripod The Dog were originally booked for one/both weekends (Mark and crew had mainly been seen at The Esquire Club in the pandemic era), but according to the poster's Facebook caption, "one of the bands cancelled dates". If this was Tripod, hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them back on stage in due course! You'll note that the November 18th weekend gigs do have a replacement actively covered on the SMS, but we'll cover those shows in an upcoming post, as this one has been going on a bit long already. See above for much more from Dryer Fire & The Esquire Club, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, New Live Videos, And More!!

Here's a new news post for you guys on this Monday night, including some new videos on both sides of the border, an inactive band note, and to start, here's a mid-week concert preview!

Local classic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's seasonal weekly concert arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post is expected to continue THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! As of this writing, there is no Facebook event page for this show, but of course, Tym is no stranger to regular series like this, and time is ticking for The Mike Case Stage for 2022, as it closes for the season next month. If an outdoor mid-week show works better for you than Tym's Shooters matinee on Sunday, then don't bypass his classic and hard rock cover selections on Wednesday evening! As usual, expect a 7:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit at The Trading Post on Wednesday, while 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy weather in the 22° range. Visit the above links for more details, we'll let you know if the show is indeed off, and here's Tym live!

Next up, I've delayed covering this video for way too long now, as local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's most recent live concert got the live-stream treatment for his YouTube channel! Back on August 6th, Mike took a road trip to Flin Flon, Manitoba to perform at their Blueberry Jam festival, where he was the fifth of eight acts that day on the Museum Stage (despite the name, artists played at the Flin Flon Tourist Bureau & Campground). The outdoor covered stage played host to a 40+ minute set from Mike, who played eight Thompson-era original songs at the Blueberry Jam, including "The Best You Never Had", "Communique", "MorningStar", "If Ever Comes The Day", "21:45", "The Nature Of The Times", "Into The Setting Sun", and "Take Back The Moon". The stationary camera angle frames the stage well, but the fuzzy visuals and low frame rate on the live stream are not ideal, despite good audio.

I will say that Mike looks absolutely isolated on the Museum Stage by himself, especially with the camera not even trying show the crowd, and visually speaking, it may have been a better aesthetic choice to focus on Mike himself over the stage. Still a solid concert from Mike, and his easy crowd rapport is on full display, so give it a look below!

Also today, I have moved local horror punk quintet Frightlight back to our inactive band links. They have not issued a public update on new band activity since the fallout from their set headlining the Friday lineup of last year's Northern Vibe Festival, but their future has been murky since on two fronts. Of course, frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce currently lives in Barrie, where he fronts the rebooted Spades GT (nee Jack Spades), so distance will be a huge factor towards future plans. As well, drummer Chris "Freaknstein" Thompson passed away in November of last year, which was a huge loss felt across multiple groups, and there's been no public hints towards a return with a new drummer. After previously rocking the Soo from 2009-2014, Frightlight reunited as an occasional live attraction in 2018, playing at J.D.'s Halloween party that year and opening for Michale Graves in September 2019.

A planned set opening for First Jason in April 2020 was cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown, and J.D. moved out of town that fall, but at least fans got Northern Vibe last year without any incidents. Hopefully Frightlight's spooky brand of Misfits-inspired punk & metal can return in some form down the line if the cards line up, but best of luck to J.D., Rick, Kevin, Mike, and their prior drummers in the future, don't miss J.D. & Spades GT this weekend at Northern Vibe in Ophir, and R.I.P. Chris!

Finally, let's leap across the border for a new video from Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, as shot by an attendee at their show at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel on Saturday! This video actually captures the first half of Project 906's original song "The Comeback", which you can hear in full at this link from its 2021 studio recording. This song definitely leans to their blues side, and it's well done for blues rock fans, too bad the video only captures the first half! The guys definitely seem to be cramped with The Islander Bar's stage setup, but the audio comes through, and at least they had an electric fan going. Check it out below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!