In what may be our final post of October 2022, we have two topics to look at, including recent updates and footage of a prominent local (well, partly local) band, but let's lead off with a belated but now truly local band of sorts to roll into our full coverage!
It's time to finally add Mikey & His Uke to our active Sault Ontario band links! Of course, this project started in the spring of 2020 when Inner City Surfers/Fairmounts alum Mikey Hawdon began doing daily vocal/ukelele "quarantune" cover videos during the first pandemic lockdown, which soon went to a more spread out release schedule, and the videos became huge deals, with Mikey getting far flung names from punk bands and even some surprise celebrities for full-band covers recorded remotely. The "Mikey & His Uke" name remained relevant, as these newer videos always start with him playing the song on ukelele before the pretense is dropped and he moves to guitar or drums. We have covered the project on the SMS before, especially for covers that involved fellow local artists, but I hadn't rolled the project into our links yet because Mikey was living in Toronto still. That was, until June, when he moved back to the Soo!
Great to see Mikey back home after two decades of primarily living out of town (impressive given the number of local bands he was still involved in during that time), and hopefully we hear much more musically from him with Bookclub and such now! As for Mikey & His Uke, his monthly release schedule looks like it skipped June due to his big move, but three official covers have made their way to his YouTube channel since. July's video saw Mikey cover The Go-Gos' "Head Over Heels" alongside actual Go-Gos frontwoman Belinda Carlisle, as well as Bags singer Alice Bag, Runways bassist/former Jeopardy! champion Jackie Fox, and members of bands like The Circle Jerks & Arkells, among others. August's cover was of NOFX's "Quart In Session" alongside Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman, Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougall, and Less Than Jake bassist Roger Lima.
Embedded below is Mikey & His Uke's newest cover(s), as he tackled two Operation Ivy songs ("Jaded" & "The Crowd") alongside skateboarding legend Tony Hawk (not his first appearance in this series either), NOFX frontman Fat Mike, and members of bands like The Bouncing Souls, The Interrupters, and more. As usual, Crusty Media handled the video's production/editing, while the song's individual parts were mixed & mastered by Drive Studios, both out of Toronto. All three of the newest Mikey & His Uke cover videos are a lot of fun, and put together very naturally for the viewer, but a lot of work goes into these, both for recruiting guest musicians, making the videos proper, and getting them online. In fact, the Op Ivy video has Mikey noting at the end how they get these songs onto major streaming platforms, so you know how cover songs with this many collaborators get cleared, and how you can do the same.
Obviously, there's much more that the SMS hasn't covered from before Mikey moved home, and there's a literal who's who of familiar names for diehard punk fans in his covers from the past two years, alongside some very surprising gets, like Moby, Danko Jones, and many more (let us not forget Harry Waters Jr. from Back To The Future either!) Definitely visit the Mikey & His Uke YouTube channel for much more, look for more soon (time's running out for an October video, after all), and here's Mikey & crew covering Operation Ivy for the series last month!
Finally for today, here's the latest from local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT, who played their last show of 2022 when they opened for The Ripcordz at The Queens Nightclub in Barrie on October 1st. The band has since confirmed on their Facebook page that they are working on their first full-length album, following their Jack Spades-era EP and the "Fed Up" split that they were also on. Last week, the guys mentioned on Facebook that they "laid the groundwork for three new bangers today", those being songs named "Dead To Me", "Stars Over Jamestown", and "Last Line". One imagines the middle song references the local James Street district, but I can't 100% confirm that yet. Spades GT also have had new band stickers made up, so message them on Facebook A.S.A.P. if you want one! You can see them in this "Reel", such as "Reels" are. There is one new video to check out from the aforementioned Ripcordz concert too!
Uploaded to their Facebook page on October 2nd, this 68 second clip has the guys playing the back half of what sounds like a newer song of theirs. Good thing the audio holds up decently, as the heavy purple lighting is not to this video's benefit at all, to the point where I'm not positive on who the bassist is! It looks a little like their official bassist Daniel Rodbard (who missed their third-quarter dates), and if so, he pulled double duty with Innisfil punk band The Fast Life that night based on matching attire/bass in pictures I've seen, but The Fast Life are publically cagey about their lineup on social media. In any event, solid performance, so give it a look below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week, and in case there's no post tomorrow, have a Happy Halloween!
Surprise post on this Friday night, and slightly shorter than normal, as we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, mostly SHORT NOTICE ones, including events taking place TONIGHT, so let's get things rolling before we're entirely late!
Local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, they are late replacements for new local band Old Stone House (no info on them yet), and were only confirmed on the venue's Facebook page this morning, so kudos to the Speers' and crew for stepping in! Last seen at Oktoberfest, this will be The Stallyns first gig at the Gore Street nightclub & restaurant in over a month. Always good to see everyone rocking out at arguably their favourite venue, so if you're up for some Friday night funk and hard rock covers, you know where to be TONIGHT! Unfortunately, The Whisky Barrel have not given any public indication about Halloween weekend ties or promotions. TONIGHT'S concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!
Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for standard four-piece concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, I only learned of these shows earlier today via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page, and alas, the band has not plugged them on their Facebook page. Now, Glen's posts (private as they may be) about TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows mention a big story that the venue's Facebook page hasn't posted about yet, as this will apparently be the last weekend for Reggie's West as we know it. Reggie Daigle has reportedly sold the Korah Road nightclub, with the new owners taking over on November 1st, over two years after Reggie sold Reggie's Place on Queen Street East. It will definitely be a surprise to many to see him sell both of his namesake bars, but hopefully Reggie is doing well and selling for the best reasons!
From what I've read, Reggie's West will still host live bands (Fort Creek already confirmed their return there next month), but no word on if anything else will change. Of course, it is worth reminding everyone that until Reggie bought it in the spring of 2014, 306 Korah Road was The Roosevelt Hotel. As for TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Soundcheck concerts, they are 19+ affairs with 8:00 PM start times and no cover, but I have not seen any firm references to a Halloween theme TOMORROW. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!
Also for new concerts, here's a pair that have plenty of advance notice, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! The band has not confirmed the dates yet, but they are listed as part of November 2022 lounge concerts on Kewadin's entertainment page (the only brand new heavier dates confirmed there that the bands proper hadn't done yet). Surprisingly, these are Scarkazm's first announced dates in the Eastern Upper Peninsula since April, an unusually long gap for Adam, Dave, and Jeff, with their sister band Peril being seen by local fans instead over the summer. Hopefully Scarkazm deliver a solid weekend of hard rock and metal covers & originals for fans in St. Ignace in three weeks! As usual, these are 9:00 PM gigs with 21+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!
That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
The Halloween weekend is upon us, usually a strong time for heavier concerts in the Soo, but in 2022, it's not really the case this time. There are multiple venues hosting events on both sides of the border, but heavier groups are mostly not involved (though Tarnished will be playing out of our area in the Kewadin Casino in Manistique this weekend). Pandemic-related recovery and Halloween being on a Monday this year are likely contributing factors, and J.D.'s Halloween party has not been held since he moved. That said, what is going down for hard rock concerts this weekend lies below, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!
Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will headline the
Halloween party at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel THIS SATURDAY
NIGHT, but in a new confirmation, they'll also return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on Saturday, November 5th! The Strongs Tavern date was announced by band & venue earlier this week, and coincides with Heather's birthday (I believe she is one of the higher level staff there), but the tavern's Facebook page implies that it's "everyone's birthday", listing four other names. Regardless, hopefully 906's upbeat hard rock classics set the mood well for the occasion next week! Project 906 last played in Eckerman last month, but their previously announced Islander Bar gig will be their second there in October 2022. Of course, this is 100% a Halloween party, so costumes are encouraged, and there will also be a a pumpkin carving contest, and cash prizes await!
Yes, there will be "spooky drink specials" too. These dates have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 8:00 PM start times as recently normal. Should be a good time for fans in the E.U.P. this weekend and next, so definitely visit the above links for more on Project 906's next two shows, don't miss them in Hessel this Saturday night, and here they are live!
Next up, Sault Ontario southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will end their almost three months-long hiatus when they hit Reggie's West for concerts on Friday, November 11th & Saturday, November 12th! Last seen at the same venue on August 19th, this will accurately mark their return in "late fall" as was teased when they announced the hiatus in the first place, and while they haven't explained why they took the break, remember that they do still have a debut EP in the works, and the band photo on the show's poster is new to Facebook. Hopefully Fort Creek are back ready & raring to go with their southern fried brand of hard rock covers and originals for fans in the west end in two weeks' time! Not unlike other Reggievelt dates, these are 19+ events with no announced cover charge, and a 9:30 PM start time is advertised for both nights. Visit the above links for more on Fort Creek's return weekend next month, and stay tuned for updates from Fort Creek's camp when they come in!
Now back to this weekend's concert previews, and we'll resume at The Esquire Club, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will finally make their return to the public stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While they have played live in White River and at least one private event since, these will be Obsession's first public events in the Soo since Rotaryfest in July, and will mark the first time that a general audience in town can see them with new frontwoman Jessica Amadio, who replaced Valerie Powley shortly after her guest appearance at Rotaryfest. Obsession chose to take their time and gradually introduce Jess, so that does bode well for their preparation as a live act, and hopefully this weekend's shows are huge hits! Their first Esquire Club dates since April, tomorrow's show is standard fare (singer change aside), but Saturday's is absolutely a Halloween party with a costume contest to take part in.
Unspecified prizes await winners of the costume contest, and other Halloween frills are expected on Saturday, so keep everything in mind! Whether you're coming for business as usual tomorrow or the Halloween party the next night, Obsession's hard rock-leaning classic rock covers will await at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on the new look Obsession's first public test in city limits, and here's Obsession (with Jess on backing vocals) at Rotaryfest! Ignore the thumbnail, it will start at Obsession on stage.
Finally, local acoustic classic/hard rock artist Tym Morrison will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for his third and final matinee concert of the month on SATURDAY! Moved from his prior Sunday scheduling there but still taking place in a matinee timeslot, this is the part of his current run of alternating weekend gigs at the 68 Dennis Street nightclub through at least November 12th, with country musician Leslie Cook playing in weekends where Tym isn't. As far as Halloween goes, Saturday's gig does not have any advertised seasonal tie-ins (whether Tym's very open religious beliefs are related is not for me to say), but Shooters will host classic rock cover band Mid Life Crysis for their proper Halloween party that night. which will also serve as the kick-off for the re-opening of the former Union Hall upstairs, which has been renamed The Queen of Hearts Club, and it will host comedy hypnotist Hernandez that evening before a Halloween video dance party.
Visit this SooToday article for more on the upgrades at 68 Dennis, but it's great to see that things have grown to this level, and with The Algonquin Hotel's venues still on their hiatus from live bookings, I do like that someone is trying to replicate the formula! Tym's unplugged classic & hard rock covers can be seen downstairs at Shooters on Saturday at 3:00 PM before any of the other events, this is a 19+ affair, and there's no cover charge. Visit Tym's and the venue's Facebook event pages for more details, and here's Tym live in concert earlier this year!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!
It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, giving us another chance to spotlight a YouTube channel (randomly selected as ever) to spotlight their uploads and content for modern readers! This month's selection gives us a prominent band from the local nightclub cover circuit in their twilight, so here's what you should know!
Owner:Obsession guitarist Gabe Tessaro, also previously known from bands like That's Chester, Agave Blue, and The Reptiles
Channel Timeline:Launched on October 12th, 2011; Videos uploaded from November 2015 until June 2020
Channel Summary:A personal use channel, all four of Gabe's uploads relate to his 2004-2016 classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester, mostly via live concert videos from their last year as an active band, plus a one-off virtual reunion much further down the road.
Why You Should Watch:This will be must-watch for fans of Greg-era That's Chester, especially given the melancholy nature of these performances both at the time and in hindsight, so don't miss out! More videos of them can be seen at drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel, and while Gabe's channel is personal use, he has not uploaded videos from his other local bands, nor as he actively used it in the past year.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
Captain Walker/It's A Boy:In their last public gigs with their final full lineup, That's Chester served as the house band for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop in November 2015, with frontman Greg Simpson also acting in it. Just three weeks later, guitarist Eugene Orlando suddenly passed away, and Gabe posted this video from one of the shows that same day. By far his most popular video, this has a performance of the linked early songs "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy" featuring vocals from other actors. These are well done (if not all that heavy at this point), and the high camera angle captures action on stage well, especially the poignant scene of Gabe & Eugene playing together during the second song!
IMG 1221:Gabe's next two uploads are of That's Chester's eighth & ninth appearances at Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park in July 2015 & 2016, including their nighttime cover of Deep Purple's "Hush" from 2015 (their last non-Tommy show with Eugene). Featured here is the 2016 video, from what was both a Eugene tribute set and the band's farewell as an active group. This cover of April Wine's "Roller" features guest vocals from original That's Chester frontman Richard Fullerton (recently of the Ottawa rock bands Mothership & Trashed Taxi) as well as fill-in guitarist Dan Belanger, who has sat in with Gabe's bands at multiple Rotaryfests. Ric did upload an alternate stationary angle of this very performance later, but the moving camera give this some extra flavour, and the guys all perform strongly! Greg does not sing here, but he does come out at the end.
That's Chester Isolation WishYouWereHere:Though the first pandemic lockdown was over by the end of June 2020, life as we knew it was still very much in upheaval, and many fans were surprised when Greg, Gabe, bassist Aubrey Falls, and Ric reunited (if remotely) to cover Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" for both Gabe's and Ric's YouTube channels. Dedicated by Greg to "everybody out there who's missing somebody" as well as Eugene (as per Ric's upload's description), this cover is well handled with strong editing, if very melancholy given the optics of both where the world was in mid-2020 and the fact that they were playing again without Eugene. Greg handled the second guitar role in Eugene's place, and while this isn't my favourite Pink Floyd's song, the messages resonate regardless!
I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, we're looking at multiple channels again, as the first that I randomly selected had just one video on offer. As such, we'll be looking at YouTube users quasarwaves (featuring a late period Gates of Winter sample clip), These Magnificent Tentacles (featuring their studio songs so far), and ironically given that I just discovered them, Steel Sour (featuring their lone jam session video). Look for these on or around November 26th, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
It's now time for our 160th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and after a long stretch of new album reviews, nothing new that isn't in our anti-bias buffer period is left for local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, so we're dipping into the archives. I usually give precedence to artists who played live this month in some form, and as two members of this band played live with Handsome Sandwich at The Soo's Got Talent finals earlier this month, let's take a look at inactive local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters' 2014 single "Collapse The Sun"! Released on November 6th, 2014 as a pre-release teaser for their debut studio album "Eternal Hibernation" later that month, the single was produced at White Wreckords with producer/ex-Redundant bassist James White, and was sold & mastered through guitarist Mitch Sirie's own imprint Edge of Eden Productions.
"Collapse The Sun" features The Bear Hunters' classic lineup, including Chronic Demonic singer Nik Deubel, Mitch and ex-Bring The Fallen frontman Josh Stephney on guitar, Exploring Detritus bassist Justin Lam, and Mitch's Handsome Sandwich bandmate Johnny Belanger on drums. Copies of the "Collapse The Sun" single were exclusively sold on a limited print run of 50 CDs, each costing $2, and I have never seen one in the wild since 2014. Featuring three songs (well, one song in three versions) running for 11 minutes, let's begin this review, but be advised that my computer's primary external disc drive would not read this disc (possibly due to the paper label), so I had to play it off of a back-up drive.
All three songs are "Collapse The Sun", starting with the song as heard on "Eternal Hibernation", which I reviewed on the site in December 2014, so visit my original thoughts at this link. Lyrically about bringing doom and despair on the population (making the sun collapse would help in that goal!), I originally praised this song for its catchy groove-inspired structure, "sing-along" chorus, and solid instrumentation that sounds like the guys were having fun in studio. I also noted that the song lacked in technicality compared to newer songs included on the full album, and with the power of hindsight, the production quality is lacking compared to how their 2020 sophomore album "The Dead Testament" sounded. The raw, somewhat tinny audio won't be to everyone's liking despite solid performances, but it's definitely an early highlight of The Bear Hunters' all-too-short catalog!
The first alternate version is a live take of "Collapse The Sun", which was actually filmed by yours truly at The Roosevelt Hotel (now Reggie's West) when The Bear Hunters opened for 3 Inches of Blood there on July 9th, 2012. Those were the days, huh? Full disclosure, the band didn't inform me ahead of time that they were using my footage for this, but I was totally okay with it, and I was credited in the booklet. You can watch my original video at this link, but for this review, I'm going off of the audio copy from the CD as it was touched up in studio before the CDs were printed. This live performance is a little slower than on the studio version, but
the performance is sound, and I can see why Mitch and crew chose it to
represent the song on a CD! Of course, I was filming it for the SMS, on a
worse camera than I have now, and had no clue that it'd be repurposed like this, so any static or clarity issues are apologetically noted.
The final track is the only one not accessible online, namely an instrumental demo of this song that Mitch had recorded in 2011, early in The Bear Hunters' run. The audio quality is honestly better, so if you ever wanted to do Bear Hunters karaoke or submit an audition tape if Nik wasn't part of a reunion, get this CD! Structurally, the instrumental demo is longer thanks to an extended outro, but has a higher tempo. This is a nice bonus that captures this fan favourite song in a new way, and because of the existing groove structure, it bounces along well while melting faces even without the lyrics! With all of that said, how would I grade a single of this kind? Honestly, this is more something for Bear Hunters diehard fans and/or completionists to track down nowadays. "Collapse The Sun" is one of my favourite songs of theirs, full stop, but the only exclusive content here beyond the packaging is the instrumental, as clean as it sounds.
I have no idea if physical copies of "Collapse The Sun" would be charged at a premium if they turned up at (say) The Rad Zone or if their $2 sale price would still be accurate, but with only 50 printed, this will be something ride-or-die Bear Hunters fans will surely want to keep an eye out for in case it turns up for sale. Solid bonus, but for casual fans, I'd say stick with the full "Eternal Hibernation" album and go from there if you choose. I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and as for next month, projections look like I may be reviewing Chase Wigmore's new album "Is This End Of...?", which is slated to come out on October 30th, but due to proximity to month's end & the possibility of it being delayed, I held it for next month. Stay tuned for more on that album on the site soon, plus more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
After our last post so heavily looked at bands inactive for over a year, let's go the opposite way with two bands being added to our band links, if not new ones! Yes, we will be covering the finals of The Soo's Got Talent here also, check back when videos are posted. Now, here's what you know on these band link additions!
First for our new (and belated) additions to our Sault Ontario band links today is local southern hard rock duo The Bearded Lounge! Publically launched in early 2017, they are the unplugged side project to Bone Yard, with frontman Greg Simpson and guitarist Alex D'Ettore picking up acoustic guitars for separate gigs, and the occasional event where both bands take the stage. Like with Bone Yard, I initially didn't roll The Bearded Lounge into our full coverage because of their original country-centric stylings, but both bands have evolved more to a southern-leaning hard rock cover set, so with us doing the same for Bone Yard earlier this year, let's complete the pair! Playing their first announced concert set in March 2017 at The Machine Shop (frequently so as part of the Group Health Centre's "Catch the Ace" promotion), The Bearded Lounge would become a common sight at many local concerts, if less often than Bone Yard.
Fans may recognize The Bearded Lounge from appearances at community events like the Rides for Autism and ARCH, Toystock, Downtown Street Parties, Cruisin' the Dub car shows, and the Twin City Tattoo Convention. For standard concerts, Greg & Alex have played primarily at Reggie's West, but have been seen at numerous other venues, often non-traditional or more intimate ones that lean more to acoustic acts. After the same pandemic hiatus as almost everyone else, The Bearded Lounge returned to the stage at the downtown Reggie's for gigs in July 2021, and have been seen since at the recently dormant Rockstar Bar, Mane St. Cafe, Water Tower Pub, and most recently, Gateway Casino this month. As of this writing, The Bearded Lounge do not have further gigs listed, we'll keep you posted when any new ones are announced by the band or venues.
A number of videos from Bearded Lounge gigs are online to check out, with former SaultOnline correspondent Mike Caruso filming them often for his old YouTube channel in their early run, and their Facebook page has eight live videos including multiple live takes of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up" (of course) and Charlie Daniels' "Long Haired Country Boy" (with Alex on vocals), but embedded below is one of Mike's higher quality videos from the Reggievelt in 2019, where the guys covered Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee" and their slowed down version of Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite". If you like Bone Yard and aren't against acoustic music, you'll absolutely like The Bearded Lounge, and Greg & Alex adapt well to a stripped down format. The modern day Bone Yard set is very similar to what The Bearded Lounge's, with the obvious changes, so give them a look for yourselves above & below!
Today's other belated local band addition is inactive local hard rock band Steel Sour! Quietly active from November 2018-May 2019 and presumably getting their name in part from Stone Sour, this band featured ex-Re:Born singer Robert Nevitt, his future Big Mistake bandmate Rick Atkins on guitar, future Lockdown bandmates Nicole (Ambeault) Bentley on backing vocals & Randy Russell on guitar, Eclipse/Re:Born bassist Fred Dunn also on guitar, Steve Bentley on bass, and ex-Redundant bassist James White on drums. Also, Rick & James later were bandmates in Dealing Without. Seven members in one hard rock band does seem a little like overkill, but who knows if this was just for this jam or if everyone would have been a part of the live gigs that never happened. Robert and Rick did sample their sound in this 19 minute acoustic live-stream from January 2019.
There, they covered the aforementioned "Me & Bobby McGee" (what are the odds?), Pop Evil's "100 In A 55", and The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil". Not bad renditions with strong vocals, so don't bypass that video! For something involving the full plugged-in band, all we got was this cover of The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking", which was uploaded to their YouTube channel as their last real public act. The band did lampshade this as a quickly recorded basement jam session recording, but it's solidly performed with good energy, and it doesn't feel overcrowded (Steve's amusing rocker wig notwithstanding). Shame that Steel Sour didn't last into the 2020s, but give them a look above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
Late post on this Friday night, as a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT has hit the desk, and it's at a venue that hard rock fans may not expect! To round things out, I have notes on three different local bands who I had to move to our inactive links this week, so here's what you should know!
Local funk/hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW at... the Gateway Casino?! Apologies for the short notice, The Stallyns's Facebook page only acknowledged this event earlier today, but the casino's Facebook page first mentioned it on Wednesday. Readers who follow the complete weekend bar/cover band circuit will know that bands are not a foreign concept at the former OLG Casino at 30 Bay Street, but Gateway launched a Saturday night concert series there in July that hasn't tended to focus on heavier-leaning acts (the closest would be Bone Yard side project The Bearded Lounge, more on them soon). Good to see some new paths cross here, and hopefully The Wyld Stallyns make a strong impression on fans and gamblers alike TOMORROW NIGHT! Also, in The Stallyns' Facebook promotion for this event, they shared a picture including guest saxophonist Josh Norling.
One assumes that's a giveaway that he'll be present TOMORROW, and from what I've seen lately, he's been with The Stallyns more often than not. Whether he's finally joined them permanently, I can't say, as the band has never listed their current lineup in text on their Facebook page. TOMORROW'S concert has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and obviously, a 19+ age limit. Unlike at Kewadin, I don't believe the bands play in a separate lounge. See above for more on The Stallyns' diverse hard and classic rock cover attack TOMORROW at Gateway, and here they are live!
Next up, we have a trifecta of bands to move to our inactive band links due to a year's public inactivity, and alas, the first of them is local death metal band The Bear Hunters. While the guys have not publically confirmed anything, they have not showed any public signs of life since their set opening for Alien To The Ignorant at Mellow D's Underground one year ago today, and their only Facebook posting since 2020 was to plug Mitch & Johnny's current work in Handsome Sandwich. Beyond that, the guys have played live just three times since the end of 2017, pandemic acknowledged. Launched in 2010, The Bear Hunters became one of the biggest local extreme metal bands of the decade, which saw them release two studio albums, win the Battle For The Blood and make strong runs in multiple other battles of the bands, and open for acts like 3 Inches of Blood, Fuck The Facts, and Novembers Doom.
I sincerely hope The Bear Hunters are just hibernating and will resurface when the right time arises, as the Soo could use their ferocious brand of death metal again, but they sure left their mark in their heyday, and as someone who went to Bawating with three Bear Hunters alums, their evolution from D.O.T.H. to here was really cool to see. Best of luck to Nik, Mitch, Josh, Justin, Johnny, and Mike in whatever's next, R.I.P. Andres, and follow Handsome Sandwich, Exploring Detritus, and Chronic Demonic to see what members are up to musically nowadays!
Also, I have moved local punk trio Redundant
to our inactive band links. The band last issued a public update
relating to band activity one year ago on Wednesday when they opened for
Buckcherry at Soo Blaster, which is their only live concert set of any
kind in the past three years, and while they have posted on their Facebook page
thrice since, those have just been to pay tribute to deceased
musicians. Originally launched as Motion Carried in 2011, Redundant were
the spiritual successors to frontman Justin Langlois' 2000s punk band
The Scary Uncles, and also heavily featured Fitswitch alumni in their
lineups. Across their decade-long run, Redundant released their
self-titled EP in 2018, and were commonly seen on local stages
throughout the 2010s, opening for bands like The Cancer Bats, Kittie,
and The Rebel Spell, as well as select out of town dates (notably at the
Vans Warped Tour in Toronto).
Of course, pandemic-related
issues are acknowledged as to Redudnant's status in the early 2020s so
far, so hopefully they're not 100% finished, as their lively modern punk
sound and diverse covers were always a crowd pleaser, no matter who was
on bass! Best of luck to Justin, Andrew, Rick, Jamie, James, and Yannick in the
future no matter what!
Finally,
we're pulling a double for the other local opener at the Buckcherry
show last year, as I've also moved local/Ottawa hard rock quartet Bad Chug
to our inactive band links. Like Redundant, they have not issued any
public updates since the concert last year, not even posting on their Facebook page
since the pre-release promotion for it. Originally active in Ottawa in
2016, Bad Chug got off some decent momentum there with live dates and
original material, but they fell dormant until resurfacing in February
2020 once band members relocated here, albeit just before the pandemic
threw monkey wrenches into everyone's plans. Despite their large market
experience, Bad Chug activity in the Soo was limited to teasers, the
addition of local folk musician Jacob Quarrell to their lineup, and the
oft-delayed Buckcherry concert, though at least they held on to the
support slot despite all of the challenges.Debuting in a new
city in its biggest hard rock concert of 2021 (pandemic acknowledged)
should have been a great relaunching point for Bad Chug, and I did hear
good things from both their set and videos from the night, but alas,
there's been no tangible public updates in the year since. Hopefully we
hear more from Aaron, Jacob, Kyle, and Matt in the near future! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
A busy yet somewhat quiet weekend for hard rock concerts leads us to tomorrow in particular, with three big shows in their own ways taking place featuring familiar faces out of their usual comfort zones. With all of that said, here's what you should know!
Let's start in Dafter, Michigan as this is a rare Friday matinee event, as local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to Northern Light Cannabis Co. for their second show at the dispensary TOMORROW! Tarnished debuted at Northern Light on September 30th for a well received Fire Up Fridaze event, and they're coming back just three weeks later, though the circumstances are different, as they'll be the afternoon warm-up for the Take A Drag Show! Rare to see drag performers in the E.U.P. (granted, the population's smaller than up here), but this should be a fun diversion, so follow Northern Light for extra details on that! Refreshments, vendors, and deals will also be a part of Fire Up Fridaze here, and of course, Tarnished's hard rocking covers & originals will draw a crowd in and of themselves! To accommodate the drag show, Tarnished are playing at 1:00 PM tomorrow, so keep the early start time in mind, especially if you're at work/school!
Obviously, this is a 21+ event, while there is no cover charge, and the event proper begins at 12:00 PM. If you're a fan of at least two of hard rock music, marijuana, and/or drag, a trip to 2736 West M-28 should be heavily considered tomorrow, so visit the above links for more detailds, and here's Tarnished live in concert last year!
Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for two huge concerts taking place TOMORROW, both at Soo Blaster! This may explain why the first of the events starts so early, as The Soo's Got Talent finals are first up at the Queen Street East venue, where the final six performers will take the stage, with local hard rock/alternative band Handsome Sandwich returning as a house band for all six performers! It's unclear whether they're playing one song with each or more, but if the first two T.S.G.T. events are any indication, finalists get two songs each, one being chosen by the judges. The six finalists competing tomorrow are Ali Nisbett, Amanda Phillips, Colin Gasparelli, Maharlika Joy (or M.J.) Servillon, Nanette Garcia, and Xavier Pelletier Leboeuf. Unless they surprise us or bring up a guest, all are singers only doing covers except Colin, who primarily played guitar also while doing original songs.
Whether Handsome Sandwich are learning songs chosen by the finalists/judges or only offering their own catalog isn't publically known yet, let alone how singer Taylor Emlaw will be involved, but we'll know the answers tomorrow! For reference, none of the finalists are primarily hard rock performers, with all but Colin and Xavier leaning towards pop covers in their prior performances (Colin's originals were acoustic soft rock aside from a Styx cover, and Xavier was all over the map for chosen covers). Aside from the finalists & Handsome Sandwich, three guest performers will take the stage, including judge & ex-Obsession singer Valerie Powley, returning guest judge & local theatre staple Tim Murphy, and in a late confirmation, 2019 T.S.G.T. winner Adrian Sullivan in a rare live appearance without his band The Uncanny Valley. Adrian is a fitting choice to return as he is still the reigning champion of this event!
I haven't seen reference to the winner's prize this year, but Adrian won $1,000 in 2019. An early 5:00 PM start time is in effect at Soo Blaster tomorrow, this is absolutely all ages, and admission is $15 at the door ($10 for kids 12 and under), with proceeds going to the Brain Injury Association of Sault Ste. Marie & District. Given that the Afroman concert has doors opening at 7:00 PM and an 8:00 PM start time, the finals program will likely be brisk and ran on a tighter ship than normal, so keep that in mind too. Visit the above links for full details on The Soo's Got Talent's finals tomorrow evening, best of luck to all six finalists, and here's Handsome Sandwich live earlier in the competition!
Finally, Soo Blaster's busy day TOMORROW NIGHT concludes when Los Angeles alternative rapper Afroman comes to town, with local rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty among the supporting lineup! Three weeks removed from being the outliers on an otherwise hip hop-centric lineup for the Tech N9ne show at Soo Blaster, co-promoters R-Evolution Media called on the Stanghettas to deliver their party rock stylings in similar confines again, so hopefully The A.A. deliver a similarly fun set among the rap sea tomorrow! Of course, Afroman will be very familiar among local rap fans for his hit single "Because I Got High" and a further two decades of underground rap songs heavily dipping into comedy and cannabis culture, so he should deliver a fun set tomorrow himself! Guelph rapper Robbie G will co-headline tomorrow, as he did at the Tech N9ne show, while local openers also include Conika, MJR League (both also Tech N9ne openers), Sawbe, Ryxnnick, Jaay Sheps, and Illest (OTG).
Surprisingly, this stop on Afroman's Canadian Cannabis Tour is all ages, and doors open at 8:00 PM with a 9:00 PM start time. Tickets run for $35 in advance or $70 for the VIP package that includes a meet & greet with Afroman himself, and you can directly buy tickets through the Facebook event page. This should go over well for the local rap scene, especially with Afroman's lively brand of underground rap, and The Apocalypse Afterparty should make another good impression tomorrow night! Odd that they'd be present the same night as The Soo's Got Talent finals, where they finished third in 2019. See above for more details, and here's The A.A. live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thnaks everyone!
Today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows late next month, both on the same weekend, but very different in size, purpose, and country of origin, so let's look at both in chronological order!
Local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will make their apparent debut at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard for a one-nighter on Saturday, November 26th! This show has not been confirmed by the band's Facebook page yet (it may never be given how infrequently it's updated), but Huck's Facebook page announced the date yesterday via this event calendar. Some readers may recall Rhythm & Brews being booked at the former Joe's Bar in November 2021 for a hunter's bash, only to withdraw for unannounced reasons and be replaced by Tarnished on late notice. A year later, and it looks like Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron are ready to try again, let alone on ladies night (old Back Door regulars will like that!) Hunters are welcome too, of course. You can enjoy Rhythm & Brews' hard rocking covers on November 26th at 8:00 PM with no cover and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details!
Next up, and after a two year, pandemic-induced hiatus, Sault Ontario Christmas Cheer fundraiser concert Toystock returns for its ninth installment on Sunday, November 27th at The Grand Gardens North! In case you need a refresher, Toystock is the annual fundraiser put on by Bone Yard frontman Greg Simpson of GS Entertainment & Design (formerly Maxx Entertainment) to raise money for Christmas Cheer and collect toy & non perishable food donations for the cause, traditionally being held in late November to help kick off the holiday season. Wonderful cause, and kudos to Greg for sticking with it through the last two years to bring it back in 2022! If past years are anything to go by, look for local vendors, an appearance by Santa Claus himself, and perhaps the return of the Stuff-A-Bus, but further details have not been announced as to the non-musical aspects of Toystock IX. Visit the official website for continuing details!
As in all past years (including the last five at The Grand Gardens), ten bands will be playing in ten hours on November 27th, with the aforementioned southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard hitting the stage as headliners at 9:00 PM! This will be Bone Yard's record eighth Toystock set, only missing out in year #2 from 2013 (where Greg sang with two other bands of his). Classic rock quintet Mustang Heart will surprisingly make their Toystock debut as the 8:00 PM co-headliners, while country musician Brendan Hodgson will play his third straight Toystock at 7:00 PM. Classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will take the stage at 6:00 PM for their fourth straight Toystock, though no word yet on if drummer Glen Thomas will bring back his annual drumkit giveaway. The other six bands are Toystock newcomers, including debuting pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue at 5:00 PM.
Details on them are slim so far, but they feature Soo Fighters/ex-Cherry Crush frontman Jules Cote in their lineup. Country musician Rob Wagner "and friends" take the stage at 4:00 PM, preceded by a mystery band named Ravencore at 3:00 PM. The name sounds intriguing for SMS-friendly genre ties, but I have no inside information whatsoever on them, so we'll keep you posted! Punk trio Vanity First will get some solid exposure with a new audience in the 2:00 PM timeslot, while the Long & McQuade Band will perform at 1:00 PM. I presume this band is made up of music students at the McDonald Avenue music store, and this conceit is hardly new for Toystock, as music student bands (either from Case's Music or the Bocturoc Academy) have played every year except the first one in 2012. Lastly, singer/guitarist Jeremy Logan Newman (who opened for Fort Creek at shows this year) will kick off Toystock IX at 12:00 PM.
705Live Sound Co. will be on hand to work sound this year. Admission to this all ages holiday event is strictly by donation (toys, non-perishable food, and money all counts), and it's great to see Toystock back at last to help give needy families something to celebrate over the holidays! I know Greg didn't want to cancel Toystock the last two years, but it's back now and hopefully the return is bigger and better than ever, so visit the above links for current details on Toystock next month, stay tuned for updates, and look for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
