LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The BAG), A New Local Metal Band, And Much More!!

Before we dive into the Soo's Got Talent finals coverage, I really couldn't let some recent news and notes slide any further, so let's tackle some recent video uploads, updates on an upcoming album release, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS featuring a brand new group!

We have a new local metal band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are named The BAG! Capitalization is intentional, and their name was originally given as The B.A.G., but no word on if that acronym has a defined meaning. They are a trio comprised of former Stoned To Deaf guitarist Spencer MacGillivray alongside bassist Austin Pine & drummer Bradley Nixon. I believe Spencer is the lead vocalist, though Austin was also seen singing in some of their jam session photos. While The BAG went public via their Facebook group in June, they were clearly working on this band previously, as their were already working at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones towards recording their debut single upon their launch! You can see photos from those sessions on Facebook, plus this 18 second video of the song in progress.

That song, entitled "Eccentric Refuge", was released to major streaming platforms on July 12th, all conveniently linked via this DistroKid page. It's not a bad track, reminding me a bit of crossover thrash with some groove metal influence, and Spencer's vocals have the hard edged intensity you'd hope for! The musical performances are also sound and tight, I'd be very curious to hear more originals from The BAG! In terms of live performances, some readers may have caught them at private house/backyard parties over the summer, and this setlist was even shared from one of them featuring a surprisingly diverse cover selection featuring everyone from Motorhead and Black Sabbath to Weezer and Jet to C.C.R. and The Dead Kennedys. That will serve them well, as in those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, The BAG's live public concert debuts will be at The Esquire Club on Friday, December 2nd & Saturday, December 3rd!

That weekend was originally supposed to go to the online page-less Buzzsaw Jaw featuring Mike & Jon from Stiffler's Mom (source here), but they appear to have dropped out for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but this should be an interesting opportunity for The BAG to make a big impression to a general audience! Expect 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits in three weeks' time. Visit the above links for more details on The BAG and/or these shows, and here's "Eccentric Refuge" courtesy of their new YouTube channel!

Next up, here some recent updates from local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! As you may recall, Chase was supposed to release his next solo album "Is This The End Of...?" on October 30th, which he curiously described in advance as his "second last solo album", implying that he wouldn't put out more eponymous albums after the planned release of the long-gestating concept album "The Chaotic Rite" next year. Well, Devil's Night came and went with no new album, and on the 31st, Chase confirmed on Facebook that it was postponed due to "circumstances beyond my control". At least it wasn't the extinction level catastrophe that he previously hinted at! There is more to look at from Chase, but let's leave off for today with a new song from "Is This The End Of...?", which he posted to his "Jason Walker" YouTube channel on Tuesday!

Entitled "Without You", this is a re-recording of a song from his earlier release "Living Divisions", and while not a full on extreme metal track, it leans there more than his folk punk output. I'll hold comment on the track for now pending our likely review of "Is This The End Of...?", but it has gotten a positive reception so far! Give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more updates & media from Chase this week!

We'll close today with a detour south, as while tracking down references to Tarnished's advertised show at The Islander Bar in Hessel, Michigan last night (which I'm really doubting took place now, I apologize for any confusion), I did find a couple of live videos from local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906's Halloween party gig there last month on the venue's Facebook page! Fans may recall seeing their Halloween weekend cover of Creed's "What If" (a common cover choice for them to film as of late) from their own Facebook page, but these were live-streams on the 29th, and include covers of Metallica's "Fuel" and Alice Cooper's "Feed My Frankenstein", which is an extra fitting cover for the impending holiday. Both videos are under a minute long and are filmed on a vertical cell phone camera angle, but the filmer does make the rounds inside The Islander to film the costumed attendees enjoying themselves too, and you see some fun get-ups!

As for the performances, what we hear of them sounds good, and Joe's guitar solo on "Fuel" is well captured in particular, so fans should enjoy these harder edged covers linked above! I can't embed either here, The Islander Bar doesn't allow external embedding of their Facebook videos. That's all for today, but we will 100% wrap up our Soo's Got Talent finals coverage next! Thanks everyone!