Handsome Sandwich, Soundcheck, And Vanity First Updates!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a concert in this past weekend's previews, as local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns headed north for a gig at Searchmont Resort at their in-house venue The Kiln on Saturday night. The band did not promote this show on their Facebook page, and Searchmont's Facebook page only first mentioned it on Friday, later hyping up the campfire jam aesthetic and requests angle for it. Searchmont only host bands sporadically at The Kiln, so it's not a regular spot for me to look for concerts at, but I do apologize, I'd have plugged it on here had The Stallyns said something in advance! Now, here's what you should know from three active local bands!

After two months of public silence, local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich posted on their Facebook page on Saturday to reveal that recording sessions for their debut album "Deconstructed" are complete! Now, they did say the same thing in November when attached to this picture, so clearly they fixed something up since then. The tracks will now be sent off to be mixed, and while they didn't specify details on Saturday, they confirmed in November that Jordan Zadorozny was going to mix the album at Skylark Park in Pembroke. The plan is still to release the album on Saturday, May 6th, which has been the plan since at least October when singer Taylor Emlaw announced it during The Soo's Got Talent (I believe I misheard her say "May 5th" at the time, my apologies). Regardless, publically setting such a specific album release date seven months out is kinda odd.

May 6th must hold some sort of special in-band meaning, but if they've announced it publically, it must have been in concerts only. A release show for the album is planned, which does imply that there will be physical copies to sell at one, but we'll keep you posted when more comes out on it! As a teaser, the band shared this video with the new Facebook post featuring a 12 second clip of one of their original songs, as set to footage of guitarist Jesse Cook laying on his back performing bicycle kicks to his bandmates' (and now our) amusement. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Handsome Sandwich soon!

Next up, here's some big news from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, as they have added Obsession bassist Jim Michaud to their lineup, replacing Paul Belair. The band announced the news on their Facebook page yesterday, and while they did not publically explain his departure, they did note that he "will be missed huge". Drummer Glen Thomas did elaborate on his personal Facebook page on the amicable reasons Paul left, and as it turns out, he actually left the band in November, something that the band never announced on Facebook. Paul had been Soundcheck's bassist since replacing Robin Lee in 2017, but he increasingly missed gigs for personal reasons, leading to guests (usually RPM's Rob Gilmar) filling in, including Jim at their Esquire Club dates on the 20th & 21st. With the similarly ranged Obsession ending their eighteen year run at the same venue next month, Jim coming on board does make a lot of sense!

It's worth noting that Jim & Glen played together in Lyrx, albeit in 1982 & 1983! No word yet on when the new Soundcheck lineup will debut, but they did jokingly ask on Facebook if Rob could fill-in again this weekend, so if that's legit, we'll be on the lookout for a short notice announcement (let alone if Jim carries over Obsession's planned March-December dates to Soundcheck, the idea is not unheard of). Stay tuned for more from as it rolls in, and best of luck to Paul in whatever he has planned next!

Finally, here's some new videos from local punk trio Vanity First's Facebook page in the past week! One is actually a re-post of their 2021 cover of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn" that was first seen on their YouTube channel, notable as it features former bassist Nick McClelland (singer Andrew Beggs has pulled double duty since Nick left). Cool to see again, they tackle this punk staple well! Another video is a re-post from their TikTok page, under the pretense that Andrew's "father" demands to know what he's doing behind closed doors. Of course, it's not what it looks like, and "it" is Andrew listening to punk music, specifically their 2022 standalone single "Get Out". Cute promotion for what it is! The other new Facebook uploads on offer actually have Vanity First covering Rage Against The Machine, including a vertically shot video of them covering "Bombtrack" at Go Skateboarding Day at Queen Elizabeth Park in May of last year.

Notably, Andrew didn't play bass while rapping on this one, so it was up to guitarist Mikhal Muto & drummer Keeghan McAllister to fill in all of the gaps, The 24 second clip comes off well with good angles of the ramp-top stage, though I'm surprised it took this long to come to Facebook! While seemingly formatted for TikTok, that video is not posted on their TikTok page, with the only post-EP release video there that isn't on Facebook being this clip of Keeghan having a "drummer moment" during what appear to be rehearsals at the Sault Community Theatre Centre. Light and amusing, but I feel you have to be in on the joke to an extent. Embedded below is a new 33 second clip of them covering "Killing In The Name" when they opened for Gutter Creek at Soo Blaster in September, and this video is extra notable given what did and didn't happen during the runtime.

As the band noted in the video description, Andrew has epilepsy, and if you know someone with that disorder, you'll know that they're often recommended to not look at strobe lighting or other rapidly flashing light patterns, as that could cause them to have a seizure. During the song's bridge, strobe lighting went off at the venue, and thankfully, nothing serious medically happened to Andrew, who kept his composure and played the song off perfectly normally! If you didn't know he was epileptic, you still wouldn't have if the band never said. I find "Killing In The Name" to be severely overplayed, but credit to Andrew for powering through here, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Vanity First!

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

A Belated Addition To Our Band Links, Plus A New Cover Video!!

Two topic post on the SMS on this Sunday morning, including a new cover from a familiar local singer/guitarist, but first, let's finally add a prominent local cover band to our full coverage, if late!

We have a now-inactive local band to belatedly add to our links today, and they are local blues/hard rock cover trio Mojo! Active from 2014-2020, they never made our full coverage at the time because I understood them to be more blues rock-centric than anything else, not helped by largely plying their trade as hosts of jam nights, but from looking at their extant videos over the years, any variance from the sound of their sister band Bone Yard (especially by the late 2010s) was more based on jam night performers and the songs they wanted to play than anything else, so keep that in mind when looking up Mojo videos. Their best known lineup comprised of the members of Bone Yard's 2013-2022 lineup sans Greg Simpson, including singer/guitarist Alex D'Ettore, bassist Brad Stephen, and drummer Ric Datson. Their original bassist was Tyrone Souliere (ex-5ive Below Zero) until he left the band in February 2016.

Unfortunately, Tyrone lost his battle with cancer just three months after leaving Mojo, and you can read more about him and his work as a political activist & First Nations advocate at this link. Some posts on their Facebook group cite Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling as a band member in 2015, while others say he's just a guest, but he did appear at a number of dates in that period. Mojo's bread & butter was as hosts of Thursday jam nights, doing so at the former New American Pub from their August 2014 debut through June 2015, before shifting to Reggie's West (now Jay's Piston Broke Pub) until the end of their active run, with Soundcheck now doing the honours there. These often opened triple header weekends featuring them, Bone Yard, and The Bearded Lounge. Mojo were also seen at many standard concerts over the years, including sets at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in 2016, Toystock in 2015 & 2016, and at multiple Rides For ARCH.

Like every other local band, Mojo's concert slate was ground to a screeching halt in March 2020 with the first pandemic lockdown, but Mojo never resurfaced once capacity limits and such eased up, even though Alex, Brad, and Ric did resume gigging with Bone Yard until Brad & Ric left last January. Again, Mojo's sound and full performance will be skewed by the high amount of videos from jam nights on their Facebook group, but Bone Yard fans will be right at home with their old school hard & heavy cover slate when you find videos of just the core trio, such as these videos from when Soundcheck's Glen Thomas filled in for Ric (albeit all focusing on Glen), and the bluesy side of their covers comes through well! Remember that Alex does sing lead on occasion with Bone Yard, so you'll get your Mojo that way even still. I decided to go for a higher profile video of Mojo's run to embed here, ideally from a standard concert set, but which one?

How about from their sole Rotaryfest appearance in July 2016, where Bone Yard (with Josh Norling guesting on the sax) covered The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See", a song that carried over to Bone Yard sets with Alex still singing lead. Uploaded by YouTube user John Naccarato, this is a strong performance drawn out to 8+ minutes for full effect, and Josh's contributions don't feel tacked on, but the sunny outdoor conditions do kinda overexpose the visuals a bit. Quality work as you'd expect, so give it a look below, and get your Mojo running (if belatedly) at the above links!

Finally for today, here's a brand new cover video from Short & Sweet/ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel! Unlike his other recent music uploads that either were from Short & Sweet's live debut or feature heavily personal videos about his family, this acoustic cover of Shinedown's "Daylight" focuses on Cory performing on camera, so I can embed it here without reservations about the personal nature. Shot with two different cameras to focus on him playing guitar and singing, this is a well recorded cover that shows off Cory's strong voice in particular! I'm admittedly not a fan of "Daylight", but if you do like this recent Shinedown ballad, you'll definitely enjoy this one 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: Bert_ & Mike McCleary

Well that's not like me, I completely forgot to post our monthly YouTube Channel Profiles late last month! Blame the holiday season and my own forgetfulness, so let's try to make up for lost time! I hope to do two of these by the end of February to catch up to where we should be, for the record, and apologies for any inconvenience on my part. Last month's This month's YouTube Channel Profile again looks at randomly selected YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians/concerts, and we have two this time, one with a single video and the other with only a handful of similar uploads. Here's what you should know on each!

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 Bert_ (http://youtube.com/atyourc3rvix)

Owner: Uncanny Valley bassist Brendan Bertrand

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 18th, 2012; Only video uploaded on July 20th, 2021

Channel Summary: Brendan's only video sees him performing with The Uncanny Valley at the drive-in, pandemic-restricted Rotaryfest on July 17th, 2021 outside of the former Zellers/Lowe's Plaza. The clip has Brendan, frontman Adrian Sullivan, guitarist Matt Ferlaino, and drummer Dylan Turner covering half of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times". Despite the filmer's vertical angle and relative distance from the stage, they do zoom in a bit, and The Uncanny Valley do sound good on a song that fits their retro style very well! Click here to see them playing "Psychotic Reaction" at Rotaryfest last year, which was on the same stage but now back in its normal usage as Stage 2 at Clergue Park.

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Mike McCleary (http://youtube.com/@mikemccleary3123)  

Owner: Local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 16th, 2013; Current videos uploaded from January-June 2018

Channel Summary: Mike's official YouTube channel comprises of six uploads of his original songs, mostly accompanied by a video featuring external footage or lyrics, though none feature him on camera. This channel has featured more content in the past, including content from albums in Mike's discography, but much of it has since been deleted as Mike de-listed older and often more political albums and re-focused primarily on newer material.

Why You Should Watch: While obviously not comprehensive for Mike's entire catalog of music anymore, it does contain six songs that he's still proud of and happy to showcase to fans, and you get a good sense of his abilities as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter through them! Note that the channel does not contain any of his recent music since he returned from his last hiatus, namely his planned instrumental album "Fallout From Midnight Tides", but remember that his hard drive did crash last fall, which did set his progress back.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Be The One: Two of Mike's videos primarily serve as lyric videos for the song in question, including "Aylan" and the longer & more visually driven "Be The One", which survived the mass changes to his 2018 (but revised-in-2021) album "Weight Of The Truth". One of my favourite songs on the original version, "Be The One" was about Mike hoping to be free from stress and mental illness, with the grungy base and bluesy guitar solo pairing well with the nicely edited stock footage and lyric track! Of the surviving songs on YouTube, only "What You've Done To Me" (which has no video accompaniment) is also on the "Weight Of The Truth" revision.

Double Dream Hands Get Out Remix: The last video (to date) on Mike's channel is also his most popular, and it is one of three uploads setting his song to a video without accompanying lyrics. In this case, Mike dubbed his song "Get Out" (from his de-listed album also named "What You've Done To Me") over the back half of the 2010 viral video Double Dream Hands. That video features music teacher John Jacobson performing the title dance to his own song "Planet Rock", which plays in the first 45 seconds before "Get Out" kicks in. Maybe this doesn't have a fully realized video from scratch to fit the song like with like "Snakes & Ladders" & "Childish Leaders" have, but it is amusing to see John dancing to a harder-edged alt rock song!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Again, to make up for last month, the next installment will come sooner than the days surrounding January 26th if I can help it. Whenever it comes, we have a single channel to look at, as I have randomly selected YouTube user mikelibs, featuring 12 mostly solo guitar videos from Sault Michigan metal guitarist Mike Libertoski, so look for that hopefully by mid-February, and for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

Weekend Concert Previews And More Recent News & Notes!!

A quiet concert weekend is upon us in the Sault area for fans of hard rock concerts, so we have some assorted recent updates to fill out the back half of today's post. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's heavier concerts, all previously announced!

We'll start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will play their first shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking a month+ break, the guys will return to the site of their 2022 finale weekend for what should be a fine double header of hard rocking covers, and not only that, but Bone Yard will have official band t-shirts on sale this weekend! $25 apiece on a limited run, first come first serve basis, and you can preview the artwork on both sides of the shirts in this this "Reel" and the shirts proper in this "Reel". Hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren deliver the rock at the former Reggie's West and open their 2023 calendar on a high note! Expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges both nights. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live last year!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of their Esquire Club gigs last week (Thursday jam nights at Jay's acknowledged), this weekend's shows will see Soundcheck back at the site of their New Year's Eve gig, so fans can expect another pair of hard hitting classic-filled nights from Soundcheck at this Dennis Street mainstay! As far as I can gather, bassist Paul Belair (if not his usual fill-in Rob Gilmar) will be back after missing their last two non-jam night concerts. Fans can expect 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits tomorrow and Saturday night at Shooters as usual. Alas, the band hasn't plugged these shows on their Facebook page at press time, but visit the venue's Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at Shooters last year!

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:

 

• I can't embed Facebook "reels" externally, but local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback posted on on their Facebook page on October 19th, which features frontman Chris Nielsen (I think) showing off a sample instrumental clip from early recording sessions for their second studio album! He had been working on it "for the past couple hours or so", but it sounds promising already, and just needs vocals! I still don't like "reels" for how restrictive they are, but this at least has some substance to it, so check it out at this link!
• Short & Sweet frontman Cory Murchison has posted two new audio performances on his YouTube channel, both as set to extremely personal videos set around or in tribute to his family, which gives me pause to embed them here, much like his old video for "Love's Countryside". The new songs are covers of Shinedown's "A Symptom Of Being Human" and an original named "Guide Me Home", and both show solid vocals and emotion from the ex-Sense of Truth frontman! They just come off as too personal to embed here, but give them a look/listen above if you're so inclined.
  
• I forgot to cover this on the SMS last year, but Handsome Sandwich drummer Johnny Belanger portrayed Buddy Hobbs (a.k.a. Buddy the elf) in the West End Theatre Project's live production of the Elf musical at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! Johnny's band work was referenced in this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly about the musical. I heard nothing but good things about Johnny's performance last month, and the experience seems to have been positive, so click here to check out Shaw TV's preview video of the show!
  
• St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown's first concert of 2023 has been announced, albeit not a local one, as they'll be heading to Kalamazoo on Saturday, February 25th as one of four bands opening for Oregon metal band Sleep Signals at Papa Pete's. A 5+ hour drive south won't appeal to many local readers, but hopefully H.L.T.C. make lots of fans on the road next month!
• In his first Facebook update in three months, Sault Ontario hard rock musician Mike McCleary revealed two weeks ago that "progress has been slow" since his hard drive crashed that contained his instrumental album-in-progress "Fallout From Midnight Tides", but he acknowledged that his unplanned break has helped keep him "as energetic and enthusiastic about the music as I was before". He assured fans that "things are back on track", if "slowly but surely", and he vaguely hinted that "there may or may not have been a few ideas during the downtime". Stay tuned for more from Mike when we hear it!
  
• This came out too late for me to include it in last week's concert previews, but local funk/hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns' shows at Shooters Downstairs Lounge last week were their first ever stab at a "no repeat weekend", as per band members' promotion of the shows on personal Facebook accounts. In other words, they aimed to have entirely different setlists on Friday and Saturday with no song repeated at any point, not unlike radio stations' "No Repeat Workday" playlists or Metallica's no repeat weekend shows next year. I hope the concerts were hits!
   

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

Local Metal/Hard Rock Video Showcase!!

Let's look at some new videos on this Tuesday night, conveniently all from covers-centric local hard rock bands who frequently play at area nightclubs! We'll start with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, who were filmed for two videos at their Esquire Club show on Saturday night, both as uploaded to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel. The videos feature Soundcheck & fill-in bassist Jim Michaud (of Obsession fame) covering Loverboy's "Working For The Weekend" with guitarist Terry Eaton on lead vocals, but embedded below is the longer video of them covering Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" with Cameron Oliver singing. Both videos are taken from slightly different stationary angles at the same table to the stage's left/band's right, which isn't ideal to look at the band, with only Jim reliably visible due to dancing attendees on the floor.  Of course, it's nice seeing them have fun, that's the most important part of all!

Soundcheck and Jim handle both of these classic rock staples just fine as you'd expect, and Jim fits right in on bass, which is not surprising given that Obsession are not far away musically! Some may be surprised by how countrified "Footloose" sounds with Cameron singing, but remember that he does play country-centric solo gigs. Check these out above & below! 

Next up, local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek got a surprising number of videos from their shows at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past weekend! One was actually shared on the venue's Facebook page from Soo Greyhounds radio play-by-play announcer Gerry Liscumb Jr.'s personal Facebook page, which sees the guys covering Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". It's a 45 second clip that focuses primarily on Justin & Bones, so it's not as substantial as other videos from the gigs, but it sounds good while it lasts! Three longer videos were uploaded directly on the band's Facebook page, with Tanya Maitland filming them twice, including a stripped down cover of Journey's "Faithfully" sans Shane & Tony, and a full band cover of Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight". Both get a good angle of the stage, and the guys sound strong in their debut weekend for 2023, with Justin showing off his vocals nicely on "Faithfully" in particular!

Embedded below is the longest video uploaded by the band, as shot by attendee Katina King, which sees the guys covering Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue On Black". The hazier lighting aside, she got some nice footage of Fort Creek in action, and they handle that 1990s blues rock staple as well as you'd expect! If you believe Facebook comment replies, Fort Creek are already "on a short break", but hopefully they're back in action soon, and give their new videos a watch above & below!

Meanwhile, Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 were also filmed when they played at The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman this past Saturday night, with an attendee getting this video of them covering Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" for their Facebook page! Unfortunately, this video was shot vertically, but the cover comes off well, and this is a good pick for guitarist Joe Jenkins to show his skills off in particular, even getting up close to fans during the solo. Check this one out for yourselves below, and stay tuned for more from Project 906!

Finally for today, here's a new old video of defunct local classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester, courtesy of drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel on Sunday! His first upload there in well over two years, I believe this was filmed at a private wedding gig that they played in Elliot Lake in August 2014, and it sees That's Chester covering AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" as their closing song. The upload isn't so much for the song, which sounds good from this talented quintet with ample experience, but because a wedding attendee actually got on stage & started playing the bongos (apparently ones he brought to the event), which Ric pointed out with a post-production arrow and some captions. While Ric does note the guy's lack of rhythm, That's Chester seemed to take their impromptu guest in stride, with singer Greg Simpson joining him in hitting the bongos at one point, and shaking his hand-post set.

I'm surprised it took almost nine years for this video to make it online, as it delivers the musical and humour goods, and it is nice to see That's Chester's full final lineup in action once again, so give this one a look below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Plus New Videos!!

I have a new news post for your Sunday morning reading, and while it's mostly devoted to new videos, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to take note of first, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will play his first public concert of 2023 with an acoustic matinee gig TODAY at Reggie's Place! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this event via its Facebook event page yesterday, though the venue's Facebook page mentioned it on Tuesday. Tym has been unusually quiet as far as live gigs go as of late, last hearing of him belatedly playing at a curling bonspiel in November, with his last Reggie's show coming in October. Hopefully all's well with him, and it's good to see him back out there with his deep setlist of rock classics at this familiar downtown venue TODAY! Remember, Tym tends to play Sunday matinees at Reggie's rather than nighttime concerts, he just hasn't done so since the fall. TODAY'S festivities are at 3:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, here's the newest collaborative cover video from local punk project Mikey & His Uke's YouTube channel! Uploaded there on Thursday, this sees Mikey Hawdon back on ukelele (at first) and guitar covering Propagandhi's "Back To The Motor League", alongside Belvedere frontman Steven Rawles, Lagwagon guitarist Chris Rest, Pulley bassist Tyler Rebbe, and Papa Roach drummer/fellow Pulley alum Tony Palermo. For pure musical quality & my preferences, this is my favourite Mikey & His Uke cover since Mikey moved back home last year! Steven nails Chris Hannah's vocal style, and everyone handles this cover very nicely, so fans of early Propagandhi (and their October 2005 show at The Oddfellows Hall) will be in good hands! Without spoiling, extra local points for where Mikey filmed his electric guitar scenes. Very well performed and edited as you'd expect, so definitely check this out below, and stay tuned for more from Mikey!

Also, here's a new cover of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" courtesy of the ever prolific Chase Wigmore's YouTube channel last month! As close to folk punk as anything he's posted to YouTube as of late, this video is heavily filtered as usual, coming across as very grainy with cryptic pictures of the wilderness and deer rapidly changing overtop. This is an intense performance that suits the original's proto-grunge nature, with Chase even layering in some screams and some of his own trademark rapid guitar mastery, but his normal clean singing is often very quiet and hard to hear on normal volume levels. Give this cover a watch below!

Let's close with the latest from local/Toronto hard rock solo project Stone Smyth, who have been keeping busy in the studio since we last talked about them in the fall! As you may recall, the former StrykerGC posts samples of their songs on their YouTube channel accompanied by music videos made up of stock footage, often with teasers towards these songs being featured on an album/their planned debut concert tour, but despite references to posting tour dates on their Reverbnation page, nothing of the sort is public yet. Project leader Troy Isaac had previously teased that they would have 15 songs for their full live setlist, and all 15 can now be heard in full on Spotify. YouTube has the requisite 30 or 60 second music video samples, and since our last write-up on Stone Smyth, Troy has posted seven compilation videos of those samples ranging from 7-12 minutes in length, which is a handy way to watch most at once!

I'll embed "Compilation #14" here, which leads off with Stone Smyth's then-newest song "Lovin' You", as well as the conservative politically themed "Don & Ron For President", a presumed companion to the earlier "Uncle Ted For President". I try and keep the SMS apolitical, so just a heads up that these are partisan in tone and not written ironically. The music on offer is well written and will appeal to classic-leaning hard rock fans, but as I've said before, the processing on Troy's vocals is not ideal. Check out Stone Smyth's 15 original songs, in full or in part, above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, Fyrbird, And Tarnished), Plus The Project 906 Concert Preview!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews on the SMS today, but as it turns out, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS have surfaced for later this year, and as everything on the docket today is from Sault Michigan and area, things were timed well in that regard! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend (and beyond) in the E.U.P.!

Local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, February 3rd & Saturday, February 4th! The only completely brand new hard rock shows announced in the wave of February concerts at either regional Kewadin lounge's entertainment pages (unless the online page-less 2nd Hand Band fit), Tarnished confirmed the dates themselves via promoting the venue's Facebook event page. At least the guys plugged these shows with lots of advance notice, unlike their New Year's Eve gig in Hessel! While not explicitly tied to that event, Tarnished will be playing over the International 500 snowmobile race weekend, so a large crowd is expected at the casino both nights, especially as the Sault Kewadin is hosting many of the I-500's pre- and post-race ceremonies. If you're curious as to the I-500, click here for more details!

It's also worth noting that these will not be Tarnished's first gigs of 2023, as they're actually taking a 5 hour road trip to Grand Rapids tonight to open for "death pop" band Ellie Blackout at Turnstiles. Best of luck to Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh on the road, and hopefully they make lots of fans downstate! As for their Rapids Lounge gigs in two weeks, expect 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start time, but again, expect a busier crowd given the I-500. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's some more new Kewadin Casino lounge concert dates, but not from the venue's own advertising (they have went month by month as of late), as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm have unveiled their E.U.P. shows for the rest of the year via a series of Facebook event pages! All were recently shared on the band's Facebook page, and the event pages are linked below via the dates of the gigs. The most active of Jeff Hudson's three live bands, Scarkazm are certainly no stranger to the Kewadin umbrella, and following their previously announced February 17th-18th shows at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace branch, they have four further concert weekends scheduled north of the Mack. Sault Ste. Marie returns are scheduled for March 17th-18th and then on November 3rd-4th, so Rapids Lounge concertgoers have chances ahead to see Scarkazm's hard hitting covers & originals in 2023!

Meanwhile, Scarkazm will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on April 14th-15th and finally on December 8th-9th, so hopefully that will satiate fans in 2023! For what it's worth, the band has no public dates advertised anywhere over the summer.  All eight of these new Kewadin gigs have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges, all as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss their sister band Peril at The Rapids Lounge tonight & tomorrow night!

Also new in the realm of "touring hard rock bands announcing Kewadin lounge dates before the venue does", Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird will be back at both Kewadin Casino branches themselves in 2023! On November 23rd, frontman Jamie Hider's wife Shannon posted a vast listing of Fyrbird's scheduled dates for this year (primarily in the central U.P.) on their Facebook group, but they currently only have two weekends booked this far east, namely Rapids Lounge gigs in the Soo on April 14th-15th, followed by Northern Pines Lounge shows in St. Ignace on May 5th-6th. Fyrbird will actually be more active at venues in Paradise (in northwestern Chippewa County), Newberry (in Luce County) and Gould City, Curtis, and Naubinway (all in Mackinac County) this year, but all are past our coverage range of one hour's drive from the Soo, if not by a lot.

Keep all of these in mind if you're closer to them or if you're up for a road trip! I try to keep our coverage to a local range as much as possible, especially to avoid encroaching on other markets, but of course, what's local to someone in the Soo isn't necessarily identical to what someone an hour away has available, so I didn't want to ignore those shows/communities completely. The Kewadin shows are the same as above, 21+ with 9:00 PM start times and no cover charges. Fyrbird's minimalist but hard rocking sound should find a solid audience in the spring, so see above for more details!

We'll close today by wrapping up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews in the area, as local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Their first show of the year and their first stop at The Strongs Tavern in two months, this concert will be themed similarly to that November date, which helped celebrate numerous staff/patron birthdays, staff member Heather among them. Tomorrow's concert coincides with Heather's seven year anniversary working at the tavern, so hopefully there's a great turnout for her sake, let alone the band's, given the occasion! You can take in Project 906's fan friendly blend of hard rock and classic rock covers (and select originals) tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fort Creek) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

We're rebounding nicely for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults after last weekend's very quiet slate (only Soundcheck played, and they didn't even plug them in advance online), and with too many shows for one normal length post, I'm breaking them up into two posts. As such, look for our preview of Project 906's show in Eckerman, Michigan in tomorrow's post, perhaps with late notice gigs if anything turns up, but let's start in Sault Ontario today with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will play their first shows of 2023 when they return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the band's Facebook page on Friday. After taking a three week break, these will be Fort Creek's first shows at the former Reggie's West in over two months, having played their first shows at Jay's under the new name/ownership over Remembrance Day weekend. While TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows appear to be standard affairs compared to their higher profile December gigs, the winner of their recent charity bass raffle will recieve their prize on SATURDAY NIGHT, so keep that in mind. You can enjoy Fort Creek's hard rocking covers and select originals both nights at 9:30 PM with no cover charge and 19+ age limits, but no word on a merchandise giveaway. 

It's good to see Fort Creek back in full force to kick off what should be a good year from their camp, and hopefully Jay's is rocking TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, especially if the snow lets up! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Next up, here's shows that had more than a week's notice, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! First announced by the venue earlier this month, these will be Soundcheck's first dates at the Second Line West nightclub since playing there in early November, but there will be a different (if familiar) face on bass, according to the official Facebook event page (at least Soundcheck have one for these shows, unlike last week!). With Paul Belair and frequent fill-in bassist Rob Gilmar both unavailable for unannounced reasons, Soundcheck have enlisted Obsession's Jim Michaud for the weekend, a great choice given the two bands' similar styles and Jim's high familiarity with The Esquire Club (where Obsession will end their active run next month). Hopefully Jim fits in smoothly with Soundcheck across both nights!

Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts have similar ground rules to Fort Creek at Jay's, including 19+ age limits, 9:30 PM start times, and no cover charges. West end fans of classic and hard rock covers have two very solid options for live music this weekend, so keep both bands in mind for your venue occupying needs, visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert last year!

Also this weekend in Sault Ontario, local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT themselves! Their first shows of 2023 following their Outspoken Brewing cancellation earlier this month and their well recieved year-ending set at the My Son The Hurricane concert on New Years Eve, fans will have last seen The Stallyns at the Dennis Street venue back in September. Hopefully tomorrow & Saturday night's festivities prove eventful for Christina, Rob, Jesse, Alex, Derek, and Josh, with a solid crowd and lots of good times both nights! You can enjoy their diverse but often heavy range of covers tomorrow & Saturday at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

We'll close today's previews by heading south to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will play their own first shows of 2023 (not just here, but anywhere) when they return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Peril have long been good to the E.U.P. for concerts at regional Kewadin branches, having just rocked the St. Ignace Kewadin over New Year's weekend, but fans in the Soo have been waiting since August for Jeff, Adam, and Brooks to return. Should be a good time, especially if you're familiar with their hard hitting cover range, so old school hard rock fans won't want to miss Peril if they have the chance! Tomorrow and Saturday's shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Project 906 preview and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!