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!