LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sylo), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

As promised, we're capping off a busy weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews in today's second post, and while all of these previews are of shows that had advance notice, we are leading off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, and some new videos are dotted within too. Here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local hard rock trio Sylo have reunited after a year+ hiatus, complete with a new Instagram page, and they'll play their first show in a year & a half on Friday, February 23rd at The Distraction! In case you need a refresher, Sylo is the band formerly known as Raincourt, and after guitarist/namesake Raine Rancourt (now of HeadFirst) left in the summer of 2022, they regrouped as a trio, opening for Vanity First at an event in Goulais River and playing a one-off gig at Reggie's. Nothing else publically came of Sylo at the time beyond rebranding their two original songs on streaming services. Singer/guitarist Eli Russell, bassist Owen Dearing, and drummer Jakob Kuiack are all back for their reunion, and you can see how well they shake off the rust in three weeks, at an event being opened by party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, one of two Distraction shows this month with both Eli & Mikhal Muto involved (the other is previewed in a bit).

I can't speak for Sylo yet, but I was impressed by Raincourt's sound & professionalism during their all-too-brief run under that name, so here's hoping that they pick up where they left off in 2022, with some upbeat rap rock from The A.A. as well! As usual for The Distraction, this is an all ages event with a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" structure, and doors open at 5:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and before we move on to this weekend's previews, give Sylo's only Instagram video (of Elijah playing their Raincourt-era original "War Times" unplugged) a look below! Strong take with intense vocals, hopefully this is a good sign for their comeback!

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Next up, and like yesterday, we'll start today's weekend concert previews in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! One week removed from gigs in St. Ignace, the guys will hit the stage on a packed weekend, given that the International 500 snowmobile race takes place on Saturday, and with all of the tourists in town for the occasion, and Kewadin already hosting many of the official pre- and post-race events, a sizeable crowd should be in store for Rhythm & Brews' hard rocking cover slate on both nights! Personal Facebook postings about this weekend's shows heavily suggest that singer Brandon Carr will be absent once again, with guitarist Chris Hubbard, bassist Chris Leask, and Tarnished frontman Alex Traynor filling in again on vocals in his absence. Hopefully all's well with Brandon, and of all the weekends to miss!

Tomorrow and Saturday's concerts have 21+ age limits, no cover charge, and 9:00 PM start times. Despite their continued lack of public videos to preview their shows with, this talented band should entertain assembled fans and I-500 attendees with their familiar hard rock renditions this weekend, so don't miss out, and visit the above links for more details!

Also, we'll look at a show featuring a headlining band from Bay City, Michigan, but the show is in Sault Ontario! On SATURDAY NIGHT, touring punk solo act/"musical therapist" Jackal Blood will make their local concert debut at The Distraction, as part of a unique event featuring five solo musicians/projects. Jackal Blood's hybrid of acoustic/folk punk with backing tracks and honest lyrics will definitely strike a chord with many attendees at the former Big Guns Barbershop on Saturday, so be sure to check them out to see what you think! The four local openers, all solo acts, include emo/folk punk solo project Agnosticism, prolific folk punk/extreme metal singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore, Sylo frontman Eli Russell (who headlined the first ever concert at The Distraction last fall), and Floor Between Us frontman/2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli. Nice array of styles and sounds between these five acts!

This concert has doors opening at 6:00 PM (it's projected to end at 11:00 PM, it is all ages, and admission is again via the venue's "$5 or pay-what-you-can" setup. It's rare nowadays to get this many original acts on one bill, let alone five solo musicians, but hopefully Max, Mikhal, Chase, Eli, and Colin deliver the goods for many tastes on the punk and rock spectrum on Saturday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Jackal Blood live!

Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quartet Half Past will finally return to the public concert stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Over twelve years after they last graced a local stage (The Rockstar Bar in October 2011), fans can witness their comeback, with returning members Jordan Rains, Alain Fletcher, and Arthur Lacasse now joined by Al's old Skeyes of Seven bandmate Johnny Amendola behind the drumkit. So much has changed since we last saw Half Past in concert (R.I.P. Luke & Chris), but their talents are definitely still there, so hopefully they get off on the right foot once again on Saturday! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights, this show has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, we do have some brand new jam session videos from Arthur's YouTube channel to check out!

On New Year's Day, the band was filmed covering 10 Years' "Novacaine" and, as embedded below, Chevelle's "Joyride (Omen)", and while the audio quality is somewhat muffled and cybmal-heavy, these are the best jam videos that we've seen of Half Past since they first announced their reunion in the fall of 2021. 2+ years later, they're finally ready to play live again, and hopefully they've dialed everything in just right! Give Half Past's new videos a watch above & below, and don't miss them on Saturday!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!