Two topic post today (well, 2.5 topics) as we look at a couple of new videos, introduce a new local band to readers, and note a quiet lineup change for an existing group, so here's what you should know!
We have a new local hard rock band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Bullet Train! Quietly launching via their Facebook page last fall, this is the new project from former Sense of Truth singer/guitarist Cory Murchison in his first band (the one-off Short & Sweet aside) since Skeyes of Seven broke up in 2018. His bandmates have surprisingly not been publically named on official band materials, but I can confirm that he's joined here by recent Fort Creek bandmates Robin "Bones" Lee (ex-Thin Ice) and Anthony Fabiano (ex-Gsis Murphy). On February 13th, Bullet Train released their debut single "Atmosphere" to their YouTube channel, featuring AI visuals and on-screen lyrics. The song seems somewhat charged by current events, and is about how one shouldn't give in to fear & panic. Fans of Cory's prior local bands should enjoy the modern hard rock attack here, and there's a bit of an Alice In Chains sound to the vocals!
And yes, I can confirm that Bones & Tony have left Fort Creek, as per an e-mail conversation with Tony earlier today. A reason for their departure has not been publically announced, though a post on Fort Creek's Facebook page in November noted that "a lot has changed" alongside pictures of Justin, Shane, and Bill, which may have been a very quiet hint about their bassist & drummer leaving. We'll let you know when more comes out from Fort Creek, who are still working on their debut album from what I can gather! Meanwhile, Bullet Train reportedly hit the studio on February 18th to record a new song named "Illusions", which has not surfaced yet. Check out more from Bullet Train above & below!
Next up, here's some a new compilation video from classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's concert at The Esquire Club on Saturday, February 17th! As you may recall, this show was sans singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver, who was present for the previous night's show but left for a vacation afterwards. While Soundcheck have ample experience playing without him at Thursday jam nights at Jay's, they decided to call in two ringers to fill in on vocals (well, for songs that Terry wasn't singing on), namely Generations frontwoman Valerie Powley and ex-Re:Born singer Elly McWatters! Remember, Valerie sang with Soundcheck at the Obsession singers' reunion gig at the same venue in June, while Elly won last year's Talent Quest karaoke competition at Shooters that the members of Soundcheck helped judge, so neither are unknown commodities. How did the ladies do with Soundcheck last month?
The "video snippets" were uploaded to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel on February 26th, and all but two feature Valerie & Elly sharing vocal duties on stage together, starting with Soundcheck covering Heart's "Barracuda" with Valerie on lead vocals. The next two clips coming from a different filmer, who was shooting from a further & more angled spot than the first filmer. They filmed covers of Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City" (with just Elly singing and not Valerie), followed by Boston's "More Than A Feeling". Alas, both of those were shot vertically, but based on placement, it does look like that they flipped the camera horizontally for the next clip, which is of Soundcheck and Elly (no Valerie) covering Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart". The next filmer is the same one who shot "Barracuda", this time filming Keith Urban's "Somebody Like You" with Elly on lead vocals.
Notably, the filmer shows off fans dancing on the floor during the bridge, and they look like they were having fun! Next, Soundcheck and the ladies cover The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up", which I find to be incredibly overplayed by local cover bands, but it is what it is (Valerie takes the lead vocally here). The side-stage filmer returns for a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" with Elly singing lead and Valerie on backing vocals. We return to the front-of-stage view for a cover of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" before switching cameras once more to look at everyone covering AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" (Valerie sings lead on both of the last two songs). While I do prefer full song uploads (well, maybe not of "What's Up"), showing highlights lets us look at both Elly and Valerie's lead vocal performances on some songs that Soundcheck don't necessarily play at shows with Cameron!
Glen was candid in the video description that this was a "'wing it' night" where songs were mostly jammed (presumably out of deference to having two female guest singers), so not everything sounds verbatim like the originals, but it's neat seeing everyone rocking out to a receptive audience, and the ladies sound strong as you should expect given their vocal abilities! Check everything out below, and while Soundcheck are off this weekend, look for more shows from them later this month!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for another new post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
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