LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Plus Mikey & His Uke, Mike Haggith, And HeadFirst Updates!!

Before we dive head first into this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews (we have no choice, it's Rotaryfest weekend), let's get one more news post up, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a new cover video, upcoming album updates, and more Rotaryfest band updates, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

Joining the previously announced concert by Bone Yard 225 at this year's Laird Fair on Friday, August 16th, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will also hit the road for this annual event just outside of town one day later on Saturday, August 17th! One week after Bone Yard will take over for Soundcheck at this year's Algoma Tree Services meet & greet, both bands will head outside of Echo Bay to deliver their brands of cover hard rock for fans at the Laird Fair (a.k.a. the North Shore Agricultural Fair), so keep both shows in mind! Of course, visit the fair's Facebook page for complete non-musical details on that weekend's family friendly events. Note that Bone Yard 225 are debuting at Gino's Fired Up Kitchen on August 18th, but I don't know if that is due to or the result of Soundcheck playing in Laird that night. Both bands are playing under the covered stage at the fairground site at Lake George Road East at 9:00 PM.

I don't believe there's a cover charge to just see one of the bands, and there's no age limit for fair attendees. Note that camping is encouraged if you are so inclined, and buses will be provided to get Saultites home safely if needed. Summer concert-goers have some solid options here, with Soundcheck's brand new confirmation rounding out what should be a fun weekend out in Laird, so visit the above links for more details, and look for our preview of Soundcheck's Rotaryfest return soon!

Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will be releasing their debut EP "Head Trauma" a week sooner than originally thought! The release party at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday, July 27th will still be happening, but as "we're so excited" for it, they've decided to sell limited CD quantities of "Head Trauma" at both of their gigs this weekend, including their sets at Rotaryfest Stage 2 at Clergue Park on Saturday and at Sault Pridefest's Loud & Proud family fun day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday! Just 20 copies will be available (they weren't clear if they meant total this weekend or 20 each day), and they will cost $15. The cover artwork for the EP was also released, which has a good concept but the layout isn't as even for the filmstrip proportions as I'd have liked. The wide physical release of "Head Trauma" begins at Shooters next Saturday, as does its release on major streaming services.

While not super transparent in advance about their EP plans (we still don't know the full track listing, and the guys hadn't even confirmed that it'd be on CD until yesterday), it's awesome to see HeadFirst move so fast to have their debut EP ready, so look for copies at both of their downtown festival gigs this weekend! I currently have "Head Trauma" pencilled in for review on the SMS next month, as this month is reserved for new hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages' debut EP "Macabre".

Also, song #11 in local punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's 30th anniversary series of covers of Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie" went live on the project's YouTube channel on Monday! While it took just over a month after song #10 ("When I Come Around") for this one to be uploaded, it wasn't as long as the prior wait, for what it's worth. For the rest of the series, Mikey and crew are tackling late-album deep cuts, as all of the "Dookie" singles already occurred in chronological order, so while this cover of "Coming Clean" may not seem like it'd be of more note than prior covers, don't pre-judge. Here, the guest singer is Gob frontman and Sum 41 guitarist Tom Thacker, who is a huge get for Canadian punk fans! Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon (on ukelele, then guitar) and ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer are back as usual, while Buck-O-Nine bassist Andy Plafoot returns on bass here for his sixth appearance so far.

This cover is very soundly performed for Green Day fans, with a good melodic base that Tom's vocals definitely help amplify! No concept or story within the remotely filmed clips here, but everything is crisply filmed & edited, with Tom singing from the comforts of a bathroom, while Darren broke out another baseball jersey for his video, albeit one that many readers will be A-OK with! We have two songs (three if they tackle the bonus track "All By Myself") left, with "Emenius Sleepius" coming next. Given past timelines, it should arrive between Sunday and August 20th (the current average would be on July 31st). Stay tuned as the series resumes, and check out "Coming Clean" below!

Finally, here's some updates from local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, who recently took part in a 2+ hour YouTube interview, but we'll touch on that in an upcoming post given how busy things are on his and our fronts. Next week, Mike will get a complete do-over as anthem singer and guest at a Barrie Baycats baseball game after the game that he sang "O Canada" at on June 13th was rained out. Yes, the anthem happened last time, and you can watch it at this link, but they called Mike back for another game on July 10th that was also postponed due to rain before it even started, and will now be on July 24th. Hopefully the game and CD giveaway go off without a hitch then, and we'll keep you posted when the live-stream goes up! Mike returns to the local stage for the first time in 2024 when he opens Rotaryfest Stage 1 this Friday, and his local band appears in this new Facebook "Reel" jokingly modeling stage attire!

Now named "The Big Finish Band", everyone (sans Mike) is seen wearing clothing that drummer Brandan Glew (if he isn't the one modelling the outfit) criticizes. Amusing for what it is! Embedded below though is a new video (sadly vertical, but not a "Reel"!) where The Big Finish Band rehearsed for Rotaryfest, but noticed that something was missing, namely Mike himself. Was he missing for normal "lives/works out of town" reasons? Watch on below, but it's another fun clip for fans, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for our Rotaryfest previews on the site in the near future!

That's all for now, but stay tuned as we begin the biggest weekend concert preview run of the year next! Thanks everyone!