HeadFirst - "Head Trauma" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 182nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and to cap off the summer season, we're looking at newer local hard rock quintet HeadFirst's debut EP "Head Trauma"! Independently released on July 20th in limited physical copies at their Rotaryfest Stage 2 set (with the wide release coming one week later at Shooters Downstairs Lounge), this EP was produced and mixed by Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios earlier this year. HeadFirst are represented here by singer Red Jettison, guitarist Raine Rancourt (ex-Raincourt) and Liam Dinsmore, bassist Claire Jeffery, and former(?) Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, with he and Liam trading roles on one song. CD copies of "Head Trauma" (all handmade) are on sale at HeadFirst concerts, and streaming copies of the EP are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and even Boomplay.

Download copies on mp3 are on sale through iTunes and Amazon for $3.96, so consider buying it thusly or on CD to support HeadFirst beyond the free streaming locations! Song names below are linked via Spotify. Note also that the band has more original songs than these, as heard in concert, but they're intentionally holding those for future releases. With four tracks running for about 12 minutes, let's kick off this review!

"Head Trauma" begins with "Hot Blooded Woman", which is about falling in love with a seductive woman who doesn't necessarily reciprocate the feelings forever, and seemingly likes to play games with one's emotions. This retro rocker has a bit of a hair metal edge to it, but rawer and with some Bon-era AC/DC inspiration in Red's singing that comes through well enough! Not a ton of frills here (what sounds like clinking keys in the bridge aside), but the song cooks well with strong guitar work (especially Raine's solo) and a good overall groove, but the very abrupt ending comes out of nowhere. Solid opener until then, at least! Next is "Take You (Down)", which is the song where Anthony plays guitar while Liam moves to drums, a switch repeated in their live concerts. A much wordier song about exacting revenge for someone's negative actions, this is much different song tonally that reminds me a bit of Clutch (not a complain, just an observation).

This one actually has a very swingy riff and structure, especially in the verses, but Red's singing is much more serious and direct, with only the chorus having much melody. To me, HeadFirst are suited better with more casual and rollicking songs like the opener, and given how the lyrics can be in more of a repetitive structure, I'd have trimmed them down but stretched out what was left, if that makes sense. Strong solo and a less abrupt ending, but this song doesn't hit the heights of "Hot Blooded Woman" for me. Third on the EP is its shortest song, "Little Darling", which is more along the lyrical lines of the first song, and is very much about an... "intimate encounter", if you catch my drift. This song is a nice showcase for Claire's bass work, and while it's a more steadily paced song that doesn't make busy use of the dual guitarists, this has a much livelier, free-wheeling nature that better suits HeadFirst's range!

Red is allowed to let loose here moreso vocally, and Raine puts in another good solo, so this is an improvement for me, but the backing music and lyrics do have somewhat of a contrast that doesn't always click as you would assume they should. Still a fun track that sees HeadFirst swinging back to form! "Head Trauma" closes with it's only 3+ minute song, namely the pre-release single "Don't Care, Don't Mind". whose lyrics about being attracted to a woman and wanting to go further with her in spite of potential roadblocks and red flags. Despite the hair metal-reminiscent lyrics, this is arguably the most modern sounding song on offer for hard rock fans, and while not as raucuous musically as the odd-numbered songs, it has a fuller sound with a better meld of Raine & Liam's guitar riffing and Red's most controlled singing. Granted, another abrupt ending is not how I would have ended the EP.

That aside, "Don't Care..." is a solid, fully realized song that shows everyone's talents well without overstaying its welcome, and if you want something a little less '80s, this may do the trick! So, what are my final thoughts on "Head Trauma"? Overall, this is a promising debut effort that points to a solid future if they keep at it! Despite most of the band not being known local commodities before forming, they have a good talent base that is definitely in tune with retro 1980s rock music, and with well written lyrics that definitely could have come from hair bands of the era! Red's melodic and often diverse vocals pair well with Raine and Liam's strong guitar work, while Claire and Tony handle the rhythm section steadily, and the backing vocals and the Liam/Tony trade weren't badly done either! Musical issues on my end come from "Take You (Down)" is way too serious compared to other songs, while "Little Darling" doesn't always gel with the lyrics.

Half of the songs end way too abruptly for my liking, and while I fully understand that this was an independent EP and their first release of any kind, the packaging could definitely stand to be more professional for their sophomore disc (kudos for including lyrics though!). HeadFirst are sitting on more originals for their next album, and musically, they're gotten off on the right foot, so it'll be very interesting to hear what they have in store next! Buy or stream "Head Trauma" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! A new album review will very likely hit the site next month, continuing our uninterrupted string of new album reviews dating back to late 2022, and while it will likely be Sykotyk Rampage's new epic "Waerlogas Sagas 1: Konfysion Of Fyck" (scheduled for September 15th), it could be usurped if it's delayed or something else comes out.

We'll let you know regardless what album is reviewed on the SMS in September, but that's all for today, and stay tuned for much more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Double Down, HeadFirst, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

For our last news post of the month, we're looking at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), all via weekend nightclub cover circuit regulars, so here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for concerts TOMORROW NIGHT and on Thursday, September 12th! Apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW's show, Curt only announced it via his Facebook page this afternoon, where he admitted that it was "a bit last minute, but I'll never turn down a gig". In one more kinda-new confirmation, he will be playing at the Rowdy Ranchers Horse Show at the Laird Fairgrounds on Friday, September 13th as well, joining the previously confirmed Saturday the 14th gig there, so whether you're into horses or just want to see his acoustic hard rock covers just outside of town, keep his dual bookings in Laird in mind in two weeks! Back to The Dive, Curt's show TOMORROW at the former Low & Slow will be an outdoor "Patio Play" gig, while his show on the 12th will be a part of the restaurant's "Think It Over Thursday" series, which is traditionally held indoors.

All three new shows are free, with The Dive shows being at 9:00 PM and 19+. The Rowdy Ranchers Weekend is definitely open to all ages, and while an 8:00 AM start time is listed, I don't know when exactly Curtis plays (pop rock cover quartet Lime are the Saturday evening headliners). The Weather Channel's current hourly forecast is calling for 20° temperatures and increasingly cloudy skies TOMORROW NIGHT, and there is a strong possibility of rain after midnight that could obviously abbreviate Curt's show, if not move it indoors. If you are at all concerned about the forecast, follow Curt or The Dive for updates. Visit the above links for more on Curt's September slate, and here he is live!

Next up, here's what was originally planned to lead off today's post before Curt's shows were announced, as The Esquire Club has announced their fall concert schedule through to the end of the year! After the Second Line West nightclub's two months summer break from the weekend cover band grind, they resume hosting live musicians next weekend, and surprisingly, only six different bands are in the rotation across these seventeen weeks. As per the official schedule shared on their Facebook page on Tuesday, they will welcome classic/hard rock cover quartets Silent 9 and Double Down there next month, but both bands already announced those dates on their social media and were thusly already announced here. Silent 9's website has all of their 2024 Esquire Club dates beyond listed too! The first new-to-us shows here from hard rock-leaning bands are courtesy of fellow classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, so when can you see them?

Soundcheck (still no space) return to Second Line West for the first time since late June when they take the stage on Friday, October 25th & Saturday, October 26th, with returns slated for November 22nd-23rd and then on December 20th-21st! No word yet on if The Esquire Club will hold their Halloween party early with Soundcheck or if they'll wait a day to do so with Silent 9 for a second straight year, but we'll keep you posted! Also note that Soundcheck's December shows are the last before Christmas, so there could be holiday themes there too. All six of Soundcheck's shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:30 PM start times, and good rocking covers will be present at all three!

While classic/hard rock veterans Double Down had announced their September dates at The Esquire Club (playing there on the 13th-14th and on the 27th-28th), their calendar doesn't go further than mid-October, leaving out two upcoming concert weekends there. Fans can see the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric back on Second Line West when they take the stage on November 8th-9th and December 6th-7th, so if you want to see this union of Griphook, Bone Yard, and Mojo alumni, you have four upcoming west end weekends to take note of! No major frills or holiday weekend tie-ins to note here, but Double Down's hard rocking blend of covers should attract positive notices once again, so keep their shows later this month in mind along with their already-known dates this month! Again, these are 19+ events with no cover charges and 9:30 PM start times

Finally, the other new dates from an established hard rock-leaning band come courtesy of rising young hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will return to The Esquire Club for one weekend only on the current schedule, that being on Friday, December 13th & Saturday, December 14th! The guys debuted here as late notice replacements for Mustang Heart (get well soon, Lorenzo!) in June, and while it is mildly surprising that HeadFirst (also no space) are only booked for the two gigs in this slate, they should inject things with a positive energy and lots of solid originals and covers! Note that new local classic rock band Headrush (who debuted at Toystock last year) are playing The Esquire Club for three weekends in the fall schedule. I plan to talk about them in an upcoming post, but despite both being bands with classic rock covers and having names starting with "Head" (which is bound to get confusing for some), they are very different.

Hopefully venues keep that straight if HeadFirst and Headrush are booked in close timeframes! Again, these are 19+ events with 9:30 PM start times and no cover charges. Sounds like a quality (if smaller than normal) lineup of upcoming bands at The Esquire Club, so definitely visit the above links for more on these bands, Bourbon Blue, and Mid Life Crysis' upcoming shows there! That's all for today, but stay tuned for our review of HeadFirst's debut EP on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Labour Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

We have just one weekend left of the true summer season (equinoxes aside) before fall schedules begin and school re-opens, and in a weekend concert preview sense, we're going out quietly after last weekend's packed schedule required five posts to preview all scheduled hard rock and punk concerts in the area! Barring late notice confirmations that could still come, we only need one post this weekend, and there's no festivals or special charity events to take note of on this Labour Day long weekend. Here's what you should know in rough chronological order, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS alongside two of them!

Joining his previously listed Mike Case Memorial Stage gig outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and his matinee on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will conclude(?) his summer arrangements at both venues with concerts next month! Tym has since clarified that his run of outdoor shows at the Mike Case Stage will only run for two final Fridays in September (the 6th and 13th) before the seasonal stage beside the Big Moose Ice Cream Parlour closes for 2024, so despite initially listing shows after then, do not expect him there beyond Friday the 13th! However, the former Nostalgic Band frontman will be back at Misty's on Second Line West for every Saturday in September (the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th). Being indoors, there's no seasonality to worry about there, but Tym has not listed October dates there or hinted at an extended run, so we'll keep you posted if he does return there beyond next month!

Before those six dates, Tym will rock both venues with his classic and hard rock covers tomorrow & Saturday, so keep both in mind for your long weekend entertainment! None of the referenced shows have a cover charge, with Trading Post gigs being at 7:00 PM with no age limit, and Misty's Fifties matinees being at 4:00 PM and 19+. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with 19° temperatures tomorrow evening, and the forecasted thunderstorms should dry up before 7:00. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live last year!

Next up, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub for the first of two hard rock-leaning cover bands to play there this weekend (the venue never hosts the same band on consecutive nights), as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop there TOMORROW NIGHT for another "uncorked" concert! Fresh off of this year's Dragonfly Run on Sunday, tomorrow's one-nighter will see Bone Yard go acoustic for the first time since they last rocked the Great Northern Road nightclub last month, and will be their first of two straight unplugg.... sorry, "uncorked" gigs, preceding a Gateway Casino stop next week. Hopefully this proves to be another entertaining night of stripped down covers from Greg, Alex, and Warren, so keep their return in mind! This show is a 19+ affair with no cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time. It is worth noting that Bone Yard 225 have already confirmed that they'll back for Dragonfly Run III at The Grand Gardens next year as well!

We're way too soon to be listing 2025 concerts on the SMS, but this has been confirmed to return to The Grand Gardens on August 25th on the band's social media and on this YouTube highlight video of bikers leaving for the ARCH benefit rally on Sunday (as best as I can tell, the backing audio is not played by Bone Yard). The Dragonfly Run is a great event for a great cause, so fingers crossed that all goes smoothly for next year! For now, see above for more on their acoustic Water Tower Pub show tomorrow, and for a preview, here's your local 225 live!

As for the band playing at The Water Tower Pub on SATURDAY NIGHT, that would be local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck! Not counting 3/4ths of their lineup's guest turn with The Hoovers at the ARCH Run this past weekend, this will be Soundcheck's first concert since rocking Echo Bay last Friday, and their first show at The Water Tower Pub in two months. Unlike Bone Yard 225, Soundcheck's shows at the Great Northern Road venue are fully electric, so if that is your preference, head down to see the guys' entertaining blend of genres and covers at this familiar central locale on Saturday! Yes, we will have more on their upcoming Esquire Club gigs in a post on the site soon. Like with Bone Yard, the Soundcheck show on Saturday has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on this one-nighter, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head downtown to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst are slated to return for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! While the band hasn't freshly plugged this show on social media in the last two months, it is listed on their summer season concert calendar from June, and will be their first show at the Dennis Street nightclub since dropping out of their planned August 17th show there. Assuming that their lack of promotion for Saturday's gig isn't a bad sign, hopefully their hard rocking originals and covers find a solid audience once again at Shooters this weekend! Also, just as minor clarification, the YouTube "Shorts" video of drummer Anthony Boudreau dancing at the ARCH Run in his work clothes was indeed to Bourbon Blue's cover of Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance". They just dubbed in the original song to give it a wider reach.

Thanks to frontman Red Jettison for mentioning that to me, and even letting me see the raw video in Facebook Messenger! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights this year, Saturday's HeadFirst concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover, and a likely 9:30 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst live (and yes, our review of "Head Trauma" will hit the site on Saturday!)

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore/Del Boy Druid Concert Preview, New Videos, And ARCH Run Clarifications!!

Before we begin today's post, just a heads up that Tym Morrison's previously advertised concert at Gino's Fired Up Kitchen & Bar has apparently been cancelled, as per the deletion of its Facebook event page and earlier reporting by Bone Yard 225 bassist Warren Reville that acoustic patio concerts there in general had stopped. Disappointing, but we'll have more from Tym soon, and we still have a Wednesday concert preview leading things off, as well as new videos and recent updates, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

We'll start with a special mid-week concert preview, as local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase James Wigmore will rock Soo Blaster TONIGHT when he opens for Winnipeg "hobo rock" singer/guitarist Del Boy Druid! Last seen earlier this month at Soo Blaster opening for Sylo, tonight's show promises to lean well into Chase's folk punk side more than anything, so while we may not get harsh vocals and such, his intense and passionate original music should be at the forefront as he helps kick off the proceedings! Del Boy Druid will bring his own distinct and original brand of folk rock to the local stage for the first time tonight, and he should turn some heads among folk and indie music fans, so definitely check him out on Bandcamp to see what he brings to the table! Outsider/anti-folk solo musician Shae Tull will kick things off tonight with another opening set that should leave a strong impression also at Soo Blaster once again!

Another presentation by promoter Mikhal Muto (kinda surprised that Agnosticism aren't playing this one), tonight's concert is a 19+ affair at 10:00 PM with admission costing $10 in advance at this link or $15 at the door. If you like anti-folk, outsider folk, and folk punk, you won't want to miss this concert despite its scheduling on a work/school night, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Chase live!

Next up, the twelfth song in Mikey & His Uke's series of 30th anniversary covers of songs from Green Day's 1994 album "Dookie" went live on their YouTube channel on Monday! Unfortunately, this was our longest wait yet for a new remotely filmed all-star cover in this series, coming six weeks after "Coming Clean" dropped. As Mikey's tribute to "Dookie" continues the deep cuts-only home stretch, song #12 is "Emenius Sleepius", and if you're a fan of Bowling For Soup, you'll be very interested, as singer Jaret Reddick and bassist Rob Felicetti are on hand for this cover! Fans may recall Jaret covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" with Mikey and crew last year, while Rob's involvement makes this the first "Dookie" cover in this series to not feature Andy Plafoot or Randy Bradbury on bass. Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon plays guitar and (initially) ukelele once again.

Ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer continues his run as the series' house drummer here, and he has another hockey jersey for the occasion! No major frills here for production or video settings, but everyone delivers an enthusiastic performance of this Green Day hidden gem, and it is neat to see half of Bowling For Soup involved in this one! We have just two songs left (three if the bonus track "All By Myself" is tackled separately), so look for "In The End" next! Given past timeframes, it should drop between Sunday and October 7th (the current average would be September 14th). Check out "Emenius Sleepius" for yourselves below!

Also today, here's some updates from local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who have been announced as the local openers for the Blood Opera-headlined Steel City NerdCon afterparty at The Queen Of Hearts Club above Shooters on October 19th! They will be taking over for The Apocalypse Afterparty in this role for Blood Opera's local return, and hopefully their skilled originals and covers prove to be a fitting appetizer for the violent horror-influenced stage show to follow later this fall! In terms of new videos, HeadFirst posted a "Shorts" video to their YouTube channel earlier this week of drummer Anthony Boudreau dancing to Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance" outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub during the ARCH Run while in work clothes! Yes, HeadFirst were the headliners outside that day, but he is seen here dancing during Bourbon Blue's set (I don't think they were playing "The Safety Dance" though.)

Fun video for what it is, and we'll have more from the ARCH Run in a second! For now, we actually have proper new live videos of them at their late notice Hilton Beach gig on August 17th from their Facebook page, where you can see HeadFirst covering Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising", and as embedded below, either a very obscure cover or an unreleased original song, as I couldn't match the lyrics to anything. Both of these videos are vertical and were shot in "selfie mode" by singer Red Jettison, capturing a lively crowd dancing along at this community hall kitchen fundraiser, and while neither video is very long, the band sounds good on both! Check these out above & below!

Finally for today, here's four brief clarifications from the band lineup at the ARCH Run outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Saturday! Partial credit goes to Audrey Marshall for these notes, as photos shared from her personal Facebook page helped confirm some missing or incorrect details from our coverage last week. These are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Bourbon Blue drummer Alvaro Scheid was in attendance for the motorcycle rally/concert, and actually played guitar in their debuting Pink Floyd tribute sister band Dark Side Of The Soo (Jules Cote drummed). Alvaro did drum with the pop rock cover band for their matinee outdoor set (which was also short-handed alongside just Jules and Nicole), but he did indeed miss Bourbon Blue's indoor nighttime show at Jay's, with Double Down's Ric Datson filling in instead. Hopefully both bands' sets were a success! 
• Though personal Facebook postings indicated that new local acoustic rock project Dodge This was a duo, guitarist Jamie July is not pictured in Audrey's photos from the ARCH Run, with just singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer performing. I haven't heard why Jamie missed the event, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, and fans of Jason's recent shows at The Dive will have taken to his covers on Saturday!
• New local classic rock band The Hoovers welcomed Soundcheck's Terry Eaton, Jim Michaud, and Glen Thomas (no Cameron) to back up singer/guitarist Dwayne (not sure of his last name). According to Glen's personal Facebook page, they knew Dwayne via performing with them when they were jam night hosts at Jay's. Time will tell how The Hoovers will progress as a live concern, but Dwayne found a very capable backing band for the set!
• "The Preacher" has nothing to do with Lindsay Pugh or his song of that name. Rather, that is a handle being used for former Crossed/Deter guitarist Josh McNally's current blues solo material, which has recently been garnering attention at some more intimate indoor venues. In fact, he makes his Jay's debut as a solo musician on Friday! It is good to see Josh back performing locally, even if he's playing very different material nowadays than old Oddfellows Hall regulars will be used to!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: DogRun Stray

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again shine a spotlight on a (as usual) randomly selected YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians/concerts! This monthly feature takes us to a prolific and familiar face in the local metal and punk community, albeit not his most recent YouTube presence, so here's what you should know for this month!

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DogRun Stray (http://youtube.com/@dogrunstray1905)

Owner: Local folk punk/extreme metal singer/guitarist Chase James Wigmore, also known from projects like The Strange Coyotes, This Is Your Band On Drugs, Them, Project Legion, The Autumn Roots, The Black Lodge Masters, The Coyote Speedfreaks, Manitou, and Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 26th, 2012; Videos uploaded from August 2013 through July 2022

Channel Summary: Chase's official YouTube channel for most of his musical projects for the better part of a decade, almost four dozen videos are uploaded here, including studio tracks, live (mostly at-home) performances, full albums, and lots of material linked to his Black Lodge Masters project in particular. A few videos lean more to comedy as well, including his first upload, where he added a smooth jazz soundtrack to old CBC footage of Pierre Trudeau.

Why You Should Watch: This is a must watch channel for fans of Chase's prolific and very skilled solo output, and there's loads to see and hear here from his folk punk, metal, and experimental sides from the mid-2010s onward! However, he largely moved over to a new eponymous channel launched in January 2021 for his more recent videos, though the two channels did co-exist with new uploads for a year and a half. Also, note that Chase does upload unique video content to his Facebook page that was never featured on either YouTube channel

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

The Sapphoerotic Asphyxiations of Shannon and Linda: The only video here of Chase at a formal local concert comes from Heavy North Entertainment's inaugural event, which took place on January 24th, 2014 at the former Oddfellows Hall. This all-local show featured nine acts, including Chase solo and the final gig by his old hard rock trio The Strange Coyotes of their original run. Joined here by bassist James Watterworth (ex-Blackwater) on saxophone and then-Din frontman Mike Haggith on drums, The Coyotes are seen here playing their long experimental original "The Sapphoerotic Asphyxiations Of Shannon & Linda" with Chase playing violin, and you have to take their word on it given how dark this video is. This is definitely more for fans of discordant noise rock, especially thanks to the largely spoken word vocals, but it shows how creative this band was in their heyday! A free upload of The Strange Coyotes' first album can also be heard here.

Running Out Of Beer - Chase James Wigmore: The most popular video on Chase's "DogRun Stay" channel is his non-album original song "Running Out Of Beer" from March 2018. A lo-fi folksy number with a bit of a country sound, the song is obviously about what the title suggests, but Chase elaborates as to what happens as the beer currently being drank is depleting, specifically what happens if you happen to have picked up a girl that same night, and desperately want to stay drunk as problems escalate. I do prefer Chase's heavier and more produced material, but fans of his more reserved folk side will take this this original, which does stand out among the pack on this channel!

She Crawls Towards It - CxJxWx (from Seven Curses 2018): Of the multiple solo performance videos of Chase on this YouTube channel, one of my favourites in a metal context is this December 2018 video of him playing "She Crawls Towards It" from his YouTube-exclusive album "Seven Curses", with the original studio track playing in the background. Despite grainy webcam visuals, fans of black metal will absolutely take to this intense and brutal at-home performance, with Chase vamping for the camera as needed while playing along with one of his heavier songs from one of his heavier albums, even if it stalled as a free YouTube upload! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will keep on a single channel trend when our next randomly selected channel is that of YouTube user LionelRocks, featuring 16 videos of late 2000s-early 2010s glam metal quartet Dirty Virgin! Watch for that on or around September 26th, and for more news on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225, Generations, And Double Down!!)

After a day off following our weekend concert preview marathon, we're back with an all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS post concerning bands on the weekend cover circuit at local nightclubs, as things are ramping up in that regard with the summer coming to an end! Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down announced their initial fall 2024 dates via this concert poster on their Facebook page on August 16th! The first listed gig is one this weekend that I'm not going to cover here unless I hear public advertising to the contrary, as it is is taking place at the Ojibway Park campground in Garden River, who have not advertised this as a public concert. I am erring on the side of caution given that similar past events featuring local bands have been private, but I'll let you know if I am wrong! Double Down's first public concerts of the fall season will see them rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, September 6th & Saturday, September 7th in their first shows here with new guitarist Beej Syrette, while they'll also return to The Esquire Club for two out of three remaining weekends there next month, as the Second Line West nightclub will soon be resuming its live band schedule!

We have yet to receive online confirmation of this from The Esquire Club, but Double Down say they'll be back there on September 13th-14th and 27th-28th. Lastly for now, fans can see the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric at The Water Tower Pub for a one-nighter (as is custom there) on Saturday, October 12th, so if you'd prefer something not in the west end, keep that show in mind! All of these have 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges, and start times will be at 9:30 PM for all except at The Water Tower Pub (8:00 PM). Double Down's hard rocking classic covers should get a good reception at these upcoming dates, so see above for more details!

Next up, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced their own new concert schedule through October via their website's concert calendar on Wednesday! While this batch of shows surprisingly didn't include their Cruisin' The Dub bike show gig this past Thursday, they have a busy fall ahead, so where can you see Greg, Alex, and Warren next? Their first new date will see them return to Gateway Casino for the first time in three months for another "uncorked" show on Saturday, September 7th, so if you've missed their acoustic gigs, this is your only one from Bone Yard for the next month! The guys will plug things back in for standard Saturday-only concerts at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on September 14th and October 5th, a venue that they haven't played all summer, so keep their return to Dennis Street this fall in mind also! Elsewhere downtown, they'll rock Reggie's Place for full weekends on September 20th-21st and October 25th-26th.

While we have seen your local 225 rock Reggie's this summer, it'll still be good for fans to see them back at a popular local staple, so don't bypass these four upcoming dates! No word yet on if the October 26th show would have Halloween themes or not, but remember that some venues may opt to host their Halloween parties on Friday, November 1st due to proximity with Halloween being on a Thursday this year. The last new local venue in this batch of shows is the aforementioned Water Tower Pub, where Bone Yard will go "uncorked" once again for another acoustic show on Friday, October 4th (thusly filling that weekend given that Shooters also doesn't normally book the same band on consecutive nights). This acoustic show should go over well, but of course, you can see them on Great Northern Road this Friday first! The guys will also take a road trip back to Sudbury on October 18th-19th.

Bone Yard 225 have went out east to Sudbury to rock The Coulson Entertainment Centre on multiple occasions in the 2020s, and here's hoping October's trip is another success! The new local dates all have 9:00/9:30 PM start times except at The Water Tower Pub (8:00 PM), none have an announced cover charge, and all are 19+ events. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard's busy fall schedule, and don't miss their southern hard rock action (if "uncorked") at The Water Tower Pub on Friday night!

Finally for today's all-new concerts post, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the aforementioned Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts on Friday, September 13th & Saturday, September 14th! Drummer Tony Santoro announced these shows on the band's Facebook group yesterday, and they will mark Generations' first shows at Jay's since the first weekend of August, not counting his & Pierre's fill-in gigs with Tex Riviera & The Ride. Joining their normal dates that weekend, Generations will also host the jam night at the former Roosevelt Hotel that Thursday the 12th as well, as part of the continuing rotation of jam night host bands since Soundcheck stepped down this summer (if Double Down are hosting on Thursday the 5th, they hadn't said). Hopefully Generations' "triple header" at Jay's is another big hit for their classic covers and established talents next month, so don't miss out then!

Remember, we do not cover jam nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their in-built unpredictability, as sounds can vary from what the host band plays in their own gigs, and they might step aside outright depending on who wants to perform. Next month's shows at Jay's have 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details on Generations' next shows at Jay's, and stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Dragonfly Run, Wax Mannequin, And The Fixer Concert Previews!!

(Updated on Sunday at 12:38 AM) Let's finally wrap up this weekend's concert previews after five posts on this very busy penultimate weekend of the summer months! Just as a reminder following yesterday's ARCH Run preview, I will not be taking sides or elaborating on the schism between the Dragonfly Run and Jay's Piston Broke Pub (leading to the launch of today's ARCH Run), but if you want to read the Dragonfly Run's side of the issues, click here. Regardless of what happened between both sides, both are benefits for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice and any support that we can give ARCH is more than welcomed, no matter how you do it!

Now, TOMORROW'S motorcycle rally/concert is the annual Dragonfly Run (rebranded from the Ride For ARCH last year), which has moved from Jay's to The Grand Gardens on Great Northern Road, which is also the homebase of Toystock (both events share common organizers). This event will feature a motorcycle rally starting and ending at The Grand Gardens from 1:00 PM onwards, while there will be family friendly activities, vendors, a silent auction, and games inside and outside throughout the day, plus a pasta buffet, so be sure to visit The Dragonfly Run Facebook page for complete non-musical details! In terms of bands playing tomorrow, all will be inside The Grand Gardens a'la Toystock, and while there will only be three bands, all have 90 minute sets so you'll get to see more of them than you otherwise might at a community festival! Veteran classic rock quartet Mid Life Crysis have been bumped up as headliners at 7:30 PM.

As such, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 now have the middle set at 5:00 PM. In their second charity motorcycle-related concert in a four day span (following the Cruisin' The Dub bike show on Thursday), Bone Yard should be in good spirits to cap off a busy stretch in terms of getting the new look Dragonfly Run put together, and hopefully they rock the house as only they can! Alt-rock band The Haze (who played one of their first sets at last year's Dragonfly Run under their old name Skinbox) will kick off the day's musical program at 2:00 PM. Entry is by donation to this ALL AGES event, unless pledging to take part in the motorcycle rally, and things run in person at The Grand Gardens from around 1:00-9:00 PM aside from the rally registration beginning at 11:00 AM. The bands will be indoors, but for the sake of the outdoor activities, the forecast has 24-27° temperatures with sunny-mostly sunny weather and no chance of precipitation.

It sure looks like Greg, Alex, Warren, and crew have got a great event in store for the community, be you a rider, music fan, or just want to enjoy some family entertainment, and ARCH is extremely deserving of any help that you can give it, so consider biking down to The Grand Gardens for the second Dragonfly Run tomorrow! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Next up, there's more SMS-amenable concert action taking place TOMORROW NIGHT at two downtown venues, and we'll start at Soo Blaster, where two female-fronted metal bands from out west will make their local concert debuts! Thunder Bay gothic metal quartet The Fixer are the headliners here, and with their dark but melodic brand of original material getting some decent buzz so far in the 2020s, they should leave a strong impression on local fans tomorrow! Joining them on tour and in the Soo tomorrow is Winnipeg metal quartet Indigo, whose sound is a touch heavier with some harsher screaming thrown into the mix, so don't bypass them at Soo Blaster either! Your local support here are death/thrash metal trio Pillory in their Soo Blaster debut, their first show in Sault Ste. Marie proper since 2019, and just their second show of 2024 following their long awaited reunion. Not everyone was able to travel to Leeburn last month, so hopefully Pillory get many heads banging as they continue their reintroduction to local fans tomorrow night!

Another concert brought to us by promoter Mikhal Muto (fresh off his Southern Ontario road trip with Hails), this stop on The Fixer's Love & Misfortune tour is ALL AGES with an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Metalheads will definitely be curious to check out this concert, even on a work/school night, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Fixer live!

Finally as we wrap up one of the busiest non-Rotaryfest concert weekends I've ever previewed, we'll head to The Whisky Barrel, where Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo act Wax Mannequin will play the Soo for the second time in under three weeks TOMORROW NIGHT! While definitely not a regular occurrence, the conceit of a touring band playing here twice in both directions on a tour is not unheard of, and this is an example of that, with Chris Adeney bringing his creative hybrid of indie rock subgenres with some punk and metal sounds back to a local stage eighteen days after returning here for a public show at "Adrian's house". Despite this show being at a formal venue, it is a smaller deal, with just Wax Mannequin playing, but it is FREE (though tips are welcome!). It is a 19+ affair and it also starts at 8:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Wax Mannequin live in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this month!

Uploaded by promoters Piecing It Together Shows to the event page (nice to see a public embeddable video as opposed to a "Story"), this minute-long, square-dimensioned video from the outdoor show at "Adrian's house" features Wax Mannequin playing their original song "Sick Boy", which has quite evocative lyrics as Chris plays along to a backing track. The audio quality is great, and it's a shame that more videos from the show weren't uploaded (not counting vanishing "Stories"), but if you liked what you saw on August 7th, or want to see what the fuss is about, head to The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street tomorrow night as Chris makes his way back home!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for formal news and notes to resume on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

The ARCH Run Concert Preview!!

For post #4 of this very busy slate of weekend concert previews, we're looking at the first of this weekend's two motorcycle rallies in support of the Algoma Regional Community Hospice! Now, I want to preface our previews by noting that I am not going into details about or taking sides re: the Dragonfly Run's split with Jay's Piston Broke Pub, or Jay's decision to host the ARCH Run the day prior. At least in a public sense, I only know the Dragonfly Run organizers' side of the break, and you can read their statement at this link. Regardless of what happened, both rallies are donating their proceeds to ARCH, which is a very worthy cause to support no matter how you do it, and I hope both rallies meet expectations!

Now, here's our extended profile of TOMORROW's first annual ARCH Run, which replaces the Dragonfly Run at Jay's Piston Broke Pub (also this run's hosts). The centerpiece of this event is (of course) a motorcycle rally through town in support of the hospice, and while riders have been pledging money in support of ARCH, you can also contribute by attending the street party outside of Jay's featuring a busy lineup of local musicians, vendors, a silent auction, prize draws, and more! Visit Jay's Facebook page and the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details. While we knew fragments of the live music lineup prior, organizers only announced the full band schedule on Wednesday, and there will be some hard rock to take in! The closing band outside of Jay's at 8:00 PM tomorrow is local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, moved up from their originally announced 5:00 PM set, and they should end the street party with a bang tomorrow evening!

Co-headlining outside tomorrow at 7:00 PM are Dodge This, the new local acoustic rock duo featuring former Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer and former Havadder/Band Camp Rejects guitarist Jamie July. You may recall seeing the two playing at The Dive Gastro Pub in recent weeks, preceded by Jason's own solo dates there, and it will be interesting to see how their set goes over! The 6:00 PM set belongs to a mystery act named "The Preacher", who I know nothing concrete about, but I do know that veteran local musician Lindsay Pugh has a song of that name on his most recent solo album. Whether that's relevant or not, I don't know, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Pop rock cover quartet Bourbon Blue (whose members played at the Dragonfly Run last year as "Nicky & The Southpaws") will take the outdoor stage at 5:00 PM before they head inside Jay's as their regular nighttime performers.

Note that Double Down drummer Ric Datson will be filling in with Bourbon Blue this weekend due to Alvaro Scheid's inavailability, and he'll be very fitting as a guest! Rising young metal trio The BAG will rock the street party at 4:00 PM to give things a bit of a heavier kick, while the 3:00 PM set belongs to Dark Side Of The Soo, a local Pink Floyd tribute band largely comprised of Bourbon Blue members. I'm unfamiliar with them as a public concern, but if you recall Jules & Nicole's prior tribute band The Soo Fighters, you know that they can handle tribute sets easily! Country rock veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride hit the stage at 2:00 PM, while your opening band at 1:00 PM is The Hoovers, who are new to me, but according to classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's Facebook page, their set will see three members (likely absent Terry or Cameron) backing up a friend named Dwayne on vocals & guitar for this afternoon-opening set.

I'm not even familiar with which musician named Dwayne that the band referenced, but be there at 1:00 PM to learn what you can about The Hoovers! Soundcheck's support for this set came together on late notice, for the record. The street party proper begins at 11:00 AM, and it is FREE & ALL AGES, though of course, consider donating to ARCH however you can while on Korah Road tomorrow, and the rally through the city starts and ends at Jay's. Weather-wise, we are looking at mostly cloudy skies with temperatures ranging from 21-24° throughout the day, but note that 9&10 News is calling for a 30% chance of rain from about 2:00 PM onwards, with a chance of thunder until around 4:00 PM. If you are at all concerned about the weather impairing any of the events outside of Jay's, then keep tabs on their social media for any extra details. It sounds like the ARCH Run has a lot planned for a great cause, so don't miss out on all of the action!

We'll preview Sunday's Dragonfly Run next, but visit the above links for complete public details about tomorrow's ARCH Run, and I hope that loads of cash are raised for the hospice, who are always deserving of support from the community! For a preview, here's HeadFirst live last month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Dragonfly Run and Wax Mannequin previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Northern Vibe Festival)!!

The ninth (and final?) Northern Vibe Festival goes down this weekend, and as has been the case annually post-pandemic, the full band schedule was not made available before the week of the festivities, so here are some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS re: this year's Forest Stage lineups! Apologies for the short notice, I wish organizers would publicize the schedule much earlier than they do, even if the idea is for attendees to come and camp out for the whole weekend. As of this writing, the band-centric Forest Stage lineup has not been posted publically, but kudos to Mike Haggith for sending me a tentative schedule that he had received in conversations with organizers, so we know who is playing and when! If there are late variances, I'll edit this post to address them if they come up prior. Of course, Northern Vibe returns to the former Hempfest site on Poplardale Road in Ophir (just outside of Bruce Mines) this weekend.

Along with the camping in the forest just outside of town, attendees can expect vendors, food trucks, outdoor activities, and loads of DJs on the Roost River Stage on site. There will even be (paid) wifi this year! Be sure to visit the official website and the Northern Vibe Facebook page for complete non-musical details, and a complete schedule for the River Stage is on the latter if you want party with the EDM musicians playing there. Like in the past three years, Spades GT frontman and former local concert promoter J.D. Pearce will come back home to curate this year's Forest Stage, and bands will again play TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY, with Sunday being a camping/closedown day with no live bands. The band lineup begins TOMORROW NIGHT, and will be headlined at 10:00 PM by new local folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels. They also closed Rotaryfest Stage 2 last month, so they're getting huge endorsements already!

The rest of TOMORROW's lineup is hard rock/punk-themed, including local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his backing Big Finish Band co-headlining at 9:00 PM in their return to Ophir. Mike & crew are fresh off of a successful Rotaryfest set last month themselves, and Mike's got a much better knee than he played through at Northern Vibe last year! Alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will play Northern Vibe for their fourth straight year when they hit the stage at 8:00 PM, while Cornwall hard rock trio Don't Tell Sarah will open TOMORROW'S proceedings at 7:00 PM in their local debut. Don't Tell Sarah should leave a big impression with their up-tempo and hard hitting originals, so don't miss them! Admission details for the weekend will be at post's end, but we are looking at cloudy 18-21° weather in Ophir according to 9&10 News, with a slight chance of rain early in the band program.

Hopefully the weather holds off TOMORROW, especially as there's more of a chance of rain on SATURDAY, but Northern Vibe goes on rain or shine (the Forest Stage has a roof), so bring any protective gear you need in the event that the sky starts crying! Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S band lineup, and for a preview, here's Mike Haggith and his band's complete multi-camera set in Ophir last year!

As for SATURDAY's Forest Stage band lineup, the longer six band program will be headlined by Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s in their ninth local concert since 2013 and their second straight year as the closing band outright, and they are slotted for 9:45 PM. Fans of horn-infused ska punk and Ramones covers should be well used to K-Man and crew from their Soo dates, and hopefully their Ophir encore is well received on SATURDAY! Alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (featuring Golden Scoundrels bandmates Brandon Ruch & Johnny Belanger) will play Northern Vibe for a fourth straight year at 8:00 PM, while Sudbury psychedelic hard rock trio The Dirty Mystics slot in at 7:00 PM for their first ever concert appearance (somehow we got a truly non-local band's live debut!). Local funk/hard rock cover quintet The Wyld Stallyns (the Friday headliners last year) are blocked at 6:00 PM on SATURDAY in what would be their fourth year too.

Now, The Stallyns have not been up to much publically this summer, with singer/guitarist Rob Speers picking up the slack with unplugged solo gigs. The band and/or Rob (who doesn't have a public social media page devoted to his solo project) have not publically acknowledged Northern Vibe on social media in recent weeks, so I don't know what format their scheduled set will take, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Local folk/country solo artist Brian Tremblay (a late addition like The Dirty Mystics) will play Northern Vibe for the first/only time at 5:00 PM, and the day's program begins at 4:00 PM with a set by local rap collective Fvksxvad. They'll be a good bridge for fans coming over from the River Stage, so don't miss these familiar MCs! Weather-wise, the current forecast has 20-24° temperatures, and while there are currently showers projected for the first couple of bands, clouds are expected to go away as night draws near.

With this being the official lineup, we can confirm that Cornwall speed metal band Hellrager, Spades GT bassist James Roy Daley, and North Bay electronic rock band Medussah have all dropped out of the festival. Reasons for the three touring acts' withdrawals were not announced, but none have been credited in Facebook promotional materials since July 4th, and none have gotten the individual images there to plug their sets. Hopefully all is well with the three groups, especially after Hellrager and James' past local appearances! Also, note that local magician Ryan McFarling (who had a formal Forest Stage set last year) will be back in Ophir as an on-site special guest, but does not have a scheduled set on either stage, so keep an eye out for him! Online ticket sales for Northern Vibe have closed, but if you haven't already bought passes, they are on sale at the gate. Admission on site cost around $150 (full weekend) & $85 (Saturday only) last year.

Note that organizers haven't clearly specified if that price held steady for 2024 or not. Click here for all of the ground rules and directions you could ask for! While not hinted at in recent social media postings, organizers said on Facebook last month that this "will (likely) be the last" festival due to concerns about not being able to make Northern Vibe better each year, and thusly being "time to take a break and re-evaluate". Whether this is the last installment or not, come out to Poplardale Road TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT to enjoy all of the action! Visit the above links for full public details, and for a preview of SATURDAY's bill, here's K-Man & The 45s live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our previews of this weekend's two ARCH benefit motorcycle rallies and Wax Mannequin's return next as we wrap up these previews! Thanks everyone!