The Devil's Sons Concert Preview, Ripcordz Concert Videos, And More!!

In our fourth post in two days, and last before the National Day For Truth & Reconciliation (wear your orange shirts!), we're covering some recent news and notes, new videos from a big show last month, and leading off, a concert preview for tomorrow night, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with a special Monday night concert preview, as Edmonton punk/hard rock quintet The Devil's Sons will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The Whisky Barrel! A very atypical headliner compared to the usual acoustic fare seen at the Gore Street nightclub, The Devil's Sons will bring a raw and rollicking brand of punk n' roll (even including a keyboard player!) to local audiences tomorrow with an in your face attitude and familiar influences, and it will be interesting to see how they go over at The Whisky Barrel, especially to see if more heavier and plugged-in bands stop by there! Local support will come by way of thrash metal trio The BAG in their Whisky Barrel debut and their first public date since last month's ARCH Run. This fast rising young group should set the tone well and hopefully keep things as heavy as possible without the venue getting too much shock given how different this show is from the norm there! 

Presented by promoter Mikhal Muto, tomorrow's concert is FREE and has an 8:00 PM start time, but it remains a 19+ event. Despite the timing on a work/school night for many, this should be a fun concert, and with no cover, hopefully that ensures a decent turnout at 113 Gore for all of the action tomorrow! Visit the above links for more on tomorrow night's festivities, and for a preview, here's The Devil's Sons live!

Next up, here's some videos from last month's Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Stellar Door underneath The Distraction, as per prolific local concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel! For unannounced reasons, these were only uploaded last week, but of course, better late than never! Chris filmed 13 videos from all three bands at The Distraction's intimate basement space (which The Ripcordz highly praised after the fact), with eight of them coming from the headlining Montreal hardcore punk legends' first local set in almost a year. The filmed Ripcordz videos included Paul and crew playing "Anarchy", "Girls In The Pit", "Elvis Death Cult", "All Gods Must Die", "Hippie Kids", "Your Mother Wears Army Boots", "X" (which Jack Spades frequently covered in the 2010s), and as embedded below, "The Fence". If you missed the Ripcordz and Total Chaos shows at The Stellar Door, these will likely be your first public looks at the venue, so how is it?

Hard to say to an extent given how packed of an audience they had downstairs here, to the point where The Ripcordz themselves are hard to see behind attendee heads, but it does have the ambiance of the basement punk show that many fans recall in days gone by. Musically, these aggressive and cutting hardcore punk originals will get the job done for fans, and the audio is even a little crisper than Chris' videos of their Loft show last year, so definitely give The Ripcordz' 2024 local concert videos a watch above and below!

Chris' five videos of the two local opening bands include two of alt-rock band The Haze (who played as a trio here) covering two Arctic Monkeys songs, namely "When The Sun Goes Down" and "Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts". If you recall the marketing for the former Skinbox last year, they were advertised as playing 1990s-2000s alt-rock and Arctic Monkeys covers, so the name and drummer changes didn't seem to portend a sound change. In that sense, they were an outlier on this bill, but there's been far more diverse lineups locally than this. The Haze are a talented group, and hopefully they made some new fans before things got heavier! The middle band on August 10th were hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, who Chris filmed three videos of, including their Slumshine holdover "Thrashmastertenbillion", this song that I couldn't immediately title, and as embedded below, a longer-ish 3 minute song that also wasn't introduced by name on camera.

Most of Ha!ls' own videos on Facebook are incomplete, and whether by design to encourage live concert attendance or not, it would be handy if they had more full songs to help identify such videos from other sources! On both The Haze's and Hails' videos, the smaller audience near the band's area helps us see more of the basement, and yeah, it's a basement. That said, the aesthetics and ambiance lend itself very well to a punk show, and it looks like everyone had a great time! Ha!ls deliver some ripping thrash/punk originals here, and Chris had a better shot of both local bands than he did for The Ripcordz, so check these out above & below as well!

Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted news items from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• A new video of Bardo guitarist Christopher Neveau playing part of their new original song "Blood Moon" (which he at least co-wrote) was shared from his personal Facebook page to their Facebook page on Friday! Unfortunately, it is a "Reel", so I can't embed it here, and it was uploaded in full horizontal orientation and thusly pillarboxed (why not make it a normal landscape video then?), but the performance is solid and shows his underrated skill level, if with very muffled audio! Give it a watch above, and hopefully Bardo had a good debut at last night's Selias concert!
• In their first Facebook posts since June (reportedly due to "life's trials"), newer local hard rock trio Bullet Train revealed earlier this month that they are working on not one, but two demo EPs, and the first one was in post-production as of September 9th! "The next set of tunes" were also on their way, along with "a new killer kit and studio setup", and a release date for the first demo (which will reportedly be available on CD) will be made in the coming weeks (which clearly means more than two weeks). No word on if their three public singles so far will be on either EP, but this is exciting news for Bullet Train, so follow them for further updates!
• I have removed defunct local glam metal quartet Dirty Virgin from our inactive band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook group, which was their last surviving substantive band page. Primarily active from 2007-2010 before reuniting as a support band for two Canadian Nightclub gigs in 2011 & 2012, the 2009 YMCA Battle of the Bands runners-up were ahead of their time in bringing a 1980s throwback sound & visual style to local concert venues, and it's a shame that they didn't last longer. Hopefully we hear more from Bobby, Lionel, Matt, Ryan, and Dickie in the future, and don't miss original guitarist Matt Clement in his current London-based rock band The Stone Doves!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Our Full Recap Of Mike Haggith's YouTube Interview From July!!

I apologize for this being so delayed, but local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith took part in a 2+ hour interview named "The Sky's The Limit" for YouTube in July, so what should you know here? This was conducted by Australian metal musician and artist Jade Starr, who has quite an interesting backstory both musically and personally (she is trans and gender nonconforming, FYI), so I do recommend reading the manifesto on her website to track her journey! The recent videos on Jade's YouTube channel have primarily been about recording music with Apple iPads and iOS devices, and of course, Mike uses similar tech for his recent solo output, and has appeared on YouTube interview shows of this ilk in the past that help teach other independent musicians how to make their own professional recordings in this way. This "How To App" interview begins with Mike's lyric video for his song "All The Best".

If you want to skip directly to the interview proper, it begins at 4:56, with the first section running for about 22 minutes. Jade has been hoping to interview Mike for a long time given the multiple musical and professional hats that he currently wears, so it good to see the right intercontinental wires cross! The interview proper starts with Jade asking what music means to Mike, his early musical influences and songwriting (didn't expect so much Joshua Kadison talk!), how his family took to his music, his preferred recording formats, and the songwriting process, and Mike shares some good insights across this section! After Jade plays lyric video #2 of 5 for "The Start Of Something Real", the interview resumes at 31:14, with part 2 running for around 38 minutes. We next see Jade asking about the 1980s influences on Mike's recent solo material, the music/work balance given Mike's day job as a commercial airline pilot, ...

...the music lessons and classes that Mike took when he was younger, the perception of Canada domestically and internationally, how safe air travel is nowadays, how Mike became a pilot in the first place and got to his current level in the profession, and more about the good, bad, and routine experiences of being a pilot. If you're as curious about flying airplanes as Jade is, this section will be for you, especially the last story about Mike's scariest moment in the air! We hit the midpoint of the interview when Jade plays the "Carousel" lyric video, and part #3 begins at 1:12:58, running for about 17 minutes. This portion deals more with Mike's music, with Jade asking about the bands that Mike has been in, and he does positively reflect on his bands in Sault Ste. Marie, including his work with Haggith and both the acid jam & power pop versions of The Din, complete with visual aids from his website.

Mike also discusses Between The Ditches, the cover band that he performed in while living in Thompson, before discussing The Big Finish Band, his solo backing group as seen at local festivals and The Soo's Got Talent. If you wanted to know where they got the Big Finish bandname, he tells us here! We also hear about Mike's experiences and memories about playing live in general, and translating his more personal songs to live performances. The penultimate lyric video played on air is "Twist Of Fate", and if you want to skip to the last portion of this interview, it begins at 1:34:08 and runs for around 36 minutes. This is when we finally dive into the DIY recording angle of Jade's recent content, with Mike asked about how he recorded his newest studio album "All The Best In All You Do" with his at-home equipment, his experiences launching and operating MorningStar Records, using Kunaki to print CDs & vinyl records on-demand, ...

...Mike's artist-friendly business model for MorningStar, his recent work helping get physical albums ready for New Jersey's Maezend Music Lab, how you can get Mike's attention re: maybe working with MorningStar, Mike dislocating his knee (and briefly playing through it) during his set at last year's Rotaryfest, his expectations for his then-upcoming return to Rotaryfest this year, and his advice for when musicians should start recording. The interview closes with the lyric video for "Hot & Cold". While a long watch, this was really well done and informative, both for Mike's insights on his local music career and his work as a pilot alone, but Jade covered lots of ground across this 2+ hour interview, and the extensive use of screenshots and photos in the back half helped give some context, which is handy for newcomers! Fans of Mike's will absolutely want to check out this new interview, which you can do below, and stay tuned for much more this week! Thanks everyone!

Late & Loud - "Late & Legends Season 2 (Podcast Soundtrack)" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 183rd monthly CD review, and in a slight change of plans, we're looking at inactive local classic metal quartet Late & Loud's third album (fourth if counting reissues), namely "Late & Legends Season 2 (Podcast Soundtrack)"! This is their second album/score of songs from the Dungeons & Dragons podcast Late & Legends that the guys have been working on remotely since 2020, with instrumental music recorded by band members at their home studios. This second soundtrack release from September 17th covers songs included in season 2 episodes of Late & Legends from 2021, and features current Convergence guitarist Brendan Christie as the primary songwriter this time out. Guitarist Jonathan Tiberi returns in a reduced role compared to "Late & Legends 1", and bassist Benn Garside gets credited for contributing on a song here where he did not last time. Drummer/game master & audio editor Josh Hatherley is again not credited as a performer for this soundtrack album.

You can buy "Late & Legends 2" on Bandcamp for $8.99, and it is streamable for free there as well, but consider buying it to support the guys and the podcast! Like when I reviewed the first soundtrack, just a reminder that I don't play physical RPGs like D&D, and I am cognizant of the fact that D&D players (and listeners of the podcast) will have far more context into how these songs slot into the storyline as Giovanni, Val, and Mordechai continued their adventures in Renlan. Also, don't go into this expecting "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal 2". If you want to hear the podcast so far, click here or listen in on your preferred podcasting host services. With 12 songs running for only 20 minutes, let's begin this review!

This soundtrack leads off with "Late And Legends Theme", which is exactly what you think it is. This is a short 62 seconds-long metal instrumental with galloping guitar and an ominous overtone befitting a fantasy story, though given how the song ends with some guitar squeals that seem to hint at a longer composition (if not a solo), it ends before it really gets going. A good theme song, but an unfinished Late & Loud song, if that makes sense. "Bombastic" follows with a more grandiose, orchestral composition that feels much more like something from a video game rather than a metal band, The title is apt as a result, and while it has the epic qualities that would would assume Renlan to harbour, there's not a lot of guitar here, so adjust expectations accordingly. Third is "Battle Ready", which is the only song on the soundtrack that specifically credits Benn on it's Bandcamp link.

Despite that, this is way closer in spirit to "Bombastic" as a composition, but with dramatic percussion and themes that definitely evoke that an important battle is incoming. It's a cooler piece of music for me, but at the same time, did the last 50 seconds of 98 seconds-long piece need to just be the drumming? I'd have cut that down a lot, but the song is well done while it lasts! Track #4 is "The Rising Tide" (no apparent relation to inactive local band Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide), which is one of just three songs on offer to exceed 2 minutes in length. A slower number with some striking keyboard work and good clapping percussion early, the relatively longer composition has lots of room to breathe and show off different tempos and instrumentation, and for lack of a better word, it feels the most "epic" of the songs so far! A far cry from Late & Loud's original band run, but very solid! Note that this song ends with 18 seconds of silence.

That's followed by "The Darkness Is Here", which is a shorter and suitably dark orchestral piece that gets in and out without dragging on for too long, and basically sums up a low point in the storyline well. Not a ton to say here compared to prior tracks, but if you like how Brendan has been composing these numbers, you'll take to how big this feels in scale despite its short length! Speaking of short length, song #6 is "Run For Cover", which runs just 60 seconds total. Given the title and the stakes in the podcast, you'd assume for a song faster in tempo than this, let alone not as heavily structured around percussion and spare piano playing. Not bad at all, but based on my assumptions for a fantasy story, this is not what I would assumed a song about running for cover would sound like. The second half of "Late & Legends 2" begins with "The Storm", which reminds me a bit of the Lower Brinstar theme from Super Metroid.

Isolated piano key strokes and background thunderstorm effects combine for one of the most unique songs on offer, but it ends kind of abruptly and it really felt like there was more of a song here had it ran for more than 74 seconds. A cool piece while it lasts though! The next two songs do not have any individual writing/performance credits at all, but the first of them ("Back At It Again") is arguably the first song since the opener to really feel like something that a band worked on. Not a metal band, mind you, as it has more of a Renaissance fair/campfire vibe (I was reminded of both), but it works for how the story was progressing, and the percussion is well contrasted with the isolated guitar playing! This song also ends with a long silent stretch (well, seven seconds). Ninth is "No Time To Wait", which is the only song on offer to exceed 3 minutes in length, and not by much. The keys lead the way on this composition throughout its runtime.

Not a dramatically opposed song compared to most of its soundtrack-mates, it shares the ambiance and vibes of most of the other compositions here, but doesn't hit as many epic heights despite its length, possibly because the piano leads the way instrumentally. Still a good song when considering the concept! Next up is "The Trap Is Lit", which is both the shortest song on the soundtrack (53 seconds) and the only one to directly credit Jon as a composer. If you recall his work on the first Late & Legends album, he handled half of the songs there, and stuck way closer to metal band territory than on Brendan's songs. That bears out here too, with this brief song being just a metal guitar showcase, and one that ends way too soon. Like on the opener, this feels like the start of a full song rather than a standalone track, but it is nice to hear Jonathan take the lead on a new "Late & Loud" song again, even one this short!

Brendan gets control back for the last two songs, starting with "Mystery", an ominous 2+ minute piece that definitely evokes the feeling of an uncertain future, and given that this was near the end of the podcast's second season, that seems apt! There is more of an intentional unease in how this song proceeds, and it works in the context of the story, but for these compositions, I prefer the grander stuff. The soundtrack closes with "A Farewell To Brothers", which ends the album and season 2 with a mournful and very melancholy composition that definitely feels like the end of a chapter as the characters go their separate ways (for the time being), and while it's not what I musically prefer, it fits in context for how Late & Legends progressed in 2021, and of course, the story didn't end there, so we'll have to see if they release an album for season 3 at some point!

So, what are my final thoughts on "Late & Legends Season 2 (Podcast Soundtrack)"? Based purely on a musical level, I do prefer their season 1 score, but if you preferred Brendan's orchestral compositions on his half of that album, you will be right at home with the sequel! I don't know if Jonathan's decreased involvement in the season 2 score was an artistic choice or a scheduling one, but aside from the theme song and "The Trap Is Lit", there's not much here that would suggest that Late & Loud put this out if you heard the songs blind. Note that Jon hasn't lived in town for over a decade and currently plays in the Hamilton stoner metal band Astral Witch. With Brendan taking the lead, and possibly saving his metal ideas all the while for Convergence, this is mostly a pure score, and certainly a strong one that evokes a fantasy world from a movie or video game, so he definitely shows what he is capable of as a songwriter!

Contextually, this album is best served for Late & Legends listeners, and I do prefer earlier, more optimistic pieces to the darker and sparer later ones, but if you like fantasy soundtracks and scores, you'll have fun with "Late & Legends 2"! That said, if you're expecting anything remotely like Late & Loud, you'd be best served starting with their season 1 soundtrack given that Jonathan's songs for Late & Legends are closer in style, and he was more involved then. Strong work for what this is, so buy or stream it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Now, my original plan for this month was to review Sykotyk Rampage's new album  "Waerlogas Saga 1: Konfysion Of Fyck", but I was hoping to have the comic book arrive by now to help in covering the lengthy album. As such, I have delayed the review to next month. In any event, look for Sykotyk Rampage's new concept album as our review next month, and for more news & notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Our Lady Peace), The Dany Laj/Handsome Sandwich Concert Preview, And More!!

For today's news post, I wanted to tackle the huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that has been the talk of local rock fans over the past few days, along with the last straggler from this weekend's hard rock concert preview slate, and a new cover video from earlier this month, so here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Juno Award winning Toronto alternative hard rock quartet Our Lady Peace will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on March 2nd when they headline at GFL Memorial Gardens during their 30th anniversary Canadian tour! A staple of domestic rock radio thanks to hit songs like "Starseed", "Superman's Dead", and "Innocent", this will be O.L.P.'s first local concert since they headlined River Rave '98 in Richards Landing during the Homecoming 1998 festival, and in terms of Sault Ste. Marie proper, they have not played in city limits since headlining at The Princess Theatre in 1996. How they've went almost 27 years since playing up here is beyond me, but it will be great to see Our Lady Peace back next year, and hopefully there's a huge turnout of rock fans in March! Lead singer Raine Maida & bassist Duncan Coutts remain from their 1990s shows here, now joined by guitarist Steve Mazur and drummer Jason Pierce.

Local fans may recognize Jason as the live/session drummer for Treble Charger from their initial 2012 reunion until 2015, wherein he played with them locally at their 2013 Searchmont fundraiser at The Water Tower Pub and their 2015 Bon Soo concert at The Machine Shop. Jason himself isn't from here, but it is neat to see him come back to town for another big concert! Joining Our Lady Peace on tour next year are Georgia alternative rock mainstays Collective Soul, who will be familiar to many 1990s-early 2000s rock fans from hit songs like "Shine", "December", and "Precious Declaration". I believe this will be their first show here, and given how often they're still heard on Rock 101, Collective Soul should pull many fans alone with their familiar alt-rock classics! A third touring band is to be announced for the western Canada portion of the tour, which ends in the Soo, so don't go looking for Wintersleep or Ash Molloy.

Tickets for this all ages concert go on sale on Thursday at this link and at the Gardens' in-person box office, and they will start at $75 apiece, with packages also available with early entry, included merchandise, and autographs/meet & greets. It's been a very long time for Our Lady Peace fans to wonder why they don't ever play closer to here than Sudbury, so I hope this concert is a smash hit in five months' time! I've never been the biggest fan myself, but I respect O.L.P. and Raine's activism, and I want this concert to do well so that more GFL Memorial Gardens can bring in more big rock shows in the future! Visit the above links for much more on Our Lady Peace & Collective Soul's local date next year!

Next up, let's finally cap off this weekend's concert previews with TONIGHT's concert from alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich, who will make their debut at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West when they open for Montreal power pop veterans Dany Laj & The Looks! Readers may recall seeing Dany Laj and crew here five times in the 2010s, including a Rockstar Bar show in 2017 that the original cover trio version of Handsome Sandwich opened, and while not a hard rock act, it will be good to see them back for the first time in five years! Also, David Briggs from SooToday's North Bay-based sister site BayToday actually interviewed Dany (who himself lived in North Bay and Sudbury in the past) for this article cross-posted on SooToday earlier this week. Tonight's concert will be Handsome Sandwich's first since last month's Northern Vibe Festival and first in the Soo since Poutine Feast.

A presentation of Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire), tonight's concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and tickets running for $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Hopefully tonight's concert is a solid draw, especially given the competition from other shows tonight, let alone the relatively new venue (which P.I.T.S. will run again when Skoff headlines there next month), but if you saw and liked The Looks' upbeat garage rock in the 2010s, or want to order another sandwich, head to The Eagles Club tonight! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich live earlier this year!

Finally, here's the first new live concert video uploaded to The Dive Gastro Pub's new Facebook page (I still don't know why they deleted the old one and started over), and it features Dodge This/ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer covering Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" during his solo Patio Play concert there this past Saturday! He's joined by an uncredited guest singer, who is definitely not his Dodge This bandmate Jamie July. Truth be told, I had trouble identifying the song at first because the 30 seconds-long clip focuses on the bridge, but it's well done for hair metal fans, so check it out below, and we'll have more on Dodge This on the SMS soon!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Unfortunate Sun) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this preview post, just a heads up that I'm not covering tomorrow's ARCH Bucket List Ball in this weekend's previews. The hospice charity event at The Machine Shop (which was to feature Bookclub as musical entertainment) is no longer listed on the venue's events page, nor has it been promoted on social media remotely recently by organizers or Bookclub, so I am assuming that it was quietly cancelled. Disappointing news, but support ARCH where you can, and as we continue this weekend's hard rock concert previews, there is a Sault Michigan hospice fundraiser tomorrow that you shouldn't bypass! Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Merchants Bar, but they also have some newly confirmed dates to note on here! The Fake Chow successors revealed shows of theirs into early 2025 via this concert calendar poster on their Facebook page earlier today, and while we knew about their fall dates in Rudyard and Hessel already (including that pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday nighter at The Islander Bar), the winter show are new to us. On Saturday, December 14th, the guys are slated to return to The Merch for one night only, and they'll also return to the downtown Soo staple over the International 500 snowmobile race weekend on Friday, January 30th & Saturday, February 1st! I don't know if these shows are officially tied to the I-500 or not (their past pub crawls acknowledged), but playing gigs with all these people in town for that weekend is never a bad idea!

Long before then, Unfortunate Sun will bring their proficient hard rock cover attack to The Merch for the first time tomorrow, so keep this show in mind if you want to enjoy some solid local musicians! All four of their scheduled Merch shows have presumed 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit tomorrow's official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

Next up, if you do want to see live rock music while supporting a local hospice, you should consider coming to Sault Michigan to see hard rock sextet Exit 808 live as the headliners of A Night Of Music TOMORROW NIGHT at Three One Three On Ashmun! Tomorrow's fundraiser is in support of the Hospice of the EUP, and they're just as deserving of support from the community as ARCH is on the Canadian side of the border, so don't bypass this event for the musical and charitable sides of it! Exit 808 will be headlining at the former Back Door alongside three acoustic solo musicians, namely Gabe Menard, country veteran Paul Perry, and Project 906 frontman Billy Bernier (no word on if this will basically be an unplugged 906 set or if he spreads his wings moreso). Presented by Team Century 21 (who are also supporting the Hospice of the EUP during next month's Dancing With The Stars fundraiser), A Night Of Music has a 7:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and $10 cover charge.

Note that it is still not clear which of the three distinct stages inside Three One Three will be hosting this event, but it should be a great time for fans of live local music in the E.U.P., and hopefully Exit 808 will end things with a bang and help raise lots of money for the hospice in the process! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new Facebook video of Exit 808 live at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino last month! The video sees them covering Skid Row's "18 & Life" with Amy Beach on lead vocals and Dillion Semasky backing. It's very fuzzy visually, but at least it's horizontal with clear audio, and the cover isn't badly handled, so give it a watch/listen below!

We'll close this preview post with our extended preview of tomorrow's big metal concert at Soo Blaster in Sault Ontario, which will mark the rebirth of promoters Heavy North Entertainment after a seven year hiatus! For their first show back, they're bringing a very Oddfellows Hall-esque lineup to the stage, and it will be toplined by Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias in their local debut! Readers should recognize Selias drummer Tyler "Jeeb" Reiner from multiple past local stops with Caym and the Soo's half-own Spades GT, so it will be neat to see him in town for the first time since the Josey Scott concert in August of last year, let along with a much more brutal sound! Note that ex-Spades bassist James Roy Daley also left Selias in July. Barrie blackened death metal trio Out Of Spite will also make their local concert debut as the co-headliners tomorrow night, and their in-your-face original extreme metal onslaught should make lots of fans as well!

Six diverse local bands will open tomorrow's concert, including alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (last seen opening for The Damn Truth at Soo Blaster earlier this month), hard rock quartet Half Past (in their first of two Soo Blaster dates this fall), and the Sault Ste. Marie debut of The Sault Side Squad, the online page-less supergroup that debuted at the all-local metal show in Leeburn in July. New local death metal quartet Bardo will also make their first live appearance here, succeeding frontman/promoter Tyler St. Amour's briefly revived band Them in the process. Bass-less teasers of their more technical sound have been featured on their Facebook page, but how will this union of Fountain of Betrayal and March Into Regression alumni come together in 2024? Grindcore solo project Crucify The Whore (a regular at H.N.E. shows in the 2010s) will also play a rare live concert set tomorrow night as well, so prepare yourselves!

Finally, ex-Winkstinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur's long-gestating rap metal project Without Compromise are slated to open tomorrow night. I am way past overdue to talk about the former Less Than Zero more on the SMS, but it'll be interesting to see how Jason (and crew?) sound live! Tickets for this ALL AGES show run for $15, and can be bought via most of the local bands, at Soo Blaster, The Rad Zone, Rest In Pieces Tattoo Studio nearby, or online at this link, and presumably at the door. Given that there are eight bands playing tomorrow, doors open at 5:00 PM. If you miss the 2010s death metal Oddfellows Hall shows, you will not want to miss this one, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Selias live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned tomorrow for the Dany Laj/Handsome Sandwich concert preview, that new concert coming to the Soo next year, and more! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: LionelRocks' Channel

In a brief break from this weekend's concert previews (resuming tomorrow), here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again look at a randomly selected YouTube channel(s) whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians/concerts! This month's chosen channel takes us back a decade & a half (believe it or not) to look at a prominent if not that long-lived local hard rock band, so here's what you should know on that front!

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LionelRocks' Channel (http://youtube.com/lionelrocks)

Owner: Former Dirty Virgin bassist Lionel Quinton

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 3rd, 2007; Videos uploaded from February-March 2009

Channel Summary: The most substantial surviving outlet for fans of 2007-2012 local glam metal quartet Dirty Virgin, Lionel's channel features sixteen videos from the band's main early run, including six live concert videos, six from a jam session, and four of members playing unplugged.

Why You Should Watch: Even if you weren't around for Dirty Virgin's heyday, hair/glam metal fans should be curious to see these videos, and this band was garnering some decent local momentum with a (at the time) unique sound that other local bands weren't focusing on in the late 2000s, and it's a shame that they didn't last longer! This channel is even more noteworthy now that the band's Facebook group has been taken down, losing whatever content was exclusively there. Note that a different band member posted a highlight video featuring excerpts from some of the concert videos on Lionel's channel a year before he posted them here. Also, Lionel did not use this channel for Dirty Virgin's mid-late 2009 concerts, nor their final two gigs in 2011 and 2012 at The Canadian Nightclub.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Dirty Virgin - Games People Play: Two proper concerts are represented with videos on Lionel's channel, including three from their runner-up set at the YMCA Battle of the Bands at The Grand Theater in March 2009 (his last uploads here), and belatedly from their set at July 2008's Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser at The Canadian Nightclub. One video from each has over 1,200 views, but by just 12 votes (at press time), the most seen is their cover of Joe South's "Games People Play" at The Canadian. Lionel, singer/guitarist Bobby Clement, guitarist Matt Clement, and his old Riverin bandmate Matt Hicks were also filmed here playing their original "Take You Hard" and covering The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The U.K.". The overall video quality 16+ years on is not great in hindsight, but these are fun performances, and while Bobby's vocals were limited, he had a punk tone that was put to especially good use on the covers!

Dirty Virgin - I Was In Love With You: Lionel's first six uploaded (not filmed) videos were from a February 2009 jam session, with Ryan Spin taking over for Matt Clement on guitar. These videos feature Dirty Virgin playing 20 seconds of "random music" along with five original songs, namely "She's Hot", "She Wants Some", "Let The Good Times Roll", "Take You Hard", and as embedded below, "I Was In Love With You". This song was a definite change of pace from their usual glam metal throwback stylings, with more of a mid-tempo southern rock vibe. If you can get past the obvious audio deficiencies of digital camera videos from 2009, these jam session videos give a nice cross section into Dirty Virgin's original repertoire, and they had a good range of sounds beyond the aesthetic!

Dirty Virgin - Take You hard (Acoustic): The band (sans Ryan) were filmed at 2:30 AM jamming some acoustic songs, with four being filmed for Lionel's channel and also posted in February 2009. Shot while the guys sat around a kitchen table, these loose and casual videos (complete with Matt on hand percussion) included their originals "I Was In Love With You", "She's Hot", and (featured here) "Take You Hard", as well as a cover of Kiss' "Strutter". Very loose and informal performances here, but they're a fun glimpse at Dirty Virgin out of their element, and as all three originals were filmed with the full band on this channel, you may like comparing and contrasting how they come out when played both ways! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be taking a look at another randomly selected channel from a past local band, namely that of hardcore punk quintet Destroilet! Look for that on or around October 26th, and for more weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down & Tym Morrison) And The First Half Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

It feels like the rate of hard rock concerts really hasn't slowed despite firmly being in the fall now, so we'll ave to break up this weekend's hard rock concert previews into multiple posts once again. Today, we're starting with bands with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) and playing tonight or tomorrow in some description. Saturday nighters from Selias, Dany Laj & The Looks/Handsome Sandwich, Exit 808, and Unfortunate Sun will be covered in our next preview post. Now, here's what you should know to kick off this busy final weekend of September 2024!

Joining the next show of his weekly matinee arrangement at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY NIGHT, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will also return to The Dive Gastro Pub for their latest "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page on Friday, and The Dive only corroborated the booking in this Facebook teaser video of new/upcoming menu items & concerts. While we're on the subject, Tym's weekly run at Misty's is not ending yet, as he has quietly added Saturday matinees there on October 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th to those shows' Facebook event page, so if you like his shows at this Second Line West nightclub, you will have chances to see his acoustic rock hits there beyond this weekend! Unlike at The Trading Post, Misty's isn't outdoors nor open seasonally, so the chance of the arrangement going longer was always there.

Of course, the October 12th date is over the Thanksgiving long weekend, though no word on if Tym's show on October 26th will be Halloween themed or not, but we'll let you know if he/the venue indicates anything in the affirmative. Tym's show at The Dive TONIGHT (an effective rescheduling of his planned show there on August 1st that he dropped out of due to illness) has a 7:00 PM start time, while Saturday's and next month's Misty's shows are 4:00 PM matinees. All referenced shows have no cover charge and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more on TONIGHT's Dive concert and the Misty's shows ahead, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but they also have some new shows to announce! The guys posted this concert calendar on their Facebook page reflecting dates in October and November, and while we knew about the first three already via the band's own prior coverage and venue advertising, the latter three shows are new to the SMS. Firstly, Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for a full weekend on Friday, November 15th & Saturday, November 16th in their first shows there in over two months, while they'll also end the month with a one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, November 30th. Good to see some new dates from Joel, Beej, Brad, and Ric this fall, but of course, your next chances to see them are at The Esquire Club this weekend, so don't miss this west end rock action!

Yes, I do plan on covering the Band Together To Rock Cancer benefit soon, but if you want a jump, Double Down did share some videos of their set from The Tarentorus Club on Facebook already. This weekend's Esquire Club shows and next month's dates at Jay's have 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, and expect similar at The Water Tower Pub except an earlier 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Also this weekend, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will rock the aforementioned Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of opening for Cory Marks once again, this will be their first show at the Great Northern Road nightclub since they ended their spring slate in May, and as usual at The Water Tower Pub, this is a one-nighter, as the pub routinely hosts different nightly musicians. If you like seeing Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's upbeat brand of cover party rock, then make sure not to miss out tomorrow, as they have no booked concerts at present in October, though their November 1st show at The Esquire Club could be Halloween themed (I don't know when they'll be celebrating there, but Silent 9 got the spooky season honours last year). You can enjoy Silent 9's packed and varied sets tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Silent 9 live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, let's head to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, and after blanking last week, I am not missing the band playing there this weekend! TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, the headliners there are local classic metal favourites Tarnished, who last played at the Soo Kewadin in early August, so it's good to see them back! These will be their first shows of any kind since their late notice gigs in St. Ignace and at The Merch two weeks ago, and one assumes that Rhythm & Brews bassist & drummer Chris Leask & Ron Suchey will be back for this weekend's dates once again. Notably, these are the last dates (local or otherwise) listed in Tarnished's concert calendar posted on social media in May. I'm sure there's more to be announced, so stay tuned for updates on when to expect Alex and Josh (and crew?) live as 2024 continues!

Expect loads of fan favourite metal and hard rock covers from Tarnished (and maybe some originals?) tomorrow and Saturday night at 9:00 PM, with 21+ age limits in effect and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on Tarnished's last shows of the month, and for a preview, here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT Updates From August-September 2024!!

Given recent news and recommendations from the band, let's continue playing catch-up on local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT's activity in recent months! Last time we talked about Spades, they had finished up two Southern Ontario gigs opening for Random Killing in mid-July, after which they took a month+ break from the stage. Their final show of the summer season was on August 31st, when they opened for Gag Order & A.S.O.P. at Bar 379 in Peterborough, and unlike their July gigs, they did give this concert the vertical recap video treatment for their Facebook page! I'd still prefer seeing videos of full songs shot horizontally, especially given the addition of Matthew Voros to their lineup, but hey, at least this isn't a "Reel". The video features the guys driving to Bar 379, mingling outside, setting up for their set, and even reenacting a moment/meme from The Simpsons, before we see clips of them on stage with live audio!

Nice to hear a snippet of "Sewer City Radio" there, as brief as it is! The video ends with the guys hanging out post-set and remarking on some of the surprising things that they saw and found in Peterborough that day. Quality video that has a little something for all Spades GT fans and some amusement within, so check this out for yourselves below!

Conspicuous by his absence from the Peterborough concert & recap video is bassist James Roy Daley (Matthew played bass there instead), and we can now confirm that he has parted ways with Spades GT. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, other than to say that "we have had guys come and go". James had played with Spades since the beginning of 2023, and featured on their "Sewer City Radio" EP and their most recent local gig (last August's Josey Scott concert at The Rink), but remember that he was always busy with multiple other projects, bands or otherwise. I wonder if his leaving the band was part of why he pulled out of his solo set at the Northern Vibe Festival last month? Hopefully all is well & amicable with Killroy going forward, as he is a talented artist! The former Jack Spades are seeking a new permanent bassist ("THE GUY", as it were), so who/what are they looking for?

They must be punctual, have a professional attitude & work ethic, and have their own professional gear as well. If you want to audition or inquire within, contact the band at the above links or by e-mailing drummer Tyler Reiner at reinerpd@yahoo.ca. Of course, local readers should remember that the band relaunched in Barrie in late 2021 (and primarily jam/rehearse in North York), so this will be far more amenable to musicians currently living in the GTA. Hopefully J.D., Daniel, Matt, and Tyler find the right bassist soon! Just over a week after the Peterborough concert, Tyler starred in this Facebook update video where he hyped up their shows opening for The Exploited in Toronto and Ottawa earlier this month, thanked promoter Steve Hoeg for booking them on multiple concerts down south, and confirmed that "The Beard" (a.k.a. former Spades guitarist Jay Sarrazin) would be returning to fill in on bass for the Exploited shows!

Of course, Jay first served as their fill-in bassist after Daniel Rodbard's departure in mid-2022 (including at that year's Northern Vibe), before moving to second guitar for shows in early 2023 and recording on two songs on "Sewer City Radio". It's good to see Jay back with the guys (including his old Caym bandmate Tyler), even if temporarily, so look for him in videos from this month's dates! Tyler also confirmed that they do indeed have another hometown gig booked in Barrie on November 8th (a cancer fundraiser for Battlescarred frontman Ray Galica), but details are still forthcoming. Good & detailed updates, so check it out below!

After one more Tyler-starring teaser video to hype the Exploited concert in Toronto the next day, the guys did rock Lee's Palace as one of the opening bands for the British hardcore punk legends on Friday the 13th, and again in Ottawa at The Brass Monkey the following day! Both bills also included recent Stellar Door local headliners Total Chaos. Unfortunately, Matthew missed both dates due to an unspecified illness, as revealed by fellow guitarist Daniel Horton in the 11 minutes long recap video covering both of the Exploited concerts from this month. Much to my happy surprise, it's horizontal too! The video starts with the guys arriving at Lee's Palace, loading gear, having a bite to eat, and hanging out pre-show, before we get some all-too-brief clips from their set, but audio of them playing "Rise" can be heard. After we see them chilling after the concert and hitting the road in the middle of the night, we next see their footage from Ottawa the next day.

While much of the Ottawa video is similar to Toronto's (just in a new venue in a new city), we do see them getting breakfast at Denny's and checking out The Exploited's merchandise. No concert footage from Spadres GT's set (nor Spades GT's set) was filmed at The Brass Monkey, allegedly because "every camera in the building malfunctioned". Joke answer or not, the URL for the website to forward complaints to did not work, so now who can I tell? The cameras were all fixed in time to film some of The Exploited & Total Chaos' sets, while we also see Spades & Jay hanging out in & out of the venue, and wrapping things up at the hotel, where they hinted at a likely return to Ottawa in 2025. There's definitely a lot to see here ("camera malfunctions" aside), and it does look like both concerts were big hits for hardcore punk fans in the capitals, so check everything out for yourselves below, and hopefully Matt got better soon!

As best as I can tell, we are now caught up for Spades GT content on the SMS, barring anything fan shot or posted that the band hasn't re-shared on social media! They don't have any announced gigs until the fundraiser in Barrie in November, so we'll have to see how the fall continues to shake out for the guys, let alone their bassist search. Stay tuned for updates in any event, and for more news on the site this week! Thanks everyone!