Here's a packed news post to check out on this Saturday afternoon, and it includes new announcements on two upcoming album releases from Sault Ontario acts, and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring, so without any further ado, here's what you should know!
Local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for one night only on Saturday, April 12th! While bassist Dustin Paras just played there last week filling in with Exit 808, this will be 906 proper's first show at "your perfect up north retreat" since September 2023. Long time coming for fans of theirs in Brimley or who frequent Bay Mills, but hopefully their hard rocking cover selection goes over swimmingly in three weeks' time! Of course, Project 906 (minus Billy) will be playing live later today at the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters in the Soo, which we previewed on the SMS yesterday, and our continued best thoughts go out to guitarist Joe Jenkins, his wife Mary Jo, and their family as she continues her battle with breast cancer. Head to Bird's Eye today for nine hours of music to support the cause!
As for next month's Back Bay concert, expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on Project 906's return to the stage with Billy in three weeks, and stay tuned for more from Musicians Unite when it comes out!
Next up, here's a big new show confirmation for Sault Ontario on Saturday, May 3rd, as three local acts will join forces for a pre-party for this year's Steel City CollectorCon the following day! Before the comic con action descends on the Quattro Hotel on May 4th, there will be vendors, a pool tournament, and live music at Soo Blaster on May 3rd, and the nominal headliners that night are local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, whose long teased new project album will be released on this day! Entitled "Road Trippin'", the band has yet to 100% corroborate what Vintage Games & Junque have announced in event promotion, but this is all very encouraging for fans, so stay tuned in the coming month+ for more on HeadFirst's new album and this show in general! Local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich will also rock Soo Blaster on May 4th in their first announced concert in over seven months.
No idea where the Sandwich has been since last fall, but hopefully they rock the house on May 3rd, especially a new album of their own still awaiting release! Last but not least, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith is advertised to return to the Soo for the first time since last fall's The Soo's Got Talent finals as well, though we await confirmation if Mike will be playing with The Big Finish Band or purely as a solo artist. Always good to see Mike back home, so don't bypass his Soo Blaster set in a month+! No word on what copies of "Road Trippin'" will cost, but admission to this presumably 19+ event will run for $20, and doors open at 7:30 PM. $35 VIP passes are also on sale that will grant you access to a question-and-answer panel (with the bands?) and a free door prize ticket. If you're inclined to enter the pool tournament, tickets for that are $20 and cash prizes will be offered.
To buy your tickets online in advance, click here, but they should also be on sale at Vintage Games & Junque, and maybe also at Soo Blaster and/or through the bands. While the lack of promotion from the scheduled musicians is still a little surprising, this is shaping up to be a huge pre-party for this year's CollectorCon, so visit the above links for more on what to expect at Soo Blaster in six weeks, and we'll have updates when they come out!
Finally, we move from a band who is releasing a long teased album in May to one who's releasing theirs.... on Friday! That is the day where local midwest emo/post-punk trio Fuller will release their long-awaited follow-up album "II" on major streaming services, as per their Facebook page yesterday! In said post, the band revealed the full ten song track listing, including the already-released advance singles "And I End" and "Kerosene", plus songs with the full titles "Batteries From Old Flashlights", "I Will Crush You", "A", "Image In My Sight", "Love Is Always Better When You're Dreaming", "B", "Can You Die From Embarrassment?", "and "Six". These all line up with the (mostly shortened) titles on the setlist from their reunion show at LopLops in December 2023 in performance order, for the record, so the extended set-ending jam must have been "Six". Also, based on that setlist, are "A" and "B" actually that night's two covers?
Co-producer Dustin Goodall will perform additional instrumentation on the album, while original Fuller drummer James Kersley (who was on their 2002 self-titled EP with no song names) will provide additional vocals on "Six". The release of "Fuller II" appears to solely be on streaming services for now, with no promised CD/vinyl printings or release concert (yet?), but for emo fans and classic Fuller supporters, this is an album two decades in the making, and assuming it comes out on Friday as planned, we now know this month's CD review at the SMS! Look for that next week, follow along for more from Fuller as "II" nears release, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
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