Today's post turned into more of a weekend concert preview motif than I imagined, thanks to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), clarification on a kinda-sorta new band, and a missed concert from last night, so here's what you should know as the Canadian long weekend continues!
We have a new-ish band to add to our band links, and as hinted at at the top of Thursday's post, that band is classic/hard rock cover trio Wheelhouse! Now, those familiar with the weekend cover band circuit may recognize Wheelhouse from playing sporadic regional dates since 2023 (their earliest publically documented gig was at Reggie's that June), and they either were successors to or a renaming of the 2022 band Buzzsaw Jaw, but they only launched their own Facebook page this month. Wheelhouse are notable for reuniting guitarist Michael Davies and bassist/ex-Foggy Notions co-owner Jon Ferguson in a new band, following their successful 1996-2017 run with Stiffler's Mom, and they are newly joined by Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger on lead vocals and drums! I don't know who drummed for Wheelhouse previously (let us know if you can confirm), but Cliff Alloy at least drummed for Buzzsaw Jaw.
On their Facebook page, Wheelhouse claim to cover "hits from the 80's, 90's, and today's music" (people realize that "today" in that context covers a 26 year span, right?), and while there are band logos in their Facebook photos, I refuse to take AI-generated artwork at face value for setlist hints. What I can tell you is that Beck's Bar (where they played last night) did film at least two videos, though sadly, they were only uploaded to Facebook as "Story" videos, which means that if they show up in the "Stories" strip on your news feed, they will vanish forever after one or two viewings. I do not like "Stories", but alas, there's only so much I can do about them. If you weren't at Beck's last night, you'll have to take my word for it that the videos showed them covering AC/DC's "TNT" and Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself". If you remember pre-pandemic Handsome Sandwich from 2017-2020, it is good to see Johnny on lead vocals while drumming again!
In one of today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, Wheelhouse will return to Beck's on Saturday, July 4th, That show will again be at 9:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit, so if you miss Stiffler's Mom or Handsome Sandwich 1.0, their return may just be in your "wheelhouse"! There is one actual permanently uploaded video on the band's Facebook page that I can embed here (it's horizontal, too!), and it features 75 seconds of John, Mike, and Jon covering (no joke) The Village People's "YMCA". The dark lighting and side-stage angle don't help the view, but it's a lively rocked-up cover with a solid and animated crowd, so give Wheelhouse's first fully public video a watch below!
Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT after previously playing there last night. My profuse apologies for both the short notice on TONIGHT's show and missing yesterday's outright, I only heard about the gigs this morning via the venue's Facebook page, and the band has not announced the bookings on their own Facebook page. Alas, this isn't the first time that Soundcheck and related bands have forgone social media promotion for one reason or another. TONIGHT's (and yesterday's) shows mark Soundcheck's first since at the Queen Street staple since early April, and unlike their Esquire Club shows two weeks ago, this is not an "epic crossover" weekend with their sister band Separate Wayz, at least not according to current promotional materials.
As was also the case last night, TONIGHT'S show is at 9:30 PM with no cover & a 19+ age limit, and if you believe the AI promotional image, "good music (and) good times" are to be had. Despite the lack of press from Soundcheck proper, it will be good to see Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny rocking out with their hard rocking blend of covers again downtown, so apologies again for missing last night's show, and I hope TONIGHT'S goes over just as well, if not better! See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!
Lastly, let's talk about prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison, whose run of frequent Saturday matinee concerts at Misty's Fifties continues TODAY (as in, RIGHT NOW), and I do apologize for not being timely enough to cover it before it started. I'm out of town this weekend and was on the road for much of yesterday. Today's Victoria Day long weekend concert marks Tym's penultimate advertised gig from his batch Facebook event page for shows at the Second Line West nightclub, with a return scheduled in two weeks on Saturday, May 30th, but we await likely show announcements there in the short term. There is still time for Saultites to head down to Misty's to check out Tym's smooth and talented mix of rock covers today, and you know his solo shows give a production quality beyond the usual trappings of the acoustic singer/songwriter, so you'll get your money's worth (free admission acknowledged!)
This is a 19+ event that started at 4:00 PM and runs until 8:00 PM. Stay tuned for more from Tym in due course, here he is live, and apologies again for not previewing this show until after it began! He'll be back in two weeks!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
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