LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Another seemingly quiet concert weekend is ahead for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults, but we do have a related LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from one band and a new video from another, so here's what you should know as we slowly come out of this week's cold snap!

We'll start with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but in another new announcement, they'll return to Beck's Bar on Saturday, February 14th for a special Valentine's Day gig! While the band proper has not confirmed their slate of concerts beyond this weekend on social media or their website, the venue announced the show (on the Family Day long weekend) on their Facebook page yesterday, and it's not a run of the mill concert. For Valentine's Day, Beck's is hosting a concurrent "stoplight party", the gimmick being that you wear coloured clothing to signify your relationship status and hopefully encourage matchmaking (green = you're single and looking, yellow = maybe/it's complicated, red = you're taken/married). Fun idea, and hopefully there's a strong turnout at the former Vibe Lounge in two weeks to make it as successful as possible!

No word yet on if Bone Yard also have the "uncorked" matinee slot on the 15th, we'll let you know when they or Beck's confirm. In the meantime, tomorrow & Saturday mark the first stops at The Esquire Club for "the dirty three" since November, and just their second and third full electric shows of 2026, so keep everything in mind this weekend and next month! This weekend's Esquire Club shows are at 9:30 PM, the Valentine's party at Beck's is at 9:00 PM, and the three are all 19+ with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's your local 225 live!

Next up, one of the bigger attractions this weekend is the surprise reunion of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Over a year after the band parted ways following their New Year's Eve 2024 concert at the YNCU Curling Centre, most of the band's final lineup (singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Cameron Oliver and bassist Jim Michaud) are back for presumably one weekend only. Of course, we have seen unions of 2+ of them multple times in the past year via Cameron's own solo dates, with his short-lived "The Band", and via Terry & Jim's current successor bands Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party, so why Terry is only just now reviving the Soundcheck name isn't publically clear. Hopefully their classic and hard rock covers (with a dash of country) go over well after a year+ away, if technically!

Terry & Jim's new Separate Wayz/Guilty Party bandmate Johnny Amendola will take Glen Thomas' spot behind the drumkit, in his first public gigs with them under any band name, so if you're curious to see how he fits in, come to the former Roosevelt Hotel! Like usual for their old gigs, the former Nameus hit the Jay's stage at 9:30 PM tomorrow and Saturday night with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details on Soundcheck's reunion weekend, and for a preview, here they are live!

In a brief detour to Sault Michigan, fans across the river can welcome Traverse City metal/hard rock trio Scarkazm back to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino for the first times this year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their sister band Peril kicked off 2026 at the Soo Kewadin four weeks ago, and will be in St. Ignace in two weeks, but in the interim, Scarkazm are hear to bring things a little heavier with their rocking slate of covers and possibly some originals, and it will be good for fans of Adam, Dave, and Jeff to see them back at it after another busy past year! If you miss this weekend's shows, Scarkazm proper won't be back at The Rapids Lounge for almost two months. As usual for Scarkazm's (and Peril's) Kewadin bookings, tomorrow and Saturday's shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live a few years back!

Finally for this weekend's known and public hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a one-nighter, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Full Throttle Saloon! Four weeks ago, this talented veteran group played their first gig at the former Primavera Hall, and now they're back in Steelton for their second show there and of the year. Bassist John Amendola (whose son Johnny is drumming with Soundcheck at Jay's that same night) teased that Headrush will have new songs in their setlist to unveil on Saturday, so head to the Full Throttle Saloon to see what's new! This is a 9:00 PM concert on Saturday with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new jam session video of Headrush in action, as shared to their Facebook group!

Shared from John Amendola's personal Facebook page, this sees him, John Anderson, Wes, Gino, and Frank covering "Spaceship Superstar" by Canadian hard rock legends Prism. The camera could be centered moreso, but the cover sounds good to me, and it's always good to see a local band covering some Cancon that isn't one of the usual suspects! Check it out below, and see much more from Headrush on Saturday night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, either tomorrow or on Saturday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The BAG), New Song Uploads, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to make a couple of acknowledgements regarding shows this past weekend that we didn't cover in our latest round of previews, both of which were only promoted on Facebook via "Stories" (the strip of posts on your news feed that vanish after being seen once or twice). First, I profusely apologize for missing local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos' first public show of the year, which was on Saturday night at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Tap Room, something that the band & venue didn't announce on Facebook otherwise (I caught Mikey's "Story", albeit too late). I hope the show went well, and I'd have happily promoted it here had someone said something more public and permanent! Meanwhile, you may have seen a "Story" suggesting that classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 were playing at the Boots & Saddles Roadhouse on Saturday, so did I miss something else?

Not really, as this was one of the private events listed on the band's website's calendar. and they won't return to the public stage for another two weeks. The Boots & Saddles Roadhouse (located deep in the west end at 2667 Second Line West) has never crossed our radar before as a public host of a hard rock concert anyway, but hopefully the private booking went well!

Today's post otherwise features new videos, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local metal trio The BAG will headline their album release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday, April 18th! While we have seen Spencer with his other band With Gunfire since, The BAG have largely been publically silent since last summer, though their debut album "Sacculus" was finished mixing and mastering as of October, and it finally goes on sale in three months. It's great to see Spencer, Austin, and Bradley back with the fruits of their recent labour ready to release, and we'll let you know when more comes out on "Sacculus" proper! Openers will include death/thrash metal trio Pillory (less than a month removed from opening for Demon King at the same venue) and in their first true public gig, ska punk trio A.S.D.P.! Of course, Adam Smith Death Parade are no stranger to private events and house parties since last they launched last summer, but they have yet to play a formal event at a proper venue.

It will be good to see this promising new band finally on a public stage, and if they don't play elsewhere beforehand, you could say that this is the de facto release party for their debut album "Atom Bombs & Lemonade" too! The second booking from A.S.D.P. frontman Mikhal "Châ" Muto's new agency Underground Events SSM, this show has an 8:00 PM start time, no age limit, and tickets running for $15 ($25 at the door), though availability is to be announced. No word yet on how much CD copies of "Sacculus" will run for, let alone if there will be any other physical formats. Metal and ska punk fans will want to circle April 18th on your calendars, so visit the above links and the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close with some new song uploads on YouTube, starting with a brand new original song from local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison's YouTube channel! Lately, most of his original songs have been influenced by his take on current events and/or his faith, complete with a proper video, but this is just an instrumental named "Nebuchadnezzar's Dream", which references the second chapter of the Book of Daniel from the Bible. If I was going to title the song after a specific story from the good book, I'd have included lyrics, but that's just me. Fans of Tym's metal work from his solo album and past local bands will appreciate his return to those roots with this song, and he shreds nicely with a quality guitar solo to boot! The programmed drums are a little obvious, but give Tym's new song below, even if you likely won't hear it when he goes unplugged for his next Misty's Fifties matinee next Saturday!

Finally for today... how late into January is considered too late to wish someone a Happy New Year, let alone to sing "Auld Lang Syne"? For SMS readers' sake, I hope four weeks isn't too long, as Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night posted their rendition of the Scottish folk standard & January 1st staple onto their YouTube channel on New Year's Eve! This was not included on last month's "Christmas Night 3", but I have seen multiple Christmas albums include "Auld Lang Syne", so there is precedent. Honestly, this is more fitting for the inaugural "Christmas Night" from 2011, given that this is an instrumental without any vocalist. If you're familiar with Craig, Steve, and crew's orchestral take on heavy metal, you'll appreciate how "Auld Lang Syne" translates here, and the folksier guitar outro fits in context! Good stuff, and a fitting local cut for January 1st, 2027, so give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre Of Night!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Mike Cliffe

Mild change of plans for our first YouTube Channel Profile of 2026, as I had originally randomly selected Mike Haggith's YouTube channel, only to belatedly realize that I already profiled it 4+ years ago. I think the updated channel URL threw me off. While this channel was already covered, definitely give it a watch and/or subscribe, as Mike has posted 50 new videos there since we spotlighted it in 2021, and it's still actively used! With that said, I picked an alphabetically close YouTube channel who we definitely have not profiled before to replace it, and it gives us another local guitarist named Mike, so here's what you should know on it!

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Mike Cliffe (http://youtube.com/@audiofumesmc)

Owner: Local classic, funk, jazz, and hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe, also known as the host of the Audiofumes podcast

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 22nd, 2009; Videos uploaded from that day through last fall

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, Mike has uploaded over 100 videos over the past 17 years, mostly originals songs and on-camera solo performances, though a handful of covers and outside artists heard on Audiofumes have also turned up here, as have videos related directly to the podcast, from host segments to behind the scenes content. Half of Mike's videos from the past three years have been live footage at downtown outdoor concerts, particularly ones involving local indie rock band Jupiter Marvelous.

Why You Should Watch: While Mike isn't known for live performances or paid album releases, and has been more sporadic in terms of posting his own original music in the 2020s, this channel is full of strong and varied music from a talented guitarist who as always deserved more attention, and this includes for Audiofumes, which was an active podcast with an international reach before podcasting got as big as it now! You can hear more music from Mike, including material that predates and/or was not uploaded on YouTube, via his Reverbnation page and Audiofumes episodes.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Bad Regime: One to collaborate with musicians local and from afar, Mike did both on this July 2010 original song named "Bad Regime", where he (on guitar and bass) was joined by ex-Soundcheck/Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas and Swedish vocalist Karin Beckerus, who fronted the alternative/electronic band Out Of Quebec. Featuring some trippy post-production effects with the accompanying slideshow, this is a tight hard rock number with very Cardigans-esque vocals, and Glen gets to let loose moreso than you may see from him in live cover bands, with Mike shining with some solid guitar work too! This is just the tip of the iceberg re: Mike's own original music though, and Karin turned up multiple times over the years on Audiofumes episodes.

 

 

Opening Riff to The Wizard - Uriah Heep: The most popular music-related video on Mike's channel is this April 2016 acoustic rendition of the riff from Uriah Heep's "The Wizard", which he previously recorded a full studio cover of in 2011 with a non-local backing band named The Ducks. The 97 second video features Mike introducing the song and how his guitar is tuned and set up, followed by him playing the riff. While a well received cover by most, Mike did get a critical comment over how tight the camera is, obscuring how he plays the riff to an extent, but you see enough of his right hand to get an idea. Well performed for sure, and he comes off well on camera, but don't bypass the full cover! If you're curious, Mike's most viewed video demonstrates the Enlightenment E17 desktop shell.

 

Rock Funk Fusion (collab): For an actual full-song performance on video, it was hard to pass up this February 2020 video that sees Mike playing three separate guitar tracks and bass separately before being combined in post-production for an original funk rock "collaboration". If one of the videos features someone else playing, they're not credited and you can't see their face, but the videos were all shot in the same location. Good stuff that shows off what Mike can do in a funkier and more carefree setting, and he was ahead of the curve in doing a video like this just a month before the first pandemic lockdown began!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return for another randomly selected channel or two (or three?) on or around February 26th. Stay tuned for that then, and for more news and notes on the site this week, plus this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From Late November 2025!!

In light of a big recent announcement from St. Ignace, Michigan deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, we might as well continue playing catch-up on their recent activity, so what have Brandon and crew been up to since we left off with their mid-November concerts downstate? On November 17th, frontman Brandon West starred in this vertical update video from their Facebook page where he noted the they filmed a lot of concert footage and "studio updates" during the previous weekend's concerts, and teased that "we're gonna start, like, a vlog thing, or try" in an attempt to post and keep up with recent video footage. If that bears out, it will be neat to see everything! On November 21st, they asked fsns who they'd like to see H.L.T.C. play shows with, so if you have any ideas, head to that post! The following day, they claimed to be "taking our live performances to the next level".

Given their place in the Upper Peninsula, they noted that "we sometimes feel a bit isolated, but it's also what makes us unique". With the vast majority of their concerts being on the road, they do stand out to audiences afar! They teased possibly filming their practice for social media that day, and that bore out on November 23rd when they began uploading GoPro videos from "The Skely house". The short clips feature Brandon, Jaxon, and Blaze performing on camera (no Christian or Kaycee), and you can watch the shorter second one here, and the longer first one below. The biggest reveal here beyond the song-in-progress is that Brandon shaved his beard before this jam session, though it grew back by the next time we saw him on camera. He was filming the videos in the first place, so he isn't a focus, but it is odd to see him clean shaven. What we hear doesn't sound bad at all, so give these a watch above & below!

On November 24th, the band shared videos from their the pop-up concert with four other bands at the Influence The Band Headquarters in Taylor (outside of Detroit) ten days prior, which devolved into an open jam featuring intermixing of band members for individual songs. Obviously only partially local now, but click here to watch what I.H.Q. got on camera, and see where Brandon, Jaxon, and Kaycee fit in! Four days later, the band posted a brand new original song onto major streaming services named "Road To Detroit", which is their fifth single to date that isn't on their prior albums (joining "These Walls", "Marble Skin", "Shame", and "Happy Fun Fun"). The guys wrote this on a trip on the I-75 towards one of their concerts at The Sanctuary in Hamtramck (just outside of Detroit), and it is "probably the most meaningful song" of theirs so far. I'll hold comment pending our review of their next release, but give it a listen!

Interestingly, Brandon starred in this video for the band's new YouTube channel where he sings along to the studio track while using a banana as a "microphone". Fun little diversion, but if I was Brandon, I'd have used an instrumental version of the song (it's his own band's song, he must have access to one) so he wasn't double tracking with himself. In their last update in November 2025, they posted this video of guitarist/ex-drummer Jaxon Massaway tracking a new original song's breakdown at a computer. In the comments, he noted that "they ain't ready for this one", so if you say that, you're obviously building anticipation for a reason! No idea why it had to be black & white, but check out this teaser below!

Heavy Lies The Crown took most of December off from new band updates, only resurfacing with brand new content after Christmas, so we'll pick things back up there next time as we continue making up lost ground! Sty tuned for more from them and other local bands on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Curtis McKenzie) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

In what is shaping up to be a very cold weekend in the Soo, there are a few venues that you can warm up in with some live hard rock-leaning music! Not the busiest weekend going, but there are new videos from two of the bands in question, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Former Eclipse/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will bring his acoustic solo act back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, he and the venue only announced this show via their respective Facebook pages this afternoon in the 2:00 PM hour. Curt himself apologized for announcing the show last minute, as "I was just asked today if I could make it". If true, that does take some blame off of The Dive for their lack of a monthly concert calendar, which they haven't posted online in months (though I wish they would put those together again). This will be Curtis' first public gig of 2026, having last rocked Beck's two months ago, and he last played at The Dive in October, albeit a "Patio Play" gig when weather was amenable for that. As such, TONIGHT's show is indoors in "the naughty corner", and hopefully there's a good turnout in spite of the bitter temperatures locally!

TONIGHT'S concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Hopefully Curtis' hard and alternative rock covers are a hit in their 2026 debut, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Curt live!

Next up, here's some shows that did have advance notice for this weekend, starting with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's return to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the third concert of 2026 from "the dirty three" after a Beck's double header three weeks ago, and their first Water Tower Pub stop since December 6th. As always for this Great Northern Road venue, tomorrow's concert will be "uncorked", as their Beck's Sunday matinee gig earlier this month was, so if you like the softer/more intimate side of Bone Yard, circle tomorrow on your calendars! If you'd rather see the guys in their full electric splendour, you can do so next week at The Esquire Club. Tomorrow's unplugged festivities go down at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and if you're curious, the band playing at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday is classic rock trio The Sidekicks.

Visit the above links for more details on tomorrow's acoustic action, and for a preview, here's a new (albeit plugged-in) video from their Saturday, January 3rd show at Beck's Bar! Now, this was live-streamed to the band's Facebook page, so as per the current guidelines for live-streams, the video will vanish from Facebook in under two weeks unless they convert/re-upload it, but it's a song that we've seen the guys play live multiple times on video in the past (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'"). Laid back but sound rendition of this 1970s rock staple, if shot vertically, so give it a watch below while you can!

Also this weekend, we'll stay in acoustic territory (fitting how many artists are staying "chill" given tomorrow's weather!), as prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for another unplugged matinee concert on SATURDAY! After taking last week off from his long run of Saturday concerts at the Second Line West nightclub (though he was at The Dive last Thursday, Tym will return to his most familiar recent confines on Saturday for lots of classic and hard rock covers, and you can expect strong musicianship and a presentation that belies the one man acoustic format, so don't miss out if you want some early rock action! Saturday's festivities are at 4:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge, and if you can't make it, Tym will be back at Misty's in two weeks. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here he is live!

Finally for this preview post, there is some plugged-in classic/hard rock action this weekend, though it will be a bit of a hike for many, as local quartet Generations will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Three weeks removed from their late notice debut at the local ski resort's on-site lounge and concert venue (with a Full Throttle Saloon gig sandwiched in between), this Saturday's show should provide a solid opportunity for patrons, skiiers, and fans to check out Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's slate of rock covers, so keep this one-nighter in mind, especially as it had plenty of advance notice this time! As usual, this Kiln stop has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's our first public video look at Generations' current lineup, courtesy of the aforementioned Full Throttle Saloon gig two weeks ago!

Uploaded to the venue's Facebook page (one of many videos of artists playing there in their early months), this sees the band covering the Grand Funk Railroad version of Soul Brothers Six's "Some Kind Of Wonderful" with drummer Tony Santoro on lead vocals. Alas, this was also shot vertically, but the filmer did let us get more of an interior view of the former Primavera Hall, and the cover is sound and will appeal to Grand Funk fans! New guitarist Joe Miller fits in fine here, but I know there are songs that would better demonstrate his talent levels. Give it a watch below, and don't miss Generations at The Kiln on Saturday!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the days ahead! Thanks everyone! 

Double Down & Separate Wayz/Guilty Party Updates, Plus A New Video Interview!!

Before we tackle another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post on this Wednesday night, which includes lineup updates for some bands on the weekend rock cover circuit and a new interview discovery with a musician who had a brief but noteworthy stint in a local band, so with all of that said, here's what you should know!

We have some big lineup news from two (kinda three) local classic/hard rock bands, as Half Past drummer Johnny Amendola has joined both Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party, replacing Brent Royer. As per Separate Wayz' Facebook page on Sunday, Brent amicably left due to being unable to "commit (to) the amount we want to play in both bands" (not unlike why Steven left), and while the statement was only made on one of the two bands' pages and didn't directly say that Brent left The Guilty Party too, singer/guitarist Terry Eaton confirmed that he did in a Facebook e-mail yesterday. Brent had been a founding member of The Guilty Party last fall, and only just joined their sister band Separate Wayz three weeks ago, but he played just one weekend with each group before opting out. He's a talented musician (you have to be to drum and sing at once), and hopefully we see him in a new band soon!

The son of Headrush bassist John Amendola, Johnny has been a familiar face in local rock bands like Cherry Crush, Tripod The Dog, and Skeyes Of Seven since the mid-2010s, and he reportedly is gelling well with Terry, Jim, and Nicole so far, so we'll have to see how things go for the two bands in 2026 now that they have a drummer who is purportedly more available! Terry also confirmed that Johnny will take over for Glen Thomas behind the drumkit for Soundcheck's reunion gigs next weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, which only makes sense. Stay tuned for more on the two full-time bands' next shows when they roll in, let alone Soundcheck next week!

Next up, here's the latest from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, who confirmed on their Facebook page on Monday that this past Saturday's concert at Beck's Bar was their last with Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz as a fill-in, as their regular bassist Dan Beaupre is finally returning after being AWOL since the summer for medical and travel reasons. Apologies for erroneously covering that Dan was on bass for their show at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on December 12th, the band never said either way who was on bass that night. It will be good to have Dan back for their Water Tower Pub gig on February 21st, if not sooner! While we're on the subject, the band posted three videos from their Beck's gig on Saturday to their Facebook page, one with each regular band member on lead vocals. Alas, all three were shot vertically and none are full, but what was filmed?

The uncredited attendee filmed Double Down & Lori covering Collective Soul's "Gel" (with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals) and Weezer's "Island In The Sun" (with drummer Ric Datson on vocals), but embedded below is the longest of the three, of their take on the Thin Lizzy version of the Irish standard "Whiskey In The Jar" with guitarist Beej Syrette on vocals. Nice sampling of their live sound with everyone singing well when called upon, and while I wouldn't have shot these vertically, the filmer at least got some close-up angles from all over the stage, including the band's view of Beck's! Give Double Down's new videos a watch above & below, and kudos to Lori and Alex for filling in with them since last fall!

Finally for today, I figured this was worth sharing, even if the musician in question was only briefly a local band member, and only became publically known as such after the band dissolved. As you may recall, after Woods Of Ypres frontman David Gold passed away in December 2011, it came out that he and guitarist Joel Violette had enlisted American musicians Brendan Hayter & Rae Amitay to serve as their new bassist and drummer the previous month. Obviously, their 2012 tour plans never came to fruition, but Joel would add both Brendan and Rae to the lineup of his studio-only black metal band Thrawsunblat, and Brendan appeared on their albums through 2019. Brendan is otherwise best known for his New England-based atmospheric black metal band Obsidian Tongue, who predated his brief Woods tenure and are still active today.

I bring all this up now because Brendan was interviewed about his career (including Woods Of Ypres) by Shayan S. of the Iranian/British interview series/podcast Iblis Manifestations last year! You can watch the whole hour+ interview below, but if you want to jump straight to the Woods section, that begins 34:40 into the 67 minute interview. Here, Brendan talks about how he and Obsidian Tongue got the chance to open for Woods of Ypres on their last tour in May 2011 and how he befriended David and Joel afterwards, how he got the bassist gig, and his perceptions of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" before it came out. He outlined plans for him and Rae to drive to Ontario in January 2012 to rehearse with the band before flying to Great Britain for label dealings, a music video shoot, and European tour dates, which leads into how he processed learning about David's death and the lost opportunities therein.

It's interesting to hear how Brendan balanced his thoughts about grief and loss from his place in the band, especially as he didn't know David that well yet, and he approaches things at a very mature and respectful level while not asking for pity or playing the blame game. The Woods of Ypres section takes up about 15 minutes, and it's an interesting look into the tail end of the band's all-too-short run, so check our Brendan's entire Iblis Manifestations interview below, and black metal fans shouldn't bypass Obsidian Tongue!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Ripcordz & Soundcheck) Plus More Recent News & Notes!!

On this snowy Tuesday morning, we have a packed news post to check out, featuring some notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, a new promotion agency's initial activity, and a returning face on the local FM radio dial, so here's what you should know before you head out the door!

Defunct local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reunite for concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st! First announced on Sunday via the venue's Facebook page, these will mark the first official Soundcheck bookings since their farewell gig on New Year's Eve 2024 at the YNCU Curling Centre. Personal Facebook postings indicate that this will be a reunion of most of the band's final 2023-2024 lineup, including singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Cameron Oliver and bassist Jim Michaud along with guest musicians to be revealed (I assume the AI generated band in the poster will not be among them). The band's final drummer Glen Thomas does not appear to be involved in the reunion. Now, you may recall seeing Cameron, Terry, and Jim play together a few times last year under the name "The Band", so why is it only now that they're reviving the Soundcheck name, even if temporarily?

Keep in mind that Terry is the only original band member, so he can theoretically use the name with whoever he wants. Of course, Terry & Jim still play together in Separate Wayz & The Guilty Party, who Cameron has guested with live, and Terry has recently been seen playing with Cameron during his solo country dates, so there's a lot of synergy regardless of name. I'm treating this as a one-off (two-off?) booking unless otherwise stated, but 2025 collaborations under other names aside, fans won't want to miss Soundcheck's official return! These are 9:30 PM and 19+ shows with no cover, as usual for Jay's. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, I'd normally wait for local promoter announcements to cover this here, but seeing as the venue has eagerly plugged it on social media, I figure getting the word out now can't hurt. Montreal hardcore punk trio The Ripcordz will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on Saturday, July 18th when they debut at Beck's Bar! While this legendary punk group last played here in August 2024 at The Distraction, Paul and crew were in town for an encore in July of last year that was shut down by the police due to a fire safety complaint, with the East Street venue remaining closed for new concert bookings since (read more at this link). That show was stopped before The Ripcordz could even begin their set, but at a new west end venue with fire code measures in place, hopefully they tear it up after (technically) almost two years away! I don't currently know if this is being promoted in-house by Beck's or through another agency.

No word yet on local openers, but Hails (who opened both of The Ripcordz' Distraction gigs) and Sylo did the honours last year, while technically active local bands like A Dire Setback, The Gambit (then The Sick Sons), and the former Jack Spades have all opened for The Ripcordz since 2017. Finer details are forthcoming, but last year's Ripcordz show had a $20 admission fee (or "pay what you can") with a 7:00 PM start time, though that was all ages and I assume Beck's Bar will be 19+. Something to get excited for this summer, so stay tuned for updates on The Ripcordz' return to the Soo in six months!

Also today, you may recall that ex-Hails guitarist Mikhal Muto put on the aforementioned Ripcordz concerts at The Distraction, and he has recently formally launched his own concert promotion agency! Mikhal has returned to Facebook on a personal basis and launched the page for Underground Events SSM at the same time, and it is through this name where he's putting on the Demon King concert at Soo Blaster in March. Other upcoming concerts have been plugged on their Facebook page too, The Ripcordz among them. This video implies that "news bombs" are coming soon, including "new venues, new bands, and new bookings", so we'll have to see what all that entails! However, a prior "news bomb" is that Underground Events SSM have released a compilation album for sale on Bandcamp! It leans to folk and acoustic artists, but there are some names involved that you are sure to recognize from prior concerts and coverage.

Mikhal's own folk punk solo project Agnosticism leads off with a song called "Growing Up", and recognizable names like his cousin/ex-Hails bandmate Carmen Muto, his old Vanity First bandmate Andrew Beggs (as "Andrew Keith"), Golden Scoundrels/ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno, Gimiiwan Ikwe, Shae Tull, and Tye Lawless Co. are among the performers. Like with 2022's Clusterfolk compilation tape (featuring The Uncanny Valley), this doesn't cross our punk/metal radar enough to join the monthly album review backlog, but there's a lot of talented artists here, and hopefully you guys buy the album for $9.99 to support their work (or stream its official YouTube copy from Mikhal's channel for free below!)

Finally for today, we have some news from 104.3 The Fox, as Sault Ontario's rock radio station has a new local midday DJ! After five months with Mitch Belanger from 101.9 The Fox in North Bay in the 2:00-6:00 PM timeslot here (following Country 104.3 holdover Dan Koo's departure in August), the station's Facebook page revealed via the video embedded below that Zenga McCurdy was back on the local airwaves, making his on-air debut yesterday. If the name is unfamiliar to you, then you likely don't tune in to Kiss 100.5, as Zenga was an on-air personality on The Fox's sister pop/top 40 station from 2018-2021. Originally from Kitchener, Zenga debuted on CHAS in the fall of 2018 alongside Taylor Lucas (and later Casey MacDonald) to replace the former morning drive show hosted by Scott Turnbull and Lou-Anne Young, moving solo to midday after Rogers added the Toronto-based Roz & Mocha Show to more Kiss stations' morning timeslots in November 2020.

Zenga left Kiss 100.5 in the summer of 2021, after which he worked at 101.5 Indie FM in Orangeville and 96.3 Cruz FM in Saskatoon, and the latter is a rock station, so he does have experience DJing this format. I don't listen to Kiss 100.5, so I was totally unfamiliar with Zenga before yesterday, but he did good from what I heard on-air on day #1, and he was already referencing local weather and ticket giveaways for the Triumph concert, so it's good to have a truly local DJ on The Fox again! Watch his return video below, and listen for him today from 2:00-6:00!

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