LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Quit It!), Upcoming Album Teasers, And New Videos!!

 Here's a new news post for this Sunday morning, which includes some varied new videos, upcoming album details on both sides of the border, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that completely slipped me by until now, so here's what you should know!

Calgary "socio-political anthemic punk" band Quit It! will make their local concert debut TONIGHT at The Speak Easy at Algoma University! I profusely apologize for the short notice, I only heard about this show this morning via this SooToday article which went live on October 9th, though the Facebook event page went live late last month. I'm assuming this fell through the cracks because the SooToday article was "sponsored content", let alone that TONIGHT's show appears to have no local openers (the poster saying "bands" acknowledged), but remember that The Speak Easy only infrequently hosts SMS-amenable bands, with this being the first such punk/hard rock event since Mean Bikini played there in 2023. Touring in support of their new album "Through The Debris", Quit It! have an explosive and politically charged sound that left-leaning punk fans will appreciate, and their DIY approach and clear talents and energy will definitely lend themselves well to drawing a good response from fans at Algoma University TONIGHT!

If there is an opening band, they are uncredited in public press. A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for TONIGHT'S concert, which has admission at the door of $15 for general audiences and $10 for Algoma students with valid student ID. As best as I can tell, this is an all ages event. Being on a work/school night for most may not be ideal, but Quit It! are worth checking out for sure, and if this goes well, it might not be two years before The Speak Easy brings another touring punk band here! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Quit It! live last month!

Next up, here's the latest from local metal trio The BAG, who had been radio silent for the past three months, so what have they been up to? Well, on Thursday, they revealed on their new Facebook page that they have finished mixing and mastering their debut album! To my recollection, they hadn't even announced that they were entering the studio (despite having multiple originals in their live sets), so this is a welcome surprise! I was worried that Spencer joining the Sault Side Squad was a bad omen for The BAG's future, but no cause for alarm there! The album will be named "Sacculus", which is a sensory cell in the inner ear and some some insects' antenna, and the painted cover artwork by Elly Grawbarger depicts a battle between a cthulhu and a lava monster (possibly a cherufe?) near a volcano, with the band rocking out at the foot of it. Further details on the track listing, release formats, and more lie ahead, but check out more updates from The BAG above!

Also, let's start playing catch up on what new Sault Michigan hard rock trio Crush have been up to beyond what we have covered of theirs on the site already! Since launching, this band has picked up both the original music responsibilities and the jokey/parody social media promotion angle that Alex, Josh, and Isaac's other/old band Tarnished have largely shelved since they shifted to a covers-only focus last summer, and that is very clear if you follow Crush's Facebook page. On August 6th, they shared this video of the guys going to Dunham's Sports at the Cascade Crossings strip mall, where guitarist Josh Fair bought his first gun, followed by the guys taking it to a field to do some practice shooting. The visual content here isn't really SMS-relevant beyond who's starring, but there is humour to be had! And remember, this is Michigan, everything with the rifle was done legally and safely. However, the music will be of note regardless!

Added in post are demos of Crush's original songs "No Way", "Intoxicated", and "Too Close", and the end-of-video caption notes that they have an "album coming soon". I had my suspicions watching this video that they were in studio in some form, so it's nice to get some public clarification, and it will be interesting to hear how things are coming along! Give Crush's day of gun fun (and the new demos, albeit as background music) a look below!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Ontario classic rock cover duo Frankly Speaking's concert at Beck's Bar on Wednesday! This special mid-week show was one of their "Rock On To The Sound Of Change" events that generally isn't billed to the Frankly Speaking name (rather "Frank & Frank" or "Frankeeproductions"), and in this format, they pay homage to rock classics in a historical context and how those songs/bands inspired social change. Generally, the Franks don't lean heavier as far as the SMS goes but they certainly have hard rock covers in their back pocket that we have featured here in prior posts. This video was shared to 705Live Sound Co.'s Facebook page from singer/guitarist Frank Gioia's personal Facebook page, and it features him and keyboardist Frank Greco covering the opening ballad verses of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", with a silent video of Queen playing behind them.

What we get here looks and sounds good, even with the hyper-narrow widescreen orientation, and it is interesting seeing a themed special concert set like this from a local band that gets treated as a bigger deal! Some readers may recall "Rock On To The Sound Of Change" being performed at Rotaryfest Stage 1 last year, albeit without a video screen. Give Frankly Speaking's partial Queen cover a watch below!

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

Rust, Bone Yard 225, And Curtis McKenzie Concert Previews!!

Before we begin our second weekend concert preview post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, who passed away yesterday at the age of 74 after being on life support following a fall at his home that led to a brain bleed. Visit your preferred music websites for continuing details on this sad news. A highly influential guitarist who co-wrote many of Kiss' biggest hit songs in the 1970s and early 1980s, and fronted what most considered to be the best of Kiss members' four simultaneous solo albums in 1978, Ace made his own name in the late 1980s and beyond with his own band Frehley's Comet and numerous solo releases, including last year's "10,000 Volts". Ace played two solo concerts in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, including at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino in November 2009, before headlining the outdoor '80s Rock Invasion concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin in July of last year.

Of course, Ace was not in the band anymore when Kiss played their two Sault Ste. Marie gigs, but his influence was felt from their setlists to the Spaceman costume taken on by Tommy Thayer, let alone the Kiss tribute bands that have played here. With hits like "Shock Me", "New York Groove", "Rock Soldiers", and "Cold Gin" on his resume as writer and/or singer along with ample guitar credits, Ace will be remembered fondly by the Kiss Army, and blast them loud if you can tonight. R.I.P. Ace!

Today's post otherwise looks at more weekend concert previews in Sault Ontario, and we'll start at Beck's Bar, where former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will play their Saturday matinee timeslot TOMORROW! This will be Curt's first unplugged solo date since rocking The Dive Gastro Pub two weeks ago, a date that I regrettably missed covering on here despite teasing that he would be back soon when he announced that there was a scheduling mix-up the previous week and wasn't playing then. I profusely apologize for missing that Dive gig (which was a an outdoor "Patio Play" event), and hopefully he had a great on October 4th! Fans haven't seen Curtis rock out at the former Vibe Lounge since the end of August, so if you want a solid matinee block of alternative and hard rock covers, go west! Tomorrow's show is at 3:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

Next up, who's playing the nightcap at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT? Southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will also pull the rare weekend double as the acoustic matinee performer on SUNDAY! One of the few local bands who play both of Beck's usual live band days (Fridays are typically DJ nights, tonight's Joe Mattalo country concert acknowledged), fans of "the dirty three" will have last seen Greg, Alex, and Warren at the Goulais Avenue nightclub in early September. Whether you prefer your Bone Yard in its full electric splendour or would rather see them earlier on and "uncorked", you have options this weekend! Just a reminder, Curtis McKenzie is not "opening" for your local 225 tomorrow, he and Bone Yard have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart, but with no cover, you can hang out and see both if you choose. Tomorrow's concert is at 9:00 PM, Sunday's is a 3:00 PM matinee, and both shows are 19+ affairs. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Finally for this weekend, we'll head downtown to "The" Soo Blaster, where Sudbury's Rust: A Tribute To Rush will return for a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Fittingly now taking place in the wake of the real Rush's reunion tour announcement for 2026, this will be Rust's first local stop since November of last year, though the Kuthy brothers are far from strangers to the Soo, having played here four times with their Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard, including in April. On this current tour, Rust are playing the album "Moving Pictures" in full and in order during their sets, and with their faithful looking and sounding stage show, fans of the Canadian progressive hard rock legends would be hard pressed to miss Saturday's concert for what should be a solid night of Rush classics! Doors open at 7:30 PM tomorrow for this all ages concert, which has tickets running for $25 online at this link or at the venue, though the door charge will jump to $35. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's the official trailer for this show!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Crush) And Saturday Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, I waned to note that this Saturday's planned Soo Falls-hosted Oktoberfest concert at The Machine Shop was quietly cancelled, as per the end of ticket sales (source here) and lack of recent social media promotion. A reason for the cancellation was not publically announced, but remember that we did have two other Oktoberfest events in Sault Ontario earlier this fall. Hopefully we see BookcluB and Silent 9 back at it soon, and Nein German Guys at Oktoberfest events next year! Now, let's lead off this busy weekend's hard rock concert previews (Rust and Beck's Bar gigs aside) with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

New Sault Michigan hard rock trio (and Tarnished spin-off) Crush will make their Sault Ste. Marie debut THIS SATURDAY NIGHT with a multi-band concert at The Savoy Nightclub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via this teaser video from their Facebook page on Sunday where the band amusingly sampled a bottle of Josh wine (as Josh Fair is their guitarist). While Crush did play a downstate gig since then in Prescott on August 22nd, and will also hit the road tomorrow to open for deathcore band Godstine at a "Creepy Cheapy Halloween Bash" in Battle Creek, this will be just the second local gig since Alex, Josh, and Iggy formed Crush as their new original music outlet, leaving Tarnished in their current covers-centric formation. The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands winners are the headliners on SATURDAY, and will be joined by the local debut of Rose City metal quintet Tribe989!

Crush had previously opened for Tribe989 at the aforementioned Prescott show last month (a fundraiser gig for this tour run), and Crush debuted at Bar-N Stock in Rose City in July (which Tribe989 also played at), not to mention Tarnished's past gigs there, so it's neat to see paths cross 3 hours north for a change. Tribe989 are a solid and melodic mixed-gender metal band, so don't bypass them! Newer local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank (featuring fellow Tarnished alumni Parker Talentino and Nathan Webber) will also take the stage on SATURDAY in their own first gig since the aforementioned Superior Whitefish Festival, though they were in the Music In The Park block, not the battle. Good to see About:Blank back out there, and hopefully their original tunes and sometimes surprising originals kick things off on the right foot! For the record, you may recall seeing Alex & Josh with Tarnished at the 117 West Portage Avenue bar back on July 4th.

SATURDAY'S concert (named "Destroy The Savoy") is at 7:00 PM, there is a 21+ age limit, and admission is $5 at the door. Not a bad deal all around for three originals-leaning Michigan hard rock/metal bands, and if you miss Tarnished's original material and more comedic social media videos/postings (we have to play catch-up on those), then Crush will be very much up your alley, let alone from their clear musical talent! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Crush live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario for a pair of previously announced concerts, starting with a matinee gig from prolific local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison, who will keep his busy slate at Misty's Fifties going with yet another early acoustic booking on SATURDAY! This is the second in a three week run of weekly Saturday matinees from the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman, so whether you regularly see him live or haven't see his skilled mix of vocals and guitar talents as of late, head to the Second Line West nightclub on Saturday to check out the action! Tym will not be at Misty's over Halloween weekend, but he will have six more shows there in November & December. Saturday's concert is another 4:00 PM matinee with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally for preview post #1, we'll head downtown to Gateway Casino, where classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking a two months-long break while drummer Tony Santoro recovered from carpal-tunnel surgery, this will be Generations' first casino gig in four months, and also their first show since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar. In his place, Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (a frequent fill-in between Brandon and Tony K.'s stints) will guest on guitar on Saturday, so come on down to see how he fits in with Valerie, Pierre, and Tony S. anew! A one-nighter as is standard at Gateway Casino (they don't book bands on Fridays at all), Saturday's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' return to the live scene, and here they are with Michael live!

That's all for now, but look for our Rust, Bone Yard 225, and Curtis McKenzie previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of Spades GT's Sofa City Sounds Interview From Last Month!!

Today's, we are heading back to the world of local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT, and for this post, we'll focus on a brand new interview that guitarist Daniel Horton and bassist Sean MacNab took part in on September 22nd with the Niagara Falls-based music promotion company Sofa City Sounds! This is the third interview that Spades GT members have conducted with Sofa City head Amanda Schilz, following interviews with J.D. and Tyler in December 2023 and Tyler alone in January of this year. We just need her to talk to Fang and she'll have the entire current lineup covered! Our prior links to those interviews have been wiped due to Facebook live-streamed videos now being deleted after 30 days, but I linked to each interview's YouTube copy via Amanda's YouTube channel, which is also where I've sourced the new interview so it doesn't vanish in eight days. 

This 65 minute remote interview begins with Dan & Sean introducing themselves and talking about recent experiences at live events Amanda saw them at. Apparently, Amanda was supposed to interview Spades GT members before their set at Rye Fest in Brantford in August, but unspecified health matters led to that being delayed. She and Daniel discuss how well Rye Fest went to perform at and attend, and assorted experiences at live concerts, before transitioning to how Sean joined the band (he confirmed that he did not perform on "United"). Interesting to hear how he fell into the Spades gig, let alone his jokingly tenuous standing with the band even now! Looser casual talk follows, including everyone's ages, past live concert experiences, and family links (one of Amanda's kids was off camera playing with a loud toy), before they about how they got on the bill to open for The Exploited last year and will again do so later this month.

This leads to Daniel elaborating on how their sound is kind of a punk/metal hybrid that allows them to adapt to multiple bills. After Amanda discusses aborted plans to ask Spades to open for The Dayglo Abortions at a concert she was involved in, Daniel outlines the band's origins (again describing Jack Spades as a different band than Spades GT), and then taking the lost Dayglo opportunity in stride, as Spades opened for Dayglo in in their first post-relaunch gig in Barrie in April 2022. Note as well that Jack Spades' first full concert set in September 2013 was opening for The Dayglo Abortions here at the former Roosevelt Hotel, but of the current GT lineup, only J.D. was in the band then. They next discuss the networking and relationships made through the rock music scene in Southern Ontario, including podcasts, and apparently, Dan and J.D. have kicked tires on starting one to talk to other musicians. If Tyler can do one with Drummers Paradise, why not?

Personal struggles with sobriety and mental health come up next, with Sean rightly pointing out how their new song "Demons" is relevant to the topic at hand, and things also evolve into how the music scene has evolved in good and bad ways, including how the pandemic affected how bands operated, and continued experiences of seeing live music and performing at big concerts. A lot of credit is given by Amanda and Dan to the people who support the scene, be they musicians, promoters, journalists, photographers, stage crew, or anyone else who helps the cause. Near the end, Daniel does tease that "we've got some fun stuff comin' next year for sure", with Amanda planning to contact Spades GT for booking them on a show in 2026, before talking about Amanda's bull mastiff, who helped end the interview a little more abruptly than planned. Nice long interview that had a very friendly atmosphere, and while questions about Spades GT and their past/future plans weren't the firm focus, Amanda and the guys had a good rapport that shows that they knew each other well!

It's clear that Amanda loves what she's doing with the heavier music scene in Southern Ontario, and she gets along well with the Spades crew (lack of an interview with Matthew acknowledged) , though it would have been nice to hear Sean a little more in the discussions. Check out the full hour+ interview below, and stay tuned for more from Spades GT soon! Thanks everyone!

New Live Concert Cover Videos & More Recent News & Notes!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Canadian readers! Before you settle in for turkey and football (assuming you didn't take care of that yesterday), here's an all-Sault Ontario post for the day off, and it's devoted to recent videos and some other updates, so let's get things rolling!

Normally, I would hold this new video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down for our next preview of one of their shows (their next publically scheduled gig is on November 21st at The Water Tower Pub), but seeing as it has two guest performers, let's show it off on its own! This comes from one of their gigs at Jay's Piston Broke Pub over this long weekend, in which Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz again sat in for Dan Beaupre, but the guys also welcomed Bourbon Blue singer/guitarist Jules Cote to sing lead on a cover of Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger"! Filmed from another high stationary vantage point (if not as straight-on as other past Double Down videos shot like this), this is a soundly handled cover that Oasis fans should like! You can tell that Jules isn't used to singing on stage without a guitar in hand, but his voice fits well enough here, if not hitting as high of notes.

It is worth noting that Bourbon Blue have recently added ex-Re:Born frontman Robert Nevitt as their new lead singer, though Jules remains in the pop rock cover band that he co-founded, so we should still see him on lead and backing vocals where needed. Check out the Syrettes, Ric, Jules, and Lori tackling Oasis this weekend below!

Next up, here's a mild surprise, namely a cover of April Wine's "I Like To Rock" by local indie rock band Jupiter Marvelous! While their original music largely doesn't cross our genre radar, their lineup is entirely comprised of alumni of past local hard rock bands, and they do have the occasional hard rock or punk cover in their live sets (remember when they covered Fall Out Boy at Rotaryfest?). This was filmed for veteran local rock guitarist Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel, one of multiple videos of Jupiter Marvelous that Mike has filmed there, and this was from the band's set at Wolf Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion last month. Most of this Canadian hard rock staple was captured here, with new guitarist Spencer Pine taking on lead vocals, which old Electric Church fans will be sure to appreciate! I'd have had the screen behind the band showing something, but Jupiter Marvelous are a talented and very adaptable band, so give this a watch below!

Also today, here's a new video from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's Facebook page last week, which features drummer Greg Simpson heading to his drumkit at his home studio for what he says is "my favourite time". The implication is that he was working on new Bone Yard material, but nothing was explicitly said there. Regardless, he had his coffee ready! Nice little glimpse at the behind the scenes process, and Facebook was not able to content match the Black Label Society song in the background, so give this video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from your local 225!

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

 

• Sporadically seen local deathcore band Bardo have quietly altered their name to Bardos, as per their Facebook page. A reason for pluralizing the name wasn't announced, but note that their only Facebook posts in the past year have been to plug Heavy North Entertainment concerts put on by frontman Tyler St. Amour. The name change would be a sign that they're still active despite not playing an acknowledged public concert in over a year, so we'll have to see what comes out next from Bardos!
• The Facebook event page's description for the 1990s punk reunion concert at Soo Blaster on December 27th had been updated to note that "some original members" of the three reuniting bands will be playing, hinting that Fist Magnet, Room 206, and/or The Spigots may not be fully/officially reuniting here. A discussion thread there from co-promoter/P.R.O.D. guitarist Christian Foisy did shed some light on that, with ex-Spigots guitarist Jeff Nisbet questioning who would be representing that band. Christian added that singer Trevor Harding & bassist Frank Guidocco would be playing in December, so the "some original members" clarification may reflect The Spigots in particular. It will be a must-attend show regardless!
• I have moved local/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger back to our inactive band links. They last issued a public update or played live when they opened for Everclear at the annual Western Fair in London in September of last year. I will not be commenting on the allegations from October of last year, which are far outside of what I want to cover on here, and do not directly affect our coverage of local music beyond the band's active status.

 

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

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From September 2025!!

For today's post, let's catch up on some early fall updates from St. Ignace, Michigan deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to since September 5th? While we alluded to the release of their new single "Shame" on September 12th in our last H.L.T.C. post, we weren't technically there in the timeline to talk about the song proper. Now we are, as the song was released as planned on major streaming services, including here via their YouTube Music channel. I'll hold comment on "Shame" for now, pending our likely review of their forthcoming album next year, but the song is shorter than I realized it'd be (at just 80 seconds in length). It does give a glimpse as to their teased sonic evolution while still appealing to existing fans, with its origins outlined in this video, but "Shame" is definitely a heavy track, so give it a listen for yourselves below!

Four days prior, Heavy Lies The Crown shared this image of their tracking computer's monitor onto their Facebook page, indicating that they had just finished another new song, with thumbs-up icons plastered over it in post to conveniently cover up the song's title (for now). Then on September 13th, frontman Brandon West starred in another solo update video from his vehicle, where he asked how fans liked "Shame", noting that the song was "short & sweet" but there are longer songs ahead for the album. He also noted that he learned how to scream in a new way for this album, and "Shame" may be somewhat reworked for the album compared to this single release. Brandon also acknowledged that "we're coming into a new era" of the band, and they're looking toward developing their own sound that isn't as easy to compare to bigger bands. Bit of an abrupt video, but he talks very optimistically, so give it a watch below!

In their next video, they uploaded a clip of behind the scenes footage from the video shoot for "Jell-O" from 2023! Here's the full music video to compare. Perhaps intentionally, we only see clips of current members of the band in the 21 seconds-long runtime (so no Ted), and between Jaxon drumming and Brandon's still-long hair, that dates things alone. Unfortunately, this was shot vertically (let alone letterboxed into widescreen dimensions in post), and I have no idea why they added the strobing lighting overtop, but the orientation does accentuate that this isn't the final product, so it's more distinguished in that way. Seeing how a music video is shot like this can defeat the illusion to an extent, but it is neat seeing how things really looked for this bloody video shoot, so give things in progress a look below!

On September 20th, Brandon starred in another vertical update video, but this one is just to thank everyone for the high streaming and hit counts for them on social media and/or "Shame" in the past week. Good to see them getting positive early attention for it! Two days later, they shared this "Reel" from the Facebook page of the Muskegon-based podcast The Metal Maniacs, where hosts Jay Ingersoll & Nick Modd reacted to their 2024 single "Marble Skin". Very understated reactions, yet still very positive, and it's good to see Heavy Lies The Crown getting more kind words from the Lower Peninsula! On September 28th, perhaps teasing the "spooky surprise" alluded to earlier in the month, H.L.T.C. began a teaser campaign for a "fiery spectacle that's about to unfold", featuring a black-and-white video of a long-haired person dressed in white standing in front of a large fire.

The next two days saw black & white pictures of three people (band members?) in costumes shared to Facebook, though obviously, the band had four members at last public count. We'll close for now with this 7 seconds-long teaser from October 1st of what would seem to be a new music video shoot, featuring (I would assume) guitarist Jaxon Massaway rocking out by said fire while in costume. The song clip heard is promisingly heavy, but we'll know more on what Heavy are cooking up soon, and check out what we knew as of the start of the month above & below!

We'll pick up with Heavy Lies The Crown next with a late-September update video from Brandon and more on what they're up to this month, both with the teased new song/video and their return to the stage downstate, so stay tuned for that and more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fist Magnet, Tarnished, And Quite Frankly!!)

This Saturday afternoon post is devoted to new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, ll with a seasonal and/or charitable flourish, so here's what you should know on both sides of the border!

Reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will play their first public concert in 15 years on Friday, October 24th, but not in Sault Ste. Marie. Rather, they'll be making the hour's drive east to Bruce Mines to play a special Down Syndrome awareness fundraiser concert at Kosmos Pizza there! The restaurant and their Thessalon sister location are both hosting fundraisers that weekend (Thessalon's is the following day), with a goal of raising $5,000 for Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Despite implying that they'd be pulling double duty on the Thessalon branch's Facebook page, Quite Frankly bassist Harley Syrette confirmed with me that they are only playing in Bruce Mines on the 24th, though regardless, Thessalon is outside of our coverage range. Either way, kudos to Haley, Frank, Harley, and Joe for rocking out for a wonderful cause in two weeks, and if you're up for a drive or live east of the Soo, keep these two gigs in mind to show your support!

Kosmos Pizza is located in downtown Bruce Mines right along Highway 17, located in front of The Bavarian Inn and just past the turnoff for Cunningham Street, so it's extremely hard to miss it. The concert on the 24th will begin at 6:00 PM, there are no stated age limits, and while a cover charge isn't advertised, obviously consider donating to the cause and/or buying something to eat/drink while there. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, add another Halloween concert onto the schedule, as Sault Michigan classic metal/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace for that venue's Halloween party on Friday, October 31st! The fourth time this year that Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron have played at 590 North State Street, this will be Tarnished's first show of any kind since their trifecta of St. Ignace shows during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show last month, with one of those also being at The Driftwood. For the spooky festivities in three weeks, fans can expect a costume contest with a best prize award and hourly prize giveaways, plus "thrilling music, haunted vibes, and dancing till dawn". Maybe you can dance until dawn, but the concert proper is blocked from 9:30 PM-1:00 AM, with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Tarnished should be in strong rocking form for Halloween night, so see the above links for more details on this concert!

Finally for this all-new concert post, we have a huge show for the holiday season for fans of the 1990s Sault Ontario punk scene, as three big names from that era will reunite on Saturday, December 27th at Soo Blaster! The headliners are a reunion of Fist Magnet, the hardcore punk band featuring future Gatgas frontman Garry Ingram that were a local staple in the early-mid 1990s, as typified by Destroilet's covers of theirs throughout their run. The show will actually be an ARCH Hospice fundraiser in memory of late Fist Magnet guitarist Chuck Ayotte, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018, and while I'm surprised it's taken this long to do a tribute concert, it will be a blast seeing Fist Magnet back after Christmas! No word on how their lineup will look beyond Garry though. Skate punk quartet Room 206 will return to Soo Blaster for their second gig of 2025 here, after headlining drummer Allan Watson's public stag & doe concert at the same venue in April.

Who would have guessed that Mike, Dave, Brad, and Al would play twice this year after a two decade+ layoff? Given the circumstances, I'll still treat this is as a one-off gig, but it would be neat to see Room 206 do more in 2026! In one more throwback to the Windsor Park era and the Going Underground book, fellow 1990s punk band The Spigots will play their first public concert in decades here, and while media from their heyday is understandably slight (is their cassette online at all?), their song "Beer Goggles" from a compilation CD is on YouTube. No word on how their lineup will look (click here to see some former members), but if you were around in the 1990s at local punk shows, The Spigots' reunion will add to things well! Local openers will include the debuting P.R.O.D. (short for "punk rock overdose"), a new band from former Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy. Good to see him back out there!

We don't know much on P.R.O.D. yet, and as best as I can tell, their only online presence is via this Soundcloud page, which features three original songs. More punk based than Detroilet but with good attitude and catchy riffs from what I heard, and it'll be interesting to learn more on P.R.O.D. when things go public! Local crossover thrash quartet Hails (whose frontman Brenton Ellis started out in the local scene in the mid-late 1990s) will open the proceedings on December 27th, so don't bypass them either! This licsenced (sic) and all ages concert will have doors opening at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 in advance or $20 at the door, so send a message to Christian, his old Destroilet bandmate John Conway, or Room 206 drummer Mikey Hawdon (the credited promoters on the Facebook event page) if you want to send an e-transfer for an advance ticket early.

The high school yearbook-themed poster says that they'll only be on sale at The Rad Zone, contradicting the event page description. If you were at all into the local punk scene in the mid-1990s, this will be a must-attend show on December 27th, and with the holiday season still in effect, when else will you be able to attract so many familiar faces back home to do something like this? I'm about a decade behind the curve for local scene eras, but I know how important these three bands were back then and beyond, so don't miss out on what will be a huge concert at year's end! Visit the above links for more details on all three of these upcoming shows, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!