As we did yesterday, this post is largely devoted to musicians who played at Acoustic Heartstrings at the now-closed Room 21 this past Friday night, but in this case, we're actually looking at the show proper, courtesy of videos live-streamed from the venue's Facebook page that night! We also have a video to close from a resurgent local solo musician, but to start, let's relive that Valentine's Day unplugged concert at Room 21, albeit without videos of pop rock quartet Big Mistake. Even if they tackled a hard rock cover, they weren't filmed that night for Room 21's page, alas. We'll start with local punk/alternative trio Handsome Sandwich, who were filmed twice that night, including covers of 'N Sync's "Tearing Up My Heart" (you read that correctly) and, as embedded below, Blink-182's "Aliens Exist". Much more casual than their regular sets, especially in regards to Johnny's drum setup, but the guys are clearly having fun with these renditions, and that 'N Sync one took me a bit to register, so good work on their part! Give these a look above & below!
Next up, Room 21 also filmed debuting local hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads covering System of a Down's "Lonely Day", which won't be a shocking development for fans of these musicians, given that their predecessors Eclipse's last show was as a one-off S.O.A.D. tribute band at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party in 2017. A short 78 second clip, this won't be representative of their electric sets to come, but everyone adapts well for the occasion, and they are well dressed too! Unlike Handsome Sandwich's Johnny Belanger, drummer Chris Thompson played his part on a cajon. Give The Bridge Heads' first public video a look below!
Finally from Acoustic Heartstrings, this isn't of any of the actual scheduled bands, but this video was filmed before Big Mistake's headlining set, and it's of Handsome Sandwich bassist James White in a rare vocal/guitar appearance! Here, he and an uncredited percussionist are covering the second half of Alice In Chains' "Nutshell" followed by Rise Against's "Hero of War". The vocals are a little rough, but this has an authentic yet laid back nature despite the heavy lyrics, and it'd be interesting to see James in this mode more frequently! Give both covers a look below, and see more above!
Finally for today, a prolific local progressive/hard rock solo guitarist has re-emerged with new music, namely Mike Cliffe! While his Audiofumes podcast remains on visible hiatus, Mike has quietly been uploading new music onto his Reverbnation page over the winter, and while Reverbnation's usual lack of providing dates on material and posts is one of my pet peeves of that service, the first four listed songs there appear to be new. The songs include the experimental "Space Junk", the self-explanatory "Blues-In-T", and two songs with out of town collaborators. If I had to point to one for hard rock fans, it'd be "BWH1" featuring Washington drummer Bill Ray, but if you recall Mike's diverse influences and technical nature, there will be a lot to like if you crawl through his posted songs, new and old. As well, Mike posted his first new video in almost two years onto his YouTube channel last week, and it's entitled "Rock Funk Fusion", which features four different small windows of Mike recording separate tracks.
I like the funk sound and upbeat melodies here, and this is an easy track to like, but is this just the tip of the iceberg for Mike's return to his solo music in 2020? In any case, he's back in our active band links. Give Mike's new songs a listen above and below, and stay tuned for more from him and/or Audiofumes when any news rolls in!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll on the site next!
Before we begin today's weekend concert preview post, just two quick notes. One is that The Rad Zone re-opens at 721 Queen Street East (the former Foch Cleaners) TOMORROW at 10:00 AM, so head downtown to see how the new storefront looks and to buy some wares once again! I hope to be in myself shortly. The other note relates to this busy weekend's concert previews, as we'll be holding this weekend's Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concerts for tomorrow's post due to their relatively later scheduling. Look for them then, and now, here's what you should know for half of the hard rock shows this weekend, all with advance notice!
We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Alex and company have yet to post an update on their Facebook page in the month of February, and the venue hasn't newly plugged an acoustic matinee for this week either, but "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, and both band and venue have went weeks between advertising gigs in this arrangement. As such, expect Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to be on hand with more unplugged hard rock covers for tips and coffee, so don't miss out on their well received tunes this afternoon! As usual, this show has an early 12:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, a handful of familiar faces will gather at Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT for a Valentine's Day-themed concert called Acoustic Heartstrings! What originally began as just a seasonal concert has developed extra resonance this month, as Room 21's sister barbecue restaurant Low & Slow (located downstairs) have announced that they are leaving 480 Albert Street West after Friday. The restaurant will re-open on February 21st at 648 Queen Street East (the former J. Caroline's location), and while their announcements did not elaborate on Room 21's future, Acoustic Heartstrings co-promoter Daniel Horton indicated on the Facebook event page that he believes that "this is the last night for Room 21", which has been open since the fall of 2017. I don't know if Low & Slow plans to host concerts in some form in their new location, but hopefully the downtown locale is a boost for their business and operations, even if concerts don't continue there!
As for the concert proper, the three acts are advertised to take part, with the advertised headliners being Big Mistake, the new local acoustic pop rock quartet featuring the aforementioned Daniel Horton on guitar alongside singers Robert Nevitt (ex-Re:Born) & Taylor Emlaw, plus fellow guitarist Rick Atkins. You can hear Big Mistake cover Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" at this link, and while they are a big departure from Dan & Rob's better known projects, they have a lot of talent on hand! Resurgent alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich are fittingly sandwiched in the middle slot for this rare unplugged set, and the guys should adapt themselves well to the more intimate setting! Finally, the advertised openers are another debuting new band from Daniel Horton, they being his new hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads, reuniting him with his old Haggith and/or Eclipse bandmates Curtis McKenzie, Caleb Cachagee, and Chris Thompson after 2+ years apart.
While not a fully representative debut set for The Bridge Heads (see them plugged in opening for First Jason in April), this should be a fine way for them to shake off the stage rust, so don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover, and doors open at 9:00 PM tomorrow. It's sad to see Room 21 close up shop after 2½ years as a reliable source for live musical entertainment in a more casual locale, but hopefully Acoustic Heartstrings sends the venue off on the right notes! See the above links for more on the move/closure and this concert, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!
Finally for today's previews, we'll head downtown to Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return for his usual acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After a busy weekend with four shows at three locales, Tym is only visibly scheduled to play at Gliss over the Valentine's Day weekend, and given that the big day is tomorrow, might Tym have some love songs ready to cover for the occasion? In any event, his covers always deliver a positive reception, so if you want some dinner-time cover action, you know where to go! As always, tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live last year!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
As promised, we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews today with one more Saturday nighter, but to fill things out, I've cobbled together some more stories to make this a full news post, including some assorted shorter topics, a new cover video, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!
A special all-unplugged Valentine's Day concert at Room 21 will go down on Friday, February 14th featuring some familiar faces! The event is entitled "Acoustic Heartstrings", and despite the private Facebook event page, this is absolutely a public concert. Three bands will rock the stage with acoustic sets, including alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich, who should adapt their diverse and amusing sound well in this setting, so don't miss Johnny, Jesse, and James then! Also, this night will see the live debut of new local acoustic cover band Big Mistake, whose lineup features ex-Re:Born singer Robert Nevitt, Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton, guitarist Rick Atkins (who played with Robert at The Soo's Got Talent in 2018), and singer Taylor Emlaw (who guested on a couple of songs from Daniel's old band Haggith.) As best as I can gather from online postings and teasers, Big Mistake will be much softer in tone compared to Robert & Daniel's past local band work.
A third act is to be announced, which appears to involve Daniel's long-time musical colleague Curtis McKenzie, based on a comment on the event page, while their Project 421/Eclipse bandmate Chris Thompson and fellow Haggith alum Caleb Cachagee are also credited as event hosts. Is a new/relaunched band from these artists playing too, or are we being thrown a curveball? This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and doors open at 9:00 PM. Very unique concert that will set the mood well for Valentine's Day celebrants, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates!
Next up, here's our last known local hard rock concert preview for this weekend, as veteran ska punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Allegedly "back by popular demand", this show will be the first for Mark Oliverio, and John & Jonny Amendola since playing a full weekend at the same venue four weeks ago. 2019 was a good year for Tripod the Dog in their return to the live scene, and hopefully tonight's concert is another smash hit as they enter this new decade! This 19+ concert has no cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time, as usual. It's always good to see Tripod the Dog back at it, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's their song from "Local Steel"! We await videos (and a newly updated online page), which would help keep our coverage up to date.
Also today, here's a new video from ex-Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel last week, and it's a cover of.... Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself?! The surprise rendition was compiled for a friend as a birthday present, and the video is humorous in tone, featuring appearances from his fiancee Shelby Kerns (of the benefit concert in June), their daughter Lyric, and their dog Mayan. This isn't the first time that Cory has featured his family so heavily in a YouTube song upload, and while I'm not high on the original song, his well-done cover has a pleasant honesty and appeal in it's own right. Give it a look below!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
Mustang Sally guitarist Mikhal Muto (the son of Issues/Band Camp Rejects alum Michael Muto) is looking for a singer and drummer for a punk/metal band he's currently working on. Guitars and bass are already filled, an age range of 14-19 is specified, and they cover bands like The Foo Fighters, Green Day, and Megadeth, among others, while also incorporating original songs. If you're interested in trying out, message Mikhal at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from January 12th!
This will be old news if you saw them live last year, but local punk trio Redundant have finally confirmed online that Andrew MacDonald is their new bassist, replacing James White. The reveal was made on their biography for their upcoming Bout at the Hideout set in Toronto in March. Andrew is an extremely logical choice, given that he and his new bandmates were all in Fitswitch at one point, while he was also a bandmate of Justin's in their immediate predecessors The Scary Uncles, so things should continue to work out fine!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Before we dive into another drawn out run of weekend concert previews, let's tackle some more recent news and notes, including some new video postings, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning an annual holiday event next month, so here's what you need to know!
The eighth annual Toystock fundraiser concert will take place on Sunday, November 24th, with "10 bands in 10 hours" entertaining the masses once again! As noted on the brand new Toystock website and Facebook page, this yearly Christmas Cheer benefit concert will return to The Grand Gardens North for a fifth straight year next month, and as always, organizers are aiming for this year's installment to garner even more Christmas Cheer donations of toys, food, and cash at this giving time of year, which is always a worthy cause! As usual, Toystock is an ALL AGES event, and expect the Stuff-A-Bus, local vendors, and Santa & Mrs. Claus to make appearances as well! Click here for ongoing non-musical details. Compared to last year, the musical roster for Toystock VIII is more of a throwback to early installments, with less of a focus on returning bands, as only 5 acts in 2019 played last year. That said, who can you see next month, and when?
As you may expect, the 9:00 PM headliners are country rock cover quartet Bone Yard in their sixth consecutive and seventh total Toystock set, while in a mild surprise, power rock quartet Re:Born will get the 8:00 PM co-headlining slot in their event debut. Also making their Toystock debut this year is classic/hard rock quintet Fluid 5ive at 7:00 PM, while fellow veteran rock quartet Soundcheck will play their third straight event at 6:00 PM (and yes, Glen Thomas is donating a few refurbished drumkits once again this year.) Country singer/guitarist Brendan Hodgson will return from last year with a set at 5:00 PM, while some young Toystock newcomers will hit the stage beforehand, including pop rock quartet L!me at 4:00 PM & solo artist Kaitlyn Parr (who I know very little about) at 3:00 PM. A group of unidentified Case's Music students will play Toystock for a fourth straight year at 2:00 PM, following the return of veteran country duo The Jeff & Jeff Show at 1:00 PM for a third year in a row.
Finally, rising young singer/guitarist (and Soo's Got Talent semifinalist) Cameron Oliver will open the day's proceedings at 12:00 PM in his own Toystock debut. Presented by (Choose) Maxx Entertainment, Toystock VIII is FREE with a canned good or toy donation to Christmas Cheer, but you can absolutely donate cash upon entry if you want. It's wonderful to see Greg and company bring Toystock back for another year to help kick off the holidays with style, and with some welcomed younger talent alongside in 2019, hopefully this is the biggest installment yet! Visit the Facebook event page and the above links for full details!
We'll close today with new videos, including footage from Saturday night's Femur-headlined concert at Room 21! Promoters Oh!No Collective (nee Six, Two, Oh) live-streamed three videos from the concert, including one of opening alt-folk act Slumshine, and two of the headlining Thunder Bay "pisscore" trio. One video is of their newer song "Brian Wells" (I presume this is the inspiration), but embedded below is this 7 minute video of them near the end of their set, though I can't make out the song names that Eric gave. Solid view of Femur right at the front of the stage, and they have a brutal noise rock attack that fans should enjoy, so give these a look!
Finally, here's a new song from local goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore, as uploaded to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Sunday! Entitled "Pissed Off & Bouncing Back", this is slated to be on C.T.W.'s official third full length release, whose title and over artwork will reportedly be unveiled on Halloween in time for a December release. If you're not acclimated to Tyler's brand of one-man goregrind, then this will be more of the same (short length, programmed drums, pig squeal vocals), but after the opening photos, you do get some heavily filtered video footage in the second half from C.T.W./Malignant Neoplasm sets at the Oh!No festival and the West of Hell/Expain concert. As always, this style of metal is an acquired taste, but Tyler's brutality, enthusiasm, and determination is never in doubt, and it's great to see him finally getting some new studio material out there in a fuller form factor! Give this video a look below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for mid-week concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!
Here's a new news post on this rainy Sunday, and it's devoted to some big new video updates from a pair of prominent local acts, plus two notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month! Here's what you should know!
Thunder Bay "pisscore" trio Femur will return to the Soo area for the second time this year when they headline at Room 21 on Saturday, October 5th! Some readers will have just seen this band at the third annual Oh!No festival in Leeburn earlier this month as one of the later bands on night #2, but this will be their first ever advertised concert in Sault Ste. Marie proper. Femur impressed many Oh!No attendees with their harsh and unforgiving brand of original hardcore punk, and it'll be great to see them back just four weeks later for an encore! Another act from Oh!No III will be opening this concert, namely local cybergrind solo act Malignant Neoplasm, which you may recall is a side project of C.T.W.'s Tyler Gibson, though much like Slumshine, Tyler played under a mask in Leeburn when representing Malignant Neoplasm. Blood Shed loyalists won't wanna miss this one either! Like at the festival, this is promoted by the former Six, Two, Oh., now known as the Oh!No Collective, who now utilize that full name.
"Co." didn't stand for "company", I wouldn't have guessed that! In any event, this will be the Oh!No crew's first metal concert post-renaming, so come down to Room 21 for all of the action next weekend! This concert has a 10:00 PM start time, it is a 19+ event, and while a $10 suggested cover charge is advertised, so is the "pay what you can" option. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Next up, here's a surprise, as local classic metal quartet Late & Loud will reunite for one night only on Thursday, October 10th with a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar! Many local fans will recall their well received active run from 2010-2014, and after over 5 years away, the guys will return for this special concert, intended as a fundraiser for bassist Benn Garside's upcoming wedding to ex-Danger Cats bassist Jamie VanSchooneveld. If you're keeping track at home, this will be the second marriage between the two bands this year, joining Josh & Kate this summer (what are the odds?!) It is great to see Late & Loud back, if only for one night, so if you've missed the Humane Society Battle winners in the mid-late 2010s, don't bypass this one! The surprise opening acts are DJ Seith and his hip-hop duo project Planet Rock, and while not perfect genre-matches, they should keep ther party vibe going! I don't know if Seith will be mixing songs between sets, or if he's just playing with St. James.
A $10 cover charge is in effect on this night, expect a 19+ age limit, and while an early 8:00 PM start time is advertised, I doubt the bands will be playing that early, potential DJ Seith mixing aside. Note that the poster implies that Late & Loud are "returning to the stage one last time", which could very well be true, but we heard similar finality in August 2014. In any event, this should be a must for fans and friends of Late & Loud who've missed them in past 5 years, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Also today, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback released their long-teased debut music video to their YouTube channel yesterday! Of course, this is for their song "Kicking & Screaming", which is the first single from their forthcoming debut album, which their Facebook page newly confirmed yesterday will be self-titled. If you've seen prior teasers for the video, you'll know that property destruction appeared to be a common theme in the video, and now we get context as to why that is (the song lyrics may have given that away.) If you're hoping to see the full band playing the song, then you may be disappointed (only frontman Chris Nielsen appears on camera), but it's well shot and captures the lyrics and requisite emotion well! Give the full video a look below, stay tuned for more on "A Dire Setback", and don't miss the Michale Graves concert on Saturday!
We'll close with the latest from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt/hard rock musician Mike Haggith, who we haven't heard anything substantive from regarding his solo project since his trip home last month, so what's new to report? Well, Mike posted this teaser video on his Facebook page last night, saying that he's "been hard at work behind the scenes, and we're switching gears a little." The video proper features a computer monitor with what looks like the cover artwork for a new(?) album named "If Ever Comes The Day", plus a 30 second sample of a new song named "The Best You Never Had" that clearly has a full electric band behind it, compared to the music he had showcased from his upcoming solo album "Bridges", which leaned towards acoustic content. Is Mike revising/shelving "Bridges", or is this just another album he's working on too? Remember that he has also announced plans this year for a live album from Nickel Days in Thompson and a remaster of "A Place Of Our Own", neither of which is out yet.
Mike does have a lot on his plate on the best of days (remember what his day job is), but if this is basically "Bridges" being reworked or replaced in his discography, I can't complain about it having more of a rock edge with a full band, be it all him or with other collaborators. Time will tell what exactly is going on, but give the teaser video a look below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
Let's begin our first weekend concert preview post of May 2019, and things are pretty busy to kick off the month! Due to the amount of shows, we're holding our previews of this weekend's Dave Evans, Highway 63, and (late notice) Soundcheck concerts for our next post, which I hope to have hitting the site tonight rather than tomorrow morning. Don't worry, those shows are all coming! Now, let's begin with some more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE) and a couple of events with Thursday components!
With a new month upon us, let's roll local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's May slate of solo concerts into our concert listings, including Gliss Restaurant shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on those gigs, I have been trying to get into the habit of covering Tym's upcoming month's schedule in the last weekend of the preceding month so as to preclude late notice announcements where possible, but that plan slipped by me last week. Along with TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S matinee concerts on Spring Street, Tym will be back at Gliss on May 10th-11th, 17th-18th, 24th-25th, and 31st-June 1st, so fans and Gliss patrons alike will have lots of opportunities to see him there this month! That's not all for May 2019, however, as Tym will play consecutive Friday nighters at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road on May 10th & 17th, while also wrapping up his announced Room 21 shows for early 2019 with a concert there on Friday, May 31st, more likely to come.
Busy as usual for Tym, but if you're up for a night of unplugged hard and classic rock hits, you have a lot of options this month, including TOMORROW & SATURDAY! The Gliss matinees are 6:00 PM affairs, the 19+ Roadhouse & Room 21 shows are at 10:00 PM, and none have an advertised cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live at Room 21 a few months back!
Next up, veteran local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will reportedly make their Water Tower Pub debut with a concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook event page on Monday. Joining this concert, Fluid 5ive will also make their Esquire Club debut on Friday, May 10th, as per that show's Facebook event page, so it looks like the guys are slowly ramping up their live presence as we enter the middle of 2019! Last seen at Room 21 in February, both TOMORROW'S and next week's shows should prove to give the 5ive another solid platform to entertain patrons with their hard rocking and eclectic cover selection, so don't miss out on either night! The shows start at 9:00 PM TOMORROW and at 9:30 PM next week, both are 19+ events, and neither has an announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fluid 5ive live!
Moving to previously announced events, we'll hop the border to the E.U.P., where Banned fronman Alex Traynor will play an acoustic solo concert TONIGHT at The Signatures Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! This will be Alex's first solo show in the Soo since playing at the same locale on March 21st, and this should be another fine opportunity for Alex to break out his own solo originals and unplugged covers, so fans of his Banned work might want to consider a stop at Kewadin Casino's more intimate lounge tonight! Note that this show is still not advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page, nor has Alex been newly promoting it on social media at press time, but it is still advertised on his website's schedule, so we'll treat it as on unless otherwise stated. This 6:00 PM matinee gig has a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Alex live in studio!
Finally for today, this isn't really a concert, but seeing as it takes place TONIGHT, TOMORROW NIGHT, and SATURDAY NIGHT, and it's thematically relevant to our coverage, I can't ignore it. Over these three nights, St. Mary's College is playing host to a student production of the musical We Will Rock You, which is based around the music of Queen! A jukebox musical featuring Queen songs strung into a story of overcoming oppression in a dystopian, un-individualized future, this musical has been a big success globally since debuting in 2002, and it'll be very interesting to see how SMC Spotlight does in bringing We Will Rock You to local audiences with a cast of current St. Mary's students! Click here for the full song and actor listing, which notably includes 2018 The Soo's Got Talent winner Daniella Brewer. This school edition of We Will Rock You is directed by Kait Tappenden, and will be presented at the St. Mary's College Theater at 868 Second Line East.
Tickets run at $20 for adults and $15 for students each night, this is definitely ALL AGES, each night's show begins at 8:00 PM, and you can buy tickets in advance at the Catholic high schools main office. We Will Rock You isn't a musical I'm familiar with compared to others, but it'll be very interesting to hear how local students do tackling Queen classics, let alone in a scripted musical production, so best of luck to everyone involved in this production! Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for the conclusion of this weekend's concert previews next! Thanks everyone!
So as to focus on our (delayed) close to last month's poll and newly launched poll tomorrow, here's a second post on this Thursday, and it includes some assorted recent news, a new video and related apology, a music video from a prominent solo artist, and leading off, the last of our Easter weekend concert previews. Here's what you should know!
First, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's previously announced shows at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After playing their last few concert weekends outside of their 2019 schedule posting, they're back with another pair of dates that had lots of advance notice, marking their first announced gigs there in two months. This frequently seen veteran group should have another solid weekend of hard rocking covers in store for fans at this west end venue this weekend, so keep Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen's shows there in mind for your Easter weekend plans! As usual, these shows should have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!
Next up, here's the third and final music video from Kinross/Mount Pleasant, Michigan solo artist Alex Traynor's debut EP "Crazy World", as posted to his YouTube channel on Monday! This is for his (somewhat) softer original song "What Everything Is Like (High Life)", which was also third on the EP, and the video was shot by Eric Cairns at Third Cinema Productions, a long-time collaborator of Alex's for solo and Banned projects. The video features Alex waking up on a playground carousel, before roaming through a park in the wintertime, singing in front of forest settings and a brick wall (even playing guitar at the end.) Many of the visuals mimic an older 8mm film camera, complete with letterboxing and pillarboxing to simulate smaller aspect ratios, so there's a nostalgic quality in some ways. Well shot and edited, this is a nice way to round out Alex's music video trilogy, and it'll be interesting to see where his original solo work goes from here! Check the video out below!
Also today, here's our belated first video look at Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive, courtesy of a show that they played on Friday, February 8th at... Room 21?! I profusely apologize for missing that concert on the site, the venue's coverage completely slipped us by at the time, though as best as I can tell, it had under a week's notice upon it's announcement, and the band's Facebook page never acknowledged it publically. I will definitely try and stay on top of Fluid 5ive bookings more in the future, but at least we have a video out of it! Live-streamed by the venue that same day, this is of Fluid 5ive covering Radiohead's "Creep", less than 3 months after indie rockers Man Feelings covered it in a prior live-stream. Fluid 5ive have a good handle on this song, though frontman Colin Nelson's vocals almost sound too casual, if that makes any sense, and you see a lot more of the bar's strip lighting than you do of drummer Jeff Pennett for the duration.
The vertical camera angle is unfortunate on the whole, but it's great to have a video of Fluid 5ive at long last, and as you can see in the video and the above image from the show, they definitely weren't lying about having a saxophone in their repertoire! Hopefully there's more videos and updates of Fluid 5ive down the line, but give their Radiohead cover a look below, and I apologize again for missing their Room 21 show in February!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from
the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist
or website name:
Last week, defunct local horror punk quintet Frightlight posted on their Facebook page
to say that "it's been too long" and that they "have booked a show",
details forthcoming. In case this is another one-off like at Halloween,
I'll wait before making a change to their status, but what does
this apparent return show entail? Stay tuned!
The Internet Archive recently posted what they call the MySpace Dragon Hoard,
a 1.3+ terabyte batch of songs downloaded from MySpace as part of an
anonymous research study from 2008-2010. This is by no means
comprehensive for what used to be on MySpace before last year's song
deletions, but it's nice to see hundreds of thousands of songs saved!
The mechanism for the Dragon Hoard is a horrendous RAM hog, so make sure
your device isn't lacking for RAM, and copy & paste your search
inquiries for best results. I have found Woods of Ypres, Treble Charger,
and Clownsack songs, and there's likely more local acts.
Despite his announced retirement from live bands last summer, former Soundcheck/Turner Up drummer Scott McLurg posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on April 1st to say that he was looking to play live once or twice a month, and to private message him at this link
for details. I waited to mention this here in case it was an April Fools
joke, but the posting is still up, so it looks serious. If Scott's able
to play live again with some regularity, I'd be glad to see him back out
there, and message him above for more details!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll next! Thanks everyone!
Now, let's lead off with this weekend's hard rock concert previews as we continue with this new month! No hard rock shows that I'm aware of in Sault Michigan this weekend, but we have a fair amount to touch on for this side of the border, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!
Marquette, Michigan indie/punk trio The Thirties will make their Sault Ontario concert debut when they headline at The New American Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was announced as early as December via the band's label Lost Dog Records' Facebook page, but it didn't cross our radar until just today. A rare stop on this side of the border by a hard rock or punk band from the Upper Peninsula, this is one of two Ontario stops on The Thirties' Lake Superior Circle Tour in support of their debut CD "Twenty Eighteen." Playing a very retro-inspired brand of punk rock that calls to mind acts like The Clash and Elvis Costello (if that's fair), The Thirties should find an audience with their high energy sound TONIGHT, so keep this one in mind! An 8:00 PM start time (following The New A's customer appreciation events) is in effect for this 19+ show, which has no advertised cover charge, but bring cash just in case.
The attraction of a U.P. rock band crossing the border is notable alone, and while I can't find a preview video of The Thirties in action, give them a listen above to see what they have to bring to the table TONIGHT, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Next up, local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 to play another jam-centric concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the official Facebook event page on Monday. As they did on Friday, March 1st, The Wyld Stallyns are advertising this as their "regular first-Friday-of-the-month jam night at Room 21", but I'm not ready to call this as a steady official pattern given that they didn't play any announced shows at Room 21 in February. Still, assuming this is a rigid recurrence, look for them back there on May 3rd. In any event, if you like their jam-style shows with heavy emphasis on attendees joining in, this should be a fun time as Christina, Rob, and Jesse break out more fan favourite covers TOMORROW NIGHT! This 19+ concert has no announced cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live in concert last year!
Moving to previously announced concerts, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street for solo matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, with a traditional nighttime show at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill sandwiched in between TOMORROW NIGHT! Another busy month lies ahead for Tym's long-term arrangement at the downtown restaurant, and if you like some acoustic hard and classic rock hits with your dinner, Tym would be well worth checking out at Gliss over these two evenings! Of course, if you'd prefer to check him out at a nighttime at a popular east end bar, this latest stop at The Roadhouse would be well worth your time as well! Just for advance clarification, this venue is not related to Chuck's Roadhouse Bar & Grill, the chain restaurant that's opening in the old Boston Pizza location on Great Northern Road, and time will tell if the existing Roadhouse opts to make their name more distinct.
As usual for Tym's lengthy Gliss arrangement and his Roadhouse gigs, expect these to have no announced cover charges, with the Gliss shows being 6:00 PM affairs with no stated age limit, and tomorrow's Roadhouse concert being at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Finally for this weekend's currently known hard rock concert previews, it's a blast from the past THIS SATURDAY at The Rockstar Bar, as funk/hard rock trio Tripod the Dog will reunite for this headlining concert! The (as of yet) online page-less band was last seen at Rotaryfest last year as part of their "Rewind" theme of band reunions, but will best be known to many readers from their original run in the local scene from the late 1990s through 2008. Frontman Mark Oliverio (of later Boogie Fever and Glitch fame) will be back to front the revived Tripod the Dog, and while I can't confirm who's joining him in the new lineup, note that Mark calls the new lineup "v4" on his Facebook event page, and he was joined by Sean Berlinguette & Brian Egglesfield on bass & drums at Rotaryfest last year. Mark also noted that this will be the revived band's "inaugural gig", so this doesn't look like a one-off. Look for a wide swath of rock covers on Saturday night, in any event!
A 10:00 PM start time is advertised for this concert, which has a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. It's great to have Tripod the Dog back for good, as it appears, and hopefully this is just the start of another successful run for Mark & company in the area! Visit the venue's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and in lieu of a live video, here's Tripod the Dog's original song from 1998's "Local Steel" compilation"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
Let's dive into the last concert weekend of March 2019 in today's post, luckily without any short notice shows (at press time?) That said, we do have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to add to our listings for next month, so here's what you should know for hard rock bands this weekend and beyond!
Prolific local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant with acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but while we're at it, I'm rolling his April concert schedule into our listings too! Remember, due to their length and amount, we approach Tym's concerts (particularly the Gliss ones) a month at a time for our coverage on the SMS. As such, expect Tym's ongoing run at Gliss to continue unabated through next month (and beyond), with April dates scheduled twice weekly on April 5th & 6th, 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th, and 26th & 27th. Keep these supper-time shows in mind at this popular Spring Street restaurant next month, plus tomorrow & Saturday's March-closing gigs as well, for more strong entertainment! As well, Tym has two traditional nighttime shows next month at different frequent venues of his, both on Fridays, including at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on April 5th and at Room 21 on April 19th.
Tym's busy schedule is always welcome to see, so keep these shows in mind if you're up for some hard rocking unplugged covers this spring! If he is returning to Mark's Breakfast Plus or elsewhere next month, then those gigs haven't been publically announced yet. Tomorrow's, Saturday's, and next month's Gliss shows all have 6:00 PM start times and no stated age limits or cover charges (but mind the locale), while the Roadhouse & Room 21 shows are 19+, at 10:00 PM, and have no cover. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here , and here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Next up, Tym does have one more show this weekend, as he's opening for new-ish power rock band Re:Born in both acts' Soo Blaster debut TOMORROW NIGHT! A precursor to Re:Born's set opening for The Killer Dwarfs at the same venue next month, this will be the Project 421 successors' first concert of 2019, just their fourth total, and their first public appearance since Elly McWatters replaced Robert Nevitt as their new lead singer last fall. Headlining a warm-up gig is a great way for Re:Born to shake off the stage rust, so prepare for a classic metal cover and original blast tomorrow at the former Woolco/NCO building on Queen Street East! Remember, their set will be as a four-piece due to guitarist Frank McGillivray's out of town work commitments. Of course, the aforementioned Tym Morrison is opening in a rare supporting appearance at standalone non-charity concert, and his unplugged hard rock covers should set the tone well tomorrow night!
A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which will have a $5 cover charge. If you love old school hard and classic rock with an increasing slate of original tracks, you'd be well served by going to Soo Blaster tomorrow to see Re:Born's return after over 5 months away! Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Re:Born live!
In a brief detour to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, fans can see Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril back at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These shows were originally advertised as taking place at the St. Ignace Kewadin via this concert calendar in January, and if this wasn't a typo, a reason was not publicized for the concerts' relocation. Marking their first Soo Kewadin stops of 2019, Peril's hard rocking brand of classic covers always a welcome sight when they travel north, fans should give Jeff, Adam, and Brooks a solid welcome back this weekend! No word yet on shows in the second quarter of 2019 or beyond for Peril, we'll let you know when they're confirmed, but their sister band Scarkazm will be in the Soo in May.
Tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. In spite of the mistaken/outdated venue listing from January, Peril should put on a great show both nights in Sault Ste. Marie, so keep tomorrow & Saturday's shows in mind, and stay tuned for word on when Peril will return to St. Ignace! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Peril live!
Finally for this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where Windsor-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return for a well anticipated headlining concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub! Last seen locally in May 2015 (with their planned July 2017 gig here cancelled on late notice), Destroyer's well regarded brand of Kiss tribute action has proven to deliver the auditory and visual goods across Canada, and if you're up for a night of authentic Kiss action, you know where to be on Saturday! The local openers will be local hard rock cover quartet Griphook (who opened for Destroyer here in 2015), ending a nearly two year-long stage hiatus of theirs dating back to Rotaryfest 2017. It's great to see Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony back after far too long, but how much stage rust will Griphook have after the long layoff? Head to The Canadian on Saturday to find out, and hopefully there's much more to come from!
Admission for this 19+ concert is a flat $15 at the door, which is cheaper than in 2015, but that event did have discounted advance tickets, so take that for what you will. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised, and if you're a loyal Kiss Army member, you won't want t miss out on Destroyer's first Sault Ste. Marie gig in over 4 years! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Destroyer live last month!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates, plus this month's CD review in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
After a couple days of just feature posts while I attended to some personal concerns, we're back with regular news today to end the month, courtesy of (most of) this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due the amount of shows this weekend, I am holding our preview of Saturday night's Joni Radford memorial concert for tomorrow's post where it will get proper emphasis, so look for that then! Now, here's what you should know to start March 2019 off, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!
Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday. After a couple weeks off (Rob & Christina's "Me & The Missus" show at Johnny's Chophouse aside), this will be The Wyld Stallyns' first show at the bar above Low & Slow since early January. It's worth noting that the band's Facebook event page credits TOMORROW's show as their "usual monthly gig" there, but given that they didn't play a publically advertised Room 21 show at all in February, that strikes me as a generalization given their frequent shows there. The Wyld Stallyns' brand of unplugged, fan-involvement-friendly, and often heavy covers should go over well TOMORROW, so don't miss out then! There is no cover charge for this 19+ concert, which takes place at 10:00 PM. See above for more details, and here are The Wyld Stallyns live last year!
Next up, we'll take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned are apparently returning for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Double D Bar & Grill at Dondee Lanes! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were quietly advertised on frontman Alex Traynor's website, but they haven't been acknowledged on Banned's Facebook page at press time. For what it's worth, the promotional push for Alex's debut solo EP has been his primary focus as of late, so that may explain the Dondee gigs falling under the social media radar. Surprisingly, these will be Banned's first concerts at the local bowling alley since playing at the then-Sportsman's Lounge last March, so if you've missed Banned at a non-Kewadin venue in the Soo, you may want to circle TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows on your calendar!
You can take in their hard rocking covers at an earlier 8:00 PM start time both nights, with 21+ age limits and no cover charges expected. Assuming these are definitely on as advertised, Banned should put on a solid show TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so see above for details, and here's Banned live!
Moving to previously announced concerts, let's briefly head back to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has three more acoustic shows this weekend to kick off another busy month! You can see Tym continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT with two more acoustic matinees, while the shows bookend a traditional nighttime concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT as well. Whether you're at one or more of these concerts, Tym Morrison's unplugged hard rock and classic hits should garner a solid reception once again, so keep his downtown matinees and his east end Friday nighter in mind! As usual, the Gliss shows are st 6:00 PM with no stated age limit, the Roadhouse gig is at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit, and none have a cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Finally for today, let's go back to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E are scheduled to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Note that 415E have not directly plugged these shows on their Facebook page at press time, but they are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page, and are the only 2019 gigs at any Kewadin branch currently adverised for the former Hubbard-Menard Band. After returning from their lengthy hiatus and lineup retooling last month, this will be 415E's second concert weekend in this new era, and their first in St. Ignace since their last pre-hiatus concert weekend in July 2017, so if you didn't see Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason last month, here's your next chances! You can take in their Van Halen-influenced rock attack tomorrow & Saturday at 9:00 PM, with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and here's 415E live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Joni Radford benefit concert preview and much more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
It's now time to preview the last concert weekend of February 2019, and while the only hard rock shows coming up are all of the veteran cover variety, we do have a lot of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS intertwined, some on SHORT NOTICE, plus some recent updates from a prominent solo artist. With all of that said, ere's what you should know!
Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet Highway 63 will return to The Double D Bar & Grill (formerly The Sportman's Lounge) at Dondee Lanes for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on the band's Facebook page on Monday. This will be Highway 63's first concert weekend at the Dondee since their new lineup debuted at the bowling alley's Christmas party, so if you haven't been to a Kewadin branch to see the Switzers, George, Justin, and Brian in the interim, why not swing by for TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts? The new look Highway 63 have been getting solid reviews since their first concert weekend, and hopefully they rock The Double D Bar with lots of familiar and hard hitting classics this weekend! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows have early-ish 8:00 PM start times, no cover, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!
Next up, we'll head to Sault Ontario, where fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, I only learned of these concerts via SooToday's events calendar this week, and the band's Facebook page has not confirmed the dates at press time. Fresh off of their Esquire Club gigs last week, this will be Soundcheck's first concert weekend at the former Roosevelt Hotel since early January. Fans of Soundcheck 1980s-leaning brand of classic rock and heavier hits should take to TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's west end action, so keep both shows in mind! Note that classic rock veterans The Algo Rhythms will be playing matinee sets at Reggie's West at 3:00 PM both days, but there's over two hours between bands, so they are considered to be separate shows.
Soundcheck's concerts are slated to begin at 9:30 PM TOMORROW & SATURDAY, these are 19+ events, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen live last year!
Finally for this weekend's currently announced hard rock concert previews, we'll touch on a couple of gigs that had advance notice, namely local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's regular acoustic matinee concerts at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but while we're in the business, let's roll his March gigs into our concert calendar today also! First, his long-term arrangement at Gliss will continue for solo headlining shows on March 1st-2nd, 8th-9th, 15th-16th, 22nd-23rd, and 29th-30th, so if you love his acoustic hard and classic rock covers, his Gliss run is scheduled to continue twice a week like clockwork through next month! If you's rather see Tym at a traditional nighttime slot, you have three chances next month, all on Fridays, including shows at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road on March 1st & 15th, followed by a concert at Room 21 on Albert Street West on March 22nd. Busy month ahead for sure, hopefully Tym has a great set each night!
Of course, if you can't wait for those shows, his unplugged covers will still be just as effective and prolific this weekend at Gliss, so keep tomorrow and Saturday's shows in mind! As usual, this weekend's and next month's Gliss matinees have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits (but mind the locale), while next month's Room 21 and Roadhouse shows are 19+ affairs with no cover and a 10:00 PM start times. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here , and here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Room 21 earlier this month!
Finally for today, here's some long overdue updates from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, starting with his new announcement that the title track from his upcoming studio album "Bridges" will be released on March 5th as it's second single! Mike confirmed on his Facebook page that the song will be themed along feeling isolated and it's relation to the mental health crisis, and you can tell it has personal meaning to him. Expect the song to turn up on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and elsewhere in a couple of weeks, and Mike promises updates on the "Bridges" album will follow. While we wait for both the song and album, Mike was spotlighted in a news article from The Thompson Citizen on February 11th, so what should you know there? Written by journalist Kyle Darbyson with interview remarks from Mike, the article explores how "Bridges" is expected to be his biggest release, his move to Thompson in late 2017, his integration into their music scene, ...
...his "The Nature of The Times" music video, the album's lyrical themes, and it's recording process, among other topics. Solid article that outlines Mike's musical background and current work in a way that Thompsonians will appreciate, and it sounds like his current material is progressing nicely! Read the whole article above, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
Finally for today, a prolific local progressive/hard rock solo guitarist has re-emerged with new music, namely Mike Cliffe! While his Audiofumes podcast remains on visible hiatus, Mike has quietly been uploading new music onto his Reverbnation page over the winter, and while Reverbnation's usual lack of providing dates on material and posts is one of my pet peeves of that service, the first four listed songs there appear to be new. The songs include the experimental "Space Junk", the self-explanatory "Blues-In-T", and two songs with out of town collaborators. If I had to point to one for hard rock fans, it'd be "BWH1" featuring Washington drummer Bill Ray, but if you recall Mike's diverse influences and technical nature, there will be a lot to like if you crawl through his posted songs, new and old. As well, Mike posted his first new video in almost two years onto his YouTube channel last week, and it's entitled "Rock Funk Fusion", which features four different small windows of Mike recording separate tracks.
