LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB), Without Compromise Updates, And Much More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran local musician Paul Leclair, who passed away yesterday of complications from cancer at the age of 74, as per numerous personal Facebook postings. While not a hard rock or metal musician, Paul will be familiar to many from his work as singer/guitarist in local bands like Midway, Moonshadow, and (most recently) Dorian Grey, who played classic rock at local venues for over a decade and were gigging as recently as last summer. For many years, Paul was the secretary-treasurer and vice president of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 276, and was a key asset in helping local musicians of many stripes to work through business, contract, and insurance dealings, as well as to get work visas put together to be able to perform/tour in the United States. He was occasionally referenced in SMS posts via his union work.

While I never had the honour of meeting Paul, we were briefly slated to judge a battle of the bands together alongside Soundcheck's Terry Eaton at the former Rednecks Saloon (Nicolet Tavern) way back in February 2015, but it was cancelled when the larger VM Radio Battle of the Bands was scheduled to begin less than two weeks later. He was a good and very knowledgeable person who helped so many local artists over the years through the union, and he will definitely be missed. R.I.P. Paul!

Today's post otherwise catches us up on some recent news, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will rock The Machine Shop TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for online page-less local Tragically Hip cover band The Luxury as part of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival! Apologies for the short notice, we first learned of this show late last week via Bon Soo social media advertising. Modern day concerts outside of the opening ceremonies at Bon Soo rarely cross our radar, but this is an exception, and this special mid-week concert is reportedly being held "to show our appreciation" to Bon Soo supporters. This will be BookcluB's second publically advertised gig of 2026 (last seen at The Kiln last month), but you may have seen frontman Mikey Hawdon and bassist Dustin Jones playing outside of The Machine Shop as Dos Amigos this past weekend!

Alas, I only heard about this outdoor gig via a Facebook "story" (one of the posts that vanish from that strip on your news feed after being viewed once or twice), so here we are. I wish bands wouldn't rely on "Stories" (a couple have been posting new videos as "Stories" that are impossible for me to link to in posts), but I do apologize for missing that here. You can see the full BookcluB experience with their fan friendly and unique range of covers TOMORROW NIGHT! Note that the picture attached to the band's Facebook post plugging TOMORROW'S show includes guitarist Brandon Ruch, who moved out of town last fall, so I don't 100% know if they just used an old band photo or if he is actually returning to the Soo for this gig. As for The Luxury (featuring Tripod The Dog, Billy Bastards, Redefined, Sidekicks, and Late Shift alumni) they deliver a faithful and talented take on Hip classics from the 1980s and 1990s, so don't bypass them!

While tickets were reportedly briefly on sale early, TOMORROW'S indoor show will be FREE with a Bon Soo button ($12) or jacket tag ($8), and if you don't have one yet, they will be on sale at Mill Square if you come out. This is an all ages show at 8:00 PM. Should be a fun mix of covers (especially for Tragically Hip fans) TOMORROW at Bon Soo, so visit the above links for more details, and here's BookcluB live!

Finally for today, here's a band we haven't talked about in way too long on here, namely local rap metal project Without Compromise! I admittedly slacked in covering them for months on end, and I apologize for that, but it didn't help that project leader (and former Winkstinger guitarist) Jason Ladouceur quietly left Facebook last year. However, Jason is still working on Without Compromise, and has continued uploading music for the former Less Than Zero to its Bandlab page and YouTube channel! A lot of his newer music and art has been along the lines of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness, and he has seemed to embrace AI as tech, so keep that in mind. In listening to Jason's newest material, the music is getting more varied, with metal songs mixed in symphonic and electronic elements, and while his vocals are still a work in progress (and sometimes buried in production), he is applying them in different roles and methods of singing.

 

I won't pretend to understand the artistic ethos of Without Compromise in the past year, but there is definitely talent on display, and Jason can still shred when the song calls for it! He has seemed to play down the rap aspect (at least for his own vocals) in his newest songs, but note that his song "Todayz" seems to include an AI model of Eminem rapping. There's promising music to check out here, so dig through their Bandlab and YouTube content above to see what he's been up to, and here's one of Without Compromise's newer uploaded songs, "In The Darkness"!

 

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sylo & Tarnished!!)

Just before things get rolling on the SMS, today marks our eighteenth anniversary since launching the original group. No major plans to commemorate the day, but just a brief thank you acknowledgement to all of our readers and followers for continuing to stick around and read/engage with our content, and here's to another big year for local metal, hard rock, and punk music ahead! For our first batch of weekend concert previews for July 2025, we have an all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post, mostly of the SHORT NOTICE variety, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished have a busy and all-short notice concert weekend ahead, and before we get into all three gigs, I apologize for the short notice on all of them, Tarnished only announced the three via their official Facebook page earlier today. Is that a record for late notice gig announcements by one local band at different venues on a given weekend? Regardless, Tarnished will kick off the Independence Day long weekend TONIGHT when they return to the annual Fourth of July parade in Sault Ste. Marie, marking their fourth straight year playing on a float during the parade! Of course, the idea of a SMS-amenable band playing during a parade is still uncommon for bands other than Tarnished, but it'll be like a brief concert coming to you, which will be neat if you're checking out the parade TONIGHT! Obviously, this is free and all ages, but where can you see Tarnished along the parade route?

As last year, the parade begins TONIGHT at 7:00 PM behind the U-Haul on Davitt Street, running until Magazine Street, and will move north along West 14th and Ashmun Streets, as well as West Portage Avenue, so pick a good spot to enjoy the parade, with some hard rocking tunes from Tarnished alongside! Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with weather around 70° (21° Celsius), which sounds like fine conditions for a parade! Click here for complete details on the parade itself. Tarnished will continue the rocking in short notice show #2, as Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron will set up shop at The Savoy Nightclub TONIGHT at 10:00 PM! This will be Tarnished's first show at the 117 West Portage Road bar in over two years, and while The Savoy's modern social media presence isn't high, it is good to see that they're still open and hosting live music there! This is a 21+ concert with no announced cover charge.

Finally for Tarnished's busy long weekend, they'll return an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT as part of the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park at 200 North State Street, and in one more new show announcement, they'll return there on Saturday, August 16th as well! Good to see Tarnished spreading their wings and helping prove that there's more going on for St. Ignace concert venues than just Kewadin Casino, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind! Click here for the full daily schedule at the Music In The Bay series too, it runs until the end of August. This is another free & all ages concert taking place from 7:00-9:00 PM, and while the stage is covered for the band's sake, be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 40-60% chance of rain TOMORROW with 75° weather (24° Celsius). Visit the above links for more on Tarnished's shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Sylo will return to Reggie's Place TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Sunday (remember, Sylo don't have an active Facebook page). This has been a long time coming, as Sylo haven't played a show on record at Reggie's since 2022, so it will be neat to see Eli, Alder, Owen, and Jakob back at this Queen Street staple for a rare solo headlining appearance! Sylo have been making the most out of their return to active gigging this summer, and here's hoping for more of the same entertaining originals and covers from this talented young foresome TOMORROW! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in classic rock cover quartet RPM playing there tonight. TOMORROW'S Sylo concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Sylo live!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Nathan S

After a mild delay due to family commitments, here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we're again spotlighting a YouTube channel (randomly selected as ever) whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands/concerts, in order to showcase the channel's uploads for current readers! Today's channel takes us back to the mid-2010s for one of the more familiar, if not that long lived, of the timely explosion of 1-2 man bands in Sault Ontario, with a cameo from a timely band reunion, so here's what you should know!

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nathan s (http://youtube.com/channel/UChwG1p_eVz_bQjN2ckXCYVw)

Owner: Former Lion Ride bassist and Fuller/Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve, a.k.a. "Naythang Sauvege"

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 27th, 2011; Videos uploaded from May 2014 until August 2015

Channel Summary: Despite previously uploading seven videos of his hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back opening for Biipiigwan at The Moose Lodge on his sauvij channel in November 2013, Nathan opted to instead post future Bad Back videos on a separate personal YouTube channel that he created in 2011, which had no videos of its own beforehand. Nathan uploaded 19 videos to this channel, including eleven from live concerts (all but one featuring Bad Back), and seven from jam sessions. Nathan's only upload not related to a local band is a video of his dog.
 
Why You Should Watch: This is a must watch channel if you liked and enjoyed Bad Back during their 2013-2015 local run, and you get a nice cross section of their minimalist punk & grunge originals throughout the different settings! The lone non-Bad Back concert video is also very notable given who's in it, while the video of Nathan's dog will appeal to dog lovers! Remember, this channel doesn't include 2013 content, which was put on Nathan's prior channel before he opted to focus on this one, but new videos continued for about as long as Bad Back was a going concern.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

bad back uncut jam june 17 2014 official video: Nathan's first five uploads here are all jam session recordings from mid-2014, featuring him and singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent (also formerly of Fuller). Two are of them playing their own original songs "Girl, Do You Wanna?" & "Number One Hit Single", but the other three are all 50+ minute off-the-floor videos of them playing original songs and covers intermixed with amusing camaraderie, start-and-stop performances, and in-the-moment live mishaps. The channel's most viewed video of these is this jam from June 17th, 2014. It'd be a fool's errand to link to every single song attempted in the three longform videos, but Nathan loosely notes the songs and bands tackled, with some tantalizingly irreverent captions in between. Strong recording quality and enthusiasm across the board, these are a fun watch to see the guys letting loose (also, gotta love the band poster wall!)

bad back - two tongues at the new a july 15: Three different Bad Back shows were filmed for Nathan's second channel, including a private house party in their jam space via this 36 minute video, but the other two are from public events at downtown nightclubs. One was when they opened for The Archaics at The New American Pub in July 2014, where they were filmed covering NOFX's "Linoleum" and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "American Girl", as well as playing their originals "Shirt Tucker", "Drum My Way Home", and as featured here, "Two Tongues". Despite muffled vocals, Jamie & Nathan deliver strongly with nice audio quality on these hard hitting songs, but the overhead camera angle will not be for all tastes. It has grown on me, but be advised that none of Bad Back's videos on this channel go with a straight-ahead view from the floor.

Detroit Reunion Show December 23rd 2014: While two more jam session videos followed in 2015, Bad Back's last filmed public concert here was when they opened for the one-off reunion of local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit at The Algonquin Pub in December 2014. Six videos were shot for Nathan's channel that night, including four Bad Back originals & a cover of Hole's "Violet", but featured here is 5½ minutes of Detroit playing the last bit of "Blue Collar", "Lord, Beer Me Strength", "Fortress" (with Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque on guest vocals), and the beginning of "Shithouse Ratt". Remember, Detroit originals were very short, hence why so much was crammed in this one video. Featuring Slumshine/These Magnificent Tentacles frontman Brenton Ellis, ex-Maximum RNR guitarist Curtis Faux, Cross Dog bassist Mark Rand, and Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon, this side-stage video captures another unique high angle, and they tore through their fast paced originals with ease! Note that the Bad Back videos from this event were shot on the opposite side.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we're looking at multiple channels due to our first randomly selected channel only having one SMS-fitting video, As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of Paul Stanghetta (featuring an Apocalypse Afterparty video) and NassieHysteria (featuring a dozen Treble Charger lyric videos). Look for all of this on or around September 26th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Just Leppard & Tym Morrison), A New Single Release, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I want to apologize again for missing a recent Soundcheck concert, as the classic/hard rock cover quartet returned to Reggie's West for an apparent one-nighter this past Friday. This show was only announced at 2:03 PM the day of the show, and they have not announced a non-open mic night on more than 12 hours notice since August. I profusely apologize, but with such short notice combined with out general slowdown of news stories lately, this doesn't bode well for our chances of catching them in time. Hopefully last weekend was a hit, and I will double check Soundcheck's Facebook page tomorrow for obvious reasons!

Now, let's get to some recent news, a video, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with one on SHORT NOTICE, as prolific local hard rock musician Tym Morrison will play a rare concert at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page on Monday. As best as I can tell, this is the first public concert on record (at least with Facebook promotion) that Tym has played at the 602 Bay Street venue, and it's the first New A show we've covered on the site since Fluid 5ive played there in December 2019 (you can guess why it's taken this long). The New American has sporadically been hosting live music during the pandemic, most recently bringing back classic rock cover acts in September after last pausing that schedule during the April lockdown, and it's good to see that Tym's extensive and often heavy setlist will find its way there TOMORROW!

This one-night-only concert has a special 6:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Vaccine passports must be shown upon entry as per Ontario public health guidelines, while as usual, please follow the venue's public safety measures to ensure that everyone has a safe time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym's newest original song, as uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday! An instrumental entitled "In All God's Glory", the song is set to assorted clips and stock footage of a religious or ethereal nature, but the song is definitely an upbeat metal track complete with a killer shredding solo. Nicely done composition for long-time fans, so give it a listen below!

Next up, Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a concert on Saturday, November 6th at The Rockstar Bar! This show comes almost two years after Just Leppard made their local debut at the former Canadian Nightclub, and I believe this will mark the first show from any touring band at The Rockstar Bar since before the pandemic began. Just Leppard had only played their first ever live concert three months before the November 2019 show here, and even then, they had a strong handle on Def Leppard's classic singles, so with two years to hone their craft (pandemic acknowledged), they should deliver even more for hair metal fans next month! This 19+ concert has tickets running for $15 in advance (buy them at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk) or $20 at the door. Admission is limited due to social distancing measures at the venue.

Vaccine passports must be shown to enter The Rockstar Bar for this event, and while this will be taking place after the reported introduction of QR codes as an alternative to the existing passport forms, I don't know how that will work in regards to this venue and concert. In any event, please follow any and all social distancing and public health measures to ensure that everyone has a safe time and that The Rockstar Bar might bring more touring bands here short-term. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, here's the latest from local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp, who do have some new material to check out on their Bandcamp page! If you recall Boyd's teaser/admission about wanting to cover Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'" but waffling on finishing it after discovering that Ministry already covered it, then I have good news, as Boyd did release it after all! Featuring guest vocals by Swampgut's Frank McCormick, this cover is over eleven minutes long, and it's definitely distinct from Ministry's version. I don't find that Frank's vocals suit music this tech-heavy, but it's a unique take with a nice long stretch of noise rock between key verses, so give it a listen above to see what you think! Afterwards, Molten Imp starting hyping up the release of their second virtual single "Constable Sewage", which was successfully released on Sunday, so what should you know there?

Featuring two (kinda three) songs running for an equal length, you can buy "Constable Sewage" above for $5 or stream it for free. It's great to see that Molten Imp finally have their teased follow-up single out, but might it be our next CD review on the SMS? Stay tuned in any event, and check out all of Boyd's new musical exploits above, and/or via their new Twitter page!

Finally, here's a new video from August's Goo Goo Dolls/Cheap Trick concert outside of the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! This was uploaded by the YouTube channel of Audio Allegro, a Traverse City, Michigan-based music review website that frequently posts videos to their TikTok page, often from major Lower Peninsula concerts. The video was first posted on TikTok shortly after the concert took place, but Audio Allegro only posted it to YouTube on September 17th, hence why we didn't discuss it when the show was timely. TikTok recently increased it's maximum video length to 3 minutes, and this one is just over 2 minutes, but what is there to see? After the channel owner introduces what show he's seeing, we get brief clips of him driving across the Mackinac Bridge and a POV angle of him walking to his seat before the concert began. Cheap Trick are only featured via 13 seconds of them playing "The Flame" & "Surrender".

Naturally, The Goo Goo Dolls get the rest of the video's runtime, given that they were the headliners, and you get a lot of clips of familiar songs like "Slide" & "Iris" over the last 90 seconds or so. It's a short video in vertical portrait orientation, but Audio Allegro's footage was of solid quality, and it was interesting seeing the seating layout before the bands began! I'd have included more of Cheap Trick, but give the whole thing a quick watch below!

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

More New At-Home Performance Videos & Some Assorted Recent News Items!!

Another video heavy post today, but we do have some assorted news and notes to get to at the end, which does include a couple of concert cancellations. Let's start in video-land though with the first new videos from prolific local punk/metal guitarist Tiffany Stocco's YouTube channel in over a year! Not long after helping her Guitar Gangsters bandmate Buzz out with his recent live-stream, the Jack Spades/Stegadeth/et al. guitarist posted play-along covers of The Distillers' "The Young Crazed Peeling" (which will definitely please Coral Fang fans) and, as embedded below, Bad Religion's "American Jesus". The backing songs can drown out her playing a little, but she knows these songs well, and the videos are nice quality, so fans of her local band work and prior cover videos will definitely want to check these ones out above and below!



Next up, let's head to the U.S.A. for some new videos from former Bad Side guitarist and The Bear/Yes FM DJ Jason Mapes! We haven't heard much locally from Jason since 2010, when he was let go from his radio gigs in the wake of the Sovereign/Northern Star buyout, with Bad Side dissolving that summer. Jason has since moved to Nashville and has continued recording as a solo musician, releasing his star-studded debut album "The Devil Plays Guitar" in July. Bad Side fans will like that it features drummer Jonah Brockman on each track, while fellow Bad Side alumni Dan Furmanik, Rob Johnson, and Paxton Olney all feature as guest musicians. The songs resemble Bad Side's 1980s-influenced bluesy hard rock stylistically, obviously differed by having Jason on vocals, and while his solo project isn't locally based, don't bypass his strong recent output! In terms of videos, Jason does have two new performance clips to check out on his YouTube channel!

Credited to a series named "Songs From The Squeaky Floor" (I think I can tell why they're called that), these are new at-home covers of Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" and, as embedded below, Bon Jovi's "Superman Tonight". The motion blur effect doesn't feel necessary, but these covers (on a double-necked guitar!) are effective and make good use of his higher but edgy vocal range, and it's great to see that Jason is staying busy with quality solo music in the past decade! Give his new covers a look below, and buy/stream "The Devil Plays Guitar" at the above links!



Let's head back to Ontario for a new cover of Fall Out Boy's "Thriller" by local/Elliot Lake alt-punk solo project Ashoka At The Show, as uploaded to the 184Films YouTube channel earlier today! I'm not a Fall Out Boy fan, but Darren matches it nicely to an unplugged form factor, and the recording quality is as great as ever, so give it a watch below!



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

• The fourth annual Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as per their Facebook page, and tickets are refundable at point of purchase. Had the festival take place, it would have expanded to a two night format over the July 10th weekend, and some of the scheduled touring bands were tagged in the post about the cancellation, though no word on if The Rising Tide or other punk/hard rock acts would have played too. Very disappointing, but look for the festival's expected return in July 2021!
• I have removed next week's Numbing-headlined concert at The New American Pub from our concert calendar due to the extension of Ontario's emergency order until May 19th, which means that non-essential businesses like nightclubs will be closed until at least that date. Click here for details on the emergency order. For full disclosure, this concert has not been publically called off by Numbing, The New A, or promoters Dryer Fire, but it's status was on thin ice at best given what's going on in the world.
• Reports of local Tool tribute band Parabol's demise are premature! While their Facebook page was indeed taken down over the winter, it was due to Facebook flagging the page for copyright violations, as per Facebook comment replies. In other words, their Tool covers were too close to the real thing! That said, Parabol still haven't played a public concert since headlining at Soo Blaster in October, and I don't think they have replaced that page yet, but in the coronavirus era, that may be of secondary concern. We'll let you know when they publically resurface!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Numbing), New Eastern U.P. ConcertVideos, And Much More!!

We have a new news post to check out on this Monday night, including some assorted recent news and updates, new videos from the Sault Michigan area, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a couple months from now!

Victoria, British Columbia grunge quartet Numbing will make their local concert debut when they rock The New American Pub on Thursday, May 14th! A relatively new band who are touring in support of their debut album "Make Yourself Hard To Kill", Numbing definitely fit the 1990s grunge/indie vibe with their studio originals, and while not as heavy for the genre as familiar past local bands like No Arrow, Numbing will more than do the trick with their talented blend of sounds in two months! A local opener is to be announced. Promoted by Dryer Fire in their apparent New A debut, a $10 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has an advertised 8:00 PM start time, and they're even hyping up free popcorn! It'll be neat to see Numbing on a local stage later this spring, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this concert as they roll in!

Next up, here's some new videos from Michigan bands of note, starting with a new teaser clip towards local classical metal band Theatre of Night's fourth annual Christmas tour, which will return for more seasonal metal renditions of Christmas carols on a live stage! This short teaser clip (uploaded to the band's YouTube channel earlier today) features a slideshow of photos from their Dreammakers Theater show at the local Kewadin Casino last year, as set to the band playing, albeit not of a recognizable carol. The photos were taken by photographer Crissy Dansak, but her Facebook page does not feature the full copies, alas. One can expect Theatre of Night to return to a local stage again in December, perhaps twice, though they only played the one E.U.P. date in 2019. The video's description notes that both a "2020 Christmas tour and album (are) in the works", with the latter not being an entirely new reveal given all of their studio teaser videos on their Facebook accounts in the late 2010s.

Aside from their minimally-advertised Reverbnation albums like "Guntower Democracy", what will the teased new album entail? A full-band re-recording of "Christmas Night", something more akin to their live concert in studio form, or something entirely different? We'll keep you posted when more comes out, but Theatre of Night should be busy in late 2020 once again, so see above and below for more details!

Also today, we have a new live video of Traverse City classic metal trio Peril to share here, specifically because it was shot at their concert at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on February 15th! The first ever video upload on their Facebook page, this 52 second clip features the guys covering The Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" to a packed audience on the floor, notably featuring occasional bassist Dave Weber (in place of his Scarkazm bandmate Adam Crawford that weekend) on lead vocals. You don't see much of Peril compared to the fans, but the cover sounds good, and everyone's having a good time, so what more can you ask for? It's just nice to see a Peril video shot at an E.U.P. gig, as those don't come along every day. Peril won't be back in St. Ignace for three months, but check their Beastie Boys cover from last month out in the interim, and don't miss Scarkazm at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo this weekend!



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:

• Sault Ontario southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will make their public concert debut (jam/open mic nights aside) when they open for Metallica tribute band Sandman at The Canadian Nightclub on Good Friday! The band just confirmed the gig on their Facebook page tonight, but the Facebook event page has not followed suit at press time. If true, this is a huge platform for Fort Creek to play their first formal show at, so visit the above links for more on this concert!
• In their first Facebook page posting in almost a year, defunct Sault Michigan grunge trio Half Stupid shared apparent cover artwork for a single (or album?) named "937 Years" last week, with the caption "Coming VERY soon." Zac (I assume) had teased that they were posthumously recording an original song they never finished in their original run last year, so is this that song, or have plans escalated? Stay tuned for updates as they roll in! 
• Sault Ontario/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith revealed on his Facebook page yesterday that his long-awaited new solo album "If Ever Comes The Day" will be released on Friday, May 15th! He also included the clearest image yet of the album cover, albeit with release advertising laid on top. Mike is promising to launch the CD "in spectacular fashion", but what does this entail? Follow Mike above to see what gets announced!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Strange Coyotes & The Wyld Stallyns) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

With the holidays approaching ever faster, we have a busy weekend of concerts ahead, so we are breaking this weekend's previews into two posts. Bands with advance notice gigs on Saturday (re: Theatre of Night, Soundcheck, and Tym Morrison) will be covered in our next post, but for now, let's dive into bands involved in SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus one-nighters today and tomorrow. Here's what you should know!

Local funk metal band The Strange Coyotes will reunite for the first time in over 5 years TONIGHT at the temporarily re-opened Dryer Fire pop-up venue at 128 Bruce Street! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore's solo Facebook page last week. This is not the first time that this band has announced a reunion, as Chase and bassist James Watterworth had planned to reunite for Chase's cancelled Devil's Night concert last year, but TONIGHT's show looks to proceed as advertised. It's great to see them back, but details are admittedly scant on the Facebook event page. As Mike moved out of province, will there be a new drummer? Are any other acts playing? Is this a one-off reunion, or can we expect more Strange Coyotes gigs in 2020? In any event, this is the only metal-featured concert in Dryer Fire's two week return engagement on Bruce Street, and this show has a 6:00 PM start time, a "pay what you can" entry model, and no age limit, as usual at the pop-up gigs.

The Strange Coyotes had a fun and eclectic set during their original run that produced two albums, and whether or not this is a full time reunion, it will be cool seeing Chase & James back to do their thing again TONIGHT! Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Strange Coyotes live! Also, Dryer Fire are now linked in our "Other Local Metal Links" section (not with concert venues due to the short-term rental nature of the Bruce Street locale.)

Next up, local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Whiskey Barrel! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Monday. The Elements' side project had taken a three week break while singer Christina Speers acted in the local production of Cats (as the band promoted on their Facebook page), and this will be their first public concert set at the Gore Street nightclub since The Whiskey Barrel's first anniversary party on November 16th. A stop at their arguably favourite public concert venue should be a great way to shake off some cobwebs, so don't miss The Stallyns' eclectic cover selection on SATURDAY! As usual for their shows here, expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charges, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more on their return to the stage, and here they are live!

Moving on to shows with advance notice, let's take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members thereof) will continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Another afternoon's worth of hard hitting and classic covers should be in store for coffee-shop patrons and fans alike, and whether you're getting Alex alone or Alex with Nathan or Josh, you should be in good musical hands! As usual for this long-term run at the Ashmun Street business, today's show is a 12:00 PM matinee with no cover charge or age limits, but remember that Tarnished traditionally play here for tips (and coffee.) Visit the above links for more information on today's show if it comes in, and here's Tarnished live!



Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will return to The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! As previously announced via the venue's Facebook event page, Fluid 5ive actually did update their Facebook page after a three month break to plug this show, as well as an apparent concert at The Marconi Event Centre on Albert Street West one week ago. Given the nature of the hall and the events it tends to hold, plus the lack of advertising on social media for any Marconi Club concerts last week, I am inclined to believe that was a private event, but I'll let you know if that assumption is wrong. In any event, I'm glad to see that the 5ive are using their Facebook page again, you'd think they would want to given their uptick in gigs to end 2019! As usual, tomorrow's New A show is a one-off due to the venue's Saturday karaoke nights. An 8:00 PM start time is in effect, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Fluid 5ive live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Soundcheck, Theatre of Night, and Tym Morrison previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fluid 5ive & The Wyld Stallyns) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews (Toystock aside), we have an apology to make for a missed concert, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quintet Highway 63 played at Huck's Pub & Grill (formerly Joe's Bar & Grill) this past Saturday at a publically advertised hunter's bash. The venue had plugged the show on their Facebook page since November 5th, but the band only followed suit on the day of the event. Huck's is still uncommon for our coverage, but I do apologize or missing it, and hopefully the hunter's bash was a for Highway 63 and fans alike! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will play a rare headlining concert at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band and venue only confirmed this concert via their respective Facebook pages earlier today. Yes, The New A had a poster made in-house to promote the concert, but as they spelled the band's name in a normal, Bill & Ted-free way (Wild Stallions), it didn't seem to fit for this particular write-up. A one nighter due to The New American's regular Saturday night karaoke festivities, this will be the Elements side project's first appearance at this downtown nightclub since playing at a Special Olympics Winter Games fundraiser here last December. This fan favourite trio should have another solid night of covers in store, so don't miss out TOMORROW! Note that the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page also credits The Stallyns as playing at The Whiskey Barrel on Saturday, but the band has not confirmed that.

As best as I can tell, this listing is a remnant of that page's coverage of shows last week, but if the band is indeed playing there on Saturday, we'll let you know. In any event, TOMORROW'S New A stop is an 8:00 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will reportedly rock Reggie's West for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of these dates via the aforementioned Sault Music News Letter Facebook page, though in this case, these are newly added listings. While not publicized by the band proper online, this will be Fluid 5ive's apparent debut at the Reggievelt, so if you're up for some classic and hard rock hits not typically played on the local bar circuit, don't bypass these dates! It's worth noting that the Sault Music News Letter page only lists these as taking place at Reggie's, but given that the downtown Reggie's Place reportedly closed permanently in September (more on that soon), it's a safe assumption that they mean the Korah Road location. As usual, expect 10:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Fluid 5ive 1ive!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock cover band Tarnished (or just their frontman Alex Traynor) will continue his/their "every Thursday" matinee run at Biggby Coffee TODAY, before heading to the local Kewadin Casino branch TONIGHT for a headline engagement at The Signatures Lounge! These dates will serve as an appetizer before Tarnished hit the road for a Mount Pleasant concert tomorrow (good luck!), so local fans will get two chances to see Alex (and company?) in an unplugged acoustic setting today. No word on whether Alex is playing these dates alone or not, especially given recent online ambiguity regarding Josh's involvement, but note that Tarnished did say to "catch us at the Signatures Lounge" tonight on their Facebook page. In any event, these are both cover-free shows, with the Biggby matinee at 12:00 PM with no age limit, and the presumably 21+ Signatures Lounge show at 6:00 PM. Click here and see above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally for this weekend's currently announced hard rock previews (Toystock aside), we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street will continue with matinee gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This long-term run at the popular downtown restaurant has given fans and Gliss patrons a lot of entertaining live music in the mid-late 2010s, and look for more hard and classic rock covers from the former Caveman Morrison frontman over these next two evenings! As usual for his Gliss stops, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that this is a formal restaurant, not a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Gliss Restaurant earlier this year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Toystock preview, Offspring/Sum 41 fallout, and much more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tripod The Dog & Fluid 5ive) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews today, but to round things out, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, one on SHORT NOTICE, so let's start there!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will reportedly return to The New American Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via this poster on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, and the band proper has not updated their Facebook page in almost two months. Despite their recent quiet nature on social media, Fluid 5ive have a busy month ahead, with TONIGHT'S concert now joining their upcoming Saturday matinee on November 30th, with their Toystock debut sandwiched in between.  This veteran five-piece should have another solid evening of hard and classic rock covers in store for New A fans TONIGHT, so keep this one in mind if you want some live entertainment downtown! This is a one-nighter due to tomorrow's B.A. Johnston/Dany Laj concert, which we previewed on the SMS yesterday. This is an 8:00 PM and 19+ event with no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Fluid 1ive!



Next up, here's a couple of new shows with lots of advance notice, as reunited local ska-punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will return to The Rockstar Bar for concerts on Friday, December 27th & Saturday, December 28th! It will still be the holiday season for many at this point, so what better way to enjoy some post-Christmas live music action? These will be Tripod The Dog's first announced concerts since rocking The Esquire Club in September, as well as their first at The Rockstar Bar since their initial return gig in April. Note that the Facebook event page says that Tripod The Dog are "back with a new lineup", and while I can't 100% verify the particulars due to their lack of a new updated online page, this seems to just reference the Amendolas' addition to the group earlier this year, who were not visibly advertised for the April concert. We'll let you know if Mark has enlisted new bandmates again, though! As usual for Rockstar Bar shows from local cover acts, expect a 10:00 PM-ish start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, with hopefully more to come!

Heading back into this weekend's remaining hard rock/punk concert previews, let's tackle the big one for hardcore punk fans, as Montreal icons The Ripcordz will return to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT at the aforementioned Rockstar Bar! This will be the first local stop in over two years for Paul Gott and company, following their set at the same venue back in October 2017. Fans of their battle-tested original attack were spoiled from late-year shows annually from 2013-2017, so the anticipation is palpable for The Ripcordz' return tomorrow! Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will open tomorrow for their sixth straight time opening for their "Fed Up" split-mates in city limits, and first local set since Oh!No in Leeburn, and they're a fitting choice as usual! Also, two more opening bands were quietly confirmed for this concert last week, namely alt-punk trio A Dire Setback and new online page-less punk quartet The Sick Sons in their second announced concert.

Solid choices, with A.D.S.' profile growing as their album release approaches, while The Sick Sons made a strong impression in their debut at July's Random Killing concert here, so hopefully both deliver tomorrow! Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, tickets for this 9:00 PM & 19+ show are $10 in advance through the local openers and at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, while the price jumps to $15 at the door. Punk fans won't want to miss this hard hitting feast tomorrow night, especially if you've missed The Ripcordz in the last two years, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live the last time out!

Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head to The Canadian Nightclub, where Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT! The latest in The Canadian's recent regular-ish bookings of out of town tribute bands, this is a new one in both concept (I don't recall seeing a Def Leppard tribute come here before) and in the band proper, as Just Leppard only made their live debut in August. I'm admittedly not a fan of Def Leppard, but the promotional video embedded below seems very promising for fans and Hair Scare listeners alike, and hopefully the guys have a great show tomorrow! As is the case with The Canadian's other tribute shows this season, this is a 19+ concert at 9:00 PM with tickets costing $15 in advance at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk, and prices jump to $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Just Leppard live this summer!



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