LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, HeadFirst, And Chase Wigmore), Plus Sykotyk Rampage Updates!!

Today's news post mostly looks at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE linked to a cancellation, alongside some big updates on a prolific local band's next album, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will not be playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tonight, but they will still be in action, if an hour southeast of here, as they'll make their St. Joseph Island debut TONIGHT at the Hilton Beach Community Hall in Hilton Beach! Profuse apologies for the short notice, HeadFirst only announced this show via their Facebook page this morning. I don't know whether they dropped out of the Shooters gig to take the Hilton Beach one or if Shooters had already cancelled beforehand, but note that HeadFirst last mentioned playing at Shooters tonight on their Facebook page on July 31st. That gap is concerning alone, but hopefully all's well with band & venue! TONIGHT's show at 3050 Hilton Road is a fundraiser dance in support of renovating the kitchen at the community hall, and there will be a cash bar, barbecue, and door prizes for the occasion. HeadFirst appear to be replacing The Retrofit Band here.

I don't know a thing about The Retrofit Band beyond that they play(ed?) classic rock covers, but hopefully all's well in their camp re: why they pulled out! Based on what I'm reading, TONIGHT's fundraiser dance has an admission price of $25, and if you aren't on St. Joe to get tickets at the stated physical locations, it appears to be the same price at the door. Remember, this is a fundraiser to renovate the hall's kitchen, hence the price. HeadFirst take the stage at 8:00 PM but doors open at 6:30 PM with a DJ bookending their set. Best of luck all around as HeadFirst hit the road for a good cause, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, here's another new concert coming to Soo Blaster that has somewhat flown under the social media radar, as local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore will return there on Wednesday, August 28th when he opens for Winnipeg "hobo rock" musician Del Boy Druid! Of course, Chase is also playing at Soo Blaster tomorrow as part of the Sylo-headlined all-local concert there, but he and outsider folk singer/guitarist Shae Tull (also playing tomorrow) will serve as the local openers on the 28th for Del Boy Druid, a prolific lo-fi indie rock musician who has performed across Canada. Not a hard rock musician but he is a skilled songwriter with many original qualities and some surprise cover choices, and it will be interesting to see how Del Boy fares locally later this month! Given what I have heard, Chase's acoustic folk punk side will be a good match musically, as will Shae, so fans of outsider folk with a dash of punk rock will be into this concert (if you can swing the work/school night scheduling!)

This presumably 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and tickets are $10 in advance at this link or at Soo Blaster (I don't know if Chase or Shae have advance tickets on hand themselves), though admission jumps to $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more details on this mid-week concert, and don't miss Chase and Shae there tomorrow beforehand!

Also coming to Sault Ste. Marie next month is Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston for his fifth local headlining appearance on Friday, September 20th! Never playing the same local venue twice, B.A. will set up shop next month at The Whisky Barrel, in the acoustic-leaning Gore Street nightclub's second show with a touring headliner in under a month (and if you think this is odd for there, there's one more huge outlier to be announced!). B.A. Johnston last brought his eclectic and self-deprecating brand of acoustic punk originals here at Outspoken Brewing in August of last year, but this show thankfully has more public advance word, so if you've liked his amusing and hard-to-describe evenings of music and irreverence here, your next chance is coming! Local support is via Wyld Stallyns/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers in an increasingly common solo set.

I still am not positive how closely Rob's solo sets hew to his bands (I don't believe he has any social media pages for his solo work anyway), but he is a talented musician and will hopefully set the tone well next month! This 19+ concert is FREE and has an 8:00 PM start time (though I can't confirm if bringing Hawkins Cheezies will do anything tangible). Visit the official Facebook event page for more on B.A.'s local return next month!

Finally today, you may recall seeing my occasional mentions on the site since May that local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage had released (and then quickly taken down) a new album on Bandcamp on both May 15th and August 1st, with minor alterations to the cover artwork and album name for the August re-post. What exactly was going on there? Well, the album is now 100% slated to come out for real on Sunday, September 15th, and its final name is "The Waerlogas Sagas 1: Konfysion Of Fyck". As per the band's Facebook page this month, the album will be released alongside a 137 page read-along comic book, which may explain why it was temporarily uploaded twice beforehand! If you scan the provided QR code, you'll be taken to this sale page for the comic, which is legitimately being sold on paperback for $90. That may be beyond the pale for some, but the interactivity is fun and noted!

The album will permanently return to Bandcamp next month and will be on sale likely for $15, but will be freely streamable there too. The teaser images (featuring AI generated art) suggest that the comic will have 9 chapters and the album will have 34 songs, and if these are hints towards actual pages of the comic, the contrast of the text is very inconsistent. Some level of guest musicians will also be involved in the final product, but full credits will hit Bandcamp next month. Intriguing stuff all around, so visit the above links for more on Sykotyk Rampage's 70th album, and stay tuned for more on the site next week! Thanks everyone1

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The BAG & The Apocalypse Afterparty), Plus New Videos!!

We have made it to October, and if today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS are any indication, local hard rock fans may finally have some big Halloween weekend shows to check out beyond single cover band gigs for the first time post-pandemic! Those lead off today, as well as new videos from an artist playing one of these events, so here's what you should know!

Eight local music acts will join forces for a special Halloween weekend concert on Saturday, October 28th at... Triple H Cabins in Goulais River? Yes, a cabin/outdoor gear rental business at 317 B Harmony Beach Road is actually hosting a concert of this scale, and yes, it is publically attendable (admission is by donation), with the poster circulating on Facebook pages over the past week, some publically. I am unsure if the poster's order of acts is accurate, but given that many acts share performers, I'll jump around a bit. The apparent headliners are party/rap metal duo (trio?) The Apocalypse Afterparty, and while I don't know if Mikhal Muto will be playing bass with them again on the 28th, he will be playing here with his online page-less folk punk/emo solo project Agnosticism as well, if early in the evening given the poster. Highly placed there is a band named The Floor Between Us who we've never mentioned here before, so who are they?

They're an newer outsider folk/comedy band fronted by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli, who you may have seen at the Fringe North Festival in August and at an array of private gigs, often ones featuring Agnosticism. There's some humour to be had from their original material, and a comedy band like this is certainly distinct in this market! Colin is also slated to play a solo set on this night. The other four acts playing in four weeks are rising young metal trio The BAG, prolific extreme metal/folk punk solo musician Chase James Wigmore, a rare non-Fringe North set from acoustic punk solo project Slumshine (led by Mikhal's Ha!ls bandmate Brenton Ellis), and DJ Seith's online page-less hip hop duo Planet Rock. Quite a stacked lineup of (mostly) rising younger talent, and it's been four years since we've seen a heavier, multi-band Halloween concert like this here, so keep that in mind!

This all ages event takes place at 5:00 PM at Triple H Cabins, refreshments will be available, and costumes are encouraged (no word on a contest). Again, admission is by donation. A half hour drive north of the Soo may not be ideal for some, but it's certainly a unique event with a very intriguing array of performers, and weather permitting, being up on Harmony Beach may be nice for you nature lovers! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, you know how I said that we hadn't really had a multi-band Halloween concert like this in the Soo area in four years? Yeah, well we're not done, as another one is taking place on Halloween night proper (Tuesday, October 31st) at The Art Hub at Spring! This one will have no cover charge but a tip jar for musicians will be on hand, and it'll be a B.Y.O.B. event if you are so inclined. The full lineup is not yet out, but The BAG confirmed on a post on their Facebook group last week that they will be playing this event too, so expect more metal mayhem for Halloween before the month is out! The rest of the lineup is to be announced, but the show is being promoted by Skinbox bandmates Steve Edwards (ex-Pixo Control) and William Wardlaw (ex-Stoned To Deaf), strongly implying that this new local rock band will be playing on the 31st. Despite already debuting live, their full lineup and sound is still not publically posted, we'll keep you posted when more is known.

Stay tuned for updates on the full lineup as well! This show takes place at 504 Queen Street East on Halloween night at 8:30 PM, there is no stated age limit, and again, it's free but tipping the artists is encouraged. Halloween or not, a Tuesday nighter isn't ideal for many, but hopefully a solid turnout comes out to rock out on Halloween night itself downtown! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with new songs from the aforementioned Chase Wigmore, who has posted two new original songs onto his YouTube channel over the past three weeks! Both have attached music videos featuring that choppy and possibly AI-generated style that he has recently been using. The first of the new songs/videos is for "The Speciesist", which Chase noted on his Facebook page was about "our impending extinction and coming to terms with the fact that we probably deserve it". The video realizes this message by showing various demonic aliens laying waste to the planet, so now you know how the doomsday will occur! I don't know if this will be on his long-gestating "Chaotic Rite" album or not, so I'll hold comment for now, but it is definitely a metal song but with drone-style clean vocals. Embedded below is his newest song from September 23rd, entitled "A Song For The Apocalypse", which feels like a direct sequel to "The Speciesist".

The visuals here show destruction of Earth, wastelands, and people observing the state of the planet, so yeah, not the most optimistic video out there, but the visuals are cool looking! This is more of a progressive metal song with more ominous overtones and screaming, plus an acoustic interlude, so you get a wide breadth of his styles here, but again, I'll hold comment in case this song is on "The Chaotic Rite". Give Chase's entertaining new videos a watch above & below!

 

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Vanity First), New Videos, And More!!

Before we finish off this weekend's concert previews, I wanted to note that Soo Blaster's website advertises a show from Ottawa indie rock band No Hits on Sunday night that local alt-punk quintet These Magnificent Tentacles were allegedly opening. As best as I can tell, that is an outdated listing, as the Tentacles have never plugged the show on social media, physical posters at Soo Blaster only mention Distich as opening, and their own Facebook page says their next show will be The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir next month. A reason for T.M.T.'s withdrawal from this show has not been announced, but note that frontman Brenton Ellis indicated in a personal Facebook post that drummer Brendan Garlick was unavailable for their recent outdoor festival gigs, so that could be related. No Hits aren't a hard rock/punk band, but they are talented for genre fans, so look into this minimally advertised show if you're at all curious, as I am pretty sure it is still on!

Now, today's post otherwise features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (mostly on SHORT NOTICE), plus a new videos from a performer playing this weekend, so here's what you should know!

Local punk trio Vanity First will play a special matinee gig THIS SUNDAY at... Harmony Beach Lakeview Resort in Goulais River?! Apologies for the short notice, the show was announced via this concert poster on July 10th, but between last weekend's concert preview slate and the generally busy times for the SMS this month, it got pushed back and back. SUNDAY's show will see Andrew, Mikhal, and Keegan playing at Harmony Beach's annual beach clean-up, which takes place at 11:00 AM at the resort, with the free-by-registration event seeing attendees helping clean up the beach. Nice idea, if somewhat sad that they have to make a point to giving the conceit an annual event, but hopefully everyone does their part to keep Harmony Beach beautiful! Organizers didn't go into great detail about the format of Vanity First's concert, but they will have an opening band (Sylo, who I know nothing about, stay tuned in case anything pertinent comes out).

Note that Vanity First will also be playing a house party event tomorrow at a cottage in Goulais River, and as I'm wary about advertising events at private residences, I won't cover it here due to the nature of the location, but be advised that the address is on the poster linked above. Hopefully it goes over well! SUNDAY'S beach clean-up is an all ages event, lunch and refreshments will be provided, and the resort is at 128 Harmony Beach Road. Assuming they're playing outdoors, be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 35-40% chance of scattered thunderstorms with temperatures of 19°. See above for more details, and here's Vanity First live!

Next up, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play matinee concerts THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday the 31st, but not at Reggie's Place, at Shooters Downstairs Lounge! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced these shows via their Facebook event page on Monday, with Shooters posting their own yesterday on their Facebook page. Clearly, Shooters' deep dive into live concert bookings in 2022 is going well, as they're now trying their hand at the Sunday matinee like the downtown Reggie's has hosted for years, and Tym's up first there THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday! Despite playing there two straight weeks, this isn't the start of a new weekly arrangement for Tym, as the Dennis Street nightclub will be hosting multiple artists for their Sunday matinees, including country singer/guitarist Leslie Cook on the first two Sundays of August.

Shooters' Sunday matinees have 3:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Tym's acoustic classic and hard rock covers should find a receptive audience further down Queen Street THIS SUNDAY and next Sunday, so definitely keep these shows in mind for some dinner-time music! See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Let's close today with some new videos from Vanity First guitarist Mikhal Muto before these get pushed back any further in our backlog! In between sporadic full band-related updates on their Facebook page, two videos were posted there of Mikhal solo on June 27th & July 8th, with the first being a 32 second clip of him playing the guitar solo from their song "White Ghosts". Very well done, any punk band in the Soo would be lucky to have Mikhal on board playing like that!. Embedded below is the slightly longer second video, which sees him playing a section of a new original (and partially eponymous) song named "Habitual Vanity", which they're reportedly debuting the house party in Goulais River tomorrow. The video is not as high quality (and it's clearly mirrored), but it's still a solid showcase of Mikhal's skill, and as a new song, it was worth sharing here! Check out both videos, and don't miss Vanity First at Harmony Beach on SUNDAY!

That's all for today, but our Rotaryfest concert video coverage will continue on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns) & New Facebook Video Uploads!!

Here's another news post for your Saturday morning reading, which mostly focuses on new video postings from a few local bands, but leading off, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will hit the road for a special Halloween party concert TONIGHT at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig via their Facebook page on Thursday. A road trip to the small village on St. Joseph Island (an hour southeast of the Soo) is not entirely foreign for us, as Stiffler's Mom played at The Island Bar & Grill back in 2015, while Tym Morrison and CASS Cafe-linked metal bands have also played recorded Hilton concerts elsewhere. In this case, TONIGHT'S Halloween party will see the usual frills for such an event, including a costume contest, though if you are at all interested, the bar is on the site of the Hilton Beach Inn, so you can stay the night if need be. A 6:30 PM start time is in effect TONIGHT, and age limits and cover charges are not advertised. See above for more details, and here's Rob, Christina, and Jesse live!



Next up, here's a brand new video of local Tool tribute band Parabol tackling the classic song "Lateralus" at Soo Blaster two weeks ago! This video was only posted on their Facebook page on Thursday, but better late than never. An incomplete 2:43 clip of the song's end, this still captures their faithful and intense stage show very nicely from a close angle, and John Barber sure is channeling Maynard James Keenan throughout! Fans of Tool and/or Parabol won't want to miss this video and it's professional stage setup, so give it a look below, and visit their Facebook page for details on their out of town gigs in Sudbury & North Bay next month!



Also, here's another new live concert video, this time of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's most recent "every Thursday" matinee concert at Biggby Coffee! This was posted on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, and it features singer/guitarist Alex Traynor covering Tom Petty's "Free Falling" solo for tips and coffee. Where's guitarist Josh Fair? I have no idea, but seeing as the full three-piece band played at LSSU that same night, this appears to have been a temporary absence, maybe even just this song. Alex handles this cover well, and the video's nicely angled, so give it a look below!



Finally, let's continue our look at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's short video uploads on their Facebook page as they continue their Christmas tour prep! On September 28th and again five days later, the channel posted videos of guitarist Steve Giles playing at a table, with the first one featuring more of his electric shredding, and the second being acoustic and far more reserved. Both are under 40 seconds long, but they showcase his musical range nicely, if not the stuff we'll be hearing on tour for the holidays! This past Sunday, another minute-long video was posted of Steve and bassist Scott Andringa (on guitar) acoustically covering Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". I'm not a huge Pink Floyd fan, but the cover works well, though the video has too tight of an angle. We'll wrap things with their two newest videos from Monday, including this video featuring a pan & scan of the studio while their version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" plays in the background.

While this and the video featured below have a hazy black & white filter put on them, the preceding clip is a solid enough teaser of the work they've been doing! Featured here, we have Theatre of Night proper playing "Carol of the Bells", giving us our first look at drummer Erik Sales in their 2019 Christmas tour teaser videos in the process. The 30 second clip showcases everyone in their element, though we don't see Craig (who's behind the camera), and Rachel doesn't sing at this point, despite being present in frame. Now we are caught up re: Theatre of Night's Facebook page, so give these videos a look above & below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Northern Vibe Festival & Pirate Biker Party Concert Previews!!

Barring extremely late notice concert previews, let's close out this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews with some events taking place just outside of Sault Ste. Marie, so if you're living on the outskirts of town or are up for a road trip, here's what you should know for this weekend!

The first annual Northern Vibe Festival begins TODAY at the old Hempfest location on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario, and will welcome punk/country favourites The Billy Bastards back to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT! Two years after Hempfest's local swan song, the guys over at Planetary Pride (who put on the first 11 Hempfests) are throwing their hat back into the concert festival game for this freshman event, which will focus on the music for this summer-ending bash featuring musical performers on two stages, so who all can you expect in Ophir this weekend? One stage is the "Beach Stage", as it's backdrop is the waterfront in that area, and will be devoted to DJs and turntablists, so click here to find out who's playing and on what day! Yes, the Northern Vibe Festival's website lists performance orders finally, but oddly, not set times (no word on why, but it may be in case of lineup changes or set length uncertainty.) Bands and solo musicians will be playing on the "Forest Stage", so who can you expect on the lineup there?

TONIGHT's abbreviated band lineup features Burlington reggae rock favourites The Killin' Time Band as headliners, with local support via alt-folk favourites The Boot Hill Crooners and local/Toronto folk musician Cody McMillan and his band The Soft Shoe Shufflers. TOMORROW'S main band lineup will be headlined by Kitchener folk quartet Drew Leith & The Foundation, with the aforementioned Billy Bastards (with relocated guitarist Paul Michael Stos in tow) co-headlining in their first concert since December 2013. It's been way too long for The Billys' punk/country attack on the local stage, and might we see their long teased new material during their set? In listed order, other Saturday bands will include veteran local soul/funk outfit The Hustle Brothers, blues rock notables Al Wood & The Woodsmen, cover rock quartet Changing Lanes, roots rock collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, and in a late replacement, solo folk musician Kylie Precepa, who is filling in for Britta Wolfert on Saturday due to personal family matters overseas.

And finally, local/Wawa keyboardist and busker Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda will open Saturday's lineup, if there are no late notice changes. As well, Sunday's action on the Forest Stage will be devoted to group jamming, drum circles, and open mic performers, so keep that in mind, as you never know who'll be playing! Also, keep an eye out for fire spinners, hula hoopers, yoga, and art installations during the festival's duration. Tickets are $125 for the full weekend with no single day rates advertised, while there are group rates if you have a party of 10 people. Tickets can be bought locally at Planetary Pride on Queen Street East or online at this link, and while The Northern Vibe Festival is a 19+ event, kids and pets can come (if absolutely necessary) with an adult attendee if you follow the instructions at this link (which includes has full info on festival guidelines.) For full posted details on The Northern Vibe Festival, visit the above links!

It never hurts to have a new summer concert festival in the area, with shades of Hempfest (in organization and location) and the LopLops-ran Second Stage (in band content), so keep those angles in mind, and if you love punk with a splash of outlaw country, don't miss The Billy Bastards' first public set in over a year and a half TOMORROW NIGHT! I have heard some grumbling over the ticket cost and lack of single day pricing, but hey, you've got to start somewhere, and if all goes well, we'll see The Northern Vibe Festival back in 2016! Stay tuned in case there's fallout from the event, and for a preview, here's The Billys live a few years back!




Finally, we'll take a look at local party hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom's next concert, as they're hitting the road for a rare St. Joseph Island concert TOMORROW for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach! That's an hour southeast of the Soo. Fresh off of last week's one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, Greg, Mike, and Jon will rock out at this motorcycle show & shine event, which will raise funds to help repair Hilton Beach's baseball diamond fence, so keep the cause in mind, and remember to dress in your best pirate costume for the costume contest if you go! Stiffler's Mom's set itself will take place at 1:00 PM, the Biker Pirate Party itself is presumably all ages, and there's no admission fee unless you're entering the motorcycle show. As for the address, everything will the place at The Island Bar at 3117 Marks Street. For more details, visit the above links! Nice to see Stiffler's Mom spreading their wings and helping out for a cause, so consider checking them out tomorrow afternoon in Hilton Beach! For a preview, here's Stiffler's Mom live at another charitable event a few years ago!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stiffler's Mom) And Lots Of Recent News & Notes!!

Before we begin, I profusely apologize for missing Lucky 13's Rednecks Saloon concert yesterday for coverage on the SMS, as the public announcement of it came too late for us to slide it into a post, but we did address it on our Facebook page. We'd have plugged it if it had more advance word, but hopefully it was a hit! Also, Tym Morrison might not be playing at The Harp TONIGHT due to their possible broadcast of UFC 190, but his own Facebook event page still lists a show tonight. In other words, proceed with caution if you go, as I can't 100% confirm if it's on. Now, today's post features a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and more recent updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will take a rare road trip out to St. Joseph Island for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach on Saturday, August 29th! The event itself will see a motorcycle show & shine event with a pirate costume contest to match, with proceeds going to repair the baseball diamond fence in Hilton Beach (an hour southeast of the Soo), so hopefully everyone can help fulfill that goal! Stiffler's Mom's set will be at 1:00 PM, while this presumably all ages event will begin at The Islander Bar at 3117 Marks Street at noon that day, and there's no listed admission charge unless you're entering the motorcycle show. Intriguing event that mashes together a few very different styles of events into one day, but it's for a good cause for the community, and if you're in St. Joseph Island or are up for the events, consider the Biker Pirate Party with Stiffler's Mom at the end of the month! See the above links for more details!

Next up, local concert venue The Rockstar Bar (and it's downstairs sister venue, The Algonquin Pub) are now on board for a new weekly nightclub event called Rockstar Republic that may impact future concerts at the venue. According to this SooToday article, this will effectively turn The Algonquin Hotel's two bars into a double-floor dance club with DJs, electronic music, drink specials, and an open patio on every Friday, with the aim being to "change the face of Sault Ste. Marie's nightlife". The Rockstar Republic Facebook page will have more details on this new weekly event, but for reference, note that the page originally was for Club Current at Waterfront Legend (the former Docks), though I have no word on if this means anything dire for music events there. The Rockstar Republic's "grand opening" (it's treated like it's own venue) was last night, and it'll be interesting to hear how night #1 went!

Assuming this is a successful venture with the former Club Current gang, this presumably would end Friday night bands on either floor of The Algonquin Hotel, but on a quick scan, only the Hard Up-headlined Gongshow event this coming Friday would be affected, and we'll keep you posted if there's clarification about it. I wonder if this is an attempt to compete with The Canadian Nightclub's own dance party and club nights? Of course, best of luck to everyone involved, hopefully Rockstar Republic is a huge hit for the nightlife scene in the Soo!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last week or so, as we slowly catch up on things now that I'm home! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or promoter name:

• Former Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking for a drummer for his new local band project, which he describes as "playing some heavy music". Nice to see him back in the local scene, he has been missed, but if you're interested in trying out for this band, message Dan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• After some initial uncertainty on if they'd be able to play, new local alternative/hard rock duo Infinity Grinder have finally been confirmed as the opening band for the Ballot Burner-headlined concert at The New American Pub on August 17th, which will mark their New A debut. Great to see, and give Terrence & Brad's new project a look then if you haven't yet! Our source is the Facebook event page on July 15th.
• In another Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting, local musician Kiefer Barone is looking for a drummer that plays metalcore, presumably for his own new local project. He's posted on this group before regarding artist searches, but if you can help out this time, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from last week!
• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has reportedly ended his work as a local concert promoter once again, as per a post on his personal Facebook page last week, citing "too much stress" & upcoming personal & band commitments for the reasons why. This disappointing news may be deja vu for fans who recall when he left the promotion game 3 years ago after his brief run with the Rosie metal nights, but hopefully Mitch comes back to promoting when the time is right, and message him at this link if you can take on the Dusty Tucker show in October!
• Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood have quietly dropped out of next week's Superior Festival at Aune-Osbourne Park in Sault Michigan, as per the new poster for the event, with Sault Michigan cover rock quartet Retro Troop replacing them. A reason for the change was not announced, but Mourning Wood never confirmed their involvement in the event, and remember that playing shows across the border (either way) isn't easy. Should be a great festival though, so check the above links for full details, including on a motorcycle giveaway!
• As previously mentioned in our review of his most recent CD "Fleabag Hotel", Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's upcoming 13th album will be called "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter", as per his Bandcamp page. No word on what the title references (perhaps a concept or inside joke?), but the name turned up no obvious results on Google. If his recent album schedules are any indication, look for this one to come out in the fall, but stay tuned for updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!