After a Labour Day off, we're back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, including coverage of a big recent punk show before and after the fact, but let's lead off with newly found concert videos from Sault Ste. Marie's annual summer festival!
As it turns out, we're not quite done with live concert videos from Rotaryfest in July! These come from the YouTube channel Camera Travel (a.k.a. tours5571), which is devoted to video footage of local tourism and road travel in Sault Ontario and surrounding areas, so you may want to give it a look on that basis. They did attend Rotaryfest across Friday and Saturday, July 14th-15th, and had cameras rolling at Clergue Park for thirteen videos, nine of which coming from the Buskerville performances there, especially of fire breathers. Camera Travel filmed two bands on Stage 1, interestingly on different days, including Winnipeg-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bed Of Roses on the Saturday playing (as embedded below) "Livin' On A Prayer" as well as the very tail end of their set, song unclear. These are short and relatively distant from the stage, but from what we hear of Bed Of Roses, they have the Bon Jovi sound down well!
Worth noting too that Bed Of Roses' set happened at dusk, so things were getting darker as their set wore on, and it is a neat visual compared to most other bands that played this year, especially ones who got filmed for public videos. Check out Bed Of Roses' videos from July 15th above and below!
Next up, Camera Travel's other Rotaryfest Stage 1 videos come from Friday, July 14th, specifically of classic rock quartet RPM's set, where they filmed guitarists Dino Mazzuca & Marcel Rizzo, bassist Rob Gilmar, and drummer Joseph Bertrand covering Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and, as embedded below, AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long". Good to see RPM tackle a heavier song, and while still distant from the stage, the audio quality isn't bad, and Camera Travel filmed longer videos of RPM than they did of Bed & Roses. Check everything out for yourselves above and below!
Finally, I hope to have videos to cover from the show in an upcoming post, but let's look at some recent SooToday coverage of Friday night's Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Loft! Apologies for being so late to the party on the first of them, but Alex Flood penned this article on August 13th looking at the show ahead, where he erroneously noted that this was The Ripcordz' first local date since 2016 (they played at The Rockstar Bar in 2017 & 2019). The article features interview remarks from frontman Paul Gott about the fancier and relatively unique venue for this local date, his enjoyment of playing dates in the Soo, and his passion for punk rock. Solid article for Ripcordz fans, so give it a look at above! For what it's worth, while he didn't note the post-2016 dates of their shows in the article, Alex said there that The Rockstar Bar is "now closed", which sadly remains accurate for The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub as of this writing.
The Rockstar Bar has been closed since mid-2022, but as per a comment reply at this link, there were once hopes to re-open in the spring of 2023. I know that the pandemic hit them hard, but hopefully we haven't absolutely heard the last from The Rockstar Bar, which was a quality venue throughout the 2010s! In terms of actual coverage from that night, veteran SooToday journalist Donna Hopper was in attendance on Friday for this article, and it's great seeing her back reviewing a local concert of this kind! The upscale venue upstairs at the Algoma Conservatory of Music was heavily the theme of Donna's review compared to past Ripcordz venues here, including a note that there was less moshing than normal, perhaps in deference to the locale. Things appeared to go over well regardless, though no word on if promoter Matt Waples' $500 raffle if online tickets sold out went through.
Donna did take photos at the show, including five of The Ripcordz, three each of local openers A Dire Setback and Far From Fine, and one of fans, and the quality is as high as you'll recall from her pre-pandemic concert reviews! Worth noting from Far From Fine's pictures that Blair St. John was back behind the drumkit (no word on if he is their permanent drummer now or still just filling in), while an unidentified child (possibly Mike's son?) is seen guesting on vocals on at least one song, 19+ age limit for the show acknowledged. Get more about Friday's festivities at The Loft above, and stay tuned for much more on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
After managing to dodge most of the rain in the weather forecast, Rotaryfest is in the books for 2023, and there is a fair amount out about the Soo's summer festival from its music stages! We'll start with Stage 1 bands at Clergue Park on Saturday night, and while a featured touring band hasn't closed the main stage since 2016, it does make sense on paper to start with Winnipeg-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bed of Roses, who had pictures taken by an uncredited Sault Star photographer that you can see at this link, There are also photos by Ron Jokelainen from First Local News, which is the rebranded and relaunched SaultOnline, whose website was abruptly taken down on June 12th despite posting new articles just two days prior, as well as videos of new local cover band Bourbon Blue on their Facebook page. While site staff were vague on the reason for the change, issues with the prior domain host may have been a factor.
Losing years of site content is not ideal whatsoever, and a little transparency in that regard may have been ideal for SaultOnline readers, but First Local News has improved in the ensuing weeks, and hopefully they can pick things up reasonably well! New name's not especially "local" to the Soo though. As for Ron's Bed of Roses coverage, the photos are not on the same quality as The Sault Star's, but you do get more of a write-up of their set, so click here to see everything of his! The only other Rotaryfest coverage there to touch on the music was this article featuring a photo of The Wyld Stallyns' set on Saturday, coincidentally also the Stage 1 band performing in three photos from Alex Flood's coverage on SooToday (he also got one of Stage 2 performers Distich's set). One more news coverage note, as Renegade/Bed of Roses frontman Darryl Clayton was interviewed by The Sault Star!
In advance of Rotaryfest's kickoff, this article by The Sault Star's Brian Kelly went up on Wednesday where Darryl talked about the differences in paying tribute to both Bon Jovi and Styx, what it was like playing live in front of Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald, and how he first got into covering Styx, among other related topics. Good read for fans, and apologies for being late to the party in addressing it here! As far as videos go, we do have some public footage to check out of the closing bands on Saturday, as the ever-prolific Christopher Paci was back at Rotaryfest to film a few bands this year for his packed YouTube channel, including two clips of Bed of Roses' sister band Renegade in their headline set on Friday. I wouldn't say Styx are a "hard rock" band, but you can check out their faithful renditions of "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto" by clicking there or above, and they had a good turnout!
As for Bed of Roses, Chris filmed three videos of them tackling the Bon Jovi classics "Wanted Dead Or Alive", "It's My Life", and as embedded below, "Living On A Prayer". Chris was nowhere near the stage (a possible consequence of arriving for just the later sets), but he got a good central vantage point and made optimal use of the zoom function. Bed of Roses delivered a solid sound for Bon Jovi fans, especially compared to how the real thing sounded in concert last year, and the crowd was very receptive and eager to sing along, which you love to see! Check out Chris' videos above & below, and stay tuned for more from him soon!
We'll close today with the one-off headlining reunion of local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester (yes, their recent Facebook rehearsal video is also coming soon), as Chris filmed them covering Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" and as embedded below, AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock". Of course, this set was fronted by original singer Richard Fullerton rather than Greg Simpson, so mid-2000s That's Chester fans were definitely excited. Everyone performs strongly in both clips, and the Chesters get lots of time to rock out and show off during the AC/DC cover, with guitarist Gabe Tessaro (nice to see pause his retirement for a night) even pulling off some Angus Young moves and a nice extended guitar solo! Whether you prefer Ritch or Greg (or even Jim) is a matter of personal preference, but Ritch had strong enthuasiasm and vocals to match on these covers, so check everything for yourselves out above & below!
That's all for now, but look for more from Rotaryfest and elsewhere on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
The Sault's Summer Festival returns to Clergue Park this weekend, as Rotaryfest is (according to promotional material) "celebrating 100 years" this year! The first Community Day parade was held in 1922, and if you omit the parade-less 2020, this will be the 100th year since, so I think that's how they got to that milestone count. This year's Rotaryfest is even more a return to normalcy than last year (proof: the midway is back), so visit the official website or read the program that came in the mail last week for full non-musical details about this year's community events downtown! We'll start by looking at the covers-focused Stage 1, which returns to its usual outpost beside the Centennial Library, with Valerie Pluss as stage manager and Andrew Stuetz as the M.C. between bands. Band names below are linked to their Facebook event page from Rotaryfest, who made one up for (almost) each set once again.
Musically, things begin TOMORROW NIGHT when local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith returns home for the second straight Rotaryfest when he opens Stage 1 at 6:00 PM! Coinciding with the release of his brand new album "All The Best In All You Do" (more on that when able), expect to hear cuts from that and other recent albums during this full band set, with Mike joined by returning local bandmates Chris Nielsen (A Dire Setback) on guitar and Brandan Glew (ex-The Din) on drums. Now on bass is Sainte-Marie/Bad Chug alum Jacob Quarrell (replacing A Dire Setback's Matt Quinn), who ironically was supposed to be Mike's guitarist for his pandemic-cancelled album release show here in 2020. Should be a big way to kick off Rotaryfest, so don't miss out tomorrow! The other three bands include local Abba tribute band Abba Soo at 9:30 PM, ...
... blues/jazz sextet The Hustle Brothers at 8:00 PM (both in their festival debut), and The Northern Jazz Ensemble at 7:00 PM in their fourteenth Stage 1 set (and fifth straight) since the modern format was established in 2001. As always, Stage 1 entertainment is FREE and ALL AGES, and while 9&10 News is calling for a high temperature of 21° tomorrow with partly cloudy skies, they also have a 20% chance of rain in the forecast (yes, Stage 1 has a roof). There is a little something for everyone tomorrow at Rotaryfest, and Mike's high profile album release set will be quite a kickoff, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Mike live last year!
Six bands take on Stage 1 on FRIDAY NIGHT, with two newer bands that cross our genre radar playing Stage 1 that day, including punk/alternative cover quintet Bookclub at 9:00 PM and classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down at 8:00 PM. The former's unpredictable trumpet-infused covers and Surfers-majority lineup will definitely turn heads, while Double Down's talented & familiar lineup will be right at home on this big stage, so don't miss them on Friday! In a change from past norms, there will be a touring headliner on Friday AND Saturday, with Friday's being Renegade: The Ultimate Tribute To Styx, a Winnipeg-based tribute to the 1970s-80s classic rock/AOR icons, and if you like Styx, their 10:20 PM set will do them justice! The opening three bands on Friday include classic rock cover quartet RPM (in their third Stage 1 appearance) at 7:00 PM, new country/classic rock cover group The Way Backs at 6:00 PM, ...
...and classic rock trio The Sidekicks (debuting at Rotaryfest here after dropping out of Stage 1 last year) opening at 6:00 PM. Once again FREE & ALL AGES, 9&10 News is calling for warmer and cloudier weather with a high of 23° on Friday, but the chance of rain (including thunderstorms) moves up to 50%. Hopefully the weather cooperates for the bands this weekend, including new and familiar faces alike on Friday, so visit the above links for more on that day's bands, and here's Bookclub live!
As usual, the SATURDAY lineup is the longest of all, and the closing band this year will be a one-off reunion of local classic/hard rock cover quartet That's Chester! Making their eleventh Rotaryfest appearance, we haven't seen That's Chester (who oddly didn't get a Facebook event page from Rotaryfest) since playing this festival in 2018. For this year, Gabe, Aubrey, and Ric will be joined by original singer Richard Fullerton rather than Greg Simpson for the whole set, while Dan Belanger will return in place of late guitarist Eugene Orlando once again. The program erroneously says that their last show was their involvement in The Who's Tommy in 2015 despite playing two Rotaryfests since, but it will be neat to see them back again, especially if you were a fan of mid-2000s That's Chester with Ritch on the mic! Their set is at 10:30 PM on Saturday, ahead of the featured touring headliners, as usual for Rotaryfest.
This year's touring Saturday attraction is Winnipeg's Bed Of Roses: The World's Best Bon Jovi Tribute, whose lineup is made up of the members of Renegade from Friday night, hence why two are playing this year. 11 years removed from hybrid Bon Jovi/Journey tribute band Bon Journey's Stage 1 set, Bed Of Roses will bring just Bon Jovi classics (their hair metal era chief among them) back to Rotaryfest on Saturday at 8:30 PM, so don't miss out then! Classic rock veterans Mustang Heart are scheduled for 7:15 PM in their record eighteenth Stage 1 set under the modern format, while hard rock fans can check out new classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations at 6:15 PM in their festival debut, preceded by local funk/hard rock sextet The Wyld Stallyns in their third straight Stage 1 set at 5:15 PM before their Shooters gig that night. The opening bands on Saturday include country musician Brendan Hodgson (also back for a third year) at 4:15 PM, ...
...classic rock veterans Dorian Grey in their Stage 1 debut at 3:15 PM, new local bluegrass.country band Lands & Forest at 2:15 PM, classic rock sextet Ladies Sing The Blues in their second Rotaryfest set (third if you count Lady Sings The Blues) at 1:15 PM, and classic/party rock cover band Encore in their third Stage 1 set to kick things off at 12:00 PM. Expect FREE & ALL AGES entertainment to cap off Rotaryfest with on Saturday, and 9&10 News is calling for similar weather as on Friday, but the chance of rain drops slightly to 40%. If you are at all concerned about the weather forecast, keep tabs on your preferred local forecast in the leadup. It is worth noting that one more touring tribute band is playing at
Rotaryfest this year, namely the Toronto-based Abraxas: The Ultimate Santana Tribute, who will be performing on Friday outside of The Machine Shop (no idea if they'll be at The Rink) as part of this year's
Wheels On The Water car show.
How's that for an extra pull to come down to Mill Square? Click here for more details on that event, and as for Saturday, there's a stacked lineup of local bands plus some Bon Jovi classics to take in, with familiar faces and new bands alike for your delectation, hopefully with no weather-induced complications! It will be weird not seeing Bone Yard, Mid Life Crysis, and the now-defunct Obsession playing this year though, the first in-person Stage 1 that they have all missed since 2018. Visit the above links for much more on Rotaryfest's Stage 1 lineup for 2023, stay tuned for our Stage 2 preview and more next, and here's That's Chester live!
That's all for today, but more weekend concert previews are on the way tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Single topic post today, as the full lineup for Rotaryfest's music stages was announced via their official website and this SooToday press release earlier today, so what should you know there? This year's festival is considered to be "the 100th year" of Rotaryfest, which evolved from the first Community Day parade in 1922, and while I think you have to omit a year (likely the parade-less 2020) to get to the milestone number, this is still a neat accomplishment! Everything is the status quo from last year music-wise, with the covers-leaning Stage 1 at its usual spot at Clergue Park beside the Centennial Library, while the originals-focused Stage 2 returns for its 16th installment and second post-pandemic year beside the Art Gallery of Algoma. We'll discuss the Stage 2 lineup in an upcoming post, but click here for the details if you want to jump the gun. Sponsored by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation once again, who can you expect to see on Stage 1 in July?
As usual, there are three days of live music starting on Thursday, July 14th, and the very first act this year will be that night's only hard rock performer, namely local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith! Making his second local appearance of 2023 (following tonight's Face To Face event at The Art Hub on Spring), this will presumably be a repeat of his Stage 1 set last year, featuring Mike and a band of locals doing his original material (including cuts from "All The Best In All You Do"), so be there nice and early to see Mike in full form to kick off this year's music at 6:00 PM! The Thursday headliners at 9:30 PM will be local Abba tribute band Abba Soo in their Rotaryfest debut, while local roots rock band The Hustle Brothers will also hit Stage 1 for the first time at 8:00 PM. Festival regulars The Northern Jazz Ensemble have the 7:00 PM slot in their fifth straight Stage 1 appearance and 14th since the current format was introduced.
As always, the music on Thursday the 14th is FREE & ALL AGES, as will be the case on Friday, July 15th, which has six bands this year, equal to 2022. Two of them are hard rock/punk acts, including online page-less alt-punk cover quintet Bookclub in their festival debut at 9:00 PM and classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down at 8:00 PM. Good to see some newer acts on tap this year, and with lots of familiar faces, so don't miss their sets on the Friday! Befitting a 100th anniversary, organizers are going big with a touring tribute band on Friday and Saturday, the first time that they've ever booked a Friday headliner of this scale since the modern format's launch. The band in question is Renegade: The Ultimate Tribute To Styx, a Winnipeg-based tribute to the classic rock/AOR staples of the 1970s and 1980s. Styx could dip into heavier waters at times, and from what I've heard, Styx fans will be impressed!
Renegade are scheduled at the oddly specific time of 10:20 PM. Thursday's opening three bands are classic rock cover quartet RPM (in their third Stage 1 set) at 7:00 PM, newer local country trio The Way Backs (fronted by local musician Jeffrey Wright) at 6:00 PM, and local classic rock trio The Sidekicks (featuring ex-Griphook bassist Dan Beaupre) at 5:00 PM, one year after dropping out of their planned Stage 1 debut. Good to see them get a second chance! Not a bad lineup for classic rock fans in particular, so see above for more details on all six Friday acts!
As for the Saturday, July 15th lineup, that day is the biggest and longest as ever, and in one of this year's biggest surprises, defunct local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester will close Rotaryfest in a one-off set at 10:30 PM! This will be their eleventh Stage 1 appearance (a number that only four other bands have hit since 2001), and their first since reuniting for the Rotaryfest Rewind theme year in 2018. Assuming Gabe Tessaro's retirement from live music will be paused for one night, it'll be good to see him, Greg, Aubrey, and Ric (and Dan?) back, so don't miss them on the Saturday night! As has been routine since 2015, the featured touring band is the second-to-last band (counting 2023, a Greg Simpson-fronted band has had the closing honours in five of the last six installments), and this year, the honours go to Bed of Roses: The World's Best Bon Jovi Tribute out of Winnipeg!
Rotaryfest is not new to having a Bon Jovi tribute here (the hybrid Bon Jovi/Journey tribute Bon Journey headlined in 2012), but Bed of Roses are solely tackling Bon Jovi... at least on Saturday. Members of this band also perform in Renegade, the Styx tribute on Friday, so why not make use of both guises on a big stage like this on the same weekend! Hair metal fans will surely get a kick out of Bed of Roses on July 16th, especially compared to how Jon Bon Jovi himself sounded on tour last year! Their set is at 8:30 PM, with classic rock veterans Mustang Heart playing their eighteenth Stage 1 set beforehand at 7:15 PM, a record in the post-2000 format of the festival. New local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will make their festival debut at 6:15 PM (surprisingly, Jus' Chillin never played Stage 1 previously), while local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will play the main stage for a third straight year at 5:15 PM, surely one of many summer gigs from them.
Solid block of classic and hard rock to close the Saturday program via the above bands, so keep them in mind for your schedule planning! In the first half of the day, the 4:15 performer is local country musician Brendan Hodgson (also playing Stage 1 for the third consecutive year), while veteran classic rock band Dorian Grey will play at 3:15 in their own Rotaryfest debut. A mystery band named Land & Forest are scheduled at 2:15 PM, and with the schedule going live without Facebook event pages for each individual band (at least not yet), I truly know nothing about them at press time. We'll let you know when more comes out! Generations frontwoman Valerie Powley's classic rock/R&B side hustle Ladies Sing The Blues will return for a second year at 1:15 PM, and party rock cover quintet Encore will play Stage 1 for the third time as the 12:00 PM openers. Once again, the Saturday lineup is FREE & ALL AGES!
This is a strong lineup of covers-leaning bands, especially for classic rock fans, and while complaints about the lineup are common annually, note that half of the 18 local bands this year are Stage 1 newcomers, and only three of them have played more than thrice previously. Three bands who played the last three years are absent too (Bone Yard, Mid Life Crysis, and the now-defunct Obsession), though of course, Greg from Bone Yard is instead focusing on the That's Chester reunion set this year. Be sure to visit the above links for much more on Stage 1 at the Soo's summer festival in 2023, and stay tuned for the Stage 2 lineup reveal soon! Thanks everyone!
As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's slate of concert previews with a Saturday night trifecta, thankfully all with advance notice! For our previews of tonight's Tym Morrison show, this weekend's Soundcheck concerts, and the now-concluded Goo Goo Dolls/Cheap Trick show, check out yesterday's post. Now, here's what you should know to wrap up an unusually busy weekend!
We'll start in Hulbert Township, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock trio Tarnished are advertised to return to Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast for one night only TOMORROW! I will advise that, while this show is the final advertised concert on Tarnished's summer concert schedule on Facebook, the band proper has not updated their Facebook page in over two weeks, and Hulbert House have also not promoted it publically on Facebook as of late. If we get public confirmation that this show is not taking place, we will let you know, but as it's still advertised by the band, we'll proceed as normal. While this will be Tarnished's first show since their St. Ignace Kewadin gigs two weeks ago, and their first Hulbert appearance since the AMVETS rally there last month, you may recall that they were slated to open for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in a cancelled outdoor show there last week.
Hopefully all's well in Tarnished's camp and at Hulbert House, as this would be a fine way to end their summer concert calendar via their hard rocking originals and covers! If past Hulbert gigs are any indication, tomorrow's show will likely be a 6:00 or 7:00 PM affair with no cover charge or age limit, but I don't know if it'd be on the outdoor stage or in the B&B proper (the weather forecast looks good for tomorrow, in any event). Of course, please follow any social distancing guidelines in place at Hulbert House too. Follow the links above for more updates, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quintet The Wyld Stallyns will headline the Entomica Insectarium's summer 2021 social fundraiser concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TOMORROW NIGHT! Subtitled "Let's 'Mis-Bee-Hive', Come Out & Jive" (and held on National Honey Bee Day), this special event will be the first Bushplane Museum concert we've covered in two years, and will serve as a fun way to support the bug lab's work in the community and local businesses in general. Attendees can expect food and drinks from established local vendors, plus kids activities, a bee costume contest so visit the official Facebook event page and Entomica's Facebook page for full details on these aspects of the show. The Wyld Stallyns will be the heaviest and final band of the night, closing things at 11:00 PM in their fourth concert of the year & with their new lineup, while veteran local entertainer Tim Murphy will precede them at 10:30 PM, performing (likely in drag) as "Ms. Beehive".
Classic rock veterans Mustang Heart will hit the stage at 9:30 PM (expect at least one heavier cut from them), while newer local country musician Jeffrey Wright will look to make an impact with a set at 8:30 PM. Dueling local jazz collectives will take the stage during the kid-friendly opening half of the fundraiser, including The Northern Jazz Ensemble at 6:45 PM, and the confusingly named Josh Norling Jazz Ensemble leading off at 5:00 PM. An unidentified DJ will also spin tune between bands. Admission is $5 for this all ages event, which should be a winner for the bug lab and attendees all around, but of course, please respect and follow any social distancing and public health guidelines at the Bushplane Museum to ensure that everyone has a safe time, especially given that this is an all ages event with children's activities. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!
Lastly for known hard rock concerts in the Sault Ste. Marie area this weekend, local garage/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their Rockstar Bar debut with a one-night-only concert TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be this rising young band's second show of the year following their Rotaryfest set last month, as well as their second public date with new bassist Brendan Bertrand. Of course, The Uncanny Valley are also the last of the four live bands announced for The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub's return to live music in August 2021, so will more be coming soon? Time will tell, but enjoy this promising quartet's classic-inspired originals tomorrow! A 8:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has no announced age limit, but again, please be mindful of any and all social distancing measures (and wear your mask!) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Uncanny Valley live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Monday! Thanks everyone!
After publishing six posts in six days last week, things have crashed back to Earth more or less in terms of news and notes, but if you're interested in new content from the Sault Michigan-area, then today's post will be up your alley! It includes a surprise lineup departure, new videos, and a preview of a concert this weekend, so here's what you should know!
With news slowing down again in the wake of the Kewadin Casino schedule announcement and the beginning of Stage 2 in Ontario, I'm opting to post this weekend concert preview slightly early to ensure that steady content on the SMS is maintained. That said, if you're in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, look for Sault Ste. Marie hard rock trio Tarnished back at their recent favourite local venue (Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in Hulbert Township) THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! This is a special concert tied into an American Veterans motorcycle gathering that you can get full details on via the Facebook event page, and there are events relating to that all weekend, including a bonfire and unspecified separate musicians on Friday. Hulbert House did not announce if Tarnished's show on Saturday would be outdoors or indoors, but again, if the weather's good, why not take advantage of their proper stage?
Admission is $50 for the weekend and includes camping priviliges at the Hulbert House site, and while Tarnished's concert is included with admission, inquire within if you want to ask about attending just the concert itself. I assume they'd prefer attendees be related to AMVETS or motorcycling, but you never know! Tarnished will be on at 7:00 PM on Saturday, and if you are up for a trip over the Mackinac Bridge, they will also be playing in Mackinaw City on Friday night, so click here for more details on that. See above for more information on their Hulbert gig on Saturday, and for a preview, here's some new videos of Alex, Nathan, and Josh from their set in Grand Marais this past Saturday! While not promoted much on Facebook, this outdoor show two hours west of the Soo was filmed for two 45 seconds-long videos posted on Tarnished's Facebook page, so what can you see here?
These videos show covers of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Old Time Rock & Roll", and as embedded below, Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love", which I chose to embed as it's both a heavier cover and it's filmed in a normal landscape orientation. Both are well done covers that put Alex's strong melodic singing to good use, and it's just a shame that the filmer wasn't closer to the stage (let alone filming vertically for the Seger cover). Give both videos a look above and below, and don't miss Tarnished in Hulbert on Saturday if you're attending the AMVETS gathering!
Next up, here's a new video from Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson's YouTube channel, this time of a short new instrumental original track named "Kitten Cat Shark Attack"! Well, Shark Week is coming up, perhaps this is getting an early jump on things? Despite the thumbnail, there's no kittens or sharks to be seen, it's just Ted playing a very heavy progressive metal song with his headless guitar. I'll admit, this is one of my favourite of Ted's solo tracks so far, the brutal technicality is great, and the new lighting/camera setup works to it's advantage! Give Ted's new video a watch below!
Finally, we have some surprising news out of Sault Michigan, as new local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews have surprisingly parted ways with bassist Chris Leask before they could even debut at The Rapids Lounge this past weekend. The band did not elaborate on their Facebook page,
but Chris revealed on his personal Facebook page that he left for
medical reasons that will impair his ability to play bass, though it is nothing life-threatening. Given the
non-public source, I won't elaborate here, but Chris has been a frequent presence in our Sault Michigan coverage with bands like Power Slug and Highway 63, and hopefully his condition
improves so he can return to the stage down the road! A new Facebook photo posted by the band from their debut weekend shows the bassist they brought in at least for those gigs, and I may be wrong on this, but he looks like Brett Blackwood, who played in guitarist Chris Hubbard's prior hard rock band 415E from 2019-2020.
In any event, Rhythm & Brews have not publically confirmed a permanent replacement for Chris, let alone acknowledged his departure in writing, but they don't have any other Kewadin Casino gigs advertised in 2021, so there may not necessarily be a rush either. We'll keep you posted when more rolls in from Rhythm & Brews' camp, but that's all for today, and stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next, barring any late notice concert announcements! Thanks everyone!
We have a bounty of big updates and show announcements ahead, so let's start cutting some of that down with today's post, which is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in Sault Michigan and St. Ignace! Yes, concerts are good to go in The Great Lakes State, and it's definitely showing with some of the news ahead, so here's what you should know from both a prominent young hard rock band, as well as a huge touring concert later this summer!
Local hard rock trio Tarnished have announced some new regional concert dates for August! The band revealed an updated summer concert schedule on their Facebook page on Thursday, which includes new dates outside of our coverage range in Newberry yesterday and in Grand Marais on July 3rd. Oddly, neither has a listed venue, despite the Newberry gig being on two days notice and never being plugged by the band on Facebook otherwise. In terms of the new dates that are within a one hour's drive of the Soo, Tarnished will now apparently return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, August 6th & Saturday, August 7th, marking their second weekend engagement there in a four week span! This isn't all for Alex, Nathan, and Josh under the Kewadin umbrella, as the casino has finally announced their concert schedules at their regional lounges for the second half of 2021, as weekly live music will resume in five days!
While not yet advertised by Tarnished, The Northern Pines Lounge's official schedule confirms Tarnished's prior announcement of dates there on July 16th & 17th and August 6th-7th, but they also list Tarnished as playing Friday & Saturday nighters there on September 17th & 18th, so now fans in St. Ignace and area have six opportunities to see Tarnished live in the back half of 2021! Don't worry, Saultites, Tarnished will also make their Rapids Lounge debut at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 12th & Saturday, November 13th, so while dates there are less and further away, you'll get your Soo Kewadin fix of Tarnished in time! Yes, The Rapids Lounge's official schedule is out too and booked solid through year's end. Finally for new Tarnished dates, they will return to The Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in Hulbert Township for a one-nighter on Saturday August 21st!
Coming one week after they open for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys there, it's not yet clear whether it'll be an outdoor gig too or indoors, but with the summer still on then, I'd be surprised if they weren't on their proper stage! Assuming it's similar to their Summer Rock Party show there, expect a 6:00 PM start time, and a cover charge or age limit wasn't announced. Meanwhile, the Kewadin dates at both locales are all 9:00 PM events with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for current and continuing details, and hopefully Tarnished's hard rocking sound proves to be a hit this summer!
There is a lot to get to from the Kewadin Casino lounge umbrella, but before we get back there, here's a big outdoor concert hitting the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Thursday, August 19th, as Rockford, Illinois hard rock/power pop quartet Cheap Trick play their first local date since July 2019 when they open for Buffalo alternative rock band The Goo Goo Dolls! Of course, readers should recognize both bands, with Cheap Trick being Rock & Roll Hall of Famers off the strength of classic songs like "I Want You To Want Me", "Reach Out", and "The Flame", while The Goo Goo Dolls had steady mainstream success in the 1990s & 2000s with hits like "Name", "Iris", and "Slide", and while I personally feel that Cheap Trick are more obvious headliners, there's a nice swath of music to enjoy for many fans! Yes, this is outdoors, much like 2017's Great White/Lita Ford show there.
This concert is sponsored by Glen Arbor radio station Classic Rock: The Bear (yes, formerly heard locally on 97.9 FM), which currently simulcasts to the St. Ignace area via WWSS 95.3 out of Tuscarora Township. You can pick up The Bear in Sault Ste. Marie with the right antenna and/or location, but the St. Ignace locale and Lower Peninsula station sponsor seem like a good way for Kewadin Casino to bring back major touring bands before the Canadian border is opened. If you can't cater to and get ticket money from Sault Ontario, why not aim for rock fans in the tip of the mitt that are able to attend? A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for this concert, which has no advertised age limit, though face masks may be required to attend (check back for further details on that front.) Tickets run for $85 (first 10 rows), $75 (rows 11-30), or $50 (general admission on the lawn), and can be bought at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office.
I'm not a huge fan of either The Goo Goo Dolls or Cheap Trick, but both bands have a lot of hits to offer, and it's great to see Cheap Trick back in the E.U.P. for their fourth time, at least (having played the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in 2001, 2014, and 2019), and hopefully this is a great show with great summer weather! Stay tuned for updates if they roll in, and we will have much more from Sault Michigan and the new Kewadin Casino lounge schedule later this week! Thanks everyone!
We have a new news post to check out on this warm Tuesday, and while we're half focusing on videos from a recent Sault Michigan concert, let's stay in Sault Ontario to start, courtesy of a new teaser video and a newly added solo project to our full coverage! Here's what you should know!
We have a new local solo musician to add to our local band links, namely Kush Wood (real name Kristien Woodcock), an alternative/grunge musician who has actually had his solo Facebook page up and running since 2015! Apologies for the delay in finally rolling Kush Wood into our band links, of course, but let's make up for lost time! Kristien is not familiar from past local bands, but you may have first heard of him via his run of grunge and alternative-leaning unplugged videos posted to his YouTube channel through 2017 (partially uploaded when he was working in Costa Rica), plus his entry into the Stone Temple Pilots singer contest that you can still hear on Soundcloud. In March 2020, Kush Wood returned with long hair after a three year public hiatus, and has continued posting new and re-recorded videos and original singles over the past year, with many now available on digital platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music.
The grunge influence is very prevalent in Kush Wood's originals, and while Kristien seems to have Scott Weiland as a vocal inspiration, his own songs are closer in spirit to "Jar of Flies"-era Alice In Chains, if more optimistic. Production can be a work in progress, especially with the obvious drum programming, but Kush Wood is on to something, and it's nice hearing a grunge-inspired solo act like this around here! Give Kush Wood a listen above, and here's his video for "Love Replace This"!
Next up, here's a very brief teaser video for something that local party metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty were recording with Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's Spacebag Productions in March. Uploaded to drummer Amanda Stanghetta's personal Facebook page and subsequently shared publically to the band's own Facebook page, this features frontman/Amanda's husband Paul covering Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)" in a bathroom, with Josh manning a very professional camera at a close angle. No one else is playing the song proper in this 13 second clip, but given the setting, there might not be room for everyone anyway! If this is going to be a professional multi-angle video of this cover, other band members will have been shot separately, but so far, I don't believe it's out yet. We'll let you know when/if the video is released, but give Amanda's teaser clip a watch below!
Let's head to the Sault Michigan area to close, via new live videos of local hard rock trio Tarnished's "summer rock party" concert outside of Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in nearby Hulbert Township on Saturday night! The venue's Facebook page uploaded or live-streamed five videos of Tarnished's set, which allow us to see their outdoor stage setup, which will also be used for their set opening for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in August. Looks professional enough to do the job, though it's placement sideways along the slope of a hill is definitely an interesting visual! As for the videos proper, two are from later in the night from a closer zoom of the stage, with Tarnished covering Seether's "Remedy" and Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn". The other three are in daylight and are thankfully much longer, including covers of Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue On Black" and Everlast's "What It's Like".
The other video is over 9 minutes long and captures songs from near the start of their set, including the end of frontman Alex Traynor's solo track "Life Is Made Of Lies" and covers of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust". This video has definite audio quality difficulties, so I'd be embedding another one here, if Hulbert House hadn't blocked external embedding of these videos, alas. Given that the two full songs in the 9 minute clip are very bass heavy, who is playing bass in Tarnished now? Alex himself (and on a five string bass, no less!) It is surprising to see him not on guitar, but if him switching instruments allows them to play live short term, go for it! Unfortunately, only the Everlast cover is on a horizontal camera angle, but the filmers do zoom in and get closer to the stage on the other clips. Performance-wise, Tarnished are on their game!
Despite not having a high turnout (remember, the band didn't plug this date until Wednesday, and Hulbert is an hour's drive west), they're in good spirits and clearly happy to be back on an E.U.P. stage for the first time since March! And again, this will be a preview of what to expect when they play Hulbert House's outdoor stage again in August, pandemic willing. Give these videos a look via the links above, and that's all for today, but look for our next Defunct Local Band Profile by Friday! Thanks everyone!
Well, this is a rare sight: two posts in a two day span! I wasn't planning to have anything new on the site today, but surprisingly, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT dropped into my lap courtesy of a prominent Sault Michigan band, so I cobbled together stuff I was saving for next week to fill this post out. There are some Sault Ontario topics to get to, including a new album release and more, but we're mostly staying in the E.U.P. here via some new videos and that concert, so here's what you should know!
Local hard rock trio Tarnished will return to Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast (well, outside of it) in nearby Hulbert Township TONIGHT for a special "summer rock party" concert! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the event via this poster on Wednesday, but the venue had posted the Facebook event page for it over a month ago. While I'm surprised Tarnished waited until this week to plug the event, I should have caught Hulbert House's own event page before now, and I profusely apologize for that! Tarnished have played a few shows downstate in the interim, but this will be their first publically advertised local concert since March (also at Hulbert House), and this will mark their first E.U.P. date since the departure of bassist Donald Alexander. As per this low-res photo from their concert in Vandalia last week, it looks like Josh is still on drums, but I can't tell whether someone's playing bass instead of guitar or not.
As best as I can tell, Tarnished are the only band playing TONIGHT, and with no lockdown order in Michigan, why not come out to see some live hard rock, let alone outdoors! Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for isolated thunderstorms in Hulbert around 10:00 PM. TONIGHT'S all ages concert has a 6:00 PM start time, a $15 cover charge, and takes place outside of the B&B at 9920 South North Hulbert Road. Concerts, let alone outdoor ones, have been rare for obvious reasons in recent months, so if you can make the drive west, don't miss Tarnished under the stars TONIGHT, and here they are live!
Next up, defunct Sault Ontario classic metal quartet Late & Loud are back (kinda) with a new album.... kinda! While the band proper did dissolve following their two standalone reunion gigs in 2014, with members largely moving out of town at least temporarily, they obviously remained friends, as evidenced by the creation of their role playing game podcast Late & Legends last fall. I'm not super knowledged about D&D-style role playing games, but clearly the guys know their stuff and have made up a detailed fantasy world and characters to work with, and you can get links on their website towards audio and video episodes of their exploits in Renlan. Much to my surprise, the podcast has led to the release of a "new" album in April entitled "Late & Legends 1" that is on sale for $5 on the Late & Loud Bandcamp page, marking their first album since 2013's "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" reissue!
Honestly, this is more of a score than a proper album, compiling backing music heard in the podcast proper, so expect something more along the lines of SweetKenny's late-period albums than a true sequel to "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal". Still, it does feature 12 new instrumental compositions, six each by guitarists Brendan Christie & Jonathan Tiberi, though I don't know if Benn or Josh contributed to the recording sessions. As this is technically a new Late & Loud album, it is eligible for a review on the SMS (perhaps this month?!), but in any event, give the podcast and/or album a listen, watch the pilot below, and Late & Loud are surprisingly back in our active band links!
Also today, here's another new original song from Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson's YouTube channel on Tuesday! Entitled "Devoured", this is a collaboration that the St. Ignace product made with Darien Deilami, an Oklahoma-based metal vocalist from the band Xeropthalmia (among others). Given the long distance, it's surprising that the final product is only 73 seconds, but it's a brutal death metal track while it lasts, and Darien's brutal vocals fit very well (there's even a lyric track on the video if you want to try and sing along!) Give "Devoured" a listen for yourselves 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 name:
The Buckcherry-headlined concert at Soo Blaster in Sault Ontario has been rescheduled once again, this time to Tuesday, October 19th, as per a quiet update to the Facebook event page. Organizers and bands haven't made a massive deal of the new date yet, perhaps due to the uncertainty on the border and if normal concerts will have the go-ahead in the province by then, but optimistically, I have listed the new date on the site. Fingers crossed that things will be more opened up by the fall! If you do want tickets for the new date, or to inquire about refunds, click here.
St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown teased on their Facebook page last week that they are in "talks of a music video for a new song that has never been heard yet", but followed that up a day later by apologizing for not posting lately (despite the previous day's post), saying that "things have happened recently that has changed our route a little." Nothing too detailed has followed since, just vague teasers, but hopefully all is well in their camp!
The rescheduled Queen: It's A Kinda Magic tribute concert at the Sault Community Theatre Centre in Sault Ontario did not take place on Wednesday for obvious reasons, but it has been rescheduled once again, as their website's tour schedule now lists it as taking place on Sunday, May 22nd, 2022. Surely, we won't have to worry about lockdowns and social distancing by next spring.... right?! Again, fingers crossed, and the new date is listed on the site! Yes, tickets are on sale at this link.
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
As we settle into another lockdown on the Ontario side of the border, let's focus solely on Sault Michigan and the Eastern U.P. for today's post! Mostly, this relates to one band in particular (who have a surprise LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the summer), but we do have some solo videos to cap things off with. Here's what you should know!
Local hard rock band Tarnished will return to the Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in Hulbert Township on Saturday, August 14th when they open for Grand Rapids country band Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys! Odd genre mix, but it would appeal to a wider audience. The band has yet to confirm this date, but the venue's Facebook page announced the show last week. Time will tell how pandemic restrictions impair this event, but Hulbert House postponed it from a planned April 14th date to work out further details. Note that while Tarnished's previous appearances at Hulbert House were indoors (more on them in a bit), the venue's Facebook page has been teasing that Tarnished will be playing outside of the B&B at dates to be announced this summer, so will this be outdoors too? Details on time, admission fees, and potential age limits are to be announced, so stay tuned to the SMS when we hear more!
While we're on the subject, Tarnished have been busy of late, including releasing their new single "SDR&R" (short for "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll") on Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, and Spotify on March 29th! Assuming it won't be on an album (at least imminently), I will give my thoughts on it here, and it's an effective 1980s metal throwback with a modern hard rock bite and strong guitar work, but ending the song with a solo did feel like a slight anticlimax. Fans should enjoy it, so give it a listen! The black & white photo at the top right is from a new shoot Tarnished did with Jay London Photography, but new bassist Donald Alexander is not included for unannounced reasons. Hopefully he was just unavailable that day! Lastly, remember their Nathan-free live-streamed performance on Friday, March 19th? Well, here's some more details on where that took place!
As it turns out, the March 19th video was filmed at the aforementioned Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast, so they must have returned less than a week later, despite neither the band nor venue advertising the return engagement on their respective Facebook pages. Assuming this wasn't a private event, I do apologize for not covering it on the SMS, but again, neither Tarnished nor Hulbert House plugged it in advance. An implied Alex/Josh acoustic set may also have taken place at Hulbert House, based on photos the venue shared on March 18th (again, apologies if we did miss something, but it wasn't announced beforehand.) One more concert video was shot during the March 19th set, as uploaded on Hulbert House's Facebook page two days later, where Alex, Donald, and Josh covered Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".
Capturing the full song (if short a guitarist), Tarnished handle this classic hard rock standby with ease, though Alex does put some extra oomph into the vocals at times. Again, the lighting seems overkill when the indoor stage setup there looks so plain (hence why I didn't assume the prior video from this set was from a scheduled concert at first), but if the gang at Hulbert House see an opportunity to host live music during a low time, and can do it safely, why not give it a shot? Check out Tarnished's other new video below, and stay tuned for updates when they roll in!
Finally, have you been wondering what St. Ignace progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown have been up to lately? We're nearing a month since their last update relating to actual band activity (allegedly, they are waiting for mastering to wrap up on their upcoming CD), but two members have been working on some solo endeavours in the past month! Singer Brandon West has been supplying vocals for a couple of far-flung musicians' original projects that have been shared on H.L.T.C.'s Facebook page (both via YouTube postings and Brandon's TikTok page), but will these provide any sonic hints towards the band's upcoming album? They're brutal enough to match, for what it's worth! Meanwhile, guitarist Ted Olson quietly resumed his dormant solo project over the winter, and has posted a handful of original composition playthrough videos to his new YouTube channel (largely filmed by Brandon), with an outdoor video for his own track "Odin" posted yesterday.
Embedded below is Ted's solo song "Just Chill", uploaded almost a month ago. Excellent progressive metal guitar work from Ted, who is an underrated player locally, though whether you consider his solo to be as "insane" as advertised is up to your preferences. Hopefully Ted's YouTube videos will help tide everyone over while we wait for Heavy Lies The Crown's album, so give his videos a look above and below, and Ted is back in our active Sault Michigan band links! Here's hoping he has some more content in the works!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site by the end of the work week! Thanks everyone!
