New Videos From Mike Haggith, Molly Escherich, And The Floor Between Us!!

As our slow clear-out of the backlog continues, here's a new news post on this Saturday afternoon that takes us from the EUP to Southern Ontario before finally coming home to Sault Ste. Marie, but we'll start in Michigan with another recent full set video, so here's what you should know!

In a follow-up from our coverage of last month's Superior Whitefish Festival battle of the bands in Brimley, Michigan, you may recall that there was a separate Music In The Park concert before the battle featuring acoustic-leaning performers. One was 8th Fire frontwoman Molly Escherich just hours before she led her new band to a second place finish, and like with the main band, her solo matinee set was shot in full for her YouTube channel! I have been more selective with acoustic singer/guitarists in our band links in recent years, as for metal, hard rock, and punk, it doesn't play in as well for song choices, and anyone with a guitar can play a set live and call it a day, but what does a 56 minute set of Molly's entail in 2026? In performance order, the 14 year old Dafter native covered Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Still The Same", The Eagles' "Take It Easy", Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", ...

...The Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music" (which The 8th Fire covered in their battle set), Carole King's "It's Too Late", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" (briefly), and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain", before playing the original song about the perfect boat day with her dad that led off The 8th Fire's battle set. Covers resume with Noah Kahan's "The Great Divide", The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up", Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" (also covered by The 8th Fire that night), another attempt at "Proud Mary" that was more successful than previously, Zach Bryan's "Something In The Orange", Coldplay's "Yellow", and Little Big Town's "Boondocks", before Molly ended her set with two more original songs named "Cheap Cologne" and "Always Known". Molly definitely has some other hard rock covers in her back pocket from past solo gigs that I want to look at in the future, but her solo set is definitely more varied.

Regardless, she is a very talented singer and guitarist who is still rapidly improving (being at Interlochen will help in that!), and for her age, she has an ease about her on stage and a good audience rapport already! If you saw her battle set with The 8th Fire, the three common songs from Molly's solo set (one being an acoustic solo performance too) will either be an interesting contrast or feel redundant, but remember that a lot of early festival attendees didn't stay for the battle, or vice versa. Good stuff, and with a dash of the hard rock to come that night, so give Molly's Music In The Park set in Brimley a watch below, and we'll have more from her soon!

Next up, let's head north of the border (and yet still south) to Barrie, Ontario, where local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith returned to Athletic Kulture Stadium there on July 4th to sing "O Canada" at a Barrie Baycats baseball game! Now competing in the renamed Canadian Baseball League, the Baycats welcomed Mike to sing the anthem at games in each of the past two seasons, though rain delays got in the road of his original 2024 bookings. For Mike's game this season, he sang before Barrie's clash with the Hamilton Cardinals on the Fourth of July, and regrettably for the home team and fans, the Baycats lost 8-1. As always though, the game was live-streamed on Barrie's YouTube channel, and if you want to just check out Mike's performance, he is introduced by the PA announcer at the 7:42 mark. Mike sings well, as you'd expect given his talents and pedigree!

I just wish the game went better for the Baycats, but they are in fourth place in the nine-team league, which would guarantee them a playoff spot if the season ended today, so best of luck for a strong run over the rest of the CBL season. Give Mike's performance (and the game) a watch below!

Finally for today, I wanted to mention the local comedy/art rock band The Floor Between Us, who have came up sparingly in our coverage in recent years. If you're not familiar with them, their lineup features one-time Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli on vocals & guitar alongside singer Ivy-Rose Morrison, Stones & Crows bassist Nicholas Gingras, and Spaceship Opening/ASDP drummer Ralph Barber (an "Andrew M." played keyboards for them once too). Their music is very eclectic, experimental, and has more in common with a lot of 1960s pop rock and bands like They Might Be Giants than heavier styles, but there's a joie de vivre and clear sense of humour across their original music, so I do recommend checking out their material on maior streaming platforms to see what you think! However, they do occasionally cover some songs that cross the SMS' radar in concert.

The Floor Between Us are fans of the English anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba, best known for their one mainstream hit "Tubthumping", which they have covered live (here they are playing it unplugged at a Korah talent show featuring Ralph's ASDP bandmate Mikhal Muto on cajon). However, they haven't just gotten up again after being knocked down, as they covered their 1994 b-side "The Day The Nazi Died") at one of their Sault Theatre Workshop fundraiser concerts in November. More of a politically charged folk song that would definitely fit an English pub (complete with Nicholas on added percussion), this is well performed with sharp lyrics, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Wax Mannequin & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to dive into another round of weekend concert previews, and while things aren't as hectic as the last two weeks, there are still enough shows to get to where we'll have to break things in twain, so shows that are only on Saturday and/or Sunday (Generations, 5 Dollar Bribe, Bone Yard 225, and the Barge Bash) will be in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border for bands playing shows tonight and tomorrow in some fashion, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third solo acoustic concert in as many days TOMORROW NIGHT at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via his Facebook event page on Monday. You may recall seeing late notice word that Tym would be making the 45 minute drive southeast to Desbarats (hometown of Central Algoma Secondary School) four weeks ago for his debut gig there, which I unfortunately missed at the time, so thankfully I heard about this one! Fresh off of shows at The Trading Post and the Up & Down Lounge, Tym should have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in store for fans TOMORROW, and clearly his July 3rd show went well for him to get called back again before July is up! Ije's Place is located off of Highway 17 at 4 Lake Huron Drive, and is roughly between St. Joseph Island and Bruce Mines near the edge of our coverage area.

This indoor concert goes down TOMORROW from 6:00-8:00 PM, this is likely all ages given that Ije's is a cafe & bakery, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a live-streamed video of Tym there earlier this month! The 2 minute clip sees Tym covering much of The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels" and doing a solid job of it, but alas, the filmer didn't zoom in at all, so full screen is your friend here. As this was live-streamed on Ije's Facebook page, it will vanish early next week unless re-uploaded or converted, so watch it below (while you can?) 

Next up, Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT for a concert at... Unnecessary Noise? Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via its Facebook event page this past Friday. As to my understanding, Unnecessary Noise is the private location that has been used for recent Underground Events SSM concerts like the Danger Box one and Soopfest, but the space now has an official name, and it's being used for public event promotion going forward, even if the address isn't at a public locale ("ask a punk"). This isn't entirely new for Wax Mannequin, as Chris Adeney's last show here in August 2024 was also not at a standard venue, instead a residence's backyard. Hopefully Unnecessary Noise proves a fitting spot for Wax Mannequin's return, and their noise definitely isn't unnecessary, with punk and metal tinges across their wide ranging setlist and discography!

Fellow Hamilton alt-folk/punk solo project The Kettle Black will make their apparent local debut tomorrow while on tour with Wax Mannequin, while comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (featuring Stones & Crows bassist Nicholas Gingras) will return as openers after doing the honours two years ago. Like in 2024, this is an all ages concert at 8:00 PM, but unlike that Piecing It Together Shows-promoted event, admission is "pay-what-you-can" with $15 recommended (down from $20 in advance/$25 at the door last time). This should be a fun concert for fans of eclectic original music with punk and hard rock influences across the board, so see above for more details, and here's Wax Mannequin live!

We'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to round out this post, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quarter Tarnished, who will make their way an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock American Legion Park as part of St. Ignace's Music By The Bay summer concert series! Once again, St. Ignace is impressively hosting a different live music act daily until Labour Day, with tomorrow's show being the first of two that Tarnished are playing under the canopied stage at 200 North State Street this year, the other being the penultimate show for 2026 on September 5th. Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a smash hit for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, though note that the band has not corroborated the booking on their Facebook page at press time. Tomorrow's concert takes place at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and lawn chairs are suggested given the park setting.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a 40% chance of rain during showtime tomorrow, with temperatures of 72-73° (22-23° Celsius). Yes, artists get to play under a roof, but attendees aren't so lucky, so if you are at all concerned about the forecast and/or the potential for the show being cancelled or abbreviated by the rain, keep tabs with Tarnished for updates. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally, let's head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where Petoskey classic/hard rock cover quartet The Blitz are scheduled to make their local debuts at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not mentioned in new social media posts in the past month & a half, The Blitz are the first of three non-local hard rock cover bands debuting at Kewadin lounges over the next month. Videos from after their 2022 reunion point to a well varied but often heavy range of covers played with talent and professinalism, and I do hope that things go well so they can blitz a local stage again in the coming months! As usual for Kewadin lounges, this weekend's shows both have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Blitz in a recent jam session!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's previews or this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), More Local Artists On You Rock!, And Other Updates!!

In this final weekend with vaccine passports in the province, the hard rock concert calendar is very slim, but some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS have hit my news desk in time to give them some coverage before it is too late! Rounding things out, we do have some assorted notes from a popular Facebook group, and some local content on a popular indie music showcase series, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for traditional concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed these dates via their official Facebook page yesterday, but this is relatively common for their gig announcements, alas. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows do follow their regular Thursday night role as open mic night hosts at the Reggievelt, but traditionally, we don't cover open mic nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their unpredictable nature and variable performance length of the hosts. Open mic nights aside, this is Soundcheck's second normal concert weekend of 2022 and their first at Reggie's West in almost three months (largely thanks to the re-imposed pandemic restrictions), but with those lifted, hopefully a sizeable crowd turns out to safely rock out with their diverse but often heavy covers!

You can see Soundcheck TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, but be advised that this is the last concert weekend where vaccine passports are mandatory to enter nightclubs in Ontario, so do not forget yours if you come out! Starting March 1st, they're no longer required, but regardless, please use common sense regarding any posted public health measures to keep everyone safe. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some more local representation in a recent episode of Thomas Christ's independent music showcase webseries You Rock!, starting with episode #20 from January 19th! The mid-point of that episode is very locally friendly, as Thomas checks out three songs from local acts in a six song, hour+ long span (the episode runs for just over 3 hours). First up is inactive grunge trio No Arrow's song "Sikkha" (1:17:20), preceded by context about how the track came to be, and I won't get into the specifics here, especially with how they deal with band disagreements. Thomas complimented the song's raw grunge/metal hybrid feeling and how it really evokes a live performance, and it's great to see that No Arrow are still finding a strong audience so many years removed from their dissolution! Local indie rockers Man Feelings also get good praise at the 1:57:00 mark for their song "When You Win (You Win Ugly)".

That episode's local contingent ends with regularly featured You Rock! contributor Mike Haggith, specifically here via his old power pop/hard rock trio The Din's song "Missing" (2:04:05) from their last album "Suburban Dream". Thomas called this song "fantastic" and complimented it's straightforward indie vibe, live readiness, and Mike's overall professionalism. Solid thoughts as always, so give all of the local and international talent a listen above! Embedded below is episode #21 from January 26th, which features songs from both Mike Haggith and No Arrow, so what should you know there? Mike's up first at 1:54:55 when Thomas played his song "MorningStar" from 2020's "If Ever Comes The Day", and he praised the track as an "epic song", hyping up its orchestral elements and rocking vibe, especially so given that this was allegedly Mike's first song made solely on GarageBand for iOS!

As for No Arrow, their song "Genocyde Revealing Part 2" is played at 2:27:00, with frontman Dann Pichette giving some interesting thoughts on the song's origins and the band (if that explains anything!) Thomas said that the song sounded great, that it reminded him of a Nirvana b-side, and he liked the chaotic ending as well. Always solid insights from Thomas Christ (a strong musician in his own right beyond this series), and the breadth of talent from afar is always welcome in this series, so give everything a watch above & below! We'll look at more from You Rock! next week!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items, all related to posts on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from the last few weeks! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Former Haggith/Eclipse singer Curtis McKenzie is looking for a drummer that would be interested in jamming with his current project, who cover bands like Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden. A bassist is already enlisted, and Curt made it sound like he was on guitar. It'd be great to see Curtis back out there with a full band, but message him here or via his group post from two weeks ago for more details!
• In his latest Musicians Wanted post, former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent posted about wanting to jam in a band again, naming "rock and roll, classic rock, hard rock, and maybe some country" as preferred genres. Mike can also play drums if needed. Maybe not a return to his best known metal work is in the cards, but if you want to jam with Mike, message him at this link or via his group post on Monday!
• Mustang Sally alum Nicholas Gingras is looking for a bassist (ideally aged 17-22) who would be interested in joining his current band The Floor Between Us, who play original "experimental comedy rock", and hope to play songs that, while "straightforward harmonically", can also have simple chord progressions churned out "on the fly". The brief musical samples on their Instagram page don't tell us a ton about their sound, but just in case they could get heavy, message Nicholas at this link or via his group post on Sunday for more info!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile this weekend! Thanks everyone!