News & Updates From Two Sault Michigan Hard Rock Bands!!

For today's second post, we're catching up on some recent news from two Sault Michigan hard rock bands (incidentally, ones with two ex-band members in common now), so here's what you should know on both fronts!

We'll start with the latest from local hard rock/classic metal trio Tarnished, so what's new from them? Almost two weeks after their new studio single "Lightswitch" was aired on Rock 101's Scott Cook In The Morning, the band proper will appear in studio on The Sault's Rock Station's weekday morning drive show tomorrow at 8:00 AM! It's not a true "concert", but apologies for the short notice, they only announced this earlier today on their Facebook page, both in writing and in this "Reel". Tarnished are no strangers to local radio, having appeared on Rock 101 and classic hits station Eagle Radio 95.1 (which rebranded as Bridge FM in April, FYI) in the past, but it's always good to see Scott give some love to original rock bands in the Twin Saults! The only chance you ever really get to hear local bands on 101.3 FM is during his shows. Tarnished will be interviewed tomorrow morning and will also perform a mystery acoustic song.

Hopefully things go well at WSUE tomorrow morning, and if you're able to tune in on your FM dial or via the free internet stream, the interview is slated for 8:00 AM midway through Scott Cook In The Morning! Tarnished's next true concert will take place at Byce's Michihistrigan Bar & Grill in Gould City (90 minutes southwest of here) on Saturday as part of the Michihistrigan Rendezvous festival there, and Chris Leask & Ron Suchey from Rhythm & Brews will return as the guest rhythm section, like they did at The Merch last month. Gould City is beyond our coverage range, as a 90 minute drive from the Soo isn't quite "local", but keep it in mind if you're up for the poker run, music, and everything else! For reference, Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird (who play at the regional Kewadin Casino lounges often) are the Friday headliners there. Hopefully everything goes well at the Rendezvous this weekend, weather permitting!

Lastly, remember how Tarnished won an AI generated music video for placing third at the Rock Recovery Battle of the Bands in Alpena in March? Well, the video is complete and was posted to the band's Facebook page on Saturday! I can't embed it here due to Facebook content matching the audio, despite it being for Tarnished's own song, so click here to watch it. Made by the crew at the Traverse City-based podcast The South Of The Straits Show, the video is for "Lightswitch", and features an AI-generated hair metal band performing in concert, and interacting with each other and the singer's girlfriend, and some vehicles are driven too. AI still has many limitations, but it's interesting to see what they cranked out here!

Next up, here's the latest news and notes from fellow local hard rock band Exit 808, so what have they been up to in the past couple of weeks? On May 29th, they posted jam session photos onto their Facebook page, where they revealed the surprise addition of rhythm guitarist Will Robbins to the band, replacing Nathan Webber. A reason for Nathan's departure wasn't announced, but note that the band never acknowledged Melvin and Isaac's exits either. After leaving Tarnished, Nathan co-founded the former Double Jack last fall, but was last credited in band materials in March. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see him back out there in due course! This leaves drummer Jackie Moon as the only member of Double Jack's original lineup left in Exit 808. As for Will, I am not familiar with him at all from past local bands, but hopefully he fits in fine long-term!

If you want to see how Will slots in with Exit 808, you can now do so, as videos from his debut with the band are available to watch on their Facebook page! Normally, I'd wait to cover these until this weekend's concert previews, as they return to a truly local stage on Saturday in Kinross, but there's enough videos here where we don't have to be stingy. These all come from their set on Saturday at Drewpalooza 2, a public birthday concert/mental health fundraiser in Republic (20 minutes west of Ishpeming), so odds are most local fans didn't take the 3+ hour drive out. These videos were all filmed by attendee Angie Hood, and give us our first look at Exit 808 since adding ex-Infathom frontman Dillion Semasky as their joint lead singer, while fellow vocalist Amy Beach's son Blaze Beairl is still filling in on bass (if he has joined permanently, they haven't 100% confirmed it). Angie shot four videos, and while all are sadly vertical, what can you see here?

They include covers of Def Leppard's "Let It Go", Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog", and (believe it or not) Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina", but embedded below is their rock cover of Eminem & Rihanna's "The Monster". The latter obviously makes good use of the joint male/female singers, but on the other three songs, "Let It Go" had them sharing vocals about 50/50, and the other two had Dillion on lead vocals with Amy backing. Sounds good to me, and while the balance of having two dedicated singers together like this may need more dialing in, Amy and Dillion seem to pair well, and Will's guitar work sounds solid enough! Give Exit 808's new videos a watch above & below, and don't miss them in Kinross on Saturday!

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

Live Streams From A Dire Setback & The Hair Scare, Plus More Assorted Updates!!

Here's another new post on the site today, and while I am running dry on topics to start the week, I guarantee we will have a new post each day through at least Thursday! This post has some assorted shorter stories of note, and a live-streamed video from a popular local radio show, but leading off, here's even more big updates relating a recently released punk album!

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and widespread concert cancellations may have wrecked A Dire Setback's plans for a CD release show at LopLops on Saturday, but the guys made due by live-streaming a release party on their Facebook page that night! As preluded by Facebook posts about their plans to get the gear set up for live-streaming, the local alt-punk trio ensured that the show went on (albeit from their jam room), and while an actual release concert with CDs in hand is still planned for the future, fans got the next best thing on Saturday! The whole thing is embedded below, though the video began rolling 19 minutes before the promised 10:00 PM start time, so fast forward as such to get to the actual start of the set. In performance order, the guys played "Everlasting", "Faded", "Forget This Memory", their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" with bassist Matt Quinn on lead vocals, "Catastrophe", "A Dire Setback", "Endless Dream", a cover of Green Day's "Longview", "Drop Dead", ...

..."Kicking & Screaming", "Nightmares", and covers of The Misfits' "Last Caress" & Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", both with Matt singing lead again. One thing I noted way too late while watching is that "Drop Dead" is actually the renamed version of one of A Dire Setback's earliest originals, "Wasting Away", apparently at the suggestion of producer Bill Priddle to make the song angrier. I should have caught on to that way sooner, apologies for sounding ignorant! Performance wise, the analog audio recording setup & warm lighting aren't ideal, and this is a very casual performance, but in light of what's going on in the world, how can you nitpick? The guys are clearly having fun, and I've never seen Chris so talkative between songs! The new covers ("Ace of Spades" aside) are nice surprises too, so fans will definitely enjoy this live-streamed set, as well as this thank you video for fans who watched, where they also reiterate plans for a real release concert, show off their gear, and ask for feedback.

Also, A Dire Setback's self-titled debut CD dropped on other services beyond Spotify yesterday, so you can now stream it on Apple Music and YouTube, and buy it on Bandcamp and Google Play (the latter two for around $9). Whatever your preferred source, definitely buy or stream it A.S.A.P., especially with the CD release in limbo! See above for much more the album, read our review of it in yesterday's post, and here's their full live-stream!



Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where long-running Rock 101 program The Hair Scare finally has it's own official Facebook page! Their official Facebook group is still alive & well, but that is more of an officially recognized fan club, compared to the new page, which host Scott Cook created back in January. Of course, The Hair Scare provides a 3 hour blast of hair and glam metal classics from the late 1970s-early 1990s every Saturday at 9:00 PM on 101.3 FM, and you can now see an hour-long glimpse of Scott at the controls from the newest episode via the live-streamed video embedded below, so if you've ever wanted an insider look at The Hair Scare in action, this will do it! In order, you'll hear Scott play Sven Gali's "Under the Influence" (joined in progress), Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", Poison's "Look What The Cat Dragged In", Skid Row's "Sweet Little Sister", Slaughter's "Mad About You", Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine", Trooper's "Raise A Little Hell", ...

...Whitesnake's "Judgement Day", and much of Tesla's "Modern Day Cowboy", plus all of the breaks in-between where Scott takes requests, reminisces about the Soo area and past concerts, and talks to fans tuning in. This is an entertaining inside look at this popular Rock 101 staple in action, if not as clear for audio as the actual show would be! If you're a hair metal fan, The Hair Scare is appointment listening every Saturday, and if you like when Rock 101 diverts from their standard playlist, both The Hair Scare and Scott Cook In The Morning are your best bets for anything with local DJs! Give this Hair Scare live stream a look below, and don't forget to tune in on Saturday!



Finally for today, here's three assorted Sault Ontario news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• SooToday previewed the Facebook live-streamed Coronafest event on March 21st via this article earlier that day, featuring remarks from organizer Brian Cattapan and fellow performer Cory Murchison. The article neglects to mention that there were more than two Saultites on the bill (Brian, his wife Krista and Jason "J Wyza" Wysynski are all from here too), but it's great to see Coronafest get some local news attention! A sequel on April 18th is also in the works for Krista's birthday the next day, so click here for details.
• If Mike Haggith's CD release concert at LopLops goes through on May 15th, then his live backing band that night will include one more musician, as local folk/alternative solo artist Jacob Quarrell (formerly Shit Creek Survivor) will be the lead guitarist on this night, as per the Facebook event page last week. Jacob opened for Mike at his Outspoken Brewing acoustic concert in August, which Mike credits as "the show that kicked off this album in the greatest possible way." While his solo music isn't hard rock, Jacob's very talented and should deliver well with Mike and crew in May... I hope!
• Local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be interviewed tonight at 9:00 PM on The Taxi Passenger Revue, a radio show hosted by Mike Robillard on new local internet radio station The Borderline. The series features in-depth conversations akin to what you would have with a cab driver, hence the name, and if the Facebook event page is anything to go by, the interview with Tym will heavily deal in his recent conversion to Christianity. This should be an enlightening listen for fans, so check it out tonight at 9:00, especially if episodes aren't posted to stream afterward!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our second installment in our seven part WLS0 9O.1 FM retrospective series tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Project 906 Concert Preview, A New Live Album, And Much More!!

In what I project will be our last post of the month on the SMS, we have some assorted shorter topics from recent weeks, a new cover video, and a new album release to take note of, but first, here's one more concert preview for the Canada Day long weekend, ironically in Michigan!

We'll start today by wrapping up our publically known and advertised hard rock concert previews in Brimley, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT at the Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino! Quietly postponed two weeks from the venue's originally advertised date, this will be their first stop at "your perfect up north retreat" since August of last year, and it's the first of three scheduled stops that they're making at the waterfront bar and restaurant through September. Fans of 906's hard rocking covers should have a fun time in Brimley tomorrow, so don't miss out on all of the action then! This 21+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge. See the above links for more details, and for a preview, we have a new live video of Project 906 to share! This was filmed at their Strongs Tavern set last week during the Brenda Holmes benefit fun run afterparty, as filmed by attendee Tina Knox, so what should you know on it?

Shared to the band's Facebook page on Monday, this is of Project 906 covering Mountain's "Mississippi Queen" alongside a young attendee named Riley on his own guitar. Nice of the guys to invite the kid on stage, and while Joe Jenkins' placement isn't optimal for view of the band, he's clearly engaging with Riley and playing along with him, which is nice to see! The cover's solid, and Billy Bernier's vocals are particularly strong, so give this cover a look below, and don't miss Project 906 in Brimley tomorrow night!

Next up, we have a surprise album release to take note of on here, namely a new live album from Sault Ontario solo artist and former Din frontman Mike Haggith! Entitled "From The Nickel Stage", this was recorded at Mike's solo acoustic headlining set at the Nickel Days festival in Thompson, Manitoba this past Sunday, and was quickly released on a "name your price" model on his Bandcamp page on Monday. The album is comprised of 7 songs, 6 being newer originals (including the title track for his next planned studio album "Bridges"), as well as a cover of The Din's original song "Missing". Whether this set had additional outside covers or not isn't clear, but this does all fit into a half hour set with room to spare. This is Mike's first album as a solo artist since the release of "The Warinside" three years ago, and his first live album in four years, so this has been a long time coming for his revived solo project! With all of this stated, is a review imminent?

I'd say no, as precedent goes to studio albums, and with "Bridges" announced for later this year (if not with recording sessions underway), I'm inclined to wait for that album and not risk delaying it by reviewing a live album with versions of these songs that aren't the final studio copies. Plus, who knows if The Din's ongoing July 21st, 2018 teaser has anything to do with said album, as no one's showing their cards regarding the date yet. Still, give "From The Nickel Stage" a listen above to hear Mike's Manitoba-based new material, and consider buying it as well!

Also today, here's a new solo cover video from Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer, courtesy of the still-on-hiatus band's Facebook page on June 17th, but it's not of a song you might be expecting. The cover in question is "I Can Only Imagine" by the Christian rock band MercyMe, which Henry spoke above on how the song was inspiring to him and that hoped to "touch people's hearts" with this performance. This may seem out of left field, but Henry's singing is solid, and remember that Sault Michigan has more of a history with Christian rock than Sault Ontario, with notable bands like Seeking Reverence, Outshined, and OmegaRock in recent years. Give it a look below!



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

• Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads have been added as the second openers for the Seether/10 Years concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on August 11th, as per promoters Allstar Promotions' Facebook page on June 18th. This 3/4ths female group have an energetic and creative sound with influences from grunge to science fiction, and they're definitely worth coming early for! Tickets are still available for $46, so act now before it's too late!
• Though curiously not advertised on Rotaryfest's website, their individual performer Facebook event pages indicate that Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have been added as the opening band for Stage 2 on Saturday, July 21st at 1:30 PM! This makes them the only heavier band playing on the last day, which we already outlined in our post on the Rotaryfest schedules, so I won't restate our original write-up here. Hopefully The Elements have a blast in their Second Stage debut next month!
• If you've seen references to a concert from Jesse Cook at The Sault (Kiwanis) Community Theater Center on March 31st, 2019, be advised that this is not the prolific local metal and punk guitarist going solo. Rather, this Jesse Cook is a Juno Award winning flamenco/jazz guitarist from Toronto, and genre fans would be well served to give this show a look! Of course, you can see the Soo's Jesse Cook with Winkstinger, Handsome Sandwich, The Wyld Stallyns, and the aforementioned Elements at local stages near you later this year, but wouldn't it be something if he opened?

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before everyone heads down to the OHL Championship Series opener at The Essar Center (and preceding street party on Queen Street East at 4:00 PM), here's this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Remember, you guys can watch game 2 at some of these venues on Saturday before/during the concerts in question, so if you want to cheer on the Greyhounds, I'm sure you'll have lots of chances! Now, let's begin this weekend's concert previews with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (credited as "The Wyld Stallyns" again) will return to Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT to headline their Star Wars Day party! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen at the Low & Slow sister bar last month, TOMORROW'S show coincides with the Star Wars fan holiday ("May the Fourth be with you"), and with that in mind, Room 21 have drink specials for the occasion, and attendees who show up in Star Wars costumes will get exclusive specials, so keep that in mind if you're planning to come out! As for Rob & Jesse, expect more fan favourite covers once again TOMORROW, with guest appearances and crowd involvement likely, so don't miss out at 10:00 PM! This show is a 19+ event with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Rob, Jesse, and guests live at The Rockstar Bar!



Next up, we'll add local unplugged singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's May slate of Gliss Steak & Seafood shows to our concert listings, so you can see him there TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on May 11th-12th, 18th-19th, and 25th-26th! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's shows, remember that we take Tym's Gliss bookings on a month-by-month basis due to their long term nature. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows continue a busy week for Tym Morrison, who just played three nights at Mark's Breakfast Plus from Monday through yesterday, and with a new month of Gliss shows now listed, fans can get more of his acoustic hard rock hits over the coming days! As usual for Tym's long term run at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, expect 6:00 PM matinee start times TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and throughout the month, with no advertised cover charges or age limits.

No word yet regarding shows of Tym's at other venues this month, but his hard rock covers should go over well with Gliss patrons at supper time this month, and definitely consider a run downtown to see him in May for a prolific slate of acoustic rock classics! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also this weekend, fans can check out classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck twice to start the month, including returns to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT and The Rockstar Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, we only heard about the former show via the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page on Tuesday, and the latter via The Rockstar Bar's Facebook event page on Monday. The band proper has not publically plugged either concert online at press time, but for reference, they only mentioned their Esquire Club shows last month on their Facebook page hours out from the Friday nighter. The Water Tower Pub has been a more frequent venue for Soundcheck in 2018 so far, but SATURDAY'S show will be their first at The Rockstar Bar in almost three months. This talented veteran quartet should have a pair of solid nights of hard rock and classic rock covers in store, so don't miss them on Great Northern Road TOMORROW to start!

Note that Soundcheck's shows are split across two venues this weekend due to The Water Tower Pub traditionally booking different acts each night (a one-off Tom Petty tribute is there on Saturday), while The Rockstar Bar has booked bands for single nights often lately as it is. TOMORROW'S Water Tower Pub show is at 9:30 PM, while SATURDAY'S Rockstar Bar show is listed at 9:00 PM, with both having no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and no public Soundcheck videos yet!

We'll close today's concert previews with shows that had lots of advance notice, as Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking April off from advertised concerts, this constant live favourite will play their first non-Sault Michigan concerts since February, where they played in Hessel, Engadine, and yes, St. Ignace. These may be Banned's only shows this month (barring a possible confirmation to come), so don't miss Alex, Don, and Wayne's hard rocking covers at The Northern Pines Lounge over these two nights! As usual for Banned's Kewadin bookings, these are 21+ concerts with 9:00 PM start times and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Banned live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

With the first concert weekend of April 2018 drawing closer, here's most of this weekend's concert previews! Due to the amount, we're holding our preview of Saturday night's Don't Look Back show in Sault Michigan for our next news post, coming tomorrow or Saturday morning, so don't worry, it's coming! Now, here's what you need to know on the Ontario side of the border, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated on Friday at 4:52 PM)

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will join forces for another acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Room 21! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier today. Three weeks removed from their most recent joint concert appearance at The Rockstar Bar, this will be their first trip to the concert venue above Low & Slow since February, with event advertising crediting them under the Wyld Stallions name again (with Bill & Ted 3 rumblings, why not?) This show should see more acoustic hard rock and funk/blues classics for fans TOMORROW, and if you haven't seen Rob & Jesse in this setting, look for guest appearances (possibly including Daniel Horton again) and more encouragement of fan involvement. Note that the event page openly admits that they are up against "a certain other show", likely meaning tomorrow's Shit Liver concert, but they do encourage fans to head west and finish the night at Room 21 after that show wraps up!

A 10:30 PM start time is in effect for this show from Rob & Jesse (or The Wyld Stallions, or The Kariokeheads), while this is a 19+ event, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Rob & Jesse live at The Rockstar Bar!

Next up, and with a new month fully in force, let's add prolific hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison's slate of Gliss Steak & Seafood matinee concerts to our listings, including shows there TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on April 13th-14th, 20th-21st, and 27th-28th! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's shows, remember that we take Tym's Gliss bookings one month at a time on here due to the long-term nature of it's scheduling. These shows join an already busy month for the former Caveman Morrison frontman, who just played a pair of matinees at Mark's Breakfast Plus and will return there thrice more in a few weeks, while his Thursday open mic nights at The Canadian are also marching on, though at press time, there had not been an announced continuation of his bi-monthly Roadhouse shows. Tym's talented and fan friendly brand of hard rock covers should attract another good audience at Gliss throughout the month!

Also, in case you heard reports of a kitchen fire at the restaurant proper, don't worry, they are back open! This month's Gliss shows (including those TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT) are 6:00 PM matinee events with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this isn't a traditional nightclub venue, it's a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll next look at the homecoming of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver as they kick off their Canadian tour here TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Originally announced to take place at The Algonquin Pub, the venue was quietly changed in recent weeks to The Speak Easy, but the show was forced to relocate Friday afternoon due to venue staffing issues, forcing the late notice move to Rednecks. Kudos to them for stepping up and helping out with thhe local release concert for Shit Liver's new studio album "Hitting the Fan"! This will be Josh, Mike, and Matt's first show here since the "Trading Faces" release show last fall, so if you're hoping for a vinyl record copy or related merchandise, here's your first non-mail order chance! Of course, Shit Liver's brutal and crusty death metal onslaught is the headline attraction, but a surprisingly varied night of music will see them be joined by punk trio Stegadeth and indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota (replacing a drummer-less Vol.), so there should be a little something for everyone to rock out to at Rednecks, whether you're buying a record or not!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., tomorrow's show has an $8 cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and (sadly) 19+ age limit, while copies of "Hitting the Fan" will run you $20. It's great to have Shit Liver back home after half a year away, and with good reviews already coming in (ours soon to come...), hopefully there's a huge response to help launch their release tour! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Shit Liver live!



Finally for today's previews, local AC/DC fans will not want to bypass this one, as Who Made Who (the definitive tribute to AC/DC) will return to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! About a year removed from their last show here, this fan favourite tribute band will be back for another night of high voltage rock 'n roll, and if you haven't seen their past local appearances here dating back to the early 2010s, then prepare yourself for a faithful looking and sounding experience from Who Made Who tomorrow! This one night only event has an advertised 10:30 PM start time, you must be 19 years of age or older to attend, and admission is $10 in advance (tickets are available at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk) or $15 at the door. However, venue staff is expecting this show to sell out, and are advising interested attendees to not chance it and buy tickets A.S.A.P., so keep that in mind. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Who Made Who live in Southern Ontario!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Don't Look Back preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned And Rob Speers & Jesse Cook), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time for our St. Patrick's Day weekend concert previews! I know many of you are awaiting coverage of both Shit Liver's new album and A Dire Setback's recent debut CD-related announcements, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, I've gotta hold them until our next news post. Don't worry, they are coming! On the hard rock side of the spectrum, there's not a decent amount of shows to partake in with green beer in hand, so here's what you should know for this weekend! (Updated at 6:01 PM)

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Sportsman's Lounge at Dondee Lanes for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the shows via it's Facebook event page last night, with the venue's Facebook page previously doing the same yesterday morning. These will be Banned's first shows at the Dondee in over three months, and their first anywhere since rocking Hessel last month, so if you're overdue for another night or two of Alex, Don, and Wayne's hard rocking favourites, you know where to be TONIGHT and/or TOMORROW! Note that a comment on their Facebook page heavily implies that they'll be performing at the first annual Michihistrigan Rendezvous event in Gould City over the Father's Day weekend in June, but remember that the Lower Peninsula is outside of our coverage range.

As usual for Banned's stops at The Dondee, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's shows are 8:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charge, and make sure to bring your green clothes and Irish spirit for presumed holiday festivities! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!



Next up, Elements bandmates and Jack Spades alumni Rob Speers and Jesse Cook will bring their acoustic hard rock show to The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario as part of their St. Patrick's Day festivities TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Rob did plug it at the end of Jack Spades' set at the Archelon show this past Saturday, but it was only announced online via it's official Facebook event page yesterday. Three weeks removed from their last show of this nature, this will be Rob & Jesse's first Rockstar Bar stop in a month, but this time, the luck of the Irish will be upon TOMORROW'S concert, given the holiday trappings! As such, expect green beer (of course), some form of prize giveaways, and even lreprechauns themselves? Of course, in terms of the music, expect more unplugged cover favourites from Rob & Jesse, plus guest performers, and the venue did hype up that you can "bring your guitar and join in the fun!"

No cover charge was announced for this 11:00 PM, 19+ event TOMORROW NIGHT, but given the seasonal trappings, have cash on hand just in case. Visit the above links for more details, and here's "The Kariokeheads" live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, fans can also check out prolific local hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison as he returns to Gliss Steak & Seafood for two more matinee headlining gigs TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Keeping up with his busy schedule of shows there, and fresh off of his minimally advertised Mark's Breafast Plus shows earlier this week (including one yesterday, apologies for missing it here), Tym's latest stops at The Quality Inn's house restaurant should provide more of the same acoustic hard rock classic action, so don't miss out on these next two supper-time gigs! Note that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page advertises Tym as playing at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill tonight, but neither he nor the venue have otherwise confirmed that. If either does, we'll edit this post!  As usual for Tym's Gliss stops, expect 6:00 PM start times, and no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

This post originally ended with a preview of a New American Pub show THIS SUNDAY NIGHT to have been headlined by Louisiana punk trio Layden & The Lion, but it as confirmed this evening that they had to cancel their tour for unspecified "personal reasons". Our source is co-promoter/performer Jackson Reed via a share of the now-updated Facebook event page. Hopefully all's well in Layden and company's camp, it would have been nice to see them in town! Unusually, their exit means that the entire original lineup has dropped out of this show, as planned openers Telephone & Address and Greg Callaghan has previously dropped out for unannounced reasons too, leaving their spots to be filled by Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle, folk/pop artist Shae Tull, and the aforementioned Jackson Reed (who is also Telephone & Address' new drummer.) The show will go on though on Sunday night, and while it no longer contains no punk acts, consider a trip to The New A at 8:00 PM for the indie and folk rock on display! The $5 cover charge and 19+ age limit remain intact from earlier incarnations of this show.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The 3 Day Millionaires & Rob And Jesse), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

The last weekend of February 2018 is fast approaching, so here's this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Though there's not much in the realm of original music to speak of, there's lots of cover action of the electric and acoustic varieties, including a debuting band, so let's begin with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will continue their recent dalliance into acoustic hard rock concerts with a return to Room 21 above Low & Slow TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier this week. Two weeks removed from their Rockstar Bar debut in this setting, this will be Rob & Jesse's first joint unplugged gig at this newer Albert Street West venue of 2018, and continuing with their name ambiguity, they're called The Wyld Stallions rather than The Kariokeheads on the event page. Bill & Ted spelled it "Stallyns", but you can't hate the reference! The guys are again encouraging attendees to jam with them TOMORROW, and at least three guest performers are implied on the event page: Rob's wife Christina on vocals, Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton (who's pictured in the cover photo there), and "the sax man", presumably meaning frequent Elements guest performer Josh Norling.

A 10:00 PM start time is advertised for TOMORROW'S Rob & Jesse/Wild Stallions/Kariokeheads concert, which has no announced cover charge. No word on if these shows are a stopgap during an Elements hiatus or just picking up steam, but things seem to be going well for these acoustic nights, so keep things in mind for TOMORROW NIGHT, and here's Rob, Jesse, and Daniel live at The Rockstar Bar earlier this month!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to Reggie's West for another weekend of hard hitting and fan favourite renditions TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Monday. Already having rocked the former Roosevelt Hotel three weeks ago, this will be The Millionaires' third concert weekend at this west end venue of 2018 so far, and this should be another prime opportunity for fans of this veteran outfit to check out their entertaining live show once again! You can see The 3 Day Millionaires TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM each night, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here they are live last year!



Moving to previously announced concerts, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has yet another busy slate of unplugged shows in store for this weekend, including his ongoing long-term arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood continuing for matinee shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, plus a return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT! Still a regular weekly presence at Gliss for the foreseeable future, Tym's unplugged classics should find another receptive audience over these two evenings, while tomorrow's Roadhouse return will be his fourth of (at least) six bi-monthly shows there through the end of March. Fans have no shortage of opportunities to see Tym Morrison live this weekend, so don't miss out! Note that we will cover his Mark's Breakfast Plus matinees early next week in an upcoming post to give them more timely coverage, while we will address Tym's 10 Gliss and 2 Roadhouse gigs scheduled for next month during next weekend's concert previews.

None of this weekend's three shows have an announced cover charge, and while the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced age limit, tomorrow's Roadhouse concert is at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live in concert a few years back!



Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews is the long awaited live concert debut of new local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive as they hit The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Almost a year and a half removed from their public launch in late 2016, this new band from singer Colin Nelson, guitarist Joe Miller, bassist Pierre Anthony, drummer Jeff Pennett, and keyboardist Rob Irving should have an entertaining night of hard and classic rock covers in store for their first show, so keep them in mind for something new on the bar scene on Saturday! This is a one-night-only event, no word on if it's due to a separate Friday booking or if they're starting slow. For what it's worth, Fluid 5ive have been unusually quiet on their Facebook page in the past month, but as the venue is still actively promoting this concert, I wouldn't read into anything. There is no announced cover charge on Saturday, this is a 19+ event, and a 10:00 PM-ish start time is likely.

With covers of everyone from Deep Purple and Van Halen to Tom Petty and The Allman Brothers Band teased in their setlist, Fluid 5ive sound promising, but how will they do on Saturday, and might there be videos to follow? Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Big Wreck Concert Videos, The Din's New Live Album, And More!!

Happy President's/Family Day, depending on which side of the border you're on! Today's post on the SMS is loaded with some recent news and material from Sault Ontario, including a new album release and linked new solo video, and another new performance clip, but let's start with videos from last Tuesday's Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop! While videos from this one are surprisingly scant on YouTube, Rock 101's Facebook page has things covered again, with videos of both of last week's bands being uploaded mid-show. One was of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots playing their song "Misery" from a distant corner angle to the stage, and while it sounds good and lively for the genre, the vertical camera angle and stage setup don't help the view (at least the filmer zoomed in!) As for the headlining Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet, WSUE filmed Big Wreck playing "That Song" and, as embedded below, "Look What I Found", so how'd they turn out?

Both filmed from the back of the crowd section, these are again on a vertical camera angle, but the audio comes through fine, and it's nice to see both a single and a deep cut from "In Loving Memory Of..." filmed for Rock 101's page!  Give each clip a look above and below, and hopefully there's some more footage floating around from this show!

Next up, here's another new album release already for this still-young new year, as defunct local alternative hard rock trio The Din released their posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff" to their Bandcamp page on Friday! They only announced the release date on Wednesday, so when they teased it was coming soon, they were true to their word! Recorded via soundboard audio at the album's eponymous farewell concert at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, this purportedly comprises of the entire concert's audio without edits, but as they noted in the description, "the human element is on full display." The extended 19 song setlist features every song from The Din's two studio albums, except for "The Rose", plus frontman Mike Haggith's old solo original "We Met At The Circus" (or "...As Surrogates".) In a mild surprise, they also left in the encore cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough", despite previously axing the four external covers from the Bandcamp release of "The Din Does Laundry" last year.

No word on if it's in continued tribute to Gord Downie, worth the copyright hassle to keep the set intact, or a combination therein, but it's welcome to see it make the final cut! "Suburban Sendoff" is available on a "name your price" model through Bandcamp, but consider paying an amount to support The Din's hard work, even after their breakup! With all of that said, when can you expect to see a review of "Suburban Sendoff" on the SMS? Honestly, with our self-imposed 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act, it can't come until June at the earliest, as we just reviewed "Suburban Dream" in December, which was itself delayed a couple of months for similar reasons. That said, our album review schedule is set for the first half of the year (May aside), assuming nothing gets delayed! Also, there is new solo cover video from the aforementioned Mike Haggith from his current Thompson, Manitoba home base, so what should you know on it?

The first posting on his YouTube channel in almost two years, this is an acoustic cover of Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With", and it's an entertaining cover of this folk classic, with the well-bearded Mike handling this with a light and optimistic air! Give it a look below, and check out his new Thompson pop rock band Between the Ditches!



Finally for today, here's a new video of local acoustic hard rock duo Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (a.k.a./p.k.a. The Kariokeheads) from their show at Room 21 on December 16th, as uploaded by the venue's Facebook page shortly afterward! However, the cover performed is not what you may expect, with the Elements bandmates playing a surprise unplugged version of Khia's "My Neck, My Back" alongside Rob's wife Christina (I think) on guest vocals, and Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton on guest guitar. I'll just say that everyone's got a sense of humour, and it's a nice casual performance, so give it a look if you want below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rob & Jesse) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

This weekend's concert previews are here for your delectation, and just a disclaimer: This is a shorter post than usual due to recent quietness for other news, and a relatively quiet weekend for hard rock and punk shows ahead. Of course, we'll touch on next week's Pop Evil and Big Wreck shows early next week, but it's way too soon to preview them now, so look for them on Sunday or Monday. Now, let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Elements bandmates Rob Speers & Jesse Cook will join forces for an acoustic concert at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier this week, though it was previously advertised on the venue's physical marquee board as a Rob Speers solo concert.  Making their first live appearance in this setting of the year, fans may recall Rob & Jesse playing as "The Kariokeheads" at Room 21 late last year, but that name is used nowhere on the event page. No word on whether they've dropped it, they're not incorporating live karaoke TOMORROW, or if the name was Room 21's idea, but it's the same base act! Now describing their sound as "bluesy acoustic rock", but surely with a harder edge akin to their electric bands, Rob and Jesse will be playing covers for assembled fans, and expect guest appearances from their friends and bandmates, as well as Rob's wife Christina, who guested with them at one of their Room 21 shows.

No word on why they're not playing on Saturday, but Rob & Jesse/The Kariokeheads are on at 10:00 PM TOMORROW, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully the guys launch an online page or post some public media at some point!

Moving to previously announced concerts, fans can take in another two matinee concerts from ex-Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison also as his weekly concert arrangement continues for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Only playing at Gliss this weekend (Wednesday open mics at The Canadian aside), this weekend's shows should provide fans and restaurant patrons alike with another entertaining pair of evening concert sets from this prolific veteran performer, so don't miss out at The Quality Inn's house restaurant tomorrow and/or Saturday! As usual for Tym's long-term gigs at Gliss, these are 6:00 PM events with no announced age limits or cover charges, but mind the non-traditional locale (well, outside of Tym's shows, at least.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Lastly for known hard rock concert previews this weekend is a big show for blues rock fans, as Sault Michigan hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 will be among the openers for Ann Arbor blues rock singer/guitarist Laith Al-Saadi as he makes his local debut on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch! Entitled “The Best of Michigan Blues”, fans will recognize Laith as a finalist on The Voice in early 2016, but don't judge on that, as he has since carved his own path in solo music with a rich and skilled blend of blues rock, so don't miss out on Laith's headlining set on Saturday! Fellow Ann Arbor blues/funk act The Chris Canas Band will co-headline with their own powerful take on the blues, so definitely keep them in mind, especially with how well their shows tend to be recieved! Project 906 will add a hard rock touch to this show, which is just their second announced gig with new drummer Tommy Korcal, so see how they do on this big stage on Saturday!

Reunited local blues group Chord On Bluz (featuring Clownsack alumni) will open this show as well, and it'll be nice to see them back on a local stage! Despite an earlier rumour, this show (presented by U.P. Beat Entertainment) is not cancelled, and will go on as scheduled for Saturday night at 7:00 PM, with tickets going for $30 at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. At press time, seats are still available from the second row and back, so act A.S.A.P. for the best possible spots! This should be a fun time for fans of the blues, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Laith live tackling a Jimi Hendrix classic!



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

Shit Liver/Bear Hunters Concert Review!!

At last, here's our review of Tuesday night's Shit Liver-headlined concert at The Rednecks Saloon, but be sure to check out the first of this weekend's concert previews in the post below this one! Before we get into the review proper, I wanted to give an outline of the venue itself, as believe it or not, this was my first time ever at the former Nicolet Tavern for a concert. If you only know it from pictures, the stage is to the right of the front entrance, and it's smaller than it looks online. There's a small floor section with tables to the right, and the saloon is fairly long, with the bar in the middle between the stage area and an area with pool tables and extra seating. There are various rustic and country themed items on the walls like at The Canadian, as well as strung up Christmas lights, but I can't verify how much of this was added after the name and theme change. The Rednecks Saloon is cozy and inviting, and though the turnout on Tuesday was medium at best, it'd be nice to see more non-cover shows here!

Opening the show on Tuesday was an acoustic solo set by Jack Spades bandmates Johnny Belanger and Jesse Cook, who you may have seen at assorted recent events, including as "Sleigher" at X-Mess 2. If you've seen Johnny & Jesse's acoustic punk cover sets before, the song selection will be familiar, including covers of the likes of Social Distortion, Blink-182, and The Foo Fighters that definitely got a good reception! The guys kept things light-hearted during the set, with Johnny showing off his singing and guitar ability well that it would be nice to see expanded on beyond just the occasional unplugged gig and he and Jesse continue to have good chemistry in this form! I would like to see more of a range of covers and different songs in their set, but hopefully we see more of Johnny & Jesse together!

Next up was local alternative hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din in their Rednecks Saloon debut, and they delivered a very solid set to build on their recent debut shows with this lineup! Mixing renditions of Mike's solo originals like "Cowardly Hearts Beneath The Stars" & "Of Cars & Criminals" with select covers like Live's "Lightning Crashes", the band's recent evolution from extended improvised jam originals to more straightforward versions of Mike's own songs was more fully realized here than ever before, with Mike showing a natural ease up front, Curtis McKenzie demonstrating his underrated guitar ability, and Brandan Glew drumming consistently throughout! Personally, I do prefer the creativty of their old acid jam sets and recordings, and the Live cover is sort of a mood killer during their set, but The Din are on their way!

Third on Tuesday was local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in a rare set not promoted by frontman J.D. Pearce, and they rocked the stage with a fun and energetic mix of their familiar originals and select covers! Songs like "Fear Corps", "Rise", and the newer "Negative Headspace" joined covers of The Ripcordz and The Misfits (with a Slayer interlude?!) to a positive reception, with J.D. and his new Right Hook Mic making use of his surroundings by exploring the floor throughout! Everyone was on their game musically, with Jesse Cook again delivering some blistering lead guitar work and Tiffany Stocco providing heavy riffs and improving backing vocals as well! It was odd seeing Justin Lam with his hair tied back, but still great to see Jack Spades again, and stay tuned for much more from Jack Spades and their upcoming three-way split release plans!

Co-headlining were local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, who brutalized fans with their aggressive originals late in the night! A collection of mostly newer songs like "I Fear No God" and their newest "The Dying Den" joined their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" and two versions of "Collapse the Sun" (the original and a jokey melodic rock version) which fans all seemed to eat up! Though guitarist/promoter Mitch Sirie apologized for his performance on Facebook, he sounded fine to me, and the VM Radio Battle runners-up were at their brutal best for their regular quartet sets, with Nik Deubel's devasating growling on form, and Johnny Belanger showed little fatigue in his third set of the night! Maybe because his windshield was fixed and covered, it helped his performance? Stay tuned for more from The Bear Hunters in the near future!

And your headliners on Tuesday were local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver in their Rednecks Saloon debut and second show of their brief home swing, and if you've missed the guys since last summer, rest assured that they haven't lost a step in the past year! On this stop of their Homeland Debauchery Tour, the guys powered through a somewhat abbreviated though blistering set of originals like "It's Not My Problem", "Helen Kellers", and the debuting "Just Take It" & "It Won't Change", even debuting the use of audio samples like on their album for the live show as well. Josh Penno, a nicely mohawked Mike Kyle, and Matt Baic let their extreme vocals loose with fury, and all kept up their end of the bargain on their respective instruments for a to-the-point set of brutality, even inciting some brief mosh pits! It was great to see Shit Liver again, and hopefully they play here again soon!

Very entertaining show overall, and in a sense, it felt like a throwback to the old Rosie metal nights... only not at The Rosie.... or on a Thursday. Kudos all around, and check out our photos from the event at this link or via our Facebook page! As for videos, we got one of each band, so here's Johnny & Jesse covering Flogging Molly's "The Worst Day Since Yesterday", Mike Haggith & The Din covering Simple Minds' "(Don't You) Forget About Me", Jack Spades playing "Frederick", The Bear Hunters playing their new song "Neckbreaker", and Shit Liver playing three songs in a row: their self-titled song, "You're Scared", and "Fabricated Nonsense"!











That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Europe/Black Star Riders Concert Video Showcase!!

Before we get to this post, I wanted to apologize for a pair of missed concerts, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E returned to the stage for the first time since New Year's weekend this past Friday and Saturday at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, shows that completely slipped us by despite being announced last Wednesday on their Facebook page. For what it's worth, Kewadin's entertainment page listed them as Crossroads shows, so they 415E were likely replacing them. There's no excuse on our end for missing the shows, so our sincere apologies to 415E and fans, and we'll try to make sure this doesn't happen again!

Now, here's our long awaited video showcase post from last Thursday's Europe-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as there are now videos from the show on YouTube! Also, yes, there was a meet & greet, as per personal Facebook postings. Wawa author and frequent Kewadin concert attendee Duane Roy is the source of most of the Europe concert videos that we've found, as uploaded to his YouTube channel in the past few days, and his 13 videos include 4 of Europe's set. They include their songs "Cherokee", "Carrie", and John Norum's guitar solo, but embedded below is (of course) "The Final Countdown". Great quality of the whole stage from a far angle, Europe sound very good on these videos, if a little deeper than in their classic era, and the crowd seems to be eating it up! Give Duane's Europe videos a look above and below!



Most of Duane's other videos are of openers The Black Star Riders (a.k.a. the full-time, original recording Thin Lizzy successors), though uniquely, Duane filmed these from what appear to be front row rather than Europe's far angle. I wonder why that is? Duane shot videos of them playing their new originals "The Killer Instinct" & "Finest Hour", Thin Lizzy classics "Jailbreak", "The Boys Are Back In Town", and "Emerald" (in two parts, here & here), their cover of Bob Seger's "Rosalie", and as embedded below, their new original "Charlie I Gotta Go". Though the Thin Lizzy covers are oddly all abbreviated, Duane got more great videos here, and the far closer angle helps us get a great view of The Black Star Riders rocking out and sounding good whether tackling classics or new songs! Give "Charlie I Gotta Go" a look below, and see more above!



Before we close with one bonus video from Duane's channel, here's a Black Star Riders video from a separate channel, that being of YouTube user Mark Fluter, whose channel you may remember from 6 videos of Kiss' Sault Ontario concert. Though Mark didn't film any Europe videos, he did get this clip of The B.S.R. playing their original "Kingdom of the Lost" on Thursday, as shot on a vertical cell phone camera angle. I wish the angle was horizontal, as Mark has a nice close visual of the stage with good quality video and audio, but it works well enough, so give this video a look below!



Finally for today, here's a short video of Rock 101's Scott Cook (the host of Scott Cook In The Morning and The Hair Scare) emceeing the concert, with Duane again at a different filming angle, this time behind Scott on stage! He must have had some prime access at the show, nice to see! In the video, Scott's hyping up The Black Star Riders for the crowd, which isn't a bad idea, as while they're not Thin Lizzy, they sort of are at the same time. Nice unique angle of something you don't see that often from local shows on YouTube, so check it out below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more from the Europe concert when/if it comes in, and stay tuned for our review of last night's Shit Liver/Bear Hunters concert next! Thanks everyone!