YouTube Channel Profile Series: Craig Harrison

It's finally time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as again shine a light on a YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk concerts/artists, as randomly chosen from our YouTube subscriptions! This month's selection takes us to Sault Michigan (well, by way of the Lower Peninsula) for a look at a prominent local musician's YouTube output from the late 2000s through the ensuing decade, so here's what you should know!

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Craig Harrison (http://youtube.com/craigharrisonshortdog24)

Owner: Theatre Of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison, also known from past local/Grand Rapids bands like Integrated System Of Machines, End Of Existence, and Dust N' Bones

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 11th, 2008; Videos uploaded from April 2010 through September 2020

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, Craig noted in the description that, as he is "a composer, singer, songwriter, adventurer, etc..., my channel has a bit of weird variety". Most of his 34 videos include in-studio performances, either jams/rehearsals with bandmates or solo performances on keyboard and sometimes vocals. Craig's channel also includes two live concert videos (one of him on stage, one of the mosh pit at a 3 Inches Of Blood show in Detroit), some studio samplers and introductions for Theatre Of Night, and non-musical videos ranging from a comedic rap song to outdoor sports-centric to a timelapse drawing of a zombie to one featuring corrections officers from over 25 years ago.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will primarily be of interest to fans of Craig's 2010s work in Theatre Of Night, giving a bit of a behind the scenes look that is especially notable, as not all of their official content and pages from this era is still online in 2026. The existence of an even rarer I.S.O.M. live video shouldn't be overlooked either! The rest of the videos will have a mixed appeal for most, but Craig wasn't lying about this channel having "a weird variety"! For more recent official Theatre of Night videos, visit that band's active YouTube channel and their social media accounts.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Integrated System Of Machines- I.S.O.M. live: While outviewed by the aforementioned rap song and corrections video, Craig's most popular video otherwise is also his first, which sees his old local epic metal band Integrated System Of Machines playing their self-titled song on the Ozzfest Stage at the annual Carnival Of Chaos Festival in Stanton (four hours south of the Soo) on June 27th, 2009. Joining many other bands as openers for Taproot that day, their exact lineup here isn't 100% obvious, but it is good seeing Craig and singer Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten on stage again, and while the video is shaky, you can't be too harsh for an almost 17 year old concert video, and it sounds good for its age. Strong charging song with a catchy chorus and good aggression without getting too extreme! Yes, that does appear to be Craig's future Theatre of Night bandmate Rachel Mender on backing vocals.

 

 

Darkness Falls Within: A good array of solo performance videos by Craig made their way to his channel, mostly of him on the keys (though Dust N' Bones fans won't want to bypass his singing on some clips), while some of these have extraneous video filters added in post-production. Despite being the primary leader of Theatre Of Night, you don't often see videos that really show off his keyboard skills, and this April 2014 performance of their original "Darkness Falls Within" is as good as any for that. The filter is completely unnecessary, but this is a fine showcase of their epic symphonic qualities with a dark ambiance, so if you're not familiar with their non-Christmas material, this is a good introduction! Hear the full version at this link.

 

 

Late night jam session with Theatre of Night and Flesh for the Beast members: In his final channel uploads aside from a shred video in 2020, Craig Harrison posted videos from an April 2018 jam session featuring Theatre Of Night bandmates Steve Giles (guitar) and Erik Sales (drums) plus guest musicians from their friends in Grand Rapids death metal band Flesh For The Beast, who Steve was an alum of. Both videos (including this 13 seconds-long one) feature different F.F.T.B. members on bass, one presumably being Craig Riley, but Craig H. didn't specify names in the descriptions. There are some odd reflections, as if Craig H. was filming behind glass or plastic, but the performances here are sound, and it'd be neat to see Theatre of Night do more with Flesh Of The Beast, live or in studio! Just a shame that Erik was largely obscured behind that pole from this vantage point.

 

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will be back on or around April 26th, while our next monthly feature post will be our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post tentatively scheduled for Thursday, pending how weekend concert previews are blocked. That's all for now, but look for more on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Just Heart, The Elements, And Tripod The Dog), And More!!

We got crushed with a lot of new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on social media today, so let's tackle the non-late notice ones in tonight's post! Look for the rest on Thursday in our weekend concert previews. I also have some assorted notes to wrap things up, but for now, here's what you should know for these concerts in chronological order!

Local ska-punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will play their first publically advertised show of 2020 (that I know of) when they headline at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, January 25th! After a successful first year back as an active live band in 2019, Mark and the Amendolas should be raring to go with another set full of high energy covers, allegedly by popular demand, so if you missed their gigs last year, don't sleep on this one! Yes, this is advertised as a one-night-only event, though if it's due to a conflicting booking on Friday the 24th, I have not heard about it at press time. As usual for The Rockstar Bar's one local band-only events, this is a 19+ concert with no cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time (though doors open at 8:00.) Whether you recall Tripod the Dog's original run in the late 1990s and early 2000s, or are new to the party, their set always delivers a good time, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details when/if they roll in!

Next up, we're not done at The Rockstar Bar, as local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will play their own first show of 2020 on Friday, January 31st there! While arguably better known as a support act on multi-band events, The Elements are no strangers to being solo headliners on the weekend nightclub circuit, but there is a frill to note at month's end, as this concert coincides with frontman Rob Speers' birthday. Sounds like a fun way to celebrate the occasion, and hopefully he, Jesse, James, and Jonas deliver lots of hard rocking covers and originals for assembled fans in three weeks' time! For the record, I have not heard who's playing at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, February 1st (if anyone) as of this writing. Like with the Tripod the Dog show, expect a 9:00 PM start time, no cover, and a 21+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more information, and stay tuned for more updates from The Elements and/or The Wyld Stallyns!

Lastly for today's new concert announcements (also at The Rockstar Bar), Toronto-based Heart tribute band Just Heart will make their local concert debut here on Saturday, April 11th! Almost six years after the real Heart rocked the future GFL Memorial Gardens, this tribute will hit Sault Ste. Marie with a faithfully attired and choreographed stage show, and from what I have seen and heard, Just Heart should deliver the goods for fans of Ann & Nancy Wilson and company and their long career of classic hits! Potential local openers have not been announced. Once again, this is a 19+ concert with a presumed 9:00 PM start time, though admission will be $20 via advance ticket purchases at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk (it is not clear if the price will jump at the door or not.) Classic hard rock fans won't want to miss this action, so visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all courtesy of recent postings on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• On Sunday, drummer Craig Koziar (who recently moved to the Soo) posted here looking to start a new project, citing progressive music and bands ranging from Animals As Leaders & Gojira to Fleetwood Mac & Radiohead as influences. Assuming it's the same Craig, he previously played in Toronto and Halifax-area bands like Forgetting All I Know, Iduna, and Writers Strike, among others. He's a talented drummer from what I have seen, and message Craig at this link or above if you're interested in working with him!
• Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton is looking to start a new local band (he is flexible on the genre), citing recent inactivity for his two active bands as a reason for the search. One has "a broken drummer", and the other apparently "doesn't make time to jam", though I'll let you speculate on which is Jack Spades or the mystery newer band of his. If you're interested in working with Dan in a new project, message him at this link or via yesterday's group post!
• Local guitarist Rainey Rancourt is looking for a drummer (aged 13-19 years old) for his current band project, who play "metal/punk." This follows a search he posted here in November for a singer, though it's not clear how far along the band is other than that. Message Rainey at this link or via his group post yesterday for more information on the drummer opening!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Oh!No 2017 Music Festival Fallout, Plus More New Video Finds!!

Here's another new post for your Wednesday morning, featuring a few familiar recent subjects for regular readers! This one is another video-heavy post, this time featuring a solo cover, a studio sample, and a concert performance from last year, but first, here's some of the first fallout from a major debuting festival earlier this month!

We'll start today with some of the first fallout from Saturday's Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, and while we still wait for promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s teased footage of every band, the Facebook event page has became a hub of sorts for media from the concert, including a fair amount of photos showcasing Robbie's Church, the scenery around the venue, and many familiar faces either performing or attending. Fellow promoters Live705 were also on hand to do sound for the event, given that A Dire Setback were already playing that afternoon. Aside from two videos from Bear Hunters singer Nik Deubel focusing on Jack Spades' guitarist Daniel Horton's adventures with a canoe near the venue (which are amusing!), the only videos on the event page come from attendee Janette Wallace, including this video featuring the camping area and scenery around the church, and as embedded below, a video of funk/hard rock quartet The Elements' set from early in the day!

Filmed at a nice overhead angle (I like when venues are formatted with that option), I believe this is 24 seconds of an Elements original, but the video was uploaded in intentionally inverted colours as part of a contest, where the first person on Facebook to guess the band would win two tickets for the rest of the Oh!No Fest (congratulations to Abbey Lynn Ridley by way of Martin for winning!) Friendly tip, paste a screenshot of Janette's photos & video into Windows Paint and press Ctrl+Shift+I to see everything in proper colour, but The Elements sound good from what we hear, so give this video a look below, and see more from Oh!No 2017 above!



Next up, here's the third and final video of inactive local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester from guitarist Gabe Tessaro's YouTube channel, this time from their farewell set at Rotaryfest last year! This clip is of their rendition of April Wine's "Roller", though the band will look slightly different than you may be used to, as original singer Richard Fullerton came back home for their set & handled solo vocals here, while Dan Belanger took over second guitar for their set in place of the late Eugene Orlando. Regular frontman Greg Simpson & fellow guest vocalist Jeannine Jefferson sat this particular cover out, but Greg rejoined the band at song's end to give a shoutout to Rich and Dan, and the two singers did share the stage during the set. This is a fun cover of the classic April Wine number, and Richard's back in his element with his old band, plus I like the visual of the filmer walking down the aisle between the seats to begin the footage, which you can see below!



Also today, here's a video that we missed back in July for acknowledgement on the SMS (apologies for that), and it's a preview video of a studio track from The Bear Hunters forthcoming second studio album "The Dead Testament"! Filmed at Mission Control Studios by producer Dustin Jones and shared to the studio's Facebook page, this is a 45 second sample of the studio version of "Servitude", via filming the tracking computer with cameos of the band (minus Josh) at the end, and they seem happy with the results! Of course, this isn't an optimal look at "Servitude" in audio quality or length, but it's great to see that work is progressing, so give it a look below!

 
Finally for today, here's another new video from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's Facebook page back in August that we hadn't previously shared here, though this one predates their public unveiling of any Christmas tour plans. This is a solo vocal cover by keyboardist Craig Harrison of "Come As You Are" by the Christian folk artist Crowder, as filmed with a vertical camera angle in monochrome. This is another solo cover of Craig's where he holds the camera out himself and definitely looks like he's in the groove once again, and while I'm not familiar with the original song, Craig's singing's is on point and has emotion to it, so give this one a look as well!



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

Local Hard Rock Video Showcase!!

Before we begin this all-video post, here's a late lineup update for TONIGHT'S Project 421 concert at The Canadian Nightclub, courtesy of it's Facebook event page, as local rapper and Live705 newcomer Mike Reed-Lecuyer (a.k.a. Reeder) has replaced blues/hard rock trio Electric Church on the lineup. A reason for Electric Church's withdrawal wasn't publically announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! You may recognize Reeder from last summer's Grave Party concert at The New A, and hopefully he adds solid rhymes to the proceedings tonight! Now, let's begin this all-video post, including recent major concert footage and in-studio clips!

We'll start today with a belated concert video from the Lita Ford outdoor concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino last month, courtesy of YouTube user spiritinthesky blue's channel on Thursday! With her Great White videos already uploaded, she finally posted this clip of Lita Ford playing her original song "Gotta Let Go" to open her headlining set, and while the audio's not bad, this was filmed from backstage (remember this user's backstage and meet & greet clips?) Lita is visible in the center, but the dark lighting from behind the stage isn't optimal. Unique view all the same, so give this new Lita Ford video a look below, and hopefully more videos are out there!



Next up, here's a new video from last Sunday's Tea Party concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, shared by the Ontario Government's Facebook page onto the ONTour concert series stop's Facebook event page on Thursday! A summative recap video, this features shots of the Soo and the road trip here for the concert for the first minute or so, before transitioning to the concert proper, including footage of The Tea Party, U.S.S., Andrew Hyatt, and McLean's sets, the crowd, and even some slow motion shots. All audio is disappointingly replaced by a techno/pop instrumental, but the filmers got some great angles of the bands and fans throughout the day's lineup, so give this one a look below as well!



Also today, here's some new videos from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's Facebook page on Wednesday, specifically relating to demo recording now being underway for their second studio album! As far as I can tell, these are not the final recordings, and are strictly demos in advance of formal recording sessions later this year, but it's great to see that things have commenced towards CD #2! One video features frontman Mike Haggith tracking a song on bass while guitarist Tammy Hill mans the computer, while the other videos are of Mike recording vocal tracks, and between these two, there is 35 minutes of footage to check out from the sessions! The video below features Mike tracking their songs "35's The Limit" (fittingly enough) and "High Park", while part 2 features a slower and possibly newer song that I don't recognize, as well as "Up In The Air" and "Suburban Dream". Both feature assorted banter from Mike & Tammy between songs as well, helping fill out the time in the videos.

As both a sneak preview into five Din originals from their upccoming CD (albeit pre-session demos) and as an informal look at the band's recording sessions and often funny interactions therein, these are all worth checking out for fans of The Din! That said, prepare yourself for the length, and the sideways camera angles are unfortunate, but give in to The Din's new studio videos above and below!



Finally, here's a new cover performance from Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison, courtesy of the Sault Michigan classical metal project's YouTube channel on Tuesday! A cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", and as filmed in one take with a cell phone camera, the view from Craig's right side isn't optimal, but the black and white filter adds to the mood, and he puts the requisite passion into this cover! Give Craig's cover a look/listen below! (Disclaimer: this video was posted prior to Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's tragic passing on Thursday, and we had slotted it for a weekend post prior to hearing the news, but the coincidental timing can't be ignored.)



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Two Inactive Band Notes, And A New Video!!

Here's another new post for you guys on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap for this morning? A new solo performance video, two notes on bands to be moved to our inactive band links, and leading things off, an unexpected LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will play acoustic sets at a unique event on Sunday, May 28th, namely the Family Market on the Greens at.... Crimson Ridge Golf Course?! That's a first for us! This event will see over 40 local vendors displaying and/or selling their wares under a tent outside, with access to the gold course proper and their Hickory Bar & Grill also available that day, and there will even be a bouncy castle for the kids, games, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! The Din's sets will be as an acoustic duo sans drummer Brandan Glew (no word on why he's missing out), but Mike & Tammy have adapted to an unplugged atmosphere well in the past, and they should provide a solid soundtrack to the family market one week from Sunday! They'll play at scattered times during the day between 12:00 & 9:00 PM, there is FREE admission, and this is certainly ALL AGES.

And just for clarification given it's unfamiliarity for our coverage, Crimson Ridge is at 418 Fourth Line West, very much in the west end, so keep that in mind if you're curious on the locale. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully this intriguing family market is a hit!

Next up, we have a band to likely move to our inactive band links, that being local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger. The band hasn't issued a public update since opening for The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall one year ago on Sunday, which notably comes just over three years after the first time we relegated Winkstinger in our listings for very similar reasons. After a successful local run from 2010-2013 that saw them play numerous high profile concerts and win 2012's Battle for the Blood, the Operation: Killdozer successors fell inactive for 2 and a half years, before guitarist Jesse Cook & drummer Jonas Gasperas brought Winkstinger back in October 2015. Their new lineup returned for two shows last spring, both at The Oddfellows Hall, but no public updates have followed, and members have been working on separate projects in recent months, including Jesse & Jonas' recent collaborative work in The Elements, and solo projects from new members Keith Gagnon & Andrew MacDonald.

Winkstinger's return to the stage was definitely welcomed last year, even if the new members were an adjustment following their successful run in the early 2010s, and I have no idea what's happened to them in the past year. Granted, Jesse has been busy since with Jack Spades (well, until the fall), The Elements, and his new band Handsome Sandwich, but Winkstinger's brutal metal onslaught was always a fun sight on local stages, and the new lineup had promise from what we saw! Best of luck to Keith, Jesse, Andrew, and Jonas (plus other former band members) in the future, and hopefully Winkstinger turn up again down the road!

Also, we have a local hard rock solo project to move to our inactive band links too, that being of Din frontman Mike Haggith. Now, Mike is most certainly still active in the local music scene (as you'll next see THIS SATURDAY), but we're talking about his prolific solo project, as an update reflecting his own solo material has not been posted to his Facebook page since one year ago on Monday, admitting then that his solo work "isn't even a priority" due to The Din's local rise. After launching his solo music career in his Windsor hometown in 2005, Mike recorded a staggering 47 solo albums, including a number of prominent albums since moving to the Soo in the fall of 2010, such as his last solo CD "The Warinside" from 2015. Mike did play scattered solo gigs locally, including at Swampstravaganza IV and at Sault College events, but will be best known on the live stage from work with bands like The Din, Haggith, and The Strange Coyotes.

When Mike first came onto our radars at the SMS, it was a massive influx of back catalog material that initially made an impact, but he's since became a prominent and talented frontman & drummer in locally-originated projects, and has found a lot of success and visibility in that regard! Of course, his solo career isn't entirely behind him, as he's carried over a number of solo songs to The Din (and previously featured some with Haggith), but hopefully he revisits his own solo music down the road, including the unreleased "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited". Stay tuned for much more from The Din!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! Like his Alter Bridge cover from December, this is far more in line with keyboardist Craig Harrison's solo channel postings of late despite being posted on Theatre of Night's channel. An original ballad named "Without Your Love", this maintains the same visual structure of Craig's recent solo videos on either channel (sepia tone, holding a Go-Pro camera selfie-style, cowboy hat), but it has a similar emotional message to loved ones of his, and has dramatic piano accompaniment that gives the song a dark yet familiar feel. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, poll results, and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Nebraska Arms' Last EP, A New Cover Video, And Much More!!

Just under a week to go before Christmas, so let's keep things rolling with a new news post on this Monday evening, which includes a new cover, a belated album discovery, and some assorted recent updates. However, we'll start today's post on a melancholy note, regarding the final services for a prominent musician we recently lost, so here's what you need to know.

The obituary for late Hangdowns/Nebraska Arms frontman Guy Thiffault was posted onto SooToday on Saturday, wherein it confirms that a celebration of life will be held in the banquet hall at Sandro's Family Restaurant at 465 Trunk Road on Wednesday at 5:30 PM (no details are given for the funeral service, so it appears to be private.) Guy was just 36 years old, and the obituary confirms that he passed peacefully at his home on Friday. He's survived by his parents, sister, grandparents, and extended family, and the Thiffault family would appreciate memorial contributions to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation in his memory. This news definitely rocked the local music community over the weekend, especially those who Guy impacted as a musician, friend, bandmate, and family member over the years, but hopefully everyone keeps the good memories close and reflects on the great times he was a part of on Wednesday evening!

On lighter news relating to Guy's local music career, you may know that his old indie punk band Nebraska Arms released a CD entitled "We'll Never Sleep Again" during their 2009 heyday, but it's long since out of print, and as far as I can tell, unavailable in full online. Well, the band posthumously released a separate digital EP via Bandcamp in February 2013, so that might help fill in the gap if you don't have their actual album! The self-titled release features five tracks, namely "At The Time", "Light Houses", "I Was A Runner", "Art of Science", and "I Was A Writer", and while there is some cross-over with identical tracks previously seen on "We'll Never Sleep Again", at least two songs from that album ("Misery/Accountability" & "New Jersey Kneecap") are not on the Bandcamp EP. "Nebraska Arms" remains available on a "name your price" model, and though the band clearly hypes up the free sale option there, consider buying it to support their work!

Though it'd be nice to find "We'll Never Sleep Again" in full, it's great to have this digital EP available, especially as it has one exclusive track not seen on other surviving band pages ("I Was A Runner"), but is it possible for a review on the SMS? Yes, but I'd prefer their debut CD if we ever get it, especially if the Bandcamp EP's songs are all on it. Either way, if we can tie it in with a Northwest or Talk Shit show, you might just see a Nebraska Arms CD review on the site, and check out the self-titled EP at the above links!

Next up, we'll take a brief detour to Sault Michigan for the newest video from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel, but honestly, it fits more in with keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal YouTube channel. This is a cover of Alter Bridge's "Watch Over You", which he covered for it's personal meaning to him, and while it's far removed from Theatre of Night's typical orchestral metal sounds, it is similar in filming style, sepia tint, and genre to his own channel's prior vocal covers in recent months. Craig's voice can be a little muffled, but he's completely into the groove for this video, which is fun to see, so give this hard rock ballad cover a look below!



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

• The planned Blood Guy-headlined punk rock bingo concert at The New American Pub next Tuesday has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's official Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for it's cancellation hasn't been announced, but it's certainly off now, as an earlier event page deletion was due to this show having two event pages up by accident. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them in the Soo down the road!
• A local musician named Shae Tull is looking for musicians interested in doing "something different... not straightforward, experimental-ish, (and) weird-ish." Just in case this ends up fitting our genre ranges, I thought I'd mention it here, so if you'e interested in playing stuff like this, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last month!
• The previously announced 3 Day Millionaires-headlined New Year's Eve concert at The Rockstar Bar is still on! We originally removed it from our concert listings when announced openers A Dire Setback (coincidentally, also the planned Blood Guy openers) deleted their own Facebook event page for the concert. It is now clear that they just pulled out, as the show was never cancelled, with The Millionaires launching this new Facebook event page over the weekend. Admission remains $10 for this New Year's bash via advance tickets or at the door, so see above for more details!

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

Id Iota Updates & Tour Fallout, New Woods Of Ypres Video Finds, And More!!

The last full week of October is upon us, so let's kick things off in style with a stacked news post! Today, we have a new Sault Michigan cover video, and surprise archive videos from a dearly departed local metal band, and leading off, the latest videos and coverage of a fast-rising local hard rock act, so here's what you need to know!

Let's start by tackling some overdue recent notes and updates from local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota, who recently wrapped up their Ontario tour run with ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus! While in Ottawa earlier this month, Mike and Id Iota recorded an interview and some in-studio songs for Carleton University campus radio station CKCU FM 93.1's program Carleton Music Showcase, with the episode airing last week, but if you don't live in Ottawa, you're in luck, as the episode is online! The hour-long program is largely a music showcase (naturally) of various artists, notably leading off with fellow Sault Ste. Marie-native Renee Landry, while the local band portion begins about 5:57 in with Mike's debut pop rock solo single "Drowning Crown", followed by a brief interview by co-host Andrew Knox with both Mike and Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay. The interview proper features discussion about both acts' music and background, how both joined forces to tour, and more, and while it's brief, it's an amusing clip!

For reference sake, Christian did bring up The Pixo Control in the interview when referencing how he and Mike met, but nothing was elaborated on regarding their demise. Also, Mike's new solo band features Pixo Control holdover & Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall on bass alongside Mike's old Fever Tops bandmate Mitch Harris on drums, so followers of his whole music career will be right at home! The interview is followed by one more new Mike Mikus original (the laid back "Figures as Much") and two Id Iota songs ("Permanence In Pencil" & "California Wasted" from their debut EP "Maudlin Fair".) Solid performances overall, so definitely check out the full interview and episode at this link, and get ready, as the Mikus/Iota segment runs for 22 minutes! As for the tour proper, Id Iota had their cameras rolling for three video uploads on their Facebook page, all 1 minute or less in length, including this video in Toronto, and this heavier song from London.

Embedded below is the only song they titled in the descriptions, namely their newer track "Seas Envy Skies", with Christian manning some type of beeping effects board early during this portion of their set in Ottawa. I wish the filmer had shot longer videos, but kudos for what they did get, and remember, the technical last stop of their tour comes on November 26th at LopLops Lounge, so watch for them then! See and hear more above and in the coming days, and check out Id Iota in Ottawa below!

Next up, here's some surprising new video finds from defunct local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres! These were actually uploaded to the David Gold's Legacy Facebook page shortly after his passing in December 2011, but they absolutely flew under the radar here and there, with the 4 videos only having a combined 8 likes on Facebook as of this writing, and it took a recent YouTube re-posting by fan Hlynur Svartaduhter for us to have even found them. These four videos come from Woods of Ypres' set at the one-off Obey the Flame Festival in Montreal, Quebec on May 25th, 2003, back when they were a Windsor-based black metal outfit. Based on an Internet Archive copy of their website from May 2003, their lineup here includes eventual frontman David Gold on drums, alongside singer Robin Cross, guitarists Dustin Black & Colin Wysman, and bassist/clean vocalist Aaron Palmer (all but David left Woods of Ypres by year's end, when he relocated to Toronto and started over with new band members.)

Filmed on camcorder by an attendee, the videos feature Woods of Ypres playing "Intro: The Shams of Optimism", "Crossing the 45th Parallel", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", and (as embedded below) "A Meeting Place & Time". Notably comprising all of their 2002 debut EP "Against the Seasons" save for the closer "Awaiting the Inevitable", the audio's solid despite the videos' age and recording format, and while it's still unusual to see Woods of Ypres without David up front, these capture the future Juno winners in brutal form from their early Windsor days, and hopefully more turns up! Fans should definitely check them out above & below!



Finally, here's a new solo cover from Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel, as posted last week! The Sault Michigan native again revisited his old Dust N' Bones side for this cover, where he sings "We All Die Young" by Steelheart, as later popularized in the 2001 movie Rock Star. Filmed on a Go-Pro or similar handi-cam, and with a sepia tone filter placed over top of the video, this isn't a bad rendition, and Craig can hit higher notes well, but some of his singing does sound a little strained. Check it out below, and see more from his various projects above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features this week! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Concert Previews, Plus A New Video!!

As we often see, the post-Labour Day lull in concerts has begun, with only three currently known area-hard rock bands playing shows this weekend. With that said, weekend concert previews are the main story today, but we also have a new Sault Michigan performance video to close things out, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start at Gliss Steak & Seafood, where longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is scheduled to play three more solo headlining dates TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Continuing his thrice weekly run of acoustic concerts at The Quality Inn's house restaurant,  Tym's skilled brand of hard rock and more varied renditions have proven to be a hit at Gliss over the past year+, and hopefully this weekend's three matinees keep the good will going, so if you want some unplugged hard rock action, head downtown over the next three evenings! As usual for Tym's long term Gliss arrangement, there's no announced cover charges or age limits in effect for this weekend (but remember where these shows are being held), while there are 6:00 PM start times each night. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, let's head across the river to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, starting with the return of Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned to our neck of the woods TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for headlining gigs at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Fresh off of their tour run to Iron River and Gould City last week, these will be the Traynors & Wayne's first shows within an hour of the Soo in over a month, and their first in St. Ignace since May, so if you haven't caught Banned lately, don't miss out this weekend! They often play heavier material, but they really can play anything, as fans of their country and indie covers will attest to! As usual for their Kewadin dates, Banned will be on tomorrow & Saturday night at 9:00 PM, both of these shows have 21+ age limits, and neither have an announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live last week!

Lastly for currently announced hard rock shows in the area this weekend, fans in Sault Michigan can take in fellow local classic/hard rock cover favourites Highway 63 with their own headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino! Though not newly advertised on the Monkey's Uncle successor quartet's Facebook page, the shows were confirmed by the band earlier in the year, and are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page. This is the third weekend in the last five where Highway 63 are rocking The Rapids Lounge, before the guys return to their usual monthly pattern for Soo Kewadin stops, so whether you can't get enough Highway 63, or haven't seen them lately, be sure to not bypass their hard hitting brand of fan favourite covers this weekend! Of course, they'll be at the St. Ignace Kewadin in two weeks as well. Tomorrow & Saturday's shows have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times, so see above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Finally for today, here's a new video from Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison's Youtube channel! In the video, Craig performs a piano composition called "Fighting Fire" that he mentioned was a "demo idea" that could be expanded into a full song. He didn't elaborate on whether it's intended for his classical metal project or something else, but it has a nice dark tone, and would be right at home with Theatre of Night if further developed! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Craig & the band!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and our next Defunct Local Band Profile in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (X-Mess 2), A New Interview, And Much More!!

Before we get to this post, here's another apology for a missed Mourning Wood concert, as they plugged Reggie's West shows for Friday night & last night on their Facebook page, but they didn't confirm a day for the shows in the first post, and we had no time plug the latter on here once we heard about it. Our sincere apologies, but don't miss them TODAY at Toystock! Now, here's one more post before we head to Toystock (and take care of concert reviews from the weekend), including assorted updates, new videos, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!

Local concert promoter J.D. Pearce will host a second annual X-Mess acoustic punk concert on Saturday, December 20th at The Algonquin Pub! Some of you guys may remember that this event originated at the LopLops Lounge last year (no word on why it moved this year), but like then, there will be a number of unplugged punk-leaning acts playing for the Christmas season, and after last year's positive reception, it's no surprise that we're getting a second go-round! Two performers are currently confirmed for X-Mess 2, including Northwest guitarist "Evil" Greg Callaghan (who played last year) and a presumably one-off band named Sleigher (formerly Mistlechode), whose lineup will be comprised of yet-identified Jack Spades members. Could they bear similarities to drummer Johnny Belanger's recent acoustic sets, just an unplugged Jack Spades set with seasonal music, or something else entirely? Find out on December 20th!

At least one more act is to be confirmed, but for reference, the artists last year included Greg, The Danger Cats, Bankshot alum Lucas Schmiedendorf (as "Dr. Sal Velinus"), and a one off band named The Debts featuring Jay Case, Jake Rendell, and Ryan Seabrook. This show has a 10:00 PM start time on the 20th, there's a $5 cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend, though no word yet on if there will be a recommendation to wear ugly Christmas sweaters again. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more info on this intriguing second X-Mess!

Next up, here's a neat new interview with former Woods of Ypres guitarist Joel Violette which features some insights and remarks on his run as the local blackened doom metal band's final lead guitarist! Conducted by phone with the YouTube interview series Behind The Screams (which focuses on metal singers), the interview largely focuses on Joel's current black metal band Thrawsunblat (who feature all surviving members of Woods of Ypres' last lineup), but there are three chunks of the 54 minute interview that Woods fans will be especially interested in! Around 10 minutes into the interview, Joel discusses the songwriting process & his contributions to their last CD "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" and the band's shift to a Type O Negative-inspired sound, wherein he also noted that he and late frontman David Gold planned to have most of the album ready for live concerts (with "Lightning & Snow" planned as a set opener), but the band obviously never got to that point before David's passing.

About 31 minutes in, Joel indicated that when Thrawsunblat begin playing live (which is an eventual goal), they'll likely play at least one Woods of Ypres song in their set, and he even demoed a black metal version of Woods' doom ballad "Finality" on air to show how it might sound. Lastly, at around 46 minutes in, he addressed when he began listening to Woods and the impact and recognition that followed their signing with Earache Records in 2010. Great interview overall, and it's nice to see Joel open up about Thrawsunblat too and the writing and processes for their albums and next material, so check it out below!

Also today, Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison has uploaded a pair of new videos onto the band's YouTube channel over the past few days! One video takes fans behind the scenes to the writing process for the Sault Michigan classical metal band, basically showing Craig playing a short solo composition on the keyboard which is presumably for a Theatre of Night original. Well done, though obviously not what the full song would sound like, so give it a look above! Embedded below though is a cover of Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses" that Craig posted on the band's channel, and it might be of extra note to fans of his old '80s metal cover band Dust 'N Bones! Featuring vocals and keyboard only, it's a well done version of this hair metal ballad with strong vocals (though no word on why it's in black & white) so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!



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

• Local musician Chris Raginskis is once again looking to start a band with him on vocals and/or rhythm guitar. He's focusing on Volbeat, Skillet, and some punk for preferred genres. It'd be nice to see Chris finally get a band going, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on November 20th!
• Last week, local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements revealed on their Facebook page that they'll be taking a break from concerts so they can write some original songs. That should be cool, and well be sure to welcome them back to the stage when the time is right!
• Newer local grunge/punk duo The Red & Black uploaded a new song to their Bandcamp page last week entitled "Not The Only One"! It's a short and somewhat sludgy original, but it's not yet clear if they plan to include it on their announced debut CD. Check it out at the above links though, and stay tuned fo more!

That's all for now, but I'll see you guys TODAY at Toystock, and remember, our Bear Hunters CD release show review is coming! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13), Weekend Concert Previews, And A New Video!!

It's now time for this weekend's hard rock concert previews at the SMS, and I apologize for these not coming tomorrow, but the news about The Roosevelt Hotel's closure took up yesterday's coverage. This weekend only sees advance knowledge shows in Sault Ontario, as RamWagon's Kewadin Casino dates this weekend now belong to Highway 63 (more on that tomorrow), but we do have a new Sault Michigan video to cap off this post with. Now, let's begin our previews with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local alternative hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to The Rockstar Bar for a one nighter TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced on Wednesday. This Saturday night show will be Lucky 13's first show in 4 weeks, coincidentally another Saturday-only gig at the same venue, but if you've missed their alt-rock covers and often aggressive sound, be sure not to miss this one! For reference, they're not playing tonight due to the previously booked Who Made Who show tonight that we'll elaborate on in a second. Ed, Jeremey, Jeff, and Roger will be rocking out tomorrow night at 10:30 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and a $5 cover charge is likely. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Aside from their only Rosie shows over the Valentine's Day weekend, Lucky 13 have been a regular favourite sight upstairs at The Algonquin over the past 2 months, so hopefully the same good will continues tomorrow, and for a preview, here's the guys covering The Stone Temple Pilots!

Moving to previously announced shows, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's weekly concert/jam night arrangement at The Harp Pub & Grill is advertised to continue for a 17th consecutive installment TONIGHT! I'll note that as of this writing, Tym hasn't plugged the show on Facebook, but it is on his concert calendar on his website, and as we're currently doing with the shows listed there, we're taking them a month at a time due to it listing constant weekly Harp gigs through 2028. Tonight's presumed show will return Tym to his usual Friday night slot following last week's one-off postponement due to Glitch's Harp debut, but regardless of day, Tym's acoustic hard rock covers always deliver a fun time for attendees at the former Madison's Pub, so keep his likely return in mind for tonight! There is a likely 19+ age limit in effect, no announced cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time, so check the above links for more details, stay tuned if we get any schedule clarification, and here's Tym covering Metallica a while back!



Finally for known hard rock shows this weekend is the return of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who to Sault Ontario TONIGHT for a one-night-only event at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen in local confines via a headlining gig at The Canadian Nightclub in early 2012, it will be nice to have this experienced and faithful tribute to these hard rock legends back in our neck of the woods tonight! The only nationally touring AC/DC tribute act in Canada, Who Made Who's proficient versions of classics from the Bon Scott & Brian Johnson eras should be welcomed back to town tonight, so if you're up for some high voltage rock 'n roll, you know where to be! Tickets are $10 at the door or in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! AC/DC fans should be sure to enjoy the long awaited return of Who Made Who to the Soo tonight, so don't miss it, and for a preview, here's Who Made Who's promotional tour video!



Finally for today, here's a new video posting concerning Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! As posted to keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel on Monday, this is of him playing along with the studio track of their original song "Ragnarok Rising", and everything sounds good, with Craig's keyboard skills displayed well, though the comic book-esque filter might not be every viewer's cup of tea. Check out the video below, and hear the current studio version of "Ragnarok Rising" at this link!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, plus this month's CD review shortly as well! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Heart & Tym Morrison), Plus Some New Videos!!

Apologies for this being a day late given one of the big stories within, but let's make up lost ground! Today, we have a HUGE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer,, some more new shows for this month, and some new YouTube uploads, so read on below for what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill will continue throughout this month for another 4 installments, though not all on Friday. As recently announced on the calendar on his website, he'll return to this Pine Street pub THIS SATURDAY and next Saturday (February 8th & 15th), before returning to his normal Friday night placement on February 21st and 28th. A reason for the two week shift to Saturdays hasn't been announced, but given that it appears to be temporary, I'd assume a scheduling conflict is likely to blame. Regardless of day, Tym's entertaining acoustic metal & hard rock will be welcomed in his tenth-thirteenth weekly shows at the former Madison's Pub, and remember, all four nights double as jam/open mic nights if you're up to perform! Admission is likely free for each night this month, you must be 19 to attend, and each has start times of around 10:00 PM. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more later this week!

Next up, we have a huge headlining show in June to announce, as Seattle hard rock legends Heart are coming to... The Essar Centre?! Yes, for the first time in almost 4 years (unless you count the ZZ Top show), a heavier headlining band is coming to Sault Ontario's downtown arena, and Heart should deliver a great show in the midst of their Rockin' Heaven tour of Canada when they rock the Soo on Friday, June 20th! Led by Ann & Nancy Wilson, you should be familiar with Heart from classic songs like "Barracuda", "Alone", and "Tell It Like It Is", and while their often hard rocking originals should bring in plenty of fans, this concert will be closed with a special 30 minute tribute to Led Zeppelin, where Heart will be joined by Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son Jason Bonham (ex-Foreigner) in what I've heard is a great closer, so don't miss out on any of this action! Tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY for between $44.50 (for upper bowl seating) and $89.50 (for the floor), but click here for full details on that front before Friday, with tickets available online at this link or at the arena box office.

This is an ALL AGES event, and an 8:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, check the above links and SooToday's coverage of the announcement from yesterday! This is huge news (if a long time coming), and hopefully the Heart show in June is a great success to encourage some more hard rock bands to play at the arena! We got a decent amount in the early 2000s after it opened, but things have been generally quiet for too long, so hopefully this will help shift the tide! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in, and GET YOUR TICKETS ON FRIDAY!!

We'll close today with new videos, including some new YouTube song uploads by local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore! The band led by Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson uploaded three videos to their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel earlier today, including a remastered live version of "Bunk, Shake, and Headache" and two brand new tracks named "Batch Cones" & (as embedded below) "Hallway of Auditory Hallucinations". Presumably to be featured on their upcoming full length disc "Welcome To Earth", the former is just 6 seconds long on purpose, while the latter is a full song with samples and enough grind action to satisfy existing C.T.W. fans! Note that recent indications on their Facebook page have indicated that "Welcome To Earth" will likely be delayed, which he connected to some personal reasons in a recent personal posting, but hopefully things resume before too long, as the ambition and talent are there! Check out "Hallway of Auditory Hallucinations" below, and hear more above!



Finally for today, Theatre of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison has posted a new solo performance video onto his YouTube channel! His first solo clip in 4 months, this is of an original composition named "Ida's Song", though no word yet on if this is for a Theatre of Night song or not. Heavily filtered in a similar way to some of his old band End of Existence's videos, this is a well played track, but fans of Craig's heavier Sault Michigan-area band work might not take to it the same. Check out "Ida's Song" below, and note that Theatre of Night's Facebook page said "...Almost Done..." along with pictures of recording sessions on January 30th, so are we close to a new CD release? Looks like it, but stay tuned for details!



That's all for today, but stay tuned by Thursday for this weekend's concert previews, including the first installment of Heavy Thursdays at The Rosie! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (That's Chester & Tym Morrison) & New Videos!!

Well guys, here's one more post before we unveil our next monthly poll at the SMS tomorrow, and today, we'll profile this weekend's known slate of metal and hard rock concerts! For the record, I have not heard anything definitive about a Roosevelt Hotel metal night taking place tonight, despite the buzz behind the series' relaunch last week. Whether it's just very secretive, no longer weekly, extremely short notice, or otherwise, I don't know if there will be a metal night tonight, but if I hear anything on them or any future developments relating to them, you'll hear them here (same for if any Sault Michigan metal shows are announced!) Now, to the previews, starting with some short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Edited on Friday at 9:30 AM)

Local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester are returning to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a month away from the local stage, this talented veteran outfit will return to one of their favourite stomping grounds, Docks Riverfront Grill, for two high impact sets of classic hard rockers over the next two nights! Note that the Facebook event page for this show only lists a Friday date, but the band confirmed on their Facebook page that they ARE playing Saturday too. The event page has the tagline "The Show Must Go On", which could allude to the band still playing despite a rather painful looking foot injury sustained by drummer Ric Datson. Still, it's good to see the band marching on, and you know they'll still deliver quality stuff at Docks this weekend! I'd expect there to be a cover charge of around $4, you must be 19 to attend, and they'll be on at 11:00 PM both nights. Check the above links for more details! These should be fun concerts from That's Chester, so head to Docks for some quality classic hard rock from this standout local band! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" at Docks a few years back!



Also for new (and imminent) concerts are the next two acoustic solo dates from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! One week out from Caveman Morrison's long waited return, Tym will break out the unplugged show all weekend, starting with his return to The Zone Roadhouse in Goulais River TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans and revelers in Goulais River will be happy to see Tym back at The Zone after two months away from there, so head to the Highway 17 North bar/restaurant tomorrow to enjoy the music! And yes, Saultites, Tym will again return to The Service Grill on Korah Road on Saturday night, which will be sure to go over well! This breaks the recent bi-weekly trend of his shows there, but with the Caveman bookings next weekend, I figured we'd hear about a show this weekend, so don't miss it! He'll be on at 9:00 PM tomorrow and an hour earlier on Saturday, there's no announced cover charge for either show, and I expect you'll have to be 19 or older for at least the Zone show. Click here and here for each concert's Facebook event pages! With Caveman Morrison's return, who knows when you could see Tym's entertaining acoustic shows next, so just in case, make a point to see him somewhere this weekend! For a preview, here's Tym & former Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words" in Heyden a few years back!



Let's close this post with new videos, and first, here's yet another new solo performance video from End of Existence, Theater of Night, and Dust N' Bones keyboardist Craig Harrison! The prolific and talented Sault Michigan artist has posted another video of some solo synth riffs onto his YouTube channel earlier today, where he shows off 6 minutes of Amon Amarth-inspired synth riffs that don't sound bad at all! Maybe repetitive, but this is all rough, and with some refinement and extra attention, these would fit nicely on some End of Existence material! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Craig and his solo projects as it comes in!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! With their return to the stage this weekend, I figured That's Chester would be a good band to connect a classic video with, so this week, we'll focus on frontman Greg Simpson's old party rock trio Stiffler's Mom! Videos of theirs are hard to come by online, but as you may remember, they covered the members' old metal band Sin Stereo's songs live frequently, and one such performance was filmed by SooToday in 2007 at one of their biggest shows. On July 15th, 2007, Stiffler's Mom were called on short notice to replace Washington, D.C. solo artist Hayley Sales as openers for Australian rock legends INXS at the then-Steelback Center in what must have been an amazing experience for them! I'm not high on INXS, but this was a huge opportunity, and I heard they did great! SooToday's Donna Hopper was there to review the show (you can check her review out at this location) and she got footage of Stiffler's Mom covering Sin Stereo's "Enjoy The Show" from their set! Only 30 seconds worth (it's all press were allowed for some reason), but it's better than no footage at all!

Featuring their classic lineup (including Greg on vocals/drums, Michael Davies on guitar, and Jon Ferguson on bass), the video was stretched out with the addition of a dramatic intro and some pop-up facts on Stiffler's Mom, which do add to the clip! It's well shot, and Stiffler's Mom play the song close to the studio original, but it's a shame it couldn't be longer. You can see the original video at http://sootoday.com/uploads/common/concerts/stifflers_mom_inxs.wmv and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Stiffler's Mom and Donna Hopper, they did the hard work, I'm just sharing this video with a wider audience like it deserves! That said, check out Stiffler's Mom breaking out "Enjoy The Show" as openers for INXS below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's new poll TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!