Cross Dog & Half Past Concert Previews, Plus More Updates!!

In today's SMS post, we are finishing off this weekend's hard rock concert previews with two big downtown shows tomorrow night, along with updates from a prominent local band & a new live video with some familiar faces, so here's what you should know!

We'll pick up our weekend concert previews TOMORROW NIGHT, when Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will return to the Soo for a special headlining concert in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West! Featuring ex-Fuller/Lion Ride/et al. bassist Mark Rand and his wife Tracy Ashenden on vocals, this will be Cross Dog's first local concert since their appearances at 2018 & 2019's Oh!No festivals in Leeburn, and their first public concert in Sault Ste. Marie proper since opening for The Dayglo Abortions at the former Roosevelt Hotel in 2013. Now, another homecoming for Mark should be a big deal, but be advised that as of 6:17 PM, their tour bus broke down outside of Sudbury, and they were waiting on a mechanic scheduled to fix it tomorrow morning. Hopefully things are repaired in short order so that tomorrow's local date goes off without a hitch, but we'll let you know if something changes!

Local openers will include online page-less indie punk quartet Honest Work (last seen when they debuted at Fuller's reunion concert in December) and new local hardcore quintet The Sault Side Squad (in their third public concert), so come early for these newer supergroups! Doors open for tomorrow's public festivities at 7:30 PM with admission of $15 through local openers and $20 at the door, and there is no stated age limit. It will be great to see Cross Dog's furious and no-guitar originals back in town tomorrow, let alone in the basement of a tattoo parlor, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Cross Dog live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, let's head to Soo Blaster, where local hard rock quartet Half Past will have their biggest headlining date since their comeback TOMORROW NIGHT! Metalheads may have last seen Half Past among the openers for Selias at the same venue two weeks ago, but this will see Half Past at the top of the bill, with their proficient modern hard rock covers sure to fill the big Soo Blaster stage tomorrow! They'll even be selling their own band t-shirts tomorrow, which is a neat sign for fans! Bullet Train frontman Cory Murchison (billed as "Cory Daniel" like when he opened for Fort Creek two years ago) will open with an acoustic set, so if you like the former Sense of Truth and Skeyes of Seven singer/guitarist's extensive local career, he should have a solid block of unplugged tunes to kick things off!

This ALL AGES concert takes place tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, and admission is $10 in advance at this link, at the venue, or through performers directly, though you will have to pay $12 at the door if you didn't get yours beforehand. Fans of modern hard rock won't want to miss out on all of the action at Soo Blaster tomorrow night, especially given the scope for Half Past, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

Also today, here's some updates on the aforementioned Fort Creek, so what is the southern hard rock band up to nowadays! After unveiling a new band logo in May (which you can now buy official t-shirts with it on), they spent much of the summer working behind the scenes, only posting optimistic teasers about future activity. On September 1st, they revealed on their Facebook page that they were "wrapping up final vocals on our first release", namely an acoustic version of a song named "One For The Road". No updates followed until October 1st, when Fort Creek announced the addition of former Role Models/PROV3RB5 drummer Phil Greco to their lineup, replacing the already departed Anthony Fabiano. The guys talked up his skill set and professionalism, and he is a solid drummer that would be an asset to a long-term band, so it'll be interesting to hear how he factors in! We may not hear him immediately on the acoustic version of "One For The Road", granted, but we'll let you know when their new songs surface.

Fort Creek also posted the new band photo above of Phil alongside Justin, Shane, and Bill standing outside of a truck, but it remains to be seen how they'll handle their bassist vacancy (Robin "Bones" Lee left along with Tony last year). It's been a long and often quiet year for Fort Creek, but hopefully these recent updates are a positive sign, so visit the above links for more from their camp!

We'll close with a new video from (former?) Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' solo acoustic concert at The Dive Gastro Pub this past Saturday! For the record, it was indoors, so clearly the "Patio Play" conceit is done for the season. Uploaded to The Dive's Facebook page, this is our first public video look at Rob's solo concerts since he began them in earnest, and while this isn't a hard rock or metal cover, I did want to mention it today because Rob's playing with most of Handsome Sandwich here! For this cover, he was joined by singer Taylor Emlaw, guitarist Jesse Cook (Rob's old Elements and Wyld Stallyns bandmate), and bassist Rafael Medina, while the guest hand drummer appears to be local classic rock/country singer/guitarist Jeremy Logan Newman. Handsome Speerwich (how's that for a hybrid name?) are seen in this 24 seconds long clip covering Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy".

Never a song I loved, but this group cover exudes with good vibes in what we see, and it's fun seeing everyone jamming like this! Check it out below, and look for more acoustic concerts at The Dive to come this fall!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Agnosticism & Cross Dog), Plus Selias Concert Opener Videos!!

For our first post of October 2024, we're looking at some videos from a big recent concert and a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will make their long awaited return to the Soo on Saturday, October 12th when they set up shop in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West! Yes, this show is taking place in a tattoo parlor's basement, which should lend itself to be an interesting locale! Featuring veteran local punk/metal bassist Mark Rand (last seen locally at last year's Fuller reunion concert) and his wife Tracy Ashenden on vocals, this will be Cross Dog's first local concert appearance since the final Oh!No festival in Leeburn in 2019, and their first public show in Sault Ste. Marie city limits since 2013. Either way, it's been way too long to hear Cross Dog's ferocious and guitar-devoid sound close to home, and hopefully everything goes swimmingly in the basement next Saturday! Local openers (both online page-less) include indie punk quartet Honest Work and new local metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad.

Honest Work united Nebraska Arms & Rising Tide alumni to debut at the aforementioned Fuller reunion concert, but have not been seen since despite their promising and experienced lineup. Meanwhile, The Sault Side Squad just opened for Selias at Soo Blaster and this is just their third public concert, and second in the Soo proper, so don't miss either group on the 12th! Doors open at 7:30 PM for this Thanksgiving long weekend concert, which has no stated age limit and $15 advance tickets (contact the local openers for details) and a $20 door charge. With or without Cross Dog, Mark doesn't return home for concerts too often, so hopefully there's a huge turnout next Saturday, and visit the above links for more details!

Next up, another online page-less (Instagram aside) punk act will return to the stage later this month, as folk punk solo project Agnosticism will return to The Distraction on Thursday, October 17th for a special mixed-genre event in their Stellar Door basement space! No word on why this show will be downstairs, for the record, but I believe it will be the first all-local show at The Stellar Door. On this night, the headliner will actually be Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson with his fan favourite blend of turntable mixes, while young local comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (led by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli) will also be performing in a couple of weeks. Of course, Agnosticism is the solo project of prolific local punk guitartist/promoter Mikhal Muto, and will be making their first advertised public concert appearance since opening for the newly renamed The Haze upstairs at The Distraction in June, believe it or not.

It's good to see Mikhal break out his acoustic guitar again after a few months of focusing on electric band gigs and promotion, and it'll be interesting to see how this widely varying genre lineup goes over later this month! While it is on a work/school night for many, this show has an early 7:00 PM start time, it is ALL AGES, and admission is $10 or "pay what you can". Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on the action under The Distraction later this month!

Also, here's some fallout from Saturday night's Selias-headlined concert at Soo Blaster, starting with new local tech death metal band Bardo, who have finally clarified their lineup on their Facebook page! As previously known, frontman/Heavy North Entertainment promoter Tyler St. Amour is joined here by his brother Travis on drums and Christopher Neveau on guitar, reuniting three former bandmates in March Into Regression in the process. The second guitarist from their prior teaser videos is Christopher Brown, who I am not familiar with from prior local bands, but the lineup on their Facebook page actually lists him on bass now, and true to that, Tyler (who primarily played bass in prior local bands) appeared to just sing/growl on Saturday. Interestingly, the Facebook lineup also lists Danielle Roberts as a singer too, but in what capacity? The Them successors did post a live video from the Selias show onto their Facebook page, but she is nowhere to be found.

The 8 seconds-long video (cross-posted from Instagram) primarily focuses on Tyler growling while Travis drums, and is accompanied by post-production effects of the moon. I can confirm that Danielle was standing on the far right in a video shared on personal Facebook accounts, but she was not singing in that clip. My guess is that she's a backing/clean singer, but we await longer/more videos to verify this unless you were at Soo Blaster on Saturday. Regardless, the video is way too short and has unusual dimensions, but it's a promising glimpse of something brutal for metalheads, so check our Bardo briefly below!

Finally, here's a video from local hard rock quartet Half Past's set at the Selias concert, which sees them covering System Of A Down's "Toxicity"! Courtesy of their Facebook page, this fan-shot video sees the filmer head from the floor in front of the stage to beside the stage very early on, so prepare to see a lot of bassist Arthur Lacasse's back at this angle (frontman Jordan Rains is often obscured as a result). The audio is a little muffled, but the camera was definitely good quality, and this cover is strongly done across the board! Give it a watch below, and don't miss Half Past back at Soo Blaster as headliners on Saturday the 12th! Tickets are on sale at the venue, through band members, and at this link!

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

Oh!No III Festival Preview!!

Before we begin our extended Oh!No preview, just a heads up/apology, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished did play a morning matinee at Biggby Coffee today, as per their Facebook page shortly after showtime. In other words, "every Thursday" continued for at least one more week, though why not plug it as part of their advertising for this week's other concerts? In any event, I apologize for missing it, and hopefully it was a great show! Note that Tarnished have no advertised shows publically past Saturday in Ohio, so I'm not going to immediately jump the gun on more Biggby gigs until the band or venue confirms them. Stay tuned in any event!

Now, today's second weekend concert preview post is otherwise devoted to our extended preview of this weekend's third annual Oh!No concert festival, which returns to Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, Ontario for an expanded two night format TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As well advertised via diverse fundraisers in recent months (everything from dance parties & garage sales to car washes and punk rock ramen), organizers Six, Two, Oh. are going all out for year #3, and as usual, camping is encouraged for attendees taking the hour-long drive, and all of the usual fan-friendly experiences are presumably back this weekend, including vendors and hopefully another bonfire (any more pianos or organs they can use?) Check the official Facebook page for full non-musical details and even the precise location of the venue and camping areas, but let's dive into this stacked roster of local and touring entertainment, as 25 acts will hit the church stage in Leeburn this weekend, so who can you look for to start things off tomorrow night?

Only one touring band is playing tomorrow's shortened first half of Oh!No III, and they are Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists in their third local concert appearance and second straight Oh!No set, and with their high energy, intense, and theatrical stage show, they should leave a huge impression on Leeburn once again! They're up at 12:20 AM, while the all-local opening roster will be toplined by rapper (and festival newcomer) Kodex at 11:40 PM. Punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will become the first band to play all three Oh!No festivals at 11:00 PM, while hip-hop duo Planet Rock will return from last year at 10:20 PM. Jack Spades' sister punk trio Stegadeth will make their own Oh!No debut at 9:40 PM, and tomorrow's lineup will be opened by local alt-folk solo artist Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis at 9:00 PM, who previously played here in 2017. I don't know if the spacing of the heavier/punk bands alternating with the hip-hop/solo acts is intentional, but the lineup is very impressive overall!

For what it's worth, Planet Rock were originally slated to play on Saturday afternoon, but quietly traded timeslots with Hannah Lindsay for unannounced reasons. Doors open at 8:00 PM for tomorrow's concert action, this is an ALL AGES event, and a B.Y.O.B. policy is in effect. There are no single day passes, so if you want to come down, buy a $40 ticket at the door or at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street (for maximum value, camp out and stick around on Saturday!) There's a lot to take in tomorrow, so see above for more details, and here's The Therapists live!

As for Saturday's lineup, the other 19 acts are being crammed into a full day's worth of music, including all of the non-Therapists touring acts, so who all can you see then? The 1:00 AM headliners are (surprisingly) St. Catharine's crossover thrash quintet Pisser, but a prominent act for many will precede them at 12:00 AM, namely Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring Sault Ste. Marie native Mark Rand and his wife Tracy), and it will be great to see them back on a local stage after melting many faces at Oh!No II! The festival-ending block of out of town bands will also feature Sudbury punk quartet Lightmares (in their third straight Oh!No set) at 11:00 PM, as well as Thunder Bay hardcore band Femur at 10:00 PM, and Montreal classic rockers Wrecker (who just played at Dryer Fire yesterday) at 9:00 PM. Drone/noise trio Pointless will be the highest placed local band at 8:10 PM in their third Oh!No set, while Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface will precede them in his second festival appearance, and he'll be no stranger to local fans from Soo gigs either!

Thunder Bay hardcore group Lord Hidetora will make their local concert debut at 6:50 PM, as preceded by fellow Thunder Bay desert rockers The Franquilizers at 6:10, in their third Oh!No set. Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora will return from last year with a 5:30 PM set, but with two exceptions, every preceding band is local. Instrumental surf rockers The Dynowaves will return from Oh!No II with a set at 5:00 PM, while revived acoustic punk solo project Telephone & Address are advertised to end their almost two years-long concert hiatus with a set at 4:30 PM (though I have not seen Chris plug their return publically on the band's Facebook page, for what it's worth.) Funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will also join the three-timers club with a set at 4:00 PM, and rapper Conika will take the stage for a 3:30 PM set. New Barrie "witchy punk" trio The Angry Spells (featuring Beaver Slap frontwoman Midge Beaver) will perform themselves 3:00 PM.

Fresh off of the timeslot trade with Planet Rock, local folk/pop solo artist Hannah Lindsay (replacing Dusty Hazelwood) will perform on Saturday at 2:30 PM, while Barrie punk quartet The Speed Humps will play at 2:00 PM as the earliest touring band that day. The opening acts are indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm at 1:00 PM, though might that set morph into a C.T.W. set? Time will tell, but all of the pre-Elements bands are making their Oh!No debuts that afternoon. Doors open at 12:00 PM, and the same $40 ticket info applies as above, so be sure to visit the above links for full details on Oh!No III! The size, scope, and ambition of this festival continues to impress, but how will things go in Leeburn this time, and beyond adding a third day, how big can this get if it returns in 2020? Get down to Leeburn if you can for all of the action this weekend, and here's Pisser live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Oh!No & Doreen!!)

Before we dive into this weekend's post (devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS), just a heads up that I learned of a trio of shows this coming weekend too late to cover on here before their weekend concert preview cycle. Between low advertising and my own personal schedule, they should have been on here well in advance (which I apologize for), so just to get a jump on things, visit the links here & here for info on two FREE Roberta Bondar Pavilion shows next week with hard rock content, and here for details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, before we preview them on Thursday. Now, here's what you should know for those new shows!

Edmonton art punk quartet Doreen will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, August 20th when they headline at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street! Not your typical sound for a punk band, Doreen take a lot of inspiration from indie and garage rock, but they have a creative blend of styles, as seen on their new CD "Ruthless Severance", and they should be a fine fit at this temporary venue later this month! Local experimental musician Chase Wigmore (not playing as Awokest) will open with a set of his own irreverent, in-your-face original material, and it's always an experience seeing him live, so don't miss his set either on this special Tuesday nighter! Yes, we have a lot to discuss regarding him and Awokest, stay tuned for what we've missed as of late. This ALL AGES concert has a $10 cover charge and a luckily early start time of 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this show, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, the full schedule for this year's third annual Oh!No concert festival at Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn was finally announced via their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know in this regard? We announced the lineup for the September 6th-7th event on the SMS two months ago in this extended write-up, but as Oh!No III is a two night event, I waited to call these as a true LOCAL CONCERT ALERT until organizers Six, Two, Oh. confirmed each day's itinerary, and there are a few changes from what was announced in June. The band lineup on Friday, September 6th is a shorter nighttime affair, which will be toplined by Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, who are night #1's only touring attraction. Remaining performers will include rapper Kodex at 11:40 PM, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 11:00 PM, folk/pop musician Hannah Lindsay at 10:20 PM, punk trio Stegadeth at 9:40 PM, and alt-folk solo project Slumshine opening at 9:00 PM.

In case you didn't notice from the lineup reveal in June, Hannah Lindsay is a new addition to the bill, replacing Dusty Hazelwood for unannounced reasons, though note that everyone but drummer Mitchell Harris will still be present as a promoter or in other bands. As for Saturday, September 7th, the surprise headliners will be St. Catharines crossover thrash band Pisser at 1:00 AM, as preceded by Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog at 12:00 AM, Sudbury punk standouts Lightmares at 11:00 PM, Thunder Bay hardcore band Femur at 10:00 PM, and Montreal classic rock project Wrecker at 9:00 PM. Local drone rock trio Pointless (no longer billed as a Bill Priddle solo set) will be the only local act playing after dark via their 8:10 PM set, with Peterborough rapper Garbageface, Thunder Bay hardcore group Lord Hidetora & desert rockers The Franquilizers, and Toronto indie quartet Forest City Aurora playing at 7:30, 6:50, 6:10, and 5:30 PM respectively.

With two exceptions, earlier acts that day are all local, including surf rock band The Dynowaves at 5:00 PM, revived lo-fi punk project Telephone & Address at 4:30 PM, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 4:00 PM, and rapper Conika at 3:30 PM. The mystery band named The Angry Spells (who are on at 3:00 PM) actually aren't local, as their updated Facebook page reveals that they're a new side project of Beaver Slap vocalist Midge Beaver's, so if you were hoping to see them back this year, hopefully this new band will fill the void! Local hip hop duo Planet Rock will play at 2:30 PM, following Barrie punk quarter The Speed Humps at 2:00 PM, while the two local opening solo acts will be indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and C.T.W. side project Malignant Neoplasm in a rare live set at 1:00 PM. As previously announced, tickets are $40 for both nights, and tickets are on sale at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and at Dryer Fire.

Remember that camping on-site will be available for fans making the 45 minute trek to Leeburn, and this is a B.Y.O.B. event. It's great to finally have each night's schedule, and there's lots of hard rock and punk action to go around on both nights, so visit the above links for complete details on Oh!No III!That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Oh!No Concert Festival Lineup Information, Plus The Anvil/Striker Concert Preview!!

Today's post features a preview of a big Sunday night concert, but first, here's the full lineup for the third annual Oh!No festival is now out! Returning to Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn, this year's installment is the biggest yet, as Oh!No III will be a two night event on Friday, September 6th and Saturday, September 7th! As such, we're not calling this as a proper local concert alert until daily schedules are revealed, but the odds that there will be a day without heavier acts are basically nil. After having an 18 act marathon last year, the two night structure will allow promoters Six, Two, Oh. to spread this year's 25 acts out, but who all is scheduled for this fall? Eleven of the scheduled performers are from out of town, including 6 returnees from past Oh!No festivals. Sudbury punk quartet Lightmares and Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers will return to Leeburn for a third straight year each, while Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring the Soo's own Mark Rand) is among the returning performers from last year.

The other touring attractions back from 2018 include Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface, and Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora. No Beaver Slap this year, but the five Oh!No (and Sault Ste. Marie-area) newcomers from afar will include Thunder Bay hardcore-influenced bands Femur & Lord Hidetora, St. Catharine's crossover thrash quintet Pisser, Barrie punk quartet The Speed Humps, and Montreal classic rock solo project Wrecker. Lots of old and new talent here, be sure to check all of these bands out before September! The local performing roster will feature punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements back for their own third straight appearances, while surf rock quartet The Dynowaves, hip-hop duo Planet Rock, and indie/folk musician Shae Tull will all return from last year, and Dynowaves bassist Brenton Ellis will bring his online page-less solo project Slumshine back to Oh!No after last playing there in 2017.

Locally based newcomers to Oh!No this fall will include punk trio Stegadeth, cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm, rappers Conika and Kodex, and new pop rock band Dusty Hazelwood (featuring co-promoter Jamie Vincent & Dynowaves members.) A new & yet online page-less punk trio named The Angry Spells are also advertised, though we await information on them beyond a description of their sound. We'll let you know when/if anything is said! Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle is advertised with a solo set this year after playing in his drone/noise band Pointless in the past two Oh!No festivals, though note that Oh!No's own 2019 artist bio on him credits him jointly as Pointless. Finally, local lo-fi acoustic punk solo project Telephone & Address are advertised to play this fall, marking their first live appearance since 2017 after being on public hiatus for well over a year. This is very encouraging news, and hopefully Chris has more in the pipeline, so Telephone & Address are back in our active band links!

No sign of A Dire Setback or Winkstinger this year, but still, how's all this for a stacked and nicely varied lineup? Tickets will go on sale for a flat $40 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and Dryer Fire's pop-up location on Bruce Street, while camping will be available on site as usual, and while there's no stated age limit, a "B.Y.O.B." policy remains in effect. Doors open at 8:00 AM on Friday and 11:00 AM on Saturday, with daily schedules to be revealed. This should be another excellent time for concert goers able to make the trip an hour east to Leeburn, but there's still a lot to learn, so visit the above links for complete and ongoing details on Oh!No III!

Finally for today, here's our preview of a special Sunday night concert TOMORROW at Soo Blaster, as Toronto metal legends Anvil will return to Sault Ste. Marie for their fourth local show in the 2010s! It's been a long four year wait since we last saw Lips, Robb, and Chris deliver their requisite "metal on metal" to a local audience, and with the momentum of their newest CD "Pounding the Pavement" still ongoing, they should deliver another heavy set of classic hits and newer originals tomorrow night! Co-headlining tomorrow are Edmonton metal quintet Striker in their first local concert appearance since headlining at The Rosie six years ago, and with their finely tuned NWOBHM throwback sound, they should melt many faces in their own right at Soo Blaster! Remember, this was originally advertised as a Striker headlining show before Anvil were confirmed. The aforementioned Jack Spades will join power rock quintet Re:Born as openers, who should set the tone well with their own diverse takes on their genres!

Advance tickets are on sale for $20 at Soo Blaster (or $25 at the door), this is a 19+ event, and a somewhat early 7:30 PM start time is advertised. Also, note the $200 VIP booth option for a party of 6, if you are so inclined for that experience. It's great to have Anvil and Striker back for a night full of old school metal intensity, with Re:Born more than up to the task on another big stage for them, and don't forget about Jack Spades' punk-influenced attack either! Don't miss out on all of tomorrow's action if you can swing it, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Anvil live!



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

Oh!No 2018 Video Showcase & Fallout, Part 1!

Here's our first of at least 2 (maybe 3) fallout/video posts from this past Saturday's Oh!No concert festival at Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, Ontario, and believe me, there's a lot to touch on! Co-promoter/AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent gave a nice long thank you on the Facebook event page to everyone who made this year's festival possible (even Oosik Records were on site), so definitely give that a look! Jamie's write-up confirms a late lineup change, as drone/noise trio Pointless (featuring Oh!No sound engineers Bill Priddle and Dustin Goodall) did play a proper set after all, despite their prior removal from the schedule. Though they were bumped to the evening, they appear to have replaced Mister Tahti's advertised kickoff set, despite his attendance as a vendor on Saturday. Hopefully all's well across the board! Though curiously not part of a SooToday article (yet?), Donna Hopper was on hand for Oh!No II, posting 139 photos from the festival onto her photography Facebook page, so what should you know there?

Without breaking down individual totals (the shots are in order), Donna was on hand for the three final local bands (Planet Rock, Pointless, and The Dynowaves) and every out of town act except closing rapper Garbageface, with each band getting at least 8 or 9 photos. As expected, Donna's photos are superb, and she got a lot of photos of the crowd enjoying the festival and the bands, so if you were there, see if you're featured! Though the lion's share of her photos are in black and white, they contrast well with the ending bonfire shots, which she left in colour, so the old organ burning is preserved as you saw it on Saturday! In the realm of public videos, we are far more blessed than we were for year 1, particularly because Christopher Paci was on hand for the majority of the day's events, filming at least one video of every out of town band and the same local bands that Donna photographed, plus Jack Spades and Mik & Steve. If you missed or want to relive the latter stages of Oh!No II, visit Chris' YouTube channel!

We'll go in descending order for Chris' twenty videos from last week, which capped off with a video of the aforementioned organ bonfire, which is a good watch to see the spectacle in motion, let alone in a rare portrait orientation video of his! Chris' last music clips were three videos of Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface performing his songs "Mouths", "Like The Goddamn Fucking Challenger Explosion" (he titled it, not me!), and "Mental Alchemy". The lighting's not ideal on these clips, but his communal and intense presence comes through as well as it did locally last year, and this looks like a fun way to end the festival! Fellow Peterborough talents Cross Dog preceded him, with the hardcore punk trio filmed twice by Chris, though I admittedly haven't had a lot of luck identifying them based on their studio albums. The stage lighting is dark compared to the surrounding church walls, but you get a nice central view of Cross Dog's ferocious live attack here!

Tracy's vocals are sometimes muffled, but the raucous fan response is clear, and it's great to see Mark and company bring Cross Dog back to the Algoma District after 5 years away! Give Chris' videos of theirs a look at this link and below, and hopefully we're not waiting another 5 years for the next one!

We'll close our first Oh!No fallout post with a video of Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, and their video is of their original song "Shotgun Anus". Again, they titled it, don't shoot the messenger! If you can't see them well with the lighting, photographer Mimi Abitbol got colour shots of them at the festival, which you can check out on the band's Facebook page. I guarantee this will be the only band you see locally this year featuring both an astronaut and... Jesus Christ?! Also, nice touch by singer Patrick Sauve to wear a vest covered in Shit Liver patches, given that they replaced Shit Liver on the Oh!No bill. If I had to describe The Therapists' sound, I'd go with hardcore punk, but that's definitely a generalization, they have more to say than just that stylistically, and they definitely have a good sense of humour. Again, the audio's somewhat muffled here, but The Therapists look like a fun live band, and hopefully they come out west again in the future, so give Chris' video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more Oh!No concert fallout in the coming days, possibly tomorrow, as we'll look at the remaining out of town bands then! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns), Plus Oh!No & Banned Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's first concert preview post, just a heads up that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page is advertising 3 Day Millionaires concerts this weekend at Reggie's West, despite that band's dissolution in July. I believe those shows were once a thing, but obviously not anymore post-breakup. As for this weekend's official hard rock & punk concerts in the Soo area, we'll be holding our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest and Tym Morrison previews for tomorrow's post due to the amount in today's, so things are spread out more evenly. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 as their Fishbowl Friday headliners TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen as campfire jam hosts at the Northern Vibe Festival, this will be the Elements side project's first Room 21 gig in over a month, so if you've missed this fan favourite unit above Low & Slow, head there TOMORROW! The event page teases that there will be "all the Jonas you can take", which seems to imply that Elements drummer Jonas Gasperas will be a guest musician TOMORROW, but that's not firmly stated. This concert has a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and no announced cover charge, while fishbowls full of adult beverages will be on sale for $8 if that floats your boat. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW's concert, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, we'll take a quick detour to Kinross, Michigan, where local classic/hard rock veterans Banned will play their third and final 2018 concert at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark during this year's auto racing season TOMORROW NIGHT! After two prior shows this summer as post-practice entertainment, tomorrow's previously announced concert will see Banned playing their familiar cover selection after the Four Cylinder Friday races during the Memorial Invitational weekend events to cap off this year's racing schedule in Kinross. Unlike their prior 2018 gigs here, Banned are not playing Saturday at the grandstand, with Rudyard classic rockers Steelhead playing post-race that day instead. Expect a 9:00 PM start time with no age limits, and admission is $5 for Friday's race (kids are FREE.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!



Finally for today's concert preview post, let's head to nearby Leeburn, Ontario for the second annual Oh!No music festival, as Six, Two, Oh. are bringing 18 acts to "Robbie's Church" there for a day full of musical mayhem THIS SATURDAY! As well hyped in local news media, at 1990s dance parties, and via ticket sales at the MS Norgoma, this day-long festival will feature food vendors, overnight camping, and a "bring your own beer" policy, so if you loved last year's ambiance, you're in good hands for Oh!No II! The official schedule for the festival was quietly posted on the Facebook event page last month, and it confirms a few unreported band withdrawals and replacements, so who's out? Specifically, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, local indie/alt-rock quartet Id Iota, and drone/noise rock trio Pointless, and while reasons weren't stated for their exits, note that Shit Liver hadn't publically ended their summer break at press time. Hopefully all's well in their camps! Also, remember that Vol. already dropped out upon their breakup earlier this year.

Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface (a favourite at 2017 shows here) will close this year's festival at 1:00 AM, while Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand) will end a 5 year hiatus from the local stage as the highest slotted metal/punk band at 12:00 AM. Sudbury "psychedelic party rock" quintet The Therapists will ostensibly replace Shit Liver at 11:15 PM for their regional concert debut, while the preceding 3 bands are all out of town acts returning from last year's Oh!No Fest, including Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers at 10:15 PM, Sudbury punk band Lightmares at 9:15 PM, and Barrie punk quartet Beaver Slap at 8:30 PM. Two festival newcomers will open the out of town half of the schedule, namely London post-grindcore trio Fat Cop at 7:45 PM and Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora at 6:45 PM. Your closing local act at 6:00 PM is Planet Rock, the new hip hop project from 2017 performer DJ Seith and rapper St. James.

The all-local opening half continues with new surf-rock quartet The Dynowaves (featuring 2017 performer Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis) at 5:20 PM, and punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 4:40 PM, while indie rock duo Mik & Steve will replace their predecessor band Vol. at 4:00 PM. Three more returning local bands precede them, including death metal quartet Winkstinger at 3:20 PM, alt-punk trio A Dire Setback at 2:40 PM, and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 2:00 PM. Indie/folk solo artists Jackson Reed & Shae Tull will play short afternoon sets at 1:30 & 1:00 PM respectively, while one more new confirmation will kick off this year's festival at 12:30 PM, namely former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti in a rare solo set. Despite some lineup changes and a drop from 19 bands to only 18, this is a stacked all-day lineup, so be sure to check out the above bands, new and old! Admission for this ALL AGES festival is $35 in advance and $40 at the door, which may be higher than last year, but remember that this year's lineup has more bands.

Tickets are available at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and via local performers, while visit the Facebook event page linked above for details on how to get to "Robbie's Church". Also, given the relatively remote location, ride sharing is an encouraged method to get to Leeburn if you don't have an available vehicle or if you find a cab to be expensive. This year's Oh!No festival is shaping up to be another great day of local and out of town music, with a little something for many tastes, so be sure to check the above links for full details on all of the action in Leeburn on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Cross Dog live in Sault Ste. Marie back in 2013!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Oh!No Music Festival II & Banned!!)

Here's a new news post for your Saturday afternoon reading, and it's devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on each side of the border, including a big returning festival! Before I get too far, just a reminder that a musicians' mixer will be held at The Canadian Nightclub TONIGHT where local musicians can meet, coordinate, and arrange musical collaborations. This is not a concert, but it's being promoted by Jeremy Hannah's Sault MusicScene agency. 9:00 PM, 19+, no announced cover, so keep it in mind if you're looking for musicians to jam/work with! Now, here's those new concerts!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned have announced a handful of new concert dates for 2018, as per new Facebook event page creations through their Facebook page, and they start with three gigs at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark on June 2nd, June 23rd, and September 7th! Remember, Banned played their hometown race track last September too, so this is nothing new for them. They'll be serving as entertainment after Saturday practice wraps up on June 2nd & 23rd (the practice sessions for the season opener and Triple Crown events respectively), while the September 7th show will follow the Friday practice for the Memorial Invitational race, so keep these relatively unique concert sets in mind for later this year! In more traditional realms, Banned will also return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on September 28th-29th and on December 14th-15th, returning there for the first time since March, so don't miss those either!

These concerts also join newly confirmed gigs on July 3rd & 11th in De Tour Village and Curtis, both of which are outside of our 1 hour coverage range. The three Kinross Speedpark shows are listed at 9:00 PM with no age limit or cover charge (though note that the races proper have ticket admission), while the Rapids Lounge shows are at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Click here for Facebook event pages on these and previously announced Banned shows in 2018, and don't miss this talented group at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace next month!

Next up, the Oh!No Music Festival is officially on for year #2, so what should you know on it? Taking place on Saturday, September 8th, the Six, Two, Oh.-promoted concert festival will return to "Robbie's Church" in nearby Leeburn, Ontario, with much the same atmosphere of last year's event, with overnight camping and "hangouts" available, and food vendors on site, though no word yet on a prospective bonfire. The performer lineup is expanded from 13 to 17 acts this year, with only four bands from last year not returning for 2018 (The Elements, Handsome Sandwich, and out of towners Run Coyote & Artificial Dissemination), so if you liked last year's roster, you should be right at home once again! The seven out of town bands will include Barrie punk quartet Beaver Slap, Sudbury punk standouts Lightmares, and Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers (all back from 2017), alongside four touring bands new to Oh!No '18, so who are they?

The other 4 out of town acts include Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand) in their first local concert appearance in five years, and Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface (as seen at a few well received local shows last year), while Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora and London post-grindcore trio Fat Cop will be making their local concert debuts at the Oh!No fest. This lineup alone is stacked, and it's particularly cool to see Cross Dog back after far too long! The 10 local bands this year include four returning bands, they being punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, alt-punk trio A Dire Setback, death metal quartet Winkstinger (in their first announced show of 2018), indie/hard rock trio Vol., and drone rock trio Pointless, while 2017 solo performer  Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis will return in his new surf rock band The Dynowaves.

The new additions for 2018 include local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver and alt-hard rock quartet Id Iota, plus indie/folk solo artists Jackson Reed & Shae Tull, though no word yet on if DJ Seith will be back to spin tunes between bands. Quite a stacked lineup full of familiar faces, including a much sooner Shit Liver return than we anticipated (if only their splitmates AlgomA were playing too!) More details, including full timeslots, admission fees, and ticket locations are to be announced , but tickets go on sale on July 1st. For reference, they cost $25 last year, but there were also less bands. As well, with a shuttle bus likely not in the cards, remember that promoters encouraged ride-sharing and cab rentals for fans to get to Leeburn and back last year, given the relatively remote locale. There are a lot of unknowns yet for Oh!No II, but visit the official Facebook event page for full details, and it's great to have it back on September 8th! Stay tuned for more details as they roll in!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), Blood Shed Productions Updates, And More!!

We're back to news on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap? Assorted recent updates for a prolific local concert promoter's upcoming shows, another local promoter's addition to a local band (and related updates), new videos, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, so here's what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will extend his weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill into next month, so we'll add his next 5 weekends in May 2014 to our listings, but with one exception. It turns out that he did not play at The Harp last night due to their showing of UFC 172 (a fact he corrected online yesterday, our apologies for the late word on here), so with the assumption that The Harp shows each UFC pay per view, I wouldn't bet on Tym playing there on Saturday, May 24th due to UFC 173 that night. However, look for Tym's unplugged acoustic sets this coming Friday & Saturday (Facebook event page here), as well as on May 9th & 10th, May 16th & 17th, Friday, May 23rd, and on May 30th & 31st! Remember, due to the immense length of his apparent bookings on his website, we're only taking these a month at a time, so we'll approach June when it comes. Admission should be free for these 19+ events, and each show should start at 10:00 PM. Check the above links for more details!

Tym's current regular run at the former Madison's Pub will enter it's 26th week if he lasts through next month without interruption, and his talents are hard to ignore, so look for his acoustic hard rock covers both nights (with the regular jam/open mic night angle on the Fridays), and stay tuned for updates on his solo engagements!

Next up, here's the latest from the current version of local metal band Brutaly Fatal, including a lineup change, as they've enlisted local concert promoter Tyler St. Amour as their new drummer, replacing Tyler's former Pillory bandmate Bret Shuttleworth. A reason for Bret's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully things are amicable, and look out for Pillory updates! I'm not familiar with Tyler as a drummer (he's better known from his bass work with the likes of Bring The Misery), but we'll have to see how he fits in going forward! It looks like the talks of a quartet lineup have either fell through or were premature, as their Facebook page now promotes them as a "doom/stoner metal 3 piece band", which also confirms recent teases of their current sound, joining AlgomA and Giwakwa in the local camp of these metal subgenres. Also to note: frontman Austin McCrae is now advertised as their guitarist, with Rainey Vincent moving to bass, and lyrics for a planned song named "We Are Gladiators" are now up on Facebook, but how does the new lineup sound?

We have a preview via this new Facebook video posting yesterday, and it's of Austin playing the riff to an untitled song that he and Rainey co-wrote. It has a catchy element, but it's unrefined yet, and empty without additional instruments. Still, there's a sample if you haven't been at one of Brutaly Fatal's recent house party gigs, so check it out below, and stay tuned for the new lineup's debut at the fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza on May 10th, which we have a lot of updates to elaborate on this week!



Also from the world of Blood Shed Productions is this new video of flagship band Crucify The Whore playing their song "Seshing In June Bugs" at a house party event on March 28th! Uploaded to the Blood Shed YouTube channel on Wednesday, the video was well filmed to capture Ringsnaps' metal action and the moshing of fans, though the lighting looks a little off at times, and the video could have been uploaded in widescreen to avoid the letterboxing. Fans of the grind will be right at home though, so give the new C.T.W. clip a look!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all of which concern local promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming metal/punk concert slate! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• There were briefly plans last week for the July 24th Cross Dog show (the last uncancelled Heavy Thursday at the former Roosevelt Hotel) to be moved to The Rockstar Bar with Jack Spades & Destroilet opening, but frontwoman Tracy Ashenden revealed on the Facebook event page on Thursday that their summer tour has been re-routed, so they can't come on that day. Disappointing, but the event page isn't down, so look for a rescheduling soon!
• Tickets for three of J.D.'s upcoming metal & punk shows are now on sale at The Rad Zone, those being the Die Mannequin show at The Rockstar Bar on June 14th, the all ages Havok/Anciients show at The Canadian on June 24th, and the Random Killing show at The Rockstar Bar on September 13th, so get them there A.S.A.P. if you don't want to buy online! Respectively, the tickets cost $10, $20, and $15, and no word as of yet on advance availability at either venue.
• Speaking of the Havok/Anciients show, a local opening band was quietly confirmed last month, as local thrashers Pillory are the listed openers on the Facebook event page! If this holds up, this will be Pillory's first public date since January, but it does follow bassist Tyler St. Amour's departure and their exit from shows he promoted, so who knows how they'll look on June 24th if they play. Stay tuned for updates, and don't miss this stacked metal show!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Shit Liver album review and more news (including on the upcoming Swampstravaganza) in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crued & Cross Dog), Sykotyk Rampage Albums, And More!!

Before we take a few days out to focus on weekend concert previews, we have some more interesting news to get to on this Tuesday morning, including a prolific local band's next recording plans, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for mid-2014 returns by prominent out of town bands, and more, so here's what you need to know!

According to the calendar on their official website, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will be back in Sault Ontario on Saturday, May 3rd for a headlining date at The Rockstar Bar! Though not confirmed by the venue yet (probably because it's too early), this will be the notorious and well regarded quartet's first stop in the Soo in 5 months, and if you've seen Crued in town, you'll be well aware of their faithful and entertaining tribute set to Motley Crue (and hopefully they won't follow in the real band's footsteps by making this a "final tour"!) It's also too soon to know about potential opening bands like they usually had at some prior Soo shows, but for reference sake, they didn't have any local openers in November. A 19+ age limit and 10:30 PM start time are likely, and while ticket details aren't out yet, their last Rockstar Bar show had $8 advance tickets & $10 entry at the door, so it may be similar this time around. Sounds like a good time for you Hair Scare and Motley Crue fans, so stay tuned for updates at the above links!

Next up, and among two recent concert announcement for the new Heavy Thursdays series at The Roosevelt Hotel, Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will return to the Soo for a headlining date on Thursday, July 24th! Last seen locally as openers for The Dayglo Abortions in their Rosie show last September, it'll be great to have this exciting guitar-less outfit (featuring prolific local punk/metal musician Mark Rand on bass) back in town, and hopefully there's no rainstorm to throw a wrench into this one like there was 10 months ago! Local openers are to be determined, but just in case it's a possible indicator, the local bands who played with Cross Dog at The Rosie last year were Destroilet & Jack Spades. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised, admission costs are to be announced, and I assume this will be a 19+ show. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! To be the 23rd Heavy Thursday if no weeks are skipped in the interim, it'll be great to have Cross Dog's extreme and unique sound back in July, so keep an eye out for more!

In terms of the other new Heavy Thursday announcement, that will be for April 24th (tentatively the 11th installment), and it will be headlined by Peterborough punk duo The Bumpin' Tacos, but announcements of local openers (including potential metal/hard rock acts) are not public yet. Follow this link for updates, and we'll keep you posted! No word yet on the teased Die Mannequin return though.

Also today, here's the latest from the original crash band themselves, local alternative hard rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage! The band unveiled a new slate of 2014 "albums" on their Facebook page last Thursday, which will push their discography to 50 official albums, so what should you know? In chronological order, they include "Wyrd Radio" (a double-length release that appears to feature cover songs), "Padre Pwadge with Ready for Revival" (described as "band doing covers of Sykotyk Rampage"), the previously announced "Environ-Mental Suits 2: Anvil of Antioch" (a space adventure concept release, artwork pictured), three general new albums named "Kitty Farts & Other Play Full Noises", "Who's Driving Spaceship Earth?", and "Santa's Night Out" (perhaps the Christmas release they hinted at years ago?), with the 50th album to be a live release named "Double LIVE".

Typically ambitious and prolific to go along with Sykotyk Rampage's recent material trends, so River Front Recreation Studios should be hopping in 2014! I wonder if album plans are partly to blame for them not playing live yet this year? Like their most recent albums, I don't expect these to have a paid release, but when finished, look for them on Sykotyk Rampage's Reverbnation page, and stay tuned for updates as they come in!

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

• Local rock drummer Glen Thomas' redesigned local music message board Freq's Music Planet has recently began helping cover and promote some local bands and the concerts they play via this calendar and threads in the "Music Planet" section. They mostly focus on veteran cover rock bands at present, but message Glen above if you're interested in some extra coverage! Note that I won't get into some of the more divisive discussions that take place there on here, but I'm aware of the local media-related discussions that have occurred there recently.
• In an update on tickets for the upcoming Heart/Jason Bonham concert at The Essar Centre on June 20th, tickets are still on sale at this link and the arena box office! Premium floor seats appear to be sold out, but some further back seats on the floor are still available for $74 (along with bowl seating for $44.50.) Get your tickets A.S.A.P., as this will be a huge show!
• In a post on his solo project's Facebook page yesterday, Strange Coyotes drummer Mike Haggith announced that his next solo album "A Place Of Our Own" will be postponed due to instrumental tracks still needing to be mixed. Originally scheduled for a Valentine's Day release, he said that it should be released in the next two months. Mike's always been honest & forthcoming for his albums' releases and delays, so hopefully this turns out great, and look out for it hopefully by April!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some mid-week concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!