LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mammoth), A Surprise Band Breakup, And Sault Ontario Updates!!

Before we get into another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post on this Wednesday night, which includes a newly announced band breakup, new concert videos, a revived solo project, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring, so here's what you should know!

Los Angeles-based hard rock band Mammoth (formerly MammothWVH) will make their local concert debut on Saturday, March 28th when they headline at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! A quickly increasing presence on rock radio thanks to hit songs like "Distance", "Don't Back Down", and "The End", Mammoth are led by former Van Halen/Tremonti bassist (and Eddie Van Halen's son) Wolfgang Van Halen, who has emerged as a multi-talented virtuoso musician on his own in the 2020s, even performing every note of every instrument on Mammoth's three albums. It will be cool to see Wolfgang and his live touring band rock out here this spring, so don't bypass this show, especially as its on a Saturday night! Knoxville, Tennessee alt-metal veterans 10 Years (of "Wasteland" and "Novacaine" fame) will return to Kewadin Casino as openers, last seen there opening for Seether in August 2018.

10 Years had previously opened for Sevendust at The Dreammakers Theater in 2010, and I'm noticing an unintentional pattern. Good to see them back again after eight years, but should we not hold our breath for a fourth local date before 2034? A second opening band is to be announced. Presented by Allstar Promotions and sponsored by Rock 101, tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, with prices starting at $39.50. It will be interesting to see how this show goes, but Mammoth have a huge upside and a bunch of hits already, so don't miss out on their first Sault Ste. Marie gig in four months!  

Next up, we have some very surprising news that broke earlier today, as local hard rock cover sextet Exit 808 have announced that they are amicably disbanding. According to their Facebook page, personal life concerns (band members moving, health issues, other bands, and a band member having a baby on the way) mean that Exit 808 "just can't be a priority anymore", and "we want to step off the stage gracefully without falling on our faces". With hindsight, the fact that they have played just one date (in Brimley on November 1st) since the summer could be a sign that members' focus was drifting. Launching under the name Double Jack in the fall of 2023, they debuted with a third place finish at the inaugural Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands, but drummer Jackie Moon aside, the band was nigh unrecognizable by the following summer as members came and went, let alone their name change.

Exit 808 would become a popular sight at local venues and far flung locales in the Central and Western U.P., and even in the Lower Peninsula a tiny bit, and were known for networking and befriending non-local musicians along the way, who often helped fill in with and guest with Exit 808 during their two year run. This, along with their very modular lineup including two lead singers and a wide age range made them stand out extra, and they were always a fun and talented group, as seen in their ample live videos. Best of luck to Amy, Dillion, Alex, Nathan, Blaze, Jackie, and other former members in the future, and hopefully we see them in new projects when able!

Let's head north to Sault Ontario for the back half of this post, starting with some more new concert videos from Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel that didn't fit in Monday's all-E.U.P. post, as he was in attendance for Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever's return to the Soo at The Sault Community Theatre Centre in September! Like with his Night Ranger videos, these were only uploaded earlier this week, but better late than never! Chris filmed B.J.F. playing the Bon Jovi classics "Livin' On A Prayer", "Wanted Dead Or Alive", "It's My Life", "Bad Medicine", "Runaway", "Have A Nice Day", and as embedded below, "Bed Of Roses". I'm not a Bon Jovi fan, but this tribute does a solid job replicating multiple eras of the band, so hair metal fans should enjoy the performances on offer here, helped by Chris getting a good close angle of the stage from the center section. Check these out above and below, and stay tuned for more from Chris' channel!

Finally for today, here's the latest from local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary, who has revived his solo project after a 20+ month hiatus! In his first proper post since January 2024, Mike revealed on Saturday that the instrumental album that he was working on in the early 2020s "has officially been put on hold", and while he did not explain why he made that decision, he didn't completely close the door on the album, and is planning to post some material from the album on Facebook to show how it has progressed. However, Mike has signed a deal with Swedish independent label Rexius Records, and is planning to write and record an 8 song album over the next year, which will have "several singles" and contain "some fun, catchy, and energetic rock music for everyone to enjoy". Mike also got spotlighted in this new article from aKtmusiC which promoted what they called "his first-ever release", namely his 2018 song "So Surreal".

This isn't his first release, but fans of Mike's will be aware that he was one to delist or take down old albums and songs based on where his life and music was going. To close, here's a 5 minutes-long instrumental from his unfinished album mentioned above, and while I won't comment on it pending the chance that he does finish and release it, it has more progressive dynamics, a lengthy guitar solo, and some of his heaviest musicianship yet, so you get the sense that he was spreading his wings when writing for this album. It's great to see Mike back at it, so check out more from him above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Sault Michigan Hard Rock Concert Video Showcase!!

Let's tackle some recent videos from bands from or playing in Sault Michigan in today's post, and we'll start with long awaited public videos from the Night Ranger-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino on October 3rd! In the immediate aftermath, videos weren't quick to surface online, but the ever-prolific Christopher Paci was in attendance for this one, and he finally uploaded his videos from the show to his extensive YouTube channel on Friday. No word why these took a month (let alone if he was across for the Trixter show), but better late than never! Chris filmed twelve videos at the show, nine coming from the headlining San Francisco hair metal quintet's set, where they played "(You Can Still) Rock In America", "Sentimental Street", "The Secret Of My Success", a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", their own self-titled song, a cover of bassist Jack Blades' old band Damn Yankees' "High Enough", ...

..."When You Close Your Eyes", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", and as embedded below, "Sister Christian". While definitely not in the center section and filming from a sharp vantage point, Chris is by no means far from the action, and he zooms in well to capture Night Ranger's return to the Soo! This version of their biggest hit is extended to 8+ minutes, and while the vocals are a little quavery at points (the heavier songs from this show come across better), fans are definitely into it! Note that drummer Kelly Keagy plays live with his kit sideways, so you can see him actually drumming from a straight-on angle (not unlike Stryper). Good stuff, so check out Night Ranger's new Kewadin videos above & below!

Next up, Chris also filmed three videos of opening Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson, who performed acoustic sets on this tour. Matthew & Gunnar were filmed at the Soo Kewadin playing "After The Rain", "(Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection", and as embedded below, "Two Heads Are Better Than One" (which they co-wrote for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure but was credited to the band name Power Tool). A hard rock band touring in acoustic mode only isn't unheard of for The Dreammaker's Theatre (i.e. Godsmack, Mr. Big), and while there will be a bit of an adjustment, their vocals have held up well over the years, and a reserved performance is well captured for audio with this camera, so give these a watch also!

Let's shift focus to local bands for this post's second half, starting with newly publicized videos from last month's third annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands! When I recapped the battle results on the site, I noted that local hard rock/punk band About:Blank's short-handed acoustic set has a video filmed that was uploaded to personal Facebook accounts, and was thusly not shared here because of that. Well, the guys uploaded it (and two more videos) to their Facebook page last week! The video that I knew was uploaded privately saw Parker & Kade (no Nathan) playing their new original "Unfazed", and it is embedded below, but the two other videos saw them play "Infest My Mind" and "Run & Hide". Parker & Kade are really dwarfed as an unplugged duo on the cavernous Arts Center stage, so much so that I won't even complain that these videos are vertical, because everything's in frame!

Effectively, the lack of electric instruments and Nathan made this a reprise of Parker's solo set from last year's battle, just now with percussion, but the songs on offer here are promising, and I do like the grungier ambiance to "Unfazed" that would be well suited to their full presentation. Check everything out above & below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank!

If you were hoping to see Nathan Webber, good news, as we're closing with videos of his hard rock cover band Exit 808's "Fright Night On The Bay" post-Halloween concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, with eleven videos from that gig now uploaded to guest singer Molly Escherich's Facebook page! Most have Molly taking over for Amy Beach on vocals, with her and Dillion Semasky splitting or alternating vocals on covers of Eminem & Rihanna's "The Monster", Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" (also filmed by a second camera), AC/DC's "TNT", Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" (which was also filmed twice), Volbeat's "A Monster's Hand", Green Day's "Brain Stew", and Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy". Molly & Amy joined forces to cover Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Love Rock & Roll" and Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)".

Lineup wise, new addition Brad Pringle plays bass on all of these songs aside from "T.N.T.", which had Blaze Beairl on the four strings (I'm to assume he played more often on songs that Molly wasn't singing on). As well, "The Monster" had a costumed guest guitarist in place of Nathan, who waved glowsticks and rocked out from the audience. No definitive word on who he was, but Exit 808 did tease that Project 906's Joe Jenkins would be a guest performer too on this night. Because Dillion's mad scientist costume was still on at that point, I'll embed the Lit cover here, but there's a lot of fun performances on offer, and Molly's developing vocal talents and stage presence are always welcomed! Give these a watch above & below!

That's all for not, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

Pop Evil Concert Videos, Plus More From Sault Michigan!!

Before we begin today's all E.U.P. post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's previews, as local hard rock/metal band Tarnished played a solo headlining gig at The Savoy Nightclub last night. Of course, they were among the openers there for Scotty Austin/Redburn on Thursday night, but the band announced that they were playing "round 2" there on their Facebook page two hours before showtime, and the venue's Facebook page never posted that Tarnished were pulling double duty. Maybe the idea of Tarnished playing last night came together quickly after how things went on Thursday, but I do profusely apologize for missing this show on here, I'd have covered it had I gotten more notice!

That said, The Savoy's Facebook page does have a couple of relevant videos to the big show on Thursday, one being this brief promotional clip from February where Scotty Austin himself plugged the local date. He even mentioned playing in the Soo previously and that Redburn have been up here before (they opened for Saving Abel here in 2015), and little details like that make a video like this seem less cookie cutter and more personal, so kudos! The other video comes from the show proper, as a Savoy staffer(?) filmed who I believe to be opening local hard rock band The Nameless, specifically the (vocal-devoid) last 20 seconds of their third-to-last song. The video quality isn't great, with the filmer panning around quickly to show the packed house more than the band, not to mention the vertical camera angle, so we never see enough of the band with any clarity. If you told me I was wrong and that this was Tarnished, I wouldn't be shocked!

In any event, I don't know off hand what song this is based on the instrumental snippet on offer (The Nameless were covers-centric upon their debut last year, and if this was Tarnished, it doesn't match any of their or Alex's studio originals). For what little we hear, it sounds good, and the solid audience at this early stage is encouraging, so give it a look below, and we'll let you know if more videos turn up!

The rest of today's post is devoted to the Pop Evil-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on March 17th, as the ever-prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel has us covered with videos of all three bands from last week! As far as I have seen so far, Chris is the only person to upload videos from this show on YouTube, at least publically. Yes, I am aware that he filmed videos at the Leash show in Sault Ontario earlier this month, check back for those next week. As for the Pop Evil concert, Chris uploaded 12 videos from that night, including seven of the Muskegon hard rock mainstays' headlining set, those being "Breathe Again", "Torn To Pieces", "Footsteps", "Skeletons", "Dead Reckoning", "Paranoid (Crash & Burn)", and as embedded below, "Eye Of The Storm". The audio quality on his camera/this sound setup is fairly raw, but Chris had a strong central angle of the stage!

You can tell that Pop Evil are very much on their game here with good energy, and if soundboard audio existed, I can tell that it'd be fairly similar to the studio tracks, so fans of Pop Evil's ample rock radio hits should be right at home with these videos above & below!

Phoenix metalcore band The Word Alive were filmed thrice for Chris' channel, including their original songs "Trapped", "Why Am I Like This", and as embedded below, "Nocturnal Future". The same audio quality harshness aside, The Word Alive are well captured here with a nice melodic flavour on their modern aggression, and the stage lighting for their set is accentuated nicely, so check it out below!

Finally, Seattle metalcore band Avoid got two videos from Chris, namely "Song About James" and, as embedded below, their opening two songs "Gator Fest" and "Cowabunga". Avoid's electronic-tinged attack helped get this show off on the right foot with some explosively energetic songs to boot, and I can see how them opening was the best call, so check out their videos above & below, and stay tuned for Chris' Leash videos next week!

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