Gutter Creek & Killer Dwarfs Concert Video Showcase!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up that the Kim Mitchell/54-40 concert at GFL Memorial Gardens on Tuesday has indeed been cancelled, as per this SooToday article yesterday. Promoters F7 Entertainment cited "unforeseen scheduling issues" for the cancellation but did not elaborate further (note that the Paul Brandt show on Wednesday, also part of the Mocha Concert Series, was cancelled last month for the same stated reason). Ticket refunds will be offered at point of purchase. Very disappointing for both the Shriners and fans alike, but hopefully Kim and/or 54-40 try again to play in the Soo down the road!

Now, today's post is devoted to new concert videos from the ever-prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, as he was in attendance for two recent metal concerts at Soo Blaster and got videos of all four acts across both concerts! In between these shows and Rotaryfest, Chris also shot videos at the Cole Swindell concert in Sault Michigan, so if you like modern country music, visit his channel to see those. We'll go in reverse chronological order with these so as to lead off with the bigger of the two shows, namely the return of Oshawa classic/glam metal quartet The Killer Dwarfs last night! He filmed them playing "Doesn't Matter" (albeit padded out with mid-song crowd banter) and, as embedded below, two songs in one video, including "Comin' Through" & "Hard Luck Town". While not especially close to the stage, Chris made good use of zoom to capture the band in action on these songs, and the audio quality holds up!

Depending on the lighting, the video can sometimes be a little hazy, but The Dwarfs sound good and melodic on these three classic tracks, so fans won't wanna miss them above & below! Here's hoping they come back!

The opener for this show was local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison in a rare opening slot for a touring act, at least as far as his unplugged modern solo show goes. Unusually, Chris filmed more songs of the local opener, getting four covers from Tym's set, namely Aerosmith's "Dream On", Toto's "Africa", Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", and as embedded below, Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". Clearly Tym didn't expressly tailor his set for the hair metal onslaught ahead, but his acoustic covers came through well here, despite some occasionally grainy visuals. Give these a look above and below, and no word on if his Trading Post series ended last week or if he was back today (if the latter, my apologies!)

Now let's backtrack to the Gutter Creek show at Soo Blaster on September 1st, albeit only posted onto YouTube yesterday, as Chris filmed the multi-national groove metal band (featuring the Soo's own Matt Hanchuck of Wreck-Defy fame) playing four original songs from their album! Specifically, those are "Hellryder", "Mesmerized", "No Slave Religion", and as embedded below, "Slipping Through The Scars". Unlike at the Killer Dwarfs show last night, Chris got onto the floor to film Gutter Creek's set, which definitely helps the view, despite some still hazy lighting. Nice & heavy attack from this stacked foursome, and good to see Matt on home soil, so give their Soo Blaster videos a look above & below!

Finally for tonight, the openers at the Gutter Creek concert were local punk trio Vanity First, which is a bit of a genre leap but still good to see Andrew, Mikhal, and Keegan get a big support slot like this! They were filmed thrice, including (most of) their covers of NOFX's "Stickin' In My Eye" and Streetlight Manifesto's "Giving Up, Giving In", but embedded below is the former Vanity playing their own song "White Ghosts". Strong and energetic performances from this rising young group, who seem to be adapting well to their reduced lineup, and hopefully they left a solid impression on the 1st! Give their videos a look above & below as well!

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

Killer Dwarfs Concert Preview & Lots Of Updates From The Northwest!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Monday evening, which is mostly devoted to one fast rising local band in particular, but leading off, let's start with a mid-week concert preview for you old school metal fans!

Oshawa glam metal legends The Killer Dwarfs will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT with another headlining concert at Soo Blaster! The Dwarfs previously rocked Soo Blaster in April 2019 in their first modern-era local stop, and that show was very well received at the time by classic and new fans alike, so don't miss their brand of 1980s metal originals with songs like "Dirty Weapons" & "Doesn't Matter" tomorrow! While not reflected on public advertising, local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has confirmed on his personal account that he is opening tomorrow, a strong fit considering his past work in plugged-in metal bands, so don't be late for his set! No word on if he'll be at The Trading Post on Wednesday though, stay tuned if we hear anything with reasonable notice. Presented once again by Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, this show was originally scheduled for tonight before being bumped due to a concurrent booking in White River.

Tickets run for $20 in advance at this link and at Soo Blaster, and a meet & greet is also attached to ticket purchases on some advertising. Be advised that some involved with the show are selling individual tickets for a discount on Facebook, inquire within for details, but the public advertised price is $20 (higher on Eventbrite for processing fees). This is a 19+ show, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. Should be a great show for period hard rock and glam metal fans, especially after how well The Killer Dwarfs went over three years ago, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here are The Dwarfs live!

Next up, here's the latest from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest, starting with the big reveal that they will be opening for Marianas Trench and The Trews at GFL Memorial Gardens on Thursday, September 22nd! The band announced this on their Facebook page yesterday, but band members had mentioned it on personal accounts previously. Definitely the biggest local concert in scope and seating that (The) Northwest have ever played, so don't be late for their set next Thursday, and discounted tickets for next week's Mocha Concert Series shows (save for Kim Mitchell & 54-40 next Tuesday, oddly) are now on sale online! Save 25% using the coupon code SHRINERS at this link, and stay tuned for previews of those two gigs next week! Note that SooToday's advertising for both Marianas Trench and Kim Mitchell notes that they have "special guests" on the bill, and while The Northwest are presumably that for the former, I have not heard of a potential local opening band for Kim Mitchell. We'll keep you guys posted!

The Northwest may have been waiting to mention the Marianas Trench news until it broke on CTV News Northern Ontario yesterday, as they got a brief piece on the evening news! Wish they'd have plugged this in advance, even without spilling the beans, so we could watch it on channel 11 (or 2 over the air). Photojournalist Mike McDonald conducted the interview with Northwest frontman Wayne Watkins & guitarist Greg Callaghan (Mike Yak is shown on camera but isn't interviewed), where they discuss their feelings about opening for this show, how pandemic downtime allowed them to write their new EP, and their influences. Mike McDonald noted that The Northwest will also be playing a show in North Bay next month (the band proper has not confirmed this publically on Facebook) and hope to release new singles next year. Good, if brief promotion, especially for how little of their music you hear for the duration, though video clips are shown.

If you missed the former MCTV News yesterday, you can watch the video & read the similar article at this link!  We'll close today's Northwest updates with their newest music video, which went online on their YouTube channel on Friday! This is for their song "Walls" from their "All In" EP, leaving only "Lights" without a music or lyric video this year. Directed, produced, and edited by Jeff King, the video was shot in Toronto by Pie In The Sky Studios with external actors (the band is only seen in a framed photograph). This video is basically reflective of the lyrics of "Walls" (repressing hostile feelings towards a negative workplace environment), with an office worker slowly losing his patience while on the clock and ultimately destroying his office and announcing his resignation in no uncertain terms. Well shot and it gets the point across, but it is kinda odd to see a local band's music video without seeing them live and on camera.

Lots to take in from this busy and very prominent local heartland rock/punk band, with a steadily rising profile on the local scene and from afar, so give their "Walls" music video a watch below, and see the links above for much more on The Northwest's recent activity!

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

Chase Wigmore & Uncanny Valley Updates, Plus More Recent News & Notes!

I hope everyrone had a relaxing long weekend! We've got a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, including some shorter recent updates, new videos, and some updates on a local musician's next albums, so here's what you should know!

Let's start with the latest from local extreme metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! First, in a belated clarification from his lengthy post about his future album plans, Chase confirmed to me in a personal Facebook conversation that his upcoming concept album "The Chaotic Rite" is one and the same as his long-gestating "A Story About A Kid Named Todd" rock opera, a fact which wasn't readily obvious given how that post was laid out. Good to know that the rock opera isn't fully on the shelf and that things are go, albeit under a new name and expanded concept! Coming out first though is his album "Is This The End Of...", and Chase released two more songs from it to his Bandcamp page last week as teasers, namely "Spiritual Casualities" (which will be track #4) and "The End Part Two".  No comment on either until our likely review, but this is a metal album.

The image above is attached to all four of the "Is This The End Of..." advance singles, which would seem to indicate that it will be the album cover, though the letterboxing and lack of Chase's/the album's name is acknowledged. The songs on Bandcamp have extra information about their meanings and background, so do check those out if you're at all interested, and we have to be nearing the release of this album, right? We'll wrap up for Chase's updates with new videos, as he posted two of him on an unplugged electric guitar to Facebook in the last couple of days, both unusually featuring him speaking to the camera before playing! One is this 3 minute video of him working on parts of "The Chaotic Rite", but the audio quality through his webcam is definitely not ideal. Things sound better on the 15 minute video embedded below, and Chase notes that this is "half of it", so are we in for a 30 minute song on either album down the line?!

Despite him lampshading the guitar not being plugged in, he is playing along to backing tracks, so neither sounds thin & empty. Promising instrumental performances all around, with Chase letting loose on the guitar as only he can, so give these and much more from him a look!

Next up, here's a new video of young local hard/classic rock quartet The Uncanny Valley performing at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion during their Summer Concert Series on August 11th! This was uploaded to the band's Facebook page two days later, apologies for the nearly month-long delay in addressing it here. The 70 second clip features the largely instrumental ending of a song who I can't 100% title (a search complicated when they took down most of their early concert videos on Facebook, alas), but based on the one line we hear Adrian sing, my best guess is that this is from The Uncanny Valley's self-titled song. While the video is vertically shot, the filmer got a good view of the whole band, and even tipped the camera upward to capture more of the tent, a neat reminder of the scope of the venue! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from the Valley soon!

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

 

• In updates on his Facebook page last month, local hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary revealed that his planned comeback instrumental album will have 7 songs running for over 35 minutes, with three of them being 7+ minutes each. As of August 28th, Mike had finished recording the music for said album, but now has to get it "to the point where I'm happy with all of the songs". Remember, Mike is one to delete and de-list old songs/albums if they're not representative of where he is currently, so he'll want this to be perfect before releasing it. Stay tuned for updates!
  
• According to pictures from the Northern Vibe Festival circulating on personal Facebook accounts (public fallout has been slight so far), local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters featured Lockdown singer Nicole Ambeault as a backing vocalist for at least part of their set, having served similar duties at Northern Vibe last year. I don't know if she's a permanent band member or not (the band's current lineup isn't given on their Facebook page), but note that the actual Foo Fighters don't have a backing vocalist in their full lineup beyond existing instrumentalists. With or without Nicole, you can next see them opening for Sandman in October!
• No word on if he'll be back at The Trading Post for any Wednesdays this month, but local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has been tapped to open for hair metal icons The Killer Dwarfs at Soo Blaster on Tuesday, September 13th, as per personal Facebook postings! If you're only familiar with Tym's acoustic gigs as of late, remember that he used to be a prominent electric guitarist here and in Calgary with metal bands like Hollow, Carbon Black, and (most recently) Caveman Morrison, so even unplugged, he'll be a good fit! Tickets are still available for $22 at this link!
   

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Killer Dwarfs, Anvil, And Just Leppard), Plus The Opening Act Contest Details!!

With the Rotaryfest weekend concert preview barrage finally over, we can start clearing out our news and video backlog (if slowly), so let's start on the right foot with three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for big touring bands at the same venue in the coming months! Rounding things out is an admittedly overdue plug for a contest that a few familiar local faces have entered, so here's what you should know!

Toronto metal legends Anvil will return to Soo Blaster for their fifth modern era concert appearance in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, August 27th! Fans will have seen the "Metal On Metal" pioneers and documentary stars at different venues in 2012, 2014, and 2015, before rocking Soo Blaster in June 2019, so it'll be great to see Lips, Chris, and Robb play established songs and material from their new CD "Impact Is Imminent" next month! Opening bands have not been announced at press time, but for reference, Jack Spades (now Spades GT) opened for Anvil at their last three local dates, and their current drummer just so happens to be Anvil drummer Robb Reiner's son Tyler. Also, keep in mind that Spades GT will return to town that same weekend for the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir, so yeah, coincidence or not, the timing is noted! We'll keep you posted when/if opening bands are clarified either way.

Tickets will cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door (which is on par from 2019), and they will be on sale at this link, but at press time, they were not on sale online yet. Yes, I saw the No Hits show coming up this weekend, and I wish the local openers had said something before now, but look for more on that soon. This is a 19+ show, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Should be a good time for fans of old school metal, especially given Anvil's fun nature and influence on bigger bands in their wake, so don't miss out on their latest Soo stop next month, and see above for more details!

Next up, Oshawa hard rock icons The Killer Dwarfs will return to Soo Blaster themselves on Tuesday, September 13th! Announced just last week via this image (the show has since been moved a day ahead to accommodate a White River booking the previous night), this will be The Dwarfs' first local appearance since headlining at Soo Blaster in April 2019, a show that got a great reception at the time for their fun-loving old school sound, built on hits like "Dirty Weapons" and "Keep the Spirit Alive", and it'll be great to see them back in town this fall after three+ years! No word on a possible opening band yet, but note that the now-defunct Re:Born opened the 2019 show. Like then, this concert is presented by Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, so you might see some advance interviews with the band there in due course, knowing the big gets he often talks to there (he even interviewed Randy Rhoads' siblings in his newest video!)

This stop on The Killer Dwarfs' 40 Years Still Standing Tall Tour has a 19+ age limit, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Tickets currently cost $22.23 at this link, with a $319 VIP package also available, but note that the above-linked image for the old September 12th date lists a presumably in-person-only advance fee of $19.50 that jumps to $30 on September 1st. There is no such advertised price jump on that date on Eventbrite, so keep that in mind just in case. More good times ahead for classic metal fans in the Soo, so see above for more details, but that's not quite all!

There's more hard rock tribute action hitting Soo Blaster this fall, as Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to town on Saturday, November 12th, but this time, they aren't coming alone, as The AC/DC Show will also be joining them in their own local debut! Both are relatively new tribute bands, though Just Leppard have played here at The Canadian and The Rockstar Bar in 2019 & last year, and their faithful take on Def Leppard's hair metal classics should find an audience once again! Guitarist Gino del Sole is in both bands, and while Sault Ste. Marie is no stranger to AC/DC tributes (Who Made Who and Hells Bells have each played here multiple times in the last 15 years), The AC/DC Show deliver a similarly fitting version of their high voltage rock 'n roll, so don't bypass either band if you're fans of the real thing! Not every day that two tribute bands play the same show here, after all.

Tickets for this 19+, 7:00 PM show are not on sale yet, but head to this link for updates on that front, and also keep tabs on the Facebook event page. Note that both of Just Leppard's prior local dates had $15 advance tickets and a $20 door charge, but neither of those had a second band, so it could well be higher. This should be a fun time for 1980s hard rock fans, and it'll be interesting to compare and contrast The AC/DC Show from prior AC/DC tributes that have played here, so stay tuned for updates! 

To close today's post, let's finally address something that fans of these two bands have been getting steady reminders about as of late, as local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty and punk/alternative quintet These Magnificent Tentacles have both entered The Opening Act, an Audacy-hosted contest to find a band to open at the ninth annual We Can Survive, a massive charity concert at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California for suicide prevention causes this fall. Given the distance and the lack of a sonic link to either band for genres (none of the 2021 We Can Survive acts would normally be covered on the SMS), this seems like a long shot, but as a wise woman once said, "Shoot your shot!" Both bands, along with local indie/pop rock musician Jesse Merineau, have entered The Opening Act, and while I don't know how Audacy is separating the acts by "group", Jesse is currently second place in his group!

The Afterparty are sixth in their group at press time, and the Tentacles are thirteenth in theirs. The winner of The Opening Act also gets $10,000 USD, so stakes are high, and you can cast daily votes (with verification) via the band names linked above, or cast "Together Votes" by donating to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (each $1 donated = a vote). SooToday's Chris Belsito covered the contest (sans The A.A.) at this link, featuring remarks from Jesse and Tentacles guitarist Steve Edwards about why they entered and their recent activity, so don't bypass it either! Vote if you can for all three, and we'll see what happens, as only the top 20 bands advance when this round closes on Thursday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a couple of mid-week concert previews and new videos on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Today's post covers some recent video finds from a pair of local concerts this year, so let's begin with a belated soundcheck performance by Oshawa hair metal legends The Killer Dwarfs before their Soo Blaster concert in April! This was live-streamed to the band's Facebook page that same night, and I apologize for missing it at the time, it's not every day where a big name touring headline act like this posts their own soundcheck footage from their Sault gigs. The video features The Dwarfs playing their classic song "Hard Luck Town" on the Soo Lounge stage, and it gives 48 seconds of solid sounding action! Of course, they weren't in full performance mode yet, but this was a nice appetizer for anyone who saw this in person or in the original live-stream, so give it a look below, and hopefully we see The Killer Dwarfs back in Sault Ste. Marie sooner or later!

Next up, here's videos of the three closing bands from the free Friday night concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion earlier this month as part of this year's Fringe North/Up The Arts Festival! These come from Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel once again, and kudos to him for getting all of this solid footage! Chris didn't film Unorganized Township or Mister Tahti, but you can see videos of theirs on The Arts Council of Algoma's Facebook page, as well as the bands he did get videos of. We'll start with blues rock cover trio trio The Dell Brothers (p.k.a. The Paul DellaVedova Band), who Chris shot covering Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times." Another hard rock cover, I'll have to see if they have more than this and Bad Company/Free out there! Chris isn't close to the stage, so he zooms in for much of the video, which is welcome, but the quality is fuzzier as a result. Audio qulaity holds up nicely overall, so give his Dell Brothers video a look!



Chris also filmed two videos of local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, including this clip of "Fear Corps", and as embedded below, their two opening songs "They Live" & "Rise". On these videos, Chris got closer to the stage, but he didn't zoom either, so you may or may not think these are improvements. Sonically, Jack Spades are at their usual heavy best in this outdoor setting, so give these videos a look above and below!



Finally, Chris got two videos of headlining funk/hard rock quartet The Elements on this night, filming them covering Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" (as also filmed by The Arts Council), and as embedded below, playing their original "G20." It's a shame that there's not more people at this point, but The Elements come through well in these videos, though the lighting and angle don't leave a lot of room for finer details visually. Give these clips a look above and below as well, and thanks again, Chris!



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

Killer Dwarfs Concert Videos, Mike McCleary Updates, And Much More News & Notes!!

Today's news post includes a few assorted shorter topics, new updates from a prolific solo musician, and to lead things off, here's some videos from last month's Killer Dwarfs show at Soo Blaster! These come from Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, as he filmed six videos of the headlining Oshawa hair metal band as well as three of local power rock openers Re:Born. In their case, he filmed them covering Diamond Head's "Am I Evil", Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years", and Project 421's "Running Away", but I won't embed any here at this time. Guitarist Blair Burch asked if I could hold them from the site as drunken heckling was taking place at this point of the night, and yeah, you can hear some of that in these videos. Not fair to Elly and the guys at all, so be advised of that if you do click through, and I apologize on their behalf, but the Re:Born performances are solid overall! We will touch on Re:Born's own videos from earlier in their set in an upcoming post.

To make it up to Chris, I'll embed two of his Killer Dwarfs videos here, but what did he shoot of theirs? His videos include the Dwarfs playing "Dirty Weapons", "Can't Lose", "Tell Me Please", "Comin' Through", and as embedded below, both "Doesn't Matter" & "Heavy Mental Breakdown." Great crowd from what I can gather for this show, and the guys sound good with a solid sense of humour as you may expect, but Russell's voice does show some wear and tear with time. Give Chris' Killer Dwarfs videos a look!

Also today, here's the latest from local solo hard rock musician Mike McCleary, starting with a change in link on the SMS, as we're now listing him via his Bandcamp page, as his Facebook page was quietly deleted for unannounced reasons at some point in the last 3 months. This isn't indicative of his solo project ending, as he just posted three songs ("Jobs, Jobs, Jobs", "Truth Expired", and "414 Reasons") on his Soundcloud page earlier this week. The first song has more of a mocking sarcastic tone, but the other two are more straight-forward aggressive rock tracks. Readers may know that Mike's music and advocacy work has often taken a very left-leaning partisan tone, so be advised that you'll get a lot of that in the 3 above songs. Ironically, Mike also pulled two of his more politically inclined solo albums ("The Party Album" and his newest "Propaganda Model") from his online platforms at some point this spring, no word on why was stated that I know of.

While I hadn't reviewed "The Party Album" yet, I did enjoy the music on "Propaganda Model", but unfortunately, I only streamed it for the review and I hadn't bought a copy yet before Mike took it down. I hope their removal was for "In Ruins"-style tinkering more than a political or listener reaction, but I'll hold any further comment in that regard, as I try to keep politics off of our coverage as much as I can. Hopefully both albums resurface in some form down the line!


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

• I have replaced the link on the SMS for prolific local experimental/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore from his Facebook page to his Reverbnation page, as the former was quietly deleted recently. Chase had posted there to acknowledge plans to re-combine his music pages under the Awokest banner and/or move away from crediting music under his own name, but I can't 100% verify all of that statement due to the apparent page closure. Disappointing on one hand, but stay tuned for much more from Awokest on the site next week!
• As per tagged photo credits on their Facebook page from this weekend's shows in St. Ignace, Michigan, local classic/hard rock cover quintet Highway 63 have indeed added former Mamas Boys drummer Russell Mayer to their lineup, replacing Justin Lawless. A reason for Justin's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened to end his brief run with the band, and that we see him behind the kit again soon! Nice to see Russell back with Henry and Brian in this newer band, and here's to many more shows in the cards from Highway 63!
• Sault Ontario/Thompson, Manitoba hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith announced on his Facebook page on April 26th that the third and final advance single for his new album "Bridges" will be the song "Come On Home",  and it will be released to major digital platforms on Friday. No word yet on the album proper, but it's great to see one more single coming out beforehand, so keep Friday in mind to hear another of Mike's new songs before the CD release!

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

This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Plus An Inactive Band Note!!

A somewhat quiet weekend of hard rock concerts locally (aside from a big touring headline act) comprises the meat of today's post, but we do have a band to move to our inactive links to round things out. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend in rough chronological order!

We'll start this weekend's concert previews by heading to Gliss Restaurant, where local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return for two more acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Before we get too deep, just an admission that we missed an extension to Tym's Room 21 booking last week, as he got to play this past Saturday as well as Friday. Despite being announced on very short notice, apologies for missing that, we'd have covered it somehow had we have known! As for this week, Tym has no announced nighttime concerts this weekend, so fans of his unplugged hard rock covers should make sure to hit Gliss for supper to see his diverse setlist full of hard and classic rock hits this weekend! Tomorrow & Saturday's shows are 6:00 PM events with no announced age limits or cover charges, but remember that this is a formal restaurant, not a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, let's head to Reggie's West, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted by the band on their Facebook page, their 2019 concert calendar confirms both dates. One week removed from rocking The Esquire Club, these will be Soundcheck's first Reggievelt stops in over a month, and these should prove to be another prime opportunity for fans to take in their varied but often heavy slate of covers! If you miss Soundcheck this weekend, don't worry, they'll be back at Reggie's West in three weeks. As for this weekend's double-header, you can check out Soundcheck for yourselves tomorrow and Saturday at around 10:00 PM, with 19+ age limits and no stated cover charges in effect. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at Reggie's West in February!



Lastly for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, let's head to Soo Blaster, where Oshawa hair metal legends The Killer Dwarfs will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the first time in decades THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Arguably the biggest "heavy" concert to date at the soon-to-be-relaunched sports bar & arcade, this should be appointment viewing for Hair Scare loyalists and Pepsi Power Hour fans who recall The Killer Dwarfs from their hit songs like "Dirty Weapons", "Stand Tall", and "Keep The Spirit Alive", and with their ever-present sense of humour, you know you'll get your money's worth in many ways! Local support will come via power rock quintet Re:Born in their second show with new lead singer Elly McWatters, and this will be a huge platform for fans to check out the new lineup (albeit sans Frank McGillivray still) on Saturday night! This show is co-presented by Sault Online's Ernest Skinner, who has interviewed Dwarfs members for his Rock Talk column.

Presumably 19+, this concert has an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets are on sale for $24.50 at this link, at the venue, Northland Music, Four Season Collectibles at Station Mall, and the Station Mall ticket kiosk. Higher priced ticket packages are also available if you want to meet The Killer Dwarfs and/or get VIP seating, so see above for details on that front. This should be a great concert for a throwback to late 1980s hair and glam metal, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Killer Dwarfs live in concert earlier this year!



Finally for today's post, we have a band to move to our inactive Sault Ontario band links soon, namely local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven. While there have been no public statements regarding their active status, the guys have not posted on their Facebook page since April 28th of last year when they dropped out of June's All The Wasted Years concert for unannounced reasons, which was their only posting in 2018 as it was. De facto successors to the 2007-2011 hard rock quintet Sense of Truth, this promising band got a big launch when they debuted at the Anvil concert at The Canadian Nightclub in July 2012, but they would only play four more concerts afterwards, most recently at The Canadian in September 2017, and twice returning from 2+ year stage hiatuses along the way. However, Skeyes of Seven were more active in studio, putting out a number of jam & recording session videos, plus 2014's "Fallen Faith" single and their unreleased debut EP on YouTube in 2017, though it has yet to be put on sale.

For what it's worth, I was informed in a Facebook conversation last year that they had enlisted a new drummer and were planning a name change, but this was never publically confirmed by the band proper. Skeyes of Seven's modern hard rock sound was a welcome sight at their 5 concerts, with familiar faces, strong originals, and some surprising covers along the way, and it's a shame that they weren't more active on stage. Hopefully they resurface when the time is right, but best of luck to Cory, Ron, Kyle, Al, John, and other former members in the future! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Pop Evil), Soo Blaster Updates, And An Apparent Major Lineup Departure!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday morning, and it includes news on a surprising lineup change from a prominent band, lots of updates from a big downtown venue & it's related concerts, and leading off, here's a major LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer!

A huge outdoor concert is hitting the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday, August 3rd, as Muskegon hard rock quintet Pop Evil and Anaheim hard rock veterans Buckcherry will join forces in their respective local returns! By no means strangers to the area, this will be Pop Evil's sixth local concert appearance, and fifth under the Kewadin Casino auspices, though this is their first outdoor show here. Still riding high off of their self-titled CD from last year, Pop Evil's litany of rock radio hits like "Torn To Pieces", "Footsteps", and "Take It All" are surely in the cards for August 3rd, so fans won't want to miss out! It's been a longer wait for Buckcherry to play the Soo again, last playing The Dreammaker's Theater in 2011, though a lot has changed since then, with Keith Nelson, Jimmy Ashhurst, and Xavier Muriel out of the group, and Kevin Roengten, Kelly Lemieux, and Francis Ruiz now in the fold. Of course, Josh and Stevie are back to rock the border (for real, this time!)

Touring in support of their brand new CD "Warpaint", expect songs from that album alongside hits like "Sorry", "Lit Up", and Everything" with their usual raunchy party vibe! Potential opening acts have not yet been announced, and this show is surprisingly not credited publically to Allstar Promotions. Tickets for this all ages, 8:00 PM concert are $25 for general seating, which increase to $35 & $45 in closer rows. You can buy yours at this link, the Kewadin box office in person, or call 1-800-KEWADIN. This should be a huge concert for modern hard rock fans, and the outdoor setting (a'la Kiss in 2007) is a neat attraction, so see above for full details!

Next up, here's some more videos from Sault Ontario power rock outfit Re:Born's new lineup's debut concert at Soo Blaster, though changes are afoot there. As per this SooToday article by James Hopkin from last week, owner Das Kumar is rebranding the sports bar & restaurant in the coming weeks, including replacing the on-site arcade games with newer tiles, buying a new sound system to attract more concerts, reworking the menu, and changing it's name to just BlaSter (capitalization apparently intentional.) A grand re-opening is planned for later in the spring, but for now, the status quo is more or less in place. Given the mixed responses I've heard for the restaurant side of things, a change might be what the doctor ordered, but will the revamp mean more for the concert side of things? In any event, those Re:Born videos come from their headlining show there two weeks ago, as uploaded to Christopher Paci's great YouTube channel earlier this week.

While Chris didn't film anything from Tym Morrison's opening set, he did post two Re:Born videos, capturing the Project 421 successors covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", and as embedded below, Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years". The sharp camera angle to the left of the stage isn't ideal, especially given how the booth seating cuts off the bottom right corner, but Re:Born themselves sound fine at this early stage with their new lineup, and Elly's vocals fit in fine on these very different 1980s metal tracks! Give these videos a look above & below, and stay tuned for more!



While we're on the subject, the next big metal concert at (Soo) BlaSter goes down two weeks from today when Canadian glam metal legends The Killer Dwarfs return to Sault Ste. Marie, and as promotion for the show, the venue's Facebook page shared this video on Tuesday featuring drummer Darrell "Dwarf" Millar hyping up the show, including it's related hotel package if you need to stay the night, and a mystery signed item in a case that will be passed around, which attendees will be able to win. Nice promotion, and hopefully it helps move some more tickets ($24.50 at this link), so give it a look below and see above for more details!

Finally for today, it looks like local punk trio Redundant may have parted ways with bassist James White. No statements have been made on their Facebook page at present, but drummer Rick White (James' brother) posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group this morning that he is "looking for a bass player", and to message him or Redundant frontman Justin Langlois on Facebook if you're interested in trying out. They apparently have "a few shows lined up for the summer and after", they want someone dependable, and they want to "get jamming again A.S.A.P", while Rick cited Green Day, Operation Ivy, NOFX, and Rancid as current bands covered alongside their existing originals. If you're interested in trying out, message Rick or Justin at those links or above! James had been a member of Redundant since replacing Jamie Whalen in mid-2011, and featured on their long awaited debut EP last summer, but he was absent for their last gig at The Rockstar Bar's Halloween Party for unannounced reasons.

Assuming that I read everything correctly, and that this isn't a temporary absence, it's very surprising to see James leave Redundant after 7 solid years, and his strong bass skills were ever present! Hopefully he keeps busy with The Elements and other future projects in 2019 & beyond, and visit the above links for more on Redundant's apparent bassist search! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Puddle Of Mudd), A New EP Release, And More!!

While we dig out from the latest blizzard, here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's in this one? Big updates regarding an upcoming concert and it's opener search, details on a new album and when you'll see it's review, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall!

A blast of early-mid 2000s hard rock and nu-metal is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 1st, with Kansas City alt-rock/post grunge quartet Puddle of Mudd headlining in their local concert debut! Best known from hit singles like "Blurry", "Away From Me", and "Psycho" among others, these Rock 101 staples should put on a solid show at this installment of their ongoing "Mudd Fest" tour run, so don't bypass this one, especially assuming that there's no on-stage issues! The stacked opening lineup will feature Memphis nu-metal quartet Saliva (of "Click Click Boom", "Always", and "Ladies & Gentlemen" fame), and while Josey's no longer their lead singer, they have plenty of familiar tracks to bring to the table! Two returning hard rock bands will also rock Sault Ste. Marie on November 1st, including Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel (best known for their hit single "Addicted"), in their fourth local concert appearance and first since 2015's Superior Festival.

The other returning band is California alt-hard rock quartet Trapt, who you'll best know from their debut single "Headstrong", and who last played here in 2013 when they opened for Hinder (a band that Saving Abel also opened for locally.) Finally, the lineup will be rounded out by Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric (of "Breakdown" fame) in their apparent local debut. If this isn't a stacked lineup for fans of 2000s radio hard rock, I don't know what is, and it'll be great to hear so many hit singles live this fall! While not yet confirmed by Kewadin Casino proper, this is the first major concert announcement of 2019 for Allstar Promotions, who confirmed this show on their Facebook page this morning after word leaked out before Rock 101's planned announcement next week. Ticket prices are not out yet, but they go on sale on Friday, March 8th at 9:00 AM at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office.

Meet & greet packages are also planned for later announcements, as are ticket giveaways, so keep posted for details on those. Mudd Fest is looking like a huge event, reminding me very much of the P.O.D.-headlined Kewadin concert from July 2015 in scope, size, and genre, and hopefully this one lives up to the hype after Halloween! For more details, visit Saving Abel's Facebook event page and the above links!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary released his new EP "Propaganda Model" to his Bandcamp page last week! Apologies for the slight delay, but it's great to see Mike back to his usual prolific ways after an 8 month wait from the "What You've Done To Me" release! After prior material teasers, we can now confirm that this EP (his sixth paid original solo album) features six songs, including the previously shared "The Hand That Feeds",  "Opposite Opus", and "Y.V.L.M.", as well as "High Horse", a title track, and an untitled instrumental intro. If you are curious, each song has information on their lyrical and thematic inspirations on Bandcamp, though keep in mind that Mike's political and social messages are often very blunt. "Propaganda Model" is on sale on Bandcamp for a "name your price" model, and can be streamed free there too. With time ticking on this month, I will confirm that we will review this album by Thursday, so look for that this week, and buy/stream the whole EP above!

Finally for today, remember the plans for a battle of the bands at Soo Blaster this Friday to find an opener for the Killer Dwarfs concert there on April 27th? Well, that event has been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page yesterday, and local power rock quintet Re:Born have been acclaimed as the show's openers as a result, as they were the only confirmed entrants, according to their Facebook page. A public statement by organizers regarding the lineup never came out, hence why we never plugged their involvement, but the Project 421 successors did strongly hint that they'd be competing. As such, this is their first announced concert since Elly McWatters became their new lead singer, but will this be their first show with her on the mic, and will Frank be back from out of town in time for April 27th? This is a huge opportunity for Re:Born, and while the battle cancellation is disappointing, maybe directly gearing it to 1980s rock acts limited the pool. See above for more details on this well anticipated concert!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E), A New Battle Of The Bands, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for you Sunday afternoon reading, and it includes some assorted recent updates, the latest from a prolific local solo artist, and preliminary details on the first local battle of the bands in far too long. First up though, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

Reunited Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will play their second concert weekend since their return on Friday, March 1st & Saturday, March 2nd when they rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! While not yet publically acknowledged on their Facebook page (a vague hint last month aside), the shows were recently confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page, as part of a mass listing of concerts at the Rapids and Northern Pines Lounges through June. There's not a lot of verifiable hard rock gigs that we didn't already know about, but we'll have a couple more later this week. This will be 415E's first concert weekend in St. Ignace since their final pre-hiatus gigs in July 2017, as well as their first St. Ignace appearances with new bassist Brett Blackwood and drummer Jason VanLuven, so if you missed last month's return weekend, here's your next chance! These 9:00 PM shows have a 21+ age limit and no cover charge.

With the stage rust shaken off last month, hopefully 415E have a great weekend at the Northern Pines Lounge next month, and might we finally get some new video footage of 415E with the new lineup in the near future? Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, a battle of the bands will hit Sault Ontario this spring for the first time in almost two years, and a spot opening for The Killer Dwarfs is on the line! The event will be held at Soo Blaster on Friday, March 1st, where the winners will earn the opening slot for the highly anticipated Killer Dwarfs concert at the same venue on April 27th, a'la the early 2010s battles to find local openers for 3 Inches of Blood and Bam Margera. No competitors have been publically announced at press time, but promoter (and Rock Talk columnist) Ernest Skinner is looking for bands to play sets containing "4 or 5 of your best 80s-ish rock tunes." As such, it seems like bands playing songs in a similar orbit as The Killer Dwarfs would at least have a leg up. Full details aren't public yet (i.e. how judging is formatted, entry fees for bands and fans), but each participating band will get 5 tickets to The Killer Dwarfs show proper, and the winners will also get 5 more tickets and five $50 gift cards for Soo Blaster

The battle proper on March 1st has a 7:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit, and for more details on attending and registrations, visit the official Facebook event page and/or message Ernest at this link. It's been a long wait since May 2017's NLFB Meltdown event at LopLops for another true battle of the bands in Sault Ontario, so this alone should warrant high interest on March 1st, but who all will enter? Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information as it rolls in, and see above for more details!

Also, here's the latest from local solo hard rock artist Mike McCleary, who posted a lengthy message on his Facebook page on Wednesday to outline his recent work. In the post, Mike noted that he's been working on "heavier, more aggressive" music lately to challenge himself, and while much of his work during his recent musical hiatus related to political activism, that's not a theme in his newest music, specifically his upcoming EP "Propaganda Model", apparent cover art on the right. Mike outlined the lyrical inspiration for his newest songs, including a brand new track named "Y.V.L.M." that he posted onto his Soundcloud page, and the songs have an overarching theme against hate and racism. He was very blunt and direct in his write-up regarding his personal views, so keep that in mind just in case. Mike closed the post by saying that the EP "will be ready tomorrow night" (Thursday the 7th), but at press time, it has not fully posted in sale format that I can tell.

I don't know if "Propaganda Model" is indeed completely finished or not (or if it has more than the three publically unveiled songs), but it's great to see Mike back in his usual prolific mode for studio recordings, and I can't complain about a heavier album! If this does see a paid public release in February, it'll instantly become a favourite for our next CD review on the SMS, but stay tuned at the above links for more on "Propaganda Model"!

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

• To help fundraise for this fall's third annual Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn, promoters Six, Two, Oh. will host another 1990s-themed dance party at The Rockstar Bar on March 15th, while also launching an "online fundraiser" a'la Kickstarter or GoFundMe. If you e-transfer donations, you'll get the associated perks for your contribution, ranging from personalized post cards ($5) to early bird tickets ($35) to a lifetime spot on the guest list ($1,000), among other rewards. It'll be interesting to see how well this does, and get more details above on how to make Oh!No III happen!
• If you wondered why we didn't cover Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906's late-notice show at Huck's Pub & Grill (formerly Joe's Bar & Grill) in Rudyard yesterday, it's because they played at guitarist Joe Jenkins' dad Jeff's retirement party. Even though the band publically acknowledged it, I typically don't cover shows here with an overtly personal nature like this, similarly to why we don't cover bands playing at stags & does. Hopefully their set was a hit, and best of luck to Jeff in retirement!
• Former Suicide Kings guitarist Steven Flint is looking to jam "more often" with like-minded Sault Ontario musicians, though he is "not looking to play live". While he prefers to play guitar, and is looking primarily for bassists and drummers, Mourning Wood/Soundcheck fans will recall his skill on those instruments. If you're interested in jamming with Steven, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Friday!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Killer Dwarfs), Saturday Night Concert Previews, And More!!

As promised, we're rounding out this weekend's publically announced hard rock and punk concert previews today with a pair of one nighters tomorrow, but to round things out, we have some assorted news and updates, and leading off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT in four months time!

Juno nominated Oshawa glam metal quartet The Killer Dwarfs will return to Sault Ste, Marie for the first time in decades when they headline at Soo Blaster on Saturday, April 27th! A staple of the Pepsi Power Hour and Canadian rock radio at their peak, fans may recognize The Killer Dwarfs from hit songs like "Keep The Spirit Alive", "Doesn't Matter", and "Dirty Weapons", but they haven't rested on their laurels, and they have a new album in the works. With a lot of familiar and hard hitting '80s metal to offer, The Killer Dwarfs should attract a solid turnout this spring, so if you love hair metal, you may want to circle April 27th on your 2019 calendars! At least one opening band is to be announced, stay tuned for confirmation. This show is brought to you in part by Sault Online columnist Ernest Skinner, who interviewed frontman Russ Graham in his Rock Talk column in August, and it'll be very interesting to see if he has more in the works, especially if The Killer Dwarfs go over well!

Tickets for this 8:00 PM and presumably 19+ concert are $24.50, but admission + a meet & greet with the band goes for $40, and a VIP table with meet & greet runs for $500. You can buy tickets at this link, and physical tickets are expected to be available in the new year. With this show and Aaron Pritchett now announced for 2019, it's clear that Soo Blaster are aiming high to have more big-ticket names on their stage (rap aside), and there should be plenty of Hair Scare listeners and 1980s metal aficionados to make this a packed show! Visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews, starting with local indie/punk quintet Northwest's long-awaited EP release concert TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Four years after putting out their self-titled digital EP, the guys are topping that with a full release party for their sophomore effort "Songs From 2015-2017", and if you know their talent and professionalism, you know that this will deliver the goods! We still don't know much on the release formats, availability, complete track list, or price for the EP, but we'll of course let you know when things go public. Local indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. will end a year+ hiatus as the opening act tomorrow, and it's great to see this talented quartet back for the holidays, so don't be late for the Keep It Cool Kids' return either! The second in a three night run of LopLops concerts from Tidal Records, there is a higher-than-usual $10 cover charge in effect, and while EP prices aren't public, I'd bring at least $5...

...or come early, as the first 50 people in the door will get a free download card for the EP! This is a 19+ concert, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised, and you can buy tickets at this link or at the door. Unfortunately, I have a very early morning on Sunday, so I don't think I can get down there for this concert, but hopefully the EP has a semblance of online availability next week, as my plan is to review "Songs From 2015-2017" this month. Punk fans shouldn't miss all of tomorrow's action, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, stay tuned for EP updates, and here's Northwest live!



Lastly in our pre-Christmas previews, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where local classic/hard rock cover band Highway 63 will end their year+ hiatus from the concert stage when they headline Dondee Lanes' Christmas party TOMORROW NIGHT! We haven't seen Highway 63 on stage since November 2017 for varying personal and health reasons, plus a major retooling of the band's lineup and setlist, with the band's Facebook event page confirming their new expanded lineup. Now a quintet, frontman Henry Switzer, his son/guitarist Nathan, and the already confirmed Justin Lawless (on drums) will be joined by two new members named Brian and George. Last names weren't given, and while I have a partial hunch on identities, I will wait for public confirmation before posting anything here. How will Henry and company look and sound in their big return? You can find out tomorrow at the Dondee's in-house nightclub, which changed it's name from The Sportsman's Lounge to The Double D Bar & Grill earlier this year.

To go along with the live music action, the Double D is offering happy hour drink prices from 12:00-6:00 PM tomorrow, plus a free pizza and wing buffet at 4:00 PM, with Highway 63's set proper taking place at 8:00 PM. This is presumably a 21+ event, and there's no advertised cover charge. Fans of Highway 63's crowd-friendly classic and hard rock covers should be eager to see them back after a lengthy break, and with the frills of a Christmas party to boot at Sault Michigan's own bowling alley, why not come down to enjoy the action? Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Highway 63 live a couple of years back!



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

• Reunited hard rock cover quartet 415E's return gigs at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino have been postponed a week from January 4th & 5th to the 11th & 12th. The venue's entertainment page confirms the changes, with new local cover trio Road House (featuring 3/4ths of the now defunct Cousin Eddie) playing there on the 4th & 5th instead. Keep the new dates in mind for next month, and stay tuned for more on 415E's new lineup and 2019 plans, and if Road House skew heavier in sound!
• Three more installments of the aforementioned Ernest Skinner's SaultOnline column Rock Talk have been posted in the last few weeks, including interviews with Brighton Rock guitarist (and Sault Ontario native) Greg Fraser, Kingdom Come guitarist Danny Stag, and a retrospective on Circus Magazine. Great reads as usual, and it's nice to see Greg doing well for himself since moving, so give these a look above, and stay tuned for much more!
• Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns featured guest drummer (and Rob & Jesse's Elements bandmate) Jonas Gasperas again at their set from last week's Music Night at The New American Pub for the Ontario Special Olympics, as per new photos from the concert on promoters Girl Friday Productions' Facebook page. Looks like a lot of fun was had for a great cause, and I'm sure Jonas fit in well as usual that night!

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