LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Quite Frankly), The Go Skate Day Concert Preview, And Epic Rush Concert Videos!!

Let's close out this weekend's known hard rock concert previews tonight, along with new videos from a recent tribute band concert, so here's what you should know for this late Friday night post!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band quietly announced the show on their Facebook page on June 2nd and it slipped us by until this week. Last seen on May 1st at Beck's Bar, this will be Quite Frankly's first Water Tower Pub stop in two months. This talented group should have another wide array of entertaining rocking covers in store for central fans TOMORROW, so keep this one-nighter in mind if it piques your interest! The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on consecutive nights, and as such, funk rock cover band The Rhythm Junction are playing there tonight (replacing the cancelled Yuk Yuk's comedy night). Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe take the stage TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Quite Frankly live at The Water Tower Pub!

Next up, here's this weekend's last known hard rock concert preview, and it takes us to Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre, where Go Skateboarding Day returns on SUNDAY! After promoters Underground Events SSM's planned debut as hosts of this event last year were severely impaired by heavy rain, I am pleased to report that 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies on Sunday with temperatures ranging from 16-19°, with no likelihood of rain, so Mikhal "Cha" Muto finally gets to put on the Go Skate Day he intended last year! Sponsors and vendors will be on site at the skatepark, and skaters of all ages & skill levels are encouraged to come down to hit the ramps and rails, play games, have fun, and of course, listen to live music! After last year's program was abruptly moved to a private event with late replacement bands, Mikhal has secured six acts this year, the largest Go Skate Day lineup in a decade, so who all can you expect on Sunday afternoon?

The presented lineup order lists the apparent headliners as Half Scoundies (Josh and Todd from The Golden Scoundrels) in an acoustic folk/bluegrass set. Preceding them are this year's two returning acts from Tidal Records-era Go Skate Days, including Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson with his fan favourite turntable mixes, as well as party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (featuring Mikhal on bass). Fast-rising teenage hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe will make their multi-band/outdoor debut on Sunday, preceded by Mikhal's ska punk trio A.S.D.P., who were a late addition to last year's private Go Skate Day rainout concert. Local jazz/EDM solo artist Mario "Yecharo" Kwan is listed last for this year's bill, and while he is a bit of a wild card, he does appear on Underground Events SSM's compilation album. Nicely varied lineup for sure, and the weather should hold up for the duration!

Admission is FREE whether you are skating or not, and this is definitely an all ages event, with bands presumably set up on top of the big ramp at the skatepark like they were under Tidal's supervision. Things seem to be shaping up well on musical and logistical fronts this year, and hopefully things go well at the skatepark on Sunday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Apocalypse Afterparty live!

Let's close today with videos from last week's Epic Rush concert at The Full Throttle Saloon! Like at the Crazy Babies show there, a representative of the venue was filming videos for their Facebook page, but unfortunately, they were all shot vertically. We do get some longer videos this time though (all run for at least 3:45), and they include the former Rust playing the Rush classics "Time Stand Still", "Freewill", and as embedded below, "Red Barchetta". Notably, the latter cover was filmed from the back corner of the stage, giving us a unique angle of the proceedings, especially to really show off drummer Eric Kuthy channelling the late Neil Peart with gusto, but his playing comes off very loud as a result. I do wish that more fans were on the floor close to the band, let alone that the house lighting was at least darkened, but Rush fans got their fill from this talented Sudbury-based trio, so check out all three videos!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS very soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Curtis McKenzie & Tarnished), Plus More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, but we also have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, one on SHORT NOTICE, one for next month, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the band's Facebook page yesterday, and as ever, The Merch does not promote bands playing there on social media. TONIGHT's show may be well timed in terms of sports fans being present, as the United States' men's national soccer team opens FIFA World Cup action against Paraguay on Fox (plus CTV in Canada) at 9:00 PM, and The Merch is known to show live sports on the TVs, so will Tarnished's rocking slate of covers prove a good soundtrack if the game is on? Regardless, Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron are fresh off of concerts at the St. Ignace Kewadin last week, with TONIGHT'S gig being their first in the Soo in over a month, and their first at The Merch in three months. Keep this late notice return to 108 West Spruce Street in mind!

TONIGHT'S Tarnished concert also begins at 9:00 PM, with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live a couple years back!

Next up, here's a new show from an artist who was once advertised to be playing this weekend, as Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will bring his acoustic solo show back to The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday, July 4th! Curt had announced this show on his Facebook page on May 20th (apologies for the delay in that making the site until now), but it was announced alongside a show at The Dive tomorrow that Curt eventually confirmed was cancelled due to being double booked. If you didn't read yesterday's post, The Dive are hosting new local "diamond rock" quartet Stones At The Alter on their patio for a short notice outdoor concert TOMORROW NIGHT. At least Curtis will be back in three weeks, so if you like the Project 421/Eclipse alum's unplugged hard rock covers, you know where to be! This is expected to be a "Patio Play" concert, weather permitting.

As usual for Thursday nighters at The Dive, this Fourth of July concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Hopefully things go well (and that Curt isn't double booked again) next month, so visit the above links for more details on his next advertised solo date!

Back to this weekend's concert previews now via a pair of shows that do have advance notice, starting with local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will return to Beck's Bar for one night only TONIGHT! After a three month spring break prompted (in part) by personal concerns, this will be the first fully electric and plugged-in concert from "The Dirty Three" since February. It's great to see the full Bone Yard experience back, and you can get a taste of what they've been working on as of late via their website, which has a new preview clip of the fourth studio track from their upcoming debut album! It's entitled "Welcome To The Shit Show", and while I'll hold comment pending our eventual review of the full album, give the 30 second teaser a listen in the bottom right corner! As teased in this jokingly ominous Facebook video, tonight's Beck's gig is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge.

Tattoo Tearz will be on site at Beck's from 6:30 PM onward tonight, so if you want to get a tattoo before/during the concert, take advantage of this opportunity! Remember, when Beck's does host bands on Fridays, they do not host the same band on Saturdays, so if you come out tomorrow, the nightcap will be from country rock veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride. See above for more details, and here they are live!

Finally for known heavier concerts in the Twin Saults this weekend, Sudbury-based Rush tribute band Epic Rush will return to town TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The Full Throttle Saloon! The second stab at booking a touring tribute band at the former Primavera Hall, this comes a month after Ozzy Osbourne tribute Crazy Babies played a well received (but expensive) concert there. Epic Rush previously rocked the former Soo Blaster in late 2024 and 2025, but now, the former Rust are making their way to Steelton for a summertime concert, and hopefully the Kuthy brothers deliver another fun and technically sound blast of Rush classics, especially well timed given that the real thing began their reunion tour earlier this week! Advertising for this concert does not mention an opening band. This 19+ concert goes down tomorrow night at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit, and tickets are $40, which is much lower than Crazy Babies attendees saw, but up from the $25 tickets that fans paid to see Rust/Epic Rush at Soo Blaster.

If you love Rush and their progressive and hard rock catalogue, you'd be hard pressed to miss Saturday night's concert, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Epic Rush live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (M1, Epic Rush, Silent 9, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

Between the glut of recent major concert videos (that still isn't entirely cleaned out), regular feature posts, and personal life dealings, I'm behind on a lot of stuff around here, so let's start rectifying that tonight with an all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post for Sault Ontario through the fall, so with a lot more coming up ahead, here's what you should know to start!

Fresh off of hosting Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath tribute band Crazy Babies there this past weekend (videos forthcoming), The Full Throttle Saloon are trying again with booking a touring tribute band, this time courtesy of Sudbury-based Rush tribute band Epic Rush on Saturday, June 13th! This is far from their first time here, as the Kuthy brothers previously brought the former Rust to Soo Blaster for shows in the fall of 2024 and 2025, but they're coming back for their third go-around sooner than locally normal, and at the former Primavera Hall this time. As fans have seen from both Epic Rush's prior local dates and their sister band Just Leppard's shows here, they deliver the goods for fans of the real thing, and why not strike while the iron is hot with the real Rush back on tour? No word on a local opening band as of this writing, but Headrush did the honours last week.

This 19+ concert will take place at 10:00 PM next month, and tickets will run for $40, which is up from what Rust/Epic Rush cost at Soo Blaster ($25) but thankfully, is much lower than the Crazy Babies show was ($70). No word on if they'll also not allowing attendees to pay at the door again, but you can buy tickets in advance at the Saloon or by calling ahead, and seating is reportedly limited. Visit the above links for more on Epic Rush's third local concert!

Next up, if you like hard rock tribute bands, there's another notable one returning to the Soo this summer, as Calgary-based Motorhead tribute band M1 will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Wednesday, July 8th! This show comes precisely 52 weeks (though not quite a calendar year) removed from M1's local debut at Beck's, and while the identical mid-week timing remains just as non-ideal, it is neat to see them back at the same time of year. If you missed M1's July 2025 stop, you missed a faithful sounding and hard hitting (if not visually close) homage to Lemmy and crew, and if you're up for more in-your-face speed metal classics from the Motorhead catalogue, head to the west end in two months! No word yet on a local opener, but last year, Dodge This/ex-Phastick frontman Jason Taillefer eased into things with an acoustic set. Unlike last year's 9:00 PM start time, the Facebook event page advertises an 8:00 PM kickoff this time.

While last year's show had no cover, I have not seen any firm declaration on if that will be the case for the encore or not. Regardless, expect this one to be 19+ again. Motorhead fans won't want to miss this one, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Also newly announced at Beck's Bar are two acoustic concerts from former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie, who will set up shop at the former Vibe Lounge for Sunday matinee gigs on August 9th and October 4th! Unusually announced with plenty of notice, Curt first mentioned them on his Facebook page earlier today, and will mark his first stops at Beck's this year, having last played there in November. Fans of Curtis' past local band work and his more recent unplugged solo work should take to his alternative and hard rock covers later in the year, so keep both shows in mind as we proceed towards the summer! Both are 3:00 PM matinees with presumed 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and we should at least see Curt live at The Dive Gastro Pub in the interim, if not elsewhere (the summer is fast approaching, after all). Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from him in due course!

Finally for today, if we're moving that far into the year for new show announcements, we might as well add local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's announced fall dates from their website's calendar onto ours! As usual for them, Silent 9 are focusing on festivals, special events, and private bookings this summer (I'm waiting for more details on their listed "grass drags" set at Runway Park next month), but their first proper local nightclub booking in four months will see them return to The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co. on Saturday, September 19th, so if you've missed this talented and fan-friendly foursome at this more intimate downtown venue, then you know where to be! The other fall date (so far) will see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve return to the aforementioned Beck's Bar on Saturday, November 14th, so things are definitely being booked well in advance on Goulais Avenue!

Of course, it's way too soon to know who's playing the matinee slot that day at Beck's. The Tap Room show is at 8:00 PM, the Beck's gig is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ events with no cover. Good to see Silent 9 staying busy, even with a quieter/festival-focused summer again (if you'll be in/near Thessalon or White River, look out!), so see above for more details, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, SweetKenny's New Albums, And New Facebook Videos!!

Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, we have a new news post for your Wednesday afternoon, so what's on tap? A pair of new videos from bands you'll be seeing on local stages this weekend, overdue coverage of recent album releases, and leading off, a new addition to our active Sault Ontario band links, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our listings on The Sault Metal Scene, and they are Halfway Loaded, a hard rock group from Sault Ontario! Publically launching under a different name in October, their lineup is comprised of musicians I'm largely not familiar with from prior local bands, including singer Justin Grayson, guitarists Shane Biron and Ryan Mazzapica, bassist Jesse Gottwald, and former Mustang Sally drummer Dylan Newman. So far, Halfway Loaded have only publically acknowledged concert sets at private events and at Coch's Corner open mic nights, but they have a surprising amount of videos online to check out already! Their Facebook page features acoustic videos of Justin and Shane covering Thriving Ivory, Slipknot, Oasis, and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs (plus two shorter clips, including one of Shane using a talkbox), while Shane's YouTube channel also features a number of Halfway Loaded clips, and a few solo covers we'll touch on in a future post.

Early jam clips from December 2015 and mid-2016 featured Justin, Shane, and Ryan covering the same Thriving Ivory, Slipknot, and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs (plus Theory of a Deadman & Seether), while newer postings feature renditions of Saving Abel, Seven Mary Three, and as embedded below, Monster Truck's "Don't Tell Me How To Live", though note that virtually all of these videos have at least one band member missing (Ryan in this case.) I can't make a full judgement on their full lineup yet, but they show a lot of promise on these videos so far, with Justin showcasing a solid voice, and Shane's got clear guitar talent too! Check out more from Halfway Loaded above & below, and I hope to hear more soon!

Next up, here's our belated acknowledgement and coverage of the two new solo albums from Dafter, Michigan hard rock guitarist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton! Apologies for the delay in getting a formal write-up on the site outside of our review of the former album late last month. Released on February 28th and May 26th via Waterfall Records and considered his 20th & 21st official solo albums, they are entitled "Epic" & "Music Composed For Film", and as the latter's name would imply, these are intended for use as scores with movies, shows, or video games. Remember, score albums have been SweetKenny's focus in the past two years ("In Your Face" aside), so if you're familiar with his music, this won't be as surprising to know. I reviewed "Epic" last month due to it's heavier material, but neither contain a conceptual theme for one intended work like his prior score albums have tended to contain, and in the case of "Epic", there's even an alternate version of one song and isolated tracks from another, if you're so inclined.

These albums are available for around $10 each on Google Play and iTunes (though curiously not Bandcamp), and can be streamed for free at Ken's website linked above. Personally, I prefer SweetKenny's older thematic score albums to these, which are more varied and experimental, but he's continuing to showcase his musical range and talents with these releases, and hopefully they do get licensed for use in or as scores! Give them a listen and/or buy them at the above links!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a newly discovered live concert clip from Sault Ontario alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback! Live streamed from Live705's Easter Bash at The Rockstar Bar in April by attendee John MacLean for his personal Facebook page, this was only just shared publically on A.D.S.' Facebook page yesterday. The video features the guys playing their original song "Kicking & Screaming" (well, most of it), and it's filmed from a high and far angle, capturing a somewhat unique angle of the band and fans on the floor with solid audio to boot, so definitely give it a look below, and don't miss them TOMORROW NIGHT with CKY!



Finally, here's a new video from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's Facebook page to hype up their concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT with Handsome Sandwich and Eclipse at The Rockstar Bar! The short clip features Mike Haggith parodying Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali's promo video for the now cancelled Machine Shop concert in March (which The Din were to have opened), and while I won't pass judgement on the original video or the protracted issues regarding that intended concert, it is a cute parody, if a little obscure for fans who didn't see Frankie's clip. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for our full preview of this concert tomorrow!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews (including CKY) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

SweetKenny - "Epic" Album Review!!

For our 95th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, here's a surprise look at an album we haven't even covered on the site yet, namely Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's 20th solo album "Epic"! Quietly released on February 28th via Google Play and iTunes (though curiously not Bandcamp) via Waterfall Records, this is SweetKenny's seventh album designed to be utilized as a film, TV, or video game score, going along with his general focus since late 2015, with only "In Your Face" breaking pattern as a traditional rock album with sung vocals during this period. Ken's actually released two score albums in 2017, joining the brand new "Music Composed For Film", but I chose "Epic" for this month as it is a heavier release. And yes, stay tuned on the site this week for full news write-ups on both albums. "Epic" is available at the above links for $9.49, and can be streamed for free at this link, but consider buying it to support SweetKenny's work!

Featuring 15 songs running for 29 minutes, let's begin our "Epic" review with the first song, "Drums of Power"! Self-described as a "drum layered track with a slow groove" that would be good for work in the action genre, this song has more of a tribal vibe that admittedly doesn't give off a "powerful" sense, but it is effectively performed for what it is! Given the drum-heavy instrumentation, it's not optimal listening for fans of Ken's typical rock music, and it does get repetitive, but you can easily loop it for longer stretches, and that appears to be intentional. Second is "Maddy's March", inspired by the survival horror video game The Last of Us, though I don't know that game to have a character named Maddy. This is more of a fully realized song with dramatic piano input, a darker ambiance, and some orchestral tinges, and it's a solid number for what it is that could serve as an introductory number or credit roll song!

Next is "Bangkok", named after the Thai capital and described by Ken as an "Eastern style track". You do get a far eastern vibe here, but the song also has some ominous orchestration to start, and it seems to relish in exploring different sounds and effects to make it distinct from the first two songs. That said, the song ends before it really starts to get going, but compared to later songs on "Epic", it's actually on the longer side of things when you look at the full track order. The fourth song is "Invading Force", which runs for an album-long 4:35, but actually has the fastest tempo yet on the album. The song preserves some of the ethnic feeling of "Bangkok", while also giving off the vibe of a chase or approach involving enemies, so the title is accurate to the song! Is it wrong that I got notes of the Terminator theme and Oil Ocean Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in here? The drum beat is also catchy, if not pounding, and while it's not aggressively heavy, the song does what it says!

Song #5 is "Marrakesh", which is similarly "Eastern" themed like "Bangkok", though the title here alludes to a city in Morocco. Given the different nationality, you'd be correct to expect that the song wouldn't be too similar, with it the most like a "hard rock" song yet on the album, while also containing a slight Middle Eastern flavour and some catchy percussion rhythms. Unfortunately, it does share the sudden ending before it really starts like "Bangkok" had, but it's a quality early number on "Epic"! Sixth is the "full mix" of the song "Viking Village", and the title will make sense once this song itself wraps up. If you were hoping for this to be a sudden foray into viking metal, you'll be disappointed, as it's more of a techno-influenced rock instrumental with some backing female vocals for effect purposes, plus more prominent percussion. Despite the title's intended locale, the song has a bit of a dance vibe to it, which may not have been intentional, but it's a fun song on it's own merits!

Now, why was "Viking Village" called the "full mix"? Well, the 7th-13th songs on the album are all isolated cue tracks containing portions of that song, all but one under a minute in length, presumably so SweetKenny can sell them or propose use of them by themselves for effect or mood depending on usage in an intended score. In the three score albums of his I have reviewed on the SMS, this is a new one, but he must really be proud of the final product to offer it in this form too! I won't re-review each cue track, but they include "Intro Mix", "Percussion", "Demented Vocal Part 1" & "2", "Kalimba" (an African instrument used in the song), "Dogg Bass", and "Ambience", with the second-fourth cue tracks running for just 29 seconds each. For casual listeners, I'd stick to just the full "Viking Village" song, but if you're interested in using the score or breaking down the song's components for research or instructional means, the cue tracks could be very handy!

The final two songs on "Epic" are alternate versions of an electronic song called "Out For A Drive", one being the full mix and the other having no vocals. The only song on the album that includes Ken's vocals in any substantial form, you just hear him saying "I'm a winner" and "I can feel it" off and on in his usual Elvis-like drawl, plus other voices saying "Is everybody happy?" and "Here we go!". I assume the intent was to use the song for a racing portion of a work, but the no-vocal part is naturally completely up for interpretation. The song proper is a lively techno track that would not be out of place at a dance club, but it's a thematic jump from earlier songs on this score, and honestly, I don't really associate it's vibe with a driving or racing feel, with or without vocals.

So, what are my final thoughts on SweetKenny's seventh score CD? While I still aren't as knowledgable about reviewing an album like this compared to our usual fare, "Epic" does a solid job of evoking intended themes, and if the right person comes along to want these songs for score purposes, they should get solid audio! That said, it is clear that "Epic" doesn't a thematic concept encompassing every song like "The Hitman Files" & "Gator's Bayou", Ken's other score albums that we reviewed on the SMS, and as a result, there isn't as much of a cohesive thread. I assume that was the intent, but the album's all over the place, from dark and orchestral to Asian-inspired rock to full on techno. I appreciate the diversity, but for me, my favourite songs were "Bangkok" & "Marrakesh", despite ending so soon. Also, the album lost some substance to me when 1/5th of it was chopped up portions of an earlier song, but again, this is intended for usage as a score, this isn't a direct follow-up to his last traditional rock album "In Your Face".

Of the three SweetKenny scores that I have reviewed, I still prefer "The Hitman Files" for it's rock themes and evocative intended storyline, but "Epic" has a lot of plusses depending on your preferences as a fan, filmmaker, or game designer, so check it out at the above links, and hopefully Ken has a new regular music album in the works for later this year along with his continued score focus!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming up in June? At this juncture, I don't know, but here's what I can say. A new release is definitely first in line if an album comes out, and be sure to follow our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Friday for hints as to who might have an album coming out soon! In any event, our next album review will not be of another SweetKenny album, as we have a 6 month buffer period in place to avoid possible accusations of having a bias for or against anyone. Based on acts playing next month, an archive review could come from bands like The Din, The Bear Hunters, A Fall From Innocence, or I.S.O.M. to tie in with artists playing locally next month, so keep an eye out in any event for word on our next CD review subject, and stay tuned for more news and updates soon on The Sault Metal Scene! Thanks everyone!