We're back with a new news post on this Monday morning, and it's half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and half to bands newly moved to our inactive band links. Here's what you should know!
As is usual for LopLops Lounge (at least in years not ravaged by a pandemic), the Queen Street East nightclub is ramping up their concert slate for the holiday season, partly due to their 20th anniversary and recently announced grand re-opening on a more regular pre-pandemic schedule. These include six newly announced dates in December plus the previously announced Fuller reunion concert on the 28th ($20 tickets are now on sale on Eventbrite!). Of these new shows, two fit the SMS' genre range, starting with online page-less alternative/punk cover quintet Bookclub, who will headline at LopLops on Friday, December 15th! Barring an interim show announcement, this will be Bookclub's first show since frontman Mikey Hawdon's pre-wedding party at Soo Blaster earlier this month, and will be an encore to the Christmas show that they shared with The Wyld Stallyns at LopLops in December 2022.
If a second band (The Stallyns or otherwise) are announced or added for the show next month, we'll let you know, but current Facebook advertising only credits Bookclub. That show was Bookclub's second period, so with a year of gigs since, things should be bigger and better for them on the 15th next month! Tickets run for the oddly specific price of $18 (plus online processing fees if bought on Eventbrite), while 10 person "party ticket" packages are available for $180 that also include (presumably alcoholic) drinks. Things start at the early-ish time of 8:00 PM and this is obviously a 19+ event. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Next up, the other SMS-amenable LopLops show taking place next month will see local indie punk quintet The Northwest return to the stage on Friday, December 22nd! This will surprisingly be The Northwest's first public concert since the Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing in July, and their first in city limits since May. While I don't know why they've been so quiet in 2023, hopefully they deliver a solid night of original favourites as they mark their 10th anniversary together! No word on why all of LopLops' advertising omits the "The" tacked onto The Northwest's name in 2021, but note that the band proper has yet to publically acknowledge this show on their Facebook page. Similarly, personal Facebook postings do indicate that a known local band will be opening for them on December 22nd, but their identity has not been publically confirmed online by them, The Northwest, or the venue at press time.
Both this and the Bookclub show above are 19+ affairs with 8:00 PM start times, but The Northwest show will be a cheaper night out, with $10 tickets (plus the usual added fees) available at this link, and another "party ticket" deal with included drinks available for $100 for a party of 10. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and see above for much more on LopLops' packed concert calendar next month!
We'll close today with two bands moved to our inactive band links, starting with local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters, who have went over one year since their last public activity, last being seen opening for Metallica tribute band Sandman at Soo Blaster in October of last year. After playing two gigs in the fall of 2017, frontman Jules Cote (and his Dave Grohl wig) resurrected The Soo Fighters with a series of new lineups starting in the fall of 2019, with guitarist Wes Greco joining him throughout alongside three different rhythm sections, also later adding backing vocalist Nicole Ambeault. Revival era-concerts also included J.D. Pearce's final Halloween party at The Rockstar Bar in 2019, the 2021 & 2022 Northern Vibe Festivals, and a Rockstar Bar return for Halloween 2021 with their then-sister band Lockdown.
Given the nature of The Soo Fighters, they could theoretically pop up again at any time (especially around Halloween), but it does seem like Jules & Nicole have put more focus on his current pop rock cover bands like Bourbon Blue and Nicky & The Southpaws, not to mention final bassist & drummer Mitch Sirie & Johnny Belanger's work in Handsome Sandwich & The Bear Hunters. Still, despite frequent lineup changes (I counted twelve band members across their seven publically advertised gigs), The Soo Fighters always had a crowd-friendly grasp on Foo Fighters classics, so hopefully we see them again down the line, and R.I.P., Chris!
Finally, the other band moved to our inactive link is local classic metal/hard rock cover trio The Nostalgic Band, who have reportedly dissolved, as per bassist Randy "Dutch" Vanderploeg on their Facebook group two weeks ago. Dutch explained that he and drummer Chet Dziergas left the group, but I'll refrain from elaborating here other than nothing that there were personal differences. Originally named Nostalgia, this group reunited Dutch with his old Caveman Morrison bandmate Tym Morrison (in his first full band project in seven years), and proceeded to play a number of gigs on the weekend nightclub circuit between May and September, last seen at Reggie's midway through that month. Despite announcing gigs into 2024 at three different venues, including a weekly jam night series at Reggie's, all of their announced bookings from late September onward were abruptly cancelled.
While Dutch suggested that the group be taken down due to their breakup (he was one to delete Facebook pages of bands that he fronted after they disbanded), Tym leaving the group up may be a sign that he wants to keep it going in some form, but that's just speculation on my part. The Nostalgic Band were a solid group with seemingly good chemistry, and I can only hope that things aren't as bad as they seemed between the guys. Stay tuned for more from Tym, Dutch, and Chet when/if it comes out, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
It's about time to round up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including some intertwined (and mostly SHORT NOTICE) LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! There is a concert cancellation to take note of too, but as the replacement are a heavier act also, info on that is included in the same write-up below. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend!
Local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via its Facebook event page earlier today, but The Islander Bar's Facebook page had acknowledged it since late last month. Not many hard rock acts regularly play there that I know of, but I will try harder to keep tabs on their live concert schedule, especially as TOMORROW'S show is not 906's only October gig there. If you're in a spooky mood, Project 906 will return to Hessel to headline The Islander Bar's annual Halloween party on Saturday, October 29th, so costumes will presumably be encouraged for the occasion, and The Islander's second annual pumpkin carving contest will also take place on this day. Two big shows ahead, so hopefully Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Odin's hard rocking covers & select originals find a solid audience at both!
TOMORROW'S show and the Halloween party are both one-night-only arrangements, no word on if a different act is playing this Saturday or on Friday the 28th. Both shows have 8:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no advertised cover charge (though bring cash just in case on the 29th given the teased Halloween frills). Remember, The Islander Bar is at 134 South Pickford Avenue in Hessel, 45 minutes due south of the Soo. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live!
Next up, fellow local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show only came to our attention via Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, newly updated to reflect October dates at both the Rapids and Northern Pines Lounges, but TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are the only new-to-us hard rock dates at either, with other scheduled hard rock acts already getting the word out through their own channels. Rhythm & Brews have not plugged these dates on their Facebook page at press time, but personal accounts have mentioned them, which is sadly not an isolated occurrence. In any event, TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT'S shows will be Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron's first publically advertised shows since playing at Oktoberfest in Barbeau last month.
Though Rhythm & Brews' public online presence remains slight (perhaps intentionally to encourage people to actually see them live rather than just on video), hopefully this local supergroup delivers the hard rock cover goods for fans at the Soo Kewadin this weekend! They'll be on TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details on these concerts!
Heading north to Sault Ontario next, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge as advertised TOMORROW NIGHT, but that's not all, as they'll also be playing there on SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Apologies again for the short notice on SATURDAY'S gig, drummer Glen Thomas only confirmed on his personal Facebook page earlier today that they'd also be playing that night. Originally, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard were advertised to play on SATURDAY, but they withdrew from that date for unannounced reasons, so Soundcheck will step in for the full weekend set, which is not unheard of at Shooters but also not common. Hopefully this talented veteran foursome have lots of hard rocking hits for fans at the Dennis Street nightclub tomorrow & SATURDAY, and hopefully all's well in Bone Yard's camp!
As usual for Soundcheck's Shooters dates, expect 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits for both nights. Should be a solid weekend for fans of Soundcheck's standalone concerts apart from their Reggie's West jam nights (yes, including tonight), so visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert earlier this year!
Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, here's a show that had 100% advance notice, as Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will return to Sault Ste. Marie THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they headline at Soo Blaster once again! Just under three months removed from their well received third local appearance in July, this Helix alumni-laden tribute have gotten a solid reception at their prior local gigs then and in 2008 & 2015, and it'll be great to have Sandman's faithful and talented throwback to Metallica's thrash metal glory years back on stage way sooner than normal this weekend! Taking over for the still-on-break Fort Creek as openers on Saturday are local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters in their second gig of 2022 and with their new lineup, but first for either stat in city limits. The Foos aren't as heavy as Metallica, but they definitely have their moments, so don't bypass them!
Of course, Jules and company tackle Foo Fighters hits skillfully and with good energy, so we'll be in good hands this weekend! As in July, this 19+ show has an 8:00 PM start time and $20 advance tickets ($25 at the door), and you can get them beforehand at this link or at Soo Blaster. Whether you saw Sandman in July or missed out, this should be a can't miss show for early Metallica fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Sandman live earlier this year!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!
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!
Here's another stacked news post for your Friday evening as we enter the long weekend! Below, you'll find some new updates & material from a local solo project, but let's first lead off with three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for you guys to take note of, one on SHORT NOTICE!
Local alternative/punk quartet Handsome Sandwich will rock The Whisky Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this date via their Facebook page on Wednesday. After a quiet August apart from their Northern Vibe Festival set (oddly not promoted by the band themselves on Facebook), this will be Handsome Sandwich's first show in city limits since "members of" the band played at Shooters on July 28th, but there's no such "members of" distinction for this show at the Gore Street pub TOMORROW! Should be a fine opportunity to hear the Sandwich's fun and lively originals and covers, so don't miss out if you're able! Note that the poster shows a fifth person with the band, and based on visuals, that looks like Whisky Barrel manager/co-owner Dunbar Thompson, who I don't believe has joined the band in a musical capacity.
TOMORROW'S concert has an 8:00 PM start time according to the venue (though the band says 9:00 PM), no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. If you're up for some Scottish fare and some solid live music from this talented and varied local band, don't miss out on all of the action TOMORROW, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!
That's not all for hard rock/punk fans at The Whisky Barrel this month, as the venue's Facebook page posted their monthly schedule for September 2022 earlier today, confirming that local funk/hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns will return to their favourite stomping grounds on Friday, September 16th! Also last seen at Northern Vibe, The Stallyns belatedly made up for their general disuse of their Facebook page by posting loads of recent concert photos there, but have not yet themselves confirmed this Whisky Barrel show in two weeks. Hopefully Rob, Christina, Jesse, Derek, and Alex(?) deliver a fun night of unplugged hard, funk, and other rock coverts for fans on Gore Street then! Like with Handsome Sandwich TOMORROW, The Wyld Stallyns will be on at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit on the 16th. Visit the above links for more details on this and other Whisky Barrel shows ahead!
In one more new show announcement, Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will reportedly return to Soo Blaster for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 8th! This show has not been confirmed by the band nor the venue at press time, but the local openers announced it on their Facebook page earlier today, more on them in a second. Fans will have just seen this Helix alumni-laden tribute rock Soo Blaster on July 9th, itself their third local gig following shows here in 2008 & 2015, so they're really breaking their "one Soo date every seven years" pattern by coming here just three months after the last time! Luckily, Metallica fans know what to expect from Sandman's faithful thrash metal intensity and sly humour, and I can confirm that they put on a solid show in July! The local openers will be Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters in their second date of 2022 and with their current lineup, also last seen at The Northern Vibe Festival.
Good to see Jules, Wes, Mitch, and Johnny back in city limits, and while The Foos aren't a pure metal compliment, they have enough hard rock tunes to fill out a recognizable companion tribute set! If the July show is anything to go by, Sandman's 2022 round #2 at Soo Blaster should have $20 advance tickets once again, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time, so stay tuned to venue and Sandman pages for further details on ticket availability. Between this and the Just Leppard/AC/DC Show event in November, Soo Blaster will be quite a destination for hard rock tribute fans this fall, so don't miss out on all of this action then, and stay tuned for updates!
We'll close today with the latest from local/Toronto hard rock project Stone Smyth (a.k.a. StrykerGC or Stonesmith GC and variants therein), so what's new in their camp? On Monday, they posted a new original song named "Last Chance Mountain" onto major streaming services, simultaneously posting this teaser video of 59 seconds of the song alongside wintry stock footage onto their YouTube channel (Troy did tease making a full video of this, for the record). On their Facebook page on Tuesday, Stone Smyth said that "we're going on tour shortly" and that "releases are going to be happening for the next 2 months". This isn't the first time that a Stone Smyth concert tour has been teased, but what form will it and the live band take? As far as I've known them, this has been a solo project, after all. Also, does this just mean more songs are coming this fall, or do they mean another type of release? We'll keep you posted!
Note that prior postings on Stone Smyth pages teased that they are planning to have 15 songs ready for live sets, and only eight are online at the moment. Speaking of which, if you want to sample all eight songs (albeit via 49-ish seconds-long preview videos with stock footage), Stone Smyth have posted all eight to watch in this also-new video embedded below. Promising hard rock music with an old school touch to be sure, even if I'm not sold on the vocal processing, so check everything out, and stay tuned for more from Troy & company in due course!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thank everyone!
Today's post is 100% devoted to previewing this year's Northern Vibe Festival, which returns for its seventh annual installment from Friday-Sunday at the old Hempfest site on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir! 2020 aside (for obvious reasons), Northern Vibe has proven to be a huge end-of-summer bash for local concert goers and campers alike, and this year's is shaping up to be a fun one once again, especially with the pandemic at a lesser state! Food & art vendors will also be on site once again, and be sure to visit the official festival website for full non-musical details. Like usual, there will be two stages, including the Roost River Stage for DJs, and the Forest Stage for live bands, this year named the Thompson Memorial Forest Stage in honour of the late Chris Thompson, who drummed with three bands at last year's Northern Vibe before he passed away last fall. A little birdie told me that the memorial t-shirts made up in his memory might be on site this weekend, so if you ordered one, keep that in mind!
Like last year, the bands and DJs (regardless of stage) are mixed up on the official poster, but alas, organizers have not publicized the daily performer schedules on either stage this year, which is sadly on par with 2021. Maybe they're trying to encourage full weekend ticket purchases, so you can't cherry pick going to see specific bands and leave, but I don't know that for certain. However, Cover-Up frontman Dustin Jones did post the Forest Stage band schedule in a photo on his personal Facebook page, and while there has been a band withdrawal from his copy since, I want to give massive kudos to Dustin for sharing that, as it makes my job today much easier! Like last year, the Thompson Memorial Forest Stage is curated by Spades GT/ex-Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce, who moved to Barrie in 2020 but has came back home to work with Northern Vibe and resume his live booking magic both last year and this weekend.
With all that said, let's cover these SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS now that I have a band schedule on hand (apologies again, it's their call to not post a schedule publically), and TOMORROW'S opening night will be headlined by the aforementioned Spades GT, as the local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet will play their first Soo area gig since their final concert as Jack Spades in late 2019. This will also be your first chance to see them since new bassist Daniel "Odie" Rodbard and drummer Tyler "Jeeb" Reiner joined & Tiffany, Rob, and Johnny left, while Spades GT should play their newest originals tomorrow as well. Very good to see J.D., Daniel, and crew back on a local stage, so don't miss them at 10:00 PM! Remember, Chris Thompson was briefly Jack Spades' drummer in 2017. In a late lineup addition not reflected in the poster, Niagara Falls prog/improv rock trio The Road Waves (who played at Northern Vibe in 2017 & 2018) will co-headline at 9:00 PM tomorrow!
Only confirmed for this year two weeks ago, The Road Waves made a good impression with their soul-influenced funk rock stylings, and it'll be neat to have them back this year also! Sporadically seen local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters will return to Northern Vibe for a second straight year at 8:00 PM, in their first show since the Halloween weekend last year, and in the debut of their new lineup, with singer/guitarist Jules Cote & guitarist Wes Greco now joined by bassist Mitch Sirie (replacing Arthur Lacasse) and his Bear Hunters/Handsome Sandwich bandmate Johnny Belanger (replacing the late Chris Thompson). Thanks for Johnny for the clarification on their exact current lineup! A reason for Art's departure hasn't been announced, but hopefully we see him back out there at some point, and The Soos should deliver a fun set for Foo Fighters fans tomorrow, especially with Chris in mind!
Online page-less punk cover quartet The Cover-Up will play their second show of 2022 when they rock Northern Vibe tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM, while local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will end their year-long stage hiatus when they open the Friday schedule at 6:00 PM. Nice double whammy of modern punk rock to kick off the festival, so don't be late! I'll detail admission fees and such at post's end, but 9&10 News is calling for sunny-to-clear weather in the 17-22° range tomorrow evening. For a preview of the Friday lineup, here's Spades GT live!
SATURDAY'S longer lineup will be headlined by Toronto pop rock duo Goodnight Sunrise at 10:00 PM, marking their second regional summer festival appearance of 2022, following sets at this year's Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing. Not a heavier band, but still talented with a big sound, so don't leave early! The highest slotted local band is the diverse, genre-hating quartet Handsome Sandwich, who debuted their current lineup in Ophir last year, so look for more alternative and hard hitting jams from them at 9:00 PM! On Dustin's schedule, local punk/alternative quintet These Magnificent Tentacles are advertised in the 8:00 PM slot, but they apparently have withdrew from Northern Vibe, according to performer Johnny Belanger. If accurate, a reason for their exit has not been publically announced, but note that while the Tentacles were on the poster, they have not posted on their Facebook page in over a month.
Hopefully all is well in the T.M.T. camp! How timeslots will look with them apparently out, I can't say, but I'll go off of Dustin's schedule for consistency, though expect adjustments if you'll be in Ophir on Saturday. The 7:00 timeslot is given on his schedule as a Chris Thompson tribute, which I believe will be handled by the one-off Hey, What About Us?!, which is the band name that J.D. Pearce was planning to use for a Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute at his annual Halloween party in 2016. Whether Chris' tribute will also focus on Me First cover covers or not, I can't say, let alone the band members, but expect the good times & reminiscences to flow during this timeslot! The remaining Saturday bands include funk/hard rock cover quintet The Wyld Stallyns at 6:00 PM, instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves at 5:00 PM, indie punk quintet The Northwest at 4:00 PM (an oddly early timeslot given their recent profile), ...
...and indie rock quartet Man Feelings kicking off the Forest Stage lineup on Saturday at 3:00 PM. Solid group of recently prominent local bands to start the day, including some heavier/punk stylings from The Stallyns & Northwest! If you're wondering what happened to the previously announced set by local punk trio Redundant, it looks like they too have dropped out, which is reflected on Dustin's schedule, though like the Tentacles, they were still on the final poster from two weeks ago. A reason for Redundant's withdrawal has not been publically announced, but note that they have not played a concert since last fall, and have only posted on their Facebook page to note deceased musicians since then. Hopefully we see Redundant back on stage again soon! 9&10 News is calling for similarly sunny-clear weather on Saturday, with warmer weather in the 23-27° range. With all of the bands covered, what else should you know?
Camping gear is welcome to sleep over tomorrow & Saturday night (the festival ends Sunday but there's no bands that day), decorations are also welcome, but glass bottles and weapons are prohibited, as are renegade stages (this is actually something that has happened there before!). Online ticket sales have closed for Northern Vibe, but if you want to attend at the gate, full weekend passes will cost $125 there, and if last year was any indication, Saturday-only passes will run you at least $60 (understandably, organizers aren't hyping that up). Looks like a great time is in store for music fans in the Soo, so definitely consider heading east to Ophir (outside of Bruce Mines) for all of the action this weekend, and we'll have fallout when it arises! For complete details on the location, ground rules, and more, visit the above links, and for a preview of Saturday's lineup, here's Handsome Sandwich live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin today's post, just a heads up that local hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley joined indie rock duo Sainte Marie at Thessalon's Community Days tonight. In case you're wondering, Thessalon is just outside of our coverage range (one hour driving from the Soo), hence why we've never actively covered shows there, but hopefully this concert was a hit for all involved! Now, here's one more weekend concert preview, plus some recent news and updates from a trio of familiar local bands!
The second matinee concert at Shooters Downstairs Lounge from local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison goes down THIS SUNDAY! Tym debuted at the Dennis Street nightclub this past Sunday, so if you haven't been able to see his regular Trading Post shows or his occasional Sunday matinees at Reggie's, you can swing down to Shooters on Sunday for his hard rocking cover selection and vocal & guitar talents! Remember, this is not the beginning of a new weekly arrangement at Shooters for Tym, as country musician Leslie Cook will be playing there on the next two Sundays. Similarly to Tym's past Reggie's matinees, Sunday's festivities are at 3:00 PM with no advertised cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!
Next up, here's some surprising news from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession, as they have enlisted Jessica Amadio as their new lead singer, replacing Valerie Powley. A reason for Valerie's departure was not announced, but in their Facebook page's post about the change on Tuesday, the guys were very complimentary to Valerie for her contributions to the band & her future prospects. As you may recall, Obsession had featured Jess on backing vocals & tambourine for their Rotaryfest weekend gigs two weeks ago, and while I can't say if these were intended as trial runs for the singer change or not, at least fans who saw Obsession's last two concerts will be familiar with Jessica that way (especially as I'm not familiar with her from prior bands). Valerie had fronted Obsession since replacing Lorrie Bolduc back in 2012, and only founding bassist Jim Michaud remains from that lineup.
Obsession's first announced show with Jess on lead vocals will be at Poohfest in White River on August 20th (they're not easing into things!), but unless something earlier is announced, Obsession will next play a public local concert on October 28th at The Esquire Club. This is very surprising news, and unexpected even if you read into why they had a guest singer for Rotaryfest, but hopefully things are as amicable as they sound between Valerie and the band, and given her vocal talents, we definitely haven't heard the last of her. Maybe her other band Ladies Sing The Blues will become a primary project? See above for more from Obsession!
Also, here's the latest non-concert news from local punk/alternative rock quartet Handsome Sandwich (or "Ourselves"), so aside from their Shooters gigs this weekend, what's new to report? First off, it was revealed on July 2nd that bassist Mitch Sirie and drummer Johnny Belanger have joined local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters, and will debut with them at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir next month, where The Soo Fighters are a new lineup addition for the Friday schedule! Obviously, Johnny is replacing the late Chris Thompson behind the kit, but I'm unsure whether Mitch will be on guitar or bass (I have not seen any reference to Wes or Arthur leaving the band). We'll let you know when/if things are clarified! No, an official schedule for the bands has not been made public yet, but after last year, this shouldn't be too shocking (Handsome Sandwich are reportedly playing on the Saturday, time to be announced).
Meanwhile, Handsome Sandwich's debut album "Lettuce" is still in the works, and it will feature a guest performer, as frequent Wyld Stallyns guest Josh Norling (of Blues Harvest fame) will appear on their new original song "No Entry". He was photographed in the studio on July 20th, and it'll be interesting to hear how Josh's smooth sax fits into this puzzle! We'll cover the Sandwich's new videos soon, but get more updates on them above, and don't miss them at Shooters TONIGHT & TOMORROW!
Finally for today, here's a new video from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest live at LopLops last month, courtesy of their YouTube channel three weeks ago! The song is the studio copy of "Unsober October" from their new EP "All In" (to be reviewed on the SMS next month), but it is synced up to video footage shot by Jeff King when they opened for Elliott Brood on June 16th. I think some of the immediacy of the live experience is lost by dubbing over the actual audio (really empty not hearing cheers at the end), and I do think the cameras were zoomed in a little too much on average, but this is an excellently produced video, so give it a look!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
Things have been relatively quiet for news and notes this week, but let's correct that with some new videos from a few familiar faces for rock fans of different stripes, and even a little holiday magic at the end. Without any further ado, here's what you should know!
After a year+ break from posting new videos onto his YouTube channel, prolific local rock guitarist/bassist Arthur Lacasse has made up for lost time with fourteen uploads there a couple of days ago! These all feature his three current bands, including reunited hard rock quartet Half Past, giving us our first visual look at them since their last public concert over a decade ago, and our first chance to see Jamie Labreche as their new drummer! These videos appear to come from a jam session, albeit with a very dolled up stage setup that does resemble a proper nightclub. All four are of modern hard rock covers, including Breaking Benjamin's "Blow Me Away", Staind's "For You", Seether's "Fallen" (which has the best angle of the band, albeit vertically), and as embedded below, System of a Down's "Spiders". Half Past sound good with these covers, they've more or less picked up where they left off in 2011!
Jordan's vocals have definitely gotten more confident since we last saw him with this group, and Jamie's drum skills are evident, while it doesn't hurt that only he is really well lit with their jam room lighting! No word on when Half Past will return to the stage, such as the concert scene is right now given the pandemic, but give their new videos a look above & below!
The other new videos on Arthur's channel are of his other two active bands, namely Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters and their sister pop rock cover band Lockdown (Art and Jules Cote are in both bands, as was the late Chris Thompson on drums). All of these videos come from the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir back in August, which was the debut for Lockdown period and The Soo Fighters' new lineup, as well as Chris' penultimate live concert. These appear to be the same videos previously posted onto both bands' Facebook pages from the festival, including more from both sets, though Art didn't re-upload Lockdown's cover of The Arctic Monkeys' "Snap Out Of It". The Lockdown videos now on YouTube include the previously seen covers of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", The Black Keys' "Gold On The Ceiling", and Elle King's "Ex's & Oh's".
The new videos have renditions of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son", Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", and The Sheepdogs' "The Way It Is". These covers aren't of hard rock songs, but they are definitely well performed by this group of talented musicians, though the distant camera angle doesn't help at all. That gets worse for The Soo Fighters, who were the surprising closing band at Northern Vibe VI, so their nighttime videos from the same filmer/location suffer greatly in the visual department. You will have seen their version of The Foos' "Monkey Wrench" on Facebook already, but the three new covers are of "Learn To Fly", "My Hero", and as embedded below, "Bridge Burning", which was their opening song, complete with an introduction by River Stage curator J.D. Pearce. Given the late setting and the state of the crowd, I do wish the filmer had gotten a lot closer to the stage for their set.
Despite the lack of visual clarity and overly bright stage lighting as such, these are strongly done Foo Fighters covers, so musically, you're in good hands! Nice to hear Chris again in these too, in what may be his final new concert videos, unless someone belatedly posts something from both bands' Halloween weekend show at The Rockstar Bar. Give all of Arthur's new YouTube videos a look above & below!
We'll close today with a Christmas surprise from former Brain Tuel guitarist Zach Reid's YouTube channel on Saturday, namely a 39 second acoustic guitar cover of John Williams' "Somewhere In My Memory", the theme song for the first two Home Alone movies. If you know me personally, you'll know that I love Home Alone 1 & 2, so I totally approve of a local musician tackling this song, even if a short snippet! Spare but effective, give Zach's take a watch below, and watch Home Alone while you're at it!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Plans for a single-topic post today went out the window once I discovered a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, but not from the band I expected! To round things out, we have a surprise band reunion from a decade or so ago (with a linked band dissolution), and some assorted recent updates, so let's get things rolling!
For a second straight post, we're leading off with a new date from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, as they'll hit Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook page on Wednesday, with Tarnished following suit a day later. Yes, TONIGHT's show (attached to a hunter's bash at the former Joe's Bar & Grill) was supposed to be headlined by fellow local hard rockers Rhythm & Brews, but Huck's quietly edited all promotion of this concert on Facebook to reflect the band change (click the three dots and "View edit history" for proof), so this truly is a short notice booking! A reason for Rhythm & Brews' withdrawal was not publically announced, but they deleted their mention of TONIGHT's concert outright. Hopefully all's well in their camp, but Tarnished are a fitting replacement!
Hunter or otherwise, you can enjoy Tarnished's hard rock and 80s metal-inspired covers & originals TONIGHT at 11358 West Main Street (a half hour from the Soo), with a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Please follow and respect social distancing and public health measures posted at Huck's to ensure that you and everyone else has a safe time, especially in light of Michigan's new face mask recommendations for indoor gatherings. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Half Past are back after being defunct for over nine years! The band made the announcement on their Facebook page
on Monday. Originally known as
Fingerbone, Half Past launched in 2008, and peaked in popularity & live
frequency in 2010, complete with original songs & EP plans, but lineup turnover often stalled their momentum, and
they last played live in October 2011, before dissolving early the next
year. The new lineup is mostly a revival of Half Past's early-mid 2011
incarnation that you may have seen at that year's Hempfest in Ophir, with Isolation Sessions bandmates Jordan Rains (ex-NAClamation) on vocals & Arthur Lacasse (Lockdown/Soo Fighters) on bass, plus Parabol's Alain Fletcher on guitar. On drums, they have enlisted ex-Disciples of Rock/Stoned To Deaf drummer Jamie Labreche, replacing Chris Thompson for unannounced reasons.
Hopefully
nothing bad happened with Chris, and that we see him back behind the
drumkit in due course, but remember that he still(?) plays with Arthur
in his other active bands! You may have noticed that everyone but Al are
also in the new local hard rock band Dealing Without, so where do they
fit in? Nowhere, apparently, as that band's Facebook page was quietly
taken down at some point in recent months, so it looks like they have
broken up, with the new Half Past succeeding them outright. Dealing
Without had launched in March of this year, and uniquely planned to play
live with two different lead singers, but they never really got off the
ground despite a promising lineup. Best of luck to Robert, Rick, and
James in the future though, they'll be assets in their next bands! I
have removed Dealing Without from our band links, as they had no other
online pages.
As for Half Past, it's great to see them back after
almost a decade away! While this is mostly a reunion of a relatively
short-lived period from their
original run (Half Past's best known singer, Luke LeBlanc, died in
2015), their 2011 dates showed a lot of promise and the same
instrumental heft fans had came to expect from them, and it'll be very
interesting to see and hear what they bring to the table for their
relaunch. Stay tuned for updates!
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 one more Facebook page contest in the lead-up to Sunday's music video release, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty are allegedly giving fans $1 each if they take a picture of themselves holding something with the band's name written on it, and people who do so will be entered to possibly win gift cards, a lottery ticket package, and/or shout-outs from the band on social media. The contest runs for a month, and click here for full details!
Prolific local metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month looking for opportunities to jam with local musicians and/or play live concerts. While he cited that he's a "solo acoustic metal act", he's open to playing pre-written material and has no genre preferences. Chase's talent level is well established, and he has been missed on stage during the pandemic, so message him at this link or above if you want to play with or book him!
Lockdown/Soo Fighters singer/guitarist Jules Cote posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Wednesday looking for a drummer for an "easy-going, fun-loving cover band". The sound & setlist description heavily points towards this being for Lockdown, and while they're not a hard rock act, they share three members with The Soo Fighters, one being ex-(?)drummer Chris Thompson, who is not part of the aforementioned Half Past reunion (Arthur Lacasse is in all three bands). The group post does not reference The Soos directly, but if you want more details regardless, message Jules at this link or above, and hopefully Chris is doing alright!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
I promised a busy week to end October with, and I'm delivering, with this being our fifth post in as many days, and I hope to make it 6 tomorrow with this month's CD review! Before then, it's the Halloween weekend, and with concerts more amenable to happen at this stage of the pandemic, we have a decent amount of hard rock shows across both sides of the border to check out, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Barring anything else on late notice, here's what you should know!
Young local classic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their Soo Blaster debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they play a special Halloween themed headlining concert there! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook event page this past Friday. TOMORROW's concert will be The Uncanny Valley's third of 2021 and with their current lineup, and will give this rising group a chance to unleash their growing arsenal of original material on a spooky audience. It may be a tough task for them to sell out a venue the size of Soo Blaster, but this is a prime downtown locale for The Uncanny Valley to do their thing at, so consider coming out TOMORROW! Advertising does not confirm if there will be a costume contest of any kind or not, but you should definitely wear one if you attend, as if you're paying at the door, you will save $5 by coming in a costume!
Tickets are $15 in advance or for costumed attendees, $20 at the door if you aren't dressed up, and while this may seem steep to just see one band, remember that holiday frills are a given, and regardless, this is a larger venue with pandemic measures in place. Otherwise, this is a 19+ concert with a 10:00 PM start time, and contact/head down to Soo Blaster for advance tickets. And of course, vaccine passports are mandatory to attend this concert, and please use common sense & wear face masks where mandated to keep everyone safe. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Uncanny Valley live earlier this year!
Next up, let's head to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula for some previously announced Halloween weekend concerts, and we'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will play their only E.U.P. dates of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While we have seen their sister band Scarkazm north of the Mack since, this will be Peril's first E.U.P. concert weekend since February 2020 for obvious pandemic-related reasons. Scarkazm are more frequently seen nowadays, but Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' brand of old school hard rock and metal classics are sure to bring in a solid crowd this weekend, so don't miss out on Peril this weekend, especially as they won't be back until next year! No special Halloween frills are in the band's advertising, but expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit, as is standard for Peril and Scarkazm's Kewadin bookings.
And as recently usual, please respect & follow any public health guidelines in place at the casino and/or lounge to ensure that everyone comes and goes safe & healthy. It's great to see Peril back in our neck of the woods after way too long away, and with or without costumes, hopefully tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts go off without a hitch! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!
Further north but still in the States, fans can head to Sugar Island THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, where revived Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet 415E will return to The Hilltop Bar for a Halloween weekend concert of their own! Like Peril, we haven't seen 415E in concert locally since February 2020 (at the same venue in this case), and while guitarist Chris Hubbard and bassist Brett Blackwood did resurface with the debuting Rhythm & Brews a few months back, that band hasn't been heard from online since, with 415E resuming public activity afterwards. In any event, it's great to see 415E back after a lengthy break, and hopefully Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason deliver a solid night of hard rocking covers for fans in Sugar Island on Devil's Night! This is unequivocally The Hilltop Bar's Halloween party, so costumes are encouraged, with a contest planned as well as drink specials & appetizers for the occasion.
This 19+ event has no announced cover charge (bring cash just in case), and while a start time of 7:00 PM is advertised with the costume contest winners being announced at 9:00 PM, I can't say for certain whether 415E proper will be playing that early or if they'll be after the winners are announced. Regardless, please respect and follow any and all social distancing and public health guidelines at The Hilltop Bar to ensure that every *one has a safe time on Saturday. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's 415E live in the 2010s!
Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for arguably the biggest hard rock-featured Halloween show of the weekend, if only because this one has two bands, namely new local pop rock cover quintet Lockdown and their sister band, Foo Fighters tribute quartet The Soo Fighters, who will hit The Rockstar Bar for their Halloween party on SATURDAY NIGHT! Both bands were last seen at The Northern Vibe Festival in August, which was the first show period for Lockdown and the debut of The Soo Fighters' new lineup, but that was in Ophir, so this will be the first time in Sault city limits on both fronts. Lockdown aren't a hard rock band, if videos from August are anything to go by, but 3 band members are in The Soo Fighters (and Nicole did some guest backing vocals for them too), so there's a lot of talented DNA between the two bands, and come early to get your hard rock fill via The Soos (hard to believe this is just their fifth show!)
Note that this is not J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, which was last held in 2019 due to the pandemic & his out of town work commitments, but given the locale and The Soo Fighters' involvement, this is the closest you're going to get to it this weekend! Expect a costume contest & the usual Halloween frills, with The Soo Fighters kicking things off at 10:00 PM. No cover charge is announced for this 19+ concert, but bring cash just in case, and vaccine passports are mandatory to attend, so use common sense once you enter! Solid music will abound at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Soo Fighters live!
That's all for today, but barring some very late notice show announcements, stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!
