LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle Of The Bands!!)

We have a lot of stuff to get to on the SMS this month (July is our busiest month every year), so today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS of distinction, one on each side of the border, but we'll first head to Michigan for a returning battle of the bands later this month!

Local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank will be among the competitors at the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands on Saturday, July 25th in Brimley! As you may recall, this community festival returned after a decade's hiatus last year, with two distinct music events being held for 2025, including a "Music In The Park" concert and a battle of the bands. An official performer lineup for the former has yet to be announced, but it and the returning battle of the bands will take place again at the festival's stomping grounds opposite the Riverview Park & Campground at 12084 West Lakeshore Drive. This year's battle of the bands only features four advertised performers, none technically returnees from last year's battle (won by Crush), though About:Blank were Music In The Park performers last year. Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich (on summer break from Interlochen) will also compete in the battle on the 25th, but in what form?

Last year, Molly fronted a variant of her 2024 LSSU Battle-winning live hard rock cover band Molly & The Other Guys, but according to her Facebook page's 2026 summer tour poster, she will be playing with a band named "The 8th Fire" (all of her other listed summer dates are solo acoustic concerts, including a Music In The Park set). No word on who is in The 8th Fire or if Molly & them will play her originals and/or similar covers to The Other Guys, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Of course, About:Blank (sans then-guitarist Nathan Webber) played an acoustic set at last year's LSSU Battle, but with Jon Stone now on bass, will that help them make the podium a half hour southwest? Two other bands are advertised to be competing, including The Whole Shabang and Blood, Sweat, and Beers. The former name was used by a classic rock cover band that regularly played the former Rudyard Musicians Festival in the late 2010s, but is it the same band?

Note that The Whole Shabang (who did play Brimley concerts in the past) featured John Napoletano from the later masked metal band Stoned Ape Evolution. No word on who Blood, Sweat, and Beers are, but we'll let you know if anything comes out to answer these unanswered questions! Like last year, the Superior Whitefish Battle will award a $1,000 top prize, with $750, $500, and $250 awaiting the second-fourth place bands (and seeing as there's only four acts, everyone basically gets $250 for showing up). The battle is advertised to take place from 7:00 PM-12:00 AM, and About:Blank are reportedly playing from 8:00-9:00 PM with Molly at 10:00 PM, so if bands do have an hour apiece, that's abnormally long for a battle. It is definitely all ages, and if similarly set up to last year, it will be outdoors but with bands performing under a tent. I don't know if the battle will be judged by a fan vote, by an actual judges panel, or via another method.

There are still blanks to fill in re: this battle, but at least I heard about it before it happened this year! It still baffles me to an extent that battles of the bands have been thriving in the E.U.P. in the mid-2020s where Sault Ontario hasn't had any to successfully take place since before the pandemic, but clearly the Whitefish Festival and LSSU (more on year #4 of theirs soon?) have working formulas, and look at the payouts in Brimley again! Stay tuned for more on this battle and potential other music at the Whitefish Festival as the month continues, and visit the above links for more details! 

Finally for this post, we'll head north to Sault Ontario for another intriguing all-locals concert from Underground Events SSM on Saturday, August 1st at Blaster Powerhouse, this time headlined by fast-rising high school hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe! Fresh off of their public multi-band concert debut at Go Skate Day, 5.D.B. will make their first ever appearance at the former Soo Blaster in four weeks, and hopefully they turn some heads with their talents and surprising cover choices! Also playing that night are hardcore punk/crossover thrash trio Hails in their first Blaster show with new guitarist Anthony Orazietti, and their first concert at an event promoted by Mikhal Muto since he left Ha!ls at the end of 2025. Good to see that there's no hard feelings! Veteran punk supergroup The Gambit (née The Sick Sons) will play an extremely rare live concert set on the 1st as well, marking their first live appearance since Rotaryfest Stage 2 in 2024 and only their fourth under this name.

While active as a recording act on Bandcamp last year, it will be good to see The Gambit on stage again! Opening this show are space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring Mikhal's A.S.D.P. bandmate Ralph Barber) in their first show of the year, so look for some interesting original content from him and Andrew to kick off the night! An 8:30 PM start time is advertised for this Civic Holiday long weekend concert, it is all ages, and this will have a flat door charge of $20 with no advance or online ticket sales. Looks like a fun night of punk and hard rock action for new and familiar faces alike, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

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 (5 Dollar Bribe & Stones At The Alter), A New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (or "May 2-4") long weekend is upon us, and as always, it's busy in Sault Ontario for concerts, but not as much as you'd think on the hard rock side. One show that I did want to acknowledge is that cover rock trio Wheelhouse (featuring Stiffler's Mom alumni Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson) have reunited, and now feature Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger in their lineup, and they're playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow night. I don't know what exactly Wheelhouse play beyond the date range of their setlists (and I'm not using band logos from their AI-generated images as proof), but we'll let you know if they hew close to Stiffler's Mom in sound and cover choices! Now to this weekend's full previews!

We'll start with a brand new addition to our band links, namely hard rock cover quartet Stones At The Alter! Yes, the last word in the band's name is spelled like that, not the more accurate "Altar". Publically launched in February, this is a side project from members of the also new classic rock/country cover band Doo & The Boyos ("Doo" being singer/guitarist Douglas White and "the boy-ohs" being everyone else). The two bands share a near identical lineup, but Stones At The Alter play a heavier set, with their Facebook group noting that they cover "punk, heavy, (and) diamond rock". So far, S@TA have only taken the stage as a supplementary band at Boyos concerts, starting with that band's debut at Beck's Bar in February, so if you've been out to see Doo & crew live, you've kinda sorta got two bands for the price of one! Douglas aside, who all is in both bands?

The Boyos consist of guitarists Jason McCoy (who is the lead singer for Stones At The Alter) and Sydney Hollebone, bassist Ben Eder, and drummer Sean White, while S@TA have enlisted With Gunfire/A.S.D.P. bassist William Wardlaw as their new lead guitarist, and he will debut in that role on SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, I only learned about this band's existence this week. As best as I can tell, William is replacing Sydney in Stones At The Alter, as Sydney wasn't credited by name in recent posts focused on that band. At Doo & The Boyos' first two shows, including a Beck's return in March, Stones At The Alter (who were unnamed for gig #1) played the third and final set, and from what I have gathered, Douglas isn't in the heavier sister group. Also, according to their Facebook group, S@TA will headline at Beck's Bar all on their own on Saturday, November 21st!

We'll know more soon, I'm sure, but it is interesting to see two new sister bands launching basically simultaneously, especially with their lineups comprised mostly of unknown commodities as far as SMS coverage goes! SATURDAY's Boyos/S@TA joint concert at Jay's is at 9:30 PM, November's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ with no cover charge. See above for more details! As far as I'm aware, there's no public videos of Stones At The Alter proper yet. Their sole video on their Facebook group appears to be part of a Boyos song and only focuses on Sydney, though note that Doo & The Boyos do perform some of Douglas' own original music.

Next up, who is playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than fellow new hard rock band 5 Dollar Bribe, who will also be making their debut there over the long weekend! Like with Stones At The Alter, 5 Dollar Bribe cut their teeth at Beck's, and they have been making waves with their talent levels and unique setlist choices, and the guys were actually spotlighted in this Soo Spaces (SooToday's social media platform) article by Andrew Stuetz on May 5th. It goes into detail about the members' upbringing and path towards becoming musicians (I didn't know at least one band member lives in Bruce Mines), and while there's no massive scoops, they did tease that they are "getting ready for some summer shows". Good write-up, give it a look above! While 5.D.B. and S@TA are taking over Jay's this weekend, 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Beck's later this month!

In today's other LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, they'll play a special Wednesday night concert at the former Vibe Lounge on May 27th! Why it's mid-week, I have no clue, but this is a band on the rise, so don't miss Jayce, Randy, Tyler, and Chase in just under two weeks' time! Like with Stones At The Alter, expect a 9:30 PM start time tomorrow at Jay's and 9:00 PM at Beck's on the 27th, and both shows should be 19+ (5 Dollar Bribe members' own ages acknowledged) with no cover. Visit the Beck's show's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview of tomorrow's concert, here they are live at Beck's last month!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, and while it's not a long weekend there, a big show descends upon (well, in the basement of) Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street featuring newer local hardcore punk trio Viscera on SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their second show at the restaurant in a two week span (and their second with new bassist Chris Lovins), this will have more of a genre spread than the prior show there, as Viscera will be opening for two non-heavy touring acts in their apparent local debuts. One is local/Detroit electronica project Priority Waste (give them a listen on Soundcloud) and the other is Scanners, a drone/shoegaze band from Grand Rapids, so while metal/punk content will be lacking for the headliners, there sure is a unique mix of sounds here that you rarely even see on the Canadian side of the border! This is promoted by Serious Business, who have put on most of the eclectic multi-band E.U.P. shows of the mid-2020s (here's their Instagram page).

This 18+ concert goes down on Saturday night at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door. This should be an intriguing concert with the sounds you'll get to experience at Pizza Hut, and with Viscera planning a couple of out of town dates ahead (details forthcoming), who knows when you'll get to see them in the Soo next? Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Viscera live in January!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pet Retina & 5 Dollar Bribe), Convergence Videos, And More Recent Notes!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert(s?) in this weekend's concert previews, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished played at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino last night. The band only announced the show yesterday morning, noting that "it's last minute for us too", and while unstated there, they were late replacements for St. John's country veterans The Louie Longoria Band following the passing of Louie's brother, as per their Facebook page. I do not know if Tarnished played at the casino on Friday also, but kudos to the guys for filling in late, and hopefully the show(s?) went well! And of course, our condolences go out to the Longoria family at this time.

Today's news post otherwise features some new videos and assorted recent updates, but let's lead off with two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month in Sault Ontario, and we'll start with new local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, who will play their second public concert on Friday, May 15th at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Another trip to the west end for this promising young group, who received a strong reception for their matinee debut at Beck's Bar last month, but unlike that concert, this Victoria Day long weekend show will be in Jay's usual 9:30 PM timeslot, so how will 5.D.B. go over at the former Roosevelt Hotel? Find out next weekend, but give their ample videos from the Beck's show a watch on their Facebook page to see what Jayce, Tyler, Randy, and Chase bring to the table! This is a 19+ show (5 Dollar Bribe members aside), I do not yet know who is playing on Saturday the 16th, and there is no cover. Visit the above links for more details on their sophomore gig!

Next up, Victoria, B.C. noise rock duo Pet Retina and drummer Max Patterson's solo project i.o will make their return to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday, May 27th to play at Piecing It Together Shows' pop-up venue in their last concert of the 2025-2026 season! As the former Dryer Fire have done a few times in the past, P.I.T.S. have rented a vacant space to serve as a short-term host venue since September, this time at 331 Wellington Street West (beside Angela Le Fashion and across from Bruni's Fine Foods). A nine month residency is pretty good, but in that span, Nicole and crew haven't really dipped into hard rock or punk territory aside from open mic hosts, so this will be a party to cap off their Steelton stint! Pet Retina & i.o last came here in May of last year to open for Shae Tull's album release party, and this will be Pet Retina's third local stop, and i.o's fourth. Should be some explosive sets of minimalist noise ahead, so keep this one in mind!

Local support will come by way of local comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (more on them soon) and new local experimental group A.D.H.D. (who I still know nothing about). This all ages concert goes down in just over three weeks at 8:00 PM with advance tickets going for $15, but as of this writing, the online ticket link is not live. Visit the official Facebook event page for updates in that regard, but the door charge will jump to $20. The event page also notes that no one (will be) turned away for lack of funds. Should be a fun and diverse capper to P.I.T.S.' pop-up run on Wellington Street West, despite the mid-week scheduling, so see above for more details!

Also today, here's the latest from local progressive metal quartet Convergence's YouTube channel, where they have been surprisingly active in the past month posting there like it is Facebook, even though you basically have to be subscribed to them to not have to seek the posts out yourself. Of note, they launched a poll last week asking for fan input on a new original song name, giving the options "Cooked/Chopped", "Ultraluminari", "I Hate My Day Job", and "Erode". Assuming these aren't joke titles, this confirms that their long-gestating self-titled album will have new originals and not just re-recordings and holdovers from their instrumental era, but if you want to pick your favourite name, do so above! Along with "new content, new music, and some heavy surprises on the way", three new vertical "Shorts" videos were posted there as well as on the band's Facebook page, so what can you see therein?

One is a vertical clip taken from Stephen's vocal tracking from their behind-the-scenes video from last month, so if you want the full upload in widescreen and without a "This chorus hits different" caption hard-coded on the video, watch that instead. Another just reuses the same promotional Soo Blaster video used in other "Shorts" seen on social media, this time following a jumpscare (with a warning, at least). Embedded below is the only new "Short", which gives us an alleged glimpse at what the band members hear in their in-ear monitors when recording their music. Amusing while it lasts, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Convergence 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:

 

• Some Facebook users may have seen a "Story" video shared from The Speak Easy's Facebook page showing newer local ska punk band A.S.D.P. playing at Friday night's Write-Ups concert there, but alas, as a "Story", I could only watch it once before it vanished forever, despite being the first public A.S.D.P. video that I have ever seen online. You'll have to take my word for it that the vertical video showed a second guitarist (wearing a Vanity First t-shirt) playing with Adam Smith Death Parade, but I didn't immediately recognize him, nor do I know if he was a new permanent member or just a guest. We'll let you know if something is confirmed!
• In a quiet announcement on his Facebook page on April 23rd, local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary announced that the first single from his new album will be released to major streaming services on June 5th! The song is named "Carousel", and while I can't go back and check due to Mike delisting most of his back catalogue, this appears to be a re-recording of a song of the same name that he included on his 2018 EP "Hourglass" and its full-album expansion "Weight Of The World" (which I reviewed at the time). Stay tuned for the (re-?) release next month!
• At this year's Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards, Dustin Goodall has received his third nomination for Outstanding Engineer for his work producing local death metal trio Pillory's new album "Old Soul"! Dustin was previously nominated in this category in 2024 for producing both The Northwest's last EP and Handsome Sandwich's first album. He does great work at Unsalted Audio, so congratulations to Dustin and the other nominees! The winners will be announced on June 20th, and fellow local musicians Crystal Shawanda and Kalle Mattson have been nominated in other categories,

 

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

New Videos From Convergence & 5 Dollar Bribe!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran local guitarist, luthier, and guitar tech Gregory David Wilson, who passed away on Monday at the age of 69, following a lengthy battle with cancer. Read his obituary on SooToday at this link. Greg is survived by his sister Greta, brother Jay, and nephew Wade, and he was a proud pet parent who frequently shared photos of his orange tabby cats Chloe and Buddy on social media over the years. While Greg's credits as a performer in bands and in concerts are not in easily accessible supply in 2026, he was a very talented guitarist who made his mark with numerous local musicians over the years via his work in Gregory David Wilson Guitarworks, where he fixed, restored, customized, and sold guitars and basses of many kinds, and also helped local musicians on their concert setups and other musical inquiries.

Cremation has taken place already at the O'Sullivan Funeral Home, and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family requests that memorial donations be sent to the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society or the Sault Area Hospital Foundation's Cancer Care Fund. While not a musician myself, I admired Greg's work with guitars, I always looked forward to his cat photos, and I actually sold him some guitar strings and related gear that I had won in a contest many moons ago. The reach and influence he had with so many local musicians from multiple generations is extremely evident, and our best thoughts are with the Wilson family at this time. R.I.P. Greg!

Today's post otherwise looks at some recent videos from Sault Ontario bands, and we'll start with progressive metalcore quartet Convergence, and after posting some amusing (if vertical) Facebook videos re-contextualizing clips from their new song "Gemini" with unrelated viral videos, they uploaded a behind-the-scenes "Inside The Chaos" video to their YouTube channel on Monday, featuring a look at the work that the guys are putting into the album, which has officially been renamed "Gemini" (as their planned third instrumental EP would have been) rather than its prior teased name "In Bloom". The video is helpfully broken into chapters and features hard-coded subtitles added in post-production. In order, you see singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio tracking vocals, guitarist Brendan Christie mixing songs at their own Woodward Avenue Studios and tracking his own guitar parts, a look at their studio gear, ...

...fellow guitarist Jake Valois going into the writing process for the album (with some amusing imagery), and drummer David Peredun discussing the songwriting process in voice-over while he drums on screen. Of note, David actually moved to Southern Ontario in recent months to further his own career and make new connections, but he is still in Convergence, is still working on the album, and he explained that they are making gigs work when he can return home. While a little piecemeal in its layout, this is an informative video that shows a lot while also not giving much away, and I really liked the tracking clips at the start, so give this a watch below!

Finally for tonight, let's wrap up our look at the videos publically shared to new local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe's Facebook page from their matinee debut at Beck's Bar on April 4th! For our coverage of the band's two own videos and what three other attendees shot, check yesterday's post. The venue's own Facebook page posted a (sadly) vertical video from that night featuring 3 minutes of highlights from the day's sets, though the cuts are very quick, and some snippets only run for around 10 seconds. In order, you will see the guys covering Weezer's "Say It Ain't So", The Presidents Of The United States Of America's "Lump", Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike", Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears", Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You", Alice In Chains' "No Excuses" (with bassist Randy Lundigran on lead vocals), and Pink Floyd's "Money". Only the first two songs are unique here, and were not among what other uploaders shot.

I do wish that these clips were all longer (if not separate videos outright), but Becky(?) got some good close angles despite the orientation! The Ozzy cover got the most time among the highlights here, and you can see how impressed the attendees to the side of the stage were with the band/guitarist Tyler Greely's solo, and the pan shot of the audience gives a good interior view if you haven't been to Beck's since it opened last year (next weekend is their one year anniversary, even). Give their 5.D.B. video a watch below!

The other three videos were uploaded by Randy's dad Chad Lundigran for his personal Facebook page before the band shared them to their Facebook page. Unfortunately also shot vertically and all running for under a minute each, Chad filmed Five Dollar Bribe covering "Money", the Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You" (what a pull for a band this young!), and as embedded below, "No Excuses". Randy sings lead on "So Into You", for the record. It's good to get a longer look at the A.I.C. cover, and their talents are on good display here for a successful first go at the public stage, so check out Jayce, Tyler, Randy, and Chase's other new Beck's videos above & below!

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

5 Dollar Bribe Concert Video Showcase!!

How does another single-band post sound, especially another one relating to a recent concert? As you may recall, new high school-aged local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe made their public concert debut on Saturday, April 4th in the matinee timeslot at Beck's Bar that is usually reserved for acoustic acts, and if you missed that gig, never fear, as a lot of videos were shared to their Facebook page. Too many for one post, even! Before we get to the videos that were shared from attendees or other pages, the band proper uploaded two of their own videos the following day, namely covers of Silverchair's "No Association" and, as embedded below, the System of a Down version of Black Sabbath's "Snowblind". Kudos alone for covering a Silverchair song, especially one besides "Tomorrow"! Guitarist Jayce Albury sings on both of these covers, and doesn't play guitar at all on "Snowblind".

I don't think that cover is a particularly good choice for Jayce's vocal range, but these are well performed musically, and the camera work is good to capture the guys in action, even if both videos are only around a minute long each. It's unfair to assess their stage presences for show #1, especially at their ages, but hopefully they do loosen up more in time to match their clear talents. Give 5.D.B.'s first official Facebook videos a watch above & below!

Next up, the first videos that the band shared from external sources come from attendee Stephanie Goudreault's personal Facebook page. In a batch post also including a photo of the guys on stage, she included videos of Five Dollar Bribe covering Alice In Chains' "No Excuses" and, as embedded below, Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears". I went with that to embed because the "No Excuses" cover is vertically shot, focuses primarily on drummer Chase Chapman, and runs for only 39 seconds. Jayce (not on guitar again) struggles to hit Ozzy's high notes, but these covers are solid from what we hear with strong guitar work from Tyler Greely, so check them out above & below!

Chase's dad James Chapman filmed and uploaded the next videos to his personal Facebook page before the band shared them, and while his videos are (sadly) all vertical, he did upload eleven of them, including a handful of full songs! James filmed 5 Dollar Bribe covering System Of A Down's "Lost In Hollywood", the ending of The Queens Of The Stone Age's "In The Fade", 90 seconds of The Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song" (with bassist Randy Lundigran on lead vocals), Staind's "Raining Again", Primus' "Too Many Puppies"(!), Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You", the second half of "No More Tears" (with Tyler leaving the stage to play the solo on the floor), 82 seconds of 3 Doors Down's "Loser", 31 seconds of Title Fight's "Numb, But I Still Feel It", 83 seconds of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids", and as embedded below, Pink Floyd's "Money".

Jayce plays guitar on all songs here except "Lost In Hollywood", while Randy handles the Daron Malakian vocals on that song, plus the Mark Hoppus verses on the Blink-182 cover. Even with the non-ideal aspect ratio and sometimes partial videos, there's a lot to see here, and you can not knock the band's range at all. When's the last time you heard a local band cover Primus, and if you were to name the ten most likely Q.O.T.S.A. or Staind songs for a local band to cover, would what 5.D.B. picked be among them? For me, I can't say they would! Not every song here is necessarily my thing for genre preferences, but the performances are sound, especially for their debut, so give these a look above & below as well!

Fittingly, let's wrap things up with videos from James' wife/Chase's mom Jodi Chapman, who uploaded largely the same videos to her personal Facebook page as James did (no idea if one/both were the actual filmer), but her batch of videos does include unique content, including a handful of photos and two unique videos that were 100% not in James' batch post. These (also vertical) videos include a longer look at Five Dollar Bribe's "Snowblind" cover, and as embedded below, Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike". Randy does struggle to hit Chris Cornell's vocal range on the latter, but it's another promising look at what could be a key cog for the future of the local scene, so check these out above & below!

There's four more videos from two more filmers that we will get to in an upcoming post, so stay tuned for that soon, but if the above videos are any sign, the kids are alright! That's all for now, but look for much more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Sky Pilots), A New Local Band, And More Recent Updates!!

I hope everyone is having a good Easter Sunday! Whether you could call a new SMS post an Easter treat is debatable, but I do have a new news post to check out, including new videos and updates from two bands featuring Fitswitch alumni, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the E.U.P. next month, and leading off, a new addition to our Sault Ontario band links, so here's what you should know, whether you'd found your Easter eggs or not!

Fresh off of their live concert debut yesterday at Beck's Bar, we can now add new local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe to our active band links, as they have launched a Facebook page! They were already on Instagram and TikTok, but neither platform is as feature-rich and intentionally designed for usage as a formal band page. There's not much on their Facebook page yet, but a video of them covering 3 Doors Down's "Loser" at Beck's is floating around on personal Facebook accounts. While they have more unexpected band choices in their repertoire, how often to you see 3 Doors Down covers locally? It is a well done cover if you can find it, and R.I.P. Brad Arnold, of course. In terms of new public content, 5.D.B. did post some new "meet the band" images on Instagram where you can learn more about the members' favourite bands (Tyler pulls some real deep cuts!) and other roles.

Their only new video since we first spotlighted Five Dollar Bribe on the SMS is embedded below, where half of the band do a comedy sketch to promote the matinee gig at Beck's and a contest to win an official band t-shirt (had you liked and tagged the post on Instagram or TikTok, you'd have been entered for a chance). Fun for what it is, so give it a watch below, and we'll have more from 5 Dollar Bribe when it goes live!

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Next up, here are those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Munising, Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will return to our area for concerts on Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 30th at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! The only brand new hard rock-leaning shows announced in either regional Kewadin branch's entertainment pages through the next two months, these will be The Sky Pilots' first St. Ignace shows since early November, though I must profusely apologize, as they also returned to The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie for concerts on March 13th and 14th, as per their Facebook page. I've gotta keep better tabs on The Sky Pilots, especially as they played in the E.U.P. five times last year, and they are fronted by former Electric Motor Fish/Swayze Train singer Melissa Strand, so I am sorry for missing last month's gigs, but I hope they were a huge hit!

Of note, last month's shows were actually the Pilots' first concerts of 2026, regardless of locale. Next month's shows do not fall on the Memorial Day long weekend, which is the week prior this year. As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, these are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on what should be a fun weekend of old school rocking covers from this talented U.P. band!

Also today, here's an update from a band that we haven't talked about on the SMS in months, namely Sault Ontario/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT! There is a reason why updates dried up from their camp, and while I have not seen an official public statement about what happened, what I would characterize as "sudden personal differences" arose in mid-December, and I'll leave it there pending 100% public word from the band about their future or lack thereof. Their last show (to date?) was at C.W. Coop's in Barrie on December 13th where they opened for Pale Horse Ritual, and what happened internally arose before they could post a recap video from that show or their November 14th gig with Anvil in Delhi. However, I did find something brand new that I'm surprised that the former Jack Spades never promoted, as they featured on a live album last year! Fans will know that Spades frequently travelled to Meyersburg in Southern Ontario for the annual Spiderfest, which is the basis of this Bandcamp-exclusive album.

The "name your price" album "Spiderfest 2024 RP001" was released on June 11th, and it features one live cut each (in performance order) from the 2024 festival lineup, with past local headliners Random Killing, The Ripcordz, and The Bunchofuckingoofs among the 23 included bands. This rendition of "Succubus" from 2023's "Sewer City Radio" features the band's summer 2024 lineup, including then-new guitarist Matthew Voros and the soon-to-depart James Roy Daley on bass. Strong (if quick) performance with really nice recording quality across the board, so give this punk compilation a listen above, and we'll let you know if Spades GT clarify their status publically!

We'll close today with new videos from local doom/sludge duo The Spaceship Opening's Facebook page! One of the videos features an off-camera Andrew MacDonald testing his new bass cab, and while the musicality of it is debatable, he is getting deep powerful bass out of it (ask what appears to be a burned out match midway through!) The other video is another live recording from the same concert seen in their first two official public videos (which is apparently "all we have" as of Friday). I did want to clarify as to what event their three performance videos actually came from, as the event took place before I could verify The Spaceship Opening's sound/genre. This was a fundraiser for the Sault Theatre Workshop on November 29th, where they and DJ Seith opened for comedy rock band The Floor Between Us, who also headlined a show there the previous day with a different opener lineup.

No word on who November 28th openers A.D.H.D. are, but that name alone will make it hard to look them up! Kudos to all involved for supporting the Sault Theatre Workshop and their programming, and you can see videos of The Floor Between Us that weekend on their new Facebook page! As for The Spaceship Opening, this video actually features Andrew on vocals, so they're not an instrumental-only band. It is a little faster and punkier than their prior two songs, but it's hard to get a sense for Andrew's vocal capabilities, as he sings in a relative monotone that, while well suited to alt-rock, may not show his full range. Not a bad drum-and-bass number, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Andrew & Ralph!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & HeadF1rst) And Easter Weekend Concert Previews!!

The Easter long weekend is shaping up to be quiet for hard rock-leaning concerts, but we do have a packed post, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a surprise band breakup announcement, all at the same venue, no less! I also want to mention that Maynard Hayes bassist Gabrielle Abulencia's graduation recital from the Algoma Conservatory of Music (which is a public concert) takes place tonight at The Loft, so click here for details on what to expect, and congratulations in advance! Now, here's what you should know for full rock concerts this weekend!

Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will play their "final bar concert" on SATURDAY NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday. The band revealed that they want "to announce this band's retirement", and while they did not elaborate on a reason for the decision, "they say (that) all good things must come to an end, but the music lives on forever". The wording (in combination with what members said on personal Facebook postings) does leave the door open for a further farewell concert not at a bar, but the finality implications are there regardless. It is worth noting that guitarist Raine Rancourt posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week looking for a bassist for a new project that he is working on with (former?) Handsome Sandwich singer Taylor Emlaw and an unspecified second guitarist & drummer, but I don't know how related that new band is to HeadF1rst's fate.

This news is extra surprising because members of HeadF1rst had just served as the opening night judges for the returning Shooters Downstairs Lounge Talent Quest karaoke competition on Sunday, but their activity had slowed down over the winter, playing just three (mostly short notice) nightclub gigs since the beginning of December, not counting THIS SATURDAY. Originally spelled as HeadFirst, this group became a highlight of the local rock scene since their mid-2023 launch, which saw them release two albums, play at Rotaryfest Stage 2 and Toystock twice each, hit the road as far away as Sudbury, and open for touring bands like Avessel, Blood Opera, and Woodhawk, so they packed a lot into a sub-3 year run. HeadF1rst are a talented group of guys (and girl) who had a nice classic influence on their originals and cover choices, and it will be sad to see them disband, but you have at least one more chance on SATURDAY!

Despite the bittersweet nature, this is a standard SATURDAY NIGHT concert at the former Vibe Lounge, with a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. Between Raine's new band, Red's also-new project Bards With Beards, and the talent that Liam, Claire, and Anthony have, I'm sure we'll hear a lot more from all involved soon, but visit the above links for more details on HeadF1rst's swan song (at least for nightclubs) on SATURDAY! For a preview, here they are live at Rotaryfest last year!

Next up, that's not all for late notice Beck's Bar gigs of a heavier persuasion this weekend, as prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his acoustic solo act back to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for a matinee show on Easter SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this gig was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday (as was the HeadF1rst show, albeit without referencing their breakup). Making his second live appearance since he finished healing up his broken pinky finger, SUNDAY's matinee show will be Tym's first at Beck's since ending his 2025 slate there on December 28th. Not Tym's most frequent venue in the mid-2020s, but it's good to see him back here after three+ months, so keep this one in mind if you want some early Easter SUNDAY entertainment! Given his increased focus on his faith in the 2020s, Easter is good timing for a concert too!

As usual for SUNDAY shows at Beck's, this is a 3:00 PM matinee gig (running until 7:00 PM) with a 19+ age limit and no cover.If you missed Tym's return show at The Dive, then welcome him back at Beck's on SUNDAY to cap off the long weekend! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this show, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

We'll circle back to SATURDAY to wrap up this post, albeit with a show that did get advance notice before Monday, as new local hard rock quartet Five Dollar Bribe will make their live concert debut in Beck's Bar's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot before HeadF1rst's concert that night! A change in protocol from acoustic matinee acts there, this reminds me of when Reggie's Place hosted another high school-aged hard rock band (One Shot) in August, but I haven't heard a peep from One Shot since that weekend. In Five Dollar Bribe's case, their lineup includes singer/bassist Randy Lundigran, singer/guitarist Jayce Albury, guitarist Tyler Greely, and drummer Chase Chapman, and you can check out current media via their Instagram and TikTok pages. From what I have seen of this band so far, they have a nicely developing sound, a sense of humour, and an eclectic cover range, with bands from Alice In Chains and System Of A Down to Hum and Dinosaur Jr. cited, among others

It will definitely be interesting to see how they go over, and the next generation will be the mainstays of the scene's future, so don't bypass them! Remember, Five Dollar Bribe aren't "opening" for HeadF1rst on Saturday, the two bands have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart, but you can hang out to see both if you like. As with Tym Morrison the following day, Five Dollar Bribe are up from 3:00-7:00 PM on Saturday with no cover, and I'm not sure if this will technically be 19+ given their ages & the timeframe. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's 5.D.B. live!

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That's all for now, but stay tuned for more on the SMS soon, perhaps including more previews? Thanks everyone!