Our Extended Preview Of Toystock XII!!

Today's post is solely devoted to our extended preview of the twelfth annual Toystock, which goes down TOMORROW at The Grand Gardens North! Held annually since 2012 (the 2020-2021 pandemic hiatus aside), this special holiday concert event sees ten bands in ten hours donating their time to support Christmas Cheer, and as usual, donating for the cause is how you enter! Admission is via donating new toys, gently used puzzles, games, and/or books, new gift cards, mitts, scarves, hats, grooming items, or cash (nothing was said this year about non-perishable food). While The Grand Gardens is licensed and the bar will be open, Toystock is absolutely an all ages & family friendly event, and activites like face painting, arts & crafts, temporary tattoos, a play zone, and Christmas ornament decoration will be available along with the live music, and Santa Claus himself will stop by at 3:00 & 6:00 PM tomorrow, so I hope everyone has been good!

Yes, the Stuff-A-Bus will be on site once again. Visit the official website for complete non-musical details! Now, which ten bands will fill Toystock XII's ten hours? As usual, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 (fronted by promoter Greg Simpson) will headline at 9:00 PM in their record eleventh appearance at the event, and all kudos to them and their colleagues for putting on this wonderful event once again! After playing the past two years in indie rock quartet Skinbox/The Haze, Steve Edwards & Brad Irwin have snagged the 8:00 PM co-headlining slot tomorrow for their new successor band The Reeves, where they are now joined by Long Shot alumni Adam Dawe & Jeremy Ganuelas. Time will tell how The Reeves sound compared to members' prior bands, but you can be the first to find out tomorrow at The Grand Gardens! At 7:00 PM, attendees can check out Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band on what wil be a big day for them!

Playing their second Toystock together and their first local gig since they rocked the Downtown Plaza in September, tomorrow will also be the release date of the alt-hard rock band's brand new live album "Under A Moonlit Sky", which was recorded that night. Mike and crew are donating proceeds from purchases and streams of the album to Christmas Cheer, which is a fantastic idea and well timed, so consider helping out whether you're at Toystock or not! Some of Mike's bandmates will play the prior set, as guitarist/backing vocalist Elly McWatters will front her country cover band The Drifters at 6:00 PM. Local country cover veterans Out & Out Country (featuring former Bone Yard drummer Ric Datson) will take the stage at 5:00 PM, and it is neat seeing Ric back at Toystock after three years away! Also debuting at Toystock tomorrow are indie rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous at 4:00 PM.

Notably, this will be Jupiter Marvelous' first show after the departure of guitarist Jacob Quarrell (formerly of Mike Haggith's band and Bad Chug), whose farewell gig with them is actually tonight at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Taproom. Best of luck to Jake in his next endeavours! Hard rock quintet and 2023 Toystock performers HeadF1rst will rock the Great Northern Road events hall at 3:00 PM, as preceded by cover rock quartet Separate Wayz (featuring singer Nicole Thibodeau alongside Soundcheck and Obsession alumni) in their Toystock debut at 2:00 PM. Debuting local blues/classic rock band Sunday & The Broken Hearts (replacing Redundant) will rock Toystock at 1:00 PM, and while not a lot is known about them yet, hopefully Jason Gasparetto & crew deliver a solid cover set for fans in the afternoon! Your openers tomorrow are online page-less blues rock quartet The Associates at 12:00 PM.

The Associates are back from 2024 and are this year's annual music school/store representatives, with Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville bookending tomorrow's band schedule as such. Musically, there's a lot to like this year, including six Toystock newcomer acts and a nice array of sounds for all tastes, so hopefully there's a great turnout with lots of quality Christmas Cheer donations! There's many needy families that will be extremely appreciative. Visit the above links for complete details on Toystock XII, here's Bone Yard 225 live, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), Related News, And Toystock Lineup Updates!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to profusely apologize for forgetting to preview Hornepayne classic/hard rock quartet Damage Case's concert at Soo Blaster on Saturday night in this weekend's concert previews. How that slipped me by, especially given the homecoming of bassist Will Tholberg, I'll never know, but note that 705Live Sound Co.'s Facebook post about the show from yesterday morning erroneously implies that the show was last night (it was 100% one night only on Saturday). Hopefully Will and crew had a great show, and that they come back our way in the near future! 

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end 2025 by headlining the New Year's Eve party on Wednesday, December 31st at The Moose Lodge at 543 Trunk Road! Definitely an unexpected locale for "the dirty three", but The Moose Lodge has sporadically come up as a concert host for SMS purposes, most recently when Soundcheck played for Terry Eaton's Great Northern Opry induction in June 2023, and prior to that, in 2015. Curiously, Bone Yard have yet to publicize their involvement in this event on their own social media, but this is Toystock week, so they are definitely pre-occupied getting that rolling (more on that in a bit). This is a proper ticketed 19+ New Year's bash, complete with a cash bar, dinner, and more seasonal frivolities, so definitely keep tabs with the lodge for full details on how to ring in 2026 in style! As such, tickets run for $50 and you can buy them at the lodge or by contacting lodge535@shaw.ca.

Bone Yard proper take the stage at 9:00 PM, but doors open at 6:00 PM with dinner at 7:00 PM. This should be a fun event with all of the year-end frills you'd hope for (especially at that cost), so visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's last concert of the year! While we're on the subject, let's touch on some other recent Bone Yard updates while they've been taking a pre-Toystock break from the stage! As you may recall, a flash mob of over a dozen women dressed like Helen Roper from Three's Company showed up when the guys headlined at Reggie's Place last November, and the gang of Mrs. Ropers made their way to their Esquire Club show on November 8th! Your photo proof is on the left, courtesy of their Facebook page. What the end game of the Mrs. Ropers is, who's to say, but it's fun for classic sitcom fans! Two days later, they announced that their single "Fuck!" has been re-released on major streaming services with a new name.

Whether it will retain this name on their forthcoming CD, I don't know, but on Spotify and such, it's now called "The F Word", possibly in response to the title getting flagged for its blatant expletive. Nothing else has changed, but keep the new name in mind! A Facebook video that same day shows Greg Simpson playing a.... unique pair of drums, while this vertical video from five days later teases that they were "back at it", and based on the B.T.O. song as backing music, "takin' care of business". implying that they were recording in studio again. Later that day, guitarist Alex D'Ettore and bassist Warren Reville starred in this video where they teased that they "re-did something" while Greg was hunting, but they didn't want to send it yet because Greg was asleep at the time. I assume this relates to their album, but I'm sure we will see what they meant in due course!

Most other updates weren't directly related to new band activity, though embedded below is a video shot the night that the Mrs. Ropers brigade crashed their Reggie's show last year, and it features Greg and Alex trying out hula hoops at 2:00 AM after the show ended. Fun palate cleanser for sure, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from your local 225!

We'll close today's post with clarifications (if not 100% ones) on the two mystery bands playing at the twelfth annual Christmas Cheer benefit concert Toystock at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday! On Thursday, organizers began sharing info on their Facebook page on "the 10 bands of Toystock" in scheduled performance order, which meant that Saturday's post was about the debuting Sunday & The Broken Hearts (the late replacements for Redundant). Toystock proper haven't said anything about band lineups yet, but the band is reportedly an "old-school rock & blues outfit" that plays "smoke-drenched blues, soul-soaked 70's R&B, and rock & roll" with "the spirit of the vinyl era". Shares of the post imply that Eight Seventies/Dark Eyed Junko singer/guitarist Jason Gasparetto will be leading this group, but we await fuller details. Likely not hard rock-leaning, but there should be lots of talent here! Now, how about The Reeves?

They won't get their "10 bands of Toystock" write-up until Friday, but personal Facebook postings suggest that The Reeves are successors to 2023-2024 Toystock performers The Haze (f.k.a. Skinbox), with singer/guitarists Steve Edwards (ex-Pixo Control) & Brad Irwin (ex-Gnaeus) now joined by bassist Adam Dawe and drummer Jeremy Ganuelas, who were the rhythm section of mid-2010s hard rock quartet Long Shot. The Haze were an indie/alternative rock band, so will The Reeves lean to that, or members' heavier past band work? We'll know more soon! Stay tuned for more on Toystock in our preview this weekend, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock XII!!)

The full lineup for the twelfth annual Toystock has been announced, so what should you know for this year? This annual Christmas Cheer benefit concert will return to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road on Sunday, November 30th for a ninth straight installment, and like in every year since 2012 (the two year pandemic hiatus aside), ten bands will again donate their time for a ten hour marathon of live music for the cause, with Christmas Cheer donations (toys, gift cards, gently used games/books, non-perishable food, new winter clothing, and/or cash) being the entry fee to come on out. Like in past years, there will be a mix of family entertainment and kids activities on site, as well as the Stuff-A-Bus, an appearance from Santa Claus, and more, while the bar will be open if you are so inclined. Visit the official Toystock website for further details on the non-musical side of this special event! Now, who all is playing at Toystock XII?

Five bands are returnees from past Toystocks, while there are five newcomers to the festivities, as listed on their website's music page. As usual, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are your headliners at 9:00 PM, having played every year besides 2013 (when frontman/organizer Greg Simpson instead played with other bands of his). It goes without saying, but kudos to Greg & Kerry for the work they do annually for Christmas Cheer by putting this huge show on! Co-headlining at 8:00 PM are a mystery band named The Reeves, who I have precisely zero information on. Does the name reference small township mayors, or the last name, or something else entirely? We'll let you know when we learn more! Though only listed as "MH", the 7:00 PM band is clearly Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band in their second straight Toystock, and Mike & Brandan's third if you count The Din's 2016 set, so don't bypass their original rock tunes then!

New local country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters (featuring multiple members of The Big Finish Band) will make their Toystock debut at 6:00 PM, as preceded by veteran cover quintet Out & Out Country at 5:00 PM. Notably, this will mark the return of drummer Ric Datson to Toystock for the first time since he left Bone Yard at the beginning of 2022, so while in different projects, it is cool to see him share a bill with Greg & Alex again! Indie rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous will also rock Toystock for the first time at 4:00 PM, preceded by hard rock quintet HeadF1rst (who played this event in 2023 before putting the 1 in their name) at 3:00 PM. Newer local cover rock quartet Separate Wayz (featuring Soundcheck alumni Terry Eaton, Jim Michaud, and Steven Flint plus singer Nicole Thibodeau) will make their Toystock debut at 2:00 PM, though we still don't know what they play and how similar they are.

Local punk trio Redundant (who have only played at Toystock since they returned from hiatus in 2023) will make their fourth appearance at this event at 1:00 PM, which will presumably also be their second show with their current bassist. No word on why we don't see them out there for other events anymore, but it's always good to have them back! Filling the annual slot for a band representing a local music store, online page-less blues rock quartet The Associates (comprised of Long & McQuade staffers) will return from last year to kick off Toystock XII at 12:00 PM. Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville will thusly bookend the festivities by playing in the first and last bands, so keep that in mind as well! Note also that two bands who played in both 2023 & 2024 are not back this year, namely pop rock cover quintet Bourbon Blue and the now-inactive indie rock band The Haze (née Skinbox).

Another stacked lineup of talented local musicians stepping up to the plate to help support Christmas Cheer and families in need over the holidays, so absolutely visit the above links for much more on everything that's going down at The Grand Gardens next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison, Dodge This, And The Isolation Sessions!!)

A busy final concert weekend for March 2025 is upon us, so much so that I'll have to hold our previews of this weekend's previously announced Generations and Headrush concerts for our next post. Don't worry, they are coming, but this post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know, starting with a surprise band reunion at a special charity event!

Local acoustic hard rock band The Isolation Sessions are back and will play their first ever public concert at The Grand Gardens Downtown (the former Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters) TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band's involvement was only confirmed via the official Facebook event page on Thursday. The event in question is Helping Hearts For Helping Hands, a fundraiser being held by Sault College's social service worker program's 2025 graduating class for Sault Ste. Marie Helping Hands, a local non-profit that donates basic and household items for those in need. For this special event, a dress code of red, pink, and white is suggested, and there will be food from The Grand Gardens on offer, as well as live music. The Isolation Sessions (a side project of hard rock quartet Half Past) had been inactive for the past four years after only previously offering up at-home covers from 2020-2021 during the first year of the pandemic.

No word on how their lineup will look, but Half Past singer Jordan Rains and bassist Arthur Lacasse (on guitar) should still be involved. In their original run, they were joined by guitarist Todd Kidd (who isn't in Half Past) and the late Chris Thompson on drums. TONIGHT'S other musical performers are DJs, namely Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson and DJ "Dark" Mark Millington (last seen on the SMS at Toystock last fall), who is in the social service worker program himself. Cash only activities will also be offered TONIGHT, including a silent auction and door prizes. While there is an early 6:00 PM start time in effect, this is sadly a 19+ event. Admission is via $15 tickets at this link and presumably at the door, while $10 support tickets for those who are unable to attend in person have sold out. Sounds like a great event is in store for supporters of both Helping Hands and the SSW program, so keep it in mind for TONIGHT!

Gotta be honest, I didn't have an Isolation Sessions reunion on my 2025 bingo card (their original run seemed like something that only the early pandemic could have fostered, and members focusing on full live bands since made sense), but kudos to Jordan and Art (and crew?) for supporting these worthy causes, and hopefully there's more in store from The Isolation Sessions in the months ahead! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S Helping Hearts For Helping Hands, here's Jordan & Art from The Isolation Sessions in their original run!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover duo Dodge This will bring their acoustic live show back to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday, and the venue has not posted a March concert calendar on social media that I have found. Last seen two weeks ago at the Up & Down Lounge on Second Line West (at least TOMORROW'S show got a few days' notice!), this will be Dodge This' first show at The Water Tower Pub since early February. Hopefully things go smooth for Jason and Jamie (and Jeff?) as they rock this popular central venue again TOMORROW! You can enjoy Dodge This' often heavy range of covers TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Finally for this post, local acoustic classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club at 246 Wellington Street West for three more solo headlining matinee gigs THIS SATURDAY and then for two more Saturdays on April 19th & May 3rd! Apologies again for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, all three were only announced via their batch Facebook event page on Tuesday. Tym had just debuted his solo unplugged show at the Eagles Club two weeks ago, and clearly that show went well for him to get re-booked there thrice, including the April 19th show over the Easter long weekend. If you want to see Tym somewhere other than Misty's Fifties, maybe a trip to Steelton for his talented covers on SATURDAY or beyond will do the trick! All three of the new shows at Aerie #3991 are at 2:00 PM with no cover or announced age limit. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Headrush and Generations previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst & Exit 808) And I-500 Weekend Concert Previews!!

With January coming to a close, let's wrap up the month and begin February at the same time with weekend concert previews! Due to the amount of shows this weekend, I'll hold this weekend's Bone Yard 225 and Curtis McKenzie shows for tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Sault Michigan hard rock cover band Exit 808 will return to The Merchants Bar TONIGHT as entertainment during the West Spruce Street nightclub's participation in this year's International 500 snowmobile race's annual pub crawl! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this special Thursday nighter on their Facebook page last week. Last seen at The Merch around Halloween, this will be Exit 808's third public gig of 2025, and despite the late notice, things should be hopping TONIGHT as pub crawlers make their away to thirteen local bars and nightclubs, so if you want to participate in the action across the Soo TONIGHT, click here for more details on who and where is taking part! Thursdsy scheduling during the I-500 weekend aside, this seems to be a traditional concert, so look for more double vocalist-led hard rock covers at The Merch TONIGHT to kick off a very busy few days!

The only apparent hard rock-leaning concert during the pub crawl proper, TONIGHT'S Exit 808 show has a 21+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details on Exit 808's concert proper and the pub crawl TONIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario briefly, as local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will reportedly return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, with returns also scheduled for Saturday, March 1st and April 12th! Again, apologies for the short notice on THIS SATURDAY's show, all three shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page this morning, and HeadFirst themselves have not corroborated the bookings on their own social media at press time. Last seen at Shooters early last month, their show on SATURDAY will be their first local date of 2025, and third period following their trip to Sudbury earlier this month. Hopefully this proves to be a fun night of hard rocking covers and originals from this talented young group, and helps set their year off on the right foot! Remember, Shooters has hosted DJ nights on Fridays since the start of last year, so these are all one-nighters.

The Dennis Street nightclub has also teased having drink specials, "food features" (the kitchen will be open late), and promos/surprises of some kind, so keep all of that in mind on SATURDAY! These three shows are all 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst live!

Staying in Sault Ontario for an event that did have advance notice, here's a special charitable event going down TOMORROW NIGHT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will headline the Alzheimer Society Sault Ste. Marie & Algoma District's 40th annual Making Memories Matter fundraiser at The Grand Gardens! Listed as a "private event" on the concert calendar on Silent 9's website, Making Memories Matter XL will see Silent 9 rocking the night away for a great cause, while attendees will also be able to take in a silent auction, cash bar, dinner, cocktails, and a "silent disco" (dancing to music played through headphones so as to not disrupt other events). This will be Silent 9's first publically attendable concert of 2025, beating their Bon Soo gig by a week, but it is a pricey one, as tickets are $60. Remember the charitable aims and all the included frills for that money though, let alone how bad Alzheimer's disease is.

This event starts no later than 5:30 PM (when cocktails are served), but Silent 9 give their start time at 9:00 PM on their website. Contact the Alzheimer's Society if you want advance ticket before tomorrow's festivities, and hopefully they and Silent 9 have a great night to help raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer's disease! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Silent 9 live!

Finally for this post, we'll return to the aforementioned Merchants Bar in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will round out the busy I-500 weekend with concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While Exit 808 get the short notice honours at The Merch for TONIGHT'S pub crawl, this is obviously a very busy tourism weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, and The Merch definitely leans into it. Beyond the concerts, they're hosting the annual I-500 breakfast on Saturday morning, and I believe they will be showing the snowmobile race on TVs there if you'd rather tune in there as opposed to outdoors in the cold at the oval. The race starts at 10:00 AM and runs about eight hours, so Saturday's concert would effectively be an afterparty if you're so inclined (there are bands at Kewadin Casino too this weekend, where the closing ceremonies and awards and such are given out, but not hard rock ones). With the cancellation of their Cedarville show two weeks ago, these will be Unfortunate Sun's first shows of the year.

Hopefully the Fake Chow successors' hard rock cover attack goes over well with what should be sizeable crowds of locals and tourists alike for the I-500 weekend, so don't miss out on all of the action at The Merch! Like with Exit 808 TONIGHT, tomorrow and Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 & Curtis McKenzie previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9 And Mike Haggith & The Din), Plus More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin today's post, yes, I am very aware of the rock radio bombshell that dropped in Sault Ontario yesterday. Let's just say that I've never listed to 104.3 FM so much in my life, and I'm taking a lot of notes towards full coverage on the SMS in a few days! Now, this post features the conclusion of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, but first, here's two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month!

Some of you may have heard about the recent passing of Spades GT guitarist Daniel Horton's mother Joy MacMillan, and the GoFundMe campaign to help put on a proper celebration of life for her. Well, the celebration of life will indeed take place on Saturday, January 25th at the Holiday Inn Express (click here for details). This strikes the SMS' radar though because the day's events will be capped off with a public concert at The Dive Gastro Pub, and it will feature a one-off reunion of Mike Haggith & The Din, plus acoustic sets by former Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie and Dan's former Jack Spades bandmate Rob Speers! Joy was a warm and positive presence in her son's life, including his local band work in the 2010s, hence why musicians would wanna honour her in this way. While not 100% clarified, the Din reunion appears to be of their 2013-2014 acid jam/improv lineup that featured Daniel and Curtis backing Mike up.

As such, this will be Daniel's first local concert appearance since Spades GT opened for Josey Scott in August 2023, and the first Din-branded public set since the later power pop version's 2018 reunion gig. Despite the sad circumstances, this is a fun array of local musicians, so don't miss Mike, Curt, and Dan (and Rob) honouring Joy in a fitting way! My condolences are absolutely with Daniel and family too, and having lost my mother in 2020, I know the feeling all too well. The concert at The Dive will have a cash bar and refreshments, and it is a 19+ event likely starting at 9:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and R.I.P. Joy!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will rock The Grand Gardens on Friday, January 31st when they headline the Alzheimer Society's 40th annual Making Memories Matter fundraiser! This event will also see a silent auction, cash bar, dinner and cocktails, and a "silent disco" (where you dance to music played through headphones), but Silent 9 are your headline act in their first announced concert of 2025. Alzheimer's disease is a huge and important cause to fight, so kudos to Silent 9 for helping out at month's end! While all ages with a 5:30 PM start time, admission for Making Memories Matter (listed as a "private event" on the band's website's concert calendar) is $60, which is a lot, but consider the charitable aims and what else is being included at the event proper. Visit the above links for more details on how to attend Making Memories Matter, and stay tuned for more on Silent 9's 2025 concert slate!

Now, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and we'll start with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations, who will hit Gateway Casino for the first time this year TOMORROW NIGHT! One week removed from leading off their 2025 slate at The Water Tower Pub, tomorrow's one-nighter will be Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre's first gig at the downtown casino since rocking out there just before Halloween. No costumes tomorrow, but you'll get a nice array of classic and hard rock covers from this veteran foursome, so keep this show in mind if you want some live rock n' roll! If you can't make it, they'll be in the west end at Jay's for two shows next week (three counting their Valerie-less turn as jam night hosts). Generations will take the stage tomorrow at 8:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally, here's a special SUNDAY nighter at The Distraction featuring three acts making their first live appearances of 2025, with local crossover thrash/hardcore punk quartet Hails headlining! Three weeks after their planned December 21st show there was abruptly cancelled, Ha!ls will return to the former barbershop on East Street for their first live date since before Halloween, and they should unleash the fury after a couple months away! In a very encouraging surprise, Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors will make a very rare cross-border appearance by an E.U.P. band in Sault Ontario as co-headliners. They're talented kids who won the inaugural Lake Superior State University battle of the bands in 2023, so don't bypass them, and who knows what could be in store if this goes well? Former Redundant/Scary Uncles bassist Andrew MacDonald's new space rock duo The Spaceship Opening will kick things off in their second live date.

No word yet on what they play, let alone Andrew's bandmate, but hopefully they launch some social media pages in this new year! This is an ALL AGES concert starting at 8:00 PM on Sunday, and admission is via a "$20 or pay-what-you-can" model. Some advertising included directions to the back door to get downstairs to the basement venue space The Stellar Door, but not all of the promotion is that specific, so I don't 100% know what floor the show will be on. Be prepared regardless! While this is on a work/school night, punk fans will have a blast on Sunday, let alone with the unique cross-border set, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Hails live!

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

Toystock XI Concert Preview!!

Here's our extended preview of TOMORROW's eleventh annual Toystock, as ten bands will again rock The Grand Gardens on Great Northern Road in a ten hour span in support of Christmas Cheer! As has been the case annually since 2012 (a two year pandemic hiatus aside), Bone Yard 225 singer/drummer Greg Simpson is hosting this huge charity concert tomorrow via GS (née Maxx) Entertainment, with admission via donation of new toys, games, books, winter clothing, gift cards, or cash. With the Christmas season well and truly almost upon us, any aid that you can give needy families for the season is more than appreciated. Kudos to Greg for keeping Toystock going into its second decade, and here's hoping for a great turnout tomorrow! Bands aside, expect children's activities & crafts, visits from Santa Claus, an open bar, and more, so be sure to visit the official website for full non-musical details on Toystock XI tomorrow!

The lineup for this year's Toystock features ten bands in ten hours once again, all donating their time for the cause, including five returning bands from prior years. Headlining once again at 9:00 PM tomorrow are the aforementioned Bone Yard 225, in their ninth consecutive Toystock set and tenth total, both records. Greg, Alex, and Warren should end things strongly with their southern hard rock cover attack! Alt-rock quartet The Haze (née Skinbox) will co-headline tomorrow at 8:00 PM in their second straight year at Toystock, while Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville will pull double duty by playing with blues rock quartet The Associates, who you may remember seeing at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in July. This band is also filling the "music school/store representative" quota this year, as The Associates are entirely made up of staff & instructors from Long & McQuade, so if you go there for gear or lessons, they'll be extra familiar tomorrow night!

Veteran classic rock band Mid Life Crysis will surprisingly make their Toystock debut tomorrow in the 6:00 PM timeslot, while pop rock cover quartet Bourbon Blue will ride the momentum of this weekend's shows at Jay's when they play Toystock for a third straight year at 5:00 PM. Mark "DJ Dark Mark" Millington will make his Toystock debut as a scheduled performer at 4:00 PM, after working with Greg on on many different events for the past decade. I believe this is the first time that a DJ has been one of the "ten bands in ten hours", so it'll be interesting to see how Mark's set goes over to end the first half of the night! ! Local punk trio Redundant will play just their third show since the pandemic began when they play Toystock for a third time at 3:00 PM, last being seen at this event last year. Things have definitely slowed down in Redundant's camp, but hopefully this is a good sign for more from them to come in the year ahead!

Fresh off of rocking The Soo's Got Talent finals last night (results/recap forthcoming), Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band will play Toystock for the first time at 2:00 PM, Mike & Brandan's 2016 set with The Din acknowledged. It's always good to see Mike rocking a local stage, and hopefully this set is a big hit before he returns to Barrie! Toystock XI will open with two acoustic solo performers, including Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver in his second solo appearance at this event, playing a country set here in 2019 on the day that he debuted with the band (remember, Soundcheck proper are not playing this year). The day's program begins at 12:00 PM with local blues veteran Doug Cousineau, who has donated a guitar to be given away, but the "who" and "how" of this giveaway will be revealed tomorrow! Remember, Toystock is an ALL AGES event, so feel free to bring the kids for the music and entertainment!

It is wonderful to see Greg and crew hold Toystock once again, and while it is a long day, it's all for a great cause, as there are a lot of needy people and families in the Soo who could use help, both day-to-day and towards providing their loved ones with a great Christmas. If you can make it down with donations, you'll get a solid day of entertainment, so consider heading to The Grand Gardens for all of the action! Visit the above links for more details, here's Bone Yard 225 live, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Toystock XI!!)

The eleventh annual Toystock goes down on Sunday, November 24th, and the official lineup was just revealed yesterday on the event's Facebook page! Held annually since 2012 (with a pandemic hiatus in 2020 & 2021), Toystock is the annual Christmas Cheer benefit concert event spearheaded by veteran local musician Greg Simpson, where attendees donate new/gently used toys, cash, unused gift cards, and cold weather clothing items to see ten bands in ten hours, and it's become something of an unofficial winter Rotaryfest given its similar performers in many years! Of course, lots of family activities, visits from Santa & Mrs. Claus, open bar/restaurant, and more will be in effect as usual, so visit the official website for full and ongoing non-musical details. As has been the case since 2015, Toystock XI will be held at The Grand Gardens at The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road, though this year, Toystock will take place before the American Thanksgiving.

Each year, ten local music acts donate their time to perform at Toystock, and the "ten bands in ten hours" conceit is back in full force, including five new acts and five returning ones, so who all is playing next month? As expected, the headliners at 9:00 PM are local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 in their record tenth appearance at Toystock (only missing 2013 when Greg played with other bands of his instead) and their first year since tacking "225" onto their name. Yes, we'll have more on their three shows this weekend on the site soon! Local alternative rock quartet The Haze (who played last year's Toystock under their original name Skinbox) will surprisingly get the co-headlining slot at 8:00 PM. Playing before them at 7:00 PM are The Associates, the online page-less blues quartet who you may have seen at Rotaryfest Stage 2 back in July, and who also feature Bone Yard bassist Warren Reville in their ranks, so Friday Night Blues-goers will approve!

It's worth noting that, while not named for Long & McQuade, the members of The Associates are all staff or instructors at the MacDonald Avenue music store, continuing an annual trend of Toystock booking a band comprised of students or staff of a local music store/school since 2013. Classic rock cover veterans Mid Life Crysis will (believe it or not) be making their Toystock debuts on the 24th at 6:00 PM, while pop rock cover standouts Bourbon Blue will make their third straight Toystock appearance at 5:00 PM. In a change of pace, Mark "DJ Dark Mark" Millington (who has worked with Greg/Maxx Entertainment in various events for the past decade) will mix some tunes in the 4:00 PM timeslot, and it'll be interesting to hear how he goes over next month! Local punk trio Redundant will play their first show since last year's Toystock (and third set at Toystock overall) at 3:00 PM.

No word on why Redundant have been so quiet in recent years, with this being just their third show of any kind since the pandemic began, but hopefully Justin, Andrew, and Rick have a great return (again) next month! Local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band will make their Toystock debut at 2:00 PM, though Mike & Brandan played at this event back in 2016 with The Din. Good to see Mike booking another local date this year, and yes, we'll have more on The Soo's Got Talent soon! Acoustic acts will open the day at Toystock XI, including Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver (who also played solo country covers at Toystock in 2019) at 1:00 PM, and veteran local blues rock musician Doug Cousineau at 12:00 PM in his solo Toystock debut. Conspicuous by their absence this year are Soundcheck proper, ending a streak of five consecutive appearances at this event.

Toystock is, as always, an ALL AGES event with plenty of kid-friendly activities in store, so consider bringing the family to kick off the Christmas season right next month! It's great to see Greg and crew bringing Toystock back into its second decade, and hopefully they have another great turnout for attenance and for donations to Christmas Cheer to help those in need at a difficult time. Definitely visit the above links for more details on all of the action at The Grand Gardens next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Dragonfly Run, Wax Mannequin, And The Fixer Concert Previews!!

(Updated on Sunday at 12:38 AM) Let's finally wrap up this weekend's concert previews after five posts on this very busy penultimate weekend of the summer months! Just as a reminder following yesterday's ARCH Run preview, I will not be taking sides or elaborating on the schism between the Dragonfly Run and Jay's Piston Broke Pub (leading to the launch of today's ARCH Run), but if you want to read the Dragonfly Run's side of the issues, click here. Regardless of what happened between both sides, both are benefits for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice and any support that we can give ARCH is more than welcomed, no matter how you do it!

Now, TOMORROW'S motorcycle rally/concert is the annual Dragonfly Run (rebranded from the Ride For ARCH last year), which has moved from Jay's to The Grand Gardens on Great Northern Road, which is also the homebase of Toystock (both events share common organizers). This event will feature a motorcycle rally starting and ending at The Grand Gardens from 1:00 PM onwards, while there will be family friendly activities, vendors, a silent auction, and games inside and outside throughout the day, plus a pasta buffet, so be sure to visit The Dragonfly Run Facebook page for complete non-musical details! In terms of bands playing tomorrow, all will be inside The Grand Gardens a'la Toystock, and while there will only be three bands, all have 90 minute sets so you'll get to see more of them than you otherwise might at a community festival! Veteran classic rock quartet Mid Life Crysis have been bumped up as headliners at 7:30 PM.

As such, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 now have the middle set at 5:00 PM. In their second charity motorcycle-related concert in a four day span (following the Cruisin' The Dub bike show on Thursday), Bone Yard should be in good spirits to cap off a busy stretch in terms of getting the new look Dragonfly Run put together, and hopefully they rock the house as only they can! Alt-rock band The Haze (who played one of their first sets at last year's Dragonfly Run under their old name Skinbox) will kick off the day's musical program at 2:00 PM. Entry is by donation to this ALL AGES event, unless pledging to take part in the motorcycle rally, and things run in person at The Grand Gardens from around 1:00-9:00 PM aside from the rally registration beginning at 11:00 AM. The bands will be indoors, but for the sake of the outdoor activities, the forecast has 24-27° temperatures with sunny-mostly sunny weather and no chance of precipitation.

It sure looks like Greg, Alex, Warren, and crew have got a great event in store for the community, be you a rider, music fan, or just want to enjoy some family entertainment, and ARCH is extremely deserving of any help that you can give it, so consider biking down to The Grand Gardens for the second Dragonfly Run tomorrow! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Next up, there's more SMS-amenable concert action taking place TOMORROW NIGHT at two downtown venues, and we'll start at Soo Blaster, where two female-fronted metal bands from out west will make their local concert debuts! Thunder Bay gothic metal quartet The Fixer are the headliners here, and with their dark but melodic brand of original material getting some decent buzz so far in the 2020s, they should leave a strong impression on local fans tomorrow! Joining them on tour and in the Soo tomorrow is Winnipeg metal quartet Indigo, whose sound is a touch heavier with some harsher screaming thrown into the mix, so don't bypass them at Soo Blaster either! Your local support here are death/thrash metal trio Pillory in their Soo Blaster debut, their first show in Sault Ste. Marie proper since 2019, and just their second show of 2024 following their long awaited reunion. Not everyone was able to travel to Leeburn last month, so hopefully Pillory get many heads banging as they continue their reintroduction to local fans tomorrow night!

Another concert brought to us by promoter Mikhal Muto (fresh off his Southern Ontario road trip with Hails), this stop on The Fixer's Love & Misfortune tour is ALL AGES with an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Metalheads will definitely be curious to check out this concert, even on a work/school night, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Fixer live!

Finally as we wrap up one of the busiest non-Rotaryfest concert weekends I've ever previewed, we'll head to The Whisky Barrel, where Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo act Wax Mannequin will play the Soo for the second time in under three weeks TOMORROW NIGHT! While definitely not a regular occurrence, the conceit of a touring band playing here twice in both directions on a tour is not unheard of, and this is an example of that, with Chris Adeney bringing his creative hybrid of indie rock subgenres with some punk and metal sounds back to a local stage eighteen days after returning here for a public show at "Adrian's house". Despite this show being at a formal venue, it is a smaller deal, with just Wax Mannequin playing, but it is FREE (though tips are welcome!). It is a 19+ affair and it also starts at 8:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Wax Mannequin live in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this month!

Uploaded by promoters Piecing It Together Shows to the event page (nice to see a public embeddable video as opposed to a "Story"), this minute-long, square-dimensioned video from the outdoor show at "Adrian's house" features Wax Mannequin playing their original song "Sick Boy", which has quite evocative lyrics as Chris plays along to a backing track. The audio quality is great, and it's a shame that more videos from the show weren't uploaded (not counting vanishing "Stories"), but if you liked what you saw on August 7th, or want to see what the fuss is about, head to The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street tomorrow night as Chris makes his way back home!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for formal news and notes to resume on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: End Of Existence

It's time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, and in this month's spotlight feature on a local metal, hard rock, or punk band from the past (randomly selected as ever), we're heading back over a decade for a look at a prominent and partly local metal band featuring many familiar faces. Here's what you should know on them!

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End Of Existence

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/Grand Rapids, Michigan

Genre: Epic/Death Metal

Lineup:

Bob "JagerBob" Helsten (Integrated System Of Machines), vocals
Steve Giles (Theatre Of Night), guitar/iPad effects/studio bass
Bryan Kindel, bass
Greg Giles (Theatre Of Night), drums
Craig Harrison (Theatre Of Night), keyboard

Audio/Video: End Of Existence released their self-titled and only album to digital platforms on February 29th, 2012. To this day, the album is still available on Apple Music and Amazon Music for streaming and as an mp3 download, so if you want to hear what the guys cooked up 12 years ago, stream it there! A cover of Johnny Cash's "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" was among their minimal material not featured on the album. Unfortunately, all of their YouTube videos were made private when drummer Greg Giles rebranded their YouTube channel after his own solo art company Giles Arts, so public videos from their run are limited today. Here's one of their few surviving public videos, for their song "Sun Is Gone"!

Info/Analysis: A studio-only band who were spiritual successors to the mid-late 2000s local metal band Integrated System Of Machines (albeit after some members moved to Grand Rapids), End Of Existence were launched by the Giles brothers in 2009. The band regularly posted and promoted their original material throughout the early 2010s, with their full lineup coming together in August 2011. Despite singer Bob Helsten's departure at the start of 2012, End Of Existence released their album with him on vocals at the end of February, and soon afterwards, they announced plans to find a new vocalist and change their name, encouraging applicants to sing on demos on their Reverbnation page. Nothing publically came of this, and End Of Existence announced their own end of existence in April 2013, with the Giles brothers and Craig shifting focus to their side project, classical metal band Theatre of Night, though Greg left in 2014.

Steve & Craig continue that project to this day, and they re-issued five E.O.E. songs as an instrumental Theatre Of Night EP in 2021, while Greg has also re-posted their material on Giles Arts social media pages. Whether you got into End Of Existence via I.S.O.M. or not, they stood on their own as a suitably heavy and grandiose band with strong musicianship, effective harsh vocals, and a some good atmospheric qualities above the technicality, and it is a shame that they didn't last longer or play live, let alone that their material isn't as available today as it once was. Buy or stream End Of Existence's surviving media above!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series returns on or around June 10th for a profile of a band that is proof that I randomly select bands for this series. Next month, we'll return to Sault Ontario for a look at local/Ottawa hard rock band Bad Chug, who we just featured on the site in March via an also-randomly picked YouTube Channel Profile. Hopefully when the focus isn't around their videos, things will be fairly distinct three months later, so look for that then, and for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!