LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, Headrush, and Tym Morrison) Plus New Half Past Videos!!

It turns out there was a lot more going down on this first concert weekend of 2026, so let's spend most of today's post going into that via some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, three of which are on SHORT NOTICE! To round things out, we have some new videos from a recent New Year's concert, so here's what you should know on this Friday night!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will kick off 2026 with their debut appearance at The Full Throttle Saloon TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was quietly announced on the band's Facebook group on December 23rd, which slipped by me at the time. After taking December off, this will be the first gig from Headrush (not HeadF1rst) since ending November at The Esquire Club, and will be this veteran group's first public gig at the Full Throttle Saloon, the 256 Wellington West venue previously known as The Primavera Hall. If you're up to escape the snow at this new-ish Steelton nightclub, then don't miss the Johns, West, Gino, and Frank there TOMORROW NIGHT! This one-nighter has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Headrush live last year!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will also kick off their new year TOMORROW NIGHT with a one-night-only concert, in their case at The Water Tower Pub! Again, apologies for the short notice, they too first announced this show via their Facebook page on December 23rd, though it got much less follow-up promotion on social media than Headrush's concert, and at press time, The Water Tower Pub has yet to post a January concert calendar on social media (they didn't post one at all last month, and no word on who's playing there tonight). Double Down were last seen at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, December 14th, though not Saturday the 15th, as they quietly confirmed on their Facebook page that they had to cancel the following night's show. They didn't directly specify why there, but if memory serves, major snow hit the Soo that day. Better safe then sorry, of course! The guys last played at The Water Tower Pub on November 22nd.

Notably, that Water Tower gig was their last one with a fill-in bassist (Alex White that time) before Dan Beaupre quietly returned for last month's Jay's concert, so if central concert-goers have missed the full lineup, keep TOMORROW'S show in mind! As usual for the Great Northern Road nightclub, expect a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and an 8:00 PM start time. See above for more details on Double Down's 2026 debut, and here they are live!

Also newly confirmed is the return of local acoustic classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison for his first solo shows of 2026, as he has confirmed a bunch of Saturday matinee dates through May at Misty's Fifties, starting TOMORROW! Apologies again for the short notice, Tym only announced TOMORROW'S show with the rest of them in this batch Facebook event page on Monday. We'll hold the last two May shows for now, as no other heavier-leaning acts have gotten that far ahead yet, but you can see Tym back at the Second Line West staple TOMORROW and next Saturday, before taking a week off from Misty's. He'll return there on January 24th, February 7th, 21st, and 28th, March 14th & 28th, April 4th & 18th, and May 2nd, so keep all of the above dates in mind if you his well produced solo covers and extensive setlist! Of the Misty's bookings listed above, only one falls on a holiday long weekend (the April 4th show is the day after Good Friday). These are all 4:00 PM matinees with 19+ age limits and no cover charges.

The only other new booking from Tym (so far) will see him return to "The Naughty Corner" of The Dive Gastro Pub for his first nighttime gig of 2026, which will be on (Think It Over) Thursday, January 15th. If the lack of a Misty's gig on the 17th disappointed you, maybe this will make up for it a bit! Tym doesn't play at The Dive with anywhere near the regularity of his Misty's shows, but hopefully this 19+ and 9:30 PM show with no cover goes over well also in two weeks! Visit that show's Facebook event page and the above links for more on Tym's busy start to the year, and here he is live!

We'll close today with new videos from last year (technically), as there's footage on Facebook from local hard rock quartet Half Past's New Year's Eve concert at Beck's Bar to check out! Three videos are publically circulating, with one being shared to the band's Facebook page from Headrush bassist John Amendola's personal Facebook page (his son Johnny is Half Past's drummer), and it sees them covering Godsmack's "Keep Away". Not a band you see covered often locally, but the guys have a good handle on this single, and John's camera quality is really nice, especially when he gets closer to the stage! The lighting really accentuates the drumkit more than anyone else (John can't have minded that!), but the venue was nicely dolled up for December 31st revelry! Beck's Facebook page also uploaded two videos of their own from Wednesday night, one of them featuring a 17 second vertical snippet of their cover of Weezer's "Hash Pipe".

Unusually, the video was put into a post-production filter where it's tiled to look like four physical photographs, two in monochrome. I guess it's a way to give some zest to a vertical video, but I wonder if they shot more of this cover? It's one of my favourite Weezer songs, and it was filmed from a unique angle with frontman Jordan Rains walking into the crowd with a lot of quick zooms! Embedded below is Half Past covering Alice In Chains' "Would?" with guitarist Alain Fletcher (a.k.a. "Flex"?) helping for the backing vocals. Strong cover Jordan pushing his vocal range well, and the lighting better suits the stationary camera here, so give this video and more from Wednesday night a watch above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post and more on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadF1rst & The Nameless) And New Year's Eve Concert Previews!!

In what will likely be our last normal post of 2025 (our annual "year-in-review" post is likely coming tomorrow), here's previews of tomorrow's known hard rock New Year's Eve concerts, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Just a reminder first though that Tym Morrison's planned Eagles Club show tomorrow was cancelled. Also, you may have seen reference on social media to a New Year's bash featuring The Apocalypse Afterparty, A.D.S.P., The Spaceship Opening, and Gimiiwan Ikwe, but that is a private event without a publically given address. Inquire with performers if that piques your interest though! Now, let's lead off with our New Year's Eve previews in Michigan!

Local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will end 2025 in style by making their debut at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley TOMORROW NIGHT for their New Year's Eve party! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via their Facebook page yesterday, and Bay Mills never acknowledged a New Year's concert on their website's calendar, though head there to see what other seasonal activities are happening there. Last seen on stage at The Merch on December 12th, TOMORROW's concert will be quite a way for Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie to make their first ever Brimley stop, and while no festive frills are hyped on the band's end, hopefully this will be the heaviest way for E.U.P. rock fans to ring in 2026 with! Owing to the New Year's timing, this show has an unusually late start time of 10:00 PM, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's The Nameless live!

Next up, let's take a brief detour from New Year's concerts for a new show announcement for 2026, as Sault Ontario hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will play their... first show of the year at Beck's Bar on Saturday, January 10th! If this show is a surprise to you, I'm not surprised, as it was quietly tucked in their most recent Facebook page posting from this past Saturday, which was primarily to show off photos of them at the same venue back in June. You have to click "See more" to see the show announcement, and while they never did come back for "round 2" in this calendar year, the guys (and Claire) will return next weekend! This will be their first concert anywhere since rocking Shooters on December 6th. HeadF1rst's hard rocking brand of originals and covers will be on display next Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and Beck's should confirm things on their end on Monday!

Now let's head back to New Year's Eve concert previews, and while the mid-week timing of December 31st this year has stunted some concert booking potential, Thursday is a day off, and there are a couple more hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario to take in TOMORROW. Arguably the bigger of the two goes down in the east end, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end the year in style by headlining the New Year's party at The Moose Lodge tomorrow night! A very rare SMS-amenable booking at the Trunk Road hall, this will be Bone Yard's first show in almost two weeks, and they should be in fine form to send 2025 out on a high note! Along with music from "the dirty three", there will be a pasta dinner and cash bar included, along with other seasonal frills, so mind all that given that tickets cost $50 at The Moose Lodge or via e-mail at lodge535@shaw.ca.

The band's own cache of tickets is sold out, and of course, you can chance paying at the door if this all interests you. If you'd rather see your local 225 with no cover, they'll be back next month with multiple bar gigs that we will be elaborating on here shortly. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the pasta dinner beginning at 7:00 PM, and Bone Yard take the stage at 9:00 PM. If you want the full shebang for your New Year's festivities, then head down to The Moose Lodge tomorrow night to ring in 2026 in hard rocking style! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for TOMORROW NIGHT (and 2025), local hard rock cover quartet Half Past will end the year when they headline the New Year's Eve party at the aforementioned Beck's Bar! Playing their first concert since rocking the same venue in early October, this will cap off what was an eventful first full year back for Half Past after their decade+ breakup, and hopefully their brand of modern-leaning "hard rock (that) you'll actually feel" proves to be the right soundtrack for many to ring in 2026 with! In terms of seasonal frills, Beck's is promising drink specials tomorrow, and while I'm not one to go into massive details on the food offerings and menus at bars here, this is the first Beck's concert that we have covered since they struck a deal for the Matt’s Grill BBQ & Catering food truck to park on the premises daily from 5:00 PM-1:00 AM. Keep that in mind if getting a meal or some unofficial hors d'oeuvres for the New Year is of note! Here is the menu if you are curious. 

Unlike at The Moose Lodge, the New Year's Eve party at Beck's has no cover charge or tickets, but this remains a 19+ event with the band beginning at 9:00 PM, and note that the former Vibe Lounge will remain open until 3:00 AM, one hour later than normal. Hopefully there's a strong turnout at Beck's for their first New Year's bash, let alone Half Past's modern hard rock proficiency, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Half Past live at Beck's! 

That's all for now, but if all goes according to plan, stay tuned for our 2025 "year-in-review" post on the SMS next, with normal weekend concert previews to follow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Half Past, Quite Frankly, And The Guilty Party!!)

Today's post takes us to a slate of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for early next year, so here's what you should know as the year slowly winds to a close!

Local hard rock cover quartet Half Past will end 2025 with a headlining New Year's party concert on Wednesday, December 31st at Beck's Bar! Announced via their Facebook page back on December 2nd (apologies for the delay), this will be their first concert since rocking Beck's in early October, and their third at the former Vibe Lounge since debuting there in April. It is reasonable to assume that there will be some level of holiday frills for New Year's Eve, but as Beck's wasn't a thing in 2024, we don't know exactly what Becky and crew have in store to ring in 2026 with. We should know more by Monday, when the venue typically announces the week's entertainment schedule on Facebook, and this includes the potential for a cover charge if things are fancier. At press time, the show has no announced cover, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's head across the border for Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's first E.U.P. gigs of the new year, as they'll headline at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next weekend, on Friday, January 2nd & Saturday, January 3rd! Last seen there over the Halloween weekend, it will be good to see Jeff & crew deliver their old school hard rocking covers for local fans once again, especially as next week's shows will be their first anywhere of 2026, so don't bypass them if you'll be in the area! Meanwhile, they'll make their first St. Ignace stops of the year over the Valentine's Day weekend for three shows from Thursday, February 12th to Saturday, February 14th! The reason for the added Thursday booking is because Peril are playing at The Northern Pines Lounge to coincide with the annual Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships, taking place at Chain Lake nearby, with Kewadin hosting some official events on site.

Readers may recall that Peril's sister band Scarkazm rocked the St. Ignace Kewadin on this busy weekend in each of the last two years, so why not let Peril have a turn? All five of Peril's upcoming shows (as announced via the concert calendar above on their Facebook page) have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on their and Scarkazm's U.P. gigs in the first quarter of 2026!

Back in Sault Ontario, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party will kick off 2026 when they rock Reggie's Place on Friday, January 2nd and Saturday, January 3rd! The Facebook event page for these shows originally had them playing a one-nighter at Beck's on January 3rd, but the venue was quietly switched out on Tuesday for unannounced reasons. After a relatively quick start to their run as a band in the fall, these will be Brent, Terry, and Jim's first public concerts since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub last month, and will mark the first public hard rock-leaning bookings at Reggie's since Bone Yard 225 played what they said would be their "last weekend playing there" in October. It has since came out that owner/namesake Reggie Daigle has resumed management of the 458 Queen Street East nightclub after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure there ended, so Bone Yard's finality hints about their last shows there must have reflected Randy's control of the day-to-day operations and/or a possible issue with Reggie himself.

I won't speculate, but it is only natural to see Reggie running Reggie's, and The Guilty Party's presence does hint that they're not going back to a 100% country music rotation like in years gone by! Read more on the new/old Reggie's on their Facebook page, though most updates so far relate to the menu. Note that prior hints of a female special guest for The Guilty Party on that Saturday were not kept when they revised the write-up on the Facebook event page (though that doesn't mean that she won't be present, whoever she is). Expect a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and a stay tuned for more concerts & updates from The Guilty Party!

Finally, also newly confirmed for next month is fellow local classic/hard rock quartet Quite Frankly's first date of the new year, as they'll debut at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, January 17th!  After playing their first show since their lengthy hiatus at Beck's Bar late last month, this will be just your second chance to see Quite Frankly 2.0... or is that 3.0? Just four days after announcing this show on their Facebook page, the band confirmed that Blind River singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W. has replaced Haley Alopaeus on lead vocals, so this will be her debut with the band. It will be interesting to see how Linsaey fits in with Frank, Harley, and Joe, let alone how she compares to Haley (and Jack from their original run), but you can be the first to find out mid-way through January! Remember, The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on Fridays and Saturdays, and this will be a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. Visit the above links for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pillory & Half Past), An Inactive Band Note, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this news post, just a heads up that Curtis McKenzie did not play at The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday despite announcing the show on his Facebook page. Curt confirmed that "an accidental scheduling conflict" was to blame, but I don't know if it was on his end or the venue's (though note that The Dive never publically announced a Saturday musical act on their Facebook page). Disappointing for fans, but he will be back at The Dive before you know it, check back in our next weekend concert preview wave for proof! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and other recent assorted updates from Sault Ontario bands!

Local hard rock quartet Half Past will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, October 11th! While we just saw them open for Napoleon at Soo Blaster earlier this month, this will be this talented veteran act's first solo headlining concert in five months, so they must have been among the local covers-leaning bands who took a summer break. It's good to see Jordan, Alain, Arthur, and Johnny back in their element as four-set headliners at a local bar, and hopefully this Thanksgiving long weekend concert is a big hit! No word yet who is playing in the Saturday matinee slot that day, Beck's will no doubt announce it on Monday the 6th, but remember that Beck's hosts DJs on Fridays. This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Should be a fun time for hard rock fans in the west end, so visit the band's Facebook page for more details on this concert!

Next up, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will indeed release their full-length album next month via a CD release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday, October 25th! The album will be named "Old Soul" (apologies for erroneously giving its name as "Old Stone" last week), and it was recorded earlier this year at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall. Pillory plan to release the album on major streaming services on October 27th, but concert attendees will get to buy it on CD two days early, and a vinyl pressing is also in the works. Fans will have heard the likely songs from "Old Soul" dating back to their late 2010s rebirth as a death metal act, and it will be neat to hear them fully realized, especially 12 years after their demo EP "Cringe At The Cross" came out, so come on down to Soo Blaster next month to check everything out! Support will come by way of progressive metal quartet Convergence and crossover thrash quartet Hails, so expect a very heavy night of local metal!

Admission for this presumably all ages concert will be $20 in advance through band members and at Soo Blaster "within the next week", and the door charge will jump to $25. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more from Pillory and this album as it rolls in!

Also, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being skate punk trio Vanity First. We have not heard a public update from them since they headlined a free barn show just outside of Thessalon on September 21st of last year, past our one year inactivity threshold. Since then, guitarist/vocalist Mikhal Muto, drummer Keeghan McAllister, and occasional late-era guitarist Carmen Muto (Mikhal's cousin) have focused on playing in the aforementioned hardcore punk/crossover thrash band Hails, with singer/bassist Brenton Ellis in place of Vanity First frontman Andrew Beggs. Known simply as Vanity until March 2022, they debuted in 2020 and became a reasonably prominent young punk band as we emerged from the pandemic, releasing a self-titled demo in 2022 followed by their studio album "Identity Crisis" in the summer of 2024. Fans may recall seeing them open for bands like Leash, Inconsistent Me, and Rent Strike in the early 2020s, along with multiple headlining dates.

It's fairly obvious now that everyone (sans Andrew) have moved onto Hails as their primary band, after they co-existed with Vanity First for most of 2023 & 2024, and while Ha!ls are a heavier band on average, there is obviously shared DNA there. Don't bypass them if you miss Vanity First, and while I hope we haven't heard the absolute last of that project, best of luck to Andrew and Nick in their next musical outlets as well!

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

 

• SooToday's Brandon Walker got a picture of local alternative/punk supergroup BookcluB's set at Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest street party on Saturday for this article on the event, confirming there that the band played as a quintet sans guitarist Brandon Ruch. It was already known that Brandon moved to Barrie earlier this month, but he did come home to help BookcluB open for Forever Seger, so it remains to be seen if that was his farewell with the band or if he will keep coming home for BookcluB shows when able. We'll let you know if something is said about their second guitarist slot, but hopefully the Oktoberfest set was a hit!
• In the newest video from the aforementioned Ha!ls' Facebook page on August 22nd, guitarist Carmen Muto is seen playing through their original song "All Systems Go" from their new self-titled album. I'll hold comment on the song pending that album's review next month, but Carmen shreds beyond his years in this clip, as fans will be well aware, so if you like Ha!ls' ferocious original attack, give this playthrough video a watch above! Unfortunately, Facebook content matched the studio recording that Carmen played along with in the video, so I can't embed it here.
• Online page-less metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad have quietly added The BAG frontman Spencer MacGillivray as their new lead singer, replacing Justin Pregent, as confirmed via the artist profiles on the Facebook event page for December's Broke & Hungry benefit concert at Beck's Bar. A reason for Nadj's departure wasn't announced, but remember, The Sault Side Squad don't have an online page to announce lineup changes with. I don't even know when Spencer joined, but note that The BAG haven't issued a public update since opening for Virvum in July. Hopefully all is well with Justin, but based on what I know of The S.S.S.'s setlist, Spencer will fit in with them well going forward!

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

Local Hard Rock Video Showcase!!

Let's dive into a video-heavy new post at the SMS, which includes live videos that I missed from two big concerts in the last couple of years, and some footage from recent local concerts, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with an apology for a show that I missed for our last round of weekend concert previews, as local acoustic classic/hard rock band Dodge This played at The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday night. The venue first announced the booking on their Facebook page via their June concert calendar on the 7th, but that completely slipped me by over the past week, complicated by Dodge This not plugging this show at all on their own Facebook page.  I profusely apologize, things always get busier for the SMS in the summer, but hopefully their latest stop in the "Naughty Corner" was a hit, and don't miss them at The Water Tower Pub on Friday! However, we do have a new video to share of the guys covering The Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy" with Jamie July on lead vocals, as shot at their Beck's Bar gig on May 3rd, though only uploaded it on June 6th to promote their return to Beck's the following night.

The 22 seconds long and (sadly) vertical clip features lots of close angles of the guys, including percussionist Jeff July, Jamie's brother, who was quietly 100% confirmed on their Facebook page in September as being a member of the band, despite their profile photo still just crediting Jamie & Jason. From what we hear of the "Hey Jealousy" cover, it sounds good and how you'd expect it to unplugged, and the filmer got some nice panning shots of the interior of Beck's, so check it out for yourselves below!

Next up, here's some videos from North Bay country/hard rock musician Cory Marks' headlining concerts at The Machine Shop in 2023 and 2024! I found these belatedly when looking up his Hope Air fundraiser concert at the Bushplane Museum earlier this month, and I apologize for not finding these until just now. These were shot by attendee Brian S for his YouTube channel, which we previously touched on here when Brian filmed at Pop Evil and Theory of a Deadman's most recent local concerts. From Cory's local debut in July 2023, Brian got just one video, of Cory and his band playing his original song "Blame It On The Double", and if you're still questioning the heavier rock credentials for Cory, this video opening with a brief cover snippet of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" may help! Unfortunately, all of Brian's Cory Marks videos are vertical (granted, few of his uploads aren't), but he was close to the stage and you get a good view of everyone on stage!

The frame rate seems somewhat low, but from Brian's vantage point, you see what you need to see, and the fans are well crammed in on the floor for this one! Solid performance for fans of this modern wave of country rock, so check it out for yourselves below!

Brian upped his video count for Cory's return to The Machine Shop in September of last year (in his most recent uploads to his channel), though like in 2023, he did not film local openers Silent 9. Last fall, Brian shot Cory and his band playing "Blame It On The Double" again, as well as "Keep Doing What I Do", and as embedded below, "Outlaws & Outsiders", which appeared to end his set. Compared to 2024, Brian has a better (re: front row) angle of the stage, but there is more of a sense that he's pointing upwards as a result. Still, these are strong renditions for fans familiar with Cory's music, and he has a good audience rapport, so check these out above & below, and we'll have more from the Hope Air show soon!

Finally for today, here's some new videos of local hard rock quartet Half Past's debut at the aforementioned Beck's Bar in April! While their cover of Tool's "The Pot" was posted to their Facebook page at the time, that and more were also uploaded to bassist Arthur Lacasse's YouTube channel, which exclusively has videos from that night of the guys covering Alice In Chains' "Them Bones", and as embedded below, Thousand Foot Krutch's "Lifeline". Unexpected band choice in a few respects, but they handle that song and "Them Bones" well, and the video quality is as good as on the Tool cover, so fans will have nothing to worry about! Check out Half Past's newest live videos for yourselves above & below!

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

Sentiment Dissolve Concert Preview, New Live Videos, And 104.3 The Fox Updates!!

I hope everyone's long weekend is continuing on a good trajectory (and if you're in the E.U.P., hopefully your Memorial Day long weekend goes well next week!) Today's post features new live concert videos, local radio station updates, and leading off, one more long weekend concert preview, so here's what you should know on this Sunday afternoon!

Here's a special Victoria Day concert preview, and if you're into death metal, you'll wanna head to Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT for this one, as London progressive death metal quartet Sentiment Dissolve and Brantford tech/deathcore quartet A Tyrant's Lament will make their local debuts here! Both relatively newer bands as far as Southern Ontario extreme metal goes, Sentiment Dissolve's technical and proficient brutality will be complimented nicely by A Tyrant's Lament's rawer but still skilled aggression, so don't miss out on both bands tomorrow at the former Roosevelt Hotel! Local death/thrash metal trio Pillory and heavy metal trio The BAG (both last seen at The Pit at Soo Blaster) will open tomorrow, with this being an appetizer of sorts before The BAG open for Switzerland's Virvum & Stortregn at Jay's in July. Talented local metal with hard hitting originals will be an ideal kickoff tomorrow!

This stop on the Dissolving Tyrant Entities tour has a 19+ age limit, 8:00 PM start time, and an advance ticket fee of $10 at this link (the price jumps to $15 at the door). While taking place on a statutory holiday, this will be a work/school night for many, but it will be awesome to see some legit extreme/death metal from afar on a local stage, and hopefully there's a decent turnout so that we can have more "Rosie metal nights" anew! Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Sentiment Dissolve live!

Next up, here's a surprise find from when I was looking up potential uploads from The Dayglo Abortions' show at Soo Blaster earlier this month, as I did find videos of them there... albeit from 2023! These come from attendee Rick Sutherland, who only uploaded them to his YouTube channel in March of last year, hence why I never even found them until now. As of this writing, the videos have three views combined, so let's rectify that! Rick filmed the Victoria, B.C. hardcore punk legends for eight minutes of their 2023 local set across three videos, which see them playing their original songs "Sacks Of Meat" and "Proud To Be A Canadian", but the longest of the three is embedded below. Not the highest framerate going here, but Rick had a good view of the stage and the front rows of fans rocking out two years ago, and they still packed in lots of intense fury and attitude into their set, so give The Dayglos' new-ish 2023 videos a watch!

Also today, here's our first look at a heavier local music act rocking Beck's Bar (the former Vibe Lounge) on Goulais Avenue, and this is specifically of local hard rock quartet Half Past there on April 26th for their opening weekend! The 6 minutes-long video features the guys covering most of Tool's "The Pot", which will be old hat for guitarist Alain Fletcher given his old(?) Tool tribute band Parabol. Jordan's voice does get strained at points on this cover, but it's solid throughout, and it gives us a look at the effective staging and lighting at Beck's for bands! If only they hosted live bands more than once a week. Give this new Half Past video a watch below!

Let's wrap things up with programming updates from Sault Ontario rock radio station 104.3 The Fox, which I haven't noted on here in over a month, so what deviations from the norm have they offered on air since? On the Easter long weekend, The Fox and their sister rock stations in Rogers Radio's Ontario loop held a Classic Rock Long Weekend playing just 1950s-1980s songs for three consecutive days in their music rotation. In other words, if you love the Classic Rock Sundays there, you got a triple dose for Easter! Personally, I wanna hear newer stuff too, but I know I don't speak for all rock radio listeners in the market. In lieu of the Sunday Night Vinyl Series that night at 8:00 PM, CJQM morning DJ Heather Williams hosted a Power Up special on AC/DC (in advance of their Canadian tour this year) featuring archival interviews with Angus Young & Brian Johnson. That would have neat for AC/DC fans!

Another programming stunt is ongoing for the Victoria Day/May 2-4 break, namely the Time Machine Long Weekend, where a different year in rock music history is beinfg relived in half hour blocks for three straight days (as in, you'll hear just songs from 1974 for a half hour, then maybe 1996, then maybe 2021, etc.) Fun idea, so look for that on the former Q104 through tomorrow night! As best as I can tell, there was no artist/genre theme week this past week, and I haven't seen any reference to a Sunday Night Vinyl Series episode tonight. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Half Past) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this last concert weekend of April 2025, things are just busy enough to spill our hard rock weekend concert previews into a second post, so Sunday's Robbie G-headlined rap show (featuring The Apocalypse Afterparty as openers) will be previewed in tomorrow's post. Otherwise, here's what you should know for Saturday (nothing heavier tomorrow, oddly), starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT at a new-ish locale!

Local hard rock quartet Half Past will hit the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT at... Beck's Bar? Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook page yesterday, but there is a good reason for the show to be on late notice, as Beck's only opens its doors tonight! Beck's Bar (named for owner Becky Sawyer) is located at 232 Goulais Avenue beside/below the Polish Canadian Hall, which SMS readers will best know from its run as The Vibe Lounge from 2010-2011 (and previously as the Stir Pub in the mid-2000s). It is neat to see someone give another kick at making this west end venue a thing again, and Becky seems to have big plans in mind for the nightclub! Like at Shooters Downstairs Lounge, bands are only scheduled at Beck's on Saturday nights, with Fridays devoted to DJ nights, though they will also be hosting acoustic matinee performers on Saturdays and Sundays.

Visit Beck's Bar's Facebook page for details on the launch and more particulars about this new-ish local nightclub! Surprisingly, this will be Half Past's first show of 2025, last having played at Soo Blaster in October, so hopefully the guys rock the stage well on SATURDAY in 232 Goulais' return to hosting live rock bands after fourteen years! Enjoy their hard rocking covers on SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on the show and Beck's Bar, and for a preview, here's Half Past live!

Next up, here's three more shows on SATURDAY that did have advance notice, and we'll start with that day's matinee gig from local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will be rocking Misty's Fifties that day! While we're on the subject, it appears that Tym has cancelled his planned May 3rd matinee at The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club, as per its quiet removal from the batch Facebook event page for his spring shows there. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but he will be back at the Wellington Street West venue for another matinee on May 17th, and if you really can't wait, why not come to Misty's in two days' time? Tym's unplugged rock cover attack will return to Second Line West at least twice more next month, but Saturday's show should deliver the classics and hard rock favourites in the short term! This is a 19+ event with no cover charge and a 4:00 PM matinee start time.

Visit the Misty's show's official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a new revision of an old original song for his YouTube channel! Tym had originally posted his song "His Sacrifice" on YouTube back in 2012, but I didn't offer my thoughts then because he was (at the time) working on his still-unreleased second album again. Lyrically about Jesus Christ (Tym's faith has been very important to him since) and featuring another video full of AI and stock footage content, this is a full-on classic metal song with catchy galloping riffs and a quality guitar solo, so fans of Tym's metal originals will be right at home here! Give it a listen below!

Also in early concert action on SATURDAY, let's head to Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard, where local hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will take the stage for a rare matinee concert of their own! For reasons unknown to me, the former Joe's Bar will be hosting the Fake Chow successors in the 4:00-8:00 PM matinee timeslot, and while a double booking with a separate group on Saturday night would be the most logical explanation, the venue hasn't advertised a nighttime concert then on social media. In any event, this appears to be a one-off matinee booking for Unfortunate Sun, as their Huck's stops in July and November will be in the normal 9:00 PM timeslot. Early or not, Unfortunate Sun should rock the stage with their hard hitting covers, so don't miss out on all of the action in Rudyard! This is a 21+ show with no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for one of the two big concerts with touring acts at Soo Blaster this weekend, as Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to town THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Hair and glam metal fans will have seen this talented tribute thrice here from 2019-2022, but in the interim, the Kuthy brothers instead brought their Rush tribute band Rust here for a gig last year, while a planned double bill between them and Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band Saturday Night Special in 2023 was cancelled outright. While I'm not a massive Def Leppard fan, Just Leppard pay strong homage to their 1980s hits, and if you're one to listen to The Hair Scare on Saturday nights, there's no better show to attend this weekend! This "80's Rock Party" has an 8:00 PM start time, no age limit, and tickets running for $25 at Soo Blaster and at this link (plus processing fees and taxes there).

This show is cheaper than the cancelled 2023 show would have been, though this time, there's only Just Leppard advertised. If you wait to pay admission at the door, the price will jump to $35. Just Leppard's entertaining and faithful take on Def Leppard should get another strong attraction in their fourth Soo date, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

That's all for today, but look for our Robbie G/Apocalypse Afterparty preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

A Concert Cancellation, Mikey & His Uke's Newest Covers, And More!!

I hope everyone is staying warm and off the roads on this very snowy Friday! Regarding this weekend's concert previews, the ones covered yesterday appear to be on as scheduled, but we do have a cancellation to note, as local hard rock quartet Half Past are not playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tomorrow, as per an update to their Facebook page's post about the concert this morning. A reason for the postponement was not announced, but Shooters itself is opening late today. The weather forecast could be to blame, I don't 100% know, but Half Past have promised that there is a "new date to come". Hopefully all is well with the guys, and we'll let you know when this show is re-booked! While there have been a few other announced concert cancellations (especially tonight), hard rock shows covered in yesterday's weekend concert preview post are not visibly affected. Keep tabs with the bands and venues for clarification on this weekend's shows!

Now, let's dive into a new video and more on this snow day, starting with the long awaited conclusion of local punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's 30th anniversary series of covers of Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie"! It took almost two months after the previous cover to get the final song up, but the series is ending in style by tackling both the final credited song and the bonus track all in one video! For the last credited song, Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon (on guitar after dropping the ukelele pretense once again) is joined to play the deep cut "F.O.D." by Flatliners frontman Chris Cresswell, while Buck-O-Nine bassist Andy Plafoot handles bass for the eighth and final time here, and ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer returns to the kit as the house drummer of the "Dookie" series (and wearing a Toronto FC jersey for a change!) How is "F.O.D." filmed this time?

We get a little more variance visually here, as the softer acoustic opening verse is seen in monochrome, before going full colour when the song shifts into punk territory, though Chris continues playing acoustic guitar. Also, while Chris handles the opening, everyone else is seen either waiting patiently or setting up for their parts, which is cute! After "F.O.D." ends, we get to watch a sped up video of Mikey and his family putting together a jigsaw puzzle of the "Dookie" album cover while a caption scrolls across the screen thanking everyone for watching and supporting the series... but we're not done yet! The hidden bonus track on "Dookie" was "All By Myself", an acoustic song performed by drummer Tre Cool, and Mikey & His Uke didn't forget about that one! Here, Mikey takes on lead vocals and plays ukelele straight through for the only time in the "Dookie" series.

Guesting here are Vincent Hidalgo and Brad Magers from the Los Angeles punk band The Bronx and, more notably given how this cover was handled, their mariachi side project Mariachi El Bronx (and to that end, Brad is playing trumpet). No Darren here, nor any prior bassist. Two kids also join in banging pots on their heads, while Vincent plays guitar while lying on the floor. Nice little throwback to the early Mikey & His Uke covers here, with a Mexican twist, while "F.O.D." delivered the punk goods with solid vocals from Chris, so you get a good end to this lengthy series! Check both covers out below, and stay tuned for more from Mikey & His Uke!

Finally for today, I wanted to shine a spotlight on a local musician who needs help at a trying time (normally, I don't talk about musicians' personal lives here but I'll make an exception for stuff like this). As some of you may know, former Destroilet drummer Matt Waples was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year that may have spread to his adrenal gland, and he is having surgery to remove the cancerous testicle next month as well as chemotherapy. He has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $8,100 to cover travel expenses to Toronto and back as well as to cover the donation of sperm to be frozen in the event that he decides to become a parent in the future. Matt's fight was covered in this Sault Star article by Jeffrey Ougler earlier this week, where he outlined his goals to start a fully fledged graphic design business (local musicians know Matt's work with Sonigraphix well from posters, logos, and merchandise).

The article has candid remarks about Matt's cancer and what he has been through this year, and he has been similarly open and honest on social media. As of this writing, $2,925 has been raised, and hopefully more comes in soon, especially given how rapidly things are changing with his condition. Matt's a good guy, a strong drummer, and a talented graphic artist, and I hope things work out optimally for his health so he can get back to living how he wants without pain and worry. Click here to read more on Matt's cancer battle and to help him reach his financial goals, and we all hope that he gets well soon! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Half Past) And New Videos!!

In this Tuesday evening post, we're looking at some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for hard rock cover fans, plus some unexpected new videos that you classic sitcom fans may get a kick out of (it will make sense soon!). Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced concerts through the end of the year on their website's calendar! For one reason or another, they haven't posted schedule images on Facebook since July, but their website fills in some blanks ahead! We'll hold their acoustic show this weekend for our next round of weekend concert previews due to it now being on late notice, and we already knew about Toystock on Sunday the 24th, but where else can you see Greg, Alex, and Warren to end the year? The first listed shows otherwise are at The Esquire Club on Friday, November 29th and Saturday, November 30th, despite the venue's own fall calendar having Mid Life Crysis playing there that weekend. From what I can gather, Bone Yard have indeed taken over that weekend for unannounced reasons, as Mid Life Crysis didn't mention The Esquire Club at all when plugging their dates through early December on their Facebook page last month.

Kudos to Bone Yard for stepping in at month's end! Remember, the two bands shared the stage at the Dragonfly Run and will do so again at Toystock. Also, these will be your local 225's only Esquire Club dates this fall. Fresh off of playing three consecutive weekends at Reggie's Place, the guys will return to the downtown staple for three shows next month, including a one-nighter on Friday, December 13th and a full weekend on December 20th-21st. The latter two shows could have a Christmas/seasonal theme given the timing, so keep tabs with Bone Yard 225 and/or Reggie's for details closer to. Their Friday the 13th gig is a one-nighter due to them taking on an "uncorked" gig at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, December 14th, so if you like their unplugged stylings, head to this central venue in just over a month's time (or sooner?). Their last scheduled date this year will be another one-nighter at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday, December 28th (no word on a possible New Year's gig yet).

Lots of chances to see Bone Yard ahead before we enter 2025, so don't miss out at these four venues! Aside from the Water Tower Pub date (8:00 PM), these will all start at around 9:30 PM, and all are 19+ events with no announced cover charge. Before we move on, let's share some new videos of Bone Yard 225 live at Reggie's this past Saturday night, courtesy of both the band's Facebook page (by way of attendee Marcy Catherine's personal Facebook page) and Reggie's Facebook page! On this night, over a dozen fans showed up dressed as Helen Roper, Audra Lindley's landlord character from early seasons of Three's Company and its spin-off The Ropers. What brought on a post-Halloween invasion of Mrs. Ropers at Reggie's, I honestly don't know, but everyone's having fun and that's what most important! Both Reggie's and Marcy filmed the same cover for Facebook, namely David Wilcox's "(My Eyes) Keep Me In Trouble".

Marcy's video is longer than Reggie's, so hers is embedded below, while Marcy also got a "Reel" of the Mrs. Ropers dancing to the Three's Company theme before Bone Yard 225's first set (Greg's reaction is great!). Credit to Greg for altering the song's lyrics to fit the audience too (ie. "I want every Roper I see"), who were dancing up a storm throughout. I wish these all weren't shot vertically, but this is a fun and unexpected show crashing moment, especially for fans of 1970s sitcoms, so check everything out above & below! Will we get a Mr. Furley invasion next?!

We'll close today with one more LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, as local hard rock quartet Half Past will return to the aforementioned Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only on Saturday, November 30th! With the Christmas season truly in full swing by then, this will be Half Past's first gig since their Soo Blaster headlining date last month, and their first show at Shooters since early August. The guys promise to have new songs in their set later this month, so whether you've seen the reunited band's hard rock cover attack yet this year or not, you should get a solid dose here! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights, this show will have a 19+ age limit and no cover. A 9:30 PM start time is advertised, but be advised that the Soo Greyhounds are hosting the North Bay Battalion in OHL regular season action that night. Shooters is very close to GFL Memorial Gardens, and they do screen televised Hounds games as well.

This could mean that the concert could be delayed if the game runs long, so keep that in mind, and of course, attendance will swell post-game as hockey fans mosey on over to the Dennis Street nightclub. Should make for a good crowd for Half Past! Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal/Punk Video Showcase!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving on the Canadian side of the border! Before we begin this all-video post, I did want to apologize for missing a very late notice show on here, as classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison was a late replacement for today's Thanksgiving dinner concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, something only announced on the venue's Facebook page this morning. Apparently, Tym filled in on short notice for Soundcheck's Cameron Oliver, who withdrew from the matinee booking for unannounced reasons. Kudos to Tym for filling in, and I'd have happily covered this show on the SMS had it not been announced so late! Apologies again, and I hope everything went well for Jay's Thanksgiving!

As for tonight's videos, we'll go in alphabetical order by starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, who uploaded two videos from their Water Tower Pub show on Friday to their Facebook page yesterday! Both incomplete (but at least filmed horizontally), the covers are of No Doubt's "Hella Good" with Joel Syrette on lead vocals, and as embedded below, The Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush" with his cousin Beej on lead vocals. The former is a very surprising cover given that it's from No Doubt's dancier post-ska punk era, while the latter is (to me) not the best showcase of Beej's vocal range, though given that it's not the full song, it does avoid the repetitive back half of "Plush". Still, both covers are strongly performed, so give these new Double Down videos a watch!

Next up, here's the latest from local hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, starting with the surprise reveal that they'll be on the "Punk Canada Vol. 4" compilation album next year! This is the next in an annual series by En Guard Records featuring many name domestic bands. Hails will have two very familiar discmates next year, including British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini (who headlined at The Speak Easy last year) and Windsor hardcore punk band Avoid The Comment Section, one of the current bands from prolific Saultite guitarist Ash Richtig. I'd love to see Ash bring one of his bands up here for a show, but it's neat to see him on this! Keep in mind that the Punk Canada compilations exclusively feature bands covering older Canadian punk bands, so who will Ha!ls be tackling? Find out next year! In the realm of new videos, Hails did post one on their Facebook page on Friday!

The 23 seconds-long video features the guys playing "something we're working on", which they will reportedly debut when they open for Skoff at Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween party at The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on October 26th. The video focuses primarily on guitarist Carmen Muto playing a solo (only he and Brent are seen on camera), and it's definitely promisingly heavy for what we see, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Ha!ls when we hear it!

Also, here's a new live concert video from local hard rock quartet Half Past's big headlining concert at Soo Blaster on Satutrday night! As uploaded to their Facebook page, this video sees them covering almost all of Crossfade's "Cold", which is expertly timed given that Crossfade just announced that they had reunited. Alain's backing vocals could be louder but this is a solid cover that lets Jordan stretch his vocals to good effect, and it looks like they got a quality presentation for the larger venue! Check everything out for yourselves below, and look for more from Half Past soon!

We'll close today with a 52 second clip of Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head's headlining concert at The Machine Shop last month! This comes from Mike Blair at 705Live Sound Co., who manned the soundboards on this night and often films a video for their Facebook page from shows that he works on. Mike filmed Teenage Head playing their song "Infected", albeit largely when Dave Desroches left the stage mid-song, and everyone sounds good for what we hear! Nice to see a good crowd of people, especially given the mental health fundraising angle of this concert, so check everything out if you want below, and we'll let you know if more videos surface!

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