LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Exit 808 & Tarnished) And The Hearts & Horsepower Preview!!

One more post to knock out this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as I mistakenly forgot a special matinee charity gig today in our prior posts, while there's also LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, one on SHORT NOTICE. Here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Sault Michigan classic metal/hard rock quartet Tarnished will rock The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in nearby Brimley TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the band's Facebook page yesterday, but Bay Mills' Facebook page had been advertising the show since May 6th. Why Tarnished themselves didn't plug this show until the day prior, I don't know, but as far as I can tell, this will be their first ever concert at Bay Mills' on-site nightclub & restaurant. Always good to see this talented foursome spreading their wings in the E.U.P,, and hopefully things go well at "your perfect up north retreat" TONIGHT! Last seen in St. Ignace over a month ago, TONIGHT'S concert has a 21+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's Back Bay debut TONIGHT, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live last year!  

Next up, fellow local hard rock band Exit 808 have announced their summer concert calendar via this photo from their Facebook page on Tuesday, so when will you be able to see them next? We already knew about their St. Ignace Kewadin gigs over the June 6th weekend, while their remaining June shows are all on the road. They'll head downstate for the 2 hour drive to Walloon Lake (outside of Charlevoix) for a June 14th gig at the Walloon Junction Bar & Grill, with returns there planned for July 26th & August 16th. Their other dates next month are returns to Western U.P. festivals that they played at last year. One is the third annual Drewpalooza mental health fundraiser/birthday event in Republic (3½ hours west) over the June 20th weekend, while they'll return to the outdoor festival Rally For The Valley in Ewen (4½ hours west) over the June 27th weekend, specific days not cited.

On July 3rd, Exit 808 will play in Munising (co-vocalist Dillion Semasky's old stomping grounds) for a gig at The Barge Inn, so if you're in the Central U.P. or are up for a 2 hour drive from the Soo, keep this Thursday nighter (on the eve of the Independence Day long weekend) in mind! Their first honest-and-truly local date in over a month will see the guys return to The Merchant's Bar in the Soo on Saturday, July 12th in their first gig there since the I-500 weekend, so if you want to enjoy this skilled group's blend of diverse rocking covers in Chippewa County, that's your next chance! Bookending the last Walloon Lake show and a bike rally at Chandler Hill Campground in Boyne Falls (another 2 hour drive near Charlevoix) on August 8th, Exit 808 will also return to both local Kewadin Casino lounges in August, including at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace from August 1st-2nd.

They'll end the summer slate at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo on August 22nd-23rd, in their first stops at that Kewadin branch since January. Note that the calendar description confirms that Exit 808 are continuing as a five piece band with frequent guest musicians, rather than get a new permanent guitarist/bassist. While the names are mostly familiar from recent gigs, one is About:Blank/ex-Tarnished guitarist Nathan Webber, who was a founding member of Exit 808 in the first place, so it'll be neat to see him guesting with them again! All five new E.U.P. dates have 9:00 PM-ish start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Exit 808's summer schedule across Northern Michigan!

We'll close today in Sault Ontario for a preview of a show TODAY that I completely blanked on including in our last two preview posts, and given its charitable aims, I profusely apologize for that. That previously announced event takes place at the Downtown Plaza today from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM (yes, it's that early), and is the first annual Hearts & Horsepower, a promotional event for the Dragonfly Run motorcycle rally in August, which of course benefits the Algoma Regional Community Hospice. Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are heavily involved in the Dragonfly Run every year, and will be rocking out at the Plaza this morning/afternoon, while a motorcycle show will also take place, and there will also be on-sire donations for ARCH and information on the rally. Sounds like a good time for a great cause, and a fine appetizer for the full slate of events in three months, so consider checking everything out today!

Hearts & Horsepower is FREE to attend (donations are welcomed though) and it is absolutely an all ages event. While the stage is covered, we have escaped the rain in the forecast, and 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy weather with 9° temperatures. As local outdoor concerts go, that's fairly cool, so dress accordingly. Hopefully Bone Yard and the Dragonfly Run representatives have a great event to get the word out for the rally, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's "The Dirty 3" live!

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

New Videos From & Prior To Recent Concerts, Plus Upcoming Event Details!!

I hope everyone had a good Easter long weekend! We're back with a full news post on this Easter Monday, including pre-concert teaser videos from a recent extreme metal show, new live footage, and leading off, new details on an upcoming charity event, so here's what you should know!

When we first covered local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's spring concert calendar on the site last month, I noted that one announced date was a "promo party" for this year's Dragonfly Run motorcycle rally for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, to take place at the Downtown Plaza on Saturday, May 24th. I listed it in our calendar despite the lack of information, but we can rectify that now, as a Facebook event page has been launched for the event, entitled "Hearts & Horsepower"! This pre-party will see Bone Yard take the stage at the plaza at 12:00 PM, along with a motorcycle show and on-site donations for ARCH, helping set the stage for and promote the Dragonfly Run proper in August, as it enters its tenth year, third as the Dragonfly Run, and second at The Grand Gardens. Weather permitting (covered stage for bands acknowledged), hopefully this is a great time to help get the word out for the rally!

Hearts & Horsepower has a 10:00 AM-2:00 PM timeframe, no age limit, and no cover charge, though if you want information as to how to display/enter your bike into the event, contact Bone Yard 225 and/or frontman Greg Simpson on Facebook for details. This should be a fun event for motorcycle and/or rock fans alike, and hopefully ARCH gets some much needed donations before the big event takes place later this summer, so visit the above links for more details on this Dragonfly Run pre-party!

Next up, here's some videos of two bands from Friday night's The Pit metal concert at Soo Blaster, albeit not of the actual show itself (yet). We'll start with headlining death/thrash metal trio Pillory, who posted one more rehearsal/jam session video to their Facebook page on Saturday as "a nugget for everyone until we get some edits of the show up". The video sees Robert, Blair, and Bret playing an instrumental take of their newer original song "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean of Guilt". While filmed in the same place as their "Specimen Of Egotism" video from the 14th, this was clearly shot at night, but this new video is both better and worse visually. The lighting is cooler for a metal performance, and nicely accentuates Bret's kit, and we're not staring at Blair's back for the duration here, albeit because he's sitting for the duration. Still not ideal placement, especially as Robert doesn't step into frame of the camera at all. He's definitely there, so why not move the camera?

This song is suitably brutal and heavy for fans of Pillory's, and it does have a fittingly dark quality to it to go along with the lighting, but will we see it in their teased official video content from Soo Blaster on Friday? We should find out soon, but check out this new rehearsal clip below!

Also, here's the rest of the pre-debut hype "Reels" from local progressive/djent metal quartet Convergence's Facebook page in the lead-up to The Pit on Friday! In their pre-concert "Reel" from April 12th, things start with the guys having fun during rehearsals (including new singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio standing "like Elliot", a reference lost on me), before we see screenshots of band members' conversations, leading into guitarist Jake Valois acknowledging curveballs on their road to their debut gig. While they were able to run through the whole set together with vocals, band members were also falling ill so it was tough to get everyone in the same room. Jake felt good about everything by the end, though! The last two "Reels" were posted after The Pit came and went, starting with this one featuring the guys (minus Jake) rehearsing for the show on Wednesday, which is a light watch without major scoops.

The last "Reel" (which I'd embed here if I was able to embed "Reels" externally) features Convergence  hanging out at Soo Blaster in preparation for their set. Mostly very light for content but there are some brief glimpses of familiar faces not in Convergence, including a couple of split second views of Pillory's headlining set, strongly hinting that someone in or affiliated with Convergence filmed the bands proper on Friday. Drummer David Peredun did acknowledge how well ticket sales went, which is good to see! We'll have more from The Pit and/or Convergence's debut set on the SMS soon, but give these "Reels" a watch for yourselves above!

We'll close today with a brand new video from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's Facebook page... well, publically shared from drummer Ric Datson's personal Facebook page! This 16 minutes-long video heavily edits together bits of songs played at Jay's Piston Broke Pub over the April 4th-5th weekend (the specific day was not given), but over two dozen songs are excerpted in this montage captured at three camera angles. One is in front of the band, one is an overhead angle like previously seen in their A Flock Of Seagulls cover, and one is a drumcam video of Ric performing. He implied that filming may have been curtailed due to leaving extra camera batteries at home, so keep that in mind. Of course, I'd prefer to see full songs, but at least these are professionally edited (and horizontal) videos, and if you're curious to sample Double Down's current sets with Dan on bass, this is a good way to do it in a relatively short time!

Double Down are currently next slated to rock The Water Tower Pub on Friday, May 2nd (if they have a short notice gig or two this weekend, we'll let you know), so this video will give a taste of the diverse covers and surprise picks to hear from the Syrettes, Dan, and Ric in concert, so give it a watch for yourselves below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! 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 (Blood Opera, The Damn Truth, The Fixer, And Sylo!!)

After a couple of quiet days due to some prior engagements, I am back with a stacked post on the SMS on this Sunday afternoon, 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in Sault Ste. Marie in the next two+ months! Here's what you should know in chronological order!

In a type of all-local event that we haven't seen a lot of in the Soo in the 2020s, six original-leaning local acts (many heavier in nature) will join forces for a concert at Soo Blaster on Sunday, August 18th! Curiously, the headliners of this show are local hard rock band Sylo, who we have not heard from publically since their return from hiatus in February, dropping out of the Hazytones show in the interim. It is worth noting that the former Raincourt privatized their Instagram page and seemingly parted ways with bassist Owen Dearing (now absent from their listed lineup there). I don't know if Eli or Alder are taking over on bass or if they're looking for a new hire, but hopefully Sylo's return in two weeks goes over well, and that everything's alright with Owen! A healthy roster of local openers includes punk trio (quartet?) Vanity First, metal trio The BAG, comedy rock band The Floor Between Us, and two solo singer/guitarists.

These include prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore (last seen at a Distraction show in February with many common musicians) and outsider/anti-folk musician Shae Tull. This show will be ALL AGES, it has a flat $10 admission fee at the door (no advance ticket sales of any kind), and doors open at 8:00 PM. This could be a late night for many given that the concert is on a work/school night, but if you want to see six talented local music acts in one stage (let alone that none of them played at Rotaryfest), keep the action in two weeks in mind! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, there's more heavy action one week later at Soo Blaster via two touring (and female-fronted) bands rocking Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday, August 25th, including headlining Thunder Bay gothic metal quartet The Fixer! An outfit who have been decently active out west in the 2020s so far, fans of bands like New Years Day will find a lot to like from their melodic hard rock originals, so don't miss out on The Fixer's Soo debut in three weeks! Winnipeg-based metal quartet Indigo will open here, and their sound is more aggressive with harsher Pantera-esque vocals at their heights, so they should turn a few heads at Soo Blaster as well! Further signalling that they are back for good, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will open in their second public gig of 2024 and first show in Sault Ste. Marie city limits in almost five years. Hopefully there's much more to come from Robert, Blair, and Bret in the near future!

Announced on personal Facebook pages last month before going 100% public in recent days, tickets will run for $15 in advance at the venue or $20 at the door (online sales have not begun at press time) This show will also be ALL AGES, and while it's another 8:00 PM show on a work/school night, there are half as many bands as the previous week. Metal fans should definitely look into this concert for some hard hitting music later this month, so visit the above links for more details!

Also coming to Soo Blaster is Montreal classic/hard rock quartet The Damn Truth, who will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Tuesday, September 17th! A 1960s-inspired group who infuse a few different styles into their high energy and melodic originals, singer Lee-La Baum's husky Janis Joplin-esque vocals definitely help them stand out from the pack, and it'll be interesting to see how The Damn Truth go over this fall! In a mild surprise, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will open next month, in their first show in the Soo since opening for The Ripcordz in September of last year! Yes, they'll be back at the Northern Vibe Festival later this month, but Chris, Matt, and Nick don't play all that often anymore, so if you've missed their intense punk originals and select covers, be at Soo Blaster next month! The official poster suggests that "other acts" are to be announced, but at press time, it's hard to find any social media press for this show.

I literally only heard about this one because I was on Soo Blaster's ticket page seeing if the Fixer concert above had the online sale link up yet, but hopefully the local press ramps up soon. I don't even know if A Dire Setback's own Live705 are putting this on! In any event, tickets are $20 at this link or $25 at the door, this again starts at 8:00 PM, and unlike the shows above, I can't immediately confirm if this will be all ages or 19+. If Sunday isn't ideal scheduling for many, Tuesday really isn't, but hopefully there's a solid turnout for this array of live original rock music next month, and see above for more details!

Finally for this all-Sault Ontario concert post, Toronto "dead metal/zombie glam" band Blood Opera will return for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 19th at  The Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters Downstairs Lounge! As you may recall, Blood Opera were the after-party headliners at the Steel City CollectorCon in May, and clearly they had a strong reception for their highly theatrical and violent horror movie-inspired stage show, as organizers Steel City Events are bringing them back five months later to do the honours in closing out the Steel City NerdCon that weekend! Very similar event, a pop culture/comic convention featuring dozens of vendors and artists from the Soo and beyond, and preliminary details on that day's festivities at the Quattro Hotel (the NerdCon proper) and The Queen Of Hearts Club (this concert and the karaoke/card game tournament pre-party on Friday the 18th) can be found at this link.

Notably, the Facebook advertising also lists Blood Opera as part of the NerdCon proper at Quattro (no idea in what capacity yet), while Steel City Events are looking for one or two local opening bands for the 19th. Message them above or via Vintage Games & Junque's Facebook page if you/your band are interested! For reference, the openers in May were The Apocalypse Afterparty. No word yet on admission details, but in May, it was a 19+ concert with a 9:00 PM start time and $20 admission, though there were CollectorCon ticket packages that included free admission to see Blood Opera if purchased. There's a lot to learn, but Blood Opera aren't to be missed, so visit the above links for initial details!

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

The Rest Of This Year's Victoria Day Long Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we dive into a recent pile of new show announcements from a common venue and/or musician, let's cover the rest of our Victoria Day/May 2-4 long weekend concert previews on this Friday morning! For bands playing tonight in some description, let alone Tarnished's late notice Sault Michigan date TONIGHT, check out yesterday's post below this one. Now, here's what you should know for your hard rock delectation!

We'll start with the earlier of the Saturday-only gigs, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will rock The Water Tower Pub on Great Northern Road for the first time TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen two weeks ago at Reggie's Place, this one-nighter will be Double Down's third concert since Beej Syrette replaced Adam King on guitar, and while public videos from their debut gigs have not surfaced online, you can see pictures from that weekend on their Facebook page, along with this image listing some of the bands that Double Down currently cover (is it just me, or are there less Canadian bands now?) Hopefully this proves to be a well received debut at this central nightclub for Double Down, and that Beej is settling in with the guys as expected! Remember that The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly artists, with tonight's act being fellow local classic/hard rock cover band Generations.

Tomorrow's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Unless you were in attendance at Reggie's for the new lineup's debut weekend, there will still be a lot of unknowns re: Double Down version 2.0, but come on down to The Water Tower Pub for all of the action tomorrow to see what they have in store! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Next up, here's the biggest show in scope of the weekend, as Toronto "dead metal/zombie glam" band Blood Opera will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT as headliners for the Steel City CollectorCon afterparty at The Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters Downstairs Lounge! As teased in this Facebook promotional video featuring two band members, Blood Opera are a highly theatrical band whose stage show is full of horror movie special effects and tropes, so if you've ever wanted something Gwaresque on a local stage, Blood Opera will provide that along with a melodic old school metal sound with thematically relevant original songs! Me describing Blood Opera won't do them justice, I highly recommend watching videos for a better sense of what they'll bring to the table tomorrow! Local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will open tomorrow in a rare support turn for a touring rock band rather than rappers.

Hopefully The A.A. set the tone well with their upbeat double-bassed rock attack! Promoted by Steel City Events in a spiritual make-up event for their Nostalgia Fair afterparty with First Jason in April 2020 (one guess as to why that was cancelled), tomorrow's festivities are 19+ with a 9:00 PM start time above Shooters, and admission is $20. If you buy advance tickets for Blood Opera, admission to the CollectorCon at the Quattro Hotel tomorrow afternoon will be free, so keep that in mind! This will be a must-attend show for horror and metal fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Blood Opera live!

Also this weekend, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 (the number is pronounced "two two five") will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! A rare occasion where both floors at 72 Dennis Street have concurrent live bands, fans looking for more familiar classic and southern rock covers (and less gore) will want to head downstairs to Shooters for their first show there in almost a month, and it should be a fine opportunity to see Greg, Alex, and Warren rock out for fans and patrons alike! Note that Bone Yard have been in studio recording original material again recently, as documented on their Facebook page, and they starred in two "Reels" there in the past two weeks, including this one of them smoking cigars after a recording session and this one with Greg and Warren outside of Reggie's, with Warren saying what they are.

No sign yet of their long-gestating studio originals, but hopefully they're getting closer! Tomorrow's concert is at 9:30 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, so visit the above links for more details on how you can F.A.F.O. with Bone Yard 225 tomorrow night, and here they are live!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock and punk concert previews, we'll head to The Distraction on East Street on SUNDAY NIGHT, where local skate punk trio Ha!ls will headline! In a similar fashion to their Sunday nighter at the same venue in March, the Vanity First side project will bring their "rock and rolls" to the former barbershop, in their first local date of any kind since their Bay City, Michigan concert last month. Unlike in March, this Sunday's show isn't on a work/school night for most thanks to the long weekend, so hopefully Hails get a solid turnout for their fast paced punk attack, and guitarist Mikhal Muto should be riding the momentum following his set with The Apocalypse Afterparty at the Blood Opera show tomorrow night! Prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore will open on Sunday, and if you're familiar with Chase, you can expect a talented display of guitar intensity then!

Sunday's concert is an all ages affair with an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is via a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" model. Mikhal and/or The Distraction have a lot of shows to take note of very soon, but Ha!ls will be playing first before that batch come up, so keep all of the punk action in mind downtown on Sunday, especially as many of you won't have to get up early on Monday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Hails live last month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Blood Opera), The Matthew Good Concert Preview, And Sault Michigan Band Updates!!

Today's SMS post is divided in half between the Twin Saults, with new videos and band updates from Sault Michigan taking up the back half, but we're leading off north of the border with a big concert preview for tomorrow night and an intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month. Here's what you should know!

Toronto "dead metal/zombie glam" band Blood Opera will make their local concert debut on Saturday, May 18th at The Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters Downstairs Lounge! Billed as Canada's only "horror heavy metal" band, Blood Opera will be right up the alley of Frightlight fans thanks to their horror movie-influenced presentation and lyrics, but taken up many notches with an elaborately violent stage show to accentuate their hard hitting and melodic sound, and note their impressive guest performer list on their studio material too! This show is being promoted by Steel City Events and will serve as an afterparty for that day's Steel City CollectorCon at the Quattro Hotel, basically along the same lines as the planned First Jason-headlined concert that would have served as the Steel City Nostalgia Fair afterparty in April 2020 (one guess as to why that fair and concert were cancelled). It's great to see Steel City try a concert of this scale again, let alone another one for diehard horror movie fans!

Local support will come by way of party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in a rare support turn for a touring band as opposed to rappers. Hopefully the Stanghettas & Mikhal deliver a fun set to kick off the night! This is a 19+ event (as is Blood Opera's stage show in general), but $20 tickets bought in advance will double as passes to the CollectorCon, and the concert proper begins at 9:00 PM. Blood Opera are the sort of band best seen rather than described, but fans of horror movies won't want to miss all of the action over the Victoria Day long weekend, so visit the above links for more on this concert (and the CollectorCon) next month!

Next up, here's a preview of a big concert taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, as Coquitlam, British Columbia alternative rock musician Matthew Good will make his long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie when he headlines at The Machine Shop! The former Matthew Good Band frontman and political activist will be familiar to many readers from band and solo songs like "Hello Time Bomb" and "In A World Called Catastrophe", so it'll be good to have him back on a local stage! Of course, this is Matthew's first stop here since his acoustic gig at The Speak Easy in October 2007 that was... divisive, let's say. I won't rehash what happened, but clearly, he wants to let bygones be bygones with the Soo! Remember that he was supposed to play at the Sault Community Theatre Centre in March 2020, but that show was one of the first cancellations due to the pandemic lockdowns, so kudos to him for coming back to Sault Ste. Marie four years later!

Guelph hard rock solo artist Vilivant will open tomorrow in her local debut, after dropping out of November's Big Wreck show at the same venue due to "logistical issues". Hopefully there will be none of the sort for Vilivant this time, as she's got some solid tracks herself! Unusually bumped up from its originally planned date on April 25th, this all ages concert begins at 8:00 PM, and general admission tickets are still on sale for $54.50 plus online & processing fees at this link, and presumably at the door. Fingers crossed that this show is a huge hit for Matthew and fans alike, so that we're not waiting another 16½ years for him to come back! Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Matthew live!

Also today, let's zip over to Sault Michigan for a new band in the works from two rising young musicians that have been covered on the site! Attendees of last fall's fan-voted Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands will remember the surprise runner-up run by local singer/guitarist Molly Escherich, who has been increasing her profile ever since with more acoustic sets in the E.U.P., but is also working on a proper band named Aerials (System of a Down reference?). Joining her here is drummer Blaze Beairl, who is the son of Exit 808 frontwoman Amy Beach and former Shift guitarist Joey Beairl. Fans in Alpena saw Blaze fill in on bass with his mom's band at the Rock Recovery Battle of the Bands in last month, but Blaze is a drummer first and foremost, and he has his own solo Facebook page featuring him covering songs by Knocked Loose and Limp Bizkit.

While both Molly & Blaze have multi-instrumental skill sets, they are looking for a permanent bassist to fill out their lineup, and you can watch them covering The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright", System Of A Down's "Sugar", and, as embedded below, Pop Evil's "100 In A 55" on Molly's solo Facebook page (Aerials do not have one of their own yet). These obviously aren't 100% indicative of their final sound, but Molly & Blaze are definitely talented young musicians with some intriguing bands in mind to cover, so check their first videos out above & below, and click here for details on their bassist search and how you can try out!

Finally, here's the latest from local hard rock/metal band Tarnished, and while the wait for the rest of their videos from the aforementioned Rock Recovery Battle of the Bands continues, they have more news to share. Remember this "Reel" from last month featuring frontman Alex Traynor and an unidentified guitarist playing the solo to Ratt's "Round & Round"? Well, the second guitarist was actually drummer Josh Fair! Of course, long-time fans shouldn't be shocked that Josh can play guitar, as Tarnished began life as an acoustic duo, with Josh playing guitar for their shows in this format through 2020, and he also played bass when the band had a separate drummer in the past. Leading from that "Reel", a normal embeddable video was shared on March 30th featuring Tarnished (with Josh on guitar) playing "Round & Round" in full, and sitting in on drums here was Rhythm & Brews/ex-Nixxon Dixxon drummer Chris Hubbard!

Tarnished gave mixed messages as to Chris' status with the band (they thanked him for "rocking out with us" in the description, but also said that they've "currently got Chris jammin' on the drums" in a comment reply), but remember that Chris and Alex filled in with each other's bands for concerts earlier this year. Whether Chris has joined permanently or not, let alone if he and Josh could switch roles if needed, I couldn't say, but he drums well on this strong cover! I've never liked "Round & Round", but Tarnished handle it as well as you'd expect, so give this jam a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations) & The Fall Of Earth Concert Preview!!

A quiet weekend is upon us for the first concert weekend of October 2023, but because shows being covered today have extended write-ups, we still have to bump a pair of shows (Fyrbird's shows at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino) to our next post coming hopefully tomorrow morning. As such, we're staying in Sault Ontario with a big update to a metal concert tomorrow night, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (two on SHORT NOTICE), so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, drummer Tony Santoro announced the shows on their Facebook group on September 24th, which regrettably slipped me by at the time, though note that the venue's Facebook page has not confirmed these shows as of this writing. After taking last weekend off partially due to singer Valerie Powley's judging commitments at The Soo's Got Talent (more on round #2 on the site soon), these will be Generations' first shows at the former Reggie's West in almost three months. It is worth noting that their full current lineup will be on hand TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, after guitarist Tony Kajnar had to miss their Reggie's Place gigs last month due to prior commitments. Replacing him two weeks ago was veteran local guitarist Mike McDonald.

Mike's not familiar from our coverage, but he has ample music experience out of town, recently in the Toronto-based Rolling Stones tribute band The Beggars Banquet, and you can click here for a biography on him. Hopefully he fit in well with Generations! While we're on the subject, Tony S. also confirmed more October dates for Generations on their Facebook group on Sunday, which include returns to Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Friday, October 13th, Reggie's Place on Saturday, October 14th, and October 20th & 21st at The Esquire Club. Now, it is worth noting that on their fall concert calendar, The Esquire Club had Generations tapped for the 13th & 14th, and The Steeltown Playboys playing on the 20th & 21st instead. Clearly, something has changed for Generations to move ahead on week, but I cannot confirm if they swapped weekends with The Steeltown Playboys or if there was another change.

We'll let you know if something is said publically! TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's Jay's concerts and their upcoming dates at Shooters, Reggie's, and The Esquire Club are all 19+ events with no announced cover charges, and expect 9:30 PM start times more or less across the board, though likely 9:00 PM at Shooters. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live earlier this summer!

Next up, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, namely the local debut of Edmonton melodic deathcore quartet Fall Of Earth TOMORROW NIGHT, but now at a new venue! Originally slated to take place at Soo Blaster, this rare post-pandemic extreme metal show was moved to The Queen Of Hearts Club (the upstairs venue above Shooters Downstairs Lounge) on Monday. A reason for the venue change was not publically announced, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, as Soo Blaster is a good venue for bigger shows like this! We have yet to cover a legit concert at The Queen Of Hearts Club, but this upstairs space has hosted events concurrently with Shooters downstairs, and will do so tomorrow with Bourbon Blue playing in the lounge. Fall Of Earth will bring their fresh hybrid of extreme metal subgenres to Soo metalheads tomorrow night, so don't miss out on their brutality then!

Perhaps an even bigger drawing card than the touring headliners tomorrow is the return of local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters in their first public concert (unlike the event in Leeburn) in almost two years, and if you don't count pop-up venues, their first at a permanent advertised locale since 2019. It's great to see The Bear Hunters out of their eternal hibernation, and hopefully they're back with a vengenace tomorrow above Shooters! Newer local metal trio The BAG will open the proceedings, and their talents and rising profile bode well for one of their bigger stages since forming! This 19+ concert has an 8:00 PM start time, and while a $15 advance ticket fee was announced when the show was still at Soo Blaster, post-move advertising only notes the $20 door charge. Inquire within if you're unsure about advance ticket availability.

If you've been missing an extreme metal show like this, especially one with touring headliners and bands with more than one or two people, then you won't want to miss out on Fall Of Earth, The Bear Hunters, and The BAG tomorrow night! Honestly, the interior of The Queen Of Hearts Club does remind me a bit of the late lamented Oddfellows Hall (also on Dennis Street), so keep that in mind as well. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Fall Of Earth live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Fyrbird previews and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: sykotykrampage

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we once again spotlight 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least 50% of their content focusing on local metal, hard rock, and/or punk music! This month's random choice has some coincidental attachment to recent personal events involving this band, as the final services for Sykotyk Rampage members Paul & Dirk Becker's father Dirk Sr. actually take place today, so our thoughts and condolences obviously go out to the Becker family at this difficult time. Read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profile!
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sykotykrampage's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/sykotykrampage)

Owner: Likely Sykotyk Rampage guitarist/vocalist Dirk Becker, but this isn't officially stated on the channel

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 21st, 2006; Videos posted from February 2009 until February 2010

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" veterans Sykotyk Rampage, their six videos are half comprised of music videos for fan favourite songs from their late 2000s albums, and half live music videos taken from a battle of the bands set in 2010.

Why You Should Watch: This is definitely worth watching for fans of Syktoyk Rampage and their bluesy alternative hard rock originals, which have the added quirk of being improvised in studio, as you may remember! However, if there was anything posted there from 2006-2008, it has since been deleted, and while Sykotyk Rampage are still active & prolifically releasing new material, this channel hasn't visibly been updated since 2010, though more YouTube videos are available elsewhere.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

DRINKING ON THE WEEKEND - by SYKOTYK RAMPAGE: This channel's first three videos are all music videos made in-house at River Front Recreation Studios, including for their songs "Superman Can" (featuring animation from the 1940s Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons) and "9 Days" (featuring heavily filtered video footage of the band interspersed with stock footage of nature & the desert.) Embedded below is their most viewed video & signature song, "Drinking on the Weekend" from 2006's "Original Crash Band" album. Represented by the band's 2007-2012 lineup (singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarists Dirk Becker & Shane Kokis, and ex-bassist Brian Cattapan), this combines jam session footage from "The Cave" with band photos, layered under many filters, effects, and fast motion camera movements, with early album covers closing the video. Fun and chaotic video set to their classic drinking song, and well worth watching for Sykotyk diehards!



Called in Dead "live" by Sykotyk Rampage: The other three videos on Sykotyk Rampage's channel come from live video footage taken during their set at February 2010's Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Hearts Battle of the Bands at what's now the Community First Curling Center, where the guys finished in third place. Two of the videos come from footage professionally shot at the battle by organizers, which Sykotyk Rampage edited in post-production to include filters and some other effects. One is also for "Drinking on the Weekend", but featured here is another fan favourite drinking song of theirs, "Called in Dead", which is well filmed and admittedly didn't need the post-production that it was given, but captures a fun set with some dancing fans even, plus cameos by Curious George himself!



Treating You Bad -live- SYKOTYK RAMPAGE: The most recent video on the channel also comes from the Sault College Battle, but this time, the video was actually shot by myself, which the band copied, edited, and re-posted with permission on their channel. Featuring their song "Treating You Bad" (a frequently played song at concerts of the era), this uses more filters and post-production effects than the others, likely because what I filmed wasn't professionally done, but it's well put together, and fans of their harder edged material should like Sykotyk Rampage in action here! For our original, unedited version of this video, visit this link!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Through 100% random selection, next month's profiled channel will again be a single channel, this time that of defunct Sault Michigan hard rock band Division of Sanity! Look for that on or around August 26th, and stay tuned for more news and previews this week! Thanks everyone!

Battle Of The Bands Rewind Mini-Series: The Sault College/Scotties Tournament Of Hearts Battle Of The Bands

It's Friday, so it's time for our sixth of seven initial entries in our Battle of the Bands Rewind Mini-Series! We're nearing the end of this series' first run with one of two 2010 battles of the bands in Sault Ontario, and this one had a familiar lineup of local talent, with a notable sports event behind it all, so what went down? Who won? Where are the bands now? Find out below, and if you have any additions or corrections to improve this post, please let me know! (Updated on January 28th, 2016)
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The Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Hearts Battle of the Bands (February 3rd, 2010)

Background: Sault College, in cooperation with the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, joined forces to put on a battle of the bands on February 3rd, 2010 as part of the annual Canadian women's curling championship's festivities when Sault Ste. Marie hosted it that year. Auditions for the battle took place privately at Sault College's former bar The Outback on January 21st, 2010, after which four bands were selected to compete at the battle, which was held at The HeartStop Lounge inside The Soo Curlers Association's building on Anita Boulevard. Only bands with a Sault College student in their lineup were allowed to audition. At the battle itself, the competing bands received a half hour to play their material, after which prizes were awarded to the top 3 bands, though judging criteria wasn't explicitly posted online.

Prizes: The first place band walked away with $750 and the right to play an encore set that night, with $500 going to second place, and the third place band winning $150. Prize money was donated by the Scotties Tournament organizers, with the battle itself charging free admission.

Competitors: The four competing bands came from a wide array of genres, including folk rock standouts Blackwater, classic rockers Middle of Nowhere, indie punk quartet Nebraska Arms, and "blue Chinese metal crash punk" band Sykotyk Rampage. Notably, each of these bands (except Blackwater) had competed in the Kiss Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub two months before this event, where Nebraska Arms was the only band of the three to make the finals. Bands that auditioned for this battle were not publically revealed, adding to the audition's private nature.

Results: In the end, Blackwater pulled out the victory at this battle of the bands, with Nebraska Arms coming in a close second place. Sykotyk Rampage scored a solid third place finish, with Middle of Nowhere ending up in fourth place.

Aftermath: Blackwater continued to play numerous concerts and events in the Sault area through mid 2010, and though they're now inactive, frontman Cody McMillan still plays Blackwater material & sells their self-titled CD at his solo concerts, even holding a CD release party for it and his later solo releases in September 2012. Sykotyk Rampage remain a prolific and unique sight on the local scene, recording dozens of original new albums, and continuing to play scattered concerts in the area, while Nebraska Arms and Middle of Nowhere both quietly went inactive later on in 2010.

Some Notable Performers' Newer Bands (Metal/hard rock in italics):

Aggressive Acoustic (Brian Cattapan from Sykotyk Rampage; Based out of Sudbury)
The Business Suit Trappers (Guy Thiffault & Adam Sauve from Nebraska Arms)
Cody McMillan (Cody McMillan from Blackwater; Based out of Toronto)
Fusion (Lino D'Orazio from Middle of Nowhere)
The Mark Rand Band (Guy Thiffault & Dave Prendergast from Nebraska Arms)
The Moves (Cody McMillan & Dave Pihlaja from Blackwater)
Northwest (Wayne Watkins from Nebraska Arms)
The Small Town Rivals (Wayne Watkins from Nebraska Arms)
The Soft Shoe Shufflers (Cody McMillan & Dave Pihlaja from Blackwater)
The Strange Coyotes (James Watterworth from Blackwater)

Trivia:

• This battle of the bands was notable for it's high production values compared to other recent battles in the Sault area. This was especially evident by the presence of giant video screens on each side of the stage, which shown professionally filmed footage of each band's set as it happened. The bands received some of their footage from their sets after the fact, which Sykotyk Rampage edited to create some new music videos on their YouTube channel.
• Sykotyk Rampage put in the extra effort to drum up crowd support at this battle, including making many posters for fans to hold up in the crowd, and giving away free t-shirts in paper bags that lined the stage during their song "Bag On Your Face".
• With their second place finish, Nebraska Arms members Wayne Watkins & Adam Sauve ensured that they would either make the finals or win an award at a local battle of the bands in three consecutive years. They previously made the finals of the Skid Row Battle in March 2008 (as members of The Blockade), and the finals of the Kiss Battle with Nebraska Arms in December 2009, with the three battles taking place within a 2 year span.
• Sykotyk Rampage returned to another local battle of the bands, this time hosted by the Sault Humane Society, on April 20th, 2012 at The Grand Theater. However, they didn't compete at the event, serving instead as an opening band. Cody McMillan and Dave Pihlaja from Blackwater were scheduled to compete at the same battle with their newer blues rock band The Moves, but they quietly pulled out of the event due to external commitments.
• Sykotyk Rampage (now featuring ex-The Fury bassist Tony Briglio in place of Brian Cattapan) returned to competing at a battle of the bands at April 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, though they did not see the same success, finishing in third out of three bands in their April 17th semifinal, and missing the next week's final round.
• Nebraska Arms bassist Wayne Watkins repeated his second place finish at Viva La Battle at The Canadian Nightclub on November 13th, 2013, when he scored another runner-up placement with his newer indie/punk quintet Northwest, albeit as their singer & guitarist.

Videos:
Sykotyk Rampage video from The Sault Metal Scene
Three Sykotyk Rampage videos from their YouTube channel



Sources/More Info:
The Facebook event page for the battle auditions
The Facebook event page for the battle itself
Pre-audition coverage from The Sault Star
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We're almost done this series' initial run, as next Friday's profile of the Downtown Showdown battle from May 2010 will close up the seven weeks of looks back at recent battles of the bands! Then, of course, the Sault Humane Society Battle rocks The Grand Theater on April 20th, so there's lots of band battling action to come, so stay tuned for all of that, and keep an eye out later today or early tomorrow for our Ypres Metal Fest preview and more news! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Skull Fist & Frightlight), Who Made Who Concert Preview, And A Band Looking To Play Here!

Good afternoon, metalheads! Big post today, including TWO LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, a concert preview for Wednesday, another band looking to play in Sault Ontario, a cool local concert photo discovery, and some more assorted stories! Let's begin, and remember, news I don't get to today will likely be posted on Thursday, due to the new profiles I'm posting over the next couple of days, unless there's something really huge to anchor a news post in between.

Three metal bands who've been hoping to play here for months now have now succeeded in their search, and will be playing TOGETHER!! I first told you guys about this possible show two weeks ago, and now it's confirmed: Toronto classic metal band Skull Fist, Toronto progressive instrumental metal trio The Isosceles Project, and North Bay extreme metallers Thekillingfield are coming to The Canadian Nightclub on August 11th! This has been confirmed in a new Facebook event page to promote the concert, with venue information also confirmed there by Tiffany Stocco, who helped to set up this booking. Note that Thekillingfield's MySpace page still lists a "TBA" date for Barrie on August 11th, but the Facebook event page seems to shoot that down. A cover charge is not known, but a guess of between $3 and $5 is listed. Because this is The Canadian, I can see the show starting at around 10:00 PM, and it's definitely 19+. This is gonna be an awesome concert, with a diverse lineup of bands that will be sure to impress! I hope to be at this concert, and you guys should go too! I'll keep you all posted with updates!

Meanwhile, local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight will hit the stage on July 17th for their first ever concert away from Coch's Corner! On July 17th, Frightlight will headline a special benefit concert at Foggy Notions to raise money for guitarist Rick White's 2 year old nephew Logan, who has meningitis that has severely affected his hearing. Money raised would go toward covering tests and surgery to be done in Toronto. Locals The Fury have been confirmed as openers, with another band to be announced. Unlike most Foggys shows, this will be an ALL AGES show from 5:00-9:00 PM! The cover charge will be $5 at the door, with of course, all proceeds going to Logan. This is a great idea to raise money, and the fact that they've made it all ages is a smart move to raise interest! I'll keep you posted with updates as they come in, and thanks to Rick for additional concert info! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page!

Thirdly today is, because there's a midweek concert, a local concert preview! And AC/DC fans, get yourselves ready, as Who Made Who, The Ultimate Tribute To AC/DC are coming back to Sault Ontario on WEDNESDAY! Just a month after fellow AC/DC tribute Hells Bells rocked The Canadian Nightclub, Who Made Who will bring their own brand of high voltage rock n' roll to The Canadian on Wednesday, in their first local show since February at Nite-Life Dance Club! If you need even more reason to go beyond hearin authentic AC/DC classics, then hear this: There will be a giveaway for KISS TICKETS! No details on what that entails, but if you want free tickets for one of the biggest shows of the year, heading to The Canadian doesn't sound like a bad idea! Doors open at 10:00 PM, admission is $5 at the door, and you must be 19 to get in. Who Made Who impressed me last year at The Canadian, and they'll be sure to deliveryour favourite AC/DC hits faithfully! They'll rock, trust me! If you can't make it on Wednesday, no worries, cause Who Made Who will be back on July 24th at The Rockstar Bar! For a preview for Wednesday's concert, here's Who Made Who playing "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" from a show in Thunder Bay!



Finally, here's another band hoping to play here in the next few months! I got an e-mail the other day from Joel Genier, a guitarist in The Prosthetic Hearts, a death metal band from Sudbury. They wanna do some touring this summer and would love to play in Sault Ontario at some point, whether that means a new booking or joining an existing lineup! Joel was even inquiring about getting on the lineup of the Breaking The Fourth Wall show here on July 30th on our Facebook page, so you can see that these guys really wanna play in the Soo! If you're interested in booking The Prosthetic Hearts for a show here, or adding them to an existing scheduled concert, e-mail the band at prosthetichearts666@hotmail.com! The Prosthetic Hearts are pretty good, they're nice and heavy, and mix death metal and hardcore pretty well for an effective mosh-worthy mix, with a sense of humour to boot! It'd be great to have them here, check them out at this location, and if you can help bring them here, e-mail them!

That's all for today, but here's a schedule for you guys on what's coming up on the SMS! Tomorrow, I will profile The Disciples of Rock and Violet Fuse in my newest Saultites in Out Of Town Bands Profile! Then on Wednesday, it's time for our new GarageBand Profile Mini-Series to begin, as we take a look at Sault Ontario's Recognition in advance of GarageBand's closure! Thursday will have weekend concert previews and the latest updates on two local music festivals, and if need be, I'll have a news post Tuesday or Wednesday, albeit well spaced from our special profile features. Stay tuned for all this, and more!