YouTube Channel Profile Series: Vanity First - Topic

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel profiles, now that our most recent weekend concert previews are wrapped up! This monthly feature post looks at a randomly selected YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians/concerts, in order to spotlight it and its content for current readers! This month gives us a dormant but familiar local punk band's offerings on major streaming services like YouTube (Music), so here's what you should know on it!

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Vanity First - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCpYvTCkSYOmy61FJuDJ2x2g)

Owner: If anyone, an unidentified member of local punk band Vanity First, though the channel is auto-generated to facilitate the band's catalogue being available on YouTube Music

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 15th, 2022; Videos uploaded from that day until April 2024

Channel Summary: The official YouTube Music channel for Vanity First, it features their 2024 studio album "Identity Crisis", two pre-release single uploads from the same album, and "single versions" of two other songs later included on that album.

Why You Should Watch: If you enjoy Vanity First's studio material, this channel will be well worth your time, though of course, these songs are also on other major streaming services if you'd rather hear "Identity Crisis" somewhere else. While comprehensive for their post-name change material, their February 2022 self-titled demo "Vanity" was not re-uploaded to YouTube Music, though all of its songs (save for the ballad "Breathe") were re-recorded for "Identity Crisis", and the original demo remains available to stream on the band's official YouTube channel, which also has videos and non-album material. Note that this channel hasn't been updated since "Identity Crisis" came out, and the band hasn't played live in six months, possibly due to Mikhal and Keeghan's focus on Ha!ls as of late.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Playboy Magazine (Single Version): The first songs on offer here are "single versions" of songs that were later re-recorded for "Identity Crisis". The first song is the "single version" of "Playboy Magazine", which debuted on the 2022 "Vanity" demo, and is by far their most popular song on YouTube Music. This was released the same month that they rebranded from Vanity to Vanity First and bassist Nick McClelland left the band, though I don't know if he is on this particular recording (singer Andrew Beggs replaced him on bass). Also featuring guitarist Mikhal Muto (who sings lead on this song) and drummer Keeghan "Ljubov" McAllister, the "single version" is a few seconds longer than the final 2024 version, and doesn't have as dynamic production but it is a louder file. Not their punkiest or fastest song, but power pop fans will take to it well, especially ones familiar with Mikhal's vocals!

Get Out (Single Version): The other "single version" predating the "Identity Crisis" release is the August 2022 re-recording of "Get Out", an Andrew-sung number that is one of Vanity First's heaviest originals. About 10 seconds shorter than the final 2024 version (cornfield banter at the start aside), the 2022 version differs primarily from the 2024 one by its more reserved, punk-leaning vocals that remind me somewhat of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn", whereas Andrew more screamed the verses for the "Identity Crisis" sessions.  Strong track that was one of my favourites from Vanity First's catalogue, regardless of version, though the recording is again definitely louder with less dynamics than what we got a couple of years later.

Habitual Vanity: In terms of songs from "Identity Crisis" itself, I wanted to highlight one of the newer songs recorded for the album that hadn't debuted as a "single version" or on the 2022 demo. I went with their partially eponymous song "Habitual Vanity", which was released to YouTube Music twice, first as an advance single and then re-uploaded with the full album. This Andrew-sung number is darker than a lot of their earlier punk originals and has a nice melodic structure with ominous elements that help showcase the diversity in sounds that they were exploring! Hopefully we haven't heard the absolute last from Vanity First, but follow what Mikhal and Keeghan are up to with Hails in the interim!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll get back to YouTube channels actually ran and controlled by the band apart from the YouTube Music format, this time by way of Bullet Train - Canada, featuring the local hard rock band's original songs so far! Look for that on or around April 26th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Vanity First - "Identity Crisis" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 180th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we complete fifteen years of reviewing heavier/punk albums every month without fail! This month, we are looking at local skate punk trio Vanity First's second CD and first non-demo release "Identity Crisis", which was released to major streaming platforms and physically via MorningStar Records on April 20th! Effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2022 "Vanity" demo, it features re-recordings of each song (except "Breathe") at their own Studio 702, alongside four newly recorded original tracks. Vanity First are represented here by singer/bassist Andrew Beggs (replacing Nick McClelland from the 2022 demo on bass here), guitarist Mikhal Muto (who produced the album and sings lead on three songs), and drummer Keeghan McAllister. Despite playing at the release concert at Soo Blaster, part-time(?) guitarist Carmen Muto is not on the album.

As hyped in this MorningStar Records promotional piece, "Identity Crisis" is on sale via Kunaki's print-on-demand method on CD ($10) or vinyl ($40) at this link, though I cannot confirm local in-store availability. You can stream it on all streaming platforms Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer, with Amazon and iTunes selling it via mp3 download for $8.91 apiece. As I have reviewed the "Vanity" demo already for the SMS, I won't re-review the five re-recorded songs here, but I will compare and contrast the new versions with the originals. With nine songs running for about 28 minutes, let's begin this month's CD review!

Like the 2022 demo, "Identity Crisis" leads off with "Hard Feelings", which is relatively similar to the original but with much rangier and better harmonized vocals, as well as a slightly faster tempo and a new spoken word intro about quite a scenario about walking through a cornfield. The crisper production is evident, and just upgrading the lyrics with screaming and more distinct backing vocals improves things! This is still a fun choice of opening song for skate punk fans, and it benefited from being revised for this album! The first brand new song (and first with Mikhal on lead vocals) is next, namely "Off With Their Heads", which they jokingly described as "the most hilariously inaccurate viking song". If not for Mikhal's distinctive emo-esque tone of voice (Agnosticism fans, take note), this would easily fit in metal playlists with its galloping power metal riffs! The guitar solo is also welcomed.

I will say that it's a little repetitive by the end, as the base melody never really changes throughout the 3+ minute runtime, but if you like your Vanity a little heavier, this will do the trick, and it's a solid early highlight! Third here and on the 2022 demo is "Empty Home", which is also played at a faster tempo here, so much that it usurped "Hard Feelings" as the album's shortest song. That said, the 2024 version is closer in structure and approach to the original, only really differing musically via more aggressive backing vocals, so fans of the prior straightforward punk attack will get more of the same via the re-recording! Next is the second brand new song, "When I Fall", which Mikhal also sings lead vocals on. If you want something more punk-centric with Mikhal on vocals, this will do the trick very nicely!

If we're being honest, I think Andrew's vocal style fits skate punk better than Mikhal's, but his emo-influenced singing will appeal to genre fans, and the song still has a lively up-tempo nature that is relatively timeless as modern punk goes, and Keeghan's drumming is particularly good here, so "When I Fall" will be quite easy to get into, even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel! Track #5 here was track #4 on the 2022 demo, namely "Black Flies", which is basically a straight re-recording (not really any faster) but more intricate guitar work and stronger backing vocals, including some screaming. I liked this song for its structural variance that allowed the guys to show their skills moreso with a 1980s retro vibe at points, and the updated version here is an improvement all around! We break from the alternating pattern of old and new songs next via the revision of "Playboy Magazine", which was track #2 on the 2022 demo.

The final song here with Mikhal on vocals (and the only one with Keeghan as a co-writer), and it retains an identical structure and mostly benefits from the boosted production quality. All three of Mikhal's lead vocal tracks are different from each other, so fans of power pop and indie rock will still take to this one and it's more direct lyrics, but aside from the opening verse being too processed, this is an improvement all around from the 2022 version, particularly benefiting with stronger backing vocals! Still a little too laid back compared to what I like from this band though. Andrew sings lead the rest of the way, including on the next two brand new songs for "Identity Crisis", starting with its longest song, "Get Out", which opens with more cornfield talk like on "Hard Feelings (I must have missed the in-joke here!)

The most metal song on offer for the Andrew-sung tracks, this has shouted verses and clean choruses, the latter of which remind me a bit of Avenged Sevenfold. To a point, I think the guys handle punk better, but it is nice to see them spreading their wings stylistically, and this might be Andrew's best performance on bass so far! Not a bad hard rock song that doesn't get repetitive despite its length, so fans looking for something not as punky should give this a listen! The penultimate song (and final new cut) is the partially eponymous "Habitual Vanity", another song that stretches from their skate punk base with a darker and more melodic sound, and while I do think that punk suits them more, this is a cool sound with effective use of vocals, strong bass, and a good structure that keeps things moving at a slightly ominous clip! I'd have went a little heavier with it, but it's another good change of pace for (Habitual) Vanity First!

The album closes with the last re-recording, "White Ghosts", which is similar to the original aside from better production, more varied vocals, and a faster conclusion for the ending guitar solo to come in. Like the original, I wish this ran longer, but the production upgrades accentuate this strong closer to the album that brings things back on a punk track for fans!

So, what are my final thoughts on Vanity First's new CD? Overall, this is a strong update that better realizes their earlier songs and adds some entertaining new material to fill things out, which point to a promising future for them! At its core, it's an expanded remake of the "Vanity" demo (sans "Breathe"), and all five returning songs maintain their original structure and integrity while benefiting from the new production, more aggressive backing vocals, and sometimes faster pacing, so if you liked that demo, almost everything carried over is the same or better! Of the four new songs, it felt to me like Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan wanted to show what they could do beyond skate punk, as only "When I Fall" of those four songs really feels like it could have fit on the 2022 demo. The guys have range and it'd be interesting to see what sound(s) direct their next studio effort! Andrew's bass work does the job well here also.

No song is bad here, especially the punk-leaning ones, but I would like to hear a few more guitar solos, and Mikhal's vocals are trickier to have fit certain subgenres without going full emo. I'd also have re-recorded "Breathe" here, as it would further highlight their musical variety, and they had plenty of room for it on the physical copies. If you liked the "Vanity" demo, you'll absolutely like "Identity Crisis", so be sure to buy or stream it at the above links! As for our next CD review at the SMS, we'll kick off year #16 of album reviews (wow) with our third straight review of a Mikhal Muto project's album, namely his new hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages' debut EP "Macabre"! Our anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same artist doesn't apply to multiple bands from the same musician, hence the trifecta. We haven't even talked about this project on the site yet, so stay tuned for that and more next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Agnosticism), Vanity First Updates, And New Videos!!

Let's tackle some recent news and notes from Sault Ontario on this rainy Sunday morning, including some new videos, recent updates on an album release, and leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local folk punk/emo solo project Agnosticism will return to the stage with a headlining date at The Distraction on Saturday, May 25th! Led by young & prolific local guitarist Mikhal Muto, Agnosticism (whose only social media account is on Instagram) haven't played live that much in recent months, possibly owing to Mikhal's busy schedule in at least three other bands, but I believe this will be their first public show since releasing their new EP "A Letter Of Resignation" on major streaming services, so you could call this the de facto release party! That EP will be reviewed on the SMS this month, for the record. Mikhal will be joined here by two other solo artists, including 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist and The Floor Between Us frontman Colin Gasparelli (who opened for Jackal Blood here in February) and Mikhal's Vanity First bandmate Andrew Beggs, who is credited as "Andrew Keith" for this concert. 

No word on if Andrew's solo set will essentially be a one man unplugged Vanity First set or if he'll employ a different sound, but come down to The Distraction on East Street to find out! This Memorial Day weekend concert has an early 6:00 PM start time, no age limit, and admission set at "$5 or pay what you can". This should be a good time for fans of folk punk and acoustic stylings, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, and speaking of Vanity First, let's cover some recent updates from Andrew and Mikhal's local punk band! For those of you who haven't bought their new album "Identity Crisis" on CD or vinyl, the guys posted the back cover of it on their Facebook page on April 25th, so you can glean some more information on the album that way. They credited "Studio 702" as where the album was recorded, and you can see the complete writing and singing credits as well. Notably, Mikhal was the producer of the album, and sang lead on "Off With The Heads", "When I Fall", and "Playboy Magazine", the latter of which being the only song co-written by drummer Keeghan McAllister. Of course, that album was launched at their release party at Soo Blaster on April 20th, and they continued posting content from that show to Facebook after the fact, including lots more black & white photos by Honest Job's Drew Armstrong.

Vanity welcomed a guest guitarist for at least part of their set on 4/20, namely Carmen Muto (second from the left), who is either Mikhal's brother or cousin, I am not 100% sure which. If you want to see how he factors in, both of the videos posted from the concert feature Carmen, and both are covers, including a (sadly) vertical clip of them covering NOFX's "Linoleum", and as embedded below, a shorter but horizontal clip of them covering "Suicide" by Choking Victim. Everyone sounds good on these covers, which did seem to go over well with assembled fans, and while Carmen was stiff up there, his guitar work did help fill things out! Before we move on entirely, Vanity First also posted a "Reel" on Friday featuring in-studio performance footage of them playing "Off With Their Heads" from the new album, and heavily filtered with strobing lights (an interesting choice given that the band has confirmed that Andrew is epileptic).

I don't like "Reels", as readers will be well aware, but the video is neat looking, and I hope that a horizontal/non-"Reel" version exists to capture the whole song, especially if Vanity First intend it to be a formal music video! In any event, I can't embed it here, so watch it (and more) above, give their live Choking Victim cover a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Vanity First when it rolls in!

We'll close today with a new video of local/Barrie alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith's set at last year's Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir, courtesy of his Facebook page on Wednesday! While a full live-stream of Mike & crew's set was filmed at the festival last year, this is pro-shot, multi-camera footage that was filmed by Justine Chalykoff of local filmmaking company Chalykoff Studios, who reportedly filmed Mike's whole set thusly. At the time, Mike promised that "a proper full-length video" was coming, not to mention a teaser clip of an interview that Mike and his solo band recorded with Justine, but neither has made its way online in full yet. At least we have one song from the concert proper from what Chalykoff Studios shot, and hopefully we'll get more from it and the interview (even with the bassist switch) in due course! Justine filmed Mike playing his and drummer Brandan Glew's old band The Din's song "Missing", which was their sixth of eleven songs that day.

No less than five cameras (four stationary, including the camera from the live-stream) filmed the guys in action last year, so you get a lot of great looks at the band and Forest Stage setup, especially notable given how the off-the-grid nature of Northern Vibe doesn't lend itself to plentiful video content compared to something like Rotaryfest. Note that the credits list Elly McWatters as a backing vocalist, but that appears to be a remnant of the full Chalykoff Studios video to come(?), as she only joined Mike for the last two originals. Excellent video, so give it a watch below, and hopefully there's more to come before Mike returns to Northern Vibe in July!

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

Vanity First's New Album, Mikey & His Uke's New Cover, And More!!

News hasn't been super fast as of late, but here's a reasonably stuffed post on this Monday evening, leaning more to punk acts, including some new videos and big details on a new album, so here's what you should know!

As promised, local skate punk trio Vanity First released their new studio album "Identity Crisis" at their release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday night, and if you didn't attend to pick up a CD copy, you can also stream it online! No word on videos from the show, but Honest Job alum Drew Armstrong did snap photos at the concert, and a black & white one of drummer Keegan McAllister has already been posted to the band's Facebook page, with more promised to be coming. The band claims that "Identity Crisis" is available on "all streaming platforms", a claim immediately disproven by not being uploaded on Bandcamp yet (despite "Off With Their Heads" being posted there). In actuality, you can stream it on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer, while mp3 copies are on sale on Amazon and iTunes for $8.91 if you'd prefer actually owning the mp3 files. 

As hyped in detail on MorningStar Records' website, the album can be bought via Kunaki's print-on-demand method on CD ($10) or vinyl ($40) at this link, though at press time, I cannot confirm if Vanity are stocking the album at The Rad Zone or another local physical retailer (members do have CDs if you contact them directly). "Identity Crisis" is effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2022 "Vanity" demo, now including the three advance singles posted this year, their late 2022 single "Get Out", and one more new song named "When I Fall". All songs from "Vanity" were redone for "Identity Crisis" except "Breathe", a campfire jam-esque acoustic ballad which ended that demo. Quite frankly, if one song had to be scrapped, they picked the right one, as it doesn't jive with their skate punk base, but it wasn't a bad song, if more suited to guitarist Mikhal Muto's folk punk solo project Agnosticism than a full plugged in band.

At present, I have "Identity Crisis" pencilled in for review on the SMS in June, as this month and next are already committed for the newest albums from Convergence and the aforementioned Agnosticism. Stay tuned for that, but local punk fans will definitely want to give Vanity First's brand new album a listen (or optimally buy it) above & below!

Next up, the long awaited eighth installment of local punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's series of covers of Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie" finally dropped on their YouTube channel earlier today! Four weeks removed from song #7 in this 30th anniversary series (the longest wait yet between songs), project leader/Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon and crew are back to tackle the next song on "Dookie", that being the single "She". On this one, vocal duties fall to K.J. Jansen of Calgary punk mainstays Chixdiggit, while Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury (in his fourth appearance in the last five covers) is back here, as is ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer, who has yet to miss a "Dookie" cover in this series. Once again, Mikey plays guitar after his usual ukelele intro. Everyone delivers as you'd expect on this classic cover, and K.J.'s vocals are a great match for a Green Day rendition!

After last month's "Basket Case" cover had no real visual frills, we do get more variance here, with K.J. notably singing while shaving his beard, which is a new one for me to cover! Granted, Sault Michigan readers will appreciate Darren's choice of hockey jersey more than Sault Ontario ones. Next up in Mikey & His Uke's "Dookie" cover series is the deep cut "Sassafras Roots", which could drop at any point between Sunday and May 20th (the current average would be May 4th), so keep an eye out for that, and check out "She" for yourselves below!

Finally for today, here's a brief new promotional video from local alternative/hard rock band Handsome Sandwich's Facebook page to plug their set opening for The Hazytones at The Distraction on Thursday! The 12 seconds long & vertical clip sees the entire band (all wearing sunglasses) promoting the concert, with each member handling a part of the sentence. No new information, but hopefully it helps get the word out, so give it a watch below, and check above for details on the concert! And of course, our best thoughts go out to drummer Johnny Belanger following the passing of his brother, the obituary is linked here. I went to high school with them, and I can't imagine losing a loved one so young like this.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Bone Yard 225) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another weekend of hard rock and punk concert previews today! Not a packed weekend as heavier bands go, but there's enough to fill out today's post, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Before their previously announced Shooters Downstairs Lounge concert on SATURDAY NIGHT, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to The Esquire Club for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the Esquire Club show via their Facebook page yesterday. TOMORROW's booking was originally scheduled to belong to local classic rock band The Cloud Bandits as per The Esquire Club's early 2024 concert calendar (pictured here from January), but I have not heard a reason from that band nor the venue over why they're not playing TOMORROW, or if The Cloud Bandits are still playing on Saturday. With Shooters only hosting live bands on Saturdays due to their Friday DJ nights, Bone Yard 225 now have a full weekend in store for fans of their southern and classic rock attack, three nights if you count their jam night hosting duties at Reggie's tonight, so keep that in mind if that interests you!

Both TOMORROW'S Esquire Club concert and Saturday's Shooters show are at 9:30 PM, and they are both 19+ events with no cover charge. Hopefully Bone Yard effectively rock downtown and west end fans this weekend, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via Jay's Facebook page this morning. Of course, Soundcheck are hosting the Thursday jam night there tonight as expected, but this weekend's normal concerts are new to us, so if you want to see Cameron with the guys, let alone a standard night or two of classic and hard rock covers from this talented veteran foursome, head to the former Reggie's West TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! These will be Soundcheck's first non-jam night appearances at Jay's since their 1980s themed party at the start of March. As usual, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live! 

Moving to previously announced concerts, let's head downtown to Reggie's Place, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fans of this rising young band will recall how all of their solo headlining concerts in 2023 were at Reggie's, but they have yet to play there this year, opting to spread their wings to other local venues in the interim. If you've missed the guys (and Claire) at this downtown staple, be at Reggie's this weekend for their hard rocking and sometimes surprising array of covers and select originals! As usual for HeadFirst's shows here, expect 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits this weekend, and if you can't make it they'll be back at Jay's Piston Broke Pub next weekend. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst live earlier this year!

Finally for this weekend's known local hard rock/punk concerts, we'll head to Soo Blaster, where local punk trio Vanity First will release their new album "Identity Crisis" at its release party on SATURDAY NIGHT! Along with their set, professionally printed CDs made by Kunaki and sold through Mike Haggith's label MorningStar Records will be on sale for $10 (vinyl copies will be sold online for $40), and a digital release is also expected. You can get pre-order details and more about the album via MorningStar's article on the album/band from last week, which heavily pumps the band up in glowing terms! The full track listing is also given, confirming that their late 2022 single "Get Out" will be on the album, as will re-recordings of every song from the February 2022 "Vanity" demo except "Breathe" (unless it was re-titled "When I Fall", which is the sole advertised song that we haven't heard a studio version of then or now.)

Local metal trio The BAG will get things off on a heavy foot on Saturday before Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan take the stage, so don't be late for their intensity either! This all ages concert has admission of $10 (if you bought tickets directly from the band) or $15 (at the door), and the concert proper begins at 8:00 PM. Vanity First have sure grown as a band in the past two years, and hopefully their skate punk attack is greeted enthusiastically as headliners tomorrow, with CDs flying off of the merch table to boot! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview of the release party, here's Vanity First live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Vanity First & Generations), Plus New Videos!!

Here's a surprise news post on this Good Friday evening, which is half devoted to new punk videos featuring former Lion Ride bandmates, but leading off, here's two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage on Saturday, April 13th when they rock The Water Tower Pub! Unless something gets booked beforehand, this show (announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group earlier today) will be their first since playing at Jay's in early March, and their first at The Water Tower Pub since a Friday nighter the previous week (the Great Northern Road nightclub historically hosts different nightly bands). Generations are celebrating their one year anniversary since succeeding Jus' Chillin last year (they debuted at Jay's on April 7th, 2023), and while they aren't returning to the origin site for this particular gig, hopefully Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre's classic and hard rock covers find another receptive audience! This 19+ show will have an 8:00 PM start time and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' next gig!

Next up, local punk trio Vanity First will indeed release their new album "Identity Crisis" on Saturday, April 20th with a formal release party at Soo Blaster! Confirming the Facebook comment from drummer Keegan McAllister's dad earlier this week, the concert will indeed see Vanity selling CD copies (no word on pricing yet), but unlike the limited pressing of their 2020 demo CD, this album is getting a more professional treatment, as "Identity Crisis" is getting released through local/Barrie rock musician Mike Haggith's label MorningStar Records. Now you know how Mike "played a small part in bringing the album over the finish line"! The album will be available to order through MorningStar's website too via the Kunaki on-demand printing process, but if Vanity First have properly signed with the label, they/Mike haven't confirmed it yet. Local metal trio The BAG will open the proceedings on 4/20, and they'll set the tone well with their heavy attack!

As per the poster by Mikhal & Keeghan's Hails bandmate Brenton Ellis (more on him in a bit), this all ages & licensed concert will cost $10 if you buy advance tickets from Vanity First band members (Keeghan's dad reportedly had them too), but the price will jump to $15 at the door. The concert proper begins at 8:00 PM. It's great to see that Vanity First have gotten this far already, and hopefully everything goes according to plan next month! Visit the official Facebook event page for more info!

Also today, let's look at the newest video in Mikey & His Uke's ongoing cover series paying tribute to Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie" for its 30th anniversary! After an unusually long 18 day gap between songs #5 and #6 in this series, the new video came just a week later on Monday, so we're back on the normal "6-8 days between videos" scheduling. Next up in track listing order on "Dookie" is Green Day's classic single "Basket Case", and here, the guest singer is none other than Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman in his fifth appearance with Mikey & His Uke and first since 2022. Mikey Hawdon plays guitar and (initially) ukelele once again, with ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer behind the drumkit once again, while Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury returns for his third "Dookie" cut out of the last four. Everyone puts in a strong performance here, and Milo's intensity with the camera is noted throughout!

No major setting quirks or post-production effects here, but this video legitimately got shared on Instagram by no less than Billie Joe Armstrong himself, which has to be a huge feather in Mikey's toque! As a fan of sports jerseys and logos, I do think Darren could do better as Buffalo Sabres jerseys go, especially given their current set, but that's irrelevant to the cover. The next song in the "Dookie" series (track #8, their single "She") should arrive at any point between Sunday and April 12th, but the average gap between videos so far would place it on Wednesday. Punk fans will absolutely want to give this cover a watch below!

Finally for today, here's a throwback to local punk fans of the 1990s... remember Gutwrench? While their mid-1990s heyday long predated the SMS, their lineup included four very notable names, including current Hails/Slumshine frontman Brenton "B.G." Ellis on vocals and bass, guitarists Mike "Vinyl" Muto (ex-Issues/Band Camp Rejects) & Paul "Paulo Rage" Melanson (of newer Alberta-based metal bands like Castigate and Syryn), and Mike's brother Marc Muto (ex-Lion Ride) on drums. A lot of local bands of this era don't have much in the way of public media in the 2020s, but Gutwrench are now an exception, as Mike's son Mikhal (now on guitar in Ha!ls with Brent) has had three vintage cassette tapes of theirs to his personal YouTube channel for over two years now! These include their 1995 debut "Phantasmagoria" (recorded before Paul joined the band), and its 1996 follow-up "One Nation Under The Gun".

The other tape is a live bootleg from a show at the former Knights Of Columbus Hall (also, Mikhal posted a tape of fellow 1990s punk band The Kite Eating Maples but it has no imagery or information on the band/album there). With artwork (albeit with camera glare) and track listings on the two albums posted, the Gutwrench studio albums are absolutely eligible for reviews on the SMS once our new album backlog is cleared (perhaps this summer?), and given that Brent still plays live with his current projects, it could get priority on that basis when we do run out of new albums! Have a blast from the past with this fast paced local punk band above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, in all likelihood! Thanks everyone!