LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Go North Music Festival!!)

Single topic post today thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Juno Award-nominated Saskatoon blues/hard rock band Wide Mouth Mason will (as far as I'm aware) make their first ever local concert appearance as one of the co-headliners of the eighth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 25th! A staple of Canadian rock radio and MuchMusic in the late 1990s thanks to hit songs like "My Old Self", "Why", and "Smile", it will be neat to finally welcome Shaun, Safwan, and crew to our area (if not the Soo proper) this summer, and their jam-friendly alt-rock sound and distinct vocals still set them apart! Wide Mouth Mason are really the only hard rock-leaning outpost for this year's festival, which didn't have anything that really crossed our radar in 2025 (when it was headlined by Big Sugar, featuring former W.M.M. bassist Gordie Johnson). Presented by SooToday & 104.3 The Fox, this annual event returns to the old Cornfest site at Centennial Grounds in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island for two nights of music.

As seen on the poster, the headlining Saturday band this year is Juno-winning Halifax indie rock quintet Wintersleep (of "Weighty Ghost" and "Amerika" fame), who have also never played in the Soo area before. While their name sounds heavier than they are, Wintersleep are a very talented and acclaimed band, so don't bypass them this summer! Also making their way to St. Joseph Island in four months are three acts from Toronto, namely alt-indie trio Jackie, pop rock musician Loviet, and alternative singer/guitarist Keegan Powell, who should also make some waves with their skill sets and rising national profiles! Your only local band on July 25th is CASS FM, the Central Algoma Secondary School student rock band (a'la Mustang Sally), who are multi-time veterans of Go North, if with a lot of lineup turnover. As well, London children's music group The Thinking Caps will return to headline the kids stage that afternoon.

The night #1 lineup on Friday, July 24th has more local ties despite only having three acts, those being fan favourite Niagara Falls brass/funk collective My Son The Hurricane (still featuring former Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea), Oakville country/soul hybrid duo Yassin & Sean Terrio, and local indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (née The Hollow Heads). Along with the announced musicians, attendees can also expect to find local art and food vendors amongst the outdoor surroundings on Centennial Grounds, and if you're bringing the kids, there will be interactive Science North exhibits, games, crafts, and a mural that everyone can help paint at the family zone. Timeslots for the individual acts are not out yet, but gates open on Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM, and bands are projected to wrap up nightly by 11:00 PM. On-site camping is absolutely available as usual, and a fireside jam will again be held after hours.

Advance tickets are now on sale at this link, and minus online processing fees, day passes run for $40 on Friday and $70 on Saturday ($20 and $25 respectively for teenagers 13-18 or students under 25 with valid student ID). Camping passes for 2 or 4 adults for the whole weekend or Saturday only are also available (kids/teens are free to camp thusly but must be with an adult), but these do not include festival tickets, which are a separate purchase. $15 premium parking passes are also available if you want to get a really close spot, but this is an optional bonus. Discount bundles for two adults with camping & premium parking are also available. It is great to see the Go North Fest back for year #8, and while they have had heavier lineups, there's a lot of established and up & coming names to watch out for here, so definitely visit the above links for more on this year's event an hour east of the Soo! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sugar Island Music Festival) & New E.U.P. Concert Videos!!

Plans for today's SMS post got very upended by a big SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that has tripped me up multiple times in the past, so that and some new concert videos are on the docket in this all-Michigan post. Here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Reports of this weekend's quiet hard rock concert lineup were slightly premature, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless will rock the annual Sugar Island Music Festival TODAY! I profusely apologize for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page yesterday, but the lineup was quietly confirmed for some time on the festival's website. As you may recall, the Sugar Island Festival gathers numerous local musicians (mostly not regulars on the E.U.P. bar scene in these projects) to perform on the outdoor stage on the island just east of the Soo, but there is always at least one token rock band who fans will be familiar with, and The Nameless have been that band since 2023. While we're at it, I profusely apologize for not covering their set at last year's Sugar Island Fest, as per the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine backup of their website.

For full details on this year's lineup (including bands yesterday and tomorrow), click here, but note that performers on Sugar Island tend to lean more towards bluegrass and country from my understanding. After playing last year at 6:00 PM on the Friday, fans can see Joshua, the Mikes, and Jamie (fresh off of their third place run at the Superior Whitefish Festival battle of the bands) TODAY at 5:00 PM. Your top three acts again this year are 3½ Men at 9:00 PM, 3-Zip at 8:00 PM, and Aberdeen at 7:00 PM, while festival regulars 2 Cents take the stage at 6:00 PM after not playing on the Saturday last year. Gentleman George Snider also returns at 4:00 PM, while afternoon newcomers include The Blue Lines at 3:00 PM, The Russells at 2:00 PM, and Rich Klenle at 1:00 PM. February Sky will return as the opening band at 12:00 PM, and an open mic block will kick off TODAY'S program as usual at 11:00 AM.

Music aside, expect a beanbag tournament, childrens' activities, and camping on site, so be sure to check the above links for more on the family friendly entertainment, as well as instructions on how to get to the stage on Sugar Island (and remember that you have to take the ferry to get there from Sault Ste. Marie). This all ages festival has admission of $20 via buttons purchased at the Hilltop Bar and Westshore Convenience Store on the island proper, or at the gate (there are no single day passes). 9&10 News is calling for partly-mostly cloudy skies TODAY with weather ranging from 77-84° (25-29° Celsius) with a 20% chance of rain for the final two acts, so mind the current heat wave if you're coming out. Despite the relative lack of social media advertising (The Nameless never even plugged their 2024 set on Facebook), it's great to see a stacked lineup of local talent back for another year of music on Sugar Island!

Even with the genre focus away from live rock music, there's a lot of talent to take in TODAY and tomorrow, as there was yesterday, so don't bypass the Sugar Island Festival for a pleasant (if hot) outdoor diversion this weekend! Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for the short notice and missing last year's festival on the SMS, and for a preview, here's a new video of The Nameless live at The Islander Bar in Hessel last month! In this one, you can hear them covering the end of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" but the visual focus is on dancing attendees, with the band not even in frame. The audio is muffled, and Josh's vocals don't always match the song in intensity, but fun was had, so give it a watch below!

We'll take the ferry back to Sault Ste. Marie to end this post, and like yesterday, we'll do so with local hard rock/punk trio About:Blank via a long awaited public video of their opening set at the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters in March! The guys only uploaded a clip of them at the Mary Jo Jenkins fundraiser event to their Facebook page on June 5th (over two months later) and it features Parker, Nathan, and Kade playing an original song named "Unheard". Like with their jam session video shared here yesterday, this horizontal video was uploaded in letterboxed vertical dimensions, making it needlessly tiny again, and like on "Why", we're only seeing the end of the song here, but there is promise to be had! The audio is muffled somewhat, but "Unheard" sounds solid with a little more of a punk edge to it, and Parker's intense screams suit the ending of it well! Check out About:Blank's new video below, and stay tuned for more from them!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Nameless), A New Local Hard Rock Band, And Tarnished Updates!!

For today's SMS post, we're heading to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. to cover some recent updates from across the river, including big lineup news from a prominent hard rock band, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week, and leading off, a new local band with a few familiar faces, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday night

We have a new local hard rock bands to add to our Sault Michigan band links, that being Unfortunate Sun! Described on their Facebook page as "the EUPs newest high energy rock band", and presumably playing off of the C.C.R. song with the name, they are effectively the successors to the now-defunct Fake Chow, and have already signalled more of a hard rock base in their sound than Fake Chow ever did. Lead singer Skip Parish, guitarist Jody Sandhagen, and Project 906 drummer Jason VanLuven are now joined by ex-Shift bassist Tony Rogers (yes, he was Slappy from Clownsack) in place of Jeffrey Barr. Unfortunate Sun debuted via an outdoor gig at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard on July 27th during the town's Summerfest weekend, and they have yet to announce further concerts of any kind. Two videos have been shared on their Facebook page from that night, where they covered Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 (Jenny)" and, as embedded below, Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train".

Also, Exit 808 singer Dillion Semasky reportedly joined them on stage to cover Seether's "Remedy", but there are no other setlist hints so far. Unfortunately, both videos are short and vertical (despite the Tommy Tutone cover being shot horizontally, so it's sideways), and we see more of attendees than the band for the Ozzy cover, but what I've seen points to a technically sound melodic hard rock cover band, and it'll be interesting to see what Unfortunate Sun have planned for the rest of the year! Check them out for yourselves above & below!

Next up, a rare multi-band local concert will hit Pickles Bar & Grill in nearby Brimley on Saturday, August 17th! This event is brought to us by promoter Brighton LeBlanc of Serious Business, who put on the multi-band concert at The Satisfied Frog last November featuring a Karstens reunion and four touring bands from around the state, but no bands in common are playing next week. The headliner here is R. Solomon, an electronica musician from Detroit, which may seem out of left field, but the show at The Satisfied Frog last year had a similar genre variance in the lineup. Two known local bands will be opening, namely hard rock quintet The Nameless and young local punk trio The Sole Aggressors (the winners of last year's fan-voted LSSU Battle of the Bands). We haven't heard much from them this year, but according to their Facebook page, they've parted ways with singer Henry Boucher, who wasn't at the battle of the bands anyway.

A reason for Henry's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully all's well with him in any event! The band also played a public concert outside of the Bayliss Public Library in the Soo on May 7th, which I profusely apologize for missing on here, but hopefully it was a hit, and the setlist for that show can be seen on their Facbeook page! The fourth act next week is "Sean & Diego", who I know nothing concrete on beyond the poster. This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 18+ age limit (not 21+), and a $10 cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of the action in Brimley next weekend, and thankfully I'm able to cover this one in a much timelier fashion!

Also today, we have some big news from local hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished, who have surprisingly parted ways with bassist Parker Talentino. In a post on their Facebook page yesterday, the band noted that "it was a difficult decision" and that "we felt it was best for the project moving forward". While they didn't go onto specifics otherwise, Alex & Josh are still on amicable terms with Parker, and they wished him well in his future plans, including his active solo project. Parker had replaced Isaac Royer on bass in Tarnished last fall, while also handling rhythm guitar when Chris Leask was guesting with them, and he last played with Tarnished at the Sault Kewadin this past weekend. While Parker is a talented multi-instrumentalist who seemed to fit well with Tarnished, I always got the sense that his folksier acoustic solo output was truer to what he likes musically. He has a bright future ahead regardless!

Regarding Tarnished's lineup vacancies, the band revealed that Rhythm & Brews/ex-Highway 63 bandmates Chris Leask & Ron Suchey will be playing bass & drums "for all of our current upcoming shows" (they have frequently guested with Tarnished at regional dates since May, including this past weekend). The band's statement is somewhat ambiguous, as it could be interpreted as Chris & Ron filling in for currently booked gigs only, but we'll let you know if Tarnished say that they have 100% joined the band or not (keep in mind that Tarnished's recent downstate gigs were as a trio, with Alex primarily drumming while singing). Also note that Rhythm & Brews are still active, last playing live in June, but they do not play live with Tarnished's frequency. At present, Tarnished are booked for road trips to Grand Marais on Thursday and in Rose City later this month, before coming home to rock The Rapids Lounge in late September.

Chris & Ron are talented local rock veterans who should bolster things for at least the next two months! Lastly, two new videos of Tarnished this past weekend were posted by Audrey Marshall (a frequent filmer of Sault Ontario concert videos) as comments on the band's Facebook page post on Friday, and are thusly unembeddable here. They include a (vertical) video of them covering Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" and a shorter (but horizontal!) video of their cover of ZZ Top's "Tush". Both feature Alex just singing, while an unidentified female bassist guested on the Neil Young cover. Solid while they last, so check them out on Facebook, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Uncanny Valley) & Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

I promised a busy week to end October with, and I'm delivering, with this being our fifth post in as many days, and I hope to make it 6 tomorrow with this month's CD review! Before then, it's the Halloween weekend, and with concerts more amenable to happen at this stage of the pandemic, we have a decent amount of hard rock shows across both sides of the border to check out, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Barring anything else on late notice, here's what you should know!

Young local classic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their Soo Blaster debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they play a special Halloween themed headlining concert there! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook event page this past Friday. TOMORROW's concert will be The Uncanny Valley's third of 2021 and with their current lineup, and will give this rising group a chance to unleash their growing arsenal of original material on a spooky audience. It may be a tough task for them to sell out a venue the size of Soo Blaster, but this is a prime downtown locale for The Uncanny Valley to do their thing at, so consider coming out TOMORROW! Advertising does not confirm if there will be a costume contest of any kind or not, but you should definitely wear one if you attend, as if you're paying at the door, you will save $5 by coming in a costume!

Tickets are $15 in advance or for costumed attendees, $20 at the door if you aren't dressed up, and while this may seem steep to just see one band, remember that holiday frills are a given, and regardless, this is a larger venue with pandemic measures in place. Otherwise, this is a 19+ concert with a 10:00 PM start time, and contact/head down to Soo Blaster for advance tickets. And of course, vaccine passports are mandatory to attend this concert, and please use common sense & wear face masks where mandated to keep everyone safe. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Uncanny Valley live earlier this year!

Next up, let's head to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula for some previously announced Halloween weekend concerts, and we'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will play their only E.U.P. dates of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While we have seen their sister band Scarkazm north of the Mack since, this will be Peril's first E.U.P. concert weekend since February 2020 for obvious pandemic-related reasons. Scarkazm are more frequently seen nowadays, but Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' brand of old school hard rock and metal classics are sure to bring in a solid crowd this weekend, so don't miss out on Peril this weekend, especially as they won't be back until next year! No special Halloween frills are in the band's advertising, but expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit, as is standard for Peril and Scarkazm's Kewadin bookings.

And as recently usual, please respect & follow any public health guidelines in place at the casino and/or lounge to ensure that everyone comes and goes safe & healthy. It's great to see Peril back in our neck of the woods after way too long away, and with or without costumes, hopefully tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts go off without a hitch! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

Further north but still in the States, fans can head to Sugar Island THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, where revived Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet 415E will return to The Hilltop Bar for a Halloween weekend concert of their own! Like Peril, we haven't seen 415E in concert locally since February 2020 (at the same venue in this case), and while guitarist Chris Hubbard and bassist Brett Blackwood did resurface with the debuting Rhythm & Brews a few months back, that band hasn't been heard from online since, with 415E resuming public activity afterwards. In any event, it's great to see 415E back after a lengthy break, and hopefully Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason deliver a solid night of hard rocking covers for fans in Sugar Island on Devil's Night! This is unequivocally The Hilltop Bar's Halloween party, so costumes are encouraged, with a contest planned as well as drink specials & appetizers for the occasion.

This 19+ event has no announced cover charge (bring cash just in case), and while a start time of 7:00 PM is advertised with the costume contest winners being announced at 9:00 PM, I can't say for certain whether 415E proper will be playing that early or if they'll be after the winners are announced. Regardless, please respect and follow any and all social distancing and public health guidelines at The Hilltop Bar to ensure that every *one has a safe time on Saturday. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's 415E live in the 2010s!

Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for arguably the biggest hard rock-featured Halloween show of the weekend, if only because this one has two bands, namely new local pop rock cover quintet Lockdown and their sister band, Foo Fighters tribute quartet The Soo Fighters, who will hit The Rockstar Bar for their Halloween party on SATURDAY NIGHT! Both bands were last seen at The Northern Vibe Festival in August, which was the first show period for Lockdown and the debut of The Soo Fighters' new lineup, but that was in Ophir, so this will be the first time in Sault city limits on both fronts. Lockdown aren't a hard rock band, if videos from August are anything to go by, but 3 band members are in The Soo Fighters (and Nicole did some guest backing vocals for them too), so there's a lot of talented DNA between the two bands, and come early to get your hard rock fill via The Soos (hard to believe this is just their fifth show!)

Note that this is not J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, which was last held in 2019 due to the pandemic & his out of town work commitments, but given the locale and The Soo Fighters' involvement, this is the closest you're going to get to it this weekend! Expect a costume contest & the usual Halloween frills, with The Soo Fighters kicking things off at 10:00 PM. No cover charge is announced for this 19+ concert, but bring cash just in case, and vaccine passports are mandatory to attend, so use common sense once you enter! Solid music will abound at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Soo Fighters live!

That's all for today, but barring some very late notice show announcements, stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (415E), Buckcherry Concert Videos, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on the SMS on this Thursday morning, and it includes one more teaser for a concert tonight at a technically private venue (organizers want fans to come though, and this may be the push you need!), plus the first public videos from a recent major concert, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month! Here's what you should know!

Revived Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to The Hilltop Bar in nearby Sugar Island for a Devil's Night concert on Saturday, October 30th! This will be 415E's first publically advertised concert since playing at the same venue in February 2020, with guitarist Chris Hubbard publically working on his long-gestating solo project and his new band Rhythm & Brews in the interim. I'm not sure if 415E were just on hiatus during the pandemic or if Rhythm & Brews were functionally "replacing" them, but it's great to see 415E back, and with their pre-pandemic lineup intact! This includes singer Dave Menard, bassist Brett Blackwood (who played in Rhythm & Brews' debut gigs), and drummer Jason VanLuven joining Chris once again, as revealed in this 5 second "video" to promote the concert, though it's more of an animated poster than anything else, hence why it's not embedded here.

Hopefully 415E's hard rocking brand of covers get a strong reception from fans in Sugar Island next weekend, so don't miss out if you're able! Pre-pandemic Hilltop Bar events had 7:00 PM start times, there's no announced cover charge, and expect a 19+ age limit, and please respect & follow any social distancing and public health guidelines at the bar to ensure everyone's safety, especially over Halloween weekend. See above for more details!

Next up, and from what accounts I've heard online so far, last night's Buckcherry concert at Soo Blaster in Sault Ontario was a success, and a couple of public videos from it are now online to check out! One is a brief 15 second clip of the headlining Anaheim hard rock quintet playing their 2012 single "Gluttony", as shared by 705Live Sound Co.'s Facebook page yesterday afternoon. Not to be confused with dormant concert promoters Live705, 705Live provide sound at live events, and they were on hand in that regard last night, hence why their video is so far from the stage. Still, you can get a sense of the crowd numbers, and even with the vaccine passport mandate, it looks like a sizeable crowd came out! Fan heads do mostly block Buckcherry from view, but the overall quality is respectable despite the video's short length and lack of zoom. Give it a watch below, and we'll let you know if more videos surface!

The only other video I've found on a public source so far comes from new-ish local/Ottawa hard rock quartet Bad Chug's opening set, as filmed by prolific local concert filmer Christopher Paci for his YouTube channel, marking his first concert video upload since The Hair Scare Live in Sault Michigan in February 2020! We all know why it's taken this long for him to film anything else. No word yet on if Chris shot anything from Buckcherry or Redundant's sets (the Bad Chug video was uploaded early yesterday), but we'll let you know if anything else surfaces! The video gives us our first look at Bad Chug on a Sault Ste. Marie stage and with new second guitarist Jacob Quarrell (no comment on his attire), and on this song, it looks like guitarist Aaron Desmoulin is on lead vocals. Alas, the scratchy audio & steady cymbal hits don't help in my efforts to identify if this is a cover.

The song proper is an up-tempo hard rocker that has a little bit of a classic rock feel to it that almost reminds me of some horror punk. Not bad, but again, this isn't the clearest quality audio, so hopefully more footage of Bad Chug (at this show or otherwise) surfaces! Chris wasn't too far from the stage and he had a good vantage point of the proceedings, but Aaron is very hard to make out from the very bright stage lighting above him and his placement at the side of the stage. Give this Bad Chug video a look below, and we'll have more videos from this show when & if they goes public!

Finally for today, here's a trailer for tonight's Alien To The Ignorant concert at the private venue Mellow D's Underground, but this one isn't focused on the headliners, rather openers/venue hosts The Apocalypse Afterparty! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, this serves a double purpose, as while it promotes the concert (including finally giving away Mellow D's current address!), it also features 17 seconds of their to-be-released music video for their cover of Saul Williams' "List Of Demands (Reparations)". The video (shot by Spacebag Productions) shows the band playing in that very cramped room as we saw in prior teasers from the shoot, perhaps not a bathroom like I had guessed, but it is worth noting that The Apocalypse Afterparty appear to just be represented here by frontman Paul & drummer Amanda Stanghetta without a second bassist, which would 100% signal that Alice Rose has left the band.

A reason for her departure was not announced, but she had initially been absent on temporary basis as of December 2019, and The A.A. had enlisted uncredited bassists to fill in through last summer, but the video has the Stanghettas in full-on Death From Above 1979 mode as a two-person band. Hopefully all's well with Alice! The music video teaser is promising and shows Paul & Amanda getting an energetic, full sound out of this staple cover of theirs, and hopefully the full video is released soon! Give it a look below, and remember, the address for TONIGHT'S Alien To The Ignorant concert (also featuring the returning Bear Hunters) can be found within!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), New Original Songs, And Much More!!

Let's get a new news post going on the site on this Thursday morning, so what lies within? New videos regarding promising original material from two very different local projects, some assorted recent news and notes, and leading off, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for our Yooper readers!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will play their first public concert since the beginning of the pandemic TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to Eckerman (an hour west of the Soo) at The Strongs Tavern! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook event page this past Friday, but The Strongs Tavern plugged it on their Facebook page back on June 7th. The return of concerts in Michigan is still something I'm adjusting to, I will work to make sure I get word earlier next time! Project 906 only played one public date last year (in February 2020 at the same venue) before the world got turned upside down, and with 16 months to prepare and work on new covers and originals alike, will they be on top form or shaking off the rust still? I don't know, but it's great to see Project 906 back at last! This will also be their first show since ex-Tarnished drummer Gary Croad replaced Tommy Korcal earlier this year.

A one-night-only event, this concert takes place TOMORROW at 9:00 PM, and while there is no advertised cover charge, expect a 21+ age limit. While the Sault Michigan concert scene is quieter than Sault Ontario's in general (Kewadin excepted), the roll-back of pandemic controls amid vaccination rate increases has allowed things to begin getting back to normal there faster, hence why we're starting to see concerts there already. Hopefully a solid crowd turns out in Eckerman TOMORROW for Project 906's return, so see above for more details, and here they are jamming during the lockdown!

Next up, here's your first look at the reunited, new look Sault Ontario alt-rock band Handsome Sandwich, courtesy of their new YouTube channel! While their pre-pandemic existence was as a cover trio, this video is of their new four-piece lineup playing an original song entitled "All or Nothing", which will apparently be on their debut album! They have not stated yet whether studio recording sessions have begun, or if this is just an eventual plan now that they're working on their own material. The song proper has sort of a punk/power pop hybrid sound that reminds me a bit of an early Foo Fighters song at points. I know they have "no genre", but I'm just calling it how I hear it! While she doesn't seem overly comfortable in the video, new lead singer Taylor Emlaw carries a good tune here, and I'm curious to see how she develops with the band! Mitch Sirie fits in fine for his band debut, but I'd have framed the video better so Jesse consistently showed up on camera.

Despite the year+ hiatus, Handsome Sandwich appear to have hit the ground running in their return via their overhauled lineup and album plans, and it'll be interesting to see what they have in store next, be it in studio or whenever they can play live again! Give "All or Nothing" a watch below!

Also today, here's the latest updates from prolific local folk punk/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore, who is working on another new album entitled "Living Divisions"! As per his Facebook page on June 2nd, Chase revealed that this album is in post-production, it will have 8 songs with an 80 minute runtime, and he has been working on it for three straight months with not many breaks in the interim. Unlike all of his released albums from 2020 & early 2021, "Living Divisions" is not going to be released solely as a free YouTube video, and it will find it's way to major streaming platforms like Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music (much like his major 2019 albums did), thusly making it eligible for a formal review on the SMS when it actually goes on sale. Chase did upload the album's planned second track "Soul In Eclipse" onto his YouTube channel last week, so what can we glean from it?

 

Running for almost 16 minutes, the length may give away that this is a progressive metal song, and it does feature vocals, but I'll hold further comment for now pending our likely review of the finished product. That said, if "Living Divisions" gets a paid release where none of Chase's other post-2019 output did, he is obviously proud of this album and the work he's putting into it! Give "Soul In Eclipse" a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Chase's solo projects when it rolls in!

 

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

 

• Local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith is exploring the idea of launching an album review series on his YouTube channel that would primarily focus on local bands. I presume he wouldn't be averse to looking at Thompson and Windsor acts too, but he did plug the idea on the local Musicians Wanted Facebook group on June 1st. If you're interested in having Mike review your album in a YouTube video, message him at this link or via his group post for more information!
• After a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, the Sugar Island Music Festival in nearby Sugar Island, Michigan will return over the August 13th weekend! However, the lineup does not appear to feature any hard rock bands, not even Tarnished, marking the first Sugar Island Fest without an Alex Traynor-fronted band in a scheduled timeslot since 2010. We'll let you know if any heavier acts get added, but click here for full details on the 2021 installment!
• Sault Ontario hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison has posted a new original song named "The Right Side Of History" onto his Rumble page. Like with his last two Rumble uploads, this song is full of very strong personal viewpoints regarding the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine (with video clips & photos to match), and as I try to keep the SMS apolitical in this area, I opted not to embed it here. The song proper is heavy and melodic with strong guitar work, so if you like his classic original material, the song will appeal to you in that way, just be advised of the content beforehand.
  

 

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

New Videos From Three Local Acts, Plus Summer Festival Cancellations!!

Let's dive into a full news post as we continue year #13 at the SMS! This post is mostly devoted to new videos from three local hard rock acts from the last little while, but we're ending things on a somewhat sour note with a trio of postponed summer concert festivals. Here's what you should know!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's 26th live-streamed concert took place on his YouTube channel on Thursday, and after last Tuesday's show surprisingly went off scot-free with a full run-time, will the good vibes persist here? "Starting Soon" card aside, the video begins about 16 minutes in with Tym covering Frozen Ghost's "Dream Come True", Toto's "Love Isn't Always On Time", Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", Supertramp's "Breakfast In America", an improvised version of The Village People's "Y.M.C.A.", and Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", before hitting a run of songs where two instrumentals (this jazz number and this lengthy song) bookend a cover of Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You". Afterwards, Tym tackles The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", and an original song possibly named "Someday", which surprisingly ended the show.

Tym explained that he was "worn out... in the hot sunstroke weather", and given how he looked in the video and how humid the temperatures were last week, I don't blame him in the slightest for stopping halfway through. Kudos to him for playing as long as he did! Fun set with lots of setlist standards and newer cuts, though that instrumental run may not be to everyone's preference, and we just heard the Frozen Ghost and Berlin covers in the previous stream on Tuesday. Give Tym's newest at-home concert a watch below, and look for his next installment tomorrow!



Next up, local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty shared their first video in two months on their Facebook page on Saturday, which sees the band covering MGMT's "Kids" in their jam space, with the Stanghettas apparently joined by Miranda Siegrist on the second bass (there has not been a statement on if she replaced Alice or if she's just filling in.) Note the minimal attire, which I chalk up to last week's awful humidity. Raw and intense performance that will definitely appeal to existing A.A. fans, though the camera work can be a little unstable. Give this one a watch below!



Also today, here's the remaining new video from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906's Facebook page that we didn't acknowledge in our post on Saturday, namely a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"! An audio recording posted as a video on Thursday (with some images from popular movies), this cover is well done, but Billy's vocals do sound like they are straining to hit high notes at times. Give this new 906 cover a listen below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items, all related to COVID-19 festival cancellations on the summer concert calendar, alas. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by event name:

• After teasing the possibility in April of holding a postponed and downscaled Rotaryfest next month in Sault Ontario, the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie has officially cancelled this year's community summer festival outright, as per local news media like SooToday over the past week. However, organizers have indicated that they will hold a virtual concert of some kind for local musicians to take part in, effectively replacing the two Clergue Park stages for 2020. What form will this take, and when? See above for more details!
• On June 23rd, the fifth annual Rudyard Musicians Festival was officially postponed to next year, as per the event's Facebook page. The Sault Michigan-area event is a fundraiser for Rudyard Area Schools music programs, and had sparingly featured hard rock bands like Project 906 and The Karstens on their varied lineups. Hopefully organizers are back better than ever next summer!
• Similarly, the 20th annual Sugar Island Music Festival will not take place next month, as per their Facebook page earlier today, with organizers citing the "need to keep our community and our people safe", and that "it would be irresponsible" to hold it this year, but they will be back in 2021. While not a hard rock haven, there's usually at least one heavier act out on Sugar Island each year, most recently Tarnished and their predecessors Banned on an annual basis. Again, I hope next year's festival is a huge success!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Leap Day Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews today by looking at announced hard rock shows taking place on Saturday, February 29th (a.k.a. Leap Day!) To round things out, I do have some assorted recent news and notes, but let's start things with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will play their first concert of 2020 THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they return to rock The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Continuing with their reduced live schedule in the past year, this will be Project 906's first publically advertised concert since playing in Hulbert Township in November, and it will be their first Strongs Tavern stop since June. It doesn't look like there's any special perks or themes to this one, but Project 906's hard rocking covers should go over well at this popular Western Chippewa County nightclub on SATURDAY, so don't miss out on all of the action then! SATURDAY's concert has a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live!



Next up, let's head east to Sugar Island, where fellow Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet 415E will play a rare non-Kewadin concert on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Hilltop Bar at 5393 Sugar Island Road! Long a ticket depot for the Sugar Island Music Festival, this nightclub and restaurant does host live music on occasion, and 415E will do the honours on Saturday for their Leap Day festivities! Most of the advertising focuses on their menu selections, so visit the above links if that interests you, but if you don't want to wait until May to hear 415E's Van Halen-influenced covers, consider a ferry trip to Sugar Island tomorrow! No word on if this is a hint towards the festival lineup this year. The band is advertised to take the stage at 8:00 PM, and expect a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's 415E live a few years back!



Lastly for publically advertised hard rock concerts this weekend, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where new (and online page-less) local hard rock cover quartet Barely Covered will play their second concert on SATURDAY NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Featuring 3/4ths of the mid-2010s cover band Changing Lanes alongside new singer Maggie Gasparetto, some readers may recall seeing Barely Covered at this same venue in September, but with a show under their belt and a Leap Day to celebrate, what sorts of covers from the 1980s-2000s will they break out? Remember, sound and setlist descriptions for Barely Covered are heavier than what Changing Lanes had. A very talented lineup is featured here, including Blues Harvest, Startlefish, and Wild Iris alumni, so definitely consider coming to see this one before the month's over! As usual for LopLops, expect a 9:30 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and I don't know of any public videos of Barely Covered yet!

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

• When researching our Defunct Local Band Profile on them earlier this month, I discovered that inactive local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back had quietly taken down their Facebook page for unannounced reasons at some point since they dissolved in 2016. I wish bands wouldn't do that, but their Twitter page remains online, so I have changed our link on the SMS to that account, and it was very helpful in completing our profile!
• Local punk trio Redundant have been named as the local openers for the Buckcherry concert at Soo Blaster on May 13th, as per recent updates on the Facebook event page. Not a perfect genre match, but this is a huge platform for their first local date of 2020, and members do have tickets to sell in case you want to get them in person, so contact them at this link for details!
• I have moved local death metal duo This Is Your Band On Drugs back to our inactive band links, as they have not issued a public update since quietly dropping out of their planned reunion set at the For Those About To Grind concert at The New A one year ago yesterday. Chase has been very busy in the past year with his own solo endeavours, but best of luck to him and Nick in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some long overdue news on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E & The Wyld Stallyns) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, we're capping off this weekend's hard rock concert previews with this post, though we are leading off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Yes, I am well aware of a big concert announcement at Soo Blaster, stay tuned for info on that very soon. Now, here's what you should know for those new shows!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whiskey Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only acknowledged the show via their Facebook page earlier today, but the venue had advertised it all month as part of their February schedule announcement, as seen on the shows' collective Facebook event page. I must get better at following The Whiskey Barrel's monthly concert schedules, apologies again! This will be The Elements side project's first concert since playing at LopLops two weeks ago, and it picks up where they left off when they played another Friday nighter at this popular Gore Street restaurant/nightclub last month. No word on why they're not playing on Saturday, but look for more hard rocking and varied covers TOMORROW from The Stallyns! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, here's a show that the band gave some reasonable advance notice to, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will play at The Hilltop Bar in nearby Sugar Island on Saturday, February 29th at that venue's Leap Day party! This is a very surprising announcement in two respects, one being that this is the first 415E concert in a long, long time while that wasn't under the Kewadin Casino umbrella (at least, not that had a public announcement online.) It'll be interesting to see how Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason are received here! The other unique aspect is the locale, as seeing a hard concert announcement in Sugar Island outside of the annual Music Festival there in August is completely new for us. The Hilltop Bar is a long-time ticket depot for that event, FYI. The pictured cover photo from the bar's Facebook page indicates that said Leap Day party will have a heavy emphasis on their restaurant offerings, but they have yet to confirm 415E as the live music (the band did that on their Facebook page.)

No cover charge is advertised for this event, and while start times aren't advertised either, Hilltop Bar events usually begin at 7:00 PM, and the bar proper opens at 10:00 AM. The address is 5393 Sugar Island Road. 415E's hard rocking covers should go over well at this relatively unfamiliar venue next Saturday, so see above for more details!

Moving to the rest of this weekend's concert previews, let's stay in the E.U.P., as The Hair Scare Live is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! A special concert named after the popular 1980s metal radio show on Rock 101 on Saturday nights, this is an event that you may want to see in person rather than just turn on your radio, and it will be headlined by former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer in his first local stop since Cinderella played here in 2011. Tom and his solo band should have plenty of Cinderella classics like "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" in store, so don't miss out! Support will come via Maryland glam/hard rock quintet Kix and Los Angeles hair metal veterans Faster Pussycat, both in their apparent local concert debuts. Genre fans will surely know many hits from both bands, from "Don't Close Your Eyes" to "House of Pain", so expect lots of throwback action!

As best as I can tell, Hair Scare host and Rock 101 morning DJ Scott Cook will be on hand as the MC on Saturday, which is only logical given the branding. Presented by Meridian Entertainment, this all ages & 7:00 PM concert still has limited standing room tickets available for $25 and premium seats available at higher prices, so visit this link, the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. The Dreammaker's Theater has always been very kind to hair metal, as have fans, so this should be a great concert! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tom Keifer live!



Finally for this weekend, let's wrap up back in Sault Ontario, and if you can't get to The Hair Scare Live, Canadian fans aren't completely out of the woods on SATURDAY NIGHT, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return for this headlining concert! Bon Jovi fans are in good hands here, as this tribute is making their third local concert appearance on Saturday, following well recieved gigs here in May 2016 and this past October. With a faithful looking and sounding stage show for fans of their early hair metal classics and newer, more general rock output, you should find something to like from B.J.F. in their third local go-around! Might they already have Bon Jovi's new single "Limitless" in their repertoire? As was the case last year, this is a 19+ concert with doors opening at 9:00 PM, and tickets run for $15 in advance at The Canadian's front desk, $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Bon Jovi Forever live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns) & New Facebook Video Uploads!!

Here's another news post for your Saturday morning reading, which mostly focuses on new video postings from a few local bands, but leading off, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will hit the road for a special Halloween party concert TONIGHT at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig via their Facebook page on Thursday. A road trip to the small village on St. Joseph Island (an hour southeast of the Soo) is not entirely foreign for us, as Stiffler's Mom played at The Island Bar & Grill back in 2015, while Tym Morrison and CASS Cafe-linked metal bands have also played recorded Hilton concerts elsewhere. In this case, TONIGHT'S Halloween party will see the usual frills for such an event, including a costume contest, though if you are at all interested, the bar is on the site of the Hilton Beach Inn, so you can stay the night if need be. A 6:30 PM start time is in effect TONIGHT, and age limits and cover charges are not advertised. See above for more details, and here's Rob, Christina, and Jesse live!



Next up, here's a brand new video of local Tool tribute band Parabol tackling the classic song "Lateralus" at Soo Blaster two weeks ago! This video was only posted on their Facebook page on Thursday, but better late than never. An incomplete 2:43 clip of the song's end, this still captures their faithful and intense stage show very nicely from a close angle, and John Barber sure is channeling Maynard James Keenan throughout! Fans of Tool and/or Parabol won't want to miss this video and it's professional stage setup, so give it a look below, and visit their Facebook page for details on their out of town gigs in Sudbury & North Bay next month!



Also, here's another new live concert video, this time of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's most recent "every Thursday" matinee concert at Biggby Coffee! This was posted on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, and it features singer/guitarist Alex Traynor covering Tom Petty's "Free Falling" solo for tips and coffee. Where's guitarist Josh Fair? I have no idea, but seeing as the full three-piece band played at LSSU that same night, this appears to have been a temporary absence, maybe even just this song. Alex handles this cover well, and the video's nicely angled, so give it a look below!



Finally, let's continue our look at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's short video uploads on their Facebook page as they continue their Christmas tour prep! On September 28th and again five days later, the channel posted videos of guitarist Steve Giles playing at a table, with the first one featuring more of his electric shredding, and the second being acoustic and far more reserved. Both are under 40 seconds long, but they showcase his musical range nicely, if not the stuff we'll be hearing on tour for the holidays! This past Sunday, another minute-long video was posted of Steve and bassist Scott Andringa (on guitar) acoustically covering Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". I'm not a huge Pink Floyd fan, but the cover works well, though the video has too tight of an angle. We'll wrap things with their two newest videos from Monday, including this video featuring a pan & scan of the studio while their version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" plays in the background.

While this and the video featured below have a hazy black & white filter put on them, the preceding clip is a solid enough teaser of the work they've been doing! Featured here, we have Theatre of Night proper playing "Carol of the Bells", giving us our first look at drummer Erik Sales in their 2019 Christmas tour teaser videos in the process. The 30 second clip showcases everyone in their element, though we don't see Craig (who's behind the camera), and Rachel doesn't sing at this point, despite being present in frame. Now we are caught up re: Theatre of Night's Facebook page, so give these videos a look above & below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mike Haggith) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

We're back to a quieter weekend for live concerts, so barring the already-previewed Tarnished shows from today and yesterday, I think this will contain everything with reasonable advance notice! Note that tonight's Downtown Street Party in Sault Ontario never had a firm music lineup announcement beyond the Fringe North showcase, so if a hard rock or punk performer played at all, I apologize for not covering it today. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Former Din frontman Mike Haggith will return to Sault Ste. Marie THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for a special acoustic concert at Outspoken Brewing at 350 Queen Street East! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page this past Saturday. Almost two years removed from Mike's move out to Thompson, Manitoba, this will be just his second public concert in the Soo since then, though it's been a longer wait for a solo gig, as I don't think he's played an eponymous set like this here since the fourth Swampstravaganza back in 2014. However, that set was electric with backing tracks, and SATURDAY will see him in more familiar unplugged confines. Expect lots of originals from his upcoming album "Bridges" and perhaps some brand new tracks as well! Support will be provided by local folk solo musician Jacob Quarrell (f.k.a. Shit Creek Survivor), whose own talented originals should provide a solid compliment on Saturday night!

This show is a FREE & ALL AGES event at 7:00 PM, and while Outspoken Brewing still isn't a common venue for our coverage, it's location across the road from Soo Blaster will be convenient for many readers. If only for one night, it's great to see Mike come back home, and hopefully lots of laughs and good times are had with fans and friends alike! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Mike live in Thompson!

Next up, we'll move to shows with more than a week's notice, starting with another noted acoustic performer, as former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY before returning to Richards Landing restaurant La Terrazza Franzisi all day on SUNDAY! You could copy and paste our write-up of last week's shows of his here and little would change, but if you don't get a chance to see his skilled unplugged covers, a trip to Gliss' new location and/or the wharf-front St. Joseph Island restaurant would be reliable sources of hard rocking entertainment this weekend! While all of these shows (at public restuarants, mind you) are free & all ages, the Gliss gigs are 6:00 PM matinees, and he'll be at La Terrazza Franzisi all day starting at 1:00 PM. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Now we'll head across to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula to close out this weekend's previews, starting with Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm's latest gigs in our area, as they'll be headlining at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in late June, this will be Scarkazm's first of two concert weekends in the E.U.P. this month alone, with shows at the Sault Kewadin branch following in two weeks time. Adam, Dave, and Jeff always deliver a strong live show when they play north of the Mack, and hopefully tomorrow's and Saturday's shows provide more of the same hard hitting covers (and originals?) for local fans this weekend! As usual, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



Finally, let's head to the 19th annual Sugar Island Music Festival in nearby Sugar Island, where new local hard rock band Tarnished will play a set THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Marking Alex's ninth straight set at this festival and first after his old group Banned dissolved, this isn't advertised as an acoustic show, making this a rare appearance of their electric trio incarnation, last seen at Kinross Speedpark with Project 906's Tommy Korcal on drums. Tarnished will get the co-headlining slot on Saturday at 8:45 PM, preceding headliners 3 Zip, while remaining bands (of the folk/country and online page-less variety) will include 3½ Men, Aberdeen, 2 Cents, All Arms, Joel Choate, The Gentleman George Band, Walkers Rye, Moose River and February Sky, and an Al Gross-hosted open mic block opening at 11:00 AM, so past festival attendees will see a lot of familiar faces. Most of these acts will be seen tomorrow and/or on Sunday as well, though not Tarnished. Click here for the full schedule itinerary, as well as directions to the stage!

This ALL AGES outdoor festival has admission via $10 full-weekend souvenir buttons for adults (kids 12 and under are FREE), and you can buy yours at Ed's Bayview Store, The Hilltop Bar & Grill, or the Westshore Convenience Store in Sugar Island, and at Crooked Music in Sault Ste. Marie, and presumably at the gate. For full details, including on non-musical activities, see the above links, and for a preview, here's a new video of Tarnished at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers' Market yesterday, via their Facebook page! A short 15 second clip of Alex & Josh covering Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", it sounds good while it lasts, and look for much more on Saturday at Sugar Island!



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