LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (BookcluB & Dos Amigos!!)

Here's a surprise second post for your Friday night reading, which is devoted to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS concerning a big day for live music and downtown festival action TOMORROW, so what all can you expect?

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will return to Forty-Five Social TOMORROW as part of their second annual Lot & Loaded Parking Lot Jam! Apologies for the short notice, their involvement was announced by the 117 Spring Street barber shop's Facebook page last week, but Dos Amigos proper have not updated their Facebook page whatsoever since August. Given that, who knows what Dustin and Mikey might have been up to in recent months, but it's good to see them playing a publically advertised concert again! The Lot & Loaded Parking Lot Jam again coincides with the annual Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer on Queen Street East and the Downtown Plaza, which Forty-Five Social booking three solo artists to play alongside Dos Amigos TOMORROW. Amazingly, the lineup from 2025 returns intact for 2026, just with a shuffled lineup order, so look for folk musician Matthew (or Matty) James at 9:00 PM, veteran local staple Jay Case at 7:00 PM, Dos Amigos at 4:00 PM, and country musician Marty Frolick at 2:00 PM.

Each act has a two hour timeslot TOMORROW, with the 6:00 PM hour seemingly serving as an intermission. While there is no stated age limit for this outdoor concert, use common sense, as this is taking advantage of Beerfest, and there is no announced cover charge at Forty-Five Social. As seen in this Facebook video, the Parking Lot Jam will take place under a tent in the titular lot, but just in case, 9&10 News has a heavy chance of rain and thunderstorms during Marty's opening set, but precipitation odds will drop for Dos Amigos and it should dry up for Jay and Matthew. Temperatures are projected to start at around 18° and will drop to around 11°. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Next up, this won't be all for Mikey Hawdon and Dustin Jones TOMORROW, as the ex-Inner City Surfers bandmates will join their current alternative/punk cover supergroup BookcluB at the Downtown Plaza for the Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer's proper concert program! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of BookcluB's involvement via Dustin's personal Facebook page yesterday (they haven't updated their Facebook page in three months, and I have not seen LopLops, Beerfest, or You Belong SSM announce a music schedule). Just a half hour after Dos Amigos wrap up outside of Forty-Five Social, they'll join the full band at the Plaza for what appears to be a headlining set at 6:30 PM, which will notably be one of (if not) their first gigs since adding former Hails guitarist Carmen Muto to their lineup, replacing the relocated Brandon Ruch. This was confirmed via Rotaryfest's website in their Stage 1 writeups for this year.

We'll have more on Rotaryfest 2026 on the SMS soon, but Carmen is a welcome (if surprising, given Hails' sound) addition to BookcluB, giving them a new young gun on guitar! I don't know the format for the Festival of Beer's music schedule TOMORROW, but if it's similar to last year's schedule, you should expect three more bands and two DJ slots from noon onward, with BookcluB likely playing for an hour. Queen Street East will be closed from 8:00 AM-10:00 PM from Brock Street to Spring Street, and attendees can expect loads of craft beer companies and brewers selling their wares for the occasion, while a food truck festival will debut at the Plaza as part of this LopLops-curated festival. Lack of a full band schedule aside, click here and visit the above links for more details on what to expect! There will be two further Queen Street closures TOMORROW for other well timed events.

Outspoken Brewing will host their Night Shift party from 5:00 PM-2:00 AM with Queen closed from Elgin to Bruce Street, though they are only hosting DJs for music. Meanwhile Queen Street will be closed from Bruce to Dennis Street for a special rooftop concert at Village Media's headquarters featuring Steel Rock & The Pine Tones (Superior Heights & White Pines' student rock bands) and local Filipino band Bituin, so there's a lot going on downtown! Alas, those rainy weather forecasts remain very much a factor for anything going on until 6:00 or so, so be prepared. General admission tickets for Beerfest cost $35, but click here for all ticket package tiers if you're still needing to buy tickets online. I do hope that the weather cooperates for the majority of TOMORROW'S Festival of Beer and related downtown events, so whether you're in it for the beer or the music (or both), see above for more details, and for a preview, here's Bookclub live at the Downtown Plaza!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Destroyer, Leash, And Bone Yard) & Spades GT Updates!!

Today's post was reshapen in progress due to discovering some concerts taking place next month that I hadn't heard about as soon as I probably should have, so factoring them into what we already knew, we mostly have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS today, plus updates on a prominent local band's album recording sessions. Here's what you should know!

Hamilton-based Pearl Jam tribute band Leash will make their local concert debut on Saturday, March 4th when they perform at Soo Blaster! Given the touring tribute bands that usually make their way to Sault Ste. Marie, one paying homage to a grunge/alternative rock band is definitely unique, so that alone should get many readers curious! While the vocals aren't a perfect match to Eddie Vedder, Leash have the musical chops to pay justice to Pearl Jam, and it'll be interesting to see how Leash go over next month! There are no advertised opening bands. Announced by Soo Blaster's Facebook page in a relatively quiet fashion (hence why I only just heard about it today), this is a 19+ event with doors opening at 7:00 PM, and tickets run for $25 in advance at the venue or this link or $30 at the door. A $320 VIP booth package with bottle service is also available as an option for online ticket buyers if you are so inclined.

Hopefully Leash go over well in just under two weeks, as it'd be neat to see more musical diversity in the tribute bands that stop in the Soo (especially post-pandemic wben more bands are touring), so visit the above links for more on this show next Saturday!

Next up, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will be in concert elsewhere on Saturday, March 4th, specifically The Water Tower Pub on Great Northern Road! This show was quietly announced at the end of a post on their Facebook page earlier today where they were otherwise hyping up remaining availability of their recent run of official Bone Yard t-shirts, but it's a surprise announcement in another way, as they were slated to play at The Coulson Entertainment Center in Sudbury next weekend, as per their Facebook concert calendar from last month. According to The Coulson's website's concert calendar, Bone Yard are definitely not playing there on March 3rd & 4th (giving way to Sudbury's own Natalie Crispo Band), and were instead postponed to/re-booked for March 24th & 25th, so Sudbury genre fans and relocated Saultites should keep their delayed trip in mind!

As far as The Water Tower Pub goes, the venue has yet to confirm this booking on their Facebook page, but Bone Yard are not playing on Friday the 3rd, as The Water Tower Pub usually books separate acts on Fridays and Saturdays. If they (or The Bearded Lounge?) play anywhere else next Friday, we'll let you know! Next Saturday's concert will have an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Bone Yard soon!

Also, Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to town on Saturday, April 15th when they rock Soo Blaster themselves! Their first local gig in just over four years (last seen at the former Canadian Nightclub in March 2019) and their fifth date here since 2010, some readers may recall that Destroyer were slated to play at The Canadian in May 2020, a show cancelled for very obvious reasons. It's great to see Destroyer bringing their impressive brand of Kiss tribute action back to the Soo for a relocated make-up date, so if you want the best, they'll be the next best thing to the best! Local support will come by way of southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, in a familiar spot for them following opening for Metallica tribute Sandman at Soo Blaster last year. Unless dates in the interim are announced, this will be Fort Creek's first show in three months, and it should prove to be another solid platform for their hard hitting covers & originals, so don't miss out!

Sponsored by Sessions Cannabis, this 19+ event has doors opening at 7:00 PM. Despite the Facebook event page and poster indicating that you can buy tickets online via Eventbrite, I have not found a working link for online sales, so contact Soo Blaster directly by phone if you want yours immediately (for reference, Destroyer's 2019 show had $15 tickets, and prices for the pandemic-cancelled 2020 date were never publicized). The local contingent of the Kiss Army should circle this date on their calendars, especially given the Saturday night timing, so visit the above links for more on Destroyer's return in two months!

Finally, here's some more details on local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT's ongoing recording sessions for their first full-length album, courtesy of their Facebook page! On Sunday (day 6 for the former Jack Spades in studio), they revealed that frontman J.D. Pearce had begun tracking "some heavy vocals" for the album, and they shared this photo of the band with producer Kyle Marchant later that day. Despite Monday being Family Day, the guys were back in studio and welcomed two guest musicians in to record appearances on the record, one being Andrew Moorehouse, who is the lead singer of Innisfil punk band The Fast Life. Spades GT guitarist Daniel Horton joined The Fast Life last year, so some synergy between the two bands can't hurt! The other confirmed guest is none other than Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow, which is a huge get on paper, but has closer ties than you may recall!

Remember, Lips' long-time bandmate (drummer Robb Reiner) is the father of Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner, so they definitely had a leg up to give him a call, especially being based in the GTA now! The pictures posted on Facebook suggest that Lips will be guesting on guitar. Sounds like Spades GT are building up anticipation and content the right way for this album, so definitely stay tuned for more updates as they roll in, and look for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, New Live Videos, And More!!

Here's a new news post for you guys on this Monday night, including some new videos on both sides of the border, an inactive band note, and to start, here's a mid-week concert preview!

Local classic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's seasonal weekly concert arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post is expected to continue THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! As of this writing, there is no Facebook event page for this show, but of course, Tym is no stranger to regular series like this, and time is ticking for The Mike Case Stage for 2022, as it closes for the season next month. If an outdoor mid-week show works better for you than Tym's Shooters matinee on Sunday, then don't bypass his classic and hard rock cover selections on Wednesday evening! As usual, expect a 7:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit at The Trading Post on Wednesday, while 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy weather in the 22° range. Visit the above links for more details, we'll let you know if the show is indeed off, and here's Tym live!

Next up, I've delayed covering this video for way too long now, as local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's most recent live concert got the live-stream treatment for his YouTube channel! Back on August 6th, Mike took a road trip to Flin Flon, Manitoba to perform at their Blueberry Jam festival, where he was the fifth of eight acts that day on the Museum Stage (despite the name, artists played at the Flin Flon Tourist Bureau & Campground). The outdoor covered stage played host to a 40+ minute set from Mike, who played eight Thompson-era original songs at the Blueberry Jam, including "The Best You Never Had", "Communique", "MorningStar", "If Ever Comes The Day", "21:45", "The Nature Of The Times", "Into The Setting Sun", and "Take Back The Moon". The stationary camera angle frames the stage well, but the fuzzy visuals and low frame rate on the live stream are not ideal, despite good audio.

I will say that Mike looks absolutely isolated on the Museum Stage by himself, especially with the camera not even trying show the crowd, and visually speaking, it may have been a better aesthetic choice to focus on Mike himself over the stage. Still a solid concert from Mike, and his easy crowd rapport is on full display, so give it a look below!

Also today, I have moved local horror punk quintet Frightlight back to our inactive band links. They have not issued a public update on new band activity since the fallout from their set headlining the Friday lineup of last year's Northern Vibe Festival, but their future has been murky since on two fronts. Of course, frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce currently lives in Barrie, where he fronts the rebooted Spades GT (nee Jack Spades), so distance will be a huge factor towards future plans. As well, drummer Chris "Freaknstein" Thompson passed away in November of last year, which was a huge loss felt across multiple groups, and there's been no public hints towards a return with a new drummer. After previously rocking the Soo from 2009-2014, Frightlight reunited as an occasional live attraction in 2018, playing at J.D.'s Halloween party that year and opening for Michale Graves in September 2019.

A planned set opening for First Jason in April 2020 was cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown, and J.D. moved out of town that fall, but at least fans got Northern Vibe last year without any incidents. Hopefully Frightlight's spooky brand of Misfits-inspired punk & metal can return in some form down the line if the cards line up, but best of luck to J.D., Rick, Kevin, Mike, and their prior drummers in the future, don't miss J.D. & Spades GT this weekend at Northern Vibe in Ophir, and R.I.P. Chris!

Finally, let's leap across the border for a new video from Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, as shot by an attendee at their show at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel on Saturday! This video actually captures the first half of Project 906's original song "The Comeback", which you can hear in full at this link from its 2021 studio recording. This song definitely leans to their blues side, and it's well done for blues rock fans, too bad the video only captures the first half! The guys definitely seem to be cramped with The Islander Bar's stage setup, but the audio comes through, and at least they had an electric fan going. Check it out below!

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

June Jam Concert Video Showcase!!

Before we get this weekend's concert previews up on the site, I realize that I am behind on some fallout from Friday night's June Jam at The Rockstar Bar, so let's start today's SMS posting with what you should know on that regard! As they did at March's Archelon concert at the same venue, Re:Born guitarist Blair Burch and his son Cory could be seen during this concert filming each band, with videos from the night being posted onto the band's Facebook page on Saturday, so if you want a different take of the night's action, you are covered again! We'll start with the headliners, Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years, who were actually filmed playing the same song that I filmed for the site, "Love At First Mosh". You can even see me filming in the video, but I concede that Re:Born's video is much higher quality. A.T.W.Y. put on a solid set of upbeat punk rock this past weekend, and this is an even better look at their original attack, so give it a look below!



Next up, Re:Born's channel also has videos of the local opening bands, including this clip of local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback playing their song "Everlasting Despair" on Friday. Loose and energetic rendition of this well established live staple, and the guys are definitely on the upward track as a three-piece, so give their new video a look also!



Fellow local punk trio Stegadeth were also filmed for Re:Born's channel on Friday night, as they covered Nirvana's "Breed" to cap off their set. Bill's vocals are often hard to make out, but the T-Rex Manning successors have this cover well in hand, and kudos to Johnny for his high energy behind the kit! Solid quality as usual, so check Stegadeth's clip out below!

 
Finally, we get to Re:Born themselves, as the power rock quintet are the subject of two videos (it's their channel, after all), including this video of their covers of Edguy's "Lavatory Love Machine" & Kissing Dynamite's "Sex Is War", both with guest singer Elly McWatters. Embedded below though is their other video, as Cory filmed them playing their Project 421-carry over "Running Away" that night, and it's a nice showcase of their hard hitting sound and improving chemistry! Robert still relies heavily on lyrics on his tablet, but this is a solid look at his vocal abilities in particular, so give Re:Born's own videos a look above and below as well!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site later today! Thanks everyone!

The June Jam Concert Review!!

After a long day of video uploading errors and personal commitments, here's our review of Friday night's June Jam concert at The Rockstar Bar! Live705 had a good setup for their first local concert of 2018, including merchandise from half of the lineup and tickets for next month's Rivers of Nihil concert, but attendance was medium, surprising given the Friday night placement. Fan responses were positive though, and by the end of the night, there was a decent crowd on the floor for the headliners!

Your openers on Friday were local heavy rock quintet Re:Born in just their second live concert appearance, though for their first song and a half, they performed as a quartet, as bassist Fred Dunn was running late. Once he was tuned in and set up, the guys were in full gear again! This set was the most different yet from their predecessors Project 421, with only that band's originals surviving in their set, which featured covers of everyone from Megadeth to Judas Priest to Thin Lizzy. The guys definitely improved on their debut earlier this year, with singer Robert Nevitt performing in a more natural style, and what banter existed between him and Blair Burch sounded promising! He and Frank were solid as usual on guitar, and Brandan Glew's drum work was on point! Notably, Re:Born welcomed guest backing singer Elly McWatters for their Edguy and Kissing Dyanamite covers, similar in vein to her advertised guest spot with The Band Camp Rejects early last year.

Elly fit in fine for these songs, which have to be new for any band to play live in Sault Ontario, and it was a neat moment to see an attending fan celebrate her 70th birthday by coming the dance on the floor during this part of the set! Re:Born are moving up nicely, if Friday's performance was any indication, and I'm curious to hear how their set sounds next time!

Next up on Friday was local punk trio Stegadeth (replacing Skeyes of Seven), who were channeling their inner Corey Hart with sunglasses on everyone to start, though only drummer Johnny Belanger maintained them from bell to bell. The guys knocked out an entertaining set of scattered originals (including a new one named "Tragedy" about American gun violence), with covers of The Presidents of the United States of America, Bad Religion, and The Rebel Spell also on hand for attending fans. Muffled vocals were the biggest drawback of their otherwise entertaining set, as I could barely make out words during Stegadeth's set, and bassist Bill Bennett was completely inaudible at one point, but the rest was entertaining! Tiffany Stocco and Bill were solid on guitar and bass, and Johnny was his usual proficient & energetic self on drums! Hopefully Stegadeth pick up where they left off the next time out!

Third up was local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback in their second local concert of the year, who had an entertaining set of their well established original material on Friday night! Though the guys surprisingly made no blatant mentions of their debut album recording sessions, their performances of songs like "Kicking & Screaming", "Wasting Away", and "Faded" spoke loudly of their talents and their building confidence as a trio. Chris Nielsen has acclimated very fast to lead vocal duties, and while I think Matt Quinn toned down his backing vocals from the last time I saw A.D.S. live, he's a good match! Nick Kainula's drumming was steady and focused, and the overall energy and enthusiasm was clear on Friday, with their songs coming through very well from start to finish! Hopefully A Dire Setback keep on this upward trajectory, and hopefully their Timmins show went well last night!

And finally, your headliners on Friday were Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years in their local debut, and they had a fun set laid out for local fans, including the only sustained crowd on the floor that night! Playing songs from their new CD "High Blood Pressure" like "626" and "Secrets & Lies", to even a cover of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside", A.T.W.Y. had a lively, energetic brand of punk that was easy to sing along with (once you knew the words), and they knew how to engage with and banter with the crowd effectively! Vocals weren't always clear through the speakers from where I was, but Nathan Radey and Darcy Larouche have good chemistry on guitar, Eric Fortin effectively provided the low end on bass, and Steph Gaudet looked and sounded the part with his drumming on Friday! I wish there was a larger crowd, but All The Wasted Years had a hard hitting, melodic set of punk originals for gathered patrons, and here's hoping they roll back west soon!

Overall, this was a solid way to help celebrate turning 29 the previous day, and all four bands delivered solid sets, whether you wanted the punk main course or a classic metal appetizer! You can check out our photos from last night at this link or on our Facebook page, and while there are more videos to come in an upcoming post, here's our footage from Friday night, including Re:Born & Elly covering Kissing Dynamite's "Sex Is War", Stegadeth playing their original "Kingdom of Ashes", A Dire Setback playing "Catastrophe", and All The Wasted Years playing "Love At First Mosh"!









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

Theatre Of Night & June Jam Updates, Plus More News & Notes!!

I hope everyone's having a great Victoria Day/May 2-4 weekend! News remains at a slow pace this month, so today's post is largely comprised of assorted shorter stories, but we are leading off with some big updates from bands on each side of the border, starting with the latest from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night! Yesterday, the group revealed on their Facebook page that they are indeed planning their second Christmas tour run for the end of the year, and had recently conducted "late night sessions" towards the tour. After the positive response to their gigs last year from here to Illinois and points in between, hopefully the encore is bigger and better for them! While not seasonally timed, this preview video was posted to their YouTube channel yesterday, which is ostensibly of their November 2011 debut CD "Christmas Night", but actually features newer recordings featuring their recent touring band members (as distinguished particularly by the inclusion of vocals.)

The video proper combines live concert footage from the tour with some in-studio performances, as well as some scattered photos. It's well put together and a nice sampling of what to expect this winter, so if you can get past the seasonal content in late May, give Theatre of Night's new video a look below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Next up, here's some new updates related to the upcoming June Jam concert at The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario on June 1st, starting with a lineup withdrawal, as local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven have dropped out of this concert, as per their Facebook page. A reason was not publically stated for their exit, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them back on stage sooner or later! At press time, they have not been replaced on the bill, we will let you know if they are. Ticket details have also been confirmed for the June Jam, with prices at $8 in advance online (details on that front are not public yet) or $10 at the door, so keep those in mind. Of course, this Live705-promoted show will feature Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years alongside locals A Dire Setback and Sault Ontario heavy/power rock quintet Re:Born, who posted four new jam session videos onto their Facebook page last week, so what can be said on those?

The videos include Re:Born covering The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", Saxon's "Denim & Leather", and their precedessors Project 421's original song "Into The Darkness", but embedded below is their new cover of "Lavatory Love Machine" by the German power metal band Edguy. That's gotta be a first from a local band! Though we don't get an optimal look at the band on these clips (we only tend to see singer Robert Nevitt from behind), these performances are solid given the setting, and it'll be cool to see them back on stage next month, especially after their spring break! Give Re:Born's new videos a look above and below!



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

• Local punk trio A Dire Setback (of the aforementioned June Jam) will hit the road for a second out of town show this summer, as they'll be featured on a rock/rap hybrid event at The Asylum in Sudbury on Saturday, July 28th! Full details are not out yet, beyond the involvement of an act named Mooch, but this should be another big chance for A.D.S. to make new fans outside of the Soo, so hopefully this show goes as well as their Timmins trip next month!
• I have deleted the former WLSO radio show CRaMPS from our "Other Sault Michigan Metal Links" section due to the quiet deletion of it's Facebook page for unannounced reasons in recent months. Airing on Friday mornings on Lake Superior State University's campus radio station in late 2010, the student-hosted program hadn't visibly on the air since then, though to be fair, I don't even know if 90.1 FM still broadcasts on terrestrial radio at all. Hopefully Pat and Seth have found success in more recent endeavours!
• Former Din bandmates Mike Haggith and Tammy Hill reunited in Windsor on Saturday when they travelled from Manitoba and Sault Ontario respectively to attend the long awaited Canadian premiere of the movie Ashes of K, whose soundtrack is entirely comprised of songs from The Din and Mike's solo project. It's great to see this movie finally released and distributed, and you can see photos of Mike, Tammy, and Din producer Daniel Schmidt on the red carpet at their Facebook page! (Yes, a review of Ashes of K could make the SMS if we can find a way to see it.)
• I have also deleted former local concert venue Docks Riverfront Grill from our inactive concert venue listings, due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and last surviving online) page in recent months. The Foster Drive nightclub and restaurant had initially been sold to new ownership in 2014, and after brief stints as Waterfront Legend and The River Cookhouse, it became The HD Sports Grill in 2016, and has sporadically hosted live music since Docks itself ended. Hopefully more is on the horizon there down the road!
• The Indie Spring concert at LopLops Lounge on Saturday had a late lineup withdrawal, as Sudbury garage rock headliners The Almighty Rhombus were forced to drop out after bassist Laura Willett badly cut her finger in an accident. That's definitely a bummer, hopefully Laura gets well soon! In their place, local indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota played an extended headlining set.
• A local musician named Jay Daug is looking for a "heavily influenced (John) Bonham drummer" between 20 and 40 years of age, as per a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on May 9th. Jay didn't specify if this was for a band he's working on, for informal jamming, or something else, but message him at this link or above if you fit the bill and need more details!

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

The January Jam Concert Review!!

At last, here's my review of Saturday night's January Jam concert from Live705 at The Canadian Nightclub! Good turnout, if uneven, and the venue had it's usual fine layout, with the night's three final bands all selling merchandise at the door, including brand new buttons from A Dire Setback (including some that just said "Support Local Music", which is always a good message!)

After a 15 minute delay, the opening band on Saturday was indie/acoustic trio The Autumn Roots in their first show of the year, wherein the band debuted new second guitarist Chase Wigmore (Coyote Speedfreaks), who was a former bandmate of frontman Jeremy Hannah's in The North Shore. Solid addition, and even unplugged, you got a sense of Chase's guitar abilities, and it's nice to see him back on stage! The band also parted ways with drummer Travis St. Amour last month, and have not (yet?) replaced him, though for what it's worth, the band interestingly noted that last night was their first "official" concert. Well, I saw them on Halloween, and while the lack of a drummer was noticeable, they kept things going from last fall with a solid set of folk rock originals like "The North", "Falling Down", and "The Sink". Jeremy's well-suited vocals complimented the music, he and Chase continue to mesh well on guitar, and Greg Carscadden was solid on bass, if somewhat reserved. Look for much more from The Autumn Roots in 2017!

Next up was the local debut of Ottawa electronic solo project Sleepwellcity, featuring former local punk/alternative bassist Nathan Bouliane in his long awaited homecoming. It was great to see Jonna Maximilian himself back on a local stage, but how did Sleepwellcity sound? Well, they are truly a one man band, with Nathan playing keyboard, drum machine, and bass throughout their set, not to mention utilizing a computer throughout, and also singing, so he had a lot on his plate! Nathan is multi-talented, as fans of his local and recent music will attest, but the Sleepwellcity set had some glitches. Early in the set, there was some type of computer malfunction that ground everything to a halt for a whike, and the timing and clarity of some musical elements could have been polished better. As well, vocals were very low in the mix, so it was hard to get a full idea of how he is as a singer. Sleepwellcity are an intriguing project with something of a dreamlike quality at times, and it'd be interesting to see Nathan bring this project back home!

Third was newer punk/metal trio Stegadeth in their Canadian Nightclub debut, and they continued in their upward momentum from late last year with another well received set! Along with covers of the likes of The Ramones, Blink-182, Nirvana, and their predecessor band T-Rex Manning, this power trio unveiled their first true original song, entitled "Kingdom of Ashes", which sounded good and fits in with their sound! As well, the band dedicated their cover of SNFU's "Fate" to late local punk frontman Guy Thiffault, which was a nice touch! If you saw Stegadeth at Guy's tribute show over the holidays, then you'll be glad to know that they were on form from that concert, with Tiffany Stocco gaining more confidence as a singer, Daniel MacDonald keeping the energy going on drums, and Bill Bennett delivering a forceful presence of his own (his vocals are channeling Nate Olp from Demiricous a bit, just in a punk style.) Stegadeth are building things nicely so far, and here's to more!

Fourth on the night was local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who were still riding high from their Toronto gig a few weeks back, and they were in their usual fine form! Alongside established hits like "Potato" & "Out Of My League", The Din covered The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough" and played a handful of newer songs, like "High Park" and "Suburban Dream", which got a good reception from fans, who were increasingly starting to crowd the floor by the stage. Mike Haggith continues to showcase a fine ease as frontman, and even joined fans mid-song as if often seen, while Tammy Hill and Brandan Glew handled the guitar and drums as well as you'd expect! I did notice that there wasn't as much on-stage banter as we have seen at recent Din shows, but musically, their alt-hard rock originals sounded as good as ever, and it'll be interesting to see how things shape up this year!

Co-headlining were new local punk quartet A Dire Setback in their second Canadian gig, and they delivered a fun set of their own! Showcasing a lot of energy (especially on the part of guitarist Chris Nielsen), A.D.S. played original songs like "Wasting Away" and "Kicking & Screaming" alongside their punk version of OneRepublic, and with the night's peak crowd, they played it up and delivered a solid attack of alt-punk action! Vocals could be hard to hear at times for both Chris and frontman Larry Babic, but they have a good command of the stage, as fans of members' old bands can attest, and Nick Kainula's drumming was on point as well! A Dire Setback have sure accomplished a lot in a short time, already hosting two big concerts and performing a number of originals, and if they can keep this up, they'll be a force this year!

And finally, your headliners were local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus, and despite a drop-off in crowd numbers following A Dire Setback's set, they sent remaining fans home happy with their skilled originals! Starting with an extended improvised instrumental jam, Gnaeus soon launched into established originals like "The Sound", "Electricity", and "Fire", plus a lengthy new song named "È La Vita" (Italian for "That's Life") that visibly got a good reception! Heisenberg... I mean, Aaron Alessandrini was his usually reliable self on vocals and guitar, with Brad Irwin complimenting him well on the synth, Matt Fronzi was a positive and skilled presence on bass, and Alex Proulx is fitting in more & more on drums! It's a shame that so many fans left before their set, but alas, things did get delayed a half hour from advertised set times, but if you stayed, you weren't disappointed

Overall, The January Jam was a solid concert for fans of alternative and punk music, complete with new and familiar faces in equal measure, and kudos to Live705 for putting this one on! As you no doubt noticed, Shaw TV was on hand filming bands all night for a presumed future On Stage episode and perhaps interview features, while Josh Pace Photography was on hand taking pictures of the bands, and we will give Josh a proper feature on the site in the next while, I promise! I did get photos myself, which you can see at this link or via our Facebook page, but due to a combination of those reflective paint road signs on the stage's back wall and not wanting to get in the road of the Shaw cameras, the quality of mine is mixed. As for our videos, here's The Autumn Roots playing "Means & Circumstance", Sleepwellcity playing "Bombs", Stegadeth covering The Rebel Spell's "All We Want Is To Be Left Alone", The Din playing their new song "Up In The Air", A Dire Setback playing their new original "Faded", and Gnaeus playing their new song "È La Vita"!













That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 Jam Session Recap, Emergency Festival Fallout, And More!!

Before we get too far into this post, we have a very late lineup change for TONIGHT'S Ballot Burner-headlined concert at The New American Pub, as local rapper Mikey Thomas has replaced grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back on the lineup, as per the Facebook event page yesterday morning. A reason for Bad Back's exit hasn't been announced, but seeing as frontman Jamie Vincent is still promoting the show, an external commitment for Nathan Sauve would make sense. Hopefully we see the guys back soon, and don't miss Mikey Thomas TONIGHT! Now, today's post features Emergency Festival fallout, some assorted updates, and first, a surprise jam session recap!

Due to personal family health matters, I haven't had a whole lot of time or opportunities to attend concerts recently, but that was partly remedied yesterday afternoon, as Project 421 guitarist Blair Burch invited me to check out their latest jam session! I don't live far from where they jam, which made things extra convenient! The roughly 2 hour jam was the first time that I've seen the guys with new drummer Chris Thompson, though guitarist Frank McGillivray couldn't make the jam due to personal commitments. As a result, the guys didn't play all of their regular songs, and some sounded empty without Frank's parts, but I got a first hand look at 4/5ths of Project 421 tackling classics from bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Dio, along with their newer original "Into The Darkness"! You can't judge a jam session on the same level of a concert, as a lot of it is meant for practicing and getting everything down for a show, but the guys sounded really good, and it's nice to hear Curtis McKenzie's impressive vocals back with the band!

Me and Blair chatted for a while after everyone left, and it was a nice break from the hectic personal stuff I've been dealing with lately! I also saw and heard some intriguing things concerning future plans, but we'll wait for official public word before saying anything here. I got a handful of photos from the jam that you can see at this link or via our Facebook page, and here's Project 421 (minus Frank) jamming their song "Into The Darkness"!

Next up, here's some fallout from yesterday's second annual Emergency Festival at Rocky DiPietro Field, which appeared to be a hit (despite the hot weather) according to early social media reports! First, there was an act that dropped out of the festival, that being Saskatoon country artist Zachary Lucky due to bronchitis, as per his Facebook page on Friday, though he hopes to play here again later this year. Disappointing for fans, but at least he let everyone know beforehand! As for the festival itself, it was MCed by SooToday's Donna Hopper, and of course, she got lots of great (and colour) photos from the show that you can check out at this article! They include 5 photos of headliners The Fast Romantics, 4 photos each of Gnaeus, Northwest, and The Poor Young Things, 3 each of The Pixo Control, Tasman Jude, and The Sunparlour Players, 5 of concert attendees, and 4 of art vendors on site. Excellent work as usual, and I like how nightfall made the closing set seem like it was at a different venue entirely!

A likely Tuned episode is forthcoming, but Local2 cameras were on site for this (unembeddable) video from The Emergency, which features abbreviated video footage from The Fast Romantics, The Sunparlour Players, Tasman Jude, and Gnaeus' sets (I wonder why The Poor Young Things and the other locals didn't make the cut?) Strong footage, and nice to see fans dancing up front for The Fast Romantics, so give this video a look above!

Lastly for current festival fallout, here's the latest from local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control, as we can finally confirm that their new drummer (replacing the departed Keeghan Rosso) is named Matthew Thibert, who made his public debut with the band on Sunday. The band has yet to confirm this on their Facebook page, but photos from the show confirm his identity. I'm not familiar with Matthew from past local bands, though he did once play with the defunct Bawating Collegiate jazz band Reverse Fozmosis shortly before the school's 2010 closure, alongside The Boatload Killers' Liam Seymour and others. I'm curious to see how he does live with Michael & Steve in The Pixo Control, so stay tuned for more on the new lineup! And we were holding this for when we mentioned their new drummer, as the cover art for the band's upcoming debut CD "Probably Not" is now posted on Facebook!

Similarly to the defunct Habitat Shuffle's EP, it's of a picture hanging on a wall, but this picture of mushrooms will be familiar for Pixo Control fans, as a framed copy of it has sat on stage for the band's recent concerts. I'm unsure of the symbolism, or if it connects to the name "Probably Not" at all, but it's recognizable and to the point! Stay tuned for more from the guys this week!

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

• Just as a general site updated regarding our sidebar links, I've finally added The Emergency Festival and The Northern Vibe Festival to our links concerning concert festivals in the Sault Ontario area, while amending information on venues and dates for existing festivals, mainly concerning events impacted by this year's Downtown Association debate and cancellation of Queen Street East outdoor events. Hopefully things are updated there now!
• Sault Michigan bar/concert venue Golanka's Bar (commonly known as The Bird) has closed at some point in the last two years, though their (now-deleted) Facebook page wasn't updated frequently enough to post a statement on why that I've seen. According to London Gentlemen guitarist Mike Libertoski in a Facebook conversation, the East Portage Avenue building was bought by new owners who are turning it into an outdoor retail store of some kind. The Bird hadn't hosted a hard rock concert that we'd heard of since early 2013, but it's sad to see it go, and hopefully Yoopers have good memories of The Bird!
• Sault Ontario alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder have posted seven new demo recordings on their Soundcloud page in the past 3 weeks, which confirm that they play improvised jams as well as original songs, Brad & Terrence both handle drums and guitar parts in studio, and that they formed last year. The songs are solid, often hard-edged, and nicely varied, but only "A Few Weeks" has vocals. Give them a listen above, and don't miss Infinity Grinder's New A debut TONIGHT!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our newest poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Boxing Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

Merry Christmas to all of our readers, or Happy Holidays if you prefer! In our first of two posts on this Christmas day (auto-posted due to spending time with the family, of course!), we have the first of the Boxing Day weekend concert previews, and for the curious, we'll touch on the Highway 63 shows and the recent major Bon Soo concert announcement later today. Also, if you're curious, Tym Morrison is not playing at The Harp this weekend (at least, not according to his website), presumably for a holiday break, but we'll touch on his January shows soon! Now, here's what you should know regarding three different Boxing Day events TOMORROW NIGHT in Sault Ontario!

We'll begin our previews at The Rockstar Bar, who will host local/Toronto Celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide for one last time in 2014 TOMORROW NIGHT! Making their third local stop of the month (after sets at The Rankin Arena and at last week's Tidal Records Christmas show), this popular union of Inner City Surfers and Boot Hill Crooners alumni should be in fine form to deliver some post-Christmas original entertainment on Boxing Day, and perhaps some select covers? Speaking of which, Dustin's new local band The Cover-Up (featuring Lion Ride, Room 206, and Northwest alumni) have been named as late openers after numerous fan requests following their debut last weekend, so come early to take in their set! Also, I will note that a Rockstar Bar Facebook group post from Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone implies that the popular country cover band will be playing there on Friday, though it remains to be seen if that is incorrect, a matinee, or if both shows will occur simultaneously with one downstairs at The Algonquin Pub.

We'll let you guys know if we hear anything! In any event, this show will take place on Friday night at around 10:00 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and a $5 cover charge is likely. For more details, visit the above links! Dustin and the Tide's nicely blended mix of Celtic and folk rock with modern punk should be a holiday treat once again for punk fans, so be there TOMORROW, and here are the guys live a few years back!



Next up, we'll head to The Rednecks Saloon, where local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will make their long awaited return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! The first of two shows over the holidays for the former Suicide Kings, we haven't seen Beaumont Avenue in concert since August due to drummer Ben Boudreau's out of town school commitments, and while fans could have seen the rest of the guys in the interim with Urawk, I know many miss their full original concert experience, so look for their own songs from their forthcoming debut CD and a solid cover base TOMORROW (and remember, they'll be at The Rockstar Bar next weekend too!) Their Boxing Day show tomorrow should start at around 10:00 PM, there is no cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Mike, Steven, Mitch, and Ben back in the saddle together (and Ben back home in general), so don't miss the return of Beaumont Avenue, and here they are at Rotaryfest!

Finally for today's preview post is the "Bloody Boxing Day Basement Jam" from Blood Shed Productions, which will be the local goregrind label's last concert of the year, and though it is located at a house, the address is public, so feel free to come down! Partly planned to make up for a shortened private Boxing Day event last year, there have been lineup adjustments since we last plugged this show, including a band replacement, so who all is playing now? The headliner is local experimental singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore in his first set since leaving The Strange Coyotes (he'll be on at 11:00 PM), while Blood Shed death metal acts Brutally Fatal and Rotopsy will take the stage at 10:15 & 9:30 PM each. The 9:00 PM-ish slot was originally slated for the local return of The Apocalypse Afterparty, but they were quietly replaced on the lineup by the newer local metal trio Them last week for unannounced reasons. Disappointing for A.A. fans, but hopefully we see them back soon!

Remember, Them (who currently lack an online page) feature Bring The Misery, Infamous, and Revolution alumni, and are also among the bands at next year's Tidal Records Battle, so don't bypass them tomorrow night! Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson's grind solo project Crucify The Whore will take the stage at 8:00 PM, following a trio of Blood Shed rappers (Mikey Thomas, Rotopsy's Dylan "Legitly Logic" Taylor, and Tomgrindy's J.P. "Phat Boii" Archambault) at 7:30, 7:00, and 6:30 PM respectively. A rap set from Miracle Man was once originally scheduled for the show, and while it was also removed from the lineup for unannounced reasons, his alter-ego (Brutally Fatal frontman Austin McCrae) will open the basement jam with an acoustic set at 6:00 PM, perhaps channeling his Re-Born work? To be held in the basement of a home at 11 Hearst Street (near Trelawne and Grosvenor), this ALL AGES event has no announced age limits. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should be an entertaining show for Blood Shed, goregrind, and rap fans, and hopefully things go off without a hitch tomorrow night! Stay tuned for potential fallout as it comes in, particularly concerning how Them sound, and as a preview, here's a new Brutally Fatal video uploaded to the Blood Shed YouTube channel on Saturday! A rehearsal video shot that day featuring some text plugs for the Boxing Day show, it's simplistic and doesn't tell us much about the new song, but it gets the job done to promote the jam, so give it a look below, and see above for more info!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for the rest of our weekend previews, the big news regarding a show at Bon Soo in February, and much more to end the year! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Strange Coyotes, Griphook, And Banned), And More!!

For a second straight day, we have a short notice second post on the site, as like yesterday, there's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for tonight that is linked to a public show from yesterday and is getting a fair amount of Facebook advertising! Also read on for full public LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend and some more assorted notes, so here's what you need to know, and check out lots of VM Radio updates (and the new Tuned episode) in the post below this one! (Updated at 9:24 PM)

Remember how Blood Shed Productions & Heavy North Entertainment hosted a publically advertised house party concert last night on Weldon Avenue? Well, that show was reportedly cut short due to a Foggy's-esque noise complaint and police visit, which cancelled plans for a Strange Coyotes headlining set and forced Rotopsy to only play one song. With that in mind, promoters are giving a short notice second try at this show TONIGHT at a different location, though still centrally located! Once scheduled to be held at an Oakbine Avenue location, the show was moved back to it's original 110 Pentagon Boulevard location for unannounced reasons on very short notice. Hopefully things go smoother for everyone tonight, despite the location jumbling! All performers except Telephone & Address and Mikey Thomas are back for tonight, which will definitely see The Strange Coyotes headlining in their first announced show since confirming their reunion, with Rotopsy, Crucify The Whore, Brutaly Fatal, and a "surprise special guest appearance" also teased.

The Facebook event page has current details for this show, which is ALL AGES, will start at 8:00 PM tonight, and will have no announced cover. Don't miss out if you love the Blood Shed, and hopefully they don't have similar issues tonight! For a preview, here's The Strange Coyotes live in January!

Next up, Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned have announced a surprise show for this Thursday, as they'll make their first ever advertised appearance at The Raber Bay Bar 'N Restaurant in nearby Goetzville! Our source is Banned's Facebook page yesterday, which added the show to their existing fall calendar. We've never plugged a show in Goetzville before, so in case you didn't know, Goetzville is a small Chippewa County community that's roughly an hour southeast of the Soo and 24 minutes east of Cedarville, and was among the areas of the E.U.P. added when we expanded our coverage range on the site two years ago. Given the Thursday setting, I'm unsure on if there's a special occasion to cause the booking, but it adds to a busy weekend for them, as Banned will be at The Runway Bar in Hessel (a half hour west of Goetzville) over the next two nights. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect on Thursday, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. See above for more info, and stay tuned for updates on their Raber Bay Bar show!

Also in new show announcements, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Griphook will apparently return to the stage this Friday at The Rednecks Saloon! Though the band has yet to confirm this show online, the marquee board outside of the former Nicolet Tavern has advertised it for at least the last few days, and that has proven to be a reliable source for accurate show dates in the past. If this booking is still on, this will be Griphook's first concert set of the fall, and their first outside of Rotaryfest since playing at Rednecks in April, so if you've been missing Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony in recent months, you'll want to mark this Friday's show down for a night of entertaining and often heavy covers! No word on why they're not playing on Saturday though, but the marquee at the saloon didn't list that day's entertainment. There's no announced cover charge on Friday, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and if we hear any changes, we'll let you know!

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

• A new instrumental song by the aforementioned Crucify The Whore was uploaded to their new Bandcamp page earlier this week, which fans will want to check out, but due to a name that some readers may find offensive, we won't post it here. Give it a listen if you want, and note that their other demos can also be streamed there!
• I've removed The Guitar Studio from our "Other Sault Michigan Links" section due to the expiry of their website and only substantial online page. Featuring prolific local guitarist Joey Beairl among it's staff, The Guitar Studio was notable for providing both music lessons and a summer rock camp that spawned real youth rock bands such as Tantrym Tyme, but online updates have been slow in recent years. If a new link turns up, we'll re-add them to our listings!
• Our congratulations go out to Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey, who will be inducted into the Great Northern Opry of the Northern Ontario Country Music Association tonight during their annual awards ceremony! Kyle joins fellow hard rock alum Ric Datson (That's Chester) among the dozens of regional country notables in the opry. If you've followed all of Kyle's music work in the area, you'll know this is very deserving, so congratulations once again, and click here for more info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

New Eastern U.P. Concert Videos, Upcoming Album Notes, And More!!

After a few days of concert reviews, we're back to some news and notes today, including new concert videos from recent Eastern U.P. shows, some upcoming album notes, and some recent feature profile updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

No less than nine videos from Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom's set at The Nick Cam Jam at Bay Mills Resort & Casino on Saturday night are now on YouTube for you to check out! Uploaded by attendee Michael Cole onto his YouTube channel this weekend, the videos are of Infathom covering Godsmack's "Whatever" & "Straight Out Of Line", part of P.O.D.'s "Boom", Candlebox's "Far Behind", Drowning Pool's "Bodies", Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife", Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down", and (as embedded below) Pop Evil's "100 in a 55", so click each link to see each video! Filmed at good angles (if occasionally jittery and blurry), Infathom handle each cover well and with nice energy, with Sault-area native Dillion Semasky impressing vocally, but the Fall Out Boy cover (already a clear outlier) featues bassist Keegan Nebel singing lead. Kudos to Michael for filming all of these, so check them all out above, watch their "100 in a 55" cover below, and hopefully the benefit helped Nick Cameron and his family a lot in this time of need!



Next up, here's a new video from Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned! Presumably coming from one of their dates this past weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, this is of the guys covering Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", albeit with a smaller lineup than we've seen in quite a while, with singer Tara Starr and guitarist Denny Smith absent. No word on Denny's status with the band, but I believe Tara (who replaced Mike Straw in the band earlier this year) is definitely out, as videos of songs she sang lead for Banned with (both country covers) have quietly been deleted from their YouTube channel in recent days, and though Banned haven't listed a full lineup on their Facebook page in months, she hasn't been present in public postings since the spring. A reason for her departure hasn't been announced, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to Tara in the future! I would like to have seen Banned leave the videos up, as even if the country covers were an adjustment, that was a talented lineup. With that addressed, how does the new video sound?

If Denny is indeed out of Banned too (I'll let you know if I can confirm that), this marks a reunion of their late 2012 trio lineup, and Alex, Don, and Jim handle this cover well! However, like their earlier cover of "Lonely Boy" (their only remaining video with Tara), it's a cover of a very overplayed recent rock song, and I'd have liked to have seen Banned change it up a bit like Late Shift did this past weekend. Still, it's well performed and Alex Traynor's vocals work pretty good, so check out Banned's cover of "Radioactive" below!



Also for this post, here's some news on upcoming albums from two regional solo artists! First (and keeping with the Sault Michigan-area theme), Dafter solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton is already prepping his 8th solo album for early next year for a tentative March 2014 release date! To be titled "Ink!", 4 songs are already written for it, and some will be posted online as they're completed, but further details on titles, themes, sounds, and album length are forthcoming. Click here for current details, and if all goes well, it or "Cracks In The Wall" could be reviewed as soon as May! The other album notes relates to Strange Coyotes drummer Mike Haggith's next solo album "A Place Of Our Own" (still tentatively lined up for a February release), as Mike released a tentative track listing for the album (pictured) to his solo project's Facebook page yesterday! Six songs are listed with some creative titles relating to it's central concept, though Mike emphasized that like with his past solo albums, this is subject to likely changes. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in for both Mike and Ken's next albums!

Finally for today, here's the last of our recent updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, mostly related to last week's Viva La Battle! On our Skid Row Battle profile, I edited references to third placers Free Beer's 2013 reunion under the name Sarah's Valley, as I've heard from a few sources (including guitarist Dustin Goodall in person) that they broke up earlier this year after only a few concerts. On our Humane Society Battle profile, I replaced Giwakwa (who no longer feature battle alumni in their active lineup) with new local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring then-Wishbone bassist Steven Flint) in the section on current bands featuring battle performers. Then in our profile of the Battle For The Blood, I added a trivia note to reference Viva La Battle, as even though they shared no common performers, both battles had the same promoter, judging method, and guaranteed opening slot at a major concert. Finally, I'll just add that while I could add things to 4 of our past battle profiles to note withdrawn competitors Keep It Lit, I'll wait until they reveal their identities publically, as they had planned to keep that secret until their debut.

Stay tuned for more updates to our monthly feature series soon (including a pile of Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile updates later this month), and of course, keep an eye out for more news and notes! Thanks everyone!