LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of local concert/mixed martial arts promoter "Big" John Yeubanks, who passed away this morning at the age of 44 after a two year battle with cancer, as per numerous Facebook postings. Click here for details on his fight via a GoFundMe campaign from earlier this year. Based out of Gaylord, Michigan, John was long associated with events promotion in Sault Ste. Marie via his companies Big John's MMA and Superior Entertainment. While best known in the area for his fight cards at Kewadin Casinos, John also co-promoted a handful of high profile local concerts via Superior Entertainment, including 2015's P.O.D./Hoobastank and Saving Abel concerts at The Dreammakers Theater, 2017's Dokken/Firehouse show at what's now GFL Memorial Gardens, and the Josey Scott show at The Rink at The Train Station last June.

Big John's local legacy for many will be via his many MMA cards here (his final fight card was just last month), but he did bring some big concerts up to our area, and despite being from Northern Michigan, he did help put on multiple concerts and MMA shows in Sault Ontario, relatively uncommon examples of local event promotion from across the border. From what I know of John, he was a good family man driven by faith, and he was very candid about his health on social media, so I do hope that he is fondly remembered by all who knew him at this difficult time. R.I.P. Big John!

Today's post otherwise looks at the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, drummer Glen Thomas only announced them on his personal Facebook page earlier today, and neither the band nor venue have followed suit publically. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows complete another triple-header weekend at the former Reggie's West for Soundcheck, whose usual Thursday jam night hosting duties (sans singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver) are tonight before the full band rocks out all night TOMORROW & SATURDAY to end one month and begin another. Despite the late notice for the normal concerts, hopefully Soundcheck deliver more hits all weekend!

As usual for Soundcheck's Jay's concerts, expect these to be 19+ events with no announced cover charges and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details on the festivities TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some more weekend concerts that did get advance notice, starting with local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will return to Reggie's Place for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT before heading to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! As Shooters hosts DJ nights on Fridays this year, HeadFirst had to look elsewhere to fill out their weekend schedule, and while I don't know which band was signed at Reggie's first, Bone Yard 225 (who are playing a one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub tomorrow night) have Saturday sewn up at Reggie's, so everyone wins in this regard! Unlike Bone Yard, HeadFirst's two shows this weekend both appear to be standard plugged-in fare compared to their launch event at Reggie's two weeks ago for their debut studio single "Don't Care, Don't Mind". Downtown will be rocking all weekend with this fast rising young group, so don't miss out at either locale!

Also, I surprisingly haven't commented on "Don't Care, Don't Mind" yet here, but you can hear it on major streaming services and I've embedded it below as the preview video for this weekend via their YouTube Music channel. It's a solid enough song with good production and a slightly bluesier edge vocally, and fans of HeadFirst should take to it, but I know that they are capable of more melodic and hooky material if they have more studio plans. Tomorrow's Reggie's concert and Saturday's Shooters show have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on both gigs, and here's HeadFirst's new song!

We'll close today by heading to The Rapids Lounge at the aforementioned Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will take the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be this local supergroup's first publically acknowledged concerts since the I-500 weekend at the same venue, but you may recall seeing the band's instrumental members guesting with Tarnished at The Merchant's Bar two weeks ago. Formal concerts from Rhythm & Brews are not super frequent (and live videos of them are far less so), but this union of Nixxon Dixxon, 415E, Power Slug, and Highway 63 alumni promise to deliver a fun weekend of hard rocking covers, so don't miss out on all of the action this weekend! Personal Facebook promotion of these shows suggest that Rhythm & Brews will have new songs, a "new atmosphere", and "maybe a few surprises" in store this weekend.

As usual for Kewadin lounge concerts, tomorrow & Saturday night's shows have 21+ age limits, 9:00 PM start times, and no cover charges. We still don't have public video footage of Rhythm & Brews to preview them with, but go see them in person for yourself this weekend, and visit the above links for more details! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

New Musician Interviews From The Borderline Radio, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of veteran local radio personality, program director, and sports announcer John Bell, who recently passed away, as per an announcement on 1230 WSOO's Facebook page yesterday morning. Stay tuned to relevant Sault Michigan news outlets for information on services when it becomes available. A Minnesota native, John would become a fixture of local radio over the past 35 years across multiple stations and companies. SMS readers may best recognize John as the long-time news anchor for Rock 101 and their sister stations, but his on-air and behind-the-scenes roles on the Sault Ste. Marie airwaves go well beyond that, including lengthy runs as a DJ and/or morning host with WSOO, 99.5 Yes FM, and the former Know AM/Talk Radio 1400, as well as doing play-by-play for the Sault High Blue Devils hockey team and local junior hockey clubs like the Soo Eagles and the Soo Indians.

John had dealt with major health issues in the last couple of years that I won't get into here, but a fundraiser burger bash was held in his honour in October 2019 at The Elks Lodge, and that seemed to go over pretty well. I never met John, but his familiar voice and on-air talents were ever present when listening to local radio, and he will be missed by all that knew and respected him, if social media testimonials are any indication. R.I.P. John!

Now, today's post continues in the realm of radio, specifically Sault Ontario internet station The Borderline, which we covered shortly after it's launch last fall, and one missing aspect for me at the time was the ability to listen to episodes online after the fact if you weren't able to catch them live. Well, they have done just that on their redesigned website, and 10 of The Borderline's shows have streamable-on-demand episodes at this link! As such, let's at least start to spotlight the series that have episodes dealing with local metal, hard rock, or punk music, and we'll first look at Across The Tracks, where host & station founder Adrian Vilaca talks to local musicians about the story behind their original music. Most aren't hard rock artists, but back in August, Adrian did interview local/Thompson, Manitoba alt/hard rock musician Mike Haggith about the background of his newest CD "If Ever Comes The Day", so what should you know behind that episode?

An 84 minute listen, it features Mike discussing the lyrical inspirations and real life feelings that enveloped the album and it's individual songs, including how his day job in aviation puts things in another perspective, the reason behind the two blank tracks. Every full song from "If Ever Comes The Day" is included after the interview segments, though they aren't discussed in their running order on the actual album. This is an entertaining listen that will likely be the most context you'll ever hear from Mike re: the album's concept, and Adrian gives Mike lots of room to go into lots of details therein, so fans will want to hear the whole episode at this link! While we're on the subject, fellow Borderline staffer Mike "Sev Micron" Severin interviewed Mike Haggith himself on Friday for an episode of his own interview series Sev's Cellar, which has interviewed multiple hard rock performers so far.

Honestly, I'll hold a full write-up on Sev's interview with Mike Haggith for now, because only the second half of the interview is available to stream on demand. It's not labelled as such in the description, but Sev clearly notes that it's part 2 about three minutes into the 68 minute file, before jumping into the interview in progress. Hopefully the first half is posted at some point!

We'll close by looking at a full episode of Sev's Cellar from early last year, where he interviewed Jack Spades/Frightlight frontman and local concert promoter J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints)! However, be advised that this was recorded before the pandemic, hence why J.D. promotes the local First Jason and Anti-Queens concerts and Jack Spades' annual July tour run, all obviously being cancelled. He also alludes to the lineup changes in Jack Spades, including an apparent new guitarist & drummer, but again, the pandemic may have delayed a further public reveal. The interview afterwards features J.D. discussing his inspiration as a songwriter, his favourite lyrics, songs he's listening to now, info about his personal life, why his concert output was decreasing, memorable local concerts of his, and advice for young musicians, among other topics. "Fright Night" and "C.H.U.D." by Frightlight are also played in full.

Mike revealed in the episode that J.D. would be hosting a punk/metal show on The Borderline, but as best as I can gather, that series never premiered. A lot of the context of the interview is very much dated now (this was only posted for on-demand listening last month), and the background music seems out of place despite reflecting the interview discussion, but this is a fun listen that has some interesting insights from a performing and promotional viewpoint! Give it and more a listen above, and stay tuned for more from Sev's Cellar and beyond in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

An Inactive Band Note, New Videos, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rush drummer and author Neil Peart, who passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 67, after a three year battle with brain cancer. The news spread quickly around social media and the rock music community, and understandably so, given Neil's impact as one of the greatest drummers of all time, and as a key member of Rush from 1974 through their final concert tour in 2015. Older local fans may recall seeing Neil play live with Rush at the former Sault Memorial Gardens thrice from 1975-1977, shows that received some renewed attention locally in the past week. Neil's passion and skill level was unrivaled, as was his courage to return to music & writing in the wake of his wife and daughter's deaths in the late 1990s. With his drumming ability and classic lyrics, Rush wouldn't have become what they were without him, and he will be deeply missed. R.I.P. Neil!

Today's post otherwise dives into recent video postings and an inactive band note, and we'll start there, as I have moved local extreme metal band Winkstinger back to our inactive band links. The group has not issued a public update since their last announced concert at December 2018's True North Talent Entertainment multi-genre Christmas concert at Soo Blaster (their Facebook page shared archive photos from the early 2010s last year, but it wasn't maintained during their last active run as a band.) After taking a year+ hiatus, Winkstinger returned for a third active run in August 2017, which saw the return of Ryan Sherman on bass and the debut of Twistory's Josh Amendola on vocals, taking the band into full death metal territory as a result. The new lineup played 7 recorded concerts in the latter halves of 2017 & 2018, including sets at the first two Oh!No festivals, the "Trading Faces" split release show, and concerts headlined by The Faps & The Costanzas.

Given their lack of an online presence in their 2015-2018 reunions, it's always possible that Winkstinger are just lying low again, but it's been well over a year since we last heard anything from their camp. Of course, you can still see constant members Jesse Cook & Jonas Gasperas with The Elements, while Jonas frequently guests with Jesse's acoustic band The Wyld Stallyns, so don't miss seeing them there, and best of luck to them, Josh, Ryan, and other former members in the future!

Next up, here's some newly discovered live videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck from one of their Reggie's West concerts earlier this month! Filmed by SaultOnline's Mike Caruso for his YouTube channel, these are the only heavier-leaning concert videos he has uploaded in the past month, but definitely give his channel a look to see other live videos from veteran cover acts as of late! Despite the outdated band photo at the beginning of each video, these do feature Soundcheck with their new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver. Regarding the covered songs, one has Soundcheck covering David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy" (with guitarist Terry Eaton on vocals), which is particularly notable because it's the full song, rather than the bookends of their Travis-era cover medley. The others have Cameron singing, and they are of The Eagles' "Take It Easy" and, as embedded below, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son".

Overall, these videos sound good, and Cameron seems to be acquitting himself well to Soundcheck so far! His distinctive voice works well on southern rock and country songs, which presumably bodes well for Reggievelt gigs in particular. Alas, bassist Paul Belair was largely obscured by that post on stage once again, I wish they could do something about that. Give Soundcheck's new videos a look above & below!

Finally for today, here's some new drum cover videos from former As It Stands mainstay John Mignacca! These were uploaded to his "Flo McNasty" YouTube channel in the past 6 months, which is otherwise focused on video gaming footage (more or less). John will be most familiar locally from his hardcore drumming, and was most recently seen as Jesse Merineau's new live drummer, but his new covers are largely distant from his band work. Since last summer, John has covered songs by A Day To Remember, Machine Gun Kelly, , Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, and Merkules, but embedded below is his cover of "2001" by Mike Froh, the former frontman of past Oddfellows Hall headliners The Holly Springs Disaster. John's videos are strongly recorded with good usage of multiple camera angles, and he plays with energy and skill, as you would expect! Very eclectic group of songs, but there are some glimmers of metal and hardcore within, so give John's new drum covers a look above & below!



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

This Weekend's Hard Rock & Punk Concert Previews!!

After a quiet week for news and updates on the site, we're back with a busy weekend concert preview slate, and as of this writing, all are previously announced gigs to boot! In fact, we'll start with an unusually busy Thursday night slate for metal/punk concerts in the Soo , so here's what you should know for tonight and beyond! (Our preview of Sunday night's Anvil concert will hit the site in our next news post to give it a closer look.)

We'll start at The Grand Gardens North, where a handful of local music acts will join forces for a special fundraiser concert TONIGHT! As some of you may know already, local realtor & mother Shelby Kerns was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, and to fund specialized treatments out of town, this special event will help cover costs for her and her family, including partner Cory Murchison of Skeyes of Seven & Sense of Truth fame. For the occasion, there will be raffle and door prizes and a pasta dinner, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full details on the non-musical events. Previously announced musical performers will include local Tool tribute band Parabol in a rare set outside of The Rockstar Bar, while their frontman will front the eponymous John Barber Band tonight as well. Who else is in the band, are they a one off, and will they take inspiration from John's past local hard bands? We'll find out tonight!

A third music act was quietly confirmed on the event page on May 22nd, namely the Tidal Records duo of Shannon Moan & Frank Deresti, who will play an acoustic set after supper. Nice way to ease into things, and they're both talented musicians in their own right! Tickets are $30 at Exit Realty Lake Superior at 207 Northern Avenue or through their employees, while you can donate $20 or more to show support without attending, which will get you a door prize entry. The event starts at 5:00 PM, and has no stated age limit. It's great to see everyone showing their support for Shelby and family at this time of need, so see above for full details, and here's Parabol live!

Next up, fan-favourite Montreal ska punk band K-Man & The 45s will make their seventh local concert appearance in the last 6 years TONIGHT! Before we get too far, just a heads-up to some late changes that broke on the Facebook event page earlier this week, including the move of the concert from The Rockstar Bar to The New American Pub. Promoters (Choose) Maxx Entertainment revealed that the show was forced to move on short notice due to a scheduling conflict with a celebration of life at The Rockstar Bar, which is totally understandable, and our condolences go out to the deceased's family & friends. Of course, The New A isn't foreign territory for K-Man & The 45s, as they've played there thrice before, including in March 2017, so regulars of their sets won't be out of place! However, the opening act has been replaced, apparently due to budgetary concerns at the smaller venue, despite The New A's K-Man shows having local bands open in the past.

As such, local punk quartet The Cover-Up are out (hopefully we see them back soon), but Planet Smashers bassist Dave "Smasher" Cooper will now be the surprise opening act, bringing him back to the Soo after the full band last played here in 2005. How will Dave sound as a solo artist? Be at The New A TONIGHT to find out! A $10 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time. Changes aside, this should be a great time for ska-punk fans, and The 45s are well known for their wild live shows and Ska-Mones tribute, so see above for current details, and here they are live!



Moving to shows on the regular weekend schedule, we'll next address the ongoing weekly acoustic concerts from veteran hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will play his first full concert weekend of June 2019 TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant, sandwiching his latest nighttime show at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Another busy month lies ahead, and you can take in Tym's extensive live setlist at the Spring Street restaurant for these two evenings, but if you like your live music at a full nighttime timeslot, head to the east end tomorrow night for his first of two Roadhouse gigs this month. Fans should get a solid sampling of Tym's skill and fan favourite nature this weekend, so keep all three gigs in mind! The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no stated age limit, the Roadhouse show is 19+ at 10:00 PM, and none have a cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews (Anvil are coming in our next post), we'll head to Reggie's West, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are advertised to return for solo headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted by the band on their Facebook page, These shows are listed on their 2019 concert calendar, though it is worth noting that the band has not newly promoted them online, and that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page lists The Bearded Lounge as playing at The Reggievelt this weekend instead, possibly as 5:00 PM matinees before Soundcheck hit the stage. If we hear any clarification either way, we'll let you know, but we'll treat these as Soundcheck shows taking place unless otherwise stated. A busy concert slate for Soundcheck should prove to see them firing on all cylinders as they kick off a new month, so don't miss out on their hard rocking covers in the west end this weekend!

Expect 19+ age limits, no cover, and a 10:00 PM start time to be in effect, as usual for Soundcheck's stops at the former Rosie. Visit the above links for more details on these shows, and here's Soundcheck live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates (including our Anvil preview) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Parabol & Tripod The Dog), An Inactive Band Note, And New Videos!!

Let's tackle some more big news items on this Sunday evening, including some new live concert videos, a band being moved to our inactive links, and leading off, here's a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming weeks!

Reunited ska-punk/alternative veterans Tripod The Dog will play their second show of the year on Saturday, May 25th at The Rockstar Bar! This show hasn't been publically announced online that I know of, but I first heard about it via the venue's physical marquee board last week, and remember that an updated online page controlled by current band members has not been launched yet. After successfully returning to the stage after a decade+ hiatus as a full-time band ended last month at the same venue, Tripod The Dog will bring their fan favourite blend of genres back for another go-around, and it will be great to see Mark Oliverio and company rock out once again! Hopefully more comes out on the new lineup online, especially if things are different compared to their Rotaryfest one-off last year. Expect a 10:00 PM-ish start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge on May 25th. See above for details when & if they roll in on this show and Tripod the Dog version 4.0!

Next up, a few familiar faces will hit The Grand Gardens North (the site of Toystock) on Thursday, June 6th for a special benefit concert in honour of Shelby Kerns, a local realtor, loving mother, and the partner of Skeyes of Seven/ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison. Shelby was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and will be receiving specialized treatments out of town, so this fundraiser will help cover related costs for her and her family. The event proper will include a pasta dinner, raffles and prizes, and yes, live music, including local Tool tribute band Parabol in a rare non-Rockstar Bar set. It's great to see Parabol throwing their support behind Shelby at this diffcult time, and they should deliver a solid set of Tool hits for the occasion! Parabol frontman John Barber will also front a (one-off?) group known as The John Barber Band on this night, though no word as of yet regarding their lineup, sound, or similarities to his old bands like Redefined, Late Shift, and Fingerbone.

Also, no word on if Cory will guest with either band, but given that his relationship with Shelby, it'd definitely be a fitting sight! Tickets for this presumably all-ages benefit (at 5:00 PM) are $30 at Exit Realty Lake Superior at 207 Northern Avenue or through employees there, while you can also show your support and still be entered for the door prize if you can't make it by donating a $20 minimum. I don't know Shelby, but everything I've heard points to a friendly, generous, and caring woman, and I hope this benefit does everything it sets out to for the Kerns/Murchison clan!! Visit the official Facebook event page for details as they roll in!

Also today, I have moved local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church to our inactive band links due to a year's public inactivity. The band was last seen on stage at last year's Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert at The Tech, but they never publically promoted that event online, and hadn't posted on their Facebook page since the end of January 2018. First coming onto the SMS' radar in the lead-up to The Sky's The Limit I in 2016, Electric Church would grow in prominence from White Pines Collegiate gigs to proper concerts in Sault Ste. Marie through the end of 2017, including sets at a bunch of early Live705 concerts, that year's Go Skateboarding Day, K.I.C.K.'s CD release party, and opening slots for Kenny Wayne, Speaker, and Return For Refund, among others. However, recording sessions at Mission Control Studios for a debut album never reached their intended conclusion, despite optimistic teasers for big plans at the start of last year.

I don't know what happened to Electric Church, but they were a very promising band that gave a unique retro zest to many local concerts during their run! With a maturity beyond their years and an old school sensibility from their early Jimi Hendrix covers through to their original songs, it looked like the sky was indeed the limit (pun intended), but hopefully they're just lying low and will be seen again, as there's a lot of talent to go around in their ranks. Best of luck to Spencer, Elijah, and Beau in the interim!

We'll close today with some new videos from Kinross/Mount Pleasant hard rock singer/guitarist Alex Traynor's second "music for tips & coffee" matinee set at Biggby Coffee in Sault Michigan yesterday! These were uploaded to the coffee shop's Facebook page in the last couple of days, including one belated upload from last week of Alex covering Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride and Joy". The distant from-the-side angle isn't great, and the video's short, but what you hear works out! The Saturday videos also include Alex playing "Pride and Joy" again, but this clip is longer, somewhat closer, and has some attendees dancing, which is a fun sight! Embedded below is Alex covering Warrant's "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which has a much better and longer view of Alex's performance, and he has a good handle of this hair metal classic! Hopefully he got lots of tips, but see how he did for yourself above & below, and stay tuned for more from Alex!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Big Wreck Videos, Tym Morrison Previews, And More!!

Here's another news post for you guys on this Saturday afternoon, and it includes previews of a few upcoming shows, some assorted recent updates, and some long awaited videos and fallout from a big concert last week. First, however, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related apology, so here's what you should know! (Updated at 4:38 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock The Esquire Club TONIGHT, after previously playing there last night! Profuse apologies for the short notice and for missing last night's show on here, we only heard about them overnight via members' personal Facebook pages (Soundcheck haven't updated their Facebook page in over a month), though for what it's worth, the picture of the physical schedule at the venue suggests that they replaced country veterans Bone Yard this weekend, possibly on short notice as it was. It's also worth noting that this same schedule (which was up at The Esquire Club long before it went online) also advertised Soundcheck shows two weeks ago. If they did happen, my apologies for missing them, but I can't find any personal or public reference to those shows occurring. As for TONIGHT's (and yesterday's) Soundcheck shows there, the guys enlisted Bone Yard frontman Greg Simpson to fill in for Steven Flint on drums last night, but Steven confirmed on his personal Facebook page that he will be back with Soundcheck for TONIGHT'S concert.

Greg was a solid choice, and it's interesting to see him drumming without singing lead like in Stiffler's Mom! Also, you may notice on the above poster that a planned Stiffler's Mom weekend at The Esquire Club in late March was cancelled before making it's way online, with Cherry Crush replacing them. Hopefully nothing bad happened, though note that we haven't heard from this band online since last fall. TONIGHT'S Soundcheck show is likely a 10:00 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit, with all being the same last night too. See above for more details, apologies again for missing yesterday's show, and nope, no public videos yet!

Next up, here's some long awaited videos from the Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop last week, courtesy of prolific concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again! Chris outdid himself once again with ten videos at this show, including two of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots, with one being of their opening songs "Simply Not Good Enough" & "Misery", and the other being of their song "Give It To Me". The camera work is a little jittery, but Chris got a solid view of the stage, and Attica Riots sound lively and engaging for genre fans! As for Big Wreck, Chris filmed the Juno nominated hard rockers playing their songs "Look What I Found" & "That Song" (both in one video), "By The Way", "Waste", "Blown Wide Open" (accidentally labelled as "Blown Away"), "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Albatross", "Digging In", and as embedded below, "Fall Through The Cracks". Click each link to take you to each song!

As well, SooToday's Donna Hopper posted this article with remarks on the show and 15 photos of the bands online on Valentine's Day, including 11 of Big Wreck and 4 of Attica Riots. Sounds like the show went over very well, and it's great to see Ian and company play here again rather than hanging out in a parking lot between shows! Donna's photos are excellent as usual, so give them and her article a look above, and definitely check out Chris' solid videos from last week above & below!



Also, here's our previews of a trifecta of early-week concerts from local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus in the Market Mall for matinee gigs on MONDAY, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! After previously playing at the former Kackleberry's for three matinee shows two weeks ago, Tym will return for a Gliss-esque scheduling of shows again early next week, and fans should be eager to see his unplugged classic selections again, even at these still somewhat atypical days! No word on if Tym will be playing at Mark's on Mondays-Wednesdays with any regularity once the month is done, but we'll let you know if anything is announced. Much like his usual solo matinees, these three shows are 6:00 PM events with no age limit or announced cover charge, but remember that this is a restaurant, not a typical venue. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



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

•  A local drummer named John Chindamo is looking to join or start a local band, noting that he is "familiar with the classic rock and some of today's stuff", and is willing to learn country if needed. I'm not overly familiar with John, but it's great to see him wanting something to do with local music, and if you're interested in more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday!
• The newest song from ex-Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent's solo project (and for his intended second solo album) can now be heard on his Bandcamp page! Entitled "Prevarication", this should please fans of Mike's more technical metal instrumental work of recent years, so give it a listen above!
• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has revived his Sorrow Fields solo project after a 2 year hiatus, and is apparently working on their long-gestating debut CD at Mission Control Studios! Their Facebook page features a photo of Mitch playing at the studio, and as of Wednesday, he was working on guide tracks. No sign yet of a new online presence for The Sorrow Fields, but it's very encouraging to see Mitch picking up his solo music again, and The Sorrow Fields are back in our active band links, with a "Where Are The New Albums?" return next week also now in the cards!

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

Ruptured Birth Concert Preview, A Unique Drum Cover Video, Upcoming Concert Notes, And More!!

For the first time in a week, we have a post that's primarily about news and updates at the SMS! Yes, there is one concert preview for an impending metal concert, but also, we have some assorted recent updates, perhaps some bad news for an upcoming concert, and a new drum cover video, so here's what you should know! (Updated on Sunday at 12:20 PM)

Heavy North Entertainment are back for their first concert of the year, and it will see the return of two Northern Ontario extreme metal bands to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall to cap off their Grime Life mini-tour of Northern Ontario! The featured headliners are Sudbury death metal quartet Ruptured Birth in their first Soo stop since opening for Vesperia at The Algonquin Pub in 2015, and with many brutal sci-fi inspired originals in their repertoire, prepare for a face melting good time tomorrow! North Bay extreme metal trio Thekillingfield will make their long awaited local return tomorrow as co-headliners, marking their first local appearance since 2011, with a pair of 2014 sets cancelled in the interim. It's hard to believe we've been waiting over five years for Thekillingfield to hit the local stage again, so welcome them back with open arms and horned fists as well! Local opening acts will include the return of local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters in their first concert of 2017, so how will they sound after their 7 month stage hiatus? Find out tomorrow!

Online page-less death metal duo Twistory will round out the lineup in their first public concert set in almost a year, while a planned opening set by Crucify the Whore has been cancelled due to equipment difficulties, as per the Facebook event page, and they have not been visibly replaced. This ALL AGES show has an 8:00 PM start time (with doors opening at 6:30 PM), and there will be a $6 cover charge at the door. Death metal fans should be very excited by this show, including a number of long awaited returns to the local stage, particularly Thekillingfield's progressive-tinged explosion, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Ruptured Birth live!



Next up, here's a pair of new videos, starting with this unique clip of As It Stands drummer John Mignacca beating the electric drumskins all over Sault Ste. Marie! Uploaded to his new "Flo McNasty" YouTube channel on Tuesday, the video (filmed by John's former A.I.S. bandmate Nathan Bouliane) features John drumming along to his old band Skeyes of Seven's original "Cognitive Dissonance" in various locations, including outside of the "Algoma's Friendliest City" sign, the International Bridge, the Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and inside the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. Very creative and well shot, this is well worth checking out for fans of local landmarks, John's drumming, and Skeyes of Seven, though after watching, I was also thinking of other places he could drum for a sequel! One outside of concert venues might be interesting, particularly ones John played at frequently. Give it a look below, and don't miss As It Stands return at The Canadian on THURSDAY!



Also today, here's some recent clarifications and updates regarding a teased concert event for later this month. Though there has been no formal confirmation, numerous postings on it's Facebook event page have indicated that the Rock The Border Music Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on June 18th is no longer taking place. Pessimism and unconfirmed personal reports don't paint a good picture, especially as this show was promoted by some of the same organizers behind the called-off Quiet Riot show (CSA branding or not), and while the ticket sale page is still online, there haven't been any public updates to this event from organizers since May 7th. Based on available reports, I'm reluctantly inclined to remove the show from our links, but if there's any official confirmation that it's still on in some form, we will redact this! If true, this is all very disappointing, especially given the hype and the chance to make up for the Quiet Riot concert, but if it's off, hopefully ticket buyers get full refunds promptly!

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:

• The Sault Star's Brian Kelly interviewed CKY drummer Jess Margera for this article that went in the newspaper and on their website on Monday in advance of THIS THURSDAY'S headlining show at The Canadian Nightclub.Within, Jess discussed the band's move to a three-piece lineup following Deron Miller's departure, their recent collaboration with Mastodon's Brent Hinds for their new single, fan response in their recent tours, why you won't hear much from their last album "Carver City", and more, and it's a solid read in advance of this highly anticipated show, so check everything out above!
• The previously announced CureCon festival from new local company Ma Lady Menace on August 12th will reportedly not be taking place at The Royal Canadian Legion hall on Great Northern Road, as per the venue's Facebook page earlier today. The Legion apparently has had "NO dealings" with the promoters, and while I won't get into the online rumous and mixed feelings within, note that Ma Lady Menace have not updated their Facebook page in two weeks, when they acknowledged website maintenance. We'll remove CureCon from our concert calendar due to the lack of venue, but if it's still held elsewhere, we'll let you know!
• The Machine Shop confirmed via this press release last week that March's postponed Quiet Riot concert is now officially cancelled, citing a "breach of contract" between the headliners and promoters CSA International, and told people where to get refunds for tickets if they had yet to do so. This story resurfaced because the originally planned rescheduling was for May 26th, but CSA had previously redacted that on their own. The discussion about the promoters and refund process has sparked more pessimistic online debate, but all I'll add here is that I hope everyone still looking for a ticket refund gets theirs soon, if they haven't already.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the month of June progresses! Thanks everyone!

Highway 63 Concert Previews, Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And More!!

Barring any super-short notice concert previews, let's round out this weekend's previews to lead off this Friday morning post, but we're filling things out with lots of recent updates from a local hard rock band, and some assorted recent notes! Now, let's get this post rolling!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT for the first time this year! This talented and prolific local band will continue their busy year of Kewadin Casino gigs with their first Rapids Lounge shows in about two months, and if you know the guys' past work with bands like Jager and Power Slug, you'll know you're in for a solid time either night! However, I'll just note for clarification's sake that the band hasn't plugged this weekend's shows since originally announcing them a few weeks ago, but nothing indicates they're off. Of course, if you can't make it out to the Soo Kewadin this weekend, remember that Highway 63 will be back there for a weekend each month in 2016, plus St. Ignace in most months of the year. As usual for Highway 63's Kewadin shows, a 9:00 PM-ish start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charges are in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Highway 63 live at The Rapids Lounge last year!

Next up, local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven have finally confirmed that they are indeed recording their debut EP! After a number of posts showcasing recent recording sessions at Deluca Sound Productions, albeit without outright confirming that a debut release was in the works, the guys finally confirmed on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they have just one more track to record before sending the EP off to be mixed & mastered. Great to hear, and hopefully things work out so that Skeyes of Seven's EP is released successfully! Fans of Cory & Ron's old band Sense of Truth will relate to that regarding their unreleased CD. As well, Skeyes of Seven confirmed on Facebook that they have indeed parted ways with drummer John Mignacca, presumably due to his move to Sudbury last fall, which followed his only two shows with the band in mid-2015. John's a talented drummer (As It Stands fans can attest to that), and hopefully he's in another band down the line!

With John's departure, Skeyes of Seven are looking for a new drummer, and while they haven't begun an active search yet, message the band A.S.A.P. if you or someone you know are interested in trying out! For clarification, ex-drummer Johnny Amendola isn't back, despite his kit in the recent Cherry Crush jam videos still having S.O.S. drum head artwork. As for John Mignacca's participation on the Skeyes of Seven EP, he confirmed on his personal Facebook page that he did indeed provide the studio drum tracks, and you can get a preview of his work via two videos that he posted on Facebook in July, which the band subsequently shared on their own Facebook page, so what should you know on them? The clips (one seen here) are both short, and have loud steady beeps over them (presumably to keep tempo), but you do get a glimpse of John's skill, and it'll be interesting to hear more of the final product! Just have the volume up to hear his drumming, but also remember the beeps, as they may be distracting.

It's great to see Skeyes of Seven staying busy, and while they've played just four local concerts in the past four years, their talents and past band work speak for themselves, so hopefully things continue to turn upward for Cory, Al, Ron, John, and their next drummer! Check out John drumming below, see more above, and apologies for the delay on these!



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

• Energy Rock Radio is coming home for a special event in July! The Castlegar, B.C.-based internet rock station (which broadcasted in the Soo from 2008-2011) will be holding a special local broadcast when station head Ryan Kaarlela comes home in July, with a special subscriber-only episode of The Rated Ryeman Show airing late that month. Great to see Ryan back home, and if you're a loyal Brew Crew member, click here for full details on how to get in on this N.R.G. homecoming broadcast!
• Former Havadder bassist Lucas Bugyra is looking to start a new local rock band that would play older & new rock, plus some metal. He's looking for a couple of guitarists and a drummer (no word on if he's planning to sing or not), and he is hoping to give more variety at local bars via this band. If you're interested in trying out, message Luke at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• Local drummer Trey Piraino is again looking for musicians to jam with towards forming a progressive metal band. He had posted a similar search in August 2014, but hopefully this time, he gets some traction towards a prog-metal outfit, as he does sound serious about wanting to get one going! For details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: John Mignacca.

For this month's YouTube Channel Profile, we're looking at just one randomly selected YouTube channel for the first time in nine months today, which seems like too long, but the joys of a random draw! As usual, this monthly feature series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels with at least 50% of their videos being relevant to local metal, hard rock, or punk bands and/or concerts, in order to spotlight their content and hopefully encourage readers to check them out and subscribe, and this month's (still updated) channel has lots of videos to check out, so here's what you should know!
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John Mignacca. (http://www.youtube.com/asitstands420)

Owner: Skeyes of Seven drummer, Dillinger producer, and former local concert promoter John Mignacca, also known from previous drumming work with bands like As It Stands & Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 9th, 2010; Videos posted from the following month through December 2014

Channel Summary: Originally intended to be a new official YouTube channel for defunct local hardcore quintet As It Stands, this channel first featured two A.I.S. studio tracks, a studio blog, and a loose rap jam between John and singer Justin Pregent. Since the band's last show in August 2012, John transitioned this channel into one for personal use, generally for solo drum covers (7 as of this writing), with other uploads including a solo electronic track, an improvised video of him drumming in a local music store, and a humorous clip of what appears to be his dog responding to an online video.

Why Should You Watch: Give John's channel a look for some solid late-era As It Stands material and for extended (and diverse) drum covers in particular, as he has wide ranging musical interests that come through in these uploads! However, there are no videos yet of John with Skeyes of Seven, there's only the one electronic song for Dillinger fans, and no A.I.S. material from before their 2010 reunion is included, but John does still actively use this channel. For reference, his original YouTube channel (which we profiled in this series in 2012) features two extra videos from his late 2000s band work.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Rise Above - As It Stands (2010): The first two uploads on what was then As It Stands' channel were of studio recordings that the band held in mid-2010 at Stereo Soul Studios with producer Miguel Gauthier, shortly before he and the studio moved to California. Recorded not long after the band's reunion that summer, the songs are "One Last Chance" and (embedded below) "Rise Above", the only video on the channel to surpass 1,000 views. Featuring A.I.S.' classic & final lineup (including John alongside singer Justin Pregent, guitarists Garrett Masters & Albert Bourrier, and bassist Angelo Huckson), both of these songs demonstrate a heavier, tighter, and more intense As It Stands than had existed in the late 2000s, and with great production too! Fans can hear more select studio recordings on the band's online pages.



As It Stands - Studio Blog 2011: Though long-gestating plans for their third CD never saw their planned conclusion, As It Stands took a road trip to Mississauga in June 2011 to record tracks for the unreleased album (then considered an EP) at Metalworks Studio with producer Kevin Dietz, documenting the trip and assorted goings on with a cell phone camera for this vlog posting. The camera work isn't optimal at times given the vertical angle used for much of it, but you get strong audio of the guys recording their parts for the tracks (including their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids") and some fun moments including John getting acrobatic, a dancing chicken mascot, and even a stop at a beach. There was no third disc, but the studio blog gives a glimpse into what could have been!



The Rival Cycle - TREOS (Drum Cover): All of John's videos since 2013 have been of his own drum covers, including of a late As It Stands original (the curiously titled "Oh Herm, Herm Delish") as well as a diverse array of covers from the likes of A Day To Remember, Christina Grimmie, two different versions of Skrillex's "Avicci", and as embedded below, The Recieving End of Sirens' "The Rival Cycle". Specifically uploaded in January 2014, this is played on an electronic drumkit, but is solidly done like the others, with John clearly demonstrating his considerable drumming ability on each, but fans of his hardcore band work might not take to some of his cover choices.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Through 100% random selection, our next profile on June 22nd will be on the YouTube channel #TrebleCharger (we're not starting to use hashtags here, that's it's title), which features song uploads from four of the local/Toronto indie/punk band's albums. Watch for that next month, and stay tuned for more news in the near future! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades & Destroilet's Kickstarter Campaign, The Return Of Skeyes Of Seven, And More!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge that the obituary for late Case's Music founder, country musician, and beloved music instructor Mike Case is now online at this link, which confirms that a celebration of life will be held at The Delta Waterfront Hotel on Friday at 7:00 PM, following a private family funeral, and the family's asking for Cancer Society contribitions in lieu of flowers. I know how important Mike was to the local music scene, and it's a shame that he was taken from us at just 55 years old, but his legacy will live on in everyone he taught, befriended, and performed with over the years. R.I.P. Mike!

Now, today's post features a band's return and new lineup, how a local band did at a recent out-of-town event, and three inactive bands to note for our listings, but first, here's big news on two local bands' next project!

The announced three-way split album between local metal/punk quintets Destroilet & Jack Spades and Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz is now beginning production, but YOU can help ensure it's released! Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce has launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the album, which will be a 15 track release with 5 songs from each band. J.D. cited that they've "decided to distill" the feeling of all three bands' playing "some of the most intense sweaty shows you could imagine" into this split, while the campaign is also intended to help Jack Spades (and Destroilet?) take a road trip to open for The Ripcordz in Montreal for a change. Like with most Kickstarter campaigns, there are incentives if you pledge to donate money to fund the album (they're looking to get $6,000 in two months), so what lies ahead if you pledge money to this cause?

At the $2 minimum, you'll get credited in the album booklet, but for more money, you could get the split on CD, mp3, vinyl, or cassette(?!) copies, as well as a VIP pass to the release concert when announced, stickers, a t-shirt or back patch, or if you're really ambitious and have $2,000+ to donate, a concert at your house or the album named after you! If you want to help fund this split, click here for full details on each incentive level and to get more details, and hopefully we can reach the optimum goal by June 13th!

Next up, we have a surprise lineup addition for the fifth annual Swampstravaganza at The Canadian Nightclub on May 9th, as local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven were added to the lineup earlier today as the tenth band on the bill! As revealed on their Facebook page and the Swampfest event page, the band featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni will be making just their third concert appearance since their 2012 debut, and their first live set in over two years, so this is way too long coming! This will also be their first show on a bill without Garden of Bedlam, their first since Alain Fletcher moved from guitar to bass to replace the departed Mike Mannarino, and in a surprise, their first since their recent drummer change, as the band has added former As It Stands drummer John Mignacca to their lineup, replacing Jonny Amendola.

A reason wasn't announced for Jonny's departure, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to him in the future for sure, as he's very talented! John's addition is surprising, especially given his recent focus on solo techno material, but it's been way too long since his last show with As It Stands, and hopefully he adds well to Skeyes of Seven! The new lineup is featured in this new Facebook video as well, where John suggests an amusing intro move, frontman Cory Murchison formally welcomes him to the band, and he hypes their set on May 9th and new material. It's great to have Skeyes of Seven back finally, so see more above and below!

Also today, were you wondering about local participation in this past Saturday's Rock 'N Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish? Oddly, promoters never revealed the full band lineup online, but we can now confirm via personal Facebook postings that local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements were among the competitors, marking their first appearance at this event! They also were joined by guitarist Jesse Cook's Jack Spades bandmate Johnny Belanger on guest drums, as Alex Hagerman couldn't make the trip east for the battle. However, they did not place in the top 3, and unlike past years, the 4th & 5th place bands weren't announced among the winning bands to join the Rock 'N Roar Festival lineup in August. For reference, the winning bands included Sudbury rock quintets Conflicted Minds & Forget The Circus in 1st and 2nd place, and they'll open for Platinum Blonde & Sass Jordan in Spanish on Saturday, August 15th.

Blind River rock band Drive placed third, and they'll open for 54-40 and Saga on night #1 on August 14th. We have no official word yet on the identities of the other bands, but Elliott Lake photographer Paul Kazulak was on hand getting photos of the competitors, so visit his Facebook page to see if he posts pictures of any more familiar acts! It's disappointing to see The Elements not make the podium, but hopefully they made lots of fans in Spanish on Saturday, and stay tuned for more from them!

Finally for today, here's three shorter news items, all related to bands being moved to our inactive band links, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We have moved local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, having not posted any online updates since briefly being listed for the 2014 Swampstravaganza last spring. Best known from that event in 2012 and from various Superior Heights sets, A.T.D. had talent and a growing presence, but hopefully we hear more from Noah, Alex, Liam, David, and Kyle in the future!
• We've also moved local "derd rock" outfit The Issues to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since March of last year. Active from 2008-2010 before reuniting in 2013, this amusing metal project featuring Winkstinger and Pillory alumni had a lot of promise and entertainment value, and it's a shame that they never played a real concert that I've heard. Best of luck to Chris, Vinyl, Bret, Robert, and other former members going forward!
• Lastly, we've moved local/London deathcore quartet Saints & Serpents to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since February. The successors to the defunct Valentine's Day Massacre, Saints & Serpents played just one announced concert in London in December 2013 before activity quietly stopped. It's disappointing to see that Saints & Serpents never reached The V.D.M.'s heights, but best of luck to Steve, Andrew, Adam, and Ian in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lucky 13 & The Thrill Junkies), Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

With a surprisingly busy weekend of heavier concerts on the horizon (especially given that it's not quite the holidays for most people), we'll be breaking up this weekend's previews into two posts, with Sault Ontario shows (including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS) kicking things off today, and Sault Michigan-area shows headlining tomorrow's post, but we have a new YouTube performance to fill today's post out! Now, here's what you should know for the weekend's concert previews!

Local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to the solo stage TOMORROW NIGHT with a one night only show at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced by The Rockstar Bar's Martin Fiser on their Facebook group on Tuesday. A one night engagement due to the short notice show we have after this write-up, this will continue the band's steady run upstairs at The Algonquin Hotel (they haven't played an announced solo show outside of The Rockstar Bar since February), and fresh off their third straight Toystock set, the guys should be in great spirits for another night of varied and often heavy covers! Note however that Lucky 13 have not plugged any of their concerts on their Facebook page since October, but they're definitely alive & well. This 19+ concert has a likely 10:00 PM start time TOMORROW, and while a cover charge hasn't been announced, bring $5 just in case.

For more details, check the above links! Lucky 13 have proven themselves as a live favourite over the past two years, and hopefully they deliver the same good vibes at The Rockstar Bar once again TOMORROW NIGHT! For a preview, here's the guys at Toystock last month!



With Lucky 13 playing tomorrow, who's playing at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY? The Thrill Junkies, that's who! Apologies again for the short notice, we heard about this show at the same time on Tuesday in the same Facebook group posting. This will be the Turner Up successor quintet's first ever appearance at The Rockstar Bar, their first show since last month's Rock For Dimes, and their first solo headlining show in almost 11 months, so if you're up for a full night's worth of classic and hard rock covers, you know where to be on Saturday night! Like above, this is a 19+ event, a 10:00 PM start time is in effect, and bring $5 just in case there's a cover charge this weekend. For more details, visit the above links and the official Facebook event page! After lying dormant for much of 2014, it's great to see The Thrill Junkies back in action with a more typical solo gig THIS SATURDAY, so keep it in mind as well! For a preview, here they are Rocking for Dimes last month!



Lastly for known Sault Ontario concerts this weekend, local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison is scheduled to return to The Harp Bar & Grill for his usual weekly solo gigs TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! Officially confirmed on Facebook via this Facebook event page after not having one for last weekend's show, his own website's calendar also confirms that he did not play at The Harp last Saturday for unannounced reasons (we'd have reported it had we heard it, our apologies!), while he will not be playing at The Harp over the Boxing Day weekend at all, though it's not yet clear whether that's due to a holiday break or for external bookings. We'll let you know if we hear anything! Tym's successful year long run at the former Madison's Pub shows no visible signs of slowing down though, so feel free to take in his acoustic covers at tomorrow's open mic night and his usual Saturday night solo show this weekend if you're up for a good night of music!

There's no announced cover charge for either night at The Harp this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Tym's extensive cover sets this weekend, and here he is at the Big Cheese a few years back!



Finally for today, here's a solo performance video that will be of high interest to old As It Stands fans! On Tuesday, longtime A.I.S. drummer John Mignacca uploaded this video to his/the band's YouTube channel of him playing through As It Stands' original song "Oh Herm, Herm Delish" on his normal drum kit (rather than the electric kit of his past solo uploads.) For fans who have missed As It Stands since their quiet breakup earlier this year (and last show in 2012), this is a pleasant surprise that shows John back in a familiar element, and despite the odd title, this was one of their better late-period originals! I wouldn't read into this as a sign of life for As It Sands unless stated otherwise, but give this solid video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews TOMORROW, and some more big news to come! Thanks everyone!