LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bobaflex & Black Crown Initiate), The River Jacks Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kayge Fowler, who passed away last night after a brave and courageous battle with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (or DIPG) over the past year. He was just 6 years old. As well documented on the Prayers For Kayge Facebook group and local news media, Kayge fought valiantly against this terrible and aggressive form of brain cancer, and numerous people (locally or elsewhere) helped donate and contribute to the Kayge Fighters Against DIPG Foundation through many campaigns and special events, including last week's Music 4 Kayge fundraiser concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, which featured acts like Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide and Stiffler's Mom successors The Tilrays. While we had covered his dad Paul's brief work with the local band Keep It Lit in the past, I didn't know the Fowler family, but I can't imagine what they're going through right now.

From what I've learned about Kayge in the past year, he truly was a superhero, and fought this horrible disease with a bravery and compassion that we all should take the example of. I send my best thoughts and wishes out to Paul and Mandy, Kayge's siblings, and their extended family at this difficult time, and at least he's no longer in any pain. R.I.P. Kayge!

Now, today's post features a special Monday night concert preview, but first, here's a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for you metalheads over the coming months! We'll start at The Rockstar Bar, and if you liked last July's Rivers of Nihil-headlined concert there, you might want to circle Saturday, August 3rd, as another Reading, Pennsylvania metal band will be there on this night, namely Black Crown Initiate! A technical death metal trio in their own right, Black Crown Initiate's melodic yet aggressive brand of material should whet any extreme metal appetite when they make their local concert debut later this summer, so be sure to check them out to see what they bring to the table! In fact, if you love melodic and technical death metal, this show will be a sonic feast, with B.C.I. also joined for this show and tour by Denver quartet Vale of Pnath, Nashville quartet Inferi (who played at last year's Rivers of Nihil concert), and Chicago quintet Warforged.

It's hard to differentiate the four bands briefly, but each has their own explosive original attack and lots of brutality on hand, so don't miss out on these four bands, and it's great to see Inferi back in the Soo, especially after almost stealing the show in July! At press time, there has been no local openers confirmed.Promoted by Live705 in (surprisingly) their first show since Rivers of Nihil, tickets for this 19+ concert will be $15 in advance or $20 at the door, with details on advance presale tickets forthcoming, while a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. This should be a great time for melodic death metal fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, West Virginia nu metal/hard rock quintet Bobaflex will make their own local concert debut on Tuesday, September 10th when they headline at Soo Blaster! A familiar sight to nu metal diehards over the past 2 decades (or for anyone who owns the Gigantour compilation live album), fans may recognize Bobaflex from such rock radio charting singles as "Bad Man" & "I'm Glad You're Dead". This hard touring, diverse, and aggressive band should deliver a solid set for local fans, and I'm curious to see how well they draw this fall! Like the Black Crown Initiate show, this lineup also features four out of town bands, including one we've seen before. The other local newcomers include Minnesota female-fronted hard rock trio City of the Weak (whose catchy modern hard rock sound should strike a solid chord), as well as Baltimore hard rock quartet Silvertung, who've also found some chart notice in the States with their aggressive yet accessible original material.

Sudbury grunge/hard rock quartet The Fortunate Losers will also be on the bill, just over two months after opening for Monster Truck at the same venue, and they should get a strong response in their Sault Ste. Marie return! A local opening band is to be announced. Presented by Thunder Bay's Loffredo & Associates (who are also bringing The Cancer Bats to Soo Blaster two nights later), tickets are $20 at the venue and at this link, plus a $5 service fee. I believe this is a 19+ show, and a 7:30 PM start time is advertised. Kudos to Frank for another big show at Soo Blaster, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this intriguing lineup!

Finally, here's our preview of a special concert THIS MONDAY NIGHT, as Calgary punk quintet The River Jacks will return to the Soo for a third time when they rock The New American Pub! Fans may recognize The River Jacks from their Algonquin Pub headlining show here in 2015, before debuting at The New A two years ago when they opened for The Old Wives. With their well-written lyrics, strong punk attack, familiar brand of punk rock (perhaps with accordion?!), The River Jacks should deliver another fun set of original material on Monday, so genre fans won't want to miss out! In a surprise confirmation last week, both of the local openers were replaced, as DJ Seith and local acoustic folk solo project Slumshine are in, while Jack Spades and Shit Liver drummer Matt Baic are out, as per the Facebook event page. Reasons for the opener switches were not publically announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and remember that Matt as a solo artist wasn't a familiar concept for our coverage as it was.

Having openers of such a wildly different genre is a little surprising, but Slumshine's Brent Ellis has the punk chops from his various old bands, and DJ Seith has been known to throw some heavier tunes into his mixes from time to time! Presented by Six, Two, Oh. for a second straight River Jacks show, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and an early 8:00 PM start time, presumably a help given the school night scheduling. This should be a fun concert with a now-nicely varied range of sounds, so keep it in mind for your Monday plans, see above for more details, and here's The River Jacks live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fluid 5ive) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Another concert weekend is upon us, and while things are quiet for hard rock shows in Sault Michigan (possibly thanks to their Memorial Day long weekend?), there's a fair amount of stuff going down for genre fans on the Canadian side of the border! Along with previously announced gigs, we have one SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT involving a replaced band for this weekend, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will reportedly be at The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook group yesterday,  and the band hasn't publically acknowledged the gig on their own Facebook page at press time. Notably, this show replaces a Tripod the Dog concert that was previously advertised on The Algonquin Hotel's physical marquee board, and while a reason for the switch in bands hasn't been announced, keep in mind that the venue nor T.T.D. confirmed this gig publically online. SATURDAY'S Fluid 5ive concert will be their first since rocking The Esquire Club two weeks ago, and it will be their first Rockstar Bar show of 2019. This veteran band should deliver a crowd-pleasing set of favourite covers, so don't miss Fluid 5ive on SATURDAY for their sometimes sax-infused set! Expect a 10:00 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Fluid 5ive live!



Next up, we'll head to The Whiskey Barrel on Gore Street, where local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return for another night of "funktastic rock" TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the
 Elements side project's second show at the former Konoba Tapas location this month, and their fan-favourite blend of covers should go over well with patrons of this newer Scottish-themed downtown pub tomorrow! Christina, Rob, and Jesse always put on a solid show full of crowd involvement, and that should be no different here, so expect lots of entertainment once again from The Stallyns! This is a Friday-only event, as The Whiskey Barrel is booking separate nightly acts a'la The Water Tower Pub. An early-ish start time of 8:00 PM is advertised for this 19+ show, which has no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Stallyns live!

Also, we have more acoustic music action downtown, as local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street continues with matinee shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As usual, Tym has another double header of unplugged cover action in store for fans and restaurant patrons alike this weekend, so if you're up for his prolific and extensive setlist of classic and hard rock hits, you know exactly where to be this weekend! If you're hoping to see Tym in a traditional nighttime timeslot, he'll be at Room 21 next Friday after his usual Gliss gig, with no night concerts scheduled for this weekend elsewhere. You can take in Tym's entertaining acoustic attack tomorrow and Saturday at 6:00 PM with no announced age limits or cover charges, but mind the locale. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally, four local bands will join forces at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on SATURDAY for a special charity concert! Entitled "Music 4 Kayge", this is one of many fundraiser events designed to raise money for Kayge Fowler, a 6 year old boy from the Soo who is in the midst of a battle with an aggressive type of brain cancer known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). As well covered in local news and social media (such as this Facebook group), Kayge's family & the Kayge Fighters Against DIPG Foundation have been receiving donations from numerous fundraising efforts to help cover his medical treatments, which is the M.O. of this concert on Saturday. Local punk will be represented via the second show of 2019 from local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide in the 5:30 PM timeslot, while promoter Mark Tarantini will headline at 7:00 PM with a John Denver tribute set, and a backing band featuring 2 members of That's Chester for good measure. Also, jazz/blues veteran Jay Case will play a solo set of originals and covers at 4:30 PM, and readers should know his skill!

Lastly, new local rock cover band The Tilrays (featuring ex-Stiffler's Mom bandmates Mike Davies & Jon Ferguson) will replace Johnny & The Revelators in the 3:00 PM opening slot, details on that band hopefully forthcoming. Stacked and diverse lineup for a wonderful cause, and hopefully everyone delivers to help Kayge and his family at this difficult time! 705Live Sound Company will be on hand for this ALL AGES outdoor-ish concert, which has $10 tickets at Northland Music or by phone on the listed number on the Facebook event page. Definitely consider attending to show your support for Kayge, see above for more details, and here's The Tide live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Striker & Dustin Jones And The Rising Tide), Plus New Videos!!

Today's news post ont he SMS is half devoted to some new video postings from earlier this month, but let's lead off with two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months that are both notable in very different ways!

Local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will be among the performers at a special benefit concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Saturday, May 25th! The event is to raise funds for Kayge Fowler, a 6 year old boy from Sault Ste. Marie who has been battling for the past year with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive form of brain cancer. This story has been frequently covered on local news and social media, including this Facebook group, as you may recall. Medical treatments, including experimental ones in Mexico, have led to many fundraising efforts, and this concert (entitled "Music 4 Kayge") is the latest, with four acts joining forces to raise money for the Kayge Fighters Against DIPG Foundation. The Rising Tide are the advertised co-headliners at 5:30 PM in their second show of 2019, while promoter Mark Tarantini will headline at 7:00 PM with a John Denver tribute set, notably featuring That's Chester alums Aubrey Falls & Ric Datson in his backing band.

Veteran local jazz/blues musician Jay Case will also play on the 25th at 4:30 PM, with new blues/country quintet Johnny & The Revelators (also featuring The Tide's Marshall Jaasekelainen) opening at 3:00 PM. This outdoor concert will have $10 adult tickets available at Northland Music and by phone at the number listed on the Facebook event page, while kids 10 & under get in FREE, and Mike Blair's 705Live Sound Company will handle sound on this day. It's great to see such a diverse roster of familiar local musicians join forces to help Kayge and his family in this time of need, and our best goes out to the Fowlers! Visit the above links for more on this benefit concert!

Next up, Edmonton heavy metal quintet Striker will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday, June 9th when they hit Soo Blaster! This will be Striker's first local concert in almost 6 years, last seen melting faces at the former Roosevelt Hotel in June 2013, and their old school NWOBHM-inspired sound will surely be welcomed back by fans this summer with more hard rocking originals from their newest album "Head First"! Local openers will include power rock band Re:Born in their third announced show of 2019, all at Soo Blaster, so they'll be on familiar ground for their complimentary old school attack on June 9th! No word yet on if Frank will be back in the fold by this point. A second opening band is to be announced, but for reference, Striker's local openers in 2013 were Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Giwakwa, so a perfect sub-genre match isn't a requirement.

Notably, this is the first concert at Soo Blaster from promoter J.D. Pearce, following the quiet move of his Halloween Party concerts last year from the Queen Street nightclub/arcade to The Rockstar Bar. How will his entertaining live concert slate manage at the former Woolco building? Find out in seven weeks! This 19+ concert has a $10 cover charge and a likely 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and hopefully Striker draws a big crowd in June as they give Soo Blaster a blast of metal!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the latest from prolific local experimental musician Chase Wigmore's metal solo project Awokest, who posted their new album "Solving The Human Condition" in full onto Chase's YouTube channel last week! This was followed by a live version of "Rites of the Wendigo" from the album that Chase hinted may only be up "for a limited time", so give that a look just in case. The YouTube copy does not include individual track listings, so you'll have to go based on prior song postings and familiarity, or listen to the whole 54 minute album as one piece. As of right now, the album is not on sale, but physical pressings have been teased, and in case this gets reviewed on the site, I'll hold fuller comment for now. That said, if you like your extreme metal to have lots of samples, effects, bizarre soundscapes, and experimentation, give Awokest's new "album" a listen!



Finally for today, here's a new cover song from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night, courtesy of their YouTube channel two weeks ago! Christmas materials aside, Theatre of Night's studio output is sporadic at best, unless you follow their Reverbnation page with any regularity, and this YouTube video is their first that isn't overtly season in almost a year. This is their rendition of the theme song from Game of Thrones, fittingly uploaded on the same day that the final season premiered (April 14th), and it seems like a strong cover from what I know of the original! Check it out below!



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