LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB) & More St. Patrick's Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue this busy stretch of weekend concert previews on this Friday night! Due to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hitting the news desk earlier today, we will have to extend things into a third post, so our preview of tomorrow's HeadFirst concert will be in tomorrow's post, hopefully making it on the site sooner rather than later. Now, here's what you should know for more of tomorrow's live hard rock/punk concert action!

Local alternative punk cover sextet BookcluB will play their first announced public concert of 2025 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page earlier today, but it was quietly announced on Searchmont's website's events calendar earlier this month. TOMORROW'S show will be BookcluB's first announced gig since the Illuminate The Season fundraiser in November, so if you've missed this horn section-infused supergroup's unexpected array of covers over the winter, keep TOMORROW'S concert in mind if you're up for a drive to Searchmont! No word on if there will be St. Patrick's Day themes or frills TOMORROW, but Bookclub are effectively the night cap for Searchmont's end-of-March-Break party, which features various family entertainment, prizes if you wear plaid or denim, and a barbecue. 

To that end, The Kiln will actually be hosting two distinct concerts TOMORROW, with cover rock band The Boat Dads playing a matinee gig from 3:00-5:00 PM, but they're not "opening" for BookcluB, whose set doesn't begin until 8:00 PM. There isn't a stated age limit at Searchmont's on-site restaurant and concert venue, and there is no cover charge beyond what you might be paying to hit the slopes. With spring coming faster and faster, hopefully BookcluB have a strong set TOMORROW at Searchmont, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head across to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. for more concerts in an unusually busy weekend for hard rock bands, and we'll start at Three One Three On Ashmun, where three hard rock/punk will join forces TOMORROW NIGHT for The Shamrock Show! However, this event has seen a late lineup change from initial advertising on the bands' social media, as local hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished are not playing tomorrow due to being booked at the Manistique Kewadin Casino this weekend instead. We'll see Tarnished locally again soon, but they have since been replaced by Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots, who I don't recall ever playing in the Soo previously. How that came together over finding another local band, I have no clue, but The Sky Pilots are a talented band with a good handle on some heavier hits, and it'll be interesting to see how they go over at the former Back Door!

2023 LSSU battle of the bands-winning punk trio The Sole Aggressors (here's their teased setlist) and new local punk trio About:Blank (featuring two former Tarnished members) will round out tomorrow's stacked lineup, and you should get a nice selection of rock subgenres from the touring band and the locals! Beyond the posters, no word on what level of St. Patrick's Day theming will be on hand at Three One Three, but this is a 21+ event with a $10 cover charge, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sky Pilots live!

From one show featuring a band at next week's Musicians Unite benefit concert (About:Blank) to another, let's take a brief detour a half hour south west to Brimley, where local hard rock cover band Exit 808 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! After a month's break from public concerts, this will be Exit 808's first stop at "your perfect up north retreat" since debuting there four months ago, and it will notably mark the first time that Heavy Lies The Crown drummer Blaze Beairl has played a full four-set concert with the band as opposed to playing partial sets or guest spots. However, the band has clarified that Blaze will actually be playing rhythm guitar tomorrow, not bass. To fill that open position, Exit 808 have recruited Project 906 bassist Dustin Paras to handle the low end at The Back Bay Grill, as per their Facebook page, which should work well for their sound tomorrow night!

Of course, Exit 808's singers Amy Beach and Dillion Semasky will be filling in for 906's set at Musicians Unite, so it's nice of Dustin to return to the favour! The double vocalist-led hard rock cover attack commences at Bay Mills tomorrow at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. St. Patrick's Day wise, the Brimley casino will have a seasonal dinner special on Monday but I have seen no direct Irish links for the Exit 808 concert from the band nor grill. See above for more on Exit 808's concert tomorrow, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll head back to the Soo, where local hard rock cover quintet Dirty Musky will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Another band taking part in next week's Musicians United benefit, this will be Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie's first concert since rocking the Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest pub crawl last month, and their first concert in Sault Ste. Marie of the year, last playing at The Merch in December. Fans should take to Dirty Musky's hard rocking tunes and fun energy when they rock The Merch on Saturday, so keep this show in mind when planning your weekend! The West Spruce Street nightclub will be throwing a St. Patrick's Day party on Monday, but aside from branding in the band's poster for tomorrow, I have not found finite seasonal frills or activities taking place at The Merch tomorrow (that doesn't mean there won't be any, of course).

Everything goes down tomorrow at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Always good to see Dirty Musky rocking out on a local stage, so consider swinging by The Merch for all of the action! Visit the above links for more details, and here's everyone live earlier this year!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Wyld Stallyns & Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

As promised, we're looking at St. Patrick's Day weekend concert previews today, but due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, I'm breaking things into two posts (as I suspected may be the case given what weekend it is). That said, look for our previews of tomorrow's Bone Yard concert and Sunday's Hails concert (both of which had lots of advance notice) in our next post. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TONIGHT (as in, RIGHT NOW) & TOMORROW NIGHT before serving as the St. Patrick's Day entertainment at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SUNDAY NIGHT! I profusely apologize for the short notice across the board, TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows were only announced by Reggie's Facebook page yesterday and I only noticed the announcement of them this evening, while SUNDAY'S Shooters concert was only announced via the venue's Facebook poster linked below for the weekend's events. Regardless, Soundcheck did not publically announce any of this weekend's gigs, and haven't posted on their Facebook page since plugging their road trip to Wawa to play at their annual ice fishing derby two weeks ago. TONIGHT & TOMORROW's Reggie's shows are their first shows there in over a month, so if you've missed them at this downtown staple, head there NOW or TOMORROW NIGHT!

The Reggie's shows do not have any advertised St. Patrick's Day frills/themes, at least not via Facebook, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not taking part, especially TOMORROW given that it's closer to March 17th. There will unequivocally be the luck of the Irish at Shooters this weekend though, as the poster would indicate, with the Dennis Street venue hosting live bands on consecutive nights for the first time since Halloween! A live band on SUNDAY NIGHT makes all the sense in the world given the holiday, and yes, green beer will be on tap, as will $5 lucky leprechaun drinks, and a special St. Patrick's Day menu from the kitchen. Some sort of prizes from Molson will also be offered on SUNDAY, so keep that angle in mind, and I'm sure green attire is encouraged! If you believe a comment from the band on this preview video for the weekend festivities (featuring silent footage of Soundcheck live there), they may be incorporating their jam night format on SUNDAY in some form as well.

Shooters regulars who go there for SUNDAY karaoke nights are not being left out, as karaoke is instead moving upstairs to The Queen Of Hearts Club for one night only. The venue doesn't have a cover charge, so you can move between floors as needed. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Reggie's shows began/begin at 9:30 PM, SUNDAY'S Shooters gig is at 9:00 PM, none have a cover charge, and all are 19+. I'm sorry again for the late notice, I'd have covered everything much sooner than this had I seen Reggie's post and/or the band said something, but the classic and hard rock covers will provide a fun festive soundtrack this weekend! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live at Shooters!

Next up, local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will play their first publically announced concert of the year when they return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their Facebook page earlier today. This will be The Wyld Stallyns' first advertised gig (unless they played something without saying, which has happened before) since playing at The Water Tower Pub in September, which the band acknowledged by saying that "Stallyns hibernate too sometimes... we've been quiet lately, but we have been busy!". TOMORROW'S show coincides with Searchmont's last night skiing session for the season, so if you want to hit the slopes past sunset, this is your last chance there until the fall! Also, the Stallyns have teased "new announcements coming soon", and personal Facebook posts have implied that they've had at least one lineup change.

We'll keep you posted when/if updates come in re: The Wyld Stallyns in 2024, but it's great to see Rob, Christina, and company back! Everything takes place TOMORROW NIGHT at 8:00 PM, there is no cover charge at The Kiln, nor is there a firm age limit. No word on St. Patrick's Day ties, for the record. Visit the above links for more details, and here's a newly discovered video of The Stallyns live at The Kiln just over a year ago! This features the band (minus saxophonist Josh Norling) covering The Spencer Davis Band's "Gimme Some Lovin'", courtesy of Searchmont's Facebook page. Fun and lively cover while the video's 87 seconds-long run time lasts, so check it out for yourself below, and don't miss them TOMORROW!

Closing tonight with a show that had advance notice before this week, as we're heading west to Misty's Fifties, where local unplugged classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will resume his bi-weekly concert arrangement TOMORROW! This stop in Tym's current run of a Saturday matinee every two weeks (unless booked anyway like on February 24th) will indeed be St. Patrick's Day themed given the timing, and attendees are encouraged to wear green to the Second Line West bar/restaurant tomorrow, as there will be "lots of prizes"! No word on green beer or other drink-related tie-ins, but regardless of how deep Misty's goes for their shamrocks & shenanigans, Tym's acoustic rock covers should find another entertained audience as his current regular run continues! If you can't make it, he'll be back at Misty's over the Easter weekend on Saturday, March 30th. Tomorrow's matinee concert takes place at 4:00 PM with no cover and a presumed 19+ age limit. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard and Hails previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Jackal Blood & Bookclub), The Sell This! Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a late update regarding TONIGHT & TOMORROW's short notice Soundcheck concerts at The Esquire Club, as bassist Jim Michaud will be absent this weekend due to a death in his family, as per the band's Facebook page. Rob Gilmar (who frequently filled in for ex-bassist Paul Belair before Jim joined last year) will sit in with Soundcheck this weekend. Our condolences absolutely go out to Jim at this difficult time, and don't miss Soundcheck with Rob on bass this weekend! Now, here's some more weekend concert previews and new videos, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Online page-less local punk/alternative band Bookclub will make their first ever public concert appearance at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this concert via Searchmont's Facebook page yesterday. The first announced show of 2024 for Bookclub will see them head north to the Soo's ski resort TOMORROW, in what will be just the third advertised concert at The Kiln so far this season, and the first there in over a month (perhaps last month's mild weather didn't help?). It's worth noting that Searchmont's description for the show/band credits Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling (not pictured) as being a member of the band now. This has not been publically corroborated by Bookclub on social media (their lack of a social media account acknowledged), but whether Josh is a permanent addition or not, adding some extra horns for certain gigs/songs can't hurt, so he would be welcomed!

Whether you're hitting the slopes or not, their fun 1980s-leaning covers will entertain TOMORROW NIGHT! This show has a 7:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details on Bookclub's Searchmont debut, and here they are live!

Next up, an intriguing multi-band concert will hit The Distraction on East Street on Saturday, February 3rd, marking their first event headlined by a touring act, namely Bay City, Michigan punk solo project Jackal Blood! Self-described as a "musical therapist", Jackal Blood uses vocals, guitar, and backing tracks to deliver a wide range of punk styles to the concert stage, and it'll be very interesting to see what they bring to the table in Canada next month! Adding to the solo project appeal, all four opening acts are solo artists/one man bands, including online page-less emo/folk punk act Agnosticism, fellow local funk punk virtuoso Chase Wigmore (who isn't hanging up his guitar yet!), former Raincourt frontman Eli Russell (who headlined the first ever concert at The Distraction last fall), and Floor Between Us frontman Colin Gasparelli in a solo set. Five talented and diverse musicians with a punk lean, so don't miss out on this show!

As usual for Distraction concerts, this is an all ages event with doors opening at 6:00 PM on February 3rd, and while the stated admission fee is $5 ($1 per performer?), "pay what you can" is once again also given as an option. An SMS amenable concert featuring five individual solo musicians is not something you see every day, let alone one with a touring headliner from the US, but it'll be a fun winter attraction for many readers, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Speaking of The Distraction, here's that final weekend concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as local/Winnipeg classical/metal solo project Sell This! will make their local concert debut with a CD release party at the former Big Guns Barbershop! Led by former RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski, Sell This!' highly left wing political lyrics and current events-driven material will create an interesting contrast with his Nine Inch Nails-inspired vocals and established cello skill, but how will this project look in a live performance setting, especially as Pete is playing their entire new album "Empires Everywhere" in full tomorrow? Be at The Distraction to find out! In one more solo act for this venue, local folk punk solo project Slumshine will play their first public show of the year and first outside of the Fringe North festival in a few years as the opening act, so look for Brent's up-tempo acoustic punk to lead off nicely at The Distraction tomorrow night!

Ground rules are mostly the same tomorrow as they will be on the 3rd, including no age limit and a $5 entry fee (or "pay what you can"), but doors open later at 8:00 PM, and if Pete is indeed selling the new Sell This! album on CD as teased, one assumes those won't be free, so bring more than $5 if you want one. I can't find a video to preview Sell This! with, but if you miss RedD Monkey and want to check out Pete's new project (with album in tow), be at The Distraction TOMORROW NIGHT, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details on the release party!

We'll close today with some new videos from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest, albeit from their Instagram page! In 2023, Facebook updates were few and far between from The Northwest despite some high profile concert dates, but their Instagram page did see a little more in the way of updates and show promotion, including two videos that never turned up on Facebook. One is a cover of "O Christmas Tree" by guitarist Mike Yakasovich that was fittingly uploaded on Christmas Day, and it's well performed, if quaint, so give it a look above (if it being three weeks out of date doesn't bother you!). The other video is embedded below, and it features behind the scenes footage from when The Northwest opened for Marianas Trench at GFL Memorial Gardens in September 2022! The video features footage of the band entering the arena proper, setting up for rehearsal or soundcheck, and hanging out in the locker room (fitting given their hockey fandom!)

No live audio of them rehearsing or talking is heard, instead dubbed over by the studio version of "Long Hair (Longer Nights)". Between that and the vertical camera angle, this is another case where I would love to see the raw footage shot here rather than the vertical edited highlights, but alas, it seems like bands never post the full goods if they decide to go the highlight reel route. Still, this is a neat insight into arguably The Northwest's biggest concert set to date, so check it out below!

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

A New Local Punk Band & Album, New Videos, And Much More!!

We have a new news post on this Monday evening, which is half devoted to a new-ish band who you may remember seeing live last fall, while we also have lots of updates from a solo project, a new live concert video, and an apology for missing a show for previewing on the site last week. Here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are noise punk duo No Funeral! You may recall seeing this band at a Dryer Fire-promoted event at Outspoken Brewing in October, and they were scheduled for last month's cancelled Matthew Nadon memorial concert, but aside from being described as an "indie noise" act, little was public about them unless you saw their October set. I knew from personal Facebook postings that former AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent was one half of this band, but No Funeral shares far more in common musically with his mid-2010s grunge/punk duo Bad Back, but with two key differences: More of a chaotic post-hardcore bent, and that Jamie isn't the frontman here. Rather, their singer/guitarist is Connor O'Brien, who played guitar in the defunct Edmonton noise punk band Flint, of which Jamie was a member on bass from 2009 until he moved back to the Soo in 2012.

The fact that Connor isn't local may explain why we've only seen No Funeral in concert once, but this project's existence is definitely more on the local side of things than Edmonton, especially given the credits for... their debut album!? Yes, No Funeral's self-titled debut album (and if you believe Jamie's personal Facebook page, their "only" album) was released to their new Bandcamp page yesterday, and the description there says in more graphic terms that the band has been in the works for two years, with the album coming together within a two week span before coming out. The album was produced by Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio last fall, with Dustin supplying backing vocals, additional bass, and "musical saw", while Saultite author Mat Laporte guests on saxophone on the two closing tracks and also provided the album artwork. Much like Bad Back's Bandcamp albums, "No Funeral" is on sale on a "name your price" model.

I'll hold comment on the album pending our eventual review of it (I currently have it pencilled in for June given our current backlog), but if you miss Bad Back in particular, don't bypass No Funeral! Of course, connections to Flint will be obvious if you're familiar with that band from before Jamie moved back home (or if you've lived in Edmonton), so if you want to hear Connor & Jamie's prior output, do check out Flint's Bandcamp page, as I believe Jamie factors on all but their newest two songs posted there. As best as I can tell, No Funeral's only public online page is on Bandcamp, but give it a look to see what they bring to the table, and consider paying something for the album to support their work!

Next up, I want to apologize for a concert that we missed in this past weekend's concert previews, as local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns returned to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for a matinee concert on Saturday. The band did not announce this show on their Facebook page in advance, and I only learned that it was a thing when a video from attendee TerriDollie Williams' personal Facebook page was shared to the band's seldom updated Facebook group yesterday. Sensing that this likely wasn't from their Searchmont gig in January, I learned belatedly that the resort's Facebook page plugged it on Friday. Still on short notice, but at least someone got the word out. I have to do better re: Searchmont concerts, especially with The Stallyns not always plugging their own shows on Facebook, so my apologies again, I'd have plugged it had I known! That said, how about that video?

TerriDollie filmed the band (minus saxophonist Josh Norling, who apparently missed the January Kiln show too) covering The Outfield's "Your Love" with Christina Speers on lead vocals. Not a supremely heavy choice, but everyone handles it well, and I'd hope most attendees were familiar with the original song! The video is vertically shot, but as the video is as much to highlight a young relative getting into the song as it is the band proper, I won't nitpick the angle. Cute watch in that respect too, so check it out below, and apologies again for missing The Stallyns at The Kiln... again!

Finally, here's the latest from newer local rap rock solo project Less Than Zero, so what have they been up to since the fall? First off, in November, project leader/ex-Winkstinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur changed the band's name in In The Sun. According to their Bandlab page on December 6th, the new name is intended to make the project "more inspirational", though their sound and even their existing logo remain unchanged. If you're Facebook friends with Jason, you'll know very well that he is always posting material for In The Sun, and at the moment, fifteen unique songs can be heard on Bandlab, many being tweaked as time goes on, so you can tell that this is a labour of love for him. In fact, under the name "In The Sun1", three songs are now up on Spotify, while a couple dozen videos can be seen on their YouTube channel, and Jason did tease late last year that he wants to release an In The Sun album in the near future.

Embedded below is a recent take of their song "Factory Reset" (all of their songs except a cover of Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets" are original). Jason's method of frequently posting these songs and then adding to/editing them over time is helping the songs sound heavier and more fully realized, so if you do check out In The Sun's songs, definitely listen to the newest instance of each song on Bandlab or YouTube, not the oldest ones unless you want to see the journey. Vocals can still come off as unnatural and not as aggressive as the music calls for, but again, Jason's always working on these songs, so I doubt he's done yet. Check out much more from Less Than Zero In The Sun above & below!

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

Handsome Sandwich, Soundcheck, And Vanity First Updates!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a concert in this past weekend's previews, as local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns headed north for a gig at Searchmont Resort at their in-house venue The Kiln on Saturday night. The band did not promote this show on their Facebook page, and Searchmont's Facebook page only first mentioned it on Friday, later hyping up the campfire jam aesthetic and requests angle for it. Searchmont only host bands sporadically at The Kiln, so it's not a regular spot for me to look for concerts at, but I do apologize, I'd have plugged it on here had The Stallyns said something in advance! Now, here's what you should know from three active local bands!

After two months of public silence, local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich posted on their Facebook page on Saturday to reveal that recording sessions for their debut album "Deconstructed" are complete! Now, they did say the same thing in November when attached to this picture, so clearly they fixed something up since then. The tracks will now be sent off to be mixed, and while they didn't specify details on Saturday, they confirmed in November that Jordan Zadorozny was going to mix the album at Skylark Park in Pembroke. The plan is still to release the album on Saturday, May 6th, which has been the plan since at least October when singer Taylor Emlaw announced it during The Soo's Got Talent (I believe I misheard her say "May 5th" at the time, my apologies). Regardless, publically setting such a specific album release date seven months out is kinda odd.

May 6th must hold some sort of special in-band meaning, but if they've announced it publically, it must have been in concerts only. A release show for the album is planned, which does imply that there will be physical copies to sell at one, but we'll keep you posted when more comes out on it! As a teaser, the band shared this video with the new Facebook post featuring a 12 second clip of one of their original songs, as set to footage of guitarist Jesse Cook laying on his back performing bicycle kicks to his bandmates' (and now our) amusement. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Handsome Sandwich soon!

Next up, here's some big news from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, as they have added Obsession bassist Jim Michaud to their lineup, replacing Paul Belair. The band announced the news on their Facebook page yesterday, and while they did not publically explain his departure, they did note that he "will be missed huge". Drummer Glen Thomas did elaborate on his personal Facebook page on the amicable reasons Paul left, and as it turns out, he actually left the band in November, something that the band never announced on Facebook. Paul had been Soundcheck's bassist since replacing Robin Lee in 2017, but he increasingly missed gigs for personal reasons, leading to guests (usually RPM's Rob Gilmar) filling in, including Jim at their Esquire Club dates on the 20th & 21st. With the similarly ranged Obsession ending their eighteen year run at the same venue next month, Jim coming on board does make a lot of sense!

It's worth noting that Jim & Glen played together in Lyrx, albeit in 1982 & 1983! No word yet on when the new Soundcheck lineup will debut, but they did jokingly ask on Facebook if Rob could fill-in again this weekend, so if that's legit, we'll be on the lookout for a short notice announcement (let alone if Jim carries over Obsession's planned March-December dates to Soundcheck, the idea is not unheard of). Stay tuned for more from as it rolls in, and best of luck to Paul in whatever he has planned next!

Finally, here's some new videos from local punk trio Vanity First's Facebook page in the past week! One is actually a re-post of their 2021 cover of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn" that was first seen on their YouTube channel, notable as it features former bassist Nick McClelland (singer Andrew Beggs has pulled double duty since Nick left). Cool to see again, they tackle this punk staple well! Another video is a re-post from their TikTok page, under the pretense that Andrew's "father" demands to know what he's doing behind closed doors. Of course, it's not what it looks like, and "it" is Andrew listening to punk music, specifically their 2022 standalone single "Get Out". Cute promotion for what it is! The other new Facebook uploads on offer actually have Vanity First covering Rage Against The Machine, including a vertically shot video of them covering "Bombtrack" at Go Skateboarding Day at Queen Elizabeth Park in May of last year.

Notably, Andrew didn't play bass while rapping on this one, so it was up to guitarist Mikhal Muto & drummer Keeghan McAllister to fill in all of the gaps, The 24 second clip comes off well with good angles of the ramp-top stage, though I'm surprised it took this long to come to Facebook! While seemingly formatted for TikTok, that video is not posted on their TikTok page, with the only post-EP release video there that isn't on Facebook being this clip of Keeghan having a "drummer moment" during what appear to be rehearsals at the Sault Community Theatre Centre. Light and amusing, but I feel you have to be in on the joke to an extent. Embedded below is a new 33 second clip of them covering "Killing In The Name" when they opened for Gutter Creek at Soo Blaster in September, and this video is extra notable given what did and didn't happen during the runtime.

As the band noted in the video description, Andrew has epilepsy, and if you know someone with that disorder, you'll know that they're often recommended to not look at strobe lighting or other rapidly flashing light patterns, as that could cause them to have a seizure. During the song's bridge, strobe lighting went off at the venue, and thankfully, nothing serious medically happened to Andrew, who kept his composure and played the song off perfectly normally! If you didn't know he was epileptic, you still wouldn't have if the band never said. I find "Killing In The Name" to be severely overplayed, but credit to Andrew for powering through here, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Vanity First!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, And The Wyld Stallyns), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

The first concert weekend of March 2020 is here, so let's start with this weekend's concert previews on this Thursday morning! Due to the amount of shows in the coming days, I am holding our previews of this weekend's Highway 63 shows and Saturday's Bridge Heads/Big Mistake concert for tomorrow morning's post, so look for them then! Now, here's what you should know to kick things off, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, as well as a cancellation!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will play a rare concert at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via the venue's March concert calendar earlier this week. I can't immediately recall the Speers' and Jesse playing a show here, so consider a run to this popular north/central nightclub TOMORROW for their varied and often heavy cover array, especially as the only hard rock act there this month! As usual for the venue, this is a 9:00 PM affair with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and see above for more details! I would have continued here to note The Stallyns' headlining set at the Docs & Food & Beer & Bands fundraiser at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on Saturday night, but the event has quietly been postponed for unannounced reasons, as per Docs on Ice's Facebook page on Tuesday. For what it's worth, the ticket website says it was cancelled, and tickets bought there have been refunded.

Seeing a charitable event like this being postponed is unfortunate, but hopefully it a necessary bump in the road, and that it does take place. If a new date is announced and the Docs on Ice ties remain intact, it would have to take place before April 17th, when that tournament kicks off. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but don't miss The Wyld Stallyns TOMORROW at The Water Tower Pub! Here they are live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the Sault Music News Letter's Facebook page on Tuesday, and they have not been publically confirmed on social media by the band or venue at press time. Assuming these are on as scheduled, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts will be Soundcheck's first anywhere in two weeks, and their first at The Esquire Club in about two months. This should be a solid opportunity to check out Cameron, Terry, Paul, and Glen's brand of hard hitting covers, established and newer alike, so don't miss out on this weekend's action in the west end if you can help it! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows are 10:00 PM events with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck's current lineup live & in concert!

Also this weekend, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will kick off another busy month with matinee gigs at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, which bookend a traditional nighttime concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the second straight week where Tym is playing these two venues at these three times, so if you missed out last week or can't get enough of his hard rocking acoustic covers, these three familiarly dated concerts should take care of things! While we're on the subject, Tym announced one more new date for this month via this Facebook event page yesterday, as he will apparently return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for a matinee concert on Sunday, March 15th! Yes, this is a photo of him playing there, new haircut in tow. Searchmont haven't corroborated this booking online as of this writing, but clearly Tym's Kiln debut went well last month, so look for more fan favourite covers next weekend!

Tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are at 6:00 PM, tomorrow night's Roadhouse concert is at 10:00 PM, and next Sunday's Searchmont gig is at 4:00 PM, which is a later start time than last month. Only The Roadhouse will have a 19+ age limit, and none of these shows have an announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here (and the above links) for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their weekly arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another acoustic matinee concert TODAY! Neither the band nor venue have plugged this show on social media, but remember, "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated. That said, Tarnished didn't update their Facebook page at all in February, but they haven't been idle, as the guys have recently been in the studio recording a debut EP! This was revealed by frontman Alex Traynor in a personal Facebook post shared to the band's Facebook page on Sunday, confirming that the EP will have 5 songs (much like his solo debut EP from last year), and it was recorded with producer Matt Dalton at Rock Hill Sound in Rochester Hills outside of Detroit. If scheduling conflicts related to the sessions impaired February dates at Biggby Coffee, no one firmly said that online publically.

Also, the above post heavily suggests that Alex himself is drumming on the EP rather than Tommy Korcal, who was not credited as taking part in the sessions, and has quietly been removed from their lineup on their website. If Tommy has indeed left Tarnished, a reason wasn't announced as to why, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see him back with Project 906 soon! I'm very curious to see how Tarnished's EP shapes up, especially as the band hasn't posted original content online before, so stay tuned as updates roll in! As for today, look for Tarnished at Biggby at 12:00 PM with no cover or age limit. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Highway 63 and Bridge Heads previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tripod The Dog, Tym Morrison, And Fluid 5ive) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend of concert previews is upon us, and as luck would have it, all but one act have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS attached! Due to the amount of concerts this weekend, our preview of Saturday night's late notice Wyld Stallyns concert at LopLops (details here) will hit the site tomorrow, so watch for it then! Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this concert in recent days via the venue's February concert calendar, as seen on the right. This will be their first publically advertised concert set of 2020, unless the Esquire Club gigs advertised on the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page last week did occur (the band and venue did not validate them on social media), and it will be the 5ive's first show at this venue since October. It's good to see this veteran group back out there and north/central fans should consider a trip to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW to see Fluid 5ive's brand of danceable rock, including many covers you don't see elsewhere from their contemporaries! TOMORROW'S concert has a 19+ age limit, a 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. See the above links for more details, and here's Fluid 1ive last year!
 

Next up, local ska punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of these gigs via the aforementioned Sault Music News Letter Facebook page on Tuesday, though note that the venue has not confirmed these bookings online either, and Tripod the Dog don't have an actively updated social media page to plug them. Assuming these are on as advertised, this will be Mark & the Amendolas' first concert in two weeks, and their first at The Esquire Club since September in a gig (or two?) that received similarly minimal advance advertising. Tripod The Dog always deliver a fun set with their ska and hard rock selections, so don't miss their next shows TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY in the west end! Expect 10:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's an original song of theirs! No public live videos post-reunion yet.

Also this weekend, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant for his usual weekly matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY, joining a nighttime return engagement at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but that's not all, as Tym will play a rare solo gig on SATURDAY AFTERNOON at.... Searchmont Resort?! Apologies again for the short notice on that event, Tym only announced it via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday, and Searchmont have not advertised it themselves that I am aware of. While not specified on the event page, I believe this show will take place on SATURDAY at The Kiln, Searchmont's new on-site restaurant and bar that officially opened in December, and which has played host to a handful of local acoustic concerts in the ensuing weeks. This will be Tym's first announced gig at the popular area ski resort since playing an outdoor set at 2011's Searchmont Music Festival, so if you want some live hard rock entertainment on SATURDAY after hitting the slopes, keep this gig in mind!

And yes, his usual Gliss shows and his second straight Friday nighter at The Roadhouse should provide more entertaining hard and classic rock covers this weekend, so don't bypass him at these three venues! The Gliss dates are at 6:00 PM, the Roadhouse show is at 10:00 PM tomorrow, and the Searchmont gig at The Kiln is on SATURDAY at 2:00 PM, not unlike his Northern Superior Brewing shows. The Roadhouse has a 19+ age limit, the rest don't, and none have announced cover charges. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally for today's preview post, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan for a show that had advance notice (as inferred by the "every Thursday" scheduling), as local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their weekly engagement at Biggby Coffee TODAY! After a busy I-500 weekend for Alex and company, he (and Nathan or Josh?) will be back at the Ashmun Street coffee-shop today for their only publically advertised show of this week, so look for another afternoon's worth of entertaining hard and classic rock covers for the usual tips & coffee! This show has not been newly plugged by band or venue at press time, but they each went 6 weeks without verifying that the "every Thursday" series was still alive, so you can't expect that this will get a guaranteed acknowledgement. Today's show has a 12:00 PM start time, no cover, and no age limit. See above for more details, and here's Alex/Tarnished live at Biggby Coffee last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Wyld Stallyns concert preview and more on the site tomorrow!