Local Hard Rock/Punk Video Showcase!!

Got a new post on this Monday evening to check out, and it is devoted to some recent videos from hard rock and punk bands playing and/or from here, so let's get things rolling!

Let's start with videos from Hamilton-based Pearl Jam tribute band Leash's headlining concert at Soo Blaster on March 4th, as Christopher Paci's YouTube channel has us covered with videos from that night! Apologies for the three week delay in these making the site, I didn't notice he posted videos from it until after I found his Pop Evil videos. Chris filmed eleven videos at this concert, including eight of the headliners, who he filmed tackling the Pearl Jam hits "Given To Fly", "Even Flow", "State Of Love & Trust", "Jeremy", "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town", "Daughter", "Corduroy", and as embedded below, "Alive". More of a musical tribute than visual, but at least in these videos, they are closer to Pearl Jam in total sound than some of their videos implied. Interesting how he holds the whole microphone stand up over the crowd to let fans sing along!

Visually, the stage lighting can mess with the clarity a bit, especially on more rapid flickering (watch and you'll see what I mean), but the quality is more than serviceable, and the audio is less tinny than how things came across at the Pop Evil concert. Good stuff for grunge fans, so give Chris' Leash videos a watch above & below!

Chris also filmed/uploaded three videos of opening local punk trio Vanity First, who can be seen here covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", Weezer's "Say It Ain't So", and as embedded below, most of their original "Playboy Magazine". While definitely filmed from further away, Chris zoomed in well to capture Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan's set, and their clear talent and lively set looks like it got the evening off on the right foot, so check their videos out above & below also!

Now let's head four hours east to Sudbury, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard ventured this past weekend for rare out-of-town gigs at The Coulson Entertainment Centre! Delayed a couple of weeks, Bone Yard made the most of their road trip for media on their Facebook page, starting with this "Reel" where the guys hyped that they were coming to The Coulson and encouraged Sudburians to be there. In another "Reel" on Wednesday, they teased making new shirts with new designs that would go on sale at these gigs. Photos from the Friday nighter were posted to Facebook, and four videos that aren't "Reels" (despite all being vertical) were posted between the two shows that can be embedded on external websites like this. One features bassist Warren Reville showing off a "magic trick", so to speak, but the other three are proper concert videos, with the one from the Friday nighter seeing Bone Yard covering The Rolling Stones' "Miss You", but the filmer oddly focuses on the floor of the stage for most of it.

Two videos were uploaded from their Saturday concert, including covers of ZZ Top's "La Grange" and, as embedded below, Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" (yes, the band is in frame for the duration on these). Entertaining covers from Greg, Alex, and Warren across the board, and while more fans on the floor would have been nice, southern and classic rock fans were in good hands, so check out their Sudbury videos above & below!

Let's close with a mild bit of unfinished business from yesterday's review of local pop punk project Forever Will Be's debut album "Dead and Dishonest", as I mentioned there that they also recorded an acoustic version of the closing track "Downsides" that isn't on the album, but was posted to their YouTube channel in December. This is also a good time to state in a normal post that the vocalist heard on Forever Will Be's studio material is not project leader Ryan McLaughlin, rather session vocalist Billy Douglas, who fronts the British punk band Colosseums, a fact that wasn't overly prevalent in all of the band's social media marketing initially. Ryan found a strong vocalist to bring his lyrics to life, but you'll already know that if you've heard the album, and don't sleep on Colosseums either! "Dead & Dishonest" didn't have a traditional ballad, but of what was included, "Downsides" is one of the better fits to an unplugged format.

The minimal screaming and less varied structure adapt fairly well, though I will say that the guitar work can be a little repetitive at points as Ryan plays a punk song meant for electric instruments in this way. Interesting change of pace, so do give this a listen below, and hopefully we hear more material and updates from Forever Will Be in 2023!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Handsome Sandwich And Tym Morrison) & The Leash Concert Preview!!

As promised, we're wrapping up this weekend's hard rock concert previews in this post (barring anything on super late notice), but leading off are a couple of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS at two relatively unfamiliar venues as the SMS goes, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to the live stage on Friday, March 17th when he debuts at... Tazzi's Cafe & Restaurant?! If you're unfamiliar, Tazzi's is located at 478 Queen Street East (just down the road from Reggie's Place) and it's by no means new to the Soo, having been open since at least 2008, but they've only really been getting into live music bookings since last summer. They typically bring in acoustic country and classic rock solo acts, and often film them for their Facebook page, so keep that in mind! Tym appears to be the latest to give Tazzi's a whirl, and will be doing so on St. Patrick's Day, but I have no idea if they go all out for that holiday or not there (be advised that Tazzi's has not promoted Tym as playing yet). Concerts at Tazzi's have early 8:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and 19+ age limits. Visit Tym's official Facebook event page for more details on this hard rocking debut!

Next up, local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's album release party for their debut album "Deconstructed" will take place on Saturday, May 6th (not May 5th) at.... The Loft?! Yes, another new-ish venue for our coverage, as The Loft is the concert venue opened in 2021 on the third floor of the Algoma Conservatory of Music at 75 Huron Street (the former St. Mary's Paper office), and is actually managed by Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, who also runs the recording studio on the same floor. You can read all about The Loft's specifications, atmosphere, and amenities at this link, and most tantalizingly for casual fans is that The Loft has HD cameras by default and is wired straight to the recording studio if bands want to have concert sets recorded. In fact, Handsome Sandwich confirmed that this set will be "live recorded", so whether audio or video, keep that in mind!

The show proper will be Handsome Sandwich's first of 2023 (unless they announce anything beforehand), and they plan to perform both the entire "Deconstructed" album alongside new songs not on the album that night. Indie rock quartet Man Feelings will open in their own first concert of the year, and while not as heavy as the Sandwich can get, hopefully the guys deliver their entertaining originals with zest to kick off the evening! No word on if their set is getting recorded/filmed too or not. Tickets will run $25 for this show (if physical CDs are being sold, I don't know what they will cost individually), and there will be a cash bar on site. You can buy yours at this link, but be advised that The Loft advertises a capacity of 180 people for concerts, so get yours A.S.A.P. just in case! A 7:00 PM start time is advertised, and there is no stated age limit. Colour me impressed by the scale and setting for the release party!

I had known about what Greig and everyone at the Conservatory was doing for a couple of years, but concerts at The Loft so far have more leaned more towards what you'd see at LopLops or on CBC Music (certainly not a criticism), hence why it took us this long to mention it in any detail. Given Handsome Sandwich's existing ties with Treble Charger's Bill Priddle (who produced the album), that can't have hurt for connecting the right dots! The long wait for the album release continues (remember, they had May 6th announced as the date last fall), so definitely visit the above links for more details on this show and to buy your tickets, as it will be quite a concert from the setting and atmosphere alone!

Finally for today, here's that final concert preview for this weekend, as Hamilton-based Pearl Jam tribute band Leash will hit Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT in their first ever local appearance! The first of two touring hard rock tribute bands scheduled at Soo Blaster in the spring months (joining Kiss tribute Destroyer next month), Leash deliver a very proficient brand of Pearl Jam's distinct grunge & alternative classics, and while the vocals aren't a 100% match, genre fans should get their money's worth tomorrow! In a late confirmation on Monday, local punk trio Vanity First will serve as local openers tomorrow in their first announced concert set of 2023, and first set at Soo Blaster since opening for Gutter Creek in September. Vanity First aren't a perfect genre match, but they weren't for Gutter Creek either, and this should give them a solid audience to deliver their up-tempo originals and covers to once again, so don't be late!

A 19+ concert as you may expect, tomorrow's festivities have doors opening at 7:00 PM, and tickets run for $25 in advance at this link or $30 at the door (a $320 VIP table package is also on sale at the online ticket link). If you like seeing talented touring tribute bands in the Soo, and want to see a different range of them compared to what usually stops in town, coming out to see Leash would definitely be a good idea, so come enjoy Seattle by way of Hamilton tomorrow night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Leash playing multiple songs live!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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