The Sky's The Limit's Return On Facebook, Plus Some New Acoustic Performances!!

Let's end another work week with our 54th straight daily post at the SMS, which is again devoted to videos, including a pair of acoustic renditions and the virtual return of a recent annual concert! Here's what you should know!

As you have probably gathered by now, the fifth annual Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert for Children's Mental Health Week did not take place yesterday as planned due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Algoma Family Services made due with an online installment on their Facebook page! The Sky's The Limit V would have been held at Korah Collegiate last night, but it's a great idea to migrate the event to a Facebook video so that they can continue promoting mental health awareness with the help of talented young local musicians! The 1 hour+ video starts with an introduction by Algoma Family Services CEO Ali Juma where he talks about their mission, what they offer the community even with offices closed, and what music offers to people, and he even plays a bit of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" to start! A.F.S. counsellor and Dell Bros. bassist Marc Williamson returns as the event's MC to introduce acts.

Musicians were not credited in the description, but who all performs in The Sky's The Limit V? The opening act is singer/guitarist Tianna Legacy, who nicely covers Alicia Keys' "Underdog" and Bill Withers' "Lean On Me". Next up is the surprise reunion of Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine & bassist Elijah Nelson, in the first time I've seen them perform together since this event in 2018! Beau has moved out of town, for what it's worth. The guys cover Thrice's "Hurricane" with a nice injection of soul and emotion, followed by the old Electric Church original "Take Me Away". Given how Marc introduced them, I will stop short of moving Electric Church back to our active band links for now, but it's great to see Spencer & Elijah still playing music! L!me frontwoman Madi Schomogyi follows with covers of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" and Hedley's "Old School" on vocals & keyboard, and she has a good voice on these renditions too!

Next is former Din frontman Mike Haggith, returning to The Sky's The Limit for the first time in three years (recorded from Thompson, of course), and while not in the exact location of his #LockdownLive sets, the performance quality is as high as on those! Mike performs "MorningStar" from his new album "If Ever Comes The Day" (buy it next week!) and "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost" from his next album after that, "Bridges". Rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow performs his original songs "Life I Live" and "Glow" from his new album "Noize.", and his rhymes are smooth and effective as usual! The final performer is singer/guitarist Joely Gough, who debuted in this event last year, and she covers Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar" and Lana Del Ray's "Happiness Is A Butterfly" with a nice authenticity! Ali returns with closing remarks at the end, and all of the musicians offer thoughts about mental health and their experiences during their segments.

While not ideal compared to the last four years, this Facebook concert helped make lemons out of lemonade, and it's great to see a who's who of top-line performers from past installments back virtually here! Of past Sky's The Limit headline acts, only The Pixo Control were not represented. There's a nice variety of music to check out from these six acts, and lots of honest remarks about mental health as well, so give The Sky's The Limit V a watch!



 We'll close today with a couple of new Facebook videos from Redundant frontman Justin Langlois, as posted to the local punk trio's Facebook page yesterday! These are acoustic renditions of their original songs "That December" and, as embedded below, "Miles Apart", and they sound good in this form factor! Both songs still retain that punk energy, and "Miles Apart" is particularly effective like this, so give both videos a watch above & below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

After a quiet week on the SMS, things will pick up over the next couple of days, starting with this weekend's concert previews! Well, most of them, as due to the length of this post, I have opted to push our preview of Saturday night's Fluid 5ive show to tomorrow's post. Don't worry, it is coming! Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Joining his regular weekly concerts at Gliss Steak & Seafood TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will also play a nighttime solo concert at Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on that show, it was only confirmed via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. TOMORROW'S gig above Low & Slow will be Tym's first concert at this venue since Friday the 13th last month, and with no Jason costume to worry about, fans can enjoy his acoustic cover action unfettered this weekend there and at Gliss, with his ongoing matinee run continuing that same evening and on Saturday too, so don't miss out at either venue! You can take in Tym's prolific live show tomorrow and Saturday at Gliss at 6:00 PM with no cover charges or age limits (but mind the locale), while TOMORROW NIGHT'S Room 21 return has an oddly specific 10:15 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. Click here and visit the above links for more info, and here's Tym live!



Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts, starting with the third annual Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert, taking place TONIGHT at The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium at The Tech! After two successful prior installments were held at the former St. Mary's College, Algoma Family Services have brought back this mental health awareness concert as part of Children's Mental Health Week once again, with young local musicians (aged 14-29) returning for another entertaining evening of live music for the cause! Local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will serve as tonight's headlining performers after backing up The Pixo Control & The Din in the last two years, and they're a fitting choice to get the closing nod in year #3 (let alone in their first announced show of the year!) Co-headlining is Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow, another returnee from the prior Sky's the Limit concerts, who should deliver a solid set of upbeat rhymes himself tonight!

Unlike in prior years, the full performer lineup has actually been announced online, as per this Sault Online article, so who else is playing? In listed order, the other acts are Collage (an all-female band from Notre Dame du Sault that also played last year), a duo act from local musicians Dalton Povey & Chris Elgie, Lime (a high school band comprised of Mustang Sally alumni from Korah Collegiate), and singer/songwriter Tianna Legacy, herself returning from last year. Genres aren't given for the acts in question, but each one is described or quoted regarding their positive messages and intentions, so hopefully they leave an impact (musical or otherwise) tonight! The show will take place at The Tech at 7:00 PM, this is absolutely an ALL AGES event, and tickets are $5 each or $20 if you have a family of five+. You can buy tickets at Algoma Family Services at 205 McNabb Street or by phone at
(705) 945-5050, and presumably at the door.

With all proceeds going to mental health and wellness programs at Algoma Family Services, this is definitely a worthwhile fundraiser and cause to support, so definitely consider a trip down to The Tech for all of the music on display tonight! Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more on The Sky's The Limit III and Children's Mental Health Week, and here's Electric Church live!

Finally for today's concert preview post, we'll head south to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, where Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Just two weeks removed from their most recent Sault Ste. Marie gigs at their Kewadin branch, these will be the Peril sister band's first shows in St. Ignace in four months. This fan favourite group should have another hard hitting weekend of covers and originals in store for northern fans, so if you're up for some heavy rock action, take a jaunt down to St. Ignace tomorrow and/or Saturday night! They won't be back there until August, after all. As usual for Scarkazm's (and Peril's) Kewadin Casino weekends, expect 21+ age limits over these two nights, there are no announced cover charges, and start times remain at 9:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Fluid 5ive concert preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Seether, Don't Look Back, And The Sky's The Limit!!)

Finally, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to tackle on this Wednesday morning, and there's some big ones to touch on from the last few days, so here's what you should know for these three concerts!

In the first of two new hard rock show announcements for The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, classic rock diehards will want to note the local debut of Arizona-based Boston tribute band Don't Look Back, as they'll hit the Soo Kewadin on Saturday, April 7th! Of course, local fans saw the real hard/progressive rock legends here in 2008, but this looks like the next best thing for fans of their classic hits like "More Than A Feeling", "Smokin'", and "Foreplay/Long Time", with Don't Look Back self-describing themselves as "an incredible re-creation" of Boston as they were in the 1970s. From what I've seen, they have the sound and the look down pretty well, so definitely keep Don't Look Back in mind for the Boston experience next weekend! Tickets are a very affordable $12.50, and there are plenty of seats available for this tribute show, so head to this link, the in person box office, or 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. Don't look back on Don't Look Back, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, the third annual Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser/awareness concert will take place on Thursday, May 10th at The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium at The Tech in Sault Ontario! Though curiously not advertised online yet, physical posters are floating around (I photographed this one at a Food Basics bulletin board), and there, it's confirmed that local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will perform as this year's pre-determined headliners! After playing the first two installments via the performer auditions, now they'll be the featured attraction in their first announced show of 2018, so keep them in mind for later this spring! Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow will also return for his own third year as an announced performer, so keep an eye out for his rhymes as well in May! As was the case in 2016 & last year, the night's remaining performers will be chosen following a private audition at The Tech on Thursday, April 19th at 6:00 PM, so for more details on the audition in person or via e-mail (if you live outside of town), visit this link for the official contact phone number and e-mail address!

Presented by Algoma Family Services as part of Children's Mental Health Week once again, The Sky's The Limit III has a 7:00 PM start time, it is ALL AGES, and tickets are $5 for individual attendees or $20 for families, so keep that in mind if you have a party of five+. I'm surprised that the online press isn't as big yet for this year, but this event has always been held for a great cause, and hopefully there's another solid turnout for the music and the mental health awareness alike in May! Visit the above links for more details!

At last, here's the big one, as South African hard rock/post-grunge trio Seether will return to the Sault Ste. Marie area for a headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday, August 11th! A extremely familiar band to Rock 101 listeners thanks to hit singles like "Broken", "Fake It", and "Betray & Degrade" (among many others), this will be Seether's first local appearance in over a decade, following January 2008's Three Days Grace concert in Sault Ontario. It's awesome to have Seether back in our neck of the woods at last, and they've only gotten bigger since the last time, so look for more hard rocking fan favourites at this already highly anticipated concert this summer! Knoxville, Tennessee hard rock quintet 10 Years will also join Seether for this concert, in their own first Sault Michigan appearance since opening for Sevendust here in October 2010. Though still best known for their chart topping song "Wasteland", they've recently had success with their single "Novacaine", and it'll be great to have them back in the Soo in a few months' time as well!

A third band is to be announced, no idea on if they'll be local or another touring act. Presented by Allstar Promotions in their second Dreammaker's Theater show of 2018, this stop on Seether's Poison the Parish World Tour will take place at 7:00 PM on August 11th, while this is an ALL AGES event, and tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY at 10:00 AM at this link, at the in person box office, and/or at 1-800-KEWADIN. The cost is $46, which is high as Allstar events go, but keep in mind how big Seether in particular are, and expectations are that this show will sell out quick, so get your tickets A.S.A.P.! No word yet though on potential VIP ticket prices or a possible meet & greet session. This should be a huge concert for the summer season, and it's been a long time coming for both Seether and 10 Years to return to the Soo, so check the above links for more details in advance of Friday's on-sale date! Also, a trailer video for this show was posted to the promoters' Facebook page on Monday, so what should you know on it?

Clearly dragging out the reveals for dramatic effect, the trailer features clips from Seether's music videos for "Remedy" & "Rise Above This", as well as both of 10 Years' biggest hits, along with imagery of the poster, and a radio dial rapidly shifting about. Effective promotion, so give it a look below, and remember, tickets go on sale FRIDAY MORNING!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Electric Church/Speaker Concert Preview, And New Sky's The Limit Videos!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert on here, as Toronto-area Bon Jovi tribute band Keep The Faith (who came to Sault Ontario twice in 2010) played a pair of extended sets at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in nearby Brimley, Michigan last Friday. No word on if it was at the Back Bay Grille or not, but this definitely fell outside of what we've researched in recent months. Profuse apologies for missing it for coverage here, hopefully it was a great show! Now, let's tackle a few more weekend concert previews (one on SHORT NOTICE) and some new videos!

It is now 100% official: Local alternative hard rock favourites The Din are indeed playing an acoustic show TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for public confirmation from The Din on if this event was still on, as it was unlike them to not acknowledge the show despite LopLops' website listing it, but there is now a Facebook event page for it. Not long after their Family Market on the Greens set as an unplugged two-piece, frontman Mike Haggith and guitarist Tammy Hill will reprise their more reserved unplugged sound TOMORROW, presumably due to drummer Brandan Glew's non-availability, as they've played at LopLops plugged in and with Brandan acoustically each in the past. Mike & Tammy should have a solid set in store TOMORROW, so don't miss out! Two solo performers will open the proceedings, including former Din guitarist (and current Eclipse frontman) Curtis McKenzie in his first non-Vape Escape set since resuming his solo career last month.

Curt's a talented artist, as is well known, and it'll be nice to see him at a familiar downtown venue in this setting! As well, Autumn Roots frontman and SaultMusicScene promoter Jeremy Hannah will kick things off in a rare solo set, so come early for his indie rock renditions! This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time TOMORROW, and a $5 cover charge is in effect. See above for more details, and a for a preview, here's a new video of The Din live at last month's Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert at The Tech! This was posted on the band's Facebook page yesterday rather than on YouTube, unusual as it's a performance clip and not comedic. Filmed by Algoma Family Services executive Ali Juma from the front row, the video features The Din playing their song "Out Of My League", but with a twist: Guest rap verses from fellow performer Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow!

Whether you find that The Din needed a rap/rock detour is a matter of taste, but Tristan had good and rapid-fire rhymes here, and I just wish he was a little louder in the mix compared to Mike's singing. Check out this unique rendition below, and if you were hoping to see The Din on Sunday at the cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, don't miss The Din (well, 2/3rds of them) with Curtis and Jeremy TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops!



Next up, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, as Live705's latest concert goes down THIS SUNDAY NIGHT with a special Father's Day event full of talented performers, including a touring out-of-town band for their first time! That band is Toronto hardcore quartet Speaker, whose aggressive originals and punk essence should provide a solid musical kick to this concert, so don't miss out on their local debut on Sunday! However, Speaker are not the closing band, presumably due to touring commitments, and local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will instead close out the night like they did at Live705's Easter Bash. Look for more entertaining originals from this fast-rising group! A stacked opening lineup will also include Live705's in-house punk quartet A Dire Setback, fellow newer punk standouts Stegadeth,the Live705 debut of reunited hard rockers Eclipse, indie rock trio The Autumn Roots, and the return of performers from the Soo York City hip hop collective.

For reference sake, the Facebook event page confirms that the S.Y.C. rappers on Sunday will be St. James (returning from Live705's Soo Art Rocks! event), Universal Language, and Big Kowgs, though no word on if DJ Seith will be spinning vinyl to back them up again and/or providing mixes between bands. An 18+ event (not a typo, under 19 attendees can get in with wristbands again) beginning at 7:05 PM, admission is $10 at the door unless you have a $2-off voucher, but there are two ways to get in for $5: Confirm that you are a dad (it is Father's Day, after all!), or bring a ticket bought for Sunday's cancelled Rock The Border Music Fest, so if you're still bummed or annoyed over that event, you can still see bands rocking the Soo on Sunday night, and for cheap! Another varied night of local entertainment is in store for fans on Sunday, including Live705's first toe in the water of out of town attractions, so don't miss out on all of the action in a couple of days!

For a preview, here's a new video from headliners Electric Church's Facebook page! Streamed live by Bradley Shingwauk at the aforementioned Sky's The Limit fundraiser and only just shared on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday, the video features the guys playing their song that I believe is called "Take Me Away" to close their set, before briefly being interviewed by an Algoma Family Services representative on-stage, which is a regular occurrence at this event. The interviewer asks how long the guys have been a band & the role music plays in their personal lives, and while the answers are a little hard to hear, it's a solid video overall, so give it a look below!



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

CKY Concert Videos, Plus New Electric Church Footage!!

Today's all-video post largely comes from the CKY concert at The Canadian Nightclub this past Thursday night, but there is one more video of another local band to round things out with at post's end, so let's get things rolling! These new CKY videos all come from the ever-prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, as he filmed 10 videos of 3 of the night's bands, which were all posted on Friday! Sadly, he didn't get anything from A Dire Setback's opening set, but kudos again for him getting all of this! 7 of Chris' clips are of the Pennsylvania alt-metal headliners in action, including of their songs "Flesh Into Gear", "Days of Self Destruction", "96 Quite Bitter Beings", "Knee Deep", and "My Promiscuous Daughter", their cover of G.G. Allin's "Bite It You Scum", and as embedded below, their set-opening tracks "The Human Drive (In Hi-Fi)" & "Sporadic Movement". Solid clips as usual, especially given the central camera angle, and attendee heads aren't a massive factor given the band's on-stage setup!

You can also hear Chad Ginsburg's singing better here, at least from my perspective, as from my position at the far right corner of the floor near the stage, I was fighting to hear him over the raucous crowd at times. Give Chris' CKY footage a look above & below!



Next up, Chris posted two videos from co-headlining Kelowna southern hard rock quartet The Wild's set, including their opener "Roadhouse" and, as embedded below, "Party Till You're Dead". Similar camera angle to CKY, but given the lesser numbers on the floor, he had more room to change angles, and The Wild's rollicking brand of hard rocking originals come through nicely on these clips, so check them out above & below too!



Chris' remaining video is of returning local openers Jack Spades playing their usual set opening songs "They Live" and "Rise", giving fans their first ever glimpse of their 4/5ths new lineup in action. Intense as usual (new lineup or not), the new look Jack Spades got things rolling nicely here, and just if you were wondering, J.D. Pearce sang most of "They Live" in the crowd, in case you're wondering where he was. Give both songs a listen below, and don't miss Jack Spades at The Rockstar Bar in just under two weeks!



Finally, here's a new video from a separate concert, plus one more clip, from local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church's Facebook page! One video was quietly posted as a live stream on May 12th (apologies for missing it), and it features the guys jamming instrumentally at, presumably, a band member's home. Unfortunately, the filmer shot most of the video sideways, and as it was a live stream, they couldn't fix it beforehand, but the guys sound good if you can look past the angle! Their other new video is a minute-long black & white clip from the Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech last month, I believe of their song "Carey Baby". Solid footage, if a little smoky looking in the monochrome haze, so give it a look below, and don't miss Electric Church at The Canadian Nightclub THIS SUNDAY NIGHT alongside Speaker and other local bands!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as this week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Diamond Head), Sky's The Limit Fallout, And Much More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, let's largely clear out our recent news backlog with lots of assorted shorter news and notes, fallout from a recent charitable concert, and to kick things off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for four months from now. Here's what you should know!

British heavy metal legends Diamond Head will make their local concert debut on Saturday, September 2nd when they headline at The Rockstar Bar! Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Diamond Head didn't have the mainstream success of some contemporaries, but are widely hailed as one of the most influential bands of the era, as seen with Metallica's numerous covers of theirs like "Helpless" & "The Prince", and it is awesome to see Brian Tatler and company make their way to the Soo this fall! Local openers will include punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (in their first announced show at this venue with their new lineup), and returning classic metal quartet Project 421, a perfect choice given how frequently they cover Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" in their sets. This is the first announced concert from Project 421 since Halloween last year, and while the band promises to "be out again before September" (source here), this is a huge way for them to re-emerge!

One more opening band is to be announced, and we will let you know when they're confirmed. Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and while limited tickets apparently go on sale this weekend, prices had not been announced at press time, nor have locations. Stay tuned for updates on that front, but this should be a huge show full of familiar classics and a nice wallop of old school heavy metal! Check the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, here's some fallout from Thursday night's Sky's the Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium, so what should you know from the other night? As they did last year, Algoma Family Services posted an extensive photo album of the concert onto their Facebook page yesterday, which showcases all of the vendor and advertiser tables outside of the auditorium, and yes, the beach balls were back in full force! Compared to last year, the participating bands were smaller in rank (falling from eight to five), though whether this is due to a shorter scheduled run time, longer sets, or fewer auditioning acts isn't clear. The Din, Electric Church, and Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow were joined by a solo singer/guitarist and a youth group (neither credited in the album), and from what I can see, the on-stage interviews after sets did return, so hopefully everyone relayed their stories and thoughts well!

There is one video now available publically to check out, and it's of Electric Church playing for a solid 16 minutes on Thursday night, with "Muddy Waters", "Carey Baby", and a brand new original named "Cross The Line" featured. This was filmed by Bradley Shingwauk and shared to their Facebook page yesterday, and it captures this fast rising blues/hard rock trio in fine form for perhaps the best video sampler yet of their live set! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more possible fallout from The Sky's The Limit!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter items from the last while, and these are in alphabetical order by artist, promoter, or event name:

• We have moved Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People to our inactive band links, as they have not issued a public update to their Facebook page since sharing a YouTube upload there in March of last year. After a lengthy breakup, The C.L.C.P. reunited in late 2015, but only issued scattered updates and played live as guests before their last posting. The guys have a promising sound and history, so hopefully we see Bob, Art, Tony, and Troy again in the future!
• Swedish metal band In Flames have enlisted Ives bassist Bryce Paul for their upcoming American tour, replacing Hakan Skoger. This is locally relevant because In Flames are opening for Alter Bridge at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino one week from Tuesday, so it helps to know about any lineup changes! It's a shame that Peter Iwers left the band last year, but hopefully Bryce fits in with In Flames, and videos with him are floating around on YouTube if you're curious how he sounds!
• The aforementioned Jack Spades confirmed on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they will go on a "mini tour" this summer, joining their previously announced set at this year's Spiderfest in Meyersburg, though the new tour dates have yet to be announced. Sounds good, and this should be a solid way to introduce out of town fans to their new lineup, so keep that in mind! No word yet though on the identity of their new drummer.
• In a recent Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting, a woman named Tiffany Cuthbertson was referred there regarding a search for a local "rock/metal" band for an upcoming show of some type. She didn't go into specifics on the event, but she apparently has someone in mind already, and just wants additional input. The 3 Day Millionaires have already shown interest, but if you want to contact Tiffany as well just in case, message her at this link or via her group post from Tuesday!
• The second annual Rudyard Musicians Fest is looking for bands willing to donate their time to perform in nearby Rudyard, Michigan on Saturday, August 19th, with all proceeds going towards Rudyard Area Schools' band program. Last year's fest saw 12 acts playing for 12 hours, and co-organizer/Steelhead guitarist Mark Howland is hoping for this year to be even bigger and better, so message him at the above links if you're interested in playing! For reference, last year's Musicians Fest was country-centric, but did feature Project 906 & Stoned Ape Evolution.
• Southern Ontario-based Keith Urban & Blue Rodeo tribute bands Ultimate Urban & Blue Radio have quietly been announced as the headlining bands for Rotaryfest's all-covers main stage at Clergue Park on Saturday, July 15th, marking the fourth year in the last five that the closing night had two out of town bands. It's been a surprisingly long wait since the local summer festival invited out-of-town country bands to Rotaryfest, so genre fans should keep both acts in mind, especially as the groups both share two members! Stay tuned for the reveal of the local bands on their website!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

A very busy weekend of concerts is upon us, so let's kick things off with three batches of Sault Ontario shows over the coming days, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two acts at three venues (plus more later this month for one of them), plus a preview of a very special Thursday nighter tonight for a great cause! If you're wondering where our Rock 4 Autism preview is, look for that with our Sault Michigan concert previews in our next post, as this is a packed weekend, so I have to spread everything out. Here's the first of what you need to know!

We'll start with another month of confirmed solo concerts from prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, the remaining Fridays & Saturdays of the month, plus extra shows at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT & The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey THIS SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's four shows, we were waiting for public confirmation of them, which came via the official Facebook event pages (linked here, here, and here) on Sunday or yesterday. Continuing his long-term weekly run at Gliss, Tym is expected back at the downtown restaurant with gigs TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and then on May 12th-13th, 19th-20th, and 26th-27th, so keep these acoustic matinees in mind for some quality hard rocking covers over the coming weeks!

TOMORROW'S Roadhouse and SATURDAY'S Barrelhouse shows will see Tym back at each locale after a month away, and he's certainly keeping busy with his solo project! You have ample opportunities to see him this month, including four times at three venues TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so keep these in mind as the month rolls along! All of this month's shows lack an announced cover charge, with the Gliss shows being 6:00 PM affairs with no announced age limit (though mind the locale), and TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Roadhouse/Barrelhouse gigs being at 10:00 PM and 19+. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rednecks Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the concert via their Facebook event page earlier this week. Fresh off of their merger with sister band Mourning Wood following that group's farewell last week, this will be Soundcheck's first show at the former Nicolet Tavern in about a month, so if you were curious to hear how the former Nameus sound post-merger, TOMORROW would be a great night to do so! This show is a 19+ event with no announced cover charge, but the band's experimenting with an early start time of 8:00 PM TOMORROW, in an attempt to retain Rednecks patrons in attendance for their chicken wing specials on Friday nights. If you're expecting a typical start time, keep this in mind, lest you show up after midnight and there's no band playing!

Will this experiment work? I have no idea, but remember that The Park Grille's live band experiment last year also featured bands (including Mourning Wood) starting at 8:00 PM, but that was called off after 6 weeks, and one apparent reason for the run's end was that dinner crowds weren't being kept as expected with the bands' sets. Hopefully Rednecks has better luck in that regard, as Soundcheck are a talented veteran quartet with lots of familiar classics from the 1980s in their repertoire! Check the above links for more details, and hopefully some public videos of Soundcheck turn up soon!

Finally, we'll close with a previously announced concert with a fantastic charitable aim, that being the second annual The Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser concert TONIGHT at The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium at The Tech! Taking places as part of the Children's Mental Health Week events from Algoma Family Services, this event is once again designed to raise awareness and funds for children's mental health in the Sault Ste. Marie area, with all proceeds going towards supporting related programs and services from the organizers. Always a noble cause, and hopefully tonight's concert at the former St. Mary's College helps encourage attendees to join the conversation on mental health! This year's headlining act is local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who were among last year's openers, and they're a fitting choice to return in a promoted position, especially with Mike's close relatability with the causes being addressed this week!

I can only find public confirmation of two opening acts who passed the auditions two weeks ago, and they include young blues/hard rock trio Electric Church and Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow, both returning from last year's event as well. Great to see both back for the cause, so don't miss their sets either! Unfortunately, promoters have not unveiled the full band lineup for this year, very similarly to last year's pre-show hype, but for reference, last year's Sky's the Limit event also featured now-defunct headliners The Pixo Control, relocated indie rockers Aldous, and at least three other youth groups. Naturally an ALL AGES event, The Sky's the Limit II has a 7:00 PM start time tonight, and while admission is $5, family groups of 5 or more will get a discounted group rate of $20, so keep that in mind if you're bringing the family along (as well, there will be a door prize of some kind from the Thomas Walls School of Music, so note that as well.)

At last word, tickets were still available at (705) 945-5050 or at Algoma Family Services' headquarters at 205 McNabb Street, unless you're intending to buy at the door. Despite the lack of a lineup announcement, this promises to be a fun night of young local music talent, and with everyone playing to support mental health awareness and support, you know that there'll be a great response overall, so kudos to everyone playing tonight! Visit the official Facebook event page for more updates, and here's The Din's full set at last year's event, including Mike Haggith's personal story!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Sault Michigan and Rock 4 Autism previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Din, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend is soon to commence, so let's tackle this weekend's hard rock concert previews today, plus the first news on a returning all ages concert event later this spring! Before we get too far, yes, I do know about the huge concert announced for this summer at The Canadian (click here for early details), but I want to give it proper emphasis as a headline story, so we'll tackle that in our next news post, 100% guaranteed! Now, let's kick things off today with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, most on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only confirmed via the official Facebook event page on Monday, and the former Nameus still don't have an online page to plug concerts with. This is the third show in as many weeks for this newer veteran band, whose 1980s-centric covers should entertain attendees once again on SATURDAY, so don't miss out on their next gig! Also, we can at last confirm the identity of their new fourth member, that being Lucky 13/ex-Thin Ice guitarist Robin "Bones" Lee, who appears to be taking over the bassist role, leaving Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe to focus on guitar. Robin has guested with Terry & Steven's other band Mourning Wood in the past, and he played with Terry in a (one off?) band named The Jukebox Junkies a while back, so he's a fine fit with Soundcheck, as you hopefully saw last week or the week before!

Our source for the above information is The Rockstar Bar's Hayley Warnock on the event page. FYI, I have no idea what Soundcheck's busy schedule means for Mourning Wood, who haven't played live in over a month, but if we hear anything, we'll let you know! A one nighter due to tomorrow's Stiffler's Mom show that we're previewing later in this post, SATURDAY'S Soundcheck concert has no announced cover charge, a 10:30 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and if you know where to look on Facebook, see if you can find a personal video of Soundcheck covering Billy Idol at Rednecks with guest guitarist Mike Muto!

Next up, here's one more late notice confirmation, as local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey for his fifth announced solo date there THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, joining his usual Gliss Steak & Seafood matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Barrelhouse gig, Tym only just announced this show via it's Facebook event page yesterday. With the spring now officially begun, you could always warm things up after a long winter by checking any of Tym's three concerts this weekend, including his first gig at the downtown tapas restaurant in two weeks on SATURDAY, or via his regular weekly gigs at The Quality Inn's restaurant, so keep all three in mind for acoustic hard rock cover action! The Gliss shows remain 6:00 PM affairs with no cover or age limit (but remember where they're being held, this is a formal restaurant, not your standard nightclub.)

As for SATURDAY'S Gliss show, expect a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Lastly in new show announcements, remember the Sky's The Limit mental health awareness concert from Algoma Family Services that took place at The Tech last May? Well, it is coming back for a second go-around on Thursday, May 4th, and local alternative/hard rock trio The Din are headlining this year! No audition required this time for Mike, Tammy, and Brandan, who will succeed the defunct Pixo Control as this year's top billed act at The Tech's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium, as part of Algoma Family Services' Children’s Mental Week activities. The Sky's the Limit serves to bring awareness and raise funds for mental health programs at A.F.S., which is a great gesture, and kudos to The Din for offering their services once again! The opening lineup will again be filled out via live band auditions, which will be held at The Tech on Wednesday, April 19th & Thursday, April 20th at 6:00 PM both evenings. Like last year, auditioning musicians must be district residents between the ages of 14 & 29, and these are private auditions, not public concerts, so keep that in mind just in case.

To book audition times or get more details, call (705) 945-5050 (extension #2301 or 2318), or submit a video for consideration by e-mailing footage to chmw@algomafamilyservices.org! For reference, last year's Sky's the Limit fundraiser also featured such acts as Electric Church, Aldous, rapper White Noize, and at least three other youth groups. This ALL AGES event has $5 admission or $20 for family groups of 5 or more, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. This should be a fun night of rising young talent for worthy local causes, so hopefully there's a great turnout once again, stay tuned for updates, and visit the official Facebook event page for current details!

Finally, we'll close this weekend's currently known hard rock concert previews, we'll return to The Rockstar Bar for the return of local hard/party rock trio Stiffler's Mom to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! Announced with surprisingly long notice earlier this month, this one nighter will be Stiffler's Mom's first show since playing the same venue over a month ago, and it'll serve as a rocking way for fans to help Greg, Mike, and Jon ring in the season, so keep tomorrow's show in mind to check out some Stiffler's Mom action! Remember, this is a one-night-only event, Soundcheck are playing at this venue on Saturday. As usual for Stiffler's Mom's trips to The Rockstar Bar, tomorrow's show has a 10:30 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Stiffler's Mom live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for some big news regarding today's major concert announcement tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

New Hard Rock Videos, A New Local Recording Studio, And More!!

With a lot of backlogged news items in our queue, I thought we should keep things rolling with a second news post today, before we dive into weekend concert previews, but check out some new show announcements and concert video below! We'll start this post with local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's fourth installment of their Cover of the Month series, as posted to their YouTube channel yesterday, as they covered The Killers' "While We Were Young"! Described as "a more production heavy tune", the video features two camera angles from the main performance, as well as insert footage of guitarist Tammy Hill playing guitar and keyboard in studio, and tracking material on a computer, plus segments with Mike singing layered background vocals. This is a well done cover that had a lot of work put into it, and Mike's singing is dramatic and deep, so give The Din's newest cover a look below!



Next up, here's some more videos from last week's Sky's the Limit mental health benefit concert at The Tech, courtesy of performers Electric Church, the new blues/classic rock outfit featuring young local guitarist Spencer Pine! Given the apparent 15 minute set times, their entire set was seemingly uploaded to Spencer's YouTube channel earlier this week, and within, the band covered Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride & Joy", Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", and as embedded below, Hendrix's version of the blues standard "Rock Me Baby". The video descriptions confirm that Spencer is joined by Elijah Nielsen on bass, and Beau "The Beast" Whitfield on drums (though I'm not 100% on if I have Beau's last name right.) I've only seen Electric Church cover Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, and I have yet to find an online page for this band, but they have a good sound & clear talent, and Spencer's vocals fit the material and are suitably melodic! Give Electric Chuch's videos a look!

Also today, here's some recent updates related to local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota, who have finally posted a digital download copy of their debut EP "Maudlin Fair" onto their new Bandcamp page! Prospective fans may be inclined to buy "Maudlin Fair" here rather than in physical copies given that the price is just $4, down from $5 on CDs. It's great to see the option is now available, and you can stream it free there too, so check it out and consider buying it above! As well, their Bandcamp page revealed the name of guitar/producer Dustin Goodall's home recording studio (which wasn't given in physical copies), as it's called Unsalted Audio, repurposing the name of his short-lived concert promotion agency Unsalted Records. To formally kick off the studio's public launch, Dustin posted a lengthy press release onto the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Monday to note that Unsalted Audio is the product of his "exceptionally high standards" of getting quality music recordings locally without breaking the bank.

As a result, Dustin is aiming to have his full studio operating by the fall, but is offering a special deal for the summer for prospective local musicians: $1,000 flat for a 10 song album with mixing and full production, which he says would cost 4 times that in a bigger city. Dustin's proven to be a very reliable producer (as also seen with AlgomA's split, and via mixing The Pixo Control's CD), and hopefully musicians take him up on Unsalted Audio's summer deal, so click here for full details on the studio's launch, and stay tuned for our "Maudlin Fair" review this month!

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

• Troubled Mind drummer Mike Vincent has posted another new solo instrumental to his Bandcamp page, entitled "Sacred Sins"! The song has a fast paced metal groove and better audio quality than "Shoah" had, though what the 9/11 picture means towards the song isn't clear. Give Mike's new solo track a listen above!
• We have restored defunct Sault Michigan/Japan metal project Mugwort to our band links, after discovering that their thought-deleted MySpace page was still up! The page's URL had been a string of numbers now used by another page, but it always had http://myspace.com/mugwort too, and I only realized that the other day. Be sure to follow Bob Helsten's other bands to see what he's been up to since!
• In the newest episode of SooToday's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, local artist, accordion player, and Ye Olde Mold Pickers alum Rihkee Strapp discusses her musical background & influences, upcoming open mic night at The Gore Street Cafe (footage of her opening for Dirtfight there is also included), and she also reiterated her recent desires to start a doom metal band with her singing lead vocals (message her above if you want in!) Solid feature of this multi-talented artist, so give it a look above, but note that Donna is nowhere to be seen, with the episode resembling Shaw TV's music pieces as a result.

That's definitely all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E & Project 906), Plus Fallout From The Sky's The Limit!!

Before we dive into another slate of weekend concert previews, here's some news and notes for your Wednesday morning, and it includes some fallout, updates, and videos from a major recent all ages concert, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this summer in the E.U.P.!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock cover quartet Project 906 have announced a pair of new concert dates for this summer, as they'll return to Pickles Bar & Grill in nearby Brimley for Saturday nighters on June 11th & July 16th! Both were announced via Facebook event page launches on Monday, and will mark the Ten Kings successors first shows at Pickles following THIS SUNDAY'S Bay Mills Band Together fundraiser. Project 906 have been hard at work recently in concert and for their overall experience (even getting lots of stickers ready to give out), and while these are sadly one-nighters with no Friday gigs, don't miss Project 906's entertaining & often heavy covers in Brimley once again over the summer! Both shows are at 10:00 PM with no announced cover, and both are 21+ events, so click here & here for more details, and Pickles is now in our active Sault Michigan concert listings!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E have announced their next three concert weekends, as they'll return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on July 8th & 9th, and on August 19th & 20th, with returns to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino sandwiched in between on July 22nd & 23rd! Not yet announced on Kewadin's entertainment page (which doesn't list anything past June yet), thee July gigs in St. Ignace will be 415E's first announced shows since April, while the new Sault shows will be their first at The Rapids Lounge in almost a year, so if you've missed the Hubbards, Dave, and Mitch in the Soo lately, keep those shows in mind! 415E haven't been a terribly frequent sight on local stages recently, but these summer weekends should help remedy that, and as usual, there are 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits in effect. Visit 415E's Facebook page for more details!

We'll close today with new videos and related updates from The Sky's The Limit fundraiser concert at The Tech last week, so what should you know from the event? Algoma Family Services posted a bunch of photos from the mental health awareness show onto their Facebook page after the event, which confirms that there were at least eight acts on the bill, with The Pixo Control, The Din, Electric Church, and White Noize joined by indie/electronic rockers Aldous, and at least three bands comprised of youth musicians, though the photos don't confirm the performers' or bands' identities. Pictures confirm that the show took place in the theater of the former St. Mary's College (which makes logical sense), there were on-stage hosts to introduce & interview acts, and even some beach balls passed out for attendees to pass around, and it looks like this was a fun event for a great cause! Crank Sound Distribution were on hand to provide sound, and yes, we do have a few videos to share from the concert, including one Facebook video of headliners The Pixo Control's two-piece acoustic set, so what should you know on it?

There's not a lot to say, as it's oddly of Michael & Dustin's opening preparation prior to their first song, which appears to be an acoustic version of "Tall Ships". A comment by co-organizer/local bassist Marc Williamson thanked them for honouring their commitment, which spoke to their professionalism, though if it doesn't relate to playing on despite drummer Keeghan Rosso's inavailability, I'm not sure what it references. The band also noted that they "will go bye-bye for a while now", alluding to the live concert break that they're taking, but we still don't publically know why or for how long. In any event, give The Pixo Control's Sky's the Limit video a look below!



Finally, here's the latest from fellow Sky's the Limit performers The Din, so what have the local alternative hard rock trio been up to? Their latest Cover of the Month aside (which we'll tackle separately in an upcoming news post), The Din recently stopped by Tidal Records' own Mission Control Studios to record an unidentified song for their forthcoming debut album "Give Into The Din", with photos from the session now available to check out on their Facebook page. It's a little odd that they'd break from Pretoria Hill Productions for one song, but Dustin Jones' work at Mission Control Studios speaks for itself, and remember that frontman Mike Haggith split some of his solo albums between Galactic Records & PaperClip Productions, so spreading the wealth isn't a foreign concept for him. As for their Sky's The Limit video, Mike's girlfriend Brandi Martel filmed The Din's entire 15 minute set, with the video posted to The Din's YouTube channel the next day, so what can you see within?

The band only had time to play 4 songs last week, including "75", "Flux", "In Search of the Perfect Moment", and the debuting "Alleyways & Apartments", the reveal of which was teased by The Din online prior to the show. The video closes with a brief post-set interview where an event host interviews The Din live about their formation and evolution, why they wanted to get involved with this concert (Mike, in particular, has a personal connection), how music can influence them, and how to use their music as part of the mental health conversation. Well put, well shot, and well performed all around, The Din were a solid & energetic addition to this concert, so give their set a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The 3 Day Millionaires & Tym Morrison) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

With a busy concert weekend ahead, let's dive right in with our first concert preview post of the weekend for you hard rock fans, and to start, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some SHORT NOTICE), and a preview of a special concert taking place tonight! We'll touch on additional Friday-Saturday shows and Sault Michigan-area events in our next post, so don't worry, they're coming! Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will be rocking out at The Park Grille on Industrial Park Crescent for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed the show via their Facebook page on Monday. Though not stated through their own advertising, The 3 Day Millionaires are replacing Mourning Wood at The Park Grille TOMORROW, who had been advertised for May 6th on the venue's poster plugging their spring run of live music. No word on why Mourning Wood are out, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and we'll let you know if they have any shows this weekend! For reference, The 3 Day Millionaires are advertised to return to The Park Grille next Friday too... perhaps the bands switched dates? In any event, The 3 Day Millionaires are fresh off of their Rednecks gigs last week, and they should continue to ride their recent momentum with more hard rock favourites TOMORROW NIGHT!

There's no announced cover charges for TOMORROW's show, which has an early start time of 8:00 PM (not 8:00 AM, as the Facebook event page lists), so be sure to check the above links for complete details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live earlier this year!



Next up, we'll add Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's slate of May acoustic concerts to our listings, as the prolific hard rock singer/guitarist is expected to rock Gliss Steak & Seafood once again TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, with weekend matinee shows likely following on May 13th & 14th, 20th & 21st, and 27th & 28th! Again, apologies for the short notice regarding this weekend's gigs, we were waiting for Facebook confirmation of them, which came via this weekend's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Now 10 months into his successful run of solo concerts at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, Tym should have more entertaining covers in store for fans and patrons this weekend, so keep all of this month's shows (including TOMORROW'S & SATURDAY'S) in mind if you're up for some unplugged cover action downtown! There are no announced cover charges or age limits for these 6:00 PM shows, so see above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews, local alternative/grunge favourites The Pixo Control will headline a special fundraiser concert called The Sky's The Limit at The Tech (the events center at the former St. Mary's College/Lakeway site) TONIGHT! Hosted by Algoma Family Services as part of Children's Mental Health Week, The Sky's The Limit is designed to bring awareness and funds to children's mental health in the district, with all proceeds going to the cause, so hopefully there's a great turnout as a result! The Pixo Control's headlining set will be a special acoustic performance sans drummer Keeghan Rosso, so if you've missed the band's early shows of this format, be at The Tech tonight for Michael & Dustin's unplugged side! Oddly, organizers still haven't publically announced the opening roster (which was largely culled from in-person auditions last month), but a selection of local musicians aged 29 or younger will take the stage tonight. Based on artist confirmations, we know some of them, including alternative hard rock trio The Din, who have teased the debut of a new original tonight!

The other act that we can confirm is a student band led by Spencer Pine whose audition video can be seen at this link, and if their other videos (of blues rock covers from a school event) are anything to go by, their name is Electric Church, referencing the Jimi Hendrix song. They're talented, hopefully they put on a good set! Local Christian rapper Tristan "White Noize" Goslow was previously advertised too, but his online pages have quietly been deleted in the past couple of weeks, so read into that however you will. If there's any late confirmation of additional performers, we will let you guys know! An ALL AGES event, The Sky's The Limit begins tonight at 7:00 PM, and while it's not explicitly clear where in The Tech this is being held, I imagine it'll be well marked or perhaps more obvious if you attended school there. Admission is $5 for single attendees or $20 for a family of presumably 5 or more, while advance tickets were available at the Algoma Family Services reception desk at 205 McNabb Street, The Rad Zone, and even the A.F.S. offices in Wawa & Elliot Lake.

Also, it's worth noting that The Pixo Control called this their "last gig for a while" on their Facebook page yesterday, though they did not elaborate on why, or for how long. Hopefully it's just as simple as working on new songs or in studio! Though I wish promoters had elaborated on the full lineup, The Sky's The Limit should be an entertaining concert to help the children's mental health cause, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Pixo Control's acoustic side from n early Bare episode!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota EP Updates, The Revolution's Only Studio Song, And Much More!!

On this Sunday morning, we have to keep the news rolling and get our cache of backlogged stories a little more cleared out, so we have some assorted notes, lineup notes on an upcoming concert, and a posthumous studio track today! First though, here's all you should know on a recent CD release!

With it's successful local release at Thursday night's LopLops Lounge concert, I absolutely purchased a copy of Id Iota's debut EP "Maudlin Fair", so what should you know about it? This is the full album cover, and as previously teased in official photos, the EP features 4 songs ("California Wasted", "Permanence In Pencil", "One Cent Vaudeville", and "Bitter Tea"), with the tracks running for just over 14 minutes in length. Performers on the album include singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and drummer Blair St. John, though recording sessions largely took place between bassist Justin Girardi's departure and the addition of Dan Linklater, so Blair handles bass on the studio tracks. Similarly to The Pixo Control's debut CD, Dustin recorded and mixed "Maudlin Fair", with mastering done in Toronto by Chuck Carvalho of Joao Carvalho Mastering. The EP appears to be an independent release, and the tray plugs their unlaunched website as http://www.id-iota.com.

Copies of "Maudlin Fair" sold for $5, and will presumably be available at future concerts, but online availability is yet to be established. That said, when can you expect a review of "Maudlin Fair" on the SMS? I have Id Iota tentatively pencilled in for next month, as the AlgomA/Chronobot split EP is coming in the next week, but stay tuned for much more on Id Iota's debut CD soon, and get a hold of band members if you want a copy beforehand!

Next up, remember The Revolution (formerly the second version of Brutaly Fatal?) They were the 2014-15 doom/punk band that played a few notable local shows and had began recording sessions at PaperClip Productions towards a debut EP named "Roll Call" before breaking up (twice) last year, but as part of a special 4/20 surprise on PaperClip's Facebook page, we can finally hear the only completed studio track from the recording sessions there! Recorded early last year, this is for the band's song "Get High With Me", and the Facebook video confirms the EP's planned cover art as well. The lineup here includes singer/guitarist Austin McCrae (now back with the original Brutally Fatal) and drummer Brandan Glew (The Din) alongside Pillory bassist Jordan Leach, who replaced Rainey Vincent on bass before recording sessions began, but never played live with The Revolution. With all of that said, how does The Revolution's only studio track sound?

Harbouring more of their punk sound than doom, it's lively and well written, but Austin's vocals sound a little forced at times, and the lyrics can be a little repetitive. Still, it's great to finally hear some of The Revolution's cancelled recording sessions make it out there, and it'd be interesting to see the band reunite again if the stars align! Check out "Get High With Me" below!



Also today, remember The Sky's The Limit, the May 5th all-ages concert at The Tech that's being headlined by The Pixo Control as part of Algoma Family Services Children’s Mental Week? As you may remember, promoters were filling the opening slots with auditions at The Tech earlier this month for artists 29 and under, but as of this writing, promoters have yet to officially announce any openers. That said, there have been some confirmations and hints from artists themselves to give us an idea! One is Tristan "White Noize" Goslow, a local Christian rapper whose involvement was confirmed by his dad on the Facebook event page. He's got good flow, and should impress rap fans on the 15th! Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din expressed interest in auditioning as well, but at a different date due to guitarist Tammy Hill being out of town, and an organizer apparently sent a message in reply. The Din haven't said if they're playing or not since, but they'd be a good fit if they are! Our last clue comes via this video that apparently came from the audition at the former St. Mary's College site, so what should you know?

This is of a group of three young musicians, including guitarist Spencer Pine alongside musicians named Elijah and Beau, and while I believe all are current White Pines Collegiate students, I can't 100% verify the others' full identities. Uploaded to what appears to be Spencer's YouTube channel on April 7th, this is of the three covering Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" at the audition, which Spencer says that they "nailed" in the video title, but again, promoters haven't publically confirmed the openers yet. The guys do a good job here, with decent vocals and a strong solo, and they'd be fun to see on the 5th, so see more on the possible openers above & below!



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:

• Shawn Miller of The Metal Observer reviewed local doom metal trio AlgomA's split vinyl EP with Saskatchewan's Chronobot at this link, where he gave it an 8/10 score, saying that the split brings "a truckload of Sabbathian riffs that would make (Tony) Iommi smile like a proud father." Very positive overall review with few negative comments, so check it out above!
• The aforementioned Austin McCrae is looking to start a punk/grunge band that would play original and cover material, and needs guitarists and a drummer (he'd presumably be on vocals and bass.) He has practice space and spare equipment, though it's not clear if this is part of a Revolution revival or an entirely new project. If you're interested in trying out, message Austin at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last week!
• In a clarification & apology regarding new local death metal band Kaepora Gaebora's lineup, we can confirm that their new bassist is Jeph Brown, who I don't recall from any other recent local bands. We erroneously noted on the site earlier that Twistory's Josh Amendola was their bassist, so I apologize for that, I can be bad with faces sometimes (plus, the band still doesn't list Jeph on their Facebook page's lineup.) Stay tuned for more on Kaepora Gaebora's next concert later this week!

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