LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Wax Mannequin), Hails Updates, And More Recent News & Notes!!

On this Saturday evening, we're playing catch-up with lots of shorter updates on the SMS, but leading off, we have news from a prominent local punk band, and to start, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music on Wednesday, August 7th! Led by singer/guitarist Chris Adeney, local fans will have seen Wax Mannequin on local stages at least twice before, following gigs at the former Cafe Natura in 2014 and at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum in 2022. I actually hadn't covered those gigs on the SMS due to the project not seeming like it'd suit our coverage, but Wax Mannequin cross many genre lines with their varied original material, including metal, and there's a lot of ground to cover with their skilled (and often funny) alt-folk music dating back to the early 2000s, so don't bypass them in their (at least) third local stop! Your local opener on this night is The Floor Between Us, the avant-garde comedy rock project led by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli.

Solid choice on the comedy/folk side of things, so don't bypass what Colin has in store next month! Presented by Piecing It Together Shows (who promoted Wax Mannequin's 2022 show here as Dryer Fire), there is no stated age limit for this 7:00 PM concert, which has $20 advance tickets available at this link and a $25 door charge. This is $5 higher across the board compared to 2022, but remember how high-end The Loft is as a formal concert venue. It'll be good to see Wax Mannequin back on a local stage, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on their return!

Next up, here's the latest from local punk/thrash band Hails, who did indeed add guitarist Mikhal Muto's brother Carmen on rhythm guitar, officially expanding them to a quartet, as per recent updates to their Facebook page. Carmen had debuted with Ha!ls in May at The Distraction, and he has seemed to fit in well in public videos shared since then! Note that their sister band Vanity First (who Carmen has played with in a similar capacity) still say that they're "a three (sometimes four) piece punk outfit" on their Facebook page, so is there a distinction between the two re: Carmen's involvement, or is that just outdated? We'll keep you posted! While we're on the subject, a brand new video of Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan is now up on their Facebook page courtesy of their set at Go Skateboarding Day last month, so what should you know there?

The video sees Hails playing their non-EP original "Pink Clouds Of Destiny" in the usual Go Skate Day stage locale atop the big ramp at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre. The video runs for 2:28 (incredibly long as Ha!ls' Facebook videos go), and while the skies were quite gray, it is good that the festivities went on despite some rainy weather earlier in the day! Mikhal is often hidden behind an amplifier at this vantage point though. Solid and well performed skate punk from this talented foursome, so check everything out for yourselves below!

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

 

• Despite his two nominations (for The Northwest & Handsome Sandwich's newest albums), Id Iota/Pixo Control alum Dustin Goodall lost the Outstanding Engineer award at last month's Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards to Sudbury's Matt Wiewel for his work on London alt-folk band Status/Non-Status' new album "Surely Travel". Congratulations to Matt on his win, and to every nominee, including Caddy Street Avenue alum Patrick Dal Cin's work with his current band Knkm!
• As per the official program for this year's Rotaryfest, we can finally confirm that the third guitarist added to local punk band The Gambit in 2022 is former Bankshot guitarist Christian Pasiak, reuniting with his old bandmates Lucas Schmiedendorf and Clint Wilson in the process! Oddly, The Gambit never confirmed him by name on their Facebook page when he came on board, and they still don't list their lineup in writing there. New official band photos can be seen there though, and according to the Rotaryfest program, they're releasing their teased original material on Bandcamp later this year, so keep an eye out for that!
• In the past two weeks for Shooters Downstairs Lounge's annual Talent Quest karaoke competition, the judges were members of local hard rock bands Half Past on June 23rd and Handsome Sandwich on June 30th. We don't cover straight karaoke-only events here, but it's neat seeing familiar musicians join the judges rotation! Opening round competition continues with night #5 tomorrow and into next month as the judges pick two singers each Sunday to make the top 25, so stay tuned to Shooters' Facebook page for more details!
• In another lineup note from the Rotaryfest program, former(?) Re:Born singer Elly McWatters is listed in the write-up for Mike Haggith's Stage 1 set as being on "guitar/vocals". If accurate, this likely points to her being a full member of his solo band this year and not just a backing singer on a handful of songs like in the past. No word on how she sounds as a guitarist, but Soo's Got Talent finals attendees last fall may recall judges suggesting to her that she play an instrument too if she re-enters in 2024. Regardless, Elly will be an asset however utilized in Mike's band in two weeks!
• In their first Facebook post in over two years, local power rock/classic metal band Re:Born said on June 14th that "I think maybe it's time for one last ride...". Re:Born succeeded Project 421 upon their 2018 debut and played a number of gigs over the next two years, but the pandemic and personal concerns kept them off the stage in the early 2020s, and they disbanded in March 2022 despite announcing a new lineup the previous fall. Even if not a full-time reunion, it would be nice to see Re:Born get some closure after not being able to get the chance previously, so we'll see if this gets any public follow-through!
• As per their Facebook page, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck recruited guest bassists for their late notice bookings at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this weekend due to the absence of Jim Michaud for unannounced reasons. Sidekicks/ex-Griphook bassist Dan Beaupre filled in for their normal concert last night and will do so again TONIGHT, while Toronto-based ex-Saultite Cory Valentine (who has guested with Soundcheck multiple times since 2019) sat in for their one-off jam night return on Thursday. Hopefully all's well with Jim, and that Cory and Dan fit in nicely!
   

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

Our Recap Of Greig Nori's Interview On The Borderline From June 2023!!

With the recent announcement of a Treble Charger reunion concert at The Machine Shop on March 7th, now's as good a time as any to finally cover an audio interview that singer/guitarist Greig Nori took part in last June! I profusely apologize for the delay in this making the site, it fell through many cracks, but the timing is right given the reunion concert! This was for an episode of Rock N' Roll Heaven on The Borderline, as hosted by veteran local musician/photographer Brian Tremblay, and it runs for 76 minutes, albeit including eleven Treble Charger songs during the runtime, starting with "Takes Me Down". If you want to skip past Brian's introduction and this song, the interview proper begins at about 4:40 into the episode. Brian first asks Greig about when he decided to move back to Sault Ste. Marie full time and how his relationship began with the Algoma Conservatory of Music and The Loft, of which he is the general manager.

If you're only familiar with Greig as a musician, his work as a producer in Toronto comes up here, including where he got the idea to merge a studio with a live performance venue rather than his high-end studio in Toronto that was seeing a declining usage into the 2010s, with emphasis on bands taking advantage of the setup for social media purposes and promotion. The next two songs are "Don't Believe It All" & "Friend Of Mine", which sandwich more studio equipment talk. Greig next goes into his apparent involvement in an upcoming film soundtrack featuring some surprising attached names, before Brian begins asking about Treble Charger (if you're looking for that part, jump to the 20 minute mark). Greig brings up how Treble Charger formed, why they changed their name from nc-17, and how they technically weren't from the Soo originally, having formally joined forces down south.

After "Morale" is played on air, Brian asks about why Treble Charger broke up in 2004 (quite a leap in the timeline!), with Greig even admitting that he didn't really want to continue playing the pop punk-leaning music that Treble Charger was playing at that point. Their reunion show in Toronto in 2012 (Greig was off a couple years on the date) is brought up next before "Motor Control" is played. Next, they discuss the end of Greig's work with Sum 41 (he produced both "Does This Look Infected?" & "Chuck"), his time working on disBand on MuchMusic from 2008-2010, and why that show ended. We next hear "Red" to cap off the first half of the interview, after which Brian reads some statistics about how many songs get uploaded to (and heard from) streaming services, with Greig offering his advice to musicians hoping to get discovered. Treble Charger's biggest punk-era hit "American Psycho" is played on air next.

The discussion about helping rising newer musicians get noticed is continued afterwards, with Greig suggesting some specific routes that bands should take (he recommends the Canadian Musicians Co-operative), with this segment interrupted by a playing of "Brand New Low". After we hear "Business", Brian asks about Greig's current songwriting plans, albeit not attached to a specific project yet, along with his individual work songwriting with musicians who record at the Conservatory/Loft (the teased new Treble Charger album from the late 2010s is not brought up here). This is where the interview ends, but the episode ends with playings of "Favourite Worst Enemy" and "More's The Pity", sandwiching Brian's episode closing plugs and thank yous. Solid listen that, if a little heavy on industry talk, lets us hear from Greig on a wide range of topics! You don't hear him interviewed much nowadays.

This may be a perception thing more than reality, but the episode feels over-edited, like how the Treble Charger discussion leaps from their beginnings to their end without really talking about their heyday, while the Sum 41 chunk is only how that relationship ended. Is there an unedited cut with this stuff intact? I still think Brian should either place the songs in more natural spots or have more obvious transition markers so they don't come in so abruptly, but fans of Treble Charger will definitely want to hear this whole interview from last summer at this link or above! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

The Newest Mikey & His Uke Cover, Plus Ripcordz Concert Videos!!

Upon doing this month's YouTube Channel Profiles earlier this month, I realized that I was far behind on recent videos from local metal, hard rock, and punk acts, so let's check a big chunk of this audiovisual backlog off from the punk side of things today! Along with recent concert videos, let's lead off with a star-studded new cover video, so here's what you should know!

The first Mikey & His Uke cover video of the fall season went online on the project's YouTube channel on September 21st, and it features Bookclub frontman/Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon and another far-flung all-star band covering Cock Sparrer's "Because You're Young"! Yes, that is the name of that band. As usual, Mikey is on guitar and (initially) ukelele before dropping that pretense, and he's joined here by Toy Dolls frontman Michael "Olga" Algar, plus three alumni of The Bouncing Souls, namely guitarist Pete Steinkopf, bassist Brian Kienlen, and drummer Michael McDermott (now of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts). If you're at all a fan of The Bouncing Souls, don't miss this video! Uploaded in a very wide aspect ratio (almost Ultra Panavision 70), the cover is predictably strong from this talented fivesome, and Olga's sneer adds a little extra to the proceedings!

In terms of filming locations, note that both Pete & Brian are both playing outside on a beach (no idea if it's the same beach but their videos don't cross paths), while Mikey is playing in a bathroom. Expertly edited and put together, so punk fans will want to check these out above & below!

Next up, the ever prolific Christopher Paci was in attendance for the Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music on September 1st, and his videos belatedly went online on his YouTube channel two weeks ago! Unusually for a multi-band show like this, he only got seven videos, but all three bands were filmed multiple times, including the headlining Montreal hardcore punk legends. Chris got three videos of The Ripcordz in action, including of their songs "Girls In The Pit", "X", and as embedded below, two songs back to back, namely (most of) "The Fence" and "Let's Go". While the audio can be a little tinny, it's great to see The Ripcordz back on a local stage for the first time in almost four years, and Paul & crew had a very receptive audience on the floor for their set! Odd seeing them in such an upscale venue, but very welcome all the same, so check these out!

Of the local openers, Chris got two each from both bands, including local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback's middle set on the 1st, and they were filmed playing "Faded" and, as embedded below, "Catastrophe". The audio quality is fuller here, and Chris was front row for part of their set, so we get to hear some solid renditions of these staple Dire Setback originals, and we get a better view on "Catastrophe" overall. Give these two videos a look for yourselves above and below!

Finally for today, the openers on this night were newer local punk/hard rock quartet Far From Fine, with their set also getting filmed for two videos by Chris. One is a fast-paced punk song with singer Mike Gaetano doubling up on guitar, and while I don't know its title, the song embedded below is "This Way Again". Depending on what you're looking for out of Far From Fine (still featuring guest[?] drummer Blair St. John), you may prefer the skate punk stylings of the former to the slower alt-rock of the latter, but they definitely have range in their setlist, and hopefully they left a good impression on fans at The Loft on the 1st! Give their videos a watch as well!

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

More Rotaryfest Stage 1 Videos, Plus Ripcordz Concert Coverage!!

After a Labour Day off, we're back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, including coverage of a big recent punk show before and after the fact, but let's lead off with newly found concert videos from Sault Ste. Marie's annual summer festival!

As it turns out, we're not quite done with live concert videos from Rotaryfest in July! These come from the YouTube channel Camera Travel (a.k.a. tours5571), which is devoted to video footage of local tourism and road travel in Sault Ontario and surrounding areas, so you may want to give it a look on that basis. They did attend Rotaryfest across Friday and Saturday, July 14th-15th, and had cameras rolling at Clergue Park for thirteen videos, nine of which coming from the Buskerville performances there, especially of fire breathers. Camera Travel filmed two bands on Stage 1, interestingly on different days, including Winnipeg-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bed Of Roses on the Saturday playing (as embedded below) "Livin' On A Prayer" as well as the very tail end of their set, song unclear. These are short and relatively distant from the stage, but from what we hear of Bed Of Roses, they have the Bon Jovi sound down well!

Worth noting too that Bed Of Roses' set happened at dusk, so things were getting darker as their set wore on, and it is a neat visual compared to most other bands that played this year, especially ones who got filmed for public videos. Check out Bed Of Roses' videos from July 15th above and below!

Next up, Camera Travel's other Rotaryfest Stage 1 videos come from Friday, July 14th, specifically of classic rock quartet RPM's set, where they filmed guitarists Dino Mazzuca & Marcel Rizzo, bassist Rob Gilmar, and drummer Joseph Bertrand covering Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and, as embedded below, AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long". Good to see RPM tackle a heavier song, and while still distant from the stage, the audio quality isn't bad, and Camera Travel filmed longer videos of RPM than they did of Bed & Roses. Check everything out for yourselves above and below!

Finally, I hope to have videos to cover from the show in an upcoming post, but let's look at some recent SooToday coverage of Friday night's Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Loft! Apologies for being so late to the party on the first of them, but Alex Flood penned this article on August 13th looking at the show ahead, where he erroneously noted that this was The Ripcordz' first local date since 2016 (they played at The Rockstar Bar in 2017 & 2019). The article features interview remarks from frontman Paul Gott about the fancier and relatively unique venue for this local date, his enjoyment of playing dates in the Soo, and his passion for punk rock. Solid article for Ripcordz fans, so give it a look at above! For what it's worth, while he didn't note the post-2016 dates of their shows in the article, Alex said there that The Rockstar Bar is "now closed", which sadly remains accurate for The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub as of this writing.

The Rockstar Bar has been closed since mid-2022, but as per a comment reply at this link, there were once hopes to re-open in the spring of 2023. I know that the pandemic hit them hard, but hopefully we haven't absolutely heard the last from The Rockstar Bar, which was a quality venue throughout the 2010s! In terms of actual coverage from that night, veteran SooToday journalist Donna Hopper was in attendance on Friday for this article, and it's great seeing her back reviewing a local concert of this kind! The upscale venue upstairs at the Algoma Conservatory of Music was heavily the theme of Donna's review compared to past Ripcordz venues here, including a note that there was less moshing than normal, perhaps in deference to the locale. Things appeared to go over well regardless, though no word on if promoter Matt Waples' $500 raffle if online tickets sold out went through.

Donna did take photos at the show, including five of The Ripcordz, three each of local openers A Dire Setback and Far From Fine, and one of fans, and the quality is as high as you'll recall from her pre-pandemic concert reviews! Worth noting from Far From Fine's pictures that Blair St. John was back behind the drumkit (no word on if he is their permanent drummer now or still just filling in), while an unidentified child (possibly Mike's son?) is seen guesting on vocals on at least one song, 19+ age limit for the show acknowledged. Get more about Friday's festivities at The Loft above, and stay tuned for much more on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Ripcordz) & Details On Mike Haggith's New Studio Album!!

Breaking again from our Rotaryfest fallout today for a post devoted to two big topics: a recent album release, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT at the tail end of the summer season, so here's what you should know!

Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz will return to Sault Ste. Marie when they headline at The Loft at The Algoma Conservatory of Music on Friday, September 1st! Local punk fans will recall seeing the Paul Gott-fronted group in city limits seven times between 2013 and 2019 (and multiple times prior), most recently rocking The Rockstar Bar in November 2019, with the pandemic and their usual local promoter J.D. Pearce's move to Barrie helping delay a return engagement. Hopefully the anticipation after a nearly 4 year wait proves advantageous for The Ripcordz' blistering and fast paced brand of hardcore punk as they help kick off the Labour Day long weekend! Fresh off of their sets at the Northern Vibe Festival the previous weekend, alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (who opened for The Ripcordz here in 2019) and newer local punk/hard rock quartet Far From Fine will open this show, and hopefully they deliver the goods in their Loft debuts!

Picking up the promotional duties for this show is former Destroilet drummer Matt Waples, who opened for The Ripcordz with that band in the early-mid 2010s (both bands were on 2015's "Fed Up!" split too), and kudos to him for taking a swing on promoting a big show like this, let alone at a very fancy and unique venue like The Loft! Unfortunately, this is a 19+ event, while doors open at 8:00 PM on September 1st, and tickets will run for $25 (up from a $15 door charge in 2019), but have not yet went on sale (check here for the link when it goes live). Given all of the changes since the last local Ripcordz date, it will be interesting to see how this goes over, but visit the Facebook event page for full details!

Next up, let's finally talk about local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's new album "All The Best In All You Do", which was released on Thursday as scheduled in advance of his dislocated knee-abbreviated set at Rotaryfest! Not an ideal way to promote a new album, but certainly unique! You can now buy/stream the album on major streaming services like Spotify, and it is on sale digitally for $10 on Bandcamp, and physical copies are on sale through his label MorningStar Records at this link for the same price on CD and $40 on vinyl. They were also available at Rotaryfest, no word on if copies were brought to sell at The Rad Zone when he was up. As previously teased, Bandcamp sale copies do indeed have bonus songs that, if you believe the e-mail sent to Bandcamp followers, "Spotify and iTunes will never hear", so if you want the complete experience, you have to pay $10 there!

The only physical copies of the album with these songs are the "rose edition" copies sold in DVD cases at Rotaryfest, so if you bought one of those, you're good to go! In order, the extra five tracks are "Unforgotten", "Requiem", a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City", "I'd Do It For You", and "Horizons", and yes, all five will be reviewed when we look at the album on the site later this year. Mike went into detail on the album and its inspiration in this lengthy article from the Morningstar website, which doesn't cover any new ground aside from hyping up the themes, but it does lay the groundwork. Adding to the recent promotion, Mike launched his own mailing list (distinct from what Bandcamp fans get) where subscribers are named "Frequent Flyers", jokingly referencing his day job there. Exclusive offers and freebies are promised, which get better the longer you're signed up!

Mike posted one more lyric video for an "All The Best In All You Do" song onto his YouTube channel on July 8th, this time for "To Be With You", though the aesthetic choices (flower petals, hand-written lyrics, VCR filter) are identical to his prior "Carousel" lyric video. There is a reason for that though, as every (non-Bandcamp bonus) song got the lyric video treatment likewise, but where are the other eight lyric videos? As it turns out, they're all featured in Mike's "album release celebration" video that went live as a scheduled post on YouTube on Thursday! I wasn't sure what this would entail, but the 77 minute video features all of the 10 primary songs with corresponding lyric video in chronological order, plus 40 minutes of album-related banter and context from Mike. Everything is time-stamped in the video description, but note that Mike outlines all the ways to buy "A.T.B.I.A.Y.D." in the introduction, including where to save some cash.

Also in the intro, Mike pre-emptively hypes up how great his Rotaryfest set was, including teasing a planned official live-stream (little did any of us know!), and he shows off the "rose edition" copies for those who didn't attend Rotaryfest. Mike's cat Viking cameos in the introduction for tracks 6-7, while Mike explains what the cover artwork represents & how he became involved with his wife Tianna in the introduction for tracks 8-10. The closing thoughts are just plugs and summative remarks, but note that the "rose edition" copies have fancier lyric booklets and a whole pressed rose! Fun watch to help commemorate a highly anticipated album release, so give it a look below, and look for our review in December!

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

Handsome Sandwich CD Release Party Review!!

It's time for our admittedly belated review of Saturday night's Handsome Sandwich CD release party at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music! This is the first concert of a remotely heavy persuasion that I know took place at The Loft, so what is it like to attend a show there? First off, the Conservatory is located in the old St. Mary's Paper office building at the end of Huron Street right by St. Mary's River, right beside The Mill Steakhouse. The Loft is on the third (and top) floor of the Conservatory, and being inside the building honestly reminded me of being at the courthouse downtown, especially the stairs. Yes, there is an escalator too, something I didn't know about until when I left the show. As a concert venue, The Loft is very nice with good acoustics, a unique layout, and neat sightlines, especially with the slanted roof and industrial beams. Pictures make the space look bigger than it is and obscure the layout a bit.

While photos on The Loft's website show thick seating, these are movable & were pushed against three walls to varying thicknesses to allow for a proper floor section. Rooms are adjacent to The Loft for the connected recording studio, and the bar section for anyone wanting a potent potable was well in view from the main door. Yes, HD video cameras were rolling, seemingly for both bands, and I did notice a camera slowly panning left to right beside the drumkit on the stage, though what we'll see and when, I don't know. My biggest issue with The Loft was the lack of air conditioning, and if that's not practical, at least turn the fans up! Regardless, it's a very nice space for concerts, and I hope more local bands take advantage of it!

The openers were local alternative/indie rock quartet Man Feelings, who were lucky enough to get an hour long set, which is impressive for a support band! As such, they played a lot of unreleased songs, plus material from their "City Friends" EP like "Modest Spouse" and "Long Winter's Night". I don't believe that I've seen Man Feelings live before, and when listening to them, comparisons to The Black Keys came up often, if that band had more instruments and variety to their sound. While bassist Tyler Willson handled most lead vocals, all of his bandmates got turns to sing, which is encouraging from an original band in terms of giving everyone an identity. Not a heavy band, but they have good songwriting, and everyone made the most of their instrumental roles, with B.J. Swire's keyboard work adding an extra element throughout, and Paul "Gabby" Gabrylewicz had some strong guitar melodies!

I will say that Man Feelings were slow to engage the crowd at first, and they had a few too many songs that just... ended, without a big finish. Not really abrupt endings so much as anti-climactic ones. Still a solid set that helped set the tone for the handsomeness to follow, and of course, how fitting is it that Man Feelings opened for Handsome Sandwich, thereby swapping roles from Man Feelings' CD release show last year? Also, shout-out to Ricky the juggler, who even got to "perform" for a song!

And your headliners were local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich in their release party at least seven months in the making! True to prior teasers, their set comprised of their entire debut album "Deconstructed" in album order, with an intermission separating the main program from a six song mini-set including four newer/omitted original songs like "No Idea", and two covers: Tones & I's "Dance Monkey" and an encore cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" featuring solo spots by all four instrumentalists. While I have seen the original three-piece, covers-only Handsome Sandwich live, this is the first time that I've seen the version relaunched in 2021, and they definitely have a crowd-pleasing set that rarely sticks to one style for too long, including glimmers of funk, hard rock, punk, indie rock, jam rock... basically anything that they want to play, and the audience was here for it!

Frontwoman Taylor "Tea" Emlaw brought a very unique stage presence to The Loft on Saturday, with lots of unpredictable movements and an infectious enthusiasm that was great to see! Her vocals remind me a lot of the American jazz/blues singer Beth Hart (listen to "Stay" to hear what I hear), and that alone helps this band stand apart from the local pack. Rafael Medina proved that his Algoma University music program training was well utilized on bass, the twin guitar attack of Jesse Cook and Mitch Sirie never hurt (even if I'd have liked to have seen more soloing), and drummer Johnny Belanger kept the rhythm as well as you'd expect, while also filling in the gaps for crowd banter, helping keep things in a loose and carefree spirit despite the anticipation and setting of this concert. Good stuff all around, and if this is the kind of show fans can expect from Handsome Sandwich, then who knows how far that they'll go?

Overall, this was a fun show aided by the unique and high-end locale, and on a kinda-related level, it was awesome to see Mitch & Johnny finally get to have a proper release concert like this after their old death metal band The Bear Hunters' planned release show for their higher quality second album "The Dead Testament" never went through due to the pandemic and the band's own decline in activity after 2017, leading to it getting a digital-only release on Bandcamp in 2020, and only one further live set. 2+ years later, they finally had their big moment, and hopefully Nik and Justin get theirs in some form! You can check out our photos from the show at this link or at our Facebook page, and I shot a video from each band, namely Man Feelings playing "Bring Me Home" and Handsome Sandwich playing "Better Off"!

Due to the length of this review (which went longer than normal already), I'll hold comment on Handsome Sandwich's newly released "Deconstructed" album for an upcoming post, but I did buy a CD copy on Saturday night and it will be reviewed on the SMS in due course! That's all for now, but a new news post will be hitting the SMS later today! Thanks everyone!

Handsome Sandwich Release Concert Preview, Plus Destroyer Concert Videos!!

As promised, we're rounding out this weekend's concert previews today with a special extended preview of a big event tomorrow night, with some concert videos from last month to round things out with. Here's what you should know, starting with that concert preview!

An album release date months in the making comes to fruition TOMORROW NIGHT when local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich release their debut album "Deconstructed" at their release party at The Loft! As a refresher, The Loft is the concert venue on the third floor of the Algoma Conservatory of Music at 75 Huron Street (the former St. Mary's Paper building), and is managed by Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, whose bandmate Bill Priddle was very much involved in the "Deconstructed" recording sessions. By all public accounts, The Loft is very high end as concert venues in Sault Ste. Marie go, both from attendance and performance standpoints, so click here for full details on the amenities and technical qualities that are in store for this and other concerts. We have not seen Handsome Sandwich on stage since The Soo's Got Talent finals in October, though they've hardly been idle since then!

It's also been at least since T.S.G.T. last year that they had May 6th dialed in as a release date for this album (I still don't know the significance of May 6th), and after 7+ months of final studio work, video shoots, mastering, and promotion, we're almost over the finish line for "Deconstructed"! In the pandemic era, heavier album releases on physical media have been the exception, not the rule, so fans of physical media will love that "Deconstructed" will be on sale tomorrow on CD (price unclear), so bring extra cash to get yours! I do not know if streaming copies of the album go live before the show or afterwards. Set-wise, Handsome Sandwich plan to play every song on "Deconstructed" in order, allegedly the only time that they plan to do this live, and the set will be filled out by newer original songs not on the album (no word on possible covers).

Their set is at 8:30 PM, while local indie rock quartet Man Feelings will open the proceedings at 7:30 PM. Not a hard rock or punk band, but they're a talented group in & of themselves, so don't miss them either! An all ages event, admission is $25 at the door or via this link, though seating is limited. If you can't make it, Handsome Sandwich have confirmed that at least their set will be "live recorded" (The Loft is adjacent to a recording studio and is wired for soundboard audio/HD video), but what form they mean for the recording is not known. This is primed to be a huge night for Taylor, Jesse, Mitch, Rafael, and Johnny, so don't miss out tomorrow, visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's the Sandwich live!

We'll close today with videos from the concert from Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster on April 15th! Apologies for the delay in these making the site. Filmed for Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, he uploaded ten videos from this show, including eight of the headliners tackling the Kiss classics "Firehouse", "Shout It Out Loud", "Calling Dr. Love", "I Was Made For Loving You", "Love Gun", "Detroit Rock City", "I Stole Your Love", and as embedded below, "Rock & Roll All Nite". Really nice seeing a sizeable crowd on the floor for this show, and while the audio can be scratchy with the audio setup and/or through this camera (I can see why Chris didn't title "I Stole Your Love"), you get a really good sense of Destroyer's authentic sounding and looking presentation! I wonder if the Kiss cabbie was there? I imagine he'd approve! Give these a watch for yourself a look above and below!

Chris' other two videos are of local openers Fort Creek, with their videos being of them covering Black Stone Cherry's "White Trash Millionaire" and, as embedded below, The Goo Goo Dolls' "Long Way Down". Unexpected cover in the latter case, but the southern hard rockers pull it off well and it lets Justin flex his melodic vocal abilities! Possibly thanks to not being on the floor while filming, the audio quality is clearer on these too, so check them out for yourselves above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Handsome Sandwich News & Updates, Plus A New Drum Cover Video!!

To try and get some of the news backlog cleared out, here's another full news post on this Tuesday morning, including a new drum cover video, and leading off, lots of updates from a prominent local band in the midst of quite a big week, so here's what you should know!

Here's some more recent news and updates from local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich, in advance of their CD release concert at The Loft this Saturday night! Our preview of that is coming later in the week, but there is more to talk about in the interim, starting with the confirmation on their Facebook page on April 14th that they will return to the Northern Vibe Festival in nearby Ophir in late August! The band debuted their new lineup twice over at the last two installments of this event, so it makes sense for them to return, but of course, it may be a while before we hear what day they're playing on. Organizers never released daily schedules in the past two years, and didn't do so for the DJ centric River Stage's lineup reveal last month. For the record, the full band lineup for the Forest Stage is expected to be announced soon, and we'll keep you posted when they announce everything, with or without dates.

To promote their recent activity, SooToday contributor/musician Chris Belsito spotlighted them in another article on April 27th, which features interview remarks from all five band members, including guitarist "Jessie Cooks" (odd typos there!). The article features talk of the positive response to the band's first two music videos (an unidentified friend of the band in Great Britain apparently covered "Better Off" in some form), technical details on their video shoots, saxophonist Josh Norling's contribution to "No Entry" (if not the video for it), and hype for Saturday night's release concert. The biggest scoop in the SooToday article is that they're planning to return to the studio to record a five song EP with Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori at the Algoma Conservatory of Music this fall, with a single planned to be recorded first "within the next couple of weeks". Remember also that they teased recording the release show in some form.

Informative and positive article that hypes up Handsome Sandwich's upward momentum towards the release show on Saturday, so give it a read above! While there were a few vague teasers about the release plans for their debut album "Deconstructed", the band confirmed on their Facebook page on Friday that the album will be released on CDs and not just via digital downloads and streaming services, and they're going the DIY route here rather than getting them packaged and sent back from afar. The album cover proper was unveiled on Saturday, and can be seen on the right. Kind of shows the titular sandwich in progress, as it takes some effort to get it to be handsome! Finally from the Sandwich crew, they posted a new video interview conducted by the aforementioned Greig Nori with drummer Johnny Belanger and release concert openers Man Feelings' guitarist Paul Gabrylewicz yesterday, so what do you learn here?

In the video, Greig promotes the release concert proper, and asks Johnny about the recording of and release plans for "Deconstructed", while asking Paul (a.k.a. Gabby) about his vision for "collaborative creativity" and Man Feelings' existing studio output, plus both Johnny & Paul's support for fellow local musicians and their past shows together. Not a deep expose or anything, but good promotion and it's interesting seeing Greig front and center here (gives me old disBand vibes!). Check out much more from Handsome Sandwich above and below, and look for our preview of the release show proper on Thursday or Friday!

Finally for today, let's hop across to St. Ignace, Michigan for a new cover video from Heavy Lies The Crown drummer Jaxon Massaway's YouTube channel!  In the description for the video below on March 31st, Jaxon revealed that he had a full drum setup at home again, and plans to begin posting drum covers there, starting with this one of Breaking Benjamin's "Sooner Or Later". Playing in a well lit room, the cover (along with the original studio track) is solidly done, but I'd move the camera next time, as Jaxon's head is right behind a cymbal at this camera angle. Give it a look below, and if you like country, give his guitar covers of country songs from last month a look as well, as he has musical range!

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