Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar, who suddenly passed away on Wednesday at the age of 58. At press time, a cause of death hadn't been revealed, but he is survived by his son, Tantric guitarist Sebastian LaBar. Visit your preferred rock music news sources for further details as they roll in. Local fans may recognize Jeff from his appearance with Cinderella at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in April 2011, not to mention their Hair Scare-approved classics like "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", "Nobody's Fool", and "Shake Me" that fans got to see singer Tom Keifer perform solo here just before the pandemic began. I'm not a diehard glam metal fan, but Jeff was a talented guitarist who supplied strong work where needed, and our best wishes go out to everyone affected by his loss. R.I.P. Jeff!
Now, today's post is otherwise all about Rotaryfest, which returned to in-person activities yesterday in drive-thru form in the parking lot outside of the former Lowe's, and you can see video from early in The Steeltown Playboys' opening set yesterday in this SooToday article, plus shots of Ribfest and some of the paths vehicles take. From what I have seen in Facebook photos, organizers opted to bring the Clergue Park-era Stage 2 set (or a close facsimile) to Lowe's Plaza for the bands, rather than cart the much larger Stage 1 set north. If you want to have your FM radio ready before arriving, the frequency carrying the music is 107.1 FM, which is interference free, as there are no proper local stations immediately around it. I can confirm that 107.1 FM does carry music before/between bands, presumably to keep the music going for everyone who attends if they choose, so you can leave the radio there for convenience.
A video of Blues Harvest's reunion set is floating around personal Facebook pages, and things seem to go smoothly, but I can't confirm if the audio is from a car radio or if it's the much quieter live sound. Chris Paci (who filmed a lot of major concert videos pre-pandemic) told me that attendees could get out of their vehicle to see the bands if they wore a mask and maintained social distance, and vehicle-less attendees were asked to watch in the grassy hill by Pennington's. The live music feed was loud enough to be audible without an FM radio, so while it's still quieter than normal, keep that in mind. Lastly from his report, there was a lot of honking in usual applause breaks, which seems to go with the territory (thanks again, Chris!) You can also read more about the 2021 Rotaryfest changes in these preview articles by SooToday's James Hopkin and via The Sault Star's Brian Kelly, plus new photo postings from the newspaper.
The Sault Star's article said that only every second parking space in the stage area would be allocated for attendees, with 50 cars estimated as a maximum attendance, and organizers saying that most attendees would likely only stay for two bands. Be advised that all of this came out while Ontario was in Stage 2 of re-opening, and specifically planned to abide by it's regulations. Despite the province entering Stage 3 yesterday, this follow-up article by Brian Kelly confirms that the already-planned format is not changing, as it's too late logistically and organizers are fine with how safe it is. Most of the articles otherwise are just going over the rules to enter and safely get ribs/see the bands, while optimistically talking up this year's format and the hope for a return to Clergue Park in 2022. Kudos to The Rotary Club for doing what they can to ensure that this year's festival takes place safely!
Finally, here's the debut single from Rotaryfest newcomers Jonesy Land... at least in name! While the band you'll be seeing at 7:00 PM tomorrow is a proper punk band paying tribute to frontman Dustin Jones' back catalog, the Tidal Records YouTube channel posted this video last month for their song "Sunshine Parades" which features a softer reggae-inspired sound and motivational lyrics about seeing better days and coming together, with suitable photos interspersed with videos of Dustin singing neck deep in water and while strumming the guitar on the beach. So far, this is the only Jonesy Land-branded song that has been released, but Dustin had been posting occasional new acoustic originals online during the pandemic that were never tied to one of his bands, so are they for Jonesy Land? In any event, the video does not feature any of the backing members of the live band you'll see tomorrow.
The song is fun and cheerful, and perfectly fits the lyrical content, so fans of Dustin's softer and folksier music won't jump too far to see where he's going with this! Time will tell if Jonesy Land is just a name for Dustin's truly solo exploits of if tomorrow's show is actually the debut of a proper full-time band (they don't truly have social media pages yet), but give "Sunshine Parades" a watch below, and maybe we'll hear it tomorrow?
That's all for today, but stay tuned for new news posts in the coming days, and don't miss day #2 of Rotaryfest tonight, with the final 7 bands playing tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
An unusually busy concert weekend is upon us on Sault Ontario, but with a major festival returning, a preview is a must! Leading off are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!!
Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his second public concert since lockdown ended when he makes his debut at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post at 1332 Great Northern Road TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Originally advertised as a patio gig before being adjusted to the proper outdoor stage beside The Big Moose Ice Cream Parlour, this will be Tym's first publically advertised solo concert since playing on Reggie's Place's patio on Canada Day, though this show has slightly more notice and more of a proper concert setting. The Mike Case Memorial Stage is a popular setting for live music in the summer months, if not typically of the heavier persuasion, so hopefully Tym's set goes well TOMORROW at 7:00 PM! There is no stated age limit or cover charge.
If you don't wanna drive all the way north down Great Northern Road, Tym has one more show to announce, as he will return to the aforementioned Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for one night only on Sunday, July 25th! No word on if this will be another patio gig or if it will be indoors, but he is scheduled for a four hour show that night at 7:00 PM, presumably 19+ with no cover charge as usual. Nice to see Tym back out there this month with his vast setlist, and while he's never on the Rotaryfest schedule, you can still see him live TOMORROW in the area! Click here & above for full details on both of his new dates, and here's Tym live in concert last year!
Next up, here's our extended preview of this year's Rotaryfest music lineup, as the Soo's annual summer festival is back in person after being held virtually last year! Due to pandemic restrictions (Ontario is only just entering Stage 3 this weekend), this year's in-person activities have been heavily reduced, with no midway and a focus on just live music, Ribfest, and a 50/50 draw (the "Take Your Pick" draw has been delayed to later in the year). For presumably this year only, Rotaryfest will move from Clergue Park to the former Lowe's/future Princess Auto plaza parking lot at the corner of Great Northern Road & Northern Avenue, in the half closer to Pennington's. As such, the festival will be a primarily drive-in event with restrictions enforced to ensure that everyone has a safe and suitably distant time, so mask up when you leave your vehicle and enjoy the music and ribs responsibly! Click here for full details on the layout, directions, and social distancing guidelines.
Regarding the music, there is no Second Stage this year, but original and cover acts alike will be on the SooToday Stage (effectively Stage 1), and similarly to drive-in movies, the music played by each band will be fed through FM transmitters, rather than risking a noise complaint outside of Lowe's Plaza. Make sure your vehicle has a working FM radio (or you at least have a portable radio on you) to pick up the required frequency, which will presumably be revealed upon entry. 15 artists are scheduled across all three nights, a lesser number than usual due to between-set sanitation and clean-up given the pandemic, but who all is playing this weekend?
Four acts will kick things off TONIGHT, with local acoustic hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns headlining at 10:00 PM in their Rotaryfest debut & second show of 2021. Good to see a heavier (if unplugged) band closing out night #1! Progressive rock sextet Machines Dream's new lineup will make their sixth Rotaryfest appearance and first on Stage 1 tonight at 8:30 PM, while their sister band Blues Harvest will reunite after eight years away to rock Rotaryfest for the fourth time (all previously on Stage 2) with a set at 7:00 PM, and their blues rock covers should go over well once again! Local blues/rockabilly quartet The Steeltown Playboys will make their festival debut to open today's festivities at 5:30 PM. Solid lineup of varied rock music to take in, so don't miss out! This is all ages (16+ to drive, naturally) with admission by donation. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!
Tomorrow's lineup is devoid of primarily-hard rock bands, but two classic rock bands & Stage 1 mainstays will headline, namely Mid Life Crysis & Mustang Heart at 10:00 PM & 8:30 PM respectively. Both do have heavier covers in their extensive setlists, but note that Rotaryfest organizers are promoting their sets as being centered around the 1980s and Canadian classic rock each. If you like country, come early tomorrow for Strait Country (a one-off George Strait tribute band led by local singer Mark Tarantini) at 7:00 PM and the Rotaryfest debut of Brendan Hodgson at 5:30 PM. Same entry rules apply, so come tomorrow for loads of classic rock and/or country music!
As for SATURDAY, seven acts will hit the stage for the closing night, but with the pandemic, there is no touring headlining band. Your featured bands that night are southern rock cover quartet Bone Yard at 10:00 PM and classic rock veterans Obsession precede them at 8:30 PM, both of whom are very frequent Stage 1 performers, and both do cover hard rock in their wide setlists, so don't sleep on either band! Debuting local punk group Jonesy Land will hit the stage at 7:00 PM, with the non-Jaaskelainen members of The Rising Tide and Frank Deresti joining forces to play favourite tracks from frontman Dustin Jones' past local and Toronto band work. If you like The Tide, Inner City Surfers, or Conspirators, don't miss out, and look for Dustin's daughter Jett in a guest vocal spot! Veteran folk musician Greg MacLachlan will play his first solo Rotaryfest set since rocking Stage 2 eleven years ago at 5:30 PM.
Rising young hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their festival debut at 4:00 PM in their first public concert of the year and their first show since Brendan Bertrand replaced Adam Fahrer (now of Brendan Hodgson's backing band) on bass. Good to see this fast rising group back, hopefully they have more original songs ready to go! One-time Rotaryfest mainstays Spyder's Web will bring their classic rock cover set back to the festival for the first time since 2014 at 2:30 PM, while The Northern Jazz Ensemble will become the only band to play each of the last three in-person festivals when they open on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM. As before, Saturday's music is for all ages, and admission is by donation. Note that entry to the stage proper is from Great Northern Road only, specifically the road to the right of Pennington's, with the Northern Avenue entrance intended for Ribfest patrons, so be careful of how you enter the premises, especially if you usually come in the other way.
It's great to see Rotaryfest back, even in compromised-by-pandemic form, and hopefully everyone has a fun and safe time this weekend! I know there has been grumbling from potential attendees who don't have access to a vehicle, but hopefully carpooling and making use of the FM transmitter (which has a 1 km radius if you can find the signal) in the region will help. Visit the above links for complete details on Rotaryfest 2021, here's to a normal installment in 2022, here's The Uncanny Valley live, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
