Pop Evil & Triumph Concert Video Showcase!!

Tonight's post takes us to recent major concerts in to wrap up our coverage of videos shot at them, and in one case, we haven't even touched on the show yet! As you may recall, Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil made their Sault Ontario debut at The Machine Shop on April 12th, and while videos were not nearly as forthcoming as they were from their multiple Kewadin Casino concerts in the past 15 years, the ever-prolific Christopher Paci was in attendance that night and uploaded 10 videos to his YouTube channel! No word on if he filmed at the Three Days Grace concert, but if he was there, he hasn't uploaded anything yet. Fittingly for their eighth local concert appearance, Chris filmed eight videos of Pop Evil's headlining set, specifically their songs "Footsteps", "Waking Lions", "Legendary", "Torn To Pieces", "Skeletons", "Paranoid (Crash & Burn)", "Trenches", and as embedded below, "100 In A 55". 

While by no means a staple of the 104.3 setlist, Rock 101 listeners are well accustomed to Pop Evil by now, and there was a good crowd familiar with their ample radio hits last month! Chris about four rows deep (standing room only acknowledged) here, and Leigh and crew sound really good across these videos, especially on more melodic songs and choruses, so give these well shot videos a watch above & below!

The openers at The Machine Shop last month were Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot, who once featured ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin in their lineup, in case the band name is familiar. Chris got two videos from their set, including them playing "Replicants" and, as embedded below, what I believe to be a new song of theirs (in a cursory search of their studio material, it doesn't match anything obvious). Sierra Pilot have a good sound going for them, with distinct vocals and a melodic ear while still delivering heavy riffs and and a command of the crowd, so don't bypass Chris' videos from their set either!

The back half of this post takes us to the Triumph/April Wine concert at GFL Memorial Gardens 10 days after Pop Evil, as there are two more videos of note about the show that aren't fan-shot live clips. One is of video from the headlining Mississauga hard rock band's reunion tour-kickoff set here, and it actually is a "Shorts" (ie. YouTube "Reels") video from the band's official YouTube channel! The 48 seconds-long highlight reel video is set to the studio version of "Rock & Roll Machine", and features clips of Rik, Gil, and crew playing on stage and even a bit of off-stage content, as tiled and edited in post-production to make use of the vertical dimensions as best as it can, even with animations rather than plain black letterboxing. As I say often for bands who post highlight reels rather than raw uncut concert videos, I would far prefer full videos, as these look to be high quality from some unique angles!

Regardless, it is neat to see the Soo (and the Gardens) represented in a major band's official online video content, and seeing as this is the 5th (4½th?) post featuring Triumph videos, you know it was a hit! Give Triumph's "Short" highlight video a watch for yourselves below!

Finally, while this does feature videos from the concert, this is primarily a video review of the Triumph concert! Veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas (ex-Flat Stanley, Wishbone, Soundcheck, et al.) posted a 40+ minutes-long review of the concert to his YouTube channel, in what you could argue also fits in line with his "Glen Yaps" videos there. Glen approaches things differently than some as an experienced drummer with connections (a friend was one of the techs that night), and he goes into detail not just about the sets proper by both bands, but also the stage setup, comparisons to what he saw of the pre-tour kickoff concerts in Florida, the fan responses, how the bands came off and sounded in relation to the video screens, the overall sound setup and rigging that night, how the gaps between songs differed between the two bands, and how the experience was seeing the show with his wife and how things connected to seeing Triumph in the 1970s.

Live videos that Glen shot are overlaid at around 10:30 into the review, and other closer videos from other filmers were also included similarly. Glen did suggest that he might post his own raw videos from the concert (he was filming with a GoPro, even), but as of this writing, he has not done so. Regardless, I do agree with him about preferring full songs on video rather than partial clips! Speaking as an experienced live and studio drummer, Glen gives strong insights into the concert, and it's an entertaining watch to go into detail of things beyond just who played what song, so give everything a look below, and we'll let you know if belated videos surface!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone! 

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Craig Harrison

It's finally time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as again shine a light on a YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk concerts/artists, as randomly chosen from our YouTube subscriptions! This month's selection takes us to Sault Michigan (well, by way of the Lower Peninsula) for a look at a prominent local musician's YouTube output from the late 2000s through the ensuing decade, so here's what you should know!

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Craig Harrison (http://youtube.com/craigharrisonshortdog24)

Owner: Theatre Of Night keyboardist Craig Harrison, also known from past local/Grand Rapids bands like Integrated System Of Machines, End Of Existence, and Dust N' Bones

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 11th, 2008; Videos uploaded from April 2010 through September 2020

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, Craig noted in the description that, as he is "a composer, singer, songwriter, adventurer, etc..., my channel has a bit of weird variety". Most of his 34 videos include in-studio performances, either jams/rehearsals with bandmates or solo performances on keyboard and sometimes vocals. Craig's channel also includes two live concert videos (one of him on stage, one of the mosh pit at a 3 Inches Of Blood show in Detroit), some studio samplers and introductions for Theatre Of Night, and non-musical videos ranging from a comedic rap song to outdoor sports-centric to a timelapse drawing of a zombie to one featuring corrections officers from over 25 years ago.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will primarily be of interest to fans of Craig's 2010s work in Theatre Of Night, giving a bit of a behind the scenes look that is especially notable, as not all of their official content and pages from this era is still online in 2026. The existence of an even rarer I.S.O.M. live video shouldn't be overlooked either! The rest of the videos will have a mixed appeal for most, but Craig wasn't lying about this channel having "a weird variety"! For more recent official Theatre of Night videos, visit that band's active YouTube channel and their social media accounts.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Integrated System Of Machines- I.S.O.M. live: While outviewed by the aforementioned rap song and corrections video, Craig's most popular video otherwise is also his first, which sees his old local epic metal band Integrated System Of Machines playing their self-titled song on the Ozzfest Stage at the annual Carnival Of Chaos Festival in Stanton (four hours south of the Soo) on June 27th, 2009. Joining many other bands as openers for Taproot that day, their exact lineup here isn't 100% obvious, but it is good seeing Craig and singer Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten on stage again, and while the video is shaky, you can't be too harsh for an almost 17 year old concert video, and it sounds good for its age. Strong charging song with a catchy chorus and good aggression without getting too extreme! Yes, that does appear to be Craig's future Theatre of Night bandmate Rachel Mender on backing vocals.

 

 

Darkness Falls Within: A good array of solo performance videos by Craig made their way to his channel, mostly of him on the keys (though Dust N' Bones fans won't want to bypass his singing on some clips), while some of these have extraneous video filters added in post-production. Despite being the primary leader of Theatre Of Night, you don't often see videos that really show off his keyboard skills, and this April 2014 performance of their original "Darkness Falls Within" is as good as any for that. The filter is completely unnecessary, but this is a fine showcase of their epic symphonic qualities with a dark ambiance, so if you're not familiar with their non-Christmas material, this is a good introduction! Hear the full version at this link.

 

 

Late night jam session with Theatre of Night and Flesh for the Beast members: In his final channel uploads aside from a shred video in 2020, Craig Harrison posted videos from an April 2018 jam session featuring Theatre Of Night bandmates Steve Giles (guitar) and Erik Sales (drums) plus guest musicians from their friends in Grand Rapids death metal band Flesh For The Beast, who Steve was an alum of. Both videos (including this 13 seconds-long one) feature different F.F.T.B. members on bass, one presumably being Craig Riley, but Craig H. didn't specify names in the descriptions. There are some odd reflections, as if Craig H. was filming behind glass or plastic, but the performances here are sound, and it'd be neat to see Theatre of Night do more with Flesh Of The Beast, live or in studio! Just a shame that Erik was largely obscured behind that pole from this vantage point.

 

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will be back on or around April 26th, while our next monthly feature post will be our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post tentatively scheduled for Thursday, pending how weekend concert previews are blocked. That's all for now, but look for more on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dr. Feelgood & Quite Frankly), The Trews Concert Preview, And More!!

Hopefully everyone is inside while this snow comes down! For this news post, we have our preview of a big concert tomorrow night, updates from local terrestrial radio, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months, so here's what you should know!

Reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly have announced four upcoming concerts at four differtent venues for the spring! While they are taking this month off, Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe will pick things back up on March 28th at De Marco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse, marking the first time we've ever covered a show there. Located at 2667 Second Line West (deep in the west end, 5 minutes north of the airport), you may recall Silent 9 playing a private gig there last month, but it historically hasn't been a haven for hard rock-leaning bands, so hopefully Quite Frankly leave a good impression next month! After taking the Easter weekend off, they will return to The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, April 11th, while they will rock Gateway Casino for the first time two weeks later on April 25th! Lastly, they'll return to Beck's Bar on Friday, May 1st, as the former Vibe Lounge continues occasionally booking bands on Fridays rather than DJs.

None of these venues are known to book bands on consecutive nights, just to clarify. All are 19+ events with no announced cover charges, and all are 8:00 PM affairs except the Beck's show (at 9:00 PM). It's great to see Quite Frankly finally start ramping up their live bookings, and hopefully these shows go over well for the band and attendees alike! Visit the band's Facebook page for more details on these concerts!

Next up, Niagara Falls-based Motley Crue tribute band Dr. Feelgood will make their local concert debut on Saturday, June 20th when they rock The Sault Community Theatre Centre! Newly announced yesterday via the White Pines-based theatre's Facebook page, hair metal fans will definitely want to circle this date on their calendars, as Dr. Feelgood do a strong job of bringing Motley Crue's classic singles to life on the big stage, which they have done across Canada for over two decades. Seeing as it'll be 20 years since the real band's local concert took place later this year, this is a fitting way to enjoy the next best thing! An 8:00 PM start time is advertised for this all ages concert, and tickets will run for $61.02 (adults), $49.72 (seniors aged 65+ and students aged 13-21), or $22.60 (kids aged 6-13) , with children under 6 being free. Buy yours online at this link or at the in-person box office at Station Mall, and visit the above links for more details!

Also, here's a special mid-week concert preview, as Juno-nominated Nova Scotia alternative/hard rock quintet The Trews will return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT as headliners at The Machine Shop! Last seen in our area at the 2024 Go North Music Festival on St. Joseph Island, this will be their first gig in city limits since opening for Marianas Trench here in 2022 and their first headlining show here since 2009 (and if you don't count that acoustic tour, 2008). Of course, since we last saw The Trews up here, 104.3 The Fox debuted on the FM dial, meaning that their hit singles like "Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me", "Tired Of Waiting", and cuts from their new album "Bloody Light" get a lot more local airplay than they did, so there should be a solid turnout tomorrow despite the Wednesday scheduling! While not well advertised in the lead-up, this tour does have an opening act, namely southern/roots rock quintet Eddy & The Dirty Boys in their local debut.

While a relatively new band, Eddy & The Dirty Boys are actually a side project from three members of Kingston rock band The Glorious Sons, their genre-blurring sound has been making waves in recent months, and they should set the tone well tomorrow! This all ages concert goes down tomorrow at 8:00 PM, and general admission tickets remain on sale at this link, at the Station Mall box office, or at the Gelato Mill (located nearby at Mill Square) for $40, while $60 VIP passes are also available that will get you access to an acoustic pre-show from both bands, a meet & greet, and more perks. This should be a huge concert, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Trews live at GFL Memorial Gardens in 2022!

Finally for today, some potentially major news from local radio came out last week via this Inside Radio article, as later covered by Carol Martin of SooToday's Sault Michigan sister website SooLeader. Apparently, local radio company Sovereign Communications is at risk of losing its seven active broadcast licenses (Rock 101 among them) in the next 60 days, and thusly having the stations go off air on FM and AM, if they don't make overdue fees, interest, and penalty payments to the Federal Communications Commission, currently adding up to over $37,000 USD. SooLeader also reported that Sovereign owes over $10,000 in rent for its city-owned broadcast tower in Sault Ste. Marie. A repayment agreement with city council has been agreed to, but the article doesn't outline the status of the money owed to the FCC, though according to Inside Radio, they could appeal to try to waive or defer the owed fees.

I won't speak on matters that I'm not privy to, but it'd be a massive blow, even if temporary, to lose Sovereign stations on the FM and AM dials. After all, Sovereign has collectively owned Rock 101, 99.5 Yes FM, Oldies 93, Country 105, 1230 WSOO, News Talk 1400, and WNBY 1450 in this market since 2010, and the only other truly local station in Sault Michigan that isn't repeated from elsewhere is classic hits station 95.1 The Bridge. Rock 101's Scott Cook struck an optimistic tone in the SooToday comment section, so hopefully Sovereign sorts everything out soon! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB), Without Compromise Updates, And Much More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran local musician Paul Leclair, who passed away yesterday of complications from cancer at the age of 74, as per numerous personal Facebook postings. While not a hard rock or metal musician, Paul will be familiar to many from his work as singer/guitarist in local bands like Midway, Moonshadow, and (most recently) Dorian Grey, who played classic rock at local venues for over a decade and were gigging as recently as last summer. For many years, Paul was the secretary-treasurer and vice president of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 276, and was a key asset in helping local musicians of many stripes to work through business, contract, and insurance dealings, as well as to get work visas put together to be able to perform/tour in the United States. He was occasionally referenced in SMS posts via his union work.

While I never had the honour of meeting Paul, we were briefly slated to judge a battle of the bands together alongside Soundcheck's Terry Eaton at the former Rednecks Saloon (Nicolet Tavern) way back in February 2015, but it was cancelled when the larger VM Radio Battle of the Bands was scheduled to begin less than two weeks later. He was a good and very knowledgeable person who helped so many local artists over the years through the union, and he will definitely be missed. R.I.P. Paul!

Today's post otherwise catches us up on some recent news, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will rock The Machine Shop TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for online page-less local Tragically Hip cover band The Luxury as part of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival! Apologies for the short notice, we first learned of this show late last week via Bon Soo social media advertising. Modern day concerts outside of the opening ceremonies at Bon Soo rarely cross our radar, but this is an exception, and this special mid-week concert is reportedly being held "to show our appreciation" to Bon Soo supporters. This will be BookcluB's second publically advertised gig of 2026 (last seen at The Kiln last month), but you may have seen frontman Mikey Hawdon and bassist Dustin Jones playing outside of The Machine Shop as Dos Amigos this past weekend!

Alas, I only heard about this outdoor gig via a Facebook "story" (one of the posts that vanish from that strip on your news feed after being viewed once or twice), so here we are. I wish bands wouldn't rely on "Stories" (a couple have been posting new videos as "Stories" that are impossible for me to link to in posts), but I do apologize for missing that here. You can see the full BookcluB experience with their fan friendly and unique range of covers TOMORROW NIGHT! Note that the picture attached to the band's Facebook post plugging TOMORROW'S show includes guitarist Brandon Ruch, who moved out of town last fall, so I don't 100% know if they just used an old band photo or if he is actually returning to the Soo for this gig. As for The Luxury (featuring Tripod The Dog, Billy Bastards, Redefined, Sidekicks, and Late Shift alumni) they deliver a faithful and talented take on Hip classics from the 1980s and 1990s, so don't bypass them!

While tickets were reportedly briefly on sale early, TOMORROW'S indoor show will be FREE with a Bon Soo button ($12) or jacket tag ($8), and if you don't have one yet, they will be on sale at Mill Square if you come out. This is an all ages show at 8:00 PM. Should be a fun mix of covers (especially for Tragically Hip fans) TOMORROW at Bon Soo, so visit the above links for more details, and here's BookcluB live!

Finally for today, here's a band we haven't talked about in way too long on here, namely local rap metal project Without Compromise! I admittedly slacked in covering them for months on end, and I apologize for that, but it didn't help that project leader (and former Winkstinger guitarist) Jason Ladouceur quietly left Facebook last year. However, Jason is still working on Without Compromise, and has continued uploading music for the former Less Than Zero to its Bandlab page and YouTube channel! A lot of his newer music and art has been along the lines of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness, and he has seemed to embrace AI as tech, so keep that in mind. In listening to Jason's newest material, the music is getting more varied, with metal songs mixed in symphonic and electronic elements, and while his vocals are still a work in progress (and sometimes buried in production), he is applying them in different roles and methods of singing.

 

I won't pretend to understand the artistic ethos of Without Compromise in the past year, but there is definitely talent on display, and Jason can still shred when the song calls for it! He has seemed to play down the rap aspect (at least for his own vocals) in his newest songs, but note that his song "Todayz" seems to include an AI model of Eminem rapping. There's promising music to check out here, so dig through their Bandlab and YouTube content above to see what he's been up to, and here's one of Without Compromise's newer uploaded songs, "In The Darkness"!

 

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dos Amigos), A New Local Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I have to apologize for another missed concert in our weekend concert previews, this time local alt-punk cover band BookcluB at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on Saturday, January 31st. The band only announced last week's show (their first of 2026) on their Facebook page that Tuesday, which completely slipped me by until getting links for a related show that we didn't miss later in this post. I apologize again, I hope to catch their next show for the SMS, but hopefully this one was a blast all around! Now, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, new videos and related updates, and leading off, a new band with some notable faces!

We have a new band to add to our active Sault Ontario links, and they are Even Flow, the Pearl Jam tribute band that debuted at Beck's Bar on Halloween last year! There was easily the chance that this was a one-off band given the occasion, but their new Facebook page confirms that they're an ongoing project. In their only posting so far, they curiously note that they are "hailing from Northern Ontario", possibly to leave the door open for a wider range of shows beyond Sault Ste. Marie. They promise "a high-voltage, nostalgic experience that proves (that) the spirit of grunge is alive, well, and shivering up north". At the time of their debut, I knew from Facebook shares that the band included new local guitarist Cameron Brock and former Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner, but who else is involved? Derek's old Papa Fogals Chair bandmate Mike Bird is on bass, while Odd Man Out/ex-Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers is also in the fold.

Jokey nicknames aside, the band only gave their singer/guitarist's name as "Rob", but the most logical name here would be Barbarians/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers, who was a bandmate of Mike & Derek's in the 2013-2014 hard rock band The Side FX, and also briefly worked with Derek in The Wyld Stallyns a decade later. Certainly a talented batch of musicians who will be familiar to many readers (maybe excepting Cameron), and it will be interesting to see what Even Flow have in store for Pearl Jam and alternative fans this year! Visit the above links for more on them!

Next up, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, as local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only on Friday, February 20th! The band scarcely updates their own social media, so kudos to the Gore Street nightclub for announcing the show on their Facebook page on Wednesday, allowing us to hear and get the word out about it. Fans last saw the Inner City Surfers side project live last month at Northern Superior Brewing Co. (assuming you saw the minimal online advertising for it), and hopefully their unplugged punk covers go over well downtown in just under two weeks! It's worth noting that Mikey and Dustin remotely joined their old Surfers bandmate Brad Example for his YouTube series The Afterparty tonight at 9:00 PM, which I do plan on covering & recapping here on the SMS in a dedicated post, so stay tuned for that next week!

As for Dos Amigos at The Whisky Barrel, that show is at 8:00 PM as usual there, this is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and stay tuned for our recap of the Afterparty episode!

Also today, here's some of the latest from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will return to Beck's Bar next week for their first ever "stoplight party" on Valentine's Day, but they're staying busy otherwise! On Thursday, "the dirty three" shared this vertical video to their Facebook page featuring a sneak peek of a new original song in progress (heavily implied to be named "Shit Show"), and you even hear vocals in the short 15 second snippet! Alex is seen on guitar with Warren at the computer, while Greg notes that it's "pretty bad when we actually have to rehearse our own song". The caption also hinted that a new cover song is also in the works, and while they didn't 100% tie everything to their album-in-progress, note that they did confirm that their "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" cover will be on the final product and not just live gigs. Hopefully we hear more soon, but if you want to hear a full original song on video, we have you covered!

I'm surprised that I didn't get to this last month, but Beck's owner Becky Sawyer filmed your local 225 during their electric gig there on Saturday, January 3rd, and in the (thankfully) horizontal video, you can see the guys playing their original song "The F Word" (alternately, if not formerly, known as "Fuck!"). No major angle or zoom changes here, but Becky had a good central angle of the guys rocking out on this energetic and fast paced rocker, and expect more of the same there next week! Remember, wear clothing based on traffic light colours to signify your relationship status (i.e. green = single). Get more from Bone Yard above & below!

Finally, here's a brief new video posted on The Machine Shop's Facebook page yesterday featuring Nova Scotia alt-hard rock quartet The Trews promoting their local date there on February 25th! In the 13 second clip, frontman Colin MacDonald says that "we are making our long awaited return to The Machine Shop", even though they have never played a local date there. Regardless, it is always good to see major touring bands give local shoutouts like this in advance of their shows here, even if the videos are brief, so give it a watch below, and buy tickets for the concert later this month at this link!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Pop Evil), A New Christmas Album, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

We're back after a quiet weekend with a stacked post on this Monday night, including a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a brand new album release, and a new concert video & related updates, so here's what you should know!

Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return to our area on Sunday, April 12th, but this time, they'll be making their debut in Sault Ontario at The Machine Shop! Yes, it is 100% the local Machine Shop, not the one in Flint. Fans have seen these Rock 101 mainstays seven times in Sault Michigan over the years (all but one at their Kewadin Casino), including their most recent date here in March 2023, but if you Canadian readers were previously unable or unwilling to cross the border, then you'll want to circle this date on your calendar! Like last time, Pop Evil are touring in support of their new album, so expect to hear cuts from "What Remains", plus existing hits like "Skeletons", "Trenches", and "Breathe Again" in the spring! This will also be their first local stop since Blake Allison replaced Hayley Cramer on drums. No word on potential openers yet, but this show will not feature Sabaton, who Pop Evil are opening for on much of their early 2026 tour run.

Tickets for this all ages and 8:00 PM concert run for $40 + additional processing fees at this link at presumably at the door. We've been getting a good run of big new rock concert announcements in Sault Ontario for early 2026 so far, and this will absolutely help in that, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's a new-ish album release from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! On Friday, they released "Christmas Night 3" to their Reverbnation page for $7.99, and it's not on other paid or subscription streaming services beyond their YouTube channel. If you're not familiar, the original "Christmas Night" came out as an instrumental album in 2011, before they re-recorded and expanded it with then-singer Rachel Mender in 2022 as "Dreams Of Winter" (I assume they're considering that to be "Christmas Night 2"). For this third go-around with a seasonal album, Theatre of Night are collaborating again with German soprano singer Gaby Koss, who was once an official (if remote) band member in the early-mid 2010s, and worked with Craig, Steve, and crew again last year for a free  "Celtic Christmas metal EP", but there were teasers at the time that Gaby would be working on more material with them.

The five songs from last year's batch are included on "Christmas Night 3" along with five new additions, and note that of the 10 songs, "The First Noel", "O Come Emmanuel", "Let All Mortal Flesh", and "Good King Wenceslas" are all brand new to Theatre Of Night's paid studio output and did not feature on the two prior albums. How do these sound, and how do the other six compare to prior versions? I think we'll find out this month, as I'm going to bump our album review queue all up a month so this can be reviewed in a timely fashion! Otherwise, it'll be blocked for mid-2026 at the earliest, nowhere near Christmas (No Arrow will 100% come next month). Stream "Christmas Night 3" for yourselves below!

Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the long awaited full concert video from Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band's outdoor-ish headlining show at the Downtown Plaza in September! Of course, this concert was released as a live album named "Under A Moonlit Sky" late last month, but Mike promised right along that the the full video would be posted to his YouTube channel, and that went live on Thursday. 705Live Sound Co. were on hand to provide sound for the concert and this album, while videography was credited to Big Finish Band backing vocalist Elly McWatters (who must have set up one of the stationary cameras), guitarist Chris Nielsen's A Dire Setback bandmate Matt Quinn, and Celeste Maurer. There's at least three stationary cameras on hand here (one pointing directly at the stage, one at a corner angle, and a drumcam for Brandan Glew's sake), while Matt and/or Celeste was roaming to capture various close-up angles. 

For what it's worth, the last two songs are solely featured via the main stationary camera with no switches to other views. Of note, the stage was tarped on three of four sides with a forest/sky motif, but the material wasn't opaque, so natural lighting is reflected in the skyline, and as the show took place during sunset and dusk, things do darken naturally. It is a neat visual! The concert proper is longer than the album, so more of the between-song banter and gaps are left in, but in tagging each individual song in the YouTube description, Mike opted not to credit the guitar adlib or the separated introductions (aside from "The Power of Community") for the video proper. As you may be aware, Mike pledged proceeds from streams of "Under A Moonlit Sky" to Christmas Cheer this month, and that includes 10¢ from every view of the concert video.

Mike was interviewed by SooToday's Darren Taylor for this article about the live album and charity drive, where Mike talks about getting the idea to support his old hometown (remember, he lives in Barrie now), where he focuses his attention for gigs when he comes back north, and the change of plans from the battle of the bands to the full concert on September 25th, apparently on just two days notice! Solidly informative article, even if The Big Finish Band name wasn't given, so read it above! I'll hold my thoughts on the concert proper for our review of "Under A Moonlit Sky" next year, but it's very well shot and edited with some neat views of the plaza stage, so give it a watch below and support Christmas Cheer in the process!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Majesty & The Trews), Tym Morrison Concert Previews, And Convergence Updates!!

Here's a Saturday morning post to check out before/instead of shovelling yet again, and it features this weekend's last hard rock concert previews, a teaser for an upcoming album, and leading off, two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS at the same venue next year, so here's what you should know!

Juno Award-nominated Nova Scotia alt-hard rock quintet The Trews will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert at The Machine Shop on Wednesday, February 25th! Well known on domestic rock radio from hit singles like "Not Ready To Go", "So She's Leaving", and (more recently) "Breakdown", this will be The Trews' first local gig since headlining last year's Go North Music Festival on St. Joseph Island. Within city limits, fans last saw them open for Marianas Trench at GFL Memorial Gardens in 2022, but this will be their first proper headlining concert in Sault Ste. Marie since 2009. Crucially, since last year's outdoor gig in Richards Landing, Country 104.3 became 104.3 The Fox, giving The Trews more local radio play than ever, so if you can swing the mid-week concert scheduling, you won't want to miss out as the tour supporting their new album "Bloody Light" continues!

I have not seen any reference to opening bands for this concert yet. Tickets went on sale yesterday for $40 at this link, and can also be bought at the box office at Station Mall and at the Gelato Mill on site at Mill Square. This is definitely an all ages show, and an 8:00 PM start time is listed. This should be a strong concert with lots of familiar rock numbers from this talented group, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more on The Trews' Machine Shop concert in a couple months!

Next up, here's another new Machine Shop concert announcement for the new year, as Majesty: A Tribute To Queen will headline there on Thursday, March 12th! Now, the idea of a Queen tribute band is far from new here, as fans who saw Australia's Queen: It's A Kinda Magic will know well, following that group's multiple headlining appearances at The Sault Community Theatre Centre in the last few years. Majesty will also be on an intercontinental trek (they're from Great Britain), and if you watch videos of them in action, they definitely have the Queen sound and look down, so it will be interesting to see a high quality Queen tribute at a more intimate local venue! Another all ages and 8:00 PM affair, ticket also start at $40 like for The Trews at the same on-sale locations (buy them online here), but unlike that show, there will be some general admission seating for Majesty, and those tickets will run for $45. Visit the above links for more on Majesty's local debut!

Now, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews via another busy weekend for prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will play yet another matinee concert at Misty's Fifties LATER TODAY before doing the matinee honours at Beck's Bar TOMORROW! While the consecutive matinees is notable enough, these actually mean that Tym has played three shows in four days, as alas, I completely missed that he played at The Dive Gastro Pub on (Think It Over) Thursday. While The Dive didn't confirm the booking until four hours prior to showtime (I miss their monthly calendars), Tym had quietly announced the show on November 6th via this Facebook event page. Given how Tym promotes his concerts, it's easy to miss individual Facebook event pages when he plays the same venues so often, but I profusely apologize for Thursday's gig falling through the cracks. 

Hopefully he rocked "the naughty corner" well as usual, and note that he played the same three venues on the same days of the week back in early May as well! After his downtown trip, fans can see him back at Misty's on Second Line West today at 4:00 PM before doing the matinee honours tomorrow at Beck's on Goulais Avenue at 3:00 PM. Neither show has an announced cover charge, and both are 19+. Click here or visit the above links for more details on today & tomorrow's shows, and here he is live!

Finally for this post, here's the latest from local progressive metal quartet Convergence, who have revealed that the first single from "our debut album" will be released on Christmas Day! Now, long-time fans will know that Convergence released two EPs when they were still a two man instrumental project (2023's "One" and last year's "Dead & Dreaming"), but since adding singer and 2025 Soo's Got Talent runner-up Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio to the band late last year, they've basically started over publically, wiping both EPs from streaming services, though songs from both are expected to be on the new album, now with vocals and David Peredun drumming. No word on if the album will still be called "In Bloom" (already renamed from "Gemini") or not, but the first single will be "The Ebb", which was first heard on the "One" EP. To preview its re-release, Convergence shared this lyric video snippet on their Facebook page on December 3rd.

Why it has to be vertical, I don't know, but its existence implies that a full lyric video could be in the cards in a few weeks. Both because I hope to review the album next year and that this is a 30 second teaser, I'll hold comment on the "Ebb" clip, but it's good to hear some true public news on Convergence's next studio album for the first time in months! They last alluded to their studio work on social media in the spring, and they were teasing that as being towards building an EPK at that point. Give the teaser video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Convergence in the coming weeks, including "The Ebb" on the 25th!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9), The Selias Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this otherwise all-Sault Ontario post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in last week's previews, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless headlined the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023's annual Veteran's Day ATV ride this past Saturday. While the event was publically attendable, the band did not publicize it in advance, though maybe I should keep better tabs on it, as Project 906 did the honours in 2023 & 2024. I'd have happily covered it had I known or someone had said something, but hopefully The Nameless, veterans, and riders had a great time! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one more weekend preview, and more recent Sault Ontario notes!

While their public concert calendar for 2025 (the Searchmont Ski Runners holiday mixer aside) ends this weekend at The Esquire Club, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first few 2026 shows via their website's concert calendar, so when can you see them in the new year? Unless something is announced in the interim, their first gig of 2026 will see them headline at the Bon Soo Winter Carnival's opening ceremonies for a second straight year on Friday, February 13th! As far as I am aware, this will take place inside The Machine Shop at Mill Square once again, which is the site of their live concert debut as well, so hopefully this fan-friendly foursome delivers a strong night of covers to kick off Bon Soo 2026 in style! They'll be on at 8:00 PM with admission via a Bon Soo button, and with no announced age limit. For normal nightclub gigs, when can you see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve afterwards?

As of this writing, their next solo headlining nightclub concert will be on Saturday, March 14th, when they make their debut at Beck's Bar! Kinda surprising that they haven't played there yet, but hopefully the luck of the Irish is on their side for this pre-St. Patrick's Day concert in the west end! Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. We'll hold their September show for a future post given the 10 month gap, but stay tuned for more from Silent 9 when announced, and don't miss them this weekend at The Esquire Club!

Next up, here's one more SMS-amenable weekend concert preview, as Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will rock Soo Blaster for a third time in a fourteen month span TOMORROW NIGHT! Previously seen here in September of last year and then again in March (with Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner in tow for the former), Selias have quickly proven to be a reliable favouite touring attraction for extreme metal fans, and their technically sound but crushing brand of original music should get a solid reception tomorrow, especially given the Saturday timing! Your local openers tomorrow include hard rock quintet HeadF1rst, online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad (now featuring The BAG's Spencer MacGillivray on vocals), and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first of two Soo Blaster shows this month, preceding the Robbie G hip-hop concert in two weeks.

Of course, The S.S.S. and HeadF1rst respectively opened one of Selias' prior local stops each, so it is neat to see them get an encore! Promoted once again by Heavy North Entertainment, this stop on Selias' Ontario Onslaught tour (in support of their new album "Killkarma") has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and ticket prices of $15 at the venue or at this link.  Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Selias live!

Also today, we have an act to move to our inactive band links, namely local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine. We have not heard of a public update from them since opening for Rory Taillon at Soo Blaster in September of last year, and despite playing shows off and since returning from their last public hiatus in August 2022, they haven't updated their Facebook page in any fashion in over four years. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his requisite pink knit ski mask and ultra personal song lyrics, Slumshine initially returned from a year+ break at the 2022 Fringe North Festival, and became regulars of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum-hosted arts & culture event for its most recent three installments, but them and the Rory Taillon show are it for public activity since. Brent has definitely been keeping busy with Ha!ls in the past year, and he has even carried over some Slumshine songs to the full band, so follow them to see what he's up to nowadays!

To close today, here's a very rare video that was posted to social media this week, and it is the only known video filmed at Woods of Ypres' recording sessions for their final album "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! As you may recall, frontman David Gold and guitarist Joel Violette recorded the album at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario back in August 2011 with producer Siegfried Meier, who filmed this brief 30 second clip of David tracking drums for "Keeper Of The Ledger" and sent it to Shiver James as part of the work being done on his upcoming biography Deepest Roots: The Woods Of Ypres Story. The video had a fuzzy retro filter put on it that really hampers the video quality (it's hard to even see David behind the kit), but unless there's something in the vault from fall rehearsals, this may be the only video featuring David playing anything from "Woods V" on camera.

Kudos to Siegfried for sending this video after fourteen long years (let alone producing that classic album), and to James for posting it to the book's Facebook page! I'm glad that someone is telling David and the band's story after all these years, so follow the book's progress and the teaser postings above, and here's the video of David playing "Keeper Of The Ledger"!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!