LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Soo Fighters), New Videos, And Much More!!

On this twentieth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, make sure you never forget the horrible and extremely events that occured in the United States 20 years ago today, and the thousands of innocent lives lost as a result. Today's SMS post features some assorted recent news and notes, new videos, an apology for a missed concert, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

Local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters will play their second show of the year (and with their new lineup) on Saturday, October 30th when they open for their new sister band Lockdown at The Rockstar Bar in a Halloween-themed concert! It's hard to say how the pandemic will look by the end of next month, but seeing a seasonal concert like this is very welcomed, even if it isn't the return of J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, which was last held in 2019 for obvious reasons (remember, he also moved out of town for work last year). Lockdown just debuted last month at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir, and while their initial video uploads on their Facebook group didn't point to a heavier base, they are definitely a talented group, and they feature 3/4ths of The Soo Fighters Mark 3, so seeing both bands here makes a lot of sense! Remember, The Soos debuted at J.D.'s Halloween party in the first place.

A costume contest and the usual (pandemic-adjusted?) Halloween frills will be in place for this concert, which will likely be a 10:00 PM affair with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Remember, please respect and honour any and all social distancing guidelines at The Rockstar Bar, wear a normal face mask beyond anything for a costume, and be aware that this show takes place after vaccine passports are mandatory for non-essential events, though we should be able to use the QR code version by then. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, I wanted to apologize for a recently missed concert, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished played an acoustic two man set at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers' Market yesterday during the United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula's Foodies United fundraiser! Unfortunately, their involvement in this event was not publically acknowledged by the band, Farmers' Market, or United Way on Facebook... aside from Tarnished's Facebook "story", which is where I belatedly discovered that they played at the fundraiser. Alas, stories (the temporary content from friends and pages at the top of modern Facebook news feeds) do not have to be permanent posts, and unless they did so more than once, Tarnished only plugged their set on social media via their Facebook story yesterday. I'll be honest, I find Facebook stories to be a pointless artificial limitation, and unless double posted normally, they're impossible to use as a source for SMS purposes.

You can only look at a story once or twice before it vanishes forever (it will leave after 24 hours regardless), so unless you take a very fast screenshot or screen recording, you may not ever have proof that it was posted. Tarnished haven't posted anything on Facebook in over a month (at least, not that will self destruct), and it's great to see that they're still gigging, but I profusely apologize for both not promoting this show in advance & my lack of a concrete source for their set yesterday. I wish someone had said something permanent earlier, but Foodies United looked like a fun way for Michigan Saulities to get some local grub and support The United Way!

Also, here's some new video uploads on Fort Creek bassist Robin "Bones" Lee's YouTube channel from last month, and in these cases, they are not unlisted there! Both are titled "FC Opening", which appear to signal that these are pre-recorded opening tracks played before Fort Creek begin a concert/set (I can't 100% confirm that, as I have yet to see them live). "FC Opening 2 take 2" is a dramatic orchestral recording featuring a motivational message by podcaster/retired Navy SEAL Jocko Wi!link, while embedded below is "FC Opening 3", featuring warning sirens, a snippet of anti-Satanic rock music sermon by Pastor John Hagee, and emergency alert messages that end in an abrupt (if blue) way. These sound like they'd set the mood for a Fort Creek show well enough, if in different ways, so give both a listen above & below!

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

• Staind frontman Aaron Lewis and his solo band The Stateliners will return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Thursday, October 28th, marking his second Sault Michigan date during his solo career as a country musician, following a November 2014 show at the same venue. Aaron recently made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Am I The Only One", and he does cover Staind ballads live in his country shows (videos from the 2014 concert are on YouTube). Again, this is a country concert, but Staind fans may be curious to see Aaron live in the Soo again, so click here for ticket details! 
• I have moved Sault Ontario alternative hard rock band Foothill Road back to our inactive band links. The mid-1990s fan favourites surprisingly reunited in August of last year to record a solid new song named "Heard It", but no new social media pages followed, so if the guys did more in the past year+, it's not public knowledge. Hopefully this wasn't it, but we'll let you know if Ken, Mark, Steve, Rick, and Ron resurface in some form!
• Also, I have moved local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven back to our inactive band links. The guys returned in July 2020 after an almost 3 year hiatus to record a new song named "Detonate" for Corus Radio's $20,000 Summer Song Contest, but no public updates have followed since, possibly due to the pandemic. Sadly, the video was made private by Corus Radio after the contest ended, but hopefully they at least re-post "Detonate" somewhere, it was a good track! Hopefully we'll see Cory, Ron, Kyle, Al, and John on stage again when the time is right!

 

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

An Inactive Band Note, New Videos, And Much More!!

I hope all of our Canadian readers had a great Thanksgiving! We're back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, including some shorter assorted stories, new videos from both sides of the border, and leading off, here's a notable band who have crossed our one year's inactivity threshold!

I have reluctantly moved local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band has not issued a public update since changing the business hours on their Facebook page on October 6th of last year, and while the effects of the ongoing pandemic are acknowledged, they have not played a live concert since opening for Dopethrone at The New A in May of last year (itself their only concert since 2017.) Launching in 2012 before debuting on stage at 180 Projects the following March, AlgomA united BeeFMoutH and Fuller alumni into a crushing package, giving the Sault area a much slower and doomier brand of metal that immediately set them apart, as heard on their 2014 EP "Reclaimed By The Forest" and their later splits with Chronobot, Hooded Menace, and the Soo's own Shit Liver. Local fans will recognize them from opening for bands like The Archaics, Beaver Slap, Biipiigwan, Fuck The Facts, and The Golers, often playing at shows under their own promotional banners.

 

As well, AlgomA found a far-flung audience of fans elsewhere in Canada and internationally via concerts in Southern Ontario, Sudbury, Quebec, and even in Europe, with their albums all getting solid press attention in metal news & review websites, partially owing to their label deal with Deadbeat Media. I definitely enjoyed AlgomA's slow and hard hitting brand of original metal, with lots of dark intensity packed into their generally long songs, and it was very encouraging to see local talent get so much exposure and fan support abroad at their peak. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll hear from AlgomA, but best of luck to Kevin, Boyd, and Jamie in the future!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, who recently got a third spotlight on 9&10 News' lifestyle newsmagazine program The Four! As you may have seen on channel 10 (Spectrum) or 10.1 (over the air) this past Friday, the guys were seen playing their original "Metalyn" for their third (and final?) appearance on The Four's week-ending Friday Sessions series of music performances by Northern Michigan artists. This was filmed in the same August sessions that gave us prior CBS-aired takes on "Cocaine Riot" & "Shortcut", but neither of those has a mandolin! High quality performances and well shot videos as you would expect, so give Tarnished's third go-around on TV a look at the above links! I cannot embed 9&10 News videos here. In the meantime, Tarnished are filming their first ever music video (also for "Metalyn") with Jay London Photography, as per their Facebook page, which should be interesting to see the final product of! Stay tuned for updates from their camp as they roll in!

Also today, here's some new solo performance videos from prolific local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! While uploaded on September 27th & October 1st, these were allegedly recorded at an earlier point, and serve as "COVID jams" while he can't play normal live concerts. The first video is embedded below, but the second (and much longer) video can be watched at this link. The 36 minutes of content in these videos are along the lines of his intense folk punk work, with rapid guitar work and his usual passion and irreverence, so fans of this side of Chase's music career will absolutely want to watch both videos above & below! 

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

 

• New local hard rock band The Isolation Sessions quietly added guitarist Todd Kidd to their lineup on their Facebook page last month, officially making them a quartet. As a result, Arthur Lacasse has moved from guitar to bass, much like he did with their predecessors Half Past. While Todd is unfamiliar locally, he was previously active in the Windsor-area metal bands 8ight Past Nine, King Misfit, and Against All Wisemen, and if you check out his work there, you'll see that he definitely has the chops! Stay tuned for more from The Isolation Sessions when it rolls in!
• Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl alum Mike Vincent has again posted searches for band members on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group this month. One post on October 1st was for a vocalist (and perhaps second guitarist) for the pop punk band he has alluded to working on in the past, while the other from last Tuesday was looking for country/southern rock musicians he's interested in jamming with. Message Mike at this link or above for more info!
  
• I opted not to cover local acoustic hard rock musician Tym Morrison's presumed Motley Market show this past Saturday, as it was not promoted in advance by him or the venue on social media. Tym's prior Motley Market booking on Saturday the 3rd was cancelled outright, and he has not signalled that his weekly run there will resume, at least not publically, so I have removed October gigs there from our calendar for now. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but we'll let you know when he plays live next!
  

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Soundcheck), Plus Weekend Concert Previews & Cancellations!!

I believe this is the first time since March where we've had a post that I can entirely devote to weekend concert previews! Things are still a far cry from normal, but this is very encouraging to see, so take advantage before the "second wave" of COVID-19 complicates things further. However, note that I have removed the previously announced Scarkazm concerts at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino this weekend from our concert listings. While nothing has been confirmed by the band, Kewadin has not confirmed a resumption of live bands at their branches, and presumably would have by now if Scarkazm were still on for tomorrow and Saturday. It's too soon as yet to make a call on their St. Ignace Kewadin dates next month or their planned New Year's Eve gig in the Soo, but we will keep you posted! Now, here's what you should know in Sault Ontario this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to the re-opened Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via it's Facebook event page yesterday, but this is more notice than many of their past gigs there tended to get! Long-time fans of Soundcheck and their predecessors Mourning Wood will recall them playing numerous gigs at the original Reggie's, often with unconventional scheduling and no online promotion. I figured we'd see Soundcheck back at this familiar venue, and they should deliver more old school hard rock and select country favourites TOMORROW! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge, but be mindful of social distancing restrictions, and make sure to wear your face mask where required. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live! Yes, I am aware of their new 49 minute live video, we'll cover that in full in an upcoming post.

Next up, local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will continue his apparent weekly Saturday matinee run at The Motley Market on Gore Street going on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only confirmed this week's show via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Like we did for his still-on-pause weekly arrangement at Gliss, I have also added Saturday gigs at The Motley Market to our concert listings for the remainder of October, as unless otherwise stated, this pattern is looking likely for his solo schedule there. As such, I'd look for Tym at the Market on October 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st (yes, Halloween), and his fan favourite classic & hard rock covers should go over well with assembled fans in any case! THIS SATURDAY'S and the likely following gigs here all have 6:00 PM start times, no age limits, and no announced cover charges, but again, respect social distancing rules and bring your mask. See above for more details, and here's Tym live at the Motley Market!



Moving to a previously announced concert, local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to the aforementioned Reggie's Place for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! This will explain why Soundcheck are only playing tomorrow, in case you didn't know already. Allegedly "back by popular demand", this will be Fort Creek's second publically announced concert (jam sessions aside), and first since rocking Reggie's early last month. Fort Creek have been forging a solid fan base in the past month, and this should be another fine opportunity to hear some hard rocking covers! Of course, look for merchandise from the band to be on sale, as they have been making the rounds with established and new fans alike over the past month. Expect similar rules as Soundcheck's show tomorrow, including an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge, but of course, use common sense, and be mindful of social distancing. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Fort Creek live!

I was planning to end this post by previewing young local classic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley's debut appearance at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, but unfortunately, that show has been cancelled, as has Fort Creek's planned debut there next Saturday. The Uncanny Valley quietly confirmed the news on this show's Facebook event page last week, citing "new COVID-19 restrictions", and Fort Creek said as much on their Facebook page too. In case you're unaware, the Ontario government has introduced stricter measures on bars and restaurants last week to try and crack down on COVID-19 outbreak clusters, which means that for the time being, bars must close at midnight and end alcohol sales at 11:00 PM. Click here for CTV News coverage of the announcement. As such, it looks like Rockstar Bar ownership is holding back on live bands until they can stay open past midnight like normal.

Of course, Reggie's Place is clearly adapting to the restrictions (hence the 8:00 PM start times for this weekend), but will this be another "new normal" for nightclubs planning to host bands in the near term, or will the "second wave" get worse before it gets better? The Soo doesn't have a lot of cases, but Ontario as a whole is on the rise, and many of the provincial restrictions have not been regional. I'll keep tabs on any updates, but hopefully Fort Creek & The Uncanny Valley are rescheduled at The Rockstar Bar when they're ready to host bands again! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Uncanny Valley), New Videos, And Much More!!

Between the ongoing slow patch and some personal concerns, it took until Wednesday evening to get a news post on the site this week, but I think this is an eventful one! Along with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week and some related videos, we have an early concert preview for this weekend (in case things remain slow in the short term), and some assorted news and updates, so here's what you should know!

Young local classic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will end their pandemic-induced hiatus from the live concert stage when they make their Rockstar Bar debut on Saturday, October 3rd! Last seen opening for Heaps at LopLops Lounge back in February, it's great to see this rising young band back at it (at least at a show that's publically attendable), and with their 1970s throwback sound and impressive original content on hand, they should deliver a good time for fans next weekend! This is a one night only event, as The Rockstar Bar has generally been booking bands only on Saturdays at this stage of the pandemic. A somewhat later 10:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has no announced age limit, but remember to be mindful of ongoing social distancing limitations at the venue, remember your face mask, and please use common sense. For more details on The Uncanny Valley's return to action next weekend, visit the official Facebook event page!

While we're on the subject of The Uncanny Valley, they have posted a couple of new videos on their Facebook page, so what can be seen in these? The first of the two videos was uploaded last week, and it features the guys playing 90 seconds of their new original "Sweet Like Sugar", curiously bookended with clips from Post Malone's interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, where Post actually mentioned "the uncanny valley". Musically speaking, what we hear of the song sounds promising and with a little bit of a psychedelic tinge, but the overly blue lighting and slightly blurry visuals don't help. Embedded below is yesterday's (sadly vertical) video, which features the guys practicing in their jam space, having fun, skateboarding, and most intriguingly, what appears to be them tracking music on a computer. If they're working on studio material and/or a debut album, they have yet to firmly say so on Facebook, but the talent's there! Interesting teasers, so give these a watch above & below!

Next up, due to the news slowdown of late, here's a somewhat early weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will return to The Motley Market on Gore Street THIS SATURDAY NIGHT to wrap up his month of Saturday gigs there! Just to clarify, the Facebook event page created for his show there this past Saturday (which wasn't live-streamed again) is scheduled to run through 9:00 PM this Saturday, so that accounts for that show and the next concert in one scheduling. I do not know yet if Tym will be back at this new vendor space/performance venue in October, but his unplugged classic and hard rock covers should go over well with assembled fans and patrons this weekend as usual! A 6:00 PM start time is in effect, there are no advertised age limits or cover charges, and please use common sense re: social distancing and face masks. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback announced on their Facebook page this morning that they "will be doing our CD release party as soon as we feel it's not a dumb idea", though they are still willing to offer refunds if you are still holding onto your tickets from the original date in March. Nice to get some clarification that this show is still planned to go forward, but how will it look, and when will it happen? Stay tuned for updates!
• I have moved local progressive metal solo project Kraken Mara back to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. Despite announcing on September 16th of last year that they had resumed activity after project leader Brendan Christie's return from work overseas, no public updates have followed on official accounts (pandemic acknowledged.) Brendan's a very talented guitarist, and hopefully we see new material from Kraken Mara down the line!
• In a post on his Facebook page last week, local/Thompson, Manitoba solo artist Mike Haggith asked fans publically which of two dates would be best for his next #LockdownLive at-home concert: this past Sunday (which obviously came and went with no show) or this Saturday. I think there was more of a vocal response to the question in his private fan group, but does this mean that Saturday will give us #LockdownLive XV? Keep watch, in any event!
   

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fort Creek & Tym Morrison) And A Local Musician's Return!!

I like to ensure that there is a new post of some kind at least every 3 days, even with news at a crawl, and we're keeping that up tonight with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on short notice) and lots of info on a former mainstay behind the drumkit and his return to active music uploading. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Motley Market on Gore Street for two more Saturday evening gigs THIS SATURDAY and next weekend! Apologies for the short notice on the former date, Tym only announced both shows on their Facebook event page yesterday. Note that the event page lists this booking as one show as taking place for one week + 3 hours, but that appears to be just a way to encompass both dates, and this does go along with his regular Saturday schedule at the Market in September. No word yet on if he will be playing there next month, let alone on a similar weekly basis, but don't miss out on his unplugged hard and classic rock covers there on SATURDAY and next week! For what it's worth, Tym did not live-stream his Motley Market gig this past Saturday for unannounced reasons, so the jury's out on if he will do so in two nights. Hopefully he hasn't given up on the live-streams, they were a fun regular sight for his fans during the pandemic!

As recently usual for his Motley Market bookings, THIS SATURDAY and next Saturday's shows have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but be respectful of the venue, which is a non-traditional locale for concerts and hosts other vendors (and of course, use common sense re: social distancing). Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live at the Motley Market earlier this month!



Next up, local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek have announced their second and third public concert dates (open mic/jam nights aside), and both are next month, so fans have time to prepare! The first one will see the guys return to the newly re-opened Reggie's Place for one night only on Saturday, October 3rd (the band says they are back by popular demand), so if you didn't see their live debut or want to check out the downtown Reggies anew, keep this date in mind! The other new date is a week later on Saturday, October 10th, when the Halfway Loaded successors make their debut appearance at The Rockstar Bar, and it will be great to see Fort Creek rock a new venue (for them) as the fall season winds along! Both shows have an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover are in effect for both shows, but of course, mind the social distancing regulations and limited seating. Visit the Reggie's show's official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

We'll close today with some new videos from local hard rock musician Joe Falco's YouTube channel! Though we haven't seen Joe on a local stage in a long while, he has been staying busy in the past 4 months with new solo videos with him on vocals and guitar, albeit not branded as "The Joe Falco Experience" anymore. Here, he uses the handle JoeJitsuMusic, partially referencing his Brazilian jiu jitsu pursuits that the channel documented from last year onward, and you can support his music and BJJ work by backing him on Patreon. There is a lot of ground to cover here, which old fans of his drum work with No Arrow and Faithless Sin will definitely want to explore, and we will cover those bands' uploads in a future post. For now, let's start with Joe's solo videos, which include many diverse covers and even some demonstrative videos to showcase his gear, including his beautiful Kerry King Warlock guitar, plus some a handful of jam and improv videos.

From the past 4 months, you can see or hear Joe cover The Counting Crows, Willie Nelson, The Goo Goo Dolls, Evanescence, Seether, The Meat Puppets, Creed, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Incubus, Radiohead, Marcy Playground, Eric Clapton, and even Bubbles & The Shitrockers!? Don't think that Joe is just doing covers though, as he has posted at least two original (non-improv) compositions, including "Teary Blue Eyes" (a softer ballad with full instrumentation) and "Dancing In Summer's Rain" (a classical piece). Joe tackles a wide array of influences here, which won't surprise fans of his old classic rock band Flashback, and if you're more familiar with him as a drummer, you may be surprised to see some very solid guitar performances on his channel, especially after 9 years of not playing! Vocally, he has a good melody that is very adaptable, but on many of his covers, the singing is drowned out under his electric guitar (a microphone would be very handy in this regard.)

Joe last posted a solo cover two weeks ago, but will more arrive on his channel in the near future? To embed here, I wanted to pick one of Joe's solo videos that showcased his talent beyond just one song, so I settled on this black and white video from August, where he improvised over 50's G major progression with some solos and teaser covers, though you have to identify them yourselves. It is great to see Joe working on new music again, so give everything solo a look above, and stay tuned for his archive videos soon!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & His Newest Live-Stream!!

Single topic post on this Friday night, all devoted to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and attached new concert video, and primarily due to the latter note, there's a lot to take in here, so let's get things rolling!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his sixth acoustic solo concert at The Motley Market on Gore Street TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced the show via it's Facebook event page yesterday. This will be the third straight Saturday gig for Tym at this new downtown performance space and vendor market, but if he has a weekly arrangement there like his still-on-hiatus Gliss dates, he hasn't firmly said so on his public band pages. Still, despite the late notice, it's great to see a hard rock musician playing live in any fashion as the pandemic winds along, and hopefully there's a solid (yet social distance-minded) crowd TOMORROW! No word on if he will have the camera rolling for a live-stream again, but he hasn't missed at this venue yet! Unlike his past Motley Market standalone gigs, this will have a later-ish start time of 6:00 PM, and while there are no announced cover charges or age limits, use common sense if you come out for this concert.

See above for more details, and for a preview, let's finally discuss Tym's live-stream of his last Motley Market show this past Saturday, as viewable on his YouTube channel. I held off on talking about it in case he had a short notice show there again this weekend, and lo and behold! If you like Tym's solo concerts, you are in luck, as Saturday's live-stream ran for 3 hours & 17 minutes, easily his longest to date, and with no S.O.Y.A. presentation in the middle like on the previous Monday's 3+ hour video, that does means more music for fans! The set proper begins about 3:40 into the video with covers of Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Sonata No. 14", The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun", Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately", and Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", before bringing back his jazz instrumental. Covers resume with the Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died In Your Arms", Phil Collins' "One More Night", Oasis' "Wonderwall", ...

...The Romantics' "Talking In Your Sleep", Amanda Marshall's "Dark Horse", Chris de Burgh's "Lady In Red", and Prince & The Revolution's "When Doves Cry", after which Tym takes a 20 minute break that is oddly split by an instrumental version of Red Rider's  "Human Race". When he returns for good, Tym picked things back up by doing that song again (now in full), Roxette's "Listen To Your Heart", Toto's "Hold The Line", Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", Amy Holland's "Shooting For The Moon", Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed", Amanda Marshall's "Trust Me (This Is Love)", David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy", and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark", before closing set #2 with an instrumental composition. This break runs for 12 minutes, and he kicks off his third and final set of his 42nd live-streamed concert by playing his regular Spanish guitar instrumental.

Next, Tym covered Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters", Firehouse's "Love Of A Lifetime", and Journey's "Open Arms", before playing a softer instrumental track. The concert and live-stream wrap up with covers of Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite", The Bangles' "Eternal Flame", Aerosmith's "Dream On", Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again", and finally, another rendition of "Human Race", though Tym did acknowledge before the third take that he was still trying to figure it out. 36 songs in 3+ hours, this was quite a marathon to watch and assess! Tym's performances are as solid and reliable as ever, despite his still minimal banter with assembled fans (watch for The Comic Book & Magic Man), and it's neat seeing the Motley Market slowly add to it's interior layout! However, we just heard "Fishin' In The Dark", "Eternal Flame", "Dream On", and the jazz & Spanish instrumentals in the previous Monday's live-stream.

Also, the dreaded video lag does rear it's ugly head during the second & third sets, which will be all too familiar for regular viewers of Tym's at-home shows, and if there was a way to remedy it, Tym wasn't manning the camera the same here.  Fun concert overall, with standby and somewhat newer songs alike to check out, so give it a watch below, and don't miss Tym at the Motley Market TOMORROW NIGHT, new live-stream or not! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Fort Creek Concert Preview, And Much More!!

For our first news post of the fall, we have two topics to get to: A preview of a (sadly) rare concert from a local band at this stage of the pandemic, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend from a prolific musician who has a new video to share from a concert that slipped us by earlier this week. Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will return to The Motley Market on Gore Street for his fifth public show there THIS SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, he only announced it via his Facebook event page yesterday, but it's still more notice than his concert on Monday got! In case you didn't catch Tym's late notice advertising that morning or our Facebook page post that afternoon, Tym played the new performance/vendor space for a third time in four days on Monday around supper time, but this gig served as live entertainment at the end location of A Walk To Remember, a march downtown in honour International Overdose Awareness Day, as put on locally by Save Our Young Adults. Of course, this is a wonderful cause and very relevant locally, as anyone who saw the W5 documentary will know, and it looks like a great time was had by all! Of course, had Tym or S.O.Y.A. announced his set with even a day's notice, I'd have covered it here.

Apologies for missing it on the SMS proper! As far as I know, SATURDAY'S show is just a regular concert, but if you want some live entertainment at this rising downtown locale, keep this one in mind! An early 3:00 PM start time is in effect, there are no cover charges or age limits advertised, and please use common sense re: masks & social distancing. For a preview, and as he has done for his other Motley Market dates, Tym did live-stream Monday's show on his YouTube channel, making this episode #41 of his live-streamed concert series, and the third straight to be shot at 132 Gore Street. For the record, he skipped at-home shows again this week, so barring a second virus wave, those may have ended outright. If you like Tym's unplugged covers, you are in luck, as Monday's live-stream runs for over three hours, his longest to date, so nothing was lost from that set if you missed out at the time! The set proper begins after 8 minutes of setup.

In order, Tym started on Monday by covering Richard Marx's "Hold On To The Nights", The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers", and Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", before playing his original song named "Someday" (I think). The covers resume with Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss" & Eric Carmen's "All By Myself", but he dipped into the original well again next with a jazz instrumental. Afterwards, Tym tackled Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny", Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like A Hole", The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", The Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra", two Billy Joel songs ("She's Always A Woman" & "Just The Way You Are"), A Great Big World's "Say Something", and The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love", before closing the first half of the show with his Spanish guitar instrumental. Tym takes a break for the next 50 minutes, ceding the floor to S.O.Y.A. member speeches, presentations, and mingling.

Yes, the camera is rolling for the duration, and there are some important things said about the organization and the walk, so keep all of that in mind! Tym returns for another 40 minutes of music to close, including covers of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke", Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", The Bangles' "Eternal Flame", The Beatles' "Blackbird", Starship's "We Built This City", The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark", Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns", Aerosmith's "Dream On", and finally, Abba's "The Winner Takes It All" (the last of three repeat songs from Saturday's live-stream, joining "All By Myself" & "Blackbird"). This was another solid set from Tym, full of established covers and a few surprise inclusions (I did not expect Nine Inch Nails), and this was easily the best crow he's had at the Motley Market! That said, he was a little too far left for the camera's viewpoint, and his banter with the crowd between songs could stand to be boosted a bit still.

Despite the very short notice, Tym's set was well recieved and well performed, so give it a watch below, and look for more similar live entertainment there on SATURDAY, perhaps with another live stream?!



Finally, new local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will become the first live band at the re-opened Reggie's Place on Queen Street East when they play there for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Well over a year after their public launch, this will be your first public opportunity to see Justin, Shane, Matt, Robin, and Tony on stage together, and while no one could have guessed it would be in the midst of a pandemic, hopefully the Halfway Loaded successors deliver a hard hitting night of covers (and perhaps originals?) tomorrow at Reggie's! Of course, Reggie's re-opened on Tuesday after a year-long closure and the sale of the nightclub from Reggie Daigle to Randy Lapossie, and while a lot of the old accoutrements and menu will remain the same, how much will be freshened up in this new era? Also, is this show the first sign of a live music slate there that isn't dedicated to country cover bands (Soundcheck aside), or are Fort Creek more country-leaning than past teasers let on?

An 8:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ show, there is no announced cover charge, and while social distancing measures aren't elaborated on in promotional materials, wear your mask (Fort Creek are even selling official band masks for $10), and use common sense. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's one of Fort Creek's few public videos with a full band performance, namely a snippet of the guys covering Lynyrd Skynyrd last fall! Trust me, the band is playing off camera.



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

The Full Rundown Of Tym Morrison's Two Motley Market Concert Live-Streams Last Week!!

As you may know, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison played at the Motley Market on Gore Street twice last week: On Friday in a show that had no advance notice publically, and yesterday in a show that had about a day's notice. Making up for his lack of at-home live-streamed concerts last week, Tym had the camera rolling for both of these sets for videos on his YouTube channel, bringing his episode count to 40 as a result, and they are the sole topic of today's post! Helped in this regard: Friday's show (episode #39) clocks in at a whopping 2 hours & 46 minutes, easily a record for this series! We'll address the videos chronologically, but Friday's is embedded at post's end. For the record, Tym acknowledged on his personal Facebook page that this was "kind of a surprise show" and was only "decided that day", hence the abrupt nature. The set proper begins about 4½ minutes in with a cover of The Romantics' "Talking In Your Sleep", albeit with clear audio issues.

Virtually the whole cover is overrun with what appear to be delayed overdubs of the same song, and it gets progressively worse, eventually sounding like a stampede! Thankfully, that problem does not recur. Next, we hear Oasis' "Wonderwall", Journey's "Lights", Tom Petty's "Yer So Bad", Ed Sheeran's "Perfect", Roxette's "Listen To Your Heart", Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", and Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". After taking a 10 minute break (remember, this was a live concert), Tym returned with covers of Cheap Trick's "The Flame", Radiohead's "Karma Police", Prince & The Revolution's "When Doves Cry", Supertramp's "The Logical Song", Boston's "Amanda", Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill", Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", and Toto's "Africa", before playing his Spanish guitar instrumental.

Afterwards, he tackled Aerosmith's "Dream On", Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns", Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny", Badfinger's "No Matter What", The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", The Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra", Billy Joel's "She's Always A Woman", The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love", Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke", Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", The Bangles' "Eternal Flame", The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark", Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", Journey's "Open Arms", Lonestar's "Amazed", Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69", and finally, Amanda Marshall's "Trust Me (This Is Love)". Well, that was quite a marathon! Tym's singing and guitar work was on point for his standards, and there were lots of familiar songs along with some deeper cuts, though like in his last Motley Market show, his banter with attendees wasn't too extensive. You do get a little more of a view of the Market at the beginning, for what that's worth.

Episode #40 of Tym's live-stream series runs for a more typical 2 hours, though it's not clear whether the show proper was only that long, or if an hour wasn't filmed. In any event, the audio quality is noticeably more muffled compared to Friday's live-stream, for one reason or another. After 4½ minutes of setup again, the filmed set begins with a cover of The Travelling Wilburys' "Handle With Care", but Tym leaves the stage area afterwards to re-angle the camera. His next covers include Alice In Chains' "Down In A Hole", Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride & Joy", Cat Stevens' "Wild World", The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Purple Haze", Collective Soul's "Shine", Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", and Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise", before sandwiching Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" with two Eagles songs ("Hotel California" and "Desperado").

The second half of yesterday's video sees Tym cover The Beatles' "Blackbird", Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Extreme's "More Than Words", Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn", Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama", Kansas' "Dust In The Wind", Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall", Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", Abba's "The Winner Takes It All", Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time", Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love", "Africa" again (the set's only repeat song from Friday), and finally, Eric Carmen's "All By Myself". Despite the downgrade in audio quality on day #2, Tym's performances were reliably solid, and the crowd did seem to be more engaged than on Friday (having a day's notice may have helped too.) Tym's crowd banter was almost non-existent early, but he did add a little more in the back half, and "Africa" aside, it was nice to see an almost entirely unique set on the second day! Give both live-streams a watch above and below, and stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), And The Return Of Mike Haggith's #LockdownLive!!

I was not expecting to rush a new news post on the site today, but with a surprise SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a matinee gig tomorrow, I had to get this one up as soon as possible. Rounding things out is full coverage of a live-streamed concert that took place earlier this evening, so here's what you should know!

Local hard/classic rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to the Motley Market at 132 Gore Street for a special matinee concert TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page this morning. TOMORROW'S surprise booking will be Tym's third appearance at the new performance/vendor marketplace, following his Thursday evening show there three weeks back and a surprise show there tonight that was not publically advertised in advance, and I only learned about it when I saw the link for it's live-stream! Maybe that's partly to blame for why he didn't do any at-home shows this week? If this is publically attendable and not a private function, I do apologize for not covering it with any notice, but alas, there wasn't any, and the above event page only reflects on TOMORROW'S matinee gig, which will also be live-streamed on his his YouTube channel.

Clearly, things have been ironed out between Tym and the venue after the abrupt cancellation of his weekly Thursday series there, and we'll have full coverage on both live-streams next week! As for TOMORROW'S show (which seems like it has tons of notice now), an early 2:00 PM start time is advertised, and there are no announced age limits or cover charges. None of the advertising references social distancing, but if you are curious to see the show live at the Motley Market, please use common sense. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live there earlier this month!



Next up, let's recap the long awaited fourteenth installment of local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's #LockdownLive at-home concert series, which just took place tonight on his Facebook page! Readers may recall Mike's 13 weekly shows from April-June during most of the pandemic lockdowns, and despite plans to move to a once a month format afterwards (thanks largely to work resuming for Mike and viewers), we had to wait almost two months due to renovation-linked delays. The episode proper does not have a theme, and it is actually much shorter than later #LockdownLive episodes were getting (this doesn't even run for an hour!), but Mike did explain that "we're just gonna have some fun with it." The set proper begins with Mike's fan-requested cover of The Gourds' version of Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice", before Mike promotes his new CD "If Ever Comes The Day", from which he plays his own song "MorningStar".

Afterwards, Mike promotes the return of his contest where the most engaged share of #LockdownLive XIV tonight will get to pick his mandatory cover song next time around, and promoted plans to pump up usage of his YouTube channel with reviews of albums from other artists, specifically mentioning New Jersey indie/ambient solo act Project Atlantis' album "Ghost Stories", which Mike recommended strongly, and he covers "Alice" from that release next. Another cover follows, namely Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (no, Mike doesn't impersonate him mid-song), before he acknowledges that he has been working on some new original material, and he unveils his new song "Carousel" for the first time publically here (I think). Another "If Ever Comes The Day" cut is next, namely "Communique", which leads into his cover of Prince & The Revolution's "Purple Rain".

Next, Mike addresses the fan-vote winner's selected cover from #LockdownLive XIII's contest, and I have to be honest, the post-show where that was announced has not been covered on the SMS at press time, having completely slipped us by after it's live airing on June 29th. Given how news has slowed down as the summer creeped along, missing that is supremely negligent on my part, but I will belatedly include it in a post on the site next week. Apologies for the delay! In case you missed it too, Brandi Martel won the share contest for a second time in three installments, and nominated Mike to cover Joshua Kadison's "Beautiful In My Eyes", which is a sincere cover of an artist Mike likes unironically, similar to her previous request. The set wraps up with The Din's "Missing" and one more from his newest album ("Back Away Slowly") before outlining plans to get #LockdownLive back on a monthly schedule next month, date to be determined in his private fan group.

A shorter, theme-less episode was probably a good idea to ease back into the #LockdownLive routine after two months away, and luckily, nothing felt off or different (even down to talking about his cats at the end!) This will be a good episode to watch if you like Mike's softer influences,  and his vocal and guitar work are as strong as ever, so give episode #14 a watch below, and we will cover episode #13's post-show next week! As best as I can recall, Mike said there wouldn't be one for this installment.



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

A Surprise Band Reunion, Tarnished Updates, Show Cancellations, And More!!

News remains slow as of late, but today's post is surprisingly stacked and eventful, including a lengthy live-stream, related concert cancellations, a rising young band's recent busy activity, and leading off, a band reunion almost a quarter century in the making! Here's what you should know!

Local/Hamilton alternative/hard rock band Foothill Road are back after a 24 year hiatus! In an e-mail, ex-bassist Ron Pyette alerted me to a brand new song that the band quietly recorded last year, before finally being produced this year and posted onto guitarist Mark Oliverio's new YouTube channel this past weekend. Entitled "Heard Of It", the song features Mark (last seen with Tripod The Dog) alongside original singer Ken Luxton and drummer Rick Bain, with veteran local musician Steve Cardiff on bass in lieu of Ron, though he was involved in the songwriting. Mark's former Glitch bandmate Mario Carlucci is not visibly back on guitar for the Foothill Road reunion. I have no idea if this will lead to a new album or concerts when available, but the song is promising, with a 1990s hard rock bent injected with some progressive and bluesy flourish, and their talents are still visible! It's easy to learn too, as this is a lyric video, which isn't common for local bands to post.

Just for context, Foothill Road's original run was circa 1993-1996, before members moved on to the now-defunct Hamilton-based bands Sara Inksetter & Cousin It. Time will tell how much more we hear from Foothill Road 2.0, but give their new song a listen below, and amazingly, they are now in our active band links! Stay tuned for possible updates!

Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan for the latest from local hard rock quartet Tarnished, so what have they been up to since Rock The Block? On August 4th, they played a private outdoor set for a graduation party (photos are on their Facebook page), and then on Friday, frontman Alex Traynor and bassist Josh Fair returned to Eagle 95.1 FM's morning show to promote their now-released debut EP "Down To The Wire", and play acoustic versions of "Shortcut" and a Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Bizarrely, this wasn't hyped in advance on social media, but hopefully it gave them and the CD some great exposure! And yes, I meant "CD", as physical copies of "Down To The Wire" can now be bought online at this link, so if you haven't had any luck at local retailers, here you go! CDs run for $10 American, and you can see the back cover of the case there as well. Finally, Tarnished got some big exposure on 9&10 News' lifestyle newsmagazine series The Four last week!

Much like Alex had for prior solo performances, Tarnished performed "Cocaine Riot" on their week-ending "Friday Sessions" last week, and yes, this was the full band with electric gear. It's always great seeing E.U.P. talent on the local news, and kudos to our local CBS affiliate for heading north to film Tarnished in action, from multiple solid angles to boot! Allegedly, Tarnished did more songs to be included in future episodes of The Four, so tune in on channel 10 (Spectrum) or 10.1 (antenna) on Fridays at 4:00 PM to see if Tarnished are that week's artist! View last Friday's performance at this link, as I cannot embed videos from 9&10 News here.

Finally, I was planning to preview Sault Ontario hard rock musician Tym Morrison's announced return to the Motley Market on Gore Street tomorrow, but his remaining August dates there (including on August 20th & 27th) have quietly been cancelled, as per the Facebook event page. A reason for their cancellation has not been announced by Tym or the venue, but remember that the pandemic is ongoing, and the market is still very new to the downtown sector, so one or both may have played a part. At least Tym is back playing public concerts of some form, and hopefully we'll see him there or elsewhere soon! As for his live-streamed concert series, the 35th installment did indeed take place live at the Motley Market this past Thursday, and it remains his most recent episode at press time, as Tym did not film an episode yesterday for (again) unannounced reasons. We'll let you know if he has one tomorrow, but for now, how did last Thursday's live-stream go?

As live-streamed on Tym's YouTube channel once again, this 1:40 episode is comparable in length to his at-home shows, but well short of the 3 hours the concert proper was advertised to run for (I believe this captures the second half of the set). The captured set proper begins about 5 minutes in with covers of Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed", The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" & "Here Comes The Sun", Amanda Marshall's "Trust Me (This Is Love)", Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69", Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes", Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me", Aerosmith's "Dream On", Toto's "Hold The Line", Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise", Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", Supertramp's "Breakfast In America", Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", ...

... Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", Yes' "Love Will Find A Way", 10cc's "I'm Not In Love", and finally, Tom Petty's "Yer So Bad". Entertaining set as usual for Tym, and it seemed like he was glad to be playing an actual concert again, but he is definitely chattier in the at-home streams. It's hard to gauge Motley Market as a venue given the camera angle, and the attendance didn't seem huge, but there were people coming and going. Note that 7 covers filmed on Thursday were already done in the previous Tuesday's live-stream. Give Thursday's video a watch below, and we'll let you know when Tym goes live next!



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