LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), A Surprise Band Breakup, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this post, we have a concert cancellation to take note of, as Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells are no longer headlining at the Sault Community Theatre Centre on April 10th "due to unforeseen circumstances", as per the S.C.T.C.'s Facebook page on March 4th. No word on if low ticket sales are those circumstances, but the White Pines theater was a big jump from their 2010s nightclub gigs here. Hopefully Hells Bells try again here down the road! Refunds for tickets already bought are available at point of purchase. Now, here's some updates on a local musician's newest studio material, fallout from a big recent show, a surprise band breakup, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will go "uncorked" for a special St. Patrick's Day concert TOMORROW NIGHT at... Smitty's?! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was first announced on the band's Facebook page on Friday, March 6th, but I didn't hear about it until last week. Yes, the new chain restaurant in the former Aurora's/Thali building at 384 McNabb Street will be hosting a live band, which is surprising in & of itself, but this won't be the first concert held there, as Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich was booked there last month. While that show was electric, Bone Yard's debut there TOMORROW will not be, a'la their Water Tower Pub, Gateway Casino, and Beck's matinee gigs. With St. Patrick's Day being on a Tuesday this year, fewer bars are hosting live bands on the actual day, so if you want to wear your best green attire and drink some green beer with some ("uncorked") hard rock, come to Smitty's TOMORROW! The weather will be better!

Beyond your local 225's presence and the sale of adult beverages (including green beer), there will reportedly be some level of giveaways for the occasion. TOMORROW'S central concert takes place at an early 6:00-10:00 PM timeslot, there's no cover, and as that this is Smitty's Family Restaurant, I don't believe there is an age limit, but use common sense given the seasonality. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S luck of the Irish, and for a preview, here's Greg, Alex, and Warren live!

Next up, here's some very surprising news that broke yesterday, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down have announced that they are disbanding, as per their Facebook page. A reason for the decision was not announced, other than to say that "it was definitely not easy" and that "we cannot carry on as (Double Down) without any one of us", though I will note that they did survive two lineup replacements and Dan's 6 month absence already. They did apologize to local venues for having to cancel scheduled bookings, including March 28th at The Water Tower Pub, which is the only one that had been publically announced at press time. A staple of the bar cover circuit since their live debut in April 2023, Double Down memorably played at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in 2023 & 2024 (closing the latter year), and they were known for their guest-friendly and Cancon-laden live sets.

Double Down had just played shows on Friday and Saturday at Jay's Piston Broke Pub alongside guest singer Jack Alisat, which makes things even more surprising (I even saw personal Facebook posts implying that she could be joining the band), but I hope things are amicable regardless of what exactly was discussed this weekend. They were a talented band regardless of lineup, and a welcome sight over the past three years, and hopefully we hear more from Joel, Beej, Dan, Ric, Adam, and Brad in the future!

Also today, have you been wondering where videos from last month's Trews concert at The Machine Shop have been? Honestly, I haven't found any public videos from the concert yet, but some media surrounding it has surfaced! Longtime SooToday contributor Donna Hopper returned to cover the show for this article, which features 20 colour photos from February 25th, including 13 of the headlining Nova Scotia hard rock band and 7 of openers Eddy & The Dirty Boys. Donna noted that The Trews' tour bus broke down in Dryden between dates, and that they endured highway closures due to inclement weather (readers of this post on March 16th may relate to that!) before finally making it to the Soo on schedule, and she also revealed a selection of the songs played by The Trews three weeks ago. Solid work with some predictably strong pictures, so give everything a look at this link!

While I have yet to find public videos from the show itself, Trews frontman Colin MacDonald was interviewed earlier that day from the Soo for the news piece below that aired on CTV News Northern Ontario! Conducted by anchor/former Sault Ste. Marie city councillor Tony Ryma, the interview sees Colin talking about how the tour is going, the tour bus & weather issues, their long work together, and their Ontario connections (two band members are actually from Northern Ontario originally). Effective promotion with a regional bent from the former MCTV, and longer than I assumed, so if you missed the piece on channel 2/11, give it a watch below!

Let's close today with the latest from local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary, so how did 2026 start for him? On February 28th, he revealed on his Facebook page that the first single for his next solo album has been recorded and was in the mixing process at that time. Progress was steady, and he hoped to give details "in the near future". The album proper will have 8 songs touching on a variety of topics, and he is still working with Swedish indie label Rexius Records on the final product. We've heard nothing new since, but Mike did post a new teaser video from the recording sessions on Facebook in December, which features 29 seconds of guitar soloing with orchestral dynamics, as filmed from tracking computer monitors. It is obviously way too soon to comment, but if you liked Mike's heavier sounds, you should take to this sample! Give the new video a watch below, and stay tuned for more Mike when it rolls in!

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

Killer Dwarfs Concert Preview & Lots Of Updates From The Northwest!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Monday evening, which is mostly devoted to one fast rising local band in particular, but leading off, let's start with a mid-week concert preview for you old school metal fans!

Oshawa glam metal legends The Killer Dwarfs will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT with another headlining concert at Soo Blaster! The Dwarfs previously rocked Soo Blaster in April 2019 in their first modern-era local stop, and that show was very well received at the time by classic and new fans alike, so don't miss their brand of 1980s metal originals with songs like "Dirty Weapons" & "Doesn't Matter" tomorrow! While not reflected on public advertising, local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has confirmed on his personal account that he is opening tomorrow, a strong fit considering his past work in plugged-in metal bands, so don't be late for his set! No word on if he'll be at The Trading Post on Wednesday though, stay tuned if we hear anything with reasonable notice. Presented once again by Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, this show was originally scheduled for tonight before being bumped due to a concurrent booking in White River.

Tickets run for $20 in advance at this link and at Soo Blaster, and a meet & greet is also attached to ticket purchases on some advertising. Be advised that some involved with the show are selling individual tickets for a discount on Facebook, inquire within for details, but the public advertised price is $20 (higher on Eventbrite for processing fees). This is a 19+ show, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. Should be a great show for period hard rock and glam metal fans, especially after how well The Killer Dwarfs went over three years ago, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here are The Dwarfs live!

Next up, here's the latest from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest, starting with the big reveal that they will be opening for Marianas Trench and The Trews at GFL Memorial Gardens on Thursday, September 22nd! The band announced this on their Facebook page yesterday, but band members had mentioned it on personal accounts previously. Definitely the biggest local concert in scope and seating that (The) Northwest have ever played, so don't be late for their set next Thursday, and discounted tickets for next week's Mocha Concert Series shows (save for Kim Mitchell & 54-40 next Tuesday, oddly) are now on sale online! Save 25% using the coupon code SHRINERS at this link, and stay tuned for previews of those two gigs next week! Note that SooToday's advertising for both Marianas Trench and Kim Mitchell notes that they have "special guests" on the bill, and while The Northwest are presumably that for the former, I have not heard of a potential local opening band for Kim Mitchell. We'll keep you guys posted!

The Northwest may have been waiting to mention the Marianas Trench news until it broke on CTV News Northern Ontario yesterday, as they got a brief piece on the evening news! Wish they'd have plugged this in advance, even without spilling the beans, so we could watch it on channel 11 (or 2 over the air). Photojournalist Mike McDonald conducted the interview with Northwest frontman Wayne Watkins & guitarist Greg Callaghan (Mike Yak is shown on camera but isn't interviewed), where they discuss their feelings about opening for this show, how pandemic downtime allowed them to write their new EP, and their influences. Mike McDonald noted that The Northwest will also be playing a show in North Bay next month (the band proper has not confirmed this publically on Facebook) and hope to release new singles next year. Good, if brief promotion, especially for how little of their music you hear for the duration, though video clips are shown.

If you missed the former MCTV News yesterday, you can watch the video & read the similar article at this link!  We'll close today's Northwest updates with their newest music video, which went online on their YouTube channel on Friday! This is for their song "Walls" from their "All In" EP, leaving only "Lights" without a music or lyric video this year. Directed, produced, and edited by Jeff King, the video was shot in Toronto by Pie In The Sky Studios with external actors (the band is only seen in a framed photograph). This video is basically reflective of the lyrics of "Walls" (repressing hostile feelings towards a negative workplace environment), with an office worker slowly losing his patience while on the clock and ultimately destroying his office and announcing his resignation in no uncertain terms. Well shot and it gets the point across, but it is kinda odd to see a local band's music video without seeing them live and on camera.

Lots to take in from this busy and very prominent local heartland rock/punk band, with a steadily rising profile on the local scene and from afar, so give their "Walls" music video a watch below, and see the links above for much more on The Northwest's recent activity!

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

Mikey Hawdon's Latest Quarantunes, Blood Shed Productions Updates, And More!!

Another work week ends today, and let's keep the consistent news rolling with the latest from a long-running extreme metal label, a new performance video, and to start, the latest from Mikey (Hawdon) & his uke! Matching his Global News piece on Monday, Mikey's "quarantune" videos will reportedly be spotlighted tonight on CTV News Northern Ontario's 6:00 PM broadcast! My source is Mikey's personal Facebook page, I don't imagine this is meant to be a surprise given the optics. Local readers can watch live on the former MCTV at 6:58 PM or so on channel 11 (Shaw Cable) or on it's channel number on Bell, with a likely internet link to the piece following, and I will discuss his appearance in an upcoming post. As for his daily ukelele covers, Mikey has posted three more onto his YouTube channel in as many days, including a solo cover of The Dukes of Hazzard theme song, plus a cover of The Wallflowers' "One Headlight" with guest musicians.

Embedded below is today's cover, which sees Mikey cover Teenage Head's "Let's Shake" alongside his Gabba Heys bandmates Lucas Stagg & Cleave Anderson, though lead vocal duties are provided by Hamilton rockabilly/blues musician Ginger St. James. Fitting choice, given that Teenage Head are Hamilton punk icons! While running for only 77 seconds, this is a fun acoustic cover while it lasts, and Ginger's dog Chico adds a star quality too! Give it (and more) a watch above, below, and on MCTV tonight!

Next up, here's some overdue updates from local independent label Blood Shed Productions' Facebook page, as they have been staying busy during the quarantine! On May 4th, they announced that they had a "cpl (sic) new releases and some re-releases coming your way", and to inquire with the label about availability. All of these are projects featuring label founder Tyler Gibson and/or frequent collaborator Chase Wigmore, but you know how prolific they are. The advertised new material include a new full length release from Tyler's primary grindcore solo project Crucify the Whore entitled "P.C. Sells... But I Ain't Buyin'!", an eponymous solo album entitled "Instrumentally Unstable", a compilation called "BloodShred Vol. 1", and "episode 1" of Chase's "Stray Dog Howl", plus print runs of late 2010s material. Upcoming releases include "History of Shedding Blood Vol. 1" (featuring their early 2010s songs)" and a new Malignant Neoplasm release.

As well, they have new drum & bass releases in the works from Tyler's Alegendary project and a compilation of some kind. If you were hoping to hear the new C.T.W. studio album, then you are in luck, as it was released on Bandcamp on May 18th! "P.C. Sells... But I Ain't Buyin'!" is a slightly longer release in multiple aspects, as 8 of it's 18 songs exceed 2 minutes in length, and only one is under a minute long. Chase provides drum programming on the opening song "Crucified", while "Stab Alley" is a cover of a 2016 song from Tyler's dormant grind duo Rotopsy. Content-wise, C.T.W.'s polarizing one-man goregrind attack and pig squeal vocals will still not be for everyone, complete with song names I shouldn't reprint here, but Tyler's unapologetic grind attack retains a solid local following, and it's great to see him continuing his music during the pandemic! Get more information and hear the new tunes above, and also inquire about Blood Shed's new run of cassette tapes!

We'll close today with a new video from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's Facebook page on Tuesday, and unlike his usual video content during the pandemic, this one is not at his home. Mike was able to perform at the Rare Earth Greenery in Thompson, and can be seen here playing his original "Communique" inside a greenhouse. Some bongos and shakers can be heard being performed by someone, and a man can be seen playing harmonica (I think) outside the door, but I can't hear it if that's the case. Nice & unique rendition at a screwy time, so give it a watch below!



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

Toystock VIII Fallout & Videos (Part 1!)

After a delay of far too long (blame personal commitments and the holidays), it's time to finally look at fallout from this year's Toystock charity concert at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday, November 24th! Lots of local news services were in attendance for the eighth annual installment last month, including CTV Northern Ontario, who sent camera crews to the event for a 52 second piece on that day's local news, similarly to last year. The video proper features video of Kaitlyn Parr's set (albeit without audio of consequence), plus a brief interview with Toystock organizer Greg Simpson about Toystock's growth. While it's not a long feature, it's great to see MCTV give it any platform, so give it a look at the above links! SooToday's Darren Taylor was also on hand for this article on the festivities, featuring 12 photos from the afternoon, including four photos of L!me's set, one of Kaitlyn's, and seven of attendees and the donations. Shame he couldn't stay longer, but Darren got some nice shots!

The article proper features a similar but extended interview with Greg about Toystock, and it's great to see how much he enjoys giving back to the community and helping the less fortunate each year like this! Finally, SaultOnline's Megan Pounder was also in attendance for this article, which features 11 photos, mostly of the Stuff-A-Bus, though she did get one band photo (more them in a second.) She left most of the formal coverage for an attached YouTube video that presumably also got played on the ONNtv streaming channel. The video features lots of clips from Toystock in progress, as well as an interview with Greg's wife and co-organizer Kerry Simpson, and it's very informative while also giving a nice look at what was going on that afternoon. The only band featured in the piece or in the photos was the Case's Music Band, but in a surprise change from years' past, they were not made up of students there. Rather, this band was comprised of Case's Music instructors, all familiar to local music fans!

In fact, if you like local progressive rock quintet Machines Dream, this will have been extra exciting, as singer/bassist Craig West, guitarist Jake Rendell (on drums), and keyboardist Brian Holmes made up 3/4ths of this band, rounded out by Parabol guitarist Steve Myers. Judging by the performed cover in Megan's video (The Beatles' "Back In The USSR"), I imagine they didn't get too proggy at Toystock, but they definitely had the musical chops and experience to make their mark! The above news coverage didn't get into hard rock covers or bands, but we do have some footage of that ilk today, as power rock quartet Re:Born played at Toystock VIII and posted footage of the last six bands onto their Facebook page the following day! They weren't present for the opening four acts, but we will address more afternoon band footage in an upcoming post. We'll start with headlining country rock cover quartet Bone Yard, who Re:Born filmed covering April Wine's version of Hot Chocolate's "You Could Have Been A Lady"!

As previously filmed by Mike Caruso at Reggie's West on Halloween, this rendition is a welcomed classic hard rock sampler in their country-heavy repertoire, and the filmer has a nice central angle of Bone Yard in action, with solid use of the zoom lens. Give it a look below!



We'll close today with Re:Born's video of themselves in action on this night, wherein they play their original song/Project 421 carry-over "Running Away". With their cameraman playing on stage, the camera is stationary here, but the audio quality and angle work out just fine, and everyone plays to their strengths, with Blair's guitar work shining as usual, and Elly's getting more and more confident on the mic with every set. Check their clip out below, and stay tuned for much more from Toystock shortly!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!