Glen Thomas' "Glen Yaps" Video On Soundcheck!!

If you're familiar with veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas, then you may be aware of his series of "Glen Yaps" videos on his YouTube channel, where he talks about anything that comes to mind, typically relating to music and drumming. His newest "Glen Yaps" video will be of SMS interest beyond those interested in drumming technique and equipment, as it's a 70 minutes long reflection on his recently dissolved local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck! Glen does note at the start that he was in Soundcheck and their predecessors/brief sister band Mourning Wood for 10-11 years (according to our old coverage of those bands, he replaced T.J. Case in Mourning Wood in August 2015, left prior to that band's final two gigs in April 2017, then replaced Scott McLurg on drums in Soundcheck over a year later). Next, Glen addresses their breakup, saying that the band was "going through the motions" towards the end, but they had a good run.

Glen next looks at the high points of his runs in both Mourning Wood and Soundcheck, highlighting the professionalism of the lineups, especially the 2018-2019 Soundcheck lineup (featuring singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Travis Sharpe and bassist Paul Belair), while also acknowledging the drama and internal conflicts that all bands go through, and the shifts in audience response when lineup changes happened, primarily hinting towards when Cameron Oliver replaced Travis in late 2019. He also reflected on their frequent fill-in musicians (often bassists) over the years, and how their experience as musicians allowed them to easily ad lib and adapt on the fly, let alone perform with a massive multi-genre playlist, despite not practicing very regularly. After reflecting on some of the individual members (including their most prominent fill-in bassist Rob Gilmar), Glen looks at the downsides of the band to him.

He starts by reflecting on how he actually wanted to leave Soundcheck two years ago, and desired some more musical variety and setlist input, and how he wanted Soundcheck to change up their set with newer songs in general to retain audience investment. While that was a struggle for him, Glen stuck it out and they found some new fans and fun gigs in the last few years. Glen also noted that he dislikes playing weddings or stags & does, events that often have a large audience that isn't there for a rock band, and he felt that he couldn't express musical freedom at such bookings. In the music business, Glen wants to play music first and foremost, especially nowadays. Reflecting on the ultimate end of Soundcheck, they mainly broke up due to Terry wanting a break from live music, but that lined up anyway with Glen having issues with the band's increasingly loud sound in concert aggravating his existing vertigo.

Glen next mentions how Cameron has a rough go of things when he joined Soundcheck, as some existing fans really didn't like change/Travis leaving, but he praised Cameron's professionalism and talents as he grew into the role. Apparently, Terry & Jim are going to keep performing together in a new band of some type, while Cameron continues to perform as a solo country musician. While Glen is currently working as a fill-in drummer where needed, he is tentatively working on new projects named Drones Over Jersey and Bing Bang Boom, as well as a mystery unlaunched project that he seemed to really want to get going, but could not. Next, Glen thanks the venues who booked Soundcheck and the fans who saw them over the years, while also crediting bandmates' talents again (especially Terry), and noting that commitment to your band is important.

After the camera died and Glen replaced his battery, he recapped everything and thanked all of his Soundcheck/Mourning Wood bandmates and predecessors. It's rare when you get such a long (and public) retrospective on a local band, especially in video format, and while this is just Glen's take on Soundcheck for good and for bad, it's interesting to hear how he assessed the group over the years! The back half does increasingly have him reiterating earlier points, but he's an easy talker in this format, and it's nice to get some public reasoning into why Soundcheck disbanded on New Year's Day. Check out the full "Glen Yaps" video below, and stay tuned for more news & notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Nowhere Fast & The Mourning Glory

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, as we continue our monthly spotlighting of defunct and inactive metal, hard rock, and punk bands from the Sault Ste. Marie area for current readers, all as randomly selected from our band links. This month is a double profile due to the first band having no posted material, so we added a second band with little information to round things out. Both are intriguing bands that never realized a fuller potential, so here's what you should know on each group!
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Nowhere Fast

Genre: Alternative/Punk Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (It is unclear whether "Kel" in the band photo on the right is Andrea's replacement or successor in Nowhere Fast, or if that was actually her nickname. Let us know if you can fill in any blanks!)

Andrea Croft, vocals
Rhiannon "Rhi" Jones, guitar/bass
Jess Walls, drums

Audio/Video: No media of Nowhere Fast ever made it's way to the band's Tripod page, but postings there note that they were planning to cover acts ranging from Rise Against & Switchfoot to Sarah MacLachlan and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and they also had plans to write original material. However, as a band without a full time bassist at last update, they may not have been ready to release any recordings when they dissolved.

Info/Analysis: Only visibly active in the spring of 2005, Nowhere Fast never advanced past their Tripod page for public updates, but they did showcase a strong sense of humour throughout, and they did seem to have plans in place to progress the band. It's a shame that Nowhere Fast never got too far off the ground, as an all-female alt-punk band would have been a stand-out attraction in the local scene in the mid-2000s. I'm not familiar with any of the girls from other local bands, but hopefully there's material out there!
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The Mourning Glory

Genre: Progressive/Hard Rock/Blues

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Glen Thomas (Soundcheck, Flat Stanley, The Peace Vibe), all instruments
Tony Kajnar (Flat Stanley, The Peace Vibe), guitar

Audio/Video: This studio project was intended to focus on Reverbnation & iTunes distributed original material inspired by bands like King's X, Rush, and Porcupine Tree. Plans were to record with a number of guest musicians, but aside from 6 solo demo recordings by Glen on Reverbnation, nothing followed on either platform. That said, Glen did share this video of him playing the Mourning Glory original "Elastic Man" onto his YouTube channel in August 2012, so you can get a rough sense of how the band sounded!



Info/Analysis: Launched by veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas in March 2012, The Mourning Glory saw a partial return to Glen's hard rock band work of the 1980s. Aside from adding his long-time bandmate Tony Kajnar in 2013, updates were sporadic at best, last coming in January 2016 on Glen's forum. This project is not to be confused with the classic/hard rock cover band Mourning Wood, who Glen drummed for from 2015-2017. Their rough demos showcase a promising brand of bluesy hard rock with some real creativity, but they could have used cleaner recording quality. The ambition was there, hopefully Glen revisits this material!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! This series will return on or around July 10th when we take a look at another randomly selected local band from the past, but not as far back as you may think, namely local indie/alternative quartet Bizotic! Look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rivers Of Nihil), Tym Morrison Concert Previews, And Much More!!

With spring perhaps finally upon us, here's a new news post to check out on this Sunday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, new videos from each side of the border, and to lead off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer, so here's what you should know!

Technical death metal fans will want to take notice, as three American groups will hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, July 6th for a night of face melting brutality! The headliners are Reading, Pennsylvania technical death metal quintet Rivers of Nihil, who are touring in support of their new CD "Where Owls Know My Name". This band has an aggressive, groove-tinged sound that should please any tech-death metal fan, so be sure to check them out in advance of this show! Support will come via Sacramento-based quartet Alterbeast and Nashville quintet Inferi, and with the former's chaotic and fast-paced aggression on their new CD "Feast", and the latter's black metal-tinged brutality via their new album "Revenant", fans will want to brace themselves for a metal onslaught this summer! Local support will come via the first announced concert in almost a year from death/thrash metal trio Pillory, though it's not yet clear if Jordan will be on bass or not. Great to see them back though, it's been far too long!

Notably marking the first promoted concert since last fall from Live705 (and a rare booking of theirs without A Dire Setback on the bill), tickets for this 19+, 9:00 PM show are a surprisingly affordable $15, which you can buy at this link, and presumably through Live705 staff and Pillory members once local availability is confirmed. This should be an awesome concert for death metal fans, with a stacked lineup of touring aggression making the trip north in July, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's our previews of former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's special concerts at Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! As announced earlier this month, Tym will bring his acoustic solo show back to this breakfast-centric restaurant for these matinees, which are unusually timed for a cover artist at most venues, but remember that Mark's often books musicians early in a given week for supper-time shows. These follow Tym's shows there in the first full week of April, and should provide west end fans with a wide array of harder and classic favourites, so don't miss out at Mark's over these three days! No word yet on if Tym will play a similar schedule there in May or not. Tym will be on at 4:00 PM each day, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but remember that this isn't a traditional concert venue, it's a diner in a mall. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also, here's some new videos from the aforementioned Live705's Facebook page, as a staffer attended Saturday night's Stegadeth concert at Room 21 and had his camera rolling! Three videos were posted from the show (albeit all in vertical orientation), including one clip of the band setting up for their first set, including new drummer Johnny Belanger putting up a banner with their logo. Fun for what it is! Two videos from their set (which was indeed fully electric) were also shot, including Stegadeth covering Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" with guitarist Tiffany Stocco on vocals, and, as embedded below, The Presidents of The United States of America's "Peaches" with bassist Bill Bennett on lead vocals. These are solidly done, especially if you're interested in hearing new cover choices from the T-Rex Manning successors, and the stage setup is nice (I like the monitor with their logo), so give these new videos a look!



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:

• Sault Ontario tapas restaurant & acoustic concert venue The Barrelhouse Wine and Whiskey quietly closed last fall, as per their Facebook page. A reason for the closure was not announced on social media, but owners are still operating the (concert-less) Embers Grill & Smokehouse on Albert Street East. This is SMS-relevant due to Tym Morrison's series of shows there last year, and while the Barrelhouse's end is disappointing, note that some former staff have moved onto Boston Pizza, which Tym played on Saturday!
• Earlier this month, dormant local country/punk veterans The Billy Bastards shared a picture of a new band logo from a computer monitor on their Facebook page, along with the caption "In progress...", with guitarist John Conway confirming in a comment that they have 2½ songs done for their forthcoming fourth studio album! How's that for a big update? No word on when we'll see their first public concert set since 2015, but stay tuned for more on The Billys' new studio work, and they're back in our active band links!
• We have removed local classic/hard rock cover band Mourning Wood from our defunct band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past couple of months. A reason for the page's closure wasn't announced, and while I wish bands wouldn't wipe themselves from the internet like this, remember that Mourning Wood were merged into & succeeded by Soundcheck last year, so it's not like we completely lost a band of this style and makeup. Follow them and The Peace Vibe for members' current musical projects!

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 (Stiffler's Mom & Mourning Wood), The Latter Band's End, And More!!

It's now time for our last concert preview post of the month, barring any further late notice announcements, and if you're wondering why we haven't covered either Live705's new concert or new Din videos, don't worry, they will be in our next news post! Now, let's kick things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two bands, including the previously announced demise & merger of one of them!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will end their local run with concerts at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we were waiting for confirmation of which band name these shows would be under, which only came via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Three weeks after announcing their impending merger with sister band Soundcheck, Mourning Wood will cease operations under that name after this weekend's shows, with the event page confirming that they're dropping that name going forward due to "a lot of backlash", presumably for it's provocative origins. Technically, these will be Mourning Wood's only gigs with "new" guitarist Travis Sharpe, and with Steven Flint moving to drums to replace Glen Thomas, but these are Soundcheck shows in all but name, and you'll see the same lineup moving forward as that band, including at The Esquire Club on May 19th & 20th in two more new confirmations, albeit announced for Mourning Wood at the time!

Our source for the May weekend is this concert calendar from the venue, and if they are not being transferred to Soundcheck, we will remove the shows from our listings. TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and next month's Mourning Wood/Soundcheck concerts have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details! Mourning Wood have been a very familiar sight at numerous venues since their debut in mid-2014, and while I often wished that they'd promote shows with more advance notice (or any notice at all for their country-tinged Reggie's Place gigs), they were always reliable in concerts for familiar classics & fan requests. Memorable sets at Rotaryfest 2015, two Toystocks, and their week-long Reggie's run last year were among their highlights, and I'm sure Terry, Paul, and Steven will carry that along with them with Travis in Soundcheck as 2017 rolls along. Best of luck to them, T.J., and Glen in the future, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, local hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page yesterday, though the venue's physical marquee board had advertised it for at least a day prior. After a month away from the local stage, this veteran party band will continue their recent Rockstar-only stretch of concerts to start 2017 with another night of familiar fan favourites on SATURDAY NIGHT, so don't miss out! No word though on who's playing at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night, and if you're hoping to check out Stiffler's Mom outside of The Algonquin Hotel, remember that they will be back at The Esquire Club in June. Expect no cover charge and a 19+ age limit for this concert, and a 10:30 PM start time is likely for SATURDAY, so check the above links for more details, and here's Stiffler's Mom live!



Finally for today's currently known hard rock concert previews, veteran local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for his previously announced regular acoustic gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Wrapping up another busy month at The Quality Inn's house restaurant this weekend, Tym's unplugged cover favourites should prove to be another solid musical backdrop for patrons and fans at this downtown location this weekend, so keep Tym's Gliss shows in mind if you want a more reserved night of classics! Remember that we will address his likely May concerts at this venue in time for next week's concert previews. In terms of tomorrow & Saturday, expect 6:00 PM matinee start times, no announced cover charges, and no official age limits, but remember where these shows are being held. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Soundcheck), A New Band/Merger, And Weekend Concert Previews!!

We're back after a few slow days to cover this weekend's concert previews, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE), but with recent major news regarding an apparent band merger and the new Facebook page for one of those bands, we're saving our previews of tomorrow's Who Made Who concert and this weekend's Peril shows in St. Ignace for our next post, be that tonight or tomorrow morning, so look for them then! Now, let's begin this post with the first of this weekend's concert previews, and that new band!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rednecks Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT, and they finally have a Facebook page to boot! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced early this morning via it's Facebook event page. Five months after making their public concert debut at the former Nicolet Tavern, the former Nameus finally have an online page to promote themselves and concerts with, which is great to see, but what do we know now? On Soundcheck's page, they describe themselves as "a new local '80s retro & hairspray cover band" and a "party like hell band", so if there were any fears about not fitting the SMS, hopefully this assuaged them! In terms of lineup, they feature former Carbon Black bandmates Travis Sharpe (Havadder) and Terry Eaton each on vocals & guitar, alongside Terry's Mourning Wood bandmates Steven Flint on drums and (in a new lineup announcement) Paul Belair on bass, replacing Robin "Bones" Lee.

According to Soundcheck's Facebook page's biography, Robin left the band "to take care of his health and well being", after having spent less than a month with the group. Best of luck to Bones, hopefully it's nothing too serious that he's dealing with, and hopefully we see him back on stage soon! Now, given that Soundcheck's lineup currently features 3/4ths of Mourning Wood's most recent lineup, you would be right to assume that there is something afoot with that band's active status, as Mourning Wood's Facebook page newly confirms that they are "going to be amalgamating very soon" with Soundcheck, though they oddly note that they're playing the "same music", and that "a new member is joining the band", presumably meaning Travis, who wasn't in Mourning Wood. My first instinct is that Soundcheck are simply adding Paul on bass and taking on Mourning Wood's bookings going forward, which include two upcoming weekends at The Esquire Club in a few weeks, more on them in the near future.

Does the merger happening "very soon" mean that Mourning Wood gigs will continue in the short term beforehand? Does the "same music" reference mean country covers are being added to Soundcheck sets? Stay tuned for updates, but in any event, TOMORROW NIGHT'S show at Rednecks has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more on this concert, Soundcheck proper, and the merger, hopefully public videos finally start turning up, and Soundcheck are now in our active band links! We won't move Mourning Wood to our inactive links until we're certain that Soundcheck have taken over all of their future activity.

Next up, and with April now well and fully in progress, let's add prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's slate of solo concerts at Gliss Steak & Seafood this month to our concert listings, including shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, plus a bonus return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice on this weekend's three shows, all were only announced by Tym earlier this week via their respective Facebook event pages (linked here & here.) Tym's usual Gliss matinees are continuing their march forward into the spring, with TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows joined by expected solo gigs on April 14th & 15th, 21st & 22nd, and 28th & 29th, so look for more unplugged hard rock classics at this downtown restaurant over the coming four weekends! As for TOMORROW NIGHT'S Roadhouse show, this marks Tym's first appearance at the Trunk Road venue of the year, and if you've missed him at this venue, don't bypass this show either!

As usual for Tym's Gliss shows this month, expect 6:00 PM start times and no announced cover or age limit (but remember where these are being held), while TOMORROW'S Roadhouse concert has a more typical 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and no cover. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live in concert a few years back!



Finally for today's concert preview post, here's a special Thursday night concert going down TONIGHT at The New American Pub, as Toronto hard rock quartet Return For Refund will make their local concert debut! Touring in support of their newly released studio album "Lift You Up", this talented band will definitely intrigue many fans with their 1990s-inspired blend of alternative rock styles, throwing in some grunge and blues influences for good measure, and they should attract a solid base of fans when they rock The New A tonight! Fast-rising local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback will open as expected, but there has been a lineup change, as it was confirmed two weeks ago that blues/hard rock trio Electric Church have replaced pop rock artist Mike Mikus as the show's first act (apologies for the delay in noting this on the site, it slipped us by last month.) A reason for Mike's withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and it will be neat to see Electric Church take on The New A for the first time tonight!

Apparently promoted by the venue proper (it is not Live705 affiliated beyond A Dire Setback's set), this show has a 9:00 PM start time, $5 cover charge, and 19+ age limit. This should be a solid night of hard and alternative rock originals, so definitely consider a trip to The New A tonight, check the official Facebook event page for updates, and here's Return For Refund live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Who Made Who & Peril previews, and more, next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Old Wives & Deathsticks), A New Local Band, And More!!

Before we kick off our first news post in four days, just a heads up that today is reportedly the final day for HMV's liquidation sales before their Station Mall location closes for good in advance of Sunrise Records moving in. Last time I was there, everything was 70% off or more, so make use of the sales today if you can, and we'll be replacing them in our music store links shortly as well! Now, here's a stacked news post featuring a surprising lineup departure, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring, and first, a new local band!

Over a month after their local concert debut, new local punk/alternative trio Handsome Sandwich have finally launched their own Facebook page, so what should you know? Comprised of Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger, Winkstinger guitarist Jesse Cook, and Redundant bassist James White (with Johnny providing most lead vocals), you may have seen this curiously named band open for Gianni Gagoots live at LopLops Lounge last month, but that remains their only announced concert appearance. Despite the trifecta of past common band links for 2/3rds of the band (James & Jesse with The Elements, James & Johnny with Caveman Morrison, and Jesse & Johnny with Jack Spades), Handsome Sandwich will reportedly not sound like any of them, and will harbour more similarities with Johnny's solo concert sets that he played in the mid-2010s, some with Jesse playing alongside. An original song named "Signs" is in progress, but unless you missed their debut gig, there are no other hints about their sound yet.

A band with such well done (if bizarre) artwork can't be all bad, especially with such a solid lineup of familiar faces from recent punk and metal bands, and it will be very interesting to see how Handsome Sandwich fare into 2017! I know that Johnny had wanted to front a punk band locally for a while now, and if this is the realization of that goal, then look out, as there's a lot of potential to be had, even with such a curious yet creative band name! Stay tuned for more on Handsome Sandwich as it comes in!

Next up, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with the delayed local concert debut of Whitby, Ontario garage/noise rock duo Deathsticks, who will rock The Gore Street Cafe on Thursday, April 20th! Work commitments scuttled this band's planned New American Pub concert in October, but now, they're getting a second chance for local fans to see what the guys in AlgomA saw when the two played together in Peterboroigh last summer. Expect some minimalist but aggressive originals with a psychedulic spacey bent at times from Deathsticks next month when they headline at the laundromat! In place of the never-debuted Dark Garfunkel and Sleeping Together from October, the local opener is ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus, whose own rising solo pop rock originals continue to make waves, so keep him in mind for April 20th at well! Despite Six, Two, Oh.'s intended promotion of October's cancelled date, next month's show appears to be in-house through the venue, as is often the case there.

As usual for Gore Street Cafe events, this is an ALL AGES concert under the venue's usual "pay what you can" model, and an early start time of 7:00 PM is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from this intriguing concert as it comes in!

Also, we have one more new show to confirm today, but this one is indeed via Six, Two, Oh., as three touring punk bands from out west will hit The New American Pub on Sunday, May 14th for what is being called "The Alberta Intrusion"! The bands in question are Edmonton pop punk trio The Old Wives, fellow Edmonton punk rockers Worst Days Down, and Calgary punk quintet The River Jacks, so how's that for a solid lineup of hard hitting punk from afar? In particular, you may recognize The River Jacks from headlining at The Algonquin Pub two years ago, so if you've missed them since that Gonqshow concert series date, here's the belated sequel! The local opening band is newer local punk/metal trio Stegadeth, whose frontman Bill Bennett opened for The River Jacks here in 2015 with Stereo North, and they should provide solid support to the Alberta intrusion in May! This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and $5 advance tickets, though the price jumps to $7 at the door.

Advance tickets are apparently now available at Northland Music, Case's Music, The Rad Zone and Big Guns Barbershop on East Street, so keep those locales in mind, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! This should be a great concert for punk fans, with The Old Wives' skate punk sound, Worst Days Down's more alternative stylings, and The River Jacks' old school sensibilities a nice match for any taste, so check the above links to give all of the night's bands a listen, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

Finally, we have a surprising update from a veteran cover fixture, as local classic/hard rock quartet Mourning Wood appear to have parted ways with drummer Glen Thomas. A reason for his departure has not been publically announced, but singer/guitarist Terry Eaton revealed that they have a drummer vacancy via his post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday. Glen has been a fixture with this frequently seen cover band since replacing T.J. Case in August 2015 upon their expansion to a four-piece lineup, and it was nice to see Glen back in a band that played some hard rock for the past year & a half, but hopefully things are amicable, and don't miss him with The Peace Vibe! Glen's departure may explain why Mourning Wood haven't played live in over a month (with Terry & guitarist Steven Flint's side project Soundcheck picking up the slack recently), but they are looking for a new "tub thumper"!

Steven noted in a comment on the aforementioned Musicians Wanted group post that "versatility is key", having singing ability is a bonus, and they just want "a skilled musician who's down to earth" that loves to play live, while Terry mentioned that Mourning Wood have gigs booked through the end of the year, including New Year's Eve (specific dates and venues not listed.) If you're interested in trying out for Mourning Wood, message Terry at this link or above, and stay tuned for updates on their drummer search and more general updates soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood & The 3 Day Millionaires) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this cold Thursday, let's heat things up with this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews! Yes, I am aware of the major new concert announcement for The Machine Shop next month (click here for initial details), but I didn't want to break up our concert previews to force it in this post. Don't worry, it's coming! We'll also cover Sault Michigan shows this weekend in our next news post, but for now, here's what you should know on the Ontario side, starting with some SHORT NOTICE CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only just announced by the band via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Two weeks removed from their most recent Rockstar Bar appearance, this union of Cleveland Steamer, Sneaky Pete, Wishbone, and Thrill Junkies alumni should be in their usual rocking spirits TOMORROW with anothr full night of hard hitting covers, so keep The Millionaires in mind for your weekend plans! Note that this is a one-nighter due to Saturday night's "Neon Glow Radical Retro Show", so remember that if you're a fan of dance party and/or old school parties. Also, The Millionaires are also hyping up TOMORROW'S show being connected to the birthday party of their "biggest fan", so prepare just in case there's some extra celebrations!

As usual for The 3 Day Millionaires' Rockstar Bar appearances, this concert has a 10:30 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's their current lineup live in concert last year!



Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood are apparently returning to The Esquire Club for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the shows via the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page's post from Tuesday about this weekend's concerts, and the band themselves have yet to publically announce the dates. After Terry & Steven spent the past month focusing on their side project Soundcheck, their original collaborative band will return to the stage for the first time since their Esquire Club gigs last month, and fans should take to their hard rocking covers and other varied selections at this west end venue TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As far as I know, Steven Flint will be back for these shows, after missing last month's while on vacation. As was the case last month, this weekend's shows have 19+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and here's a new video of Mourning Wood live!

Filmed on a stationary camera at one of last month's Esquire gigs and uploaded to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel last week, this is of Mourning Wood covering Bryan Adams' "Run To You", with Lucky 13/ex-Thin Ice guitarist Robin Lee filling in for Steven. I'm not a fan of the video's (or venue's?) purple lighting, and the camera is a little too close to stage, leaving bassist Paul Belair largely out of frame, but the performance is solid and adds a little extra rock to the original song! Give it a look below, and don't miss Mourning Wood back at this venue TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll next look at Tym Morrison's next gigs in his ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood, which continues as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY! The prolific local acoustic hard rock musician is fresh off of his special Valentine's Day concert there on Tuesday, and is back to his regular twice-weekly gigs at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, so if you're interested in an evening full of hard rocking covers from this talented veteran singer/guitarist, you know where to be this weekend! As usual for Tym's long term run at Gliss, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no announced age limits, but remember where these shows are being held, as Gliss isn't a typical nightclub venue. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews, local funk/hard rock instrumental quintet Gianni Gagoots will play their first ever headlining concert set THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock LopLops Lounge for the first time! Still somewhat of a new sight locally, this interestingly named band have been impressing fans since mid-2016 with their creative jam originals and loose stage presence, and this union of Redefined, Rising Tide, and Barn Board Trio alumni should deliver again this weekend! Joining them are two more unique newer sights locally, including the second live appearance and LopLops debut of newer alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic (featuring No Arrow, Sounds From The Green Room, and Smeltzer alumni), and the first ever local concert appearance from new local punk/alternative trio Handsome Sandwich, the new band from Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger, Winkstinger guitarist Jesse Cook, and Redundant bassist James White.

Handsome Sandwich don't have any online pages or posted media yet, but this creatively named band promises to be something different than what we've usually seen these guys play before locally, and based on preliminary information, owe a lot more to Johnny's past solo concert sets than Jack Spades or The Elements. When we hear more, we'll let you know, but don't miss Handsome Sandwich's debut on Saturday! This concert has a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Gianni Gagoots live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood & The 3 Day Millionaires) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

(Updated at 8:17 PM) Another weekend of concerts is nigh, so let's tackle that on this Thursday afternoon! Nothing in Sault Michigan on the hard rock side that we've heard about, but there's a nice amount in Sault Ontario, so let's kick things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will hit the stage for the first time this year with shows at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the shows via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page earlier this week, and the band has yet to acknowledge them publically. Fresh off of an extended week-long run at Reggie's Place by their new country rock side project The Jukebox Junkies (Glen & Terry alongside Lucky 13's Robin Lee), this will mark Mourning Wood's return to The Esquire Club after three months away from the Second Line West venue, though with guitarist Steven Flint on vacation, Robin will fill in on guitar, with our source for that info again being Glen's personal Facebook page.

Members have been busy in recent weeks with side projects (including Nameus/Soundcheck), but it's good to see that Mourning Wood proper are still alive and kicking, despite the lack of public notice for these gigs, not to mention Steven's absence, but don't miss out TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! As usual for Mourning Wood dates in the area, expect 10:00 PM-ish start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits. For more details, visit the above links, and here they are live last year!



Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will play their first show of 2017 when they return to The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, the show was only announced earlier this week via the official Facebook event page. A one nighter due to (or resulting in) tomorrow's show by classic rock veterans Obsession, this will mark The Millionaires' first show since rocking the same venue for their New Year's Eve party. This talented quartet should be in fine form to kick off the new year, so don't miss this union of Havadder, Cleveland Steamer, Sneaky Pete, and Wishbone alumni on SATURDAY! As usual for their frequent Rockstar Bar gigs, look for a 10:30 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See the above links for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires' current lineup last fall!

Moving to previously announced concerts, prolific local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison returns to Gliss Steak & Seafood for three more solo acoustic shows in his long-term run there TOMORROW and SATURDAY! One week removed from a two-date weekend at Gliss (he got the night off on Thursday the 12th, apologies for missing that), Tym will again not be playing tonight for a second straight week, as per his personal Facebook page. Still, he should be ready and primed for another weekend of acoustic hard rock covers at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, so don't miss out on these next two matinees! As usual for Tym's lengthy arrangement at Gliss, expect 6:00 PM start times each night, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant, not a typical nightclub or bar. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Finally for this weekend's known concert previews is the first big multi-band hard rock/punk show of 2017, as Live705 are hosting their second ever concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub! Now entitled "The January Jam", this show will unite 5 local bands and 1 local-featured out of town act for a night of varied original talent, much in the same vein as Live705's debut show in November, but who all is playing? In listed order on the Facebook event page (a performance order isn't public yet), bands will include local post-punk quartet Gnaeus, alternative hard rock trio The Din, Live705's flagship alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, new acoustic/indie trio The Autumn Roots, and new punk/metal trio Stegadeth, while former local punk/alternative bassist Nathan Bouliane will bring his Ottawa electronic project Sleepwellcity home for the first time on Saturday as well. Strong lineup, including four punk or hard rock acts, so don't bypass this one!

Note that the show was moved from The Oddfellows Hall last month, presumably following A Dire Setback's well received set at The Canadian's YouTube party, while an earlier posting on A.D.S.' Facebook page noting that they were playing "pending the condition" of singer Larry Babic has had no public follow-through, so unless something new is said, don't worry. Tickets are $8 in advance at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, or through band members, while admission will jump to $10 at the door. This is a 19+ event, and doors open at 8:00 PM. For more details on what should be a great night of local music action, check the above links, and here's Gnaeus live last year!



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

A New Local Metal Project & Album, Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And More!!

Before we dive into another weekend's concert previews, here's a new news post on this snowy Wednesday, so what's in store for today? Well, we have some assorted notes regarding three local acts' active statuses, lots of recent updates from a prominent hard rock band, and first, here's a surprise new band and album to take note of!

We have a new local metal solo project to add to our links, and they are Abhorrent Forest, the newest endeavour from ex-Despised Eyes/Death Rise guitarist Will Tholberg! Going by the stage name "Old Man Wyrn" or simply "Wyrn" for this project, Abhorrent Forest launched their Facebook page in October, but only commenced with major public postings this month. Musically, Abhorrent Forest are an instrumental black metal act, and in a surprise reveal just on Monday, their debut album "The End of Life" is already on sale via their Bandcamp page! You can download it free there, but it is available for purchase too via Bandcamp's "name your price" model. It's not every day that you see a new black metal album release in this area, let alone one this abrupt, but kudos to Will for putting this out! Without giving too much away, it's a huge departure from his past public band work, and should appeal to fans of underground minimalist black metal.

As this is a brand new album release available for paid sale, "The End of Life" is very possible for a CD review on the SMS this month, so keep that in mind, and you can also stream the whole album below via Old Man Wyrn's new YouTube channel, so check out Abhorrent Forest above & below!



Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven, who have been busy as of late, so what's new from their camp? First off, the band has finally confirmed the quiet reveal from last fall of a new second guitarist, that being Kyle Sweet, who you may recognize from performing with frontman Cory Murchison during his solo set at March 2014's Medifest fundraiser, and previously with The Sault Ste. Marie Pipe Band. This gives Skeyes of Seven two guitarists for the first time since Alain Fletcher moved to bass in 2014, and Kyle was a good fit in last year's initial cover video with him! The band still has a drummer vacancy though, and be sure to message them above or guitarist Ron Baxter at this link if you're interested in trying out! As for Skeyes of Seven's long-awaited debut EP "Stare at the Sky', we are still awaiting a full paid release, but the whole EP is now online to stream via Skeyes of Seven's YouTube channel, so what should you know?

Confirming a 6 song run-time, "Stare at the Sky" will feature their songs "See The Truth", "Pretend", "Enough", "Fallen Faith", "Cognitive Dissonance", and as embedded below, "Crawling Back Into Reality" (yes, they did delete two of their older studio tracks and re-post them.) No word on if the night sky motif on most videos will be the album cover, or on when that will see it's paid release, but the instrumental "Crawling Back Into Reality" notably differs by having a slideshow of shots from the band's run so far. It includes pictures dating back to their first show, even including ex-members Mike Mannarino & Jonny Amendola in some shots, and closing with outtakes from their introductory video with recent drummer John Mignacca (who drums on the EP.) My biggest problem with this video is that they include never-before-seen clips of Skeyes of Seven jamming and in studio, only to dub them over with the studio track, even ones with Cory visibly singing, despite the song having no vocals.

I wouldn't want the song broken up, but I'm sure fans would want to see these clips on their own, so hopefully they make their way online at some point! Still, it's great to see things finally nearing completion and release for Skeyes of Seven's debut EP, especially given how sporadically they've played live since debuting in 2012, so check out the songs on "Stare At The Sky" above & below, and stay tuned for updates!



Finally, here's some shorter assorted news items from the last while, all via our latest scan of our active band links, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We have moved local punk supergroup Killer to our inactive band links, as they have not made a public posting of any kind since January 6th of last year. A non-seasonal sister band to Toystock 2015 performers The Rude-Offs, Killer themselves have never played live, despite a strong lineup comprised of Destroilet, Treble Charger, and Stiffler's Mom alumni. For what it's worth, The Rude-Offs dropped out of last year's Toystock, but their lack of activity also coincided with much of Destroilet's year-long stage hiatus, so take those however you want. Hopefully we see Greg, Greig, John, Christian, Adam, and Matt back in some form!
• In a post on his solo project's Facebook page in May of last year, Din frontman Mike Haggith noted that with The Din "making some pretty big waves" in recent months, his next solo album (the "Neighbourhood Watch" re-recording) isn't currently a priority, despite him teasing that album that same February. At least Mike acknowledged why his solo project hasn't been active lately, but hopefully he can complete "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited" at some point, and of course, follow The Din for his high energy current original band work! We'll leave his solo project in our active links until May, unless there's new activity beforehand.
• We have also moved Mourning Wood drummer Glen Thomas' hard rock studio project The Mourning Glory (named before he joined the former) to our inactive band links, as he hasn't posted anything public on that project since his New Year's forecast post on his message board one year ago today. The Mourning Glory had promise, but don't miss Glen and Tony Kajnar in their current active projects The Peace Vibe and Flat Stanley!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mourning Wood), Weekend Concert Previews, A Band Discovery, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to briefly acknowledge the upcoming Guy Thiffault benefit concert on Tuesday, which was announced on short notice just a couple of days ago. This will be a massive show, and we will absolutely cover it in our next news post, as with only a week's notice, I didn't want to basically say the same things about it twice in a few days' time. Look for our full preview over the weekend, and I promise, you will NOT want to miss this one! Now, we have this weekend's concert previews, updates for an upcoming concert, and first, a surprise defunct band discovery, so here's what you should know before Christmas!

We have a "new" band to add to our defunct local metal & punk band links, and they are Second Guess, the 2004-2005 predecessors to the short-lived ska-punk band Break the Violence, and more famously, hardcore favourites As It Stands! I'm surprised it took this long to find their Tripod page, apologies if you've been wondering why it wasn't linked here already. Their last publically stated lineup featured A.I.S./B.T.V. bandmates Garrett Masters on guitar, Angelo Huckson on bass, and John (then going by Johnny) Mignacca on drums, though intriguingly, their frontman was noted local folk singer/guitarist Cody McMillan, of Blackwater & Soft Shoe Shufflers fame, while current actor Dylan Cook was credited as an ex-band member. Second Guess didn't directly cite their genre, other than to say that they have "a little something by the late Kurt Cobain for your eyes", but they did play a gig at the former Downstairs Bar on Great Northern Road on January 21st, 2005.

A CD with 7 songs was in the works at one point, and Second Guess had teased playing shows with alternative/emo favourites The Crossed and Calgary Christian rock band Kiros, though I'm unsure if these sets went ahead. There's not much else online about Second Guess, but it's interesting to see this page and check out what As It Stands members and Cody were doing before their local music work really took off! I'd love to hear the music that the guys were working on, but alas, if Break the Violence material and As It Stands' EPs still haven't publically surfaced online, what are the odds? Give Second Guess a look above!

Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will play their last show of 2016 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the concert via it's Facebook event page yesterday, though at least this show had one. Despite some Facebook postings implying that their Reggie's West shows earlier this month would be their final of the year, this absolutely will be, so if you've missed their request-heavy, fan favourite covers since their last Rednecks show early last month, don't miss Mourning Wood TOMORROW NIGHT! Presumably, Mourning Wood aren't playing on Saturday due to the venue closing early for Christmas Eve, but this isn't publically stated by band or bar. Expect a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit for TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!

Lastly for announced concerts on this holiday weekend, longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for solo acoustic concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Similarly to Mourning Wood, Tym is not playing there on Christmas Eve, again presumably due to The Quality Inn's house restaurant closing early for the holiday, so we have removed that show from our concert calendar (at the time we added it, there was no public word regarding any holiday preemptions.) Making his penultimate Gliss stops of the year, Tym's unplugged hard rock covers should provide some solid entertainment before Christmas, so don't miss out tonight and/or tomorrow at Gliss! As usual for his long-term run at this venue, expect 6:00 PM start times, and no announced age limits or cover charges, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today, here's some updates for new local concert promoters/label Live705's second official concert on Saturday, January 21st, starting with word that the event has been relocated from The Oddfellows Hall to The Canadian Nightclub, as per the official Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for the move wasn't announced, but performers and Live705 flagship band A Dire Setback did have a well received set at The Canadian during last week's YouTube Party, so that could have been an impetus for the venue shift. Works for me, The Canadian's a big and high quality venue, and it should be a nice backdrop for this event! As for the lineup, it has been rounded out with three more bands, including local alternative/hard rock trio The Din & new local punk/metal trio Stegadeth (both of which played Live705's first concert), as well as a band named SleepWellCity, which is the current Ottawa-based electronic project from former local alternative/punk bassist Nathan Bouliane!

You may recognize Nathan (a.k.a. Jonna Maximilian) from bands like The Crossed, As It Stands, Stillbroke, and Like Father Like Son, so he's played it all locally, and it'll be interesting to hear his new electronic material in his long awaited return to the local stage! Finally for updates, Live705 have confirmed that the show's cover charge has jumped from $8 to $10 (possibly due to the relocation), though advance tickets will still be $8, though availability hasn't been confirmed. Things look like they're shaping up well for this concert, so check the above links for full current details, and stay tuned for more news this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Mourning Wood), Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And Much More!!

With an extremely SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to touch on, here's one more news post for your Saturday, but check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post from earlier today below! To fill things out, we also have some recent performance videos, and some assorted news and updates in this post as well, so here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will return to Reggie's West (the former Roosevelt Hotel) TONIGHT, after previously playing there last night! Profuse apologies for missing last night's show, and the short notice for TONIGHT's, we only first heard about them via members' personal Facebook pages last night, too late to rush a post, but we did acknowledge them via our Facebook page. Typically, Mourning Wood only snubs their downtown Reggie's shows for public online promotion, but also, note that they haven't played at "The Reggievelt" since April (that I know of), so this is a recently unique weekend in & of itself. Drummer Glen Thomas indicated on his personal Facebook page that this would likely be Mourning Wood's last concert weekend of 2016, so if you want one more chance to take in their classic rock & often heavy covers, you know where to be TONIGHT!

There is no admission fee for this show, which has a likely 10:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, here's Mourning Wood live, and apologies again for missing last night's show, we'd have covered it on here had we known about it even a few hours sooner!



Next up, here's a pair of new videos from local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven! If you recall their live-streamed performance video from their Facebook page from November 6th, then you'll get the idea from these two, as the Sense of Truth successors did two more live in-studio videos of this kind last month! Apologies again for not covering these on here sooner, it's tough when they don't give any advance word before going live that they're even doing this. Unlike their first live stream, these are in an acoustic setting with the guys (save for singer Cory Murchison) playing while seated, and the continued lack of a drummer doesn't hurt in this format. However, both videos do feature four performers, as an uncredited guitarist is seen playing beside bassist Alain Fletcher in both clips. He's a solid player, and has a beard to match, but who is he, and is he a new permanent band member? If we get any confirmation, we'll let you know!

The latter video features Skeyes of Seven covering Led Zeppelin's "Going to California", though note that I had trouble playing it with audio on the Firefox browser. The earlier video (embedded below) features Skeyes of Seven covering three songs, namely Incubus' "11 AM" & "Mexico", and Tool's "Schism". These are solidly performed covers in a more reserved setting, with Incubus working well in particular, but "Schism" needs electric instruments for maximum effectiveness. Give that live stream video a look below, and stay tuned for more on Skeyes of Seven!



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

• New local alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback have been named as the local openers for the Blood Guy-headlined punk rock bingo concert at The New American Pub on Tuesday, December 27th! Our source is the official Facebook event page earlier today. It'll be nice to see this promising new band in their New A debut and first union between Six, Two, Oh. and Live705, so look for them then!
• In an update to one of the photographers in our link section of them (specifically, ones that have/do photograph musicians), we have updated the link for Brian Tremblay Photography, as the previously linked page now just says that he left photography and moved on to another career... but this website implies otherwise, with portfolios, contact info, and everything else at the ready. In any event, our photography links are all fine again now!
• Sault Michigan concert venue The Corner Pub Bar & Grill closed at some point last year (complete with Facebook page deletion), and it's site at 100 West Portage Avenue was re-opened in March as the 1668 Winery & Lockside Brewery. The venue is still hosting live music, but from what I've seen, 1668 Winery leans towards acoustic acts (among them, Half Stupid alums Zac Crook & Matt Williams.) The Corner Pub was a popular venue for hard rock bands in it's heyday, and while we hadn't covered a show there since 2013, hopefully the winery can host some heavier music down the road! As a result, we have removed The Corner Pub from our venue links.
• Sault Ontario death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora have quietly changed their name to Exploring Detritus, as per their Facebook page yesterday. A reason for the name change (their second, after launching as Debt To The Heirless) wasn't announced, but for what it's worth, this band hasn't played live in almost 6 months. The new name isn't bad, and hopefully this is a sign that the guys will play live again soon! For the record, "detritus" is a Latin term used to describe waste or debris in various contexts, often organic matter.
• Former Blackberries frontman Norm Rosteck is looking for a drummer for a three piece rock band that he's forming, which would play both originals and covers from the likes of The Damned, The Black Crowes, and The Black Keys, among others ("old punk" was also a cited genre to tackle.) If you're interested in trying out, message Norm at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from November 25th!
• Blue Chinese metal crash punk veterans Sykotyk Rampage have released another free "album" to their Reverbnation page! Entitled "Sanctuarium", it's considered the band's 60th album, it uniquely features 6 songs that all run for at least 8 minutes in length, and the band describes it as "a cult religious fusion metal thought control experience." You could call this one of their most experimental yet least provocative collections of songs yet, so give "Sanctuarium" a listen above, and headphones are recommended!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood & The 3 Day Millionaires), Sault Ontario Concert Previews, And More!!

This is a good time to tackle most of this weekend's concert previews, but first, we have a concert cancellation, as Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells have been forced to postpone THIS SATURDAY'S Rockstar Bar concert due to an undisclosed family emergency. This was confirmed by The Rockstar Bar's Martin Fiser on the Facebook event page, noting that they are working to reschedule for next month, and while previously bought tickets will be accepted for the planned make-up date, you can get refunds at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk. This show had already been postponed from the original May date, and while a 2016 local stop appears to be cursed, hopefully things work out regarding the family emergency, and that we see Hells Bells back here soon! They have been replaced on short notice by classic rock veterans Mid Life Crysis in a rare Rockstar Bar appearance, so if you're up for a night of oldies and classic rock, keep them in mind!

Now, let's move into Sault Ontario concert previews, starting with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! First, Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their Facebook event page yesterday. A one-nighter due to Saturday's Hells Bells-turned-Mid Life Crysis show, this will mark The 3 Day Millionaires third show with new guitarist Bill Brouillard, and first since Halloween night. That weekend was extremely packed for local concerts (as usual), so if you missed the new lineup's debut, you have an extra chance to see The Millionaires at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW, so keep this union of Boxcar Junction, Lucky 13, Sneaky Pete, and Havadder alumni in mind! As now usual for single-band local shows at The Rockstar Bar, there is no announced cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a start time of 10:30 PM. See above for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, as these shows actually had a week's notice (an eternity for them), but we couldn't fit them into a post at the time before things got too soon to plug twice in a short span. Notably, these shows follow a surprise concert weekend by Mourning Wood founders Terry Eaton & Steven Flint alongside Terry's ex-Carbon Black bandmate Travis Sharpe as "a band with no name", and while I can't confirm if last weekend's shows at the former Nicolet were originally planned to be Mourning Wood shows or not, at least Paul and Glen will be on hand for the full experience TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As usual, you can take in their classic and hard rock covers and fan requests at 10:00 PM both nights, these also have 19+ age limits, and neither has a cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live!
 

Finally for today, we'll close at Gliss Steak & Seafood, where prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison is scheduled to continue his long-term weekly concert arrangement TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! With his thrice-weekly matinees continuing to provide solid entertainment for fans of his unplugged hard rock covers, Tym should be a reliably entertaining presence at Gliss once again this weekend, so keep his shows at The Quality Inn's house restaurant in mind for this weekend, including TONIGHT! As usual for Tym's lengthy run at Gliss, there are no announced cover charges or age limits for these 6:00 PM events, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant, not a typical bar or concert venue. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our 415E preview in St. Ignace in our next news post, plus this month's Defunct Local Band Profile soon as well! Thanks everyone!