LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Even Flow) And More Recent Updates!!

Before we get too far today, we have another missed concert to acknowledge on the site, from Saturday, February 7th in Sault Michigan, albeit one that had no public advertising that I can find. On that night, local hard rock bands About:Blank and Crush joined forces at The Savoy Nightclub, and for a show that About:Blank plugged after the fact on Facebook & thanked attendees for coming out to, why didn't either band mention it on their public pages? Especially as it was both bands' first gig of 2026, though Crush haven't even posted on their Facebook page in over a month. I do apologize for not covering this show on here, but alas, it's hard to when no one publically advertises it online, especially from the Ontario side of the border. However, About:Blank did post two new videos to their Facebook page from Saturday's show of them playing their original songs "Hearse", and as embedded below, "Unheard", so what can we glean from them?

The video quality of these videos isn't the greatest (the vertical orientation and The Savoy's lighting don't help), but the performances are solid and have a good energy that fans of Parker's past work with Tarnished will appreciate! Note that this set appeared to be as a duo following Nathan Webber's departure last month (I knew Nathan isn't in Crush, cold bug-induced error, sorry Alex), and hopefully the guys find the right guitarist and/or bassist to refill their ranks soon! Check out Parker & Kade rocking out at The Savoy above and below, and apologies again! I'd have happily promoted this show had someone said something publically!

Today's post otherwise features updates from a rising young metal band and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll an hour west in Eckerman, where local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will play The Strongs Tavern for the first time this year on Saturday, February 28th! The band just announced this concert earlier today via their Facebook page when thanking everyone for seeing them in Cedarville last night, and it will mark their first show at The Strongs Tavern since July, an unusually long wait given that they historically play there often, especially compared to other regional hard rock bands. Hopefully the guys deliver a fun batch of rocking covers for fans out in Eckerman to end the month! If you're wondering, the picture is from the Cedarville show, but I don't know if hand drummer Brian Duford missed the gig, was just not present for the photo, or if he was one of the Snowsfest Bigfoot mascots in disguise.

If things go identically to 906's prior Strongs concerts, this will be a 21+ event with no announced cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more news and updates from Project 906!

We'll head north to Sault Ontario for the back half of this post, starting with one more new show announcement, as new local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow will play their second concert on Friday, March 27th at Soo Blaster! Coming almost five months after Even Flow debuted on Halloween at Beck's Bar, you know that the guys have high aspirations when they're already headlining a larger venue like this, and while public media of them performing isn't on social media yet, the talent is certainly there! And yes, their singer is indeed Barbarians/ex-Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, as per personal Facebook postings (the band's bio doesn't give his last name). Also featuring Papa Fogals Chair and Odd Man Out alumni, this grunge and alternative tribute goes down at 8:00 PM on March 27th, it will presumably be all ages, and advance tickets cost $10 at this link or through band members. See above for more details on this event!

Finally, here's the latest from local metalcore duo Hollow Sky, and while they just resurfaced for their first Facebook page update since June of last year, observant fans may have noticed recent activity on streaming services attributed to them. In December, an album named "Echoes Fade Slowly" by a band named Hollow Sky surfaced on major streaming platforms, and the local band's Linktree page kicks to this album on YouTube Music. The three red flags here were A. the genre (indie/pop rock), B. the singer (female), and C. the online footprint (minimal, I have suspicions that this Hollow Sky is AI-generated). I reached out to the local band to tell them about this so they can address the links and attribution as needed, and they confirmed that they are 100% not behind "Echoes Fade Slowly". I fear that this isn't the only time that such a name/credit issue will crop up on streaming, so be observant!

In terms of actual content by Liam and Adam, their new posting is of a cover-ish of the riff from "1. The Many Names Of God", a new song by Birmingham, Alabama progressive metalcore band Erra that isn't even coming out until Thursday. However, Erra posted the tabs for the main riff of the song on social media, encouraging fans to try to perform their own interpretation of the riff to guess how it will sound. The video (with Liam on guitar and Adam on bass) sure sounds good with a nice technical crunch, but it's a hypothetical teaser of another band's song. Check out Erra's new song when it drops later this week, and give Hollow Sky's interpretation a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Crush) And Saturday Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, I waned to note that this Saturday's planned Soo Falls-hosted Oktoberfest concert at The Machine Shop was quietly cancelled, as per the end of ticket sales (source here) and lack of recent social media promotion. A reason for the cancellation was not publically announced, but remember that we did have two other Oktoberfest events in Sault Ontario earlier this fall. Hopefully we see BookcluB and Silent 9 back at it soon, and Nein German Guys at Oktoberfest events next year! Now, let's lead off this busy weekend's hard rock concert previews (Rust and Beck's Bar gigs aside) with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

New Sault Michigan hard rock trio (and Tarnished spin-off) Crush will make their Sault Ste. Marie debut THIS SATURDAY NIGHT with a multi-band concert at The Savoy Nightclub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via this teaser video from their Facebook page on Sunday where the band amusingly sampled a bottle of Josh wine (as Josh Fair is their guitarist). While Crush did play a downstate gig since then in Prescott on August 22nd, and will also hit the road tomorrow to open for deathcore band Godstine at a "Creepy Cheapy Halloween Bash" in Battle Creek, this will be just the second local gig since Alex, Josh, and Iggy formed Crush as their new original music outlet, leaving Tarnished in their current covers-centric formation. The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands winners are the headliners on SATURDAY, and will be joined by the local debut of Rose City metal quintet Tribe989!

Crush had previously opened for Tribe989 at the aforementioned Prescott show last month (a fundraiser gig for this tour run), and Crush debuted at Bar-N Stock in Rose City in July (which Tribe989 also played at), not to mention Tarnished's past gigs there, so it's neat to see paths cross 3 hours north for a change. Tribe989 are a solid and melodic mixed-gender metal band, so don't bypass them! Newer local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank (featuring fellow Tarnished alumni Parker Talentino and Nathan Webber) will also take the stage on SATURDAY in their own first gig since the aforementioned Superior Whitefish Festival, though they were in the Music In The Park block, not the battle. Good to see About:Blank back out there, and hopefully their original tunes and sometimes surprising originals kick things off on the right foot! For the record, you may recall seeing Alex & Josh with Tarnished at the 117 West Portage Avenue bar back on July 4th.

SATURDAY'S concert (named "Destroy The Savoy") is at 7:00 PM, there is a 21+ age limit, and admission is $5 at the door. Not a bad deal all around for three originals-leaning Michigan hard rock/metal bands, and if you miss Tarnished's original material and more comedic social media videos/postings (we have to play catch-up on those), then Crush will be very much up your alley, let alone from their clear musical talent! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Crush live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario for a pair of previously announced concerts, starting with a matinee gig from prolific local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison, who will keep his busy slate at Misty's Fifties going with yet another early acoustic booking on SATURDAY! This is the second in a three week run of weekly Saturday matinees from the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman, so whether you regularly see him live or haven't see his skilled mix of vocals and guitar talents as of late, head to the Second Line West nightclub on Saturday to check out the action! Tym will not be at Misty's over Halloween weekend, but he will have six more shows there in November & December. Saturday's concert is another 4:00 PM matinee with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally for preview post #1, we'll head downtown to Gateway Casino, where classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking a two months-long break while drummer Tony Santoro recovered from carpal-tunnel surgery, this will be Generations' first casino gig in four months, and also their first show since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar. In his place, Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (a frequent fill-in between Brandon and Tony K.'s stints) will guest on guitar on Saturday, so come on down to see how he fits in with Valerie, Pierre, and Tony S. anew! A one-nighter as is standard at Gateway Casino (they don't book bands on Fridays at all), Saturday's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' return to the live scene, and here they are with Michael live!

That's all for now, but look for our Rust, Bone Yard 225, and Curtis McKenzie previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sylo & Tarnished!!)

Just before things get rolling on the SMS, today marks our eighteenth anniversary since launching the original group. No major plans to commemorate the day, but just a brief thank you acknowledgement to all of our readers and followers for continuing to stick around and read/engage with our content, and here's to another big year for local metal, hard rock, and punk music ahead! For our first batch of weekend concert previews for July 2025, we have an all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post, mostly of the SHORT NOTICE variety, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished have a busy and all-short notice concert weekend ahead, and before we get into all three gigs, I apologize for the short notice on all of them, Tarnished only announced the three via their official Facebook page earlier today. Is that a record for late notice gig announcements by one local band at different venues on a given weekend? Regardless, Tarnished will kick off the Independence Day long weekend TONIGHT when they return to the annual Fourth of July parade in Sault Ste. Marie, marking their fourth straight year playing on a float during the parade! Of course, the idea of a SMS-amenable band playing during a parade is still uncommon for bands other than Tarnished, but it'll be like a brief concert coming to you, which will be neat if you're checking out the parade TONIGHT! Obviously, this is free and all ages, but where can you see Tarnished along the parade route?

As last year, the parade begins TONIGHT at 7:00 PM behind the U-Haul on Davitt Street, running until Magazine Street, and will move north along West 14th and Ashmun Streets, as well as West Portage Avenue, so pick a good spot to enjoy the parade, with some hard rocking tunes from Tarnished alongside! Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with weather around 70° (21° Celsius), which sounds like fine conditions for a parade! Click here for complete details on the parade itself. Tarnished will continue the rocking in short notice show #2, as Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron will set up shop at The Savoy Nightclub TONIGHT at 10:00 PM! This will be Tarnished's first show at the 117 West Portage Road bar in over two years, and while The Savoy's modern social media presence isn't high, it is good to see that they're still open and hosting live music there! This is a 21+ concert with no announced cover charge.

Finally for Tarnished's busy long weekend, they'll return an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT as part of the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park at 200 North State Street, and in one more new show announcement, they'll return there on Saturday, August 16th as well! Good to see Tarnished spreading their wings and helping prove that there's more going on for St. Ignace concert venues than just Kewadin Casino, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind! Click here for the full daily schedule at the Music In The Bay series too, it runs until the end of August. This is another free & all ages concert taking place from 7:00-9:00 PM, and while the stage is covered for the band's sake, be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 40-60% chance of rain TOMORROW with 75° weather (24° Celsius). Visit the above links for more on Tarnished's shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Sylo will return to Reggie's Place TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Sunday (remember, Sylo don't have an active Facebook page). This has been a long time coming, as Sylo haven't played a show on record at Reggie's since 2022, so it will be neat to see Eli, Alder, Owen, and Jakob back at this Queen Street staple for a rare solo headlining appearance! Sylo have been making the most out of their return to active gigging this summer, and here's hoping for more of the same entertaining originals and covers from this talented young foresome TOMORROW! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in classic rock cover quartet RPM playing there tonight. TOMORROW'S Sylo concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Sylo live!

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That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Pop Evil Concert Videos, Plus More From Sault Michigan!!

Before we begin today's all E.U.P. post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this weekend's previews, as local hard rock/metal band Tarnished played a solo headlining gig at The Savoy Nightclub last night. Of course, they were among the openers there for Scotty Austin/Redburn on Thursday night, but the band announced that they were playing "round 2" there on their Facebook page two hours before showtime, and the venue's Facebook page never posted that Tarnished were pulling double duty. Maybe the idea of Tarnished playing last night came together quickly after how things went on Thursday, but I do profusely apologize for missing this show on here, I'd have covered it had I gotten more notice!

That said, The Savoy's Facebook page does have a couple of relevant videos to the big show on Thursday, one being this brief promotional clip from February where Scotty Austin himself plugged the local date. He even mentioned playing in the Soo previously and that Redburn have been up here before (they opened for Saving Abel here in 2015), and little details like that make a video like this seem less cookie cutter and more personal, so kudos! The other video comes from the show proper, as a Savoy staffer(?) filmed who I believe to be opening local hard rock band The Nameless, specifically the (vocal-devoid) last 20 seconds of their third-to-last song. The video quality isn't great, with the filmer panning around quickly to show the packed house more than the band, not to mention the vertical camera angle, so we never see enough of the band with any clarity. If you told me I was wrong and that this was Tarnished, I wouldn't be shocked!

In any event, I don't know off hand what song this is based on the instrumental snippet on offer (The Nameless were covers-centric upon their debut last year, and if this was Tarnished, it doesn't match any of their or Alex's studio originals). For what little we hear, it sounds good, and the solid audience at this early stage is encouraging, so give it a look below, and we'll let you know if more videos turn up!

The rest of today's post is devoted to the Pop Evil-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on March 17th, as the ever-prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel has us covered with videos of all three bands from last week! As far as I have seen so far, Chris is the only person to upload videos from this show on YouTube, at least publically. Yes, I am aware that he filmed videos at the Leash show in Sault Ontario earlier this month, check back for those next week. As for the Pop Evil concert, Chris uploaded 12 videos from that night, including seven of the Muskegon hard rock mainstays' headlining set, those being "Breathe Again", "Torn To Pieces", "Footsteps", "Skeletons", "Dead Reckoning", "Paranoid (Crash & Burn)", and as embedded below, "Eye Of The Storm". The audio quality on his camera/this sound setup is fairly raw, but Chris had a strong central angle of the stage!

You can tell that Pop Evil are very much on their game here with good energy, and if soundboard audio existed, I can tell that it'd be fairly similar to the studio tracks, so fans of Pop Evil's ample rock radio hits should be right at home with these videos above & below!

Phoenix metalcore band The Word Alive were filmed thrice for Chris' channel, including their original songs "Trapped", "Why Am I Like This", and as embedded below, "Nocturnal Future". The same audio quality harshness aside, The Word Alive are well captured here with a nice melodic flavour on their modern aggression, and the stage lighting for their set is accentuated nicely, so check it out below!

Finally, Seattle metalcore band Avoid got two videos from Chris, namely "Song About James" and, as embedded below, their opening two songs "Gator Fest" and "Cowabunga". Avoid's electronic-tinged attack helped get this show off on the right foot with some explosively energetic songs to boot, and I can see how them opening was the best call, so check out their videos above & below, and stay tuned for Chris' Leash videos next week!

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

The Scotty Austin Concert Preview, Plus New Videos From Each Side Of The Border!!

We're back on this Wednesday morning with some new videos, but leading off is a preview of a big local concert tomorrow night that I wanted to preview separately from our normal Thursday weekend concert preview post because it's that night, so giving it the extra day will be good to give it proper attention. Here's what you should know!

A rare multi-band Sault Michigan hard rock concert with touring acts outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella goes down TOMORROW NIGHT when former Saving Abel frontman Scotty Austin makes his solo debut here at The Savoy Nightclub! The man behind the microphone for Saving Abel's last three local stops (including 2015's Superior Festival at the Savoy), Scotty returns to the Soo tomorrow in the midst of his extensive King of Rock Tour of the US. While his Saving Abel run came after that band's commercial peak, his strong vocal stylings and local familiarity bode well for his first local appearance since Muddfest in 2019, so don't miss out! Joining him on the Michigan/Ohio wing of his tour are Saginaw rap rock band Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel locally in 2015) and New Munster, Wisconsin hard rock quartet The Almas, who each have their own fun brand of modern rock to bring to the table!

Of course, Redburn have not been back to the Soo in over seven years, but The Almas' energetic original stylings are new to a local audience, and both should be worthy compliments to Scotty's headlining set tomorrow! Two local hard rock bands are playing support, including the more classic metal-leaning sound of Tarnished in their Savoy debut, and fresh off of their late notice St. Patrick's Day show at The Merch, hopefully their upward momentum continues here! The lead-off band is local hard rock quintet The Nameless in their first show of 2023 and first since opening for the dormant Buddy Repperton & The Camaros last spring, as well as their first gig since ex-Tantrym Tyme bassist/guitarist Mike East replaced Nick Fish in their lineup. How will the band look and sound after their long break? Find out tomorrow! Presented by Blowout Biker Promotions, advance tickets for this 21+ concert run for $15.

As far as I know, there's no online sale point for tickets, but you can buy them through the local openers and presumably at The Savoy proper, though note that Tarnished said on their Facebook page on Sunday that "we only have a few tickets left". An 8:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, and it should be a big one for modern hard rock fans in the E.U.P.! A lot of familiar faces and newer acts are on this stacked bill, and the price is definitely right, but how will The Savoy do in their return to heavier concert bookings? Find out tomorrow! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Scotty Austin live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario to take a look at the newly released (if delayed) second music video from local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's forthcoming debut album "Deconstructed"! After being postponed from the single's release on major streaming services on March 15th due to unspecified "complications", the video was released to their YouTube channel on Monday, and it features the band performing their song "Better Off" (together and separately) through heavy post-production filters on a changing colour backdrop, not unlike those old Apple iPod commercials from the 2000s. As a Photoshop user, this reminds me of what would happen if the Photocopy filter came to life! I'll hold comment on the song pending our planned review of "Deconstructed" in the summer, but give it a watch for yourselves below, and look for one more advance single from the album next month!

Lastly for today, here's a clip of Heavy Lies The Crown guitarist Ted Olson playing 55 seconds of their song "A Hellbound Heart" on acoustic guitar! Uploaded to the St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band's Facebook page on Saturday, Ted asked fans if they'd be interested in hearing H.L.T.C. play an acoustic set, and while commenters more complimented the guitar/performance than answered the question, it's an interesting idea, especially if they have enough songs with clean vocals to fit! Ted's playing here (combined with the right pedal) helps this unplugged clip sound pretty nice, though I believe the video is mirrored. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown soon!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scotty Austin & Bone Yard!!)

Two topic post on the SMS tonight, as we have lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to look at, including a bigger E.U.P. show for the spring, but let's start with lots of new dates from a familiar local weekend staple!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard have announced their first 2023 concert dates via this concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today, ending their month+ break in the process! As you can see, four of the first six dates will come at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, which was the site of their last dates of 2022 as well, so if you're itching for some hard rocking classics from Greg, Alex, and Warren, head to the former Rosie on January 27th & 28th, and then on February 17th & 18th! The guys will also return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concert weekends on February 10th & 11th and then on March 10th & 11th, with next month's gigs being their first at the Dennis Street venue in over three months. The local dates wrap up with stops at Reggie's Place on Queen Street on February 24th & 25th, their first appearances at that downtown staple since early December.

As for the March 3rd & 4th dates, those will see Bone Yard make a rare road trip to Sudbury to play at The Coulson Entertainment Center, which last came up on the SMS when Soundcheck hit the road for gigs there in September. It's always neat seeing local bands make the four hour trek east for gigs in Sudbury, and hopefully Bone Yard make lots of new Boneheads in March! No word on if Bone Yard's gap weekend of February 3rd & 4th is currently open, an intended break, or if their sister band The Bearded Lounge are playing somewhere else that weekend, so stay tuned if we hear of bookings then. As for the ten new local dates, all are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges, and the start times are 8:00 PM at Shooters, 9:00 PM at Reggie's, and 9:30 PM at Jay's. Visit the above links for more details on these new shows, and stay tuned for more from Bone Yard when it rolls in!

Next up, here's a post-pandemic rarity for Sault Michigan: Touring hard rock acts coming to the area, but not to Kewadin Casino, as former Saving Abel frontman Scotty Austin will return to town for a headlining concert at The Savoy Nightclub on Thursday, March 23rd! Now, Scotty is not the singer who fronted Saving Abel on radio hits like "Addicted" and "The Sex Is Good", but he was their lead singer for their last three local dates, including Muddfest in 2019, so if you've frequented modern hard rock and post grunge shows in the Soo, he won't be an unknown commodity. Scotty left Saving Abel in 2021 to pursue a solo career, and will be touring the US extensively this year as part of his King of Rock Tour, so it'll be good to see him back at the site of 2015's Superior Festival that he and Saving Abel headlined! Also neat seeing The Savoy hosting bands again, I can't think of anything major there in years.

Saginaw rap rock band Redburn will make their long awaited return to the Soo as co-headliners, having last played here when they opened for two separate hard rock shows at The Dreammakers Theater in 2015, Saving Abel among them. Nu-metal fans should be excited to see Redburn back in the area in two months! Female fronted New Munster, Wisconsin hard rock quartet The Almas will make their local debut on this bill as well, and their up-tempo, direct brand of originals should be a welcome addition on March 23rd, while local hard rock quartet Tarnished will set the tone in their Savoy debut, and you know they'll bring their A-game for this one! "N More" are also credited on the Facebook event page, so if additional acts are added to the event, we'll let you know. Presented by Blowout Biker Promotions, this 21+ event has an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets will run for $15 if you believe Tarnished's Facebook page (no word on a hike at the door).

If 2015's Superior Festival is anything to go by, tickets should be on sale at The Savoy at 117 West Portage Avenue, and perhaps through Tarnished, but there have not been firm statements about ticket availability at press time (though this show will be cheaper than the Superior Festival was). Mid-range hard rock events with touring acts not at Kewadin are a rarity in Sault Michigan, so take advantage of this one if you want more like this to stop there, and many hard rock tastes should find something to like between Scotty and the opening bands! Visit the official Facebook event page for continuing details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!

New COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions In Ontario, A Local Band's Return, And Much More!!

Here's our first proper news post of 2022, where we're diving into big updates on a local band's surprise reemergence, a bunch of recent shorter stories, and leading off, big details on an unwelcome return to days of pandemic's past for local music fans in Ontario. Here's what you should know!

Concerts in the province of Ontario as we know them are on hold again, as the provincial government has rolled back many of the loosened restrictions to fight the dramatically increasing number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks due to the omicron variant, starting tomorrow. While we're not being fully locked down again (yet?), Ontario is returning to a modified version of the "Stage 2" of re-opening following the end of lockdown #3 in June 2020, which means that indoor gatherings are being restricted to five or fewer people again and indoor dining is also cancelled. Measures are in effect until at least January 26th, and for more on the new/restored restrictions, visit this SooToday article. Michigan has not followed suit with similar announcements, we'll keep you posted if they do. No previously announced local hard rock concerts were cancelled as a direct result of the restrictions, but be advised that the rescheduled Glambition fundraiser is only four days after the current end date.

This is all disappointing to hear, especially given how many Ontarians got vaccinated last year (I got the booster last month myself), but the omicron variant is getting to overwhelming numbers and is clearly very contagious even if you have had three shots. I don't want things rolled back, and I certainly don't want a fourth lockdown, but I also don't want people to get sick or worse. It is what it is, and I just hope that the new provincial measures do lead to a decline in COVID-19 case rates so that things can somewhat get back to normal sooner rather than later.

However, one immediate casualty is the apparently permanent closure of Pim Street hotel, restaurant, and concert venue The Canuck (née The Canadian Motor Hotel), as per their Facebook page yesterday. This news comes just seven months after Jim Brogno bought The Canadian from the Marrelli family and announced big plans for upgrades to the building, While this may seem like a rash decision for what we hope will be just three weeks of capacity limits and no indoor dining, I have no way of knowing how their books look, and maybe staff assumes things will be limited past the 26th. In any event, The Canuck did not resume hosting hard rock concerts last year, with the downstairs Canadian Nightclub not being used as a concert venue, and bands of other genres only played upstairs at The Upper Deck Bar & Grill. I'm not getting into any of the divisive reports about un-vaccinated gatherings there on the SMS.

I hope The Canuck/Canadian isn't closed forever, and that at least the Brognos sell to new owners, as it's a long established and well liked central spot for a meal, a drink, a room, and/or live music, and The Canadian Nightclub was the locale of many big concerts over the years, including my first 19+ show in 2008. Hopefully this isn't the absolute end, but best of luck to the staff as they make their next moves, and we'll keep you guys posted as more comes out on the Ontario restrictions!

Next up, let's move to some more positive topics, starting with the apparent rebirth of local metal/punk band Jack Spades, albeit in a new home! After 15 months of public silence, the band posted this picture on their Facebook page of a modified version of the classic Skates logo, coinciding with a name change to Spades GT. The band confirmed in November that they've relaunched out of frontman J.D. Pearce's current Barrie homebase (he moved out of town for work reasons in 2020) so does GT mean "Greater Toronto"? Inevitably, lineup alterations have followed, with the band enlisting Adaptive Reaction bassist Steve Lorenz and former Caym drummer Tyler Reiner (the son of Anvil's Robb Reiner) to replace Rob Speers & Johnny Belanger, both of whom are still in the Soo. As best as I can tell, guitarist Daniel Horton is still/back in the band, having moved to Barrie himself already.

Whether the band is moving forward as a four piece or keeping/replacing Tiffany isn't clear, but note that while she also moved out of town, it wasn't to Southern Ontario. In the November Facebook post, Spades GT revealed that there are "new tracks incoming", and their live debut under that name would be next month at Queens Hometown Pub in Barrie, but given the omicron variant, new restrictions, and uncertainty therein, I'd say that date is hopeful at best right now. Still, it's great to see (Jack) Spades continue on down south, and hopefully we hear lots of good stuff from them to come, with perhaps a return show up here when the time is right?

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:

 

• Tribute shirts for late local rock drummer Chris Thompson are in the works by his Frightlight bandmates J.D. Pearce & Kevin Powe, and pre-orders for them took place last month! Available as t-shirts for $20 or pull-over hoodies for $45, the artwork features a black & white image of Chris in his Frightlight outfit, as well as the names of his major local bands (the image shared on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on December 10th was preliminary & does not have the final band listing). Proceeds from the sales go to the Thompson family, and e-transfer the money to johnnypints@gmail.com with name and size if you want one!
• The next Mike Haggith live-streamed concert will take place on Tuesday, January 25th at 7:30 PM on his Facebook page, and for a second straight episode, he'll be interviewing a local musician he hasn't played in a band with, namely Bad Chug guitarist and folk solo musician Jacob Quarrell! Mike has produced material of Jacob's, and he was tapped to be in Mike's solo band for his cancelled "If Ever Comes The Day" release concert in 2020, so there is definitely a mutual respect there. Make sure to tune in to the live-stream on Facebook in three weeks' time, especially as Mike's covering two share contest winner picks!
• SooToday contributor and veteran local musician Chris Belsito covered the vinyl re-release of defunct local punk band Room 206's album "2 Innies & 1 Outie" for this article last week! Though it incorrectly gives 1993 as the original tape's release year, the article does give a little more background info into Room 206's active run, and includes some photos, including one of Soolebrity Records head & bonus song performer Mikey Hawdon holding two copies at The Rad Zone. Give everything a look if you want above!
  

 

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

The Future Of The Canadian Motor Hotel, LSSU's Internet Radio Reboot, And New Videos!!

At last, here's our first proper news post of June 2021, and there's definitely some stuff to talk about here! Half of this post is devoted to Sault Michigan topics, including a local internet radio station's big changes from earlier this year, and some new videos from a prominent local band, but let's start in Sault Ontario for some big updates on the future of a popular local venue!

The Canadian Motor Hotel has been sold to new ownership, and big changes are underway at the property. As per this SooToday article by Darren Taylor yesterday, The Canadian was sold by the Marrelli family in April (following the death of owner Carmen Marrelli in November) to developer Jim Brogno from Realty Executives Castle Alliance. Jim has renamed the hotel to The Canuck, and he has big expansion plans in progress, including new signage, adding a second story of hotel rooms, expanding The Upper Deck Bar & Grill (which may be renamed), a new chef, take-out pizza, and more Molson beer offerings. As for the downstairs Canadian Nightclub, the article heavily implies that Jim isn't planning to maintain it as a separate bar and concert venue, and is quoted there "I’m thinking a gym club would actually be a great fit." Jim hopes to re-open The Canuck in mid-June once this lockdown ends.

If this is the end for The Canadian Nightclub as a concert venue, it's definitely very disappointing, as it was a centrally located spot for mid-sized concerts, sometimes even all ages, and many shows there had a strong level of buzz, most recently the cancelled First Jason show there from last year. Personally, The Canadian was my first 19+ concert venue back in 2008, and it's where I judged a couple of major battles of the bands, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. That said, I understand that if the main difference between the upstairs and downstairs floors is a concert stage, and the pandemic has thrown live music into total disarray, I do understand that turning the nightclub into a gym or something else that can generate revenue short term is a better move financially. Besides, maybe The Upper Deck's expansion would lead to more live music (they did host acoustic acts already.)

In any event, it is great to see that The Canuck still has committed local ownership with a strong plan for the future, and I do wish Jim and the old/new staff the best of luck in growing the property into the 2020s! Of course, if we hear anything there regarding the future of live music on any floor of The Canuck, we will let you know!

Next up, Lake Superior State University's campus internet radio station has had another big overhaul! After five years of operation on the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's Student Radio Network via Backbone Radio, the former WLSO 90.1 FM moved it's internet radio operations over to a brand new station in March, as announced on Instagram. Officially renamed Laker Radio rather than The 46th Parallel (or Superior) Radio, this new station was launched via Live365, and airs a completely different rotation than they had through Backbone, with much more of a focus on a mainstream music variety comparable in range to The Moose FM in Elliot Lake. As I was writing this, The Offspring and Blink-182 songs played in succession, which was a definite surprise, but the rotation is clearly on autoplay right now (albeit with student bumpers) and those songs were bookended by tracks from The Lumineers, Chuck Ragan, The Doors, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

Musically, I did prefer their station on Backbone Radio, which favoured independent & underground music, and had more of a music discovery element, whereas the Live365 rotation is mostly artists I already know & usually don't like. Hearing a couple of punk songs in succession was neat, and maybe LSSU will invest in proper programs again in the fall semester, as they do need something to help the station stand out. They're not on FM anymore, and the competition in internet radio is VAST. At least the Live365 player is more reliable & nicer looking, and it doesn't crash on station identifications, but hear Laker Radio for yourselves at this link or above!

We'll close today by staying in Sault Michigan for a pair of new videos from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel, both as uploaded on Tuesday! Like their preceding "Military Theme Song Medley" video last week, one was made up clearly as a tie-in to Memorial Day (if posted a day late), and it features another cut from their 2012 CD "The Dawn's Early Light" set to suitably patriotic video clips & photos. In this case, it's for "Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier", and the somber yet uplifting imagery is a fitting match as you'd expect! Embedded below is the other video from that day, which is not from any of their released albums, and it features their song "Sword Of Odin". This is supposed to be themed around a fictional story inspired by Viking lore, but the track as uploaded is instrumental. Like their other recent videos, this features assorted clips that match the theme.

In this case, you'll mostly see nature footage, but it also includes a few alluding to vikings and bonfires. "Sword Of Odin" is by no means a traditional "viking metal" song (don't go into it expecting Amon Amarth), but it has an ominous & atmospheric quality that would befit the story it's intended to score. if only there were vocals! Give Theatre of Night's new videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Tuesday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), An Inactive Band Note, And A Full Concert Video From 2006!!

Three posts in five days, things are definitely starting to get a little busier around here, which can't be a coincidence given that the second Ontario lockdown is officially over! Fingers crossed that there won't be a third. Today's post features a nice long look a a full local concert set from 14 years ago, a note on a likely inactive local band, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT?! Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished (well, frontman Alex Traynor & bassist Josh Fair) will play a special acoustic matinee concert at Crooked Music at 539 Ashmun Street TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on their Facebook event page yesterday, in conjunction with a show there yesterday as well. That was announced on only 90 minutes notice, which isn't ideal, but it's great to see Tarnished playing live again! Apologies again, I would have plugged yesterday's show here had it had more reasonable notice! That was Tarnished's first publically advertised concert since the Rock The Block event at the same venue in July (blame the pandemic on the delay), but yesterday's & TOMORROW's shows are two-man acoustic jams with no drummer or Nathan in sight, a'la their live-streamed concerts from last year. If you can't make it out, Tarnished have promised that videos from these gigs are forthcoming.

These bookings make me wonder if last week's "Crooked Jam" video (embedded as a preview below) was either an unadvertised first gig here in their return to live performances or just a private warm-up, but given the absence of any kind of audience, I'd assume it's more the latter. TOMORROW'S show (as was yesterday's) has a 12:30 PM start time, no age limits, and no cover charge, but be respectful of Crooked Music's capacity, social distancing, and mask-wearing regulations. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Tarnished soon!

Next up, I will likely (and reluctantly) be moving Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements to our inactive band links tomorrow due to a year's inactivity. The band has not issued a public update since quietly posting a studio track from their unreleased debut album on their Facebook page one year ago tomorrow, and while the ongoing pandemic could be a huge factor as to their lack of activity, their sister band The Wyld Stallyns have updated social media & played a couple of live-streamed concerts in the interim. Debuting at the former Roosevelt Hotel back in February 2014, The Elements would become a steady fan favourite sight at concerts over the ensuing six years, including the occasional headlining gig, a few turns as tribute acts with themed sets & fake names, appearances at Rotaryfest, Hempfest, and Toystock, and sets opening for the likes of Saving Abel, Random Killing, and K-Man & The 45s.

I wouldn't be shocked at all if The Elements return when normal concerts get the go-ahead, but if this is it, they had a solid run with a fun live presence, never taking themselves too seriously despite proficient covers and strong original material! They could easily fit in with metal and punk shows with their diverse yet aggressive set, and most of the band have honed their unplugged chops with The Wyld Stallyns in recent years. Best of luck to Rob, Jesse, James, Jonas, and Alex in the future!

Finally, here's a surprise find, as a 14 year old video of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck live at The Canadian Nightclub was posted on YouTube two weeks ago! This was uploaded onto bassist Pete Dove's YouTube channel as part of a recent spree of full concert videos he's uploaded from this and various other bands of this, but this is the only Soo date, which took place at The Canadian (back when it's host hotel was still The Knights Inn) on December 27th, 2006. AC/DC fans will be more familiar with fellow tribute bands Who Made Who and Hells Bells from their more frequent local dates since, but Thunderstruck remained active through at least the fall of 2019, pandemic acknowledged. Pete gave some insights into this video in the description, noting that it was his second concert with Thunderstruck, their first in a four date swing of Northern Ontario, and his first proper full-concert video that he had filmed of one of his bands.

If you want blood, you've definitely got it here, as Pete's video runs for over two hours, so what AC/DC classics did Thunderstruck tackle on this night? In the first set, they covered "Live Wire", "If You Want Blood (You Got It)", "Shoot To Thrill", "Shot Down In Flames", "Rock 'N Roll Damnation", "Sink The Pink", "Sin City", "Givin' The Dog A Bone", "Dog Eat Dog" (which is not credited in the description's setlist), "T.N.T.", "Rock 'N Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", and "Whole Lotta Rosie", before taking their break, which Pete did abbreviate here. The second set features renditions of "Hells Bells", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Who Made Who", "Jailbreak", "Back In Black", "It's A Long Way To The Top ("If You Wanna Rock 'N Roll)", "Girls Got Rhythm", "Have A Drink On Me", "Highway To Hell", and "You Shook Me All Night Long"...

...before returning with their namesake song "Thunderstruck" as an encore. Intriguingly, the last seven minutes of the video features the band hanging out in their rooms at the former Knights Inn after the concert, and seeing this VCR camcorder video of them watching a CRT TV makes it feel even older than it actually is! Very solid set of AC/DC classics from a band with the requisite chops, especially with Blair Briceland & a very energetic Rich Trevor nicely channeling Brian and Angus respectively, and the audio quality holds up well after 14 years! Give Thunderstruck in the Soo a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll on the site on Thursday, and with the recent uptick in news, we shouldn't be waiting until Sunday for a traditional post! Thanks everyone!

The Latest From A Dire Setback & Tarnished, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Canadian Motor Hotel founder Carmen Marrelli, who passed away on Monday at the age of 85. You can read his SooToday obituary at this link, and he is survived by his wife Yolanda, sons Albert, Joe, and Rick, three sisters, four granchildren, and many others in his extended family. An emigrant from Italy, Carmen's resume as a local business owner is extensive, but many will be most familiar with him for his original ownership and familiar presence at The Canadian Motor Hotel and it's related businesses (such as the downstairs nightclub), and many friends and past employees have shared their remembrances of him this week. Public services will take place tomorrow at 10:00 AM at Northwood Funeral Home, albeit with COVID-19 restrictions, and a tribute is planned in The Canadian's parking lot at 2:00 PM during the procession. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Kidney Foundation.

I have never met Carmen, but I have heard many great things about him as a businessman, boss, and person, and he deserves much credit for founding The Canadian and helping grow it into a successful hotel, nightclub, restaurant, and concert venue (in spite of the occasional flood or pandemic), and his son Albert has followed nicely in his footsteps there. R.I.P. Carmen!

Now, this is our first proper news post of November 2020, as news remains exceedingly slow at this relatively late stage of the pandemic. As such, our overall post count remains low as of late, and that is why Facebook is starting to remind me to update our Facebook page! If there's not much to say or report on by Saturday, I may bump this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up a few days, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We'll start with the latest from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, including an apology, as they played an admittedly late notice gig this past Friday (Halloween night) at the Pickford Township Park! It came out afterwards that the show was tied in with a wedding, but it was publically announced just minutes before the set began. Apologies for missing it, but hopefully the show was a blast for the happy couple and attendees alike! Beyond that, Tarnished have been staying busy making their first ever music video!

The guys have been working with Jay London Photography on the video for their song "Metalyn", which will star Malia Lefebre in an acting role (pictured with Alex, Josh, and Gary above). This teaser video was shared on their Facebook page yesterday featuring clips of the band setting up for a performance on a rooftop which will be featured in the video, and while it doesn't show us much about how the actual video will look, we will allegedly see the final product "by mid-December." Unfortunately, the teaser video cannot be embedded here due to it's privacy settings, but give it a look at this link or above, and stay tuned for more from Tarnished's camp!

Next up, here's an 11 minutes-long new video from Sault Ontario punk trio A Dire Setback's Facebook page, so what can be seen and heard there? Shot by bassist Matt Quinn at a bonfire this past Friday, he tells viewers that they are about to record and release "some stuff" now that they can work together safely again, and they will "do something together on the internet", while also acknowledging that they're putting their family's health and safety ahead of playing concerts where available. Matt ended by teasing other big news, perhaps a new band member, but a lot of the reveals here were teasers that didn't give a lot away. More of the video is spent observing the bonfire while Matt talks abou a variety of colourful subjects with others present, including bandmates and their family members. Nice to get some updates from A Dire Setback's camp, and hopefully their plans hold up in the near term, but check the video out for yourself 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:

• The Buckcherry-headlined concert at Soo Blaster has finally been rescheduled, and it will now take place on Tuesday, May 11th, which is six months to the day of the original date, which was obviously cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No changes are listed on the Facebook event page re: local openers or ticket prices, but I presume anything bought for the November 11th date will be usable in May or refundable at point of purchase. There's a long ways to go before May 11th, but hopefully things level out by then!
• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades are indeed featured on Toronto independent label Cursed Blessings Records' new double-length compilation album "Reinventing The Safety Pin", as released on Friday! Despite the label's advertising that the album is made up of "previously unreleased songs", Jack Spades' contribution ("Motorwolf") was released on the 2015 split "Fed Up!" with The Ripcordz (who are also on this compilation) and fellow locals Destroilet (who are not). Maybe the label meant the songs were previously unreleased by them? Either way, buy or stream "Reinventing The Safety Pin" above for loads of entertaining Canadian punk rock from dozens of talented bands!
• This probably goes without saying now, but I have removed the rescheduled Mike Haggith CD release concert at LopLops Lounge on Friday from our concert calendar. Mike hasn't verbally called the show off at press time, but LopLops is not among the few local nightclubs hosting concerts right now, and the odds this one will magically happen in two days are extremely slight. Hopefully Mike returns to the Soo next year, assuming the climate improves!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new post of some kind by Saturday! Thanks everyone!