LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Viscera), The Second Downtown Street Party Preview, And More!!

Here's a new news post on this Wednesday morning, which includes a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month and a clarification on what's airing on one of our two local rock radio stations, while this post also serves as a bit of a soft launch for the busiest weekend of the year around these parts via a preview of a big outdoor concert tomorrow night. Let's get things rolling!

Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera will play their next local gig on Saturday, August 22nd at Three One Three On Ashmun! Announced via their Instagram page on Monday as part of this concert calendar (also confirming a new return to Marquette on August 1st), the local date will see Viscera headline at the former Back Door, in what is being branded as from "Soo Tang Records". Is that Viscera's own in-house promotion agency, and is Soo Tang for the children? Viscera made their local debut at Three One Three in March, and for their encore there, they are looking for support bands, so if you're interested in hopping on this bill, message their Facebook page or above for more information! This concert takes place at 7:00 PM, it is presumably 21+, and while admission fees aren't given yet, the March show there (which featured Marquette metal band PonyWorm) cost $10 in advance & $15 at the door.

While we're on the subject, Viscera released their first ever music video to their new YouTube channel on June 6th! Their first studio original song since adding bassist Chris Lovins to their ranks, this is entitled "Chinga La Migra" (Spanish for "Fuck Immigration"), which sets the tone for a politically charged anti-ICE music video, though it's more of a lyric video, as you don't see Bob, Chris, or Mitchell on camera. In your face with strong opinions that will especially resonate with many Yoopers, and it leans into hardcore punk well, though the slower, more melodic choruses kinda stunt the momentum. Give it a watch/listen below, and stay tuned for more from Viscera and their Three One Three show next month soon!

Next up, here's our preview of TOMORROW'S second Downtown Street Party in Sault Ontario for 2026! As these move west along Queen Street East, Street Party #2 takes place on a closed block of Queen from Brock Street to Elgin Street (the former RBC to the courthouse), but as this stretch is adjacent to to the Downtown Plaza, there will be more going on during the festivities. Local vendors will be on site, along with beverage gardens, food for sale, kids activities and games (in a proper Kids Zone, no less), and numerous Queen Street businesses will be open en route. The Downtown Plaza will play host to Nicole Does Trivia at 7:00 PM, followed by a free screening of Jaws 1 at 9:30 PM, and of course, this all happens concurrently with day #1 of Rotaryfest at nearby Clergue Park. Visit You Belong SSM's Facebook page for complete details on the non-musical portions of the second Downtown Street Party!

Like with last month's inaugural party since the City took over booking these from the former Downtown Association, there will be bands on two "stages", one at Brock Street, but the other will be at the turnoff for March Street (near The Queen's Tarts) rather than Elgin. Not as a far of a walk that way! The Brock Street Stage will play host to this event's likely only SMS-amenable act, namely acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos, who claimed on their own social media to be playing at 8:15 PM. The apparent headliners there are classic rock trio Flathead Ford (who said that they'd be on at 9:30 PM), and You Belong SSM have curiously not said who the third/opening act will be, referring instead to "more hometown heroes" and "so much more". We'll let you know if anyone is clarified! As for the March Street Stage, local country musician Brendan Hodgson is headlining there at 9:30 PM.

Classic country band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio gave their start time as 7:00 PM, leaving Rusty McCarthy (now alongside his regular partner Maja Bannerman) to likely be playing in the 8:00 PM hour. Remember, this is not an official Rotaryfest event, but as there's no Stage 2 bill tomorrow, the shoe kinda fits, even if this isn't on the same block of Queen as the Second Stage used to be held on! Downtown Street Party #2 is FREE & ALL AGES with a 6:30 PM start time, and 9&10 News is calling for mostly-partly cloudy skies tomorrow with no chance of rain, and temperatures ranging from 17-21°. Should be a fun time for all, with a dash of punk to boot, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Finally, I wanted to follow up on a brief note from last month where I mentioned that 104.3 The Fox and their sister Rogers Radio rock stations in Kingston and Northern Ontario have stopped airing the Winnipeg-based Sunday Night Vinyl Series, let alone on-air theme weeks. Based on what I have heard listening to 104.3 FM in recent months, as well as listings on the station websites and lack of promotion therein, it looks like Rogers have quietly dropped three more scheduled programs from the air no later than January. These include the Classic Rock Lunch with Lew McDonald (weekdays at noon), This Week In Rock with Adam Kane (Saturdays at 11:00 AM & 6:00 PM), and The Church Of Rock with Cosmo Grant (Sundays at 9:00 AM). All of the above hosts (including Howard Mandshein of the Sunday Night Vinyl Series) remain as on-air talent with Rogers rock stations, and Lew is still our afternoon DJ.

This leaves just the two zoo crew shows (Brock & Dalby and Biggs & Barr), individual DJ blocks, and Classic Rock Sundays as the only regularly scheduled programs on 104.3 The Fox, though if you miss Howard, Adam, and Cosmo, you can still hear them on Seekr via 92.1 CITI in Winnipeg or CHEZ 106.1 in Ottawa. Losing these shows is clearly a Rogers call and not the Soo's fault, and I haven't seen a public statement as to why these shows all ended at around the same time, but variety of the spice of life, and I do hope that Rogers try again with new scheduled programming in the future! That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Downtown Street Party #2), A New Album Release, And Much More!!

Here's another packed news post to check out on this Tuesday night, which features a newly released album from some familiar faces, clarification on private events, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a community event next week, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will be the only SMS-amenable band playing at this year's second Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, July 16th!  This will come three weeks after the first Downtown Street Party of 2026, and with these monthly events progressively moving west, next week's will take place on a closed section of Queen from Brock Street to Elgin Street (basically from the former BMO building to the courthouse). Like last month's street party and the two to come, there will be vendors, family activities & games, beverage gardens, and deals and events at Queen Street businesses open along this stretch. As the Downtown Plaza is facing this block, there will be events there too, including live trivia and a screening of the first Jaws movie. Click here for full details on what to expect in a non-musical sense! Now, who all is performing next Thursday?

As was the case for street party #1, there will be two distinct music stages on/near Brock & Elgin respectively, but as of the most recent public promotion from You Belong SSM, they haven't firmly specified who is playing where. Five acts are confirmed, and Dos Amigos confirmed in this poster for their remaining summer dates (more on those in this weekend's concert previews) that they'll be playing at the Brock Street Stage at 8:15 PM. Classic country band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio confirmed on Spaces that they'd be on the "Spring Street Stage" (the same block, in any event) at 7:00 PM, while classic rock trio Flathead Ford will perform at 9:30 PM, stage unclear. Veteran local/Toronto blues musician Rusty McCarthy and country musician Brendan Hodgson will also perform during next week, and at least one more act is implied (note that the June street party had three acts on each stage).

What is unsaid here is that this street party coincides with the opening day of Rotaryfest, so downtown will be hopping, and as Stage 2 doesn't operate on Thursdays anymore, could you call the street party the de facto Second Stage for night #1? Not the right block of Queen from where Stage 2 used to be, but still! Next Thursday's festivities take place from 6:30-11:00 PM, and it is absolutely a FREE & ALL AGES event. Sounds like another fun time for the whole family, with a dash of punk from Dos Amigos, so visit the above links for more details on one part of a stacked Thursday in the Soo!

Next up, I wanted to acknowledge a recent private house party concert (and another to come) that got some attention on social media. With some exceptions, I don't tend to cover private concerts here (let alone give the address publically) out of deference and respect to the location, often someone's home. On occasion though, you'll see a show advertised that, while not containing a public address, is definitely marketed publically, which was the case this past Thursday when Underground Events SSM brought Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box back for a "Not A Canada Day Show", two weeks before they swing back through here opening for The Ripcordz at Beck's next Saturday. The garage concert also featured Duncan, B.C. alt-punk band Red Lenses (who aren't playing at the Ripcordz show) and locals A.S.D.P. and 5 Dollar Bribe. If you wanted the address, you had to "ask a punk"!

That general rule will apply to Underground Events SSM's next private gig on Friday, July 24th (I cannot 100% confirm if it will be at the exact same locale), but despite being private, it is actually a benefit gig. Entitled "SOOpfest", it will feature a special acoustic set from A.S.D.P. plus rap group Fvksxvad, unspecified guests, and a freestyle/open jam block. Alongside a backyard barbecue, admission is by donation, either cash for the Ken Brown Recovery Home and the $onny Vybe$ memorial or food for the Soup Kitchen. Despite the private trappings, these are three wonderful causes, so see above for more details, and I do hope last week's Danger Box show was a hit! "Ask a punk" for SOOpfest location details later this month!

Finally for today, here's a surprise new album release, as veteran local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage put out their 72nd studio album yesterday via their Bandcamp page! In their first release in almost a year, this is entitled "No Neutrals Allowed: Double Live In Japan At The Boobikhan", which is not the first time that they have released a faux live album purporting to be from a far flung locale. If released physically, this would indeed be a double album, and it's oriented as such, as the first half of the 39 track album is comprised of re-recordings from their lengthy back catalogue (presumably as if they were performed live) with nineteen new songs in the second half. "No Neutrals Allowed" is dedicated to original SKR bassist Dennis Becker (brother of Paul & Dirk), who lost his battle with cancer in September 2024, and as "Ned", he was represented in their "Waerlogas Sagas I" concept album from that same year.

Performer credits for "No Neutrals Allowed" weren't given in text, but ex-bassist Brian Cattapan (Paul's son-in-law) was Photoshopped into the cover artwork sitting behind Dirk on the Boobikhan stage, implying that he guested on at least one song here. If true, it's good to see him working with the masters of the crash again! This album is on sale on Bandcamp for $15 and can be streamed for free there as well, though with our massive backlog of new album releases still to review, this won't be up until early 2027. It is great to see the Beckers, Shane, and Tony back with another huge array of new music, so check everything out above, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Downtown Street Party & St. Ignace Car Show Weekend Concert Previews!!

Thanks in part to the St. Ignace Car Show and Canada Day being mid-week this year, the last weekend of June 2026 is very busy, so much so that I'll have to break up this weekend's hard rock concert previews into three posts! As such, our previews of this weekend's Peril, Stones & Crows, Tarnished, A.S.D.P., Bone Yard 225, and Generations shows will be in our next two news posts, with today's focusing on shows taking place tonight and tomorrow. Let's get things rolling with tonight's festivities in Sault Ontario!

The first downtown street party on Queen Street East for 2026 goes down TODAY, so what can you expect? While the City of Sault Ste. Marie has taken over development of these events from the former Downtown Association, things will be similar to past downtown street parties, with Queen Street being closed from Pim to Brock Street to enable vendors, bands, family activities, and beverage gardens to pop up for the occasion, with business in this block also opening, many with deals. Click here for full details on what to expect! Musically speaking, there is only one SMS-leaning band playing today, specifically newer local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow in just their third public concert, so if you want to check out this supergroup's take on the grunge/alternative icons, head downtown! They'll be playing on the "Brock Street Stage" and are listed as the middle band in social media promotion.

Also playing tomorrow are Half Scoundies (Josh & Todd from The Golden Scoundrels in an acoustic folk/country set, as last seen at Go Skate Day) and classic rock veterans The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the "Pim Street Stage" will feature sets from rocakabilly cover trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock staples Angry Joe & The Growlers, and Mustang Heart keyboardist/singer Vito Tassone, and they are spaced far enough apart where music won't be fighting to be heard at either end. The street party goes down tomorrow from 6:30-11:00 PM, this is absolutely an all ages event, and it has no cover charge. 9&10 News is calling for temperatures of 14-17° tomorrow night, and while there is a chance of rain through the 9:00 PM hour, the You Belong SSM Facebook page assures everyone that the party will go on rain or shine. I'd say be prepared for the elements regardless, but hopefully things stay dry!

Visit the above links for more on what should be a fun evening of entertainment, and for a preview, here's the first public video of Even Flow, courtesy of their Facebook page on Monday! The jam session clip sees them covering Pearl Jam's "Animal", as filmed by singer/Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers while singing. The tight camera angles mean that Rob has to pan around for the duration to capture everyone in view (including himself), but it's a well handled cover of this early Pearl Jam classic, and not an obvious song that gets modern radio over-play, so look for this(?) and more tonight!

Next up, let's take an hour's drive south to St. Ignace, Michigan for some of the concert action taking place this weekend in conjunction with the St. Ignace Car Show! As this is the 50th anniversary of this popular car show, there's lots of activities happening in town for the next few days, and The Driftwood Sports Bar is capitalizing again like they did for Bronco The Mac, with three days of live music at their 590 North State Street headquarters. Coinciding with TONIGHT'S cruise night, The Driftwood will welcome back Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird for a Thursday night encore almost three weeks later, and with lots of folks in Mackinac County for the car show alone, hopefully there is another sizeable crowd at The Driftwood for Jamie and Rikk's hard hitting slate of rock favourites! Like earlier this month, tonight's Fyrbird concert is at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live there!

Finally for today's preview post, we'll stay at The Driftwood Sports Bar, who are tripling up live music this weekend like they did for Bronco The Mac, and like then, this includes DJs on Saturday night. However, they will have another familiar hard rock band gracing their stage TOMORROW NIGHT, namely Sault Michigan cover quartet The Nameless! Leading out from tomorrow's annual Down Memory Lane Parade of classic cars, this is the first show on their most recent schedule posting on their Facebook page, and marks their first publically advertised show in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Hopefully their Driftwood debut proves to be a success for Josh, Mike M., Mike E., and Jamie, and that it sets the tone well for their private booking on Saturday night! Their next currently advertised public show is in the Soo late next month. The Nameless will also be up at 9:00 PM tomorrow with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more on The Driftwood's car show weekend slate, and here's The Nameless covering Chevelle live!

That's all for now, but barring a late notice announcement of some type, our next post will preview this weekend's Tarnished, Stones & Crows, Peril, and Bone Yard 225 concerts, so look for that next, with Generations and A.S.D.P. to follow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Even Flow), A New Local Band, And An Inactive Band Note!!

June is here and so is the summer for all intents and purposes, so let's kick off another month with a packed news post, including a major band moved to our inactive links, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big outdoor community event later this month, and first, a familiar new group that will be debuting on stage in a few weeks, so here's what you should know!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Riverside Stasis, the new alternative band that is debuting at the all-local Blaster Powerhouse concert on June 27th! We knew going in that this was the new band from former Handsome Sandwich singer Tea Emlaw and former HeadFirst guitarist Raine Rancourt, but as it turns out, 3/5ths of HeadFirst are back in this project, with guitarist Liam Dinsmore and drummer Anthony Boudreau also involved. Rounding out their lineup is ex-Jack Spades bassist Rob Speers, who played with Tea in the short-lived cover rock band The Barbarians last year. Riverside Stasis' new Facebook page describes them as an "indie/pop rock band", but given this lineup and the show they're debuting at, I'd be hard pressed to not cover them. Their first original song is named "The Fool", which you can sample in this performance video edited by A Dire Setback bassist Matt Quinn.

While the band has more HeadFirst DNA, post-pandemic Handsome Sandwich fans will be drawn to this via Tea's vocals, which remain as distinctive and cutting as they were on "Deconstructed" and "Collage". The song proper only gets to a harder rock sound on the chorus, but we only get the first 99 seconds of what is clearly a longer song. Given members' diverse musical backgrounds, there's a lot of potential sounds that Riverside Stasis could draw from, but it's good to see many familiar faces joining forces in this new band, so get more details above, and check out their first video below!

Next up, new Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers will pick up the microphone to join his other active local band (Pearl Jam tribute quintet Even Flow) when they play at this year's first Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, June 25th! Specifically, Rob and crew will be among the performers at the corner of Queen and Brock for one of two outdoor stages for this street party, the first since the City of Sault Ste. Marie took over management of downtown events & development from the former Downtown Association. Queen Street will be closed from Pim to Brock Street (i.e. The Rockstar Bar to the former RBC), with each street party (all on Thursdays) progressively moving their way west each month, though specifics and music lineups for the other three are to be announced. As best as I can tell, Even Flow (in just their third public concert since debuting last fall) are the only hard rock-leaning band playing on either the Brock Street or Pim Street stages on June 25th, but who else can you look for on this Thursday evening? 

I don't know if the You Belong SSM Facebook page has bands listed in performance order, but Even Flow are listed between "Half Scoundies" (frontman Josh Penno and fiddler Todd Webb of local bluegrass/folk band The Golden Scoundrels in a stripped down acoustic set) and veteran classic rock cover trio The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the other stage at Queen & Pim will play host to blues/rockabilly trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock mainstays Angry Joe & The Growlers, and former(?) Mustang Heart keyboardist Vito Tassone. The two stages should be far enough apart where music shouldn't bleed over between ends of the block party! Attendees can also expect beverage gardens, deals from Queen Street businesses open during the event, a vendor market, and family activities, including a rope walk course in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum. Click here for full details!

Downtown Street Party #1 goes down on Thursday the 25th from 6:30-11:00 PM (if Even Flow are indeed second, I'd expect them to be playing in the 8:00 range), this is absolutely an ALL AGES and licensed event, and there is no cover charge. Despite the contentious end of the Downtown Association last year, it is good to see the City picking up the ball to keep bringing community events to the downtown core like this, and hopefully Even Flow's brand of grunge and alt-rock classics from the Pearl Jam catalogue add to the festivities later this month! See above for more details!

Finally, I have reluctantly opted to move local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT to our inactive band links. While not at our one year inactivity threshold, activity in their camp abruptly stopped on December 18th after what I would characterize as "sudden personal differences" arose on social media. Things got fairly divisive, and it's out of my depth to wade in on this discourse on a music site, so I'll let you find out what exactly happened five months ago if you want. The band has not made any official public statements or online updates since then, but none of their 2025 band members directly list Spades in their Instagram bios now, and they dropped out of all scheduled bookings into 2026, including the annual Walterstock in Toronto in January. Barring a revival, this ends a successful 12 year run for the former Jack Spades, who relaunched in the GTA in late 2021 after frontman J.D. Pearce and guitarist Daniel Horton both moved out of town during the pandemic.

While J.D. hasn't signalled work with a new public band as of yet, Dan is still in The Fast Life and is also now playing in a classic rock cover band named Tonehenge, guitarist Matthew Voros and bassist Sean MacNab are still performing together in the Toronto psychobilly band The House Of Haunt, and drummer Tyler Reiner is working as a session drummer and podcaster. Spades accomplished a lot in their four years down south, including two album releases, some wide tour runs and high profile gigs in the GTA and beyond, and lots of fun video content, plus two return trips for local concerts in 2022 and 2023. Best of luck to all prior (Jack) Spades members in the future, and hopefully we see the band again in some form!

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

Not A Leap Year Party & Project 906 Previews, Plus Double Down & Tym Morrison Videos!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and in case you were wondering, the late replacement band at The Esquire Club was covered in an update to yesterday's post below this one, Along with this weekend's remaining heavier shows, we also have new videos from acts not playing live imminently, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with in Michigan for this post, as Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will play at The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman TOMORROW NIGHT! Historically a favourite venue for the 906 crew despite not playing a public concert there since July, tomorrow's show will be the first from Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian since rocking the Snowsfest weekend at Snow's Bar & Grill in Cedarville two weeks ago. Hopefully there's a solid crowd beating the winter blues in Eckerman tomorrow for Project 906's entertaining blend of hard rock covers, and there's lots of videos online to sample what they bring to the table! As usual for their trips an hour west to Eckerman, tomorrow's Strongs Tavern concert is an 8:00 PM affair with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above link for more details on Project 906's Strongs concert tomorrow night, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Next up, if you've missed a multi-band concert in Sault Ontario in recent months, this might fit the bill, as local promoters Underground Events SSM are hosting a "Not A Leap Year Party" TOMORROW NIGHT! While this is a house party concert (something I usually don't cover due to their not-usually-public nature), this is a publically advertised event on Bruce Street with an admission fee and 19+ age limit, and while they don't give the exact address, there will be balloons outside the locale so you know where to go! Specifically, the venue is being called "Mellow D's Basement", which is an allusion to the former pop-up venue Mellow D's Underground. Six acts will gather in said basement tomorrow, including new local ska punk trio A.S.D.P. (in their first concert set since releasing their debut album "Atom Bombs & Lemonade"), party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, and online page-less space rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring A.S.D.P. drummer Ralph Barber).

As well, three solo acoustic acts will be playing tomorrow, namely Sylo frontman Eli Russell, folk singer/guitarist Gimiiwan Ikwe, and former Vanity First frontman Andrew Keith (Beggs). Promoted by A.S.D.P. frontman/Apocalypse Afterparty bassist Mikhal "Châ" Muto, this show has a $10 cover charge (or "suggested donation"), and doors open at 5:00 PM. An intriguing event for sure, especially as these six acts do not collectively update social media much, so come to Bruce Street tomorrow for all of the action, and look for the balloons! See above for more details, and here's The A.A. live!

Also today, let's talk about two acts that aren't playing this weekend, but have new videos to share, starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down! As you may recall, they played their first show with bassist Dan Beaupre in six months this past weekend at The Water Tower Pub, and while there are videos from the show on their Facebook page, both of them have guest performers. One is a cover of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (possibly the Big Sugar version) with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals and RPM's Joseph Bertrand on drums in place of Ric Datson. Still a relatively original cover choice as local bands go, and the guys do a good job with it! Joseph shows his stuff well behind the kit too, and don't bypass RPM, they have developed a good following with their own classic rock covers! The other video is embedded below, and it features the return of Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz, who was Dan's "stunt double" for most of his absence.

Thanked for helping Double Down out with this Cameo video by musician/social media personality Joey Breaux, Lori did two songs last week as a guest singer, with the filmed one being Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself For Loving You" (yes, Ric was back on drums here). While both videos are sadly vertical and incomplete, they are unique in that guitarist Beej Syrette filmed them with a headcam while performing, so we got to see his direct point of view on both videos. The audio quality is kinda tinny on both, but you sure get a different view of everything this way, and it'd be interesting to see Beej (let alone other local musicians) do this more! Check both videos out!

Finally for today, let's talk about local hard rock/metal solo musician Tym Morrison, who is taking a break from concerts until at least late March while he heals up from a broken pinky finger. He's not staying musically idle though, as he has posted four original songs to his YouTube channel in the past two weeks! All have accompanying music videos featuring assorted linked video clips, though be advised that some feature apparent generative AI. One song is an instrumental metal song named "Moon Patrol" that you may remember as being planned for his unreleased second album. The other three seem to be new, and the only one to exceed two minutes is "Jesus Save Me", which leans heavily into his faith. It is a lyric video if you wanna sing along! The other two new tracks are secular, including a comedy rock song named "Liar Liar Pants On Fire", which is about who the title suggests!

Embedded below is his new metal instrumental "Frantic Delay". It's good to see some heavy new music from Tym, who gets to let loose on these tracks and shred to his standards (granted, I assume these all predate his broken finger), and his singing voice is put to good use on the two songs with lyrics! Note that only "Jesus Save Me" even cracks 2 minutes in length. Give Tym's new songs/videos a look above and below, and we'll let you know if he has more material to post before he returns to the stage!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Double Down & Separate Wayz/Guilty Party Updates, Plus A New Video Interview!!

Before we tackle another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post on this Wednesday night, which includes lineup updates for some bands on the weekend rock cover circuit and a new interview discovery with a musician who had a brief but noteworthy stint in a local band, so with all of that said, here's what you should know!

We have some big lineup news from two (kinda three) local classic/hard rock bands, as Half Past drummer Johnny Amendola has joined both Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party, replacing Brent Royer. As per Separate Wayz' Facebook page on Sunday, Brent amicably left due to being unable to "commit (to) the amount we want to play in both bands" (not unlike why Steven left), and while the statement was only made on one of the two bands' pages and didn't directly say that Brent left The Guilty Party too, singer/guitarist Terry Eaton confirmed that he did in a Facebook e-mail yesterday. Brent had been a founding member of The Guilty Party last fall, and only just joined their sister band Separate Wayz three weeks ago, but he played just one weekend with each group before opting out. He's a talented musician (you have to be to drum and sing at once), and hopefully we see him in a new band soon!

The son of Headrush bassist John Amendola, Johnny has been a familiar face in local rock bands like Cherry Crush, Tripod The Dog, and Skeyes Of Seven since the mid-2010s, and he reportedly is gelling well with Terry, Jim, and Nicole so far, so we'll have to see how things go for the two bands in 2026 now that they have a drummer who is purportedly more available! Terry also confirmed that Johnny will take over for Glen Thomas behind the drumkit for Soundcheck's reunion gigs next weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, which only makes sense. Stay tuned for more on the two full-time bands' next shows when they roll in, let alone Soundcheck next week!

Next up, here's the latest from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, who confirmed on their Facebook page on Monday that this past Saturday's concert at Beck's Bar was their last with Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz as a fill-in, as their regular bassist Dan Beaupre is finally returning after being AWOL since the summer for medical and travel reasons. Apologies for erroneously covering that Dan was on bass for their show at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on December 12th, the band never said either way who was on bass that night. It will be good to have Dan back for their Water Tower Pub gig on February 21st, if not sooner! While we're on the subject, the band posted three videos from their Beck's gig on Saturday to their Facebook page, one with each regular band member on lead vocals. Alas, all three were shot vertically and none are full, but what was filmed?

The uncredited attendee filmed Double Down & Lori covering Collective Soul's "Gel" (with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals) and Weezer's "Island In The Sun" (with drummer Ric Datson on vocals), but embedded below is the longest of the three, of their take on the Thin Lizzy version of the Irish standard "Whiskey In The Jar" with guitarist Beej Syrette on vocals. Nice sampling of their live sound with everyone singing well when called upon, and while I wouldn't have shot these vertically, the filmer at least got some close-up angles from all over the stage, including the band's view of Beck's! Give Double Down's new videos a watch above & below, and kudos to Lori and Alex for filling in with them since last fall!

Finally for today, I figured this was worth sharing, even if the musician in question was only briefly a local band member, and only became publically known as such after the band dissolved. As you may recall, after Woods Of Ypres frontman David Gold passed away in December 2011, it came out that he and guitarist Joel Violette had enlisted American musicians Brendan Hayter & Rae Amitay to serve as their new bassist and drummer the previous month. Obviously, their 2012 tour plans never came to fruition, but Joel would add both Brendan and Rae to the lineup of his studio-only black metal band Thrawsunblat, and Brendan appeared on their albums through 2019. Brendan is otherwise best known for his New England-based atmospheric black metal band Obsidian Tongue, who predated his brief Woods tenure and are still active today.

I bring all this up now because Brendan was interviewed about his career (including Woods Of Ypres) by Shayan S. of the Iranian/British interview series/podcast Iblis Manifestations last year! You can watch the whole hour+ interview below, but if you want to jump straight to the Woods section, that begins 34:40 into the 67 minute interview. Here, Brendan talks about how he and Obsidian Tongue got the chance to open for Woods of Ypres on their last tour in May 2011 and how he befriended David and Joel afterwards, how he got the bassist gig, and his perceptions of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" before it came out. He outlined plans for him and Rae to drive to Ontario in January 2012 to rehearse with the band before flying to Great Britain for label dealings, a music video shoot, and European tour dates, which leads into how he processed learning about David's death and the lost opportunities therein.

It's interesting to hear how Brendan balanced his thoughts about grief and loss from his place in the band, especially as he didn't know David that well yet, and he approaches things at a very mature and respectful level while not asking for pity or playing the blame game. The Woods of Ypres section takes up about 15 minutes, and it's an interesting look into the tail end of the band's all-too-short run, so check our Brendan's entire Iblis Manifestations interview below, and black metal fans shouldn't bypass Obsidian Tongue!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, The Guilty Party, And Dodge This) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to round up another batch of local hard rock concert previews, and hopefully it won't be as cold out when commuting to these! As usual, we're starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know for most of this weekend's hard rock-leaning shows (Quite Frankly aside, check back tomorrow!)

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will play their first concert of 2026 TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Water Tower Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via the venue's January concert calendar on their Facebook page two weeks ago (no word on why it looks so plain compared to prior months), but the band only confirmed the gig via their Facebook event page yesterday. Dodge This last made a public posting on social media in July, and quietly dropped out of a scheduled concert at The Water Tower Pub in September, so it is good to see Jason and the July brothers back at it in the new year! The band cited returning "after a long break" but didn't publically go into why they took those months off. According to the event page, "we are introducing a piano in the mixed (sic)", but who's playing it and how much will it be integrated? Come out TOMORROW to find out!

As always, The Water Tower Pub hosts different acts nightly, and our preview of Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert is coming in tomorrow's post. Dodge This' brand of unplugged hard and country rock covers can be enjoyed TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details on Dodge This' return to the stage, and here they are live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the venue first announced the shows via this calendar for the week ahead on their Facebook page on Monday, and at press time, the band proper hasn't acknowledged the shows on social media. This will be the third straight weekend where Brent, Terry, and Jim have played live concerts on the bar cover circuit, whether in this group or their other band Separate Wayz, but if you've missed seeing the three guys together since they last rocked the former Rosie in November, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be extra appealing! The guys will rock the house both nights at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Guilty Party live at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last year!

Also newly announced for this weekend is the return of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down to Beck's Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via this picture from the band's Facebook page on Saturday (though assuming the pixel art band here is AI generated, why settle on one that doesn't really look like them?) Along with SATURDAY's concert, the picture also lists two more upcoming gigs for the Syrette cousins, Dan(?), and Ric, as they will also return for Saturday nighters on February 21st at The Water Tower Pub and then back at Beck's on March 7th, so keep all three dates in mind! THIS SATURDAY's Beck's show will be Double Down's first there since September, while they've been playing at The Water Tower Pub much more frequently in recent months. Hopefully all three new shows are successes for the gang!

According to drummer Ric Datson in a post shared to Beck's Facebook page, Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz will once again be present on SATURDAY as a special guest, implying that she is filling in for Dan Beaupre again here. Note as well that Beck's is experimenting with having bands on Fridays more in 2026, but like at The Water Tower Pub, they aren't doubling up, so tonight's band there is blues rock cover group Smokehouse (SATURDAY's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot belongs to new local acoustic duo Old Roads, and they're not "opening" for Double Down). The Beck's shows are at 9:00 PM, the Water Tower show is at 8:00 PM, and all are 19+ with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Finally for this preview post, here's a show that did have advance notice, and it goes down TONIGHT, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will headline at The Dive Gastro Pub for the first time this year! A brief break from his run of frequent Misty's Fifties bookings (those resume next week), tonight's concert puts the former Caveman Morrison frontman in more familiar confines as a nighttime headliner at a downtown venue, albeit on "Think It Over Thursday". It's always good to see Tym's talented solo project back on the scene, let alone with his immense setlist and high production quality, so hopefully there's a solid turnout tonight despite the ongoing cold snap! Tonight's show in "the naughty corner" is at 9:30 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on tonight's concert, and for a preview, here is Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Separate Wayz), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Weekend concert previews are upon us, but given how much I wrote about today's first band (new to our links, if not the live music scene), I have opted to move our preview of Saturday night's HeadF1rst concert at Beck's to a separate news post tomorrow. Here's what you should know to start the weekend off right, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

It's time to finally and belatedly roll local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz into our full coverage! The delay was because I couldn't 100% verify if their sound and cover selection crossed our genre radar (the band posted zero live videos online in 2025), but a recent lineup change and how it links to their sister band The Guilty Party led me to make the move. It was announced last week that Separate Wayz drummer Steven Flint (formerly of The Suicide Kings and Soundcheck) had decided to leave the band, possibly temporarily, due to scheduling concerns that make it difficult to guarantee his availability for bookings. There is a chance that he will be back when he "makes his final call", though the band didn't specify what his external commitments revolve around. As such, Guilty Party drummer Brent Royer was announced "as the drummer of Separate Wayz".

With Brent taking on the drum position in this band, it means that Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party have identical lineups, aside from Separate Wayz' lead singer Nicole Thibodeau (Brent is the main singer with The Guilty Party). Nicole was discovered by then-Soundcheck bandmates Terry Eaton and Jim Michaud as a favourite guest singer during their Thursday jam nights, and was recruited to front their new band after Soundcheck disbanded on New Year's Day last year. Presumably named for the Journey song with a swapped letter, Separate Wayz debuted at The Water Tower Pub in February, and they later performed at Jay's Piston Broke Pub and The Esquire Club, at Toystock in November, on the road in Wawa and Chapleau, and at a private event or two. In those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, their first shows of the year (and with Brent) go down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club!

Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced by the band late last week. While they credited this as "our debut at Esquire" on their Facebook page last week, the original lineup did play there back in April (source here). Given how the guys are used to playing with Brent in The Guilty Party (let alone Nicole guesting with that band at Reggie's last week), there shouldn't be any rust or growing pains as they return to the west end TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With Steven stepping back, this may lead to an increase in bookings for Separate Wayz if his availability was the main reason why they weren't playing live often, but regardless, the synergy is noted. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's the first ever public social media video of Separate Wayz! Well, technically, it's from a Guilty Party gig.!

Posted on the event page for this weekend, it features Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Brent covering Heart's "Barracuda" at Reggie's during one of The Guilty Party's shows there this past weekend. While sadly shot vertically (at least pan and zoom to hide the floor a bit!) and the very turquoise/magenta lighting doesn't suit the band, they sound good here, and if you haven't heard Nicole live yet, she was a really good voice that works well on this Heart classic! Give things a watch below, and don't miss Brent's official debuts with Separate Wayz TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Finally for this preview post, let's stay in the west end, as veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his acoustic solo project back to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be the second public concert of 2026 from the former Caveman Morrison frontman and Hollow guitarist, following his Misty's show this past Saturday, and while he's taking next Saturday off from the Second Line West nightclub, he will be back there in two weeks. Whether you're game to see Tym right away or not, you have lots of chances ahead this year to enjoy his old school blend of classic and hard rock covers in an intimate setting! As usual for his ample stops at Misty's Fifties, Saturday's gig is a 4:00 PM matinee with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this & upcoming Misty's shows, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our HeadF1rst preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Generations) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our first post of 2026, we're diving into another round of weekend concert previews, as there's a range of hard rock cover bands rocking out on both sides of the border, so let's lead things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with some new videos tucked in!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will make their first ever appearance (to my knowledge) at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Christmas Eve, which slipped me by initially among the holiday rush. Regardless, Searchmont have not corroborated the band's announcement on their own social media. Two weeks removed from their last 2025 date at The Water Tower Pub, this will be Generations' third concert with new guitarist Joe Miller, and if you're up for a trip to our local ski resort, hitting the slopes or not, you should get your fill of classic and hard rock covers on SATURDAY! This indoor concert takes place at 8:00 PM in The Kiln with no announced cover charge or age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will kick off their 2026 with shows at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY & SUNDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Bone Yard proper haven't confirmed these bookings on their own Facebook page, but their website's concert calendar does list them along with other January dates that we will cover in an upcoming post along with extra band updates. Three weeks ago, "the dirty three" rocked Beck's for their most recent double header there, and like usual for their bookings at the former Vibe Lounge, SATURDAY'S show will be a normal electric concert, while SUNDAY's is a 3:00 PM "uncorked" matinee. Regardless, both are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Regarding the SATURDAY matinee timeslot at Beck's, that goes to local country musician and former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver.

Remember, Cameron is not "opening" for Bone Yard 225. He and the band have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart. It's good to see Bone Yard starting the new year on a high note, and hopefully SATURDAY & SUNDAY's shows have strong turnouts! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of your local 225 covering Van Morriosn's "Brown Eyed Girl" at their "uncorked" Beck's gig last month, courtesy of their Facebook page! While sadly shot vertically, it's a fine melodic rendition of this classic rock staple, accentuated with some holiday decor, so give it a watch!

Now to shows that did have advance notice, starting with new local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party, who will lead off their 2026 slate TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! After a fast start to their run as a live band, these will see Brent, Terry, and Jim rock out as the first hard rock-leaning band to rock Reggie's since owner/namesake Reggie Daigle resumed management of the bar last fall after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure came to an end. It is a good sign that Reggie isn't immediately reverting to a country-only band rotation like in ye olden times, and hopefully The Guilty Party deliver a solid pair of shows downtown this weekend! The Facebook event page is teasing a "special surprise" for tomorrow's show, heavily implied to be a female guest singer in other postings, and while this isn't a 100% guarantee, note that members' other band Separate Wayz are fronted by Nicole Thibodeau (more on her and that band soon).

As usual for concerts at Reggie's, tomorrow's and Saturday's Guilty Party concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this weekend's shows, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of The Guilty Party covering Bryan Adams' "Run To You" live at the former Reggie's West (Jay's Piston Broke Pub) in November! Sadly also shot vertically (and almost never capturing bassist Jim Michaud in frame), this Terry Eaton-sung rendition is soundly and professionally handled, though I'd have at least zoomed in a bit and moved the camera around moreso. Check this one out below as well, and don't miss the guys at Reggie's!

We'll head to Sault Michigan to round out this weekend's previews (as far as I'm currently aware), as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will kick off their year by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Jeff Hudson's two active rock bands will actually both be coming north of the Mackinac Bridge for Soo Kewadin gigs this month (Scarkazm will be here in four weeks), but the longer running Peril are up first for Yooper fans. Should be a solid pair of hard rocking cover concerts in store to lead off 2026, so don't miss out on this talented trio's launch for another year tomorrow and Saturday! If you miss out, they'll be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin over the Valentine's Day weekend for the pond hockey tournament, but they won't be back in the Soo until at least the second quarter of the year. Expect 9:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a while back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for an overdue news post on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone!