LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quite Frankly, Generations, And Viscera) And More Recent Updates!!

As my Rotaryfest review will be quite long, here's a news post to fill some time while that gets written, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some other shorter updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced their August concert calendar via their Facebook group this past Wednesday! After opting to take July off (with a Jus' Chillin reunion gig and Pierre playing with Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in the interim), Generations will return to action on Saturday, August 1st at Gateway Casino, in their first concert there in almost two months, with said gig falling on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many. Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony will pack their bags for The Water Tower Pub (the site of their most recent concert) on Saturday, August 8th for another one-nighter, and they'll end the month at Reggie's Place on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th. Surprisingly, these will be their first Reggie's stops in over a year (and thusly their first there with Joe Miller on guitar), so if you're a fan of this downtown staple, keep this full weekend in mind for your concert planning!

The classic and hard rock covers will be flowing at all four of these 19+ gigs, none of which have an announced cover charge, and while the first two are 8:00 PM shows, the Reggie's weekend starts at 9:30 PM. Good to see Generations back at it, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their debut appearance at Outspoken Brewing on Friday, August 14th! Fresh off of their Rotaryfest debut on Friday (fallout forthcoming), this rare double header weekend for Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe will see them kick things off at the 350 Queen Street East microbrewery and nightclub, which only infrequently hosts concerts. Street parties aside, we last caught wind of a hard rock or punk concert there when Dos Amigos played there in May of last year. It's an intimate spot that is arguably better suited to acoustic artists, but hopefully there's a strong turnout for Quite Frankly downtown next month! If you can't make that date, they will return to the aforementioned Gateway Casino the following night. The Outspoken show on the 14th is at 9:00 PM (only for two hours at that) with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's upcoming dates!

Also newly announced is a new fall date from Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera, who will return to the basement of Pizza Hut on Saturday, September 26th! Unlike recent shows at the 225 Ashmun Street restaurant space, this show is a presentation of Viscera's new in-house promotion agency Soo Tang Records, and like their Three One Three show next month, they are the advertised headliners. The concert will see Marquette "ghostcore" band Particle Thrower open in their local debut, returning the favour after Viscera open for them in Marquette on August 1st. Their sound and imagery lean heavily into the original Ghostbusters movie, at least so far, so that will be a fun pull beyond their hard hitting brand of metalcore in two months' time! At least one more band is to be announced. This concert has an 18+ age limit and a 7:00 PM start time, but admission fees have not been announced yet.

The increase in eclectic original concerts in the E.U.P. in the past year has been very welcomed, and Viscera are making solid waves with their brutal genre mix, so visit Viscera's Instagram page for more details on this intriguing concert, and to get details on how to get their debut EP on CD!

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:

 

• In a minor spring cleaning note, these are songs recently seen in Facebook "Story" videos posted by band or venue that I was able to see, but alas, not feature here due to their self-destructing nature after one or two views: Bone Yard 225 covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" at their last "uncorked" gig at Beck's Bar, Silent 9 covering DNCE's "Cake By The Ocean" and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" at The Esquire Club in May, and TNT (Travis Sharpe n' Terry Eaton) covering Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars" and Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" at Beck's last month. I strongly dislike "Stories", but these are setlist hints!
• If you're wondering who The Korner Monsters (the mystery band at this weekend's ARCH Run) are, they are actually a reunion of a local rock band from the 1990s featuring prolific local drummer and Rising Tide alum Chris Johns on guitar. Kudos to him for confirming some details about this band, but will anything extra public come out about them? Stay tuned for our preview of the ARCH Run later this week for more on the festivities in any event!
• New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will be parting ways with guitarist Liam Dinsmore following this weekend's ARCH Run and Blaster Powerhouse concerts, as per their Facebook page earlier today. A reason for Liam's impending exit wasn't announced, but things are 100% amicable, and it comes off to me like he's moving out of town, but don't take that as gospel. Liam had joined this new band alongside Raine & Anthony when HeadFirst disbanded earlier this year, and while not the loudest or most front-facing member of either band, he is a talented musician that will be an asset at whatever comes next! See him off in style this weekend!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Rotaryfest review and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & Stones At The Alter), A New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (or "May 2-4") long weekend is upon us, and as always, it's busy in Sault Ontario for concerts, but not as much as you'd think on the hard rock side. One show that I did want to acknowledge is that cover rock trio Wheelhouse (featuring Stiffler's Mom alumni Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson) have reunited, and now feature Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger in their lineup, and they're playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow night. I don't know what exactly Wheelhouse play beyond the date range of their setlists (and I'm not using band logos from their AI-generated images as proof), but we'll let you know if they hew close to Stiffler's Mom in sound and cover choices! Now to this weekend's full previews!

We'll start with a brand new addition to our band links, namely hard rock cover quartet Stones At The Alter! Yes, the last word in the band's name is spelled like that, not the more accurate "Altar". Publically launched in February, this is a side project from members of the also new classic rock/country cover band Doo & The Boyos ("Doo" being singer/guitarist Douglas White and "the boy-ohs" being everyone else). The two bands share a near identical lineup, but Stones At The Alter play a heavier set, with their Facebook group noting that they cover "punk, heavy, (and) diamond rock". So far, S@TA have only taken the stage as a supplementary band at Boyos concerts, starting with that band's debut at Beck's Bar in February, so if you've been out to see Doo & crew live, you've kinda sorta got two bands for the price of one! Douglas aside, who all is in both bands?

The Boyos consist of guitarists Jason McCoy (who is the lead singer for Stones At The Alter) and Sydney Hollebone, bassist Ben Eder, and drummer Sean White, while S@TA have enlisted With Gunfire/A.S.D.P. bassist William Wardlaw as their new lead guitarist, and he will debut in that role on SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, I only learned about this band's existence this week. As best as I can tell, William is replacing Sydney in Stones At The Alter, as Sydney wasn't credited by name in recent posts focused on that band. At Doo & The Boyos' first two shows, including a Beck's return in March, Stones At The Alter (who were unnamed for gig #1) played the third and final set, and from what I have gathered, Douglas isn't in the heavier sister group. Also, according to their Facebook group, S@TA will headline at Beck's Bar all on their own on Saturday, November 21st!

We'll know more soon, I'm sure, but it is interesting to see two new sister bands launching basically simultaneously, especially with their lineups comprised mostly of unknown commodities as far as SMS coverage goes! SATURDAY's Boyos/S@TA joint concert at Jay's is at 9:30 PM, November's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ with no cover charge. See above for more details! As far as I'm aware, there's no public videos of Stones At The Alter proper yet. Their sole video on their Facebook group appears to be part of a Boyos song and only focuses on Sydney, though note that Doo & The Boyos do perform some of Douglas' own original music.

Next up, who is playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than fellow new hard rock band 5 Dollar Bribe, who will also be making their debut there over the long weekend! Like with Stones At The Alter, 5 Dollar Bribe cut their teeth at Beck's, and they have been making waves with their talent levels and unique setlist choices, and the guys were actually spotlighted in this Soo Spaces (SooToday's social media platform) article by Andrew Stuetz on May 5th. It goes into detail about the members' upbringing and path towards becoming musicians (I didn't know at least one band member lives in Bruce Mines), and while there's no massive scoops, they did tease that they are "getting ready for some summer shows". Good write-up, give it a look above! While 5.D.B. and S@TA are taking over Jay's this weekend, 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Beck's later this month!

In today's other LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, they'll play a special Wednesday night concert at the former Vibe Lounge on May 27th! Why it's mid-week, I have no clue, but this is a band on the rise, so don't miss Jayce, Randy, Tyler, and Chase in just under two weeks' time! Like with Stones At The Alter, expect a 9:30 PM start time tomorrow at Jay's and 9:00 PM at Beck's on the 27th, and both shows should be 19+ (5 Dollar Bribe members' own ages acknowledged) with no cover. Visit the Beck's show's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview of tomorrow's concert, here they are live at Beck's last month!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, and while it's not a long weekend there, a big show descends upon (well, in the basement of) Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street featuring newer local hardcore punk trio Viscera on SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their second show at the restaurant in a two week span (and their second with new bassist Chris Lovins), this will have more of a genre spread than the prior show there, as Viscera will be opening for two non-heavy touring acts in their apparent local debuts. One is local/Detroit electronica project Priority Waste (give them a listen on Soundcloud) and the other is Scanners, a drone/shoegaze band from Grand Rapids, so while metal/punk content will be lacking for the headliners, there sure is a unique mix of sounds here that you rarely even see on the Canadian side of the border! This is promoted by Serious Business, who have put on most of the eclectic multi-band E.U.P. shows of the mid-2020s (here's their Instagram page).

This 18+ concert goes down on Saturday night at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door. This should be an intriguing concert with the sounds you'll get to experience at Pizza Hut, and with Viscera planning a couple of out of town dates ahead (details forthcoming), who knows when you'll get to see them in the Soo next? Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Viscera live in January!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Viscera), The Bimbo Concert Preview, And New Mammoth Concert Videos!!

Today's news post is 100% devoted to Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula, including the last of this weekend's heavier concert previews, a related LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and some new live concert videos, so here's what you should know on this Friday afternoon!

Local hardcore punk trio Viscera will return to Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street for another basement concert on Saturday, May 16th! Taking place on the Victoria Day long weekend (for passport-holding Sault Ontarian reference), this will be their second show in a two week span at the chain restaurant, but unlike tomorrow's Bimbo concert, this is more of a mixed genre event, as they'll be local support for two non-rock, including local/Detroit electronic solo project Priority Waste (check them out on Soundcloud) and Grand Rapids drone rock/shoegaze trio Scanners, both in what I believe is their local concert debut. Definitely a jump in sounds from these three acts, and Scanners' slow and repetitive music may be a particularly acquired taste for some, but even if you include Sault Ontario, how often do you get shows like this? This concert is definitely promoted by Serious Business, who aren't listed by name on the Bimbo poster, but I believe that is their doing also.

This 18+ concert takes place two weeks from tomorrow at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door (no word on if there will be advance ticket sales). Should be an interesting night of varying styles of alternative music, so see above for more details, but what about Viscera's next concert?

Well, here's our preview of that very show, as they'll rock Pizza Hut TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for Marquette art punk duo Bimbo and Detroit electronica solo artist Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas for another basement concert! This one leans more towards hard rock/punk territory, with Bimbo's siblings delivering a noise rock-inflected punk attack that delivers a full sound despite their minimalist trappings, and they should make a good impression tomorrow! R. Solomon previously headlined at Pickles in Brimley in 2024, and will be familiar recently for mixing local punk trio The Sole Aggressors' album, and he has some entertaining music for electronica and techno fans! Tomorrow's show will be Viscera's first with new bassist Chris Lovins, so welcome him in style for their hard hitting cuts from their debut EP "From Feast To Famine"! Local punk/hard rock duo About:Blank will open the proceedings, as they did for Viscera last time.

No big updates from their camp as of late, but a Facebook "Story" from their most recent at Three One Three On Ashmun in March was shared on Facebook in the past week featuring Parker and Kade (no new third member yet) playing an aggressive song, but alas, "Stories" vanish after one or two viewings and it wasn't posted on its own as a separate permanent video. Bimbo, R. Solomon, and locals hit the stage tomorrow at 7:00 PM with a $15 cover charge (same as in two weeks), and I'd assume that the 18+ age limit is the same tomorrow as well. After last fall's Permanently Pissed concert proved that Pizza Hut can sustain a local concert, hopefully this one is a hit! See above for more details, and here's Bimbo live!

Now let's move to some new videos from last month's Mammoth concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino, and this is a good time to finally get to them before we get back into GFL Memorial Gardens concert videos on the Ontario side of the border! YouTube user Thomas (a.k.a. topdollar187) uploaded 13 videos from the show to his YouTube channel, and while most of his concert videos are from downstate, we did feature his videos from the Cheap Trick concert in St. Ignace here. Of his 13 videos, all but one are of the headliners, where you can see Wolfgang and crew playing "The End", "Don't Back Down",  "I Really Wanna", "Take A Bow", "Something New", "The Distance", "Resolve", "Happy", "Stone", "Epiphany", "The Spell", and as embedded below, their set openers "One Of A Kind" and "Another Celebration At The End Of The World" in one combined 10+ minute video.

Thomas wasn't in the closest rows, but he was in the center section and well placed to capture Mammoth, the video screen, and the silhouette effect of closer fans' heads, so it's a good view of what has to be most of the (if not the entire) set! Audio is a little muffled at points, but everyone sounds good, and Wolf can sure shred when the songs call for it, so give these Mammoth videos a watch for yourselves above & below!

Finally, Thomas also filmed openers 10 Years playing their song "Now Is The Time (Ravenous)", and no, he did not film (or at least upload) any videos from James & The Cold Gun's set. Not one of their bigger singles, but still a catchy hard rocker here that fans of the Knoxville-based quintet will easily take to, and it has similarly good quality for camera angle and vantage point, so check it out below as well!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bimbo) & Ripcordz Concert Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran radio host Bob Kevoian, who passed away yesterday at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Read more about this news at this link. Many readers will remember Bob as the long-time co-host of The Bob & Tom Show, the nationally syndicated morning zoo crew show that locals could hear on Classic Rock: The Bear throughout its 2002-2010 run on the local dial via WIHC 97.9 FM in Newberry. Long before The Bob & Tom Show began out of WFBQ in Indianapolis, Bob and Tom actually started working together much closer to here than you may think, at radio stations in Petoskey in the early 1980s. They moved to Indiana in time to debut their show in 1983, which went national in 1995. The Bob & Tom Show left the local dial when Northern Star Broadcasting took WIHC (now Strong Tower Radio) dark in February 2010 upon selling off their E.U.P. stations.

Save for a 2017-2023 spell where The Bear replaced Bob & Tom with local morning shows (it aired on sister stations then), the program has continued to air on The Bear's network, including its current tip-of-the-mitt home on WWSS 95.3 FM in Tuscarora Township, which gets fringe reception in the Soo. Bob retired from the show in 2015, but it still carries his name, and while I preferred Scott & Brian back in the day, Bob & Tom certainly had their moments, especially if you stuck with the show regularly to get their in-jokes and recurring gags. Along with Tom Griswold, Bob gave so many listeners a lot of laughs over the decades, and he will be missed. R.I.P. Bob!

Today's post otherwise mostly keeps is in the E.U.P., with a brief Sault Ontario detour, but we'll start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Sault Michigan, as Marquette art punk duo Bimbo will make their local debut on Saturday, May 2nd at... Pizza Hut? It's hard to be shocked about that conceit when the Ashmun Street chain restaurant hosted Permanently Pissed, Werewolf Jones, and locals in November, so why not an encore? Like then, this is expected to be in Pizza Hut's basement. Bimbo are a brother-and-sister band with noise rock influences and an minimalist yet distinct and abrasive original sound, and it will be neat to see them make their way east in two weeks! Detroit electronica musician Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas will return to the Soo as well, who you may recognize as the mixer of local punk trio The Sole Aggressors' self-titled album, but he also headlined locally at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in August 2024.

Nice to see an extra local connection from R. Solomon, and this will definitely be a diverse bill! Two local bands will open here, including the new local hardcore punk band Viscera, who you may recall making their local debut at Three One Three On Ashmun last month! For this concert, they will expand to a trio, as they have added Chris Lovins as their new bassist, as per their Facebook page. I don't know anything about Chris musically, but hopefully he compliments Blind Bob and Mitchell well next month! Another band who was a duo at the aforementioned Three One Three gig will round out the bill, namely punk/hard rock band About:Blank, though I don't know if Parker and Kade have found a new guitarist/bassist in time for this show. While I don't know if this Pizza Hut show is a Serious Business-promoted event, they did host the last Pizza Hut concert. This concert has a 7:00 PM start time, a $15 admission fee, and will have an 18+ age limit. 

While multi-band, originals-leaning concerts in the E.U.P. have been trending upward in the mid-2020s, this is still now the most common thing, especially compared to Sault Ontario, so come on down to Pizza Hut in two weeks to see this diverse array of musicians rock out! See above for more details!

We'll close this post in Sault Ontario with some notes relating to the previously announced Ripcordz show at Beck's Bar on Saturday, July 18th! The venue confirmed this show months ago, in arguably their biggest touring artist booking yet, but a Facebook event page with the particulars went live this week, including the openers, including Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box, who first played here at the still-closed Distraction in May of last year. Good to see their hardcore punk-tinged original attack back in town this summer, so don't miss them! Local crossover thrash band Hails (who opened last year's Danger Box concert and were playing at The Ripcordz' Distraction show last year when the cops pulled the plug) will fittingly do the honours in July! At press time, this will be Ha!ls' first show of 2026, as well as their first gig since the departure of founding guitarist Mikhal Muto in January.

Unlike last year, this will presumably be a 19+ event, it will have a $10 cover charge, and bands start at 9:00 PM. Some fans will also have two chances to see Danger Box in July, as on the way east on tour before looping back, they'll actually be headlining a private house party concert on Thursday, July 2nd alongside local openers A.S.D.P. (fronted by Mikhal) and 5 Dollar Bribe. While a publically advertised event with an admission fee, the address is not public, so if you want to go, "ask a punk", and click here for more details! See above for more on The Ripcordz' return, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Two More Saturday Night Concert Previews, Plus More Recent Updates!!

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe Halloween, however you choose to celebrate! Tonight's post takes us to two more weekend concert previews in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula tomorrow night, with lots of recent Sault Ontario updates to take note of, but let's lead off in the E.U.P. with the last of this weekend's heavier concert crop!

We'll start with a show TOMORROW NIGHT that has no credited post-Halloween ties, as local promoters Serious Business are bringing an intriguing package of local and touring musicians to... Pizza Hut? Yes, the bands will be setting up shop in the basement of the 2255 Ashmun Street restaurant, and while this is highly atypical for local concert locales, why not give it a shot if they're willing to host it? Novi noise punk quartet Permanently Pissed and Detroit grunge/alternative band Werewolf Jones will both be making their local concert debuts tomorrow, and with the former's garage rock-influenced noise attack and the latter's punk inflected hybrid originals, fans should get some quality sounds that we don't get often enough in the E.U.P. tomorrow! Local support will include new local hard rock trio Crush (fresh off of Alex & Josh's Halloween gig with Tarnished in St. Ignace tonight) and three-time LSSU Battle of the Bands competitor Kevin Blakeney.

Tomorrow's concert goes down at 6:00 PM with an 18+ age limit, and admission will be $15 at the door. It's always good to see Serious Business host a multi-band event like this, let alone one with touring bands, and hopefully fans pack the space for this concert (and maybe to buy some pizza?) Visit the above links for more on tomorrow's festivities, and for a preview, here's Permanently Pissed live!

Next up, I almost forgot to preview one more concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but I caught it in time, as local hard rock quintet Exit 808 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for their Halloween party! It's a day late because The Back Bay Grill doesn't host bands on Fridays, not even for October 31st. Yes, there will be a costume contest, and organizers have even revealed that prizes of $300, $200, and $100 will be awarded for the top three, so don't put away your costumes just yet! "Fright Night By The Bay" will be Exit 808's first concert in over two months and their first in Brimley since the spring, while it will see them joined by fast-rising Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich (straight outta Interlochen) as a guest singer, as per her Facebook page. The band has oddly not confirmed her involvement themselves, but hopefully Molly shines in her return home for the weekend!

Tomorrow's post-Halloween festivities begin at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit (Molly and Blaze aside) and no cover charge. With two (no, three) singers in force for this concert, hopefully Exit 808's lively brand of hard rock covers get a strong reponse at Bay Mills tomorrow as we wind the Halloween season to a close! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Exit 808 live!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while (all from Sault Ontario bands and concerts), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

 

• This might be nothing, but a scheduled live-stream for the multi-genre Broke & Hungry fundraiser concert at Beck's Bar on December 19th has quietly been posted onto host/MC Twitchy T. Tantrum's YouTube channel. Live-streams of local concerts don't happen enough, let alone charitable ones for the Soup Kitchen, so we'll have to keep tabs on this as we approach the holidays! Just to clarify, listed performer King Mizo is an alternate handle for Toronto rapper Unknown Mizery, who has been advertised right along.
• Sudbury-based Rush tribute band Rust have changed their name to Epic Rush, as per their Facebook page on October 20th. This came just four days after they headlined at Soo Blaster, and while I'm told that they were still were selling Rust-branded merchandise at the local gig, the name change can't have been a kneejerk reaction given the turnaround to update social media and whatnot. Regardless, posts referencing the local show are calling them by the new name, so I figured I should acknowledge it here. Hopefully things went well, and that we see Epic Rush (and/or Just Leppard) back in Sault Ste. Marie in the new year!
• Reunited local classic/hard rock cover band Quite Frankly did not perform at Kosmos Pizza in Bruce Mines this past Friday, as per their Facebook page on Tuesday last week. The band cited "an unexpected medical circumstance" as the reason for their withdrawal from the Down syndrome awareness fundraiser event, but did not go into specifics beyond that. Hopefully whoever got sick/hurt gets well soon, and that we see Quite Frankly at a public concert again soon! Kosmos Pizza still plugged "live music" afterwards, but never confirmed who replaced them.
• Local punk trio Redundant have quietly dropped out of next month's Toystock, as per the newly updated schedule on the Christmas Cheer benefit concert's Facebook page and website. A reason for Redundant's withdrawal wasn't publically announced, but they haven't posted on their Facebook page since 2023, not even to plug their Toystock set last year (let alone their bassist change). Hopefully all's well in their camp! They have been replaced by a mystery band named Sunday & The Broken Hearts, who I know as little about as I do The Reeves (the other mystery band at Toystock this year), so stay tuned when more comes out on one/both groups!
• If you're wondering why I didn't feature local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook video from Wolf Fest last month on here, it's because it's actually not of Silent 9. While the thumbnail features frontwoman Jess Amadio, this actually comes from a guest turn she took with headining local pop rock cover band The Killer Hooks, where she joined in on their cover of Rose & Bruno Mars' "Apt.". While sadly vertical and incomplete, it's a fun and lively cover of this modern pop hit, and hopefully things went well at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion for Wolf Fest!
• A book is being written about defunct local black/doom metal band Woods of Ypres and their late frontman David Gold! To be named Deepest Roots: The Woods of Ypres Story, it's being authored by J. James of the California-based Arcane Archivist Zine, and he has kept fans updated as to the biography's progress on the Woods of Ypres Fanclub Facebook group. Apparently, he has conducted 20 long format interviews adding up to around 100 minutes of material for the book so far, but things are still at an early stage. This is highly intriguing, so stay tuned for updates as the book comes together!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stegadeth, The 3 Day Millionaires, And Tym Morrison), And More!!

Before we get into I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven fallout and such on here, we have a weekend concert preview post to tackle, and unusually, every hard rock band playing in the Soo this weekend has SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as all announced a show or two with seven or fewer days notice! To round things out, we have some new videos from the E.U.P., but let's get our concert announcements/previews rolling!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to Reggie's West for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page yesterday. After spending their last few concerts at The Rockstar Bar (including last weekend), this fan favourite group will return to the former Roosevelt Hotel for the first time in almost two months TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so if you're up for another hard rocking weekend of classic hits, head to the west end! As usual for The 3 Day Millionaires' Reggievelt stops, expect 9:30 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!

Next up, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will add to his existing Gliss Steak & Seafood matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY with his debut SATURDAY NIGHT at... Boston Pizza?! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Boston Pizza show, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Monday. This announcement is very unexpected, especially given how you don't often see musical performers at chain restaurants locally, but this should be an intriguing locale to check out Tym's acoustic hard rock classics, so consider sticking around at the restaurant and sports bar at 601 Great Northern Road once the Leafs game wraps up on SATURDAY! Of course, Tym's ongoing arrangement with Gliss will continue with matinee shows tomorrow and Saturday evening, so keep his regular supper-time shows in mind this weekend too!

The Gliss matinees are 6:00 PM shows with no announced cover charges or age limits (but mind the locale), while SATURDAY NIGHT'S concert at Boston Pizza (beside Soo Mill) has an oddly specific start time of 10:15 PM, with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit this link and above for more details on these three shows, and here's Tym live!



Finally for this weekend's concert previews, here's one more new announcement, as local punk trio Stegadeth will play their first ever solo headlining concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at Room 21! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page this past Saturday. Last seen earlier this month opening for Shit Liver, this should be a prime opportunity for fans to see Bill, Tiffany, and Johnny in a more intimate locale, and with their fan favourite covers and growing roster of originals, don't miss out above Low & Slow on SATURDAY! Note that there have been no public indications as to whether Stegadeth are playing acoustically or with electric instruments, but given the usual artist range and venue size, don't be shocked if the former is an element. A 10:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charges are in effect. See above for more details, and here's Stegadeth live at The Rockstar Bar!



Finally for today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, whose teased return from hiatus is advertised for next month, but what can be said now? On April 8th, frontman Henry Switzer revealed on their Facebook page that "my wrist is now beginning to heal and I can play guitar a bit now." He had earlier pointed to focusing on his health as a factor in Highway 63's break, but we hadn't heard this much until this month. Good to hear Henry's wrist is feeling better! The following week, Henry shared two videos from his personal Facebook page of him tracking vocals for studio versions of Cheap Trick's "The Flame" and (embedded below) Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" that he recently recorded. Teasers for upcoming Highway 63 set additions, or just him getting back in the musical groove? It remains to be seen, but how do these sound?

These renditions are solid, and Henry puts his strong vocal range to good use on each, especially on "Immigrant Song", and they're quality teasers of what's ahead, I'd assume! However, the videos themselves feel like they have a frame rate issue, and Henry admitted to being "still a bit camera shy", hence why he's not facing the camera at all on either clip. Check these out below, and stay tuned for more from Highway 63 when it rolls in!



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

Weekend Concert Previews & Social Suicide News!!

Here's one more post for your Thursday, and today, we'll mostly be focusing on previews for some upcoming metal and hard rock concerts, but I do have a few notes relating to some local metal band's lineups at the end. For the record, if a band like Full Circle or That's Chester have any shows this weekend, I don't know of them at the moment, but if anything's announced, I'll get it up on the site tomorrow! Now, let's begin this weekend's local metal/hard rock concert previews with a notable concert series' return (and check out this month's Defunct Local Band Profile in the post below this one!)

After a three week absence, Roosevelt Hotel metal nights are back TONIGHT! The weekly series of metal concerts at the Korah Road bar initially stopped after booker Rich Moreland's purchase of what's now Feedback, but Rosie manager Stephane Vincent has taken over the metal nights in time for tonight's relaunch! As such, this is the 38th Rosie metal night overall, and for the first time in two months, the lineup is 100% local, so here's who to look out for! The two most frequently seen bands on Thursdays at The Rosie will take the stage tonight, those being headlining death metal quintet The Bear Hunters and grimecore band Shit Liver, so a nice familiar dose of brutality will be in store for fans tonight! And for you punk fans, Redundant will return from their Halloween weekend gigs to rock The Rosie in between the death metal tonight, so get ready for their own musical attack! Sounds like a good return lineup, doesn't it? The ground rules appear to be the same as the past Dismembertainment-promoted metal nights with all local bands, so there will be no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and an 11:00 PM-ish start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's great to see the Rosie metal nights back at 'em, and hopefully Stephane can make these a success for the long haul, as we could always use more metal! Head out to The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT if you can, and for a preview, here's The Bear Hunters playing their song "Render This Void" at The Rosie in June!



Also this weekend in Sault Ontario is the next two solo acoustic concerts from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! Lately, we've only seen him playing one show in a given weekend, but you have two chances this weekend, including his first ever show at Feedback TOMORROW NIGHT! Though he's never played at "Feedback" before, he's no stranger to this bar, having headlined a weekly concert arrangement at what was Foggy Notions late last year until February. Nice to see him back there, hopefully he rocks the Feedback stage all night long! And yes, his second show this weekend will indeed be at Service Grill Pizza on Saturday night, continuing the recent bi-weekly trend of his shows there, though whether that's his current schedule for the Korah Road restaurant or not isn't clear. It's always good to see Tym gracing the local stage with his acoustic metal covers, so definitely consider checking him out at either venue this weekend! Neither show has an announced cover charge (bring cash just in case for Feedback though), he'll be on at 10:00 PM tomorrow night & 8:00 PM on Saturday, and though I know it will be a 19+ show tomorrow, I don't believe the age restriction will apply for the Service Grill. Click here and here for each concert's respective event pages!

Tym Morrison's keeping busy this weekend, but with his talent, he'll pull off both shows with ease, so head down to Feedback or The Service Grill for some great metal covers in a more intimate setting! For a preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" in 2009 at the future Feedback!



Finally for the metal shows I know of at the moment, Marquette hard rock quart Nudge are coming back to Sault Michigan! The local favourites will make their first local stops in over a month when they headline at The Satisfied Frog tomorrow night & Saturday night! It's always good to see these guys make their return to The Frog, and you know their local fans will eagerly welcome them back to town this weekend! Nothing seems too out of the ordinary this weekend, just great hard rock covers from a talented band, and you know that's always welcome! Everything starts at 11:00 PM both nights, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend either concert. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Nudge should tear down the house all weekend, so if you're in Sault Michigan and want some hard rocking good times, The Frog is the place to be! For a preview, here's Nudge covering White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss '65" at a 2008 concert!



Finally for today, here's some lineup news from new local metal band Social Suicide. Firstly, the band has added State of Misery guitarist Ray Cowan to their lineup, officially making them a quartet. This officially reunites Ray with his former Bring The Misery bandmate Tyler St. Amour, which will definitely be interesting! Ray's a very talented guitarist, and he should add really well to Social Suicide, which is quickly getting a stacked lineup of local talent (along with ex-Bear Hunters guitarist Andres Duschene.) That said, if Ray's addition to Social Suicide means anything to his status in State of Misery, I haven't definitively heard, but this, frontman Steve Rhodes' new band View To A Kill, and the lack of S.O.M. news in a month has me wondering. Positive or negative, I'll let you guys know what's up! And finally, Social Suicide are likely bringing drummer/ex-guitarist Storm Perry back to the band to replace Keeghan Rosso (again.) No definitive reason was given on their Facebook page for this switch, but there seemed to be a breakdown in his status over recent days leading to his replacement. Hopefully he gets into a new band soon though, and best of luck to Storm again in the band! As more from Social Suicide comes in, you'll definitely hear it here!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely all-video post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Sativa Rose) And Huge News From Gates Of Winter!!

Well guys, here's some more news for this Tuesday evening, and we've got a lot of big stuff here! Tonight, we have some big news from a prominent local metal band, new videos from them, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month, so here's what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has two more acoustic solo concerts lined up for you local fans, both of which take place this weekend! His first new show will be his debut at Feedback on Friday night in a rare non-Service Grill concert from him! Though his acoustic metal covers are new to Feeback as it currently exists, you may remember him from a number of Foggy Notions shows in the past, including a weekly concert arrangement there that started late last year and ended in February, so he's no stranger to this bar! That said, if you're used to his Service Grill shows, never fear, as he'll also be back at the Korah Road restaurant on Saturday night as well with lots of hard rocking hits to play for his fans! He's back there after another off weekend, suggesting a bi-weekly arrangement now for his shows there, but there hasn't been a finite weekly schedule for them since September. Neither show this weekend has an announced cover charge (bring cash just in case for Feedback though), he'll be on at 10:00 PM on Friday and 8:00 PM on Saturday, and though I know it will be a 19+ show on Friday night, I don't believe the age restriction will apply for the Service Grill. Click here and here for each show's respective event pages! It's great to see Tym playing some more solo shows this weekend, so check them out if you can! Stay tuned for more later in the week!

Also for new shows, it's the long awaited return of Sativa Rose to the local stage! The classic metal quintet will finally make their debut live appearance with new singer Marisa Valois at this show, after initially dropping out of Sunday's Skull Fist concert, when they rock The Roosevelt Hotel three weeks from today on November 29th! After a four month hiatus, how will they sound? Time will tell! At this concert, Sativa Rose will be among the local openers for Toronto pop punk trio The Unbelievers, who recently played with local standouts Frightlight when they opened for The Misfits last month in Toronto! Good to see them here, their stylish punk attack will be sure to turn heads at The Rosie! As well, the new local band T. Rex Manning (who were briefly advertised for the Coch's Corner Halloween Party before dropping out) are scheduled to open this concert as well. I still don't know much about them, but I can confirm they're Frightlight frontman (and this show's promoter) J.D. Pearce's new band, alongside guitarist Tiffany Stocco, bassist Bill Bennett, and drummer Daniel MacDonald. Punk covers and some metal, from what I understand, but hopefully we see and hear more from them soon! Thanks to Tiffany for filling me in!

Doors open at 10:00 PM for this concert, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a $3 cover charge, which is well worth it. Check the official Facebook event page for more details! Sounds like an interesting lineup of bands, and hopefully a good crowd turns out for the punk and metal within! If I hear any updates, you'll absolutely hear them here!

Next up, here's some huge news from Gates of Winter! If you've been wondering what they've been up to lately, bassist Steve Furgiuele will tell you in the video below courtesy of the band's official YouTube channel. Firstly, he announced that Gates of Winter's forthcoming second studio album will be entitled "Perihelion" (which means the point of a planet's orbit when it's nearest to the sun), and the planned release for it will be in December... of 2012. That's a ways off, but at least we have a tentative idea of when to expect the CD! He also announced in the video that Gates of Winter plan to re-record some material from their 2008 CD "Lux Aeterna" and release it in some form in the summer. I'm glad to see they're not abandoning it all like past pages had alluded to, and hopefully the new versions of whatever songs they re-record showcase their current talents well! Nothing about a potential live return was announced in the video, but my fingers are crossed! Also, he plugged that "Lux Aeterna" is on sale now on iTunes (click here to pick it up for $8.91 or 99¢ a song), and he referred to the band's website at http://www.gatesofwinter.com which now redirects to their Facebook page, replacing that error-filled fan page that had taken the domain name since 2009.

Nice to see some more detailed word from the band on their next steps, and the audio clips bookending Steve's portion sound brutal and very promising! If the December 2012 release date for "Perihelion" sticks, it will be almost 5 years since their last album came out, but knowing how they want to improve and emphasize newer material, you know they're making it worth every second of waiting! Check out the full video below, and get hyped up for "Perihelion" next year!



And finally in Gates of Winter news, the band has uploaded two new 2008 concert videos onto their YouTube channel! Though their live instrumental demo of "From Nothingness" and their "Gates TV" episode were disappointingly deleted from the channel, the band has replaced them with two live videos from what (I think) was their surprise return show at The Grand Theater in September 2008, and also their first of two local concerts with former drummer David Gold. The posted videos, which apparently have never been released to the public before, are of Gates of Winter playing their song "Winter Flight" and their unreleased song "Torment", which was axed from "Lux Aeterna" before it's release. Very nice quality footage from a high viewpoint, and I've always liked how much heavier the vocals were on the later version of "Winter Flight" especially! Always good to hear "Torment" too, though I wish the band would have released it on a CD. Check the above links to see this newly posted Gates of Winter footage, and here's the "Winter Flight" video! Awesome stuff!



That's all for today, but in case there's no news tomorrow, stay tuned for our next Defunct Local Band Profiles & weekend concert previews on Thursday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Sault Ontario Halloween Weekend Concert Previews (Part 2) And More!!

Alright, it's time to continue this weekend's Halloween concert previews, and all but one will be cleared out on the metal/hard rock side of things after today! I'm gonna wait to preview Late & Loud's show on Monday, as it's kinda early to do it yet, so for today, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a longer preview of a major Halloween tradition's return tomorrow night, and to fill things out, some big news from Woods of Ypres, so here's what you need to know!

After an off weekend, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to Service Grill Pizza TOMORROW NIGHT for a night of acoustic hard rock hits! While his Caveman Morrison bandmates rock Coch's Corner with Redundant (more on that in a second), Tym will have lots of metal and hard rock covers in store for his fans at The Service Grill tomorrow night, as he often has this year! Apologies for the short notice on this show, it was just announced yesterday. If you want some good pizza and beer, or if you just want some lighter entertainment for the Halloween weekend, Tym will be sure to fill your needs tomorrow night, so keep his show in mind! There's no announced cover charge, he'll be on at 8:00 PM, and though I don't believe there's a cover charge, be wary just in case. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like fun to me, so hopefully lots of people turn out tomorrow night to rock out with Tym Morrison! For a preview, here's him and former Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words" a few years back!



Now to the other Saturday nighter for your Halloween weekend activities, and it's the 6th annual Coch's Corner Halloween Party TOMORROW NIGHT! Presented by Johnny Pints & Coch's Corner, this yearly tradition has rocked the Days Inn bar since 2006, and the spirit of the Halloween season will be in full force tomorrow night with decorations, the right ambiance, a costume contest, and so forth for you Halloween revelers. And yes, there's music to be had, with your headliners being local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight! Just days after opening for The Misfits in Toronto, these local mainstays will rock the stage with their trademark horror-injected originals for a third straight year, so don't miss them! Also, this will be their first ever local concert with new drummer Chris "FreakNStein" Thompson (Half Past), so welcome him to the band in style tomorrow night! As for openers, one of the bands will be local punk trio Redundant, who'll have a series of exciting punk covers to rock fans with tomorrow night! Note that Redundant have replaced the previously announced 'T. Rex Manning" on the bill, as per this Facebook event page. No reason was announced for the change, but given that I couldn't find a single thing on T. Rex Manning", maybe they're one & the same as Redundant? If I find out, I'll let you guys know!

The other opening band is named The 151s, but aside from a likely Bacardi reference in the name, I know nothing about them. I wanna say that they're one & the same as The Mothermakers from last year, who seem to only play at Coch's Corner Halloween parties under different names and genres, but I don't know for sure. If I find anything, I'll let you guys know! With this special Halloween theme and all that's going on, there will be a cover charge of $5 tomorrow night, which isn't typical, but it's well worth it! You must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at 9:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! I guarantee I'll be at this year's Halloween party, and how could I miss it after how good last year's was! It's slightly more punk-centric than last year's, but there's tons of good music to go around, so hopefully I'll see you guys there to rock the Halloween weekend the right way! Hope to see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Frightlight playing their song "World War Z" at last year's Coch's Corner Halloween Party!



Alright, with the next couple of concerts previewed, I'll close with a really cool find for you guys today, and it's a brand new Woods of Ypres song! This was uploaded onto their label Earache Records' YouTube channel yesterday, and it's called "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)" from the forthcoming "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! This is an advance mix of the track, and it's the first audio sample of the album we've heard in advance of it's planned release on January 30th (that's new too!), but how does it sound? I'm holding my complete thoughts until I review "W5" in early 2012, but I will say this: It's slightly different in sound than you may expect. Not as gloomy and doomy as much of "The Green Album" was, but David Gold's voice goes places it hasn't before, and Joel Violette's guitar solo sounds great! For the record, it's higher in the mix than Bryan Belleau's usually were on "W4", which is promising! I'll say nothing more for now, but if you're craving some new Woods of Ypres material, give "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)" a listen below, and stay tuned for more "W5" updates as they roll in!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, along with our next CD review (we're probably going really old school this month), possibly a review of a concert tonight, a definite review of the Coch's Corner Halloween Party, our Late & Loud concert preview, and much more! Thanks everyone!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fifth Column & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

The weekend is near, so let's preview this weekend's local metal and hard rock concerts! I might be missing some late notice shows, but for now, here's all that's going down on the heavy end of the local music spectrum from Thursday-Saturday, including some Sault Michigan shows, and leading things off, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!

The 36th Roosevelt Hotel metal night will indeed be going down TONIGHT, though it's probably the most punk-leaning we've seen yet, so if you love punk, take note! The only true "metal" band tonight is Espanola metal quartet Fifth Column, who are making their first ever appearance in Sault Ste. Marie for this show! Nice to see some new Northern Ontario blood making their way to the Soo, and they're definitely talented with some clear hardcore and death metal influences, so definitely check them out at their official Reverbnation page! Hopefully this won't be the last we see of Fifth Column! Aside from them, we've got a ton of punk in store, including headlining punk trio The Nailheads from Montreal! I dig these guys and their old school punk sound, and if you miss seeing attitude-filled punk rock shows in town, The Nailheads will be up your alley for sure! As well, local punk trio Redundant will return to The Rosie as local support, and with a talented lineup of local veterans (all with metal pasts), you won't want to miss them tonight either! I apologize for the short notice of this show, Dismembertainment only just formally announced it last night. There will be a $2 cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and everything should start at 9:30 PM or later TONIGHT! Check the above links for more details!

This should be another solid Thursday nighter at The Rosie, so head there TONIGHT if you can! Punk fans will be right at home, but there's something for you metalheads too, and with Fifth Column making their local debut, you know you're in for some heavy metal you've never seen locally before! Check out the above links to hear each band, and for a preview, here's Fifth Column's music video for their original song "Beyond Good & Evil"!



Also new to the weekend schedule is the return of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison to Service Grill Pizza on Saturday night! This is his third straight weekend at the Korah Road restaurant, and note that the Facebook event page says that he's playing there "every Saturday" again, implying that he's back on a weekly schedule at the Service Grill. Good to hear if this sticks, I know his summer series there went well! So look out for Tym's acoustic hard rock and metal covers all night on Saturday, I know they'll be great! Like his last few Service Grill shows, Tym will only be playing the night set at 8:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and I don't believe there's a cover charge. For more details, check the above links! It's always good to see Tym break out the acoustic guitar for a solo concert, so don't miss him on Saturday night at the Service Grill if you want some live hard rock! For a preview, here's Tym Morrison and former Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words" in Heyden in 2008!



Now to the previously announced hard rock/metal concerts in the Sault area (all in Sault Michigan that I know of), and we'll start with the return of local hard rock quintet Splitshot to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! The band featuring former Nixxon Dixxon members Chris Hubbard & Kyle Beaumont will return to the local stage for the first time in almost two months when they rock Kewadin Casino's bar tomorrow night and Saturday night for what should be two hard rocking nights of music! The band haven't plugged the shows on their Facebook page yet, but they should be on as scheduled, especially with Kewadin Casino plugging them on their entertainment page. So head to Kewadin to see Splitshot tomorrow night & Saturday night at around 9:00 PM each night! There's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to enter. Check the above links for more details! These should be good shows, and you know there's talent to be had, so don't miss Splitshot this weekend! I wish I could preview them further with a video or some audio samples, but I still have nothing from them, despite the fact that they've been around for almost a year. Hopefully soon, but check them out over the next few days, they'll rock!

And finally, local hard rock quintet Swayze Train are scheduled to return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan this weekend as well! The new-ish band formed out of the ashes of Electric Motor Fish this summer were originally scheduled to play at The Frog tomorrow night & Saturday night, but the Friday show's Facebook event page is no longer featured on their pages, with just Saturday's event page remaining. I take it that means the Friday show is now off (for publically unknown reasons), but in all fairness, I haven't seen plugs on their pages for Saturday's show either. That's slightly concerning, but unless I hear otherwise, I'll assume that Swayze Train are still rocking The Frog on Saturday night. With that said, they should be on at around 10:00 PM on Saturday, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, check the above links! Swazye Train should deliver a great show this weekend, and if you want something to do on Saturday night, head to The Satisfied Frog for some talented female fronted local hard rock, you won't wanna miss them! Stay tuned for possible videos or media from Swayze Train if it comes in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this week's classic video, another archive album upload, and more either tomorrow or Saturday! Thanks everyone!