Our Recap Of Mike Haggith's Community Pulse Video Interview From Last Month!!

Today's single-topic post takes us back to the Scarborough-based independent music webseries The Community Pulse, who interviewed local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith for a second time on December 22nd! You may remember when Mike was interviewed (alongside HeadF1rst frontman Red Jettison) in episode #67 back in June, and he was invited back for another remote interview for episode #94. Now, this is their Christmas episode, and we're obviously almost a month removed from it, so make note of the belated seasonality before watching, but given holiday commitments, the odds that I would have been able to make time to watch and cover this before Boxing Day were slim. The two hour episode begins with audio recordings of "Li'l Miss Blu" playing "We Three Kings" on piano, followed by host Frank Terzo's orchestral version of "This Christmas", so if you want to skip straight to the interview, head to the 8:35 mark.

Frank (who is not from the Soo despite his fitting name) starts by setting up the episode and The Community Pulse's official Christmas playlist, as well as bantering with this episode's co-host, a Racine, Wisconsin indie musician only known as J.J., a.k.a. Mr. Folkpunk. Laurie Pepi Igo (the Massachusetts-based pianist who hosts Laurie's Mishmosh) also pops up 13:45 in for her regular guest spot, this time before Mike joined in the chat. Shout-outs after Laurie entered suggest that former Inner City Surfers bassist Brad Example was watching, which is neat! After addressing why Mike is in this episode, Frank plays two more songs on air, including Laurie's own version of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" alongside Hugh Caldwell, plus "Joy Throughout The World" by the British pop rock musician P.A.L. (pronounced "Paul"). The hosts and Laurie return on camera at 29:45.

Once credits and comments are made on those two songs, Laurie signs out of the episode (after a brief false start), and Mike first appears on camera at 31:45, sticking around for the remaining 90 minutes, song and video breaks aside. Apologies to Detroit Lions fans reading this over Mike's Green Bay Packers sweater! We get around 20 minutes of unbroken interview time to start, with Mike leading off by addressing the cancelled battle of the bands at the Downtown Plaza in September and how he & his Big Finish Band rushed to turn the 15 minute battle set into an 80 minute headlining performance in just 48 hours, how well the concert went over, the lucky strike that led to this concert getting the high quality recordings needed to release a proper live album, and why Mike opted to release "Under A Moonlit Sky" in conjunction with their Toystock set at the end of November for Christmas Cheer.

Sensing a chance to support a great local cause at the holidays, Mike opted to launch a fundraiser related to buys and streams of both the album and the YouTube video of the concert through the end of December, and he got in contact with Frank and The Community Pulse to get the word out for the charity drive, which he hoped would generate $1,000 in donations. J.J. next asks how much practice time that Mike gets with The Big Finish Band (answer: not a lot, he lives in Barrie), with Mike outlining how much pre-planning goes into their sets. He next gives credit to everyone in the band, and even acknowledges former Din guitarist Tammy Hill here, plus why ex-bassist Jacob Quarrell left in 2024. He also confirmed that Elly McWatters didn't play guitar at all last year due to recovery from rotator cuff surgery, but she may pick the guitar back up in 2026.

In the follow-up discussion on their setlist, Mike confirmed that his newer solo song "No Love" has had a studio demo recording and will be on his next album (presumably alongside "I Really Hope This Gets To You"), and the working title for the album is currently "Was It Just A Dream?". At the 52:30 mark, two consecutive songs from the "Under A Moonlit Sky" video are played on air, specifically "No Love" and "Hot & Cold". While the second half of the episode begins 1:00:15 into the livestream, we don't stay in the proper interview for long, as Frank sets up two more songs by indie musicians in their community next, including Hamilton folk duo Jo & Barrie Glenn playing "In The Bleak Midwinter" and British singer-songwrtier Harriet B. playing "In Time For Christmas". Mike, Frank, and J.J. return at 1:10:25 with some light discussion, and the introduction for Mike & the band's next on-air song.

From "Under A Moonlit Sky", we next see the live performance of "An Act Of Strength", which Mike talks about in regards to how different the live version is from the piano-heavy studio version from "Bridges".  That song is played at 1:16:15 with the interview resuming at 1:20:10, after which Mike addresses a young fan up front of the stage having a blast and the gear he was using that night. We next get two more Christmas songs from community members, including "Incarnation" by New York pop rock duo Mike & Dawn Ginese, and Christian musician DLynn's cover of "A Holly Jolly Christmas", and the guys return to the interview at 1:35:20. When the interview resumes, Mike discusses living in the Soo and his run with The Din here, which lead directly into Mike's last video from The Downtown Plaza show here, namely their cover of The Din's "Missing". That plays at 1:38:30 and ends at 1:42:30.

After plugging that performance and the (as of December 22nd) Christmas Cheer proceeds from streams/buys of the album and video, the last song/video of the episode is played, namely an "adult version" of the novelty song "Nuttin' For Christmas" by Denver rock musician Chris Lane Sr., which is a clear tonal jump (if an amusing one) from some of the earlier, more sincere carols! The interview returns for good at 1:50:40 for its final stretch, with final plugs and thanks, where the saying "All Hail Haggith" came from, Mike's positive perceptions of the music scene in the Soo, and the connectivity and relationships fostered here (Laurie even returns at the very end), before closing with Lou Monte's novelty song "Dominick The Donkey". A lot to pack in here, especially given that it dragged me back into Christmas mode in mid-January, but it's an effective interview that lets Mike expand on his career, good nature, and musicianship to good effect, and it's clear that Frank and J.J. appreciate his work and musical talents!

While the July interview was entertaining as well, it was heavily about HeadF1rst too given Red's involvement, so if you want to focus on Mike & The Big Finish Band, you may want to watch this one first, and depending on your tolerance of Christmas music out of season, navigate those songs as your preferences dictate (or wait until the end of the year). Give episode #97 of The Community Pulse a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Mike as 2026 continues! Thanks everyone! 

Mike Haggith's New Live Album Details, Plus New Headrush & Quite Frankly Videos!!

For our first news post of December 2025, we have some new videos and related updates from a selection of talented local bands, so here's what you should know on this snowy night!

To coincide with his second straight solo set at Toystock, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith did indeed release his and The Big Finish Band's new live album "Under A Moonlit Sky" yesterday! According to Mike's Facebook page, the album is available "EVERYWHERE", and by that, he means it's on the three major streaming services linked here as well as on Bandcamp, YouTube Music, and yes, even Boomplay, Qobuz, and Anghami. I'm not seeing Tidal, Napster, et al., so it's not truly "everywhere", but it's making the rounds! The album is on sale via iTunes for $9.99 and on Bandcamp for $10, though note that Mike hasn't updated Bandcamp yet to reflect the release yesterday, so the album is still technically only available for pre-order there, and only has the three advance singles available for free play. Until that's updated, go elsewhere to stream the album unless you're buying it. As a charitable tie-in beyond Toystock, Mike is donating money from streams of the live album to Christmas Cheer!

If you want to show your support for those in need, each Spotify stream will generate 15¢ until year's end, while $5 from purchases of "Under A Moonlit Sky" on Bandcamp will go to Christmas Cheer too, as will 10¢ per view of the full concert video when it goes live on YouTube (more on that in a bit). Recorded at Mike & crew's outdoor headlining concert at the Downtown Plaza on September 25th, the full album has 19 tracks, and in terms of the makeup, it has four songs from "All The Best In All You Do", three songs from "If Ever Comes The Day", two songs each from "Frequent Flyer" & "Bridges", The Din's "Missing", the band Haggith's mainstay "75", and Mike's two newest live songs "I Really Hope This Gets To You" & "No Love" (which aren't on any album yet). The other four tracks are the self explanatory "Guitar Adlib" and, as I suspected, three intro tracks, though all feature the band playing behind Mike's spoken word.

Note that Elly McWatters only provided backing vocals and tambourine for this concert/album (she hasn't been pictured playing guitar with The Big Finish Band all year). I'll hold comment on the album pending our review of "Under A Moonlit Sky" next year (now pencilled in for May, as I forgot about Handsome Sandwich's new album in blocking the album review schedule), but buy or stream it above, and as for the full concert video, Mike has shared a preview clip from that night to his Facebook page last week. High quality multi-camera footage and natural outdoor lighting sure help, but we'll have to see how the full show looks when uploaded. Check out the preview below!

We'll close this post with new live videos from classic/hard rock cover bands on the local bar circuit, starting with our first look at the revived Quite Frankly at a public concert! Uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday, this comes from their Beck's Bar debut on Saturday, and features a montage of clips from their sets that night, including covers of The Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel", Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me", Journey's "Any Way You Want It", Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son", and Collective Soul's "Shine". Alas, some of the videos here were shot vertically, and the video editor again put everything into portrait orientation, which means that the horizontal videos are pillarboxed and tiny. Why not make the video in 16:9 and force the vertical videos to be letterboxed so everything is as big and full frame as you can get?

I'd rather see full songs than 13-ish seconds long clips, let alone the vertically framed ones, but Quite Frankly sound good from what we can hear, and they had a solid turnout (look at the dancers during the Chris Stapleton cover!) Note that guitarist Frank LaTassa sings lead on "Wagon Wheel" & "You Wreck Me", while frontwoman Haley Alopaeus is on lead vocals on the other songs. Not a bad first step for Quite Frankly 2.0 after their 15 year hiatus, so check everything out above and below!

Finally for today, here's some new videos from fellow local classic/hard rock cover veterans Headrush's concerts at The Esquire Club this past weekend! These were publically shared to the band's Facebook group over the weekend. Two were Journey covers filmed by attendee Audrey Marshall on Friday night, including the guys playing the opening of "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Stone In Love", while bassist John Amendola posted a video of them covering AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" on Saturday night, which he appears to have shot himself from the stage towards his bandmates and the crowd. Not the first time that we've seen this vantage point at The Esquire Club, but it's still not every day where you get a band's eye view like that! I'm no Journey fan, but everything sounds and looks good, with Headrush playing to a packed house and with good energy, so give all three videos a watch above and below! The AC/DC cover is embedded here because Audrey's aren't allowed to be embedded externally for one reason or another.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Cory Murchison), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

As promised, this latest SMS post features our preview of one more hard rock concert this weekend, but filling things out, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the end of the year and a big new live album release coming out later this month, so here's what you should know!

Bullet Train/ex-Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison will return to the concert stage with an acoustic hard rock set on Saturday, December 27th when he opens for the reunited Odd Man Out at The Water Tower Pub! Cory has sporadically played unplugged gigs over the years when not working on his full bands (no word on when Bullet Train will resurface), and this will be a reprise of when he opened for Odd Man Out at the same venue back in July 2018. Good to see Cory back out there, and his solo sets definitely lean to what he plays in his bands (just acoustic), so keep his set in mind! Of course, Odd Man Out (featuring Cory's old Sense of Truth bandmate Steve Myers) are a very popular but increasingly scarcely seen jam rock band whose reunion next month was presumably aided by it being the holiday season. Not a hard rock act, but their live show speaks for itself, and they have loads of talent!

Note as well that this will be Odd Man Out's first public concert since releasing their new album "Quadranium" last summer, so could you call this the de facto release party?  While a bigger deal than your usual Water Tower Pub concert, this one seems to be standard fare for the venue in terms of attendance, including no cover, a 19+ age limit, and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to Beck's Bar as their matinee performer on SUNDAY! This show comes eight days after he was replaced by Silver Strings as the Saturday matinee act there last week (despite Tym never confirming that he wasn't playing on the Beck's shows' Facebook event page), but it's good to see that things are A-OK between Tym and Beck's, and hopefully this matinee gig has lots of entertaining classic and hard rock favourites for fans in the west end! His first show at Beck's in three weeks (with three more matinees scheduled in December), Sunday's concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 3:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more on Sunday's action, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally, here's the latest from local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, so what has he been up to in recent weeks? While he and The Big Finish Band did not return for The Soo's Got Talent finals again this year (another reason why we didn't cover this installment, beyond the all-karaoke setup), and his planned debut concert appearance in his current Barrie homebase was postponed (click here for details), he hasn't been idle, as he has a live album coming out! Mike has toyed with releasing solo live albums in the past (most recently 2018's "From The Nickel Stage"), but this one is a full band effort, coming out on Sunday, November 30th. The album will be named "Under A Moonlit Sky", and will comprise of their complete set at the Downtown Plaza on September 25th. Mike called it "the concert of our lives", which is high praise when it was a late replacement for a cancelled battle of the bands!

You can pre-order the album (which will have 19 tracks) on Bandcamp at this link, where you can also check out three songs as pre-release teasers, and you can pre-save it via major streaming services on DistroKid at this link. Based on the track listing, it differs from the actual setlist in that it includes an unlisted encore song ("75"), as well as four tracks not listed there: "Guitar Adlib", the album's title track, "Moving West", and "The Power Of Community". The former is self-explanatory, but the other three correspond with scheduled breaks in the set for Mike to talk to the audience, so I don't believe we're looking at brand new songs of his. We'll know for sure in just over a week! To support Christmas Cheer (beyond Mike & crew's set at Toystock, also on November 30th), they'll be pledging cash donations to Christmas Cheer based on Spotify streams and Bandcamp purchases of "Under A Moonlit Sky".

Mike also plans to pledge money based on streams of the full concert video when it goes live on YouTube next month, so we'll keep you posted on that when it's uploaded. Is "Under A Moonlit Sky" in line for a review on the SMS? We have caught up on all of his studio albums released since he first relocated to the Soo, so unless I dipped into his early Windsor era back catalogue or he releases a new studio album first, this has priority. For local relevance and Mike's own musical evolution, I think he would greatly prefer that I reviewed "Under A Moonlit Sky" rather than "Hotel For Transients" anyway! Look for this review in April 2026 given our ongoing backlog, and for more news and notes on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Sault Ontario Thanksgiving Weekend Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

The Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend is upon us, so let's preview this weekend's relatively compact slate of hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults! Here's what you should know before you settle in for turkey and football on Monday! (Updated on Friday at 8:21 AM)

Cumberland, British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini will return to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline a special outdoor concert at the Downtown Plaza! Coming just over two years after their local debut at The Speak Easy, this inclusive and politically-charged foursome are touring in support of their new album "This Ain't Gonna End Well...", and they deliver an upbeat and rough edged brand of punk that should make old and new fans alike tomorrow! Local support will come by way of comedy rock project The Floor Between Us. This show was originally to have been headlined by Baltimore psych rock duo Darsombra in their fourth local appearance, but following the car crash in New York this past Friday that tragically took synth player Ann Everton's life, the rest of the concert will proceed in her memory. Promoters Piecing It Together Shows plan to show Darsombra videos on the big screen above the plaza stage.

Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales to her family, while an independent sellers market hosted by Muel Goods will also be on hand at the plaza, a'la at last year's It's The Pits Festival in Leeburn. This is a FREE & all ages show, so if you want to donate to Ann's family at the concert aside from buying a Mean Bikini shirt, get in touch with P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble tomorrow evening. A 6:00 PM start time is in effect, but be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 60-70% chance of rain during the projected showtime (temperatures will be 12-13°), so we'll let you know if the weather throws a wrench into the concert. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, here's Mean Bikini live, and R.I.P. Ann!

Next up, let's look at some covers-leaning bands on the weekend nightclub circuit this weekend, starting with southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225's return to The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen rocking Reggie's Place two weeks ago in their final(?) concert bookings, these will be the first stops from "the dirty three" at this Second Line West staple since the spring, partially thanks to The Esquire Club's annual summer break from hosting live bands. Should be a good time for fans of Bone Yard's hard rocking array of covers and their three originals (so far), so keep things in mind this weekend! Meanwhile, your local 225 are now openly taking 2026 concert bookings (click here for details), and they will be back for the annual Toystock next month, whose lineup was just announced earlier today, so stay tuned for full coverage of that on the site this weekend.

This weekend's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges as usual for The Esquire Club. Hopefully things go well for Greg, Alex, and Warren as they return to the west end tomorrow and Saturday, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will set up shop at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent gigs at at Beck's Bar (they definitely didn't play at Reggie's last week despite never confirming that those concerts were cancelled), these will be Double Down's first shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel in almost a month. The band confirmed early Friday morning on their Facebook page that Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz will sit in with the band once again in lieu of a still-laid up Dan Beaupre, so come on down to Jay's this weekend to see what you missed out on the last few weekends, and Lori does sing here and there when filling in! You can enjoy Double Down's Cancon-laden array of rock covers tomorrow and Saturday at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges as usual. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for today's previews, we'll head to Misty's Fifties for one more cover rock show in the west end, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his busy 2025 slate there with yet another matinee show on SATURDAY! Two weeks removed from his last show at this Second Line West nightclub and restaurant, Tym should have another fun batch of classic and hard rock covers in store for fans on this long weekend, so keep everything in mind if you want an earlier batch of rock that day! If you can't make it, Tym will be back at Misty's next Saturday as well. This weekend's matinee concert takes place at 3:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), Darsombra Concert Updates, And A New Pillory Song!!

I'd like to begin today's post by offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darsombra synth player/vocalist Ann Everton, who passed away on Friday in a car crash in Essex County, New York. She and her husband/bandmate Brian Daniloski had been on the road towards Montreal for the beginning of their fall North American tour, which was slated to include a local concert this Friday at the Downtown Plaza, but their tour van collided with a police cruiser this past Friday. Brian and the police officer inside the cruiser were hospitalized with minor injuries, and you can read more about the incident at this link. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money for Brian and Ann's family to cover related expenses in the aftermath of this tragic accident, so consider donating to help out. Local fans will recall seeing Darsombra (all the way from Baltimore, Maryland) thrice here at three different venues in the past.

The psychedelic hard rock duo's multimedia stage show debuted here at The New American Pub in July 2017, before rocking LopLops Lounge in August 2019, and they last played here at the so-called March Street Stage in July 2023. All but the Six, Two, Oh.-hosted LopLops gig were promoted by Dryer Fire (now Piecing It Together Shows), and Darsombra were to have played at the Downtown Plaza on Friday alongside British Columbia punk band Mean Bikini, locals The Floor Between Us, and a Muel Goods-hosted independent sellers market. That show will still take place, and according to P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble on their Facebook page, they'll be showing Darsombra videos on the screen above the Plaza's stage, Brian will still receive his artist fee despite being unable to perform, and Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales on Friday to him. Kudos all around for the support being shown in Ann's memory, both locally and afar!

I was unable to see Darsombra's local dates, but their brand of "post-apocalyptic galaxy rock" made a mark on local fans, and it was impressive to see an American touring band come here this much! Darsombra's mix of hard rock, drone, psychedelic, and experimental sounds, plus a diverse visual experience that Ann had deep involvement in, made them a captivating watch. I've heard very good things about Ann as a person, and I feel so bad for Brian and the rest of their family at this difficult time. We'll have more on Friday's concert in this weekend's concert previews, but consider coming out to show your support and still see some live outdoor music. R.I.P. Ann!

Today's post otherwise features a new song from an upcoming album and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent hiatus by headlining at Gateway Casino on Saturday, October 18th! This will be Generations' first concert in over two months, last seen at the now-closed(?) Reggie's Place in late July, and their first show at the downtown casino in four months, so fans will have been waiting a long time to see them in action! This wasn't a summer break like some other local cover rock bands had, as drummer Tony Santoro was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, as per their (now-private) Facebook group. Of note, next Saturday's show will be Generations' first since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar after a two year run with the band, with Tony S. confirming that he left "due to personal reasons pursuing a new project".

 

Otherwise best known around here from Flat Stanley and The Peace Vibe, hopefully Tony K.'s new band is successful, but it will be easier to not have to specify which Tony when covering Generations! Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (who filled in with Generations before Tony K. came on board) will guest on guitar for next Saturday's one-nighter, which takes place at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Valerie, Pierre, and Tony's return to the stage!

Finally for today, here's the first advance single from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's upcoming full length album "Old Soul!" Released on September 30th to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music (all linked here) as well as their new YouTube Music channel, the song in question is "The Angst Of Existence", which has been a staple in Pillory's sets since their mid-2010s revival era. Of note, the Distrokid tags for the album credit 2015-2017 bassist Jordan Leach as a co-writer of the song alongside Robert and Bret. I have no idea if Jordan (who moved out of the country for work reasons in 2017) recorded bass tracks remotely for the album, or if this is just giving him credit for co-writing the song, but we'll let you know if the band confirms anything! I'll hold comment on "The Angst Of Existence" until we review "Old Soul" on the site next year, but give it a listen below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Hot Girls), Plus The Mike Haggith & Napoleon Concert Previews!!

A busy weekend is upon us to end September 2025 with, so we'll have to break things up into three posts once again! As such, our previews of Wolf Fest, Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest, and Bone Yard 225  & Tym Morrison's next shows are slated for our next post, with Double Down's Saturday nighter coming after that. Look for all of those shortly, but let's lead off our previews with some downtown shows tonight and tomorrow, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Grand Rapids punk/power pop trio The Hot Girls will make their local concert debut TONIGHT at The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the short notice, this show was announced with time to spare on September 16th via the venue's Facebook page, but between The Whisky Barrel not being an SMS staple and the band not seeming amenable to our coverage on sight, I didn't jump the gun at the time. A well travelled touring band with a clear sense of humour, The Hot Girls' upbeat brand of original rock should find a willing audience TONIGHT, so don't miss out on what should be a fun concert with riffs and laughs at the Gore Street-based Scottish pub! Unusually for a show with a touring band, TONIGHT'S concert is FREE, but it is definitely a 19+ booking with an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's show, and for a preview, check them out on Bandcamp! I honestly can't find a live concert video of theirs to embed here.

Next up, remember how there was supposed to be a battle of the bands TOMORROW at the Downtown Plaza featuring Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band? Well, the battle has been turned into a normal concert, with Mike & crew now headlining! The plaza nor 705 Live Sound Co. have elaborated on the reason for the changes, but I can only assume that band signups weren't terribly high (remember, there hasn't been a battle on this side of the border in eight years), so organizers are turning lemons into lemonade by hosting a normal concert with who signed up. As such, this will be The Big Finish Band's first concert since the Dragonfly Run, and perhaps their last outdoor gig of the year given that it's now the fall, so consider coming out to the Downtown Plaza for all of the action! Online page-less space rock duo The Spaceship Opening will (fittingly) be opening tomorrow, so don't miss Andrew and Ralph to lead things off this evening!

No word on if The Spaceship Opening had signed up for the battle too, though I wonder if the promised $200 voucher will be given to one/both bands? Tomorrow's concert will be a FREE event at 7:00 PM and it is definitely ALL AGES. With the outdoor locale at the Downtown Plaza (covered stage acknowledged), 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies with a temperature hovering around 16°. While it is a shame that the battle proper isn't taking place, kudos to everyone involved for keeping the show going, even on a work/school night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more on tomorrow's special concert, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Mike & The Big Finish Band live! They had cameras rolling at the Dragonfly Run in spite of the rainy forecast on August 24th, and while they had protection from the elements, it looks like the weather held up enough!

At the annual ARCH Hospice motorcycle rally outside of The Grand Gardens North, Mike had multiple cameras set up to film their sets (click here to check out their full setlist from that day), and while I don't know if we'll be seeing more from the Dragonfly Run, two videos were shared to Mike's Facebook page of him and the band playing "Carousel" and, as embedded below, "An Act Of Strength".  Strong performances as you'd expect from Mike, Chris, Elly, Matt, and Brandan, so look for more of the same (and with better weather) tonight at the Downtown Plaza!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head to Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT for the local concert debut of Toronto post-hardcore quartet Napoleon! Headlining the fourth show from local promoters Heavy North Entertainment since their relaunch last year, Napoleon bring an in-your-face blend of punk, screamo, and metal to the table in their intense live attack, so come on down tomorrow to jump in the pit! The opener lineup has drastically changed since this show was first announced in July, with the original roster of four local bands dropping to three, with only one band (online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad) surviving throughout. Originally, the openers were also to include promoter Tyler St. Amour's dormant death metal band Bardo, progressive metal quartet Convergence, and Instagram-only hard rock quartet Maynard Hayes, but all three have quietly dropped out for unannounced reasons. Hopefully all is well with all three bands!

In their place, fans will get to see veteran hard rock quartet Half Past in their first show since May (and a rare turn for them opening for a touring band), as well as party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first of two Soo Blaster gigs in an eight day span. Still a solid and diverse lineup, so don't be late tomorrow! The aforementioned 705 Live Sound Co. will be at the controls for this ALL AGES show, which has an early runtime of 5:00-10:00 PM, and tickets run for $12.75 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Napoleon live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Damage Case & A Battle Of The Bands), Plus A New Full Concert Set Video!!

Before we dive into weekend concert previews, here's some more recent updates on the SMS, including a new video discovery of a newer band in concert, and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band will reportedly compete at the 705 Live Sound Co. Battle of the Bands at the Downtown Plaza on Thursday, September 25th! An official performer lineup has not yet been publicized, but Mike's Facebook page confirmed their involvement back in July. It's entirely possible that they'll be guest non-competition performers given the band's stature, but much of The Big Finish Band has battle experience pre-pandemic in groups like Haggith, The Din, and (as bassist Matt Fronzi knows well) Gnaeus, who won two local battles in a three week span in 2015. If Mike & crew are competing, they'll be among the favourites for sure! As of September 8th, organizers were still seeking bands to sign up to compete, so click here if you want to try to get in on this late. Bands must have 2+ members, all aged 16 or older, and bands must play three original songs (no covers) within a 15 minute timeslot. Unusually, the judging criteria and points system are given publically on the sign-up forms.

A $200 voucher awaits the winning band, and while that may not seem like a lot, this is year #1 for this battle, and we literally haven't had one in Sault Ontario in over eight years. We also await word on who the judges are, let alone a possible admission fee for attendees (this should be all ages), but this has a 7:00 PM start time, and I have no idea if there are provisions for inclement weather given the locale, covered stage acknowledged. I apologize for the lack of plugs for the battle in recent months, but with no lineup announcement yet, things have been relatively slow, so I wanted to say something while there was still some time. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, Hornepayne classic/hard rock quartet Damage Case will make their local concert debut on Saturday, November 22nd at Soo Blaster! It's rare when we hear of a band from Hornepayne (4½ hours north of here) performing in Sault Ste. Marie, but Damage Case have the look and talent, and you can see them ripping through a nice selection of heavier-leaning rock covers on their Facebook page, so do give them a listen to see what they bring to the table! There will be a familiar face to some readers in this band, as former local metal guitarist Will Tholberg is Damage Case's bassist. We haven't covered him on here since his black metal project Abhorrent Forest fell inactive in the late 2010s, so whether you knew him from that work or his earlier bands like Despised Eyes and Death Rise, welcome Will back home in style in two months! Steve Lemieux (who I believe is another Hornepayne musician) will open this concert, so keep him in mind that night as well.

This all ages show takes place at 8:00 PM on November 22nd with a cover charge of $5, and there will be advance tickets on sale. Touring Ontario rock bands from points north or west are not commonly seen on stages here, so it will be neat to see how Damage Case go over in two months! Visit the above links for more details on this intriguing concert!

We'll close this post with an extended look at a band that we haven't had a lot to say about since their debut, namely newer local metal band The Sault Side Squad! As you may recall, the S.S.S. debuted at the all-local metal Crucifest replacement gig in Leeburn in July of last year, but after a year+ of support gigs, they still don't have an online page on social media. In case you need a refresher, their lineup includes former As It Stands singer and local rapper Justin "Nadj" Pregent, A Dire Setback/Big Finish Band guitarist Chris Nielsen, former Jack Spades/Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti, Stoned To Deaf/The Haze bassist Jordan Wardlaw, and former Wyld Stallyns/Soldiers of Misfortune drummer Jonas Gasperas, who was Anthony's bandmate in Winkstinger. Unless you saw them live, that's as much as has been made public about this stacked supergroup, but a 45 minute full set video has now been linked publically, so what's to know there?

The video below is technically unlisted, but it was given on the official Facebook event page for the Broke & Hungry benefit concert at Beck's Bar in December as their link, so it's not a hidden secret anymore. This comes from their set opening for Cross Dog in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West (yes, a tattoo parlor) last October, and was filmed by former Honest Work/Nebraska Arms drummer Adam Sauve for his YouTube channel, though it is unlisted. The 45 minute set stats with covers of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" and Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon", before we get an original whose title sounds like (but likely isn't) "My Personnel". Pantera fans get more love next via "Fucking Hostile", followed by another original, possibly named "Silence Is Golden". Another Pantera cover is played next, namely "I'm Broken", followed by The Deftones' "My Own Summer (Shove It)".

The set closed with one more original, which got an introduction but not an announced title. Why this video has been unlisted for almost a year, I don't know, but it's a strong sampling of what this talented quintet has up their sleeves! As It Stands comparisons will be inevitable given Justin's presence, but this band leans far more metal than hardcore (especially early-1990s Pantera), and they have the chops to tackle whatever they're thrown, and it'll be interesting to hear how they sound nowadays! Give the full Sault Side Squad (get it, it sounds like Suicide Squad?) video a watch below, and I wonder if Adam has more unlisted videos from this night?

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Darsombra & BookcluB) And A New Video Interview!!

Before we begin this post, just a brief apology and clarification, as Tym Morrison did indeed play a solo acoustic show at Misty's Fifties on Saturday, not country musician Allan Mooney. While the promotion for that matinee timeslot was more active on Allan's end, he cited "a mixup in bookings" as to why he wasn't playing (source here), and Tym did quietly share the Facebook event page for his Misty's shows afterwards. I wish Tym would have said more about this gig, but I do apologize for the mix-up on my end, and hopefully this Misty's matinee went well! If you missed it or want more, he will definitely be back there this Saturday, preview forthcoming!

Today's post otherwise dives into a new video, and leading off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month, and we'll start on Saturday, September 20th, when local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will surprisingly open for Toronto-based Bob Seger tribute band Forever Seger: The Silver Bullet Experience at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! Much like the Hotel California show this summer with locals Headrush opening, the big tent downtown will play host to a major touring tribute band, and while Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band aren't hard rock or metal, they have a talented and faithful stage show in store for fans of his! BookcluB will provide the SMS tie here with their varied setlist and supergroup lineup, though this will be their first announced show following guitarist Brandon Ruch's move to Barrie, and the band has yet to announce a replacement for him. We'll let you know if we hear anything in that regard!

Tickets cost a flat $44 at this link or at the in-person box office at GFL Memorial Gardens. The show is all ages and it has a 7:00 PM start time. I've never been a massive Seger fan, but Forever Seger definitely do him justice with their faithfully sounding stage show, and Bookclub should set the tone well with their cover mix! Visit the above links for more on this big tribute show later this month!

Next up, Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra and Cumberland, British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini will both return to the Soo on Friday, October 10th for a joint concert at the Downtown Plaza! This concert is part of local promoters Piecing It Together Shows' newly announced fall concert calendar, and the only one to have heavier or punk bands on the bill. The same promoters brought both bands here in the past under their old name Dryer Fire, with Darsombra playing three different venues here between 2017-2023 (most recently the so-called March Street Stage), while Mean Bikini headlined at The Speak Easy in September 2023. Good to see both bands back next month, and hopefully the weather holds up for their unique and distinctive original sounds given the outdoor locale! Local comedy/alternative band The Floor Between Us will open the proceedings.

Muel Goods (who you may recognize from vending at last year's It's The Pits Festival in Leeburn) will host an independent sellers market that night too, and visit the Facebook event page for information on how you can be a vendor at said market. This concert is FREE & ALL AGES with a 7:00 PM start time, and it should be a fine way to kick off the Thansgiving long weekend, weather permitting! Visit the above links for more details on this intriguing multi-genre show, as well as P.I.T.S.' other fall concerts!

Finally, remember how local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT had teased an impending video interview with guitarist Matthew "Fang" Voros by Dave Standridge of Hershey, Pennsylvania's This Is Pop Punk Promotions, not unlike what J.D. and Daniel had taken part in last year? Well, that interview has not yet been posted online (if it was even recorded already), but in looking up This Is Pop Punk Promotions' YouTube channel to see if it was posted there yet, I found another very locally relevant interview, and coincidentally, it's with a former bandmate of Daniel's, namely fellow local/Barrie musician Mike Haggith! If Mike plugged this interview on social media after it went live in April, then it completely passed me by. The 28+ minutes-long interview starts right away with Dave asking Mike about the inspiration behind starting his own indie label MorningStar Records, with The Din and the Soo coming up here in context.

This evolves into Mike's exploration into print-on-demand CD/vinyl manufacturing and the DIY indie musician community on YouTube, and of course, the artist-friendly affiliation model rather than musicians signing everything away. Dave next asks Mike about his biggest influences (for musicians and labels) and favourite Barrie-area musicians, and the major act that Mike would most want to work with, before asking some non-musical questions. Among those: Mike's favourite movie, his best vacation, the charity that he'd donate $1 million to, what historical person he'd talk to, what there is to do in Barrie, and his favourite baseball team, which leads into lots of baseball/MLB talk at the end of the interview. This is all definitely more about MorningStar Records and Mike as a person than his solo music career, but it's a good and light interview that fans of his will take to easily!

I do still think that Dave should have more natural segues between questions and points of discussion, as there are a bunch of abrupt topic changes, but he and Mike got along well here, and the baseball discussion came off very natural, even to me, someone who doesn't watch it. Check out Dave & Mike's full interview below, and we'll let you know when/if Fang's interview goes live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Bookclub) Plus The Robbie G/Apocalypse Afterparty Preview!!

Let's finish up this weekend's hard rock concert previews on this rainy Friday, but leading off, we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!

Local alt-punk bands The Northwest and BookcluB will join forces TOMORROW at the Downtown Plaza for the Elbows Up celebration! Apologies for the short notice, I only heard anything about local music involvement yesterday via Facebook plugs, but the event proper has been advertised in local news media for a few weeks now. TOMORROW's event is one of many "Elbows Up" events designed to promote Canadian sovereignty and national pride in the wake of the current political climate/trade war with the United States. The event is intended to be family friendly, non-political, and positive, and as such, expect t-shirt sales (red & white clothing is encouraged), celebrations and gatherings, and local indigenous dancers and drum groups in the afternoon. Timeslots aren't given, but the bands (including the reunited funk/jam rock band Big Wheel & The Spokes) were described on Facebook as playing the "after party", so don't expect them early.

Good to see The Northwest and BookcluB back out there after their relatively quiet starts to 2025! MCed by Spokes frontman Jay Case, TOMORROW'S Elbows Up celebration is a free and all ages event, and coincides with a similar Bridging Our Friendship event in Sault Michigan near the International Bridge tomorrow to show support to Sault Ontario amidst the trade war and strained relations (this is also simultaneously happening in Detroit and Port Huron). I hope both events are peaceful shows of support for both Canada and our relationship with Sault Michigan, as none of what's going on now is either Soo's fault! Weather-wise, we're looking at 7-9° weather TOMORROW afternoon with clouds disappearing by the evening, and no chance of rain. Visit the above links and SooToday for more details, and here's BookcluB live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage with concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday, May 16th and Saturday, May 17th! Yes, these shows fall on the Victoria Day ("May 2-4") long weekend, and will be joined by the band (sans singer Valerie Powley) hosting the Thursday jam night on the 15th as well. Remember that we don't cover jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their unpredictability. These will be Generations' first concerts after taking this month off from the stage, so it will be good to see the Jus' Chillin successors back at it with their fan favourite classic and hard rock covers next month! These remain 9:30 PM gigs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Beyond that, drummer Tony Santoro also announced on their Facebook group that Generations have been tapped as this year's headliners for The Roberta Bondar Pavilion's Canada Day festivities on Tuesday, July 1st, which could be their biggest show of the year!

Details are forthcoming on the day's complete itinerary, but last year, the stage under the big tent hosted live entertainment (not all musicians) from 2:00 PM onward, with The Way Backs doing the closing honours last year. Click here to see what 2024's schedule looked like. The Canada Day show will be FREE & ALL AGES, with Generations playing at around 8:00 PM, give or take when fireworks occur. Huge news for Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre, and hopefully they deliver a solid evening of covers (ideally with lots of Cancon) for the occasion! Visit the above links for more details on Generations' impending dates, and we'll let you know if we hear more!

Finally for this post, let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews with a big mixed-genre show on SUNDAY NIGHT at Soo Blaster, as local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will again serve as outliers on an otherwise rap bill, once again opening for Guelph rapper Robbie G! This will be the fifth time that the Stanghettas & Mikhal have set up shop as the lone rock outpost at a Soo Blaster hip-hop event, previously doing so at shows headlined by Tech N9ne, Madchild, Afroman, and the aforementioned Robbie G, who last graced the Soo Blaster stage at the end of 2023. Clearly, these rap shows are giving The A.A. some strong positive notices, so hopefully there's more of the same for their guitar devoid & double bassed attack! DJ Bizick will be at the controls on Sunday, while other rappers performing on Sunday include No Filter Records representatives, Bold Noize, 1Don, Strangers, Q-Bone, and new confirmation KG Tha Sungod, who was confirmed on Eventbrite.

I'm not a hip-hop scholar, but there's a lot of talent among Sunday's roster, and it is great to see Bold Noise performing again, so don't miss out on all of this rap action then, with a dash of rock! Tickets are $20 in advance at Soo Blaster for general admission (it is all ages), while there are higher priced V.I.P. packages if you wanted merchandise, a chance to meet Robbie G, and perhaps more. Click here for full details on online tickets and V.I.P. passes, though there will be taxes and processing fees that way. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Apocalypse Afterparty live!

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