Weekend Concert Previews & Heavy Lies The Crown Updates!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to note that I'm not including local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard's advertised Reggie's Place shows for this weekend in today's concert previews, as I have doubts that they're taking place. The band announced them via this concert calendar image last month, but in their newest Facebook page posting, they noted that "our next show" will be at the Water Tower Pub on March 4th. Maybe they just forgot, but Reggie's Facebook page has not been promoting Bone Yard as playing this weekend, and they normally would have by now. If they are indeed not playing this weekend, a reason for the cancellations was not announced, but hopefully Bone Yard bounce back next Friday!

Now to this weekend's 100% on hard rock concert previews (all previously announced), plus some new videos to match, and we'll start with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, who are advertised to return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at the Second Line West nightclub last month, these will be Soundcheck's first shows there since Jim Michaud was confirmed as their new bassist, returning him to his old band Obsession's favourite stomping grounds in the process. Hopefully Soundcheck's old school rock covers and select heavier cuts go over well once again tomorrow and Saturday! Full disclosure, Soundcheck have not plugged these shows on their Facebook page at press time, but alas, that's nothing new for them. The gigs are listed in The Esquire Club's concert calendar for 2023's first quarter, if outdated now given the latter two Obsession listings.

This weekend's Soundcheck shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges as usual, so visit the above links for more on these dates, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up in a relatively quiet end of February for heavier bands, we'll head to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! While the guys played elsewhere in Brimley this past weekend, Saturday's show will be Project 906's first at Bay Mills' on-site bar/restaurant since 2018, which is an unusually long layoff, pandemic acknowledged. Hopefully 906 have another hard rocking night of covers in store for fans in two nights' time! Full disclosure, Bay Mills does not have a dedicated page for The Back Bay Grill & Games, and don't tend to promote bands that play there on social media, but if 906 say they're playing, then they must be! This is a 9:00 PM and 21+ event with no announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live a few months back!

Staying in the E.U.P. now, let's take a look at some big updates from St. Ignace metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, who actually posted their teased first single from their upcoming album onto their YouTube channel on Monday, the night that I wrote about their countdown to its release! Must have misread the timing of it, as it looked like it would go live on Tuesday. The first single in question is named "God's Butter", which is embedded below, and is set to a new picture of the band (their first proper posed photo since last year's lineup overhaul), complete with lightning effects added in post-production. Another single, entitled "Cigar With The Devil", is scheduled to premiere on YouTube on Tuesday at 9:00 PM, so click here to hear it next week! I'll hold comment on the song until our review of the album (or demo, it's been called both), but in regards to this being "a new direction", it's primarily in heaviness and technicality.

Brandon does not sing clean on this track, so keep that in mind whether or not you like clean vocals in your extreme metal (also, no word on if "God's Butter" is intended to directly follow or compliment "Knucklebutter" from their prior releases). There are a few more videos to check out from Heavy Lies The Crown's Facebook page as of late, one being this trailer for their Kalamazoo concert on Saturday, where drummer Jaxon Massaway plugged it for Facebook fans, while also getting feedback on his on-camera delivery from his bandmates and trying again. Interesting approach, but he came off well! Another video served as more of a comedy upload, featuring a baby doll "dancing" to a sample of "God's Butter", jokingly being posted as a preview of the formal music video. Short but amusing while it lasts! The last new Facebook video features guitarist Ted Olson promoting the single release and asking for feedback.

Not much to it but Ted does sound sincere and authentic in the clip! Good to see that Heavy Lies The Crown are still off and running for their album plans, with much more to come from their camp, so visit the above links for more details, stay tuned for "Cigar With The Devil" on Tuesday night, and give "God's Butter" a listen for yourself below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Project 906, Rhythm & Brews, And Tym Morrison!!)

Our weekend concert previews are wrapped up in today's post thanks to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but there are new shows to take note of with a week's+ notice as well, and a new video from one of the bands in question, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will make their first ever appearance at The Cozy Inn in nearby Brimley TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via its Facebook event page yesterday. Not to be confused with The Cozy Corners Tavern in Barbeau (I've made that mistake before), The Cozy Inn is located at 10015 West Lakeshore Drive in Brimley (20 minutes southwest of the Soo), and curiously, they don't seem to have much of an official staff-administrated presence on social media or via a website. Hopefully TOMORROW'S show is a hit and encourages more Brimley trips for Project 906, let alone other bands, assuming that this isn't overly common at The Cozy yet! Meanwhile, 906 have announced one more new show, thankfully with more than two days' notice, as they'll return to Brimley on Saturday, February 25th elsewhere!

That gig next Saturday will see Project 906 return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino on the 25th, marking their first show at Bay Mills' on-site restaurant/concert venue since September 2018! A four+ year wait is surprising, but hopefully Billy, Joe, and Dustin (now with Odin on drums) get welcomed back with open arms next weekend! Both TOMORROW'S and next Saturday's Brimley concerts have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges, but note that neither venue has an active social media page to plug concerts or their variances with. Visit the Back Bay Grill show's Facebook event page & the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will return to Reggie's Place for another matinee gig THIS SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, as like Project 906, Tym only announced this concert via its Facebook event page yesterday. Last seen at the YNCU Curling Centre last week, Tym only just played an acoustic matinee at Reggie's two weeks ago, so this is a relatively quick turnaround for him in this context. It's good to see Tym playing somewhat regularly again after some quieter months, and while a SUNDAY matinee won't be everyone's cup of tea on scheduling alone, hopefully a decent crowd turns out for his classic covers! It all goes down SUNDAY at 3:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, as usual given the locale. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Tym in concert last year!

We'll close today back in Michigan for some more new dates, thankfully with reasonable advance notice, as the next month's worth of shows at Kewadin Casino's on-site lounges at the Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace branches have been announced via their respective entertainment pages! A couple of the brand new ones (as in, not Scarkazm in the Soo next month, as the band announced those first) are from local hard rock bands, and the first will see Sault Ste. Marie's own Tarnished return to their hometown Kewadin's on-site Rapids Lounge on Friday, March 3rd & Saturday, March 4th! Assuming nothing is announced in the interim, these will be Tarnished's first local dates since rocking the same venue two weeks ago, with the guys touring to Ohio for a show... tonight, actually. Next month's shows should be a great opportunity for Tarnished to melt some faces on a familiar local stage, so keep them in mind in three weeks' time for some original & cover action!

As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, expect 21+ age limits, no cover charge, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, and before we get too far, Tarnished shared this Facebook video two weeks ago featuring bassist Isaac "Iggy" Royer getting ready for "a gig tomorrow" (if Tarnished played somewhere on February 3rd, it's news to me) by setting up his pedalboard, but everything seems to go wrong. Does he get everything sorted out, and will we hear him play anything? Cute video (albeit with some adult language) that gives us our best look yet at Isaac's personality and sense of humour, so give it a watch below

Finally for today, the other brand new hard rock show announcements from Kewadin Casino will see local supergroup Rhythm & Brews return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace branch for dates on Friday, March 10th & Saturday, March 11th! Unless I missed something only announced on personal Facebook accounts or at the casino proper (remember, Rhythm & Brews are not known for plugging every show on social media publically), this will be their first concert weekend of 2023, and these are their first shows at The Northern Pines Lounge since July of last year. It's always good to see Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron take the stage, even without videos to show what they're definitely capable of, but hopefully a sizeable turnout is there in St. Ignace for all of the action next month! Once again, these are 21+ gigs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details on these and other upcoming Kewadin shows!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fort Creek), A New Album Release, And More!!

After a quiet holiday season weekend, we're back on the SMS with a Monday night post including some updates and videos from two different local bands, a new and quite seasonal album to buy/stream, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the end of the year. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will cap off 2022 with a New Year's Eve party on Saturday, December 31st at The Water Tower Pub! As far as I can tell, this will be Fort Creek's first ever appearance at the Great Northern Road venue, and doing so on New Year's Eve is definitely a big way to debut there! Last seen with their "Christmas blowout" at Soo Blaster earlier this month, Fort Creek's new lineup continues riding high with assorted live dates and their recent charitable initiatives, and hopefully their hard rocking covers and select originals prove to be an ideal way for revelers at The Water Tower Pub to ring in 2023! This 19+ event does not have an announced start time (likely no earlier than 8:00 PM), but The Water Tower Pub is going all out with this, including an appetizer buffet, midnight toast, and party favours included in the $60 ticket fee, and if you believe their Facebook post, "tickets (are) going fast".

There is also an overnight New Year's Eve hotel room package at the on-site Water Tower Hotel with breakfast and a concert ticket included for $175 ($275 for two people), so see above if that interests you. The admission fee will scare many off, but they're just pulling out all of the stops to make this party one to remember, and hopefully there's a sizeable crowd for Fort Creek to end the year with! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's a surprise (yet still long teased) album release, as Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night have put out their second full-length Christmas album "Dreams of Winter" on their Reverbnation page! On sale there for $9.99, it was posted on December 2nd, and is their first actually on-sale album (free Spotify playlists excepted) since they quietly released "Guntower Democracy" in 2018, and it 100% confirms their teasers and hints at putting out another Christmas album, effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2013 instrumental album "Christmas Night", but now with vocals from Rachel Mender on some songs. While every song on "Dreams of Winter" is a revision labelled as "V2" (version #2), two of the songs were not on the original "Christmas Night" album, namely "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" & "We Three Kings", and some songs have been renamed and re-ordered.

Song lengths are similar to the original 2013 versions, implying that they largely kept the old arrangements, but how different is "Dreams of Winter"? Due to the holiday season timing, I'm actually going to try and review this album before Sunday so it's timely for the holidays (it'd be odd reviewing this next month), and if this makes the site by Sunday, I'll bump our planned Chase Wigmore album review to early January, as it'll be still as relevant and about as new then. In any event, a new album review is coming, but if you want to hear some new-ish Christmas carols gone symphonic metal, buy or stream Theatre of Night's new album above!

Also, here's some new videos from one of new Sault Ontario metal trio The BAG's concerts at Reggie's Place this past weekend! Filmed & posted by attendee Stephanie Laplante to the band's Facebook group on Sunday, these were uploaded in a batch post along with a few photos from the gig. The videos see The BAG covering the instrumental bridge of Golden Earring's "Radar Love", playing an apparent new original song with a punk sound (if it's a cover, I couldn't match the lyrics up with anything), and as embedded below, them covering Marilyn Manson's version of The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". Alas, all three videos are under one minute long (the punk original clip runs for just 20 seconds), and they're also all shot and uploaded vertically, but luckily, the sound holds up across the board, and Stephanie was at a good angle to capture the whole band despite the aspect ratio and the somewhat dim lighting.

From what we hear of The BAG in these videos, they sound good and are rocking out as well as you'd expect, though I'm not sure that "Sweet Dreams" is the cleanest fit for Spencer's vocal range given how slow and creepy the Manson version is plotted out. Check these out above & below, and stay tuned for more from The BAG!

Finally, here's the latest from local/Toronto progressive metal band PROV3RB5, starting with a lineup addition, as they have enlisted former Role Models drummer Phil "Philly Gee" Greco as a full band member! He was officially announced via their Facebook page on November 25th, replacing existing bassist Bryan Lee, but his joining the band was hinted at on personal accounts in the preceding weeks (though he joined after the recording sessions for their debut EP "What Dreams May Come"). Phil is arguably better known locally as a punk drummer, but he has the chops to hang with Ben & Bryan, and it'll be interesting to see how he fits in on future originals! Elsewhere, their song "Treasure Forest" was featured & positively reviewed on the web series Local Band Smokeout last month (the relevant clip was posted to PROV3RB5's Facebook page), but just as a disclaimer, "local band" doesn't mean the Soo, the show covers local bands from any market who want their songs reviewed on air.

PROV3RB5 have also been selling a new line of official band clothing that you can check out/buy at this link, and on December 6th, and they shared this "Reel" from Phil's personal page of the early drum tracking for their first new song since he came on board. Not much to see/hear yet, but good to see things are underway! For a longer video, they did share this video of guitarist Benjamin Roswell playing the solo from "Particles", but I can't embed it here as he's playing along to the studio track, and Facebook content matched it to itself, so external embedding is not allowed. Solid work though, so check out all of the new PROV3RB5 updates above, and stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Obsession, Tarnished, Project 906, And The BAG), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today's post is primarily devoted to weekend concert previews, as intertwined with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with three bands confirming SHORT NOTICE gigs for this weekend within them! Due to the amount, I'll hold our preview of Saturday night's Bookclub/Wyld Stallyns show for our next post, hopefully hitting the site tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig tonight on their Facebook page, and they said "this was also late notice for us as well", so alas, we'll take what we can get for advertising here. Full disclosure, The Merch's Facebook page has not mentioned this show at press time, but they routinely don't promote bands playing there on Facebook, focusing instead on general themed events and drink specials. Last seen opening for Steel Panther, TOMORROW'S show will be Tarnished's first at The Merch since July, and hopefully the guys continue melting faces for their fans and bar patrons alike! You can see Tarnished TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, new Sault Ontario metal trio The BAG will play their third and fourth public concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! Again, apologies for the short notice, these dates were only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Arguably one of the heaviest local bands to play at Reggie's (a primarily country bar pre-2020), the genre gates have definitely widened with Randy LaPossie managing the bar, so it will be interesting to see how The BAG are received TOMORROW & SATURDAY! You can take in Spencer, Austin, and Bradley's hard hitting covers (expected and surprise alike) and early originals this weekend at 9:00 PM both nights with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new BAG live video from their Saturday nighter at The Esquire Club on December 3rd! Filmed by Val McGillivray once again, this was shared to their Facebook group on Sunday.

This sub-2 minute video features The BAG covering the ending of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock", and while the quality is similar to Val's prior "Folsom Prison Blues" video, this one was shot horizontally from a closer angle, so you get a better view of the whole band. Plus, you don't hear this AC/DC song covered as often locally, and they acquit themselves well to it, at least the chunk we hear, so check it out for yourself below, and don't miss The BAG at Reggie's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY!

Now let's hop back across the border for another newly discovered gig, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only confirmed this show via their Facebook event page earlier today, but Huck's Facebook page had been advertising their booking since late last month, if quietly. While Project 906 aren't mentioning this aspect of the event, SATURDAY'S concert takes place during an ugly Christmas sweater party at the former Joe's Bar, so if you're making the trip out to Rudyard for Project 906's blues and hard rock covers and select originals, pack an ugly sweater for the occasion! No word on if there's an attached contest or not. SATURDAY's show has a 9:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no cover, so see above for more details, and here's Project 906 live earlier this year!

Lastly for today, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will play their apparent final shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club, but they will be back in 2023! As you may recall when I first rolled Obsession into our full coverage earlier this year (before Jess even joined the group), I noted that they were already listing shows for 2023 on their website's concert calendar, and it's now about time to list them on the SMS! They'll be back at The Esquire Club one weekend a month for the first half of 2023, with dates on January 6th-7th, February 10th-11th, March 17th-18th, April 21st-22nd, May 12th-13th, and June 9th-10th, and after an apparent summer break, they'll be back at the Second Line West nightclub on September 8th-9th, October 27th-28th (a.k.a. Halloween weekend), and December 15th-16th. Clearly you can tell that The Esquire Club is their favourite venue, so they're making the bookings there count!

The other already-confirmed dates are at Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where Obsession will return on March 31st & April 1st, September 22nd-23rd, and November 17th-18th. No word on other venues yet, but remember that less bars have booked bands regularly since the pandemic. This weekend's shows (and next year's Esquire Club dates) all start at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover, and the same applies for the Shooters gigs except for earlier 8:00 PM start times. See above for more on Obsession's old school hard rocking shows in the year ahead, click here and here for this weekend's Facebook event pages, and here they are live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Bookclub/Wyld Stallyns concert preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

The first concert weekend of December is upon us, so let's kick off the month right! Due to the amount of shows this weekend, I'll hold the Rhythm & Brews shows in Sault Michigan for tomorrow's post, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you should know in Sault Ontario for hard rock concerts, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these gigs via their Facebook event page earlier today, and at press time, the venue has not confirmed the dates online. Fresh off of their return to Toystock this past weekend, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts will be Cameron, Terry, Paul (or Rob?), and Glen's first shows at the Dennis Street nightclub since a one nighter in mid-November, but it's been a wait since the summer for them to double up for a weekend at Shooters like this. Despite the late notice, hopefully Soundcheck's classic, hard rock, and country covers find solid audiences TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These are 8:00 PM gigs with 19+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert earlier this year!

Next up, local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will return to Outspoken Brewing for a concert at their Taproom TOMORROW NIGHT as previously announced, but following that, their new run of gigs on the first Friday of every month will take them back to the same venue on Friday, January 6th! The description on event posters confirms that The Stallyns have agreed to play the first Friday each month there, end date unclear, hence us listing the January gig. Last seen at The Whiskey Barrel a couple of weeks ago, the Speers & company have ingratiated themselves well with Outspoken this year, and hopefully tomorrow's show at the newly confirmed January date both go swimmingly with their hard rocking cover set! Both shows have 8:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and entry to the Taproom has a suggested $10 cover, though "pay what you can" is also offered. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here are The Wyld Stallyns live!

Now, we'll stick entirely with this weekend's hard rock concert previews by heading to Reggie's Place, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of their headlining duties at Toystock (fallout forthcoming), these will be Bone Yard's first shows at the Queen Street East mainstay nightclub in three weeks, and these comprise the penultimate weekend in Bone Yard's six week run of steady weekend concerts. Of those six weekend bookings, Reggie's is the only locale to be booked twice, so hopefully existing and new Boneheads alike come out for Bone Yard's southern fried hard rock covers tomorrow and/or Saturday night! As usual, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Finally for today, new local metal trio The BAG will reportedly make their public concert debuts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they headline at The Esquire Club! For full disclosure, the band has not posted on their Facebook group for any reason since November 13th, and The Esquire Club still haven't acknowledged The BAG as playing this weekend, but unless given reason otherwise, we'll cover these shows as normal. After months of house/backyard parties and recording sessions towards a handful of singles on streaming platforms, this will be The BAG's first test in front of a public audience, and if you want a sampling of what Spencer, Austin, and Bradley bring to the table, check out this setlist from one of their private gigs. Their original material so far points to a solid groove/thrash metal hybrid sound, but hopefully their covers will carry them to a strong reception in the west end (assuming these are still on!)

Originally scheduled for online page-less local cover band Buzzsaw Jaw before dropping out for unannounced reasons, tomorrow & Saturday night's shows have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's one of two brand new songs from The BAG! Quietly posted on their YouTube channel on November 12th and recorded in their Mission Control Studio sessions in the summer, the new tracks are "Roadkill" (which is a short groove metal rocker with a nice guitar solo) and embedded below, "Get Out", a slower and thrashier track that delivers a promisingly intense sound, so definitely check both out above & berlow!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Rhythm & Brews preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard), The Future Of Reggie's West, And PROV3RB5 Updates!!

For our first post of the month, we're diving into two topics that each kinda branch into some interesting subtopics, one being updates from a local original metal project, and the other being LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming weeks! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard have announced a batch of upcoming concerts taking place in the next month+ via this photo on their Facebook page earlier today, so what should know here? Not counting the Esquire Club dates and Toystock (which were already announced by the venue & organizers respectively), seven newly confirmed shows lie ahead, but we'll save the one on SATURDAY NIGHT for this weekend's concert previews to avoid redundant coverage. Otherwise, Bone Yard will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for concerts on Friday, November 11th (yes, Remembrance Day, no word on any memorial tie-ins) and Saturday, November 12th, before returning there three weeks later on December 2nd & 3rd! Next weekend's shows will be Bone Yard's first at the downtown Reggie's in over a month, and hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren deliver more solid weekends of southern rock and heavier covers ahead!

All four dates have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so visit the above links for more details! The other two brand new Bone Yard shows will take place on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th when they perform at.... Jay's Piston Broke Pub?! As it turns out, this is the brand new name for Reggie's West (née The Roosevelt Hotel) at 306 Korah Road, which did indeed get sold by Reggie Daigle to new ownership, as Soundcheck confirmed in their promotion for their gigs there this past weekend. Reggie's West's Facebook page hadn't been updated in almost two weeks before today, but Jay Scott is the new owner of the venue, and rather than stick to the existing name like Reggie's Place did or throw back to The Roosevelt Hotel, Jay's going with new vehicle-themed branding. Full disclosure, there is a Piston Broke Pub already in Brantford, no word on if it was an inspiration, but it is locally unique compared to other bars.

Unlike the sea change of 2014 when Reggie bought The Rosie, things look like the status quo for Jay's as far as bands go (cosmetic changes aside), with Jus' Chillin playing first this Friday & Saturday night, followed by Fort Creek next weekend, and Thursday jam nights will reportedly continue as well. Of course, I hope things go well at the pub in this new era! Sad to see Reggie divest himself of both of his bars (he sold Reggie's Place to separate owners in 2020), but hopefully he's doing well and it was just time to step back. Bone Yard will rock Jay's at 9:30 PM on the 9th & 10th with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's the latest from local/Toronto progressive metal project PROV3RB5, who we haven't talked about on here in way too long, so what's new to report from them? Over the summer, much of their updates on their Facebook page were about milestones for views and followers, plus the reach that their first three singles were getting from djent-friendly outlets, including video reviews from JMR Music Reviews and I Built The Sky guitarist Rohan Stevenson. In August, a band member(s?) guested on "Distant", a new song by Minnesota progressive metal solo project Stelliferous, whose leader Kevin Xiong previously guested on PROV3RB5's third single "Particles". The links are obvious as such, but the technical prog metal attack will absolutely appeal to genre fans! The Chinese company Dimension Music also interviewed them for this article.

Benjamin & Bryan are asked about the meaning of the band name, how they formed, their lyrical messages, how the music scenes in Canada & China differed (Ben lived in China for five years), and their future plans, among other topics. Not the best formatted review, but there are good insights that many fans won't have known, so give it a look above! Last month, they announced plans to re-issue their first three songs as instrumentals with no vocals (original singer Josh Ratliff left the band in April), and those evolved into what they're calling their debut EP, entitled "What Dreams May Come", which was posted onto Spotify & Apple Music earlier today! Links for both can be found at this Distrokid page. While streaming platforms are emphasized (i.e. no Bandcamp or Amazon availability yet), you can buy "What Dreams May Come" on iTunes for $2.97, so it is on sale!

As such, I can confirm that this EP will be reviewed on the SMS this month! Originally, I had pencilled in Chase Wigmore's new album, which was slated to be released on Saturday, but he has since confirmed that it was postponed, more on that in the coming days. Give "What Dreams May Come" a listen above, stay tuned for more proficient prog metal from PROV3RB5, and check out this new teaser video featuring the instrumental version of "Sea of Tranquility"! Alas, I can't embed it here because Facebook content matched the song to PROV3RB5' own streaming copies of it. That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, Soundcheck, And The Wyld Stallyns!!)

Surprise post on this Friday night, and slightly shorter than normal, as we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, mostly SHORT NOTICE ones, including events taking place TONIGHT, so let's get things rolling before we're entirely late!

Local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, they are late replacements for new local band Old Stone House (no info on them yet), and were only confirmed on the venue's Facebook page this morning, so kudos to the Speers' and crew for stepping in! Last seen at Oktoberfest, this will be The Stallyns first gig at the Gore Street nightclub & restaurant in over a month. Always good to see everyone rocking out at arguably their favourite venue, so if you're up for some Friday night funk and hard rock covers, you know where to be TONIGHT! Unfortunately, The Whisky Barrel have not given any public indication about Halloween weekend ties or promotions. TONIGHT'S concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for standard four-piece concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, I only learned of these shows earlier today via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page, and alas, the band has not plugged them on their Facebook page. Now, Glen's posts (private as they may be) about TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows mention a big story that the venue's Facebook page hasn't posted about yet, as this will apparently be the last weekend for Reggie's West as we know it. Reggie Daigle has reportedly sold the Korah Road nightclub, with the new owners taking over on November 1st, over two years after Reggie sold Reggie's Place on Queen Street East. It will definitely be a surprise to many to see him sell both of his namesake bars, but hopefully Reggie is doing well and selling for the best reasons!

From what I've read, Reggie's West will still host live bands (Fort Creek already confirmed their return there next month), but no word on if anything else will change. Of course, it is worth reminding everyone that until Reggie bought it in the spring of 2014, 306 Korah Road was The Roosevelt Hotel. As for TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Soundcheck concerts, they are 19+ affairs with 8:00 PM start times and no cover, but I have not seen any firm references to a Halloween theme TOMORROW. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Also for new concerts, here's a pair that have plenty of advance notice, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! The band has not confirmed the dates yet, but they are listed as part of November 2022 lounge concerts on Kewadin's entertainment page (the only brand new heavier dates confirmed there that the bands proper hadn't done yet). Surprisingly, these are Scarkazm's first announced dates in the Eastern Upper Peninsula since April, an unusually long gap for Adam, Dave, and Jeff, with their sister band Peril being seen by local fans instead over the summer. Hopefully Scarkazm deliver a solid weekend of hard rock and metal covers & originals for fans in St. Ignace in three weeks! As usual, these are 9:00 PM gigs with 21+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fort Creek & Project 906), Plus Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

The Halloween weekend is upon us, usually a strong time for heavier concerts in the Soo, but in 2022, it's not really the case this time. There are multiple venues hosting events on both sides of the border, but heavier groups are mostly not involved (though Tarnished will be playing out of our area in the Kewadin Casino in Manistique this weekend). Pandemic-related recovery and Halloween being on a Monday this year are likely contributing factors, and J.D.'s Halloween party has not been held since he moved. That said, what is going down for hard rock concerts this weekend lies below, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will headline the Halloween party at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, but in a new confirmation, they'll also return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on Saturday, November 5th! The Strongs Tavern date was announced by band & venue earlier this week, and coincides with Heather's birthday (I believe she is one of the higher level staff there), but the tavern's Facebook page implies that it's "everyone's birthday", listing four other names. Regardless, hopefully 906's upbeat hard rock classics set the mood well for the occasion next week! Project 906 last played in Eckerman last month, but their previously announced Islander Bar gig will be their second there in October 2022. Of course, this is 100% a Halloween party, so costumes are encouraged, and there will also be a a pumpkin carving contest, and cash prizes await!

Yes, there will be "spooky drink specials" too. These dates have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 8:00 PM start times as recently normal. Should be a good time for fans in the E.U.P. this weekend and next, so definitely visit the above links for more on Project 906's next two shows, don't miss them in Hessel this Saturday night, and here they are live!

Next up, Sault Ontario southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will end their almost three months-long hiatus when they hit Reggie's West for concerts on Friday, November 11th & Saturday, November 12th! Last seen at the same venue on August 19th, this will accurately mark their return in "late fall" as was teased when they announced the hiatus in the first place, and while they haven't explained why they took the break, remember that they do still have a debut EP in the works, and the band photo on the show's poster is new to Facebook. Hopefully Fort Creek are back ready & raring to go with their southern fried brand of hard rock covers and originals for fans in the west end in two weeks' time! Not unlike other Reggievelt dates, these are 19+ events with no announced cover charge, and a 9:30 PM start time is advertised for both nights. Visit the above links for more on Fort Creek's return weekend next month, and stay tuned for updates from Fort Creek's camp when they come in!

Now back to this weekend's concert previews, and we'll resume at The Esquire Club, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will finally make their return to the public stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While they have played live in White River and at least one private event since, these will be Obsession's first public events in the Soo since Rotaryfest in July, and will mark the first time that a general audience in town can see them with new frontwoman Jessica Amadio, who replaced Valerie Powley shortly after her guest appearance at Rotaryfest. Obsession chose to take their time and gradually introduce Jess, so that does bode well for their preparation as a live act, and hopefully this weekend's shows are huge hits! Their first Esquire Club dates since April, tomorrow's show is standard fare (singer change aside), but Saturday's is absolutely a Halloween party with a costume contest to take part in.

Unspecified prizes await winners of the costume contest, and other Halloween frills are expected on Saturday, so keep everything in mind! Whether you're coming for business as usual tomorrow or the Halloween party the next night, Obsession's hard rock-leaning classic rock covers will await at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on the new look Obsession's first public test in city limits,  and here's Obsession (with Jess on backing vocals) at Rotaryfest! Ignore the thumbnail, it will start at Obsession on stage.

Finally, local acoustic classic/hard rock artist Tym Morrison will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for his third and final matinee concert of the month on SATURDAY! Moved from his prior Sunday scheduling there but still taking place in a matinee timeslot, this is the part of his current run of alternating weekend gigs at the 68 Dennis Street nightclub through at least November 12th, with country musician Leslie Cook playing in weekends where Tym isn't. As far as Halloween goes, Saturday's gig does not have any advertised seasonal tie-ins (whether Tym's very open religious beliefs are related is not for me to say), but Shooters will host classic rock cover band Mid Life Crysis for their proper Halloween party that night. which will also serve as the kick-off for the re-opening of the former Union Hall upstairs, which has been renamed The Queen of Hearts Club, and it will host comedy hypnotist Hernandez that evening before a Halloween video dance party.

Visit this SooToday article for more on the upgrades at 68 Dennis, but it's great to see that things have grown to this level, and with The Algonquin Hotel's venues still on their hiatus from live bookings, I do like that someone is trying to replicate the formula! Tym's unplugged classic & hard rock covers can be seen downstairs at Shooters on Saturday at 3:00 PM before any of the other events, this is a 19+ affair, and there's no cover charge. Visit Tym's and the venue's Facebook event pages for more details, and here's Tym live in concert earlier this year!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished & Soundcheck) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin previewing this weekend's known hard rock concerts, just a heads up of a cancellation of a show we hadn't even gotten to yet, as a late notice Wyld Stallyns show at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tomorrow night is not taking place, as per the venue's Facebook event page. This appears to be 100% due to a scheduling conflict, as The Stallyns will be down by The Machine Shop for Oktoberfest concurrently with the planned Shooters timeslot. An unidentified DJ will replace them at Shooters tomorrow, and we'll have more on Oktoberfest night #1 in a bit. Now, let's dive into the first half of the weekend previews, with Tym Morrison & night #2 of Oktoberfest to follow in tomorrow's post!

We'll start today with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, specifically SHORT NOTICE ones, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these dates were only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, and while the band's Facebook page has not plugged them yet, drummer Glen Thomas did mention them on his personal page. As best as I can tell, this will be Soundcheck's first stop at the original downtown Reggie's since a one-nighter in June, with Reggie's West appearances (including tonight's usual open mic hosting duties) being far more frequent in the third quarter of 2022. Hopefully a decent crowd turns out both TOMORROW & SATURDAY for Soundcheck's country tinged classic and hard rock cover selection!

Note that Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver will be playing a solo matinee set at Reggie's on Sunday afternoon too, as per the Reggie's Facebook page, but I believe his solo gigs are more country centric. Still good to see him tripling up too, as he typically does not take part in the Thursday open mics. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows have 19+ age limits, no cover, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert earlier this summer!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, as local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Tarnished's first shows in the Soo since rocking The Rapids Lounge almost two months ago, and will be their first anywhere since their Northern Lights Cannabis Co. show in nearby Dafter on September 30th. Speaking of which, the band has newly announced that they'll be returning to the local marijuana dispensary for one night only on Friday, October 21st, so clearly their first show there went well to warrant an encore just three weeks later! As before, expect this Fire Up Fridaze event to have a 4:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, no cover, and the same cannabis deals/offers, vendors, refreshments, and more that are staples of Fridays at N.L.C.C., live bands or not. Yes, I am aware that an outdated, Isaac-less band photo is on the poster.

Before then, Tarnished's modern brand of old school influenced hard rock can be enjoyed at The Rapids Lounge for typical & presumably cannabis-free entertainment tomorrow and Saturday night at 9:00 PM, also with 21+ age limits and no cover. Should be a good time this weekend and next Friday alike for Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh (and their fans), so visit the official Facebook event page for the Kewadin gigs and the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally for today's previews, we'll head back north to Sault Ontario for the reason why local funk/hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns dropped out of their Shooters gig tomorrow, as they're taking part in Outspoken Brewing's second annual Oktoberfest, with The Stallyns part of both TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's live music slate outside of The Machine Shop! Picking up where LopLops left off pre-pandemic, Outspoken debuted their Oktoberfest last fall, and with a year under their belts and the pandemic much less of a concern, things are much bigger in scope this year, including full live music slates both nights, plus a wide array of entertainment both for adults hoping for beer or for those just wanting to have some family activities. Everything takes place at The Rink at the Canal District, transformed this weekend into a Munich biergarten. Click here for non-musical details!

We'll focus on tomorrow's bill today with Saturday's to follow in tomorrow's post. Three bands play tomorrow night at The Rink, with The Wyld Stallyns and frequent guest saxophonist Josh Norling playing in the middle 8:00 PM timeslot, sandwiched between headlining R&B/soul sextet The Hustle Brothers at 10:00 PM and traditional German supergroup Nein German Guys with a more traditional Oktoberfest sound at 6:00 PM. Tomorrow's festivities are 100% 19+ and heavily themed around alcohol as such, so if you want to bring the kids, wait until Saturday (more on that day's band lineup in our next post, but of tomorrow's bands, only The Hustle Brothers aren't pulling double duty). Admission tomorrow will run you $45, or $70 for a full weekend pass, and if you buy a ticket in advance, you'll get a free Oktoberfest mug and 20 oz. draught. Buy your tickets online at this link!

Everything properly begins at The Rink at 5:00 PM tomorrow, for the record. The Wyld Stallyns are comparatively the outliers on the Friday bill, but their varied & often heavy cover rock stylings should go over well with the Oktoberfest attendees, and they should have some songs primed for a drinking crowd given all of their nightclub sets! Visit the above links for much more on this year's Oktoberfest, stay tuned for our preview of Saturday's lineup tomorrow, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison, Soundcheck, And Bone Yard), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Busy concert weekend is ahead to send September 2022 out and welcome October, so our previews of tomorrow night's Apocalypse Afterparty/Tech N9ne and Tarnished shows will be in our next post. Schedule-wise, the amount of Friday nighters is very imbalanced compared to Saturday this weekend, and the amount of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS didn't help in that regard, but here's what you should know to kick things off with!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to Reggie's Place for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via this promotional image on their Facebook page earlier this evening. TOMORROW'S concert will be Bone Yard's second in a week's span, following another one-nighter there this past Saturday. Good to see Bone Yard playing public shows a little more frequently in the fall season, and hopefully they deliver the hard rocking goods at the downtown Reggie's TOMORROW NIGHT! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in another late notice show coming up in a bit. As was the case this past weekend, TOMORROW'S show has a 9:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live concert video of Bone Yard at Reggie's from this past Saturday!

A cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", this was filmed by an attendee and live-streamed to their Facebook page during their first set. Not a bad performance, with Greg's lower-register clean vocals an interesting approach compared to the original versions, and while the video is shot vertically, the band is captured in frame throughout! Give it a look below, and look for much more from Bone Yard TOMORROW NIGHT!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for normal concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band has not confirmed these shows publically at press time, but drummer Glen Thomas confirmed them in personal Facebook postings this week. While Soundcheck are certainly no strangers to the Reggievelt via their Cameron-less hosting duties at the venue's Thursday jam nights (yes, they'll be playing tonight), TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows will be normal four-piece concerts for Soundcheck, their first such at the Korah Road nightclub since the end of July. Hopefully a solid crowd turns out TOMORROW & SATURDAY for Soundcheck's hard rocking cover selection, and tonight for the jam night too! Expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Also this weekend, who's playing at Reggie's Place on SATURDAY, October 1st? Local acoustic classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison, that's who! Apologies again for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via it's Facebook event page this evening. Though Tym's best known at Reggie's for playing in their Sunday matinee rotation, he is not a stranger to playing standard nighttime shows there, most recently on Friday, September 2nd (though a Sunday matinee was his last show period there on the 18th). Speaking of matinees, might as well roll in Tym's previously announced matinee gig at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SUNDAY here too, his first in three alternating Sundays in October, so if you want to enjoy his unplugged cover attack at this recently prominent nightclub, you know where to be later this weekend! SATURDAY'S Reggie's concert has a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit, as usual for their nighttime gigs.

As for Sunday at Shooters, that event is at 3:00 PM with no cover charge and a presumed 19+ age limit. Visit the above links and the Shooters Facebook event page for more details on both of his shows this weekend, and here's Tym live!

Finally for this preview post (another hits the site tomorrow, don't worry!), here's a show that had lots of advance notice, as local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will make their Shooters Downstairs Lounge debut with a one-nighter TOMORROW NIGHT! After an off weekend, this show will be The Stallyns' first public concert since rocking The Whisky Barrel two weeks ago. Shooters is not too far down the road, so hopefully some of their regular fans there come to Dennis Street for all of their varied but often hard rocking cover action tomorrow! A one-nighter due to or resulting in Mid Life Crysis' own Shooters debut on Saturday, tomorrow's Stallyns show has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Should be a good time, so welcome the Speers' and company with open arms tomorrow night, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Apocalypse Afterparty & Tarnished previews (and more) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!