LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Today's post is half devoted to weekend concert previews, one via SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Nice to have a few hard rock concerts to talk about again, if socially distanced ones, so let's start there, but also check out last month's poll results and a video from the winning topic below as well!

Fresh off of their St. Patrick's Day concert there on Wednesday, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for a traditional (if pandemic-impaired) concert weekend TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed these dates via their Facebook event page earlier this evening. I'm not sure why they didn't just group TONIGHT & TOMORROW's shows in with Wednesday's for ease of promotion, given the run of three gigs in four days, but in any event, I'm sure the guys like that they're playing live more frequently again! Soundcheck's brand of classic and hard rock covers should entertain fans as usual TONIGHT & TOMORROW, so keep these shows in mind if you are able & willing! Like on Wednesday, these concerts have 7:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits.

It goes without saying at this point, but please respect Reggie's West's social distancing regulations to ensure everyone's safety, be mindful of the capacity limits, and don't forget your mask. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's a preview of a concert that had lots of advance notice, as local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his second solo concert of 2021 THIS SUNDAY at Reggie's Place on Queen Street East as part of their Sunday matinee rotation! Fans may have seen Tym live at the original downtown Reggie's recently filling in with The Dorian Gray Band, but Sunday's show will be Tym's first as an acoustic solo performer since his post-lockdown return date there on February 21st. The afternoon timeslot remains atypical for a covers-centric hard rock artist locally, but Tym's extensive setlist and solid musicianship should be on display regardless! An early 3:00 PM start time is in effect, there are no announced cover charges, and again, be mindful of pandemic restrictions on capacity and social distancing. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, I wanted to close down last month's poll on the SMS, which posed this question: COVID-19 aside, what was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2020? I'm going to forgo the usual write-up we have for monthly polls, because this poll only received three votes, one for Mike Haggith releasing his new album "If Ever Comes The Day", and two for Mikey Hawdon launching his quarantunes video series (now better known as Mikey & His Uke, more on that in a second.) Thanks to the three people who voted of course, and Mikey is a deserving winner given the reach of that series during a dicey time in 2020, but three votes is a dismayingly low number for a poll up for a month. With how the pandemic is going, I don't think we'll have to worry about posting new polls until 2022, with a retool perhaps in order.

That said, let's close with the aforementioned Mikey & His Uke series, which as you may recall, grew from veteran local punk musician Mikey Hawdon's daily solo vocal/ukelele covers to monthly guest star-laden full band performances filmed remotely. He still plays on his 'uke at the start, but the pretense is always dropped early on. We don't cover the new ones day to day because there's not much local about them (I don't think Mikey has moved back home yet, and the guest musicians are always far flung), but Wednesday's is different, as Mikey did recruit his Inner City Surfers bandmate Dustin Jones in this cover of The Pogues' "Streams of Whiskey"! Fitting song choice for St. Patrick's Day, obviously. Other guests here include five alumni of veteran Vancouver-based Celtic punk band The Real McKenzies, plus members of The Dreadnoughts, Nubs & Her Studs, and Old Man Markley.

Packed lineup of musicians on offer here, even including an accordion player, and this is a fun watch to see this talented array give a nice punk edge to St. Patrick's Day during a pandemic, especially with some musicians clearly getting more into the holiday's spirit visually! Give the newest Mikey & His Uke cover a watch below, and see much more at this link!

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

Last Month's Poll Results & Our New Poll!

It's now time to wrap up last month's poll on the SMS and launch a new one! As you may recall, we posed this question to you guys last month: What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk album of 2020? Only 10 votes, which is disappointing, but thanks to everyone who did vote, especially with a fairly interesting final tally, which you can see below!

The Bear Hunters - The Dead Testament (3 votes, 30%)
A Dire Setback - A Dire Setback (3 votes, 30%)
Mike Haggith - If Ever Comes The Day (2 votes, 20%)
Other (2 votes, 20%)
9 Times Dark - Vicissitude (0 votes)
As It Stands - The Lost Tapes (0 votes)
Either of Crucify The Whore's new albums (0 votes)
Tarnished - Down To The Wire (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Regarding the albums with no votes, I'm most surprised that As It Stands' long-belated EP didn't get any votes, especially knowing how popular they were a decade ago. The other three options were tempered by lower-profile release methods, or in Tarnished's case, not being based on this side of the border. I can't speak for the two "Other" votes, but the three top vote-getters predictably got the most positive attention in the poll, validating their contemporary fandom and successes! Mike's positive votes show that he has maintained his local following since moving west, and with A Dire Setback & The Bear Hunters tying for the lead, both metalheads and punk fans had their say! In ties like this, my tiebreaker is to give the edge to the newer album (as it had less time to garner the same votes), so I'd consider "The Dead Testament" as the winner, but both were very solid new albums that deserve to be checked out!

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, you may recall me mentioning last month that I was condensing our 2020 wrap-up polls from five to two due for obvious pandemic-related reasons. One is now in the books, and this month's poll poses this question to you guys: COVID-19 aside, what was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2020? This was a tricky poll to narrow down choices for, given how different of a year 2020 was in pretty much every facet, but it certainly wasn't boring! As noted above, the COVID-19 pandemic alone will not be an option in the poll, as that is a wide-sweeping blanket topic that, in & of itself, isn't a local music story. It certainly impacted everything, and it undoubtedly defined 2020, but we're trying to be specific to newsworthy events. Similarly, I'm not including specific concert cancellations as options, because pretty much everything after mid-March had an identical fate, and where do you draw the line?

I narrowed down your choices this year from our usual 25 to 20 (hopefully we can bump back up for 2021), and of course, "Other" is back too if you would prefer. Now, here's a little on the final options!

A Dire Setback release their self-titled debut CD: As alluded to above already, local punk trio A Dire Setback put out their long awaited studio album in March, early into the pandemic, and it recieved a strong reception from fans despite their release party being forced into a virtual setting. This was a fun album from this prominent local band, but was this the most newsworthy item in the poll?

As It Stands posthumously release "The Lost Tapes": Another of last year' new album crop, defunct local hardcore quintet As It Stands surprised many fans when they finally mixed and released their 2011 Mississauga recording sessions for their planned EP almost a decade after the fact. This was a nice surprise, even minus the Blink-182 cover, but would it earn your vote here?

The Bear Hunters release "The Dead Testament": Winners of the above poll (using the release date tiebreaker), local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters finally released their sophomore album in a sudden Bandcamp posting in November, opting to just get it out in some form despite the pandemic. The improved production quality accentuated the brutality well, but would you vote for it?

The Borderline Internet Radio hits the airwaves: Back in February, a new locally-focused radio alternative debuted when The Borderline launched with a large rotation of Sault-area musicians plus a number of scheduled programs featuring live hosts. While not on AM or FM, The Borderline has already developed a good following, but was it's launch #1 of these choices?

Concerts resume on a limited basis in the summer: For obvious reasons, live concerts did not take place for much of 2020, but select bands returned to some semblance of a live schedule from July through the second Ontario lockdown in December, with artists like Fort Creek, Soundcheck, and Tym Morrison playing to multiple socially distanced crowds. Would the return of concerts get your vote?

Eric Martin from Mr. Big hits Kewadin Casino in February: One of three major venue headlining concerts we got in 2020 before things turned upside down, former Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin and Trixter alum P.J. Farley played a special unplugged concert at The Dreammaker's Theater one year ago. The biggest was yet to come for hair metal fans, but did this top 2020 for you?

The Hair Scare Live rocks Kewadin Casino in February: Just a week after Eric Martin's Kewadin Casino gig in Sault Michigan, Rock 101's Hair Scare and host Scott Cook helped bring a hair metal feast to the same venue, courtesy of Cinderella's Tom Kiefer, Kix, and Faster Pussycat. This was the last major hard rock concert before the pandemic, but was it your biggest news story?

The Inner City Surfers release their new single: Over a year after recording three new songs locally in conjunction with their 2019 reunion show, local punk veterans The Inner City Surfers released "Excess Express" on YouTube and major streaming platforms. Fans took to the bluegrass-influenced punk song like it was 2005 all over again, but was it the most newsworthy item of all included here?

Live-streamed & virtual concerts gain wider popularity: With normal concerts out of the cards from mid-March onward, many local bands and event organizers shifted their focus to the internet to continue performing for an audience, notably including Mike Haggith, Tarnished, and Tym Morrison's regular weekly at-home gigs. Did this emerging trend strike you as newsworthy?

Long & McQuade moves to MacDonald Avenue: Moving during a pandemic can't be ideal, but local chain music store Long & McQuade (merged from Northland Music & Thomas Walls School Of Music) opened in the former Northshore Sports & Auto site in July, giving local musicians a new larger location and inventory for all of their needs. Would you vote for this story?

Mike Haggith releases "If Ever Comes The Day": After opting to postpone his planned "Bridges" album, former Din frontman Mike Haggith released his 50th canon solo album and first in 5 years back in May, complete with it's own release party shoved to a digital format. This intensely personal concept album recieved many positive reviews, but were you among them?

Mikey & His Uke launch his quarantune video series: A surprise daily treat during the first lockdown came via Inner City Surfers drummer and prolific local/Toronto punk frontman Mikey Hawdon's increasingly popular series of short vocal/ukelele song uploads, which slowly grew in prominence and quality into their current far-flung juggernaut. Was this #1 for you?

The Rad Zone moves to Queen Street East: After two decades at the former Wellington Square Mall, local record/skateboarding/video games/etc. store The Rad Zone packed it's bags and moved downtown into the former Foch Cleaners location in February. The pandemic didn't make for an ideal first year there, but was The Rad Zone's big move last year's biggest news story?

Reggie's Place re-opens under new ownership: After being closed for a year, popular Queen Street East bar & concert venue Reggie's Place was bought by Randy Lapossie, re-opened in September, and became one of the few repositories for a concert calendar last fall, even booking more hard rock than they once did. Would you vote for the return of Reggie's here?

Room 21 closes after Acoustic Heartstrings concert: A venue closure that had nothing to do with the pandemic, Albert Street West acoustic nightclub Room 21 announced that they were shutting their doors in February due to their host restaurant Low & Slow's move downtown, ending their two year run with a three band Valentine's Day show. Is this your preferred choice?

Rotaryfest music lineup takes place virtually in September: Ensuring that our annual summer festival took place in some form in 2020, Rotaryfest was delayed to the early fall and held virtually, with a pre-recorded YouTube concert headlined by Crystal Shawanda. No hard rock bands played (cover songs aside), but did Rotaryfest's 2020 changes top last year for you?

Shit Liver upload their 2016 tour documentary: After a four year wait, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver finally posted the video of all of their antics from their cross-Canada tour run in the second quarter of 2016, including highlights from their Oddfellows Hall sho that April. It was great to see this video at long last, but would you vote for it here?

Tarnished release their "Down To The Wire" EP: The only high profile album to come out last year from a Sault Michigan hard rock act, "Down To The Wire" gave fans a nice compact package of five upbeat and heavy original music, and it gotr some strong publicity in the area during the first lockdown! Was this EP last year's top story of these choices?

Theory Of A Deadman rocks Sault Ontario in February:A rare hard rock concert hit The Sault Community Theater Center last year when Canadian rock radio mainstays Theory Of A Deadman returned to the region for a well recieved headlining date alongside openers W3apons. As the last high profile Sault Ontario event before the pandemic, does it earn your vote?

We Will Rock You musical takes place in January: While not a concert in the traditional sense, the touring production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You made it's way to GFL Memorial Gardens last January, featuring Queen's classic songs in a jukebox musical format. Definitely an interesting way to experience Queen, but would you vote for it in this poll?

Other: Did we miss something you'd rather vote for? Was a specific unlisted concert or album more to your liking? Was there a pandemic-influenced event that struck you as more newsworthy? Remember, the question begins with "COVID-19 aside,". If, for whatever reason, we missed your own top news story of 2020, then "Other" is for you!

VOTE TODAY! You have until March 19th or so to cast your votes, and as always, it will be interesting to see what comes out on top here, perhaps more than ever given how screwy of a year that 2020 was! That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow. Thanks everyone!

New Quarantune Videos, Last Month's Poll Results, And More!!

As you may have noticed by now, our daily posting streak during the pandemic ended after Monday's 91st straight post on the SMS. Basically, I ended the run to help us build up stories for future posts (we were starting to run thin), and get them out on a more typical schedule like what we were doing up to mid-March, especially as "the new normal" is taking effect and the Sault area continues re-opening to the public. This regular run was good to keep everyone engaged and informed during the lockdowns, and if there is a second wave of COVID-19 forcing everything to be shut down again, I may pick things back up daily! Now, let's get to some recent updates, starting with the latest daily cover videos from veteran local punk musician Mikey Hawdon's YouTube channel! He posted three new "quarantunes" on there in as many days, including a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News" with guest singers, notably including his long-time bandmate Amy Gabba.

The other two are punk songs, including an original song (a rarity for this series) named "I Did It All For The Dookie", and despite the Limp Bizkit allusion, it's a tribute to Green Day and their "Dookie" album. It's no secret that Mikey is a huge fan of theirs, as anyone who's seen him front the tribute band The Dookies knows, and this solo performance is fun and fits in the right spirit of the band! Comparatively speaking, it's a long video too, as Mikey's quarantunes don't generally exceed 3 minutes like this one. Embedded below is yesterday's video of Mikey & his uke, only here, his one is stacked with guest musicians! Mikey aside, this cover of Operation Ivy's "Unity" features members of Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, The Anti-Queens, Fishbone, Big D & The Kids Table, and No Big Deal. Fittingly, the acoustic ukelele pretense is dropped early for a full band performance, albeit remotely filmed.

Nice choice of song to cover, and with this all-star crew, you know everyone handles this classic very well! Strong editing by Dean too, allowing good looks at every performer, though the jumps from black and white to colour aren't ideal. Give Mikey and crew a watch below, and look for more quarantune videos above and on his YouTube channel tomorrow!



We'll finish today's post by diving into the results of last month's poll on the SMS, where we posed this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2019?  Sadly, this poll only received 5 votes, but thanks to those who did chime in, and there is a clear winner, so here are the final results from the past month!

Michale Graves at The Canadian Nightclub on September 28th (2 votes, 40%)
Oh!No III (night #2) in Leeburn on September 7th (1 vote, 20%)
Anvil, Striker, and Jack Spades at Soo Blaster on June 9th (1 vote, 20%)
The Killer Dwarfs & Re:Born at Soo Blaster on April 27th (1 vote, 20%)
Joni Radford Memorial at The Algonquin Hotel on March 2nd (0 votes)
Parabol & The Elements at The Rockstar Bar on March 23rd (0 votes)
The Tea Party at The Machine Shop on March 27th (0 votes)
Dopethrone & AlgomA at The New American Pub on May 20th (0 votes)
Random Killing & Jack Spades at The Rockstar Bar on July 5th (0 votes)
Dany Laj & B.A. Johnston at The New A on November 9th (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

After claiming the late 2019 poll last month with just as many votes, the Michale Graves concert in September narrowly wins for the whole year! Of course, 2 out of 5 votes is hardly representative, but it's encouraging to see such a strong horror punk concert win out, esepcially given it's attendance and the one year delay in the show taking place. Oh!No III's second night and the mid-2019 Soo Blaster gigs from Anvil and The Killer Dwarfs all got representation too, which won't surprise attendees of those well received concerts I am most surprised that the Joni Radford tribute concert, The Tea Party, and Random Killing didn't get votes this time out, but alas, it's all in who votes in a given poll. Thanks to everyone who did vote! For now, I will put our monthly polls on the shelf due to the 2019 cycle ending and our recent polls recieving low totals anyway. As for our usual "favourite concert in the first half of the year" poll next month..... yeah, you probably know why I'm postponing it, no point in reiterating the obvious.

It would hardly be fair of me to run a poll on early 2020 concerts when we only had live concerts for two and a half months before the coronavirus outbreak shut down the local concert industry, and while there have been noises about social distance-friendly concerts in the E.U.P., I fear we're a ways off from anything major up here, sadly. I will probably end up doing just one poll on all concerts in 2020 down the line, and who knows what the rest of the year will hold for that anyway. I'll keep you guys posted, and look for more news & notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Poll On Your Favourite Local Concerts In All Of 2019!!

We'll take a pause from news and video posts today to close up last month's poll and launch our last of our "favourite _____ of 2019" polls! As you may recall, I posed this question to you guys last month: "What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2019?" Sadly, we only got 6 votes (down from the first half of 2019 poll), but despite that, there is a clear winner, so here are the final results from the past month!

Michale Graves at The Canadian Nightclub on September 28th (2 votes, 33%)
Dany Laj & B.A. Johnston at The New A on November 9th (1 vote, 16.75%)
Oh!No III (night #2) in Leeburn on September 7th (1 vote, 16.75%)
Random Killing at The Rockstar Bar on July 5th (1 vote, 16.75%)
Other (1 vote, 16.75%)
The Inner City Surfers at LopLops Lounge on August 3rd (0 votes)
Black Crown Initiate at The Rockstar Bar on August 3rd (0 votes)
Mike Haggith at Outspoken Brewing on August 10th (0 votes)
Oh!No III (night #1) in Leeburn on September 6th (0 votes)
The Cancer Bats at Soo Blaster on September 12th (0 votes)
Late & Loud at The Rockstar Bar on October 10th (0 votes)
Parabol at Soo Blaster on October 12th (0 votes)
Halloween Party at The Rockstar Bar on November 1st (0 votes)
The Ripcordz at The Rockstar Bar on November 9th (0 votes)
The Offspring at GFL Memorial Gardens on November 19th (0 votes)
Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide at LopLops on December 21st (0 votes)

What do you guys think? The lack of votes meant that popular and notable shows were liable to not get represented, and that was certainly the case here. Between The Offspring & Sum 41 at the Gardens, the latest Ripcordz concert, the return of The Cancer Bats, and the well-received Inner City Surfers and Lion Ride show, imagine how this poll would look if a different group of 6 people voted! Of the single-voted shows ("Other" aside), I'm not surprised at all that Random Killing and the most substantial night of the Oh!No festival got in, but I was surprised that the Dany Laj & The Looks/B.A. Johnston show got a vote over certain ones that didn't. The winner, and only concert with multiple votes, was the Michale Graves-headlined concert at The Canadian in September, and that was definitely a fun and well-anticipated concert for Misfits and/or punk fans alike, and hopefully we'll get more shows of a similar scope at some point down the road! Thanks to everyone who voted!

As for this month's poll, we are uniting the four shows with votes this month and the six that got votes in our first half of 2019 poll last year for this final summative question: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2019? Now we can see what you guys thought was your favourite show in this entire 12 month span, back when concerts could actually happen (what a concept!) Concerts that did not get a vote in either half-year poll are not included, but as always, "Other" is here if you need it. Now, here are the concerts you can vote on!

Bands: The Cover-Up, Destroilet, Jack Spades, members of Northwest, Coral Fang, The Elements, and Stegadeth
Venue: Both floors of The Algonquin Hotel
Date: March 2nd
Info: Following Joni Radford's death in January 2019 after a lengthy cancer battle, her friends in the music community banded together to host a memorial concert in her memory at The Algonquin Hotel, with seven punk bands playing across both floors of the venue. A huge crowd come out to honour Joni and rock out with this stacked lineup, including a rare Cover-Up headlining set and Destroilet's only show in the last 3 years, but would you vote for it in this poll?

Bands: Parabol & The Elements (as "Scar Tissue")
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 23rd
Info: While Ozzy fans flocked to The Canadian that same night, Tool fans instead headed to The Rockstar Bar, as local Tool tribute Parabol continued their early promise with another well recieved local concert date! This talented group knows Tool hits inside and out, and fans got more than their fill on this night, with The Elements playing an all-Red Hot Chili Peppers cover set to kick off the night! Was this tribute show your favourite of 2019?

Bands: The Tea Party & The Proud Sons
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: March 27th
Info: After previously rocking the Soo in July 2017 after a lengthy local absence, Windsor hard rock veterans The Tea Party returned for another headlining concert, this time at The Machine Shop (and with paid, 19+ admission.) Fans ate up their familiar rock radio hits, with Winnipeg southern rock band The Proud Sons impressing with their own rising originals to kick off the night. Would you vote for this concert over all others listed here?

Bands: The Killer Dwarfs & Re:Born
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: April 27th
Info: 1980s and early 1990s hair metal fans flocked to Soo Blaster in April to see Oshawa hair metal legends The Killer Dwarfs and their amusing stage show back in town after a lengthy absence, as put on and well advertised by Wawa-News & Rock Talk columnist Ernest Skinner. While a battle of the bands to find openers never panned out, power rock quartet Re:Born's new lineup delivered a fitting opening set! Would you vote for this concert?

Bands: Dopethrone, AlgomA, and Shit Liver
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: May 20th
Info: The former Six, Two, Oh. brought another hard hitting night of doom and death metal to The New A last year, with Montreal "slutch metal" band Dopethrone making their local concert debut with a suitably slow and crushing set! Also featuring local death metal standouts (and "Trading Faces" splitmates) AlgomA & Shit Liver in their only local concert appearances in the past 2 years, was this brutal concert your top pick of these twelve months?

Bands: Anvil, Striker, Jack Spades, and Re:Born
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: June 9th
Info: What originally was announced as just a Striker concert with Re:Born opening soon doubled in size and scope when Toronto metal legends Anvil and fellow locals Jack Spades were added on, making this one of the early highlights of the summer concert season! Anvil's very familiar metal on metal and Striker's old school NWOBHM-influenced sound paired well with the attending crowd, but were you there to vouch for it here?

Bands: Random Killing, Jack Spades, and The Sick Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 5th
Info: Well over five years after the well received Hardcore Homecoming concert at the same venue, Toronto hardcore punk legends Random Killing (and Saultite frontman Andrew Kiteley) returned for another hard hitting night of old school punk action in July, with support from Jack Spades and the debuting Sick Sons to get things started on the right foot. This was another hit for punk fans, but was it your favourite local concert of last year?

Bands: Pisser, Cross Dog, Lightmares, Femur, Wrecker, Pointless, Garbageface, Lord Hidetora, The Franquilizers, Forest City Aurora, The Dynowaves, Telephone & Address, The Elements, Conika, The Angry Spells, Hannah Lindsay, The Speed Humps, Shae Tull, and Malignant Neoplasm
Venue: Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn
Date: September 7th
Info: A whopping 19 of the scheduled 25 acts for Oh!No III were booked for the Saturday lineup last year, including all but one of the touring acts, such as headliners Pisser, the return of Mark Rand's Cross Dog, and sets from festival regulars like Lightmares, The Franquilizers, and Forest City Aurora, plus select local acts, including the reunion of indie/punk project Telephone & Address. Was night 2 of Oh!No III worthy of the piano bonfire?

Bands: Michale Graves, Frightlight, and A Dire Setback
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: September 28th
Info: A year and a day removed from the former Misfits' frontman's scuttled first try at a local concert, Michale Graves fans got a windstorm-free night of classic Misfits songs last fall, as both of his albums with them were played from start to finish! The receptive crowd also got to enjoy the latest return of local horror punk favourites Frightlight, plus a solid opening set from A Dire Setback, but was it your favourite concert here?

Bands: Dany Laj & The Looks and B.A. Johnston
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: November 9th
Info: If you weren't seeing The Ripcordz that same night, you may have been at The New A on November 9th instead, where Girl Friday Productions brought Hamilton comedy/folk punk musician B.A. Johnston back to town for another set of irreverent and polarizing originals, as well as headlining Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks in their (at least) fifth Soo appearance. The musical talent was here, but were you? 

Other: Did we miss your preferred concert in early 2019? For reference, artists like The Apocalypse Afterparty, Awokest, The Bear Hunters, Black Cloud, Black Crown Initiate, Black Mastiff, Body Lens, Bon Jovi Forever, The Cancer Bats, Chase Wigmore, Crucify The Whore, Dave Evans, Dave Smasher, Destroyer, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Doreen, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide, Expain, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, Forever Dead, The Fortunate Losers, Griphook, The Guitar Gangsters, Hells Bells, Inferi, The Inner City Surfers, The John Barber Band, Just Leppard, K-Man & The 45s, Life Like Fire, Late & Loud, The Long Nines, Love & Rehab, Mike Haggith, Monster Truck, The Offspring, OZbourne, Pillory, Poison Girl, Redundant, The Ripcordz, The River Jacks, Rotopsy, Sailor's Tongue, Seax, Sharptooth, The Single Mothers, Slumshine, The Soo Fighters, Soundcheck, Stoned To Deaf, The Strange Coyotes, Sum 41, The Therapists, The Thirties, Tripod the Dog, Tym Morrison, The Uncanny Valley, Warforged, Warsenal, West of Hell, White Cowbell Oklahoma, Who Made Who, Whoop-Szo, The Wyld Stallyns, and Zoon all played public local concerts in 2019, along with shows not included involving some of the above acts otherwise listed. Maybe you preferred a Sault Michigan-area show instead? If, for whatever reason, your favourite local metal/hard rock/punk concert of 2019 isn't listed above, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You have until June 18th to cast your votes in this poll, and it will definitely be interesting to see what comes out on top! Will The Killer Dwarfs or Michale Graves win out again, or will another show pull off the upset? Time will tell, but it's at least nice to reminisce on when concerts actually could take place! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

Continuing our daily post streak, here's this month's new poll and the results of last month's poll! As you may recall, I posed this question to you guys last month: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2019? Sadly, this poll only got 8 votes, but there is a definite winner, so with all of that said, here are the final tallies! 

Puddle of Mudd headline Muddfest in Sault Michigan (3 votes, 37½%)

The Offspring & Sum 41 rock GFL Memorial Gardens (1 vote, 12½%)
Long & McQuade music store begins local operations (1 vote, 12½%)
Oh!No festival expands to 2 nights in Leeburn farewell (1 vote, 12½%)
Sailor's Tongue reunite for Rotaryfest Stage 1 set (1 vote, 12½%)
The Killer Dwarfs headline at Soo Blaster (1 vote, 12½%)
The Apocalypse Afterparty place 3rd in The Soo's Got Talent (0 votes)
Banned dissolve & are succeeded by Tarnished (0 votes)
Crooked Music moves across Ashmun Street (0 votes)
Danger Cats alum Summer Stevens passes away (0 votes)
Dave Evans (ex-AC/DC) rocks The Rockstar Bar (0 votes)
Drowning Pool concert in Sault Michigan postponed (0 votes)
Dryer Fire open Bruce Street pop-up venue twice (0 votes)
The Inner City Surfers reunite for LopLops Lounge concert (0 votes)
Joni Radford memorial concert held at Algonquin Hotel (0 votes)
Late & Loud hold one-off reunion concert (0 votes)
Michale Graves returns for reschuled Canadian date (0 votes)
Mike Haggith releases "Ashes of K" soundtrack album (0 votes)
Music City Sault Ste. Marie project launches (0 votes)
Pop Evil & Buckcherry play outdoors at Kewadin Casino (0 votes)
The Rad Zone announces move to Queen Street (0 votes)
The Sick Sons debut at Random Killing concert (0 votes)
Slaughter & Autgraph rock the St. Ignace Kewadin (0 votes)
The Tea Party returns for show at The Machine Shop  (0 votes)
Tripod the Dog permanently reunite (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you think? Alas, at this rate, I can't be too surprised as to the low vote totals, but for the options that didn't get any vote, I am most surprised that the Inner City Surfers and Late & Loud reunions, and the Pop Evil/Buckcherry and Michale Graves concerts didn't get any votes. For the five choices that tied for second with a single vote (sigh), I'm most surprised that Sailor's Tongue's reunion got some attention, but I'm not overly shocked with the others, as all were big deals in their own way. I didn't expect that a Sault Michigan concert would win out, but November 1st's Muddfest at The Dreammakers Theatre was the victor, as the only option with multiple votes over the past month. That concert had a stacked lineup for fans of nu-metal and 2000s radio hard rock, and despite that Puddle of Mudd cover of "About A Girl" and Trapt's frontman's divisive social media postings as of late, the music on this night clearly won out here. Thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, we are winding down our "favourite _____ of 2019" polls, and that continues by posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2019? I know, it seems like forever ago when concerts took place, but maybe jarring the memory to some of the big shows that took place late last year will bring back some positive memories! Besides, I still have to hold our poll covering all of 2019, featuring the vote-getters from our early 2019 poll! To be included in this poll, concerts must have taken place in Sault Ontario and the surrounding area between July 1st and December 31st, 2019, and anything that was held in 2020 before the shutdown will be addressed in a future poll. Concerts must have had a performer lineup at least half comprised of metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands, so events like Rotaryfest, The Soo's Got Talent, and Toystock are not included, though "Other" is back as an option if you are so inclined. Here are your final 15 choices!

Bands: Random Killing, Jack Spades, and The Sick Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 5th
Info: Well over five years after the well received Hardcore Homecoming concert at the same venue, Toronto hardcore punk legends Random Killing (and Saultite frontman Andrew Kiteley) returned for another hard hitting night of old school punk action in July, with support from Jack Spades and the debuting Sick Sons to get things started on the right foot. This was another hit for punk fans, but was it your favourite local concert of late 2019?

Bands: The Inner City Surfers and Love & Rehab
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: August 3rd
Info: A packed house was on hand for the long awaited reunion of local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers after a 10 6+ year hiatus in early August, with their fan favourite original songs and chemistry more than welcomed for the occasion! Also featuring Brad's Toronto-based band Love & Rehab as openers, this concert was a major success, with plans for new studio material and future gigs following, but would you vote for this one?

Bands: Black Crown Initiate, Inferi, Warforged, and Pillory
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: August 3rd
Info: While it's scheduling opposite The Surfers on August 3rd can't have been ideal, this rare Live705 concert will have appealed to any technical death metal fans last summer, with a trifecta of touring bands ready to melt faces, including the returning Inferi from 2018's Rivers of Nihil show. Local death metal trio Pillory also opened in their last live concert to date, helping make this a must-see extreme metal concert, but can you vouch for it?

Bands: Mike Haggith & Jacob Quarrell
Venue: Outspoken Brewing
Date: August 10th
Info: In his only local concert appearance of 2019, former Din frontman Mike Haggith returned home for a late notice show at Outspoken Brewing, which was notable for fans and Mike alike, especially as that Soo trip helped instigate his upcoming studio album "If Ever Comes The Day" in more ways than one. Also featuring folk musician Jacob Quarrell (who will be in Mike's band for his eventual CD release party), did this show earn your vote?

Bands: The Therapists, Kodex, Jack Spades, Planet Rock, Stegadeth, and Slumshine
Venue: Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn
Date: September 6th
Info: Expanded to a two-day schedule for it's third and final installment before it's planned Sault Ste. Marie move in 2020, the Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn welcomed 5 varied local act to the stage for it's first night in September (including Stegadeth's last concert set to date), before Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists returned for a second straight year as Friday headliners. Did you like Oh!No III's first night the most?

Bands: Pisser, Cross Dog, Lightmares, Femur, Wrecker, Pointless, Garbageface, Lord Hidetora, The Franquilizers, Forest City Aurora, The Dynowaves, Telephone & Address, The Elements, Conika, The Angry Spells, Hannah Lindsay, The Speed Humps, Shae Tull, and Malignant Neoplasm
Venue: Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn
Date: September 7th
Info: A whopping 19 of the scheduled 25 acts for Oh!No III were booked for the Saturday lineup last year, including all but one of the touring acts, such as headliners Pisser, the return of Mark Rand's Cross Dog, and sets from festival regulars like Lightmares, The Franquilizers, and Forest City Aurora, plus select local acts, including the reunion of indie/punk project Telephone & Address. Was night 2 of Oh!No III worthy of the piano bonfire?

Bands: The Cancer Bats, The Single Mothers, Sharptooth, Forever Dead, and Redundant
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: September 12th
Info: The last show in Thunder Bay promoters Loffredo & Associates' 2020 streak of local bookings saw a stacked lineup of touring headliners at Soo Blaster last fall, including the Juno-nominated Cancer Bats & Thunder Bay rockers Forever Dead's first local concert sets in many years, plus the local debuts of The Single Mothers & Sharptooth, and the Soo's own Redundant's first official set with Andrew on bass. Was this your #1 show in the poll?

Bands: Michale Graves, Frightlight, and A Dire Setback
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: September 28th
Info: A year and a day removed from the former Misfits' frontman's scuttled first try at a local concert, Michale Graves fans got a windstorm-free night of classic Misfits songs last fall, as both of his albums with them were played from start to finish! The receptive crowd also got to enjoy the latest return of local horror punk favourites Frightlight, plus a solid opening set from A Dire Setback, but was it your favourite concert here?

Bands: Late & Loud and Planet Rock
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 10th
Info: Five years after their "farewell concert", classic metal quartet Late & Loud reunited one more time to help fundraise for and support bassist Benn Garside's wedding that same month, and fans got to enjoy one more night of heavy rockin' hard metal at The Rockstar Bar! Opened in somewhat surprise fashion by DJ Seith's hip hop project Planet Rock, it was great to see Late & Loud back one more, but would you vote for it?

Bands: Parabol 
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: October 12th
Info: In their final live concert appearance before quietly closing their social media accounts, local Tool tribute band Parabol booked Soo Blaster for a huge headlining concert, featuring their proficient renditions of Tool's back catalog. This was a must-see show for fans of these progressive metal legends, and Parabol had the chops, but was their (unbeknownst to us) farewell show your favourite local concert in the second half of 2019?

Bands: The Elements, The Guitar Gangters, and The Soo Fighters
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: November 1st
Info: J.D. Pearce's 15th annual Halloween party returned to The Rockstar Bar for a rare post-Halloween date last fall, and while it was contracted to a single day, punk and hard rock fans still got their fill from The Elements' turn covering songs already covered by Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, plus the debut of Volbeat tribute supergroup The Guitar Gangsters, and the return of The Soo Fighters. Would you cast your vote here?

Bands: The Ripcordz, A Dire Setback, and The Sick Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: November 9th
Info: Despite the late withdrawal of Jack Spades, hardcore punk fans came out in full force in November to welcome the legendary Ripcordz back to the Soo after over 2 years away, and they delivered another attitude-fueled set of original favourites! Also featuring A Dire Setback's fast-rising attack and the second live set from The Sick Sons, this will surely have had a great reception, but would you agree with that?

Bands: Dany Laj & The Looks and B.A. Johnston
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: November 9th
Info: If your musical tastes didn't lean towards hardcore punk, you may have been at The New A on November 9th instead, where Girl Friday Productions brought Hamilton comedy/folk punk musician B.A. Johnston back to town for another set of irreverent and polarizing originals, as well as headlining Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks in their (at least) fifth Soo appearance. The musical talent was here, but were you?

Bands: The Offspring, Sum 41, and Dinosaur Pile-Up
Venue: GFL Memorial Gardens
Date: November 19th
Info: The only major punk or hard rock concert to take place at the Gardens post-renaming, many local punk fans flocked to the arena in November to see The Offspring and the long awaited return of Sum 41, with both bands unleashing sets full of their classic original songs for the occasion! Also featuring rising English alt rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up, this concert was very well received despite high admission, but was it your favourite?

Bands: Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide and The Elements
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: December 21st
Info: Of all of the seasonal punk concerts to take place at LopLops in December, the biggest was arguably the pre-Christmas show headlined by local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide on the 21st, and with new material from their forthcoming studio album in tow, this was another hit for this infrequently seen but very talented ensemble! Also including The Elements as support, was this your favourite late-2019 show?

Other: Did we miss your favourite concert from late 2019? For reference, artists like The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Bear Hunters, Black Mastiff, Bon Jovi Forever, Chase Wigmore, The Cover-Up, Doreen, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, Griphook, Just Leppard, Life Like Fire, The Long Nines, Northwest, Re:Born, Sailor's Tongue, Seax, Soundcheck, The Strange Coyotes, Tripod the Dog, Tym Morrison, The Uncanny Valley, Warsenal, Who Made Who, Whoop-Szo, The Wyld Stallyns, and Zoon also played shows in this time period, while other shows featuring bands in the poll also took place. If, for whatever reason, your favourite concert isn't in the poll, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You have until May 18th to make your voices heard, and then we will combine the shows with votes from the first half of 2019 poll and this poll for one final poll on the complete year that was. Until then, let's see how this poll goes in the month ahead, so cast your votes while you can, and stay tuned for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

For the first time since this past Thursday, here's a post that has nothing to do with the news story everyone's talking about, as it has the results of last month's poll and the launch of our newest poll! As you may recall, we posed this question on the site last month: What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk album released in 2019? Only 7 votes, which is down from this poll last year, alas, but there are some interesting results ahead, so here is the final tally from the past month!

Mike Haggith - Ashes of K (Official Movie Soundtrack) (3 votes, 43%)

Other (2 votes, 29%)

Black Cloud - Abstract Sounds (1 vote, 14%)

Either of Chase Wigmore's formal debut albums (1 vote, 14%)

Alex Traynor - Crazy World (0 votes)

Either of Awokest's debut albums (0 votes)

Crucify the Whore - Crucifiction Inquisition (0 votes)

Heavy Lies The Crown - Scatter Brain (0 votes)

Mike McCleary - Propaganda Model (0 votes)

What do you guys think? I wasn't sure what to expect going in, as while a lot of albums were released on sale, none really had a massive physical push locally or a formal release party of note. As such, I can't be surprised that Mike Haggith's soundtrack for the movie Ashes of K won out by a single vote, but on the other hand, this was a compilation with no new material that did not recieve a physical release in the Soo. That said, Mike's a known commodity with lots of good will, and the material on the album was well recieved on his and The Din's prior CDs, so the shoe fits in that way! Second place went to "Other", and while it's hard to say what those voters had in mind, I concede in hindsight that Slumshine's debut album "SLMSHN" should have been included (this poll was constructed before we rolled them into our full coverage), so I wouldn't put it past Slumshine fans being the "Other" voters. Local death metal solo projects got the other votes courtesy of Chase Wigmore and Black Cloud fans, validating that their fanbases paid attention!

Of the albums with no votes, I'm not overly surprised that the Sault Michigan-area bands (less readership) and Mike McCleary (his album was de-listed online) fell this way here, and the Chase Wigmore voter may have went that route over Awokest, but C.T.W. not getting any love was the most surprising to me, given that project's devoted following and long track record. Interesting results all the same, and thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, we are posing this question to you guys once again: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2019? This 12 month period was as eventful as ever, and it'll be interesting to look back at this quarantine-free year of local metal, hard rock, and punk action! It was as tough as ever picking 25 distinct options (plus "Other") for the poll, but to be included, the story in question must have occurred or peaked in the 2019 calendar year.

As such, do not look for news stories from 2020 in the poll, especially not the pandemic. Also, just as a reminder, this poll is designed to judge you guys as to the biggest SMS-relevant news story of 2019, not necessarily the happiest or best. Eventful things that aren't good happen every year, it'd be dishonest to not acknowledge them. Now, here are your final choices!

The Apocalypse Afterparty place 3rd in The Soo's Got Talent: Despite being massive stylistic outliers, not to mention their lengthy preceding hiatus, local rap/metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty surprised many attendees with their podium finish at the second annual Soo's Got Talent competition last fall, with the Stanghettas and Alice leaving quite an impression with their high energy originals and creative covers! Would this event and The A.A.'s finish win your vote here?

Banned dissolve & are succeeded by Tarnished: After a successful 8 year run that saw them play numerous concerts in the Eastern U.P. and afar, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned announced their dissolution in March, though frontman Alex Traynor was far from finished, with his new hard rock band Tarnished launching that summer, and numerous unplugged and electric gigs followed well into 2020. Was this transition your big story in the poll?

Crooked Music moves across Ashmun Street: Compared to the music store upheaval in Sault Ontario, this pales in comparison, but it was still a huge adjustment for Sault Michiganders last year when Crooked Music moved from the long-time Grooves Music location at 540 Ashmun Street across the road to 539 Ashmun. The new (yet familiar) location seems to have been doing well for Zac & Christy, staff, and fans, but can you vouch for it this month?

Danger Cats alum Summer Stevens passes away: Many fans and friends in Sault Ontario were shocked by the loss of original Danger Cats singer Summer "Snow-Leopard" Stevens on Christmas Day at just 30 years of age. While not a member of the band for their peak, Summer's late 2013 appearances with the band were fondly looked back on in the aftermath, and she is still missed by everyone who knew her. Was this the biggest story?

Dave Evans (ex-AC/DC) rocks The Rockstar Bar: There were bigger concerts locally in scope to be sure, but a lot of interest and curiosity surrounded this one, as original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans made his way to the Soo in May for a headlining concert featuring both early AC/DC originals and his own later solo work, with Barrie tribute band Hells Bells returning as his backing band. This concert seemed to go over well, but would you concur?

Drowning Pool concert in Sault Michigan postponed: Back when postponed and cancelled concerts were a rarity around here, the biggest show to be lost locally in 2019 was the planned Drowning Pool concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch in August. Opening act Joyous Wolf rebounded quick by being added to the next day's Pop Evil show, but a new Drowning Pool date remains in limbo. Was this your #1 topic?

Dryer Fire open Bruce Street pop-up venue twice: While Sault Ontario promotion agency Dryer Fire have booked at many spots following The Gore Street Cafe's closure, they got a semblance of permanence again when they opened for a few months in mid-2019 at a rented Bruce Street location, returning for two more weeks in December. Fans seemed to enjoy the new space and the concerts & events that followed, but would you choose it here?

The Inner City Surfers reunite for LopLops Lounge concert: After being on public hiatus for the past 10 6½ years, fan-favourite local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers came back in August to rock a packed house at LopLops. It was 2005 all over again on this night, and the success of The Surfers' reunion show led to plans for a Toronto return gig in 2020, plus recording sessions for new original material. Did The Inner City Surfers' return rank as the most newsworthy option?

Joni Radford memorial concert held at Algonquin Hotel: After a lengthy battle with cancer, noted local punk fan and bartender Joni Radford passed away last February, leading to a huge memorial concert in her honour on both floors of The Algonquin Hotel simultaneously, with a stacked array of punk bands on hand, including downstairs headliners Jack Spades, Rockstar Bar headliners The Cover-Up, and many others. Would you vote for this show?

The Killer Dwarfs headline at Soo Blaster: In a year full of notable concerts at Soo Blaster, arguably none got as much buzz as The Killer Dwarfs' concert there in April, marking their first local appearance in decades. Wawa-News columnist Ernest Skinner did good in bringing the Oshawa hair metal icons back for a night of old school power rock, complete with new local quartet Re:Born opening in one of their first live gigs. Does our vote go here?

Late & Loud hold one-off reunion concert: Five years after their initial "farewell" show, local glam/classic metal quartet Late & Loud came back for one night only in October to help support bassist Benn Garside's wedding to Danger Cats bassist Jamie VanSchooneveld. Another large crowd turned out to The Rockstar Bar to congratulate the happy couple and enjoy one more night of heavy rockin' hard metal, but did it top all other stories in this poll?

Long & McQuade music store begins local operations: Musicians in the Soo got some very cool news in May when it was announced that Northland Music and the Thomas Walls School of Music would merge operations as the local branch of the Canadian music store chain Long & McQuade, with plans to move both locations to 647 MacDonald Avenue at some point in 2020. For inventory and name reccognition alone, this was a huge deal, but was it the #1 subject?

Michale Graves returns for rescheduled Canadian date: One year and one week after postponing his local concert due to severe winds closing the Mackinac Bridge, former Misfits frontman Michale Graves finally made his way to Sault Ste. Marie in September, complete with a set comprising of both of his Misfits albums played in their entirety! A very vocal crowd turned up on Saturday night for the horror punk action, but would you vote for it?

Mike Haggith releases "Ashes of K" soundtrack album: The somewhat surprising winner of last month's poll on your favourite 2019 album releases, prolific local/Manitoba solo musician Mike Haggith belatedly released the soundtrack to the 2018 independent movie he was a part of in April, featuring most of his last solo album "The Warinside" and four Din songs. The musical quality was sound, but would a soundtrack make noise over other stories listed in this poll?

Music City Sault Ste. Marie project launches: Last fall, music industry professionals from the Soo and elsewhere got together to launch Music City Sault Ste. Marie, an ambitious project designed to help grow Sault Ste. Marie's music industry and make the city a destination for music-related tourism, jobs and overall growth, perhaps leading to the Soo hosting the Juno Awards. There are a lot of question marks yet, but does Music City SSM lead the way for your vote this month?

Oh!No festival expands to 2 nights in Leeburn farewell: For it's third year at Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn, the former Six, Two, Oh. brought 25 musical acts to the stage over two days in early September, with such familiar acts as Cross Dog, Lightmares, The Therapists, and many, many more taking the stage that weekend. Organizers have announced that Oh!No IV will take place in multiple Soo venues, but would you vote for Oh!No III?

The Offspring & Sum 41 rock GFL Memorial Gardens: In the first major hard rock or punk concert at the newly renamed Gardens, punk fans got to enjoy The Offspring's local debut in November, with Ontario's own Sum 41 opening in their first local concert appearance in 15 years. Also featuring fast-rising English alternative trio Dinosaur Pile-Up, this concert was a big hit for fans, but would you say it was last year's top story?

Pop Evil & Buckcherry play outdoors at Kewadin Casino: One of the biggest local hard rock concerts of 2019 couldn't be contained indoors, as Muskegon's own Pop Evil and Anaheim hard rock quintet Buckcherry joined forces outside at the Sault Michigan Kewadin, delivering their own diverse takes on the genre to gathered fans! Also featuring Drowning Pool's planned openers Joyous Wolf, this was another big hit, but does it have your vote?

Puddle of Mudd headline Muddfest in Sault Michigan: Despite a lack of media attention in the lead-up, a nu-metal and modern hard rock feast hit The Dreammakers Theater in November when Puddle of Mudd's eponymous Muddfest tour rolled through Sault Ste. Marie, with Saliva, Tantric, and the local returns of Trapt & Saving Abel also on hand for good measure. These five bands have loads of familiar rock radio hits between them, but can you vouch for Muddfest here?

The Rad Zone announces move to Queen Street: Though their Wellington Square Mall location lingered on into February with close-out sales, Sault Ontarians were rocked in November when the local record/video games/skate/etc. store announced that they were leaving their home of the past two decades in advance of the mall's heavy restructuring. We'll get into the new location in next year's poll, but was the move and massive sales enough to win this poll for you?

Sailor's Tongue reunite for Rotaryfest Stage 1 set:  Six years after their last live concert set at Rotaryfest's Second Stage, local hard rock band Sailor's Tongue resurfaced for one night only at last year's Rotaryfest in July, albeit graduated to Stage 1 in it's increasing friendliness of original acts. It was great to see the McKey brothers & Jeff back together for at least one more night, but was their reunion your biggest story of 2019 in this poll?

The Sick Sons debut at Random Killing concert: Most local bands don't get this high of a platform for theier live concert debut, but for a local punk supergroup of this pedigree, it made perfect sense, even with their then-lack of a social media presence. The Sick Sons left a strong first impression in July when they opened for Random Killing at The Rockstar Bar, and with more big opening sets ahead, their future looks bright! Does your vote go to them?

Slaughter & Autograph rock the St. Ignace Kewadin: Major touring bands don't play often at the events center at the St. Ignace, Michigan branch of Kewadin Casinos, but hair metal fans got a massive exception to that rule in June when Slaughter played their third recorded local concert set in this headlining show, with Autograph tagging along for good measure! Admission was just $10, ensuring a cheap night of hair scares, but did this show highlight these 12 months for you?

The Tea Party returns for show at The Machine Shop: Almost two years removed from their free downtown ONTour gig here, Windsor hard rock icons The Tea Party returned to Sault Ontario for a paid indoor gig at The Machine Shop last March, garnering another strong reception from assembled fans for their established and newer originals alike! Also featuring an opening set by The Proud Sons, did The Tea Party's 2019 show here earn your vote?

Tripod the Dog permanently reunite: The seeds for this were planted when Mark Oliverio brought the ska punk/hard rock band back as part of Rotaryfest's Rewind lineup on Stage 1 in July 2018, but it wasn't until April of last year when Tripod the Dog returned in full with new headlining cover sets at The Esquire Club and The Rockstar Bar, as well as father and son Amendola backing Mark up. Time will tell when we see them again in 2020, but was their return your pick here?

Other: Did we miss your preferred metal, hard rock, or punk story of 2019? Did you want to vote for shows like Theatre of Night's Christmas tour stop in Sault Michigan, or perhaps the Anvil, Cancer Bats, or Monster Truck shows at Soo Blaster? Did Rock of Ages or the local We Will Rock You production get your attention? How about another album release, or perhaps a band's lineup change? If we missed our #1 story last year, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You have until April 18th to cast your votes, and it will be interesting to see what wins out, as usual, from this busy past year in the Soo area. That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!