Before we begin this post, just a heads up that Wishbone/3 Day Millionaires guitarist Jeremey Salatuk's obituary was posted on SooToday and on the O'Sullivan Funeral Home website yesterday. It notes there that he passed away suddenly at home on February 21st at the age of 48, and that he is survived by three children, his sister, and his nephew. His music career is also acknowledged, and that he left behind many bandmates and friends. Cremation has already taken place, and while public funeral arrangements were not outlined in the obituary, a celebration of life will reportedly be held at a later date, so keep tabs with his family and close friends for details on that front. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, a cause that was very important to Jeremey over the years. Our continued thoughts are with the Salatuk family and his friends at this difficult time. R.I.P. Jeremey!
Today's post otherwise has some new videos, and leading off, the latest from local progressive metal band Convergence, so what have they been up to as of late? On February 9th on their Facebook page, they unveiled the cover artwork for their planned third EP, which will be named "Gemini" (odd how that's not the name of their second EP), and they were seeking fan input on whether they should release songs from it as they're completed, or all at once when the whole thing is ready. They didn't get many responses, so chime in if you have a preference! The former Kraken Mara have also expanded to a trio by enlisting prolific local drummer David Peredun as a permanent band member, after previously using programmed drums or session artist Cliff Aubut on prior recordings. You may recognize David from recent bands like Pointless, Turbo Dad, and All The Tired Horses, not to mention the Treble Chager and Fuller reunion concerts.
If you didn't know, David has quite the chops as a drummer (hence why he is in such demand nowadays), complete with his own website and a gig as percussion teacher at the Algoma Conservatory of Music, so I have no doubt that he can hang with Brendan and Jake on djent-heavy prog metal! No word on Convergence's singer search yet, but check out more from them above, and stay tuned for our review of their second EP next month!
Next up, here's a newly discovered video of local punk trio Hails in concert! This comes from the private/friends-geared Bear Hunters reunion event at Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn (the old Oh!No festival stomping grounds) last July, and was belatedly uploaded to guitarist Mikhal Muto's personal YouTube channel in December. Mikhal has otherwise focused his channel around do-it-yourself projects relating to punk-themed clothing and decor, so keep that in mind if this interests you! The video features the Vanity First side project playing their original song "The Lost Cosmonaut", which was not on their "Rock And Rolls" EP. Unfortunately, the lighting in the church is not all that amenable to video clarity, not helped by how far this camera was set up from the stage, so fans are often blocking the band from view.
Still, friends who attended this limited-attendance concert were definitely into this fast skate punk number, so fans of Brent, Mikhal, and Keeghan's work will be right at home with Ha!ls' performance here! Check it out below, and don't miss Hails' first show of 2024 at The Distraction on the 17th!
Finally, here's some new live videos from newer local hard rock quintet HeadFirst's Facebook page from their shows this past weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Notable for their sake as the first gigs they played at a venue with a marquee to advertise their name, HeadFirst uploaded four videos in a batch post on Saturday, and they include a clip of their cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" (focusing on guitarists Raine Rancourt & Liam Dinsmore during the bridge), a video of their cover of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Purple Haze" (focusing on Raine and featuring much of his guitar solo), and two short clips showing off the full band as they covered Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life", and (as embedded below) Alice Cooper's "School's Out". Alas, all four videos were shot vertically, and the longest of them runs for just 1:45, but props to the filmer for getting some creative angles of HeadFirst in action!
Notably, the band welcomed local rapper Ethan Stoneburgh (last covered on the SMS during his set with Sawbé at Lopstock III) for a cover of Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls On Parade" on Friday, which would have been neat to see, and it's a shame that it wasn't filmed! HeadFirst perform well across all four videos, if with varied stage lighting, so give everything a watch above & below, and don't miss them back at Jay's at month's end!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
I'd like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran local rock guitarist Jeremey Salatuk, who just passed away, according to multiple personal Facebook postings. A frequently seen presence in the local music scene dating back to the 2000s, Jeremey may be best known from his work as lead guitarist in the long running original rock band Wishbone, notably appearing on their 2009 studio album "Making Wishes, Breaking Bones". He had also been seen in multiple cover hard rock bands in the past decade, with SMS readers likely recognizing Jeremey from stints with The 3 Day Millionaires, Lucky 13, and The Soo Fighters through 2017. Jeremey was also a part of the original hard rock band Route 69 in the 2000s, among other projects, and you can find multiple videos of him jamming with fellow local musicians on Facebook. I didn't know Jeremey well, but he was a very talented guitarist who could play just about anything that you threw at him!
Outside of music, Jeremey was a proud father to his two daughters, and he was a good and loyal friend to many in and out the local music community. We will have more on arrangements and such when they go public, but definitely keep the Salatuk family in your thoughts, and there's lots of video and media of his music to check out online. R.I.P. Jeremey!
While our videos from last night's VM Radio Battle of the Bands finals slowly go online, here's the first of this weekend's concert previews! This post contains Sault Ontario shows from tomorrow through Saturday, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and if you're wondering, yes, we will cover Highway 63's E.U.P. shows and anything on super late notice in our next news post, be it tonight or tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know on this side of the border!
New local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will step outside of The Rockstar Bar for the first time with solo concerts at The Rednecks Saloon going down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the shows via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Fresh off of their three-night-stand at The Rockstar Bar for the St. Patrick's Day weekend, this union of Boxcar Junction, Havadder, Wishbone, and Turner Up alumni should be in familiar form as they play their first shows at the former Nicolet Tavern this weekend, so don't miss their hard hitting covers TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! 10:30 PM start times are advertised for these 19+ shows, neither of which having an announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live earlier this month!
Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover veterans Lucky 13 will return to the stage for one night only at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their official Facebook event page yesterday also. A one nighter due to tomorrow's Elements concert that we're covering at post's end, SATURDAY's concert will be Lucky 13's first in over 2 months, and will apparently mark the debut of the band's new lineup. Courtesy of his removal from their Facebook page's lineup, it appears that founding guitarist Jeremey Salatuk has left the band, possibly due to his involvement with the aforementioned 3 Day Millionaires, who are playing concurrently at Rednecks tomorrow. Jeremey's a strong guitarist no matter the band, but it'll be odd to not see him with Lucky 13 for their first time since their 2012 debut. Best of luck to him in the future though! The band hasn't announced the identity of his replacement yet, we will be sure to let you know when we hear anything!
Note that the band has mentioned "new changes" to their lineup, with the plural suggesting another lineup difference or new element to their live show, but we await public confirmation on what that could be. In the meantime, SATURDAY'S Lucky 13 concert has a 10:30 PM start time, no announced cover (but bring $5 or so just in case), and you must be 19 or older to attend. For more details, visit the above links, stay tuned for more on Lucky 13's new lineup, and here's their old lineup live!
Moving to previously announced concerts, local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for more acoustic concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Continuing his long-term matinee concert arrangement at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, Tym's skilled and prolific blend of covers continue to be a reliable sight in the area, so don't miss out on what should be an intimate yet entertaining weekend of favourite songs! Remember, Tym is now just playing Fridays and Saturdays at Gliss, the Thursday shows were recently removed from his schedule, while last Thursday's Cocina Del Diablo show appears to have been a one-off. Tym will be on at 6:00 PM tomorrow and Saturday night, and while there's no announced cover charges or age limits, remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live at The Harp a few years back!
Lastly for today's previews, local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and newer local hard rock quartet Eclipse will join forces for what should be a fun concert at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Marking their first non-acoustic set in about two months, The Elements will be joined by guest saxophonist Josh Norling (Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect) in a sequel to their Halloween Party set last fall, though expect a more diverse set than October's Sublime tribute. The Elements will play 5 songs from their newly announced forthcoming debut EP as well, so keep that in mind as well! Opening tomorrow's show will be newer local hard rock quartet Eclipse (fresh off of their third place run in the VM Radio Battle of the Bands, more on that soon), and their hard hitting originals and covers should entertain whether you made the battle or not, so be at The Rockstar Bar early for their set!
This Good Friday concert has a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge (but bring $5 or so just in case), and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Elements (and Josh) rocking some Sublime live in October!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Highway 63 previews, more news and notes, and yes, our VM Radio Battle of the Bands Finals recap soon! Thanks everyone!
