LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Late Shift), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Let's tackle weekend concert previews in today's post, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, though we have a new video to round things out, and we'll of course touch on late notice concerts when/if announced! For reference, a year-end party for Tidal Records' skate team will take place on Saturday night at The Rockstar Bar, but we have not heard about any punk or metal performers at the event as of this writing, so in case something's announced to that end, we'll follow it. Now, here's what you should know!

For at least the second straight year, The Rockstar Bar will host a fundraising concert for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, and local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift are back for it! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the show via the venue's Facebook group on Monday, but at least we had time to get it on the site this year! A benefit for a fantastic cause, the lineup is similar to last year's Rock For ARCH event, with Late Shift being joined by Wisdom Beast, The Free Samples & CDH (credited as GDH last year.) Those three bands are largely not familiar from other concerts, so they may be one-offs that only play this or ARCH-related events, though a Road Rockets reunion played in Wisdom Beast's place last year. Given what ARCH does for the community and those suffering from cancer, it's great to see these bands coming together, and Late Shift should deliver a fun set, so keep this show in mind!

Admission for SATURDAY NIGHT'S (at least) second annual Rock For ARCH will be via donation at the door, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely, but it is a 19+ event. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Late Shift live at The Rockstar Bar!



Moving to previously announced concerts, longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his regular weekly arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with matinee solo concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Though not yet confirmed on Facebook, his website's calendar lists the shows, among a consistent schedule that is listed through February 2020. Continuing his half-a-year-long run at the Quality Inn's restaurant downtown, Tym's skilled and prolific blend of acoustic hard rock covers should entertain fans once again this weekend, so if you're up for some early unplugged favourites in a more intimate setting, you know where to be! Remember, his 2 year long run at The Harp quietly ended last month, hence the absence of shows there. Like usual, Tym's Gliss shows this weekend are all at 6:00 PM, and while there's no announced cover charges or age limits, remember that he is playing at a restaurant. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for currently announced hard rock concerts in the area this weekend, we'll head across the river to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril are scheduled to return for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Coming over two months after their last shows in the E.U.P. (at the same venue), these will be the last regional concerts from any of Jeff & Adam's metal projects of the year, so definitely consider taking a trip down to St. Ignace this weekend for Peril's heavy covers! Of course, I assume they (and Scarkazm, perhaps Jeff's other bands too) will have 2016 dates to announce in due course, we'll let you know when/if we hear anything on that. Like usual for Peril's regional gigs, there are 9:00 PM start times in effect, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Peril live a few years back!



Finally for today, here's the latest archive video shared on local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's Facebook page from guitarist Gabe Tessaro, this time coming from a wedding that the guys played in Elliot Lake in August of last year! The video in question is of That's Chester covering Supertramp's "Bloody Well Right", which I believe was pulled from drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel last year due to a copyright flag, so it's nice to see it back up as a Facebook video! Filmed from a high side-stage angle (best capturing bassist Aubrey Falls as a result), it's an entertaining, if somewhat rough performance, so give this recent band-approved "wake up song" a look!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's newest poll TOMORROW, plus potential late notice concert alerts when/if announced! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood) And Most Of The Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into weekend concert previews on this Thursday afternoon, and yes, we will touch on the first annual Northern Vibe Festival (and potential late notice gigs) TOMORROW, so stay tuned for that! Now, here's what you should know for regular concerts in the area this weekend, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local classic/hard rockers Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, albeit with a new lineup in tow! Apologies for the short notice, they only announced the shows via their Facebook event page on Monday. The band have officially expanded to a quartet lineup with the addition of ex-Rainhorses bassist Paul Belair to the fold (Steven Flint is moving to rhythm guitar full time), while Flat Stanley/Peace Vibe drummer Glen Thomas also joined Mourning Wood's lineup, replacing T.J. Case. A reason for T.J.'s exit wasn't announced, but you may remember that he had been posting about searching for a new band on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group recently, so that may be related. This is fairly sudden, especially given that he had just played with the band at last week's Superior Festival, but he's a very talented drummer that would be an asset wherever he lands next, and best of luck to him for sure! Paul and Glen are established local veterans who should bring a lot to the table, so welcome them to the fold this weekend!

If I would have gambled on a new Mourning Wood lineup so soon, I'd have (incorrectly) predicted an extension of their country guest performers from Rotaryfest, but this works well, and given Glen's recent propensity to film his live concert appearances, might there be some new videos to come of the new lineup? Like usual for Mourning Wood's concerts, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges and 10:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links, and good luck to the new lineup this weekend at Rednecks! For a preview, here's Mourning Wood live this summer!



Moving to previously announced concerts, local hard rock solo musican Tym Morrison will once again have 5 concerts to play this weekend, including his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood matinees TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, and his regular Harp Pub & Grill run will continue on SATURDAY NIGHT, but his usual Friday nighter at The Harp will not occur this weekend for unannounced reasons, with the show now moved to his old regular stomping ground, The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road, so go there TOMORROW, not The Harp! Our source is this Facebook event page. As best as I can tell, this is just a one nighter, and his official website still lists tomorrow's show as being at The Harp, but east enders and Roadhouse regulars should like Tym' return there for the first time this year! You can take in Tym's acoustic hard rock covers at Gliss downtown at 6:00 PM on all three nights, and the Harp & Roadhouse gigs are 10:00 PM affairs.

All 5 shows at all 3 venues have no announced cover, and while Gliss doesn't have a 19+ age limit like the other venues, remember that it is a restaurant. For more details, click here, here, and the above links, and we'll update the site with his likely September gigs when the first set is confirmed on Facebook! For a preview, here's Tym live at Mill Square!

In a brief detour to the Eastern U.P., Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Highway 63 will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The first announced St. Ignace gigs from this rising veteran outfit in 3 months, the guys are fresh off of their most recent Satisfied Frog gigs 2 weeks ago, and you know their sets will be full of hard hitting classics, so definitely consider a trip out to St. Ignace for all of the action! With a lineup full of Monkey's Uncle, Power Slug, and RamWagon alumni, how could it not be a bad time? Like usual for Highway 63's Kewadin gigs, there's no announced cover charges, you must be 21 to attend, and 9:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Highway 63 live last month!



Finally for this preview post, pageless local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar when they open for Ottawa alternative/power pop trio The Red Rails in their third local appearance! This will be Late Shift's first announced  concert since Algoma Ride For Autism, and will see members John Barber & Matt Sibilo share the bill with former Driving Dave Home bandmate Steve Brogno, who drums for The Red Rails, so might we see a mini-band reunion on Saturday? Be there to find out! The Red Rails, though not all that heavy, carry a fun and energetic rock sound that should find a solid audience again on Saturday, so if you've missed them and/or Steve in the past year, consider a trip to The Rockstar Bar for this one! A special $7 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, and everything starts at 10:00 PM on Saturday night. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Late Shift live at The Rockstar Bar earlier this year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Northern Vibe Festival preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Late Shift & Tym Morrison), Plus More Concert Previews!!

We're back on this Saturday afternoon with some more weekend concert previews for the next couple of days, but leading off, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few weeks, so here's what you should know!

Prolific local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be back on stage next weekend, so with that in mind, we've added his August concert dates to our listings! After taking this weekend off for a scheduled vacation (according to his personal Facebook page), his dual weekly concert arrangements will continue at both Gliss Steak & Seafood and The Harp Bar & Grill for the rest of the month as per his website's calendar! As such, expect Tym to be back at Gliss by the Station Mall for suppertime matinees on the rest of August's Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, including NEXT WEEK (the 13th-15th), plus the 20th-22nd & 27th-29th, while his longer-running nighttime shows at The Harp on Pine Street will continue from the 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, and 28th-29th once again, as he doesn't play at the former Madison's Pub on Thursdays (also, there's no UFC PPVs for the rest of the month, so don't worry about Saturday nighters!)

And remember, given the unusually lengthy show listings on his website, we take Tym's bookings a month at a time for our listings, so we'll get to September when it comes. As usual for Tym's concerts, the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees and the Harp shows are at 10:00 PM, neither has an announced cover charge (but remember that Gliss is a restaurant), and as it's a bar, you must be 19 to attend the Harp dates. Great to see Tym's successful runs at both venues continuing, and hopefully he enjoys his vacation, so for more details, visit the above links!

Also in new concerts, local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift will return to the stage when they open for Ottawa alt-rock trio The Red Rails in their third local concert appearance on Saturday, August 29th at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at Algoma Ride For Autism (barring an unannounced concert in the interim), this popular yet online pageless band should deliver a solid set of hard rocking covers in their return to The Rockstar Bar at month's end! If you're not familiar, The Red Rails (last seen last August at the same venue) are the current band from Sault native and former Turner Up drummer Steve Brogno, who notably played with Late Shift's John Barber and Matt Sibilo in the defunct local hard rock band Driving Dave Home in the late 2000s. Might we get a mini-reunion of sorts on the 29th? Find out then! A higher cover charge of $7 is in effect, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Also, I don't believe Late Shift have starting using the definite article in their name, but we would list them as The Late Shift on the SMS if that was ever confirmed by the band themselves. This should be a fun show, and it's nice to see Steve bring his talented, blues-tinged power trio back home to the Soo on the 29th, so keep this show in mind!

We'll close today with two concert previews for shows taking place over the next couple of days, including the return of Vancouver crossover thrash metal quartet The Golers to Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Last seen over two years ago during their dual Roosevelt Hotel Thursday night sets in mid-2013, their brutal originals should be welcomed back to the stage in their New A debut tomorrow, including even heavier and thrashier new material from their latest album "In 'n Out Outlaws"! The local openers will include doom metal trio AlgomA (who opened for The Golers in June 2013) in their first local show since the end of their first tour run, while local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will open the day with their brutal originals in their own New A debut, and both should be fine choices for tomorrow's intensity! A Six Two Oh production, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Also, a personal Facebook posting by Bear Hunters frontman Nik Deubel implied that their set would have a couple of surprises, so keep that in mind too!

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a brutal time with three explosive and varied types of metal bands on display, so if you're up for some Sunday night brutality, head down to The New American Pub for the return of The Golers! Here they are live in Alberta!



Finally, it'll be a "Heavy Monday" in two nights time, as Edmonton "future space groove" trio Eternal Prophecy and Calgary hardcore metal sextet Lie Among Us will make their local concert debuts THIS MONDAY NIGHT at The Algonquin Pub! Solid double bill of Alberta metal action, with Eternal Prophecy's creative hybrid sound and Lie Among Us' extreme intensity (with new EP in tow) a nice compliment, so don't miss them if you can help it on Monday night! Originally planned to have the now-defunct Haggith & The Revolution as openers, Haggith alumni Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton will still open the proceedings with their local classic metal quintet Project 421, in the third show with their new lineup, though they are now the only local opening act. Their classic metal sound and the boost of Curtis' returning vocals should kick things off nicely on Monday, so don't miss their second show in four days then! Note that this show is not a Gonqshow event, it's being promoted by Project 421's own label PaperClip Productions.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which starts Monday night at 9:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid time for metalheads, and with two varied nights of local and out of town metal in a row downtown coming up, you guys have some solid options to check out! See above for more details, and here's Eternal Prophecy live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Algoma Ride For Autism, Havadder, And Stereo North) & More Concert Previews!!

On this busy concert weekend, we're devoting a second post to weekend concert previews today, mostly concerning Saturday events, including a bunch of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Just to note, if Mourning Wood have late notice shows to announce, we will touch on them as soon as possible, if possible, so keep an eye out. Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page yesterday, though personal Facebook posts hinted at them in prior days. These will be Havadder's first concerts since drummer Scott McLurg's recent heart attack, and while he's on the mend, the guys have enlisted Peace Vibe/Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas (who, like Scott, is also a Wishbone alum) to handle the skins for this weekend's shows, similarly to when he filled in for then-drummer T.J. Case at a few gigs last fall. Good fit, and nice of Glen to step in during Scott's recovery! Yes, we know of the upcoming fundraiser for Scott coming up later this month, that's coming in our next post. This weekend's Havadder shows are otherwise business as usual, with 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits.

As the saying goes, the show must go on, and hopefully Havadder and Glen have a solid weekend of classic hard rock action for fans at the former Nicolet Tavern this weekend (and get well soon, Scott!) See the above links for more details, and here's Havadder (with Glen, incidentally) last fall!



Next up, new local pop punk quartet Stereo North will play a unique event TOMORROW when they rock Mill Market at Mill Square during Habitat for Humanity's Great Dog House Build! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement in the event on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Making their first concert appearance since last month's River Jacks concert, Stereo North will reportedly be playing three sets from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM during this charity event, where teams will unveil doghouses that they built in recent weeks, which will be judged and auctioned off in the afternoon, with some proceeds going to help spay and neuter animals in the area. Nice cause, and Habitat For Humanity do great work on their own as well, so consider a trip downtown to see the completed doghouses and Stereo North as well! For the sake of clarity, the event is advertised as taking place at Mill Market, not The Machine Shop on the same site, but this does return Stereo North to the site of their live debut!

The Great Dog House Build is a FREE & ALL AGES event (and dog friendly too!), so check the above links for more on this very intriguing event for a great cause, and for a preview, here's Stereo North live at The Canadian!



Lastly for late notice show announcements as of this writing, live bands will once again rock this year's third annual Algoma Ride For Autism motorcycle rally during their Family Fun Day events TOMORROW at Runway Park, including pageless local hard rock quartet Late Shift, veteran punk trio Redundant, and acoustic hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison! Apologies once again for the short notice, bands only confirmed their involvement online in recent days, though the Family Fun Day event page confirmed bands as late as April (apologies again for missing that entirely.) Not unlike Ride For Sight, this event features a motorcycle rally through town starting at 11:00 AM to raise awareness and funds for the Algoma Autism Foundation, and the Runway Park activities on Airport Road will include vendors, games, prizes, children's activities, and more, so be sure to check the above links for full details on what to expect and how to get involved in the rally itself, be you a rider, supporter, or both!

In terms of the bands, this will be Redundant's first concert appearance of 2015 and second straight at Algoma Ride For Autism (great to see them back!) and Late Shift's first shows that we've heard about since February (though remember, they don't have a known online page), while this adds to Tym Morrison's busy weekend, especially given that he's not at The Harp tomorrow night. Admission is FREE & ALL AGES tomorrow morning and afternoon, so check the above links for more details! Kudos to the artists for jumping on board this great cause, so hopefully a lot is raised for autism awareness and programs again tomorrow! For a preview, here's Late Shift live at The Rockstar Bar in February!



Closing with a previously announced show taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, local all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will play their farewell concert sets at The Rankin Arena during tomorrow's Border Brawl roller derby event! After a successful year-and-a-half run in the local scene, the girls will hit the stage for the last time before Kate Kougar's move out of town during halftime of tomorrow's roller derby games between Ontario and Michigan teams, with the first featuring the area's own Nord Starz. If you don't know the connection as to why The Danger Cats are playing at this sort of event, both Jamie Jaguar and Calico Katie are involved in Sault Roller Derby, so they're a solid fit on that basis! No word on if they have anything special planned for tomorrow, but their halftime sets are likely taking place at around 7:00 & 9:00 PM, given the scheduling of the two games at 6:00 & 8:00 PM. Roller derby is a fun and physical sport that is getting quite a following in the area, so give it a chance if you're up for some live entertainment tomorrow evening!

Note that The Danger Cats are not playing at the advertised afterparty at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night, Cherry Crush are. Tickets are $10 with kids under 12 admitted FREE, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Whether you're in this for The Danger Cats, the derby, or both, you'll be entertained tomorrow, but if you missed their set at The New American Pub earlier this month, here's your last chance to go on the prowl with The Danger Cats, who will be missed! For a preview, here's the girls last summer, and best of luck in whatever the future holds!



Thats all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post TONIGHT (if there's any more late notice shows) or tomorrow (if there isn't!) Thanks everyone!

The Elements/Late Shift Concert Review!!

After far too long, here's our first concert review of the year, but also check out this month's YouTube Channel Profiles in the post below this one! Last night saw The Elements and Late Shift rock The Rockstar Bar for their first live sets of the year, and there was a good crowd in attendance, though it didn't really start filling out until midway through Late Shift's first set. Now, here's our recap of the bands themselves!

Opening (and closing) last night were pageless local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift, who played two sets that bookended The Elements on the bill. I could only stay for their first set, but the guys delivered an entertaining mix of covers of bands ranging from Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, and The Offspring to Modest Mouse, The Black Keys, and.... Sinead O'Connor?! Also unveiling an original song named "Free" late in that set, this talented quartet rocked steadily last night, with Matt Sibilo impressing on lead guitar, and Clint Wilson was solid on bass, though John Barber's vocals were slightly off, and he didn't sound quite right or with his usual range on songs like "Alive" or "Ramble On". Anthony Gagnon handled lead vocals fine on "Float On" though! Late Shift put a fun funk rock spin on their songs, and it was nice to see them again, hopefully with much more to come!

Second were the night's headlining band, fellow local funk hard rock quartet The Elements, who were up to their usual tricks in their first set with their full lineup since the fall! The longest chunk of their set featured the guys playing covers of bands from Weezer, Van Halen, Nirvana, and Green Day (among others) which they capped with a new original song, before they brought on Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson to join them on turntables for their last few songs! As previously teased on SooToday, Seith joined the guys on some rap/rock fusion tracks (including covers of Sublime and Primus) before being joined by local rapper Kyle Derasp for another original, tentatively named "Liar". The Elements sounded on form from past gigs, with Jesse Cook delivering some blistering guitar solos and James White dependably good on bass again, and Rob Speers delivering aggressive grit on vocals, but he did go out of his range a bit on songs like "Hash Pipe" and "Hot For Teacher.

The latter songs with DJ Seith were a neat change of pace too, with his turntable scratching melding well with The Elements' existing sound, and it'd be interesting to see something like this repeated in the future! Overall, this was a fun concert and it was great to finally get to a concert again after what felt like an eternity, and barring hard rock or punk bands at Rogers Hometown Hockey this weekend, our next attended concert will be night 1 of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands next week, so stay tuned for that! As for media, Local2 video cameras were on hand, and you can check out our photos at this link or at our Facebook page, plus our videos of Late Shift covering The Sheepdogs' "The Way It Is" and The Elements & special guests playing "Liar"





That's all for today, but stay tuned for our post highlighting each day's schedule of the VM Radio Battle TOMORROW, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood) & Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our first of two weekend concert preview posts this weekend (segmented by each half of the Twin Saults), we're taking a look at this weekend's currently announced hard rock and punk shows in Sault Ontario, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood will return to the stage this weekend for two shows THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at different venues! Apologies for the short notice, the guys only announced these shows earlier today via their Facebook event page. After taking the holiday weekend off, the guys will return to The New American Pub for the first time in over two months to start their busy Saturday at 6:00 PM, which does seem very early, but this has been the standard start time for their New A appearances, so it's not odd if you've seen them there. After that show wraps up, the guys will head west to The Rednecks Saloon to kick off an abbreviated nighttime set that will start there at 11:00 PM, so if you want to see Mourning Wood, you have two options on Saturday! That said, no word on why they're not playing either venue tomorrow night. Neither has an announced cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend.

For more details, visit the above links! This is a unique situation to see Mourning Wood play two concerts in one night, but I did assume this could happen given how early their New A shows have always been. Hopefully they deliver solid hard rock action at both venues THIS SATURDAY, so keep them in mind, and here's the guys at Toystock last fall!

Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll head to The Rockstar Bar next for the first of two multi-band shows at the venue this weekend, as three Tidal Records-affiliated bands will take the stage for a night of punk and alternative intensity! TOMORROW NIGHT's show will be headlined by newer local punk(?) quartet The Cover Up (featuring Rising Tide, Lion Ride, Bankshot, and Room 206 alumni) in their second announced public concert, and while I can't confirm anything regarding their sound, they have a very promising and talented lineup that fans should take to! They'll be joined by Cover Up member Clint Wilson's former indie/punk band Northwest (in their first show of the year) and rising young alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control (in their first ever Rockstar Bar appearance), and both should be quality compliments for a very promising concert! This 19+ concert has a likely 10:00 PM start time, and while there's no announced cover, bring at least $5 just in case.

For more details, visit the above links! This sounds like an entertaining concert for punk fans to check out, and there's plenty of established and upcoming talent to take in from all three bands, so be sure to keep this concert in mind in your weekend concert plans! In lieu of a Cover Up video (hopefully they get more of an online presence soon), here's footage of Northwest live last year!



In a brief detour from The Rockstar Bar, we'll head central to The Harp Bar & Grill, as local hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison is scheduled to return to the former Madison's Pub for solo acoustic concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though yet to be announced on Facebook, his website's calendar does list shows for this weekend, so we'll treat them as on unless there's an announcement to the contrary. Returning to his usual double set of concerts after only playing once last weekend due to a outside booking, you can take in Tym's entertaining and varied acoustic covers via tomorrow's jam night that he hosts and Saturday night's regular solo concert, with both taking place at 10:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Tym's newest Harp shows this weekend, and here he is at Mill Square!



Finally for our Sault Ontario previews, we'll head back to The Rockstar Bar for one more show THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, as local funk/hard rock quartets The Elements and Late Shift will join forces! Making their first public concert appearances of the year, this will also be one of our first chances to see the bands' new original songs (The Elements have teased debuting 2 on Saturday), and if you're a fan of the band members' work from bands like Winkstinger, Redundant, Redefined, and Northwest, you'll probably have a great time with The Elements & Late Shift's covers and originals on Saturday! Like with tomorrow's Cover-Up headlined show, there is a 19+ age limit in effect, no announced cover charge (but have cash on hand just in case), and an announced 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a fun concert in it's own right, and it's great to see original hard rock and punk bands all weekend at The Rockstar Bar, so don't forget about either show, and here's The Elements live at Rock For Dimes!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan and any potential late notice concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Elements), The New Tuned Episode, And More!!

Let's keep the news rolling on this Monday night, so what's on tap for today? A new video from a local punk band, a prominent musician looking for a new band, and the latest episode of a popular webseries, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend!

Local funk/hard rock quartets The Elements and Late Shift will play their first (announced?) local concerts of 2015 when they rock The Rockstar Bar on February 21st, or next Saturday! Quietly announced on the Facebook event page on Saturday, this will be The Elements first non-acoustic show since opening for The Brains in November at the same venue, while we haven't heard of a show from the pageless Late Shift since that same month's Tiffany Maj benefit at Coch's Corner. Both bands have been working on original material in recent months (The Elements have been teasing 2 new originals themselves), so look for them among other surprises next weekend! Keep this show in mind, which will take place at 10:00 PM next Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge (but bring $5 just in case.) This sounds like a solid concert, so for more details, visit the above links!

Next up, here's the latest episode of Local2's music spotlight webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, which was posted on Thursday! The lead story features an interview and performance footage from local all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats' set at The Rockstar Bar on January 23rd, though there's no footage of Haggith or Project 421, who also played that night. Their segment itself features Donna's interview with all four of the girls outside of the venue, with performance footage mixed in, which does sound good and on level with their shows from last year. The interview itself features discussion on how they formed, their surprising answer to how they've been received as an all-female band in a smaller city, and their songwriting process, while they also teased their upcoming VM Radio Battle of the Bands appearance and hyped a surprise of some kind as well. Good interview overall, and though the girls seemed a bit nervous, Donna kept things light and it turned out well!

As for the rest of the episode, the concert calendar segment doesn't mention any upcoming hard rock shows, while the ending performance video continues Tuned's recent run of videos from LopLops' 12 Musicians of Christmas event, with bloopers again concluding the episode. Definitely give the new Tuned episode a look at this link or above, as it's another entertaining installment, and stay tuned for more from Local2 this week!

We'll close tonight with new videos, including a new concert video from local indie/punk quintet Northwest's brand new Facebook page! Among other recent postings there (like pictures from an undisclosed holiday event that they played at), a video was uploaded from their set opening for Gob at The Rockstar Bar in October, which features the guys playing their song "Young & Wild" at the show, though it's not of the complete song. Filmed on the vertical cell phone camera angle, the video largely captures frontman Wayne Watkins and guitarist Greg Callaghan, but I won't fault the filmer for the static angle, as that was a densely packed crowd and stage, especially when you have three guitarists. Solid audio quality though, if very red visually, so give the new Northwest video a look below!



Finally, here's a video and related band search from Apocalypse Afterparty "songwriter" and Smeltzer/Fury alum Paul Stanghetta, as per the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Thursday. Paul (Puablos Stancu on Facebook) shared this video from his girlfriend Amanda Brown of him drumming, which links to his search to join a band on drums rather than his usual bass roles, and while his past band work has largely leaned towards punk (apologies to The Fury), he's open to anything but "classic and bar rock." Some fans may also remember him from a drum turn at last year's Soo Band Roulette as well, and he demonstrates solid drum skill in the video! If you're interested, message him at this link or above, and give his clip a look below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile soon! Thanks everyone!

Updates On Another Sault Ontario Battle Of The Bands, Plus An Interview With AlgomA!!

Keeping our busy stretch alive on the site, we have more big updates on another battle of the bands taking place in the Soo early next year, so if these don't make up for the lack of 2014 battles, I'm not sure what will! That will lead off the vast majority of this post, but we also have a recent interview with a local band to cap things off, so here's what you need to know, and check out the rest of the weekend's concert previews in the post below this one!

The second Sault Ontario battle of the bands of 2015 will go down in March at The Canadian Nightclub, and if you remember April 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle, this will be very familiar! Promoted by local concert promoter & singer J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints), this battle is a spiritual sequel to that 2013 battle that he co-promoted, and it will also be an all-month event, with four nights of battling taking place on each Wednesday in March! Specifically, there will be semifinals of an intended 4 bands each on March 4th, 11th, and 18th, with each night's winning band (and the highest scoring runner up as a wild card) returning on March 25th for the finals. The first place band that night will win $1,000 in cash and recording time, with more prizes to be announced. Judging criteria has not been announced yet, but crowd engagement, originality, talent, and stage presence are all locks to be among what the judges (yet to be announced) are looking for.

A maximum of 12 bands are being sought for the battle, who would each play 30 minute sets on each night of the battle, but who's confirmed so far? As of this writing, eight bands are confirmed, including local rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats, local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith, folk rock quartet Honest Job, pageless local hard/funk rock quartet Late Shift, classic metal quartet Project 421, doom/punk trio The Revolution, and a new local metal project named Them. Of these bands, only Haggith have competed in a recent battle (they were runners-up at the Rockstar Bar's battle last year), but members of some of the above bands have been seen in other recent battles! For example, Apocalypse Afterparty "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta is a two time battle runner up with The Fury, Late Shift's Clint Wilson finished in second with his old band Northwest in last fall's Viva La Battle, and Project 421's Daniel Horton is of course also in Haggith.

In case you're wondering, the debuting Them play a variety of genres (everything from death metal to hardcore punk), and their lineup includes Heavy North Entertainment owner Tyler St. Amour on vocals and guitar, ex-Revolution bassist Rainey Vincent, and Infamous guitarist Anthony Boudreau on drums  You may recognize them from being briefly scheduled for February's Commencing Human Desperation show, and while information at the time implied that they were a ska punk band featuring The Pixo Control's Keeghan Rosso, that's either erroneous or now outdated. Thanks to Tyler for the info!

Also, Tyler's involvement gives him a chance to repeat his 2008 Case's Music Battle of the Bands win with Fountain of Betrayal, so keep that angle in mind! The identity of the other four bands is forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for updates! If you or your band want in on the four night battle at The Canadian in March, the entry fee for bands will once again be $100 per act, but like in February (and in April 2013), bands will be given tickets to sell, so they can make their money back (and more) if they sell them all! These sets will be premium tickets that will cost $15 and guarantee attendance for all four nights of this battle, and a savings of $10 if you bought tickets separately or at the door. If you don't get tickets from a competing band, admission will be $5 for each night of the semifinals and $10 for the finals, though outside ticket availability is to be confirmed.

A licensed ALL AGES event throughout March, each night has an 8:00 PM start time, though additional details (including the remaining bands, battle sponsors, judges and their scoring criteria, and complete semifinal schedule) are to be confirmed. For now, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and if you or your band want in on the Canadian Nightclub Battle in March, message Johnny Pints on Facebook A.S.A.P.! I enjoyed the first all-month battle at The Rockstar Bar last year, and it's great to see a sequel from some of the same crew behind that event for next year! For sake of clarity, Beaumont Avenue (the former Suicide Kings) will not be defending their Rockstar Bar Battle title in March, as drummer Ben Boudreau won't be back from college out of town by then. Given the gap between November 2013's Viva La Battle and February/March 2015's new battles, the field is theoretically wide open for both of next year, so be sure to stay tuned to the SMS for complete impartial details on each, and SIGN UP A.S.A.P. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Finally for today, here's a recent interview conducted by the music website Grand Sounds Promotion with local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA! Posted on November 18th at this link, the in-depth interview features the members of AlgomA discussing their music's themes & influences, their new album "Reclaimed By The Forest", how they'd describe their music, their past & other band work, their relationship with label Deadbeat Media, their friends and relationships in the music scene, and the specific inspiration behind their song "Tertiary Syphillis", among other topics. Note that this interview is almost a month old now, so it does still list frontman Darby Wigwaas' side project Das Skalpell Kampf under their original name Scalpel Fight, and it still name drops the now defunct Pillory among their friends in local bands. There's no real "scoops" for new info in the interview (though the band confirmed that they'd like to release their CD on vinyl), but it's still a very entertaining read!

The over-usage of exclamation points in the transcription is a little amusing for a depressive doom metal band, but give it a look above, and stay tuned for more updates from AlgomA! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on both upcoming battles of the bands and other news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Rock For Dimes 2014 Concert Review!!

Hey guys, before we get to our review of Friday night's Rock For Dimes, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert on the site, as local alternative rock cover quartet Lucky 13 played at The Rockstar Bar last night, but the band never plugged it online, and the venue only did on their Facebook group an hour before showtime. We mentioned it on our Facebook page last night to at least address it for fans, but I sincerely apologize for not getting it on the site, and we'd have plugged it in our weekend previews had we heard about it! For what it's worth, the gig wasn't a replacement for the cancelled Whiskey Shits show, as that was going to be downstairs.

Now, to the concert review, as Friday night saw the second annual local installment of Rock For Dimes, the March of Dimes fundraising concert event, which took place at The Delta Waterfront Hotel rather than The Grand Gardens for the first time. I haven't been to this building for a concert since it was the Holiday Inn, back in the last years of the Bon Soo Battle of the Bands, but over the years and since the new owners moved in, things looked very different. The show itself took place at the hotel's Algoma East Ballroom, and in terms of non-musical aspects, there was a 50/50 draw, a door prize draw, a live auction for a guitar from Case's Music, and a number of silent auction prizes. The ballroom was nicely laid out with professional staging, an ongoing slideshow of bands and sponsors, a pleasant ambiance, and pizza, nachos, and drinks on hand for attendees to partake in, which was all a nice touch! Ward 4 councillor and local radio personality Lou Turco was on hand to MC the event, and while he was friendly and seemed happy to be there, you could tell that the bands generally weren't his thing.

The opening band was supposed to be The Damon King Band (the last remaining holdover from the cancelled youth battle of the bands), but they dropped out of the show for unannounced reasons on Thursday. Hopefully all's well with the guys, but it is a shame that every aspect of the youth battle completely eroded away. In their place, local alternative/hard rock quartet Late Shift (accidentally announced as "Last Shift") filled in on short notice, and it was nice to see them jump in, especially with how good their set was! Covering everyone from Led Zeppelin to The Offspring during their 6 song set (including an original song that I think was called "Freight"), the guys showed some good chemistry and talent, with John Barber's impressive vocals shining brightly, and Clint Wilson providing some dependably good bass! Though their shows are sporadic (and they lack an online page), Late Shift impressed, and don't miss them at Coch's Corner this weekend!

Also, as an aside, John was excellent in interacting with some of the younger kids in attendance during and after their set, he was a natural! Yes, this was an all ages event, remember that the battle of the bands would have featured high school-aged acts.

Though The Elements were advertised as the next band, they traded places with local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith on the lineup for unannounced reasons, but Haggith had a surprise in store, as they've apparently added Beaumont Avenue guitarist Steven Flint (also of Mourning Wood) to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing James White. While a reason hasn't been stated, James told me it was related to his personal schedule, and I'll leave it at that unless the band elaborates. It's not clear yet whether Steven is officially in Haggith now or just filling in, but given that he played with Curtis & Daniel in the similar & dormant band Punch, he fits in just fine! In fact, half of Haggith's six song set was comprised of songs that Punch played live (i.e. "Metal Cage"), which was nice and convenient! The bassist change aside, the guys were tight and energetic, and put in a solid effort as usual, so fans had nothing to worry about!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements were on next after the band trade, and though their set shared surface similarities with Late Shift's (both bands covered Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Led Zeppelin), they upped the funk rock quota with an entertaining set of their own! If there was any lingering feelings from bassist James White's exit from Haggith, it didn't show in his solid output, while Jesse Cook was predictably very good on guitar, and Rob Speers jumped genres well and made the most of his range! It was nice to see The Elements again, but compared to their surrounding bands, why'd they only play 4 songs? They could have slotted one or two more in, but beggars can't be choosers, and their set was still entertaining and delivered the goods for fans! Keep an eye out for The Elements at more upcoming shows in the coming months!

Newer local cover rock band Mourning Wood came on next, and they're one of three that I'd never seen live before, so how'd they do? Their 5 song set featured covers of Joe Walsh, Billy Idol, AC/DC, Metallica, and Black Crowes songs, with guitarist Terry Eaton generally singing lead on them, aside from bassist Steven Flint handling "Rebel Yell" and drummer T.J. Case singing "Highway To Hell", though across the board, the guys sang each track well! Honestly, Mourning Wood were heavier than I thought they'd be, and while there wasn't a lot of visible energy and movement, these are three very talented musicians who know a number of genres, and it showed well! Terry handled singing and guitar work very well, and while some songs sounded a bit empty without a second guitar, they have a good thing going so far! Stay tuned for more on Mourning Wood on the site this week!

Fifth on Friday was the local progressive/jazz rock quartet Mannapool, who were somewhat of an unknown commodity to many despite being together since 2012. They left a good impression though with a skilled sound that I don't think many people were expecting to see at Rock For Dimes! Playing four originals (I think), the songs went from slower and darker to more upbeat and lively, but all had a technical progressive vibe with good talent all around and solid effect usage. Locally, I'd compare them to Machines Dream, but is it wrong to say that they reminded me of a mix of The Black Keys and Anathema? Though I wasn't familiar with any of the members before hearing of their Toystock involvement, they all showed clear talent, with Josh Ingram's melodic vocals flowing very well, and bassist Michael Dempster kept up solid energy with his playing! Though not a "heavy" band, Mannapool were impressive, and I hope to see them again at Toystock!

Co-headlining this year's Rock For Dimes was local classic/hard rock cover quintet The Thrill Junkies, making their first live concert appearance since January, so 5 songs or not, this was a long time coming! The Turner Up successors covered Lit, The Foo Fighters, and Radiohead before tackling two Weezer songs, and while there was some minor stage rust, these local veterans were in their element, and it showed well! Travis Sharpe's versatile singing was on full display (nice to see him fronting a band again), and both Robert Brown and Jason Nisbet showed their guitar talents throughout their set! This was also the band's first show since Redundant's Rick White replaced Scott McLurg on drums, and he fit in pretty good with The Thrill Junkies, though we'll get more of a sense of the new lineup when they're back playing at bars. Solid comeback for The Thrill Junkies, and don't miss them at Sault Band-O-Rama!

Headlining in their second straight Rock For Dimes set was local punk trio Redundant, who capped the night with a 7 song set of covers and originals that definitely kept the remaining fans going! Encouraging everyone to join them on the floor (the only band to do that), their set featured cameo appearances by two of frontman Justin Langlois' sons, who ran around, talked into extra mics, and added a cute family element to their set! Redundant covered songs from the likes of Rise Against, Operation Ivy, and Weezer with the ease that you'd expect from them, and aside from a brief stoppage to announce silent auction winners, they had good momentum and definitely seemed to be having fun! It should also be noted that bassist James White indicated on stage that their debut album is planned to come out by February, which is the first I've heard of them making one in many months, so we'll have to see if that comes to fruition. If you left early, you missed a solid punk set, but you'll see Redundant again soon!

Though a "jam session" was teased to close the event after Redundant wrapped up, it didn't take place for unannounced reasons. Even without that, I'd call this year's Rock For Dimes a success based on what did occur on Friday, and it was nice to see a variety of local bands join forces to help support The March of Dimes and the United Way! It's just a shame that the youth battle of the bands didn't take place, but if they try it again next year, hopefully they advertise and promote it more locally (or maybe open invitations to adult bands?) SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand too for coverage of the event, so we definitely await her quality photos and more! Of course, we got lots of photos of each band that you can check out at this link or at our Facebook page, though I apologize for the quality on most, as I didn't want to impose on other fans by getting on the floor to get closer when no one else was.

As for our videos, here's Late Shift covering Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and Sublime's "STP", Haggith playing their song (formerly a Punch original) "Road Rash", The Elements covering The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Hump De Bump", Mourning Wood covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", Mannapool playing an original song whose title wasn't announced (let us know if you know it), The Thrill Junkies covering The Foo Fighters' "My Hero", and Redundant covering Green Day's "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?"!

Late Shift & Haggith

The Elements & Mourning Wood

Mannapool & The Thrill Junkies

Redundant - Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Whiskey Shits, Havadder, And Northwest), And More!!

I wasn't expecting to have a second post today, but due to some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for THIS WEEKEND (and some other notable concerts coming later this month), here's one more post for the day! Along with the new shows, there's also updates on the next big Blood Shed Productions project, so read on below for what you need to know, and check out all the details on next week's Rock For Dimes concerts and more in the post below this one!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Havadder will return to The Rednecks Saloon for solo concerts there TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced the shows via a Facebook event page yesterday, though the shows were advertised on the marquee board outside of the former Nicolet Tavern before then. Fresh off of their Studio 10 debut on Halloween, these will be Havadder's first Rednecks Saloon dates of the fall, and they should be rip roaring to go with another solid weekend of their varied and often heavy covers! Note that drummer T.J. Case is scheduled to play with his other band Mourning Wood at The New American Pub tomorrow night (source here), but like on Halloween night, former drummer Scott McLurg (also of Turner Up fame) will be filling in for him this weekend, as per his personal Facebook page. Solid choice once again, and we wish him good luck this weekend!

Like usual for Havadder's recent Rednecks gigs, there are no announced cover charges this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time in effect TONIGHT & TOMORROW. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Havadder's shows this weekend if you don't have other plans, and here they are at this venue earlier this year!



Next up, the long teased concert headlined by Montreal street punk quartet The Whiskey Shits has finally been officially confirmed via it's Facebook event page, and it goes down one week from tomorrow (Saturday, November 15th) at The Algonquin Pub! I'm surprised it took this long for a full public release, but at least we have full details now! Featuring Ripcordz bassist Matty Fortyfive, The Whiskey Shits have a hard hitting, gritty, and raw punk sound that should go over well in what I think is their local debut, so keep it in mind for next weekend! Local support will come via the live public concert debut of new local punk/grunge duo The Red & Black (featuring Telephone & Address' Chris Shoust and Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda) and local alternative/blues rock veterans Sykotyk Rampage (fresh off of their Halloween Party set at the same venue), and both should add their own varied punk sounds to this show, so don't miss them either next Saturday night!

The last announced punk concert of 2014 by promoter J.D. Pearce, this 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and should start at around 10:00 PM next Saturday. For more details, visit the above links! Sounds like a great time for punk fans, and it'll be interesting to see how The Red & Black do in their live debut also, so keep The Whiskey Shits' show in mind for next weekend, and stay tuned for potential updates!

Finally for new concert announcements, local indie/punk quintet Northwest and local hard/alternative rock cover quartet Late Shift will join forces for a special benefit concert on Saturday, November 22nd at Coch's Corner! The show is to help raise funds for Tiffany Maj, a local woman (and friend of the bands) who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, so it's awesome to see the guys coming together to help Tiffany out during this time of need! This will be Northwest's first show since opening for Gob last month (and second with new drummer Marc Santos), while this will be the sporadically seen Late Shift's first gig of the fall, and hopefully we'll hear more from them to come as well! Note that as the show is being hosted at Coch's Corner, it's reasonable to assume it will be an acoustic show due to Coch's softer music focus since moving to the former Foggy Notions location in 2012, but this isn't explicitly stated there. It's still nice to see a punk show there again!

Promoted by Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan, a $5 donation is suggested to attend this show (though you can donate more or whatever you can), while an 8:00 PM start time is advertised, and given the location, I'd assume it's 19+ until otherwise stated. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I don't know Tiffany, but cancer sucks, and I hope she fights this as hard as possible, and hopefully this show offers lots of financial and emotional support for her in this battle! Stay tuned for more updates on this event if they roll in!

Finally for today, here's the latest from local goregrind/rap label Blood Shed Productions, including ambitious plans for an 11 band compilation demo disc! Though no stranger to two-act split CDs, this "Rock And/Or Roll 11-Way Split" will compile studio tracks from 11 local and out of town bands alike, including Blood Shed grind acts Crucify The Whore, Rotopsy, Malignant Neoplasm, This Is Your Band On Drugs, fellow local metal bands Bad Back and The Apocalypse Afterparty, out of continent grind bands Peppermint Green (England) and Sin Vaselina (Argentina), North Bay hardcore punk bands The Human Guinea Pigs & The Muff Huffers, and a new local band currently named Scalpel Fight. Information on them is minimal as of yet, but the label confirmed that they're a new project from AlgomA guitarist Boyd Rendell (a.k.a. Darby Wigwaus), so we'll have to see what they're like! Ambitious plans are afoot for sure here, but I'm curious to see where this goes, so stay tuned for more on this 11-way split demo!

That's definitely all for today, but stay tuned for some big updates this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Pixo Control), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

In our second post on this Thursday, we're mostly focusing on previews of this weekend's hard rock and metal shows, plus a new video to share from a local punk band on a big stage, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, and check out our Defunct Local Band Profile on Despised Eyes in the post below this one!

Local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control will apparently be among the live entertainment at this year's Ride For Sight blindness fundraiser event at Searchmont Resort THIS SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, the band just confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page earlier today. The third year that this motorcycle rally & fundraising event has been held in the Soo (and second at Searchmont), The Pixo Control will be among the live entertainment at 10:30 PM tomorrow, which will help cap off a busy day including the motorcycle rally/parade through the Sault and area, food, bike gamers, and more, so click here for the full event schedule! Sadly, a full list of musical performers has not been issued, but local country musician Lorrie Bolduc will be playing a set at 9:15 PM with local punk notables as her backing band (including Role Models guitarist Marco Pedalino and Northwest's Greg Callaghan & Clint Wilson), so keep that in mind! If you're not part of the rally, be at Searchmont at 8:00 PM on Saturday for the bands, there's no announced age limit, and while there's no advertised admission cost, donations are surely appreciated!

Nice to see The Pixo Control expanding their reach, and hopefully they make some new fans at Searchmont at this great annual event! Ride For Sight has been very successful in the Soo, so hopefully things keep up in 2014, and don't miss the action! Check the above links for more details, here's The Pixo Control live at Superior Heights, and I've added Ride For Sight to our "Other Local Metal Links" on your left!



Moving to shows with advance word, internet pageless local hard rock cover quartet Late Shift will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! As announced via frontman John Barber's Facebook event page this past weekend, this will be this band's first ever appearance at the old Nicolet Tavern, and their first known concert appearance since their more intimate LopLops Lounge appearance in May, though who knows what we may have missed in the interim. Busy with private and public gigs alike since their debut last fall, this band (featuring Redefined, Small Town Rivals, and Groove Committee alumni) have a diverse though often aggressive sound, as verified by their talented and familiar lineup, so don't miss out on Late Shift's show on Albert Street West tomorrow night! Remember, this is a one night only engagement, you won't see them on Saturday. There's no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time in effect. Check the above links for more details, and here's Late Shift live in February!

Finally for known hard rock shows this weekend is Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's 32nd straight week at The Harp Bar & Grill, as his ongoing arrangement there continues with two acoustic solo gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a weekend with no Saturday show due to a UFC PPV broadcast, Tym's back with a normal acoustic show this Saturday to follow his hosted open mic night tomorrow, so whatever your fancy, Tym will be rocking out with some unplugeed cover favourites all weekend long at the former Madison's Pub, so keep these shows in mind if you're in the central part of town! Admission should be free on both nights, each show starts at 10:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links! This run at The Harp appears to be a continuing success, and you guys should know Tym's talents, so don't miss his newest weekend there over the next few days, and here's Tym at Mill Square last summer!

Finally for today, here's a recent video find from local Celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide! While I'm hoping to launch an archive video feature mini-series on the site soon to cover punk videos for SMS readers, this is a very recent upload, so I thought it'd be best to share this now. Though unannounced on band pages, The Rising Tide returned to the Vans Warped Tour for their Toronto and Montreal stops last week, and attendee Raphaelle Loranger filmed this video from their Montreal stop on Saturday (where they played on the Hard Rock/Kevin Says Stage), and it's of their cover of Weezer's "Say It Ain't So"! Definitely a unique cover just from the Jaaskelainen brothers' unconventional instruments alone, it's a well played rendition of one of Weezer's better songs, and it has an edge to it too! Note that the drummer does not appear to be Mikey Hawdon (no word on his band status), though I can't place this drummer's identity off hand. Check out DJRT's new Weezer cover below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!