LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9), The Selias Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this otherwise all-Sault Ontario post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in last week's previews, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless headlined the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023's annual Veteran's Day ATV ride this past Saturday. While the event was publically attendable, the band did not publicize it in advance, though maybe I should keep better tabs on it, as Project 906 did the honours in 2023 & 2024. I'd have happily covered it had I known or someone had said something, but hopefully The Nameless, veterans, and riders had a great time! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one more weekend preview, and more recent Sault Ontario notes!

While their public concert calendar for 2025 (the Searchmont Ski Runners holiday mixer aside) ends this weekend at The Esquire Club, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first few 2026 shows via their website's concert calendar, so when can you see them in the new year? Unless something is announced in the interim, their first gig of 2026 will see them headline at the Bon Soo Winter Carnival's opening ceremonies for a second straight year on Friday, February 13th! As far as I am aware, this will take place inside The Machine Shop at Mill Square once again, which is the site of their live concert debut as well, so hopefully this fan-friendly foursome delivers a strong night of covers to kick off Bon Soo 2026 in style! They'll be on at 8:00 PM with admission via a Bon Soo button, and with no announced age limit. For normal nightclub gigs, when can you see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve afterwards?

As of this writing, their next solo headlining nightclub concert will be on Saturday, March 14th, when they make their debut at Beck's Bar! Kinda surprising that they haven't played there yet, but hopefully the luck of the Irish is on their side for this pre-St. Patrick's Day concert in the west end! Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. We'll hold their September show for a future post given the 10 month gap, but stay tuned for more from Silent 9 when announced, and don't miss them this weekend at The Esquire Club!

Next up, here's one more SMS-amenable weekend concert preview, as Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will rock Soo Blaster for a third time in a fourteen month span TOMORROW NIGHT! Previously seen here in September of last year and then again in March (with Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner in tow for the former), Selias have quickly proven to be a reliable favouite touring attraction for extreme metal fans, and their technically sound but crushing brand of original music should get a solid reception tomorrow, especially given the Saturday timing! Your local openers tomorrow include hard rock quintet HeadF1rst, online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad (now featuring The BAG's Spencer MacGillivray on vocals), and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first of two Soo Blaster shows this month, preceding the Robbie G hip-hop concert in two weeks.

Of course, The S.S.S. and HeadF1rst respectively opened one of Selias' prior local stops each, so it is neat to see them get an encore! Promoted once again by Heavy North Entertainment, this stop on Selias' Ontario Onslaught tour (in support of their new album "Killkarma") has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and ticket prices of $15 at the venue or at this link.  Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Selias live!

Also today, we have an act to move to our inactive band links, namely local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine. We have not heard of a public update from them since opening for Rory Taillon at Soo Blaster in September of last year, and despite playing shows off and since returning from their last public hiatus in August 2022, they haven't updated their Facebook page in any fashion in over four years. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his requisite pink knit ski mask and ultra personal song lyrics, Slumshine initially returned from a year+ break at the 2022 Fringe North Festival, and became regulars of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum-hosted arts & culture event for its most recent three installments, but them and the Rory Taillon show are it for public activity since. Brent has definitely been keeping busy with Ha!ls in the past year, and he has even carried over some Slumshine songs to the full band, so follow them to see what he's up to nowadays!

To close today, here's a very rare video that was posted to social media this week, and it is the only known video filmed at Woods of Ypres' recording sessions for their final album "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! As you may recall, frontman David Gold and guitarist Joel Violette recorded the album at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario back in August 2011 with producer Siegfried Meier, who filmed this brief 30 second clip of David tracking drums for "Keeper Of The Ledger" and sent it to Shiver James as part of the work being done on his upcoming biography Deepest Roots: The Woods Of Ypres Story. The video had a fuzzy retro filter put on it that really hampers the video quality (it's hard to even see David behind the kit), but unless there's something in the vault from fall rehearsals, this may be the only video featuring David playing anything from "Woods V" on camera.

Kudos to Siegfried for sending this video after fourteen long years (let alone producing that classic album), and to James for posting it to the book's Facebook page! I'm glad that someone is telling David and the band's story after all these years, so follow the book's progress and the teaser postings above, and here's the video of David playing "Keeper Of The Ledger"!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), Thursday Concert Previews, And New Videos!

(Updated at 9:58 PM) This weekend's concert slate is quite busy again after getting a relative reprieve last week, so let's start things a day early today! After all, two (three?) of the shows are Thursday evening affairs, and have more to say than normal given the setting of them, so here's what you should know to start, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! We'll touch on Friday-Saturday nighters and/or the Northern Vibe Festival in preview post #2 hitting the site tomorrow.

Joining the previously confirmed Soundcheck concert at the Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road tomorrow, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will indeed be headlining the concurrent motorcycle show at the old A&W at 121 Great Northern Road TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice on Bone Yard's end, public advertising confirming their involvement only showed up on Facebook earlier today, but remember that they have been busy prepping for the Dragonfly Run on Sunday (preview forthcoming). The dual sets by both bands at the respective A&W car and bike shows is a reprise of last year's Cruisin' The Dub festivities, only this year, Mother Nature isn't going to interfere, as 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and weather of around 23°. Both car & bike show were rained out in 2023, so things should run smoothly across the board!

As expected, Cruisin' The Dub is in support of Multiple Sclerosis Canada, with lots of classic cars and motorcycles to check out across both Great Northern Road A&Ws, along with family friendly games, prize draws, and refreshments, and a hard rocking local band at both locations, so keep all of this in mind TOMORROW! A much bigger follow-up to the car-only show that Soundcheck played in June, the car and/or bike show will have no cover, they're absolutely ALL AGES, and both run from 5:00-8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S action, stay tuned for more from both bands this weekend, and here are both bands live, including one of three new videos of Bone Yard 225 live via their Facebook page! Two of them were live-streamed from their concert at the Laird Agricultural Fair on Friday, including one of them covering The Ramones' classic "I Wanna Be Sedated" with bassist Warren Reville on lead vocals.

While it is vertical, the filmer largely only focused on Warren, so the orientation isn't so bad in that regard! Solid cover but the vocals came through very quiet. The other Laird Fair video (which is horizontal) sees them covering ZZ Top's "Tush" with guitarist Alex D'Ettore on lead vocals, and it's a solid cover with good energy! Embedded here is their (also horizontal!) new video from one of their Reggie's Place gigs in July, where they covered The Tragically Hip's "Little Bones" with singer/drummer Greg Simpson handling vocals. Another strong cover filmed in high quality, if slightly to its detriment given the stage lighting at Reggie's, but check this out for yourselves below, and don't miss Bone Yard TOMORROW!

Next up, Hails frontman Brenton Ellis' acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play a rare live set TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to the Sault Ste. Marie Museum for their third straight set at the annual Fringe North Festival! The only SMS-amenable music act playing Fringe North this year, Slumshine will see Brent break out his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask for the first time since last year's Fringe North when he opens up "the Comet Stage", which will be set up outside of & behind the museum tomorrow night (as such, expect the same sunny & 23° weather conditions as at Cruisin' The Dub). The official program outlines all of the details you could ask for re: this year's festival, including a complete performer lineup at the Museum and elsewhere, celebrating art and culture in all of its diverse forms. Like last year, Slumshine's set (named "A Work In Progress") will be themed around Brent's recovery from drug addiction.

Click here to read more about Slumshine's modus operandi and what to expect lyrically from their set, courtesy of Fringe North's website. While Slumshine's set opens tomorrow's program at "the Comet Stage" at 7:00 PM, each individual performer is priced separately at different tiers, with no batch price packages to cover an entire day's musicians on one stage. Brent will be a musical outlier anyway tomorrow, as he precedes sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and rappers from local label Sooicide Records at 10:00 PM. If you want to see Slumshine's set tomorrow from 7:00-8:00, the minimum advertised price is $5, though $15 is the "support the artist" rate (note that the program lists both tiers as being $5 higher than the online ticket page does). It is also worth noting that Brent will be jetting off to Southern Ontario for shows with Hails this weekend!

On Friday and Saturday, they'll be opening for Toronto "hypnofolk" band Twintwa (who also played with Ha!ls at It's The Pits in Leeburn) and Hamilton electro-noise rock band Better Homes For Meaner People, across both nights, the former at Vertagogo in Hamilton and the latter at the third annual Humber River Art & Music Festival in Toronto, where the three bands will be joined by Peterborough rapper Garbageface, the Soo's own Shae Tull, and many others. Hopefully both shows are hits for Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan this weekend, but don't miss Slumshine tomorrow at the museum first! See above for more details on Fringe North 2024, and for a preview, here's Slumshine live back in 2019!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Slumshine) & New Videos!!

Keeping this steady string of new posts going this week, we have two more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from the same artist to look at in the next month, along with some new videos, so let's get this post started!

Local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play at the annual Fringe North Festival for a third straight year when they rock "the Comet Stage" outside of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum on Thursday, August 22nd! Unfortunately, I completely missed plugging Slumshine's show at Fringe North last year, but I didn't miss this year's! As confirmed in the official program (Slumshine haven't updated their Facebook page since 2021), they will be the opening act on the Comet Stage for day #2 of the annual arts, culture, and inclusivity festival taking place at multiple downtown venues, though primarily at the Museum. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask in tow, and presenting a show inspired by his recovery from addiction, Slumshine play at 7:00 PM next Thursday, preceding sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, ...

...Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and local rappers from Sooicide Records closing at 10:00 PM. Despite the tight scheduling, acts across Fringe North are individually priced at two levels (general admission and a much higher "support the artist" rate), with no batch pricing options for an entire day's lineup. While openly "pay what you can", the minimum advance admission price for Slumshine's set is $5 for the former and $15 for the latter, though $10 and $20 are suggested in the program. As this year's only hard rock/punk outpost, hopefully Slumshine go over well, so visit the above links for complete Fringe North details for this year! While we're on the subject, we have one more new show to take note of from Slumshine, as they will make their Soo Blaster debut and (I believe) their first non-Fringe North concert since 2020 when they open for Ottawa alternative/folk singer/guitarist Rory Taillon on Tuesday, September 3rd!

Rory hasn't played here since headlining at the former Gore Street Cafe in 2016, and while not punk-influenced like Brent's solo material is, his music does have thematic similarities via lyrics about mental health and his personal life, so the shoe fits in that way, and he is a talented musician with a distinctive voice! This stop on Rory's support tour for his new album "Now It's Quiet" has a likely 19+ age limit, 8:00 PM start time, and admission of $10 at this link or $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more on this all-acoustic Tuesday nighter next month, and don't miss Slumshine next week!

Next up, here's our first video look at reunited local death/thrash metal trio Pillory in concert! Filmed by an uncredited attendee of their return set at last month's all-local Crucifest replacement event at Robbie Adamson's old church in Leeburn, this was uploaded to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel two weeks ago. It captures their entire 44 minutes-long set, though there is a bit of minor post-production editing to cut out some dead air. Unfortunately, Bret did not list songs by name with timecodes in the description, and multiple songs were not introduced live anyway, but Pillory are continuing along the path they were carving in the late 2010s, with frontman Robert Sartini deploying Death-inspired harsh vocals, so don't expect close similarities to their "Cringe At The Cross" EP from that front alone. Prolific local musician Blair St. John is on bass here, continuing in that role from their final 2010s gigs.

This video was shot vertically, but at least the filmer captured Pillory from that high platform that other Leeburn concertgoers have used for a unique vantage point from above, and as such, the guys are least laid out for a vertical orientation better! The lighting is very inconsistent though, with Robert basically performing in shadow from what we see.  If you like brutal thrash-inspired death metal, Pillory's return after a five year hiatus (with a few false starts in the interim) will be very welcomed, so give their return set a watch below, and don't miss them opening for The Fixer at Soo Blaster on August 25th, with more to come!

Finally for this post, here's the latest videos from local progressive metal band Convergence's YouTube channel! As the wait for their third EP "Gemini" continues, the guys posted two new sampler videos of new original songs in the past month, including the previously teased "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon" (yes, that is how they censored it), but embedded below is guitarist Brendan Christie playing an apparent new original song named "You Are Not Flesh". No one else is seen in this video, but I believe Jake Valois is also playing in the other clip (granted, no one's face is shown on camera there). "You Are Not Flesh" is not visibly tied to "Gemini" in the video proper or description, but it definitely sounds the part for fans of djent and progressive metal, and of course, Brendan and Jake are considerable talents on guitar, so it'll be interesting to hear more come out! Give Convergence's new teaser clips a watch, and stay tuned for updates!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Jackal Blood & Bookclub), The Sell This! Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a late update regarding TONIGHT & TOMORROW's short notice Soundcheck concerts at The Esquire Club, as bassist Jim Michaud will be absent this weekend due to a death in his family, as per the band's Facebook page. Rob Gilmar (who frequently filled in for ex-bassist Paul Belair before Jim joined last year) will sit in with Soundcheck this weekend. Our condolences absolutely go out to Jim at this difficult time, and don't miss Soundcheck with Rob on bass this weekend! Now, here's some more weekend concert previews and new videos, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Online page-less local punk/alternative band Bookclub will make their first ever public concert appearance at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this concert via Searchmont's Facebook page yesterday. The first announced show of 2024 for Bookclub will see them head north to the Soo's ski resort TOMORROW, in what will be just the third advertised concert at The Kiln so far this season, and the first there in over a month (perhaps last month's mild weather didn't help?). It's worth noting that Searchmont's description for the show/band credits Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling (not pictured) as being a member of the band now. This has not been publically corroborated by Bookclub on social media (their lack of a social media account acknowledged), but whether Josh is a permanent addition or not, adding some extra horns for certain gigs/songs can't hurt, so he would be welcomed!

Whether you're hitting the slopes or not, their fun 1980s-leaning covers will entertain TOMORROW NIGHT! This show has a 7:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details on Bookclub's Searchmont debut, and here they are live!

Next up, an intriguing multi-band concert will hit The Distraction on East Street on Saturday, February 3rd, marking their first event headlined by a touring act, namely Bay City, Michigan punk solo project Jackal Blood! Self-described as a "musical therapist", Jackal Blood uses vocals, guitar, and backing tracks to deliver a wide range of punk styles to the concert stage, and it'll be very interesting to see what they bring to the table in Canada next month! Adding to the solo project appeal, all four opening acts are solo artists/one man bands, including online page-less emo/folk punk act Agnosticism, fellow local funk punk virtuoso Chase Wigmore (who isn't hanging up his guitar yet!), former Raincourt frontman Eli Russell (who headlined the first ever concert at The Distraction last fall), and Floor Between Us frontman Colin Gasparelli in a solo set. Five talented and diverse musicians with a punk lean, so don't miss out on this show!

As usual for Distraction concerts, this is an all ages event with doors opening at 6:00 PM on February 3rd, and while the stated admission fee is $5 ($1 per performer?), "pay what you can" is once again also given as an option. An SMS amenable concert featuring five individual solo musicians is not something you see every day, let alone one with a touring headliner from the US, but it'll be a fun winter attraction for many readers, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Speaking of The Distraction, here's that final weekend concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as local/Winnipeg classical/metal solo project Sell This! will make their local concert debut with a CD release party at the former Big Guns Barbershop! Led by former RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski, Sell This!' highly left wing political lyrics and current events-driven material will create an interesting contrast with his Nine Inch Nails-inspired vocals and established cello skill, but how will this project look in a live performance setting, especially as Pete is playing their entire new album "Empires Everywhere" in full tomorrow? Be at The Distraction to find out! In one more solo act for this venue, local folk punk solo project Slumshine will play their first public show of the year and first outside of the Fringe North festival in a few years as the opening act, so look for Brent's up-tempo acoustic punk to lead off nicely at The Distraction tomorrow night!

Ground rules are mostly the same tomorrow as they will be on the 3rd, including no age limit and a $5 entry fee (or "pay what you can"), but doors open later at 8:00 PM, and if Pete is indeed selling the new Sell This! album on CD as teased, one assumes those won't be free, so bring more than $5 if you want one. I can't find a video to preview Sell This! with, but if you miss RedD Monkey and want to check out Pete's new project (with album in tow), be at The Distraction TOMORROW NIGHT, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details on the release party!

We'll close today with some new videos from local indie/punk quintet The Northwest, albeit from their Instagram page! In 2023, Facebook updates were few and far between from The Northwest despite some high profile concert dates, but their Instagram page did see a little more in the way of updates and show promotion, including two videos that never turned up on Facebook. One is a cover of "O Christmas Tree" by guitarist Mike Yakasovich that was fittingly uploaded on Christmas Day, and it's well performed, if quaint, so give it a look above (if it being three weeks out of date doesn't bother you!). The other video is embedded below, and it features behind the scenes footage from when The Northwest opened for Marianas Trench at GFL Memorial Gardens in September 2022! The video features footage of the band entering the arena proper, setting up for rehearsal or soundcheck, and hanging out in the locker room (fitting given their hockey fandom!)

No live audio of them rehearsing or talking is heard, instead dubbed over by the studio version of "Long Hair (Longer Nights)". Between that and the vertical camera angle, this is another case where I would love to see the raw footage shot here rather than the vertical edited highlights, but alas, it seems like bands never post the full goods if they decide to go the highlight reel route. Still, this is a neat insight into arguably The Northwest's biggest concert set to date, so check it out below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Chase Wigmore, The BAG, And Sell This!), A New Local Band, And More!!

As we continue to catch up on news and notes with the holidays in the rear view mirror, today's post is mostly devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month, but in regards to the first of the shows, there's more to it both from a familiar face's new project and album, so here's what you should know across the board!

We have a new-ish local metal project to add to our links, and they are Sell This!, the current band from former RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski! While Pete remained active as a solo musician after RedD Monkey's final local gig in December 2013, he eventually moved to Winnipeg for a spell, where Sell This! began by 2020. As far as I can tell, their only social media page is via Bandcamp, where Pete notes that Sell This! are a hybrid of industrial, classical, and metal, indicating that "it sounds a lot like if Trent Reznor sang for Apocalyptica". While in Winnipeg, Sell This! released their debut EP "The Cancer Stage of Capitalism" in December 2020, followed by the full length "Isn't This A Democracy?" in 2022 (featuring some guest performers), and a live single featuring two songs from an upcoming release. The lyrics on offer are very political and influenced by societal decline, so note that when listening.

Sell This! definitely have a unique sound as local bands go, shelving the old punk influences of RedD Monkey for a darker sound with a more engaged, protest-type lyrical bent, and while Pete's vocals can lack in force and confidence, I see where he'd be making Nine Inch Nails comparisons for his delivery. Interesting to hear for sure, but when can you see Sell This! live in the Soo? Well, how about on Saturday, January 13th when they headline a CD release party at The Distraction! Yes, Pete has a new album for release that day called "Empires Everywhere", which will be performed in full by Sell This! next Saturday, and it will be interesting to see how his live set looks! No word yet on the album's cost, but "Isn't This A Democracy?" costs $10 on Bandcamp. Opening next Saturday is local folk punk solo project Slumshine in a rare non-Fringe North set, and hopefully Brent and his pink knit ski mask set the tone well in their Distraction debut!

The concert proper takes place at The Distraction (the former Big Guns Barbershop building at 72 East Street) next Saturday at 8:00 PM. It is an all ages concert, and while the recommended admission fee is $5, "pay what you can" is also acceptable. Visit the above links and the Facebook event page for more details on Sell This! and their CD release party next week!

Next up, prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore will also be playing at The Distraction on Friday, January 19th! His first live concert in two months, it is worth noting that Chase indicated on his Facebook page that his November date at Soo Blaster was "probably my last", referencing his teased hiatus from concerts/recording to focus on his personal life, but clearly he isn't stepping back just yet! The Facebook event page indicates that Chase will playing acoustic folk here, but knowing his intensity and guitar talents, fans shouldn't be left in the lurch too much in two weeks! Local/Toronto outsider folk musician Shae Tull will open, and she's a talented singer & guitarist in her own right, so don't bypass her set on the 19th either! Interestingly, doors open at 5:00 PM for this concert, which is slated to run until 9:00 PM. No word on why the show has such an early timeslot, for the record.

Otherwise, this show is similar to the Sell This! concert, in that it's an all ages affair with a $5 admission fee recommended (or "pay what you can" if you wish). It's good to see Chase back on stage given his hints that he may not be performing live for much longer, so don't miss out on all of the unplugged action later this month, and see above for more details!

Finally for today's post, we have one more SMS-amenable concert at The Distraction to take note of, and it will see rising young metal trio The BAG and punk fan favourites Vanity First join forces on Saturday, January 27th! Unlike the above shows, this one was not announced via a venue-created Facebook event page, rather this concert poster on Vanity First's Facebook page (at press time, The BAG have not confirmed the booking). Of course, Vanity First played one of the first shows at The Distraction last month, while this will be The BAG's first show there, and first live date since rocking Soo Blaster in November (which also featured Chase Wigmore, as alluded to above). Given that today's other two new Distraction gigs feature two solo acts apiece, fans hoping to see full rock bands there!

The ground rules for this concert about on par with Sell This! next weekend, including a 7:00 PM start time, all ages format, and $5 cover charge recommended (or "pay what you can"). It's great to see bookings picking up at The Distraction, but of course, if you want to encourage more concerts there, go see these three shows later this month! See above for more details on all three, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The BAG & The Apocalypse Afterparty), Plus New Videos!!

We have made it to October, and if today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS are any indication, local hard rock fans may finally have some big Halloween weekend shows to check out beyond single cover band gigs for the first time post-pandemic! Those lead off today, as well as new videos from an artist playing one of these events, so here's what you should know!

Eight local music acts will join forces for a special Halloween weekend concert on Saturday, October 28th at... Triple H Cabins in Goulais River? Yes, a cabin/outdoor gear rental business at 317 B Harmony Beach Road is actually hosting a concert of this scale, and yes, it is publically attendable (admission is by donation), with the poster circulating on Facebook pages over the past week, some publically. I am unsure if the poster's order of acts is accurate, but given that many acts share performers, I'll jump around a bit. The apparent headliners are party/rap metal duo (trio?) The Apocalypse Afterparty, and while I don't know if Mikhal Muto will be playing bass with them again on the 28th, he will be playing here with his online page-less folk punk/emo solo project Agnosticism as well, if early in the evening given the poster. Highly placed there is a band named The Floor Between Us who we've never mentioned here before, so who are they?

They're an newer outsider folk/comedy band fronted by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli, who you may have seen at the Fringe North Festival in August and at an array of private gigs, often ones featuring Agnosticism. There's some humour to be had from their original material, and a comedy band like this is certainly distinct in this market! Colin is also slated to play a solo set on this night. The other four acts playing in four weeks are rising young metal trio The BAG, prolific extreme metal/folk punk solo musician Chase James Wigmore, a rare non-Fringe North set from acoustic punk solo project Slumshine (led by Mikhal's Ha!ls bandmate Brenton Ellis), and DJ Seith's online page-less hip hop duo Planet Rock. Quite a stacked lineup of (mostly) rising younger talent, and it's been four years since we've seen a heavier, multi-band Halloween concert like this here, so keep that in mind!

This all ages event takes place at 5:00 PM at Triple H Cabins, refreshments will be available, and costumes are encouraged (no word on a contest). Again, admission is by donation. A half hour drive north of the Soo may not be ideal for some, but it's certainly a unique event with a very intriguing array of performers, and weather permitting, being up on Harmony Beach may be nice for you nature lovers! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, you know how I said that we hadn't really had a multi-band Halloween concert like this in the Soo area in four years? Yeah, well we're not done, as another one is taking place on Halloween night proper (Tuesday, October 31st) at The Art Hub at Spring! This one will have no cover charge but a tip jar for musicians will be on hand, and it'll be a B.Y.O.B. event if you are so inclined. The full lineup is not yet out, but The BAG confirmed on a post on their Facebook group last week that they will be playing this event too, so expect more metal mayhem for Halloween before the month is out! The rest of the lineup is to be announced, but the show is being promoted by Skinbox bandmates Steve Edwards (ex-Pixo Control) and William Wardlaw (ex-Stoned To Deaf), strongly implying that this new local rock band will be playing on the 31st. Despite already debuting live, their full lineup and sound is still not publically posted, we'll keep you posted when more is known.

Stay tuned for updates on the full lineup as well! This show takes place at 504 Queen Street East on Halloween night at 8:30 PM, there is no stated age limit, and again, it's free but tipping the artists is encouraged. Halloween or not, a Tuesday nighter isn't ideal for many, but hopefully a solid turnout comes out to rock out on Halloween night itself downtown! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with new songs from the aforementioned Chase Wigmore, who has posted two new original songs onto his YouTube channel over the past three weeks! Both have attached music videos featuring that choppy and possibly AI-generated style that he has recently been using. The first of the new songs/videos is for "The Speciesist", which Chase noted on his Facebook page was about "our impending extinction and coming to terms with the fact that we probably deserve it". The video realizes this message by showing various demonic aliens laying waste to the planet, so now you know how the doomsday will occur! I don't know if this will be on his long-gestating "Chaotic Rite" album or not, so I'll hold comment for now, but it is definitely a metal song but with drone-style clean vocals. Embedded below is his newest song from September 23rd, entitled "A Song For The Apocalypse", which feels like a direct sequel to "The Speciesist".

The visuals here show destruction of Earth, wastelands, and people observing the state of the planet, so yeah, not the most optimistic video out there, but the visuals are cool looking! This is more of a progressive metal song with more ominous overtones and screaming, plus an acoustic interlude, so you get a wide breadth of his styles here, but again, I'll hold comment in case this song is on "The Chaotic Rite". Give Chase's entertaining new videos a watch above & below!

 

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril & Tarnished), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we kick off this concert preview post, just another heads up on a show that we hadn't covered on the SMS, this time one that did occur and was missed for coverage, as local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine returned to the stage for this year's Fringe North Festival last night. We did cover Brent's show at this diverse local arts festival last year (also Slumshine's last publically acknowledged gig before yesterday), but somehow, this year's Fringe North completely slipped us by, not helped by Slumshine proper never promoting their set on social media. Like last year, Slumshine was the only SMS-amenable musical act to perform at Fringe North, which returned to the Sault Ste. Marie Museum for a second straight year, albeit with far fewer pandemic restrictions. Slumshine's set was on "Gallery Stage 2", which appears to mean the second floor of the museum (acts were booked on three floors plus outside).

Incidentally, the above image shared to Fringe North's Facebook page details a little more about Slumshine's raison d'etre, including an apparent explanation as to Brent's pink knit ski mask (representing how recovering addicts may seem faceless to others). I profusely apologize for missing Slumshine's return at Fringe North, I really should have known to double check the lineup for this year, but hopefully Brent had a great show last night, and consider seeing the rest of Fringe North for a diverse and accessible array of local art from a very talented roster! I wish Brent updated Slumshine (and Ha!ls) on their proper social media pages though, as Slumshine haven't posted on Facebook since 2021.

Now let's continue covering this weekend's known hard rock concerts by heading to Michigan for some Eastern Upper Peninsula gigs, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local metal/hard rock band Tarnished will return to Snow's Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville TONIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via their Facebook page yesterday. Like their previously announced show at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TOMORROW NIGHT, the Cedarville date will be on an outdoor stage, weather permitting, so it'll be neat seeing Tarnished rock out outside at both locales, with tomorrow's Huck's show being their first gig there in over a year! Due to the surprise departures of guitarist Nathan Webber and bassist Isaac Royer earlier this week, Tarnished have called in some familiar ringers to fill in for these dates.

The Nameless bassist Mike East will play both nights, while Rhythm & Brews guitarist Chris Hubbard will be on hand tomorrow only. Very solid names to be sure, and even if this remains a temporary arrangement, fans will want to note these stacked lineups TONIGHT and tomorrow! TONIGHT'S Snow's gig in Cedarville has an early 6:00 PM start time, tomorrow's Huck's date in Rudyard is at 9:00 PM, and both are 21+ events with no cover charge. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for clear conditions in Cedarville tonight at around 17°, while Rudyard tomorrow night will be a little warmer at 19°, but partly cloudy. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live at an outdoor show in 2021!

Also this weekend, fans can see Traverse City classic metal trio Peril return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for previously announced shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at this Kewadin branch in June, it'll be great for Mackinac County fans to get another weekend chock full of old school metal and hard rock covers from this fan favourite trio, so don't miss out on Jeff & crew this weekend! In one more new show announcement, Peril will make a very rare appearance in the E.U.P. outside of the Kewadin umbrella on Thursday, August 31st when they headline at the gazebo at American Legion Memorial Park in St. Ignace, as part of the town's Music By The Bay summer concert series! Click here for the full schedule, which has seen live music daily throughout July and August, ending over Labour Day weekend. Peril are the only heavier-leaning act, but familiar faces abound on the schedule.

It will be great seeing Peril in a new-ish venue north of the Mackinac Bridge, so if you can swing a Thursday evening outdoor show, you know where to be at month's end! That is an all ages, 7:00 PM gig with no cover, while this weekend's St. Ignace Kewadin shows are at 9:00 PM and are 21+ with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

We'll close today by heading back to Sault Ontario for a new live concert video from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard's jam night hosting duties at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last night! Uploaded to the band's Facebook page early this morning, the video sees Bone Yard covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" alongside guest singer Darrel Ford, one of many guests who joined Bone Yard in various permutations during this jam night (among them: Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas, who usually plays these jam nights). Shockingly, this video was shot horizontally (thumbs up from me there!), and Darrel handles himself well on vocals, so hopefully a fun time was had by all! Check this video out below, and don't miss Bone Yard back at Jay's for a traditional concert tonight, followed by the Dragonfly Run tomorrow night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for one more(?) short notice concert preview next! Thanks everyone!

Slumshine/These Magnificent Tentacles Tape Details, A New Video, And More!!

News has somewhat been slowing down as of late, but here's a full news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, including a new performance video and some assorted recent stories. Leading off are details on physical copies of a local punk veteran's recent album exploits that may or not be belated for the SMS, so here's what you should know!

This may fly under the radar unless you know frontman Brenton Ellis personally, but he is (still?) selling his acoustic punk solo project Slumshine's 2021 EP "Slumlord" on cassette tapes, as well as tape copies of his inactive punk/alternative duo These Magnificent Tentacles' EP "Surfacing..."! Brent definitely released Slumshine's vowelless debut "SLMSHN" on tapes in 2019, but he hasn't posted on that project's Facebook page since 2021 despite playing live at Fringe North last year, and never promoted an active sale of "Slumlord" on tapes there.  However, I saw that Brent (a.k.a. B.G. Ellis) would be selling art at the Fishbowl Festival's flea market at The Klub at the Pall Mall on Queen Street East on Sunday, and in his teaser picture, there were cassette tapes! Not having any of Slumshine's tapes yet, I went down there and bought "Slumlord" and "Surfacing", which he charges $10 apiece for.

Brent is an accomplished painter & visual artist, so he hand-designed the art on his tapes, rather than use the Bandcamp cover art in a cropped or stretched form factor. On "Slumlord", Brent creatively gave the tape reversible artwork and liner notes, and while side A has "Slumlord" as seen on Bandcamp, side B (with reversible referencing artwork) has five bonus tracks named "Reversible Straightjacket", "Doubt For Life", "Prelapse", "Into The Inferno", and "Breeze Of The Sun". This is the sort of thing that I'm surprised Brent doesn't advertise, as it could boost sales of the tapes if people knew that Bandcamp only had 6/11ths of the story! Be advised that the "side A/B" labels fell off of my copy very easily, so have a glue stick handy. As for the These Magnificent Tentacles tape, it is less ornate for packaging and details, and has no bonus songs, but it uses thicker liner notes & promotes their Tidal Records affiliation.

What I didn't buy there was what appeared to be the original "SLMSHN" album on tape, distinguished by abstract painted liner artwork (as showcased in the Bandcamp copy's cover art), but at the time, I just took them for alternate art of "Slumlord" rather than a separate older album. If I described this accurately, then silly me, and hopefully Brent is selling his art again soon so I can grab that tape also and see how different/similar it is to the digital copy! Definitely keep an eye on when/where Brent will be selling art (or playing live) next to see if you can buy his recent albums on tape, and while copies of "Surfacing..." seemed limited, the Slumshine albums were well stocked. See above for more details!

Next up, let's take a brief detour to Sault Michigan for a new video from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel last week! A newly filmed live rendition of the Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", this is their first true performance video uploaded here featuring new bassist Luke Bernard, and he and the rest of the band are sure dressed for the occasion here! No videos from their abbreviated (and non-local) Christmas tour last year surfaced online, but this may help make up for that, if a few months late to really be seasonal. Filmed at their own space named "The Cave" (related in name only to Sykotyk Rampage's jam room), it looks like Theatre of Night pulled out all of the stops to give this video the presentation of their live concerts, complete with full staging and light/smoke effects, and it comes across very well in this video. I wonder if they filmed any more songs like this at the time?

We are 7-8 months out from this performance being timely, but the performance itself is solid and accurate to last year's studio revision, and fans of Theatre of Night's metal versions of Christmas classics should be right at home with this rendition below!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• In a rare public acknowledgement of their status, Gates of Winter guitarist Bryan Belleau revealed in a comment reply on the Woods of Ypres Fanclub Facebook group on Saturday that the Sault Ontario progressive death metal band "didn't officially disband", but life caught up to them and took them "in different directions", though the guys still talk daily. Bryan noted that "Gates 2" (their unfinished album "Perihelion") "may exist at some point" in the future. Gates of Winter have been inactive since the spring of 2018 after working on the new album since 2010, and they haven't played live since 2008. Fingers crossed that we haven't heard the absolute last from them!
• Local indie punk quintet The Northwest's song "Shoreline" was featured on the February 25th episode of the CBC Radio One series In The Key Of C, where host Craig Norris spotlights rising Ontario musicians each Saturday at 5:00 PM. According to the show's Facebook page, The Northwest were the last of 12 bands played on that episode. If you missed the live airing on 89.5 FM (which is easy, as the band only announced that they'd be on that morning), the episode will likely come to the CBC Listen mobile application in time, though at the moment, the newest playable episode is from January 7th. Hopefully The Northwest got lots of new fans here!
• I have moved St. Ignace, Michigan metal guitarist Ted Olson's solo project to our inactive Sault Michigan band links. The Heavy Lies The Crown axeslayer has not issued a public update to his solo Facebook page since posting a picture of his headless guitars in November 2021, though of course, he has been more than busy since with H.L.T.C. in studio and in concert. Follow the band for more on what Ted's been up to in the past year+, but hopefully he resumes solo work down the road!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for St. Patrick's Day weekend concert previews and more on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Molten Imp, Slumshine, And Soundcheck), And Esquire Club Concert Details!!

Today's post was going to be totally different, but some interesting LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS dropped for the fall from two sources, namely Second Line West venue The Esquire Club and local promoters Dryer Fire! The former reflects The Esquire's return to proper nighttime weekend concerts from local cover bands after months of pandemic-influenced matinee gigs, while Dryer Fire have four currently announced shows for the fall at three different downtown venues. Genres vary wildly on both fronts, but here's what you should know on their hard rock/punk-featured gigs ahead!

We'll start with Dryer Fire, who have booked the recently revived art punk solo project Slumshine to open for British Columbia folk solo project Ghostly Hounds on Saturday, September 17th! This show will take place at Dryer Fire's temporary venue at 285 Wilson Street, with Nicole extending the lease there into October (more on the second fall show there in a bit). Slumshine just returned to the stage for the first time post-pandemic at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum this past weekend, but one presumes there won't be the same capacity restrictions at 285 Wilson on multiple fronts, so this could be the first chance many of you have to see Brent & his pink ski mask on a public stage in over 2 years! While Ghostly Hounds don't play punk up front, there are darker thematic elements on display, and they should entertain with their personal take on acoustic folk next month in their local debut!

This presumably all ages concert has $15 advance tickets that you can buy online at this link, while the door price jumps to $20. Regardless, doors open at 7:00 PM. Should be an entertaining show for fans of unplugged folk rock hitting multiple genres on the way, so keep this one in mind, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! The next two Dryer Fire shows don't have hard rock or punk acts, but note that ex-Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno's solo folk project Penno Cash will open for Zachary Lucky at The Elks Hall on September 20th (details here).

Next up, let's leap to The Esquire Club, who have announced a full band schedule through mid-December for weekend nighttime cover band action, and they first dip into primarily heavier waters on Friday, September 23rd & Saturday, September 24th when classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck make their return to this popular venue! Soundcheck were not part of the rotation for The Esquire Club's "Buckets, Bands, and Birds" matinee series earlier this year, so this will be their first set of concerts there since November 2021. Good to see Terry, Cameron, Paul/Rob, and Glen back at a relatively fresh venue, at least as far as recent bookings go, and hopefully their hard rocking covers find a strong audience there next month! Note that in a comment on the Facebook picture of the schedule, singer/guitarist Terry Eaton implied that Soundcheck were at least in talks to return there on November 4th & 5th as well, but are not listed to play those dates.

If the poster is any indication, pop rock cover quartet L!me will be playing that weekend instead, but we'll let you know if the poster is in error or not, especially as Soundcheck only have the one weekend booked there otherwise. Bands playing at The Esquire Club this fall are starting at 9:30 PM nightly with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Soundcheck soon!

We'll next head back downtown to 285 Wilson Street for the final of Dryer Fire's fall concert series (as of today, at least), where local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp will make their live concert debut on Friday, October 21st as one of the openers for Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface! Local fans will be no stranger to Garbageface from four regional concert appearances in the late 2010s at both Live705 events and at the former Oh!No festival in Leeburn, and his intense, distinctive brand of hip hop should be welcomed back by fans! Like in Garbageface's prior local stops, this is very much a mixed genre show, but how will Boyd Rendell present Molten Imp as a live act, both as a solo artist now and given the soundscapes he programs? It'll be interesting to find out! Yes, this is the show teased on Molten Imp's Facebook page, and will mark Boyd's first live concert set since AlgomA's final gig in 2019. 

The other scheduled performer on October 21st is Owen MK, a local "dark synth pop" artist who I've never heard of and can't find an online page for. I'll let you guys know if anything else surfaces, but Owen's presence adds to the genre free-for-all! Same as the Ghostly Hounds/Slumshine gig, expect no age limit, doors opening at 7:00 PM, $15 tickets at this link, and $20 door admission. Visit the above links for more details on this and other Dryer Fire-booked events hitting the Soo this fall!

Finally for today, let's take one more look at The Esquire Club's late 2022 concert schedule! First off, if you don't know who Buzzsaw Jaw (playing there next month and in December) are, I do know that they are the current band from former Stiffler's Mom bandmates Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson. Whether they play heavier songs on average or not, I don't know (I can't find an online page for them yet), but keep that band in mind! You may also have seen that local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession (now featuring Jess Amodio on vocals) are booked for two weekends ahead there, but the band already confirmed those dates on their website and we listed them already from there. Also, the poster clearly shows the weekends of October 7th-8th & November 18th-19th as having a replaced band with the original band name taped over, but a G is poking out from the November listing.

I may be wrong, but this does look like Tripod The Dog were originally booked for one/both weekends (Mark and crew had mainly been seen at The Esquire Club in the pandemic era), but according to the poster's Facebook caption, "one of the bands cancelled dates". If this was Tripod, hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them back on stage in due course! You'll note that the November 18th weekend gigs do have a replacement actively covered on the SMS, but we'll cover those shows in an upcoming post, as this one has been going on a bit long already. See above for much more from Dryer Fire & The Esquire Club, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!