LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bush), A New Punk Album Release, And An Unreleased EP!!

Today's post is half devoted to big news from two fronts in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and to a surprise belated album release from some familiar faces in Sault Ontario, but let's start in Michigan with a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the summer concert calendar!

London, England post-grunge/hard rock quartet Bush will make their local concert debut on Saturday, July 18th when they headline an outdoor concert at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace! The first SMS-amenable outdoor concert at the St. Ignace branch that I am aware of since the late Ace Frehley rocked out there in 2024, Bush have been staples of rock radio for decades thanks to hit songs like "Glycerine", "Machinehead", and "Comedown", and while they're not my favourite 1990s band, it will be neat to see Gavin Rossdale and company in the E.U.P. this summer! Joining the former BushX (ask a Canadian) in four months are Seattle grunge/alternative quartet Candlebox (best known for their hit single "Far Behind") in a regional set six+ years in the making. As you may recall, Candlebox were slated to headline at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin in April 2020 before the first pandemic lockdown scrapped it.

You may not consider this to be a makeup date when it's A. as a support band, and B. an hour south of the Soo, but it will be good to finally see Candlebox on a local stage in July! Interestingly presented by Rock 105 & 95.5 and Classic Rock: The Bear in the tip of the mitt rather than Rock 101, tickets go on sale on Friday at 10:00 AM at this link, at the in-person box office, and at 1-800-KEWADIN. Including convenience/handling fees, tickets reportedly start at $96 USD, but remember that this is a large-scale outdoor show, and neither band has been up here before (VIP packages will also be offered). Visit the above links for more details on what should be a huge concert in St. Ignace later this year!

Next up, here's a mild surprise, as inactive local hardcore punk trio The Sole Aggressors have released their self-titled debut album that was teased last year! Given that the band was parting ways with members leaving the area for university, it's understandable that this is unexpected, especially when they never outright said how much work had progressed on the album. "Sole Aggressors" was mixed & mastered by Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas in Detroit, and features cover artwork by regional comic artist Andrew Krahnke (the brother of former Bad Side frontwoman and Yes FM DJ Melissa Krahnke). The album features a whopping 21 songs, including all 18 originals seen in their live concert videos from 2023-2024 alongside three new songs (a self-titled opener, "Napoleon's Bonaparte", and the closer "No Part"). The band claims that the album is on "all platforms", but where is it exactly?

"All platforms" really isn't accurate in this case, as the album is not currently on YouTube Music! You can actually stream "Sole Aggressors" on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Tidal. In terms of outlets to actually buy the album in mp3 files, iTunes is selling it for $9.99, so it is officially on sale there! It is 100% free to download on Bandcamp though, not even via a "name your price" model. Alas, this adds to our insane backlog of new local metal, hard rock, and punk album releases for our monthly reviews, so I won't be looking at it until the fall, but definitely give this rare example of Sault Michigan punk rock in studio form a listen via the above services!

Finally, as you may recall, mid-late 2010s Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements had been working on a debut EP since at least 2016, and they posted "Need A Friend" from the sessions onto their Facebook page in February 2020. However, the guys never issued another public update, even after the pandemic lockdowns ended. Much to my surprise, the EP was posthumously posted to bassist James White's recording studio White Wreckords' YouTube channel two weeks ago! James appears to be reviving his studio, and he has posted other songs that he has worked on there as well, but The Elements are the only recognizable act off hand. What should you know about this EP as it stands six years later? In upload order, then five songs are "HHH", "Into You", "G20", "Freikorps Ball", and the aforementioned "Need A Friend". No sign of their originals "Liar", "The Rut", or "Riptide", for the record.

I don't know if the songs are presented in their intended track listing order. The Elements are represented here by their 2016-2020 and best known lineup, with James joined by Barbarians/ex-Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich/ex-Jack Spades guitarist Jesse Cook, and With Gunfire/ex-Winkstinger drummer Jonas Gasperas. Rather than a unified album cover, each song has AI-generated artwork to represent them, which obviously wouldn't have been an option in 2020. Given that this isn't a paid and structured release for major streaming services (yet?), I won't add it to our lengthy local album review backlog, but I'll give some thoughts on what's here, and it's a solid batch of funk/groove metal and hard rock songs that fans of The Elements will want to hear at long last! While unreleased, it is cool to hear Rob and Jonas on completed studio material also, and Rob's distinctively raspy vocals add an effective layer!

Why The Elements broke up (pandemic acknowledged) is not known to me, and it's a shame that this EP never saw its intended release, but kudos to James for finally posting it for everyone to hear! While James isn't in a current band that I'm aware of, everyone else is active musically, and White Wreckords are back in operation, so follow what the guys are up to that way. Give The Elements' unreleased EP a listen above & below, and here's "HHH"!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Sky Pilots), Bone Yard 225 Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Today's post takes us to a quiet batch of hard rock concert previews (at least as far as publically announced shows), so rounding things out are some full set videos from bands on both sides of the border. Let's lead off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will return to the E.U.P. for concerts at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just learned of these gigs via Kewadin's entertainment page when gathering together yesterday's all-Sault Michigan post, but the band quietly first announced these shows via the concert calendar on their Facebook page back in April. This weekend's shows follow The Sky Pilots' late notice turn as headliners at The Shamrock Show at Three One Three On Ashmun in March,  but regrettably, I completely missed their debuts at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin on July 25th & 26th for coverage on here. I profusely apologize, the slowdown in heavier Kewadin bookings is no excuse on my end, but I hope The Sky Pilots had a great turnout here in July!

While The Sky Pilots themselves hadn't played in our area before March, some readers may recognize singer Melissa Strand, who sang for local hard rock bands like Swayze Train, Electric Motor Fish, and Toast in the early 2010s before moving west. It's cool to see Mel back in a live band, let alone a talented one that is starting to come our way more often! TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S St. Ignace Kewadin gigs are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here's The Sky Pilots live!

Next up, here's this weekend's only other currently verified heavier concerts (alas, there is usually a post-Halloween lull), as Sault Ontario southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Barring a schedule change or a hypothetical booking on the Boxing Day weekend, this will be your local 225's final concert weekend at the Second Line West nightclub for 2025, as per the venue's fall concert calendar, "The dirty three" don't play here all that often compared to other venues, but if you want the full plugged-in Bone Yard experience, don't miss out on this weekend's action, and expect merchandise and original music as well! Their "high-energy classic rock party" begins at 9:30 PM tomorrow and Saturday night with 19+ age limits and no cover charges as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video!

Filmed at Bone Yard 225's Roberta Bondar Pavilion matinee set at the Queen Street Cruise in June, this (sadly) vertical video features 22 seconds of the guys during an instrumental solo section of a song that I wasn't immediately able to identify. While a fun performance from what we hear, it wasn't uploaded to highlight the song, but rather to honour last month's passing of Queen Street Cruise founder Gary Trembinski Sr., who was standing on stage while Bone Yard were performing. Gary was also a former city councillor, the owner of Metallo's Mini-Mart, and was involved in many other community events, and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends at this time. Gary sounds like he was a great guy. Check out the video below!

Let's close today with some new full concert videos, starting with local death/thrash metal trio's most recent video on drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel! This comes from their set opening for Kaonashi at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on October 29th of last week (Halloween costumes were encouraged but the band did not partake), where they played a half hour set that old Rosie metal night fans definitely enjoyed! In performance order, Robert, Devon, and Bret tackled their usual intro cover of "End of Small Sanctuary" from Silent Hill 3, before playing "Specimen of Egotism", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Curse of Eternal Sickness", "The Angst of Existence", "Wasting", "The Passing", and as recently usual, their set-ending cover of Sepultura's "Territory". Of the originals from their new album "Old Soul", six of the nine songs were played here, omitting "Sculptor of Cadavers" and the final two songs. 

Bret did note in the description that there are flashing strobe lights on stage (mind that if you have epileptic seizures), and he apologized for being stuck behind the infamous support beam on stage, reasoning the camera location as the best spot without getting in the way of fans. Nice and brutal performance across the board that existing Pillory fans and new ones alike should take to, so give it a watch below, and if you want CD copies of "Old Soul", they are now at The Rad Zone!

We'll wrap this post up by coming full circle to the E.U.P. for a look at Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors' final(?) concert set, as filmed in full for their YouTube channel! On August 18th, the guys gathered at singer/guitarist Brett Siesel's place for their final gig before members moved out of the area for college, though initial finality teasers were dialed back to an "indefinite hiatus", along with plans to record an album of their original songs at some point. This garage concert saw Brett, Calvin, and Isaac play (in order) "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", "The Same Individualist" "Tale Of An American Hero", "State Of The World", "Teenage Guide", "False Hope", "Hypocrite", "Heil Artificiality", "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys", "Kill Thy Neighbour", and "Fool", before a brief jam of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man". Originals resume with "Time To Commercialize!", "Reject", "Burning Down", "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Melted Plastic", and "Down By The Bay".

This set includes all of The Sole Aggressors' publically performed originals from their other full set videos, though aside from the "Iron Man" snippet, there are no covers here. Definitely a warm day here (you can tell based on how shirts vanished early), but it's a blistering punk set that genre fans will easily take to, and it's good too see the guys in more natural lighting! Many of their concert videos were impaired by heavy colour tints from the lighting setups at the venue. Hopefully we will hear more from The Sole Aggressors when able, but give their last(?) concert a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Even Flow) And Sole Aggressors Updates!!

Before we kick off another round of hard rock weekend concert previews, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spooky season festivities ahead and updates from a talented but defunct(?) local band, so here's what you should know on this rainy Wednesday night!

Beck's Bar have announced their Halloween weekend concert slate via their Facebook page, and for a second time in three weeks, they'll host a concert on the usually DJ/dance party-only Friday, seeing as it is Halloween proper this year! The October 31st concert will be headlined by a debuting local Pearl Jam tribute band named Even Flow, and while I have yet to find a public social media page or posting about this group, public Facebook shares of this poster indicate that former Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner will be behind the kit, possibly joined by a new-to-me musician named Cameron Brock. We'll let you know when more is publically known, but a locally based tribute to the grunge/alternative legends would be neat to see! The openers on Halloween are new (and online page-less) local rock cover quartet The Barbarians, who debuted at The Northern Vibe Festival this year.

Featuring ex-Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich's Taylor Emlaw & Rafael Medina, and Boat Dads drummer Kevin Harrison, I still don't know what range of music that The Barbarians play in relation to Rob's solo shows and past bands, but you can find out next Friday! Costumes are absolutely encouraged, with prizes being offered for best makeup, best duo, and most creative, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will also be on hand. No cover charge is announced for this 19+ concert, which begins at 9:00 PM.

Meanwhile, Halloween will extend to Saturday, November 1st, with the spooky themes, costume contests, and Tarot readings in effect that day as well, and for the occasion, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to the former Vibe Lounge as that night's headline band! This show has not (yet?) been announced on their website's concert calendar, but it comes just two weeks after they last rocked Beck's, albeit for a full weekend with an "uncorked" Sunday matinee (Out & Out Country have the honours on November 2nd). Good to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back for another night of rocking covers and originals in the west end, so don't put your costumes away yet, as there's more Halloween fun to be had a day late! We already knew about Tym Morrison's matinee concert next Saturday, and remember, he isn't "opening" for Bone Yard, he and they have two separate four hour concert blocks spaced two hours apart.

Like with The Barbarians and Even Flow on Halloween proper, your local 225 kick off their evening at 9:00 PM next Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Sounds like Beck's has a lot going on for Halloween weekend, so definitely visit the above links for more on what's in the cards there!

Next up, let's take a look at some updates from the now-defunct Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors... or are they? In their last post on their Facebook page to date, singer/guitarist Brett Siesel thanked their friends, family, and supporters throughout their run, and "although this chapter has reached its conclusion, we have not". The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners are now calling this "our indefinite hiatus", and Brett teased that they have an "album coming soon". If they have entered the studio in any fashion, I haven't seen reference to it, but given that an indefinite hiatus can last anywhere from a few weeks to forever (let alone that they called their house party gig in August their "farewell show"), I'm not inclined to move them back to our active links at this juncture. After all, they're far from the only local band to end activity when members leave the area for college, but it's always cool to see bands reunite afterwards!

While we're on the subject, let's end this post with one of the last two full concert set videos from their YouTube channel! Today, we'll look at "The Shamrock Show" at Three One Three On Ashmun in March, where Brett, Calvin, and Isaac joined (in their Sault Ste. Marie debuts) The Sky Pilots and About:Blank for a St. Patrick's Day weekend blast of hard rock and punk action. The 52 minute set features The Sole Aggressors playing (in order) "Kill Thy Neighbour", "Burning Down", "Teenage Guide", "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys", "Time To Commercialize!", "False Hope", "Heil Artificiality", "Fool", "State Of The World", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Melted Plastic", "Tale Of An American Hero", "Reject", "Down By The Bay", and "Hypocrite", followed by a new original song named "The Same Individualist", and in a rarity at this stage, a cover of Black Flag's "Six Pack".

While this gives us our fullest look at The Sole Aggressors' original catalogue yet, the visuals don't start off ideal, but if you hang on past the first four songs, the filmer does move the camera so that Brett's head isn't cut off and Calvin isn't entirely hidden behind him from this vantage point. That one stage light can be a little bright regardless, but the upbeat and fast punk action is well recorded at the former Back Door here, so if you miss The Sole Aggressors or missed out on their gigs on both sides of the border, give this full set upload a watch for yourselves below!

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

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Sole Aggressors

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, and for the first time this year, we're looking at a band from Sault Michigan or the Eastern Upper Peninsula! This is a very prominent young group who were doing things few contemporary local bands were doing during their two year run, so here's what you should know on the randomly selected band for this month!

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The Sole Aggressors

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Genre: Punk

Lineup: (Members not in their last lineup are in italics)

Brett Siesel, vocals/guitar
Calvin Swedene (The Undecideds), bass/vocals
Isaac Brindley (The Undecideds), drums
Henry Boucher, vocals

Audio/Video: The Sole Aggressors carved out a strong original repertoire in their run, with at least seventeen original songs being played by the time of their dissolution. You can hear multiple takes of these songs via the full concert sets filmed for their YouTube channel, by far the best and most comprehensive source to see and hear them in action, though only their first upload there features their original four-piece lineup. Covers were more common in early sets, where the guys tackled the likes of Black Flag, The Misfits, and The Ramones. Here's one of the better quality videos from their channel, of the Aggressors rocking Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley at a Serious Business-promoted concert in August of last year!

Info/Analysis: A very rare example of an honest-to-goodness punk band from Sault Michigan, The Sole Aggressors were comprised of then-Sault Area High School students, and publically debuted in August 2023 at Bird's Eye Outfitters, before they managed to win the fan-voted Lake Superior State University battle of the bands the following month! They did not defend their title last year, with Calvin & Isaac instead playing in the new indie rock band The Undecideds. Initially debuting as a quartet, singer Henry Boucher missed their battle set and was confirmed to have left the band by the following spring. From mid-2024 until mid-2025, The Sole Aggressors became fan favourite sights at shows from E.U.P. promoters Serious Business, while also hopping the border to Sault Ontario for a handful of 2025 dates, notably opening for Hails at an all-local show at The Distraction in January.

With members planning to move out of the area for college, The Sole Aggressors broke up after a farewell house party concert in August, though they called it an "indefinite hiatus", and promised that they have an "album coming soon". Time will tell how accurate that proves to be, but they carved a strong niche in their two active years together! Punk is not common at all from live gigging bands in the Eastern U.P., let alone played so proficiently and with strong attitude and musicianship (again, seventeen originals!), and it was a welcome breath of fresh air to see a cross-border set or two from them on our side of the border! Hopefully they do indeed reunite in some fashion when able, but don't bypass their YouTube concert videos!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! We're back in Sault Ontario for this series next month via another project recently moved to our inactive links, as our next randomly selected band is local hard rock solo project Stone Smyth! Look for that on or around November 10th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Trixter & Woodhawk) Plus A New Sole Aggressors Concert Video!!

Here's a new news post on this rainy Wednesday evening, featuring two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the fall and a lengthy new concert video, so here's what you should know!

Calgary stoner hard rock quartet Woodhawk will make their long-delayed local concert debut on Wednesday, September 10th at Soo Blaster! If the name sounds familiar, it may be because this isn't the first time that Woodhawk have attempted a local booking. The former Oh!No Collective planned to host them at LopLops Lounge in April 2020, only for that show and its associated tour to be cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown. Like then, Woodhawk are touring in support of their latest album (in this case, "Love Finds A Way"), and their classic rock-influenced brand of stoner originals with strong guitar riffs should find a welcome audience next month, even with the mid-week scheduling! After Oh!No planned for a genre hybrid lineup in 2020 (the tabbed local openers then were A Dire Setback and DJ Seith), this concert will stick closer in genre spirit, including hard rock quintet HeadF1rst in their first show since the Northern Vibe Festival.

As well, online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad will play their first show of the fall as the opening band, and given their stacked lineup, you won't want to miss them! This concert begins at 7:00 PM two weeks from now with a $15 cover (up from $10 in 2020) and no announced age limit. It's still rare to see touring bands reschedule local dates cancelled back in 2020, so keep that angle in mind, let alone Woodhawk's distinct doomy hard rock attack, in two weeks' time at Soo Blaster!

Next up, if you're a fan of The Hair Scare on Saturday nights on Rock 101, how does a live version sound? I don't know if the radio show will be linked in any official capacity, but if you love hair and glam metal, you'll want to stop by The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday, October 25th! Your headliners in two months are New Jersey hair metal veterans Trixter in their local debut, though bassist P.J. Farley backed up Mr. Big's Eric Martin's acoustic show here in February 2020. Fans will know Trixter from hits like "Give It to Me Good" and "One In A Million". Co-headliners here are Illinois glam metal quartet Enuff Z'Nuff in a local stop seventeen years in the making, as they were supposed to open for Skid Row in Sault Ontario at the cancelled Runway Park outdoor concert in June 2008. If only L.A. Guns had also rescheduled up here before they broke up!

Enuff Z'Nuff will be best known for classics like "New Thing" & "Fly High Michelle". Also coming to the Soo in October are two Hollywood-based glam bands, including Pretty Boy Floyd (who hit the scene with songs like "Rock and Roll (Is Gonna Set The Night On Fire)" and "I Wanna Be With You"), and the more modern hair revival band Permacrush. There's a lot of talent, glam rock, and vintage sleaze to take in from this package of bands, so don't miss out in late October! This concert will be the first in over a year from local promoters Allstar Promotions, who last brought Ratt's Stephen Pearcy to The Dreammakers Theater this past September. Tickets (including fees) run for $33 in the center section and $28 everywhere else, and there's loads of good available seats available at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. This show starts at 7:00 PM and it has no advertised age limit. 

It's hard to believe that, in all of the successful hair metal shows to take place at Kewadin, none of these bands have played at Kewadin before, so if you're up for a night of old school late 1980s-early 1990s hard rock, you know where to be in two months! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on what should be a fun night of hair metal action!

We'll close today with a topic that straddles both of the twin Saults, as the now-defunct Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors posted a video of their set at The Distraction in Sault Ontario in January onto their YouTube channel at the time! Apologies again for the delay in their full-set videos from the past year being so late to get covered here. This was at an all-locals show headlined by Hails, and marked The Sole Aggressors' debut in Sault Ontario, one of a handful of Canadian dates of theirs this year. That was and still is very encouraging to see. In order, their all original set saw them play "Tale Of An American Hero", "Kill A Celebrity", "False Hope", "Kill Thy Neighbour", "Heil Artificiality", "Time To Commercialize!", "Reject", "Melted Plastic", "Teenage Guide", "State Of The World", "Fool", "Hypocrite", "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Down By The Bay", and "Ventilation".

The set ended with two new songs that weren't played in prior concert videos, namely "Burning Down" and "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys". The lighting in the basement on this night was very blue, so be advised of that going in, but Calvin, Brett, and Isaac are on form here with a nicely varied sound with solid lyrics and punk attitude to spare, so give this full set video a watch below, and there's two more to come!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Sole Aggressors), More From Them, And A New Album Release!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to note a late concert cancellation from yesterday's rainy weather, as local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished did not perform at American Legion Park in St. Ignace for their planned Music By The Bay outdoor concert. While The Nameless' outdoor show in Goetzville went on despite the forecast, Tarnished confirmed on their Facebook page that their concert was off last night at 6:32 PM, 28 minutes prior to when it would have began (note that they never plugged the show on Facebook prior to then). Disappointing, but Mother Nature can be inconvenient at this time of year. Hopefully Tarnished try again for the Music By The Bay series in 2026!

Today's post otherwise features a new local album release, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related band breakup, as Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors will reportedly play their final public concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this via their Facebook page yesterday (their first Facebook post since March, though they have played live and plugged shows via Instagram since). The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners revealed that they are disbanding "due to recent events... before we all part ways for college". While they didn't elaborate on what the "recent events" were, The Sole Aggressors are far from the only example locally of a high school-aged band splitting up due to members moving out of town after grade 12. TOMORROW'S show will take place in the garage at guitarist Brett Siesel's residence, and the address is on the poster.

While the show will technically be all ages, they "ideally" request no alcohol or drugs on the premises. The concert takes place TOMORROW at 7:00 PM, and there is no cover charge, but they will be selling merchandise and taking donations. It is worth noting that The Sole Aggressors were also supposed to play at an outdoor house party concert in Thessalon, Ontario yesterday featuring loads of familiar Sault Ontario names across multiple genres, but even if Thessalon was within our coverage range (it's over an hour from Sault Ste. Marie), it too was rained out. The Sole Aggressors made a solid name in their two year run via their battle win and by being a rare example of an E.U.P. band to play in Sault Ontario (let alone more than once), while also being a pure punk band, which has never been common in Sault Michigan. Even if they never have a reunion, they made their mark in multiple ways, and have a solid sound and quality original music.

Of course, best of luck to Brett, Calvin, and Isaac (and Henry) in whatever lies ahead for them, but send off The Sole Aggressors in style TOMORROW NIGHT, and for a preview, here's one of three full concert videos from their YouTube channel that we have yet to feature on here! How I've been slacking on their YouTube channel in the past year, I don't know, but I'll get to all of their uncovered videos there soon, and we'll start with their set opening for Dick Texas at a Serious Business-promoted concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in November of last year. The 39 minutes-long set was actually filmed by Dafter solo musician Molly Escherich and her mom Tiffany, and in order, the guys played "Down By The Bay", "State Of The World","Teenage Guide", "Kill Thy Neighbour", "False Hope". "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Time To Commercialize!", "Reject", "Melted Plastic", "Hypocrite", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", ...

... "Tale Of An American Hero", "Fool", and "Heil Artificiality". While re-arranged in the order, every song from their set at Pickles in August 2024 is featured here, alongside "Tale Of An American Hero" & "Heil Artificiality" as new additions. Camera angles are all stationary here, but the Escherichs did move it a few times, particularly closer for the last two songs. Not a packed house but there's some loyal fans on the floor throughout. Maybe they're blocking the camera a bit, but The Sole Aggressors have a strong and in your face punk sound that comes through really well in this full set video with a slowly improving stage presence. Give it a look below, and go see The Sole Aggressors one last time in the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT!

Finally for today, here's a surprise album release, as Sault Ontario "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage released their 71st studio album onto their Bandcamp page last week! Entitled "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show", this is a thematic sequel to their prior "WYRD Radio" albums from 2015 & 2022, themed around the pretense of the songs being played on a fictional radio station. While the end of 2022's "WYRD Radio 2: Kype The Jesus Boots" hinted at their next "broadcast" being about alien abductions, this album has a fantasy epic theme not unlike last year's "Waerlogas Saga 1: Konfysion Of Fyck", though not sharing that storyline or multimedia comic book spinoff. As usual, "WYRD Radio 3" was recorded at The Cave completely improvised, and was mastered at their own River Front Recreation Studios, with singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarist/vocalist Dirk Becker, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio all back here. The album is well over 2 hours in length with 30 tracks.

While this may seem like a lot for a local hard rock album, remember that "WYRD Radio 2" had 40 tracks and would need three CDs if sold thusly. While Sykotyk Rampage have a presence on major streaming services, I believe the new album is currently a Bandcamp exclusive, though note that they officially list "September 1st" as the release date there. In any event, you can buy it on mp3 there for $15 or stream it for free. Without ongoing backlog of new album reviews on the SMS, "WYRD Radio 3" is currently pencilled in to lead off 2026 on the SMS, so look for that in January, and check out the album above! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB) & More St. Patrick's Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue this busy stretch of weekend concert previews on this Friday night! Due to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hitting the news desk earlier today, we will have to extend things into a third post, so our preview of tomorrow's HeadFirst concert will be in tomorrow's post, hopefully making it on the site sooner rather than later. Now, here's what you should know for more of tomorrow's live hard rock/punk concert action!

Local alternative punk cover sextet BookcluB will play their first announced public concert of 2025 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page earlier today, but it was quietly announced on Searchmont's website's events calendar earlier this month. TOMORROW'S show will be BookcluB's first announced gig since the Illuminate The Season fundraiser in November, so if you've missed this horn section-infused supergroup's unexpected array of covers over the winter, keep TOMORROW'S concert in mind if you're up for a drive to Searchmont! No word on if there will be St. Patrick's Day themes or frills TOMORROW, but Bookclub are effectively the night cap for Searchmont's end-of-March-Break party, which features various family entertainment, prizes if you wear plaid or denim, and a barbecue. 

To that end, The Kiln will actually be hosting two distinct concerts TOMORROW, with cover rock band The Boat Dads playing a matinee gig from 3:00-5:00 PM, but they're not "opening" for BookcluB, whose set doesn't begin until 8:00 PM. There isn't a stated age limit at Searchmont's on-site restaurant and concert venue, and there is no cover charge beyond what you might be paying to hit the slopes. With spring coming faster and faster, hopefully BookcluB have a strong set TOMORROW at Searchmont, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head across to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. for more concerts in an unusually busy weekend for hard rock bands, and we'll start at Three One Three On Ashmun, where three hard rock/punk will join forces TOMORROW NIGHT for The Shamrock Show! However, this event has seen a late lineup change from initial advertising on the bands' social media, as local hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished are not playing tomorrow due to being booked at the Manistique Kewadin Casino this weekend instead. We'll see Tarnished locally again soon, but they have since been replaced by Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots, who I don't recall ever playing in the Soo previously. How that came together over finding another local band, I have no clue, but The Sky Pilots are a talented band with a good handle on some heavier hits, and it'll be interesting to see how they go over at the former Back Door!

2023 LSSU battle of the bands-winning punk trio The Sole Aggressors (here's their teased setlist) and new local punk trio About:Blank (featuring two former Tarnished members) will round out tomorrow's stacked lineup, and you should get a nice selection of rock subgenres from the touring band and the locals! Beyond the posters, no word on what level of St. Patrick's Day theming will be on hand at Three One Three, but this is a 21+ event with a $10 cover charge, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sky Pilots live!

From one show featuring a band at next week's Musicians Unite benefit concert (About:Blank) to another, let's take a brief detour a half hour south west to Brimley, where local hard rock cover band Exit 808 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! After a month's break from public concerts, this will be Exit 808's first stop at "your perfect up north retreat" since debuting there four months ago, and it will notably mark the first time that Heavy Lies The Crown drummer Blaze Beairl has played a full four-set concert with the band as opposed to playing partial sets or guest spots. However, the band has clarified that Blaze will actually be playing rhythm guitar tomorrow, not bass. To fill that open position, Exit 808 have recruited Project 906 bassist Dustin Paras to handle the low end at The Back Bay Grill, as per their Facebook page, which should work well for their sound tomorrow night!

Of course, Exit 808's singers Amy Beach and Dillion Semasky will be filling in for 906's set at Musicians Unite, so it's nice of Dustin to return to the favour! The double vocalist-led hard rock cover attack commences at Bay Mills tomorrow at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. St. Patrick's Day wise, the Brimley casino will have a seasonal dinner special on Monday but I have seen no direct Irish links for the Exit 808 concert from the band nor grill. See above for more on Exit 808's concert tomorrow, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll head back to the Soo, where local hard rock cover quintet Dirty Musky will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Another band taking part in next week's Musicians United benefit, this will be Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie's first concert since rocking the Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest pub crawl last month, and their first concert in Sault Ste. Marie of the year, last playing at The Merch in December. Fans should take to Dirty Musky's hard rocking tunes and fun energy when they rock The Merch on Saturday, so keep this show in mind when planning your weekend! The West Spruce Street nightclub will be throwing a St. Patrick's Day party on Monday, but aside from branding in the band's poster for tomorrow, I have not found finite seasonal frills or activities taking place at The Merch tomorrow (that doesn't mean there won't be any, of course).

Everything goes down tomorrow at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Always good to see Dirty Musky rocking out on a local stage, so consider swinging by The Merch for all of the action! Visit the above links for more details, and here's everyone live earlier this year!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow, including the HeadFirst preview! Thanks everyone!

More Recent Kewadin Casino Concert Videos, Double Down Updates, And More!!

Today's post keeps us covering some big news and notes from the last little bit in the twin Saults, and that includes new videos, a big lineup change, and some more shorter updates. However, let's start with some more videos from high profile touring acts in our area, so here's what you should know!

Let's tackle some more recent major concert videos to start this post, and of course, this past weekend's other major headlining concert was the Tesla show at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on February 28th! Taking place just in time for Kewadin to reopen the Soo branch after the ransomware attack-prompted closure, I haven't found too many YouTube uploaders from this concert, but prolific Sault Ontario concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel filmed eight videos of the Sacramento hair metal quintet's headlining set, so what all did he film? Videos include Tesla playing "Rock Me To The Top", "Modern Day Cowboy", "Changes", "What You Give", "Love Song", and their covers of Ph. D's "Little Suzi" & The Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs", but embedded below are two songs back to back, namely "Forever More" and "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)".

Solid performances overall, and while some of Jeff's lower register singing sounds slightly off, they have a good sound on their classics! It is neat to see that Tesla still play songs from 2000s albums (like "Forever More"), rather than just leaning on songs from their commercial heyday, so fans who stuck with them well beyond will be rewarded. Chris had a strong close angle of the stage, if from a sharp vantage point, but it accentuates the sea of people in the center section well, and his camera's audio holds up, so check everything out for yourselves above & below!

Next up, Chris was also on hand for Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' solo concert at The Dreammakers Theater in December, but only posted videos from that event onto his YouTube channel on February 27th. This isn't a show that we covered because Aaron's solo output is 100% country music, but he does cover stripped down versions of a handful of Staind songs live, which I have noted when local videos have popped up before. Aaron played at the Soo Kewadin in 2014 and 2021 as well, not to mention Staind's own Kewadin dates in 2006 & 2009, so he has always been good to the E.U.P.! If you know anything about Aaron's country career, you'll know that his solo music is often patriotic and/or quite politically charged, so I'll hold comment on all of that, but click here to see what Chris filmed from his solo catalogue. In terms of Staind covers, he played "It's Been Awhile", "Here & Now", and as embedded below, "Outside".

Aaron and his backing guitarist (playing on his lap, Jeff Healy-style) pair well to give these Staind songs a more reserved, intimate atmosphere, and Chris' camera captures the audio nicely, though this does include a very clear take of the audience singing along with "It's Been Awhile" and "Outside" in particular, as well as Aaron's crowd banter, often during songs. Give his Kewadin videos a watch above and below!

Now let's head north to Sault Ontario for some big news from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, as they have enlisted Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre into their lineup, replacing Brad Stephen. The band announced his addition as "our new bass player" in this video from their concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Friday night. A reason for Brad's departure was not announced, but he hadn't been visibly pictured in the band's social media postings since January. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, especially given his long run in bands with Ric dating back well before Double Down's 2023 inception, and that we see Brad out there again soon! Dan will be familiar to readers from work in bands like Hollow, let alone his work with Griphook and 100 Gran (both alongside Double Down singer/guitarist Joel Syrette), and he's a good guy and very talented bassist, so he will be an asset with Joel, Beej, and Ric going forward!

With The Sidekicks playing at The Water Tower Pub last night, Double Down enlisted Mid Life Crysis/ex-Havadder bassist Lori Reinholtz to fill in at Jay's for night #2. From the Friday concert, Double Down's Facebook page has two brief clips with Dan on bass, including the one linked above of them covering A Flock Of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)" with drummer Ric Datson on lead vocals, but embedded below is 30 seconds of them covering Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" with Joel on vocals only and Dan's Sidekicks bandmate Steve Cardiff guesting on guitar. Very dark visually, but it's well done, and Steve nails the solo, so check out Double Down's new videos above & 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 or venue name:

 

• Local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore has been added as the final opener for the Selias-headlined concert at Soo Blaster on Saturday, as per quiet updates to the Facebook event page last week. Solid choice to ease into things while still providing Chase's requisite intensity! Note that the event page now says that tickets will be $15 in advance (identical to Selias' debut here last fall) or $20 at the door, but an Eventbrite page for advance tickets is not online that I can find, so if you want to save $5, get yours at Soo Blaster or through Heavy North Entertainment or the local openers.
• To promote both their Sault Ontario concert in January & their Shamrock Show set at Three One Three on Ashmun on Saturday, Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors shared the presumed setlists for those gigs in photos on their Facebook page. You don't see this often from local bands, so it's a neat window into what to expect! Regarding the teased setlist for this week (nice dog!), it features all thirteen original songs from their Brimley concert in August, plus newer cuts named "Burning Down", "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys", "Heil Artificiality", "Tale Of An American Hero", and "The Same Individiualist". See how everything sounds live this Saturday night at Three One Three!
• Back on Sault Ontario, the roof of the Tarentorus Sports Club's curling rink collapsed on Wednesday, as covered in this SooToday article. No injuries were reported, and while details on the building's future for events aren't clear yet, let alone the cause of the collapse, social media postings indicate that the club has plans in place. This is relevant to the SMS because the Avery Road venue hosted the Band Together To Rock Cancer fundraiser in September, so to hear of the building suffering severe damage like this less than six months later is really surprising. Hopefully the Tarentorus Sports Club can rebuild and/or move forward as best as they can!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles next! Thanks everyone!