Squatfest Concert Preview, Plus A New Live-Streamed Concert!!

Let's close up our first true hard rock concert weekend in the Soo in over four months by previewing a big outdoor house party event tomorrow night, with a live-streamed concert to round things out! Here's what you should know!

With the hard rock concert schedule in Sault Ontario easing back into operation this week, here's the first public multi-band event in the pandemic era, as lots of Blood Shed Productions-affiliated artists will congregate in nearby Heyden TOMORROW NIGHT for Squatfest! To be held outdoors at 5 Dixie Drive (near Christie's RV; look for Nessie), promoters have confirmed that this is a publically attendable event with paid admission, despite the Facebook event page being set to private. Similar in spirit to the Oh!No festival in Leeburn, attendees are welcome to camp at the Squatfest site, enjoy the outdoor amenities on the property, stay overnight, and even come by tonight for a planned bonfire jam and to help set the stage up. Promoted by Blood Shed owner Tyler Gibson and assorted collaborators, a huge lineup of familiar and somewhat newer acts are slated for tomorrow night at Squatfest, so who all can you expect? I will go in order of listed acts on the event page here.

Four solo acts are listed at the top of the event page's lineup, including ex-Brutally Fatal/Revolution frontman (and Blood Shed co-founder) Austin McCrae in a rare solo set, former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti, prolific folk/punk musician (The Ghost Of) Chase James Wigmore, and Tyler's drum-and-bass side project Alegendary. Chase will reunite with Strange Coyotes bandmate James Watterworth for that funk metal band's second reunion set tomorrow night, while Blood Shed-affiliated death metal one man bands Black Cloud and Tyler's own Crucify the Whore will also take the stage. Party/rap metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will make a rare live appearance at Squatfest, as will rappers Joonas "JSK" Kamula and Austin's rap alter ego Miracle Man. Lastly, the Strange Coyotes will split off into two more solo acts, including James' scarcely seen solo set, while Chase will deliver some extreme metal under his Awokest handle. More unadvertised performers are also planned, we'll let you know if we hear anything.

This presumably all ages event has a 12:00 PM start time, and while a $5 admission fee was previously advertised, it is no longer referenced on the event page. Band and Blood Shed merchandise will be on sale, food and drinks will be available (please don't bring glass bottles), and while Tyler is asking attendees to respect the area and stay clean and on the property, nothing directly references social distancing measures, but of course, please use common sense. This sounds like an ambitious but fun event, especially if you love the Blood Shed roster of artists, so consider a trip up to Heyden tomorrow for Squatfest! For a preview, here's Chase live!



Finally for today, let's get into local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's 34th live-streamed concert, which took place on Tuesday on his YouTube channel! I won't lump yesterday's live-stream in here as it was at a separate location (the Motley Market, host of his Thursday matinee gigs this month), but I am currently planning to hold that one for when we preview his show there next week. After blocking external embedding privileges of his last 7 live-streams, that quarantine has quietly been lifted, so this episode is embedded below! Again, I hope it wasn't because of anything I said or did. Yesterday's live-stream begins about 7 minutes in with a Spanish guitar instrumental, which seems rare to lead off these at-home shows with, but it's well performed as usual! The covers proper lead off with Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", Supertramp's "Breakfast In America", Amy Holland's "Shooting For The Moon",  ...

...Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle", and Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart", before Tym played an original song named "The Hardest Stone", which he originally did with his old Hollow bandmates. Tym next tackles Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver", before dipping into the instrumental well again with an adaptation of a classical piece, followed by a cover of The Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon", a partial version of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)". and two Days of the New songs ("Shelf In The Room" & "Touch, Peel, and Stand"). After playing a lengthy original instrumental, Tym finished with covers of Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven", and The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". Fun set with lots of classic and occasionally heavy cuts to check out from this talented local veteran!

There did seem to be more chatter between songs with the live viewers, but Tym offered good insights into certain songs and his compositions! However, fans who aren't as into instrumentals may not like their extra focus here, and the Bryan Adams and Jim Croce songs were repeated from last Thursday's live-stream. For the first time in almost a month, give this live-stream a watch below, and stay tuned for his Thursday show in an upcoming post!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Squatfest) & A New Solo Performance Video!!

Kicking off a new and hopefully a much busier (and more positive) month at the SMS, we have a new solo clip to check out, but first, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the Sault Ontario area, believe it or not, and much sooner than you think! Here's what you should know!

Over four months after the Sault Ontario concert calendar ground to a halt, Blood Shed Productions head Tyler Gibson is planning to host a outdoor concert festival called Squatfest on Saturday, August 8th (one week from today!) The Facebook event page is set to private, but Tyler confirmed there that the show is publically attendable and will have paid admission. To be held at 5 Dixie Drive in nearby Heyden (down the road from Christie's RV; look for the Loch Ness Monster statue), this seems to be formatted similarly to the Oh!No festivals, even down to encouraging attendees to stay the weekend and partake in outdoor activities in the vicinity. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet, and while this is outdoors, use common sense if you take the trip north next week. The stacked lineup includes a lot of acts shared between prior projects, many with ties to the Blood Shed label, so I'll be deviating from the Squatfest's advertised artist order here, and it is subject to change.

Tyler himself will perform as his grindcore solo project Crucify The Whore and as his drum & bass side project Alegendary, while his frequent collaborator Chase Wigmore will be performing as himself (presumably doing his folk/punk originals) and as his extreme metal project Awokest. As well, Chase will reunite with Blackwater alum James Watterworth for The Strange Coyotes' second reunion set, though I have yet to hear publically if the band proper is back beyond one-offs, let alone if they will be formatted similarly to their December acoustic gig. James will apparently also play a solo set, much like he frequently did in the early 2010s. Blood Shed co-founder Austin McCrea is scheduled twice for Squatfest, including a regular solo set (perhaps doing Brutally Fatal or Revolution material?) and as his scarcely seen rap alter ego Miracle Man. The remaining acts are not shared elsewhere, including ex-Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti, death metal project Black Cloud, ...

...party rap/metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, and rapper Joonas "JSK" Kamula, who has collaborated with Chase in the past. More yet-revealed acts are also advertised, we'll let you know if they are announced next week. Squatfest is an ALL AGES event with a recommended $5 donation upon entry, and merchandise from Blood Shed and performing acts will be on sale. Camping is welcomed, and while food & drinks will be on sale, Tyler is asking attendees to not bring glass. As well, Tyler is welcoming possible attendees to come to the site as early as Friday to hang out, jam at a planned bonfire, and help set up the stage. Given the climate with the pandemic, any ambitious multi-band concert like this would have to be outdoors due to indoor space limitations and what have you, and Squatfest seems like a workable alternative, if under somewhat limited notice! If you love Blood Shed Productions and Tyler, Chase, James, and Austin's back catalogues, this will be well worth a trip north to Heyden, so see above for more details!

Finally for today's post, here is a new solo performance video from ex-Brain Tuel guitarist Zach Reid's YouTube channel, as posted last month! An instrumental acoustic number, this folksier song is well done (if a little repetitive down the stretch), and it's nice seeing Zach still working on some new music during these crazy times. Give this video a look below!



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