LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Viscera), The Second Downtown Street Party Preview, And More!!

Here's a new news post on this Wednesday morning, which includes a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month and a clarification on what's airing on one of our two local rock radio stations, while this post also serves as a bit of a soft launch for the busiest weekend of the year around these parts via a preview of a big outdoor concert tomorrow night. Let's get things rolling!

Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera will play their next local gig on Saturday, August 22nd at Three One Three On Ashmun! Announced via their Instagram page on Monday as part of this concert calendar (also confirming a new return to Marquette on August 1st), the local date will see Viscera headline at the former Back Door, in what is being branded as from "Soo Tang Records". Is that Viscera's own in-house promotion agency, and is Soo Tang for the children? Viscera made their local debut at Three One Three in March, and for their encore there, they are looking for support bands, so if you're interested in hopping on this bill, message their Facebook page or above for more information! This concert takes place at 7:00 PM, it is presumably 21+, and while admission fees aren't given yet, the March show there (which featured Marquette metal band PonyWorm) cost $10 in advance & $15 at the door.

While we're on the subject, Viscera released their first ever music video to their new YouTube channel on June 6th! Their first studio original song since adding bassist Chris Lovins to their ranks, this is entitled "Chinga La Migra" (Spanish for "Fuck Immigration"), which sets the tone for a politically charged anti-ICE music video, though it's more of a lyric video, as you don't see Bob, Chris, or Mitchell on camera. In your face with strong opinions that will especially resonate with many Yoopers, and it leans into hardcore punk well, though the slower, more melodic choruses kinda stunt the momentum. Give it a watch/listen below, and stay tuned for more from Viscera and their Three One Three show next month soon!

Next up, here's our preview of TOMORROW'S second Downtown Street Party in Sault Ontario for 2026! As these move west along Queen Street East, Street Party #2 takes place on a closed block of Queen from Brock Street to Elgin Street (the former RBC to the courthouse), but as this stretch is adjacent to to the Downtown Plaza, there will be more going on during the festivities. Local vendors will be on site, along with beverage gardens, food for sale, kids activities and games (in a proper Kids Zone, no less), and numerous Queen Street businesses will be open en route. The Downtown Plaza will play host to Nicole Does Trivia at 7:00 PM, followed by a free screening of Jaws 1 at 9:30 PM, and of course, this all happens concurrently with day #1 of Rotaryfest at nearby Clergue Park. Visit You Belong SSM's Facebook page for complete details on the non-musical portions of the second Downtown Street Party!

Like with last month's inaugural party since the City took over booking these from the former Downtown Association, there will be bands on two "stages", one at Brock Street, but the other will be at the turnoff for March Street (near The Queen's Tarts) rather than Elgin. Not as a far of a walk that way! The Brock Street Stage will play host to this event's likely only SMS-amenable act, namely acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos, who claimed on their own social media to be playing at 8:15 PM. The apparent headliners there are classic rock trio Flathead Ford (who said that they'd be on at 9:30 PM), and You Belong SSM have curiously not said who the third/opening act will be, referring instead to "more hometown heroes" and "so much more". We'll let you know if anyone is clarified! As for the March Street Stage, local country musician Brendan Hodgson is headlining there at 9:30 PM.

Classic country band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio gave their start time as 7:00 PM, leaving Rusty McCarthy (now alongside his regular partner Maja Bannerman) to likely be playing in the 8:00 PM hour. Remember, this is not an official Rotaryfest event, but as there's no Stage 2 bill tomorrow, the shoe kinda fits, even if this isn't on the same block of Queen as the Second Stage used to be held on! Downtown Street Party #2 is FREE & ALL AGES with a 6:30 PM start time, and 9&10 News is calling for mostly-partly cloudy skies tomorrow with no chance of rain, and temperatures ranging from 17-21°. Should be a fun time for all, with a dash of punk to boot, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Finally, I wanted to follow up on a brief note from last month where I mentioned that 104.3 The Fox and their sister Rogers Radio rock stations in Kingston and Northern Ontario have stopped airing the Winnipeg-based Sunday Night Vinyl Series, let alone on-air theme weeks. Based on what I have heard listening to 104.3 FM in recent months, as well as listings on the station websites and lack of promotion therein, it looks like Rogers have quietly dropped three more scheduled programs from the air no later than January. These include the Classic Rock Lunch with Lew McDonald (weekdays at noon), This Week In Rock with Adam Kane (Saturdays at 11:00 AM & 6:00 PM), and The Church Of Rock with Cosmo Grant (Sundays at 9:00 AM). All of the above hosts (including Howard Mandshein of the Sunday Night Vinyl Series) remain as on-air talent with Rogers rock stations, and Lew is still our afternoon DJ.

This leaves just the two zoo crew shows (Brock & Dalby and Biggs & Barr), individual DJ blocks, and Classic Rock Sundays as the only regularly scheduled programs on 104.3 The Fox, though if you miss Howard, Adam, and Cosmo, you can still hear them on Seekr via 92.1 CITI in Winnipeg or CHEZ 106.1 in Ottawa. Losing these shows is clearly a Rogers call and not the Soo's fault, and I haven't seen a public statement as to why these shows all ended at around the same time, but variety of the spice of life, and I do hope that Rogers try again with new scheduled programming in the future! That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Downtown Street Party #2), A New Album Release, And Much More!!

Here's another packed news post to check out on this Tuesday night, which features a newly released album from some familiar faces, clarification on private events, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a community event next week, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will be the only SMS-amenable band playing at this year's second Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, July 16th!  This will come three weeks after the first Downtown Street Party of 2026, and with these monthly events progressively moving west, next week's will take place on a closed section of Queen from Brock Street to Elgin Street (basically from the former BMO building to the courthouse). Like last month's street party and the two to come, there will be vendors, family activities & games, beverage gardens, and deals and events at Queen Street businesses open along this stretch. As the Downtown Plaza is facing this block, there will be events there too, including live trivia and a screening of the first Jaws movie. Click here for full details on what to expect in a non-musical sense! Now, who all is performing next Thursday?

As was the case for street party #1, there will be two distinct music stages on/near Brock & Elgin respectively, but as of the most recent public promotion from You Belong SSM, they haven't firmly specified who is playing where. Five acts are confirmed, and Dos Amigos confirmed in this poster for their remaining summer dates (more on those in this weekend's concert previews) that they'll be playing at the Brock Street Stage at 8:15 PM. Classic country band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio confirmed on Spaces that they'd be on the "Spring Street Stage" (the same block, in any event) at 7:00 PM, while classic rock trio Flathead Ford will perform at 9:30 PM, stage unclear. Veteran local/Toronto blues musician Rusty McCarthy and country musician Brendan Hodgson will also perform during next week, and at least one more act is implied (note that the June street party had three acts on each stage).

What is unsaid here is that this street party coincides with the opening day of Rotaryfest, so downtown will be hopping, and as Stage 2 doesn't operate on Thursdays anymore, could you call the street party the de facto Second Stage for night #1? Not the right block of Queen from where Stage 2 used to be, but still! Next Thursday's festivities take place from 6:30-11:00 PM, and it is absolutely a FREE & ALL AGES event. Sounds like another fun time for the whole family, with a dash of punk from Dos Amigos, so visit the above links for more details on one part of a stacked Thursday in the Soo!

Next up, I wanted to acknowledge a recent private house party concert (and another to come) that got some attention on social media. With some exceptions, I don't tend to cover private concerts here (let alone give the address publically) out of deference and respect to the location, often someone's home. On occasion though, you'll see a show advertised that, while not containing a public address, is definitely marketed publically, which was the case this past Thursday when Underground Events SSM brought Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box back for a "Not A Canada Day Show", two weeks before they swing back through here opening for The Ripcordz at Beck's next Saturday. The garage concert also featured Duncan, B.C. alt-punk band Red Lenses (who aren't playing at the Ripcordz show) and locals A.S.D.P. and 5 Dollar Bribe. If you wanted the address, you had to "ask a punk"!

That general rule will apply to Underground Events SSM's next private gig on Friday, July 24th (I cannot 100% confirm if it will be at the exact same locale), but despite being private, it is actually a benefit gig. Entitled "SOOpfest", it will feature a special acoustic set from A.S.D.P. plus rap group Fvksxvad, unspecified guests, and a freestyle/open jam block. Alongside a backyard barbecue, admission is by donation, either cash for the Ken Brown Recovery Home and the $onny Vybe$ memorial or food for the Soup Kitchen. Despite the private trappings, these are three wonderful causes, so see above for more details, and I do hope last week's Danger Box show was a hit! "Ask a punk" for SOOpfest location details later this month!

Finally for today, here's a surprise new album release, as veteran local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage put out their 72nd studio album yesterday via their Bandcamp page! In their first release in almost a year, this is entitled "No Neutrals Allowed: Double Live In Japan At The Boobikhan", which is not the first time that they have released a faux live album purporting to be from a far flung locale. If released physically, this would indeed be a double album, and it's oriented as such, as the first half of the 39 track album is comprised of re-recordings from their lengthy back catalogue (presumably as if they were performed live) with nineteen new songs in the second half. "No Neutrals Allowed" is dedicated to original SKR bassist Dennis Becker (brother of Paul & Dirk), who lost his battle with cancer in September 2024, and as "Ned", he was represented in their "Waerlogas Sagas I" concept album from that same year.

Performer credits for "No Neutrals Allowed" weren't given in text, but ex-bassist Brian Cattapan (Paul's son-in-law) was Photoshopped into the cover artwork sitting behind Dirk on the Boobikhan stage, implying that he guested on at least one song here. If true, it's good to see him working with the masters of the crash again! This album is on sale on Bandcamp for $15 and can be streamed for free there as well, though with our massive backlog of new album releases still to review, this won't be up until early 2027. It is great to see the Beckers, Shane, and Tony back with another huge array of new music, so check everything out above, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Downtown Street Party & St. Ignace Car Show Weekend Concert Previews!!

Thanks in part to the St. Ignace Car Show and Canada Day being mid-week this year, the last weekend of June 2026 is very busy, so much so that I'll have to break up this weekend's hard rock concert previews into three posts! As such, our previews of this weekend's Peril, Stones & Crows, Tarnished, A.S.D.P., Bone Yard 225, and Generations shows will be in our next two news posts, with today's focusing on shows taking place tonight and tomorrow. Let's get things rolling with tonight's festivities in Sault Ontario!

The first downtown street party on Queen Street East for 2026 goes down TODAY, so what can you expect? While the City of Sault Ste. Marie has taken over development of these events from the former Downtown Association, things will be similar to past downtown street parties, with Queen Street being closed from Pim to Brock Street to enable vendors, bands, family activities, and beverage gardens to pop up for the occasion, with business in this block also opening, many with deals. Click here for full details on what to expect! Musically speaking, there is only one SMS-leaning band playing today, specifically newer local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow in just their third public concert, so if you want to check out this supergroup's take on the grunge/alternative icons, head downtown! They'll be playing on the "Brock Street Stage" and are listed as the middle band in social media promotion.

Also playing tomorrow are Half Scoundies (Josh & Todd from The Golden Scoundrels in an acoustic folk/country set, as last seen at Go Skate Day) and classic rock veterans The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the "Pim Street Stage" will feature sets from rocakabilly cover trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock staples Angry Joe & The Growlers, and Mustang Heart keyboardist/singer Vito Tassone, and they are spaced far enough apart where music won't be fighting to be heard at either end. The street party goes down tomorrow from 6:30-11:00 PM, this is absolutely an all ages event, and it has no cover charge. 9&10 News is calling for temperatures of 14-17° tomorrow night, and while there is a chance of rain through the 9:00 PM hour, the You Belong SSM Facebook page assures everyone that the party will go on rain or shine. I'd say be prepared for the elements regardless, but hopefully things stay dry!

Visit the above links for more on what should be a fun evening of entertainment, and for a preview, here's the first public video of Even Flow, courtesy of their Facebook page on Monday! The jam session clip sees them covering Pearl Jam's "Animal", as filmed by singer/Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers while singing. The tight camera angles mean that Rob has to pan around for the duration to capture everyone in view (including himself), but it's a well handled cover of this early Pearl Jam classic, and not an obvious song that gets modern radio over-play, so look for this(?) and more tonight!

Next up, let's take an hour's drive south to St. Ignace, Michigan for some of the concert action taking place this weekend in conjunction with the St. Ignace Car Show! As this is the 50th anniversary of this popular car show, there's lots of activities happening in town for the next few days, and The Driftwood Sports Bar is capitalizing again like they did for Bronco The Mac, with three days of live music at their 590 North State Street headquarters. Coinciding with TONIGHT'S cruise night, The Driftwood will welcome back Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird for a Thursday night encore almost three weeks later, and with lots of folks in Mackinac County for the car show alone, hopefully there is another sizeable crowd at The Driftwood for Jamie and Rikk's hard hitting slate of rock favourites! Like earlier this month, tonight's Fyrbird concert is at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live there!

Finally for today's preview post, we'll stay at The Driftwood Sports Bar, who are tripling up live music this weekend like they did for Bronco The Mac, and like then, this includes DJs on Saturday night. However, they will have another familiar hard rock band gracing their stage TOMORROW NIGHT, namely Sault Michigan cover quartet The Nameless! Leading out from tomorrow's annual Down Memory Lane Parade of classic cars, this is the first show on their most recent schedule posting on their Facebook page, and marks their first publically advertised show in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Hopefully their Driftwood debut proves to be a success for Josh, Mike M., Mike E., and Jamie, and that it sets the tone well for their private booking on Saturday night! Their next currently advertised public show is in the Soo late next month. The Nameless will also be up at 9:00 PM tomorrow with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more on The Driftwood's car show weekend slate, and here's The Nameless covering Chevelle live!

That's all for now, but barring a late notice announcement of some type, our next post will preview this weekend's Tarnished, Stones & Crows, Peril, and Bone Yard 225 concerts, so look for that next, with Generations and A.S.D.P. to follow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Even Flow), A New Local Band, And An Inactive Band Note!!

June is here and so is the summer for all intents and purposes, so let's kick off another month with a packed news post, including a major band moved to our inactive links, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big outdoor community event later this month, and first, a familiar new group that will be debuting on stage in a few weeks, so here's what you should know!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Riverside Stasis, the new alternative band that is debuting at the all-local Blaster Powerhouse concert on June 27th! We knew going in that this was the new band from former Handsome Sandwich singer Tea Emlaw and former HeadFirst guitarist Raine Rancourt, but as it turns out, 3/5ths of HeadFirst are back in this project, with guitarist Liam Dinsmore and drummer Anthony Boudreau also involved. Rounding out their lineup is ex-Jack Spades bassist Rob Speers, who played with Tea in the short-lived cover rock band The Barbarians last year. Riverside Stasis' new Facebook page describes them as an "indie/pop rock band", but given this lineup and the show they're debuting at, I'd be hard pressed to not cover them. Their first original song is named "The Fool", which you can sample in this performance video edited by A Dire Setback bassist Matt Quinn.

While the band has more HeadFirst DNA, post-pandemic Handsome Sandwich fans will be drawn to this via Tea's vocals, which remain as distinctive and cutting as they were on "Deconstructed" and "Collage". The song proper only gets to a harder rock sound on the chorus, but we only get the first 99 seconds of what is clearly a longer song. Given members' diverse musical backgrounds, there's a lot of potential sounds that Riverside Stasis could draw from, but it's good to see many familiar faces joining forces in this new band, so get more details above, and check out their first video below!

Next up, new Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers will pick up the microphone to join his other active local band (Pearl Jam tribute quintet Even Flow) when they play at this year's first Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, June 25th! Specifically, Rob and crew will be among the performers at the corner of Queen and Brock for one of two outdoor stages for this street party, the first since the City of Sault Ste. Marie took over management of downtown events & development from the former Downtown Association. Queen Street will be closed from Pim to Brock Street (i.e. The Rockstar Bar to the former RBC), with each street party (all on Thursdays) progressively moving their way west each month, though specifics and music lineups for the other three are to be announced. As best as I can tell, Even Flow (in just their third public concert since debuting last fall) are the only hard rock-leaning band playing on either the Brock Street or Pim Street stages on June 25th, but who else can you look for on this Thursday evening? 

I don't know if the You Belong SSM Facebook page has bands listed in performance order, but Even Flow are listed between "Half Scoundies" (frontman Josh Penno and fiddler Todd Webb of local bluegrass/folk band The Golden Scoundrels in a stripped down acoustic set) and veteran classic rock cover trio The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the other stage at Queen & Pim will play host to blues/rockabilly trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock mainstays Angry Joe & The Growlers, and former(?) Mustang Heart keyboardist Vito Tassone. The two stages should be far enough apart where music shouldn't bleed over between ends of the block party! Attendees can also expect beverage gardens, deals from Queen Street businesses open during the event, a vendor market, and family activities, including a rope walk course in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum. Click here for full details!

Downtown Street Party #1 goes down on Thursday the 25th from 6:30-11:00 PM (if Even Flow are indeed second, I'd expect them to be playing in the 8:00 range), this is absolutely an ALL AGES and licensed event, and there is no cover charge. Despite the contentious end of the Downtown Association last year, it is good to see the City picking up the ball to keep bringing community events to the downtown core like this, and hopefully Even Flow's brand of grunge and alt-rock classics from the Pearl Jam catalogue add to the festivities later this month! See above for more details!

Finally, I have reluctantly opted to move local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT to our inactive band links. While not at our one year inactivity threshold, activity in their camp abruptly stopped on December 18th after what I would characterize as "sudden personal differences" arose on social media. Things got fairly divisive, and it's out of my depth to wade in on this discourse on a music site, so I'll let you find out what exactly happened five months ago if you want. The band has not made any official public statements or online updates since then, but none of their 2025 band members directly list Spades in their Instagram bios now, and they dropped out of all scheduled bookings into 2026, including the annual Walterstock in Toronto in January. Barring a revival, this ends a successful 12 year run for the former Jack Spades, who relaunched in the GTA in late 2021 after frontman J.D. Pearce and guitarist Daniel Horton both moved out of town during the pandemic.

While J.D. hasn't signalled work with a new public band as of yet, Dan is still in The Fast Life and is also now playing in a classic rock cover band named Tonehenge, guitarist Matthew Voros and bassist Sean MacNab are still performing together in the Toronto psychobilly band The House Of Haunt, and drummer Tyler Reiner is working as a session drummer and podcaster. Spades accomplished a lot in their four years down south, including two album releases, some wide tour runs and high profile gigs in the GTA and beyond, and lots of fun video content, plus two return trips for local concerts in 2022 and 2023. Best of luck to all prior (Jack) Spades members in the future, and hopefully we see the band again in some form!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Soundcheck!!)

A pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS fell into my lap this morning, so here's a rushed post to get those accounted for, along with a bunch of upcoming concerts from a familiar returning presence!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced these shows via the AI poster on their Facebook page overnight, and the band has not corroborated any bookings on their own Facebook page since their Esquire Club shows four weeks ago. Fans were last able to "get wobbly" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar this past Friday, at a show where Beck's filmed them covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" (with Travis singing) for a Facebook "Story" video, hence why I can't link to/embed it here. Jay's fans last saw Soundcheck late last month, and it should be another welcoming audience for their hard driving slate of covers! The marketing on Jay's end only credits Soundcheck, so this does not appear to be an "epic crossover" weekend with Separate Wayz.

Along with the requisite "good times, cold drinks, (and) great people!", these are 9:30 PM concerts with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges, and as usual at the Korah Road nightclub, the kitchen will be open late. Visit the above links for more on Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's late notice return to Jay's TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are back from their recent break, and they have announced a huge slate of concerts for the summer! "The Dirty Three" had been publically idle since their acoustic St. Patrick's Day show at Smitty's, and hadn't played a plugged-in show since February, due in part to personal concerns (R.I.P. Ally), but their website's calendar has loads of new dates in store for June-August, so when can you see the guys next? Bone Yard will return to action next week on Friday, June 5th at The Water Tower Pub, and they will bookend their summer slate at the same venue on Saturday, August 29th! As usual for this central venue, these are "uncorked" (re: acoustic) shows, and both are 19+ events at 8:00 PM with no cover. In their first proper plugged-in electric concert together in four months, Greg, Alex, and Warren will rock Beck's Bar for one night only on Friday, June 12th!

They'll also make their way to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for Saturday nighters on June 27th and August 1st, and "uncorked" matinees play into both of the weekends with Bone Yard shows on Saturdays, but in different ways. On the 27th, they'll actually play the acoustic matinee timeslot before the full band show that same night, with the marathon double-booking coinciding with the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot event, as Beck's hosts the barbecue at the end of the motorcycle rally. Click here for more details on the Shoot & Scoot proper, but it is neat that this rally finally crosses our radar! The August 1st show (which falls on the Civic Holiday long weekend) will be complimented by an "uncorked" Sunday matinee on August 2nd, so that'll be good timing for your local 225! The two acoustic shows are at 3:00 PM, the nightcaps are at 9:00 PM, and expect 19+ age limits and no cover.

On Friday, June 19th & Saturday, June 20th, Bone Yard 225 will return as the annual house band for the Queen Street Cruise! The band's own schedule lists the venue as The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (homebase for the cruise once again), but the official schedule says that they will be playing "on the boardwalk" both days. As best as I can recall from past coverage, the Friday evening show at 6:30 PM is indeed under the tent during the cruise proper, but they set up shop on the proper boardwalk near Montana's for a 12:30 PM outdoor matinee concert on the Saturday during the car show. If we hear clarification, we'll let you know, but click here for full details on how to participate in the cruise! Admission is free for general attendees, and it is an all ages event. July 2026 appears to be devoted to out-of-town and private events, including gigs in Chapleau and Kirkland Lake and a stag & doe, but we'll let you know if the listed Bruce Mines date on July 4th ends up being a public event.

The last new public and local date for Bone Yard (so far) will see them return to Algoma Tree Services' annual charity barbecue & community meet and greet on Saturday, August 8th! This will be the third straight year that your local 225 have headlined this event (no word on if Angry Joe & The Growlers are opening again), and will presumably see them rock out at the Goulais River-based business' outdoor festivities at 7:00 PM (no announced cover, all ages). Time will tell if we hear of Bone Yard at other local venues or festivals this summer, but it's great to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back in the saddle, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

A very busy concert weekend is upon us to cap off May and help truly usher in the summer concert season! We'll have to break things up into three posts due to the amount, so this post will focus on artists playing tonight or tomorrow in some fashion. Headrush's weekend gigs and three late notice Saturday nighters will be next, and three more Saturday night gigs will cap things off in a third post, so stay tuned for all of that in the next couple of days. Here's what you should know to lead things off!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to Reggie's Place for headlining concerts of their own TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but they have also confirmed brand new dates through early July on their website's concert calendar! Their next show after this weekend will be an "uncorked" date at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, June 7th, so if you like "the dirty three" in an acoustic setting, you won't want to miss that centrally-located event! Their next plugged in nightclub shows will be returns to Reggie's for full weekends on June 13th-14th and 27th-28th, meaning that they'll have played at Reggie's for seven out of thirteen weekends, so keep these familiar upcoming dates in mind! In between those bookings, your local 225 will return as musical entertainment at the Queen Street Cruise for an eighth straight year on June 20th & 21st! As they have since 2023, their Cruise sets will be at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion.

Specifics for attendees are incoming for the Cruise, but click here for what is currently out and how to register & take part in the Show-N-Shine car show and the traditional cruise down Queen Street East. The last new dates at press time will see Bone Yard 225 rock Beck's Bar for two nights on July 5th-6th! This won't technically be their debut there though, as the then-country cover quartet headlined at the former Vibe Lounge in June 2010, so it's good to see Greg and company back after fifteen years! As Beck's hosts DJ nights on Fridays, this is a slightly unusual double-header, as the Saturday, July 5th gig will be standard electric fare, whereas the Sunday, July 6th date will be an unplugged "uncorked" matinee, which would add a third local venue to their acoustic options if they return in that format. Unusual to see a split sound double header at the same venue like this, but hopefully Beck's takes to both sides of Bone Yard next month!

All of the above dates are 19+ except the all ages Queen Street Cruise, and none have an announced cover charge, though the Cruise will obviously cost if you're registering a vehicle. Start times are 9:30 PM at Reggie's, 8:00 PM at The Water Tower Pub, 6:30 PM & 12:30 PM for each respective day at the Cruise, and 9:00 PM and 3:00 PM for both days at Beck's. Good to confirm new dates for Greg, Alex, and Warren's busy summer slate, but of course, their southern fried rock covers and originals are firmly planted at Reggie's tomorrow and Saturday night, so go see them there first! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Next up, let us head to The Dive Gastro Pub, where former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie is advertised to return for another "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Fresh off of his matinee debut at Beck's Bar this past weekend, this will be Curt's first stop at the former Low & Slow's "naughty corner" since early April. Curtis' hard rocking and alternative cover slate should get another solid reception from downtown fans tonight, so consider swinging by The Dive to start your weekend off right! As usual for musicians at The Dive, tonight's concert has a 9:30 PM start time, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

Finally for this post, readers in the Eastern Upper Peninsula can enjoy some hard hitting live music TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril, who will headline at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino all weekend! Scarkazm dates aside, these will be Peril's first stops in our area since headlining there in mid-March, and it's always good to see Jeff, Howard, and Brooks rocking a local stage again, so hopefully lots of Yoopers turn out for all of the old school hard rock covers from this veteran touring act this weekend! As usual for Peril's stops at local Kewadin branches, this weekend's shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges, and if you miss out this weekend, Peril will be capping off June at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin as well. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

That's all for now, but our next post (hitting the site by tomorrow morning) will preview this weekend's Headrush, Double Down, Project 906, and Nameless concerts, so look for that soon! Thanks everyone!

Tidal Records' "Junk In The Trunk" Compilation CD Review!!

It's now time for our 190th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with nothing brand new on sale this month from heavier or punk acts from the area, let's take a dip into the archives for an album that I've surprisingly never talked about in great detail here. In honour of this month's Room 206 reunion concert at Soo Blaster, this review is of "Junk In The Trunk", a December 2003 compilation album put out by the original punk-centric version of Tidal Records, the indie label led by Inner City Surfers frontman/Bookclub bassist Dustin Jones. The first CD release from Tidal, this was produced and engineered by Dustin and his long-time bandmate Dave "soanso" Bahun, with mixing by Eric Harry and mastering done at Umbrella Sound Studios in Toronto. This punk-leaning compilation features songs from five bands featuring local talent (one being Room 206), each contributing 1-3 songs apiece, as well as a title track featuring multiple musicians and a bonus track.

Unfortunately, the liner notes for the CD do not list complete performer credits on each song, just who wrote them, but Dave and fellow Surfers mainstay Mikey Hawdon (on drums) are credited for "guest appearances on various tracks". I won't assume who is/isn't on given songs unless I'm very certain, but expect commonalities from local punk musicians of the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Junk In The Trunk" has been out of print for over 20 years, but the CD cost $15 at the time. A YouTube copy has been online for three years, but it has bare bones information, two songs mistakenly cut off, and no bonus track, so I have re-posted the whole thing on the SMS' YouTube channel, and songs below are linked to the copies in that upload. No copyright infringement is intended whatsoever, all credit goes to the original musicians! With eleven songs running for about 36 minutes, let's take a long overdue look at the junk in Tidal Records 1.0's trunk! 

Apologies in advance for any errors on band particulars, I wasn't following local bands yet in 2003. This album is opened by Brad Example & The Role Models, the band led by Surfers bassist Brad "Example" Lacell, which was sporadically active from at least 2003-2014 before his move out of town. Mel Radke and Brad's Love & Rehab bandmate Alexis Mantello are credited for providing backing vocals on their lone offering on this CD, namely "365", which was once re-recorded for MySpace in 2006. If you're familiar with the grittier, bluesier songs on Surfers albums with Brad singing, you'll be right at home on this song, which has a country ambiance to the guitar work while still having a punk edge, plus well suited lyrics. The backing vocals do somewhat clutter the sound when implemented, but it's a tight number that fans of Brad's solo material will get a kick out of, and it's nice to hear a Role Models studio track again!

Brad returns next for the first of three offerings by his Toronto punk band Love & Rehab, who (at the time) also featured singer/guitarist Mike Theriault and drummer Alexis Mantello, all originally from the Soo. Modern readers may recall Love & Rehab for their reunion set at The Inner City Surfers' own reunion concert at LopLops in August 2019, and from a PositiveSoo article at the time. Mike & Alexis wrote their contributions to "Junk In The Trunk", with the first being "Moonshiner", which is a somewhat laid back power pop number with a catchy guitar riff. I'd have really boosted Mike's vocals in the mix, as his vocals are not very prominent beneath the instruments, but this is a fun track for what it is, and the talent is definitely on display to write a song that sticks in your head with strong melodies! If only Mike's singing was louder. Third up on the CD is Dustin Jones' Toronto-based punk band Sideblinder, who had a more prominent run in the GTA from 2008-2013 that did receive some light attention in SMS posts.

While Sideblinder featured Salads alumni in their lineup during that later run, I don't 100% know who joined Dustin in this band as of 2003. Their first of two songs here is "Banished", and there will be obvious Inner City Surfers comparisons here with Dustin at the mic, but this is more of a direct punk number without their folksy influences, so if you like the punk sides of the Surfers, don't bypass this one. Again, guitar melodies shine here, and it's a well written number that calls to mind Dustin's prolific local band work while standing on its own, and the percussion is solid while it lasts too! Fourth up are The Varsity Street Kids, a rock band led by former Bombed Squad/Big Kahunas guitarist Pat Suriano, who is the only credited writer for their two offerings on this album, and also designed the album artwork. No other 100% confirmed band member credits are given, but Dustin is definitely helping on backing vocals, at the very least.

Their first song here is also the longest on "Junk In The Trunk", namely the 6+ minutes-long "On The Cusp". Tidal compared Pat's music here to that of Dinosaur Jr. at the time, and you do get some of that on this laid back, deliberately paced alt-rock with some of the easiest lyrics yet to actually pay attention to. Pat's downbeat but pointed lead vocals suit the song's pacing, and while not at the pace and energy of earlier punk-leaning songs, but the chorus is really overdone, and I don't think this song really needed to be as long as it is, as it does get repetitive. Nice change of pace though, and it's have been interesting to hear this band more had they lived into The Sault Metal Scene's inception! We hit the halfway point next with the return of Love & Rehab, whose second song here is named "Change". A rollicking and way more punk-inspired number than "Moonshiner" was, this again suffers in the mix, but not just vocally, as the instrumentation is really muddled.

It's not a bad song at all though, and for my musical tastes, it's more of an intense, in-your-face track from Love & Rehab with effective guitar moments and strong drumming! I just wish the parts came together more individually and that it was easier to really pick out Mike's vocals, which haven't been problems with the other bands on offer. The last of the five unique bands here is next, namely local punk staples Room 206, whose only song here ("Last Stance") was their first new song release in about eight years, but I don't believe this particular reunion lasted very long. Singer/guitarist Mike Yorke and bassist Brad Lacell are your credited writers here, while guitarist Dave Bahun and drummer Allan Watson likely rounded things out in terms of their lineup. By far the most intense punk song on offer, fans of skate punk will be right at home with Mike's melodic yet edged vocals, chugging bass, and quick paced verses, so Room 206 fans will have no worries!

Dave gets the best chance to shine yet on "Last Stance" via one of his trademark guitar solos, something that punk needs more of in general. Definitely a highlight for me on "Junk In The Trunk", and yes, we will have video footage from their reunion concert earlier this month in an upcoming news post! The next three songs are all from returnees from the album's first half, starting with Sideblinder's second song "Split End", which is a much more reserved track than "Banished" that does call to mind softer Surfers and Rising Tide songs, but with more of an alternative rock bent, almost like it was written with rock radio in mind. The louder and fuller chorus does feel more distinct from his bigger bands in particular, and the drumming is really good throughout! A solid change of pace if you wanted to hear a Dustin-fronted band with less of an emphasis on folk or punk, so don't bypass it on this stacked compilation disc!

The Varsity Street Kids' second song is next, namely "Deep Breaths", and this is a much faster and shorter song than "On The Cusp", but still harbours Pat's somewhat maudlin and low singing. There is definitely more of a punk influence here (I was kinda reminded of Husker Du a bit), and the song definitely feels more at home with its discmates than the previous, complete with a brief guitar solo, but the vocals will be an acquired taste compared to the music. Good stuff though! The last song on this CD from a credited band is Love & Rehab's third and final song, namely "The Ruiner", which takes a lot more cues from Brad's solo music than their first two, with a country-inspired guitar riff and pacing. While not ideal for my musical preferences, this song has by far Mike's clearest vocals, so that counts for a lot! At the same time, his higher vocal range is not a clean fit on a classic country/blues number.

"The Ruiner" is just aching for Brad's gravelly delivery, and I wouldn't be against hearing him do a solo version of it nowadays. Not a bad song for genre fans, but aside from the better vocal mix, it's not really for me. The last credited song is the album's title track "Junk In The Trunk", which was recorded by a supergroup of then-Tidal Records artists who appear elsewhere on this CD. The three credited writers are Dustin Jones, Mike Theriault, and Al Watson, but the credited performers are simply given as "Many". Gauging this against the nine full-band songs is pointless because this is an extremely loose and carefree acoustic jam with performers simultaneously singing on this casual acoustic jam. This would play well as a night-ending song to have a beer or two with, and you really have to take it for what it is, so it's fun in that way! Lots of cross-talk and background discussion too, but the song does probably run a minute or two too long, as it kind of loses its way late.

Still, this is a pleasant closer that fans and friends of the original Tidal Records and Surfers-adjacent bands will definitely enjoy at base level! A 63 seconds-long bonus track rounds out the CD and is not advertised on the physical copies. It has an answering machine message of what sounds like a sped up song played by an ice cream truck while someone interjects with brief dialogue, saying what sounds like "You won't" a few times, and ending with "That's right". I really don't know what to make of this, and I assume I'm missing some type of inside joke from 2003, but look for the bonus track at the end of the disc!

So, what are my final thoughts on "Junk In The Trunk"? I liked it for the most part, and it captures a window in time into what The Inner City Surfers were up to in other bands and projects during their early run! The original Tidal Records didn't last very long (they first fell inactive in 2005 before Dustin relaunched the label with a less punk-centric focus in 2013), but they had a strong core talent roster at the time, with all five included bands offering up entertaining original music for this compilation. Room 206's skate punk song was my favourite, while Sideblinder will definitely be a fun listen for fans of Dustin's bands, Brad & The Role Models kept things familiar for fans of Brad's modern Atikokan-era solo music, Love & Rehab showed good diversity on their three cuts, and The Varsity Street Kids put Pat's unique vocals to good use on two very different songs, so there's a lot to like from these five bands!

The title track is a fun little farewell/summative number for fans of this era/rotation of bands too, but don't rate it 100% against the preceding cuts. In terms of issues... the vocal mix on Love & Rehab's first two songs was far from ideal, "On The Cusp" was way too long, I really didn't get the bonus track at all, and I'd have tried to have more of an even split of bands on the final copy (as in, have everyone perform two songs, or give one of Love & Rehab's slots to Room 206 or The Role Models). At the same time, a Surfers song may have helped the retrospective awareness of "Junk In The Trunk", but the focus was put on newer and reunited bands, and it was a good idea (even if the liner notes don't have full credits). This now-rare compilation is a strong album of cuts from the early days of Tidal Records, so definitely give it a listen at the above links, and I hope you liked this month's CD review!

Next month, we will we will return back to 2025 for a brand new album review, as we'll next look at HeadFirst's second album "Road Trippin'", which comes out at its release party on May 3rd! Look for that next month, and for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From February 2025!!

For today's SMS post, let's return to the world of St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to since we last left off with them in early February? Back on February 6th, the guys posted a "Reel" on their Facebook page of them playing at last August's second annual 2nd Street Music Festival in their hometown (the January "Reel" alluded to in our last H.L.T.C. post was not from that event, my apologies). Short, vertical, unembeddable, and dark, but it captures some ferocious energy while it lasts, and Brandon's vocals really come across as American Head Charge-y here! Later that day, the guys announced another new downstate gig, which would take them to Battle Creek (5 hours due south of the Soo) on March 22nd, where they and three other bands opened for Wisconsin groove metal band Squidhammer at Feed Them, a Michigan Metal Fest-promoted "heavy metal food drive" at The Music Factory there.

Attendees got discounts for bringing in non-perishable food items for the cause, which is great to see! The following day, Heavy (as Brandon often calls them in announcement videos) announced that they'd be returning to The Delft Theater in Escanaba on April 19th for "The Invasion Of 420" (well, the show will end on the 20th!) Eight bands are scheduled to take the stage for this one, including Hannahville metal band Ghidora, who played at the 2nd Street Festival last year. Keep an eye out for coverage of public fallout from these two shows soon! On February 8th, H.L.T.C. asked fans if they'd be interested in buying a "Rat King"-themed t-shirt, a'la their song of the game name, while two days later, they teased that they were working on a new single in studio. Over the next two days, they shared four new videos from their set at at Fight Breast Cancer With Music in Escanaba back in October, so what can you see from The Delft Theater therein?

One is another "Reel" featuring more distant raw footage of Heavy Lies The Crown's set (Kaycee is completely obscured at this angle), and while solidly brutal, it is a short clip, let alone a horizontal video forcibly pillarboxed into vertical dimensions. Another "Reel" has photos from the gig, but the audio is the studio version of "Time Diffuser". The other two are actual embeddable videos, including this still-vertical clip of the guys improvising a section of music that night, with Blaze's drumming arguably being the star of the show there. Embedded below is the only horizontal clip of the four, and here, the camera is nicely zoomed in to capture the band rocking out, hopefully not burning anything to the ground despite the lyrics! While none of these are that long, it's good to see some more videos from the Escanaba show last fall (even if they all showed up six months later), so check these out above & below!

On February 10th, H.L.T.C. revealed that they now have official band logo stickers (clear and gold ones), and while not as big as they were hoping, to message them if you wanted any. Four days later, they also asked fans on Facebook what merchandise ideas in general that they had, and on February 20th, they again floated the possibility of expanding this year's 2nd Street Music Festival in St. Ignace to two days (one for local bands, one for metal bands that aren't necessarily local), and to offer suggestions for both categories. Also that day, they noted they were "working on some stuff" in this "Reel" featuring the monitor of a tracking computer, which would line up with their February 10th post hinting that they were working on a new single. Finally, here's a new video from singer Brandon West on February 22nd, where he lamented that musicians are treated like pirates nowadays.

Basically, bands are expected to do anything big now, but it costs money to tour and record and all that, while promoters are criticized for who they do/don't bring in when that costs too. It's not directly about Heavy Lies The Crown, but you get the sense that Brandon is talking from experience about his frustrations with expectations from certain fans and observers. No solutions are offered, beyond perhaps becoming a pirate, but you don't see a lot of local musicians vent like this, and it could be a good talking point, if not a reminder that this all isn't as easy at it seems. Check it out below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!