Defunct Local Band Profile: Stone Smyth

After a slight delay to cover an interview with the artist in question that I really should have noticed last year, let's get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up before we focus on weekend concert previews! This monthly feature again looks at a defunct or inactive local band (as randomly selected from our band links) in order to spotlight them and their content for current readers, and this month's selection is bittersweet timing given that their founder and only permanent member passed away just two months ago. Here's what you should know on them! 

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Stone Smyth (previously known as StrykerGC and StonesmithGC)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Hard/Classic Rock

Lineup:

Troy Isaac (Angel Dust), all instruments

Audio/Video: A studio only project that had aspirations of playing live concerts and going on tour, Stone Smyth posted over three dozen original songs to major streaming services (one being a re-recording of Troy's "Local Steel" song "Cold Rain"), and while a formal album was never put on sale featuring their material, there's lots to hear, especially on their Reverbnation page and their YouTube channel. Songs on YouTube are generally accompanied by stock footage videos loosely themed around their lyrics (and often featuring attractive women), though later videos did feature some newly shot video. Note that the channel's later focus was shared by Troy's outdoor webseries Maverick Fish Hunter, reflecting his love of fishing and boating in particular. Here's one of their better late-era tracks, "My Blue Jeans"!

Info/Analysis: The final active music project from veteran local rock guitarist Troy Isaac (who passed away from cancer in September at the age of 63), Stone Smyth publically debuted in 2014 and began regularly posting new music to various platforms into the early 2020s. Originally known as StrykerGC, the project was named for his home studio & planned guitar company (hence the "GC"), with the Stone Smyth name inspired by blacksmithing, but with altered spelling and a space to distinguish them from Aerosmith. Aiming for uplifting and relatable lyrical content in their songs, Stone Smyth had planned to evolve into a live band with additional members, a full stage setup, and tour plans, but the pandemic curtailed their 2020 work, and despite teasing a future tour and live setlist as recently as the fall of last year, Troy's death came before things could fall into place as hoped, let alone before they could release an proper album.

Troy was a talented guitarist who made the most of his years of experience from B.C. to Germany with a good ear for catchy classic rock-inspired songwriting, and if you like the style of local musicians like Tym Morrison and SweetKenny, you'll be right at home with Stone Smyth's range of material! Not the rangiest singer, but he made the most of what he had vocally, and songs like "Psychonaut" and "Southern Steel" showed his wide range of influences. Stone Smyth even had tentative setlists for live shows planned out, so it's a shame that things didn't work out as hoped, but check out their music and Troy's Borderline radio interview to learn more! R.I.P. Troy!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around December 10th for its final installment of the year, but as the first band that I randomly selected has minimal information to utilize to fill out a post, I've added a randomly chosen band in a similar state to round things out. With that in mind, we'll be looking at 2019 Volbeat tribute band The Guitar Gangsters and 2024 hardcore punk solo project Choking On Appendages! Look for these next month and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Troy Isaac (1962-2025)

I'd like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Stone Smyth frontman and veteran local hard rock guitarist Troy Isaac, who passed away at Sault Area Hospital on Saturday at the age of 63. Troy is survived by his parents Darlene Nichols and Barry Isaac and his pet Buddy. The obituary notes that he was deeply private, but loved music, the outdoors, independence, and travelling for work and his own thrill of adventure. There will be no public services, but in lieu of flowers, family would appreciate donations to the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society or the Canadian Cancer Society, and arrangements were entrusted to the Northwood Funeral Home. Long-time SMS readers will know Troy from his off-and-on solo project Stone Smyth (f.k.a. StrykerGC and StonesmithGC), who had launched in 2014 but ramped up their activity at points in the early 2020s with original songs & teasers of plans to tour with a full band.

Previously, Troy was the only credited solo performer on 1998's "Local Steel" compilation album via his own original song "A Long Cold Rain Comin' Down", and he performed in multiple bands while not living in the Soo, including in the British Columbia-based Angel Dust. I admittedly slacked too much in covering Stone Smyth on the SMS, bur Troy had posted new music as recently as June (even teasing hopes to tour this summer), and he has 45 songs on most major streaming services, though as of his death, he had not compiled a full album for sale. You can see multiple videos for Stone Smyth songs on their YouTube channel, largely featuring stock and CGI footage, though most recent videos reflected Troy's company Maverick Fish Hunter, where he took part in fishing, boating, and cooking uploads, and there are even television appearances there. While our political opinions differed, Troy was a good and passionate guy, and it's a shame to lose him so suddenly.

Even recently, Troy had big plans musically for Stone Smyth, and he showed a solid multi-instrumental talent range and a good songwriters' ear on their dozens of original songs. There is something ironic in how his last released song is named "Dead And Gone", and how it was written in honour of the passing of his friend Ker. I plan to talk more about Troy and Stone Smyth on the SMS soon (he was interviewed on The Borderline last year!), but give his music a spin, and if you like fellow veteran solo hard rock musicians like Tym Morrison and SweetKenny, Stone Smyth won't be far off in style. R.I.P. Troy!

New Videos From The E.U.P., A Concert Preview, And More!!

Back to the news backlog clearout on this Tuesday evening, including new updates from the E.U.P., a revived solo project, and leading off, a preview for an expected mid-week concert, so here's what you should know!

As recently usual, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison should return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post for another Wednesday evening concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but while we're on the subject, let's add his expected August dates there to our calendar! Unless otherwise stated (like for inclement weather), Tym should be back at the Great Northern Road outdoor stage on Wednesday, August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st, so fans of his deep setlist of hard and classic rock covers should be amped up for these mid-week events next month, and before then, tomorrow! Remember, the Mike Case Stage is only open seasonally, closing for 2022 in September. Tomorrow's and next month's shows have no age limit, no cover charge, and 7:00 PM start times, but be advised that Tym has not visibly plugged tomorrow's concert on social media, so we'll let you know if it is 100% off or if things are a go as usual.

Weather-wise, if he is back there tomorrow, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy, 17° weather with the rain likely ending before showtime. Again, we'll let you know if Tym's off tomorrow or if the show just didn't get an event page, but see above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, let's head to Michigan for some more backlogged updates from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown's Facebook page! Beyond the YouTube video covered the other day, Heavy Lies The Crown uploaded three TikTok style "Reels" videos that are ultra short & repetitive by design after the Nonpoint concert in New Baltimore two weeks ago, but they did post one proper 30 second live video from that event of the guys in action, unfortunately shot vertically. The attendee still had a good angle of the band (minus bassist Christian Thanasiu) as well as fans trying to get a mosh pit going on the floor, and the video and audio quality holds up where the aspect ratio may not! Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown in due course!

Also, here's a new video of local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 from their show at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel this past weekend! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday (with more videos from the show allegedly forthcoming), this features the guys covering Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box". Strong performance of a great song, if a little soft vocally on the choruses, but the visual quality isn't ideal thanks to the overexposed blue stage lighting. Still good stuff all around, so check it out for yourself below, and 906 will be back in Hessel next month!

Finally for today, let's head back to Sault Ontario, as local hard rock solo project Stonesmith GC (f.k.a. StrykerGC) relaunched in May! I almost went with them for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile before noticing, FYI. Led by veteran local guitarist Troy Isaac, Stonesmith GC has been absent from Facebook updates for a year+, but as you can see by the links in their YouTube video descriptions, he sure has a current presence online! Two original songs under the slightly altered name Stone Smyth can be heard on his/their Bandcamp page, entitled "Uncle Ted For President" (a musical homage to Ted Nugent) and "Who's Next MF", while their YouTube channel features 30-60 second samples of those and six other songs, all set to thematically related stock footage. The full songs can be heard on Spotify and/or Apple Music, though no word on if Troy is planning an album or not.

Note that Stone Smyth's Bandcamp description says "Please look me up for up coming performances" and "I have a full 15 song original show coming to a town near you", though I have not seen any references to live dates on his pages at press time (also note that pages tend to list the project as being from Toronto nowadays). Good to see Troy back at it with his original music, and his guitar and programming talents are on solid display with these songs, but the vocal processing may not be for everyone. It'll be interesting to see what else comes of the new Stone Smyth, but give their new songs a listen, and here's the preview video for "Cold Rain"!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stinkbox), New Video Postings, And Much More!!

As we'll be focusing our next posts around weekend concert previews (and this month's newest poll), let's get one more news post up on this Tuesday night, but if you're wondering about some recent show announcements (including one on Sunday featuring a major returning local band), don't worry, we will touch on them in short order! Now, we have some new videos and assorted updates, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

A unique concert will go down at The Gore Street Cafe on Friday, July 10th that will be headlined by Toronto folk/punk trio Stinkbox! A creative hybrid band that plays solid punk originals in a folk/roots style (complete with a tin canjolele and double bass), Stinkbox should leave a mark in their local debut, so check them out and see what you think! Toronto folk musician Caela Butt will join them on tour and at the local show next month, and her own originals are talented and fun in their own right for genre fans, so give her a listen too! Local support will come via Ye Olde Mold Pickers frontwoman Rihkee Strap in a solo set (nice to see her back in town), while an initially advertised set by Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti has since been removed from the Facebook event page for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened! Thois show has a 7:00 PM start time, no announced age limit, and a suggested admission price of $5 (though you may "pay what you can".)

For more details, visit the above links! This should be an interesting concert for both folk and punk fans, and at a venue that's increasingly gaining traction as a concert spot in recent months, so keep this show in mind for next month, and The Gore Street Cafe (as 164 Gore) is now in our local concert venue listings!

Next up, here's some new videos, including a new concert video of local goregrind duo Rotopsy laying 3 songs during their recent set at Little Montreal in Sudbury last week! Embedded without the title due to potentially offensive names of the first two songs (the third is "Live at Oddfellows Hall 3"), this was posted on Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel yesterday. The lighting's a little too red, but this captures Rotopsy's goregrind action well, though they do look a little out of their element and not quite as energetic as at local shows. Still, give this one a look, and remember to hit upcoming Blood Shed house parties if invited!



Also, here's a new video from local solo guitarist/Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe! Uploaded yesterday to his YouTube channel, this is a 66 second clip with the curious name "Glutinous Maximus Peanution Vulgaris", and it's his first solo original video of the year. Solid jam rock instrumental that has a nice harmony and edge to it, though it ends before it really gets going. Hopefully Mike has more in store, but check out his prolific original work above and below, and don't forget to check out his solid podcasts as well, featuring local artists!



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

• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will open for horror punk legends The Misfits in Toronto on Friday, October 16th at The Phoenix Concert Theatre! Fans may remember that frontman J.D. Pearce has a long association with The Misfits, from Frightlight opening for them in Toronto to what happened at 2010's famed "secret show", so this should be a great showcase for the guys as they continue to jack the planet! Click here for full details, including incentives if you buy $40 tickets from the band!
• We'll likely be moving local hard rock solo project StonesmithGC (formerly StrykerGC) to our inactive band links next week. While their Facebook page is still updated frequently, all posts since last June have been shares of guitars and gear from other Facebook pages, with no visible posts about new music or recordings. Hopefully Troy posts some new band updates at some point again, he is a talented musician!
• The three newest episodes of Local2's webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper are now online at this location, with each based around recent shows from Craig Cardiff, The Mudmen, and the #youthesoo youth empowerment event. As Tuned episodes now only focus on one event or band, there's no extra bits in them, but they're all well done and great to watch if you liked these shows or bands! Note that the teased Id Iota episode is still forthcoming.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's new poll next! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, New Video Postings, And More!!

Before we get to this weekend's hard rock concert previews, let's cover some more recent news and notes, including a new guitar video, new Das Bunkerfest clips, and more, but first, here's a new local band to take note of!

Remember how a new local punk band named Habitat Shuffle were slated to play at the Great Sabatini concert at The Moose Lodge in June, but later dropped out? Well, they finally have a Facebook page, so here's what you should know on them! Their lineup features 3/4ths of the defunct local ska punk quartet Free Beer (a.k.a. M.O.B. & Sarah's Valley), with singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and drummer Ryan Gray reuniting for this new project, albeit with Dirty Few/ex-Vertically Impaired bassist Blair St. John enlisted in place of Free Beer's Keith Gagnon. Surprisingly, the band has already released a digital EP via their new Bandcamp page featuring 4 songs, and it's available on a "name your price" model, so it's free if you choose! The EP (entitled "Sober Drift") was recorded at Tidal Records with producer & Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones, and later mixed in Toronto by Fairmounts guitarist Simon Head. It should be noted that Habitat Shuffle are hyping a live debut, physical EP release, and merchandise coming "soon and/or never", so take from that whatever you want.

As this is a new album release, and is available for paid release if you choose (support the guys and pay something!), it is eligible for a review on the SMS, but how do Habitat Shuffle sound? Honestly, fans expecting the ska punk sound of Free Beer may be disappointed, as this is more of a groovy alt-punk sound with more of a laid back casual feeling, but with grungier vocals. Interesting change of pace, and as it's new, this could be our first CD review on the SMS to come via our punk band expansion, so keep an eye out in next week or so, and Habitat Shuffle are now in our active band links!

Next up, here's the latest from local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back! New media of theirs are now online via drummer Nathan Sauve's Soundcloud page and new YouTube channel, and on the former, you can now hear long new original songs named "Boyz" & "What I Want", as recorded at recent jam sessions. "Boyz" has a summer anthem sort of feel to it, while "What I Want" has more of an alternative chaotic bent, though neither have the fury of their live sets. Solid songs though! For what it's worth, the band's newest Facebook page post yesterday implied that they had begun full recording sessions, though whether this is for an album or not has yet to be proven. As for Nathan's new videos, he uploaded clips of Bad Back at the recent Das Bunkerfest private concert event in Garden River this past weekend, and they're of covers of NOFX's "Linoleum" and (as embedded below) their cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "American Girl".

Diverse lineup, but they handle these covers in their own unique minimalist style, and Nathan's lead vocals on the latter work out well! The video quality is the main fault of these clips however, as they're dark, poorly lit, and very far from the stage, so you don't see too much. Check out Bad Back's newest media above & below!



Also today, Full Throttle/ex-Bottom Line guitarist Joe Jenkins has posted a brand new solo performance video onto his YouTube channel, this time a revised version of his own original song "Pitch Black". His first upload there in 3 months, this actually isn't a video per say, as all you see is a partial shot of an amplifier. The song itself has an early tuning issue due to Joe breaking in new guitar strings, but this is still a solid modern rock original that could benefit from having a full band around it, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Full Throttle in the Sault Michigan area!



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

• In terms of clarifying some unanswered questions regarding the lineup of the aforementioned Das Bunkerfest event, we can now confirm that The Beau Regards were actually Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger's new punk band under a temporary name (though they have yet to publically launch otherwise), while Mikey Thomas is a local rapper. We'll keep you posted on Johnny's new band as we hear more, and thanks to AlgomA's Darby Wigwaus for filling in these gaps!
• Former March Into Regression guitarist Christopher Neveau is looking for a drummer and bassist for his new progressive metal project, who have apparently already written an album that is ready to be jammed and recorded. Chris has actually shown me some rough demos of his recent originals, which do sound promising, so if you're interested in trying out, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!
• The Sault Ontario hard rock solo project StrykerGC has apparently changed their name to StonesmithGC, as per recent updates on their Facebook & Reverbnation pages. A reason for the change has not been announced. Unless it's necessary due to a naming conflict, I honestly like the StrykerGC name better, but at least Troy's keeping at his original music, and check out their new song "Blue Mountain" on Reverbnation, it has a slow driving feel to it!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge), A New Local Metal Project, And Much More!!

I wasn't expecting to have a second news post today, but due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS that just came to my attention, we'll rush another one, but check out more new concerts, videos, and other updates in the post below this one! Now, we have the aforementioned late notice gigs, a Sault Michigan metal band's recent updates, and more assorted news and notes, but first, here's a new local metal project we recently came across!

We have a new local metal project to add to our Sault Ontario band links, that being a new solo metal project named StrykerGC! Led by a veteran local singer/guitarist named Troy Isaac Kulka (who also uses the "Wyatt Erp" alias here and there), he had previously been in a British Columbia rock band named Angel Dust, but has been producing his own solo music since November, launching under the StrykerGC name last month (including Facebook & Reverbnation pages.) While relatively new, StrykerGC are looking to release his recent solo recordings as an album named "Life's A Bitch" on iTunes, and songs towards that goal are now streaming on Reverbnation, so how do they sound? Troy's solo music has elements similar to those of veteran local hard rock artists like Tym Morrison and SweetKenny, harbouring a classic metal sound with blues influences, and a good vocal range, and it will be interesting to see how far StrikerGC goes!

Note as well that Troy is looking to form a full band for this project, so if you're interested to get more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post yesterday! One YouTube copy of StrykerGC's song "Black As Night" also exists on Troy's YouTube channel, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from this new local band discovery as we hear it!



Next up, we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT, as Marquette, Michigan hard rock quartet Nudge will be rocking The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for two nights this weekend! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page on Tuesday, and they slipped our radar until now (thanks to frontman Danzo McCracken for the heads-up!) Last seen at The Frog in February, this weekend's shows are their third & fourth Sault Ste. Marie dates since drummer Eric Schlumpf returned to their lineup, and they do indeed follow Danzo's traditional Wednesday & Thursday acoustic gigs at The Frog, so hopefully they went well! Nudge's entertaining modern hard rock covers always find a receptive audience, and you can rock out with them once again TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM, with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges in effect. For more details, check the above links, don't miss Nudge's E.U.P. returns tonight or tomorrow, and here's Nudge covering Static-X in Munising!



Staying across the river, local classical metal band Theatre of Night recently overhauled their official website, and there's some interesting new stuff there, so what should you know? Along with an expended slate of online pages (including ones on Twitter, Soundcloud, and Pinterest), they now have an updated blog with recent news, including the revelation of a new original song named "The Killing" that will feature guest vocals from Italian singer Ida Elena DeRazza, and that their first album "Christmas Night" is almost sold out of it's original instrumental CD pressings. Their website doesn't have any brand new material yet that we haven't already heard, but it does include a tab for future tour dates, which has to be encouraging for long time fans! Studio work has been slow for Theatre of Night in the last year, but their talent and originality speaks for itself, and hopefully we hear much more from the Giles brothers, Craig, and Gaby soon, so keep an eye out!

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 series name:

• These Sins of Time frontwoman Alexa LeClair is again looking for musicians for her current hard rock project (still unclear whether it's T.S.O.T. or something else), now focusing on a guitarist or bassist. At last word, Sault Michigan's Ethan Twardy was on drums, though it's unclear whether they're looking for an additional guitarist or if Dalton Boissineau left. The aim is to tour and make CDs, but if you're interested, message Alexa via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from May 4th!
• Local thrash metal band Pillory have quietly parted ways with guitarist Josh Amendola, as per his move to their former members list on their Facebook page. A public reason was not announced there, but note that Pillory have not made a Facebook post since March. Josh had replaced the late Andres Duchesne in the band last year, but only played with them at a few early 2014 gigs. Hopefully all's amicable, and best of luck to Josh in the future!
• The most recent installment of Local2's bi-weekly music profile video series Tuned with Donna Hopper was posted on May 3rd, and while you can watch it at this link, note that it doesn't focus too much on metal or hard rock bands, instead mainly covering White Pines Collegiate student band The Pine Tones. It does feature a plug of the Alice Cooper show in Sault Michigan next month though!

That's definitely all for today, but we'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for the Jack Spades EP release show! Thanks everyone!