LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Agnosticism & Cross Dog), Plus Selias Concert Opener Videos!!

For our first post of October 2024, we're looking at some videos from a big recent concert and a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will make their long awaited return to the Soo on Saturday, October 12th when they set up shop in the basement of Discover The Canvas Studio at 317 Wellington Street West! Yes, this show is taking place in a tattoo parlor's basement, which should lend itself to be an interesting locale! Featuring veteran local punk/metal bassist Mark Rand (last seen locally at last year's Fuller reunion concert) and his wife Tracy Ashenden on vocals, this will be Cross Dog's first local concert appearance since the final Oh!No festival in Leeburn in 2019, and their first public show in Sault Ste. Marie city limits since 2013. Either way, it's been way too long to hear Cross Dog's ferocious and guitar-devoid sound close to home, and hopefully everything goes swimmingly in the basement next Saturday! Local openers (both online page-less) include indie punk quartet Honest Work and new local metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad.

Honest Work united Nebraska Arms & Rising Tide alumni to debut at the aforementioned Fuller reunion concert, but have not been seen since despite their promising and experienced lineup. Meanwhile, The Sault Side Squad just opened for Selias at Soo Blaster and this is just their third public concert, and second in the Soo proper, so don't miss either group on the 12th! Doors open at 7:30 PM for this Thanksgiving long weekend concert, which has no stated age limit and $15 advance tickets (contact the local openers for details) and a $20 door charge. With or without Cross Dog, Mark doesn't return home for concerts too often, so hopefully there's a huge turnout next Saturday, and visit the above links for more details!

Next up, another online page-less (Instagram aside) punk act will return to the stage later this month, as folk punk solo project Agnosticism will return to The Distraction on Thursday, October 17th for a special mixed-genre event in their Stellar Door basement space! No word on why this show will be downstairs, for the record, but I believe it will be the first all-local show at The Stellar Door. On this night, the headliner will actually be Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson with his fan favourite blend of turntable mixes, while young local comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (led by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli) will also be performing in a couple of weeks. Of course, Agnosticism is the solo project of prolific local punk guitartist/promoter Mikhal Muto, and will be making their first advertised public concert appearance since opening for the newly renamed The Haze upstairs at The Distraction in June, believe it or not.

It's good to see Mikhal break out his acoustic guitar again after a few months of focusing on electric band gigs and promotion, and it'll be interesting to see how this widely varying genre lineup goes over later this month! While it is on a work/school night for many, this show has an early 7:00 PM start time, it is ALL AGES, and admission is $10 or "pay what you can". Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on the action under The Distraction later this month!

Also, here's some fallout from Saturday night's Selias-headlined concert at Soo Blaster, starting with new local tech death metal band Bardo, who have finally clarified their lineup on their Facebook page! As previously known, frontman/Heavy North Entertainment promoter Tyler St. Amour is joined here by his brother Travis on drums and Christopher Neveau on guitar, reuniting three former bandmates in March Into Regression in the process. The second guitarist from their prior teaser videos is Christopher Brown, who I am not familiar with from prior local bands, but the lineup on their Facebook page actually lists him on bass now, and true to that, Tyler (who primarily played bass in prior local bands) appeared to just sing/growl on Saturday. Interestingly, the Facebook lineup also lists Danielle Roberts as a singer too, but in what capacity? The Them successors did post a live video from the Selias show onto their Facebook page, but she is nowhere to be found.

The 8 seconds-long video (cross-posted from Instagram) primarily focuses on Tyler growling while Travis drums, and is accompanied by post-production effects of the moon. I can confirm that Danielle was standing on the far right in a video shared on personal Facebook accounts, but she was not singing in that clip. My guess is that she's a backing/clean singer, but we await longer/more videos to verify this unless you were at Soo Blaster on Saturday. Regardless, the video is way too short and has unusual dimensions, but it's a promising glimpse of something brutal for metalheads, so check our Bardo briefly below!

Finally, here's a video from local hard rock quartet Half Past's set at the Selias concert, which sees them covering System Of A Down's "Toxicity"! Courtesy of their Facebook page, this fan-shot video sees the filmer head from the floor in front of the stage to beside the stage very early on, so prepare to see a lot of bassist Arthur Lacasse's back at this angle (frontman Jordan Rains is often obscured as a result). The audio is a little muffled, but the camera was definitely good quality, and this cover is strongly done across the board! Give it a watch below, and don't miss Half Past back at Soo Blaster as headliners on Saturday the 12th! Tickets are on sale at the venue, through band members, and at this link!

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

A New Interview, A New Music Video, And More!!

Things have been relatively quiet around the SMS the last few days, but we have a new post to check out on this Tuesday morning, and a very video-heavy one at that! Sandwiching a music video from a prominent Sault Michigan group, we have two videos from Sault Ontario of wildly different lengths and purposes, so here's what you should know!

Local/Manitoba alt-hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith was the subject of a 50 minute interview that was live-streamed on YouTube last week! Conducted by Australian musician and internet host Pete Johns (of Studio Live Today and GarageBand Weekly), this is one of multiple videos posted onto Pete's YouTube channel from his "creator series" of extended interviews with musicians about their experiences writing and recording original music, especially if they use the GarageBand software. Entitled "Building Bridges Through Song", the remotely recorded interview features Mike answering questions primarily from Pete, but also some from live-stream viewers. Studio Live Today and Pete's social media sites are bigger than you may expect, with this channel alone having over 100,000 subscribers! The interview, which is very much geared towards musicians and the craft therein, features Mike discussing his musical origins, his sound, ...

...his inspirations for original songs, his day job, his new website, life in Canada/Thompson, the evolution of his recording process, his usage of GarageBand on his iPad, his feelings on having the best gear (or lack thereof), his work in making music & lyric videos, his proudest moment in music (hint: it's involves a band of his), how he got physical copies made for recent albums, and his advice for fellow upstart musicians. Very professionally done interview with nice touches to keep things visually interesting beyond seeing Pete and Mike where they were filming, including the text pop-ups for viewer comments and inset views of Mike's music video, website pages, and more where necessary! However, this interview is definitely something you'll take more away from if you are a musician who uses computer editing programs, rather than just being a casual fan.

This is some great exposure for Mike to an international audience, both via Pete being down under and his own wide subscriber base, and hopefully Mike's interview will lead to more Studio Live Today fans checking his music out! Give the whole thing a watch below, and we'll have more from Mike soon!

Next up, let's take a detour to Michigan, where local classical metal band Theatre of Night posted the second studio original from their upcoming second Christmas album on their YouTube channel on Friday, complete with its own music video (in colour!). This is for the Christmas carol "We Three Kings", and it features the band (including a new bassist to replace the departed Scott Andringa) playing in a dark, smoky room with a stage setup, intercut with a filmed version of the Nativity, source unclear. Assuming this album will be completed and sold, I'll hold comment for now, but if you like hearing Theatre of Night with vocals, you'll definitely wanna check this out! Video is nicely shot too, and Rachel plays to the camera pretty well, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more on the new album and who the new bassist is!

To close, here's a new video from young Sault Ontario punk band Vanity's YouTube channel, featuring 12 seconds of them covering Green Day's "When I Come Around", albeit from a unique vantage point of an unseen cameraman filming them seemingly undetected during a jam session (2/3rds of the very short runtime is spent walking to and opening up a door to where Vanity are playing). Despite the length, it's a solid performance, so give it a watch/listen below, and look for more from their camp soon!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news & notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!

A New Video From Mike Haggith & Much More Recent News & Notes!!

(Updated at 6:12 PM) Before we begin, I wanted to give our belated condolences to the family & friends of Soo Profile Magazine founder and publisher James Mancuso, who passed away on August 20th of last year at the age of 58. You can read his obituary at this link, as well as The Sault Star's article about him, and he was survived by his wife Pon, his mother, two brothers, and other extended family. The Soo Profile was published from July 2009 until July 2019, and was available to read for free at various local businesses. Covering local history and culture in a way other publications weren't doing in the 2010s (especially post-Townies), the magazine occasionally intersected with The Sault Metal Scene, notably via late 2010s cover stories on local musicians like Greg Simpson, Ric Datson, and Tammy Hill. In it's early years, I even sent in concert listings for them to include in issues, for which I thank James for the early exposure!

Beyond the Soo Profile, James lived a full life, including a stint as an English & art teacher in Taiwan, establishing the Mancuso School of Fine Arts locally, and working in news video production in Halifax. Sadly, The Soo Profile has not continued production under a new publisher, and their website's domain name has expired, but you can still see covers and issue fragments from their decade-long run on their Facebook page. I didn't know James well, but he was a kind and talented person in multiple avenues, and he is definitely missed by those that met and worked with him. R.I.P. James!

Now, today's post features new videos from two familiar sights & some more news, but we'll start with local/Thompson, Manitoba solo musician Mike Haggith's fourth #LockdownLive after-show, which live-streamed on his Facebook page on Sunday night! As teased in this video to promote what to expect for this episode, the 33 minute video starts with us meeting Mike's cat Artemis, before discussing what went down in #LockdownLive X the previous day, and addressing the share contest where whoever shared yesterday's live-stream the most would pick a song that Mike has to cover on #LockdownLive XI on Saturday. This time, the video was shared 593 times, and the winner with 181 shares was Re:Born frontwoman Elly McWatters for a second straight week! Mike called her to announce the winner again, and she nominated "Sugar Daddy" from the musical Hedwig & The Angry Inch, specifically mentioning the Neil Patrick Harris version at the Tony Awards.

The amusing discussion about how Mike will approach this cover is worth a listen alone, so we'll have to see how things look on Saturday! Mike also lets Elly pick a song from "If Ever Comes The Day" to perform to help end the video, and she chose "Take Back The Moon", but commenters also requested "2145", so he ended up playing both, before wrapping the video and teasing the next #LockdownLive and possible changes to the share contest. Entertaining and informative video all around, so give it a look below, and stay tuned #LockdownLive XI on Saturday night!



Speaking of Re:Born, I was contacted via e-mail recently by that band's original lead singer Robert Nevitt, asking if I'd be interested in featuring some recent videos that he's posted on his personal Facebook page. These haven't been publically shared elsewhere, but as Robert asked, that's appropriate consent to feature them here! Since we last saw him on stage with the now defunct Big Mistake (their Facebook page was taken down, in any event), he has posted three videos of him covering songs for 45+ minutes, karaoke style, which you can watch here, here, and embedded below. I won't give these a blow-by-blow recap given how they were uploaded, but it's great to see Robert staying busy and keeping his solid vocals sharp! In the video below, you can hear him cover The Tragically Hip, The Barenaked Ladies, Rehab, Otis Redding, The Isley Brothers, Elvis Presley, Seven Mary Three, AC/DC, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among many others there and above.

Unless you saw one of his few live appearances with his old bands or at The Soo's Got Talent 2018, you may not be familiar with his vocal style, but he has a nice melodic tone and good grit when need be, and he definitely has a diverse range of material that he can do, so his karaoke videos at home are definitely worth checking out above and 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 company name:

• Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished did not play a live-streamed concert on Facebook at all last week due to Alex and Josh moving their at-home live-stream setup to their regular recording studio, as per their Facebook page on Thursday. They plan to announce more details this week, which will reportedly involve full-band live-streams of some kind, so if you've been curious to see Nathan and Gary take part too, keep the above information in mind!
• I have deleted local recording sudio Scholomance Studio from our "Other Sault Michigan Metal Links" due to the closure of it's Facebook group, and there are no equivalent pages to replace it with. Launched by Werehold Records founder Jason Mills back in 2014 towards releases by label acts, the studio was primarily active through 2015, and was one of the presumed casualties of Werehold's closure in 2018. Look for new music from Jason in his current project X's & Y's soon, hopefully!
• I have deleted Sault Ontario live event sound company Twin City Sound & Entertainment from our "Other Sault Ontario Metal Links" section due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page. Led by then-Mourning Wood bandmates Terry Eaton & Steven Flint, Twin City Sound worked assorted concerts from at 2014-2016, including the 2016 Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, but updates were slim to none in the late 2010s, even before Steven left Soundcheck. Hopefully we hear more from both guys soon! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Parabol & The Elements), The Studio 10 Fire, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday afternoon reading, so what can you find here? A bunch of assorted updates, some overdue coverage on a devastating news event from earlier this week, and leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month. Here's what you should know!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will reprise their role as backing musicians for another round of live band karaoke at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, March 16th as part of their St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities! An encore for this style of event that debuted last month, The Elements proper will rock out with karaoke singers (and Rob presumably when none are ready) on this night, though it'll be a special abbreviated gig, as they will immediately follow a triple header of out of town stand-up comedians, the first such booking from Six, Two, Oh.. It'll be interesting to see how that event does, so click here for full details on the performers and admission info therein! As such, The Elements' set proper will have a late start time of 12:00 AM, technically placing it at the beginning of St. Patrick's Day itself, so what better way to ring in the holiday? Yes, The Rockstar Bar will have green beer.

A presentation of (Choose) Maxx Entertainment, this concert is definitely 19+, and while the stand-up comedy show has a $5 cover charge, I don't think that would apply if you just came at midnight to see The Elements and/or sing karaoke with them. Looks like a fun night of diverse entertainment next month to get in touch with the Irish spirit with, and The Elements should deliver some hard rocking tunes, with or without karaoke singers! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, The Elements aren't done for shows at The Rockstar Bar next month, as they'll reprise their Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band alter ego on Saturday, March 23rd when they open for new local Tool tribute band Parabol once again! Basically a direct encore to the two bands' joint tribute concert at the same venue in December, this will be Parabol's third public concert appearance, their first of 2019, and first since confirming their permanent name. With this local supergroup's faithful sounding and technically proficient tribute to Tool winning them many fans last year, how will they perform for concert #3 next month? Of course, The Elements are no strangers to The Chili Peppers, but on March 23rd, they'll take on a temporary tribute band moniker, performing under the name Scar Tissue. Fitting name, but given Jesse Cook's involvement, I'm surprised they don't just recycle the name of his 2007-2008 Chili Peppers tribute band Sikamikanico.

Another presentation of Maxx Entertainment, this concert has a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a fun night of familiar tunes from two proficient and chemistry-filled tribute acts, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on Parabol and "Scar Tissue" returning to The Rockstar Bar next month!

Also today, I thought I should give some overdue thoughts on a recent major news event, namely the severe fire at The Dime Nightclub (better previously known as Studio 10) this past Sunday and Monday. As well documented in local news media, the 89 Hudson Street venue and it's on-site apartment buildings were destroyed by the fire, which police are not treating as suspicious, and the fire unfortunately took the life of a 60 year old tenant (our best thoughts and wishes are with his family and friends.) The remnants of the building have since been torn down, and you can read more on the fire proper and response on relevant news websites. Though primarily known in recent years for it's exotic adult entertainment, SMS readers will recall Studio 10 as the host of a handful of Havadder concerts from 2014-2016, while it was a far more active concert venue in the 1970s and 1980s, playing host to numerous bands back when it was known as The New Ontario Hotel.

As it wasn't a regular concert venue for most of my adulthood, I can't remark first hand on Studio 10/The Dime, but it's unfortunate to lose a familiar downtown venue that provided entertainment, employment, and a home for many locals. Visit local news websites for much more on the fire and response, and our best goes out to every employee, tenant, and customer affected by this devastating event.

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

• Algoma Ride For Autism is looking for bands to play during this year's charity motorcycle rally on Friday, June 14th. No word on location or timing, but for reference, local punk trio Redundant were among performers at last year's official afterparty at The Verdi Hall, while prior years featured live bands before the rally. If you're interested in playing this year, contact organizers at this link, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
• Local arts & culture Facebook page SooSpin is looking for local albums on CD or vinyl for an unspecified project. I have no insider knowledge on what they're doing, but if you're interested in donating or loaning any local albums, contact SooSpin at this link!
• A SaultOnline article by Megan Pounder from Sunday speculates that The Tech may have closed for good, based on inspection notices being posted on the front door, businesses moving out, and calls to building owners going unanswered. SMS readers will best know the former Lakeway/St. Mary's building and it's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium as an occasional concert venue for events like The Sky's The Limit, The Soo's Got Talent, and The Din's CD release party. A positive picture wasn't painted by SaultOnline, but hopefully things get resolved for all parties, and that 130 Wellington Street East finds a permanent use again down the road!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood & Havadder) And New Year's Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this last day of 2015, here's our final regular post of the year, but we have our reflective post on the year that was coming later tonight, so look for that then! Now, we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows taking place this weekend and beyond, as well as most of what you should know for hard rock this weekend to end the year (Tym Morrison's Saturday nighter and even later notice shows will follow), so read on to get caught up!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will kick off 2016 with concerts at The OLG Casino THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT, which follow their previously announced New Year's Eve party at The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on the casino dates, we had actually listed them on the site since drummer Glen Thomas announced them on his personal Facebook page in November (prior to their last OLG Casino weekend), but we forgot to mention them in a post at the time. This is a busy weekend ahead for Terry, Steven, Paul, and Glen, who will start things with their second straight New Year's Eve concert at the former Nicolet Tavern tonight, complete with a similar masquerade ball theme, and given the occasion, there will be party favours, a poutine bar, and champagne available free with admission, which will be $10 at the door, or via advance tickets at Rednecks or through band members.

The OLG Casino gigs (which, for sake of clarity, haven't been publically confirmed by Mourning Wood's Facebook page yet) are 9:30 PM shows with no announced cover, and all three shows are 19+. For more details, visit this link and above! Sounds like Mourning Wood have a big weekend ahead, with a fun party and a return to a still somewhat unique venue to come, so keep these shows in mind, and here's Mourning Wood live earlier this year!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to Studio 10 for a New Year's Eve party TONIGHT, which they'll follow with a one-nighter THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies again for the short notice on both shows, they were each only announced via separate Facebook event pages (here & here) earlier this week. TONIGHT'S New Year's Eve show brings them back to the Hudson Streeet gentlemen's club that they often rock on holidays (most recently on Halloween), and fitting the atmosphere, there will be a cold cut/shrimp buffet, drink specials, party favors, champagne, a door prize, and yes, adult dancers, so keep all of that in mind if you want to be at the Studio for this one! Tickets are $15 at the door or in advance at the venue, while couples have a discounted $25 rate. Doors open at 8:00 PM, Havadder's set will be at 10:30 PM, and this is obviously a 19+ event.

As for SATURDAY'S Rockstar Bar show (which appears to be a one-nighter with no gig tomorrow), this will be Havadder's first full show of 2016, so keep it in mind as they continue their recent streak of frequent appearances at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar! That show will be a 10:30 PM affair and 19+ as well, but the cover charge will either be zero or much less than at the Studio. Whether you want to ring in the new year or just rock out with Havadder, keep their hard-edged fan favourite covers in mind for TONIGHT & SATURDAY! See the above links for more details, and here's Havadder live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's head to The Rockstar Bar for their New Year's Eve concert TONIGHT, as local classic metal quintet Project 421 will end 2015 on a heavy note as headliners! Replacing the usual Cherry Crush New Year's show there for unannounced reasons, this will be a partial sequel to their 2 year reunion and pre-Christmas shows at The Algonquin Hotel, with Project 421 (who will play at 12:00 AM to kick off 2016) once again joined by their online pageless nu-metal side project Eclipse, who will open the show at 10:00 PM, so if you've missed these bands or want to see them again, keep tonight's show in mind! However, in The Elements' place tonight, fans will get a rare Rockstar Bar appearance from young local glam rock/power pop trio Caroline Divine in the middle 11:00 PM slot, and their old school yet fresh sound should be a nice bridge tonight, so don't miss them either! Promoted by Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton (and curiously not as a PaperClip Productions show), there is a $10 cover charge in effect, but everything's standard otherwise, including a 19+ age limit.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you want some heavy metal for to send 2015 out with, this may just be your best bet, so definitely consider a trip downtown to The Rockstar Bar if you want to ring in 2016 with 421! For a preview, here's Project 421 live last year!

Finally for today's previews, let's head across the border to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will end the year with their own New Year's Eve concert TONIGHT! After a quiet few months from the former Hubbard-Menard Band's camp, the Van Halen-inspired local favourites will rock St. Ignace for the last time in 2015 tonight, and if you're up for their varied and often heavy covers, you know where to be for your New Year's plans! For reference, The London Gentlemen will end the year tonight at the Soo Kewadin, and no word on who's playing this weekend at either Kewadin Casino branch, as their entertainment page hasn't been updated yet for 2016 dates (we'll let you know when it is!) No word on if there's a special pricing in effect for the occasion (if there isn't, there'd be no cover as usual), but expect a 9:00 PM start time and 21+ age limit once again. Check the above links for more details, and here's 415E live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our retrospective look back on the big moments of 2015 later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Gnaeus & Havadder) And Most Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

With the Halloween weekend almost upon us, let's kick off the previews of what should be another exciting weekend of shows, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Note that we will touch on the Highway 63 Halloween show in our next post, plus potential late night notice concerts that we aren't aware of yet if possible. Here's what you should know!

Local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for a solo headlining Devil's Night gig at LopLops Lounge! Apologies for the short notice, the show was announced by the venue last week, but with a slow news stretch at the time, we held it for this weekend's previews. Busy working on their debut CD "Loomings" since their Emergency Festival set in August (I don't believe they ended up playing at the Dusty Tucker show after all), this will be their first LopLops concert since June's Lopstock II event, so if you've missed the VM Radio Battle of the Bands winners lately, be at LopLops TOMORROW! No word however on if the venue will welcome attendees in costumes a day early, but Gnaeus have teased a prize for "the best toga." Also, as a note regarding recording sessions for "Loomings", the band revealed on their Facebook page that they were "tracking one of our last songs" on October 20th, and indicated in a comment that the CD would "be out for Christmas."

Hopefully that holds out, I know it's been highly anticipated by fans! Also, look for some new songs during Gnaeus' set TOMORROW at 9:00 PM, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here they are at Lopstock II!



Also in newer announcements, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to Studio 10 THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for their second straight Halloween party at the downtown gentlemen's club! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Two weeks removed from their latest stop at The Rockstar Bar, this will be Havadder's first show at the Hudson Street venue in over two months, but will fit in with their prior pattern of playing there only on holiday weekends. Last year's Halloween party at Studio 10 apparently went well for Havadder, so they're having at 'er again THIS SATURDAY with their fan favourite covers, a costume contest (with prizes), and yes, exotic entertainment from the ladies, if that is your thing. Like last year, there is a $5 cover, you obviously must be 19 to attend, and a 10:30 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the above links for more details, and here they are live at Rednecks!



Moving to previously announced concerts, longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will round out the month of October with his usual weekly matinee gigs at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, followed by his usual Harp Bar & Grill shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! No word on of this weekend's shows at either venue will have a Halloween theme and/or costume contests (particularly on Saturday), but look for more acoustic hard rock classics from this veteran local favourite at the downtown restaurant and central pub this weekend! And yes, we will touch on his likely November concerts at both venues when confirmed on Facebook. The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits (but remember, it is a restaurant), while the Harp shows are at 10:00 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits. For more details, visit the official Facebook event pages (here & here), and here's Tym live at the former Bossy's!



Finally, local promoter J.D. Pearce (in association with Tidal Records) will host his eleventh annual Halloween Party THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Algonquin Pub! Returning there for the third time in four years (and to Saturday night after spending last year on Friday), this local Halloween tradition will once again see three bands hit the stage, but for the first time since 2008, neither Frightlight or Destroilet will perform, and like that year, all of the bands will take on tribute band themes for the evening, with Toronto extreme metal quartet Caym (or "Metallicaym") returning for the second time this year with a Metallica tribute set in store! Local support will include a Sublime tribute set from funk/hard rockers The Elements (replacing a one-off T-Rex Manning reunion covering The Misfits, and a Mitch Sirie-led Korn tribute), as well as a one-off(?) punk tribute band featuring Destroilet's Christian Foisy, Sykotyk Rampage's Tony Briglio, Jack Spades' Johnny Belanger & Jesse Cook, and The Billy Bastards' Greg Beharriel, who are hyped to cover Rancid, NOFX, and Operation Ivy songs.

Notably, this is the first Halloween Party in memory that doesn't feature a band fronted by J.D., but a guest spot with at least one band is extremely likely (Metallica covered The Misfits... just saying!) A costume contest of some description is also likely for this year's Halloween Party, which has a $10 cover, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time, so get more details at the official Facebook event page! This should be a great Halloween party as usual, and the tribute theme should be very interesting, so don't miss out at The Algonquin Pub THIS SATURDAY, and while I couldn't find them covering Metallica online, here they are live this summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder), Pixo Control Updates, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Friday afternoon, and remember not to miss any concerts this weekend, there's a lot going down! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, lots of updates from a rising young band, and first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Havadder will return to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for one night only! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show yesterday via the Facebook event page. Fresh off of a recent one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, this will be Jugga & company's first show at Studio 10 since Canada Day, and marks a rare show at the Hudson Street "gentlemen's club" from the guys to not fall over a holiday weekend (no word on why it's a one nighter either.) Aside from the band's classic favourites (and, yes, the "dancers"), the ongoing draw for AC/DC tickets in Toronto continues this weekend, so consider that as well if you're coming out for the entertainment tomorrow! A 10:30 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, and there is no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!

Next up, here's the latest from the alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control's camp! First, if you happened to have seen a concert poster advertising that they were playing with local folk/indie project Great Chamberlain at LopLops Lounge this Wednesday (complete with poster), you're not alone, but all of The Pixo Control's allusions to the show have quietly been deleted for unannounced reasons. The concert is still going on (source here), and will notably be Great Chamberlain's last local show before project leader Chris West moves to Ottawa, so keep that in mind if you're a fan and want to send him off in style! We will, of course, let you know if The Pixo Control are still playing, but their posts must have been deleted for a reason. Also, Pixo Control members Michael Mikus & Steve Edwards were interviewed by Boxes of Boom's Sam Decter on his blog The Tinderbox two weeks ago (in his first interview of a heavier local band), so what should you know from this interview?

Within, Sam asks the guys about what sets them apart from local bands, what local bands they currently like, how things are going with Tidal Records, how recording sessions for "Probably Not" went, their retro influences, the journey from Michael's earlier solo music, how he handles being a band frontman, why drummer Keeghan Rosso left The Pixo Control, and their future tour plans. In terms of scoops, there's nothing dramatically new to report, but Michael confirmed that Keeghan left as he's "just not really in the right mindset to devote himself to playing music right now", but they've got to keep moving forward as life won't always be the same (Matthew Thibert debuted as their new drummer on Sunday.) Solid and informative interview that shows the guys' maturity and musical knowledge, and it'd be interesting to see Sam interview more local bands! Read the full interview at this link, and get more from the guys above!

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

• Local celtic/punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will take a road trip out to Ottawa to play two shows at D'Arcy McGee's this weekend! Personal Facebook posts imply that My Son The Hurricane drummer Cooper Hannahson will be behind the kit this weekend, as he often is for the band's Southern Ontario gigs. Best of luck to the guys, and hopefully we see them back on a local stage soon! Our source is Tidal Records' concert listing page, which also notes a D.J.R.T. private event on Sunday, location not given.
• Long time Sault Michigan music instrument/lessons store Steve's Music Center quietly closed last year, as per posts on their Facebook page. A public reason for the closure of the Ashmun Street store wasn't announced, but personal Facebook postings note that owner/ex-Full Throttle guitarist Steve Pevarnic moved to Washington state at some point in the past year, so that could be related. Disappointing for fans, but best of luck to Steve with his new home, and if you need music gear in Sault Michigan, Grooves Music is seconds down the road from Steve's!
• In advance of TONIGHT'S first annual Superior Festival in Sault Michigan, SooToday's Donna Hopper interviewed Saving Abel guitarist Scott Bartlett for this article on the event, where Scott discussed why the Mississippi hard rock notables don't mind playing an smaller debuting event, the switch from Jared Weeks to Scott Austin on vocals (even though they already played with this lineup in the Soo in April), and the influence of southern rock on their music. Good article, so check it out above, and remember, if you're at The Superior Festival TONIGHT at The Savoy, you can hang out with Saving Abel post-show!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder) & New Videos Of Theirs, Plus More Updates!!

As promised, here's our second post of the day, touching on one more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW NIGHT, but with plenty of new videos from this band's recent gigs, this post is largely about them, albeit with some shorter assorted updates at the end. Read on below for what you should know, but check out more Canada Day concert previews and more in the post below this one!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder are returning to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for their Canada Day bash! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the show via an ad in last week's Sault This Week, with the band confirming the show online this mornning with the official Facebook event page. Notably, tomorrow's show will mark the return of drummer Scott McLurg to the band after his heart attack in May, so if you've missed Scott with the guys in the past month+, be sure to welcome him back to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! The Sault This Week confirms that tomorrow's Canada Day bash (Havadder's first Studio 10 stop since New Year's Eve) will have prizes and drink specials, and yes, ladies dancing, so if that's your thing, there you go! A personal posting by frontman Jason Roy implied that one giveaway would be for a guitar.

Note also that the same Sault This Week ad plugged that the venue will be holding a drawing for AC/DC concert tickets in Toronto next month, so keep that in mind if you go there! The show has no announced cover (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, check last week's paper and the above links, and for a preview, we have plenty of new Havadder videos to touch on today! Glen Thomas (who filled in for Scott at last month's Havadder shows) uploaded nine combined videos from both the Havadder concert at The Rednecks Saloon on June 13th and Scott's benefit show at The Rockstar Bar on the 20th onto his YouTube channel in the past couple of weeks, so what can be seen there? The six videos from Rednecks are all as a trio (guitarist Jamie July missed the show for unannounced reasons), while each show featured guest musicians, including Scott's former Turner Up bandmate Krista Marshall (also of Johnny Lunchbox fame) as a guest singer at both shows.

The Rockstar Bar videos include covers of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" (with local blues musician Paul Dellavedova on guest vocals & guitar) and Collective Soul's "Gel" (with Lucky 13's Ed Vowels on guest guitar) in one video, while the others are of Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" (with guest singers Taryn Bugyra and Dave Kendrick, I think) and Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" with Krista on guest vocals. Glen noted on his Freq's Music Planet forum that the show raised over $1,000 for the McLurg family during this difficult time, Scott did make a speech to thank everyone, and there were other guest performers that weren't captured in Glen's videos. We didn't embed any of the three below though, as all were from the drum-cam angle, but the audio's solid, and it's great to see so many familiar faces coming out to help Scott out during his recovery! As for the Rednecks concert videos, those were filmed from a regular angle of the stage, but what was filmed?

Krista's guest spots were captured on two more videos of "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" (here and here, albeit without Jamie this time) plus a cover of Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", while Jason, Travis, and Glen covered Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", "The Travelling Wilburys' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man", and Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike". Though shorthanded, Havadder sound strong as ever on these covers, and Glen fits in well on each, while Krista's vocals have been missed on stage, and hopefully we see her in a new band again soon! Check out these new Havadder videos above &"Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" below, and don't miss Havadder (and Scott's return) at Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT!



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

• We have deleted the short lived Garden River concert promotion agency GFC Promotions from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page. Intended as a regional branch of Oh! Right Arm! Promotions to promote shows just outside of the Soo, plans for GFC likely dried up when promoter Boyd Rendell moved to Sault Ste. Marie proper earlier this year, with O!RA! shows now promoted under the Six Two Oh banner anyway.
• Sault Michigan rock radio station Rock 101 have extended their deal with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to continue broadcasting all Soo Greyhounds games on 101.3 FM through at least the 2017-18 OHL season, which will take their current agreement into it's ninth season. Though this might be disappointing news for fans of Rock 101's usual music rotation, this is great news for Hounds fans, especially coming off of their great season! Click here for more details, and go Hounds go!
• The cast list for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy (featuring That's Chester as the house band) has been revealed, via promoters Shot In The Dark Productions' website, with local singer and actor Steven Hewgill playing the title role. That's Chester members aside, there are some familiar faces from local bands in the cast, including Obsession's Valerie Powley & Ashes To Dust alum Noah Morden, so get more details at the above links, and get your tickets for November 4th-8th at The Machine Shop at this link for $25, $20 for children or seniors!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Rotaryfest post TOMORROW, so who's playing when, and where's the Second Stage this year? Find out tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E & Havadder), New Year's Eve Concert Previews, And More!!

In what may be our last news post of 2014 (with a CD review and 2014 retrospective to follow), we're tackling announced New Year's Eve show previews today, as despite being mid-week this year, there are still some hard rock bands taking to local stages to ring in 2015! If there's a short notice confirmation, we'll try to address that as well, but let's kick things off with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will send 2014 out in style with a headlining New Year's Eve concert THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced this show on their Facebook page today. Despite the late word, this should be a great show for Yoopers who want to ring in the new year in style with some live hard rock originals and covers, and if you've seen Dave, Mitch, and the Hubbards live this year, you'll know what they bring to the table! For reference, the Sault Michigan Kewadin's New Year's entertainment will come via local indie rockers The London Gentlemen, in case you were wondering. 415E's St. Ignace show on Wednesday has a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss 415E one last time in 2014, and here's the guys at The Dreammaker's Theater!



Also, local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder will headline a New Year's Eve party concert at Studio 10 (yes, the strip club) THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, they just announced this show on their Facebook page yesterday. To be the veteran quartet's second ever show at the Hudson Street nightclub, Wednesday's show will bear similarities to their headlining show there on Halloween, including refreshments, New Year's party favours, a midnight champagne toast, a Fender guitar door prize giveaway, and yes, "adult dancing" between Havadder's sets if that's your thing (our source for the above info is frontman Jason Roy's personal Facebook page.) Also, expect drummer T.J. Case to be absent on Wednesday, as he will be playing with Mourning Wood at The Rednecks Saloon that same night (more on that in a bit), but it's not yet known if their fill-in drummer will be Scott McLurg again or someone else. Given the seasonal nature and frills of this event, tickets will be $15, and can be bought at the Studio or through Jason.

This is definitely a 19+ concert, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely. For more details, visit the above links! Havadder's Halloween show at Studio 10 must have went well for them to come back for New Year's Eve, and hopefully there's a nice turnout for their often heavy yet diverse cover attack on Wednesday night! For a preview, here's Havadder live earlier this year!

Moving to previously announced concerts, local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control and garage punk quartet Gnaeus will head to Cafe Natura (downstairs, specifically) to open a year-end concert TOMORROW NIGHT alongside familiar faces from some of their shows earlier in the year! Both of these rising young bands will be opening for a reunion of local blues rock quartet The Frasiers as well as local folk musician Chris West's Great Chamberlain solo project (which Pixo Control frontman Michael Mikus has played live with in the past), so if you liked these artists from events like The Emergency Festival and Lopstock, keep TOMORROW'S show in mind, especially as all but The Pixo Control haven't played live since the summer! The Frasiers will headline at 10:10 PM tomorrow, with Great Chamberlain on at 9:40 PM, The Pixo Control at 8:30 PM, and Gnaeus opening at 7:30 PM. This show has NO cover charge, and no announced age limits, so visit the Facebook event page for more details on this event!

Also, no word on why this show is taking place downstairs in Cafe Natura's basement. This should be an interesting concert for fans of blues, folk, and alternative rock, so don't miss out on the action tomorrow night in what may be the last hard rock-featured concert before the New Year's parties! For a preview, here's The Pixo Control live at LopLops this summer!

Finally for known heavier concerts over the final days of 2014, we'll head to The Rednecks Saloon where the aforementioned Mourning Wood will play their own last concert of the year by headlining the former Nicolet Tavern's New Year's Eve party THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! The newer classic/hard rock trio will bring their diverse and often aggressive cover selections there on what will be a Mardi Gras-themed event (despite Mardi Gras meaning "Fat Tuesday"), but it's a neat theme that fits the party atmosphere, so keep that in mind! Similarly to the Havadder New Year's party, Mourning Wood's will have entry via ticket purchase (in their case, $10, to be bought at the venue), and it's also a 19+ event with a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It sounds like Terry, Steven, and T.J. have a great event of their own coming on Wednesday, so keep it in mind for your own New Year's eve plans as we close the door on 2014! For a preview, here are the guys at Toystock!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bear Hunters CD review and a retrospective look back at 2014 in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Strange Coyotes, Griphook, And Banned), And More!!

For a second straight day, we have a short notice second post on the site, as like yesterday, there's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for tonight that is linked to a public show from yesterday and is getting a fair amount of Facebook advertising! Also read on for full public LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend and some more assorted notes, so here's what you need to know, and check out lots of VM Radio updates (and the new Tuned episode) in the post below this one! (Updated at 9:24 PM)

Remember how Blood Shed Productions & Heavy North Entertainment hosted a publically advertised house party concert last night on Weldon Avenue? Well, that show was reportedly cut short due to a Foggy's-esque noise complaint and police visit, which cancelled plans for a Strange Coyotes headlining set and forced Rotopsy to only play one song. With that in mind, promoters are giving a short notice second try at this show TONIGHT at a different location, though still centrally located! Once scheduled to be held at an Oakbine Avenue location, the show was moved back to it's original 110 Pentagon Boulevard location for unannounced reasons on very short notice. Hopefully things go smoother for everyone tonight, despite the location jumbling! All performers except Telephone & Address and Mikey Thomas are back for tonight, which will definitely see The Strange Coyotes headlining in their first announced show since confirming their reunion, with Rotopsy, Crucify The Whore, Brutaly Fatal, and a "surprise special guest appearance" also teased.

The Facebook event page has current details for this show, which is ALL AGES, will start at 8:00 PM tonight, and will have no announced cover. Don't miss out if you love the Blood Shed, and hopefully they don't have similar issues tonight! For a preview, here's The Strange Coyotes live in January!

Next up, Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned have announced a surprise show for this Thursday, as they'll make their first ever advertised appearance at The Raber Bay Bar 'N Restaurant in nearby Goetzville! Our source is Banned's Facebook page yesterday, which added the show to their existing fall calendar. We've never plugged a show in Goetzville before, so in case you didn't know, Goetzville is a small Chippewa County community that's roughly an hour southeast of the Soo and 24 minutes east of Cedarville, and was among the areas of the E.U.P. added when we expanded our coverage range on the site two years ago. Given the Thursday setting, I'm unsure on if there's a special occasion to cause the booking, but it adds to a busy weekend for them, as Banned will be at The Runway Bar in Hessel (a half hour west of Goetzville) over the next two nights. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect on Thursday, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. See above for more info, and stay tuned for updates on their Raber Bay Bar show!

Also in new show announcements, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Griphook will apparently return to the stage this Friday at The Rednecks Saloon! Though the band has yet to confirm this show online, the marquee board outside of the former Nicolet Tavern has advertised it for at least the last few days, and that has proven to be a reliable source for accurate show dates in the past. If this booking is still on, this will be Griphook's first concert set of the fall, and their first outside of Rotaryfest since playing at Rednecks in April, so if you've been missing Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony in recent months, you'll want to mark this Friday's show down for a night of entertaining and often heavy covers! No word on why they're not playing on Saturday though, but the marquee at the saloon didn't list that day's entertainment. There's no announced cover charge on Friday, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and if we hear any changes, we'll let you know!

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:

• A new instrumental song by the aforementioned Crucify The Whore was uploaded to their new Bandcamp page earlier this week, which fans will want to check out, but due to a name that some readers may find offensive, we won't post it here. Give it a listen if you want, and note that their other demos can also be streamed there!
• I've removed The Guitar Studio from our "Other Sault Michigan Links" section due to the expiry of their website and only substantial online page. Featuring prolific local guitarist Joey Beairl among it's staff, The Guitar Studio was notable for providing both music lessons and a summer rock camp that spawned real youth rock bands such as Tantrym Tyme, but online updates have been slow in recent years. If a new link turns up, we'll re-add them to our listings!
• Our congratulations go out to Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey, who will be inducted into the Great Northern Opry of the Northern Ontario Country Music Association tonight during their annual awards ceremony! Kyle joins fellow hard rock alum Ric Datson (That's Chester) among the dozens of regional country notables in the opry. If you've followed all of Kyle's music work in the area, you'll know this is very deserving, so congratulations once again, and click here for more info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

More Sault Ontario Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

Now, let's get our second of at least three Halloween concert preview posts up on the site, as we take a look at Sault Ontario punk and hard rock shows taking place tomorrow & Saturday night! We'll touch on Sault Michigan shows (and The Brains, in all likelihood) tomorrow, so we haven't forgotten about them! Now, here's what you should know on the Sault Ontario side of the border for Halloween!

A milestone will be reached TOMORROW NIGHT when local concert promoter J.D. Pearce hosts The Halloween Party for it's announced 10th anniversary! Though his official Halloween parties only date back to 2006, he retroactively included a separate seasonal show from 2005, but either number is impressive, and the party will rage on for sure! Returning to The Algonquin Pub for a second time after a year's stay at the former Roosevelt Hotel, tomorrow's party will be headlined by local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight in their fifth appearance at this annual event, their first public concert set in over 8 months, and sadly, their last show ever due to members own external commitments. Given how sporadic Frightlight shows have been lately, it's not a huge surprise, but there's no more fitting way to give Frightlight a frightening farewell, as their concert debut was at J.D.'s party in 2009, and both then and now, the show was on Halloween night, so they've came full circle!

Support will come from local hardcore punk sextet Destroilet in their second straight appearance at this event, and first live concert with new co-singer Brenton Ellis, so how will the guys sound with two singers in their arsenal? Find out TOMORROW! The other opening band is "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage in their own second appearance at J.D.'s Halloween shows (after playing at The Algonquin in 2012), and if you're craving their usual unfiltered 19+ sound and presence, come early to take in their sonic assault, perhaps with new songs from their recent "albums"? Notably, this is the first Halloween party since it left Coch's Corner to feature an all-local lineup, and it's also being held on a Friday night rather than the usual Saturday to line it up with Halloween proper. A $10 cover charge is in effect for TOMORROW NIGHT, you must be 19 to attend, everything starts at around 9:00 PM, and a costume contest is very likely as well.

For more details, visit the above links! This will be a bittersweet night for sure, but even if Frightlight weren't disbanding, this would still be a great occasion to see them given their horror ties, and that they haven't played to a proper audience (their Marquee set doesn't count) since July 2013! I'll be at The Algonquin with costume in tow, and I hope to see you guys there for another great Halloween party tomorrow night! See above for more, and here's Frightlight live at their most recent Halloween party set in 2012!



Also taking place tomorrow is a Halloween night concert from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder, who will be playing at a very unfamiliar venue TOMORROW NIGHT, as they'll be rocking out at Studio 10! That's right, Jugga and company will apparently be the first band to ever play at the Hudson Street strip club (not far from their usual recent venue, The Rednecks Saloon), but what sort of frills can you expect if you go see Havadder tomorrow? According to the Facebook event page, there will be a guitar draw, a costume contest (the winner gets $150), a limited run of Havadder t-shirts, and yes, there will be "dancers" between Havadder's sets, so if that's your thing, there you go. There will be a $2 cover charge at the Studio, you must be 19 to attend, and Havadder should be on at around 10:00 PM. For more details, check the above links! This is definitely a unique setting for a concert, but hopefully Havadder's show goes well, bring your costumes, and here are the guys at Rednecks!



Finally for this concert preview post, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return once again to The Harp Bar & Grill for his 47th weekend of solo gigs there! As usual for this ongoing weekly concert arrangement, Tym will be hosting and playing at their usual jam night TOMORROW NIGHT, before playing a normal acoustic gig THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, and while it's expected that there will be some type of Halloween themes and costume encouragement at the former Madison's Pub tomorrow, it's not explicitly stated if there will be a contest or any other seasonal incentive. For reference sake, the Facebook event page doesn't explicitly reference a Saturday show this weekend, but his website's concert calendar does, so we'll go off of that. Also, an edit to said calendar (and a personal Facebook post last week) indicated that Tym did not play at The Harp at all last weekend, which would be the first weekend since December of last year when he didn't play at least one concert there.

Those shows were announced via his calendar but were later called off for one reason or another, so our apologies for missing that! Note to self, make sure Tym's still playing if there's no Facebook event page. Still, very impressive to play 46 straight weeks, and he's not done at The Harp yet! Admission is likely free this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Tym at The Harp last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Gob concert review, more Halloween concert previews, and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Rebel Spell & Havadder) And New Videos!!

Today's post is stacked with some more interesting local hard rock news, including a new song from an upcoming album and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the Halloween season, but we also have an archive video to share, so here's what you should know! (Updated at 2:59 PM)

Vancouver punk quartet The Rebel Spell will return to our neck of the woods on Thursday, October 23rd for a headlining ALL AGES concert at The Moose Lodge! While the Facebook event page hasn't confirmed the venue yet, that was confirmed via the official poster on the "Sault Ste. Marie All Ages" group by Destroilet's Mike Hull, so there's your source. No strangers to the Soo, this will be The Rebel Spell's (at least) fifth local stop, following 2006's Propagandhi show and headlining dates here in November 2007 & twice in March 2011, and in the midst of their tour supporting their new CD "Last Run", look for a solid night of energetic, up-tempo, and politically charged punk rock action! Local openers will include hardcore punk quintet Destroilet, punk/metal standouts Jack Spades, and newly added alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control in their Moose Lodge debuts, and Jack Spades are fitting too given that promoter J.D. Pearce opened for The Rebel Spell with Fitswitch 8 years ago! The"All Ages" group post above implied that J.D. was looking for one more underage opening band, so just in case, message Johnny Pints on Facebook for info!

A $10 cover charge will be in effect for this LICENSED & ALL AGES show, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links! This should be an entertaining concert for punk and metal fans alike, and it's another awesome concert addition to J.D.'s stacked Halloween concert slate (joining Gob, The Brains, and his own annual Halloween party), so don't sleep on this show either as the month progresses! Stay tuned for updates!

Also in new concerts for the end of this month, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will step outside of The Rednecks Saloon for the first time since their Rock 'N Roar battle set in Spanish earlier this year, as they'll be rocking out on Saturday, October 31st at..... Studio 10?! Yes, the local strip club at 89 Hudson Street appears to be throwing their hat into the ring for live band bookings, as the official Facebook event page implies that Havadder will be the first band to ever play there (and no, I don't know if the "adult entertainment" will be happening concurrently with their set.) As this is a Halloween night show, costumes are encouraged, and there will be a contest for the best one, so keep that angle in mind! Located at the corner of Hudson and Queen Street West near the bridge, there's a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit in effect, and I have no idea if Studio 10 tends to have cover charges. For more details, check the above links!

This is an unexpected announcement, especially given Havadder's local exclusivity with The Rednecks Saloon since late last year, but Studio 10's not terribly far from there. It'll be interesting to see how this goes over, but they'll have added competition too, as the Halloween weekend is traditionally busy. Stay tuned if there's updates though!

We'll close today with new videos, including a new song posting from local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith's upcoming concept album "Apocalypse II"! Recently revealed to be on pre-order in the near future for $5 (source here), the newest song from it is oddly titled "Tribute to Mike Haggith", and fittingly, Mike does sing lead vocals on this song, with guitarist Daniel Horton handling drums and bass for it too. Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Saturday, it's basically a mix of Haggith's sound and Mike Haggith's solo material, if that makes sense, but fans should dig it, so give it a listen!



Finally, here's one more Havadder note, courtesy of their last unshared archive video from YouTube, again courtesy of their Turner Up-hybrid lineup from January 2012! Filmed by an attendee at what's now The Rednecks Saloon (then The Nicolet Tavern), this was uploaded to their then-sister band's YouTube channel, though Turner Up themselves were never featured in a video there. Though untitled, this is of Havadder covering Collective Soul's "Cumbersome", and while the description downplays the audio quality, it's not that bad (if anything, the lighting affects the video more), and the guys pull off a solid version of this 1990s rock classic! Give it a look below, and don't miss the current lineup at Studio 10 on Halloween!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!