Local Metal/Punk Video Showcase!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving on the Canadian side of the border! Before we begin this all-video post, I did want to apologize for missing a very late notice show on here, as classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison was a late replacement for today's Thanksgiving dinner concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, something only announced on the venue's Facebook page this morning. Apparently, Tym filled in on short notice for Soundcheck's Cameron Oliver, who withdrew from the matinee booking for unannounced reasons. Kudos to Tym for filling in, and I'd have happily covered this show on the SMS had it not been announced so late! Apologies again, and I hope everything went well for Jay's Thanksgiving!

As for tonight's videos, we'll go in alphabetical order by starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down, who uploaded two videos from their Water Tower Pub show on Friday to their Facebook page yesterday! Both incomplete (but at least filmed horizontally), the covers are of No Doubt's "Hella Good" with Joel Syrette on lead vocals, and as embedded below, The Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush" with his cousin Beej on lead vocals. The former is a very surprising cover given that it's from No Doubt's dancier post-ska punk era, while the latter is (to me) not the best showcase of Beej's vocal range, though given that it's not the full song, it does avoid the repetitive back half of "Plush". Still, both covers are strongly performed, so give these new Double Down videos a watch!

Next up, here's the latest from local hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, starting with the surprise reveal that they'll be on the "Punk Canada Vol. 4" compilation album next year! This is the next in an annual series by En Guard Records featuring many name domestic bands. Hails will have two very familiar discmates next year, including British Columbia skate/hardcore punk quartet Mean Bikini (who headlined at The Speak Easy last year) and Windsor hardcore punk band Avoid The Comment Section, one of the current bands from prolific Saultite guitarist Ash Richtig. I'd love to see Ash bring one of his bands up here for a show, but it's neat to see him on this! Keep in mind that the Punk Canada compilations exclusively feature bands covering older Canadian punk bands, so who will Ha!ls be tackling? Find out next year! In the realm of new videos, Hails did post one on their Facebook page on Friday!

The 23 seconds-long video features the guys playing "something we're working on", which they will reportedly debut when they open for Skoff at Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween party at The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on October 26th. The video focuses primarily on guitarist Carmen Muto playing a solo (only he and Brent are seen on camera), and it's definitely promisingly heavy for what we see, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Ha!ls when we hear it!

Also, here's a new live concert video from local hard rock quartet Half Past's big headlining concert at Soo Blaster on Satutrday night! As uploaded to their Facebook page, this video sees them covering almost all of Crossfade's "Cold", which is expertly timed given that Crossfade just announced that they had reunited. Alain's backing vocals could be louder but this is a solid cover that lets Jordan stretch his vocals to good effect, and it looks like they got a quality presentation for the larger venue! Check everything out for yourselves below, and look for more from Half Past soon!

We'll close today with a 52 second clip of Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head's headlining concert at The Machine Shop last month! This comes from Mike Blair at 705Live Sound Co., who manned the soundboards on this night and often films a video for their Facebook page from shows that he works on. Mike filmed Teenage Head playing their song "Infected", albeit largely when Dave Desroches left the stage mid-song, and everyone sounds good for what we hear! Nice to see a good crowd of people, especially given the mental health fundraising angle of this concert, so check everything out if you want below, and we'll let you know if more videos surface!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Skoff, Exit 808, And Peril) Plus The Teenage Head Concert Preview!!

(Updated on Sunday at 9:40 AM) To begin this revised post, we have a cancellation to note, as today's Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road (which would have featured local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck as musical guests once again) has been cancelled due to today's rainy forecast, as per drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. It's not clear if there will be a make-up date this fall, as this was to have been the final A&W car show of the year, but given the likely downpour this afternoon, I totally get why the event was called off. Hopefully we see Soundcheck live again soon! 

Now, let's lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a big weekend concert preview, starting with Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th! These are the only new-to-me metal or hard rock shows at either Kewadin branch on the newly updated schedules for both regional Kewadin lounges' entertainment pages, but, I profusely apologize for missing Peril's shows at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin branch yesterday and tonight for coverage on the SMS. I don't know how these slipped me by, other than to say that I am aware that Kewadin hasn't been booking as many hard rock shows at their lounges as of late, and Peril didn't plug this weekend's gigs on their Facebook page until earlier today, after the Friday nighter had already happened. Still, those are excuses, I know.

Given how Peril have been rocking the local Kewadin branches since the SMS launched, I should be keeping track of everything every time, so I apologize again, and hopefully this weekend's shows were huge hits, as will next month's in St. Ignace! These dates have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Do not miss Peril back in the E.U.P. in three weeks, and I apologize again for blanking on covering their Soo dates this weekend! I will definitely be on top of their next Rapids Lounge dates!

Next up, here's two more new shows as we start adding Halloween events to the schedule, and given that October 31st is on a Thursday this year, expect to see seasonal concerts both the week prior and the day after given the timing! In the former's case, Toronto grunge/punk trio Skoff will make their local concert debut on Saturday, October 26th when they headline local promoters Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween party at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West! A newer band making waves in Southern Ontario with their raw and explosive sound that early 1990s rock fans will definitely take to, it should be interesting to see how Skoff go over locally, especially given the seasonality and costumes galore! Local support will be provided by crossover thrash quartet Hails (last seen opening for The Ripcordz) alongside electro synth pop musician Owen MK, who debuted for the former Dryer Fire at an all-local event two years ago.

Aside from the scheduling and the promotion of this being a Halloween party, we don't know any further details yet about spooky frills or entertainment beyond the implication of costumes being welcomed, but this is just the second Eagles Club show that P.I.T.S. are trying (the first is next week). This all ages event has a 7:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $15 at this link or $20 at the door. Since the pandemic and the end of J.D.'s Halloween party, multi-band events like those have not been common, so this could fill a void for fans of punk and metal! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this event!

Meanwhile, as Halloween is on a Thursday this year, some bands/promoters will take advantage by hosting their festivities a day late on Friday, November 1st, and one of those will be Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808, who will topline The Merchant's Bar's Halloween party that day! With their next show at Team Century 21's A Night Of Music a week away, the Hallowen gig at The Merch is their next advertised date as of this writing, and there will definitely be a costume contest with prizes for attendees, so don't put your getups away yet! No other specifics yet on what to expect, but of course, Exit 808's dual  vocalist-lead hard rock covers will provide the sound you need as usual! This event has a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Exit 808 soon!

Finally, here's the big Sault Ontario concert TONIGHT featuring a touring headliner to wrap up this weekend's concert previews, namely Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head at The Machine Shop! As hyped in this SooToday article from Alex Flood on Tuesday, this concert goes beyond being Teenage Head's first local stop in the internet age, as it's a fundraiser for the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. This cause is very important to the band and promoter Ed Lofstrom of Martin's Trailers & Accessories, who is an avid fan of the band's dating back to their early years. Mental health is a serious issue, and it's great to see everyone come together to support such a wonderful charity, and to the extent that Teenage Head are calling this one of the most important shows of their career! Before their garage punk classics like "Let's Shake" and "Some Kinda Fun", Korah Collegiate's student band Mustang Sally will open.

Very atypical choice for openers, but the talent is always there from the current Colts! This show (during Teenage Head's 50th anniversary year, no less) has no age limit, an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets running for $45 at this link (VIP mezzanine tickets run for $60). On a musical and charitable level each, this will be a huge show for old school punk fans, and I hope all goals are exceeded for Ed and Teenage Head tonight! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Teenage Head live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Teenage Head), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have one more late update for tonight & tomorrow night's HeadFirst concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, as the guest drummer filling in for Anthony Boudreau will actually be ex-Bourbon Blue drummer Brent Royer, as per the band's Facebook page this morning. The originally planned guest drummer (local/Waterloo musician Celeste Bond) will still be present to guest on vocals on a few songs. I think that finally covers the changes to expect at Jay's this weekend, and hopefully things go well for HeadFirst, Brent, and Celeste!

Now, we're wrapping up this weekend's advertised hard rock concert previews today (and more), but first, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, as Hamilton punk legends Teenage Head will headline at The Machine Shop on Saturday, September 21st! Quietly announced on social media back in February, this is the first local appearance on record for Teenage Head (I'm sure they must have played here in the pre-internet days), who punk fans will know dating back to the 1970s for hit songs like "Somethin' On My Mind" and "Tornado", among others. It'll be neat to see Teenage Head in the Soo this fall, and their garage-influenced punk originals should attract a good audience! Interestingly, Korah Collegiate's student band Mustang Sally are the advertised local openers. Definitely surprising, but they always have a talented lineup and are well known locally from diverse events and covers alike, so don't bypass them!

This concert is being promoted by, believe it or not, Martin's Trailers & Accessories on Fifth Line East. Quite a big first leap into concert promotion, hopefully it's a big hit for Martin and crew! Tickets are now on sale for this all ages concert at this link for $45 ($60 for the VIP mezzanine access), and proceeds will go to the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Sounds like an intriguing night of music for classic punk fans, and for a great cause, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's concert previews with two upcoming one-nighters, starting with local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison, whoss bi-weekly arrangement at Misty's Fifties is scheduled to resume TOMORROW! The former Caveman Morrison & Nostalgic Band frontman is back for another acoustic matinee concert at the long-running Second Line West venue, and here's hoping that Tym's proficient and extensive setlist of classic and hard rock covers finds another receptive audience to end April with! If you can't make it, Tym will be back like clockwork every two weeks until the end of June, so fans will have at least four more chances to see Tym on Saturdays at Misty's in this run. Expect a 19+ age limit, no cover, and a 4:00 PM start time as usual. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live last year!

Lastly for known/announced hard rock shows this weekend in the Twin Saults, fans can check out local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT when they go unplugged ("uncorked" if you like) at Gateway Casino! Last seen at the downtown casino a little over a month ago, this will be the fourth consecutive traditional concert for Bone Yard at as many venues, with full weekends at Reggie's bookending this string of April one-offs (not to mention their hosting duties of the Thursday jam nights at Reggie's, though that was cancelled this week). As usual for their casino stops, tomorrow's show is acoustic, so prepare for a stripped down but still hard rocking night of covers from your local 225 then! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover, and 19+ age limits tomorrow. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live video of Bone Yard!

Live-streamed to their Facebook page, this comes from last Friday's late notice one-nighter at The Esquire Club, and it sees Greg, Alex, and Warren playing a lively cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" to cap off their final set. Despite being deep into the 1:00 AM hour, fans were engaged and rocking out to this strongly performed classic, and while the vertical camerawork is far from ideal (if not unexpected), the filmer did get a good look at the band and crowd in good measure. Check it out below, and don't miss Bone Yard 225 "uncorked" tomorrow at Gateway Casino!

We'll close today with new "Shorts" videos from local progressive/djent metal band Convergence, who quietly teased two songs from their upcoming "Gemini" EP on their YouTube channel two weeks ago! One is the title track and is embedded below (at least you can embed "Shorts" externally, unlike "Reels"), but the other song is called "In Bloom", related in name only to the Nirvana song. I'll hold comment on these songs pending a possible review of "Gemini" later this year (even if it's out quickly, I'm only reviewing "Convergence" in the next few days), but fans of proficient instrumental prog-metal will want to check these out above & below!

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