Before we begin our extended Oh!No preview, just a heads up/apology, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnisheddid play a morning matinee at Biggby Coffee today, as per their Facebook page shortly after showtime. In other words, "every Thursday" continued for at least one more week, though why not plug it as part of their advertising for this week's other concerts? In any event, I apologize for missing it, and hopefully it was a great show! Note that Tarnished have no advertised shows publically past Saturday in Ohio, so I'm not going to immediately jump the gun on more Biggby gigs until the band or venue confirms them. Stay tuned in any event!
Now, today's second weekend concert preview post is otherwise devoted to our extended preview of this weekend's third annual Oh!No concert festival, which returns to Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, Ontario for an expanded two night format TOMORROW & SATURDAY! As well advertised via diverse fundraisers in recent months (everything from dance parties & garage sales to car washes and punk rock ramen), organizers Six, Two, Oh. are going all out for year #3, and as usual, camping is encouraged for attendees taking the hour-long drive, and all of the usual fan-friendly experiences are presumably back this weekend, including vendors and hopefully another bonfire (any more pianos or organs they can use?) Check the official Facebook page for full non-musical details and even the precise location of the venue and camping areas, but let's dive into this stacked roster of local and touring entertainment, as 25 acts will hit the church stage in Leeburn this weekend, so who can you look for to start things off tomorrow night?
Only one touring band is playing tomorrow's shortened first half of Oh!No III, and they are Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists in their third local concert appearance and second straight Oh!No set, and with their high energy, intense, and theatrical stage show, they should leave a huge impression on Leeburn once again! They're up at 12:20 AM, while the all-local opening roster will be toplined by rapper (and festival newcomer) Kodex at 11:40 PM. Punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will become the first band to play all three Oh!No festivals at 11:00 PM, while hip-hop duo Planet Rock will return from last year at 10:20 PM. Jack Spades' sister punk trio Stegadeth will make their own Oh!No debut at 9:40 PM, and tomorrow's lineup will be opened by local alt-folk solo artist Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis at 9:00 PM, who previously played here in 2017. I don't know if the spacing of the heavier/punk bands alternating with the hip-hop/solo acts is intentional, but the lineup is very impressive overall!
For what it's worth, Planet Rock were originally slated to play on Saturday afternoon, but quietly traded timeslots with Hannah Lindsay for unannounced reasons. Doors open at 8:00 PM for tomorrow's concert action, this is an ALL AGES event, and a B.Y.O.B. policy is in effect. There are no single day passes, so if you want to come down, buy a $40 ticket at the door or at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street (for maximum value, camp out and stick around on Saturday!) There's a lot to take in tomorrow, so see above for more details, and here's The Therapists live!
As for Saturday's lineup, the other 19 acts are being crammed into a full day's worth of music, including all of the non-Therapists touring acts, so who all can you see then? The 1:00 AM headliners are (surprisingly) St. Catharine's crossover thrash quintet Pisser, but a prominent act for many will precede them at 12:00 AM, namely Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring Sault Ste. Marie native Mark Rand and his wife Tracy), and it will be great to see them back on a local stage after melting many faces at Oh!No II! The festival-ending block of out of town bands will also feature Sudbury punk quartet Lightmares (in their third straight Oh!No set) at 11:00 PM, as well as Thunder Bay hardcore band Femur at 10:00 PM, and Montreal classic rockers Wrecker (who just played at Dryer Fire yesterday) at 9:00 PM. Drone/noise trio Pointless will be the highest placed local band at 8:10 PM in their third Oh!No set, while Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface will precede them in his second festival appearance, and he'll be no stranger to local fans from Soo gigs either!
Thunder Bay hardcore group Lord Hidetora will make their local concert debut at 6:50 PM, as preceded by fellow Thunder Bay desert rockers The Franquilizers at 6:10, in their third Oh!No set. Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora will return from last year with a 5:30 PM set, but with two exceptions, every preceding band is local. Instrumental surf rockers The Dynowaves will return from Oh!No II with a set at 5:00 PM, while revived acoustic punk solo project Telephone & Address are advertised to end their almost two years-long concert hiatus with a set at 4:30 PM (though I have not seen Chris plug their return publically on the band's Facebook page, for what it's worth.) Funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will also join the three-timers club with a set at 4:00 PM, and rapper Conika will take the stage for a 3:30 PM set. New Barrie "witchy punk" trio The Angry Spells (featuring Beaver Slap frontwoman Midge Beaver) will perform themselves 3:00 PM.
Fresh off of the timeslot trade with Planet Rock, local folk/pop solo artist Hannah Lindsay (replacing Dusty Hazelwood) will perform on Saturday at 2:30 PM, while Barrie punk quartet The Speed Humps will play at 2:00 PM as the earliest touring band that day. The opening acts are indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm at 1:00 PM, though might that set morph into a C.T.W. set? Time will tell, but all of the pre-Elements bands are making their Oh!No debuts that afternoon. Doors open at 12:00 PM, and the same $40 ticket info applies as above, so be sure to visit the above links for full details on Oh!No III! The size, scope, and ambition of this festival continues to impress, but how will things go in Leeburn this time, and beyond adding a third day, how big can this get if it returns in 2020? Get down to Leeburn if you can for all of the action this weekend, and here's Pisser live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
Before we dive into this weekend's post (devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS), just a heads up that I learned of a trio of shows this coming weekend too late to cover on here before their weekend concert preview cycle. Between low advertising and my own personal schedule, they should have been on here well in advance (which I apologize for), so just to get a jump on things, visit the links here & here for info on two FREE Roberta Bondar Pavilion shows next week with hard rock content, and here for details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, before we preview them on Thursday. Now, here's what you should know for those new shows!
Edmonton art punk quartet Doreen will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, August 20th when they headline at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street! Not your typical sound for a punk band, Doreen take a lot of inspiration from indie and garage rock, but they have a creative blend of styles, as seen on their new CD "Ruthless Severance", and they should be a fine fit at this temporary venue later this month! Local experimental musician Chase Wigmore (not playing as Awokest) will open with a set of his own irreverent, in-your-face original material, and it's always an experience seeing him live, so don't miss his set either on this special Tuesday nighter! Yes, we have a lot to discuss regarding him and Awokest, stay tuned for what we've missed as of late. This ALL AGES concert has a $10 cover charge and a luckily early start time of 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this show, and stay tuned for updates!
Next up, the full schedule for this year's third annual Oh!No concert festival at Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn was finally announced via their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know in this regard? We announced the lineup for the September 6th-7th event on the SMS two months ago in this extended write-up, but as Oh!No III is a two night event, I waited to call these as a true LOCAL CONCERT ALERT until organizers Six, Two, Oh. confirmed each day's itinerary, and there are a few changes from what was announced in June. The band lineup on Friday, September 6th is a shorter nighttime affair, which will be toplined by Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, who are night #1's only touring attraction. Remaining performers will include rapper Kodex at 11:40 PM, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 11:00 PM, folk/pop musician Hannah Lindsay at 10:20 PM, punk trio Stegadeth at 9:40 PM, and alt-folk solo project Slumshine opening at 9:00 PM.
In case you didn't notice from the lineup reveal in June, Hannah Lindsay is a new addition to the bill, replacing Dusty Hazelwood for unannounced reasons, though note that everyone but drummer Mitchell Harris will still be present as a promoter or in other bands. As for Saturday, September 7th, the surprise headliners will be St. Catharines crossover thrash band Pisser at 1:00 AM, as preceded by Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog at 12:00 AM, Sudbury punk standouts Lightmares at 11:00 PM, Thunder Bay hardcore band Femur at 10:00 PM, and Montreal classic rock project Wrecker at 9:00 PM. Local drone rock trio Pointless (no longer billed as a Bill Priddle solo set) will be the only local act playing after dark via their 8:10 PM set, with Peterborough rapper Garbageface, Thunder Bay hardcore group Lord Hidetora & desert rockers The Franquilizers, and Toronto indie quartet Forest City Aurora playing at 7:30, 6:50, 6:10, and 5:30 PM respectively.
With two exceptions, earlier acts that day are all local, including surf rock band The Dynowaves at 5:00 PM, revived lo-fi punk project Telephone & Address at 4:30 PM, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 4:00 PM, and rapper Conika at 3:30 PM. The mystery band named The Angry Spells (who are on at 3:00 PM) actually aren't local, as their updated Facebook page reveals that they're a new side project of Beaver Slap vocalist Midge Beaver's, so if you were hoping to see them back this year, hopefully this new band will fill the void! Local hip hop duo Planet Rock will play at 2:30 PM, following Barrie punk quarter The Speed Humps at 2:00 PM, while the two local opening solo acts will be indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and C.T.W. side project Malignant Neoplasm in a rare live set at 1:00 PM. As previously announced, tickets are $40 for both nights, and tickets are on sale at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and at Dryer Fire.
Remember that camping on-site will be available for fans making the 45 minute trek to Leeburn, and this is a B.Y.O.B. event. It's great to finally have each night's schedule, and there's lots of hard rock and punk action to go around on both nights, so visit the above links for complete details on Oh!No III!That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Today's post features a preview of a big Sunday night concert, but first, here's the full lineup for the third annual Oh!No festival is now out! Returning to Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn, this year's installment is the biggest yet, as Oh!No III will be a two night event on Friday, September 6th and Saturday, September 7th! As such, we're not calling this as a proper local concert alert until daily schedules are revealed, but the odds that there will be a day without heavier acts are basically nil. After having an 18 act marathon last year, the two night structure will allow promoters Six, Two, Oh. to spread this year's 25 acts out, but who all is scheduled for this fall? Eleven of the scheduled performers are from out of town, including 6 returnees from past Oh!No festivals. Sudbury punk quartet Lightmares and Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers will return to Leeburn for a third straight year each, while Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring the Soo's own Mark Rand) is among the returning performers from last year.
The other touring attractions back from 2018 include Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface, and Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora. No Beaver Slap this year, but the five Oh!No (and Sault Ste. Marie-area) newcomers from afar will include Thunder Bay hardcore-influenced bands Femur & Lord Hidetora, St. Catharine's crossover thrash quintet Pisser, Barrie punk quartet The Speed Humps, and Montreal classic rock solo project Wrecker. Lots of old and new talent here, be sure to check all of these bands out before September! The local performing roster will feature punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements back for their own third straight appearances, while surf rock quartet The Dynowaves, hip-hop duo Planet Rock, and indie/folk musician Shae Tull will all return from last year, and Dynowaves bassist Brenton Ellis will bring his online page-less solo project Slumshine back to Oh!No after last playing there in 2017.
Locally based newcomers to Oh!No this fall will include punk trio Stegadeth, cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm, rappers Conika and Kodex, and new pop rock band Dusty Hazelwood (featuring co-promoter Jamie Vincent & Dynowaves members.) A new & yet online page-less punk trio named The Angry Spells are also advertised, though we await information on them beyond a description of their sound. We'll let you know when/if anything is said! Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle is advertised with a solo set this year after playing in his drone/noise band Pointless in the past two Oh!No festivals, though note that Oh!No's own 2019 artist bio on him credits him jointly as Pointless. Finally, local lo-fi acoustic punk solo project Telephone & Address are advertised to play this fall, marking their first live appearance since 2017 after being on public hiatus for well over a year. This is very encouraging news, and hopefully Chris has more in the pipeline, so Telephone & Address are back in our active band links!
No sign of A Dire Setback or Winkstinger this year, but still, how's all this for a stacked and nicely varied lineup? Tickets will go on sale for a flat $40 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and Dryer Fire's pop-up location on Bruce Street, while camping will be available on site as usual, and while there's no stated age limit, a "B.Y.O.B." policy remains in effect. Doors open at 8:00 AM on Friday and 11:00 AM on Saturday, with daily schedules to be revealed. This should be another excellent time for concert goers able to make the trip an hour east to Leeburn, but there's still a lot to learn, so visit the above links for complete and ongoing details on Oh!No III!
Finally for today, here's our preview of a special Sunday night concert TOMORROW at Soo Blaster, as Toronto metal legends Anvil will return to Sault Ste. Marie for their fourth local show in the 2010s! It's been a long four year wait since we last saw Lips, Robb, and Chris deliver their requisite "metal on metal" to a local audience, and with the momentum of their newest CD "Pounding the Pavement" still ongoing, they should deliver another heavy set of classic hits and newer originals tomorrow night! Co-headlining tomorrow are Edmonton metal quintet Striker in their first local concert appearance since headlining at The Rosie six years ago, and with their finely tuned NWOBHM throwback sound, they should melt many faces in their own right at Soo Blaster! Remember, this was originally advertised as a Striker headlining show before Anvil were confirmed. The aforementioned Jack Spades will join power rock quintet Re:Born as openers, who should set the tone well with their own diverse takes on their genres!
Advance tickets are on sale for $20 at Soo Blaster (or $25 at the door), this is a 19+ event, and a somewhat early 7:30 PM start time is advertised. Also, note the $200 VIP booth option for a party of 6, if you are so inclined for that experience. It's great to have Anvil and Striker back for a night full of old school metal intensity, with Re:Born more than up to the task on another big stage for them, and don't forget about Jack Spades' punk-influenced attack either! Don't miss out on all of tomorrow's action if you can swing it, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Anvil live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
Hey everyone, it's time for our fourth post in four days, so if you're done Black Friday shopping, here's our review of last night's Shit Liver-headlined concert at The New American Pub! Given the Thursday night scheduling (well past the Rosie metal night era) and cold temperatures, attendance wasn't spectacular, but a decent enough crowd filled out the New A for this one, and by the last two bands, the mosh pits certainly felt much larger! Remember, Destroilet dropped out of this show and were not replaced on the bill.
Opening last night's show was local death metal band The Bear Hunters in their first live concert appearance in over a year, and while I don't know why they took so long off, they roared back to life with a brutal set of more recent originals that surely began the face melting process! Sticking to songs on their still-forthcoming album "The Dead Testament" like "Servitude", "Deception", and "The Dying Den", their brief 6 song set even began with the live debut of their original "For Glory", which even featured guitarist Mitch Sirie on backing clean vocals! Rare to hear him sing on a song that's not about his squirrel buddy! Aside from Justin Lam's new short haircut and Nik Deubel's increasingly impressive beard, everyone looked as expected and brought the brutality at a level equitable to their other Josh-less sets, with Mitch shining on guitar, Justin handling the low end as well as ever, and Johnny Belanger's drumming was a great match!
Nik acknowledged during their set that "The Dead Testament" is done mastering, and that they recently shot their first ever music video, which will be old news if you follow members' personal Facebook accounts, but marks their first public acknowledgement of this fact. I'll hold on saying more until the band does, but I can't wait to see the album and video completed! The Bear Hunters picked up where they left off nicely, I just wish it was longer!
Next up last night were Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists in their Sault Ste. Marie concert debut, their first regional show since this year's Oh!No festival in Leeburn, and the first of a two night run with Shit Liver in Northern Ontario that wraps up tonight in Sudbury. Many fans who were at Oh!No II spoke very highly of The Therapists, and aside from the absence of their astronaut guitarist, it looks like they picked up right where they left off with a wild and hard to explain set! Musically speaking, The Therapists played an in-your-face brand of hardcore punk with ribald and sometimes specifically topical lyrics, but always with an irreverent edge that played to the crowd well! Frontman Pat Sauve was dressed to the nines in his Shit Liver patch-covered vest and a plastic tote full of hats and masks (worn as hats) as he mingled with fans mid-song, even using an old air conditioner as a stool! Yes, other band members were dressed up too, including as Jesus.
In the process, bubbles were blown, plastic army men were distributed, smoke machines billowed, and a can of silly string even got sprayed around! Needless to say, this was a raucous show with a huge reception, to the point where fans demanded one more song, and that stretched out into three or four more! With solid ripping guitar work and intense vocals, The Therapists arguably stole the show, and hopefully we see them back on a local stage in 2019! Imagine them and Bookakee on the same bill?!
And finally, your headliners were local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver in their second and final local concert stop of 2018, ans they brutalized with a no nonsense blitzkrieg of original songs to end the night with! Sticking largely to their new album "Hitting The Fan" with songs like "Evacuation" and "Cirrhosis", plus select older material like "It's Not My Problem", Shit Liver brought their crusty mixture of death metal and hardcore punk back with full force, and as the mosh pit behind me indicated, things were hectic and full of energy even after The Therapists wrapped up! Of course, the triple vocal attack from Josh Penno, Mike Kyle, and Matt Baic was as ferocious as ever, and their fast riffs, pounding bass, and well timed drums were all highly complimentary as you'd expect. Their set went by very fast, but in a good way, and this was a brutal and fun way to end a busy year for Shit Liver! Here's hoping for more!
Overall, this was a nice and brutal concert full of hard hitting original material, and how can you not have fun with The Therapists' wild stage show? You can check out our photos and videos from the show at this link or at our Facebook page, and apologies for the hazy pictures of The Therapists, I don't think any camera I've ever owned likes smoke machines. As for videos, here's The Bear Hunters opening their set with "For Glory", The Therapists playing "Shotgun Anus" (they titled it, not me!), and Shit Liver playing two short originals ("It Won't Change" & "Wait"!)
That's all for today, but stay tuned for the last of this weekend's concert previews and more updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Today marks the third in a five consecutive day run of new posts on the SMS, with a concert review coming tomorrow, and the conclusion of this weekend's concert previews on Saturday (namely Toystock, so look for that then.) With things quiet in Sault Michigan over the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend, this latest round of concert previews is all Sault Ontario-centric, so let's lead off in rough chronological order, with a new concert video, a band drop-out, and a missed show apology all thrown in for good measure!
We'll start this weekend's hard rock concert previews with a big metal concert TONIGHT, as local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver will headline a Thursday metal night throwback of sorts at The New American Pub! Last seen during their album release tour concert seven months ago, this will be a solid way for fans to see Josh, Mike, and Matt back in their hometown for another blast of explosive crust punk and death metal originals, so don't miss out tonight! Despite being a fully out of town band, Sudbury party violence" quintet The Therapists will get the middle slot tonight in their Sault Ste. Marie debut proper, though Oh!No festivalgoers will recall this band replacing Shit Liver in Leeburn this year. With their fan-favourite blend of hardcore punk and an irreverent sense of humour, The Therapists should attract a strong audience tonight, and might they have costumes again? Opening tonight's show is the long awaited return of local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters, ending a year+ long hiatus from the stage in the process. It's great to have them back after far too long!
Will we get any surprise reveals towards "The Dead Testament" tonight? Be there early to find out! Note that hardcore punk sextet Destroilet dropped out of the show for unannounced reasons and were not replaced, as per the Facebook event page yesterday, meaning that "later rather than sooner" will likely extend past two years. Hopefully all's well in their camp! A $10 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ event, which starts at 9:30 PM, and given the school/work night scheduling, organizers are aiming to wrap things up by midnight, which is kind of them! This should be a can't miss show for extreme metal and hardcore punk fans, so see the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a newly discovered video of Shit Liver live! Posted online in June by YouTube user sad dad, this is of Shit Liver's headlining set at Mags 99 in Squamish, British Columbia back in April, and they were filmed along with one video of openers The Beer Disposal Experts that same night.
Filmed from a close side-stage angle, this captures their fast-paced and ferocious onslaught nicely, and the audio quality holds up, though the camera placement might not be to everyone's liking unless you frequent venues where you can get beside the band like this. Give it a look below, and don't miss Shit Liver and company tonight at The New A!
Next up, we'll head to Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street, where Tym Morrison will return for his fourth week of matinee concert bookings at the relocated venue TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Things sound like they are going well for Tym's resumed arrangement at the former Gliss Steak & Seafood since it's relocation, and expect another fun weekend full of acoustic hard and classic rock covers there over these two nights! While we're on the subject, I did want to apologize for a missed show of Tym's, as he played a special set at Tamar's Trends Flower Shopthis past Thursday in conjunction with their Moonlight Magic sale event (source here), similarly to when he played outside of this Queen Street business during a Downtown Street Party this July. While Tym didn't promote it on his own pages, I profusely apologize for missing it, and hopefully it was a great concert!
As far as I know, Tym is just at Gliss this weekend, and you can see him tomorrow and Saturday for 6:00 PM shows with no announced age limits or cover charges, though mind the locale. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!
Finally for today's concert preview post (Toystock is coming on Saturday), we'll head to The Rockstar Bar, where new-ish veteran hard rock quintet Fluid 5ive will return for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! With their concert schedule moving a little faster than usual, this will be their second show since confirming Liam Vaillancourt as a new guitarist, and could serve as a tune-up of sorts before their Habitat For Humanity Builder's Bash concert next Friday. Though public videos are still not out of Fluid 5ive in action, this talented lineup of familiar local faces should deliver a fun set of hard rocking covers, so don't miss out on Saturday! This is a one-nighter, and while I cannot confirm what's going on at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow at press time, note that they've had a lot of Friday night karaoke events for Christmas Cheer as of late. Also, note that the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page lists both Fluid 5ive AND Soundcheck as playing at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, so what's going on there?
As far as I can tell, that's an accidental remnant from their concert calendar post last week, as Soundcheck did play at The Rockstar Bar this past Saturday, so just ignore that minor error. Fluid 5ive should be on at 9:00 PM or so, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for our review of the aforementioned Shit Liver concert tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Here's a new news post for your Saturday evening, and it includes some assorted shorter stories, new videos from recent concerts here and afar, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Before we all focus on Thanksgiving, here's what you should know!
Three local metal bands we don't see very often nowadays and a favourite band from the Oh!No festival will join forces for a special New American Pub concert on Thursday, November 22nd, toplined by the local return of Shit Liver! 7 months removed from their "Hitting the Fan" release tour stop at the same venue, the local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio will return home following the end of their summer break, so prepare for another fast paced and ferocious night of original action! Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists (who incidentally replaced Shit Liver at Oh!No II) will make their Sault Ste. Marie debut that night as co-headliners, and if you recall their costumed and creative blend of hardcore punk in Leeburn, look for much more of the same next month! Veteran local hardcore punk sextet Destroilet will end a nearly 2 year long hiatus from the stage when they rock this concert, in what will be their first gig since the 2016 Guy Thiffault tribute show, and since co-lead singer Brenton Ellis returned to the band last year. It appears "later, rather than sooner" is November 22nd, so prepare for Destroilet's long awaited return then!
And if that's not all, prepare for the return of local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters as the advertised openers, marking their first live concert set since October of last year. I don't know where they've been, but will we get any teasers towards their long-gestating new album? Find out next month! This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time, and while an old poster cited a "pay what you can" option, a $10 admission fee is advertised. This may be on American Thanksgiving, but fans of the old Rosie metal nights should be giving thanks for the death metal and hardcore punk returns coming to The New A then, so visit the Facebook event page for more details!
Next up, here's a 25 minute long video from local punk trio Redundant's trip to Toronto in July for their one-off gig at the final Vans Warped Tour! This was uploaded to bassist James White's YouTube channel two weeks ago, in his first upload there in 6 months, and the footage here was shot on a cell phone camera from their hitting the road on Monday, July 16th through their set the following day at at the Flats at Budweiser Stage. The band (plus two spouses) are featured in this footage as they drove east through Ontario, and while there's far too much to individually break down, what are some highlights? Well, you can expect lots of road trip footage, in-car banter and music, stops at Legoland and Bass Pro Shop, and exploring their hotel room, among other moments (some sped up, and some with James narrating to the camera.) Footage at the Warped Tour proper begins at about 12:27, and you'll get to see the festival grounds, attendees, and setup in nice detail until footage of their set begins, so if you never went, enjoy the last look! After we see them set-up, you'll get performance footage of Redundant starting at 18:22 with a clip of their cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" before we see their original "Miles Apart" in full. The video ends with James using an amusing camera effect before closing with scattered photos set to their EP's closing track "What Will You Do". Despite being filmed almost entirely in portrait orientation (the exception being when Justin doles out Jagermeister in red solo cups), this is a fun look at their big road trip this summer, and hopefully the crowd grew as their set progressed! Give the full video a look below, and don't miss Redundant at the Ten Foot Pole show later this month!
Also, we have a surprising number of videos from the Faps-headlined concert at LopLops Lounge on Wednesday night to share, courtesy of Precision Design & Apparel head Aaron Reed, who shared seven videos from the concert to it's Facebook event page the following day! All of these are just 20 seconds long, on the same portrait orientation angle, and all have medium/scratchy audio, so mind that going into these. Two of Aaron's videos are of the opening acts (Conika and her new rap/jazz group Bom Cronik), with the rest focusing on the Saskatchewan noise punk duo, and yes, they are wearing dresses on stage. These go by too fast to easily identify the songs being played, but the chaos of The Faps' live show is on full display, and it looks like attendees at LopLops had a fun time! Give one of the five Faps videos a look below, and see above for the rest, including some guest drummer appearances, including from co-promoter/AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent in two of them!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual for these short-form story blocks, these are in alphabetical order by artist or company name:
I have moved local power pop/hard rock quintet The Noochin' Lanterns to our inactive band links, as they have not issued a public update since releasing their "Drop The Gloves" single on October 3rd of last year. A side project of The Apocalypse Afterparty, this pajama-clad band only played a couple of of advertised concerts last year (pop-up gigs aside), but they had creativity and a lively stage show, and hopefully we hear more from Paul, Amanda, Tyler, Matthew, Sarah, and Amber in the future!
Local indie punk quintet Northwest quietly noted on their Facebook page on September 3rd that the release party for their second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" will take place at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, December 22nd. Nothing else has followed regarding the event, even a month later, so I am hesitant to begin covering it normally, but that is the teased date and locale. Stay tuned for fuller updates on the EP release when they roll in, but fans may want to remember that date over the holidays!
This is very belated, but I have added Sault Michigan videography company Third Cinema Productions to our "Other Sault Michigan Links" section. Led by Eric Cairns, long-time readers may recognize Third Cinema from their frequent relationship with Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned and their frontman Alex Traynor's solo project, with Eric filming each on multiple occasions (Eric's even played with Banned as a guest bassist in the past.) Third Cinema do great work with concert footage, music videos, weddings, and more, so give them a look above, and apologies for the delay in responding to your e-mail, Eric!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
Here's our first of at least 2 (maybe 3) fallout/video posts from this past Saturday's Oh!No concert festival at Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, Ontario, and believe me, there's a lot to touch on! Co-promoter/AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent gave a nice long thank you on the Facebook event page to everyone who made this year's festival possible (even Oosik Records were on site), so definitely give that a look! Jamie's write-up confirms a late lineup change, as drone/noise trio Pointless (featuring Oh!No sound engineers Bill Priddle and Dustin Goodall) did play a proper set after all, despite their prior removal from the schedule. Though they were bumped to the evening, they appear to have replaced Mister Tahti's advertised kickoff set, despite his attendance as a vendor on Saturday. Hopefully all's well across the board! Though curiously not part of a SooToday article (yet?), Donna Hopper was on hand for Oh!No II, posting 139 photos from the festival onto her photography Facebook page, so what should you know there?
Without breaking down individual totals (the shots are in order), Donna was on hand for the three final local bands (Planet Rock, Pointless, and The Dynowaves) and every out of town act except closing rapper Garbageface, with each band getting at least 8 or 9 photos. As expected, Donna's photos are superb, and she got a lot of photos of the crowd enjoying the festival and the bands, so if you were there, see if you're featured! Though the lion's share of her photos are in black and white, they contrast well with the ending bonfire shots, which she left in colour, so the old organ burning is preserved as you saw it on Saturday! In the realm of public videos, we are far more blessed than we were for year 1, particularly because Christopher Paci was on hand for the majority of the day's events, filming at least one video of every out of town band and the same local bands that Donna photographed, plus Jack Spades and Mik & Steve. If you missed or want to relive the latter stages of Oh!No II, visit Chris' YouTube channel!
We'll go in descending order for Chris' twenty videos from last week, which capped off with a video of the aforementioned organ bonfire, which is a good watch to see the spectacle in motion, let alone in a rare portrait orientation video of his! Chris' last music clips were three videos of Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface performing his songs "Mouths", "Like The Goddamn Fucking Challenger Explosion" (he titled it, not me!), and "Mental Alchemy". The lighting's not ideal on these clips, but his communal and intense presence comes through as well as it did locally last year, and this looks like a fun way to end the festival! Fellow Peterborough talents Cross Dog preceded him, with the hardcore punk trio filmed twice by Chris, though I admittedly haven't had a lot of luck identifying them based on their studio albums. The stage lighting is dark compared to the surrounding church walls, but you get a nice central view of Cross Dog's ferocious live attack here!
Tracy's vocals are sometimes muffled, but the raucous fan response is clear, and it's great to see Mark and company bring Cross Dog back to the Algoma District after 5 years away! Give Chris' videos of theirs a look at this link and below, and hopefully we're not waiting another 5 years for the next one!
We'll close our first Oh!No fallout post with a video of Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists, and their video is of their original song "Shotgun Anus". Again, they titled it, don't shoot the messenger! If you can't see them well with the lighting, photographer Mimi Abitbol got colour shots of them at the festival, which you can check out on the band's Facebook page. I guarantee this will be the only band you see locally this year featuring both an astronaut and... Jesus Christ?! Also, nice touch by singer Patrick Sauve to wear a vest covered in Shit Liver patches, given that they replaced Shit Liver on the Oh!No bill. If I had to describe The Therapists' sound, I'd go with hardcore punk, but that's definitely a generalization, they have more to say than just that stylistically, and they definitely have a good sense of humour. Again, the audio's somewhat muffled here, but The Therapists look like a fun live band, and hopefully they come out west again in the future, so give Chris' video a look below!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more Oh!No concert fallout in the coming days, possibly tomorrow, as we'll look at the remaining out of town bands then! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this weekend's first concert preview post, just a heads up that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page is advertising 3 Day Millionaires concerts this weekend at Reggie's West, despite that band's dissolution in July. I believe those shows were once a thing, but obviously not anymore post-breakup. As for this weekend's official hard rock & punk concerts in the Soo area, we'll be holding our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest and Tym Morrison previews for tomorrow's post due to the amount in today's, so things are spread out more evenly. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!
Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 as their Fishbowl Friday headliners TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen as campfire jam hosts at the Northern Vibe Festival, this will be the Elements side project's first Room 21 gig in over a month, so if you've missed this fan favourite unit above Low & Slow, head there TOMORROW! The event page teases that there will be "all the Jonas you can take", which seems to imply that Elements drummer Jonas Gasperas will be a guest musician TOMORROW, but that's not firmly stated. This concert has a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and no announced cover charge, while fishbowls full of adult beverages will be on sale for $8 if that floats your boat. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW's concert, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!
Next up, we'll take a quick detour to Kinross, Michigan, where local classic/hard rock veterans Banned will play their third and final 2018 concert at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark during this year's auto racing season TOMORROW NIGHT! After two prior shows this summer as post-practice entertainment, tomorrow's previously announced concert will see Banned playing their familiar cover selection after the Four Cylinder Friday races during the Memorial Invitational weekend events to cap off this year's racing schedule in Kinross. Unlike their prior 2018 gigs here, Banned are not playing Saturday at the grandstand, with Rudyard classic rockers Steelhead playing post-race that day instead. Expect a 9:00 PM start time with no age limits, and admission is $5 for Friday's race (kids are FREE.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!
Finally for today's concert preview post, let's head to nearby Leeburn, Ontario for the second annual Oh!No music festival, as Six, Two, Oh. are bringing 18 acts to "Robbie's Church" there for a day full of musical mayhem THIS SATURDAY! As well hyped in local news media, at 1990s dance parties, and via ticket sales at the MS Norgoma, this day-long festival will feature food vendors, overnight camping, and a "bring your own beer" policy, so if you loved last year's ambiance, you're in good hands for Oh!No II!The official schedule for the festival was quietly posted on the Facebook event page last month, and it confirms a few unreported band withdrawals and replacements, so who's out? Specifically, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, local indie/alt-rock quartet Id Iota, and drone/noise rock trio Pointless, and while reasons weren't stated for their exits, note that Shit Liver hadn't publically ended their summer break at press time. Hopefully all's well in their camps! Also, remember that Vol. already dropped out upon their breakup earlier this year.
Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface (a favourite at 2017 shows here) will close this year's festival at 1:00 AM, while Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand) will end a 5 year hiatus from the local stage as the highest slotted metal/punk band at 12:00 AM. Sudbury "psychedelic party rock" quintet The Therapists will ostensibly replace Shit Liver at 11:15 PM for their regional concert debut, while the preceding 3 bands are all out of town acts returning from last year's Oh!No Fest, including Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers at 10:15 PM, Sudbury punk band Lightmares at 9:15 PM, and Barrie punk quartet Beaver Slap at 8:30 PM. Two festival newcomers will open the out of town half of the schedule, namely London post-grindcore trio Fat Cop at 7:45 PM and Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora at 6:45 PM. Your closing local act at 6:00 PM is Planet Rock, the new hip hop project from 2017 performer DJ Seith and rapper St. James.
The all-local opening half continues with new surf-rock quartet The Dynowaves (featuring 2017 performer Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis) at 5:20 PM, and punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 4:40 PM, while indie rock duo Mik & Steve will replace their predecessor band Vol. at 4:00 PM. Three more returning local bands precede them, including death metal quartet Winkstinger at 3:20 PM, alt-punk trio A Dire Setback at 2:40 PM, and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 2:00 PM. Indie/folk solo artists Jackson Reed & Shae Tull will play short afternoon sets at 1:30 & 1:00 PM respectively, while one more new confirmation will kick off this year's festival at 12:30 PM, namely former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti in a rare solo set. Despite some lineup changes and a drop from 19 bands to only 18, this is a stacked all-day lineup, so be sure to check out the above bands, new and old! Admission for this ALL AGES festival is $35 in advance and $40 at the door, which may be higher than last year, but remember that this year's lineup has more bands.
Tickets are available at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and via local performers, while visit the Facebook event page linked above for details on how to get to "Robbie's Church". Also, given the relatively remote location, ride sharing is an encouraged method to get to Leeburn if you don't have an available vehicle or if you find a cab to be expensive. This year's Oh!No festival is shaping up to be another great day of local and out of town music, with a little something for many tastes, so be sure to check the above links for full details on all of the action in Leeburn on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Cross Dog live in Sault Ste. Marie back in 2013!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest preview and more next! Thanks everyone!
Fresh off of the timeslot trade with Planet Rock, local folk/pop solo artist Hannah Lindsay (replacing Dusty Hazelwood) will perform on Saturday at 2:30 PM, while Barrie punk quartet The Speed Humps will play at 2:00 PM as the earliest touring band that day. The opening acts are indie/folk musician Shae Tull at 1:30 PM and cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm at 1:00 PM, though might that set morph into a C.T.W. set? Time will tell, but all of the pre-Elements bands are making their Oh!No debuts that afternoon. Doors open at 12:00 PM, and the same $40 ticket info applies as above, so be sure to visit the above links for full details on Oh!No III! The size, scope, and ambition of this festival continues to impress, but how will things go in Leeburn this time, and beyond adding a third day, how big can this get if it returns in 2020? Get down to Leeburn if you can for all of the action this weekend, and here's Pisser live!
