Talk Shit/Nebraska Arms Video Showcase!!

Today's post spotlights videos on a YouTube channel brought to my attention last month when the channel's owner filmed an unlisted video at a recent concert, and while I don't share/post unlisted videos here without the video(s) in question being publically shared in some form, the channel in question has a bunch of public SMS-relevant videos! The channel (named Skwunch) is owned by Honest Work/ex-Nebraska Arms drummer Adam Sauve, and his bands have been featured in uploads for the past decade. How did I not know about it before now? Not counting his 2014 re-posting of Nebraska Arms playing "Lighthouses" at The Speak Easy (first uploaded to guitarist Wayne Watkins' own channel in 2008), Adam's first unique videos of one of his bands came in 2015, when he posted two videos of his now-defunct punk band Talk Shit playing two jam session covers.

These two videos feature Adam alongside guitarist Marc LaFrance and bassist Ian Robinson, and they seem to have been filmed before Steve Shaw replaced the long-since-relocated Andrew Angelic on guitar. Uploaded over a year before Talk Shit ended their 7 year hiatus from live gigs, the videos feature the guys covering NOFX's "Linoleum" and as embedded below, Propagandhi's "A Speculative Fiction". Very cool hearing Propagandhi covered by a local band, for the record! Adam sings here, and while they're obviously short-handed, these rough jam covers aren't bad for what they are, though the cymbals are way too loud in the recording. Check out Talk Shit's 2015 jam session covers above & below!

Next up, Adam belatedly posted a video in 2019 of Talk Shit's second reunion-era concert set, where they were among the performers at the first Guy Thiffault memorial concert at The Rockstar Bar in December 2016! Steve was now in the group, but Guy's old Bondar bandmate Mark Rand (now of Cross Dog) filled in for Ian here for unannounced reasons. An attendee filmed the guys covering Guy's old band The Hangdowns' song "Separation Anxiety", and this is a fun rendition with lots of impromptu guest vocals from Guy's friends and old bandmates, as filmed from a close spot on the floor. Good stuff that Guy would have been very proud of, so give Talk Shit's Hangdowns cover a watch below!

Today's other two videos are also from the 2016 Guy Thiffault tribute concert, but were filmed from a far more distant stationary camera angle, and were surprisingly only posted onto Adam's channel in December of last year. One is of Talk Shit covering NOFX's "Don't Call Me White", and if you just want to hear Steve, Marc, Ian, and Mark rocking out, this will do the trick! The audio quality makes up for how far away the stage is given where this camera was set up, but you do get a sense of the solid turnout for this memorial concert, and a nice reminder of the holiday season given the obvious Christmas tree in the lower right. Strong cover with Steve acquitting himself well vocally, so check it out below!

We'll close today with a band that actually played earlier that evening at The Rockstar Bar, namely 2008-2010 indie punk quartet Nebraska Arms, who Guy also fronted and played bass for in their original run. It was nice to see Adam and guitarists Wayne Watkins & Dave Prendergast bring the group back for a night in Guy's memory! Mark Rand filled in on bass here too, while Wayne sang lead, a'la The Northwest. During their short reunion set, Nebraska Arms were filmed playing their original song "I Was A Writer", and while the same visual deficiencies exist for this video, it's a solid performance of this melodic punk original from their heyday, especially given the circumstances. Give it a look below, and R.I.P. Guy!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: C Auffrey, Guy Thiffault, And excellentand

To allow tomorrow's focus to lie solely on weekend concert previews, this month's YouTube Channel Profile is going up a day early on the site! This monthly feature post looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels (3 this month) with at least half of their content focusing on local metal, hard rock, or punk artists/concerts, in order to spotlight them for current readers and encourage fans to check them out and subscribe for more! As the first channel we picked only had one video (as did the second), we're tripling up this month, and this is a very punk-centric installment as it turned out, so here's what you should know for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C Auffrey (http://www.youtube.com/carlyauffrey) 

Owner: YouTube user and area resident Carly Auffrey

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 17th, 2012; Only video posted on July 2nd, 2016

Channel Summary: The only upload on Carly's channel comes from the Hedley concert at The Yard on July 1st, 2016, though the 10+ minute video does not feature any performed songs by the Abbotsford B.C. pop punk band. Instead, the video is of frontman Jacob Hoggard borrowing a fan's phone to call her mother, in response to noticing fans texting mid-show. This extended break definitely amused attending fans, and could also serve as word of warning if you plan on texting at a concert! No visible activity on this channel has followed this video's posting, but you can see another take of this segment from a different attendee at this link, and more from this concert on other channels.



(Note that we will not be commenting on the very serious allegations levied at Hedley earlier this year, as they do not directly affect local bands or concerts. This is the same policy that we take for legal incidents regarding local musicians. For better or worse, we are not TMZ.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Thiffault (http://www.youtube.com/guyjthiffault) 

Owner: Former Hangdowns, Nebraska Arms, Business Suit Trappers, Bondar, Mark Rand Band, and Crawfather singer/bassist Guy Thiffault

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 21st, 2011; Only video posted on October 23rd, 2012

Channel Summary: Though active in The Business Suit Trappers concurrently with this channel's active period, Guy only posted one video there before his sudden passing in December 2016, and it was of his old punk band The Hangdowns' original song "No Man Is An Island". Presumably also featuring Jordan Cumming and Marc Muto on guitar and drums (though no performer credits are given), this song is a solid punk number with more of an aggressive skate-punk vibe than many of Guy's later bands, and it's well worth checking out! Note that more videos and songs of The Hangdowns can be found elsewhere on YouTube and social media.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
excellentand (http://www.youtube.com/excellentand) 

Owner: YouTube user excellentand, who I don't believe is locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 13th, 2006; Only video posted on August 17th of that year

Channel Summary: This channel's only video features local/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger's song "Brand New Low" (from their 2000 CD "Wide Awake Bored"), as set to footage from the 1990s Sci-Fi Network series Farscape, though excellentand admitted that he didn't make this video himself. I don't find the visuals match the song at all, but fans of that series may feel differently. "Brand New Low" is an entertaining song with a catchy chorus that fans of their 2000s punk era will definitely take to, whether or not you played NHL 2002, though there are more substantial channels for Treble Charger media from this and other albums.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our random selection has given us a single channel again, that being of YouTube user Jeff Hagan, who has 17 videos from Pop Evil and Alter Bridge concerts in Sault Michigan in the mid-2010s! Look for that on or around May 26th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The 2nd Annual Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert Review!!

Hey everyone, it's finally time for our review of Wednesday night's second annual Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert! Moving to The Canadian Nightclub this year after rocking The Rockstar Bar last year, I am pleased to report that parking lot renovations aren't as widespread as they were a few months ago, as patrons could get through the normal entrance to the downstairs venue, though actual parking space was still limited. Solid turnout, especially in time for the final 2 or 3 bands, with loads of familiar faces seen for both recent local music fans and veterans alike, and it's great to see that over the holiday season! This is also the first time I've been at The Canadian for a show with Northern Axperts' ax throwing cage open for business concurrently, and while it does eat up floor space, there wasn't any massive distraction from hearing axes hitting their target, so that worked out in and of itself! Live705 were on hand to provide sound, and like last year, Slumshine frontman Brenton Ellis raffled off another original painting for the cause.

Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce even brought an SNES Classic and TV for people to play, which was a nice touch during breaks! And before we get into the bands, just a note that advertised DJs The Dub Selectah and Manskirt solely provided the house music beside the stage and did not have a Seith-esque formal DJ set during the night. I'm not a massive reggae fan, but the jams seemed to go over well in between bands!

Opening Wednesday night's festivities were local punk cover quartet Talk Shit in their first public concert set since last year's Guy memorial, and while I don't know where they've been in 2017, they kicked things into gear with a solid set to start the night off! Covering a range of punk bands like NOFX, SNFU, and Teenage Bottlerocket, this online page-less band seemed as energetic and carefree as they did last year, and despite their recent dormancy, I think they may have been a little tighter than before, with Marc Lafrance and Steve Shaw especially rocking out well on guitar! The biggest difference was that bassist Ian Robinson was back in the Talk Shit fold after missing last year's memorial (Mark Rand filled in that night), and he slid in nicely with some solid grooves! This time around, the guys roughly divided up lead vocal duties between the entire band, and while everyone sounded good, Ian had a welcome ferocious bite that metalheads would appreciate! Solid return for Talk Shit, and hopefully we see them more often in the new year!

Next was local punk trio Stegadeth in their first public concert appearance since Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger took over for the departed Daniel MacDonald, so how did he fit in with his new band?  Well, if you're familiar with his and guitarist Tiffany Stocco's prior (and beyond...) chemistry in Jack Spades, plus his existing skill level, you'll know he fit in nicely! If anything has been added, it's increased backing vocals, as Johnny helped give some extra vocal harmonies that didn't hurt the proceedings at all! Playing originals like "Kingdom of Ashes" and covers of everyone from Bad Religion to The Ramones to GG Allin, Stegadeth were on point from where I saw them last year, and while Tiffany still needs to seem more confident in her vocal delivery, Bill Bennett's snarl and aggression were in full force! Their set was poignantly capped off (post-delay) by a cover of SNFU's "Fate" in Guy's memory, as Stegadeth had done last winter as well, and hopefully we'll see much more from Stegadeth in 2018!

Now, I have to address a shocking incident that took place late in Stegadeth's set, as an attendee abruptly decided to leap into the drumkit during their version of "She Banged The Mayor". As a result, Stegadeth's set was cut short by 3 songs, and there was a 20+ minute delay for repairs to the kit (owned & provided by A Dire Setback's Nick Kainula), while the attendee was removed by security and the police were called down over the incident. I won't go deeper here, but there is a video and lots of discussion on social media if you know where to look. Unfortunate and needless all around, but at least the show was able to go on, and hopefully everything is resolved!

Once Nick's drumkit was operational again, his band A Dire Setback took the stage for their first set since the departure of original singer Larry Babic this fall, so how did the alt-punk band sound in their first outing as a trio? As I surmised at the time, guitarist Chris Nielsen is now A.D.S.' lead singer, and given his prior work as their backing vocalist, he was a fine choice to take over the role! He has a good punk tone to his singing, and while more reserved than his scream-peppered backing vocals may lead you to think, he should grow into the role in the ensuing months! Bassist Matt Quinn took over backing vocals, and while he needs to bump up the energy a little bit, is it off base to note that I was reminded of Serj Tankian when he projected his voice? Aside from their opening song (labelled as "Endless" on their setlist), A Dire Setback stuck to established originals like "Forget This Memory" & "Kicking & Screaming", and the music held up nicely, but there is room to develop the band's new vocal attack when we see them live next!

Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades took the stage next, and as previously teased in Christmas photos on their Facebook page, they had two lineup reversions to reveal on Wednesday, as they have welcomed back Stegadeth's Tiffany Stocco & Johnny Belanger on rhythm guitar & drums, replacing their initial replacements, Anthony Orazietti and Chris Thompson. Reasons for Tony and Chris' departures have not been publically announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and don't miss Chris with Eclipse! This brings Johnny and founding member Tiffany back to the band for the first time since their departures last year, and it's great to see them back in the fold! As for the set proper, it went over very well for fans of any Jack Spades lineup permutation, with originals like "Rise", "Crossroads", and their newest "Cenobites" on full display alongside covers of bands like Turbonegro and The Ripcordz, and everyone held up their end of the bargain!

Daniel Horton shone on lead guitar in particular, bassist Rob Speers (in repurposed Frightlight vest) is coming into his own, and J.D. Pearce remains a commanding presence on vocals, be it on stage or mingling with fans on the floor! In a lineup that's now a hybrid of their classic era and late 2017 manifestation, it'll be interesting to see how Jack Spades does in the coming months! After Jack Spades' set, fans were surprised to see former Bankshot guitarist Christian Pasiak take the stage for an unadvertised solo set. This lined up with some personal Facebook plugs that implied that his Ottawa-based indie/pop rock trio Sleepy & The Noise would be making their local debut on Wednesday, so I presume this mini-set was what was being alluded to. I'm not highly familiar with Sleepy & The Noise, so I don't know if the songs he played were from that band, but he has a good voice for the softer music on display! All I'll add is that I think an acoustic guitar would have meshed with the songs better.

The advertised headline act was next, that being a one-off reunion of Guy Thiffault's old indie punk band Nebraska Arms, though playing a full 7 song set rather than their brief 2 song turn last year! As you may recall, the band played with guest bassist Mark Rand last year while guitarist Wayne Watkins handled lead vocals, but both roles went to Wayne's former Northwest bandmate Clint Wilson (recently of Late Shift) this time around, though Wayne did sing lead on their penultimate track. Clint's bass ability is no secret, but this was the first time that I can recall him fronting a band, and he was more than capable in this guest appearance, even seeming to channel Guy at times vocally! Playing familiar songs like "New Jersey Kneecap" and "Art of Science" plus a Hot Water Music cover, it was great to see Wayne, Dave, and Adam back together again for the occasion, and they hadn't lost the energetic spark that radiated through Nebraska Arms shows circa 2009!

Nebraska Arms' set closed with a rendition of "I Was A Writer" where they were joined by Clint's HTs bandmate (and this concert's promoter) Lucas "Sal Velinus" Schmiedendorf on vocals, foreshadowing their upcoming set together. Lucas was relying on a lyric sheet, so his performance wasn't as loose as it may have otherwise been, but he acquitted himself well to help close out their set, and kudos to him for putting this show on!

Surprisingly, the show closed with Lucas & Clint's new local punk band The HTs in just their second live concert appearance, but before their set proper could begin.... remember how event advertising listed an act named "BS" as special guests? My educated guess going in was that they meant Guy's last major band The Business Suit Trappers, who also played two songs last year, but I should have been thinking over a decade earlier, as "BS" stood for Bankshot, the acclaimed late 1990s local punk band! Yes, we got a partial Bankshot reunion to kick off The HTs set, with Lucas and Clint joined by the aforementioned Christian Pasiak, though unfortunately, neither singer Ron Pelletier or bassist Neil Vallee were able to participate. In their place, Christian took over lead vocals, while HTs bassist Ryan Disano filled in for their songs. Bankshot's run was before my time locally (I was 11 when they disbanded), but you can tell that it was a thrill for fans to see them live again, and for the guys to play their songs again, if only for a few minutes!

Outside of the "Angst For The Memories" CD, I don't have any memories of Bankshot as they were in their heyday, but their performance was fun, and Christian's vocals suited what they played! Ryan was tucked in the back a little too much and didn't seem to show a lot of energy, but as a passive younger observer, it looked like the reunion delivered, and if only Guy could be here to see it! When their mini-set ended, Christian traded places with regular HTs guitarist Andre LeBlanc, so what can be said about The HTs for our first time seeing them in a non-tribute band setting? There's room for some polish, but they are a new band, and they delivered a fun selection of punk classics and local throwbacks to close the night! Alongside renditions of NOFX and Rancid songs, they threw in some renditions of old Hangdowns classics like "Self Bortrait", "Bunch of Jerks", and (of course) "Fire Ban", which is a great gesture to Guy's memory for his family & friends!

Lucas sang lead capably and with attitude during their set, as fans of his old bands will expect, Andre's guitar work was a solid compliment, and Ryan showed more life and enthusiasm for the HTs set proper, and while they can tighten things up a little and engage the crowd a little more, you couldn't ask for a bigger first show (not counting Halloween), and hopefully we hear much more from The HTs in the new year! Overall, while there were some hang-ups during the night (the drumkit incident primary among them), this was a fun show and a great way to remember Guy and help raise funds for the Tracy's Dream charity, and hopefully everyone had a great time! It's interesting to note that every band that played on Wednesday (besides The HTs) was playing with a different lineup than when we last saw them, so for me at least, an intriguing hook was how each band would sound, and everyone delivered in different ways, be it permanent or with guests!

Hopefully plans remain in place to hold a third memorial show for Guy in 2018, and while I didn't know him that well, I hope he'd have enjoyed and been honoured by Wednesday night's entertainment! You can check out our photos and videos from the show at this link or at our Facebook page, but just as a disclaimer, I was forced to film every band after Stegadeth with my tablet's camera due to my normal concert camera having very untimely SD card read errors prior to A Dire Setback's set. Any connection to the drumkit incident is coincidental, I was as shocked as everyone else! This was my first time ever extensively using my tablet for photography or concert videos (I brought it to take notes with), so I apologize if the quality is inferior to our usual work, this will not become a common occurrence. I have already discarded the faulty camera, and have better cameras here to use next time! As for our videos, here's Talk Shit covering Bigwig's "Flavor Ice", Stegadeth playing "The Wire",...

...A Dire Setback playing "Faded", Jack Spades covering The Inner City Surfers' "Ten Commandments", Christian Pasiak playing a song whose name I didn't get (can you help title it?), Nebraska Arms playing "Lighthouses", Bankshot playing "Friendly Foe", and The HTs covering Cat Stevens' "Wild World"! No, Christian's video isn't sideways, that's a thumbnail error.






That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and our 2017 retrospective post soon! Thanks everyone!

Guy Thiffault Memorial & Mike Mikus/Id Iota Concert Previews, Plus More New Notes On Both!!

In what I project to be our last news post before Christmas Day, we're devoting things solely to two big concerts taking place just after Santa's big voyage, with new notes on each to touch on, including a new video find! Now, here's what you should know for your post-Christmas concert plans! (Updated on December 26th)

We'll start our special post-Christmas concert previews with the CD release show for former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus THIS TUESDAY NIGHT at LopLops Lounge, featuring alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota as one of the opening bands! After an over 5 month hiatus from the local stage since moving to Montreal, Mike came home for the holidays with a well received acoustic show at The Rad Zone this weekend, and will break out the full electric live experience on Boxing Day, so fans of his alt/pop rock-styled solo material should definitely consider a trip to LopLops to see him again and buy his self-titled debut solo album! For reference, prior solo and Pixo Control bandmates Dustin Goodall and Keeghan Rosso will return to back him up alongside guest keyboardist Chloe Moore (as cited at this link.) Also, for fans of The Pixo Control, the new CD includes a pair of songs intended for that band's unreleased second album, which are "Electric Fetus" & "Plastic Veggies", so you'll get a few heavier songs on Boxing Day!

Id Iota (featuring Dustin Goodall again) will themselves be returning to the stage for the first time in 5 months with new material of their own, while indie/pop duo All Us Others (who played with both acts at Rotaryfest Stage 2 this year) will open the show, so come early for their rising sound! This special concert has a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and $10 admission fee, or $5 if you have student ID (add $5 for a digital download copy of Mike's album!) It's great to have Mike and Id Iota back for the holidays, and hopefully the release party's a blast, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and in lieu of Dustin's sadly-now-deleted video of Mike and company covering The Pixo Control's "Potpourri" at his local farewell show in July, here's an alternate video of that same song from the crowd! Dustin's video was solid, hopefully it returns online down the road!



Next up, here's our other special mid-week concert preview for you hard rock and punk fans, as the second annual Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert goes down THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! Moving to The Canadian Nightclub (in spite of parking lot renovations) after holding last year's event at The Rockstar Bar, this concert will again pay tribute to late Hangdowns/Business Suit Trappers frontman Guy Thiffault, whose passing last December paved the way for this hastily booked but overwhelmingly successful tribute show, and it's great to see it back for year #2 with more advance word! This year's installment will be headlined by a one-off reunion of Guy's old indie/punk band Nebraska Arms, who played a brief 2 song set last year, and it'll be interesting to see how Wayne, Dave, and Adam do with more time on Wednesday! Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will also take the stage for a hard hitting set of their own originals, and it's great to see them on this year's bill!

New local punk quartet The HTs (featuring Bankshot, Northwest, Quasar, and Caveman Morrison alumni) will play their first non-Gimme Gimmes tribute set on Wednesday as well, so come on down to hear them for yourself, especially with no public media online yet! Remaining announced bands are all returnees from last year, including punk trio Stegadeth (in their debut appearance with Johnny Belanger on drums), alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (in their first show since the departure of original singer Larry Babic), and in a new confirmation on the Facebook event page on Thursday, online page-less punk quartet Talk Shit! As you may recall, this band reunited last fall after a 7 year breakup, but they'd been very quiet throughout 2017, so how will they look and sound in their first show in a year? Be at The Canadian on Wednesday to find out! Promoter/HTs frontman Lucas "Sal Velinus" Schmiedendorf also revealed that DJs The Dub Selectah and Manskirt will be on hand to spin tunes between bands, so keep them in mind as the music pumps all night long!

Special guests are teased on the poster and event page, though the only one credited beyond the DJs is "B.S." Could this stand for "Business Suit" (Trappers), as in an encore reunion of Guy's last major band? Time will tell! This event will see all proceeds going to Tracy's Dream, a local chariy that helps pay for Sault Area Hospital parking for those with serious medical need, which is a great gesture! Admission for this concert is $5 in advance (which you can buy online at this link) or $10 at the door, this is a 19+ event, and doors open at 8:00 PM. The partnership with Driverseat towards getting a discount on desginated drivers to get you home is still a thing, so visit the event page for details on Wednesday if this interests you, and once again, The Canadian is open during the parking lot renovations. There are signs up noting how you can pull into the property and enter the venue, so don't let things scare you away!

This should be another great show to honour Guy's memory, and hopefully there's a high turnout to rock out with this stacked lineup of local punk talent! Visit the above links for more details, stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next and here's Nebraska Arms live last year! Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays, everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert II & Tym Morrison!!)

Originally, our last post of the month was to have been devoted to weekend concert previews, but with a major LOCAL CONCERT ALERT covering so much ground in this post, I opted to push our Banned previews for this weekend to tomorrow's news post, but don't worry, they are coming! That said, we do have some concert previews today, linked to more new show announcements for next month, so here's what you should know on all of that!

Local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with solo headlining matinee gigs TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, and as December begins this weekend, we'll add his remaining shows next month to our concert calendar today also! These include Gliss gigs on December 7th-9th, 14th-16th, 21st-23rd, and 28th-30th, so look for more unplugged cover action all month long from the former Caveman Morrison frontman! None of Tym's Gliss shows next month are directly on Christmas or New Year's-related holidays, and while we will let you know if any are put on hold due to personal or venue holiday scheduling, the Facebook event page covering remaining 2017 shows does not indicate anything changing from the above dates. However, before all of that, Tym's rocking The Quality Inn's house restaurant tonight through Saturday, so don't miss him this weekend or next month!

As usual, all of these Gliss shows have 6:00 PM nightly start times with no announced cover charge or age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant, not a typical nightclub venue. See above for more details, and here's Tym Morrison live a few years back!



Next up, here's a surprise new show for next month, as there will be a second annual Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert on Wednesday, December 27th! Moving to The Canadian Nightclub after rocking The Rockstar Bar last year, this event was a massive success over the 2016 holidays in memory of the late Hangdowns/Bondar frontman, and it's really nice to see that an encore installment is being organized, especially with more notice than last year's received! All proceeds for this year's tribute concert will go to Tracy's Dream, a local charity that provides cancer patients and those in medical need with free Sault Area Hospital parking, which is a great gesture on both sides! Five bands are currently advertised to perform on the 27th, and they include a one-off reunion of Guy's old indie/punk band Nebraska Arms, who played a 2 song set last year. Given their headlining status on the Facebook event page, I'd guess they're playing longer this time around, and it's great to see them back for year #2!

I can't confirm how Nebraska Arms will look next month, but for reference, bassist Wayne Watkins took over lead vocals last year, while Guy's Bondar bandmate Mark Rand filled in on guitar. Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades are the next listed band (great to see them this year!), while a band named The HTs are also listed. There are no public online pages for this band yet, but I can confirm that they are one and the same as the tribute band You First & The Passive Aggressives from J.D. Pearce's Halloween Party concerts this year. If you saw that show live, you'll have recognized their lineup as having ex-Bankshot bandmates Lucas Schmiedendorf & Clint Wilson alongside former Quasar guitarist Andre LeBlanc & former Winkstinger bassist Ryan Disano. Solid lineup, it'll be interesting to hear more from them, and thanks to Lucas/Sal for extra confirmation! The other two bands currently confirmed are returnees from last year, including punk trio Stegadeth, whose second live set total was at last year's tribute show.

The listed openers (like last year) are local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, in what will be their first live appearance after a 3+ month hiatus from local concerts. The band still has not publically confirmed or denied rumours about a major lineup change, so how will they look and sound next month? We may have to wait until the 27th to find out! Unspecified "special guests" will also play this one, so prepare yourself for that also! Promoted by the aforementioned Lucas Schmiedendorf, and with sound by Live705, advance tickets will be $5 for this concert (the price jumps to $10 at the door), and while local in-person availability has not yet been announced, you can buy tickets online at this link. Doors open at 8:00 PM, and I would imagine this is a 19+ event. Also, organizers have partnered up with Driverseat to offer a deal to attendees who'd be interested in paying for a designated driver to get them & their vehicle home, so see above for details on that!

For more details, visit the above links, plus this new Guy Thiffault website featuring concert details and loads of audio tracks from Nebraska Arms, The Hangdowns, and Bondar! Nothing yet from The Business Suit Trappers, but if you love Guy's local band work, this is a huge wealth of material, so enjoy it, and we've added it to our "Other Links" section! This is shaping up to be another huge concert for Guy's memory and for another great cause, so visit the above links for much more on this show, stay tuned for continued updates, and look for our Banned concert previews and more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Guy Thiffault Benefit Concert Review!!

At last, it's time to review Tuesday's benefit concert in memory of late Hangdowns frontman Guy Thiffault at The Rockstar Bar, and apologies for the delay in getting this on the site, we had to re-upload two videos, and with weekend concert previews earlier today, I didn't want everything lost in the shuffle. Despite being held on barely a week's notice on a work night (and from 6:00 PM-midnight to boot), The Rockstar Bar was sufficiently packed with friends and colleagues of Guy's, and while the opening two bands didn't get a huge crowd on the floor, AlgomA started bringing fans closer, and by the time of the headliners' set, it was a packed herd of raucous fans! A Dire Setback frontman Larry Babic bought lots of pizza to sell at the event, while Rotbottyrot bassist Brenton Ellis raffled off a painting of his that was autographed by all of the night's performers, with all proceeds from both sales going to the Thiffault family, which was a great gesture!

Headliners aside, each band only played for about 30 minutes each, but a lot was packed in to this concert, so let's begin our review proper with the Rockstar Bar (and non-Live705) debut of new local alternative punk band A Dire Setback, who left a good impression on early fans! Playing a selection of original songs like "Catastrophe" alongside a punked-up cover of OneRepublic's "Counting Stars", this union of 2000s punk veterans delivered a solid package of high energy punk that would be right at home at an Oddfellows Hall show of that era. Larry Babic still has a melodic soaring voice that A.F.F.I. fans will appreciate, while guitarist Chris Nielsen was an energetic compliment, Matt Quinn handled bass well (though he could have been more animated), and a gloved Nick Kainula was on form on drums, adding up to a nice first personal look at A Dire Setback! They're familiar yet full of potential, and it'll be interesting to see what they have in store next!

Second were new local punk/metal trio Stegadeth in their second ever live concert appearance, so how did the T-Rex Manning successors sound? If you're familiar with that band's old side project Pools of Booze (which contained an identical lineup to Stegadeth), then that's what we basically have here, but there were a few differences. Setlist wise, Stegadeth traded The Misfits for The Ramones, covering two of their songs and Motorhead's homage "R.A.M.O.N.E.S.", while also covering G.G. Allin, Blink-182, and SNFU (no Volbeat though.) T-Rex Manning fans, however, were treated to the return of that band's lone original "She Banged The Mayor", so if you've missed hearing that live in the past two years, Stegadeth have revived it! Like he did in Pools of Booze, Bill Bennett sang lead vocals, and has improved the grit and intensity of his singing since then, but we also got to hear guitarist Tiffany Stocco on more lead vocals (she can sing, but needs to be louder.)

Stegadeth were rough around the edges at times, but it's great to see Bill, Tiffany, and Daniel back together, and while it may not be Rex Manning day anymore, Stegadeth have a solid punk base and pre-existing chemistry that should serve them well going into the new year!

Next was local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA in, as hard as this is to believe, their first ever concert at The Algonquin Hotel (they haven't even played downstairs yet!) As usual, they let the music do the talking, playing a short set of slow but crushing original material, which seemed to largely skew towards newer songs. I will say that a band with songs of this length and speed doesn't lend itself well to a half hour timeslot, but AlgomA were the first band to attract a sizeable crowd on the floor, so they did their job and got fans' attention! Kevin Campbell and Boyd Rendell were ferocious on vocals, as you'd expect, and the feedback and distortion-laden songs were dripping in torment, so fans of their crushing originals were happy, even if it felt like they were done before they really started. Stay tuned for more on their upcoming split with Hooded Menace!

Afterwards, the teased "special performance" of songs by Guy's old bands Nebraska Arms & The Business Suit Trappers, so what was this? How does one-off reunions of both bands sound? Nebraska Arms were up first in their first live performance in over six years, with Wayne Watkins, Dave Prendergast, and Adam Sauve joined by Guy's former Bondar bandmate Mark Rand on bass (fitting choice!) Wayne took over on lead vocals, as Northwest fans will be familiar with, and it was great to see one last Nebraska Arms performance in Guy's memory on Tuesday! Afterwards, The Business Suit Trappers reunited for two songs, with Adam & bandmate Mike Yakasovich joined by Wayne again and Guy's former Crawfather bandmate Clint Wilson on bass (B.S.T. guitarist Greg Callaghan was unable to attend.) Though only a partial Trappers reunion, it was nice to hear their folk/indie originals one final time, and both Wayne and Mike handled vocals well for the second half! Guy would be proud, I'm sure of it!

Adam Sauve stuck around for the next set, the second post-reunion appearance of his punk band Talk Shit, so what did we see from them? Lineup wise, he was joined by new singer/guitarist Steve Shaw and guitarist Marc LaFrance, plus the aforementioned Mark Rand filling in for the absent Ian Robinson on bass, though Steve had to bow out midway through due to work commitments. Talk Shit stuck to a covers-only set of punk classics from bands like SNFU, Bigwig, and The Bouncing Souls, and they sounded similar to the old days, though Steve did add a little extra as lead singer on most songs! It's a shame Ian couldn't be there, but Mark was right in his element on bass, and Adam was a solid presence on drums as you'd expect! After Steve left, the remaining three played a suite of Hangdowns songs like "Red Top" & "Separation Anxiety", which predictably got a great reception from fans, and hopefully we hear more from the reunited Talk Shit in 2017!

(For what it's worth, original Talk Shit guitarist Andrew Angelic did attend this concert, but did not perform with his old band on Tuesday. Disappointing, but hopefully he brings his current London band Rattlesnake Hotel to the Soo in the future, as he's been missed on the local stage!)

Then we had Edmonton hardcore punk band Rotbottyrot (a.k.a. Blood Guy), who were a big unknown to me, so what can be said about them? A lot, in fact! While their original run(s?) isn't well documented online, this was apparently their first show in 8 years, and at least in this current incarnation, their lineup was entirely comprised of Saultites, including singer/author Mat Laporte, AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent on guitar, Lion Ride/Maximum RNR alum Brenton Ellis on bass, and former Bottom Half/Stripped Of His Wings drummer James Moss. Despite being one of the night's biggest wild cards, Rotbottyrot delivered a chaotic and intense set codified by Mat's intense stage presence, which drifted from masked fury and crowd engagement to laying on the floor like a lit powderkeg. Originals like 'Double Punch" and "Bottle Guy" were well received, and everyone fit in well for this performance,which would be cool to see repeated if possible, as they definitely left their mark!

Co-headlining on Tuesday were hardcore punk quintet Destroilet in their first live concert appearance in over a year, though members did downplay the return a bit by noting that they haven't jammed much recently.  Honestly, it barely showed, as Destroilet were at their usual furious old school best for their set, with originals like "End Me" and "Bamberg Witch Prison" showcasing that they haven't lost a step over the past 14 months As is sadly often the case, Mike Hull was extremely hard to hear, but John Conway and Christian Foisy continue to compliment each other well on guitar, and Matt Waples kept the rhythm going fast and heavy on drums! The arguable highlights were Destroilet's last two songs, including their fan favourite "Eternal Fire", with numerous guest singers hopping on stage or near microphones to sing along, which was a great sight! Destroilet are back, and hopefully we're not waiting until 2018 for their next show!

And finally, the headliners on Tuesday were local punk supergroup Bin Hawdon & The Taliband, hitting the stage for the first time in eight years! Frontman Mikey Hawdon, guitarist Lucas Schmiedendorf, and bassist Mark Rand were joined by the aforementioned Clint Wilson on drums for their set (Aaron Mooney lives out of province now), and they were in fine form for the wildest, longest, and most crowded set of the night! Playing a selection of punk classics from bands like The Ramones, The Misfits, and many, many more, The Taliband were in fine form for fans of their energetic and old school blend of punk covers, and they were certainly dressed for the occasion! Unfortunately, there was a mishap or two involving attendees near the stage, which forced some extra security and announcements to the crowd, but the show went on and by & large, everyone had a great time, as all of the guest singers and dancers will attest, especially on their set-ending cover of The Hangdowns' "Fireban"!

Overall, this was a very entertaining and emotional concert, whether you were a friend or bandmate of Guy's or not, and it's beyond awesome that so many musicians and organizers could bring this concert together in basically a week! This concert shouldn't have had to happen, but I know Guy would have had a blast if he was around to see it! Mikey noted on Facebook yesterday that they raised $4,500 for the Thiffault family at the concert and the GoFundMe online fundraiser combined, which is awesome, and kudos to all involved for coming together at this difficult time! You can check out our photos from the show at this link or via our official Facebook page, and after some issues with our first couple of video uploads, everything is in working order now! Here's our videos, including A Dire Setback playing their song "Wasting Away", Stegadeth covering Nirvana's "Breed", AlgomA playing a song whose name wasn't announced (let us know if you can title it!)...

...Nebraska Arms playing "I Was A Writer", The Business Suit Trappers playing "I'm A Baby", Talk Shit covering NOFX's "Don't Call Me White", Rotbottyrot playing "Bag", Destroilet playing "It's Over", and Bin Hawdon & The Taliband covering Face To Face's "Disconnected"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews and our 2016 recap post soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bin Hawdon & The Taliband) & The Boxing Day Concert Preview!!

On this Christmas morning, I wish you all a great holiday and I hope that Santa left you all lots of presents! Today's post is devoted to a pair of big concerts for after Christmas, one of which being a massive SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so read on below for what you need to know!

Seven bands will join forces THIS TUESDAY NIGHT for a benefit concert at The Rockstar Bar in memory of the late Guy Thiffault! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced this past Tuesday, but kudos to all involved for organizing this so soon after Guy's passing! Entitled "4 Guy", all proceeds from this huge concert will go to the Thiffault family, which is an awesome gesture, especially over the holidays, but who all is playing? The headliners are local punk supergroup Bin Hawdon & The Taliband, who will be playing their first live set in eight years for the occasion, so how's that for a huge name for this event?! In listed order on the Facebook event page, this show will also mark the return of hardcore punk quintet Destroilet, who last played live at the "Fed Up!" split CD release party in October of last year. It's been way too long to see Destroilet on stage again, so don't miss out on their long awaited comeback to the local stage!

Edmonton punk/alternative band Rotbottyrot (a.k.a. Blood Guy) will also be performing in their local debut, and yes, they were the planned headliners for Tuesday's cancelled punk rock bingo concert at The New American Pub. As it turns out, promoters Six, Two, Oh. opted to cancel their own show and roll that day's bands into the Guy Thiffault benefit, so if you were hoping to see that day's bands, head to The Rockstar Bar on TUESDAY! Reunited local punk quartet Talk Shit will play just their second show since coming back as well, while local doom metal trio AlgomA will make their Rockstar Bar debut THIS TUESDAY as well. The lineup will be rounded out by new local punk/metal band Stegadeth and alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback (the planned punk rock bingo openers) in their own venue debuts. Finally, "a special performance" will take place at some point on TUESDAY featuring unidentified musicians playing music from Guy's old bands Nebraska Arms & The Business Suit Trappers.

No word on who's performing in this special set (I'd assume it'd be a loose jam with friends and old bandmates), or on if they'll do Hangdowns or Bondar material, but this should be quite a sight for fans of local punk music and/or Guy's music career! There is a $10 minimum cover charge (you may donate more to the family if so inclined), and as this is a TUESDAY concert, this show has an earlier 6:00 PM start time and is advertised to end at 11:00 PM, but I'd still expect a 19+ age limit. This should be a great concert for both punk fans who want to see some sorely missed and newer faces, and for friends of Guy and his family, and I fully expect a packed house, so make sure to get to the venue A.S.A.P. on TUESDAY! It would have been nice to see Northwest playing too, given Guy's past local band work with Wayne & Mike Yakasovich, but still, what a lineup! If you haven't seen Bin Hawdon & Taliband in particular before, get ready for a blast of old school punk insanity!

Despite the sad circumstances, shows like this don't come around often enough, but if you can't make the show and would like to donate money to the Thiffault family, visit the official GoFundMe page for the concert, which is fast approaching it's $1,500 goal. I sincerely hope to be there, if at all possible schedule-wise (I come back from a Detroit, Michigan trip that day), but don't miss what could be the show of the year if you can help it, and give Guy a huge send-off with this night full of punk rock action! See the above links for full details, and here's Bin Hawdon & The Taliband covering The Hangdowns' classic song "Fireban" live in 2006!



Finally for today, here's one more post-Christmas concert preview, as three more local bands will unite at LopLops Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT for a special Monday night concert in honour of Boxing Day! The scheduled performers are local post-punk quartet Gnaeus, indie rock quartet K.I.C.K., and alternative hard rock trio The Din, in what should be an entertaining union of Tidal Records favourites and fast rising local rock bands in their last shows of the year, with some punk and hard rock involved for good measure! Other than the seasonal trappings, there are no advertised quirks or added bonuses, but if you want to check out some entertaining original music after Christmas, a trip to LopLops tomorrow would be a good idea! Promoted by Tidal Records, this concert takes place at 9:00 PM tomorrow, you must be 19 or older to attend, and a special $10 cover charge is in effect. For full details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Gnaeus live at LopLops Lounge!



That's all for today, but have a great Christmas, and stay tuned for more news and this month's YouTube Channel Profiles soon! Thanks everyone!

Nebraska Arms' Last EP, A New Cover Video, And Much More!!

Just under a week to go before Christmas, so let's keep things rolling with a new news post on this Monday evening, which includes a new cover, a belated album discovery, and some assorted recent updates. However, we'll start today's post on a melancholy note, regarding the final services for a prominent musician we recently lost, so here's what you need to know.

The obituary for late Hangdowns/Nebraska Arms frontman Guy Thiffault was posted onto SooToday on Saturday, wherein it confirms that a celebration of life will be held in the banquet hall at Sandro's Family Restaurant at 465 Trunk Road on Wednesday at 5:30 PM (no details are given for the funeral service, so it appears to be private.) Guy was just 36 years old, and the obituary confirms that he passed peacefully at his home on Friday. He's survived by his parents, sister, grandparents, and extended family, and the Thiffault family would appreciate memorial contributions to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation in his memory. This news definitely rocked the local music community over the weekend, especially those who Guy impacted as a musician, friend, bandmate, and family member over the years, but hopefully everyone keeps the good memories close and reflects on the great times he was a part of on Wednesday evening!

On lighter news relating to Guy's local music career, you may know that his old indie punk band Nebraska Arms released a CD entitled "We'll Never Sleep Again" during their 2009 heyday, but it's long since out of print, and as far as I can tell, unavailable in full online. Well, the band posthumously released a separate digital EP via Bandcamp in February 2013, so that might help fill in the gap if you don't have their actual album! The self-titled release features five tracks, namely "At The Time", "Light Houses", "I Was A Runner", "Art of Science", and "I Was A Writer", and while there is some cross-over with identical tracks previously seen on "We'll Never Sleep Again", at least two songs from that album ("Misery/Accountability" & "New Jersey Kneecap") are not on the Bandcamp EP. "Nebraska Arms" remains available on a "name your price" model, and though the band clearly hypes up the free sale option there, consider buying it to support their work!

Though it'd be nice to find "We'll Never Sleep Again" in full, it's great to have this digital EP available, especially as it has one exclusive track not seen on other surviving band pages ("I Was A Runner"), but is it possible for a review on the SMS? Yes, but I'd prefer their debut CD if we ever get it, especially if the Bandcamp EP's songs are all on it. Either way, if we can tie it in with a Northwest or Talk Shit show, you might just see a Nebraska Arms CD review on the site, and check out the self-titled EP at the above links!

Next up, we'll take a brief detour to Sault Michigan for the newest video from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel, but honestly, it fits more in with keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal YouTube channel. This is a cover of Alter Bridge's "Watch Over You", which he covered for it's personal meaning to him, and while it's far removed from Theatre of Night's typical orchestral metal sounds, it is similar in filming style, sepia tint, and genre to his own channel's prior vocal covers in recent months. Craig's voice can be a little muffled, but he's completely into the groove for this video, which is fun to see, so give this hard rock ballad cover a look below!



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

• The planned Blood Guy-headlined punk rock bingo concert at The New American Pub next Tuesday has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's official Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for it's cancellation hasn't been announced, but it's certainly off now, as an earlier event page deletion was due to this show having two event pages up by accident. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them in the Soo down the road!
• A local musician named Shae Tull is looking for musicians interested in doing "something different... not straightforward, experimental-ish, (and) weird-ish." Just in case this ends up fitting our genre ranges, I thought I'd mention it here, so if you'e interested in playing stuff like this, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last month!
• The previously announced 3 Day Millionaires-headlined New Year's Eve concert at The Rockstar Bar is still on! We originally removed it from our concert listings when announced openers A Dire Setback (coincidentally, also the planned Blood Guy openers) deleted their own Facebook event page for the concert. It is now clear that they just pulled out, as the show was never cancelled, with The Millionaires launching this new Facebook event page over the weekend. Admission remains $10 for this New Year's bash via advance tickets or at the door, so see above for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Nameus), Din Updates, And Much More!!

I wasn't expecting to have a full news post today, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALRT, we can't avoid it, so that leads off this post! Alongside it, we have some cool news from local radio, a local band's latest video and road trip news, and a belated song posting from a band of the late Guy Thiffault, who we memorialized this afternoon, so read that post below if you missed the original announcement. Here's what you need to know!

New local classic/hard rock cover trio Nameus (no formal new name yet) will make their Rockstar Bar debut TONIGHT! Apologies for the extremely short notice, we only got full confirmation about the show via the venue's Facebook event page this afternoon, though note that their physical marquee board had previously advertised "Travis Band" as playing today, which we now 100% know was meaning frontman Travis Sharpe. A one-nighter due to tomorrow's return of pop rock cover band Crush (formerly Cherry Crush), this won't be Nameus' last concert of 2016, but it'll be their last regular, non-New Year's Eve party event of the year, so if you want to take in some hard hitting covers, be at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Also, note that this is the first publically announced Rockstar Bar show for a Terry Eaton/Steven Flint band at The Rockstar Bar since Mourning Wood played there back in February. There's no announced cover charges for TONIGHT'S 19+ show, and despite what the event page might tell you, expect a 10:30 PM-ish start time.

I wish the guys in Nameus would have plugged this show in some form of advance fashion (and/or launched an online page already), but if you're familiar with the guys' chemistry and backgrounds, you'll know that they should have a solid night of covers in store at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Don't miss out if you can help it, hopefully videos turn up soon, and apologies again, we'd have covered this with our weekend concert previews had we known about it beforehand!

Next up, here's the latest from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, starting with some intriguing news, as they're taking a road trip to Toronto for their out-of-town debut at The Revival Bar on January 6th! The show is part of Landmark Events' Showcase Festival, a concert series that will help rising musicians network with other acts, radio personalities, and industry professionals. No word on the complete lineup yet, but the show will apparently be live streamed as an i-PPV event, so if you buy an e-ticket, you can watch it online as it happens! It looks like their set is at 3:45 PM on January 6th, and e-tickets are $13, just $1 less than the regular in-person admission, for what that's worth. If you're interested in watching the stream, click here and visit The Din's Facebook event page for full details! For something new that you can watch free, The Din's eighth Cover of the Month video was posted to their YouTube channel yesterday, so what should you know on that?

Their first of this video series to have it's cover suggested by a fan, this month's cover is of The Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy", but in this case, it was recorded at Mission Control Studios, where they have been recording something or another recently. The multi-camera video is well shot and the band sound as reliably good as ever, with the cover suiting their sound, but I'd have angled the camera up a bit for the wide shot, as too much of the table is in the road. Give The Din's latest cover a look below!

Also today, here's some surprising yet cool news from the world of local FM radio, as Brian Davie has returned to Rock 101 to resume co-hosting Scott & Brian In The Morning! The surprise announcement was made on air at 101.3 FM and via the show's Facebook page on Tuesday morning (also Brian's first day back), with co-host Scott Cook jokingly saying that Brian was back "by mediocre demand". A 20 year veteran of local radio, Brian originally left the Sault Michigan rock station in March of last year for personal reasons, with Scott hosting the morning show solo in the interim, but fans definitely seemed to welcome back Brian with open arms! He was always very kind and cordial to our work here at the SMS, and he always had a great chemistry and rapport with Scott in the mornings, which was often very noticeable over the past 21 months when Scott had no one to play off of. Tune in to the newly renamed Scott & Brian in the Morning weekday mornings from 6:00-10:00 AM on Rock 101 for music, infotainment, and much more for your morning drive!

Finally, here's a new song that I found online today from the late Guy Thiffault's mid-2000s punk band The Hangdowns! Guy himself posted this song to his YouTube channel (his only upload there) in October 2012, and it's of their original "No Man Is An Island", which notably wasn't on the band's MySpace page previously. I can't date this song specifically, but it could be from their planned 2004 album, which I can't verify if it ever saw a public release or not. The fireman picture is a little ambigiuous, but it's a solid fast-paced punk number of this missed band, so give it a listen below, and continue keeping Guy in your thoughts at this difficult time!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates over the weekend. Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Guy Thiffault

The Sault Metal Scene sends it's deepest condolences out to the family and friends of former Hangdowns/Nebraska Arms singer/bassist Guy Thiffault, who just passed away, according to numerous Facebook postings from friends & bandmates since this morning. No other details are currently known publically, including on final services, but we'll let you know more when appropriate. A frequent sight in the local punk scene of the 2000s, Guy fronted The Hangdowns from 2003-2006, before moving on to their short-lived successor quartet Bondar, and later fronting Nebraska Arms for a successful run of their own from 2008-2010. Alongside these projects, he also played bass in The Mark Rand Band's lone live appearance, fronted the early 2010s indie band The Business Suit Trappers, and briefly played with the band Crawfather in 2013, though I don't recall them ever playing live. An energetic and diverse musician, fans may recall Guy from his battle of the bands finals runs with Nebraska Arms, a mid-2000s tour supporting The Inner City Surfers, and many good times from 171 Church to The Oddfellows Hall and beyond.

I didn't and won't pretend to have known Guy well, but he was entertaining & confident every time I saw him live with his punk bands, and his musicianship, soaring vocals, and stage presence helped make The Hangdowns, Bondar, and Nebraska Arms in particular what they were. Sadly, we have lost local musicians in the month of December before, which is an absolute shame, especially so close to Christmas, so be sure to keep Guy's family and friends in your thoughts over the holidays. Here's a music video for Nebraska Arms' song "I Was A Writer", but check out much more from Guy's bands on YouTube and other video/social media websites, and stay tuned for info on services. R.I.P. Guy, you will be missed!