Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Sell This!

After a weekend concert preview-induced delay, here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, as we again take a look at a band or solo project from our inactive band links, as randomly selected! This month gives us slight deja vu, as it's an early 2020s solo project with industrial metal influences again, but still very distinct and original as local bands go, so here's what you should know on them on this warm Sunday morning!

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Sell This!

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/Winnipeg, Manitoba

Genre: Classical/Industrial Metal

Lineup:

Pete Mozarowski (RedD Monkey), all instruments

Audio/Video: When launched out of his then-Winnipeg homebase, Pete released their debut EP "The Cancer Stage of Capitalism" on Bandcamp in December 2020, followed by a full length album named "Isn't This A Democracy?" in 2022, which featured two guest spots by guitarist/bassist Eric "Elow" Loewen and a bonus track for paid buyers. The "Live 2023" single (not live in concert, recorded live) begat the release of their final EP "Empires Everywhere!", released on CD and mp3 in January 2024 after Pete moved back to the Soo. As far as I am aware, Pete never launched a YouTube channel or a social media account to host videos of Sell This!, leaving Bandcamp as their only online presence to hear their music, but luckily, Bandcamp now allows you to embed albums on websites like this, so here's the opening song of their sole local release!

Info/Analysis: Best known as the cellist in the 2009-2015 local/Kelowna/Toronto hardcore punk band RedD Monkey (fronted by his brother Steve), Pete fell dormant as a live/original musician in the late 2010s, but re-emerged in the 2020s while living in Winnipeg via Sell This!. Self-described as sounding like "if Trent Reznor sang for Apocalyptica", Sell This! were distinguished by leftist & politically charged lyrics relating to societal decline, and Pete was even interviewed about the project on Winnipeg college radio station CKUW 95.9 in 2023 shortly before he moved, but the interview is no longer streamable. After Pete came back home, he played Sell This!' only local concert at the former Distraction (still located upstairs then) in January 2024. This concert also served as the release party for "Empires Everywhere". which was played in full that night. Possibly owing to Sell This!' lack of a social media presence beyond Bandcamp, this concert was the project's final public act, and they appear to have fell inactive later that year.

Sell This! had potential and a locally unique sound and lyrical bent that fans of the current Realignment Project should take to, but of course, the presence of a cello distinguishes this (and RedD Monkey prior) from any other rock bands of the past 15 years. Pete was never a super rangy singer, but he developed a lot of confidence and expression by 2023, and he was good at shaking up styles of songs while getting messages across. With improved production and possibly a full band, Sell This! could have made larger local waves, but there is something here for industrial and noise rock fans, especially if the political slant doesn't bother you, so give their back catalogue a listen, and hopefully we hear from Pete again down the road!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around August 10th, and after a two month spell of industrial-tinged solo projects, our next randomly selected band will actually be a band, namely 2012-2018 hard rock quintet Skeyes Of Seven, so look for that next month and for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), More Weekend Concert Previews, And Missed Concert Apologies!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in last week's previews, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz made their debut at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Tap Room this past Saturday, a show that they only announced on social media the day prior. I profusely apologize for that slipping me by, especially on a very quiet weekend for hard rock-leaning concerts, but perhaps not as quiet as I knew! For the record, this was the band's first appearance with new Soundcheck drummer Johnny Amendola behind the kit, following Brent Royer's departure last month, and Separate Wayz have since said on Facebook to "stay tuned for epic crossovers", implying that Soundcheck's Travis Sharpe and Separate Wayz' Nicole Thibodeau could appear at each other's bands' shows (the two bands share an otherwise identical lineup.)

Otherwise, today's post is devoted to the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll start with local acoustic classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This, who will play their first second and third gigs of the year TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via Jay's Facebook page (now with updated URL) on Monday. Last seen at The Water Tower Pub in mid-January, these Family Day long weekend gigs mark a rare instance for the July brothers and Jason, as Dodge This typically play one-nighters rather than double weekend bookings. Whether you wanna enjoy their old school hard rock and occasional country covers TONIGHT or on Valentine's Day TOMORROW, you have options! These are 19+ and 9:30 PM shows with no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Next up, we'll head to Beck's Bar, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop TOMORROW NIGHT for the previously announced "stoplight party", and in a new confirmation, they will indeed return "uncorked" for the matinee there on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the SUNDAY matinee gig, that booking was first announced via Beck's Facebook page on Monday, but the fully electric gig tomorrow has gotten priority for promotion. Last seen at the former Vibe Lounge over the first weekend of the year, tomorrow's concert is a Valentine's Day-themed "stoplight party", where attendees are encouraged to wear stoplight-coloured clothing to signify your relationship status (green = single, red = taken, yellow = maybe/it's complicated). Wear the right colours and let the sparks fly, perhaps? Of course, if you prefer them acoustic, come out SUNDAY!

Saturday's concert from "the dirty three" is at 9:00 PM, the SUNDAY matinee is at 3:00 PM, both shows are 19+ affairs with no cover, and if you're curious, tomorrow's matinee at Beck's belongs to country musician Brendan Hodgson alongside guest singer Maddy Foggia (they aren't "opening" for Bone Yard, but you can hang out to see both concerts if you like). Visit the above links for more details on this concert, and for a preview, here's your local 225 live!

Finally for this preview post, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Full Throttle Saloon on Wellington Street West TOMORROW NIGHT! The Jus' Chillin successors have gotten the Valentines Day honours at the former Primavera Hall, with this being the fourth show of 2026, alternating gigs between here and The Kiln to start the year so far. Their mix of old school covers should be a good soundtrack to February 14th, so hopefully there's a good turnout in Steelton for this one! Note that the Saloon have not corroborated this booking on Facebook, so I can't confirm if there will be any other seasonal ties for you lovebirds tomorrow, but the band been plugging it for weeks, and drummer Tony Santoro was promoting the idea that you can do dinner there before the concert on their Facebook group.

As usual for gigs at The Full Throttle Saloon, this long weekend concert takes place on Saturday at 9:30 PM and has no cover charge (the venue doesn't typically host the same band on consecutive nights, and they are hosting karaoke tomorrow). Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live at the same locale!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, The Guilty Party, And Dodge This) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to round up another batch of local hard rock concert previews, and hopefully it won't be as cold out when commuting to these! As usual, we're starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know for most of this weekend's hard rock-leaning shows (Quite Frankly aside, check back tomorrow!)

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will play their first concert of 2026 TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Water Tower Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via the venue's January concert calendar on their Facebook page two weeks ago (no word on why it looks so plain compared to prior months), but the band only confirmed the gig via their Facebook event page yesterday. Dodge This last made a public posting on social media in July, and quietly dropped out of a scheduled concert at The Water Tower Pub in September, so it is good to see Jason and the July brothers back at it in the new year! The band cited returning "after a long break" but didn't publically go into why they took those months off. According to the event page, "we are introducing a piano in the mixed (sic)", but who's playing it and how much will it be integrated? Come out TOMORROW to find out!

As always, The Water Tower Pub hosts different acts nightly, and our preview of Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert is coming in tomorrow's post. Dodge This' brand of unplugged hard and country rock covers can be enjoyed TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details on Dodge This' return to the stage, and here they are live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the venue first announced the shows via this calendar for the week ahead on their Facebook page on Monday, and at press time, the band proper hasn't acknowledged the shows on social media. This will be the third straight weekend where Brent, Terry, and Jim have played live concerts on the bar cover circuit, whether in this group or their other band Separate Wayz, but if you've missed seeing the three guys together since they last rocked the former Rosie in November, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be extra appealing! The guys will rock the house both nights at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Guilty Party live at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last year!

Also newly announced for this weekend is the return of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down to Beck's Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via this picture from the band's Facebook page on Saturday (though assuming the pixel art band here is AI generated, why settle on one that doesn't really look like them?) Along with SATURDAY's concert, the picture also lists two more upcoming gigs for the Syrette cousins, Dan(?), and Ric, as they will also return for Saturday nighters on February 21st at The Water Tower Pub and then back at Beck's on March 7th, so keep all three dates in mind! THIS SATURDAY's Beck's show will be Double Down's first there since September, while they've been playing at The Water Tower Pub much more frequently in recent months. Hopefully all three new shows are successes for the gang!

According to drummer Ric Datson in a post shared to Beck's Facebook page, Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz will once again be present on SATURDAY as a special guest, implying that she is filling in for Dan Beaupre again here. Note as well that Beck's is experimenting with having bands on Fridays more in 2026, but like at The Water Tower Pub, they aren't doubling up, so tonight's band there is blues rock cover group Smokehouse (SATURDAY's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot belongs to new local acoustic duo Old Roads, and they're not "opening" for Double Down). The Beck's shows are at 9:00 PM, the Water Tower show is at 8:00 PM, and all are 19+ with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Finally for this preview post, here's a show that did have advance notice, and it goes down TONIGHT, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will headline at The Dive Gastro Pub for the first time this year! A brief break from his run of frequent Misty's Fifties bookings (those resume next week), tonight's concert puts the former Caveman Morrison frontman in more familiar confines as a nighttime headliner at a downtown venue, albeit on "Think It Over Thursday". It's always good to see Tym's talented solo project back on the scene, let alone with his immense setlist and high production quality, so hopefully there's a solid turnout tonight despite the ongoing cold snap! Tonight's show in "the naughty corner" is at 9:30 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on tonight's concert, and for a preview, here is Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nameless & Dodge This) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

In today's second weekend concert preview post, we have some more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to help cap off a busy weekend in the Sault Ste. Marie area, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will reportedly return to The Water Tower Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this show via personal Facebook postings about live music schedules this weekend, as neither Dodge This (who haven't posted online since July) and The Water Tower Pub (who haven't posted a monthly concert calendar since June) have publicized this booking on social media. If accurate, it's good to see Dodge This back after an apparent summer break, having last played a publically announced gig at The Dive in early July (they did drop out of a planned Beck's Bar gig last month though). Hopefully TONIGHT's show has a strong night of classic and hard rock cover favourites (and even some country tunes) from the July brothers and Jason, so keep it in mind! Remember, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly musicians, so Dodge This will not be playing there tomorrow.

If you're curious, the Saturday performers at the Great Northern Road nightclub will be new local country rock supergroup Elly McWatters & The Drifters. TONIGHT'S Dodge This concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless will visit The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in Kinross for the first time for an outdoor concert on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this gig was first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Wednesday. When the band corroborated the booking later that night on their Facebook page, they indicated that the opportunity to play here arose despite previously planning a break to work on new material for their sets. As such, this will be The Nameless' first gig since rocking The Merch three weeks ago. Well Diggers will be familiar to Yooper readers from hosting Project 906 on occasion in 2023 & 2024, and it will be neat to see a different local hard rock cover band on their outdoor stage on SUNDAY, so keep this matinee booking in mind! Unlike the prior 906 gigs here, this will be a 3:00 PM matinee concert on SUNDAY, and there will be no cover charge.

It's too soon for an hourly forecast, but 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies, no chance of rain, and a high temperature of 71° (21° Celsius). Weather is looking good and calm for the next while, including 70+/20+° weather over the next week, so enjoy these outdoor concerts while we still can realistically have them! Visit the above links for more on The Nameless' Kinross debut on SUNDAY, and here they are live a few months back!

Now let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last gigs at Reggie's, this will be another prime opportunity for fans to check out Greg, Alex, and Warren's down and dirty brand of classic, hard, and southern rock covers, plus their three originals, and merchandise will be on sale as usual! "The Dirty Three" should be in fine form at their favourite venue, so don't miss out on all of the action on Queen Street East tonight & tomorrow! Your local 225 take the stage both nights at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and if you can't make it, they'll be back at Reggie's in two weeks. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard's shows tonight & tomorrow night, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this second weekend concert preview post, here's one more big show taking place on SUNDAY NIGHT, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return to town when they headline at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! One of four Bon Jovi tribute bands to rock the Soo in the past 15 years, Bon Jovi Forever are the tribute that headlined at The Rockstar Bar in 2016, so it will be good to see their hair metal classics and later general rock favourites back on a local stage on Sunday, let alone on the huge theatre stage at White Pines! Of course, I won't judge which Bon Jovi tribute is better or more faithful than the rest, but B.J.F. deliver a faithful sounding and looking stage show, as led by frontman Baz Littlerock, so don't miss out on their local return in a couple of nights! This all ages concert at 8:00 PM has tickets running for $58.24 (adults), $46.94 (seniors or students with valid ID), or $26.60 (children).

You can buy tickets at this link or at the in-person box office at Station Mall. As of this writing, there are still seats in the third row and back in the left and right sections, while the center section has seats from the seventh row and back (the upper gallery seating is not open for this show). If you're a Bon Jovi fan, you won't want to miss Bon Jovi Forever at the S.C.T.C. on Sunday, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews (barring any more short notice confirmations), and we're mostly sticking to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. today, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a related apology for a missed date. Here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just learned about these shows this past weekend via concert calendar posts on their Facebook page, but they have been listed prior on Kewadin's website's entertainment page. While we're on the subject, I profusely apologize for missing one more show from them, as they performed during the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park in St. Ignace yesterday. How that bypassed me is anyone's guess, especially as the show was listed last month when we covered Tarnished's outdoor gig there, but the idea of Peril playing E.U.P. dates outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella is still quite uncommon, despite also playing there on July 17th. Hopefully yesterday's show was a blast for Jeff, Howard, and Brooks, and an indoor encore is incoming for fans in the Soo TONIGHT & TOMORROW!

You can enjoy Peril's old school hard rock and metal covers at The Rapids Lounge TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and these will be their last local dates of the summer. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing Peril's St. Ignace show yesterday, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario briefly, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, these will be Generations' first concerts at Reggie's in three weeks, so if you've missed this veteran foursome at the venerable Queen Street East nightclub, this is your last chance for the summer! In the recent posting on their Facebook group, drummer Tony Santoro revealed that they will have Muckrakers frontman Mike McDonald sitting in with them this weekend, as he did multiple times during their guitarist vacancy in 2023. The implication is that Mike is filling in for an absent Tony Kajnar on guitar, but if we hear that Tony K. will still be there, we'll let you know. Generations take the stage tonight & tomorrow at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Back to Michigan now, and remember how Peril played at the Music By The Bay concert series in St. Ignace yesterday? Well, we won't miss the next SMS-amenable show there, as local classic/hard rock (and now covers-only) quartet Tarnished will set up shop at American Legion Park's outdoor stage TOMORROW! While not freshly plugged on the band's Facebook page, this will be Tarnished's second and final stop in this annual series for 2025, and well timed for a Saturday, so if you're up for an evening of hard rocking covers from Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, you know where to go tomorrow! Music By The Bay concerts run from 7:00-8:30 PM at 200 North State Street, and they are obviously all ages with no cover charge. Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain for much of showtime in St. Ignace tomorrow, so while the stage is covered, I don't know if the weather would complicate things.

Keep tabs with the band & park if you're at all concerned about the forecast. Temperatures will be hovering around 75° (23° Celsius) during showtime as per the current forecast, so keep everything in mind for this show as well as The Nameless in Goetzville and Silent 9 in Laird, Ontario tomorrow given that we have a lot of scheduled hard rock shows outdoors during the upcoming rain event. Visit the above links for more details on Tarnished's outdoor park show in St. Ignace tomorrow evening, and here they are live!

Finally for this weekend's known previews, we'll stay in St. Ignace, where local deathcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown will make their annual August appearance in their hometown with a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! After hosting the 2nd Street Music Festival the last two years on that very street, H.L.T.C. have moved the show both a week later than planned but also to a formal indoor venue, namely the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street. Regardless, the concert still ties in with frontman Brandon West's birthday earlier this week. Heavy Lies The Crown teased on the Facebook event page that they'll have "a wild surprise" regarding their return to Alpena next week that will be revealed tomorrow, and while I'm unsure of the context, note that temporary guitarist Paul Nolan is still featured in their most recent band photos, so his involvement "for the time being" may continue through tomorrow.

Heavy will be joined tomorrow in St. Ignace by Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora (returning from last year's 2nd Street Fest as replacements for Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water), as well as Detroit-area metalcore band Nothing After This and alt/nu-metal quintet Influence, both in their E.U.P. concert debuts. Brandon's Birthday Bash is a FREE event at 6:00 PM with no age limit, and with the move to VFW Post 5114, it is no longer an outdoor event (just as well given the forecast). This should be a blast for extreme metal fans in the E.U.P. and tip of the mitt, so don't miss out on the action tomorrow night, as Brandon's birthday only comes once a year! Visit the above links for more details, and here's H.L.T.C. live!

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

Cory Marks Concert Videos & Northern Vibe Festival Lineup Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a late concert cancellation on here, as classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This dropped out of their planned Beck's Bar show on Saturday night. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but Beck's Facebook page only confirmed the news at 10:00 PM that night, after the show was to have began. Hopefully all is well in Dodge This' camp, and that we see them again on stage soon!

Today's post otherwise takes us to updates on an upcoming concert festival, but first, here's some long overdue videos from North Bay country/hard rock musician Cory Marks' last two shows here! This first one is actually from his Machine Shop gig in September of last year, and I think this one slipped me by until now because it was uploaded as a "Shorts" video (a.k.a. YouTube "Reels"). While it is brief and vertical, at least you can embed it on external websites and play it in a background tab! This actually comes from the YouTube channel of Ben Bullett Mortlock, who was a session guitarist in Cory's live band, and it features 56 seconds of footage from that night, including arrival at the venue, and black & white soundcheck clips. All of this is set to the studio version of Cory's song "Whiskey For Sale". I say this a lot for highlight videos, but I hope the raw footage of this gets uploaded at some point!

Beyond my usual complaints about vertically framed videos, the quality of the video footage here is great (I couldn't tell you if the audio matches up), with lots of strong angles of the band, venue, and fans, so hopefully someone is sitting on the fuller (and maybe not vertical) raw materials? Kudos to Ben for this "Short" regardless, so give it a watch below!

Next up, let's transition to Cory's third local concert, a special acoustic event at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in June as part of the Hope Air Day charity initiative for improving remote health care access in northern communities. This intimate event (which had free admission) was actually live-streamed by the Hope Air Facebook page, but alas, I wasn't able to cover it here as hoped due to our busy existing summer schedule. Facebook now has a 30 day time limit for hosting and viewing live-streamed videos, unless they're re-uploaded or converted to regular videos prior, which Hope Air did not do for the Cory Marks concert here, so it vanished from Facebook around July 6th. We're not completely stuck in terms of covering it now though, as attendee DJ Chris Mat uploaded two videos from that night to his YouTube channel! One is of local folk musician Matthew James, who replaced The Dust Covers on short notice for unannounced reasons as the opening act.

Cory's 1:41-long video features him covering Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like A Knife", another good sign towards his country/rock crossover appeal if you weren't familiar with his rock radio crossover singles already. I get the sense that Chris zoomed in a lot, but you see what you need to see for Cory's one man performance here, and he sounds good on this domestic rock classic, so give it a look below, and apologies again for not being able to cover the full live-streamed concert in time! Hope Air is a great charity, and I hope the local festivities helped their goals and promotion in the area! 

Lastly for today, here's some clarifications and updates re: the lineup for the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir over the August 23rd weekend! Like last year, organizers are posting individual promotional images for the musical performers on their Facebook page on a sporadic basis, and one is a brand new addition to the lineup, namely debuting alt-rock/punk quartet Spun Out! Confirmed for the festival on July 11th, the band features former Caveman Morrison vocalist Dean Duguay and former Half Past/Winkstinger bassist Ryan Disano, alongside a guitarist named Joe and a drummer named Jamie. I am not 100% on their identities, not aided by the lack of an online page, let alone the horror movie effects on their first band photo, but it will be neat to hear how they sound! I don't know who, if anyone, Spun Out are replacing at Northern Vibe, but seven of the Forest Stage bands on the tentative April lineup have yet to get a Facebook promotional image at press time.

Regarding the advertised Tool tribute band, they are not a Parabol reunion, nor are they even local. They are Avessel, a joint Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band from Sudbury, who will be making their local concert debut off Poplardale Road in three weeks. Avessel don't have a website or social media page beyond Instagram, but what I have heard points to a strong take on songs from Maynard James Keenan-fronted bands, so don't bypass them! Lastly for updates on advertised bands, the rap performance by Soundsxvad isn't a renaming of Fvksxvad, rather a one-night-only merger of MCs from that collective as well as Sound Syndrome. Apologies for any confusion from our initial coverage of this year's lineup, and thanks to members for clarifying on Facebook! Time will tell if there any other lineup adjustments, so stay tuned for more updates on the lineup and who exactly is playing on what day when things come out, and we will keep you posted!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone! 

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From The Last Few Months!!

How did I go all of July without a post catching us up on St. Ignace deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown? Given that they're returning to the local stage this month for the returning 2nd Street Music Festival, it's high time we check out what the guys have been up to since late May! When we last left off with H.L.T.C., they were hitting the road for another concert downstate, this time 5 hours away in Chesterfield Township (outside of Detroit) on May 30th, where they opened for Buffalo post-hardcore band The Bunny The Bear at The Diesel Concert Lounge. Drummer Blaze Beairl was unable to make the trip that weekend, so they did a bit of lineup juggling. Guitarist Kaycee Mason sat in behind the drumkit (he already drums for Alpena metal band Katharsys Theory anyway), and they called in Kaycee's old bandmate Paul Nolan to sit in on guitar "for the time being", including at a private birthday concert the following day.

In their first Facebook video upload of the summer, Heavy Lies The Crown posted a very high quality performance video from the Chesterfield Township show, and while it only runs for 40 seconds, I do sincerely hope that this filmer got more content! The video in question shows Heavy and Paul in action, and this was reportedly the first time that bassist Christian Cook deployed backing vocals on stage with them, catching frontman Brandon West slightly off guard (in a good way). Christian has a very capable death growl there, so I'd be game to hear him more vocally! You can see more from that night in this highlight video featuring brief clips of all bands on May 30th, but it's another one of those videos that dubs over all live audio with an H.L.T.C. original ("Friend" here). With how good this video quality is, I'd be showing it off on full songs, but what do I know. Check everything out above & below!

Much of June was spent with Heavy Lies The Crown entering a contest to try and get voted in as a performer at the Global Citizen Festival in New York next month, which would also net them a $50,000 prize and a feature in Rolling Stone magazine. The Global Citizen Festival isn't exactly a metal haven in any year, but H.L.T.C. made a solid run at it, going as far as the quarterfinals, so congratulations to them on getting as far as they did! In their next Facebook video from early July, Brandon was seen driving his vehicle while talking to the camera in more of an off the cuff manner (not even saying "Hey guys, Heavy here" at the start). The focus here was on his vocal styles in their songs and what he prefers to do re: harsh vocals and "scare screaming", noting that their song "Jell-O" and his vocals there will very much be what their next album will largely sound like. Fun little update clip, so give it a watch below!

Regarding their annual 2nd Street Music Festival in their hometown (one of the very few times that Heavy Lies The Crown ever play public concerts in the E.U.P.), Brandon confirmed on their Facebook page on June 2nd that the show has moved up a week from this Saturday to next Saturday (August 16th), while also moving it from its prior 2nd Street location to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street, right along the shore of the Straits of Mackinac. Now simply called Brandon's Birthday Bash, the show will feature H.L.T.C. alongside two touring metal bands from Metro Detroit, namely metalcore quintet Nothing After This and alternative/nu-metal band Influence. as well as Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora, who made the trip east for the St. Ignace show last year. Ghidora are replacing Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water, as per this video on July 25th.

Brandon only said that "things happen. Understandable" when citing the reason for At Water dropping out, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, as it'd be neat to see more Detroit-area bands play north of the Mackinac Bridge! Because H.L.T.C. have been fairly quiet this summer beyond teasers and hype (including a mention last month of more potential lineup changes), we are now caught up on their recent updates, but with the big St. Ignace show ahead next Saturday, there'll be more to discuss from their camp soon, so stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown this month, and for more news & notes this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dodge This, Project 906, Curtis McKenzie, And Generations!!)

The weekend concert preview train rolls along on this Civic Holiday long weekend, but in a stroke of luck(?), ALL of the concerts in preview post #2 were publically announced on short notice by the featured bands. Not ideal, but it does add to a busy calendar, especially as all take place TOMORROW! Tym Morrison's previously announced matinee gig tomorrow at Misty's Fifties will follow in a separate post. Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to the annual Government Bay Barge Bash in nearby Cedarville TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, the guys first announced their involvement in this year's festivities via their Facebook page on Tuesday, but the lineup has been public since late June via the official Facebook event page. A very unique component to the local concert calendar every August, the Barge Bash literally sees bands performing on a floating barge off the coast of Government Island (near Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street) in Cedarville, which leads to some great optics as attendees can literally swim or boat to the concert proper! The band lineup TOMORROW is identical to 2024 save for the now-inactive Dirty Musky, with 906 joined by Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore and pop rock mainstays The Mark Bowen Band.

Oddfellow alum Jason Haske and Project 906 hand drummer Brian Duford will join Mark's band for the occasion, which will be cool! Mark and crew open the FREE & ALL AGES festivities at 12:00 PM, with S.O.S. playing at 2:00 PM, and Project 906 get the headlining honours TOMORROW at 4:00 PM. 9&10 News is calling for clear skies TOMORROW with temperatures of 71-75° Fahrenheit (22-24° Celsius), so cooler than last year, but the forest fire-induced air quality advisories are still very much in effect. Hopefully everyone has a great time off Government Island for the twelfth annual Barge Bash TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where Beck's Bar has another SMS-friendly double header TOMORROW, starting with a matinee concert from former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via Beck's Facebook page on Tuesday, where they announced their complete live entertainment schedule for this weekend. Just two weeks removed from his last unplugged gig at the former Vibe Lounge, hopefully Curt's latest west end concert is a hit TOMORROW, so be at Beck's early for all of his entertaining alternative and hard rock covers! Like normal, this is a 3:00 PM matinee with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Curtis' Beck's matinee TOMORROW, and for a preview, here he is live!

As for the Saturday night band at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, it's an acoustic double-header there, as unplugged classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will kick off the month there for the nightcap! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was also only announced in Beck's weekend schedule post on Facebook on Tuesday (though note that the band hasn't publically advertised a show on their own Facebook page in almost two months). Unless we missed something, this will be Jason & the July brothers' first publically advertised concert since rocking The Dive early last month. This should be a fun night of rocking covers from this veteran group, so don't miss out on the unplugged action at Beck's TOMORROW at 9:00 PM! Remember, Curtis McKenzie isn't "opening" for Dodge This, they are two separate & full shows on the same day, with Dodge This also having no cover and a 19+ age limit.

It's worth noting too that former Re:Born frontwoman Elly McWatters is playing the Sunday matinee at Beck's, as part of her recent push into more concerts as a solo headliner, including some with a full band (The Drifters) featuring Soundcheck alumni and bandmates of hers from Mike Haggith's Big Finish Band. To my understanding, Elly's modern solo sets lean towards country, but she is a very talented singer, so keep her in mind as well! Visit the above links for more on Dodge This' Beck's show TOMORROW NIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live there!

Finally for this short notice spree, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Once again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook group by drummer Tony Santoro on Sunday (the venue has not publicized a monthly concert calendar on social media since June). In that same post, they confirmed that they will return to Reggie's Place (where they played this past weekend) once again on Friday, August 15th & Saturday, August 16th, so fans of their classic cover array will want to keep those dates in mind. Hopefully things go well TOMORROW at The Water Tower Pub, let alone the Reggie's shows in two weeks! Remember, the Great Northern Road nightclub hosts different nightly acts, with tonight's band there being veteran classic rock band Flashback.

TOMORROW'S Water Tower concert is at 8:00 PM, the Reggie's ones ahead are at 9:30 PM, and these are all 19+ engagements with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bookclub, Tym Morrison, And Dodge This) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this second post on our 18th anniversary, we're continuing this weekend's concert previews by looking at Saturday nighters, along with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly of the SHORT NOTICE variety! Sunday's death metal concert featuring Swiss bands Virvum & Stortregn will be in tomorrow's post to give it proper emphasis given its scheduling. Here's what else you should know for this weekend & beyond!

Local classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced yesterday via the venue's Facebook page's concert calendar for this month. This is Dodge This' only advertised gig at the former Low & Slow this month (two open Saturdays on their schedule acknowledged), and fans of their hard rock-infused batch of covers should find a lot to like from Jason, Jamie, and Jeff TOMORROW, so don't miss their latest Queen Street East stop then! As usual for Dodge This shows in "The Naughty Corner", TOMORROW'S Dive concert takes place at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dodge This live!

Next up, prolific local classic/hard rock singer/musician Tym Morrison will continue his busy summer of acoustic solo dates when he rocks Misty's Fifties TOMORROW for another matinee concert! Most of Tym's 2025 dates ahead are at this Second Line West staple, and while we're on the subject, let's add two more shows of his to the calendar now that things aren't as clogged for announcements late in the year from just one artist. Among other still-too-distant dates, Tym will set up shop at Misty's for Saturday matinees on September 27th & October 11th, so while we'll be seeing him six times there prior (tomorrow included), keep those two fall gigs in mind! Meanwhile, Tym will also return to Beck's Bar on Sunday, September 28th for another matinee there, via those shows' Facebook event page. Regardless, Tym's ample setlist of classic and hard rock favourites should pull a solid reception tomorrow, so don't miss out! 

Tomorrow's gig and this fall's at Misty's are 4:00 PM matinees with 19+ age limits and no cover, and while the Beck's show in September is similar, it starts earlier at 3:00 PM. Visit the Misty's shows' batch Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, here's a brief detour from this weekend, as local alternative/punk cover supergroup Bookclub will rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Tuesday, July 29th as part of the City of Sault Ste. Marie's annual Summer Concert Series! The lineup for 2025 was announced via this concert calendar post from the city's Facebook page on Wednesday, with Bookclub being the only SMS-amenable band scheduled for this year. This year's Summer Concert Series kicked off with Angry Joe & The Growlers yesterday (Generations' Canada Day show on Tuesday was separate), with the big downtown tent playing host to live musicians every Tuesday and Thursday ahead until August 21st. Good to see Bookclub back at it with another fan-friendly night of unique rock covers, so don't miss Mikey, Brandon, Dustin, Al, Erin, and Josh there later this month! The Facebook post plugging the series notes that the shows are "weather permitting", so the tent may not be enough rain cover for comfort. Keep tabs on the forecast if you can!

All concerts in this series are FREE & ALL AGES, and run from 7:00-9:00 PM (the Growlers show last night was an hour later though). While largely more for general audiences than SMS loyalists, it's always good to see lots of live music at the Pavilion, and hopefully all of the shows ahead have a solid turnout, Bookclub included! Visit the above links for more details!

Finally for this post, let's head back to Beck's Bar for this weekend's entertainment, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage there TOMORROW NIGHT & SUNDAY for a unique double header! Fifteen years after the then-country cover quartet debuted at what was then The Vibe Lounge, Bone Yard will return to this Goulais Avenue nightclub with a full plugged-in concert there tomorrow, and it will be fun to see how things go as they conduct their next sermon at a new-ish locale, especially given how Greg and crew have changed since the last time! However, in a rarity for Beck's since opening, the same band is playing consecutive nights there, as Sunday's matinee slot goes to your local 225 "uncorked", a'la their acoustic Water Tower Pub and Gateway Casino gigs. Interesting to see Greg, Alex, and Warren playing both formats at the same venue, let alone the same weekend, so keep both in mind depending on what you like!

As hyped by Greg in this Facebook "Reel", tomorrow's Beck's concert is at 9:00 PM, the Sunday matinee is at 3:00 PM, and things are 19+ with no cover charge regardless. Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer is the Saturday matinee performer at Beck's tomorrow, but remember that this is a fully blocked matinee concert of its own, and he isn't "opening" for Bone Yard (and yes, Separate Wayz/ex-Soundcheck frontman Terry Eaton is this week's DJ tonight). Visit the above links for more details on this weekend's concerts, and for a preview, here's "The Dirty Three" live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Virvum/Stortregn preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!