Hair Scare Live Concert Videos, Plus Big Changes For KLT!!

Can you believe there's no weekend concert previews today? Still wrapping my head around that one. In today's pandemic-free news post, we're focusing solely on Michigan topics, so let's kick things off by belatedly looking at the final known public videos from The Hair Scare Live at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on February 22nd! One more YouTube user posted footage from that night onto their channel, namely attendee Carter Barsalou, who filmed two of the bands that night, though if you want footage of Kix's set, there's a fair amount from other attendees online. One of Carter's videos is of headliner Tom Keifer tackling his old band Cinderella's classic song "Shake Me". This is a solid rendition that was well filmed from the floor, though attendee heads can take up a lot of space, and the camera zoom can be somewhat choppy. Nice to see one more video of Tom & crew, so check it out below!



Carter's other video from Kewadin Casino last month was of opening Los Angeles hair metal band Faster Pussycat covering The Supersuckers' "2003 song "Pretty Fucked Up" (they titled it, not me!) A surprisingly modern song to cover at a 1980s hair metal throwback concert, it still seems to have gone over well, and drinking songs never go out of style! Unfortunately, Carter filmed this one from a vertical angle, but in this concert-devoid quarantine we're in, this may be the last Dreammakers Theatre metal show we see for a while, so savour all of the footage we can get! Give it a look below as well!

Finally, I wanted to close today with some news that doesn't directly affect the local FM radio market, but given the reach of the station in question, it is relevant for a number of listeners. Since 1991, Kalkaska-based rock radio station KLT has aired a simulcasted feed in Petoskey at WKLZ 98.9 FM, which did often reach Sault Ste. Marie with a fringe reception, and from my experience, picked up better here than Rock 105 or the modern day Classic Rock: The Bear. Well, in December, then-owners Northern Radio of Michigan agreed to sell WKLZ to the Educational Media Foundation, who plan to turn 98.9 FM into a Northern Michigan affiliate of their contemporary Christian radio network K-Love (keep in mind, the E.U.P. and Sault Ontario already have six Christian stations on FM & AM.) If you are so inclined, click here for details on the WKLZ sale. That said, KLT isn't gone from this part of the state!

Last month, Northern Radio of Michigan (who already failed to close a sale of KLT to Blarney Stone Broadcasting in 2016) struck a deal to sell KLT to regional radio giants Midwestern Broadcasting, complete with new digs at their Traverse City headquarters, staffing changes (Omelette's back on in the mornings!), and a new simulcast signal to replace WKLZ. Now, their main WKLT signal at 97.5 will also broadcast in Boyne City at WBCM on 93.5 FM, which had previously served as a simulcast of Traverse City country station WTCM. The rebroadcaster signal swap is similar to what happened with The Bear's tip-of-the-mitt feed two years ago (moving from 97.7 FM in Cheboygan to 95.3 FM in Tuscarora Township), and like then, the new signal isn't a positive for Soo listeners. Boyne City is slightly south of Petoskey already, but according to Radio-Locator's predicted coverage maps, 93.5 FM has a weaker signal, and it's estimated fringe reception doesn't even make it to De Tour Village, which may complicate things for existing northern fans.

I was able to pull KLT on 93.5 FM this morning, albeit with very staticy reception, so it can be done with the right equipment and location. Honestly, KLT's coverage range is now very comparable to Rock 105 and The Bear in terms of it's E.U.P. reach, but the strongest signal from it's originating tower belongs to Rock 105, so I expect you'll have the best luck of pulling 105.1 FM locally going forward. In any event, KLT is still worth a listen for local fans who want a playlist that's more classic-oriented than Rock 101, so click here for much more on the KLT sale and other recent radio changes downstate, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Hair Scare Live Concert Video Showcase (Part 2!!)

We covered the first half of known public videos from The Hair Scare Live last Sunday, so why not wrap things up from that sold-out concert one week later? Most of today's videos will come via videos posted on or shared to The Hair Scare's Facebook group in the days following the event, but we will have a couple from YouTube to share in an upcoming post. Today's footage starts with Troy & Annette Chandler (of the Troy's Trail charity walk), who are ardent Hair Scare fans and combined to share 8 videos from the sold-out Dreammakers Theatre concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on February 22nd onto the group. In descending order, let's start with Troy's video of headliner Tom Keifer and his solo band covering his old group Cinderella's classic song "Shake Me". Despite a vertical camera angle that's often half crowd heads, Tom and crew sound solid and energetic, so hair metal fans will want to check this one out!

Unfortunately, these videos can not be embedded on external websites due to their privacy settings, but don't blame the Chandlers, as the Hair Scare group video they didn't shoot is also blocked from external embedding, so it looks like this is a group setting. Very disappointing, but I'll link everything so you guys can watch them there! Next up, Troy filmed three videos of Maryland hair metal icons Kix playing three songs, including "Don't Close Your Eyes", "Blow My Fuse" (with lots of crowd involvement), and "Cold Blood". These videos were filmed in landscape mode, which improves the quality, but "Blow My Fuse" was unfortunately uploaded sideways. Aside from that, these capture Kix's retro glam metal stylings very well, both heavy and light sounds alike, so give these a look too! The Chandlers' only video of Los Angeles rockers Faster Pussycat was via Annette, who shared a clip of them playing their ballad "House of Pain".

Another vertical upload, you do see more of the stage this time, but based on Chris Paci's videos of their set, I think their upbeat metal songs suit them better. Judge for yourself at the above links! Attendee Mike Nicholson also filmed Faster Pussycat playing "House of Fire" in his own video on the Hair Scare group, which runs for only 40 seconds or so, and has a much sharper angle of the stage, not helped by the vertical angle and slightly rougher recording. The music sounds good while it lasts, and it's nice to have an alternate perspective! Back to Annette's uploads, she prefaced the concert clips with three pre-concert videos, specifically from The Hair Scare's live pre-show episode on Rock 101, which aired at 4:00 PM that day so as to not conflict with the concert. One clip is just of them sitting outside the theatre while host/MC Scott Cook is mingling with fans during a song, but the other two feature Scott interviewing members of the two opening bands.

The first 30-ish second-long video includes Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe and guitarist Sam Koltun talking about Sam joining the group last year, while the longer second clip sees them discuss their touring in Wisconsin (nearer to Rock 101's sister stations in the Western U.P.) and their trip to the Soo, but 80 seconds so in, Taime and Sam swap out for Kix frontman Steve Whiteman and bassist Mark Schenker, who talk about their own trip here, how they have maintained their sound, and their favourite newer bands, among other topics. It's not every day when you see public video footage of a Rock 101 broadcast, let alone not in their regular studio, but it's very neat to see Scott interviewing performers that night, and you can tell he's a huge fan of the music, which will be readily apparent to Hair Scare listeners on Saturday nights, of course. Kudos to Annette and Troy for all of the solid video footage during and before this concert, and check out theirs (and Mike's) videos at the above links!

We do have a couple more YouTube videos  to touch on this week, which I can absolutely embed here (as far as I know), so look for those in the coming days, and for other news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Hair Scare Live Concert Video Showcase (Part 1!!)

March is here, so let's kick things off with an all-video post from a major recent concert, namely the Hair Scare Live event at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on February 22nd! This special concert sold out, proving how big of a draw hair metal is locally, and having branding and co-hosting ties with the popular Rock 101 show never hurts in this regard! This was a Saturday nighter, same as the radio show's regular airtime, so Rock 101 and host Scott Cook got around that by broadcasting The Hair Scare at a special early start time of 4:00 PM that day, live from the casino. Smart move, and if you went to the concert, it meant double the glam metal action! There's a lot more to see from both YouTube and the Hair Scare Facebook group in the coming days, but for now, let's take a look at the always prolific Christopher Paci, who posted sixteen videos on his YouTube channel last week, so what can you see here?

Half of Chris' videos come from former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer's headlining set (his first local appearance in nine years), and they include Tom and his solo band playing his original songs  "It's Not Enough", "Rise", and "Hype", as well as covers of Cinderella's "Somebody Save Me", "Nobody's Fool", and "Gypsy Road", plus a long video featuring two back-to-back Cinderella songs, namely "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" & "Shake Me". Embedded below is Tom's first song, an original named "Touching the Divine". Chris has a good angle of the stage, if a little jittery, but the over-exposed stage lighting can be a drawback at points. Musically, Tom and crew sound good for hair metal fans, and he can still hit high notes pretty well! Fans seemed to like the new originals as well, which is good to see, though of course, bigger Cinderella hits seemed to get the best response. Check out all of Tom & crew's videos above & below!



Next up, Chris filmed Maryland hair metal veterans Kix playing five original songs, including "Midnight Dynamite", "Love Me With Your Top Down", "Don't Close Your Eyes", "Blow My Fuse", and as embedded below, "Girl Money". To my ears, Kix sound the closest to their 1980s sound of the three bands at The Hair Scare Live, and they deliver a strong melodic performance with energy, and what more could you ask for at a hair metal concert? Give Kix's videos a look above & below, and look for more on the site soon!



Finally, Chris got three videos of opening Los Angeles hair metal quintet Faster Pussycat playing "House of Pain", two songs in one video ("Bathroom Wall" & a cover of The Supersuckers' "Pretty Fucked Up"), and as embedded below, their set-opener "Jack the Bastard".  A little harder edged than the bands ahead, Faster Pussycat sound solid for genre fans to help kick things off on the 22nd, so check out these videos above & below as well!



Thanks again to Chris for his great work filming these once again, and while there are much more to come, that's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E & The Wyld Stallyns) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, we're capping off this weekend's hard rock concert previews with this post, though we are leading off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Yes, I am well aware of a big concert announcement at Soo Blaster, stay tuned for info on that very soon. Now, here's what you should know for those new shows!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whiskey Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only acknowledged the show via their Facebook page earlier today, but the venue had advertised it all month as part of their February schedule announcement, as seen on the shows' collective Facebook event page. I must get better at following The Whiskey Barrel's monthly concert schedules, apologies again! This will be The Elements side project's first concert since playing at LopLops two weeks ago, and it picks up where they left off when they played another Friday nighter at this popular Gore Street restaurant/nightclub last month. No word on why they're not playing on Saturday, but look for more hard rocking and varied covers TOMORROW from The Stallyns! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, here's a show that the band gave some reasonable advance notice to, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will play at The Hilltop Bar in nearby Sugar Island on Saturday, February 29th at that venue's Leap Day party! This is a very surprising announcement in two respects, one being that this is the first 415E concert in a long, long time while that wasn't under the Kewadin Casino umbrella (at least, not that had a public announcement online.) It'll be interesting to see how Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason are received here! The other unique aspect is the locale, as seeing a hard concert announcement in Sugar Island outside of the annual Music Festival there in August is completely new for us. The Hilltop Bar is a long-time ticket depot for that event, FYI. The pictured cover photo from the bar's Facebook page indicates that said Leap Day party will have a heavy emphasis on their restaurant offerings, but they have yet to confirm 415E as the live music (the band did that on their Facebook page.)

No cover charge is advertised for this event, and while start times aren't advertised either, Hilltop Bar events usually begin at 7:00 PM, and the bar proper opens at 10:00 AM. The address is 5393 Sugar Island Road. 415E's hard rocking covers should go over well at this relatively unfamiliar venue next Saturday, so see above for more details!

Moving to the rest of this weekend's concert previews, let's stay in the E.U.P., as The Hair Scare Live is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! A special concert named after the popular 1980s metal radio show on Rock 101 on Saturday nights, this is an event that you may want to see in person rather than just turn on your radio, and it will be headlined by former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer in his first local stop since Cinderella played here in 2011. Tom and his solo band should have plenty of Cinderella classics like "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" in store, so don't miss out! Support will come via Maryland glam/hard rock quintet Kix and Los Angeles hair metal veterans Faster Pussycat, both in their apparent local concert debuts. Genre fans will surely know many hits from both bands, from "Don't Close Your Eyes" to "House of Pain", so expect lots of throwback action!

As best as I can tell, Hair Scare host and Rock 101 morning DJ Scott Cook will be on hand as the MC on Saturday, which is only logical given the branding. Presented by Meridian Entertainment, this all ages & 7:00 PM concert still has limited standing room tickets available for $25 and premium seats available at higher prices, so visit this link, the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. The Dreammaker's Theater has always been very kind to hair metal, as have fans, so this should be a great concert! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tom Keifer live!



Finally for this weekend, let's wrap up back in Sault Ontario, and if you can't get to The Hair Scare Live, Canadian fans aren't completely out of the woods on SATURDAY NIGHT, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return for this headlining concert! Bon Jovi fans are in good hands here, as this tribute is making their third local concert appearance on Saturday, following well recieved gigs here in May 2016 and this past October. With a faithful looking and sounding stage show for fans of their early hair metal classics and newer, more general rock output, you should find something to like from B.J.F. in their third local go-around! Might they already have Bon Jovi's new single "Limitless" in their repertoire? As was the case last year, this is a 19+ concert with doors opening at 9:00 PM, and tickets run for $15 in advance at The Canadian's front desk, $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Bon Jovi Forever live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Local Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is 100% devoted to new videos from SaultOnline reporter Mike Caruso's YouTube channel in the past week, as his frequent uploads of videos from local bar cover bands continue with welcome regularity! Of course, there's a lot more than this to see from many different groups, but we'll focus on heavier bands and/or covers as usual, and we'll start with Mike's video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck at Reggie's West on Friday night, but with a surprise, as former Haggith/Project 421/et al. lead singer Curtis McKenzie joined in as a guest vocalist! We have heard very little from Curt musically since his most recent band Eclipse (and his then-solo project) dissolved in late 2017, so it's great to see him back on stage after 2 years away! The title just says that Curtis is a guest, but Soundcheck's Facebook page's biography was quietly updated last week to confirm the departure of singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe from the band for unannounced reasons.

Travis had previously missed Soundcheck's Water Tower Pub shows earlier this month, as well a date there in September, though I have no word how related those absences were. Travis had been a member of Soundcheck since their 2016 launch, and it's very surprising to see him leave, but hopefully he turns up in a new band soon! As for Mike's video, it's of Soundcheck and Curtis covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", and the band sound solid, though Curt's voice is a far better fit on the latter cover, and Paul is again obscured by that post on the stage. Solid overall, so give Mike's Soundcheck video a look below

Next up, here's a video of local classic/hard rock quintet Fluid 5ive at The New American Pub on November 8th, where they covered two songs, namely Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Refugee" & David Bowie's "Heroes". It's worth noting that the on-screen captions indicate a quiet lineup change, as Tom Millette is featured on second guitar, with no sign of guitarist/keyboardist Rob Irving. If Rob has left the 5ive permanently, then a reason for his departure hasn't been publically announced, though note that the band's Facebook page (which still lists Rob in the fold) hasn't been updated in over 2 months. I'm unfamiliar with Tom musically, but he fits right in with Fluid 5ive on these well-filmed covers, and hopefully all's well with Rob going forward! And yes, bassist Pierre Vaillancourt is one and the same as Pierre Anthony, highlighting the familial connection with Liam on lead guitar.

The backing vocals are iffy, but these songs are well-handled with good energy, so if you haven't seen Fluid 5ive before, this multi-camera footage will give you a solid preview of what they bring to the table. Give Fluid 5ive's 1ive video a look below, and don't miss them at Toystock!



Also, here's Mike's new video of local acoustic country duo (and Bone Yard side project) The Bearded Lounge covering Roger Miller's "Me & Bobby McGee" and a surprise slowed down version of Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Nite" at Reggie's West! I believe this was filmed at their matinee show there on November 9th. Of course, Greg and Alex have great chemistry and country chops from their full band work together and vast local experience, as evidenced nicely on the former cover, but the Kiss cover will take some acclimating if you're not a fan of classic country. Nice to see the guys spreading their wings here, so give their Reggievelt video a look also!



Finally, here's local classic rock mainstays Mustang Heart playing three covers during one of their Esquire Club concerts over the November 8th weekend. Here, you can see them cover Heart's "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You", Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses" (featuring various pictures of couples added in post), and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode". Frontwoman Marci Chindamo sings lead on the first and last songs,  but guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri handles them on Bed of Roses." The audio quality is mixed here, especially with the riffing almost sounding warped on the Heart cover, but Mustang Heart acquit themselves well here, so give them a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Offspring/Sum 41 preview and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Hair Scare Live), New Videos, And Music City SSM Updates!!

Let's tackle some more recent news and notes as we begin winding down the month of October, and we're roughly splitting things between the twin Saults today. Here, we have some new videos from acts on both sides of the border, updates on ambitious music plans in Sault Ontario, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for you 101.3 FM listeners on Saturday nights!

Former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer will return to The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for a special headlining concert on Saturday, February 22nd! Fans last saw Tom on a local stage when he and Cinderella rocked this venue in April 2011, and while Cinderella proper disbanded in 2017, he has a full solo band now and new original material with them, so look for new songs and his old classics like  "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" & "Nobody's Fool" early next year! Support will include Maryland glam/hard rock quintet Kix in their apparent local debut, who will bring a repertoire of classic songs like "Don't Close Your Eyes" & "Girl Money" to the table in February, so genre fans should be right at home with their set! Los Angeles hair metal veterans Faster Pussycat will round out the bill on this night, and with songs like "House of Pain" and "Nonstop To Nowhere", they should set the tone very well in four months' time!

Notably, this concert is branded as "Hair Scare Live", after the popular Saturday night hair/glam metal show on Rock 101, who first announced this concert this past weekend, and have the exclusive pre-sale ticket code on air. Very cool for Scott and company to get the show's name on a concert very much up their alley! This all ages, 8:00 PM show has tickets going on sale on Halloween at 10:00 AM, with general tickets starting at just $25, and you can get yours then at this link, the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. You couldn't ask for a more Hair Scary show than this, so rock the winter blues away at this one, and visit the above links for full details!

Next up, let's continue playing catch-up with local classical metal band Theatre of Night's Facebook video postings that we missed covering on the SMS this year, now focusing on their Facebook group! Generally, this is where keyboardist Craig Harrison shares videos originally posted on his personal Facebook page, rather than brand new exclusive content. On April 28th, Craig shared this video featuring their original (and non-seasonal) instrumental named "The Drowning", which first went on Reverbnation back in 2017. Described as "a somber anthem of beauty & sadness", this has a delicate ethereal sound that suits their classical ties well, and Steve's guitar work is really solid, so fans should give it a listen if they haven't already! On June 9th, Craig shared a video of singer Rachel Mender beautifully covering Evanescence's "Hello" in studio, and it's got very strong emotion to it, possibly inspired by her then two month-old son Grey's major health battle (click here for information.)

Best of luck to Rachel & Ryan at this difficult time, no parent should have go through something like this! We'll wrap for now on a happier note, namely this video Craig shared from August 20th of Rachel tracking vocals in studio for Theatre of Night's version of "O Holy Night", complete with another shot of the monitor as things get recorded. Short by excellently done as usual, it's nice to hear an isolated vocal track recording (which isn't common for heavier bands to show off around there), so give that video a look below!

 

Moving back to Sault Ontario, remember how local party metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty ran a private venue named Mellow D's Underground that hosted a handful of concerts in early-mid 2017? Well, it returned in a new (private) location on Friday at a Halloween party that the Soo's Got Talent third place finishers headlined! The band never acknowledged the show (entitled "The Spooktacular Soiree") publically until yesterday via their Facebook page. The A.A. shared the stage on Friday with hip hop acts, including Killabeatz, Kodex, ex-As It Stands frontman Justin "Nadj" Pregent, and Conika, who filmed this video of Paul, Alice, and Amanda covering Lorde's "Tennis Courts." Lighting is what it is given the location, and the video only runs for 63 seconds, but it's a lively and intense rendition as you might expect, and this seems like a fun way to bring Mellow D's back after a 2+ year hiatus! Give this video a look below, and stay tuned for more from them!

Finally, remember the discussion of "Music City Sault Ste. Marie" and an event with music industry professionals (including Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori) at The Water Tower Inn two weeks ago? Well, here's what we know about that, though you can get more technical details via the SooToday articles linked here & here. In a nutshell, representatives from numerous municipal and arts organizations have came together to help build up Sault Ste. Marie & it's music industry to become a true "music city" and a full destination for tourism, jobs, city development, and artistic growth therein. London was cited as an inspiration, based on the economic activity, publicity, and tourism there following their hosting the Juno Awards in March, with the Soo hosting the Junos cited as a potential goal. The involved groups and sponsors hosted the "Mastering of a Music City" event on October 17th, outlining their vision and what we could take from London's example, followed by a networking session.

I'm all for bolstering the Soo's music community, it'd be a huge boost for local recognition and tourism if done right, and we have loads of musical talent here, past and present! This is a tricky market in some respects given how Sault Michigan largely controls local radio, and as such, Canadian acts often don't have the same visibility. Maybe that could be addressed via Music City SSM? The Junos is a lofty goal, especially as they haven't been held in a venue as small as the Gardens since 1994, but it sure would be cool to have them here. Visit the above links for much more on these plans, and stay tuned for more news on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns), A New Local Band, And Much More!!

I was not expecting to have a news post today (more likely Sunday), but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to rush this one. That said, we can get the postponed Mike McCleary story from yesterday back up, as well as some assorted updates from an upcoming festival and some recent news and notes, but let's start with a new addition to our band links directly tied to that new show, and check out last month's poll results and this month's new poll in the post below this one!

We have a new-ish band to add to our active band links, and they are The Wyld Stallyns, a.k.a. the two man acoustic hard rock act from Elements frontman Rob Speers and guitarist Jesse Cook! Yes, it appears that the Bill & Ted homage is 100% their official name now, though remember that they were previously called The Kariokeheads and Rob & Jesse, depending on who was advertising their concert online. This band is nothing new locally, having debuted back in November, but The Wyld Stallyns only just launched their Facebook page today, hence the delay for making our band listings. Their bio indicates that Rob's wife Christina is a permanent member of the band now, and while their cover photo features Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton, he's not listed in their official lineup. The page indicates that they play "rock from the '60s to today", and can customize setlists for specialized gigs, and have encouraged crowd involvement at past shows.

Primarily seen at Room 21, your next chance to see The Wyld Stallyns will actually be TONIGHT,  as they'll play a rare hard rock show upstairs at The Upper Deck Bar & Grill above The Canadian Nightclub! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced this afternoon via it's official Facebook event page. This will be their venue debut, and it will have an early-ish 9:00 PM start time with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. It's great to see Jesse and the Speers' finally expand their online presence, and hopefully the phone booth trip to The Upper Deck doesn't have any hang-ups! Don't miss their unplugged cover action there TONIGHT, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live at The Rockstar Bar earlier this year!

Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary, who was once pencilled in for yesterday's weekend's concert previews himself, as he had advertised recently that he'd be playing a special acoustic set today at the local New Democratic Party office on Queen Street East in the lead-up to the provincial election. Mike cited "the unpredictable nature of politics" for the set being put on hold, as per his Facebook page, but he teased that updates will follow. If you can get past the political nature, it'd have been a unique setting! Leading from that, Mike's Soundcloud page strongly hints that his next solo album will be entitled "The Party Album", based on a preview playlist there featuring 5 songs, including an intro, a title track, "Superstition", "Rain", and "The Great Musical Landscape". This presumed cover artwork is also online, which features the colours of the NDP, Liberal, Conservative, and Green Parties. Is Mike's aim to release this on or around the provincial election on June 7th? Time will tell!

We'll keep you posted when more comes out on it, but Mike has two new videos on his Facebook page to close with! One from this past Saturday is a lyric video for his "Hourglass" song "Lest Ye Be Judged" (which is about the West Memphis Three, and features extra information about the trial and case), but embedded below is something a little lighter, namely a solo acoustic rendition of title track from his "Weight of the Truth" album, featuring a cameo appearance from his son. Solid casual performance, and it's cute to see father and son like this, so check out Mike's new videos above and below, and stay tuned for more on "The Party Album"!



Also today, here's the latest updates for the second annual Oh!No concert festival in nearby Leeburn, Ontario on September 8th, so what's new to report there? Well, there have been two lineup alterations, as the aforementioned Elements have been added as an 18th act for their second appearance at this event, while the still drummer-less Vol. have been replaced by frontman Steve Edwards and guitarist Mikaela Murtonen's duo project Mik & Steve, who fans will have seen at the Steves concert at LopLops earlier this month. Nice to see Steve and Mikaela still on the bill, and hopefully The Elements deliver a fun set once again! This poster was unveiled last week on the Facebook event page to add The Elements, and revised on Monday to replace Vol.. The poster also confirms admission fees and ticket availability for Oh!No II, as tickets will jump from $25 last year to $35 (which is unfortunate, but remember, there are 5 more bands this year.) Tickets are reportedly on sale at both Case's Music and The Rad Zone, and presumably through promoters Six, Two, Oh. and perhaps some of the local openers.

Also, while doors open at 11:00 PM, a full setlist has not been confirmed at press time. That said, the poster does list the out of town bands (including the relocated Shit Liver) above the locals, and if the band placement is intentional, does that mean Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface is headlining? Time will tell, but this is an immense lineup for Oh!No 2018, so visit the above links, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

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

• This doesn't bear directly on the local radio market, but The Bob & Tom Show returned to Northern Michigan last fall after Black Diamond Broadcasting moved the syndicated morning drive radio show from Classic Rock: The Bear (now at 95.3 FM) to 106.3 Mac FM in Onaway, coinciding with that station's move from adult contemporary to classic hits. Read more on the changes at this link. It's great to see that Bob & Tom weren't off of the Northern Michigan FM dial for long, and 106.3 FM arguably gets much better reception here than The Bear's post-Newberry signals ever did, so keep their new local-ish home in mind!
• After a couple years of uncertainty and rumours to this end, The Gore Street Cafe will close by the end of June, as per this photo of the letter received from property owners advising of the rental agreement ending, as shared to the laundromat's Facebook page. I won't elaborate further here, give the negative feelings and personal details in the thread, but I hope business is strong in the final weeks! Nicole's done great work for the community with the unique events and concerts, "pay what you can" meals, and local engagement done there, and hopefully she stays busy in related ventures after June 30th, even if a new cafe isn't imminent!
• I have replaced the link for former local concert/marijuana culture festival Hempfest in our concert festival links, as it's website's domain name has expired and been adopted by a women's clothing seller (there's no visible connection whatsoever to hemp or any fest.) It's new link here is it's Facebook page, which is teasing details on the forthcoming 2018 return after a year's hiatus and ownership change, but it remains to be seen if it will remain in Moonbeam, return to Ophir, or move elsewhere entirely. If we hear anything locally relevant, we'll let you know!

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

A New Local Solo Project, New Video Finds, And More Assorted News & Notes!!

As we continue our busy stretch of posts this week, here's another new post for your Friday morning, which includes some assorted recent updates, a pair of new video discoveries, and leading off, here's a new local solo project!

We have a new local solo artist to add to our active band links, and he is Mike McCleary, who you may see performing live TODAY at Sault College's reunion concert! Though I was unfamiliar with Mike until yesterday, he has a lot to talk about, so what should you know? First posting audio material onto his Soundcloud page in May, Mike launched his Facebook page last month, and has already hyped plans to release a solo EP and a music video for his song "The Working Poor", so how's that for a fast start? Actually, Mike's been a self-taught musician since he was 15, as noted in his extensive Facebook biography, where he indicated that he played in some bands while in high school, but he took a break from music for a while due to "the responsibilities of adult life" and starting his family, though he credits music for inspiring him during that time. With his wife's encouragement, Mike has restarted his music career, but how does Mike sound so far?

Inspired by everything from political punk bands to hard rock/metal acts, and even some roots and blues rock, Mike is a talented musician who seems adept at handling multiple genres, whether it's the hard rock bite of "Fire & Fury", the funkier "Weight of the Truth", or emotional ballad "Aylan", and many more (including some early covers), and while his singing voice fits more rock-based material better, I like where he's going! Mike says that he wants to write thought provoking songs that "evoke a response", and you get a sense of that lyrically in many originals. Solid work so far, so check out Mike McCleary at the above links!

Next up, here's one more archival That's Chester video that I came across on YouTube, courtesy of user Robin Joanisse's channel, as filmed when the inactive local classic/hard rock cover quintet took a road trip out to Hawk Junction (15 minutes east of Wawa) to play at the community's homecoming reunion event in August 2008! Robin was a co-organizer of the reunion, and also uploaded this video of a remembrance ceremony there that same month. In terms of That's Chester videos on YouTube, this will be extra notable as it may be the only one publically viewable one featuring then-singer Jim O'Leary, who also brought the other band he fronted at the time (Flat Stanley) to Hawk Junction for the festivities, as cited here. The video features That's Chester and a guest harmonica player covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" with some occasional lyric changes to suit the locale, and while it's a solid cover, loud cymbals can get in the road, and much of the song was cut from the final copy.

Also, you get a long stretch of Gabe Tessaro talking to the crowd before the song proper begins, but overall, this is some fun and light action from That's Chester Mark II's run in the late 2000s, and I wish that there were more videos of this lineup online! Jim was a good fit, as we later saw with Griphook, and he can adapt his voice to many genres well! Unfortunately, the video was uploaded with settings blocking it from being embedded on external websites, but definitely give it a look at the above links!

Also today, here's a new video of Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's rehearsals for their upcoming Christmas tour, this time courtesy of their YouTube channel on Tuesday! This exclusive video features guitarist Steve Giles rehearsing numerous familiar carols for the tour in quick cuts, like "The Little Drummer Boy", "Carol of the Bells", and "What Child Is This?", among others. Featuring pre-recorded tracking audio with recently added performers, this is a solid sample of what's to come, despite the vertical camera angle, and again, nothing too substantial is being given away pre-tour! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!



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

• Sault Ontario doom metal trio AlgomA have unfortunately pulled out of their upcoming split release tour with Shit Liver due to "some unforeseen medical circumstances", as per the band's Facebook page yesterday. This may be related to the same medical occurrence that scuttled their Toronto show in April, but the band hasn't elaborated other than to say that "it's (not) in our best interest" to do the tour, but will be back "in no time." Shit Liver will still headline the tour in full and sell the "Trading Faces" tapes, and while there has been no direct confirmation or denial yet, we'll let you know if AlgomA can still play the local stop at The New A!
• Classic Rock: The Bear (which gets fringe reception here at WCHY 97.7 FM in Cheboygan) has officially dropped the syndicated Bob & Tom Show in favour of a new local morning drive show from former KLT hosts Steve “Omelette” Normandin & Rick Coates. Music & branding aside, this cuts the last tie to what aired on The Bear's 2002-2010 local affiliate in Newberry (WIHC 97.9 FM), with Bob & Tom having been a constant on The Bear's network since the late 1990s. It's great to see Omelette & Friends back on the radio, but hopefully Bob & Tom return to a regional FM dial elsewhere!
• Sault Ontario promoters Choose Maxx announced on their Facebook page yesterday that the annual Toystock fundraiser concert will return for it's sixth installment (and third at the Northern Grand Gardens) on Sunday, November 26th, and to private message them if you or your band are interested in playing! No word yet on who might be playing Toystock VI, but remember that this Christmas Cheer event features 10 (typically covers-centric) bands in 10 hours, and lineups largely don't stay the same year to year, with only Bone Yard and the inactive Lucky 13 playing Toystock three times to date. Stay tuned for updates as they come in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the Sault Metal Scene in the near future! Thanks everyone!