YouTube Channel Profile Series: Gabe Tessaro

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, giving us another chance to spotlight a YouTube channel (randomly selected as ever) to spotlight their uploads and content for modern readers! This month's selection gives us a prominent band from the local nightclub cover circuit in their twilight, so here's what you should know!

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Gabe Tessaro (http://youtube.com/channel/UCPYbZUEmGXSDNN0haEuy0_g)

Owner: Obsession guitarist Gabe Tessaro, also previously known from bands like That's Chester, Agave Blue, and The Reptiles

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 12th, 2011; Videos uploaded from November 2015 until June 2020

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, all four of Gabe's uploads relate to his 2004-2016 classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester, mostly via live concert videos from their last year as an active band, plus a one-off virtual reunion much further down the road.

Why You Should Watch: This will be must-watch for fans of Greg-era That's Chester, especially given the melancholy nature of these performances both at the time and in hindsight, so don't miss out! More videos of them can be seen at drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel, and while Gabe's channel is personal use, he has not uploaded videos from his other local bands, nor as he actively used it in the past year.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Captain Walker/It's A Boy: In their last public gigs with their final full lineup, That's Chester served as the house band for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop in November 2015, with frontman Greg Simpson also acting in it. Just three weeks later, guitarist Eugene Orlando suddenly passed away, and Gabe posted this video from one of the shows that same day. By far his most popular video, this has a performance of the linked early songs "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy" featuring vocals from other actors. These are well done (if not all that heavy at this point), and the high camera angle captures action on stage well, especially the poignant scene of Gabe & Eugene playing together during the second song!

IMG 1221: Gabe's next two uploads are of That's Chester's eighth & ninth appearances at Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park in July 2015 & 2016, including their nighttime cover of Deep Purple's "Hush" from 2015 (their last non-Tommy show with Eugene). Featured here is the 2016 video, from what was both a Eugene tribute set and the band's farewell as an active group. This cover of April Wine's "Roller" features guest vocals from original That's Chester frontman Richard Fullerton (recently of the Ottawa rock bands Mothership & Trashed Taxi) as well as fill-in guitarist Dan Belanger, who has sat in with Gabe's bands at multiple Rotaryfests. Ric did upload an alternate stationary angle of this very performance later, but the moving camera give this some extra flavour, and the guys all perform strongly! Greg does not sing here, but he does come out at the end.

That's Chester Isolation WishYouWereHere: Though the first pandemic lockdown was over by the end of June 2020, life as we knew it was still very much in upheaval, and many fans were surprised when Greg, Gabe, bassist Aubrey Falls, and Ric reunited (if remotely) to cover Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" for both Gabe's and Ric's YouTube channels. Dedicated by Greg to "everybody out there who's missing somebody" as well as Eugene (as per Ric's upload's description), this cover is well handled with strong editing, if very melancholy given the optics of both where the world was in mid-2020 and the fact that they were playing again without Eugene. Greg handled the second guitar role in Eugene's place, and while this isn't my favourite Pink Floyd's song, the messages resonate regardless!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, we're looking at multiple channels again, as the first that I randomly selected had just one video on offer. As such, we'll be looking at YouTube users quasarwaves (featuring a late period Gates of Winter sample clip), These Magnificent Tentacles (featuring their studio songs so far), and ironically given that I just discovered them, Steel Sour (featuring their lone jam session video). Look for these on or around November 26th, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Local Battle Of The Bands Footage From 1989, Plus A Drummer Switch!!

The rate of new updates is thankfully starting to slowly improve as we inch towards the end of the second lockdown in Ontario, so let's break our "one post every three days" trend with a new post tonight! This includes confirmation of a drummer change in a local band that was previously rumoured by said drummer's old band publically, but first, here's a surprise archive concert video discovery from almost 32 years ago!

A few weeks back, I covered a video of Toronto classic rock cover band Ground Zero's one-off Rotaryfest reunion set in 2013, courtesy of ex-Tripod The Dog/Screwge drummer Brian Egglesfield's YouTube channel, but that wasn't all for uploads of his with a hard rock tie, as in 2016, he posted a video there from the finals of a multi-night battle of the bands at the former Eastgate Hotel back in 1989! This is very much before my time (I was only born that year), and the VHS camcorder quality is obvious, so if I am lacking or incorrect on details obvious to other readers, I apologize in advance. I truly wasn't there! Brian's video captures two of the three bands competing in the finals (omitting Swing Shift, who played second), and the MC thanked bands who were eliminated in prior weeks, including Silence, Deciever, Silent Rage, Fallacy, Night Crawler, Anxiety, and Valhalla (again, I'm sorry if I misheard or misspelled any names here.)

After the MC introduced the judges, the battle finals proper began with Tommygun (also spelled as Tommy Gun on the poster), whose set included covers of The Scorpions' "Blackout", The Cult's "Rain" & "Love Removal Machine", The Pursuit Of Happiness' "Hard To Laugh", Aerosmith's version of The Beatles' "I'm Down", Free's "All Right Now", U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" & "In The Name Of Love", Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", and AC/DC's "Sin City". Really strong & varied set, and Tommygun's frontman had great stage presence to go along with his singing! Again, Swing Shift's set was not included here, if Brian(?) filmed them at all. Spy Vs. Spy's set begins after the MC's introduction, and this band has more literature online than Tommy Gun, so I can say a little more about them, largely thanks to drummer Glen Thomas discussing them online (thanks, Glen!)

As best as I can gather, Spy Vs. Spy's lineup here included Glen (now of Soundcheck) alongside singer Ken Luxton and future Bigsuit bandmates Brian Oja (recently of Griphook) on guitar and George Ravlich (from Crank Sound Distribution) on bass. Spy Vs. Spy actually disbanded later that same year in 1989 due to creative differences, so at least they had a high local platform before they went out! Their set includes covers of Judas Priest's "The Hellion/Electric Eye", Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal", Kingdom Come's "Do You Like It", Tesla's "Little Suzi", Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", "Over The Hills & Far Away", and "Good Times, Bad Times", and Guns 'N Roses' "Rocket Queen", with Rush's "Tom Sawyer" only 35 seconds in before the video ends. If bands had equal time, then that was likely their last song.

Brian did not say in the description who won this battle, and I wouldn't feel comfortable saying who I'd have voted for without seeing Swing Shift's set, but my musical tastes do lean closer to Spy Vs. Spy, who had a strong handle on these covers, with Ken's singing a good match for contemporary metal, and the crowd was into both bands! Kudos to Brian for posting this video, especially with really nice quality given the age and hardware involved, and it wasn't a chore at all to identify the covered songs! Check out Tommy Gun & Spy Vs. Spy live at The Eastgate below!

Finally for today, let's head to Sault Michigan, as local blues/hard rock cover quartet Project 906 have indeed added Gary Croad to their lineup as their new drummer, replacing Tommy Korcal (incidentally, Gary's predecessor in Tarnished as well.) Tarnished already teased Gary's new gig on their Facebook page on February 4th, but Project 906 only confirmed the news on their own Facebook page on Friday, where they noted that Tommy left due to his enlistment in the United States Army. Tommy had drummed for Project 906 since replacing Will Storey behind the kit in January 2018, and of course, we do wish him him the best of luck in his new path! That said, it doesn't sound like he just left the band, as Project 906 noted that frontman Billy Bernier has been singing and drumming with them in the interim. With no concerts to play for the past year, it looks like his double role may have primarily been during rehearsals & their long gestating EP recording plans.

 

Project 906 still hope to release said EP (let alone play proper concerts again) later this year, and given Gary's experience and skill level, he should fit in just fine with his new band! Stay tuned for updates from Project 906 (and Tarnished) when they roll in, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Redundant & The 3 Day Millionaires), Weekend Concert Previews, And Project 906 Updates!!

Happy February, everyone! With a new month now upon us, it's time to dive into the first weekend concert previews for it, but due to the length of this post and related news items for one band playing this weekend, I am holding our previews of this weekend's Tym Morrison shows at Gliss and The Roadhouse for tomorrow's post, though it could go up later tonight too. They're coming though, don't worry! Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local punk quartet Redundant will play a rare acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT when they debut at Room 21 above Low & Slow! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook page on Sunday. Fans may have seen Redundant in an acoustic setting at Coch's Corner back in 2012, but a show of this nature isn't common for this veteran act, so keep the more reserved sound in mind if you take a trip to the new Albert Street West venue for this one TOMORROW! This should also be another chance for fans to see Redundant with new second guitarist Yannick Casavant, but for full disclosure, pictures posted to their Facebook page from the Joni Radford benefit last month don't show Yannick performing with the band. In any event, this one-night-only show has no announced cover charge, a 10:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Redundant live and unplugged six years ago!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to Reggie's West for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page on Tuesday. Fresh off of a pair of gigs at The Rockstar Bar, this will be their first stop at the former Roosevelt Hotel in three weeks, and their third concert weekend out of four where they had shows booked. Fans have had lots of chances to see Steve, Jeremey, Bill, and Scott live so far this year, so if you want more or haven't been able to yet this year, you have two more chances TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! As was the case last month, these shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Millionaires live!

Closing with a previously announced concert, we'll take a detour to Sault Michigan next for local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906's special outdoor set TONIGHT at the beer tent at this year's International 500 snowmobile race! Bands under the beer tent are nothing new for the I-500 (remember when Banned and Power Slug played there?), but this will be Project 906's first turn in this setting, and hopefully they sufficiently warm things up before the race itself kicks off on Saturday! As far as I can tell, their set will be the entertainment during the I-500 stop of their annual pub crawl, so click here for full non-musical details on the ongoing race week and other events. Regarding their recent drummer switch, Project 906 confirmed that their new addition is Prizym Designs co-owner Tommy Korcal, though they still have not indicated a public reason for Will Storey's departure. Hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see Will again soon!

I'm not familiar with Tommy from other local bands, but he is a past drum instructor at Grooves Music, so he has the chops! Also, it's worth noting that Tommy actually broke his left foot Saturday morning before their show in Strongs, and he had surgery for it on Tuesday, but will not miss any future shows. He played on Saturday with his foot on a stool, and will be at the I-500 and at the Laith Al-Saadi concert next week, so kudos to him for toughing it out from the get go! The above posting on their Facebook page implied that they did not play at the Superior Cafe's musicians competition/battle of the bands that evening, but guitarist Joe Jenkins has since confirmed that only he and singer Billy Bernier performed, and the band was erroneously advertised by organizers (Thanks Joe!) Sponsors Crooked Music featured photos of the 9 competing acts onto their Facebook page, and while they unfortunately didn't tag each performer by name, they did confirm that former Intrepid guitarist Nick Pavlat's new alternative rock quintet Midnight Logic won first place. Congratulations to them for sure!

FYI, that event also featured two solo performers (one being Dead Water Tapes alum Garrett Chevrette), while half of classic rock veterans Stuck In Reverse played an acoustic set as well. As for Project 906's I-500 beer tent show TOMORROW, expect a 21+ age limit, an 8:30 PM start time, and while there isn't an advertised cover charge to attend just their sets, follow the I-500 website and sufficient local media for details on admission fees and rules for the race and surrounding events just in case. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live!



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

Lots Of Theatre Of Night Updates, A New Video Find, And More Recent Updates!!

Here's another new post for your Tuesday morning, so what can we find out today? Alongside some shorter recent stories, we have another recent video find that hadn't previously been shared here, and leading off, some long overdue news on a local metal band's surprising resurgence of activity, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today with some intriguing news from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night, who are teasing a Christmas tour run to take place at some point over the winter! When you consider that this band's only public concert (that I'm aware of) took place back on Memorial Day 2013, this revelation four & a half years later is even more surprising! Keyboardist Craig Harrison has been teasing the planned tour in Facebook page posts since last month, with specific updates slowly making their way online in the ensuing weeks, and while a potential local date isn't confirmed yet, one comment reply implied shows would take place in the Grand Rapids area. Craig & guitarist Steve Giles have enlisted five extra musicians to join them on tour, and they include singers Jordan Flesch & Stacie McCarthy, former Elipzis guitarist Chris Webster (great to see him working with a local band again!), and bassist Scott Andringa of the Holland blues rock band Shame on Susan.

Finally, the lineup is rounded out by prolific Grand Rapids-area rock drummer Erik Sales (replacing the long-departed Greg Giles), who has performed with Stacie in some recent ventures there. How's that for a massive lineup? No word on if they're all official band members now or if they're just touring performers, or if Germany's Gaby Koss will still perform on studio material with Theatre of Night, but this all sounds very encouraging! There are precious few details on the tour proper at press time, but there are a decent amount of preview videos uploaded or shared to Theatre of Night's Facebook page of tour preparations, so here's what you should know on those! All comprised of Christmas carols in a symphonic metal style (remember their "Christmas Night" CD?), the videos include a preview of a studio version of "O Holy Night" with vocals, Craig playing "Silent Night" on the keyboard, and Jordan singing "Away In A Manger" in two videos (linked here & here). All are abbreviated previews, but you get a skilled sampling of what's to come!

The other two videos are of the full septet rehearsing in Holland, though "Away In A Manger" also serves as the preview carol in both. One video is a montage of Snapchat-style clips of rehearsals & preparation therein, but embedded below is a fuller video showing the band in action, though Craig and Chris don't play at this point, and Stacie is obscured from view. There is more to share from Theatre of Night unrelated to the tour, but for now, this is all very interesting to hear, and this will spice up the holiday season with some partially local T.S.O.-style action! Stay tuned for updates on the band & tour as they roll in, and give all of these videos a look above & below!

Next up, here's another new find from Obsession guitarist Gabe Tessaro's YouTube channel, this time from his old classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's involvement in the local stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop in Sault Ontario back in November 2015! Poignantly uploaded the day of bandmate Eugene Orlando's passing (three weeks after Tommy wrapped it's local run), this is of the early numbers "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy", and while not heavy songs by any stretch, the guys handle things well on these softer numbers, and Gabe & Eugene have a nice moment where they take center stage to perform together! For reference, there's no sign of frontman Greg Simpson here, who's not visibly performing with the ensemble at this point in the production, but he did play Cousin Kevin and front other songs later on. The video has a nice camera angle from the balcony to show the whole stage, and it's worth a watch for The Who & That's Chester fans, so give it a look below!



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

• I have changed the link for Lake Superior State University's campus radio station The 46th Parallel Radio (WLSO, 90.1 FM) from their website to their Facebook page, as the former was taken down during LSSU website upgrading earlier this year. Though still broadcasting, the Sault Michigan station hasn't had an active online presence this year, had been off air when I scanned it over the summer, and have not visibly commenced their previously stated plans to move all station operations to internet streaming. Hopefully things pick up, but click here for details on the station and/or student volunteering with WLSO!
• As documented in a SooToday article by David Helwig on Friday, Essar Center events manager Robert Santa Maria proposed a new system to create an event development fund so that the Sault Ontario arena can bring in more major touring events and concerts in which up to $1 from every ticket sold be put aside towards bringing more things here, capping at $50,000. Most responses seem to be positive, but will City Council approve the idea? Time will tell, but it'd be nice to have more concerts there beyond Dokken!
• The ninth annual Soo Zombie Walk will return to The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center on Saturday, October 21st for a fifth straight year, and music will return with it pre-walk once again! Performers have not been announced yet, but for reference sake, dormant blues/crash rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage and Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan have each played the walk in the past 6 and 4 years respectively. Visit the official Facebook event page for current details on the walk, and stay tuned in case punk or metal music returns next month!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned & Mourning Wood), Plus New Videos!!

We almost never post three posts in a single day, but with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, we might as well rush this one, so we rounded things out with two new videos that went online today from both sides of the border. Now, here's what you need to know!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to the Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan for solo headlining concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the extremely short notice, we only just heard about these shows on the band's Facebook page this evening, and they weren't previously announced by the band that I've seen. These will be Alex, Wayne, and Don's first concerts at the local bowling alley/concert venue in over two months, and will be their second last weekend of shows within our coverage range of the year, so if you're up to seeing Banned's varied and often heavy covers and select originals this weekend, be at the Dondee TONIGHT & TOMORROW! There's no announced cover charges for these 21+ concerts, which have an early start time of 8:00 PM each night. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned



Next up, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock quartet Mourning Wood are also playing live this weekend, with shows on for The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Again, profuse apologies for the short notice, we only heard about these shows via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page this evening, and the band hasn't plugged them online at all either. Despite the late public notice, these will be Mourning Wood's first announced concerts since Toystock IV three weeks ago, which is a longer break than usual for this prolific band, but Glen indicated that the guys have 7-8 new songs to debut in their set, so keep that in mind as well! Also, the road work around the former Nicolet Tavern has apparently concluded, so parking shouldn't be an issue this weekend. If you can't make their New Year's Eve concert at Rednecks, TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows are at 10:00 PM with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live at The Rednecks Saloon a couple of months ago!



We'll close this impromptu post with new videos, including the latest That's Chester-approved wake-up song, courtesy of yet another Facebook video upload from guitarist Gabe Tessaro (and shared on the band's Facebook page), and it's of the veteran classic/hard rock quintet covering the brief number "Tommy's Holiday Camp" from their production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop last month! It's short and not the most representative of their skill and general sound, but it's fun and well choreographed, and you get the unique visual of late guitarist Eugene Orlando playing the accordion! It should also be noted that a Facebook post by the band yesterday implied that had Eugene not passed away, they'd have been playing at The Water Tower Pub yesterday, but that was obviously cancelled, and unless something unforeseen is announced, it will be the fate of their announced New Year's Eve show there as well. Still, give That's Chester new Tommy video a look below, and R.I.P. Eugene!



Finally, here's the newest solo performance video from ex-Elipzis/RedStone Riot bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel, but unlike his past solo videos, this is of him playing the keyboard while singing! A cover of Sugarcult's "Memory", this is his first video in a few months, and though his beard has been trimmed dowm since the last time we saw him, he puts in some good emotion on this performance, and he does have piano skill that would be interesting to see more of! Give Ryan's new solo video a look as well!



That's definitely all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Pixo Control CD & Lineup Updates, That's Chester Videos, And More!!

With December now upon us, let's not waste any time, so here's a new news post on this rainy Monday evening! Today, we have some assorted updates, new videos of a local band's recent engagements, and leading off, lots of updates on a rising young band, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/grunge standouts The Pixo Control have launched their "12 Days of Pixo", which will see one of the 12 songs from their upcoming debut album "Probably Not" posted to their YouTube channel for each of the 12 days leading up to the CD release parties at LopLops Lounge on December 12th! Nice seasonal way to slowly unveil the album, so what should you know? Apparently released in order by the album's track listing, the first two songs are "Quick Little Quarter" (which is embedded below) and "Call Me A Liar", with the other 10 songs to follow being "This Is Momentary, Forever", "Land of the Moles", "Reasons", "Vicinity", "60" (presumably a short form for "Sixty Extra Chances Called Minutes"), "Tall Ships", the newer "Congratulations On Your Decision To Become A Pilot", "Scratch", "No", and "Potpourri". The videos so far credit frontman Michael Mikus on vocals, guitar, and bass, with original drummer Keeghan Rosso on drums.

Note that it's not publically clear if ex-bassist Steve Edwards will have any credits on the album following his split with the band, or if Michael re-recorded the bass parts, but I just hope things are more amicable than they once sounded online. Also, the previously posted album artwork (of the mushroom picture framed on a gray wall) has quietly been deleted from band pages, which seems to note a cover art change, with the green designs of recent posters now factoring in. Check out the new song below, and stay tuned for the third song tomorrow!



Next up, let's stay with The Pixo Control for the announcement of their new lineup, also via a new YouTube channel upload earlier today, so what should you know here? Courtesy of the video, we learn that Id Iota/ex-Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall (who mixed and mastered "Probably Not") has replaced Steve Edwards on bass, while the band has welcomed back Keeghan Rosso on drums (replacing his original replacement, Matthew Thibert.) Intriguing to say the least, and in one case, incorrect from my earlier guess! Dustin's talented and should fit in well, while it's nice to see Keeghan back in the fold as well! As for the video itself, it's a humorous story about how Michael, down on his luck with no bandmates, meets up with Dustin & Keeghan to round out their new lineup. It's funny and creative, with some innuendos for good measure, but I won't spoil the plot otherwise, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for the new lineup's debuts at LopLops next Saturday!

Also today, here's the latest from local classic/hard rock veterans That's Chester, and of course, I hope late guitarist Eugene Orlando's funeral went as well today... well, as much as a such an event could.  Two more videos from their engagement with the live local production of The Who's Tommy have came onto our radar, though neither are actually from the musical itself. One was actually shared on their Facebook page in July (apologies for it being so late) from their concert at Rotaryfest's main stage that month, which was their last normal concert with Eugene, and it's of their rendition of The Who's "Pinball Wizard" with the Tommy cast joining in on guest vocals. Filmed by drummer Ric Datson's daughter Rikki, it's on the vertical cell phone camera angle and somewhat shaky, but you get a nice close view of That's Chester and company tackling one of The Who's most famous songs during their big set at Rotaryfest, so give it a look at this link!

The other new video actually comes from a promotional event for the Tommy production at The Station Mall where Eugene and guitarist Gabe Tessaro were playing acoustic versions of songs from the rock opera alongside actors from the play on vocals (one being Obsession/Domina frontwoman Valerie Powley.) One of many videos from that day uploaded by Valerie's brother Keith (though the band only shared this one), this is of "Tommy Can You Hear Me", and it's an interesting unplugged version that is filmed well, so give it a look below, see more above, and R.I.P. Eugene!



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

• Brutally Fatal singer/guitarist Austin McCrae is looking for performers to play at a fundraiser that he's promoting in January or February. Pay is negotiable, and he's looking for 2 or 3 acts, but details on the fundraiser's purpose, host venue, date, or if it has any Blood Shed Productions affiliation are to be announced. For more details, visit Austin's post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from this afternoon, or contact him at this link!
• Recently dormant local alternative hard rock band Id Iota have parted ways with bassist Justin Girardi, as per his quiet removal from their lineup on their Facebook page. A reason for his exit wasn't announced, but keep in mind that the band hasn't made a public statement (or played live) in over 5 months. If we hear anything on Id Iota's status, we'll let you know, but best of luck to Justin in the future!
• While we await new media and concerts from them, local goregrind duo Rotopsy posted their full demo album from earlier this year onto YouTube last week, and you can hear it at this link! Due to cover art that some readers may find offensive, we won't embed the video here, but check it out above for more of Dylan & Ringsnaps' intense and minimalistic grind originals!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Where Are The New Albums? post tomorrow, and more news to follow! Thanks everyone!

Toystock IV Concert Preview, Eugene Orlando Services, And New That's Chester Videos!!

For our post on this Saturday morning, we're largely tackling a major returning seasonal concert for a preview, but we also have some new videos from a recent event that feature a recently passed fixture in the local music scene, who leads things with information on his final services. Here's what you should know!

The obituary for late That's Chester guitarist Eugene Orlando has been posted on SooToday at this link, which confirms that his funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at St. Gregory's Church (71 Estelle Street, near St. Theresa Catholic School) with Father Alex Saurianthadathil presiding. Visitation will be held at The O'Sullivan Funeral Home at 215 St. James Street on Monday at 5:00 PM and Tuesday at 11:00 AM, and interment will follow the services at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Eugene was just 56 years old, and he is survived by his wife Estelle, his three daughters, his grandson, his father, and other extended family members. His family would appreciate donations to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation in his memory, and you can offer online condolences at this link. This is all still very sad for friends, bandmates, and fans of Eugene's, but I do hope everyone remembers the good times he had and brought during next week's functions. Stay tuned at post's end for more from his last live concerts, and R.I.P. Eugene!

Next up, here's our preview of the fourth annual Toystock fundraiser concert, which goes down TOMORROW with 10 bands in 10 hours once again rocking out for a great cause! Moving from The Canadian Nightclub to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road this year for size concerns & to encourage more families to attend, this annual seasonal concert will still provide loads of quality ALL AGES entertainment from the accumulated bands, with all proceeds going to Christmas Cheer, a great cause as always! Despite the move, expect the Stuff-A-Bus to be on site like before, as well as food & drinks, prize giveaways (including a GoPro camera as the door prize), and yes, appearances from Santa & Mrs. Claus too, so keep all of this in mind if you're planning to attend! Like in past years, Toystock is largely focused around cover bands and scattered younger talent, but only three of this year's bands are back from prior installments, so things will be suitably different for year 4, but who can you expect to see during tomorrow's festivities?

In apparent order from online materials, the headlining band will be country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record-tying third Toystock set) at 9:00 PM, and they'll be immediately preceded by post-punk quartet Gnaeus, who should have lots of songs from their forthcoming CD "Loomings" in store! A one-off punk cover band named The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet's Christian Foisy, Adam Larocque, and Matt Waples, Treble Charger's Greig Nori, Bone Yard's Greg Simpson, and special guests) will take the stage at 7:00 PM for a set of punked-up Christmas carols, which should be an intriguing attraction to say the least, so make sure you stay for their set! The debuting local rock trio Under The Influence (featuring Turner Up/Wishbone alum Brent Royer alongside guitarist Mike Muto & bassist Ryan Bell) will hit the stage at 6:00 PM, but what do they play, and how do they sound? Be the first to find out!

A pair of classic/hard rock cover quartets will take the stage in the preceding blocks, they being Havadder (replacing Nikkfitt) at 5:00 PM and Mourning Wood (in their second straight Toystock set) at 4:00 PM. Blues rockers Mojo will rock the house at 3:00 PM, as preceded by all-female classic rockers Domina (who are also returning from last year) at 2:00 PM, veteran country trio The Algo Rhythms at 1:00 PM, and students from the Bocturoc Academy of Music kicking things off at 12:00 PM. Very solid lineup, so come early for all of the talent on display! It should be noted that Toystock comes just days after the sudden passing of Eugene Orlando, who was a bandmate of Bone Yard's Greg Simpson and Ric Datson in That's Chester, and was a friend and colleague of many of the night's performers. Nothing has been announced regarding a possible tribute as of this writing, but if we hear anything, we'll let you know!

Promoted by Maxx Entertainment as usual, this all day and ALL AGES concert event has admission via a donation of a toy, non-perishable food, or (if you can't donate either) money, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Once again, Toystock IV sounds like a great event for a great cause, especially at this time of year, so be sure to consider attending for this all-day lineup of local talent tomorrow (and remember, it's now at The Grand Gardens, out near The Trading Post!) I do wonder why Lucky 13 aren't on the lineup though, this is the first Toystock that they've missed... hopefully all's well with them! See above for more details, and here's Gnaeus live earlier this year!


 

We'll close today with some newly posted videos from local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester's performances during the live production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop earlier this month, as per drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel in the last few days. These hold more resonance now given that they were the final live concert performances from guitarist Eugene Orlando, so take note of them on that basis as well, and at least this was quite a high note to go out on! These three newest videos include That's Chester covering The Who's "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy",, "Underture" (both with cast members providing vocals), and as embedded below, "Amazing Journey", with Greg Simpson singing as the narrator. All preceded once again by lengthy credits, these show That's Chester in fine form as both a band and as the backing musicians for the play at hand, and "Amazing Journey" is a fitting selection to show Eugene's skill at both the guitar and keyboard! 

Vocals are muffled again on these videos, but the multi-camera angles and professionalism come through well, and while it's too soon to speculate on That's Chester's future, Eugene's diverse talents are very much on full display! Our condolences again go out to his family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time, but give these new Tommy videos a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates in due course! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stiffler's Mom & Havadder), That's Chester/Tommy Preview, And More!!

Let's keep the news coming on this Tuesday night, so what lies within today's post? New recent concert videos, our preview of a major stage production/concert featuring a popular veteran band, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will apparently return to The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, November 21st for one night only! The unusually early notice is due to The Rockstar Bar's Martin Fiser announcing the show on the venue's Facebook group yesterday, which was nice of him, and we'll touch on one more new confirmation in a second from there! This will be Havadder's first show there in a month, and comes fresh off of the band's Studio 10 Halloween party, while it's presumably a one nighter due to the Rockstar Republic club nights on Fridays. Hopefully Jason, Jamie, Travis, and Scott knock it out of the park in three weekends' time, so keep this one in mind at around 10:00 PM that night, with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. See the above links for more details, and don't miss Havadder's fan favourite & often heavy covers on the 21st!

Next up, Martin's other new Rockstar Bar concert confirmations also include the return of local hard rock cover/party trio Stiffler's Mom to The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs venue on Saturday, November 28th! This will be their first announced concert at The Rockstar Bar in over two months, and their first anywhere since their Canadian Nightclub shows over the October 15th weekend. Greg, Michael, and Jon always put on a fun and entertaining show, so be there on the last Saturday of the month to partake in their own often heavy covers! yes, this is a one-nighter too, but rather than the Rockstar Republic, Friday the 27th will see the return of Vancouver psychobilly band Big John Bates & The Voodoo Dollz (who you may remember from opening for White Cowbell Oklahoma in the Soo), so keep that in mind if you're into that genre! Like with the Havadder show, expect a 10:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover. Check the above links for more details!

Also today, here's our preview of a long awaited live musical production featuring a familiar classic/hard rock cover band's big contribution, as That's Chester will be the house band for Shot In The Dark Productions' version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, which begins a four night run at The Machine Shop at Mill Square TOMORROW NIGHT! An ambitious production of The Who's classic rock opera, these shows (tomorrow's gala benefit and regular shows on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; Friday's an off day) will feature an all-local cast, including That's Chester's Greg Simpson as narrator, actor/singer Steven Hewgill in the title role, and familiar faces like Valerie Powley & Noah Morden among the cast. If you count these as concerts, these will mark That's Chester's first shows since their Rotaryfest set in July (which previewed the Tommy production.) Featuring classic songs like "Pinball Wizard" and "I'm Free", general admission for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday's productions are available for $35 (adults) or $30 (students & seniors), while student rush tickets at the door will be $20.

Seats are limited, so get your tickets A.S.A.P. at the Community Theatre Box Office at the Station Mall or at the door if possible! Note as well that tomorrow's opening night is a gala benefit for the Canadian Mental Health Association, as Tommy deals with mental illness in it's story, with cocktails, food, a silent auction, and more. As such, tickets are $60, and are available through producer Marion Widgett only at this link. I'll be very curious to hear how this local version of Tommy does, and hopefully there's huge crowds each night to encourage more musicals like this from Shot In The Dark! Check the above links for details (or here & here), and here's a preview!



Finally for today, here's some videos from the annual Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub, courtesy of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements' tribute set of Sublime covers with guest saxophonist Josh Norling! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel over the last few days, the videos include their cover of Sublime's "Wrong Way" by itself, this video featuring their versions of "Badfish" and "5446 That's My Number/Ball & Chain", and as embedded below, a 19 minute-long video from the concert! Here, you will see The Elements covering Sublime's "Saw Red" (with an unidentified guest singer doing the Gwen Stefani parts), "Same In The End", and a song whose name I didn't catch, though Rob Speers credited it as an early B-side, and later indicated that it'd be on their debut CD "G20", which is news to me. It sounds reminiscent of Sublime's "Thanx" at points, for what it's worth.

Featuring a better look at the guys' costumes, the videos are good quality, but a lot of dead air after their set is left in on the video below, and the stationary camera angle is way too high. The Elements sound good though, and Josh fits in well to give these ska punk classics the necessary horn section! Give everything a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood), That's Chester/Tommy Updates, And More!!

Given my recent personal family commitments, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and not wanting to break up our upcoming Rotaryfest and Kewadin Casino-centric posts, here's a somewhat abbreviated second post for this Friday evening, with only three main stories. I can't project when our next post will be, but it'll likely either be a Rotaryfest fallout post or this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands profile, so look for them in the coming days when possible. Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood are apparently making their debut at The OLG Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, the shows were only announced by bassist Steven Flint on his personal Facebook page this afternoon, similarly to most of their recent shows. Fresh off of their Rotaryfest debut last weekend, these shows will mark rare hard rock-tinged appearance from local bands at the Sault Ontario downtown casino (which hosted Glitch in the past), and it's nice to see Mourning Wood continuing to spread their wings! Also, these will likely be just regular gigs (unfamiliar venue aside) following their country-focused weekend with guest performers, in case you missed their heavier songs. Both shows this weekend have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover, so check the above links for more details, and here's Mourning Wood live last year!



Next up, here's some updates on this fall's live stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop (featuring local classic/hard rockers That's Chester as the house band), including some updates on a variance in theme for the opening night on Wednesday, November 4th. As per this SooToday article from earlier this month, the opening gala performance will be a charity event in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association, as Tommy deals with mental illness in it's story. Nice connection for a great cause! The opening CMHA gala of Tommy will have $60 tickets exclusively through producer Marion Widgett at this link, with no general admission availability for that day. If you attend the gala, you'll get cocktails, food, and be able to participate in a silent auction and CMHA presentations. Sounds like a good time if you want to support a great charity! Remember, regular shows take place from November 5th-8th, though the above article clarifies that Friday the 6th is now an off day.

As a preview of this fall's production, That's Chester invited the Tommy cast to join them on stage at Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park last week, and we now have a public video to share from it! Drummer Ric Datson posted this onto his YouTube channel earlier today, and it's of That's Chester and the cast's rendition of The Who's "Sensation", which is a nice surprise, as "Pinball Wizard" would be too predictable. The video is regrettably filmed from behind the band and cast, so the view and scope isn't too hot, but things sound good, and we get an angle of the stage that we rarely see! Give this Tommy video a look below, and stay tuned for more as it comes in!



Finally for today, here's a short new video from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night, as per keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel! A brief 22 second clip of him demoing a new track on keyboard, it's a short but sweet clip that has promise from what we can hear! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night as we hear it!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and such when I have some free time! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder) & New Videos Of Theirs, Plus More Updates!!

As promised, here's our second post of the day, touching on one more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW NIGHT, but with plenty of new videos from this band's recent gigs, this post is largely about them, albeit with some shorter assorted updates at the end. Read on below for what you should know, but check out more Canada Day concert previews and more in the post below this one!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder are returning to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for their Canada Day bash! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the show via an ad in last week's Sault This Week, with the band confirming the show online this mornning with the official Facebook event page. Notably, tomorrow's show will mark the return of drummer Scott McLurg to the band after his heart attack in May, so if you've missed Scott with the guys in the past month+, be sure to welcome him back to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! The Sault This Week confirms that tomorrow's Canada Day bash (Havadder's first Studio 10 stop since New Year's Eve) will have prizes and drink specials, and yes, ladies dancing, so if that's your thing, there you go! A personal posting by frontman Jason Roy implied that one giveaway would be for a guitar.

Note also that the same Sault This Week ad plugged that the venue will be holding a drawing for AC/DC concert tickets in Toronto next month, so keep that in mind if you go there! The show has no announced cover (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, check last week's paper and the above links, and for a preview, we have plenty of new Havadder videos to touch on today! Glen Thomas (who filled in for Scott at last month's Havadder shows) uploaded nine combined videos from both the Havadder concert at The Rednecks Saloon on June 13th and Scott's benefit show at The Rockstar Bar on the 20th onto his YouTube channel in the past couple of weeks, so what can be seen there? The six videos from Rednecks are all as a trio (guitarist Jamie July missed the show for unannounced reasons), while each show featured guest musicians, including Scott's former Turner Up bandmate Krista Marshall (also of Johnny Lunchbox fame) as a guest singer at both shows.

The Rockstar Bar videos include covers of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" (with local blues musician Paul Dellavedova on guest vocals & guitar) and Collective Soul's "Gel" (with Lucky 13's Ed Vowels on guest guitar) in one video, while the others are of Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" (with guest singers Taryn Bugyra and Dave Kendrick, I think) and Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" with Krista on guest vocals. Glen noted on his Freq's Music Planet forum that the show raised over $1,000 for the McLurg family during this difficult time, Scott did make a speech to thank everyone, and there were other guest performers that weren't captured in Glen's videos. We didn't embed any of the three below though, as all were from the drum-cam angle, but the audio's solid, and it's great to see so many familiar faces coming out to help Scott out during his recovery! As for the Rednecks concert videos, those were filmed from a regular angle of the stage, but what was filmed?

Krista's guest spots were captured on two more videos of "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" (here and here, albeit without Jamie this time) plus a cover of Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", while Jason, Travis, and Glen covered Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", "The Travelling Wilburys' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man", and Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike". Though shorthanded, Havadder sound strong as ever on these covers, and Glen fits in well on each, while Krista's vocals have been missed on stage, and hopefully we see her in a new band again soon! Check out these new Havadder videos above &"Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" below, and don't miss Havadder (and Scott's return) at Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT!



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

• We have deleted the short lived Garden River concert promotion agency GFC Promotions from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page. Intended as a regional branch of Oh! Right Arm! Promotions to promote shows just outside of the Soo, plans for GFC likely dried up when promoter Boyd Rendell moved to Sault Ste. Marie proper earlier this year, with O!RA! shows now promoted under the Six Two Oh banner anyway.
• Sault Michigan rock radio station Rock 101 have extended their deal with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to continue broadcasting all Soo Greyhounds games on 101.3 FM through at least the 2017-18 OHL season, which will take their current agreement into it's ninth season. Though this might be disappointing news for fans of Rock 101's usual music rotation, this is great news for Hounds fans, especially coming off of their great season! Click here for more details, and go Hounds go!
• The cast list for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy (featuring That's Chester as the house band) has been revealed, via promoters Shot In The Dark Productions' website, with local singer and actor Steven Hewgill playing the title role. That's Chester members aside, there are some familiar faces from local bands in the cast, including Obsession's Valerie Powley & Ashes To Dust alum Noah Morden, so get more details at the above links, and get your tickets for November 4th-8th at The Machine Shop at this link for $25, $20 for children or seniors!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Rotaryfest post TOMORROW, so who's playing when, and where's the Second Stage this year? Find out tomorrow! Thanks everyone!