Local Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is 100% devoted to the latest hard rock and punk covers filmed for SaultOnline's Mike Caruso's YouTube channel, as he has continued regularly posting new videos of local musicians on the weekend nightclub circuit for the past three weeks or so. His Toystock video aside, we now have enough hard rock and punk videos of his to do a whole post today, and we'll start with local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns' set at The Whiskey Barrel's first anniversary bash last month! This features The Stallyns alongside Rob & Jesse's Elements bandmate Jonas Gasperas on guest hand drums, though at the at the stationary camera angle, you'd be forgiven for not seeing him behind Rob. This 10 minute video features everyone covering Prince's "Kiss" (with Christina Speers on lead vocals), Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" (with her husband Rob on lead vocals), and Weezer's "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" (with both of the Speers' singing together.)

"Little Sister" aside, these are covers of theirs that we've seen filmed before, but they are fan favourites that showcase their range, and the video is well shot from multiple cameras! I just wish that the lighting on the stationary camera wasn't so yellow, and the vocals can be hard to make out at times. The Wyld Stallyns are on a break right now due to Christina's commitments in the local production of Cats, but let this video tide you over in the meantime!



Next up, here's two videos of local classic rock cover quartet Obsession at two different concerts from recent weeks! Admittedly a band that's on the fence of fitting our coverage, this talented veteran quartet just happened to cover hard rock songs in the last two videos Mike filmed of theirs, including at their Water Tower Pub show on November 16th, where they covered Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Love Rock & Roll". Solidly done rendition with Valerie putting a little extra grit into the vocals, and everyone handles this classic well, but the shift in audio quality from camera to camera can be more noticeable here than usual. Give this one a look below!



Mike's other Obsession video came from two weeks later when they rocked The Esquire Club, and he filmed them tackling Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You". The very purple lighting isn't optimal, but the audio holds up, and they play this song with ease! Nice to see Valerie, Gabe, Jim, and Steve keeping on with lots of well recieved local concerts, so give these a look, and don't miss them back at The Water Tower Pub next month!



Finally, here's a video of local singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver playing at The Upper Deck Bar & Grill (above The Canadian Nightclub) on November 21st! Mike filmed the Soo's Got Talent semifinalist playing three cover songs that night in this 9+ minute video, including A Thousand Horses' "Smoke", Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)", and Riley Green's "I Wish Grandpas Never Died".  The cover selections do point to a strong country component in his set, albeit without going with the obvious songs, but his more hesitant, slowed down delivery on the Green Day cover isn't my cup of tea. Cameron's on the rise, so give his video a look below!



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

"Yooper Bars" Book Review!!

Hey guys, here's a special feature post to help add to the recent stretch of posts, and it's our fourth ever book review at The Sault Metal Scene, that being of "Yooper Bars"! Described as "a travel guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula bars", it was written by Randy and Kevin Kluck, published by the Whiskey River Publishing Company in Sault Michigan, and released on December 22nd, 2011 after an 8 month journey of most of the U.P.'s bars, taverns, and pubs, many of which serve as concert venues. Clocking in at 234 pages long, the book costs $20 and can be bought online at this location and at various local storefronts, including (but not limited to) the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Lake Superior State University, but the store locator on the book's website is not updated. Given the nature of this book (it's a travel guide, not a narrative story or recollection), this will be a shorter book review than our past ones, and I'll try as I usually do to not give away anything too in-depth, as I want to encourage sales of the book. With that said, let's begin this review!

"Yooper Bars" is broken up into three sections based on geography, starting with the Eastern U.P. (anywhere east of Newberry), and then going west through the Central U.P. (between Gwinn & Gould City), ending with the Western U.P. (everywhere west of Negaunee), adding up to 109 bars in total. Each bar is given an equal space of two pages to be profiled on, with the first page of each including a short biography of the bar in question, ground rules and amenities there, the bar's address & phone number, and a check off box to denote which Yooper bars you've been to. The second page of each generally features fun facts and bits of knowledge on the bar, ranging from popular drinks & historical background notes to celebrity sightings & favourite jokes, along with recommendations from bar regulars. Both pages for each bar also feature scattered photos of the bar, it's staff, and it's patrons, including some occasional shots of live performers, food, and special events. This formula helps give each bar equal time and importance in the book, with the familiar layout helping connect everything and making it easier to read and follow.

In terms of "local" bars, the book covers 28 bars in Chippewa County (mainly in Sault Michigan and De Tour Village), 3 bars in Newberry/Luce County, and 9 bars in Mackinac County (mostly in Cedarville & Hessel), though Gould City and Curtis are counted in the Central U.P. section. Notable Sault Michigan hard rock concert venues like The Bird, The Satisfied Frog, and The Corner Pub are among the covered bars, along with Eastern U.P. concert spots like The Cozy Corners Tavern, Timmy Lee's Pub, and Dan's Place, among numerous others. In terms of metal/hard rock references, there are a few photos of hard rock performers in the Eastern U.P. section, including Half A Man, ex-Splitshot drummer Tony Hubbard, Scofflaw, and former Detroit Red Wings star Darren McCarty's hard rock band Grinder, and there's some interesting celebrity sightings of some rock legends to take note of!

The other chapters are laid out very similarly to the Eastern U.P. section, and as someone who doesn't travel west through the U.P. often, I can't reliably comment on those bars beyond what I've read, but they definitely intrigue me in many ways! A number of bars in cities like Marquette, Menominee, Ishpeming, Munising, and Escanaba are featured, and you're bound to have heard of many of them from your own travels or band associations, and yes, one featured tavern is the Gay Bar in Gay, Michigan! Notably, local favourites Nudge pop up in the section on Rookie's Sports Bar in Negaunee, and they join notable Yooper bands like Slave to Gravity among the later thirds of the book. Of course, whether any given bar in "Yooper Bars" lives up to the praise it receives from the authors is subjective depending on the reader and their own experiences, but if you go in with an open mind and expect the best, you'll learn a lot in advance of your own U.P. bar hopping!

Overall, I would recommend "Yooper Bars" to anyone who loves bars and concert venues in the Soo area and/or the Upper Peninsula! It lays out a ton of quality information and previews on each featured bar, and any novice to the 21+ scene or uncharted waters should find this book invaluable in their barhopping! That said, there are a few things I'd correct, including the book's size, which doesn't help the clarity or context of some photos, though the Yooper Bars Facebook page features many of the photos in larger versions. As well, given it's 2011 release, some entries are now slightly dated (i.e. Bullwinkle's Bar & Grill is now Todd's Tavern), but it's still mostly accurate from what I can tell. Most disappointing of all is that "Yooper Bars" isn't entirely comprehensive, omitting local bars like the one at Dondee Lanes and the bars at the Kewadin Casino branches, but I won't pass judgment as to why they're not in the book. It'd be nice to see a later pressing with added bars and updated references down the road, and maybe in a larger size, but other than that, I can't complain!

Definitely pick up "Yooper Bars" at the above links, and hopefully if you have a copy, you can begin your own journey throughout the U.P. to explore their bars and taverns, just like Randy & Kevin did, and kudos to them for their journey across all of these bars last year! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for more news and notes this week!

This Month's Polls: What Is "Local" To You?

Hey guys, it's time to discuss our new poll(s) at the SMS, and because of the potential this topic has to influence the SMS' future course, I'm devoting this whole post to these two new polls. Why two? One goes in hand with the other, and one half of the Twin Saults needs some extra specification on the subject. So, this is the base question for these two new polls:

When it comes to bands & concerts we cover at The Sault Metal Scene, how far from the Soo is "local" to you?

In the almost 5 years I've been administrating the SMS' online pages, I've gotten occasional requests to expand to regions further from town than we usually cover, or to cover some bands that aren't in our coverage range. Not long after we launched the site, I decided that our coverage range for bands & concerts should be 45 minutes driving time from either Sault Ontario or Sault Michigan, for a couple of reasons. As the site is geared towards the Sault Ste. Marie area, I wanted to mainly focus on bands, artists, and shows that are within a comfortable driving distance of the Soo, so that you guys knew of the concerts and bands that you could easily go see and learn about without putting yourself out or investing excess time/money in the process. Let's just say that I don't wanna go the Rock 101 Concert Track route and cover shows 5-7 hours away more than those actually in Sault Ste. Marie. The other reason for the 45 minute range is it's as far as we can get without leaving either the Algoma District or Chippewa County, which the Twin Saults lie in geographically. I've always figured that this was a safe and convenient range for what we cover, but there are a lot of variables on both sides, and with the requests and inquiries, I thought it'd be best to open this discussion to SMS readers!

Before you guys make any rash judgements, I want to know from these questions how far from Sault Ste. Marie do you consider to be "local". NOT how wide we should cover just to talk about and promote *insert band here*. I want the site's original integrity to remain intact as to the Sault Ste. Marie area, and though I don't doubt there are great bands in the Western U.P. or the Sudbury area (for example), I wanna know how far from here are you willing to drive to see or join a band and still consider it "local". Just because you are in or like a band 3 hours away doesn't necessarily mean you'd consider them to be "local" in reference to Sault Ste. Marie. As an example, would you consider Kewadin Casino gigs in St. Ignace to be local? Pigfest in Ishpeming? The Sinton Tavern in Thessalon? The CASS Cafe events at the Desbarats high school? This is what I want to find out. I'm sure the definition of local varies depending on the individual, but there are a lot of things to consider on both sides, and all that I can 100% say is that I do not want to invade a bigger city's music scene. The closest bigger cities on both sides of the border (Sudbury & Traverse City) have their own people to cover their scenes, I'm sure, and if we covered their bands and shows, I can't see myself doing it in as knowledged and proper of a job as someone from there... but am I wrong?

With that said, my first poll question is geared towards everyone in the Sault Ste. Marie region (Ontario & Michigan equally), so I'm posing this question to you guys: If we expand our coverage range, how far from Sault Ste. Marie in driving distance would you consider to be "local"? I've given 8 options for this poll, and while I can't guarantee that the winning choice will be adapted into the SMS (I'm not gonna make drastic changes imminently, that's too quick of an adjustment), your input will be greatly appreciated in terms of how we approach our future coverage. Pending the poll results, I am contemplating expanding our coverage in some form for our 5th anniversary on July 4th, but I won't know which direction (if any) to take without some reader input. So, carefully look at the poll choices below, and vote for your ideal "local" range in the poll on your left!

Just Sault Ste. Marie: If you happen to find that if it's not in the city limits of Sault Ste. Marie city limits, it's not local, then this would be the choice you'd pick. Maybe the outskirt communities mean little to you, or shouldn't count if they don't consistently have concerts? I'd disagree with both, but if this is your thought process, you'd wanna vote here. Note that even if this scored highly, we would not retract our coverage, which would be immensely unfair to bands and shows in nearby communities that we've covered for this long.

45 minutes from the Soo: This is our current coverage range (barring some concert festival exceptions.) In Ontario, this range adds Aweres, Echo Bay, Garden River, Goulais River, Laird, Prince Township, and Rankin (among other close communities) to our coverage, while Michigan regions like Barbeau, Bay Mills, Brimley, Dafter, Eckerman, Kinross, Pickford, Rudyard, and Sugar Island are within our range, among other areas in between. Note that this is also about as far as we can go before entering other Michigan counties, so if you want things to be just close communities in the Algoma/Chippewa range, consider the status quo. Should things remain as is for the SMS?

One hour from the Soo: Here's where things start to get debatable. If we expanded our band coverage to a full hour's distance from the Soo, we'd add areas like Desbarats, Port Findlay, Richard's Landing, and Searchmont to the Ontario coverage. In Michigan, an hour's drive time would add areas like Goetzville and Trout Lake to our full coverage, but this would also mean entering new counties. Most of the eastern Mackinac County would enter our coverage, including towns like St. Ignace, Cedarville, Brevort, and Allenville, among other communities and townships within that area. This would also lead to the possibility of Lower Peninsula coverage, as Mackinac City is within an hour's drive. I'm not sure how loyal Chippewa County residents (or Yoopers in general) are to us leaving the county/peninsula for some bands & shows, but that possibility exists if you guys wanna see an hour's range. Vote here if you prefer an hour's buffer!

90 minutes from the Soo: If we expanded coverage to bands & concerts within an hour & a half of the Soo, we'd add areas like Thessalon, Bruce Mines, St. Joseph Island in full, and Ophir to our coverage, while Michigan additions would include Paradise, De Tour Village, & Hulbert Township in Chippewa County, and Mackinac County areas like Mackinac Island, Garfield Township, and Hudson Township. This would also add parts of Luce County into our coverage, including Newberry, Pentland Township, and parts of McMillan Township, among other eastern spots in the county. In terms of the Lower Peninsula, it'd take us to Pellston and anywhere north of there. Is 90 minutes "local" to you, or is this starting to stretch it? Note also that this includes the hometown of Hempfest, Rock 101's general coverage range, and the former home of 97.9 FM (Classic Rock: The Bear), in case those are judges of "locality".

2 hours from the Soo: Now things start to get remote if you count only the U.P. & Algoma District. If our coverage stretched to 2 hours, we'd add communities like Iron Bridge, Montreal River, and Agawa Bay to the Ontario side of things, while Michigan would see more remote areas of the Eastern U.P., like Drummond Island, Curtis, Gould City, and Deer Park. Into the Lower Peninsula, a 2 hour range would take us to about the Gaylord area, though coastal cities like Charlevoix & Alpena would be a bit far still. Is 2 hours still a comfortable enough distance for you to consider that area "local" compared to Sault Ste. Marie?

More than 2 hours from the Soo: Have an even wider ranged idea for what you consider "local"? In Ontario, do you wanna stretch things out to Blind River, Elliot Lake, Wawa, Spanish, and other communities? How about counting the Sudbury or Manitoulin Districts? Note that SooToday often covers news and weather in these areas, so that could be a judge. In Michigan, should we stretch things out to Schoolcraft & Alger County (i.e. Manistique & Munising), or even further west into the U.P., like the Marquette area? Or maybe even further south into the Lower Peninsula? If your definition of "local" stretches beyond a 2 hour drive from the Soo, vote here!

Just Algoma District/Chippewa County: If you think that we should only cover the district/county that each of the twin Saults is in on the site, this is your option! My fear about this choice is the unfairness of it, as the Algoma District is larger than the entire U.P., so just sticking to that wouldn't seem fair for the Michigan metalheads, but I'm sure that opinion may vary with some people. If you want us to expand, but within the boundaries of the district or county we're already in, vote for this choice!

Any show or band with Saultites, regardless of distance: Probably the most extreme option in terms of distance, but this would essentially mean covering local bands like Garden of Bedlam, Half A Man, and The Bear Hunters at equal levels as bands like Infathom, Maximum RNR, and Phatstick, just as an example. The mere presence of a Saultite, even if the band is in a different state or province, would merit equal time and coverage, and the same would go for concerts that any band with a local member played out of town. Should any local residence, past or present, merit a band coverage on the site?

VOTE TODAY!!! Like our second poll, you have until June 18th to make your voices heard, so if you want to share your thoughts on what's local in your opinion, cast a vote within the next month!
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That leads us to our second poll, and though it's not restricted to just American voters, I'm definitely leaning it past the International Bridge, if you know what I mean. I'm posing this second question to you guys today: If we expand our coverage range, what other Michigan areas/counties would you consider to be "local"? Of course, I already mentioned that we currently cover areas within 45 minutes drive time from the Soo to be "local", but Michigan's different than Ontario in it's county/district makeup. The entire Algoma District is bigger than the Upper Peninsula, so it isn't out of the fairness realm to cover other counties in Michigan without issue. That said, I'm Canadian and I admittedly don't know how loyal Sault Michigan residents are to their city, county, or peninsula in terms of locality. Is it OK to move out of county for band/show coverage? Are trolls off limits? I need a Yooper perspective, particularly on the Eastern U.P., so here are the options for this second poll, which you can vote for multiple options for:

Mackinac County: Should the SMS move into Mackinac County for coverage? It's the closest county outside of Chippewa, and they contain communities like St. Ignace, Cedarville, Mackinac Island, Hessel, and Brevort that you may consider to be "local". I'm sure this is subjective and varies on the person, but if Mackinac County is local to you, vote for this choice!

Uncovered areas in Chippewa County: While our main coverage is Chippewa County-exclusive as it is, it's not universal to the entire county, and there are areas further than a 45 minute drive in this county, like Paradise, De Tour Village, Goetzville, and Drummond Island. Should the entire county be considered local for SMS coverage, or are these areas too far for a casual local distance?

Luce County: Directly west of Chippewa County is Luce County, and though you generally can't reach the county's main towns in under an hour, it is home to communities like Newberry (home of a few local radio stations) and larger townships like MacMillan & Pentland Township. Though sparsely populated compared to it's eastern U.P. counterparts, should Luce County be considered "local" compared to the Soo?

Cheboygan/Emmet County: Both of these counties are in the Lower Peninsula, and they're the first two you pass through on the I-75 going south. I'm not sure how anti-troll many of you guys are, but if a trip over the Mighty Mac is close enough to be local in your eyes, would cities like Mackinac City and Petoskey be worth coverage on a site about the Sault Ste. Marie area?

None of the above: Should we stick to just 45 minutes from Sault Michigan (or less?), without expanding to other areas and counties? Vote here if you'd rather we maintained the status quo!

Other: Are we being a bit conservative for what you consider "local"? Should we cover counties further west in the U.P., to factor in cities like Munising, Marquette, and Ishpeming? How about even deeper into the Lower Peninsula? If even those areas are local to you as a Saultite, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!!! This second poll has multiple options opened up, so please PICK ALL THAT APPLY if you have multiple ideas as to what other counties & areas are local to you! Your input is very important to help me see where readers' heads are at, and what coverage expansions we may take (if any) for our 5th anniversary in July, so please vote in both polls so I can get a representative opinion on what is "local" to you for the bands and concerts we regularly cover. You have until June 18th for both polls, so make your voices heard, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!