LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Wax Mannequin & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to dive into another round of weekend concert previews, and while things aren't as hectic as the last two weeks, there are still enough shows to get to where we'll have to break things in twain, so shows that are only on Saturday and/or Sunday (Generations, 5 Dollar Bribe, Bone Yard 225, and the Barge Bash) will be in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border for bands playing shows tonight and tomorrow in some fashion, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third solo acoustic concert in as many days TOMORROW NIGHT at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via his Facebook event page on Monday. You may recall seeing late notice word that Tym would be making the 45 minute drive southeast to Desbarats (hometown of Central Algoma Secondary School) four weeks ago for his debut gig there, which I unfortunately missed at the time, so thankfully I heard about this one! Fresh off of shows at The Trading Post and the Up & Down Lounge, Tym should have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in store for fans TOMORROW, and clearly his July 3rd show went well for him to get called back again before July is up! Ije's Place is located off of Highway 17 at 4 Lake Huron Drive, and is roughly between St. Joseph Island and Bruce Mines near the edge of our coverage area.

This indoor concert goes down TOMORROW from 6:00-8:00 PM, this is likely all ages given that Ije's is a cafe & bakery, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a live-streamed video of Tym there earlier this month! The 2 minute clip sees Tym covering much of The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels" and doing a solid job of it, but alas, the filmer didn't zoom in at all, so full screen is your friend here. As this was live-streamed on Ije's Facebook page, it will vanish early next week unless re-uploaded or converted, so watch it below (while you can?) 

Next up, Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT for a concert at... Unnecessary Noise? Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via its Facebook event page this past Friday. As to my understanding, Unnecessary Noise is the private location that has been used for recent Underground Events SSM concerts like the Danger Box one and Soopfest, but the space now has an official name, and it's being used for public event promotion going forward, even if the address isn't at a public locale ("ask a punk"). This isn't entirely new for Wax Mannequin, as Chris Adeney's last show here in August 2024 was also not at a standard venue, instead a residence's backyard. Hopefully Unnecessary Noise proves a fitting spot for Wax Mannequin's return, and their noise definitely isn't unnecessary, with punk and metal tinges across their wide ranging setlist and discography!

Fellow Hamilton alt-folk/punk solo project The Kettle Black will make their apparent local debut tomorrow while on tour with Wax Mannequin, while comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (featuring Stones & Crows bassist Nicholas Gingras) will return as openers after doing the honours two years ago. Like in 2024, this is an all ages concert at 8:00 PM, but unlike that Piecing It Together Shows-promoted event, admission is "pay-what-you-can" with $15 recommended (down from $20 in advance/$25 at the door last time). This should be a fun concert for fans of eclectic original music with punk and hard rock influences across the board, so see above for more details, and here's Wax Mannequin live!

We'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to round out this post, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quarter Tarnished, who will make their way an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock American Legion Park as part of St. Ignace's Music By The Bay summer concert series! Once again, St. Ignace is impressively hosting a different live music act daily until Labour Day, with tomorrow's show being the first of two that Tarnished are playing under the canopied stage at 200 North State Street this year, the other being the penultimate show for 2026 on September 5th. Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a smash hit for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, though note that the band has not corroborated the booking on their Facebook page at press time. Tomorrow's concert takes place at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and lawn chairs are suggested given the park setting.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a 40% chance of rain during showtime tomorrow, with temperatures of 72-73° (22-23° Celsius). Yes, artists get to play under a roof, but attendees aren't so lucky, so if you are at all concerned about the forecast and/or the potential for the show being cancelled or abbreviated by the rain, keep tabs with Tarnished for updates. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally, let's head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where Petoskey classic/hard rock cover quartet The Blitz are scheduled to make their local debuts at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not mentioned in new social media posts in the past month & a half, The Blitz are the first of three non-local hard rock cover bands debuting at Kewadin lounges over the next month. Videos from after their 2022 reunion point to a well varied but often heavy range of covers played with talent and professinalism, and I do hope that things go well so they can blitz a local stage again in the coming months! As usual for Kewadin lounges, this weekend's shows both have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Blitz in a recent jam session!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's previews or this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

Heavy Lies The Crown - "Built For Us" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 177th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're looking at St. Ignace, Michigan deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown's second full-length album "Built For Us"! Quietly and independently released to major streaming services on January 31st, H.L.T.C. are represented here by their mid-late 2023 lineup, including singer Brandon West and the now-departed Ted Olson on guitar, alongside bassist Christian Cook and drummer Jaxon Massaway in their studio debuts with the band. Note that ex-rhythm guitarist Christian Thanasiu appears in their music video for "Celebrate The Night", which was filmed in 2022, but it is not clear if he performed on any of the final copies here or not (he is not seen in their other music videos for the album). The follow-up to their self-titled 2021 album (later renamed "Knucklebutter"), it is unclear if physical copies of "Built For Us" have been/will be made.

You can stream the new album for free on "all streaming platforms" Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Boomplay, and mp3 copies of the album are on sale on Amazon for $9.49 and on iTunes for $9.99. Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. 

With 11 songs running for about 35 minutes, let's begin this review! The opening song is "Heart Sex", which opens (and closes) with news clips of anchors reporting about bad and catastrophic events around the world, before the song proper kicks into gear 40 seconds in. A pounding song with djent-influenced guitar work from Ted, the vocal style here remains reminiscent of American Head Charge when Brandon is screaming, but he is throwing in more death metal growling than we have previously seen from H.L.T.C. in studio. This song has a strong, assaulting groove that is indicative of the band's planned move to heavier styles, and Christian's bass pairs well, so this is a quality opener! Next up is "Rat King", which has a more melodic guitar riff and a more Killswitch Engage-y structure to it, including melodic (if still full-voiced) singing from Brandon when not screaming.

With no proper guitar solo on the opener, "Rat King" lets Ted show off a little more, and Jaxon gets more to do behind the drumkit, so as a pure talent showcase, this is definitely notable! Crushing bridge aside, "Heart Sex" is definitely a heavier song though, so pick your poison, but both are effective openers with their own sounds! Third on offer is "Intro To Death", which is literally the intro to "Death", as in track #4, "Death Parade". Running for an album-low 60 seconds, it has ominous background noise and a siren before we hear 10 seconds of growling from Brandon. At least this intro track doesn't artificially break up a 3:42 song, as it has a clear end, but it doesn't really stand on its own even still. As for "Death Parade", it's a faster paced song with more of a deathcore influence, with Brandon really varying his vocals throughout, and the choruses definitely soar overtop of the riffing!

Jaxon really shines on drums here, but but to a point, I think the song is more of a noise cacophony than what came before it, and has less of a melodic base (it being a relatively short song acknowledged). Noise metal fans will take to it readily! Song #5 is the first advance single & music video "Jell-O", an intense and fast-paced metal song whose ominous cascading riffs really belie the song's title! The guitar work (lack of solo aside) is top notch, Brandon's harsh vocals are well applied, and Christian more than holds his own on the low end, so this is another early highlight! My big problem with the song is that it ends way too abruptly, just with a very quick fade-out, and for a sub-3 minute song, it was begging for more. After all, there's always room for Jell-O! Sixth on the album is "Country Song 2" (yes, that is its name). This is an 80 second instrumental led primarily by Ted, evoking the background music in a western movie to an extent.

Still relatively ominous as it goes, the song isn't badly composed and kinda serves as an intermission for "Built For Us", but the last 15 seconds really didn't need to fade out at such a slow pace. We get back to metal with "Bounty", which feels like a bit of a throwback to the more metalcore-leaning H.L.T.C. of the early 2020s, but still with a healthy technical edge, and Ted's guitar work here is among the best on the album so far (lack of a guitar solo acknowledged). Aggressive but still melodic to keep fans happy, and everyone performs to their strengths! Next is "Cigar With The Devil", which was the third and final advance single with music video before the album came out. Another hard hitting extreme metal song as you'd hope, this benefits from more soloing from Ted and some really varied vocals from Brandon, including his lowest death growling yet!

I do think that the vocal melody is somewhat forced to get these lyrics (especially ones referencing the title) to fit with the song as written, but it's a strong showcase of everyone's skill set, and the guitar flourish alone makes this worth listening to for fans! The clock ticking at the end was at least better for the song than the long fade-out from two songs prior. That's followed by "God Butter" (née "Gods Butter"), another advance single but sans a dedicated music video. The longest song on "Built For Us" by a slim margin, it begins more ominously before the song properly kicks into gear, and on this one, it has more a groove metal influence that reminds me more of something off of "Knucklebutter", complete with primarily screamed vocals, albeit getting more guttural until the midpoint. The song has a very deliberate pace at points, while also being full throttle at others, so it'll please many fans!

I would have preferred them sticking to one tempo and vocal style aside from choruses, but it's intense with solid drumming, and despite a somewhat abrupt ending, it never felt overlong! The penultimate track here is "Monster", a song heavily dictated by a steadily pounding guitar riff, not to mention nicely varied harsh vocal styles (even a bit of pig squealing at one point!). This song seemed to have some progressive influence without sticking to a verse-chorus-verse structure, which won't be for everyone, but it's suitably brutal and will get a mosh pit going in concert! Be advised that the song is actually 3:25 with 50 seconds of dead air, which explains its 4:15 runtime on streaming services. I have no idea if that was an error on Heavy Lies The Crown's part or if the silent stretch has a purpose.

"Built For Us" ends with its other released single/music video, "Celebrate The Night", which opens with a ticking clock, as if it was directly intended to come after "Cigar With The Devil" in the track order. While far from a ballad, this song has (by far) Brandon's most reserved clean singing, and it's definitely the most accessible song on offer with screaming reserved for choruses, often in a backing role. This song has more of a screamo influence from how the vocals are applied, but the song is still heavy, and it makes use of some nice evil laughter near the end! I like my H.L.T.C. to be more aggressive, but this is a catchy song that was arguably a bold choice to end the album with, albeit ending too soon given how things had progressed. So, what are my final thoughts on Heavy Lies The Crown's new album? I'd say that existing fans will easily take to it, especially with the heavier influences!

While the songs are (on average) a little shorter than on their prior album, their encroaching into death metal and deathcore, especially vocally, is a welcome shift, and Brandon was more than up to the task in singing however the songs called for! In his H.L.T.C. swan song, Ted's technical guitar work shone as you'd expect, and their new rhythm section filled their roles capably, with Jaxon drumming beyond his years and Christian's bass steadily filling things out how you want! Songs like "Heart Sex", "Jell-O", and "Monster" piqued my interest the most, but nothing here is bad, and it feels like a natural evolution in sound. However, there was even less of a focus on guitar solos than on "Knucklebutter", and I would have smushed "Intro To Death" into the next song. Plus, some tracks ended too abruptly, and a few songs ramped up the heaviness at the expense of structure, but it hits way more than it misses.

If you want to hear some brutal local original metal from a very talented E.U.P. band, Heavy Lies The Crown deliver the goods on "Built For Us", and here's hoping that Nathan Switzer's return on guitar will ensure that they pick things back up on the right foot for their next material! Buy or stream this album above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, we'll finally take a look at Sault Ontario progressive metal band Convergence's new EP "Dead & Dreaming", so look for that review and much more on the site in April! Thanks everyone, and have a happy Easter!

Oz Concert Previews, Plus Lots Of Updates From Heavy Lies The Crown!!

Today's all-Sault Michgan/E.U.P. post leads off with concert previews for this weekend and rounds out with lots of updates from a prominent local extreme metal band, so here's what you should know!

This weekend's last unpreviewed and publically announced hard rock concerts take place TONIGHT and TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino, where Iron Mountain classic/hard rock cover band Oz will make their local debuts! While the band did note on their Facebook page that "we hope to see many old friends" this weekend, the shows are 100% their debuts at the Soo Kewadin, so perhaps members played locally in prior bands? Oz have developed a good following with their proficient and fan-friendly blend of classic and hard rock covers throughout the western U.P. in the past decade+, and there's no shortage of setlist teasers and media from their shows online, so do check them out! You can see Oz both nights at 9:00 PM with no cover, and these are 21+ events. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Oz live!

Next up, here's the latest from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to in the past month? On January 30th, they revealed on their Facebook page that their upcoming album "Built For Us" was "done", but they were allegedly debating on not releasing it unless fans "care to fight for it". That ultimatum appears to have been in jest, if not a ploy to boost engagement, as "Built For Us" was quietly released the following day! Why they didn't just SAY that on the 31st, I don't know, especially as I wrote about the band four days later without a clue, and I only realized today that it had been out for over a month! Regardless, Heavy Lies The Crown revealed yesterday that the album was on "all streaming platforms". Given the extremely plentiful number of music streaming services out there, always take such statements with a grain (or pillar) of salt, as it'd be quite a task to get on all of them.

I can confirm that "Built For Us" is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and... Boomplay? Yes, you can buy the album in mp3 format from Amazon for $9.49 and on iTunes for $9.99, so if you want to actually have the files, keep those options in mind! No word on a physical release though. Any talk of our year+ long streak of new album reviews at the SMS ending this month is over, as I will be reviewing H.L.T.C.'s new album this month, so look for that in the next 30 days! Remember, Sault Ontario metal band Convergence's new EP "Dead & Dreaming" from January 1st isn't being reviewed until next month due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act. Back to Heavy Lies The Crown, they shared a "Reel" previewing the final copy of their song "Celebrate The Night" on January 30th with a view of a tracking computer.

For one reason or another, that "Reel" was in black & white, but the next one from February 4th (of them working on "Cigar For The Devil" at the computer) was in colour. Regarding their return to the stage for the first time since the LSSU battle of the bands in Sault Ste. Marie in November, the guys will be driving down to Pontiac (outside of Detroit) to open for Born Of Osiris and Attila at The Crofoot on Sunday, May 26th, one of ten bands playing on this stacked bill. This will be a huge way for them to shake off six months worth of stage rust, so contact the band for details on how to get tickets if you're in the Metro Detroit area or are willing to make the 4-5 hour drive south! Lastly from H.L.T.C., the guys literally just released their third music video for this new album on their YouTube channel! This video is for the aforementioned "Cigar With The Devil", so what should you know on it?

The video (directed by frontman Brandon West) features the band performing in a room with deep red lighting, intercut with scripted scenes starring guitarist Ted Olson as he meets the devil himself (Jesse Utter) in the woods. A contract is signed, cigars are smoked, and guns are drawn, but I'll let you watch to see what exactly happens! You'll notice that bassist Christian Cook and drummer Jaxon Massaway (note his Born Of Osiris shirt) are both wearing the devil's mask. I'll hold comment on the song proper pending our review of the whole album later this month, but the video is well filmed and edited, so give "Cigar With The Devil" a watch/listen below, and buy/stream "Built For Us" at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), More Local Artists On You Rock!, And Other Updates!!

In this final weekend with vaccine passports in the province, the hard rock concert calendar is very slim, but some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS have hit my news desk in time to give them some coverage before it is too late! Rounding things out, we do have some assorted notes from a popular Facebook group, and some local content on a popular indie music showcase series, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for traditional concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed these dates via their official Facebook page yesterday, but this is relatively common for their gig announcements, alas. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows do follow their regular Thursday night role as open mic night hosts at the Reggievelt, but traditionally, we don't cover open mic nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their unpredictable nature and variable performance length of the hosts. Open mic nights aside, this is Soundcheck's second normal concert weekend of 2022 and their first at Reggie's West in almost three months (largely thanks to the re-imposed pandemic restrictions), but with those lifted, hopefully a sizeable crowd turns out to safely rock out with their diverse but often heavy covers!

You can see Soundcheck TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, but be advised that this is the last concert weekend where vaccine passports are mandatory to enter nightclubs in Ontario, so do not forget yours if you come out! Starting March 1st, they're no longer required, but regardless, please use common sense regarding any posted public health measures to keep everyone safe. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some more local representation in a recent episode of Thomas Christ's independent music showcase webseries You Rock!, starting with episode #20 from January 19th! The mid-point of that episode is very locally friendly, as Thomas checks out three songs from local acts in a six song, hour+ long span (the episode runs for just over 3 hours). First up is inactive grunge trio No Arrow's song "Sikkha" (1:17:20), preceded by context about how the track came to be, and I won't get into the specifics here, especially with how they deal with band disagreements. Thomas complimented the song's raw grunge/metal hybrid feeling and how it really evokes a live performance, and it's great to see that No Arrow are still finding a strong audience so many years removed from their dissolution! Local indie rockers Man Feelings also get good praise at the 1:57:00 mark for their song "When You Win (You Win Ugly)".

That episode's local contingent ends with regularly featured You Rock! contributor Mike Haggith, specifically here via his old power pop/hard rock trio The Din's song "Missing" (2:04:05) from their last album "Suburban Dream". Thomas called this song "fantastic" and complimented it's straightforward indie vibe, live readiness, and Mike's overall professionalism. Solid thoughts as always, so give all of the local and international talent a listen above! Embedded below is episode #21 from January 26th, which features songs from both Mike Haggith and No Arrow, so what should you know there? Mike's up first at 1:54:55 when Thomas played his song "MorningStar" from 2020's "If Ever Comes The Day", and he praised the track as an "epic song", hyping up its orchestral elements and rocking vibe, especially so given that this was allegedly Mike's first song made solely on GarageBand for iOS!

As for No Arrow, their song "Genocyde Revealing Part 2" is played at 2:27:00, with frontman Dann Pichette giving some interesting thoughts on the song's origins and the band (if that explains anything!) Thomas said that the song sounded great, that it reminded him of a Nirvana b-side, and he liked the chaotic ending as well. Always solid insights from Thomas Christ (a strong musician in his own right beyond this series), and the breadth of talent from afar is always welcome in this series, so give everything a watch above & below! We'll look at more from You Rock! next week!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items, all related to posts on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from the last few weeks! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Former Haggith/Eclipse singer Curtis McKenzie is looking for a drummer that would be interested in jamming with his current project, who cover bands like Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden. A bassist is already enlisted, and Curt made it sound like he was on guitar. It'd be great to see Curtis back out there with a full band, but message him here or via his group post from two weeks ago for more details!
• In his latest Musicians Wanted post, former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent posted about wanting to jam in a band again, naming "rock and roll, classic rock, hard rock, and maybe some country" as preferred genres. Mike can also play drums if needed. Maybe not a return to his best known metal work is in the cards, but if you want to jam with Mike, message him at this link or via his group post on Monday!
• Mustang Sally alum Nicholas Gingras is looking for a bassist (ideally aged 17-22) who would be interested in joining his current band The Floor Between Us, who play original "experimental comedy rock", and hope to play songs that, while "straightforward harmonically", can also have simple chord progressions churned out "on the fly". The brief musical samples on their Instagram page don't tell us a ton about their sound, but just in case they could get heavy, message Nicholas at this link or via his group post on Sunday for more info!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned & 415E), SweetKenny Updates, And More!!

Today's post is largely Sault Michigan-centric, with album updates from a regional artist to touch on, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two bands in early 2016, but we also have some general updates to one of our feature series to cap things off. Now, here's what you should know!

Kewadin Casino's entertainment page has finally been updated to reflect 2016 concerts, with shows listed for The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin and The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin through late June, and there are new hard rock shows to note there! The Highway 63 shows are already known to us, but we can now confirm five new concert weekends from bands in our range, including hard rock quartet 415E, who will return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on February 26th & 27th, and then on April 29th & 30th! Last seen on stage during their New Year's Eve show in St. Ignace, 415E are the only St. Ignace-scheduled band so far that isn't playing at the Sault Kewadin, but if you can head down to The Northern Pines Lounge over these weekends, be ready for some Van Halen-inspired hard rock hits! There's no announced cover charge for these 21+ shows, which start at around 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links, and stay tuned for more from the Hubbard/Menard crew as we hear it!

The other new hard rock confirmations come from Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned, who had announced Kewadin dates through March already via their Facebook page, but the casino confirmed a handful of shows beyond! The Traynors and Wayne will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at in St. Ignace for gigs on April 14th & 15th and then on May 13th & 14th, while they'll return to The Rapids Lounge in the Soo for the first time in three months on June 17th & 18th, so keep those dates in mind as well! Banned always stay busy, and hopefully these shows go as well as their next ones, as fans should know their talent level! Remember, we'll next see Banned within an hour of Sault Ste. Marie when they rock The Runway Bar in Hessel on February 12th, with gigs at Western U.P. Kewadin branches coming beforehand. Like with the new 415E gigs, these are 9:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. For more details, visit the above links, and stay tuned for more from Banned!

And just for reference, note that other new Kewadin dates belong to classic rockers Touch of Class & The Brooks Band, country artists Hawk Junction & Paul Perry, and Traverse City dance rock quartet Risque, who haven't been recent local regulars that I've seen. Note that there's nothing new from there from the recently dormant Power Slug, nor from Jeff Hudson's Traverse City-area metal bands like Peril & Scarkazm, but if/when we hear more on their next E.U.P. dates, we'll let you know!

Next up, Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken Sutton (a.k.a. SweetKenny) has released another new album, so what should you know on it? Entitled "Only Us Left Standing", it was released to his Bandcamp page on January 11th (apologies for the delay), and it's his first album of 2016 & 16th total in his main solo series. Continuing his recent focus since the summer, this SweetKenny album is intended to be a conceptual & instrumental score that could be used in a video game, and similarly to last month's "The Walkers: Rise of the Dead", it's themed after a zombie invasion. On listening, I can confirm that it's darker and more ominous than "The Walkers", which is largely acoustic-based, but both show Ken's range! "Only Us Left Standing" is on sale for $7 via the above links, so definitely consider picking it up, especially if you like video game scores!

Now, as these are part of his main album canon, they are eligible for reviews on the site, and I'd already pencilled in a SweetKenny review for this month, so is one of these next? No, as I usually pick the heaviest album if I have multiple new releases to pick from in a band's discography, and from his most recent four (plus August's "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter"), the heaviest is October's "The Hitman Files", which is themed like it could be in a hitman action game or movie. No word on when SweetKenny will release a traditional new solo album (last seen with June's "Fleabag Hotel"), but look for our review of "The Hitman Files" by Sunday!

Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles! In our profile of 2010's Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Heart Battle of the Bands, we restored a photo of third place finishers Sykotyk Rampage, and updated info on their recent activity, but the rest was still good. In our profile of that spring's Downtown Showdown battle, we restored two photos, added notes on runners-up The Fury's brief 2014 reunion and frontman Paul Stanghetta's never-launched successor band Keep It Lit, and clarified info on judge Len Ward. For it's section on performers' later bands, we replaced The Glass Thieves, Keep It Lit, and March Into Regression with The Apocalypse Afterparty, Infinity Grinder, and London's Five Oceans (featuring Tenagens alum Patrick Dal Cin) to keep that more current. Finally, we added references to how performers did in 2015 battles, namely SBD bassist Brad Griffith at the Speak Easy battle with Infinity Grinder, and Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's fourth place run at the VM Radio Battle with The Apocalypse Afterparty.

Hopefully that gets these sufficiently updated, and stay tuned for updates of battles from 2012 and on next, much more news and notes in short order, plus our review of SweetKenny's "The Hitman Files"! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Late Shift & Tym Morrison), Plus More Concert Previews!!

We're back on this Saturday afternoon with some more weekend concert previews for the next couple of days, but leading off, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few weeks, so here's what you should know!

Prolific local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be back on stage next weekend, so with that in mind, we've added his August concert dates to our listings! After taking this weekend off for a scheduled vacation (according to his personal Facebook page), his dual weekly concert arrangements will continue at both Gliss Steak & Seafood and The Harp Bar & Grill for the rest of the month as per his website's calendar! As such, expect Tym to be back at Gliss by the Station Mall for suppertime matinees on the rest of August's Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, including NEXT WEEK (the 13th-15th), plus the 20th-22nd & 27th-29th, while his longer-running nighttime shows at The Harp on Pine Street will continue from the 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, and 28th-29th once again, as he doesn't play at the former Madison's Pub on Thursdays (also, there's no UFC PPVs for the rest of the month, so don't worry about Saturday nighters!)

And remember, given the unusually lengthy show listings on his website, we take Tym's bookings a month at a time for our listings, so we'll get to September when it comes. As usual for Tym's concerts, the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees and the Harp shows are at 10:00 PM, neither has an announced cover charge (but remember that Gliss is a restaurant), and as it's a bar, you must be 19 to attend the Harp dates. Great to see Tym's successful runs at both venues continuing, and hopefully he enjoys his vacation, so for more details, visit the above links!

Also in new concerts, local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift will return to the stage when they open for Ottawa alt-rock trio The Red Rails in their third local concert appearance on Saturday, August 29th at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at Algoma Ride For Autism (barring an unannounced concert in the interim), this popular yet online pageless band should deliver a solid set of hard rocking covers in their return to The Rockstar Bar at month's end! If you're not familiar, The Red Rails (last seen last August at the same venue) are the current band from Sault native and former Turner Up drummer Steve Brogno, who notably played with Late Shift's John Barber and Matt Sibilo in the defunct local hard rock band Driving Dave Home in the late 2000s. Might we get a mini-reunion of sorts on the 29th? Find out then! A higher cover charge of $7 is in effect, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Also, I don't believe Late Shift have starting using the definite article in their name, but we would list them as The Late Shift on the SMS if that was ever confirmed by the band themselves. This should be a fun show, and it's nice to see Steve bring his talented, blues-tinged power trio back home to the Soo on the 29th, so keep this show in mind!

We'll close today with two concert previews for shows taking place over the next couple of days, including the return of Vancouver crossover thrash metal quartet The Golers to Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Last seen over two years ago during their dual Roosevelt Hotel Thursday night sets in mid-2013, their brutal originals should be welcomed back to the stage in their New A debut tomorrow, including even heavier and thrashier new material from their latest album "In 'n Out Outlaws"! The local openers will include doom metal trio AlgomA (who opened for The Golers in June 2013) in their first local show since the end of their first tour run, while local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will open the day with their brutal originals in their own New A debut, and both should be fine choices for tomorrow's intensity! A Six Two Oh production, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Also, a personal Facebook posting by Bear Hunters frontman Nik Deubel implied that their set would have a couple of surprises, so keep that in mind too!

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a brutal time with three explosive and varied types of metal bands on display, so if you're up for some Sunday night brutality, head down to The New American Pub for the return of The Golers! Here they are live in Alberta!



Finally, it'll be a "Heavy Monday" in two nights time, as Edmonton "future space groove" trio Eternal Prophecy and Calgary hardcore metal sextet Lie Among Us will make their local concert debuts THIS MONDAY NIGHT at The Algonquin Pub! Solid double bill of Alberta metal action, with Eternal Prophecy's creative hybrid sound and Lie Among Us' extreme intensity (with new EP in tow) a nice compliment, so don't miss them if you can help it on Monday night! Originally planned to have the now-defunct Haggith & The Revolution as openers, Haggith alumni Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton will still open the proceedings with their local classic metal quintet Project 421, in the third show with their new lineup, though they are now the only local opening act. Their classic metal sound and the boost of Curtis' returning vocals should kick things off nicely on Monday, so don't miss their second show in four days then! Note that this show is not a Gonqshow event, it's being promoted by Project 421's own label PaperClip Productions.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which starts Monday night at 9:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid time for metalheads, and with two varied nights of local and out of town metal in a row downtown coming up, you guys have some solid options to check out! See above for more details, and here's Eternal Prophecy live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Eternal Prophecy, That's Chester, And Havadder) And Stereo North Updates!!

With a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, let's get our latest news post on the site before the notice gets any shorter! That headlines this post, along with more upcoming concerts, including one with out of town bands and one of a teased special stage event, plus an apology for a missed concert and related updates from a local punk band to round things out. Now, here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder are playing TONIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon as well! Apologies for the obviously short notice, the band only confirmed the show within the hour on their Facebook page. Originally advertised for just yesterday's birthday party event, the band has since clarified that they are indeed rocking the former Nicolet Tavern TONIGHT also, so if you missed Jason, Jamie, Travis, and Scott yesterday (or any time recently), here's another chance to have at 'er with Havadder! As they like they say, if you don't, you didn't! Like yesterday, there is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and the show will likely be starting in a half hour or so (10:00 PM in other words.) For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!



Next up, a recently teased metal concert now has a venue, as PaperClip Productions will throw their hat into the local concert promotion ring by bringing two Alberta bands to The Algonquin Pub on Monday, August 10th! Entitled "Heavy Monday: A Day of Reckoning", the show will be headlined by Edmonton "future space groove" trio Eternal Prophecy and Calgary hardcore metal sextet Lie Among Us, both making their local concert debuts. Both have solid extreme metal sounds, with Lie Among Us' intensity and Eternal Prophecy's creative fusion material both lending themselves well to the live stage, so don't miss either in August! Local openers, both naturally from PaperClip Productions, will include local hard rock quartet Haggith (in their new lineup's Algonquin debut) and local doom/punk trio The Revolution in their first show since their reunion!

Also to be their first gig with Haggith's Jordan Leach on bass, we haven't seen The Revolution on stage since October, so be sure to welcome back at this event in their own Algonquin debut! Tickets will be $5 in advance (details to be announced) and $7 at the door, while the show will be a 19+ event with a 9:30 PM start time. For more details on Heavy Monday, visit the official Facebook event page! Remember, this is NOT a Gonqshow series event, PaperClip Productions are putting this on, but hopefully it's a big hit and leads to them putting on more concerts! Stay tuned for updates!

Lastly for new show announcements, we now have dates for local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's long teased involvement in the upcoming local stage production of The Who's Tommy, which will take place for five straight nights from Wednesday, November 4th through Sunday, November 8th! That's Chester will provide the house music for the show, with frontman Greg Simpson serving as narrator, so if you want to hear this talented veteran band take on one of the great rock operas, your chance is coming! As for where this will be held, it's not where you might assume, as Tommy's local production will be held at The Machine Shop at Mill Square, so if you count these as "concerts", they're the first announced public events there to fit our SMS coverage since the Treble Charger concert. Details on admission prices, times, and so forth are to be announced, but if you're interested in being a Tommy cast member, what should you know?

Shot In The Dark Productions will host auditions at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School (on the former Bawating site) on June 11th & 12th at 6:30 PM, and if you want to know what parts are open to be casted for, click here. Interested auditioners don't need to know a Who or Tommy song already, they'll teach you one there. Audition call backs will be held on June 21st at 2:00 PM, where remaining candidates will perform with That's Chester, but given the nature of that event, we won't promote it as a concert here. Sounds like things are shaping up well, so click here for full details on the local Tommy production and how you can try out, and The Machine Shop's now in our local concert venue links!

Finally for today, here's the latest from new local punk quartet Stereo North, including an apology for a missed concert, as the guys opened for Windsor "anti-folk" duo The Prairials at Reggie's West (the former Roosevelt Hotel) there this past Monday. The band had plugged it since May 10th on their Facebook page, but somehow, it completely slipped us by (though for what it's worth, the venue's Facebook page never plugged it.) Still, there's no excuse on our end, so our apologies to Stereo North for missing the show, we'd have absolutely plugged it had we have heard! Also, it's good to hear that Reggie's West are putting on non-Mourning Wood shows with alternative bands, even if sporadically, so they're now in our venue links too! In news we didn't miss however, the guys have two new live videos, so what should you know on them?

Filmed at their fifth show (Wednesday's River Jacks-headlined Gonqshow concert at The Algonquin Pub), the videos are both of Stereo North originals, including "Fall Before Me" (albeit sideways) and, as embedded below, their newer song "Heart Collider". The guys sound solid on both with a nice upbeat punk sound and smooth vocals from Andrew Pucci, though why couldn't the filmer move to the left a bit so Matthew Anich was actually visible instead of behind that post? Check out Stereo North's new videos above & below, and we will try hard not to miss any of their upcoming shows!



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