LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns), Long & McQuade In Sault Ste. Marie, And Much More!!

Let's tackle a new news post on this Tuesday evening, which mostly reflects some big news regarding two of Sault Ontario's three music stores, but we also have some assorted shorter news and notes, and leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whiskey Barrel on Gore Street for another night of "funktastic rock" on May 24th, a.k.a. next Friday!  After last playing there a couple of Fridays ago (apologies for erroneous plugs of a Tuesday nighter), the Elements side project will return to the former Konoba Tapas location for another night full of fan friendly, crowd participation-encouraged rock covers, with heavy stuff sure to be on offer within! It's great to see that Christina, Rob, and Jesse's unplugged show is going over well at this new downtown venue, and hopefully this is another hit for them next weekend! As was also the case at their last two Whiskey Barrel stops, next Friday's show has a 7:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more show announcements from The Wyld Stallyns when they roll in!

Next up, here's some big news concerning Sault Ontario's music instrument/gear stores, starting with the big announcement yesterday that Northland Music will become the local branch of the Long & McQuade music store chain this fall! As per a news release on their Facebook page, Northland has entered into an agreement with Long & McQuade (Canada's largest musical instrument retailer), after 35 years as a locally owned and operated music store, though owner Mark Mizzi will remain as the local manager, and long-time staffer Bob Croteau will stay on as well. Northland will continue operations under that name through September before officially switching over to the Long & McQuade branding, but over the summer, more stock than ever will arrive at their 312 Queen Street East location, and they will have full access to the parent company's lines, rentals, and financing. More hiring of staff will take place as operations grow, and they are currently accepting resumes.

While things are vague on the topic, it sounds like Northland/Long & McQuade will open up in a larger location this fall, but if I read those allusions correctly, I don't know the new spot. I did notice that the old Blockbuster Video location on Pim Street was undergoing renovations, but that's purely speculation, I have no inside knowledge. Meanwhile, this news will affect one of the Soo's other active music instrument/lesson shops, as the Thomas Walls School of Music at 505 Albert Street East will apparently be merging operations with Northland into the new Long & McQuade location, after almost 60 years of independent operation locally. Thomas Walls himself will be retiring later this year, with instructor & veteran local musician Lindsay Pugh heading up the renamed Long & McQuade Music School. Like Northland, Thomas Walls will remain open in their current home through the summer, and student/lesson programs will remain intact with existing staff.

This is absolutely huge news for local musicians, as Long & McQuade will ensure a much larger selection and wider range of options than Northland or Thomas Walls could offer (as visitors of their Sudbury location may attest), and with hirings expected later this year, this should be a boon to job-seekers as well! None of this affects Case's Music directly, but if their rivals do indeed move, that could help them attract customers who prefer to shop downtown. Stay tuned for much more on the Long & McQuade transition as it comes in, and visit the above links and SooToday for more on this story!

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

• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and (surprisingly) Shit Liver drummer Matt Baic have quietly been announced as the openers for Calgary punk quintet The River Jacks' headlining concert at The New American Pub on June 3rd! A rare New A set by Jack Spades, this will be the second time that guitarist Tiffany Stocco has opened for The River Jacks, after doing so with Stegadeth in 2017. No word on what form Matt's solo set will take on though, but will it bear more similarities to Shit Liver or his St. Catharine's bluegrass band Dirtfight? Time will tell, but visit the Facebook event page for more!
• The third single from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock artist Mike Haggith's upcoming CD "Bridges" was released to major music streaming/download platforms on Friday! Entitled "Come On Home", the song is a softer, more downbeat ballad, but I'll hold further comment until our likely review of "Bridges" later this year.  Give "Bridges" a listen or buy on services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and iTunes in the meantime!
• In a quiet lineup change for the Music 4 Kayge benefit show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion next Saturday, new local rock band The Tilrays have replaced blues rockers Johnny & The Revelators in the 3:00 PM opening slot, as per this new poster last week. A reason for The Revelators' withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! I don't know much on The Tilrays sound beyond their decade range for covers, but their lineup includes ex-Stiffler's Mom bandmates Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson, which should get a number of readers' attention! See above for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site later this week! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison & 415E Concert Previews, Plus A Couple Of Band Member Searches!!

As promised, today's post covers the rest of our weekend concert previews (namely, ones not featuring bands at this year's Chippewa County Fair), but we also have a pair of Sault Ontario musician searches to check out, so read on below for what you need to know!

We'll start our previews with Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's last show of his weekly August arrangement at The Road House Bar & Grill TONIGHT! Tym's brought his unplugged acoustic show there every Friday this month (save for the week of their Thursday customer appreciation night, which he played instead), and it sounds like things have went well at his favourite recent acoustic venue, so help cap off a fun month of hard rock covers at The Road House tonight on this otherwise slow weekend for heavier Sault Ontario gigs! Like usual, he'll be on tonight at 10:00 PM, there's a 19+ age limit in effect, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I assume Tym has fall solo dates in the works (along with new Caveman Morrison shows), so be sure to stay tuned to the SMS as we hear more, and don't miss his diverse and prolific cover blend at this Trunk Road tavern TONIGHT! For a preview, here's Tym and ex-Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc (we're pulling for you, Luke!) covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!

Also in previously known heavier concerts this weekend, local classic metal quartet 415E are scheduled to return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I will note that the band hasn't updated their Facebook page in a month, and have no further Kewadin dates listed for the remainder of the year, so your guess is as good as mine if anything's going on concerning their status. I'll let you know if I hear anything! Featuring 2 members each of Splitshot & The Highest of Fives, 415E's Van Halen-inspired blend of originals and covers should be welcomed back to The Rapids Lounge this weekend, so don't miss the action if you're up for it! Admission should be free for these 9:00 PM concerts, and you must be 21 to attend either. For more details, check the above links! Even if this is the last time we see 415E for a while, they've been quite prominent in recent months, so keep tonight & tomorrow's shows in mind, and for a preview, here's 415E playing their self titled song in January!

Moving to some other recent news, starting with a notable band lineup change, as local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison have apparently parted ways with bassist James White for a second time. James revealed the news on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday, and though he didn't cite a reason for his exit, it's definitely under amicable terms. James originally replaced Jacques Marceau in the band in the fall of 2011, and after leaving the following spring, he returned to Caveman Morrison (taking over for his replacement Dutch Vanderploeg) earlier this year. This is disappointing, but at least he's keeping busy filling in with Frightlight, so best of luck to James going forward! With that said, his Musicians Wanted group post is advertising for a bassist search for Caveman Morrison, so what should you know if you're interested? Their sound of course varies from classic to newer metal & hard rock songs (such as ones by Metallica, Megadeth, and Judas Priest), and the band reportedly has at least two gigs planned this fall at The Water Tower Inn, so the sooner the better for a replacement to be secured.

If you're interested in trying out for Caveman Morrison as their new bassist, message band members Tym Morrison or Johnny Belanger on Facebook, and hopefully we hear news on an addition soon, as I don't wanna officially plug their next show until the bassist situation's finalized, just in case that show is changed in some form. Stay tuned for updates!

Finally for today, new local hard rock quartet The Side FX have announced the departure of guitarist Alex Walls, as per their Facebook page on Tuesday. The reasoning is that Alex (who only played live once with the band last month) is apparently moving to Toronto to try work as a studio guitarist, and the split is completely amicable. This is disappointing, especially coming not long after their debut gig, but best of luck to Alex going forward, and I hope he succeeds at whatever's next! As a result, The Side FX are now looking for a new guitarist that is able to learn their setlist and play live A.S.A.P., and they want someone who can have fun and party while playing their songs well, while also being able to play solos on everything from Volbeat to Sublime, among others. If you're interested in joining The Side FX (featuring singer Rob Speers and Papa Fogals Chair alumni Mike Bird & Derek Turner), message the band at the links above, and stay tuned for updates on both the guitarist search and their next work!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a special all-video post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!