LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Gabba Heys, Re:Born, And Tym Morrison), Plus More Concert Previews!!

Today's post is half devoted to this weekend's remaining hard rock/punk concert previews, but to round things out, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this fall, and one of this weekend's gigs is on SHORT NOTICE as well! Here's what you should know!

The ever-prolific Tym Morrison will have at least one public concert this weekend, as he'll return to Room 21 for consecutive Saturdays TOMORROW NIGHT and next Saturday the 15th! Apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW'S show, that concert was only confirmed via it's official Facebook event page on Wednesday (next week's show was announced with more notice on Sunday.) With the ongoing wait for Tym's regular Gliss run to resume, it's great to see that he's staying busy with regional concerts, and these two Room 21 gigs should provide patrons and fans a solid chance to take in his unplugged hard and classic rock covers! Note that TOMORROW'S concert is a one nighter due to the previously announced Wyld Stallyns concert tonight, but I don't know why Tym's only playing Saturday next week. Both TOMORROW'S and next week's concerts have 10:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Click here and above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's some more new concerts with lots of advance notice, starting with the local concert debut of Toronto-based Ramones tribute band The Gabba Heys (fronted by prolific local punk musician Mikey Hawdon) on Saturday, September 22nd at LopLops Lounge! This is nothing new for Mikey, as he fronted the preceding Ramones tribute band The Merves from 2010-2015 (who played here 5 times in that span) before joining The Gabba Heys in 2016. New faces and name, but Mikey's Ramones love and knowledge isn't new to fans, so hopefully their set goes over well in two weeks! Mikey's Surfers & Tide bandmate Dustin Jones will open the proceedings with his active (but online page-less) punk quartet The Cover-Up, while fellow Merves alum Amy "Gabba" Zucchetto will play a selection of Joan Jett covers to kick off this concert, as she did for half of late-period Merves sets. Stacked lineup, which fans can also see the previous day in Sudbury, so click here for details on that Townehouse Tavern event if you're in the area!

This "Punk Rock Blitz-O-Rama Dance Party" is brought to you by Tidal Records, and it has a 19+ age limit, $10 admission fee, and 9:00 PM start time. Advance tickets can be purchased at LopLops' website, The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Thomas Walls School of Music, and presumably at the door. This should be a fun concert for long time followers of Mikey and Dustin's local punk careers, even if you're not a Ramones scholar, so visit the above links for complete details on this intriguing concert later this month!

Lastly for new concerts, local power rock quintet Re:Born and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will join forces on Saturday, October 6th at The Sault Theatre Workshop as part of the musical entertainment for a benefit concert for prolific stage actor and director Pirie "Bear" Kaufman! A familiar presence in the local theatre community, including via his recent productions with the Chippewa Theatre Guild, Pirie is currently battling cancer, so his family has put together this benefit to help raise funds and support at this difficult time. A buffet, cash bar, and silent auction are all planned for next month, as well as a solid musical lineup, with The Elements' diverse set sure to nicely compliment Re:Born's first public concert appearance in four months! Unspecified acoustic acts are also advertised to open this concert, we will let you know when their identities are publicized. This presumably all ages fundraiser will have $30 tickets and a 6:00 PM start time, and the Sault Theatre Workshop is located at 121 Pittsburgh Avenue in the west end.

I don't know Pirie at all, but those that do have spoken very highly of his impact in local theatre and as a person, and I hope this benefit goes a long way to helping in this fight! Cancer sucks in every way. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, kudos to everyone involved in this concert, and if you'd like to support Team Bear and/or can't make the event next month, send PayPal donations to teambearpkk@gmail.com!

Finally, here's our last currently announced hard rock/punk concert preview of the weekend, as local musicians will hit The Marconi Club on Albert Street West TOMORROW NIGHT as part of Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest! This special event (co-presented by Joe's Sports & Surplus and Sault Ontario radio station Country 104.3) will serve as the kick-off for Northern Superior Brewing Company's new Weekend Warrior Wheat Ale, and for the occasion, fans can partake in a craft beer social, taste testing, and specially paired dinner selections. If you're in this more for the beer than the music, you'll be in good hands with the craft brews on tap, and where else have you seen a new type of beer launched this big? Scheduled performers will include indie/punk quintet Northwest, blues/country notables The Barn Board Trio, and Country 104.3 morning host Jeff McNiece, who is now publically listed on the bill.

The aforementioned Cover-Up & indie rock musician Jesse Merineau were also previously advertised, but have both since dropped out. Jesse cited "a miscommunication & unforeseen changes" on his personal Facebook page, while Cover-Up frontman Dustin Jones is currently in Toronto for concerts with his non-local bands. We'll surely see both back on stage soon! Tomorrow's 19+ concert is at 7:00 PM affair at The Marconi Club, with $25 admission, though remember that the price includes food and drinks. This is a very unique event, but with Northwest adding some punk to the proceedings, don't miss out on the tunes & brews tomorrow! Here's Northwest live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest & A Dire Setback), Soundcheck Preview, And Gliss Updates!!

Let's cap off this weekend's announced hard rock concert previews and more updates, but before we dive in, just a clarification on Tym Morrison's busy slate of solo concerts. His personal Facebook page was advertising shows at The Machine Shop yesterday and in St. Joseph Island on Sunday, bookending private gigs, but I have found no public promotion of these events, so I believe they're also private. If I'm wrong, I'll let you know, but look for his return to Gliss at it's new home soon! Now, let's dive into today's post with a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will make their Room 21 debut with a headlining concert there TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday, and we didn't preview it yesterday because it would have gotten buried under our Northern Vibe Festival coverage. After a month-long break from the stage following Rotaryfest Stage 2, A.D.S. have hyped "some changes" to their set and forthcoming debut album, so how will things sound for this high energy outfit? Head to the nightclub above Low & Slow to find out TOMORROW! Two more punk/alternative bands will open the proceedings, including fellow punk favourites Stegadeth, and the Room 21 return of Handsome Sandwich, with that "no genre" band hitting the stage for the first time since June. Solid lineup overall, and it's great to see this trio of trios joining forces before the summer season wraps up at this popular rising venue!

A late 11:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has no announced cover charge, nor does it have an advertised "Sangria Saturday" theme (though whether punk pairs well with sangria may be up for debate.) This should be a fun night of punk rock action for local fans TOMORROW NIGHT, so head to Albert Street West for all of the action! Check the above links for more details, and here's A Dire Setback live!



Next up, we have one more new show that has lots of advance notice, as four local bands will join forces at The Marconi Club (also on Albert Street West) on Saturday, September 8th for Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest! Sponsored by Joe's Sports & Surplus and Sault Ontario radio station Country 104.3, this special event will commemorate the release of Northern Superior Brewing Company's new Weekend Warrior Wheat Ale, with a craft beer social, taste testing, food, and musical entertainment planned at the downtown event hall. A local concert at a beer launch is new for us, but it'll be interesting to hear how this event does for beer lovers and music fans alike! Despite the Q104 sponsorship, only one country band is on the bill in two weeks' time, with the advertised lineup featuring local indie/punk quintet Northwest, online page-less punk favourites The Cover-Up, blues/country standouts The Barn Board Trio, and indie rock artist Jesse Merineau with his solo band.

A poster floating around on personal Facebook accounts also lists Country 104.3 DJ Jeff McNiece as playing a solo set, but he's not publically advertised from what I've seen. Admission for this presumably 19+ event is $25, but remember that this includes the beer tasting and meal, while a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. The Weekend Warrior Fest sounds like a fun event to help launch it's namesake ale in style, and with some high profile punk bands providing some attitude within, so keep this concert in mind for next month! Visit Country 104.3's website for continuing coverage and updates!

We'll move back to this weekend's concert previews now, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are returning to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW! Fresh off of their set at last week's Ride For ARCH fundraiser and the preceding week's Wawa road trip, this will be their first trip to the Great Northern Road nightclub in about two months. Soundcheck's tried and tested brand of covers should get another solid reception tomorrow night, so don't miss out then! While we're on the subject, we should note that former Turner Up drummer Scott McLurg does appear to have replaced Steven Flint on drums with Soundcheck, which was quietly confirmed in recent months via personal Facebook postings, but was never publically stated online by the band. A reason for Steven's departure hasn't been announced, but things seem amicable, given that he filled in on bass with Soundcheck at The Esquire Club earlier this month. Hopefully we hear more from Steven musically in the future, but Scott's a solid fit!

As usual for Soundcheck's Water Tower Pub concerts, expect a 9:00 PM start time tomorrow, and a 19+ age limit, while there remains no announced cover charge. Classic and hard rock fans would be well served to head to The Water Tower Pub for all of the action tomorrow night, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!



Finally, I wanted to touch on the recent closure of Gliss Steak & Seafood at The Quality Inn on Bay Street, as the site of Tym Morrison's weekly concert arrangement ended it's run at that location last month, with plans to move elsewhere announced then as well. While rumoured previously, Gliss management confirmed at the end of July that they were indeed moving the restaurant to the former Cesira's Italian Cuisine building this fall, ending a 2 year dormant period at the 133 Spring Street location. Renovations are ongoing at the new locale, and the target appears to see Gliss re-open next month, with Tym Morrison's weekly run there expected to resume at that same time. Meanwhile, the new restaurant taking Gliss' place at The Quality Inn is Johnny's Chophouse & Bar, which is a new upscale barbecue restaurant, though they do happen to still have steak and seafood on offer. You can check out it's menu here if you're so inclined, though I don't believe they've opened yet either.

I don't know if Johnny's opening is due to or the cause of Gliss leaving The Quality Inn, nor do I know if Johnny's will feature live musicians in any capacity, but I hope these moves are the best for the hotel's and Gliss' management, and we wish Johnny's the best on their upcoming launch! And no, the Derek Turner who co-owns Gliss is not the Derek Turner of Garden of Bedlam fame. Stay tuned for more on Gliss' relaunch and the resumption of Tym Morrison's weekly gigs there, and for more news and updates on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: All The Dirty Words In One & The Last Warrior Of Rock

After a day's delay, here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Our monthly feature series is once again spotlighting 1 or 2 defunct or inactive local bands (two this month) that were randomly selected from our inactive band links on the SMS, in order to spotlight them for current readers! This month's first random choice didn't have enough surviving info to warrant a solo profile, hence why we're doubling up for the second time in three months. Both acts had acoustic sides and some interesting material, so here's what you should know!
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All the Dirty Words in One

Genre: Acoustic Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members: 

Josh Julch, vocals/guitar
Cody Rosebohm (Elements of Madness), vocals/guitar
Dan LaFord (ThosePeopleThatMusic), bass/drums 

Info/Analysis: Formed in October 2012, All the Dirty Words in One were a young local hard rock trio with an unplugged base, a'la earlier local bands like Wild Fate and Condemned, with plans to record a debut album named "Eddy the Skull" and at least one original song named "Break Down, Just Forget Me". Uniquely basing their online imagery around cigarettes, A.T.D.W.I.O. did post four cover demos (including Eyeshine's "The Teddy Bear That Eats You", embedded below) to drummer Dan LaFord's Soundcloud page, but they never played live, and quietly dissolved after their last updates in October 2013. Also covering Tenacious D, Linkin Park, and Gregory & The Hawk, All the Dirty Words in One was a work in progress, showcasing solid guitar work and a sense of humour, but needing original material, some more emotive vocals, and consistent recording quality. Hopefully the guys stay active in music, but they did have promise and an interesting sound!


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The Last Warrior of Rock

Genre: Metal

Hometown: Welland/Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: 

Jonathan Tiberi (Jon & His Friends, Late & Loud), all instruments

Info/Analysis: Launched in Jonathan's hometown of Welland in 2007, The Last Warrior of Rock was many Saultites' first musical look at him after he moved here in 2008. Often pictured in "warrior" outfits in photos, Jon posted five original songs like "Fields of Blood & Steel" on the project's MySpace page, before transitioning to acoustic material in 2009, with his acoustic MySpace page featuring a mix of softer originals & covers. Jon moved on to focus on bands (primarily Late & Loud) not long after, before relocating back home in 2013. There's not a lot of surviving info on The Last Warrior of Rock, but these are nice (if darker) glimpses at Jon's early original songwriting & proficient guitar work, and while he's definitely more skilled now as a musician & singer, don't bypass his early work! Check out his only two surviving solo videos from this era at his acoustic page above, including this Sault College performance of "So It Can Be", and be sure to check out his successor solo project The Soviet Space Program, as well as his later bands, particularly ones he fronted!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month in this series, our random selection will keep us in Sault Ontario, and next month's profiled band will be 2000s punk quintet Brain Tuel! Keep an eye out for this single-band profile on or around October 10th, and stay tuned for more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

Another "New" Band Addition, A Returning Band, And New Haggith Videos!!

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm sorry I missed the Garden of Bedlam show last night, but the roads were really bad around my place, and I got busy with some personal stuff last night too, but I'll try and be at the next Garden of Bedlam concert, and hopefully The Rad Zone had a blast for their 18th birthday! I hope to stop in at the store in the next little while, I'm long overdue as it is! Also, we have a concert cancellation, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's solo concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Friday night is now likely off. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but Tym deleted it's Facebook event page on Monday, which is generally a sign of a concert being cancelled. Disappointing, but hopefully his solo concerts return sooner or later! That all said, we have some other news to get to on this Halloween afternoon, including new videos, a returning local metal project, and leading things off, another "new" band for our inactive local metal band listings, so here's what you need to know!

We have another older local metal project to add to our local metal band links, and it's Pillory bassist/ex-Late & Loud guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's old solo project The Last Warrior of Rock! We touched on this project in 2010 on the site, but at the time, I didn't add it to our band links out of my assessment that it wasn't really a "band". I must not have investigated that far, because The Last Warrior of Rock definitely qualifies! Active from roughly 2007-2009, a then-clean shaven Jon launched the project out of his hometown of Welland before he moved with the project to Sault Ste. Marie in 2008. He recorded solo material under this name, apparently recorded a demo CD of some type featuring this material, and has a bunch of photos online in fitting "warrior" gear on the project's MySpace page, while he also maintained a separate MySpace page in 2009 for acoustic originals. On at least one photo, it's cited that he played a solo concert set as The Last Warrior of Rock on at least one occasion too, which would have been interesting to see!

Though he's improved his skills since, it's interesting to hear Jon's earlier original work! The Last Warrior of Rock's songs do have a darker & edgier feel than Late & Loud had, like on "Fields of Blood & Steel", while his unplugged tracks also work well, and actually compliment his singing range better, but the recording quality is somewhat rough. His acoustic page also has some videos, including a cover of Troubled Horse's "Bring My Horses Home", but I thought I'd share this live Sault College open mic night performance of an original named "So It Can Be" below, so give it a look, and The Last Warrior of Rock is now in our inactive Sault Ontario band links!



Next up, another local metal band is back after a recent stretch of inactivity, that being Sault Ontario industrial metal duo Riverin! According to their posting on their newly updated Facebook page yesterday, members/ex-Dirty Virgin bandmates Matt Hicks & Matt Clement have decided to resume activity with Riverin after "a hiatus", while also adding that the project & it's music means the world to them, and promising to have new music soon as well. Riverin were initially active from 2009 through last year, and had recorded at least eight songs at Quartertone Studios (most of which you can hear here) towards a planned debut EP before public activity dried up last spring, with personal Facebook page references ending last September. I'm not sure why Riverin were on hiatus for the past year or so, but it's great to see the Matts giving the project another shot, as Riverin were a welcome change from the usual metal subgenres we hear from locally, and they had some creative material!

No word yet on what will become of their old originals or EP plans, but stay tuned for Riverin news and notes as it rolls in, and they're now back in our active Sault Ontario metal band links!

Finally, here's a couple more of the new videos from local grunge band Haggith! Joining earlier uploads from their Canada Day weekend sets in Goulais River, the band posted two new videos from their sets that weekend onto their YouTube channel on Saturday, and they include a second video of their song "Livin' It On The Run" from a different camera, and as embedded below, a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"! Given these shows' private nature, it's great to see more videos popping up from them, and the then-trio were in solid early form, but I am curious to hear them do some more energetic covers, as their covers (that I've heard) strike me as too reserved & not perfect fits for their sound. Still well done though, so give Haggith's Pink Floyd cover a look below, check the above links for more new and old Haggith videos, and keep an eye out for our last new video of theirs shortly!



That's likely all for this month (which was thankfully busier for news than September was) but stay tuned tomorrow or Friday for weekend concert previews & more news, as well as next month's "Where Are The New Albums" post soon as well! Thanks everyone!