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!

Dragonfly Run, Wax Mannequin, And The Fixer Concert Previews!!

(Updated on Sunday at 12:38 AM) Let's finally wrap up this weekend's concert previews after five posts on this very busy penultimate weekend of the summer months! Just as a reminder following yesterday's ARCH Run preview, I will not be taking sides or elaborating on the schism between the Dragonfly Run and Jay's Piston Broke Pub (leading to the launch of today's ARCH Run), but if you want to read the Dragonfly Run's side of the issues, click here. Regardless of what happened between both sides, both are benefits for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice and any support that we can give ARCH is more than welcomed, no matter how you do it!

Now, TOMORROW'S motorcycle rally/concert is the annual Dragonfly Run (rebranded from the Ride For ARCH last year), which has moved from Jay's to The Grand Gardens on Great Northern Road, which is also the homebase of Toystock (both events share common organizers). This event will feature a motorcycle rally starting and ending at The Grand Gardens from 1:00 PM onwards, while there will be family friendly activities, vendors, a silent auction, and games inside and outside throughout the day, plus a pasta buffet, so be sure to visit The Dragonfly Run Facebook page for complete non-musical details! In terms of bands playing tomorrow, all will be inside The Grand Gardens a'la Toystock, and while there will only be three bands, all have 90 minute sets so you'll get to see more of them than you otherwise might at a community festival! Veteran classic rock quartet Mid Life Crysis have been bumped up as headliners at 7:30 PM.

As such, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 now have the middle set at 5:00 PM. In their second charity motorcycle-related concert in a four day span (following the Cruisin' The Dub bike show on Thursday), Bone Yard should be in good spirits to cap off a busy stretch in terms of getting the new look Dragonfly Run put together, and hopefully they rock the house as only they can! Alt-rock band The Haze (who played one of their first sets at last year's Dragonfly Run under their old name Skinbox) will kick off the day's musical program at 2:00 PM. Entry is by donation to this ALL AGES event, unless pledging to take part in the motorcycle rally, and things run in person at The Grand Gardens from around 1:00-9:00 PM aside from the rally registration beginning at 11:00 AM. The bands will be indoors, but for the sake of the outdoor activities, the forecast has 24-27° temperatures with sunny-mostly sunny weather and no chance of precipitation.

It sure looks like Greg, Alex, Warren, and crew have got a great event in store for the community, be you a rider, music fan, or just want to enjoy some family entertainment, and ARCH is extremely deserving of any help that you can give it, so consider biking down to The Grand Gardens for the second Dragonfly Run tomorrow! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Next up, there's more SMS-amenable concert action taking place TOMORROW NIGHT at two downtown venues, and we'll start at Soo Blaster, where two female-fronted metal bands from out west will make their local concert debuts! Thunder Bay gothic metal quartet The Fixer are the headliners here, and with their dark but melodic brand of original material getting some decent buzz so far in the 2020s, they should leave a strong impression on local fans tomorrow! Joining them on tour and in the Soo tomorrow is Winnipeg metal quartet Indigo, whose sound is a touch heavier with some harsher screaming thrown into the mix, so don't bypass them at Soo Blaster either! Your local support here are death/thrash metal trio Pillory in their Soo Blaster debut, their first show in Sault Ste. Marie proper since 2019, and just their second show of 2024 following their long awaited reunion. Not everyone was able to travel to Leeburn last month, so hopefully Pillory get many heads banging as they continue their reintroduction to local fans tomorrow night!

Another concert brought to us by promoter Mikhal Muto (fresh off his Southern Ontario road trip with Hails), this stop on The Fixer's Love & Misfortune tour is ALL AGES with an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Metalheads will definitely be curious to check out this concert, even on a work/school night, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Fixer live!

Finally as we wrap up one of the busiest non-Rotaryfest concert weekends I've ever previewed, we'll head to The Whisky Barrel, where Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo act Wax Mannequin will play the Soo for the second time in under three weeks TOMORROW NIGHT! While definitely not a regular occurrence, the conceit of a touring band playing here twice in both directions on a tour is not unheard of, and this is an example of that, with Chris Adeney bringing his creative hybrid of indie rock subgenres with some punk and metal sounds back to a local stage eighteen days after returning here for a public show at "Adrian's house". Despite this show being at a formal venue, it is a smaller deal, with just Wax Mannequin playing, but it is FREE (though tips are welcome!). It is a 19+ affair and it also starts at 8:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Wax Mannequin live in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this month!

Uploaded by promoters Piecing It Together Shows to the event page (nice to see a public embeddable video as opposed to a "Story"), this minute-long, square-dimensioned video from the outdoor show at "Adrian's house" features Wax Mannequin playing their original song "Sick Boy", which has quite evocative lyrics as Chris plays along to a backing track. The audio quality is great, and it's a shame that more videos from the show weren't uploaded (not counting vanishing "Stories"), but if you liked what you saw on August 7th, or want to see what the fuss is about, head to The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street tomorrow night as Chris makes his way back home!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for formal news and notes to resume on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Selias & Wax Mannequin!!)

Now that we have escaped four posts of weekend concert previews and gotten this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up on schedule, let's start playing catch-up for the items that lapsed during the past few days and beyond, and we'll start with two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this Sunday afternoon!

Eighteen days after their well received local return at "Adrian's House", Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo on their way back home when they headline at The Whisky Barrel on Sunday, August 25th! It's been a while since we've heard about a concert at the Gore Street nightclub, let alone one with a touring band, but stay tuned for an even bigger outlier there in an upcoming post! Chris Adeney's creative and genre-fluid originals got a solid reception in their relocated return date this past Wednesday, and now setting up shop at a proper downtown venue again, hopefully there's a good crowd to see Wax Mannequin in action once again in two weeks, in spite of also being on a work/school night! Yes, promoters Piecing It Together Shows did post photos from the show on Wednesday on Facebook, albeit solely as "Stories", so they are impossible to share here.

What I saw pointed to a well laid out locale in this downtown backyard with string lighting, but alas, "Stories" can only be viewed once or twice before vanishing forever, and I really have never seen the point of the conceit. Wax Mannequin's return has a 19+ age limit, no cover (thought tips are welcome), and an 8:00 PM start time. It's not unheard of, but certainly not common, to see out-of-town musicians play the Soo going both directions on tour, so if you enjoyed Wax Mannequin on Wednesday or are sad that you missed out, take advantage of the encore! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this concert!

Next up, a big extreme metal show was announced last week that was announced as we was beginning that busy stretch of weekend concert previews, so what should you know here? On Saturday, September 28th, Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will make their local concert debut when they headline at Soo Blaster! A relatively new band, Selias (named for guitarist Steve Elias) do feature two familiar faces, as Spades GT bassist & drummer James Roy Daley & Tyler Reiner are in their ranks, so if you've missed them locally since the Josey Scott show last summer, keep this in mind! Granted, Selias are much heavier with harsh vocals and an assortment of extreme metal influences, and they'll definitely get the pit opened up next month! Note that Spades guitarist Daniel Horton guested on bass for a recent Selias gig in Toronto too, and yes, we will have more on recent Spades GT news soon.

Joining Selias on tour are Barrie blackened death metal trio Out Of Spite in their own local debut, and while also relatively new to the GTA metal scene, their intense and distorted brand of in-your-face death metal should be welcomed by local metalheads with open arms! A healthy & diverse roster of local openers includes alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (in their second Soo Blaster show in under two weeks), hard rock quartet Half Past (in their Soo Blaster debut and their first multi-band concert since Hempfest in 2011), new & online page-less hardcore quintet The Sault Side Squad (as seen in Leeburn last month), and grindcore solo project Crucify The Whore, who have only been seen sparingly at public concerts post-pandemic, so it'll be good for old Blood Shed diehards to see Tyler back at a formal public stage! Also returning next month are local death metal/punk band Them in their first public concert set in over seven years!

Singer/guitarist Tyler St. Amour (who is promoting this concert in his first full booking since relaunching his agency Heavy North Entertainment) had announced last month that Them had reunited with a four-piece lineup and "a list of brutal original works", but they have yet to reveal who is joining Tyler in the new lineup. For reference, current HeadFirst drummer Anthony Boudreau was a constant during their original 2014-2017 run, and while they did have stints as a four-piece band, they were best known at the time as a duo. It's great to see Tyler back as a promoter and musician after seven years away, so stay tuned for more on Them 2.0, and they're back in our active band links! The other band playing next month is Without Compromise, the rap metal project formerly known as Less Than Zero, In The Sun, and Failure To Remain, as continuously led by former Winkstinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur.

It's been way too long since we've talked about Jason's current project on the SMS, so look for more on them on the site soon, as he has been quite busy, but it will be neat to see him back on a concert stage, though in what form? This ALL AGES show has doors opening at 5:00 PM, and admission will be $15, though they are on sale for $10 online on Eventbrite right now, so click here to buy yours in advance! No word on if the price would be hiked at the door. If you have missed a very Oddfellowsy night of extreme metal and local talent, this show should fill the void very nicely, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dirty Musky & Soundcheck), Another New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

Due to a surprising amount of Wednesday and Thursday concerts in Sault Ontario this weekend, we're starting our weekend concert previews a day earlier than normal, including two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a new addition to our local band links, so here's what you should know!

We have another new local hard rock bands to add to our Sault Michigan band links, namely Dirty Musky! Self-described as "an alt/hard/prog rock-influenced band", Dirty Musky feature ex-415E singer Dave Menard, former Clownsack bandmates Fran Blackwood (Butter Cookie) on guitar and his son Brett (Doinky) on bass, and drummer Jamie Costner, who I'm not familiar with from other local bands, but it is very neat that they have a female drummer in their ranks. Dirty Musky made their public debut at the Government Bay Barge Bash in Cedarville last year, and after dropping out of a planned Cozy Corners Tavern show in Barbeau for New Year's Eve, they have since been seen in 2024 at The Merchants Bar, The Hilltop Bar in Sugar Island, The Islander Bar in Hessel twice, The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman, Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard, and a return for this year's Barge Bash.

In the first new concert, the guys will return to The Islander Bar in Hessel THIS FRIDAY NIGHT (apologies for the short notice, they're new here) as part of the musical festivities during the Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show weekend! Project 906's Saturday matinee there will be previewed on the site by Friday. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. For a preview video, there isn't much yet, as while they have six videos on their Facebook page, none exceed 20 seconds, and only this (vertical) cover of The Cult's "Fire Woman" features them performing, albeit focusing on fans. It'll be interesting to hear more from Dirty Musky, so don't miss them in Hessel on SATURDAY!

Next up, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will play a rare acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was just announced via its official Facebook event page yesterday. Originally, the "Think It Over Thursday" performer this week was supposed to be Curtis McKenzie, and while a reason for Curt's withdrawal was not announced, note that our coverage of him playing there TOMORROW was via his own advertising, as the venue never confirmed an August 8th date from him on their social media (also, remember that he just played there this past Saturday). Followers of The Dive's acoustic bookings this year will recall that Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver has played a few solo country sets there in 2024, but TOMORROW, he will be joined by his bandmate Terry Eaton (no Jim or Glen) for this indoor unplugged concert!

The event page calls them "50% Soundcheck", and alleges that they will have a "whole other vibe". This may be a partial gamble for SMS coverage given their country backgrounds and Cameron's definitely country-leaning solo dates, but with both of Soundcheck's guitarists collaborating here, I'll cover it. Just don't be shocked if they don't do as many heavy covers! TOMORROW's show is at 7:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

With the late notice shows addressed, let's leapfrog back to the earliest of this batch of new shows, as Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will make their return to the Soo TONIGHT, but at a new venue! Originally scheduled for The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music, the show was moved to a new address at 1941 Queen Street East last week (Wax Mannequin's own advertising refers to the location as "Adrian's House"), with the show taking place in the backyard of the property. A reason for the venue change was not announced, but hopefully the shift works out for everyone involved! This will be Wax Mannequin's (at least) third local date here and first since 2022, and it should be a fine way to check out Chris Adeney's diverse and punk/metal accented brand of acclaimed original music! Watch for candles in unexpected places too! Local avant-garde comedy rock band The Floor Between Us are still opening.

Also note that Wax Mannequin was recently interviewed by Adrian Vilaca of local internet radio station The Borderline, and you can hear the 77 minute long interview at this link! Promoted by Piecing It Together Shows (who also booked Wax Mannequin here in 2022 as Dryer Fire), tonight's east-end outdoor show has $20 advance tickets available at this link and a $25 door charge, with a 7:00 PM start time and no stated age limit. As this will now be outdoors, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy weather this evening with temperatures hovering around 21°. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Wax Mannequin live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, there's one more SMS-amenable concert taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, as local alternative/punk sextet Bookclub will headline at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion as part of this year's Summer Concert Series there! The only SMS-covered band to play on the Tuesday/Thursday series under the big tent for 2024, fans may recall seeing Bookclub kick off last year's Summer Concert Series last July as well. This should be a fine opportunity to see Mikey, Brandon, Dustin, Allan, Erin, and Josh's acclaimed and nicely varied selection of covers, including many that you don't see their cohorts covering locally, so don't miss out on all of tomorrow's action! This show has a 7:00 PM start time, and it is FREE & ALL AGES. 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy weather as well tomorrow with a high temperature of 22°, and while precipitation isn't expected in the Soo until Friday, the tent is acknowledged. See above for more details, and here's Bookclub live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Wax Mannequin), Hails Updates, And More Recent News & Notes!!

On this Saturday evening, we're playing catch-up with lots of shorter updates on the SMS, but leading off, we have news from a prominent local punk band, and to start, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music on Wednesday, August 7th! Led by singer/guitarist Chris Adeney, local fans will have seen Wax Mannequin on local stages at least twice before, following gigs at the former Cafe Natura in 2014 and at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum in 2022. I actually hadn't covered those gigs on the SMS due to the project not seeming like it'd suit our coverage, but Wax Mannequin cross many genre lines with their varied original material, including metal, and there's a lot of ground to cover with their skilled (and often funny) alt-folk music dating back to the early 2000s, so don't bypass them in their (at least) third local stop! Your local opener on this night is The Floor Between Us, the avant-garde comedy rock project led by 2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli.

Solid choice on the comedy/folk side of things, so don't bypass what Colin has in store next month! Presented by Piecing It Together Shows (who promoted Wax Mannequin's 2022 show here as Dryer Fire), there is no stated age limit for this 7:00 PM concert, which has $20 advance tickets available at this link and a $25 door charge. This is $5 higher across the board compared to 2022, but remember how high-end The Loft is as a formal concert venue. It'll be good to see Wax Mannequin back on a local stage, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on their return!

Next up, here's the latest from local punk/thrash band Hails, who did indeed add guitarist Mikhal Muto's brother Carmen on rhythm guitar, officially expanding them to a quartet, as per recent updates to their Facebook page. Carmen had debuted with Ha!ls in May at The Distraction, and he has seemed to fit in well in public videos shared since then! Note that their sister band Vanity First (who Carmen has played with in a similar capacity) still say that they're "a three (sometimes four) piece punk outfit" on their Facebook page, so is there a distinction between the two re: Carmen's involvement, or is that just outdated? We'll keep you posted! While we're on the subject, a brand new video of Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan is now up on their Facebook page courtesy of their set at Go Skateboarding Day last month, so what should you know there?

The video sees Hails playing their non-EP original "Pink Clouds Of Destiny" in the usual Go Skate Day stage locale atop the big ramp at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre. The video runs for 2:28 (incredibly long as Ha!ls' Facebook videos go), and while the skies were quite gray, it is good that the festivities went on despite some rainy weather earlier in the day! Mikhal is often hidden behind an amplifier at this vantage point though. Solid and well performed skate punk from this talented foursome, so check everything out for yourselves below!

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

 

• Despite his two nominations (for The Northwest & Handsome Sandwich's newest albums), Id Iota/Pixo Control alum Dustin Goodall lost the Outstanding Engineer award at last month's Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards to Sudbury's Matt Wiewel for his work on London alt-folk band Status/Non-Status' new album "Surely Travel". Congratulations to Matt on his win, and to every nominee, including Caddy Street Avenue alum Patrick Dal Cin's work with his current band Knkm!
• As per the official program for this year's Rotaryfest, we can finally confirm that the third guitarist added to local punk band The Gambit in 2022 is former Bankshot guitarist Christian Pasiak, reuniting with his old bandmates Lucas Schmiedendorf and Clint Wilson in the process! Oddly, The Gambit never confirmed him by name on their Facebook page when he came on board, and they still don't list their lineup in writing there. New official band photos can be seen there though, and according to the Rotaryfest program, they're releasing their teased original material on Bandcamp later this year, so keep an eye out for that!
• In the past two weeks for Shooters Downstairs Lounge's annual Talent Quest karaoke competition, the judges were members of local hard rock bands Half Past on June 23rd and Handsome Sandwich on June 30th. We don't cover straight karaoke-only events here, but it's neat seeing familiar musicians join the judges rotation! Opening round competition continues with night #5 tomorrow and into next month as the judges pick two singers each Sunday to make the top 25, so stay tuned to Shooters' Facebook page for more details!
• In another lineup note from the Rotaryfest program, former(?) Re:Born singer Elly McWatters is listed in the write-up for Mike Haggith's Stage 1 set as being on "guitar/vocals". If accurate, this likely points to her being a full member of his solo band this year and not just a backing singer on a handful of songs like in the past. No word on how she sounds as a guitarist, but Soo's Got Talent finals attendees last fall may recall judges suggesting to her that she play an instrument too if she re-enters in 2024. Regardless, Elly will be an asset however utilized in Mike's band in two weeks!
• In their first Facebook post in over two years, local power rock/classic metal band Re:Born said on June 14th that "I think maybe it's time for one last ride...". Re:Born succeeded Project 421 upon their 2018 debut and played a number of gigs over the next two years, but the pandemic and personal concerns kept them off the stage in the early 2020s, and they disbanded in March 2022 despite announcing a new lineup the previous fall. Even if not a full-time reunion, it would be nice to see Re:Born get some closure after not being able to get the chance previously, so we'll see if this gets any public follow-through!
• As per their Facebook page, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck recruited guest bassists for their late notice bookings at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this weekend due to the absence of Jim Michaud for unannounced reasons. Sidekicks/ex-Griphook bassist Dan Beaupre filled in for their normal concert last night and will do so again TONIGHT, while Toronto-based ex-Saultite Cory Valentine (who has guested with Soundcheck multiple times since 2019) sat in for their one-off jam night return on Thursday. Hopefully all's well with Jim, and that Cory and Dan fit in nicely!
   

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