LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB), Without Compromise Updates, And Much More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran local musician Paul Leclair, who passed away yesterday of complications from cancer at the age of 74, as per numerous personal Facebook postings. While not a hard rock or metal musician, Paul will be familiar to many from his work as singer/guitarist in local bands like Midway, Moonshadow, and (most recently) Dorian Grey, who played classic rock at local venues for over a decade and were gigging as recently as last summer. For many years, Paul was the secretary-treasurer and vice president of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 276, and was a key asset in helping local musicians of many stripes to work through business, contract, and insurance dealings, as well as to get work visas put together to be able to perform/tour in the United States. He was occasionally referenced in SMS posts via his union work.

While I never had the honour of meeting Paul, we were briefly slated to judge a battle of the bands together alongside Soundcheck's Terry Eaton at the former Rednecks Saloon (Nicolet Tavern) way back in February 2015, but it was cancelled when the larger VM Radio Battle of the Bands was scheduled to begin less than two weeks later. He was a good and very knowledgeable person who helped so many local artists over the years through the union, and he will definitely be missed. R.I.P. Paul!

Today's post otherwise catches us up on some recent news, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will rock The Machine Shop TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for online page-less local Tragically Hip cover band The Luxury as part of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival! Apologies for the short notice, we first learned of this show late last week via Bon Soo social media advertising. Modern day concerts outside of the opening ceremonies at Bon Soo rarely cross our radar, but this is an exception, and this special mid-week concert is reportedly being held "to show our appreciation" to Bon Soo supporters. This will be BookcluB's second publically advertised gig of 2026 (last seen at The Kiln last month), but you may have seen frontman Mikey Hawdon and bassist Dustin Jones playing outside of The Machine Shop as Dos Amigos this past weekend!

Alas, I only heard about this outdoor gig via a Facebook "story" (one of the posts that vanish from that strip on your news feed after being viewed once or twice), so here we are. I wish bands wouldn't rely on "Stories" (a couple have been posting new videos as "Stories" that are impossible for me to link to in posts), but I do apologize for missing that here. You can see the full BookcluB experience with their fan friendly and unique range of covers TOMORROW NIGHT! Note that the picture attached to the band's Facebook post plugging TOMORROW'S show includes guitarist Brandon Ruch, who moved out of town last fall, so I don't 100% know if they just used an old band photo or if he is actually returning to the Soo for this gig. As for The Luxury (featuring Tripod The Dog, Billy Bastards, Redefined, Sidekicks, and Late Shift alumni) they deliver a faithful and talented take on Hip classics from the 1980s and 1990s, so don't bypass them!

While tickets were reportedly briefly on sale early, TOMORROW'S indoor show will be FREE with a Bon Soo button ($12) or jacket tag ($8), and if you don't have one yet, they will be on sale at Mill Square if you come out. This is an all ages show at 8:00 PM. Should be a fun mix of covers (especially for Tragically Hip fans) TOMORROW at Bon Soo, so visit the above links for more details, and here's BookcluB live!

Finally for today, here's a band we haven't talked about in way too long on here, namely local rap metal project Without Compromise! I admittedly slacked in covering them for months on end, and I apologize for that, but it didn't help that project leader (and former Winkstinger guitarist) Jason Ladouceur quietly left Facebook last year. However, Jason is still working on Without Compromise, and has continued uploading music for the former Less Than Zero to its Bandlab page and YouTube channel! A lot of his newer music and art has been along the lines of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness, and he has seemed to embrace AI as tech, so keep that in mind. In listening to Jason's newest material, the music is getting more varied, with metal songs mixed in symphonic and electronic elements, and while his vocals are still a work in progress (and sometimes buried in production), he is applying them in different roles and methods of singing.

 

I won't pretend to understand the artistic ethos of Without Compromise in the past year, but there is definitely talent on display, and Jason can still shred when the song calls for it! He has seemed to play down the rap aspect (at least for his own vocals) in his newest songs, but note that his song "Todayz" seems to include an AI model of Eminem rapping. There's promising music to check out here, so dig through their Bandlab and YouTube content above to see what he's been up to, and here's one of Without Compromise's newer uploaded songs, "In The Darkness"!

 

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more on the site in the coming days! 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 ALERT (Tarnished), A Band Reunion & Breakup, And Much More!!

Plans for a single-topic post today went out the window once I discovered a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, but not from the band I expected! To round things out, we have a surprise band reunion from a decade or so ago (with a linked band dissolution), and some assorted recent updates, so let's get things rolling!

For a second straight post, we're leading off with a new date from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, as they'll hit Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook page on Wednesday, with Tarnished following suit a day later. Yes, TONIGHT's show (attached to a hunter's bash at the former Joe's Bar & Grill) was supposed to be headlined by fellow local hard rockers Rhythm & Brews, but Huck's quietly edited all promotion of this concert on Facebook to reflect the band change (click the three dots and "View edit history" for proof), so this truly is a short notice booking! A reason for Rhythm & Brews' withdrawal was not publically announced, but they deleted their mention of TONIGHT's concert outright. Hopefully all's well in their camp, but Tarnished are a fitting replacement!

Hunter or otherwise, you can enjoy Tarnished's hard rock and 80s metal-inspired covers & originals TONIGHT at 11358 West Main Street (a half hour from the Soo), with a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Please follow and respect social distancing and public health measures posted at Huck's to ensure that you and everyone else has a safe time, especially in light of Michigan's new face mask recommendations for indoor gatherings. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Half Past are back after being defunct for over nine years! The band made the announcement on their Facebook page on Monday. Originally known as Fingerbone, Half Past launched in 2008, and peaked in popularity & live frequency in 2010, complete with original songs & EP plans, but lineup turnover often stalled their momentum, and they last played live in October 2011, before dissolving early the next year. The new lineup is mostly a revival of Half Past's early-mid 2011 incarnation that you may have seen at that year's Hempfest in Ophir, with Isolation Sessions bandmates Jordan Rains (ex-NAClamation) on vocals & Arthur Lacasse (Lockdown/Soo Fighters) on bass, plus Parabol's Alain Fletcher on guitar. On drums, they have enlisted ex-Disciples of Rock/Stoned To Deaf drummer Jamie Labreche, replacing Chris Thompson for unannounced reasons.

Hopefully nothing bad happened with Chris, and that we see him back behind the drumkit in due course, but remember that he still(?) plays with Arthur in his other active bands! You may have noticed that everyone but Al are also in the new local hard rock band Dealing Without, so where do they fit in? Nowhere, apparently, as that band's Facebook page was quietly taken down at some point in recent months, so it looks like they have broken up, with the new Half Past succeeding them outright. Dealing Without had launched in March of this year, and uniquely planned to play live with two different lead singers, but they never really got off the ground despite a promising lineup. Best of luck to Robert, Rick, and James in the future though, they'll be assets in their next bands! I have removed Dealing Without from our band links, as they had no other online pages.

As for Half Past, it's great to see them back after almost a decade away! While this is mostly a reunion of a relatively short-lived period from their original run (Half Past's best known singer, Luke LeBlanc, died in 2015), their 2011 dates showed a lot of promise and the same instrumental heft fans had came to expect from them, and it'll be very interesting to see and hear what they bring to the table for their relaunch. Stay tuned for updates!

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

 

• In one more Facebook page contest in the lead-up to Sunday's music video release, local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty are allegedly giving fans $1 each if they take a picture of themselves holding something with the band's name written on it, and people who do so will be entered to possibly win gift cards, a lottery ticket package, and/or shout-outs from the band on social media. The contest runs for a month, and click here for full details!
• Prolific local metal/folk punk musician Chase Wigmore posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month looking for opportunities to jam with local musicians and/or play live concerts. While he cited that he's a "solo acoustic metal act", he's open to playing pre-written material and has no genre preferences. Chase's talent level is well established, and he has been missed on stage during the pandemic, so message him at this link or above if you want to play with or book him!
  
• Lockdown/Soo Fighters singer/guitarist Jules Cote posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Wednesday looking for a drummer for an "easy-going, fun-loving cover band". The sound & setlist description heavily points towards this being for Lockdown, and while they're not a hard rock act, they share three members with The Soo Fighters, one being ex-(?)drummer Chris Thompson, who is not part of the aforementioned Half Past reunion (Arthur Lacasse is in all three bands). The group post does not reference The Soos directly, but if you want more details regardless, message Jules at this link or above, and hopefully Chris is doing alright!
  

 

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

Studio Updates From Two E.U.P. Bands, Plus Lots Of Assorted Updates!!

For the first time in 12 days, we have an actual multi-topic news post on the SMS! Blame the Ontario lockdown for that, but hopefully things will start to pick-up once the province starts re-opening next month. Fittingly, given the slowdown of Ontario topics this month, most of today's post reflects Sault Michigan and area, but there are a few shorter Canadian topics sprinkled in the back half. We will have more of an Ontario focus in our last post of the month, tentatively scheduled for Sunday. Here's what you should know!

We'll start today with the latest updates from St. Ignace progressive metal quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to in the past month? After an almost two week break from new Facebook page postings, the band posted a (sideways) photo of their studio on May 21st, which is captioned "Finish vocals." That appears to have been their current/future plan re: their new full-length album, and an emoji-laden post the next day implied that they had completed recording clean vocals, with screaming next in line. That night, H.L.T.C. posted this 22 minute video of Brandon & Nathan (I think) working at the computer on tracking the recordings. This is also sideways, alas, but it is an interesting fly-on-the-wall look at their studio recording process! It definitely sounds like Heavy Lies The Crown are deep in the process, but see for yourself above & below, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 have unveiled another new studio track from their planned debut EP! As teased to premiere today at noon via this preview video on Wednesday, this is a studio version of their original song "The Comeback", which has been in their live setlist since at least August 2019 (click here to see 906 perform it then). The black and white video features all four band members performing their parts separately, and this notably features new drummer Gary Croad on camera for the first time, though I'm surprised he's only filmed from behind. Without reviewing the song in full yet (save that for our review of the EP, assuming it comes out), this is a relatively long and bluesy number, so fans of that side of Project 906 will be right on board! Unfortunately, external embedding of this video is blocked, but click here or above to give it a watch, and hopefully we hear more from Project 906 soon!

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

 

• In their first Facebook page posting in over a year, Allstar Promotions revealed on May 17th that they are "working on booking shows for the fall/winter time" (presumably back at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino), and they hope that, once the border is re-opened, "it will open the doors to rock/country shows in our area", as half of their ticket sales come from Canadians. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly for vaccinations and the re-opening this summer on both of the Twin Saults! No word on if Allstar's newly posted photos of Pop Evil & Steel Panther are hints for future shows or not.
• A Sault Ontario-based vocalist named Corey Derry is looking to jam with like-minded musicians, preferably on rock, blues, or (non-hair/death) metal music. In deference to the lockdown, he did ask for people to "send me something to work on until restrictions are lifted". I'm not familiar with Corey musically, but if you want to get more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!
  
• New local hard rock sextet Dealing Without have quietly added Jamie Labreche as their new drummer, replacing Larry Mousseau, as per updates to their Facebook page in the past two months. A reason for Larry's departure was not publically announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! Jamie is a long-time bandmate of bassist James White's from Blind River's The Disciples of Rock & the local Rage Against The Machine tribute Stoned To Deaf. He should fit in fine with Dealing Without that way, and stay tuned for more from this promising new band when it goes public!
• This is old news now, but Sault Michigan FM radio station Rock 101 got a new website last year with a new layout, extra programming information, and a new web player that actually tells you what songs are currently playing & are up next, complete with artist trivia and news! From my experience, the end of some songs & DJ breaks can stop the player, but pausing & unpausing does resume playback. If you want to tune into 101.3 FM without a normal radio, keep the internet stream in mind!
  
• Sault Ontario hard rock solo project Stonesmith GC (formerly StrykerGC) are back! On Monday, in their first post about their actual music in 7 years, Troy noted that "we are cutting a new album", and now have a full studio to work in. Very surprising news, but hopefully their relaunch is productive, and Stonesmith GC are back in our active band links! Coincidentally, I had randomly picked them for next month's Defunct Local Band Profile earlier this month, but as they are active again, I'll slide the profile to an alphabetically adjacent act, namely the Soo's own crash band, Sykotyk Rampage! Look for that profile on or around June 10th!
  
• Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished have posted Facebook event pages for concerts they're playing this weekend in Southwest Michigan, specifically in Grand Rapids and Vandalia, so click here for details on both shows, despite the minimal notice. Good luck on the road trip! For what it's worth, their newest Facebook photo is hashtagged with "threepiece", implying that they're not adding someone to replace Donald, but who's playing bass & drums now? We'll let you know if we hear anything!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post either on Sunday or early Monday morning! Thanks everyone!

New Guitar Playthrough Videos, A Vocal Cover, And More Recent Updates!!

For our presumed final post of March 2021, we're looking at some recent video uploads, two being playthrough performances towards upcoming album releases, and one being a solo cover, while some assorted news items round things out. We'll start with St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, who uploaded a new guitar playthrough video for their new original song "Choke" on their YouTube channel two weeks ago! Apologies for the delay, it just fell through the cracks. Filmed and edited by vocalist Brandon West, the black & white clip features guitarist Ted Olson playing along to the song, giving us out best glimpse yet of "Choke", if not completely in it's final studio form. I'll hold comment on the song pending the final album release (no word yet on when that will be), but extreme metal fans will want to hear the "Choke" playthrough for themselves below, and watch out for the 8 ball!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for another guitar playthrough video from a local band working on a studio album, this time courtesy of progressive metal duo Kraken Mara's YouTube channel! Like for their "Vibe Check" playthrough video, this was published well in advance to "premiere" on YouTube yesterday, but unlike then, this solely features guitarist Jake Valois across multiple camera angles (some in motion). The song featured here is "MinMaj" (short for "minor major", I assume?), and if you want some more technical prog metal, you'll want to give this a look below, but stay tuned for more on their upcoming "Press Start" EP when it rolls in!

Also, here's another new solo cover from ex-Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel on Sunday, though unlike his usual recent uploads, this is just a vocal cover along with the original track, karaoke style, with no guitar. Here, Cory is covering Audioslave's "Like A Stone", though with an odd video filter that ghosts his movements. Nicely sung rendition overall, if a little "rocked up", so to speak, compared to the original, but give Cory's new cover a watch for yourself below!

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

• If you've noticed that local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback have recently been playing live-streamed concert jams on Twitch and are wondering why we don't cover them on the SMS, it's because none have been saved to watch on demand, and they appear to be streamed only the once for live viewers. If they do happen to store any to watch after the fact, we will absolutely discuss them here, but in terms of the live airing... I'm lucky to hear about them while they're in progress, let alone early!
• Prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore announced on his Facebook page on March 19th that he is "almost finished with something that is on an entirely different level of magnitude than my normal work". Does this reference his long-gestating and long-running "A Kid Named Todd" rock opera, or something else entirely? Stay tuned for updates!
• New local hard rock band Dealing Without have added ex-Redundant/Elements bassist James White and former Re:Born singer Robert Nevitt (guitarist Rick Atkins' old Big Mistake bandmate) to their lineup, as per their Facebook page earlier this month. Now, existing singer Jordan Rains does not appear to have left the band, so how will Dealing Without juggle two singers in a genre that normally doesn't require them? We'll keep you posted, but Rob & James should be solid additions!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features on the site in the month ahead! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, Tarnished Concert Preview & Updates, And Much More!!

I've got another new news post for your guys on this Friday morning, and it's packed with a lot of shorter stories from the last little while, plus a concert preview and related updates, and leading off, a brand new addition to our band links! Here's what you should know!

We have a new local hard rock band to add to our active Sault Ontario band links, and they are named Dealing Without! Details are minimal on this band so far, but they have a promising lineup, including Isolation Sessions/ex-Half Past bandmates Jordan Rains and Arthur Lacasse on vocals & guitar respectively, alongside former Big Mistake guitarist Rick Atkins and ex-Fitswitch drummer Larry Mousseau. A bassist has not been brought on board yet, but Arthur had posted in the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday looking for one (they do have a jam spot.) Message Art at this link or above for details! It's not yet clear if Dealing Without's existence will mean anything negative towards The Isolation Sessions' status, though note that they did post on Facebook as recently as January, and remember that their nature & inception were very tied into the pandemic.

Sonic inspirations with Half Past's final lineups will be easy to make re: Dealing Without, but time will tell how they truly look and sound. Will they jump in on the social distance-regulated concert scene where available, or will their live debut wait until things are more opened up? Time will tell, but this lineup has the chops! Stay tuned to their Facebook page for more updates on Dealing Without when they rolls in!

Next up, here's a rare weekend concert preview, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished (minus Nathan) will perform publically in Hulbert Township for the first time TOMORROW NIGHT at The Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast! A new venue for us, this bed & breakfast at 9920 South North Hulbert Road has hosted a few live bands in recent months, and hopefully will serve to be a solid venue for Alex & Josh's unplugged cover attack! If you're up for the hour-long drive west to Hulbert, this show has no announced age limit or cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time. While we're on the subject, Tarnished will also be taking a rare road trip outside of our coverage range to Traverse City today for a show at The Workshop Brewing Company (details here), and will be appearing again on The Eagle 95.1 with Tim Ellis again at 9:10 AM today for the exclusive public debut of their new single "SDR&R"!

Pre-orders for the single will proceed after the interview, though availability of it beyond the FM dial is to be confirmed. Tarnished are definitely staying busy this weekend, so follow along with all of their upcoming activities on their Facebook page or above, and to preview tomorrow's Hulbert Happy Hour gig, here's Alex & Josh live!

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:

 

• I have removed Sault Ontario death/trance metal solo project Black Cloud from our band links again due to the unfortunate deletion of their known online pages & media for unannounced reasons at some point in the last couple of months. Black Cloud had previously done this in late 2019, before returning with new pages that were updated from February-July of last year. Peytan has definite potential in extreme metal, and hopefully we see Black Cloud return (again) in some form again down the road!
• I have replaced the link for local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore from their surprisingly deleted Facebook page to their Bandcamp page. As far as I can tell, C.T.W. are still active, as their other social media accounts are still up, and have been updated as recently as January, though it's worth noting that C.T.W.'s deleted page was previously Tyler's cybergrind project Malignant Neoplasm's page after the closure of their original page. Maybe it was taken down due to content flags, given their very polarizing imagery & subject matter? In any event, we'll let you know when Tyler has new music updates from any of his projects!
• Hard rock musician Mike McCleary has been moved to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, last being seen posting a single on Bandcamp in February 2020. A quickly prolific addition to our coverage, Mike released a number of digital albums to Bandcamp in the late 2010s, often dealing lyrically in his own mental health battles & national politics, but his public profile sharply decreased in 2019 due to personal concerns, including the deletion of his Facebook page & two of his more political albums. Mike's a talented guy, and hopefully he resumes his original music again in the future!
• Local post-punk duo Orange are "coming back, baby!", as per their Facebook page on Tuesday. Featuring Telephone & Address' Christopher Shoust on drums alongside Ohio-based guitarist Matt Zook, Orange initially reunited in 2014 for studio work and album plans, but aside from some Soundcloud postings, nothing came of it until their last proper public update in March 2015. Good to see Orange back after six years, and they are back in our active links!
  
• Last week, The Soo's Got Talent posted on their Facebook page to say that they're "looking into going virtual", and asked fans what they thought about the idea. We all know why the multi-week local talent competition didn't take place last fall, and with lingering uncertainty even with vaccines beginning to roll out, hosting the 2021 installment online may make sense to bring The Soo's Got Talent back in the near term. Stay tuned for updates!
  
• Veteran ska/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog have been moved to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The fan favourite band has not been seen since rocking The Esquire Club on February 9th of last year, though the pandemic & their lack of a recent online page are both acknowledged. After a successful reunion set at Rotaryfest in 2018, frontman Mark Oliverio brought Tripod The Dog back full-time in 2019 on the local bar cover circuit, though gigs were spaced out moreso than other contemporaries. Hopefully we'll see Mark and the Amendolas back at it when concerts as normal can return!

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