LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & A Locally Relevant Cover Song!!

Today's post covers a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from a prominent local band as they book up their remaining dates for the summer, while a cover of local note ends things. Here's what you should know!

While local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 aren't playing at Rotaryfest again this year, they're staying busy with new show announcements for next month, so where can you see Greg, Alex, and Warren in August? All of these shows were announced on the band's website's calendar, and follow two private gigs and two tour dates, one being at Thessalon's Community Days on August 1st and the other actually already having taken place, that being the Motorcycle Poker Run in Kirkland Lake (a whopping 7 hours northeast of the Soo) this past Saturday. Props to them for supporting the cause and making that far of a drive! Frontman Greg Simpson used to live in Kirkland Lake, and he even did a radio interview with CJKL 101.5 on their morning drive show the previous day too. In terms of the new concerts, Bone Yard's next local date will take place on Friday, August 8th when they rock Reggie's Place!

The guys will also headline there on August 29th & 30th for the Labour Day long weekend, so fans of this prominent downtown venue will like that your local 225 are returning there a few times next month! If you're wondering why Bone Yard aren't playing at Reggie's on Saturday the 9th, it's because they are returning as the headliners at this year's Algoma Tree Services community meet & greet/charity barbecue that night! Like last year, expect Bone Yard to rock out at 7:00 PM with classic rock veterans Angry Joe & The Growlers also returning as the lead-off band at 1:30 PM, and alongside the music and food, there will be family activities, a staff meet & greet, and a bonfire. Keep this public outdoor event in mind at 1424 Haviland Shores Drive in Goulais River next month! After another Thessalon road trip (a second straight gig at the Aubrey Falls Trading Post Pig Roast), they have two charity gigs lined up in late August.

On Thursday, August 21st, "the dirty three" will perform at the Cruisin’ To End MS motorcycle show at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road, so hopefully the weather holds up for this outdoor fundraiser event for multiple sclerosis! Expect some vendors and refreshments along with MS Canada donations and promotions, plus the bike show, far from the first such event that Bone Yard 225 have been involved in at a local A&W. Lastly for their August calendar, Bone Yard will rock the returning Dragonfly Run motorcycle rally for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice on Sunday, August 24th, as it returns for its third year since rebranding from the Ride For ARCH and second at its current homebase at The Grand Gardens North. Bone Yard remain heavily involved in the Dragonfly Run's organization, and this special charity concert should also feature family activities, vendors, a silent auction, and games like last year, though keep tabs for updates.

No word yet on the full band schedule, but last year, Bone Yard played at 5:00 PM sandwiched between Mid Life Crysis and the recently-dormant The Haze, with bands beginning at 2:00 PM. Only the Reggie's shows next month are 19+ with 9:30 PM start times. The Algoma Tree Services event begins at 1:30 with Bone Yard at 7:00 PM, and the A&W sets begin at 6:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's end-of-summer schedule as their hard rocking "sermons" continue march onward!

We'll close this post with a nod to tomorrow night's cancelled Headstones show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, as I was saving a cover of theirs with a local relevance for our preview of the event. Alas, I was writing up the preview when I found out that the concert was off! In 2019, the Kingston punk/alternative veterans recorded a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" as a non-album single. Of course, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sunk in Whitefish Bay in 1975, just 15 miles from the Soo, and the ship's loss remains a vivid memory for many in the Twin Saults and area almost 50 years later. While Hugh Dillon and crew aren't local, their website's page on the cover notes that they found the original song "profoundly meaningful", and it got strong feedback from fans when it was played at VIP soundchecks. For the single release, they even shot an official music video for the cover, so what should you know there?

In the video, Headstones members are seen walking across ice covered waters while footage of ships, shorelines, and the wreck itself are seen in between, eventually transitioning to the band performing outside at nighttime. The cover is very Headstonesy and would fit in well with their original radio hits, and drives around at a steady clip that rocks up the song but doesn't distract from the somber tone. The harmonica comes in at a good time too! Whether The Headstones would have covered the song here tomorrow, I don't know (Setlist.fm last logs them playing it in a regular set in 2023), but the local relevance is noted regardless. Check out The Headstones' Gordon Lightfoot cover below!

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

Big Wreck & Inner City Surfers Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is devoted to recent concert videos from the ever prolific Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, as I've put off his videos from last month's Big Wreck and Inner City Surfers concerts for far too long! We'll work our way backwards chronologically by starting with the Big Wreck show at The Machine Shop on November 21 (I apologize for the delay), where Chris filmed eight videos, though none were of Daniel Greaves' opening set. Two of the videos were of opening London pop rock quartet Texas King playing "You" and covering Post Malone's "Chemical", and while I wouldn't say Texas King lean heavier, they showed clear talent and energy in their videos, so don't bypass them! As for the headlining Toronto hard rock quartet, Chris shot Big Wreck playing "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Blown Wide Open", "Hey Mama", "Albatross", "That Song", and as embedded below, both "In Fair Light" & "I Digress" to kick off their set. This video in particular has gotten some strong positive reactions!

The sound quality both at The Machine Shop (from Mike Blair's 705Live Sound Co.) and Chris' camera collide nicely on these videos, as filmed at a good vantage point to capture the whole stage plus the sizeable crowd, so Big Wreck and Thornley fans will be right at home with these videos, so be sure to check them out above & below!

The rest of today's videos come from The Inner City Surfers' reunion gig on November 4th at Soo Blaster, where they and three other bands featuring drummer Mikey Hawdon joined forces to support his then-upcoming wedding. Despite taking place back on November 3rd, Christopher only uploaded these videos to YouTube last week, so I'm still relatively timely to cover them here as a result! Like at the Big Wreck show, Chris did not film the first band here, namely the one-off reunion of Toronto-based Ramones/Joan Jett tribute band The Merves, but he got everyone else from this event. Regarding The Surfers, Chris filmed five videos from their first public set in four years, including their opening cover of Stompin' Tom Connors' "Algoma 69" with bassist Brad "Example" Lacell on lead vocals (plus the "William Tell Overture" opening), plus their original songs "Get High" & "Booze N' Doobs".

Chris also captured their cover of The Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" with Mikey on vocals and AMY/DC's Dean Glover filling in on drums. Embedded below is their set-closer "The Quest", complete with the late-song integration of Corey Hart's "Sunglasses At Night". After covering Brad's live-stream of their entire set earlier this week, it is good to see video of the band in action from the front (Brad is quite well dressed for the occasion!), and while attendee hands and cameras can get in the road, the quality is solid on these videos overall. Check them out for yourselves above & below!

Chris also filmed four videos of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band AMY/DC, featuring Mikey on guitar and the aforementioned Dean Glover on drums, plus Mikey's Merves bandmate Amy Zucchetto on vocals. Here, you can see them cover "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Highway To Hell", "Sin City", and as embedded below, "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock N' Roll". I am not 100% positive given the video quality, but is that The Wyld Stallyns' own Josh Norling playing saxophone in lieu of the bagpipe parts? Very strong covers of AC/DC classics by Amy and crew here, if with shakier video on average, so give these a watch above & below as well!

Finally, Chris filmed Mikey fronting his online page-less local alternative rock/punk cover quintet Bookclub playing three songs on this night, namely Vampire Weekend's "A-Punk", Men Without Hats' "Pop Goes The World", and as embedded below, Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me". A little further from the stage than he would be later in the night, but you get a better view of the setup for this special concert, if still a little blurry, and Bookclub have a good handle on these covers that you don't hear many other local bands cover nowadays! Give them a look for yourselves above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst), The Big Wreck Concert Preview, And More!!

We'll take a brief break from our Sault Michigan/battle of the bands coverage to look at some recent Sault Ontario topics in today's post, including a new video, a preview of a major concert taking place tomorrow, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, so here's what you should know on this Monday night!

New local classic/hard rock quintet HeadFirst will return to Reggie's Place for concerts on Friday, December 22nd & Saturday, December 23rd! These dates were announced at the end of their post on their Facebook page on Tuesday where they talked about their Reggie's debuts this past weekend and thanked everyone for coming out. Photos were attached from the gigs, allowing us to see (if not via a video) how they look on a public stage, and for what it's worth, bassist Claire Jeffrey appeared to sing lead without playing bass on at least one song during the weekend. Landing gigs on Christmas weekend may be a mixed blessing for both weather and for many attendees having family commitments for the holidays, but hopefully this talented young group sets a festive tone with a good crowd! These are 9:00 PM shows with 19+ age limits & no cover. See above for more details, and don't miss HeadFirst at Toystock on Sunday!

Next up, here's a big mid-week concert preview, as Juno Award winning Toronto hard rock band Big Wreck will return to The Machine Shop for a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Best known for hits like "That Song" and "Blown Wide Open", this will be Ian Thornley & crew's first concert in town since they headlined at the same venue back in February 2018. This will also be their first local date since Chris Caddell & Sekou Lumumba replaced Brian Doherty (R.I.P.) & Chuck Keeping in their lineup. With songs from their upcoming EP "Pages" as well as fan favourite originals & Thornley holdovers to be expected, this should be a great time for domestic hard rock fans! London pop rock quartet Texas King (who headlined at Odeno at Sault College in the mid-2010s) will return to the Soo as openers, with their own distinct original sound sure to be welcomed back by fans!

Guelph hard rock solo artist Vilivant pulled out of Big Wreck's North American tour two weeks ago due to logistical issues (source here), but hopefully she can make it to the Soo down the road! This concert will still have three acts, as Watchmen frontman Daniel Greaves was added to this tour as an extra performer before Vilivant dropped out. Look for classic Watchmen songs like "Stereo" & "Any Day Now" in Daniel's show-opening set! This all ages concert takes place at 8:00 PM tomorrow, and while this show is all ages unlike 2018, ticket prices have jumped to $49.50 (plus online processing fees) if bought at this link rather than chancing the door. It's been well over five years since Big Wreck played in town, and while the Tuesday night scheduling is not ideal, hopefully there's another solid turnout at The Machine Shop tomorrow for their high energy hard rock hits! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Big Wreck live in 2018!

Finally for today, while local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith has confirmed that The Soo's Got Talent finals was the final gig for his solo band in 2023 (as per his Facebook page two weeks ago), we haven't heard the last from him, Chris, Jacob, and Brandan this year! While Mike was in town for the finals, everyone took part in a "top secret" video interview that saw a preview clip uploaded to Mike's Facebook page on Wednesday, where you see everyone sitting in what looks like someone's jam space. The clip does not capture a specific question from the interview, nor does it give away who is doing the interviewing and for what outlet, but we do see bassist Jacob Quarrell eat a purportedly seven-months-old slice of pizza! If nothing else, this will be reason to see the full interview to gain context, assuming it isn't cut from the final product. Give the teaser video a watch below!

That's all for today, but we'll pick up our recent Sault Michigan coverage on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Big Wreck & Silent 9) And Tarnished Lineup Updates!!

Before we dive into a busy concert weekend, here's a new news post for your Wednesday evening, featuring surprising lineup depatures from a prominent local metal band, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this fall. Here's what you should know!

With their debut at the Cory Marks concert last month now in the books, new local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first batch of solo headlining dates as they finally enter the weekend bar circuit! As partially announced via this picture on their Facebook page (and further via a series of Facebook event pages), the Obsession successors have dates lined up through May of next year, but it's still a little early yet to be covering 2024 concerts, so we'll pause on those for the time being. Obsession were ones to announce distant concert bookings like this too, for the record. Their next gig will actually be at Algoma Steel on Saturday, September 9th when they serve as musical entertainment for the steel plant's postponed annual Family Day. As that is geared towards Algoma Steel employees & their families, I won't treat it as a "public" concert, but keep it in mind if you're going!

Fans won't have to wait long to see Silent 9 in truly public confines, as they are playing that same night via their debut at The Water Tower Pub! They will also return there for a one-nighter (as is standard for the Great Northern Road nightclub's band rotation) on Friday, November 3rd, so if you like this central venue, then this is your next truly public chance to see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve on stage! Their other September date will see Silent 9 debut at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Friday, September 22nd with a return there booked on Friday, November 17th (I don't know why these are one-nighters). Shooters is not overly far from The Machine Shop, which hosted their debut gig, so it'll be good to see everyone rocking out downtown again! The other current 2023 dates will see them rock The Esquire Club for their first full weekend engagement, and they landed on Friday, October 27th & Saturday, October 28th.

As you may recall, Obsession landed the Halloween weekend at The Esquire Club last year, with a costume contest and all of the seasonal frills were absolutely on hand, so expect more of the same when Silent 9 head west in a couple of months! The currently announced 2024 dates are all also at The Esquire Club, but again, we'll wait until closer to to list those on the site. All of these new shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM-ish start times. Visit the above links for much more on Silent 9's upcoming concert schedule, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's the big one that was announced this week, as Juno Award winning Toronto hard rock quartet Big Wreck will return to The Machine Shop for a headlining concert on Tuesday, November 21st! Fans will likely recall seeing the Ian Thornley-led group at the same venue back in February 2018, and with songs from their new album "7" and existing hits like "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Albatross", and "That Song" in store, their hard rocking originals and strong talents will be more than welcomed back to town in three months! This will be their first local date with Chris Caddell & Sekou Lumumba on guitar and drums in place of the late Brian Doherty and the departed Chuck Keeping. Support on this tour will include London pop rock quartet Texas King, who you may recall from headlining dates at Odeno and LopLops in the mid-2010s, and their energetic original sound should be welcomed after six years away!

Guelph hard rock solo artist Vilivant will make her local debut as the first act on November 21st, and her dark & hard hitting brand of music should turn some heads at The Machine Shop! Tickets for this show will go on sale at 10:00 AM on Friday, so click here for the likely online purchase link when it goes live. For reference, Big Wreck's 2018 show here had $35 tickets, and also wasn't all ages. It'll be great to see Big Wreck in the Soo again, especially given how well things went the last time out, so be sure to visit the above links for more details on this huge show!

We'll close things by jumping to Sault Michigan for some very surprising news from local metal band Tarnished, as they have parted ways with both guitarist Nathan Webber and bassist Isaac "Iggy Storm" Royer, as per their Facebook page yesterday. A reason for their departure was not publically announced, but the band assured fans that they left amicably and they wished Nathan & Isaac the best in the future. Nathan had joined Tarnished in November 2019 as their first ever second guitarist for electric gigs, while Isaac replaced Donald Alexander as their bassist in August 2021. It seemed like Tarnished had finally found a strong & stable lineup in the last couple of years, which makes losing half of the band that much more surprising, especially having just played in Grand Marais this past Friday night, but hopefully we haven't heard the last of Nathan and Isaac in the local scene, as they definitely were assets to the band who would fit in elsewhere!

Frontman Alex Traynor and drummer Josh Fair vow to continue performing as Tarnished, who are still scheduled for an outdoor gig at Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard on Saturday night (we'll let you know if plans change on that front). No word yet on replacement members, but remember that Tarnished started in 2019 as an acoustic duo with just Alex & Josh, so they could revert to that short-term if they wanted to keep gigging beforehand. Also, note that Alex (guitar and bass) and Josh (guitar and drums) have bounced between instrument roles as show and lineup needs dictated. Stay tuned for more on Tarnished's Huck's show in this weekend's concert previews starting tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Big Wreck Videos, Tym Morrison Previews, And More!!

Here's another news post for you guys on this Saturday afternoon, and it includes previews of a few upcoming shows, some assorted recent updates, and some long awaited videos and fallout from a big concert last week. First, however, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related apology, so here's what you should know! (Updated at 4:38 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock The Esquire Club TONIGHT, after previously playing there last night! Profuse apologies for the short notice and for missing last night's show on here, we only heard about them overnight via members' personal Facebook pages (Soundcheck haven't updated their Facebook page in over a month), though for what it's worth, the picture of the physical schedule at the venue suggests that they replaced country veterans Bone Yard this weekend, possibly on short notice as it was. It's also worth noting that this same schedule (which was up at The Esquire Club long before it went online) also advertised Soundcheck shows two weeks ago. If they did happen, my apologies for missing them, but I can't find any personal or public reference to those shows occurring. As for TONIGHT's (and yesterday's) Soundcheck shows there, the guys enlisted Bone Yard frontman Greg Simpson to fill in for Steven Flint on drums last night, but Steven confirmed on his personal Facebook page that he will be back with Soundcheck for TONIGHT'S concert.

Greg was a solid choice, and it's interesting to see him drumming without singing lead like in Stiffler's Mom! Also, you may notice on the above poster that a planned Stiffler's Mom weekend at The Esquire Club in late March was cancelled before making it's way online, with Cherry Crush replacing them. Hopefully nothing bad happened, though note that we haven't heard from this band online since last fall. TONIGHT'S Soundcheck show is likely a 10:00 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit, with all being the same last night too. See above for more details, apologies again for missing yesterday's show, and nope, no public videos yet!

Next up, here's some long awaited videos from the Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop last week, courtesy of prolific concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again! Chris outdid himself once again with ten videos at this show, including two of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots, with one being of their opening songs "Simply Not Good Enough" & "Misery", and the other being of their song "Give It To Me". The camera work is a little jittery, but Chris got a solid view of the stage, and Attica Riots sound lively and engaging for genre fans! As for Big Wreck, Chris filmed the Juno nominated hard rockers playing their songs "Look What I Found" & "That Song" (both in one video), "By The Way", "Waste", "Blown Wide Open" (accidentally labelled as "Blown Away"), "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Albatross", "Digging In", and as embedded below, "Fall Through The Cracks". Click each link to take you to each song!

As well, SooToday's Donna Hopper posted this article with remarks on the show and 15 photos of the bands online on Valentine's Day, including 11 of Big Wreck and 4 of Attica Riots. Sounds like the show went over very well, and it's great to see Ian and company play here again rather than hanging out in a parking lot between shows! Donna's photos are excellent as usual, so give them and her article a look above, and definitely check out Chris' solid videos from last week above & below!



Also, here's our previews of a trifecta of early-week concerts from local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus in the Market Mall for matinee gigs on MONDAY, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! After previously playing at the former Kackleberry's for three matinee shows two weeks ago, Tym will return for a Gliss-esque scheduling of shows again early next week, and fans should be eager to see his unplugged classic selections again, even at these still somewhat atypical days! No word on if Tym will be playing at Mark's on Mondays-Wednesdays with any regularity once the month is done, but we'll let you know if anything is announced. Much like his usual solo matinees, these three shows are 6:00 PM events with no age limit or announced cover charge, but remember that this is a restaurant, not a typical venue. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



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:

•  A local drummer named John Chindamo is looking to join or start a local band, noting that he is "familiar with the classic rock and some of today's stuff", and is willing to learn country if needed. I'm not overly familiar with John, but it's great to see him wanting something to do with local music, and if you're interested in more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday!
• The newest song from ex-Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent's solo project (and for his intended second solo album) can now be heard on his Bandcamp page! Entitled "Prevarication", this should please fans of Mike's more technical metal instrumental work of recent years, so give it a listen above!
• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has revived his Sorrow Fields solo project after a 2 year hiatus, and is apparently working on their long-gestating debut CD at Mission Control Studios! Their Facebook page features a photo of Mitch playing at the studio, and as of Wednesday, he was working on guide tracks. No sign yet of a new online presence for The Sorrow Fields, but it's very encouraging to see Mitch picking up his solo music again, and The Sorrow Fields are back in our active band links, with a "Where Are The New Albums?" return next week also now in the cards!

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

Big Wreck Concert Videos, The Din's New Live Album, And More!!

Happy President's/Family Day, depending on which side of the border you're on! Today's post on the SMS is loaded with some recent news and material from Sault Ontario, including a new album release and linked new solo video, and another new performance clip, but let's start with videos from last Tuesday's Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop! While videos from this one are surprisingly scant on YouTube, Rock 101's Facebook page has things covered again, with videos of both of last week's bands being uploaded mid-show. One was of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots playing their song "Misery" from a distant corner angle to the stage, and while it sounds good and lively for the genre, the vertical camera angle and stage setup don't help the view (at least the filmer zoomed in!) As for the headlining Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet, WSUE filmed Big Wreck playing "That Song" and, as embedded below, "Look What I Found", so how'd they turn out?

Both filmed from the back of the crowd section, these are again on a vertical camera angle, but the audio comes through fine, and it's nice to see both a single and a deep cut from "In Loving Memory Of..." filmed for Rock 101's page!  Give each clip a look above and below, and hopefully there's some more footage floating around from this show!

Next up, here's another new album release already for this still-young new year, as defunct local alternative hard rock trio The Din released their posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff" to their Bandcamp page on Friday! They only announced the release date on Wednesday, so when they teased it was coming soon, they were true to their word! Recorded via soundboard audio at the album's eponymous farewell concert at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, this purportedly comprises of the entire concert's audio without edits, but as they noted in the description, "the human element is on full display." The extended 19 song setlist features every song from The Din's two studio albums, except for "The Rose", plus frontman Mike Haggith's old solo original "We Met At The Circus" (or "...As Surrogates".) In a mild surprise, they also left in the encore cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough", despite previously axing the four external covers from the Bandcamp release of "The Din Does Laundry" last year.

No word on if it's in continued tribute to Gord Downie, worth the copyright hassle to keep the set intact, or a combination therein, but it's welcome to see it make the final cut! "Suburban Sendoff" is available on a "name your price" model through Bandcamp, but consider paying an amount to support The Din's hard work, even after their breakup! With all of that said, when can you expect to see a review of "Suburban Sendoff" on the SMS? Honestly, with our self-imposed 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act, it can't come until June at the earliest, as we just reviewed "Suburban Dream" in December, which was itself delayed a couple of months for similar reasons. That said, our album review schedule is set for the first half of the year (May aside), assuming nothing gets delayed! Also, there is new solo cover video from the aforementioned Mike Haggith from his current Thompson, Manitoba home base, so what should you know on it?

The first posting on his YouTube channel in almost two years, this is an acoustic cover of Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With", and it's an entertaining cover of this folk classic, with the well-bearded Mike handling this with a light and optimistic air! Give it a look below, and check out his new Thompson pop rock band Between the Ditches!



Finally for today, here's a new video of local acoustic hard rock duo Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (a.k.a./p.k.a. The Kariokeheads) from their show at Room 21 on December 16th, as uploaded by the venue's Facebook page shortly afterward! However, the cover performed is not what you may expect, with the Elements bandmates playing a surprise unplugged version of Khia's "My Neck, My Back" alongside Rob's wife Christina (I think) on guest vocals, and Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton on guest guitar. I'll just say that everyone's got a sense of humour, and it's a nice casual performance, so give it a look if you want below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), Pop Evil/Big Wreck Concert Previews, And More!!

A unusually high profile stretch of shows is upon us early this week, so let's largely cover those in this Monday morning post, alongside some new videos from a recent concert, and leading off, surprise LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, half on SHORT NOTICE! Here's what you need to know!

Prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has announced six matinee gigs at Mark's Breakfast Plus for this month TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY, then again on February 26th-28th! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced these shows via their Facebook event page yesterday, and while he did also announce a pair of new Room 21 gigs as well, we will hold those for this weekend's concert previews to avoid redundantly covering them twice in under a week. Already busy enough with his weekly Gliss Steak & Seafood arrangement and bi-monthly Roadhouse gigs, February is suddenly packed for the former Caveman Morrison frontman, with only Thursdays having no gigs at all this month! TONIGHT'S Mark's show will be his first at the Market Mall restaurant of the year, and first in over two months, and if that doesn't work out for you schedule-wise, he will be back there on TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, and at month's end, so you have plenty of opportunities to see Tym live this month!

And no, the Wednesday gigs will not conflict with his open mic night hosting duties at The Canadian, as their matinee scheduling means they'll end well beforehand. All six of Tym's Mark's shows this month (including TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY) are at 4:00 PM with no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a typical concert venue, let alone time of day or week. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!



Moving to previously announced concerts, hard rock fans in the Twin Saults have quite a double header ahead with a huge show on both sides of the border in the coming days, starting with the long awaited return of Juno Award winning Toronto/Boston hard rock notables Big Wreck to the Sault Ontario stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Machine Shop! Familiar to rock fans for high charting hits like "Albatross", "Blown Wide Open", and "That Song", this will be Ian Thornley and company's first local concert appearance since 2001, so if you've been waiting patiently for their local return for the past 16+ years, here is your big chance! This show is a stop on Big Wreck's 20th anniversary tour for their multi-platinum debut album "In Loving Memory Of...", and if recent shows are any indication, expect that whole album to be played tomorrow, albeit in mixed up order! Winnipeg alternative rock trio Attica Riots will open this show in their local debut, so look for an upbeat pop/indie rock-influenced sound from them tomorrow as well!

Also, don't forget the interview with Ian by The Sault Star's Jeffery Ougler from January 28th, which talks about his musical background, Big Wreck's initial successes and drawbacks, and more, so give this detailed interview a look above or if you still have that issue! Tickets for this 18+ show are $35, and are available at this link or at the Machine Shop and Station Mall's in person box office, while the show proper starts at 8:00 PM. This should be a very solid concert for hard rock fans, especially with such a long wait for Big Wreck's local return, so don't miss all of the action at The Machine Shop tomorrow night, and here they are live!



Finally for this early-week batch of concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, where Muskegon hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return for their fifth local concert appearance THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT for a Valentine's Day concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino! Hitting this venue for their fourth headlining show there, and first since last February, this should be another great opportunity for fans to check out this fan favourite group and their numerous chart-topping hits like "Footsteps" & "Torn to Pieces", plus their newest single "Waking Lions", so there should be lots of familiar hard hitting songs to take in on Wednesday! Las Vegas/Toronto "fashion-art rock" band Palaye Royale (not "Palace") and San Francisco post-hardcore trio Black Map will open this show in their own local debuts, and with the former's indie influenced power rock and the latter's more aggressive metal attack, both should make solid fanbases here on Wednesday, so don't be late for them!

The first concert of 2018 from Allstar Promotions (who have put on most of Pop Evil's local gigs), tickets for this all ages event are $25, and are available at the in-person box office, at this link, or at 1-800-KEWADIN, with limited center section seating still available, but seats from the second row and back are still on sale in the left & right sections. Everything starts at 7:00 PM, and whether you're in this just for the rock, or if this is part of your Valentine's Day plans, Pop Evil should have a great show in store for their U.P. fans once again! See the above links for more details, and here's Pop Evil live at The Dreammaker's Theater last year!



Finally for today, we'll stay on the Kewadin track, as local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 have shared four videos from their set opening for Laith Al-Saadi at The Dreammaker's Theater on Saturday onto their Facebook page! All vertically oriented cell phone camera clips, two were shared from guitarist Joe Jenkins' personal Facebook page, including the end of their cover of ZZ Top's "Tush", and an instrumental section that I can't identify off hand. Both are more less to showcase Joe soloing, though new drummer Tommy Korcal is in easy view on them also, and the quality is solid despite the length! Attendee Dani Baumann also filmed the guys playing "Tush", and while it is an earlier section with vocals, Joe gets some solid solo time in at the end! The audio quality is even clearer, and while Dani was further from the stage than the filmer on Joe's clips, she zoomed in and showcased Billy & Dustin too, so it all works out! However, embedded below is a full performance clip of Project 906 covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See", courtesy of attendee Katie Jeffson, so how does it sound?

In our first look at the current Project 906 lineup, we get a solid cover of this southern rock standard here, and it's a bluesy enough number to suit the concert's theme! Solid video quality despite the vertical angle, and you get a good view of everyone, all things considered, so give this video a look below, and see more from this show above!



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

The End Of Eclipse, New Mike Haggith Songs, A Local Punk Video From 1987, And More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, we have lots of stories to touch on, including some assorted recent updates, a 30 year old video from a big local punk concert, and a revived solo project's new material, but first, here's a note on a removal from our active band links!

We regrettably have to remove local hard rock quartet Eclipse from our band links due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past few months, which seems to signal their second and final breakup. A reason for their apparent demise hasn't been announced, but rumours of internal issues have came up more than once last year, so read into those if you want. This does mirror the recent deletion of frontman Curtis McKenzie's solo Facebook page, though I don't know if the two were deleted for the same reason. As you may recall, the Haggith successors initially reunited early last year after their tumultuous original split in November 2016, with the guys notably opening for bands like The Hazytones, The Raygun Cowboys, and Speaker in 2017, among other events, with their tribute turn as "SSM of a Down" at The Algonquin Pub on Halloween weekend appearing to be their last public appearance.

Eclipse were a talented band with good chemistry and a fun selection of originals and covers, and their disbandment (and page deletion, sigh) is disappointing even if you factor in certain rumours. Hopefully we see Eclipse back down the road (or their originals/prior bands' songs carry over to a new project), best of luck to Curtis, Daniel, Fred, and Chris in the future, and don't miss Daniel in Jack Spades!

Next up, here's the first new original songs from former Din frontman/Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's solo project since the release of "The Warinside" in 2015! As you may know, Mike moved to Thompson, Manitoba for work last fall, and announced that he was resuming his solo project shortly beforehand, so we're starting to see some new material from him in this new year. Both of these songs were uploaded as solo performance videos to his Facebook page, and they are titled "Come On Home" and (as embedded below) "An Act of Strength". Both are acoustic solo performances in this current form, but Mike has indicated that a proper album entitled "Bridges" (source here) will come out later this year, presumably with a full band structure. The former song is more of a downbeat soft ballad, and while the latter has backing instrumentation and a drum track, it also has serious subject matter about a friend who survived domestic abuse.

It's great to see Mike finally getting his solo career back into first gear with some solid first demos, and remember, he has dozens of official studio albums, so this is old hat for him! Most of the Windsor-era ones aren't on his official pages anymore, but he still has a good deal of solo albums online to listen to, including some songs later played by his local bands. No word on if he'll resume work on "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited" in Thompson too, but check out Mike's new songs above and below, and visit his Bandcamp page to hear his Sault Ste. Marie-era solo output!



Also today, here's a surprising YouTube find: footage taken during Toronto hardcore punk band Hype's local concert appearance way back in 1987! This was uploaded to their promotional company Reuben Kincade Productions' YouTube channel late last month, and features the band arriving in the Soo for their show, setting up for it, and leaving for Winnipeg (you can see more of the trip there at this link.) Unfortunately, no concert video footage survives from this channel, but you can see that from other stops if you check out the other six videos of the tour. I wasn't born until May 1989, so I definitely can't comment on the scene as it was then, but you see lots of familiar sights on Gore Street surrounding this concert, including Rad Zone predecessor Radical Records (Paul Muncaster himself was key for getting Hype here), and there is a funny moment when Hype run into some kids going to a birthday party.

This video is a nice time capsule of downtown Sault Ste. Marie, but the audio quality is it's achilles heel, often sounding like the camera is attached to a propellor. You can't complain too much, as this is over 30 years old and no one could have forecasted putting this on the internet back then, but overall, kudos for putting this online! Hype themselves were an explosive and fun band, as you can see through other videos on the channel, and they were apparently the first hardcore punk band from Toronto to release a full length album, so it was cool to see them here on their second tour! Give this a look below, and see more from Hype at the above links!



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

• The opening band for the Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop on February 13th was quietly announced last month, as Winnipeg alternative rock trio Attica Riots will join them on their "In Loving Memory Of..." 20th anniversary tour! Playing more of an upbeat power pop/indie sound in support of their new CD "Sunshine & Hysteria", they'll add an interesting contrast next month, so give them a listen as well, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!
• A musicians' competition is being held at Bird's Eye Outfitters at 107 East Portage Avenue in Sault Michigan on Saturday, January 27th, with gift cards awaiting the winners! There is a $10 registration fee, but solo artists and full bands are welcome, drums & a PA system are supplied, and while the term "battle of the bands" isn't being thrown around, this sounds like a fun way to showcase some local talent, so click here for more details! Also, if an outdoor equipment store strikes you as a peculiar venue for this, keep in mind that Bird's Eye Outfitters used to be Golanka's Bar, a.k.a. The Bird!
• In advance of their live concert return TONIGHT at the Joni Radford benefit, Sault Ontario punk quartet Redundant announced on their Facebook page that they are recording their long awaited debut album at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones starting next month! This seems to imply that their 2012-2014 recording sessions are now completely discarded, but if they wanted to include Yannick, they'd have to rework things anyway.  Exciting news all around, Dustin is be a great choice to get this album sounding as good as possible, so stay tuned for updates!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Big Wreck & Bizotic), Plus New Videos!!

At last, here's our first full news post of November 2017, which contains some new videos and a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS featuring returning headline bands, including one we haven't seen in over a decade and a half! Here's what you should know!

A big new Rockstar Bar show will take place Saturday, November 18th, where a few punk/alternative bands will open for Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks in that band's fourth local headlining appearance in the past two years! Last seen in July at The Canadian, Dany and company have proven to be a fan favourite band in their recent local stops, and while not a hard rock band per say, their upbeat and free-flowing originals should get another solid response next month! Local openers will include indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic, alt-punk trio Handsome Sandwich, and former Lion Ride bassist Brenton Ellis' new acoustic solo project Slumshine, who you can check out at this link if you haven't seen or heard yet. Solid choices, with some heavier and punk flourishes for genre fans, so don't miss out on the opening acts! Notably, this show is being co-promoted by photographer Josh Pace and Larry Babic, in the latter's first public show booking since his apparent departure from Live705.

For what it's worth, Live705 no longer list Larry on staff, but there has not been a statement publically on his status as singer with A Dire Setback. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, but stay tuned for potential public announcements on either! Admission for this 9:00 PM & 19+ show is $10 at the door or $8 in advance, though advance ticket sale details are not public yet. This is shaping up to be another entertaining concert, so visit the official Facebook event page for continuing details!

Next up, here's our first hard rock concert announcement of 2018, and it's a big one, as Juno-nominated Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet Big Wreck will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday, February 13th when they headline at The Machine Shop! Familiar sights to fans of Canadian rock dating back to the mid-1990s with hits like "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Albatross", and "One Good Piece Of Me", this show will mark Big Wreck's first local stop since (as best as I can tell) October 2001 at Sault College. Not only will fans waiting for the past 16 years be rewarded by their return, but the show will come at the mid-point of Big Wreck's tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album "In Loving Memory Of", so if you love that multi-platinum CD, expect lots of it in February! At press time, potential opening bands (local or otherwise) have not been announced, and unfortunately, this is an 18+ concert.

Tickets for this concert are $35 and go on sale THIS FRIDAY at The Machine Shop's box office, at the community box office at the Station Mall, and online at this link, while there will be VIP passes available with many intriguing perks, so click here for full details on that front as they roll in. It's great to finally see Ian Thornley and company back on a local stage, and I know that many fans will be curious to hear selections from their debut album and other hits in three months' time! Stay tuned for more updates when they roll in!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the long awaited sixth episode of local promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s in-studio performance webseries Live at Six, Two, Oh.! After a nearly year long hiatus following the Blessed episode in December (with their cancelled online battle of the bands coming in between), the new episode went online on Wednesday via the series' Facebook page, with a potential YouTube channel posting in limbo. At least they're back, hopefully we're not waiting until next fall for episode #8! Like their last episode with Vancouver pop punk band Blessed and their second with Montreal electronic artist Citadel, this episode revolves around a touring act that wasn't playing a local concert when they stopped through to tape live at Six, Two, Oh., and the band in question is Winnipeg death metal quartet Entity. In a slight change in format, the episode was broken into two chunks for it's initial upload, including their songs "Instinct to Exterminate" (embedded below) and "Scaphism".

While it is a shame that Entity didn't get a local concert booking, these Live at Six, Two, Oh. episodes are a great consolation prize, with multiple camera angles capturing their brutal death metal sound, and they have very solid guitar work and clear vocals to boot! Remember, this episode is broken in half, so check out "Scaphism" above, but give the first song a look below, stay tuned for more on future Live at Six, Two, Oh. installments, and hopefully Entity can play here down the road!



Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan area-independent label Werehold Records' YouTube channel, which features label founder/Life's Eclipse guitarist (among other bands) Jason Mills trying out his new nine-string guitar! A rare video for the Werehold channel in a few ways (such as not being on Friday the 13th & featuring Jason talking to the camera), this is a nice demonstration of Jason's new toy, and it'll be interesting to hear it factor in to his future music, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as this week and month roll along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (LemmaFest), A New Local Band, And More!!

For the fifth time in our last six posts, we have a mostly Sault Michigan-centric assortment for you guys on this Friday morning (actually, 100% from across the river today), including a new preview video, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend, and leading things off, a new local band, so here's what you need to know!

We have a new local hard rock band to add to our links on the site, and they are a Sault Michigan quartet named The Bottom Line! Launched on April 7th, their lineup notably features Highest of Fives bandmates Mitch Goetz on vocals and Jack Slater on bass, alongside guitarist Joe Jenkins and drummer Will Storey, neither of which I'm familiar with from recent area bands. Self described as "high voltage rock", the guys will make their live debut next weekend (more on that in a second), but have also indicated that they'll be playing a gig in Hessel in July that we'll plug in an upcoming post, which I'll confirm is part of an annual festival there. No full videos or setlist hints have been posted yet of The Bottom Line, but their Facebook page does share some videos of Will drumming (one linked here), and he definitely is skilled at this instrument! Check out the other drum video below, and stay tuned for much more from The Bottom Line as we hear it!



As for The Bottom Line's first live concert appearance, you can see them on Saturday, June 21st (one week from tomorrow), as they're among the performers at this year's fourth annual LemmaFest, which finally got a formal lineup confirmation from promoters on Wednesday via their Facebook page! 8 individual acts are scheduled for this outdoor festival outside of Dondee Lanes, which is a bit small compared to previous years, and the lack of Scofflaw (who played each of the last 3 years) is surprising, but here's who's advertised! Three LemmaFest veterans are scheduled to return this year, including Munising metal quartet Infathom (featuring Sault-area native Dillion Semasky on vocals), local alternative/grunge trio Plastic (now with Aaron DePalma on drums in place of the departed Paul Burns, source here), and solo country/pop artist Caitlin LeBlanc (who played an unadvertised set in 2012), so all should fit in well this year! The new bands include the aforementioned Bottom Line as well as Division of Sanity, a young local rock band whose online music output is largely acoustic, but have indicated that they play metal songs also, so it will be interesting to see how they sound at LemmaFest!

The other 3 acts are somewhat more mysterious as of right now, and they include a solo artist named Mike Kowalski (genre and instruments unclear) and bands named Nightmare Grin and Mr. Fister, who currently lack online pages and a high amount of concrete info. I do know that Nightmare Grin's drummer is I.S.O.M. alum Bart Rennels (nice to see him in a new band!), and I've heard scattered rumours relating to both bands, but full lineups and genres are hopefully forthcoming in a public form, though as we've seen with bands like Great Bodily Harm and Power Slug, online pages aren't a guarantee. Time slots for this year's LemmaFest have yet to be announced, but the poster above looks realistic to the order, for what that's worth. In memory of the late Mike Lemma and Jon Hackworth (who sadly passed away in January), admission for this ALL AGES event will be $10, with the day's events beginning at 12:00 PM, and there will be prizes & draws, a pig roast, bowling specials, and more, with proceeds going to the Hackworth family.

For more details, visit the above links and the Facebook event page! This should be a great event, and even though the lineup is surprising due to the number of newer projects and lack of some familiar recent bands, they're all rocking out for a great cause, and hopefully Mike & Jon are looking on somewhere and enjoying this year's festival! Stay tuned for updates (particularly on Nightmare Grin & Mr. Fister), and don't miss LemmaFest IV next weekend!

Finally for today, we have one last note with a Bottom Line connection, as Mitch & Jack's other hard rock band The Highest of Fives released a new trailer for the second chapter of their ongoing short film "Bang!" to their YouTube channel yesterday! The first chunk of the trailer features a slow motion chase scene, and it ends with assorted out of context scenes from upcoming installments, plus a very brief audio clip at the end. It doesn't tell us much, but it does give a tease of what we'll see in part 2, so give the trailer a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for That;s all for today, but stay tuned for special features on a recent glut of video posts (also from the Sault Michigan area) in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Power Slug), Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

For today's post at the SMS, we're mostly focusing on previews of this weekend's local metal/hard rock concerts, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW across the river, but note that we'll be holding our preview of Sunday's Pixo Control show at Cafe Natura for our next post to give it proper emphasis closer to showtime, as it's a little early to preview it yet. We also have some cool new concert videos from a regional acoustic trio rounding things out, so read on for what you need to know! (Updated at 9:05 PM)

Sault Michigan hard rock cover trio Power Slug will return to The Savoy Bar & Nightclub TOMORROW NIGHT for a solo headlining show! Apologies for the short notice, the band (and Uncle Si) just announced the event on their Facebook page yesterday. Though the first live event ever announced on their Facebook page (and first I can 100% confirm in our area in a few months), this might not be too far off their last Savoy show, if the Midnight Oil cover filmed there was any time recently. Either way, there will be drink specials all night for Chris, Bob, and Chris' entertaining set of hard and modern rock covers, so don't miss your chance to chug your mug with Power Slug TOMORROW NIGHT! For reference, Fridays are also The Savoy's ladies night. You must be 21 to attend tomorrow's one night only show, there's no announced cover charge, and I assume Power Slug would be on by 10:00 PM. For more details, check the above links, and here's the band covering Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" at The Bird!

Moving to previously announced shows, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill on Pine Street will enter it's 28th consecutive week when he headlines their weekly jam/open mic night TOMORROW! Note however that like in a few other recent weeks, Tym will likely not be playing a solo show on Saturday night due to The Harp's expected live broadcast of UFC 174, similarly to a few other preemptions from earlier this year. If you're up for some solo acoustic hard rock action (and perhaps open mic performers), be at the former Madison's Pub tomorrow to take in what should be some talented and proficient covers, as Tym has more than impressed this year at this venue! Admission should be free for this 19+ event, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely. Check the above links for more details, don't miss Tym's unplugged cover classics tomorrow night, and here he is at Mill Square last summer!



Also, Sault Ontario classic hard rock cover quintet The Thrill Junkies were scheduled to make their long awaited return to the concert stage (and first set with their new drummer Rick White) this Saturday at Runway Park as part of the second annual Algoma Ride For Autism festivities, but they have been forced to drop out of the event, as per bassist Justin Langlois in a recent Facebook conversation. All I'll confirm is that it's due to a medical emergency related to a band member, and unless the band says something publically, I won't elaborate further on that, but hopefully all turns out OK! In their place, local punk trio Redundant (also featuring Justin and Rick) will make their Runway Park debut in their first live concert in 4 months, and they're a fitting & convenient choice, so keep them in mind for some punk action on Saturday! Though there's no longer a known hard rock band on the lineup, this is still a great family event, featuring a motorcycle rally through town for autism awareness & research, family events and games, a barbeque, and more, so click here for full details for this FREE & ALL AGES event on Saturday at 10:00 AM, and hopefully we see The Thrill Junkies again soon!

Finally for today, remember Train Wreck, the acoustic trio from Brimley, Michigan that memorably covered Hellyeah & White Zombie at a private event last August? Well, as we alluded to on the site, they reemerged this past weekend for Brimley's annual Lupine Festival, but we didn't call it as a concert as I was waiting for more of a bead on their sound and genre. Well, it's official: Despite being acoustic, they have a very heavy side, and if they had an online page, they'd be in our band links now! Frontman Erik Rintamaki (also of Half A Man) posted 10 songs from their Lupine Fest set onto his YouTube channel on Sunday, and they include renditions of Sublime's "What I Got", White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss '65", The Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush", The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy", Everclear's "I Will Buy You A New Life", Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising", Nirvana's "About A Girl", The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie", and Guns N' Roses "Used To Love Her", so click each link to hear each song!

Note that while Erik and drummer Rafe Rosini both returned for this outdoor set, I believe they have a new guitarist to replace Mitchell Willis, identity yet unclear (in any event, he sings on some of the above songs.) These songs are all effectively turned into acoustic songs, with Erik's raspy vocals nice to hear again, and the other guitarist carries a softer vibe that works well, and it'll be interesting to see if Train Wreck turn up for some more area shows! Check out their Slade cover below, see more at the above links, and hopefully we'll hear more from Train Wreck soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Pixo Control preview and more from Sault Michigan in our next post! Thanks everyone!