LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Rock Show) Plus New Videos!!

Before we begin today's post, just a heads up that former Destroilet singer Mike Hull's obituary was posted on SooToday yesterday. Mike is survived by his parents Warren & Helle, his kids Nickolas & Alyvia, three siblings, his grandmother, his dog Jojo, and numerous extended family members. His funeral service will take place at Northwood Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Wednesday at 2:00 PM with Reverend Ben Kjiersadam presiding, and interment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery (visitation will be at Northwood on Tuesday from 5:00-8:00 PM). In Mike's name, the Hull family would appreciate donations to the Algoma Pregnancy Centre, St. Vincent Place, or the Teen Challenge Northern Ontario Centre. The obituary strongly indicates that he was becoming more religious in recent years, and does not mention his music career beyond noting that he was one to sing while at work. 

Mike's passing came as a surprise to so many, especially so close to Christmas, so be sure to keep Mike's family (especially his kids) in mind over the holidays, and consider paying your respects at the services at Northwood on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. R.I.P. Mike!

Today's post otherwise looks at some new videos and, leading off, an intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for New Year's Eve, as Michigan-based classic/hard rock tribute band The Rock Show will end the year at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Sunday, December 31st! This year, Kewadin Casino is experimenting with booking a touring cover band for New Year's Eve at both of their regional branch lounges, with Niagara Falls party rock cover band XPrime playing at The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie that same day. An hour south, St. Ignace fans will instead get The Rock Show, whose setlist is decidedly heavier and full of crowd pleasing classic rock and hard rock hits, so if you want to send out 2023 with a bang, that'd be a good option in three weeks! Note that The Rock Show have two guises, the other being as a Journey tribute band, but we are getting the general rock cover set.

Their website's concert calendar confirms this, along with a private booking that they're playing at The Dreammakers Theatre in the Soo on Saturday the 30th, where they will be doing the Journey tribute set. Keep that in mind if you are privy to that private event! Expect a 9:00 PM start time and 21+ age limit in St. Ignace at month's end, and while Northern Pines Lounge shows typically have no cover charge, bring cash just in case given the circumstances. Visit the above links for more details!

We'll stay in St. Ignace next for a long overdue look at the newest music video from local deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown! At least we have some new video of them to look at, given that they were the only group at last month's Lake Superior State University battle of the bands to not have their set publically filmed! The song in question is "Celebrate The Night" from their forthcoming studio album, and the video was posted to their YouTube channel on October 29th. The music video starts with most of the band driving around when they decide to pick up a homeless guy (singer Brandon West), after which they give him some alcohol and he begins hallucinating that he's stumbling into a building, which leads into performance footage of the band outdoors by the waterfront (incidentally, not at night either).  Of note, ex-guitarist Christian Thanasiu is present in the video, both in the vehicle and performing with the band.

I don't believe this signals his return to the group, as comment replies on Facebook shares of the video imply that it was initially filmed last year (he left the band in March). Still good to see Christian T. with H.L.T.C. again, if belatedly! I'll hold comment on the song pending our eventual review of the finished album, but the "officail" (sic) video is well shot, if somewhat ambiguous with the opening scene before the band actually plays the song. Give the video a watch for yourselves below!

Finally for today, let's head north to Sault Ontario for a new preview video for the upcoming Fuller reunion concert at LopLops Lounge on December 28th! Frontman Jamie Vincent uploaded this to the show's Facebook event page on December 1st, and it features 77 seconds of he, Mark, and Nathan playing an instrumental piece that kinda has a drone/noise quality to it. While the camera angle (with only Nathan facing the camera) is worse than the jam video that Mark posted in October, Jamie's new video is in colour and was shot horizontally, so pick your poison. Still a good teaser of the reunion ahead on the 28th, so give it a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Saint Asonia), Toystock Band Clarifications, And More!!

Alright, let's finally start clearing out our backlog of topics and news from the last while (joys of the holidays), and we'll start with some unfinished business from a recent charity concert, some assorted updates, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for early next year!

Here's the big show announced earlier this week, as Toronto hard rock quartet Saint Asonia will make their local debut on Saturday, February 24th when they headline at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Saint Asonia is the current band from former Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier and (when available) Staind guitarist Mike Mushok, and while they haven't had the continued rock radio success/airplay as modern 3DG have gotten, I personally greatly prefer Saint Asonia's originals like "Better Place" and "The Hunted". Adam does still tackle Three Days Grace songs live, and select other covers, so if you've missed that band since their last Sault Ontario date fourteen years ago, don't miss out! Kentucky-based southern hard rock band Black Stone Cherry will make their long awaited return to the Soo as openers, last seen at The Dreammakers Theater opening for Staind way back in 2006!

Since we last saw B.S.C. in town seventeen long years ago, they bettered their early Billboard rock chart success with songs like "White Trash Millionaire" and "In My Blood", and they're a very skilled group in their own right with a fun energy, so don't miss them either! Opening this show and tour are rising Maryland hard rock quartet Any Given Sin, whose technical and heavy brand of melodic hard rock will definitely set a good tone in a couple of months, so don't be late for their set! Promoted by Allstar Promotions in their 2024 debut and presented by Rock 101, tickets run for $29.50 (row 15 and back in the center section, row 11 and back in the left and right sections, and standing room only), $39.50 (closer seating), and $139.50 (first 8 rows in the center plus a full VIP package including priority access, show memorabilia, and a meet & greet with Saint Asonia.)

Tickets are on sale for this all ages & 8:00 PM concert at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. This feels like such a throwback to the 2000s via the returns of Adam, Mike, and Black Stone Cherry a decade+ after last performing in Sault Ste. Marie, and I hope this show does well, especially given that we lucked into this being a Saturday nighter! I do highly recommend Saint Asonia to fans of old school Three Days Grace too, they deserve way more success on the charts. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this big show early next year!

Next up, let's move north to Sault Ontario for some clarification on three bands that played at this year's tenth annual Toystock at The Grand Gardens on November 26th! First off, the debuting online page-less band Headrush was a new classic rock quintet featuring veteran local bassist John Amendola (Cherry Crush, Tripod the Dog, etc.) and singer John Anderson, though I couldn't immediately identify the other band members. A video is floating around on personal Facebook accounts of Headrush covering Foreigner's "Hot Blooded", and it sounds good, but it is incomplete. Give it a look if you're friends with anyone connected to the band! Earlier in the program, new local rock quartet Skinbox played at Toystock, and they have since revealed via promotion for their shows at Jay's this weekend that they play "90s/2000s alt rock", with The Arctic Monkeys cited as a band that they cover. Not overly heavy on the surface, but their familiar lineup is definitely capable of it!

Lastly from Toystock's mystery/cryptic band array, new local rock band Kickstart is a new trio featuring ex-Suicide Kings guitarist Steven Flint alongside ex-Sneaky Pete bandmates Sean Berlinguette & Mike Oakley (I am unsure who sings here). If any of these three bands lean to what we cover on the SMS, it'd likely be Kickstart, but at press time, they don't have an online page that I am aware of. We'll let you know when/if anything else comes out, but hopefully these bands and the known commodites had a great time for Christmas Cheer on the 26th!

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:

 

• In his newest post on his Facebook page on November 22nd, local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary revealed that he is working on a soundtrack for a novel being written by a local author, which will be instrumental in line with his recent solo output. There's no timeline or details to spill yet, as Mike's keeping things close to his vest until he and the author are happy with the results, but he has wrote at least two songs for it. We'll keep you posted when more details come out, but this is certainly unique locally!
• Local indie/punk quintet The Northwest were featured in the November 26th episode of The Music Jerks Radio Show on Canadian internet radio station Alt Rock Radio, where hosts Kristen Goetz & Nolan Jodes played one of their original songs along with ten other tracks. I don't believe that the episode is hearable on demand, but hopefully The Northwest made some new fans two weeks ago, and don't miss them at LopLops in two weeks!
• Just to clarify more details on another new online page-less local band's identity, The Psychic Spies (who, as far as I know, share members with Skinbox) are indeed a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band, so inferring that based on "Psychic spies" being the first words sung in "Californication" was prescient. The Chili Peppers' career doesn't lean heavier anymore, but fans should take to The Psychic Spies, who are playing with Skinbox at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this weekend, so visit the Facebook event page for details!
   

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

This Weekend's Local Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

I am aware that I am behind on a number of topics right now, chief among them this Kewadin Casino concert in February, so stay tuned as we hopefully clear out our backlog a good deal in the coming days! For now, let's preview this weekend's slate of hard rock concerts, all previously announced by the bands in question, so here's what you should know!

We'll start at Soo Blaster, where local party/rap metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will open an otherwise rap-centric concert for a fourth time there, this time opening for Guelph rapper Robbie G TOMORROW NIGHT! This will all be familiar for local hip hop fans who attended the Tech N9ne, Madchild, and Afroman concerts at Soo Blaster, as Robbie G and The A.A. opened those events, but this will be The Apocalypse Afterparty's first such booking since adding Mikhal Muto as their second bassist. I'm not supremely knowledged on rap music, but Robbie G is a talented MC and hopefully he garnered enough fan attention at prior Soo Blaster gigs to get a good audience tomorrow! Other openers tomorrow include Sound Syndrome, Sawbe, Bold Noize (presumably just rapping here), Jaay Sheps, Lumberjack Pat, and Lil Clout, while Occxpied & King Mickey are also advertised on the Eventbrite page for online tickets (I don't know which source is outdated). 

This R-Evolution Media-promoted concert is all ages, it has an 8:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $20 at the door or on Eventbrite, where you can also buy higher value VIP ticket packages if so desired. Non-perishable food and clothing donations for local food banks are encouraged. If you're a diehard rap fan, you won't want to miss the action at Soo Blaster tomorrow, but if you also like some upbeat bass-heavy and intense rap metal, The Apocalypse Afterparty will have you covered early in the program once again! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The A.A. live at Soo Blaster! 

Next up, let's stay downtown for local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard, who will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Of the venues that they're playing at this month, Reggie's is by far the one that they play at the least, so if you've missed seeing Greg, Alex, and Warren at this Queen Street East staple, be at Reggie's tomorrow and/or Saturday night for their southern fried classic and hard rock covers! If you can't make it this weekend,  Bone Yard will be at Shooters and Gateway Casino next weekend, and presumably back at Reggie's in the new year. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts are 19+ affairs with no cover charge and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, expect lots of rock favourites (and even merchandise for sale) at Reggie's this weekend, and here's Bone Yard live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of another Cameron-less jam night at Jay's tonight, this veteran foursome will be at their other west end locale of choice to rock out with their classic rock, hard rock, and country covers all weekend, marking their first shows here in over two months. Reportedly, Soundcheck have new songs planned for their sets this weekend, so come down to the Second Line West nightclub to be the first to hear them in a public fashion! As usual for shows at The Esquire Club, expect 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Hopefully things go smoothly for Cameron, Terry, Jim, and Glen as usual this weekend, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert last summer!

Finally for known hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults and area this weekend, let's head south to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return for their final E.U.P. dates of 2023 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! We have seen much more of Scarkazm's sister band Peril in 2023, with this weekend's shows being Adam, Dave, and Jeff's first in our neck of the woods since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin back in April. With Peril not returning for local dates this month, this will be your last chance to see any of Jeff Hudson's active bands up here this year, so don't miss Scarkazm's hard hitting metal covers and originals tomorrow and/or Saturday! As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, expect 21+ age limits, no cover, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Vanity First, Silent 9, And HeadFirst!!)

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of founding April Wine singer/guitarist Myles Goodwyn, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 75. Visit your preferred national or music news websites for more information. Myles was the sole original member of the legendary Halifax hard rock band left when he retired from touring with the band last year, though they continue to tour in an incarnation led by long-time guitarist Brian Greenway. Local fans will recall seeing Myles and April Wine at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in February 2013, as well as at Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ontario during their 1984 "farewell" tour, but they were forced to drop out of their planned 2017 outdoor date at the St. Ignace Kewadin when Myles fell ill. Songs like "Roller" and "You Could Have Been A Lady" remain popular cover choices by local cover bands.

April Wine's heyday was before my time, and while I tend to go for metal-leaning bands of this era, Myles had a strong voice and a good ear for melodies and strong guitar riffs throughout their lengthy career! I know that his loss will hit many domestic rock fans hard, but Myles left lots of hits across his run with April Wine, and hopefully they'll continue to find receptive ears in Canada and abroad. R.I.P. Myles! 

Today's post is otherwise devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll go in chronological order, starting with newer local hard rock quartet HeadFirst's next live dates, which will come on Friday, December 15th & Saturday, December 16th at Reggie's Place! These were announced via this poster on their Facebook page on Monday, and oddly got confirmed after they announced shows at Reggie's at the end of the month. Out of order or not, it's good to see HeadFirst get some more bookings, but Toystock aside, all have been at Reggie's, so will we see them elsewhere in the new year? Like on the 29th & 30th, these are 9:00 PM gigs with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. While we're on the subject, HeadFirst has launched an official YouTube channel, though at press time, it only features two "Shorts" videos (basically YouTube "Reels"), both cross-posted from TikTok.

One has the band covering Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" in a literal purple haze, though the permanently vertical nature of the video is noted, as is its short length (if they have the full recording, why not post it?) Also, note that Liam & Anthony are not visible on camera whatsoever. The other video is embedded below (at least you can embed "Shorts"!), and it features the guys playing an instrumental piece at Reggie's with post-production filters to simulate fiddling with the dials on an old TV. Only Red & Raine are focused on in this vertical & too short clip (you see more of Angus Young than of anyone else), but what we hear sounds good on both videos! I wish these had the full songs, but give them a watch above & below!

Next up, local punk trio Vanity First will return to the stage on Tuesday, December 19th when they headline at... The Distraction? This is a new venue at 72 East Street (the former Big Guns Barbershop building beside Uncle Gino's Pizzeria) that will be used as "a space for art, music, (and) learning". There are unknowns about The Distraction as a venue, but the first test for it hosting live music will be when they welcome former Raincourt/Sylo frontman Eli Russell one week from Thursday (link here for details). The show on the 19th will mark Vanity First's... first show since headlining at Soo Blaster in June, though guitarist Mikhal Muto has hardly been idle since via work and gigs with three other local bands. Both for the locale intrigue and for the long wait since Vanity's last public concert, hopefully this show does well despite the Tuesday evening timing! Be advised that you have to walk up stairs to get in the front door.

Doors open for this show at 6:00 PM, it is all ages, and admission is via donation (they recommend $5 apiece). It'll be interesting to see how this concert goes over in two weeks, and it is good to see Vanity First back on stage after almost half a year, so visit the above links for more on their Distraction debut later this month!

Finally, we'll wrap things up with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9, who have announced their current concert calendar into next year via their Facebook page and website! Aside from private/special bookings to end the year, they're taking December off, but "Sault Ste. Marie's premier party band" have dates listed on their website through the end of 2024, which may seem excessive, but drummer Steve Porco's old band Obsession did this routinely on their closed website. I'd rather too much notice than short notice! That said, I don't like listing shows from one band that far in advance, especially when they're the only band with shows that far ahead advertised, so I'll cap things (for now) at April, so that our calendar doesn't have six consecutive Silent 9 listings months in advance at the end. The first 2024 dates from them will see them return to The Water Tower Pub on Friday, January 12th, a one-nighter as customary there.

The other early 2024 dates from Silent 9 will see them play full weekends at The Esquire Club on February 9th-10th, March 8th-9th, and April 5th-6th, as part of a string of one weekend per month there for four months. We'll formally list shows in May and beyond in due course. The Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM, the rest are at 9:30 PM, none have an announced cover charge, and all are 19+ events. Sounds like a busy year ahead for Silent 9, but their fan-friendly classic and hard rock covers should find an audience across the year, so visit the above links for more details! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (December 2023 Update)

It's now time for our final "Where Are The New Albums?" post of 2023, as we give one more look at the current release whereabouts and public statuses of announced albums from local metal, hard rock, and punk acts! December is usually a slow month for local musicians (Christmas season concerts aside), so it may not be too shocking that this month's entry is in a holding pattern, with no new additions or removals, and only one entry with updated info (its title is in italics). So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: "A Song For The Apocalypse", "The Speciesist", "The Cities Alive & It's Angry", "From Beyond The Clouds"

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera last year, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, and the final artwork. In recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final eponymous solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his historically prolific rate of original studio material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine for when this will finally come out, but remember that Chase is very prolific and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo, or by being released online for free. Regardless, he has been working on the rock opera for years to ensure a quality product, and he hopes to put "The Chaotic Rite" out by year's end, so stay tuned for updates from his camp!

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Far From Fine's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Relapse", "This Way Again", "Poison In My Mind", "Broken", "Whiskey Dick"

Background: The new punk/hard rock band from former Suicide Kings bandmates Mike Gaetano & Mitch Sirie and ex-Gnaeus bassist Matt Fronzi, Far From Fine signalled that they wanted to record a debut album as early as their debut gig (under their original name Ravencore) at Toystock in November 2022, as hyped on SooToday. The renamed group went public in April and outlined their early plans on their Facebook page, including the names of four original songs. Far From Fine were recording at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones from (at least) May 26th-30th, sharing videos of Mitch and Matt tracking material there. It's not yet clear whether ex-drummer Austin "Mickey" McCrae, live fill-in Blair St. John, and/or a future/session hire will factor into the final product, but you can see the band & Blair playing ten original songs at Lopstock III in July at this link, albeit mostly not introduced by name.

Current Release Status: No idea, and we don't even have a released Suicide Kings album to compare timelines with, but Mike aside, everyone in Far From Fine has released local albums with separate bands. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out for Far From Fine in general, but see them live to hear what they have in store originally!

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Fort Creek's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Hammer Down", "Battlefield"

Background: Local southern/hard rock quintet Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, and while the pandemic lockdowns may have gave them more time to record, they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared this snippet of their single "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page, later posting this 72 second clip. The guys debuted it at their headlining concert at Soo Blaster in June 2022, and have played it live regularly since, but they have yet to release any full tracks online. The band has been working in studio throughout 2023, revealing that "it's coming along" in a Facebook post on March 22nd, and teasing new songwriting & recording sessions following earlier "learning experiences" there in May. A new original named "Battlefield" was teased in this picture from studio sessions in September, and they confirmed that sessions for the album were ongoing in posts on Facebook last month

Current Release Status: Fort Creek revealed in a comment reply on their Facebook page on April 17th that their originals are "set to be released this fall", which follows their unrealized plans to release an EP in "late summer", then "late 2022", but "this fall" is over or close to it depending on who you ask. There are a lot of unknowns either way, especially given the 3+ years of production time and that this is a band primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit (though some members do have experience in name original bands, especially Tony). It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned!

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Handsome Sandwich's first EP

Rumoured Songs: "Without You", "Party Fuel", "Change A Bit", "No Idea"

Background: Before even releasing their full-length debut album "Deconstructed" in May, local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich revealed that not all of their existing originals would be on that album, with plans to instead release them and some brand new songs on a forthcoming EP. On September 13th, they began recording this EP (which will reportedly have seven songs) with producer Greig Nori at the Algoma Conservatory of Music, with bass & drum tracks complete as of September 29th, and Mitch Sirie was still recording guitar as of October 25th. After only contributing to the packaging on "Deconstructed", bassist Rafael Medina will perform on this EP, and a "Reel" of him recording in studio was posted to the band's Facebook page, though the song was unclear.

Current Release Status: To be determined, and while they're not recording this EP at the same place as "Deconstructed", note that the sessions for that album at Unsalted Audio wrapped up four months before the album release. If the timeline is similar, than we wouldn't see Handsome Sandwich's EP until early next year, but it will be interesting to see how things progress in the coming months!

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Mike Haggith's "Face To Face" live album

Rumoured Songs:  "MorningStar", "The Best You Never Had", "Into The Setting Sun", "Come On Home", "I've Seen It Before", "If Ever Comes The Day", "Suburban Dream" (The Din cover), "Out Of My League" (The Din cover), "Potato (Should've Known Better)"

Background: In the lead-up to the staging of his joint storytellers "Face To Face" concert with local folk/country musician Brian Tremblay at The Art Hub on Spring on May 26th, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith announced plans on his Facebook page to release a live album from this event through his indie label MorningStar Records, including a vinyl pressing. If this comes to fruition, it's not clear if Brian's half of the concert (he and Mike alternated songs), let alone the stories, would be included on the final product, which would necessitate at least a double album on vinyl. In any event, you can watch the entire "Face To Face" live-stream at this link.

Current Release Status: Little has came out about the "Face To Face" live album plans since first announced, and while that show went off without a hitch for Mike (unlike Rotaryfest), it understandably wasn't his first musical priority this summer, with his new studio album "All The Best In All You Do" being released as planned in July. We'll let you know when/if more comes out on this live album in any form!

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The Uncanny Valley's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "The Uncanny Valley", "Glowin'", "Middle Man", “This Love is Psychedelic”, "Stuck In Rotation", “Sweet Like Sugar”, "Fumbling Through", "The Village"

Background: The new classic hard rock band from 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan, fans will have seen original material of theirs right from the start, as The Uncanny Valley debuted their own songs in their first live concert at The Canadian on New Year's Eve 2019. Live concert & jam session videos have followed on their Facebook page featuring their own material as well. After posting a teaser audio clip of "Sweet Like Sugar" in September 2020, they posted the full studio version of "Middle Man" that October, finally confirming there that they are working on their first album. The guys did record a studio version of "Stuck In Rotation" at Unsalted Audio for the Clusterfolk Music Festival and a related compilation album in April 2022, but whether that exact recording will be included on the band's own album is unclear. After an 8 month public break, the band released a music video for their song "The Village" in June.

Current Release Status: No clue, which isn't helped by The Uncanny Valley's age and relatively unfamiliar profile for many readers, and their 8 months away from new updates may be concerning for some as well. That said, they are a talented group who seemed to be taking the right steps for the future, and hopefully more updates on The Uncanny Valley's debut album follow in some form or another when ready!

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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around January 2nd as we enter a new year, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile currently targeted for Sunday. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Generations, Double Down, And Silent 9!!)

Quite a backlog is developing on the SMS that I blame partially on holiday season commitments (I'm not even in town writing this), so let's try and remedy some of that today with a post solely devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! All involve veteran cover rock bands playing what could end up being their last shows of the year, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first shows for early 2024, but before then, you can see them at least one more time this month! The band did announce that their final 2023 dates would be private events, but that isn't true in one case, as they will return to The Algonquin Hotel (likely upstairs at The Rockstar Bar) on Friday, December 15th! The event is not a standard concert, rather a fundraising pub for Soo City United girls soccer teams (specifically the teams for next season whose players have 2010 or 2011 birth years). Despite Silent 9 saying that this is private, the Facebook event page is public, and prospective attendees are welcome to buy a ticket to support the local girls soccer program. The holiday theme is via an ugly sweater party, so bring your ugliest Christmas sweater to fit in for the festivities! No word on if there will be a contest for the ugliest one of all or not.

This is presumably a 19+ event, and tickets are on sale for $35 (if you're unable to attend, but wish to support the teams, they recommend $20 donations). Scan the QR code on the poster to be sent to a ticket sale page! This event is not entirely new territory for Silent 9, as they played at the Searchmont Ski Runners' fall social at The Rockstar Bar (which has been opening sporadically for one-off bookings this year) in October, and this appears to be along those lines. Hopefully it goes swimmingly for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve in a couple of weeks, see above for more details, and look for more on Silent 9's 2024 schedule soon!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent break from the stage when they return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only on Friday, December 29th! First announced by Shooters in this updated concert calendar posting on their Facebook page on Tuesday, this will be Generations' first show since playing at Jay's early last month, and their first gig at Shooters since mid-October. No word on why they're in the midst of a near two months-long break, but if you want to see the band (sans guitarist Tony Kajnar) before then in bluesier confines, all will be at Soo Blaster one week from Friday as part of this year's Blues For Food fundraiser! Pierre and Tony S. are joining past Generations fill-in guitarist Mike McDonald as part of the one-off Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers, with Valerie and fellow fill-in guitarist Michael Yurich among the guest performers. Click here for details on that special event!

Meanwhile, Generations' Shooters show is a one-nighter due to the Dennis Street nightclub's continuation of DJs on most Saturdays. Expect a 9:00 PM-ish start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. If you;ve missed seeing Generations' classic and hard rock cover selection as of late, keep their final show of the year in mind later this month, and do consider attending Blues For Food if you want to support both St. Vincent's Place and the Soup Kitchen at this needy time of year!

Also that same weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts on December 29th & 30th! These were announced in a concert calendar post on the venue's Facebook page on Thursday, despite Double Down announcing on their Facebook page on November 21st that their shows at Reggie's on November 24th-25th were their "last gig(s) of 2023". I have no idea whether the Esquire Club bookings came late or if they're incorrect/now cancelled, but if someone publically confirms that Double Down are not playing there at month's end, we will let you know! The band's full lineup will presumably be present if things are a go, as bassist Brad Stephen had to miss their Reggie's concerts this past weekend for unannounced reasons. Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre (who played in 100 Gran with singer/guitarist Joel Syrette) filled in for both shows.

Dan's a very skilled bassist with hard rock experience, so I'm sure he fit in just fine with Double Down at Reggie's! If Double Down are playing at The Esquire Club at month's end, it will be their first ever weekend there, after dropping out of planned gigs there in September, but note that the band never promoted the bookings online. We'll let you know if things get clarified the other way, but expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details!

Finally for today, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will cap off 2023 by toplining a  New Year's Eve party on Sunday, December 31st at... the Delta Hotel?! Concerts at the waterfront hotel at 208 St. Mary's River Drive are not completely uncommon, as the then-Holiday Inn hosted Bon Soo's Battle of the Bands back in 2007, but it is definitely not a venue used with any regularity for public concerts. On the side of New Year's parties, Soundcheck are no strangers to rocking out on December 31st, having done so at Shooters last year (back when Shooters booked bands on most Saturdays), but this will hew closer to the New Year's party that Soundcheck toplined at The Water Tower Pub in 2019. This ain't just a concert, as paid attendees will get a full course dinner, cocktails, a cash bar, and discount rates on hotel rooms if you are so inclined. Needless to say, attendees will be ringing in 2024 in style!

This 19+ event starts at 5:00 PM with Soundcheck's set beginning and 8:00 PM, and semi-formal/dress attire is encouraged given the locale and amenities. As such, the ticket price is a whopping $100, and limited tickets are available, so contact the Delta A.S.A.P. if this interests you! Granted, this will be above the price range for many, but if you want to go all out for the holiday, this would be a fancy way to do it, and Soundcheck's hard and classic rock covers would be a fine soundtrack throughout! Visit the above links for more details, and look for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Mike Hull

I'd like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Destroilet frontman Mike Hull, who passed away yesterday, as per numerous postings on Facebook. Any extra details on arrangements are not visibly out yet, we will let you know more when available & appropriate. SMS readers will best know Mike from his work with Destroilet from their 2009 inception through to their final set at the Joni Radford memorial concert at The Rockstar Bar in March 2019, with Mike featuring on their three CD releases along the way. Details on Mike's local music work before Destroilet is not in high quantities online, but he was always a lively presence on stage in Destroilet's early-mid 2010s heyday! I remember that he was always hard to get photos of in concert, owing to his stage presence and constant motion that was tailor made for hardcore punk. I do wish that they turned up his microphone live more though.

Off stage, Mike was a good guy and a proud father, and he was always kind to me when we interacted at shows. Losing him at this time of year sucks, especially with Christmas less than a month away, so our thoughts are absolutely with his family right now, and we will let you know more on services or possible tributes when they go public. R.I.P. Mike!