More Weekend Concert Previews, A New Battle Of The Bands, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck were slated to play at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tomorrow night (a show that they nor the venue had publically announced before today), but it has been cancelled due to half of the band falling ill, as per drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. Hopefully everyone gets better soon, it's unusual to hear of Soundcheck cancelling a date, though maybe this explains why they dropped out of jam night at Jay's yesterday? This post otherwise concludes this weekend's concert previews, along with a new event announcement and some assorted updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Their second and third concerts of 2024, and first at The Esquire Club since that venue's Halloween party last fall, these will be the the band's first gigs in a run of monthly weekends at the Second Line West locale running through May. If you're up for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's hard rocking cover array, you know where to go this weekend! As usual for their Esquire Club stops, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges tonight and tomorrow night, and if you can't make it, Silent 9 will be back here on March 8th & 9th. Don't miss out on Silent 9's concerts this weekend for some fan friendly and often heavy covers, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live at The Esquire Club for Halloween last year!

Next up, we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews at Tazzi's Cafe & Restaurant TOMORROW NIGHT, where local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will topline their special Valentine's Day weekend dinner! While Tym started playing occasional acoustic concerts at the Queen Street East cafe last summer, this is not a standard event, as it's a ticketed deal that you must reserve tickets for to attend, either by phone or in person. Attendees, presumably hoped to be couples given the occasion, will get Italian cuisine for dinner, plus pre-meal cocktails, and while Tazzi's hasn't publically indicated that Tym will be performing, he confirmed the gig via his own Facebook event page. Tym is no stranger to non-traditional gigs and venues, and he definitely has a lot of songs fitting a more romantic persuasion in his setlist, so if you are planning a date, this might be worth a look!

This presumably 19+ event has a 6:30 PM start time (dinner at 7:00 PM, Tym at 8:00 PM), and while this is a ticketed event, Tazzi's has not announced the price for attendees (given their entree prices, expect to pay at least $40 for a couple). Call Tazzi's or head there to book if you want to attend, see the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also today, here's a surprise announcement: Jay's Piston Broke Pub is hosting a battle of the bands later this year! While there was one in Sault Michigan in November, this will be the first true battle of the bands in Sault Ontario since the NLFB Meltdown battle at LopLops in 2017, so that gap alone will make this a noteworthy event! The former Roosevelt Hotel did host the one-night Battle For The Blood (won by Winkstinger) back in 2012, but this is planned to be a multi-night battle on consecutive Wednesdays, not unlike the Rockstar Bar and VM Radio battles of the mid-2010s. We don't yet know the dates, scope, format, or prizes yet, let alone if it will have judges or be entirely fan voted, but the plan for the first place winners is for Jay's to match the band entry fees to come up with the top prize. Bands can register for the battle for $50 in person at the Korah Road nightclub, so do so A.S.A.P. just in case!

There are a lot of unknowns yet, not helped by the fact that Jay's only scarcely hosts bands primarily known for original music (granted, it was like that as Reggie's West too), but I am very curious to see how this shakes out, and after seven long years since we last saw an honest-to-goodness battle of the bands in city limits (not counting talent/singing competitions), think of the newer crop of local bands who could theoretically enter! Click here or above for more details on how you can enter!

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:

 

• This can't be embedded here, as it's a "Reel", but local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard shared a "Reel" onto their Facebook page on January 25th of them playing the end of ZZ Top's "La Grange" at Jay's! The date wasn't given, but Bone Yard last played at Jay's over the December 1st weekend. Filmed/uploaded by attendee Marcy Catherine before being shared by the band, it's a fun clip (vertical angle aside) that shows Alex & Warren jamming on the floor with some attendees, so give it a look above, and don't miss them at Reggie's TONIGHT & TOMORROW!
• In another "Reel" that I can't embed here, local alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich posted a brief video clip of them playing "Stick Up" at the Lower Town Brewery in Ottawa during their southeastern Ontario tour last month on their Facebook page! The impromptu open mic performance did not feature guitarist Mitch Sirie or bassist Rafael Medina, with former Generations guitarist Brandon Ruch filling in for Mitch (no word on why there were absences or if they extended to their proper concerts last month). Fun rendition that is well applied to unplugged gear, but why is this a "Reel"? It wasn't shot vertically nor cropped to fit, and look at the pillarboxing as a result!
• Algoma University's music program's Facebook page has confirmed that Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti and Pointless/Fuller drummer David Peredun will serve as the rhythm section for Treble Charger's reunion concert at The Machine Shop on March 7th! As such, they will take over for session bassist Darcy Yates & drummer Ian McKay in those roles. Bill Priddle has played with Frank at numerous gigs, and David is a member of his most recent live bands, so this will be a huge feather in their respective caps! Student bands, presumably all linked to the university, will open the proceedings for this music program fundraiser. Click here to get your tickets for what will be a huge night!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird, Bone Yard, And The Nameless) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another busy concert weekend is upon us, so we're breaking up our previews into two posts again. As such, the previously announced Silent 9 and Tym Morrison shows will be covered in our next post hitting the site by tomorrow morning, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard have announced their slate of upcoming concerts for this month, starting with their returns to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, those dates were only announced on both the band's and venue's ends earlier this week. After a two week break, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's Reggie's shows should be a fine way to rock out with Greg, Alex, and Warren's old school covers as usual, but if you can't make it or have a preferred venue elsewhere, they have options! Their next two shows after this weekend will both be one-nighters on consecutive Saturdays, both unplugged ("uncorked", if you prefer), when they rock Gateway Casino on February 17th and The Water Tower Pub on February 24th! As of this writing, they are not playing anywhere on either Friday. 

If you'd rather hear them plugged in (and/or in the west end), Bone Yard will kick off March with shows at The Esquire Club on March 1st & 2nd, which were previously announced by the venue. All of these shows are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charge, and aside from The Water Tower Pub (8:00 PM), all of these dates have start times of 9:00 or 9:30 PM. Visit the above links for more details, including on Bone Yard's shows at Reggie's TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and here they are live in concert last year!

Next up, Manistique, Michigan hard rock duo Fyrbird will play their first concerts within an hour's drive of the Soo of the year when they return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were a part of Kewadin's monthly schedule release on their entertainment page, but when I first noticed them, it was too late to cover them without redundantly plugging them twice in less than a week's span. While we're on the subject, fans in Sault Ste. Marie can also see Jamie & Rick rocking out at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin's Soo branch on Friday, May 3rd & Saturday, May 4th, as per the band's early 2024 concert calendar shared by frontman Jamie Hider's wife Shannon on their Facebook group in October (for fans a little further out in the U.P., they'll also be playing concerts in Newberry, Paradise, Curtis, and Gould City).

It's great to see Fyrbird's minimalist hard rock attack back in our area this year, so don't miss their return to The Northern Pine(s) Lounge TOMORROW & SATURDAY if you're up for it! All four of their upcoming Kewadin dates have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Fyrbird live!

Also this weekend, local hard rock cover quintet The Nameless will make their debut at Snow's Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook event page this past Friday, and I didn't see it quickly enough to talk about it before this week. Just their second concert outside of the Soo after last year's Sugar Island Music Festival (though at least The Nameless plugged SATURDAY's show on Facebook!), this concert takes place as part of the annual Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest, marking a third straight year where a Sault Ste. Marie hard rock band heads to Cedarville for the festivities (Tarnished and Project 906 played the last two years). Despite our mild winter, hopefully this year's Snowsfest is a huge hit, and that The Nameless' hard rocking covers find another receptive audience on SATURDAY NIGHT!

A one-nighter due to tomorrow's concert from Chicago blues group The Corey Dennison Band (that's also the night of the Snowfest pub crawl), this 21+ event has an 8:00 PM start time and no apparent cover charge. Given the locale, I don't believe that Snowsfest buttons are required for entry. Click here for full details on the Snowsfest itinerary in Cedarville and Hessel this weekend, visit the above links for more details on SATURDAY'S concert, and while I can't embed it here, check out The Nameless live at this link!

We'll close things for this preview post with a pair of previously announced gigs in Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Jay's three months ago, this will be Generations' second concert weekend of the year, and will see guitarist Tony Kajnar back in the fold after missing their Shooters gig last month. However, Generations will actually be subbing in for Soundcheck as hosts of the weekly jam night at Jay's tonight, so if you want a preview of things (albeit with guest musicians jamming with the band or playing on their own), keep that in mind! No word on why Soundcheck aren't hosting tonight, but you may recall seeing Bone Yard fill in for them last summer on weekends where they were booked at Jay's. Also, just a reminder that we don't cover jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their unpredictability by design.

Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts (and jam night tonight) have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Should be a good time for classic and hard rock fans, given this talented group featuring Jus' Chillin, Obsession, and Flat Stanley alumni, so don't miss out on the action at the former Rosie this weekend, and here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but look for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

New Videos & Updates From Tarnished, Half Past, And Double Jack!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that Tym Morrison's Valentine's Day matinee concert at Misty's Fifties on Wednesday the 14th has been cancelled, as per the deletion of its Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for the cancellation was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, especially given his shows there the past two Saturdays! If you want to see his unplugged solo act for the holiday, he will still be rocking Tazzi's Valentine's dinner this coming Saturday, preview forthcoming. Now, let's dive into some recent news and updates, mostly involving new videos!

To kick things off, let's look at returning local hard rock quartet Half Past, who played their first show in over twelve years this past Saturday night at Shooters Downstairs Lounge! While more videos are floating around on personal Facebook accounts, the band uploaded two to their Facebook page, including a cover of Breaking Benjamin's "Blow Me Away" and, as embedded below, their closing rendition of The Foo Fighters' "All My Life". The former was filmed by an attendee roaming the floor a bit, but the latter was in a stationary location pointing towards the corner of the stage from a higher vantage point. All in all, Half Past sound good for their return, and it's nice hearing Breaking Benjamin covered live, but I would boost Jordan's vocals in the mix. Give Half Past's return videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more updates from their camp!

Next up, here's some brand new live videos of newer Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Double Jack at their concert at The Merchants Bar on January 20th! Two are known to have been publically posted, but curiously, they're both an identical recording of the band covering Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.", only with the copy on their Facebook page being 37 seconds longer than the copy on YouTube user 50 Rock's channel. As our first look at the band with ex-Shift singer Amy Beach and new guitarist Alex Zimmerman, the performance is well done with strong guitar work, but from what I recall of Amy's past vocal work in concert, there are songs better suited to her range than this. Very red lighting too, but of course, that's not the band's fault! While we're on the subject, Double Jack also posted this "Reel" of the band (sans Alex and Jackie) hyping up the show five days prior, and they get the urgency across given that it was announced on late notice!

No word yet on when we'll next see Double Jack live, but it does sound like they show at The Merch went over well in terms of re-introducing the band after their battle of the bands run and post-lineup changes. Give their cover of "N.I.B." a look above and below, and stay tuned for more when it rolls in!

Finally, let's look at Double Jack bandmates Nathan Webber & Isaac Royer's old band Tarnished, so what have they been up to? Concert-wise, their first announced show of 2024 will actually be on the road, as they're slated to play downstate in Alpena in a battle of the bands on March 2nd (click here for details). Tarnished aren't the only familiar band playing this event, as Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will reportedly also be playing, as per personal Facebook postings, so organizers are attracting this event to non-local bands effectively, and best of luck to them and Tarnished! $500 and studio recording time are on the line, and speaking of which, Tarnished have been in the recording studio themselves as of late! On January 8th, they revealed that they had been recording with producer Matt Dalton at Rock Hill Sound in Rochester Hills (outside of Detroit), and they have posted three teaser videos from the sessions to their Facebook page, so what is there to see?

All are cross-posted from TikTok, and unfortunately, all are "Reels", so I can't embed any of them here. The first one has them on the road, including driving on the Mackinac Bridge and going through the toll there, revealing in that one that they're recording a new single named "Lightswitch" (no space), which will be their first studio track with new bassist Parker Talentino. No comment on the line of discussion relating to current events during the drive (this isn't that kind of website), but hopefully they had a safe drive! The second "Reel" has the band working and having fun in studio, giving us our first teasers of "Lightswitch" in the process, and if we're being honest, I'd like to hear Tarnished cover "The Oompa Loompa Song" in full! The third "Reel" has more of the same, if less teasers of the song, but at the end, Parker confirms that the song is finished and he can't wait for us to hear it.

It's great to see that Tarnished are recording already with the current lineup, even if they're still a trio, and it'll be interesting to hear the final product, let alone whatever else they have cooking in 2024! Visit the above links for more from Tarnished, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Scarkazm) Plus Heavy Lies The Crown Updates!!

To kick off another week at the SMS, today's post takes us entirely to Michigan for some new updates from the E.U.P., including big updates on an upcoming album release, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month. Here's what you should know!

Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts on Friday, February 16th & Saturday, February 17th! The band has yet to confirm these dates on their Facebook page, but they are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page, which announces shows through the end of each month nowadays (I'll address the hard rock band playing at The Northern Pines Lounge this coming weekend in our next weekend concert previews as things got too delayed). These will be Scarkazm's first shows of 2024 in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and they were last seen up here at the St. Ignace Kewadin in early December. Hopefully Jeff, Dave, and Adam deliver a strong weekend of hard hitting originals and covers for fans in two weeks! Expect 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Kewadin Casino soon!

Next up, local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will play their first show of the year on Saturday, February 17th when they return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Last seen at the Veteran's Day Ride in Brimley in November, this will be Project 906's first concert at The Strongs Tavern in over seven months, which is really surprising given their past frequency of shows there. I don't know why Project 906 have been so quiet this winter, but it will be great to see Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason back on stage in two weeks, but hopefully this is the start of a big 2024 for their camp, so keep this show in mind if you're in the area or are up for the hour's drive west! This one-night-only event has an 8:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. See above for more details, and stay tuned for more from Project 906's camp when updates roll in!

Also, let's dive into recent updates from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, who we haven't talked about much since their battle of the bands set in the Soo in November, so what's new from their camp? As you may be aware, they had been working on a new album late last year while taking a break from the stage (the battle aside), as per updates on their Facebook page, even asking fans what formats they'd want to buy it on in December. Last month, teasers started ramping up, including the reveal that their newest song (as of January 10th) begins with the letter H, since revealed to be named "Heartsex". The full track listing can be seen on their DistroKid page for the album, to be named "Built For Us", and it includes previews of all eleven songs, including the four advance singles from 2023 (though "Gods Butter" is now called "God Butter"). Yes, "Country Song 2" appears to be its final name.

It's not 100% clear what the cover artwork for the album will be. This "Reel" on January 22nd featuring preview audio of "Heartsex" shows off gray artwork with drawings of all four current band members' heads (and their duck mascot Iggy), but this tentative track listing has a file labelled "Album artwork Blue", which lines up the DistroKid splash image, especially the left side if its supposed to be cover art. Regardless, on January 20th, Heavy Lies The Crown revealed that their new album was done, and they later shared another "Reel" featuring audio from the previously released "Celebrate The Night". Their last update so far was for a merchandise giveaway contest through DistroKid. It's great to see that H.L.T.C.'s album sessions are done, and I can't wait to hear the whole thing, review absolutely on tap when it's out! Alas, I can't embed "Reels" on the SMS, but there is one new video that I can embed here, albeit not from the new album sessions!

From January 18th, this 2+ minute clip is of ex-bassist Danny Tucker playing their song "Princess" in studio alongside a backing/click track. Odd timing to see this given that he's left the group, and I wouldn't have made it a black & white clip with film grain, let alone in square dimensions, but it's a solid performance! It's not all that common to see videos of local bassists playing solo, but Danny's a talented musician and this is cool to see, especially for fans of early H.L.T.C.. Give it a look below, and get more on the band's new album sessions above!

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

Where Are The New Albums? (February 2024 Update)

It's now time for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This second installment of 2024 again looks at the current release whereabouts of upcoming albums, CDs, and/or EPs from local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists who have publically confirmed that recording sessions for one have commenced,  but we're largely in a holding pattern this month, as only one entry of the six has 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 in 2022, 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, 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 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 they made "big progress in the studio" as of December.

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", all obviously since passed. 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", "All Done Now"

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 finishing guitar parts as of December 21st, with vocals still to go. 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. At least five of the seven songs have had their names revealed in concert setlists.

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 at least mid-2024, 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 last 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 March 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will be next week's Defunct Local Band Profile. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sylo), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

As promised, we're capping off a busy weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews in today's second post, and while all of these previews are of shows that had advance notice, we are leading off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, and some new videos are dotted within too. Here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local hard rock trio Sylo have reunited after a year+ hiatus, complete with a new Instagram page, and they'll play their first show in a year & a half on Friday, February 23rd at The Distraction! In case you need a refresher, Sylo is the band formerly known as Raincourt, and after guitarist/namesake Raine Rancourt (now of HeadFirst) left in the summer of 2022, they regrouped as a trio, opening for Vanity First at an event in Goulais River and playing a one-off gig at Reggie's. Nothing else publically came of Sylo at the time beyond rebranding their two original songs on streaming services. Singer/guitarist Eli Russell, bassist Owen Dearing, and drummer Jakob Kuiack are all back for their reunion, and you can see how well they shake off the rust in three weeks, at an event being opened by party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, one of two Distraction shows this month with both Eli & Mikhal Muto involved (the other is previewed in a bit).

I can't speak for Sylo yet, but I was impressed by Raincourt's sound & professionalism during their all-too-brief run under that name, so here's hoping that they pick up where they left off in 2022, with some upbeat rap rock from The A.A. as well! As usual for The Distraction, this is an all ages event with a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" structure, and doors open at 5:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and before we move on to this weekend's previews, give Sylo's only Instagram video (of Elijah playing their Raincourt-era original "War Times" unplugged) a look below! Strong take with intense vocals, hopefully this is a good sign for their comeback!

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Next up, and like yesterday, we'll start today's weekend concert previews in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! One week removed from gigs in St. Ignace, the guys will hit the stage on a packed weekend, given that the International 500 snowmobile race takes place on Saturday, and with all of the tourists in town for the occasion, and Kewadin already hosting many of the official pre- and post-race events, a sizeable crowd should be in store for Rhythm & Brews' hard rocking cover slate on both nights! Personal Facebook postings about this weekend's shows heavily suggest that singer Brandon Carr will be absent once again, with guitarist Chris Hubbard, bassist Chris Leask, and Tarnished frontman Alex Traynor filling in again on vocals in his absence. Hopefully all's well with Brandon, and of all the weekends to miss!

Tomorrow and Saturday's concerts have 21+ age limits, no cover charge, and 9:00 PM start times. Despite their continued lack of public videos to preview their shows with, this talented band should entertain assembled fans and I-500 attendees with their familiar hard rock renditions this weekend, so don't miss out, and visit the above links for more details!

Also, we'll look at a show featuring a headlining band from Bay City, Michigan, but the show is in Sault Ontario! On SATURDAY NIGHT, touring punk solo act/"musical therapist" Jackal Blood will make their local concert debut at The Distraction, as part of a unique event featuring five solo musicians/projects. Jackal Blood's hybrid of acoustic/folk punk with backing tracks and honest lyrics will definitely strike a chord with many attendees at the former Big Guns Barbershop on Saturday, so be sure to check them out to see what you think! The four local openers, all solo acts, include emo/folk punk solo project Agnosticism, prolific folk punk/extreme metal singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore, Sylo frontman Eli Russell (who headlined the first ever concert at The Distraction last fall), and Floor Between Us frontman/2022 Soo's Got Talent finalist Colin Gasparelli. Nice array of styles and sounds between these five acts!

This concert has doors opening at 6:00 PM (it's projected to end at 11:00 PM, it is all ages, and admission is again via the venue's "$5 or pay-what-you-can" setup. It's rare nowadays to get this many original acts on one bill, let alone five solo musicians, but hopefully Max, Mikhal, Chase, Eli, and Colin deliver the goods for many tastes on the punk and rock spectrum on Saturday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Jackal Blood live!

Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quartet Half Past will finally return to the public concert stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Over twelve years after they last graced a local stage (The Rockstar Bar in October 2011), fans can witness their comeback, with returning members Jordan Rains, Alain Fletcher, and Arthur Lacasse now joined by Al's old Skeyes of Seven bandmate Johnny Amendola behind the drumkit. So much has changed since we last saw Half Past in concert (R.I.P. Luke & Chris), but their talents are definitely still there, so hopefully they get off on the right foot once again on Saturday! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights, this show has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, we do have some brand new jam session videos from Arthur's YouTube channel to check out!

On New Year's Day, the band was filmed covering 10 Years' "Novacaine" and, as embedded below, Chevelle's "Joyride (Omen)", and while the audio quality is somewhat muffled and cybmal-heavy, these are the best jam videos that we've seen of Half Past since they first announced their reunion in the fall of 2021. 2+ years later, they're finally ready to play live again, and hopefully they've dialed everything in just right! Give Half Past's new videos a watch above & below, and don't miss them on Saturday!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, And The Nameless) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

An unusually busy concert weekend greets us to start February 2024, partly thanks to this being the I-500 weekend across, so we'll have to break up this weekend's previews into two posts! As such, we'll look at the previously announced Jackal Blood, Half Past, and Rhythm & Brews shows in our next post, hitting the site tonight or tomorrow morning, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, let's lead off this weekend's previews with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!

Sault Michigan hard rock quintet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their respective Facebook event pages (linked here & here) on Tuesday, and The Merch has not confirmed the bookings on their Facebook page at press time. Of course, this is the weekend of the International 500 snowmobile race, of which The Merch is taking part in the annual pub crawl tonight, so there may be a busier crowd at the West Spruce Street nightclub for The Nameless' hard rocking cover array TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! As usual for their frequent Merch gigs, expect 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and click here for an unembeddable full concert video of theirs from 2022!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these dates were only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday, with the band not confirming them on theirs to match as of this writing. These will be Soundcheck's first concerts at Reggie's of 2024, last playing there for their New Year's Eve party, and they should prove to be another solid opportunity to enjoy Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen's classic and hard rock covers in a familiar downtown locale, so don't miss out TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Like in their prior stops at Reggie's, this weekend's shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live in concert last year!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for an acoustic matinee concert on SATURDAY, after previously playing there this past Saturday! I profusely apologize for missing last week's show, and for the short notice on THIS SATURDAY's, as I only noticed the Facebook event page covering both dates earlier this week. Misty's Fifties is still a relatively unfamiliar venue for us (Tym only just debuted his solo act there in December), but Tym is no stranger to playing locales that otherwise don't typically host hard rock acts, and this isn't all for him in terms of scheduled dates! If his unplugged classic and hard rock covers fit your idea of Valentine's Day entertainment, then he has two shows to match this month, starting with his first show at Tazzi's Cafe & Restaurant of the year on Saturday, February 10th when he serves as musical entertainment for their Valentine's dinner!

Tym isn't promoted on Tazzi's Facebook page as being involved, but this is a special ticketed event that you have to call/message them for details on, so do so above if this seems like your kind of night out! Meanwhile, Tym will be back at Misty's Fifties for a special mid-week gig on Valentine's Day proper (Wednesday, February 14th), so keep that in mind for musical and/or romantic ideas as well! The Misty's gigs (last week's included, apologies again) are all 19+ affairs with no cover and start at 4:00 PM on SATURDAY and 5:00 PM on the 14th, while the Tazzi's show on the 10th is at 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on Tym's February slate, and here he is live!

Finally for today's previews, we'll stay in the west end for a rare multi-band concert at The Esquire Club, as metal trio The BAG and punk trio Vanity First will join forces for the second time in a week TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing the two bands together at The Distraction this past Saturday, but here, The BAG and Vanity will take their talents to this Second Line West staple, which I believe will be a first for Vanity... First (The BAG have played here multiple times). Whether this show is a plus for location, timing, and/or just an encore chance to see these two rising young bands, you know where to go tomorrow to see them in action again, with originals and covers in tow for both! This is a one nighter, and if there's live music at The Esquire Club on Saturday, then I haven't seen any public advertising on who's playing that night (also, venue advertising only lists The BAG, but Vanity First are 100% opening).

A 9:30 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has no advertised cover charge. Hopefully this show goes well and encourages The Esquire Club to bring in more original bands, let alone multi-band events, so visit the above links for more details, and here's The BAG live!

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