Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post at the SMS is devoted to videos from last night's Alter Bridge/In Flames concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, and based on social media discussion, the show appears to have been a hit! We'll start with a substantial amount of footage from attendee James Jones' YouTube channel, as he filmed over 48 minutes worth of content from the show for uploading there! Kudos to him for the work on these videos, that's above and beyond the call of duty! First, he got the opening 14 minutes of Alter Bridge's headlining set, filming the Orlando hard rock quartet playing their songs "The Writing on the Wall", "Come To Life", and "Farther Than The Sun", so click each song name to go to each song. The performances here are very solid, and Myles Kennedy's voice is in top form, but the vertical camera angle, distance from the stage, and scratchy audio do the clip no favours. Still, this much footage is awesome, so give it a look below!



Unusually, James voiced his dislike for Alter Bridge as a band and preference for their predecessor group Creed in the description (to each their own, but why tell the world when you posted the video anyway?) However, it appears he liked opening Swedish metal band In Flames more, filming 34 minutes worth of footage from their set across two videos! Starting four songs in, James filmed In Flames playing their tracks "All For Me", "Where The Dead Ships Dwell", "Moonshield" (complete with extended intro thanking "Mike at the deli" for the request), "Before I Fall", "The Truth", "Paralyzed", and most of "Cloud Connected". All of that is in the video below, while his second video features their closing number "Take This Life", skipping "The End" in between. The quality of these videos is no different than before, but you get a nice cross-section of In Flames eras here, and dare I say, the newer alt-metal songs sound better live? See for yourself below!



Next up, here's a pair of Alter Bridge videos from from YouTube user Anne McIntosh's channel, including "Blackbird" and, as embedded below, Myles' acoustic medley of "Wonderful Life" & "Watch Over You", so click on each song name for specific tracks once again. Musically, I prefer "Blackbird", but the unplugged change of pace is nice to see! Anne was much closer to the stage, and her videos have much clearer audio, so keep them in mind on that basis, while the acoustic clip actually benefits the vertical camera angle, so give her clips a look above & below!



Finally here's our only video on a horizontal landscape angle for today, courtesy of YouTube user Kathleen Hardy, and it's of Alter Bridge playing their song "My Champion"! Despite a brief 86 second runtime, this is by far the best quality video from the show that I have seen so far, and not just because of the angle! She is nice and close to the stage, and her camera takes excellent videos, so fans would be well served to check hers out below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and last month's poll results tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Din), Two Inactive Band Notes, And A New Video!!

Here's another new post for you guys on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap for this morning? A new solo performance video, two notes on bands to be moved to our inactive band links, and leading things off, an unexpected LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will play acoustic sets at a unique event on Sunday, May 28th, namely the Family Market on the Greens at.... Crimson Ridge Golf Course?! That's a first for us! This event will see over 40 local vendors displaying and/or selling their wares under a tent outside, with access to the gold course proper and their Hickory Bar & Grill also available that day, and there will even be a bouncy castle for the kids, games, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! The Din's sets will be as an acoustic duo sans drummer Brandan Glew (no word on why he's missing out), but Mike & Tammy have adapted to an unplugged atmosphere well in the past, and they should provide a solid soundtrack to the family market one week from Sunday! They'll play at scattered times during the day between 12:00 & 9:00 PM, there is FREE admission, and this is certainly ALL AGES.

And just for clarification given it's unfamiliarity for our coverage, Crimson Ridge is at 418 Fourth Line West, very much in the west end, so keep that in mind if you're curious on the locale. Visit the above links for more details, and hopefully this intriguing family market is a hit!

Next up, we have a band to likely move to our inactive band links, that being local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger. The band hasn't issued a public update since opening for The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall one year ago on Sunday, which notably comes just over three years after the first time we relegated Winkstinger in our listings for very similar reasons. After a successful local run from 2010-2013 that saw them play numerous high profile concerts and win 2012's Battle for the Blood, the Operation: Killdozer successors fell inactive for 2 and a half years, before guitarist Jesse Cook & drummer Jonas Gasperas brought Winkstinger back in October 2015. Their new lineup returned for two shows last spring, both at The Oddfellows Hall, but no public updates have followed, and members have been working on separate projects in recent months, including Jesse & Jonas' recent collaborative work in The Elements, and solo projects from new members Keith Gagnon & Andrew MacDonald.

Winkstinger's return to the stage was definitely welcomed last year, even if the new members were an adjustment following their successful run in the early 2010s, and I have no idea what's happened to them in the past year. Granted, Jesse has been busy since with Jack Spades (well, until the fall), The Elements, and his new band Handsome Sandwich, but Winkstinger's brutal metal onslaught was always a fun sight on local stages, and the new lineup had promise from what we saw! Best of luck to Keith, Jesse, Andrew, and Jonas (plus other former band members) in the future, and hopefully Winkstinger turn up again down the road!

Also, we have a local hard rock solo project to move to our inactive band links too, that being of Din frontman Mike Haggith. Now, Mike is most certainly still active in the local music scene (as you'll next see THIS SATURDAY), but we're talking about his prolific solo project, as an update reflecting his own solo material has not been posted to his Facebook page since one year ago on Monday, admitting then that his solo work "isn't even a priority" due to The Din's local rise. After launching his solo music career in his Windsor hometown in 2005, Mike recorded a staggering 47 solo albums, including a number of prominent albums since moving to the Soo in the fall of 2010, such as his last solo CD "The Warinside" from 2015. Mike did play scattered solo gigs locally, including at Swampstravaganza IV and at Sault College events, but will be best known on the live stage from work with bands like The Din, Haggith, and The Strange Coyotes.

When Mike first came onto our radars at the SMS, it was a massive influx of back catalog material that initially made an impact, but he's since became a prominent and talented frontman & drummer in locally-originated projects, and has found a lot of success and visibility in that regard! Of course, his solo career isn't entirely behind him, as he's carried over a number of solo songs to The Din (and previously featured some with Haggith), but hopefully he revisits his own solo music down the road, including the unreleased "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited". Stay tuned for much more from The Din!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! Like his Alter Bridge cover from December, this is far more in line with keyboardist Craig Harrison's solo channel postings of late despite being posted on Theatre of Night's channel. An original ballad named "Without Your Love", this maintains the same visual structure of Craig's recent solo videos on either channel (sepia tone, holding a Go-Pro camera selfie-style, cowboy hat), but it has a similar emotional message to loved ones of his, and has dramatic piano accompaniment that gives the song a dark yet familiar feel. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, poll results, and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Alter Bridge/In Flames Concert Preview, New Soo Art Rocks Videos, And More!!

We are back with this new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's contained within? New videos and fallout from a recent concert, clarification and news from a new local promoter with a familiar name, and leading things off, our preview of a special Tuesday night concert in the E.U.P. with some huge headline acts, so here's what you should know!

Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge and Swedish metal veterans In Flames will make their way to our area TOMORROW NIGHT for the latest Allstar Promotions concert event at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Of course, Alter Bridge have had a ton of success with rock radio hits like "Addicted To Pain", "Isolation", and "Open Your Eyes", and their fan favourite originals and soaring vocals should be very well received when they rock the Soo Kewadin tomorrow! In Flames will also be very interesting to see locally, as while they have seen a very polarizing response to their newer alternative material, they have many fans from their recent era and older death metal albums alike. Are you in this for "Clayman", "Come Clarity", or "Battles"-era In Flames? Hopefully there's a little something for all tastes, but it's great to see them here! Note that a previously announced opening set by Tennessee hard rockers Devour the Day is no longer advertised by them or Allstar Promotions.

No word on if they are indeed off the show (and if so, why), but it would be nice to see them finally play a local gig! This stop on Alter Bridge's "The Last Hero" tour goes down tomorrow at 7:00 PM, this is ALL AGES, and tickets are still available from the first row and back for $38.50, though at press time, only 15 center section seats remain. Get your tickets A.S.A.P. if you don't have any yet at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and check out Allstar Promotions' Facebook page for details on how to enter for meet & greet passes! This should be a great concert for hard rock and metal fans, so see above for more details, and here's Alter Bridge live!

Next up, here's some extra details from that new Facebook personal account called The SaultMusicScene that launched on Friday, so what should you know on it now? After some ambiguity about the identity of the administrator (and confusion on if I was involved), it has been confirmed that Autumn Roots frontman Jeremy Hannah is running it, and it's not just a tool to help promoters advertise their events: He's promoting shows again! Fans will remember Jeremy for his work with Big Voiced Records in the mid-late 2000s at The Oddfellows Hall, but he has dabbled into promotion and live sound since with Pure Sound Audio, Spotlight Canada, and the cancelled Music Mayhem show in April 2012, though none of those got very far off the ground. Jeremy has elaborated that he is open to working with other promoters on events, and is apparently planning to promote shows at The Canadian Nightclub and The Upper Deck Bar & Grill upstairs from that venue.

First up from Jeremy's new agency is a Canada Day weekend show on Friday, June 30th at The Canadian, which will have 6 bands to be announced, a door prize, and $5 advance admission (which doubles at the door.) Click here for more details, and we'll let you know if metal, hard rock, or punk makes the lineup! While I think the SaultMusicScene name is a little too familiar to the 2000s website of that name (especially as Scott MacLeod's not visibly involved), it is great to see Jeremy back in the promoting game, and if this lives up to it's ambitions, this will be an asset to bands and fans alike! See the above links for more, but remember, you have to be a friend to read postings on the main page, unless Jeremy relaxes the privacy settings.

We'll close today with new videos from Friday night's Soo Art Rocks concert at The Canadian Nightclub, but first, just a note from promoters Live705's Facebook page! In their latest post there, they thanked everyone making Soo Art Rocks a success, noted that their next concert will be in June (details coming this week), credited Pointless frontman Bill Priddle for helping A Dire Setback make "notable changes to polish our songs", and teased that they will be booking touring bands in the future. Very encouraging all around, so stay tuned as more details fall into place! As for the videos, A Dire Setback are the subject here, as photographer Josh Pace filmed the punk quartet playing the end of their set-closing self-titled original on Friday night for his personal Facebook page, which the band subsequently shared publically on theirs.

Though only 38 seconds long, the guys are in great form, and this is a nice showcase for bassist Matt Quinn too! The side stage angle puts him in the background on this clip, however. I do plan to film this song in full as well at an upcoming concert, but given that it's tended to be a set closer, I may have to have a backup video ready in the event of a file error, but I'll figure something out. Check this clip out below, and stay tuned for more from A Dire Setback and Live705 when it comes in!



Finally, here's a new clip from Live705's Facebook page, which is a live stream of the end of an early song during Id Iota's headlining set, including the introduction of guest cellist Pete Mozarowski to the crowd. Given the short length, vertical angle, and placement in the song's runtime, this isn't an optimal look at Id Iota, but it's nice to see some new footage of this alt-hard rock quartet, and they sound good from what we hear, so give it a look too!



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

Soo Art Rocks Concert Review!!

Hey everyone, it's time at last to review Friday night's Soo Art Rocks concert at The Canadian Nightclub, so what should you know on this ambitious hybrid event? Good attendance overall, and though it tapered off a bit late, the bands wrapping up the night did get more of a crowd on the floor. Most of the performers had merchandise on sale (Bizotic even had some artwork to go along with the theme), and in terms of the art vendors, they were set up on the far wall of the venue near the soundboard, save for Chandra Barnett, who got the pool table there for her photography display. She, Brenton Ellis, Aaron Knight, and photographer Josh Pace had lots of material to display, and though prices were largely on request, pieces were definitely moving, and hopefully they got some great exposure regardless! And true to the pre-event teasers, a print of a Josh photo of A Dire Setback was indeed the door prize. This show also saw the debut of local YouTube personality Kyle Foster as the apparent permanent MC for Live705 events, so how did he do?

Good, but he did come across as a little nervous, often talking a little too fast between bands. Also, he only introduced bands and discussed the show immediately after sets, rather than setting up bands before they began playing. Things should get ironed out with time though! And lastly before reviewing the bands, local death metal duo Them dropped out of the show early on Friday due to "personal reasons", as per promoters Live705 on the Facebook event page. Hopefully nothing bad happened, Tyler & Anthony have been missed on public stages!

The night opened with a set by artists from the Soo York City hip hop collective, marking the first time that I've seen an S.Y.C. branded set like this rather than a solo artist from there. Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson was on hand to mix tunes and program backing tracks for the rappers, and the set started intriguingly with him walking us through his selections of vinyl records to mix together and asking for crowd input. It almost felt like the mix originated on Friday.... did it? There were three rappers from Soo York City on Friday, namely Kodex, Rick-E, and St. James, who each got solo showcases with scattered backing rhyme help, while the guys also collaborated on a couple of tracks too. The guys have rap skill, and though there were some nerves at times, I liked the informal nature as they helped Seith get their tracks ready. Fun opener that definitely appealed to rap lovers in attendance, and hopefully they keep at it!

Seith also DJed between bands in the latter half of the night, starting after Pointless' set, with his turntable set up beside the stage. This would definitely appeal to fans of his solo DJing, and those who hate dead air between bands, but he oddly didn't talk to the crowd or act as a hype man for the show proper (possibly because of Kyle hosting.) Still, if you like DJ Seith's vinyl mixes, you were thrown a bone!

Next was Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci (a.k.a. Pooch) with a solo acoustic set, and while I have seen Andrew live multiple times fronting punk bands, I wasn't overly familiar with his own solo work. Largely, his solo music is more in the realm of alternative/indie rock, as seen on songs like "Won't Find Me" and "Time Machine", but he did bring out "Nobody" (which was written for Stereo North before their hiatus began), and his closer "Lust Or Lost" was actually heavy in tone, and is asking for full band input. He did cover an out of left field song too, namely Drake's "Hotline Bling", and yes, Pooch's version does sound better! I understand that Andrew is aiming to form a full band to play his solo material, and he does have a solid base so far to draw on, with his voice suiting the songs, and his guitar work was melodic and pleasant throughout! I do miss his punk band work, but Andrew's doing good stuff on his own, and hopefully he keeps on the upward path!

Third was local funk/alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic, and if you saw them at Live705's March Mash-Up, then their set will have been very familiar, with a largely similar set list comprised of songs like "Record Light", "Subway Delay", and "Dirty Time Machine". That said, they were tighter sounding this time around, and you could hear Louise Lamothe's trumpet playing better, so that all worked fine! B.J. Swire continued to rock the keytar as well as you can rock that instrument, and Travis St. Amour was a reliable presence on drums, but honestly, Brad Griffith seemed a little less confident, bantering less between songs and not introducing many of them. Bizotic are carving a good niche for themselves though, with a sound that's hard to pin down, but hard rocking enough to appeal to many listeners, so hopefully we hear much more from them soon!

In the middle of the night, we had the live debut of Pointless, the new band from Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle, Pillory bassist Jordan Leach, and Ashes To Dust drummer David Peredun, so what do we know about them now? Well, genre descriptions of "drone/noise/psych" were bang on, though those specific sounds were more of the sole genre of their songs rather than internal hybrids, so their songs all sounded different. That said, if you were hoping for something sounding like Treble Charger, you'll be disappointed, but certain Pointless tracks shared elements of Bill's indie band The Priddle Concern from what I know of that group. The guys are all talented musicians, and seemed to play off of each other well, but Bill could have been more confident and vocal on stage, only rarely talking between songs, none of which being announced by name. The "dronier" songs may be an acquired taste, but Pointless immediately stand out among local bands, and it'll be curious to hear how they progress!

Fifth were Live705's flagship alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback, and they kept on their steady upward momentum with a high energy set full of increasingly familiar songs! Their seven song set included songs like "Wasting Away", "Kicking & Screaming", and their cover of "Counting Stars", while their new self-titled song returned as their encore. I've seen A Dire Setback a lot lately, and while there isn't a lot new to say compared to their Easter Bash set, they had a solid set that showcased their enthusiasm and high impact sound, with Chris Nielsen a firecracker as usual on guitar, Larry Babic more and more confident on lead vocals, and Nick Kainula kept the rhythm nicely on drums throughout himself! Very solid set for punk fans, and definitely keep an eye out for much more into the summer!

Co-headlining on Friday were alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who kicked things off for their set by debuting their new original song "Give Me A Reason", which got a solid reception! Also playing familiar songs like "Alleyways & Apartments" and "Suburban Dream", plus a surprise rendition of "Potato" for an encore, The Din continued with their lively, freewheeling brand of alternative originals with verve and good humour, and fans definitely ate up their set, partly thanks to frontman Mike Haggith's dalliances into the crowd later on. His vocals were on point, Tammy Hill laid down some solid guitar solos, and Brandan Glew's drumming was a fine compliment as usual, so fans had nothing to worry about musically! The Din gave it just fine on Friday night, and you know to expect more of the same in the coming months, so don't miss out!
 

And finally, your headliners on Friday night were fellow local alt-hard rock quartet Id Iota, who welcomed ex-RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski as a guest performer for their set! Honestly, his input on songs could have been more substantial, as he was often hard to hear when playing, but when I'm used to seeing him play with one guitarist, (not two and a bassist) that may be a given. With the benefit of a visible setlist, I can confirm that they played newer originals like "Cop Drama", "Deep Empty", and "Blind Spots" during their set, and the guys kept up their varied styles within, dipping into funk, ska, alternative, punk, and hard rock at varying times throughout. Christian Lemay's lead vocals were just fine, and Dustin Goodall shined on guitar himself! I'm not 100% positive, but it sounded like Christian said that this was drummer Blair St. John's last show with Id Iota before moving to Ottawa. If true and I wasn't hearing things, best of luck, he'll be missed!

Id Iota delivered a fun set, so hopefully they're not off the stage for too long, and keep an eye out for more on their first full length CD! Overall, Soo Art Rocks was a very solid night of musical action for many tastes (not to mention some nice art on display), and everyone performed nicely for the occasion! Without rehashing certain events from the Easter Bash, there were no prolonged delays on Friday, so don't worry about that aspect. You can check out our photos at this link or via our Facebook page, and I did film all 7 musical acts, so what do we have? Below, you can check out a montage of the Soo York City collective's set (about 1 minute of each MC), Andrew Pucci playing "She Died First", Bizotic playing "Psychic Vampire", Pointless playing an original song (can you help name it?), A Dire Setback playing "Catastrophe", The Din playing their newest "Give Me A Reason", and Id Iota playing "Long D", though that title may be incomplete!















That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Alter Bridge preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (CureCon), Alberta Intrusion Concert Preview, And More!!

Before our review of last night's Soo Art Rocks! concert makes the site, we have a new news post for your Saturday afternoon, so what's in store? Some assorted recent news and notes, a preview of a concert going down TOMORROW NIGHT, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an intriguing concert event later this year that, while having a lot of blanks to fill, has a lot of promise, so here's what you should know!

Local classic metal quartet Project 421 will reportedly be on the lineup for CureCon, an ambitious convention on Saturday, August 12th where local vendors and artists will come together to support each other, donate to regional charities, and support local businesses. To be held at the Royal Canadian Legion on Great Northern Road in a rare concert at that venue, this event is a co-production of Live705 and upstart local company Ma Lady Menace, ran by local entrepreneur Douglas Ewen. I'm unsure what the company name means, but Ma Lady Menace specialize in selling "crash course crates", which are basically LootCrate-esque boxes filled with just content for fans or newcomers of a media franchise or band, and now they're experimenting with live event promotion and plan to work with Live705 on some events. Very intriguing, we'll have to see where this all goes, and Ma Lady Menace are now linked on the SMS!

As far as I can tell, Project 421 (who confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page) are the only band to publically say they're performing at CureCon so far, in their first announced concert since Halloween, though we may see them somewhere prior yet. Great to see the guys back regardless, they've been missed! Live705's involvement would suggest that A Dire Setback are playing too, but I have not heard confirmation of any other acts yet. Ma Lady Menace have noted that merchandise tables and advertising are available towards the convention proper, but I'm unsure if they're seeking bands the same way or have groups in mind internally. For more details on that end of things, click here! The live band portion of CureCon will be at 8:00 PM on August 12th after the convention portion wraps up, which itself starts at 12:00 PM. Admission will be $20 in advance or $25 at the door for the whole CureCon events, or $15 for just the convention or concert alone.

The concert itself is a 19+ event, but CureCon's prior events have $5 entry for children 3-12 years old, and kids under 3 are free, while there will reportedly attached contests and band Crash Crates, details presumably forthcoming. There are a lot of unknowns yet regarding CureCon, like what kind of convention this will shape up to be (Comics? Home show? Anything & everything?), the remaining band lineup, and more, but I like the ambition on display, and I'm definitely curious to hear more details regarding CureCon, Ma Lady Menace, and other attached entities! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a pair of concert previews for shows over the next couple of nights, starting with The Alberta Intrusion, a concert featuring three touring punk bands from out west that are headlining at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Those three bands are The bands in question are Edmonton pop punk trio The Old Wives, Edmonton punk rock standouts Worst Days Down, and Calgary punk quintet The River Jacks, and they should deliver their own entertaining takes on the genre tomorrow, so be sure to check all of them out! Of note, some readers will have seen The River Jacks at The Algonquin Pub two years ago as a headlining act during their Gonqshow concert series, so if you wanted an encore, here it finally is! Local punk trio Stegadeth (replacing Talk Shit) will open the proceedings, with frontman Bill Bennett having previously opened for The River Jacks locally with Stereo North, and they should be a fine fit tomorrow, so don't be late!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. in their first fully promoted concert in over two months, you can apparently still get $5 advance tickets at Advance tickets are apparently now available at Northland Music, Case's Music, The Rad Zone and Big Guns Barbershop near the library downtown, though note that the price jumps to $7 at the door. A 9:00 PM start time is listed, and this is a 19+ event. This should be a great concert for punk fans, with a trifecta of intriguing Alberta acts and some local action from Stegadeth in store, so don't miss out tomorrow night, and here's The Old Wives 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:

• Local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church are reportedly working on their debut studio album, and have been recording tracks at Mission Control Studios! We were first alerted to this when the studio shared a picture on their Facebook page of Spencer, Elijah, and Beau with Dustin Jones, and the band confirmed on their own Facebook page that they are "working up some new songs... for the album." Very cool to hear, hopefully more updates come out soon!
• The Gore Street Cafe will apparently be forced to relocate to a new venue in July, as per owner Nicole Dyble on their Facebook page on Monday. Plans reportedly called for the cafe to leave the laundromat at month's end, but for "a number of reasons", things have been extended a month. Despite many varied concerts, events, and a fan friendly business model, the cafe has had a rough go in the past year, and while Nicole hopes to find a new venue, she admitted that "the future of the cafe is uncertain." Hopefully things work out for the cafe, they're doing great things there, and fingers crossed that they find a new locale this summer!
• Were you added by a Facebook friend account called "TheSault MusicScene" yesterday? If you were curious, I am NOT behind it, and name aside, I don't believe it's related to the early-mid 2000s music website. The new page is intended to help promote & advertise local concerts of any genre, and while they haven't said who's running the page publically yet, I believe the lead administrator is a musician & former promoter.  If this page is maintained and kept up with, it could be a great resource, so keep it in mind! However, as a personal Facebook account with most posts hidden from non-friends, I can't link it here unless they relax the privacy settings so it's publically vieawable.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Soo Art Rocks! preview next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), Preview Videos For Soo Art Rocks, And More!!

Here's another news post for your Friday, half devoted to updates from two bands with preview videos for their show TONIGHT, but to lead off, we have an intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this summer that, while having some unanswered questions, looks like a very interesting event, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck made their Reggie's Place debut last night, and will be back there TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice (and for missing last night's show), we only heard about this triple booking via guitarist Terry Eaton's personal Facebook page last night, too late to rush a post on here. It appears that Soundcheck are picking up where their pre-merger predecessors Mourning Wood left off by not publically promoting Reggie's Place shows when booked there, but it will be nice for fans of that band to see Terry & Steven back at the downtown country-leaning venue TONIGHT & TOMORROW, plus last night if you knew! This would seem to imply that Soundcheck have adopted some country material post-merger, but their page still points to 1980s rock-centric sets (also, no word on if new bassist Paul Belair will miss these shows, as he often did with Mourning Wood.)

Also, the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page lists these shows as belonging to The Jukebox Junkies, a short lived country rock sister band featuring Terry and ex-bandmates Robin Lee & Glen Thomas that played at Reggie's in February. With Robin & Glen's departures, it appears that Soundcheck took on future Jukebox Junkies gigs. In any event, TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Soundcheck shows (and last night's) appear to be 10:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no announced cover. See above for more details, hopefully videos turn up soon, and apologies again, we'd have plugged these shows in advance had we known about them!

Next up, here's a pair of preview videos for TONIGHT'S Soo Art Rocks! concert at The Canadian Nightclub (also from Live705), and though they're not the advertised headliners, we'll actually start with local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, as they have an attached bit of news: They'll be among the openers for the Rock The Border Music Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday, June 18th! Promoters quietly confirmed their involvement on the Facebook event page in the past week, while also noting one more opening act, namely a duo act from Sudbury musicians Thea May and Kyle Robert Gagnon. Thea & Kyle have clear talent & strong indie material, even if they're definitely a genre jump from the night's other bands, so check them out above to see what they have in store for the Soo! One more band is to be announced, we'll let you know when they are confirmed. Things are shaping up for the Rock The Border Fest, so stay tuned for continued updates, and buy your tickets A.S.A.P. above!

As for the preview video for tonight's concert, this was uploaded to The Din's Facebook page yesterday, and it features drummer Brandan Glew in action (complete with tickets bouncing around on the drum head), before plugging the show, and as Mike Haggith learns from off camera, don't correct Brandan! Short but effective promotion, so give this video a look below!

Also, here's the preview video from headlining alt-hard rock quartet Id Iota's Facebook page on Tuesday, which confirms some details on tonight's set. In the clip, guitarist Dustin Goodall calls his bandmates and former RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski (who will return as a guest performer tonight) to assemble for the concert, and without giving anything away, let's just say he doesn't set up the conference call at an opportune time. Funny clip, and Dustin could be a monster truck commercial announcer if he talked quicker! A short clip from Id Iota's set (with Pete) at The New A last month is at the video's end, no word on if full footage will make it online. The description notes that this will be Id Iota's last concert "for a few months", presumably tied into recording sessions for their debut album, so given that (and Pete's presence), there's all the more reason to stick around for Id Iota's headlining set tonight at The Canadian! Check it out below!



Finally for today, here's a new jam session clip from one more band playing at Soo Art Rocks!, namely Live705's flagship punk quartet A Dire Setback! Posted to their Facebook page on April 26th (so not directly a teaser for this concert), this features the guys rocking out in a jam space that will be familiar to fans of drummer Nick Kainula's old bands State of Misery and Unbound, though only guitarist Chris Nielsen is captured playing on camera. This is more of a "song in progress" clip than anything, but you don't see something like this very often on public view, so check it out below, and look for the full song tomorrow?




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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Spun & The 3 Day Millionaires) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend of concert previews is upon us at the SMS, so let's cover all of that today, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one SHORT NOTICE, the others coming next month!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via the venue's official Facebook event page on Sunday. Fresh off of their successful set at last week's Rock 4 Autism fundraiser, this will be their first stop at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar in three weeks, and they should kick things up with their fan favourite covers once again, so keep their return in mind for TOMORROW! Note that this is a one nighter (as recently usual for The Millionaires) due to Saturday night's Obsession concert. You can take in The 3 Day Millionaires TOMORROW at around 10:30 PM, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. For more details, check the above links, and for a preview, here's a new video to check out of The Millionaires!

Filmed by attendee Jessie Dawn at the aforementioned Rock 4 Autism event at The Canadian Nightclub and shared to the band's Facebook page on Sunday, this is of a much newer cover than you may expect, with the guys covering Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" in this 49 second clip. I'm not a fan of the original song, but The Millionaires handle it well and with enthusiasm, and it's a shame that the whole song wasn't filmed, as the quality and angle are both pretty good! Give it a look below, and see much more TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar!



Next up, here's a couple more new show announcements for next month, as Marquette, Michigan hard rock quartet Spun will return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for concerts on Friday, June 2nd & Saturday, June 3rd! After a successful Soo debut last week, the Nudge successors have already booked a return weekend at The Frog for less than a month later, which is a good sign that fans welcomed Spun just as if Nudge never left! Their hard rocking covers should provide a solid kick-off to the summer months, so keep these shows in mind for three weeks from now! Like last week, these Spun shows are 21+ affairs with no announced cover charges and likely 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for potential updates if they roll in!

Now let's tackle previously announced hard rock concerts for this weekend, as TOMORROW NIGHT is Live705's ambitious Soo Art Rocks! event at The Canadian Nightclub! Returning to The Canadian for the first time since their March Mash-Up, this concert will marry the promoters usual concert wheelhouse with live exhibitions by local artists and photographers, who will be on hand showcasing and selling their wares, and it will be very interesting to see how this angle is received tomorrow! The music lineup is Live705's largest yet, and includes a number of local bands playing one of their events for the first time, so who all is playing? In listed order, you'll see alternative/hard rock standouts Id Iota & The Din,  Live705's own punk mainstays A Dire Setback, debuting "drone/noise/psych" trio Pointless, newer alt-quartet Bizotic, death metal duo Them (in their first public concert set in over a year), Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci's acoustic solo project, and unidentified performers from the Soo York City rap collective, likely including DJ Seith mixing the backing music.

Exhibiting artists will include former Lion Ride bassist Brenton Ellis, Aaron Knight, and photographers Josh Pace & Chandra Barnett, who have each done great concert shoots in the past. There's a little something for everyone, so don't miss out on all of this action! Admission is $10 (unless you have one of those $2 off vouchers attained from performers), this is a 19+ concert, a Josh Pace print is heavily implied to be a door prize, and the show will fittingly start at 7:05 PM. Soo Art Rocks! sounds like a great concert with a very unique pull that will be very interesting to see in action tomorrow, so check the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Id Iota live!

 
Finally for today, you can check out former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison as his long term arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood marches on for two more matinee shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! This prolific veteran singer/guitarist continues to bring entertaining hard rock covers to the local stage each week, and this next set of shows should be no different, so if you're up for some supper-time acoustic hard rock favourites at this downtown restaurant, don't miss out on either night's action! Note that the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page advertises a Tym Morrison show tomorrow night at The Barrelhouse as well, much like his show there last week, but Tym has not publically acknowledged this apparent gig, so we won't call it here unless Tym or the venue does. At Gliss, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, including extra Soo Art Rocks previews! Thanks everyone!