Firstly, I should comment on the venue and atmosphere of the battle, seeing as this is a venue that isn't used often for concerts. I hadn't been to the Soo Curlers Association Rink since 2003 for a class field trip, so I had no idea what to expect. Once inside, The HeartStop Lounge was straightforward to get to, which is nice! The lounge has a clear divide in sections, the left area had the stage and general concertgoers, the right side had tables and was mostly populated by curlers and curling fans rather than those there specifically for the battle.
The Scotties Tournament people sure got everything spiced up inside, with food and beer tokens for sale, a beer cart with draws, a HUGE blow-up Alexander Keith's can, and other curling/alcohol related things to draw people's attention! But what struck me most from the concert-goers perspective was the fact that A. They were filming the bands, and B. We saw the results of said filming in real-time on VIDEO SCREENS on each side of the stage! There was even video effects to boot! I don't know if the videos will be used for anything else, or if the screens are a permanent feature at the lounge, but it was awesome and gave everything a professional feel! (The picture has Sykotyk Rampage singer/drummer Paul Becker on the big screen.) I wonder if The HeartStop Lounge will start booking some heavier bands again in the future?
Even though the battle supposedly started at 10:00, the first band, Blackwater, had already begun. Just a touch early, no worries! Of the four competing bands, Blackwater were the only ones I had never seen live before, mostly because they were out of my genre range. But for what they play, they were quite good! Of course, it's not my cup of tea, but they are quite talented! They have kind of a folk/blues rock style, which doesn't seem to fit guys of their younger age, but they pulled it off! Is Neil Young accurate to give a sound comparison to? I didn't recognize anyone in Blackwater from other groups I know, but then again, it's not something I listen to every day either. Nice on-stage banter, good musical quality for their style, they definitely looked like possible favourites to win!
They were followed by Middle of Nowhere, who weren't bad! Solid classic rock sound, though the reception from the crowd wasn't as good as it was at the Kiss battle. Sergio Palumbo sang pretty good, the band were probably better to me than the crowd thought! However, their set was underwhelming, and I'll tell you why: They only played 3 songs, when they had a 30 minute time limit. They could have played another 20 minutes or so, but nope, 3 and done. I found that odd, but hey, what can you do? Not bad regardless! Nebraska Arms (pictured) followed them and played a very energetic set of their brand of indie rock! This if the fourth or fifth time I've seen them live, and their on-stage activity and energy still impresses me! Lots of good dynamics in their songs, and Guy Thiffault continued with some amusing on-stage banter! Yet, like Blackwater, their style isn't something I listen to a lot. But they were as impressive as ever for their style, their live shows are quite entertaining, so check them out if you're an indie rock fan!
Fittingly capping the night was the only competing metal band, the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage! And in terms of entertainment, they deserved to win! They reeled off lots of classics like "Treating You Bad", "Called In Dead", and "Drinking On The Weekend", as well as some newer material like "Lit'le Crocochild" and more! Paul Becker sang in his own entertaingly unique way (while drumming good simultaneously), while the guys up front were also quite good! Shane Kokis and Dirk Becker played very nicely on guitar, Dirk had a lot of energy to boot! Same for Brian Cattapan, his basslines was quite clear and well performed! From a musical standpoint, they were great to get the crowd going, with some girls and guys alike dancing! Heavy but danceable, it works! I may be biased as a metalhead, but I'm a big fan, but I admit they will be polarizing to some. Just have a drink, let loose, and have a good time with these guys!
Aside from the musical aspect, Sykotyk Rampage were pulling out all the stops to win the fan interaction vote and be as entertaining as possible, and it worked very well! The band had paper bags to throw the crowd, each of which had a band t-shirt! Dirk channeled Jeremy Salatuk from the Kiss battle and SMASHED HIS GUITAR, then sang one song sans guitar while almost going nuts on stage with his antics, which was cool! The band interacted with us a lot, joking around and dancing and having fun, and the crowd responded properly! In fact, many of us had Sykotyk Rampage posters to show our support with, thanks to Jen Crouthers for making them! I'm putting my "Self Indulgent Nympho" one in my room! Fans even ran to the front of the stage to show their signs! If the battle was by fan support, Sykotyk Rampage would have won hands down, and I'm not being facetious in saying that! On sheer entertainment value, they were my pick to win it all!After Sykotyk Rampage wrapped up their set, we waited to see who'd leave with the big money. When the MC came up to the stage to announce the top 3, we were all ears! So, here are the results!
1st place: Blackwater
2nd place: Nebraska Arms
3rd place: Sykotyk Rampage
4th place: Middle of Nowhere
2nd place: Nebraska Arms
3rd place: Sykotyk Rampage
4th place: Middle of Nowhere
Although I'd have loved to have seen Sykotyk Rampage pull off the upset, I figured Blackwater or Nebraska Arms would be more likely to win the judges over. No worries though, all bands did good, even Middle of Nowhere, who might have gotten a lesser result than I would have thought. Blackwater left with the $750 top prize and got to play an encore set at the end of the night! Nebraska Arms won $500, and Sykotyk Rampage left with the $150 third prize! Overall, it was a fun concert, not the heaviest show I've ever been to, but musically it was top notch! Sykotyk Rampage stole the show, and I'm not just being metal-biased, they really did! Check out my photos of Sykotyk Rampage's set at this location, or visit the SMS Facebook page to see them there too! Here's the video I filmed at the show, Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Treating You Bad"!
Now, it's Thursday, as we're anticipating the weekend's slate of concerts! Seven on tap this weekend, unusually busy but hey, it's all good! Let's start in Sault Michigan where a band plays three times this weekend!
Marquette Michigan hard rockers Nudge return to The Satisfied Frog TONIGHT, tomorrow night, and Saturday night for a triple-header of great music! As has been the standard for recent Nudge shows in Sault Michigan, Nudge's Thursday show (that's tonight) will be a "Nudge-coustic" set, so prepare to mellow out to some unplugged rock n' roll! If you're looking for electric instruments and heaviness, head to The Frog tomorrow or Saturday! All three shows are pegged to start at 10:00 PM, there has been no announced cover charge. These are Nudge's only scheduled dates for Sault Michigan in 2010, with bookings at various other places scheduled for much of the year. I don't know when they'll be back, so if you want to hear some solid hard rock, go to The Frog this weekend! Should be some great shows, too bad I'm not of age to see them yet at American bars though. Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! No audio on their MySpace, but I have video of these guys finally to share, so check out this live clip of Nudge covering the Ozzy Osbourne classic "Bark At The Moon"!
Now we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the other four concerts this weekend, and kicking things off tomorrow night, in the first of a two night stint at Foggy Notions, is Half Past! The local hard rock quartet will play their first concerts since the Frightlight Halloween show at Coch's Corner! There will be a cover charge of $2, they should be starting at around 10:30 PM! Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! I'll tell you this much, I will be at Foggy's tomorrow for the Friday portion of their weekend double shot! I haven't seen what is now Half Past since 2008, having been out of town over Halloween. Hopefully I'm not cursed out of seeing them like I have been lately for Sense of Truth shows, but I digress. This should be a fun show, for a preview, here's a video of Half Past playing their original song "Dead Again" at a 2009 jam session! And check out more from Half Past on their Facebook page!
So we have Half Past Saturday at Foggy's, but if you're looking for a band to go see that night, you have choices! Two other metal bands are rocking local bars on Saturday night, and we'll start with Caveman Morrison! Yes, the local metal cover band are back at The Rockstar Bar on February 6th for another good long night of your favourite songs by one of the Sault's most frequently seen bands of recent months! They're also on at 10:00, and there is no cover charge! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! Caveman Morrison put on a great show every time they play, and they're bound to know songs you really like, so throw out a request! Hopefully Tym and company get a good crowd! For a preview of what to expect, check out some audio and video at their official website, and this video of Caveman Morrison covering the Metallica classic "Seek and Destroy"!
And finally for this weekend, Ultraviolence are BACK! Not even a month after they rocked Coch's Corner at a show I'm STILL bitter about missing, they will be headlining a Scotties Tournament of Hearts wrap party at Coch's Corner! A start time of 10:25 PM is listed for this show, which will also be Saturday night. No cover charge is listed. I never expected to see Ultraviolence back so soon, but the Sault could always use more filthy drunk n' roll, so it's just fine by me! If you like AC/DC, this is up your alley! If it wasn't for UFC 109 (Go Mark Coleman!), I'd be there, but regardless, it will be an awesome concert! Hopefully you guys spread out equally to the three Saturday shows and make them all successful! Confirm your attendance for the show at the Facebook event page, check out UV on MySpace, and for a preview, here's Ultraviolence playing "Big Ol' Swig" at a show last year!
I know I promised to talk about Quite Frankly's new singer, but it would get lost in the shuffle of this post if I did now, so I'm gonna hold off on that until my next post, which will likely be tomorrow. Stay tuned for that, news on the other band on the Pop Evil show later this month, and more at some point tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Now, it's Thursday, as we're anticipating the weekend's slate of concerts! Seven on tap this weekend, unusually busy but hey, it's all good! Let's start in Sault Michigan where a band plays three times this weekend!
Marquette Michigan hard rockers Nudge return to The Satisfied Frog TONIGHT, tomorrow night, and Saturday night for a triple-header of great music! As has been the standard for recent Nudge shows in Sault Michigan, Nudge's Thursday show (that's tonight) will be a "Nudge-coustic" set, so prepare to mellow out to some unplugged rock n' roll! If you're looking for electric instruments and heaviness, head to The Frog tomorrow or Saturday! All three shows are pegged to start at 10:00 PM, there has been no announced cover charge. These are Nudge's only scheduled dates for Sault Michigan in 2010, with bookings at various other places scheduled for much of the year. I don't know when they'll be back, so if you want to hear some solid hard rock, go to The Frog this weekend! Should be some great shows, too bad I'm not of age to see them yet at American bars though. Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! No audio on their MySpace, but I have video of these guys finally to share, so check out this live clip of Nudge covering the Ozzy Osbourne classic "Bark At The Moon"!Now we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the other four concerts this weekend, and kicking things off tomorrow night, in the first of a two night stint at Foggy Notions, is Half Past! The local hard rock quartet will play their first concerts since the Frightlight Halloween show at Coch's Corner! There will be a cover charge of $2, they should be starting at around 10:30 PM! Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! I'll tell you this much, I will be at Foggy's tomorrow for the Friday portion of their weekend double shot! I haven't seen what is now Half Past since 2008, having been out of town over Halloween. Hopefully I'm not cursed out of seeing them like I have been lately for Sense of Truth shows, but I digress. This should be a fun show, for a preview, here's a video of Half Past playing their original song "Dead Again" at a 2009 jam session! And check out more from Half Past on their Facebook page!So we have Half Past Saturday at Foggy's, but if you're looking for a band to go see that night, you have choices! Two other metal bands are rocking local bars on Saturday night, and we'll start with Caveman Morrison! Yes, the local metal cover band are back at The Rockstar Bar on February 6th for another good long night of your favourite songs by one of the Sault's most frequently seen bands of recent months! They're also on at 10:00, and there is no cover charge! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! Caveman Morrison put on a great show every time they play, and they're bound to know songs you really like, so throw out a request! Hopefully Tym and company get a good crowd! For a preview of what to expect, check out some audio and video at their official website, and this video of Caveman Morrison covering the Metallica classic "Seek and Destroy"!And finally for this weekend, Ultraviolence are BACK! Not even a month after they rocked Coch's Corner at a show I'm STILL bitter about missing, they will be headlining a Scotties Tournament of Hearts wrap party at Coch's Corner! A start time of 10:25 PM is listed for this show, which will also be Saturday night. No cover charge is listed. I never expected to see Ultraviolence back so soon, but the Sault could always use more filthy drunk n' roll, so it's just fine by me! If you like AC/DC, this is up your alley! If it wasn't for UFC 109 (Go Mark Coleman!), I'd be there, but regardless, it will be an awesome concert! Hopefully you guys spread out equally to the three Saturday shows and make them all successful! Confirm your attendance for the show at the Facebook event page, check out UV on MySpace, and for a preview, here's Ultraviolence playing "Big Ol' Swig" at a show last year!I know I promised to talk about Quite Frankly's new singer, but it would get lost in the shuffle of this post if I did now, so I'm gonna hold off on that until my next post, which will likely be tomorrow. Stay tuned for that, news on the other band on the Pop Evil show later this month, and more at some point tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
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