Well guys, I'm back from last night's SBD concert, and today's post is mostly dedicated to reviewing it! Also stay tuned after for the identity of this month's CD review and a few assorted news and notes from the past little while! But first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!
With Caveman Morrison back in the full swing of things with their new lineup, the bookings keep coming for the local metal cover trio, as they've scheduled another date for this fall! This time, they'll be back at The Vibe Lounge for a show on October 8th, their first time there since earlier this month! There is no announced cover charge, there is a 19+ age limit, and the announced start time is 10:00 PM. Get full details on this show at the official Facebook event page! This should be another fun night of hard rock and metal covers, so make it on out for this one if you can! If not, you have chances to see them next month, starting with their supporting set at the Tony Lee XXX Hypnotist show at The Outback a week from Saturday, which is also their debut show with new drummer Johnny Belanger! I'll keep you posted with more Caveman Morrison details as I hear them!
Now, onto our SBD concert review! The band started around quarter to 11, a bit late, but the fans in attendance didn't mind! Actually, the crowd was pretty small, usually floating around a dozen concert-goers, but I'll say this much: Those who came were devoted fans, and it showed! At varying points, some SBD fans were either moshing, yelling requests, or partaking in some very "unique" dancing to certain songs. I even noticed that during "Pow! Right In The Kisser", there was some choreography going on for it with the dancing fans! It was a small crowd, smaller than SBD deserve, but to be fair, the show was announced on very short notice. Now, onto the music! I have to say, it's good seeing Dann Pichette back on stage again, I know I said that at Downtown Showdown, but it's true. I miss seeing No Arrow, but this works! Musically, SBD are hard to pinpoint soundwise. They can definitely have a No Arrow vibe, but their sound brings a whole new experimental edge that counters and/or adds to the grunge feel. For example, they had a keyboard on stage, Dann took time during a couple of songs to apply distortion effects at the speakers to some songs, and you should have counted the number of guitar pedals and switches Dann had at his disposal!
I won't go into too much detail on most of their originals because I have a proper review of many of them coming (more info in a second), but their originals ranged from more heavy fare like "It Just Won't Work" and "Sliced Bacon Delivers" to experimental more psychedelic styles like on "Ess" and "Kick In The Crotch". It wasn't uncommon to see things get trippy right after they played something raw and relentless. There was a tinge of No Arrow to certain songs, but this is a whole other animal. There was a lot of long instrumental stretches and a sort of easy going laid back feel to many songs. Also adding to the experimental side of things was a good deal of unique covers, including Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd songs like "Scream Thy Last Scream" & "Mother Matilda", and Mystery Machine's "Ride". Dann Pichette provided some good grungy vocals, but added some extra quirks and effects where needed to suit the songs, and his guitar playing suited their style well, seeming to switch from raw and unpolished to atmospheric and bouncy whenever needed. Brad Griffith, also a former No Arrow member, was really good on bass, and kept up with each song no matter the feel. And Shane Triplett was awesome on drums, he can go pretty hard, even when cymbals fell and drumsticks broke! He was relentless and it worked well!
I had fun at this show, but SBD are certainly not a band you can easily categorize or compare to other bands. No Arrow would be an easy comparison, but while they fell into the void between punk and metal, SBD are completely off the charts thanks to their experimental qualities. That being said, their sound won't be appreciated by everyone, but I'm a fan! They play a style you don't see here very much, and they play it well! It's raw, yet well put together. It's trippy & danceable, yet heavy & moshable. I hope they keep on playing this style and not making it more commercial, cause people will take notice! If you're among the group of music fans in Sault Ste. Marie who think everything is the same, give SBD a shot! I have a few reservations though, like how some of their instrumentals can drag, and how the guitar and bass can overpower the singing, but hey, that can be worked on. SBD is as SBD does, I don't expect anything less, and I'll definitely be back to see them again!
As you can tell, I got many photos, click here or visit The Sault Metal Scene on Facebook to check them out! And yes, I got a video, so here's SBD playing "It Just Won't Work" last night!
Now, onto details on our next album review! During SBD's first set break, Dann announced that they had CDs for sale! For $10, we could buy "Sonic Experiments: Mulligan Edition", which was a do-over of their original pressing of "Sonic Experiments", which was only sold at their debut show in May. It has some minor differences from the original version in track listing and song versions, hence why it's called the "Mulligan Edition." And you know how I try and get a copy of any local metal/hard rock CD that I can, so I bought one, lovingly wrapped in tinfoil! I felt like wanting to microwave the album thanks to that! This is the cover, and it has 12 songs actually running over 70 minutes long as a whole, so you definitely get your money's worth by quanitity alone! So yes, this WILL be our next CD review, and I will have it for you guys either tomorrow or on Tuesday! And as promised, my review of Sykotyk Rampage's new album "Bella Disgusta" will be after that, at some point during the first few days of September! Also, if anyone has an original copy of "Sonic Experiments", let me know!
That's all for today, but I have some more scattered news stories to share at some point soon! Also, we have some special posts in the near future, including the aforementioned SBD and Sykotyk Rampage CD reviews, a review of THURSDAY'S Endast show, our September update of our "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and more! Stay tuned!
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