Saturday, February 26, 2011

Hempfest & Woods Of Ypres Updates, And More!!

Hey everyone, I'm still in Detroit, but I do have some more local metal news to share today! This is mostly a compliation of recent stories that I haven't reported on lately, but some newer stories are in the queue for at least one more post before I return home, hopefully. So for today, we have the latest news from Woods of Ypres and an upcoming hard rock concert, and some more assorted stories, but first, here's the latest updates on a major upcoming concert festival!

This year's edition of Hempfest has a new timeframe for when it will take place. The bad news is it was pushed back two weeks, but the good news is it's now gonna be A FULL WEEK long! The festival will now take place from August 8th to 15th at it's familiar location in nearby Ophir, Ontario. The reason for the change is due to issues securing a sound man for the original dates. Hopefully the lengthening of the festival will counteract that! According to the e-mail that organizer Robert Neron sent to Facebook attendees on Wednesday night, the festival will now consist of 3 ½ days of camping, and 3 ½ days of partying, which likely implies that entertainment will take place from 12:00 PM on August 11th through the end of Hempfest this year. As such, the new ticket price for the festival will be $15 a day or $100 for the full week, which will be a $5 savings from buying 7 individual tickets. The on-sale date of June 3rd doesn't appear to have changed. As for the scheduled bands and performers, as of right now, their schedules and days to perform are unchanged save for being moved two weeks earlier. I imagine alterations could be made if the new dates conflict with prior engagements, but we'll likely hear about this as it comes. In the off chance a performer sees this and didn't hear the news, contact Robert Neron at this location to confirm what you need to confirm!

For full current details, visit the official Facebook event page. Hopefully this date change doesn't throw too many people off, but hey, it had to be if they wanted a good sound guy! At least now, it's a longer festival, and I can safely say that Robert's putting a ton of work into this, so you know it will come together well! Stay tuned for Hempfest updates as I hear them, especially concerning the metal and hard rock bands announced for this year!

Secondly today, here's the latest news on a notable hard rock band's local debut next month! Once only advertised on Reverbnation with information to be announced, the March 4th concert headlined by Kitchener hard rockers The Saigon Hookers now has full details to share! For one, the opening band has been announced, and it is Brad Example & The Role Models! This is the band fronted by Inner City Surfers bassist Brad Lacell (a.k.a. Brad Example), and I assume they play punk, I'm not entirely sure. Though the Facebook event page says that this is their first show, I have located evidence that a band of the exact same name played at Foggy Notions on December 30th, 2006 (source here), so if nothing else, they haven't played a show recently! The house rules that I previously assumed appear to be the same, so expect a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time (likely later though). And yes, this is the show poster on your left, not too bad! Sounds like a fun time, hopefully I can make it out! Also, notice all the Lion Ride connections with this show? Lion Ride bassist Carmine Romano was a long time member of The Saigon Hookers before leaving last month, and frontman Mikey Hawdon drums for The Inner City Surfers with Brad Example, so this show should feel familiar in a few ways! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Thirdly today, here's some new Woods of Ypres news! Firstly, the band's Facebook page now features some new t-shirt designs to soon be sold, including a girl's baby doll t-shirt and a normal style shirt, both of which are indeed black! These aren't available to order or pre-order yet, but if you want to pre-order anything from Woods of Ypres' new merchandise, click here! Secondly, the band have announced five new out of town concert dates for shows in Ottawa, Fredericton, Kelowna, San Antonio, and Seattle! Check out their official forum for details, and yes, these shows are now in our out of town concert listings on your right! Also on the Woods of Ypres docket for tonight, here's some of the latest reviews of the "Woods IV: The Green Album" re-issue! Dejon Turner from The Aquarian Weekly gave the album a B, describing it in one word: Arboreal. He praised it's beauty but found it hard to get into, which I can agree with. Click here to see the full review! New York-based music blog Brooklyn Rocks gave "W4" an overall positive review, but it seems to be more of a description of it's sound than a critique of what the author thought. Still, he sums it up well, check it out at this location!

Finally, though not a full review, Vince Neilstein from the amusing metal blog Metal Sucks posted a short article about Woods of Ypres on there on February 9th! Despite an uncertainty of how to pronounce Ypres (it's ee-pray, but he settled with "Woods of Awesome"), Vince highly praises Woods of Ypres, referring to their sound as "Type O Negative at their darkest, doomiest, slowest, and saddest". I'd agree for "W4", but I don't think he's heard their earlier albums much. Still, it's great press, so check it out (and more from this awesome site) at this location!

Let's close today's post with three shorter stories, in alphabetical order by name:
  • Local hardcore quintet As It Stands will headline a metal concert in Windsor, Ontario on March 26th! They'll be back at The Coach & Horses with area metal and punk bands, and you can get full details on this show at this location! Sounds good, nice to see them spread their sound further, but remember to check them out at The Rosie on March 3rd as well!
  • Metallurgy, the solo metal project from local guitarist Neno Jovanovich, has posted a new 20 second clip of some riffs he wrote onto his Reverbnation page! I have to say, it sounds really promising in a groove metal sort of way, but I'd like to see it expanded on for more of a song! Still, click the above links for that and more!
  • I've added the inactive local recording studio Swallows Nest Productions to the "Other Local Metal Links" at the bottom left. Active in the spring of 2010, it was a home-based record studio that would have brought "professionalism to the working musician". Local concert promoter & bassist Nathan Bouliane worked as a production designer with Swallows Nest during their brief run, which seemed to dry up in May. It'd have been interesting to see this succeed! Still, if you wanna check it out, the link's above!

That's all for today, in all likelihood, but I should have more news by Tuesday, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone, and go to some concerts tonight!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

This Weekend's Local Concert Previews!!

Another big concert weekend is upon us, and today, I'll let you know everything you should know in advance of your concertgoings over the next few days! There's some welcome returns, common sights, and lots of heavy and fun music for you metal and hard rock fans this weekend, so let's begin this packed post of concert previews for the next few days! (And before anyone asks, I regrettably can't hit any shows this weekend, I'll be in Detroit for some family stuff through Monday or so. I'll be at more shows in March, you have my word!)

We'll start at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT, where the second ever bi-weekly punk night takes place! Like the first one though, there is heavy music to be had, so here's who to expect! The headliners are young local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off their Rosie debut at last week's metal night concert! Look for a hard hitting set of originals from this promising young band, who should impress any hardcore and metalcore fan in attendance! Joining them are the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage, in their first local concert appearance in 10 months! With loads of unique original material and a sound unlike any band you'll find in town, Sykotyk Rampage will put the "punk" back in "blue Chinese metal crash punk" tomorrow! Still waiting on their new albums though. Opening tomorrow's festivities are the new local stoner rock band Whiskey Skidoo, who cover classic stoner rock material, but I don't know a whole lot about them yet musically. They do cover some heavier stuff apparently though, so keep an eye on them! Like metal nights, this show will have a 9:30 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Although I still question why Changing Waves are on a punk night despite not really being "punk", this sounds like a fun and diverse night of music! I see a lot of promise in Changing Waves, I've always enjoyed Sykotyk Rampage's unique sound and humour, and Whiskey Skidoo sound original for a local band! If I could be in town for this one, I'd be there for it! Check the above links for more on this show, and for a video preview, here's Changing Waves playing their song "Lockdown" at The Oddfellows Hall in December! Remember, this show is TOMORROW NIGHT!



Now to the Friday shows, and we'll start at Foggy Notions, where "The Gayest Show On Earth" descends onto the local stage! That's literally what it's called, don't blame the messenger! Your headliners are WinkStinger, whose brand of extreme metal will be sure devastate the fans in attendance tomorrow night! They'll almost surely have their sense of humour with them as well, which is never a bad thing! Opening for them on Friday will be local grimecore trio Shit Liver, whose crusty take on death metal and punk will no doubt turn some heads on Friday, like they always seem to do! Sounds like a nice brutal show, hopefully you guys head out for it, I would go if I could! There's no cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time listed on the Facebook event page. If you're looking for a metal assault for your Friday, you can't go wrong with this show! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's WinkStinger playing their song "Cheese Grader Face" live at Foggy's from October's Zombie Walk Afterparty!



The other hard rock/metal show taking place only on Friday this weekend is the latest solo concert from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! Continuing with his bi-weekly concert arrangements in the Heyden area, Tym returns to The Eagles Club on Trout Lake Road for another set of acoustic hard rock classics! The show starts at 9:00 PM tomorrow night, there is no announced cover charge, and I believe you must be 19 to attend. Not too much to say differently on this show, it's your standard Tym Morrison solo show, featuring loads of covers of songs of all genres, in an acoustic intimate setting! It's a bit of a drive for many of us, but while the wait continues for Caveman Morrison's return, this will do nicely! For more details, check the above links and the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym's newest solo acoustic song, "Someday"!



Let's make a brief stopover in Sault Michigan for a pair of shows this weekend at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! Tomorrow night and Saturday night, Cheboygan hard rock trio Peril will return to Kewadin for a pair of hard rocking nights of music! These will be their first local stops since the I-500 Pub Crawl, and their first shows at Kewadin of 2011, where they will return for at least four additional dates through September. This is your only chance at present to see Peril until the summer, so make it out to the casino this weekend if you can! Like most of their local shows, this should have a 9:00 PM start time and no cover, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details, check the above links and their official Facebook page! Sounds like a solid weekend of music from Peril, whose classic metal attack (with originals and covers galore) will no doubt get fans going tomorrow night and Saturday night! Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's a video of Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" in Traverse City last year!



Back to Sault Ontario to close today's post, and we'll head back to The Roosevelt Hotel, which welcomes more rocking music tomorrow and Saturday night! Local classic hard rockers Turner Up will hit The Rosie once again to deliver their brand of increasingly heavy rock music to their loyal fans this weekend! Nothing new to say on these shows compared to their usual gigs, they'll be on at 10:00 PM both nights, there's no cover, and there's a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always good to see Turner Up out there, and they have no shortage of songs to play or future shows to headline, so make sure to check them out this weekend and have a good time! Check the above links for more, and to preview their weekend sets, here's Turner Up covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" last month!



Meanwhile, at Foggy Notions on Saturday, it's the long awaited return of No Arrow! Yes, the long inactive local grunge trio hit the stage for the first time in at least two years (probably longer) when they back up local/Toronto-based classical punk rockers RedD Monkey at their "Swamp Donkey Romp" concert that night! No Arrow replaced frontman Dann Pichette's current band SBD on the bill earlier this week, and will feature Dann, longtime drummer Joe Falco, and Murder Playground-era bassist Jason Bourcier in the fold for their return! No Arrow and the always creative RedD Monkey will be joined by local bass rockers The Fury and an unknown band named "Sounds From The Green Room". I'd be lying if I claimed to know anything about them, and requests for information haven't helped, so if you know anything about them, PLEASE tell me! This concert starts after 9:00 PM, there's no cover charge, and there is a 19+ age limit. For more details, click here! Sounds like a diverse fun night of music, and the return of No Arrow has me genuinely intrigued as well! Hopefully there's more where that came from! Click the above links for more info, and for a preview, here's a classic No Arrow video from June 2007 of No Arrow playing their original song "Sikkha"!



And last but certainly not least, we'll head to The Rockstar Bar for the long awaited return of Half Past! After a ten month hiatus from the local concert stage, the local hard rock quartet are back with their classic lineup in tow, new material to share with their fans, and hopefully the same energy and talent that won them notices upon their debut under this name in 2009! We haven't seen them on stage since they opened for Garden of Bedlam in April, so this has been a long time coming, but definitely take notice! They're the only band at this show on Saturday night, which will have (oddly enough) a $3 cover charge, and it is 19+ as well. Everything starts at 10:30 PM! I guarantee that I would be at this show if I was in town, cause I've been hoping for Half Past to hit the stage again for months! Very talented hard rock band with loads of good covers and originals to share with their fans, so hit The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night if you can! For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Half Past playing their original song "War Inside My Head" at their last show in April!



That's all for today, in all likelihood, but I will have new news and notes here and there during my weekend in Detroit! If nothing else, I'll try to keep our Twitter page stocked with updates if things get slow. Stay tuned though, and go see some concerts this weekend! I'll be there in spirit! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Laika), Upcoming Concert Updates, And More!!

Good morning, metalheads! It's time to get you all caught up on some more recent news and notes in the local metal/hard rock scene, so here's what's on tap for today! We have our latest weekly classic video, the newest solo material from a local musician, the full lineup for an upcoming concert, and the latest news concerning Half A Man, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

It looks like metal nights at The Roosevelt Hotel are gonna continue well into 2011 (very luckily, thanks Rich!) as I recently came across an out of town band that looks like they'll be on one this summer! The band in question is Laika, a six man melodic death metal band from Manitoba, and they've announced a stop at The Rosie for August 25th, which just happens to be a Thursday! It looks like this will be a part of the band's Eastern Canada tour cycle in August, though specific details on the local date aren't known yet. I assume it will have a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit like other similar shows, but nothing else is known at present. I imagine openers won't be known until the summer either, but you never know! Laika aren't too bad, they definitely make the most of the "melodic" tag in their genre mixing synths with some nice extreme death metal! Vocals are a bit higher toned than I expected going in, but Laika are pretty good, and they should attract a crowd in August! Stay tuned for updates on this show as they come in, and check Laika out at their official MySpace page!

Now to some concert updates, and we'll start with TOMORROW'S punk night at The Roosevelt Hotel, which does apply to the SMS given the participation of Sykotyk Rampage! Two weeks ago, we knew about their participation thanks to a Facebook event page that they launched, but the remainder of the lineup wasn't known at the time. Well, on Monday, promoter Typhoid Meagan finally posted an official event page for this self-described "semi-rushed (and super awesome)" second punk night! So, who's joining Sykotyk Rampage? Well, the headliners will be (oddly enough) local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off their Rosie debut last week at the last metal night! I honestly wouldn't consider Changing Waves "punk" at all, but hey, this will still rock, and they deserve a headlining slot! Sykotyk Rampage are second on the bill, and the openers are going to be stoner rock quartet Whiskey Skidoo, who are known to cover a punk song here and there (even Nirvana and The Queens Of The Stone Age!) I still don't know how they sound live, but hopefully they'll impress tomorrow! Same house rules apply as at most Rosie concerts. Stay tuned tomorrow for more details on this show in our weekend concert previews!

Meanwhile, here's a double shot of news from Brimley hard rockers Half A Man! Firstly, their announced concert on March 26th at The Merchant's Bar has been pushed up 3 weeks to April 16th. Why? I don't know, the band didn't go into detail on their Facebook page, but I imagine it was a schedule conflict. It should be noted that Mikey Bishop was stating there that he couldn't play the original March date due to prior family commitments, but whether this was related isn't specified. With that said, Mikey has officially announced that he is now the band's full time drummer, replacing Doug Reed in that position. Again, no reason was given on band pages, but Mikey is more than qualified, and I imagine Doug's personal problems are connected to this change. Still, best of luck to Doug, he's a good drummer! This may seem out of character given Mikey's past work in death and black metal bands, but if you've heard his live work with Half A Man, you won't see any problem! Check the above links for more, and remember to go see Half A Man at "The Merch" in April!

Fourthly, here's the latest original solo material from local guitarist Mike Cliffe! He's posted three new songs onto his Reverbnation page in the past little while, so here's what you should know before checking them out! One is entitled "Winter Takita Bird", and it takes a different approach featuring synthed orchestral-sounding music and unique drumming, with no real guitar until the last minute of the track. It's not what I'm used to, but it works for it's style! Has sort of an East Indian feel at points, if that's accurate. Another newly posted song named "Mud Sandwich" is closer to what we're used to from Mike's solo work. Nice riffing and solid solo sections, it has an old school feel at points, while still being heavy and retaining a unique quality! The third song is simply called "Name This Song" because Mike literally wants you to name this song! If you have a suggestion, you can post it on Twitter with the hashtag "#audiofumes" and Mike could select it as this song's title, or use it on a future track! Musically, this is the most different of the three new songs, with an atmospheric and very light feel throughout with techno flourishes. Hard to explain, but it's very unlike most of his past work. Click here to check out all three new songs, and the rest of his posted solo stuff! His talent and diversity shines again here, and though I like "Mud Sandwich" the best, all are valid songs that should be heard! Check the above links for more!

And finally, here is this week's classic video! In honour of their return to the stage on Saturday, I have uploaded a new video of local grunge trio No Arrow onto The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel! Now most No Arrow videos have made it to YouTube through frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel, but here's one that never got posted there, despite other songs from said performance being uploaded there already. This comes from (I think) a set the band played on June 16th, 2007 at a Sault Area Wrestling card at The Elks Lodge. I believe the card was called "Revenge's Warpath", and if you were there, you may have recognized Energy Rock Radio's own Ryan McQueen as one of the wrestlers (source here, 3rd picture.) I love wrestling, but I couldn't make this card, so I can't verify if the above information is 100% accurate, but I tried! This video in particular was filmed by an attendee, and was later uploaded by Dann onto Facebook, and you can check the original video out at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=4833374126. In this video, No Arrow covered The Stooges' "Search & Destroy", and didn't do a bad job of it!

It was effectively grunged up, and they made it their own! The video quality isn't spectacular, but the audio's better, so that's good! Also nice to see former bassist Harley Syrette on stage again here, he's a great bassist! I just wish the full song was included, only 3 minutes of video were filmed. Still, check out our latest classic video below, and go see No Arrow in their return on Saturday!



That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight or early tomorrow for weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

It's not often when we have a post dedicated solely to new videos, but how about two such posts in the same month? Well, here's another four-pack of newer videos with a local metal connection that you guys should check out, and as always, we'll go in alphabetical order! So, get your eyes ready for some new moving pictures of some prominent local bands!

Firstly, we finally have embeddable video footage of Half A Man in action! The Brimley hard rockers had previously only posted videos on Facebook, which stubbornly continues to not allow embedding of videos uploaded there. Well, Half A Man have launched a new YouTube channel which currently features two videos from their most recent concert on February 3rd at The Bird from the I-500 Pub Crawl! The videos are of the band playing their original songs "Drunk" and "Slow Rock 75", and both are of fairly good quality! Shot with a stationary camera, the band is further away from the camera than I'm sure we would have liked, and other attendees can get in the way of the band on both videos. Everything's clear though, and you can hear the band very well! Both are solid hard rock songs, can't complain too much, and I like how Erik Rintamaki uses his voice on the material! I'm embedding "Drunk" below for it being faster and heavier than "Slow Rock 75", but neither are soft by any means, so give them both a look! Half A Man have nowhere to go but up, so keep an eye on them! So visit the above links for more videos, and here's "Drunk" from earlier this month!



Next up, here's the newest video footage from Lion Ride's most recent local concert, on December 28th at The Canadian Nightclub! This is a short 28 second clip of the band playing their original song "Cocaine Crazy" at that show, and it was uploaded by drummer Iron Mike Bison (Mike Indovina) on his new YouTube channel on Wednesday. This was filmed by an attendee of the concert, and I take it by the extremely scratchy audio quality that this was filmed on a cell phone camera or something similar. The video quality's good though, you can see everything clearly, and the filmer had a good spot to get footage! It's just the audio that brings everything down, but you have my word that they sounded great on this song! So give the newest Lion Ride footage a look below, but be warned about the audio and the short length!



Thirdly, here's a new solo track from Tym Morrison, but unlike the other recent ones I've posted here! Since Tym began posting material again on his YouTube channel, the only ones I've shared here have been his new acoustic solo tracks, but he's also posted some comedic songs as well, including a parody/bash of 50 Cent, a comedy skit making fun of country music (watch for the Iron Maiden part), and a techno song/tech support parody named "Potato Salad"! Funny stuff, you might have heard other similar tracks on Tym's official website too, like "Punk Music Is" and "Sheep Song". Well, I never mentioned those in-depth as they weren't really metal or like his live material, but this one sure fits! It's a metal song named "Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire", and the lyrics are just children's recitations and rhymes with interesting edits made where appropriate! It actually isn't that bad of a song on it's own, but the amusing lyrics add a unique quality to it. I wonder if we'll ever hear these comedic songs live? Still, check the above links for more, and here's "Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire"!



And last but not least, here's the latest video footage from Woods of Ypres! Uploaded onto frontman David Gold's YouTube channel on Friday, this is edited much in the same style as their tour vlogs from last summer, and it features 3/4 of Woods of Ypres (Joel Violette was absent) on their road trip to their special concert in Richmond, Virginia on February 12th as part of this year's Heart of Winter Festival! This was their first concert following the fake breakup and the Earache Records signing as well, so it is a notable show on a couple of accounts! I won't give too much away, but the video includes footage of their drive to Virginia and what they did to pass the time, the selection of video games at the bar they played at, and of course, performance footage! It's odd seeing David without his "UNREST!" guitar, but the band sound good as always! It's always good hear this stuff again, though I'd love to see full unedited songs from this set. The absence of a second guitar isn't as noticeable as I was expecting either, but it'd be nice to hear, especially on the "W4" songs! Good quality overall too, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more Woods of Ypres news in the near future! Oh, and go see them on March 10th at The Rosie!



That's all for now, but I will have more news and notes tonight or early tomorrow, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Late & Loud & As It Stands) And More Concert Updates!!

Hey guys, I have a stacked lineup of news today, all revolving around either new concerts or updates to existing concerts! With all of our special feature posts for this month now out of the way (check out my Bad Side CD review from yesterday if you haven't yet), we can now focus on business as usual, and let's launch this post with a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

New local metal quartet Late & Loud have announced a short notice concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Foggy Notions! The news was broken on the band's Facebook page, though it should be noted that this was originally advertised as a Sunday show on a now deleted posting. No major details have been stated on this show, though a Monday nighter does seem odd when it's not a weekly arrangement. If my memory serves me correctly, this will be their first official concert outside of open mic performances at The Outback, unless some unadvertised shows slipped me by. A 9:00 PM start time is listed, there's no advertised cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. Remember, this is the metal band featuring former Losing Ground frontman Jonathan Tiberi, noted local guitarist Brendan Christie, and ex-Glass Statues members Benn Garside and Josh Hatherly, and they play a mix of classic covers and some original material. Should be an interesting set from them tomorrow night, head out to Foggy's if you want to check them out! For a preview, check out some live videos of Late & Loud in action by clicking here, as there are three videos of the band in action at that link!

Meanwhile, a new Roosevelt Hotel metal night concert has been announced, and oddly enough, it's a week before the Woods of Ypres show on March 10th (more on that shortly.) An explanation for the two straight weeks isn't out, but I have it on good authority that the punk nights at The Rosie will also go for two straight weeks themselves on the 17th and 24th, with the old bi-weekly schedule for both returning afterwards. With that said, there will be metal for all on March 3rd, and two bands have been announced! One is As It Stands, who've gotta be itching to get back on stage following the cancellation of their all ages show this past weekend. At least this time around, there's more advance notice for you metalcore fans to get down to The Rosie on March 3rd to mosh out! The other confirmed band is Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, who you may remember as the band As It Stands replaced on February 3rd following their last minute drop out of that metal night concert! Their brand of metal will be a new sight locally, but they'll impress in this trip to the Soo on March 3rd! A third band has yet to be confirmed at present. As usual, this has a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and it's 19+. For more details, visit the Rosie metal nights' Facebook page! Sounds like a good time, I'll have updates on this show as they come in!

Now for updates to three upcoming metal concerts, and we'll go in chronological order for these updates. Firstly, experimental rock trio SBD have dropped out of the February 26th RedD Monkey-headlined "Swamp Donkey Romp" concert at Foggy Notions, reportedly due to drummer Shane Triplett's commitments out of town. With that said, there are new bands on this show, including (believe it or not) No Arrow! Yes, the inactive grunge band featuring SBD frontman Dann Pichette (thanks to him for much of this info) will reunite for their first public show in years at this February 26th concert! Dann tells me that drummer Joe Falco and Murder Playground-era bassist Jason Bourcier will join in for the show as well, which sounds very cool! The Facebook event page hasn't been updated to confirm their addition, but Dann asked them to add No Arrow in a comment, so there's some proof for now! There is more lineup news though, as local bass rock trio The Fury will also be on the lineup, providing another unique flavour to this concert! A fourth band named "Sounds From The Greenroom" are also listed for this show, but I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about them. If you guys have any info on them, if they're even really a band, let me know at robertfigures@hotmail.com! Stay tuned for updates on this show as they come in!

Next, here's some updates concerning the March 10th Roosevelt Hotel metal night headlined by Woods of Ypres! Firstly, this will be the first metal night (to my knowledge) to have a cover charge, as it will cost $3 to get in. This may seem odd, but for a band of Woods of Ypres' calibre, the money does make sense! With that said, it looks like both opening bands are now confirmed, so here's who to expect! One is local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, fresh off rocking The Rosie this past Thursday! They'll fit well as openers, so look for their brutal attack of originals and covers on March 10th before Woods of Ypres take the stage! Now when the original openers statement was made on Friday morning on the Rosie metal nights' Facebook page, the second openers weren't known. Well, I can now confirm that the second openers are local death metal rockers State of Misery, as confirmed on their Facebook page! Sounds good to me, these two bands will fit just fine as openers for this very big show on March 10th! I'll absolutely see you guys there!

Finally for tonight, here's the latest news on the massive all ages show on April 9th at The Oddfellows Hall! A twelfth and final band has been confirmed for this show, that being young local hardcore quartet Changing Waves! I figured they'd be the replacement if Bring The Fallen did drop out, but luckily, they're on either way! And no, I haven't heard anything definitive either way on Bring The Fallen's status, but if something comes out, I will absolutely have it! My final major note today on this show is that the order for this show has now been confirmed, with each band playing for 45 minutes or less, factoring set-up time in. From 3:00 PM-midnight, the bands will play in this order (barring a change): The Tenagens, Changing Waves, State of Misery, Sativa Rose, Shit Liver, SBD, The Bear Hunters, WinkStinger, Bring The Fallen(?), As It Stands, The Fury, and RedD Monkey. For full current details, visit the official Facebook event page! This show sounds awesome, esepcially given the volume and talent of the involved bands! So much newer young talent in this town, it's very nice to see! Check the above links for more details!

That's all for tonight, but I have more news and notes to share in the next couple days, though I can't promise a post tomorrow due to homework commitments. I'll be back soon though, stay tuned!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bad Side - "...Bad Things Come In Threes" Review!!

It's time once again for another CD review at The Sault Metal Scene! With no new local album releases imminent, we'll dip into the archives once again this month. This is a landmark in that it's both our 20th CD review since we started monthly album reviews in July 2009, and it's the first time we're reviewing a third album from a local band! The band in question is the now defunct Sault Michigan classic hard rock quartet Bad Side, and today, we're reviewing their third and final studio album, "...Bad Things Come In Threes"! Released in August 2008 through Vicious Music, this album was also recorded at Hitmakers Digital Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just like for their first two albums. As was the case on prior releases, Melissa Krahnke provided vocals (as well as saxophone and keyed instruments), Jason Mapes handled the guitar, backing vocals, and some keyboard work, while longtime studio collaborators Rich Blair & Dan Furmanik covered bass and drums respectively. I believe this album was self-produced, but it was completely mixed and mastered by noted producer Beau Hill, who's worked with everyone from Alice Cooper to Warrant, so you know things will sound good!

With the band now broken up, their albums are all currently out of print. Limited quantities of "Bad Side III" are still available to purchase through their CD Baby page (along with mp3 copies) for $9.99 or less. I recommend a CD, as you'll get more for your money, so head there A.S.A.P.! Their albums are also all available on iTunes, and certain other internet sites will have "...Bad Things Come In Threes" and the first two albums for sale in CD and digital formats, though I recommend CD Baby and iTunes. Grooves Music in Sault Michigan may have some copies left in stock too, but I'm not certain. If you want to stream the songs before buying, their official YouTube channel has 10 of the songs from their last album, but please buy it and show some support! There's 12 songs with around 53 minutes of material on "Bad Side III", so let's begin with the first track, "I Could Make You Want Me"! (Updated on November 8th, 2012)

To start the album, Bad Side were wise to lead off with "I Could Make You Want Me", as it's one of those songs that seems to really encapsulate their sound! Classic hard rock goodness, you can't too wrong with that! Jason Mapes' guitar works stands out from the start, I like his riffing, and the overall groove of the song is very catchy! Melissa Krahnke's soulful voice is back in form, but I have to say, I think she was more reserved vocally than she could have been. Her singing for the most part is in lower register and doesn't convey a lot of excitement that I assumed the opening track would have. Jason's solo on here is short, which was a recurring problem on "Bad Side II", but hopefully this won't be a continuing trend from their last album. Rich and Dan are perfectly fine on bass and drums also, they add to the song well! I can't really say too much about "I Could Make You Want Me" though, it's classic Bad Side! No major risks, nothing horrible, it's a solid opener, and it's better suited for this position in the track listing than "Living In Fear" was on their last CD. I have a feeling the best is yet to come!

Second is "Dig That Hooch", and I have to say, I immediately liked this song thanks to the riff! Very heavy, it gives me some nice hope for this track! The promise continues into the first verse, as Melissa's singing is much more animated and energetic, and it suits the tone the song has set! There isn't one bad element of the song... until the chorus. The chorus doesn't seem to fit the song as well as I expected. I think it's the guitar, which suddenly seems to play at a different style than the song had previously, and it doesn't gel. Hard to explain. Jason's solo is great though, even if it's short, I really like the stuff he was playing in this one! This is definitely better than "I Could Make You Want Me", and you could say I'm really "digging the hooch". Yeah, I know that's bad. If the chorus was made heavier and less "upbeat" with the guitar, it'd be even better, but all things considered, it's a great song, and gives me good hopes for the rest of the album!

The keyboard work we often saw on Bad Side's first two albums returns on track three, "Give It Till Night", and it's a constant throughout the song! Honestly, I think it takes away from the track, though it has an old school flair that reminds me of the keyboard work from a Doors like band. Melissa's really good at the keyboard, but we hear too much of the same from it constantly, and I think the song would stand better without it. The keyboard solo isn't bad, but a guitar solo would have been nice too. It's not as heavy as the opening songs, but it's more melodic, and Melissa shows her range really well with some softer singing sections that I'd love to hear more! There's some nice galloping guitar here halfway through the verses, and Dan Furmanik's drumming is the best I've heard so far as well! Of Bad Side's songs with piano or keyboards, this definitely isn't their best (not as good as "Lie", at least), but it has a nice melody, and it's not a bad song, just repetitive and not as heavy as I'd have hoped. The fourth song, "Dead On", immediately seems like Bad Side threw a lot of styles together and hoped it would mesh, to mixed results. The guitar work is slow and methodical, the keyboard seems very light and soft, and the singing is heavy and aggressive. It seems like tracks from a few songs were slapped together, and nothing seems to flow and mesh like you'd assume. I do like Jason's use of pinch harmonics, Melissa sounds really good, and Rich's bass lines are solid, but nothing seems like it mixes together very well, and the lack of a guitar solo and the abrupt ending don't help either. Good song, but definitely not Bad Side's best, and they really should have focused on one element of the band and wrote a complete song that matched it.

Fifth on "...Bad Things Come In Threes" is "Shame To Waste It", which returns the band to what they do best, rock out with some classic influenced hard rock! I like Dan's drum intro, and the guitar riffing is really good, even if it is a bit slow. Melissa's singing is at it's bluesy best on this song, though she could have added some more singing to the choruses. There's even a harmonica sounding interlude, giving the song a southern feel, though it did take the place of a guitar solo. The only part of the song that I really feel is distracting is the dragged out ending, which seems forced to lengthen the track, though Melissa's vocals help break it up. This is one of the better songs so far on the CD, though I'd still put "Dig That Hooch" just a bit above it! This is followed by "Hold On", which starts with an organ intro giving a sort of choir vibe to the opening. Unexpected but original, it's nice to see a different sound here and there! When the song launches into full band mode, I'm glad to note that the organ actually adds to the song well, giving the best keyed instrument use of the album so far! It actually drowns out some of the instrumentation, but at least it flows with the material! Melissa's singing works for the tone of "Hold On", but her lyrics get repetitive at points. I'd like to see punched up guitar too, it feels like an afterthought for much of the track. It's not a very heavy song, but it's the best of the keyboard/organ tracks so far, and it has an epic quality at points, so thumbs up!

The second half of the CD begins with "Hit Me", which has a great heavy opening, and that continues into the first verse! This song also includes keyboard playing, but it's almost inconsequential to the song, and doesn't add or subtract anything from it. This another solid bluesy hard rocker, and definitely a highlight track on the album. Melissa's at her bluesy best here, though some widening of her range could boost the song as a whole. Jason's on fire with his riffing, he has an ear for catchy guitar work! Dan Furmanik's drumming is solid and purposeful, and the use of backing vocals is a nice addition! It's a wonder they didn't include backing vocals more on earlier tracks! Jason's finally got another guitar solo here too, which is well played, but again, too short. Another solid song, definitely one of Bad Side's best so far, hopefully there's more like this to come! Eighth is "Run Home", which restores some of the horror movie feel from "Bad Side II's" "Living In Fear", thanks to the piano playing, which gives a creepy vibe like you're being chased. You'd have to hear it to understand. Melissa sounds almost reserved on this track, but I imagine that's part of the vibe she's trying to give to the song. The solo is the best part of the song actually, which is actually fairly long for a change, and adds some much needed heaviness to "Run Home"! I appreciate the atmosphere being attempted here, but I think they placed too much emphasis on the vibe the piano gives, except for Jason's solo. So while it's uneven, it has some really good elements!

Song number nine is "Better Start Walkin'", which actually begins with around 20 seconds of acapella singing. Bluesy but heavy, I expected this to launch into a hard rocker, but it's actually an acoustic song! This has the feel of an unplugged blues song, and I can picture the band sitting on stools playing this to a small audience. It's well played, but I'd like to have seen a complete and total acoustic ballad from Bad Side before they broke up. Melissa has nice soft singing that would work for that if she chose to use it, I remember hearing it more on their debut. Here, it's more of her singing in her heavy blues style over a song that doesn't 100% work for it. Plus, the song does get fairly repetitive, despite it being the album's shortest track. It works for what it is, but for an unplugged track, they could have altered a few things. Tenth is "Government Cheese", which brings the talkbox effects back that we saw on songs like "My Math Teacher Is A Nazi". Like that song, this one takes a humourously critical approach, this time attacking and criticizing an unnamed politician. Nice to see the band getting some comedy back on this album, and there's some interesting passages about what Melissa wants the politician to promise. Jason uses the talkbox to it's fullest here, including on a "solo" that actually came out well! Solid hard rocker with some funny moments, this is definitely one of my personal favourites!

The penultimate song of Bad Side's last CD is "Have You Any Fear", which is a slower heavy number, and the piano in this song actually adds to everything for a change! Melissa's on top form vocally, sounding soulful and melodic like we've come to expect! Richs bass is fairly good here, and the song works despite not being very fast or energetic. It has a purposeful pace and a lot of passion, though again, a guitar solo would add to the song. At 5:17, this is the CD's longest song, but it honestly doesn't feel like it, and doesn't drag at all. "Have You Any Fear" shows off Melissa's piano work really well, but the song does wrap around it too much, and it's not really a memorable lasting tune past the piano parts. Good song though! Bad Side closed their final album in a fast and hard rocking way with "What I Know Is Mine", and this is a great way to cap off the CD! It's a fast paced hard charging number that doesn't retain a lot of their bluesy influences, but has great energy! Singing's good, guitar's heavy, the keyboard adds to the song, and it's a fun closer to the album! I'd like to have seen more of a guitar solo, but the keyboard solo works well enough. Though it's a good song, I miss the bluesy feel that so many of their past songs retained, with only Melissa's vocal tone helping retain that at all. The ending's abrupt too, but really, their end as a band felt that way as well, so it's oddly fitting. Great song though, despite it's difference from older songs, and it's still a nice rocking way to end this album!

So what's the verdict on Bad Side's final CD? Honestly, it's much the same as "Bad Side II", I kind of see these albums on the same level. Both have many great moments but an uneven quality. "...Bad Things Come In Threes" only really seems different in the more serious tone that the album takes as a whole, with less humourous moments than they had on their second album. With that said, the band sound great as they did before! Melissa's deep soulful vocals continued to add a nice quality to their material, and she'll be missed locally now that she's moved on as a radio DJ in Pennsylvania. I'd loved to have heard more of her soft ballad-esque singing, but her range and tone kept things sounding good throughout this CD! Jason Mapes continued to impress on guitar, despite the amount of shorter-than-hoped guitar solos. Though his music career continues with Nashville-based solo work, his proficiency and songwriting skills will be missed locally as well! Rich Blair was consistently good on each song without fail, and Dan Furmanik's drumming was also solid, with lots of loud and proficient playing! Look for both on Jason's upcoming solo material as well. These four had good chemistry in-studio, and Beau Hill's mixing made things sound great, as we had come to expect from "Bad Side II"!

As I said though, it's uneven. Jason's guitar solos were often too short (save for on "Run Home"), Melissa could have used her range better on some songs, and the use of keyed instruments was a detraction for one too many tracks. Songs like "Give It Till Night", "Dead On", and "Better Start Walkin'" were examples of songs that had good elements, but were too flawed to be standout tracks. But when they were on, they were REALLY on! "Dig That Hooch", "Hit Me", and "Government Cheese" showed the side that I still think Bad Side were best at: Classic hard rock with a healthy blues influence. They did it at their best abilities, and with no regrets! Bad Side described the sound of this album as "hard rock with melody and a punch that will crack a rib", which is definitely true for at least most of the songs on "...Bad Things Come In Threes"! I wouldn't say they were the most consistent band in terms of sound, but they took risks, and I applaud that. With their demise, the best we can hope for in the future is their upcoming DVD release (if it's still on) and maybe a reunion down the road, but for the time being, this serves as a very satisfying closing statement for Bad Side's six year run, which fans new and old should appreciate! Check this CD out, and best of luck to Melissa, Jason, Rich, Dan, and every other former Bad Side member in the future!

And so concludes our 20th CD review! So what's being reviewed on the SMS next month? Well, here's what I'm planning. If one of the many local bands with an album/EP/CD in the works releases theirs by March 26th, I'll review that, and if two or more release one, I'll review the most prominent of the two. The only exception will be for any possible new material from Mike Haggith, as it'll be too soon from my review of "Suspended Animation". If nothing new comes out, I will post our first archive review of a Sault Ontario band's album since June. Which one though? Well, keeping with my attempted trend of tying in features and posts with upcoming concerts, my plan is to review Woods of Ypres' debut EP "Against The Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat"! I haven't reviewed a Woods of Ypres CD since December 2009, and with a show scheduled for next month, it only makes sense! Of course, this will only happen if nothing new comes out by late March, so stay tuned for updates on that front! So there you go, our next review will either be "Woods I" or something new!

That's all for now, but I'll have more news for you guys tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

Hey guys, here's another special post, as we close up our last poll and open our new poll for you to vote in! These tie together very well, and when all is said and done, we'll be one step closer to deciding the top choice on this topic! But first, last month's poll, which had a healthy 39 votes, not too bad! Thanks to all who voted! As you may remember, the question I posed was "What was your favourite metal concert in Sault Ontario in the first half of 2010?" Without any further adieu, here are the results, with my commentary following!

Other (8 votes, 21%)
Total Chaos at The Oddfellows Hall on Nov. 21st (7 votes, 18%)
Endast & Blood Drunk at Foggy's on September 2nd (6 votes, 15%)
Sativa Rose at Foggy Notions on December 31st (5 votes, 13%)
The Mark Rand Band at Coch's Corner on December 29th (3 votes, 8%)
Garden of Bedlam at The Rockstar Bar on Nov. 12th (3 votes, 8%)
Sativa Rose at The Roosevelt Hotel on December 23rd (2 votes, 5%)
Gunz N' FN' Rosez at The Rockstar Bar on Sep. 23rd (2 votes, 5%)
Kiss at The Essar Center on August 10th (2 votes, 5%)
Grady at The Grand Theater on November 16th (1 vote, 3%)
That's Chester at various locations all year (0 votes, 0%)
Frightlight at Coch's Corner on July 10th (0 votes, 0%)
Skull Fist at The Canadian Nightclub on August 11th (0 votes, 0%)
Crued at The Canadian Nightclub on September 4th (0 votes, 0%)
Browbeat & Fitswitch at Coch's Corner on October 9th (0 votes, 0%)
WinkStinger at Coch's Corner on October 30th (0 votes, 0%)
Breaking The Fourth Wall at The Rosie on Nov. 11th (0 votes, 0%)

Of the no vote choices, I can understand why most may have got no votes, but the Halloween show at Coch's Corner AND Skull Fist got no votes? Neither seems right, both were great shows! Grady finished 10th with a single vote, which seems low considering their talent, but I imagine the ticket price scared some people off. Of the three shows who scored two votes (seventh place tie), none surprises me more than Kiss. Only two votes for a show of this magnitude? Honestly, it baffles me, I heard the reaction at the arena for them! The Mark Rand Band's debut and Garden of Bedlam's Rockstar Bar show tied for fifth with three votes each, they had solid finishes in the poll overall, though a higher finish for Garden of Bedlam wouldn't have surprised me. The New Years Eve metal show at Foggy Notions (headlined by Sativa Rose) finished fourth with five votes, which is a great sign for youg local metal bands going forward, if it can place high like that! The Endast show at Foggy's from September finished third with six votes, which makes sense, as it was a well attended and very heavy concert! Second, the highest rated actual concert, was the Total Chaos punk show in November featuring local metal opening bands. Nice high placement for it, I figured it'd do well in the poll! But first place really shocked me, as "Other" won. There was that much sentiment for shows that didn't make the actual poll? Well, there were some notable shows last year that featured metal bands, but not the majority of the lineup, so it's understandable on that level!

Of course, as I previously promised, it's now time to tie up all the loose ends on this poll subject, as we pose this question to you for this month: "What was your favourite local metal concert of 2010?" We asked you your favourites for each half of 2010, but now, the top votegetters will face off one last time to determine a favourite, once and for all! The choices this time around are all of the concerts that got a vote or more in one of the above polls (except Ultraviolence's concert in January 2010, as it got just one vote despite having the longest gap between show & poll, so it was removed on that basis.) As a referesher, here's the details on each choice for the poll, with changes and edits made where needed, so you guys know what's available to vote on!

Bands: Bring The Fallen, Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, and DJ Spruceau
Venue:
Nite-Life Dance Club (last seen as GLOW Nightclub)
Date: February 20th
Info:
SooToday's Donna Hopper organized February 20th's Algoma Hope4Haiti event across numerous local venues in Sault Ontario to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief, and the most notable metal-wise was at Nite-Life, where young local metal bands Bring The Fallen & Out Of The Mouth Of Babes delivered a moshing good time! Also notable as O.O.T.M.O.B.'s only live concert appearance before As It Stands' return, it was an excellent show, but do you agree?

Bands: Sense of Truth & The Groove Committee (now Call Me Allen)
Date: February 26th
Info:
A slightly impromptu show, Sense of Truth played their first headlining concert of 2010 on February 26th at The Canadian with the debuting local rock band now known as Call Me Allen, featuring former Soldiers of Misfortune bassist Alex White! Sense of Truth treated fans to many of their great originals and select covers! Finally got to end my bad-luck streak of missing their shows with this one, and it was great! Would you say the same?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam, Papa Fogals Chair, and Pistols At Dawn
Date: February 27th
Info:
Garden of Bedlam hit the stage for the first time in 2010 for this special concert on February 27th, where they were joined by drummer Derek Turner's old band Papa Fogals Chair in a rare live appearance! Also featuring London's Pistols At Dawn, the bands played to honour PFC percussionist Adam Chillman's birthday! It must have been a very special (and metal) night on February 27th, but was it your favourite show so far in 2010?

Band: Turner Up
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: March 27th
Info:
Turner Up played numerous concerts in 2010, but I'm including their March 27th specifically show here for the extra hype it received, thanks to professional recording at the show and the kick-off of t-shirt giveaways! If you were there, would you consider it your favourite show of 2010 so far? (Note, you can vote for other shows from Turner Up here if you want, as they had numerous shows and many different singers, so you could feel differently for others.)

Bands: Garden of Bedlam & Half Past
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: April 2nd
Info:
In their last concert in Sault Ontario before they hit the studio to record their first full length album, Garden of Bedlam rocked The Canadian Nightclub to it's core at this April 2nd concert which also served as the official launch party for their official website! They were also joined by local hard rockers Half Past in their last concert of 2010, and they also delivered a great set themselves! Awesome concert, would you agree?

Band: Caveman Morrison
Date: April 9th-10th
Info:
Caveman Morrison also played numerous concerts in 2010, but because this was their first weekend set at The Rosie since it's return to metal concert booking, I'll give it placement on the poll! Tym Morrison and company delivered more of their heavy metal covers and great sounds to The Rosie on this April 9th weekend! Were you there? If so, was one of these shows your favourite? (You can vote for other Caveman shows here too, they had many in 2010.)

Band: Crued
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 1st
Info:
Another notable tribute band hit The Canadian on May 1st for a night full of Motley Crue classics as Crued rocked Sault Ontario! Possessed with an authentic Motley Crue sound and look, Cured delivered on all accounts for this show, and even brought along Alleykatz Studio to do piercings and tattoos at the concert! Likely the next best thing to seeing Motley Crue live, how'd you enjoy this show, if you went?

Bands: Lion Ride & Sense of Truth
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 22nd
Info:
Despite playing during the May 2-4 weekend and having to compete with good camping weather, Lion Ride and Sense of Truth delivered a high octane night of hard rock to the fans in attendance for this show! With new material in hand, they made sure to pack in as much good music as they could for us to enjoy, including new originals! Also notable as Sense of Truth's most recent local show, this was one of my favourite concerts of 2010, how about you guys?

Bands: Bring The Fallen, SBD, The Fury, and The Tenagens
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: May 28th
Info:
Despite the absence of bassist Nolan Rainville, Bring The Fallen captured their third battle of the bands win in four attempts at Downtown Showdown on May 28th, the Sault Youth Association-hosted battle designed to promote and find young local talent! Local experimental hard rockers SBD also impressed in their second live appearance! This then-rare concert at The Oddfellows Hall went over very well, what do you guys think though?

Band: Frightlight
Venue: Coch's Corner
Date: June 16th
Info:
Ah yes, the "secret" show. Frightlight played an unadvertised concert at Coch's Corner on June 16th, their first with Jeff Richards on drums and their first since their Halloween 2009 debut! Great crowd reportedly for this one, among them, a certain band named The Misfits! Can't divulge much else, it was secret for a reason, but it was a show you'll have wanted to be there for! If you were among the lucky attendees, would it be your favourite?

Bands: Kiss, The Envy, and Garden of Bedlam
Date: August 10th
Info:
In terms of sheer scope, this was arguably the biggest concert (of any genre) in Sault Ste. Marie last year! A rescheduling of the postponed December concert we won in Kiss' tour routing contest, the hard rock legends finally came to The Essar Center with pop rock band The Envy in tow, and of course, Kiss Battle of the Bands winners Garden of Bedlam in the opening slot! This was one hell of an experience, and would you rate it similarly high?

Band: Endast, Blood Drunk, and As It Stands
Venue: Foggy Notions
Date: September 2nd
Info: More
devastating out of town bands came to Sault Ontario to rock Foggy's on September 2nd, including Montreal death metal quintet Endast and Kamloops experimental grindcore band Blood Drunk! Though they both delivered a heavy and brutal concert, this was also notable for featuring As It Stands' local return after over a year away from the stage! With loads of moshable music in store, was this your favourite show from last year?

Bands: Gunz N' FN' Rosez & Turner Up
Date: September 23rd
Info:
As Crued's numerous stops here would suggest, tribute bands have a definite place locally, and that shown once again on September 23rd, when Gunz N' FN' Rosez returned to Sault Ontario for a night of Guns N' Roses classics at The Rockstar Bar! With local classic rockers Turner Up as openers, a lot of high quality music was in store for attendees at this concert! So, GNR fans, was this the best concert of the last twelve months?

Band: Garden of Bedlam
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: November 12th
Info:
After many months of album recording and some high profile gigs with Kiss and at Rotaryfest, Garden of Bedlam returned to the site of their Kiss afterparty for a hard hitting metal concert at The Rockstar Bar in November! Despite some issues with the audio equipment (not the speakers, apparently), fans had a great time in their return to the stage, with anticipation growing for their next album! Was this your top show last year?

Bands: Grady and The Motorleague
Date: November 16th
Info:
After over a year and a half without metal shows at The Grand Theater, one popped up in November, headlined by Austin, Texas country metal trio Grady! Their loud but proficient brand of southern fried hard rock left fans satisfied and wanting more, with openers The Motorleague setting the pace with a high energy punk sound! It was great being back at The Grand for a concert, but would you say it was your favourite 2010 concert?

Bands: Total Chaos, Bring The Fallen, Frightlight, RedD Monkey, Shit Liver, and Changing Waves
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: November 21st
Info:
Even though the headliners at this concert were punk legends, there was more metal than punk on this lineup! California's own Total Chaos returned to Sault Ontario for this concert, featuring a great supporting lineup, including Bring The Fallen, Frightlight, cello/punk rockers RedD Monkey, and the live debuts of Shit Liver and Changing Waves! A stacked lineup and lots of punk and metal attitude made this a very notable concert last year, but do you agree?

Bands: Sativa Rose, State of Misery, Shit Liver, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: December 23rd
Info:
New local bands were the theme of the day at this Roosevelt Hotel metal night concert! With classic metal trio Sativa Rose and death metal bands State of Misery, Shit Liver, and the debuting Bear Hunters enlisted on the lineup, fans were treated to some of the best in the new wave of local metal bands in the area scene! I couldn't make this one, but I heard it was awesome, and if you were there, would you agree?

Band: The Mark Rand Band, Destroilet, and The Scary Uncles
Venue: Coch's Corner
Date: December 29th
Info:
The holiday season kept getting heavier thanks to Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand, who enlisted some of his local musician friends to lay down live versions of his solo project's original material for fans back home at Coch's Corner! With the returning Destroilet and local punk trio The Scary Uncles playing support, old school hardcore and punk fans were right at home at this concert! For a great night of aggression, would this have ranked #1 for you?

Band: Sativa Rose, The Bear Hunters, State of Misery, and WinkStinger
Venue: Foggy Notions
Date: December 31st
Info:
If there was a heavier way to end 2010, I don't know if it! The Rosie's lineup from December 23rd (save for Shit Liver, who were replaced by WinkStinger) hit Foggy Notions on New Years Eve to ring in the New Year with tons of extreme and brutal metal! Family commitments precluded me from attending, but those who were there can speak to how heavy this show was! Was the last metal show of 2010 the best?

Other: If you wanna vote for another concert, metal or not, Sault Ontario or Sault Michigan, pick this choice! Remember, for ideas, bands like Three Days Grace, Browbeat, Tym Morrison, Stillbroke, Sykotyk Rampage, 40 Sons, Black Dog, Who Made Who, Hells Bells, Ultraviolence, The Entropy, 2112, Crush, Phatstick, Skull Fist, The Isosceles Project, That's Chester, Breaking The Fourth Wall, and more rocked Sault Ontario in the last half of 2010, along with extra shows from some of the bands in the above choices! Vote here if your choice isn't above!

VOTE TODAY!! I'm interested to see if voting trends continue from original half-year polls, or if new support will pop up! Time will tell, and the results of this final poll on 2010 concerts will be unveiled next month! Stay tuned! That's all for now, but our next post SHOULD be our next CD review, of Bad Side's final album "...Bad Things Come In Threes"! Watch out for that hopefully tonight, but if not, tomorrow. Thanks everyone!