LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Frightlight), A New Local Band, And Lots More!!

Ah, what the hell, here's one more post to close out March with, ending our busiest month ever with 38 posts! Today, we have the latest from Energy Rock Radio, the last third of the Woods of Ypres local tour vlog, the newest addition to End of Existence, and a new local band, but the new band won't be leading off the post. Why? I'm tying in a story today with that band, and I don't wanna push the new concert too far back. So I'll lead off with the LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and then, we'll get into the linked stories! Here's what you need to know!

Frightlight are returning to the stage on April 27th for a punk show at Coch's Corner! In what will be their first publically announced 19+ show as a quintet (this month's "secret" show notwithstanding), they'll be one of two support bands for Southern Ontario hardcore punk quintet The Endprogram, in their first local concert stop since hitting The Grand Theater on May 5th, 2009 in support of Canadian punk legends SNFU! Sort of skirting the metal/punk boundaries, their hard hitting punk aggression will be a welcome sight after an almost two year absence! Also playing support are local trio Motion Carried, which means that Rick White will play double duty at this show as their drummer and as Frightlight's guitarist! I still don't know how Motion Carried sound, or even if they're even all that heavy, but hopefully we'll find out soon! My hunch is a slightly heavier version of The Scary Uncles, but I can't say for certain just yet. There is no cover for this show, you must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at 10:00 PM that night. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid concert, maybe I'll check it out! And of course, kudos to new Frightlight guitarist Kevin Powe for the poster, it's great seeing his graphic design work again! Stay tuned for more!

Next up, here's the linked stories, starting with a brand new addition to a local band! Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids epic metal band End of Existence have announced the addition of keyboardist Craig "Tubesock" Harrison to the band, giving them four members (though still no bassist.) This officially reunites Craig with his old bandmates Bob Helsten, Steve Giles, and Greg Giles from such bands as Dust N' Bones and (of course) Integrated System of Machines, which is really cool! Though End of Existence and I.S.O.M. share many similarities, this isn't an I.S.O.M. return. Craig has joined End of Existence, who are their own animal, and it'll be interesting to see how his keyboard work fits with their original material! Further details as to his role in the band (i.e. when we'll see EoE material he plays on, etc.) aren't known yet. My source for the above information is their official Facebook page! It's nice to see Craig back in a band like this, and he should add a welcome dimension to End of Existence! He's always been kind to me and my work on the SMS too dating back to the later I.S.O.M. days, and I can't wait to hear what he has in store this time around!

Speaking of bands involving Craig Harrison, here's that new band! I'm connecting it with the above story because I only found out about this band because of End of Existence's announcements of him joining earlier today. As it turns out, Craig has done recent work with the Giles brothers with a classical metal project named Theatre of Night, and they're on Reverbnation! A collaborative effort to make classical/metal hybrid music, the posted songs range from keyboard-only classical pieces to full band instrumentals, including a good helping of Christmas material! Songs like "Demonslayer", "The Eleventh Hour", and "Carol of the Bells" (previously posted on End of Existence's page at Christmas time) show some nice orchestral sounding metal, while Craig goes solo on some purely classical material like "Seven's Sorrow" and "Twilight In Valhalla" for material that would not be out of place in some epic black metal songs! Also of note: They have an album for sale! For $9.99 ($5.99 for the mp3s), you can buy Theatre of Night's debut album "Christmas Night", featuring their classical metal renditions of 10 Christmas carols! To pick it up (as well as a long sleeved t-shirt), visit this location! This makes perfect sense for a CD review on the SMS, but not now. Does it make any sense for a Christmas review in the spring? I say wait til November or December, I have a hunch we'll be reviewing this then!

Theatre of Night are a really cool sounding band, especially if you enjoy classical music and orchestral metal. Give them a look at the above links, you might be surprised! Stay tuned for more on End of Existence and Theatre of Night as news comes in, and click here to check them out!

Now, to the last third of Woods of Ypres' tour vlog! This concludes the concert clips from the past thirds of the vlog that frontman David Gold has been posting on his YouTube channel, but also includes some post-concert antics, so here's what you should know! The first 5 and a half minutes are comprised of the remainder of the included concert footage that I shot, so if you enjoyed the performance clips from the last two, there's more of it here! After that, there's clips of Woods of Ypres mingling post-show, driving footage of the Sault that night, the band's excursion to Metro to buy frozen pizzas, what happens when David tries a Michelina's frozen dinner, and final footage of the band on Trunk Road as they leave Sault Ste. Marie for their next tour stop! Entertaining stuff, and it's nice to know that they seemed to have a good time back in our burial ground! Stay tuned for more from Woods of Ypres' East Coast tour as it comes in, check the above links for the rest of the vlog and some re-uploaded portions of the vlog that deserve individual attention (boot dancing & swinging beards, anyone?), and here's part 3 of the Sault Ste. Marie tour vlog!



And finally, here's the latest from local internet radio station Energy Rock Radio! Ever the chameleon-like station, Energy Rock Radio's official website has ANOTHER new logo and design, which isn't entirely finished yet, but it looks good! Still, I wonder why they continue to edit and change their look? They also quietly launched a new Facebook page early last month featuring some basic programming information and links to some new merchandise, so become a fan today! Looks like their music selection is bigger than ever, with the 24/7 stream still active, and apparently, DJ Ryan Kaarlela interviewed 3/5ths of As It Stands on air earlier today! Hopefully that gets posted somewhere so we can hear it! Although they don't appear to have much luck in deciding a permanent look, Ryan and the brew crew at Energy Rock Radio are putting in tons of work on the station, and it continues to show! Check the above links for much more, and stay tuned for updates as they come in on the Sault's only internet rock radio station!

That's all for tonight, and for our busiest month ever, and I have more news to share through the weekend, including (yes) my review of TONIGHT'S Rosie metal night! Stay tuned!