Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Newly Discovered Cinderella, Garden of Bedlam, Half Past, and Jim O'Leary Hard Rock Concert Videos!!

Our last post of July is a showcase of live metal & hard rock concert videos from a YouTube channel that I recently came across that hadn't appeared to get a lot of attention (possibly because many videos didn't have descriptive titles.) Uploaded by YouTube user leather1972 (who I believe is Brenda "Leather" Roy, sister of "Soo Stories" author Duane Roy), this channel has had videos since 2007, but Brenda's only been posting live concert videos since February 2012, with the channel mainly based around karaoke performances beforehand (some of which were in Sault Michigan!) A few dozen videos are on her channel from concerts, including non-metal acts like Obsession, Lorrie Morgan, and Greg Lamothe, so be sure to check out Brenda's channel at this location to see her other clips! Today, we'll look at most of the acts on this channel with metal/hard rock performances, and out of fairness, we'll look at them in chronological order (with the latest videos in an upcoming post), so here's what you need to know!

Brenda's earliest concert videos come from Rotaryfest's Second Stage on Queen Street East from July 17th, 2010, as she filmed two videos of headliners Garden of Bedlam's set that night! They're of the prominent local metal band playing their songs "Everything Will Die" (albeit cut at the end) and, as embedded below, "Your Disgrace", and they turned out pretty well! The big flaw is the lighting combined with her camera angle, especially on "Everything Will Die" (way too far from the stage), but she came closer during the second video. This was a well filmed set for the guys, but it's nice to get more angles, so check out more above, and here's Brenda's video of "Your Disgrace" from Rotaryfest 2010!



Also in delayed local concert videos posted last February, she posted four videos from a Rockstar Bar concert by defunct local hard rock band Half Past, which I believe came from singer Luke LeBlanc's last show with them on February 26th, 2011. Brenda's filmed videos were of Half Past (also featuring Skeyes of Seven's Alain Fletcher & Frightlight's Chris Thompson) covering Staind's "For You", 10 Years' "Wasteland", System of a Down's "Aerials", and (as embedded below) Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness", complete with a guest vocalist on a specific part of the song. The videos do suffer from very dark lighting & muffled audio (and the 10 Years & S.O.A.D. songs aren't filmed in full), but the songs are clearly identifiable, and their talents are clear, especially with Alain's guitar work! They're also a good reminder of Luke's vocal talent, and in a perfect world, he'd be on stage rather than in the hopsital. Check out Half Past's Disturbed cover below, see more at the above links, and remember to donate to help Luke's medical funds in his cancer battle by clicking here!



Lastly for her batch of February 2012 postings, Brenda uploaded four videos from Pennsylvania glam metal legends Cinderella's headlining show at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on April 14th, 2011! The videos are of Cinderella playing their songs "Shelter Me", "Gypsy Road", "Shake Me", and (as embedded below) "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", but how did they turn out? Not spectacularly, though she did have a good angle from the left of the stage. The videos are visually grainy, and the audio has stuttering loud portions that make them hard to listen to, which is a shame, as they sounded fine otherwise. Nice to see them all the same, so check out more above & below!



Finally for today's coverage of Brenda's video uploads, we jump forward to last month, as she filmed three songs that Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends (including Obsession's Valerie Powley) played at the Faces of the Soup Kitchen fundraising event at The Machine Shop at Mill Square (the former St. Mary's Paper site) on June 1st. Uploaded two weeks after the event, the videos include Jim & friends covering Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy", The Band's "The Weight", and (as embedded below) Nazareth's "Sunshine"! You may remember "Sunshine" from Local2's video covering this event's artists, and while it's nothing we haven't seen, it's a nice different angle of their set with solid audio quality and a good close angle, so check out the gang covering this Nazareth classic below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more updates soon, including the remaining hard rock videos from this channel! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13), Tesla Concert Videos, And More!!

Keeping the news coming as the month winds down, today's post features some assorted recent news items and the first videos from the most recent major Kewadin Casino metal show, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month on the Canadian side of the border!

Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock quartet Lucky 13 will return to the stage for a one-night-only gig at The Rockstar Bar on August 9th (one week from Friday!) Believe it or not, this will be their first announced show in over three months, which is quite a while compared to similar recent bands, but at least this show has more prominent advance word than their May concert at The Nic! Featuring Route 69 bandmates Ed Vowels (ex-Aftersight) and Jeremey Salatuk (ex-Wishbone) alongside former Turner Up bassist Jeff Gray and Gully Yodelers drummer Roger Sartini, their 1990s-leaning alternative rock covers have served them well since their live debut last fall, and hopefully fans and The Rockstar Bar faithful will welcome them back and rock out next Friday! This show should be a 19+ affair with a 10:00 PM start time, and bring at least $5 for a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Lucky 13 back on stage, so stay tuned for more if it comes in, and our preview of this show next week!

Next up, we finally have some videos from Saturday night's fouth Tesla concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino to share on here! From what I have heard, the show went well, but if you weren't there, now you can be the judge! We'll start with these videos from YouTube user Chuck G. (a.k.a. Goblue610) in his first local concert videos on his channel, as he filmed three of Tesla's softer tracks at the show, including "Love Song", their cover of The Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs", and (as embedded below) "What You Give"! Uploaded to Chuck's YouTube channel yesterday, all are in widescreen definitions from a fairly centered camera angle, and while they definitely sound older and a bit slower from their peak, they can still pull off these old classics, and Jeff Keith still has a solid voice! Good crowd turnout too, but see what you think at the above links, and here's Tesla playing "What You Give" in the Soo on Saturday night!



The other Tesla concert videos that I've found are courtesy of Wawa author (and local rock concert regular) Duane Roy, in what are actually his first local concert videos in 9 months, and first from a local metal show since 2011! Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Sunday, his videos are of Tesla playing "Love Song" (albeit abbreviated) and, as embedded below, "Paradise", so how did these turn out? The quality isn't as consistent (especially the distorted audio on louder stretches), but he appears to be in the front row, and he has a good angle of the band, so it works on that level! It is a shame that the "Love Song" video isn't full though, and that videos of Tesla's heavier songs haven't turned up yet. Check out Tesla's local rendition of "Paradise" below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or artist name:

  • Veteran local drummer Glen Thomas announced on his Freq's Music Planet message board two weeks ago that his progressive rock band Flat Stanley are recording a cover of Don Felder's "Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)" from the soundtrack of the movie "Heavy Metal", just for fun and as a free download. Nice to see more local bands joining Haggith in honouring that movie, and we'll let you know when the final version pops up!
  • Local stoner/death metal band Giwakwa have NOT broken up following their last set with Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville on Friday! In a comment reply on their Facebook page the day before, a member (likely guitarist Chris Page) said that they'd be taking some time to write and record some more songs, and they'd be "ripping up the scene again before you know it", though any potential singer/bassist searches weren't announced. Fingers crossed this turns out to be true, as with Josh & Nolan out, they have big shoes to fill!
  • Chronic Demonic singer Ririe Lavoie (a.k.a. Sabrina Strange) is looking to launch a side project band to cover and play songs similar to bands like Nightwish, Tool, and Otep live. She'd love to get some female members enlisted if possible, but there's no absolute gender restrictions. If you're interested in signing on, message her on Facebook at this location or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Sunday!

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

Monday, July 29, 2013

Bring The Fallen's EP Release, More Rotaryfest Videos, And Some Other Recent News!!

Approaching the end of one of our busiest ever months on the SMS, today's post is half dedicated to the remaining Local2 Rotaryfest hard rock videos, but we also have some shorter recent news items to get to, and leading off, details on a surprise recent EP release, so here's what you need to know!

Let's kick off this post with some info on Bring The Fallen's debut (and only) EP, which FINALLY got a physical paid release at Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their reunion/farewell concert, over four years after sessions began! As you may remember, the sessions for their EP (named "Stand Before") were held in mid-2009 at Green Room Productions with producer (and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist) Brad Griffith, having won them at the YMCA Battle of the Bands that March during their live debut, but financial difficulties left the EP unreleased by the time of their 2011 breakup. Flash forward to last Friday, where fans finally got copies of it, so what should you know? "Stand Before" was released on a pay-by-donation model, and while there was no full artwork or liner notes, the jewel case and CD label are all done up professionally with band photos, a song listing, and two different CD designs released, and I've replicated my copy's design on your right as if it was the cover art.

The EP features their songs "Stand Before", "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", with tracks 2-3 making their official public debut in studio form, having not been uploaded to their MySpace page as a preview at the time. I like what I've heard so far, and it's nice hearing "Kill Your Life" again after so long, but if you missed Friday's show, that was likely the only day that copies will be available to purchase given that it was a one-off return. As for when we could be reviewing it on the site, I won't commit to anything yet, but with Crimson Crusade a lock for next month, it's looking extremely likely for the fall! Stay tuned!

Next up, here's the other two hard rock covers from Rotaryfest's first stage at Clergue Park that we didn't feature on the site yesterday! Filmed by Local2's Mike Caruso as part of his "Everything Sault" series, these were uploaded to Local2's YouTube channel last week. I held back these two from yesterday's post because they're both covers of songs by The Cult, so why not feature them together? The first of them is a cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" from Friday, July 19th's lineup, courtesy of local classic rock cover quartet Mid Life Crysis. Featuring singer/guitarist Dan Hodgson, lead guitarist David Kettles, bassist Lori Reinholtz, and drummer Len Legacy, this is a solid cover for the most part, if played slightly softer than the original, but their talents are on point, and Dan's vocals fit the melody and vibe of the track! Mid Life Crysis are a popular sight for weekend gigs at local bars, and though their sets are completely varied across all genres, they can rock a little harder once in a while, so don't bypass them completely! Check out their cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" below!



The last of Mike's filmed hard rock covers from Rotaryfest comes from reunited local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's set on Saturday, July 20th, as their Local2 video has them covering The Cult's "Fire Woman"! Nice to see the guys back together, and their fun chemistry and talents came back too, but the guitars seem oddly low in the mix compared to some other videos from Rotaryfest that I've seen. I have no idea if That's Chester have any more shows coming up this summer, or if this reunion is on a limited or sporadic basis, but they haven't lost a step in their year-long stage hiatus, so give their "Fire Woman" cover a look below!



Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, company, or event name:

  • Local metal concert promotion agency Dismembertainment is back... just not in the Soo. After a 14 month hiatus, owner Rich Moreland announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that he's recieved an offer to book concerts at The DV8 Tavern in his current home of Edmonton, where he moved last fall. Great to hear, even if it's so far from here, but if you want a concert booking in Edmonton, give Dismembertainment a shout!
  • The proposed Heavy North metal festival in September at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre has quietly been called off in the last month or so, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page. A reason hasn't been publically announced that I'm aware of, but J.D. had a good idea that would be neat to re-explore in the future!
  • Former Turner Up/Johnny Lunchbox singer Krista Marshall is looking to start a new local hard rock cover band that would cover groups like Halestorm and Lacuna Coil. She apparently has a bassist lined up already, and is specifically looking for a drummer and at least one guitarist. It's be nice to have her playing live again, so if you're interested in trying out, message Krista at this location or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Wednesday! (Note that she's not to be confused with recent Haggith guest vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall.)

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Tesla concert videos and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Most Of Local2's Rotaryfest Main Stage Hard Rock Cover Videos!!

With some Tesla videos likely forthcoming (and who knows if more Shinedown videos turned up), let's keep things rolling with a showcase of videos from Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park last weekend! As has become a recent trend, Local2's Mike Caruso was on hand to film almost all of the bands for Local2's YouTube channel, exploiting some multiple camera angles and good weather for some great clips! Posted last week, Mike filmed all of the bands from all three days except Coverfly (though they're featured on non-Rotaryfest videos on the channel), and the odd absence of Fusion videos didn't maintain, as I believe Fusion broke up in the past year. Note as well that Mike also filmed a handful of Second Stage bands (though not Sailor's Tongue), and each video features 15 second opening and closing titles crediting the videos as part of a series named "Everything Sault with Mike Caruso", although there's no host segments or features connecting them as such. The videos are also all letterboxed, yet the post-effects aren't, so why is there a letterbox at all?

By my count, Mike filmed 6 hard rock covers at this year's Stage by local bands, and I've saved two for another post to both keep this one from getting too long (conveniently, both videos features a cover of the same band, hence why I'm holding those ones.) Now, let's look at the first 4 hard rock/metal covers from this year's First Stage at Rotaryfest, and check the above links for the non-metal/hard rock covers filmed for Local2, and check out our Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up review in the post below this one!

We'll go in chronological order starting on Friday, July 19th with local party/cover rock quartet Obsession, as their filmed video was a cover of Heart's "Barracuda"! Mike credited this as their first Rotaryfest appearance "in their present form", and like the past videos of Obsession that I've seen, they have a lot of talent , and Valerie Powley's vocals are impressive and rangy as ever! I've never seen Obsession live, but I remember regretting not coming early for their Toystock set, and I'll have to make a point of seeing them one of these days, as they can definitely pull off some entertaining hard rock renditions when the time calls for it! Note as well that Mike added some post-effects to this video, including some kind of sparkle/brighness effect on the members from the closer camera, and the video fades out before the song fully ends. Check out Obsession rocking "Barracuda" at Rotaryfest below!



Also on the Saturday night was co-headlining local hard rock band The Suicide Kings, whose Local2 video features them covering Three Days Grace's "Animal I Have Become"! This is one of the songs that they played with guest bassist Brandon Uhl (ex-Limelight), so how did he fit in? Pretty well, and I like the fuller sound with Steven Flint & Mitch Sirie sharing guitar duties, but this song isn't a great fit for Mike Gaetano's vocal range, which is odd considering how good his higher register singing usually is. Solid stuff all around though, and this is a good preview of The Suicide Kings' planned quintet expansion and full-time bassist search, so check out The Suicide Kings & Brandon Uhl covering "Animal I Have Become" below!



We'll close this post with the Saturday, July 20th lineup, starting with this video of local classic/hard rock quartet Griphook covering Billy Squier's "Lonely Is The Night"! Featuring guitarist Brian Oja on lead vocals, his range suits the track well, and the guys all seem to have this cover down pat with a good energy and rock sensibility, and hopefully there's more video floating around from their shows last weekend (including 3/4ths of Griphook's turn as The 7 Year Itch later that night.) Note as well that this video also cuts off slightly before the song's actual end. Check out Griphook's "Lonely Is The Night" cover below!



The last video for today comes immediately after Griphook's set, and it's of local classic rock cover quintet Mustang Heart covering Bon Jovi's ballad "Thank You For Loving Me"! (You may remember that their Local2 video last year was a cover of Van Halen's "Jump", so a hard rock cover isn't unheard of for them.) Interspersed with images of happy couples and weddings, and some crowd waving action, it's a solid rendition of the original, and Lorenzo Fabbri's deep clean vocals work well, but fans of Bon Jovi's old hair metal stuff probably won't take to it as much. Check out Mustang Heart's Bon Jovi cover below, stay tuned for another Mustang Heart hard rock cover in an upcoming post, and click here to see Mike Case's Rockers covering another Bon Jovi song ("Who Says You Can't Go Home") on the Friday lineup! Even if it's a country track, the students did a good job!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week, including hopefully some Tesla fallout, more Rotaryfest videos, and much more! Thanks everyone!

Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up Concert Review!!

Apologies for the delay, but here's our review of Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up concert at The Oddfellows Hall! First off, I should address the rainstorm and flooding that happened in town that night, so how did it impact the concert? Not as much as you'd expect. Only one band had to drop out (openers Haggith, due to flooding where they were), and every other band was there in full to rock out, albeit with a slight delay for the start time. Disappointing that Haggith couldn't make it, but I can understand why they didn't risk anything, and go catch their Oddfellows Hall debut at next month's Sewer Swampstravaganza! The rain kept coming down very hard through the first three acts on Friday (it looked like a Woods of Ypres song was pouring on us), and while there was noticeable uncertainty from fans about whether the show would go on, there was nothing to fear! Myself, I left during a power outage in my area, so I gambled on metal overpowering the rain, and we all lucked out! Great attendance too, all things considered, and the strip lighting was a nice touch! As for notes not relating to the band's sets, the reunited Bring The Fallen finally released their 2009 debut EP at the show last night on a pay-by-donation model, and we'll cover that in full probably tomorrow, as this review is already gonna run long.

With Haggith dropping out, the opening band at Oddzfest was local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade in their first live set since their brief breakup concluded! No reference was made to that on Friday night (though they alluded to it on their Facebook page yesterday), so their timeslot was dedicated to rocking out with their usual technical fury, and if there was lingering strife and differences, they weren't visible! Crimson Crusade played all 5 songs from their "Upon The Eve Of War" EP, along with originals "Reality" & "Lost Memories", and a cover of Death's "Bite The Pain", and they were on form from past gigs with lots of brutality and solid skills, though the guys did seem to be a bit stiff in terms of stage presence. Devon Lucier's Death-esque growl cut through the metal well, Robert Sartini continues to impress on guitar, and fans seemed to enjoy everything! It's great to see Crimson Crusade are alive & well, and hopefully they sound even better at the Swampstravaganza next month!

Next up was local sludge/death metal quartet Giwakwa, in their last concert before members Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville move out of town, and perhaps their last show ever? Like Crimson Crusade, Giwakwa didn't address their active status during their set, but given that members are leaving the Soo, I found that they put in a more determined and focused set that definitely throttled attendees! The only big negative I have is that it was basically the same as their last few shows: An instrumental jam followed by their four original songs, so if you've seen them at other shows, their set will essentially have been the same (but with half the band moving, why add new songs?) Musically, they sounded really good, especially with Chris Thompson's solid drumming and Nolan's excellent bass work, but guitarist Chris Page seemed a bit distant and unemotive at times, and he could have been a bit more energetic. Whether this was Giwakwa's last show or just a farewell for Josh & Nolan, they delivered the goods once again, and no matter what, thanks for three great months of stoner metal brutality!

Former Blackwater bassist James Watterworth turned up for his second all ages multi-band concert in a week's span as Oddzfest's third act, and he definitely improved on his Bushplane Musical Madness set! A better crowd and reception, electric guitars rather than acoustic, more slap bass originals, and some guest drumming from The Bear Hunters' Johnny Belanger helped amp up the atmosphere, and I can definitely tell that his cheerful nature and considerable bass talents wowed many fans! I think James' solo material and Delusionares covers have an audience and can fill a good niche, as the reception on Friday would indicate (how can you pass up local slap bass?) Like before, if there's a flaw, it's that this is still very much a solo project, and some of James' songs are just begging for a full band to back him up, so the minimalist nature might not be universal in appeal. James has a lot of talent, and a fun unique spirit and enthusiasm, so if he keeps this up, he'll surely make larger waves!

The middle band of the night was crust/grime death metal trio Shit Liver in their first show in 2 months, and you know they're taking the stage when they can fit 16 songs into an hour without rushing! With the stage fully decked out in Shit Liver style (including the return of Matt Baic's toilet drumstool), the guys tore through originals like "Survival of the Shittest", "Fabricated Nonsence", and their newest song "Liverated" (plus an encore cover of "Greedy Bastards"), and if you've seen Shit Liver at their peak, they'll have similarly delivered on Friday! Granted, their sound is as much of an acquired taste as ever, but Matt, Josh Penno, and Mike Kyle erupted in a furious blend of grindcore and death metal that definitely started some pits and appealed to many death metal fans in attendance! They sounded as good as they ever have, their riffs were crushing, and the metal hit us right in the liver for sure! Now, I have to ask, when's that EP coming out?

Fifth on the bill was local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters in their last set with the aforementioned Josh Stephney on rhythm guitar, and to mark the occasion, they played pretty much every original song in their repertoire (from "Bloodthirst" to "Servitude"), including covers of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" and Mitch Sirie's solo original "Squirrel Buddy", which all seemed to go over swimmingly! Like with Giwakwa, The Bear Hunters put in a brutal and very focused last set with Josh, leaving it all on the stage and unloading their full talent range on the audience, with Mitch's guitar even sounding a bit louder than it has at recent shows! Nik Deubel's newly trimmed beard didn't affect his growling abilities, Justin Lam's bass skills were as excellent as ever, and Josh's rhythm guitar work flowed well for his last set with the guys! Complaints are minor, and relate only to individual songs (like bringing back clean vocals and cutting down the end of "Render This Void", but this was a great way for The Bear Hunters to say farewell to Josh after a solid 2 year tenure!

The co-headliners on Friday were resurrected local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen, in both their first show since the spring of 2011 and their final live concert set, and they lived up to the hype with a brutal and very entertaining run of their classic original songs! Compared to the last few gigs of their active run (which were of mixed quality), they came into Oddzfest like they were gonna win a 4th battle of the bands, and we responded in kind! Most of their finally-released EP (save for "Kill Your Life") was played, along with "Nostalgia" and a mostly-instrumental closing number, and the best mosh pits of the night so far came during their set, which was melodic, brutal, thrashy, and just like it was at their late-2009 peak! Josh's growling was on point, it was great seeing Andrew Chiarello's guitar talents on stage again, and Travis St. Amour's drumming kept pace as well as ever, proving their chemistry hadn't lost a step! I just wish their set ran a bit longer (they didn't have enough practiced songs to do an encore either.)

Still, this finally gave B.T.F. fans proper closure (following the extended breakup rumours and abrupt end 2 years ago), and this was a fitting & brutal farewell to the band that arguably helped kick off our current wave of death metal groups! I know that no matter what, the guys bring the metal wherever life takes them!

The night closed with an awesome set from late-notice headliners West of Hell, in the second local concert appearance from the Vancouver classic metal outfit! Before we get into some of the stranger events of their set, let's cover the music, as it was brutal, fast paced, and melodic as you've come to expect! Much of that comes from the always charismatic Chris "The Heathen" Valagao, whose heavy and soaring metal voice roped us in for the long haul on tracks like "Spiral Empire", "Soultaker", and "To War", and the rest of the band shown their skills as well, with Jordan Kemp's bass and Andrew Hulme's drums keeping up and impressing on their own! Classic metal bands like Striker & Skull Fist are a safe bet around here, and West of Hell are in that mold for entertainment and talent alike, but their stage show is also well worth mentioning. The Heathen's war helmet was back, as was the power grinding sparks and the new foam/snow machine, but the smoke machine's return proved problematic, as it actually triggered The Oddfellows Hall's fire alarm.

Conveniently occurring during a break where the guitar stopped working, the false alarm actually had a fire truck called down to the hall, though the show wasn't cancelled, and once everything was plugged back in, the show went on as scheduled (just, with no more smoke machine.) There was some panic about cops maybe coming down, but for what it's worth, I didn't see any. That strange episode aside, West of Hell delivered in full for their local return, and hopefully they'll come back with some more notice for a third go-round with their local fans! Awesome concert, and it was a great and very brutal way to help send off Josh, Nolan, and Bring The Fallen before the big move! Every band was on fire, the metal overcame the weather, and if there was any sadness or bittersweet feelings, we were too busy rocking out to notice! Thanks again to Josh and Nolan for the great memories and music that they've given since Bring The Fallen's live debut 4 years ago, and I know they'll do what's right for them in the future, no matter what! As for Bring The Fallen's EP (cover pictured), we'll give that some deserved attention on the site tomorrow!

I did get photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Crimson Crusade playing "Pillage", Giwakwa playing "Iron Lung", James Watterworth playing "I'm Gonna Love You", Shit Liver playing the "You Suffer"-esque "Livin' In Shit" and "Shift Liver", The Bear Hunters playing "Karma", Bring The Fallen playing "Exposed Embankment", and West of Hell playing "Water of Sorcery"!















That's all for now, but stay tuned for an all-video post relating to a recent local concert event later tonight! Thanks everyone!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: D3athcharg3r

As a special auto-post while I rock out at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up (the review's coming tomorrow!), here's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! This monthly series looks at a metal/hard rock band based out of town that has featured (or used to have) at least one Sault-area native in their lineup, so we can profile and/or introduce them to a local audience! This month's band only recently entered our radar, but they have very familiar faces if you've attended original metal shows in Sault Ontario in recent years, so read on below for the latest installment of this monthly series! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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D3athcharg3r (London, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Steve Rhodes (vocals)
Andrew Angelic (guitar)
Steve Catunto (bass)
Pete Catunto (drums)

Ryan Richards (vocals)
Jay Guneyler (guitar)
Cory Balger (guitar) 
Brad Coughlin (guitar)
Zach Guest (guitar)

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/d3athcharger
Official Reverbnation page: http://reverbnation.com/d3athcharg3r
Official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/d3athcharger
Official Twitter page: http://twitter.com/d3athcharger
Official Bandcamp page: http://d3athcharg3r.bandcamp.com

Local Info: D3athcharg3r's two newest members are both very familiar to Sault Ontario metalheads, as both Steve Rhodes & Andrew Angelic were both common sights at concerts in the early 2010s! Steve notably fronted death metal bands State of Misery and Bring the Misery, while Andrew took more of a traditional metal bent in bands like Sativa Rose & Chillum, before they joined forces in The Valentine's Day Massacre in late 2011. The V.D.M. were among the most prominent local metal bands through mid 2012 (including opening for Kittie and playing at two battles of the bands), before all band members moved to London for college in September. Though The V.D.M. are now inactive, Steve and Andrew are still going strong after joining D3athcharg3r earlier this year, along with their newest project, V.D.M. successors Saints & Serpents!

Band Bio: Though members have played together for a decade or so under names like Fallen and Infusion, D3athcharg3r itself launched circa June 2010, and have since become a popular and prolific sight in Southern Ontario with their death metal & thrash hybrid sound! Debuting live on August 1st, 2010, they've since played a number of big and notable concerts in their region, including sets opening for Warbringer, Laugh at the Fakes, and Devilz By Definition, and a couple of battle of the bands appearances. D3athcharg3r also released their debut EP "Forged By Steel" in June 2012, which attracted positive notices upon release, with a new EP of some kind currently in the works. Though their lineups have generally been stable, D3athcharg3r acquired a distinct local flavour when Steve Rhodes replaced Ryan Richards on vocals this February, later enlisting his V.D.M. bandmate Andrew Angelic to return them to a quintet in June. Stay tuned for further updates as they continue studio work and play more concerts!

There's not a lot of media online of D3athcharg3r's current lineup yet, but the Facebook videos and media I've heard so far sounds good, and Steve Rhodes is in usual form from his local work, though this band take on more of a thrash/groove influence than his old hardcore-themed work. I will say that his predecessor Ryan Richards has a heavier and more guttural voice that does fit their early material better, but I'd need to hear more before adequately comparing eras. Musically, D3thcharg3r have a very solid and heavy sound that definitely combines death & groove styles well, with intense riffing and a quality rhythm section from the Catunto brothers, but I do find that their earlier production doesn't bring the guitars up enough in the mix, and they sound too empty as a result. D3thcharg3r have a solid chemistry and brutality that death metal fans should enjoy though, and I can't wait to see how they develop in their current incarnation, with hopefully a local date in the future!

D3athcharg3r have a good amount of media online via their "Forged In Steel" EP and numerous live videos (plus their debut single with Steve, "Slow Decay"), so check their Bandcamp, YouTube, and Reverbnation pages linked above to give their material a look! Remember, make sure the 3s are in their name when looking them up, as they're officially in the name, and not just a stylistic option. With nice quality videos of their current lineup now online, here's a professional-shot video of D3athcharg3r playing "Slow Decay" this summer in London!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, and in advance of their local debut opening for The Dayglo Abortions in September, we'll be looking at Cross Dog, the new hardcore punk trio featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand on bass! It's been a while since he's turned up in a new live project, so watch out for this profile on or around August 26th, and we'll see you guys tomorrow with our Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up review and perhaps another post! Thanks everyone!

Tesla Concert Preview, New Sault Michigan Video Finds, And Local Venue Renovations!!

One more post before I head off to Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up (though I may have an auto-post of some kind tonight), so what lies ahead for right now? Today, we have a preview of the next major headlining metal show at the Soo Kewadin, some new videos to share on here from across the river, and some recent concert venue changes (including one in Sault Ontario), so read on below for what you need to know!

TOMORROW NIGHT, Sacramento hair/classic metal legends Tesla will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for their fourth local concert appearance! The band best known for hits like "Love Song", "What You Give", and their cover of "Signs" were last seen here over three years ago when they rocked the Soo Kewadin in June 2010, and it will be great to see them back (with the exact same lineup, no less) to charge the local stage once again with their up-tempo classic metal and hard rock sound which helped them sell over 5 million albums! Like their 2010 date, Tesla's opening band tomorrow will be Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way (featuring Rudyard native & LSSU graduate Zak Stelmaszek on guitar), in both their first local appearance in 10 months and their first local date since their revolving door of bassists saw Victor Wooten replaced by Anthony Palsgrove. Hopefully their hard hitting modern rock sounds serve them well in their local return, and it's definitely familiar ground for them!

As of this writing, a handful of tickets are still available in the ninth row & back for $35 each, so if you don't have yours yet, get them A.S.A.P. at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the box office in person! This is an ALL AGES show, and while a 7:00 PM start time is advertised, online posts indicated that Fifth Way would be playing at 6:30 PM. For more details, visit the above links and this commercial! Tesla still have it, and this show should prove to be another success for their Saultite fans, so don't miss this show, stay tuned for fallout, and for a preview, here's Tesla covering a ZZ Top classic in the Soo in 2007!



Next up, there's a couple more Shinedown concert videos to share from Sunday night's local concert! These come from YouTube user Dan Reck (a.k.a. Reckage35), and though he didn't post a video of "Bully" like most others, he filmed the Jacksonville hard rockers' cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" (complete with pre-song cover teases) and, as embedded below, their original "I'll Follow You"! Another video on a slanted angle from our right of the stage (did no one film anything on the left side?), Dan got some solid audio from these two softer tracks, but there's no zooming, and part of the stage is blocked from what I assume is a speaker. Nice quality otherwise, so check out Shinedown playing "I'll Follow You" at Kewadin Casino below, and stay tuned in case more Shinedown videos turn up!



Also in new Sault Michigan video discoveries, I recently came across a video from local metal band Tantrym Tyme that we've never shared on here! Dating back to when they were still known as Abstract, this was uploaded by YouTube user METALLICA2MEGADETH on December 22nd, 2011, though it's definitely older than that. The lineup, clothes, and location match up with earlier videos of the guys playing a September 2011 gig in Mackinac Crossings on Mackinac Island, in what was one of their last concerts with guitarist/bassist Kyle Burton before his departure that month. The video features Abstract covering Velvet Revolver's "Slither", and like many 2010-2011 videos that I've seen, their skills are impressive for their younger ages, but they've definitely improved in all areas since. Jacob Hotlen's vocals in particular seemed wonky on the choruses, but his solo's pretty good, and it's a nice glimpse at Abstract's early run! Check out their "Slither" cover below, and don't miss Tantrym Tyme this weekend outside of Harmony Health Foods for Downtown Days!



Finally for today, two popular local concert venues have apparently undergone some recent changes, so we might as well mention them! One is The Rapids Lounge at the aforementioned Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as their Facebook page last night announced that the local bar/concert spot held it's "grand re-opening" on Wednesday, complete with this ribbon cutting photo. Reportedly, the changes include a newly renovated sports lounge, more TVs, added seating, a new sound system, and Michigan sports memorabilia, though possible changes to the concert area weren't mentioned. Hopefully everything is indeed better at The Rapids Lounge, and go see some live bands there soon! The other renovations are (surprisingly) for The Canadian Nightclub in Sault Ontario, as they're soon ready to unveil what DJ Jay Perron is calling a "rebirth" of the Pim Street bar/venue on August 1st, coinciding with their usual Thursday night dance parties. Jay hyped "fresh new surprises & a fresh new vibe" on The Canadian's Facebook group yesterday, but didn't elaborate further there.

By my count, this is the third time in 4 years The Canadian Nightclub has had renovations (following earlier renovations in 2009 and in the aftermath of July 2011's flooding), and it remains to be seen how different The Canadian will look and feel come the Airbourne concert on August 19th. Hopefully these last for the long haul, and I hope the "rebirth" in question is a success for all involved! And yes, I assume this is partly why we didn't hear much on July concerts there. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

That's all for now, but I will see you guys at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up TONIGHT! West of Hell's return, Bring The Fallen's farewell, 6 more bands, and FREE ADMISSION if you wear a local band t-shirt, so DON'T MISS THIS SHOW! Oddfellows Hall, 6:00 PM! Thanks everyone!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Most Of This Weekend's Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews, Including Oddzfest's New Headiners!!

Today's post touches on most of this weekend's known metal/hard rock concerts, and while it's a quiet weekend on the Sault Ontario side, a HUGE metal show is going down tomorrow that will be both sad and brutal all at once! On the Sault Michigan side of the border, there's more going on, but I'm bumping our Tesla/Fifth Way preview to tomorrow to give it proper emphasis (and if we've missed any late notice hard rock shows, they'll go along with it!) With that said, let's begin out first weekend concert preview post!

TOMORROW NIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall, metal will reign in a stacked (yet very bittersweet) concert event named Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up! Promoted by Bear Hunters guitarist/Giwakwa frontman Josh Stephney, this show is half a local metal concert and half a farewell for both him and his Giwakwa bandmate Nolan Rainville, who are both coincidentally moving out of town next month, making this their last local concert beforehand. This is absolutely disappointing news, as Josh and Nolan have been among the most prominent and successful local death metal artists of the last 4 years, and hopefully they succeed in their future endeavours and bring their metal talents with them to their new homes! Oddzfest will feature 8 metal/hard rock acts rocking out to send off Josh & Nolan in the heaviest way possible, including late notice out of town headliners, as Vancouver heavy metal quintet West of Hell will hit the Soo for the second time on Friday night in the midst of their Demon Sent Tour! Last seen headlining one of Dismembertainment's last shows at The Canadian last May, their extreme and high energy classic metal sound is sure to be welcomed back after their show-stealing set last year, so don't miss The Heathen and company in their local return, and kudos to Josh for bringing them in on late notice!

West Of Hell will headline at 12:15 AM, with the bands preceding them including a one-off reunion set from 3 time battle of the bands-winning death metal quintet Bring The Fallen at 11:15 PM! Over 2 years after their breakup, this will be a fitting farewell for both B.T.F. and their two moving members, so don't miss tomorrow's show to stand before with Bring The Fallen one more time!

Note as well that this will likely be lead guitarist Andrew Chiarello's first live concert appearance since B.T.F.'s original breakup, so it'll be great to see him back on it's own! The other local performers with hour long sets include melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters (in their last set with Josh on guitar) at 10:00 PM, and grindcore/death metal trio Shit Liver (in their first live concert since May) at 8:45 PM. The other performers have half hour sets each, and in descending order, they include local solo musician James Watterworth at 8:00 PM, Josh & Nolan's last concert with their stoner/death metal quartet Giwakwa at 7:30 PM, local death metal band Crimson Crusade's first set since their brief breakup at 6:45 PM, and local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith's Oddfellows Hall debut to open the night at 6:00 PM. Note as well that Giwakwa's Facebook page yesterday asked fans to "come share one last sludgy night with us" tomorrow night, but it remains to be seen whether that refers to Josh & Nolan only, or if the band are dissolving afterwards. We should know by tomorrow!

As a thank you to fans and friends for their support during his local music career, Josh is offering FREE ADMISSION to anyone who wears local band merchandise to the show (anyone from As It Stands to Woods of Ypres works), while admission will be $5 if you don't. Doors open at 5:30 PM, and as you'd expect, this is ALL AGES! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome (yet disappointing) evening, but the metal will come fast & furious, and there's no heavier way to send off Josh, Nolan, and Bring The Fallen (and maybe Giwakwa?), so do NOT miss Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up tomorrow night! For a preview, here's new headliners West of Hell letting sparks fly (literally) in the Soo two years ago!



Now to most of the known Sault Michigan concerts this weekend (Tesla's coming tomorrow), starting with young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme's latest gigs outside of Harmony Health Foods at 217 Ashmun Street TOMORROW & SATURDAY as part of this weekend's live entertainment during Downtown Days! Also known as the Sidewalk Sales, this yearly community event features outdoor sales from local merchants, kids games, and live music across town, so there should be a little something for everyone this year! Not the most obvious event for metal/hard rock acts, but bands like Free Refill have played Downtown Days in the past, so this isn't unheard of. As you may also know, Tantyrm Tyme and Harmony Health Foods have a long relationship thanks to drummer Ethan Twardy's parents owning this popular natural grocery store, and they've played, been sponsored by, and sold shirts there in the past, so it's a fitting location for them! These are outdoor gigs (like so many of their other live appearances), and as a result, are obviously ALL AGES, but I'm not able to pin down an exact time for their sets. Check the above links for more details!

Tantrym Tyme are improving fast with age with their entertaining metal sound, and they've impressed at many recent live sets, so if you're in the region (Harmony Health Foods is just seconds from The Corner Pub), then go check them out tomorrow or Saturday, likely in the daytime! For a preview, here's Tantrym Tyme covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" last year, and stay tuned soon for a new video from their old Abstract days!



Finally for this post, Sault Michigan hard rock/metal quartet 415E will return to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for shows at their Northern Pines Lounge! Increasingly getting more prominent at local concerts, the band featuring Nixxon Dixxon, Splitshot, 7/47, and Free Refill alumni are making a big local impression with their Van Halen-inspired originals and covers, so keep their latest regional dates in mind for this weekend! Still curious to see when they'll play outside of Kewadin Casino branches, but they fit well there! Both of this weekend's shows are 21+ affairs with likely 9:00 PM start times, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details! These should be some solid concerts from this talented local quartet, so don't miss them, and for a preview, check out 415E playing their self-titled original below, and click here to see guitarist Chris Hubbard playing a 4 minute+ guitar solo in St. Ignace on June 28th! As a Facebook video, I can't embed it here, but his skills are clear as day!



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

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

More Shinedown Concert Videos, Plus A New Hydra's Teeth Clip!!

Before we preview this weekend's slate of local metal & hard rock concerts, we have some more Shinedown concert videos to share on here that were uploaded after yesterday's post, and because I don't have quite enough to fill a single post, we have a bonus video from Sault Ontario that we recently alluded to on here, so read on below for what you should know (and see!)

Our first newer Shinedown videos today come from YouTube user Mara McLeod, who uploaded five videos from Sunday's concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino onto her YouTube channel yesterday! The videos are of the Jacksonville hard rockers playing their songs "I'll Follow You" and "Bully", plus their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" (and the pre-song cover teases in a separate video), but embedded below is the first footage of them playing "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)" at the local concert! Filmed at a similar angle to encorevids' videos, albeit even more slanted, Mara has a solid angle of Zach Myers especially, and the audio quality's good (if muffled), but why is the "Diamond Eyes" video filmed in the vertical "cell phone" mode when the rest are at normal widescreen dimensions? Solid stuff, so check out more above and below, and also visit Mara's channel for Shinedown videos from a show in Saginaw earlier this year!



Also in new videos, Sault Ontario metal guitarist Neno Jovanovic (who you may remember from his inactive solo project) uploaded his first music-related video in over a year to his YouTube channel yesterday, and it's also from the Shinedown concert! This is of them playing their hit single "Bully", and though it's the most centered video we've seen from the show so far, the audio quality is extremely staticy, and it's very hard to hear the song aside from higher notes. Visually, it's a good look at the concert though, so check out Neno's video of "Bully" from Sunday night below!



Finally for new videos, Christopher Paci (whose first 3 videos from the show were mentioned yesterday) uploaded one more to his YouTube channel after that post went up on the site, and it's also of "Bully". The quality's no different than his other videos (slanted angle with zooming & solid audio of an "Amaryllis" song), but like his other clips from the show, there are portions that inexplicably sound muffled. I'll note that "Bully" was Shinedown's last song of the night, so that might explain why all YouTube users with public videos of this show (but one) filmed it, as it was their last chance. Check out Christopher's take of "Bully" below!



Finally for today, remember on Monday how we plugged the Facebook-only video of newer local classic metal band The Hydra's Teeth jamming their new original "Cinderella-Red Dress"? Well, guitarist Brendan Christie uploaded it to his YouTube channel on Monday, so now we can properly embed it here! Featuring most of their current lineup (new second guitarist Anthony Orazietti is absent), it's an instrumental take from the same spot as their past videos, and Late & Loud fans should appreciate the similar sounds and classic edge present here (remember though that it's an instrumental take.) Give "Cincerella-Red Dress" a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

YouTube Channel Profile Series: DavidYpres' Channel

Apologies for the day's delay, but here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This monthly series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels that have at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock videos, so you can know about their videos, information, reasons to check it out, and more! This month's selected channel is arguably the biggest in content and scope for local metal on YouTube, and the channel owner is still greatly missed by many fans and friends in the area, so read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profile (and check out some fallout from the Shinedown concert in Sault Michigan in the post below this one!)
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DavidYpres' channel (http://www.youtube.com/davidypres)

Owner: Late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold (also known as a former drummer in Gates of Winter and numerous out-of-town projects)

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 31st, 2007; Videos posted between November of that year and August 2011

Channel Summary: The largest YouTube channel maintained by a local metal musician (and arguably the most prominent), David Gold maintained and uploaded numerous videos to his channel for over 4 years, with 129 surviving on the channel at present. His earliest 12 uploads were live videos of him drumming with Necramyth & Gates of Winter, though he began posting Woods of Ypres videos in December 2008, which would comprise most of his future uploads. The majority of his channel comes from either Woods of Ypres concerts (mainly from 2008-2011, though with some assorted 2002-2003 clips) and tour vlogs & road footage from their 2009-2011 tour cycles. The channel also includes a number of song postings from both Woods of Ypres & Necramyth, and a good amount of live videos from the latter, while the remaining videos include footage from David's unfinished South Korean metal documentary, songs from his late 2000s bands, recording session footage, and unique clips like Woods of Ypres' last music video, the end of Krankenhaus Records' video that teased a band breakup, and their 2003 CBC News featurette, among many others.

Why Should You Watch: For Woods of Ypres fans, this is a must-watch channel, as it comprises a great amount of Woods of Ypres footage, exclusive clips, and insights that other channels won't have! Dozens of videos are included that will run the gamut from songs & concert clips to preview and jam footage, with David's assorted side projects featured frequently as well, and he did a great job maintaining and updating this channel, so definitely look through all 129 and see what you'd like! Note however that it obviously hasn't been updated since David's passing in December 2011, he did delete some videos from the channel (such as the music video for "The Northern Cold"), and the channel doesn't feature any live videos from concerts between 2004 & 2007, so the channel isn't comprehensive for Woods of Ypres' entire run.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

WOODS OF YPRES - "PAIN & PISS" Tour Vlog #4: Part Two, The Show in St. Paul: With so many live concert videos from Woods of Ypres' run on David's channel, it's very hard to pick just one live video to feature on here. I settled on this tour vlog installment from their May 14th, 2011 concert at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota from their final "Pain & Piss Tour" of North America that year, which features 14 minutes of action from their last live lineup! Included clips have Woods of Ypres playing "By The Time You Read This (I Will Already Be Dead)", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", "Halves & Quarters" (complete with slow mosh pit), "The Sun Was In My Eyes (Part 1)", "Falling Apart", "Pining (For You)", "Suicide Cargoload (Drag That Weight!)", "A Meeting Place & Time", and "Awaiting The Inevitable" (plus a brief sound check clip from Evan Madden's drum cam), and the quality's very solid on this camera!

Nice to see a huge crowd too, and this is a good sampling of latter-day Woods of Ypres concerts in a concise package! Note that if you like what you see, David uploaded 7 other videos from this St. Paul stop onto his channel, which make up his last uploaded tour vlog and live concert video footage before his death.



WOODS OF YPRES - In Studio "Woods 5" Preview: In August 2010, Woods of Ypres hit the studio to record an EP named "Woods V: You Were The Light" at Stereo Soul Studios in the Soo with producer Miguel Gauthier (same as on "Woods IV"), but after the band's signing with Earache Records that fall (and their desire for a full length album), the original "W5" sessions were retracted to "Woods 4.5", with only 2 of the 5 tracks being released as the "Home" vinyl single the following spring before David's passing. The non-release makes this video even more notable, as it remains our only major public glimpse of the material and recording sessions, including early instrumental samples of the songs (including the two "Home" tracks at the beginning) and about 1:40 of David playing along with unreleased tracks in the middle. I have no faith that a full release will ever happen, but it'd be great to see some unreleased material like these 3 songs put out in some fashion down the road. There'd be an audience for it, especially with their posthumous success!



WOODS OF YPRES - "Shards of Love" (Song #1 from W4: The GREEN Album): Before the release of 2009's "Woods IV: The Green Album", David uploaded 10 of the album's 16 tracks onto his YouTube channel that fall as a preview, with only one being viewed less than 13,000 times. "Shards of Love" (the opening track on "W4") received a channel-high 63,000+ views, with almost all of it's comments coming before David died, so that's impressive on it's own! A dark doom metal ballad that you may remember from a memorable sing-along at the Ypres Metal Fest last year, this set the tone well for Woods of Ypres' first doom-influenced album, and it's well worth hearing again! Note that the cover artwork on the video features rain effects and an unused title font, and now-inactive purchasing directions to order physical copies are at the end, though all of which ended after David's passing.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, I've randomly chosen the YouTube channel of former Sativa Rose/Valentine's Day Massacre bassist Adam Veale's dad John Veale, who posted a number of videos from Adam's music projects in the last 3 years, so watch out for that on or around August 22nd! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Shinedown concert fallout in our next post, and more soon as well! Thanks everyone!

Shinedown Concert Fallout, Including New Videos & The Opening Band's Actual Identity!

As promised, we've got Shinedown concert fallout to get to today, as Sunday night saw the multi-platinum Jacksonville hard rock quartet make their local debut at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! By almost all accounts that I've read so far from the show, it was a huge success for both Allstar Promotions and in the eyes of attendees! Photos from the show were uploaded by promoters onto Facebook at this location, confirming that there was a meet & greet for fans to meet Shinedown (Daughtry had the same on Saturday), but the big piece of unreported news from the photos is that the openers were NOT Devour The Day, despite being reported as such by Allstar Promotions on June 26th. In reality, Devour The Day were on tour with Hinder this month, though I'm not sure why they were announced as the openers for the local Shinedown concert. In reality, the opening band was hard rock quartet Prosevere, who (like Devour The Day) are also from Memphis, so that may have helped lead to the confusion. I haven't seen videos of their set (though photos are available from Sunday at the above links), but how do Prosevere sound?

Lighter sound than I was expecting, but Prosevere have an appealing modern rock sound with fun elements, a clear energy, and nice use of melody, and hopefully they made a good impression on local fans! Of course, I apologize for the incorrect news on the site, but promoters never corrected the earlier announcement on the openers, and I'd seen no references to Prosevere being involved on other pages (similarly to Ace Frehley's openers 16 Second Stare from his 2009 Kewadin date.)

Now to the videos, as I've found footage from at least 4 YouTube channels from the show, so let's give these some deserved attention! We'll start with 3 videos from YouTube user Christopher Paci (who also uploaded videos from the Buckcherry, Evans Blue, Queensryche, and Sebastian Bach concerts in the past year), as he filmed Shinedown playing three songs from their new album "Amaryllis" on Sunday night, including "Unity", "I'll Follow You", and (as embedded below) "Enemies"! All uploaded early this morning, Chris' camera work is fairly jittery, and the audio gets muffled on occasion, but the quality is fairly good otherwise, with a clear view of Shinedown in action (and looking quite dapper too), with the songs sounding pretty close to the studio originals from what I've heard on the radio! If only he was slightly closer, but at least Chris could zoom. Solid videos, so check out his video of "Enemies" below, and see more at the above links!



Another uploader of 3 videos was YouTube user encorevids (first name Mike), who you may remember from posting videos of the Buckcherry/Papa Roach and My Darkest Days concerts at Kewadin Casino from past years! Posted on Mike's YouTube channel yesterday, the videos are of another take of "Enemies", plus clips of "If You Only Knew" and (as embedded below) "Bully", so check the links to give these a look! Mike had a similar angle to Chris (if more slanted), and though the quality is very fuzzy with no zoom, the audio is more consistent and clear, so that works out well! Check out Shinedown playing "Bully" in the Soo below!



Two more videos were uploaded by YouTube user 91dwaynel yesterday, including another clip of "Bully" (albeit mislabelled) and, as embedded below, an acoustic cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man"! It's preceded by some joking around about what cover to do by singer Brent Smith & guitarist Zach Myers (the other members weren't present for this song), including brief clips of them covering Black Crowes, Nirvana, and Bon Jovi songs before finally launching into "Simple Man", complete with a great crowd singing along with every word! Nice sense of humour and crowd involvement from Brent & Zach, and this cover is definitely one of my favourite Shinedown tracks, so it's nice to get some great quality video to go along with it! Dwayne was in the front row or close to it, and the videos are solid quality with very clear audio, so both of his clips are well worth watching! Give Shinedown's "Simple Man" cover a look below!



Finally for the Shinedown videos that I currently know about, YouTube user Melissa McNamara uploaded one video from the show yesterday, which is of the guys playing their song "The Crow & The Butterfly". Very good audio, but it's cut off at the beginning, and it's filmed from a very far angle from the stage with no zoom (and on a cell phone camera), so it's one of those tall & narrow videos. It's worth checking out for the clear audio though, so check out "The Crow & The Butterfly" from Sunday night below!



That's all for now, but of course, we'll have more Shinedown concert fallout and videos as we hear of them, and if all goes well, we'll have this month's YouTube Channel Profile up on the site later today! Thanks everyone!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Resignators/Side FX Preview, Concert Updates, And Much More!!

Before we dive into videos and updates from last night's Shinedown concert, here's some more recent news and notes to touch on, including major updates for a show originally scheduled for this weekend, another impending farewell for a talented local musician, and much more, but first, here's a preview for a concert tomorrow featuring a debuting local band (and check out our Bushplane Musical Madness II review in the post below this one!)

In a special Tuesday night concert at The Roosevelt Hotel, a new local hard rock band is among the openers for Australian ska punk septet The Resignators TOMORROW NIGHT (and yes, I mean that Australia!) Ska-punk fans should really enjoy The Resignators from what I've heard, as they have an energetic and fun blend of classic punk, Jamaican rhythms, and horn instruments, so you won't be lacking for a ska experience tomorrow! The local openers include the live debut of The Side FX, the new local hard rock band featuring Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner, his ex-Papa Fogals Chair/Sulfur bandmate Mike Bird on bass, SooToday's Rob Speers on vocals, and Alex Walls on guitar, and be there tomorrow to check out their diverse hard rock covers set! It also helps if you've missed Papa Fogals Chair since their last reunion gigs, as you'll get a partial reunion tomorrow, which should be cool! The other opening band is local punk trio The Northern Tragedy in their second show in four days, and their fast-improving live show and solid originals should attract a good response themselves!

Admission is $10 for this 19+ concert, though if you bring your already-purchased ticket for August 19th's Airbourne concert (which is also a J.D. Pearce-booked concert headlined by an Australian band), your entry fee will be halved to just $5, so keep that offer in mind! A 9:00 PM start time is advertised, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you love ska & punk, you can't miss this show, and the debut of The Side FX should be really notable as well, so keep it in mind, and while I don't have a "metal" video from the bands, hopefully something will come out from the show this week!

Next up, here's the latest changes to Frightlight's next concert, their benefit for bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras' upcoming short film "The Kid Who Made The Face"! First, the show has found a new location, following it's quiet removal from The Algonquin Pub earlier this month for still unannounced reasons. It will now take place at The Roosevelt Hotel (which is also where the Bunchofuckingoofs concert was moved), which should work out as a familiar venue, but the date has also changed for this event. Originally scheduled to be held this Saturday, it has been postponed to Thursday, August 1st (possibly due to a scheduling conflict), making this Johnny Pints' 8th promoted Thursday concert on the old Rosie metal nights' usual day! The show also had one more change, as out-of-town headliners Sanitarium are no longer listed for the show, likely due to the date change, as they are on tour. It's not every day that a Brazilian metal band has a chance to come to the area, but maybe they'll come back up here at some point!

All of the above changes were confirmed on Thursday on the Facebook event page, but everything else about the show is the same. Featuring Frightlight's first set with Eddie Fright in 9 months, local punk trio Redundant, and The Bear Hunters' first show after Josh Stephney's move to Brampton, this 19+ event has $5 admission, which will get you a guaranteed credit in the finished movie! Keep this show in mind for August 1st to support Eddie/Mike's filmmaking and local metal & punk music!

Also in the news, you know the Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up at The Oddfellows Hall on Friday that will mark local death metal singer/guitarist Josh Stephney's last show in the Soo? Well, it'll be a farewell for one of his bandmates as well, as Bring The Fallen/Giwakwa bassist Nolan Rainville is also moving after this show. My source is his personal Facebook page yesterday, but I wanted to get word of it on here in case something more public didn't come out by Friday. Nolan didn't go into details about his future plans, but he has worked out of town in the summers in recent years (which coincided with breaks for his bands), so this could be a permanent extension of that. Nolan's a very skilled bassist, as we've seen in his 2008-2011 Bring The Fallen tenure and his shows this year with Giwakwa, and he'll definitely be missed in the area! I wonder what will happen with Giwakwa though, as half of their lineup is moving after Friday's concert, but hopefully Chris & Chris keep the band alive, as they have a good thing going!

With both Josh & Nolan saying farewell to Sault Ste. Marie THIS FRIDAY, you have all the more reason not to miss this show! Featuring their last shows with Bring The Fallen, The Bear Hunters, and Giwakwa (plus Shit Liver, Haggith, James Watterworth, and the return of Crimson Crusade), admission is FREE for this ALL AGES show if you wear local band merchandise, and click here for more details! Stay tuned later this week for our preview of this show, and come out to see Josh & Nolan live one last time!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

  • Ex-Caveman Morrison bassist Dutch Vanderploeg rejoined his old band on Saturday night at The Roosevelt Hotel to fill in (presumably) for James White, as per his personal Facebook page yesterday. He apparently also handled lead vocals on some songs late in the night to help out frontman Tym Morrison, who was ill that night (and on his birthday too, which is bad timing.) Hopefully the show went well though, and hopefully Dutch will turn up in a new band at some point!
  • Late & Loud successors The Hydra's Teeth posted a new Facebook-exclusive jam session video onto their Facebook page on Saturday! Entitled "Cinderella Red-Dress", it has the classic metal vibe that fans should like, but it features neither vocals or new guitarist Anthony Orazietti. Check it out above, and note that they've already hyped that they have 8 originals, "almost half-way to our first album." Keep that in mind!
  • Along with recent studio updates, local thrashers Pillory posted a new video of frontman Robert Sartini recording vocals for their song "Cringe At The Cross" on Saturday, and he puts in a much more aggressive snarl than I remember him having at their live debut last fall! Good sign, but hopefully we'll get some new shows soon to help get their momentum back, and check out the new video above!

That's all for now, but stay tuned tomorrow for some Shinedown fallout and (if all goes well) this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the late David Gold's channel! Thanks everyone!