Saturday, April 5, 2014

Blood Shed Productions Updates, Assorted News, And The Return & Story Of Haggith?

It may be a slow concert weekend compared to recent weeks, but the news hasn't slowed, so what's on tap for this Saturday morning? Some assorted recent items (including concert cancellations and another venue closure), some news & notes from a local independent label, and first, some new activity from a band who broke up last year, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today with some new developments from the camp of defunct local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith, starting with news that the band will apparently be playing a reunion show next month! Coinciding with a lot of throwback photo postings & reminiscing, full details are not out yet, but a post on their label Paperclip Productions' Facebook page confirms that it will be at a 19+ venue. I will note that while first word of these plans came out on April Fools Day, Haggith members have not detracted from the original posts since, so it doesn't look like a prank. Is this just a one-off reunion a'la Late & Loud's gig in February, or the start of renewed activity just 4 months after their supposed "final show"? We'll keep you guys posted! Also of potential interest to Haggith fans is a photo album that was posted on their Facebook page on Thursday that details the story of Haggith, from their May 2012 inception through their December 2013 farewell gig, and it gets very candid about backstage goings on, their successes & disappointments, and even band tensions.

Written by drummer Mike Haggith, I won't detail the story too much (it's 27 photos worth), but there's some interesting tidbits to take note of, like how the band's name was a reference to how bands are never named after the drummer, the complete synopsis of their "Apocalypse" album, that guest backing vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall was briefly an official band member, and the chain of events last fall that led to their breakup. It's an cool read according to this internet-based review medium, and I learned a lot, so check it out above, and stay tuned for more on Haggith's reported reunion concert!

Next up, here's the latest from some Blood Shed Productions metal acts, including goregrind duo Rotopsy, whose demo EP is now finished and will be released in just under two weeks on Friday, April 18th! Apparently self-titled, it will be on sale through personal contact and at their Dank Fest set at The Oddfellows Hall the next day for $3, and it features at least 3 songs ("Your Blood On My JR Shooz", and the new unveilings "Gore Splash" and "X-Hailed".) Note that while "Gore Splash" is a new upload to the Blood Shed YouTube channel as of Thursday, we'll only embed the audio here due to graphic cover artwork. The new song has a fuller sound that shows some progression from earlier recordings, but like before, Dylan Taylor's vocals are not well defined beyond scattered growls & grunts, and the song could stand to be longer and have some guitar input. Fans should be right at home though, so check it out below, and pick up their new demo in a few weeks!
Speaking of Blood Shed artists at Dank Fest, we have another possible band switch for the 13 band marathon coming up in two weeks at The Oddfellows Hall, as Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson's solo grind project Crucify The Whore are now listed in place of the returning Brutaly Fatal on the new event poster (as seen on your right, with C.T.W. credited as CxTxW), after previously dropping off the bill entirely prior to the last major lineup shifts. According to promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page, Brutaly Fatal "may see some difficulties being prepared for this one", though I'll note that frontman Austin McCrea countered that by saying they can be ready, and the lineup on the event page is not updated yet to reflect this possible change or any timeslot adjustments that could follow. This will/was to be Brutaly Fatal's non-house party debut with new guitarist Rainey Vincent and drummer Bret Shuttleworth (they've also recently teased adding a fourth member), and hopefully things are all good in their camp if they do indeed get replaced! Stay tuned for updates on Dank Fest as they come in!

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

  • Local concert promoter J.D. Pearce has cancelled the planned Tribune & Bumpin' Tacos concerts that were scheduled for April 17th & 24th, as per the deletion of their Facebook event pages earlier this week. Both were slated to be part of the former Heavy Thursday series at the recently-sold Roosevelt Hotel, which is the primary reason for their cancellation, but there was a slight chance that they could have moved to a new venue. Hopefully we see both bands back down the road!
  • According to a post on a concert promoters' Facebook group on Thursday, local musician/artist Rihkee Strapp (Ye Olde Mold Pickers) is looking to help recently relocated local death metal trio Shit Liver get a Southern Ontario tour run booked for next month. Given that our focus is on the Soo area, this might not hit the right audience, but in case someone who can help reads this, message Rihkee or the band above and at this link to see if you can get them playing somewhere down south in May!
  • Pim Street pub & concert venue Smack Daddy's Bar & Grill reportedly closed last week. Online pages haven't been updated to confirm the news, but scattered reports say that the property was bought by new developers who plan to demolish the bar & put up new office buildings. Smack Daddy's had last been a frequent venue for heavier shows in mid-2011 when it was known as Bossy's Pub N' Grub, so it won't be a huge loss in the new concert sense, but this is still disappointing for staff and regulars. Best of luck all around, and if it's any solace, The Canadian's only seconds away!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news through the coming week! Thanks everyone!

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