Monday, April 30, 2018

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), The Steves Concert Preview, And More!!

I wasn't planning to have another new news post this month, with this once pencilled in for tomorrow to start May, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS starting TONIGHT that were only announced yesterday, I had to push this one up. With that said, we also have a preview for a show on Wednesday, a new cover video, and some assorted recent updates to touch on, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for matinee concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced these shows via his Facebook event page yesterday. This marks the second straight week that Tym has played unplugged matinee shows at this early stage of the week, which could mirror the scheduling from last month where he played the first and last weeks of April (if so, he'd be there next on May 28th-30th, but that is not officially public.) Despite the short online notice, Tym's prolific set list of hard and classic rock favourites should go over well at the Market Mall restaurant TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY, so keep these shows in mind for supper-time entertainment! There are no cover charges or age limits (though mind the locale), and these have early 4:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's a preview of a show that had lots of advance notice, as Regina pop punk quartet The Steves will make their local concert debut THIS WEDNESDAY when they headline at LopLops Lounge! Uniquely comprised of four guys all named Steve (hence the name), this lo-fi band should be a solid match at LopLops with their indie-tinged punk sound, and with a new single just released this month, look for some solid and upbeat tracks on Wednesday! Local support will include alt-punk trio A Dire Setback in their first public concert set of 2018 and just their second with Chris Nielsen on lead vocals, so how will they sound in their return from the studio, and might there be any reveals regarding album plans? Be at LopLops in a couple of days to find out! Indie/hard rock trio Vol. were slated to kick off Wednesday night's show, but with their drummer vacancy still ongoing, frontman Steve Edwards and bassist Mikaela Murtonen will play as a duo under the name "Mik & Steve", as per a quiet update on the Facebook event page.

Will Mik & Steve basically play a drummer-less Vol. set, or a go a different route? We'll know either way on Wednesday! This stop mid-way through The Steves' Champagne Campaign Tour is presented locally by Six, Two, Oh., with a 9:00 PM start time, $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit all in effect. This should be a solid concert, especially if you love punk and indie rock in equal measure, so if you can get to LopLops on Wednesday night, don't miss out on this one! Visit the above links for more details, and while I admittedly can't find a live video of The Steves in concert, here's a music video of theirs!



Also today, here's a new solo cover video from local/Manitoba solo hard rock musician Mike Haggith's Facebook page! Already keeping busy in Thompson via shows with his new band Between The Ditches and occasional coffeehouse solo sets, Mike shared this cover of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" yesterday, which is a song he's always loved. Bookended by rainy footage from out Mike's window, this is a fine performance that has a measured moroseness to it, if that makes sense, and it'll definitely please fans of his recent acoustic videos, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, program, or company name:

  • We have deleted the YouTube channel for SooToday's acoustic concert performance webseries Bare from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it quietly being taken down in recent months. A reason for the channel's closure hasn't visibly been announced, and while SooToday articles on the episodes remain online, the video links there no longer work. Bare hadn't been an active series since 2016, but it gave members of bands like Northwest, The Pixo Control, and many others a unique avenue to perform in a more intimate setting, and hopefully the prior Bare episodes return online down the road!
  • We have also deleted inactive local music promotion/photography company For The Music Inside from our "Other Local Metal Links" again, following the quiet deletion of their Twitter (and only surviving online) page earlier this year. A reason for the page being taken down wasn't publically announced, but F.T.M.I. hadn't posted new content since 2016 either, and not from local shows since earlier still. For The Music Inside had promise and solid concert photography here and in Southern Ontario, and hopefully everyone stays active in related ventures! 
  • Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that they'll be featured in a new split album called "War of Brutality" alongside 5 international crust punk and/or death metal bands! Release data is to be confirmed, but if this YouTube video is any indication, Shit Liver's included songs are "Wait" & "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops" from their new album "Hitting the Fan". If this is true, there's nothing new on the local end, but hopefully this makes Shit Liver some more international fans! Full disclosure, I can't confirm if the YouTube posting is 100% accurate with label consent.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Shit Liver - "Hitting The Fan" Review!!

To end the month, here is our 106th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's second studio album and third total release "Hitting The Fan"! Released on March 13th of this year on digital formats and on vinyl records (with no planned CD copies), this is the follow-up to their 2014 self-titled debut album, and was recorded at "The Shit Haus" in St. Catharine's in February 2017, with mixing and mastering handled by Matt Alvarez, who plays fiddle in their bluegrass side project Dirtfight. "Hitting the Fan" again features their original & current lineup, including guitarist Josh Penno, bassist Mike "Ralph" Kyle, and drummer Matt Baic, with all three sharing vocal duties. You can buy this album for $5 on their Bandcamp page or $20 on vinyl via mail order, at their concerts, or presumably at The Rad Zone, and while you can stream it for free on Bandcamp, consider buying it to support Shit Liver's work!

With 10 songs running for only about 22 minutes in length, let's begin our review with the first song, "Evacuation", which opens with a fake Emergency Alert System notification that takes up for the first 1/5th of the song's runtime, but adds to the sinister mood! The song has a bit of a slow burn to any part with vocals, with the crushing instrumentation building well into the first verse (past the track's halfway point), with all three guys getting moments to shine with their distinct growling styles, with Josh and Mike handling most of the gruntwork. The cowbell cymbals are a little overdone, but the guitar and bass pound through nicely, and this is an effective opener!

Second is "Makes Me Sick", which gives Mike a solid bass solo to open before the full band kicks into high gear. Josh and Matt largely trade off vocals here, with Matt getting a nice showcase on drums to go along with it, and there are some nice screams peppered in! This is a relentless track that's plays by Shit Liver's existing playbook very well, with nary a wasted moment of crusty aggression, though I think a guitar solo would have been welcome for variance. Solid overall though! Third is "Just Take It", which runs for a whopping 13 seconds in length, and it's not even the shortest track! Featuring Josh on lead vocals, the song is another speedy, brutal composition, but it's just a quick onslaught that doesn't stand up well on it's own (though in grindcore circles, it's par for the course.) Note that the Bandcamp copy ends too soon, with the last second starting the fourth track.

That's followed by "It Won't Change",  which has a slower, more deliberate opening that calls Nirvana to mind a little bit (if that's fair), with a quote by late hardcore punk singer GG Allin laid in with the music. When the song fully gets going, the ferocity of Shit Liver is back on full display, with Josh trading off with his bandmates effectively on vocals, and the cymbals are more consistent and suited to the song structure here. The pounding guitar riff and gang chorus vocals are effective, and this is another quality track on the opening half! That's followed by the relatively long "Liverated", whose first half notably features an extended verse from Matt on vocals, as well as the album's first true guitar solo, which sounds good, if a little abbreviated. The second half's pace is somewhat slowed down at points, but the track is a consistent wall of grindcore at it's peak, with Mike's bass having some nice clear moment late! Another solid track, though it does sound similar to some of it's predecessors on this album.

Shit Liver's new album continues with "Cirrhosis" (a alcoholism-related disease of the liver, naturally), with sampled audio of a police siren and breaking news reports of everything from oil and nuclear spills to the Hindenburg disaster, before oddly ending with a quote about making lemonade. The band proper slowly begins playing during this sampled section, but it doesn't solely focus on them until the 80 second mark. The verses here feel like three different songs sung by each band member stitched together in parts, aside from the guitar solo, which sounds like Josh is trying to play like a buzzing bee. It works surprisingly well overall, and it's a bit of a change of pace from the wall of sound that they've had on prior tracks! Then we have "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops", a live favourite that runs for just 68 seconds. Matt's low growl is naturally the lead vocal here, with the guys collectively screaming the song title in the choruses. The song is quick but relentless, giving Matt arguably his best vocal and drum showcase on the album, and the the riffing adds to it nicely!

Song #8 is the six seconds long "Livin' In Shit", whose runtime basically consists of the guys screaming the song's name three times while performing at their usual thunderous pace. Not much to say here, it gets the job done if you love Shit Liver, but remember that all but one of the album's other tracks are at least 11 times longer, which is far more bang for your buck.

That's followed by "Wait", which was notably this album's first single and has it's own music video. For the first 1:30 or so, this song is at it's usual blistering grindcore pace with all three guys trading vocals roughly equally, with crushing riffs and speedy drums galore, but the last 30 seconds does take things in a doomier, AlgomA-esque pace. I'd be curious to hear them try this more often on newer originals, but it does shake things up a bit at this late stage, and the song lives up to prior standards! The album closes with it's title track "Hitting The Fan", and like on their debut, they're closing with the longest included track, running for just over 5 minutes. Mike's screaming vocals kick things off in high gear, largely staying on familiar territory for the first minute before slowing the pace down and giving some guitar shred time for Josh, then taking things into unusually soft, deliberate territory for a bit midway through, showing some new depths for the guys... until the grind returns for the final two minutes.

On the latter half, Josh gets some chaotic guitar soloing time, and the song eventually takes on more of a groove metal pace, before ending on a fast paced, grind-heavy note. Everyone is on their musical form here, and the song nicely dips from their usual wheelhouse into (relatively) new territory musically, helping make sure that a long song (for them) never gets boring. This is one of my highlights of "Hitting the Fan", and recommended if you like Shit Liver, but want to hear more than just 2-3 minute grindcore onslaughts! So, what are my final thoughts on "Hitting The Fan"? Well, comparisons to their 2014 debut will be inevitable, but I think that they have definitely matured as songwriters in the past 4 years, and this is an overall tighter and more fully realized record! It is shorter overall, but 5 songs here exceed 2:31 compared to 2 last time out, and unlike on that album, the longer songs aren't automatically slower and more deliberate, so they've definitely improved at pacing themselves.

The guys are more comfortable, with all three delivering vicious vocals where needed, while Josh Penno's blistering riffs, Mike Kyle's solid bass work, and Matt Baic's relentless drumming were a high quality compliment! I will say that Mike could have been more of a solo vocal presence, but for this style of singing, all three did their part. Songs like "Makes Me Sick", "Cirrhosis", and the title track are among my highlights, and the production lives up to the ferocity! It's not a perfect album though, with the cowbell-sounding cymbals often overdone on some tracks, the two sub-15 second songs not really standing on their own, and the minimal guitar solos didn't help either, but I will say that listening to these songs in short succession still reminds me of how many of their songs blur together thanks to their similar styles, aggression, and pacing. Diehard fans will have nothing to complain about, but I'd love to see more doom or groove metal-styled sections.

Overall though, "Hitting the Fan" is a clear improvement on Shit Liver's debut album, and while this crusty punk/death metal hybrid isn't for all tastes, genre fans will definitely want to pick up a copy of this album, especially if you have a record player handy, and you can do so at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and as for next month? Barring a sudden high profile album release, I am leaning towards reviewing local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest's March EP "To See Eternity" on the site this month, so look for our next review at some point in May, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

Friday, April 27, 2018

Scarkazm Concert Previews, New Sault Michigan Videos, And Id Iota Updates!!

As promised, we're closing up this weekend's concert previews with one more pair of shows for fans in the E.U.P., but we also have some new Sault Michigan performers to touch on via new videos of theirs! Rounding things out is the latest from a prominent Sault Ontario band, so here's what you should know on this Friday afternoon!

We'll start with this weekend's remaining hard rock concert previews (barring another late notice confirmation), as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! While E.U.P. fans will have seen this fan favourite band live in St. Ignace in January, this will be Scarkazm's first concert weekend in the Soo since October of last year, so if you've been patiently waiting for a Rapids Lounge return in the last 6 months, here's your chance! Oddly, Scarkazm forgone their usual concert poster picture for this weekend in favour of this 9 second video of them live with pertinent details added in post. No audio, but it's something different for sure! As usual for Scarkazm's northern jaunts, tonight & tomorrow's shows are 21+ affairs with 9:00 PM start times and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



Next up, here's some more new Sault Michigan videos, starting with a new clip from local classical metal project Theatre of Night that goes along with one we previously shared on here! Earlier this month, you may recall seeing a shared Facebook video of a "late night jam session". Well, it was uploaded to keyboardist Craig Harrison's YouTube channel around that same time, and there's some more context there! We now know that this jam session was held in Grand Rapids, and featured members of both Theatre of Night and Grand Rapids death metal veterans Flesh For The Beast, who do have a local tie of their own, as future Half A Man drummer Mikey Bishop played for them in the early 2000s during their run as Sadomasochism. Performer credits aren't given on YouTube, but I believe that the video features Theatre of Night's Steve Giles and Erik Sales jamming with Flesh For The Beast bassist Craig Riley (though I could be wildly off base.)

That said, a second 15 video from the same jam was also uploaded (and is embedded below), which looks like it features a different bassist who I absolutely can't identify. In any event, this new video sounds solid for it's short length, and might this be leading somewhere beyond an informal jam from members of the two bands? When I first saw this video this morning, it still had no views, so help boost it's totals by giving this Theatre of the Beast jam a look below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!



Also today, here's a new performance clip of Project 906 guitarist/Crooked Music instructor Joe Jenkins, as shared from his personal Facebook page to the local music store's Facebook page on Monday! This 39 second clip features Joe demonstrating a Peavey Wolfgang guitar that is/was available in-store, and Joe has some fun shredding on this clip, even calling then guitar "incredible". Solid performance for what it is, so check it out below, and don't miss Project 906 TOMORROW at The Superior Cafe's musician showcase!

 
We'll close today's post back in Sault Ontario, with the latest from local indie/alt-hard rock quartet Id Iota, starting with some new reveals regarding their May 19th concert at LopLops Lounge, via it's Facebook event page! This show is titled "Indie Spring", appears to be put on by guitarist/Pointless bassist Dustin Goodall's recording studio Unsalted Audio (sort of bringing back Unsalted Records as a result), and copies of headlining Sudbury garage rock band The Almighty Rhombus' new EP will be on sale. Crank Sound Distribution will even be on hand for the best sound possible! As expected, this is a 19+, 9:00 PM show, but the cover charge is $10, so keep that in mind. On April 14th, Id Iota revealed on their Facebook page that their forthcoming second studio album will have 11 songs, and that they were "getting busy again" on recording sessions, as "2 years (since releasing their "Maudlin Fair EP) is long enough."

To close, Id Iota shared this new video onto their Facebook page yesterday to hype the Indie Spring concert. The video features the guys reflecting on the changing of the seasons and what would be the best way to host a spring show, with new bassist Robert Sartini suggesting that they summon Father Spring, and then they do. I refuse to spoil how they summon Father Spring (or even who he is), but it's a funny and well edited commercial, especially thanks to the guys' reactions in the second half, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but if all goes according to plan, stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Thursday, April 26, 2018

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Soundcheck, And Fluid 5ive), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

The final concert weekend of April 2018 is upon us, so let's tackle most of this weekend's concert previews for you guys today! Due to the amount, we'll hold our previews of the previously announced Scarkazm shows in Sault Michigan for tomorrow's post, so don't worry, they are coming, but let's start today with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are advertised to return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only confirmed online via the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page this week, though note that Soundcheck proper have not publically confirmed these dates on their Facebook page at press time. After their Water Tower Pub shows two weeks ago, this will be the Mourning Wood successors' first concert weekend at The Esquire Club in a couple of months, and with another round of Catch the Ace ongoing at this popular west end venue, hopefully there's a solid crowd TOMORROW & SATURDAY for all of Soundcheck's hard hitting yet varied cover action! As usual for Soundcheck's Esquire Club stops, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows should be 19+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and we have no public videos of theirs yet!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will play at The Superior Cafe on SATURDAY as part of their first musician showcase event! Again, apologies for the short notice, a performer lineup was only announced late last week, which we couldn't immediately slide into a post at the time. This event is basically the sequel to The Superior Cafe's prior two musicians competitions, but as they are "trying something a little different", SATURDAY'S concert is "no longer" a competitive event, as per their Facebook page earlier this month. No word on exactly why they're not having a battle this time out, especially as band registration seemed to be good, but hopefully this change works out as well as cafe staff hopes! Project 906 are joining at least four advertised acts on SATURDAY, including alt-rock quintet Midnight Logic, and a new(?) local band named Halfway to Hanna who I know nothing about. If you can identify them, let us know!

The other two listed performers are Ordinaires frontman Raven Griffin and Dead Water Tapes alum Garrett Chevrette, while more acts are also teased. If you want in on this musician showcase at the Bird's Eye Outfitters-hosted cafe, you can sign up for FREE at Crooked Music or via contacting aarondepalma@yahoo.com, while performers will get a free drink. There is a 5:00 PM matinee start time on SATURDAY, no announced cover charge, and this is an ALL AGES event. It'll be interesting to hear how this event does without a competitive element, but the talent is certainly there regardless, so see above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!



Finally for late notice hard rock shows this weekend, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where new-ish hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will make their Canadian Nightclub debut with a one-night-only concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, we only heard about these shows via guitarist Joe Miller on our Facebook page earlier this week, with SooToday also confirming the dates, though like with Soundcheck, the band proper hasn't plugged them on their Facebook page at press time. Conversely, they haven't acknowledged another newly announced show of theirs either, as they'll return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only on Saturday, May 12th, as per the venue's Facebook event page. Fans will recall seeing this veteran quartet finally make their live concert debut in late February at that venue, and after taking March off, they're back for more live shows at The Canadian and Rockstar Bar, so be at the former on SATURDAY for your next shot at seeing them live!

No word on why either show is a one nighter, but axe throwing fans will be happy to know that the Northern Axperts throwing cages will be open at The Canadian on SATURDAY between sets! You can see Fluid 5ive cover everyone from (perhaps) The Allman Brothers Band to Kim Mitchell to Deep Purple both nights at around 10:00 PM, neither venue has a cover charge, and these are 19+ events. Hopefully this is a good sign for future local cover bands at The Canadian Nightclub, and that Fluid 5ive knock it out of the park for their second and third live concerts! See above for more details, and when public videos turn up, we'll let you know!

We'll close this concert preview post with shows that did have lots of advance notice, namely prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's ongoing Gliss Steak & Seafood arrangement, as he'll return for two more matinees there TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Fresh off a busy stretch that included shows at Gliss, Mark's Breakfast Plus, and even Boston Pizza, this weekend appears to be just focused on the Quality Inn's house restaurant, with another quality weekend of hard hitting and fan friendly covers expected for fans downtown over these two evenings! Note that we will tackle Tym's May concerts (including his expected Gliss continuation) next month when publically confirmed beyond his website. As usual for Tym's shows at Gliss, expect these to be 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a typical nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Scarkazm previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

YouTube Channel Profile Series: C Auffrey, Guy Thiffault, And excellentand

To allow tomorrow's focus to lie solely on weekend concert previews, this month's YouTube Channel Profile is going up a day early on the site! This monthly feature post looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels (3 this month) with at least half of their content focusing on local metal, hard rock, or punk artists/concerts, in order to spotlight them for current readers and encourage fans to check them out and subscribe for more! As the first channel we picked only had one video (as did the second), we're tripling up this month, and this is a very punk-centric installment as it turned out, so here's what you should know for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles!
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C Auffrey (http://www.youtube.com/carlyauffrey

Owner: YouTube user and area resident Carly Auffrey

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 17th, 2012; Only video posted on July 2nd, 2016

Channel Summary: The only upload on Carly's channel comes from the Hedley concert at The Yard on July 1st, 2016, though the 10+ minute video does not feature any performed songs by the Abbotsford B.C. pop punk band. Instead, the video is of frontman Jacob Hoggard borrowing a fan's phone to call her mother, in response to noticing fans texting mid-show. This extended break definitely amused attending fans, and could also serve as word of warning if you plan on texting at a concert! No visible activity on this channel has followed this video's posting, but you can see another take of this segment from a different attendee at this link, and more from this concert on other channels.



(Note that we will not be commenting on the very serious allegations levied at Hedley earlier this year, as they do not directly affect local bands or concerts. This is the same policy that we take for legal incidents regarding local musicians. For better or worse, we are not TMZ.)
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Guy Thiffault (http://www.youtube.com/guyjthiffault

Owner: Former Hangdowns, Nebraska Arms, Business Suit Trappers, Bondar, Mark Rand Band, and Crawfather singer/bassist Guy Thiffault

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 21st, 2011; Only video posted on October 23rd, 2012

Channel Summary: Though active in The Business Suit Trappers concurrently with this channel's active period, Guy only posted one video there before his sudden passing in December 2016, and it was of his old punk band The Hangdowns' original song "No Man Is An Island". Presumably also featuring Jordan Cumming and Marc Muto on guitar and drums (though no performer credits are given), this song is a solid punk number with more of an aggressive skate-punk vibe than many of Guy's later bands, and it's well worth checking out! Note that more videos and songs of The Hangdowns can be found elsewhere on YouTube and social media.


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excellentand (http://www.youtube.com/excellentand

Owner: YouTube user excellentand, who I don't believe is locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 13th, 2006; Only video posted on August 17th of that year

Channel Summary: This channel's only video features local/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger's song "Brand New Low" (from their 2000 CD "Wide Awake Bored"), as set to footage from the 1990s Sci-Fi Network series Farscape, though excellentand admitted that he didn't make this video himself. I don't find the visuals match the song at all, but fans of that series may feel differently. "Brand New Low" is an entertaining song with a catchy chorus that fans of their 2000s punk era will definitely take to, whether or not you played NHL 2002, though there are more substantial channels for Treble Charger media from this and other albums.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our random selection has given us a single channel again, that being of YouTube user Jeff Hagan, who has 17 videos from Pop Evil and Alter Bridge concerts in Sault Michigan in the mid-2010s! Look for that on or around May 26th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (All The Wasted Years & Jack Spades), Plus New Videos!!

    Here's a new news post for your Tuesday afternoon, including some new video postings and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for in over a month's time! Read on below for what you should know!

    Reports of July's Rivers of Nihil concert being Live705's promotional return are premature, as they will end their almost 10 month concert hiatus on Friday, June 1st for a Rockstar Bar concert that they are calling The June Jam! This show will feature one touring headliner, they being Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years in their local concert debut, and their accessible, familiar punk originals should be up many fans' alley when they hit the soo in just over a month's time! Is it wrong to detect a Surfers resemblance in some of their songs? Despite their involvement, local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven are actually advertised as the headliners on the event poster, in their first concert set of 2018 and just their second since their return from hiatus last fall. It's great to have this union of Sense of Truth, Half Past, and As It Stands alumni back, so don't bypass them either! The other local openers are Live705's flagship punk trio A Dire Setback in their second concert of the year, and new local power rock quintet Re:Born in just their second live concert set to date.

    Stacked lineup featuring a number of bands we haven't seen much of on stage in recent months, so don't miss out on all of this action! Also, note that A Dire Setback are heading to Timmins the following day for All The Wasted Years' CD release party, with Coach Bombay (from last year's local Vaultry show) also on the bill. This should be a big concert on it's own, so hopefully that show's a blast too! As for the Soo show on June 1st, there is a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, though a cover charge or ticket fee has not been announced at press time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on The June Jam as they roll in!

    Next up, here's another new concert the following week on Friday, June 8th, as local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and "no-genre"/alt-punk trio Handsome Sandwich will make their Room 21 debuts in support of British Columbia alternative folk musician Jesse Stewart! If you're not familiar with Jesse, he's a singer and mandolin player who's attracted a cult following with his energetic, impassioned YouTube videos, and even won a Trailer Park Boys contest in 2014 to appear in the season 9 finale (look for "The Liquor Snurf" episode on Netflix.) It's easy to see why Jesse is picking up steam, his performances are lively and have a punk essence to them, and it'll be interesting to see how he's received locally in June! Jack Spades will be making their first local concert appearance since opening for Archelon in March (in a rare Room 21 set by a band of more than 3 members), while this will be Handsome Sandwich's first announced concert set of 2018.

    Solid lineup overall, and hopefully this show helps encourage Room 21 to bring more electric concerts in as the year progresses! This 19+ concert above Low & Slow has a 10:00 PM start time, with $15 tickets going on sale this Friday at Room 21. Promoter/Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce has indicated that tickets are "extremely limited", with only 40 tickets guaranteed to be on sale, likely owing to Room 21's smaller size, though I can't confirm if the local openers will have tickets on hand. This should be an intriguing concert for punk and alternative fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and remember that tickets go on sale on Friday!

    Moving to some new videos, here's 10 minutes of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's set during their "Hitting the Fan" release tour kickoff show at The Rednecks Saloon on April 6th! This was filmed by attendee Christopher Paci for his excellent YouTube channel, though he unfortunately did not film openers Stegadeth & Id Iota. The video features Shit Liver playing multiple songs across 10+ minutes of brutality, which are predictably hard to identify by track name, but their live ferocity is on full display! The lighting's not overly bright, and I'm surprised that it's not more packed on the floor, but Shit Liver sound as heavy as ever, so give their new video a look below, and stay tuned for our review of their new album soon!



    Finally, here's some new videos from Sault Michigan music/record store Crooked Music's Facebook page! One is just a sale video for the Ashmun Street business' 20% of sale last week, showcasing store stock. The sale's passed, but it's a nice idea of what all Zac & Christy have in store for purchase! The former Grooves Music also posted this video in January (apologies for the delay) that operates in place of their cover photo on Facebook, courtesy of local photographer Jay London's company London Media. Not too many Facebook pages that we deal with on the SMS have a cover video of this kind on their page, but it outlines their products and services well for new visitors, so give it a look if you're browsing! That very same video also has an extended commercial version with sound (I presume that's Zac Crook playing guitar), which is the optimal view of this ad. Give it a look below, and head to Crooked Music for your musical listening and performance needs!



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

    Sunday, April 22, 2018

    LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rivers Of Nihil), Tym Morrison Concert Previews, And Much More!!

    With spring perhaps finally upon us, here's a new news post to check out on this Sunday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, new videos from each side of the border, and to lead off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer, so here's what you should know!

    Technical death metal fans will want to take notice, as three American groups will hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, July 6th for a night of face melting brutality! The headliners are Reading, Pennsylvania technical death metal quintet Rivers of Nihil, who are touring in support of their new CD "Where Owls Know My Name". This band has an aggressive, groove-tinged sound that should please any tech-death metal fan, so be sure to check them out in advance of this show! Support will come via Sacramento-based quartet Alterbeast and Nashville quintet Inferi, and with the former's chaotic and fast-paced aggression on their new CD "Feast", and the latter's black metal-tinged brutality via their new album "Revenant", fans will want to brace themselves for a metal onslaught this summer! Local support will come via the first announced concert in almost a year from death/thrash metal trio Pillory, though it's not yet clear if Jordan will be on bass or not. Great to see them back though, it's been far too long!

    Notably marking the first promoted concert since last fall from Live705 (and a rare booking of theirs without A Dire Setback on the bill), tickets for this 19+, 9:00 PM show are a surprisingly affordable $15, which you can buy at this link, and presumably through Live705 staff and Pillory members once local availability is confirmed. This should be an awesome concert for death metal fans, with a stacked lineup of touring aggression making the trip north in July, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

    Next up, here's our previews of former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's special concerts at Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! As announced earlier this month, Tym will bring his acoustic solo show back to this breakfast-centric restaurant for these matinees, which are unusually timed for a cover artist at most venues, but remember that Mark's often books musicians early in a given week for supper-time shows. These follow Tym's shows there in the first full week of April, and should provide west end fans with a wide array of harder and classic favourites, so don't miss out at Mark's over these three days! No word yet on if Tym will play a similar schedule there in May or not. Tym will be on at 4:00 PM each day, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but remember that this isn't a traditional concert venue, it's a diner in a mall. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!



    Also, here's some new videos from the aforementioned Live705's Facebook page, as a staffer attended Saturday night's Stegadeth concert at Room 21 and had his camera rolling! Three videos were posted from the show (albeit all in vertical orientation), including one clip of the band setting up for their first set, including new drummer Johnny Belanger putting up a banner with their logo. Fun for what it is! Two videos from their set (which was indeed fully electric) were also shot, including Stegadeth covering Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" with guitarist Tiffany Stocco on vocals, and, as embedded below, The Presidents of The United States of America's "Peaches" with bassist Bill Bennett on lead vocals. These are solidly done, especially if you're interested in hearing new cover choices from the T-Rex Manning successors, and the stage setup is nice (I like the monitor with their logo), so give these new videos a look!



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

    • Sault Ontario tapas restaurant & acoustic concert venue The Barrelhouse Wine and Whiskey quietly closed last fall, as per their Facebook page. A reason for the closure was not announced on social media, but owners are still operating the (concert-less) Embers Grill & Smokehouse on Albert Street East. This is SMS-relevant due to Tym Morrison's series of shows there last year, and while the Barrelhouse's end is disappointing, note that some former staff have moved onto Boston Pizza, which Tym played on Saturday!
    • Earlier this month, dormant local country/punk veterans The Billy Bastards shared a picture of a new band logo from a computer monitor on their Facebook page, along with the caption "In progress...", with guitarist John Conway confirming in a comment that they have 2½ songs done for their forthcoming fourth studio album! How's that for a big update? No word on when we'll see their first public concert set since 2015, but stay tuned for more on The Billys' new studio work, and they're back in our active band links!
    • We have removed local classic/hard rock cover band Mourning Wood from our defunct band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past couple of months. A reason for the page's closure wasn't announced, and while I wish bands wouldn't wipe themselves from the internet like this, remember that Mourning Wood were merged into & succeeded by Soundcheck last year, so it's not like we completely lost a band of this style and makeup. Follow them and The Peace Vibe for members' current musical projects!

    That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

    Friday, April 20, 2018

    I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven Concert Fallout & Videos!!

    Today's post is entirely devoted to fallout from Wednesday night's I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven concert at The Machine Shop, which appears to have gotten rave reviews from attending fans so far! SooToday's Donna Hopper and Sault Online's Riley Smith were both on hand to cover the festivities, with 29 and 30 photos respectively making each local news website, which look very solid on both ends! Donna got 10 photos of I Mother Earth, 8 of Finger Eleven, 7 from the pre-show acoustic set by both bands, 3 of opener/Q&A session MC J.J. Thompson, and 1 of Rock 101 morning show host Scott Cook, who emceed the concert proper. Riley's shots (some overhead) include 6 of Finger Eleven, 5 of I Mother Earth, 13 from their show-ending joint encore, 5 of attendees, and 1 of The Boiler Room, the venue's new on-site bar (though Riley did not get any shots of J.J. or the acoustic pre-show.) Donna's article outlines songs played on Wednesday and some of the remarks from the bands on stage, while Riley's features remarks from Finger Eleven drummer Steve Molella.

    Both articles are well detailed with quality pictures, so see the above links to give both a look! Now, to currently posted public videos from Wednesday night, starting with videos from YouTube user BBBBBBBBeast, who got one video of both featured bands. Firstly, this 4:34 clip is actually a compilation cobbled together from Toronto alt-hard rock quartet I Mother Earth's headlining set, including snippets of their songs "Raspberry", "One More Astronaut", and "Rain Will Fall", before showing them and Finger Eleven's joint encore as they played I.M.E.'s "Levitate", Finger Eleven's "Good Times", and a cover of Supertramp's "Bloody Well Right". The audio quality is fantastic on these clips, and I like the bluish tinge on the video, though the vertical camera angle is unfortunate, and you can't do too much about the fans' heads. I just wish that he had included more of certain songs in the editing process ("Rain Will Fall" only got 15 seconds!) Give this one a look below!



    BBBBBBBBeast (why so many Bs?) also filmed two songs from Burlington hard rock quintet Finger Eleven's preceding set on Wendesday, those being "One Thing" and "Drag You Down". He must prefer their older, pre-"Paralyzer" music, which I can relate to! This video has equally excellent audio quality, but now with a more central, further away camera angle and a monochrome colour filter. In this case, the visuals work on the former song, as it's video was in black & white, but less so the latter. With no public videos surviving at present from their 2004 show here, it's nice to see some vintage Finger Eleven songs in solid quality online, so check them out below also!



    The other two currently posted videos from this show come via presenting sponsor Rock 101's Facebook page, as a staffer filmed two Finger Eleven-involved songs before the concert proper began. One is a 33 second clip of Finger Eleven (minus singer Scott Anderson) playing their newer song "Living in a Dream" during their soundcheck, which sounds fine in this instrumental format! The other video, which is embedded below, is of Finger Eleven and I Mother Earth (I Mother Eleven?) covering Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind" during the acoustic pre-show on Wednesday evening. Very unexpected cover, but for it's also short runtime, the song appears to turn out well enough! Donna noted in her SooToday article that the two bands also covered America, The Kinks, and Peter Gabriel during this unplugged set, which is surprising, but it does show the two bands' range & diversity, so give this video a look below as well!



    As someone who strongly prefers older Finger Eleven (no "Stay In Shadow" on Wednesday?) and is admittedly selective on I.M.E. favourites, I reluctantly passed on going given the ticket prices, but I'm very glad the show was a huge hit! Hopefully this and Big Wreck will help encourage even more hard rock and metal bands to play The Machine Shop! Stay tuned for more fallout from this concert when and/if it comes in, and for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

    Thursday, April 19, 2018

    LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stegadeth, The 3 Day Millionaires, And Tym Morrison), And More!!

    Before we get into I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven fallout and such on here, we have a weekend concert preview post to tackle, and unusually, every hard rock band playing in the Soo this weekend has SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as all announced a show or two with seven or fewer days notice! To round things out, we have some new videos from the E.U.P., but let's get our concert announcements/previews rolling!

    Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to Reggie's West for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page yesterday. After spending their last few concerts at The Rockstar Bar (including last weekend), this fan favourite group will return to the former Roosevelt Hotel for the first time in almost two months TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so if you're up for another hard rocking weekend of classic hits, head to the west end! As usual for The 3 Day Millionaires' Reggievelt stops, expect 9:30 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!



    Next up, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will add to his existing Gliss Steak & Seafood matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY with his debut SATURDAY NIGHT at... Boston Pizza?! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Boston Pizza show, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Monday. This announcement is very unexpected, especially given how you don't often see musical performers at chain restaurants locally, but this should be an intriguing locale to check out Tym's acoustic hard rock classics, so consider sticking around at the restaurant and sports bar at 601 Great Northern Road once the Leafs game wraps up on SATURDAY! Of course, Tym's ongoing arrangement with Gliss will continue with matinee shows tomorrow and Saturday evening, so keep his regular supper-time shows in mind this weekend too!

    The Gliss matinees are 6:00 PM shows with no announced cover charges or age limits (but mind the locale), while SATURDAY NIGHT'S concert at Boston Pizza (beside Soo Mill) has an oddly specific start time of 10:15 PM, with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit this link and above for more details on these three shows, and here's Tym live!



    Finally for this weekend's concert previews, here's one more new announcement, as local punk trio Stegadeth will play their first ever solo headlining concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at Room 21! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page this past Saturday. Last seen earlier this month opening for Shit Liver, this should be a prime opportunity for fans to see Bill, Tiffany, and Johnny in a more intimate locale, and with their fan favourite covers and growing roster of originals, don't miss out above Low & Slow on SATURDAY! Note that there have been no public indications as to whether Stegadeth are playing acoustically or with electric instruments, but given the usual artist range and venue size, don't be shocked if the former is an element. A 10:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charges are in effect. See above for more details, and here's Stegadeth live at The Rockstar Bar!



    Finally for today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, whose teased return from hiatus is advertised for next month, but what can be said now? On April 8th, frontman Henry Switzer revealed on their Facebook page that "my wrist is now beginning to heal and I can play guitar a bit now." He had earlier pointed to focusing on his health as a factor in Highway 63's break, but we hadn't heard this much until this month. Good to hear Henry's wrist is feeling better! The following week, Henry shared two videos from his personal Facebook page of him tracking vocals for studio versions of Cheap Trick's "The Flame" and (embedded below) Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" that he recently recorded. Teasers for upcoming Highway 63 set additions, or just him getting back in the musical groove? It remains to be seen, but how do these sound?

    These renditions are solid, and Henry puts his strong vocal range to good use on each, especially on "Immigrant Song", and they're quality teasers of what's ahead, I'd assume! However, the videos themselves feel like they have a frame rate issue, and Henry admitted to being "still a bit camera shy", hence why he's not facing the camera at all on either clip. Check these out below, and stay tuned for more from Highway 63 when it rolls in!



    That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

    Wednesday, April 18, 2018

    Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!

    After a slight delay into the evening, here is the final results for last month's poll on the SMS and the launch of our new poll! First, recall that we posed this question to you guys last month: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2017? We received 16 votes, which is better than recently usual for our polls, so thanks to everyone who voted, and without any further adieu, here are the final results!

    The Din dissolves following final CD release concert (4 votes, 25%)
    Oh!No Music Festival debuts in Leeburn in September (4 votes, 25%)
    Diamond Head perform at The Rockstar Bar in September (2 votes, 12.5%)
    Theory of a Deadman end year with Kewadin show (1 vote, 6.25%)
    Skeyes of Seven return after 2 year stage hiatus (1 vote, 6
    .25%)
    Treble Charger return for LopLops headlining concert (1 vote, 6
    .25%)
    The Quiet Riot & Rock the Border Fest cancellations (1 vote, 6
    .25%)
    Alter Bridge and In Flames hit Sault Michigan in May (1 vote, 6
    .25%)
    HMV closes and is replaced by Sunrise Records (1 vote, 6
    .25%)
    AlgomA release splits with Shit Liver & Hooded Menace (0 votes)
    Bankshot reunite for Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert (0 votes)
    Bret Michaels rocks Kewadin Casino once again (0 votes)
    CKY and The Wild rock The Canadian Nightclub in June (0 votes)
    Dokken & Firehouse play at The Essar Centre (0 votes)
    Gnaeus suddenly disbands in March (0 votes)
    Grooves Music reopens as Crooked Music (0 votes)
    Handsome Sandwich debuts (0 votes)
    Jack Spades return with lineup overhauls (0 votes)
    Lita Ford & Great White's outdoor concert in St. Ignace (0 votes)
    NLFB Meltdown battle takes place at LopLops Lounge (0 votes)
    Pop Evil returns to The Dreammakers Theater (0 votes)
    Project 421 breaks up in October (0 votes)
    The Tea Party headline free ONTour concert in July (0 votes)
    Theatre of Night launch their Christmas tour in December (0 votes)
    Vol. debuts (0 votes)
    Other (0 votes)

    What do you guys think? Well, while I'm happy to see more of a vote spread this month, it is a shame to see 16 options (besides "Other") not receive any selections from readers. I'm most surprised by the lack of love for the CKY concert, most Kewadin Casino events, and the breakups of Gnaeus & Project 421, but as always, it's all in who votes! I can't take too many qualms with the six options to get a single vote, all reflecting concerts in one way or another, but I am definitely most surprised by Skeyes of Seven's return show getting a pick. The guys haven't been heard from since, but hopefully they have something up their sleeves for 2018! The highly anticipated Diamond Head concert last fall came in third place, an expectedly good finish for the NWOBHM legends! In terms of the winners, we had another tie result between the debuting Oh!No Music Festival in Leeburn in September, and The Din's farewell/CD release concert in October. Both are very deserving shows with lots of positive buzz from the autumn months!

    As our tiebreaker in such cases is recency (as a newer news item will have had less time to garner the same responses and recognition), I am deeming The Din's suburban sendoff as the "winner" of this poll, and hopefully they continue to garner posthumous attention from fans new and old in 2018! Thanks to everyone for voting!

    As for this month's poll, we're posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2017? As you may have surmised from past years on the site, we're winding down our "favourite _____" polls by looking at last year's concerts again, and with the first half of 2017 covered in July, we're due to tackle concerts that took place between July 1st and December 31st! Of course, to make this poll, shows must have had at least 50% of their lineup comprised of metal, hard rock, or punk bands, which omits such notable events as the Tea Party concert, Mike Mikus & K.I.C.K.'s CD release shows, Toystock, Rotaryfest, and The Northern Vibe Festival, among others (but "Other" is a choice as usual!) This month's voted shows will join those from our early 2017 in next month's total year poll, and I hope I picked 20 shows covering a little of everything notable in 2018 from our guidelines, so here's some info on your final choices (and "Other")!

    Bands: Rick E & Kodex, A Dire Setback, Garbageface, Vaultry, Bizotic, Coach Bombay, Handsome Sandwich, and Mikey Thomas
    Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
    Date: July 7th
    Info:
    Arguably Live705's biggest concert of last summer in scope, this July concert united the worlds of punk and rap into a well received clash of styles at The Canadian, including three out of town acts, fan favourite Peterborough rapper Garbageface among them. Despite mid-show lineup placements for the touring performers, this show was a success, but can you vouch for it?

    Bands: Mike Mikus & Id Iota
    Venue: LopLops Lounge
    Date: July 15th
    Info:
    Fresh off of both acts' Rotaryfest Stage 2 appearances that same afternoon, LopLops would play host to former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus' final concert as a solely local artist before moving to Montreal. Also featuring his bandmate Dustin Goodall's indie-hard rock quartet Id Iota, Mike got a great sendoff, and we even got a Pixo throwback, but was this your favourite late-2017 show?


    Bands: Darsombra, Pillory, and Pointless
    Venue: The New American Pub
    Date: July 17th
    Info:
    One of the most unique concerts of 2017 saw Baltimore, Maryland "
    trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock duo" Darsombra travel to Sault Ste. Marie for an audiovisual experience that had to be seen to be believed, making a number of new fans in the process! Also featuring drone rock trio Pointless and one of death metal trio Pillory's last shows to date, would this one earn your vote over all of the others?

    Bands: Project 421, The Din, The Peach Thieves, Electric Church, The Elements, and A Dire Setback
    Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
    Date: July 22nd
    Info:
    After a 9 month hiatus, classic metal quartet Project 421 made their triumphant return to the stage last July to help kick off their own final stretch of shows together. A stacked lineup hit The Canadian on this evening, including a rare appearance by jazz rock trio The Peach Thieves, but was this metal and punk array from Live705 top of the line for you here?


    Bands: Treble Charger & A Dire Setback
    Venue: LopLops Lounge
    Date: July 27th
    Info:
    Despite an oddly minimal amount of promotion for this concert at first, LopLops was sold out on July 27th for local/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger's first local concert appearance in well over two years. It was great to have Greig and Bill back in a more intimate setting, and A Dire Setback got a huge rub as openers, but was this show your favourite of these options?


    Bands: Dany Laj & The Looks, A Dire Setback, The Din, and K.I.C.K.
    Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
    Date
    : August 10th
    Info:
    Already no stranger to Sault Ste. Marie from their headlining shows in the 2015-16 winter season, Montreal power pop quartet Dany Laj & The Looks played their first of two Soo shows last year at The Canadian in August, headlining one of Live705's final shows of the year. Also featuring an array of punk and alternative openers, was this your favourite late-2017 concert?


    Bands: The Din & Bold Noize
    Venue: The Roberta Bondar Pavilion
    Date: August 12th
    Info:
    We may not have gotten the Rock the Border Fest at this venue, but The Din still got to play The Roberta Bondar Pavilion last summer when they headlined a special show during The Fringe North International Theatre Festival, marking the one year anniversary of their "Give In To The Din" CD release. Also featuring a rap set by Bold Noize, was this concert your pick?


    Bands: Diamond Head, Jack Spades, and Project 421
    Venue: The Rockstar Bar
    Date
    : September 2nd
    Info
    : Fans of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal were undoubtedly excited when the legendary Diamond Head came to Sault Ste. Marie to help kick off the fall season with hits like "Am I Evil?" and "Helpless" in tow! Also featuring explosive heavy rock from Jack Spades and Project 421, this well received show was definitely a highlight, but does it win your vote?

    Bands: Project 421, A Dire Setback, and Skeyes of Seven
    Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
    Date: September 8th
    Info:
    Though no one knew it at the time, Project 421 played the final concert of their four year run on this September night last year, but fans sure didn't know it from their hard and heavy array of covers and originals! Also featuring punk rock action from A Dire Setback and the first show in over two years from Skeyes of Seven, did you love this concert more than any other choice in this poll late last year?

    Bands: DJ Seith, Run Coyote, Beaver Slap, Lightmares, Artificial Dissemination, The Franquilizers, Vol., Jack Spades, Pointless, A Dire Setback, The Elements, Slumshine, Winkstinger, and
    Handsome Sandwich
    Venue: "Robbie's Church" in Leeburn
    Date: September 9th
    Info:
    Finally realizing their goal for a large-scale concert festival, local promoters Six, Two, Oh. hosted the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival last September to a very positive response, attracting dozens of concertgoers for the wide array of local and out of town bands, and the camping and hangouts surrounding it! With this year's now announced, was Oh!No I your pick?


    Bands: Dokken, Firehouse, and Love 'n Revenge
    Venue: The Essar Centre
    Date: September 30th
    Info:
    A rare cross-border promotional event saw Sault Michigan's Superior Entertainment bring a quality hair metal package to The Essar Centre last fall, with past Kewadin Casino attractions Dokken and Firehouse joining forces to bring their classic hits to the Canadian side of the border! Despite mixed attendance levels, did this whet your Hair Scare appetite?


    Bands: AlgomA, Shit Liver, Winkstinger, and The Bear Hunters
    Venue: The New American Pub
    Date: October 2nd
    Info:
    Death metal fans flocked to The New A in October for local/St. Catharine's favourites Shit Liver's tour finale in support of their and fellow locals AlgomA's split covers cassette tape "Trading Faces", with both bands unloading lots of brutal renditions for the occasion! Notably featuring AlgomA's only tour stop after prior medical concerns, did this concert win your vote in this poll?


    Bands: The Ripcordz, Jack Spades, and Stegadeth
    Venue:
    The Algonquin Pub
    Date: October 7th
    Info:
    Continuing a late-year tradition dating back to 2013, Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz brought their explosive and heavily tested stage show back to Sault Ste. Marie in October , with familiar linked local punk outfits Jack Spades and Stegadeth providing a fitting compliment themselves. The Ripcordz are always a big attraction, but do you concur?


    Bands: K-Man & The 45s, The Faps, and Bizotic
    Venue: LopLops Lounge
    Date: October 10th
    Info:
    Maintaining a similarly regular schedule of fall concerts here since 2013, Montreal ska-punk veterans K-Man & The 45s came back to the Soo last fall for their second local show of the year, with Saskatoon noise-punk duo also along for the ride in their own local return! Also featuring Bizotic's creative live attack, would you vote for this show over the others?


    Bands: Lucky 13, The 3 Day Millionaires, Cherry Crush, and The Soo Fighters
    Venue: The Rockstar Bar
    Date: October 14th
    Info:
    Four local bands joined forces last October to help raise funds for the family of Cherry Crush frontwoman Taryn Bugyra, due to medical expenses related to her battle with kidney cancer. A big crowd came out to support her and bear witness to a one-off Lucky 13 reunion and the debut of the Soo's own Foo Fighters tribute band, but were you among them to pick this show?


    Bands: The Din & Bizotic
    Venue: LopLops Lounge
    Date: October 21st
    Info:
    After a successful local run together, alt-hard rock trio The Din announced their dissolution last fall following their "Suburban Sendoff" concert, where they ended their run with a bang via releasing their final studio album "Suburban Dream". Fans packed LopLops to see Mike Haggith off before his move to Manitoba, and the show & CD received rave reviews, but would you have agreed?


    Bands: The Bear Hunters (as Mount Doom), Jack Spades (as Spinal Remains), and The Soo Fighters
    Venue: The Rockstar Bar
    Date: October 27th
    Info:
    J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party concert grew so big in 2017 a single night and venue couldn't contain it, with night #1 at The Rockstar Bar seeing local tributes to Amon Amarth, The Misfits, and The Foo Fighters for costumed brethren. Despite the late drop-out of planned headliners Decatur, fans responded positively to this one, but can you vouch for it in the poll?


    Bands: Eclipse (as SSM of a Down), The HTs (as You First & The Passive Aggressives), The Bananas Guerrillas (as Enema of the State), and Anavrin
    Venue: The Algonquin Pub
    Date: October 28th
    Info:
    The second half of the aforementioned Halloween Party moved downstairs to The Algonquin Pub, where System of a Down, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Blink-182, and Nirvana tributes gathered to rock a new audience! Notably including Eclipse's last concert set, the one-off Anavrin's only show, and two band debuts, did you like night #2 the most last year?


    Bands: Dany Laj & The Looks, Bizotic, Handsome Sandwich, and Slumshine
    Venue: The Rockstar Bar
    Date: November 18th
    Info:
    Making their second local concert appearance in just over three months, Dany Laj & The Looks brought their upbeat power pop originals to The Rockstar Bar in November, giving existing and new fans another entertaining night of music, alongside some harder-tinged openers! Notable as the last local concert co-promoted by Larry Babic before moving, does this one win your vote?


    Bands: The HTs, Bankshot, Nebraska Arms, Christian Pasiak, Jack Spades, A Dire Setback, Stegadeth, and Talk Shit
    Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
    Date: December 27th
    Info: A second annual memorial concert for late Hangdowns frontman Guy Thiffault was held at The Canadian after Christmas, with a stacked lineup of punk bands and notables gathering for the occasion! Despite a drumkit mishap, band reunions and debuting new lineups led to a highly anticipated reunion by late 1990s punk favourites Bankshot, but did this take late 2017?


    Other:
    Did we miss a show you preferred in late 2017? For reference sake, metal, hard rock, and punk acts like Adam's Mind, The Alien Boys, The Apocalypse Afterparty, Curtis McKenzie, Destroyer, Dri Hiev, Flying Fortress, Gianni Gagoots, If I Look Strong, You Look Strong, Incredible Woman, Mike McCleary, The Noochin' Lanterns, Northwest, The Raygun Cowboys, Rob Speers & Jesse Cook, Soundcheck, Special Ops, Stiffler's Mom, The Tea Party, Telephone & Address, Them, Twistory, Tym Morrison, and Zaum also played public shows here between July and December, while shows featuring bands otherwise in the poll also occurred. Did you like one whose lineup wasn't 50% heavy, or perhaps preferred a private, non-local, or Sault Michigan event? If we forgot your own favourite show, "Other" is here for you!


    VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until May 18th to cast your votes, when last month's and this month's choices will join forces for one final poll on your favourite shows in all of 2017, so cast your votes A.S.A.P.! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!