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

I hope everyone's having a great long weekend! Here's the belated close to last month's poll and the launch of our newest poll on the SMS, so to start, recall that we posed this question on the site last month: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2018? Sadly, we only got 10 votes in this poll, but there is a clear result in the final tally, so thanks to everyone who did vote, and here are the final results!

Oh!No festival in Leeburn returns for bigger second year (4 votes, 40%)

I Mother Earth & Finger Eleven return to Sault Ontario (2 votes, 20%)

Steel Panther performs in Sault Michigan in December (1 vote, 10%)

Seether and 10 Years rock Kewadin Casino in August (1 vote, 10%)

Re:Born debuts in local scene in early 2019 (1 vote, 10%)

The Din posthumously release "Suburban Sendoff" (1 vote, 10%)

The Bear Hunters release their debut music video (0 votes)

Big Wreck plays at The Machine Shop in February (0 votes)

Chuck Ayotte of Fistmagnet passes away (0 votes)

Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide return with new lineup (0 votes)

The Essar Centre becomes GFL Memorial Gardens (0 votes)

Gliss Restaurant moves to Spring Street (0 votes)

The Gore Street Cafe permanently closes (0 votes)

The Halloween Party launches new local tribute bands (0 votes)

Highway 63 returns to the stage after a lengthy hiatus (0 votes)

Michale Graves concert cancelled due to inclement weather (0 votes)

Mike Haggith fully resumes solo career in Thompson, Manitoba (0 votes)

Pop Evil returns to Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in February (0 votes)

Redundant play at the final Vans Warped Tour stop in Toronto (0 votes)

Rotaryfest celebrates anniversary with Rewind lineup (0 votes)

Scott McLurg retires from drumming in local bands (0 votes)

Shit Liver tour Canada to support new record "Hitting The Fan" (0 votes)

The Soo's Got Talent competition debuts at The Tech (0 votes)

Stiffler's Mom quietly fall inactive after lengthy local run (0 votes)

Theatre of Night hold their second Christmas tour (0 votes)

Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, regarding the options that got no votes, I am surprised that many received no love here, particularly the Big Wreck and Pop Evil concerts and any new studio album releases, but it's all in who votes! Of the single-voted options, this does prove how big the Seether and Steel Panther shows were last year, and Re:Born were the biggest debuting hard rock band of 2018 locally in a lean year for band debuts, but I am surprised that The Din's posthumous live album squeaked into what you could call the top 3 (with ties.) Second place went to last year's huge I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven concert, which was a great night for fans of late 1990s/early 2000s Canadian alt rock, and hopefully it helped encourage more hard rock events at The Machine Shop! The winner of the poll was last year's Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn, which brought over a dozen diverse acts to the church for a full day of entertainment, and I know year #3 will bring more high profile action this September from local and touring bands alike!

Thanks to everyone who voted! As for this month's poll, we are winding down our "favourite _____ of 2018" polls by asking this question: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of the second half of 2018? Following up on it's sister poll from last summer, I have grouped 15 high profile concerts for you guys to pick from during this eventful 6 month stretch, with shows receiving votes joining concerts from January-June 2018 in next month's poll on shows from the whole year. To make the poll, concerts must have taken place in the Sault Ontario area between July 1st and December 31st (so no Tea Party, for example), while concerts in the poll must have a lineup comprised of at least 50% metal, hard rock, and punk acts. This eliminates such events as Toystock, the Downtown Street Parties, the Northern Vibe Festival, and Rotaryfest Stage 2, but you can vote for those by selecting "Other" if you want. Now, here are your choices!

Bands: Rivers of Nihil, Alterbeast, Inferi, and Pillory
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 6th
Info: One of the heaviest shows of last year saw a trifecta of American death metal bands make their way to The Rockstar Bar last July, with Reading, Pennsylvania's own Rivers of Nihil inciting a huge circle pit for their brutal original headlining attack! Alterbeast and Inferi were more than up to the challenge as openers, while local death/thrash metal trio Pillory impressed in their only public show in the past 18 months. Was this extreme metal blast your preferred choice?

Bands: Treble Charger, Mustang Heart, Turner Up, Road Fever, and Tripod The Dog
Venue: Clergue Park (Rotaryfest Stage 1)
Date: July 20th
Info: As part of their "Rotaryfest Rewind" theme of band reunions at the covers-centric main stage last year, our local summer festival loaded up the schedule each night, with a very SMS-friendly Friday lineup to boot! Featuring prominent indie/punk quartet Treble Charger, a one-off Turner Up reunion, and the return of Tripod the Dog alongside festival regulars Mustang Heart and a reunited Road Fever, fans ate up this day's roster, but would you vote for it in this month's poll?

Bands: Id Iota & Great Chamberlain
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: July 20th
Info: Continuing with LopLops Lounge's tradition of booking Rotaryfest Stage 2 acts for nighttime concerts that same weekend, they played host to local indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota and the now-on-hiatus "unorthodox stadium rock" band Great Chamberlain for this concert, held at an unusually late time so as to not conflict with Treble Charger's set. Surprisingly the last Id Iota show to date, this was a well recieved concert, but can you vouch for it?

Bands: The Din & A Dire Setback
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: July 21st
Info: The second post-Rotaryfest show from LopLops last year saw a surprise reunion set from defunct alt-hard rock trio The Din, marking their first local concert appearance since their "Suburban Sendoff" at the same venue last fall! Also featuring their friends in pop punk trio A Dire Setback fresh off of their own Stage 2 set, this "Dinunion" reminded LopLops patrons how big of an attraction The Din were in their heyday, but was it your favourite late-2019 show featured here?

Bands: The Costanzas, Stegadeth, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: August 4th
Info: Presented by Six, Two, Oh. and the mysterious "Killenials", The Rockstar Bar played host to Montreal ska/jazz punk quartet The Costanzas on this August night, with their edgy yet amusing brand of originals attracting more fans in the process! Featuring local punk trio Stegadeth and the 2018 debut of extreme death metal veterans Winkstinger, this song delivered for a nice range of sounds, but did you like it the most of all of these concerts?

Bands: Garbageface, Cross Dog, The Therapists, The Franquilizers, Lightmares, Beaver Slap, Fat Cop, Forest City Aurora, Planet Rock, Pointless, The Dynowaves, Jack Spades, Mik & Steve, Winkstinger, A Dire Setback, The Elements, Jackson Reed, and Shae Tull
Venue: Robbie Adamson's Church in Leeburn
Date: September 8th
Info: The aforementioned Six, Two, Oh. brought back their Oh!No concert festival to the familiar church locale in nearby Leeburn on September 8th, and delivered with an even bigger day of music than in 2017! Featuring the long awaited local return of Mark Rand's Cross Dog, the Soo debut of The Therapists, fan favourite returnees from Oh!No I, Beaver Slap karaoke, and even a piano bonfire, would you vote for this fast-rising festival?

Bands: The Gabba Heys, The Cover-Up, and Amy Gabba
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: September 22nd
Info: After an almost 2 year hiatus from fronting bands locally, veteran local punk musician Mikey Hawdon returned home in September with his new Ramones tribute band The Gabba Heys (not the same band as the former Merves), with his AMY/DC bandmate Amy Zucchetto breaking out a Joan Jett tribute set for good measure! Also featuring the online page-less Cover-Up for a set of their own punk classics, was this punk rock lineup your preferred show out of all others in the poll?

Bands: Ten Foot Pole, Jack Spades, and Redundant
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 25th
Info: Helping kick off another big Halloween concert season from Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, his punk/metal quintet helped open for California skate punk veterans Ten Foot Pole last October, with fans over the past couple of decades flocking to The Rockstar Bar to see these cult favourites in person! Also featuring the first local concert set from punk trio Redundant following their EP release in July, was this your favourite show over all of the rest?

Bands: The Elements, Coral Fang, and Poison Girl
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 27th
Info: The first of two Halloween Party concerts at The Rockstar Bar last year from promoter J.D. Pearce, costumed fans bore witness to a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute set from funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (now known as Higher Ground when under this guise), while Stegadeth bandmates Tiffany Stocco and Johnny Belanger pulled double duty in debuting Distillers and H.I.M. tribute bands. Did the first night of tribute action pique your interest?

Bands: Frightlight, Parabol, and Redundant
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 28th
Info: The aformentioned Halloween party continued the following night with a (largely) Weezer tribute set by Redundant and guest bassist Andrew MacDonald, the live debut of new local Tool tribute supergroup Parabol (who arguably stole the show with their proficient set), and a one-off(?) reunion set by horror punk quintet Frightlight, sans St. Mayhem. Each band delivered with their own explosive brand of music, but did this top late 2018 to you?

Bands: Shit Liver, The Therapists, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: November 22nd
Info: Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver returned home for their second hometown date of 2018 at The New A last fall, and they were up to their usual tricks at this well recieved concert! Also featuring Oh!No fan favourites The Therapists (props & costumes in tow) and the first Bear Hunters concert set in over a year, this well recieved Thursday nighter rekindled memories of Rosie metal nights gone by, but would you vote for it?

Bands: Parabol & The Elements (as "Scar Tissue")
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: December 14th
Info: An encore of sorts from the two night Halloween Party at the same venue, new Tool tribute band Parabol and their friends The Elements (then using the temporary tribute name "Scar Tissue") joined forces for a one night blast of progressive metal and funk rock, rekindling the same good feelings and strong fan responses that made their sets highlights at the end of October! Can you concur and pick for this show in this poll?

Bands: The Cover-Up & Coral Fang
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: December 21st
Info: A busy Christmas season for Tidal Records included a headlining set from label head Dustin Jones' online page-less punk band The Cover-Up, as flanked by new Distillers tribute Coral Fang in their sophomore outing. Fans at LopLops surely enjoyed this double bill of established local names tackling classic punk songs, and there was more to come from them in 2019, but did you like this show the most among the 15 presented here?

Bands: Northwest & K.I.C.K.
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: December 22nd
Info: The good times for local punk fans continued just a day later at LopLops, as indie/punk quintet Northwest launched their sophomore EP "Songs From 2015-2017" to a receptive audience, with their new and old originals alike bolstering their name and reputation among local fans! Also featuring returning indie rock openers K.I.C.K. after a year+ hiatus, was this your absolute favourite concert in the Soo in late 2018?

Bands: Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide and The Steeletown Girls
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: December 28th
Info: After a big return to the local scene following their lengthy hiatus since mid-2016, Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide capped off an eventful year with a big headlining concert at LopLops on December 28th, with support by Din guitarist Tammy Hill's country pop duo The Steeletown Girls. This was a big post-Christmas platform for fans to check out The Tide's established and newer originals, but would you vote for it?

Other: Did we miss a preferred concert that you saw locally last year? For reference, metal, hard rock, or punk bands like Carried Away, Chase Wigmore, Crucify the Whore, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, Handsome Sandwich, James Watterworth, Re:Born, Soundcheck, The Suicide Kings, That's Chester, The Truth Of All Death, Tym Morrison, and The Wyld Stallyns all played live last year, not to mention shows from Sault Michigan-area acts, and un-listed concerts featuring bands already in the poll. If, for whatever reason, the show you want to vote for isn't here, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You guys have until around May 18th to cast your votes, and I'm interested to see how things shake out here, especially if there's a decent vote total! Stay tuned for more updates, and for a new news post soon! Thanks everyone!

2018: A Look Back In The Year Of Local Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk

It is now time for our final post of 2018, and as usual, we're closing with a retrospective on the events of 2018 in the local metal, hard rock, and punk scenes, including the good and bad from bands, concerts, and general news from both sides of the border. Hopefully we hit most of the big stories, but this is always a fun post to research and compile, so hopefully this brings back some solid memories of the year that was! As always, we'll start with major headlining hard rock and metal concerts at major local venues, and this was a busy year in that regard!

We first saw Project 906 and a reunited Chord On Bluz opening for Laith Al-Saadi and The Chris Canas Band in the "Best of Michigan Blues" concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on February 10th, while Sault Ontario welcomed Big Wreck & Attica Riots to The Machine Shop three days later, and just a day after that, The Dreammaker's Theater responded with the return of Pop Evil alongside Palaye Royale & Black Map. The same venue hosted touring Boston tribute band Don't Look Back on April 7th, while The Machine Shop responded on April 19th with I Mother Earth, Finger Eleven, and J.J. Thompson. On August 11th, Kewadin Casino welcomed Seether & 10 Years back to the Soo alongside The Dead Deads, while Steel Panther and Wilson rocked the same venue on December 1st, and locals Theatre of Night headlined a special Dreammaker's Theater Christmas concert on December 15th. Look for many more huge concerts at these venues in the new year!

Beyond major venues, Sault Ontario welcomed a number of big concerts to local venues in 2018, with notable touring bands like All The Wasted Years, Alterbeast, Archelon, Beaver Slap, Carried Away, Cross Dog, The Faps, The Gabba Heys, Inferi, Lightmares, Rivers of Nihil, Ten Foot Pole, The Therapists, Who Made Who, and Whoop-Szo all hitting regional stages. Major returning events on the concert calendar included Rotaryfest, Toystock, The Northern Vibe Festival, J.D. Pearce's Halloween Party, Go Skateboarding Day, The Sky's The Limit, and the Oh!No Music Festival in Leeburn, and while there were no true battles of the bands, a few hard rock acts took part in The Soo's Got Talent at The Tech this fall. Fans also turned out for the Joni Radford and Pirie Kaufman benefits, the Rides for Autism & ARCH, the Downtown Street Parties, Soo Blaster's new Indie Music Showcases, and even Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest in September. I'm sure there's much more on the horizon in 2019!

Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula had it's share of notable concerts in 2018 as well, with Peril, Scarkazm, and Spun returning from out of town for more high profile headlining appearances, while Munising's own Infathom headlined in Brimley in May, and Peril side project Project 6 played a special Kincheloe convenience store set in August! Also this year: Project 906 returned to the Rudyard Musicians Festival (among a wide array of solo headlining gigs), Banned played at the Sugar Island Music Festival while also maintaining a similarly busy schedule, and Highway 63 side project Cousin Eddie played their final concerts at the Kewadin Casino branches. In fact, some of this year's biggest hard rock shows in the E.U.P. took place in December, like Theatre of Night's Pickford church concert on December 14th, and Highway 63's return from hiatus at the Dondee just over a week later. There's a lot of talent in the Sault Michigan area going into the new year!

2018 gave us a lot of general news stories impacting heavier and punk bands. Noted local acts like A Dire Setback, Banned, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide, Id Iota, Jack Spades, Mike Haggith, Redundant, Shit Liver, Soundcheck, Stegadeth, and Theatre of Night all hit the road for out-of-town gigs, while both Shit Liver and The Bear Hunters unveiled long awaited music videos towards their new albums! This year had it's share of bad news, like the passing of Fistmagnet's Chuck Ayotte, the closures of The Gore Street Cafe & PureVolume, the Michale Graves concert cancellation, and a complete lack of heavier Oddfellows Hall shows, but we had good news as well, like the growth of Room 21, Bird's Eye Outfitters, and Soo Blaster as active venues, the rebranding of GFL Memorial Gardens, the debut of Ernest Skinner's Rock Talk column, the return of Punk Rock Bingo in April, and Gliss' successful move to Spring Street, among many others. Here's to another eventful year ahead!

The past year has been unusually packed for new albums from metal, hard rock, and punk acts, with none getting a bigger launch than Shit Liver's vinyl sophomore album "Hitting The Fan", as bolstered by a hit Canadian tour! Redundant finally put out their debut EP in July at their Vans Warped Tour stop in Toronto, and fellow local punk rockers Northwest released their own second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" earlier this month. Mike Haggith stayed busy in Manitoba with two live albums, including his new solo release "From The Nickel Stage" and his old band The Din's posthumous "Suburban Sendoff". A couple of other Mikes put out multiple albums in 2018, like the five studio albums (and one reissue) from Mike McCleary to the debut studio albums from Mike Vincent as well. Also this year: Telephone & Address finally released "Monster", SweetKenny kept his score album releases going, and Sykotyk Rampage resurfaced with "Live at the Paris Hilton", among other new albums in 2018, and more should be on the horizon next year!

2018 was a lean year for debuting heavier bands, but a few notable names turned up! Arguably the most familiar of this year's rookie crop was power rock quintet Re:Born, who picked up where predecessors Project 421 left off with a trio of well received gigs, and hopefully there's more to come in the new year! J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween parties in October gave us a trifecta of new tribute bands, including Stegadeth side projects Coral Fang & Poison Girl paying homage to The Distillers & H.I.M., while a nameless one-off supergroup brought their Tool tribute to The Rockstar Bar stage for 2 show-stealing concerts. Also this year: Veteran classic/hard rock quintet Fluid 5ive finally debuted on stage after their 2016 inception, Chase Wigmore launched his grindcore act Awokest, 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard started his own emponymous solo project, and Halfway Loaded members formed the new acoustic duo Tattoos & Scars. Here's hoping these bands & more keep things going strong in 2019!

A number of local bands saw lineup changes, additions, and departures in 2018, with two of Tidal Records head Dustin Jones' resurrected punk bands seeing big upheaval, from Liam Seymour & Chris Johns joining the revived Rising Tide lineup, to Marshall Jaaskelainen & Aaron Dunn replacing Clint Wilson & Mike Yorke in The Cover-Up. Classic/hard rockers Soundcheck saw Steven Flint, Scott McLurg, and Glen Thomas behind the drumkit in 2018, while Elly McWatters replaced Robert Nevitt on vocals with Re:Born, Robert Sartini took over for Dan Linklater on bass in Id Iota, and that band's drummer Blair St. John joined Robert's existing metal band Pillory as their new bassist! Meanwhile, Sault Michigan saw Highway 63 enlist George Belleau, Justin Lawless, and Brian Drumheller for their return from hiatus, Tommy Korcal replace Will Storey as Project 906's drummer, and Stacie McCarthy depart Theatre of Night after one tour. Hopefully these and more were the right moves for each band!

Unfortunately, a number of high profile heavier/punk bands ended their local runs in 2018 even if there weren't many major farewell shows in the process. Classic/hard rock veterans Stiffler's Mom, The 3 Day Millionaires, and Griphook ceased public updates this year, while hard rock quartet Eclipse abruptly ended their run, indie/alternative bands Vol., Bizotic, and The Noochin' Lanterns quietly dissolved, and Gianni Gagoots' reunion seemed to end before it began, among others. Sault Michigan appeared to say goodbye to Cousin Eddie & Stoned Ape Evolution in 2018, while the Werehold Records roster of metal artists have all been dormant since the spring. Also, a number of notable bands have went over 6 months without a public update, leaving the statuses of acts like Electric Church, Gates of Winter, Skeyes of Seven, Sykotyk Rampage, and Telephone & Address in limbo. It's sad to lose these bands, but hopefully we see them or their members out there in 2019!

That all said, there was no shortage of notable acts making big comebacks in 2018! With Rotaryfest's "Rewind" theme for Stage 1 this year, fans were treated to Treble Charger's return after a year+ break from the local stage, while That's Chester, The Suicide Kings, Tripod The Dog, and Turner Up were just some of the one-off returning bands this year, and fellow performers Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide had ended a lengthy hiatus of their own earlier in the year! Dustin's other punk band The Cover-Up also returned after 3 years away, while The Bear Hunters, Highway 63, Pillory, Redundant, and Shit Liver all resurfaced after taking a year or more off from local concerts. Hard rock trio The Din reunited for a one-off LopLops show in July, with frontman Mike Haggith resuming live performances for his own solo project in Manitoba. Frightlight & Plastic both resurfaced with one-off Halloween weekend sets, and The Billy Bastards, Sykotyk Rampage, and The Sorrow Fields came back for new studio sessions, among many others. Here's to more returns in 2019!

As always, 2018 was an eventful year for local metal, hard rock, and punk acts & concerts, and I know 2019 will provide much more big moments, so be sure to follow along next year for coverage of all that's heavy and punk in the Twin Saults! Thanks to everyone for following along and for their support over the past year, have a fun and responsible New Year's Eve, and stay tuned for our 2019 preview post tomorrow!

This Month's Poll On Your Favourite Concerts Of Early 2018!!

Before we get into weekend concert previews, here's our newest poll on the SMS, where we're posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the first half of 2018? The early half of this year has been somewhat quieter than usual, but we have seen some strong and notable concerts between January 1st and June 30th, and it'll be interesting to see what you guys thought was your favourite in 2018 so far! As usual, the concerts who receive votes will face off with the vote-getters in our second half of 2018 poll early next year to determine your favourite concert of 2018. To make this poll, concerts must have taken place in Sault Ontario in the above date range, and must have had a lineup at least half comprised of metal, hard rock, or punk acts, so if you want to vote for such events as The Sky's The Limit, the Algoma Ride For Autism afterparty, the Whoop-Szo concert, or Id Iota's March 30th LopLops show, you'll want to go with "Other", which is back as an option as usual.

That said, I am contracting the number of shows in this poll (and our second-half poll to match) from 20 to 15, for two reasons. One is that this has been a slow stretch, and if I forced 20, I'd have to include covers-heavy, single band shows without a major theme to them, which some may consider to be filler. The other is, with low vote totals on our recent polls already, maybe shrinking the options will help readers have an easier time picking a preferred concert. Time will tell, but here's your final 15 options for this month!

Bands: Redundant, A Dire Setback, and Stegadeth
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: January 13th
Info: The biggest punk/heavier concert of January saw three local punk trios join forces at The Canadian to raise funds and support for local resident Joni Radford during her second battle with breast cancer. All three bands helped kick off 2018 with a bang on this night, including the second live appearances by A.D.S. and Stegadeth's new lineups, and I know this was emotional and positive night to help Joni and her family out through tough times, but is it our preferred show here?

Bands: Big Wreck & Attica Riots
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: February 13th
Info: Over 16 years after last rocking Sault Ste. Marie, Juno Award-winning Toronto/Boston hard rock band Big Wreck returned for a well attended and received headlining show at The Machine Shop in February, with Winnipeg alt-rockers Attica Riots along for the ride! The Ian Thornley-lead group brought fans back to the 1990s by playing their entire "In Loving Memory Of..." album on this winter night, and fan response was very positive, but can you vouch for this concert?

Bands: Redundant, The Cover-Up, and The Bananas Guerrillas
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: March 3rd
Info: Though better known for indie, folk, and alternative music, LopLops Lounge became home to Punk Covers Night on March 3rd, with Redundant, the reunited Cover-Up, and The Bananas Guerrillas (née Enema of the State) joining forces for a night of fan favourite punk renditions! With plenty of familiar faces brought together by Tidal Records to deliver their own takes on punk classics, this show spawned a Redundant-less sequel in June, but would you vote for the original?

Bands: Archelon, Jack Spades, Doors & Fours, and Re:Born
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 10th
Info: The first promoted concert of the year from J.D. Pearce saw Sudbury metal quartet Archelon  play their first local set in over 3 years, alongside Hamilton grunge/punk trio Doors & Fours, and the 2018 debuts of local punk/metal favourites Jack Spades and Project 421-successors Re:Born, who impressed early fans with their power rock covers and originals. Despite medium attendance, fans at The Rockstar Bar responded well to this four pack, but would you pick it in this poll?

Bands: Jesse Merineau and Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide
Venue: The Speak Easy
Date: March 22nd
Info: In advance of his highly promoted CD release concert at The Machine Shop on July 26th, local indie rock musician Jesse Merineau and his solo band (including 2/3rds of Caroline Divine and Electric Church's Spencer Pine) returned to the site of Jesse's 2016 battle of the bands victory for this high profile concert. Bolstered by the return of Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide for their first local concert since 2016, was this your show your preferred option here?

Bands: Shit Liver, Stegadeth, and Id Iota
Venue: The Rednecks Saloon
Date: April 6th
Info: After being forced to move this concert from both The Algonquin Pub and Speak Easy, a same-day move to The Rednecks Saloon didn't temper the enthusiasm, as Shit Liver played the local stop of their "Hitting the Fan" album release tour in April to a strong audience of crust and grind fans, with many vinyl copies finding happy customers! Also featuring a diverse, growl-free openers lineup via Stegadeth and Id Iota, would you vote for this show above all others here?

Bands: Who Made Who
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 6th
Info: Definitely no strangers to the local stage and AC/DC fans in the Soo, Toronto tribute quintet Who Made Who returned to The Rockstar Bar in April to deliver another night of high voltage rock n' roll for assembled fans! Their faithful looking and sounding tribute to AC/DC was fully intact as ever, as fans of their many prior local stops will attest, but would this concert earn your vote over others chosen in this poll?

Bands: I Mother Earth, Finger Eleven, and J.J. Thompson
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: April 18th
Info: Just when you thought the Big Wreck concert was a big deal, The Machine Shop played host to I Mother Earth and Finger Eleven on April 18th for a massive night of hits from these Juno-winning hard rock standouts! Alongside their own sets, fans were also treated to two joint sets from the headliners, including a V.I.P. acoustic pre-show and a plugged-in encore, ensuring that fans got their money's worth from this major package! Would you vote for this concert?

Bands: The Steves, A Dire Setback, and Mik & Steve
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: May 2nd
Info: If you like musicians with members named Steve, you were in good company on this night!
Regina pop punk quartet The Steves made their local concert debut here with a lo-fi but upbeat set of punk rock originals, with local favourites A Dire Setback and new local alt-acoustic duo (and Vol. successors) Mik & Steve opening the proceedings. This was a solid package of punk and alternative music provided by Six, Two, Oh., but was it your favourite concert here?

Bands: Id Iota & Pointless
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: May 19th
Info: Hyped as the "Indie Spring", this concert was supposed to be headlined by Sudbury garage rock headliners The Almighty Rhombus, before their bassist suffered a finger injury. The show went on, however, as Id Iota's new lineup continued the lead-up to their upcoming second CD release with an extended headlining set, with guitarist Dustin Goodall pulling double duty with his drone rock trio Pointless to kick things off. Did the summoning of "Father Spring" help earn this your vote?

Bands: All The Wasted Years, A Dire Setback, Stegadeth, and Re:Born
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 1st
Info: Helping kick off the summer in style, Timmins punk quartet All The Wasted Years made their local concert debut last month, in their first of a home and home series where openers A Dire Setback joined them in Timmins the next night. This well received show featured a solid lineup of current punk standouts, plus the second live appearance of Re:Born for a metal kick. This was a fun concert with another positive response in Live 705's return, but was it your favourite show here?

Bands: Jesse Stewart, Jack Spades, and Handsome Sandwich
Venue: Low & Slow
Date: June 8th
Info: A concert that proved to be too big to be held upstairs at Room 21, the popular Albert Street West barbecue restaurant instead played host to British Columbia alternative folk musician and viral favourite Jesse Stewart in his local debut, with Jack Spades and the returning Handsome Sandwich playing support at this unique genre-hybrid event. Jesse's music and live show was optimally expereinced by many fans, and the punk action preceding doesn't hurt, but would you agree?

Bands: The Cover-Up & The Bananas Guerrillas
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: June 15th
Info: A sequel to March's Punk Covers Night at LopLops (albeit sans Redundant), this union of online page-less punk acts brought their familiar brand of punk renditions back to the same venue, and with alumni of The Rising Tide, Lion Ride, K.I.C.K., Stereo North, Long Shot, and Gnaeus all under one roof, you know there was a lot of talent on hand for patrons! If you were there, would you choose this as your favourite metal or punk concert here?

Bands: The Elements & A Dire Setback
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 16th
Info: Playing their first full plugged-in concert since the fall of 2017, this was a rare headlining showcase for The Elements, whose funk and hard rock covers and originals have proven to be a reliable live attraction since the mid-2010s! Featuring a short notice opening set from A Dire Setback, this was a nice return to their roots following the inception of The Wyld Stallyns late last year, but would this concert have won your vote in the poll?

Bands: The Cover-Up, Northwest, Handsome Sandwich, and Id Iota
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Park
Date: June 21st
Info: For a fourth straight year, Tidal Records hosted a live concert atop the big ramp at the local skatepark as part of their Go Skateboarding Day festivities, and fans were treated to a nice selection of indie and punk rock action, including no returning bands from past years! The all ages event featured promoter Dustin Jones' musical performing debut on Go Skate Day, and things went well fr fans at this unique outdoor locale, but did this concert get your vote here?

Other: Did we miss your preferred concert in early 2018? For reference, artists like Electric Church, Fluid 5ive, Soundcheck, The 3 Day Millionaires, Tym Morrison, and Whoop-Szo all played public local concerts between January 1st and June 30th, not to mention solo shows not included involving some of the above acts otherwise in the poll. Maybe you preferred a Sault Michigan show instead? If your #1 local metal/hard rock/punk concert of early 2018 isn't above, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until August 18th to cast your votes, and it'll be interesting to see who wins out in this half-year poll, so do so at the poll on the upper right of the page! That's all for today, but stay tuned for lots of weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

2018: A Preview & What To Watch Out For!!

Happy New Year, everyone! As usual when we start a new year at The Sault Metal Scene, we're starting 2018 with a forecast post where we look at concerts and events that we could (or will) see in the area in the next 12 months, so here's what to look for!

In the realm of concerts, the big current announcements are for next month, as on consecutive days, we'll see Big Wreck rock The Machine Shop in Sault Ontario on February 13th, then Pop Evil, Palaye Royale, and Black Map will hit The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Valentine's Day! You can get tickets for the former at this link for $35, and for the latter at this link for $25, not to mention the in-person box office of both venues. As well, local hard rock quartet Project 906 will be among the openers for the Laith Al-Saadi blues concert at The Dreammaker's Theater on February 10th, which has $30 regular admission tickets available at this link too. Other currently announced hard rock shows this year are of the bar cover variety, including the return of Marquette's Spun to The Satisfied Frog on January 26th & 27th, and the continuation of Tym Morrison's weekly acoustic matinee arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood, as next seen this Thursday-Saturday.

In terms of concerts that haven't been announced yet, look for heavier bands to potentially return to both stages of Rotaryfest in July, as well as the presumed returns of such annual events as Toystock, J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party, The Northern Vibe Festival, The Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert, The Fishbowl Festival, and The Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser. Also, we could see year #2 for the Oh!No Music Festival in Leeburn and the NLFB Meltdown audition/battle of the bands, which debuted to solid receptions last year, but the jury is still out. The Eastern Upper Peninsula should see the returns of The Sugar Island Music Festival and Rudyard Musicians Festival, while we could see more benefit shows from Bay Mills Bands Together if a worthy cause comes along. Of course, follow the SMS, social media, SooToday, and other pertinent sources for official and firm word on new area concerts when they come in! For example, could we see annual stops here from K-Man & The 45s and The Ripcordz again in 2018?

As for CDs and albums, the only new local hard rock, metal, or punk album that I've seen get a referenced release date is SweetKenny's tenth score album "Escape of the Desert Rat", which is advertised as being released one week from Wednesday, so fans of the Dafter, Michigan solo artist will want to note that date! Of course, this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post (coming tomorrow) will give you guys the current release whereabouts of upcoming and at least partially recorded albums from SMS-covered bands, so might albums from The Bear Hunters, Electric Church, The Elements, Gates of Winter, Id Iota, Kraken Mara, Mike McCleary, Mike Vincent, Northwest, Redundant, Skeyes of Seven, and Telephone & Address finally get released in 2018? Also, will we see The Din's posthumous live album? Have Shit Liver and Vol. commenced recording sessions for their teased next CDs? Hopefully we'll find out for sure in the ensuing months!

There's a lot of unknowns yet for 2018 at The Sault Metal Scene, but hopefully this year is even bigger and better than 2017, and hopfully you'll follow along once again! I couldn't do it without your support, so thanks again for a great past year (with one major exception), and stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!