It's now day 39 of our current streak of consecutive days with SMS posts, and as mainly focus on previews of this weekend's concerts today (Sault Ontario only, I haven't heard of any Sault Michigan metal/hard rock shows this weekend.) Those are joined by lineup news for a concert next week, and recent news coverage of Wednesday's opening night of the latest local battle of the bands, so let's begin today's post with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS partly related to this weekend's concert schedule!
Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has announced two more solo acoustic concert dates, including shows TONIGHT and on Thursday, April 18th! Both are taking place at The Road House Bar & Grill (as is usual for his solo gigs in the last few months), and while tonight's show is fairly standard compared to most of his recent unplugged concerts, the April 18th show will be a part of another customer appreciation night, which took place on another Thursday last month as well, with attached free food offers and so forth. Either way, Tym's hard rocking acoustic sets should go over well at this East End venue/restaurant, so for something a little softer (yet still heavy), why not head down to The Road House? Both shows have no announced cover charge, and while TONIGHT'S show has a 10:00 PM start time and a likely 19+ age limit, the April 18th customer appreciation set is at 5:00 PM with an age limit less likely. For more details on each show, click here and here!
Tym's unplugged solo shows are always fun and full of familiar hits, so go check him out TONIGHT (or on the 18th), and for a preview, here's Tym covering "More Than Words" with ex-Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc a few years back!
The only other heavier leaning concert this weekend that I can verify is courtesy of the return of Hamilton hard rock quartet 40 Sons to The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Just over a month after their well received return to Sault Ontario after an over 3 year absence, this talented rising band will be back with another exciting night of aggressive modern rock originals! The quick turnaround isn't unique to this year either, as they played two local shows at the old Coch's Corner in 2008-2009 three months apart. The Friday night placing is sure to help attendance, but that's not the only difference, as they have a local opening band tonight, that being local hard rockers The Suicide Kings! Five nights away from their set in the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Semifinals, this will be the guys' second show of three at this venue in a three week span, and they should compliment 40 Sons well in their first local opening set since Toystock last fall! There will be a 19+ age limit for TONIGHT'S show, along with a 10:00 PM start time and a likely $5 cover charge.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an entertaining night of modern rock excitement, and if the word and reception from 40 Sons' show here in February is any indication, you won't wanna miss this concert, so keep it in mind for TONIGHT! For a preview, here's 40 Sons playing their song "I Have The Gun" last year!
Next up, here's some more fallout from Wednesday's first night of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! SooToday's Donna Hopper was in attendance, and filed a report from the battle yesterday, complete with some very nice photos of the three competing bands! They include four each of Haggith and winners Late & Loud, and three from Sarah's Valley, all of which are in black and white, but there's some great angles and shots of each band, as usual! The write-up is good & explanatory for what went down and what's coming up, and hopefully this article gets some much needed exposure for the coming weeks, so check out her review at this location! If you're looking for some more photos, attendee Andy Boisvert shared some colour photos of Haggith & Sarah's Valley on the Facebook event page, so give those a look as well. Remember, the battle continues on Wednesday when three newer bands (The Northern Tragedy, The Pesto Shirts, and The Suicide Kings) collide for the next finals spot on the 24th, and the field's wide open with these three, so hopefully you guys will tag along at The Rockstar Bar next week to find out who moves on! 19+, $3, 10:00 PM, don't miss it!
Finally for today, here's some lineup news for this coming Thursday's Rabid Whole-headlined concert at The Roosevelt Hotel! The replacements for Machines Dream on the lineup have been announced, and rather than just one band, two have been added to join Sykotyk Rampage as the local openers, those being fellow battle of the bands competitors Giwakwa & Sarah's Valley! For Giwakwa, this will now be their live concert debut (6 days before their battle set), but how will the new sludge/death metal band featuring Bring The Fallen, Frightlight, and Mimik alumni do in their first ever concert set? Note that this could be seen as a partial preview of the last battle of the bands semifinal night on April 17th, as both Giwakwa & Syktoyk Rampage are playing that night against The Bear Hunters. As for Sarah's Valley, they are (as you may remember) essentially a reunited Free Beer/M.O.B. under a different name, and whether you'd say they're the same band or not, this will be the first non-battle that Christian, Dustin, and company have played together (I think) since their one-off set opening for The Rebel Spell at the old Foggy Notions in 2011.
Their funk/ska punk sounds were welcomed back this past Wednesday, and they should add to this diverse lineup of local music come next week, but I wish they'd launch an online page or something, it'd help their exposure! Click here for more details on next week's show, and hopefully it'll be huge! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend! Thanks everyone!
Our recent busy stretch at the SMS continues tonight with some more news and notes, so what's on tap? Along with some updates to the layout of the site in recent days, we also have some new audio tracks to share from some heavier local projects, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a very familiar band's return next month!
Just four days after their well received return to Sault Ontario, Hamilton hard rock quartet 40 Sons will return to The Rockstar Bar on April 5th for their second local concert in just over a month! I've heard fantastic things about their sound, energy, and professionalism from their show on Thursday, and this is an awesome bonus to add to the end of their Hurricane tour on their way back from Manitoba! Such a quick turnaround isn't entirely new for 40 Sons' local dates either, as they played Coch's Corner gigs 3 months apart in late 2009 & early 2010. Beyond the Friday placement, there will be one extra difference on April 5th: a local opening band, as hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will play their first (likely) Rockstar Bar gig in 2013 to open for 40 Sons! Their first non-headlining gig since Toystock, their mix of hard rock originals and varied covers should lend itself really well for this show next month, and it'll be great to see them back at it! Like their show here on Thursday, the April 5th 40 Sons gig has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!
I think I'll have to swing by The Rockstar Bar on April 5th to check out the action, especially with all the positive buzz from last week! Hopefully both bands are awesome, and check the above links for more details!
Next up, here's the latest updates from local grunge band Haggith and their drummer Mike Haggith's solo project! Both have uploaded some new studio material onto their respective Facebook pages, including this new Facebook video of Mike Haggith's solo original "Drown" (well, an instrumental mix of it), as to be featured on his forthcoming 46th solo album "The Present Din". Without giving anything away, the song is softer like his indications of the album's overall sound, but it does build late. I fully expect to review this album later this year upon it's release (maybe in the summer?), but for now, give the "Drown" demo a listen at this location! As a Facebook video, I can't embed it here, but this I can, an audio recording of the Haggith band's original song "Loverbeam" from their upcoming album "Deuce"! Wrote by singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie's brother/old bandmate Travis, it's a 2 minute original from the guys (minus bassist Caleb Cachagee for unknown reasons), as uploaded to their YouTube channel on Friday.
Fans of Haggith's earlier hard rock/grunge material should enjoy this short rocker, so check out Haggith's new studio track (recorded at PaperClip Productions) below, and stay tuned soon for more news and notes from (Mike) Haggith as it rolls in!
Also in new audio tracks on YouTube, newer Sault Ontario goregrind project Crucify The Whore uploaded a new song named "Fisting Your Nephew" onto label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Saturday! Off of their newest demo "Fetel Pig Dissection", it has a fuller & heavier sound than their past originals that I've heard (despite it's 64 second length), but the pig squeal & grunt vocals are still an acquired taste. Note that due to some of the imagery on the demo's cover art (including a dissected pig, a'la the demo title), I've embedded just the audio here, but you can still click through to see the full video if you want. Though I'm not offended personally, I don't want to risk offending any readers who may be sensitive to some of the imagery, but no offense is meant to Crucify the Whore or Blood Shed Productions! I appreciate what they're doing and respect their stances on their music and artwork, and if you're up for some new local grind/gore music, check out C.T.W.'s new song below!
Finally
for today, I wanted to address some recent changes to the layout of the
SMS. If you've noticed some minor additions and removals, it's just to
balance out the Sault Ontario & Sault Michigan sides of the
page, and better categorize certain links. The "Other Local Metal Links"
sections on either side were too large and text-heavy for easy
navigation, so I moved a bunch of links from there into their own
categories in between the band links and "other" links, so what's
changed? I added sections for local music festivals on both sides of the
border, and for just Sault Ontario, I added link categories for local
internet radio stations/podcasts, local concert/musician photographers,
and inactive local concert venues with surviving online pages, with link
changes & edits where needed. I also moved our monthly polls onto the
right-hand side of the page (and added a section there devoted to links to
SMS pages on other websites) to help balance out the two sides, as Sault
Michigan still has a lot less links and features. Hopefully this makes
things easier to navigate and group, so check things out and see what
you think!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news in the next few days as we continue a busy stretch to lead off the month of March! Thanks everyone!
Let's wind down this relatively slow month of February with one last post, as we have a busy weekend of metal and hard rock shows in the Twin Saults to preview today! I'm gonna move the lone Sault Michigan previews (Nudge's latest local concert weekend) to tomorrow's news post to spread everything out better, so as a result, we'll focus on three notable concerts from today through Saturday in Sault Ontario. Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know for your weekend concert plans as we close up one month and enter another! (Updated at 5:47 PM)
We start TONIGHT at The Rockstar Bar, where Hamilton hard rock quartet 40 Sons will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario! Last seen here at the old Coch's Corner in late 2009 & early 2010, this band is sure to be familiar from both their first local stops and from a long successful run in Southern Ontario, opening for numerous major artists, and even seeing their song "Hurricane" used at the UFC 152 pre-show! It'll be good to see their unique blend of modern hard rock back in the Soo after a 3 year absence, and thank local concert promoter J.D. Pearce for bringing them back! Uniquely for The Rockstar Bar, there will be NO COVER tonight, but there is still a 19+ age limit for this 9:00 PM event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solidly entertaining concert for you hard rock fans, so don't miss out! The vocals are unique for the genre, but the music is reliable, often heavy, and very catchy, so head to The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for 40 Sons! For a preview, here's the video for their single "Hurricane"!
Keeping in the vein of J.D.-promoted concerts, a somewhat unique show hits The Canadian Nightclub tomorrow night to help kick off March, as Apocalypse: The Musical brings 3 tribute bands to the local concert stage! Similar in theme to last January's Merves/Frightlight gig at The Canadian, all three bands tonight feature local musicians playing tribute sets of one major artist's material, including a headlining out of town band featuring a local frontman, and this time around, the headliners are Welland doom metal trio Xanadu! Playing their first gig in over 4 years (I think), Xanadu features prolific local metal musician Jonathan Tiberi on vocals & bass alongside his old bandmates Mike D'Agostini on guitar & Scott Brady on drums, and for the occasion, they'll cover a set full of Black Sabbath classics for their Sault Ste. Marie debut! The Facebook videos that I've seen of Xanadu show a promising metal sound, but who knows how they'll do tomorrow after such a long break? I'm very curious to find out though! Also on board for tomorrow night is Misfits tribute band The Fiend Brigade, who are essentially T-Rex Manning (J.D. Pearce, Tiffany Stocco, and Bill Bennett) alongside J.D.'s Frightlight bandmate Rick White (not the previously announced Frank McCormick) on drums in place of the relocated Daniel MacDonald.
Whether this is officially the new T-Rex Manning lineup or just a one-off tribute set is yet to be determined, but the guys (and girl) do have the chops to do justice to The Misfits, and I'd expect another fun set of covers from them tomorrow night! The opening band was originally slated to be local thrash band Pillory (covering Metallica), and then the returning Late & Loud, but with both dropping out for various reasons, we instead get the one-off tribute band Loud Lazer, who will be covering Motley Crue classics as Late & Loud had intended! The name implies a combination of Late & Loud (via guitarist Jon Tiberi & bassist Benn Garside) and local rock quintet Lazer Queen (via frontwoman Kate Drew & Pillory drummer Bret Shuttleworth), but the complete band is almost a full Lazer Queen lineup, just with Benn on bass instead of the absent Josh Hatherley. This lineup has a lot of chemistry already, and the four members are all quite talented, so I'd expect them to knock out some solid Crue classics tomorrow night!
Apocalypse: The Musical has a $5 cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and everything starts at 10:00 PM tomorrow night. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'll definitely be there for this local tribute metal/punk extravaganza, and hopefully many of you guys will roll in for all of the action! For a preview, as Xanadu have no embeddable YouTube videos, here's The Fiend Brigade (more or less) covering The Misfits' "Bullet" at the Humane Society Battle of the Bands last year!
Finally for the Sault Ontario metal/hard rock shows this weekend, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill on Trunk Road tomorrow night, in his latest of many recent gigs at the East End venue! As always, these shows will see Tym covering tons of unplugged version of metal, hard rock, and classic rock hits, and he knows tons of them, so there's a little something for everyone at every Tym Morrison solo gig! This latest solo date will of course be tomorrow at 10:00 PM, with a likely 19+ age limit in place, and no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you're up for something a little more reserved and intimate than the norm, why not take a trip to The Road House on Trunk for some unplugged metal covers tomorrow night? For a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's!
That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for the Nudge concert previews, a new local band and label, and more! Thanks everyone!
Hope everyone enjoyed the Super Bowl! Today, we're back with a full news post, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, updates on a major spring concert event, a local band's new Kickstarter campaign, and a new tribute song from a prominent local musician, so here's what you need to know!
An out of town hard rock band is returning to Sault Ontario at the end of the month, that being Hamilton hard rock quartet 40 Sons on February 28th at The Rockstar Bar! A long running act who've opened for numerous major artists since their 2004 inception, you may remember 40 Sons from shows they headlined at the old Coch's Corner in 2009 & 2010 (and a later cancelled Speak Easy gig in March 2010), and it'll be great to see them back in town after 3 years away! Their energetic hard rock sound with unique higher singing has helped them get a solid following in Southern Ontario, and hopefully they pick up where they left off in the area at this show! Promoted by Frightlight's J.D. Pearce, this 19+ concert surprisingly has NO COVER, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! Don't miss 40 Sons at The Rockstar Bar on the 28th, as this will be a fun night of original hard rock and metal, and stay tuned for any possible updates!
Next up, here's the latest on the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands going down every Wednesday in April! While nothing official on the battle's event page has been posted to confirm registered bands, we do know a couple of confirmed bands thanks to their own Facebook postings, so why not start getting the word out? At least two have publically confirmed their registration, including local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings and local death/sludge metal quartet Giwakwa, in their live concert debut! No strangers to the stage recently, this will be The Suicide Kings' first Rockstar Bar appearance of 2013, and their lineup isn't inexperienced in battles of the bands, with members Steven Flint & Mitch Sirie competing at last year's Sault Humane Society battle with Wishbone and The Bear Hunters repsectively. Can they build on Steven's third place finish last year come April? As for Giwakwa, they feature Bring The Fallen alumni Josh Stephney on vocals & Nolan Rainville on bass alongside veteran local guitarist Chris Page & Frightlight drummer Chris Thompson, and this marks their long awaited debut show following over a year of anticipation and lineup shifts.
Note as well that their lineup has experienced recent battle competitors, as Bring The Fallen won 3 battles out of 4 they competed in between 2009 & 2010, and Josh also played with The Bear Hunters at last year's Humane Society battle. Will Josh & Nolan's experience and success help Giwakwa make a huge first impression?
Both bands confirmed their involvement via Facebook event page postings by band members, so check the above links for proof, but official announcements from organizers are forthcoming. Also, while they haven't explicitly confirmed if they registered yet, Central Algoma death metal quartet For All That Is Lost and local grunge rockers Haggith posted on the event page to imply that they were going to sign up, but full confirmation has yet to come from either the bands or battle organizers as to if they're in, and it's still too soon to confirm dates for each band. I'll keep you guys posted when we hear more! Also, rules on setlist content have been changed to allow competing bands to more or less play what they want, as per postings by J.D. Pearce on the event page linked above, which should encourage more bands to register without fear (though I believe having some original material is still encouraged.) Limited slots are still available, so sign your bands up for A.S.A.P. for $150 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, or The Algonquin Hotel, with $1,000, studio time, and a guaranteed concert opening slot for the winners, and check the above links for all current information on this huge battle!
Also in the news, Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night needs your help! Drummer Greg Giles launched a Kickstarter campaign recently to help fundraise towards the band's planned re-recording of their debut album "Christmas Night", so what should you know? Unlike the 2011 re-release, this album will feature vocals from German soprano singer Gaby Koss, and it sounds like they're re-doing the whole album and counting it separately from the original instrumental version. As such, this won't be a free process, so Theatre of Night are looking to raise $7,000 to fund the recording sessions and other related fees, and they'll be campaigning to that end for the next two months. If you're familiar with Kickstarter, you'll know that backers who pledge varying amounts of money will get rewards depending how much they pledge, ranging from three song downloads for a $1 pledge to everything from copies of the album and their back catalog (potentially signed if you donate enough), exclusive downloads of new material, free copies of any future Theatre of Night albums, and even credit in the album booklet (plus everything else) if you pledge $1,000.
The album won't be funded the required money unless the $7,000 is raised by April 4th, with a hopeful release coming in the fall, so if you want to pledge money towards this classical epic album of Christmas standards and some originals, click here and donate what you can! I think this is the first time a local metal band's used Kickstarter for fundraising, but hopefully Theatre of Night get the funds they need (and more) by April, so help out however you can, and stay tuned for band updates!
Finally for today, let's close on a somber note, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison recently posted a new solo original song onto his YouTube channel in memory of Nadine Dowding, who passed away this weekend. While not a local musician (that I know of), she was a friend of many musicians and mutual contacts, and I've heard very good things about her as a person and mother. Tym's tribute song "Nadine R.I.P. My Friend" has a lot of real visible emotion, and it's well done, especially given the short timeframe to write it. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more news as the week rolls on! Thanks everyone!
It's that time again, I have a bunch of new stuff to report today in the local metal universe! And we kick off today's post with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!
Marquette Michigan hard rockers Nudge are returning to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for nine more shows in 2010! I was worried at their lack of Sault shows this year when I previewed their most recent dates at The Frog, so it's great to see them coming back up here! According to their official MySpace page, they will be playing three weekend sets on April 15-17, August 26-28, and November 4-6! Each set stretches from the Thursday-Saturday of their given week, and as is the trend with Nudge's Sault area shows, the Thursday shows will be acoustic! No cover charges are listed, though if there is one, I doubt it'd be pricey. These should all be good shows, maybe I can finally check them out in August or November, because then, I'll be legal to enter an American bar, we'll have to see! Keep these shows in mind if you want a concert to hit across the river, and check Nudge out, they're a very solid band!
Next up, we have a concert cancellation, although if you look between the lines, the band likely aren't at fault. Hamilton's 40 Sons will not be playing at The Speakeasy on March 4th. Their MySpace page still lists the show, but with the addition that it is indeed cancelled. Instead, they'll be playing at Kilroy's in Thunder Bay that night, so at least they got a show anyway! Now a reason for the Sault cancellation isn't given, but if you remember from my initial alert on this show, I did say that The Speakeasy had not announced the show, and had been closed since February 4th, according to their Facebook group. Well, it's still closed, as best I can tell, so that probably explains why 40 Sons got canned. I remember that all planned events at The Speakeasy (mostly pubs) in February were called off too, so if my assumption is right, they likely won't be back open until March 5th at the earliest. I don't even know why they're closed, but hey, there must be a reason! I'll keep you posted if 40 Sons reschedule!
Also, I wanna bring this up because it's conflicting information on another upcoming concert: As you may have heard, Montreal death metal band Derelict are scheduled to be playing at Foggy Notions on May 6th. I later reported that North Bay's own Thekillingfield would be supporting Derelict at this show. Thhekillingfield have confirmed this, but is it still at Foggy's? If we're to believe their MySpace page, maybe not, as it lists The Oddfellows Hall as the host venue instead. The Oddfellows did play host to Thekillingfield at last year's Cattle Decapitation show, so there is a precedent there, but I'm not sure which venue is hosting this show. I'll still list Foggy's as the venue in the concert listings, but if I get more confirmation pointing towards a venue change, I'll let you all know! I will give a potential move to The Oddfellows this much, it'd likely be all ages then, something we don't see nearly enough nowadays!
Speaking of upcoming local concerts, here's some smaller updates from this Friday's Sense of Truth concert! I figure some of you may have questioned if it was really going on as there was no official band statements about it, or an event page, but both are covered now! In fact, there's TWO event pages on Facebook confirming their show Friday night at The Canadian Nightclub with new local band Groove Committee! One was created by Matt Sibilo from Groove Committee, the other was created by the band's group itself, so click here and here for to confirm your attendance for this concert! And if you wanted word from Sense of Truth itself about the show, Ryan from the band sent out an e-mail to members of their Facebook group confirming the show, so there you go! The only things we don't really know are the start time and the cover charge, if there is one, maybe we'll find out by Friday, I'll keep you posted if I hear something! And finally for Sense of Truth-related news, the band's winding down recording of their EP, with Cory Murchison recording vocals this week at Stereo Soul Studios. I can't wait to hear the final results!
And finally for today, here's a new video clip I came across the other day that should please fans of Woods of Ypres! Frontman David Gold has uploaded two new clips of the band from way back in June of 2003 onto YouTube! These come from the early days of the band when David was still behind the drumkit, Robin Cross still fronted the band, and they were still a rising black metal outfit from Windsor! The videos are live concert clips of Woods of Ypres playing three of the songs from their debut album "Against The Seasons" from a set at The Gino A. Marcus Center in Windsor, and appear to be from the same concert that was featured in the 2003 CBC News piece that featured them! Decent videos, nice look back into their early days, though the crowd seems small and reserved compared to what I'm used to. Also, random inquiry here, who's the dancing girl on stage with the band? Here's Woods of Ypres playing "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", but check out two more live performances of this set at this location!
I'll leave it at that for today, I have stuff about Half Past to share too, but I'll keep that for tomorrow to help spread everything out! Tomorrow, I will preview this weekend's slate of local metal concerts, for what should be a very exciting weekend of shows! Thanks everyone, more news to come!
So how about The Super Bowl? Oh wait, this isn't a sports blog, it's a metal blog! Lots of news and updates to get to today, ranging from videos to show updates to just plain interesting stuff! And we'll start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!
A little over six weeks after they last rocked Sault Ontario, Hamilton's own 40 Sons will be returning to the area for a concert on March 4th! This time, they won't be in Coch's Corner like they were in their last couple of local visits. Nope, when they hit the Sault next month, they'll be invading The Speakeasy at Algoma University! A start time of 8:00 PM is given on their MySpace page. Now The Speakeasy have yet to confirm this show, but bear in mind, they are having some issues that have resulted in the bar's closure since Wednesday, so patience will be a virtue! Once I find out details on ticket prices, age restrictions, any additional bands, and whatever all else, you'll find them here! Great to see 40 Sons back so soon, they're a solid band, check some of their stuff out at this location! I might hit this show, we'll have to see!
Now to a trio of announcements concerning upcoming concerts: One with a new band, one that needs bands, and one that needs a venue. We'll start with the show with a new band, and it's the concert on May 6th featuring Derelict at Foggy Notions! I can now confirm that there will be at least one opener, and it's North Bay experimental metal band Thekillingfield! You may recognize them as one of the opening acts for the April 12th, 2009 Cattle Decapitation concert at The Oddfellows Hall! This is shaping up to be one brutal show that death metal fans won't want to miss, I'll keep you posted on anything else I hear from this show! That includes possible additional bands, but I won't say anything that's not confirmed. You'll see if something new's added! Oh, and check Thekillingfield out on MySpace!
Now to the show that needs bands, and we'll start with a personal admission: I'm not as in tune with Sault Michigan as I'd like to be. I don't have a lot of the connections and sites that I have from the Sault Ontario side of things, so I miss stuff here and there across the river. So when I see something new in Sault Michigan being advertised, I don't hesitate to discuss it. That was the case today when I saw this on one of my breaks: Lake Superior State University are holding a Battle of the Bands next month! It will be March 20th at 6:00 PM, running until midnight! No rules or major details are listed on the poster, like exactly where the battle will be held, fan or band fees, rules, prizes, and so on, but contact info is given for this info! E-mail Jacob Winn at jwinn@lssu.edu or Tracy Merony at tmerony@lssu.edu if you are at all interested in attending or playing this battle! Judging from the LSSU stamp on the right, you have until March 12th to enter. Note that the poster doesn't say it's restricted to only bands with an LSSU student in the lineup, but keep it in the back of your head just in case. If I hear anything more on this battle, I'll be sure to share it, especially if metal bands make it on!
And finally for concert updates, here's something I haven't had in a while: A band looking to play here, but needing a venue! New Brunswick experimental hard rockers Cop Shades are looking for a Northern Ontario stop on their upcoming summer tour with bands to be announced. According to their MySpace page, they're hoping for it to be in Sudbury or Sault Ste. Marie on August 8th before heading to Thunder Bay. Seeing as this is The Sault Metal Scene, I'll do my part to help get the word out for a Cop Shades show in the Soo! If you'd like to book or host Cop Shades on August 8th at a local venue, contact them at this location! Unique sound, no guitars and kinda experimental and sludgy, but heavy at the same time! We'll have to see where they'll be heading!
Finally for today, it's video time! A pair of local metal bands have released some new videos, and we'll start with Meatplow! Finally, we have real video of these guys in action, coming from the account of singer/drummer Phil Temporao (a.k.a. Phily S. Tempo from Amethyst!) These are older jam videos, not sure how representative they are of the band today, but if it's any indication, we're in for something special! The clips feature guitarist Dennis Porter and Phil on an electric drumkit (bassist Mike Thiffault isn't present...if the last name's wrong, my apologies!) The first clip is just a random jam of stuff off the top of their heads, and it actually sounds really good considering it's improvised! Phil doesn't have a bad singing voice either, the song has a cool industrial vibe! Maybe it's not James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, but it works! The other clip is their cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder", which I don't think suits their industrial vibe as much, but I really like Phil's vocal range, I'm surprised he could hit that falsetto! Both are good clips, check out the improv jam clip immediately below, or visit Phil's YouTube channel! (The song really kicks in after about 2:30)
Also, we have new video footage of Sykotyk Rampage from the Scotties Tournament of Hearts/Sault College Battle of the Bands! As it turns out, bands received the video footage of their sets afterwards, so guitarist Dirk Becker took the band's video, re-mastered it with effects, and created some unique live clips from the shows! Nice work! He's done two so far, "Called In Dead" and "Drinking on the Weekend", and says he'll make one for "Treating You Bad" soon as well! Nice work, always great to see pro-shot video of any local band! Check out their performance of "Called In Dead" from last Wednesday at The Heartstop Lounge immediately below! And of course, check out both the new clips (and some old) at Sykotyk Rampage's YouTube channel!
More news to come soon, including stuff on Sense of Truth and Woods of Ypres, and hopefully updates on Algoma Hope4Haiti, and much more! Stay tuned!
First of all, a reminder to check out the details on the Hope4Haiti benefit concert event in the post below. In short, many local concert venues will host many local bands on February 20th to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross towards helping Haiti in the aftermath of their devastating earthquake. Foggy Notions were the first to confirm their involvement that I know, they were looking for interested bands on their Facebook page. Tickets will be $10, for more information or to get your band/venue involved, e-mail slackhopper@gmail.com! But read my post or click here to get more details, let's help make this a success!
Today, we have a bunch of stuff to get to, including previews for all four metal shows this weekend in Sault Ontario and a new page for a band I recently mentioned. But first, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!
Montreal death metal band Derelict are coming to Sault Ste. Marie! They will be at Foggy Notions for the first stop of their Northern Shores Tour on May 6th! What better way to spend a Thursday night than with some good old Canadian death metal? A start time of 8:00 PM is given on their MySpace page, though I'd think it'd be later than that. No word on cover charges or any possible additional bands, I'll let you know if I find out! Very brutal band, but in a good way, death metal fans will want to mark this on their calendars! If I'm in town, I'll be there! Check out some of their songs on MySpace, or click here to visit their official website! I will keep you posted with updates on this concert as I hear them!
And now, it's time to preview this weekend's concerts! We have four different metal shows this weekend, two tomorrow night, two Saturday night, all at different venues in Sault Ontario! Let's begin at The Rockstar Bar, when a notable local band returns, if a week later than we'd have hoped. Social Play, the hard rock band formerly known as Browbeat, will finally return to the concert stage a week after their planned dates last weekend were cancelled. A start time of 7:10 is given on Facebook, but I doubt it's that early (maybe I'm wrong?) No cover charge is listed, and it's not all ages. As I said in my preview of the cancelled shows last week, this will be the first concert for this band since their 2008 appearance at the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser at The Canadian Nightclub! They used to be a frequent sight locally, having backed up Econoline Crush during one of their shows here,and playing local bars throughout the mid 2000s! Drummer Chris Smith told me that they'll play some older Browbeat songs and new material, which should be great to hear! For full details on this concert, visit the Facebook event page! I don't have video to share, but this will be a good show, you have my word!
Meanwhile, at The Speakeasy, Guns N' Roses tribute act Gunz N' FN' Rosez will come to welcome the Sault to the jungle! Doors open at 9:00 PM tomorrow night, with the concert starting at 10:00 PM! Tickets are $10 in advance unless you're an Algoma University student, then you only pay $8. Both ticket prices jump $2 if you pay at the door. You must be 19 or have Algoma student ID to get in to this concert. Tribute bands are always fun to see, and these guys do a pretty good job of covering GNR hits, even donning the looks of the classic lineup (save for Izzy Stradlin, Buckethead's in his place!) Check out more from Gunz N' FN' Rosez at their official website! For full details on the concert itself, click here to see the Facebook event page! Solid tribute band, not perfect, but they're well worth seeing if you get a chance! For a preview, here's a clip of their rendition of "Paradise City"!
And then there's two metal concerts on Saturday night! One will take place at The Bottom's Up Lounge, where Tym Morrison will return for another acoustic solo set! Expect to hear many of Caveman Morrison's covers and more in an intimate setting! Chances are we all could use more softer stuff here and there, and Tym's got the metal cred and covers, so why not go see him on Saturday? He'll be on at around 10:00 PM, there is no cover, and I assume it's 19+ too, as it is a bar. So there's an idea for you guys on Saturday night, it should be another fun set! For full details on this concert, visit the official Facebook event page! Check out songs and video from Tym and Caveman Morrison at his official website, which was recently updated!
And finally this weekend, a hard rock band from Hamilton are returning to Coch's Corner! 40 Sons will be there Saturday night, just 3 months after they last played there! I was still unsure about this concert's validity, given the band's failure to post it, but it is still in Sault This Week, and J.D. from Coch's Corner was plugging it on Facebook, so it's on! I don't think there's a cover charge, I'd expect a start time of 10:00 or 11:00 PM on Saturday. Remember, 40 Sons are a pretty successful band, notably having won last year's Bodog Battle Championship, and getting airplay on various Ontario radio stations! Solid band, I like the singing, helps set them apart from other bands with a similar style! Check them out on MySpace to hear even more from 40 Sons! Another concert well worth considering, it is definitely on, hopefully there's a good turnout! For a preview, check out this live clip of 40 Sons performing their song "The Weight of the World" from a show this past June!
And finally, thanks to an anonymous comment on my post Tuesday, I can tell you even more about the local band SBD! I told you that their frontman is No Arrow's Dann Pichette, but the band also includes former No Arrow bassist Brad Griffith, and Shane Triplett on drums! Their first names seem to make up the band's name (Shane, Brad, Dann), just in case you didn't catch that! A link was given for the band's Soundclick page, which probably eluded me in the past because Sault Ste. Marie isn't mentioned on it at all. There, you can find a band photo and four songs! One is "Rock Paper Scissors" from the videos Dann uploaded to YouTube, but there's three others! On second listen, they are pretty different from No Arrow, more experimental, though there is still a bit of a grunge feel. It's hard rocking enough for the SMS, so click here to check out more from SBD! I wonder if we'll see them or No Arrow on stage soon?
Let's leave it there for today, I'll have more news soon! I hope to be at the Social Play concert tomorrow night, not sure about Saturday's concerts though. Stay tuned for more news and updates!
Hey guys, back to news today, though hopefully you enjoyed the first monthly profile post of bands from elsewhere that have Saultites in their lineup! But now, we get back to the SMS' primary focus: Updating all of you on local bands and concerts as I hear them! And we'll start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!
If you read our Facebook page yesterday, you would have gotten first word of this concert, and now I'll give you everything I know about it (admittedly, it's not much though.) According to an ad in the Hot Spots section of Sault This Week, Hamilton hard rockers 40 Sons are returning to Sault Ontario! They will apparently be playing at Coch's Corner on January 23rd, exactly three months after they last played there! I wouldn't expect a cover charge, and yes, it is 19+. Seeing as this show was mentioned in a dated and posted ad in a reputable newspaper, the show looks like a go, but 40 Sons' MySpace page only lists two concert dates, one of which has already happened, the other is not for here. So I'll list this concert for now, if 40 Sons list the show or Sault This Week pulls the concert from the paper, I'll let you guys know! As for the band themselves, 40 Sons are an award winning rock band that notably won last year's Bodog Battle Championship! I remember liking what I heard from there guys last year, especially Mike Repic's slightly unique voice! Check them out on MySpace, I'll keep you guys posted on their concert!
And now, it's time to preview this weekend's slate of local metal concerts! Two shows each in Sault Ontario and Sault Michigan, let us start in Sault Michigan!
Local rising hard rockers Nixxon Dixxon are back this weekend, when they hit Dondee Lanes! Their MySpace page says they'll be on tomorrow and Saturday night at around 8:00 PM, which seems earlier than normal. But hey, it's all good! Nice to see Dondee Lanes booking shows, you don't hear a lot from there like you used to (I wish they'd update their site though.) Of course, if you need a concert to hit this weekend in Sault Michigan, going to see Nixxon Dixxon should fit nicely! They're, as I've said dozens of times, an extremely talented young band, and they prove it each time they play! Making the finals of the Kiss Battle is obvious proof, but you should see a full concert of theirs as well! Hope the concerts go well! For a preview, check out their MySpace page and this clip of Nixxon Dixxon performing their original "High Life" from the Kiss Battle finals last month!
The other concerts this weekend are a double shot from a new/returning local hard rock band! Social Play (formerly known as Browbeat) are finally back on the local concert scene, and will play at Foggy Notions tomorrow and Saturday night! Both concerts are pegged to start at around 10:00 PM, I'd expect a cover charge of about $2. Seeing as this is a bar, you have to be 19 to get in. I believe the last time we saw the former Browbeat together on stage was when they took part in the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser in August 2008, so it's a long time coming! As a refresher, the band features Dutch Vanderploeg on vocals and guitar, Tiffany Emmerson on bass, and Wishbone bassist Chris Smith on drums. They used to be a frequent sight at local concert venues in the mid 2000s, and notably supported Econoline Crush at their March 2008 show at The Canadian Nightclub. Now as Social Play, they are back, and will hopefully deliver in their return! They had a good sound, hard rock that anyone can get into, hopefully things are similar this weekend! They don't have a MySpace page now, but trust me, they have the talent! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page!
Will I be at any shows this weekend? Yes I will! It's been too long since I last saw the band now known as Social Play live, I believe I'll be there for the Friday show! Better not be anything that stops me from going like when I was prevented from seeing Ultraviolence and Sense of Truth on Tuesday....I'm still bitter over that. Review, photos, and a video will come on Saturday!
Next up, when we talk about local bands on here, I tend to link to their MySpace pages. Why? Because that seems to be the standard for band pages, most bands have one. Only a scattered few have actual websites with paid domain names, and one of the few is Woods of Ypres. I didn't find myself visiting their actual website much because it was often badly outdated, but David Gold has finally updated the site to add lots of more relevant material! The news page lists info on "Woods IV: The Green Album" now, as well as other relevant links! Among other updates: "Woods IV" is now in the discography, and album lyrics are posted as well. Overall, there's no sweeping changes, just making things more current, which works! The site always had a nice design, it just needed some attention, and it got it! Check out Woods of Ypres' official website at http://www.woodsofypres.ca!
Two more tiny updates to close today's post. First, if you visit the SooNet forums often, you may have noticed that they've underwent a facelift! Looks nice, makes it look a bit more professional (that's not to say it wasn't before, I just like the improvement.) No posts are deleted, luckily, though the links have changed, so if you want to discuss local music there, click here. That's the new link. The other new update is that The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page now has a custom user name! I completely forgot that you could add one to it, and last night, I finally gave us one! So the new URL for the SMS Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/saultmetalscene!
Thanks everyone, more news to come, including my Social Play concert review, the next SMS poll (it will be the best "something" in 2009) and more! Stay tuned!
First off, are you wondering why the banner image is referencing Stillbroke? Their new album is out, that's why! Plus, there's three metal concerts in the Sault area this weekend to cover for you guys, all in Sault Ontario, curiously! So here are your local concert previews for this weekend, stay tuned for more on the new Stillbroke EP!
First, at 9:00 PM tomorrow night, Hamilton hard rockers 40 Sons will make their way to Coch's Corner! Admission is free, as is typical at Coch's, just make sure to buy something! 40 Sons will take the stage at around 9:00 PM! No other bands are on the lineup, to my knowledge. 40 Sons aren't bad, they have a radio hard rock kind of sound, the singing stands out to me though! They actually won the Bodog Battle Championship this past year, and have won a bunch of awards for their music! Not a bad band at all, and if you're downtown, why not hit this show? Check out some of 40 Sons' solid original material at their official MySpace page! For a video preview, check out this clip of 40 Sons playing their song "The Weight Of The World" from a show in June!
Meanwhile, there's more metal goodness tomorrow night! Caveman Morrison guitarist Tym Morrison is back for another solo acoustic show, as he returns to The Big Cheese in Heyden, which is just outside of town! Doesn't look like there's a cover here either. Tym will take the stage at 10:00 PM, and promises to play "all your favorite metal, pop, country, hard rock and even classical if ya want it." Two options for you metal lovers tomorrow night if you're looking for live entertainment, and if you wanna support local talent, Tym's your guy! Great guitarist, he plays tons of great songs, and he has good originals too! Check out samples from his debut solo album at this location, and the official event page on Facebook here! I have no videos that I'm capable of embedding on here, but check out some live clips of Tym and Caveman Morrison shows at this link!
And finally, a big hard rock/metal show hits The Canadian Nightclub on Sunday night! Your headliners are Austin Texas "country metal" band Grady! Making their first Sault-area stop since April 2008, this band features former Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson, and effectively mix heavy metal with country to create some solid music! Playing support are Winnipeg female-fronted metallers Domenica, who finally play the Sault after two previously scheduled shows were called off. Solid stuff, accessible for normal hard rock fans, but heavy enough for metalheads to headbang to! Local rock band Wishbone were to round out the lineup, but as mentioned in the post above, they have been dropped from the show.
Advance tickets are still available at the front desk of The Knights Inn (a.k.a. the hotel above The Canadian) for $10. If you wait to get them at the door, the price jumps to $15. The show takes place at 9:00 PM Sunday night, and should be a hard rocking good time! Click on each band's name in the above paragraph to check out some of their original material! I plan on being at this show, which will sadly be my last local concert til November (I can't believe I'm missing all the fun over Halloween!) Yes, I'll have some free CDs, and yes, I'll have a review and photo album posted at some point Monday afternoon! Check out more details for this show at one of the three Facebook event pages: Grady's, Wishbone drummer Glen Thomas', and The Canadian's! For a video preview, check out the official music video for Grady's song "Woman Got My Devil"!
And finally, we have a brand new album release from a local metal band! Stillbroke have officially announced via their Facebook page that their debut EP, "Never Enough", is officially available for purchase! Each disc costs just $10, and you can pick up a copy by calling 759-8696, or by messaging the band on Facebook! Excellent news, I can't wait to pick up this album! It also fills in a possible gap in my local review schedule, as I'll review "Never Enough" after I get it either this month or next! All depends on when Sykotyk Rampage releases "22"! Now let's cross our fingers for new Stillbroke shows! Stay tuned for a review of Never Enough in the next couple weeks!
Also, notice the new banner image? Well, I did say I'd have custom banners and logo designs for new local metal albums and major concerts, and unexpectedly, we can begin that tonight, now that Stillbroke have released the album! I'M NOT PLAYING FAVOURITES! I have more custom logos already made up, and stay tuned Wednesday afternoon for the Papa Roach banner and logo!
That's all for tonight, stay tuned for more news, my Grady concert review, and more! Thanks everyone!
How's everyone enjoying this weather? If you're no fan, this might cheer you up: LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! Both are kinda short notice, as they're both this month, but I just found them today! Stay tuned afterwards for two more Sault-area bands I've found to share with you guys! So let's get this post going!
First up, Hamilton hard rock band 40 Sons are coming to Sault Ontario! They will be at Coch's Corner on October 23rd, and will take the stage at 9:00 PM that night! As it is Coch's Corner, there's no admission price, just make sure to buy something and have your ID ready. No word on any openers, I don't think there are any. I've never heard of 40 Sons before today, but after some listens, they sound pretty good. Radio rock with the appropriate heaviness, and unique vocals for their style! I'd say hit this show if you can, especially with the lacking promo for it. Check out more from 40 Sons at their official MySpace page!
Then, just two days later, a metal band will mark their return to Sault Ste. Marie! Grady, the Austin, Texas "country metal" band fronted by former Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson, will be playing at The Canadian on October 25th! They were last seen here in April of last year at the same venue. They will be supported by Winnipeg metal band Domenica, who you may remember from a cancelled Foggy Notions concert earlier this year. The show will take place at 11:00 PM that night, though I have no current word on ticket prices. Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page!
This may seem a bit of a diversion from normal SMS band discussion, but Grady definitely are metal, just with a more Southern/country edge. If you get past any preconceptions you have about them being a country band, you'll find some heavy catchy metal underneath their Southern appearance! Check them out on MySpace to hear some of their material, they are not bad at all! As for Domenica, they're really good too, I'd been hoping to see them when they had the Foggy Notions booking, but now we'll get a chance to see them! Heavy female-fronted metal with a wide array of influences, hear some of their stuff on MySpace! I might hit this show, we'll have to see!
And to cap off this post, I have found a couple new Sault-area metal/hard rock bands! I've really been trying to cover more of the immediate area around the Twin Saults (i.e. places you can drive to in a half hour), and in doing so, I've found a couple new bands from the Sault Michigan area to tell you guys about!
First, we have Outshined, a hard rock band from Rudyard! They formed in 2007 and still play shows here and there! Now they happen to be Christian rock, and they are pretty strong in their beliefs, but I don't let religious affiliations detract from my musical enjoyment, so try not to hold that into account when checking them out. That being said, they're still a good hard rock band! They play the kind of music that would fit well on Rock 101, though some songs are a touch repetitive. Still worth checking out, just don't immediately write them off for their religious message. Hear some of their songs on their official MySpace page!
And finally, here's another metal band I've found, this band from Eckerman (which is also the hometown for fellow area hard rockers Bent Rollercoaster.) They are Life's Eclipse, and though they've been inactive since June, they have some excellent stuff! They formed in 2006, and were planning to record an album, entitled "Shadow Over Superior" (album cover pictured.) They have two demo songs posted on their official MySpace page, and damn, they're heavy as hell. "Not Dead But Dreaming" is epically good, and "Red Dawn" is hardcore fury at it's best! Great riffs and solos! I hope they get Life's Eclipse going again, because they have loads of potential! Check them out for yourself on MySpace!
So there's what you guys need to know for today! Amazingly, I didn't mention a certain platinum selling facepaint wearing hard rock band at all, but I imagine I will in a day or so! More news and updates coming very soon! And remember to go see Spliff65, Sykotyk Rampage, and/or Garden of Bedlam this coming weekend!
Next up, here's some more fallout from Wednesday's first night of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! SooToday's Donna Hopper was in attendance, and filed a report from the battle yesterday, complete with some very nice photos of the three competing bands! They include four each of Haggith and winners Late & Loud, and three from Sarah's Valley, all of which are in black and white, but there's some great angles and shots of each band, as usual! The write-up is good & explanatory for what went down and what's coming up, and hopefully this article gets some much needed exposure for the coming weeks, so check out her review at this location! If you're looking for some more photos, attendee Andy Boisvert shared some colour photos of Haggith & Sarah's Valley on the Facebook event page, so give those a look as well. Remember, the battle continues on Wednesday when three newer bands (The Northern Tragedy, The Pesto Shirts, and The Suicide Kings) collide for the next finals spot on the 24th, and the field's wide open with these three, so hopefully you guys will tag along at The Rockstar Bar next week to find out who moves on! 19+, $3, 10:00 PM, don't miss it!
