LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Jack Russell's Great White Acoustic Show), A Concert Preview, And More!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Thursday night, and while we do have a Sault Ontario concert preview here, this post mostly takes us into Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula for a new video, an apology for a missed pair of concerts, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year! Here's what you should know!

The Jack Russell-led version of Los Angeles glam metal icons Great White will (partially) return to our area on Friday, November 19th when Jack and guitarist Robby Lochner play a special acoustic concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! I'm not sure what the impetus is for this being a two-man acoustic gig (it's the only show labelled as such in their 2021 tour dates), but this won't be all that shocking for genre fans when you consider the Eric Martin/P.J. Farley acoustic show here in February 2020. This will be Jack's third Great White-branded show in the E.U.P. on record, following Kewadin dates in the Soo with the original band in 2009 and outdoors in St. Ignace in 2017 after his version with Robby split off. If you're up to hear some more intimate takes of Great White hits like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" & "Desert Moon", then don't miss this show!

No opening acts are advertised for this all ages, 8:00 PM concert, and tickets run for just $15 general admission, which is a great deal for Hair Scare loyalists! You can buy them at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office. Of course, please follow all public health guidelines re: the pandemic where applicable to ensure everyone's safety at the casino, especially as a lot can happen (good or bad) in the next two months. It will be interesting to see how this show does, and not because of the unplugged nature, but because we still don't know if the land border will be opened for Canadians to legally enter the U.S. by November 19th (remember, Black Label Society are still scheduled to play there on the 13th). Kewadin historically gets a lot of it's major concert ticket sales from Canada and Sault Ontario residents, but will either show even be able to welcome those fans?

Note that Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' country show at the Sault Kewadin next month is sold out, though I have no idea how many of those ticket buyers are Canadians hoping the border will be opened before October 28th. Of course, we'll keep you posted whenever the border re-opens for us to travel south (the current deadline is October 18th but that is re-assessed monthly), and fingers crossed that there will be a Canadian contingent of vaccinated fans in time for these November dates! See above for full details on Jack Russell's Great White Acoustic Show!

Next up, here's a preview of a Sault Ontario concert taking place THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, as a diverse lineup of local musicians will hit The Klub at The Pall Mall at 1-642 Queen Street East, with new local alt-hardcore duo These Magnificent Tentacles opening! The first concert we've ever covered at any location in The Pall Mall (right by Case's Music), The Klub is an events & community wellness center that is highly active in the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and serves as a safe and inclusive space therein, so they definitely do great work that should be commended, but how will The Klub fare as a concert venue at this scale? The full lineup includes Shit Liver bassist Mike Kyle's solo folk project Sibling as a headline act, alongside Soo's Got Talent finalist Juliana Regan & ex-Id Iota bassist Blair St. John in a joint set, and the homecoming of local folk/pop solo musician Shae Tull.

As for These Magnificent Tentacles, this will be Brent & Steve's first public concert together, and will presumably serve as a first chance to hear their new original material, so come out to see the show kick off with a bang! Promoted by Dryer Fire, this ALL AGES show has a 7:00 PM start time and a recommended $10 admission fee, but "pay what you can" is also an option. Pandemic protocols are in effect, so mask up and use common sense, while vaccine passports & ID must be presented upon entry. This should be a fun show to check out a wide array of sounds, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's T.M.T.'s first full song!

Finally, I profusely apologize for not previewing these dates last week, but Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished rocked The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino this past Friday & Saturday! I originally covered them in June when Kewadin Casino finally returned to booking bands at their on-site lounges, but amidst a lot of personal commitments this month (my mom's long-delayed funeral principal among them), they fell through the cracks. The band didn't plug them in advance on Facebook either, but I already knew about them, so I messed up. I apologize again, hopefully the shows were a hit, and don't miss them at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo in November! That said, if you want to see how they did this past weekend, Tarnished did post a video of them covering AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" onto their Facebook page on Tuesday and it appears to show that they're back to a quartet after a few months as a trio!

Specifically, it looks like Tarnished have added a new full-time bassist (also present in their first new TikTok video in seven months) with frontman Alex Traynor moving back to guitar. I'm sure they credited him this past weekend, but I have not seen any public confirmations of the bass player's identity online. He seems to fit in for this cover, which is well performed and makes solid use of Alex's melodic vocals, but stay tuned when we hear more on their newest lineup! Lastly, Tarnished will hit the road for a short notice gig in Gould City (90 minutes west of the Soo) on Saturday night at The Michihistrigan Bar, so see above for more details, and here's their AC/DC cover!

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

Acoustic Heartstrings Concert Videos, Plus A Solo Musician's Return!!

As we did yesterday, this post is largely devoted to musicians who played at Acoustic Heartstrings at the now-closed Room 21 this past Friday night, but in this case, we're actually looking at the show proper, courtesy of videos live-streamed from the venue's Facebook page that night! We also have a video to close from a resurgent local solo musician, but to start, let's relive that Valentine's Day unplugged concert at Room 21, albeit without videos of pop rock quartet Big Mistake. Even if they tackled a hard rock cover, they weren't filmed that night for Room 21's page, alas. We'll start with local punk/alternative trio Handsome Sandwich, who were filmed twice that night, including covers of 'N Sync's "Tearing Up My Heart" (you read that correctly) and, as embedded below, Blink-182's "Aliens Exist". Much more casual than their regular sets, especially in regards to Johnny's drum setup, but the guys are clearly having fun with these renditions, and that 'N Sync one took me a bit to register, so good work on their part! Give these a look above & below!



Next up, Room 21 also filmed debuting local hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads covering System of a Down's "Lonely Day", which won't be a shocking development for fans of these musicians, given that their predecessors Eclipse's last show was as a one-off S.O.A.D. tribute band at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party in 2017. A short 78 second clip, this won't be representative of their electric sets to come, but everyone adapts well for the occasion, and they are well dressed too! Unlike Handsome Sandwich's Johnny Belanger, drummer Chris Thompson played his part on a cajon. Give The Bridge Heads' first public video a look below!



Finally from Acoustic Heartstrings, this isn't of any of the actual scheduled bands, but this video was filmed before Big Mistake's headlining set, and it's of Handsome Sandwich bassist James White in a rare vocal/guitar appearance! Here, he and an uncredited percussionist are covering the second half of Alice In Chains' "Nutshell" followed by Rise Against's "Hero of War". The vocals are a little rough, but this has an authentic yet laid back nature despite the heavy lyrics, and it'd be interesting to see James in this mode more frequently! Give both covers a look below, and see more above!



Finally for today, a prolific local progressive/hard rock solo guitarist has re-emerged with new music, namely Mike Cliffe! While his Audiofumes podcast remains on visible hiatus, Mike has quietly been uploading new music onto his Reverbnation page over the winter, and while Reverbnation's usual lack of providing dates on material and posts is one of my pet peeves of that service, the first four listed songs there appear to be new. The songs include the experimental "Space Junk", the self-explanatory "Blues-In-T", and two songs with out of town collaborators. If I had to point to one for hard rock fans, it'd be "BWH1" featuring Washington drummer Bill Ray, but if you recall Mike's diverse influences and technical nature, there will be a lot to like if you crawl through his posted songs, new and old. As well, Mike posted his first new video in almost two years onto his YouTube channel last week, and it's entitled "Rock Funk Fusion", which features four different small windows of Mike recording separate tracks.

I like the funk sound and upbeat melodies here, and this is an easy track to like, but is this just the tip of the iceberg for Mike's return to his solo music in 2020? In any case, he's back in our active band links. Give Mike's new songs a listen above and below, and stay tuned for more from him and/or Audiofumes when any news rolls in!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll on the site next!

Half Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Plus An Apparent Venue Closure!!

Before we begin today's weekend concert preview post, just two quick notes. One is that The Rad Zone re-opens at 721 Queen Street East (the former Foch Cleaners) TOMORROW at 10:00 AM, so head downtown to see how the new storefront looks and to buy some wares once again! I hope to be in myself shortly. The other note relates to this busy weekend's concert previews, as we'll be holding this weekend's Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concerts for tomorrow's post due to their relatively later scheduling. Look for them then, and now, here's what you should know for half of the hard rock shows this weekend, all with advance notice!

We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Alex and company have yet to post an update on their Facebook page in the month of February, and the venue hasn't newly plugged an acoustic matinee for this week either, but "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, and both band and venue have went weeks between advertising gigs in this arrangement. As such, expect Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to be on hand with more unplugged hard rock covers for tips and coffee, so don't miss out on their well received tunes this afternoon! As usual, this show has an early 12:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Next up, a handful of familiar faces will gather at Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT for a Valentine's Day-themed concert called Acoustic Heartstrings! What originally began as just a seasonal concert has developed extra resonance this month, as Room 21's sister barbecue restaurant Low & Slow (located downstairs) have announced that they are leaving 480 Albert Street West after Friday. The restaurant will re-open on February 21st at 648 Queen Street East (the former J. Caroline's location), and while their announcements did not elaborate on Room 21's future, Acoustic Heartstrings co-promoter Daniel Horton indicated on the Facebook event page that he believes that "this is the last night for Room 21", which has been open since the fall of 2017. I don't know if Low & Slow plans to host concerts in some form in their new location, but hopefully the downtown locale is a boost for their business and operations, even if concerts don't continue there!

As for the concert proper, the three acts are advertised to take part, with the advertised headliners being Big Mistake, the new local acoustic pop rock quartet featuring the aforementioned Daniel Horton on guitar alongside singers Robert Nevitt (ex-Re:Born) & Taylor Emlaw, plus fellow guitarist Rick Atkins. You can hear Big Mistake cover Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" at this link, and while they are a big departure from Dan & Rob's better known projects, they have a lot of talent on hand! Resurgent alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich are fittingly sandwiched in the middle slot for this rare unplugged set, and the guys should adapt themselves well to the more intimate setting! Finally, the advertised openers are another debuting new band from Daniel Horton, they being his new hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads, reuniting him with his old Haggith and/or Eclipse bandmates Curtis McKenzie, Caleb Cachagee, and Chris Thompson after 2+ years apart.

While not a fully representative debut set for The Bridge Heads (see them plugged in opening for First Jason in April), this should be a fine way for them to shake off the stage rust, so don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover, and doors open at 9:00 PM tomorrow. It's sad to see Room 21 close up shop after 2½ years as a reliable source for live musical entertainment in a more casual locale, but hopefully Acoustic Heartstrings sends the venue off on the right notes! See the above links for more on the move/closure and this concert, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head downtown to Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return for his usual acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After a busy weekend with four shows at three locales, Tym is only visibly scheduled to play at Gliss over the Valentine's Day weekend, and given that the big day is tomorrow, might Tym have some love songs ready to cover for the occasion? In any event, his covers always deliver a positive reception, so if you want some dinner-time cover action, you know where to go! As always, tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live last year!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Acoustic Heartstrings), The Tripod The Dog Concert Preview, And More!!

As promised, we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews today with one more Saturday nighter, but to fill things out, I've cobbled together some more stories to make this a full news post, including some assorted shorter topics, a new cover video, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

A special all-unplugged Valentine's Day concert at Room 21 will go down on Friday, February 14th featuring some familiar faces! The event is entitled "Acoustic Heartstrings", and despite the private Facebook event page, this is absolutely a public concert. Three bands will rock the stage with acoustic sets, including alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich, who should adapt their diverse and amusing sound well in this setting, so don't miss Johnny, Jesse, and James then! Also, this night will see the live debut of new local acoustic cover band Big Mistake, whose lineup features ex-Re:Born singer Robert Nevitt, Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton, guitarist Rick Atkins (who played with Robert at The Soo's Got Talent in 2018), and singer Taylor Emlaw (who guested on a couple of songs from Daniel's old band Haggith.) As best as I can gather from online postings and teasers, Big Mistake will be much softer in tone compared to Robert & Daniel's past local band work.

A third act is to be announced, which appears to involve Daniel's long-time musical colleague Curtis McKenzie, based on a comment on the event page, while their Project 421/Eclipse bandmate Chris Thompson and fellow Haggith alum Caleb Cachagee are also credited as event hosts. Is a new/relaunched band from these artists playing too, or are we being thrown a curveball? This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and doors open at 9:00 PM. Very unique concert that will set the mood well for Valentine's Day celebrants, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's our last known local hard rock concert preview for this weekend, as veteran ska punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Allegedly "back by popular demand", this show will be the first for Mark Oliverio, and John & Jonny Amendola since playing a full weekend at the same venue four weeks ago. 2019 was a good year for Tripod the Dog in their return to the live scene, and hopefully tonight's concert is another smash hit as they enter this new decade! This 19+ concert has no cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time, as usual. It's always good to see Tripod the Dog back at it, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's their song from "Local Steel"! We await videos (and a newly updated online page), which would help keep our coverage up to date.



Also today, here's a new video from ex-Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel last week, and it's a cover of.... Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself?! The surprise rendition was compiled for a friend as a birthday present, and the video is humorous in tone, featuring appearances from his fiancee Shelby Kerns (of the benefit concert in June), their daughter Lyric, and their dog Mayan. This isn't the first time that Cory has featured his family so heavily in a YouTube song upload, and while I'm not high on the original song, his well-done cover has a pleasant honesty and appeal in it's own right. Give it a look below!



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

• Local beatboxer Robert "Killabeatz" Drolet has been added to next week's Bon Soo opening night concert at The Machine Shop, joining four other Soo's Got Talent finalists on the bill (The Apocalypse Afterparty among them), as per the official Facebook event page. Fitting addition given the theme, so don't miss him there on Friday night! However, note that the previously announced Lock Cities Chorus of The Sweet Adelines are not advertised there.
• Mustang Sally guitarist Mikhal Muto (the son of Issues/Band Camp Rejects alum Michael Muto) is looking for a singer and drummer for a punk/metal band he's currently working on. Guitars and bass are already filled, an age range of 14-19 is specified, and they cover bands like The Foo Fighters, Green Day, and Megadeth, among others, while also incorporating original songs. If you're interested in trying out, message Mikhal at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from January 12th!
• This will be old news if you saw them live last year, but local punk trio Redundant have finally confirmed online that Andrew MacDonald is their new bassist, replacing James White. The reveal was made on their biography for their upcoming Bout at the Hideout set in Toronto in March. Andrew is an extremely logical choice, given that he and his new bandmates were all in Fitswitch at one point, while he was also a bandmate of Justin's in their immediate predecessors The Scary Uncles, so things should continue to work out fine!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

It's now time to close down our monthly poll at the SMS from last month, and launch our newest poll at the SMS! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys last month: What should be done to get more original live metal & hard rock bands in the Sault Michigan area? We only received 9 votes, which is low, but Sault Michigan-centered polls historically have been, so I wasn't expecting the world here. The results do give an interesting spread though, so here's the final tally!

Book more multi-band concerts/festivals (2 votes, 22¼%)

Encourage more artists to write & record original material (2 votes, 22¼%)

Nothing, we're past it's peak (2 votes, 22¼%)

No opinion/I don't follow Sault Michigan bands (2 votes, 22¼%)

It's cyclical, things will improve on their own in time (1 vote, 11%)

Start more musician lesson camps for youths (0 votes)

Form new live bands (0 votes)

Reunite defunct and inactive bands (0 votes)

What do you guys think? It's hard to derive a full conclusion from the results given that only 9 votes were cast, let alone with a four way tie for first with 2 votes each, but if you generalized it, 5 of the 9 cast votes offered a hopeful opinion as to what could be done in the Sault Michigan area, compared to 4 pessimistic or indifferent votes. It is of note that no one voted for just forming new or reuniting old bands, thinking instead of booking more shows or encouraging artists that we do have to write and record more. It is a little discouraging too that two voters said nothing could be done, and while there's no one magic button to getting Sault Michigan's hard rock scene back to even late 2000s levels, I know there's talent in the E.U.P. that should be out there even occasionally in band work, and I hope that things pick up across! With Ten Kings' breakup, we now only have 12 Sault Michigan area bands listed in our active links, hopefully it doesn't fall much further.

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, I wanted to look at a style of music that we've seen a bit more from on the hard rock and metal side of things in recent years, that being acoustic concerts. For the genres we cover, unplugged sets aren't obvious fits, but occasionally, you do see heavier or punk bands unplug their instruments and take things down a notch. Sykotyk Rampage did so for their Zombie Walk sets this year, The Pixo Control's Michael Mikus is playing a solo acoustic set at Dish Espresso Cafe this weekend (more on that in our weekend previews), Tym Morrison has succeeded his Caveman Morrison run with weekly acoustic solo gigs, and bands ranging from Gates of Winter to Redundant have went acoustic for a night in the past. Not to mention, Local2's webseries Bare has seen local (and out of town) bands strip things down for special performances, and we have seen local hard rock bands who only played acoustic material as well (like Sault Michigan's Condemned & Wild Fate.)

I'm not saying there's a trend or wave of acoustic hard rock shows hitting the Soo, but we're seeing more of them than we have in the past, so I wanted to pose this question to you guys: Should more local metal, hard rock, and punk bands play acoustic concerts? I've picked five choices that will hopefully yield an interesting result come next month, so here's your choices!

Sure, it'd be a change of pace and/or more marketable!: Given the genres in question, there are aspects of metal and punk that lend themselves well to a more reserved and intimate setting like an unplugged concert, and many genre fans do enjoy softer acoustic material, so maybe you want to see your favourite local band follow suit? Or, maybe you think going this route would allow a band to appeal to a wider audience and gain new fans?

It depends on the band, not every one would fit: Do you like the concept of more acoustic hard rock concerts, but not for every band? As an example, the guys from Shit Liver have recently formed the folk/bluegrass side project Dirtfight out of St. Catharines, but would Shit Liver themselves playing an acoustic set be something you'd want to see? Would a certain extreme metal genre be ill suited to an unplugged gig where hard rock or punk wouldn't be? Vote here if you like the idea in some cases!

Only for special occasions: Should heavier or punk bands reserve unplugged gigs for special events? For example, maybe a band should only break out the acoustic guitars for a charity or tribute event, an explicitly-defined acoustic-only show (like the annual X-Mess concert), or the occasional show at an acoustic-only venue (like The Harp or the modern day Coch's Corner.) Are you of the mind that a metal or punk band should only go unplugged once in a while for a special reason?

No, I prefer my metal & punk to be electric: If you don't want your favourite metal, punk, and/or hard rock bands to dive into the acoustic pool, here's the choice for you! Maybe you don't like such bands to go soft, maybe you equate it with "selling out", maybe you prefer your acoustic bands to be in other genres, or maybe you just want your music loud and heavy. In any case, cast your vote here if you apply to the above opinions!

Indifferent/no opinion: If you have no real feelings on if bands should play acoustically more often, or just like your bands no matter what they play, vote for this choice!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until December 18th to cast your votes, and it will be interesting to hear the final results, so do so in the month to come, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, Including The Soo Zombie Walk!!

With the Halloween concert season fast approaching, let's touch on the first of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including two joint events from an annual seasonal event for you brain eaters! Note that our preview of Saturday night's Ripcordz-headlined "Fed Up" split release party will come in our next post, along with likely late notice show announcements, so stay tuned for that! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend!

We'll start with local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, whose usual weekly concerts are advertised to continue this weekend, including matinees at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, and more typical nighttime shows at The Harp Bar & Grill TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As is sometimes the case, these shows have yet to be confirmed via Facebook event pages, but all five are among the extensive concert listings on his website's calendar. As Tym's lengthy runs at the Quality Inn's restaurant and the former Madison's Pub march on, look for more entertaining hard rock renditions in an intimate setting at both venues this weekend, and if you're up for some unplugged action, you have lots of options this weekend! As usual, the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM events with no announced cover or age limits (but remember, it is a restaurant), and the Harp shows are at 10:00 PM with no announced cover, an a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and here's Tym live at The Harp!



Next up, let's head across the border to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned are scheduled to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking the month of September off, this will be the second of four St. Ignace concert weekends from Banned in a five month span, and while they're certainly no strangers to their Kewadin branch, don't miss out on this weekend's concerts if you can't see them next month! And remember, Alex, Wayne, and Don's annual Halloween show will be at the Kewadin Casino in Manistique next weekend, so keep that in mind if you might be out there. Like Banned's past and future Kewadin Casino concerts, this weekend's concerts take place at 9:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 or older to attend. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Banned live earlier this year!



Heading back to Sault Ontario, let's touch on the seventh annual Soo Zombie Walk, which goes down THIS SATURDAY at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for a third straight year, and we'll see bands (the exact same bands, in fact) in both the daytime lineup and at the afterparty! As usual, bring your best zombie costumes for the annual brain-hungry walk downtown, which begins an hour later at 6:00 PM this year, but the pre-walk activities (including games, face painting, photos, contests, and vendors) have been cut down from 3 to 2 hours, with everything beginning at 4:00 PM. For full details on non-musical events and the downtown zombie walk itself, visit the official Facebook event page. This year's acts will include headlining local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage (marking their fifth straight appearance at a Zombie Walk concert), reunited Sudbury unplugged hard rock band Aggressive Acoustic (fronted by ex-Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan, though we're unsure of the new lineup's composition), and Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan (in his third straight Zombie Walk set.)

Note that an advertised fourth performer, ex-Phlashback guitarist Terry Becker (brother of Sykotyk Rampage's Paul & Dirk Becker) has quietly been removed from event advertising for unannounced reasons, but hopefully nothing bad happened, it was encouraging to see him listed given his recent health issues! In a unique double booking, all three acts will head to Coch's Corner (in the former Foggy Notions building) later that night to take part in the sixth annual Zombie Walk afterparty, which returns to the site of it's 2010 & 2013 installments after spending last year at Wacky Wings and without live music. As you may know, Coch's Corner has been an acoustic-only venue since it moved to 708 Queen Street East, so to fit that and keep things simple given the double booking, both of Sykotyk Rampage's sets will be acoustic on Saturday, which will be interesting to hear! This will be their first set at the afterparty since 2012, while Aggressive Acoustic headlined the afterparty in their own right in 2013.

The Zombie Walk entertainment at 4:00 PM (and the walk proper) are both ALL AGES with admission via a canned good donation and $3 (kids under 10 only need the canned good), while the afterparty will be at 9:00 PM with $2 admission & a canned good, and it's definitely 19+ there. For more details, visit the above links and the afterparty's Facebook event page! It's great to see bands rocking out at the Soo Zombie Walk (and afterparty) again, so whether you'd rather see the bands in the day at the Bushplane Museum or at night at Coch's, especially if you also plan to hit the Ripcordz concert, you have options! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage at last year's walk!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soo Zombie Walk Afterparty), New Videos, And More!!

Now's a good time to get our first full news post of the month on the site, and within, we have some assorted recent notes, two new videos from two familiar local bands, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a familiar yet distinct Halloween season concerts! Here's what you should know!

The musical entertainment at this year's Soo Zombie Walk will see an unplugged encore, as the acts playing at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center on Saturday, October 24th will head to Coch's Corner that same night for the afterparty! After spending last year sans music at Wacky Wings, the afterparty returns to it's 19+ roots at the site of it's 2010 & 2013 incarnations in three weeks time, but like in 2013, all performers will be acoustic, going with Coch's Corner's focus since moving into the former Foggy Notions building. As recently (and quietly) confirmed on the Facebook event page, all four acts will pull double duty on the 24th, including alternative blues/hard rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage (in their first afterparty set since 2012), Sudbury cover hard rock band Aggressive Acoustic (who headlined 2013's afterparty), and solo musicians Greg Callaghan & Terry Becker, so if you'd rather see the bands at nighttime in a bar setting, or in the day before the walk with a family audience, you have options!

Sykotyk Rampage frontman Dirk Becker has also confirmed with me in a recent conversation that Aggressive Acoustic have not broken up (though there have been lineup departures), and Syktoyk Rampage's daytime pre-walk set will also be acoustic, which does sound easier given the double booking. This year's afterparty has a $2 cover charge (plus a canned good), it goes down at 9:00 PM on October 24th, and you must be 19 to attend... but never fear, you can see all four acts at 4:00 PM at the Bushplane Museum too! Check the above links for more details, and keep both of these Zombie Walk shows in mind for when the undead prepare to roam downtown!

Next up, we at last have confirmation: The Bear Hunters are in studio recording their second full length CD "The Dead Testament"! Details on progress are forthcoming, but the fan-favourite local death metal band confirmed on their Facebook page that sessions began yesterday, and they have posted two short videos to their new Instagram page of drummer Johnny Belanger tracking drums at Mission Control Studios (more on them in a bit), with the video embedded below crediting the song as "The Void". Both clips don't actually show Johnny, instead Dustin Jones at the controls during the tracking. Photos, and more videos, are planned to go up on Instagram in the coming weeks, but this is a great sign for fans of The Bear Hunters, so check out the other video at this link, see more above, and here's Johnny laying down drum tracks for "The Dead Testament"!

A video posted by The Bear Hunters (@thebearhunterscanada) on Oct 2, 2015 at 6:20pm PDT

Also today, here's the newest video from local alternative hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din, which gives us our first glimpse at their new guitarist! Posted to their Facebook page yesterday, it's of the new lineup playing Mike's solo original "Out Of My League", but perhaps intentionally, the new guitarist is filmed from behind, and aside from the long blonde hair and purple guitar, there are no dead-giveaway markings to their identity. I have a guess, but let's wait for the band to confirm the new axeslinger themselves, be it online or at the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands next month! In any event, it's a solid rendition, complete with post-production filters, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from The Din!



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

• A concert event in remembrance of late local country musician & Case's Music founder Mike Case is in the works for July 9th of next year, and organizers are looking for bands to take part. It would be a 2:00 PM-2:00 AM event, but further details are not known as of this writing. This very well may be a special and huge occasion given Mike's outreach as a musician & instructor, so message co-organizer Christine O'Hara at this link or at her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from September 15th for more info!
• A Facebook page has finally been launched for the aforementioned Mission Control Studios, the local recording studio ran by Dustin Jones & Tidal Records, and the site where a number of local bands are either recording or planning to record new studio material, like The Apocalypse Afterparty & The Pixo Control. The setup and reputation is all very professional, so check the above links for more info on Mission Control Studios, which are now in our "Other Local Metal Links"!
• After previously looking for a drummer in August, local musician Rob Charlebois is looking for a guitarist for his "fresh" new band. They have originals and covers, ranging from alternative to classic rock, and practice at night. If you're interested in trying out, message Rob at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from September 25th!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Kiss'd), New Videos, And More!!

Before we head off to TONIGHT'S Jack Spades EP release show, we have a new news post for you guys today, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent notes (including a concert cancellation), a new cover video, recent coverage of a major all ages show, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for across the river this summer, so here's what you need to know!

Continuing the recent influx of Charlevoix, Michigan metal musician Jeff Hudson's bands into Eastern Upper Peninsula concert dates, his Northern Michigan Kiss tribute band Kiss'd will hit The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 4th and Saturday, July 5th! Note that these shows are still to be announced on Kewadin's entertainment page, but I imagine it's just a little behind. Joining already-announced 2014 dates for Jeff's other bands Scarkazm, Audio Circus, and (of course) Peril at our regional Kewadin branches, these will actually be Kiss'd's first announced shows on their Facebook page since 2012, though I'm not sure if they've played a show unadvertised there in the interim. Featuring Jeff on vocals and bass as "Paul Stanley", Kiss'd have a faithful sound that fans of Kiss should take to if their older videos are any indication, though the vocals aren't always close ringers with the original songs. Be sure to check them out in July though! You must be 21 to attend, there's no announced cover charge, and there are nightly start times of 10:30 & 9:00 PM, so check the above links for more updates on how to get Kiss'd!

Next up, we have some recent local coverage of last weekend's fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall to share on here! Posted to the YouTube channel of local event promotion and entertainment website Sault Online on Tuesday, this features video footage of Sudbury unplugged hard rockers Aggressive Acoustic covering Monster Magnet's "Space Lord" during soundcheck, which bookend a minute long interview clip with promoter Steve Mozarowski outside of the hall, so what is discussed there? Steve talks about how he started the annual event in 2011 as a RedD Monkey tour fundraiser, though it has since transitioned into a showcase for youth-centered local talent, while he'll also look into grants for next year's event and the possibility of free admission. Aside from the windy conditions impairing the interview, it's a solid promotional sample for the event, and the Aggressive Acoustic footage is well shot! I wonder what became of the Brutaly Fatal video footage that the same Sault Online correspondent filmed that evening?

Also to note: Steve described RedD Monkey as "broke up" in the video, though official Facebook statements only go so far as to say they're on a hiatus, so we'll go on that until/unless something else is stated. As well, the video description incorrectly lists both Ashes To Dust & Pillory as playing that night, misspells Aggressive Acoustic, and accidentally calls Haggith "Haggard", but hopefully that all gets fixed! Nice to see some new local media coverage of the Swampfest, so check out the full video below!



Also today, Pillory frontman and Crimson Crusade guitarist Robert Sartini posted a new cover video onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! His first video there in 5 months (and first solo cover video since last August), this is a guitar rendition of Wisconsin death metal band Putrid Pile's "Blood Fetish" that he learned by ear. Though I'm not too familiar with Putrid Pile, this a solid rendition, but I think the original backing track is a bit high in the video. This should tide Pillory fans over while we wait for public news from their camp, so give Robert's new video a look below!



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

• Former(?) Social Suicide guitarist Anthony Boudreau is looking for a high school-age guitarist who can play anything from old school rock to progressive metal for his new local band project. If you're interested in trying out, message Anthony at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from May 7th!
• The Die Mannequin concert scheduled for June 14th at The Rockstar Bar has been cancelled, as per updates to the Facebook event page by promoter J.D. Pearce on Tuesday. A reason wasn't announced there beyond J.D. saying that it was "out of my hands", but while this is disappointing, does the survival of the event page lend hope for a possible rescheduling? We'll have to wait and see!
• A 14 year old local metal guitarist named Jordan Attoni is looking to jam in a local metal project. He has played guitar for 4 years, and is influenced by bands like AC/DC, Metallica, and Avenged Sevenfold, so if you're interested in trying out or getting more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for Jack Spades' EP release show! Thanks everyone!

Sewer Swampstravaganza IV Concert Review!!

After a bit of a delay due to very slow video uploading times (plus our preview of TONIGHT's Oh! Right Arm!/Blood Shed show at The Moose Lodge in yesterday's post), we finally have our review of Saturday night's fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall for you guys, so here's what you should know! This year, organizers employed a larger staff to run the show and related events, with merchandise for sale including limited edition event and RedD Monkey t-shirts, assorted art, poetry, and music items from Rihkee Strap and Ye Olde Mold Pickers, and even a Blood Shed Productions merchandise table (plus an album that we'll touch on later.) Indian tacos and frybread were indeed sold for patrons to eat, which is a great idea given the length of the show! Attendance was fairly good by the evening and for the headlining bands, but it was a slow go for the afternoon performers, which is par for the course for these all-day all ages shows. A reporter from Sault Online was also on hand at two points on Saturday to film Aggressive Acoustic (during afternoon sound check) and Brutaly Fatal, so might we see the footage online soon?

There were also some late lineup alterations for some of the earlier performers, but we'll approach them as we go. Now, here's our thoughts on all of the performers on Saturday night!

As expected, the Sewer Swampstravaganza kicked off with it's first ever open mic block at 1:00 PM, though for unannounced reasons, planned host Greg Callaghan was not able to attend, so promoter Steve Mozarowski hosted in his place. Given the slow early attendance, there wasn't a lot of performers, with just 5 distinct acts playing in the 90 minute timeslot, and only three playing for a substantial length. They were Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger in a rare showcase of his singing & guitar ability, Steve Mozarowski playing songs that may have been in his later "faceityoureametalband" set, and local keyboardist/busker Damjan Binda (a.k.a. "Spider Fingerz"), who some of you may remember from an Oddfellows Hall show earlier this year. As well, Northern Tragedy singer/drummer Terrence Gomes and friend Katie Huckson (jokingly named Goofus & Gallant) played a pair of songs, while Keep It Lit/ex-The Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta played a few songs of his own later in the block.

In terms of what I thought of each performer: Johnny's performances were solid, and a nice throwback to seeing some of his musical diversity when we both attended Bawating in the mid-2000s! He always had a good singing voice, and the variance was solid on covers of everyone from The Foo Fighters to Harvey Danger. Steve's portion was a nice continuation from earlier Swampfest sets, if much more reserved, including covers of Oasis and New Order mixed with assorted originals. I prefer his more abrasive band work, but he had a nice casual command of the stage, and the originals were well composed! Damjan struck me as a very talented pianist (complete with accessories to simulate a baby grand), and while his vocals weren't heard much, he deftly played some entertaining originals and even belted out a rousing sea shanty! I'll have to keep an eye on his work. Terrence and Katie performed well together (though she was hard to hear), and it was nice seeing Paul back on stage, playing solid renditions of Rubberbandits and Kings of Leon, even breaking out some rap on his last song!

The first of the official band performers on Saturday was Haggith drummer Mike Haggith in a rare solo concert appearance, so how was this different from his more locally common Din work? Aside from a guest appearance on the opening song by bandmate Daniel Horton, Mike played each song solo with only him on vocals & guitar, with backing tracks that he recorded to cover bass and drums. Mike quietly released his 48th studio album "A Place Of Our Own" at the show, so his 6 song set included one song from that disc, plus older originals like "Room 822" and the brand new "Cindy Is A Hooker's Name". Aside from some technical errors regarding the backing tracks, Mike shown some solid talent in a more formal setting for music that he fronts, and he has a nice singing voice as usual on these hard rock originals, but by using backing tracks, his set sounded more artificial than I'm used to (but at least he played on them.) Solid work though, and hopefully Mike tries his hand at more solo sets down the road!

The next performer was slated to be the aforementioned Steve Mozarowski (replacing The Neon Stars & The Runaway Voices), but his formal set was tentative pending the addition of a different act for that timeslot, and he did find one, as local DJ Shane Erickson (a.k.a. DJ Seith) took over the 4:00 PM timeslot in his place. Given the surrounding acts, this was a bit of a surprise, so how'd he do? Creatively distributing tambourines for fans to make noise with during his set, DJ Seith basically played the music and turntable mixes that he would at an event that would seem more typical for his output, mashing up two vinyl records while scratching and mixing the songs within, and there were some very receptive fans late, especially when he threw some Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath in! He definitely has an ease about his work, and he definitely didn't alter his show due to the slow early attendance, but part of me assumed he'd manipulate certain songs more than they were. Nice diversion though, and if it's your thing, DJ Seith has the goods!

Next was slated to be local funk/metal band The Strange Coyotes, but like at the Fuck The Facts show, they were replaced by singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore's more recent project This Is Your Band On Drugs, likely for similar reasons (if we hear anything finite concerning The Strange Coyotes' status, we'll have it here!) Just like at their last local stop, they played a grind/experimental hybrid sound that had a lot of energy, intensity, and creativity that got a lot of people's attention, with Chase's guitar work and stage presence captivating many like usual! Nick Burns' vocals were still mostly hard to hear, and he could be a bit more animated on stage, but he fits in well musically, and they were joined by Rotopsy's Ringsnaps Gibson again for their closing song to add an extra vocal blast! I'd still be interested to see how T.I.Y.B.O.D. sound with drums and bass, but their unique mix of genres is definitely hard to ignore, and stay tuned for more on them and their original music this week!

Following them was the non-house party debut of the current version of Brutaly Fatal, so what'd this trio have in store? Though we did see the original version of the band (now Re-Born) last year in a solo grindcore theme, the new Brutaly Fatal have a hybrid of doom metal and punk in their current originals like "We Are The Gladiators" and "Monsters", almost striking me as a mix of AlgomA and The Northern Tragedy, if that makes sense. Austin dropped the growling entirely for clean singing, and he's solid at that, while he, bassist Rainey Vincent, and new drummer Brandan Glew had decent chemistry and clear talent throughout, though they could all work on their stage presences somewhat. The big issue I had with their set was their cover choices, as Collective Soul and Weezer songs seem like songs borrowed from Re-Born rather than material fitting of a doom band, and didn't mesh well with the originals. Solid debut though, I'm curious to see how they develop!

The 7:00 set was supposed to go to local/Grand Rapids folk/acoustic trio Ye Olde Mold Pickers in a reunion set, but members Nick Marsh & Kyle Church couldn't make the event (apparently due to being stranded in Michigan on the way up for the show), so singer/accordionist Rihkee Strap played an abbreviated solo set instead, mainly comprised of Y.O.M.P. covers. It was an interesting sight seeing almost everyone sit for her set, but like at her earlier local shows, there was a busking casual feel to her performance, though there was a bit of stage rust and nervousness given the long break. Her set was effective and a nice change of pace, and after a joint rendition of "Alleyways", she ceded the rest of the set to RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski, who played three original cello compositions. Nice to see him on stage again, and while the songs had an minimalistic quality without other performers, his musical talent was clear as day, and I'd be curious to hear more of his solo music!

Then we had Sudbury acoustic/hard rock band Aggressive Acoustic in their second live concert set in the Soo, though their lineup was indeed abbreviated, as bassist Darren McCullough again did not make the trip, and drummer Angie McBride (who was visibly pregnant at their local date last fall) is currently on maternity leave, though congratulations on the new arrival! Fronted by former Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan, he and mandolin player Sean Trottier played a mix of covers of bands like Linkin Park, Chevelle, and Down, plus a few originals like "Downtown Billy Brown", and if anything struck me about their set, it's that Brian has definitely improved his singing ability since the last time I saw him live in this role! The covers were mostly adapted well, and you could tell he was getting people's attention when certain fans ran back into the hall to hear certain unexpected songs. Sean's a solid mandolin player too, and he accompanied things well! It'd be nice to see the full lineup in town at some point, but I think Brian and Sean made some new fans!

The 9:00 band was local goregrind duo Rotopsy, who finally got a chance to play a full set after their shortened Dank Fest closer last month, and they didn't disappoint with a very energetic and high-tempo set of grind and death metal originals! Including songs like "Shovel Packin'", "Let Us Rot", and "The Funky Track", Dylan and Tyler got loyal fans moshing and headbanging throughout their set, which even recycled the Super Mario 64 theme cover from Crucify The Whore's set the previous weekend. Of what Rotopsy provides in concert, I still think they could benefit from having Dylan Taylor growl more actual words rather than the scattered grunts and yells, and the lack of a guitar does make it's presence felt a fair amount. The enthusiasm and brutality were wall to wall though, and hopefully tonight's show at The Moose Lodge goes well for them!

The headline acts of the Swampstravaganza kicked off at 10:00 PM with the well anticipated reunion set by local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith, making their first live concert appearance since December's farewell show, so how'd they perform in their return? Pretty well, it's like they never left! Aside from Curtis McKenzie's shorter hair, things looked about the same as they did at their peak last year, even to the point of Curtis playing guitar on most songs, after not doing so for much of late 2013. Songs like "Clifton Hill" & "Public Enemy" joined select covers of Jimi Hendrix classics, and the guys definitely shown the chemistry and talent that carried them so well in their initial run together, with Curt showing his more diverse vocal range on some songs, Mike Haggith drumming with a fun purpose, and Daniel Horton's lead guitar work on fire! It's great to have Haggith back, and this set was definitely a well recieved success, but was it a one-off show?

Take this with a grain of salt until the band confirms this online, but band members announced on stage that they plan to stay together and record a fourth studio album compiling songs of theirs that aren't on physical CDs yet (like "Metal Cage" & "Anthem"), but with an attached ultimatum: If said CD doesn't sell well, they'll break up again. The band has not officially said this online yet, but just in case, there's some cautiously optimistic news regarding Haggith's future!

Another band that we haven't seen since Haggith's farewell show came on next, as the original crash band, Sykotyk Rampage played their first live concert set of 2014 in the co-headlining slot! Their 13 song set mixed classics like "Drinking on the Weekend" and "Hey Zeus" with some new songs like "Soul" and their first live song with bassist Tony Briglio on lead vocals, the Jack Daniels ode "Old #7", and the fans gave them  good reception, even inciting rare mosh pits for a Sykotyk Rampage show! Visually and sonically, the guys were up to their old tricks, with Paul Becker's booming bluesy vocals and his brother Dirk and Shane Kokis handling things well for their improvised originals! Despite their involvement as staff for the event, the guys didn't play a reserved set, showing their energy and creativity throughout, with Dirk again dropping the guitar for an angry and intense version of "Lowest of the Low". Very fun crash set, here's hoping for more soon!

And finally, your headliners on Saturday were the only band to play at all four Swampstravaganzas, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, and they were in form once again with brutal originals and lots of devastating metal action! Now to be fair, I saw them at the Fuck The Facts show as well, and their sets were largely similar in both song choices and performances, so it's hard to comment too differently on Saturday night's set. Playing newer songs like "I Fear No God" and "The Omen" along with existing originals, the guys shown their talents well once again, with Nik Deubel's vocals as heavy as ever, Mitch Sirie playing to his standards on guitar, and Justin Lam's clear bass skill a constant presence! I did have to leave late in their set, but The Bear Hunters were a perfect closer to the evening, and hopefully we hear much more from them in the near future, including hopefully their long awaited album at some point!

Overall, the fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza was a success, but being the longest event yet in this annual series, it was also the most tiring at least for this reviewer (my feet were killing me by night's end.) It was all for a good cause though, as this was another very entertaining blend of local music! Is it weird to note that only four bands on Saturday featured a drummer, and only one of them (Brutaly Fatal) played before 10:00 PM?

I got plenty of photos of each band, so visit our Facebook page or this link to check them out, and as for videos, I got one of each formal performer and a compilation of the open mic block, so here's all 5 open mic acts together, followed by Mike Haggith playing "Sun Perfume", the first few minutes of DJ Seith's set, This Is Your Band On Drugs playing a (likely) untitled original, Brutaly Fatal's original "Mercury", Rihkee Strap covering Ye Olde Mold Pickers' "Redemption Song", Pete Mozarowski playing his composition "The Conquered", Aggressive Acoustic covering Tool's "Stinkfist", Rotopsy playing their short originals "Doomytrack" & "Mould Induced Hypersensitivity", Haggith playing "No Cure For Insanity", Sykotyk Rampage playing their new song "Soul", and The Bear Hunters playing their newer song "The Void"!








That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews this week! Thanks everyone!

Sewer Swampstravaganza IV Concert Preview!!

TOMORROW NIGHT marks the fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza, as once again, local/Toronto musician Steve Mozarowski (in association with Sykotyk Rampage guitarist Dirk Becker) will put on another all-day marathon of local music at The Oddfellows Hall, with a heavy emphasis on metal and hard rock bands once again! With support from the Arts Council of Sault Ste. Marie, the Swampstravaganza returns to the spring months for the first time since the first installment in April 2011 (albeit after a week's postponement to avoid competing with the A Tribe Called Red show), and this is definitely the biggest version of this yearly event to date, with 10 scheduled performers and an open mic block to kick off the day's events, while tacos will be sold for fans if they're hungry, limited edition yellow t-shirts with the event poster will be on sale for $12, and I believe there'll be some local art on sale as well like during previous years! The poster on your right has not been updated to reflect recent lineup changes, but we'll address them as we go, so who's playing at this year's Sewer Swampstravaganza? Let's take a look at the lineup!

Though the on-hiatus RedD Monkey will miss this year's Swampstravaganza for the first time, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters will keep one link for the past three years, as they headline this event for the first time tomorrow at midnight! Fresh off a well received set at Sunday night's Fuck The Facts show at the same venue, look for a brutal blend of originals to cap the night tomorrow, so don't miss them! A pair of bands from last year's Swampstravaganza will take the stage right before in their first concert appearances of 2014, including "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage (perhaps with some new material in tow?) at 11:00 PM and a reunion set by local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith at 10:00 PM, though it's yet undetermined whether this will be a one-off gig or the start of something more (source here.) Both bands have been missed lately, so get ready for some fun, if radically different, alternative sounds tomorrow night, whether you're drinking on the weekend or shouting "All Hail Haggith!"

Blood Shed Productions goregrind duo Rotopsy will get a chance to make up for their abbreviated Dank Fest set at 9:00 PM in a rare showcase outside of a house party or Heavy North Entertainment event, so be prepared for their minimalistic brutality then, while Sudbury unplugged hard rock band Aggressive Acoustic will make their second local concert appearance tomorrow at 8:00 PM! Featuring former Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan on vocals & guitar, personal Facebook posts indicate that their lineup may be abbreviated with just Brian and guitarist Sean Trottier making the trip, but we'll find out for sure tomorrow! 2011 Swampstravaganza performers Ye Olde Mold Pickers will hold their own reunion tomorrow at 7:00 PM, so be prepared for Rihkee & company's unique folk/acoustic sound after a long absence from the local stage! Note that their set was originally scheduled to be split between Y.O.M.P. and their partial successors The Filthy Cur, but it's no longer advertised as such, possibly because only 2/3rds of The Filthy Cur will be present tomorrow.

The current version of Brutaly Fatal (replacing Pillory) will take the stage at 6:00 PM in their first public set since their relaunch & with their expanded lineup, now including founding frontman Austin McCrae, bassist Rainey Vincent and new drummer Brandan Glew, who recently replaced Tyler St. Amour for unannounced reasons, as per their Facebook page. Hopefully Brandan fits in well, and hopefully we see Tyler in a new band shortly! How will Brutaly Fatal's new stoner/doom metal originals and fuller roster sound tomorrow, and will Austin's sprained hand affect things? The 5:00 PM slot is currently allocated to local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes, but given their lingering drummer vacancy and their replacement at their last two gigs by frontman Chase Wigmore solo & his new project This Is Your Band On Drugs (neither of which involved bassist James Watterworth), will there be a similar replacement tomorrow? We'll let you guys know when/if we hear anything, but I imagine Chase will be playing something then!

The 4:00 PM slot currently belongs to promoter/RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowski in an acoustic solo set (replacing student vocal groups The Neon Stars & The Runaway Voices), though he's credited on Facebook under the name "faceityoureametalband". It'd be nice to see Steve play tomorrow, but his performing involvement has always been tentative and conditional, and to that effect, a discussion on the Facebook event page hints that local death metal trio Shit Liver (who dropped out of the first Swampstravaganza) might finally play this event at 4:00 instead. That's not official, but it'd be awesome if confirmed, so stay tuned just in case! The first formal act on the lineup will be Haggith drummer Mike Haggith in a rare solo set, which he hopes to use to showcase his own original hard rock material, so be there early to see what he has in store! The Swampstravaganza will begin at 1:00 PM with a 90 minute open mic block hosted by Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan (similarly to his Coch's Corner open mic nights), though a performer list has not been announced as of this writing.

The open mic angle is a first for the Swampstravaganza, but like ones at local bars, it could be a mixed bag for if you like the performers or not. Greg has experience with this sort of thing though, and at last word, he was still looking for additional performers, so message him at this link if you want in! Note as well that local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust (who played this event in 2012) have dropped out of the Swampstravaganza for a second straight year for unannounced reasons, and were not replaced. Hopefully things are alright in their camp, it's been forever since we've heard of them outside of a school function! Admission for tomorrow's show is just $5 (and for 10 bands and open mic, that's an incredible deal), this is definitely an ALL AGES event, and the open mic performers kick off the day at 1:00 PM. For more details, check the above links! This should be another awesome installment of this yearly event, but will the lineup hold together, and will the immense size this year amount to more fans?

Be there tomorrow to find out, and I'll absolutely see you there! That's all for today, but see the above links for more information, and for a preview, here's The Bear Hunters at last year's Swampstravaganza! Thanks everyone!