A New Local Band, New Airbourne Concert Videos, And Much More!!

After a couple of news-free days at the SMS, we're back with some big updates for this Monday morning, so what's on tap? A lot of assorted shorter recent updates, but first, we have a few more Airbourne concert videos and (leading off) a new addition to our band links, so read on below for what you need to know!

We have a new local hard rock band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, as The Thrill Junkies have finally launched their own Facebook page! Originally plugged on the SMS in March, they're essentially the successors to both Turner Up & Havadder, with all but two members of their last lineups forming this new act earlier this year. Their lineup includes singer Travis Sharpe (formerly Turner Up & Havadder's bassist), guitarists Jason Nisbet (Havadder only) and Robert Brown, drummer Scott McLurg, and new bassist Justin Langlois (Redundant), who replaced Jamie Cameron in the band earlier this summer. Described as "five guys who love to party & bring the rock", they'll cover everyone from Alice In Chains & The Foo Fighters to Slash & Volbeat, but they'll also apparently be working on original material, something that their predecessor bands weren't known for. While their first public local show has yet to be announced, they debuted in Spanish at the battle of the bands in April to find openers for this year's Rock 'N Roar Festival, and after following in Havadder's 2012 footsteps with a 5th place run, they opened for Loverboy & Lee Aaron at said festival last weekend!

Note that the cover photo on their Facebook page features former Turner Up singer Krista Marshall along with the band during their Rock 'N Roar set, but she's not credited on the page, so I assume she was a guest performer. I'm very curious to hear some media or local shows from The Thrill Junkies finally, especially with Travis singing in a local band again and the core of Turner Up living on for this new project, so stay tuned for updates on their local debut and upcoming news!

Next up, here's some more new videos from last week's Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Filmed by attendee/local guitarist Neno Jovanovic and uploaded to his YouTube channel on Thursday, they're of Airbourne playing their songs "Diamond in the Rough", "Runnin' Wild", and (as embedded below) "Live It Up", so click each link to check them out! Neno had a great first row angle of the Australian hard rock standouts in action, but all but the "Live It Up" video are noticeably abbreviated, and the "Runnin' Wild" video was filmed on a sideways angle for some reason (but we get good footage of Joel O'Keeffe smashing a beer can into his head and spraying it on the front rows!) The audio on each is hit & miss, with heavier stretches often sounding choppy, but the angle and closeness to the action is very welcome, so give Neno's Airbourne concert videos a look above, and here's "Live It Up"!



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

• Local film company 62nd Chamber Productions (ran by AlgomA's Boyd Rendell) revealed on their Facebook page last week that they filmed Giwakwa & Shit Liver's full sets at last month's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up on multiple camera angles, but the audio quality was described as "a farty nightmare", so it will instead be re-purposed for stills in upcoming projects. I was wondering what happened to those videos, but I trust their judgement, and hopefully we'll get to see new videos soon!
• Among some other event pages for upcoming punk-headlined concerts, local promoter J.D. Pearce launched one for his eighth annual Halloween Party yesterday (making it's Roosevelt Hotel debut on October 26th), and while full public details are minimal, the previously announced Ripcordz are still headlining, and he confirmed that there will be at least 3 other bands, so the larger post-Coch's lineup will be back. Stay tuned as more updates come in!
• Local bassist Jason Lang (who recently posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group looking for a new band) is now in a new "rock & hard rock" project with a guitarist & female vocalist, but now they need a drummer. Like before, this is just a bar cover band for the fun of it with no tour plans, and for age range, all he said was that the current members are "older working players". If you're interested in trying out on drums, message Jason at this link or at the Facebook group linked above!
• Former Valentine's Day Massacre/Chillum drummer Kyle Umgeher is again looking for a new local music project on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, but this time, he's preferably looking for a funk band with a jam space. Funk could have heavier applications, but either way, this could be a unique addition to the scene, so message Kyle at this location or at the group above if you're interested!
• Sault Ontario acid jam/hard rockers Mike Haggith & The Din have officially added talented local solo musician James "Delusionair Lionhair" Watterworth to their lineup as (believe it or not) a saxophone player, making them a quartet. My source is Mike's solo Facebook page on Thursday, and James already contributed at their last couple of live dates. This should be an interesting addition for a heavier band, so stay tuned for more as we hear it!
• Wondered why we haven't covered local recording studio The Smoke & Oak Room much over the summer? As it turns out, owner Dave Pihlaja moved to Toronto with the studio in May (as per postings on their Facebook page), which is disappointing, but hopefully Dave succeeds further down south, and at least we got some quality work from Crimson Crusade & Late and Loud there beforehand!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Cross Dog in our next post, either tonight or tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

New Airbourne Concert Videos & Assorted Sault Michigan Updates!!

Keeping the news rolling on this Friday afternoon, we have some more fallout from a big recent concert to touch on, along with some recent Sault Michigan updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

A bunch of Airbourne concert videos from Sunday night have turned up online yesterday, so we'll start with six from YouTube user Christopher Paci's channel! A frequent uploader of videos from Kewadin Casino hard rock concerts in the past year, the Airbourne concert was just the second Sault Ontario event he's uploaded footage from (following one video from the Tragically Hip show in February) Four of Christopher's videos are from Airbourne's set, including "Ready To Rock", "Diamond in the Rough", "Raise the Flag", and (as embedded below) their extended closing number "Runnin' Wild", so click each link to see the clips! Chris would have a good angle, but The Canadian Nightclub was very packed, so attendees' heads are definitely in the way often, but I imagine this was a problem many people had unless they were very tall or in the first few rows, so I won't judge. The audio is also a bit scratchy, but it's not unlistenable. Solid attempt to catch the action, so give "Runnin' Wild" a look below!



Christopher's other videos are from openers Bleeker Ridge's set, as he filmed them playing their originals "Shine" and (as embedded below) "Last Cigarette", so again, click each link to check them out! They have a better and more central view of the Orillia hard rockers, and Taylor Perkins is definitely easier to hear from Christopher's angle, but front row fans do block some areas of the stage, albeit not as much as the crowding for Airbourne. These actually don't sound as scratchy either somehow, so give Bleeker Ridge playing "Last Cigarette" a look below, and see more of Chris' Airbourne concert videos at the above links!

Closing today's post, we'll head to Sault Michigan starting with some news relating to newer local hard rock trio Plastic (who, like Power Slug, still don't have an online page.) In rather surprising news given that they only first played live two months ago, they'll apparently be opening for The Misfits at Harpo's Concert Theater in Detroit on October 21st! I have no idea how that came about, but my source is drummer Paul "Dorothy" Burns' new solo Facebook page, which he recently started to keep fans to date on his music projects (Plastic or otherwise.) Paul also launched a number of Facebook event pages there for gigs all over Northern Michigan (including in Alpena and Rogers City), along with the Misfits/Detroit show and a pair of local dates (Dan's Bar in Rudyard on September 7th & The Merchant's Bar in the Soo on September 20th), but I can't verify at present if these are all Plastic dates or not, as he uses the page for all of his music work. If I hear more, I'll keep you posted, but if you want tickets to see Plastic open for The Misfits, message members Zac Crook, Nick Moreau, or Paul Burns on Facebook!

Finally for today, it looks like Sault Michigan classic hard rock quartet Sir Charge have dissolved. This hasn't been officially confirmed (their Facebook page hasn't been updated in almost 3 months), but members Henry Switzer, Ray Mayer, and Ruseell Mayer have apparently reformed their pop rock cover band The Mama's Boys, re-debuting at at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on August 5th. My source is Ray's personal Facebook page, and like before, I believe he sings lead rather than Henry. Also, with Sir Charge guitarist Nathan Switzer taking on their existing Kewadin Casino dates for his other band RamWagon,  that helps lead me to think that Sir Charge have at least ceded focus to the Mama's Boys' reunion. Sir Charge had been active since succeeding Henry & Nathan's similar earlier band Monkey's Uncle last fall, playing a number of gigs at regional bars through at least June of this year, and while it is disappointing to see Henry-fronted bands end locally, at least everyone from Sir Charge is still active in local music, so best of luck all around!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more this weekend, including a few more Airbourne concert videos! Thanks everyone!

Airbourne Concert Fallout, New Destroilet Videos, And More!!

Today's news post a mix of stuff from each side of the border, including updates to one of our monthly feature series, the latest from Theatre of Night, a new video from a recent hardcore punk concert, and leading off, some fallout from a huge recent Sault Ontario concert, so read on below for what you need to know!

We'll start with some fallout from Sunday night's Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub, starting with a SooToday article and photo album from the show! Written and shot by Donna Hopper (and posted online yesterday), she mainly focused on Airbourne's overall set in the write-up, saying that despite the AC/DC comparisons, they do what they do "exceedingly well... for a no frills, all punch live concert experience", along with commmenting on the volume and promoting J.D. Pearce's next show (The Dayglo Abortions at The Rosie on September 9th.) As for her photos (which are awesome as usual), she got 29 shots, including 12 of Airbourne, 9 of Bleeker Ridge, and 8 of Garden of Bedlam, though none of The Suicide Kings sadly. Great work all the same, so click here and check the above links for more! Also in Airbourne notes, one more video from the show has turned up, so what should you know about it?

Uploaded to Wing-Its/ex-Lion Ride guitarist Marco Pedalino's YouTube channel yesterday, this is also of Airbourne's set-opening song "Ready To Rock", although Marco was noticeably further back on the floor, so while we get a good scope of the attendance, the band are somewhat hard to see. The audio quality is a bit scratchy too, but it's nice to see more videos from the show, and hopefully more pop up! Check out Marco's video of Airbourne on Monday night below!



Also in new videos, The 705 Video Magazine's Fred Kember shot this video (at least partially) of local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet covering The Billy Bastards' "Mile 58" at the Bunchofuckingoofs concert at The Roosevelt Hotel last week, only just uploading it to his personal YouTube channel on Saturday! Visibly appearing to be stitched together from two cameras, the audio quality is better than on some of Fred's past video postings, and the different angles show Destroilet's fury and the mosh pit action well! Check out the full cover below, and see some of Fred's photos from their set at this link!



Transitioning across the river, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! On August 1st, they revealed in this Facebook picture that they are currently working on recording material for an original symphonic metal album that won't have any "trendy bullsh*t" (they censored it originally), while this preview video (which is Facebook exclusive) features 12 seconds of Greg Giles' drum tracks for one of the songs being worked on. No word on if their planned "Christmas Night" re-recording with vocals is still forthcoming, but the hyped album will be their first all-original effort with singer Gaby Koss, a noted German soprano vocalist. I'm curious to hear how their original material sounds, be it brand new songs, older re-recordings, and/or End of Existence adaptations, so we'll of course keep you guys posted as we hear more! Also, be sure to check out the Theatre of Art, a gallery/online art store where you can buy artwork from Greg and keyboardist Craig Harrison, along with original pieces by Ohio-based artist Mairin Roberts!

Finally for today, here's some more updates and corrections to our past Defunct Local Band Profiles (MySpace link changes/deletions and video expansions aside!) In our Analog Deficiency profile, I replaced Monkey's Uncle & Focus with Sir Charge & RamWagon (both featuring guitarist Nathan Switzer) to the bands listed that members were also in, while I also mentioned RamWagon (who actually feature 3/5ths of Analog Deficiency's last lineup) in the actual profile when noting their post-breakup work. I made a similar addition to our Cherubic Red profile to note member Nick Moreau's current bass role with Plastic, while (transitioning to Sault Ontario edits) I replaced Fitswitch with Chronic Demonic when noting ex-White Knights drummer Rick White's later band work on their profile. Finally, I updated our Divinity Collapsed profile to note that we finally know who exactly led this project! As revealed in a Facebook conversation last month, it was a solo act by local musician Joshua Culbert, who intentionally had a low profile for it, but recorded the tracks with GarageBand during his senior year of high school. Stay tuned for more updates to our Defunct Local Band Profiles soon!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and hopefully this month's YouTube Channel Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Airbourne/Bleeker Ridge Concert Review!!

It's now time for my review of last night's Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub, so here's what to know from last night! Great turnout, and though I heard attendance was a bit below expectations, it'd be hard to tell with how packed the floor was by the night's end! Crank Sound Distribution was on hand to tackle sound, and while they did a great job, vocals were hard to hear if you were close to the stage, a problem I'm told didn't affect fans further back. The usual layout wasn't too affected by the stage setup, so aside from the crowd, it was easy to maneuver, but how about the bands?

Opening the show straight at 9:00 PM was rising local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings, who played an abbreviated set of six songs for the gathered fans! I'll admit that I got there slightly late, so I missed their first couple of songs, but they played mostly (if not entirely) originals like "Into The Fray" and "King of the World, with Steven Flint and Mitch Sirie swapping guitar & bass duties for a couple songs (and no, they haven't added a full time bassist yet.) Compared to their set at Bushplane Musical Madness II, the guys seemed more focused and energetic, despite the lack of fans on the floor, though that slowly improved as the night wore on. Maybe the restricted stage movement was an issue, but everyone was on their game musically, with Mike Gaetano's vocals and Ben Boudreau's drumming coming through well, and here's hoping they keep up the momentum with their next shows!

Following them was the first local concert set from metal standouts Garden of Bedlam in 4 months, and they definitely haven't lost a step since April (maybe the Quebec City concert helped keep the gears turning in the interim!) Also a short set of 6 originals (including "Shallow" and "Your Disgrace"), there wasn't any real surprises for song choices, so if you've seen recent Garden of Bedlam concerts, the songs will have been familiar, but the guys sounded as good as ever and played well to the growing number of fans on the floor! Buzz even made the most of the time by climbing the speaker during "New Rain", which created a neat visual! Josh & Evan Belleau were really solid on guitar & bass, Derek Turner's drumming was as varied and fast as ever, and Buzz's singing was stellar as usual! Though it'd be nice to have seen something a little different from past gigs, you can't beat a quality Garden of Bedlam set, and hopefully we'll see them on stage again in the fall!

Co-headlining in their local concert debut was Orillia, Ontario hard rockers Bleeker Ridge, and even if their debut is late following their Buckcherry show exit from last year, they made up for it with an energetic melodic sound that got a lot of positive attention! If they were unknown before the set, they won a lot of new fans on songs like "Last Cigarette" and "Go Home", with constant movement and clear talent throughout, and I like how enthusiastic the guys seemed to be just to be on stage! Very solid modern hard rock material, with guitarists Dan Steinke & Cole Perkins particularly impressing, but from where I was on the floor, singer Taylor Perkins was almost inaudible on heavier stretches. I like their chemistry and cohesiveness, and while I would like to see a bit of an extra edge and risk to their material, Bleeker Ridge impressed fully, and here's hoping we see them in the Sault again at some point!

And of course, the headliners were Australian hard rock standouts Airbourne in their own local debut, and they proved their reputation and success is not just hype with an extremely entertaining set of classic metal originals, and even some brief cover throwbacks during their encore-capper "Runnin' Wild"! The O'Keeffe brothers, David Roads, and Justin Street plowed their way through memorable songs like "Diamond in the Rough" and "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast", with the on-stage antics like beer showers, an air raid siren, and a beer can-assisted guitar solo only adding to the action! Musically, the AC/DC comparisons are bound to be made, but these guys have more of a youthful recklessness that sets them apart, and fans were too busy rocking out to notice! Joel O'Keeffe in particular kept the fans hanging on every note with blistering vocals and piercing vocals, and the whole band was eager to leave the Soo wanting more! There's a reason why Airbourne have a #1 rock single in Canada, and the local fans definitely want more Airbourne, so hopefully this won't be the only time they run wild through Sault Ste. Marie!

Overall, this was an awesome concert, and kudos to promoter J.D. Pearce for bringing Airbourne here! Great show and a great atmosphere, and he's doing great work bringing major acts to the Soo! I imagine this was the last big Sault Ontario metal show of the summer, but it was quite a bang to end the season with, and we'll of course see The Dayglo Abortions and The Creepshow from J.D. next month, so don't miss those early fall dates if you can help it! Check out my photos from last night at this link or at our Facebook page (which also has a "Tag Yourself!" crowd photo), and for videos, here's The Suicide Kings (sans crowd obstructions this time) playing "Way Out Of Hell", Garden of Bedlam playing "New Rain", Bleeker Ridge playing "Small Town Dead", and Airbourne kicking things off in style with "Ready To Rock"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for more Airbourne concert fallout and other updates! Thanks everyone!

Airbourne Concert Preview, A New Local Metal Band, And More!!

In our second post of the day, we're mainly focusing on an extended preview of a huge show going down TOMORROW at The Canadian, but we also have a handful of assorted news stories and (leading off) a new local metal project to add on the site, so read on below for what you need to know, and check out last month's poll results & info on this month's new poll in the post below this one!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario metal band links, as even though we've touched on them before, only today did they launch a Facebook page. They are Malignant Neoplasm, who were introduced on the site back in June, and they're a newer "gorenoise/cybergrind" project from Crucify The Whore/Blood Shed Productions mainman Ringsnaps Gibson! Named after and with songs based on medical conditions & procedures, Ringsnaps considers this a side project, but little else is stated on the Facebook page beyond song postings, including the previously uploaded "Needle Aspiration Biopsy" and a "full album" (though their other public song upload "Abdominal Operations" isn't linked on Facebook.) Like before, I find that Malignant Neoplasm takes on a more techno/space influenced sound from Ringsnaps' other grindcore projects, so electronic fans may find extra value in it, especially as I don't think he uses the sometimes off-putting pig squeal vocals as much. Check out Malignant Neoplasm above, and stay tuned for more as it makes it's way online!

Now, to our preview of one of the biggest metal shows to hit Sault Ontario in 2013, if not the biggest, as Australian hard rock/metal quartet Airbourne will hit The Canadian Nightclub TOMORROW NIGHT! With a number of high charting singles on the Canadian rock charts (including "Runnin' Wild", "No Way But The Hard Way", and "Live It Up", this AC/DC-esque band have became a fast success with numerous awards and major concerts to their name, and now they head to the Soo in support of their new album "Black Dog Barking"! Besides, how often do we see a metal band play here that has previously been covered by a local band? (Late & Loud covered Airbourne a bit in their early concerts.) Airbourne will be joined tomorrow night by Orillia, Ontario hard rockers Bleeker Ridge in their own local debut, though it's a makeup date of sorts for their planned Sault Michigan date in March 2011 with Buckcherry & Papa Roach, a show that they had to drop out of due to visa issues. It'll be nice to see them in the area finally, and their melodic hard rock originals should find an audience at The Canadian tomorrow!

Local support will be provided by standout metal quartet Garden of Bedlam (in their first local show in 4 months & first Canadian Nightclub gig of the year) and rising hard rockers The Suicide Kings, fresh off of their Rockstar Bar return on Friday, and both bands should deliver entertaining original sets to open this huge show tomorrow night! Promoted by J.D. Pearce (and huge kudos to him for booking this show), tickets are $30 if available at the door tomorrow night, with a 19+ age limit and an 8:00 PM start time announced as well. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This is shaping up to be a can't-miss concert, and Airbourne are definitely among the biggest young classic metal bands of recent memory (let alone from Australia), so you know I'll be there, and I certainly hope you guys have your tickets, as this should be a packed house with loads of exciting metal action! For a preview, here's Airbourne's newest music video, and BE AT THE CANADIAN TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!



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 or website name:

• Local musician Kryz Stanley Shez (who I believe is drummer Mullet Studborne of The Issues) is looking for a bassist for a thrash band via the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, though it's unclear whether it's to replace Vinyl Muto in The Issues or if he's adding to a separate project. If you're interested in learning more, message Kryz at this link or via his Facebook group post yesterday!
• SooToday's current poll concerns what readers would like to see if the local news website produced more original videos. I'm mentioning this here because one of the choices is "Local live band performances", which is something they haven't done much of in recent years. It currently sits in 7th of 11 choices (albeit just 21 votes off of third), so if you want to see more live concert clips on SooToday, vote A.S.A.P. at the bottom of the page!
• Former Foggy Notions owner Taryn Bugyra is looking to get back into a local band, with her own search active on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group linked above. Last seen with Cherry Crush, she not into really heavy metal, but she has sang hard rock before in bands like The Chosen, so she could be a good addition to a band needing a singer! If you're interested, message her at this link or find her own Facebook group post from yesterday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow either before or during the Airbourne concert! Thanks everyone, and I'll see you guys there!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sugar Island Music Festival), Your First Look At Chronic Demonic, And More!!

Well, I wasn't expecting to have a second post today, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to get this up, so read on below for that (plus a new song posting, ticket availability for some upcoming shows, and the first video from a newer local band), and check out some new concert announcements (including one for tomorrow) and more Sault Michigan weekend previews in the post below this one!

I completely forgot about this (blame slow updates for the schedule), but there will be one hard rock band at this year's Sugar Island Music Festival, as Kinross, Michigan quintet Banned will be playing at this annual event once again TONIGHT! This probably explains why Banned are only playing in Hessel tomorrow night rather than all weekend. The guys (and girl) will be on at 8:00 PM tonight, with new Dafter classic rock band Thieves In The Night headlining at 10:15 PM, and they're preceded by Flint duo 3-Zip at 9:30 PM, The Fosters Sportsmen's Club Band at 8:45 PM, Banned at 8:00 PM, Junior and the Dinosaurs at 7:15 PM, Hillsdale indie quartet All Arms at 6:30 PM, 3 and a Half Men at 5:45 PM, and local pop duo Missy & Chelsea opening at 5:00 PM. Apologies for not knowing about some bands, this is a recurring theme for the Sugar Island Festival's schedules. The rest of the schedules feature no heavier leaning bands that I can source, but everyone playing today except Banned and Thieves of the Night have another set coming up tomorrow or Sunday, so keep that in mind.

Emceed by Rudy Villareal, admission is $10 for the weekend (no single day options), while kids 12 and under get in FREE. For more details on events, schedules, games, and advance ticket locations, click here! Sure, there have been heavier years for metal/hard rock bands, but The Sugar Island Music Festival is a consistent success in the region, and it gives an American alternative to Buskerfest and Hempfest, so don't miss Banned and the other bands TONIGHT and this weekend! Remember, it's about 45 minutes east of the Soo, and for a preview, here's Banned at the 2011 Sugar Island Festival covering AC/DC!



Next up, remember last week's benefit concert at The Roosevelt Hotel to fund Frightlight bassist Mike Gingras' short film "The Kid Who Made The Face"? Well, aside from the previously announced bands (Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Redundant), two newer local metal/punk bands played surprise mini-sets at the show, including Jack Spades and Chronic Demonic! The former (featuring T-Rex Manning, Bear Hunters, and Asylum Country members) was confirmed through personal Facebook posts, and while I don't know much on what they played in their second preview set, Chronic Demonic confirmed their brief performance on their own Facebook page the following day, complete with a video! Featuring members of Frightlight and Faithless Sin in their lineup, the video (which was uploaded to Facebook and is unembeddable here) was filmed by attendee April Fogal, and while the song's name wasn't given, my first thoughts point to what Frightlight would sound like if they had a female singer (Ririe "Sabrina Strange" Lavoie), and it works on that level!

The audio quality isn't great, and make sure your speakers are low, but there is something there, and I'm curious to hear more when they make their full debut! Click here to check out Chronic Demonic's first video, and don't miss the full debut of Jack Spades on September 9th at The Rosie when they open for The Dayglo Abortions! Speaking of concerts promoted by Frightlight/Jack Spades frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce, tickets for his upcoming Bunchofuckingoofs and Dayglo Abortions concerts are now on sale at both their host venue (The Roosevelt Hotel) and at The Rad Zone in the Wellington Square Mall, so get yours A.S.A.P., especially as the BFGs show is THIS MONDAY! J.D. also announced that if you buy tickets for the BFGs show and the Airbourne concert on August 19th, bring them with you to the Black Cat Attack-headlined show on the 17th and you will get in FREE! Sounds like a good deal to me, so keep that in mind, and don't miss the BFGs on Monday and the get more details on all of J.D.'s upcoming metal and punk shows at the above links!

Finally for today, here's a new YouTube song upload from defunct experimental/grunge trio SBD! Uploaded to frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel this past Saturday, it's of the No Arrow successors' original instrumental "Ess", though I don't know off hand if this is the same recording from their "Sonic Experiments" album. Nice psychedlic tinged take on alternative rock with solid instrumentation, but it does hint towards the largely instrumental nature of their album. I miss Dann's local music work since SBD's hiatus began in 2011, but hopefully this helps fill the void, so check out SBD's "Ess" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Infrastrate! Thanks everyone!

Upcoming Sault Ontario Concert Updates, Plus New Videos!!

In our first news post of our seventh year at the SMS, we have some recent Sault Ontario updates, including new videos from some local grind artists, the first video from a recent private Canada Day event, and leading off, updates for three big upcoming metal/hard rock concerts, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start with updates to two of local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's huge upcoming shows, beginning with the news that there will be physical ticket sales locally for the Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub on August 19th! On the Facebook event page yesterday, he confirmed that tickets are available at both The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk and The Rad Zone, though online tickets are still available, as are ones direct from him on request or at upcoming shows of his. Tickets are bound to fly fast for this huge show, so get yours A.S.A.P. for $30 wherever you can! The other update is that the Creepshow/Hellbound Hepcats psychobilly concert (featuring local metal openers Frightlight & Sykotyk Rampage) has been moved from Thursday, August 29th to Monday, September 16th, as per that show's Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for the postponement wasn't announced, and while the Monday placement may be a bit less convenient, the music should still rock for metal, punk, and rockabilly fans, so check the above links for current details, and stay tuned for further updates!

Next up, the Facebook event page has finally been launched for local grunge/alternative rock quartet Haggith's second Bushplane Musical Madness event on Saturday, July 20th, so what should you know that we didn't already? In terms of bands, both acts that Haggith shared the stage with at this event last year (local hard rockers The Suicide Kings & blue Chinese metal crash punk quartet Sykotyk Rampage) will return for another go-around, while a 5th confirmed act is ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth in a solo set. I'm not overly familiar with his solo music, but I've heard he does take on a more experimental sound than Blackwater were known for, so we'll have to see what he has in store in two weeks! These bands join the previously confirmed Haggith & Redundant on the bill, and there's likely more bands to be announced. The 4:30 PM start time remains in effect (ending by midnight), and while there will be advance ticket sales starting on Wednesday, admission will be $5 no matter what. The event is all ages and will be licensed for alcohol sales, so feel free to partake in a drink if you have ID!

Full lineup details and band timeslots are to be announced, but stay tuned to the above links for more details! This is shaping up to be quite a fun evening of original local talent, and considering that it's running concurrently with the last night of Rotaryfest, could you unofficially call this the "Third Stage"? As more updates come in, I'll have them here!

In related news, the first video from Haggith's Canada Day weekend concerts is now online, and it's of Haggith drummer Mike Haggith & his new live jam project The Din making their live debut at this private Goulais Mission concert weekend! Filmed by attendee Mark Irwin on Saturday and later uploaded to Mike's YouTube channel yesterday, this is of Mike and his Din bandmates (Haggith's Curtis McKenzie on bass and Daniel Horton on drums) playing Mike's solo song "The Ballad of K2/K3", complete with a more elaborate stage setup than last year, but how does this rendition sound? It feels more like the studio track than I expected, and Mike shows good live confidence as a singer and a guitarist, and I'd definitely like to see Mike take The Din to some public shows and give his solo material a wider audience! Also, if you're curious on the lineups of two of the bands who played at Goulais Mission last weekend, Curtis' solo Facebook page has photos and setlists of both his new solo band Sound X (pictured) and the band named The Nirvanabees, who I can confirm were a Nirvana tribute.

Sound X shared the same lineup as The Din, just with Curtis and Mike trading singing/guitar and bass duties, while The Nirvanabees had Haggith's exact lineup and instrument roles minus Daniel (with Caleb Cachagee on bass), though no word on media from their sets, or if The Nirvanabees will exist for more than a one-off. I'm curious to hear more, but for now, here's Mike Haggith and The Din playing "The Ballad of K2/K3" last weekend!



Finally for today,YouTube user LoveTheDeathbat uploaded 6 videos in the last few days of Brutaly Fatal mainman Austin McRae and Blood Shed Productions labelmate Ringsnaps Gibson (Crucify The Whore, Tomgrindy, etc.) jamming original material and covers in the Blood Shed studios, which include loose renditions of Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime", Nirvana's "About A Girl", and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", and two videos of instrumental jamming (here and here.) The other clip (embedded below) is some jamming of original material that Austin wrote, and everything sounds good (if not too refined), and Austin's singing voice has a good tone, but I don't think he has a wide range for clean vocals. Like with the last live C.T.W. video we've seen, it's nice to see Blood Shed's goregrind artists diversifying a bit and really showcasing their guitar talents, and I still think that if Ringsnaps, Austin, and the Tomgrindy guys formed a full band, they could make some local waves. Check out more below and at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for some more big news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Airbourne), Mike Haggith Updates, And Much More!!

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers! In honour of the holiday, today's post is all Sault Ontario-centric, but we'll get to some overdue Sault Michigan-area news tomorrow! For today, we have a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, the latest from a local solo musician's upcoming original material, and plenty of other shorter recent news stories, so read on below for what you need to know!

J.D. Pearce has done it again, as he's bringing quite the show to The Canadian Nightclub on Monday, August 19th, as Australian hard rock notables Airbourne are coming to the Soo that night! Their AC/DC inspired sound has carried them to big success in recent years, including hit songs like "No Way But The Hard Way", "Too Young Too Fast", and "Running Wild" (which topped the Canadian rock charts in 2007), and with their new album "Black Dog Barking" climbing the charts, you won't wanna miss the rare opportunity to see Airbourne (let alone any metal band from Australia) live in the Soo! Orillia, Ontario hard rock quintet Bleeker Ridge will join Airbourne as openers for this show, in what's somewhat of a makeup date for them, as they were scheduled to open for Buckcherry & Papa Roach at Kewadin Casino in March 2011 before visa issues caused them to pull out. It'll be great to see them in the area finally, and with a new album named "Four" full of energetic and gritty hard rock originals, they should fit well on August 19th for their own local debut!

Two local openers have been signed, including local hard rock standouts Garden of Bedlam (in their first announced show since their Quebec gig last month) and Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings (in what may be their first show as a quintet, pending their bassist search's outcome), and both are great picks to add some big local names to this huge show! Now, unlike J.D.'s usual concerts, tickets will primarily be available online for $30, and less than 300 are available, so get your A.S.A.P. at this location! A credit card or PayPal account is required, but if you'd like to skip the online ordering and get your more directly, message J.D. on Facebook at this link for details (as best as I can tell, they're not available directly from local merchants or The Canadian itself.) Crank Sound Distribution will provide sound for this 19+ show, and an 8:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

If this isn't a huge show for the Soo (let alone The Canadian), I don't know what is, and as one of the most intimate shows on Airbourne's Canadian tour, you definitely won't wanna miss all of this hard rock action! Get your tickets A.S.A.P. before they're gone, and stay tuned for any possible updates!

Next up, here's the latest from local solo musician/Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's original material plans! While we wait for the fallout from his bands' private Goulais Mission shows this past weekend, Mike has kept fans up to speed in the last few weeks on his next solo albums via his solo Facebook page, including revealing the artwork and name of his 46th solo album "Where It Ends". The name's not foreshadowing anything finite about his music, as his previously announced album "The Tower" (his first to be recorded locally at PaperClip Productions in it's entirety) is still in the works, it's just planned to come afterwards (perhaps as late as next year.) One instrumental demo from "Where It Ends" has been posted online, and it's entitled "Grace", but what should you know on it? As a Facebook video upload, I can't embed it here, but it has a very orchestral and grand feel to it, though I don't know if this is the general sound that "Where It Ends" will have. Check out "Grace" and more recent details on Mike's solo work at the above links, and don't miss the Haggith band at The Rosie on Thursday!

Finally for today, here's six shorter recent news items (most of which come from the Musicians Wanted Facebook group), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

•  Following past attempts to launch a punk band, local musician Chris Raginskis is now exploring the possibility of launching a hair metal band locally, as per the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday. We've had bands that touched on hair metal in part before (like Late & Loud and Dirty Virgin), but a full on hair metal band could be fun to have in the area, so message Chris above or at this link if you're interested!
•  Local drummer Fernando San Martin is looking for an experienced guitarist to join his new rock band, which would cover everything from Guns N' Roses & Bon Jovi to Journey & Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you're interested in trying out, message Fernando on Facebook at this location or through his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on June 13th!
•  Former local concert venue Madison's Pub (at 701 Pine Street) officially re-opened under it's new name and Irish theme as The Harp Pub & Grill on June 25th. No word yet on possible concerts of any genre, but their karaoke nights are still on Wednesdays, and they're hosting open mic nights and the Mixed Music Musician of the Month contest on Fridays. I've heard good things about the new look and theme, but we'll have to see if heavier bands ever return there after such a long hiatus!
•  Newer local metal band The Hydra's Teeth (essentially Late & Loud's successors) are officially looking for a lead singer & rhythm guitarist to add to their lineup, as per their Facebook page on Friday. They're hoping for someone with a good old school metal voice and/or someone who can competently play harmony and back-up guitar parts. If you're interested, message the band at this location!
•  Ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth is looking for an improv drummer to jam some "funky progressive music" with, and though metal doesn't appear to be front & center, he's hoping for someone who can impress like Primus' Les Claypool. If you're interested, message James at this location or through his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last month!
•  Former Smeltzer/The Fury bassist Paul Stanghetta is looking for musicians to complete a new "hard music" project that he's starting, which I assume he's handling guitar for. Posts on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group late last month implied that the band would be "high energy and fun", and one of at least two bands he's working on right now. If truly metal-leaning, this could be an intriguing addition, so message Paul (a.k.a. Puablos Stancu) at this link or at the group above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Sault Michigan news and notes tomorrow! Thanks everyone!