Archspire Concert Review!!

After some delayed video and photo uploads, it's finally time for our review of Tuesday night's Archspire concert at The Oddfellows Hall! Not a great turnout, sad to say, but the crowd was lively for the later bands, and it was just nice for me to get out to any show after missing out on July shows entirely! The joys of personal commitments, I suppose. Remember, Tuesday's concert took place without Thunder Bay's Grindcorchestra or locals AlgomA for unannounced reasons, with remaining local bands promoted into their timeslots, and new openers added in their place. Now, here's what you need to know on each band!

Opening the show was former Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth in (I think) his first public solo concert set of the year, and it was nice to see the Delusionair himself back on stage! A later addition to the lineup, James' set comprised solely of bass originals with no guitar or guest performers, though he uniquely brought out his saxophone early on for some simultaneous action on both instruments, which was fun to see! While a far musical cry from the death metal to follow, James got a good reception from early fans on originals like "DNA DNU" and "Best You Can", and while his bass playing was as skilled and progressive as ever, his singing voice seemed strained and not as rangy as we've been used to, with little of his falsetto or yelling vocals. It was great to see a new set from James after so long, and hopefully he pops up on the local stage again soon!

The other replacement band was the reunited Brutaly Fatal, so who and what should you know concerning their return? Well, they definitely meant Brutaly Fatal, not The Revolution (who used that name in their early months), as this was an apparent reunion of the original version, with singer/guitarist Austin McCrae returning to his death metal roots last night, rather than their softer punk turn as Re-Born. As well, he's definitely reconciled with Blood Shed Productions owner Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson, who returned to his old drum position with Brutaly Fatal last night, and it's good to see the bridge rebuilt between them! Austin remarked that the band is a "zombie" during the show thanks to their numerous revivals, but did the old sound return? Sort of, but Austin played guitar rather than bass, and his growling was surprisingly limited to Rotopsy-esque grunts (aside from a rejected Revolution original that they played.) I think that if Austin's going to keep Brutaly Fatal going as a band, he should revisit his older solo sound and use his growling abilities more.

He and Tyler sounded good together, but Austin still needs major work still on his stage presence, as his crowd rapport and between-song breaks still seemed aloof and tentative. Nice to see the band back (even with the missing "L" still from their name), and we'll let you know if Brutaly Fatal launch a new online page, and if they have more shows!

Third on the bill was an announced split set between the aforementioned Tyler Gibson's two other current live bands, those being his solo goregrind project Crucify the Whore and his similar duo band Rotopsy (who were a late addition in their own right.)  If you're familiar with past C.T.W. and Rotopsy sets, you'll know exactly what you got with both acts on Tuesday, with Tyler brutalizing fans with solo grind originals like "Bunk, Shake, and Headache", and he and Rotopsy singer Dylan Taylor keeping the vibes going on originals like "Mold Induced Hypersensitivity", showcasing a bouncy energy! Things improved for some fans when Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger jumped in as their impromptu guest drummer later in Rotopsy's extended set, which occured due to The Bear Hunters' own start time delay, and Johnny added some life that the drum machine can't! Fans of the goregrind action definitely took to Tyler's bands, and I'm sure we'll hear more from them in short order!

Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters graced the stage next, albeit in their quartet form again after Josh Stephney's one-off return last month, and while the missing guitar was noticeable, they still put out a very brutal set! Playing 7 newer-skewing originals including "Casualties of War", "The Omen", and "Transcend Judgement", the guys also gave us a double dose of Amon Amarth covers, including the usual "Guardians of Asgaard" and the surprise return of "The Pursuit of Vikings"! Nice to hear them play that again, it's been too long! Though I don't think the guys had quite the energy from some other recent gigs, they were musically on form, and sounded clear and crisp! Nik Deubel's growling was just as intense and controlled as ever, and Mitch Sirie shone on guitar as usual, but again, there is some rhythm missing without Josh. Solid set all the same, and hopefully we see more of The Bear Hunters soon!

In a surprise late-notice addition, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver made just their second public local concert appearance since moving from the area on Tuesday night, and they were up to their usual brutality! Riding off of their successful set on Sunday at the private Das Bunkerfest, their fast paced set packed in tons of originals like "Hate Shit Sooer", "It's Not My Problem", and the newer composition "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops", and I think the guys helped push some of their new merchandise thanks to their explosive sound! If you're familiar with Shit Liver, you'll have seen the usual three pronged growling attack from Josh, Mike, and Matt, and they left it all on stage with a brutal purpose, visibly seeming happy to be playing in the Soo again, and fingers crossed they'll be back home for another crusty and grimy set of death metal before you know it (also, it was nice to see their amusing cover of The 4 Non-Blondes' "What's Going On" back too!)

Headlining last night's show were Vancouver technical death metal quintet Archspire, who have been teased and hyped for a while in advance of this show, and did they deliver? Yes! Despite a delayed set from what was originally announced, Archspire's progressive brutality definitely incited some moshing and eager responses from fans, and their intense stage presence and skill were not lost on anyone! One of their most distinctive elements is the rapid fire growling style of frontman Oliver Rae Aleron, and we got a solid glimpse at that as he spit out verbal venom on each song, including cuts from their new album "The Lucid Collective", with other members in tow! Awesome riffs and solos abounded from Dean Lamb and Tobi Morelli too, and they put their extra guitar strings to good use! I regrettably couldn't stay for the whole set, but Archspire definitely left a huge impression from what I saw, and it's be great to see them come back!

Overall, this was a very entertaining concert, and everyone brought the metal for an exciting night of all ages action! For reference, I have no clue if this will end up being the last concert from Heavy North Entertainment, but it's a great way to go out if it was! Photos and videos from the show can be seen at this link and at our Facebook page, and for videos, here's James Watterworth playing "Colourful", Brutaly Fatal playing "Belly of the Beast", Crucify the Whore playing their short originals "Rectified Rectal Tragedy", "Batch Cones", and "Orthostatic Hypotension", Rotopsy playing "Shovel Packin'" & "Let Us Rot", The Bear Hunters playing "I Fear No God", Shit Liver playing "Liverated", and Archspire playing "Scream Feeding"!















That's all for now, but stay tuned for this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Upcoming Concert Previews, And Much More!!

With two early-week public concerts coming up in Sault Ontario, we have special concert previews for the next few days coming up, and stay tuned after that for some recent news and notes! Without any further adieu, read on below for what you need to know, and check out this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Elipzis in the post below this one! (Updated at 9:24 PM)

To mark the one year anniversary of Blood Shed Productions' first foray into live concerts, the label and Tyler St. Amour are bringing a second annual "Grinded Live In Your Ears" house party concert to 110 Penatgon Boulevard TOMORROW NIGHT! Also hyped as an afterparty for this past weekend's Das Bunkerfest, this event is a rare house party event from the label to have a public address and invitations, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! However, the lineup has almost completely changed after 3 of the 4 announced acts dropped out late last week for unannounced reasons (the show was even briefly cancelled), so as a result, goregrind bands Crucify The Whore & Rotopsy, and rapper Phat Boii are all not playing, with only an apparent reunion of local death metal solo project Brutaly Fatal remaining on the bill, though it's unclear whether this is a one-off gig or if Austin's bringing them back. The new lineup features talented local solo bassist James Watterworth, the aforementioned Brutaly Fatal, rapper Miracle Man, and some sort of act named Sharp Flavoured Knives that I've never heard of (we'll let you know if we hear anything!)

A bonfire is also planned for this event, which goes down tomorrow at 5:00 PM, and more acts may be added as well. There's no age limit or announced cover charge, and click here for more details! Though the lineup has taken a hit, fans of Blood Shed Productions should keep this event in mind tomorrow, and there's some solid varied performers to take in! For a preview, here's James live at The Oddfellows Hall last year!



Lastly for these early-week concert previews is another show from Tyler St. Amour and Heavy North Entertainment, as their only major concert of the summer goes down on Tuesday night at The Oddfellows Hall! Originally scheduled to be held on August 3rd before being postponed due to new tour commitments, this show will be headlined by Vancouver technical death metal quintet Archspire at 11:00 PM, whose brutal progressive sound and rapid fire vocals will be sure to attract some intense moshpit action on Tuesday, so don't miss their set! The announced openers on the poster include Thunder Bay grindcore trio Grindcorchestra and local openers AlgomA, The Bear Hunters, and Crucify The Whore, but promoters have since confirmed that both Grindcorchestra & AlgomA have dropped out of the show for unannounced reasons. As a result, The Bear Hunters have been promoted to the 10:00 PM co-headlining slot for their own death metal attack, while C.T.W. are now at 9:00 PM, and will split their set with frontman Tyler Gibson's similar two man band Rotopsy (again, for unannounced reasons), but they should deliver the bruality!

The new acts are both also from tonight's Grinded Live In Your Ears event, as the Brutaly Fatal reunion will extend for at least one more day at 8:00 PM tomorrow, while James Watterworth will play his first non-house party solo show in many months to open the show at 7:00 PM, and it will be nice to see them back at it! Admission for this ALL AGES show is $10, and for more details, visit the above links! Note as well that Tyler St. Amour has teased that this might be the last Heavy North Entertainment show, so whether that was hypothetical or not, let's get a packed house to ensure that there's demand for more, or at least a big sendoff! Archspire and company will deliver your metal fix, so I hope to see you guys there on Tuesday! For a preview, here's Archspire live in 2010!



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

• Banned singer/guitarist Alex Traynor will be making a radio appearance this coming Saturday, though not on the station you may be expecting. Alex will actually be on The Gentleman George Show on Radio Soo (WSOO, 1230 AM) at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning, where he'll be interviewed and will play some original songs on air as well! This is a bit of a surprise, but George Snider has had local artists on his show before, and it's solid exposure! Listen in at 1230 AM on Saturday morning, click here for more info, and check out a live stream then at this link!
• Are defunct Central Algoma death metallers For All That Is Lost planning a reunion? Their Facebook page was updated yesterday to state that a "reincarnation" is in process, and they'll be back "one day." Though officially broken up since April 2013, F.A.T.I.L. members have posted reminiscences & new solo guitar tracks since, though any reunion would likely come with a different lineup, due to drummer Kameron Nicholson's move from the area. This would be awesome to see, so stay tuned just in case!
• Photos from local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith's set at the Late & Loud farewell concert at The Rockstar Bar have finally been added to For The Music Inside's Facebook photo album from the event, so if you missed the show, you can finally get your first look at the band with new bassist James White! Solid shots, so give them a look above, and keep an eye out for F.T.M.I.'s pictures of Late & Loud's set at the concert!
• Add one more artist to the lineup of this weekend's well advertised (but invite only) Das Bunkerfest event in Garden River, as local pianist/busker Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda played the event yesterday! Our source is his Facebook page. It's not known if he replaced someone or was added late (or perhaps was involved with the still unknown Beau Regards), but hopefully his set went well either way!
• Remember when the cast of The Trailer Park Boys (and ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach) were filming their new movie "Swearnet" in Sault Ontario in late 2012? Well, the full movie will finally come out on August 29th! The official website features lots of preview photos of the film (including one of Sebastian at centre ice of The Essar Centre, and another with a local concert poster in the background), and more familiar sights can be seen in the official trailer. This should be funny, and hopefully we can head down to Galaxy Cinema to see it at month's end!
• Apparently, local punk/grunge acoustic solo project Telephone & Address have recorded a new album and have already sent it off to be pressed in Toronto! Though surprising, this is likely the same album that Chris was teasing on their Facebook page in April, though there's been no public posts about it otherwise, aside from recent Soundcloud song uploads. Stay tuned for possible updates!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide), Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

In our first of two posts to cap off our busiest month on the site in 2 years, we're half focusing on weekend concert previews in both a slow and notable weekend for metal & punk shows in Sault Ontario, but we also have updates on two very different and intriguing live music events going down in August, so here's what you need to know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local/Toronto celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will return home for a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced this show on Tuesday. After months of Canadian tour dates (including Warped Tour appearances earlier this month), this will be Dustin and company's first local concert appearance of 2014, so if you've missed their unique punk originals and select covers, be at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday! For reference, the guys will also be rocking out in Thessalon TOMORROW for Community Day (alongside members Sheldon & Marhsall Jaaskelainen's popular roots duo The Boot Hill Crooners), though it's not explicitly stated whether the Crooners will also be playing in the Soo on Saturday as well. Saturday's local show will very likely take place at 10:00 PM, there's a likely $5 cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend (though if you're closer to Thessalon, that will likely be all ages and will start in the early evening tomorrow.)

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though slightly short notice, it will be great to have Dustin & The Tide back home for this one-night-only concert, so if you're up for some celtic punk action (and perhaps some drinks), you know where to go on Saturday night! For a preview, here's some instrumental high spirit action last year on tour!



Moving to previously announced shows, the other big metal/punk concert this weekend goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, as local classic metal favourites Late & Loud will hold their second (and final?) reunion concert when they themselves headline at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at this venue in February, tomorrow's show has even more finality attached to it than the rest of their shows in the past year, as with singer/guitarist Brendan Christie moving out of the country in the coming weeks, this is being hyped as Late & Loud's last concert ever (though note that early advertising suggested it'd just be the last for a year.) Regardless of which you believe, this will be the last time for at least a long while that you'll be able to catch Jon, Brendan, Benn, and Josh bringing their heavy rockin' hard metal to the local stage, so do not miss this show! Local openers will include alternative/grunge quartet Haggith (in just their second show since their own reunion) and all female hard rockers The Danger Cats, who fans may remember from opening for the L&L show in February, and they should be riding high off their successful Esquire Club dates, so come early to not miss either!

Tomorrow's concert has a 19+ age limit, $5 cover charge, and 10:00 PM-ish start time, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'm unsure yet on whether I can go, but Loudmouths around the Soo will not want to miss this show, and if February's gig was any indication, they won't be mailing a thing in, and should ride off into the sunset with a bang, if the "last ever" talk holds up. Help send Brendan and/or Late and Loud off in style TOMORROW NIGHT and take in some classic/power metal action, and for a preview, here are the guys at The Rockstar Bar in February!



Closing with some recent news items (we'll touch on Sault Michigan concert previews later today), we have some big updates for the Heavy North Entertainment concert that was scheduled for THIS SUNDAY at The Oddfellows Hall, so what's going on with it? Well, it's no longer taking place on Sunday, but in better news, it's just been postponed to August 12th (one week from Tuesday.) The postponement is to help accomodate Vancouver tech-metallers Archspire so they can still headline the show, as while they did cancel their "Tech Trek II" tour to join the Summer Slaughter Canada Club Tour, they've agreed to play the Soo on the 12th on the way to their new tour, so they're still on! Awesome to see things work out, especially as the lack of updates got concerning as we got closer to this weekend! The opening bands (Thunder Bay's Grindcorchestra and locals The Bear Hunters, AlgomA, and Crucify The Whore), ALL AGES status, and $10 cover charge remain in effect, but timeslots have yet to be revealed. For all current details, visit the official Facebook event page, and whether this is the last Heavy North Entertainment show or not, be prepared for a face melting good time on August 12th!

Finally for today, remember how members of Beaumont Avenue are now running a weekly "karaoke with a live band" series at The Rednecks Saloon named Urawk? Well, add another unique live music concept with a similar unpredictability level to the summer calendar, as RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowski is hosting the Sault's first ever Band Roulette event at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, August 30th! The concept basically works like this: Local musicians of any genre sign up to perform on the 30th, labelled as a singer, guitarist, bassist, or drummer. Each hour, one musician of each group will be drawn to form a band that will play that night. Bands will get 30 minutes to select a name and privately jam 3 cover tunes from a given list (which will include lyrics, mp3s, and chord charts for chosen songs), and then they'll play those 3 songs in front of The Rockstar Bar faithful and audience. A vote will be held before last call, with the winning band receiving cash for their victory, while between-band downtime will be filled by open mic acts or a DJ.

Also to note: Steve was actually the first winner of Urawk's weekly prize for best singer, so there's a neat tie-in! This is definitely a unique concept, but it has the potential to be a lot of fun, and even instigate new musical partnerships and bands if successful on the 30th! Advertising calls it the "first annual" band roulette, but pending it's success, who knows if we'll see it before August 2015. I wonder if they'll actually get a wheel of some kind to pick the bands? This 19+ event goes down on August 30th at 8:00 PM, and there's a likely $5 cover charge. Check the Facebook event page for more details, and sign up A.S.A.P.!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), New Blood Shed Productions Songs, And More!!

With Rotaryfest previews, this month's poll, and punk band features populating most of the next few days, let's fill this post up with news before we get too backlogged, so what's on tap? New song uploads from a local independent label, plus some assorted recent stories, but first, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week!

Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will make their Rednecks Saloon debut with a headlining concert there on Friday, July 25th! Last seen in Cochrane at the Touch of Death festival last month, this will be their first local concert appearance since the Swampstravaganza two months ago, but next week's show will be big for another reason, as relocated rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney will be back with the band for the first time in 2014 and just the second time since he moved to Brampton last summer! Awesome to see him back, and to hear their songs in the optimal form as intended! No, I don't know if this will coincide with an Oddzfest 2, though I know some readers are hoping for one. As for the venue, the old Nicolet Tavern may seem like an odd location for a death metal show, but remember that lead guitarist Mitch Sirie plays here often with Beaumont Avenue and with their weekly Urawk karaoke series, so it fits fine that way! Two local openers are to be named for this show, which will have a later 11:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you've missed The Bear Hunters, don't miss this hard hitting death metal concert next weekend! Sadly, I'll can't go because I have to be up early the next morning working at a garage sale, but make sure to go and give Josh a great welcome home! For clarity's sake, there has been no statements about The Bear Hunters' CD release occurring next week, which they had teased for a July show. Stay tuned for updates on this concert as they come in!

Next up, local goregrind label Blood Shed Productions have uploaded a bunch of new material to their YouTube channel over the past 4 days, so what's there now? The uploads include the full album upload of flagship band Crucify The Whore's "Welcome To Earth" demo, and a remastered version of grind duo Rotopsy's song "Let Us Rot", which will satisfy label fans' tastes for goregrind action, and C.T.W. are showing some nice progression on newer material, but I won't embed either video here due to cover art that some readers may find offensive. The uploads also include two of the creative Chase Wigmore's experimental solo songs, but for metalheads, Blood Shed Productions did upload 4 songs from his metal duo project This Is Your Band On Drugs' free demo into the video below! Tracks 7-10 on the 14 song release which can be downloaded here, they are (in order) "Rise of the Battletoad", "Behold Pukeman", the extremely short "Get Yer Groove On", and "Six Lines Over The Line", so how do these sound?

The production quality is still raw, and both Chase & Nick Burns' vocals are not loud enough on average, but the intense creative spirit from their live concerts is clearly there, with both brutal and imaginative moments throughout! Check out these four T.I.Y.B.O.D. songs below!



Lastly for Blood Shed Productions' new YouTube postings is this 13 second original song from label owner Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson's cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm! Strangely named "Licking The Sores Of Someone With Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis" (which goes along with their medical conditions theme), the track is what it is, an effects-laden track that combines techno effects and growling for it's ultra-short length. Not for everyone, but give this song a listen below if you want!



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

• Vancouver technical death metal quintet Archspire have dropped out of the Heavy North Entertainment all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on August 3rd, as they are postponing their Canadian tour to join the Summer Slaughter Canada Club Tour with The Faceless and other bands, as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page yesterday. Disappointing, but a big opportunity for them, so hopefully their new tour goes awesome, and stay tuned for updates as to the local show on August 3rd!
• As The Bear Hunters are playing at The Rednecks Saloon next Friday, it's safe to assume that guitarist Mitch Sirie's concert with Beaumont Avenue at the same venue that night (which was previously announced at this link) is now cancelled, but until we hear otherwise, I believe that the former Suicide Kings are still playing at the former Nicolet next Saturday. If we hear differently though, we'll let you guys know!
• I've regrettably deleted the link for the former Roosevelt Hotel metal nights from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to the recent closure of it's Facebook (and only online) page. The Thursday metal concert series ran for 47 installments under three promoters from November 2010-July 2012, outlasting a short lived punk series there, and preceding a Heavy Thursday series cut short by The Rosie's transformation to Reggie's West. I wish the page wouldn't have been deleted, but cherish the memories of the Rosie metal nights, it was a great run!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, more defunct punk band features, and more soon! Thanks everyone!

A New Demo Release, Bottom Line Updates, And Much More!!

After devoting our last two posts to rolling in the remaining active punk bands on the site, we're gonna touch on some backlogged news for a bit before adding defunct and inactive punk bands to our links, but I guarantee that they're coming soon! Today, we have some new jam session videos, assorted stories, and updates from a Sault Michigan band, but first, here's details on a recent demo release for you grindcore and death metal fans!

We'll start with the latest from local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore, who quietly released their new full length demo "Welcome To Earth" last Tuesday! A 33 minute release with 15 songs, the front & back cover are both up on their Facebook page, but I won't embed the cover art here due to imagery that some may find offensive. Frontman Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson distributed some advance copies at his Touch of Death Festival appearance in Cochrane last month, though unless C.T.W. are playing somewhere before next month's Archspire show, you can only buy a hard copy directly through Tyler at the moment. A full YouTube upload is expected for the coming weeks, but as a preview, Tyler did upload the ninth song "Gobbledeegook" onto label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Monday, which is over half spoken word and samples before getting to usual goregrind and death metal action, and fans of existing C.T.W. originals will like this one also!

In honour of the release, Crucify The Whore also played a private release party with Tyler's duo project Rotopsy and local rapper Phat Boii last week, and a video from their set also made it to the Blood Shed YouTube channel two days later, which captures both an intense original song with Mike Kyle-esque screaming mixed in, and the unique sight of a pool noodle fight among attendees! The video quality's medium, but fans of the goregrind will want to watch this, so give it a look below, and contact Tyler above to buy a copy of "Welcome To Earth"!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Bottom Line, as they've added former RamWagon/Full Throttle frontman Ryan Kitzmiller to their lineup, replacing Mitch Goetz, as per their Facebook page on Monday. The band cited having to "go in a different direction" for Mitch's exit, and while there was no bad blood, "it's just part of the business", leaving the reasons for the switch to be vague otherwise. Ryan's a solid addition, as fans will have seen from his prior local cover hard rock bands, but Mitch has always shown talent in his other bands (The Highest of Fives still among them), and best of luck to him for sure! Ryan will debut with The Bottom Line at the Music & Arts Dockside Festival in Hessel on July 20th at 2:30 PM, but there might not be much longer for them after that, as a related comment on Facebook said that they "will most likely be playing our last show in just over a month" due to bassist Jack Slater's out of town college commitments, and they want to send him out on the right note, though details on that set have yet to be revealed.

Though disappointing if true, it's not all that unexpected, as Jack's return to college also contributed to 415E's break last fall. Things look like they've been going well for the band despite what's came out recently, so stay tuned for updates on what's next (or left?) from The Bottom Line!

Also today, we have some new videos from Sault Ontario hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back to share on here! Courtesy of drummer Nathan Sauve's new YouTube channel (not his old "suavij" one), he's uploaded two videos there in the past month, including this jam session clip of the band playing their original "Number 1 Single" and improvisations afterward, though the camera is pointed only at Nathan without singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent caught in frame. Solid quality otherwise, but embedded below is a 51 minute jam session clip from last month, so what should you know on this? Nathan actually listed the track order (including short jammed and solo asides) on the video's description, so click here for the full order, but you can see Bad Back playing originals like "Lung Bucket", "Two Tongues", and "Party Bus" along with cover jams ranging from Blink-182 to Limp Bizkit, and even their old local band Fuller!

Shot at a better angle to catch both guys, the video captures Bad Back in a looser and more carefree setting, and while it's not as polished as a formal concert, the high video quality helps, and it's fun to see a lot of new footage of Bad Back (I also like the concert poster collection on the wall!) Check out Nathan's new Bad Back videos above and below, and don't miss them opening for The Archaics at The New A next week!




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

• Thunder Bay grindcore trio Grindcorchestra have been added as co-headliners of the Archspire concert at The Oddfellows Hall on August 3rd, as per promoters Heavy North Entertainment on the Facebook event page on Monday, with the $10 admission price remaining unchanged. Solid addition, as Grindcorchestra's eclectic blend of death metal and jazz/progressive influences should lend themselves well to this all ages show! Hear more from them above!
• Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger is working on a new punk band project, which will cover bands like Guttermouth, NOFX, Rancid, and The Alkaline Trio. Unlike his recent solo punk sets, he will be drumming in this band, and he's looking for a singer and/or lead guitarist to round out their lineup. Sounds cool, it'd be nice to get some more punk bands in the area, so message him at this link or at his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week for info!
• Leading from our story on The Bottom Line, I regrettably have to delete inactive local hard rock cover band RamWagon from our band links due to the recent deletion of their Facebook page, which was also their only online page. The band (which splintered off from Full Throttle for assorted Kewadin gigs & last year's LemmaFest) were essentially replaced by new local classic rock/country band Highway 63 in March, with the new band originally sharing 3 RamWagon members. I wish bands wouldn't delete pages, but best of luck to everyone in what comes next!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, and some new local bands in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Archspire), Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

Due to the amount of backlogged news and notes, we have a second post today to fill in some of those gaps, but if you're awaiting new punk band showcases, we'll roll three or four more in tomorrow! Today, we have a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, new videos from across the river, and some recent assorted notes, including a possibly inactive band, so here's what you need to know, and check out some more new shows and videos in the post below this one!

Local concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment will end a 3 month hiatus when they host Vancouver technical death metal quintet Archspire at an all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on Sunday, August 3rd! Previously teased on H.N.E.-linked pages, this show takes place in the middle of Archspire's "Tech Trek II: The Next Degeneration" tour, and if you love brutal progressive metal and complex song structures (plus some of the fastest growling vocals you'll hear live), you won't want to miss Archspire's live set next month! Three local opening bands are signed for this concert, ironically all fresh off of their Touch of Death Festival appearances in Cochrane, and they include local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA, and local goregrind solo act Crucify The Whore, and all are great fits for this show, so don't be late for their sets, and C.T.W. might have copies of their new demo too! There will be a $10 door charge on August 3rd (no word on if advance tickets will be sold), this is an ALL AGES event, and start times are not yet announced. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I'll also note that H.N.E. founder Tyler St. Amour revealed on their Facebook page on Saturday that this show "could be Heavy North's last & heaviest", which leaves open the possibility that he may stop promoting concerts after this one. Hopefully he doesn't, as he's put on some brutal and fun concerts since last fall, and the Archspire show should add to that catalog, so just in case, don't take this show for granted, and don't miss out on all of the metal action in 4 weeks!

Next up, we've found some more videos from Alice Cooper's headlining concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino last month, so what should you know on these? YouTube user Saundra K. (user name Duguay1711) uploaded these to her YouTube channel on Thursday, and while they're far from her first concert videos on the channel, they're just her second from a local show (Kellie Pickler was first.) She shot 12 videos at the show, though curiously, all are 92 seconds or less, so maybe that was the time limit on this camera? In upload order, the videos are of Alice playing "House of Fire", "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "School's Out", "Caffiene", "Welcome To My Nightmare", "Go To Hell", "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)", "The Ballad of Dwight Fry", "I Love The Dead", a cover of The Beatles' "Revolution", "I'm Eighteen", and "Poison", so click each link to see each clip! Aside from the abbreviated video lengths, Saundra shot some nice videos from the show, getting a close zoomed in angle of the action, though the audio can be scratchy. Check the clips out above, and here's Alice playing "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)"!



Also today, I'd meant to share a new Theatre of Night video, but curiously, it (and everything else on their YouTube channel) was recently deleted for unknown reasons. That's a shame, hopefully something big's coming there though! Instead, we have a new guitar performance video from former Insipid Brutality/Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie's YouTube channel, marking his first upload there since 2012! This is Scott's submission for The Mayones/Seymour Duncan Worldwide Solo Contest, where the best guitar solo will earn the guitarist a new Regius 7 Custom guitar with Seymour Duncan pickups, and he shreds a pretty nice solo here that should get some consideration in the contest! Judge for yourself below, and hopefully we hear more from Scott soon!



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

• I've moved Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet Dirtbag In A Dress to our inactive band links (under their more used older name Bucksaw) due to a year's inactivity. Unless we hear otherwise, we're treating LemmaFest 2014 performers Mr. Fister as a separate band due to the name change and 50% different lineup (Ryan Franklin & Mikey Bishop weren't in the latter band.) If they're the same, we'll add them back, but even still, I have not found a Mr. Fister online page yet. Hopefully we'll see the guys before next year's LemmaFest in any form!
• Apparently, the all ages metal show at The Moose Lodge on May 13th (featuring what's now The Revolution, This Is Your Band On Drugs, and Rotopsy) also featured an additional late notice act, as local keyboardist/street performer Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda played a set that night as well. Interesting addition, though Damjan is quite talented and unique, so hopefully everything went well! My source for this info is Revolution drummer Brandan Glew in a personal conversation.
• Since May 10th, you may have noticed photos of the stage setup for three events we didn't cover on here on local hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom's Facebook page, including at the round barn in Sowerby, a nurse's conference at a local hall, and the Sault Accessible Sports Incorporation's "A Night To Remember" fundraiser at The Bushplane Museum last month. The first two appear to have been private events, but the S.A.S.I. fundraiser was publically attendable, and it slipped us by completely when originally announced. Our sincere apologies for missing it, hopefully it was a great event!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our second local punk band introductory post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!