Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable Video Showcase!!

For today's post, we're focusing 100% on videos from Saturday night's Fuckface Unstoppable concert at The Canadian Nightclub, as attendee Christopher Paci (a frequent filmer of Kewadin Casino concert footage) was there and shot videos of 4 of the 5 bands, as posted onto his YouTube channel yesterday! Only openers The Bear Hunters were left out (unless their video's coming late), but what we do have is more than worth checking out today, so let's begin this showcase! We'll start with Bam Margera himself and his band Fuckface Unstoppable, who were the subject of two videos that Chris shot, including their cover of The Bloodhound Gang's "The Ballad of Chasey Lain" (complete with female attendees dancing on stage), and as embedded below, their original rap/rock song "Bend My Dick" (they titled it, not me!) Chris shot these from behind many people on the floor, and the angle is a bit shaky, so the view's not as great as it could be, but we get a good view of the chaos and very fun crowd reaction!

I will say that like on F.F.U.'s other originals, this song comes across better and heavier live than it does in studio, and it's a nice alternate look at this very fun set, so check out Bam and company live in the Soo below and at the above links!



Also in new videos, Detroit hard rock quintet Wilson were filmed by Chris on Saturday night, and their video is of their fan favourite cover of AC/DC's "Back In Black"! Despite being slightly cut off at the beginning, the fun chaos and crowd engagement comes through well, and I like that Chad Nicefield's vocals are easier to hear! Must have been easier to hear if you weren't close. The camera angle is the same as on the Bam videos though, so it will look similar aside from the band on stage. Still, great video, so check out this new Wilson clip below!



For the local bands, Christopher also filmed the new quintet lineup of Jack Spades covering The Misfits' "We Are 138" at the show as well! Despite being a very short original (and extra familiar from frequent live versions with Frightlight), the performance works well, and the lesser amount of fans on the floor helps the video quality and shakiness somewhat! If you recognize two singers here, you're not wrong, as Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy joined in on impromptu guest vocals mid-song (he's on the far right), and he added to the intensity, as you can see below!



Finally for today, Christian and Destroilet's original "Eternal Fire" was also filmed by Chris Paci at the show! The lighting's darker than on the later bands, but the closest angle yet of these videos is here, so you take the good with the bad. Destroilet's old school hardcore punk intensity comes through well (though Mike Hull's vocals still come across quietly), so check out their clip below, and see much more from this concert at the above links!



If any more videos pop up from Saturday night's awesome show, we'll have them here, but regardless, tomorrow's post will also be all-videos, so watch out for it then! Thanks everyone!

Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable Concert Review!!

Hey guys, it's time for my review of last night's Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Great turnout for this show, which as you may remember, had what was basically an all ages timeframe for the bands' sets. but that didn't affect the environment at all! Oddly, the restricted stage movements thanks to Bam's drumkits (plus their banner) actually helped for photo-taking, as they minimized the effect of the stage signs on the back wall, so hopefully these turned out better! Let's begin our review with the first band!

Opening last night's show was local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters, who won Viva La Battle last month to earn the right to play at the event! They didn't come with the usual set though, debuting two brand new songs to open the night (a sequel to "Render This Void" named "The Void", and a song based on the movie "The Omen") which sounded very brutal and fit their more technical vibe on recent originals! Also helping was the surprise return of rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney for the set, marking the first time he's played with The Bear Hunters in almost 5 months! That was a nice surprise, and his guitar work really helped fill out newer songs like "I Fear No God" that we haven't heard with a quintet lineup yet. In fact, the whole set was almost completely comprised of newer songs, and the guys were up to their usual tricks and talent levels, with Nik Deubel and Mitch Sirie really impressing in their own rights! Look for big things from The Bear Hunters in 2014, if their tight and focused set last night was any indication!

Second on the bill was local hardcore punk veterans Destroilet, who tore through 13 songs in their abbreviated set, though despite guitarist Christian Foisy's amusing words to the contrary, the songs all had different names! All but 3 songs from Destroilet's album joined covers of everyone from The Screeching Weasels to Fear, which a growing amount of fans on the floor really took to, and while I enjoyed the music and intensity, their stage presences were restricted and not as energetic as usual, especially on Mike Hull's part. I enjoyed the sense of humour and aggression throughout, and musically, they blistered through their set, with John Conway's lead guitar work seeming especially sharp, but vocals could have been louder on the whole. Destroilet have been on fire (an eternal fire, if you will) since their concert return this spring, and here's hoping they keep it up!

The middle band last night was local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, who debuted new second guitarist Jesse Cook (Winkstiner, Soldiers of Misfortune, etc.) during their set, so how'd he fit in? Very well, he seemed like a natural (if stiffer in on stage activity than I'm used to), and I'm curious to see how he mixes into things going into next year!  Their 9 song set mixed originals like "Breakneck Speed" and the debuting "To The Left" with covers of everyone from SNFU to Judas Priest, though their planned unveiling of a new song named "Frederick" was called off. Decked out in his best Santa outfit, J.D. Pearce's vocals were aggressice and soared over the music, and Justin Lam was fantastic on bass as well throughout! Aside from a brief guitar mishap on "To The Left", Jack Spades put in another enjoyable set that fans of J.D.'s other bands definitely should have enjoyed, and they're definitely developing their own identity in the process!

Co-headlining last night's concert was Detroit hard rock quintet Wilson, and if there was a word to describe their set, it'd be "wild"! Any descriptions of them being a fun or party band were certainly not inaccurate, as they took The Canadian by storm with their high energy and non-stop set! A lot of the props should go to singer Chad Nicefield, whose energy, presence, aggression, and crowd engagement were off the hinges, and we responded in kind! I just wish he was easier to hear, I couldn't make out his vocals very well for most of their set. I also liked the extra frills like drumming beer bottles and breaking out the giant marching band drum to cap off their set, and the rest of the band was up to the standard as well, with Jason Spencer & Kyle Landry driving a wall of awesome guitar work throughout! One of the most fun live bands I've seen locally in quite a while, Wilson made a lot of new fans last night, and fingers crossed they roll back through the Soo at some point!

And of course, the main event was West Chester, Pennsylvania's own Fuckface Unstoppable, featuring the one and only Bam Margera on lead vocals! A lot of people I knew weren't sure how the band would look or what they'd play, but it was a long chaotic party from wall to wall, including two drummers, lots of crowd interaction from co-singer Brandon Novak, and just a lot of action packed & rowdy entertainment! Bam's vocals fit the aggressive material, be it pseudo-rapping or full hardcore punk vocals, and the full band kept things rolling, including some very solid guitar work from Matty Janaitis and a fun double drum assault from Jess Margera & Alex Flamsteed that never came across as overkill! Their set was heavy on covers (including Turbonegro, Bloodhound Gang, and GG Allin) along with originals like "Moonshine" and '''Till The Wheels Fall Alf"), and the crowd ate it up, including the dancers during "The Ballad of Chasey Lain"!

If you remember the Kittie set at the Ypres Metal Fest last year, imagine being in that congested crowd, only to have everyone push and elbow each other. That's how it felt, and my back paid for it, but it was a great environment to be in! I had a pile of fun at this concert, and it's just a shame it wasn't the very last metal show of 2013, as it'd be quite a bang to go out on! Huge kudos to J.D. Pearce for booking this, all of the bands for playing, and to George Ravlich at Crank Sound Distribution for his great sound work all night! I did get photos & videos of each band, so click here to check them out, or visit our Facebook page to see them and a "Tag Yourself!" shot of the crowd! And for my videos, here's The Bear Hunters playing their brand new song "The Void", Destroilet playing three short covers (of Gang Green's "Let's Drink Some Beer", The Screeching Weasels' "I Don't Give A Fuck", and Fistmagnet's "Evil God Hater"), Jack Spades covering The Ripcordz' "X", Wilson playing their song "College Gangbang", and Fuckface Unstoppable covering Turbonegro's "All My Friends Are Dead"!











That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, along with fallout from the Bam Margera concert as I get it! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats) & The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

As promised, the rest of this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews are in today's post! Nothing known with public word in the Sault Michigan area, but there's the return of heavier music to an unfamiliar location TONIGHT and a huge and very intriguing concert at The Canadian TOMORROW NIGHT for you Bam Margera fans! First though, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend relating to one of this weekend's previewed shows!

Just over a week after their LopLops Lounge debut, new local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats will return to LopLops on Saturday, December 21st (one week from tomorrow) as one of the performing acts at X-Mess, an all acoustic concert with an emphasis on punk performers! Promoted by prolific local punk/metal singer J.D. Pearce, the girls are slotted as co-headliners for this unique event behind a band named The Debts who (like Keep It Lit and Project 421) have no public info going into showtime. J.D. did sound excited by their setlist, but if anything public comes out on them, I'll let you guys know! The other performers are North West guitarist Greg Callaghan in a solo set, and a performer named "Dr. Sal" (presumably Sal Velinus, one of the credited hosts on the Facebook event page), though I'm not sure how Sal sounds or if he'll have any guests. Given the seasonal theme, J.D. recommends wearing ugly Christmas sweaters to this concert, which has a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links!

Note as well that I don't know whether Danger Cats singer Summer Snow-Leopard will be back for this show or not, but if I hear confirmation either way, I'll let you guys know! Quite possibly J.D.'s last promoted concert of 2013, this should be a very unique event, with a little spice of hard rock, so keep it in mind for next weekend!

Speaking of The Danger Cats at LopLops, they'll make their first appearance at this generally unfamiliar hard rock venue TONIGHT when they open for local folk/jazz rock quartet The Pesto Shirts! Essentially a moved re-do of a planned concert from last month, this will be the first show at 651 Queen Street East with a hard rock band that I can source since C'Mon played at LopLops in June 2011, so this has been a long time coming for this artistic local lounge and concert spot! Of course, The Pesto Shirts (last seen sharing the stage with a heavier band in their third place Battle of the Bands run in April) have a lot of talent and skill in their genre, and they should fit well at LopLops tonight as well! Admission is $5 for this 10:00 PM show, and you must be 19 to attend (same as the X-Mess show.) For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Hopefully The Danger Cats build on their momentum from the Haggith farewell show TONIGHT, so don't miss this different sort of show this evening, and for a preview, here's their temporary lineup covering The Misfits last weekend!



And finally for today's post, the main event for this weekend's metal & punk concerts goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, when Jackass/Viva La Bam star and professional skateboarder Bam Margera brings his band Fuckface Unstoppable to The Canadian Nightclub! Already notorious from his TV shows and the mayhem brought with them, Bam and his band (featuring members of Pennsylvania alt-metallers CKY) has been tearing up the stage since late last year, and with a hard hitting and very entertaining mix of covers and some irreverent originals of their own! I've been a fan of Bam Margera's for years, and I'm very curious to see what goes down tomorrow in concert, so come on down to The Canadian to find out! Joining Bam and company are Detroit hard rock quintet Wilson, who have their own attitude-fueled original sound that has a lot of promise and entertainment value, so don't miss their set either! Note that fellow advertised guests Kissing Candice (a New York electronica/metal band) are only playing select dates of this tour, and the Soo show is not among them.

Three local opening bands will open the proceedings tomorrow, including promoter J.D. Pearce's new punk/metal band Jack Spades, who will debut new second guitarist Jesse Cook (Winkstinger) during tomorrow's set! They've been leaving a good impression in recent months, and so have fellow openers Destroilet, who will tear up The Canadian's stage for the first time tomorrow themselves with their own hardcore punk insanity! The lineup is rounded out by local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, who won last month's Viva La Battle for the right to the last slot at tomorrow's concert, and their brutal originals should leave a heavy impression to start the evening! With an early start time, they'll be on at 7:15 PM tomorrow, with the lineup on the Facebook event page listing the other band times as Destroilet at 8:15 PM, Jack Spades at 9:00 PM, Wilson at 9:40 PM, and Fuckface Unstoppable headlining at 10:30 PM. Despite the early timeslots, this is still a 19+ concert, and tickets are still available for $25 ($40 for the V.I.P. experience) at The Canadian's front desk and at The Rad Zone.

Check the above links for more details! This should be a very fun concert, and given some of the reviews and setlists I've read from this tour, there's bound to be a lot of different and crazy stuff wrapped around Bam Margera's set! Them and the openers should all put in a great time, and kudos to J.D. for bringing this package of bands here! Plus, it helps that I'm already a big fan of CKY, so F.F.U. should help bring some of that experience tomorrow as well! I'll see you guys there TOMORROW NIGHT, get your tickets A.S.A.P., and for a preview, here's Fuckface Unstoppable playing their original "Moonshine" live this spring!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for hopefully a new news post before TOMORROW'S Fuckface Unstoppable concert, and if not, I'll see you guys there! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fuckface Unstoppable), The Return Of The Canadian, And More!!

Today's post features a new performance video and a new song posting, but we're leading off with some big news relating to a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and the location of said concert, given it's recent return to arms! Without any further delay, read on below for what you need to know!

Professional skateboarder and Jackass/Viva La Bam star Bam Margera is coming to Sault Ontario on Saturday, December 14th with his punk/metal band project Fuckface Unstoppable for a concert at the newly re-opened Canadian Nightclub! Yes, it's already back, we'll touch on that in a minute. Featuring members of CKY in their live band, this is Bam's own music project that has been touring hard this year, and there's a fun recklessness to their covers and live show, so if you love Bam's past work, this blend of covers and amusing originals should be a welcome sight for metal, punk, and Jackass fans alike! Detroit hard rock partiers Wilson will also join Bam & company for the local date, and they have a very solid and energetic heavy sound that should get fans moving, so don't miss them! Local support will be provided by local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet and promoter J.D. Pearce's newest punk/metal band Jack Spades, both of which will be making their full Canadian Nightclub debuts, and they should both fit well there like they will over the Halloween weekend with The Ripcordz! Note that while Fuckface Unstoppable pages credit New York electronica/metal band Kissing Candice as playing on this tour, they are not currently listed for the Soo show.

This 19+ concert has a $25 ticket price, and while you can buy them right now online at this link, no details on local in-store sales have been announced yet (but we'll keep you guys posted on that front.) If you want the VIP experience (including a meet & greet with Bam), that will cost $40 through the same link above, so keep that in mind as well! An 8:00 PM start time is announced, and there could be another band added to the bill, according to the Facebook event page. I'm a fan of Bam Margera's work, and I got a kick out of his music, so this should be a fun experience come December 14th, so get your tickets A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for updates!

Leading from the above news, yes, The Canadian Nightclub has re-opened once again! As you may remember, the Pim Street bar and concert venue had been closed for the past month due to major flooding that took place during the rainstorm on September 9th, but despite reports that the damage was worse than the mid-2011 flood there, the re-opening happened a few weeks sooner, which is great news! The venue came back with the return of their Thursday night dance party yesterday, but of course, it's too late to move tonight's Ray Brown benefit back there, though you couldn't assume when The Canadian would be open again at the time. The flood damage and re-opening was covered in a Sault Star article yesterday by Michael Purvis which features interview remarks by owner Carmen Marelli, and while I won't go into major details on what's described there in terms of damages and the recovery, Carmen blames the city's storm sewer system for the flooding, and he's seeking compensation from the city.

Regardless of any claims, issues, or anything else regarding The Canadian's location and flood preparedness, I'm just glad to see it back in operation! It's a very nice and large venue for local concerts, it's close to my place, and it has sentimental value as the site of my first 19+ concert (Sandman in June 2008), and I just hope that after all of the renovations, damages, and floods they've had in recent years, this is the last of it. They've been through enough there, if you ask me. Stay tuned for updates on their next heavier shows, and best of luck all around!

We'll close today with some new YouTube uploads, including a new solo cover performance video from Ashes to Dust guitarist Alex Hemy! Continuing his recent trend of softer covers featuring him on vocals as well as guitar, this video (uploaded to his YouTube channel on Tuesday) is of him covering Oasis' "Wonderwall", and it might be the best match yet for his vocal range, so it adds to his proficiency on this cover! I still would like to see him tackle a hard rock song vocally, but while we wait for Ashes to Dust news, check out Alex's newest cover below!



Finally for today, here's the newest song posting from new local goregrind project Rotopsy (formerly Spitneck), courtesy of their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel last week! Oddly titled "Please Don't Feed The Cardboard Urinals", this is off of the split demo that the label released featuring Rotopsy, Malignant Neoplasm, and Brutaly Fatal. Short track overall, and it suffers thanks to muted instrumentation and Dylan Taylor's vocals are nothing more than start & stop growl noises with no discernable words. We'll have to see if other Rotopsy songs expand to a fuller sound and structure, but give their newest song upload a look below!



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