The Sault Metal Scene would like to offer its deepest condolences to the family and friends of former local rock guitarist Ben Kemp-Reynolds, who suddenly passed away earlier today at the age of 35, as per numerous personal Facebook postings. Local readers may be best familiar with Ben's music work while attending Central Algoma Secondary School in the late 2000s, where he performed in CASS Cafe bands like The Diego Experience, The Dedbeats, and most notably, the 2008-2009 blues rock quartet The Glass Statues. Joining future Late & Loud bandmates Benn Garside and Josh Hatherley, The Glass Statues would play their first non-CASS gig at the YMCA Battle of the Bands at The Grand Theater in March 2009 (where they finished in third place), and they later played out in Thessalon, and were among the openers for The Road Hammers at Rotaryfest Stage 1 that July. The Glass Statues disbanded due to Ben's relocation to British Columbia for university the following month.
Ben kept at it musically out west, where (as "Benny Blitz"), he joined Victoria glam metal band The Lust Boys in early 2010, though a planned homecoming gig with them in March 2012 at the former Canadian Nightclub did not take place due to their tour van breaking down 5 hours outside of town. The local openers, Late & Loud among them, played on though. Alas, Ben never got to bring any of his B.C. bands home for concerts, but he remained in The Lust Boys until they broke up in 2014, and he stayed musically active in the Vancouver area, where he and fellow Lust Boys alum Jayme Black formed the old school metal band Rebel Priest later that year. It's with Rebel Priest where Benny found the most success, releasing two studio albums and some other EPs and singles, and touring as far away as Japan on multiple occasions! Rebel Priest last played live at The Cobalt in Vancouver on November 21st.
As "Benny Burn", he was also a guitarist in the Vancouver speed metal band Roadrash from 2017-2020, while Ben notably also worked as a bartender and live DJ. It was too easy to miss out on what Benny was up to in B.C. over the years, but he accomplished a lot as a musician there, and while our interactions were brief before he moved, he was always a good guy, and it's a shame to lose him so suddenly, especially just days after Christmas. If you haven't heard his three main bands since he moved, do check out The Lust Boys, Rebel Priest, and Roadrash, as there's some solid classic metal of varying flavours therein, and it'd be neat to see their original music get some well deserved Ontario and Michigan hits. I don't know if any services are planned yet in the Soo or Central Algoma, but we'll let you know when more comes out. Check on your friends, and please reach out if you're struggling. R.I.P. Benny!
I know things have been quiet on the site over the past week, and while the weekend's two day break was partially for personal reasons, the last two days were definitely due to a recent slow patch for stories at our news desk. That said, a busy weekend of concerts is upon us, including a few SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for good measure, so we'll tackle most of those today, while saving Saturday night's Rudyard Musicians Festival for tomorrow's post to give it proper emphasis given it's scale and timing. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend!
Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will play a rare concert at The Savoy Bar in Sault Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. A one nighter due to Banned's road trip to Gould City for a concert there on Saturday, TOMORROW'S show is, as best as I can tell, Banned's debut at the 117 West Portage Avenue nightclub, as hard to believe as that is. Fresh off of their successful return to the annual Sugar Island Music Festival, this should be another solid local showcase for Alex, Don, and Wayne, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind for some hard hitting and fan favourite covers! A 10:00 PM start time is in effect, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!
Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have reportedly been named as openers for TOMORROW NIGHT'S long-anticipated K.I.C.K. headlining concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Apologies again for the short notice, this show had been advertised for weeks as a solo event for the indie rock quartet, but The Elements were only just publically confirmed yesterday to kick things off. Arguably their biggest headlining concert yet, the Keep it Cool Kids will be playing multiple sets at The Canadian TOMORROW from their upcoming album along with new cuts, and this should be a prime opportunity for fans to check out K.I.C.K.'s skilled originals! As for The Elements, they're riding high off of their own headlining set last week at The Rockstar Bar, and their ska-influenced mix of heavy and alternative styles should help set the tone TOMORROW, despite their late confirmation! Another 19+ event, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised, though have money on hand in case there happens to be a cover charge.
K.I.C.K. have impressed fans routinely with their smooth indie rock sound in the past few years, and The Elements will add their own "element" to give fans of a heavier persuasion a little something TOMORROW NIGHT, so keep this huge show in mind, and here's The Elements live!
Lastly for new announcements, prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall THIS MONDAY & TUESDAY to go along with his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Mark's gigs, these were only just announced via their own Facebook event page on Sunday, and while their timing would suggest that we'd cover them closer to Monday, I'm lumping them with the Gliss shows for synergy & to ensure that the Rudyard Musicians Festival gets proper emphasis in our next post. Three weeks removed from his debut "weekend" at the new breakfast-centric diner at the Second Line West mall (with collectibles store and ice cream parlour from the same owners also now open there), Tym will have two more evenings of unplugged rock classics in store for fans and patrons there on MONDAY & TUESDAY!
And of course, Tym's ongoing weekly run at Gliss marches on with evening gigs tonight through Saturday, so keep this run of 5 matinee shows in 6 nights in mind! All of these shows have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that both venues are sit-down restaurants, albeit with very different menus and environments. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and above for more details on these 5 upcoming shows, and here's Tym live!
Finally for today's preview post, we'll close with a show that entirely had lots of advance notice, as Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Rockstar Bar! Don't let their name fool you, this band is actually an all-female group, and are the current project from former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy, so if you've missed that band on a local stage, here's a quality alternative! The Alien Boys' brand of upbeat yet edgy punk rock should find another solid audience tomorrow night, so keep them in mind for your weekend concert plans! Local openers will include online page-less death metal duo Twistory (in just their second public concert set of the year) and new local indie/hard rock trio Vol. in their second public concert total. If you missed Steve, Shane, and Matthew earlier this month, and don't want to wait for online media to be posted, come to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow to hear what Vol. have in store in their sophomore outing!
A rare Six, Two, Oh. concert to take place at The Rockstar Bar, tomorrow's 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a solid night of diverse musical action with some punk and metal sprinkled throughout, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Alien Boys live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Rudyard Musicians Festival preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
With a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hitting the wire this afternoon, here's a surprise second news post for your Thursday night! That is also joined by two more new concerts taking place over the same weekend in just under a month's time, so read on below for what you should know, and check out other weekend concert previews and more in the post below this one from this morning!
Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Moloney's Alley for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page earlier today. Still a largely unfamiliar venue for our coverage, the 227 West Portage Avenue bar played host to a private Project 906 show last month for Sault Area High School's class of 1997 reunion, but as far as I can tell, TOMORROW'S show is a regular, publically attendable show. Last seen at the King's Club Casino in Brimley two weeks ago, Project 906 are no strangers to branching out to atypical concert venues in the E.U.P., and hopefully things go well at Moloney's Alley TOMORROW! No word however on if the show will be outdoors again or indoors, but the picture they used to promote the event was from their outdoor set at the aforementioned reunion. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit, so check the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live last month!
Next up, here's some more new concerts with more than a day's public notice, starting with another new show from Sault Ontario promoters Six, Two, Oh.! Unusually taking place at The Rockstar Bar rather than their usual New A stomping grounds, this event on Friday, August 18th will be headlined by the local debut of Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys, but despite their name, they're actually an all-female group featuring former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy. This will be nothing new for fans who saw Beaver Slap locally last month, but The Alien Boys' solid and energetic brand of punk rock should gain them their own audience locally, so don't miss them on the 18th! Local support (both in their Rockstar Bar debut) will include death metal duo Twistory's second live set of the year, as well as the second concert appearance period from Vol., the new indie/hard rock trio from Pixo Control and Aldous alumni. Nice diverse lineup, so don't miss out next month!
A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, and a 9:00 PM start time is in effect. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and don't miss out on what should be a fun night of varying kinds of alternative music action! And yes, we are aware of a major concert event announced by Six, Two, Oh. for this fall, but we are waiting on confirmation on the venue and if it technically has a public address before we get ahead of ourselves on here. Stay tuned though, as this will be a big event!
Finally for tonight's post, the full lineup for this year's second annual Rudyard Musicians Festival in nearby Rudyard, Michigan was finally announced on Tuesday, so who all is rocking Rudyard Township Park on Saturday, August 19th? Mostly the same bands as last year, with only Stoned Ape Evolution, Second Offense, and The Gaskins not returning, so if you liked the inaugural Musicians Fest lineup, here you go! Despite previously indicating that there would be "NO METAL" this year, hard rock acts do populate two of the three top slots, with the aforementioned Project 906 headlining at 11:00 PM, as preceded by classic rockers/event promoters Steelhead (with guest performer Jimmy Bishop) at 10:00 PM, and sporadically seen experimental hard rock group The Karstens as one of this year's new bands at 9:00 PM. Good to see them back on stage! Fellow newcomers The Whole Shabang will tackle their own classic rock covers as well at 8:00 PM, while remaining performers are mostly in the online page-less country or bluegrass realm unless otherwise stated.
Other acts will include The North Country Band at 7:00 PM, The Wednesday Night Headliners at 6:00 PM, Robert & Bob Malaski at 5:00 PM, Jimmy Williams at 4:00 PM, pop artist Hayley Malaska at 3:30 PM, festival newcomer Kevin Blakeney at 3:00 PM, Crossroads alum Denny Verrett at 2:00 PM, Traverse City experimental outfit The Neighbourhood Dogs at 1:00 PM, and The (New?) Jazz Trio opening at 12:00 PM. Lots of talent on hand this year, so keep them all in mind! As well, organizers have confirmed that Friday the 18th will play host to an open mic night, as all of their equipment will be set up already, so "we might just as well use it" for a "Friday night free for all." You never know what you'll get with an open mic night, so if you're in the neighbourhood, this might be worth checking out! Free rustic camping will be available on sight for that weekend, while there will be a pig roast and other concessions for good measure. Admission is $5 a person, but kids 10 years old or under get in FREE, and like last year, all proceeds go to Rudyard Area Schools' music and band programs, which is always a worthy cause!
Despite promoters' earlier claim of no metal this year (no word on if that's specifically why Stoned Ape Evolution aren't back), it's nice to see some music on the heavier spectrum again this year, so if you're a fan of country or some more rocking music, you have options in this sophomore event, which is for a great cause and definitely looks to be a friendly event for fans of all ages! Visit the above links for complete details on this year's Rudyard Musicians Fest, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
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!
With weekend concert previews out of the way, we've got a new news post for you guys on this Saturday morning (beats the lack of good cartoons anymore), so here's what's on tap! Today, we have a new video from a newer Sault Ontario trio, some old 1990s videos from a band who played in the Sault Michigan area on tour way back when, and a note on a likely inactive local metal band, but first, here's some really intriguing news that connects metal with the recent growth of movie productions in Sault Ste. Marie!
Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach was in Sault Ontario yesterday... but not for a concert. As it turns out, he has a role of some type in the movie "Swearnet" that's being filmed here, which you guys will probably better recognize as the new movie from Trailer Park Boys stars Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, and Mike Smith (a.k.a. Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles!) Trailer Park Boys fans will be sure to understand the connection with Sebastian Bach, as he guest starred on the show's final season, where we saw his affinity for model train sets (the central one of which inspired the name of defunct Sault Michigan hard rockers Swayze Train), so if this connection seems random, watch season 7. My source for this info is Sebastian's Facebook page, where the photo on your left came from. I have no idea how big of a role Sebastian has in "Swearnet", or if he's even still in town, but from what I understand, the movie either is based on or will help launch an internet-based television channel full of uncensored vignettes & sketches, so Sebastian may only feature in one part of the film. It'd be awesome to see him book a concert here (I enjoy his solo stuff way more than new Skid Row material), but this is cool in & of itself, so check the above links for more, and I can't wait to see the completed film!
Next up, I've regrettably decided to move Sault Ontario metal quartet Borderline Divine to our inactive band links. Normally, I wouldn't act so fast after a band declares a hiatus (as they did on July 3rd via their Facebook page), but an immediate future for the former Stillbroke is looking unlikely following frontman & founding member Jesse Frigault's move to Alberta earlier this month, where he's already found a new job. He is in many ways Borderline Divine's driving force, so that (plus guitarist Mitch Sirie's ongoing primary work in The Bear Hunters) leads me to think that if we ever see them back, it won't be for a long while. Maybe the hiatus declaration was more to leave a bit of hope rather than abruptly shut the door? If they're for sure functionally inactive now, it ends a successful (albeit scattered) 4 year run that saw the band's many incarnations reach a number of heights, including opening for bands like Helix, West of Hell, and Columbia, their 2008 Case's Music Battle of the Bands victory, and of course, releasing Stillbroke's 2009 EP "Never Enough". Though their success arguably peaked in 2009, fans will be sure to have some solid memories from their shows before and after that year, and their brief mid-2012 activity as Borderline Divine left a lot of heavier promise that honestly topped Stillbroke to me in many ways!
I know the guys have put in tons of work from their inception to their last show in June to make it locally, and in some ways, they did, if not as long as was hoped. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll ever hear from Borderline Divine, but for now, best of luck to Jesse, Mitch, Justin, and Sam (and the array of former members) in the future, and when I hear about the members' next moves in the local scene, I'll be sure to have them here!
Thirdly today, I was alerted to some old school concert videos from a show at the old Tumble Inn in nearby Eckerman, Michigan yesterday, and these definitely belong on the SMS! Life's Eclipse frontman Jason Mills sent me the links to these videos as part of some assistance for a reader in finding videos from one of his old Northern Michigan bands at their local stops in the 1990s, and while this isn't either band in question, they're definitely heavy & could use an SMS spotlight! They were a 1990s Michigan metal band named Collision, and while I don't think they're from the Soo originally, they did play at The Tumble Inn at least once in the mid-1990s. The videos from said show include covers of Alice In Chains' "It Ain't Like That" & "Would?" and (as embedded below) Dio's "Don't Talk To Strangers", so check them out if you wanna! Uploaded in late 2008 by YouTube user budachiba (who may be bassist Jeremy DeLawrence), Collision had a solid groove and a versatility that allowed them to handle grunge and more traditional metal really well, and I'd like to find out more about them! Decent video quality too given the age and format this concert was filmed on. Check the above links for more, thanks to Jason for sending me the links, and if I find any more old school Tumble Inn footage, I'll have it here, but for now, here's Collision's local Dio cover!
Finally for today, here's some more news from Sault Ontario grunge band Haggith! Bad news first, as the band has announced that Wishbone bassist Steven Flint is not joining their lineup as was previously announced. A reason for the backtrack wasn't announced, just that it came after "some discussion" and there appear to be no bad feelings with Steven, who the band complimented the talent of on their Facebook page on Wednesday. As a result, frontman Curtis McKenzie is trading his guitar for a bass and Haggith are remaining a trio going forward. Hopefully this is the best move for the guys, and Curtis does have bass skill, but we'll have to see how they sound in their next gigs! On a more positive note, YouTube user paperclipprojectX uploaded a new video on Monday of 2/3rds of the band (minus drummer Mike Haggith) playing an unplugged version of their original song "I Am", and it sounds pretty good! The lighting is effective (if still dark) and Curt & Daniel add some nice grit to this acoustic rendering, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more Haggith news in the coming weeks!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
Well, I'm back from last night's metal/punk show at The Canadian Nightclub, and my review of it is the bulk of today's post, but first, here's a brief note on another concert this weekend. Apparently, classic hard rockers That's Chester will feature a special guest for their set at Docks TONIGHT, that being Brad Stephen, who plays bass in the local country band Bone Yard with That's Chester's Greg Simpson & Ric Datson. My source is Ric's personal Facebook page, and I assume Brad's filling in for Aubrey Falls for this gig, but I'm not 100% positive. So if you're going to see That's Chester tonight, take note of the lineup difference, but Brad has chemistry and a history with the guys, and he should fit in well tonight! Now, to my concert review! So last night's show was supposed to be headlined by Victoria, B.C. sleaze rockers The Lust Boys (notably with guitarist Benny Blitz's homecoming), but as their tour vehicle broke down 5 hours outside of town, they couldn't make it here in time, so the show was pushed back to 9:00 PM. Wouldn't you know it, but I was still late, though when your dog's back legs seem to stop working, that sorta becomes your focus (get well soon, DJ!)
So I made it to The Canadian during Pools of Booze's set, but I still caught a lot of them, so how do they sound? Well, they are essentially a one-off act featuring the members of local punk band T. Rex Manning, with bassist Bill "Orthae" Bennett handling lead vocals in place of the absent J.D. Pearce. I have yet to see T. Rex Manning live, so I don't know how their sound would compare to Pools of Booze last night, but from what I saw, they covered Misfits, Ramones, Volbeat, Judas Priest, and Tool material, and were honestly heavier than I assumed they'd be going in! Bill handled vocals decently for the songs he sang lead on, and Tiffany Stocco & Daniel MacDonald handled the guitar and drums solidly, but I found that their best covers were the punk songs that they did, rather than heavier metal material. Again, I don't know if their set last night was basically the same as T. Rex Manning's, but they had a good flow and the crowd responded well to them! Also of note, guests sang with them last night on a couple of tracks, including Giwakwa frontman Jason Bourcier on a cover of The Misfits' "Skulls", and all the members of Late & Loud on a cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law"! Not bad at all, but hopefully I'll be seeing T. Rex Manning in full soon as well!
Following them were the returning Dirty Virgin, in their first show in 11 months and just their second gig in over 2 years! Their early 2009/2011 lineup was back last night, and they unleashed an entertaining set of covers and originals, with renditions of Kiss, Poison, Joe South, Sex Pistols, and AC/DC material mixed with originals like "She's Hot", "She Wants Some", and "Take You Hard", among others. It was good hearing this stuff again, and they definitely haven't lost a step from their 2009 incarnation! They strike a good balance between glam rock and punk, and they generally played songs that fit their sound and range (though I still don't think "Money Talks" fits Bobby Clement's style of singing.) Ryan Spin's guitar work was really good, as was Lionel Quinton's bass playing, and the whole band seemed to click well last night, which definitely helped get lots of fans dancing and grooving on the floor during their set! They probably had the most activity from fans of the three bands, which is a good sign, and the fan participation during their encore was fun! Hopefully this encourages further Dirty Virgin activity this year, as I'd like to see them stay together and not wait another year to hit the stage! Welcome back, guys!
Headlining last night's show was local classic metal quartet Late & Loud, and they delivered a fun set of originals and covers for their fans last night! You know they have a following when a fan in a wheelchair makes it to the front of the stage, AND takes his shirt off when the rest of the band does! With my dog's health issues, I didn't stay the full night just in case he got worse, but I still caught a lot of Late & Loud action, and they rocked the house down, even giving The Lust Boys a nice shoutout! Though their biggest downfall is still in vocals, they at least sang to their strengths on originals like "Live For Excess", "Machine Gun Maiden", and "Whisper of the Damned", while also throwing in some welcome covers, and the fans that were left responded well! They had loads of energy and some swagger, and their talents were as impressive as ever, especially on Brendan Christie's guitar solos! Josh Hatherley's drumming was on form too, and Jonathan Tiberi & Benn Garside rocked on guitar & bass themselves! Excellent set from what I saw, and hopefully the camcorder footage I saw being shot of their set makes it online at some point too!
That was an entertaining concert, and it sets the scene nicely for much more metal action at the Ypres Metal Fest next week! I did get photos & videos last night, though I apologize for the lack of photos and some quality issues with them. My charger cable for my usual camera is still in the mail, so it's out of commission until I get it back, and I had to use a spare borrowed camera last night. As such, each photo has a date watermark in the lower left, and I took less pictures in case there was a battery drainage issue. Also, the videos are standard definition & blur when zooming in & out, which is slightly annoying, but the quality holds up otherwise! Check out my photos at this location or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Pools of Booze covering the Volbeat song of the same name, Dirty Virgin playing their song "Take You Hard", and Late & Loud playing their song "Heavy or Bust"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned TONIGHT for my review of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" finally! Thanks everyone!
(UPDATE, 8:02 PM) Before we get into this post, just letting you guys know that Victoria, B.C. sleaze rockers The Lust Boys (who were scheduled to headline at The Canadian TONIGHT) will not be playing, as their tour vehicle broke down in Marathon 5½ hours northwest of town. As a result, Late & Loud will now headline tonight's concert with Dirty Virgin & Pools of Booze opening, without a fourth replacement band. The new start time is 9:00 PM, and the cover charge has been halved to $5. Disappointing news for sure, but hopefully The Lust Boys can play here soon, as they have a good fan base here! Hopefully I'll see you guys there!
Now, let's squeeze in one more all-video post for March before the month ends, so below resides a bunch of newer videos relating to the local metal scene! For fairness, given these videos' types and lengths, we'll put these in alphabetical order by artist or channel name, including this week's classic video, a new music video/original song, and a new audio demo, but first, here's some new live videos from a young local band!
Remember last month when we covered new videos posted by a young local rock trio from Hawkplugged (formerly Dunnplugged) performances at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School? Well, YouTube user (and likely band member) adamscovers posted 4 more videos from a recent Hawkplugged set onto his YouTube channel on Tuesday, including covers of Collective Soul's "December", Foghat's "Slow Ride", Boston's "Smokin'", and (as embedded below) Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean", so check them out! Each video also features some post-production transitions and zooms, though the Collective Soul cover is in black & white, presumably due to the song's slower nature. I still don't know anything definitive on this band, but despite the new videos mostly skewing towards classic rock, I'm more impressed with them! The guitarist has a surprisingly good vocal range, and these guys are definitely talented playing these covers, but hopefully we'll learn more about them soon, cause they are definitely a promising band to watch! Check out this band covering Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" below, and see more from these guys at the above links!
Next up, here's the latest video & song from local electronic/hard rock project Candle Hour! Well, this is technically credited to frontman Hugh Stephens under his own name (and it's being sold as such on iTunes), but the video says that he's "otherwise known as Candle Hour", and it's posted on the band's Reverbnation page too, so I'll plug it as if it's a Candle Hour track! Posted earlier today, it's entitled "Azetta", and it's a softer instrumental track that appears to be in memoriam to his late grandmother, who shared this song's name. It's set to a 1902 silent movie named "The Little Match Seller", and it does add to the song's depressing yet touching mood. It's not Hugh's heaviest original song, but it accomplishes exactly what it's supposed to do, and it's worth checking out, so give Candle Hour/Hugh's new song "Azetta" a look below, and see much more of his video work at the Candle Hour YouTube channel!
Also new to YouTube is a new audio jam session recording from former Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere's YouTube channel! Last fall, you may remember some videos that he posted of jam sessions with Brantford drummer Nick Misurka, which were shot not long after Dan moved to Southern Ontario. Well, while we wait for his return home this summer, he posted this new 8+ minute audio recording on Monday of him and Nick jamming, and it sounds pretty good! If that's Dan singing, his vocals have definitely improved, and they sound like they have good chemistry, but I wish this was an actual video. It's good stuff though, so check this new recording out below!
And finally, here's this week's classic video! I had a couple of videos in mind to tie in with performers this weekend, but to spread things out, I'm dipping into the local archives for a combination video from the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage! The Humane Society battle of the bands openers were the subject of one of our classic videos last year that featured a combination of 6 short videos from a 2009 jam session in "The Cave", and this week's upload is very similar to that... just shorter. Five very short videos (four of which were 17 seconds or less in length) were filmed and uploaded to Facebook by attendee Keri Beckett after a jam session on June 12th, 2007, back when the band just a trio (bassist Brian Cattapan hadn't joined yet), and when they were still online, I downloaded them for posterity. Now that they've been deleted from Facebook, I've combined all five ("Jam Night", "Paul & Shane", and a "Solo" video for each band member) into one 95 second long video with an attempt to make each clip flow into the next in the video. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for these clips goes to Sykotyk Rampage and Keri, I'm just trying to share this footage with a deserving wider audience and return them to a public audience!
These clips are actually of decent quality compared to our last combo classic video of Sykotyk Rampage, though the red lighting was overpowering, so I tried to mute it a bit after uploading. If you like Sykotyk Rampage, you should like this short look at the band from 5 years ago, so check it out below, and go see Sykotyk Rampage rock The Grand Theater before the battle of the bands on April 20th!
That's all for now, but I should see you guys at The Canadian Nightclub TONIGHT, with my review of that and "Woods V" tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
It's time to preview this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts! I think I have them all accounted for, but Sault Michigan is always harder to source shows for, and I'm not sure yet if Tym Morrison's playing any solo gigs this weekend. If I hear anything on either front, I'll have it here! For now, here's previews of four Sault Ontario and two Sault Michigan concerts going down this weekend, and we're starting with the biggest of them all!
First on the weekend's schedule is a big metal/punk concert at The Canadian Nightclub tomorrow night featuring an out of town headlining band with a familiar face! Victoria, British Columbia sleaze rock quintet The Lust Boys will hit Sault Ontario for the first time tomorrow night for a night full of glam and punk-influenced classic metal, and you won't wanna miss them if you like debauchery! Local fans may recognize guitarist Ben "Benny Blitz" Kemp-Reynolds as a Saultite from his late-2000s music work in the area, and it will be great to welcome him back home three years after moving out west! Three local bands have been enlisted as openers tomorrow night, including Late & Loud, the local classic metal quartet featuring Ben's old Glass Statues bandmates Benn Garside & Josh Hatherley! They always impress live, and with an album reportedly close to completion, they'll have lots of originals in store for sure! Also joining them are local glam/punk quartet Dirty Virgin in their first concert appearance in 11 months, but it's not known if they're fully back or if this is another one-off set. It's about time they came back, and hopefully they'll pick up where they left off for this gig! The final band is a local one-off punk band named Pools of Booze, who are basically T. Rex Manning minus frontman J.D. Pearce. I don't know why J.D. will be absent, but Pools of Booze should entertain, even if they'll only last as long as General Striker did last year!
Admission is $10 at the door tomorrow, you must be 19 to attend, and though the poster advertises that doors will open at 9:00 PM, the Facebook event page lists Pools of Booze opening at 8:00 PM, so I'd be there early just in case. Check the above links for more details! This should be a very entertaining concert with a nice old school flavour, and hopefully you guys can make it out! I want to go, but that depends if I can get my camera charged in time for it (this is what happens when you accidentally leave your charger in Detroit.) Fingers crossed though! Hopefully you guys can make it out, as The Lust Boys' sleaze rock attack will be both nostalgic, hard hitting, and very fun, along with the local bands' entertaining styles as well! For a preview, here's The Lust Boys' music video for their song "Spred Yur Legz"!
Also this weekend in Sault Ontario is the return of Caveman Morrison to the stage! After over three months away from live concerts, the local metal cover trio will debut their new lineup tomorrow & Saturday night at The Nicolet Tavern! It's still familiar to past incarnations though, with Tym Morrison & James White remaining on vocals/guitar & bass, but the band will see the return of The Bear Hunters' Johnny Belanger on drums this weekend (replacing Rick White), marking his first appearances with the band since the fall of 2010. It's good to see Johnny back, and hopefully this Caveman Morrison lineup achieves some stability and lots of future concerts! So if you're in the mood for a full weekend's worth of classic metal covers from this talented trio, be at The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow and/or Saturday night at 9:30 PM, and both shows have 19+ age limits and no cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds good to me, and hopefully Caveman Morrison's new lineup rocks the house all weekend, so keep these shows in mind! For a preview, here's Caveman Morrison's late 2010 lineup covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" at the former Foggy Notions!
Now for a quick detour to Sault Michigan, and I apologize if I've missed any other shows this weekend beyond these ones. The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino welcomes Charlevoix classic metal trio Peril back to the area this weekend for a full weekend of originals and covers, in their first concerts in Sault Michigan in 6 months! It's great to finally see Peril (featuring former Bad Side drummer Brooks Elliott) back in the area, and you know they'll deliver some hard rocking good times all weekend long at The Rapids Lounge! From what I can tell, nothing's too different about this weekend's shows compared to Peril's usual area stops, so I'd expect no cover, 21+ age limits, and 10:00 PM start timed for both tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts. For more details, visit Peril's official Facebook page! Hopefully Peril's return to the Soo goes awesomely this weekend, and fingers crossed that this weekend's shows aren't the only time that we'll hear Peril's proficient metal attack in 2012! For a preview, here's Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"!
And finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for one more metal/hard rock concert this weekend, that being the latest show from local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester! Three weeks after rocking Quattro Chophouse & Bar during the CARHA Hockey World Cup, they'll play their first show at Docks Riverfront Grill in a month on Saturday night for a one-night-only engagement this weekend! Despite what Docks' website's event listings say, That's Chester will not be playing there on Friday for unknown reasons, so if you want to rock out with their classic and modern covers and have a good time, be at Docks on Saturday night! Admission should be $4, you must be 19 to attend, and an 11:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid concert from this very talented group of local music veterans, and hopefully a good crowd turns out on Saturday to rock out with That's Chester! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" at Docks in 2010!
That's all for today but stay tuned for our Algoma University Battle of the Bands profile TOMORROW, along with our "Woods V" review by Saturday, more news, and if all goes according to plan, a review of tomorrow's Lust Boys show? Fingers crossed, and thanks everyone!
Here's another news post to kick off this Thursday with, and it has a lot of assorted stuff from the last while that we're finally getting on the site for you guys to check out! Today, we have a band breakup to mention, along with this week's classic video, a handful of assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and a new video discovery of a metal performance from a few years back, so here's what you need to know!
It looks like Sault Michigan metal quintet Hammerspace have disbanded again. An official statement hasn't been made to that effect, but posts are made by band members in a thread on the band's Facebook page last month that say things like "the band is broken, time to start anew" and "I had fun while it lasted." That comment thread got very personal & detailed, and I don't wanna bring anything bad to light, but a partial reason for Hammerspace's demise appears to be band members moving out of town, with only John Bergeron & Tim Podoba not mentioned as leaving by the spring. This appears to end Hammerspace's second local run, which didn't amount to much beyond some song postings, though fans are sure to remember their 2010-early 2011 run best of all, which featured a number of notable local concert dates. I enjoyed Hammerspace and thought they'd make it further than they did locally, but hopefully the guys stay active in music in the coming years, as there's a lot of talent there! Best of luck to John, Justin, Denny, Paul, Tim, and the other former members in the future, and if anything new comes out on Hammerspace or their members, I'll try to have it here!
Next up, here's an interesting find of a local band playing something heavier from a few years back! While doing research for an upcoming feature post, I came across a video of a Sault Michigan band named The Right Reverends playing two songs at a 2007 Battle of the Bands at Sault Area High School! The band featured singer/guitarists Robert Quinn & Tim Hall and drummer Mitchell Leon, who I believe was in the short lived death metal band Hands of Betrayal the following year. In this video, which YouTube user fishstix7711 posted online in February 2008, The Right Reverends covered Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" before playing what sounds like an original song named "Puppies" that definitely leans in a metal direction! It doesn't start until 4:52 into the video, and it's not too long, but it has a good sense of humour about it, even if it's nothing too technically amazing! I'm not sure whatever happened to The Right Reverends, but this is an interesting video from 5 years ago, so give it a look below if you wanna!
Thirdly for today, here's three more assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, musician, or post name:
I've updated our 2008 Case's Music Battle of the Bands Profile to note that "Best Bassist" winner Nathan Bouliane (then of the high school division champions Stillbroke) will also be at next month's Humane Society Battle with his new band The Moves, along with putting more emphasis on Behind Society drummer Josh Hatherley's later battle experience with The Glass Statues and Late & Loud. Nothing major, but I thought I'd mention them!
Ex-Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking for musicians for a new local metal project he's hoping to launch in the fall when he moves back to town. He has a drummer already for the project, and he sounds like he's already taking this new band very seriously. If you're at all interested in possibly trying out come this fall, then get more details via Dan's post on Friday at the Musicians Wanted Facebook group!
The fourth band for March 30th's Lust Boys concert at The Canadian Nightclub has been confirmed, and it's a new band named Pools of Booze! More specifically, they're local punk band T. Rex Manning in a one-off set without frontman J.D. Pearce (likely similar to Late & Loud's turn as General Striker last year), though a reason for J.D.'s absence isn't known. My source for the addition is this show's Facebook event page, and don't miss out!
And finally, here's this week's classic video! With them playing two different concerts this weekend, it made perfect sense to focus this week's classic video around local hardcore quintet As It Stands, and with it almost being a year since this video's filming, it's as good a time as any to put this on YouTube! This comes from one of As It Stands' out of town concerts last year, when they headlined a hardcore concert at The Coach & Horses in Windsor on March 26th, 2011. Attendee Jo-Ann Chayka filmed this video of the band playing their song "Conception" that night, and posted it onto Facebook the next day. It's a solid performance with good audio quality (Justin Pregent's very quiet clean singing aside), but the lighting is very dark and red, almost like it's in Virtual Boy-vision. It's a nice video though, and it's nice to see local bands making waves in Southern Ontario like this! This video was originally posted onto Facebook at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150174364083274 and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! All credit for this video goes to As It Stands and Jo-Ann, I'm just trying to share this performance with a wider audience like it deserves! It's a solid video of As It Stands, so give it a look below, and go see them at The Rosie & Speak Easy this weekend!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news, hopefully some concert reviews, and my "Woods V" review shortly! Thanks everyone!
Let's get some more news up on the SMS for you guys to check out, and it's a tale of band returns and new videos today, which includes a lot of classic sounds, unexpected news, and more, so read on below for all that you guys need to know!
Sault Ontario glam/punk quartet Dirty Virgin are apparently reuniting once again! The talented but infrequently seen local band will reportedly play their first concert in 11 months on March 30th, as they've been added to the lineup for that night's Lust Boys-headlined concert at The Canadian Nightclub! My source is the show's Facebook event page, and while Dirty Virgin themselves have yet to officially confirm the news, note that their online pages aren't frequently updated. This will mark just their second concert in the past 27 months (following their opening slot for Motley Crue tribute band Crued at The Canadian last April), and it remains to be seen if this will be a one-off gig or the start of a new active run. If this is 100% true, it'll be good to see Dirty Virgin back out there! They had a good sound & style going for them, and could handle glam rock and harder edged punk stuff pretty well, so whether this is another one-time thing or not, they'll fit in well with classic sounding metal bands like The Lust Boys and fellow local openers Late & Loud come March 30th! If I hear more on Dirty Virgin, you'll absolutely hear it here!
Also of note on this show briefly, Late & Loud guitarist Jonathan Tiberi had mentioned to me that another band has been added to this concert, though official pages have yet to confirm that news. I'll wait until official confirmation comes out to mention it here, but stay tuned for more on that!
Next up, another local band has resurfaced, and it's the local hair metal project Dust N' Bones! No, not the Guns N' Roses tribute band from Toronto that just played Sault Ontario earlier this month, they just share a name & genre. This is another project from End of Existence and Theatre of Night bandmates Craig Harrison and Steve & Greg Giles (with Craig on vocals), but compared to the darker & heavier sounds of their more prominent groups, Dust N' Bones is a tribute to 1980s hair & classic metal that doesn't take itself too seriously. Dust N' Bones have been active for a few years in the area, and we covered them a bit more often in the SMS' infancy, but they're resuming frequent public updates for the band after a public posting absence due to old band member issues with the material (probably the best way to put it.) According to the band's online pages, they have enlisted notable local musicians like Ben Huyck (NoXcape), Chris Leask (Powerslug), and Bart Rennels (I.S.O.M.) in their past lineups, but recent postings haven't acknowledged them as still being band members. As part of their public resurgence, they've updated their Facebook & Reverbnation pages, and have even posted a new song named "Ain't No Goin' Back" to go along with 7 other older original songs and one old live video from a 2008 concert!
The new song is, like their other originals, a complete departure from I.S.O.M. or E.O.E. material, but it's got a solid old school sound that should definitely find a local audience! Craig's singing is nice and melodic and fits the material, but I'd like to see him add some more grit. Still, if you enjoy 1980s hair metal, you should get a kick out of the local band named Dust N' Bones, so check them out once again at the above links!
We'll close with new videos, including one from the defunct local hard rock trio Browbeat... well, that and a couple of newly posted songs from their frontman Dutch Vanderploeg, who's keeping busy on his new solo project's Facebook & Reverbnation pages! Among the new media on Reverbnation are two newly posted original songs, including his old solo original "Eyelids Fall" and a new track named "So They Think". I've critiqued "Eyelids Fall" before for it's solid hard rock sound & unique chorus with dream-like elements, but "So They Think" has a great aggressive vibe and a nice solo, and I can definitely see Browbeat playing it live if they were reunited! Check them out at the above links, and as for that video? It's a previously unseen clip of Browbeat playing their song "Skeletons" at what looks like a jam session with their last lineup (including Caveman Morrison's James White & Johnny Belanger on bass & drums) circa early 2011, as posted to Dutch's brand new YouTube channel yesterday. It's not the first video we've seen of Browbeat from this set, but it's good to see again! More melodic with a nice hard rock vibe and awesome bass work, and it's nice to hear "Skeletons" in clearer fashion outside of a concert! Check out this newest Browbeat video below, and stay tuned for much more from Dutch and his various projects as I hear of them!
And finally, here's a new live concert video of a local band covering a hard rock song! Flat Stanley/Wishbone drummer (and local metal veteran) Glen Thomas uploaded this video of his old local rock band The Werx covering The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" at what looks like Korah Collegiate & Vocational School's 40th Reunion at The Essar Center in the fall of 2007! I'm assuming that it's that event by the band's similar attire and staging of Glen's other video from that show, where they covered U2's "I Will Follow". Also featuring Trish Halliday on vocals, Glen's old Huckster bandmate Sean Halliday on guitar, and former Driver bassist Scott Kennedy, this is a solid cover with nice soulful lyrics from Trish, though I've always found "She Sells Sanctuary" to be one of The Cult's more overplayed tracks. Glen also accentuated this video with some inset shots of their set, though they don't necessarily line up with the main center video. It's always good to see some bands of a non-metal persuasion cover something a little heavier, and The Werx pulled this one off well, so check out their Cult cover below!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news, this week's classic video, weekend concert previews, and hopefully my "W5" review as the week wears on! Thanks everyone!
March has arrived, and it's time to get to some overdue news and updates at the SMS! Today, we've got news on a brand new local metal CD release, a bunch of updates relating to a central Sault Ontario concert venue, lots of news from a local solo artist, and a pile of local musicians looking for new bands & musicians, so here's what you need to know!
As expected, Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids epic metal band End of Existence finally released their debut album yesterday! While postings of the album on iTunes, Amazon, Reverbnation, and similar sites have yet to be publically revealed on band pages, it is definitely available now on CD Baby for $9.99 in mp3 format! According to the track listing there, the self-titled album features 12 tracks clocking in at about 52 minutes in length, and we've heard most (if not all) of these songs at least partially so far. While the album is now on sale, and it's definitely worth purchasing to support the band, this might be even more appealing: End of Existence are offering mp3 copies of the album for FREE right now! To help promote their search for a new singer to replace Bob Helsten, you can e-mail the band right now to request a free copy at endofexistenceband@gmail.com! I've already done so, and I encourage you guys to buy and download it as well at the above links to enjoy the fruits of End of Existence's labour! And finally for today's news on End of Existence's debut, I can confirm right now that we should be reviewing this album on the SMS in early April, so our reviews are set for most of the spring! Stay tuned for more on this new local album release as it comes in!
Next up, here's some assorted updates related to Pim Street concert venue The Canadian Nightclub! Firstly, the March 30th concert scheduled to be headlined by Victoria, B.C. sleaze rockers The Lust Boys is indeed a go, as confirmed on a new Facebook event page for it! There was some venue unsure-ness, but it's good to see things remain where they were originally announced! No other details have been announced for this likely 19+ event, but I'll let you guys know as more is announced! In other Canadian concert news, we now know the ticket price for April 7th's Ypres Metal Fest, as confirmed by promoter Rich Moreland on that event's Facebook event page last night. The admission will be $20, which is more than worth it given the 11 band lineup, the high profile bands scheduled, and the tribute nature of the show. This will be a great event in David Gold's memory, and hopefully all of you guys (of all ages) can make it out! And finally, the Canadian's Jay Perron revealed on their Facebook group on Tuesday that they're looking for web designers willing to create and maintain an official website for The Canadian Nightclub. If you're at all interested, call (705) 253-3257 A.S.A.P. and ask for Carmen! Stay tuned for more news on The Canadian Nightclub's upcoming metal & hard rock shows!
Thirdly today, here's the latest news on local solo hard rock artist Mike Haggith's recent work! As revealed on his solo project's Facebook page last week, his independent record label Rotten Records changed their name to Galactic Records for unannounced reasons, and vocal recordings for his upcoming album "Neighbourhood Watch" are forthcoming, hopefully within the next two weeks! He also revealed the newest (and very different) track listing arrangement for the new album there, which has seen the songs "Stalking Booze & The Raptor", "Nightmare On Reed Street", "The Day The Lights Went Out", "My Angel", and the album's title track removed (again for unknown reasons.) In their place are new songs named "To Whom This May Concern" & "Wicked Midnight Ride", which now implies that "Neighbourhood Watch" will be shorter than was projected earlier this year. Slightly disappointing, but if this helps the album come out sooner, than it should work out! Finally in Mike Haggith news, his Facebook discography page (which featured info & artwork for all of his dozens of back albums) was recently deleted as part of Facebook's refocusing on partner music sites, so the vast majority of back album information is now gone unless it's reposted, which I hope happens at some point.
While it'd be a lot of work, I'm sure, Mike's Facebook discography was great to read up on earlier Rotten/Galactic Records releases and hear information on new albums, and hopefully his prediction of a reposting of it not happening "anytime soon" is an overestimate! Notably, the same thing happened to Sykotyk Rampage's Facebook discography too, and I hope they bring theirs back in some form as well! For now, stay tuned for more on Mike Haggith's future solo work and the release of "Neighbourhood Watch"!
And finally for today, here's six recent local musician searches for metal/hard rock bands in Sault Ontario, all of which come from the Musicians Wanted Facebook group over the past month! Like the last time we grouped these together, the respective posts inquiring on this topic are in alphabetical order by the posting users' names. Are you interested in joining or jamming with a new local band? Read on below for details!
Aftersight/Route 69 singer Ed Vowels is looking for a bass player for an unidentified rock band he's currently working on. Whether this is a reunited Aftersight or something new isn't publically known, but scroll to his post on February 23rd (as "Eddie V.") through this link if you're interested in possibly joining up!
Late & Loud guitarist Jonathan Tiberi posted on the Musicians Wanted group yesterday to gauge interest in forming a stoner/doom metal band this summer, inspired by bands like Sleep, as a separate entity from Late & Loud. This could be interesting if it moves forward, so give Jon a shout at this location for more details!
Gates of Winter frontman Lee Maines posted there on Friday inquiring about recruiting musicians for a new project that would play slower Isis/Meshuggah-inspired metal with original material & a heavy groove. I don't think this means anything towards Gates of Winter's status (just a separate project), but knowing Lee's talent, this could be a huge band if it takes off! Click here and move to his post on Friday for details!
Ex-Dirty Virgin bandmates Matt Hicks & Matt Clement are looking to join a new band as singer & guitarist, though what this means for their Riverin project's future is unclear. Matt Hicks described his vocal style as a mix of James Hetfield & Sully Erna, which is intriguing! If you're interested in shooting them a reply, scroll to their post on February 14th at this link for more info!
Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent is still looking for musicians of any type for a new death metal project, which appears to be separate from Skull After Betrayl. Varying bands are listed as influences, but if you're interested in possibly being a part, check out Mike's post from Tuesday at this location!
On February 9th, Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie inquired about finding a new bassist for a local hard rock band he's in. First instinct says that the band he means is Borderline Divine (formerly Stillbroke), implying that Jake Hache has already left, but official band sources haven't confirmed that news. I'll keep tabs on this story, but if you're an interested bassist, find Mitch's post from last month by clicking here!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post TOMORROW, along with weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!
Ben kept at it musically out west, where (as "Benny Blitz"), he joined Victoria glam metal band The Lust Boys in early 2010, though a planned homecoming gig with them in March 2012 at the former Canadian Nightclub did not take place due to their tour van breaking down 5 hours outside of town. The local openers, Late & Loud among them, played on though. Alas, Ben never got to bring any of his B.C. bands home for concerts, but he remained in The Lust Boys until they broke up in 2014, and he stayed musically active in the Vancouver area, where he and fellow Lust Boys alum Jayme Black formed the old school metal band Rebel Priest later that year. It's with Rebel Priest where Benny found the most success, releasing two studio albums and some other EPs and singles, and touring as far away as Japan on multiple occasions! Rebel Priest last played live at The Cobalt in Vancouver on November 21st. 
As "Benny Burn", he was also a guitarist in the Vancouver speed metal band Roadrash from 2017-2020, while Ben notably also worked as a bartender and live DJ. It was too easy to miss out on what Benny was up to in B.C. over the years, but he accomplished a lot as a musician there, and while our interactions were brief before he moved, he was always a good guy, and it's a shame to lose him so suddenly, especially just days after Christmas. If you haven't heard his three main bands since he moved, do check out The Lust Boys, Rebel Priest, and Roadrash, as there's some solid classic metal of varying flavours therein, and it'd be neat to see their original music get some well deserved Ontario and Michigan hits. I don't know if any services are planned yet in the Soo or Central Algoma, but we'll let you know when more comes out. Check on your friends, and please reach out if you're struggling. R.I.P. Benny!
