LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder), More Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

With some serious personal family matters going on this weekend, I don't anticipate posts to be as frequent for the next few days (at least), so if we miss any late notice concert alerts from a band like Mourning Wood, my apologies in advance. Today's post features some assorted recent notes, a local band's recent activity, and more of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for one night only at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show yesterday via it's Facebook event page. After taking the Rotaryfest weekend off, this will be Jugga & company's first show since rocking Rednecks and Ride For Sight a couple of weeks back, and their hard hitting and often varied covers should find a solid audience once again TOMORROW! No word though on why they're not playing at Rednecks tonight. Like usual for Havadder concerts, tomorrow's show is a 19+ affair with no announced cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! Havadder are always a reliably good time for your weekend entertainment, so keep tomorrow's show in mind, and here's the guys live last month!



Moving to a pair of previously announced concerts, Sault Michigan hard rock trio Power Slug are slated to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! The local cover favourites featuring I.S.O.M. members Bob Helsten & Chris Leask will be making their first announced public concert appearances in over a month this weekend, and while the band hasn't acknowledged them on their own Facebook page, Kewadin's entertainment page confirms them (note also that we have new shows through September to announce at local Kewadin branches, so stay tuned for that!) As usual, this weekend's shows have 21+ age limits, no announced cover charge, and 9:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links! Power Slug haven't played as much lately, but hopefully the guys have a great weekend in store, so make sure to chug your mug with them! Here's the guys a few years back!



Next up, here's some long overdue updates from local rap/metal quartet & VM Radio Battle finalists The Apocalypse Afterparty, so what have they been up to in the past month? As per their Facebook page on Sunday, the masked bandits are still working on their debut EP, planning to be "reclusive & ghost-like" while recording brand new tracks at Mission Control Studios, and upon release "after many, many moons", it'll be a 3 song EP on USB sticks, mp3 downloads, and a limited vinyl pressing (no word on CDs though.) The guys also elaborated on their earlier teases of a comic book on the band, which is apparently in it's final draft, will have work by a professional comic artist, and a cover will be posted in a few weeks upon completion. In terms of concerts, the Afterparty teased an upcoming Gonqshow appearance (presumably August 7th's Hard Up show) and other upcoming concerts.

There's no direct reference within to their drummer vacancy, but the post includes some vague remarks including an apology to "Rotary support", and plans to start a war with "a loud, public figure", but you can read into things however you want. Nice to see that The Apocalypse Afterparty are still active and running through some ambitious plans, so follow the band above, and stay tuned for more from their camp as it rolls in!

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

• With their announced breakup following their Rotaryfest set last week, we have moved local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue to our inactive band links, albeit under their original name The Suicide Kings, as they accomplished more & were active longer under that name. If a defunct band has had multiple names, we usually list them in our links under their most prominent name for familiarity's sake, not unlike with bassist Mitch Sirie's old band Stillbroke, who closed their run as Borderline Divine. If Beuamont Avenue ever reunites under that name, they'll be re-listed accordingly!
• This might just be re-stating the obvious, but we might as well confirm that next month's planned Das Bunkerfest II concert from Six Two Oh appears to have been cancelled outright. Promoters had hoped to host the Garden River-based house party festival in a new location after ceding control of the original venue, but with the Facebook event page now deleted, that presumably ends plans for the sequel event. Keep an eye out for new Six Two Oh shows!
• If you noticed that SooToday's "Soo To-Do List" from last week listed an appearance by Kingston country solo artist Tom Savage at the Pixo Control/Gnaeus concert at LopLops Lounge, you're not alone, but that appears to be a typo. Savage did play a LopLops event on July 10th opening for Brock Zeman, so that might be where wires were crossed, and no advertising for the Pixo Control show credits extra performers beyond the Gnaeus teases. Hopefully that show was a hit!

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

New VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Videos, Das Bunkerfest II Updates, And More!!

As we slowly wind down the month of March, we have a new news post for your Sunday afternoon, which includes some assorted updates, a big change for a hyped upcoming concert event, but first, we have new videos from this month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands via one act's own uploads and the last of a local webseries' coverage, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with our long awaited look at the last of Local2's four part video look at this month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub via their newest Tuned episode! Notably guest-hosted by VM Radio's Derek Turner (also Garden of Bedlam's drummer) in lieu of Donna Hopper, who was under the weather at the time, the episode otherwise follows the structure of the last three episodes, starting with a recap of the previous week's semifinal by judges Rob Speers and myself (no Dustin Jones again due to scheduling conflicts), before featuring introductions and performance footage of the finalist bands (the fourth place Apocalypse Afterparty, runners-up The Bear Hunters, third place Mannapool, and winners/wild cards Gnaeus), before showing the first place award presentation to Gnaeus. Though shorter than I expected (with no footage of the individual award presentations), this is a another solid episode of Tuned, and Derek filled in well as guest host!

No word yet on if there will be a judges' recap video on the finals, but if called to do one, I'm open to it! This was a great battle of the bands, so be sure to check out all four of these Tuned episodes to get caught up on this event that was! (Note that while this episode features a new video player on Local2, it still doesn't visibly allow external embedding.)

Next up, one of the bands from said battle have posted some new videos from their semifinal set onto their Facebook page, they being week #3 competitors Mike Haggith & The Din! The alternative/acid rock trio were filmed by an attendee playing original songs "Of Cars & Criminals", "We Met As Surrogates", "This Potato May Be Used As A Flotation Device", "Cowardly Hearts Beneath The Stars", and (as embedded below) their cover of Live's "Lightning Crashes", with all uploaded to their Facebook page last week,  though note that "Cowardly Hearts..." is filmed on a sideways angle for one reason or another. All are well filmed with solid audio quality from up close to the stage, though Mike remains hard to hear on vocals like he was live at the event. I concede liking their older jam rock style more, but the new Din material is more focused and direct, so check out the new videos above & below! (And yes, I saw the teased Haggith lineup changes, we're waiting for more info on that.)



Also today, here's the latest on this August's Das Bunkerfest II, including a major planned change to the venue. Co-promoter/AlgomA frontman Boyd Rendell (a.k.a. Darby Wigwaus) revealed on the Facebook event page last week that the show won't be hosted at "Das Bunker" in Garden River like it was last summer, as Boyd has opted to hand ownership of the property over to his sister, but he is planning to host Das Bunkerfest in a new location to be determined, citing that he has "THE best minds in SSM show promoting it", so he's not worried. Before the announcement, there were two lineup changes, as Saskatchewan stoner metal band Chronobot dropped out due to frontman Darius Simonot & family expecting a new baby (congratulations!), but Toronto punk band The Cola Heads (featuring Detroit alum/Soo native Curtis Faux) were added to the lineup as well, which is awesome if things hold up!

That said, things can change in the interim, and Boyd isn't forecasting ticket availability until late May, so visit the above links for more details as they roll in, and hopefully Das Bunkerfest II goes on as planned at a new home!

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

• Though not the focus of the article, a photo of Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's set, plus one of Tidal Records artists (including The Pixo Control) are included in Donna Hopper's photo album from The Boot Hill Crooners' CD release party at LopLops on March 20th, which you can check out on SooToday along with an article on the event! Nicely written, so be sure to read it if you're a Crooners fan or missed the show! For reference, their set did include a Hank Williams III cover.
• Local indie/punk band Northwest will be featured in an upcoming episode of Local2's new acoustic stripped-down performance webseries Bare, as per this photo shared on their Facebook page, which confirms that frontman Wayne Watkins and guitarist Greg Callaghan will represent them in the episode. This should be a good one, so keep an eye out for it in the near future!
• I've deleted defunct local recording studio The Smoke & Oak Room from our "Other Sault Ontario Links" section due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page. Ran by Blackwater alum Dave Pihlaja, the studio was used to record Crimson Crusade's EP and Beaumont Avenue's initial studio tracks for their yet-released debut album, but Dave moved to Toronto in late 2013, so that might be connected to the page's closure. Hopefully he stays active in music production and bands as well!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more this week, including this month's CD review likely next! Thanks everyone!

The New Tuned Episode, Blood Shed Productions Updates, And Much More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap today? Assorted shorter recent news items, a new song from a talented local musician that has a lot of personal meaning, the lastest updates from a local label, and leading off, a popular webseries' newest installment, so here's what you need to know!

The newest episode of Local2's ongoing music spotlight webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper was posted on Wednesday, so what should you know on it? The lead story features Donna interviewing Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori on his relocation of his recording studio from Toronto to The Machine Shop at Mill Square, which you may have read about on SooToday earlier this month. Featuring part of an acoustic rendition of their song "American Psycho", the interview features Greig discussing how he got involved with Mill Square and Algoma University for his studio's move home, plans for new concerts & recordings that he'll help bring to The Machine Shop, and his optimism for the development plans at Mill Square. I won't spoil the contents of the interview, but he genuinely seems very excited about what's going down! He also plugged Treble Charger's own concert at Bon Soo on February 6th, which Donna also mentioned in the concert calendar segment.

The episode closes with footage of Chris Johns' set at LopLops last month during their 12 Musicians of Christmas event, and as usual, bloopers during the credits. Another strong episode, and while there's still a lot to be revealed about Greig's local studio and his work with The Machine Shop, we should know more once things open in the spring! We'll keep you posted, and check out the full new Tuned episode at this link! Remember, Local2's video host doesn't allow external embedding.

Next up, here's the latest from local independent metal/rap label Blood Shed Productions, who have been hard at work in recent weeks! The track listing for their upcoming 11-way split CD is now available to check out on local goregrind duo Rotopsy's Facebook page, and it features 28 songs (remember, many of the featured bands specialize in very short songs.) You can see the full track listing at this link (we won't embed it here due to some potentially offensive song titles), but 18 of the 28 songs are from local artists, none are featured on more than 3 tracks, and two bands (The Apocalypse Afterparty and Britain's Peppermint Green) are only included once each. This split album is ambitious to be sure, but we'll surely hear more come next month's release party! Rotopsy bassist/label owner Tyler Gibson has also revealed some big news from his own solo project Crucify The Whore, so what should you know from their camp?

In the past week via their Facebook page, Tyler has revealed that C.T.W. are working on a planned split release of some kind with North Bay grindcore band Scrotox (more on that is coming in March), and that he's working on a mini-tour for C.T.W. & Rotopsy this summer (that may include American dates.) He also teased a second Dank Fest concert, which would be a sequel to last April's 10+ band all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall. There's more afoot from the Blood Shed, but the guys are definitely busy and aren't even close to done, so follow along at the above links!

Also today, here's a new solo song from Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison, though it has a very personal connection. The first upload on his YouTube channel since Sense of Truth's live debut six years ago, it's of an original song named "Just A Fiction", which Cory wrote about his dad's struggle with depression after suffering a stroke last year., and how attention should be brought to depression and mental illness. The video features scrolling text about the song's origin before transitioning to a slideshow of photos of him and his dad, plus other relevant pictures to the song's message, ending with how his dad is doing now. It's a a dark but soft song that has an Alice In Chains feel to it at times, but above all else, it does bring attention to depression, which Cory has had to witness first hand, and it's worth watching on that basis especially! Give it a look below!



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

• Edmonton garage rock band The Archaics (who played locally last summer) and pageless newer local metal trio Them are new confirmations for the second annual Das Bunkerfest, to be held at "Das Bunker" over the August 28th weekend. Solid choices, and stay tuned for fuller information on each day's full band schedule! Remember, we'll know the address "when we need to." Our source for the above info is the Facebook event page.
• After a month's hiatus to undergo renovations, local concert venue LopLops Lounge re-opened on Friday, so fans and regulars should be excited to hear that news! Our source is the venue's Facebook page. No word yet on the next hard rock or punk bookings for LopLops, but we'll let you know when we hear anything!
• New local internet radio network VM Radio (who recently launched a permanent sixth feed for electronic music, VM Bounce) have pledged to donate $1 to the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (or ARCH) for every person that likes their Facebook page, up to a $5,000 maximum. That's a great idea for a great cause, but VM Radio are only past halfway, so like them above, listen to VM Rocks, and click here for more details on the campaign!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Banned Concert Previews, A New Promotion Company, And Much More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a note on a postponed concert, as the Tiffany Maj benefit concert at Coch's Corner featuring Northwest & Late Shift has been postponed a week from tomorrow to next Saturday. Promoter/Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan explained on the Facebook event page that the date change was to avoid possible complications with tomorrow's Santa Claus Parade, which goes down Queen Street. Makes sense, especially with the earlier 8:00 PM start time, so keep the new date next Saturday in mind! Now, today's post features the remaining known hard rock concert previews for this weekend, news on a local promoter's reemergence, and much more, so here's what you need to know!

Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned are scheduled to return to the Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan for the first time this year TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the guys' first date in Sault Ste. Marie proper in three months, and will mark a rare Dondee stop for Alex, Wayne, and Don, so if you want to take in some entertaining and varied covers & originals, you know where to be this weekend! Of course, they'll be back in the Soo next month at The Rapids Lounge, but what if you can't be at those gigs? Admission this weekend is likely free, you must be 21 to attend each night, and like usual for the Dondee, these shows have an early start time of 8:00 PM. For more details, check the above links! Hopefully this weekend's shows go well, so don't miss Banned this weekend, and here they are covering the Imagine Dragons!



Next up, North Shore frontman and former local hardcore singer Jeremy Hannah is finally re-entering the promotion area of the local scene via his new company Pure Sonic Audio! Years after the closure of Big Voiced Records, Jeremy has ambitious plans to provide event coordination, professional DJ services, and light & sound rentals for concerts and events in the area, which he partially outlined in a new Facebook group he launched to help musicians post info about their development and to help them get local bookings. Jeremy says that he has "new strategies" to ensure that bands can make some money for their skills and play to crowds, but he needs help, so invite your friends to join the group linked above! A Pure Sonic Audio website is online too, but as of yet, it's mostly a placeholder page with blank links and generic write-ups. Jeremy has shared some of these plans with me in personal conversations in the past, and I'm curious to see where this goes, so follow and like the links above for more info, and Pure Sonic Audio's now in our "Other Local Metal Links"!

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

• Saskatchewan stoner/doom metal band Chronobot (who memorably opened for Skynet in the Soo in March) are a new confirmation for the lineup of the planned Das Bunkerfest II concert event at a Garden River location to be confirmed over the last weekend of August 2015, as per promoter Boyd Rendell on the Facebook event page yesterday. Solid addition, we'll have to see how everything shapes up next year, so see above for more info!
• So, who exactly are Infamous, the mystery act playing at Sault Band-O-Rama TODAY? According to a recent e-mail from co-promoter Steven Flint, their lineup features Lizzie Pearson on vocals, Social Suicide alum Anthony Boudreau on guitar, and Damon King on drums, with no obtained bassist yet. They appear to be one and the same as "The Damon King Band" that dropped out of Rock For Dimes last week, though they lack info (or an online page) otherwise. At least we know something on Infamous now, and thanks to Steven for the info!
• Last week, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades revealed on their Facebook page that they already have six songs in mind for their next EP, including the previously unveiled "Fear Corps", "Frederick", "Crossroads", "Motorwolf", and two new songs named "The Lot" and "Negative Headspace". It's not known when recording sessions would commence, but things sound promising, so stay tuned!
• Marquette/Ishpeming, Michigan hard rock cover quartet Nudge have a sampler clip of songs played at The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan during at least one of their local shows on their Reverbnation page! It features segments of the band covering Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls on Parade", Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls", Sponge's "Plowed", and The Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (To Party)", and all sound good (the Rage vocals are suprisingly effective), so give the clips a listen above!
• Urawk (the live band karaoke series led by members of Beaumont Avenue and Mourning Wood) will make their Rockstar Bar debut this coming Thursday, so if you want to enjoy the entertainment or sing on-stage with a real band, keep Urawk's first show since moving to The Algonquin in mind for next week! The debut there was postponed from yesterday due to the weather.
• New local internet radio network VM Radio have launched a sixth station for the next couple of months, that being VM Holidays, whose rotation obviously revolves around Christmas and seasonal songs. We mention this on here in particular because the station does have a handful of heavier Christmas songs on rotation, including Trans-Siberian Orchestra material, so if you want some seasonal music, give VM Holidays a listen!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW, and remember not to miss Sault Band-O-Rama TODAY at The Primavera Hall! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm & Tym Morrison), Plus Das Bunkerfest II Info!!

Keeping the news rolling along for this early stretch of October, we have a recent jam session video, big updates concerning an event almost a year away, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month (encompassing the only known concert previews we have this weekend in terms of "heavier" artists), so here's what you need to know!

Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will make their Sault Michigan debuts (I think) when they hit The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin Casino branch TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band quietly announced the shows on their Facebook page in August, but they only just came to our attention yesterday. These shows appear to be replacements for previously scheduled gigs by local country band Perry Hatch (source here), and follow a handful of successful weekends at the St. Ignace Kewadin in the past year, most recently in April. Featuring Peril frontman Jeff Hudson on drums, it's great to see Scarkazm finally come up to the Soo for a change, and their groove metal originals & covers should find a solid audience in their latest U.P. stops, so keep their shows this weekend in mind if you're up for some live metal action! 21+ age limit, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 age limits are in effect, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's the guys live last year!

Also newly announced, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has confirmed via Facebook that he'll be back at The Harp Bar & Grill TONIGHT, so we'll add his October concert schedule there to our concert listings! Remember, due to the immense length of scheduled bookings on his website's calendar, we're taking these shows a month at a time, as it'd be excessive to add continuous dates into the 2020s to our listings. In October, Tym is advertised on his website to return to the former Madison's Pub tonight & TOMORROW, as well as on October 10th & 11th, 17th & 18th, 24th & 25th, and on Friday the 31st (we'll list Saturday, November 1st too just to complete that weekend), though it's not explicitly clear yet whether Tym and/or the venue will have a Halloween theme then. For reference, the event page for this weekend only explicitly references tonight's show, not tomorrow's, but as his website still lists a Saturday gig, we'll list it as on unless we get additional clarification.

Pushing his ongoing weekly concert arrangement at The Harp into it's 44th-48th straight weekends, Tym will be on each night at around 10:00 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, check the above links! Whether you're up for his full solo show on Saturdays or his sets along with open mic acts on Fridays, keep Tym Morrison's Harp shows in mind this month, and for a preview, here's Tym live at The Harp last winter!



Finally, here's a surprise announcement for almost a year away that's almost a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Remember Das Bunkerfest, the private Garden River weekend concert event in August by Oh! Right Arm! Promotions that got a lot of online notice? Well, promoters are giving it a second go around over the last weekend of August 2015 (specifically, August 28th-30th, all 3 days), and they've already tentatively slotted in an intriguingly massive lineup for it! Remember though, with 11 months until show time, this can very easily change. As of right now, Das Bunkerfest II will feature Hamilton all-female hardcore punk band Pantychrist, Toronto crust punk quartet IDNS (as seen at "Das Bunker" last month), London doom/punk trio Moon Hag, Sudbury doom metal trio Horse Lung, and North Bay hardcore punk quartet The Muff Huffers, along with local metal & punk bands Shit Liver, Destroilet, AlgomA, Crucify the Whore, The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Bear Hunters, Rotopsy, Jack Spades, and surprisingly, a reunion of the older local punk band Nullified Youth, whose lineup featured AlgomA alumni!

The lineup is (for now) rounded out by local rappers Mikey Thomas, Conika, Phat Boii, and Brownman, with local DJ Hakan' Loob also scheduled for an "after hours dance party". Stacked lineup, and with a lot of female talent partly thanks to the out of town bands, so hopefully things don't change too much in the next year! A co-promotional effort by Oh! Right Arm!, Blood Shed Productions, and Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this will again take place at "Das Bunker" in Garden River, but this is absolutely a public event (at least one shuttle bus is planned too, a'la 2013's Big Loonie Bus Show in Echo Bay.) That said, as is our usual protocol, we don't list a show in our concert listings unless there's a publically advertised address, and if prior "Das Bunker" shows are any indication, we'll know the address "when we need to". Tickets will be $15 and will go on sale in May 2015, so stay tuned to the Facebook event page for full updates as they come in for the very intriguing second Das Bunkerfest!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more big news in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Project 421, Rotopsy, And Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And More!!

Getting back to news for the first time since Saturday, we have new videos and/or updates from 3 different local hard rock bands, and out of fairness, we've got their items listed in alphabetical order below, with some shorter assorted updates to round things out at post's end! Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

Local classic metal band Project 421 have quietly parted ways with singer Curtis McKenzie, as per his recent removal from their Facebook page's lineup. A public reason for his departure has not been announced, but guitarist Blair Burch indicated in a recent e-mail that the split was related to musical differences, but was 100% amicable. It should also be noted that Curt hasn't fronted Project 421 in concert since Dank Fest at The Oddfellows Hall in April, and work commitments kept him from the band's most recent gig (Jack Spades' EP release show at The Rockstar Bar in May.) While his brother Travis filled in for that show, and Blair handled lead vocals on some songs that night too, he indicated that they are looking for a full replacement singer, so if you're interested, message the band at the above links! It's disappointing to hear that Curt left, especially given the impressive singing range he displayed with them during his early 2014 run with Project 421, but follow Haggith for his and bassist Daniel Horton's current music!

Next up, we have some new videos from local goregrind duo Rotopsy, who've uploaded two videos onto their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel from their set at the private Das Bunkerfest in nearby Garden River earlier this month! Uploaded yesterday, these include performances of one song whose name we won't post here due to it's explicit name, and as embedded below, their original "Shovel Packin'" with Shit Liver's Josh Penno on guest vocals, so how do these turn out? The videos are incredibly dark, and are filmed from what appears to be behind the stage, but this photo comes from their Das Bunkerfest set, and Josh does rock the sombrero well! The audio's scratchy too, but the vocals can be loud and forceful, and things appear to be consistent musically from surrounding public Rotopsy shows! Check out the full "Shovel Packin'" video below, and see more from Rotopsy at the above links!



Also today, here's the latest from local hard rockers Skeyes of Seven, starting with the confirmation that they are publically looking for a new bassist to replace the departed Mike Mannarino. As per guitarist Alain Fletcher's post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Sunday, the band is looking for an experienced bassist that is reliable, able to rehearse twice a week, and be willing to write music, while back-up vocals are an asset (though not a dealbreaker.) If you're interested in trying out, message the band at skeyesofseven@gmail.com! Auditionees will have big shoes to fill though, as you can see in Skeyes of Seven's newest video that the band uploaded to their Facebook page on Saturday, which is similar to the Tool cover that was posted onto YouTube last week. All were filmed using a Go Pro camera mounted on Mike's bass head, but in this video's case, it captures clips of their original songs "Anything At All", "Fallen Faith", "Destinations Unknown", "See The Truth", and "I Am", and for reference, I think the last two are relatively new, but I may be wrong on that.

The biggest visual difference here is that the camera was mounted vertically, so we get a narrower view of Mike playing, and consequently, it's smaller and lower quality, but the audio is great, and you can see Mike's bass skill nice and close! Hopefully Skeyes of Seven can find the right guy (or girl?!) to replace Mike going forward, but check out their newest bass cam video below, and if you're interested in trying out, message the band above!



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

• As a clarification from our recent write-up on Frapperteterhead's cassette demo that recently made it onto YouTube, we can now confirm that their bassist (credited as "Swartz") was future Lost Souls bassist Eric Schweinzer, while their drummer (credited as "Mr. Phibinger") was Tom Dawson, older brother of Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce. Thanks to the aforementioned Blair Burch for filling in the gaps!
• The Apocalypse Afterparty's planned Smokin' Heroines team of costumed female fans now has their own Facebook page, and if you're interested in taking part at their concerts and Soo Band Roulette, and firing and shooting off various fun paraphernalia mid-set, message above to inquire within! As they're not a "band" in and of themselves, The Smokin' Heroines are now in our "Other Local Metal Links" section.
• The new Telephone & Address album will apparently be back from it's pressing in Toronto at some point today, as per their Facebook page last week. The album will be $15, which may seem high, but the album will have 15 songs too. No word yet on if it will have an in-concert or online availability or just be on request, but for reference, Telephone & Address did just play a private house party concert with Bad Back and out of town punk duo Bardos on Saturday. Keep an eye out for updates!

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

A New Local Band, Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And More!!

Before we post our review of last night's Archspire concert, we have a new news post for you guys this morning, including a new solo performance video, recent concert clips, and big updates from a local hard rock outfit, but first, here's a new local punk band that you guys might wanna check out!

Remember how this past weekend's private Das Bunkerfest featured a handful of unknown bands? Well, at least one will be of great interest to SMS readers, and they are The Apocalypse Afterparty! The newest in the recent influx of two man metal & punk bands in the area (joining Bad Back and various Blood Shed Productions artists), their lineup includes a singer and bassist named "Z" and a drummer named "X", and while both use the stage names and masks to conceal their identities, songwriting credit is given to ex-Smeltzer bandmates Paul Stanghetta (The Fury) and Steve Mozarowski (RedD Monkey), so you can draw your own conclusions from there. I'll note that I have heard about The Apocalypse Afterparty's jam sessions actually getting noise complaints, which some may take as a good sign for their live shows! Self described as "a fresh new noise", the band's public debut has yet to be announced, but attendee Amanda Brown was in attendance to film four songs at Das Bunkerfest on Saturday, so how do they sound?

As uploaded to her YouTube channel yesterday, her videos include this short untitled clip, and their songs "Glory & Gore" and "The Crowd", but we have the longest (also untitled) song embedded below. Musically, The Apocalypse Afterparty share similarities with The Fury, but with more of a rap influence, and I recall "The Crowd" (or a similarly structured song) taking place in that band's shows. Entertaining, and the fans seem to be responding well! I don't know if this means that The Fury have disbanded again or not, we'll let you know if we get clarification. For the record, Das Bunkerfest looks to have taken place indoors, and there's a good setup for the stage and fans! Check out The Apocalypse Afterparty below, and they're now in our band links!



Next up, here's the latest from local modern hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven, including the news that they've apparently parted ways with bassist Mike Mannarino. Though an official reason for his exit has not been made, personal Facebook postings are indicating that Mike ("Minus Blue" on Facebook) and his family are soon moving out of the area. He also posted a heartfelt message on the band's Facebook page on August 1st thanking the band for all that they've accomplished and gave to him over the past few years, and it's worth checking out! Also well known from past band work with the likes of Tripod the Dog, Mike was a founding member of Skeyes of Seven upon their 2012 debut, and featured in both of their concerts and their "Fallen Faith" single. This is disappointing news, but you can tell this is more than amicable between all parties, and we wish Mike the best wherever his travels lead! Before leaving, the band shot this GoPro video focusing on Mike during a jam session cover of Tool's "Schism" on July 31st, so how does it sound?

Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Saturday, this is well filmed at a creative angle (apparently mounted on his bass' head), and it's a quality cover from this talented band that we don't see nearly often enough! Mike's bass skill will be missed, so give the newest Skeyes of Seven video a look, and stay tuned for updates!



Also, local all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats uploaded two new videos from their weekend at The Esquire Club onto their YouTube channel on Saturday! One is of their cover of The Runaways' "Queens of Noise", but embedded below are covers of The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian", and you can click each song name to go straight to the cover in question. Like their earlier Esquire Club videos, these are strong covers, if darkly lit, and they know the songs well, but a little more energy wouldn't hurt. Good stuff all around though, so give The Danger Cats' new videos a look above & below!



Finally for today, here's a new solo performance video from veteran local hard rock guitarist (and Audiofumes podcast host) Mike Cliffe! His first proper solo video on his YouTube channel in 8 months (not counting videos relating to collaborative songs and Audiofumes streams), this is of Mike jamming along to Ste Van Horne's "Worlds Effect", and he adds an experimental guitar flourish to this interesting (though repetitive) number! Hopefully we see more videos from Mike's solo music than we have been getting, so give it a look below, and go check out or submit music for the Audiofumes podcasts! It's a fun listen!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of last night's Archspire show next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Sault Michigan Concert Previews, And Das Bunkerfest Info!!

In our second weekend concert preview post, we have an acknowledgement of a private show that has a great lineup and is getting solid advertising (we don't often plug private shows, so this says something about this one!), but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related show preview for the Sault Michigan area this weekend!

Kinross, Michigan hard rock trio Banned will once again be among the live entertainment for this year's Sugar Island Music Festival, specifically playing TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced their involvement on Monday, and I think the Sugar Island Festival's schedule was only recently publicized too. After largely taking July off (aside from private events), Banned will return to the public concert scene at this long running regional concert festival, which sees regional artists playing on the familiar outdoor stage from today through Sunday, along with kids activities and nightly campfire jam sessions, so be sure to visit this link for full details on non-musical events! Emceed by Stephen Lee Rich, Susan Urban and Phil Cooper, Banned (again this year's only hard rock band) will play this evening at 7:15 PM, and will be preceding Flint classic rockers 3-Zip, Hillsdale jam band All Arms, The Fosters Sportsmen's Club Band, and Toledo classic rockers Three & A Half Man at 10:15, 9:30, 8:45, and 8:00 PM respectively.

Today's other acts include local pop rock duo Missy & Chelsea at 6:30 PM, Junior & The Dinosaurs at 5:45 PM, and co-event MC Stephen Lee Rich at 5:00 PM. The other days do not feature Banned, but today's last 4 acts and Stephen are all returning for Saturday & Sunday (3-Zip are headlining each night too), so for full schedule details after Friday, click here! Located off Lecoy Road on nearby Sugar Island (which requires a ferry ride to get to), admission is $10 for an all-weekend button at Grooves Music in the Soo, or at The Hilltop Bar, Ed's Bayview Store, and the Westshore Convenience Store on Sugar Island. Kids 12 and under are FREE, and click here for costs relating to camping, vending, and related events. Check the above links for more details! While we're on the subject, Banned will also return to The Runway Bar in Hessel, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT for a previously announced solo gig there, as part of the festivities at The Runway Bar's "backyard bash" with a preceding dinner, so if you're in the Hessel area and are up for some more normal live music, don't miss Banned's first stop there in 6 months tomorrow!

That show will be 21+, have a 9:30 PM start time, and has no announced cover charge, so check the above links for more details on it! Nice to see Banned back on the public stage this weekend, and hopefully Alex, Don, and Jim get back to their usual tricks in the process! Busy weekend for festivals too, with The Emergency in Sault Ontario tomorrow as well, but The Sugar Island's classic/folk performers and family entertainment have long been successful, and hopefully things work out well this weekend! For a preview, here's Banned covering the Imagine Dragons!



Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge an invite only private event this weekend that has quite the impressive lineup, and is making the rounds a fair amount via some bands' online pages, but is definitely a private show. Tomorrow & Sunday, Oh! Right Arm! Promotions (in association with Blood Shed Productions and RedD Monkey's Steve Mozarowski) are hosting Das Bunkerfest 2014 in nearby Garden River, which will be hosted near the Ojibway River with camping encouraged, and everyone's pitched in for a solid lineup full of familiar faces, newer projects, and some from out of town! In case you haven't seen the poster (which has been publically shared), the featured bands tomorrow include Edmonton garage rockers The Archaics (who just played here last month), local grunge duo Bad Back, rappers Conika & Gnostic, the return of local bass standout James Watterworth, DJ Hakan' Loob, ukelele performer "Tchandra Tchaikovsky", and three acts that we're awaiting further details on (Apocalypse Afterparty, The Beau Regards, and Mikey Thomas.)

As for Sunday, the bands include Edmonton hardcore quintet Ringleader, Saskatchewan punk quartet Castaway, and local/St. Catharines' grindcore trio Shit Liver (in just their second local show since moving), as well as local sludge trio AlgomA, Blood Shed grind acts Crucify The Whore & Rotopsy, the long awaited return of local thrashers Pillory, and the live debut of frontman Robert Sartini's newest metal band Shadowthrone. Excellent and diverse lineups, and the promoters have outdone themselves, though it's honestly a shame in many respects that this is by invite only. If you're received a Facebook invite, you can check the Facebook event page for full event details (including the event address when confirmed by promoters), and either way, give the poster a look above! I have indeed been invited, and while Sunday is definitely the best lineup for metalheads, I honestly have better odds of attending tomorrow, if at all, pending my schedule. Either way, we'll cover any and all fallout from the show when publicized, so stay tuned just in case, and if you've been invited to Das Bunkerfest, don't miss out on all of the action this weekend in Garden River!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new defunct punk band feature and more soon! Thanks everyone!