Toystock & Tarnished Updates, Plus More News & Notes!!

Here is our newest post on the SMS, keeping with our recent schedule of having a new SMS post every three days due to a lack of new material. At the moment, I am forecasting this month's YouTube Channel Profile hitting the site on Wednesday, but if I catch word of any short notice concerts for the upcoming weekend, I could bump the feature post ahead to likely end this very slow month. Time will tell, but let's kick things off with a big concert cancellation, followed by some more recent updates!

Despite an optimistic teaser post on their Facebook page on November 4th, the ninth annual Toystock charity concert has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In a post shared from organizer/performer Greg Simpson's personal Facebook page yesterday, he noted that they were looking into hosting Toystock as a live-streamed event with one band playing online each day over a 10 day span, but fears from organizers and performers of coronavirus case increases, restrictions on indoor gathering allowances, and a potential second lockdown have led to this decision, as well as the reality of fundraising websites needing to take a percentage of donations. I fully understand Greg and company's call, especially if it hinders their ability to entertain while also facilitating Christmas Cheer donations as usual. That said, Greg promises to bring back "the biggest and best Toystock event yet" in 2021, and he strongly encourages everyone to donate new/unopened items to Christmas Cheer.

Were it not for COVID-19, Toystock IX likely would have been held this coming Sunday at The Grand Gardens North, FYI. This is definitely a disappointing announcement, but if you can't give Toystock your all for the great cause it supports, especially as a kick-off to Christmas season, postponing it to next year does make sense in that way. See above for more details on the Toystock cancellation, and donate what you can for Christmas Cheer to make the holidays brighter for those in need!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished, starting with the launch of their own YouTube channel! So far, there are four videos uploaded there, all re-shares from Facebook, including the previously seen behind-the-scenes clip from the "Metalyn" music video shoot. The most substantial of the others is embedded below, and it relates to a new merchandise give-away contest that the guys started last week, as teased via a series of Facebook page-exclusive videos. These were all short and primarily feature new pictures of band members alongside a lot of post-production clip-art and logos, with last Sunday's video's description noting that it has a "victory selfie from finishing recording at our studio." Did they record more studio material, or is this referencing work on the music video? Only one of the teaser clips actually has motion, namely the last one featuring a pan and scan of wintry conditions before bassist Josh Fair hypes the giveaway.

That all said, what should you know about the actual merch give-away? In the video, Tarnished (minus Gary) announced that they will hold draws starting on Wednesday, December 2nd for five merchandise bundles, and you can enter by liking, sharing, and/or commenting on the video, which will count for up to three entries. The five bundles will include signed copies of their debut CD "Down To The Wire" and frontman Alex Traynor's solo album "Crazy World", t-shirts, wristbands, and/or guitar picks, with one winner getting everything, and they'll do another set of giveaways if the video is shared 10,000 times. This sounds like a fun idea during this low point of the pandemic, and it may be a remedy for Tarnished to disperse some of their merchandise when they can't sell it live. In a follow-up "After Hours" video, you can see Alex, Josh, and Nathan jokingly discussing what their next plans are, albeit with some honesty about the pandemic-hit 2020 calendar.

There are more videos from Tarnished's Facebook and YouTube pages to share here, but to spread things out and ensure content for posts next week, I'll hold them for now. Tarnished are doing what they can to keep up fan interest at a rough point in the pandemic, and this contest should definitely help, so get more details on their current activity above & below!

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

• Local hard rock solo project Hubbard announced on their Facebook page last month that they have "been fine-tuning a lot of songs in the past few weeks", that there is "fun stuff to come next year", and to "stick around for new music". Given Chris' pedigree as a guitarist and his familiar local band work, the sporadic updates from his solo work are very surprising, but fingers crossed we hear more of his new original content in the near future!
  
• Back on June 1st, The Sault Community Theatre Centre's Facebook page announced that the Queen: It's A Kinda Magic tribute concert in Sault Ontario has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 2nd of next year, exactly 50 weeks from the original June 17th date, obviously called off due to COVID-19. Hopefully the new date holds up, as this tribute band deliver the goods! Tickets bought for the original date should be honoured, and contact the S.C.T.C. box office for details on refunds if so desired.
• Local punk trio Redundant announced on their Facebook page on November 1st that they "spent some time writing tonight" and have "new songs coming your way", while later asking fans to suggest songs that they should cover. Nice to see that the guys are staying busy this fall, and hopefully the fruits of their labour will turn up at some point soon! See above for more details!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile by Wednesday, unless there's some concerts to preview! Thanks everyone!

The Return Of Skeyes Of Seven, Plus A New Live-Streamed Concert!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Wednesday evening, and it is devoted to two topics relating to veteran local musicians: A new live-streamed at-home concert, and a surprise reunion from a talented band who are throwing their hat into a contest ring. Here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven are back! Almost three years removed from their last public update and live concert, the guys have entered the $20,000 Summer Song contest being held by Corus Radio, as well advertised on many of their active radio stations, which is open to Canadian musicians and bands looking for their big break. Prospective acts have until Tuesday to enter via a video performance (performers don't have to be in the same room in the video), and a panel of judges from Corus Radio stations will pick the top 10 performances, before ultimately determining the $20,000 winner, plus a fan-voted $2,000 prize. Full disclosure, Corus Radio does not have any stations in Northern Ontario, but their closest ones to the Soo (source here) are the London rock station FM 96 and the Barrie top 40 station Fresh Radio 93.1. As best as I can tell, Skeyes of Seven are the only local band to enter at press time.

A couple of groups familiar from past local concerts have entered, like The Fortunate Losers and The Killin' Time Band, but there are dozens of entries that you can check out on the contest's YouTube channel, and all genres are welcome, as evidenced by the contest being hyped on rock, top 40, and country stations. You would think that being in a market 6 hours removed from a Corus-served city would be a disadvantage to Skeyes of Seven, but as of this writing, their video is the 15th most viewed in the Summer Song contest, so maybe that's a good sign? As for their video proper, this was filmed remotely due to social distancing (one assumes), and it features their entire 2017 lineup (Cory, Ron, Kyle, Al, and John) before they went on hiatus. The guys entered their (new?) song "Detonate" for the contest, and it has a good heavy sound with some progressive flourishes, including very solid guitar work and nice raspy yet melodic singing from Cory!

With the pandemic raging onward, it's anyone's guess when we'll see Skeyes of Seven in a proper public concert again, but it's great to see them back performing together in any fashion, and hopefully their return isn't just for this contest! Give "Detonate" a watch below, visit the above links for much more on Corus Radio's Summer Song Contest, and Skeyes of Seven are definitely back in our active band links!

Finally for today, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison hosted his 29th live-streamed concert on his YouTube channel last Thursday, and after show #28 was cut off after only a couple of songs due to technical difficulties, fans will be glad to know that the run-time of this one is back to his usual 2 hour length! Unfortunately, Tym is continuing to block external embedding of his live-streams on both this one and yesterday's (which will be covered on the site very soon.) After about 6 minutes of setup and the "Starting Soon" card, Tym's set from Thursday begins by covering Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'", Ed Sheeran's "Perfect", 10cc's "I'm Not In Love", Phil Collins' "One More Night", Radiohead's "Karma Police", Cheap Trick's "The Flame", Guns 'N Roses' "Patience", The Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care", Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Pride & Joy", Cat Stevens' "Wild World", ...

...The Flys' "Got You (Where I Want You)", Nazareth's "Sunshine", and Collective Soul's "Shine" (reprised from last Tuesday), before playing two original songs. The first one is not titled and I'm not confident in guessing it's name, but I have heard Tym play it before, while the other is "Nadine RIP My Friend", which Tym wrote and released online in 2013 in honour of his late friend Nadine Dowding (hear the original version here). Afterwards, Tym covers John Fogerty's "The Old Man Down The Road" and Richard Marx's "Hold On To The Nights", before tackling two more original song, namely his older cut "The Reason Why" and his more recent live staple "Say That You Care". The covers return to end the show, including renditions of Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver", Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", Extreme's "Hole Hearted", Mr. Big's "To Be With You", and The Beatles' "Blackbird".

Fun show overall with lots of familiar and somewhat deep cuts for his regular at-home concerts, and fans of Tym's original material will like the run of four songs out of six in the back half! The video was somewhat choppy early on, but it leveled out for the majority of the stream, and Tm performed strongly as usual, so fans will want to check out the whole thing below at the above links! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

Din Updates, Sunrise Records' Local Artist Contest, And A New Concert Video!!

After a slow stretch for news and updates on the SMS over the weekend, we are back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, and yes, our latest YouTube Channel Profile will follow by tomorrow! Here, we have a new concert video, and details on a new contest that four local bands (and counting?) have jumped in on, but first, here's big updates from a band whose days are numbered, but still have a lot to offer!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din have finally posted their live album "The Din Does Laundry" on Bandcamp... well, most of it! With their planned disbanding now under a month away, their sole paid non-studio CD (recorded at The Gore Street Cafe in March 2016 and released the following month) is now finally available for digital download on their Bandcamp page, complete with exclusive cover artwork in this format, so if you missed the limited physical release last year, here's your (partial) second chance! It's on a "name your price" model, but for reference, CDs cost $3 last year. If you're a purist, you will want to track down the original CD, as the Bandcamp version is noticeably pared down, primarily due to the four covers ("Fragile Bird", "The Old Apartment", "Times Like These", and "With A Little Help From My Friends") being removed for obvious legal reasons. That said, it'd be cool to see them posted as Facebook or YouTube exclusives if possible.

Apart from that, there have been more edits to the included songs, most notably the merger of the short introduction tracks "Spin Cycle" & "Leamington, Ontario" into the full songs "A Drive Through The Peninsula" & "75" that followed them, while virtually every remaining song has had minor edits to the start and finish (largely to remove dead air.) Finally, two songs were re-titled, with the closing track now using it's shortened title "Potato", while "We Met As Surrogates" (promoted from unlisted bonus status) now has it's alternate title "We Met At The Circus". So, a 16 track, 64 minute CD was chopped down to a 10 track, 45 minute digital album, but if you didn't/can't get the original copy, this is better than nothing, and a nice surprise as The Din wind down their active run, so stream or download it at the above links! In one more solely-Din related note, they recorded a new "cover of the month"-style video, albeit exclusively for their Facebook page on Friday, and it's their version of Matchbox Twenty's "3 AM".

Featuring multiple camera angles of The Din in their jam session locale of similar older clips,this is a solid cover, as fans will have come to expect, but it's not an overly up-tempo or heavy choice of cover. Still, with studio quality audio from Pretoria Hill Productions, this is another nice bonus in The Din's final weeks, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them at The Canadian THIS FRIDAY NIGHT in their third-to-last live concert!



Next up, a few local bands have thrown their hat into the ring for Sunrise Records' Local Artist Contest, where one lucky Canadian band will win nationwide distribution of their CD at the music store chain! The grand prize winning band will also receive 500 copies of said album on CD & vinyl, the album as a personalized plaque, a feature on Sunrise Records' website, plus "social & newsletter support", while a runner-up band will get 500 copies of their album on CD, distribution at regional Sunrise stores, and "social support". As best as I can tell, four local bands (The Din, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, indie rock quartet K.I.C.K., and prog rock quintet Machines Dream) have signed up so far, with Jack Spades leading the way locally in 14th place for total votes, but all four bands could use your support, especially Machines Dream, who are distantly trailing at press time. Your band can get in on the contest too, by signing up at this link, and you can also vote there as well, where you can vote for multiple bands, albeit only once a day for each (a free registration is required.)

Beyond that, voting ends on Halloween, when the ten highest voted bands will enter the "judgement round", where Sunrise representatives will determine the winners, to be announced on November 10th. This sounds like a cool contest that's already attracting lots of local interest, and with a chance to vote for as many bands as you want once each daily, you can help get all four local bands and potential further sign-ups to move up the ranks! Best of luck, and click the above links or visit the appropriate Facebook links for further details on the contest! Remember, Sunrise replaced HMV at the Station Mall earlier this year, so stop in to support our newest record store!

Finally for today, here's a new Facebook video of Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906, as shared from guitarist Joe Jenkins' personal Facebook page to the band's own Facebook page yesterday! A nearly-complete cover of Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls", this was filmed at The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman on Saturday night, marking a rarity in both locale and length for their publically available videos. The video's visuals aren't entirely clear (the constantly changing lighting doesn't help), but it's a fine rendition of this Queen classic on a stationary camera, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more on their upcoming dates!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next, with more news and notes to follow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Hells Bells, Original Song Contest, And Halloween Party), And More Concert Previews!!

Before we begin today's post, one of this weekend's concerts was quietly cancelled, namely tomorrow's Deathsticks-headlined show at The New American Pub. Promoters confirmed on the Facebook event page last week that the Whitby garage punk duo can't make the trip due to work obligations, which is disappointing, but hopefully Deathsticks can come here in the future, and that we see the debuts of local openers Dark Garfunkel and Sleeping Together elsewhere! Now, here's three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one for TOMORROW) and the rest of the weekend's concert previews!

Tidal Records' previously announced songwriters competition goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge, and yes, some hard rock and punk artists are performing! Apologies for the short notice, the lineup was first publically announced last week, though it has since been updated. Though this isn't considered a "battle of the bands", 10 local musicians (largely singer/guitarists) will convene at LopLops TOMORROW to compete to have an original song recorded with Tidal Records head Dustin Jones, Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti, and Case's Music owner Jay Case at Dustin's own Mission Control Studios, including a digital release package, and the option to have studio musicians back them up if so desired. Performers will include hard rock and punk band alumni Justin Langlois (Redundant), Ed Vowels (Lucky 13), Cory Murchison (Skeyes of Seven), Andrew Pucci (Stereo North), and Jim O'Leary (ex-Griphook), alongside Nathan Albidone (Thin Ice), Jacob Quarrell (Shit Creek Survivor), and solo artists Tyler Moreau, Jenna Bannister, and Amanda Ridley, while Greg Callaghan (Northwest) is no longer listed as competing for unannounced reasons.

Nice roster of performers, including some unfamiliar faces, and it will be interesting to see who all plays what! Maybe some artists will break out new originals for their current bands, or resurrect songs we haven't heard in a long while? Each artist will apparently play two original songs and a cover song TOMORROW, with a $5 cover charge in effect for attendees of this 19+ event, which presumably has a 9:00 PM-ish start time, though I'm not sure about who all is judging or if there are runner-up prizes. Given the competitive nature, we won't feature a preview video here, but best of luck to all performers TOMORROW, and don't miss out for some diverse acoustic original music at LopLops!

Next up, and also in the realm of Tidal Records, promoter J.D. Pearce is hosting his 12th annual Halloween Party concert at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday, October 29th! Returning to The Algonquin Hotel's downstairs bar for the fourth time in five years, this year's Halloween bash will see an all-local lineup for just the second time since the Halloween Party left Coch's Corner in 2012, while the event is taking on a tribute band theme for a second straight year. The announced headliners are Hey, What About Us?!, a one-off tribute to Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, the punk band best known for covers of decidedly un-punk songs. Though their lineup isn't publically listed, promoter J.D. Pearce is their apparent frontman, marking his return as an official performer after not fully fronting a band last year. We'll let you know if their full lineup is announced! Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will join in as well on the 29th as "SSM of a Down", obviously covering System of a Down songs.

The advertised openers are funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who will trade last year's Sublime tribute set for a general 1990s rock tribute this year under the moniker "The Plaid Martens". Solid lineup once again, and you've got to love the concept of Hey, What About Us?! doing a covers-only set of a covers-only band! A $5 cover charge is in effect for this year's 19+ concert, which will start at around 10:00 PM, and of course, bring your costumes, and expect a costume contest of some description! This should be another fun night of Halloween punk and hard rock action, so keep it in mind for in two weeks time, and visit the official Facebook event page for updates!

Lastly in new concert announcements, The Rockstar Bar will welcome back Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells for a headlining concert on Saturday, November 12th! Last seen at the same venue almost one year ago, this concert is basically a make-up date for Hells Bells' cancelled local date in May (Project 421 replaced them on late notice), and while I'm still not 100% sure what happened in the spring, it's great to see Hells Bells back with their brand of high voltage rock n' roll next month! AC/DC fans are sure to appreciate their faithful sounding and looking tribute to the hard rock legends, so circle this one on your calendars! Possibly because of the cancellation and delay, advance tickets are now $10 rather than $12 in May, though the admission fee will jump to $15 at the door, so get your tickets at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk to save $5! This is a 19+ event, and while an oddly early 7:00 PM start time is listed, expect it to be more like 10:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with the weekend's remaining hard rock concert preview, including the local debuts of two Sudbury hard rock bands at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, including headlining rock quartet The Blackwood Sinners and alternative rock quartet Vintage Slang! Fans of bluesy hard rock should take to The Blackwood Sinners, who have had a steadily rising profile in the Sudbury area since debuting, and their effective originals should draw a solid response in their local debut tomorrow, so be sure to check them out! Vintage Slang (replacing fellow Sudbury rockers The Fortunate Losers) will provide a nice compliment to kick off this concert, having established themselves in the Sudbury rock scene in recent months by winning this year's Q92 Rock Rumble, and their diverse influences should carry them to a quality set as well tomorrow! A local band is announced on the Facebook event page, but they have not been publically confirmed, if even still planned to play. This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM door opening time and $7 cover charge.

It's great to see more Sudbury bands playing in Sault Ste. Marie (we don't see enough bands from there making the trip west), and both bands should deliver a solid dose of hard rock for fans at The Rockstar Bar, so check the above links for more details, and here's The Blackwood Sinners live!



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

New Videos, David Gold Updates, And A New Rock 101 Contest!!

Here's one more news post for this Saturday afternoon! I may not be able to make the Tym Morrison show today due to some prior commitments, but I'll try real hard to make it next Saturday if another Bossy's show is confirmed! No matter what though, I'll be at The Canadian tonight for The Merves and Frightlight! On today's post, we've got some new solo guitar performance videos from two local musicians, the latest David Gold updates, and leading things off, here's news on a cool new radio contest that could pay off for one lucky person!

Hey Rock 101 listeners, do you wanna win some extra cash? Can you sing? If not, can you at least complete song lyrics? The Sault's Rock Station, in conjunction with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (whose games are broadcast on Rock 101) are joining forces for the "Be A Rock 101/Soo Greyhounds Rock Star" contest where lucky fans can earn the chance to complete lyrics to one of five songs at an upcoming Soo Greyhounds game, with $101 in store for the winner! According to Greyhounds announcer Gerry Liscumb Jr.'s post on Local2 (which you can read at this location), entries for the contest begin this Monday on Rock 101 during "Scott & Brian In The Morning", which airs weekdays from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. To enter, you'll need to call Rock 101's toll free contest line at 1-855-876-2536 (or 1-855-8-ROCK-FM) when prompted, though I don't know specific times or rules for calling in beyond what's on Local2, so be sure to listen in for complete details! Three winners will be selected from those who successfully call in over the coming week, and they'll be announced on Friday. The following week, the five songs that could be chosen for the actual contest will be revealed each day, leading up to the actual contest on Sunday, January 29th at the Greyhounds' game that night against the Plymouth Whalers.

Presumably during the intermission, the three contestants will attempt to complete the lyrics to one of the five chosen songs, and fans in attendance will choose the winner, who will win $101 in free money. Check the above links for more details! This sounds like an interesting contest, and it's good to see Rock 101 and the Greyhounds connecting a bit beyond just game broadcasts and that Wacky Wings talk show. If you're interested in entering, bone up on your rock lyric knowledge and singing voices, and tune in to Scott & Brian over the next week to try and qualify for this contest!

Next up, here's the latest David Gold/Woods of Ypres updates! I apologize for being late on this, but David Gold's brother Michael announced on the David Gold's Legacy Facebook page on New Year's Eve that he was looking for input on locations that should be stopped at or featured in the tour that's planned to gather footage and material for the documentary on David's life. From what I can tell, Michael's planning to do the tour using David's tour bus, and he has been working on the schedule over recent weeks. I have no clue if he's done, but give him a shout at this location if you have any suggestions! The only other real news I have today relates to the various tribute articles to David, and there's plenty online, way too many to accurately cover without getting repetitive or downplaying certain ones. The official Earache/Joel Violette-ran David tribute page has a bunch of them, but I will especially note that a recent podcast by Mainstream Resistance Radio is now online featuring a ton of great remembrances of David by the hosts, along with guest interviews (including one with ex-Woods of Ypres drummer Evan Madden) and 18 songs spanning Woods of Ypres' career being played. It's a very long, but great listen, so click here to stream it and read more! Stay tuned for more Woods/David news as I hear it!

We'll close this post with some new videos, starting with the latest solo performance video from Sault Michigan guitarist Chris Hubbard! You probably know him best from his work in Nixxon Dixxon and Splitshot, but he'll debut with his new band Trail's End next week. Aside from that (which we'll have more on soon), he's also kept busy with this new video of his cover of Eddie Van Halen's guitar solos from the new Van Halen single "Tattoo"! Just days after the song was released, Chris had already learned the guitar solos (remember, he's a huge Van Halen fan), and he definitely has a good grasp on the parts he learned! The response to this video has been great so far, but see what you guys think below, so here's Chris Hubbard's cover of the "Tattoo" solos, as posted on Thursday onto his YouTube channel!



And finally, here's some interesting notes on a YouTube channel from a user named SundayFoggyNotions. I believe this person was a former Foggy Notions employee before it became Feedback, and his original post on YouTube was a live video from a 2010 Tym Morrison acoustic show there. Since June though, he's posted some more YouTube videos featuring what appear to be his own solo guitar work. Only one lasts more than 48 seconds, but he does have skill! One is a 7 string guitar solo, and the others are covers of the guitar solos from the White Lion songs "When The Children Cry" and (as posted a few days ago) "Wait", and they do sound good! I don't know who SundayFoggyNotions is definitively, but he is a good guitarist, and he does White Lion justice on these recordings! Check out his "Wait" solo cover below, and more at the above links!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys out and about for some concerts, including 100% definitely at The Canadian tonight! Thanks everyone!

Lots Of Assorted News And Notes!!

Let's kick off August in a positive way with a bunch of assorted news and notes from the last little while, including new members of a new local band, a local musician's entry in a major contest, a newly revamped Facebook group for area musicians, and some Woods of Ypres related updates, so without any further adieu, let's get this post going!

New Sault Michigan metal band NoXcape (formerly MK-Ultra) have officially announced the additions of Krosswalk guitarist Joey Beairl and former Absolute drummer Justin Lawless to the band, rounding out their full five-piece lineup. The news was quietly broken on their Facebook page yesterday. Joey's a well known guitarist from his work in bands like Krosswalk, Shift, Wild Fate, and Kickback (plus the Guitar Studio rock camp), and it's great to see him back in a local hard rock band! Justin rejoins his former Absolute bandmates Ben Huyck and Bill Spence in NoXcape, as I had been speculating since they hinted on old MK-Ultra pages that their new drummer was named Justin. Nice to see them back together, they had very nice chemistry in Absolute! However, NoXcape are definitely a different animal than Absolute, with an arsenal of original material with a nu metal influence already raring to go for their debut show at Dan's Place in Rudyard this coming weekend! Should be interesting to see how NoXcape sound this weekend, and we'll have much more from them as we hear updates, so stay tuned for more!

Next up, have you been noticing a lot of posts, statuses, and replies on your Facebook walls relating to a Facebook group called "Musicians Wanted (Sault Ste. Marie, ON)"? This has actually been around since March 2009 when (I believe) Half Past guitarist Alain Fletcher started it, but just in the past day, former Wishbone guitarist Jeremy Salatuk has been spearheading a revival of the group, complete with an upgrade to the new Facebook group format & mass invites to new members, and it's sure gaining steam! The group's aim, as it was in 2009, is to help musicians either looking for bands or new band members to connect and help make connections to that end. Since the relaunch, I'm seeing a lot of good activity from local musicians of all genres looking to get back in the swing of the local scene (including some hard rock and metal artists), and if you're in a similar boat, you should definitely join and see what you can do! Musicians in town who want to gig and play live should have those opportunities, and hopefully this group's second wind will help that become a reality! Join (or request to join) at the above links!

(Also, the group gave me a bit of news relating to Caveman Morrison, as frontman Tym Morrison confirmed in a post there that the band are basically on hold until the winter due to Tym's lengthy solo acoustic schedule. I expected we'd see them sparingly or not at all until later this year due to all the Saturday bookings, but it's nice to see some public word on that! However, if you're craving electric gigs with Tym Morrison, go see the Hollow reunion this weekend!)

Now, here's a cool note on a local artist's entry in a new music contest! We just mentioned Half Past guitarist Alain Fletcher above, but he has a neat recent update to share, as he's entered a contest to be featured on a Staind song! In cooperation with Indaba Music, Staind are looking for guitarists to send in their own guitar solos for the solo section on the multi-platinum Massachussets hard rock band's new song "Not Again" from their upcoming self-titled album! One lucky (and talented) winner will have their solo featured on the iTunes deluxe version of their new album, and will also win a Mike Mushok signature guitar, a $1,000 Guitar Center gift card, an autographed copy of the new Staind album, and a one month Tab-Pro subscription to Ultimate-Guitar.com! 10 runners up from the 20 most viewed submissions will win an autographed CD as well. Alain's entered under the handle "Dude705" to try and win the contest, and you can hear his solo at this locaton! Sounds good, it fits with the song's pacing, and it'd be awesome to see him win! Now, the winner is picked by judges, not fan votes, but give his submission lots of listens so he can make the top 20! Unfortunately, we can't see a ranking of the top solos, so give him lots of views, cause you never know! Check his solo out (or register yourself?!) at the above links, and his solo starts about 25 seconds into the clip. Best of luck, Al!

And finally for today, here's the latest from local doom metal band Woods of Ypres! Firstly, the band has finally publically ackowledged the Madden brothers' departure, with both having been quietly removed from their Facebook page's lineup. No public statement has been made concerning their exit, but knowing from past trends, I didn't expect one, and we likely won't hear more until the band announces their replacements. Positive news now, as George Washburn from the website Rock Music Critic posted a review of "Woods IV: The Green Album" onto said website this past Wednesday! He calls it "epic in scope" with lush and thick music, but compares listening to the whole album with eating too much candy: It's very good, but it can be too much after a while. Very positive review though, click here to check it out! And finally, frontman David Gold has posted an interesting sample of a remix of the band's "Woods 4.5" song "You Were The Light" onto his YouTube channel, as done by guitarist Joel Violette! It's just a 79 second clip, but it shows a spacier techno vibe than on the original, and it's an interesting listen! David's also open to fan remixes, so if you're at all interested in making your own remix of the song, e-mail davidypres@gmail.com for the master files. This could be cool if it picks up steam, but check out the sample of Joel's "You Were The Light" remix below! Hopefully the full copy leaks soon!



That's all for now, but if I don't have a new news post later tonight, our next post will be this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" feature post, so definitely look for that tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sativa Rose, Tym Morrison, And C'Mon) Plus Much More!!

If you have me as a friend on Facebook, you may have notice my grumblings about my computer recently. This overheating issue got so bad with the temperatures yesterday (which sadly didn't drop dramatically in the evening) that it didn't come on for good until after midnight, hence the lack of a Monday post. So today's post (hopefully the first of two) will cover some big stories, including THREE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some awesome TV time for a notable local metal company, and a brand new SMS contest, as we close in on the final week before our 4th anniversary! Now, to the news!

This Thursday will mark the 22nd Roosevelt Hotel metal night, but who's playing? We know of two of the bands, including announced headliners Sativa Rose! The talented classic quartet will take the stage on Thursday night at The Rosie to unload some of their potent and high energy covers, along with some select originals to get us metalheads going! Also scheduled are local hardcore quintet As It Stands, in their first Rosie metal night in over a month, and record-tying 10th appearance overall! With their recording sessions and a big opening slot for Versus The Nothing in that span, they should be all geared up for a devastating set of metalcore originals on Thursday as well! A likely third band has yet to be formally announced, and though I did hear from one band about their possibly involvement via e-mail, nothing's officially confirmed, so I'll hold off saying anything yet. As is usual for shows without out of town headliners, there is no cover charge, a 9:30 PM-ish start time, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, check the Metal Nights at The Rosie Facebook page! Sounds like fun, hopefully I can make it out! I'm kinda disappointed that I missed last week's (more on that shortly), but maybe I can clear the schedule for this week! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, remember when Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison had weekly/bi-weekly solo engagements at varying venues from late last year through March? Well, he's got a brand new one, so here's what you should know! It looks like his last two Saturday gigs at Service Grill Pizza on Korah Road were a success, and with that said, he's apparently gonna be back there each Saturday for the remainder of the summer! This includes TWO gigs on the Saturdays, including a matinee show (likely at around 3:00 PM) and a more standard 10:00 PM night set. Only one Saturday in the arrangement with Service Grill Pizza has been announced, specifically for THIS SATURDAY (we'll announce others formally when he does), but there should be lots of Tym Morrison's acoustic solo covers to go around for at least the next couple months! The exact length of the arrangement isn't known yet (when "summer" ends could vary), but hopefully these are successful for the long term! So remember, he'll be there on Saturday at 3:00 PM & 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and at least the matinee at 3:00 should be all ages. Check out the Facebook event page for more details on the upcoming show!

Sounds great, hopefully I can see him break out some metal covers this summer at some point! I wonder how this will impact potential Caveman Morrison dates though, as they usually play a full weekend, and with Saturday likely booked for the season, it could put a wrench in fans' hopes for the usual double weekend attack. It's all good though, I'll keep you posted!

The other new show is in quite an unfamiliar site for local hard rock shows, but hey, hard rock is hard rock, and it's finally back at LopLops Lounge! Didn't expect to hear that on the SMS, did you? Well, the guys at LopLops (on 651 Queen Street East) are bringing in a unique hard rock trio from Toronto (and New Orleans) on Monday, so here's what you should know! The band is C'mon, a very original sounding hard rock/experimental band who happen to feature ex-members of bands like Nashville Pussy & Monster Voodoo Machine in their lineup! Once previously seen here at Foggy Notions, C'mon have a hard to describe sound, but there's some heavy riffs and a nice energy to go along with some unique melodic touches! Hey, if we can cover bands like Grady when they come here, C'mon are definitely up our alley! Though unannounced officially, local punk supergroup Brad Example & The Role Models are likely to open the show (as confirmed by guitarist Marco Pedalino on his personal Facebook page), which should fit well, and it's nice to see them opening for a different band for a change too! A 10:00 PM start time is listed, you must be 19 to attend, and though there is no announced cover charge, bring cash just in case. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It will be interesting to see how successful this concert is (especially up against Titans Eve, more on them in a bit), cause heavier music definitely isn't typical at LopLops. The last time I can recall a metal band of any fashion there was Gates of Winter's 2006 acoustic show, though I may have missed some in between. I'll be at Titans Eve that night, but definitely consider this concert, cause if C'mon are successful, heavier bands could pop up more frequently at LopLops!

Now to some big news, and first, do you remember when As It Stands got a piece on Shaw TV (Channel 10) from local reporter Christian Lemay? Well, Christian has a new metal-relevant interview to share on Shaw TV, which is now in rotation every half hour, and it's on local concert booking agency Dismembertainment and owner Rich Moreland! The piece features Rich (or "Richie" as he's called at first) talking about the formation of Dismembertainment, how the Thursday metal nights began, some of the bands he's booked in the past, the recent punk integration, and his own personal feelings on the scene and his concert bookings. The video, which shot in and around last Thursday's metal night, also features video footage of both Winkstinger and what was then Bring The Misery's sets (more on them later tonight), as well as short comments from attending fans Nikk Aspregen & Cody Knight on their thoughts on the weekly metal nights. It's a nice 4 minute long piece that gives some great press for Dismembertainment, but I would have liked to have seen more emphasis on the local bands, like naming the bands that played in the clip, or featuring one or two band members in the piece to talk about all the hard work Rich has done for the local scene.

As I said, this video is running once every half hour, although due to other scheduled programming (like City Council meetings), it doesn't have a set daily airtime. I saw it at :24 and :54 on the hour originally, but tonight, it was pushed forward roughly ten minutes due to earlier scheduled programs. For reference sake, the video runs all this week, and it will be right after a piece on Anchors Away (a great store), which itself follows a review of the movie "Hall Pass", just so you know when to see it roughly. Great interview, congratulations to Rich, and I will try to post a copy of it on YouTube in some form once it's rotation ends!

And finally, here's a cool announcement: We're holding another contest!! Our Rad Zone contest earlier in the year was a success, and I got a great opportunity from this band's management recently, so we're gonna have another one for some awesome prizes! As you likely know, Vancouver thrash metal band Titans Eve are playing at The Roosevelt Hotel on MONDAY, July 4th, and in honour of said show, we are giving away two Titans Eve prize packages! Courtesy of the band and their management, we're proud to be giving away two packages consisting of an official band t-shirt and their brand new album "The Divine Equal" (seen on your right) to two lucky fans! How can YOU enter to win these Titans Eve goodies? Similarly to our Rad Zone contest, all you have to do is post a comment with YOUR NAME onto our contest status from last night on our Facebook page! We'll only accept entries that are comments on that status that feature your name of some kind. Comments elsewhere won't count, nor will duplicate entries. We will announce the two winners of the contest at 5:00 PM on Monday so I have time to get in contact with the winners before the show! If you win and are attending the concert, you can claim your prizes by contacting frontman Brian Gamblin directly at the show, he'll hook you up, or I'll get you to him, either way!

If you're NOT going (or planning on going), you may still enter, but if you win and can't make it, let me know on Monday so I can give the band your mailing address so they can send you your prizes. I apologize for the late blog notice on this, but computer overheating issues suck. You guys have until Monday at 5:00 PM to enter, so follow the above instructions to get your entries in on the contest status on our Facebook page! Good luck, and metal on! We'll have a new news post later tonight, so stay tuned for that! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, A New CD, Concert News, And More!!

It's time for some assorted news, including some big stories! After this morning's Woods of Ypres-centric post (check it out in the post below), we have much more in the pipeline right now, including some concert updates and a brand new local album I recieved a copy of, but first, we have a new local band! Here's what you need to know!

The band in question is Eden Plague, a new death/black metal solo project from Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie! Though you might figure/expect this to be another name change for his recently re-renamed April Eyes solo project, this is a separate venture, and seemingly a place for heavier solo material! Details are scant so far on Eden Plague, but Mitch launched their MySpace page last October, though didn't post detailed public info until late last month. In Eden Plague, Mitch is going by the stage name "Lucifus Omegus", while spreading the word of Satan through the influences and biographical information, which fits the music. Three songs featuring Mitch on all instruments have been posted onto Eden Plague's MySpace page, including an original named "Barren" and new mixes of "Zen Omega", an older April Eyes/Animas song that appears to have been shifted to this new project. How do the songs sound? I like "Barren" with it's slow and heavy riffs, sped up latter section, and Mitch's death growling suits everything well! It's a wonder that he doesn't do this more live. The "classic edition" of "Zen Omega" is superior to the "Nightmare Remix", but needs a touch up production wise to make it sound more like "Barren".

Promising stuff mostly, but the "nightmate remix" doesn't do anything for me, it sounds inferior from the effects and alterations. That aside, I like what I'm hearing! Mitch is a talented musician and this is more proof! Check the above links for more on Eden Plague, including their Facebook page, and stay tuned for some April Eyes updates as well!

Secondly, I have in my possession a brand new local metal album, and it's not by who you may think! Yesterday, I recieved a package in the mail from Sault Michigan containing, surprisingly, Clownsack's second album! Colour me surprised at that, I hadn't heard anything new from them since last fall! I knew they'd slowly been working on a new album since 2009, but I had no idea when (or if) we'd ever see it released! What should you know about their new album? Entitled "Funny Farm", the cover is obviously on your left, featuring bassist Slappy locked up in the mental asylum. The artwork by Tony Rogers is great, featuring the band members in varying asylum settings with a comic book motif. The album features the band's 2008-2010 lineup, including Slappy and frontman Schloppy, then-guitarist Butter Cookie (more on him in a second), and drummer Skronko, in his first studio appearance with Clownsack. Remember, the band are under clown personas and stage names, and they pull it off well! The album was produced and recorded with Electric Motor Fish guitarist Fran Blackwood, with ex-Clownsack drummer Bob Helsten ("Orb") handling the drum production.

I don't know if I have an advance copy, or if "Funny Farm" has seen a local release already, but keep an eye out for it at Sault Michigan music stores just in case, and yes, at their next local shows, whenever they're booked. If you want to hear/buy the EP online, it's not on CD Baby yet, but all five songs are available to stream on the band's MySpace page, as uploaded earlier this month! Odd that they've done minimal advance promotion for it yet, but their pages aren't updated frequently as it is. "Funny Farm" barely crosses 20 minutes in length, but it's packed with good stuff, and I definitely won't give this a bad review! Speaking of which, I'd like to announce that this will be our next CD review on The Sault Metal Scene! It will be reviewed on here after my exams are over, so you should see it posted next week! Is it ironic that it's after a Woods of Ypres CD review again, as was the case 15 months ago? Definitely check the songs out on MySpace and keep an eye out for "Funny Farm" at a store or concert near you, and huge thanks to the guys in Clownsack for sending me a copy!

Oh yeah, and the band have officially parted ways with guitarist Butter Cookie, who had been with Clownsack since their inception. The writing was on the wall for this, as the band mentioned that he was planning to leave once the album was finished, but it's still a shame! He hasn't been replaced yet, though I figure he will be, as the band added Sparxx as a second guitarist last year with the intent on being a quintet going forward. Maybe things might change though, stay tuned! Again, check out their MySpace page for more!

Finally, here's some assorted concert updates! Firstly, the other two bands have been added to THIS THURSDAY'S Roosevelt Hotel metal night, the first since the weekly schedule adoption, so who's joining Shit Liver to melt faces before the Easter weekend? Headlining will be As It Stands, with The Bear Hunters also opening, giving this show a nice blend of hardcore and death metal with a grimy touch! My source is Dismembertainment's Facebook page. Also, you could consider it a "preview" of the April 29th all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall, as both As It Stands & The Bear Hunters are opening that show as well! Good to hear, so make note of the full lineup for THURSDAY, and you can't use work or school as an excuse not to go, cause it's Good Friday coming up, so there's no need to be up early! Speaking of shows with As It Stands, drummer John Mignacca is running a draw for two free tickets to the April 29th show with Dead & Divine, so how do you enter? Invite all your friends to attend this show, then press the Print Screen button on your keyboard to copy a screenshot that proves you invited your friends, then save it and send the picture to John's Facebook page via e-mail, and you'll be entered to win! The winner will be chosen on Monday, so if you wanna try to win free tickets, get on that A.S.A.P.!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Turner Up), A New Contest, Videos, And More!!

After another day's break to let news gather, I have lots of stuff to get to today! In this post, we have our latest classic local video, a new hard rock cover from a local musician, news on a recent book release, and a contest that we're running, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Turner Up are back on the concert stage this weekend! The local classic hard rockers return to The Nicolet Tavern on Friday and Saturday night for a pair of entertaining nights of music! Apologies for the short notice, these were only just announced yesterday. Convenient timing though, as the Friday show coincides with guitarist Len Ward's birthday, so if you're out that day, wish him happy birthday! There is no cover charge for either night this weekend, both concerts have listed 9:30 PM start times, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details. visit the official Facebook event page! But that's not all, as they'll be back at The Nic on February 11th (no word on the 12th yet) for a Bon Soo-connected event! That night is 70s & 80s Night and Turner Up are the house band, with a planned costume contest as well for attendees dressed like their favourite rock stars! Sounds like fun, it's great to see them back with Bon Soo again, I'm fairly certain the band did a Bon Soo event last year as well! Same house rules should apply, but just in case, make sure you have a button. For more details on this special concert, check your official Bon Soo programs in this week's issue of Sault This Week! Stay tuned for more Turner Up news as it comes in!

Next up, here's a special announcement: We're running a contest! How would you guys like a $20 gift card for The Rad Zone at Wellington Square Mall? Len Ward from The Rad Zone (and Turner Up) graciously donated a $20 gift card for me to give away in a SMS contest, and you can use it to pick up any of the great items they have there, be it music, moves, games, skate products, clothes, books, or anything! I'm opening this contest up to you guys, the loyal SMS fans and readers, and I'm going to run this similarly to The Rad Zone's giveaway contests, as they seem to work well! Here's how you can win: Head to The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page and post your name as a comment in reply to our posting about the contest. One entry per person, you must post your name for it to be a valid entry, and entries on other postings on our Facebook page won't be accepted. You'll have until 8:00 PM on February 2nd to enter (one week), and then I will randomly select one name from the eligible entries to win the gift card! So enter today at this location, cause I know someone out there could really use $20 at a great store like The Rad Zone! ENTER TODAY, you have one week!!

One more Rad Zone related note, as when I last stopped in, I finally picked up a copy of "Going Underground: A Brief History Of Punk Rock In Small Town Canada"! That's the book on the local punk scene in Sault Ontario that Paolo Colasacco launched and held a signing for on Saturday. I couldn't make the signing, but I have a copy, so here's some additional info on it for you guys! Released by Paolo Paolo Media and printed by Friesens Press, the book is 408 pages long, and takes a mostly photographic journey through the punk scene in Sault Ontario from 1985-2000. Each "wave" of the scene (roughly the late 80s, early 90s, and late 90s each) has loads of photos from concerts, photo shoots, and related events, along with some stories Paolo has from the scene from each time period. There are metal mentions, and though the book is primarily punk based, there's a lot of quality stuff in the book and a lot of bands I'd personally like to learn more about! I won't go into detail with my thoughts yet, as I want to formally review it in the near future, but it is worth checking out! Even if you were too young to be a part of the scene, why not educate yourself? It's at The Rad Zone in their Hole In The Wall book section for $30, pick it up today!

We'll close today with two videos, and first, here's a new hard rock cover from local musician Curtis J. McKenzie! We've profiled his work on here in the past, largely from his band projects like 20 Pack Of Marshmallows and Restricted Illusions, but since last year's last major updates, he's since moved to Wawa, where he continues to work as a solo artist. The old Restricted Illusions page was even taken down and now just links to his solo page, so I removed it from our band links. His solo work isn't very heavy, as we tended to get that more from his now-inactive local bands, but one of his newest videos has a local metal connection, as it's a Guns N' Roses cover! As a tribute to the band and to an unidentified person he cares for a lot, he recorded a solo cover of "So Fine" and uploaded it to his YouTube channel yesterday! That, if you guys aren't sure, was one of the few GNR songs sung by Duff McKagan, and Curtis does a good job with it, though his range is a bit high compared to what we're used to from the original. Check it out below, and for more from Curtis' solo and band projects, check the above links!



And finally, here is this week's classic video! Keeping with past trends, I am tying in this week's video with performers from an upcoming concert, and in this case, it's three of them! Those three are Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere & Bear Hunters members Nik Deubel and Justin Lam, all of whom are performing on FRIDAY at The Oddfellows Hall! As some of you may know, Dan, Nik, and Justin were all members of a defunct local black metal band named Dark Salvation, who were active in late 2007 and early 2008. A then short-haired Nik handled guitar, but Dan and Justin's instruments are no different. The lineup was rounded out by former Caedis Omnis singer Kevin Calder (you may recognize him as local wrestler Kevyn Kross) and backup vocalist Sam Mitchell, who filmed this video but doesn't contribute to the performance. Aside from Woods of Ypres, black metal is a genre we don't see a lot of local bands playing, so this was refreshing to see upon their inception. Unfortunately, their lineup was never publically completed before their demise, but this video shows some promise! It features 4/5ths of their lineup covering Dimmu Borgir's "Puritania" at a jam session from January 2008, and though they are playing along with the original audio track, they do a good if unrefined job! Kevin's got solid black metal vocals too, it's a wonder he hasn't popped up in another band since!

This was filmed by Sam Mitchell and uploaded onto her Facebook page in January 2008. The original link is at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=20195923496, and Sam deserves ALL CREDIT for this video! She did all the work, all I did was upload it to YouTube to expand it's audience! So check out our new classic video below, and we'll have another one in the middle of next week!



That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more local metal news and notes soon, including weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!