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 Addition To Our Band Links, Frapperteterhead's Cassette, And More!!

Before we get into the meat of this post, we'll send our best wishes out to the guys in Beaumont Avenue (the former Suicide Kings) as they rock out in Spanish at this year's Rock 'N Roar Festival there, where they're opening for Randy Bachman and Honeymoon Suite! Show them what the Soo can do! Now, today's post features a new archive album upload, some assorted recent notes, and first, an overdue addition to our links and coverage, so here's what you need to know!

We're pleased to finally add local classic hard rock cover band Havadder to our full coverage at The Sault Metal Scene! I know this seems very overdue given their relative longevity in the area, but we held for so long due to prior concert indications not having a lot of heavier covers, though a recent show  that we'll touch on in a bit locked them in! Active off and on since at least April 2009 (and most recently reuniting last fall), Havadder's only constant member has been singer/guitarist Jason "Jugga" Roy, with their current lineup being rounded out by guitarist Jamie July, bassist Lucas Bugyra (who was Havadder's drummer early on), and Asylum Country drummer T.J. Case. Among other past members that I may be missing, Havadder's early lineups included the likes of guitarist Jason "Nez" Nisbet, bassists Daniel Horton (Haggith), and Lori Reinholtz (Mid Life Crysis), and drummer Dean Candido, while their 2011-2012 lineup featured the two Jasons alongside guitarist Robert Brown, bassist Travis Sharpe, and drummer Scott McLurg, during a stretch when all but Jason Nisbet were also members of Turner Up.

Best known from numerous weekend gigs at local bars (including a frequent stretch of shows at the former Foggy Notions in 2010 & 2011), Havadder have also played some larger multi-band events in the Soo, and notably played at two of the Rock N' Roar Battles of the Bands in Spanish (placing in 2012), though you're most likely to catch the band at The Rednecks Saloon (formerly The Nicolet Tavern), where the vast majority of their recent gigs have taken place. The band's newest concert videos come from that venue last weekend, where they played with two guest musicians (former bassist Travis Sharpe and Flat Stanley's Glen Thomas on drums) due to Lucas & T.J. being out of town. Glen shot a pile of drum cam videos from the shows and uploaded them to his YouTube channel this past week, including renditions of Sublime's "Santeria", Blake Shelton's "Boys Right Here", The Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (To Party)", Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", Beck's "Loser", Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", and Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike", plus this 10 minute clip video!

Featuring 9 compiled clips of songs from the show, the covers (in order) include The Foo Fighters' "My Hero", Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn", Alice In Chains' "No Excuses", The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough", Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Last Dance of Mary Jane", an instrumental clip that I can't place the name of, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band's "Blue On Black", and Green Day's "Brain Stew", so click each link to go to a specific song! Solidly performed, and Glen improvises well on songs he doesn't have a firm grasp of, so fans should give these a look, as Jason and crew have a solid sound that's fun to party along with, and they cover a wide and often heavy array of tunes! Give Havadder a look above and below, and stay tuned for more!



Next up, does anyone out there remember the defunct (and interestingly named) local metal band Frapperteterhead? Well, their self titled demo cassette was recently uploaded in full on YouTube! Posted by AlgomA bassist Kevin Campbell on his YouTube channel last week, it's a 25 song mixture of original songs and abbreviated covers of everyone from AC/DC & White Zombie to The Ramones and The Misfits, as originally recorded and released at some point in the mid-1990s. The band's lineup for most of the cassette includes singer Jason Anderson (who sadly passed away in 2003), relocated local guitarist Paul Melanson (now of the Alberta-based Metallica tribute Damage Inc.), a bassist nicknamed "Swartz", and a drummer named "Mr. Phibinger" (one of which is Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's older brother Tom.) On the last 8 songs, Jason's the listed guitarist instead, with Frightlight guitarist Kevin Powe's younger brother Rick singing lead on them. How does Frapperteterhead's cassette hold up almost 20 years later? Not too bad, they have a solid aggression, and both Jay and Rick had strong vocals with punk tinges, but the covers can be rough around the edges. Thanks to Kevin for the upload, and check out Frapperteterhead below!



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

• Is Beaumont Avenue drummer Ben Boudreau leaving the band shortly? A Musicians Wanted Facebook group post by bassist Mitch Sirie on Thursday indicates that he's planning to move from the area for school, though the post is targeted towards replacing him in the former Suicide Kings' ongoing Urawk live karaoke series at The Rednecks Saloon, not the actual band. Time will tell what this means for Beaumont Avenue, but we'll have to see what happens, so message above if you're interested in at least joining Urawk, and best of luck today in Spanish!
• Though only quietly announced on it's Facebook event page and not visibly elsewhere, the second annual "Grinded Live In Your Ears" public house party show on Monday was cancelled due to weather and fatigue from that weekend's Das Bunkerfest in Garden River. The show will be rescheduled for "late this summer", so keep an eye out if you were hoping to attend and rock out with Blood Shed Productions artists!
• The aforementioned Mitch Sirie has confirmed that PaperClip Productions hard rock bands Haggith & The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal) will be the openers for the Endast concert (also at The Rednecks Saloon) on August 27th! This will be both bands' debut at the old Nic, Haggith's 3rd show since reuniting, and The Revolution's first show since opening for Anciients in June. Nice diverse lineup, so don't miss this concert near the end of the month! Our source is the concert's Facebook event page.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for another punk band feature and much more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!