P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel Concert Fallout & Videos!!

It took a few days for videos to turn up, but now there are a good amount, so here's a post dedicated to Friday's P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel concert at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! By every account that I've heard, the show was a hit, so what should you know from it? Local2 crossed the border to film this video featuring clips of the three headlining bands on multiple cameras, capturing P.O.D. playing "Boom" & a song that I can't place (might it be brand new or from a jam?), Hoobastank playing "Crawling In The Dark" and "The Reason", and Fuel playing "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)". Nice multi-angle footage of the headliners, and all sound pretty good if you're a fan of theirs, so be sure to check out Local2's coverage above! Remember, we can't embed their videos here, as their host doesn't allow external embedding. The rest of our videos come from attendee Christopher Paci (a frequent filmer of Kewadin and larger local hard rock shows), who shot 12 videos from the show for his YouTube channel, as uploaded in recent days, and while there's nothing of openers Lights Out Paris & Redburn, he got some solid footage of the other four bands, so what do we have?

We'll start with the headliners,  San Diego alternative metal quartet P.O.D., who Christopher filmed playing their songs "Alive", "Boom", "Roots In Stereo", and as embedded below, "Youth Of The Nation", which saw frontman Sonny Sandoval invite a few kids in attendance on stage to party with the band with them, which occurs often in P.O.D. concerts during this song. Though the audio can be a little scratchy on heavier stretches, these are solid performances all around from this popular hard rock band, with all four songs familiar from their classic era, so give Chris' P.O.D. videos a look above & below!



Chris also filmed four videos of California hard rock quartet Hoobastank's set, including their songs "Running Away", "Crawling In The Dark", "Pieces", and as embedded below, "The Reason". Nice energy and enthusiasm on these videos, with Hoobastank seeming to barely age from their peak, and these familiar hits of theirs should get a good response if you can get around the sometimes scratchy audio! Check it all out above & below!



And yes, Chris also got three videos of Pennsylvania post-grunge quartet Fuel's set, those being of their songs "Shimmer", "Last Time", and as embedded below, "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", which Chris incorrectly titled "Don't Fall Away". Very reliable sounding compared to Fuel's studio recordings, fans should get a kick out of these songs, filmed at a nice angle like with Chris' other clips, so give his Fuel videos a look above and below!



We'll close with one last video from Christopher's channel, this time of returning local epic metal quintet Integrated System Of Machines, so what do we know now? According to the video, the band no longer has a keyboardist as a permanent live band member, Chris Leask appears to be on guitar rather than his Power Slug bass role (Art Dietz is on bass), and as for their second guitarist, we can now confirm that his name is Jonathan Bennett, according to tagged pictures from Chris Leask's personal Facebook page. I can't find much on Jon's past band work (all I found was an old personal MySpace page that shows him playing with an unidentified band), but he's a solid player and does the solo in the video from the concert (and on a Dean ML, no less!) Chris Paci filmed I.S.O.M. playing their own self-titled song from their debut album "Apocalyptic Vision", which was one of their more accessible early tracks, so if you're not a fan of death metal or super-aggressive vocals, this one might be up your alley!

Note that there's also a personal Facebook video floating around of the end of one of I.S.O.M.'s songs, but it's strictly focused on Jonathan only, so keep that in mind if you're friends of his friends.  It's great to see Orb bring Integrated Systems Of Machines back at last, and they sound good here, but how are the album plans coming? Will we see them again soon? Will they launch new online pages? We'll keep you posted, but re-integrate yourself with I.S.O.M. below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rotaryfest Second Stage) & New Sault Michigan Videos!!

Keeping our busy streak going at the SMS, here's a new news post half devoted to some short new videos from Sault Michigan, but leading off, here's a long anticipated LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning the return of a fan favourite summer concert event, so here's what you should know!

The full lineup for the return of Rotaryfest's Second Stage is now official, as per the official program, so what should you know for it's 10th installment? Returning after a year's hiatus due to financial issues, the all-original stage (now presented by Agero & Village Media, and labelled as "Stage 2: Redirected" on official materials) will be held at Clergue Park on an outdoor stage by the Art Gallery of Algoma, presumably due to the ongoing Downtown Association debate and the postponement or cancellation of outdoor Queen Street events until that's resolved, but whether this is a temporary move or not is to be determined. Also, with LopLops Lounge moving on to their own Emergency Festival last year, main stage assistant director Chelsie Parayko is the new director of the Second Stage, but how does this affect the lineup and schedule? For at least this year, the Second Stage will be held on Saturday, July 18th only (it had previously been held on the Friday too), and is is also a little shorter in length and earlier than before (1:00-8:00 PM rather than 2:00-11:00 PM)

Lineup-wise, there are no out of town bands this year, so this year's Stage 2 lineup is all-local for the first time in a noticeable while. In terms of genre, the bands are familiar in sound to past Second Stages, but with a youthful, punk/alternative base that will be up the alley of fans of Lopstock and Tidal Records events, and with one exception, all making their Stage 2 debuts! Headlining at 7:00 PM on July 18th are local post-punk quartet and VM Radio Battle winners Gnaeus, while their good friends in The Pixo Control will co-headline with their own alternative & grunge originals at 6:00 PM. and new local glam metal/power pop trio Caroline Divine will play at 5:00 PM.  Newer pop punk quartet Stereo North are scheduled at 4:00 PM, and young local indie rock quintet Aldous are on at 3:00 PM, while local rapper Conika & DJ Seith will play three 10 minute mini-sets together at 2:50, 3:50, and 4:50 PM. Some familiar Rotaryfest faces will open Stage 2 as well, so who are they?

Local progressive/indie rock quartet The Wild Iris (who previously played the First Stage twice as The Pesto Shirts) will head over to the Second Stage for a 2:00 PM set, while local alt-folk favourites The Boot Hill Crooners will make their first Stage 2 appearance since 2009 to open the day at 2:00 PM. Just for reference sake, this year's event breaks local indie/folk quintet The Porter Band's five year streak of Second Stage appearances since their 2009 debut, though I believe they fell inactive last year. Stage 2: Redirected is a FREE & ALL AGES event, and it's great to have it back in any form after losing last year's event! I'm encouraged by the more alternative and punk selection of bands, and it'll be interesting to see how this does, but of course, if you miss the old Second Stage format and band range, give The Emergency Festival a look next month! See the above links for more details, and we'll keep you posted if any extra info comes in!

We'll close today with some short videos that will be of note to Sault Michigan readers, including this commercial for TONIGHT'S  P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel concert at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Uploaded by co-promoter John Yeubanks to the Yooper Bars & Bands Facebook group on Wednesday, this was obviously made before Lights Out Paris were added to the lineup, and Integrated System of Machines' name is said without the "S" at the end, but it's effective, gets the details across, and makes good use of music video clips of the headliners! Give it a look below, and remember, tickets are $42.50 at the door TONIGHT!



Finally for today, here's a brief new video from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard's YouTube channel! The first new performance upload on his YouTube channel since 2011 (though note a few of his recent uploads have been deleted for unannounced reasons), this 15 second video is of Chris jamming on guitar with the help of his new EVH 5150 III Stealth guitar amp head. The camera is mounted on Chris' guitar (albeit with grainy quality), and everything sounds good, but it's too bad this isn't longer. Give Chris' new video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post TONIGHT! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned) & Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

As previously indicated, today's second post dives into a busy weekend in Sault Michigan and Eastern U.P. hard rock concerts, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next two nights, and a preview of a major six band Kewadin Casino event, but be sure to check out this weekend's Sault Ontario concert previews in the post below this one! Now, here's your hard rock concert previews in Sault Michigan and area for this weekend!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will rock The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were originally announced on Banned's Facebook page last month in a concert schedule posting, but they slipped us by until this week. Usually, the guys play at The Runway Bar when they play in Hessel (including at their most recent regional show on June 13th), so The Islander is an unknown commodity for our coverage, but it's located at 134 South Pickford Avenue, and is actually located in a century-old building that once served Hessel as a general store and ice cream parlor, so there's definitely history with this bar! They do book the occasional live band, so might we see more bands (including Banned) there in the coming months? For reference, Alex, Don, and Wayne also hit the road to play shows in Blaney Park and Curtis since their last Soo-area shows, plus a private party of some kind.

This weekend's Hessel concerts have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charge, so for more details, visit the above links, and if you want to check out Banned's hard rock covers over the holiday weekend, you know where to be! For a preview, here's Banned live last summer!



Next up, here's a preview of one of the biggest major hard rock concerts of the year, as three multi-platinum selling bands will rock The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! Those three bands are San Diego alternative metal quartet P.O.D. (in their local debut), California hard rockers Hoobastank (last seen opening for Staind here in 2009) and Pennsylvania post-grunge quartet Fuel (who opened for Buckcherry here three years ago), and this stacked lineup is responsible for many huge hits of the past two decades, like "Youth of the Nation", "The Reason", "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", and many more, so Rock 101 listeners are bound to like at least one of these three headliners! Note as well that Fuel will have a different drummer than they had in 2012, with Shannon Boone in and Ken Schalk out. Openers will include Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris, Saginaw rap/rock quintet Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel earlier this year in the Soo), and the long awaited reunion of local epic metal quintet Integrated System of Machines!

After a 5 or 6 year breakup, the band's new lineup (Orb Hearthstone, Art Dietz, Chris Leask, Bart Rennels, and Jon, last name to be determined) are back in a big way with new material, so don't miss I.S.O.M.'s resurgence TOMORROW! Promoted by new local agency Superior Entertainment, tickets are still available from the third row & back for $38.50 in advance or $42.50 at the door at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. This is ALL AGES, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. With 12 top 10 Billboard chart songs between P.O.D., Hoobastank, and Fuel, you won't want to miss this one, so be there TOMORROW, and here's P.O.D. live!



Also this weekend, Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm are returning to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of last weekend's Savoy debut in Sault Michigan, the band from Peril's Adam Crawford & Jeff Hudson will be making their first St. Ignace stops in four months this weekend, so if you've missed this popular Northern Michigan band's originals and covers since their last St. Ignace dates (or missed last weekend's shows in the Soo), and if you're not seeing P.O.D. tomorrow, here's a solid option for your weekend concert plans! There is no announced cover charge for either of Scarkazm's concerts this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there's a likely 9:00 PM start time in effect both nights. For more details, check the above links, and definitely keep Scarkazm's return in mind for this weekend! Here's Scarkazm live!



Finally for today, we'll head to the aforementioned Savoy Bar & Nightclub in Sault Michigan, where newer local hard rock quartet Ten Kings will return for Independence Day weekend shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Making their second weekend appearance at The Savoy, this weekend's shows are part of The Savoy's returning Summerfest outdoor concert series, which sees bands playing on an outdoor stage behind the venue (Scarkazm kicked things off last week.) Great to see Ten Kings hopping on board for some live concerts over this popular series, so don't miss this familiar quartet this weekend as you celebrate the Fourth of July! No word yet though on who's playing The Savoy in upcoming Summerfest weekends, and if you were curious, the bar's hosting karaoke inside while the bands rock outside (source here.) There is no announced cover for this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details, and here's Ten Kings live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post and more updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (P.O.D. & Theory Of A Deadman), The Return Of I.S.O.M., And Theatre Of Night Updates!!

For the first time in what seems like way too long, we have an all-Sault Michigan post for you guys on this Saturday afternoon, so what lies within? Updates from a popular local studio metal project, a surprise return of a related metal band, and two major LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the Soo Kewadin this summer, so here's what you need to know!

A huge modern/alternative rock concert is hitting The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 3rd that will feature three multi-platinum selling rock bands! The listed headliners are San Diego alternative metal quartet P.O.D. (best known for hits like "Alive" & "Youth of the Nation") in their first local concert appearance, and they'll be joined by fellow California hard rockers Hoobastank (who you may remember from their hits "Crawling In The Dark" & "The Reason") and Pennsylvania post-grunge quartet Fuel (of "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" & "Shimmer" fame), and given their familiar rock radio hits and long standing success, it's great to have all three here! You may also recognize Hoobastank & Fuel from opening for Staind in 2009 and Buckcherry in 2012 respectively at The Dreammaker's Theatre, though Fuel have since changed drummers, with Shannon Boone now behind the kit in place of Ken Schalk. If you've missed both bands in recent years, then circle July 3rd on your calendars!

Support will come via Saginaw rap/rock band Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel earlier this year, among other local appearances) and.... Integrated System of Machines?! You read that right, the local epic metal band has reunited after a 6 year breakup and will play live for the first time in the 2010s at this show, which is awesome to hear! Though fans did get unofficial successors End of Existence in studio in recent years, I.S.O.M. had their own big following at their late 2000s peak, including one CD, but what else do we know about their reunion? While I haven't found a newly updated online page for I.S.O.M., personal Facebook postings imply that their new lineup features original singer Bob Helsten (a.k.a. Orb Hearthstone), his Power Slug bandmate Chris Leask on bass, drummer Bart Rennels (a.k.a. Black Trab), and guitarist(?) Art Dietz, with longtime keyboardist Craig "Tubesock" Harrison noticeably absent.

This doesn't appear to be a one-off, as one Facebook posting suggests that I.S.O.M. are working on a demo of some kind, but we'll keep you posted when/if more is announced, and Integrated System of Machines are now back in our active band links! As for the P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel concert in general, it is being promoted by local MMA promoter Robin Cook via his new concert promotion agency Superior Entertainment (also now in our links), who also put on the Saving Abel show earlier this year. Tickets for this ALL AGES show are $38.50 in advance or $42.50 at the door, and you can buy tickets right now at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. For more details on this huge upcoming show, check the above links, and stay tuned as updates roll in!

One more big modern rock concert is hitting The Dreammaker's Theatre this year (just one week after P.O.D. in fact), as British Columbia hard rock quartet Theory of a Deadman will rock the Sault Kewadin on Friday, July 10th! Making their second local concert appearance (after a headlining show at The Dreammaker's Theater in 2012), Theory of a Deadman have 3 platinum albums in Canada, and are well known from hit songs like "Bad Girlfriend", " Lowlife", and "Nothing Could Come Between Us", and their own familiar hits and selection of heavier favourite should serve them and fans well during this stop on their Summer Savages Tour The announced openers are Missouri hard rock quintet Shaman's Harvest, who have charted some rock rasdio hits with songs like "Dragonfly" & "Dangeorous", and should fit in nicely in their local concert debut on July 10th! There will reportedly be one more band added to the lineup, we'll let you know when/if they're announced.

Promoted by Allstar Promotions in their third show since resurging (though their first in their usual modern rock wheelhouse since then), this show has a flat $36.50 ticket fee, and like the P.O.D. show, tickets for this ALL AGES event are available at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. For more details (including a Facebook contest from Allstar Promotions where you could win backstage and/or meet & greet passes), visit the above links! These two shows will help bolster the summer concert season in the twin Saults, so if you enjoy modern hard and alternative rock, definitely keep your eyes on these two July shows! Stay tuned for more info!

We'll close today's all-Sault Michigan post with some news from local classical metal band Theatre of Night, so what's been going on in their camp? In terms of new music, the band featuring I.S.O.M. and End of Existence alumni have uploaded new "zombie soundtrack" songs named "Demonslayer" and "Revenge of the Living Dead" to their Reverbnation page, but whether this is an intended album theme or not isn't stated there. Both sound good and dramatic, so check them out above! Theatre of Night have also launched a campaign on the crowdfunding website Patreon, which is like Kickstarter, but allows fans to fund artists per each completed work to help them continue producing more in their medium. A lengthy biography written by keyboardist Craig Harrison can be read there, where he outlines Theatre of Night's history and past work, and it's a nice read! That said, if you pledge money to fund Theatre of Night projects, what will you get?

If you pledge $1 per song, you can get new songs as released for free plus possibly studio outtakes and Craig's own art prints. Higher amounts (i.e. $100 and $200 a song) could see money donated to the Wounded Warrior Project or you recieving ALL produced music. Crowdfunding is still a new and hit & miss idea for local bands, but hopefully fans can jump on board to help Craig, Steve, and Gaby to continue making music and finally get that third CD out, so click here for full details on the Patreon campaign, and stay tuned!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Sault Ontario news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Buckcherry/Fuel Concert Preview, F.A.T.I.L. Videos, And More!!

Before we get to the news, I want to apologize for a missed concert this past weekend, as Cheboygan hard rockers The Darwin Project made their long awaited return to Sault Michigan at The Corner Pub on Saturday night for an outdoor parking lot party concert. As far as I can tell, it was their first local concert appearance since last year & since the release of their new EP "Beautiful", and it's one of their last shows before kicking off a midwestern US tour run. It's not like me to miss a Darwin Project show for SMS coverage given their prominence and advance show notice, and I sincerely apologize for missing this. Check them out A.S.A.P. though, they're going places fast, and they're very talented, so keep your eyes peeled for a local return at some point! Now, we have a major concert preview, newly found videos from a local metal band, and some more updates, so here's what you need to know!

For the first time since April, a major hard rock concert is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT, and it will be headlined by Los Angeles hard rock notables Buckcherry! The platinum-selling quintet best known for hits like "Lit Up", "Sorry", "Crazy Bitch", and "All Night Long" were last seen in Sault Michigan in March 2011 with Papa Roach, and they definitely have a known following and some entertaining hard rock songs that fans are bound to recognize, so hopefully they can top the mixed reception from their set last year! Joining them for this show are Tennessee hard rock quartet Fuel, who are likely best known for classics like "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", "Shimmer", and "Innocent" among their multi-platinum resume! Though only singer Brett Scallions returns from their classic lineups tonight, Fuel's recognizable heavier classics should be welcomed in the Soo, so don't miss their set either! There will be a local opening band, that being the indie rock quartet The London Gentlemen, and though they're not a perfect genre match to the out of town headliners, they're fitting in other ways. Singer/guitarists Steve Sivret & Mike Russo opened for Buckcherry last March in their acoustic band Fallen Heroes, while bandmates Kyle Beaumont & Jake LaLonde have ample experience opening for big name acts at Kewadin Casino with Nixxon Dixxon, so they're well suited to this big opportunity!

Tickets are $35 for this ALL AGES concert, and they are still available as of this writing from the 7th row and back, though note that all of the center section seats are sold out. To pick yours up if you haven't already, click here to purchase them online, or visit the Kewadin box office in person, or call 1-800-KEWADIN! Everything starts at 7:00 PM tomorrow, and for more details, check the above links! It's great to see Allstar Promotions bringing another high quality package of hard rock bands back to The Dreammaker's Theater, and hopefully this show is a huge success to ensure more big shows! One in particular is being announced sooner than you think. I'm not a huge fan of Buckcherry or Fuel, but they have entertaining material and strong fanbases, and as long as Buckcherry can top their set last year, I think everything will come out well tonight! Stay tuned for fallout and news from this show as it comes in this week, but for now, have fun at Kewadin Casino tonight, and for a preview, here's Buckcherry playing "Crazy Bitch" at their show here last year!



Next up, remember on Saturday when I alluded to other MySpace videos from local/Central Algoma death metal quartet For All That Is Lost in our last CASS Cafe video post? Well, here they are, and these are from a full early concert of theirs that you guys can check out! For All That Is Lost's original lineup played a headlining gig at The Hilton Community Hall in Hilton Beach (roughly an hour from here in St. Joseph Island) on June 25th, 2010 (I believe), and each of the 7 songs that they played is on their MySpace page, including their originals "Blood Law", "Graves of the Ancestors", "Viscosity of Blood", their recently less frequent songs "Northern Metal" and "Mask of Divinity", and covers of Lamb of God's "Descending", and surprisingly enough, AC/DC's "Back In Black"! Click each link to see the videos, which were well shot and look surprisingly professional, though the lighting can be dark, and fans do sometimes get in the way. Even at this earlier stage, lineup, and pre-Sault concert stage, F.A.T.I.L. show lots of brutal promise in these videos, and it's disappointing to see them stashed away on MySpace when they could be attracting more notice on other websites. I've embedded their performance of "Northern Metal" below, but check the above links for much more from this early F.A.T.I.L. headlining concert!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• On July 29th, SBD bassist Brad Griffith was among the victims of instrument theft from the recording & audio/video company that he's launching, and the stolen items include a guitar, two basses, some microphones, and a portable studio. The gear costs over $2,500, and it's very important for his operations, so if you can help or know of the gear's whereabouts, message Brad at this location or see his post at the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from last week!
• Local grunge band Haggith have announced the addition of Wishbone bassist Steven Flint to their lineup, officially making them a quartet. The news was broken on their Facebook page last night, and Steven will debut with Haggith at a Wawa concert on August 24th. Steven's a talented bassist, and he has heavier chops from his work in Silver Dream, so he should add well to this new band! Check the above links for more info!
• Local punk trio Redundant have replaced horror punk notables Frightlight on the lineup for the Skull Fist-headlined show at The Canadian Nightclub on August 31st, as per the Facebook event page. From what I understand, Frightlight dropped out for personal reasons, though I'm not sure exactly what happened. Redundant may not be a genre match, but their entertaining punk music should go over well amongst the metal on the 31st, so don't miss them at their next concert!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Powerslug), Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before I head to The Oddfellows Hall to rock out at the second annual Sewer Swampstravaganza, here's an all Sault Michigan post featuring this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews across the river! We've also slotted some extra stories at the end relating to tickets for an upcoming show and a video from a local band, but let's begin with the previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Updated on Saturday at 10:53 AM)

Local hard rock trio Powerslug are returning to The Bird THIS WEEKEND! This will be their second straight concert weekend at Golanka's Bar, and once again, we missed last weekend's shows for coverage on here, but that's the joy of late announcements by a band with no online pages. I apologize once again for missing those dates (I need to get better on the ball), but I caught these latest ones, which were announced by guitarist Chris Gurnoe on his personal Facebook page on Monday. The guys should have a great weekend of hard rocking covers in store for their fans tomorrow and Saturday night, so absolutely keep them in mind for your weekend concert plans! Both TONIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT's shows should start at around 10:00 PM, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no advertised cover charge. It's good to see Powerslug back out there, and hopefully you guys can make it out to chug your mug with Powerslug, so keep their shows at The Bird in mind for the next couple of days! For a preview, check out this unembeddable Facebook video from a recent show in Ludington!

Next up for the weekend concert previews is the return of Muskegon hard rock quintet RedStone Riot to Sault Michigan! In what is called their "annual show" in Sault Ste. Marie (implying that they won't be back until 2013), this will be the band featuring Elipzis alumni Rachel Kiger, Ryan Harrison, and Wally David's first local concert appearance since their live debut last August, and they'll rock The Corner Pub Bar & Grill's parking lot for a special outdoor "biker bash parking lot party" tonight and tomorrow night, which should be interesting! I understand they've had a few other bands playing outdoors recently as well, like Powerslug, and this will add a unique ambiance to the event! However, disregard any allusions on Facebook postings and event pages to this being a Friday only event, the band's website and The Corner Pub's Facebook event page confirm they're playing tomorrow as well. There's no announced cover charge for this weekend's shows, which have 10:00 PM start times and I'll assume 21+ age limits, though with the outdoor setting, I don't know how that'd be regulated. For more details, click here or visit the above links!

It's great to see RedStone Riot back in Sault Michigan for two more local shows, and any old Elipzis fan or hard rock lover should consider a trip to The Corner Pub tonight or tomorrow night! I have no embeddable video media to share here (I removed my upload of "Lifeless Disguise" by band request despite being a free file on their website already), but if anything pops up to show RedStone Riot in action, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Don't miss them this weekend!

Lastly this weekend is the return of Charlevoix metal trio Peril to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as they have two nights of classic metal covers lined up for The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino tonight & tomorrow night! Though certainly not rare stops for this talented and hard working band, Rapids Lounge regulars won't see Peril back there until October, so unless you're up for a drive to St. Ignace (or further), seeing them pump out some entertaining covers this weekend isn't a bad idea in and of itself! If you're up for seeing Peril this weekend, they'll be on at around 10:00 PM tonight & Saturday night, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details! Peril are definitely an entertaining and talented band, and their classic metal stylings will fit right in at the Rapids Lounge this weekend, so if you're missing RedStone Riot or Powerslug this weekend, consider a trip to the casino to check out Peril tonight or tomorrow! For a preview, here's Peril covering an Ozzy Osbourne classic a few years back!


Finally, here's a couple of news stories from the Sault Michigan side of things! First, tickets are officially on sale online now for August 13th's Buckcherry/Fuel concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, so if you've got $35 to spare for next month's big show, head to Kewadin Casino's brand new ticketing page to get hooked up, or call 1-800 KEWADIN, or head to the physical box office. Plenty of tickets are still available, including some second row seats, so act now before they're gone, and stay tuned for more news on this concert as it all comes in! And lastly for today, local classical metal trio Theatre of Night have uploaded a new promo video for their brand new album "The Dawn's Early Light" onto their YouTube channel, and it features samples of many of the album's tracks along with scattered band, album, and patriotic photos. It's more or less an extended variant on their earlier promotional videos for this album, but with more music and album information. The biggest news is that they've added a new song named "Dixieland" to the track listing, while combining all 5 of the U.S. Military theme song covers into one track, but people who've already bought the album knew that already.

I have my copy ready to review this month (hopefully as soon as our news cache is generally cleared out) so keep an eye out for that, as this should be a very intriguing album, especially if you love America and what it stands for! Check out this newest promo video below, get more at the above links, and pick up "The Dawn's Early Light" on iTunes at this location!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for my review of TODAY'S second Sewer Swampstraganza tomorrow, and I hope to see you guys there! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Buckcherry), A "New" Local Band, And New Videos!!

We're badly behind on news, so let's help clear out some of the back stories with this post! Today, we have a recent Shaw TV interview some of you guys should really like, a full concert video from a prominent former local band, and a "new" local band, but first, here's a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Sault Michigan!

A major hard rock concert is finally returning to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on August 13th, and it will be headlined by the return of Buckcherry! This multi-platinum selling hard rock band from Los Angeles will hit the Soo for the first time since March of last year for what should be a huge concert, and with hits like "Lit Up" & "Sorry" in their setlist, and a new album on the way this fall, they should have a great performance lined up next month! Joining them in their Sault Ste. Marie debut will be Tennessee hard rock quartet Fuel, who also have multi platinum success from hit songs like "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and "Shimmer", and with their original singer Brett Scallions back in the fold, hopefully they can deliver a great set of their own on August 13th! A third band is possible to be added, but this isn't official. Notably, this is Allstar Promotions' first Dreammaker's Theater concert since the My Darkest Days show in April, but if you don't count them as a "hard rock" headlining act, this will be the first hard rock/metal headlining concert at Kewadin Casino since the Stryper/Slaughter show in February, and it's nice to see some heavier music hitting the Dreammaker's Theater in a slower year for big SMS-coverable shows than we've tended to have lately!

Tickets will be $35 for this show, which is lower than Buckcherry's last stop here, while no age limits and a 7:00 PM-ish start time seem likely. Though tickets have yet to show up on Kewadin's online ticket depot, Allstar Promotions indicated they went on sale today, so if you want them A.S.A.P., try the box office in person or by phone at 1-800-KEWADIN until online purchasing pops up. This should be an interesting concert with a lot of recognizable hits and hard rock grooves, so if you like Buckcherry and/or Fuel, keep this concert in mind, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a "new" band to add to our local metal links, and if you read yesterday's first CASS Cafe video showcase, you may know who we're getting at! The band is named Column Ruins, and they're an inactive alternative/progressive metal trio from Sault Ontario that was roughly active for a year between 2010 and last summer. Their lineup consisted of former Diego Experience guitarist Ben Eppert and former Vendetta bassist Travis Garside, alongside drummer Marcus Doyle (no one was given vocal credit), and though the available information on their Facebook page wouldn't suggest that there's enough there to include in our band links, they did play at least one gig with fellow locals Crimson Crusade at the Bar River Hall in Echo Bay in October 2010. News on Column Ruins stalled in 2011 (last updating their Facebook page in July of last year), but I'm curious to hear what they brought to the table! From what I've seen, Ben and Travis have musical talent, and though I can't find any media of them in action, it's something to watch out for! There's just enough to put them in our inactive Sault Ontario band links, so check Column Ruins out at the above links, and stay tuned for our next CASS Cafe video post likely tomorrow!

We'll close this post with new videos, starting with an awesome new video of local doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres! On Tuesday, former guitarist Bryan Belleau uploaded a full Woods of Ypres concert video from 2008 onto his YouTube channel, which comes from Woods of Ypres' performance at the then-Lock City Grand Theater on November 11th, 2008, which was the first show of their only tour with their 2008 incarnation, featuring every 2008 member of Gates of Winter! As such, this was the only local appearance by the full "Gates of Ypres" lineup (and the first of three after frontman David Gold moved back home), the live Woods debut for Bryan and then-drummer Evan Madden, the only time that Lee Maines, Steve Fµrgiuele, and Brian Holmes played with them live in the Soo, and the last local concert of any type with the classic four Gates of Winter members to date. The video is of Woods of Ypres' full 45 minute set that night, which saw them play the entire "Against The Seasons" EP from start to finish, as bookended by two "Woods III" songs ("Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground" & "The Northern Cold"), and the latter is particularly rare to find live videos of, so it's notable even on that basis!

The lighting is mostly dark but it fits their sound well, as this was their last local show with no doom metal-leaning material, and the guys sound really good here! Their six-piece lineup definitely wasn't overkill, and even on the songs that didn't originally have keyboard, they meshed well, and it's a bummer that this lineup didn't go further. The harsher vocals on "The Northern Cold" are also interesting, and this gave me some nice nostalgia from when I saw this show live! Kudos to Bryan for uploading this, so check it out below, and if I hear of more archive Woods of Ypres videos to share, you know I'll have them here!



Finally for this post, here's a recent Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie news piece that we completely missed for the site, despite it's own music connections! Uploaded last week, this ran last month on Shaw channel 10 presumably for a week, and it's about the recent renaissance of vinyl records with music fans & collectors. Produced & narrated by Christian Lemay, it features remarks from The Rad Zone's Paul Muncaster & Evan Belleau (a.k.a. Garden of Bedlam's bassist) along with local vinyl collector Brock Thivierge and audio enthusiast/record player repairman Ron Vincent about the appeal of collecting and listening to vinyl records compared to newer music technologies like CDs and mp3s, and though there's no direct metal link, I know darn well that a vinyl record still has a wide range of fans and appreciative listeners that understand why a record is special! Myself, I grew up as CDs were getting popular and cassettes were the norm in vehicles, so I didn't experience vinyl much, but there's definitely a special something about listening to music on a vinyl record and the care and detail in much of the packaging, so this video has a lot of resonance! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more Shaw TV videos that could fit on the SMS both on channel 10 and online!