New/Old Video Uploads Related To Woods Of Ypres!!

Just a heads up for anyone who reads this post on the day it went up or shortly thereafter, but this was largely written during the great Facebook outage of October 4th, 2021, so I apologize if any of the links or photos in it are slightly awry. I did intentionally choose topics that aren't reliant on Facebook to write about, in the event that Facebook remained down, and while it was back at the time this post was published, it was still running sluggishly for me. In any event, this post is all about a long lamented local metal band via some recent YouTube uploads, so let's get this one rolling!

As some readers may recall, ex-Woods of Ypres drummer Evan Madden and late frontman David Gold's mom Esther were both interviewed a little over a year ago by metal singer, comedian. and NewMusicNation VJ Robbie Stevenson for his YouTube series Metal Health, with topics centering heavily on Woods of Ypres in both, as tinged with discussion on mental health, which Robbie is open about dealing with personally. If you liked those, then let's make it a trilogy, as Robbie interviewed Woods of Ypres' final lead guitarist Joel Violette for a 44 minute episode of Metal Health last week! Woods fans will recognize Joel from his 2010-2011 stint with the band, including appearing on the "Home" single, the Juno-winning "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", and the "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery" music video, while also playing in both Woods' final local concert and 2012's Ypres Metal Fest.

Since the "Woods V" release, Joel has focused on his New Brunswick-based folk/black metal band Thrawsunblat, with him on lead vocals & guitar alongside the surviving members of Woods' never-debuted final lineup. No one in Thrawsunblat is from the Soo (let alone Ontario), so we don't cover them on the site day to day, but if you like Woods of Ypres, you will like Thrawsunblat for their doomy black metal sound and nature influences, and Joel is carrying their musical torch very well. Likewise, Robbie is a good candidate to interview anyone related to Woods of Ypres, as you can tell by his shirt, his albums, even the name of his cat! After opening with discussion of patches and the Metal Health set, Robbie asks Joel about Thrawsunblat's upcoming EPs, how he adapted during the early stages of the pandemic, how Joel connected with David musically & ultimately joined Woods of Ypres, ...

...his first tour with the band, Thrawsunblat's vinyl releases & their sole live concert, and Joel's day job outside of music, but after Robbie runs through Woods of Ypres' history in 2011, they kinda wrap things up and just talk about whatever for the last 10 minutes or so. Sault Ste. Marie does come up when Joel talks about working with Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios, plus touring through Northern Ontario, including their ordeal over a broken windshield travelling from the Soo. It's also worth noting that Robbie said that he was planning to do a four part mini-series on David Gold's life and legacy for NewMusicNation (details are about halfway through the video), which would definitely be interesting to see! This was a likable interview, and Robbie is more casual & in the element, but this was almost to it's detriment as it felt like there was a lot of stuff Joel could have talked about if only he was asked.

I also was somewhat out of the loop as to Robbie's evasive references to Woods' old label Earache Records (are their people liable to complain if they're openly criticized?) Still, a fun watch featuring two guys who are clearly easy talkers about anything that comes to mind, complete with lots of jokes from Robbie, so give it a watch below!

We'll close today with a new-ish upload of 21+ minutes of Woods of Ypres at the inaugural Northern Lights Festival at Club Rockit in Toronto back in June 2003! If this sounds familiar, it's because David posted all of this to his YouTube channel in 2007 in three different uploads, but YouTube user HairpieceForDogs combined it all into one upload in August & stretched it to wide-screen. The Northern Lights Festival was (according to David) "the 1st ever black metal festival in North America", and it featured a few other recognizable names, including Lansing veterans Summon (who later featured Sault Michigan native Mikey Bishop on drums), Krankenhaus Records signees Vanquished, and "Heart of Gold" tribute album performers Eclipse Eternal, among others. That said, I am not 100% certain on the Woods of Ypres lineup here, but David was still just their drummer.

Woods had a lot of membership turnover in their Windsor era, but this is late in Robin Cross' tenure as lead vocalist. The multi-camera footage features Woods playing their "Against The Seasons" cuts "The Shams of Optimism", "Crossing The 45th Parallel", "A Meeting Place & Time", and "Awaiting The Inevitable". Between the VHS camcorder quality (remember, 2003) and the unnecessarily stretched aspect ratio for the re-upload, this isn't a pristine way to witness Woods of Ypres, but live videos are scarce from their black metal era, and it's a very interesting & convenient way to see them at this primordial stage with a very receptive crowd! Give it a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site by Thursday! Thanks everyone!

Two New Woods Of Ypres-Centric Interviews From Metal Health!!

Single topic post today for this long weekend, as we're discussing some new interviews relating to a very prominent and dearly missed local metal band that popped up online in the last week. Here's what you should know!

Woods of Ypres fans will want to take notice, as two important figures in the local black/doom metal band's history were recently interviewed on the YouTube interview series Metal Health! Hosted by musician & stand-up comedian Robbie Stevenson (who is based out of Southern Ontario), he is self-described as "a schizophrenic recovering drug addict", and you can expect discussions in that realm alongside music discussion in his interviews with metal musicians and fans. Huge kudos to friend and long-time reader Mike Boychuk for letting me know about Metal Health, and he was actually interviewed by Robbie in this episode, which does include references to the local scene (the AlgomA shirt should give that away!) The two newest episodes relate to Woods of Ypres, starting with last week's interview with ex-drummer Evan Madden, who was behind the kit in their Sault Ste. Marie-based doom era from 2008-2011.

Readers will recall Evan from Woods' last three local dates, "Woods IV: The Green Album", and the "You Were The Light" sessions that led to the "Home" single & the unreleased EP that will allegedly be part of Earache Records' "Woods V" reissue (source here). As for the Metal Health episode, Robbie instantly proves his fandom by showing off his physical copies of "Woods IV" and "Home", so we're in good hands in this regard. The interview starts with Robbie and a now bald Evan discussing how he joined Woods of Ypres in 2008, their Gates of Winter-infused sextet lineup at the time (Robbie saw that lineup live in Toronto), Evan's current music projects like Drones For Queens, a memorable story from touring with Woods, how he heard about & reacted to frontman David Gold's death in December 2011, and his favourite bands. The audio quality on Evan's camera is somewhat abrasive, but this is a good interview that keeps things light!

Robbie has good questions, and while he still feels somewhat new to interviewing, he does come across as honest and as a true fan. His asides about his own mental health issues and personal experiences add a genuine touch, even if they sometimes veer off topic. Give Evan's interview a watch at this link or above! The second interview is embedded below, and it is actually with David's mother Esther Gold (a.k.a. Mama Gold) who has been heavily active with Woods of Ypres' fan community since his passing, as any member of the band's fan club Facebook group will know, and who accepted Woods' Juno Award in 2013 on David's behalf (as seen here). After elaborating on his Woods fandom, Robbie starts by talking to Esther about what music David listened to, his early experiences discovering music, switching from sports to music, and learning the drums, his teaching aspirations and ESL teaching stint in South Korea (including his joining Necramyth there.)

Afterwards, Esther reflects on learning about David's death (I admire her composure and candor), and she acknowledged that Woods of Ypres were planning a European tour in 2012, followed by David planning to return to teaching overseas in Dubai, and even to record a Nick Cave-inspired solo album. That's followed by Robbie and Esther discussing "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" and it's musical and personal impact, especially with fans contacting her to say how much Woods of Ypres and their music has affected them, and how she has became a mother figure for many fans in the past decade. This interview had less finite questions, but that was a good call, as Robbie let Esther reminisce about her son and what he brought to the world, and it's extremely clear that she loves and misses David, and I'm sure she has many more great stories to tell about his life and music than one 28 minute interview could contain. Really good interview, so give it a watch below, and see much more from Metal Health above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tantrym Tyme), A New Album Release, And More From Sault Michigan!!

As promised, today's post is completely focused around the Sault Michigan scene, so what's in store for this Independence Day weekend? Today, we have news on a band who DIDN'T break up (and their recent updates), a new band on two upcoming Kewadin Casino concerts, and a brand new album release, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to an upcoming community event, so here's what you need to know!

Young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme have announced two new concerts that I can 100% verify and source! Often, their shows either get late or no notice, and take place on an outdoor stage at various regional locations, but we do have some info on their next dates, starting with sets outside of Harmony Health Foods on July 26th & 27th as part of Sault Michigan's annual Downtown Days! Also known as the Sidewalk Sales, this is a yearly community event featuring outdoor sales from local merchants, kids games, and live music (you may remember that Free Refill frequented the Downtown Days during their run), so shoppers and Saultites in general should find something to like! Tantrym Tyme's location for the shows isn't random either, as drummer Ethan Twardy's parents own Harmony Health Foods (at 217 Ashmun Street, just seconds from The Corner Pub), and the band have played, been sponsored by, and sold merchandise there in the past. No times for their sets have been announced, but given the outdoor setting, there's obviously no cover charge or age limit. Check the above links for more info!

One more show was announced too on their Facebook page last month, but I'm waiting for more info before plugging it on here (especially concerning other bands.) Tantrym Tyme on rising fast in prominence and talent, so don't miss their next (announced) shows during Downtown Days in three weeks, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Next up, a new local album was just released on June 30th, so it's time to give it some overdue press, as Dafter solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's sixth original studio album "Perception" is now on sale! Independently released through and recorded at the Waterfall Recording Studios earlier this year, this is a much longer album than it's predecessor "Doo Hickey", featuring 10 songs. In terms of personnel, it looks like Ken handled all instruments (I don't believe collaborator Scott Schroen is featured this time), while one song ("Pages the Break of Dawn") was sang and co-written by Plastic drummer Paul "Dorothy" Burns (formerly of Bent Rollercoaster & Hammerspace). Ken describes the album as "a fun rock n' roll album with a summer feel to it", and the album's page on his website describes some of the songs' themes. "Perception" is now available to buy for $9.99 in mp3 format (or $12.97 on CD) at this location, while all 10 tracks are streamable at this link as well, but buy it to support SweetKenny's work! With that all said, when is a review of it coming to the SMS?

Not until the fall, as it's still too soon from our review of "Doo Hickey" in March, but I'm currently leaning towards the fall for it (as the summer's booked up, and I don't know finite dates for Mike Haggith's next solo album to be exact otherwise.) SweetKenny's newest CD will get a fall review though, so don't worry! I'll hold full thoughts on the album until we review it, but pick it up above, as Ken's a very talented veteran guitarist who deserves the support!

Also in recent news, Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way will apparently return to Sault Michigan for two opening dates at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino later this month, as they've been announced as openers for Shinedown & Devour The Day on July 21st AND Tesla on July 27th! My source is guitarist/Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on Fifth Way's Facebook page on Thursday, though note neither the promoters or venue have officially confirmed their addition. The Shinedown gig will be Fifth Way's first local appearance since opening for Evans Blue at The Dreammaker's Theater in September, while it will also see yet another bassist change, as this will be their first local date since Anthony Palsgrove replaced Victor Wooten in the band last fall (by my math, that's 5 bassists in a 4 year span!) As for the Tesla show, that's familiar ground for Fifth Way, as they opened for Tesla at their last local concert in June 2010, so hopefully their modern hard rock blend will be welcomed back after 10 months away from the Soo in time for these huge concerts! Stay tuned for more if it comes in!

Finally for today, I have an apology to make, as in April, I incorrectly reported that local hardcore band The Eleventh Hour (formerly Angelic Genocide) had likely broken up due to the deletion of their Facebook page. Usually, that's a good indicator, but instead, they quietly launched a new Facebook page last fall and didn't delete the old one right away, hence the confusion. Their current lineup credits singer Sean Roush, guitarist Josh North, and drummer Joe North as still being in the band, alongside new addition Zach Howe on clean vocals (replacing Cathy Burgos), while guitarist Cody Reed left the band as well last year, and a Google cache of their Facebook page indicates that former bassist Alex Boyer had briefly rejoined before leaving again. The band was temporarily named Changing You For Better Days earlier this year before reverting to The Eleventh Hour, and while news has been slow (partly due to Zach living in the Traverse City area), they have rough plans to release an EP called "Eyes of the Wretched", with lyrics to an original song named "I Have A Voice" posted on Facebook as well.

The new Eleventh Hour page features one original sample via a Facebook video (as a result, I can't embed it here), but it's a rough instrumental that suffers from staticy audio. It's heavy enough though, and I'm curious to hear newer material of theirs with better quality and vocals! It's great to see The Eleventh Hour are still together and plugging away, and hopefully they can get over the hump that many recent extreme metal bands have been stopped by in Sault Michigan, and make a big name for themselves! Check the above links for more, my deepest apologies for the mix-up, and they're now back in our active band links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Sault Ontario news and updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Turner Up), Bret Michaels Health Updates, Jason Taillefer's Return, And More!

Greetings everyone! Got some assorted news to share this afternoon, including a new local band, a prominent local musician's one night return, updates on the health of Bret Michaels, and a little surprise in honour of the SMS hitting 500 fans on Facebook! But first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

Turner Up will be the first local hard rock/metal band to play at the newly opened Vibe Lounge on Goulais Avenue when they take the stage there for two nights this weekend! Look out for them on Friday and Saturday at 10:30 PM both nights! I again apologize for this being short notice, but look at it like this: At least it was announced with a few days notice! There is no announced cover charge either, and seeing as this is a bar, expect a 19+ limit. Checking out Turner Up this weekend could have a double purpose: Entertaining live music AND to get a glimpse of this new local venue from the gang who brought you Nite-Life Dance Club! Check out more from Turner Up at this location, and confirm your attendance for one/both of these shows by clicking here! Also, nice work on the poster!

Next up, I have lots more updates on the health of Bret Michaels, which as we know, could affect his headlining spot on night one of the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival. The most recent update I've heard on his current state is that he's still in critical condition in the ICU of an undisclosed Arizona hospital. He's heavily sedated under 24 hour doctor's care and supervision, and doctors still haven't located the exact location of the bleeding in his brain that caused the hemorrhage. The most recent update to his website said that he currently has "slurred speech, blurred vision and dizziness." According to a source close to him, the headache that led him to call 911 felt like like getting "hit in the head with a baseball bat over and over again."

So how does the prognosis look for Bret Michaels? Well, we won't definitively know until his doctors say something, but some sources have their own theories. Some are theorizing that what happened to Bret could be emerging complications from his accident at last June's Tony Awards, when stage props dropped on his head. However, doctors have said that this could be a diabetes related issue, and seeing as it's almost a year since his Tonys accident, it seems unlikely to me. Other news reports have said that what happened to Bret has essentially become a stroke. According to a report on ABC's "Good Morning America", what happened to Bret has a 75% survival rate after one week, so if he makes it through that, we'll hopefully be in the clear. A troubling news article I found (link here) has some less than encouraging theories, with appropriate medical backup, about what may be in store for Bret health-wise. But I don't want you guys to even THINK about a negative possibility in this. I'm pulling for Bret, I never want to see anything like this happen to anyone, and hopefully he will get better! It's honestly not looking like he'll be here in July, but as long as he pulls through this, I wouldn't care about that. Hopefully you guys feel similarly. I'll keep you posted with updates on his condition, and expect a doctor's statement at some point this week too (Source here), and check the links below for more sources for the above information.

BRET MICHAELS Remains In Critical Condition
Report: BRET MICHAELS Felt Like He'd Been 'Hit with a Baseball Bat'
TRUMP Thinks TONY AWARDS Mishap May Have Contributed To BRET MICHAELS' Condition

Bret Michaels condition caused by Tony awards head injury?
Bret Michaels Brain Hemorrhage Update: ICU, Prognosis Unclear

Alright, now here's an intriguing little tidbit of news! Now I don't usually discuss acoustic shows from local hard rock/metal musicians because, with the exception of Tym Morrison, they tend to be lighter non-metal stuff, and usually more of an informal performance compared to what we're used to. That being said, the show I'm about to discuss is like that, but with an intriguing twist. Jason Taillefer, Sault native and frontman of the St. Catharines metal band Phatstick, will be in town TOMORROW for an acoustic set at Foggy Notions! Also known from his work in Human Disorder, and from assorted local bands like Alyster and Scrooge, this has got to be Jason's first local set (Phatstick or solo) in at least a couple of years! Now his acoustic solo material (which is sometimes marketed under the name "Jason Taylor") is definitely a far cry from his heavier Phatstick/Human Disorder back catalog, but it's still very well performed! Nice voice and a very good guitarist to boot! Sure, it's not a Phatstick return, but it's the next best thing until we see them again! Maybe not metal, but I figure there's some people out there who wanna see Jason live in the Sault after so long! Get more details at this location, the above links will bring you to Jason's MySpace and his assorted bands!

Next up, we have a new local band! I don't know a ton about them, but thanks to band member Jason Ladouceur, I can show you how they sound! It looks like this band is named WinkStinger, and they play a fast pace hardcore kind-of style! Not bad on first listen, it has that raw underground intensity going for it! It seems tailor made for a mosh-filled Oddfellows Hall kind of show! The song has audible bass, but according to Jason, they are looking for a bassist, and the need for one is the only thing keeping them from gigging. I like what I hear so far, I'd love to see them live, but they need a bassist first. So if you, or someone you know, would like to try out as bassist for WinkStinger, contact Jason through Facebook! If you need extra proof as to how they sound, here's a video featuring a demo of their song "From Bullshit to Buzz (Lies=Weed)", thanks to YouTube user (and likely band member) joeyvelcro for the upload!



And finally, I'm proud to announce that The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page gained it's 500th fan yesterday! And yes, I know that you now "like" fan pages, not "become a fan", but I like the old method better. You guys are awesome, thank you all so very much for following us on Facebook! I appreciate every fan, every visit, and every moment you guys take to visit anything SMS-related, you guys are the reason I've kept this going for so long! Hard to believe that it took just 9 months and 3 weeks for the SMS Facebook page to hit 500 fans! In honour of this milestone, I'm rewarding you guys with this: An actual SMS domain name! saultmetalscene.blogspot.com still works, it always will, but I thought that a domain name would help to shorten typing time and make it look a touch more official! If you wanna use it, here's our new secondary domain name! Thanks again everyone, more news to come!

www.saultmetalscene.co.nr