Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Anyone want some more videos? The month of December has been good for them so far, and I've got a bunch to share today, so here's what's on tap! Today, we've got tons of videos from a pair of concerts this past weekend, new jam videos from a notable band from across the river, and a new solo cover from a notable local hard rock guitarist, so here's what you need to know!

Did you miss the Helix concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night? If so, then good news, as 9 videos from the concert are now on YouTube! They were uploaded last night by YouTube user dtwalker79, and they amount to about 25 minutes of the Kitchener metal legends' headlining set over the weekend. The videos include Helix playing "Wild In The Streets", "Heavy Metal Love", a solo from bassist Daryl Gray, guitarist Kaleb Duck's solo (in two parts; click here & here to see them), "Good To The Last Drop", a solo from drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz, "Rock You", and "Dream On", so click on each video link above to see the footage! Things sound pretty good, though Brian Vollmer's singing doesn't come off very loudly on the videos, and the band seems to have a good sound and chemistry as I'd expect from most of their classic lineup! There's also a lot of people in the way on the earlier videos, but dtwalker79 did get closer to the stage by the end of the cycle. Solid stuff, and kudos to him for getting all of these videos from the show! I bet it was huge, but if you missed it, this is the next best thing! Check the above links for more, and here's Helix playing "Wild In The Streets" at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday!



Also for videos from concerts this past weekend is some new video footage of local deathcore quartet View To A Kill from their headlining slot at Feedback on Saturday night! Also uploaded onto YouTube yesterday, this is the first posted video of V2AK from John Veale, who frequently films videos of his son Adam's other band Sativa Rose. In this case, he shot View To A Kill covering the Parkway Drive song "Carrion", and the guys sound good here (Steve Rhodes sounds particularly brutal), though the lighting doesn't seem as active as it was at the Shit Liver show last weekend. Still, it's a solid performance, and hopefully John has some more videos in store for fans of Adam's local bands! Check out their cover of "Carrion" below!



Next up, here's even more new videos from Brimley hard rockers Half A Man, who have uploaded three new jam session videos onto their YouTube channel! All uploaded last night, two of the new videos are in the "drum cam" position, so we only see drummer Mikey Bishop in frame, but they give us glimpses of an untitled new song (that sounds very heavy) and a new track named "Goodbye" that was written in memoriam of the late Michael Lemma, the beloved Dondee Lanes employee who suddenly passed away last summer & later saw LemmaFest launched in his honour. Great cause for a song, it's a fitting tribute, though the lyrics have repetitive moments. Mikey's drumming is as solid as ever too, so definitely check the above videos out, but I'm gonna embed the third new video here, which is of the three active members of Half A Man (Denny Breslin's still absent) playing "Goodbye" on a camera with everyone in view! Audio's slightly scratchy on this camera, but you can see Erik Rintamaki trying a guitar solo, lyrics and captions, and more, so give Half A Man's new videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for more news on them as it comes in!



And finally, Sneaky Pete guitarist Mario Carlucci uploaded a new solo guitar cover video onto his YouTube channel on Thursday, where he covered the intro of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"! I'm admittedly not a huge Pink Floyd fan, but the intro is well played here, though it sounds very quiet compared to other videos I've been listening to lately, so have the volume dial on hand. Nice work overall, so give Mario's rendition of "Wish You Were Here" a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

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

It's time to preview this weekend's slate of local metal & hard rock concerts! Though thin in the amount of concerts, there's a pretty big show going down on Saturday night that we'll be getting to, but first, if you were listening to Rock 101 this morning, you may have heard me being interviewed by Scott Cook & Brian Davie on "Scott & Brian In The Morning"! Though I was late due to bridge traffic, I think the interview went over well, and we discussed the site, how it started, bands in the scene, juggling the SMS with school, and so forth. It was fun and unique, and Scott & Brian are just as personable and friendly off-air as they are on the air, and I wanna thank them for the opportunity to come on this morning! If they ever want me to come back to talk local music, I'll be sure to come by again! If anyone recorded the interview, send it my way! Now, let's get to the news, starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is returning to The Service Grill for another solo acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT!! This will be the fourth straight week of unplugged hard rock and metal covers from Tym Morrison at this Korah Road restaurant, and it comes just a week before he brings Caveman Morrison back to the stage down the road at The Roosevelt Hotel, so go see him tomorrow night just in case his next solo show isn't for a while! Apologies for the short notice too, Tym only launched the Facebook event page for tomorrow's concert last night. As usual, Tym will be on at 8:00 PM tomorrow night, I don't think there's a cover to get into The Service Grill (it is a restaurant, after all), and there is no announced cover charge. For more details, check the above links! It's good to see Tym keeping busy in the buildup to Caveman Morrison's return, and if you wanna enjoy some great hard rock & metal covers, what better way then to head down to The Service Grill tomorrow night? Check the above links for more info, and for a preview, here's Tym & former Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!



Now to the other concerts of the weekend, and first, we'll hop to Sault Michigan, as local hard rock quartet Powerslug are returning to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! This will be their last concert weekend at Kewadin Casino's bar of 2011 and (from what I can tell) their first local shows since the day before Thanksgiving at The Bird. Now, as I've come to expect over the past year, Powerslug haven't updated band pages in any fashion since before their name change, so I don't have any official band confirmation for these shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, but if Kewadin Casino's entertainment page confirms them, then they must have truth to them! As such, you can see the band featuring Scofflaw & Kilacel alumni tonight & tomorrow at around 10:00 PM both nights, there's no known cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! It's good to see Powerslug back on stage for concerts that I can cite, and hopefully we'll hear (and see) a lot more from them in 2012 (that includes videos, so I can't preview that area of theirs yet, but hopefully soon!) Check them out this weekend if you can!

And now, the main event of the metal concert weekend... gimme an R! (R!) O! (O!) C! (C!) K! (K!) Whatcha got? The return of Helix to Sault Ste. Marie, that's what! Over three years after last rocking the area, the Kitchener classic metal legends will return to town TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar to deliver a set full of their classic songs like "Wild In The Streets" & "Deep Goes The Knife", tracks from their latest album "Vagabond Bones", and of course, "Rock You"! No strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, you may remember last seeing them in July 2008 at The Canadian Nightclub in what was a great show, but older fans are bound to remember Helix's concerts here from their prime years, like their Sault Memorial Gardens headlining concert that took place exactly 24 years ago today on December 2nd, 1987! Even more coincidental, the surviving members of their classic 1980s lineup are back in Helix, so how's that for a flashback on Saturday night? The openers for this show are local dance rock quartet Boogie Fever, who may seem like an odd choice to open for Helix (a far cry genre-wise from Syre or Stillbroke), but they're a very talented band and they feature some local hard rock alums in their lineup, so their talent will speak for itself!

Admission is $10 in advance at either The Algonquin Hotel box office (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) or The Rad Zone, or you can get them for $14 at the door. There will be a 9:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit as well. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see these Canadian metal legends back in town, and with most of their classic lineup in tow, you know they'll be ready to rock old fans and new fans alike! Check out the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Helix's music video for one of their newer singles, "Make 'Em Dance"!



With the known weekend concert previews out of the way, here's a bonus story, and it's the first videos of the new look Sativa Rose, who debuted at The Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday night as openers for Toronto punk band The Unbelievers! As you may know, new singer Marisa Valois made her debut with Sativa Rose on Tuesday, where they also featured guest drummer Steven Flint in place of Alex Palmer, but how'd they sound after their over 4 month hiatus? We can now find out, as bassist Adam Veale's dad John has uploaded two videos from the show onto his YouTube channel! The videos feature Sativa Rose covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" and Iron Maiden's "Aces High", and I have to say, Marisa fits in well! She has a voice that meshes well with heavier songs, while being melodic at the same time, and a nice stage presence, though she doesn't hold her notes as well as I assumed on "Bark At The Moon". Steven's solid on drums too on short notice, I wonder if this will lead anywhere beyond this show for him and the band? Time will tell, but Sativa Rose's new formation sound very promising, so check out the new videos above, and here's their cover of "Aces High"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

Helix Concert & Chained Memories Updates, Plus New Videos!!

Here's some more news to end your Monday with, but rememer to check out our Joan Jett video showcase from earlier today in the post below! Now, we have updates for a major upcoming Rockstar Bar concert, new videos from a local guitarist, and the latest news from a young Sault Michigan area band, so here's what you should know!

We now have more complete details on Kitchener metal legends Helix's headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on December 3rd, so here's what you should know! Firstly, there will be an opening band, and oddly enough, it will be local dance rock cover band Boogie Fever! Far cry from Stillbroke in 2008 genre-wise, but Boogie Fever are a talented band who you're bound to have seen locally before, and you may recognize guitarist Mark Oliverio from his work in Foothill Road too, so their talent should speak for itself! As well, ticket prices have been announced, and they will be $10 in advance or $14 at the door, which is a damn good price to see Helix live! Advance tickets are on sale at the front desk of The Algonquin Hotel (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar), and as you'd likely have expected, it's a 19+ show. Doors open at 9:00 PM with Boogie Fever presumably kicking the show off at 10:00 PM on December 3rd. Check the official Facebook event page for more details! Sounds like things are shaping up well for Helix to rock us on December 3rd, so stay tuned for updates and previews of this show as we get closer to it! It'll be a good one!

Next up, here's some more videos from local guitarist Neno Jovanovic, and first, here's a new video from the Napalm Death concert at Feedback last week! This is also from Toronto death metal band Hallows Die's set at the show, as uploaded to his YouTube channel on Friday, and it's of two new songs to be released, which they capped their set with! Like the rest of Neno's great videos from this concert, the quality's really nice, and Hallows Die are playing with a lot of fury here! I wonder if this is the last of the videos that Neno shot? I hope not, as I'd like to see some footage of Wake's set, but I can understand if he didn't get any videos of theirs. Still, endless kudos go to Neno for filming as much as he did, and check out Hallows Die's last two songs from their set below!



Another new upload onto Neno's channel is a solo demo named "Cryogenic Freezer Department", as uploaded yesterday, and I'm digging it! You may have also seen it recently on his Reverbnation page as well. The guitar riffing is fast and hard charging with a techno-sounding tint, and we get some vocals too! Death growling, actually, and Neno (if it's him singing) has a brutal voice, though when he tried to kind of shriek, it didn't flow as well. The video's only 92 seconds long, but it shows some nice promise, and hopefully Neno builds on this further in either solo or band projects! Give his newest original demo a look below!



And finally, here's some updates from Kincheloe metal band Chained Memories! First, the band has added rhythm guitarist and singer Sean Roush to their lineup, replacing Jacob Zeeryp. Band pages refer to him as being on different instruments, but I think he's handling both with the band. I'm not familiar with Sean's talents, but hopefully he'll fill a missing piece in the band! Their Facebook page has kept fans updated to progress in the band's rehearsals, and things appear to be progressing well for Chained Memories so far, even having the band post a tentaitve cover playlist for live shows! While their's some standard fare like Metallica, Judas Priest, and Pantera covers, there's also plans to cover Corrosion of Conformity, Hatebreed, and Carcass, which will be very interesting once they get gigging! Progress is slow but steady, but I think Mike, Ryan, and Sean know what they're doing, and hopefully we'll see Chained Memories rocking a local stage before you know it! Get more details at the above links, and also follow drummer Mike Rynberg on Twitter for band updates at this location!

That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for more news, and for our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on The Lust Boys (featuring former Glass Statues guitarist Ben Kemp-Reynolds) on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Splitshot, Half Past, And Helix) Plus Updates On The Coch's Corner Halloween Party!!

Alright, we have a stacked news post to get to today, probably our best for news quality in a while! I say that because we have updates to this year's Coch's Corner Halloween Party, a new addition to a local band, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for SIX newly announced concerts, so here's what you need to know, starting in chronological order for the new shows!

Sault Michigan hard rock quintet Splitshot have announced an additional four concerts in the Sault area for their remaining 2011 schedule, all of which take place this month! Firstly, the band featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni will return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino next weekend for two shows! They're replacing local southern rockers The Hixx, who were previously announced for October 21st & 22nd on Kewadin's entertainment page. A reason for the switch hasn't been publicized by either band, but I know The Hixx parted ways with guitarist Gary Hatch (from Grooves Music) last month, so that could be connected. Should be good to see Splitshot back at the casino sooner than expected, so keep their shows next weekend in mind! The next weekend, Splitshot will play The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill for the first time since forming last fall for shows on the 28th and 29th, the latter of which will be a Halloween bash, so you know that'll be worth hitting in your best costume! Nice to see some more Halloween weekend concerts on deck, and Splitshot should do great! All four new shows should have 9:30 PM-ish start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Click here for more details!

Splitshot (despite no audio or videos to preview them with yet) should have some great hard rock in store over the next two weekends, so don't miss them at Kewadin or in Barbeau if you can help it! Also in Splitshot news, according to their Facebook page's info section, the band added former Nixxon Dixxon drummer Jake LaLonde to their lineup earlier this fall, replacing Tony Hubbard. No reason was publicized for the switch, but it strikes me as odd, as I thought Jake was still attending the Musicians Institute in California? Either he only went for one year, or they changed the lineup in preparation for his local return, but I don't know either way. If this is accurate, it's great to see Jake back with his old Nixxon Dixxon bandmates Chris Hubbard and Kyle Beaumont, and you know they have chemistry, so hopefully the new lineup does well! Maybe we could see a Nixxon Dixxon reunion sooner than we'd thought now? I dunno, but it'd be cool! Best of luck to Tony too, hopefully he gets into a new band down the road! Stay tuned for more Splitshot news as I hear it!

Also for new concerts, it's the return of Half Past to the concert stage, as they'll rock The Rockstar Bar next Saturday! This will be the talented quartet's first concert since they debuted with new singer Jordan Rains in August, and just their fourth in the past 19 months (following their last Rockstar Bar show in February and their two Hempfest sets this year.) They'll also have a guest bassist for this October 22nd concert in lieu of Arthur Lacasse, but band pages have yet to publically acknowledge the guest's identity or why Arthur isn't playing. For the record, I do know who's filling in and why, but I'll wait to comment until the band announces something on their bass situation formally. This concert will have a $3 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and it all should start at around 10:30 PM. Band merchandise will also be on sale. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Pencil me in to check out Half Past next Saturday, as I am long overdue to see a local concert of any type, let alone a Half Past one! It does conflict with this year's Zombie Walk which I hope to attend, but I think I can hit both! Stay tuned for more Half Past news as it comes in, and make note of their return to the stage on October 22nd, it will be a good one!

While we're on the subject of Rockstar Bar shows, here's possibly the biggest one of the post, and if you've missed them since their last local appearance, you'll be amped up for this concert, as Helix are coming back to Sault Ontario! The Kitchener metal legends (best known for their classic single "Rock You") will headline at The Rockstar Bar on December 3rd, almost three and a half years after they last rocked fans at The Canadian Nightclub in July 2008! This will also be their current lineup's first show here, as most of their 2008 lineup left the next year due to a reunion of Helix's classic 1980s lineup's surviving members. Full details are not out yet for this concert, but posters for it are reportedly already up at The Rockstar Bar in advance of it, and Helix also lists the show on their website's tour schedule, so that's as good of proof as any! I expect this show will be 19+ with a higher than usual cover charge, but exact specifics (including start times and possible openers) aren't known yet, unless they're on the posters at The Rockstar Bar, but I haven't seen them yet. For reference sake, Helix's 2008 show here featured Stillbroke as openers, in case that helps at all. Check the above links for the current details on this show!

I'm happy to see Helix back, and I know they went over really well their last time here, so hopefully a huge crowd turns out on December 3rd for most of their classic lineup! Definitely give them a listen, they're Canadian metal legends, and hopefully I'll be there to rock with other fans! Stay tuned for more official details on this concert as they come in!

And finally for this stacked news post, more official word on this year's Coch's Corner Halloween Party is now out, thanks to a new Facebook event page! Like every year since 2006, we know that Coch's Corner will be decked out in Halloween decorations and ambiance, and lots of people in costume will be ready for good times and great bands, but now we have mostly complete details on what to expect! For bands, we already knew Frightlight were headlining, in their first local concert with new drummer Chris FreaknStein (a.k.a. Chris Thompson from Half Past), but what other bands will join them? T. Rex Manning and The 151s, but I have no clue who they are. I assume "T. Rex Manning" is a reference to Rex Manning from the movie "Empire Records", and "The 151s" could refer to Bacardi 151, but I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about either band. I wouldn't be surprised if one had the same lineup as The Mothermakers from last year's Halloween show, but I can't say definitively. If you can identify one or both bands, let me know! As previously predicted, there will be a $5 cover (which isn't standard for Coch's Corner, but totally worth it for the Halloween experience), a 19+ age limit, and there will be a costume contest with prizes, with doors opening at 10:00 PM. Check the above links for all current details!

This is shaping up to be a great Halloween party, whether I know who the opening bands are or not, and you can guarantee I'll be at Coch's Corner with a costume in tow! If I hear anything extra on this year's Coch's Corner Halloween party, bands or otherwise, you'll hear it here, and kudos to Kevin "St. Mayhem" Powe on another quality poster!

That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for more weekend previews or some videos, I'm not sure which yet. Stay tuned!