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!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats), Apocalypse Afterparty Updates, And Much More!!

As we clear out more recent news on the site, we have another news post for you guys today, including some assorted recent news items, a video find, the latest from a creative new band, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for one week from today, so here's what you need to know, and check out more recent news and notes in the post below this one!

Local all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will return to The Rockstar Bar one week from today when they open for Ottawa rock trio The Red Rails! In case you're not familiar, The Red Rails are the current band featuring drummer and Sault native Steve Brogno (formerly of bands like Driving Dave Home & Turner Up), and these power rockers were last seen locally in September at the same venue. Very modern sound with some bluesy touches, so keep The Red Rails in mind for next weekend, and help welcome Steve back to the Soo! The Danger Cats are a solid choice as openers, and are riding off the success of their Late & Loud farewell gig appearance, so they should be in top form for an entertaining opening set of originals and covers! There will be a higher cover charge of $7 next week's local stop on their "A Living Fiction Tour", you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Should be a good concert, and it's nice to see Steve having such success since moving, so remember this show for next week!

Next up, here's the latest from the new local punk/rap duo The Apocalypse Afterparty! While we wait for their public concert debut, X & Z are looking for around 6 local women who can wear costumes and bring and fire off water guns, marshmallows, flyers, confetti, bubbles, and pillows at their gigs (and at Steve Mozarowski's upcoming Soo Band Roulette on August 30th), and they would be called "The Smoking Heroines". This may seem like an off the wall idea, but remember how the guys looked and dressed at Das Bunkerfest (they are definitely not business as usual.) If fleshed out, this could be very fun, so any female readers who want to join the insanity should message above! Two new Facebook videos are now online also, including this 19 second clip of a member jokingly talking about freestyling in a British accent (complete with mask & ski goggles) and the video embedded below, of "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta and recent AA video filmer Amanda Brown rehearsing a rough version of a new original song, so how does it sound?

Played only on drums and piano with rapped vocals, it has a fun lively sound, though obviously not complete from what we'd see live, but fans of The Fury will enjoy it either way! I'm curious to see where things lead with The Apocalypse Afterparty, who have already shown a ton of originality, so keep posted for updates, and here's their newest rehearsal clip!



Also today, I wanted to get up to speed on local classic hard rock cover band Havadder now that they're in our full coverage on the site, so I hope to share some more of Havadder's concert videos on the site when we come across older examples of them! This one comes from their Facebook page, specifically a March 2012 gig at The Nicolet Tavern (now The Rednecks Saloon), where they covered Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike", as featuring their then-lineup of singer/guitarist Jason Roy, guitarists Jason Nisbet & Robert Brown, bassist Travis Sharpe, and drummer Scott McLurg. Strong lineup, and almost identical to their then-sister band Turner Up (for a comparison, it was reminiscent of Gates of Winter & Woods of Ypres' 2008 lineups, which were also near-identical.) As for the video, it's dark and pixellated, but the audio is good, with the guys handling this song well, Travis' backing vocals adding a lot to the proceedings, and they managed the triple-guitar attack nicely on this ballad too! Give this 2012 Havadder video a look below!



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

• In a comment reply on the band's Facebook group in June, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison clarified his local metal cover trio's status, saying that he's "not sure what's happening with the band", as there's "not a lot of places for us to play, but you never know what the future holds." Last seen at the old Rosie on New Year's Eve, Caveman Morrison haven't played a regular bar gig outside of there or The Water Tower Pub since 2012, though Tym has been playing solo gigs at The Harp each weekend since December. At least the door's not closed on the band, but we'll keep you posted if we hear more!
• For The Music Inside's photos of Late & Loud's headlining (and possibly last ever) set at The Rockstar Bar on August 1st are finally online, and you can check them out at this link! No major surprises, but things look lively and with a purpose, and they're all well shot like with the openers, so check them out, and best of luck to Brendan & Marisa in Great Britain!
• A young local drummer named Trey Piraino is looking to jam with similar musicians, specifically identifying himself as a "prog-metal" drummer that has practiced with bands like Dream Theater and The Liquid Tension Experiment since he was a kid. High quality stuff to take after, which is promising! If you're interested in jamming with Trey, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Friday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new punk band feature soon, more news, and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!