LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Whoop-Szo) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

I know, things remain quiet as of late, and that has translated to this weekend's concert previews, but there's still some intriguing concerts this weekend, even one to note that doesn't even have announced bands?! That said, we do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month to lead off with, so here's what you should know on this Thursday evening!

London "true-psych/post-metal' quintet Whoop-Szo will make their local concert debut on Friday, June 29th when they headline at... Outspoken Brewing?! Yes, the craft brewery at 350 Queen Street East (beside Shabby Motley Handcraft) doubles as a venue for live events, but this is the first time that an SMS-fitting concert has ever taken place there that I'm aware of. Whoop-Szo will definitely deliver a unique sound to the local stage at the end of next month, with electronic, psychedelic, folk, and sludge influences in their experimental "noisy mountain", but they are definitely heavy enough to appeal to genre fans, so keep their set in mind! Hamilton garage rock band Billy Moon will open in their own local debut, and with an accessible, lo-fi brand of original material in store (maybe even some guided meditation), they should attract an audience next month as well! Advance tickets for this (presumably) 19+ concert are $10, and can be bought online at this link, though a potential hike at the door isn't stated on the Facebook event page.

This show is also advertised to start at 9:00 PM on June 29th. It's nice to see Outspoken Brewing host a heavier show, and one with lots of musical creativity on both sides of the coin, so visit the above links for more on Whoop-Szo, Billy Moon, and the venue/beer in advance of this concert!

Next up, let's move to this weekend's concert previews, starting with former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's latest Gliss Steak & Seafood shows, as he'll rock The Quality Inn's house restaurant once again TOMORROW & SATURDAY! With his long-term weekly run of acoustic matinees wrapping up another month this weekend, prepare for more unplugged hard rock and classic rock covers at this downtown locale over these two evenings from this local music veteran! Note that we will approach Tym's June concerts (his presumed last before returning to thrice weekly bookings there) next week, as we take his long-term Gliss shows one month at a time due to their length and frequency. As usual for Tym's Gliss gigs, these shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also this weekend, we'll head south to Brimley, Michigan, where Munising hard rock quartet Infathom will travel for a headlining concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! This infrequently seen group (fronted by former Saultite Dillion Semasky) will be making their first E.U.P. concert appearance of 2018 on Saturday, though fans will have seen them open for Theory of a Deadman in the Soo in December, and previously at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley last fall. This will be Infathom's debut at the waterfront nightclub at "your perfect up north retreat", and their hard hitting covers and originals should provide a Memorial Day weekend spark, so keep their Back Bay Grill show in mind for Saturday! Note that this concert does not conflict with former Nudge frontman Danzo McCracken's advertised acoustic gig on Saturday, he's playing in the Northwoods Lounge at Bay Mills that night (and tomorrow.)

This 21+ concert has no announced cover charge, and has an advertised start time of 10:00 PM. It's great to see Infathom back east for another night of metal and hard rock hits, so keep their Brimley return in mind for Saturday night, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Infathom live in Sault Ste. Marie in December!



Finally, I wanted to acknowledge an event taking place TOMORROW NIGHT at Room 21 in Sault Ontario entitled Jiannipaloozahtoo (The Sequel), which curiously has no publically advertised bands, so what is there to say about it? Well, first off, apologies for the short notice, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page yesterday. Jiannipaloozahtoo has nothing (visibly) to do with the reunited Gianni Gagoots, as it is actually the belated sequel to prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger's 2016 birthday concert at The Oddfellows Hall (entitled "Johnny B.'s #Litfam Birthday Sheezy".) The event page indicates that Room 21 are going to "bring together a bunch of instruments" and host "musical performances from everyone", with drink specials also planned to be offered. The lack of an announced performer lineup suggests that this may be more of an informal jam session event with performers coming and going, but the event page's confirmed attendees may shed light onto who's playing tomorrow!

For reference, Johnny's 2016 "birthday sheezy" featured his bands The Bear Hunters and Jack Spades alongside Winkstinger, the dormant Exploring Detritus, and the now-defunct Eclipse and Heavy Head, while Johnny has since joined Stegadeth and Handsome Sandwich. That said, Room 21 hasn't been a haven for extreme metal since launching last year, with smaller and acoustic acts being the norm, so I would imagine this will be a whole different animal than 2 years ago. In any event, hopefully Johnny has a great birthday bash with his second "paloozah", I imagine a fun night of music is in store from him and his friends tomorrow night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Infathom & Project 906), Plus Our I Mother Earth/Finger Eleven Concert Preview!!

I hope everyone's staying safe and warm during this snowy Monday! Today's news post is half devoted to a big mid-week concert preview and new updates therein, but we'll lead off with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the Eastern U.P. in the coming months, one with a related missed show apology, so here's what you should know!

Munising, Michigan hard rock quartet Infathom will return to the Eastern U.P. for a show at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, May 26th! This will mark Infathom's first concert appearance in our area since opening for Theory of a Deadman in December, but it will be their Back Bay Grill debut, as well as their first headlining concert and Brimley stop since headlining at Pickles Bar & Grill on November 4th, a show that we regrettably missed to cover on the site at the time. Profuse apologies for that, we'd have gladly covered it had it not fallen through the cracks last fall! For what it's worth, that show coincided with frontman Dillion Semasky's 25th birthday party, so hopefully it was a blast for him and everyone in attendance! Infathom have been playing out east a little more frequently in the last couple of years, so don't bypass their heavy rock attack at Bay Mills' waterfront nightclub late next month!

This one night only concert has a 10:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. It's great to have Infathom back in our neck of the woods next month, so if you're up for some explosive covers and originals from this rising quartet, head down to Brimley on May 26th! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and apologies again for missing their Pickles show in November!

Next up, local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 are themselves scheduled to return to The Back Bay Grill and Games later this year, as Bay Mills' concert calendar lists them as playing Saturday night gigs on June 16th, August 11th, and December 8th! Arguably the most familiar band in our main coverage to play at this venue, fans will have last seen Billy, Joe, and Dustin there in August of last year, with June's show there being their first Back Bay stop with their current lineup. We haven't heard much from Project 906 since the Musicians Competition at the Superior Cafe late last month, and they haven't confirmed these new Brimley shows publically yet, but hopefully they deliver with a solid night of hard rocking favourites at these three upcoming one-nighters! Like with the Infathom show next month, expect these to be 21+ gigs with no cover and 10:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for current and continuing details!

Also today, here's our preview of a huge concert hitting The Machine Shop in Sault Ontario THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT, as I Mother Earth and Finger Eleven will unite for a high impact night of Ontario-bred, Juno Award-winning hard rock! Fans should recognize I Mother Earth for hit songs like "One More Astronaut" and "Summertime in the Void" in their mid-late 1990s heyday, and with Edwin back in the fold, their multi-platinum brand of hard rock hits should be welcomed back to the local stage for the first time since the Club Princess days! It hasn't been as long to see Finger Eleven on the local stage, with that band last seen here headlining at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion back in 2004 (only 14 years ago), but now with hits like "Paralyzer" and "Pieces Fit" joining classics like "First Time" and "Above" in their repertoire, fans old and new should find something to like in their own long awaited return to the Soo! Note that both bands will participate in a question & answer session and acoustic pre-show set as well on Wednesday for an additional fee, which is an intriguing bonus!

Also, a late opener confirmation was made on the Facebook event page this afternoon, as Peterborough folk rock musician J.J. Thompson (frontman of the band J.J. & The Pillars) has joined I.M.E. and Finger Eleven for their Ontario dates. Bit of a sonic departure, but J.J. is a solid musician and should prove to be an effective bridge between the acoustic pre-set and the main event! This (unfortunately) 19+ concert has an oddly specific start time of 8:50 PM, while the acoustic set/Q&A session will start at 7:00 PM. Not counting online service fees, tickets are $40 for general admission and $60 for both the show and the unplugged/Q&A package, and you can buy them at this link and at the in-person box offices at The Machine Shop and Station Mall. This show's already got huge buzz around it, especially given both bands' long waits to come back & their extensive array of familiar songs, so don't miss out on Wednesday! For a preview, here's the two bands together in a concert encore last year (might we get something similar?)



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Joni Radford Benefit) & Infathom Concert Videos!!

After our first off day of the new year, we're back with a new post divided between the Twin Saults for two distinct topics: New concert videos from a major recent show, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big benefit fundraiser next week, so here's what you should know!

The performer lineup has been announced for the Joni Radford benefit concert at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday, January 13th (exactly one week from today!), and it's an all-punk roster for the cause, as local punk quartet Redundant and trios A Dire Setback and Stegadeth will join forces next week! The lineup was announced by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce on the Facebook event page on Wednesday, and while he's not promoting this event, he has publically been helping regarding the concert aspect of it. Of course, this event is to support local resident and prior cancer survivor Joni Radford through the return of her breast cancer, with all proceeds going to her and her family while she's off work dealing with this unfortunate re-diagnosis. To that end, the benefit will also feature raffle and 50/50 draws, a silent auction, a door prize, a toonie toss, pizza, and the Northern Axperts cage will also be open for interested patrons.

In terms of the bands, this will be all three's first concert set of 2018, with Redundant notably debuting new second guitarist Yannick Casavant in their first live appearance in well over a year (not counting Justin's solo set at Rock 4 Autism in May), while this will be just the second live appearance of both A Dire Setback and Stegadeth's current lineups. Solid picks all around, and hopefully they rock at their best to help Joni out next week! Presumably a 19+ event with doors opening at 7:00 PM, the ticket will cost are $25, but remember that this is a benefit show towards Joni's cancer battle. Tickets are available from organizers listed on the Facebook event page, as well as at The Upper Deck Bar & Grill above The Canadian, and delivery is available if you can't get out there in these temperatures. And just in case, don't let the parking lot renovations at The Canadian scare you off, the venue is still open and things are coming along there!

I don't know Joni well, but everything I've heard of her has been very positive and encouraging to her character and personality, and if she can beat cancer once, I'm sure she can do it again! Kudos to everyone for helping her out at this time of need, stay tuned for more details on this event next week, and visit the above links for full current information!

We'll close this post with new videos from the Theory of a Deadman concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino last week, though these are not of the headliners. Instead, these are from Munising hard rock quartet Infathom's opening set, so what else is publically available beyond Chris Paci's videos? Well, how does their whole set sound? Filmed by their manager Michael Cole and uploaded to his YouTube channel on New Year's Eve, this marks his first upload there since last year's Alter Bridge concert, and first of Infathom since filming their outdoor Savoy Bar show in the Soo back in July 2014. In this half hour set, Infathom can be seen below playing their original (I think) "Nothing New", Guns 'N Roses' "Civil War", Buckcherry's "Lit Up", Candlebox's "Far Behind", The Beatles' "Come Together" (though it seems to take more from Godsmack's cover), and their originals "Live Tonight" and "Blissful Insanity".

Great angle of the band from the front corner of the stage, Infathom sound good, and I'd love to hear more original songs from them, but they do have a few songs that Dillion's vocal range isn't as suited for (plus, "Lit Up" was missing a lot of the first verse), and the camera's audio clarity isn't always pristine. Also, while the security crew-member is continually in camera range, I can't fault him, as he's just doing his job regardless of who may or may not be filming near him. Give this full set video of Infathom in Sault Ste. Marie a look below, and go straight to specific songs above!



Finally, here's one more Infathom video from the Soo Kewadin branch, this time courtesy of their own Facebook page very shortly after their set wrapped last week, and it's of their closer "Blissful Insanity"! Though the camera angle is very similar to Michael's full-set video, they are definitely from different filmers, as the video below wasn't on a stationary angle and does pan around and zoom a bit. Good audio and video quality, and the filmer does make more of an effort to not film the security, so this is also worth watching below, and hopefully Infathom come back east soon!



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

Theory Of A Deadman/Infathom Concert Video Showcase!!

Our first news post of 2018 has quickly turned into a video showcase post from the Theory of a Deadman concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino from Saturday night, and with more videos yet to come from this concert, let's get this rolling before we fall behind! As you may recall, Saturday's return of the British Columbia hard rock/post grunge quartet was a legitimate sell-out event, and there are lots of videos to share from it, including more from Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, as he filmed 13 videos from the show, all but 2 from the headliners' set! Chris filmed them playing  "Lowlife", "Straight Jacket", "Hurricane", a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (only featuring frontman Tyler Connolly), "Bitch Came Back", "Echoes", "Angel", "Hate My Life", "Rx (Medicate)", their set-closer "Bad Girlfriend", and as embedded below, an extended version of their early ballad "Santa Monica".

While I'm not a massive fan of Theory (of a Deadman), they're on point from their last shows here and sound faithful to the original albums for the most part, which fans should appreciate for their usual post-grunge sound and/or their softer, more reserved new material, and Tyler is good and engaging with the fans! Chris has a good, relatively central angle of the band, and while attendee heads can get in the way, this is far from the worst example of that. Give Chris' videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for more from his channel at post's end!



Next up, here's a video of Theory playing "Bad Girlfriend" to end their set on Saturday night! Courtesy of YouTube user Jolene Barens' new channel, this video notably features an acknowledgement pre-song from Tyler that they intend to return to Sault Ste. Marie "next year". Does that mean 2018, as the show was just prior to New Year's, or 2019? Time will tell, but given this show's success, it doesn't surprise me that they want to come back! Unfortunately filmed on a vertical angle, the lighting is overexposed from this angle, but the audio's decent, and she did catch the intro that didn't make Chris' copy of the song, so give it a look below also! (Note that this clip does not feature any footage of Infathom's opening set, despite what the title may imply.



Lastly for currently known Theory of a Deadman videos, here's one from local rock radio station Rock 101's Facebook page, as posted on Saturday night! A few of The Sault's Rock Station's on-air personalities were in attendance for this show, and one of them filmed the guys playing their current hit "Rx (Medicate)" during their encore. Another vertical cell phone camera video (this time from beside the stage), this captures this song well, and while it's not many established fans' cup of tea, at least it's original and an attempt to expand their range, which I can appreciate! Check it out below, and hopefully 101.3 FM films more footage at upcoming concerts!



We'll close today's post by featuring a pair of videos from Munising hard rock quartet Infathom's opening set on Sunday, and while there are multiple videos online of theirs from this past weekend, we'll only touch on the aforementioned Chris Paci's footage today to come full circle in this post! Chris filmed them playing their original "Live Tonight" (with bassist Keegan Nebel on lead vocals) and, as embedded below, a cover of Guns N' Roses "Civil War" with Dillion singing lead. The former is an energetic hard rocker that Keegan acclimated well to vocally, while the latter cover is a solid rendition, especially on the softer verses, though Dillion doesn't try to hit Axl's heights on the choruses. Infathom don't get out east nearly enough, so hopefully this show helped get them lots of new fans in the Soo area! Give them a look above and below, and stay tuned for more from Infathom's set soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Concert Previews For This Weekend, A New Album Release, And More!!

Here's another new post for your Thursday morning, and while we're mostly tackling this weekend's final slate of hard rock concert previews for 2017, we also have a new album release and a new video upload to round things out! Note that we are holding our preview of Soundcheck's New Year's Eve concert at The Esquire Club for our next news post due to it's Sunday night placement, so we can cover it closer to showtime. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's concerts before the 31st!

We'll start with the final regular weekly concerts of 2017 for former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for another matinee trifecta TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! A continually reliable sight over a fairly quiet weekend to end the year (at least for hard rock shows in the area), Tym's skilled and well-tested brand of acoustic hard rock covers should provide another entertaining weekend of music over the next few evenings! Note that there isn't a Facebook event page for these shows as of this writing, but the shows are advertised on SooToday's event calendar. Also, while Gliss is holding a New Year's party again on Sunday night, the musical performer for that will be The Paul Dellavedova Band for a third straight year, so keep that in mind if you want to end 2017 with the blues! As for Tym's threepeat of unplugged shows from tonight through Saturday, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and no age limit. See above for details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, let's head to the E.U.P. for the final major original hard rock show in the area for 2017, as British Columbia hard rock/post-grunge quartet Theory of a Deadman will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Previously seen at this venue with headlining dates in 2012 & 2015, this platinum selling band (alternately known just as Theory in recent materials) are touring in support of their softer new album "Wake Up Call", and with familiar songs like "Lowlife", "Santa Monica", and "Rx (Medicate)", there should be something for fans across their run on Saturday! The openers will be Munising hard rock quartet Infathom (featuring former Soo resident Dillion Semasky on vocals), in their first concert appearance in the E.U.P. since playing in Brimley last March. Huge opportunity for Infathom, and hopefully they make a big impression on the big stage in a couple of nights' time! This show is presented once again by Allstar Promotions, so kudos for getting them back here!

Tickets for this show were $34.50, but the show is advertised as being sold out, so I'd recommend calling 1-800-KEWADIN in case anything opens up in the next few days. The concert proper starts at 7:00 PM on Saturday, and there are no announced age limits. While I'm admittedly not a huge Theory (of a Deadman) fan, I appreciate them taking a risk with a more original sound on this new album, and hopefully it's as big of a hit as the sold-out tickets imply! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Theory live earlier this year!

Also today, here's a surprise new album release, as Dafter hard rock singer/guitarist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton quietly released his 23rd solo album "Assassins" on December 11th! His first solo album since August's "The Dogs Are Watching" (which curiously still isn't on his Bandcamp page), this album is his tenth to primarily function as a score for use in movies, TV, or video games, so fans hoping for a true follow-up to his last traditional album "In Your Face" will have to look to 2018 for the next one, maybe. Ken describes the album as being about the title characters being sent to kill a girl who knows too much about them, and whose father is also a former colleague of theirs, which contrasts the album's peculiar subtitle on Sweetkenny's website ("A Comedy Album"?!) You can buy "Assassins" digitally for $7 on Bandcamp, among other sources for varying prices seen at the above links. I'll hold comments on the album towards a potential album review, but fans of his scores will want to give "Assassins" a listen at the above links!

In terms of a SweetKenny album review... if you're wondering why we didn't review "The Dogs Are Watching" in November given the end of our 6 month anti-bias buffer (post-"Epic"), it's because I honestly forgot about it. To make up for that, I will review a SweetKenny album on the site to start 2017, and I am going to stick with "The Dogs Are Watching", due to it's still recent release, and it being slightly heavier than both "Assassins' & his next album "Escape of the Desert Rat", which can be streamed on his website in advance of it's January 10th release. Stay tuned for more on that album next month, plus our next SweetKenny CD review!

Finally for today, here's a new video from Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary's YouTube channel, as uploaded last week! A nicely edited music video for his song "Be The One", this features lots of interesting visuals that allude to the lyrics (displayed on screen), this has a gritty yet upbeat sound that showcases his musical diversity well, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's solo project!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of last night's Guy Thiffault memorial concert on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned), Tym Morrison Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

On this snowy Thursday, here's our weekend concert previews, as slight as they are this time around, but things will pick up as we approach the Christmas season! Today, we have some assorted recent news and notes, big updates regarding an upcoming holiday show, but we'll start with previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Sportsman's Lounge at Dondee Lanes for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice,  this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event pages (linked here & here) on Monday and yesterday. Over two weeks removed from their last Dondee show just prior to Thanksgiving, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows will bring Banned back to the local bowling alley for a more typical scheduled weekend of shows, and with lots of hard rocking and more general covers in their repertoire, they should provide a good time once again this weekend! As of right now, these are Banned's last publically scheduled gigs of 2017, but I'd be surprised if we don't see them again before the year's out. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts have early 8:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and here's Banned live!

Next up, here's this weekend's only other announced hard rock concerts in our area, as Sault Ontario acoustic hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term run at Gliss Steak & Seafood with matinee concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! As Tym enters the holiday season, his ongoing arrangement with The Quality Inn's house restaurant continues to provide hard rocking songs in an unplugged setting for fans and patrons alike, and this weekend's shows should be no different, so consider an early evening of familiar rocking hits over these next three days! As usual for Tym's lengthy run of Gliss gigs, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits this weekend, but again, these is a formal sit-down restaurant, not a typical nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's now-commenced Christmas tour, specifically the tour's local stop at The Soo Theatre on December 16th (one week from Saturday!) First, an opening band has been confirmed for it, which they credit on their Facebook page as "The Soo Theatre Cello Group." As best as I can tell, they mean The Soo Cello Crew, a chamber-style youth group formed via a class at the theatre (source here), and they should fit the with the classical influenced headliners! As per it's official poster, this show will also feature a meet & greet session with the band post-concert, and some proceeds will now benefit the recovery fund following the venue's fire that took place back in October. Ticket prices have also raised from initial announcements, with adults now being $15, students $10, and Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios (STARS) members getting in for $5. Interestingly, singer Rachel Mender is listed alongside Craig & Steve as band members on the poster, so is she the only one of their recent live additions to become a permanent studio member too? We'll keep you posted!

Things sound like they're shaping up nicely for Theatre of Night's local stops (including in Pickford next Sunday), and hopefully this tour is a big success so that we see Theatre of Night live again in some form, Christmas season ties or not! Stay tuned for info on their newest video shares in an upcoming post!

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:

• According to personal Facebook postings last month, Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton filled in for his old Haggith bandmate James White on bass during Handsome Sandwich's set at the Dany Laj & The Looks concert at The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario on November 18th. No word on where James was, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that Daniel fit in well with his Jack Spades predecessors at last month's show!
• Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom (featuring former Sault area resident Dillion Semasky) have surprisingly been named as openers for the Theory of a Deadman concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino on December 30th! The band broke the news on their Facebook page on Monday, and will be playing their first public set in the E.U.P. since rocking Pickles in Brimley last March. Huge opportunity for Infathom, so don't miss them at month's end if you have your tickets, because this show is advertised as being SOLD OUT!
• 3 Day Millionaires drummer Scott McLurg filled in with fellow local classic/hard rock quartet Soundcheck for their show at The Esquire Club on Friday, November 17th, as per the band's Facebook page! No word on where Steven Flint was, but he wasn't advertised as missing the follow-up show on the 18th. This notably meant that Scott and ex-Millionaires bandmate Travis Sharpe were reunited for this concert, and hopefully he fit in nicely with Soundcheck last month!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (White Cowbell Oklahoma & Exiled) And New Video Finds!!

I know some of you are awaiting fallout from this past weekend's Hardcore Homecoming/Random Killing concert, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, I didn't want it all to be de-emphasized, so that will very likely lead off tomorrow's post, so don't worry! Also today, we have an archive video find, a recent metal concert video, and another new show for later in the fall, so here's what you need to know!

I'm getting very contradictory reports about bands playing TONIGHT at The Savoy Bar & Nightclub in Sault Michigan, so here's what we currently know. Last night, Rudyard hard rock quintet Exiled (pictured) revealed on short notice that they'll be playing at The Savoy for the first time tonight at 10:00 PM, preceding their motorcycle club party gig tomorrow, but that's not what The Savoy's own Facebook page is advertising. Instead, they're promoting a show to be headlined by Saginaw rap/rock band Redburn with support from Munising metal quartet Infathom, which Redburn's pages are plugging, but not Infathom's (they haven't posted on Facebook in over a month.) Given that Redburn advertised this show on their Facebook page today, I'm inclined to believe that they're playing, and while not confirmed officially, it looks like Exiled have replaced Infathom on the bill, though we'll correct this if need be.

For what it's worth, Redburn aren't a "heavy" band per say, but you don't see this type of sound in the area too often, and it looks like they'll be playing at The Savoy again in December if you're into a full rap show! Regardless of what goes down tonight, keep The Savoy in mind for some live rock!

Moving to a show that we can 100% confirm, Toronto southern hard rock notables White Cowbell Oklahoma will roll through Sault Ontario on Sunday, November 30th during their 15th anniversary tour, as they'll be headlining at The Rockstar Bar! Notorious for their entertaining jam-heavy live concerts (complete with power tools), their country-infused rock originals should be a fun sight back in the Soo for the first time since their well received concert at The Grand Theater four years ago, so don't bypass this one either, and click here for Donna Hopper's entertaining review of that show from SooToday to see what you're in for! The announced openers are The Paceshifters, a hard rock band from The Netherlands who have a grungy yet modern sound that should go over well too, so don't miss them either! For reference, W.C.O.'s own pages advertise Vancouver psychobilly band Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz as opening too during their tour (as they did at their 2010 local show), but the local Facebook event page doesn't mention them.

This 19+ concert will begin at 9:00 PM on November 30th, and there will be NO COVER CHARGE, so there's all the more reason to come out! Check the above links for more details, and if you know White Cowbell Oklahoma's reputation and over the top live concert experience, you won't want to miss this one at the end of November! Stay tuned for updates when & if they come in!

Closing today with some new video finds, here's two new clip of Sudbury blackened death metal band Catharcyst from their co-headlining set opening for IDNS at The Oddfellows Hall two weeks ago! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel today, they're of Catharcyst playing their songs "A Spell Has Been Cast" and (as embedded below) "Terra", both of which being filmed from the band's merchandise table at the far end of the hall. The video quality of these is not good, with dark and grainy lighting and an angle too far to make out much of anything regarding the band or fans, but the audio quality is solid enough! Check out Catharcyst's new videos above & below!



We'll close today with another archive video of local classic/hard rock veterans Havadder, courtesy of the same Nicolet Tavern concert from February 2012 that gave us their Foo Fighters cover that was on the site earlier this week! Same filmer too (YouTube user Danabelle39), but for whatever reason, her videos from this show were split across two channels. The video on her own channel is of Havadder's 2012 lineup covering Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down A Dream" with frontman Jason Roy on lead vocals, and it's a good cover for fans of the original song, but the vocals can be muffled. Check out the full video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Random Killing concert fallout and more in our next post! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

As an extremely busy July winds down, we have enough videos to do another local metal video showcase post on this Wednesday morning, so what's on tap? Recent concert videos of the public and private varieties from each side of the border, plus new footage from a pair of linked local artists, so read on below for what you need to know on these!

Video footage of Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom's Summerfest appearance outside of The Savoy Bar & Nightclub in the Soo this past Saturday can now be checked out online! Uploaded by attendee Michael Cole on Sunday (and joining his videos of Infathom's Nick Cam Jam set in our area last fall), he shot 21 videos during the concert, so what can be seen within? All covers, the videos (in rough upload order) include renditions of Puddle of Mudd's "She Hates Me", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", Black Stone Cherry's "Lonely Train", Papa Roach's "Lifeline", "She Loves Me Not", and "Between Angels & Insects" (the latter two uploaded in one video), Three Days Grace's "(I Hate) Everything About You", Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness", Pantera's "Domination", Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", Creed's "My Sacrifice", Alter Bridge's "Open Your Eyes", Guns 'N Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine", Bowling For Soup's "1985", Buckcherry's "Lit Up", Avenged Sevenfold' "Gunslinger", System of a Down's "Toxicity", Seasons After's "Gettin' Even", and A Day To Remember's "Right Back At It Again", plus a between-song jam, so click each link to see each performance!

Note that the Creed & Alter Bridge videos are also combined into one video, and followed each other likely due to the original bands sharing mostly the same lineup, sans lead singer. Better quality videos than we usually see from The Savoy just from the proximity to the band alone, these videos must capture the vast majority of Infathom's show, and their talent and chemistry is evident, though some songs sound a bit empty and tinny without a second guitar, and Dillion Semasky's vocals do tire on some more aggressive tracks.  Infathom fans (especially ones who don't see their full solo gigs often) will definitely enjoy these videos, so check them out above, and here's Infathom covering two Papa Roach songs!



Next up, remember how we shared two videos from a recent private metal concert on the site on Friday featuring out of town metal bands? Well, we can complete that July 21st trifecta, as a video of local openers AlgomA is now viewable via singer/bassist Marty Chase's YouTube channel last week (though AlgomA's own channel has it's own copy too.) Filmed at the exact same high angle as his Disabler & Bushwhacker videos, this captures AlgomA playing their newer original "Phthisis" followed by "Electric Fence", so click each link to go direct to that specific song! Just as intense as fans will have come to expect from AlgomA, the guys sound extra brutal and make the most of their familiar surroundings, though the audio remains a bit muffled. Check out AlgomA live at "Six Two OH" below!



We'll close today with two new videos featuring Pillory frontman Robert Sartini, including this clip of his newest band Shadowthrone playing a new original song! Uploaded to guitarist Sabrina Strange's YouTube channel last week, the song is entitled "Hatred Flows For The Harlot", which was also recently uploaded in audio form to the band's Reverbnation page. Though instrumental at present, intended lyrics are included in the info section on YouTube, and the song has a doomy groove to it at this early stage! The video's slightly grainy looking though, and you can't see much of Sabrina at this angle. Check out Shadowthrone's new song above and below!



Finally is Robert's newest solo guitar cover video, which is of another Putrid Pile cover, specifically their song "Food For The Maggots", as uploaded to his personal YouTube channel on Monday! Not explicitly labelled to his Gorrifier solo project (which appears to be original-centric), Robert described his equipment and tuning well in the info section, and remarked that he learned this song by ear. It turned out well, and it's got a nice brutal tone, sounding very close to the original track! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more news from his active projects as we hear it!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review in our likely next post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Full Throttle), A New Local Hard Rock Band, And More Concert Previews!!

As promised, we're touching on Sault Michigan-area weekend concert previews today, but be sure to check out this weekend's Sault Ontario hard rock show previews (including a new confirmation) in the post below this one! There's live metal bands in both the Soo and St. Ignace this weekend, but first, here's some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS tied to a brand new local band with a familiar name!

Remember how Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Bottom Line have been teasing a breakup in recent weeks due to bassist Jack Slater heading out of town again for college? Well, it's been confirmed, as their Music & Art Dockside Festival set last weekend in Hessel was indeed their last show. That said, remaining members Ryan Kitzmiller, Joe Jenkins, and Will Storey aren't stopping there, as they've formed a new successor band named Full Throttle.....wait a minute, wasn't there already a local band named Full Throttle? Yes, but it's a complicated story. Ryan had originally joined a local hard rock cover band named Full Throttle in late 2012, but early last year, there was a major split in their lineup, with Ryan, guitarist Nathan Switzer, and bassist George Belleau leaving to form the short lived RamWagon, while remaining members Jason Lamoreaux & Mark Gillotte maintained Full Throttle with a new lineup (now including Donny Newell, Steve Pevarnic, and Chris Gurnoe) through last August, when they issued their last public update.

Fast forward to almost a year later, and the remaining local members of The Bottom Line have decided to re-purpose the Full Throttle name for their new band, with Ryan's former bandmate George Belleau replacing Jack on bass, so it seems likely that the old Full Throttle are defunct now, and/or allowed Ryan & George to use the name again. Somewhat confusing timeline, but it will be very interesting to see how the current Full Throttle does in the area! No word on how they sound yet, but you can get your first taste TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, as the new Full Throttle will make their live debuts this weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! They'll also be playing there next weekend (August 1st & 2nd), and again on September 26th & 27th, and it should be noted that these shows (which Kewadin's entertainment page has yet to confirm) all appear to have previously been London Gentlemen gigs, with next weekend's bookings once belonging to RamWagon earlier this year.

And yes, apologies for the short notice, especially as they were all announced two weeks ago, but they got lost in the shuffle until now. All six shows have 21+ age limits, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charge, so check the above links and each weekend's Facebook event page (here, here, and here) for more details! The Bottom Line recieved a positive reception from what I remember, and if the new Full Throttle can build on that, they should do just fine in the area! Don't miss them at The Rapids Lounge THIS WEEKEND, so stay tuned for more as we hear it, and best of luck to members of the old Full Throttle in the future!

Also this weekend, Charlevoix classic metal trio Peril will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for another weekend of hard hitting covers! Last seen in St. Ignace two months ago (though they've played at the Soo Kewadin since), Peril are local favourites from their frequent trips up north, and while Jeff Hudson's other projects have been making inroads to our area lately as well, a good old Peril weekend never hurt anybody, and if you're up for some classic metal action, a trip to St. Ignace would satisfy that nicely! As usual for their Kewadin dates, there's no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and a 9:00 PM start time each night is likely. For more details, check the above links! If you can't wait until October to take in some U.P. Peril intensity, be at The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend, and for a preview, here are the guys live in Vanderbilt!



Finally for this weekend's known previews, Munising metal quartet Infathom will play a rare solo gig in Sault Michigan THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Savoy Bar & Nightclub! Last seen headlining at LemmaFest last month, this show is likely the penultimate in The Savoy's Summerfest outdoor concert series, which has seen bands like Power Slug, No Decision, and Ricochet playing shows outside in the West Portage Avenue bar's parking lot over a 6 week period, with Plastic closing the series next weekend. No word on why Infathom (featuring ex-Half A Man singer Dillion Semasky) aren't playing tomorrow night too, but keep in mind, they are from out of town. It's not often where we see Infathom play in our area without other bands joining them, but their modern metal covers are explosive and skilled, and you can catch them this Saturday at around 10:00 PM! You must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are covering Godsmack in Brimley last fall!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Infathom & The Danger Cats), The Bottom Line Concert Preview, And More!!

For today at the SMS, we're covering some new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend, and some more assorted recent notes, and yes, our preview of a Sunday festival featuring a hard rock band is part of this post too! Now, here's what you need to know!

Sault Ontario all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats will enter unfamiliar territory for the SMS this coming weekend, as they'll make their debuts at The Esquire Club this coming Friday & Saturday! You read that right, we're seeing a rare hard rock show at this popular and long lasting bar at 103 Second Line West (down the road from the Market Mall), which is largely known for hosting classic rock and country bands, so it will be very interesting to see how the girls do in this setting on the 24th & 25th! Fresh off of TODAY'S set at Rotaryfest, their Esquire Club shows will be 9:00 PM and 19+ affairs, but I have no idea on if they generally have cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Regardless of location, The Danger Cats have an exciting and diverse sound, so keep these gigs in mind for next weekend when making your concert plans, especially if you're in the west end of town already!

Also for new concert announcements, Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom will make their long awaited return to Sault Michigan next weekend themselves when they play at (or more likely, outside of) The Savoy Bar & Nightclub, presumably as part of their ongoing Summerfest concert series! The show was announced on their Facebook page yesterday. If among the outdoor bands in the parking lot of The Savoy, Infathom will be second last of this run (preceding Plastic's shows in early August), and come just after local rock cover quartet No Decision's shows this weekend, so it's nice to see the series keeping on! No word on the band for July 11th-12th, or why Infathom aren't playing on Friday, but remember that they are from out of town. Last seen at LemmaFest last month, it's great to see Dillion and company back so soon, so give them a warm reception again next week for their high energy metal! No announced cover charge, 21+ age limits, and a likely 10:00 PM start time are in effect, and stay tuned for updates at the above links!

Now to our likely last of the weekend's hard rock concert previews, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Bottom Line will hit nearby Hessel, Michigan TOMORROW as part of the entertainment at this year's Music & Art Dockside Festival! An annual family event featuring an arts & crafts fair, live music, refreshments, and children's entertainment, this is an area favourite for art fans and families alike, so definitely keep it in mind whether you're shopping, browsing, or spending time with loved ones! Though not previously an event with a high heavier presence, The Bottom Line (who will be playing with new singer Ryan Kitzmiller for the first time following Mitch Goetz's departure) will be on at the Hessel Marina tomorrow at 2:30 PM as the event's de facto headliners, with acoustic solo artist Charlie Reager and classic rocker Gary Van Alstine opening at 1:00 PM & 11:00 AM respectively, as sourced here, so keep the full musical lineup in mind!

This FREE & ALL AGES event may also serve as one of The Bottom Line's last shows due to bassist Jack Slater's college commitments, so head to Hessel to check out the new lineup before it's too late, as they have a promising sound and lineup! No videos are known to publically exist of The Bottom Line, but if we find any, we'll share them on here!

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

• On June 17th, recently dormant Sault Michigan concert promoters Allstar Promotions were gauging interest in bringing The Stone Temple Pilots to the area for a concert, presumably at The Dreammaker's Theater. Lots of solid interest so far, but to speak your mind, comment or like the post on their Facebook page A.S.A.P.!
• Leading from the recent cancellation of their announced Rednecks Saloon show this Friday, local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue (the former Suicide Kings) have cancelled the planned Saturday show this coming weekend too, due to prior commitments for some band members, and a band will be replacing them to be announced. Disappointing, but hopefully their Rotaryfest set went well last night! My source is bassist Mitch Sirie on the Facebook event page for The Bear Hunters' show, which basically replaced Beaumont Avenue's Friday gig there.
• We're likely overdue on this, but Sault Michigan radio station Rock 101's overhauled website is now online at this link, and it's definitely a better looking and more modern layout now! It also features an updated page for station personalities, finally listing their newest nighttime DJ "Nikki at Night", but she curiously doesn't have a bio or photo yet. Check everything out above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our next defunct punk band "introduction" post next, in all likelihood! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned) & The LemmaFest 2014 Concert Preview!!

We'll close up this weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews with a well anticipated annual event in Sault Michigan today, including some extra info on some of the "mystery" bands, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this August, with a related apology for a missed show from them!

Kinross hard rock trio Banned will return to The Runway Bar in nearby Hessel, Michigan for a one-night-only gig on Saturday, August 9th! Announced on the band's Facebook page on May 27th, this will be their first Hessel appearance in 6 months, and their first non-Kewadin bar gig within our coverage range since drummer Don Traynor's surgery in the spring, so it's great to see the guys playing more like normal again! In fact, this was one of numerous new events confirmed last month, including shows outside of our coverage range this summer in Gould City & Engadine and a handful of private gigs, though we regrettably did miss one local public gig announced then, as Banned headlined a community dance in Pickford this past Saturday as part of S.P.E.A.K.S. Education's Summer Festival. Not sure how that slipped by our radar, but our deepest apologies for missing it! Hopefully it was a great event, it sounded like it was for an awesome cause! As for Banned's Hessel show on August 9th, that has no announced cover charge, a 9:00 PM start time, and a 21+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Banned!

Next up, here's our extended preview of the fourth annual LemmaFest, as the annual Sault Michigan concert festival will return for another highly anticipated installment outside of Dondee Lanes TOMORROW! The first year that LemmaFest falls on the third weekend of June rather than the fourth,  this year's event will honour both the late Mike Lemma as usual, but also fellow Sault resident Jon Hackworth (a.k.a. Hot Tub Johnny), who suddenly passed away in January, and festival proceeds will go towards his family & related expenses, which is an awesome gesture! Like previous years, there will be a pig roast, prize and cash draws, drink & bowling specials, and t-shirt & mug sales, while local filmmaker Wayne Kozeyah will be distributing final copies of his LemmaFest documentary short that he made at Lake Superior State over the past year, and hopefully an online copy turns up online soon as well! The band lineup this year features just 8 acts, with only 3 or 4 bands returning from past years, and with regular bands like Half A Man and 3 time LemmaFest veterans Scofflaw not back this year, but there's still some known faces!

A full timeslot schedule hasn't been announced, but the descending order on the above poster looks reasonable for when bands are playing, so we'll go up from the bottom! If accurate, this year's headliners are Munising metal quartet Infathom (featuring area resident Dillion Semasky on vocals) in their third LemmaFest appearance, and their modern metal attack should be welcomed once again tomorrow night! A new (and maybe one-off?) band named Nightmare Grin are scheduled right before them, and while I can't confirm their sound yet, their lineup does include former I.S.O.M. drummer Bart Rennels and RedStone Riot/ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison, so they have some solid talent that we haven't seen in the Soo in way too long! Newer local rock quartet Division of Sanity (who have teased metal material in online postings) are also scheduled for around 7:00 PM in what should be their biggest local concert yet, so we'll have to see how they sound live, as they have talent on the acoustic demos that I've heard!

The fourth-last band will be local alternative hard rock trio Plastic (who debuted at last year's LemmaFest) in their first show of the year and first live set with new drummer Aaron DePalma (replacing the departed Paul Burns), so look for them at around 5:30 PM! 2012 LemmaFest performer Caitlin LeBlanc will play a set of acoustic pop/folk songs right before them tomorrow, while a band named Mr. Fister are advertised for the third slot tomorrow, so who exactly are they? It looks like they're essentially the current version of the band previously known as Bucksaw and Dirtbag In A Dress that played at each of the last 3 LemmaFests, though it's unclear whether they're a renamed version or a separate successor band. According to personal Facebook posts, their lineup includes Bucksaw alumni Bill Ogston on guitar, Barney Gravelle (also of Scofflaw) on bass, and Jason VanLuven (returning to replace Mikey Bishop) on drums, with singer/guitarist Ryan Franklin not recently mentioned. Though there's some uncertainties on Mr. Fister's (current?) form, it's nice to see lots of ties to all of the past three LemmaFests via their involvement!

The opening two performers will be new local hard rock quartet The Bottom Line (featuring Highest of Fives bandmates Mitch Goetz and Jack Slater), while a local solo musician named Mike Kowalski (genre unknown) will kick off the day's events at noon or shortly after. This ALL AGES event goes down tomorrow from 12:00 PM until the evening, with a $10 admission, so visit the Facebook event page and the above links for more details! This should be another great installment of LemmaFest, and hopefully the Lemma and Hackworth families are given lots of rememberances and financial help respectively at this great annual event! LemmaFest is one of the most notable annual concert festivals across the river, so don't miss out TOMORROW at the Dondee, and for a preview, here's Infathom covering Papa Roach live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Thanks everyone!

The Former Crimes Concert Preview, New Mike Haggith Concert Audio, And Much More!!

I know many of you are expecting my Sewer Swampstravaganza review, and it's coming, but I thought I'd get a new news post up right now due to a special Tuesday night concert that needs previewing, but until then, check out most of our videos and all of our photos at our Facebook page! This post also has some recent media from the Swampstravaganza that's of note, and much more recent news items, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 11:07 PM)

AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent and Oh! Right Arm! Promotions will get back into the promotion game TOMORROW NIGHT with an ALL AGES concert at The Moose Lodge on Trunk Road, though a planned headlining set by Montreal hardcore/street punk trio Crimes will no longer take place. Apparently, they just broke up according to the Facebook event page for their now-cancelled Toronto gig today, so promoters are under the assumption that they aren't coming. As a result, local grind/experimental duo This Is Your Band On Drugs (who now have a Facebook page, more on them this week) will be filling in on short notice tomorrow night in their second local concert in four days! T.I.Y.B.O.D. have been making fans with their unique sound since re-emerging locally at the Fuck The Facts show, and seeing as they're sharing the stage with two other bands from Saturday night's Sewer Swampstravaganza, they'll be in good conpany! The other bands are Blood Shed Productions metal bands Brutaly Fatal and Rotopsy, and  Brutaly Fatal made some new fans on Saturday night with their doom/punk mash-up sound, while Rotopsy's energetic goregrind originals have their own loyal audience, so both should provide solid action!

Admission is $7 for tomorrow's ALL AGES show, and there's a 7:00 PM start time in effect. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! After the success of last fall's Biipiigwan show at The Moose Lodge, this should be another entertaining all ages show from O!RA!, and though it is definitely disappointing that Crimes broke up and likely won't be playing, fans of Saturday's show will get a second go-round tomorrow, so don't miss out! For a preview, here's This Is Your Band On Drugs live on Saturday!



Next up, remember how Haggith drummer Mike Haggith played a rare solo set at the Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday night? Our review of it is coming tomorrow in all likelihood, but fans may be interested to see that Mike posted live concert audio from his set later that day! Posted on his YouTube channel on Saturday (and also on his BandCamp page on a "name your price" model as the EP "Live at Swampstravaganze IV"), these were recorded at the soundboard by Sykotyk Rampage's Dirk Becker (who did sound on Saturday), and only comprised of Mike's last two songs ("This Potato May Be Used As A Flotation Device" & "Miss 76") due to early technical issues. I won't review the performances yet, as our full concert review is coming, but the soundboard recording quality is good and comparable with some of Mike's studio releases! As these songs are for sale on BandCamp, I'll confirm however that we're not imminently reviewing this release as emphasis goes to full studio releases, and Mike has tons for us to cover first. Check out the two released live songs below, and stay tuned tomorrow for our full review of Mike's solo set on Saturday, and for details on his new album's release!



Finally for today, here's six shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or company name:

• The 360 Sault Media Arts Collective is looking to provide equipment for music video projects and workshops for interested local musicians and filmmakers. There's already been some notable interest, but if you or your band want more info, message Iam James Lloyd at this link, or the 360SMAC page for more details!
• Local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet have dropped out of THIS FRIDAY'S Jack Spades EP release show at The Rockstar Bar, as per a post by guitarist Christian Foisy on the Facebook event page earlier today. He cited "personal issues & events" as the reason for their exit, but didn't elaborate further. This is disappointing, especially as they haven't played live in 5 months, but hopefully things are alright in their camp! No word on a short notice replacement yet though.
• We won't call this as 100% official until promoters confirm it, but Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom indicated on their Facebook page last week that they'll be playing at the fourth annual LemmaFest on June 21st in Sault Michigan! If true, this will be their third appearance at this annual tribute concert, and first since 2012. It'll be great to have Dillion and company back east for this year's installment, but stay tuned for more formal word on the lineup!
• According to a post on frontman Curtis McKenzie's solo music Facebook page on Wednesday, local hard rock band Punch have "been put on hold" due to members' busy schedules with other projects, including the band members' more recent work with bands like Project 421 and The Suicide Kings. Note that this isn't a hiatus or breakup, so I assume we'll see them again sooner or later, and stay tuned for more from members' current music work!
• Last week, a Facebook post by Brimley, Michigan's Scholomance Studio revealed a recording schedule for four Werehold Records-affiliated metal bands (Drayton Fever, Swampghas, East Branch, and the still-unrevealed Awaken Eidolon) through May 25th, with Drayton Fever recording material there on the day of this post. Might this all be for next month's planned Werehold Records Friday the 13th event, or is something else up their sleeve? We'll keep you guys posted!
• Yesterday, local concert promoters Heavy North Entertainment were gauging interest on their Facebook page towards getting openers for a show on Thursday, June 12th to be headlined by Montreal thrash trio Warsenal (who headlined the Sewer Swampstravaganza last year.) This isn't official yet, and a venue hasn't been confirmed, but message the label at the above links if you want to play at a second local Warsenal concert!

That's all for today, but stay tuned next for our Sewer Swampstravaganza concert review! Thanks everyone!

New Eastern U.P. Concert Videos, Upcoming Album Notes, And More!!

After a few days of concert reviews, we're back to some news and notes today, including new concert videos from recent Eastern U.P. shows, some upcoming album notes, and some recent feature profile updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

No less than nine videos from Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom's set at The Nick Cam Jam at Bay Mills Resort & Casino on Saturday night are now on YouTube for you to check out! Uploaded by attendee Michael Cole onto his YouTube channel this weekend, the videos are of Infathom covering Godsmack's "Whatever" & "Straight Out Of Line", part of P.O.D.'s "Boom", Candlebox's "Far Behind", Drowning Pool's "Bodies", Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife", Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down", and (as embedded below) Pop Evil's "100 in a 55", so click each link to see each video! Filmed at good angles (if occasionally jittery and blurry), Infathom handle each cover well and with nice energy, with Sault-area native Dillion Semasky impressing vocally, but the Fall Out Boy cover (already a clear outlier) featues bassist Keegan Nebel singing lead. Kudos to Michael for filming all of these, so check them all out above, watch their "100 in a 55" cover below, and hopefully the benefit helped Nick Cameron and his family a lot in this time of need!



Next up, here's a new video from Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned! Presumably coming from one of their dates this past weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, this is of the guys covering Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", albeit with a smaller lineup than we've seen in quite a while, with singer Tara Starr and guitarist Denny Smith absent. No word on Denny's status with the band, but I believe Tara (who replaced Mike Straw in the band earlier this year) is definitely out, as videos of songs she sang lead for Banned with (both country covers) have quietly been deleted from their YouTube channel in recent days, and though Banned haven't listed a full lineup on their Facebook page in months, she hasn't been present in public postings since the spring. A reason for her departure hasn't been announced, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to Tara in the future! I would like to have seen Banned leave the videos up, as even if the country covers were an adjustment, that was a talented lineup. With that addressed, how does the new video sound?

If Denny is indeed out of Banned too (I'll let you know if I can confirm that), this marks a reunion of their late 2012 trio lineup, and Alex, Don, and Jim handle this cover well! However, like their earlier cover of "Lonely Boy" (their only remaining video with Tara), it's a cover of a very overplayed recent rock song, and I'd have liked to have seen Banned change it up a bit like Late Shift did this past weekend. Still, it's well performed and Alex Traynor's vocals work pretty good, so check out Banned's cover of "Radioactive" below!



Also for this post, here's some news on upcoming albums from two regional solo artists! First (and keeping with the Sault Michigan-area theme), Dafter solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton is already prepping his 8th solo album for early next year for a tentative March 2014 release date! To be titled "Ink!", 4 songs are already written for it, and some will be posted online as they're completed, but further details on titles, themes, sounds, and album length are forthcoming. Click here for current details, and if all goes well, it or "Cracks In The Wall" could be reviewed as soon as May! The other album notes relates to Strange Coyotes drummer Mike Haggith's next solo album "A Place Of Our Own" (still tentatively lined up for a February release), as Mike released a tentative track listing for the album (pictured) to his solo project's Facebook page yesterday! Six songs are listed with some creative titles relating to it's central concept, though Mike emphasized that like with his past solo albums, this is subject to likely changes. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in for both Mike and Ken's next albums!

Finally for today, here's the last of our recent updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, mostly related to last week's Viva La Battle! On our Skid Row Battle profile, I edited references to third placers Free Beer's 2013 reunion under the name Sarah's Valley, as I've heard from a few sources (including guitarist Dustin Goodall in person) that they broke up earlier this year after only a few concerts. On our Humane Society Battle profile, I replaced Giwakwa (who no longer feature battle alumni in their active lineup) with new local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring then-Wishbone bassist Steven Flint) in the section on current bands featuring battle performers. Then in our profile of the Battle For The Blood, I added a trivia note to reference Viva La Battle, as even though they shared no common performers, both battles had the same promoter, judging method, and guaranteed opening slot at a major concert. Finally, I'll just add that while I could add things to 4 of our past battle profiles to note withdrawn competitors Keep It Lit, I'll wait until they reveal their identities publically, as they had planned to keep that secret until their debut.

Stay tuned for more updates to our monthly feature series soon (including a pile of Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile updates later this month), and of course, keep an eye out for more news and notes! Thanks everyone!