SweetKenny - "Ink!" Review

It's time for our 61st monthly CD review at the SMS (and last before factoring all local punk bands into our selections), as we're hitting the Sault Michigan area for the first time in over 8 months in this series, with this month's review being of Dafter hard rock artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's eighth solo album "Ink!" Chosen over his newest album "This End Up" (which came out last month) for this review due to it's heavier material, "Ink!" came out on March 23rd, and was recorded over the preceding months at Waterfall Records. Featuring just Ken on vocals and all instruments, he describes this CD as a "heavy rock" fun album with freestyle playing, and you can buy it at CD Baby right now for $9.99 in mp3 format, $12.97 on CD, or 99¢ for each individual song, or on BandCamp for $12. The full album (which features full songs with vocals as well as instrumentals) can also be streamed for free on SweetKenny's website too, but support his work by buying it as well! A 10 song album running for about 48 minutes, let's begin this review with a look at the first song!

"Ink!" starts with "Shake, Shake, Shake!", which begins with the exclamation "Gee Mom, all the guys are doing it!" before launching into the actual music, and if you're familiar with SweetKenny's recent original work, the bluesy hard rock essence and riffing will fit right with your expectations. Catchy little number, Ken's Elvis-remniscent vocals return for this track, though the stop/start chorus vocals seem like a mood killer and don't flow with the surrounding verses. The song does meander a bit late, but Ken's guitar skill is on full display, and there's enough heavy action to go around to please fans! I just wish the choruses were livelier on average. Second is "Bridge to No-Where", a slower instrumental track that is reminiscent of a cleaner sounding Sykotyk Rampage, and while it doesn't reinvent the wheel from many of Ken's recent instrumental tracks, it has a very solid guitar melody, and the drum tracks are catchy for the backing rhythm! Very solid showcase of SweetKenny's range of musical talents, though the song admittedly feels more like a summer road trip song than one on the title bridge.

Third on "Ink!" is "This Is Not Where I Wantta Be", which is about a time in Ken's life when he felt trapped, only for God to save and help him. Despite the themes, this song is similar in musical style to much of his past work, aside from more reserved (yet lyrically strong) melodic singing. Deliberately paced, the song's structure can be a bit muddled, which contrasts the meaningful and impassioned vocals. Interesting track with a good personal message, but the previous songs seemed to be put together better on the whole. That's followed by "Burn Baby Burn", which is simply about "the things to come", though the song does feature more religious themes. Vocally, Ken's singing is more rangy and dramatic than we're used to seeing, which adds a different wrinkle, but it doesn't work too well on the shaky choruses. Muscially, it's a strong familiar composition with a constant melody, and the guitar work is a standout here! Another solid track, it should attract an audience too, but the somewhat forced singing may not be for everyone.

Song #5 is "It's All Because Of You", which is the only song on this CD to run for under 4 minutes. A song about a type of girlfriend that Kenny thinks most guys have had over the years, this has the most basic song structure yet, but it's to the point nature and direct lyrics should strike the right chord with many listeners! I like some of the vocal effects and layering, and the spoken word asides lend a lighter feel to this track that people in some types of relationships might identify with. Not the heaviest song on the album, but one of the more consistent, with a steady rhythm and melody, and it's one of the better early tracks! Sixth is "Squahanna Two Two Two Two", whose title is inspired by the 1939 Three Stooges short "Three Sappy People", and Ken provides some callbacks to the Stooges and the short with spoken word bookends. Otherwise, it's the second instrumental on "Ink!", though the song doesn't remind me of something that would fit the title subject matter, being another mid-paced bluesy hard rocker. Solidly performed though, with a good pacing, effective guitar and bass work, and a clear sense of it's purpose, so give it a listen!

Then we have "A Hard Habit (To Get Where I Want To Be)", which is about following your dreams and what God puts into your heart. By far the slowest and most reserved song so far on this album, Ken's freestyle playing style feels more muted here, and the somewhat dark tone contrasts the optimistic message, but it's nice to see some variance to his usual sounds, and his Elvis Presley-ish tone is put to good use for a song of this style! Not the heaviest track on "Ink!", but fans looking for something a little slower might enjoy "A Hard Habit"! The eighth song is "Up & Down", which fittingly, is about life's ups and downs. The longest track on the album, Ken self described it as "a great guitar song", and it is the disc's third instrumental. More of a return to form for Ken's usual freewheeling hard rock sounds, with nice rollicking drum tracks, and strong guitar licks, though like on some of his earlier material, the song does seem to trail off and go in many directions by the end. My favourite instrumental so far though!

The penultimate song on "Ink!" is "Secret Life", which is about wanting to leave a girl, among other related subjects. Drawn out slower vocals overtop of usual hard rock action, I really like the guitar on this song, which is melodic, varied, and provides some of Ken's best solo moments on this album! I enjoy the composition and heavier moments, but the vocals seem like leftovers from another unused song, and they don't fit well here. Aside from that, this is probably my favourite song on "Ink!" just on a musical basis, and it's a great way to show off Ken's skill! The CD closes with  "They Like It Naughty", a slightly longer instrumental whose title probably refers to the feel of the song rather than any absent lyrics would have. Honestly, the song doesn't feel particularly "naughty", but it does have another solid guitar solo, a familiar groove, and some nice creativity to give "Ink!" a solid cap to this album. I'd probably have liked to see this song played at a faster tempo, but fans won't complain otherwise!

So, what are my final thoughts on "Ink!"? I say it's another consistent effort from Ken Sutton's recently prolific solo discography, and it maintains a consistent trajectory from his last album that we reviewed ("Perception" from last year.) It does improve on some areas, having more songs with instrumentals, slightly shorter tracks, and there's a better balance of songs, so standout tracks like "Secret Life" and "It's All Because Of You" are spread out more evenly! Nothing seemed rushed either, but some songs did meander a bit in their latter halves, and there is a sameness to the themes and melodies of some that might give some listeners deja vu from SweetKenny's other recent albums with vocals. I also think Ken should try to better match his singing voice with the song and/or lyrics, as that wasn't always perfect upon recording. A slight improvement on "Perception", Ken's solo material remains strong, so give "Ink!" a listen for some bluesy hard rock freestyle action, and look out for his new album "Amazonian" later this year!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Our next look at a SweetKenny album (likely of either "This End Up" or "Amazonian") is very possible for early 2015, but that's pending how his release schedule and our review schedule shapes up. Next month's review on the site will be of a new metal, hard rock, or punk album if released before month's end, but in case none does, we'll begin reviewing archive punk albums frequently in gaps on the calendar, so we can get up to speed on that side of the local album spectrum! For reference, we're leaning towards The Northern Tragedy's "Home Ice" EP if nothing new comes out in August, but that's tentative. Stay tuned for more soon, and for weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A New Album Release, More Anvil Concert Fallout, And Swampstravaganza Updates!!

We're back with a stacked news post today, including big updates from an upcoming all ages show, more notable fallout from a recent event, and leading off, updates on a new local hard rock album release and our spring CD review schedule, so here's what you need to know!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Ken Sutton (a.k.a. SweetKenny) has officially released his eighth studio album "Ink!", over a week ahead of schedule! Originally slated to come out this coming Monday, Ken confirmed on his Facebook page yesterday that the new album can now be purchased on CD Baby at this link for $9.99 in digital formats, $12.97 on CD, or for 99¢ for each individual song, so visit the above links for more details! Self described as a heavy rock & fun album, "Ink!" has 10 songs, no credited guest perfomers, and features vocals again after not including any on last fall's "Cracks in the Wall". Ken also recently confirmed on his website that his ninth album "This End Up" (artwork here) is now in the writing & recording phase, and it is currently projected for a July release, though further details are not yet public. With all of that said, when can you guys expect a new SweetKenny album review at the SMS?

I had originally projected May (the earliest point after our 6 month buffer from our "Perception" review clears), but if another new album does indeed come out in July, I may hold it until then to determine whether "This End Up" is heavier than "Ink!" or not. There's still time to figure out scheduling for the late spring, so stay tuned as we hear anything, and check the above links to buy or preview SweetKenny's new album! As for this month, unless I get a copy of Telephone & Address' "Rotten EP" this week (or there's a flash new release), I've decided to give a long overdue review of Woods of Ypres' "Allure of the Earth" vinyl single this week, so look out for it shortly!

Next up, here's some more Anvil concert fallout, as the show is spotlighted in the third episode of Tuned with Donna Hopper, Local2's new music spotlight webseries! Posted on Saturday, it's the first Tuned episode to feature metal bands outside of their concert calendar segment, and it features excerpts from host/SooToday reporter Donna Hopper's interview with Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow (which you can watch in full at this link) before moving to Donna's interview with promoter/Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, which also was previously online at this link. The "What's Happening" concert calendar segment spotlighted last weekend's Medifest fundraiser show at The Grand Theater and the upcoming fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza in May, before closing with some exclusive Anvil footage of Jack Spades' set! Coming from at least two songs (including their cover of The Ripcordz' "X"), 4 different video clips are included, and they capture the individual members well! Check out the full new Tuned episode (plus outtakes at the end) at the above links!

Lastly for our recent Anvil show fallout is YouTube user Christopher Paci's last concert video from the show on March 15th, this being opening classic metal quintet Project 421's cover of Iron Maiden's "Powerslave"! Filmed at a similar angle and clarity as his Suicide Kings video (partly thanks to lower crowd levels on the floor), the video captures their talents well, and Curtis McKenzie handles the song well on vocals, so give the full clip a look below!



Finally today, we have a bunch of updates for the aforementioned fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall, which has been postponed a week from May 3rd to May 10th, as per the Facebook event page two weeks ago. A reason for the date change wasn't announced, but it had came out a few days prior that the show was booked on the same day as the well anticipated A Tribe Called Red show at Sault College, so that could be related. The postponement is a bit disappointing, but no full bands had to drop out since, which is good, so hopefully things go well on the 10th instead! In terms of the lineup, this year's Swampstravaganza has actually gained two bands, one of which being local thrash metal quartet Pillory! Fresh off their late notice set opening for Commencing Human Desperation at the same venue, this will be this rising young band's first appearance at this annual event, though frontman Robert Sartini did play last year's installment as Crimson Crusade's guitarist. Very nice to see them staying active, hopefully they tear it up this year!

The other new band addition is young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust, who you may remember from numerous Superior Heights Collegiate performances and at the 2012 Swampstravaganza (which is still the only non-school event I've heard of them playing.) They quietly dropped out of last year's show, and I haven't heard a public update on their Facebook page since then, so how different will things look from their camp come May? We'll hopefully find out soon! Last for lineup alterations, the previously announced joint set credited to the reunited Ye Olde Mold Pickers & their Grand Rapids-based successors The Filthy Cur has been contracted into just a Ye Olde Mold Pickers set for unannounced reasons, though remember that only Mickey MacKenzie of The Filthy Cur wasn't a Y.O.M.P. member, so he might be unavailable. Disappointing, but a full Mold Pickers reunion will be welcomed by many! Currently sitting at 9 bands (same as last year), the Facebook event page still advertises a band search, so if you want to see if your band can play on May 10th, message promoters above, and stay tuned for updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, along with this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile and this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

SweetKenny Album Updates, Local Musicians' Short Films, And Much More!!

Let's clear out all remaining backlogged stories for The Sault Metal Scene today, so what's in store? Along with some shorter recent items (including an upcoming EP release), we have some link restorations, a recap of short films by local metal artists that recently recieved their local debut, and first, some big news and updates concerning an upcoming album across the river, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 7:34 PM)

Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has announced some larger details concerning his upcoming eighth solo album "Ink!", so what should you know? Scheduled for release on March 31st (three weeks from tomorrow), Ken describes it as "a 'heavy rock' fun album" with a mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals, and it features 10 tracks in total. Unlike his last two vocal-featured albums, there are no credited guest performers, though like his 2013 releases, streaming copies of all 10 songs are now available to check out at this link! Now, as we just reviewed SweetKenny's album "Perception" in November, I will hold our next review of one of his albums until May to maintain our minimum 6 month buffer between repeat reviews of the same artist, but if it comes out on time, "Ink!" will be next for his albums! For reference, we haven't reviewed his presently newest album "Cracks In The Wall" from last fall yet, but I chose "Ink!" because it's heavier on average. Watch out for that in two months, and pick up "Ink!" on CDBaby and other sites upon it's release!

Next up, I wanted to give a mention to a pair of short films that were filmed by local metal musicians, as I attended their debut local screenings last night at Algoma University! One was from Frightlight bassist Mike Gingras (a.k.a. Eddie Fright) and Party Island Productions, and it was "The Kid Who Made The Face", the very same film from last summer's benefit show at The Rosie. It's a mockumentary about the fallout from & search for a kid who made such a horrible face at a Toronto mall 25 years ago that it changed the lives of everyone who saw it, including a character played by Mike's brother Dano Villano (of Howling Bullets fame.) Well made and full of amusing moments, it even featured some Frightlight in-jokes (a character wore a band shirt, and another complimented their stature), though Mike told me that no Frightlight music was included because all of their songs are already about movies. The second movie was "The Last Strand" by AlgomA frontman Boyd Rendell (a.k.a. Darby Wigwaus) & 62nd Chamber Productions, so how was that?

It was basically about a night in the life of two mall janitors, one eccentric & crude, the other serious and ill-tempered, until one hits their "last strand". If the credit date is accurate, the movie was filmed before AlgomA's launch, so there's no direct band references (though bassist Kevin Campbell has a small role as a mall employee.) It was a well made movie too with an interesting contrast of characters, and a nice familiar setting, though the audio sounded distorted for much of it. It was nice to get to see Mike & Boyd's hard work pay off, and look for physical copies of them in the coming months!

Also today, I wanted to let you guys know of a couple more restored MySpace links to our listings on the site, thanks to the website's recent revivals of old photos and videos! That said, I'm glad to return defunct Sault Ontario concert agency Big Voiced Records & former Sault Michigan studio Klusterfunk Productions to our "Other Local Metal Links" sections! That said, I opted not to restore the links for Adamantium Productions, the Bell Border Jam, Hitman Productions, Infamous Productions, idioRECORDS, Lucky Limb Studios, The Mistresses of Metal, or The Satisfied Frog, as they lack videos or relevant detailed photos, so their restoration would depend on MySpace bringing back profile information. Big Voiced Records was local musician Jeremy Hannah's former hardcore concert promotion agency, and their MySpace page is full of concert posters from 2007 & 2008 like this one, while Klusterfunk Productions worked with artists like Clownsack during their mid-2000s heyday. It's great to restore some old content to our links, even if just in two cases, so check the above links for more old/new info, and stay tuned in case there's more!

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

• Local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters will indeed play at this year's Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall on May 3rd, as confirmed on the Facebook event page yesterday! The fifth confirmed band, their addition (and RedD Monkey's hiatus) will make them the only act to play at all 4 Swampstravaganzas. Great addition as expected, and stay tuned for further lineup updates!
• The now-London based djent metal project Hiroshima Mutant Mindframe has uploaded a handful of short clips and breakdown samples onto their Soundcloud page in the last few weeks! Though unfinished, all have promise and brutality, so even though Matt moved down south, give his very solid new audio previews a look above, along with older material!
• Though a post on the Facebook event page post yesterday by singer J.D. Pearce indicated that local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades would release their debut EP at this Saturday's Anvil show at The Canadian Nightclub, he revealed on our Facebook page tonight that there was a "snag" in production, and they're now aiming for an April release. Disappointing, but look for some new originals from them on Saturday regardless!

That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Thanks everyone!