Our Recap Of The Afterparty Episode With Brad Example & Jamie Vincent!!

Remember the slate of at-home music performance/interview series that increasingly cropped up in the early 2020s during the pandemic? Well, some are either still going on or debuted after things eased up, and one notable for many locals is The Afterparty, hosted by Inner City Surfers/Room 206 bassist Brad "Example" Lacell! Two seasons of 10 episodes apiece have been posted to Brad's YouTube channel in the past year, featuring at-home acoustic jams and chit-chat with and without guests from afar, not to mention live-stream viewers. These mostly haven't really crossed the SMS' radar so far for a few reasons, including that Brad has lived in Atikokan for many years now, most of his solo material is rootsier and folksier than his local punk work, and the guests that he's had on The Afterparty so far are mostly not local (though Jay Case was his guest in episode #12). However, the penultimate episode of season 2 fits the SMS!

Reportedly the second-to-last episode period of this series, Brad (who did shave off his trademark beard late last year) interviewed veteran local punk/metal musician Jamie Vincent in this episode from January 4th! Readers may recall seeing Jamie as the drummer in AlgomA and No Funeral, and the frontman of Fuller and Bad Back, among other groups here and in Edmonton. This takes on the loose format saw in Mike Haggith's pandemic livestreams with a special guest, where he and the guest alternate playing songs while occasionally checking out and responding to live-stream comments (Brad is using StreamYard for that). Episode #19 of The Afterparty begins with Brad playing his original "Sandbox" and covering John Prine's "That's The Way The World Goes Round", before Jamie takes over with a cover of T. Rex's "Spaceball Ricochet" and an original song that he co-wrote a decade or so ago, though he didn't give its name.

Afterwards, Brad notices that Jamie's old Fuller bandmate Mark Rand was commenting, leading to some discussion about the 2000s local punk/emo band's 2023 reunion concert, with Jamie revealing there that they recorded their old original material from Mark's run with the band in studio, but were still unsure of how they were going to release and finish the songs. That was rumoured at the time, but it's good to get 100% public confirmation, and hopefully the songs do get put out somehow! Remember, their actual self-titled EP from 2002 predated Mark joining Fuller, and none of its songs had titles. Brad takes over next to cover The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek" (R.I.P. Garth Hudson), before tackling The Inner City Surfers' classic "Booze N' Doobs" on request from Jamie, albeit with a minor lyric change. Next, he hands off to Jamie for another song, namely a country-ish original, name also not given.

We break from rotating two songs apiece to start the second half of the episode, with Brad next playing the first original song that he wrote after Room 206's breakup in the 1990s, though he did not give its name (it might be called "Rule The World"?). Jamie did title the next song, a "little funny" country song that he wrote named "Your Face", before Brad played his own original song "The Nightmare Is Real". The guys then highlight and acknowledge comments from Mark Rand again, plus Brad's Surfers bandmate Mikey Hawdon, before Jamie breaks out his harmonica (complete with Neil Young-style neck holder) for another original song, title not given. Brad follows up by covering Bob Dylan's "Shelter From The Storm", and after debating his merits vs. Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine, Brad closes the episode by covering Steve Earle's "Lonelier Than This". 

It was nice to see one of these relaxed remote performance live-streams again, especially without pandemic fears knocking around behind me! I would have liked to see more of an interview/chat a component here, and fans of Jamie's local band work may be left wanting somewhat by the lack of originals from those groups, but he and Brad acquitted themselves well and showed their talents and songwriting abilites nicely! Check out the second-to-last Afterparty episode out below, see more from the series above, and look for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Love 'N Revenge & Seax), Plus New Soundcheck Videos!!

Here's a new news post for your Sunday afternoon reading, which is half devoted to new videos from a prominent local band on the covers circuit, but first, let's kick things off with two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS featuring touring performers from years past!

Los Angeles arena rock/glam metal quartet Love 'N Revenge will return to Sault Ste. Marie when they headline at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, August 24th! Many of you may recall seeing this band (fronted by ex-Rockarma singer Damon Kelly) when they opened for Dokken at what's now GFL Memorial Gardens back in September 2017, and fresh off of a tour run opening for The Bulletboys, they should have momentum on their side when they bring their Hair Scare-ready brand of original glam metal songs to a local audience once again! I know Love 'N Revenge were well received at the Gardens two years ago, but how will things go next month? The Facebook event page advertises former Syre drummer Jamie Constant as a special guest, and while specifics weren't given, it seems more likely that Jamie has a solo act of some kind, as he's not Love 'N Revenge's drummer. Syre were a big name as Canadian hair metal went back in the day, my uncle would be excited!

A 19+ show as usual for The Rockstar Bar, this concert will have a low $5 cover charge, and an early 8:00 PM start time is advertised. If you love hair and glam metal, you won't want to miss out on all of the action here next month, so visit the above links for much more on this intriguing concert!

Next up, Worcester, Massachusetts speed metal quintet Seax will make their local concert debut on Sunday, September 1st when they rock Soo Blaster! Touring in support of their new CD "Fallout Rituals", their fast paced NWOBHM-inspired sound, strong instrumentation, and liberal sprinkling of falsetto vocals should attract many old school metalheads in just over a month's time, and it's great to welcome Seax north of the border! Joining them on the Canadian/Pacific Northwest leg of the "Speed Inferno Tour 2019, pt. 2 is Montreal thrash metal trio Warsenal, who local fans may recall seeing as headliners at the third Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall back in August 2013. Though it's been a long 6 year wait for Warsenal's Sault Ste. Marie return, their grittier, intense brand of speed metal will serve as a worthy compliment here! Lastly, local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters (who opened for Warsenal locally in 2013) will kick off this show in their Soo Blaster (and 2019) debut!

Marking just their second live appearance since October 2017, it's great to see The Bear Hunters finally back on stage after another wait of far too long, so don't miss out then! Note that earlier advertising of an additional "special guest" has since been removed. Presumably promoted in-house at Soo Blaster, this 19+ show has a $10 cover charge at the door, and while an 8:00 PM start time is listed, the early start time isn't all that necessary, as this is the Labour Day long weekend, so many of us will be off work on Monday the 2nd. This should be a great night of fast paced metal intensity, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck from a couple of recent shows of theirs! Six videos were posted onto drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel last week,  including three from their Thursday, July 18th headlining slot at Rotaryfest's Stage 1, where they covered Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", Styx's "Too Much Time On My Hands" (as also filmed for Chris Paci's channel), and as embedded below, Kenny Loggins' "Footloose." Largely filmed from the lawn in front of the Stage 1 seating, you do get a good angle of dancing fans, but the visual quality isn't great on these videos. The vertical camera angle and nighttime setting are part of it, but overexposed lighting doesn't help at all, and it's hard to make out any details as a result. Musically, these hold up, and the guys handle all three covers with aplomb, so give them a look above & below!



The other three new Soundcheck videos come from an Esquire Club concert two weeks ago, one which featured guest bassist Cory Valentine in lieu of Paul Belair. These videos include covers of Honeymoon Suite's "New Girl Now", an impromptu rendition of The Cult's "Wild Flower", and as embedded below, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" once again. Mostly filmed on a stationary camera with some panning and scanning, the songs sound good again, and the horizontal camera is a huge help, but the washed out colours aren't optimal, and Terry and/or Cory are often cut off in frame. Give all of Glen's new Soundcheck videos a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profiles: Mr. Ander, brianhmyles, and Jamie July's Channels

For our second post on this Saturday night, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Our monthly look at 1-3 YouTube channels with at least 50% local metal, hard rock, and punk content returns with three randomly selected channels today, as the first and second channels that we selected only had two similar videos each, hence maxing out for this installment. We have some interesting footage from both sides of the border to look at today, so read on for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles!
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Mr. Ander (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYZIhDOqxw5142S4zcTzT9A)

Owner: Former Bring The Fallen/AtrophiA guitarist Andrew Chiarello

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 14th, 2013; Videos posted in May 2014

Channel Summary: Three years after Bring The Fallen dissolved, Andrew re-emerged with two solo performance videos on his YouTube channel in May 2014, including a rendition of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and, as embedded below, an instrumental original (I believe) named "RockBro". I don't know why Andrew hasn't been in a major local band in recent years, as he was a standout in Bring the Fallen, but these videos show that he hasn't lost a step at all, and still displays the technical skill and ease on the guitar that fans remember! However, Andrew hasn't posted on his YouTube channel in almost two years.


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brianhmyles's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/brianhmyles)

Owner: YouTube user and likely Sault-area resident Brian Myles

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 15th, 2011; Videos posted the following day

Channel Summary: Brian's only uploaded videos come from the Buckcherry-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on March 14th, 2011, so it looks like his YouTube channel was launched solely to post his videos from that event. Though the show also featured Papa Roach & My Darkest Days, Brian's videos are both of the Los Angeles hard rock notables playing their songs "Sorry" and, as embedded below, "Crazy Bitch", complete with lengthy crowd banter. Both shot on vertical cell phone camera dimensions, and with attendees' heads in the way, the quality is otherwise decent, but Josh Todd's vocals are relatively flat compared to other shows of theirs. Brian's channel is definitely worth checking out for footage of this huge show from 5 years ago, but note that he hasn't used this channel since at least 2012.


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Jamie July (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpouYR-S0CfstgPf1Ha0Ng)

Owner: Former Havadder guitarist/vocalist Jamie July

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 7th, 2014; Only video posted that same day

Channel Summary: Jamie's YouTube channel has just a single upload, that being of a sample video of classic/hard rock veterans Havadder live at The Rednecks Saloon shortly after their late 2013 reunion, featuring Jamie alongside founding singer/guitarist Jason Roy and then-members Lucas Bugyra & T.J. Case (Asylum Country) on bass & drums. The side-stage video features Havadder covering multiple songs, including some with Jamie on lead vocals, but the poor audio quality makes it hard to discern the individual tracks. As one of the few public videos of this incarnation of Havadder, it's worth watching for fans, but there are better quality videos from before and after this show. Also, Jamie hasn't visibly used his channel since this video was posted.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our random selections have again given us three channels (again, as the first two only had a single video), and in another coincidence, these will again include a Havadder video and footage from a major touring concert! On or around April 26th, we'll be profiling Havadder's old official YouTube channel (with a single live video), YouTube user HockeyTraditionalist's channel (with a Treble Charger video), and jjjjjeeeennnaa's YouTube channel (with three videos from Three Days Grace's 2008 Essar Center show), so stay tuned for that then, and for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Flint

Before I head off to The Rockstar Bar for Garden of Bedlam & Skeyes of Seven's return to the stage, here's our last feature post of the month, that being our latest Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! As always, this monthly feature looks at a metal/hard rock band from out of town that featured a past/present Sault Ste. Marie resident in any of their lineups! This month's chosen band is fitting given it's ex-Saultite member's recent local prominence, so read on below for this month's profile, and if anything's missing or incorrect, please let me know! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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Flint (Edmonton, Alberta)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Benjamin Sept (vocals)
Connor O'Brien (guitar)
Matt McKeen (guitar)
Karlan Morrison (bass)
Jesse Silkie (drums)

Huy Do (guitar)
Frank Pirker (bass)
Jamie Vincent (bass)

Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/flintedmonton
Official Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/60260754223
Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/flintedmonton

Official BandCamp page: http://flint.bandcamp.com
Official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/flinttelevision

Official Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/flintedmonton

Local Info: The only Saultite to have played with Flint is ex-bassist Jamie Vincent, who's recently been very prominent in the local scene! Originally known locally from guitar work in bands like Fuller, Jamie moved back to Sault Ste. Marie last July, and he's since resurfaced locally as a drummer with the sludge metal band AlgomA, frontman of the grunge duo Bad Back, collaborator in the local/Peterborough hardcore project Kidshit, and as a local concert promoter (specializing in all ages concerts.) Before returning home, Jamie had lived & worked in Edmonton since around 2008, during which time he played bass with Flint!

Band Bio: Evolving from the prior 2007-2009 ambient/experimental band The Newborn Ghosts, Flint are a hardcore punk/noise rock quintet that officially launched in October 2009, debuting live the following month. After completing their full lineup with singer Ben Sept's addition in mid-2010, Flint became a steady sight in the Alberta music scene, including the release of at least four EPs, tour dates throughout the western provinces, and numerous headlining and opening dates in Alberta, including opening slots for bands like Brain Fever, This City Defects, and Greys. Jamie Vincent played bass with the band from shortly after their launch through last summer, when he moved back to Sault Ste. Marie, and was replaced by Karlan Morrison. Their current lineup has stayed busy with more notable concerts, the release of their music video for "The News", and an increased online presence, so follow Flint on their online pages to see what's going down with them at present!

Flint's sound is hard to pin down into one genre, but they have a chaotic noisy sound that is sure to be instant moshpit fuel for their concerts! Picture hardcore punk, garage rock, and The Dillinger Escape Plan thrown in a blender, but even that doesn't even cover it all. Their live concerts are full of life, and Benjamin Sept's vocals are very aggressive and passioned from what I've seen, adding to their unique feel! Musically, it's hard to compare Flint to a lot of bands we touch on for the SMS, as their style is intentionally noisy and chaotic, but Connor & Matt's assaulting guitar work is a perfect fit, and both Jamie and Karlan were up to the task on bass! Jesse Silkie really shines on drums too, and while this style of music isn't my overall favourite, I appreciate it's originality and avoidance of traditional structures! I think Flint have a good thing going, and hopefully the best is yet to come!

For online media, most of Flint's pages linked above have viewable media, including three EPs on their BandCamp page, 12 videos/song postings on their YouTube channel, and a single track on MySpace, so check the above links to get your Flint fix! There's not much for decent quality live videos with Jamie on bass, but here's the first half of a 20 minute set that Flint's current lineup played last fall, featuring 4 original songs!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, we'll look at another out of town band with a recent local musician, that being Lead The Dead, the former London, Ontario death/thrash metal band featuring current Giwakwa guitarist Chris Page! Watch out for that on or around May 26th, and stay tuned TOMORROW for two posts: One full of recent news updates, and our Garden of Bedlam concert review! Thanks everyone!

Trapt & Soul Killing Female Concert Previews, Plus A New Concert Promoter!!

Now, we'll finally close up this weekend's concert previews with the two notable hard rock-featured shows going down in the Sault Ste. Marie area tomorrow! Not generally a hopping day for shows, this Sunday promises to be different for at least one weekend, including a new venue's debut (with a possible new metal band in tow), and I've added some additional notes on a performer's upcoming concert booking plans as well! We'll start however with a big preview for a major concert going down across the river tomorrow, and tickets are still waiting, so here's what you need to know!

Allstar Promotions' second major 2013 concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, and it includes California alternative metal quartet Trapt on the lineup! In this platinum selling band's local debut, be prepared for a set full of rock chart hits like "Still Frame", and (of course) "Headstrong", and with their new album "Reborn" released just two months ago, expect some singles from that album as well! Their alternative-leaning hard rock songs are often very catchy, and they have a lot more to say than just "Headstrong", so hopefully they deliver a quality set tomorrow night! They're the middle act in tomorrow's concert, with the headliners being Oklahoma post-grunge notables Hinder, in their second local appearance following a Kewadin Casino date in September 2010! I wouldn't say they quite cross the metal line, but they were among the biggest new American rock bands in the 2000s with hits like "Lips Of An Angel" & "Get Stoned", and they should attract a solid response tomorrow night! As well, Los Angeles indie rock trio Acidic will be tomorrow's opening band , and though their more minimal and softer music is a jump from the rock-based headliners, they have a lot of talent and should make some new fans tomorrow!

Tickets are still available in the fifth row & back for $29.50 (center section aside), and you can buy them at the Kewadin box office in person, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or online at this location! A 7:00 PM start time is advertised, there's no age limits, and call ahead to see if there's a meet & greet. Check the above links for more details! This should be an interesting concert, and though I'm not high on Hinder, the fans in attendance should have a great time, and don't miss the opening bands, including Trapt! For a preview, here's Trapt's video for their new song "Bring It"!



The other Sunday night concert with heavier bands goes down tomorrow evening at the new 180 Projects venue at 180 Gore Street, where Winnipeg cyber-sludge metal trio Soul Killing Female will rock the Sault for the second time! Last seen at The Oddfellows Hall opening for Weak Ends last summer, their mix of doom, alternative, and techno styles should add a unique element to the concert calendar tomorrow! I know their first local stop last year didn't have an immense crowd, but maybe this headlining set at a new venue will help? They'll be joined by two local opening bands, including debuting "Eeyore core" trio AlgomA, who feature BeeFMouTH alumni Kevin Campbell & Boyd Rendell alongside drummer/concert promoter Jamie Vincent (more on him in a bit.) Though we have no pages, media samples, or clear public word on their sound yet thanks to their intentionally-low profile since their 2012 inception, it will be very interesting to see how AlgomA shapes out in their live debut! The other scheduled band is newer local garage/folk rock outfit Honest Job, who I know a bit more on than AlgomA (though still not much), and they have an original hard-to-describe sound that should appeal to folk and acoustic fans!

As mentioned, this show will take place at 180 Projects, the new concert venue/art gallery host that's located at the former MJ's location near the former Club Princess. With past concerts there being indie rock-leaning, this is the first metal-featured show at this venue, and the first metal concert to hit Gore Street since Sativa Rose played at the former GLOW in September 2010, so it's great to finally see a new metal show on Gore after 2½ years! Tomorrow's show has an announced start time of 6:00 PM, there's a $5 cover charge, and this is an ALL AGES event, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I definitely want to be at this show, so hopefully I'll see you guys there tomorrow for all of the action! I'm very curious to hear the local openers & to see 180 Projects for myself (and to figure out what exactly AlgomA sounds like), and Soul Killing Female have an awesome sludgy original sound from what I've heard, so hopefully you guys don't miss this ALL AGES show either! For a preview, here's Soul Killing Female playing their song "Hometown" in Saskatchewan last year!



Finally for today, here's some notes on AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent's recent concert booking plans! As you may remember, Jamie's a veteran local musician, often on guitar, from bands like Fuller & Kidshit (both with prolific Sault native Mark Ranᶁ), along with a four year stint with the Edmonton hardcore band Flint when he lived out west, though he moved back home last year. Along with his recent AlgomA work, Jamie's apparently enterting the concert booking world, as he launched a Facebook group named "Sault Ste. Marie All Ages" this past Sunday. Ostensibly a group to promote concerts that he's booking, the description promotes "live music in Sault Ste. Marie for everyone", starting with tomorrow's Soul Killing Female gig, with another show (likely punk-centric) scheduled for May 10th at The Oddfellows Hall featuring out of town punk bands The Royal Red Brigade (who also played at last year's Weak Ends show) and The Rhubarbs, with openers to be announced. Initial response to the group's aim and Jamie's bookings sound very positive, and with good reason, as all ages shows haven't been nearly as plentiful in the last few years, and it'd be great to have more shows open to everyone, and to encourage younger fans to attend shows, play in bands, and follow local music!

Even beyond ages, we've had less active concert promoters lately as well, with some more frequent recent bookers either moving out of town, focusing on their bands, or just not promoting all together, so hopefully Jamie takes off locally in concert promotion, as we could use the extra shows, especially all ages ones! That's all for today, but stay tuned hopefully for a new news post tomorrow! Can we extend our posting streak to it's 27th day? We'll soon find out! Thanks everyone!