2023: A Look Back In The Year Of Local Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk

Happy New Year! I apologize for this only hitting the site now, but our year-in-review posts always take a long time to go back through the year that was, so I can catalogue the big events in the local metal, hard rock, and punk scene from pillar to post, and while I'm usually good to get it up on December 31st, time got away from me this year. Everything is done now though, and I hope I got to the biggest and most notable stories, events, and shows of last year, so here's our look back at 2023 on the SMS!

With the pandemic fading even more into the past, we had an even stronger lineup of touring metal, hard rock, and punk bands in Sault Ontario and area this year, including the likes of AMY/DC, B.A. Johnston, Bed Of Roses, Big Wreck, Cory Marks, Darsombra, The Dayglo Abortions, Destroyer, Josey Scott's Saliva, K-Man & The 45s, The Merves, Queen: It's A Kinda Magic, Random Killing, The Ripcordz, and Sponge all gracing a local stage in 2023! Local concert goers could check out multiple bands at events like Rotaryfest, Toystock, The Northern Vibe Festival, and Lopstock, while newer and unfamiliar venues like The Art Hub At Spring, Broers Jansen, The Distraction, The Loft, and The Queen of Hearts Club gave artists some welcomed options to book gigs at last year. Also last year: Storm Rausch won The Soo's Got Talent, four of Mikey Hawdon's past/present bands gathered at Soo Blaster in November in honour of his wedding, ...

...LopLops Lounge welcomed the 12 20 Musicians of Christmas last week, The Sault Community Theatre Centre hosted the Soo Soundcheck & Northern Echoes concerts in June, Mike Haggith joined forces with Brian Tremblay for the Face To Face storytellers' concert in May, and The Apocalypse Afterparty gave another metal shot in the arm to the Madchild and Robbie G rap concerts at Soo Blaster. Look for even more big concerts in Sault Ontario and area in the year ahead!

Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula had a quieter but still eventful year that was arguably peaked early when Pop Evil returned to The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino in March alongside special guests The Word Alive & Avoid. That was the only heavier Dreammakers Theater show last year, but fans could also see touring acts like The Almas, Cell Rush, Fyrbird, Ledhead, Overdrive Orchestra, Peril, Redburn, The Rock Show, Scarkazm, and Scotty Austin on regional stages. One of the big events of 2023 was the first ever battle of the bands at Lake Superior State University (won by new punk quartet The Sole Aggressors), the first event of its kind in either of the Twin Saults since the pandemic began! Fans could also check out the true public local debut of Heavy Lies The Crown at The 2nd Street Music Festival in St. Ignace in August, as well as many one-band gigs across the year!

In terms of general news events, fans got to see official music videos released from bands like Handsome Sandwich, Heavy Lies The Crown, Spades GT, Jonesy Land, and The Uncanny Valley, while the first three of those bands, Bone Yard, The Northwest, and Tarnished all hit the road for tour dates outside of the Soo area. Now in his new hometown of Barrie, Mike Haggith launched his own indie label MorningStar Records, with local artists signing on to the artist-friendly imprint as the year progressed, 2023 saw the passing of ex-415E drummer Tony Hubbard and Destroilet frontman Mike Hull, the cancellation of the Just Leppard/Saturday Night Special concert, the postponement of Skid Row & Buckcherry's Sault Michigan date, Mike Haggith's freak knee dislocation on stage at Rotaryfest, and the withdrawals of Tantric and a reunited Frightlight from concerts this year, but we also saw the opening of the downtown plaza, ...

...the huge multi-band private concert at Robbie's Church in Leeburn, Soundcheck guitarist Terry Eaton's Great Northern Opry induction, the return of The Rockstar Bar as an occasional live venue, and the debut of Sault Noir into the local concert promotion game. I'm sure 2024 will be just as, if not more eventful, for musicians in the Twin Saults!

As evidenced by our lack of archival album reviews in 2023, last year saw no shortage of album releases by local metal, hard rock, and punk bands! The year was bookended by two new albums from "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage, namely "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of The Stoned Ape" & "69", while early year albums also included the C.T.W./Molten Imp split "Pyrolytic Punishment", Mike McCleary's instrumental EP "Fallout From Midnight Tides", and No Funeral's self-titled EP. Handsome Sandwich's long-hyped debut "Deconstructed" went on sale in May, soon followed by Convergence's debut EP "One", Jonesy Land's singer/songwriter-influenced debut "Zoom-Out", and Jack Spades GT's latest "Sewer City Radio". The summer also gave us rapper Bold Noize's debut punk album "God Save Me", new punk trio Ha!ls' debut EP "Rock and Rolls", and of course, Mike Haggith's long awaited studio album "All The Best In All You Do", including its limited "Rose Edition".

With a new EP from Convergence already on sale, and a teased EP from Handsome Sandwich already in the works, 2024 promises to be another good year for new studio material from heavier local musicians, so be sure to support these and other original local musicians' new & existing music by buying or streaming it where possible!

2023 was a good year for new and debuting hard rock and punk acts, and Sault Michigan was particularly busy in this regard late last year, with punk quartet The Sole Aggressors, hard rock quartet Double Jack, and Dafter-based singer/guitarist Molly Escherich stealing the podium spots at Lake Superior State University's battle of the bands over their far more established competition! Sault Ontario was hardly lacking either, with Generations, Double Down, Silent 9, HeadFirst, and (briefly) The Nostalgic Band all debuting on the weekend nightclub cover circuit in 2023 with many more shows between most of them to come. Also in 2023: Vanity First side project Ha!ls and Nebraska Arms successors Honest Work launched for local punk fans, Hollow Sky and Mitch Sirie's Sir Hell solo project brought some new extreme metal to the table, and Sneaky Pete successors Kickstart debuted at Toystock. Look for more updates from these and other new acts in the new year!

Another year saw lineup changes, additions, and departures in many local bands with none hit harder than Sault Michigan's Tarnished, with Nathan Webber and Isaac Royer breaking off in August to form Double Jack, with Tarnished adding Parker Talentino and carrying on as a trio ever since. Elsewhere in the E.U.P.: Jason VanLuven replaced Odin Osogwin on drums with Project 906, Marquita Bernard succeeded Rachel Mender as Theatre of Night's singer, Chris Leask returned to Rhythm & Brews in lieu of Brent Blackwood, and guitarist Christian Thanasiu left Heavy Lies The Crown. In Sault Ontario (well, Barrie), Spades GT confirmed the additions of James Roy Daley and (sometimes) Jay Sarrazin to their expanded lineup as they continued taking over the GTA. Also on the Canadian side: Jim Michaud replaced Paul Belair as Soundcheck's bassist, Tony Kajnar took over for Brandon Ruch on guitar in Generations, ...

...Mikhal Muto restored a second bassist to The Apocalypse Afterparty, Richard Fullerton returned to That's Chester for their Rotaryfest reunion in lieu of Greg Simpson, and the also-reunited Fuller swapped Nathan Sauve out for David Peredun behind the drumkit. These and a few other bands saw the revolving door for their lineups in 2023!

As far as defunct and inactive bands go in 2023, none made a larger exit from the local scene than Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession, who ended their 18 year run in February due to guitarist Gabe Tessaro's retirement from full-time bands, with the other members splintering off into Soundcheck and Silent 9. Most other bands to be moved to our inactive links this year (or are on the verge of it) did not announce a formal dissolution, but notable names to quietly fade out of activity this year include punk projects These Magnificent Tentacles and Forever Will Be, death metal quintet Exploring Detritus, rising young hard rock band Sylo (née Raincourt), and Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters, among others. Bands like No Funeral, The Bearded Lounge, The Uncanny Valley, and PROV3RB5 are also on our radar for being publically inactive for 6+ months. Here's hoping that these musicians stay active in some form or fashion!

As always for our year-end posts, we'll look at comebacks and reunions to wrap things up, and no event had a bigger public splash than The Inner City Surfers' reunion at Soo Blaster in November, and 2000s punk fans had even more to enjoy a month later when Fuller reunited at LopLops over the holidays (with The Gambit playing their first show in a year as openers!). That's Chester also returned for a one-off reunion set at Rotaryfest in July, while The Bear Hunters returned after a couple years' hiatus this summer, and punk trio Redundant ended a similarly long break at this year's Toystock. The former Jack Spades (GT), Theatre of Night, and The Karstens played their first Sault Ste. Marie concerts post-pandemic last year, while Galactic Alignment returned after a near decade long hiatus, Kraken Mara were reborn as Convergence, and they even brought former State of Misery singer Steve Rhodes back to a local radar as a session vocalist on select material!

2023 was an improvement for concerts and activity over every year preceding it in the 2020s, and here's hoping that the upward momentum continues in 2024 and beyond! I apologize again for the delay in this post making it online, but hopefully it refreshes some good memories of last year, and we'll resume normal operations on the site next! Thanks everyon!

2022: A Look Back In The Year Of Local Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk

As always, let's end the year for our last post of 2022 by looking back at the year that was for The Sault Metal Scene! 2022 got off to a quiet start out of COVID-19 pandemic-related necessity, as a partial lockdown in January and a rollback in indoor capacity measures ground most Sault Ontario concerts to a halt until March. Since then however, things have slowly gotten better, aided by the end of vaccine passports in February and indoor mask mandates in March, and while we're not back to where we were in 2019, this was our busiest year for positive news since then!

This was evidenced by touring acts to play in Sault Ontario and area this year, including names like The AC/DC Show, Alien To The Ignorant, B.A. Johnston, Blessed, Crush, The Glorious Sons, Gutter Creek, Just Leppard, The Killer Dwarfs, Marianas Trench, Pyramid Theorem, Sandman, Taming Sari, The Trews, and White Cowbell Oklahoma, not to mention two Queen tribute bands two months apart! Rotaryfest (Stages 1 and 2) and Toystock both returned to their full pre-pandemic splendor, while The Northern Vibe Festival returned with another stacked lineup in August, the long-delayed Glambition fundraiser finally took place, and the Clusterfolk Music Festival was reborn with a dual focus on music videos and young band promotion. Rap/rock hybrid shows also gained prominence via the multiple $onny Vybe$ benefit concerts and The Apocalypse Afterparty's involvement in rap gigs at Soo Blaster.

Loplops Lounge also resumed hosting in-person concerts in 2022, while Handsome Sandwich made multiple appearances during The Soo's Got Talent, Dryer Fire brought a wide array of genres to their Wilson Street temporary venue, and an impressive lineup of local musicians performed at Outspoken Brewing's second annual Oktoberfest at The Machine Shop. It's a slow process to get back to where we had them before March 2020, but this year had a lot of positive events if you looked for them!

Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula were not lacking for an uptick in concerts and live gigging bands in 2022 either, with The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino hosting two high profile metal concerts this year, starting with the oft delayed Black Label Society concert on May 6th (with Nita Strauss opening!), followed by Steel Panther's holiday season return show on November 26th. Both were surely aided by the end of the PCR test requirement for Canadian travellers, of course. Touring hard rock bands like Fyrbird, Overdrive Orchestra, Peril, Scarkazm, Spun, and Sunspot made their way to the E.U.P. for multiple dates in 2022, while locals Buddy Repperton & The Camaros and The Nameless debuted at the former Back Door in April, and cover mainstays like Tarnished, Project 906, 415E, and Rhythm & Brews were also seen. Look for much more from hard rock bands in the 12 months ahead.

Pandemic and concerts aside, a lot of important news stories happened in the local scene this year. For concert venues, Reggie Daigle put the wheels in motion to divest his two concert venues, with Reggie's West becoming Jay's Piston Broke Pub and Reggie's Place itself being up for sale. The Oddfellows Hall sold years after ceasing concert promotion in the late 2010s, while The Rockstar Bar put concerts on an indefinite hiatus in June, and The New A and The Canadian both closed, but Shooters Downstairs Lounge opened their concert floodgates, and The Esquire Club resumed nighttime bookings this fall. Local acts like Heavy Lies The Crown, Theatre of Night, Spades GT, Obsession, The Northwest, The Uncanny Valley, Soundcheck, and Tarnished hit the road for gigs outside of our area, with The Northwest's profile beyond the Soo really expanding with press features and airplay on non-local radio stations and even on NHL telecasts last season!

Also this year: the Kim Mitchell and Anvil concerts were cancelled, Metal Morpheus aired its final first-run episodes on The Borderline, Mikey & His Uke relocated to the Soo while continuing their impressive slate of cover videos, Jonesy Land continued their push with multiple music videos, the Marconi Meets World festival debuted this summer, Fort Creek hosted two instrument raffles for charity, and Sault Michigan's Tarnished performed on a float during their Fourth of July parade. With things getting busier in 2022, the outward growth should continue next year, for better or worse!

2022 was a big year for local album releases from heavier and punk bands, as evidenced by 11 of our 12 monthly reviews this year being of new albums from late 2021 onward! While not sold on CD, the biggest in scope would arguably be indie/punk quintet The Northwest's third EP "All In", which got a strong reception here & afar after its release in June! These Magnificent Tentacles, Vanity (First), and Forever Will Be also put out their debut digital EPs for fans on the punk spectrum, while Chase Wigmore, Molten Imp, and the re-emerged Sykotyk Rampage enjoyed a busy 2022 with multiple new album releases this year alone. Metalheads could enjoy local progressive metal project PROV3RB5' debut EP "What Dreams May Come" and Theatre of Night's new Christmas-laden re-release "Dreams of Winter", while The Uncanny Valley factored into this year's Clusterfolk compilation tape. Here's to more new local albums next year!

An intriguing crop of new local metal, hard rock, and punk bands emerged in 2022, if with a surprising lack of online pages for them to promote themselves with. The highest profile one may be new alternative/punk supergroup Bookclub, whose Oktoberfest debut and recent LopLops gig have let the Surfers-laden quintet get off on the right foot! Fans have also welcomed new local metal trio The BAG and Jamie Vincent's new noise duo No Funeral to the stage this year, while the already launched Vanity First and Sylo (née Raincourt) played their first public gigs outside of White Pines, Suicide Kings successors Ravencore debuted at Toystock, and two Skeyes of Seven alums brought the acoustic Short & Sweet to Parabol's return concert. Also, Sault Michigan welcomed both Buddy Repperton & The Camaros and The Nameless to the stage at Three One Three on Ashmun in April. Look for much more from these bands in 2023!

With 2022 being a busier year in general, there was even more lineup changes therein, and none saw more overhaul than the revived Exploring Detritus, with guitarist Dan Souliere adding Ryan St. Pierre, Justin Lam, a returning Anthony Boudreau, and (briefly) Mitch Sirie for their revival. Mitch also was part of the expansion of These Magnificent Tentacles from a duo to a quintet, with his long-time bandmate Johnny Belanger and half of Gnaeus joining Brent & Steve too this summer, and Mitch & Johnny also formed half of the revived Soo Fighters this fall. The Wyld Stallyns confirmed Alex White, Derek Turner, and long-time guest Josh Norling in their expanded six-piece lineup, while 3/5ths of Heavy Lies The Crown was swapped out, with Brandon & Ted now joined by younger St. Ignace-based musicians. Of course, the now-Barrie based (Jack) Spades GT saw J.D. Pearce & Daniel Horton round out their new lineup with GTA musicians.

Also this year: Warren Reville joined (and Brad Stephen & Ric Datson left) the stripped down Bone Yard, Jessica Amadio replaced Valerie Powley as Obsession's singer, Rafael Medeira joined the now five-piece Handsome Sandwich on bass, Bill Brouillard replaced Matt Sibilo on guitar in Fort Creek, and Raine Rancourt left his own namesake band Raincourt (now Sylo). Hopefully all of these changes prove successful for these bands, and that the former members rebound in other projects!

Things have picked up in the scene, but we're still not back to pre-pandemic rates, and it does show in the bands we said goodbye to in 2022, with only one major heavier band (power rock quintet Re:Born) firmly announcing their dissolution in February, without ever emerging from their pandemic hiatus despite their announced lineup additions. However, a handful of familiar bands were moved to our inactive band links after last being heard from late last year, including death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, Buckcherry openers Bad Chug, and punk trio Redundant. Horror punk quintet Frightlight fell inactive with Chris Thompson's passing and J.D.'s move to Barrie in 2021, and notable bands like Parabol, Tripod The Dog, and Sault Michigan's 415E, Buddy Repperton & The Camaros, and The Nameless have all been publically dormant since the spring. Fingers crossed that we haven't heard the absolute last from these bands!

Like in prior year-in-review posts, we'll end with comebacks and reunions, and with things opening up more than ever, we weren't lacking in this area! For bands in concert, The Northern Vibe Festival saw the returns of Jack Spades (now Spades GT), A Dire Setback, and The Soo Fighters after spending a year or more off the local stage, while fellow Northern Vibe performers The Cover-Up had already returned at this year's returning Go Skateboarding Day festivities. Mike Haggith, Parabol, Slumshine, and The Sick Sons (renamed The Gambit) all came back after a year+ away, while (The) Northwest made their own full comeback from the pandemic, and Heavy Lies The Crown did the same while almost exclusively playing in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This year also saw the rebirth of Great West Falls as Forever Will Be and solo original project Stone Smyth, and the return of Downtown Street Parties, among other returns this year!

2022 was an eventful year, even if things weren't quite at the levels we might be used to from the 2010s, but it's only up from here... right? Have a Happy New Year, please drink responsibly if you're going out, and we'll see you guys back on the SMS next week (and next year!) Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore - "One Last Act Of Defiance" Album Review!!

With news slow as of late, here is our 134th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local folk punk/metal solo musician (The Ghost Of) Chase Wigmore's second official (non-demo) solo album "One Last Act Of Defiance"! Independently released on December 21st, 2019, this album came out just two weeks after his prior album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", which we reviewed on the site that month, and as I don't review albums from the same project within a 6 month span, this review had to wait a bit. Also, this is a fitting review to tie in with Chase's sets at the Squatfest house party festival in Heyden earlier this month. Featuring Chase on all instruments, "One Last Act Of Defiance" sees him focusing on extreme black metal material, rather than the irreverent folk punk that "Songs To Punch Yourself..." contains, though this is distinct from his industrial/crust-influenced metal project Awokest.

Digital copies of "One Last Act Of Defiance" run for $7 (or more) on Bandcamp, but it can be streamed for free there and on YouTube, and it is also available on Apple Music & Amazon Music. Song names below are linked to their Bandcamp copies. As for CD copies, inquire with Chase if you are curious, but I have not seen a public announcement about them. With 7 songs running for about 35 minutes in length, let's begin with this review with the opening track, "Living Life In Living Hell"! Opening with a very ominous tone and rustling sound effects, the song launches into full gear with an almost Judas Priest-inspired riff, before the death metal influence hits at full blast. I will be honest, Chase's blackened vocals are barely audible on this recording, but the punishing pace and strong instrumentation will definitely appease heavier tastes, and his guitar solo adds some nice zest late! I like the groove and arrangement a lot here, but it ends too abruptly, and again, I just wish the vocals were louder than they are.

Next up is the album's longest song, "Plenty Of Regrets (None You Suspect)", which again has an ominous intro, this time with recited and increasingly harsh spoken word, but soon we get a feast of chaotic noise metal, and the vocals are slightly more prominent in the mix to boot! Structurally, this song is definitely more intense (if messier) than on the opening track, and it sounds tailor made for an all ages mosh pit! That said, the bass lines sound increasingly out of place, I did miss a guitar solo, and I admittedly preferred the opener for it's structure and catchy guitar work. Third is the shortest track, "Trust Me I'm Lying", which brings back the groove-influenced riffing of the opener, but with a slower, more deliberate pace, albeit not at a doom level. I like the drum track a lot, and the crushing breakdown in the last 30 seconds is a nice cherry on top, but a guitar solo would have been an asset, and the vocals return to buried levels here, and come off as even more distorted.

Song #4 is "Life Transcending Value", which makes nice use of galloping percussion, and has some of the clearest vocals yet, albeit clean ones that showcase a little too much distortion for my liking. If any song harbours a progressive rock sound on the album, it's this one, which seems to laugh in the face of structure. It's definitely well composed, and Chase shows his most diverse vocals yet, but it definitely decreases in heaviness as it goes along, and if you're a "verse chorus verse" listener, the time signature changes and free-wheeling composition won't be for you. That's followed by "Angles Six Through Nine", which is more of a straightforward death/noise metal song, one that seems to be driven primarily by the drum track, which gets punishing on the choruses. The blackened vocals are more audible and less distorted, but the guitar is really buried and feels like an afterthought. Nice and aggressive overall, but for my liking, very inconsistently mixed.

The penultimate song is "The Mind Cracks For The Back Can Not", which has another pounding groove to it's starting riff that transitions into the remaining bleak territory seamlessly. The drum programming sounds at it's most artificial here, but the aggressive blackened stylings are very welcome, and this is definitely the heaviest composition on the album, which I definitely appreciate! This is probably the most effective use of Chase's vocals too, suiting the composition while also getting loud enough to leave an impact. Definitely one of my highlights on this CD! Things wrap up with the title track, "One Last Act Of Defiance", which is the album's only instrumental, and definitely the least heavy song on offer, though it's still very much a metal track. After opening with thunder sound effects, the song proper is more of a showcase of Chase's pure instrumental talent, including the long awaited return of guitar solos! It's a solid closer to ease us to the finish line, though it still has a very raw essence to it, and it's not as technical as preceding tracks.

So, what are my final thoughts on Chase's second December 2019 album? Well, if you like his extreme metal talents and his work in Awokest, you'll be right at home here! As a metalhead first and foremoist, I do prefer "One Last Act Of Defiance" to "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", and it allows Chase another opportunity to let loose with black, death, and post-metal intensity! Comparisons to his Awokest albums are inevitable, and while this has less of a concept and an industrial influence than "Solving The Human Condition", it is more experimental, especially on "Life Transcending Value". However, like on that album, I was hoping for more guitar solos, which we only got on the opener and closer. My biggest issue with "O.L.A.O.D." was the mixing, especially the often quiet & distorted vocals, but abrupt song endings were also of note. Chase is a very talented and creative musician, and it shows in spades here, with songs like "The Mind Cracks..." and "Living Life In Living Hell" among my favourite recordings on this album.

Overall, Chase delivered another intense and aggressive batch of songs with this album, and while the mixing wasn't ideal, extreme metalheads and Awokest fans will find a lot to like! Buy or stream "One Last Act Of Defiance" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! That said, what album will we be reviewing on the site to kick off the fall season with? I'm not 100% certain yet, but I do have ideas. Of course, if a major new local metal, hard rock, or punk album comes out next month goes on sale, that will get precedence, and our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post (dropping one week from Wednesday) may have hints in that regard. If nothing new comes out, my tentative plan is to review defunct local hard rock band Redefined's recently rediscovered 2002 album "Risk & Uncertainty", to tie in with guitarist Matt Sibilo's debut gig with Fort Creek at Reggie's Place next Friday, and yes, we will be talking about that in our next news post.

In any event, stay tuned for updates on our next CD review in the month ahead, and look for a new news post later this week, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

Continuing our daily post streak, here's this month's new poll and the results of last month's poll! As you may recall, I posed this question to you guys last month: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2019? Sadly, this poll only got 8 votes, but there is a definite winner, so with all of that said, here are the final tallies! 

Puddle of Mudd headline Muddfest in Sault Michigan (3 votes, 37½%)

The Offspring & Sum 41 rock GFL Memorial Gardens (1 vote, 12½%)
Long & McQuade music store begins local operations (1 vote, 12½%)
Oh!No festival expands to 2 nights in Leeburn farewell (1 vote, 12½%)
Sailor's Tongue reunite for Rotaryfest Stage 1 set (1 vote, 12½%)
The Killer Dwarfs headline at Soo Blaster (1 vote, 12½%)
The Apocalypse Afterparty place 3rd in The Soo's Got Talent (0 votes)
Banned dissolve & are succeeded by Tarnished (0 votes)
Crooked Music moves across Ashmun Street (0 votes)
Danger Cats alum Summer Stevens passes away (0 votes)
Dave Evans (ex-AC/DC) rocks The Rockstar Bar (0 votes)
Drowning Pool concert in Sault Michigan postponed (0 votes)
Dryer Fire open Bruce Street pop-up venue twice (0 votes)
The Inner City Surfers reunite for LopLops Lounge concert (0 votes)
Joni Radford memorial concert held at Algonquin Hotel (0 votes)
Late & Loud hold one-off reunion concert (0 votes)
Michale Graves returns for reschuled Canadian date (0 votes)
Mike Haggith releases "Ashes of K" soundtrack album (0 votes)
Music City Sault Ste. Marie project launches (0 votes)
Pop Evil & Buckcherry play outdoors at Kewadin Casino (0 votes)
The Rad Zone announces move to Queen Street (0 votes)
The Sick Sons debut at Random Killing concert (0 votes)
Slaughter & Autgraph rock the St. Ignace Kewadin (0 votes)
The Tea Party returns for show at The Machine Shop  (0 votes)
Tripod the Dog permanently reunite (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you think? Alas, at this rate, I can't be too surprised as to the low vote totals, but for the options that didn't get any vote, I am most surprised that the Inner City Surfers and Late & Loud reunions, and the Pop Evil/Buckcherry and Michale Graves concerts didn't get any votes. For the five choices that tied for second with a single vote (sigh), I'm most surprised that Sailor's Tongue's reunion got some attention, but I'm not overly shocked with the others, as all were big deals in their own way. I didn't expect that a Sault Michigan concert would win out, but November 1st's Muddfest at The Dreammakers Theatre was the victor, as the only option with multiple votes over the past month. That concert had a stacked lineup for fans of nu-metal and 2000s radio hard rock, and despite that Puddle of Mudd cover of "About A Girl" and Trapt's frontman's divisive social media postings as of late, the music on this night clearly won out here. Thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, we are winding down our "favourite _____ of 2019" polls, and that continues by posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2019? I know, it seems like forever ago when concerts took place, but maybe jarring the memory to some of the big shows that took place late last year will bring back some positive memories! Besides, I still have to hold our poll covering all of 2019, featuring the vote-getters from our early 2019 poll! To be included in this poll, concerts must have taken place in Sault Ontario and the surrounding area between July 1st and December 31st, 2019, and anything that was held in 2020 before the shutdown will be addressed in a future poll. Concerts must have had a performer lineup at least half comprised of metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands, so events like Rotaryfest, The Soo's Got Talent, and Toystock are not included, though "Other" is back as an option if you are so inclined. Here are your final 15 choices!

Bands: Random Killing, Jack Spades, and The Sick Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 5th
Info: Well over five years after the well received Hardcore Homecoming concert at the same venue, Toronto hardcore punk legends Random Killing (and Saultite frontman Andrew Kiteley) returned for another hard hitting night of old school punk action in July, with support from Jack Spades and the debuting Sick Sons to get things started on the right foot. This was another hit for punk fans, but was it your favourite local concert of late 2019?

Bands: The Inner City Surfers and Love & Rehab
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: August 3rd
Info: A packed house was on hand for the long awaited reunion of local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers after a 10 6+ year hiatus in early August, with their fan favourite original songs and chemistry more than welcomed for the occasion! Also featuring Brad's Toronto-based band Love & Rehab as openers, this concert was a major success, with plans for new studio material and future gigs following, but would you vote for this one?

Bands: Black Crown Initiate, Inferi, Warforged, and Pillory
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: August 3rd
Info: While it's scheduling opposite The Surfers on August 3rd can't have been ideal, this rare Live705 concert will have appealed to any technical death metal fans last summer, with a trifecta of touring bands ready to melt faces, including the returning Inferi from 2018's Rivers of Nihil show. Local death metal trio Pillory also opened in their last live concert to date, helping make this a must-see extreme metal concert, but can you vouch for it?

Bands: Mike Haggith & Jacob Quarrell
Venue: Outspoken Brewing
Date: August 10th
Info: In his only local concert appearance of 2019, former Din frontman Mike Haggith returned home for a late notice show at Outspoken Brewing, which was notable for fans and Mike alike, especially as that Soo trip helped instigate his upcoming studio album "If Ever Comes The Day" in more ways than one. Also featuring folk musician Jacob Quarrell (who will be in Mike's band for his eventual CD release party), did this show earn your vote?

Bands: The Therapists, Kodex, Jack Spades, Planet Rock, Stegadeth, and Slumshine
Venue: Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn
Date: September 6th
Info: Expanded to a two-day schedule for it's third and final installment before it's planned Sault Ste. Marie move in 2020, the Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn welcomed 5 varied local act to the stage for it's first night in September (including Stegadeth's last concert set to date), before Sudbury "party violence" quintet The Therapists returned for a second straight year as Friday headliners. Did you like Oh!No III's first night the most?

Bands: Pisser, Cross Dog, Lightmares, Femur, Wrecker, Pointless, Garbageface, Lord Hidetora, The Franquilizers, Forest City Aurora, The Dynowaves, Telephone & Address, The Elements, Conika, The Angry Spells, Hannah Lindsay, The Speed Humps, Shae Tull, and Malignant Neoplasm
Venue: Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn
Date: September 7th
Info: A whopping 19 of the scheduled 25 acts for Oh!No III were booked for the Saturday lineup last year, including all but one of the touring acts, such as headliners Pisser, the return of Mark Rand's Cross Dog, and sets from festival regulars like Lightmares, The Franquilizers, and Forest City Aurora, plus select local acts, including the reunion of indie/punk project Telephone & Address. Was night 2 of Oh!No III worthy of the piano bonfire?

Bands: The Cancer Bats, The Single Mothers, Sharptooth, Forever Dead, and Redundant
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: September 12th
Info: The last show in Thunder Bay promoters Loffredo & Associates' 2020 streak of local bookings saw a stacked lineup of touring headliners at Soo Blaster last fall, including the Juno-nominated Cancer Bats & Thunder Bay rockers Forever Dead's first local concert sets in many years, plus the local debuts of The Single Mothers & Sharptooth, and the Soo's own Redundant's first official set with Andrew on bass. Was this your #1 show in the poll?

Bands: Michale Graves, Frightlight, and A Dire Setback
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: September 28th
Info: A year and a day removed from the former Misfits' frontman's scuttled first try at a local concert, Michale Graves fans got a windstorm-free night of classic Misfits songs last fall, as both of his albums with them were played from start to finish! The receptive crowd also got to enjoy the latest return of local horror punk favourites Frightlight, plus a solid opening set from A Dire Setback, but was it your favourite concert here?

Bands: Late & Loud and Planet Rock
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: October 10th
Info: Five years after their "farewell concert", classic metal quartet Late & Loud reunited one more time to help fundraise for and support bassist Benn Garside's wedding that same month, and fans got to enjoy one more night of heavy rockin' hard metal at The Rockstar Bar! Opened in somewhat surprise fashion by DJ Seith's hip hop project Planet Rock, it was great to see Late & Loud back one more, but would you vote for it?

Bands: Parabol 
Venue: Soo Blaster
Date: October 12th
Info: In their final live concert appearance before quietly closing their social media accounts, local Tool tribute band Parabol booked Soo Blaster for a huge headlining concert, featuring their proficient renditions of Tool's back catalog. This was a must-see show for fans of these progressive metal legends, and Parabol had the chops, but was their (unbeknownst to us) farewell show your favourite local concert in the second half of 2019?

Bands: The Elements, The Guitar Gangters, and The Soo Fighters
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: November 1st
Info: J.D. Pearce's 15th annual Halloween party returned to The Rockstar Bar for a rare post-Halloween date last fall, and while it was contracted to a single day, punk and hard rock fans still got their fill from The Elements' turn covering songs already covered by Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, plus the debut of Volbeat tribute supergroup The Guitar Gangsters, and the return of The Soo Fighters. Would you cast your vote here?

Bands: The Ripcordz, A Dire Setback, and The Sick Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: November 9th
Info: Despite the late withdrawal of Jack Spades, hardcore punk fans came out in full force in November to welcome the legendary Ripcordz back to the Soo after over 2 years away, and they delivered another attitude-fueled set of original favourites! Also featuring A Dire Setback's fast-rising attack and the second live set from The Sick Sons, this will surely have had a great reception, but would you agree with that?

Bands: Dany Laj & The Looks and B.A. Johnston
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: November 9th
Info: If your musical tastes didn't lean towards hardcore punk, you may have been at The New A on November 9th instead, where Girl Friday Productions brought Hamilton comedy/folk punk musician B.A. Johnston back to town for another set of irreverent and polarizing originals, as well as headlining Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks in their (at least) fifth Soo appearance. The musical talent was here, but were you?

Bands: The Offspring, Sum 41, and Dinosaur Pile-Up
Venue: GFL Memorial Gardens
Date: November 19th
Info: The only major punk or hard rock concert to take place at the Gardens post-renaming, many local punk fans flocked to the arena in November to see The Offspring and the long awaited return of Sum 41, with both bands unleashing sets full of their classic original songs for the occasion! Also featuring rising English alt rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up, this concert was very well received despite high admission, but was it your favourite?

Bands: Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide and The Elements
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: December 21st
Info: Of all of the seasonal punk concerts to take place at LopLops in December, the biggest was arguably the pre-Christmas show headlined by local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide on the 21st, and with new material from their forthcoming studio album in tow, this was another hit for this infrequently seen but very talented ensemble! Also including The Elements as support, was this your favourite late-2019 show?

Other: Did we miss your favourite concert from late 2019? For reference, artists like The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Bear Hunters, Black Mastiff, Bon Jovi Forever, Chase Wigmore, The Cover-Up, Doreen, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, Griphook, Just Leppard, Life Like Fire, The Long Nines, Northwest, Re:Born, Sailor's Tongue, Seax, Soundcheck, The Strange Coyotes, Tripod the Dog, Tym Morrison, The Uncanny Valley, Warsenal, Who Made Who, Whoop-Szo, The Wyld Stallyns, and Zoon also played shows in this time period, while other shows featuring bands in the poll also took place. If, for whatever reason, your favourite concert isn't in the poll, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You have until May 18th to make your voices heard, and then we will combine the shows with votes from the first half of 2019 poll and this poll for one final poll on the complete year that was. Until then, let's see how this poll goes in the month ahead, so cast your votes while you can, and stay tuned for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

A New Album Release, News From The Blood Shed, And New Videos!!

It's been a reasonably quiet month, but we're back with a full post today, including lots of new video finds, so here's what you should know!

While we alluded to this album in our 2019 retrospective post, I forgot to do a proper write-up on it here (my apologies!), and that is local folk punk/experimental solo musician (The Ghost Of) Chase James Wigmore's new album "One Last Act Of Defiance"! Just two weeks after releasing his true debut studio album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", Chase quietly put out a follow-up album on his Bandcamp page on December 21st, and it features 7 newer original songs, though the material here is a return to his death and extreme metal side, despite being billed under his own name rather than Awokest. However, I wouldn't read into anything regarding that project's future, as Awokest have more of an industrial bent, and they posted online as recently as November. Digital copies of "One Last Act Of Defiance" are on sale for $7, physical details not yet known, and a free streaming copy was also uploaded to Chase's YouTube channel on New Year's Eve.

I'll hold comment on the album for now, pending a possible CD review in the future, but if you like Chase's brutal death metal work, you'll be right at home with this album! We just reviewed "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" on the site last month, so with our 6 month anti-bias buffer between reviews of the same band, I wouldn't be able to review this one until the summer at the earliest, but it's definitely in the pile! Buy or stream it above!



Next up, let's tackle some more new videos from the last while, starting with new song postings on Chase's sometimes-label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel, which all feature the label's flagship goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore! Four videos have been uploaded there in the past month, including one prior upload that is back on the channel, and four new songs in three videos, all from upcoming C.T.W. album releases. One is planned for a solo disc of some kind, but the other two are from the sequel to C.T.W. and Chase's "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" split CD, release details forthcoming. In fact, Tyler has already posted his half to their Bandcamp page, so fans of his short-running, pig-squealing, and ultra-minimalistic brand of grindcore will be eager to hear these songs! As usual, a number of song names could be seen as offensive, but one song from the split was posted on YouTube and has a name I can share here, namely the interestingly titled "Granny Bean-Flick For The World Wide Web".

These songs aren't going to convert non-believers to the C.T.W. gospel, so to speak, but Tyler's uncompromising original material will find an audience, and it's encouraging to see another split between him and Chase, validating the reception of the original with fans! Check out more above & below!



Also today, here's a new video from new local punk supergroup The Sick Sons, marking their first video upload on their Facebook page, and it's also of their first recorded original song! Filmed at LopLops Lounge on December 28th when they opened for The Cover Up (or You First & The Givee Givees), this 33 second clip featues their song "I Still Believe". Obviously, this isn't a complete look at the song, but from what we can hear, it has a strong and familiar sound to it for genre fans! The chorus singing is a little rough, but I am curious to hear this one in full, so give this snippet a watch below!



We'll close today with a Big Wreck cover that was shared on this Big Wreck fans Facebook group on January 12th. Posted by ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison, this was filmed in his most recent band Skeyes of Seven's jam room a few years back, and it features Cory covering "That Song" alongside his bandmates Alain Fletcher and Kyle Sweet, plus Parabol/ex-Late Shift drummer Anthony Gagnon (if he was ever their official drummer, the band never publicized it.) This is solidly done and faithful to the original, so Big Wreck fans shouldn't object at all, but the camera placement is too high and off center, and you only ever see Al's arm in frame. Check it out below!



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

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Final Poll On Your Favourite Concerts Of 2018!!

It's now time to wrap up last month's poll and launch our final "favourite _____ of 2018" poll for another year! As you may recall, we posed this question to you guys last month: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2018? Sadly, we only got 10 votes, but that is surprisingly over double our total from it's matching poll from the first half of last year, so thanks to everyone for getting that much higher numbers! Now, here are the final results!

Rivers of Nihil & Alterbeast at The Rockstar Bar on July 6th (4 votes, 40%)
Oh!No II at Robbie's Church in Leeburn on September 8th (3 votes, 30%)
The Gabba Heys at LopLops Lounge on September 22nd (2 votes, 20%)
The Din & A Dire Setback at LopLops Lounge on July 21st (1 vote, 10%)
Treble Charger at Rotaryfest Stage 1 on July 20th (0 votes)
Id Iota & Great Chamberlain at LopLops Lounge on July 20th (0 votes)
The Costanzas & Stegadeth at The Rockstar Bar on August 4th (0 votes)
Ten Foot Pole at The Rockstar Bar on October 25th (0 votes)
Halloween Party #1 at The Rockstar Bar on October 27th (0 votes)
Halloween Party #2 at The Rockstar Bar on October 28th (0 votes)
Shit Liver at The New American Pub on November 22nd (0 votes)
Parabol & The Elements at The Rockstar Bar on December 14th (0 votes)
The Cover-Up at LopLops Lounge on December 21st (0 votes)
Northwest & K.I.C.K. at LopLops Lounge on December 22nd (0 votes)
Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide at LopLops on December 28th (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, for the non-voted shows (almost all in the last quartet of 2018), I am most surprised that the Treble Charger-headlined Rotaryfest lineup didn't get any attention, same for Shit Liver's New A show in November, but it's all in who votes! At least "Other" didn't get any votes. The Din's high profile reunion show last July got a vote, which is great to see and helps validate their talent and recognition locally, while the Gabba Heys concert made the podium with two votes, which is mildly surprising, but it's always an event when Mikey comes home to front one of his bands! The second annual Oh!No festival got a good vote total as expected, finishing in second place, and after that huge lineup and fan-friendly camaraderie, how could it not? However, the winner of the half-year poll was the Rivers of Nihil-headlined concert in July at The Rockstar Bar, which speaks to how brutal and entertaining that death metal blast was just after our 11th anniversary, and here's hoping more big shows are in the works from Live705! Maybe Rivers of Nihil will return down the line?

Thanks to everyone for voting, but now we enter our final year-end poll from last year by posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2018? As always, we combine the vote getters from last July's poll on the first half of 2018 with those that recieved votes in the second-half poll above, in order to determine a winner for the whole year. If a show you would prefer to vote for isn't listed below, you should have voted in the prior polls! That said, "Other" is an option as usual. Now, here are your final choices from all of 2018!

Bands: Big Wreck & Attica Riots
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: February 13th
Info: Over 16 years after last rocking Sault Ste. Marie, Juno Award-winning Toronto/Boston hard rock band Big Wreck returned for a well attended and received headlining show at The Machine Shop last February, with Winnipeg alt-rockers Attica Riots along for the ride! The Ian Thornley-led group brought fans back to the 1990s by playing their entire "In Loving Memory Of..." album on this winter night, and fan response was very positive, but can you vouch for this concert?

Bands: Archelon, Jack Spades, Doors & Fours, and Re:Born
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 10th
Info: The first promoted concert of the year from J.D. Pearce saw Sudbury metal quartet Archelon  play their first local set in over 3 years, alongside Hamilton grunge/punk trio Doors & Fours, and the 2018 debuts of local punk/metal favourites Jack Spades and Project 421-successors Re:Born, who impressed early fans with their power rock covers and originals. Despite medium attendance, fans at The Rockstar Bar responded well to this four pack, but would you pick it in this poll?

Bands: I Mother Earth, Finger Eleven, and J.J. Thompson
Venue: The Machine Shop
Date: April 18th
Info: Just when you thought the Big Wreck concert was a big deal, The Machine Shop played host to I Mother Earth and Finger Eleven on April 18th for a massive night of hits from these Juno-winning hard rock standouts! Alongside their own sets, fans were also treated to two joint sets from the headliners, including a V.I.P. acoustic pre-show and a plugged-in encore, ensuring that fans got their money's worth from this major package! Would you vote for this concert?

Bands: Rivers of Nihil, Alterbeast, Inferi, and Pillory
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 6th
Info: One of the heaviest shows of last year saw a trifecta of American death metal bands make their way to The Rockstar Bar in July, with Reading, Pennsylvania's own Rivers of Nihil inciting a huge circle pit for their brutal original headlining attack! Alterbeast and Inferi were more than up to the challenge as openers, while local death/thrash metal trio Pillory impressed in their only public show in the past 18 months. Was this extreme metal blast your preferred choice?

Bands: Treble Charger, Mustang Heart, Turner Up, Road Fever, and Tripod The Dog
Venue: Clergue Park (Rotaryfest Stage 1)
Date: July 20th
Info: As part of their "Rotaryfest Rewind" theme of band reunions at the covers-centric main stage last year, our local summer festival loaded up the schedule each night, with a very SMS-friendly Friday lineup to boot! Featuring prominent indie/punk quartet Treble Charger, a one-off Turner Up reunion, and the return of Tripod the Dog alongside festival regulars Mustang Heart and a reunited Road Fever, fans ate up this day's roster, but would you vote for it in this month's poll?

Bands: The Din & A Dire Setback
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: July 21st
Info: The second post-Rotaryfest show from LopLops last year saw a surprise reunion set from defunct alt-hard rock trio The Din, marking their first local concert appearance since their "Suburban Sendoff" at the same venue last fall! Also featuring their friends in pop punk trio A Dire Setback fresh off of their own Stage 2 set, this "Dinunion" reminded LopLops patrons how big of an attraction The Din were in their heyday, but was it your favourite 2019 show featured here?

Bands: Garbageface, Cross Dog, The Therapists, The Franquilizers, Lightmares, Beaver Slap, Fat Cop, Forest City Aurora, Planet Rock, Pointless, The Dynowaves, Jack Spades, Mik & Steve, Winkstinger, A Dire Setback, The Elements, Jackson Reed, and Shae Tull
Venue: Robbie Adamson's Church in Leeburn
Date: September 8th
Info: Local promoters Six, Two, Oh. brought back their Oh!No concert festival to the familiar church locale in nearby Leeburn on September 8th, and delivered with an even bigger day of music than in 2017! Featuring the long awaited local return of Mark Rand's Cross Dog, the Soo debut of The Therapists, fan favourite returnees from Oh!No I, Beaver Slap karaoke, and even a piano bonfire, would you vote for this fast-rising festival?

Bands: The Gabba Heys, The Cover-Up, and Amy Gabba
Venue: LopLops Lounge
Date: September 22nd
Info: After an almost 2 year hiatus from fronting bands locally, veteran local punk musician Mikey Hawdon returned home in September with his new Ramones tribute band The Gabba Heys (not the same band as the former Merves), with his AMY/DC bandmate Amy Zucchetto breaking out a Joan Jett tribute set for good measure! Also featuring the online page-less Cover-Up for a set of their own punk classics, was this punk rock lineup your preferred show out of all others in the poll? 

Other: Did we miss a preferred concert that you saw locally last year? For reference, metal, hard rock, or punk artists like All The Wasted Years, The Bananas Guerrillas, The Bear Hunters, Carried Away, Chase Wigmore, Coral Fang, The Costanzas, Crucify the Whore, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide, Electric Church, The Elements, The Faps, Fluid 5ive, Frightlight, Handsome Sandwich, Id Iota, James Watterworth, Northwest, Parabol, Poison Girl, Redundant, Shit Liver, Soundcheck, Stegadeth, The Steves, The Suicide Kings, Ten Foot Pole, That's Chester, The Therapists, The 3 Day Millionaires, The Truth Of All Death, Tym Morrison, Who Made Who, Whoop-Szo, and The Wyld Stallyns all played live last year, not to mention shows from Sault Michigan-area acts, and un-listed concerts featuring bands already in the poll. If, for whatever reason, the show you want to vote for isn't here, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until June 18th to cast your votes, and hopefully we get a decent turnout to wrap up another year of polls with, as a lot of good shows happened in the area last year! That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!