Dead & Divine Concert Review!!

For the first time in almost three weeks, we have a concert review at the SMS, as I was in attendance for last night's Dead & Divine-headlined hardcore concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Nice to have a bigger metal show going down in the area to help break from the recent slow stretch of metal shows that aren't mainly covers at the bar on weekends. Before we get to the bands, just some notes on the environment last night. The attendance was alright given that it was a Wednesday near the beginning of the school year, but I figure it'd have looked more impressive at a venue like The Oddfellows Hall, where Dead & Divine's previous local shows were. That said, given the nature of this concert, The Canadian was much more fitting of a venue, especially thanks to the HUGE merchandise area, very likely the biggest I've ever seen at a non-Essar Center show in recent years! When you see a wall of shirts like that, you know something's up, and it's neat that D&D made up some special shirts for their farewell tour! That said, it was weird that there was tape cordoning off some areas (even though they weren't off limits) and the amounts of band gear led to the normal entrance being blocked off, but it's all good, and it didn't affect the music!

Opening last night was local hardcore quintet As It Stands in their first concert appearance in almost 3 months, and though they had somewhat of a slow start, they were quickly back on their A-game in their six song set! They played originals like "Oh Herm, Herm, Delish" and "Big Problem, Little Lock City" and their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" (among other tracks), which got a good reception, even if the crowd wasn't as active on the floor as it would be later in the evening. Justin Pregent's singing voice sounded scratchier than I'm used to, but his screams were suitably aggressive, and the rest of the band sounded pretty good musically, though their energy was lacking early. I did note that Garrett Masters and Albert Bourrier really shined on guitar though, their melodies and riffs were on par with their best early-2012 gigs! If anything, I wish their set was longer, especially as all of the opening bands only got a half hour each, but the timing felt more like an all ages show in that respect. Good stuff nonetheless, and hopefully As It Stands are back for some more fall gigs!

Starting the out of town bands last night was Toronto straight edge hardcore quintet Liferuiner, who delivered a blast of energy into their set of well thought out and noticeably heavy original material! Though their set was capped at a brief half hour too, they packed everything they could into it, and a lot of the credit for their on stage spark goes to frontman Jonny O'Callaghan, who combined brutal hardcore screaming and some growling essences with a constant motion, which most of the other band members had as well! They had a bit more breakdowns than I like though, and some more guitar solo integration would have been nice, but Liferuiner fit right in for this type of hardcore concert, and they definitely injected their own spin on the genre while keeping a positive message (especially in their newer song "Fissure"), and hopefully we'll see them back in the area down the road!

Co-headlining last night was Madison, Alabama hardcore quartet Mychildren Mybride, and they immediately left an impression visually with large band logo banners, a largely dark stage lighting setup, and even some steel steps to stand on up front (which Dead & Divine also had for their set.) Musically however, M.C.M.B. might have stole the show with their positive yet brutal blend of hardcore and heavier metal genres, and fans up front definitely seemed to eat up their set! With songs like "On Wings of Eternity" in their also-30 minute set, the guys shown lots of aggression and proficiency in their originals, from Matthew Hasting's harsh and searing lead vocals to Hunter Walls' skilled lead guitar work, but I'd love to see Mychildren Mybride expand a bit more into some groove metal or thrash styles. They have the capability and look to do that, hopefully they can integrate some more varied stuff in future releases! Still, I really liked Mychildren Mybride's set, and it's be great to see them back in the region at some point!

Headlining last night's concert was, for one last time, Burlington, Ontario hardcore quintet Dead & Divine, in what was their last ever Sault Ste. Marie show and their third-to-last ever concert! As you may know, D&D are amicably disbanding at the end of their Farewell Tour to focus on other endeavours, and after their first three or so stops here, they have built up a solid local fanbase who predictably gave them a great sendoff for their hour long headlining set last night! The crowd went nuts for D&D classics like "Chemical Valley", "Like Wolves", and "Slumlord", and aside from the on-stage banter, there was no indication of an imminent end, as they played with the same hardcore fury that we've come to expect in their increasingly better local concerts in past years! If you were at their 2007 stop here, and compare it to this show, you can see the improvements. Matt Tobin's vocal intensity was in top form, and I especially thought Kellan Lindsay and Kelly Bilan (a.k.a. Optimus Prime) were playing at a great proficient level last night! I'm not the biggest hardcore fan going, but I appreciate a talented hardcore band and what they bring to the table, and if this is indeed the last time we see Dead & Divine in Sault Ste. Marie, they gave us a great show to say goodbye with!

Overall, this was an entertaining (if short) concert, and though the attendance wasn't fantastic, the environment and talented bands lent a special ambiance to the night that you wouldn't have got at the earlier local Dead & Divine venues! I got plenty of photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, which also has this show's "Tag Yourself!" crowd photo. As for videos, here's As It Stands playing "Embay the Terrible", Liferuiner's original song "Fissure", Mychildren Mybride performing "Terra Firma", and Dead & Divine's set opener "Creature"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison), The Dead & Divine Concert Preview, And Much More!!

News is still coming in somewhat slowly right now, but we've got some interesting stuff to talk about today, so here's what's on tap! Alongside some random assorted news stories from recent weeks, we've also got the latest news from Theatre of Night and the great causes they're supporting, a preview for a big hardcore concert going down tomorrow night, and a finally confirmed lineup change in a local band, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this coming weekend!

Local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison will return to the live stage THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY for a pair of concerts at The Roosevelt Hotel! After taking the last two weekends off, Tym and company will bring their entertaining and diverse metal & hard rock covers back to The Rosie, in what will surely be another entertaining weekend of live music for you guys to check out! Especially with the recent dearth of newly announced metal/hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario, this might be even more noteworthy than some of their earlier summer gigs were. Admission should be free for both of this weekend's gigs, you must be 19 to attend either, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be some interesting concerts, and Caveman Morrison always deliver some fun live metal and hard rock at their live appearances, so keep these shows in mind for your weekend plans! That all said, if you've missed their summer concerts and are still curious who their new bassist is, Caveman Morrison finally (and quietly) confirmed that former bassist Dutch Vanderploeg has indeed returned full time, officially reuniting Caveman Morrison's late 2010 lineup!

The former Browbeat frontman had filled in on bass temporarily in June after James White left Caveman Morrison, though official word on their full time replacement didn't come until this past Saturday via their Facebook group, but it looks like he has stuck around. For the record, Dutch's last music-related statements on his currently deactivated Facebook page denied he would ever re-enter music, so this is encouraging to hear, as his talents deserve to be utilized and heard! Hopefully the new/old lineup lasts for the long term, and stay tuned for more from Caveman Morrison as it comes in!

Next up, here's a notable concert preview for a big show TOMORROW NIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub, as Burlington hardcore standouts Dead & Divine will rock Sault Ontario one last time! The guys are amicably disbanding after this Farewell Tour, which has to be a bummer for D&D's strong local fanbase, but at least they'll end on a high for their fourth (I think) & final Sault Ontario stop, as The Canadian seems more fitting than The Oddfellows Hall for this event! Dead & Divine will be joined by two more out of town tourmates, those being Alabama hardcore quartet Mychildren Mybride and Toronto straight edge hardcore band Liferuiner, and these three bands should add up for one great night of hardcore mayhem! Mychildren Mybride have something about them that I'm really liking, and Dead & Divine's reputation and back catalog alone show a lot of promise for this show, but all three should be more than capable of melting faces! There will only be one local opening band this time, but they're the most fitting choice of all, that being local hardcore quintet As It Stands, who opened for Dead & Divine three times locally since 2007, so expect them to be on their A-game in their first local show in almost three months and likely their only show of the summer!

This ALL AGES concert will go down at 7:00 PM tomorrow (which is early for a Canadian gig, but on par with past Dead & Divine shows here), and tickets are $15 in advance & $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available at The Rad Zone at the Wellington Square Mall and by contacting promoter/As It Stands drummer John Mignacca by phone, so for more details on that and for the official Facebook event page, click here! I know there was some disappointment at slow ticket sales early for this concert, but hopefully there's a huge crowd tomorrow night to take in all of the metal and hardcore in store! I'll likely be there (I'm due for a concert, especially this month), and I'll hopefully see all you guys there to send Dead & Divine off in style! For a preview, here's the music video for Dead & Divine's 2009 song "Neon Jesus"!



Also today, here's the latest updates from Sault Michigan classical metal standouts Theatre of Night! The guys have announced the charity that will receive some proceeds from their new album "The Dawn's Early Light", and it is The Folds of Honour Foundation, an Oklahoma based group who support and assist the families of American soldiers who were killed or disabled in combat. Everything I'm reading indicates that they are a standup and honourable charity, and hopefully Theatre of Night's contributions can make a positive impact! With that in mind, band members Steve & Greg Giles and Craig Harrison will attend the Patriot's Shootout golf tournament in Gaylord over Labour Day weekend as part of this year's Patriot Golf Day event nationally (more details here.) In other recent news, the guys were close to home in Hessel on August 11th for this year's Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show, and they were selling physical copies of their two albums alongside posters & shirts at a vendor table, which is awesome to see, and hopefully they made some more local inroads there! Photos are available at this location. Awesome to see Theatre of Night hard at work for great causes, and hopefully there's much more to come from them, so keep an eye out for more Theatre of Night news!

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

• If you guys aren't familiar with Thessalon photographer Liam Best, then give his photography Facebook page a look at this location, especially as it features members of Central Algoma/local death metal bands For All That Is Lost, Inhuman Methods, and Crimson Crusade in some of the shots! More specifically, they're in this album, and they include shots from one of F.A.T.I.L.'s recent Laird concerts. Very solid work, kudos to Liam!
• I've moved local progressive hard rock band Route 69 to our inactive Sault Ontario band links. Though mainly active in the mid 2000s, bassist Glen Thomas had been working on relaunching Route 69 with a female singer as recently as March 2012 (source here), hence why we counted them as active, but Glen confirmed on his personal Facebook page earlier today that they're now defunct. It's disappointing to see Route 69 finally end, especially with the talent of their main earlier lineup (including Wishbone & Aftersight alumni), but hopefully the members all stay active in local music!
• Sudbury hard rock quartet Set are still looking for a local concert booking this year, so if anyone out there can help out, shoot frontman Jamie Rowlings a message at this location! It's be great to have them here, and we could use more out of town bands (especially in this recent lull of advance concerts), so see if you can help out!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news hopefully soon, including our next YouTube Channel Profiles TOMORROW, and I should see you guys at The Canadian tomorrow evening for Dead & Divine! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dead & Divine), Borderline Divine's Hiatus, And New Videos!!

In what may be our last news post before our 5th anniversary tomorrow, we've got lots of news to share, including a new local band's latest video, more LemmaFest footage, and a recently prominent local band's hiatus, but leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for your last chance to see a popular touring band in the Soo!

Dead & Divine are coming back to Sault Ontario one last time next month! The Burlington hardcore band will headline a huge hardcore concert at The Canadian Nightclub on August 22nd as part of their Farewell Tour, which implies what you think it implies, as Dead & Divine are amicably disbanding after this tour. I know they have a solid local following and have made tons of well received albums since 2003, so hopefully a big crowd turns out for their last local show on August 22nd! Two more out of town bands will be joining them on this tour run, and they are Alabama hardcore metal quartet Mychildren Mybride and the Toronto straight edge hardcore quintet Liferuiner, who'll both deliver some moshing good times with their brutal sounds on August 22nd! Of the three bands, I enjoy elements of them all, and I'm really intrigued by Mychildren Mybride, so hopefully a good crowd is there to check them all out! Unlike Dead & Divine's last local show in April 2011, there will only be one local opening band, that being local hardcore notables As It Stands, who are no strangers to Dead & Divine concerts, having opened for them at least three times dating back to 2007. Perfect fit as an opening band, and kudos to drummer John Mignacca for bringing this package of bands to The Canadian next month!

Admission will be $15 in advance and $20 at the door for this concert, which may sound steep, but with the package of out of town bands we're getting (including the last Dead & Divine set in Sault Ste. Marie), it's worthy of the price. They go on sale on the 22nd, so start saving up! Doors open at 6:30 PM on August 22nd with a 7:00 PM start time, and though age limits have not been announced, note that most of the heavier multi-band shows at The Canadian this year have been all ages. Sounds like a solid concert to me for hardcore metal lovers, so stay tuned for updates on this show as they roll in, and hopefully we give Dead & Divine a fitting local sendoff!

Next up, local metal band Borderline Divine have announced that they're going on hiatus. Guitarist Mitch Sirie announced the news on their Facebook page this morning, and he cited a need to focus on other things as the reason for the break, which is essential for the band & their members right now. However, he did stress that the members will still be active in music, and Borderline Divine will return "if the time is right" for all 4 members, so this doesn't sound like a permanent breakup at this time. This news comes less than 2 weeks after their latest set, as part of the F.A.T.I.L. Gathering in Laird, and it's definitely surprising to hear! While it's not a full disbanding, I assumed that they were gonna rise to some big things this year after all the lineup changes and off stage stuff that kept the former Stillbroke away from concerts for over 2 years. I do wish the guys the best in whatever comes next for them until Borderline Divine return, and I sincerely hope they do! That said, does the hiatus mean we're gonna consider them inactive on our band links? No, not unless they formally disband, go a year without real band news, or mostly move on to new primary bands. The joy of an indefinite hiatus is that no one knows it's length or end, so it'd be unfair to relegate them. If they haven't thrown away the key, why should we think it's gone?

On a related note, frontman Jesse Frigault is apparently offering his services as a "vocalist for hire" to bands who might be interested in adding him! Jesse revealed the news on his personal Facebook page over the weekend. Jesse is definitely a talented singer that can handle softer and heavier ranges of the hard rock & metal spectrum, and if you're at all interested in Jesse's singing abilities for your band, give him a shout at the above links!

We'll close this post with new videos, starting with another new video from LemmaFest! YouTube user NickCoversMusic (a former guitarist in a short lived local Christian rock band named Side of the Highway) posted a video from the second Mike Lemma tribute festival on June 23rd onto his YouTube channel on Thursday, and it features an assortment of clips & photos from the event, including video footage of the first three bands! It starts with 55 seconds of photos from what looks like setup of the stage and event before flipping to about 90 seconds of Brimley metal trio Half A Man's LemmaFest-opening set, then to a minute or so of local indie rock quartet The London Gentlemen covering Radiohead's "The Bends", before ending with just under a minute of local cover rock band Chump Change covering Kid Rock's "So Hott" (note that footage of Caitlin LeBlanc's set between the latter two bands is not included.) The audio quality is really nice on these clips, and it's good to finally see some visual evidence of The London Gentlemen's set, though the big problem with the videos is that Nick shot these incredibly far from the stage. Was there no zoom on the camera? Still, it's great to get a look at new LemmaFest footage, so check it all out below!



And finally, new local grunge band Haggith have launched their official YouTube channel! The new band featuring alumni of Havadder, S.C.A.R., and 20 Pack of Marshmallows have posted two videos there so far (both of which were previously posted on Facebook), including their acoustic version of their song "Rage Train" and a new video we haven't shared on here before, Haggith's original song "The Married Massacre"! Recorded at a jam session, this is the first video we've gotten of the band's current lineup all together, and the video has interesting filters to give it a smokier trance quality, if that makes sense. Raspier vocals than we've previously heard, but the song had promise and an old school groove, and it adds to Haggith's promise as the continue to slowly build their local name! Check out their new video below, stay tuned for Haggith updates, and contact the band at the above links if you're interested in playing bass for them!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for our 5th anniversary surprises tomorrow! If you wanted to see us cover more than 45 minutes away from the twin Saults, you won't wanna miss what's in store, so stay tuned for all of the updates! Thanks everyone!