Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Today's post is devoted to recent video uploads from local hard rock acts on both sides of the border, so let's go alphabetical order by starting in Sault Ontario, as revived local "no genre" quartet Handsome Sandwich have unveiled their second original song via their YouTube channel! Entitled "Bitter", it too was recorded via a jam session performance, this time from a different locale and via two camera angles, one from a high corner angle. Again, this is planned for their debut album, though they have not said if recording sessions have begun. This video gives us a better look at the new lineup, including Johnny & Mitch's longer hair, Johnny's new(?) electric drumkit, and Jesse actually being in frame throughout, though the lighting does him no favours. "Bitter" is a slower rock song than "All Or Nothing" that isn't as easy to pin down to a subgenre, but Taylor's vocals remind me a bit of Sting here.

Taylor does seem more at ease here, which is good to see! It is great to watch Handsome Sandwich's trajectory move forward as it should post-revival, and hopefully there's more news to come in due course, but give "Bitter" a look/listen below, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a new/old video of local power rock quartet Re:Born covering Black Sabbath's "Children of the Sea" when they opened for Anvil at Soo Blaster back in June 2019! Uploaded on June 10th (two years and a day after the show took place), this captures a predictably strong rendition of this Dio-era Sabbath classic that makes strong use of Elly's vocals, and Blair's guitar work is a fine match! Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we see Re:Born back on a proper concert stage, but give this a watch below!

Now let's head south to Sault Michigan, starting with a video of local hard rock trio Tarnished live at the Rock The Locks 5K marathon race on Saturday! Despite the atypical outdoor setting, this was not a two man acoustic set, the gear was plugged in & Nathan was present. Live-streamed by attendee Sierra Elliott & shared to the band's public Facebook page on Sunday, this features Tarnished covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", and it looks like their set was actually mid-route during the 5K proper, as you can see runners passing through the frame throughout. In fact, they were playing outside of R&R Marine Supply on East Portage Avenue (I don't know if any band members have a connection there). The song itself is well performed and faithful to the original, and while I'm not a Poison fan, it's a good upbeat rocker for something like this! Kudos to Tarnished for donating their time, and give their video a watch below!

 

We'll close with a lighter note courtesy of local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel yesterday, where the band posted a new instrumental named "Emerging Light"! Continuing their mid-pandemic work on non-Christmas material, this is a slow, almost new age track that wouldn't feel out of place on Echoes on 98.1 FM on Sunday mornings, complete with stock footage of nature, sunlight, the sky, and so forth. I can't say it's my thing compared to Theatre of Night's usual output, but if you want something soothing, relaxing, and positive, give "Emerging Light" a listen below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Friday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished), And A New Metal-Centric Borderline Radio Episode!!

I had originally planned for a new post to go live tomorrow, but as we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on very SHORT NOTICE, let's get it up here on this Saturday morning! Those new dates make up the first half of this episode, while we'll wrap up with a newly discovered radio show that heavily discusses local metal music, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock trio Tarnished have announced a slate of summer concerts through mid-July, so where can you see Alex, Nathan, and Josh next? How does TODAY sound?! Tarnished will be pre-race entertainment at the Rock The Locks 5K (not 4K) race in Sault Ste. Marie, with their set slated to begin at 5:55 PM at/near the race's starting line at Brady Park on East Water Street. Obvious apologies for the short notice, Tarnished only acknowledged this date on their Facebook page yesterday,  and I did not find a recent reference from the Rock The Locks organizers towards their involvement on social media. Given the setting, I wouldn't be surprised if this was an Alex/Josh acoustic set, but Tarnished weren't specific. The day of may be too late to try and newly register for the run, but click here for full details on how to attend in any fashion, and this is definitely an all ages event. Hopefully the show and run go well for all involved!

As for the other newly unveiled Tarnished dates, their next two announced shows will be outside of our coverage area, including a return to The Erickson Center For The Arts in Curtis (90 minutes west of the Soo) on June 30th, followed by a show in Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula on July 9th, venue unlisted. Their next truly local date will be a return to the Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in Hulbert Township on Saturday, July 10th at 7:00 PM (cover charge and age limit not stated), though the band has not specified whether it will be indoors like their four-piece gigs from the spring, or if it will be on their outdoor stage once again. We'll let you know if the band or venue elaborates! The final new gigs will reportedly see Tarnished hit The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 16th & Saturday, July 17th, which seem to indicate that Kewadin is resuming concert bookings at their on-site lounges this summer!

For full disclosure, Kewadin Casino's website has not announced a live date schedule for the Rapids or Northern Pines Lounges at press time, but clearly Tarnished are confident about these bookings, or else why plug them? Assuming nothing goes awry, these would be 9:00 PM events with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, don't miss them TONIGHT at the Rock The Locks 5K, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally for today, let's look at an internet episode that aired on Sault Ontario internet radio station The Borderline back in April as part of station owner Adrian Vilaca's Smart As Trees podcast, entitled "Jimmie Chiverelli & A Sault Metal Story"! Given the title and some of the discussion, I just wanted to clarify that while I love the idea of the episode, I knew nothing about it until now (if I had, it wouldn't have taken me two months to cover it here!) The guest of honour is former Kalle Mattson drummer Jimmie Chiverelli, who metalheads may recognize as the original drummer for defunct local progressive/death metal band Gates of Winter (then credited as James Chiverelli), and he definitely maintained his genre love despite his later local music work! The 67 minute podcast starts with Adrian & Jimmie discussing the origin of metal in general and in the Soo, and the first played song is an early local metal example, Amethyst's song "Snakeye Strut" from their "Innocent As Hell" CD.

Next, Jimmie talks about his introduction to heavy metal music, how he learned drums, his early band experience, how Gates of Winter formed in the early 2000s (I never knew Mike Yakasovich from Northwest factored into their origin), and the earliest demo recordings that Jimmie recorded with Yak and Bryan Belleau, complete with part of "Into The Chapel" being played on air. They next talk about Gates of Winter's self-titled 2005 demo (which I still find is underrated), which notably featured programmed drums rather than his own live recordings, and Jimmie also discusses their early gigs, often at Madison's Pub and The Oddfellows Hall at that time period. After noting how he discovered new metal music in the early-mid 2000s, Jimmie discussed his first major live metal concerts in the Twin Saults, and discovering Woods of Ypres when they toured here early in their existence.

Adrian and Jimmie discuss some other contemporary local metal bands from the mid-2000s next, like Soldiers of Misfortune & Fitswitch, as well as loyalty to extreme metal subgenres, and the connection of metal to classical music, even playing Metallica's cover of "The Ecstasy of Gold". Afterwards, Jimmie talks about metal's modern trajectory and the classic throwback bands that have popped up, while also discussing other local acts like Garden of Bedlam, The Bear Hunters, and Pillory, as well as the demands of playing in a metal band, and his stockade of filmed concert footage from his tenure in Gates of Winter. The interview closes with what Jimmie's done (musically & otherwise) since leaving Kalle Mattson in 2011, and suggestions that Jimmie should host a metal show of some kind on The Borderline, before wrapping up by playing "Far Gone" from the 2005 Gates of Winter demo.

This was an entertaining listen, and Adrian gave Jimmie lots of space to offer his own personal thoughts and experiences, both as a musician and genre fan! Jimmie came across as eloquent, humble, and appreciative, and I like that the backing incidental music wasn't as loud as it can sometimes be for Sev's Cellar episodes. I wish I had knew about this episode before now, but give it a listen at the above links, especially for the early Gates of Winter insight, as that band is definitely missed around here! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Din), Their Impending Breakup, And The Oh!No 2017 Music Festival Preview!!

This longer-than-usual news post is devoted to two extended topics: Our preview of a massive music festival in our area tomorrow night, and leading off, lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to a prominent local band whose days as an active presence in the scene are sadly numbered. Here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din have announced that they will be disbanding following a farewell headlining concert (and CD release show) at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, October 21st. As unfortunately announced on Tuesday via their Facebook page and related video below, The Din confirmed their impending split, saying that this was an "incredibly difficult decision to make", but frontman Mike Haggith says in the video that "there isn't very much opportunity (to) get all the living done that we want to if we keep going like this", with Mike's likely work-related relocation out of the Soo a contributing factor. However, the news isn't all bad, as they will release their second and final studio album at LopLops on October 21st, with a limited print run of 50 CDs for the occasion (no word on price or Bandcamp availability yet), with Mike noting that they returned to where they started to record it at Pretoria Hill Productions, presumably with earlier demos now being the final copies.

This isn't all for The Din's fall plans, as they will still play at THIS SUNDAY's Loud & Proud event at The Bushplane Museum (look for it's preview in our next post), but The Din also have four more shows to play in the interim! As first announced in the comments of the video below, they'll play a show next week at Sault College's campus lounge Odeno (basically The Outback's replacement) on Thursday, September 14th, in what may be a farewell/thank you event from aviation graduate Mike to his alma mater, but no details are out on this event beyond a 7:00 PM start time. A cosplay optional family picnic set for Sault Pridefest is also advertised for Saturday, September 23rd down at the Soo Locks, with their set planned for 11:00 AM (yes, AM!) The Din will also play a presumed solo concert at The Canadian Nightclub on Friday, September 29th at 9:00 PM, while their last opening set will be on Monday, October 11th when they open for Niagara Falls indie/pop rock trio James Blonde at LopLops Lounge. They're not going gentle into that good night!

Of the four new shows, the Pride picnic will be ALL AGES but the rest are 19+. The LopLops show will likely have a cover charge of at least $5, but the rest likely have no cover. See above for details where available on them, and look for our Loud & Proud preview soon! The news of The Din's breakup is very sudden and disappointing, but like the band Haggith's initial breakup announcement from 4 years prior, at least we have advance notice and more chances to see Mike, Tammy, and Brandan on stage before the big farewell and CD release on October 21st! In terms of that show, expect a 9:30 PM start time and 19+ age limit, but there has been no announcement yet on admission fees. As well, an opening band is expected to be named, and advance singles from the album will be posted online in the lead-up to the event. I hope everyone stays active in music after next month, be it in solo form or new bands, but enjoy The Din while you can, visit the official Facebook event page for more on the farewell show, and here's The Din's video announcement on their breakup!

Finally for today, here's our extended preview of TOMORROW'S Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, Ontario! A spiritual successor to promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s prior Das Bunkerfest event, this end-of-summer festival will see thirteen bands and one DJ cram into Robbie's Church (truly a former church turned residence) in nearby Leeburn for a day full of musical intensity from out of town and local bands alike, including a few new confirmations, so who can you expect tomorrow? The nominal headlining act is DJ Seith with some night-capping turntable mixes at 1:00 AM, but in terms of bands, promoters impressively managed to get all 5 touring bands in the closing slots. Those bands are Toronto country/indie rock band Run Coyote at 11:30 PM, Barrie all-female punk quartet (and local headliners from June) Beaver Slap at 10:30 PM, Sudbury punk trio Lightmares at 9:30 PM, and two bands who played here last year, namely Hamilton punk rockers Artificial Dissemination at 8:30 PM & Thunder Bay desert rock group The Franquilizers at 7:15 PM.

Local bands will include new indie/hard rock trio Vol. at 6:30 PM, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 5:45 PM, drone/ambient rock trio Pointless (replacing a planned solo set from frontman Bill Priddle) at 4:30 PM, and alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback (in their second show in under 24 hours) at 3:45 PM. Prior to one of two mid-show intermissions, the opening acts will be funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 2:45 PM, Brent Ellis' new project Slumshine at 2:00 PM, reunited extreme metal rockers Winkstinger at 1:15 PM, and indie/punk rock trio Handsome Sandwich (in their first show in 2 months) opening the festival at 12:30 PM. Notably, both The Elements & Handsome Sandwich are late confirmations for the festival lineup, with one/both replacing doom metal trio AlgomA for unannounced reasons, possibly due to their promotional duties for Oh!No 2017. Great to see the new bands the bill, and don't miss AlgomA on October 2nd! Six, Two, Oh. will also be filming the days bands, though no word yet on what form their public postings will be in.

A bonfire, outdoor activities, vendors, food from The Gore Street Cafe, and on-site parking and camping will be available for festival patrons, so feel free to stay awhile and enjoy the festival's entire scope tomorrow! No age limit is stated for the fest, and tickets are $25 via the cafe, The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Northland Music, Coch's Corner, and Big Guns Barbershop, while you can also get hooked up from local performers, and presumably at the door, while directions to the festival (just outside of Bruce Mines) and extra details can be found at the official Facebook event page. Also, while early shuttle bus plans were cancelled due to cost concerns, promoters are encouraging prospective attendees to consider ride-sharing or cab rentals to get to Leeburn for the show tomorrow if unable to drive there yourselves, so you do have options to get to the Oh!No Festival! This presumably inaugural festival promises to deliver loads of entertaining music from many genres!

The unique setting in an old church outside of town should provide an intriguing backdrop to all of this action, so whether you can stay all day, can camp beyond, or can only see a few bands, definitely consider a trip to Leeburn TOMORROW if at all possible for this ambitious festival! See above for more details on tomorrow's action, here's a preview video of Beaver Slap live, and stay tuned for more news on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!