Approaching the end of one of our busiest ever months on the SMS, today's post is half dedicated to the remaining Local2 Rotaryfest hard rock videos, but we also have some shorter recent news items to get to, and leading off, details on a surprise recent EP release, so here's what you need to know!
Let's kick off this post with some info on
Bring The Fallen's debut (and only) EP, which FINALLY got a physical paid release at Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their reunion/farewell concert, over
four years after sessions began! As you may remember, the sessions for their EP (named "Stand Before") were held in mid-2009 at Green Room Productions with producer (and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist) Brad Griffith, having won them at the YMCA Battle of the Bands that March during their live debut, but financial difficulties left the EP unreleased by the time of their 2011 breakup. Flash forward to last Friday, where fans finally got copies of it, so what should you know? "Stand Before" was released on a pay-by-donation model, and while there was no full artwork or liner notes, the jewel case and CD label are all done up professionally with band photos, a song listing, and two different CD designs released, and I've replicated my copy's design on your right as if it was the cover art.
The EP features their songs "Stand Before", "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", with tracks 2-3 making their official public debut in studio form, having not been uploaded to
their MySpace page as a preview at the time. I like what I've heard so far, and it's nice hearing "Kill Your Life" again after so long, but if you missed Friday's show, that was likely the only day that copies will be available to purchase given that it was a one-off return. As for when we could be reviewing it on the site, I won't commit to anything yet, but with Crimson Crusade a lock for next month, it's looking extremely likely for the fall! Stay tuned!
Next up, here's the other two hard rock covers from
Rotaryfest's first stage at Clergue Park that we didn't feature on the site yesterday! Filmed by
Local2's Mike Caruso as part of his "Everything Sault" series, these were uploaded to
Local2's YouTube channel
last week. I held back these two from yesterday's post because they're
both covers of songs by The Cult, so why not feature them together? The
first of them is a cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" from Friday, July
19th's lineup, courtesy of local classic rock cover quartet
Mid Life Crysis.
Featuring singer/guitarist Dan Hodgson, lead guitarist David Kettles,
bassist Lori Reinholtz, and drummer Len Legacy, this is a solid cover
for the most part, if played slightly softer than the original, but
their talents are on point, and Dan's vocals fit the melody and vibe of
the track! Mid Life Crysis are a popular sight for weekend gigs at local
bars, and though their sets are completely varied across all genres,
they can rock a little harder once in a while, so don't bypass them
completely! Check out their cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" below!
The last of Mike's filmed hard rock covers from Rotaryfest comes from reunited local classic/hard rock quintet
That's Chester's set on Saturday, July 20th, as their Local2 video has them covering The Cult's "Fire Woman"! Nice to see the guys back together, and their fun chemistry and talents came back too, but the guitars seem oddly low in the mix compared to some other videos from Rotaryfest that I've seen. I have no idea if That's Chester have any more shows coming up this summer, or if this reunion is on a limited or sporadic basis, but they haven't lost a step in their year-long stage hiatus, so give their "Fire Woman" cover a look below!
Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, company, or event name:
- Local metal concert promotion agency Dismembertainment is back... just not in the Soo. After a 14 month hiatus, owner Rich Moreland announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that he's recieved an offer to book concerts at The DV8 Tavern in his current home of Edmonton, where he moved last fall. Great to hear, even if it's so far from here, but if you want a concert booking in Edmonton, give Dismembertainment a shout!
- The proposed Heavy North metal festival in September at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre has quietly been called off in the last month or so, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page. A reason hasn't been publically announced that I'm aware of, but J.D. had a good idea that would be neat to re-explore in the future!
- Former Turner Up/Johnny Lunchbox singer Krista Marshall is looking to start a new local hard rock cover band that would cover groups like Halestorm and Lacuna Coil. She apparently has a bassist lined up already, and is specifically looking for a drummer and at least one guitarist. It's be nice to have her playing live again, so if you're interested in trying out, message Krista at this location or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Wednesday! (Note that she's not to be confused with recent Haggith guest vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall.)
That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Tesla concert videos and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
The Sault Metal Scene would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of prolific local musician Marshall Jaaskelainen, who suddenly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 35, as per numerous personal Facebook postings that broke earlier today. Well known across genre lines as a bassist (stand-up and electric alike), Marshall will be best known in an SMS context from his work in local/Toronto Celtic punk band Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide for their entire 2007-2021 run. Marshall was joined there and in multiple other projects by his older brother Sheldon Jaaskelainen on cello, and with The Tide, they released three studio albums and had been working on a fourth when they fell inactive. Over the years, you may recognize Marshall from work on stage and/or in studio with such bands as The Wild Turkeys, The Way Backs, The Boot Hill Crooners, and The Steeltown Playboys, and he was still playing live as recently as this summer. Marshall was also a mandolin instructor at Case's Music in the 2010s.
