Local Metal/Punk Video Showcase!!

For our first news post of 2017, we're dipping into the video well for this all-video post, as we're tackling a handful of overdue videos from a selection of talented local musicians, including a full album posting, a cover video, and a recent live clip, but let's begin with the latest from a fast-rising trio!

We'll start with local alternative/hard rockers The Din, who are continuing the push towards their Toronto debut THIS FRIDAY when they rock The Revival Bar during Landmark Events' Showcase Festival that night! The Din have been hosting a contest on their Facebook page where if you like or share the designated post, you will be entered to win e-tickets to watch the live stream of their set on Friday, which is a nice bonus for fans who can't make the trip south, so see above for details on that front! It's also worth noting that this festival is a battle of the bands of sorts, with winners moving onto a semifinal showcase at The Mod Club in Toronto, so if The Din really turn heads, they might be back! Click here for full details on the festival proper. As for their new video, this was posted to their Facebook page on December 22nd where they hyped up the Toronto show, so what's within this clip?

It starts with an amusing prologue where drummer Brandan Glew plays a bouncer continually asking for tickets from Mike and Tammy who were the only people to purchase any tickets to enter, before transferring to serious hype for the concert, as they really can't buy all of the tickets, with the three making things as simple as possible for how you can buy an e-ticket to watch from afar. Good promotion, complete with a nice look at their merchandise trunk, so give it a look below, and click here to get your $13 e-ticket for Friday's show (they're only $1 more in advance in person!)



Next up, local post-punk quartet Gnaeus posted their entire debut CD "Meditations" onto their YouTube channel for free streaming on December 30th! Rather than go the Bandcamp route, fans can now hear all 9 songs of their solid freshman effort via this video posting, complete with hotlinks to each individual song in the description, so give "Meditations" a listen below, and stay tuned for much more from Gnaeus over this new year!



Also, here's a pair of new Facebook video uploads from newer local funk/hard rock instrumental quintet Gianni Gagoots, as uploaded to their Facebook page shortly after their set opening for The OM Sound at The New American Pub last week! There is more to share from YouTube in the coming days, but for now, let's tackle these two clips (one linked here), as filmed by an uncredited attendee. Sadly both filmed on a vertical portrait camera angle, the shorter clip features a fun sing-along of the band's name, while the latter has an intriguing mid-tempo composition. Fans do get in the way, but it's nice to hear some solid new footage, so check everything out below!



Finally for today, here's a new YouTube channel upload from former WFO/Nikkfitt guitarist Robert Ross! His first video in four years, this is of Robert covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Over the Mountain", or as he noted in the description, "trying to do Randy (Rhoads)." The mix of the audio could be cleaner, as it sounds very muddy, and I'd have pointed the camera lower so you can see all of Robert's playing, but he definitely has the song down for the most part, and it's nice to see a new video from him! Give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and updates soon! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest Stage 2 & Din Videos, New Covers, And Much More!!

After a relatively quiet weekend on the site, here's a new news post for your Monday morning! Today, we have some recent videos relating to a music festival last month and some new covers from a familiar veteran, with some assorted notes to cap things off, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with some new videos referencing last month's all-original Stage 2 at Rotaryfest, with a pair of sources spotlighting the Second Stage and it's importance to the music community! One is the newest episode of SooToday's music webseries Tuned With Donna Hopper, which was posted online yesterday, so what should you know from it? In the episode, Donna interviewed Stage 2 manager Chelsie Parayko at the festival about what to expect at the stage, what it does to help original artists, and future ambitions for the Clergue Park stage, with performance footage from The Din and The Wild Iris' opening sets bookending the interview. In terms of scoops, Chelsie did note that Stage 2 is currently a one day event due to funding concerns, but she hopes to expand it to a longer timeframe in the future, and perhaps to two days (like it was in 2006 & from 2009-2013.) It's not a terribly long episode, but it's good to see more positive press from Stage 2, complete with a nice look at the stage and Tidal Records' merchandise table!

As SooToday's video host doesn't allow external embedding, we can't feature it here, but we can embed this, Rotaryfest's "Talkin' With..." video featuring the aforementioned Din, as posted to the festival's Facebook page just over a month ago! Apologies for the obvious delay, this and The Wild Iris' similar video passed us by until the past week. Joining the earlier "Talkin' With..." videos from Nilah Moss' Vimeo channel (no word on why these 4 clips were never together on the same page), it features the alternative/hard rock trio jamming in studio, describing their live sound and stage show, and noting the perks and benefits of playing on the Second Stage (presumably in part to help the stage's crowdfunding campaign), while also plugging THIS FRIDAY'S CD release show and showcasing their recording setup. It's a shame that Nilah couldn't interview Liam Seymour, Machines Dream, and Id Iota from Stage 2 in a similar fashion, but these videos all gave Stage 2 some positive press, and likewise for the bands that played!

The Din's video is entertaining, and has a bit of the humour you often see in their Facebook videos (more on them this week), with a nice look at how they get their recordings and music down before it makes it's way to our players! Give these new videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for much more from The Din as the week progresses!

Also today, here's some updates from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock musician and Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer, who happens to have a YouTube channel! Though the Monkey's Uncle/Mama's Boys alum doesn't post live band videos there, he has shared a number of solo covers in the past year that he recorded (though most do include images from Highway 63, these are advertised as solo recordings.) His videos include covers of songs by Foreigner, Steve Perry, Styx, and Journey, plus his entry into The Stone Temple Pilots' vocalist search (him doing "Vasoline"), but embedded below is his cover of Heart's "Alone", which appears to be dedicated to his wife. Not a bad rendition, if a little bit of an adjustment to hear given that most notable versions are sung by women, but you can sense the emotion and intent for the cover! Give it a listen below, see more from Henry's channel above, and don't miss Highway 63 at The Rapids Lounge THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or promoter name:

• Recently dormant concert promoters Allstar Promotions revealed on their Facebook page this weekend that they "should have a show to announce in the near future", which would be their first since last July's Theory of a Deadman concert at The Dreammaker's Theater. It's been way too quiet lately for major non-tribute bands at Kewadin Casino, so hopefully we get more word soon! Note that this capped off a status where they addressed some confusion about whether they were the promoters of Saturday's cancelled FireHouse show (they weren't), but we won't go into detail otherwise out of respect to all parties.
• If you saw brief mentions on Facebook last week about Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements dropping out of the Big Brother show at The New American Pub on August 20th due to a member's work conflict, then not to worry, as they were quietly re-added to the lineup! It's not clear if the work conflict was a mistake on one end, addressed in some form, or will result in a guest performer, but we'll let you know if anything is stated publically!
• With local post-punk quartet Gnaeus' successful release of their debut CD "Meditations" on Friday, the album can now be purchased digitally via iTunes and the Google Play Store, so you can get it for $8.91 (or 99¢ a song) on both services! Keep both in mind, but if you want a hard copy, head to your favourite local music stores, M&M Meats(!), and/or The Tech on Friday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

The month of August brings us another concert weekend to kick off this last third of the summer, so here's most of this weekend's concert previews, and yes, our FireHouse outdoor concert preview is coming in our next post! Also, the "Bro Bash" promoted by Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E online is, as best as I can tell, a private event, as they didn't give an address or major details on their Facebook page, and it's definitely not at The Northern Pines Lounge, as 517 are playing there this weekend. If there's clarification to the contrary, we'll let you know, but let's start this post with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated at 1:56 PM)

As usual, we have a month's worth of Tym Morrison concerts to add to our listings today, as the prolific singer/guitarist is still rocking Gliss Steak & Seafood in his weekly run there! With his triple weekend bookings still on for the foreseeable future, we'll add shows there for TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, as well as shows from August 11th-13th, 18th-20th, and 25th-27th to our links, while he'll also return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT at a regular nighttime slot! Obviously, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's four shows, we again waited for public confirmation of them, which came via their official Facebook event pages (linked here & here) earlier this week. The Gliss shows are nothing unusual for his arrangement there, but his Roadhouse return is his first at his old east end stomping grounds in a month, so if you're interested in his acoustic hard rock action at a more typical time, be there TOMORROW!

As we've come to expect from Tym's long-term run at Gliss, he'll be on at 6:00 PM TONIGHT, TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and all month, and while The Quality Inn's house restaurant has no announced age limits or cover charges, keep in mind where these shows are being held. As for the Roadhouse gig TOMORROW, expect a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and no cover. Tym's skilled blend of acoustic hard rock covers should get a solid reception as usual this weekend and beyond, so don't miss out, and here he is live!

Moving to previously announced concerts, let's next head to The Rockstar Bar, where local post-punk quartet Gnaeus will launch their debut album "Meditations" with a CD release concert TOMORROW NIGHT! After over a year of anticipation, the two-time battle of the bands winners will finally unveil the fruits of their labour to fans in this rare Rockstar Bar appearance, so be the first to get your CD copy of "Meditations" tomorrow, and take in some live action too! In a lineup reversal from next week's "Give In To The Din" release, local alternative hard rock trio The Din will open for Gnaeus tomorrow with selections from their upcoming album, while fast-rising indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. will keep it cool as the night's openers, in what is the de facto re-booking of the their and Gnaeus' cancelled "Summer Bash" show from earlier this year. These three bands have all had top two finishes at one of the VM Radio Battles of the Bands, so keep that angle in mind too as you enjoy tomorrow's action!

Tomorrow's CD release show has a $5 cover, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time, while copies of "Meditations" will be on sale for $10, and will obviously be available online and locally afterwards (even at M&M Meats!) This should be a great show to culminate this album recording journey for Gnaeus, and hopefully there's a huge crowd on hand! It's just a shame that Brendan Garlick moved out of town beforehand, but it would be nice to see him back for it if possible! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Gnaeus live last year!



Now let's head to Michigan for this weekend's remaining currently announced shows, starting with the apparent local debut of Manistique hard rock trio 517, who are scheduled to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This veteran outfit have been rocking the Western U.P. since 2011, and play at Manistique's Kewadin branch often, so this should be a good opportunity to see the Zentners and Bob in our neck of the woods with their mixture of classic and modern rock covers! Note that 517 do not have a known online page, and we can't find a new plug of this weekend's shows via members' personal pages, but Kewadin's entertainment page confirms their trip east this weekend. As usual for Northern Pines Lounge gigs, this weekend's shows have 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits. I admittedly can't find a public video of 517 for a preview (personal Facebook clips aside), but don't miss 517 this weekend!

Finally for this preview post, Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their last of three Rapids Lounge concert weekends throughout the summer season (they'll be back at the Soo Kewadin in October), these will be their first shows anywhere in 3 weeks, and last before returning to next month's Sugar Island Music Festival. Alex, Don, and Wayne are always a fun band to check out live, and they should rock out well in Sault Ste. Marie this weekend, so don't miss out at The Rapids Lounge tomorrow and/or Saturday night! Like with this weekend's 517 shows, there are 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live earlier this year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and possible late notice previews next, plus our FireHouse preview! Thanks everyone!

Gnaeus - "Meditations" Review!!

It's now time for our 85th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and for a special change, here's an advance review of an album that doesn't even come out until next week, namely local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus' debut album "Meditations"! An mp3 review copy was generously sent to me by the band last week, with permission to review as soon as possible, so with The Din's debut CD also coming out next month, we might as well keep things rolling with a pre-release look! To officially be released independently at their CD release show at The Rockstar Bar THIS FRIDAY, "Meditations" (formerly known as "Loomings") was recorded at Mission Control Studios last year with producer Dustin Jones, and features Gnaeus' original lineup, including singer/guitarist Aaron Alessandrini, bassist/backing vocalist Matt Fronzi, synth player/guitarist Brad Irwin, and the departed Brendan Garlick on drums (Alex Proulx replaced him after recording sessions wrapped up.)

Gnaeus has yet to reveal prices for "Meditations", or potential online availability, but a price in the $10 range would be likely, and we'll let you guys know when we hear anything in that regard! Featuring 9 songs running for about 34 minutes in length, let's begin our advance review with a look at the first song, "Lovers"! An upbeat, faster paced original with a garage/indie-inspired guitar riff, this gives fans a good look at Aaron's grittier-than-expected vocals, which give the song a bluesy bent (imagine if the song was played slower on purpose?) This studio version is a little more direct and not as poppy sounding as their early studio recording, but it's well performed, with Brad's synth playing a nice compliment, and Brendan's drumming is well paced! If anything, this song could use an extra guitar track to fill it out, as the verses do sound a little empty, but it's a very solid opener!

"Mountains" follows next with a softer and slower sound that contrasts with Aaron's passionate vocals that honestly sound like they're for the wrong song, but I like the energy and range he puts in here, especially on the choruses! Everyone's in fine form musically (especially with Matt's strong bass work), and the backing vocals add a slight haunting quality! That said, the song seems to end before it really starts, and at least in this mp3 copy, the song ends abruptly out of nowhere. Third is "Circles", which is both the longest song on "Meditations" and the Best Song award winner from 2015's VM Radio Battle of the Bands. The track contrasts a somewhat ethereal sound with forceful, sometimes yelled chorus vocals, and strong solos after the choruses. I like the sing-along style of this song, which has a nice beat, but again, the aggression and grit in Aaron's singing (particularly in the choruses) contrasts from the light instrumentation. Myself, I don't mind though, it adds a heavy touch!

Fourth is "The Edge", which is the slowest & most intimate song yet on this CD, with a pleasant yet serious aura and, despite the reserved nature, arguably the fullest sounding yet on the album! The singing is a nice match to the tone here, and Brad's synth work helps convey the melancholy yet nice mood throughout! Based on personal preference, I do prefer other songs to this one, but if you like indie and alternative music more than their punk and garage influences, you'll enjoy "The Edge"! Things pick up though on the next song, "Calling Out", which is a little darker and plays more on their garage side of their sound, with strong guitar work and a somewhat ominous rhythm and riff to go along. To me, this song tends to meander a little bit, and the vocals sound like they were lowered in the mix despite their chorus aggression but it's strongly done for it's intent and style, and Brendan's drumming keeps things rolling well!

Let's play "Exercise in Self Awareness" next for this review, and despite the removal of "An" from the start of the title, this remains one of my favourite of Gnaeus' originals! Aaron's forceful, direct vocals and Matt's backing screams compliment each other overtop strong instrumentation, including a cool solo and a nice catchy rhythm that has always caught my attention! The backing audio again has some empty qualities, and the song is way too short (an album low 2:31), but it packs a wallop while it lasts, and it's a personal highlight! Track #7 is "Fire", which is sort of a "call to arms" song asking fans to let their fire out and stand up for what you believe in. One of their punkiest songs yet in tone and message, this song still retains their garage qualities with strong synth work and nice melodic licks, but like with it's preceding track, it feels like it ends before it really gets going, and the lyrics could be a little more varied.

Second-last on "Meditations" is "When You're Gone", which has a personal sounding, romantic theme to go along with a solid vocal performance from Aaron that again has some blues influence (might the "keep it cool, kid" line be a reference to the local band K.I.C.K.?) My biggest problem with this song is the chorus, which has members providing gang vocals (good for their punk side), but uses them for a largely repetitive chorus that mostly repeat the title. I'd have varied the lyrics there, but I like the verses, and Brendan has some of his best drumming yet in this song's latter half! This album closes with "The Sound", and to paraphrase it's chorus, the sounds they make work fine on this slower, methodical garage rock number that reminds me a bit of "Calling Out". Though the song again has some emptiness in the verses, well utilized vocals from Aaron and Matt, a gradual building pace, and a very strong ending to the album for fans of Gnaeus' diverse range of styles!

So, what are my final thoughts on Gnaeus' debut CD? Overall, it's a successful debut from this potential-loaded quartet, and while the "post-punk" side of their sound wasn't always front and center, their talent and songwriting definitely was! Though it can be a slight adjustment given their sound, Aaron Alessandrini's gritty and often bluesy vocals are welcomed by this metalhead, with Matt Fronzi adding some pointed screams in the background where needed! His bass work was solid, as were Aaron's guitar work and occasional solos, while Brad Irwin's synth was always there when needed, and Brendan Garlick delivered solid drums before he moved away, hopefully he pops up again in a band down the road! Songs like "Exercise in Self Awareness" and "Lovers" showcase Gnaeus at their best (to me), but there are things I'd address. There are songs where Aaron's vocal style isn't a perfect match, "Mountains" ends very abruptly, and if you're expecting a full punk album, you may be disappointed at some of the slower, synth-heavy songs, but tracks like "Fire" will have you covered.

As well, many songs sounded like they needed an extra guitar track (either from Brad or a hypothetical fifth member) to fill out emptier stretches, but overall, this is a strong launch for this very talented band, and I know Gnaeus will have more great things to follow up with in the future! Pick up your copy of "Meditations" THIS FRIDAY, stay tuned for more details on it, and keep an eye out for our likely review of The Din's debut CD "Give In To The Din" next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Gnaeus & Project 906), As It Stands Updates, And Much More!!

Here's a surprise second post on this Saturday, as we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to tackle for TONIGHT, with new videos to boot! To round things out, we have one more new show coming up next month, a big posthumous release of an unreleased EP, and some assorted recent notes, so here's what you should know!

We can officially confirm and call TONIGHT'S Project 906 show, as they'll be playing at the local chapter of The Highland Clan Motorcycle Club's annual Summer Bash! Apologies for the short notice, we didn't call this as a show during our weekend concert previews as we weren't positive on if it was a public event, with Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins confirming that it was this morning. Taking place at 235 Magazine Street (minutes from The Satisfied Frog), this event follows a poker run from the HCMC that is ongoing as of this writing, so hopefully that's a hit as well, and Project 906 should deliver a solid set at the Summer Bash TONIGHT! While this may seem like an atypical concert for Project 906, remember that Joe's old band Exiled played a few motorcycle club events during their 2014 heyday, including one from the Highland Club. Note as well that the Facebook event page doesn't credit any events going on tonight (let alone Project 906's set), but the band's Facebook page announced their involvement earlier this week.

A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for TONIGHT'S Summer Bash, which has no announced cover charge or age limits, but have both in the back of your head just in case. For a preview, here's three new jam session videos, courtesy of Project 906's Facebook page in recent days! The videos are covers of Nena's "99 Red Balloons", Philip Sayce's "Morning Star", and as embedded below, Billy Squier's "Lonely Is The Night", and they sound good, but Billy's vocals can be hard to make out over heavier stretches, and Joe is often obscured by a pole in the jam room. Solid all the same, so check them out above & below, and don't miss TONIGHT's Highland Clan bash!

Next up, here's another new show, as local post-punk quartet Gnaeus will indeed hold their CD release show on Friday, August 5th when they officially launch "Meditations" with a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar! A rare appearance for Gnaeus at The Algonquin Hotel, this is a fitting locale for the guys to launch their long-awaited debut CD, and while they have yet to reveal prices for physical copies, have cash on hand to get yours! In a reverse from the following week's "Give In To The Din" release show at The Tech, alternative hard rock trio The Din will return the favour as openers on the 5th, while indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. will open the proceedings on August 5th with their own skilled originals! One could call this a rescheduling of April's cancelled Summer Bash concert that Gnaeus and K.I.C.K. were supposed to play before the venue's renovations scuttled it, but it's not advertised as such.

There's no announced cover charges for this 19+ show, which will begin at 9:00 PM on August 5th, but make sure you bring money for both your copy of "Meditations" and for any potential admission fees. It's great to see Gnaeus finally announce their CD release show, and with them and The Din flipping roles for another release party a week following, it's a big month ahead for new local album releases! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Also, remember how defunct local hardcore quintet As It Stands were recording an EP in July 2011 that was never released prior to their 2014 dissolution? Well, the band has finally unveiled the tracks recorded that year, as per their Soundcloud page, so fans can finally hear what would have been their third & final EP! The apparently self-titled release was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga with producer Kevin Dietz, and while the posted tracks are raw & off the floor without final mixing, As It Stands felt it was time to finally let fans hear the songs. The tracks are "A Sinking Sinner", "Embay the Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For the Kids", and "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", so click each link to hear each song! For reference, this confirms that the songs that As It Stands recorded at Stereo Soul Studios in 2009 and in Stoney Creek in 2010 were not intended for this particular album. This is a FREE posting, and at least at the moment, is not being formally sold.

It's not clear if As It Stands' earlier studio recordings (including their mid-2000s EPs "The Re-Occurring Nightmare" & "Kill The Music, Save The Children") will see a re-emergence too, as the band teased in April, but it's great to finally hear the 2011 recordings in full! These capture As It Stands at full strength and intensity from their arguable peak as musicians, and if you loved A.I.S. during their run, do yourselves a favour and check out their unreleased 2011 EP above, and hopefully there's more to come! Also, here's the Facebook preview video that the band shared prior to the Soundcloud unveiling, featuring a late snippet from "Embay the Terrible"!

 

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• New local improv hard rock trio Gianni Gagoots have been added as the final openers for the Castle-headlined concert at The New American Pub on September 28th, as per the official Facebook event page. Solid choice for their second live concert appearance, so don't miss them late next month at The New A!
• Ex-Bankshot/12 Gauge Ready guitarist Lucas Schmiedendorf (a.k.a. Sal Velinus) is looking to form a new local band, and while he enjoys melodic punk and ska, he doesn't mind dabbling in folk or country. He has friends in mind for said band, likely a drummer and bassist at the moment, but he'd like to find musicians that could play guitar, horns, keyboard, or perhaps even a female vocalist. If you'd be interested in trying out or jamming with Lucas, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• We have regrettably removed defunct local hard rock bands Meant To Last and These Sins of Time from our band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook pages, which were their only substantial online pages (both have surviving Twitter pages, but neither has enough to warrant linking them on the SMS.) These were the two recent hard rock bands from local singer Alexa LeClair, who is a talented artist, and hopefully she can get a band going with greater success in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Iskra), Gnaeus & Din Album Updates, And More!!

With weekend concert previews complete, let's tackle some big recent updates in this stacked news post! Today, we have the latest from a veteran local band, big updates concerning two upcoming local alternative hard rock albums, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT with a familiar touring band coming back to our area next month, so here's what you should know! (Updated at 11:06 AM)

Just under three weeks after their headlining date at The Oddfellows Hall, Victoria, B.C. grindcore quintet Iskra will return to the Soo on Tuesday, August 2nd at... The Gore Street Cafe?! In what may be the heaviest show to ever hit the laundromat, fans of Iskra's brutal crust originals will return for what should be a devastating encore next month, so if you want a second helping (or missed their Oddfellows show last week), be at The Gore Street Cafe on August 2nd! This confirms the earlier teases that Iskra would return to the local stage on this date on the way back during their Canadian tour, but contrary to the original & now-cancelled plans, Blood Shed Productions are not promoting this show anymore. Local openers haven't been announced yet for this month, and while there was a local opening lineup for the original Blood Shed-planned date, don't expect those acts to be carried over verbatim.

As usual for Gore Street Cafe shows, this is an ALL AGES concert, and will operate under the "pay what you can" model, so don't let the admission fee scare you away! It's great to see Iskra finally secure the long hinted return date on August 2nd, and that we'll see them much sooner than the prior 12 year gap, so stay tuned for updates, and visit the official Facebook event page for current details on this grind encore!

Next up, here's the latest from local post-punk quartet Gnaeus' upcoming debut CD "Meditations", so what should you know about it now? Well, according to this shared meme photo on their Facebook page, it will apparently be released on Friday, August 5th! We're under two weeks from the release in other words, and while Gnaeus hasn't publically elaborated further on the release, bassist Matt Fronzi indicated plans for a release show in a personal conversation (which we'll wait for the band to publically announce before covering here.) The full official album cover has also been unveiled, as you can see on the left, and it is indeed one and the same as the original "Loomings" cover, just with Gnaeus' name and new album title in all lowercase with a new and weathered font. Looks good and fitting to their style, though still no word on if the preview image from the Rotaryfest program was ever officially intended to be the cover art.

As a preview for the release, Gnaeus posted a lyric video for their song "Fire" onto their YouTube channel yesterday, which is a rarity alone in the fact that it's a lyric video from a local band! It's yet to be established if the physical album booklet will have printed lyrics or not, but it's nice to have words to sing along with if need be! Check the above links for more on "Meditations" and Gnaeus' upcoming plans, look for the new CD next month, and give their lyric video a look below, and keep an eye out in just in case we have an advance review in store in the next week or so!



Also, here's some of the latest updates from local alternative hard rock trio The Din, who are also nearing the release of their own debut CD "Give In To The Din"! We're badly behind on Din updates so far this month, so let's start rectifying that with this preview of the album artwork & booklet courtesy of CDBaby (where their album is being manufactured), which lets fans get a full 3D look at the front, back, and inside of what you'll get in physical copies! The preview is very tricky to maneuver with a mouse, especially when trying to look inside, but if you buy the album proper, you can avoid any issues! The full CD will have 9 songs, including "In Search of the Perfect Moment", "Flux", "Alleyways & Apartments", "Out Of My League", their cover of Haggith's "75", the newer "Remember", "Potato (Should Have Known Better)", another new song "The Rose", and "A Drive Through The Peninsula". Everything looks good and professional so far, and of course, copies go on sale on August 12th at The Tech!

As another preview, The Din unveiled the studio version of "Alleyways & Apartments" on their YouTube channel on Tuesday, which is notable as the song that the band recorded at Mission Control Studios with Dustin Jones engineering things, though Pretoria Hill Productions' Daniel Schmidt produced the track along with the remainder of the album. We'll hold comment until our review of the album (likely coming next month), but check it out below, stay tuned for more from The Din soon, and don't miss the release show!

Finally today, here's the latest from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Griphook, as per their latest post from their Facebook page last week! The post reveals that frontman Joel Syrette is taking a hiatus from the band while attending Queens University in Kingston, and as a result, he did not play with them at Rotaryfest on Saturday. As a result, bassist Dan Beaupre's former Hollow bandmate Adam King (recently of Mustang Heart) filled in for him, which is a solid and fitting choice, and hopefully Adam performed well last week! It's not clear if he'll join Griphook for future gigs or not, but the band did note on Facebook that their hiatus since January was due to band members "going through some ups and downs", and while they didn't elaborate further on that, they said that they remain "dedicated to keeping rock n' roll alive." It's great to see that Griphook are alive and still kicking, so stay tuned for more on their next shows when announced, and best of luck to Joel in Kingston! Hopefully we'll see him back on the local stage in time!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Big Brother & Gnaeus), Highway 63 Concert Previews, And More!!

On this Friday morning, we have some teaser information on an upcoming album release, previews of this weekend's remaining hard rock shows (that are previously announced!), and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this summer, so read on below for what you should know!

Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus and hard rock quartet Long Shot will join forces for a concert at LopLops Lounge on Friday, July 22nd! Fresh off of their Rotaryfest Stage 2 set next weekend, Gnaeus should be in good form as they draw ever closer to the release of their debut CD "Meditations" (more on that at post's end), so look for the guys to deliver a fun set at LopLops in two weeks' time! Similarly, Long Shot have been busy in the studio towards their own debut EP, so much so that this will actually be their first public concert of the year, and if I'm not mistaken, their LopLops debut. The Dawes, Nathan, and Jeremy are a very promising unit, and should leave a good impression on the 22nd! No finite word though on if one band, both, or neither will have their CDs out by then, though as of this writing, neither are publically tying the show to an official release. Admission will be $5 for this 19+ concert, which has an advertised 9:00 PM start time.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Long Shot back on stage again, let alone with their friends and former battle of the bands rivals in Gnaeus (you may recall that ex-drummer Brendan Garlick filled in for Jeremy at a Long Shot show last year too.) Keep this show in mind for later this month, and stay tuned for more on Gnaeus' debut CD!

Next up, Toronto "ska-core" trio Big Brother will make their local concert debut for what's being called "Ska Saturdae" at The New American Pub on Saturday, August 20th! This fun yet hard hitting outfit have been making waves with their fusion of hardcore punk and ska, and should appeal to multiple fans at The New A next month, so don't bypass Big Brother's energetic attack! At least one local opener is to be announced, and while personal Facebook postings by promoters have hinted at a specific band with one more to be locked down, nothing has been publically stated yet. We'll keep you posted! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. (in a rare Saturday nighter for their New A bookings), there will be a $7 cover in effect, as well as a 19+ age limit and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a solid time for ska and hardcore fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for full current details!

Also, here's our last of this weekend's concert previews (at least, for shows that have been announced as of this writing), as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Notably the first concerts plugged by the Monkey's Uncle successors on their Facebook page since February (though they have played steadily in the area in the interim), this weekend's shows should be full of hard and classic rock favourites, so be sure not to miss Highway 63 at the Soo Kewadin tonight and/or tomorrow! And remember, we'll see them back at St. Ignace's Kewadin in month's end. As usual, there's a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit for each night. Check the above links for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!

Finally, let's close with a new preview video from the aforementioned Gnaeus, who posted this on their Facebook page on Wednesday to tease fans as to the cover and booklet of their debut CD "Meditations"! Featuring a rotating version from a computer program of the apparently 4 page booklet (the inside has band pictures), the big reveal here is that the album cover is not the image used in the Rotaryfest program, despite that being square and featuring the album's title. No word on if that was ever seriously intended to be the cover art, but the video confirms that the original front cover (unveiled when the CD was still called "Loomings") has survived despite the name change, though with two changes: the name, obviously, and rendering Gnaeus' name in all lowercase rather than all capitals. I did a mock-up of what the cover will look like, as you can see here, and while it's not exact, it's nice to get some more finite word about it!

The back of the booklet appears to show that "Meditations" has nine songs, though the angle and size of the album preview on their computer doesn't allow me to 100% verify the track listing. I believe I can make out "The Edge" and "An Exercise In Self Awareness", but they're the only ones I can name with relative certainty. With that said, it's a nice teaser, and proof that the album is indeed coming, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!

Telephone & Address Concert Preview, SweetKenny Album Updates, Rotaryfest Notes, And More!!

With a special Wednesday night concert taking place TONIGHT, I threw a second post together today before we dive into weekend concert previews, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent notes, a few finds and notes relating to the newly released Rotaryfest schedule, and a new album release, but let's kick things off with that mid-week concert preview!

Local acoustic punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address will return to The Gore Street Cafe TONIGHT as openers for Calgary indie/jazz rock quartet Fox Who Slept The Day Away to close the venue's Fortnight Festival! The Chris Shoust-led local solo act should be in good form with plenty of new and recent originals during this show, with Fox Who Slept The Day Away's soft, psychedelic originals sure to attract a good audience at the laundromat themselves, so give them a listen to see what you think also! This is the closing event for The Gore Street Cafe's Fortnight Festival, a two week sequel of sorts to the early-2016 Fishbowl Festival there, and with this being the only event this time around with a punk or hard rock act, it's great to see one just before the bell! Unless you already have a $25 pass for all Fortnight Festival events, admission is $5 at the door for tonight's ALL AGES event, which will start at 7:00 PM. Check the official Facebook event page & the above links for more details, and here's Telephone & Address live!

Next up, here's the latest from Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton, who quietly released his 19th solo album "Gator's Bayou" onto his Bandcamp page on Monday! For the sixth time in his last seven studio album postings, "Gator's Bayou" is yet another instrumental album intended for use as a score in film, TV, or video games, which he says was inspired by 1960s and 1970s adventure films and cartoons. As well, his December 2015 compilation album "Comic Book!" is now available to the general public after previously being exclusive to paid yearly supporters on his Bandcamp page. It features 14 songs from prior SweetKenny albums, plus one exclusive original song ("Myra The Hunter") that isn't on any other release of his. Both are available for $7 via the above links, but can you expect a review of either on the site soon? For the latter, no, as precedence goes to original studio albums

For the former, we're leaning towards April's non-score album "In Your Face" for a review next, which could be as soon as next month, and assuming he continues releasing new albums at his fervent pace, we may only get to "Gator's Bayou" if "In Your Face" is delayed so far where it's not "new" anymore. In any event, check out SweetKenny's newest solo albums above for more of his prolific & varied hard rock originals and scores!

Also, I received my copy of Rotaryfest's program in the mail today (it's not online yet), and there's a few things to take away from it's Stage 1 & Stage 2 schedules that weren't previously online, so what should you know from the Sault Ontario summer festival? Thanks to the inclusion of pictures with most bands in the schedule, we can put faces to some of the newer and online pageless bands (like Jukebox Deluxe), but the most revealing picture of all may be the apparent album cover for Second Stage performers Gnaeus' upcoming debut CD "Meditations"! Though tiny and monochrome (I have a feeling the official cover is in colour), this confirms that the post-punk quartet completely discarded the original "Loomings" cover when they changed the album's name. Nice to see, so stay tuned for more on "Meditations" when announced! The program also confirms that Shaun Antler and Chelsie Parayko are back as the Stage 1 and Stage 2 directors respectively, and for what it's worth, the program makes no reference to the ongoing Stage 2 crowdfunding campaign.

And lastly, I've made the tough decision to stop classifying online pageless classic rock quartet RPM as a hard rock band in our primary SMS coverage. We had covered them as hard rock since their original Rock For Dimes set in 2013 based on reports at the time, but nothing I've seen since credits or describes them in our primary genre ranges (the program lists them as covering classic rock, blues, country, and top 40 pop.) That said, they're a talented band with a fan friendly sound, and be sure to check out Marcel, Dino, Ben, and Rob at Rotaryfest on July 16th at 3:00 PM!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, show, or store name:

• We have changed the link for local music/arts podcast 7L in our "Other Local Metal Links" from it's Soundcloud page to it's Facebook page, as the former is down or deleted. A reason hasn't been announced, but if 7L is done, it's a sudden move, as they had just posted a song by RedD Monkey alum Pete Mozarowski onto Soundcloud two weeks ago. For what it's worth, technical difficulties relating to broken equipment had kept full new episodes from going online since April. Hopefully 7L comes back, as Jordan and Teddy had a great thing going!
• This doesn't bear directly on the local metal scene, but it's worth noting: Former Gates of Winter bandmates Bryan Belleau and Brian Holmes will reunite on stage for the first time since (I believe) 2008 when Bryan and his wife, Fort Nelson, B.C. contemporary singer Melinda play an unplugged show at LopLops Lounge on July 30th, with Brian's local progressive rock band Machines Dream opening! Could there be an on-stage reunion between the two that night? Be there to find out, and click here for full details!
• Remember how we deleted defunct local music store Mister Disc from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to the deletion of it's Facebook page? Well, as it turns out, the Todd Gordon-owned store always had a Facebook group too serving very much the same purposes, including daily song dedications, so they are back with the "new" link! While I'm still not sure why the page was deleted, I apologize for not knowing about the Facebook group before!

That's all for today, but now stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan-Area Videos, Plus Lots Of Assorted News & Notes!!

Today's post is half devoted to assorted short items, but we'll kick things off with some new videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with our first live concert footage from new local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, courtesy of their St. Patrick's Day concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on Thursday! Filmed by drummer Will Storey's mother Cherie Rosing-Rye and shared by the band onto their Facebook page earlier today, this is of their cover of Metallica's "Fuel", and while it only captures under 2 minutes of it, you get a good sense of their talent, though Will is mainly the focus during Joe Jenkins' guitar solo, the vertical camera angle doesn't help, and the audio's very staticy. Not a bad rendition though, and I like the St. Patrick's Day hats! Check it out below, and don't miss Project 906's next shows at The Dondee!



Next up, here's the latest solo videos from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, courtesy of his YouTube channel last week! One is of him covering Van Halen's "Top of the World" on drums, and solidly handling himself in the well angled & edited clip, but the other (embedded below) is of Chris "messing around", which basically translates to him shredding some solid Van Halen solos, riffs, and licks for 11 minutes that, if the comments are any indication, would leave Eddie himself very proud! Chris is a huge talent, so check out his newest cover videos a look above & below!




Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque is looking to start a grunge cover band, with the aim being to cover bands like Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, and Alice In Chains, and he does have a jam space available. This might be fun, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday if you want more details!
• Local post punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus have changed the name of their upcoming debut CD from "Loomings" to "Meditations", as per their newest post on their Facebook page. A reason for the name change wasn't publically announced, but they had teased the new title as far back as January. The new name works, so stay tuned for more on Gnaeus (including on their drummer position) when publically announced!
• After previously looking to form a local Slayer tribute band, local guitarist Lee Catling is aiming to jam thrash or "fast punk" with other musicians. He hopes to play rhythm guitar over lead guitar, and is willing to learn anything. If you're interested in jamming with Lee, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• Sault Michigan concert festival LemmaFest is reportedly coming back this June after a year's hiatus! The Mike Lemma tribute outside of Dondee Lanes did not take place last summer due to legal concerns for one of the promoters, but their Facebook page confirms that planning is underway, and a meeting to flesh out organization, performers, and other ideas will take place at The Merchant's Bar tomorrow at 2:00 PM. It's great to see LemmaFest back for it's fifth go-around, so check the above links or attend tomorrow's meeting for more details!
• After 9 months of public inactivity (unless they did indeed play at last fall's Jason Michaud benefit), local punk trio Redundant have confirmed on their Facebook page that they are back, are writing new songs, planning new studio work, and booking new shows, with a few light photos of the guys also being shared afterwards. 2015 was a very quiet year for Justin, James, and Rick, so hopefully we hear a lot more from Redundant in the coming months, as they are a fun band who have been missed lately!
• Courtesy of a Jack Daniels-influenced poster on Thursday, local grind/thrash quartet Them have announced a few new singles that they're working on for their planned debut EP via their Facebook page, including "Slaughter House Blues" and "March Into Regression", the latter being an apparent re-purposing of the name of frontman Tyler St. Amour's old death metal/hardcore band from the early 2010s (who were also known as Bring the Misery, among other names.) Nice to hear more from Them, and stay tuned for updates on their next originals!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!