LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), Plus New Videos!!

We're back with a new news post for your Monday morning, and it includes some new videos from local artists, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big upcoming all ages show!

Prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger is throwing a birthday bash on Saturday, May 21st in honour of his upcoming 27th birthday, in the form of an ALL AGES concert at The Oddfellows Hall! Entitled "Johnny B's #Litfam Birthday Sheezy", at least 7 bands will take the stage in under two weeks' time for what should be a great time, but who all is playing? Timeslots aren't 100% official, but he official hand-drawn poster credits three of Johnny's active bands as playing on the 21st, including his death metal band The Bear Hunters (in their first public concert appearance of 2016) and his punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, alongside reunited extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, and three local bands making their Oddfellows Hall debuts on the 21st, they being modern hard rockers Eclipse, Johnny's hard/pop rock quartet Heavy Head, and new death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora (who aren't on the poster, but Johnny confirmed them on the Facebook event page last week.)

The event page also indicates interest in doom metal trio AlgomA joining the bill too, but they are by no means confirmed at this point. As well, Johnny announced last week that "a band" will be making "a special guest appearance" that "you do not want to miss" that night. I honestly don't have any clue who Johnny is referencing, but what band is it? A reunited band that we haven't seen in recent years? A debuting or one-off supergroup? A surprise out of town headliner? Something completely different? Unless there's an early spoiler, be at The Oddfellows Hall on May 21st to find out! Promoted by Johnny in association with Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton, his Litfam Birthday Sheezy is planned to also feature a barbecue if all goes according to plan, so keep that in mind as well. Also, don't be scared away by the private Facebook event page, Johnny confirmed that is a public show too, and to that end, there will be a $5 admission fee, and as of right now, a 6:00 PM start time.

This is shaping up to be a very fun concert, and quite a bash for Johnny's birthday! He's definitely stacking the deck with familiar faces, Oddfellows newcomers, a triple run of sets from his active bands (sans Caveman Morrison and his acoustic work), and not to mention the teased guest band, but there's more to come out on this show in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, here's a video of a new local classic rock band that just played their debut concert last week, as they tackled Aerosmith's classic "Sweet Emotion"! The band in question is Red & The Muscle, featuring ex-Sativa Rose frontwoman Marisa Valois alongside Machines Dream guitarist Keith Conway, his former Blues Harvest bandmate Michael DiSanto, and veteran local rock drummer Cliff Alloy, which is a strong lineup to say the least! This video (from their Water Tower Pub debut last week) was uploaded to Keith's personal Facebook page but later shared by Marisa on her solo music page, and it's well filmed from a close angle, but the song isn't the best showcase of Marisa's strong vocal range, and the filmer was in a location where Keith's guitar overpowers the the other instruments. Nicely done though, so keep an eye out for more from Red & The Muscle if you like classic & blues rock (I hear they cover Led Zeppelin too), and here's their first video!



Finally today, here's a new solo guitar cover video from Sault Ste. Marienative and Lethbridge, Alberta-based metal guitarist Paul Melanson's YouTube channel! His first posting there in four months, this is a loose cover of the solo from Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", and while Paul admitted that it's not note for note, it's a solid rendition, so give it a look below, and follow his current bands Damage Inc. & Bottoms Up as well!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next, and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats), Haggith's New CD, And New Videos!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to apologize for not getting official plugs of last night's two Mourning Wood concerts (a matinee at The New American Pub and a normally timed Rednecks Saloon show) on the site yesterday. Both only recieved short notice plugs on personal Facebook accounts a few hours before showtime at The New A, and as we couldn't rush a new news post in time to plug both, we covered them on our Facebook page. Had we recieved more advance word on both, we'd have definitely plugged them here, but our apologies either way! Now, today's post features new videos, a recent album release, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Local all-female hard rock/punk quartet The Danger Cats will rock The Rankin Arena at 17 Batchewana Street on Saturday, June 13th during... a roller derby event?! Yes, the girls' second announced show of the summer will come during Border Brawl, a Sault Roller Derby event that will see two games between Ontario and Michigan teams (with game 1 featuring Northern Ontario's own NORD Starz.) If you're not familiar with roller derby, it's a fun and physical game that the whole family can enjoy, so give it a look online to see if this is up your alley! Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Kougar confirmed in personal e-mails that they'll be playing during halftime of both games, so with each starting at 6:00 & 8:00 PM, their mini-sets will presumably be at around 7:00 & 9:00 PM. This may seem like an odd show for a local band to play, but some of the members are involved in local roller derby events, hence the connection. (Calico Katie even designed the poster!)

Admission is $10 at the door or via advance ticket sales through derby players,  while kids under 12 get in FREE! Also, note that there's an afterparty at The Rockstar Bar too, but if The Danger Cats (or any other band) are playing it, nothing has been publically stated yet. For more details on this unique concert event, check the above links, and don't bypass roller derby, give it a look and see if you'd want to check out Border Brawl!

Next up, here's some overdue notes on a recent album release, as local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith released their newest CD "Apocalypse II" on May 9th prior to their set at that night's Swampstravaganza V! Apologies for the delay in getting this on the site, it fell through the cracks way too much. Released a day earlier than anticipated, "Apocalypse II" is the band's fourth full length studio album and second in their "Apocalypse" concept series, as recorded over the past year+ at PaperClip Productions. The album features (in various lineup arrangements and instrument roles) the band's late 2014-early 2015 lineup, including singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie, ex-guitarist Daniel Horton, bassist Jordan Leach, and drummer/vocalist Mike Haggith, though only Daniel is credited on all 10 songs, and his Project 421 bandmate Frank McGillivray is credited with playing guest guitar on the three "Home" tracks.

"Apocalypse II" was on sale for $5, and likely will be at the band's upcoming concerts as well. You can stream all 10 songs ("Apocalypse", "Hands of Death", "Immunity", "Spreading The Disease", parts 5, 6, and 7 of "Home", "Tribute to Mike Haggith", "We Are The Damned", and the title track) at Haggith's YouTube channel for free as well, but will we be reviewing the album on the site this month? No, because it only makes sense to go in chronological order for the "Apocalypse" series, so look for our review of 2012's "Apocalypse" (at last) by month's end! Check out both above!

We'll close today with new videos, including this clip of Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve tracking drums for a guest spot he's doing for an upcoming Rotopsy track! As uploaded to his YouTube channel on Monday, the overhead video features him tracking his part in a speedo (as he pointed out), and it sounds good to add to a Rotopsy song! While a little monotonous, live drums top a drum machine and help give more of the full band feel to their goregrind intensity, and it'll be interesting to hear the final product! Give Nathan's new video a look below!



Finally, here's a new solo instrumental recording by prolific Sault native and Alberta metal guitarist Paul Melanson! The first upload to his YouTube channel in 5 months, the song is called "Split the Sphere", and it's a well recorded and performed original song with a nice solo and strong songwriting! His recent hard rock and cover work in Lethbridge is solid, but it would be interesting to see him tackle a full metal project like this again. Give his new video a look below, and see more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Local Solo Performance Video Showcase!!

In our last post before we begin previewing this week's two battles of the bands, here's a special local metal video showcase that features recent solo performance YouTube videos from four local musicians, all notable from out of town work as well! This is a combination of overdue features and new finds, but there's solid talent throughout, and on both sides of the border, so check everything out below, and see this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post below this one! We'll start in alphabetical order with former Sativa Rose/Valentine's Day Massacre bassist Adam Veale, who's featured in two new solo cover videos from his dad John's YouTube channel! Uploaded last week, they're the first videos featuring Adam playing live to be posted there in over a year, and are of acoustic guitar/vocal covers of Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" and Nazareth's "Love Hurts" (both complete with dedications to a loved one.)

Both are well performed and softer covers, and they showcase Adam's diverse talent that we don't see a whole lot of, but his singing voice can be a little off compared to the original songs. Hopefully we hear more from him sooner or later, but check out his "Love Hurts" cover below and more above!



Next up, here's a new solo drumming video from London Gentlemen/former Nixxon Dixxon drummer Jake Lalonde, who uploaded his first solo video in 2 years to his YouTube channel yesterday! A short 61 second video demonstrating linear grooves & fills, it's a nice showcase of Jake's talent, with solid rapid fire drumming on display, so fans of his Sault Michigan-area band work should be right at home! Also, it's nice to get a non-overhead angle for a change. Give Jake's new video a look below!



Heading back to Canada, here's a bunch of videos from Lethbridge, Alberta metal guitarist Paul Melanson, a Sault Ontario native who you may remember from past local bands like Frapperteterhead, Malediction, Gutwrench, and Under The Gun! Most recently seen in the Lethbridge cover band Bottoms Up and the Metallica tribute Damage Inc., Paul posted a steady amount of solo videos outside of his Alberta band work to his YouTube channel last year, so what can be seen there? Among the highlights, there's a bass cover of Metallica's "The Shortest Straw", guitar covers of the likes of Pantera & Ozzy Osbourne, and numerous solo guitar compositions, which partially are planned for a teased solo EP. Paul's a great guitarist, and it's nice to see him staying heavy with his recent solo work, which does showcase skill in both songwriting and cover knowledge! It'll be interesting to see what he has in store next, but see the above links for more, and here's his cover of the solos in Metallica's "Fade To Black"!



Finally, here's the newest solo acoustic vocal/guitar cover from former Elipzis/RedStone Riot bassist Ryan Harrison, as per his new YouTube channel (not his old "freakwoog" channel) last week! Despite the new channel, this cover of Counting Crows' "Goodnight Elisabeth" is similar to his past solo videos from his current Muskegon homebase, albeit in a sepia tone and sporting his impressive recent beard. I'm not a Counting Crows fan, but Ryan handles this cover well and with nice melodic vocals that fans of his old Riot! By Night work should appreciate, so give his newest solo cover a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our preview of Wednesday's night #1 of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Damage Inc.

Well guys, this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile has a change of band. I'd originally planned to look at Kitchener hard rock project Malicious Side Effect due to the members' past work with local guitarist Keith Conway, but on further research, I found out that was in a different older band named Camaro, so it wouldn't fit the series to look at M.S.E.. Instead, I've bumped my planned band for next month (our second tribute band in this series) to today to look at, and like our past selections, this band features at least one Saultite in their past and/or present lineups, even though they're not regionally based. Read on below for this month's profile! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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Damage Inc. (Lethbridge, Alberta)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics. The lineup information is incomplete regarding the identity of Damage Inc's first drummer[s]. E-mail me if you can fill in any blanks!)

Mark Di Giorgio (vocals/guitar)
Oleg "Ole Gus" Usykov (guitar)
Paul Melanson (bass)
James Nagy (drums)

Mick Friday (bass)
????? (drums)

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/damagedmetallica
Official website: http://www.damageinccanada.com/
 

Local Info: Damage Inc. is the newest project from Sault Ontario native and talented multi-instrumentalist Paul Melanson, who's been a steady sight in his current home of Lethbridge, Alberta since the mid-late 2000s. You may recognize him from his most recent original band Caste of Shadows,  but he's also attracted notice for his guitar & bass work in bands like Daemon Rage, Igniter, and Gravity Crash, along with work as a singer and guitarist in older local bands like Malediction, Gutwrench, and Under The Gun. Paul's busy with his current bands, but he's keeping things heavy, so if you're out west, give his bands a look!

Band Bio: Launched in May 2012, Metallica tribute band Damage Inc. are a self-described "hard-hitting tribute to heavy metal's most successful act." They played their first live gigs in Lethbridge in October 2012, and have since played numerous solo and joint concerts in the Lethbridge & Calgary areas, including events in British Columbia, shows with other tribute bands, and even coinciding with the Calgary Stampede. Their lineup has been stable since their live debut, save for Mick Friday's injury-related exit in May of 2013, when Paul Melanson replaced him. Still frequently seen across Alberta, Damage Inc. show no signs of slowing down! When it comes to tribute bands, they do have the musical side of things well to match up with Metallica, but Mark Di Giorgio's vocals aren't a perfect fit (they almost sound more fitting of a full on NWOBHM band.) Metallica fans who can't see the real thing should enjoy Damage Inc. though, as they have a solid and very heavy take on the original songs!

For videos, frontman Mark Di Giorgio has two different YouTube channels of their live concerts (here and here) to sample Damage Inc.'s live show, where you can see the band's live skill, including Paul's bass talents! I chose this video of Damage Inc. covering "Master of Puppets" to feature here, as it's pretty solid overall (despite some minor lyrical flubs), so give it a look below!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month's profile will be our last before we update past installments in November, and it will look at inactive Illinois metal band Life In Shadow, whose frontman was current Bury Your Demons bassist (and Sault Michigan native) Scott Mills! This will be out first profile in this series since January to look at a band with a Yooper alum, so watch out for it on or around October 26th, and stay tuned later today for weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Caste Of Shadows

After a slight delay, it's time for our last monthly feature post of June 2013, and it's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! This series profiles, discusses, and critiques one band each month that is based outside of Sault Ste. Marie, but features (or used to have) at least one Saultite/area resident in any of their lineups, and this month's selection is one of the newest projects from a prolific local alum who's been a member of a number of bands here & out west, so read on below for what you need to know, get the scoop on weekend concert previews and new shows in Sault Ontario in the post below this one, and if anything's missing or incorrect, let me know! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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Caste of Shadows (Lethbridge, Alberta)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics. This information is incomplete. If you have any additions or corrections, e-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com!)

Chad "Douglas Wingcock" Neufeld (vocals)
Logan Woolf (guitar)
Marcell Puurveen (bass)
Arik Wagner (drums)

Dave Gibb (bass)
Paul Melanson (bass)
"Tiny" ????? (vocals or drums?)
Ken ????? (vocals or drums?)

Official website: http://www.casteofshadows.net

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/pages/caste-of-shadows/108906212509238
Official Twitter page (current): http://www.twitter.com/casteoshadows
Official Twitter page (original): http://www.twitter.com/casteofshadows
Official SoundCloud page: http://www.soundcloud.com/casteofshadows

Local Info: A familiar veteran of the local scene, Sault Ontario native Paul Melanson has been tearing up the Lethbridge, Alberta region with his guitar & bass talents since the mid-late 2000s, which have seen him perform in projects like Daemon Rage, Igniter, Gravity Crash, and his current role as bassist in the Lethbridge/Calgary-based Metallica tribute band Damage Inc.! You may also know Paul from his local work as a singer & guitarist in past local metal bands like Malediction, Gutwrench, and Under The Gun, among others, but if you wanna hear his current work, his current home of Lethbridge is where to be! 

Band Bio: Launched circa March 2010, Caste of Shadows are an extreme metal band that are making an increasing name in the Alberta metal scene. Amidst some lineup shuffling, they debuted in August 2010 as openers for Psycomantium, and they've since played a number of regional concerts, opening for bands like My Own Chaos and Reverend Kill among other opening and headlining slots. The band also have also held recording sessions at least twice, with five posted recordings from 2010 sessions streamable online. The band's recent lineup has been fairly stable since 2011, aside from bassist changes, including Paul Melanson's addition in March 2013 to replace the departed Dave Gibb & departure 7 months later. After a year's break, the band returned in September 2014 for new gigs, so look for more from them soon!

It's usually a good sign when a metal band's sound is hard to pin down, and Caste of Shadows definitely throw in a lot of different sounds & styles. At times, their heavier and more aggressive sound has Children of Bodom-esque touches, but they also have more modern hard rock and metalcore influences on other songs, with Chad Neufeld's vocals showing a lot of diversity to handle different styles without selling out! Musically, I never got a huge view of Paul's work with Caste of Shadows, but if he stacked up with Dave Gibb, they'll be in good hands! Logan Woolf's guitar riffs tend to be very heavy and catchy from what I've heard, and their chemistry and adaptability is matched up well with a good energy in concert, where I think their aggression really comes across higher. I'd like to see them play their heavier style more, but I appreciate how they're not tied into one subgenre, and hopefully their current lineup builds on past successes and makes an even larger name, perhaps even with shows out east?

The best source for Caste of Shadows media is their 5 studio-recorded EP songs on Soundcloud and their website, so give those a listen for some high quality originals, but as for videos, there's not a lot. YouTube user SVTake2 uploaded a pair of live videos from a 2011 concert, and a cell phone video from a recent outdoor concert is up too, but the angle's not great. I've embedded this video from last year courtesy of guitarist Logan Woolf's YouTube channel, so give it a look for some live Alberta metal action!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, we'll look at a band that's a bit overdue given how much they've done since adding a Saultite to their lineup, but for our July installment, we'll be looking at London, Ontario death metal band D3athcharg3r, who feature Valentine's Day Massacre bandmates Steve Rhodes & Andrew Angelic in their current lineup! Watch out for this on or around July 26th, and stay tuned for a new Sault Michigan-focused news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Gravity Crash

Our second post on this triple post Saturday is here, and it's our latest Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Yes, our latest monthly look at a band that (though not local) features a local member is back today, and we have an interesting band today that's attained some quick success out west since their inception earlier this year! Let's begin, but remember, if anything's incorrect or missing from this profile, please tell me! (Updated, November 27th, 2013)
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Gravity Crash (Lethbridge, Alberta)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Rob Morrison (vocals/rhythm guitar)
Paul Melanson (lead guitar)
Charlie Christensen (bass)
Eric Hamilton (drums)
Jordan Wildeman (drums)

Official Reverbnation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/gravitycrash

Local Info: The only Saultite in Gravity Crash was Paul Melanson, a veteran guitarist who you may remember from both local and Alberta-based bands! As he said on his personal MySpace page, Paul is originally from Sault Ontario, and he graduated from basement bands in his teen years to playing guitar (and occasionally singing) in bands like Malediction, Gutwrench, and Under The Gun. After a 5 year break due to personal commitments in the early 2000s, Paul's been back tearing it up in Alberta (where he now lives) in a few bands, including his own Daemon Rage project, the Caveman Morrison offshoot Igniter, Caste of Shadows, Metallica tribute band Damage Inc., and yes, Gravity Crash!

Band Bio: Named after a video game, Gravity Crash launched onto the Lethbridge rock scene in January 2011. The band featured veterans of Alberta bands like Sevendaysin, Igniter, and Double Jack, if you want a hint of what they might sound like. Gravity Crash have played a number of shows since their inception in the Lethbridge area, most notably at a series of battles of the bands being held at the area concert spot Average Joe's, where they won the right to open for Nazareth in July 2011 at their Lethbridge concert. Gravity Crash played more notable concerts through early 2012, and did some studio work in the process as well. After Paul left the band in September, Gravity Crash quietly deleted most of their online pages, and are currently presumed defunct.

From what I've heard of Gravity Crash, they had a nice melodic hard rock sound that fits with different crowds and genres to fit the setting they're in, and I like their versatility! Rob Morrison's vocals have a unique tone to them, but they flip from melodic to aggressive at the drop of a hat well, and the whole band has talent! Paul Melanson's guitar skills are clear, Charlie Christensen shows some nice work on bass, and the band appeared to have good chemistry! They'd have to, seeing as they opened for Nazareth in July, which must be huge for them! There isn't much online of Gravity Crash, and while Paul has uploaded a bunch of live (though cut up) videos of Gravity Crash in action from the Nazareth Battle of the Bands onto his YouTube channel, YouTube user 67beaumont67 did post two full live videos from December 2011, including this video of the guys playing their song "Run Johnny Run"!


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I hope you guys liked this month's profile! So, who are we profiling next month in this series? For just the second time, we'll profile a solo project by a relocated Saultite, and in this case, it will be the solo work of now-Kitchener based guitarist Jeff Nisbet! He has some real talent, you guys should like this one! I tentatively have this plotted out for between June 7th and 13th, but this may change. Stay tuned tonight for our last post of the day, that being the one where we preview TOMORROW'S Half A Man concert and reveal the winner of the SMS March Mayhem tournament! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Frightlight), The End Of The Eastgate, And More!!

The news keeps on rolling in for this Sunday! Today, we have news on the final end of a local concert venue, a Calgary band with local connections, some more cuts from our band listings, and some more assorted stories, but first, here's another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

The 2010 Christmas season continues to get even more stacked, with another big concert now confirmed for Monday, December 27th! In what is being called "The Nightmare After Christmas", three local bands will hit Foggy Notions for a night full of punk and metal! Your headliners are local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, in their first gig since opening for Total Chaos last month! Expect a great set from these local veterans, who'll bring "Fright Night" to their fans over the holidays! Also on the bill are local hardcore metal band WinkStinger, making their first concert appearance since last month's Breaking The Fourth Wall show at The Rosie. These guys always impress, and will be sure to help with the cold northern winter by melting your face with their fast-paced and very heavy original tracks! Opening this concert will be, in their live return, The Scary Uncles! I don't believe they've played a live show since last year, so it's great to see this very talented punk trio back on-stage! Their classic lineup, minus ex-guitarist Matt Sibilo, is intact, and I'm sure they're hoping for a big return on the 27th! This concert will take place at 10:00 PM, with a $3 cover charge and a 19+ age limit. For more details and to check out the announced bands, visit the above links and the Facebook event page! This sounds like a great concert for the holidays, pencil me in to attend! Hope you guys can make it too, and stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Next up, here's a long overdue story I had meant to share for days now that might interest you guys! During recent Google searching for new and undiscovered local bands, I came across the MySpace page for Sault Ste. Marie native Paul Melanson, who now lives and plays music in the Calgary area. He has played guitar in a number of bands like Malediction, Gutwrench, Under The Gun, and Daemon Rage, that I'll likely research more on just in case there's something online to share! But one thing really caught my attention, and it's this: On his "About Me" section, Paul mentions that he recently had a stint with the Calgary bar band Igniter, formerly known as Caveman Morrison. Wait a minute, how does that work? Caveman Morrison are still very much active, what's going on with this "Igniter" band? Well, I came across this band photo of Igniter from April 2009, which features Paul with former Caveman Morrison bassist Corey Day & drummer Greg Sutherland, along with, I assume, frontman "L L Cool Dutch" (anyone know his real identity?) It looks like the remaining Calgary members of Caveman Morrison (minus Dean Duguay) regrouped as Igniter following Tym's return home, and played metal covers at area bars in recent years. They don't appear to currently be active, and they don't have an internet page that I know of, but this is still interesting to note! If I hear more on Igniter or Paul Melanson's various projects, I'll let you guys know!

Thirdly today, the end has came for one fondly remembered local concert venue. This picture shows what was left of The Eastgate Hotel during demolition of the former metal concert spot & hotel, as snapped by SooToday reader Jeff Russon. I believe Algoma Insurance will still be using the property as a parking lot, although things might have changed without me hearing. 11 photos from the demolition have been uploaded onto SooToday at this location. This must be sad for music lovers who remember attending metal shows at "The Gate" way back. Numerous touring and local bands played there over the years, including notables like Helix, Lee Aaron, Kim Mitchell, Slik Toxik, Nazareth, Bret Michaels, and numerous others. I was never old enough to attend concerts there when they still occured, but had I been around during The Eastgate's heyday, I would surely have many of the same emotions as many of you have. In recent years, it's appearance did deteriorate, and some will probably say that it's good to see it gone, but it all depends on who you ask. I thought it would have been nice to turn it into low income housing or something, but hey, things happen for a reason. R.I.P. Eastgate Hotel, I'm sure the memories will live on!

Fourthly, I'd like to mention five more band removals from our band listings. I continued crawling for bands yesterday that were lacking enough info or material to be worth keeping, or had dead links, and I came up with five more. These are probably our last band cuts until a local band deletes their page knowingly, so you won't have to worry about a paragraph like this again for a while! So these three defunct bands were removed from our band listings because they didn't have sufficient band information, audio/video material, or quality profile design elements to really add much to our band links: Sault Ontario hardcore quintet Orchestra of Wolves, and the Sault Michigan metal bands The Arch Angels of the Apocalypse and Burn the Day. No offense is meant to members or fans, but really, what could we say about these bands? Also, I deleted two other bands due to their links expiring. One was Gates of Winter frontman Lee Maines' Septicon solo project, which I honestly forgot to delete after GarageBand closed, as it was hosted there. The other deletion was for Kincheloe metal quartet Silent Despair, who quietly deleted their Facebook page at some point this year. So those are the last band removals from our band links, and hopefully things are more qualitative on our listings from here on out!

And finally for today, let's end on a positive note with three quick news stories! These are, as usual, in alphabetical order by band name:

• Local hard rock trio Browbeat recently posted their cover setlist onto their official Facebook page! 14 covers are listed, including everyone from Metallica and Judas Priest to Green Day and The Cars, not counting their originals! Sounds good, click the above links for more from Browbeat!
• Garden of Bedlam are hitting the road for their furthest show ever from town, as they rock The Sinton Tavern in Thessalon on December 17th! Full details are at the Facebook event page. Nice to see, hopefully Thessalon enjoys this metal onslaught! Stay tuned for more Garden of Bedlam updates, especially concerning that supposed Foggy's show on the 18th!
• I apologize for missing this for so long, but two weeks ago, SooToday's "Friday Hot Shot" was from the Grady concert at The Grand Theater on November 16th! Taken by SooToday's own Donna Hopper, it features frontman Gordie Johnson with double guitar in tow! Great shot, hopefully Donna posts all her photos from the concert somewhere soon!

That's all for today, but I will have more news and notes very soon, so be on the lookout! And yes, our next CD review (be it an archived Sault Michigan album or something new) will be THIS WEEK! Stay tuned!