Haggith - "Flight 75" CD Review!!

It is now time for our 128th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with no brand new metal, hard rock, or punk CDs to look at this month, we're dipping into the archives for our long overdue look at defunct local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith's only live album "Flight 75"! We are tying in this selection with the recent live debut of The Bridge Heads, the new local hard rock band featuring every band member except relocated drummer/namesake Mike Haggith. Recorded live at their first of two self-promoted Bushplane Musical Madness concerts on November 24th, 2012 at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center (itself the release party for their "Apocalypse" studio album), "Flight 75" was released on January 19th, 2013 through their independent label PaperClip Productions, with sound for the concert provided (I believe) by Dirk Becker's Sykotyk Sound Company.

Haggith are represented here by their classic lineup, including Mike on drums & vocals alongside singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie, lead guitarist Daniel Horton (also now of Jack Spades & Big Mistake), and bassist Caleb Cachagee. You can buy "Flight 75" on Haggith's Bandcamp page on a "name your price" model, or stream it for free on YouTube, and while physical copies ran for $5, they are long since out of print. Just for clarification, this was not a concert I was in attendance for, so I cannot give extra context for Haggith's set proper. As such, this is relatively new to me, but all but one track would feature in their first three studio albums, so comparisons will be inevitable. Featuring 11 songs running for about 50 minutes in length, let's kick off this live album review with the first song, namely the instrumental "Chaos In The Streets Of Aftermath" from their then-new CD "Apocalypse", which is largely similar to the studio track, but omits the distracting keyboard work and the bridging sequences.

Losing the keyboard parts is a HUGE improvement, but such a tense, drawn out, vocals-devoid song feels out of place without the connecting story. Two songs follow next from their October 2012 debut CD "Dragon Joy Ride", starting with "Livin' It On The Run", which is slightly cleaner of a recording than on the original! This live take retains the grunge influences and nice contrast from soft verses to heavy choruses, but Curt's vocals drop off late, almost as if he kept singing away from the microphone.

The song is lengthened by a call-and-response section with the crowd, but the soundboard audio has largely muted the crowd noise, so this ends up being ineffective. Still, this was a highlight on their debut album, and the song works well here! The third "song" is actually two, entitled "Wanko (Reprise)/Wanko", despite the reprise coming after the original on "Dragon Joy Ride" (ending the album, even!) Arranging it like this makes sense though, as the shorter, faster "Wanko" is a better structural fit at the end. The reprise has somewhat softer instrumentation but matches the studio copy in groove and proficiency, and the original fast "Wanko" works way better without the heavily echoed vocals. Stripping that out gives it a raw live immediacy that is a much more natural fit, and like on the opener, this is the second song so far on "Flight 75" where I prefer the live copy!

We next have two songs that were not yet released in studio form by the band at that time, but would see the light of day in May 2013 via their third album (and second "mainline" CD) "Deuce". The song ahead is "Leon the Janitor", which notably featured Mike on lead vocals rather than Curt. This rendition is the closest yet to the studio version, but like on "Livin' It On The Run", the volume of Mike's mic seems to inexplicably drop off late. Everyone performs well on this fast hard rocker though, and it's nice to hear it again! That's followed by "Loverbeam", their faster punk-style number that is largely intact from the future studio version, but it was probably a good idea that they re-worked the outro. It's not a technical masterpiece, but everyone performs strongly to this song's level, and it's upbeat with solid lyrics, so it works well enough!

Song #6 is the only cover on "Flight 75" (members' prior projects excepted) to never get a studio copy released, but a different live recording later turned up on their "For the Cause" EP. Their rendition of Cheap Trick's "Reach Out" was a live favourite in their early months, and while I'm not a huge Cheap Trick fan, their cover was a always welcomed! Curt's vocals seem strained to their limit here, but it works for the song, and I just with Daniel's guitar solo was a little louder. Caleb acquits himself well here too, and this was a good choice to get the Haggith treatment! The next two tracks are "Fin (Part 1)" & "Fin (Part 2)", which were the linked songs from "Apocalypse" about Mike Haggith's astronaut character leaving the zombie infested Earth, though the the track in between (the sound effects-only "Liftoff") was not played at this show. Click here for full details on that album's storyline.

The brief "(Part 1)" retains it's melancholy, soft, and introspective nature, with Curt's vocals a good match, though it runs for a little shorter than on the full album. By contrast, "(Part 2)" runs for over ten minutes, almost double the length of the studio version! This differs in key ways, with Mike's spoken word dialogue taking on a more isolated, downbeat tone, while the extra run time strikes me as far too drawn out and needlessly long, especially for a live concert with fans patiently waiting. The intensity ramps up late, especially with Curt's verse, Mike's drumming, and the impassioned screaming for Dad (the latter two not on the album.) I don't know that "Fin" was ideal for a live concert, but they adapted it as best they could!

Two more songs from "Dragon Joy Ride" come next, starting with "I Am", which is largely similar to the studio copy, but Curt's singing is noticeably getting strained by this point. A mid-paced hard rocker with a strong bite, it still suffers from a repetitive chorus, but the guys have a good musical handle on things, and Mike seems to be showing off with his drum fills! Solid track overall, and it's followed on both the studio album and "Flight 75" by "Rage Train", as preceded by Curtis introducing the band to the audience. A slightly shorter cover but otherwise faithful to the original, this hard edged track was one of my favourite early songs of Haggith's, and Caleb has one of his better bass showcases here, but the backing vocals aren't a great fit. The chorus vocals again sounds a little worn, but everyone delivers to their best at this late stage of the concert!

"Flight 75" closes with it's partial namesake, "75", which would later get studio versions on both "Deuce" and Mike's later band The Din's 2016 debut album. The second track here with Mike on lead vocals (not counting his spoken word on "Fin [Part 2]"), this is again similar to the band Haggith's later studio copy, though the backing vocals are again to it's detriment, and with hindsight, The Din's cover improves on it with a tighter, faster arrangement. Still, this is an upbeat, heavy way to end the album!

So, what are my final thoughts on Haggith's only live album? I can't speak for Bushplane Musical Madness I as a concert, but Haggith delivered an entertaining set at this early stage of their run, and it gave fans a nice cross-section of their first three albums in the process! There were songs here that I preferred to the studio version (like "Chaos In The Streets Of Aftermath" and "Wanko"), but others suffered from live fatigue or re-arrangements I wasn't on board with. Such is the experience of a live concert! Aside from noticeable wear on Curtis McKenzie's voice late, the guys were performing on their game here, with Curt and Daniel Horton a fine match on guitar, Caleb Cachagee showing solid bass skills that we were slowly seeing more of in studio, and Mike's drumming and vocal performances were as steady and reliable as ever! It is worth noting that the album's track listing is heavily edited compared to their actual setlist that night, omitting five originals and two more covers. To me, the exclusions of "No Cure For Insanity" & "If You Get Out Alive" are especially disappointing.

Also, while the soundboard audio is solid, it does heavily mute the live crowd reactions, which does take away from points in the show where Curtis and Mike are clearly talking to the fans. On the whole, "Flight 75" is an entertaining look back at this prolific quartet just when they were starting to really make a name for themselves as a live act, so give it a listen or buy it at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and as for next month.... it's CD release party is just over a month away, so how does A Dire Setback's debut CD sound? Look for that between March 29th & 31st, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished), We Will Rock You Preview, And Fort Creek Updates!!

In what may be our last full news post of the month, we have updates from a newer local band, a preview of a special touring musical event, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) and related concert previews as we get an early jump on this weekend's concert previews! With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished have a busy few days ahead, including their previously announced acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Signatures Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch and full band gigs at The Double D Bar & Grill at Dondee Lanes on FRIDAY & SATURDAY, but there are new confirmations to note as well! First up,we can now confirm that their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee is alive and well, despite going weeks between plugging shows there, as the band confirmed another show there for THIS THURSDAY in their latest Facebook page post. As it turns out, the coffee shop's Facebook page plugged Tarnished (well, Alex solo) as playing there "every Thursday" last week on short notice, marking the first firm confirmation that the arrangement was alive and well since early December. Maybe the lack of online advertising is reflective of the Biggby run not really changing week to week?

In any event, I profusely apologize for missing the past 6 weeks (assuming there were no breaks) for Tarnished's Biggby run on here, but alas, the shows were not being advertised by band or venue during that time on social media. With that in mind, I have added Tarnished (be it Alex solo or with Josh/Nathan) to our concert calendar for Biggby concerts on THURSDAY and then on February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th! All are 12:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, and see above for more details! Of course, you can see Alex (and company?) unplugged at Kewadin tomorrow in a rare Wednesday nighter (6:00 PM, 21+, no cover), plus their Dondee stops with the full roster this weekend (9:00 PM, 21+, no cover), but their previously announced Thursday night show at Moloney's Alley (coinciding with the I-500 pub crawl) has quietly been cancelled for unannounced reasons, as per their removal from the venue's Facebook event page, though Tarnished themselves never confirmed that booking. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but the pub crawl proper is still on!

Lastly for Tarnished, their I-500 association doesn't end there, as they will be performing unplugged at the I-500 beer tent THIS SATURDAY! A timeslot wasn't given, leading me to believe this is more of an informal jam, so I won't include it in our concert listings, but if you're at the annual snowmobile race this weekend, look for Alex and crew under the tent! Visit the above links for more details, apologies again, and here's Tarnished live!



Next up, this isn't a concert per say, but I'd be hard pressed to not acknowledge this on the site, as the North American touring production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You will perform at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT! Eight months removed from St. Mary's College's student production of this same musical, the real thing will bring this dystopian tale about rising against the oppressive ruling class to life, as set to two dozen classic Queen songs. I'm not a huge musical buff, but this should be a great time for fans of Queen and classic rock, and the over-the-top theatrical nature and skilled actors should provide ample entertainment! Besides, it's not often when a touring production like this gets performer interviews from two different local news sources (click here & here for SooToday & The Sault Star's separate coverage.) Presented by Annerin Productions, tickets for this ALL AGES and 7:00 PM show run for between $69.50 & $89.50.

You can buy them at this link, at the Gardens' in-person box office, or at 1-866-775-9422. Between the two We Will Rock You productions and Queen: It's A Kinda Magic coming here in June, this is a good time to be a Queen fan in Sault Ste. Marie, so check the above links for more details on tomorrow's touring production, and if you can swing tit, don't miss out!

Finally for today, here's the latest from newer local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, who have been hard at work in studio in the last month, while also hitting the stage three weeks ago at Reggie's West during one of blues rock veterans Mojo's weekly jam nights. The Halfway Loaded successors haven't shown their cards towards what specifically they're up to in the studio, let alone when they might make their formal concert debut, but their Facebook page is loaded with recent teases. Bassist Robin "Bones" Lee shared not one, but two more covers of Thriving Ivory's "Angels on the Moon" onto his YouTube channel this month (making three total there), while he's featured in this Facebook video from earlier today where he's "dialing in a sound." Solid playing from this local veteran, and the Thriving Ivory covers sound solid! Embedded below though is a new preview video for the band at large, as shared onto The Wicked Wire's YouTube channel on Sunday.

For the record, I don't know what The Wicked Wire refers to (possibly an old band name?) The video features monochrome still images of band members, logos, and even a map showing where Fort Creek is, as set to audio recordings from their recent jamming, primarily Pink Floyd's "Time" and Luke Combs' "Can I Get An Outlaw". Solid teaser of what's to come, and 2020 looks like it will be a big year for Fort Creek, assuming all goes according to plan! Give it a look below, and see more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's CD review shortly! Thanks everyone!

We Will Rock You At The Gardens, Plus New Videos & More Updates!!

On this (Canadian) long weekend, let's tackle some more recent news and notes before we enjoy Thanksgiving proper, so what's on tap tonight? Some assorted recent stories, new videos from recent concerts, and leading off, a big event announcement for you fans of both live musicals AND hard rock!

Remember how St. Mary's College students put on a production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You in May? Well, the real thing is coming to GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday, January 29th! Though not a concert in the traditional sense, this live stage production will bring two dozen Queen songs to life in a jukebox musical about individuals rising against their oppressive leaders in a dystopian future, though if you saw the local production in May, you'll already know that. A very late (if not the last) stop in the fall/winter tour for We Will Rock You, this should be a fun way for Queen and musical theater fans to see these classic songs in a unique, over-the-top presenation, and preview videos I have seen showcase a lot of talented performers! Tickets run from $78.50 to $98.50, VIP packages aside, and plenty of great tickets are available at this link, at the Gardens' in-person box office, or at 1-866-775-9422. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, we have a new video of local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns to share here, courtesy of their concert at The Canadian Motor Hotel's Upper Deck Bar & Grill this past Friday, which I regrettably missed for coverage on here. The band did plug it this past Monday on their Facebook page, but not afterwards, and the venue's Facebook page never mentioned it either. I profusely apologize for missing this show on here, I will try harder to stay on top of their gigs in the future! In any event, this was their first publically advertised show at The Upper Deck since November of last year, and seeing them outside of The Whiskey Barrel nowadays isn't common. That all said, we do have a video from their show on Friday, courtesy of SaultOnline's Mike Caruso, who is still posting a ton of videos from local cover bands onto his YouTube channel, and (barring new uploads) we'll have at least one more hard rock band clip of his to share later this week. Also, ignore the horse thumbnail, it's not part of the actual footage.

The video proper is of The Wyld Stallyns (plus Rob & Jesse's Elements bandmates James White & Jonas Gasperas) covering Dusty Springfield's "Son of A Preacher Man", which sounds good, but the vocal clarity is muddled through the audio setup. Also, why was Mike's stationary camera set up so far from the band? If you can avoid showing all of the empty seats at this point in the gig, you should do it! Still a solid clip, especially if you like seeing all of The Elements (and Christina) together in an unplugged setting, so give this video a look below, and apologies again! Hopefully the show was a hit!



Also today, here's a new video from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith's Facebook page, courtesy of a "coffeehouse concert" he played at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Thompson last month, though it was only posted last week. This video features Mike playing his new song "The Best You Never Had", which was the song sampled in his original teaser video for his now-next CD "If Ever Comes The Day", so this is our first chance to hear the song in full, albeit live. I'll hold comment on the song proper for now, but this video uniquely includes a poll at the 0:50 mark, asking if Mike should release the full song as the second single from the new album. As far as I can tell, "Yes" is winning, so take that for what you will! The video proper is well filmed, despite an oddly low angle, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's new album as it rolls in, including more recent live material from Thompson!



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

• Brutally Fatal frontman & Blood Shed Productions co-founder Austin McCrae is looking to join a band as a guitarist, as per his posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on September 21st. He said that he misses playing on stage, and is "down for any genre", though note that his prior local band work has ranged from death metal to doom/punk. No word on what this means for Brutally Fatal, who claimed in May to be releasing a new album "this summer", but message Austin at this link or above if you want more info!
• A Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute band has quietly replaced the planned White/Rob Zombie tribute at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party at The Rockstar Bar on November 1st, as per updates (including a new poster) to the Facebook event page. A reason for the switch was not announced, but remember that inactive local punk band The HTs did a Gimme Gimmes tribute set at this event in 2017. I am unsure if the 2019 tribute is related otherwise, but one imagines J.D. himself may be singing. Look for lots of punk covers of non-punk covers from this band, in any event!
• I have moved local metal musician Mike Vincent to our inactive band links, as he has not posted a public update regarding his solo project since posting his newest song "Nocturnal" on his Bandcamp page in September of last year, past our one-year cut-off. The Skull After Betrayl & Bear Hunters alum had revived his solo project in 2017, and even released two solo albums in March 2018, but updates for his planned third album "For Dear Life" were few and far between, and he never launched a public page outside of Bandcamp to promote his music with. Mike's a talented guy, hopefully he revisits his solo work down the road!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week, and to all of our Canadfian readers, have a great Thanksgiving! Thanks everyone!

Bushplane Musical Madness II Review!!

As we wind down a stacked weekend of concerts in the Sault area (with Shinedown & Rotaryfest fallout to come), let's keep things rolling with our review of Saturday night's Bushplane Musical Madness II event! Apologies for the delay, but the videos I shot took forever to upload. Before we get to the bands, here's a bit of a look at the layout and setup for the evening. The performances were in the main "museum" hangar area of the Bushplane Museum, and compared to the first Bushplane Musical Madness event in November, the stage looked better and more professional (the lighting helped.) Also, the stage was now set up near the concessions building, flanked by actual bushplanes on exhibit, rather than it's placement on the wall on the other side of the museum from last year, so it was much more interesting visually and looked more like it was in the advertised venue in pictures. I also liked how the hangar doors were open to allow for mingling on the waterfront, and it added a nice view and ambiance that you don't get often at heavier shows! Note however that the draws and raffles from November did not return, the only sold merchandise (that I could tell) were copies of Haggith's "Deuce" album, and the size of this location (though impressive for concerts) did detract a bit in terms of the audience level, but being counter-booked against Rotaryfest, you'd have to expect that somewhat.

After a slight delay, Bushplane Musical Madness II kicked off with local solo musician James Watterworth playing a solo set, which I'll concede not knowing much on going into the show. All I knew is that I last saw him live winning a battle of the bands with Blackwater in 2010, and that he'd do slap bass solos. We did get that, but much of his set was based around solo vocal/guitar performances (including covers of The Delusionaires), with only a handful of bass songs at the end. Regardless of instrument, he's clearly a talented musician, with a solid rock/clean singing voice, and his bass skills are as good as advertised! What struck me about James' set was his constant optimism and cheery nature (he was definitely happy to be there) and the sort of avant-garde nature of some originals, complete with amusing lyrics and Mike Patton-esque tics. I definitely think James should get a full band going, as some of his songs are asking for a full band to flesh them out, but his set left a positive impression on Saturday, and I'm eager to hear more at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up this Friday!

Next up was local jam/alternative rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din in their public concert debut, but if you saw their private Goulais Mission gig over Canada Day weekend, their set will be familiar, as they essentially repeated the same songs, including "Analog Palace", "Lay My Body Down To Rest", and "Limb Coast". This was my first time seeing Mike Haggith front a live band for a full concert, and he had a good stage presence and used his voice well for the material, though I'd like to see more adaptations of his best original material in a live setting. Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton fit well on bass and drums, and this looser jam/acid feel does add a unique element to their set, but they could be a bit more energetic (maybe they were saving up for the Haggith set that night.) At the end of their set, the guys called on fellow Paperclip Productions artist Frank McGillvray (who manned the camera for official concert footage that night) to play three songs in a surprise mini-set, with the same performers backing him (aside from Mike & Daniel swapping roles), so how did Frank do for the first time I've seen him live?

He's a skilled guitarist and had good chemistry with Mike and The Din, giving more of a classic rock sound with heavier influences to the three songs they played (including one instrumental), and his voice had a determined and carefully timed effect that seemed to fit what he was playing! I don't think Frank has any online pages for his music yet (any past references I've seen were from Paperclip Productions posts), but I'm curious to hear/see more of what he can do!

Third on the bill was local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (replacing Redundant) in the first time I've seen them since the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, and they've definitely improved their all-around game since then! Musically, their originals (like "Excuse My Choices" & "Dragon Drums") flowed well and shown solid all around talent, with Terrence Gomes' energy and vocals giving a good punk vibe to their set, and unlike at the battle, the guys were outwardly showing some emotion, seeming like they wanted to be playing their songs. Mike Ivany and Corry Rideout still need to loosen up a bit and not look down for long stretches, but they're making the right steps, and they're getting better at every aspect! Straight punk bands haven't been overly prominent locally in recent years, but if The Northern Tragedy keep on the up & up, they can help change that, and I hope they can find long success that some of Terrence's older bands didn't hit!

(Also, if anything shockingly different or bizarre happened during The Northern Tragedy's last couple of songs, I missed it due to my brief detour to the Second Stage to see Sailor's Tongue and get their CD. For my thoughts on what I saw of their set, check the post below this one!)

The second half of the concert kicked off with Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings, in perhaps their last show as a quartet before auditioning for a permanent bassist, and they put in an entertaining mix of covers and originals for the gathered fans! Following their all-covers turn at Rotaryfest, originals like "Into The Fray" and "Beaten Down" were welcomed back along with renditions of System of a Down, Rage Against The Machine, and Collective Soul songs (among others), and though their talents were clear as day, Mike Gaetano's vocals were somewhat hard to hear (especially when singing higher notes), and their cover of "Aerials" had a lot of lyrical mix-ups. Steven Flint was on fire on guitar though, and Mitch Sirie's bass work went off without a hitch, though I was hoping to hear more originals than we got. Very good set of hard rock action, and stay tuned for updates from The Suicide Kings' next plans as they come in!

Second last on the evening was local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith, who pumped out a well recieved set of fan favourite songs for their loyal following in attendance! There were some differences though, as Kristi-Lee Marshall (who provided backing vocals at their last few dates) did not do the same on Saturday, and frontman Curtis McKenzie largely stuck to only vocals save for a few acoustic guitar parts. Their set was familiar however, with tracks like "Clifton Hill" and "Anthem" joined by some fun covers (including Jimi Hendrix and Cheap Trick classics), and the guys were definitely feeling the energy and gave back in kind, playing with a carefree attitude and some clear intensity when called on! Though the absence of his guitar work was disappointing, Curtis' singing was very strong, and the rest of the guys were consistently good, with Caleb Cachagee's bass work showing some impressive qualities! The guys were also joined by guest guitarist Rainey Vincent on a song late, and though he fit well, I'd need to hear more of his work before judging his skills.

You know a band does well when an encore ("Rage Train") is required, and Haggith delivered a fun aggressive set that we should get a reprise of at The Oddfellows Hall on Friday, so be there to check it out, and stay tuned for more from their camp as it rolls in!

Finally, the headliners of Bushplane Musical Madness II (again) were the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage! Their first concert in three months saw them whip out a mix of old standards and newer songs, with "Sicked", "Lowest of the Low", and "Bucket of Ham" seeming to draw a lot of enthusiasm and pent up energy from the remaining fans, including on-stage partying, moshing, and even some interpretive dance! Muscially, Sykotyk Rampage were on form from their other recent gigs, though I'll give some extra notice to bassist Tony Briglio for adding a gritty metal edge to their backing vocals and stage setup since joining last summer! Guitarist Dirk Becker also had a wild spell for three mid-set songs, dropping the guitar to focus on an triptych of crash metal originals, including breaking out the baseball bat to use on their monkey mascot George, which led to some continued "monkey baseball" games! As before, you can't easily judge Sykotyk Rampage against other bands just because of their style and how they record, but I like them, they clearly had fun, and the fans had a ball!

Overall, while this show was very long and rough on my feet, the music was very entertaining wall to wall, and the atmosphere was great! It's just a shame that the attendance wasn't better, but when you're booked against Rotaryfest (let alone the last day), I can understand the crowd situation. Hopefully a lot of money was raised for the musem though, and it'd be nice if this became annual as an official "Third Stage" for alternative, punk, and metal acts, but who knows what will happen. I did get a bunch of photos (the airplanes and environment let me be creative), so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page! As for videos, I got one of most of the performers, so here's James Watterworth playing his bass original "Sneeze", Mike Haggith and The Din playing Mike's solo song "The Ballad of K2/K3", Frank McGillvray and Haggith playing an untitled instrumental, The Suicide Kings playing a cover medley of The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, and Finger Eleven hits, Haggith playing their non-album original "Public Enemy", and Sykotyk Rampage playing "Sweet Young Thing"!













That's all for now, but I fully expect a new news post today, as with expected Rotaryfest and Shinedown fallout looming, I don't wanna fall behind any more than I already am. It'll definitely have a preview of TOMORROW'S Resignators/Side FX show at The Rosie, but anything else is up in the air as of this writing (and yes, that means our YouTube Channel Profile on David Gold's channel is being postponed to tomorrow, but don't worry, it's packed!) Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for what I expect to be a busy stretch!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym & Caveman Morrison), Plus The Bushplane Musical Madness II Preview!!

Slight change of plans for our second concert preview post, as it won't be our Rotaryfest previews due to some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! As a result, we'll be looking at those and the Bushplane Musical Madness preview today, with the Shinedown preview now coming on Saturday to give it proper emphasis. So now, read on below for our second of four weekend concert preview posts! (Also, check out last month's poll results and our new poll in the post below this one, VOTE TODAY, and stay tuned tomorrow morning for our previews of the hard rock action at this year's Rotaryfest stages!)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill at 743 Trunk Road TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only just announced this show this morning. Like his past Thursday gigs at The Road House, this will be part of the venue's customer appreciation nights, with a free meal of some kind promised, though I don't know specifics on the offer. As usual, Tym Morrison's acoustic hard rock and metal covers should entertain patrons and fans at The Road House today, so if you're up for some short notice unplugged action, head to The East End for the special early start time of 5:00 PM! There's also no announced cover charge, and knowing the time, I'd assume it's all ages. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym's solo shows are always a good time, so hopefully you can be another customer to be appreciated at this early concert! For a preview, here's Tym and ex-Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!



Also in short notice shows involving Tym Morrison, his metal cover band Caveman Morrison will return to The Roosevelt Hotel for the first time in three weeks for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like tonight's solo gig, I apologize for the short notice announcement, as Tym only announced these shows this morning as well. Slowly getting busier with dates this summer, this power trio should have some great metal and hard rock covers in store for their latest weekend engagement, so don't miss out if you wanna rock out with this popular live band! Admission should be free for both tomorrow & Saturday night's shows, you must be 19 to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are listed. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Caveman Morrison should deliver a fun and hard hitting weekend of metal classics in their latest Rosie stops, so keep them in mind for your after-Rotaryfest barhopping, and for a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" a few years ago!



Finally for today, are you disheartened with the lack of metal and hard rock bands on the covers and indie/roots-heavy Rotaryfest stages? Then The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center has you covered on Saturday night, as local grunge/alternative rockers Haggith are hosting Bushplane Musical Madness II that night! 7 months after their first event at the Pim Street museum, Saturday night will see another day of live hard rock and punk action, with proceeds going to help raise funds for the museum, though no word on if there will be draws like in November. A noticeably expanded lineup will grace the stage on Saturday, including all three bands from the first Bushplane Musical Madness ("blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage, the aforementioned Haggith, and local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings) headlining the festivities at 11:00 PM, 9:45 PM, and 8:30 PM respectively! It'll be great to see these bands on stage again, and note that this will be Sykotyk Rampage's first show since the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands in April, and likely The Suicide Kings' last show before beginning bassist auditions.

The other three acts will all make their Bushplane Museum debuts, and in descending chronological order, they include local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (replacing Redundant) at 7:15 PM, the Sault Ontario live debut of local jam/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din (featuring 3/4ths of Haggith in swapped roles) at 6:15 PM, and ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth opening with a solo set at 5:00 PM. All should add their own entertaining sounds to the festivities, and I'm very curious to hear James' solo work, so don't miss the action on Saturday! Note as well that every performer except James competed at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, so if you loved that event, you can't miss this! Admission is just $5 for this ALL AGES event (though it is licensed for alcohol sales), and doors open at 4:00 PM. Tickets can be bought in advance at the Bushplane Museum, Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and Northland Music, or through members of Haggith, Mike Haggith & The Din, Sykotyk Rampage, or The Suicide Kings. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should be an awesome event, and if you'd rather something with a hard rock and punk edge compared to Rotaryfest's stages, and for a good cause, this is worth a $5 investment to rock out with! Live downtown entertainment on a convenient day, and think of it as the unofficial "third stage"! I missed the November installment, but I guarantee I'll be there for Bushplane Musical Madness II on Saturday, so I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Haggith's 1 hour retrospective video from the first Bushplane concert!



That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for Rotaryfest previews, and then on Saturday as we finally conclude our weekend concert previews with a look at the Shinedown concert! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Side FX), A New Local Band, And Huge Upcoming Concert Updates!!

As we clear out most of our remaining extant Sault Ontario metal/hard rock news items, we have some big stuff to get to today, including big updates relating to a couple of multi-band shows later this month (including quite a major band reunion), some assorted recent notes, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but first, there's a new band to touch on, so here's what you need to know!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are The Side FX! Described as a "hard rock, alternative and metal-ish band", their Facebook page was just launched on Tuesday, though they've been jamming together for a year or so. Their lineup features a reunion of former Papa Fogals Chair & Sulfur bassist Mike Bird and drummer Derek Turner (also of Garden of Bedlam), alongside Rob Speers on vocals and Alex Walls on guitar (neither of which I'm familiar with musically, though Rob & Derek are co-workers.) Their Facebook page says that they play "high energy tunes for a high energy crowd", which will feature covers of everyone from Alice In Chains and Volbeat to Sublime and The Black Keys. Interestingly diverse selection of bands (though I admit hoping that the overplayed "Lonely Boy" doesn't turn up live too often), and while half of the lineup isn't familiar yet, it's great to see Mike and Derek back together in a new band, and if you're familiar with their past work, you know they've got chemistry! And no, this means nothing bad for Garden of Bedlam, you'll see them next opening for Airbourne next month!

Speaking of shows involving Australian bands, when can you see The Side FX in their live debut? On July 23rd (one week from Tuesday), as they're one of two local opening bands for Australian "psychoska" punk septet The Resignators that night at The Roosevelt Hotel! One of three out-of-continent bands that local promoter J.D. Pearce is bringing to the Soo this summer (joining Airbourne and Brazil's Sanitarium), I wouldn't classify The Resignators as metal, but ska-punk fans should get a big kick out of them, especially with their horn section and fun attitude, so check them out if you like the genre! The local openers are the aforementioned Side FX and local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (in their second show in four days, more on that in a bit), so there should be a solid and entertaining mix of punk and rock for attendees! Admission will be $10 at the door for this 19+ concert, with an announced start time of 9:00 PM in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an interesting concerts, and I know you ska-punk fans will love it, but the debut of the Soo's newest hard rock band is of note also, so check the above links for more, and The Side FX are now in our active Sault Ontario band links!

Next up, here's the latest updates on a few upcoming multi-band concerts this month, starting with local musician Josh Stephney's farewell concert, the Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up two weeks from today! The lineup has been finalized and expanded, starting with the return of... Bring The Fallen?! Well over two years after their breakup, the popular local death metal quintet (and three-time battle of the bands winners) will return for what I assume is one final gig to help send Josh off in style before he moves to Brampton next month, and this has to be big news for local metalheads! If you missed them since their last shows in 2011, be at The Oddfellows Hall on July 26th to mosh out with Bring The Fallen one last time! Also in returns, newer local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade are back on the lineup, just days after suddenly breaking up, with the news coming via Josh on the Facebook event page last night! It's great to see that they're not done (albeit, they haven't officially confirmed this), but if they've worked through the things that caused them to break up, then that works for me, and I hope this is just the first of many more shows!

The remaining new band additions are local alternative/grunge rockers Haggith (who took Crimson Crusade's slot on the lineup during their brief breakup), and they should deliver an entertaining set in what's now their Oddfellows Hall debut! The other new act is ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth in a solo set, and while I have yet to find a page for his solo material, his sound is described as "slap bass solos" on the event page linked above. Now on two multi-band shows this summer, I'm definitely curious to hear what James has in store, so stay tuned in case we hear anything! With the lineup now complete with an expanded 7 acts, the full order for the Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mashup will see Bring The Fallen fittingly headline at 11:15 PM, and they'll be preceded by local death metal bands The Bear Hunters & Shit Liver 10:00 PM & 8:45 PM respectively. The other bands will only play for a half hour each, with James Watterworth playing at 8:00 PM, preceded by local stoner death metal band Giwakwa at 7:30 PM, Crimson Crusade at 6:45 PM, and Haggith opening the festivities at 6:00 PM.

Remember, this ALL AGES show is FREE for fans with local band merchandise (and $5 otherwise), so check the above links for current details! This sounds like the perfect way to send Josh off before his move, especially as all of his live local bands (March Into Regression aside) will be playing, and with such a talented lineup for (potentially) free, you won't wanna miss it! Stay tuned for possible updates!

Finally, here's the latest updates on a sooner multi-band concert, that being  Bushplane Musical Madness II one week from Saturday! The lineup has been finalized with one new act and one changed band, so what's different? Well, the aforementioned Northern Tragedy replaced fellow local punk band Redundant on the lineup on Wednesday due to "circumstances beyond their control", and while it is disappointing to see Redundant out, The Northern Tragedy's busier local schedule is good to see for punk fans! The new addition will see the public and Sault Ontario debut of Mike Haggith & The Din, the jam/hard rock band featuring 3/4ths of event hosts Haggith in swapped roles, and they should deliver a fun set as well, which you can preview at this link! The full performance order was also announced via the Facebook event page, and like last year, Sykotyk Rampage will headline this July 20th event at 11:00 PM, to be preceded by Haggith at 9:45 PM, The Suicide Kings at 8:00 PM, The Northern Tragedy at 7:15 PM, Mike Haggith & The Din at 6:15 PM, and the aforementioned James Watterworth opening at 5:00 PM.

Tickets are now available for just $5 at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center (obviously the host venue), The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and Northland Music, while the door price remains the same. This should be a great event, and a nice alternative to the covers and indie/roots-heavy Rotaryfest stages that day, so click here for more details, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend, including some new Sault Michigan videos! Thanks everyone!

Upcoming Sault Ontario Concert Updates, Plus New Videos!!

In our first news post of our seventh year at the SMS, we have some recent Sault Ontario updates, including new videos from some local grind artists, the first video from a recent private Canada Day event, and leading off, updates for three big upcoming metal/hard rock concerts, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start with updates to two of local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's huge upcoming shows, beginning with the news that there will be physical ticket sales locally for the Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub on August 19th! On the Facebook event page yesterday, he confirmed that tickets are available at both The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk and The Rad Zone, though online tickets are still available, as are ones direct from him on request or at upcoming shows of his. Tickets are bound to fly fast for this huge show, so get yours A.S.A.P. for $30 wherever you can! The other update is that the Creepshow/Hellbound Hepcats psychobilly concert (featuring local metal openers Frightlight & Sykotyk Rampage) has been moved from Thursday, August 29th to Monday, September 16th, as per that show's Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for the postponement wasn't announced, and while the Monday placement may be a bit less convenient, the music should still rock for metal, punk, and rockabilly fans, so check the above links for current details, and stay tuned for further updates!

Next up, the Facebook event page has finally been launched for local grunge/alternative rock quartet Haggith's second Bushplane Musical Madness event on Saturday, July 20th, so what should you know that we didn't already? In terms of bands, both acts that Haggith shared the stage with at this event last year (local hard rockers The Suicide Kings & blue Chinese metal crash punk quartet Sykotyk Rampage) will return for another go-around, while a 5th confirmed act is ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth in a solo set. I'm not overly familiar with his solo music, but I've heard he does take on a more experimental sound than Blackwater were known for, so we'll have to see what he has in store in two weeks! These bands join the previously confirmed Haggith & Redundant on the bill, and there's likely more bands to be announced. The 4:30 PM start time remains in effect (ending by midnight), and while there will be advance ticket sales starting on Wednesday, admission will be $5 no matter what. The event is all ages and will be licensed for alcohol sales, so feel free to partake in a drink if you have ID!

Full lineup details and band timeslots are to be announced, but stay tuned to the above links for more details! This is shaping up to be quite a fun evening of original local talent, and considering that it's running concurrently with the last night of Rotaryfest, could you unofficially call this the "Third Stage"? As more updates come in, I'll have them here!

In related news, the first video from Haggith's Canada Day weekend concerts is now online, and it's of Haggith drummer Mike Haggith & his new live jam project The Din making their live debut at this private Goulais Mission concert weekend! Filmed by attendee Mark Irwin on Saturday and later uploaded to Mike's YouTube channel yesterday, this is of Mike and his Din bandmates (Haggith's Curtis McKenzie on bass and Daniel Horton on drums) playing Mike's solo song "The Ballad of K2/K3", complete with a more elaborate stage setup than last year, but how does this rendition sound? It feels more like the studio track than I expected, and Mike shows good live confidence as a singer and a guitarist, and I'd definitely like to see Mike take The Din to some public shows and give his solo material a wider audience! Also, if you're curious on the lineups of two of the bands who played at Goulais Mission last weekend, Curtis' solo Facebook page has photos and setlists of both his new solo band Sound X (pictured) and the band named The Nirvanabees, who I can confirm were a Nirvana tribute.

Sound X shared the same lineup as The Din, just with Curtis and Mike trading singing/guitar and bass duties, while The Nirvanabees had Haggith's exact lineup and instrument roles minus Daniel (with Caleb Cachagee on bass), though no word on media from their sets, or if The Nirvanabees will exist for more than a one-off. I'm curious to hear more, but for now, here's Mike Haggith and The Din playing "The Ballad of K2/K3" last weekend!



Finally for today,YouTube user LoveTheDeathbat uploaded 6 videos in the last few days of Brutaly Fatal mainman Austin McRae and Blood Shed Productions labelmate Ringsnaps Gibson (Crucify The Whore, Tomgrindy, etc.) jamming original material and covers in the Blood Shed studios, which include loose renditions of Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime", Nirvana's "About A Girl", and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", and two videos of instrumental jamming (here and here.) The other clip (embedded below) is some jamming of original material that Austin wrote, and everything sounds good (if not too refined), and Austin's singing voice has a good tone, but I don't think he has a wide range for clean vocals. Like with the last live C.T.W. video we've seen, it's nice to see Blood Shed's goregrind artists diversifying a bit and really showcasing their guitar talents, and I still think that if Ringsnaps, Austin, and the Tomgrindy guys formed a full band, they could make some local waves. Check out more below and at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for some more big news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Shinedown & Haggith), Plus New Videos!!

We have some big news to touch on for today's news post, including new videos from two very different heavier-leaning Sault Ontario bands, but first, here's some big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, and coincidentally, all on the same weekend, so here's what you need to know!

Local grunge/alternative rockers Haggith will host a second Bushplane Musical Madness concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on Saturday, July 20th! This comes 7 months after they hosted the first fundraising event under this name, where they joined The Suicide Kings and Sykotyk Rampage, and the second installment was announced on Haggith's Facebook page on Friday. This will be their next public concert (though they'll be playing a private Canada Day weekend gig in Goulais Mission for a second straight year), and Haggith are aiming higher for next month with a 2 hour set, and what sounds like a potentially larger band lineup, though full details are forthcoming. It was confirmed on their Facebook page that local punk trio Redundant will join in this year in their Bushplane Museum debut, and while no one else is confirmed yet, drummer Mike Haggith expressed interest in having the other bands from last year back on the 20th, as per his post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last Thursday, but message Mike at this location if you want in on this event!

Admission will remain at just $5, and Mike also revealed that they're hoping for this year's Bushplane Musical Madness to be alcohol licensed (yet still all ages), while the start time will be 4:30 PM. Check the above links for more details! Sounds like they're gonna make this bigger than last year's by far, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in, and for much more (Mike) Haggith-related news this week!

While Sault Ontario will see some musical madness at the Bushplane Museum next month, that same weekend will see a lot of major rock action at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! As announced live on Rock 101 last Thursday (apologies for the delay in getting this on the site), one show will see prominent North Carolina post-grunge/rock quintet Daughtry (they of hits like "It's Not Over) play at Kewadin Casino on July 20th, which should be a huge show, but I wouldn't really consider it "hard rock". For something a little heavier, how about Jacksonville, Florida hard rock quartet Shinedown live at The Dreammaker's Theater the very next night?! Touring in support of their new album "Amaryllis", this multi-platinum selling act best known for hits like "Second Chance", "Save Me", and "Sound of Madness" are definitely among the biggest modern hard rock bands nowadays, and with nine #1 songs on the Billboard Rock charts, you're bound to be familiar with Shinedown's energetic and varied sound!

I have not heard anything on opening bands for Shinedown (or Daughtry, for that matter), but tickets for each ALL AGES show are $39.50 with 7:00 PM start times, and you can buy tickets for each online at this location, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the Kewadin box office in person. For more details, visit promoters Allstar Productions' Facebook page and the above links! Though Shinedown is more up the SMS' alley, this is quite a double whammy for Kewadin Casino next month, and tickets for each show are going fast, so act A.S.A.P. to get yours, and stay tuned for updates on the Shinedown concert as they come in!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the newest videos from the young local cover band featuring local musician Adam Gualtieri and Sailor's Tongue guitarist Liam Seymour that you may remember from Superior Heights Collegiate performance videos since last year. Adam posted the first live videos of them in action since last December onto his YouTube channel in the past week, and they include covers of Phillip Phillips' "Home" and (as embedded below) Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy"! Coming from the same set, both are acoustic covers, and neither features the uncredited drummer from past videos. Both are well done, though "Home" is a badly overplayed song as it is, and their guitar work and vocal harmonizing are pretty solid, especially when Liam does lead vocals! I must ask though, why's Liam standing behind a bass drum by itself, with a full kit behind them? Check out their Traffic cover below, and more at the above links, including Adam's new original song named "Questions & Answers"!



Finally for today, a new live concert video from local death/stoner metal quartet Giwakwa is now online, though for unexplained reasons, the ability to embed it on external websites has been disabled. Posted last week, this comes from the Sleep When You're Dead-headlined all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall on May 29th that Giwakwa were among the openers for, and the video is courtesy of AlgomA guitarist Boyd "Darby Wigwaus" Rendell's film company 62nd Chamber Productions' YouTube channel. Boyd was on hand filming the bands for what they're calling a "bootleg" currently in production, though no word on what all will be in the final product as of yet. The video itself is of Giwakwa playing their song "Iron Lung", albeit with a green tint to the colour, and while it's good quality, the video's motion feels very floaty, and the sound seems to echo a lot. Solid stuff though, despite the inability to embed this one, so give this new live video of theirs a look at this location, and don't miss them TONIGHT at The Rosie for the Striker concert!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT for Striker, the return of Frightlight, and more! Also, stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Caste of Shadows tomorrow morning as well, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!

Apocalypse: The Musical Review!!

Tonight, we have our fourth post in two days, and it's my review of last night's Apocalypse: The Musical at The Canadian Nightclub! Of course, check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post from this morning below this review. Last night was devoted to just tribute bands, none of which are complete regular bands in the local scene in the forms we saw last night, so things were fairly unique for this medium-attended show, but at least there was a good contingent of fans on the floor for the bands! That said, how'd the bands do last night?

After a bit of a delay, the opening band was the one-off Motley Crue tribute band Loud Lazer (replacing Late & Loud and the Metallica-covering Pillory), who were essentially the full lineup of Lazer Queen, just with Benn Garside trading the keyboard for the bass, hence the direct link to Late & Loud. Their set saw them cover 8 Motley Crue classics from their heyday (including "Dr. Feelgood", "Looks That Kill", and "Kickstart My Heart"), and though there were some self-deprecating jabs at how they sounded, the guys did alright! It was a good move having Kate Drew handle lead vocals, as she has a good voice that fits Vince Neil material much closer than the guys in Late & Loud would have had they played. They all generally looked the part and showed some good energy and enthusiasm, with guitarist Jonathan Tiberi even hitting the floor for some guitar action with the crowd! The members and music fit well and gave a good Crue vibe, but Jon and Benn's backing vocals were hit and miss, only fully fitting the songs when they did gang shouting.

Overall, solid set from Loud Lazer, and if you like what you heard, go see Lazer Queen in full for a more varied night of rock covers! I'm a bit surprised that the full Lazer Queen didn't play, as normal bassist Josh Hatherley was in attendance, but given that Motley Crue don't generally use keyboards, I don't know how it'd gel if Benn played them last night rather than bass.

The middle band last night was Misfits tribute quartet The Fiend Brigade (a.k.a. T-Rex Manning with Rick White on drums in lieu of Daniel MacDonald), and they pushed out 11 Misfits covers for a nicely receptive audience! Including covers of Frightlight/T-Rex Manning favourites like "Helena" & "Halloween", they also covered songs like "Hybrid Moments" & "She", and even capped off with the T-Rex Manning original "She Banged The Mayor" for good measure! Though frontman/promoter J.D. Pearce took many shots at how they didn't practice the songs, they still sounded pretty good (with all the past covers and inspirations from them, how could they sound bad?), and his vocals held up well along with the other members' musical contributions! Tiffany Stocco shone on guitar, and Bill Bennett's bass work also help up nicely! The guys even welcomed a few guest performers on some songs, including Frightlight alums Kevin Powe & Jeff DeRose on guitar & drums, and a guest singer whose name I didn't place.

The Fiend Brigade put in a fun set of Misfits classics, and it was good to see the Frightlight body parts on stage again, especially with Frightlight's recent absence!  These guys know their Misfits and do justice to them each time out, and hopefully we'll see J.D. and company back soon, no matter what name they're under!

Headlining last night were Welland doom metal trio Xanadu in their first ever local appearance (though we're very familiar with frontman Jon Tiberi), and they covered early Black Sabbath classics for their set last night! Just the first four albums got attention, including Sabbath hits like "N.I.B.", "Children of the Grave", and "Iron Man", and despite the occasional tick (and a microphone issue at one point), they got the crowd's attention with these early metal classics! The big problem with their set was Jon's singing, as his voice was very hoarse and scratchy, which made him almost inaudible during much of their set, and when covering Ozzy Osbourne, singing clearly would help a lot. Musically though, the guys put in a very energetic and fun effort, with Mike Agostini in constant motion with some very solid riffs, and Scott Brady's drumming was on form and technical when need be! Jon's dark wizard-esque costume was cool as well, it helped set a good introductory mood, and by nid-set, the fans were very vocal and active!

I'd like to see Xanadu play locally again, as they have the talent and spark dating back to the old Welland days, so hopefully they'll come together next year in the Soo! If they do, hopefully Jon's voice will be back to normal, and maybe we'll get some Sabbath covers from the 1980s? It'd be cool to see a band cover "Zero The Hero" here, but that's just me.

Great concert overall, and while there were some hit & miss elements, there was a little something for everyone musically, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the performers! I did get plenty of photos, so click here to check them out (or visit our Facebook page), and for videos, here's Loud Lazer covering Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil", The Fiend Brigade covering The Misfits' "Angelfuck", and Xanadu covering Black Sabbath's "Snowblind"!







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

Woods Of Ypres' Juno Nomination, Apocalypse: The Musical Updates, And A Possible Local Concert!!

Here's one more news post before we preview this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts tomorrow morning, and in today's entry, we have a possible show for the spring that needs a booker, a lineup change for an upcoming local metal show, and leading off, huge news relating to a major award nomination for a local band, so here's what you need to know!

Woods of Ypres have been posthumously nominated for a Juno Award! As revealed during yesterday's announcements of the nominees (viewable here), the defunct local blackened doom metal band were nominated in the Best Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year category for their final studio album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", which is absolutely huge news for both the local metal scene and the band as a whole! (for Yooper reference, the Junos are essentially the Canadian Grammys.) "W5" is up against the newest albums from The Cancer Bats, Castle, The Devin Townsend Project, and Ex Deo for the honour, ensuring some stiff competition for the award (KEN Mode beat the likes of Anvil & Fuck The Facts to win the first Juno in the Metal/Hard Music category last year). The 2013 Juno Awards will be held on April 21st in Regina, Saskatchewan, but the metal category will likely be a part of an untelevised private gala dinner the night before the main ceremony, as was the case last year (but those awards are acknowledged on air during the main ceremony on CTV.)

This is fantastic news, and I think in some ways, totally unexpected, as you don't picture the Junos and local metal bands going hand in hand, but the introduction of a full metal category is great in that regard! This may seem like a late nomination given the "Woods V" release last spring, but eligible songs/bands/albums for this year stretch from the end of 2011 through most of last year, so it came out too late for the 2012 awards. I don't know as of yet if anyone connected to the band will be able to attend the awards (guitarist Joel Violette & Gold family members would make perfect sense), but it is still sad that frontman David Gold isn't with us anymore to fully realize how well "W5" has been received. This just adds to the mark he left as a musician locally and nationally, and if this helps spread Woods of Ypres to a larger fanbase (even posthumously), their legacy will benefit, win or lose! I just wish the metal awards were broadcast in some form. If any updates come out concerning the category or ceremony that would impact local Woods fans, we'll have them here, but keep the Junos in mind come April! David would be proud!

Next up, here's another lineup change relating to Apocalypse: The Musical at The Canadian Nightclub on March 1st, as Late & Loud have dropped out of the all-tribute concert. A reason for their withdrawl wasn't announced, but seeing as two members are still playing at the show, I imagine there's either individual scheduling or personal reasons involved. Hopefully we'll see Late & Loud back soon though, as their recent shows have been way too sporadic! In their place, a one-off tribute band named Loud Lazer has been formed, ostensibly because it's a combination of members of Late & Loud (guitarist Jonathan Tiberi & bassist Benn Garside) and local rock quintet Lazer Queen (singer/guitarist Kate Drew & drummer Bret Shuttleworth.) This "new" band will still be playing a set of Motley Crue covers, as Late & Loud had originally intended. I'll note that Bret's involvement returns him to this show following his & Jon's thrash band Pillory's exit earlier this month, while the complete Loud Lazer lineup is almost the same as Lazer Queen, but with Benn Garside on bass (not keyboard) instead of Josh Hatherley, there is a unique direct L&L connection.

This "new" band should be interesting to hear, especially with the added lead vocal possibilities now that Kate's involved! Make sure not to miss Loud Lazer along with The Fiend Brigade (essentially T-Rex Manning) and Xanadu (Jon Tiberi's metal band from Welland) one week from Friday at The Canadian! Click here for all current details, including the updated poster above!

Finally for today, wanna help bring a touring metal band here for a concert? Last week, I received an e-mail from Aaron Homma, a guitarist in the Ontario/Quebec grindcore supergroup Killitorous, and he's hoping to get a booking for both them and Hamilton groove/hardcore metal band Skynet in Sault Ontario in May. I sent him some promoter contacts, but can you help? Killitorous' lineup has a lot of local concert connections, as Aaron played here with Immersed in July 2011, while they also boast members of Blind Witness, Today I Caught The Plague, and Blessed By A Broken Heart in their lineup, all of which you're bound to remember from late 2000s hardcore/metal shows! Skynet themselves have local links too, as members Blake Prince & Adrian Levasseur are alumni of local concert headliners Straight Reads The Line, and they were briefly advertised to headline the Locals Attack show at The Canadian in November before dropping out, so if this show goes down, it will be very familiar!

Musically, both bands are very cool, with Killitorous employing a brutal moshable grind/death sound, and Skynet having a djent-inspired technical style that has some Meshuggah influences, and I recommend checking both out! In the event that the contacts I sent don't work out, can you help promote or book Killitorous & Skynet in May? Message Aaron at this location if you're interested, and hopefully we'll see the guys here in the spring!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!