LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Wax Mannequin & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to dive into another round of weekend concert previews, and while things aren't as hectic as the last two weeks, there are still enough shows to get to where we'll have to break things in twain, so shows that are only on Saturday and/or Sunday (Generations, 5 Dollar Bribe, Bone Yard 225, and the Barge Bash) will be in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border for bands playing shows tonight and tomorrow in some fashion, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third solo acoustic concert in as many days TOMORROW NIGHT at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via his Facebook event page on Monday. You may recall seeing late notice word that Tym would be making the 45 minute drive southeast to Desbarats (hometown of Central Algoma Secondary School) four weeks ago for his debut gig there, which I unfortunately missed at the time, so thankfully I heard about this one! Fresh off of shows at The Trading Post and the Up & Down Lounge, Tym should have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in store for fans TOMORROW, and clearly his July 3rd show went well for him to get called back again before July is up! Ije's Place is located off of Highway 17 at 4 Lake Huron Drive, and is roughly between St. Joseph Island and Bruce Mines near the edge of our coverage area.

This indoor concert goes down TOMORROW from 6:00-8:00 PM, this is likely all ages given that Ije's is a cafe & bakery, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a live-streamed video of Tym there earlier this month! The 2 minute clip sees Tym covering much of The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels" and doing a solid job of it, but alas, the filmer didn't zoom in at all, so full screen is your friend here. As this was live-streamed on Ije's Facebook page, it will vanish early next week unless re-uploaded or converted, so watch it below (while you can?) 

Next up, Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT for a concert at... Unnecessary Noise? Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via its Facebook event page this past Friday. As to my understanding, Unnecessary Noise is the private location that has been used for recent Underground Events SSM concerts like the Danger Box one and Soopfest, but the space now has an official name, and it's being used for public event promotion going forward, even if the address isn't at a public locale ("ask a punk"). This isn't entirely new for Wax Mannequin, as Chris Adeney's last show here in August 2024 was also not at a standard venue, instead a residence's backyard. Hopefully Unnecessary Noise proves a fitting spot for Wax Mannequin's return, and their noise definitely isn't unnecessary, with punk and metal tinges across their wide ranging setlist and discography!

Fellow Hamilton alt-folk/punk solo project The Kettle Black will make their apparent local debut tomorrow while on tour with Wax Mannequin, while comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (featuring Stones & Crows bassist Nicholas Gingras) will return as openers after doing the honours two years ago. Like in 2024, this is an all ages concert at 8:00 PM, but unlike that Piecing It Together Shows-promoted event, admission is "pay-what-you-can" with $15 recommended (down from $20 in advance/$25 at the door last time). This should be a fun concert for fans of eclectic original music with punk and hard rock influences across the board, so see above for more details, and here's Wax Mannequin live!

We'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to round out this post, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quarter Tarnished, who will make their way an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock American Legion Park as part of St. Ignace's Music By The Bay summer concert series! Once again, St. Ignace is impressively hosting a different live music act daily until Labour Day, with tomorrow's show being the first of two that Tarnished are playing under the canopied stage at 200 North State Street this year, the other being the penultimate show for 2026 on September 5th. Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a smash hit for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, though note that the band has not corroborated the booking on their Facebook page at press time. Tomorrow's concert takes place at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and lawn chairs are suggested given the park setting.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a 40% chance of rain during showtime tomorrow, with temperatures of 72-73° (22-23° Celsius). Yes, artists get to play under a roof, but attendees aren't so lucky, so if you are at all concerned about the forecast and/or the potential for the show being cancelled or abbreviated by the rain, keep tabs with Tarnished for updates. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally, let's head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where Petoskey classic/hard rock cover quartet The Blitz are scheduled to make their local debuts at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not mentioned in new social media posts in the past month & a half, The Blitz are the first of three non-local hard rock cover bands debuting at Kewadin lounges over the next month. Videos from after their 2022 reunion point to a well varied but often heavy range of covers played with talent and professinalism, and I do hope that things go well so they can blitz a local stage again in the coming months! As usual for Kewadin lounges, this weekend's shows both have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Blitz in a recent jam session!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's previews or this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!

It's poll day at the SMS! After a month's worth of voting, our recent (and very topical) poll has came to a close, and thanks to all 30 of you who voted! Decent number, enough to get a good sample of people's thoughts on the question. We'll also debut this month's new poll, where I'm trying something a little different for it's content, but first, let's go over last month's poll results! As you may remember, I posted this question to you guys: What's your opinion on noise complaints for local concert venues? That said, here are your final results!:

Don't live near concert venues if you don't like the noise (13 votes, 43%)
Loud music rules! (5 votes, 17%)
If they're not breaking a law, don't complain (5 votes, 17%)
We need clear definitions on what is "too loud" (3 votes, 10%)
Venues should control/lower all concert audio levels (2 votes, 7%)
It depends on the band/genre (1 vote, 3%)
It depends on the venue/location (1 vote, 3%)
Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? I'll say that the results on the whole didn't surprise me, with a few exceptions. I see only two people thought the matter depended on the sound or location of the band/concert, which is slightly odd given what I thought would be a larger reliance on musical tastes. I'm very surprised two people suggested that all venues should control or lower concert audio, but there are people who dislike loud noise or want there to be restrictions, and maybe they came here just to vote for that reason? I dunno. Fourth place went to wanting a better definition on what is too loud, which makes sense, given the complaints, as then we could prove whether a law was broken, or the person complains easily. A second place tie with 5 votes each went to "Loud music rules!" and "If they're not breaking a law, don't complain", both of which scored high like I assumed. Both are great points, especially the latter, but the expected winner, with 13 votes and 43% of the total, was "Don't live near concert venues if you don't like the noise", which definitely seems to be a consensus thought from fans and supporters of bars like Feedback that get hit with noise complaints.

This issue still exists, as evidenced by the cops being called on local punk band Redundant on Halloween night due to noise, but we know that Feedback owner Rich Moreland is working on making things right with the city and neighbours to avoid this in the future. Yes, people's wishes and tolerances should be respected, but Feedback and it's prior names have had concerts for years, and they shouldn't have to operate with the hovering threat of a police visit. As long as a rule isn't being broken, they should be allowed to have whatever bands they choose, but that's just my opinion. Something will be done, I know it! Thanks again to everyone for voting!

Now, what poll are we launching this month? Well, I wanted to experiment a bit with another "choose a band" poll to see if we can get some good results, and considering that it's nearing the end of the year, I thought this question would be an interesting topic. That said, this month's poll features this question: What's your favourite NEW local metal band of 2011? There's always band turnover in the local scene, and you know that there can be a ton of talented new bands born in a given year. Look at 2010, for example, which featured the local debuts of Winkstinger, Half A Man, The Bear Hunters, Elipzis, State of Misery, Shit Liver, Splitshot, Changing Waves, Hammerspace, Sativa Rose, Late & Loud, and Powerslug, just to name a few! This year has been noticeably quieter for debuting new bands, but a few notable bands have formed or launched in 2011, and I'm curious to see which one you guys enjoy the most. I've picked 10 bands for the poll, and to be listed, they MUST have already played a live concert in 2011 so far. They also must have either debuted or launched to the public this year, so if there's proof they publically existed in December 2010, they're not a choice in the poll. I'm also experimenting with adding Sault Michigan bands in this poll, to see if the response will be enough to include them in monthly polls more often, as in the past, voting wasn't as high for topics based around the States. So without any further adieu, here are your choices!

Banned: This new hard rock trio from the Kinross area has quickly made a name for themselves at varying concerts and events in the Sault Michigan area, including a slot at The Sugar Island Music Festival! Alex and Don Traynor's talents and diversity are ever present, but are they your favourite new band of 2011?

Beyond The Surface: Launching in January, this young hard rock outfit from Pickford has survived a number of lineup changes to rock at a number of gigs through the first half of 2011. Promising band, and despite a lack of news since the summer, their profile is growing! Are they your top new band of the year?

Bring The Misery: Amidst lineup and name changes, the deathcore band born out of the ashes of Bring The Fallen & the then-defunct State Of Misery left a shoe-less mark on the Sault Ontario metal scene this past June, including some notable TV exposure, before quietly going inactive later this summer. That aside, would you still say they're your favourite new metal act of 2011?

Great Bodily Harm: When alumni of End of Existence, Half A Man, Powerslug, and Hammerspace unite, you can expect heavy things, and Great Bodily Harm have delivered on that so far! Though they have no internet pages, their posted demos and sets at The Merchant's Bar and LemmaFest helped share their groove metal/hardcore attack with a local audience! Are they your top new group of the year?

The Highest Of Fives: Another Sault Michigan band without an online page, The Highest of Fives showed promise earlier this summer with likely hard rock covers, and a good lineup featuring Free Refill, Seeking Reverence, and 7/47 alumni! Despite no visible activity since the summer, are these Guitar Studio products your #1 new band of 2011?

NoXcape: Formerly MK-Ultra, this new local hard rock quintet featuring the classic Absolute lineup and Shift/Krosswalk axeslinger Joey Beairl make a quick and noticeable impact on the Sault Michigan concert scene earlier this year, with a slate of hard rocking covers that fans surely enjoyed! Is there "no escape" from them as your top new band of this year?

Skull After Betrayl: Despite a two month breakup this summer and a change in metal subgenres, Skull After Betrayl have shown steady improvement and awareness in Sault Ontario since their debut this past spring, which led them to a few notable concerts, like when they opened for The Dayglo Abortions in June! Is this local hardcore quartet your favourite new outfit of 2011?

Sounds From The Green Room: A newer hard rock project from SBD & ex-No Arrow bassist Brad Griffith, this metal duo rocked the local stage twice in the first half of 2011, along with playing a show with RedD Monkey in Ottawa. That said, they have no online pages or posted material, but are they your ideal new band of this past year?

Swayze Train: After Electric Motor Fish dissolved this summer, members formed Swayze Train and turned up the dial to deliver some heavy modern rock/metal covers at local venues over the past few months! Surely one of the highest profile new bands of the year, are their proficient blend of genres your favourite debuting sounds from 2011?

View To A Kill: A new local deathcore band featuring State of Misery, Sativa Rose, and Chillum alumni, View To A Kill made their short notice debut as openers for Skull Fist earlier this month, showcasing a nice blend of extreme styles and talent to go around! Is their debut enough for you to name them your top new local band of the year?

Other: Got another band in mind for your favourite new act of the year? This is the option for you! Is your favourite new band a solo project (like Eden Plague or Galactic Alignment), or have they just not played live yet (like Social Suicide or Chained Memories?) Or maybe there's one I missed altogether, or from a different genre? Vote here if that's the case!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until December 18th to make your voices heard, and then we'll have another "best of 2011" poll ready to go for you guys! If Sault Michigan bands get a decent segment of the vote this month, we'll include them in more future polls, so keep that in mind as well. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news hopefully this weekend! Thanks everyone, and get voting!

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

It's time to go over the results of last month's poll and debut this month's new poll on The Sault Metal Scene, and our new poll is quite timely! First though, let's outline how you guys voted last month, and thanks to the 18 of you who voted! Less than some months, but enough to get an idea of what you guys thought. As you may remember, last month's question was What would you like to see to help increase support in the local metal scene? So, what'd you guys think would be the best option? Here are the final results!

More booking opportunities (4 votes, 22%)
Better/larger concerts (3 votes, 17%)
Higher concert attendances (3 votes, 17%)
More concerts in general (2 votes, 11%)
More local press/coverage (2 votes, 11%)
Better concert advertising (1 vote, 5.5%)
Higher band awareness (1 vote, 5.5%)
We have enough support already (1 vote, 5.5%)
Other (1 vote, 5.5%)
More CDs/merchandising (0 votes, 0%)

Going in ascending order, I am surprised that no one picked wanting more CDs or merchandise from local bands, yet two people picked either an unlisted option or the belief that the scene has enough support. We could always stand more, in my opinion, and merchandise and material is great to get bands' word out, but hey, it all depends who votes! The other one vote choices seemed a bit lower in support than I imagined, as you'd assume a better awareness of bands and concerts would be a benefit. Tied in 4th place with 2 votes each were a desire for more concerts and more press coverage, both higher in rank where I figured, as both could stand be to be ratcheted up a bit! A second place tie with 3 votes each went to bigger/better concerts and higher attended concerts, and I can see why both would be higher! It'd be nice to get Napalm Death-level stuff more often, then both of those would be addressed, so we'll have to see! But the winning choice with 4 votes, 22%, was more booking opportunities, and I'm slightly surprised this was the top voted option, as we have a lot of venues in town that book shows. Looks like most of you who voted did want more opportunities for bands to get local bookings, and hopefully this area can be improved in the near future!

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month, we're tackling a timely issue in the local music scene, and if you've followed the whole Feedback/Foggy Notions/City Council noise complaint issue, you'll probably have an idea of what the question will center around. As you may remember, City Council brought concerns about the Queen Street bar's history of noise complaints from area residents to light just as new ownership of the former Foggy's became public, leading to mass support in the local scene towards Feedback, the new owners, and local music and concerts in general. Though Feedback opened as scheduled this past weekend, and the staff are making steps to appease neighbours and the city, it's still a present thought, so it's the focus of this month's poll! So I'll pose this question to you guys: "What's your opinion on noise complaints for local concert venues?" There's 10 options to choose from this month, so let's take a look!

Loud music rules!: Metalheads tend to like louder music, and concerts are (more often than not) usually pretty loud, but is that the only way you'll take your music? Do the complaints of others fail to faze you? Pick here if you think so, and want all concerts to be loud, regardless of what anyone thinks.

If they're not breaking a law, don't complain: You know if you're a Foggy's concert frequenter that occasionally, someone calls the police on the bands due to the noise. When it's happened at shows I was at, no one was arrested, the audi was just turned down. Some people are more sensitive to noise, or don't appreciate the sound, so they might complain even if nothing was violated. Are you of the opinion that noise complaints should only be made on local concert venues if an actual law is broken?

Don't live near concert venues if you don't like the noise: In the case of what's now Feedback and some other venues, they're situated near homes or apartments, so area residents may be liable to be against louder music from said venue. I'm sure in many cases, a person moved there when concerts were already going on, and everyone's different to begin with in terms of noise tolerance. If I was voting, I'd pick this option, but do you feel that people shouldn't live near bars and concert spots if they don't want to deal with the noise?

It depends on the band/genre: Metal or not, bands often play at different volumes, and certain genres are sure to be less acceptable to picky ears than others. That said, if The Bottoms Up Lounge can get concerts shut down over noise despite having primarily acoustic bands, then who knows what people will be able to handle. Would you base your noise preferences on how loud a band or or what they play before taking action?

It depends on the venue/location: Some concert spots are in good locations for business, attendance, and convenience, while others may be in bad spots or prone to complaints from area residents. Others may just deal with structural or soundproofing differences that would make their concert audio levels differ from otherwise similar venues. Is the soundproofing issue on the venue itself moreso than the bands or the people who complain?

We need clear definitions on what is "too loud": Though I'm not in a position to know what city bylaws say, I'm of the understanding that the city's noise bylaws are vague and outdated, and were written before heavier bands became more common at local concert venues. Should a clear bylaw or description of what is "too loud" for local concerts be drafted before you make a more definite opinion?

Venues should control/lower all concert audio levels: Are you someone who believes that local bands, venues, and sound companies should abide to the city's wishes, lower the general volume, and avoid angering anyone? Maybe you are someone who dislikes or has complained about concert volume levels in your area? This would be the choice for you!

Other: Did I miss an opinion or option? Pick this option if I did!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until November 18th to cast your votes, and I'm interested to see the results! I have a feeling of what choices will win, but we'll have to see. Keep those votes coming! That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, more Napalm Death videos, our next YouTube Channel Profile, and more! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Feral Noise & Sadomasochism

As promised, it's time to profile two more metal bands from elsewhere in the world that just happen to feature at least one Sault native in their lineup! For the first time, we'll profile bands from outside of Ontario, heading across the river to Michigan for one, and all the way to Calgary for another! These are two bands I'm sure some of you guys were hoping I'd profile in this monthly feature, and here they are! So let us begin, and of course, if there's something incorrect, missing, or lacking info/details, please tell me! (UPDATED: November 24, 2014)
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Feral Noise (Calgary, Alberta)

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

Nathalie Boudreau (vocals)
Tym Morrison (guitar)
Jamie Bridger (bass)
Landon Chatterton (drums)
Greg Sutherland (drums)

Official website: http://feralnoise.com
Official Reverbnation profile: http://reverbnation.com/feralnoise

Local Info: The only Saultite in Feral Noise was Tym Morrison, who local music fans will be sure to recognize! A lifelong musician, Tym has played in numerous local bands including Hollow, Carbon Black, and Heresy, among many others! Nowadays, you'll best know Tym from his frequent string of solo acoustic concerts in the Sault area (most recently a regular run at The Harp), though many fans will also remember his mid-2000s and 2009-2013 runs with his metal cover band Caveman Morrison. Tym released his "Solo Project" CD in 2006, has worked with numerous established musicians in the Sault area, and has also taught guitar in the past as well, so look out for Tym at a venue near you!

Band Bio: Tym Morrison moved to Calgary in 2006, to further his ultimate musical goals. Later in that year, Tym met JANE?DOE members Nathalie Boudreau and Jamie Bridger at a jam night. He later auditioned for and made their new band, which they called Feral Noise. Former Caveman Morrison drummer Greg Sutherland was an early drummer for Feral Noise, before being replaced by Landon Chatterton, also met at a jam night. Feral Noise were a frequent sight in the Calgary area through 2008, playing mostly hard rock/metal covers, everything from Megadeth to ABBA! They also played a couple original tracks, one of which has a posted demo on their official website! Tym Morrison has called Feral Noise "the most organized band he's ever played in"! The band eventually dissolved, though the band's respective members appear to still be active in music, with Tym returning to the Sault scene in 2009, though Nathalie is still musically active with a solo project & more in British Columbia.

To be fair, there isn't a lot of Feral Noise audio/video online, just one studio demo sans vocals, and one live video (check it out here), but what I hear is really good! Nathalie Boudreau is a talented vocalist, she reminds me of Melissa from Bad Side in ways, though more aggressive, and you can hear more likely-similar work from her later Vancouver bands at this location! The demo of "Bury The Hatchet" from their website gives a clearer indication of the instrumentation, and you can tell this is Tym Morrison playing, he delivers once again! Nice and heavy, and the solo is awesome! It's a shame I never got to see Feral Noise live, it'd have been a great show, it'd be nice to see more from them online though. Luckily, they have embeddable video online, so check this out, Feral Noise from a 2007 show in Calgary covering the Pantera classic "Cowboys From Hell", and Motley Crue's "Live Wire"!


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Sadomasochism (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

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

John Rios (vocals)
Jason Salmer (guitar)
Ingrid Joplin (guitar)
Ray Kandea (bass)
Mikey Bishop (drums) 

Ed Ryan (guitar)
Jason Kandea (drums)

Official MySpace page: http://myspace.com/sadomusic
Official SoundClick page: http://soundclick.com/sadomasochism

Local Info: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan's own Mikey Bishop was the final drummer in Sadomasochism, which is one of the many bands he's been a part of in recent years! Local fans may best recognize Mikey as the drummer for the local hard rock quartet Half A Man and the recently inactive Lansing black metal band Summon, along with former local acts Bludgeoned (also featuring John Rios of Sadomasochism), and mid-90s groove metal band Lower S.E.S., among many others! Currently working on new material with Half A Man, look for lots of exciting things from Mikey in the future, including hopefully more live concerts!

Band Bio: Mikey Bishop joined Sadomasochism in 2003, replacing Jason Kandea behind the drumkit. The band itself had been going strong since 1999 in the Grand Rapids area, initially playing mostly backyard parties amongst an area unfamiliar to death metal. The band persevered, eventually playing more shows and winning the WKLQ Heavyweight Championships Battle of the Bands in 2002! The band frequently toured Michigan and the midwest, opening for major bands like Superjoint Ritual, Satyricon, Dying Fetus, and Summon. They released their only album, "Worship The Dark" in December 2002, loaded with lots of brutal death metal music and B-horror movie inspired lyrics! Though their profile was on the rise, the departures of Mikey and guitarist Ingrid Joplin eventually led to Sadomasochism's 2004 breakup. Most ex-members of Sadomasochism later played for a newer Grand Rapids death metal band named Flesh For The Beast, (though Mikey was not a part), while frontman John Rios' current band From Hell are likely most similar to Sadomasochism's old sound.

As a fan of death metal, let me express how awesome these guys were! John Rios is a really good growler, clear and vicious simultaneously! The guitar work is really nice, Jason Salmer and Ingrid Joplin were really proficient on guitar, and the Kandea brothers were awesome too on bass and drums! I don't know if they ever played in Sault Michigan, but I bet it'd have been an awesome show! Mikey Bishop never drummed on any Sadomasochism albums, but he's an excellent drummer, and the live clips I've seen with him in the lineup have been quite good! I do find that the songs they have up are slightly muffled, there isn't a huge "punch" to the studio recordings, but the songs are still great! It's awesome to see them hit such heights in the early 2000s, and though it's sad they broke up, Flesh For The Beast carried on their sound nicely! Luckily, they have lots of stuff online to check out, there's plenty of songs on their MySpace page, and there are some surviving concert videos, including this one of Sadomasochism playing their album's title track!


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So there's this month's profiles of out of town bands with local members! Next month, we'll have two more, as we'll head even further out for two bands with Saultites: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island's Levitate (featuring Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison), and Seoul, South Korea's Necramyth (featuring Woods of Ypres' own David Gold!) Keep an eye out for those profiles in the middle of April! Tomorrow, we'll preview all TEN of this weekend's local metal concerts, so stay tuned for everything you need to know on this busy hard rocking weekend! Thanks everyone, I'll be back real soon!