Well guys, I apologize for the lack of news since the weekend, but things have hit a surprisingly low point for updates in the last few days. That ends now though, as we have some big stories to get to, including new videos from two wildly different local acts, details on how you can apply to play at an annual local festival, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT featuring a prominent local band's return, so here's what you need to know!
Frightlight are back! The local horror punk/metal standouts will end a 7 month concert hiatus in just under two weeks when they open for Montreal psychobilly quartet The Brains on Tuesday, May 28th at The Rockstar Bar! Frightlight's energetic and always fun sound has been missed since the Halloween season, but with everyone back in town (I assume), hopefully Frightlight shakes off the stage rust and delivers a frightfully good set in what may be their first ever set at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar! The Brains themselves are local favourites that were just seen at The Rockstar Bar last week at a very well received punk concert, and promoter/Frightlight frontman Johnny Pints is bringing them back for another go-round, so fans of their punk and rockabilly hybrid should be right at home once again! The other opening band will be local punk trio Redundant, who'll open for The Brains once again with their own entertaining mix of covers, originals, and banter, so don't miss them either come the 28th! This 19+ concert has an advertised 9:00 PM start time, and there's a $5 cover charge.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a very fun concert for punk and psychobilly fans, and anyone who saw The Brains & Redundant last week should attest to that! However, with The Small Town Rivals swapped out for the return of Frightlight, there's an extra spark for metalheads to hit this one up! I always like to ramp up on concert bookings around my birthday, and this year's looking far better than 2012 for that, so I imagine this will kick off a great week of shows to attend! Stay tuned for potential updates!
Next up, the annual registration period for the ninth annual Tenaris Second Stage at this year's Rotaryfest is coming up on July 19th & 20th, and as usual, YOUR BAND can enter! Of course, this is the outdoor concert stage on Queen Street East outside of The Grand Theater, which traditionally hosts local original talent and out-of-town indie bands during our local summer festival, and though metal & hard rock hasn't always been featured, bands like Gates of Winter, Stillbroke, Garden of Bedlam, and Sailor's Tongue have all played the Second Stage since it's 2005 inception. As originally announced last week on SooToday (apologies for the late mention on here), you have until May 31st (two weeks from Friday) to submit applications to be considered for a slot at this year's Rotaryfest Second Stage, so how can you do that? To register online, visit this location and, in the given forms, provide your name, e-mail address, and phone number, and your band's name, biography, performance history, websites, at least one band photo, and a sample of your music.
If submitting in person or by mail, provide a work sample with all of the above info, and with music on a CD or DVD with at least 3 good quality original songs (and possibly press clippings) to the address provided at this link, and preference will be given to bands with professionally released CDs. I'd love to see more metal & hard rock on the Second Stage this year (getting two bands last year was a good start), but we won't get any unless some heavier bands apply, so register A.S.A.P. at the above links! (Also, note that there's no advertised Thursday night for the Second Stage, so they may have cut it since last year.)
We'll close today with new videos, starting with new videos from Haggith drummer/local solo musician Mike Haggith, who's launched a new YouTube channel! He already has one, but he's aiming to either replace or succeed it as part of a rebranding project according to his solo project's Facebook page yesterday, which is a good idea given that his older channel isn't under his name. He plans to upload full albums of his onto the new channel, albeit with songs as single video uploads rather than together as one video, and his newest CD "The Present Din" has already been uploaded in said format, with more likely to come. The other videos are brand new to YouTube (as far as I can tell), and they're of Mike playing solo songs at (I assume) open mic nights at Sault College's former bar/venue The Outback over 2 years ago! Likely among the first live sets Mike played in town, two are of Mike playing his original songs "Trinity" & "Hot Summer Sun" in February 2011 (there was more filmed that night, but the rest was lost during processing.)
Embedded below though, we have Mike playing "Nightmare on Reed Street", "As Memories Fade Away", and "I Love You Anyways" at an Outback set in December 2010, and all of the new postings feature him on vocals & guitar with backing tracks to fill out the lineup. I hadn't seen these in quite a while, but they give a glimpse into how a Mike Haggith solo concert would look/sound, and his vocals and guitar abilities are on full display, despite some audio issues midway through. Solid stuff overall, so give his 3 song set a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's new channel!
Finally for today, local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore uploaded their second demo "Fetel Pig Dissection" ("Fetel" intentionally misspelled) onto their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Friday! It's in two parts (click here and here for each), and if you like their past work, this should be just as appealing, though it's still very much an acquired taste despite some more varied influences. There's more techno & electronic influences, and the heavier parts are definitely brutal, but the pig squeal vocals, recording quality, and somewhat divisive themes will not be universally accepted by listeners. Still, I appreciate what Ringsnaps is doing, even if this isn't my cup of tea, but I'd still like to see him expand the band and take it beyond just releasing solo demos and split discs. As both halves of the album's YouTube upload feature images that some readers may find disturbing, I've embedded only the audio below, but if you're up for some original grind, give Crucify The Whore's second demo a listen!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's local metal/hard rock concert previews likely tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Happy American Thanksgiving! I hope all of our Yooper fans are having an awesome day, and don't get too stuffed with turkey, as you might get too tired to check out both of today's SMS posts! After a couple days off due to minimal news, we're back first with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! As always, this monthly feature series profiles 1-3 YouTube channels with at least a 50% concentration of local metal videos, and as the first video we randomly picked last month only had one video, I randomly chose one more that could fill out this post. So, what should you know about this month's selected YouTube channels, users, and videos? Read on below to find out! (Edited on October 16th, 2013)
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Owner: YouTube user & British Columbia resident Mike Vipond
Channel Timeline: Launched on March 15th, 2008; Only video posted on December 2nd, 2008
Channel Summary: Though not a Sault Ste. Marie resident, one of Mike's favourite songs is/was "Winter Flight" from local progressive death metal standouts Gates of Winter's 2008 CD "Lux Aeterna", and he uploaded it to YouTube that December, as it wasn't on YouTube otherwise at the time. Posted in the tail end of their original active period, this is one of Gates of Winter's better melodic early originals, and Mike even added a photo slideshow with lyrics to the video itself, helping add to this upload, which is still a quality track even compared to newer material! Note however that this is Mike's only upload to his channel, despite still being used for personal needs to this day.
Owner:Sault College graduate & former local guitarist Mike Laprade
Channel Timeline: Launched on February 5th, 2009; Videos posted from September 2009 through August 2011
Channel Summary: This is the official YouTube channel for Mike Laprade, who some of you may recognize as a Sault College aviation student in the late 2000s, before he moved to North Bay circa mid-2010. His posted videos mainly come from his last year at Sault College, including two live concert videos & a solo performance, all of which were of covers of projects that have featured Zakk Wylde (fittingly, Mike played a Zakk Wylde bullseye Gibson Les Paul in each video!) I don't believe Mike was in any full local bands while in town, and since moving from the area, his only YouTube upload is this mid-2011 video of him (I assume) landing an airplane in Coniston, Ontario in 2011.
Why Should You Watch: I'd give Mike's channel a look for some solid guitar performances from before he moved from the Soo, as he (and the other guitarist in two of the videos) did have clear talent! Mike was nice in the few conversations we had back then, and hopefully he's still musically active out east! As for the airplane video, I can't accurately comment on it, but it looks like he landed well! If you're debating subscribing though, keep in mind that Mike hasn't used his YouTube channel in over a year.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
Tyler Yuke Memorial - Blackened Waters by Black Label Society Cover:
The most viewed video on Mike's channel is of him and a fellow Sault College student (name unclear, but his YouTube handle is myapplecore) covering Black Label Society's "Blackened Waters" at that year's Tyler Yuke Memorial Night! Held at Sault College's former campus pub The Outback on March 20th, 2010, Mike & his friend were among numerous open mic performers, and this was among two videos shot by an attendee that day, including their cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama, I'm Coming Home". I saw this set live, and they were solid, but there was guitar feedback & tone issues that didn't highlight their skills well. The quality of the videos is mixed too, with flickering lights, a muffled sound, and very quiet singing, but Mike & myapplecore both show guitar skill, particularly for the guitar solos!
Farewell Ballad: Mike's first video & only other musical clip is of him covering Zakk Wylde's "Farewell Ballad" in September 2009, and this really shows his guitar talents well thanks to better camera quality and a closer angle of his fingering! Sure, there's a couple mistakes, but even he described it as a "mild attempt". His appreciation of Zakk Wylde is clear, and as mentioned above, hopefully he's still in music in some form!
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I hope you guys like this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month, we're looking at 2 channels for the third straight month, as the first channel I randomly selected didn't have enough suitably unique videos to warrant a full post. That said, the channels I chose include those ran by YouTube user vflindall (featuring a full Detroit concert set from 2009) and sisuunicorn705 (featuring a video of Sebastian Bach singing karaoke in the Soo while he was in town for the Swearnet film shoot!) Watch out for it on or around December 22nd, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews in our next post! Thanks everyone!
In what will probably be our last news post of May 2012, we've stacked the deck with plenty of stories, including this week's classic video, plenty of Woods of Ypres news (including a new interview & some new CD reviews), and even more, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, so here's what you need to know! (And make sure to check out our weekend concert preview post, featuring some recently announced dates, in the post below this one!)
Fresh off of the announcement of Caveman Morrison's late 2010 lineup's reunion this weekend at The Rosie, frontman Tym Morrison has also confirmed his next solo concert dates, which will come on June 15th & 16th at The Service Grill! These come four weeks after his solo acoustic set returned with his new guitar, and like his shows at the Korah Road restaurant last weekend, these will both include two sets of four hours in length on both the Friday & Saturday gigs, so there's plenty of time to catch Tym's entertaining metal & hard rock covers live in two weeks! Both of these shows will likely have no cover charge or age limit (knowing the restaurant setting), and the sets each night should begin at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM with a one hour break at around 7:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should make for a solid weekend of unplugged covers from Tym Morrison, so if you're up for lots of great music at one of his favourite venues, keep these shows in mind next month!
Next up, here's a brand new audio interview with Woods of Ypres' guitarist Joel Violette! Though it was posted on May 12th by interviewer Matt Longo on the website Mind Over Metal (who interviewed late frontman David Gold as well for that site last year), the interview actually took place before the David Gold tribute shows in April, and lasts a little over 40 minutes in length, as bookended by "Woods V" tracks. It's much longer than Matt's interview with David, and in it, he and Joel discuss "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", Joel & David's roles on the album, how Joel joined Woods of Ypres, his work in Thrawsunblat, David's changing looks & world views, the band's lyrics, the posthumous praise of "Woods V", the new album's sounds, the circumstances & rumours surrounding David Gold's death (including Joel's belief that the lyrics on some songs weren't foreshadowing suicide), why Earache Records released the free promo album in the way it did, the planned Woods of Ypres European tour this year & the then-upcoming tribute shows, and when exactly did "W5" come out, among other topics! In terms of new Woods of Ypres topics relating to their future, Joel confirmed that there would be no new material (though "Woods VI" would have been summer-themed), and he reiterated that the only possible posthumous release he can see would be a piano-based album of re-recorded material.
This is a great interview that touches on a lot of topic and subjects relating to recent Woods of Ypres history, though the audio quality early in the interview on Joel's end isn't great. I still believe that an album of demos, outtakes, and unreleased material (i.e. the full "Woods 4.5" material) would be great, but who knows what the future holds. Click here or check the above links to hear the full interview, which starts about 1:44 into the audio file, and hopefully we hear some more exciting news from the Woods of Ypres archives in the future!
While we're on the subject, here's even more recent reviews of Woods of Ypres' last recorded album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! Last week, Brian Giffin from the metal webzine Loud gave"W5" a 98% rating, calling it "a stark, disturbing, beautiful album", and highly praising the lyrical content and it's philosophical nature, only criticizing "Career Suicide (Is Not Real Suicide)" as a weak point. Solid and well written review, so check it out at this location! In another recent review, Pete Woods from the Metal Team U.K. Metal 'Zine gave "Woods V" an positive assessment, and though he noted it's tough to review and you need to be in the right mood and without distraction to fully appreciate it, he called it a "very special album" and noted it's impact and beauty numerous times. Another very nice review with a lot of honesty as to it's feelings and themes, so click here to check it out! Finally, Ellis Woolley from the Danish website RockFreaks.net gave "Woods V" a 7.5/10 in a March review, and while he praised the album for it's unique sound and accessibility as a doom record, he docked points for the production, which he felt smoothed over rougher and heavier parts of the CD. I'll have to go back and hear it to see if he's right, but this is another good & honest review, so check it out at this link, and stay tuned for more "Woods V" reviews next month!
Also, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:
If you're curious to see the demolition of local concert venue/Sault College campus bar The Outback, which took place over the past week, then check out this time lapse webcam video courtesy of local musician Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel! It's sad to see The Outback go, but hopefully the new health & wellness center that replaces it will be a success, and fingers crossed that the college hosts concerts somewhere on campus in the future!
I'm probably badly overdue to mention this on here, but I've replaced our link for The Roosevelt Hotel on the site, as it now links to their Facebook page rather than their older Reverbnation page. Small change, but I thought I'd make sure you guys knew about it!
Local death metal band Social Suicide (featuring Bring The Misery & Bear Hunters alumni) are reportedly planning to play a "small show" of some type next month, followed by plans to play outdoor gigs this summer (potentially including the Bellevue Park Bandshell.) It's been too long since they launched, and I'm very curious to hear them live, so hopefully this all pans out! My source is their Facebook page.
And finally, here's this week's classic video! With the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights returning after an over two month break tomorrow, it made sense to feature a video from both that series and performers at tomorrow's show, so I focused on Bear Hunters guitarist Josh Stephney, though you can only hear him in this video, oddly enough. As you may remember, he fronted another local death metal band, Bring The Fallen, from 2009-2011, and one of their last concert videos is only now on YouTube, though it's from an angle you don't see much of from local bands. This video is of Bring The Fallen playing their original song "Defiling Despondence" at what I think was the 4th Rosie metal night on January 6th, and it was filmed on what looks like an iPhone camera from below drummer Travis St. Amour's kit, so while you hear the full song, you only really see Travis' left leg, left arm, and some of the drums. I assume the video was originally filmed at this angle to focus on his drumming, but it should have been positioned somewhere else, as it's not placed somewhere with a good view or lighting (though I did brighten the quality after posting this video on YouTube.) Even still, it's a nice later glimpse at Bring The Fallen on stage for it's decent audio quality, from before breakup rumours dominated the spring 2011 news on them!
This video was originally posted onto Facebook by Travis on January 27th of last year, and you can watch the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1686359892899. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit goes to the ex-members of Bring The Fallen for this video, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves! Though the angle is odd, it's a solid performance from Bring The Fallen's later months, so check it out below, and go see Josh with his current band TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rosie!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our last post of the month (our review of the Insipid Brutality album) TOMORROW! It will be an auto-post due to some personal plans tomorrow, but keep an eye out for it tomorrow afternoon, and I'll see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel tomorrow night as well for the latest Rosie metal night relaunch! Thanks everyone!
As promised, here's our second news post of the day as we clear out our news cache! Tonight, we've got news on original recordings from two Sault Ontario death metal bands, new videos from a couple of noted area musicians, and news on a local concert venue's demise, so here's what you need to know!
Let's lead off with some updates on new material from a pair of Sault Ontario death metal bands! One is that local quartet View To A Kill posted their first demo recording of an original song onto their new Reverbnation page on Sunday, and it's of one we haven't heard live before! Entitled "The Enemy", the quality could be better, and the guitar's lower than it should be in the mix, but it's a promising deathcore number that I hope to hear live soon! Check the above links to check it out! The other news on the material front is concerning The Bear Hunters' planned demo, which they've finally been keeping fans well updated on via their Facebook page. The local melodic death metal quintet are reportedly aiming for this to be a full length release, though not slapped together like some demos. Unlike the early plans for the "Bloodthirst" EP, this should have at least 10 songs, and drums are recorded for those 10, with stringed instruments next on the docket for recording. Tentative plans are to release both this demo and official band t-shirts by the spring, so keep tabs on the sessions and plans at the above links! Fingers crossed this all works out, as you know us fans are eagerly awaiting The Bear Hunters' next big plans, so keep an eye out for updates!
Next up, here's a couple of new videos, starting with the latest solo track from local guitarist Mike Cliffe! Oddly titled "Accordion Allotments For Calimari", this was posted onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday along with what Mike called a "disjointed video montage" set to the song, featuring everything from chains, fire, and a blue running man to boating footage, a digitally added helicopter, and various other computer generated effects, among other elements. This is actually one of Mike's heavier songs in a while, with a slow hard charging riff and some nice experimental touches and styles thrown in, so definitely give it a look below!
Also in new videos, here's a light little drumming video from As It Stands drummer John Mignacca! Uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel on Wednesday, this is of John playing an electric drum set at a local music store (not sure which one), as filmed on what looks like a cell phone camera. It sounds like he's playing along with a demo track programmed in the drumkit, and it shows off his drumming skills well, but the backing audio isn't really "heavy". Still, it shows off John's drum talents nicely, so give it a look below!
And finally, here's a note on the closure of a local concert venue. According to a news release to SooToday and other local news outlets on Thursday, demolition of The Outback will begin shortly to make way for the second phase of the construction at Sault College, who had operated The Outback as the campus pub and restaurant since 1994. Reportedly, The Outback will be demolished to make way for a new Student Health & Wellness Center that will be completed by the end of the 2012-2013 school year. The new building's focus appears to be on academic labs, a gym, and fitness rooms, with no outward mention made of a possible replacement for The Outback either in the main campus or in a future new building. The Student Life Center that was operating out of The Outback was moved into the main campus, so click here for details on it's new locations. The Outback was never a frequent sight for local metal concerts, but the occasional show featuring a heavier band popped up here and there, at events like the Tyler Yuke Memorial Nights and others, with bands like Caveman Morrison, Late & Loud, and Sykotyk Rampage among the acts playing there in recent years.
I liked The Outback's inviting atmosphere and student involvement when I was a student there in the late 2000s, and we'll miss it for sure, but hopefully an alternate spot for events and concerts is made or moved at some point in the future for Sault College students & general fans alike! As a result, I've deleted The Outback from our Sault Ontario venue listings, but if and when new metal shows of any kind hit Sault College, I'll be sure to let you guys know!
That's all for tonight, but I'll see you guys at Bossy's & The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW for Tym Morrison and Sneaky Pete! Thanks everyone!
One more post before I head to Detroit this weekend for some family stuff, so fair warning that posts may come slowly this weekend depending on my busyness. So today, we have previews of this weekend's known metal concerts, news on a local solo project and some lineup changes in an area band, plus a band deletion. So let's begin with your local concert previews for this weekend!
All of the metal/hard rock shows this weekend that I know of are in Sault Ontario, and we'll start with Turner Up, who return to the stage once again this weekend for a pair of shows at Foggy Notions! The local classic hard rock cover quintet return there tomorrow night and Saturday night for two more concert sets, both of which are taking place at 10:30 PM. Both shows will have a likely $3 cover, as is the typical Foggy's policy, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! So if you wanna be taken "back to school" by Turner Up this weekend, Foggy's is the place to be tomorrow and Saturday! Should be fun, sucks that I can't make it this time around! Click the above links for more, and here for a video of Turner Up covering Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be"!
Meanwhile, Saturday night marks a notable return for a local band, as Caveman Morrison make their return to the live stage for just the second time since April! This time however, they'll be playing at a rather unique show, as they play support to... a hypnotist? Yes, they'll be directly supporting Tony Lee, XXX Hypnotist on Saturday night at The Outback at one of Sault College's Frosh week events! Click the above link for more on his work, which is entertaining but certainly not family friendly. The XXX was a giveaway, right? As for Caveman Morrison, this is also notable in that it's their debut concert featuring new drummer Johnny Belanger, who replaced Jeff Richards in the band last month. You'll also recognize Johnny from his work in The Bear Hunters, D.O.T.H., and other defunct local bands! By all accounts, the new Caveman lineup is bound to impress, so consider seeing them on Saturday! This show will be at 8:00 PM on Saturday night at The Outback, with Caveman Morrison playing from 8:30 PM until before 10:00 PM, when Tony Lee hits the stage. Tickets are $8 in advance on campus, or $10 at the door.
It is ALL AGES, but I believe that non-students have to come as a guest of a Sault College student and be signed in. If I'm wrong on that, let me know! For more details, visit this location! Sounds like a fun and unique show, and I can't wait to see Tym, Dutch, and Johnny in action! Sadly, it can't be this weekend, but I'll definitely be at Foggy's next weekend to see them when they play two dates then! For a video preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" from a show late last year!
Now to some assorted news stories to cap off this post, and we'll start with significant lineup changes in a Sault Michigan metal band. It was announced on Monday that local progressive metal band Hammerspace have parted ways with singer Logan Reed and bassist Tim Padoba. According to a posting on the band's MySpace blog, Hammerspace let Logan go due to "style differences", and guitarist John Bergeron will be taking over on vocals full time for the band. It was added that Tim quit Hammerspace, apparently from thoughts about a less than ideal practice schedule. So the band is now comprised of John Bergeron on vocals and guitar, fellow guitarist Justin Smith, and former Bent Rollercoaster drummer Paul Burns, with a search now ongoing to find a new bassist. Shame to see Logan and Tim gone, but hey, hopefully this change is for the better! They're a solid band, and here's hoping they're back gigging real soon! For more information, and/or if you know of any available bassists interested in joining or trying out for Hammerspace, head to the above links!
Finally, here's a note from a local solo project that we've been following for a while now! Remember, I try to pay attention to local solo metal artists who treat their solo work as an actual musical project rather than just demos and fiddling around as such. That being said, remember April Eyes, the solo band from Bear Hunters/Lorax/Eyes Set Fire guitarist Mitch Sirie? Well, he's made some updates concerning his solo work, so here's what you should know! Firstly, he's changed the name of his solo stuff again, now calling it Animas. I still think By The Gods was the best name he had, but hey, to each their own! That being said, Animas have a new solo song on their MySpace page, named "Fall"! It's an acoustic instrumental, but it's well played, and shows that he can play other stuff effectively! Check it our at the above links and see what you think, but remember, if you want something heavy, the other two songs on his page bring it, so check them out too! Lots of potential here, fingers crossed that Mitch and Animas have more in the works!
And to cap today's post, just a housecleaning note concerning a removal from our band listings on the SMS. I deleted the MySpace page for Sault Michigan metal band Dillusional Greed earlier today, after the page quietly had all band information erased from it, or made private. The band was just a solo project to my knowledge, but had been around since at least June 2007, and had some bio info and possibly an audio track. I looked for a replacement page for Dillusional Greed but couldn't find one, so I opted to remove their page from the SMS, but if I find a new page for them, I'll surely re-add it!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for news as it comes in, and if I come across some notable news while in Detroit, I'll make sure you guys get it! Stay tuned, and I'll be back home on Sunday!
Another packed news post today, as we discuss the newest "Woods V" updates and the drummer changeover in TWO local hard rock bands, but first, here are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (Check the post below this one for our third, and likely final, Kiss Concert Video Showcase!)
(UPDATED: 12:31 PM Wednesday) Turner Up have booked two more short notice concerts! This time, the local classic hard rock quintet will make their way to Foggy Notions for on Friday and Saturday night! This time, they'll be at 10:30 PM with a likely cover charge of $3, and as usual, they will be a 19+ affair. So in other words, there are typical shows for Turner Up, so your drawing pull for this show is to enjoy some live rock music! Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page, and again, sorry for the short notice, I only just heard about these shows yesterday. Should be fun, and if you've been waiting to hear the Brent Royer-fronted lineup of Turner Up online before checking them out live, here's your chance! Bassist Jeff Gray has uploaded a video taken of the band (with Brent) onto his personal Facebook page from a recent concert at The Rockstar Bar! This one features Turner Up covering (oddly enough) Gavin DeGraw's song "I Don't Wanna Be", a.k.a. the theme song of "One Tree Hill"! I can't embed Facebook videos here, but check it out, they make the song heavier and Brent shows some good singing! Click here to do just that, and I'll keep you posted with more updates!
Next up, we have more new dates from local metal trio Caveman Morrison! Coming off their debut show with Browbeat's Dutch Vanderploeg at The Vibe Lounge, the band have scheduled three dates for next month! They'll first hit the stage on September 11th at a different venue AND show than we typically hear about, as they will be the opening band for Tony Lee, XXX Hypnotist at a Sault College Frosh Week event at The Outback! Aside from the uniqueness of the show, this will be their first show with their new drummer, which I will have information on in a second. Interesting to see a metal band opening for a hypnotist, but hey, this will expand Caveman Morrison's reach even further! Also, Tony Lee's a good (and funny) hypnotist, but believe me, the "XXX" is warranted, so if you're easily offended, take note. Caveman Morrison start at 8:30 PM that night, with Tony Lee at 10:00 PM, it's absolutely 19+, and I believe Sault College students either get free admission or a discount. I'm not entirely sure, but when I heard verified info, I'll tell you guys! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page!
The other new Caveman Morrison shows are a week after their Sault College set, as they return to familiar surroundings at Foggy Notions! They'll play two sets there on September 17th and 18th, the Friday and Saturday of that weekend, both of which have a likely $3 cover charge and 10:00 PM start times! If you don't want to risk any "non student" issues at Sault College, and just want to relax with a beer and check out some great music, the weekend after will have you covered, as Caveman Morrison break out their familiar and awesome brand of metal! I think I might just hit these shows that weekend, I'm LONG overdue to see Caveman Morrison live! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page, and check the above links for much more on the band and both shows!
Now, a major lineup change that impacts TWO local bands, as both Caveman Morrison and Frightlight have parted ways with drummer Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards. The reason behind Jeff's exit from both bands is that he's moving to Barrie, reportedly for work-related reasons. Jeff had been with Caveman Morrison since the band relaunched locally last summer, replacing Greg Sutherland behind the drumkit. He played with Caveman Morrison frequently, and also contributed vocals on select songs, notably on Tragically Hip covers. Jeff later replaced Larry Mousseau in Frightlight earlier this year, and will appear on Frightlight's upcoming debut album, "It's A...Live!!" It really sucks to see Jeff leave both bands, he was a very good drummer and added a nice dimension to them both, but hey, life happens, and you gotta pay the bills somehow! Both bands have quickly found replacements though, so there'll be no worries on that front!
Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce confirmed on their Facebook group that another Jeff has taken the drum position in the band, that being former Strictly Classified drummer Jeff De Rose! I've heard good things about him, we'll have to see how he does with the new band! As for Caveman Morrison, the band haven't made a public announcement concerning a new drummer yet, but I can confirm that one has been selected! Their new drummer is Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Lowrie/Belanger, who you'll also likely recognize for his work in Devastation of the Heavens, among other defunct bands. This can be confirmed at his personal Facebook page, and he debuts with Caveman Morrison on September 11th, so keep an eye on that!
Finally today, we have new Woods of Ypres videos! Yes, there's more from them as they near the conclusion of the "Woods V" sessions, of which the vocal recording has just recently started! This is an in-studio preview video of "Woods V" from Stereo Soul Studios featuring instrumental previews of all five songs, as uploaded on frontman David Gold's YouTube channel! The first two songs and the last one are basically filmed footage of the computers with the songs playing in the background, but the third and fourth feature frontman David Gold playing along on his guitar with his t-shirt tied around his head! Must have been hot that day. I REALLY like how the fourth song is coming along, while the last one sure sounds ominous and dark, probably perfect giving the finality of this album. Good stuff, check it out below! Also note that there's a second in-studio preview clip on his channel, which you can check out at this location, but it's part of the longer full preview video below.
That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more very soon, including (finally) the new Barking Eye articles, weekend concert previews, new Kiss videos (I have at least one more), and lots of other stories! Also, make note that this past month's SMS poll ends on FRIDAY! I know I said the 18th the last time I mentioned it, but I forgot that I pledged to give this poll an even 30 days thanks to last month's computer issues, so it won't be up tomorrow. Stay tuned!
How's everyone doing on this Sunday afternoon? I was at The Tyler Yuke Memorial Night at The Outback yesterday for Sykotyk Rampage's headlining performance, so I have a review of that coming up, along with a couple of assorted stories! But first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!
We still don't have a rescheduled date for their fundraiser show in Garden River, but Garden of Bedlam do have another show on the horizon! On April 2nd, it will indeed be a Good Friday as Garden of Bedlam perform at The Canadian Nightclub! This show will be a launch party for their official website, which is now online at www.gardenofbedlam.com! It was created by Melissa McMaster at 3Design Elements, and it looks pretty good! Lots of pictures, bio info, nice page design, and their first E.P. is streamable there too! It may already be online, but the official launch party will be on Good Friday, so save your celebrations until then! This concert will have an opening band to be announced, with Crank Sound Distribution handling the sound and The Rad Zone will also be on hand to sell band merchandise! A cover charge has yet to be announced, and a start time of 11:00 PM is given. The Facebook event page says that this will be their last show in Sault Ste. Marie before hitting the studio, so you'll wanna be out for this one! Confirm your attendance at this location!
Pencil me in for this show, I missed their last concert at Foggy's, I need my Garden of Bedlam fix! I'll keep you posted with any updates I have on this show, and if I find anything out about the rescheduling for their fundraiser in Garden River, I'll have that as well!
And now, here's my review of The Tyler Yuke Memorial Night featuring Sykotyk Rampage! As you may know, these are held yearly at The Outback at Sault College in memory of former Sault College student Tyler Yuke, who tragically died in 2002. Luckily there was little hassle to get in compared to other Outback shows I've been to, and when I arrived, there was a huge crowd, the largest I've seen there since the Gob concert! Now prior to my arrival, internet ads for this show had it starting at 8:00 PM with Sykotyk Rampage playing at 10:00 PM. I arrived a little before 10:00, and Sykotyk Rampage didn't play until closer to 1:30 AM! That's not the band's fault though, I'll get into that. When I got there, Sault College teacher Jerry Zuchlinski led a huge group of many of the night's performers in a group tribute song, which went over well. Jerry became the night's MC, introducing us to acts, talking about Tyler, and even telling a dirty joke!
I knew going in that there would be tons of open mic performers before Sykotyk Rampage stepped on stage, but there was a LOT more than I expected! And with no internet announcements of a performer lineup, I had no clue what to expect (I never did before either, Sault College have never announced performers for the Tyler Yuke memorials.) That being said, I couldn't tell you the names of the majority of the musicians who performed. My apologies if I mis-state anything here!
After the group song, there was a bagpipe player, followed by a solo performance from Tyler Yuke's dad, which was cool! Then there was sort of a drum circle kind of deal with some college students (my buddy Mike among them), followed by two separate solo singer/guitarists. Most of the acts performing had a sort of indie/acoustic sound to them, which definitely isn't my cup of tea, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it! I could tell that things were running overtime, other people were remarking that it was long and some performers said on stage that they had to cut down their sets. After the two solo performers, I got a surprise in the form of former Quite Frankly frontwoman Jacky Alisat! She and guitarist Adam Bertrand player three songs, none "metal", but I really enjoyed their set! I never saw Quite Frankly when Jacky sang, but I saw online videos and was very impressed! She's got a hell of a voice, and she shown it last night, even on an Animals song! Hopefully she gets back into a band again soon!
Then it went back to the indie-folksy stuff, with a trio of students with some guests performing more of that kind of stuff. The crowd, again, did seem to be having fun, but this stuff isn't something I'd typically see on a normal day. Following them was two singer/guitarists, one of which had a Zakk Wylde custom Gibson Les Paul! And being a Zakk Wylde fan, that got my attention! They covered the Ozzy Osbourne song "Mama I'm Coming Home", and to be completely honest, they were better than the sound guys had it sound. I don't know what the deal was, but there was feedback on the guitar and the tone of it sounded off and slightly muffled. And I can tell it wasn't their fault cause the guy with the Zakk Wylde guitar pretty much nailed it, he deserved better! The singer had kind of a softer voice, I don't think it matched as well for that kind of song. I liked them, but the sound was an impairment. They followed that with another song, after which another guitarist joined them to play some softer stuff, which I wasn't feeling as much.
Two more indie bands followed, and I don't know if it was just my metalhead nature, the length the open mic bands took, or both, but I wasn't feeling either band too much. Don't get me wrong, they were good for their style, they really were! The second band had the singer also playing a violin, which was unexpected, and they had some good covers going! But I dunno, it just started really dragging by this point for me. The bands played a song, then spent a few minutes fiddling with their instruments and talking to the crowd casually. This was well after midnight at this point, and the crowd had slowly been clearing out all night, it just went on and on and on. When the second band finished, the crowd that was left cheered enthusiastically and asked for an encore. This was around 1:00 AM at this point, and I think the organizers said they couldn't, what with the bar closing at 2:00 AM and all.
Finally, things started to pick up when Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan and former Time of Ruin guitarist Rich Moreland took the stage as "7th Edition" for a two song set (which, as they pointed out to me, would have been longer had things not been behind schedule.) They're one and the same as the previously announced "6th Edition" in a sense. Brian's in both bands, but Rich stepped in for the other half of the band, who just moved to London yesterday. They covered Alice In Chains' "Your Decision" and Pantera's "Cemetery Gates", with Rich and Brian both on guitar, and Brian on vocals. "Your Decision" worked pretty well, Brian has a decent singing voice, it's a wonder he never gets a singing part on a Sykotyk Rampage album! And it really is cool seeing Rich on stage again, it feels like forever since I last saw him with a guitar in hand! "Cemetery Gates" didn't work as well for me, it felt like they changed the arrangement too much to have it suit the acoustic instruments and Brian's vocal range. It wasn't bad though, but if I was picking a Pantera song for them to do, I think "Planet Caravan" might have worked better. Still, I enjoyed their two songs, it was a welcome break from the mostly indie stuff we'd heard until then!
And then, finally, after 3 1/2 hours of waiting, Sykotyk Rampagefinally took the stage, and by this point, the crowd was just awful in size. Had the show ran on schedule with Sykotyk Rampage playing at 10:00 like previously announced (hell, even at midnight), they'd have had a huge receptive crowd! Now it was just the devoted fans who didn't mind staying up til 2 in the morning. At least they delivered a fun half hour of harsh music for harsh minds for the remainder of us! They played a handful of their classics, like "Treating You Bad", "Drinking On The Weekend", and "Red Ball Jet", with their typical high energy! Paul Becker still sounded as uniquely good as ever on vocals, Brian Cattapan jumped around on-stage with lots of energy and enthusiasm, and the whole band just seemed to be having as much fun as they could with the time the other bands left for them! Given the circumstances, I can't criticize Sykotyk Rampage at all, they performed as well as I would expect them given the time and set length!
So how about my overall thoughts? Well, let me start by saying this: I hate being too critical. I never want to outright say that something sucks or I hated this or wanted to leave during that, that's unfair to the performers and organizers and their talent. But I have to be honest, I wasn't having a lot of fun at parts of this show. This is NOT the bands' fault, they all had visible talent, some were quite impressive! But for a guy who doesn't listen to much indie, folk, or acoustic music, it just got draining after a while. We were under the impression that it all started at 8:00 with open mic stuff, then Sykotyk Rampage would play at 10:00 PM like Facebook said. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be watching open mic for 3 1/2 hours before the headliners got on stage. I was remarking to people I knew that it felt like being at Hempfest without the hemp. Again, this isn't the bands' fault, remember, this isn't my style of music or my typical crowd. It's more the organization of it all. I've never been terribly impressed with how the college handle concerts. Often, the sound needs work (at points last night, it was bad), I had sound complaints at Sykotyk Rampage's show there in October. And I don't know why the show ran behind schedule so much, but they should have been on top of that to give each band their proper times and proper lengths. At least this time, they weren't so restrictive on the entry of non-students!
But above all else, this show accomplished what it set out to, to pay tribute to Tyler Yuke's memory and have some fun showcasing college talent, and it did just that! The crowd that came out enjoyed it, well, what they saw, and when it comes down to it, it'd have been more enjoyable without changing the performers if they'd just managed the schedule and band performances better so that nothing ran later than it should have. Yeah, I admit the bands were mostly not my cup of tea, but this wasn't advertised as a metal show, and I fully expected stuff I wouldn't typically listen to. It just was worse because it dragged on and on into the night. There were some great acts, like the duo who covered Ozzy, and Jacky Alisat's set, and of course, 7th Edition and Sykotyk Rampage, who completely made the wait worth it at the end! It was all in all, a good and effective memorial show, it accomplished what it wanted, but it just ran way too long and needed better organization.
To close today's post, videos! I got two videos last night, of 7th Edition covering "Cemetery Gates" and Sykotyk Rampage paying tribute to Johnny Cash with their original "Called In Dead"! Check them out below!
This post has ran longer than I thought, so I'll leave it there for now, but I have lots of news coming soon, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone! And no offense meant for any negative comments!
Greetings metalheads! The weekend's almost upon us, and as usual, there's concerts to preview! Four in fact (remember, the Garden of Bedlam fundraiser is postponed, details in yesterday's post), so I'll tell you what you need to know about this weekend's metal concert schedule! And then, it's poll time, we'll discuss the results of last month's poll and go over this month's! But now, let's start with the weekend previews!
As I first told you guys about yesterday on short notice, local hard rock cover band Turner Up will be back at The Nicolet Tavern for the second straight weekend tomorrow night and Saturday night! Last weekend's set went over so well, they're back already, so you know they must do an entertaining show! Full of talented local music veterans, expect a great night of your favourite covers this weekend! I believe both shows have a start time of 9:30 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and I'd assume there's a 19+ age limit. For full details and to confirm your attendance, visit the official Facebook event page! And if you miss them this weekend, just head to Foggy Notions on Wednesdays to check out Turner Up at weekly jam nights! But this is a proper full concert set, so make sure to consider it! Check out more from Turner Up at their official Facebook group! No video or audio to share yet, hopefully I will soon!
Then on Saturday, get ready for some original crash music from the original crash band! Sykotyk Rampage will hit The Outback at Sault College for their first non-battle of the bands performance since October when they headline this year's Tyler Yuke Memorial Night concert! These have been held in honour of Tyler's memory since 2003 when he tragically died, and his former campus has paid tribute to him ever since! Usually we don't hear about the lineups at the Tyler Yuke Memorial shows, but this time, Sykotyk Rampage are the announced headliners, so get your rocking shoes on! I also understand that there will be open mic performances before Sykotyk Rampage take the stage, which are a common custom at these events. Should be some good stuff there too! Another band named "6th Edition" is credited on the Facebook event page, but I have never heard of them, can anyone help? The festivities start at 8:00 PM, but Sykotyk Rampage have an announced start time for their set at 10:00 PM. I haven't seen any of the "You must be a student or be signed in by a student" rules, so that little inconvenience may not be a problem this time! There is a cover charge by donation to the Sault College music chapter, and it actually IS an all ages show!
Should be a fun show, the unique experience that is Sykotyk Rampage is back for another fun concert, though hopefully the sound's working better than it was at the October show. With the Garden of Bedlam postponement, I'm considering heading to The Outback on Saturday for this one instead, and hopefully some of you guys can make it out too! Confirm your attendance at this location, check out more from Sykotyk Rampage on SoundClick, and for a preview, here's one of the band's videos for the song "Called In Dead" live at the Scotties Tournament/Sault College Battle from last month!
And this leads us to Monday, for a major concert that, though not a "metal concert" on the surface, does count, and I'll explain why. This show is more of a punk show than anything, and a big one at that, as Juno winning Mississauga punk rockers Billy Talent will be headlining at The Essar Center! But what makes this show metal? The Cancer Bats, that's what! A popular metalcore band from Toronto, they're the first band playing on Monday night, in support of Billy Talent, St. Catharines screamo band Alexisonfire, and Florida punk rockers Against Me! All three of those bands have huge followings, especially Billy Talent, best known for hit songs like "Try Honesty" and "Rusted From The Rain"! But of course, as this is The Sault Metal Scene, we must give the metal band it's due! This is actually The Cancer Bats' second show in Sault Ontario, playing here with The Chintzy Slicks way back on June 23, 2006, at The Speakeasy! They're currently touring in support of their upcoming studio album "Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones", and should bring a good onslaught of metalcore to open the show on Monday!
So, how can you get tickets? Well, you can still order them online from The Essar Center's website or LiveNation, click here for all ordering details! Or just click here, might be easier! You can also buy them at The Essar Center's box office, or by calling 1-866-775-9422. All tickets, floor or not, are $42.50, and if that seems steep, keep in mind the bands you're getting combined! And we've had lesser shows priced higher, so it could be worse. Doors open kinda early, at 5:45 PM on Monday, with The Cancer Bats kicking off the show at 6:45 PM! If you're into punk rock and screamo, you'll wanna be at The Essar Center on Monday night! And hopefully, if you're a metalhead as well, The Cancer Bats will bust out some heavy stuff to open the show! I'm not big on the three other bands, so I won't be there, but I hope it's a huge success! For a preview, here's The Cancer Bats' newest video, for their Beastie Boys cover "Sabotage"!
And now, it's poll time! Since today is the 18th of the month, it's time to close last month's poll, discuss the results, and launch the newest poll! As you may recall, last month's question was "What was your favourite metal concert in Sault Ontario in 2009?" Only 46 votes, which isn't bad, though I was hoping we'd crack 70 again. Because there's a ton of choices, I'll just list the results, then go over them quickly afterwards, and here they are!
Frightlight & Half Past at Coch's Corner, October 31 (13 votes, 28%) Kiss Battle of the Bands at The Canadian, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 (5 votes, 11%) Lion Ride at The Rockstar Bar, December 27 (5 votes, 11%) Cattle Decapitation at The Oddfellows Hall, April 12th (3 votes, 7%) Caveman Morrison at various venues, December (3 votes, 7%) Sense of Truth at Foggy Notions, December 18 (3 votes, 7%) Detroit & Destroilet at Coch's Corner, December 29 (3 votes, 7%) YMCA Battle of the Bands at The Grand Theater, March 20 (2 votes, 4%) Garden of Bedlam at The Canadian Nightclub, July 3 (2 votes, 4%) Garden of Bedlam at The Canadian Nightclub, October 17 (2 votes, 4%) Other (2 votes, 4%) Ministry of Zen & Fingerbone at Coch's Corner, January 24 (1 vote, 2%) Upheaval of an Exorcist at The Oddfellows Hall, October 30 (1 vote, 2%) Garden of Bedlam at Madison's Pub, December 5 (1 vote, 2%) Blessed By A Broken Heart at The Oddfellows Hall, Jan. 9 (0 votes) Who Made Who at The Canadian Nightclub, May 15 (0 votes) Today I Caught The Plague at Oddfellows Hall, June 11 (0 votes) Woods of Ypres & Inflict at The Speakeasy, August 16 (0 votes) Lion Ride at Coch's Corner, August 28 (0 votes) Ultraviolence at Coch's Corner, September 3 (0 votes) Grady & Domenica at The Canadian Nightclub, October 25 (0 votes)
Well to start, a few of the concerts that got no votes really surprised me, especially the Woods of Ypres show! NO ONE picked it? Very odd. I also find the fact that Ministry of Zen only getting one vote is odd too when you consider that people voted that as their favourite show in the first half of 2009 on the SMS poll in July! The rest of the choices with one or no votes I can at least understand to varying degrees. For the choices with two votes, I'm glad that "Other" is low, so I know people approved of my choices, and I find it strange that Garden of Bedlam-headlined concerts didn't individually do too well, but if you combine them all, it'd be near the top. Nothing above that really surprises me, except for first place: Frightlight, Half Past, and Glamoween at Coch's Corner from Halloween! If you'd have asked me to place a bet on what show would win, I'd have said the Kiss Battle, but wow! 13 votes came in for that, I suppose horror-influenced punk/metal and the return of Half Past won a lot of support! I missed the show too, damnit! Also, just another observation: Of all the shows with 3 or more votes, only one (Cattle Decapitation) took place earlier than October. Was the concert quality better later in the year, or were they just fresh in our minds? Things to think about!
So now it's time for a new poll, and for the first time in 2010, we have a question not relating to the best "something" of 2009! This time, we're dipping into recent events, mostly the local FM radio situation. A lot of you guys are probably still disappointed that we lost The Bear, and now that it's gone, we have just one local rock station, Rock 101...well, two if you count when WLSO airs metal....and maybe three if your radio is strong enough to pick up Real Rock 105.1 out of Cheboygan. You get my point though, FM radio in Sault Ste. Marie has a lot less variety and choice for the rock lover now that we have one less rock station. I'm among you guys who'd like to see something new or changed in the area to bring back what is missed, but what should be done? I pose this question: What would you like to see happen in the local FM rock radio scene? Here are your choices!
(Note: None of the choices involve format changes to existing stations. I don't want drastic changes to what we have, that'd piss off a lot of people in itself. So if you wanna say "OMG I WANT Q104 TO BE A DEATH METAL STATION", vote for "Other". Also, "a new active rock station" isn't a choice because we have one, Rock 101, and it works just fine!)
A new classic rock station: After all, we lost a classic rock station when our Bear station, WIHC in Newberry, wasn't purchased by Sovereign Communications, so a whole radio format disappeared from the area. Classic rock fans would no doubt like to see a classic rock station of some type here again, and some probably think Rock 101 airs too much new stuff anyway. Would you like this to occur at some point?
A new modern rock station: We're talking new stuff here, rock from the past 10-15 years. We used to be able to sometimes pick up a modern rock station here, WLJZ 94.5 out of Mackinac City, which simulcast Northern Michigan's Modern Rock, The Zone, from 2000-2006. Then the guys in Mackinac abandoned the simulcast to launch a variety station, which annoyed me. And I'm sure some modern rock fans think Rock 101 airs too much classic stuff. But is there a market for a rock station catered to younger fans for just recent stuff in the area? Would it be more successful than a new classic rock station?
A rock station in Sault Ontario: Do you know that we only have two FM radio stations fully based out of Sault Ontario that air mostly music? Just Q104 and EZ Rock, and no, I don't count EZ Rock as a "rock" station like we mean here. We used to have more stations on AM, but those got shut down in 1992. I don't think we've ever had a full "rock" station on FM radio in Sault Ontario, wouldn't you say we're overdue? It'd give more locals some jobs, and it's give Canadian bands much needed exposure! And of course, it'd be variety! What do you guys think?
An AM radio rock station: Is it cheating to include AM as a choice for what do about FM radio? Maybe, but most radios pick up AM reception, so it counts! Remember, AM radio isn't just for tourism and talk programs, we do have AM music stations (WNBY 1450 AM airs classic country, for example.) We only have 4 AM stations, and there's plenty of open space for a rock station there, even if it isn't as convenient or clear as FM. Some of you had no problem with CKCY and CFYN on AM way back, I'm sure us younglings could manage! Would you prefer this?
Simulcast an existing station: ...Or in easier terms, air what some other Michigan/Ontario station airs, like how MCTV in the Sault simulcasts what Sudbury produces. This is not a foreign concept, The Bear was part of a simulcast, as are numerous existing local stations (CBC Radio One, for example.) It would be cheaper than actually starting a brand new station, I assume, though there admittedly wouldn't be much of a local connection compared to something actually based here. What do you guys think of simulcasting a station?
Bring back The Bear: Ah yes, there's lots of sentiment for this idea, especially in the aftermath of the local radio buyout stuff. Lots of us miss The Bear, Bob & Tom, Alice Cooper, and the great classic rock! It still lives on in Glen Arbor and Cadillac, so we're left out in the cold now. Essentially, this is the same choice as simulcasting, but this would be having a new company get the rights to simulcast The Bear up here once again. Unlikely, but you never know! I'm for it, is this what you guys would want? Or is there a better option?
More rock music on WLSO: Admittedly, this is an idea that will likely differ all the time, as WLSO, a college radio station, has programming schedule changes every semester thanks to the student-programmed blocks and shows. The Sounds of Lake State airs some real good stuff if you tune in at the right time, lots of more obscure and underground metal bands depending on the time you turn your dial to 90.1 FM, but it's mostly a variety of music and talk programs. A rock-centric format is unlikely as long as WLSO lets students choose the programming (which I completely support), but if WLSO played it more, would it be more of a suitable change/alternative?
Move Energy Rock Radio to FM radio: If you count internet radio with FM and AM, then Sault Ontario DOES have a rock radio station, and it's Energy Rock Radio! Ryan McQueen and the guys over there have done a great job with ERR, awesome playlists and fan interaction, I highly recommend you listen! A move to FM seems unlikely, especially with likely costs and rules and what-have-you, but if you're an Energy Rock Radio fan, wouldn't it be cool to just turn the dial to listen to it when you can't get to a computer?
Take the Hounds games off of Rock 101: The Sault's Rock Station is by far my favourite local station, it has been for years! And now, it's the only station we have where the odds are good that you'll get hard rock when you tune in. However, thanks to their airing of Soo Greyhounds games, we lose over 200 hours of time that used to feature music, and that doesn't count The Denny Lambert Show. I remember when Rock 101 acquired the Greyhounds radio rights from Q104, many friends of mine were pissed about that. I don't mind as much, though I do prefer to actually watch the games, but with few options for other rock stations to flip to during the game, what's a rock/metal lover to do? Would you pick this choice?
I'm happy with what we have currently: Are you in the boat that's just fine with Rock 101 alone? Is WLSO a good enough second choice, when something good comes on? Don't really miss The Bear at all? Or are you a devoted fan of some non-rock station? Vote here!
Ah, so none of this affects you. If you're the type that would rather listen to CDs, mp3s, satellite radio, cassettes, vinyls, 8-tracks, or nothing at all, vote here!
Other: Did I miss something you'd prefer to see happen in the local rock scene? Vote for it here!
VOTE TODAY!!! This will be really interesting to see what you guys would want out of the local FM rock radio situation, because we really could use something to give the area more variety and choices in the rock we listen to! That's all for now, I'll be back with news and updates soon, hopefully!
Now the SMS is back in the full swing of things, I'd say! Today, we'll get to lots more stuff that I missed during my Detroit trip! Lots of cool stuff to get to, including some new local metal-related videos, but first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!
Sykotyk Rampage have scheduled another upcoming local concert! This time, they'll be back at The Outback at Sault College on March 20th! It will be their first show at The Outback since October, and their first set of any kind since their podium finish at the Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Hearts Battle of the Bands last month! But this show isn't just to enjoy some live music, as it's the 8th annual Tyler Yuke Memorial Night. Tyler Yuke was a 21 year old Sault College student who suddenly died from a fall in Gros Cap in April 2003, and ever since, the college has held memorial concerts or open mic nights in his honour. There's a nice online memoriam to Tyler online that you can check out here! It's great to see Sault College continue to remember Tyler all these years later, I remember hearing about the memorial shows when I went there, but I rarely heard what bands were playing. Nice to know this time, and it's a metal band to boot!
Sykotyk Rampage are scheduled to take the stage at 10:00 PM on March 20th, with a yet-to-be-announced cover charge going to the Sault College Music Chapter. No potential student restrictions have been announced. So whether you wanna enjoy harsh music for harsh minds, remember Tyler's memory, or both, this show should deliver the goods! I'll keep you guys posted with updates! Confirm your attendance for this show at this location!
Next up, it looks like we can confirm the worst about the fate of one of our few local rock stations. It appears that in late February, 97.9 Classic Rock, The Bear shut down. It looks like February 23rd was the last day that The Bear was operating. I can't verify if The Bear's sister stations in Cheboygan, Traverse City, and Cadillac shut down too, but for what it's worth, they're all under the same ownership. No official announcement has been made about the shutdown, but I have tried to listen to 97.9 FM since I heard the news, and sadly, it only picks up static or faint mixed signals from an unrelated station. The writing was on the wall for this, with Sovereign Communications not buying The Bear in their station purchase from Northern Star Broadcasting, and Northern Star's apparent plans to exit the radio industry. But part of me was hoping that someone, anyone, would buy all four of The Bear's stations and at least make use of them somehow. The music was always solid, the DJing was great, and fans of Bob & Tom In The Morning and Nights With Alice Cooper will surely be disappointed. Plus, now we're down to just two FM radio stations that air hard rock/metal (Rock 101 and WLSO sometimes.)
This just sucks, hopefully someday in the near future, we'll get another rock station up here, we need the variety! The link for The Bear's website has been moved to the Other Local Metal Links as well. R.I.P. Bear, we'll miss you!
OK, happier news now! As you may remember, Pop Evil and three other bands rocked out at Kewadin Casino this past Saturday in memory of Kim Rogers and Kelsey Raffaele, and from what I've heard, it was a huge success! Scott Brand from The Soo Evening News posted an article about the show at this location! Promoter Dave Atkinson believes that the show raised more than $14,000, which will go towards scholarships in Kim and Kelsey's names! More than 1,600 concertgoers showed up, most of them area high schoolers who received donated tickets purchased elsewhere, and the concert was indeed sold out as a result! Also, the bands played free or at reduced prices, which is a nice gesture! Now by all accounts, it looks like the attendees had lots of fun, and we can get a glimpse of what we missed, thanks to YouTube! Although I can't find a video of Graveyard Tan from the concert, I have found video of every other band! Going in performance order from Saturday, here's video of Nixxon Dixxon performing their original "One Shot Woman", Evans Blue performing their song "A Step Back", and Pop Evil playing an acoustic rendition of their song "Hey Mister"! (Thanks to myangels1266, KrisJamieson09, and KFNightFire23 for the uploads!)
Also, as it turns out, Nixxon Dixxon DID play at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino on February 27th too, hitting the stage there after opening the Pop Evil show! I didn't figure they'd pull double duty, but hey, we all make mistakes! I bet it was a good show! My apologies!
And finally for today, more video has surfaced from Bring The Fallen's Algoma Hope4Haiti show at Nite-Life Dance Club! Nine minutes of hard hitting death metal here, nice to get so much in a clip! I like the video and audio quality, especially the fact that this person's camera let him/her zoom mid-video, mine can't. Check it out below, and thanks to YouTube user flightmaster for the upload! Great stuff!
I think we're mostly caught up on local metal news I missed now, maybe a few scattered things to get to that I haven't seen yet, but I'll find them! I'll have more news and updates before you all know it!
Frightlight are back! The local horror punk/metal standouts will end a 7 month concert hiatus in just under two weeks when they open for Montreal psychobilly quartet The Brains on Tuesday, May 28th at The Rockstar Bar! Frightlight's energetic and always fun sound has been missed since the Halloween season, but with everyone back in town (I assume), hopefully Frightlight shakes off the stage rust and delivers a frightfully good set in what may be their first ever set at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar! The Brains themselves are local favourites that were just seen at The Rockstar Bar last week at a very well received punk concert, and promoter/Frightlight frontman Johnny Pints is bringing them back for another go-round, so fans of their punk and rockabilly hybrid should be right at home once again! The other opening band will be local punk trio Redundant, who'll open for The Brains once again with their own entertaining mix of covers, originals, and banter, so don't miss them either come the 28th! This 19+ concert has an advertised 9:00 PM start time, and there's a $5 cover charge.
Next up, the annual registration period for the ninth annual Tenaris Second Stage at this year's Rotaryfest is coming up on July 19th & 20th, and as usual, YOUR BAND can enter! Of course, this is the outdoor concert stage on Queen Street East outside of The Grand Theater, which traditionally hosts local original talent and out-of-town indie bands during our local summer festival, and though metal & hard rock hasn't always been featured, bands like Gates of Winter, Stillbroke, Garden of Bedlam, and Sailor's Tongue have all played the Second Stage since it's 2005 inception. As originally announced last week on SooToday (apologies for the late mention on here), you have until May 31st (two weeks from Friday) to submit applications to be considered for a slot at this year's Rotaryfest Second Stage, so how can you do that? To register online, visit this location and, in the given forms, provide your name, e-mail address, and phone number, and your band's name, biography, performance history, websites, at least one band photo, and a sample of your music.
We'll close today with new videos, starting with new videos from Haggith drummer/local solo musician Mike Haggith, who's launched a new YouTube channel! He already has one, but he's aiming to either replace or succeed it as part of a rebranding project according to his solo project's Facebook page yesterday, which is a good idea given that his older channel isn't under his name. He plans to upload full albums of his onto the new channel, albeit with songs as single video uploads rather than together as one video, and his newest CD "The Present Din" has already been uploaded in said format, with more likely to come. The other videos are brand new to YouTube (as far as I can tell), and they're of Mike playing solo songs at (I assume) open mic nights at Sault College's former bar/venue The Outback over 2 years ago! Likely among the first live sets Mike played in town, two are of Mike playing his original songs "Trinity" & "Hot Summer Sun" in February 2011 (there was more filmed that night, but the rest was lost during processing.)
Finally for today, local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore uploaded their second demo "Fetel Pig Dissection" ("Fetel" intentionally misspelled) onto their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Friday! It's in two parts (click here and here for each), and if you like their past work, this should be just as appealing, though it's still very much an acquired taste despite some more varied influences. There's more techno & electronic influences, and the heavier parts are definitely brutal, but the pig squeal vocals, recording quality, and somewhat divisive themes will not be universally accepted by listeners. Still, I appreciate what Ringsnaps is doing, even if this isn't my cup of tea, but I'd still like to see him expand the band and take it beyond just releasing solo demos and split discs. As both halves of the album's YouTube upload feature images that some readers may find disturbing, I've embedded only the audio below, but if you're up for some original grind, give Crucify The Whore's second demo a listen!
