LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), A New Video, And Much More!!

After a quiet weekend out of town, we have a new news post for your Sunday evening, so what's within this one? Lots of assorted short stories from the last week or so, but we also have a new video featuring a guitar review, and leading off, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few days!

Prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for three more matinee concert sets TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page earlier today. Tym will hit there for the first time in about a month, keeping with his usual trend of playing Mark's for early week matinees that don't conflict with his similarly timed Gliss shows from Thursdays-Saturdays. As a result, we are approaching the mid-point of a nine show run in just ten nights, and if you're up for some unplugged hard rock favourites in the west end, be at Mark's TOMORROW, TUESDAY, or WEDNESDAY! As usual for Tym's matinee gigs at either restaurant, expect 6:00 PM start times over the next three evenings, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's a new video from prolific local rock guitarist and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel on December 2nd, featuring his review of a unique guitar! The instrument in question is the Seagull Merlin 4, a dulcimer-inspired acoustic guitarwith only four strings. Very folksy, bluegrass-reminscent sound, but it's an intriguing guitar that might be worth a look for guitarists and fans of Mike's music alike, and you can do so below!



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

• I have deleted local music promotion/photography company For The Music Inside from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it's Facebook (and only surviving online) page being taken down at some point in the past 6 months.  Though most of their latter content was from Southern Ontario events, I liked what Joseph and Sean were doing to promote local shows and get great photos therein, and hopefully F.T.M.I. is revived down the road!
• In his first Facebook page posting in over a month, local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary shared a new acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" from his Soundcloud page this past Tuesday! This version is a slower re-arrangement that has some intriguing compromises for it's style, with Mike also confirming that unspecified health issues were to blame for his November break, but new originals and his debut EP are still forthcoming!
• In another deletion from our "Other Local Metal Links", we have also removed inactive local label/recording studio Paperclip Productions due to it's Facebook (and only online) page's deletion in recent months as well. Best known as the independent label and studio for the band Haggith and their side projects in the early-mid 2010s, it is unfortunate to see their last online page taken down, but you can hear much of their output via band pages!
• In one final deletion from that same section, we have also removed what we labelled as "Sault Ste. Marie Concert Archive", which was a results listing of local concerts via Canadian news/entertainment site Canoe prior to their major design overhaul earlier this year, with the concert listing search no longer functioning to my knowledge. It was a great resource, especially when sourcing when certain notable touring bands played here in the pre-Facebook era, and hopefully Canoe restores it in some form!
• Just a belated acknowledgement from our coverage of Sault Michigan-area label Werehold Records' final Friday the 13th music event in October, as cross-Michigan metal project Shatterhand (featuring Werehold founder Jason Mills) have resurfaced via their own YouTube channel! Only one song is there so far ("Faulty", complete with vocals), but whether channel exclusivity, lack of vocals, or another factor are to blame for their removal from Werehold's channel is up for debate. Shatterhand aren't a true local band, but I wanted to acknowledge the missing songs here!
• The planned third installment of J.D. Pearce's seasonal acoustic punk revue X-Mess on December 23rd was cancelled late last month. While the show hadn't publically had a venue confirmed for it, he noted on the Facebook event page that it was primarily cancelled due to "a charity gig" taking place "super close" to it. J.D is likely referring to the second Guy Thiffault tribute concert on December 27th, which he and scheduled performer Lucas Schmiedendorf are both playing with Jack Spades and The HTs respectively. Disappointing on one hand, but the memorial show will be a blast once again, so see above for details on it!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site next, likely tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Redneck Rock Bash), More Weekend Concert Previews, and More Updates!!

Before our review of last night's Id Iota/Pixo Control/Gnaeus concert goes up on the SMS, we have the last of this weekend's concert previews, and it includes a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! We're filling things out with some assorted big updates from some linked local hard rock artists, so here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Five local hard rock and punk bands will join forces for a late notice concert at The Rednecks Saloon TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, word about the event only came via promoter Terry Eaton on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week after the event "just came up", with the lineup only being publically finalized a few days ago. Entitled the "Redneck Rock Bash", the show is basically the sequel to the Rednecks Saloon's relaunch party from earlier this month, wth two bands from that night (alternative hard rock trio The Din and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements) returning to the former Nicolet Tavern for what should be fun sets once again! No word though on if Alex Hagerman will be back behind the drum kit for The Elements. The lineup will also feature modern hard rock quartet Eclipse (in perhaps their last show before their planned quintet expansion), and local punk trio Redundant (in their first show of the year, and perhaps since last summer, pending if they played at the Jason Michaud benefit or not.)

It's great to see Justin, James, and Rick back at last, so don't miss their fun live experience TOMORROW! Opening will be newer local pop/hard rock quartet Heavy Head in their Rednecks debut and first show since last month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands, which is encouraging given their recent online quietness, so hopefully they deliver a big rebound set! This is a FREE concert (albeit 19+) that will start at 9:00 PM, and with this strong lineup of hard and alternative rock, don't bypass the Redneck Rock Bash TOMORROW NIGHT, or it's planned follow-up from the same promoters in June! Here's The Din live!



Next up, here's the last heavier show of the weekend that I can verify (barring anything on extra-late notice), as Montreal thrash metal quintet Reanimator will make their local concert debut THIS SUNDAY NIGHT at The New American Pub! This fast-paced & hard hitting thrash outfit has been melting faces for the past decade, and if you love the modern thrash metal revival, Reanimator should be just what the doctor ordered, so be sure to welcome them to the Soo with open arms on Sunday! Reunited local thrash trio Pillory (in their New A debut) are perfect choices to open with their death/thrash metal hybrid, while goregrind duo Rotopsy will kick things off in their first non-house party show in almost a year, so if you haven't seen either band since their respective returns to the stage, this might be up your alley! Presented by Six, Two, Oh., this is a 19+ concert, a $5 cover charge is in effect on Sunday, and everything is starting at 9:00 PM.

This should be a very entertaining concert for extreme and thrash metal fans, and it's not every day when we get some out of town thrash metal action in our neck of the woods, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on Sunday night's show, and here's Reanimator live! 



We'll close today with new video-related updates from Haggith alumni's current band projects, starting with the latest from the aforementioned Din, who revealed on Monday that they were releasing their first studio single from their forthcoming debut album "Give In To The Din", as per this teaser video. As planned, the full track (a studio version of "In Search Of The Perfect Moment") was posted on the band's YouTube channel on Tuesday, confirming there that the song (and presumably the whole album) is being recorded at the upstart Pretoria Hill Productions with Daniel Schmidt producing. I'm not familiar with either, and this is a bit of a surprise given frontman Mike Haggith's extensive past work with PaperClip Productions and Galactic Records, but the song sounds well produced and mixed! We'll hold on further comment until our likely review of The Din's debut album, but check out "In Search Of The Perfect Moment" below, and don't miss The Din TONIGHT!



We'll close with a new update video from Mike's former Haggith/Din colleague Curtis McKenzie, which he posted onto PaperClip Productions' Facebook page on Tuesday. The black and white video serves to update fans about the current updates and plans from PaperClip-associated artists, so what do we learn in it? Curt started by plugging his classic metal band Project 421's return show next month, before noting that local folk/acoustic solo artist Shit Creek Survivor's album recording sessions are coming along well at PaperClip, though a release date isn't known yet. He next revealed that Mike Haggith's upcoming "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited" re-release (with the early-mid 2015 Din lineup) is "steadily nearing the completion stage", though he doesn't foresee a final release until October. Curtis next noted that his long-gestating solo debut CD is "finally in the engineering stages", but as has been the case in the past year, he didn't give any details on what form and/or sound it will take.

Curtis plugs the ongoing contest on the defunct Haggith's Facebook page next, reminding fans that if their page gets 475 likes, the 475th person will win a Haggith merchandise prize package, and if they hit 500, the band will play a reunion show. For each, they are 60 and 85 likes away as of this writing, and the deadline is May 10th! He finishes by plugging Eclipse's upcoming Rednecks Saloon shows tomorrow (albeit sans The Elements) and on May 20th (though with the incorrect date), and teasing a 4/20 surprise that we'll cover in an upcoming post. Packed and informative, though with slightly muddled audio, so check out the full video below, and stay tuned for more from PaperClip Productions!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of last night's triple header at LopLops Lounge next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Jackyl), Jack Spades On Tuned, And More!!

It's been a few days since we've had a proper news post at the SMS, so let's rectify that this afternoon! Today, we have a new preview video of a local band, a bunch of updates and changes concerning a newer project, and the latest episode of Local2's Tuned webseries, but first, here's a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this summer!

Georgia heavy metal quartet Jackyl will return to our area for a headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Thursday, August 21st! Best known for songs like "Down On Me" and "Push Comes To Shove", this will be their first local stop since headlining at The Essar Centre in May 2008, and their southern rock & AC/DC influenced sound will be great to see again in a couple of months, especially with some expected chainsaw action! Opening for them at this show will be New York glam metal notables Winger, who (I think) will be making their first regional concert appearance at this show. Best known for hits like "Headed For A Heartbreak" and "Seventeen", late 1980s hair metal fans should be right at home with Winger's energetic and talented originals in August! This show has a 7:00 PM start time and no age limit, but tickets don't go on sale until June 14th, and I haven't seen a price confirmation yet. In any event, you can buy them then at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office.

Click here for more details! This should be an entertaining concert, especially if you loved Jackyl's 2008 Sault Ontario gig, which was a very fun show! I just hope this current one has lower ticket prices, as that was a factor in the low turnout in 2008. Stay tuned for updates on the ticket release and show in general as they come in!

Next up, the newest episode of Local2's music video profile series Tuned with Donna Hopper went up on Saturday, so what should you know for it's newest episode? This installment is focused around local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' EP release show at The Rockstar Bar from May 16th, with the first two minutes showcasing concert footage of opening bands Project 421 and The Elements (though Johnny Belanger & Jesse Cook's acoustic opening set isn't featured.) After that, we get most of an interview that host Donna Hopper hosted outside of the venue with the members of Jack Spades and producer Jamie Vincent, so what's discussed? After introductions, we hear about topics like frontman J.D. Pearce's draw into punk music and initial plans for forming Jack Spades, the individual members' musical talents and styles, Jamie's recording process for the EP sessions, the album's packaging and release plans, and more, so definitely give that 6 minute segment a look! It's a fun interview, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!

The concert calendar segment after the interview plugs the Heart/Jason Bonham show at The Essar Center on June 20th, and that's followed by a couple minutes of concert footage from Jack Spades' set at the release show, and then some bloopers. Awesome footage as usual, and everything's covered in solid detail, so Jack Spades fans will want to check the new Tuned episode out for sure! As Local2's video host doesn't allow external embedding, give it a look at this link and above!

Also today, here's the latest updates from local doom/punk trio The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal), so what's going on in their camp? Apparently, the band has left Blood Shed Productions to sign with Haggith's label PaperClip Productions, which is surprising given that frontman Austin McRae co-founded Blood Shed, but their new sound is a better fit on the PaperClip roster, for what it's worth.  I'll note that Blood Shed Productions' statement on the matter didn't sound too amicable, but hopefully things aren't that bad. A photo confirming the new deal is up on the PaperClip Facebook page, and if anything, it's really surprising how detailed and official their label contract is! Leading from that, The Revolution's first concert under their new name will come on June 24th, as they've replaced the departed Pillory as the local openers for the Anciients/Havok show at The Canadian that night! Very interesting choice, hopefully they've shored up their sound and are ready to rock, so don't miss The Revolution at this huge ALL AGES metal show in 3 weeks, and click here for further updates!

Finally for today, local punk/metal quartet Chronic Demonic launched their own YouTube channel last week, and there is some new sneak peak footage at their current sound there! While we wait for their full live debut, the new-ish band featuring Gates of Winter, Bear Hunters, Fitswitch, and Faithless Sin alumni have posted both a YouTube copy of their latest preview clip and this new sample, which is shot in the same location as before, albeit in a sepia tone filter. Like before, this reminds me of one of Kevin's punk-influenced bands, but with death metal vocals, which is an interesting hybrid, but at just 49 seconds, there's still many unanswered questions. Check it out below though, and see more of Chronic Demonic above!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rotaryfest Second Stage), Plus The Latest From The Suicide Kings & Haggith!!

As promised, today's post is headlined by a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this year's Tenaris Second Stage at the Sault Ontario summer music festival Rotaryfest, where as usual, local original musicians and select out of town bands will grace the outdoor Queen Street East stage (outside of The Grand Theater) in three weeks time on Friday, July 19th & Saturday, July 20th! Now, the amount of hard rock-leaning bands has fallen from two last year to only one this year, but it's still more than the Second Stage had in 2011, so read on below for full lineup details, and check out our coverage of the Main Stage lineup in yesterday's second post!

As usual, the Friday lineup on the 19th is smaller, and it will feature out of town headlining band Jaill, an indie/pop rock trio from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (interesting to see an American band at Rotaryfest!) They'll be on at 9:30 PM, and they'll be preceded by four local acts, including blues rock standouts Blues Harvest at 8:30 PM, local/North Bay folk trio The Faraway Neighbours at 7:30 PM, solo folk artist M.D. Dunn at 6:30 PM, and folk/country rockers The Porter Band opening at 5:30 PM. Talented lineup overall, so if you like the above genres, be there on Friday!

As for the main Saturday lineup on July 20th, that's where you'll find this year's only heavier band on the Second Stage, that being local hard rock quartet Sailor's Tongue, in their first live show since last year's Rotaryfest! Though this isn't technically a one off reunion (they've even recorded original material in the interim), it's great to see the McKey brothers & company finally back for another live show, and hopefully their classic-influenced and varied hard rock originals will be welcomed back for another Second Stage go-round! This year, they're the highest slotted local band on Saturday night at 8:00 PM, with two out of town bands (Toronto reggae collective The House of David Gang & Guelph "indie-afrobeat" band The Minotaurs) taking the headlining slots at 10:00 & 9:00 PM respectively. Local news media credits a "surprise guest" in the 7:00 PM slot, but Rotaryfest's own official schedule credits Sault Ontario native & prolific Sudbury blues artist Sean Poluk as playing at that time (no word on why there's partial secrecy, or if something's changed in that slot.)

The remaining Saturday bands in descending order include local folk musician Guy Smith at 6:00 PM, jazz/blues artist Rusty McCarthy at 5:00 PM, progressive rock quartet Machines Dream at 4:00 PM, folk quintet The Mulch & The Mire at 3:00 PM, and returning indie rock trio Cowboys & Indians opening the stage at 2:00 PM. This is a very different lineup than last year's Second Stage, with only 3 bands (Sailor's Tongue, The Faraway Neighbours, and The Porter Band) returning for this year, so the diversity & newer names are appreciated, but metalheads are bound to be disappointed with the decrease of heavier acts. Nonetheless, there's a wide array of talented sounds to be had, so check the above links for more details on the FREE & ALL AGES action going down in three weeks!

Next up, here's some big upcoming news from Rotaryfest main stage performers The Suicide Kings, as they're looking to add a new bassist to their lineup! The news has been plugged on their Facebook page, the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, and members' personal Facebook pages in the past week, but I will stress that they are NOT replacing any existing members. Instead, current bassist Mitch Sirie is planning to move to second guitar full time with the band, as part of an impending expansion to a quintet, which should be interesting in itself! Personal Facebook posts indicate that there are already some interested musicians, but the Rockstar Bar Battle winners won't begin formal auditions until after Rotaryfest in three weeks, so if you're a bassist, there's still time to let the guys know that you'd like to try out! Knowing how fast The Suicide Kings have rose locally in under a year, this could be a huge opportunity, so message the guys on Facebook and at the above links, and stay tuned for more on The Suicide Kings' bassist search!

Finally for today, you may have read on Facebook that local grunge/alternative rock band Haggith's next shows will be part of a private Canada Day bash up in Goulais Mission from yesterday through tomorrow, mirroring their live debut last year, but things will be on a larger scale this time around. Not only will Haggith play, but this will also see the live debuts of Haggith side projects Mike Haggith & The Din and Sound X, as well as a number of newer acts on the band's independent label PaperClip Productions, including Haggith guitarist Daniel Horton & recent backing singer Kristi-Lee Marshall in a joint set, a performer named Frank McGillivray that PaperClip Productions has listed as a signed act in recent months, and two newer acts that I know nothing on named Purple Core and The Nirvanabees (my source for the full lineup is Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie's solo Facebook page.) Even though this bash is not publically attendable, PaperClip Productions will be recording full sets from the performing acts, and have plans to release live albums from the show at some point down the road, so stay tuned for more on these intriguing plans & new acts!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news either tonight or tomorrow as we continue to clear out backlogged news stories! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Suicide Kings), Plus Haggith & Theatre Of Night News!!

For the first time in over a week, we have a news post with no previews, reviews, or monthly feature elements, but we do have some big news to cover today, so what's on the docket? We have news from a band from each of the twin Saults concerning their next album plans and related recent updates (including information on a local label/studio), but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS through March, so here's what you need to know!

New local hard rock band The Suicide Kings have announced five new solo headlining concerts, including the first formally announced local hard rock/metal shows of 2013! As originally plugged last week, the band featuring Wishbone, Limelight, and Bear Hunters alumni will make their Rockstar Bar debut THIS SATURDAY, followed by a return to The Nicolet Tavern on December 7th, while they'll hit Docks Riverfront Grill for three 2013 dates on January 12th, February 9th, and March 16th, so click each date above for each show's respective event page! Aside from the December 7th show, all of these are Saturday night engagements, though oddly enough, none are for the full weekend like their first two shows were. I imagine all of these shows will have a cover charge of around $5 except maybe the Nicolet Tavern date, while all are 19+ events with 10:00 PM start times, so once again, check the above links for more details! These should all be entertaining concerts, and hopefully The Suicide Kings continue their local accession with some entertaining covers and originals at this busy slate of shows, so stay tunes for further updates!

Next up, here's the latest from local grunge quartet Haggith! Already with two studio albums released and at least one more ("Deuce") in the pipeline, they have already announced plans for another album release, that being for a live album named "Flight 75"! As announced on their Facebook page yesterday, This will reportedly feature much of the set that they played at the Bushplane Musical Madness concert this past Saturday, as recorded that night from the soundboard, and will include versions of their songs "Fin" (both parts), "Rage Train", "I Am", and "75" (a partial inspiration for the album title.) A release timeframe wasn't given there, but they're reportedly hoping for it to be released before other PaperClip Productions releases. This may seem very quick and sudden given that they've already put out two CDs this fall, but singer/drummer Mike Haggith's solo output has similarly been prolific in short timeframes like this, so follower's of Mike's solo and Windsor-area work won't be too surprised. I'm very curious to hear how this live album turns out, so keep an eye out for updates on it and all of their next projects!

Now, this and any other future Haggith albums are likely for release on the band's independent label/studio PaperClip Productions, which now has it's own Facebook page, so I thought I'd touch on that as well! Ran by Haggith members Mike Haggith & Daniel Horton, their page indicates that current roster members for the label include the Haggith band and an unknown project (to me, at least) named The Cadets, while it also lists Mike & Daniel themselves as acts on the label, though I have yet to hear any of Daniel's solo material, and Mike's solo work has previously been under the Rotten/Galactic Records branding, but I'm not positive on if PaperClip Productions and Galactic Records have any further connections. Regardless, both guys and The Cadets apparently have releases in the works in their own right through PCP, so if I hear anything further on them, I'll let you guys know! Also, they've announced that other local musicians can record material there, with fees listed at this location, which seem like good bargains to me, so if you're looking to record songs or release a CD, give PaperClip Productions a shout at the above links!

Finally for today, here's the latest updates from Sault Michigan orchestral metal project Theatre of Night! In one note, the guys have announced that copies of their "Christmas Night" and "The Dawn's Early Light" albums are now in stock at Sault Michigan physical retail outlets, including local music stores Grooves Music & Steve's Music Center, along with local art depot Sault Realism (at 205 West Portage Avenue), so if you don't yet have a physical copy of either disc, keep in mind that there's places here with them in stock! The guys have also been gaining some recent press in some major publications, including a review in Grand Rapids Magazine (remember, the Giles brothers currently live there) and some high praise from Hit Parader Magazine, so click the above links to read these positive reviews for their recent work! The three Michigan members were also subject to a new photo shoot which you can check out at the above links, and yes, this photo comes from it. Our last note from their camp for today is that they are planning to re-release their 2010 debut CD "Christmas Night" for a second time next month, in what seems to be a holiday tradition for the guys!

As revealed via the YouTube video below (which was posted on their YouTube channel yesterday), the re-release will apparently include three free downloadable songs (including a Mozart rendition), though I'm not sure how much of a Christmas connection these songs will have, or how the free download process will work. The video itself features photos of the album artwork, some live performance footage (with heavy effect filters), and a plug for "The Dawn's Early Light", and it's well edited! Note however that neither the video nor it's audio samples reference singer Gaby Koss, who was originally slated to sing on Theatre of Night's next "Christmas Night" re-release, though she's still listed for "upcoming" band work on their pages, so I'm not sure what the status is for the vocal additions. This should be interesting to hear when it comes out, and I'm especially curious for the new free tracks, so stay tuned for updates, and give Threatre of Night's newest "Christmas Night" promo video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including weekend concert previews, this week's classic video, and yes, our Late & Loud EP review! Thanks everyone!

Haggith Concert Preview & Album Updates, Plus Some Sault Michigan News!!

In the news today at the SMS, we have a concert preview for a punk concert featuring hard rock representation tomorrow night in Sault Ontario, along with that band's latest updates relating to their recent studio work! All of that is supplanted by news from a local radio station and a couple of notes on recent unknown bands at Sault Michigan concert events, so read on below for all you need to know!

The dry spell for metal & hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario will be interrupted TOMORROW NIGHT thanks to Frightlight/T-Rex Manning frontman J.D. Pearce's third Thursday night punk concert at The Roosevelt Hotel of 2012! Though not an official Rosie metal night, harder edged music will be represented by the Sault Ontario debut of local grunge trio Haggith as the opening band! With their debut album fully recorded (more on that in a second) and sets in Wawa & Goulais River under their belts, this first ever proper local concert for Curtis, Daniel, and Mike should be very interesting to check out, along with their wide array of new original material, so if you miss grunge bands in the Soo, don't miss their concert-opening set tomorrow! The concert itself will be headlined by Vancouver pop punk band Halfway to Hollywood, who will bring an energetic and melodic sound to their first ever Sault Ste. Marie stop tomorrow, while the middle band will be popular local punk trio Redundant, who are always an entertaining presence with their fun originals and covers, including some heavier selections, so don't miss them either! Admission will be FREE for this 19+ concert, and bands start at 10:00 PM or later. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should be an entertaining concert for punk and grunge fans, and with the recent slow pace for new concerts, I'd try and hit this one if I were you! That said, I'm not high on Halfway to Hollywood myself, but pop punk fans should enjoy them, and they are talented from what I've heard, so check them out at this location for media of them! As for the local bands, Redundant should do awesome, and Haggith are aiming high for their first Sault Ste. Marie concert, so be there early to see both, and for a preview, here's their song "Rage Train" from their upcoming debut album "Dragon Joy Ride"!



In other Haggith news, that song (itself an old solo track by frontman Curtis McKenzie) and a reprise of their song "Wanko" were posted onto their HaggithTunes YouTube channel this past weekend, completing the uploads of material from their "Dragon Joy Ride" album! Assuming that this gets a formal release (postings on their Facebook page allude to hopefully by the end of the month), I won't give detailed thoughts on these tracks or the 7 previous ones yet, but I do recommend streaming them at the above links! In terms of other news relating to "Dragon Joy Ride", the band were looking for album cover artists & writers to do their biography for the liner notes (contact them if you're interested!), and the track listing for the album was posted online at this location a few days back, confirming the song order for it & that drummer Mike Haggith was the album's primary producer, likely under similar methods as his solo albums. One more note on the album is that the YouTube uploads for the album list the album as being recorded at and/or released by PaperClip Productions, likely an extension of the "paperclipprojectX" tag used on the URL of bassist Daniel Horton's YouTube channel. Whether this is a new name for Mike's independent label Galactic Records or something different isn't confirmed yet, but stay tuned for more Haggith band updates as they come in, and go check them out TOMORROW NIGHT!

Before we get to today's last story, here's some clarification on two band mysteries from recent all ages events across the river that featured Banned & Tantrym Tyme. First, I believe I've finally figured out who the third band was at the Rock Till You Drop battle of the bands last month at the Chippewa County Fair, that being local acoustic pop duo Missy & Chelsea, as per postings on their Facebook page. Talented girls, though far from metal, but I'd say give them a listen! I'd still like to know who won though. The other note is that the band labeled as "Omega Rock" on advertising for the Sault Riverview Music Festival last weekend was actually OmegaRock (all one word), a new local Christian rock quartet featuring former Abstract guitarist Kyle Burton. Nice to see him staying in music & following his faith in the process, so if you like Christian rock, give OmegaRock a look above!

And finally, do you attend Lake Superior State University in Sault Michigan? Do you love music? Do you want to host a radio show? Then WLSO 90.1 FM is looking for you! Our local college radio station is looking once again for current L.S.S.U. students who are interested in hosting radio shows or working as a DJ in the fall 2012 semester (and perhaps beyond), and I actually missed promoting a meeting that WLSO staffers were having with prospective DJs last night at the Cisler Center that you guys could have attended (my sincere apologies for missing it), but they're still looking for on-air personalities! Of course, 90.1 FM plays a wide variety of music and talk programs year round, and when shows are running during the school year, metal shows can be seen & heard here and there, even if an updated/detailed schedule isn't available. It's the closest we have to a second rock station in the Sault Ste. Marie markets, and I love the diversity of it and connection to local students, so they'd welcome a metal or hard rock program host if anyone new came along! If you're currently a Laker and have any interest as a radio host at WLSO, message Teddy Scott at escott2@lssu.edu or stop by the WLSO studios across from The Galley downstairs at The Cisler Center A.S.A.P.!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews (Banned and anything else I hear about) and more news in the next few days! Thanks everyone!