It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, continuing our monthly looks at local metal. hard rock, and punk bands from the past with surviving online pages, in order to spotlight their runs for current readers! I had originally planned to lead off this month's double profile with all-female Sault Ontario hard rock trio Apocrytha, but in looking at their MySpace page, it's downgraded even further from when I last logged it for our band links, and not even the pictures load there anymore! As such, I opted to replace them with the next closest un-featured alphabetical band in our defunct links that didn't have massive surviving information to warrant a solo profile. Now, here's what you should know on two randomly selected acoustic hard rock bands from both sides of the border!
2wo Man Baand (the spelling of their name is correct)
Genre: Improv/Hard Rock
Hometown:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (they were co-listed as being from Stephen's hometown of Windsor, but were visibly based out of the Soo)
Members:
Elliott "Grudge/Oiyett" Corston-Pine, vocals/guitar Stephen "Speed" Quackenbush, guitar/vocals
Info/Analysis: Active locally circa 2006-2007, the 2wo Man Baand were influenced by
classic rock groups, but said that "we don't sound like anyone nor does
anyone sound like us". Elliott & Stephen pledged to make one or two
all-original albums a year, but only one 2006 song survives publically
today via Elliott's YouTube channel,
which sees the baand playing a promising hard rock instrumental named
"Sky High", though it was a departure from their more
comedic songs with vocals that were once on MySpace like
"Ripped Off Old Man" & "Duh Rock Star". The 2wo Man Baand were ahead
of their time considering how much attention metal duos got locally in
the 2010s, and hopefully Elliott & Stephen are still musically
active!
Audio/Video: None exists publically online, but an original song named "I Know" was uploaded to YouTube in March 2016, and while it is sadly now private, I did compliment it's heavy structure and driving nature despite the acoustic trappings. In their original run, they did release a demo EP, though it has likely been out of print for two decades. For members' later bands, I would recommend tracking down media from Tony Rogers' old band Electric Motor Fish, where he also played the djembe.
Info/Analysis: Featuring future I.S.O.M. and Clownsack bandmates, The Creepy Little Coffee People were originally active in the early 2000s, and had a reasonably successful run, playing multiple area concerts & even opening for some name touring bands, but most of this information predates social media. Their original lineup reunited in December 2015, and they did play at The Merchant's Bar in March 2016, but nothing followed the upload of "I Know", and they are believed to have dissolved for good by year's end. The C.L.C.P.'s laid back unplugged sound served them well and gave them an audience, and it's a shame their mid-2010s reunion didn't last longer!
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month, we're heading to Sault Ontario for a single band profile, as our randomly selected band will be mid-late 2010s hard rock quartet Eclipse! Look for that on or around September 10th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
On this Saturday afternoon, let's largely clear out our recent news backlog with lots of assorted shorter news and notes, fallout from a recent charitable concert, and to kick things off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for four months from now. Here's what you should know!
British heavy metal legends Diamond Head will make their local concert debut on Saturday, September 2nd when they headline at The Rockstar Bar! Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Diamond Head didn't have the mainstream success of some contemporaries, but are widely hailed as one of the most influential bands of the era, as seen with Metallica's numerous covers of theirs like "Helpless" & "The Prince", and it is awesome to see Brian Tatler and company make their way to the Soo this fall! Local openers will include punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (in their first announced show at this venue with their new lineup), and returning classic metal quartet Project 421, a perfect choice given how frequently they cover Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" in their sets. This is the first announced concert from Project 421 since Halloween last year, and while the band promises to "be out again before September" (source here), this is a huge way for them to re-emerge!
One more opening band is to be announced, and we will let you know when they're confirmed. Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and while limited tickets apparently go on sale this weekend, prices had not been announced at press time, nor have locations. Stay tuned for updates on that front, but this should be a huge show full of familiar classics and a nice wallop of old school heavy metal! Check the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!
Next up, here's some fallout from Thursday night's Sky's the Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium, so what should you know from the other night? As they did last year, Algoma Family Services posted an extensive photo album of the concert onto their Facebook page yesterday, which showcases all of the vendor and advertiser tables outside of the auditorium, and yes, the beach balls were back in full force! Compared to last year, the participating bands were smaller in rank (falling from eight to five), though whether this is due to a shorter scheduled run time, longer sets, or fewer auditioning acts isn't clear. The Din, Electric Church, and Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow were joined by a solo singer/guitarist and a youth group (neither credited in the album), and from what I can see, the on-stage interviews after sets did return, so hopefully everyone relayed their stories and thoughts well!
There is one video now available publically to check out, and it's of Electric Church playing for a solid 16 minutes on Thursday night, with "Muddy Waters", "Carey Baby", and a brand new original named "Cross The Line" featured. This was filmed by Bradley Shingwauk and shared to their Facebook page yesterday, and it captures this fast rising blues/hard rock trio in fine form for perhaps the best video sampler yet of their live set! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more possible fallout from The Sky's The Limit!
Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter items from the last while, and these are in alphabetical order by artist, promoter, or event name:
We have moved Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People to our inactive band links, as they have not issued a public update to their Facebook page
since sharing a YouTube upload there in March of last year. After a
lengthy breakup, The C.L.C.P. reunited in late 2015, but only issued
scattered updates and played live as guests before their last posting.
The guys have a promising sound and history, so hopefully we see Bob,
Art, Tony, and Troy again in the future!
Swedish metal band In Flames
have enlisted Ives bassist Bryce Paul for their upcoming American tour,
replacing Hakan Skoger. This is locally relevant because In Flames are
opening for Alter Bridge at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casinoone week from Tuesday,
so it helps to know about any lineup changes! It's a shame that Peter
Iwers left the band last year, but hopefully Bryce fits in with In
Flames, and videos with him are floating around on YouTube if you're
curious how he sounds!
The aforementioned Jack Spades confirmed on their Facebook page
on Wednesday that they will go on a "mini tour" this summer, joining
their previously announced set at this year's Spiderfest in Meyersburg,
though the new tour dates have yet to be announced. Sounds good, and this
should be a solid way to introduce out of town fans to their new lineup,
so keep that in mind! No word yet though on the identity of their new
drummer.
In a recent Musicians Wanted Facebook group
posting, a woman named Tiffany Cuthbertson was referred there regarding
a search for a local "rock/metal" band for an upcoming show of some
type. She didn't go into specifics on the event, but she apparently has
someone in mind already, and just wants additional input. The 3 Day
Millionaires have already shown interest, but if you want to contact Tiffany as
well just in case, message her at this link or via her group post from Tuesday!
The second annual Rudyard Musicians Fest
is looking for bands willing to donate their time to perform in nearby
Rudyard, Michigan on Saturday, August 19th, with all proceeds going
towards Rudyard Area Schools' band program. Last year's fest saw 12 acts playing for 12 hours, and co-organizer/Steelhead
guitarist Mark Howland is hoping for this year to be even bigger and
better, so message him at the above links if you're interested in
playing! For reference, last year's Musicians Fest was country-centric,
but did feature Project 906 & Stoned Ape Evolution.
Southern Ontario-based Keith Urban & Blue Rodeo tribute bands Ultimate Urban & Blue Radio have quietly been announced as the headlining bands for Rotaryfest's
all-covers main stage at Clergue Park on Saturday, July 15th, marking
the fourth year in the last five that the closing night had two out of
town bands. It's been a surprisingly long wait since the local summer
festival invited out-of-town country bands to Rotaryfest, so genre
fans should keep both acts in mind, especially as the groups both share
two members! Stay tuned for the reveal of the local bands on their website!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
With this last week of March now upon us, let's dive into some recent news and notes, including some lineup additions and clarifications to take note of, new videos from some Sault Michigan-area artists, and first, the very latest from a talented local band, so here's what you should know!
Let's start with the latest from local alternative hard rock band Id Iota, who have welcomed Dan Linklater as their new bassist, replacing Justin Girardi, as per this new photo on their Facebook page. This reunites Dan with his former Dirty Few/Vertically
Impaired bandmate Blair St. John, so there's instant chemistry from
that alone, and he should fit in nicely! With that said, there's no word yet on when we'll see Id Iota live in the Soo next, but the band also revealed in the Facebook post with the picture that they'll end their concert hiatus
with shows in Barrie, Toronto, and Waterloo next month, presumably as
openers for The Pixo Control's
upcoming Southern Ontario tour run in the same cities, but neither band
has confirmed the joint billing. They're a good match, especially as Dustin Goodall is in both bands, so hopefully the tour goes very smoothly for them! Lastly, the aforementioned Facebook post also confirmed that Id Iota are indeed working on their debut EP, which they hope to finish before the tour run!
After a couple months of secretive and cryptic posts teasing their recent recording sessions, it's great to finally get public confirmation that an EP is in the works from the Free Beer/Habitat Shuffle successors, and they'll be back on stage for the first time since last summer in due course as well! That said, will Id Iota's EP be released before the tour, or just completed? Time will tell, but stay tuned for updates as we hear them!
Next up, here's our first media posting from the reunited Sault Michigan band The Creepy Little Coffee People! Uploaded by frontman Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten to his YouTube channel on Wednesday, this is of the acoustic hard rock quartet's new song "I Know", and it has a hard rock structure despite it's unplugged style. It doesn't sound bad, harbouring a bit of a driving feel as it goes along, but with a lineup of Clownsack, I.S.O.M., Shift, and Retro Troop alumni, how could it be bad? Check out this new Creepy Little Coffee People song below, and stay tuned for more from them!
Next up, here's another solo performance/gear demonstration video from Project 906/ex-Ten Kings guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel on Friday! In this video, he's comparing two of his guitar pedals to gauge their sound and effectiveness, and is looking for input from fans of his channel. I think I prefer the Lockeness Modster Purple Plexi Clone for it's cleaner tone, but see what you think below, and give Joe's strong playing a look there too! Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all relating to lineup additions and clarifications from Sault Ontario bands! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:
Garden of Bedlam's Derek Turner filled in on drums with local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements during their Rockstar Bar set on Friday, reuniting him with ex-Side FX bandmate Rob Speers. Our source is personal Facebook postings from last week, and while there's been no public word on why Alex Hagerman missed the show, he and his fiancee did welcome a baby girl a couple of weeks ago, so that may be related. Congratulations to the happy couple, and hopefully Derek and The Elements delivered a great set on Friday!
Local classic/alternative rock cover quartet Lucky 13 have added ex-Thin Ice bassist Robin "Bones" Lee to the fold as their new lead guitarist, replacing Jeremey Salatuk, as per bassist Jeff Gray's personal Facebook page this morning. I'm not familiar with Robin as a guitarist (or in a non-country genre), but he should have fit in well this talented veteran band in his debut on Saturday, so stay tuned for Lucky 13's huge next show that we'll be plugging in this weekend's concert previews!
As a clarification for a recent addition to our band links, we can now confirm that new local punk band Programmed To Fail (formerly The Transjenners) is a two man project from local musicians Craig Kelly & Justin Thorkilson, as confirmed via Justin's personal Facebook page. I'm unsure of complete instrument roles for the guys, and neither are familiar from past local bands, but Craig is apparently their lead singer. Justin's a nice guy, and it's good to put some faces to this band, so look for more from them when announced!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
(Updated at 3:11 PM) Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert, as Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom (featuring former Half A Man singer Dillon Semasky) apparently played at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on March 12th, marking their first E.U.P. concert appearance since 2014. I profusely apologize for missing it, Pickles is still not a common venue for our coverage, but hopefully it was a blast, and we will keep a better eye out for Infathom's next trips east! Now, today's post features some assorted recent updates, and first, some Van Halen cover videos from two local guitarists, starting with two instrumental renditions by 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, as posted to his YouTube channel yesterday! Including covers of "Panama" and (as embedded below) "Jump", both feature Chris handling guitar, bass, and drums on multiple camera angles.
These covers are very strongly done by this huge local talent, who has proven his Van Halen fandom is not in vain time & time again, but the overhead camera angle is not a great view for when he plays guitar. Still, give Chris' solid new Van Halen covers a look above & below!
Next up, here's the first cover video from former Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's YouTube channel in over a year, and fittingly, it's also of a Van Halen cover (in this case, "Panama" as well!) Playing along to what sounds like the original track minus the original guitar, Alex has a good grasp on the song, but the camera angles are a little odd. Still, it's nice to see a new performance video from Alex at last, so give it a look below!
Finally for today, here's six more assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
In their first public posting of the year, reunited Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they made a guest appearance during an open mic night at The Merchant's Bar this past Thursday. This isn't their first live performance in such an event since reuniting, but it's the first to get public word that I've found. Hopefully we hear more from The C.L.C.P. soon!
Sault Ontario alternative hard rock trio The Din played a set at the Fishbowl Festival's closing party last night at Outspoken Brewing on Queen Street, and photos from their set are available on their Facebook page! The closing party was a private event for volunteers and participants of the month-long festival, hence why we didn't plug it here (or know about The Din's involvement beforehand), but hopefully it was a blast, especially at the unique venue, and hopefully The Fishbowl Festival returns for 2017!
Local alt-hard rock duo Infinity Grinder re-emerged for the first time this year via a bunch of new instrumental song postings on their SoundCloud page in the past month, including an extended track named "Quong" and a 9-track "Green Room Session" featuring Terrence and Brad jamming new originals alongside guest keyboardist "Rudeger Picklefeather" (which I presume is an alias, but I don't know his real identity.) The songs are strong and entertaining, but vocals would be a nice touch. Hopefully we hear much more from Infinity Grinder soon!
The planned LemmaFest V meeting yesterday was cancelled for unannounced reasons, and will be rescheduled, as per the official Facebook page earlier today. Despite that, there is already visible interest to perform at the returning Sault Michigan festival from bands like Munising's Infathom, a possible Scofflaw reunion, and a local metal band named Stoned Ape Evolution, who have been together since 2014, wear masks on stage, and feature local musicians John Napoletano and Melvin Willis in their lineup, but don't have a known online page that I've found. The anticipation builds, so stay tuned for more LemmaFest 2016 updates!
Former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent is looking to put together another new local metal band, preferably a death metal band with him on drums (as you've seen with Faceityoureametalband and Troubled Mind), though he's open to playing guitar if the band plays "an amazing genre". If you're interested in jamming with Mike, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
Apologies for the delay in mentioning these, but four new episodes of the 7L arts/music podcast have went up on their Soundcloud page in the past month! None are fully devoted to metal, hard rock, or punk topics, but host Teddy Syrette talks to friend Emily Youngsen about dreams, Cafe Natura owner Kelly Barton, local musician/writer Jeff Hinich, and a few local rappers in each. Musical performances by The Din (credited as "fill in blank") and Pillory frontman Robert Sartini (who actually fits nicely in an acoustic setting) are also included in the first two. All are fun listens, so check them out above, and stay tuned for more from 7L!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our extended preview of Wednesday's VM Radio Battle of the Bands finals TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
We can't go three days without a new post on the SMS (it's no rule, I just don't like to), so here's a new news post for your Monday evening! We're mostly focusing on previews of special Wednesday night concerts for your pre-Christmas plans (with Christmas over the weekend this year, these make sense), but we also have a local metal band's long awaited documentary, and first, a new addition to our band links that may be familiar to some readers! Here's what you should know!
We have a new-ish local hard rock band to add to our band links, and they are The Creepy Little Coffee People, an acoustic hard rock quartet from Sault Michigan! A revival of a band that originally launched circa 2000, The Creepy Little Coffee People were apparently "one of the first acoustic acts in the Soo", and played numerous gigs in their heyday at local bars and casinos, even opening for touring bands, but as their run predates most online media, it's hard to know about and research their first run. Their original and revived lineup includes Integrated System of Machines singer Bob Helsten (a.k.a. Orb Hearthstone) and guitarist Art Dietz alongside Retro Troop drummer Troy Earls on guitar & former Clownsack bassist Tony Rogers on the djembe (an African drum), which he formerly played with Electric Motor Fish as well. Listing their varied influences as Alice In Chains, Iced Earth, and Tantric, The C.L.C.P. are described as a "laid back original band" with "cover songs that have inspired us" in a lounge atmosphere.
Alongside pictures of a gig at the former Brewster's Nightclub (which I believe is now Zim's), The Creepy Little Coffee People are planning to unveil new originals, pictures, and shows, though further details are to be announced. Given my age, I'm unfamiliar with this band from their early run, but they have a lot of talent and familiar faces from the local metal scene, and from a city that later gave us acoustic acts like Unleashed & Wild Fate, how could this band not deliver again? Stay tuned for more from The Creepy Little Coffee People when it rolls in!
Next up, here's our preview of a special Wednesday night concert THIS WEDNESDAY, as Six, Two, Oh.'s long awaited second punk rock bingo event will also be a live concert! After the cancellation of planned punk rock bingos over the last two months, this unique event returns (at last) to The New American Pub on Wednesday with live bands in tow, they being local/St. Catherine's grindcore trio Shit Liver and local doom metal favourites AlgomA! This will be Shit Liver's first local concert set since August, and it's good to see their ferocious grime/punk hybrid back over the holidays, while AlgomA are a fitting choice given their ties to the promoters, and they should sludge things up nicely on Wednesday! As for the bingo side of things, ex-Lion Ride bassist Brenton "Buck Norris" Ellis returns as the caller for the games, with irreverent prizes ranging from albums to artwork to food available for winners, so have your dabbers ready for the second local installment of punk rock bingo!
There is NO cover charge for Wednesday's concert/bingo night, but keep in mind that bingo cards will presumably cost an unlisted amount. This is a 19+ event, and everything starts at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though one could arguably call this "metal bingo" given the performers, this should be a fun and unique event for your holiday season plans, so be at The New A on Wednesday to enjoy the music and/or play some punk rock bingo! For a preview, here's the previously teased Shit Liver tour documentary, as posted to the band's YouTube channel on Friday! Entitled "A Long Grinding Road", the 57 minute video summarizes their Northern Debauchery Tour from April & May of this year, and there's obviously a lot of ground to cover within, so what should you know? Without spoiling anything, the video outlines the tour from post to post, including testimonials from band members and friends of the band about what happened and was experienced on the road. For reference, the section on Shit Liver's two local shows in April comes 4:30 into the video, features a clip of The Bear Hunters live, and runs for about 6 minutes.
Among things you'll see: Road footage & mishaps, jamming, eating, camping, and relaxing between shows, many odd sights along the way, irreverent jokes & conversations, screaming across bridges, the "Calgary counter", failed Victoria bookings, final thoughts on the tour, and yes, live concert clips, albeit mostly from bands they played with (however, Shit Liver songs are heard multiple times.) Very entertaining overall, with Josh, Mike, and Matt all showing good senses of humour, and you see the struggles & benefits of such a D.I.Y. tour, plus many great sights from western Canada! Definitely check it out below, and don't miss punk rock bingo on Wednesday!
Finally for today, here's another preview for a special concert THIS WEDNESDAY, as local classic metal quintet Project 421 will join forces once again with funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and new local nu-metal outfit Eclipse for an encore of their December 5th concert at The Rockstar Bar! Entitled "We Wish You A Metal Christmas", this replaces the 421 reunion trappings with a seasonal theme, but if you missed the three bands' joint concert from two & a half weeks ago, here's a chance to see everyone again, and fans should know the performers' talents whether you're a metalhead and/or funk fan! And remember, Eclipse (who still don't have an online page) are a side project of Project 421 members, but we do await full public information regarding their lineup, and we'll let you know if something comes out, but see Eclipse for yourselves on Wednesday! There is no announced cover charge for this show (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 or older to attend, and everything starts at 10:00 PM.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a very solid concert with a little something for everyone, so don't miss out on Wednesday, and here's Project 421 live last year! (Also, note that a Project 421-hosted New Year's Eve show at The Rockstar Bar, that would have featured them alongside Eclipse and Caroline Divine, was announced via two separate Facebook event pages on Friday, but both were deleted for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened!)
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and previews this week! Thanks everyone!
