Battle Of The Bands Rewind Mini-Series: The Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands

One year ago today was the final round of the biggest Sault Ontario battle of the bands since 2009, so as promised, we have the newest installment of our Battle of the Bands Rewind series today! As in past profiles, we're taking a look at the background, events, results, and aftermath of this battle of the bands, as a way to look back on it and the competitors a year after the fact! Like in our other battle profiles, personal opinions are kept to a minimum (especially given our involvement in promotion and judging of it), so this profile will take on an informational & trivia focus. Without any further adieu, read on below for our newest Battle of the Bands profile at the SMS! (Updated on February 13th, 2016)
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The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands (April 3rd-24th, 2013)

Background: For every Wednesday in the month of April 2013, The Rockstar Bar (in association with Case's Music, The Rad Zone, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce, and The Sault Metal Scene) hosted a well advertised battle of the bands, where nine bands competed for big prizes in a staggered weekly battle format not seen in Sault Ontario in many years. On the first three nights of the battle (April 3rd, 10th, and 17th), three bands played on each night, where judges chose one winner to move on to the finals on April 24th, while the second place band with the most points on the judges' scorecards would also join them as a wild card band. Judges scored the bands on aspects of their musical ability, chemistry, stage presence, and crowd engagement (among other factors) for a total score out of 300 each night, or 100 points a judge.

Prizes: The first place band would win $1,000, 5 hours of recording time at Case's Music, and first place trophies, while the second place band got $200 and a $50 Rad Zone gift card, and the third place band won $100. Each finalist band also received framed certificates for their participation in the battle (that doubled as 20%-off coupons at Case's Music), and the second and third place bands both won individual medals for their placements. As well, the top 3 bands were guaranteed opening slots at one of J.D. Pearce's upcoming concerts, though they were decided on after the battle and were not tied to a specific event.

Competitors: The bands competing on April 3rd were local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith, classic metal notables (and defending Humane Society Battle winners) Late & Loud, and local ska-punk quartet Sarah's Valley, who were essentially a reunited Free Beer under a new name. The April 10th competitors were local punk trio The Northern Tragedy, indie/jazz quartet The Pesto Shirts, and hard rock favourites The Suicide Kings, while the heaviest lineup of the semifinal rounds took place on April 17th, which included local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, newer doom/death quartet Giwakwa, and alternative hard/blues rock veterans Sykotyk Rampage.

Results: Each semifinal round was won respectively by Late & Loud, The Suicide Kings, and The Bear Hunters, while the planned wild card slot went to both Haggith & The Pesto Shirts due to their runner-up scores being tied, resulting in an expanded five band final round on April 24th. Giwakwa were the second place band on April 17st, and Sarah's Valley, The Northern Tragedy, and Sykotyk Rampage all finished third for their semifinal appearances, though individual scores and placement were not elaborated on further publically. In the finals, The Suicide Kings claimed first place honours, while Haggith & The Pesto Shirts rose above their wild card status to claim second and third place respectively, and Late & Loud and The Bear Hunters fell short of the podium.

Aftermath: The Suicide Kings (later known as Beaumont Avenue) continued to rock local concert venues until their sudden demise in July 2015, but made many high profile appearances during their last years together! Aside from an early 2014 hiatus, Haggith remained active in varying incarnations with numerous local shows and multiple CD releases before they too broke up in mid-2015. The Pesto Shirts (now known as The Wild Iris) and The Bear Hunters have continued with more notable Sault-area shows and original releases since the battle, while Late & Loud broke up after the battle due to frontman Jon Tiberi moving out of town, though they would play two 2014 reunion gigs. Sykotyk Rampage have stayed active with numerous shows and original material releases since, while The Northern Tragedy released a couple of EPs and played live more before going inactive in 2015, Giwakwa went dormant after singer Josh Stephney moved out of town later that year, and Sarah's Valley quietly disbanded that same summer after only a handful of non-battle gigs.

Some Notable Performers' Newer Bands (Metal/hard rock in italics, ex-members noted with an *):
The Din (Mike Haggith & Curtis McKenzie* from Haggith)
Eclipse (Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton from Haggith, and Chris Thompson from Giwakwa)
Heavy Head (Mike Gaetano from The Suicide Kings, Daniel Horton from Haggith, and Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Infinity Grinder (Terrence Gomes from The Northern Tragedy) 
Jack Spades (Justin Lam & Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Jon & His Friends (Jonathan Tiberi from Late & Loud; Based out of Hamilton) 
Machines Dream (Jake Rendell from The Pesto Shirts)
Mourning Wood (Steven Flint from The Suicide Kings)
The Pixo Control (Dustin Goodall from Sarah's Valley)
Project 421 (Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton from Haggith, and Chris Thomspon from Giwakwa)

Trivia:

• Judges for the duration of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands were Case's Music owner and prolific local musician Jay Case, then-Rad Zone mainstay & local rock guitarist Len Ward, and Sault Metal Scene owner Rob Figures, all of which had judged recent prior battles (Jay at the late 2000s' Case's Music battles, Len at 2010's Downtown Showdown, and Rob at the Humane Society battle in 2012.) Jay also was the MC for the battle and announced each night's bands, rules, and winners.
• To coincide with the battle finals on April 24th, Late & Loud released an expanded re-issue of their EP "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" that night. Subtitled "Still Hard", the nine song disc featured two re-recorded songs and two brand new original tracks. Despite not making the podium, a copy of this EP (plus Benn Garside's smashed bass from the finals) are now on display at The Rockstar Bar.
• The Pesto Shirts' semifinal appearance on April 10th was notable as their first live concert set with new drummer Jake Rendell, after playing all of their past gigs as a trio in largely acoustic settings. 
• Haggith's sets at this battle were their last public dates with frontman Curtis McKenzie playing rhythm guitar on most songs. After the battle, he began phasing out his guitar work and soon served as just their singer.
• Among the different visual trappings from performers at the battle: Late & Loud debuted a new stage banner for their finals set inspired by Japan's Rising Sun flag, The Bear Hunters increased their hunting themes by dressing in camouflage and using a similar motif on their speakers, and fans of The Suicide Kings brought signs in support of them for the finals.
• Unlike the battle's other competitors, Sarah's Valley's involvement was done with a level of secrecy, with no public postings being made to elaborate on their lineup or sound until they took the stage on April 7th, when it was revealed that they were a reunited and renamed Free Beer. Similar secrecy occurred with Keep It Lit at Viva La Battle that fall, but they dropped out of that event before showtime.
• Two performers at this battle played in two separate competing bands, those being Giwakwa frontman Josh Stephney and Suicide Kings bassist Mitch Sirie, who both played guitar with The Bear Hunters. Adding to the double bookings, Josh's bands both played at the April 17th semifinal, both of Mitch's bands played in the final round, and Mitch performed on all nights of the battle but April 3rd.
• In an ironic coincidence, finalists (and semifinal #2 competitors) The Suicide Kings & The Pesto Shirts both changed their names the following summer. The Suicide Kings became Beaumont Avenue after negative personal events necessitated the change, though they only remained active for a year under that name, and were largely on hiatus while drummer Ben Boudreau attended school out of town. As for The Pesto Shirts, they became The Wild Iris after finding that their original name (which was initially decided on as a joke) didn't match their sound anymore, and they still play live under the new name.
• The Bear Hunters finally won their first battle of the bands that November when they won Viva La Battle, a fan-voted event at The Canadian Nightclub that was also promoted by J.D. Pearce. Though they won that battle sans guitarist Josh Stephney (who moved out of town in the summer), he came back to play with them at the Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert in December, which was this battle's first place prize. As well, Punch (the then-new supergroup featuring two members each of The Suicide Kings & Haggith) finished in third place at this battle.
• Though not a local battle, The Suicide Kings experienced similar success in April 2014 when they finished second out of 15 Northern Ontario bands at the Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish, Ontario, earning the right to open for Randy Bachman at the annual Rock N' Roar festival that August, then under their Beaumont Avenue name. Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger also took the trip for the next year's battle as a guest drummer with The Elements, but they didn't place last year.
• Almost two years following the Rockstar Bar Battle, J.D. Pearce and many of the same sponsors hosted The VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub on Wednesdays in March 2015, which saw a similar round structure and judging criteria, expanded 11-band lineup, similar prizes, one returning judge (Rob Figures), and greatly expanded media coverage through Village Media's local news websites. This spiritual successor event was a success, and will be followed by a second VM Radio Battle in March 2016.
• The Bear Hunters improved on their Rockstar Bar Battle performance at the aforementioned VM Radio Battle (albeit sans Josh again) by finishing in second place, losing to winners Gnaeus by just two points, while Haggith (then with Jordan Leach on bass in place of Caleb Cachagee) finished in second place in their close semifinal, and did not advance to the final round. As well, Haggith alums participated in the third semifinal in then-side project bands (Mike Haggith & Curtis McKenzie in Mike Haggith & The Din, and Daniel Horton with Project 421), but those bands didn't advance to the finals either.
• A second battle of the bands, hosted at The Speak Easy at Algoma University, was held just a day after the first semifinal round of March 2015's VM Radio Battle, and was also won by Gnaeus. In that fan voted event, The Bear Hunters (minus Josh) took $100 for finishing in third place, while the aforementioned Mike Haggith & The Din and Project 421 did not place in the top 3 (neither did Infinity Grinder, the new hard rock duo featuring Northern Tragedy singer/drummer Terrence Gomes.)

Videos:
The Northern Tragedy playing "3 2 4" at the semifinals on April 10th
Giwakwa's first two songs on April 17th
Sault Metal Scene videos of the heavier competing bands from each night
Pesto Shirts & Northern Tragedy videos from all of their nights




Sources/More Info:
Official Facebook event page
SooToday's coverage of the April 7th semifinal
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I hope you guys liked our newest Battle of the Bands Rewind profile! Barring a mass information dump for an older battle that we didn't feature in this series, we'll next take a look at last fall's Viva La Battle, with that scheduled to make the site in November, so look out for it then, and for most of the weekend's concert previews later today! Thanks everyone!

Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals Recap!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for our recap of last night's final round of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, and after three weeks of exciting semifinal action, each winning band (plus two wild cards) convened one last time at The Rockstar Bar for all of the marbles! Like the past three weeks, I will NOT be giving the full scores of the bands, nor will I personally critique or review the performances, as I was judging. Instead, like before, I'll just recap the performances and results, out of respect to all involved. Aside from Craig West returning from week 2 to do sound yesterday, and the increased number of bands, the setup was about the same, so check out our recaps of the past weeks for additional details. After a random drawing, the first finalist band to take the stage was week 3 winners The Bear Hunters, who increased their camouflage hunter look for their 5 song set of melodic death metal, including tracks like "Karma", "Render This Void", and the amusing return of guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo track "Squirrel Buddy"! However, the crowd for their set was clearly not as good as last week, which I chalk up as a combination of them going on first, and the crowd not being there for a ⅔rds death metal lineup like last week.

Second up was local folk/progressive quartet (and week 2's wild card) The Pesto Shirts, who played a 5 song mix of covers and originals, including songs like "Secret" and "Gypsy", and covers of Muse & Eurythmics tracks. Without giving away their score or placement, they clearly seemed to amp up their set for the finals, complete with a sizeable core of fans and a more determined presence (it was also fun seeing Steve Myers assist Alisa Borland on keyboard for part of a song!) Third last night was week 1 winners Late & Loud, and they clearly won the visual score with a nice big Japanese Rising Sun flag banner, a solid classic metal look (with departing guitarist Jon Tiberi channeling his Xanadu getup as well), the end-set smashing of Benn Garside's bass, and of course, their "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" re-release! Their abbreviated set included a Judas Priest cover and originals like "Never Again" and "Fast As A Bitch", and fans ate up their energy, interactions, and enthusiasm!

Fourth on the bill was grunge rockers (and week 1's wild card) Haggith, who played a 6 song set featuring originals like "If You Get Out Alive" and "Wanko", including covers of Stone Temple Pilots and a throwback to the "Heavy Metal" movie soundtrack! Like The Pesto Shirts, they also turned in an amped up set of varied originals & covers that got their own fans going, and they seemed to prove themselves amongst the other competitors (also, kudos to them and their crew for singing along with "Chop Suey" between sets, that was pretty cool!) Capping off last night's lineup was week 2 winners The Suicide Kings, who played four newer originals for their very vocal fanbase (complete with signs), along with covers of Velvet Revolver, System of a Down, and Rage Against The Machine songs, and they put in a determined effort with some good hard rocking energy! I do think they could have been more interactive with their fans, but honestly, they were sparked the whole way through, so maybe it wasn't needed.

After The Suicide Kings wrapped up, the judges (Case's Music's Jay Case, The Rad Zone's Len Ward, and myself) tabulated the scores, and I'll emphasize right now that unlike the semifinals, the scores were NOT clear cut, and we all had wildly different scores and rankings for the 5 finalist bands. Without giving away individual scores, what I will say is that every band scored in the 70s or higher on the judges' individual scorecards, each band finished at least second on a judge's individual rankings, and while there were thankfully no ties like last year, 4 of the 5 bands were separated by just 10 points. With bands of this calibre and talent, there really was no losers, but who claimed first, second, and third place? Here are the winners from last night!

1st place: The Suicide Kings

2nd place: Haggith

3rd place: The Pesto Shirts

Congratulations to The Suicide Kings on securing their first ever battle of the bands win, and as a result of their victory, they won $1,000, 5 hours of recording time at Case's Music, and a guaranteed opening slot at one of J.D. Pearce's upcoming concerts (to be determined.) They also won a trophy each for their victory, and this has to be a huge boost for this still new local band! For taking second place, Haggith claimed $200, medals for their finish, a $50 Rad Zone gift card, and another guaranteed concert opening slot, while The Pesto Shirts won $100 and, a concert slot, and medals. Late & Loud and The Bear Hunters walked out with framed certificates for their participation, which double as 20%-off coupons for Case's Music purchases, which the top 3 bands also won. I'll admit that the final results were a big surprise from how I assumed they would go, but while I won't reveal my predictions or full thoughts on last night's bands, I will single out Haggith & The Pesto Shirts for not just being happy to be there as wild cards. Both bands came prepared with better overall sets, they didn't rest on their laurels, and they made things very interesting and stomped on any predictions that might have been made pre-battle!

And for Late & Loud and The Bear Hunters, you guys played great sets too, no one scored you low at all, and you both put in winning efforts! The Bear Hunters still secured their best ever battle finish (and will be quite visible this summer), and Late & Loud's set was still a triumph for their fans and a fitting send-off for Jon Tiberi! I don't know what their future holds, but I hope this won't be the last time we'll see them together on stage! And for the The Suicide Kings, the guys put in two consistent and very tight efforts this month to claim first place, and they have quite a following, so I see big things for them in the local scene going forward, and hopefully this is just the next step in their local ascension! Congratulations again to Mike, Steven, Mitch, and Ben for their win, and just on a personal note, huge thanks to Jay, Len, J.D., Carrie, Hayley, and Martin for all of their hospitality, assistance, and kind words over the past month! It was honour to judge a local battle of the bands again, and I hope to get the call to judge again in the future! Also, thanks to Giwakwa, The Northern Tragedy, Sarah's Valley, and Sykotyk Rampage for their strong efforts in the semifinals, you all have big things ahead as well!

As this was the finals, and a bigger night, I decided to go above & beyond for my videos, so I filmed the first TWO of each band! To close our recap, here's (in chronological order) The Bear Hunters playing "Dominate" & "Succumb To Eternity" (complete with and introductory cover of "Teddy Bear's Picnic"), The Pesto Shirts playing Muse's "Sing For Absolution" & their song "Secrets", Late & Loud playing "Trouble" & "Machine Gun Maiden", Haggith playing The Stone Temple Pilots' "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart" & their song "Rage Train", and The Suicide Kings playing their songs "Way Out Of Hell" & "Take Me Away"! (Apologies to them for the visibility, fans on the floor often got in the way.)











That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for weekend concert previews, and hopefully this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile as well! Thanks everyone! (And yes, I'll have some more in depth thoughts on the re-released Late & Loud EP soon as well!)

Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands Finals Preview!!

TOMORROW NIGHT marks the conclusion of an event unlike any in Sault Ontario in recent years, as the final round of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands is upon us! As brought to you by The Rockstar Bar, Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and The Sault Metal Scene, you hopefully know by now that 9 bands have gathered at The Rockstar Bar over the past three Wednesdays to compete for slots in tomorrow's finals, and after the eliminations of four bands & some wild card uncertainty, the five highest scoring bands will return for tomorrow's finals, where the winners will receive $1,000, recording time at Case's Music, a guaranteed opening slot at one of co-promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming concerts, and perhaps more! While the judges (Jay Case, Len Ward, and myself) have completely agreed each night on the bands' placement, there's no guarantees of tomorrow's competition being so clear cut, and I'm expecting some very close calls in the finals from tomorrow's 5 bands, who spread across a wide array of genres! We have death metal, hair metal, hard rock, grunge, and indie rock in play, so there's bound to be something for fans of every genre, but which band will claim victory and make an even bigger local name for themselves come tomorrow?

As in the past three weeks, I will NOT be critiquing or reviewing the finalist bands in our previews, nor will I be making any predictions, as to remain fair & impartial given my judging role. Again, I'll just hype the event for fans and prospective attendees, so you can hopefully attend and support the finalist bands! Now, which bands will be competing for all the marbles tomorrow? Here's information on each, in alphabetical order!

The Bear Hunters: After defeating Giwakwa & Sykotyk Rampage last week, this prominent local death metal quintet stamped the last ticket for the finals, ensuring an improvement on their finish at last year's Humane Society Battle, but can their melodic brutality & loyal fanbase carry them to victory tomorrow night? Note that a win will give rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney his fourth battle win in just over 4 years, counting his 2009-2010 battle success with Bring The Fallen, but will The Bear Hunters achieve similar results this year?

Haggith: Despite falling short against Late & Loud on April 3rd, Haggith never gave up the wild card slot in full, and now they have a second chance to make a huge impression in their first local battle of the bands tomorrow evening! With their third studio album "Deuce" nearing a release, can Haggith improve on their strong runner-up finish from three weeks ago with their diverse grunge & alternative rock attack for what could very well be their biggest live concert appearance yet?

Late & Loud: With a victory over Haggith and Sarah's Valley three weeks ago, this popular classic metal quartet will get a chance to essentially defend their title from last year's Humane Society Battle, in what will likely be their last concert before singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi moves out of town. Can Late & Loud's energetic classic sounds carry them to an even more decisive battle victory the second time around, to send Jon (and perhaps the band?!) out on a high note come tomorrow night?

The Pesto Shirts: Though this talented indie/jazz quartet lost to The Suicide Kings on April 10th, their score tied Haggith for the wild card, and now they're back for a second chance against the other top bands this year! While they're clearly the softest of tomorrow's finalists, their talented and diverse originals and covers can't be denied tomorrow, but can The Pesto Shirts outperform their semifinal round set, and give guitarist Steve Myers his first local battle win since the Skid Row Battle with Sense of Truth in 2008?

The Suicide Kings: This newer hard rock quartet qualified for tomorrow's finals by defeating The Pesto Shirts & The Northern Tragedy two weeks ago in their first battle of the bands appearance, but will their prolific & widely seen alternative/hard rock originals and covers carry them to victory tomorrow night? Also, bassist Mitch Sirie is pulling double duty tomorrow as The Bear Hunters' lead guitarist, but will that have any bearing on either band's efforts and sounds in the final round?

It's also worth mentioning that aside from the obvious wild card/first place rematches tomorrow, there will also be a minor rematch from last year's Humane Society Battle, as Late & Loud defeated The Bear Hunters at that event, albeit by closer scores than their placements would indicate. Will similar results happen tomorrow, or have things changed since last year? Tomorrow's winning band will claim the aforementioned announced prizes, with possibly others to be announced, and while nothing official's out concerning runner-up prizes, I'd have to assume at least the top 3 bands will be revealed tomorrow night. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised, admission will cost $10 (well worth it for bands of this quality, and given the final round nature of it all), and a 19+ age limit remains in effect. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! The semifinals were all fantastic, but now, we've have the 5 highest scoring bands battling for bragging rights and big prizes, so who'll claim first place in the final round?

Will The Bear Hunters shoot their way to their first battle victory? Can Haggith make a huge impression (despite their wild card status) with a first place performance? Will Late & Loud win their second straight battle before Jon moves out of town? Can The Pesto Shirts upend their heavier competitors and transition from wild card to winners? And will The Suicide Kings claim the top prize in their first battle appearance tomorrow? This will be a huge event, so I hope to see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT for the finals, and for all 20 performers tomorrow, I want to see you all at your best! Leave it all on the stage, impress us and leave the fans begging for an encore, prove that you deserve first place! For a preview, here's each band's first song from the battle semifinals earlier this month (this time in chronological order), and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow before or during the finals! Thanks everyone, and may the best band win!

Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands Semifinals Recap (Night 3)

As promised, here's my recap of last night's last semifinal of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, but be sure to check out last month's poll results in the post below, and VOTE TODAY in our current poll on your favourite concerts from 2012 in full on your right! Also, like the last two weeks, remember that I will NOT be giving in-depth reviews or critiques of last night's bands, or revealing scores beyond bands' placement each day, out of respect to all bands, organizers, and my judging position. Like the past two semifinal nights, three more local bands gathered at The Rockstar Bar to compete for one (or two) spots in next week's finals, with the only major differences from past weeks being a 10:15 PM start time (not 10:30 as was previously announced), less band introductions, and Boot Hill Crooners singer/guitarist Sheldon Jaaskelainen helping out on sound in place of Craig West. For details on each night not covered above, check out our last two battle recaps on the site!

After a random drawing, last night's first band was local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage in their first battle of the bands with their current lineup, and they played a selection of more recent original songs like "Hay Zeus" and "Bucket of Ham", along with a medley of their drinking songs (as seen at The Locals Attack in November.) Though they had some loyal fans out, their crowd response wasn't fantastic, and the free-flowing banter and casual energy of their usual sets wasn't as visible. Second last night was Giwakwa (pronounced with a hard G, as in "Gates"), the new local death/sludge metal quartet featuring Bring The Fallen alumni Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville, veteran local guitarist Chris Page, and Frightlight drummer Chris Thompson. They played an abbreviated set of just 4 songs (including "Winter's Hunger", "Endless Bummer", and "Iron Lung") which attracted a solid crowd response on the floor! Soundwise, they're reminiscent of Bring The Fallen, if a bit doomier and with no guitar solos (which Chris Page told me is on purpose.)

Last up last night was local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters (in their Rockstar Bar debut), and they won immediate points visually for both their new banner and their bear hunter costumes (complete with camouflage garb & "bear blood"!) Their set attracted the biggest crowd and cheers of the night, which saw them play 5 original songs including "Servitude", "Collapse The Sun", and "Deception". After their set, judges Len Ward, Jay Case, and myself deliberated on the results, and while I won't reveal the final scores, I will say that once again, we all agreed who finished first, second, and third. With that said, your third semifinal winners & battle finalists are.... THE BEAR HUNTERS! As a result, the guys have secured their best ever battle of the bands finish (following last year's narrow 6th place run at the Humane Society Battle), and it could mark another prize winning run for members who took awards in bands like Bring The Fallen & Operation: Killdozer in recent years! And yes, guitarist Mitch Sirie will compete twice in the finals following his other band's victory last week, so we'll have to see how that goes! That said, who got the wild card?

Well, last night's second place band (who I'll confirm were Giwakwa) didn't quite break the tie going into last night, but rather than make a tough decision, organizers and judges mutually decided to give BOTH of the tied wild card bands a spot in the finals, and with that said, the wild card finalists are.... HAGGITH & THE PESTO SHIRTS! For The Pesto Shirts, this marks members Steve Myers & Jacob Rendell's first upper level run at a local battle since Sense of Truth & Blues Harvest made the Kiss Battle Finals in December 2009, while Haggith will get a second chance to make a huge impression in their first collective local battle next week! So for next week, The Bear Hunters, Haggith, and The Pesto Shirts will join the first two week's winners (Late & Loud and The Suicide Kings) in a massive 5 band final round, and there's a little something for everyone at next week's finals, with death metal, grunge, hair metal, indie rock, and hard rock all represented by the different bands, and there's interesting notes throughout the finals to take note of!

Will The Bear Hunters lock up their first local battle win and give guitarist Josh Stephney his fourth battle victory in the past 4 years? Can Haggith prove themselves to be above the wild card with a first place run in their battle debut? Will Late & Loud give Jonathan Tiberi a huge local send-off with their second local battle win in just over a year? Can The Pesto Shirts knock off their heavier competitors with their talented indie/jazz blend and professionalism come next week? And will The Suicide Kings keep up their prolific recent successes with a victory in the finals? This is gonna be a huge night of finals action THIS WEDNESDAY, and as a note to all 20 competitors next week: Bring your A-games! Leave it all on the stage, don't just play the same set with the same effort. Prove you deserve the victory, bring your fans, and leave everyone in attendance next week wanting more! You've made it this far, now turn it up to 11 and make the most of this opportunity! No word yet on a start time, but I imagine it'll be similar to past weeks, while the 19+ age limit remains in effect, and admission will cost $10 (but believe me, it's worth it, more bands and only the top bands!)

Which band will claim the $1,000 grand prize, the recording time at Case's Music, the opening slot at an upcoming Johnny Pints concert, and maybe more? Who will claim the other podium spots? Be at The Rockstar Bar NEXT WEEK to find out, and I know I'll see you guys there! Congratulations to the finalists for making it this far, and here's my videos from last night, of Sykotyk Rampage playing their newer song "Disbeliever", Giwakwa playing their song "Stoned To Death", and The Bear Hunters playing "Bloodthirst"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for previews of both this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts and Woods of Ypres' Juno nomination tomorrow morning or afternoon! Thanks everyone!

Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands Semifinals Recap (Night 2)

Hey guys, it's time for my recap of last night's second week of the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Like on the first night, remember that I WON'T be reviewing the bands individually or revealing individual scores or placements beyond what was said publically at the battle (as I'm one of the judges), only going over the events and news from the battle itself for readers. Like on April 3rd, last night's action saw three local bands competing for one of four slots at the battle finals in two weeks, and while things were about the same as before, there were a few differences. Setlists were retracted to 25 minutes, and unlike last week, The Rockstar Bar's P.A. announcer offered up come band information and plugs for the event and future concerts between bands, which was a nice touch! Also, MC & fellow judge Jay Case had a lesser load last night, with Case's Music recording engineer/local musician Craig West helping out with sound (and with a cast on his hand too, kudos to him!), so Jay didn't have to run all over the place again! Everything else was basically the same as last week, so for any minutae not addressed above, see our Night 1 recap at this link!

After a random drawing, the night's first band was local "eclectic rock" quartet The Pesto Shirts, in what was both their first gig with electric instruments, and their first with dapper-dressed new drummer Jacob Rendell. Their set largely consisted of original songs like "Gypsy" and "Lay It On The Line", along with at least one cover (of KT Tunstall's "The Beauty of Uncertainty"), and though their set was largely different than their fellow competitors, they seemed to win over many fans with their jazz and indie/inspired sound. They were followed by local punk trio The Northern Tragedy, who played a mix of modern punk originals and covers, including their songs "Dragon Drums" and "Excuse My Choices", which seemed to go over well in their return to The Rockstar Bar! However, the fans didn't visibly appear to be consistently engaged throughout their set, and without going into detail on my scorecards or opinions, the guys need work on their crowd interactions and energy, which didn't match their talents or songwriting.

The final band of the night was local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings, who came prepared with the rock look, energy, and shades, with fans even wielding signs for the occasion, a'la Sykotyk Rampage at the Sault College battle in 2010! Half originals & half covers, their set included songs like their EP's title track "King of the World" & "Into The Fray", along with Billy Idol & Buckcherry covers (some in a medley), and this helped get the most people onto the floor of the night! After The Suicide Kings finished, me, Jay, and fellow judge Len Ward deliberated on the scores, and without revealing anything specific, we were in complete agreement again about who finished first, second, and third. With that said, the battle's second finalist band is...... THE SUICIDE KINGS! As a result of their win, they've ensured at least a fourth place finish in their first local battle, and it's another top 4 battle result for guitarist Steven Flint, who finished in a razor thin third place at last year's Sault Humane Society Battle with Wishbone.

Plus, this is a guaranteed improvement (and a nice birthday present) for bassist Mitch Sirie, who finished in 6th place (and a point out of the three-way 3rd place tie) with The Bear Hunters at that same battle. I won't publically disclose the second place band yet, but I will admit right now (and I'm dead serious) that the second place bands from last week & this week have the exact same score. With the wild card band being determined next Wednesday, this could be very significant if next week's second place band doesn't score higher, so keep note of a potential tie-breaking decision if it comes down to that. The final night of the semifinals goes down this coming Wednesday (with a special 10:30 PM start time), when The Bear Hunters, Giwakwa, and Sykotyk Rampage compete in arguably the heaviest night of the semifinals, with the winner joining The Suicide Kings, week 1 winners Late & Loud, and the wild card second place band (to be determined) on April 24th. Two of next week's bands have competed in battles of the bands in the last 3 years, while Giwakwa feature two members of three time battle champions Bring The Fallen, so it's anyone's guess what happens next week! (Plus, imagine if The Bear Hunters made the finals, giving Mitch Sirie double duty on the 24th?! It could happen!)

Stay tuned to the SMS for previews, recaps, and updates as more comes in, I'll see you guys back at The Rockstar Bar next week, and thanks again to Carrie, Hayley, Jay, J.D., Len, Martin, and everyone at The Rockstar Bar for the help & hospitality going forward! Like last week, I foregone photos due to my judging priorities, but I did get videos of each band, so here's (in performance order) The Pesto Shirts playing their song "Gypsy", The Northern Tragedy playing their original "These Days", and The Suicide Kings playing their song "King of the World"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow morning for previews of the rest of the weekend's metal/hard rock concerts, including a new show and a notable benefit event next month! Thanks everyone!

Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands Preview (Night 2)

It's now time for our second preview of the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Semifinals, as the second night of the final round qualifiers goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! As brought to you by The Rockstar Bar, Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and The Sault Metal Scene, three more local bands will gather at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night to join last week's winners Late & Loud as the second finalist band on April 24th, where they'll compete for prizes like $1,000, recording time at Case's Music, a guaranteed opening slot at one of co-promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming concerts, and more to be announced! Judges Jay Case, Len Ward, and myself will have the work cut out for us though tomorrow night, as all three bands are making their first ever battle of the bands appearances, and all only just formed last year, so which of these three will leave the biggest impression to punch their finals ticket in two weeks (and can one of the runner-up bands score highly enough with the judges to earn the fourth wild card pass to the finals?)

Remember, like last week, I will NOT critique the individual bands or predict any results, as to remain fair & impartial given that I'm judging tomorrow. Instead, I'll just promote and hype the event and bands, and encourage readers to attend and support the competitors, just like last week. That all said, which of these three newer (and very different) local rock bands will prove victorious in the second semifinal come tomorrow night? Here's info on all three of tomorrow's acts, in alphabetical order:

The Northern Tragedy: Just 6 months after their debut gig, this new local punk trio will return to The Rockstar Bar for their first local battle of the bands tomorrow, and they've been making many fans at varying supporting & headlining gigs since last fall with their energetic original material! Drummer Terrence Gomes has had mixed success with Creedon & The Animal Detectives and Changing Waves in two recent battles of the bands, but can he improve on those finishes with The Northern Tragedy come tomorrow night?

The Pesto Shirts: This year-old acoustic jazz/rock quartet will make their first live concert appearance with new drummer Jake Rendell tomorrow night, and while they're the softest of this month's bands, they're very talented and not to be ignored! Guitarist Steve Myers won the 2008 Skid Row Battle with Sense of Truth, and both they & Jake's other band Blues Harvest made the Kiss Battle finals the next year, but can these guys and girls pull out a victory over their plugged-in competitors with their varied rock renditions?

The Suicide Kings: Since their debut last fall, this hard rock quartet have played a number of major concerts, and even began EP recording sessions, and they'll surely to be ready as they hit The Rockstar Bar for the third time in three weeks! Guitarist Steven Flint won a three-way tiebreaker for 3rd with Wishbone at last year's Humane Society Battle, with bassist Mitch Sirie a point behind them with The Bear Hunters, but can The Suicide Kings' varied originals & covers take them back to those heights at this battle?

Save for any sudden cancellations, tomorrow's winning band will return for the finals in two weeks on April 24th, where they'll take on week 1 winners Late & Loud, whoever wins next week (either The Bear Hunters, Giwakwa, or Sykotyk Rampage), and the highest scoring semifinal runner-up band for the top prize! Note as well that The Suicide Kings' Mitch Sirie is The Bear Hunters' lead guitarist as well, so imagine if both of his current bands made the finals?! Like last week, admission TOMORROW NIGHT will be $3 at the door and next week, but the finals cost $10. Ticket packages can still be bought at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel or through participating band members for $15 (which is still a deal), and everything starts at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit tomorrow. For more details, check out the official Facebook event page or the above links! We saw a great night of music and competition last week, but which of tomorrow's bands will prove ready for a spot in the finals in their first battle, and can tomorrow's second place band overcome last week's for that wild card finals spot?

Can The Northern Tragedy ensure some punk representation in the battle finals on April 24th? Can Steve & Jake return to the upper echelon of a local battle with The Pesto Shirts tomorrow night? Or can The Suicide Kings continue their prolific early success with a finals run this month? We'll find out which of these newer local bands will win their way to the finals TOMORROW NIGHT, and I'll be sure to see you guys there! Thanks everyone!