Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran Toronto punk bassist Phil Page, who passed away earlier this week, as per numerous personal Facebook postings. While not a local musician, Phil was known to many in the local punk scene via his friend and long-time bandmate Mikey Hawdon, with the two collaborating musically for the past 15 or so years during Mikey's time living in Southern Ontario. SMS readers will best recognize Phil as the bassist in Mikey's first Ramones tribute band The Merves, who played five concerts in the Soo from 2010-2015 before reuniting at Soo Blaster in November during Mikey's pre-wedding concert. Original music-wise, Phil played with Mikey in The Fairmounts, who came here for a single show at The Algonquin Pub in 2012. Mikey also drummed in Phil's band Teenage X, who I don't believe ever played up here.
Phil was also known from GTA bands like The Outbred Inlaws and The Downbelows, and was also an avid skateboarder. My interactions with Phil during his local concerts were limited, but he was a good man and a proud father, and my thoughts are absolutely with his wife Hollie and their kids at this difficult time. If you're a fan of modern skate punk and/or The Ramones, do check out Phil's back catalog to hear some very solid performances both on stage and in studio. R.I.P. Phil!
Today's post otherwise focuses on new videos, and we'll actually start with another ex-bandmate of Mikey Hawdon's, namely his old Lion Ride/Detroit cohort Mark Rand & his emo/punk band Fuller, who reunited after an 18-ish year hiatus for a one-off concert at LopLops Lounge in December! As I noted in our post last week about Jimmy Polnick's live-streams from that night, the Facebook event page saw an abnormal usage as a bulletin board for videos from the event (remember, the bands that night either don't have a Facebook page or barely post on theirs), with two more attendees posting videos there from the show! Ashley Lace also filmed Fuller's entire set for the event page, posting her footage on January 2nd. Now, her videos were split in two chunks (the second video begins with their Moneen cover with guest vocalists), but thankfully, hers were shot horizontally!
It's always more ideal to shoot a band in landscape orientation, so kudos to Ashley for going widescreen for her footage! Even beyond that, I'd say that her videos are better quality for visuals and audio than Jimmy's, but of course, thanks to both for filming everything that they did! I won't do another blow by blow of the set, as I covered that ground last week, but definitely give Ashley's Fuller videos a watch above & below!
The other video was posted by Mark on New Year's Eve, but was shot by his wife & Cross Dog bandmate Tracy Ashenden. It features their last song (whose name was obscured in the setlist picture from his personal Facebook page), which was more of an extended jam compared to what came before it. Tracy got more of a central angle than what Ashley filmed concurrently, and while the audio is a little muffled by comparison, you can't go wrong with the crystal clear visuals and horizontal orientation! It does feel like there was a stabilization setting added to it, based on how some of the motion looks, but it's another solid video, so throw back to Fuller's long awaited return concert again below!
We'll close with a new video from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook page! Filmed at one of their Rockstar Bar fundraiser gigs from late last year (they did not specify which one), the video features guitarist Ryan Robb playing 19 seconds of the guitar solo from their cover of Metallica's cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In The Jar". Note the fan laying on his back giving "moral support", which hopefully was sent accurately! The drums are a little loud given the camera setup and focus on the guitarist, but what we see is well performed, so give it a look for yourselves below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
With weekend concert previews now taken care of, we can touch on some recent news and notes today, including a pile of shorter items, new media from a regional guitarist, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!
Montreal psychobilly quartet The Brains will return to the Soo for a belated Halloween weekend concert on Sunday, November 2nd at The Rockstar Bar! Coming almost a year after their most recent local stop at the same venue, The Brains are fairly frequent sights as out of town bands go, and their unique blend of horror punk and rockabilly should go over well once again in November, so keep this show in mind to end the Halloween season with! Besides, how often will you see a punk band this year with a stand-up bass? Joining them at this show will be fellow Montreal punk rockers Boids, who have more of a traditional punk sound, but will impress with their varied influences and catchy melodies, so don't miss them on November 2nd either! A local opening band is to be announced, and it should be noted that promoter J.D. Pearce was looking for bands different from ones playing the Gob and Halloween Party shows a few days prior that he's also promoting, so we'll have to see who gets added! This will be a 19+ concert, a $10 admission fee is in place (no word on advance tickets yet), and everything is slated to begin at 9:00 PM.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! With Gob, The Brains, and Frightlight's farewell now confirmed for J.D.'s Halloween concert slate at The Algonquin Hotel's bars, he's definitely stacking the deck for the season, so be sure not to miss out on this late October spree of great concerts! Stay tuned for updates on all 3 as we hear them!
Next up, we have some new original songs from Dafter, Michigan solo rocker Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton, courtesy of his YouTube channel and a new online page of his! In recent days, Ken has been posting songs on Spreaker, a music networking site that specializes in podcasts and radio shows, but can also host individual music too. New tracks named "Mustang", "Crud", and (as embedded below) "Can It Be (Guitar Confusion)" can now be streamed there or on linked YouTube video uploads, and while it is presumed that they'll be on SweetKenny's upcoming album "Amazonian", this isn't explictly stated. As we hope to review a new SweetKenny album early next year, we'll hold on comments on these songs for the time being, but long time fans should check these songs out for more classic-tinged hard rock! Check out "Can It Be" below, and hear more at the above links!
Finally for today, here's six shorter recent news items from the
last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band
or event name:
Habitat Shuffle/ex-Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall is looking to join or form a band that would play old hardcore and indie music inspired by the likes of Fugazi, Refused, and Brand New. As he described it, such a band would have "eclectic taste that, despite being badass, is completely unmarketable." Interesting plans, but if you're up to jam with Dustin, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
Local pop punk/screamo project For July have posted a new song named "The Truth" onto their Soundcloud page! Self-described as a "work in progress", it has the upbeat energy of many of their older songs, and some catchier hooks, so give it a look above, and stay tuned for more updates on For July!
Local punk (but don't call them that) trio The Fury
are officially defunct again, as confirmed in a recent personal
conversation with frontman Paul Stanghetta. He commented on musical
differences with new members as part of the reason, but you could
consider The Apocalypse Afterparty
as successors, given that they cover Fury songs live, and that Steve
Mozarowski was briefly The Fury's drummer this year. Fans will best
remember their high octane bass & drum sets from 2009-2011
compared to their barely launched 2014 reunion, but give them a listen
all the same, and best of luck to all former members!
A drummer named Phil Grecks (possibly a nickname for former Role Models drummer Phil Greco) is looking to form a new original local band that would play heavy, melodic, and sometimes fast songs, citing Nonpoint, Starset, and Nothing More as possible influences. Sounds intriguing, but if you're interested in trying out or getting more info, message Phil at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
Local crust/death metal trio Shit Liver are staying busy in their new home of St. Catharines, having played a gig there on Tuesday opening for Killitorous, and being scheduled for another show there on October 3rd where they'll open for Life Problems
in a fundraiser for a beloved dog's surgery. Good to see the guys
playing often, and hopefully we'll see them back north in short order
too!
This year's sixth annual Soo Zombie Walk will return to being scheduled the week before Halloween on Saturday, October 25th, though it will still be based at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for a second straight year, as per this year's Facebook event page.
What we don't know is whether the expanded afternoon band lineup at the
museum will return, or if the afterparty will regain it's prior
non-acoustic format in it's place, but when we hear more regarding the
band situation this year, we will let you guys know!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!
It's time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, though with a slight change. I'd originally selected the first channel we're looking at today for a one-channel profile, but since I last visited this channel, a number of videos were deleted for unannounced reasons, leaving just 3 videos of 2 distinct types, which is too small to fill a post now. Rather than stretch it too far, I randomly chose a YouTube channel with just one local metal video to fill it out, so for the 4th straight month, we're looking at 2 channels' videos, information, and reasons for subscribing! Without any further adieu, read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! (Edited on October 16th, 2013)
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Owner:Former Amethyst/Meatplow drummer Phil Temporao, a.k.a. Sebastien Phily Temporao & Phily S. Tempo
Channel Timeline: Launched on July 31st, 2009; Videos posted between March & May 2011
Channel Summary:
Prolific veteran local musucian Phil Temperao maintained this channel in recent years to feature media of his recent local metal projects, including the band originally known as Meatplow and a later solo project named Sebastien 6. Sadly, all of his Meatplow videos have either been deleted or privatized, including some very solid industrial metal jamming and a cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder" that all shown off Phil's uniquely gritty vocals, but now it just features solo performances under the "Sebastien 6" banner from the spring of 2011, including a drum solo and two studio original songs. All were recorded or filmed at his home studio Greentown Digital Studios.
Why Should You Watch: I'd give Phil's YouTube channel a look to see his recent solo material, which is definitely much different from his Amethyst days, but still well performed, and I hope he revisits his music again in the future! That said, I honestly preferred the Meaplow videos, as they were more aggressive and had a unique electronic angle, and hopefully Phil makes them available again down the road! As well, note that I don't think Phil's used this channel in over a year, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out: drumzsolo.wmv:
The earliest of Phil's surviving videos is also his only surviving live video, and it's a drum solo filmed circa March 2011 which appears to be a studio cut named titled "drum grooves/warmupz". Uploaded in a old movie-style sepia filter, it's just over a minute of Phil executing a very nice drum solo, if not blisteringly paced, and it shows his talent nicely! Note though that many of his deleted videos featured him on an electronic drum kit, rather than the more standard one in this video.
SEBASTIEN 6,,,RAIN: Phil's other surviving videos are studio recordings from his Sebastien 6 solo project, including songs named "Evil Drivin'" and (as embedded below) "Rain", which his his most viewed upload of the three. Compared to his Meatplow work, these songs (though heavy) are much softer and more varied in tone, with clean vocals and a bit more repetition in the song structures. I leaned more towards the Meatplow material, but Phil's musical range is at work here, and he can sing cleanly well (though the style used on "evil Drivin'" didn't gel to me.) Each features photo slideshows of Phil, musical instruments, and photos relating to the songs' lyrics, with plenty of effects, while "Rain" also features Phil's brother (and fellow Amethyst alum) Jose "Wales" Temperao on guest guitar, which he impresses on!
Owner:A member of Sault Michigan metal band Tantrym Tyme from during their brief tenure as Tantrum following their name change from Abstract (identity otherwise unclear)
Channel Timeline: Launched on April 4th, 2012; Only video posted that same day
Channel Summary: This is/was the official YouTube channel for Tantrum/Tantrym Tyme, but since they updated the page to reflect their current name, there's been no major updates. As such, the channel's only video is of Tantrum playing at a talent show at Sault Area Middle School circa the spring of 2012, seemingly filmed in the school gym from the bleachers, and it has them covering The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know", and Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets"! Featuring singer/guitarist Jacob Hotlen, bassist Mike East, and drummer Ethan Twardy (guitarist Quinton Jacobson hadn't joined yet), the guys' talents for their young ages are on full display (though Jacob's singing is very quiet compared to the heavy covers), and it bridges somewhat from the Abstract era to their slightly heavier current work! Having the sound guy behind the band seems odd though. Note that for more recent & updated Tantrym Tyme videos, check out Jacob's YouTube channel!
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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, and I apologize again for the late addition this month, I literally only found out about the spt2112 deletions yesterday. So, what's coming up in this series next month? Well, the first channel I randomly selected didn't have three distinct local metal videos, but for the first time since July, we'll be looking at 3 different channels, as the second one we picked didn't have 2! The chosen channels for next month are Woods of Ypres' official VEVO YouTube channel (featuring their last music video), reneepaigefecteau's channel (featuring a Three Days Grace concert video from 2008), and ex-Sense of Truth drummer Ryan Haryett's channel (featuring an S.O.T. video from 2009), so watch out for this on or around February 22nd! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including lots of videos from the Sebastian Bach concert on Sunday! Thanks everyone!
It's new video day at The Sault Metal Scene! I knew I promised new concerts, but I'm waiting for additional confirmation on one scheduled for later this week before I report anything. I have four new videos to share today though, so that's today's top news! We have a new live demo, new solo material, a new song with topical relevance, and this week's classic video, so let's get things rolling!
Brimley hard rockers Half A Man have posted a new jam session video on their YouTube channel, where they play a new original song named "Die In Disgrace"! Audio's great quality, and the song also succeeds! Slower pace, though a bit higher tempo than "Slow Rock 75". Very heavy though, especially the solo break, Denny Breslin sets the song on fire there! This song will go over very well in concert, it fits Half A Man really well, and it's very heavy! The video quality isn't as good as it could be though. I'm not against the black and white setting, but the angle is strange, filming from an angle where you can't really see Gary Croad or Mikey Bishop with any clarity. Good stuff though, Half A Man continue to impress, and check out the new Half A Man video below!
Next up, how'd you guys like an anti-Osama Bin Laden song? I'm sure you're well aware that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks has been killed by American forces, and to commemorate this major news, Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids epic metal band End of Existence have recorded a new song entitled "Blood On My Hands (Fuck Bin Laden)"! Even without hearing it, you've gotta give them credit for making a song about this news story so soon after it happened! Uploaded onto their YouTube channel yesterday, this song sounds similar to End of Existence's earlier songs, lyrical content aside, which is a good thing! Very heavy with great growling and clean choruses from Orb Hearthstone, and some effective use of news footage at the beginning of the song helps set the intended tone! If you liked End of Existence's older songs, you'll enjoy this song as well, and if you hated Osama Bin Laden, there's extra incentive to check out "Blood On My Hands" below!
Also in new videos, veteran local musician Phil Temperao (ex-Amethyst & Meatplow) has posted a couple new videos onto his YouTube channel! One is a 13 second clip of a song named "Smile", but it doesn't have a lot of details relating to the project performing it. It's also extremely short, and only sounds like the start of "Smile", so I can't offer much about it. The more substantial of the new videos is from his "Sebastien 6" solo project, and it's of a new song named "Evil Driving"! Though a fast paced and hard rocking track, this is more in the mold of his song "Rain" in that it's more melodic and accessible than the harder-edged full band material that we've seen. It feels like a driving song, but Phil's vocals have more of a dreamlike quality, which is an odd contrast. Solid song, I'm interested to see what he has in store next! Check out the song and some nice visual effects and photos right below!
And finally, here is this week's classic video! Once again, I've posted a video of Sault Michigan hard rockers Monkey's Uncle in honour of their upcoming concerts this weekend, so here's what you should know! Again, this video is from the Jager days, from a December 2007 concert somewhere in the U.P. (the venue was uncredited), and it's of the band covering Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer"! I'm more for classic Finger Eleven, but Monkey's Uncle/Jager covered this song nicely! This features the same lineup as on the Nazareth cover I uploaded in February, but I'm not entirely sure of who's who (save for frontman Henry Switzer), but let me know if you can confirm the members. Uploaded onto their MySpace page in January 2008, you can check out the original link for this video at http://myspace.com/video/vid/25528977. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! I want to share Monkey's Uncle with a wider audience like they deserve, as they could use extra exposure and press! Good performance too, check it out below!
To close, I want to say something. Since I started the SMS in 2007, I've had great feedback, but somtimes, I'll get a comment from someone who may criticize or undermine me and/or the SMS. That said, I mean well. I mean well for the scene, fans, bands, musicians, promoters, and everyone else who's read the SMS over the years. Sure, I may may err, forget, misstate, or misjudge certain parts of the local metal scene here & there, but I'm human. I'm not perfect, no one is. I'm doing my best to get the news out there and present factual & interesting info, while remaining as respectful & impartial as I can. I do appreciate constructive criticism & mistake corrections, it's the only way I'll learn, just don't be rude or mad about it. I never would be to you. Remember that whatever you think of me, the SMS, or metal/hard rock music, remember that I mean well, the SMS means well, and that will never change. Thanks to each and every one of you for the continued support over the years, and stay tuned for a new news post very soon!
This is our 25th post of the month already, and at this rate, we could approach last month's post record at this rate! Today's post is largely comprised of older stories that got pushed aside in recent weeks, but is well worth discussing! This includes a cool SMS concept logo, the latest from Lion Ride & Beyond The Surface, some new pages, and kicking things off, a new video! Here's what you need to know!
Veteran local musician Phil Temperao has uploaded a solo song onto his YouTube channel! Unlike the older jam session videos that usually featured him and Dennis Porter, this is a solo song that bears little resemblance to the older Meatplow (or whatever they'll be called next) videos. This is just a song named "Rain" under the project name "Sebastien 6". It features Phil on all instruments save for the lead guitar, which is actually provided by his brother Jose (a.k.a. Jose Wailz), who you may recall as Phil's old Amethyst bandmate! Compared to the more aggressive and industrial tinged songs from the full band, "Rain" is a lighter track that is still hard rocking, and shows off Phil's singing range. The guitar work's solid, but the song can be a bit repetitive, and if you prefer the material from the live videos with Dennis contributing, "Rain" may be slightly underwhelming in tone. It's a solid track though, and it's accompanied with some good shots of Phil and outdoor nature pictures. Recorded at Greentown Digital Studios this year, there's apparently more coming from this solo project, so keep an eye out! Check the above links for more, and here's "Rain"!
Next up, here's some long overdue news on young Pickford hard rockers Beyond The Surface. Firstly, they've announced that lead guitarist Eli Reilly is now be their full time singer going forward in addition to playing guitar, replacing Danielle Petingalo in the band's vocalist position. No reasons have been posted for Danielle's departure, but in all fairness, she hasn't been a credited member of the band since before I heard about them, so it just took a while for official confirmation. I don't know how Eli sounds vocally, but he can't sound too bad! With that said, the band have announced their next live gig, which will be part of a "spring concert" at Pickford High School on May 17th with the school band. I don't know enough about it to call it on the SMS yet as a "public concert", but keep it in mind, especially if you live in Pickford or attend Pickford High! They're a promising young band, and I am curious to hear how they sound in their current incarnation! Stay tuned for more updates at their Facebook page, and I'll try to stay more on top of them in the future!
Thirdly, here's a pair of new Facebook pages from some local metal bands! One isn't really "new", but I only discovered it a few weeks ago, so I gotta mention it. Sault Michigan hard rockers Intrepid (one of the many Guitar Studio rock camp bands) have had a Facebook page since August of 2009, and believe it or not, we've never mentioned it here! The page tells us some interesting details on the band from late 2009-2010, including a number of very brief and often ill-detailed statuses about their next shows, which ranged from local bars to talent shows to the Kewadin Festival! I'd have covered these for sure if I knew about them, but many were ambiguous and only hinted towards potential shows or gigs with no listed venue or date. The page also includes a bunch of live photos, though sadly, no concert video footage. Intrepid haven't updated this page since after a December talent show performance, but if you wanna get caught up on Intrepid, click here! The other news is that Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night have a Facebook page of their own, and though it only features synched news from their primary Reverbnation page, do check it out, as you'll still find out about their latest news!
Fourthly, do you want some new photos? How's about some new Lion Ride photos? Some professional quality photographs from around the time of their local show earlier this month at The Rockstar Bar are now online, including an extensive slideshow from photographer Jesse Nelson on his blog Family Tree Land! Loads of photos from before and after their concert, including the show itself, are included there, which are great quality but sadly unavailable in high resolution on the page itself. To view in larger and better resolution, click here to go straight to the original Flickr feed, you'll thank me later! Look out for cameos by members of some prominent local bands and a band member's mother in the front row, for example! The other photos will be coming soon from prominent local photographer Curt O'Neil, who's done some outstanding past work with Lion Ride concert pictures! This time around, he just did a formal photo shoot with the band, I think their first of this type with the current lineup. Though the fruits of this labour aren't visible yet, Curt did post one preview picture, and it's on your left, but click here for full resolution! Nice work, I can't wait to see more, so stay tuned for when they come online!
Finally, here's a cool little custom item I've been holding onto for a while! If you know me well, you'll know that I enjoy the art of logos, be they for sports, companies, or whatever, and I try to utilize appropriate designs in SMS artwork, logos, and page layouts. I'm not a professional, but I do what I can. That said, Destroilet drummer Matt Waples, who is a VERY talented graphic designer with Sonigraphix Design Solutions, sent me a concept for a new SMS logo last month based around the one we debuted in December. I thought now was a good time to share his work with you guys, as he deserves all the credit in the world for the work he does! I'm a fan of logo concepts on sites like Icethetics, so why not inject some of that here? If I remember correctly, I told Matt that this looked great, but it felt more like a Japanese action movie logo than a metal website logo, not that that's a bad thing. I find the M a bit fat and the flipped second S makes it look like "SMZ", but that aside, it's a damn good concept, and I appreciate Matt going out of his way to make this on his own free will! What do you guys think of it? Feedback is welcome, especially with the work Matt puts in! Check out his portfolio too at this location, outstanding work on logos and posters, and I added Sonigraphix to our Other Local Metal Links too!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes very soon! Thanks everyone!
