Before we get to the weekend's slate of metal & hard rock shows, I wanna apologize again for missing another Powerslug concert across the river, as the local hard rock outfit played at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird) again last Saturday. Guitarist Chris Gurnoe only officially confirmed the show on his personal Facebook page earlier that afternoon, and it completely passed me by for coverage on here. I could blame their lack of an internet page or the late notice, but ultimately, I should have checked to see if they were playing that day. I'm sorry again, and I'll work harder on my Powerslug coverage! Now, to this weekend, which is a big one for shows in the Sault Ontario area, so let's now waste any time, here are your concert previews from Thursday-Sunday!
First, we'll start with a big punk concert with metal involvement going down TONIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel, and though it's not officially in the Rosie metal night lineage, there's no shortage of quality entertainment happening, so here's who to look out for! Two heavier bands are on the lineup tonight, including horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight (in their first Rosie appearance in 11 months), whose current lineup should be playing live in full for the first time since October! Also, local hard rock trio Pools of Booze (a.k.a. T. Rex Manning minus singer J.D. Pearce) will return for their second gig, as J.D. Pearce will mostly be focusing on his work as Johnny Pints with Frightlight at tonight's concert. However, I understand that J.D. will join his bandmates to play a couple T. Rex Manning songs during the Pools of Booze set, including their first original song, so don't miss that! The headlining bands are noted Toronto punk/alternative bands Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved in the midst of their Danceland Tour, and they'll be sure to entertain tonight! Die Mannequin's energetic female-fronted style with some heavy touches have won them a lot of fans, and Dearly Beloved's punk & indie mix will also be pretty entertaining! The lineup is rounded out by local punk trio Redundant, who'll deliver a fun set of their punk covers and originals at tonight's concert, and you know they'll impress all at The Rosie tonight! I'm really curious to hear more of the original songs from their forthcoming debut CD, and hopefully Redundant knock it out of the park!
Advance ticket sales have closed, so if you don't have a ticket, you'll have to try your luck at the door tonight, though the price remains $10. You must be 19 to attend, and the doors open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like this will be a great concert for punk fans, with some nice metal touches, and hopefully there's a huge turnout at The Rosie tonight! Check the above links for more details, become a member of T. Rex Manning's new Facebook group (finally) at this location, and for a preview, here's Frightlight playing "She Screams" at the old Coch's Corner in October!
Next on the weekend schedule is a rare concert weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel from local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester! Not having rocked The Rosie since at least 2010 (possibly earlier), these hard rocking local veterans will sure add to a stacked weekend of heavier music at this venue over the next 3 nights! That's not the only difference though, as Cleveland Steamer drummer Mike Blair will be filling in for Ric Datson for the shows tomorrow night & Saturday night due to a recent joint injury that Ric suffered. Mike has the chops to fit in with the rest of the guys in That's Chester, and hopefully Ric gets better soon! This weekend's shows (the band's first since March) will be 19+ affairs with 10:30 PM start times, and there will not be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These will be different from the recent norm for That's Chester, but their talents at hard rock covers will be ever present tomorrow night & Saturday night, so keep these concerts in mind this weekend! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" a few years back!
Also this weekend is local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam's long awaited return to one of their favourite venues, The Rockstar Bar! Though last seen at the Ypres Metal Fest last month, this serves as the rescheduled date for their planned March concert at this venue, which was postponed following frontman Buzz' back injury and pneumonia. It's great to see them back for their first headlining concert of 2012 and their first Rockstar Bar gig in 11 months, and you know they'll have tons of their high impact originals from their new album "Everything Will Die" ready to melt faces with! This is otherwise similar to Garden of Bedlam's past headlining shows at The Rockstar Bar, with no opening bands, an 11:00 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though I sadly can't make this show due to an out of town weekend, this is shaping up to be a huge show, and hopefully you guys can show up to rock out with Garden of Bedlam on Saturday night! They never cease to impress, and with all of their quality originals, this is a show you won't wanna be absent for! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam playing their song "Emptiness Without A Name" at The Rockstar Bar last summer!
The final metal show going down this weekend is Dismembertainment's first concert since the Ypres Metal Fest, and they're continuing their relationship with The Canadian Nightclub with a strong lineup consisting of noted out of town bands and returning local favourites on Sunday night! The late-addition headliners are Vancouver metal band West of Hell, fronted by Zimmers Hole's Chris "Heathen" Valagao, and their old school speed metal style with modern influences will surely win them lots of fans on Sunday! Also joining them are Vancouver death metal quintet Tribune, in their first local appearance since the 31st Rosie metal night in September! They rocked the Soo hard in their first stop here last fall, and their mix of death metal styles and hardcore choruses will surely be well recieved this Sunday! The local openers are notably both returning from long absences from the stage, including the return of State of Misery! Now in their third run since their 2010 inception, the popular death metal band will play their first concert in over a year, their first show since their breakups & the departure of bassist Devon Overman, and their first with their original lineup since last February, so be sure to welcome them back to the stage on Sunday for their brutal original material! Oh, and it's their Canadian Nightclub debut as well!
Opening this show however will be the long awaited debut/return of local hard rock quartet Borderline Divine! This concert marks a lot of firsts & returns for them, so let's mention them briefly: This will be Borderline Divine's first show since changing their name from Stillbroke last fall, their first gig in over 2 years, their first Canadian Nightclub appearance since 2009, their Dismembertainment debut, their first show since Mitch Sirie & Justin Polutanovich joined the band and Chris Villeneuve & Kyle McKey left, their first gig since Jesse Frigault dropped the guitar to focus on singing only, and it will mark the debut of their heavier sound & new original material. I think that covers it all, and it's great to see the guys back after so long! A lot has changed, but things are finally looking up for Borderline Divine! This concert will be an ALL AGES affair (as the other recent Dismembertainment shows are), the cover charge is $10 (which was raised after West of Hell were added, but the cost is extremely worth it), and doors open at 9:00 PM on Sunday. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a great concert full of talented touring bands and notable local returns, and I guarantee I'll be there on Sunday night if I'm home in time! Check the above links for more on this very big metal show, and for a preview, here's West of Hell live in Vancouver last year with a special guest you may recognize!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more ahead! Thanks everyone!
Well, I'm back from last night's metal/punk show at The Canadian Nightclub, and my review of it is the bulk of today's post, but first, here's a brief note on another concert this weekend. Apparently, classic hard rockers That's Chester will feature a special guest for their set at Docks TONIGHT, that being Brad Stephen, who plays bass in the local country band Bone Yard with That's Chester's Greg Simpson & Ric Datson. My source is Ric's personal Facebook page, and I assume Brad's filling in for Aubrey Falls for this gig, but I'm not 100% positive. So if you're going to see That's Chester tonight, take note of the lineup difference, but Brad has chemistry and a history with the guys, and he should fit in well tonight! Now, to my concert review! So last night's show was supposed to be headlined by Victoria, B.C. sleaze rockers The Lust Boys (notably with guitarist Benny Blitz's homecoming), but as their tour vehicle broke down 5 hours outside of town, they couldn't make it here in time, so the show was pushed back to 9:00 PM. Wouldn't you know it, but I was still late, though when your dog's back legs seem to stop working, that sorta becomes your focus (get well soon, DJ!)
So I made it to The Canadian during Pools of Booze's set, but I still caught a lot of them, so how do they sound? Well, they are essentially a one-off act featuring the members of local punk band T. Rex Manning, with bassist Bill "Orthae" Bennett handling lead vocals in place of the absent J.D. Pearce. I have yet to see T. Rex Manning live, so I don't know how their sound would compare to Pools of Booze last night, but from what I saw, they covered Misfits, Ramones, Volbeat, Judas Priest, and Tool material, and were honestly heavier than I assumed they'd be going in! Bill handled vocals decently for the songs he sang lead on, and Tiffany Stocco & Daniel MacDonald handled the guitar and drums solidly, but I found that their best covers were the punk songs that they did, rather than heavier metal material. Again, I don't know if their set last night was basically the same as T. Rex Manning's, but they had a good flow and the crowd responded well to them! Also of note, guests sang with them last night on a couple of tracks, including Giwakwa frontman Jason Bourcier on a cover of The Misfits' "Skulls", and all the members of Late & Loud on a cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law"! Not bad at all, but hopefully I'll be seeing T. Rex Manning in full soon as well!
Following them were the returning Dirty Virgin, in their first show in 11 months and just their second gig in over 2 years! Their early 2009/2011 lineup was back last night, and they unleashed an entertaining set of covers and originals, with renditions of Kiss, Poison, Joe South, Sex Pistols, and AC/DC material mixed with originals like "She's Hot", "She Wants Some", and "Take You Hard", among others. It was good hearing this stuff again, and they definitely haven't lost a step from their 2009 incarnation! They strike a good balance between glam rock and punk, and they generally played songs that fit their sound and range (though I still don't think "Money Talks" fits Bobby Clement's style of singing.) Ryan Spin's guitar work was really good, as was Lionel Quinton's bass playing, and the whole band seemed to click well last night, which definitely helped get lots of fans dancing and grooving on the floor during their set! They probably had the most activity from fans of the three bands, which is a good sign, and the fan participation during their encore was fun! Hopefully this encourages further Dirty Virgin activity this year, as I'd like to see them stay together and not wait another year to hit the stage! Welcome back, guys!
Headlining last night's show was local classic metal quartet Late & Loud, and they delivered a fun set of originals and covers for their fans last night! You know they have a following when a fan in a wheelchair makes it to the front of the stage, AND takes his shirt off when the rest of the band does! With my dog's health issues, I didn't stay the full night just in case he got worse, but I still caught a lot of Late & Loud action, and they rocked the house down, even giving The Lust Boys a nice shoutout! Though their biggest downfall is still in vocals, they at least sang to their strengths on originals like "Live For Excess", "Machine Gun Maiden", and "Whisper of the Damned", while also throwing in some welcome covers, and the fans that were left responded well! They had loads of energy and some swagger, and their talents were as impressive as ever, especially on Brendan Christie's guitar solos! Josh Hatherley's drumming was on form too, and Jonathan Tiberi & Benn Garside rocked on guitar & bass themselves! Excellent set from what I saw, and hopefully the camcorder footage I saw being shot of their set makes it online at some point too!
That was an entertaining concert, and it sets the scene nicely for much more metal action at the Ypres Metal Fest next week! I did get photos & videos last night, though I apologize for the lack of photos and some quality issues with them. My charger cable for my usual camera is still in the mail, so it's out of commission until I get it back, and I had to use a spare borrowed camera last night. As such, each photo has a date watermark in the lower left, and I took less pictures in case there was a battery drainage issue. Also, the videos are standard definition & blur when zooming in & out, which is slightly annoying, but the quality holds up otherwise! Check out my photos at this location or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Pools of Booze covering the Volbeat song of the same name, Dirty Virgin playing their song "Take You Hard", and Late & Loud playing their song "Heavy or Bust"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned TONIGHT for my review of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" finally! Thanks everyone!
Here's another news post to kick off this Thursday with, and it has a lot of assorted stuff from the last while that we're finally getting on the site for you guys to check out! Today, we have a band breakup to mention, along with this week's classic video, a handful of assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and a new video discovery of a metal performance from a few years back, so here's what you need to know!
It looks like Sault Michigan metal quintet Hammerspace have disbanded again. An official statement hasn't been made to that effect, but posts are made by band members in a thread on the band's Facebook page last month that say things like "the band is broken, time to start anew" and "I had fun while it lasted." That comment thread got very personal & detailed, and I don't wanna bring anything bad to light, but a partial reason for Hammerspace's demise appears to be band members moving out of town, with only John Bergeron & Tim Podoba not mentioned as leaving by the spring. This appears to end Hammerspace's second local run, which didn't amount to much beyond some song postings, though fans are sure to remember their 2010-early 2011 run best of all, which featured a number of notable local concert dates. I enjoyed Hammerspace and thought they'd make it further than they did locally, but hopefully the guys stay active in music in the coming years, as there's a lot of talent there! Best of luck to John, Justin, Denny, Paul, Tim, and the other former members in the future, and if anything new comes out on Hammerspace or their members, I'll try to have it here!
Next up, here's an interesting find of a local band playing something heavier from a few years back! While doing research for an upcoming feature post, I came across a video of a Sault Michigan band named The Right Reverends playing two songs at a 2007 Battle of the Bands at Sault Area High School! The band featured singer/guitarists Robert Quinn & Tim Hall and drummer Mitchell Leon, who I believe was in the short lived death metal band Hands of Betrayal the following year. In this video, which YouTube user fishstix7711 posted online in February 2008, The Right Reverends covered Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" before playing what sounds like an original song named "Puppies" that definitely leans in a metal direction! It doesn't start until 4:52 into the video, and it's not too long, but it has a good sense of humour about it, even if it's nothing too technically amazing! I'm not sure whatever happened to The Right Reverends, but this is an interesting video from 5 years ago, so give it a look below if you wanna!
Thirdly for today, here's three more assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, musician, or post name:
I've updated our 2008 Case's Music Battle of the Bands Profile to note that "Best Bassist" winner Nathan Bouliane (then of the high school division champions Stillbroke) will also be at next month's Humane Society Battle with his new band The Moves, along with putting more emphasis on Behind Society drummer Josh Hatherley's later battle experience with The Glass Statues and Late & Loud. Nothing major, but I thought I'd mention them!
Ex-Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking for musicians for a new local metal project he's hoping to launch in the fall when he moves back to town. He has a drummer already for the project, and he sounds like he's already taking this new band very seriously. If you're at all interested in possibly trying out come this fall, then get more details via Dan's post on Friday at the Musicians Wanted Facebook group!
The fourth band for March 30th's Lust Boys concert at The Canadian Nightclub has been confirmed, and it's a new band named Pools of Booze! More specifically, they're local punk band T. Rex Manning in a one-off set without frontman J.D. Pearce (likely similar to Late & Loud's turn as General Striker last year), though a reason for J.D.'s absence isn't known. My source for the addition is this show's Facebook event page, and don't miss out!
And finally, here's this week's classic video! With them playing two different concerts this weekend, it made perfect sense to focus this week's classic video around local hardcore quintet As It Stands, and with it almost being a year since this video's filming, it's as good a time as any to put this on YouTube! This comes from one of As It Stands' out of town concerts last year, when they headlined a hardcore concert at The Coach & Horses in Windsor on March 26th, 2011. Attendee Jo-Ann Chayka filmed this video of the band playing their song "Conception" that night, and posted it onto Facebook the next day. It's a solid performance with good audio quality (Justin Pregent's very quiet clean singing aside), but the lighting is very dark and red, almost like it's in Virtual Boy-vision. It's a nice video though, and it's nice to see local bands making waves in Southern Ontario like this! This video was originally posted onto Facebook at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150174364083274 and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! All credit for this video goes to As It Stands and Jo-Ann, I'm just trying to share this performance with a wider audience like it deserves! It's a solid video of As It Stands, so give it a look below, and go see them at The Rosie & Speak Easy this weekend!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news, hopefully some concert reviews, and my "Woods V" review shortly! Thanks everyone!
First, we'll start with a big punk concert with metal involvement going down TONIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel, and though it's not officially in the Rosie metal night lineage, there's no shortage of quality entertainment happening, so here's who to look out for! Two heavier bands are on the lineup tonight, including horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight (in their first Rosie appearance in 11 months), whose current lineup should be playing live in full for the first time since October! Also, local hard rock trio Pools of Booze (a.k.a. T. Rex Manning minus singer J.D. Pearce) will return for their second gig, as J.D. Pearce will mostly be focusing on his work as Johnny Pints with Frightlight at tonight's concert. However, I understand that J.D. will join his bandmates to play a couple T. Rex Manning songs during the Pools of Booze set, including their first original song, so don't miss that! The headlining bands are noted Toronto punk/alternative bands Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved in the midst of their Danceland Tour, and they'll be sure to entertain tonight! Die Mannequin's energetic female-fronted style with some heavy touches have won them a lot of fans, and Dearly Beloved's punk & indie mix will also be pretty entertaining! The lineup is rounded out by local punk trio Redundant, who'll deliver a fun set of their punk covers and originals at tonight's concert, and you know they'll impress all at The Rosie tonight! I'm really curious to hear more of the original songs from their forthcoming debut CD, and hopefully Redundant knock it out of the park!
Advance ticket sales have closed, so if you don't have a ticket, you'll have to try your luck at the door tonight, though the price remains $10. You must be 19 to attend, and the doors open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like this will be a great concert for punk fans, with some nice metal touches, and hopefully there's a huge turnout at The Rosie tonight! Check the above links for more details, become a member of T. Rex Manning's new Facebook group (finally) at this location, and for a preview, here's Frightlight playing "She Screams" at the old Coch's Corner in October!
Next on the weekend schedule is a rare concert weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel from local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester! Not having rocked The Rosie since at least 2010 (possibly earlier), these hard rocking local veterans will sure add to a stacked weekend of heavier music at this venue over the next 3 nights! That's not the only difference though, as Cleveland Steamer drummer Mike Blair will be filling in for Ric Datson for the shows tomorrow night & Saturday night due to a recent joint injury that Ric suffered. Mike has the chops to fit in with the rest of the guys in That's Chester, and hopefully Ric gets better soon! This weekend's shows (the band's first since March) will be 19+ affairs with 10:30 PM start times, and there will not be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These will be different from the recent norm for That's Chester, but their talents at hard rock covers will be ever present tomorrow night & Saturday night, so keep these concerts in mind this weekend! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" a few years back!
Also this weekend is local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam's long awaited return to one of their favourite venues, The Rockstar Bar! Though last seen at the Ypres Metal Fest last month, this serves as the rescheduled date for their planned March concert at this venue, which was postponed following frontman Buzz' back injury and pneumonia. It's great to see them back for their first headlining concert of 2012 and their first Rockstar Bar gig in 11 months, and you know they'll have tons of their high impact originals from their new album "Everything Will Die" ready to melt faces with! This is otherwise similar to Garden of Bedlam's past headlining shows at The Rockstar Bar, with no opening bands, an 11:00 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though I sadly can't make this show due to an out of town weekend, this is shaping up to be a huge show, and hopefully you guys can show up to rock out with Garden of Bedlam on Saturday night! They never cease to impress, and with all of their quality originals, this is a show you won't wanna be absent for! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam playing their song "Emptiness Without A Name" at The Rockstar Bar last summer!
The final metal show going down this weekend is Dismembertainment's first concert since the Ypres Metal Fest, and they're continuing their relationship with The Canadian Nightclub with a strong lineup consisting of noted out of town bands and returning local favourites on Sunday night! The late-addition headliners are Vancouver metal band West of Hell, fronted by Zimmers Hole's Chris "Heathen" Valagao, and their old school speed metal style with modern influences will surely win them lots of fans on Sunday! Also joining them are Vancouver death metal quintet Tribune, in their first local appearance since the 31st Rosie metal night in September! They rocked the Soo hard in their first stop here last fall, and their mix of death metal styles and hardcore choruses will surely be well recieved this Sunday! The local openers are notably both returning from long absences from the stage, including the return of State of Misery! Now in their third run since their 2010 inception, the popular death metal band will play their first concert in over a year, their first show since their breakups & the departure of bassist Devon Overman, and their first with their original lineup since last February, so be sure to welcome them back to the stage on Sunday for their brutal original material! Oh, and it's their Canadian Nightclub debut as well!
Opening this show however will be the long awaited debut/return of local hard rock quartet Borderline Divine! This concert marks a lot of firsts & returns for them, so let's mention them briefly: This will be Borderline Divine's first show since changing their name from Stillbroke last fall, their first gig in over 2 years, their first Canadian Nightclub appearance since 2009, their Dismembertainment debut, their first show since Mitch Sirie & Justin Polutanovich joined the band and Chris Villeneuve & Kyle McKey left, their first gig since Jesse Frigault dropped the guitar to focus on singing only, and it will mark the debut of their heavier sound & new original material. I think that covers it all, and it's great to see the guys back after so long! A lot has changed, but things are finally looking up for Borderline Divine! This concert will be an ALL AGES affair (as the other recent Dismembertainment shows are), the cover charge is $10 (which was raised after West of Hell were added, but the cost is extremely worth it), and doors open at 9:00 PM on Sunday. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a great concert full of talented touring bands and notable local returns, and I guarantee I'll be there on Sunday night if I'm home in time! Check the above links for more on this very big metal show, and for a preview, here's West of Hell live in Vancouver last year with a special guest you may recognize!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more ahead! Thanks everyone!
