This Weekend's Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

I apologize for the slow news stretch lately, as despite having some new concerts to plug, everything else has been fairly slow for the early part of 2014, but things are guaranteed to pick up soon! In that respect, today's post is 100% dedicated to weekend concert previews (all of which have advance notice), so what heavier artists are rocking the Twin Saults and area this weekend? Read on below to find out!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his current weekly concert arrangement TOMORROW NIGHT with another solo show at The Harp Bar & Grill! Remember, though unannounced on Facebook as of this writing, the calendar on his website confirms he'll be back at the former Madison's Pub tomorrow for what will serve as both his newest solo gig and as a jam/open mic night, so if you love such events, keep that angle in mind! For the concert aspect of tomorrow's event, be sure not to miss Tym's talented acoustic covers of hard rock and metal classics, especially if you live centrally, as this should be another entertaining night of tunes! There's no announced cover charge for this 19+ concert, and a start time of 10:00 PM is likely. For more details, visit the above links! Approaching the sixth weekly installment of his current run at The Harp, Tym always puts in a good show, so definitely consider a run to The Harp tomorrow for this event, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton at the former Foggy Notions!



Next up, we'll take a quick detour across the river, as Charlevoix classic metal veterans Peril will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there (or in the U.P. at all) in October, these will be Peril's first regional dates of a busy 2014 that will see them play two more Kewadin dates through March, joining frontman Jeff Hudson's other band Scarkazm's own regional dates over the next while, so this should be a big year for them! Peril's classic metal covers and experienced talent should be welcomed back to St. Ignace this weekend, so if you're up for some hard rocking intensity, head down to The Northern Pines Lounge! There's no announced cover charges this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and 19+ age limits are to be expected. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Peril playing 4 covers at a Vanderbilt show in 2012!



Moving back to Sault Ontario to close this post, local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will make their Docks Riverfront Grill debuts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The band's first dates of the new year, it'll be interesting to see this union of Route 69, Gully Yodelers, and Bangers N' Mash alumni in Docks' Playroom for the first time, but their alt-rock covers and gritty sound should serve them well this weekend, so keep a trip to Foster Drive in mind for this weekend for some Lucky 13 action! Like other recent Docks shows, there is NO COVER CHARGE this weekend, though a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit are still in their usual effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Lucky 13 have proved to be a consistent and entertaining sight since their debut, so definitely don't bypass this weekend's shows, and for a preview, here's Lucky 13 at The Canadian in 2012!



Finally for this weekend's known hard rock shows, Sault Ontario quartet Glitch will return to their favourite local venue The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT in their own first gig of the new year! Note that this is a one night only event, possibly because The Rockstar Bar's hosting local country band Summer Thunder tomorrow night, so if you wanna see Glitch, don't come tomorrow. Featuring alumni of Foothill Road, W.F.O., and Bondar, this newer quartet has been a popular sight at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs venue since their debut last fall, so don't miss their well mixed blend of covers, including many heavier tunes, on Saturday night! A $5 cover is likely for this 10:30 PM event, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Keep the return of Glitch in mind for your Saturday night plans, and for a preview, here's the guys rocking out at their live debut!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, along with this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Thanks everyone!

Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews, Plus A New AlgomA Video!!

As promised, here is our second post of the day, and it's 100% Sault Ontario-centric, so what's on tap? Along with a new videos from  a recent concert, we're mainly focusing on  previews of three very different concerts taking place between tomorrow & Saturday, so read on below for what you need to know, and check out the post below this one for new Sault Michigan concerts (some of which are this weekend), concert previews, and more!

For the second time in two weeks, Vancouver crossover/thrash quartet The Golers will rock The Roosevelt Hotel TOMORROW NIGHT! After a well received set of hardcore punk & metal originals last month, it'll be great to see them back in Sault Ontario for another go-round, headlining local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's seventh Thursday night show at The Rosie! There will be differences from two weeks ago though, starting with new opening bands, those being local alternative/grunge rockers Haggith (in their first Rosie concert of 2013) and local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (in their Rosie debut & their first show since the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands), but will they impress in taking over for Destroilet & AlgomA as the openers tomorrow night? Note that the Facebook event page lists "more tba" for the lineup, but J.D. has confirmed that there are no other opening bands. Another difference is that the admission price will be $7 (which is lower than the last Golers show), though a 19+ age limit and 9:00 PM door opening time is still in effect. For more details, check the above links!

The Golers were ultra impressive and brutal the first time around, so if you missed the concert two weeks ago, or just want another dose of crossover thrash brutality, be at The Rosie TOMORROW for all of the action, including two local opening bands who aren't frequent sights there! For a preview, here's The Golers playing their song "Hoe" and a cover of Poison Idea's "A.A." in the Soo last month!



Next in concerts going down in Sault Ontario this weekend (barring a late notice confirmation), we'll see Uxbridge, Ontario industrial thrash/rock septet The Promonium Jesters finally hitting the area THIS SATURDAY, three years after first looking for a local date! Honestly hard to describe, their sound blends techno influences, industrial rock, and heavy metal into a sound that fans of Nine Inch Nails and similar bands should enjoy, and compared to other recent local shows, they'll definitely stand out! They'll be joined by Southern Ontario electronic outfit Defense Mechanism on Saturday, and while they're not metal, their sound blends dark & goth imagery and synth/techno sounds into quite an interesting package, and they should fit this type of show well! The local openers include sporadically seen local progressive rock band Machines Dream (featuring ex-Gates of Winter keyboardist Brian Holmes) and As It Stands drummer John Mignacca's electronic instrumental solo project Johnny Dillinger (in his first live concert of any kind since August), so prepare for a diverse and unique lineup of bands sounds on Saturday!

Briefly advertised to take place at The Rockstar Bar, this show will instead be held at it's downstairs neighbour The Algonquin Pub, which will mark all 4 bands' debut there. There will be a $5 cover charge on Saturday, you must be 19 to attend, and there's an announced 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! You won't see another show like this in the area all year, so if you like techno and electronic rock, be at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday for all of the action! For a preview, here's a live compilation video set to The Promonium Jesters' song "Strange"!

Finally for the known Sault Ontario weekend schedule, we have popular local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison's first ever gig at The Water Tower Pub at 360 Great Northern Road THIS SATURDAY! Obviously located at The Water Tower Inn (which locals will know is easy to spot), this local venue frequently hosts live cover bands on Saturdays (Fridays are jazz nights), and while metal hasn't been a past sight, it's great to see some heavier music return to Great Northern Road, and Caveman Morrison should deliver a fun night of classic and metal hits in their first gig here! A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for what I assume is a 19+ event, while I don't know if The Water Tower Pub has a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Caveman Morrison picking up their local bookings and expanding their horizons all at once, and hopefully if Saturday's a success, more heavier bands will play at The Water Tower Pub down the road, so keep it in mind! For a preview, here's Tym & company covering Foreigner's "Blue Morning Blue Day" at The Rosie!



We'll close this post a throwback to the first Golers show in the Soo from two weeks ago, as local openers AlgomA posted a new video of their soundcheck song that night onto their YouTube channel on Monday! Featuring some faded in effects to introduce the clip, this was filmed on a stationary camera center to the stage, and despite fans somewhat being in the way, this turned out really well, and the audio's better than I think some people at the show would have said! No word on if more footage shot last month will make it online, but check out AlgomA's "best soundcheck ever" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for... something tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Halloween Weekend Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's concert previews, and given that it is Halloween weekend, there's a special air to the proceedings! Before we get to the metal concerts going down, here's a couple of related notes. We won't preview the Garden of Bedlam show on Devil's Night until next week because it's too early, but it is coming! The majority of bars and concert venues in the Twin Saults have bands or Halloween parties either this weekend or next week, so check venue & band pages, SooToday, and Sault This Week to hear about all of the ones that wouldn't fit well on the SMS! And for the record, I don't believe there's any metal/hard rock bands playing live in Sault Michigan this weekend (Powerslug are at Manistique's Kewadin Casino on Saturday though, if you're up for a road trip), but Sault Michigan are having their own Zombie Walk tomorrow night for the first time (but with no visible concert attachments.) Of course, if I hear of any heavier Halloween season concerts across the river, I will have them here, so keep an eye out! For now though, let's get to the Sault Ontario metal shows over this spooky weekend schedule!

First up for the Halloween metal concert schedule is the return of Caveman Morrison to The Nicolet Tavern this weekend! Last seen at the Albert Street venue last month, this hard working trio will bring their entertaining metal and hard rock covers back to the stage tomorrow and Saturday night, and yes, Halloween costumes are encouraged! I'd assume moreso on Saturday just for proximity to the 31st, but nothing says you can't get in the spirit tomorrow either! Admission should be free for these 19+ concerts, and a 9:30 PM start time for both nights is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a fun weekend of Halloween mayhem from Tym and company, and hopefully a big crowd turns out tomorrow and Saturday to drink in the Halloween themes and great covers! For a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Judas Priest's "The Ripper" at The Rosie last year!



And finally for the heavier Halloween weekend concerts is The Halloween Party! More specifically, this is the seventh annual Halloween party/concert held by local promoter/singer J.D. Pearce, and after 6 years at the former Coch's Corner on Bay Street, the event did not move along with the (now acoustically based) venue to the old Foggy Notions location. Instead, the party will be held at The Algonquin Pub & Sports Bar (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) on Saturday night, and though I don't think The Algonquin Pub has hosted a heavier band since Algoma Hope4Haiti in 2010, there are hopes that it could become a more active concert venue, so hopefully this Saturday's event is a huge hit! With that said, this year's Halloween Party will be bigger than ever, with a fitting Halloween ambiance, the return of the costume contest (which I don't remember happening last year), and the biggest band lineup yet, including headliners Frightlight in their fourth straight appearance at this event! Fresh off of their set opening for The Misfits TONIGHT in Toronto, this popular punk/metal quintet will be sure to deliver a fun set of originals and Misfits covers, and you know that with their lyrics and stage personas, they'll fit perfectly for a Halloween event! Note that I think their full lineup will be present this weekend, following Redundant frontman Justin Langlois' fill in stint on rhythm guitar for tonight's Toronto gig.

Joining them on Saturday will be Toronto pop punk quartet The Fairmounts, who are fronted by former Lion Ride frontman and veteran local musician Mikey Hawdon! Though briefly advertised as the headlining band at one point, this rising pop punk band should deliver a fun set of originals in their Sault Ste. Marie debut on Saturday, and it'll be awesome to see Mikey singing original material in town again! The other bands on Saturday include The Brews (a.k.a. local punk trio Redundant covering NOFX material) and "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage, who'll both add some interesting sounds as the opening bands! Redundant can pull off NOFX songs well, so this turn as The Brews should be fun, while Sykotyk Rampage (who will be joined by fill-in bassist Tony Briglio again) should deliver an entertaining set of improvised drinking songs and recent originals, as they did at the Zombie Walk afterparty this past weekend! Note as well that this will be the first Halloween Party in this series since the mid-2000s (if not ever) to not feature the yearly cover band that played under different genres and personas (most recently as The 151s), but hopefully we see them in the future in some form or another!

Admission will be $5 for this 19+ event, and everything starts at or around 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see J.D. keeping this yearly Halloween tradition going, even if at a new location, and hopefully there's a great response and participation to ensure more shows at The Algonquin in the future! Barring any illness complications, I hope to be there for a review and more, so I should see you guys there on Saturday night! For a preview, here's Frightlight playing one of my favourite songs of theirs at last year's Halloween Party at the old Coch's Corner!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Genocya tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

2012: A Preview And What To Watch Out For

Happy New Year, everyone! 2011 has left us and now, we have a full new year to prepare for in the local metal scene, one that shouldn't be impacted by any pesky Mayan doomsday prophecies! Like last year, this post is designed to preview the year at large, including the concerts & events we know about, the shows and albums that could see local releases, and more, so let's see what's on the horizon!

For concerts, unlike last year, no major Kewadin Casino or Essar Center hard rock dates have been announced as of today, but I'd expect at least a few shows to be booked at The Dreammaker's Theater this year featuring some big name acts, including maybe the return of shows booked by Allstar Promotions? In Sault Ontario, the only absolutely confirmed metal show of 2012 so far involves Frightlight's Canadian Nightclub debut on January 14th, where they'll open up for Lion Ride frontman Mikey Hawdon's Toronto-based Ramones tribute band The Merves in their own local debut! Punk and metal fans alike should enjoy this concert, so click here for more details! In Sault Michigan, aside from a NoXcape concert weekend in February at The Satisfied Frog that I'm not sure is still on or not (are they still together?), the only shows I can 100% confirm are taking place at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino, where local bands Swayze Train, Trail's End, and Monkey's Uncle, and Charlevoix metal trio Peril, will all rock out at concerts through August. Click here for complete Rapids Lounge dates as of today, and stay tuned for more on the newly announced shows there this spring & summer in a future news post!

As for other concerts that we could see in 2012, there's a bunch of notable ones to watch out for announcements on! In Sault Ontario, fans can expect some metal or hard rock bands to pop up on local festivals like Hempfest, Rotaryfest, and (if they come back) The Searchmont Music Festival & Art In The Parking Lot. I'd also keep an eye on The Roosevelt Hotel for the (hopeful) return of Thursday metal nights this month, and also stay tuned to metal-friendly venues like Feedback and frequently seen local bands like Turner Up, That's Chester, and Tym Morrison's projects throughout 2012! In Sault Michigan, stay tuned for updates on possible metal bands on The Sugar Island Music Festival and LemmaFest this summer, along with a likely steady stream of metal and hard rock shows from local and U.P. bands alike from Sault Michigan itself to outskirt towns like Pickford and Rudyard. Sault Michigan shows are admittedly harder to source, but there's lots o the horizon, possibly including battles of the bands, Guitar Studio rock camp gigs, and more, so don't lose sight of the action across the river in 2012!

As for local metal CD releases, there's a lot of potential local metal CDs, EPs, and albums in the works that could come out in 2012! Things were a bit more active in 2011 for CD releases than in 2010, but there's still a lot of albums in the works that fans surely wanna check out. Bands & artists like April Eyes, As It Stands, The Bear Hunters, Gates of Winter, Half A Man, Late & Loud, Lion Ride, Mike Haggith, Riverin, Sykotyk Rampage, Tym Morrison, and Woods of Ypres have all begun recording sessions towards album releases of some kind, and we could see them in 2012 if we're lucky! Note that that doesn't include bands who've merely announced plans to make an album, but artists like End of Existence, Life's Eclipse, Sativa Rose, Shit Liver, View To A Kill, Winkstinger, and more have unreleased original material of their own, so you never know what could be in the cards! This year should be interesting when it comes to new CD releases, so stay tuned to the SMS or your favourite band's online pages for updates as the year progresses!

There, I hope you guys enjoyed this brief look at the year ahead, and though we don't know a whole lot about 2012 so far, I hope it's as successful (if not more) for the local scene than 2011 was! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for more news hopefully later today and our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow!

2011: A Preview, And What To Watch Out For

Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully 2011 is as great as 2010 hopefully was for all of you, if not better! Like last year, I wanted to devote a post to some of the things to look out for in the coming year. This is by no means comprehensive or complete, but 2011 has a lot of things in the works, so it's worth devoting a bit of time on, just like last year! So let's take a look at what we know is coming this year, and what to expect!

In terms of major concerts in either of the twin Saults, the only metal/hard rock ones that we can reasonably confirm at the moment are both at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino. The first announced one will feature a huge package of radio hard rock and post-grunge bands, including Buckcherry, Papa Roach, My Darkest Days, and Bleeker Ridge on March 14th! Allstar Promotions are hoping this concert will be a huge success, and knowing the success and popularity of these bands, I don't see any real reason why this won't be one of the biggest hard rock shows of 2011! The other confirmed major concert across the river at The Dreammaker's Theater is exactly one month later, and it involves Philadelphia hair metal legends Cinderella! They'll come to Kewadin Casino less than a year after another Cinderella (the play) was featured there. This time, it actually is the band, so if you want some live glam metal, you know where to be on April 14th! More details are likely to come in on both shows, but if you want to buy tickets, you can buy them at Kewadin Casino's ticketing page, at their box office, or by phone if you call 1-800-KEWADIN! As for other major concerts in the metal and hard rock vein, no others are known yet, but Allstar Promotions always have something up their sleeves, and you never know when The Essar Center will book something heavy, so be sure to keep an eye out!

For other concerts this year, we know more than we knew last year at this point, so here's what's scheduled! Hempfest returns this August after a year's relocation, with Frightlight and Half Past already among the confirmed acts, so if you want to support marijuana culture or enjoy some great music, head down to Ophir in August! Motley Crue tribute band Crued also return to Sault Ontario on April 30th for a high energy set at The Canadian Nightclub! The rest of the known shows on this side in 2011 revolve around the bands who frequently hit the bars for weekend sets, including a handful of Turner Up gigs at Docks Riverfront Grill through February and Tym Morrison's weekly arrangements at Foggy Notions and The Big Cheese. Expect more to be announced from both bands, including more weekend dates from That's Chester and many more shows from many other local acts as the year wears on! Sault Michigan concerts are harder to verify, but a ton at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino have been confirmed for almost the entire year, including numerous new dates from Monkey's Uncle, Splitshot, Peril, River Witch, and Driven! Expect shows from some of those bands at venues like The Bear & Dondee Lanes too, among others, but verification of those isn't simple. Add The Darwin Project's show on February 19th in Rudyard too, and you have a big year of concerts across the river already!

Check the SMS concert listings on your left and right for full confirmed dates that I currently know of! This doesn't even count the possible shows for 2011 that we can assume or guess will happen, so here's a couple more prospective metal concerts to keep an eye out for! Kewadin Casino had talked of possibly holding another major summer festival following the success of last year's 25th Anniversary Festival, and you know some metal bands could be on that! Other possibilities include both of the stages at Rotaryfest, the Bellevue Park concert series, the Sugar Island Music Festival, Oktoberfest & Sidewalk Sales in Sault Michigan, any possible battles of the bands, the concerts connected to The Guitar Studio rock camp, and (although not concerts) open mic and jam nights at various local bars and concert spots!

You could also throw possible CD release parties on there, as there are a pile of local metal and hard rock albums that have either begun recording sessions, or are in line for releases in the very near future! After a slower than usual 2010 for local album releases, hopefully the floodgates open in 2011! We'll go over some of these in full detail tomorrow for our January "Where Are The New Albums?" update post, but check out all the bands who have albums announced, partly recorded, or finished without release: April Eyes, Bring The Fallen, Garden of Bedlam, Gates of Winter, Half Past, Lion Ride, Mike Haggith, No Arrow, Riverin, Sense of Truth, Silver Dream, Sykotyk Rampage, Tym Morrison, and Woods of Ypres, and that doesn't even count certain bands' plans for multiple releases this year! Not to mention, bands like The Bear Hunters, As It Stands, State of Misery, and others have new original material that may or may not have release plans down the road as well! In Sault Michigan, Clownsack's new EP is still in the works for a release, along with Bad Side's retrospective DVD, and with new material from Elipzis and Half A Man (among others), you never know what could be announced across the river this year! We'll elaborate more on many of these albums tomorrow!

There, hopefully this is a good look at what we know and might expect for 2011, but this just scratches the immediate surface. As 2011 rolls along, much more will come out, and as I hear about it, I'll have it right here! I should have a new news post TONIGHT, so stay tuned for that, as well as our "Where Are The New Albums" post tomorrow, a revision to our current poll, and more! Thanks everyone, and once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!