As the 26th of the month is today, we have this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile now up! As always, this monthly feature series looks at a hard rock or metal band that's not based locally, but has featured a Sault Ste. Marie resident (past or present) in their official lineup at any given point, so readers can know more about them and their sound! This month's band was selected in part because they just played at The Rockstar Bar a few weeks ago, and they have a familiar name up front, so here's what you should know! (Updated on November 27th)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Merves (Toronto, Ontario)
Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)
"Amy Merve" Amy Zuchetto (vocals) "Mikey Merve" Mikey Hawdon (vocals/guitar)
"Philly Merve" Phil Page (bass/vocals)
"Andy Merve" Andrew McMullen (drums) Keith Carman (guitar) Mark Rand (drums)
Local Info: Local music fans will surely recognize Merves singer/guitarist Mikey Hawdon (a.k.a. Mikey Merve) and ex-drummer Mark Rand for their contributions to the local music scene in the past decade and beyond, perhaps most notably Mikey's drum work with The Inner City Surfers and his & Mark's roles in the defunct local metal quintet Lion Ride, both of which became very popular and successful sights in the area, releasing well recieved CDs with both in the process! You also might recognize both from Bin Hawdon &nd the Taliband and Detroit, among numerous other projects both locally and in Southern Ontario. Today, you can catch Mark on bass in the Peterborough hardcore punk band Cross Dog, while Mikey juggles The Merves, original Toronto punk band The Fairmounts, and locals Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide among his active bands, so follow their current work above!
Band Bio: Launched circa early 2010, The Merves were one of two punk tribute bands fronted by Mikey Hawdon in the early 2010s (joining the inactive Green Day tribute The Dookies.) Initially featuring Mikey and Fairmounts bandmate Phil Page alongside Mark Rand and Maximum RNR's Keith Carman, The Merves have became a steady sight at Southern Ontario concert venues since, largely at solo headlining dates. After Andrew McMullen (also of The Fairmounts) replaced Mark in 2011, and the departure of Keith that year, The Merves made their local debut at The Canadian Nightclub in January 2012, and they've followed that with annual January dates in Sault Ontario, plus a return weekend earlier this month. In an added twist for hard rock fans, The Merves enlisted Amy Zuchetto in late 2013 as a singer for Joan Jett & Runaways songs, making The Merves a dual cover band for future gigs, which have been well recieved, so keep an eye out for their next shows!
Whether you're a fan of The Ramones or Joan Jett, The Merves should entertain with their proficient tribute to both acts! Admittedly, Mikey is not a close vocal match to Joey Ramone, but he has a lot of spirit and knowledge of that half of their set, and fans of Mikey's other fronted bands shouldn't have much to worry about! It helps when he has so much chemistry with Andrew and Phil from their other bands, they're solid in their roles too! In terms of their original lineup, I think they sounded a bit more cluttered with two guitarists, especially when The Ramones didn't have two at once, but Keith and Mark fit in talent-wise. Amy's vocals bear more of a similarity to Joan Jett, and she adds an extra element to their live set that shakes things up well, though in videos that I've seen, she could be more animated on stage. The Merves are definitely on the rise, and well worth checking out, so stay tuned for word on their next Sault Ste. Marie dates!
The Merves don't have recorded material beyond live concert audio & video, but Mikey, Andrew, and Phil have recorded and released original material with The Fairmounts, so follow that band to hear what they write together! The Merves have assorted concert audio on their MySpace page linked above and through numerous YouTube uploads, but the best sources from both their pre-Joan Jett and current eras are Mikey and Andrew's individual YouTube channels, so check out both for much of their live show videos, and here's their cover of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" in Sudbury!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be taking a long overdue look at Alpha Trion, the current Vancouver metal project from Sault Ontario native Jon Morrison, who some may remember from a brief stint as a session drummer with Gates of Winter! Watch out for that on or around May 26th, and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
A day late due to some holiday commitments, but here's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Back to our usual schedule this month, we're of course taking another look at a hard rock/metal band that's not based in the Soo, but has featured at least one past/present Sault Ste. Marie native in any of their lineups. This month's selection has an alum that will be familiar to many recent punk & metal fans, so check out this month's profile (and our last of 2013 in this series) below! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lumbermen (Peterborough, Ontario)
Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)
Bryan Reid (vocals/guitar)
Mike Galley (guitar)
Colin Kennedy (guitar)
Steve Kerslake (bass)
Mikey Reid (drums) Mark Rand (bass)
Local Info: The Lumbemen's original bassist was prolific local punk/metal musician Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion), who's been a mainstay in bands from here and in Southern Ontario for years now! Currently well known as the bassist in the Peterborough hardcore trio Cross Dog (alongside former Lumbermen bandmate Mikey Reid), Mark's also made waves as Lion Ride's rhythm guitarist, along with roles in out of town and local bands like Detroit,Bin Hawdon & The Taliband,The Merves,hackthemodem, Pumpkinseed, Kidshit,
Bondar, Fuller, DDPBB, The Mark Rand Band, and at least two different solo projects, with Mark honing skills as a vocalist, guitarist, and/or bassist in them all! Though he's lived in the Peterborough area for a few years now, Mark still plays the occasional local date, most recently with Cross Dog in September 2013.
Band Bio:The Lumbermen were launched in August 2011, and made their live concert debut with a headlining show that October. Shortly afterwards, the band began work on their self-titled debut EP, which was released in February 2012 with 3 original songs, including the first single "Propane & Rodeos". A number of big events took place through that fall (including opening for Nashville Pussy and holding a music video screening party) before taking a break through this spring, during which original bassist Mark Rand was replaced by Charming Ruins drummer Steve Kerslake. After their new lineup debuted in April, The Lumbermen have been hard at work with big new concerts, a new single and music video for their song "Ego", and more, so hopefully we hear more from them in 2015! The Lumbermen's sound leans towards a southern-tinged hard rock sound that has a gruff but energetic feel that gives a unique element to their scene, and I like what the guys are doing with it!
Some of The Lumbermen's songs have a laid back casual feel while retaining some grit, which is an interesting contrast that works in it's own way, and Bryan Reid's vocals fit this style very well! I will say that I think The Lumbermen are best experienced live rather than in studio, as the concert videos that I've seen show a much angrier and carefree style that studio work doesn't capture. Mark's bass playing was very good when he was in the band, and while I have yet to find much media of the current lineup, hopefully Steve fits in! I like The Lumbermen's gritty and raw style, and I'm curious to hear more from them, but for now, check out their live videos and debut EP at the above links, and here's their music video for their first single "Propane & Rodeos"!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! To start this series' 2014 run, we'll be looking at Curse The Witch, the Kitchener alternative/hard rock band featuring Hollow/Carbon Black drummer Vinnie Milosevich in their current lineup! Watch out for that on or around January 26th, and I'll see you guys at The Algonquin Pub TONIGHT for Garden of Bedlam & Destroilet! Thanks everyone!
I'm sorry for this being a day late (I'm spreading out posts a bit due to the slow stretch we're in), but here's this month's last feature post, our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! As usual, posts in this series look at a band that is based out of town, but does/used to feature one or more Sault Ste. Marie-area residents (past or present) in their lineup, basically to give the band some deserved local exposure! This month's selection is to time in with their local debut in two weeks, and there's a very familiar face within, so read on below for this month's profile, and if something's missing, let me know! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cross Dog (Peterborough, Ontario)
Lineup: (Saultites in RED)
Tracy Aα΅΄henden (vocals) Mark Rand (bass)
Mikey Reid (drums)
Local Info: Cross Dog is the newest project from prolific Sault Ontario native Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion), who's played in various hard rock, punk, and hardcore project both locally and in Southern Ontario for many years! You may best remember him recently as Lion Ride's rhythm guitarist from 2007-2012, but he's also had roles as guitarist, bassist, and occasional singer with bands like Detroit,Bin Hawdon & The Taliband,The Merves,Fuller, hackthemodem, Pumpkinseed, The Lumbermen,Kidshit, Bondar, DDPBB, and The Mark Rand Band in the past decade, along with leading at least two solo projects. Though now living in Peterborough, he's still seen fairly often in the Soo for concerts!
Band Bio:Though quietly launched last year, Cross Dog first appeared with public online pages this spring, and they recorded their debut self-titled album this year as well, releasing it last month. The band made their live debut in Peterborough on July 6th alongside The Saigon Hookers, and have since played at and scheduled a bunch of other Ontario concerts, including their local debut at the Dayglo Abortions concert at the former Roosevelt Hotel on September 9th, and shows opening for the likes of The Misfits, Fuck The Facts, and Public Animal through 2014, with much more to come. Uniquely for their genre, they feature no guitar work in their shows or studio recordings, but their female-fronted hardcore punk blend comes through well even without! Picture Detroit, The Fury, and Die Mannequin blended together, and you'll have a good idea! Tracy's vocals have the right aggression and attitude for the material, Mark's bass work is solid and full enough to forget about the guitar's absence, and Mikey's drumming fits the songs well and gives a good rhythm!
Hardcore punk fans will have nothing to worry about with Cross Dog, who pack enough fast paced aggression and unique qualities to attract deserved attention, so don't miss them live! A solid amount of YouTube videos from their short live run are now online, but embedded below is this music video for their song "Black Hole", so give it a look, and stream and/or buy their debut album at their BandCamp page linked above!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's out of town profile! Next month in this series, we're gonna look at a band who used to feature a Saultite (but is still active), that being Kitchener metal project Malicious Side Effect, whose guitarist at one point was Machines Dream/Blues Harvest's Keith Conway! That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Now it's time to clear out the news desk a bit more by sharing a few stories that got lost in the cracks over the past little while. With all those concert reviews and the end-of-year special posts, I am admittedly behind on new stuff, so that explains the high amount of posts so far to start 2011. Things should get back on a normal pace soon, but first, here's some assorted stories from the last week or so! Because all could feasibly be a top story (except the last paragraph), I'll organize our first four in alphabetical order by band name. So, let's get things started, but remember to check out our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post from this morning immediately below!
We'll start with Sault Michigan hard rockers Bad Side, and this is stuff that I had previously referred to in our post where we looked back at 2010, but I never devoted an actual news post section to it. It appears that the band has officially decided to break up. There's never been an official statement to that effect, but the fact that they produced a graphic of a Bad Side tombstone (with the year of death being 2010), that about says it all. Honestly, this isn't too surprising, when you add things up. The band went on a hiatus in late 2009, cancelling scheduled local dates in the process, and following the firing of singer Melissa Krahnke and guitarist Jason Mapes from their radio jobs at Yes FM and The Bear last year, both of them moved from the area. Jason now lives in Nashville, where he's working on a solo album with other former Bad Side members, and Melissa now lives in Pennsylvania, where she works at the the radio station 98.5 KRZ. So their shows this past summer in Milwaukee were basically their farewell gigs, which is odd when you consider that you'd think their last shows would be local. Even still, they had a great five year run that produced many memorable concerts and three albums, and add one more thing to that: a retrospective DVD/CD combo!
According to the band's Facebook page, it will be titled "Live After Death", and it will feature the band's music videos along with live videos, demos, interviews, and more! A video showcasing the intro of the DVD was also posted, which you can watch at this location! Good stuff, it appears to be a performance from their Milwaukee Summerfest show. It's still a shame to see Bad Side breaking up, but you never know what might happen down the road, and as updates come in for "Live After Death", I'll let you all know!
Next up, here's a new locally-related video from a metal band that came through town last summer! You may remember on August 11th when Toronto instrumental progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project played at The Canadian Nightclub as openers for Skull Fist. Well, here's a side you don't see from many bands who play here, as the band posted a new installment of their tour blog onto their official YouTube channel! It's almost 8 minutes of what appears to be the post-concert party and gathering that the band had with fans and band members! There's lots of swearing and alcohol to go around, so if you're easily offended, don't watch. It is however mostly talking amongst the band and other attendees about the concert and such, so if you're expecting live concert clips or road footage, you won't find it. It's a good video though, and this is the kind of stuff you might have been a part of before with other local bands, and parts are amusing too! Check it out below, and fingers crossed that The Isosceles Project come back through here one day, they're an awesome band!
Next up, do you remember in December 2009 when local photographer Curt O'Neil posted photos from the Kiss Battle of the Bands onto his official website, specifically of Lion Ride's sets? Well, I did mention in my review of Lion Ride's show last week that he was snapping pictures at this most recent show as well, and a sneak peek at his shots is now online! Five photos are now up, one each for Mikey, Marky, Marco, Iron Mike, and Carmine, and they're all great quality! Makes me want to see the rest even more! I didn't mention this in my review, but Curt got special on-stage access for some photos, which led to shots like this one of Mikey Lion singing right in front of the crowd! Who's that guy on the far left though? He doesn't look very metal. There's a lot more photos from Curt to come, and Donna Hopper too, so when the rest make it online, I'll let you all know! For now, click here for Curt's first photos from the Lion Ride concert, and I've also added Curt's website to our "Other Local Metal Links" list on your left!
And next, we have the latest news and notes from Woods of Ypres! Again, this is stuff I had referred to in the past, but never devoted proper attention to. It has been announced on Woods of Ypres' Facebook page that their 2009 CD "Woods IV: The Green Album" will be reissued by their new label Earache Records on CD and vinyl on March 14th. Nice to see W4 get a wide release like this, as it is a great album (if depressing at parts), but this likely will spell a delay for "Woods V: You Were The Light", which David alluded to in his Governor's Ball interview. After all, if they put two Woods of Ypres albums out in the same timeframe, one (or possibly both) would suffer in sales, so it makes sense to stagger them and devote attention to one at a time. So we'll likely have to wait until the summer (at the earliest) for "Woods V", but it should be worth the wait! With that said, the band has a few more independent copies of Woods of Ypres' independent back catalog for sale, so if you want information on how to snag these albums, click here! And finally, the metal blog Antivenin included "Woods V" on their list of the most anticipated albums for 2011, including references to the reaction over their "breakup". Check it out at this location, and stay tuned for more Woods of Ypres news as I hear it!
And finally, here's some updates I made to recent special feature posts on the SMS. I've made many of them date accurate to reflect this new year we're in, but the following are just factual edits or additions. Our Defunct Local Band Profile on M7K now reflects guitarist Mike Vincent's most recent work in The Bear Hunters. From our GarageBand Profile Mini-Series this past summer, I edited the Recognition and Sin Stereo profiles to reflect the removal of their iLike pages as "band pages", as they aren't really. Also from that series, I edited the Gates of Winter profile to reflect the addition of Jon Morrison on drums, but I did specify in the profile that he was not a band member when GarageBand was active, and he was only added to make the page accurate at present, as the band are still together. Finally, I edited our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand's solo project, as he is now going by his real name for his solo work, instead of his Lion Ride stage name Marky Lion. With that said, I also made it date accurate to refer to the fact that his show with The Mark Rand Band last month has came and went. As more edits become necessary, I'll have them for you!
That's all for tonight, but I have a big update concerning our poll tomorrow as well, which has to do with "ballot stuffing". Details are coming tomorrow, along with more news, so stay tuned!
And now, it's time for our final concert review of 2010! I've been to 36 local metal/hard rock concerts this year, and fittingly, we end the year in much the same way we ended 2009: An old school hardcore concert at Coch's Corner featuring a punk opening band, Destroilet, and a headlining band featuring Mark Rand and Mikey Hawdon! I just realized how coincidental that all turns out to be. So here's my final concert review of 2010!
First off, thanks to Destroilet for the free t-shirt and Justin for the Scary Uncles pin, that's way too nice of you guys! The opening band was local punk trio The Scary Uncles in their long awaited return show, and maybe their farewell too? Band members had hinted that this could also be their last show too in online postings leading up to the performance last night, but unless you read them, you wouldn't have been able to tell, as they made no mentions of anything final. Having not seen The Scary Uncles in ages, I kinda went into this fresh, but I did have Monday's Reagle Beagle set as a reference point. Well, with the full band present, I must say, The Scary Uncles did pretty good! I forgot to mention this before, but Justin Langlois actually has a edgier and deeper voice live than on the studio material I've heard from them, and on every song, his guitar work gave everything a nice straightforward punk sound that we honestly don't get much here. Andrew MacDonald's bass work was as solid as ever, and Mark Mullin's drumming was pretty good, and you can tell he knew the material! Though mostly original songs (sans "Labatt 50", oddly), some covers from the Reagle Beagle show survived, including Nirvana and Johnny Cash. Good stuff all around, they're an underrated punk band with a great sound, and I hope this doesn't turn out to be their final show!
Then, Destroilet hit the stage for just the third time since their 2009 inception, and like in my first time seeing them late last year, I was impressed by their sheer energy and aggression! They ripped into a setlist chock full of old school hardcore covers from bands like Good Riddance, Gang Green, Assjack, GG Allin, Bad Religion, and even some classic local bands like Fist Magnet! There was a few originals thrown in as well, but each song followed a similar vein. Mike Hull and Christian Foisy contributed loud, aggressive, and unforgiving vocals for each song, with Mike expounding much energy as he moved about the stage and gave each song it's deserved aggression. Their sound isn't going to win points for technical brilliance, but you know what? It's old school hardcore, they're not trying to do that with their music. Matt Waples was solid on each song on drums, Adam Larocque's bass was loud and unforgiving, and the guitar work accomplished exactly what it set out to do, even if many of John Conway's solos sounded the same on each song. They played a rocking set packed full of hardcore insanity with little room for a break, and if you judge them on the atmosphere and the intensity of their live show, you'll have come away from Destroilet's set satisified, like I did!
Following their set was your headliners, the debuting Mark Rand Band! Remember, this is the six man hardcore supergroup that gave Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand's Toronto-based solo project life on the live stage. Mark informed us during the set that the six of them ("Brown" Dave Brunton was absent) had only first jammed an hour before the concert. You could see hand written tabs on the floor for some of the members, but once the old school hardcore assault began, we didn't notice or care about any musical screw-ups! We heard Mark's fast paced (and very short) original songs like "Nine To Five", "Question", and "Minimum Wage", among many others, plus a cover of Minor Threat's "Small Man, Big Mouth" to cap off the set! Because the performed songs were from Mark Rand's solo project, let's talk about him first, and as it turns out, he'd make a great frontman if he did this more! He has a hard edged singing voice with a punk edge, and he has the screaming down as well, not to mention a distinct willingness to involve the audience and get everyone singing along! I wish I had a better grasp of the lyrics going in! Again, given the band's relative inexperience playing these songs together, you can't rate everything on a normal basis, you just have to gauge it on it's own terms.
Mikey Hawdon's drumming stood out to me, as it often does, and the three pronged guitar attack from Marco Pedalino, Nebraska Arms' Dave Prendergast, and ex-Renderware guitarist Marc Lafrance ensured devastating riffs on each song, even if they had screw-ups here and there! Guy Thiffault of Nebraska Arms also was pretty good on bass, it'd be cool to hear him play heavier stuff more! Despite the bribery of Jager shots to get people on the floor for their set, everyone was ramped up for The Mark Rand Band's dozen of aggressive fast paced songs, amidst some of Mark's trademark humour, including many funny self-deprecating shots at themselves and the other bands! If someone came last night to grade them on musical abilities, they might not get a high score, but again, they had only first jammed AN HOUR before the show, so what do you expect? This was a show where you went for the overall sound and the old-school hardcore environment, to get drunk and have a good time. On that basis, The Mark Rand Band scored very high, and if they play another show, they should be even better with more time to prepare! I had fun, and overall, that's what matters. As always, I got plenty of pictures, so click here or visit the SMS' Facebook page to check them out!
And yes, I have videos too, two songs on each video due to the short lengths of the material. So here's Destroilet covering Gang Green's "Let's Drink Some Beer" and Good Riddance's "Cages", and The Mark Rand Band playing Mark Rand's solo songs "Day Waste" and "Christ Almights"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight for previews of the New Year's Eve metal/hard rock concerts that I know of, and some more news from the last little while! Thanks everyone!
As promised, it's time to preview some upcoming concerts! It's not often where we dedicate a post to just mid-week concert previews, but as is usually the case during the holidays, there's a lot of shows going on! In the next three days, we have four concerts with metal and hard rock bands to mention, and before anyone asks, I will be at ALL FOUR of these shows! I know I've missed a bunch lately, but blame homework, my Detroit trip, family holiday commitments, and my lost camera charger for that. I'm in the clear this week, and you'll see a lot of concert reviews this week, you have my word! Now, let's get previewing!
We'll start with tomorrow's concert, appropriately titled "The Nightmare After Christmas Party"! I should note that there has been a quiet lineup change to this show since it was announced, but we'll get to that in a second. A few recently prominent local bands will hit the stage for this concert tomorrow night at Foggy Notions, including headliners Frightlight! Over a month after their last show at The Oddfellows Hall, the local horror punk/metal quartet are ready to rock with their brand of Misfits and horror movie inspired music! Hard to believe this will be my sixth time seeing them live this year! Also on the bill is local hardcore metal band WinkStinger, sharing the stage with Frightlight once again! They've made a huge impression over the past two months with their fast and brutal metal attack, and they'll definitely leave a deep impression on fans at Foggy's tomorrow night! Now the original third band was supposed to be the returning Scary Uncles, but according to the Facebook event page, they've been replaced by local/Toronto classical/punk trio RedD Monkey, adding to a busy stretch of three shows in four days for them. No word on why the change was made, but good news for Scary Uncles fans, as frontman Justin "Frenchie" Langlois will be playing a solo set tomorrow as well! I'm not sure what sound he'll take on, but no matter what, it'll be nice to see him back on stage! Plus, you'll get a chance to see The Scary Uncles on Wednesday too, so not all is lost! Check the above links for more on the scheduled bands!
This show will be at Foggy Notions tomorrow night at 10:00 PM! There is a $3 cover, and you must be 19 to enter. $3 is a good value for the four acts you'll get tomorrow, and if you're in the post-Christmas blahs, why not rock out at Foggy's? I'll be there, and you all should come too! Get more details and previews at the above links, and for a video preview, here's Frightlight playing their song "She Screams" from their Foggy Notions show in October!
Now to the metal shows on Tuesday, and it's a packed night, with eleven bands playing at two venues, including four hard hitting metal bands to ensure everything has an appropriate edge! And first, it's a HUGE all ages local concert at The Oddfellows Hall, entitled "Soo Music Mash-Up"! No less than EIGHT bands are scheduled, so let's go through who to expect! Your headliners are local metalcore quintet As It Stands, returning to The Oddfellows Hall for the first time since their reunion! Expect a hard hitting set of intense hardcore from this talented band, who've quickly returned to prominence in the local scene! Two more metal bands are scheduled, including death metal rockers Bring The Fallen (ignore the poster, they're on and they're fifth on the bill), and new local hardcore band Changing Waves immediately before them! After a bit of a gray area on Bring The Fallen's participation, it's awesome to see them bringing their brutal death metal sound to this concert, with intense moshing sounding very likely as a result! As for Changing Waves, it's great to see them back on stage after a solid debut, though I'd still like to know more about them! Though the rest of the bands aren't "metal", there is lots of solid and entertaining music to be had, so here's the other five bands scheduled for tomorrow!
Local experimental emo band The Crossed make a rare concert appearance tomorrow night as the co-headliners, right before As It Stands! I admit never being a huge fan of theirs, but The Crossed are very talented, and have a large and dedicated local following! Plus, one of their former bassists is Nathan Bouliane, who's played in a few metal bands and is providing lights at tomorrow's show as well! Local bass rockers The Fury are also on for tomorrow, right before The Crossed. They'll prove once again that guitars are not mandatory, as they bust out some high energy originals and covers like only The Fury can! Also, fresh off tomorrow's show at Foggy's, RedD Monkey take the stage for a set of cello-infused punk rock, which will definitely make a mark amidst the vast lineup! They're sandwiched between The Fury and Bring The Fallen. The opening two bands are the local indie/acoustic acts Tea With Lincoln and Ocean View, who'll both set the pace with some mellow indie rock! Tea With Lincoln are a newer local duo who've played many area shows, while Ocean View is the new acoustic solo project from promoter and former local hardcore frontman Jeremy Hannah. For more details on all of the announced bands for this concert, check out the above links!
Doors open at 6:00 PM on Tuesday evening for this ALL AGES concert! Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. If you still want to get advance tickets, contact Jeremy Hannah, Nathan Bouliane, Alice Rose, or Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere! This should be one packed, but fun night of music! Sure, it's not mostly metal, but there's quality AND quantity to be had, and it's worth checking out! I'll be there, and even if you're going to the show later that night that we're mentioning next, you'll have time to hit both, like I'm doing! For more details, visit the above links and the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's As It Stands playing the song "Eeny Meeny Miny Ho" from their return show in August!
So, you want more metal for your Tuesday? How about some Lion Ride? Yes, after seven months away from the local stage, these local hard rockers make their long awaited return home for a headlining show Tuesday night at The Canadian Nightclub! With a new album still in the works, and loads of existing high quality originals in store, look for a triumphant return set from these guys on Tuesday! Hopefully a better crowd turns out than at their May 2-4 weekend show! Opening for Lion Ride on Tuesday night are two bands that may not seem like the best genre matches, but will still entertain! One is The Billy Bastards, the punk/country quintet featuring alumni of local metal bands like Destroilet and The Harsh Heads! They have a nice sense of humour and a good mix of Southern sounds with punk attitude, so they'll be worth keeping an eye on! The other opening band is The Pinecones, the local indie band featuring members of bands like Terminal and Nebraska Arms, including former Downfall guitarist Mike Yakasovich! I don't know much about their sound, but there's lots of talent in The Pinecones, so take note! For more details on the announced bands, click the above links!
The show is scheduled to start at 9:00 PM, though I have a hunch it might not actually begin until later. There's no announced cover charge, but bring cash just in case, as The Canadian Nightclub usually has one. And yes, it's 19+, but at least there's an all ages show beforehand! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always notable when Lion Ride return home, and I'll definitely be at The Canadian following the Soo Music Mash-Up show! I might miss part of the openers at The Canadian depending on how long things go, but I'll be there at some point! Lion Ride's high energy brand of metal with a punk swagger will be sure to get a great crowd, and I hope to see you guys there! For a video preview, here's Lion Ride playing their new original "Stick It In" at their last local show!
And finally, while we're on the subject of Lion Ride, a special concert is taking place on Wednesday night at Coch's Corner, featuring a unique debut show of sorts from a new local band! Ironically taking place about one year after Detroit's last local concert, Lion Ride & Detroit's own Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion) headlines a local supergroup named The Mark Rand Band, who'll perform a set of his own solo original songs and covers! His Toronto-based solo project has given birth to loads of fast hardcore songs similar to his past Detroit work, while this local supergroup is ready to bring these songs to life on stage! His live band will comprise of guitarists Marco Pedalino (Lion Ride), Dave Prendergast (Nebraska Arms), and Marc Lafrance (Renderware), along with bassist Guy Thiffault (Nebraska Arms), and drummer Mikey Hawdon (Lion Ride, Inner City Surfers, etc.), with Talk Shit's "Brown" Dave Brunton credited for "alcohol", though his band contributions beyond that aren't known publically yet. Mark Rand will handle lead vocals on Wednesday, giving a live voice to his solo material! My confirmed source for this information is Mark's MySpace page! With that kind of a lineup backing Mark up, you know this will be an awesome show, but there's more to be said!
The opening bands include local punk/metal quintet Destroilet, one night after guitarist John Conway shares the stage with some Mark Rand Band members in his other group, The Billy Bastards! After their own seven month hiatus, Destroilet are back for just their third public concert, ready to impress with their loud and heavy style of music! Also scheduled are the returning Scary Uncles, two nights after frontman Justin Langlois' solo set at Foggy's in lieu of their original return show! Awesome to see them back, they'll be sure to give the fans a great set with their energetic punk sounds! This show takes place at 9:00 PM on Wednesday night, with NO COVER CHARGE and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This is shaping up to be a night to remember, featuring a literal local supergroup ready to rain down an old school hardcore assault on their fans, with two other very talented bands ready to rock as well! I will also be at this show, and hopefully you guys don't miss it, as who knows when The Mark Rand Band will be back? Check out all of the above links for more, and for a video preview, here's one of Mark's blistering original solo songs, "Question"!
That's all for tonight, but I will have more news very soon, along with our summative look at 2010 and a post on what to look out for in 2011, along with (of course) concert reviews, and previews of this weekend's shows around Thursday! Stay tuned, and I'll see you guys at Foggy Notions TOMORROW NIGHT!!
Hey there, metalheads! We have some big updates to get to today before the Total Chaos show, continuing a stretch full of big news stories in the local scene! Today, we have a possible upcoming concert that needs a booking, a bassist switch in a local band, updates to an intriguing concert next month, and the return of a local band's material to the internet, so let's begin today's update! (Edited at 4:17 PM)Yesterday, I recieved an e-mail from Alexandra Raine, who's looking to get a local booking for a pair of Canadian metalcore bands on their upcoming Canadian tour! As you can see on this poster, a local date is penciled in for December 17th (disregard the misspelling of Sault Ste. Marie) on their "WinTour Sucks" tour! The bands that are scheduled for this potential local date are Palms To The Sky and The Breathing Apparatus. Palms To The Sky are a melodic metalcore quintet from Saskatoon who have some hard hitting moshable music in store, while The Breathing Appartus are an experimental breakcore act from Ottawa who throw their own spin into their extreme metal sound with nice melodic sections as well! Check them both out, hardcore fans will be right at home with these bands! Now, here's where you guys come in. Alexandra asked if I could book this show, but because I'm not a booker, I forwarded her some contact info, and I'm letting you guys know as well in case you have interest in helping them secure a local show on December 17th! If you would like to book Palms To The Sky & The Breathing Apparatus for this show, or just want to help the cause in any fashion, e-mail Alexandra Raine at her personal Facebook page! This would be a cool hardcore package, hopefully a booking comes out of this! Stay tuned for updates if I hear them!
Secondly, here's some updates on the planned Marky & The Motherfuckers show on December 29th at Coch's Corner! A Facebook event page for this show was launched yesterday, which will feature Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion) and some of his local musician friends playing the songs from Marky's solo project live for the first time. Firstly, the band's name has been changed to The Mark Rand Band, as evidenced by the poster on the left. Mark was discussing a possible name change on his personal Facebook page for personal reasons, so that's why there's a new name. It works well enough! Also, the opening bands have been announced, including local punk/metal quintet Destroilet! This will be their first live concert in seven months, and it's great to see them back after such a long break, so expect some raw and aggressive songs from them on December 29th! The other announced opening band is local punk band The Scary Uncles, making their long awaited local return after over a year away from the stage! I've been a fan of theirs for a while, and they feature Quims frontman Justin Langlois & former Fitswitch bassist Andrew MacDonald, so there's some good stuff to be had with them! A 9:00 PM start time is listed, and the 19+ age limit and lack of a cover remain from our past thoughts. Check out the above links for more details on what should be an awesome show!
Thirdly, local hard rockers Half Past have announced the return of bassist Arthur "Chicky" Lacasse to the band, replacing Ryan Disano. Arthur announced his return by stating "I'M BACK BITCHES" on the wall of their Facbook page, and has since been re-added to their lineup on there. Of course, Arthur has played either guitar or bass for Half Past from their inception as Fingerbone to his initial departure in July, after which he was replaced by Ryan Disano two months later. A reason for Ryan's departure has not been posted, and though I did hear about why the change was made through personal discussions, I won't publicize anything unless the band does. I have to say, it's nice to see Arthur back! He's a nice guy and a very good bassist, and though I was interested to see Ryan with the band, it's great to see the classic lineup back together! Now, we wait for their live return and their debut album! Check out the above links for more on Half Past!
That's all for today, but I have more news to come very soon, along with our "Where are they now?" feature on past bands from our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series! Thanks everyone, and I'll see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT for Total Chaos and local metal openers!
Hey guys, here's a big update before tonight's Crash Karma/Desperate Union show! Today, we have updates from Woods of Ypres, Garden of Bedlam, and more, but first, here's a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (Updated Monday at 12:41 AM)
Firstly, it's metal night at The Rosie, as four of hard hitting metal bands hit The Roosevelt Hotel on THURSDAY NIGHT! Sorry about the short notice, this only just recently came to my attention, and the full details didn't come until the other day. Your headliners are Montreal experimental/Christian metal band Breaking The Fourth Wall, over three months after their last planned show here in July! This time, they should actually be here, so if you like their brand of extreme hardcore music, then you know where to be on Thursday night! There are now three local opening bands, one of which is local hardcore quintet As It Stands! We haven't heard a lot from them since September, but they're back at The Rosie for this show, where they'll unleash some more of their newest originals! And fresh off of their headlining set at the Coch's Corner Halloween party, local extreme metal band WinkStinger will also be opening! Great to see them back as well, especially with the volume of recent bookings! They're a band to watch out for, trust me! And also, promoter Rich Moreland confirmed early on Monday that local death metal band Bring The Fallen will be on the bill, in their first live concert appearance in six months, and first with bassist Nolan Rainville in nine months! Expect some hard hitting death metal from these guys, and it's great to see them back!
Doors open at 10:00 PM on Thursday night, there is no listed cover charge, and you must be 19 to enter. This should be one heavy night at The Rosie, and it's part of their continuing effort to shake the image of being "just a country bar", so make note of that going forward! These are four high quality metal bands that promise to deliver a moshworthy good time, so try and make it out on Thursday if you can! For more details, visit the Facebook event page or The Rosie's brand new Facebook page! Oh, and yes, Andrew Chiarello appears to have rejoined Bring The Fallen, as the band deleted the postings about wanting a new guitarist from their Facebook page. Great news!
Now, to the second new show! Remember in September when I profiled Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion) in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile? Well, I had said in my initial post that the solo nature of the project may restrict activity beyond the studio. How wrong I was. In a Facebook note posted earlier today, Mark announced that he's formed a new band featuring his local friends that will bring his new solo recordings to the live stage next month! This new band is entitled Marky & The Motherfuckers, and will feature members of local bands like Lion Ride, Detroit, Renderware, The Inner City Surfers, Nebraska Arms, The Hangdowns, Bondar, and Talk Shit! A clear list of who "The Motherfuckers" are is not provided, but he did tag six people in the note: Mikey Hawdon, Marco Pedalino, Guy Thiffault, Dave Prendergast, Marc Lafrance, and "Brown" Dave Brunton, who are all in one or more of the above bands. Could they be The Motherfuckers, or are they just friends he tagged for them to read it? Time will tell! Either way, Marky and his friends will assemble for a concert next month, which will take place on December 29th at Coch's Corner! There will be an opening band to be announced, there's no listed cover charge, it'll likely be 19+, and it all starts at 10:00 PM that night. Get more details at the above links, including his official MySpace page, which has it's own event page as well!
This will be your first chance to see Marky play his very solid hardcore solo material in a live setting, and it'll be cool to see what could essentially be a local punk/metal supergroup of sorts taking the stage! Hopefully I can make this show, and as I hear more on it, I'll absolutely have it here!
Finally today, here's the latest news from local doom/black metal rockers Woods of Ypres! Firstly, here's the most exciting news: David Gold's coming home a lot sooner than we expected! As revealed in a posting on the band's official Facebook page, his journey there is coming to an end, and his personal Facebook page confirmed that he had just 40 days & 40 nights left there as of yesterday, leaning towards a return to Canada in mid-December. He thanked the band's new label Earache Records for that, but didn't specify what they did to help expedite the process. Either way, he's coming home sooner, and the band can get going again sooner, so all will be well! He also said that upon his return, he will be moving back to Toronto, so Woods of Ypres will likely be based out of there again upon his return. And before anyone asks, that does NOT mean we'll stop covering them, as they were based out of the Sault for almost three years, so they're still considered a local band regardless of their current locale. He closed the update by saying that we should see Woods of Ypres back on tour by May 2011. I can't wait, hopefully they come to the Soo again! Before we finish, here's three more quick Woods of Ypres notes
The heavy metal blog Hook In Mouth included Woods of Ypres' "By The Time You Read This (I Will Already Be Dead)" and "Northern October" by David's side project The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society in a post last week detailing their Halloween soundtrack! Nice fitting comments for both songs, check out the post at this location!
On the topic of their albums, there are still independent Woods of Ypres albums for sale, get full details at this location! Also, note the newest post, where David asks about our thoughts towards a double green vinyl release of "Woods IV". Wanna see it? Then comment!
That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for my review of tonight's Crash Karma/Desperate Union show! I have more assorted news stories to get to as well, so watch out for those as well! Thanks everyone!
As promised, it's time for our ninth monthly installment of our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile series! This month, we focus on two more heavier acts from outside of the Soo that just happen to feature a member who lived in the Sault Ste. Marie area in the past! One's a new solo project, while the other is a prominent band that you may recognize from some larger shows in the area in recent months! This should be another good one, but remember, if there's something incorrect, missing, or lacking info/details, please tell me!That being said, let's kick off this month's profile, and check out previews of this weekend's concerts in the post below! (UPDATED: November 26th, 2014)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fifth Way (Detroit, Michigan)
Lineup:(Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)
Tim Gossman (vocals) Zak Stelmaszek (guitar)
Adam Trahan (guitar)
Anthony Palsgrove (bass)
Chris Castro (drums)
Terry Freers (bass) Nicholas Cole-Klaes (bass) Mike McMann (bass) Victor Wooten (bass) Dave Reingardt (drums)
Local Info: Fifth Way features just one member who claimed a local residence, that being lead guitarist Zak Stelmaszek. Originally from nearby Rudyard, Zak graduated from Rudyard High School in 1995, and would then enroll at Lake Superior State University in the electrical engineering program, living on campus in Sault Michigan in the process. Zak gratuated from LSSU in 2000, and later moved to the Detroit area (and later still to Milwaukee.) Aside from his ongoing work with Fifth Way, Zak has also stayed busy in cover bands, including current work in Milwaukee's King Kong, and prior stints with bands like Detroit's Cruizin' Jupiter & Milwaukee's Superfly.
Band Bio:Fifth Way launched in late 2007, and found a solid footing in the Detroit rock scene through frequent gigging in the area through 2008 and 2009, backing up acts like Saliva, Pop Evil, Alter Bridge, and 10 Years. Save for their numerous bassist switches, their lineup appears has generally been stable since their inception. In January 2010, Fifth Way released their debut album "No Boundaries", and have toured frequently ever since. Their name growing ever quicker, Fifth Way have slowly begun playing shows outside of the Detroit area, notably coming up to Sault Michigan numerous high profile shows since 2010, mainly at Kewadin Casino, where they've backed up such bands as Tesla, Three Doors Down, and The Gin Blossoms. Still frequently playing shows all over Michigan, Fifth Way's profile continues to grow with each passing day, so check them out and pick up their debut album at the above links!
Fifth Way employ a very catchy radio hard rock sound that'd be right at home on Rock 101, and it's a wonder we don't hear them more on the radio locally, especially with Zak's local connection! Their music doesn't have much surprises in terms of song structure, but what they do, they do well, with a gritty aggressive sensibility that does help set them apart from other bands! Tim Grossman's vocals are melodic, yet have a rough edge to them, and the guitar work from Zak and Adam is both catchy and heavy, making the most of their riffs! Honestly, Fifth Way are the kind of band I can picture driving down a highway to, it has that hard riding essence, while still being melodic and fun to listen to! I find they have a few too many softer songs, and the guitar solos need work, but Fifth Way are a very good hard rock band, and I'm sure we'd welcome them back to the Sault area with open arms!
Fifth Way's debut album "No Boundaries" has been available for purchase at Grooves Music in Sault Michigan, and songs from the album are streamable at the band's MySpace page! You can also purchase the album online for $12 through the band's website. Other sites presumably have the album for free download, but really, support the band and buy it. Fifth Way are also very prominently featured on YouTube via numerous live videos, along with their 2010 music video for their song "Stomping Ground" that you can check out below!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Rand (Toronto, Ontario)
Local Info:If you've been around the local scene in the past few years, then Mark Rand should be very familiar to you! An established musician on varying instruments, Mark's arguably best known under his stage name Marky Lion as guitarist and studio bassist for the local punk/metal band Lion Ride, who've made some major noise in the local scene since their 2007 inception! But that's just the surface of his musical background, as Mark's been in numerous bands in both the Sault and Toronto areas, including Detroit, Bin Hawdon & The Taliband, The Merves, Fuller, hackthemodem, Pumpkinseed, Kidshit, The Lumbermen, Bondar, DDPBB, and his current role in the Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog, among others. Now living in Peterborough, Mark's never forgotten his local roots, and comes back home for concerts occasionally, including a Detroit reunion next month!
Band Bio:Though the most recent form of Mark's solo project didn't begin until 2010, he has dabbled into solo work in the past. In 2006, Mark launched an indie/electronic solo project under his own name after his move to Southern Ontario, which is decidedly unlike his typical punk and metal fare, though it is well played. In August 2010, Mark took another dive into solo work, initially under his Lion Ride stage name (thought later alternately referred to as M.R.B.), and playing music much closer to the majority of his past bands. Drawing influences from bands like Motorhead, Venom, Slayer, Black Flag, SNFU, and Propagandhi (among many others), Mark's recorded a number of original hardcore/punk songs that could eventually be a part of an album release, which he's alluded to on his pages in the past. He formed a local band made up of his Saultite friends to back him up at a December 29th, 2010 show at the old Coch's Corner, where "The Mark Rand Band" played his solo songs live. Though this solo project quietly went defunct the following year, Mark played similar material in his newer partly-local project Kidshit alongside former Fuller bandmate Jamie Vincent.
Of Mark's long list of local bands, one of the closest comparison bands to the Mark Rand projectwas Detroit. Safe comparison, because Mark's material is generally comprised of short relentless hardcore numbers, and they sound very cool for the most part! Mark shows off more of his aggressive vocals that we typically only heard in backing roles in his other bands, and his guitar work is similarly heavy and suitable for the material! Compared to some other solo projects I've heard, this project sounds very cohesive like a real band, even on the drums! This material straddles the punk and metal border, so diehard fans of both genres will find something to like here, and it all fits very well! None of the songs disappoint, and thankfully, Mark doesn't fall into the trap that Detroit had where the longer songs weren't as heavy or relentless, and I hope he keeps up with the same style we've seen so far, cause it works very well! Mark and his new local backing band had a successful debut in December 2011, but here's hoping he revisits this material down the road!
Mark has seven songs on his MySpace page to check out, which amount to a nice 10 minutes or so of hardcore mayhem! If you're interested in any of Mark's work with his other bands, there's plenty of pages for them online on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and other sites, so look for those too! One of Mark's best solo songs (and his shortest) is on YouTube to check out, and here it is, his song "Question"!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope you guys enjoyed this month's profile! As for next month, I've decided on two bands to profile once again, as we'll take a look at L'Anguisette, the progressive metal band from Philadelphia featuring Woods of Ypres' frontman David Gold on drums, and Ninth Day Sin, the Nashville death metal band featuring Lower S.E.S./Bludgeoned drummer Mikey Bishop! Stay tuned for that next month, between October 16th and 22nd! That's all for now, but be on the lookout for more local metal news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
The Merves (Toronto, Ontario)
