Spades GT Updates & Recap Videos From Earlier This Month!!

Let's spend today's post by covering some recent news and notes from local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT, so what have they been up to since seemingly wrapping up their new album's recording sessions last month? The album was "in the bank and just waiting for mixes" as of March 3rd, for the record. Spades played three concerts this month in Southern Ontario, starting when they opened for new guitarist Matthew Voros' psychobilly band The House Of Haunt at The Hard Luck Bar in Toronto on March 7th, and they did post a recap video onto their Facebook page from that night. While a short and vertical video, it is not a "Reel", so I can embed it here! The 2:49 video features the guys arriving at and getting ready for their set, and while live concert footage is rarely a highlight for the recap videos, you do see a bit of Spades' set, confirming that they have finally filled their vacant bassist position, so who has signed on?

While not confirmed by name on the band's social media at that point, Matthew's House of Haunt bandmate Sean MacNab has officially replaced the already departed James Roy Daley on bass in Spades GT (Sean confirmed his addition on his personal Facebook page earlier this month). You may also recognize Sean from bands like Defile and Conflicting Plaid, and he does have multi-instrumental talent, as he drums for the latter group. We'll have fuller media of Spades with Sean soon, but he is a solid bassist, and it's good to see the guys finally restored whole as a five-piece! If anything, the recap video shines more for showing The House of Haunt's set anyway, with closer camera angles and some very eclectic fans performing on the floor, but Spades' set reportedly went well despite "a couple (of) boo boos". Good stuff for a recap video, so give everything included from The Hard Luck Bar a watch below!

The following day, Spades played in their adopted hometown of Barrie for the first time this year, when they rocked The Queens Nightclub with guitarist Daniel Horton's other punk band The Fast Life, Cornwall metal band Hellrager (featuring ex-Spades guitarist Jay Sarrazin) and fellow Cornwall hard rockers Don't Tell Sarah. Another recap video was shared from this concert, and while a little longer (just over 3 minutes) and not a "Reel", it's still vertical, and I still can't embed this recap video here due to Facebook content matching the backing studio material added in post, so click here to check out the full recap video. It features Daniel hanging out with attendees (primarily members of Hellrager, Jay included) before showing actual video footage with raw audio of all four bands! If only this wasn't a recap video (and wasn't shot vertically), and I wonder how much footage was cut in editing? Some of the visual fidelity is inconsistent (Spades' video is fuzzy), but the audio is solid for the clips that we do get, and Spades are playing their brand new song "We Are United" in their clips!

The brotherhood between the four bands is definitely visible on camera, and while that will mean more if you're in Barrie/the GTA, it is great to see that the former Jack Spades have been so embraced and integrated into the scene down south! Daniel belatedly chimes in at video's end as he didn't do any on-camera thank yous or plugs at The Queens Nightclub. Good stuff across the board, so give this recap video a watch at this link or above!

Lastly, in a later announcement from earlier this month, Spades GT joined nine other bands on March 14th to open for London-based tribute band System A La Down at The Rockpile in Toronto. This was a memorial concert for Steve Edwin MacLeod, who was the sound guy at multiple Spades concerts at The Rockpile over the years. Kudos to everyone involved for throwing this tribute show together on such quick notice, and from what I've read, Steve seemed like a great guy! You can see 61 photos of Spades GT's set at this link courtesy of attendee Miles George, and while there was a recap video on the band's Facebook page, it was sadly uploaded as a "Reel", so I can't embed it here. Daniel again takes the lead here, shooting lots of footage of him mingling with attendees and his bandmates, with Sean getting his most camera time yet since joining Spades. There is some live footage of their set here (nothing really of the other bands), but there's no raw live audio, and the "Reel" ends super abruptly.

What we do see is effective to set up Spades' set, and you do get more pre-set input from the band as a whole than on the other March concert recap videos, so click here to check it out, but remember, this one is a "Reel" and you can't play it in background tabs. When we next talk about Spades GT on the SMS, it will be via longer raw footage of their set at The Rockpile, so stay tuned for that in the near future! Thanks everyone, and as they like to say, raise 'em up and cause a scene!

The 2016 VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Finals Recap!!

At last, here's our recap of Wednesday night's VM Radio Battle of the Bands final round, and apologies again for the delay, our K.I.C.K. video upload failed twice before finally making it onto Facebook. After two weeks of intense action from 5 local bands (plus a fun guest set from Jack Spades), the contest came to a head at The Canadian Nightclub on Wednesday, and aside from the obvious high stakes, the only differences from the semifinals were in the presence of more sponsor prizes and promotional papers from The Din and K.I.C.K. on tables at the venue. Also, Tidal Records' Dustin Jones was back behind the judges table on Wednesday after being absent from last week's semifinal due to personal commitments, but as both of last week's bands advanced to the finals, he still got to see everyone compete! Wednesday also saw the best turnout of the month for attending fans, but what did everyone see? Here's what you should know!

After a random drawing coincidentally gave us all 3 bands in alphabetical order (all playing 9 songs, no less), local alternative hard rock trio and week #1 winners The Din opened the finals with a set of mostly originals like "We Met As Surrogates" and the debuting "Differences", plus covers of The Barenaked Ladies and The Beatles, with only 4 songs repeating from their semifinal set. The Din received another good reception, with Mike Haggith & Tammy Hill exploring their surroundings well during their set, but did they do enough to win their first battle of the bands? Next was local hard rock quartet (and week #2 wild cards) Eclipse, who played 5 originals like "Crywolf" and "Rebel From Above" (a renamed revival of Curtis & Daniel's old band Punch's eponymous song, and also played by Haggith), which were bookended with four covers from bands like Genesis and System of a Down. Breaking out their smoke machine once again, Eclipse had a strong set, including 4 songs not played last week, and they too had a good reception!

Indie/acoustic rock quartet (and week #2 winners) K.I.C.K. closed the night with a set that didn't stray too far from last week's song selection, with only 2 songs replaced, but they won over attendees with originals like "Silently Screaming" and "HWY 17" (which even got a few slow-dancing couples!), plus many fan favourite returning originals and their OneRepublic and The Weeknd renditions. The Keep It Cool Kids got a strong response and seemed to be having fun, complete with a surprise introduction by last year's winners in Gnaeus, but did K.I.C.K. win it all this year? After their set, judges Rob Speers, Dustin Jones, and myself convened to add up scores and determine individual award winners, and while I again won't publically reveal the final tallies, I will say that we didn't universally agree on our first place picks, though one judge had two of the bands tied.

And also, I'll confirm that the winning band edged out second place by just three points, making this (at least) the fourth judged local battle since 2009 where the winning band won by 3 points or less. If you ever wanted a sign as to how talented and competitive local artists can be, this is it! Now, here are the final results, courtesy of MC/promoter J.D. Pearce, plus the winners of this year's individual awards:

1st Place: K.I.C.K.

2nd Place: The Din

3rd Place: Eclipse

Best Vocal Performance: Curtis McKenzie (Eclipse)

Best Guitar Player: Tammy Hill (The Din)

Best Bass Player: Fred Dunn (Eclipse)

Best Drummer: Aaron Dunn (K.I.C.K.)

Best Song: K.I.C.K. - "Wanted"

After three weeks of hard fought battling, K.I.C.K. edged out The Din to claim their first battle of the bands victory in their first try, so congratulations to Simon, Tyson, Kevin, and Aaron are absolutely in order for their strong and fan pleasing performances this year! It is a coincidence that K.I.C.K. were, like Gnaeus last year, the last band in both of their battle sets, and narrowly defeated a heavier band by a small margin to win the battle? If anything, it shows how talented each band is, and how much potential the scene has! Like they did at the Speak Easy Battle earlier this month, The Din and Eclipse both finished in second & third place, but considering that The Din and 3/4ths of Eclipse (in Project 421) didn't place or make the finals in either of last year's battles, they won big from their huge turn-arounds this year alone, and Eclipse were competitive in the totals too! There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! As for Stereo North and Heavy Head, the fourth & fifth place finishers from week #1, I do want to thank them for their entertaining sets too, they showed a lot of talent and promise!

As for the awards won last night, K.I.C.K. picked up $500 for their victory (if they won anything else for first place, it wasn't announced), while there was again no announced prize for second or third place. Curtis McKenzie overcame his cold to receive a $100 Rad Zone gift card for his second straight Best Vocal Performance award (he won with Haggith last year), while The Din's Tammy Hill & Eclipse's Fred Dunn each received a Case's Music prize package for their Best Guitar & Bass Player awards. K.I.C.K.'s Aaron Dunn matched his brother Fred with a Best Drummer award, winning a custom drum skin from Maxx Graphix, while K.I.C.K. won recording time at Tidal Records for "Wanted" as the Best Song. The Most Energetic Band and Best Fan awards didn't return from last year's battle, while the Fan Favourite Band award was apparently scuttled due to a virtual tie among the fan vote, as per J.D. in a personal conversation on Wednesday.

Overall, this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands was a great time, both for the fun of this style of event, and for my return to local concerts after 6 months away due to (ongoing) family health matters, and hopefully it won't be another 6 months before I see another live concert! Huge thanks go out to J.D. for inviting me to be a judge at this year's battle once again, it's a privilege that I was more than happy to accept, and if the call comes for next year, I'll be ready to serve if at all possible! Thanks as well to Dustin, Rob, and last week's guest judge Christian Lemay for their input, support, and professionalism this month, you were great judges once again, and I'd be happy to work with you guys again if the situation arises! Of course, thanks to all of the aforementioned sponsors who put this year's battle on (including Village Media and Labatt Breweries), and to The Canadian Nightclub proper for being a great host venue once again!

As for our videos from the battle finals, I kept up my tradition dating back to 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle by filming each finalist band's first two songs (it's the finals of a multi-night battle, they deserve the extra song!), and after some unforeseen delays, each track is now online on our Facebook page! There will be more media coming from Village Media's local news sites (SooToday and Local2), but in the meantime, here's The Din playing "In Search of the Perfect Moment" & "Cowardly Hearts Beneath The Stars", Eclipse covering System of a Down's "Hypnotize" & Billy Talent's "Fallen Leaves", and K.I.C.K. playing "Burning Desire" & "Stranded"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, more news, and this month's CD review in short order! Thanks everyone!

The 2016 VM Radio Battle of the Bands Recap (Night 2), Plus Our Review Of Jack Spades' Set!!

As you may remember, last night was the second and last semifinal of this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub, so like last week, here's our recap post from last night's action! Everything had a similar setup from last week's first semifinal, though Case's Music & The Rad Zone both had banners up on stage after none were put up last week. The judging panel also looked a little different compared to last week, as Tidal Records head/Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones was unable to attend night #2 due to outside commitments, so Id Iota frontman/Tidal Records skate team member Christian Lemay filled in as a guest judge. As far as I can tell, this was his first judging role at a battle of the bands, though he competed in at least two with his old band Free Beer. Christian filled in nicely, and also filmed some of the performances last night for his personal Facebook page, so visit his personal Facebook page to give them a look if you're a friend of his!

Also, just as an aside, Dustin Jones and The Rising Tide will play their first announced show of the year TONIGHT at Peddler's Pub in Sudbury! In lieu of recent live drummers Clint Wilson or Cooper Hannahson, The Tide have enlisted The Lake Effect's Chris Johns to fill in behind the kit tonight, as per personal Facebook postings. He's a fitting choice given their own Tidal Records ties! Click here for more details, and hopefully we see The Rising Tide back on the local stage soon!

After a random drawing, the first band competing last night was newer local modern/hard rock quartet Eclipse, who played a 9 song set including 5 covers (from bands like System of a Down and Led Zeppelin) and 4 original songs, including the brand new "Crywolf" (no space) and three songs recycled from Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton's old band Haggith ("Metal Cage", "Wasted", and "Silver Bullet".) Though Curt's voice was affected by a cold, they got a good reception from attending fans, and the smoke machine didn't hurt at all, but did they advance to next week's finals? The last competing band was local indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. in their battle of the bands debut, and they played a set of 7 original songs (like "Drift", "Burning Desire", and "Time It Out") and covers of One Republic and The Weeknd, with a brief Justin Bieber(?!) aside in the former!

Featuring all four band members in bandanas, K.I.C.K. seemed to win over the crowd, though they didn't have as many fans on the floor as Eclipse had. Before we get into the final scores from last night, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades took the stage for their second concert of the year, and as they weren't competing in the battle (frontman J.D. Pearce is promoting the event), I got to shed my judge label for their set, making this my first proper concert review with photos since September! Jack Spades played original songs like "Motorwolf", "To The Left", and "Frederick" alongside Ripcordz and SNFU covers, and while the fan turnout on the floor wasn't terribly high, J.D. came out onto the floor to interact with fans and sing with his usual punk-tinged aggression!  Everyone was on form last night from when I last saw Jack Spades, with Justin Lam strong on bass as usual, and Jesse Cook laid down some solid guitar solos throughout!

It was nice to get back into the concert reviewer mode for Jack Spades' set, and fans seemed to enjoy everything! Also, J.D. noted that their first song last night, "Crossroads", was filmed at their Speak Easy Battle set last week by guest judge Christian Lemay for an upcoming Shaw TV segment, so we'll have to see how that turns out when it airs! As for last night's battle results, judges Rob Speers, Christian, and myself tabulated the scores after K.I.C.K.'s set, and while I won't reveal individual scores, I will say that we all agreed on who won, so who won last night's semifinal?

....K.I.C.K.! Yes, the Keep It Cool Kids have punched their ticket for next week's finals, giving this quartet a guaranteed podium finish in their first local battle! Not bad considering that the guys haven't been in any recent battles in this or another band, and we'll see how they do next week! As for the wild card spot, who will join K.I.C.K. and week 1 winners The Din in the finals? ....ECLIPSE! That's right, we're in for a finals rematch of last night's competitors (and of siblings Aaron & Fred Dunn), and Eclipse are guaranteed to at least match their 3rd place finish in last week's Speak Easy Battle! Curtis and Daniel could also match or better their 2nd place run in 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle with Haggith, and the finals will see them face their former Haggith/Din bandmate Mike Haggith, so there's an interesting wrinkle for the finals as well! As for the other results, I'll confirm that Stereo North were the second place band last week, and Heavy Head were third, so you can fill in the overall rankings from there given the amount of bands.

Someone is guaranteed their first battle of the bands victory next week, so be sure to attend the VM Radio Battle of the Bands finals on Wednesday between The Din, Eclipse, and K.I.C.K.! That show will be at 9:00 PM with a special admission fee of $10 unless you already have your full pass for all nights of the battle. It'll be a great night, so definitely consider coming out, stay tuned for some extra videos from last night, and thanks again to Christian for filling in last night! You were a great judge, and hopefully we get your input next week in some form! As for our media, click here for our photos of Jack Spades' set, and for our videos, you may notice a slightly different angle on the competitors' videos, as I had to get a new tripod to mount my camera with after my original tripod was lost at the venue last week. My new tripod is much better and more customizable though, as you'll see for our Jack Spades video, where I experimented with it's panning and expandable size.

I might play around with a special angle for the finals next week, but we'll approach that then, and as for our videos, here's Eclipse covering Seether's "Remedy", K.I.C.K. playing their song "Wanted", and Jack Spades playing both "Rise" & "Breakneck Speed"! That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our newest poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The 2016 VM Radio Battle of the Bands Recap (Night #1!!)

(Updated at 5:00 PM) Last night saw the beginning of the second annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub, so our recap of last night's events constitutes today's second post, but be sure to check out our latest news/preview post from this morning below! After lots of anticipation, this sophomore event returned yesterday, so what should you know regarding the format? The judges, scoring criteria, and most prize categories are the same as last year, Maxx Entertainment was back to do sound, the layout and scheduling was very similar, and while the turnout was sadly lighter than hoped, all three bands got a good reception from attending fans! In terms of what prizes are available for winners, details on them weren't publically announced last night, but some awards were displayed in the venue as a preview of what bands might receive. Now, let's touch on each band's sets, and remember, as a judge, I will not review the bands or reveal scores, just recap their sets and what everyone in attendance saw and heard.

After a random drawing of the band order, pop punk quartet Stereo North hit the stage for their second battle of the bands appearance, and their set was comprised of 4 originals like "Heart Collider" and "Nobody", and 5 covers from bands ranging from The Foo Fighters to The All American Rejects to... Drake?! If you ever wanted to hear "Hotline Bling" covered by a punk band, they had you covered! Stereo North got a positive early reception, getting many fans going to start the night, but did they win the first semifinal? Also, they were the only band who had a banner up for their set, though Heavy Head's name was on the bass drum. Alternative hard rock trio The Din made their third battle of the bands appearance next, and first with new guitarist Tammy Hill, with the three playing 7 Din originals or Mike Haggith solo songs (including the newer "In Search of the Perfect Moment" and "Out Of My League"), as well as Foo Fighters & City and Colour renditions.

The Din attracted the best crowd of the night, with Mike and Tammy making the most of it by entering the crowd to play on the floor, and Mike also was eager to play to the crowd and joke between sets... but did it put them through to the finals in two weeks? Last up were Heavy Head, the new pop/hard rock band from Suicide Kings, Haggith, and Jack Spades alumni, and they played a short set of 6 songs , including two originals (the Irish-tinged "Mikey Doesn't Whisky" & "5 A.M.") and covers ranging from The Black Crowes to... Walk the Moon?! They weren't lying about the pop rock side of their genre! All wearing a black with bandanas motif, the guys received a positive reception from fans, and responded in kind, though many were left wondering what happened when their version of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" suddenly fell apart.

After their set, judges Dustin Jones, Rob Speers, and myself tallied the scores, and without giving anything away, we all agreed on the band order, and two of the bands were only separated by three points. With that said, who were the winners on night #1 of this year's VM Radio Battle?

....THE DIN!! Yes, the former Mike Haggith & The Din are in the finals on March 23rd, and no matter what happens then, this is already their best ever battle of the bands finish by far (remember, they didn't make the finals or place in either of last year's battles), so what they've done and worked on in the past year seems to be paying off! This will also Mike's second top-3 finish in a battle, after he drummed with the band Haggith to their runner-up finish at 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle. I won't mention who finished second until the wild card is revealed next week, but everyone put on a great show, and remember to go check out The Din, Heavy Head, week #2 competitors Eclipse, and guest performers Jack Spades at TONIGHT'S second annual Speak Easy Battle of the Bands! A band is guaranteed their first ever battle of the bands victory tonight, and it'll be interesting to hear who the fans voted as the winners, so when we hear the results, we'll let you guys know!

I won't be in attendance for The Speak Easy Battle to avoid showing a bias given that I'm judging 3 of the bands in the VM Radio Battle, but hopefully Sault Online is in attendance again to cover the event! After that, the VM Radio Battle semifinals return on Wednesday with Eclipse taking on K.I.C.K. for a finals spot, and we'll also learn with of the three non-winners will be joining them as a wild card, so be at The Canadian then to find out who wins, and to take in some Jack Spades action! As for our videos, I got each band's first song, so here's Stereo North playing "Fall Before Me", The Din playing "Flux", and Heavy Head covering Walk the Moon's "Shut Up & Dance"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile tomorrow, if all goes well! Thanks everyone!

VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Recap, Fallout, And Final Results!!

Hey guys, sorry for the delay in this getting on the site, but videos took extra long (we'll elaborate on why in a bit.) Wednesday night saw the final round in the month-long VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub, as the final four bands gathered one last time to compete for the top prize, though remember that due to my judging commitments and to avoid any bias accusations, I will not critique or review the bands' sets here, just recap what we all saw. After a random drawing, the first band on Wednesday was local genre-hating quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty (who won last week's semifinal), and they played largely the same set as before to another solid reception, but partly due to their night-opening placement, their fan response was far lower than before. RedD Monkey fans were pleased to see them cover "Fo' Dozen Cookies" at set's end, complete with Z & X swapping frontman and drum roles to facilitate that, and if you know X's alter ego, this will make complete sense!

They even sold bandanas at the battle, and gave the judges chocolate chip cookies, but did that help in the final total? Next up were week 1 winners The Bear Hunters, who broke out the extra camouflage for their set, as well as a new song named "The Dying Den" to join existing originals like "I Fear No God", but one lasting image will be the slaughter of assorted teddy bears during their set, with stuffing littering the floor! The name's not just a name, bears are indeed the enemy! The Bear Hunters also had the best fan response of the night, with one attendee even bringing a sign, but did that all help push them over the edge? Third up on Wednesday night were week 2 winners Mannapool, who had an improved placement to benefit their well recieved originals like "Beckoning" and "Way Home" that had arguably more of a presence of softer and slower songs than in the semifinals. Did Mannapool turn out the top scores in the final round?

For a second straight week, wild card finalists Gnaeus played last (lucky draw!), and they brought their garage/punk sound to the finals for a set of mostly originals like "The Curse" and the fan-requested "Numbers", plus covers of The Cold War Kids & Daniel Lioneye (fans of Viva La Bam loved that), and while they had a good reception and fan turnout, was that enough to tip them over the edge? After their set were most of the prize announcements, but we'll start by addressing the eight individual awards, which were partially announced between sets as well, and with all performers winning a certificate to go along with the main prize. The Bear Hunters were the only band to pick up two of these awards, with Mitch Sirie winning a Case's Music gear package for Best Guitar Player and drummer Johnny Belanger picking up a custom drum skin from Maxx Graphix for winning Best Drummer!

As for other performer awards, they went to non-finalists, with Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie winning a new microphone from Right Hook Mics for Best Vocal Performance, while Honest Job bassist Jared Fridy won a Case's Music gear package for Best Bass Player (not bad for his first show with them!) He was the only award winner who couldn't attend the finals, so his bandmates accepted on his behalf. In terms of the separate awards for bands, Gnaeus won recording time with Tidal Records for Best Overall Song ("Circles" from their semifinal set), The Apocalypse Afterparty won a case of Bomb Energy Drinks and a Bomb t-shirt for Most Energetic Band, and in a bit of a surprise, classic metal quartet Project 421 won the coveted Budweiser/Marshall amplifier beer fridge for Fan Favourite Band! Even I wanted that one! As for the Most Enthusiastic Fan award, even that went to a competitor, with Danger Cats drummer "Calico" Katie Maskell winning the $100 Rad Zone gift certificate, as she was always at the finals cheering on the bands!

And now, to the grand prize winners, so who won this huge battle of the bands? I will say beforehand that first and second place were only separated by 2 POINTS, and like in Mannapool's second night victory, any little thing might have shifted the results in the other direction! It was razor close, but who took first place? Here's the final placements!

1st Place: Gnaeus

2nd Place: The Bear Hunters

3rd Place: Mannapool

4th Place: The Apocalypse Afterparty

For the second time in three weeks, GNAEUS have came out on top in a local battle of the bands, becoming the first band since Bring The Fallen in 2009 & 2010 to win two battles in Sault Ontario! It's not easy to out-place 13 different bands at two consecutive events, but in this hot streak, that's exactly what they've did! This talented young quartet won $1,000, a professionally produced electronic press kit and video from VM Radio, and a huge framed plaque to commemorate their victory, and if this doesn't help jumpstart their local run, nothing will! It's worth noting that they did win the battle after being the wild card last week, but as we saw with Haggith & the former Pesto Shirts' podium finishes two years ago, being the wild card is not a handicap, and it can be a motivating factor for a band in that spot to bring their A-game and show that they deserve to be there, which Gnaeus certainly did! Congratulations to Aaron, Brad, Matt, and Brendan on their battle victories!

The Bear Hunters' close loss may be disappointing, but again, they came within 2 points of their own second battle of the bands win, and this is far & away their best ever finish at a judged battle of the bands, so congratulations to them on that level (and I did save one of the poor slaughtered teddy bears so it wouldn't die in vain!) Mannapool surprisingly didn't win any announced awards, but with a strong third place finish and a huge impression left on many new fans, this can only help their exposure as they continue their local growth in 2015 and beyond! And The Apocalypse Afterparty's entertaining sets definitely gave a lot of fans something to talk about, no matter how familiar you were with them before, and even though they couldn't reach The Fury's old battle heights, they've made their mark! Overall, this was a great battle of the bands, and I was honoured to bear witness to this collection of talent this month! If I ever get the call to judge another battle, I'd be more than happy to sign on!

I want to thank J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) for having me on to judge this month, Dustin Jones & Rob Speers for their friendliness and insight as we judged the event, Donna Hopper for all of her excellent photos, Dan Nystedt for having me in for this month's Tuned episodes, everyone at Tidal Records and Village Media for their hospitality this month, and all of the above sponsors for making this event possible! And of course, thanks to all 11 of this month's bands for putting on such a great event, and to The Pixo Control for a great guest set during week #1, you guys would have been strong contenders had you been competing! I just hope I added something to the process, and if the opportunity arises to work with the organizers of this battle again, I'm all for it!

As seen above, Donna Hopper was on hand to take photos during the finals for this SooToday recap article, which includes an awards breakdown and remarks from Gnaeus members on their win, so be sure to give it a look! Her photos include 4 each from The Apocalypse Afterparty & The Bear Hunters' sets, 3 each from Mannapool & Gnaeus' sets, and 2 of The Bear Hunters' fans, with the rest coming from and during the awarding of prizes to winning bands and artists. All are great as usual, so be sure to check them out above! The new Tuned episode is online as well, but we'll hold that for an upcoming news post to give it proper emphasis, especially given the length of this recap post. As for our videos, I decided to film the first two songs of each band, as I did at the 2013 Rockstar Bar Battle finals, just to do a little something extra for each band to mark their finals run, so what did we film from each band?

In chronological order by set, here's The Apocalypse Afterparty covering Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)" and The Fury's "Rebel Scum", The Bear Hunters playing their songs "Dominate" & "Deception", Mannapool playing their songs "Mayday" & "Controlled Chaos", and Gnaeus playing their songs "Lacking" & "Walls"! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile either tonight or tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone, and congratulations again to Gnaeus!

VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Night #3 Recap & Fallout!!

Hey guys, it's now time for our recap of last night's VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinal at The Canadian Nightclub, but be sure to check out the first of this weekend's concert previews in the post below this one! As you may remember, the last four of this year's 11 competing bands gathered to compete for the last guaranteed finals slot, and perhaps the wild card, though the attendance last night was arguably the lowest it has been (possibly due to the bands not being quite as known as in prior weeks), but fans were a constant on the floor, which was nice! There was great talent all around though, but like in past recaps, I will not review or critique the bands from last night due to my judging commitments, but I will recap their set and what everyone saw and heard.

After a random drawing to start the night, the first band was local jam/alternative rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din in their second battle appearance (and third show with new drummer Brandan Glew), and they played a set featuring 6 original songs, largely from Mike's own solo discography like "Of Cars & Criminals" and "We Met As Surrogates", along with Simple Minds and Live covers that seemed to go over well with early fans! Mike and Curt's Haggith bandmate Daniel Horton took the stage next with his classic metal quartet Project 421 in their second battle, who took fans on a "Generation X nostalgia road trip" through covers of the likes of Alice Cooper & Iron Maiden, along with unveiling their new original song "Into The Darkness" to a strong reception as well, getting a louder fan response benefited by their later placement in the order!

Third were local genre-hating but ultra-creative quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty, who surprised many with their look, sound, and presentation, which included movie trailer announcer introductions, masks, British accents, rap/metal hybrid music, a cross-dressing drummer, two bassists, no guitarists, an MPC effects machine, glowing drum sticks, and more! It's hard to explain their set (a mix of originals and covers of acts like Lorde and Watsky), but now with a full quartet lineup, we're seeing a fuller realization of the band, and they attracted by far the best crowd of the night, who even called in vain for an encore! The battle closed with Speak Easy Battle winners Gnaeus, who played a well received set of original songs like "Circles" & "Starts With F", which they capped with a Liam Lynch cover that unleashed the punk side of their punk/garage/wave hybrid sound. Fans definitely enjoyed their set, but was it enough to put them through to the finals?

After Gnaeus' set, me and fellow judges Dustin Jones and Rob Speers tallied up the scores, so who won last night's semifinal to advance to the finals? .......THE APOCALYPSE AFTERPARTY! In just their second announced public concert in the Soo, these masked bandits took the crowd by storm and punched their ticket to the finals next week, and it will give "songwriters" Paul Stanghetta and Steve Mozarowski a chance to better their last battle finishes from circa 5 years ago, which included 2 second place runs by The Fury. That said, who will join them in the finals next week as the wild card finalists? ..........GNAEUS! The quest continues for this relatively new local quartet to win their second battle in a three week span, and after how strong their reaction was to cap off last night, I don't think any fans were complaining!

Also, their high finish does line up with the fan voted Speak Easy Battle results in this mini-rematch of three of that event's bands, but it begs the hypothetical question: Had The Apocalypse Afterparty been in that battle too, would they have won it? We'll never know, but it's interesting to think about!

I will also note that The Apocalypse Afterparty & Gnaeus were only separated on the scores by 4 points, but as they're both in the finals, it's almost moot. In terms of the other placements & the wild card race, I won't divulge too much here, other than to say that the first two night's runner up bands were Honest Job and Haggith. And now, our attention shifts to this coming Wednesday, where last night's finalists will join week #1 winners The Bear Hunters and week #2 winners Mannapool for what should be a very exciting final, and I can 100% seriously admit that I have no idea on who will win! We'll of course have more on the finals in our extended preview on Tuesday, but with this spread of talent, new blood, and past battle success, this will be a can't miss event, and very much worthy of the $10 cover! Like before, the finals will be an ALL AGES show with an 8:00 PM start time.

The new Tuned episode on night #3 is now online, but we'll hold that for our next news post (likely on Saturday) to give it proper emphasis, but be sure to check it out before then! As you can see above, Donna Hopper's photos from SooToday (excellent as always) are all now up at this link along with a recap of last night's action, and her photos include 5 pictures of Gnaeus, 4 pictures of Project 421, 3 pictures each of The Apocalypse Afterparty and Mike & The Din, and one each of the finalist bands at night's end (sans The Afterparty's masks and female members) and Maxx Entertainment's Greg Simpson, who has provided great sound all month long for this battle. This has been a great event so far, and I'm very eager to step behind the judges' desk for the finals on Wednesday to see everyone there and determine who wins all of the band and individual awards!

As for our videos (which you likely saw on our Facebook page), here's each band's first song in chronological order, including Mike Haggith & The Din covering Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)", Project 421 covering Black Sabbath's "After Forever", The Apocalypse Afterparty covering Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)", and Gnaeus playing their song "Zeppelin"! Give them a look below, stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow, and do NOT miss next week's finals! Thanks everyone!

VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Night #2 Recap & Fallout!!

Hey guys, I again apologize for the delay in our recap of night #2 of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands, but thanks to a family emergency and related road trip, plus a busy slate of weekend concert previews and late notice announcements, this is only making it on the site now. I apologize for the delay, and things should be posted on a more normal, prompt schedule regarding next week's recap! Also, check out this morning's post for new show announcements from tomorrow through next month, plus our preview of TONIGHT'S Exes For Eyes concert. Now, to our long awaited recap of the second semifinal in this month-long battle of the bands at The Canadian Nightclub, as I joined Dustin Jones & Rob Speers once again to judge and score the night's entertainment, though like in last week's recap, I will not review or critique the sets or performances of this week's four bands, just recap what occured and observed by all in attendance.

After the random drawing, local progressive rock quartet Mannapool opened the day's events with a 7 song set comprised entirely of originals like "Trance", "Controlled Chaos", and "Mexican Standoff" that will likely be seen on their forthcoming debut album. Playing first was a handicap in the crowd department, as few beyond press came to the floor for their set, but Mannapool definitely seemed to win over some fans who weren't as familiar with them. All-female hard rock/punk quartet The Danger Cats took the stage next, playing a mixture of covers from the likes of Judas Priest and Lee Aaron alongside originals like "Wanted Man" & "Sugar Mama". True to form, the crowd warmed up more for their set, with a spattering of fans coming on late, and they were warmly recieved by the audience as well! No sign of the teased surprises that the girls has alluded to though.

2013 Rockstar Bar Battle runners-up Haggith came on next, playing a high-impact set divided between originals like "Hands of Death" & their newest "Silver Bullet", with covers of the likes of Tenacious D and Jethro Tull for good measure. Showcasing their increasingly heavier sound, the guys got a strong (if inconsistent) crowd that seemed to take in their set pretty well! The night closed with new local punk quartet Stereo North in just their second live concert appearance, and with many unanswered questions about their sound, what did they play? Mostly covers of the likes of Jimmy Eat World, The Foo Fighters, and Katy Perry (you read that right), though they did rock one original, named "Fall Down Before Me". Soundwise, they did stick to an energetic pop punk sound that likely wasn't dissimilar to frontman Andrew Pucci's older local bands. Also, they did have the best crowd of the night, but again, they did play last.

After Stereo North's set, Dustin, Rob, and I tallied the scores, and top to bottom, these are the closest one night scores that I have seen at any battle as a judge to date. First place & fourth place were only separated by a total of 8.5 points (I'm dead serious), and two of the judges had three of Wednesday's bands tied on their individual scorecards! Considering that the maximum score is 300 (100 a judge), that's incredibly close when you average it out, but it's an excellent sign for the musical talent in this city and how far along everyone is! With that said, who edged out first place?......

....Mannapool!! The progressive rock quartet have punched their tickets for the finals on Wednesday, March 25th, where they will join The Bear Hunters, next week's winners, and the highest scoring wild card band that will be announced this coming Wednesday after the last semifinal. Considering that Mannapool weren't that well known to many of us when they played at Rock For Dimes & Toystock last fall, their fast rise up the local ladder is all the more impressive, but can they win this battle in just under two weeks? And of course, huge kudos to The Danger Cats, Haggith, and Stereo North on their excellent performances as well, you all have nothing to hang your heads over! This was extremely competitive, and if the tiniest of things had been different for any of the 4 bands, the results might be completely altered. The wild card race is very close right now, so cross your fingers, as anything can happen!

SooToday's article on Wednesday's action is now online, featuring 26 photos from the night (including 7 of Haggith, 6 each of Mannapool & The Danger Cats, 4 of Stereo North, and one each of the judges), and as usual, they're excellently shot by Donna Hopper, so give them a look above! The article also features brief interview remarks from Mannapool frontman Josh Ingram on their sound & 2015 plans (including new material for the finals), while the article also hypes next week's action. The new episode of Tuned on Local2 is now online as well, but to give it proper attention without being buried deep in this post, we'll recap it as a main story on the site in an upcoming post (in the meantime, you can watch it at this link!) We will see you guys this coming Wednesday for the last semifinal, featuring The Apocalypse Afterparty, Speak Easy Battle winners Gnaeus, Mike Haggith & The Din, and Project 421 (the latter two featuring 3/4ths of Haggith), plus the reveal of the wild card finalists!

As for our videos, I again shot the first video of each band (as many of you will have seen via our Facebook page already), so in chronological order, here's Mannapool playing their song "Beckoning", The Danger Cats covering The Black Keys' "Gold on the Ceiling", Haggith covering Queensryche's "Queen of the Ryche", and Stereo North covering Blink-182's "All the Small Things"! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for much more news and notes in the coming days!

VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Night #1 Recap/Pixo Control Review!!

Hey guys, it's now time for our recap of last night's VM Radio Battle of the Bands opening night! As I was one of the judges, this will not be a review with personal judgements or criticism of the 3 competing bands, instead just a post to recap what happened and was observed by all. The setup at the battle was nice though, featuring a merchandise table for Tidal Records and plenty of banners for event sponsors, while Maxx Entertainment's Greg Simpson was on hand to provide solid sound for last night and the rounds to come! After a random draw to determine the band order, local folk/garage band Honest Job took the stage first last night, making their first local concert appearance in 14 months, as well as their first live concert appearance as a quintet, now featuring Jared Fridy on bass. Their set was comprised entirely of originals (save for a cover of Dick Dale's "Pipeline"), and included songs like "Waterslide" and "Page of Cups" from their "Numbers Game" EP.

Honest Job also showcased a unique sound featuring accordion work from frontman Mister Tahti that seemed to get a positive reception from early fans, and they had more of a rock sound than I recalled from the last time I saw them live, though activity on the floor wasn't too prominent yet. They were followed by newer local hard rock trio Infamous in just their second ever promoted concert (that I've heard about, at least), and they were admittedly still a bit of an enigma thanks to their lack of an online page, so what did we learn? Their lineup still features singer Lizzie Pearson, guitarist Damon King, and Them's Anthony Boudreau on drums (no bassist yet, which was sometimes very noticeable), and their all-cover set included renditions of bands like Bon Jovi, Asking Alexandria, and Halestorm, among others. Infamous got a better group of fans on the floor though, and hopefully this set was a good step in their development!

Capping off the night's competitive block was local death metal band The Bear Hunters in their first set of the year, who played a seven song set including their songs "The Omen", their newest "Neckbreaker", and their CD's title track "Collapse The Sun". The guys easily got the best crowd of the night, complete with a bunch of headbangers and a few mini-mosh pits, but did they do enough to win? Fans would find out after the last set of the night, as Tidal Records' newest signing The Pixo Control played a special non-competitive guest set to fill out the 4 band lineup, allowing me to revert to my usual reviewer/photographer mode for their set! Rocking an energetic set of originals like "Vicinity", "Alphabetical Order", and "Call Me A Liar" (plus their slowed down "Twist 'N Shout" cover), the guys showed off their clear skill and talent to a solid group of fans, with Michael Mikus' stage presence and Kurt Cobain-inspired vocals nicely meshing with Steve Edwards & Keeghan Rosso's solid rhythm!

The Pixo Control are making fans fast in the local scene, and it definitely showed last night with their skilled originals and stage presence (complete with an amusing hyped-up intro from a friend), and if The Pixo Control were actually competing in the battle, they'd likely have been strong challengers in the final tally! After their set, battle promoter J.D. Pearce took the stage to announce the winners of night #1, as the judges chose.....

...The Bear Hunters!! The death metal veterans were the last band to qualify for the Rockstar Bar Battle finals 2 years ago and they're the first band to do the same this time around, so they have ensured themselves a top 4 finish for the second time in their four-battle resume! We'll see them again at the finals on March 25th (complete with some teased "surprises"), and while I won't reveal anything else regarding the scores or placement at this time, I will say that the judges didn't unanimously agree on the band order. Congratulations though to Honest Job and Infamous for their sets too, they put in strong efforts in their own right, and we'll know in 2 weeks whether one of them is the wild card or not! The crew from SooToday and Local2 were on hand last night, with Donna Hopper capturing 19 photos at the battle, including 5 photos each of The Bear Hunters & Honest Job, 4 of Infamous, 2 of The Pixo Control, and one each of the judges, J.D., and Tidal Records business cards. Though all black & white, they're great as usual, so give them a look at this link!

Also, look for Local2's video coverage of night #1 in the coming days, as video cameras were rolling throughout the night. Fans can also see if The Bear Hunters can continue their hot streak at local battles at TONIGHT'S Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, which also features Gnaeus, Mike Haggith & The Din, and Project 421 from the March 18th lineup, plus fellow local acts Infinity Grinder, Jesse Merineau, and Long Shot. I plan on attending, so check the above link for more info on this battle! It was great to be involved in another local battle, so thanks to everyone at Village Media and Tidal Records for their hospitality, and I can't wait for next week's semifinals! Of course, we'll see The Danger Cats, Haggith, Mannapool, and Stereo North battle for the second finals spot this coming Wednesday (March 11th), and I hope we'll see everyone out next week for night #2!

We'll close today with videos (which you can see on our Facebook page, alongside our Pixo Control photos), and remember, the competing bands were filmed with the camera stationary on a tripod, as I was judging. Here's Honest Job playing their song "Queen St.", Infamous covering Sixx A.M.'s "This Is Gonna Hurt", The Bear Hunters playing their song "The Void", and The Pixo Control playing "This Is Momentary, Forever"! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next!

Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals Recap!!

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

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

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

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

1st place: The Suicide Kings

2nd place: Haggith

3rd place: The Pesto Shirts

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

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

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











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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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







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