LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Danger Cats), Haggith's New CD, And New Videos!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to apologize for not getting official plugs of last night's two Mourning Wood concerts (a matinee at The New American Pub and a normally timed Rednecks Saloon show) on the site yesterday. Both only recieved short notice plugs on personal Facebook accounts a few hours before showtime at The New A, and as we couldn't rush a new news post in time to plug both, we covered them on our Facebook page. Had we recieved more advance word on both, we'd have definitely plugged them here, but our apologies either way! Now, today's post features new videos, a recent album release, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Local all-female hard rock/punk quartet The Danger Cats will rock The Rankin Arena at 17 Batchewana Street on Saturday, June 13th during... a roller derby event?! Yes, the girls' second announced show of the summer will come during Border Brawl, a Sault Roller Derby event that will see two games between Ontario and Michigan teams (with game 1 featuring Northern Ontario's own NORD Starz.) If you're not familiar with roller derby, it's a fun and physical game that the whole family can enjoy, so give it a look online to see if this is up your alley! Danger Cats frontwoman Kate Kougar confirmed in personal e-mails that they'll be playing during halftime of both games, so with each starting at 6:00 & 8:00 PM, their mini-sets will presumably be at around 7:00 & 9:00 PM. This may seem like an odd show for a local band to play, but some of the members are involved in local roller derby events, hence the connection. (Calico Katie even designed the poster!)

Admission is $10 at the door or via advance ticket sales through derby players,  while kids under 12 get in FREE! Also, note that there's an afterparty at The Rockstar Bar too, but if The Danger Cats (or any other band) are playing it, nothing has been publically stated yet. For more details on this unique concert event, check the above links, and don't bypass roller derby, give it a look and see if you'd want to check out Border Brawl!

Next up, here's some overdue notes on a recent album release, as local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith released their newest CD "Apocalypse II" on May 9th prior to their set at that night's Swampstravaganza V! Apologies for the delay in getting this on the site, it fell through the cracks way too much. Released a day earlier than anticipated, "Apocalypse II" is the band's fourth full length studio album and second in their "Apocalypse" concept series, as recorded over the past year+ at PaperClip Productions. The album features (in various lineup arrangements and instrument roles) the band's late 2014-early 2015 lineup, including singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie, ex-guitarist Daniel Horton, bassist Jordan Leach, and drummer/vocalist Mike Haggith, though only Daniel is credited on all 10 songs, and his Project 421 bandmate Frank McGillivray is credited with playing guest guitar on the three "Home" tracks.

"Apocalypse II" was on sale for $5, and likely will be at the band's upcoming concerts as well. You can stream all 10 songs ("Apocalypse", "Hands of Death", "Immunity", "Spreading The Disease", parts 5, 6, and 7 of "Home", "Tribute to Mike Haggith", "We Are The Damned", and the title track) at Haggith's YouTube channel for free as well, but will we be reviewing the album on the site this month? No, because it only makes sense to go in chronological order for the "Apocalypse" series, so look for our review of 2012's "Apocalypse" (at last) by month's end! Check out both above!

We'll close today with new videos, including this clip of Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve tracking drums for a guest spot he's doing for an upcoming Rotopsy track! As uploaded to his YouTube channel on Monday, the overhead video features him tracking his part in a speedo (as he pointed out), and it sounds good to add to a Rotopsy song! While a little monotonous, live drums top a drum machine and help give more of the full band feel to their goregrind intensity, and it'll be interesting to hear the final product! Give Nathan's new video a look below!



Finally, here's a new solo instrumental recording by prolific Sault native and Alberta metal guitarist Paul Melanson! The first upload to his YouTube channel in 5 months, the song is called "Split the Sphere", and it's a well recorded and performed original song with a nice solo and strong songwriting! His recent hard rock and cover work in Lethbridge is solid, but it would be interesting to see him tackle a full metal project like this again. Give his new video a look below, and see more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Bent Rollercoaster

It's the 10th, so as expected, it's time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Likely our only Sault Michigan-area defunct profile of the summer (barring a 2 band month in August), this month's randomly chosen band had some solid notoriety in the Eastern U.P. in the late 2000s, so we're giving these guys (and girl) a deserved look back at their history, material, and current whereabouts, as we do with 1-2 bands each month. Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know! (Updated on August 27th, 2013)
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Bent Rollercoaster

Genre: Classic Hard Rock/Indie/Alternative

Hometown: Eckerman, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics. This information may be incomplete. E-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com if you have any additions or corrections!)

Dian Welch (Canabyeti), vocals
Denny Breslin (Half A Man, Hammerspace, Canabyeti), guitar
Chuck "Hemo" Welch (Canabyeti), bass

Paul "Dorothy" Burns (Plastic, Hammerspace), drums
Jeff Parish, vocals

Audio/Video: Bent Rollercoaster have a very high number of original songs & videos across their numerous online pages that are worth checking out! Their OnStage page features 13 different original songs spanning numerous styles from their late 2000s run, along with their song "Hater" by their short lived successor band Canabyeti. Most of their MySpace pages include some extra tracks, including three unique songs at both this link & their fan club page, and the song "Bentcave Boogie" on their primary MySpace page. As for videos, while drummer Paul Burns has uploaded 8 videos from an unidentified concert onto his personal Facebook page, the oldest videos are from their MySpace pages, including a 2007 video of them playing "Vaporized Mind" with a guest singer, and three videos from a Halloween 2008 gig (including a Collective Soul cover) via their main MySpace page. I've uploaded all of the MySpace videos to our YouTube channel as well, but check out any of the above links to see Bent Rollercoaster in action, including their Halloween performance of "Let Your Voice Be Heard" below!



Info/Analysis: Bent Rollercoaster were a diverse hard rock quartet from Eckerman, Michigan that were active in the Eastern U.P. from around February 2007 through early 2009. Though specific information on their 2 year run is minimal, they were a frequent sight at numerous local concerts, including the four band Rock Starz event at The Sault Theater in July 2008, that year's Brimley Whitefish Festival, and many other area concerts. Last verifiably seen gigging in October 2008, they quietly parted ways in early 2009, with most of the band forming a short-lived new blues rock trio named Canabyeti that spring. Since their breakup, members Paul Burns & Denny Breslin have been active in newer local bands like Half A Man & Plastic. It's a shame that Bent Rollercoaster didn't last longer than they did, because though they weren't the most consistently heavy band in the area, they must have gotten lots of notice! Songs like "Unsought Tyranny" & "Let Your Voice Be Heard" showed their heavier side fairly well, while others widely vary, but a nice laid back spirit is a general constant. Dian's singing, though casual, suited their various songs, and the guys had a nice groove and melody on most of their wide array of originals, especially thanks to Denny's solid guitar work! If you're up for a looser and more carefree style of hard rock that encompasses many genres, give Bent Rollercoaster a listen, and maybe they'll come back down the road!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next in the series, we'll return to Ontario for the rest of the summer in all likelihood, and as always, the next band we're looking at was randomly chosen from our inactive band links, but who's getting profiled next? Kiss fans should like this, as we're profiling the mid-2000s Kiss tribute band (and Dunnplugged veterans) Creatures of the Night next month, so watch out for that on or around July 10th! That's all for now, but stay tuned for our second archive Woods of Ypres magazine interview later tonight! Thanks everyone!