Let's get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile rolling on the SMS, as we're again looking at 1 or 2 (one this month) metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands from the Twin Saults & area that, while no longer active, deserve remembering in the present for what they accomplished and put out locally! This month's randomly selected band is our 8th straight of a single band, and we're heading to the E.U.P. for this one, so here's what you should know! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scofflaw
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Hometown:Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Members:
Jeff Barnes, vocals/guitar
Barney Gravelle (Broke On Sunday, Retro Troop, Ten Kings), bass
Ivan Schliska (Blind Baby), drums
Audio/Video: A handful of audio tracks and videos from Scofflaw's run are available online, including two rough original audio recordings of their songs "Dr. Lobotomy" & "I Love Being A Junkie" on their MySpace page, which also has a jam session video of their song "Love Destroyer". YouTube uploads include their self-titled song in a jam session clip from drummer Ivan Schliska's YouTube channel, but some of the best available videos come from local filmmaker Wayne Kozeyah's channel, as he filmed Scofflaw playing "Knock You Down A Peg" and (embedded below) "Burn One" at the 2013 LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes!
Info/Analysis:
Active off & on from 2006-2013, Scofflaw were a fan favourite hard rock trio influenced by "anything that rocks" and "just the fun of rockin' out & causing mayhem". Surviving details on the majority of their run are in short supply, but Scofflaw made waves with sets are numerous local venues (especially The Merchant's Bar), as well as performing all but one LemmaFest, and The Soo Theatre's Rock Starz event in 2008, among others. Though a reunion for the cancelled fifth LemmaFest in 2015 was teased, the band has been inactive since late 2013, partly due to members living out of town, though bassist Barney Gravelle remains a frequent musical presence locally. Scofflaw were a fun live act with a gritty (if unpolished) sound that could be reminiscent of blues rock at times and hardcore punk at others, and with Jeff's raw vocals and strong guitar work, it's easy to see why they had a strong following! Hopefully a reunion happens down the road! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month in this series, we'll return north to Sault Ontario for our next randomly selected band, and the act in question will be RedD Monkey, the local/Toronto/Kelowna hardcore punk trio who left a huge cello-shaped mark on the local scene in their run! Give that profile a look on or around November 10th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!
It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, as we once again profile 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% comprised of local metal, hard rock, or punk videos! Today's randomly selected channels come after the first channel selected only had one video, so we added a second channel to fill things out. These offer up a music video from one prominent band, and jam sessions from a notable Sault Michigan artist, so read on below for this month's profiles in this ongoing series! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owner: YouTube user ninezero (identity unknown, but I don't believe they're locally based)
Channel Timeline:Launched on March 18th, 2006; Videos posted from July 15th, 2009 through January 15th, 2014
Channel Summary:Of the two videos uploaded by ninezero, one is a live clip from an Emerson Hart concert in Massachusetts, and the other is local/Toronto pop punk quartet Treble Charger's 2002 music video for "Don't Believe It All", from their latest album "Detox". Uploaded at the time as a higher quality version than previously existed on YouTube (albeit recorded from MTV2), "Don't Believe It All" is both Treble Charger's last released single & music video to date, and is themed around parodies of Asian movies, with frontman Greig Nori playing roles in a Godzilla parody & two action/kung fu flicks, and the band proper performing in what looks like an abandoned factory. Fun music video for a strong late-era song from Treble Charger, and it has a bit of the indie rock vibe from earlier albums as well! However, this channel hasn't visibly been used since 2014, and there are more substantive YouTube channels for Treble Charger content.
Channel Timeline:Launched on September 27th, 2011; Videos uploaded in January & April 2012
Channel Summary:Ivan's channel features two videos of band work that he undertook in the Sault Michigan area in 2012, including a concert video and a jam session clip.
Why Should You Watch: This channel is worth watching to check out some of Ivan's talented work in the local music scene, as his bands were very entertaining, and he was a solid drummer! However, this channel hasn't visibly been used since 2013 and has no Blind Baby footage, while Ivan has since moved out of the E.U.P.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
Scofflaw rockin "Scofflaw": Ivan's only Scofflaw video upload here is of his former local metal band playing their own self-titled song at a jam session in January 2012. Featuring Ivan alongside singer/guitarist Jeff Barnes and current Retro Troop/Broke On Sunday bassist Barney Gravelle, it's a strong performance from this fan favourite trio, who give off of a punk-meets-Black Label Society at points here! However, the video suffers from having no microphone for Jeff to sing into, and Barney is not in frame of the camera at all (you do see him at the end though.) For more from Scofflaw, check out other YouTube channels and their MySpace page!
tom bergeron: Ivan's other video from April 2012 is of him and other local musicians (including ex-Hammerspace guitarist John Bergeron, hence the title reference to the TV host) jamming one of John's own original songs. Taking on a sound similar to early 1990s grunge, it's a strongly performed song, but the vocals are a bit monotonous, and the camera angle is too high, so only Ivan is captured at any reliable viewpoint. I also can't confirm the other two musicians' identites, but this is a solid jam, and I wonder if this band amounted to anything after this video?
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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at three channels for the first time this year due to the first channel featuring only two videos of the same type, so we'll be looking at ex-Bring The Fallen guitarist Andrew Chairello's YouTube channel (featuring solo guitar covers), YouTube user brianhmyles' channel (featuring two videos from Buckcherry's Kewadin Casino concert 4 years ago), and Havadder guitarist Jamie July's channel (featuring a 2014 video from one of their concerts.) Look for all of this on or around March 26th, and stay tuned for more news and updates shortly! Thanks everyone!
Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers! Ironically, things fell into place where today's post is 100% dedicated to Sault Michigan-area updates, but don't worry, there's some big Canadian stuff to come in July! Today, we have a podcast episode find that you might want to see, our first glimpse at one of the surprise bands from LemmaFest, and like yesterday, we're leading off with two more bands that we're adding to our inactive links, so here's what you need to know!
One of the bands that we're now considering as inactive is Brimley metal trio Half A Man, as they have not issued a new Facebook page update concerning the band since June 28th of last year (when they shared an SMS post referencing their 2013 LemmaFest set), while later updates have been strictly to promote open mic nights that frontman Erik Rintamaki put on. Of course, if I'm wrong on Half A Man being inactive, we'll correct this! Launched in late 2009, Half A Man quickly became one of the most prominent original metal bands in the Sault Michigan area, featuring alumni of known bands like Lower S.E.S., Bludgeoned, Bent Rollercoaster, Drayton Fever, and Infathom in their various lineups. Fans may remember them from a number of prominent early 2010s headlining dates and festival appearances, as well as circulating a demo CD, undertaking some notable studio sessions, and even appearing live on Rock 101! However, band activity slowed in 2012 & 2013, and Half A Man were only seen live at those years' LemmaFests.
If they are done, it's definitely disappointing, as Half A Man's gritty Black Label Society-esque sound was a welcome addition to the local scene in the last few years, and their live shows and original material lived up to their talents and experience! You can still see Erik occasionally with Train Wreck, but hopefully everyone else stays active musically. Best of luck to Erik, Gary, Mikey, and other former members in the future, and fingers crossed they come back down the road!
The other band that we're now listing as inactive is Sault Michigan hard rock trio Scofflaw, as they too have not issued an online update in over a year, and have also not played a known live concert since last year's LemmaFest. While there hasn't been a public announcement concerning their status, frontman Jeff Barnes remarked on a photo comment on his personal Facebook page last month that arthritis in his hands was a factor in Scofflaw not playing this year's installment, while the photo itself was captioned in part: "One last look. Scofflaw was your best entertainment value." Also featuring Mr. Fister bassist Barney Gravelle and ex-Blind Baby drummer Ivan Schliska, Scofflaw developed a loyal fanbase during their run, which saw them play a number of memorable concerts since the late 2000s, including at The Soo Theatre's Rock Starz event in 2008, each of the first 3 LemmaFests, and assorted other gigs at venues like The Merchant's Bar during their peak.
Scofflaw were a unique and entertaining trio that fans of Sykotyk Rampage and grunge/alternative fans should really take to, with raspy vocals, punk rhythms, and lots of reckless abandon! Hopefully this isn't the absolute end for Scofflaw, but hopefully everyone keeps at some music work, and best of luck to Jeff, Barney, and Ivan in the future! For reference, I've also changed their link on here to their MySpace page, as it now has more information than their Facebook page due to MySpace's photo & video restorations there.
We'll close today with new videos, including our long awaited first glimpse at a band that did play at LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes last month, that being Nightmare Grin! While we knew two members going in (RedStone Riot's Ryan Harrison and ex-I.S.O.M. drummer Bart Rennels), there were still some unanswered questions, but attendee Joe Harrison (a relation of Ryan's presumably) was on hand to film two videos of their set for Facebook, which he shared on the LemmaFest Facebook page over the weekend! So, are they a heavier band? Looks like it, as the videos are covers of Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You" and, as embedded below, Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band", so check them out above & below! In terms of the lineup, Ryan (who's grown an impressive beard since we last saw him) appears to have returned to his old Riot! By Night role as singer for Nightmare Grin, though I am yet unable to determine the identities of the guitarist and bassist, who weren't tagged on Facebook with Ryan & Bart when these went up, but we'll let you know if we hear anything.
It's yet unclear too whether Nightmare Grin were a one-off band or will continue for more gigs, but they have a good sound on these videos, with a hard rock grit and a solid stage presence, and everyone has talent on display, with Ryan a nice fit on vocals! Hopefully we learn more on Nightmare Grin in the coming weeks, but check out their Grand Funk Railroad cover below, and see more above! (Also, note that comments on shares of these videos imply that Wayne Kozeyah filmed bands all day for an upcoming project, we'll have to see what comes of that!)
Finally for today, here's a video podcast from New Year's Eve in December that I'm surprised we haven't featured on the site until now! Uploaded to the aforementioned Wayne Kozeyah's YouTube channel, this is from a local series called Muckleash's Podcast, that was active through at least January, though not visibly since. This episode features host Malcolm Sutton (and I believe Wayne from off-camera) interviewing Scofflaw bassist Barney Gravelle, and it's an interesting watch! The 16 minute clip features Barney talking largely about his guitar playing & work with that instrument, including his early experiences with guitar, the first songs that he learned, and teaching music to his niece and nephew, before ending with a solo acoustic guitar composition. Perhaps most surprising about this interview is that Barney barely even talks about his recent local band work (I didn't even catch a mention of Scofflaw), though he did allude to early battle of the bands experience. Solid listen though, and it'd be nice to see Malcolm revive his podcasts, so check out this installment below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Even though March is leaving like a lion rather than a lamb, the news keeps on coming around these parts, so for today, we have a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, new videos from each side of the border, and some more recent news items, so read on below for what you need to know!
A very influential punk band is returning to the Soo on Sunday, September 13th at The Rockstar Bar, and a trifecta of heavier local bands will be opening for them! The headliners in question are Toronto punk legends Random Killing (featuring Sault native Andrew "Drool" Kiteley on vocals) in what I believe will be their first local stop since the late 1990s, and if you know how intense their local stops were, and how much they affected many local musicians back then, you'll know that this is a big deal! Taking place during Random Killing's upcoming 30th anniversary tour, the scheduled local openers are local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, hardcore punk veterans Destroilet (in their first announced show of the new year), and new local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, all of which will be making (barring interim announcements) their Rockstar Bar debuts that night, if memory serves me correctly! Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this show (which is being called "Hardcore Homecoming") will have $15 advance tickets, a $20 door charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! The 1990s local heyday for Random Killing was before my time, but the optimism is clear from fans and performers, and hopefully we welcome Andrew and the band back with open arms in September! Tickets go on sale for the concert tomorrow, and only 150 are being printed, so get yours A.S.A.P., as this is sure to be a big show come September! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
Next up, here's a new Sault Michigan-area videos that I recently came across, this time from last year's third annual LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes! Courtesy of attendee Wayne Kozeyah's YouTube channel, this is from local hard rock trio Scofflaw's set from last June, and though we had shown Wayne's clip of their original "Burn One" on here last June, this one came over a month later on July 31st, so it slipped past our radar. This video is of Scofflaw playing their original "Knock You Down A Peg", complete with creative transitions and zooms once again, and it's of great quality even beyond that! Nice bluesy bite with lots of aggression too that fans will want to check out, so hopefully Scofflaw will pop up again at this year's LemmaFest, and check out this video below! (Just in case anyone asks, I know of the rough edit of Wayne's LemmaFest documentary that's online, but given that it's an unlisted rough edit of a school thesis project, I'll refrain from showing it on here until the end of the semester and/or the final public release.)
Also in new videos, Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's newest solo cover video is now online via his YouTube channel, and it's a cover of John Mayer's "Daughters"! Like his other recent videos, this is a softer rock cover with vocals, but like usual, it's performed well with great camera work! Also, this is an acoustic piece with no bass or drum input, so if you have a preference, keep that in mind! Check out his new video below, and don't miss the long awaited return of Ashes To Dust at the fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza!
Finally for today, here's three recent assorted shorter news items to clear out of our cache, and like usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or website name:
The aforementioned Jack Spades announced the track listing for their upcoming debut EP on their Facebook page yesterday! In order, the songs are "They Live", "Ride", "Breakneck Speed", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X", and "To The Left", with songs like "Motorwolf" and "Frederick" not included. Sounds good all the same, stay tuned for updates on the planned release next month!
Longtime Sault Star reporter Michael Purvis (who authored some metal-relevant articles for the paper) joined SooToday and Village Media's news team earlier this month, which is a huge gain for them, as Michael's experience at journalism will only add to their future coverage! Read more on Michael's SooToday hiring at this link, and best of luck at SooToday!
The long awaited Earache Records re-releases of Woods of Ypres' black metal-era albums have officially begun, as the reissue of 2008's "Woods III: The Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues" came out on Monday through Earache's online store! Copies are available on CD and vinyl (with limited coloured discs too) along with shirts, hoodies, and patches, so if you don't own "Woods III" yet, click here to get your brand new copies!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's CD review tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Hey guys, I've decided to postpone this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile to tomorrow just to keep the news rolling along, as we're already behind for news, and with a review of last night's Striker concert also imminent, I don't wanna keep these stories falling behind. Today's news post is 100% Sault Michigan-centric, as we're recapping the fallout and videos from the third annual LemmaFest from this past Saturday outside of Dondee Lanes for the entirety of this post! From what I have heard & read, this year's event was another success, with over $960 raised from attendees, the vast majority of which is going to the Ross family to help their son Hunter through his recent medical battles (though some will also go to LemmaFest 2012 performer Caitlin LeBlanc so she can audition for American Idol), so hopefully the money is used well all around! Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki also got a bunch of photos of the bands and fans (though not as many as last year), so click here to see the full album, which features pictures from Tantrym Tyme, Scofflaw, Mark Bowen & friends, and RamWagon's sets! Also to note, the tarp over the stage from last year was not back for this year. As more fallout and major news comes in, I'll be sure to let you know!
In terms of videos, we'll go in rough chronological order by performance, starting with young local metal/hard rock quartet Tantrym Tyme, who were filmed for at least two cover songs on Saturday! Those were Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" & Black Stone Cherry's "Lonely Train", but both were uploaded to their Facebook page, not YouTube, so they're unembeddable here. The audio quality on each is pretty good, though the video quality seems jittery, despite the camera not moving much. Check them out at the above links, and hopefully there's more of their set around somewhere!
Now we move to the YouTube-uploaded videos from LemmaFest (at least, the ones I've found), starting with this clip of local metal trio Scofflaw playing their song "Burn One" on Saturday afternoon! One of the few live concert videos I've seen of them (as opposed to jam session clips), this comes courtesy of the YouTube channel of attendee Wayne Kozeyah, who also added a title bug, credits, some interesting video effects, and a picture of Mike Lemma to the footage, which tend to be nice additions. This song in particular reminds me of a more conventional Sykotyk Rampage, and the now short-haired Jeff Barnes has some solid raspy (yet melodic) vocals and a nice guitar solo to add to the track! Catchy song to be sure, so give this new Scofflaw video a look below, and stay tuned in case they have more shows planned this year!
Following Scofflaw at LemmaFest was local singer/guitarist (and regular Merchant's Bar performer) Mark Bowen and "friends", but who were the friends? A drummer named Larry (I can't source anything else about his identity) and at least two guest bassists (Scofflaw & Dirtbag In A Dress' Barney Gravelle, and the aforementioned Erik Rintamaki), with Erik's YouTube channel providing us with 3 videos from Mark's set featuring 6 different covers, as uploaded on Sunday! Only one video & song features Barney on bass (a cover of Sublime's "Scarlet Begonias"), while a lengthy second video features Mark, Erik, and Larry covering Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", Rehab's "Bartender Song (Sittin' At A Bar)", Adele's "Someone Like You" (yes, you read that right), and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". The video embedded below though (and the only metal cover that was uploaded) features Mark and friends covering Black Label Society's "The Blessed Hellride", so how does everything sound?
You can tell that some songs aren't ones that Larry and the bassists know, but Mark has a solid melodic voice and guitar ability, and he has good chemistry with the guys, including Erik (a former bandmate of his.) I assume he added well to Bucksaw when he was in that band, and the friends do adapt well on songs they're not as familiar with, especially on such a diverse assortment! Check out Mark Bowen & friends' performances above, and here's their surprisingly good cover of "The Blessed Hellride", complete with effortless lower register singing!
Transitioning to the end of the night, here's a video of announced headliners Half A Man playing their original song "Freedom Ride" at LemmaFest! As you may know, this was the Brimley metal trio's first live concert since last year's LemmaFest, so how'd they do after such a long hiatus? They sound as heavy as ever, and there's no visible stage rust, so fans shouldn't be disappointed! If anything, I'd like to see Erik and Gary Croad move around more, and I lament the fact that the video cuts off before the song ends, but it's great to see Half A Man back it, and hopefully we're not waiting another year for their gritty and very heavy original sound! Give their performance of "Freedom Ride" a look below!
Finally for today, as you may remember, Half A Man split their set at LemmaFest with the debut of the former Bucksaw's new lineup, sound, and name (Dirtbag In A Dress), and they got a lot of time to rock out! In fact, Erik filmed Ryan, Bill, Barney, and Mikey playing 12 songs across 4 videos (two other uploads are less than 10 seconds each and fairly unneeded), so here's what you should know on each! One video features just one performance (a cover of Young The Giant's "My Body"), while another video features D.I.A.D. covering The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking" (albeit cut off at the beginning), Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", and The Refreshments' "Banditos". A third video has the guys covering Lady Antebellum's "We Owned The Night" (also cut off at the start), The Flys' "Got You (Where I Want You)", and The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" (the latter two with Mark Bowen providing guest backing vocals), but there's one more featuring Dirtbag In A Dress playing hard rock covers!
The last video (which is embedded below) features covers of Alice In Chains' "Would" (also with Mark Bowen helping on vocals), Seether's "Tonight", Jason Aldean's "She's Country", Velvet Revolver's "Slither", and The Foo Fighters' "Everlong", so how does Dirtbag In A Dress sound overall? Pretty good, the guys have chemistry, and Ryan Franklin's voice suits their more rock-based covers (and they definitely de-countrify the country songs, if that makes sense!) Very diverse, but I assume solo shows will have more metal covers, lining up with what Mikey told me. There's a good workman-like rock sound here with a hard edge, so check out Dirtbag In A Dress' heaviest covers and more below!
I'm not done with the LemmaFest videos, as debuting local rock band Plastic have a pile of videos from their set on frontman Zac Crook's YouTube channel, including hard rock covers, but this post is already longer than I'd probably like, so I'll wait to touch on them so they don't get lost in the shuffle. That's all for now, but stay tuned later today for our Striker concert review, especially if you're on the Ontario side of the border! Thanks everyone!
Keeping with our recent abundance of Sault Michigan-centric updates, we're focused on Yooper country once again in our first post of the day, which is devoted to two topics: LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year, and previews of this weekend's heavier regional shows, including two dates in St. Ignace, and a nice long look at a returning local music festival, so read on below for what you need to know!
Local hard rock trio Powerslug will return to the stage for shows at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on August 23rd & 24th, and December 6th & 7th! These were the other heavier shows confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page that I alluded to on Wednesday, but I postponed them on purpose to tie them in with our previews of their shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, so there's your next chances to see Bob and the two Chris' live! Though still without an online page or frequent advance online updates, this talented hard edged local band are definitely live favourites, so don't miss their next Soo Kewadin dates in August and December, and of course, don't miss this weekend's St. Ignace shows either! Plus, even though they won't be at LemmaFest this year, you can still see them tonight or tomorrow! Admission should be free for all dates, you must be 21 to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are likely. Check the above links for more details, and if I ever come across live video of them again, I'll have it here!
Finally for today, the third annual LemmaFest goes down TOMORROW outside of Dondee Lanes, so here's our extended preview! As usual, this event is in memory of the fondly remembered Michael Lemma, who suddenly passed away at this time of year in 2010, and each year since, the fourth Saturday of June has played host to this local music festival. Tomorrow, there will be bands all day along with merchandise sales, food by donation, prize draws, drink specials, and bracelets for the first 100 attendees. As well, this year's LemmaFest will see proceeds going to help local infant Hunter Ross, who was born 15 weeks premature with a chronic lung disease, so keep that in mind, and read more on all of this year's non-musical events at the Facebook event page! The band lineup this year is technically smaller than last year (down to 8 acts from 9), with set times varying depending on the band, but there's still wall to wall music to enjoy, and lots of heavier bands (including some newer faces), so read on below for the complete schedule, including two newly confirmed performers that were only just announced on Sunday!
LemmaFest 2013 will open with a newly confirmed solo artist named Matthew Carl at 12:00 PM tomorrow, though I admit knowing nothing on him, his sound, or if he's even local. If anyone can fill in any blanks, let me know! Following them at 1:15 PM is young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme in their LemmaFest debut, and their fast improving metal & hard rock covers should be a welcome sight tomorrow afternoon, so don't miss the former Abstract this year! A 90 minute set goes to local metal trio Scofflaw at 2:30 PM, who return to the stage after another hiaturs from publically confirmed shows, and with two past LemmaFest sets under their belts, Jeff and company should have another gritty and fun set of originals in store for the Dondee tomorrow! They're followed by the other new confirmation, Bucksaw alum Mark Bowen and "friends" for a 90 minute set at 4:15 PM, and while I don't know much about Mark's solo work, he's been a favourite regular performer at The Merchant's Bar in recent months, and he and his friends should have a fun and varied cover set tomorrow!
A pair of debuting local hard rock acts will take the stage afterwards, including new trio Plastic (featuring Half Stupid's Zac Crook, Cherubic Red's Nick Moreau, and Bent Rollercoaster's Paul Burns), and while I don't know much else on them yet, their lineup and past band work is promising, so don't miss their set at 6:00 PM tomorrow evening! Following them with a 90 minute set is newer cover hard rock quintet RamWagon (featuring Full Throttle & Analog Deficiency alumni) at 7:15 PM, and they should have a familiar yet new sound in store for LemmaFest attendees (especially if you liked early Full Throttle gigs), so be there to get rammed! This year's headliners are Brimley metal trio Half A Man (in their first live concert since last year's LemmaFest), and hopefully there's no stage rust for their return, which should be full of extreme metal originals and select covers for their 90 minute set at 9:00 PM! Note as well that drummer Mikey Bishop will join his new band Dirtbag In A Dress (formerly Bucksaw from the last 2 LemmaFests) for at least a few songs at the end of their set, so keep an eye out for their debut under this name and lineup at the end of the night!
Admission will be $10 for this ALL AGES event, and everything starts at noon tomorrow, so check the above links for more details! This year's LemmaFest should be another awesome tribute to Mike Lemma, and there's lots of newer and established talent to rock the outdoor stage at the Dondee, and hopefully the Ross family gets some much needed funds to help Hunter through this tough battle! We'll have plenty of fallout as it comes in, but for a preview, here's the first part of Half A Man's slideshow from last year, featuring live audio of their set and lots of slideshow pictures of the bands!
That's all for today, but stay tuned later today for my review of last night's Golers-headlined metal show at The Roosevelt Hotel in Sault Ontario! Thanks everyone!
In our second post of the day, we're 100% devoted to Sault Michigan bands and a popular returning festival, so what's in store? Along with the latest updates from a local hard rock cover band, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the festival alluded to above, and first, we have two newer Sault Michigan hard rock bands to mention, both of which will be on that event's lineup, so here's what you need to know (and check out our memorial to late Thansis Colle bassist Jim Smith in the post below this one!)
The lineup for the third annual LemmaFest has finally been announced, and it includes two new hard rock leaning Sault Michigan bands! We'll talk about the full lineup in a bit, but we'll focus on the new bands first, and one is a familiar new hard rock quintet named RamWagon. Though I believe LemmaFest will be this band's debut, RamWagon appears to be a splinter band of sorts from the existing local cover band Full Throttle (more on them in a bit), as ex-Full Throttle singer Ryan Kitzmiller, ex-guitarist Nathan Switzer, and ex-bassist George Belleau are all in this new band. The remaining slots are filled by Nathan's former Analog Deficiency bandmates Cody Reed on guitar and Marcel Grengs (also of The Highest of Fives) on drums, so there's familiarity all around if you liked early Full Throttle shows and the newer members' collective work! Launched in March after the Full Throttle division, they play a mix of classic and modern rock, and plan to gig around the eastern U.P., and while no media samples are online yet, I'm fairly certain they'll lean heavier. Stay tuned for updates on this new band as they roll in!
While we can add RamWagon to our band links now, the other new band has no online pages at present, but what can I say about them? Their name is Plastic, and they're a new local rock trio featuring former Half Stupid frontman Zac Crook, Cherubic Red alum Nick Moreau on bass, and ex-Bent Rollercoaster/Hammerspace drummer Paul Burns (my source is Zac's personal Facebook page.) The lineup is promising for a heavier sound, especially if they take on a grunge sound style to Zac's Half Stupid run, but I can't say much else on them yet. Stay tuned in case I hear anything else!
These new bands are joining a noticeably smaller (though still very talented) lineup of bands at this year's LemmaFest, which will be held THIS SATURDAY outside of Dondee Lanes! The other confirmed bands are returning local metal bands Half A Man and Scofflaw (in their publically confirmed first local concert dates since last year's LemmaFest) and young local hard rock/metal quartet Tantrym Tyme, so there's lots of talent to be had! Of the bands, only Half A Man and Scofflaw have played at LemmaFest before, but the newer faces should be welcomed, and it's great to see some performers back after long absences! Note as well that Half A Man drummer Mike Bishop mentioned that local rock band Bucksaw (who played the past two years) were playing on the Facebook event page, but this has not been confirmed through any other sources. This year's LemmaFest will open at noon on Saturday, admission is $10 and ALL AGES, and there will be food by donation, door prizes & draws, drink specials, and merchandise sales, with proceeds going to the family of Hunter Ross, a local baby who was recently born 15 weeks premature with a chronic lung disease.
And of course, the whole festival is in honour of the late Michael Lemma, who passed away in 2010, and his local friends are sure to be pumped for this year's festival! The smaller lineup is odd, but I don't know if it's final with longer or more spaced out sets, or if more bands will be announced, but there's a lot of established and newer acts to entertain, and a lot of heaviness, so don't miss the third annual LemmaFest outside of the Dondee this coming Saturday, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
Finally for this all Sault Michigan post, remember how we mentioned RamWagon were essentially a splinter group from Full Throttle? Well, here's the latest on the current Full Throttle, as they have launched a new Facebook page for "the new and improved" version of the band, which has been together since at least March (their old page has not been updated since their original lineup was together.) The page confirms that they play everything from classic rock to modern country (including originals eventually), and their lineup features original members Jason Lamoreaux on guitar and Mark Gillotte on drums alongside singer Donny Newell (of Absolute & Monkey's Uncle fame) and Steve's Music Center owner Steve Pevarnic on guitar. A bassist isn't credited beyond "whoever shows up to play", but Powerslug's Chris Gurnoe at least was their bassist at one point, and is featured in some photos (though I'm thinking he's since left the band.)
Full Throttle's new page has been active since Tuesday, and they played gigs at The Bird on June 1st and last night (apologies for missing each, I didn't know about this page until last night's show was in progress.) Shows at The Bird appear to be common for this band, and hopefully Full Throttle keeps their Facebook page updated with future live dates! Their only video so far (a Velvet Revolver cover from a March show) is promising, so check it out above, and I've updated Full Throttle's link on here to reflect the current version!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Sault Ontario news shortly, along with our new poll on Tuesday! Thanks everyone!
Lately, we've seemed to talk about Sault Michigan a lot, with three of our last four posts featuring at least half of the focus on activities across the river. Well, that trend continues today with an all Sault Michigan post, so what's on deck? We have some assorted news items from across the river, a new video from most of a local metal band, and this weekend's concert previews for the known metal & hard rock shows this weekend, starting with a short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!
I apologize for the short notice on this event, but I only just heard confirmed and citable details on it last night. One week after the debut of the Sault Riverview Music Festival, another charitable all ages outdoor concert will hit City Hall at 225 East Portage Avenue, and it will cap off TOMORROW'S Red Ribbon Walk in support of substance abuse awareness! Note that most similar examples I've read online are for AIDS awareness, but I'm just going by what the Facebook event page tells me. Put on by Child & Family Services of the Upper Peninsula, there will be a fundraising walk downtown alongside vendors and some children's activities, with the walk itself kicking off at 4:00 PM, but after that wraps up, there will be live local music, including at least one heavier band! That band is local hard rock/metal quartet Tantrym Tyme, who will continue their streak of prominent outdoor concert events with a set at the Red Ribbon Walk concert, so look out for their improving and developing brand of heavier covers tomorrow! At least two other bands will join them, those being local cover rock quartet Chump Change (featuring Oddfellow, Bucksaw, and 2PumpChump alumni) and indie pop duo Missy & Chelsea (themselves frequently seen at recent outdoor events), while the event page linked above says that there will be more bands, though I can't confirm any others at the moment.
This FREE & ALL AGES event will go down at 5:00 PM outside of City Hall, and while a full schedule isn't out for the concert portion of the Red Ribbon Walk, Tantrym Tyme's Facebook page indicates they'll be on at around 6:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! This should be another entertaining concert full of great local talent, and hopefully more local fans show up to support this great cause and enjoy local music! For a preview, here's Tantrym Tyme covering Pantera & Iron Maiden this summer!
Seeing as that was also a concert preview given the short notice, let's keep the trend going with one more preview for the weekend schedule, that being for the return of Kinross hard rockers Banned TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off a date in Gould City (and at the Sault Riverview Music Festival) last weekend, Alex, Don, and Jim (and maybe Mike?) will head back to Moran, Michigan for their third stop at Todd's Tavern this year for another set of hard hitting and entertaining covers & originals! Note that this might be their first stop at the former Bullwinkle's since rhythm guitarist Alex Schrovenwever moved to Marquette for college, but I can't confirm that with certainty. Either way, the Traynors and company have made Todd's Tavern one of their favourite stomping grounds in recent months, so if you live near Moran or are up for a trip there tomorrow, go for it! Admission should be free for this 21+ concert, and the band's Facebook page lists an oddly early start time of 8:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links! Banned should rock hard tomorrow night, so don't miss this show if you can help it, and for a preview, here's the band covering Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" at The Bird in January!
Thirdly today, here's a little something for you Scofflaw fans! Though they have a solid following in the area, shows & formal updates from this raw edged metal trio tend to be sporadic and/or without an online announcement, so the fact that this video got delayed for an SMS post isn't too surprising. Uploaded to drummer Ivan Schliska's YouTube channel in January, it's of the full band (bassist Barney Gravelle's there, just not in frame) playing what appears to be their self-titled song at a member's home (complete with foosball table), and it's a solid performance compared to what I'm used to musically from Scofflaw! The video quality's great (the best I've seen for Scofflaw), and frontman Jeff Barnes is putting his stage presence to great use, but he would likely sound better if he had a microphone to sing into, and why is Barney shoved so far out of frame? If you like Scofflaw and their rough but catchy brand of metal, you should like this video, so check it out below, and stay tuned in a future post for another video from Ivan's YouTube channel featuring more familiar faces!
And finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:
I've moved ex-Hammerspace guitarist Justin Smith's solo project Denaturant to our inactive Sault Michigan band links, due to the recent deletion of their Facebook page, which generally indicates a cessation of activity. I'm disappointed to see Denaturant end, but Justin has talent, and hopefully he pops up in a new band soon! As their Facebook page is now gone, I've replaced it's link on the SMS with their Reverbnation page.
According to recent postings on their Facebook page, local/Grand Rapids epic metal band End of Existence are once again looking for a lead singer! This seems to indicate that their relationship with Theatre of Night frontwoman Gaby Koss is either temporary or shelved. If you can sing (you don't have to sound like their past vocalists), contact the guys at this location and/or record some vocals on their instrumental tracks!
As of September 7th, sessions for The Hubbard-Menard Band's debut CD have finished! According to their Facebook page, plans are to order CDs so they can be sold locally "soon", before this new band featuring Splitshot alumni begin playing live concerts. I'm very curious to hear the full tracks and beyond from The Hubbard-Menard Band, so definitely stay tuned to the above links for further details!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our review of "Yooper Bars" and more news & notes shortly! Thanks everyone!
After a successful first installment last year, the second annual LemmaFest goes down TOMORROW at the outdoor stage outside of Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan, so here's an extended preview of it for this post! This annual festival in memory of late Dondee employee Michael Lemma will go down all day tomorrow with all kinds of activities for fans and revelers, including $1 bowling offers, prize draws, drink specials, food by donation, and shirt & mug sales for the event, though volleyball & horseshoe games from last year aren't advertised this year that I can tell. Check the above links for more on the non-musical aspects of tomorrow's event, and we'll get to the admission details in a bit, but how about tomorrow night's performers? 8 bands have been scheduled for this year's LemmaFest, down from 10 last year, but this helps facilitate both longer sets and easier set up and tear down time, so this should all work out well! Plus, there's been a LOT less lineup changes, with no bands dropping out and only one timeslot being switched, luckily! I believe Grooves Music are also on hand to take care of the sound for tomorrow's bands. The lineup is full of veterans from last year and some newer talent, including a greater local concentration, so here's who's on tap for this year in chronological order!
This year's opening band (right at 12:00 PM) is Brimley metal trio Half A Man (pictured), fresh off of their first show in 13 months TONIGHT at The Bird, and with a hard hitting metal sound (complete with their Lemma tribute song "Goodbye"), you know they'll set the tone really well for this year's event, especially after missing last year's LemmaFest! Also note that they may have a CD of some form available, and some merchandise proceeds will go to area firefighters, which is an awesome gesture! Following them at 1:30 PM are new local indie cover band The London Gentlemen, whose singer/guitarists Mike Russo & Steve Sivret played second last year as well with their acoustic band Fallen Heroes. However, The London Gentlemen also feature Trail's End/ex-Nixxon Dixxon bandmates Kyle Beaumont & Jake LaLonde on bass & drums, but despite their metal pedigrees, this new band won't be too heavy from what I know. Still, they're a talented quartet, so don't miss them, and if I hear anything good or bad on Trail's End's recently quiet status, I'll have it here! Third up tomorrow at 3:00 PM are the local rock cover band Chump Change (fronted by Terry Talentino, who was 3rd last year as well with the inactive acoustic band 2PumpChump), and they have a nice mix of covers from many genres for their fans tomorrow in a rare afternoon concert for them. Think of 2PumpChump plugged in with a full band, and you'll get a good idea of what to expect!
The 4:30 slot tomorrow belongs to local hard rock trio Powerslug, whose members performed at LemmaFest last year in both River Witch & Great Bodily Harm. Expect an entertaining hard rock set from the two Chris' and Orb tomorrow, as the talent's there, even if the online pages aren't (and click here for a rare video of Powerslug in action!) After them, the fifth band at 6:00 PM is the local rock band Bucksaw, who I know very little on, despite returning from last year's LemmaFest at the exact same timeslot. I know their lineup last year included guitarists Bill Ogston (ex-Blind Baby) and Ryan Franklin (a local boxer), bassist Barney Gravelle, and drummer Jason VanLuven (also in Chump Change), but is that the same this year? Do they have online pages or media? Are they even hard rock? If I ever find anything more on Bucksaw, you know I'll have it here! Sixth is the only non-local band at this year's LemmaFest, that being Munising metal quintet Infathom (pictured), who played right after Bucksaw last year as well. Featuring former Half A Man singer Dillion Semasky, this will be Infathom's first announced show of 2012, and they're sure to build on their brutal sound and good local notices with another entertaining set of covers and originals tomorrow night at 7:30 PM!
The outdoor portion of LemmaFest will be headlined by the return of local metal trio Scofflaw (featuring Barney Gravelle from Bucksaw) at 9:00 PM, who will play their first announced local concert since October tomorrow! After a successful set at last year's LemmaFest, look for Jeff, Barney, and Ivan to melt faces with their rough but entertaining metal assault tomorrow night! As Scofflaw begin their set, local southern rock cover trio The Hixx will play a standard Saturday night set inside The Dondee to close the festival, just like last year, though they aren't playing an earlier outside set this time around. Their dependable and oft-seen party music will be a great way to end the evening, so don't miss The Hixx inside at the end of the night! Now, if you're planning on going, here's some attendance details. Tickets are $10 in advance at The Dondee, Grooves Music, and The Merchant's Bar, but the price jumps to $15 at the door. All times are above for when the bands play, and while the event itself is ALL AGES, attendees under 21 years old can't be in the Dondee's bar or the fenced in area after 8:00 PM. For more details, including individual merchandise and drink pricing, visit the official Facebook event page!
This sounds like an awesome festival for a great cause, especially seeing as some proceeds will go towards the Grosse Point Music Camp this summer in Sault Michigan, so click here for more details! Mike Lemma would definitely be proud of everyone coming out for this year's festival in his memory, and with 5 returning bands (and only one with no performers from last year), the synergy and talent will go a long way tomorrow! For metalheads, half the lineup (plus one if Bucksaw count) are hard rock or metal, so there's no shortage of music up your alley if you come out to LemmaFest, which will be worth every penny! Check the above links for more on the festival and each band tomorrow, and for a preview, here's Scofflaw playing their original song "Love Destroyer" circa 2008!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone, and don't miss LemmaFest tomorrow outside of The Dondee!
Well guys, the weekend's schedule is largely quiet for metal and hard rock concerts at present, but is there anything heavy going down that I can verify? Yes, as we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a show TOMORROW (and a related lineup change), and that leads off today's post, but also stay tuned afterwards for a local band's recent interview, LemmaFest updates, a young local band's first video glimpse, and more!
Apparently, Sault Michigan hard rockers Powerslug will return to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill for perhaps the first time of the new year TOMORROW NIGHT! I actually learned about this show from a different source, that being prominent local musician Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten (Wearwithal, ex-End of Existence, etc.) on his personal Facebook page yesterday. As it turns out, he's actually their current drummer (replacing Ivan Schliska), and recent postings indicate that he joined the band around the time of their name change from River Witch last August. However, note that I haven't found any postings from Orb from before April referring to Powerslug, so take that for what it's worth. Either way, the band's lack of an online page precluded me from hearing about the change when it happened, and I apologize for being so late with word here, but it's good to see Bob drumming live again! He's definitely talented, and with Great Bodily Harm dissolved, it's nice to see him hitting the local stage still, even if details on Powerslug are hard to source! Best of luck to Ivan too, and though I don't know why he left, hopefully we hear more from him at some point! As stated above, this talented hard rock quartet will hit the stage at The Corner Pub tomorrow, and they'll be on at around 10:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit.
Though I wish Powerslug had an online page of some kind or video footage to keep fans abreast of any songs, lineup changes, or upcoming dates, there is clear talent in Powerslug's lineup, and I know that their show tomorrow will be a great time, so if you're in the mood for some hard rock on this quiet concert weekend, go chug your mug with Powerslug tomorrow night at The Corner Pub!
Next up, here's a new article on local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight! Lydia Peever from the fittingly named Ottawa horror culture website Ottawa Horror recently interviewed singer Johnny Pints towards an article/contest for their site on Wednesday, and it's a nice read! In the article, Johnny discusses the band members' love for horror movies, the inspiration for the Frightlight name, and some horror links to some of their tracks (including hinting towards a They Live-inspired new song), while Lydia also complimented the band's artistic style and the sound of their "It's A...Live" EP, and expressed hope that Frightlight will play in Ottawa down the road. My only gripe is that they incorrectly credited the Die Mannequin show earlier this month as drummer Chris FreakNStein's second live show with Frightlight, when it was his fourth (following the Misfits gig in Toronto, the Coch's Corner Halloween party, and Dead In The Van), but the rest is awesome and gives Frightlight some well deserved press! As well, a contest is also featured there where the winner will receive a large Frightlight t-shirt, two copies of their EP, three pins, and four stickers, so if you wanna enter, e-mail contests@ottawahorror.com with the name of your favourite horror-themed band before 1:00 PM TOMORROW!
It's great to see Frightlight spreading the dead far beyond the Soo, and it's a nice complimentary article all around, so give it a look at this location, and enter the contest if you can to win a cool Frightlight prize package!
Thirdly, here's the latest updates relating to the second annual LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes on June 23rd! There's been a change to the band order for the festival, as local metal trio Scofflaw and local cover rock quartet Chump Change have swapped slots, with Chump Change jumping back to a 3:00 PM set and Scofflaw now closing the outdoor stage at 9:00 PM. The switch was made due to a booking conflict for Chump Change, presumably due to an existing concert lined up that evening, as per drummer Jason VanLuven on the LemmaFest Facebook page. Not too drastic of a change, but it helps all parties, and it does stack the deck more for metal in the evening, so make note of this lineup alteration! Also, LemmaFest organizers have announced that some proceeds from this year's event will go towards the Grosse Pointe Music Academy's Guitar Camp in Sault Michigan this July, and there's an attached contest deal going on with this event, so click here for all the details on that! This could be a fun and rewarding way to get young prospective musicians in the area a chance to learn more on the guitar, and it's awesome to see LemmaFest supporting the cause! Check the above links for more on LemmaFest, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
Also, here's some more recent updates from new Sault Ontario hard rock band Acention! Band members have frequently been updating their Facebook page with new stuff, so here's some of what's been posted over the last few days! They've confirmed that guitarist Dalton Boissineau is handling vocals at the moment (replacing Danielle Wierzbicki), and they've also posted a bunch of new band photos (including a new logo) to go along with a bunch of recent status postings. Most have been teasers for original material & covers they're working on, including a cover of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Strip My Mind", but most recently, they've posted their first video footage! It's a Facebook video (so I can't embed it here), but it's of Dalton and guitarist Josh Willet working on an original song on acoustic guitars, and this is a solid start, but I definitely wanna see this expanded on with bass and electric guitars and so on. Click here to check it out, and stay tuned for more news and notes from this promising young band as it all comes in!
And finally, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or festival name:
Continuing their recent spring run of concerts outside of the Sault Michigan area, Kinross hard rockers Banned will hit the Trailhead Campground in Drummond Island (just under 2 hours from here) for a "job" TOMORROW NIGHT! Sure, it's a bit of a drive, but if you wanna see Banned live, keep their Drummond Island trip in mind this weekend! My source is the band's Facebook page.
The official poster for the second Sewer Swampstravaganza concert on July 13th has been revealed! Like last year's, it was done by local artist & Ye Olde Mold Pickers accordionist Rihkee Strap, and the design this year is a bit cleaner and more artistic! However, Inhuman Methods isn't pluralized on the poster, but this isn't the first time that their name has been misspelled locally. Stay tuned for more updates on this 10 band all ages show!
Sault Michigan hard rock trio Tantrum (formerly Abstract) are apparently playing a gig of some kind tomorrow at 6:00 PM "off 7 Mile Road", as per their Facebook page. They weren't any more specific, but I believe this is an outdoor show. I don't have enough information to officially "call" it on here, but if you're along East or West 7 Mile Road on Saturday evening, and you see Tantrum playing, go check them out!
That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the weekend rolls along, including this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
Sault Michigan's had a lot of news lately, and that trend continues this morning with this post full of news and notes from across the river! We've got the latest news from a local metal project, all of the latest details (including an early lineup) for a major upcoming concert festival, and leading things off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!
Marquette hard rock quartet Nudge are finallycoming back to Sault Michigan for a pair of concerts next weekend! These talented local favourites will return to The Satisfied Frog for their first local shows in almost six months on May 4th and 5th, in what should be a solid weekend of hard rocking covers! Notably, these shows will be Nudge's first local stops since drummer Eric Schlumpf left the band in December, having been twice replaced since then, so welcome new drummer Jed Thibeault to the Nudge fold next weekend! As well, the band will have some new merchandise for sale, and frontman Danzo McCracken will bring his acoustic solo concert back to The Frog tomorrow night as well, so keep that in mind! Admission should be free for both of next weekend's shows, you must be 21 to attend either, and there'll be 10:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Nudge were almost last seen in February at The Frog, but those dates were later moved to Gladstone, so if you've been missing Nudge's prolific and entertaining hard rock covers, you know when and where to be! They'll be sure to rock the house and impress their local fanbase, so circle the return of Nudge on your calendars if you're across the river!
Next up, the lineup for this year's second annual LemmaFest has been announced! The festival in memory of late Dondee Lanes employee Michael Lemma now has a full lineup set for the July 23rd festival outside of the Dondee, and though I'm sure it's subject to change (last year's changed a lot beforehand), there's a solid lineup of veterans from last year and some new bands and talent, so here's who to look out for on the current schedule! The festival will open at 12:00 PM with Brimley metal quartet Half A Man in their first live concert appearance in 13 months, and their first with their current lineup! They were tentatively lined up for last year's event at one point, but with a hard hitting metal sound a Lemma tribute song in their setlist, they'll be the perfect band to open LemmaFest on June 23rd! They'll be followed by the new local acoustic quartet The London Gentlemen at 1:30 PM, who are comprised of Fallen Heroes' members Mike Russo & Steve Sivret on vocals & guitar and Trail's End bandmates Kyle Beaumont & Jake LaLonde on bass & drums. You may recognize Mike & Steve alone from their set with Fallen Heroes at last year's LemmaFest, but the presence of a fuller lineup (and Nixxon Dixxon alumni) shouldn't indicate a radically different sound from Fallen Heroes, so expect some proficient indie rock covers from these guys!
Four straight bands from last year's LemmaFest will follow The London Gentlemen on June 23rd, those being sporadically seen local metal trio Scofflaw at 3:00 PM, local hard rock quartet Powerslug (who were known as River Witch last year) at 4:30 PM, the page and media-less rock band known as Bucksaw (featuring Blind Baby alum Bill Ogston) at 6:00 PM, and Munising hardcore metal quintet Infathom (this year's only band from outside the Sault Michigan area) at 7:30 PM. It's great to see these bands back for more LemmaFest action this year, and in most cases, it's been many months since they've played a publically announced concert locally so this is as good a time as any for them to rock the area! The outdoor portion will end with new local cover rock quartet Chump Change (fronted by 2PumpChump's Terry Talentino from last year's LemmaFest) at 9:00 PM, while one more band from last year (classic rock cover trio The Hixx) will be on at the exact same time inside the Dondee to close out the night. Remember that this lineup is subject to change, and bands & times could change for varying reasons, so stay tuned to LemmaFest pages and the SMS for updates, and for more details, check out the above links and the brand new Facebook event page!
This sounds like a very solid lineup of familiar and new bands from the area, and if you attended last year's LemmaFest, it should be just as entertaining! Note that the band total is 8 rather than 10 from last year, but this does likely give each band slightly longer sets, so that works out! Also, for trivia sake, note that 4 musicians (Barney Gravelle, Ivan Schliska, Dillion Semasky, and Jason VanLuven) are all in two of the bands this year, if returning band lineups are the same, which is awesome to see their hard work for in Mike's memory! There will be food, drink specials, and raffles at this year's event, and though official sources haven't confirmed age limits or admission costs yet, note that last year's LemmaFest was all ages with $10 admission. Also, a fundraising event/band camp will be held on May 29th at the Taco Bell in Sault Michigan with part of the proceeds going to LemmaFest and the cause, so click here for info on that evening's event! This is all shaping up well for this year's event for sure, so stay tuned for more updates as they roll in, and go honour Mike Lemma's memory with some great music on June 23rd at the Dondee!
And finally, here's some more recent updates from local classical metal band Theatre of Night! First off, they have officially confirmed that German musician Gaby Koss is their new singer for the project, and she'll be featured in a re-release of their debut album "Christmas Night" later this year, along with an additional release projected to come out by early next year. I'm not overly familiar with her work, but she has experience in both opera and metal settings, and she has a beautiful voice for sure, so click here to hear some of her past work! Among other recent news: A new instrumental song named "Dreams of Winter Night" was posted onto the band's Reverbnation page, which has a nice epic orchestral feel, and I recently heard from keyboardist Craig Harrison that their planned American patriotic-themed album is only planned to be finished in May, not released that quickly. No matter what though, I'm anticipating their next work, as they're definitely a unique band in the local scene, and I'm a sucker for orchestral influences in metal, so fingers crossed more updated and material come out soon! Check the above links for more, and stay tuned hopefully by this weekend for my review of End of Existence's debut album!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews later tonight, and our (delayed) Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
With a typically stacked Halloween weekend for concerts, I've been left no choice but to separate this weekend's concert previews by city, and because I'm waiting for additional confirmation on a pair of dates in Sault Ontario, we'll start the previews with the Sault Michigan metal and hard rock shows over the next two nights! If you want to know where the heaviest Halloween shows are across the river, this should tell you, though a couple of the shows are kinda iffy on their statuses. That said, here's what you need to know for the announced Halloween weekend shows across the river!
First for Halloween weekend metal concerts in Sault Michigan is the return of local hard rock quintet NoXcape to the concert stage tomorrow night and Saturday night! These are the first scheduled concerts for the band featuring the classic Absolute lineup and Krosswalk guitarist Joey Beairl in over a month, but they're listed on band pages to return to The Satisfied Frog for two hard hitting Halloween weekend shows over the next couple nights! I'm slightly concerned though, as band pages have not been updated since September, and there's been no advance promotion for these concerts in recent weeks, so part of me is worried that these bookings are or were in jeopardy. Unless I hear otherwise though, I'll treat these shows as still on, but I'll keep tabs on them! That all said, there's no announced cover charge for either night, you must be 21 to attend, and I imagine they'll be on at 10:00 PM or later for both shows. For more details, check the above links!
Saying that these shows go down as scheduled, I'd expect NoXcape to rock The Frog with some awesome covers and (maybe?) originals, so keep these shows in mind for your Halloween weekend plans! Though there's no videos of NoXcape to my knowledge, get a preview of their sound by clicking here to see old Absolute videos from their heyday!
Next on the weekend schedule across the river, it's two metal bands for the price of one at The Merchant's Bar for their Halloween bash, as local hard rock acts Scofflaw and Powerslug will join forces for two consecutive nights! The two bands, who both share drummer Ivan Schliska, will play their first joint gigs since LemmaFest (when Powerslug was still River Witch) this weekend, and look out for some different but always entertaining varieties of hard rock from both bands over the next two nights! The Merch has Halloween plans for the weekend as well, including a Halloween costume contest for $100 on Saturday and Halloween-themed drink specials, so keep those in mind for if you head there this weekend! There's no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and though the announced start time is 7:00 PM, I expect the bands wouldn't actually take stage until after 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Scofflaw back, and it gave us more and fuller concerts for the holiday weekend to boot, so hopefully their grungier hard rock style and Powerslug's newer covers mesh well this weekend! Go see the two bands rock The Merch if you can, and for a preview, here's Scofflaw playing their song "Love Destroyer"!
The other metal/hard rock Halloween weekend shows that I know of across the river take place just outside of town, but they're certainly not far from Sault Michigan, so keep these shows in mind! Firstly, local hard rock quintet Splitshot will rock The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill in Barbeau, Michigan tomorrow night & Saturday night! The band featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard, Kyle Beaumont, and Jake LaLonde (along with Dave Menard and Kyle's dad(?) Gary) will play for what could be the first time at the Barbeau restaurant & concert spot this weekend, and yes, there'll be lots of Halloween stuff going on this weekend as well, including a costume contest on Saturday night as part of The Cozy Corners' own Halloween party! And yes, Splitshot are sure to have lots of hard rock covers in store for you hard rockers, so don't forget about the music! There will be a 9:30 PM start time both nights, there's no cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! Though I still can't tell you much about Splitshot's sound, they'll be sure to rock you guys all weekend long, especially for the Halloween party on Saturday night, so keep these shows in mind as well for your weekend plans!
And finally, Kinross hard rock trio Banned are scheduled to return to The Sundown Lounge in Pickford, Michigan on Saturday night only for that bar's own Halloween festivities! This show was originally scheduled for tomorrow night, but the band confirmed it was moved to Saturday last month, so don't get thrown off! Now, I'm slightly wary of this concert's status too, for a couple of reasons. Banned still haven't announced a replacement for bassist Alex Schrovenwever, who left the group a few weeks ago, and the status that confirmed this show was deleted from their Facebook page. However, other statuses there still reference it, as does the promo video that guitarist Alex Traynor's sister Ashley uploaded two weeks ago, which is still online without changes. Are they playing on Saturday, and if so, who'll be playing bass? I can't say for the latter (former live guest bassists Steve Jacobus or Eric Cairns are good guesses), but with no official retraction of the date, I'll treat this show as on unless I hear otherwise. If they're on, they'll hit the stage at around 10:00 PM, a Halloween costume contest with prizes is planned, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details!
If Banned are indeed rocking The Sundown Lounge this weekend, they'll deliver some great hard rock covers for sure, so head to Pickford on Saturday night if you know they're playing and wanna rock out for the Halloween season! For a preview, here's Banned covering Led Zeppelin's "Rock N' Roll" in Pickford last month!
That's all for now, but our next post should have Sault Ontario weekend concert previews, so stay tuned for all that! Thanks everyone, and have a spooky good weekend of Halloween concerts!
