YouTube Channel Profile Series: SykTheMan & paulmichaelbastards's Channels

It's now time for our last monthly feature post of September 2016, as we have this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This regular series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels whose posted content at least has a 50% count of local metal, hard rock, or punk videos, relevant to artists from or shows held here, in order to spotlight them and hopefully garner some attention for the channels! This month's choices cover some familiar faces from concerts around the turn of the 2010s, and while they're not frequently seen nowadays, still have solid followings! Here's what you should know!
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SykTheMan's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/syktheman)

Owner: Former State of Misery singer Steve Errington-Rhodes, also known from his past work with bands like The Valentine's Day Massacre, D3athcharg3r, Bring the Misery, and Saints & Serpents, and currently with the London metal band Skylines

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 2nd, 2012; Videos posted that November and in December 2013

Channel Summary: A personal use channel launched late in his run as a local metal singer, Steve posted two videos there from his last two local bands, including a live performance and a studio demo.

Why You Should Watch: Fans of Steve's local music run should check out this channel to hear some of his latter material before focusing on London-based bands! Though he still uses this channel occasionally for personal use (notably liking videos of his current band Skylines earlier this year), Steve hasn't posted anything there in over 2 years, and the channel never included archival videos of either his pre-2012 bands or D3athcharg3r, though other channels will have you covered for specific footage of them.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Valentines Day Massacre - Lovecraft Cthulhu (jam demo): Steve's first and most popular video is a jam session demo of his former local metal band The Valentine's Day Massacre's late original "Lovecraft Cthulhu", shortly after the band relocated to London in mid-2012. Represented here by Steve alongside ex-Sativa Rose bandmates Andrew Angelic (now of London's Rattlesnake Hotel) and Adam Veale on bass & drums, and ex-Chillum drummer Kyle Umgeher, the demo showcases their death /hardcore hybrid sound nicely, as fans of the former View to a Kill will recall! However, vocals can be a little high in the mix.



Saints and Serpents- Vampiric- Live Clip: In 2013, The V.D.M. quietly dissolved and were succeeded by the similar Saints & Serpents, just with Ian Timmermans (now of the London punk/metal band LandSwimmer) on drums in place of Kyle Umgeher, who had moved back to the Soo. Their first of just two announced concerts (both in London) was on Friday, December 13th at The Richmond Tavern, with an attendee filming the new band playing The V.D.M.'s old original "Vampiric". Solid sound quality on this live video, whose dark shadowy lighting actually accentuates the performance, so fans will want to check this out, especially if you've missed the guys since the big move, but follow D3athcharg3r, Skylines, and Rattlesnake Hotel for Steve & Andrew's work in London since!


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paulmichaelbastard's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/paulmichaelbastard)

Owner: Billy Bastards guitarist Paul Michael Stos, also well known from past local band work with groups like Proposition 86, Fallout, Source Code, and Deathoccasion

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 7th, 2012; Videos posted from that day until January 13th

Channel Summary: Paul's YouTube channel features just six videos, all from his local punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards' headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on December 28th, 2011, including renditions of their songs "Back in the Bottle", "Bathe in Whiskey", "Mile 58" (popularly covered by Destroilet), "Liquor to Lick Her", "No Roads Here", and featured below, "Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean", which is the channel's most popular video. Featuring Paul alongside frontman Aaron Gibbs (ex-Harsh Heads), guitarist Greg Beharriel, bassist John Conway (Destroilet), and drummer Charlie Yanni, these are quality videos of The Billys' hybrid sound with a great turnout, though some songs are definitely more country-flavoured than others, and the stationary camera's side-stage angle isn't optimal. Given how infrequently The Billys play live (let alone with Paul taking part), don't take these for granted, as they're some of their best currently available videos!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our latest random selection will take us to Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel, which has lots of guitar performance videos, gear demonstrations, and more to more than sustain a solo profile! Look for that on or around October 26th, and stay tuned for more news and previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota & Highway 63 Updates, Plus Lots Of Assorted News & Notes!!

As we approach the middle of the month, let's clear out most of our backlogged news items on this Monday morning, so what's on tap? Lots of assorted updates from recent days, and a new live cover video, but let's begin with the latest EP and concert updates from a local band!

Local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota have confirmed that their debut EP will be titled "Maudlin Fair", and that it will officially be on sale during their upcoming tour dates! As per a post and video on their Facebook page this morning, copies of "Maudlin Fair" will first be available on Thursday during the Toronto stop of Tidal Records' Skate By Day, Rock By Night "tour petite", while Sault fans will have to wait until next Thursday (April 21st) during their local return show at LopLops Lounge, unless you contact members directly, one assumes. It's also not clear if "Maudlin Fair" will be available digitally or in stores in some form, but for reference, Id Iota's predecessor band Habitat Shuffle's only EP was released to Bandcamp, so Id Iota are familiar with putting EPs out there. It's great to see that Id Iota's long hinted EP is nearing it's release, and just in time for their long awaited return to the stage, so stay tuned for more on it, but how about the video that accompanied the reveal?

While this is the first public video of bassist Dan Linklater playing with Id Iota, it's just a short 15 second clip featuring the band playing part of an original track, with camera work by frontman Christian Lemay spinning around to each band member mid-song. Sounds good, if brief, so check it out below, and we'll keep you posted when more comes out on "Maudlin Fair"!



Next up, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, courtesy of their gig at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday! Posted to their Facebook page last night, it's a 79 second clip of them covering John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good", and while it's obviously incomplete, this side-stage angle captures a strong rendition, with Henry Switzer's deep vocals adding some power to the proceedings! And yes, this confirms that they are still playing their announced Kewadin dates, despite not publically promoting shows on their Facebook page in the past couple of months. Give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, company, or event name:

• Tyler Gibson's local goregrind projects Crucify the Whore & Rotopsy have both been added to the lineup of THIS THURSDAY'S Metal Massacre house show on Anna Street, as per promoter Josh Amendola on the Facebook event page yesterday. This will notably mark Rotopsy's first live concert appearance since July, but it's not clear if these were the hinted "other guests" or not. Solid choices, especially with Tyler & Dylan's past sets at this location, so see above for more details!
• Have you ever wanted to own a seat from the Sir James Dunn Collegiate auditorium where Dunnplugged concerts were held? An online liquidation auction is being held at this link where various paraphernalia from the inside of the now-closed high school is being offered to the highest bidder, and three lots of chairs from the auditorium are up for bids there! Two have no bids, one has $25, so if you're interested in some Dunnplugged memorabilia, see above for full details on how you can potentially bid!
• Three years after Village Media purchased local news website Local2 and turned it into an all-video site, the former SooNews.ca is being merged with it's sister news website SooToday in the next few weeks. In this press release, Village Media CEO Jeff Elgie cited this as "an important step in the evolution & expansion" of SooToday's local coverage, so videos can better compliment SooToday's existing work and reach a wider audience. This won't affect most existing Local2 programs (like Tuned), so we'll have to see how things continue to shape up, and we'll alter/remove necessary links on the site when appropriate!
• After a successful relaunch concert earlier this month, The Rednecks Saloon is apparently interested in hosting similar multi-band events on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, with Saturday, June 4th tentatively planned for the sequel, which may be longer with a partial all ages format. Co-promoter Terry Eaton revealed the news on two Musicians Wanted Facebook group posts yesterday, where he's looking for bands interested in playing this time around. There's already visible interest from many artists, so if you or your band want in, see the above links for full details!
• We have regrettably deleted local/London deathcore band Saints & Serpents from our band links due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past year. The Valentine's Day Massacre successors were active from 2013-2014 & only played one show (in London) before quietly dissolving. I wish bands wouldn't delete their online pages like this, but given that The V.D.M.'s Facebook page was also taken down posthumously, I guess I should have expected it. Hopefully everyone stays active in music!
• We've also deleted The Searchmont Music Festival from our local concert festival listings due to the deletion of it's own Facebook page, and expiry of it's website. The festival (which only featured metal bands in it's inaugural year) ran from 2011-2014 before quietly being cancelled last year. Hopefully organizers can bring an event like this back to the ski resort in the future, as it's a great setting for concert events in the area!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as this month rolls along! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades & Destroilet's Kickstarter Campaign, The Return Of Skeyes Of Seven, And More!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge that the obituary for late Case's Music founder, country musician, and beloved music instructor Mike Case is now online at this link, which confirms that a celebration of life will be held at The Delta Waterfront Hotel on Friday at 7:00 PM, following a private family funeral, and the family's asking for Cancer Society contribitions in lieu of flowers. I know how important Mike was to the local music scene, and it's a shame that he was taken from us at just 55 years old, but his legacy will live on in everyone he taught, befriended, and performed with over the years. R.I.P. Mike!

Now, today's post features a band's return and new lineup, how a local band did at a recent out-of-town event, and three inactive bands to note for our listings, but first, here's big news on two local bands' next project!

The announced three-way split album between local metal/punk quintets Destroilet & Jack Spades and Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz is now beginning production, but YOU can help ensure it's released! Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce has launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the album, which will be a 15 track release with 5 songs from each band. J.D. cited that they've "decided to distill" the feeling of all three bands' playing "some of the most intense sweaty shows you could imagine" into this split, while the campaign is also intended to help Jack Spades (and Destroilet?) take a road trip to open for The Ripcordz in Montreal for a change. Like with most Kickstarter campaigns, there are incentives if you pledge to donate money to fund the album (they're looking to get $6,000 in two months), so what lies ahead if you pledge money to this cause?

At the $2 minimum, you'll get credited in the album booklet, but for more money, you could get the split on CD, mp3, vinyl, or cassette(?!) copies, as well as a VIP pass to the release concert when announced, stickers, a t-shirt or back patch, or if you're really ambitious and have $2,000+ to donate, a concert at your house or the album named after you! If you want to help fund this split, click here for full details on each incentive level and to get more details, and hopefully we can reach the optimum goal by June 13th!

Next up, we have a surprise lineup addition for the fifth annual Swampstravaganza at The Canadian Nightclub on May 9th, as local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven were added to the lineup earlier today as the tenth band on the bill! As revealed on their Facebook page and the Swampfest event page, the band featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni will be making just their third concert appearance since their 2012 debut, and their first live set in over two years, so this is way too long coming! This will also be their first show on a bill without Garden of Bedlam, their first since Alain Fletcher moved from guitar to bass to replace the departed Mike Mannarino, and in a surprise, their first since their recent drummer change, as the band has added former As It Stands drummer John Mignacca to their lineup, replacing Jonny Amendola.

A reason wasn't announced for Jonny's departure, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to him in the future for sure, as he's very talented! John's addition is surprising, especially given his recent focus on solo techno material, but it's been way too long since his last show with As It Stands, and hopefully he adds well to Skeyes of Seven! The new lineup is featured in this new Facebook video as well, where John suggests an amusing intro move, frontman Cory Murchison formally welcomes him to the band, and he hypes their set on May 9th and new material. It's great to have Skeyes of Seven back finally, so see more above and below!

Also today, were you wondering about local participation in this past Saturday's Rock 'N Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish? Oddly, promoters never revealed the full band lineup online, but we can now confirm via personal Facebook postings that local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements were among the competitors, marking their first appearance at this event! They also were joined by guitarist Jesse Cook's Jack Spades bandmate Johnny Belanger on guest drums, as Alex Hagerman couldn't make the trip east for the battle. However, they did not place in the top 3, and unlike past years, the 4th & 5th place bands weren't announced among the winning bands to join the Rock 'N Roar Festival lineup in August. For reference, the winning bands included Sudbury rock quintets Conflicted Minds & Forget The Circus in 1st and 2nd place, and they'll open for Platinum Blonde & Sass Jordan in Spanish on Saturday, August 15th.

Blind River rock band Drive placed third, and they'll open for 54-40 and Saga on night #1 on August 14th. We have no official word yet on the identities of the other bands, but Elliott Lake photographer Paul Kazulak was on hand getting photos of the competitors, so visit his Facebook page to see if he posts pictures of any more familiar acts! It's disappointing to see The Elements not make the podium, but hopefully they made lots of fans in Spanish on Saturday, and stay tuned for more from them!

Finally for today, here's three shorter news items, all related to bands being moved to our inactive band links, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We have moved local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, having not posted any online updates since briefly being listed for the 2014 Swampstravaganza last spring. Best known from that event in 2012 and from various Superior Heights sets, A.T.D. had talent and a growing presence, but hopefully we hear more from Noah, Alex, Liam, David, and Kyle in the future!
• We've also moved local "derd rock" outfit The Issues to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since March of last year. Active from 2008-2010 before reuniting in 2013, this amusing metal project featuring Winkstinger and Pillory alumni had a lot of promise and entertainment value, and it's a shame that they never played a real concert that I've heard. Best of luck to Chris, Vinyl, Bret, Robert, and other former members going forward!
• Lastly, we've moved local/London deathcore quartet Saints & Serpents to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since February. The successors to the defunct Valentine's Day Massacre, Saints & Serpents played just one announced concert in London in December 2013 before activity quietly stopped. It's disappointing to see that Saints & Serpents never reached The V.D.M.'s heights, but best of luck to Steve, Andrew, Adam, and Ian in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), Upcoming Album Updates, And More!!

The first month of 2014 is now over, and we're kicking off February in style with a packed news post, so what's on tap for this morning? A new live concert video, upcoming album updates (including some audio recordings for one), and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a new weekly series' debut installment, so read on below to get caught up!

THIS THURSDAY'S first installment of local concert promoter J.D. Pearce's new Thursday metal/punk concert series Heavy Thursdays at The Rosie is now official with a complete 3 band lineup, so who's slated? Fittingly, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters (the original Rosie metal nights' most frequent band) are the listed headliners in their first Roosevelt Hotel appearance of the new year, and they should brutalize their fans on familiar ground this coming Thursday! Newer local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring 2 members each of The Suicide Kings & Project 421) will also play on Thursday in their Rosie debut, first show of 2014, and just their third live concert set, and it's nice to see that they're still active and gigging after some recent quietness, so watch out for their high impact originals and covers! The third slot will go to a new local band named The Elements, and while they don't have a known online page yet, their lineup features Side FX singer Rob Speers and Redundant bassist James White alongside a yet-unidentified guitarist & drummer

Unless things have changed since Rob's post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month, Elements appear to play a mix of funk rock and alternative music, which should be interesting to check out, so don't miss their debut on Thursday either! There's a $5 cover charge and 19+ age limit in effect, and the announced start time is 10:00 PM. Click here for more details! Sounds like a really solid way to kick off the new Heavy Thursdays series, so hopefully there's a big turnout for the debut, and stay tuned for updates! (As for The Side FX's current status, I'm waiting for a bit more info before we assume anything either way.)

Next up, local hard rock standouts The Suicide Kings have unveiled two new studio recordings via their Facebook page in the past week! Presumably recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room last year towards their forthcoming debut CD, the songs were posted as Facebook videos, and they include their first original "Into The Fray" and, as embedded below, "Jesus Concubines", which I think is a somewhat newer song. Given that I still expect to review their CD upon release, I'll hold on major comments at present, but fans shouldn't have anything to complain about for the sound or recording quality! Note as well that their Facebook page on Thursday suggested that they have "some important news & maybe a surprise or two" to unveil at some point, but it remains to be seen what's specifically intended from said teaser. Check out The Suicide Kings' new studio tracks above and below, and keep an eye out for more news from their camp!

Speaking of upcoming albums, Sault Michigan hard rock group The Highest of Fives recently reemerged from a few months off to resume public work on both their debut CD and their short film (both titled "Bang!", likely cover art featured) as per their Twitter page last week. Guitarist Devin Anderson shared some extra info with me the other day on Facebook that he wanted me to pass the word on, so here's what you should know! The CD has 10 tentative songs (including a self-titled song and the previously previewed "Sweet Apple Pie"), while they'll also be releasing some full length songs soon, including a song written by singer Mitch Goetz named "Take My Time" and one written by recent collaborator Travis Theel (who I believe is a member now) named "The U.P. Song". Plans for media postings, including the short film and new songs, are currently in the works, and we'll have them for you guys when they're public.

I admire The Highest of Fives' ambition, and I'm curious to see what they have in the works! A lot of their recent activity has been related to the short film and collaborations with Travis' solo material (his song "Look How Far We've Come" is also planned for "Bang!"), though the other samples I have heard are promising, so hopefully things work out well for the gang in 2014! Keep an eye out for updates at the above links!

Finally for today, local/London deathcore band Saints & Serpents (a.k.a. the successors to The Valentine's Day Massacre) are the subject of a new YouTube video posting from their live debut in December! Uploaded onto singer Steve Rhodes' girlfriend Taylor Phillips' YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is of the band playing their original song "Lovecraft Cthulhu" at The Richmond Tavern in London, and I'll note that this song is a holdover from the V.D.M. days, being unveiled shortly after the members moved south in the fall of 2012. This is of better video quality than their prior video from this show (especially in terms of lighting), and it's nice to see the guys on stage together again, which we'll get a reunited taste of in May when they open for Fuck The Facts at The Oddfellows Hall! Also, the video's information hypes their drummer search to replace Ian Timmermans (who left after this show), so if you are or know a drummer in the London area, message the guys above, and check out this new live video of Saints & Serpents!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fuck The Facts) & Some New Concert Videos!!

In our likely last post of the month, we're keeping the recent busy news and big updates coming with some recent concert videos and a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring that you metalheads will surely be excited for, so read on below for what you need to know!

Ottawa grindcore favourites Fuck The Facts are returning to the Soo for the first time in almost two years for a headlining show at The Oddfellows Hall on Sunday, May 4th! Last seen at The Canadian in May 2012 (though we saw bassist Marc Bourgon with his other band Greber last spring), this Juno nominated quintet have developed a great reputation for their unique and extremely brutal live sets, and I'm sure the same will be said for their return in just over 3 months! Joining them from out of town are North Bay black metal standouts Empyrean Plague, also returning to the Soo for the first time since 2012 after their set at that April's Ypres Metal Fest! This will also be their first local stop with their current lineup, and if you know them well, their devastating blackened metal sound will be right at home once again, so it's great to see them coming back this direction! Fuck The Facts are slated to headline this ALL AGES show at 11:00 PM, though Empyrean Plague are actually slotted third on the bill at 9:00 PM, so who else is playing this huge show?

The second-last slot at 10:00 PM actually belongs to local/Toronto grimecore trio Shit Liver, in what is currently their first announced concert in over 8 months! We haven't heard a lot concert-wise since they moved down south, but it's great to have their crusty metal assault back in May, so keep their upcoming return in mind! A few more relocated Saultites are also opening, as local/London death metal quartet Saints & Serpents will also make their local debut in the 8:15 PM slot! Featuring the non-drumming members of the former Valentine's Day Massacre, it will be Steve, Andrew, and Adam's first local concert set since The V.D.M.'s last local date in December 2012, so this has been way too long coming, and hopefully they pick up where they left off in the early 2010s! As of right now, this show will also mark the debut of their new drummer (replacing the departed Ian Timmermans), though the search is still ongoing in the London area, so if you're down there or know someone who could try out, message Saints & Serpents A.S.A.P.!

The lineup's currently rounded out by resurgent local thrashers Pillory at 7:30 PM, local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters at 6:45 PM (though they're not 100% confirmed as of this writing), and local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore opening at 6:00 PM, and all should fit in well in their own rights, especially as both The Bear Hunters & Shit Liver have opened for the headliners! The second announced show promoted by Pillory bassist Tyler St. Amour at Heavy North Entertainment (though they have at least one show in the interim to announce), this ALL AGES show has a $12 advance ticket price (through members of the fully local bands starting on March 1st), though the door price will jump to $15, and as announced above, C.T.W. will open the festivities at 6:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Tyler's already outdone himself, and hopefully this is a huge success for H.N.E. and the included bands, including some missed local talent, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

We'll close today in Heavy North Entertainment territory, as we have a pair of extra videos from last week's weather-affected all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall, both courtesy of Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel, including this brand new clip of The Bear Hunters playing their original "I Fear No God"! Sadly filmed on the vertical cell phone camera angle again, the quality's otherwise fine with The Bear Hunters sounding as heavy as ever, but the small crowd was somewhat inevitable given that night's storm. Give this new video a look below though!



Finally for today is that video of The Strange Coyotes' set that we alluded to the other day! Featuring members Chase Wigmore & James Watterworth amusingly decked out in their best black metal and drag outfits, this video has 7 minutes of original jamming, and though the vertical angle is still used, the energy level and enthusiasm is great as usual! I know the guys are hoping to get on the aforementioned Fuck The Facts show, and if anything happens to accomodate that, expect another enthusiastic performance like this one, which you can see below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for some more exciting news and updates as we enter February, along with next month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Before we get into the meat of today's post, I wanted to apologize for an error in our reporting of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's show at The Harp last week. The Facebook event page for it said it took place on Thursday, but despite the date never being corrected there, it was indeed on Friday as usual, as confirmed through personal Facebook posts and on SooToday. I did note at the time that the date seemed unusual and I'd correct it if possible, but I didn't hear confirmation until after the fact, so I apologize for the error, and hopefully there was a good turnout on Friday! Now, today's post is an all-video spree, including recent concert footage, a commercial, a new cover, and first, a video from a new band's first show!

New local/London death metal quartet Saints & Serpents played their first concert on Friday the 13th at The Richmond Tavern in London, and the first video from their set is now online! As uploaded to singer Steve Rhodes' YouTube channel on Saturday, this is of the new band playing "Vampiric", which you may recognize as an early 2012 original from Saints & Serpents' more familiar predecessors The Valentine's Day Massacre! Remember, all V.D.M. members except drummer Kyle Umgeher are in this new band, so there are natural similarities. Filmed by a front row attendee, it's great to see Steve, Andrew, and Adam playing together for the first time in 9 months, and the audio quality's very good too! The lighting isn't hot, but it actually helps the mood and drapes the band in shadow. My only issue is it's cut short, missing the last minute+ of the song, but this is a nice sample of this new partly local metal band, so give their first live concert video a look below!



Next up, here's a new commercial for the upcoming Bret Michaels/Firehouse concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on January 18th! Uploaded to the Kewadin YouTube channel on December 5th, this 30 second spot (which might be airing on local TV) features just still photos of the performers, with no video footage, but the presentation is about standard and does it's job! Backing audio of Firehouse's "Don't Treat Me Bad" is sandwiched between snippets of Poison's "Nothin' But A Good Time" and "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" in the ad, but I have to ask, why not use audio of Bret's solo originals, or at least of his solo band playing those songs? Yes, his Poison work is better known, but Poison aren't playing the show, only Bret is. Effective commercial though, so give it a look, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!



Also today, Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's newest solo performance clip was uploaded to his YouTube channel on Sunday, and it introduces some different wrinkles to his cover videos! Along with his recent usual trends of singing and playing guitar, he plays bass and includes talkbox effects and keyboard backing work on this cover of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life", but if you're gonna go this far, why not at least have programmed drums to completely fill it out? Well done again though, albeit with somewhat more reserved vocals, but Alex is definitely a talent to watch, so check out his new cover below!



To close today, here's a new video covering this year's Soo Zombie Walk that features some brief clips of the musical entertainment before this annual brain-eating late October rampage! Uploaded to the YouTube channel of Sault College's digital film production wing on Thiursday, it features a bunch of assorted clips both at the starting location of The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center, the end location of The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and the walk itself, as laid over Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", but local music fans might be curious to see the brief snippets of the bands early on at the museum! Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth's solo set is caught in the video for three separate 5 second segments (at 20, 31, and 42 seconds in), though at least for this portion of the night, he wasn't alone, being joined by bandmate Chase Wigmore and Punch/Project 421's Daniel Horton on guest drums (a role he filled as a guest with their old band Project Legion.) I think members of Haggith appear briefly during the brain eating contests, but they're not playing when seen.

Though James & company didn't appear to wear zombie makeup, at least 2 members of Sykotyk Rampage did (those being Shane Kokis and Paul Becker), as you can see in their close up shots at 1:03 and 1:23 of the video during their set! We don't see a lot (or hear a thing) from their sets, and nothing from Haggith or Greg Callaghan's sets was included either, but this is a well put together video, and I like the rotating camera angles used for a lot of it! Check out this Zombie Walk compilation video below, and keep an eye out early for the band clips!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for last month's poll results and our first "Favourite _____ of 2013" poll! What are we touching on this month as we begin our looks back at the past year? We'll soon find out! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Glitch & Banned) And Much More Assorted News & Notes!!

Now at the SMS, we have a bunch of assorted news and notes from the last while, but leading off on this Wednesday evening, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month on both sides of the border, so read on below for what you need to know!

Newer local party/hard rock quartet Glitch will make their fourth live concert appearance on December 13th (one week from Friday) when they return to The Rockstar Bar! Their third solo headlining appearance at this popular downtown venue since debuting in September, next week's show comes under two weeks after a successful Canadian Nightclub debut at this year's Toystock, and hopefully they're still riding the same momentum! Featuring Sneaky Pete alumni Mike Oakley & Sean Berlinguette alongside Tripod the Dog's Mark Oliverio & Lion Ride's Marco Pedalino, this talented veteran quartet should have another solid night of covers in store in what will likely be their last show of 2013, so keep it in mind for next weekend! A $5 cover charge is likely, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:30-ish start time is likely. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! With bookings currently being sought for 2014, you never know when and where Glitch will take the stage next, so don't miss next week's show, and stay tuned for updates!

Also in new December concerts, Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned will be playing at a very special event at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Thursday, December 19th, though not as openers for a touring band. This is actually an anti-bullying rally during The Relentless Tour put on by The Autism Alliance of Michigan, which will featuring a headlining speech by former Michigan State Spartans basketball star Anthony Ianni about how he overcame autism and bullying to find success and purpose in life. The family event will also feature a resource fair, prizes, face painting, bouncy castles, and a live set from Banned, which I believe will be their first ever live concert appearance at Kewadin's theatre. Admission is FREE & ALL AGES on the 19th, with the day's activities beginning at 6:00 PM. For more details, check the above links and the poster on your left! This sounds like a very nice and important event that will hopefully educate many about autism and the effects of bullying, and Banned should provide a rocking soundtrack, so keep it in mind for later this month!

Finally for today, here's nine assorted shorter news stories from the last little while! These can accumulate fast, so why not group them together to get them out to the public? As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

• The Algonquin Pub's Facebook group has been deleted at some point in recent months. A reason hasn't been announced, but that group had not been updated in a long time, and recent events there (most of which refer to the venue as "The Zoo") have primarily been promoted on the Facebook pages of it's upstairs neighbour, The Rockstar Bar. I think having two pages would help offset confusion given the two floors of entertainment, but at least events downstairs are still getting press!
• In the latest update on their forthcoming debut album "Eternal Hibernation", local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters just have one clean guitar part and the rest of Nik Deubel's vocals to complete before recording sessions are finished, and the band is already  "mapping out the next road we're travelling down", referring to their planned second CD. Good news to hear, so visit this link for more details!
• Rik Warren of Oshawa promotion agency Warlord Promotions has been looking to get Oshawa metal band Devoked a local concert booking next week at some point, likely around their December 13th Sudbury date. Devoked have a solid dark extreme metal sound that would be welcomed here, so if you can book them or help get them here next week, message Rik at this link!
• The Fuckface Unstoppable concert at The Canadian Nightclub on December 14th (one week from Saturday) now has a special earlier start time of 7:00 PM, with Bam Margera and company slotted to play at 10:30 PM, as per the Facebook event page the other day. Despite the timing now resembling an all ages concert, this show is still 19+ as far as I can tell. Keep this in mind for next weekend, and GET YOUR TICKETS A.S.A.P.!!
• Local classic/power metal band The Hydra's Teeth have announced plans via their Reverbnation blog to record their original song "In The Dead Of Night" at Case's Music as a single before expanding to a full album session, and will begin once guitarist Anthony Orazietti returns from vacation. Sounds like a neat plan, so check the above links for more info!
• Former Chronic Demonic/Project Legion singer Sabrina "Strange" Lavoie is exploring the possibility of launching a metal cover band that would specialize in metal versions of pop songs, like ones by Britney Spears or Rihanna. If you're interested in this unique idea, message her at this link and read more details at her post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from last month!\
• Though not a local show, new local/London death metal quartet Saints & Serpents (essentially the successors of The Valentine's Day Massacre) will make their live debut at The Richmond Tavern in London on Friday, December 13th (interesting timing), and it will also be Steve, Andrew, and Adam's first show together since The V.D.M.'s last show in London in March. Best of luck, and hopefully we see the new band home soon!
• I don't tend to acknowledge band photos alone on here unless under unique circumstances, but this counts: An album of live photos of  Sykotyk Rampage from... 1985?! Posted on their Facebook page on Friday, these feature the then "Sykotic Rampage" playing in Goulais River, with current members Dirk & Paul Becker joined by other performers and early band members, including their brother Rudy and band namesake Brian "Syko" Miron. By far the longest running active hard rock band in the area, these are a nice glimpse back to their early days, so check these pictures out!
• Asylum Country/2 Buck Beers guitarist Terry Eaton is again looking for a singer for a new hard rock project he's working on, this time narrowing his aimed range to someone who sings nu/alternative metal, such as bands like Godsmack. It'd be nice to see Terry playing heavier tunes again, so message him at this link, or check out yesterday's post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group! 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Band, Plus New Videos From The Bear Hunters & Blood Shed Productions!!

As we creep ever closer to the Halloween weekend, the news definitely isn't slowing, so what's in store for this Monday morning update? Mostly new videos, including new live clips from an upstart grind label, and a full set from The Big Loonie Bus Show, but first, here's a new band that you guys should be quite familiar with!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are a new melodic death/groove metal quartet named Saints & Serpents! Note however that they are primarily based out of London, Ontario, but they list the Soo and London equally as their hometown, and given that, plus their membership & local ties, they definitely count. You may recognize 3/4ths of their lineup as members of the early 2010s local deathcore band The Valentine's Day Massacre, and personal Facebook pages have alluded to Saints & Serpents as a resurrection of sorts, but as best as I can tell, this is generally considered a brand new band. Their lineup is mostly the same as their predecessors, with D3athcharg3r bandmates Steve "Syk Ace" Rhodes & Andrew Angelic on vocals & guitar respectively, along with Adam Veale on bass, though London-area drummer Ian Timmermans takes over for Kyle Umgeher (who moved back to the Sault this summer) in the new band. Saints and Serpents describe their sound on their new Facebook page as "a healthy matrimony of death and groove, thrash and melody, old but new", but song samples have yet to be posted online.

A live debut is forthcoming, but I'll note that after moving to London last fall, The V.D.M. only played one local date before falling inactive this spring, so hopefully we'll see Saints & Serpents here more often! I'll admit that the sound description does sound like an improvement, as the earlier deathcore stuff wasn't entirely my thing compared to heavier death metal subgenres (plus, the name was cumbersome compared to both View To A Kill and Saints & Serpents), so I'm very curious to see where this new project leads! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a new live video from local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, courtesy of last weekend's Big Loonie Bus Show at La Cucina in Echo Bay! Also uploaded to 62nd Chamber Productions' YouTube channel and posted online on Saturday, this follows in the same side-stage angle from the earlier videos from this concert, but luckily, the camera was lowered to catch more of the band than in the Crimson Crusade video. Their whole 45 minute set was filmed (perhaps excluding the "Teddy Bears Picnic" introduction?), and in order, the songs played include "Dominate", "Deception", "Bloodthirst", "I Fear No God" (which is a new track), "Servitude", "Transcend Judgement" (another new one), "Collapse the Sun", their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard", "Render This Void", and finally, a fan favourite cover of guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo track "Squirrel Buddy", so click each link to hear each song! I did miss a few songs like "Succumb to Eternity" and "Karma", but you've gotta make room for the new tracks, and what we did get was brutal!

Very solid all around in terms of video quality and performance, and the new songs sound very promising, but like their other recent gigs, the lack of a rhythm guitarist following Josh Stephney's move is noticeable a lot. Check out the full video below, and stay tuned in case anything of AlgomA or Destroilet's Echo Bay sets pop up!



We'll close today with some new videos from Blood Shed Productions grindcore artists, all as uploaded to the label's YouTube channel on Saturday! Two are from their newest heavier act Rotopsy (formerly Spitneck), which include an upload of a song named "Shitneck" from their recent three-way split demo, and it's a minute-long blend of good metal riffs and odd vocal noises that somewhat sound like Ringsnaps Gibson & Dylan Taylor are mimicing farm animals. Check it out if you want above, but embedded below is their first actual live video, of them playing an untitled original composition featuring backing drum recordings and only Dylan on vocals. His growling, if undistinguishable, sounds more like choking than the usual pig squeals in Ringsnaps' bands, but whether that's better or worse is up to you to decide. I will say it's slightly more accessible, but why not try to have some clearer words in there?) Not bad for what it is, so check out Rotopsy's first full live video below, and hear more above!



Lastly for this post, the aforementioned Ringsnaps Gibson's primary music project Crucify The Whore were the subject of another video uploaded on Saturday, this time a solo performance cover of Mortician's "Hacked Up For Barbecue". Only 49 seconds long, Ringsnaps shows solid guitar skills and control as a pig squealer, but the full song isn't featured for one reason or another, and I still think he'd gain a stronger local foothold if he had a full band around his C.T.W. work. Still, he's making good progress with no apologies, so check out Crucify The Whore's new cover video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!