We have a lot of videos in the cache to share with you guys, so here's our first local metal video showcase of November! Today, we have new guitar cover videos from a pair of area hard rock/metal musicians, this week's classic video, and to start, here's another newer video from local grunge quartet Haggith! Their new videos continue to pile up, and we have one more to get to probably next week, but we'll continue with this new live video of the band (minus bassist Caleb Cachagee) playing an acoustic swing variant of their reprise of "Wanko"! Uploaded on Saturday to their YouTube channel, we heard this song in a swing style on a previous concert video, but this unplugged take was filmed outside at night, and as a result, the video quality is incredibly dark. Audio's fine though, and it's an interesting take on the original song with nicely matching lead vocals from Daniel Horton, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more Haggith videos soon!
Next up, here's the newest solo guitar video from former Insipid Brutality/Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie! Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Halloween, this is of him (in his Genocya shirt) playing an original metal riff with lead, and he admitted that the video was more filmed to test his phone's new camera, even apologizing for sloppy playing. It's pretty good even still though, and he definitely has clear talent (but if you've seen his past videos or live shows, you'd know that), so check out Scott's latest video below for some entertaining guitar shredding!
Thirdly today, here's a new video from a Sault Michigan native that we haven't heard much from vocally in recent years, that being RedStone Riot/ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison! Over a year before moving to Muskegon, Ryan was the frontman of Absolute successors Riot! By Night from 2009-2010 before switching to bass full time in later bands, and while Riot! By Night videos never made it public, Ryan did upload solo acoustic covers of rock songs onto his YouTube channel through April 2010. Over two and a half years later, Ryan finally uploaded three new vocal/guitar covers there yesterday (in what he's calling "The Pajama Sessions"), including his renditions of the Marvelous 3 track "Cigarette Lighter Love Song", "Push" by Matchbox 20, and (as embedded below) Blue October's "Ugly Side", so check them out above & below! Though very soft compared to his full band output, these offer a glimpse at what his live concert singing might have been like, and he shows clear talent on vocals & guitar, including nice control and use of his vocal range, especially on the Marvelous 3 cover!
These are definitely worth checking out, so I've embedded the slightly heavier "Ugly Side" below, but give the rest of his old and new covers a look at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Ryan's solo YouTube channel hopefully soon!
And finally for today, here's this week's classic video! With Powerslug's only video being oddly taken down, I went back to the drawing board to pick an older video to be featured here, and I went with what I would have used had his Roadhouse Bar & Grill show tonight still been on, that being a video featuring Tym Morrison from last year! As you may remember, the Caveman Morrison frontman played a weekly (and later bi-weekly) concert arrangement at The Service Grill on Korah Road from June 2011 through last fall, which garnered a positive response, and one such show on August 27th, 2011 was the partial subject of a video report & article by local news website Local2! Filmed by and featuring remarks & questions from former Local2 contributor Mike Caruso, this video piece features interview segments with both Tym and Service Grill owner Mike LaRue, including remarks on Tym's music, genres, album, band work, and more, while Mike briefly comments on the renovations, hours, and menu at The Service Grill at the start of the video. Tym's interview is partially laid over him covering "Alone" by Heart at that day's acoustic show at The Service Grill's outdoor patio, which is of predictably great quality given it's news connections, and Tym sounds good here on this softer cover!
It's not every day when Local2 touches on SMS-covered acts, though I wish predictions of more live music at The Service Grill had panned out better. This video was originally uploaded on the article linked above via Blip.TV, and to help share it with a wider audience, I thought I'd upload it to YouTube. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for the video & it's contents go to Local2 & Mike Caruso, I'm just trying to share it with a deserving wider audience! It's a nice video profile and interview for sure, so check it and it's attached article out above & below! (The music begins 68 seconds in)
That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!
In our second concert preview post of the weekend, we're tackling the Rotaryfest main stage at Clergue Park shortly, and though the main stage is focusing on local cover bands and scattered out of town cover acts as usual, there is one band that will satisfy some hair metal needs! First though, we have previews for a couple of hard rock concerts unrelated to Rotaryfest this weekend, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is bringing his solo acoustic concerts back to The Service Grill on Korah Road TODAY & TOMORROW! Similarly to his other recent Service Grill stops, he'll be breaking out his unplugged hard rock covers for sets at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM on both days, and from what I understand, it's Tym's birthday today, so go out and wish him a happy birthday at The Service Grill as he rocks out for his fans! Admission should be free, and as the shows are in a restaurant, I'd expect no age limits. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym back for some more acoustic hard rock concert sets this weekend, and though he'd seemingly fit well at Rotaryfest as well, these shows should work well for his fans! For a preview, here's one of Tym's newly uploaded original recordings "Someday", and happy birthday, Tym!
Now to the rest of the Rotaryfest previews, as the main stage is on TODAY at Clergue Park! In the second of three days of entertainment, today's lineup is country-leaning, but there's no shortage of talent, so here's who to look out for! In order from 10:00 PM down, the bands include local country acts Mustang Heart, Thin Ice, Spyder's Web, Bone Yard, and Summer Thunder, psychedelic retro rock band The Trippy Hippies, local country notables Asylum Country, big band Brass Taxx, a pair of out of town historical music acts (The Plymouth Fife & Drum Corps & the comedy trio The Zoom Daddys, who are on RIGHT NOW), while new alternative rock trio The Pesto Shirts opened the Friday festivities at 11:30 AM. As well, another "1812 Historical Moment" will take place after The Trippy Hippies' set, but what that entails isn't entirely clear. No metal to speak of (though I think The Trippy Hippies cover some late 60s hard rock occasionally), but local music fans should appreciate the talent here, especially if you love country music! Also, aside from the main four bands, none of today's acts played last year, so the variety is welcome! Also of note: Kyle McKey from Sailor's Tongue & KT, Kyle, and The Pocket is co-MCing today's main stage with James Warner-Smith, which is cool to see! Keep today's bands in mind, and click here for the full schedule!
Now to TOMORROW'S Rotaryfest main stage lineup, which is headlined by the only hard rock band of this stage this year, that being the Ontario-based Bon Jovi/Journey tribute band Bon Journey Canada! Yes, this tribute band covers both Bon Jovi AND Journey, and they handle both very well, doing only the biggest hits of both, so expect lots of 1980s hair metal goodness when they tackle Bon Jovi classics! Plus, even Journey have the occasional hard rock-tinged track, so if you love 1980s rock, don't miss them tomorrow! They'll headline tomorrow's main stage entertainment at 10:15 PM, with a full day of bands preceding them, so here's who else to look out for: Classic rock band Fusion (one of two bands tomorrow that are returning from last year) will co-headline tomorrow at 9:00 PM, and they'll be joined by new local rock band KT, Kyle, and The Pocket (featuring tomorrow's co-MC K.T. Antler on vocals) at 8:00 PM, blues sextet The Bebop Blues Band at 7:00 PM, pop rockers Cherry Crush at 6:00 PM, another "1812 Historical Moment" at 5:50 PM, local cover rock band Coverfly at 5:00 PM, and returning R&B big band The Reptiles at 4:00 PM.
Tomorrow's main stage opens with Pop Idols tributes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift at 2:00 PM, while the first bands will be Mike Case's Junior All Star Bands (country & rock) at 1:00 PM (any possible connection to the Case's Music rock camps there?) Check the above links for all details on the main stage entertainment tomorrow! Tomorrow definitely has the most varied lineup, and there's a little something for everyone amongst the scheduled bands, so don't sleep on anyone playing tomorrow, especially with the amount of new bands compared to last year! For a preview, here's an assortment of Bon Jovi & Journey cover clips from Bon Journey Canada, as though the look may not always be there, they have the sound down well on both sides, so don't miss them!
That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and an all video post of some type (likely our last CASS Cafe metal video showcase) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
We're behind on news at the SMS, so let's stack this post with a ton of news! Today, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for a bunch of shows featuring a prominent local musician this month, a brand new local metal album release, and some more assorted stories, but leading things off is a new addition to our band links, so read on below for the news, and check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post below this one!
We have added a new band to our active Sault Michigan band links, locking us in the 20 band range again, and it's The Hubbard-Menard Band! The new hard rock project from former Splitshot bandmates Dave Menard & Chris Hubbard (ex-Nixxon Dixxon/Trail's End) finally launched their Facebook page on Saturday, which is already updated a lot more than Chris' previous bands' Facebook pages ever were, which is a good sign! These include lots of photos, including the back cover for the proposed Hubbard-Menard Band album, which lists the song titles and credits 415E Studios as where the tracks were recorded. As well, instrumental demos of 6 songs (including the 3 that were previously on Chris' personal Facebook page) have been posted there (most with titles), including the tracks "Better Way", "Gypsy", "Wonderland", "Livin' It Up", "Run Ragid", and an untitled track that they plan to end the album with, so click each link to check them out! Remember, as Facebook video files, I can't embed them here. Plans are to record the remaining 9 songs towards a 15 song album release, and add vocals to each, with plans still in place to release the recordings on CD in the future, so keep posted at the above links!
Will The Hubbard-Menard Band take off successfully? Will this CD come out, and in what forms? How does Dave sound as a singer? How will this material compare to the originals Chris recorded with his old bands? All of these are questions I'll follow for the site, but it's just good to see Dave & Chris back together in this new project, and to see a new Sault Michigan band pop up, as this could be a good shot in the arm for their scene! Stay tuned to the SMS for more on The Hubbard-Menard Band as it comes in, and they're now in our Sault Michigan band links!
Next up, it's time for a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's various projects, as he's booked solid for every weekend this month, including three concert weekends from the metal trio the fronts, Caveman Morrison! After a month+ break from the local stage, Caveman Morrison will return to The Roosevelt Hotel over the next two weekends (This Friday only & July 13th-14th), while they'll hit The Nicolet Tavern for the first time this summer on July 27th & 28th, which sounds like a busy and hard hitting month of shows for this talented local band! Note that I don't know why they're not playing this Saturday, and I also haven't heard who'll be on bass yet, as they parted ways with James White shortly before their shows at The Rosie last month, though if I hear anything on that front, I'll let you guys know! Admission for all of the above shows should be free, you must be 19 to attend any of them, and 10:00 PM start times are likely on all fronts. For more details, click the dates above, which is where I linked the Facebook event pages to save some space. It's great to see Caveman Morrison lining up so many new concerts, and hopefully they get great crowds at each one this month, so don't miss them, including THIS FRIDAY at The Rosie!
Leading from the new Caveman Morrison shows, you may have noticed no bookings over the July 20th-21st weekend from them. Well, Tym Morrison will bring his solo acoustic show back to The Service Grill on Korah Road over both nights with very long nights of his unplugged hard rock and metal covers, as you've come to expect! Like his other recent solo gigs, he'll be playing two sets on Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st, with each one starting at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. I don't believe there's an age limit, given the restaurant setting, and there shouldn't be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always good to check out a Tym Morrison solo concert, and at one of his favourite stomping grounds no less, so West Enders and Rosie regulars don't have to go too far to see his unplugged metal and hard rock covers on July 20th & 21st! Stay tuned for more updates from Tym & Caveman Morrison as they roll in!
Also in the news, a new local metal album went on sale yesterday as expected, and it's Sault Michigan classical metal trio Theatre of Night's second album "The Dawn's Early Light"! Though the release on Canada Day rather than Independence Day is still a headscratcher, this American patriotic-themed album is now available to purchase through Reverbnation, CDBaby, Amazon, and other retailers to be announced (likely including iTunes), so check the above links to pick it up! The price does vary a lot though, as Reverbnation has it for $4.99 in mp3 format, while CDBaby's mp3 cost is almost double that, so do some price shopping. I have my copy already, and with it's successful scheduled release, I can guarantee that this month's CD review will be of "The Dawn's Early Light", but how will it stack up to "Christmas Night" as a classical metal concept album? I'm curious to find out for sure, so stay tuned to the SMS this month (hopefully earlier in the month) for my review, and pick up Craig & the Giles brothers' latest handiwork at the above links!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:
The new Coch's Corner location is hosting live music once again! Members of local blues rock band Blues Harvest played there late last month as per their Facebook page, while the open mic nights hosted by Greg Callaghan have returned as well from what I understand. As for when metal will return to the former Foggy's location, that's up in the air, but keep an eye out in case I hear something!
I'll likely be moving ex-Hoist The Sails/Analog Deficiency guitarist Nathan Switzer's solo project to our inactive Sault Michigan band links tomorrow due to a year's inactivity. He hasn't posted on his solo Facebook page since a year ago tomorrow, though I know he still does some local music work & songwriting. Hopefully he revisits his solo work though, as he's definitely a talented young musician!
The Sault College Health & Wellness Center will have a bar & restaurant on site! The news was briefly confirmed in a recent Sault Star article on the new building, and this basically confirms that there will be a replacement for The Outback of some type when the new wellness center opens next summer. Will it house live bands? Time will tell, but even this small note is encouraging, and I'll keep you guys posted!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow, and on Wednesday, keep an eye out for what we have planned for our fifth anniversary! Don't be an odd fellow or inhuman, for all that you know, we may just be going to a cafe in St. Ignace... are those too much of a hint? Stay tuned!
Hey guys, here's our latest news post, and it's full of recent stuff to check out! Today, we have news on an upcoming battle of the bands, a preview for the only heavier concerts of the weekend that I currently know of, and leading things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!
A stacked lineup of out of town metal bands is coming to The Canadian Nightclub on June 29th, headlined by the return of Hallows Die! The Toronto death metal notables will make their first local concert appearance since the Ypres Metal Fest in April, and first full set since last fall's Napalm Death show, and their explosive & proficient blend of death metal will surely be welcomed back to the Soo in two weeks! A number of notable Northern Ontario metal bands will open this show, including Sudbury improv comedy/death metal trio 85 Pound Poutine (on their Canada Day Weekend Beaver Slap Tour), who I think feature Wolven Ancestry frontman Mark Howitt in their lineup under a stage name. If you can make out the vocals on their originals, you'll find some amusing stereotypical Canadian lyrics and themes, and they'll definitely be a welcome change from more serious metal on June 29th! Joining them are Sudbury blackened death metal quintet Before The Black Gates (nice to finally see them here) and North Bay death metal band Buried Out Back (featuring Empyrean Plague guitarist Dave Strba), so they should bring lots of brutality in a couple of weeks at The Canadian!
The lineup is rounded out by local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters (guitarist Mitch Sirie is fittingly booking this show), and you know they'll add well to the proceedings and set the tone nicely! This show will be an ALL AGES event as other recent Canadian Nightclub metal shows have been, there will be a $10 cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like one hell of a concert, and in some ways, it feels like a continuation of the Ypres Metal Fest with it's common musicians and Northern Ontario links. I need to get more familiar with Buried Out Back, but the rest of the bands are definitely talented and brutal, and B.T.B.G. are particularly overdue for a local stop! Kudos to Mitch in bringing all of these bands here on the 29th (he's outdoing himself this summer), and stay tuned for another note on one of his upcoming concerts later in this post!
Also in new concerts, Kiss fans should prepare themselves, as a high profile Canadian tribute to the hottest band in the world are coming back to Sault Ste. Marie! Destroyer: Canada's premier Kiss tribute, are hitting The Rockstar Bar on July 14th for their first local concert appearance since April 2010, so it's definitely been a long time coming for them to rock the Soo again! These guys deliver a great Kiss look and sound to the stage at every show, as fans at their 2010 Rockstar Bar show would probably attest. At least this time, the show won't be in the shadow of the real thing playing here in a few months, so hopefully it's an even bigger hit this time around! Tickets will be $10 in advance or $12 at the door (both down in price from last time), this is a 19+ event, and a 10:30 PM start time is listed. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a great time for Kiss Army members and even casual fans of Gene & company, especially knowing the authentic experience that Destroyer provide, and if you don't believe me, check the above links to hear and see for yourselves! Stay tuned for more on Destroyer's local return on July 14th as I hear of it, and both of these new shows are now in our Sault Ontario concert listings!
Next up, here's a preview of the only verifiable hard rock/metal concerts going down this weekend at present time, and they involve the return of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's acoustic solo concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Tym will hit The Service Grill on Korah Road once again for his second solo concert weekend with his new guitar tonight & tomorrow, and if you enjoy his hard rock & metal covers in this more intimate setting, you'll wanna check out the proceedings at some point this weekend! Like his other recent Service Grill gigs, Tym will be playing two sets each tonight & tomorrow, with 4 hour sets at both 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM, so times are definitely workable for most schedules! Admission should be free, and there's no likely age limits, given the concert's setting. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym should deliver some great acoustic renditions of many of your metal and hard rock hits over the next couple of nights, so keep his Service Grill dates this weekend in mind over a quiet stretch of shows (though next week will be very busy!) Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" earlier this year!
And finally, here's a couple of updates for the Battle For The Blood at The Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday! Firstly, a fourth band has been added to the lineup of competitors, that being the recently returned local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, ostensibly replacing Shit Liver as the battle's fourth band. Promoter J.D. Pearce confirmed their addition on the Facebook event page yesterday. This will be Changing Waves' first battle, but it returns bassist Terrence Gomes to a local battle of the bands, having competed with defunct punk band Creedon & The Animal Detectives at the Algoma University Battle in December 2009. Changing Waves' diverse and heavy sound should add a new wrench into the voting process on Tuesday, and as of right now, it's anyone's game between them, For All That Is Lost, The Valentine's Day Massacre, and Winkstinger! Who will open for 3 Inches of Blood at The Rosie next month? We'll know on Tuesday! The other battle news is that the performance order will be randomly drawn on Tuesday night prior to the battle, though set limits and restrictions have yet to be made public (I'd be very surprised if the bands got more than a half hour each though.) Check the above links for more details on the Battle for the Blood, and I'll have more news on it over the weekend hopefully!
That's all for today, but stay tuned hopefully for a new news post over the weekend! Thanks everyone!
In what will probably be our last news post of May 2012, we've stacked the deck with plenty of stories, including this week's classic video, plenty of Woods of Ypres news (including a new interview & some new CD reviews), and even more, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, so here's what you need to know! (And make sure to check out our weekend concert preview post, featuring some recently announced dates, in the post below this one!)
Fresh off of the announcement of Caveman Morrison's late 2010 lineup's reunion this weekend at The Rosie, frontman Tym Morrison has also confirmed his next solo concert dates, which will come on June 15th & 16th at The Service Grill! These come four weeks after his solo acoustic set returned with his new guitar, and like his shows at the Korah Road restaurant last weekend, these will both include two sets of four hours in length on both the Friday & Saturday gigs, so there's plenty of time to catch Tym's entertaining metal & hard rock covers live in two weeks! Both of these shows will likely have no cover charge or age limit (knowing the restaurant setting), and the sets each night should begin at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM with a one hour break at around 7:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should make for a solid weekend of unplugged covers from Tym Morrison, so if you're up for lots of great music at one of his favourite venues, keep these shows in mind next month!
Next up, here's a brand new audio interview with Woods of Ypres' guitarist Joel Violette! Though it was posted on May 12th by interviewer Matt Longo on the website Mind Over Metal (who interviewed late frontman David Gold as well for that site last year), the interview actually took place before the David Gold tribute shows in April, and lasts a little over 40 minutes in length, as bookended by "Woods V" tracks. It's much longer than Matt's interview with David, and in it, he and Joel discuss "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", Joel & David's roles on the album, how Joel joined Woods of Ypres, his work in Thrawsunblat, David's changing looks & world views, the band's lyrics, the posthumous praise of "Woods V", the new album's sounds, the circumstances & rumours surrounding David Gold's death (including Joel's belief that the lyrics on some songs weren't foreshadowing suicide), why Earache Records released the free promo album in the way it did, the planned Woods of Ypres European tour this year & the then-upcoming tribute shows, and when exactly did "W5" come out, among other topics! In terms of new Woods of Ypres topics relating to their future, Joel confirmed that there would be no new material (though "Woods VI" would have been summer-themed), and he reiterated that the only possible posthumous release he can see would be a piano-based album of re-recorded material.
This is a great interview that touches on a lot of topic and subjects relating to recent Woods of Ypres history, though the audio quality early in the interview on Joel's end isn't great. I still believe that an album of demos, outtakes, and unreleased material (i.e. the full "Woods 4.5" material) would be great, but who knows what the future holds. Click here or check the above links to hear the full interview, which starts about 1:44 into the audio file, and hopefully we hear some more exciting news from the Woods of Ypres archives in the future!
While we're on the subject, here's even more recent reviews of Woods of Ypres' last recorded album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! Last week, Brian Giffin from the metal webzine Loud gave"W5" a 98% rating, calling it "a stark, disturbing, beautiful album", and highly praising the lyrical content and it's philosophical nature, only criticizing "Career Suicide (Is Not Real Suicide)" as a weak point. Solid and well written review, so check it out at this location! In another recent review, Pete Woods from the Metal Team U.K. Metal 'Zine gave "Woods V" an positive assessment, and though he noted it's tough to review and you need to be in the right mood and without distraction to fully appreciate it, he called it a "very special album" and noted it's impact and beauty numerous times. Another very nice review with a lot of honesty as to it's feelings and themes, so click here to check it out! Finally, Ellis Woolley from the Danish website RockFreaks.net gave "Woods V" a 7.5/10 in a March review, and while he praised the album for it's unique sound and accessibility as a doom record, he docked points for the production, which he felt smoothed over rougher and heavier parts of the CD. I'll have to go back and hear it to see if he's right, but this is another good & honest review, so check it out at this link, and stay tuned for more "Woods V" reviews next month!
Also, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:
If you're curious to see the demolition of local concert venue/Sault College campus bar The Outback, which took place over the past week, then check out this time lapse webcam video courtesy of local musician Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel! It's sad to see The Outback go, but hopefully the new health & wellness center that replaces it will be a success, and fingers crossed that the college hosts concerts somewhere on campus in the future!
I'm probably badly overdue to mention this on here, but I've replaced our link for The Roosevelt Hotel on the site, as it now links to their Facebook page rather than their older Reverbnation page. Small change, but I thought I'd make sure you guys knew about it!
Local death metal band Social Suicide (featuring Bring The Misery & Bear Hunters alumni) are reportedly planning to play a "small show" of some type next month, followed by plans to play outdoor gigs this summer (potentially including the Bellevue Park Bandshell.) It's been too long since they launched, and I'm very curious to hear them live, so hopefully this all pans out! My source is their Facebook page.
And finally, here's this week's classic video! With the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights returning after an over two month break tomorrow, it made sense to feature a video from both that series and performers at tomorrow's show, so I focused on Bear Hunters guitarist Josh Stephney, though you can only hear him in this video, oddly enough. As you may remember, he fronted another local death metal band, Bring The Fallen, from 2009-2011, and one of their last concert videos is only now on YouTube, though it's from an angle you don't see much of from local bands. This video is of Bring The Fallen playing their original song "Defiling Despondence" at what I think was the 4th Rosie metal night on January 6th, and it was filmed on what looks like an iPhone camera from below drummer Travis St. Amour's kit, so while you hear the full song, you only really see Travis' left leg, left arm, and some of the drums. I assume the video was originally filmed at this angle to focus on his drumming, but it should have been positioned somewhere else, as it's not placed somewhere with a good view or lighting (though I did brighten the quality after posting this video on YouTube.) Even still, it's a nice later glimpse at Bring The Fallen on stage for it's decent audio quality, from before breakup rumours dominated the spring 2011 news on them!
This video was originally posted onto Facebook by Travis on January 27th of last year, and you can watch the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1686359892899. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit goes to the ex-members of Bring The Fallen for this video, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves! Though the angle is odd, it's a solid performance from Bring The Fallen's later months, so check it out below, and go see Josh with his current band TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rosie!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our last post of the month (our review of the Insipid Brutality album) TOMORROW! It will be an auto-post due to some personal plans tomorrow, but keep an eye out for it tomorrow afternoon, and I'll see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel tomorrow night as well for the latest Rosie metal night relaunch! Thanks everyone!
Lets keep the news coming on this Tuesday night, so in this post, we've got LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next couple of weeks in Sault Ontario and a recap from a recent exhibition with a metal relevance, so read on below for these latest stories!
After taking the month of April off, classic hard rock quintet That's Chester are returning to the stage THIS WEEKEND at The Roosevelt Hotel! This talented collection of local music veterans will bring their cover assault to The Rosie on Friday & Saturday night, in what are relatively rare stops at the Korah Road bar for them. From what I can tell, they have not played a public show at The Rosie since at least 2010, maybe earlier, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! Notably, this weekend's concerts will be with a special guest, as Cleveland Steamer drummer Mike Blair will be filling in for Ric Datson behind the That's Chester drumkit for both gigs, as per a comment on the Facebook event page. From what I understand, Ric suffered a joint injury last weekend that will prevent him from playing this weekend, but I hope he gets well soon! Both the Friday & Saturday night shows have 10:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so check the above links for more details! If nothing else, these will be a unique pair of gigs to see That's Chester rock out their proficient classic hard rock covers, so if you love The Roosevelt Hotel and That's Chester, you know where to be this weekend! Stay tuned for our previews of these shows later in the week!
The other new shows I have this weekend are for the return of Tym Morrison's solo acoustic concerts! Though Tym has kept busy with his band Caveman Morrison in the past month, his shows next weekend at The Service Grill will be his first solo dates in 6 weeks and his first since his Yamaha acoustic guitar was stolen last month. The new guitar won't be all that's different from his usual acoustic shows though, as the Facebook event page says that his May 18th & 19th shows will start at 3:00 PM and run until midnight! I assume they'll be laid out as two 4 hour gigs at 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM respectively, which he's done before, as I can't see these being 9 hour sets with only normal breaks. Admission should be free for these concerts, and likely all ages given the restaurant setting. Check the above links for more details! It's always good to see Tym break out his unplugged set again, and hopefully the concerts next weekend are huge successes that can set off even more acoustic gigs! Stay tuned for more from Tym's projects as it all comes in!
We'll close this post with my recap of the Posted Around art exhibition, as it's last night helped end National Youth Arts Week yesterday! It was at the Circle of Creative Arts Centre on Queen Street East, in the space between Anipeg Tattoo & Top Hat Bar & Grill, so it wasn't completely obvious to find, but it has a nice setup inside! Kinda minimal, but there's an artistic sensibility for sure. The posters themselves were from a wide range of concerts and events from the 1980s through today, including posters by artists like Frightlight's Kevin Powe, local NYAW organizer Rihkee Strapp, and former Arcadia owner Matt Ceolin, alongside donations from Giwakwa's Nolan Rainville and other groups and artists. Very solid selection of posters, though it was skewed to recent years and the 1980s in many cases, and it'd have been cool to have seen more 1990s posters. Some of these brought back some good memories (I'd completely forgotten about Woods of Ypres' show here circa 2004), and others just had nice designs that I liked, even if I didn't know the band or their genre! One poster by Matt Ceolin for an October 2007 show at the former Eargasm Records headlined by a band named Mothra really caught my eye, and though I'm still not 100% on who they were, I'd have grabbed it if I had more cash at hand!
The evening also included the "Night at the C.O.C.A." open mic night with refreshments on sale, though there wasn't too much in the way of performers after I shown up. It was nice to finally see Rihkee play accordion live (I never got a chance to see The Night Owl Meme Makers live, sadly), and though I don't know him, the bassist that performed was really talented! The rest were varying levels of good too, but it'd have been nice to see more participation. There was some other artistic items dotted around, including some really solid work from Dayna Rainville (Nolan's sister), and a tree that somehow had a shovelhead in it, among other interesting works! As it was the last night, I was able to buy & bring home framed prints right from there (they'd be reserved if bought earlier in the exhibition until it closed), so now I have the posters from The Dayglo Abortions' show at The Rosie last year and Woods of Ypres' second-last local concert (August 2009 at The Speak Easy) hanging in my room, and they look very nice! I'll try and get pictures at some point. If there was one thing I'd change about the exhibition, it'd be having more posters. Probably the most glaring absence for recent posters was stuff by Destroilet's Matt Waples (he does awesome work), but if this exhibition returns, hopefully word is larger to encourage more submissions and involvement!
Overall, this was a fun display of local artistic talent, and I hope that these poster prints continue to be sold in some fashion! Either bring back the exhibition itself or sell them at the C.O.C.A. centre year round, because there's definitely an audience for all of this, and there's a ton of room to grow it! I got photos from the exhibition, including every poster I could prove had a metal band, and some select other posters that I liked or thought may have had heavier acts, so click here to see those, or visit our Facebook page! There's also some photos of the open mic performers and other works of art there. Kudos for a great National Youth Arts Week, and here's to an even bigger one in 2013!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post shortly, plus weekend concert previews and our next Defunct Local Band Profile! Thanks everyone!
Here's one final news post before TONIGHT'S Ypres Metal Fest, but before that, I just wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of "The Father of Loud", Jim Marshall, whose pioneering work with Marshall guitar amplifiers helped lead to the creation of metal as we know it. He passed away on Thursday at the age of 88, and he deserves much respect for helping create loud guitar driven music of any kind, which so many influential musicians have used and benefited from for decades. R.I.P.!! Now, today's news post features our final concert preview for this weekend, more upcoming concert news, and a new audio recording, so here's what you need to know!
Our last concert preview for this weekend is finally here, and it's for Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's return to The Service Grill on Korah Road TONIGHT! This will be his first solo acoustic gig at this venue in almost two months, though the concert was postponed for unknown reasons to today from it's original date yesterday, so hopefully the new date is more of a benefit for you guys! Notably, this is also the second straight week without an announced Saturday concert at Bossy's Pub N' Grub, so has that arrangement ended after 12 weeks? Time will tell, I suppose, but I'll keep you guys posted if I hear more! Tym will bring his unplugged hard rock and metal covers back to The Service Grill at 8:00 PM tonight, there is no cover charge, and given the restaurant setting, I'd assume it'd be all ages. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym staying busy with his local projects, and even if his Bossy's series is done, he has a lot of great music to give, and hopefully tonight's show is huge! I just hope attendance isn't hit too hard by the Ypres Metal Fest, but the show must have been postponed for a reason. For a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's earlier this year!
Next up, TONIGHT'S Ypres Metal Fest has gotten some more deserved local press via SooToday's Donna Hopper, who penned an article about it and how Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold's family's been coping since he passed away in December. Similarly to The Sault Star's recent David Gold article, his mom Esther and Ypres Metal Fest promoter Rich Moreland are interviewed, and topics of discussion include the grieving process, David's lyrics and messages, the condolences from fans after he passed away, David's struggles to make it in music, and the process to begin the Ypres Metal Fest, among other topics, so click here to read the full article! Beyond the new interview quotes, there isn't a lot of new information here that hasn't been covered elsewhere, but the article does indicate that David had been planning to teach overseas again in Dubai later this year, and it also gave Esther's e-mail (esther.h.gold@gmail.com) as an location to send donations towards the David Gold Memorial Scholarship for local post-secondary institutions that is hoped to be offered starting in the 2012-13 school year. This is another nicely written article that gives good press to both David and TONIGHT'S memorial concert at The Canadian Nightclub, so give it a read, and I hope to see you there at 5:00 PM sharp!
Thirdly today, here's the latest updates on next Friday's all ages metal show at The Oddfellows Hall! Promoter Jeremy Hannah has launched a new Facebook event page for the show, now more generically titled "Music Mayhem", and it features a few more updates on this concert to take note of. Admission is $10 at the door, it is definitely all ages, and doors open at 7:00 PM on Friday, April 13th for this show, which should be awesome! The lineup still has As It Stands headlining, with Shit Liver, Borderline Divine, For All That Is Lost, Winkstinger (or "WingStinger"), and Changing Waves following them in the band order, and note that "T.B.A." is placed beside As It Stands in the band lineup. Is a new band possible, and/or could As It Stands drop out? If I hear anything to confirm either, I'll let you guys know, but note that the event poster has asterisks beside the band number & time period of the concert, which likely means "subject to change". In a post on the event page's wall, Jeremy apologized for the late notice for this show, but he also added that there'll be a door prize for paying attendees, which is interesting, so keep that in mind! Sounds like a great show all around, and with some notable returns and Oddfellows Hall debuts among the lineup, so check the above links for more details!
And finally for today, local solo guitarist Neno Jovanovic has posted another play-along cover of a hard rock song onto his YouTube channel, and it's of his cover of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy"! Uploaded on Monday, it's his first posted track on YouTube since February, and it's another well played cover that sounds like you'd expect, though the guitar track definitely sounds newer than the original song, and it doesn't flow as well as some of his other covers because of the recording quality disparity. Solid work as always though, and on one of Queen's heavier tracks too, so give Neno's latest cover a listen below!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a special Sault Michigan-centric auto-post tonight during the Ypres Metal Fest for you American readers, and it has new concerts, a band breakup, and more, so look out for it! As for Sault Ontarians, I hope to see you guys at The Canadian at 5:00 PM for the Ypres Metal Fest, which is gonna be massive (and for a great cause), so I'll see you guys there! Thanks everyone!
Well, I figured our next post on here would be our next Defunct Local Band Profile, but I had to rush a news post onto the site due to a short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TODAY! That and a few more new concerts from the same act lie below, but also check out this post for some new videos from across the river in Sault Michigan, including a new concert video and the latest videos from two talented area guitarists, so here's what you need to know!
Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has announced FOUR more acoustic solo concerts for this spring, including a return to Bossy's Pub N' Grub TODAY!! I apologize for the short notice, Tym only just announced these concerts (including today's) yesterday. Among the new shows he announced, Tym will be back at the Pim Street bar/restaurant today & next Saturday at 2:00 PM, pushing his Bossy's weekly concert arrangement to a 10th & 11th week, which is good to see! The other new shows include a return to The Zone Roadhouse in Goulais River for the first time in four months next Saturday, which will also serve as both his second show of the day and his St. Patrick's Day show! That should be fun, and I imagine green beer will be flowing readily! The final new show will be a Friday night return to The Service Grill on Korah Road on April 6th for the first time in almost two months, and it's good to see him back at one of his recent favourite concert spots! The non-Bossy's gigs should have 9:00 PM-ish start times and no cover charges, and though the Zone show is likely 19+, The Service Grill's show might not be due to the restaurant setting. Click the above links for each new show's respective Facebook event page!
It's cool to see Tym announce a bunch of shows at once, with advance time to spread the word for most of them, so hopefully some of you guys can plan your schedules to check Tym out this spring! First of all though, he'll be back at Bossy's THIS AFTERNOON, so if you want some acoustic hard rocking good times, you know where he'll be today! For a preview of today's show, check out this video of Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's in January!
Next up, here's a brand new concert video from a recent major Kewadin Casino metal show! We've seen videos of hair metal legends Stryper & Slaughter from their show at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino from February 24th already via YouTube user soundsunlimiteddj's YouTube channel, but only last week did he post a video of opening band Lynch Mob to go along with his other concert clips! The video is of ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch's band playing the title track of their 1990 debut album "Wicked Sensation", and like with soundsunlimiteddj's other videos from this show, the quality is awesome! Though heads can get in the way, the band sounds good with a solid groove, and maybe I'll have to give Lynch Mob more of a listen now after seeing this video! Check out the new Lynch Mob video from this concert below, and if any more Stryper, Slaughter, or Lynch Mob videos turn up online, I'll be sure to have them here!
Also in new videos, Trail's End guitarist Chris Hubbard has posted some new videos onto his YouTube channel, and though two of them are from Van Halen's recent concert in Detroit, the rest deal with Chris' own solo work and instruments! The three most recent, which were uploaded last week, are videos of some of Chris' custom Van Halen-styled instruments, including two EVH guitars and a work-in-progress Alex Van Halen drum kit replica, so click here to see his work if you're interested in seeing some well done guitar/drum customization! The other new videos are of Chris playing the guitar, one of which is Chris covering snippets various Van Halen songs for about 10 minutes, and all sound really good, but the view on the video is of his EVH guitar rig and occasionally his foot. That's the point of the video though, so I'm not too disappointed, and you hear some great guitar work regardless! The video we're embedding here though is of Chris covering the new Van Halen song "Blood & Fire" in full, and though the angle on Chris is further than on his other posted Van Halen covers, this is a solid version of this sort of-new Van Halen track! Check it out below, and watch more of Chris' solo videos at the above links!
And finally for now, Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie has posted a new solo performance video to his YouTube channel! Uploaded on Thursday and entitled "Building A Reflection", he says he wrote this using the loop function of one of his amp models, and it's a cool sounding piece that could start a quality progressive metal track if he built on it more! Definitely check it out below, and keep posted to the SMS for more from Scott and Swayze Train!
That's all for the moment, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Paraside later today! Thanks everyone!
Another weekend is upon us, so it's time to preview this weekend's slate of local metal & hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults! I know of at least six heavier-leaning shows in the area between tonight & Saturday (let me know if you know of others), so let's begin with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend!
Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is returning to the stage THIS SATURDAY with his acoustic solo show, but at two different venues! His day begins (as expected) at Bossy's Pub N' Grub on Pim Street for his seventh straight solo concert there in his current weekly arrangement, but after that wraps up, he'll return to The Service Grill on Korah Road for his first show there in over a month on Saturday evening! In other words, he'll be busy on Saturday, and you have double the chances to see him deliver his acoustic hard rock and metal covers live! Admission should be free for both shows, and I believe neither has an age limit, and as for times, Tym's set at Bossy's is at 2:00 PM as usual, while he'll be on at The Service Grill at 8:00 PM on Saturday. For more details, click here and here for each show's respective Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym staying active with his solo concerts, so while we wait for Caveman Morrison's return, definitely consider seeing Tym at either venue on Saturday! For a preview, here's Tym and former Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words" a few years ago!
Now to the previously announced concerts for this weekend, starting with the 42nd Roosevelt Hotel metal night taking place TONIGHT! After a four week break (are they now monthly?), bookers are bringing three talented Algoma District bands to the Rosie's stage to melt some faces, and headlining tonight are local extreme metal quintet Winkstinger! Almost 7 months after their last Thursday metal night appearance, this explosive local band will be sure to unleash the fury tonight in what should be their first concert since the departure of singer Alan Wells in December. Band pages haven't announced his replacement yet, so who'll be behind the mic? Tonight, we'll find out! Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost will become the fifth band to play a Rosie metal night 8 times when they hit the stage tonight for a brutal set of death metal originals, so be sure not to miss them tonight in their first local show of 2012 either! Opening tonight's festivities will be local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre, who'll be playing their first show since changing their name from View To A Kill last month. They reportedly have new original songs to debut tonight, so be at The Roosevelt Hotel early to avoid missing any of the metal action!
Admission is free for tonight's concert, you must be 19 to attend, and The Valentine's Day Massacre will open the show at 10:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! The more sporadic scheduling of the current metal nights is a bit concerning, but it's still awesome to see a new one tonight, and I definitely plan on coming out to hear what's new with the bands performing! I hope to see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Winkstinger playing their song "Jimmy Got His New Legs (Derp)" at The Rosie last summer!
Now, a quick trip to Sault Michigan for our next previews, as local hard rock trio Trail's End are returning to the stage for their second concert weekend since their inception on Friday & Saturday night! Though their Facebook page has yet to acknowledge these dates, this new local band featuring Splitshot & Nixxon Dixxon alumni are listed as performing at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for two concerts this weekend, and Kewadin's entertainment page has always proven to be a good source, so I imagine a formal band announcement is forthcoming soon. I've heard positive things from their live debut at The Rapids Lounge last month, so consider a trip to Kewadin for their return this weekend for some hard rocking good times! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely. Check the above links for more details! This should be a fun concert weekend from this talented young band, and hopefully good crowds turn out to see Trail's End all weekend long! Hopefully you guys can make it out, and for a preview, here's Trail's End's first original song "Run"!
And finally, Sault Ontario classic hard rock quintet Turner Up are back this Saturday for their first ever concert at The Sportscentre Bar & Grill! After four weeks off from "turning 'er up", this prolific cover outfit will be sure to deliver a solid night's worth of great classic hard rock songs for their fans, but how about this venue? It's in the West End at 624 Wellington Street West, near the Steelton area and a road over from Carmen's Way, and this is the first concert that I can ever remember reporting on there that's SMS-calibre. I'm sure it's a good venue though, as Turner Up (old or new) know good spots to play at! This one-night-only show on Saturday has a 19+ age limit and a 10:00 PM start time, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though the new Turner Up's live concerts have definitely been more sporadic, they always rock the house, and definitely consider checking them out on Saturday night if you're up for a trip to a different venue! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's the old Turner Up (featuring 3 identical members) covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" last year!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's new poll on Saturday, plus more news and notes throughout! Thanks everyone!
It's time to preview this weekend's slate of local metal & hard rock concerts! Though thin in the amount of concerts, there's a pretty big show going down on Saturday night that we'll be getting to, but first, if you were listening to Rock 101 this morning, you may have heard me being interviewed by Scott Cook & Brian Davie on "Scott & Brian In The Morning"! Though I was late due to bridge traffic, I think the interview went over well, and we discussed the site, how it started, bands in the scene, juggling the SMS with school, and so forth. It was fun and unique, and Scott & Brian are just as personable and friendly off-air as they are on the air, and I wanna thank them for the opportunity to come on this morning! If they ever want me to come back to talk local music, I'll be sure to come by again! If anyone recorded the interview, send it my way! Now, let's get to the news, starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!
Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is returning to The Service Grill for another solo acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT!! This will be the fourth straight week of unplugged hard rock and metal covers from Tym Morrison at this Korah Road restaurant, and it comes just a week before he brings Caveman Morrison back to the stage down the road at The Roosevelt Hotel, so go see him tomorrow night just in case his next solo show isn't for a while! Apologies for the short notice too, Tym only launched the Facebook event page for tomorrow's concert last night. As usual, Tym will be on at 8:00 PM tomorrow night, I don't think there's a cover to get into The Service Grill (it is a restaurant, after all), and there is no announced cover charge. For more details, check the above links! It's good to see Tym keeping busy in the buildup to Caveman Morrison's return, and if you wanna enjoy some great hard rock & metal covers, what better way then to head down to The Service Grill tomorrow night? Check the above links for more info, and for a preview, here's Tym & former Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!
Now to the other concerts of the weekend, and first, we'll hop to Sault Michigan, as local hard rock quartet Powerslug are returning to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! This will be their last concert weekend at Kewadin Casino's bar of 2011 and (from what I can tell) their first local shows since the day before Thanksgiving at The Bird. Now, as I've come to expect over the past year, Powerslug haven't updated band pages in any fashion since before their name change, so I don't have any official band confirmation for these shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, but if Kewadin Casino's entertainment page confirms them, then they must have truth to them! As such, you can see the band featuring Scofflaw & Kilacel alumni tonight & tomorrow at around 10:00 PM both nights, there's no known cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! It's good to see Powerslug back on stage for concerts that I can cite, and hopefully we'll hear (and see) a lot more from them in 2012 (that includes videos, so I can't preview that area of theirs yet, but hopefully soon!) Check them out this weekend if you can!
And now, the main event of the metal concert weekend... gimme an R! (R!) O! (O!) C! (C!) K! (K!) Whatcha got? The return of Helix to Sault Ste. Marie, that's what! Over three years after last rocking the area, the Kitchener classic metal legends will return to town TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar to deliver a set full of their classic songs like "Wild In The Streets" & "Deep Goes The Knife", tracks from their latest album "Vagabond Bones", and of course, "Rock You"! No strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, you may remember last seeing them in July 2008 at The Canadian Nightclub in what was a great show, but older fans are bound to remember Helix's concerts here from their prime years, like their Sault Memorial Gardens headlining concert that took place exactly 24 years ago today on December 2nd, 1987! Even more coincidental, the surviving members of their classic 1980s lineup are back in Helix, so how's that for a flashback on Saturday night? The openers for this show are local dance rock quartet Boogie Fever, who may seem like an odd choice to open for Helix (a far cry genre-wise from Syre or Stillbroke), but they're a very talented band and they feature some local hard rock alums in their lineup, so their talent will speak for itself!
Admission is $10 in advance at either The Algonquin Hotel box office (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) or The Rad Zone, or you can get them for $14 at the door. There will be a 9:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit as well. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see these Canadian metal legends back in town, and with most of their classic lineup in tow, you know they'll be ready to rock old fans and new fans alike! Check out the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Helix's music video for one of their newer singles, "Make 'Em Dance"!
With the known weekend concert previews out of the way, here's a bonus story, and it's the first videos of the new look Sativa Rose, who debuted at The Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday night as openers for Toronto punk band The Unbelievers! As you may know, new singer Marisa Valois made her debut with Sativa Rose on Tuesday, where they also featured guest drummer Steven Flint in place of Alex Palmer, but how'd they sound after their over 4 month hiatus? We can now find out, as bassist Adam Veale's dad John has uploaded two videos from the show onto his YouTube channel! The videos feature Sativa Rose covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" and Iron Maiden's "Aces High", and I have to say, Marisa fits in well! She has a voice that meshes well with heavier songs, while being melodic at the same time, and a nice stage presence, though she doesn't hold her notes as well as I assumed on "Bark At The Moon". Steven's solid on drums too on short notice, I wonder if this will lead anywhere beyond this show for him and the band? Time will tell, but Sativa Rose's new formation sound very promising, so check out the new videos above, and here's their cover of "Aces High"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the weekend! Thanks everyone!
In the first post of a planned 2 post Saturday, I have some news and notes to share with you guys, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows TONIGHT and next month, details on a brand new local metal CD release (and if we're reviewing it this month), and what I know on the status of a prominent local metal band. And yes, our scheduled Saultites in Out of Town Bands Profile update post will arrive as scheduled later today, so stay tuned for that! Now, let's kick off this news post!
With Caveman Morrison's planned return shows at The Roosevelt Hotel this weekend called off due to a double booking, frontman Tym Morrison's making the most of it by returning to The Service Grill just down the road TONIGHT for another solo acoustic concert! I apologize for the short notice, but Tym only just announced the show last night, and in all reality, an announcement for it was gonna be cutting it close due to the timing. This will be Tym's third straight Saturday night show at the Korah Road restaurant, and luckily for you Rosie regulars, it's seconds away, you can see Spyder's Web and Tym in the same night very easily! Note that the Facebook event page says that he's playing there "every Saturday" again, but with Caveman Morrison's real return imminent (more on that in a second), that point appears to be flexible. Remember, Tym is on TONIGHT at The Service Grill at 8:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and I don't think it's 19+. Check the above links for more details! Short notice or not, it's nice to see Tym staying busy despite the postponement of Caveman Morrison's return, so if you're itching to hear some metal and hard rock covers, there'll still be some Morrison-related music on Korah Road tonight! Make it out if you can, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" at what's now Feedback in 2009!
That said, when exactly are Caveman Morrison making their return? In two weeks, as the popular metal cover trio will make their long awaited debut with their new lineup at The Roosevelt Hotel on December 9th & 10th! Again, the new date is due to the Spyder's Web double booking this weekend, and my source for the new dates is The Rosie's Facebook page. Still waiting for band confirmation, but if a venue confirms a concert, then that's a very good source! These will mark Caveman Morrison's first shows in 5 months, their first concerts at The Rosie since (I think) 2009, the debut of new bassist James White, and the return of ex-bassist/current drummer Rick White, after originally leaving Caveman Morrison over 18 months ago. Full details are not out yet for their return shows, but I'd expect them both to be 19+ with no cover and 10:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see a new return so quickly after their original return dates being scuttled, and you know that with two more weeks to prepare, the new Caveman Morrison lineup will be on top of their game come December 9th! Stay tuned for any possible updates as they come in!
Next up, we have a new local metal album release (of sorts), and if you paid attention to our Facebook page earlier today, you know exactly what it is! Yesterday, Sault Michigan classical metal trio Theatre of Night (featuring 3/5ths of End of Existence) released a remastered version of their 2010 album "Christmas Night" to their Reverbnation page, with plans to release it on other online music outlets like iTunes on December 7th. The release was hyped as a Black Friday exclusive with special pricing of $5.99 for the album in mp3 format and $7.99 on CD, and though I think the intention was for it to only be on sale yesterday until the full release on the 7th, the album was still on sale for the same prices on their Reverbnation store as of this writing. I apologize if anyone missed it yesterday, but I didn't have enough news at the time for a full news post. That said, this new version of "Christmas Night" is mostly the same as last year's release, save for remastered audio and the addition of two new orchestral metal renditions of Christmas carols ("The Nutcracker" & "Hark! The Herald (Angels Sing)".) Don't let the seasonal theme fool you, this is very much a metal album, and you can pick it up (while you can) at the above links, or you can wait until the 7th when it'll be available everywhere for digital download!
That all said, if you like orchestral metal and Christmas carols, Theatre of Night's CD is definitely worth exploring, but should you buy it? By Wednesday, you can take my word for it, as I'm officially announcing that we're reviewing the new version of "Christmas Night" for this month's CD review on the SMS! It'll be our first Sault Michigan CD review since Clownsack's "Funny Farm" EP in April, and despite the slow pace of new metal CD releases locally, it will be our 4th new album review on the SMS in the past 8 months. Consider it a kickoff to the Christmas season around these parts, so stay tuned for my review of Theatre of Night's remastered debut album on Wednesday!
And finally, I wanted to take some time to explore the status of a prominent local death metal band, that being State of Misery. Since their return from their summer breakup in August, fans have been waiting for news from this talented young band, but nothing official on band pages has came out since drummer Nick Kainula said new songs were coming soon on their Facebook page last month. Fairly recent enough, but there's signs that not all is positive (again) for State of Misery. In the past month, we've seen frontman Steve Rhodes join View To A Kill & guitarist Ray Cowan join Social Suicide, and I'll note that they're the same members who split from the band & joined Bring The Misery in May. Whether they've left State of Misery or not isn't publically known, but on Sunday, Nick posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group that he was looking for "a singer for a metal band", and to message him if you're interested. Has Steve (at the very least) left State of Misery? Is Nick forming a completely different band? Possibly both? I personally don't know enough to say, but this all has me wondering what's going on in the State of Misery camp, for better or for worse.
I just thought I'd share what I knew with you guys. If I hear more on the future of State of Misery, I'll be sure to post it, and if you can sing, message Nick at the above link for more details on joining the band in question!
That's all for now, but stay tuned later today for our update post to our Saultites in Out of Town Bands Profiles, where I'll tell you guys what's changed, what's new, and what's coming from the bands with local members that we've covered in the series over the past two years! Stay tuned!
Well guys, here's one more post before we unveil our next monthly poll at the SMS tomorrow, and today, we'll profile this weekend's known slate of metal and hard rock concerts! For the record, I have not heard anything definitive about a Roosevelt Hotel metal night taking place tonight, despite the buzz behind the series' relaunch last week. Whether it's just very secretive, no longer weekly, extremely short notice, or otherwise, I don't know if there will be a metal night tonight, but if I hear anything on them or any future developments relating to them, you'll hear them here (same for if any Sault Michigan metal shows are announced!) Now, to the previews, starting with some short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Edited on Friday at 9:30 AM)
Local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester are returning to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a month away from the local stage, this talented veteran outfit will return to one of their favourite stomping grounds, Docks Riverfront Grill, for two high impact sets of classic hard rockers over the next two nights! Note that the Facebook event page for this show only lists a Friday date, but the band confirmed on their Facebook page that they ARE playing Saturday too. The event page has the tagline "The Show Must Go On", which could allude to the band still playing despite a rather painful looking foot injury sustained by drummer Ric Datson. Still, it's good to see the band marching on, and you know they'll still deliver quality stuff at Docks this weekend! I'd expect there to be a cover charge of around $4, you must be 19 to attend, and they'll be on at 11:00 PM both nights. Check the above links for more details! These should be fun concerts from That's Chester, so head to Docks for some quality classic hard rock from this standout local band! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" at Docks a few years back!
Also for new (and imminent) concerts are the next two acoustic solo dates from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! One week out from Caveman Morrison's long waited return, Tym will break out the unplugged show all weekend, starting with his return to The Zone Roadhouse in Goulais River TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans and revelers in Goulais River will be happy to see Tym back at The Zone after two months away from there, so head to the Highway 17 North bar/restaurant tomorrow to enjoy the music! And yes, Saultites, Tym will again return to The Service Grill on Korah Road on Saturday night, which will be sure to go over well! This breaks the recent bi-weekly trend of his shows there, but with the Caveman bookings next weekend, I figured we'd hear about a show this weekend, so don't miss it! He'll be on at 9:00 PM tomorrow and an hour earlier on Saturday, there's no announced cover charge for either show, and I expect you'll have to be 19 or older for at least the Zone show. Click here and here for each concert's Facebook event pages! With Caveman Morrison's return, who knows when you could see Tym's entertaining acoustic shows next, so just in case, make a point to see him somewhere this weekend! For a preview, here's Tym & former Half Past singer Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words" in Heyden a few years back!
Let's close this post with new videos, and first, here's yet another new solo performance video from End of Existence, Theater of Night, and Dust N' Bones keyboardist Craig Harrison! The prolific and talented Sault Michigan artist has posted another video of some solo synth riffs onto his YouTube channel earlier today, where he shows off 6 minutes of Amon Amarth-inspired synth riffs that don't sound bad at all! Maybe repetitive, but this is all rough, and with some refinement and extra attention, these would fit nicely on some End of Existence material! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Craig and his solo projects as it comes in!
And finally, here's this week's classic video! With their return to the stage this weekend, I figured That's Chester would be a good band to connect a classic video with, so this week, we'll focus on frontman Greg Simpson's old party rock trio Stiffler's Mom! Videos of theirs are hard to come by online, but as you may remember, they covered the members' old metal band Sin Stereo's songs live frequently, and one such performance was filmed by SooToday in 2007 at one of their biggest shows. On July 15th, 2007, Stiffler's Mom were called on short notice to replace Washington, D.C. solo artist Hayley Sales as openers for Australian rock legends INXS at the then-Steelback Center in what must have been an amazing experience for them! I'm not high on INXS, but this was a huge opportunity, and I heard they did great! SooToday's Donna Hopper was there to review the show (you can check her review out at this location) and she got footage of Stiffler's Mom covering Sin Stereo's "Enjoy The Show" from their set! Only 30 seconds worth (it's all press were allowed for some reason), but it's better than no footage at all!
Featuring their classic lineup (including Greg on vocals/drums, Michael Davies on guitar, and Jon Ferguson on bass), the video was stretched out with the addition of a dramatic intro and some pop-up facts on Stiffler's Mom, which do add to the clip! It's well shot, and Stiffler's Mom play the song close to the studio original, but it's a shame it couldn't be longer. You can see the original video at http://sootoday.com/uploads/common/concerts/stifflers_mom_inxs.wmv and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Stiffler's Mom and Donna Hopper, they did the hard work, I'm just sharing this video with a wider audience like it deserves! That said, check out Stiffler's Mom breaking out "Enjoy The Show" as openers for INXS below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's new poll TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!
We have a lot of videos in the cache to share with you guys, so here's our first local metal video showcase of November! Today, we have new guitar cover videos from a pair of area hard rock/metal musicians, this week's classic video, and to start, here's another newer video from local grunge quartet Haggith! Their new videos continue to pile up, and we have one more to get to probably next week, but we'll continue with this new live video of the band (minus bassist Caleb Cachagee) playing an acoustic swing variant of their reprise of "Wanko"! Uploaded on Saturday to their YouTube channel, we heard this song in a swing style on a previous concert video, but this unplugged take was filmed outside at night, and as a result, the video quality is incredibly dark. Audio's fine though, and it's an interesting take on the original song with nicely matching lead vocals from Daniel Horton, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more Haggith videos soon!
Thirdly today, here's a new video from a Sault Michigan native that we haven't heard much from vocally in recent years, that being RedStone Riot/ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison! Over a year before moving to Muskegon, Ryan was the frontman of Absolute successors Riot! By Night from 2009-2010 before switching to bass full time in later bands, and while Riot! By Night videos never made it public, Ryan did upload solo acoustic covers of rock songs onto his YouTube channel through April 2010. Over two and a half years later, Ryan finally uploaded three new vocal/guitar covers there yesterday (in what he's calling "The Pajama Sessions"), including his renditions of the Marvelous 3 track "Cigarette Lighter Love Song", "Push" by Matchbox 20, and (as embedded below) Blue October's "Ugly Side", so check them out above & below! Though very soft compared to his full band output, these offer a glimpse at what his live concert singing might have been like, and he shows clear talent on vocals & guitar, including nice control and use of his vocal range, especially on the Marvelous 3 cover!
