LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), The Steves Concert Preview, And More!!

I wasn't planning to have another new news post this month, with this once pencilled in for tomorrow to start May, but with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS starting TONIGHT that were only announced yesterday, I had to push this one up. With that said, we also have a preview for a show on Wednesday, a new cover video, and some assorted recent updates to touch on, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for matinee concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced these shows via his Facebook event page yesterday. This marks the second straight week that Tym has played unplugged matinee shows at this early stage of the week, which could mirror the scheduling from last month where he played the first and last weeks of April (if so, he'd be there next on May 28th-30th, but that is not officially public.) Despite the short online notice, Tym's prolific set list of hard and classic rock favourites should go over well at the Market Mall restaurant TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and WEDNESDAY, so keep these shows in mind for supper-time entertainment! There are no cover charges or age limits (though mind the locale), and these have early 4:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's a preview of a show that had lots of advance notice, as Regina pop punk quartet The Steves will make their local concert debut THIS WEDNESDAY when they headline at LopLops Lounge! Uniquely comprised of four guys all named Steve (hence the name), this lo-fi band should be a solid match at LopLops with their indie-tinged punk sound, and with a new single just released this month, look for some solid and upbeat tracks on Wednesday! Local support will include alt-punk trio A Dire Setback in their first public concert set of 2018 and just their second with Chris Nielsen on lead vocals, so how will they sound in their return from the studio, and might there be any reveals regarding album plans? Be at LopLops in a couple of days to find out! Indie/hard rock trio Vol. were slated to kick off Wednesday night's show, but with their drummer vacancy still ongoing, frontman Steve Edwards and bassist Mikaela Murtonen will play as a duo under the name "Mik & Steve", as per a quiet update on the Facebook event page.

Will Mik & Steve basically play a drummer-less Vol. set, or a go a different route? We'll know either way on Wednesday! This stop mid-way through The Steves' Champagne Campaign Tour is presented locally by Six, Two, Oh., with a 9:00 PM start time, $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit all in effect. This should be a solid concert, especially if you love punk and indie rock in equal measure, so if you can get to LopLops on Wednesday night, don't miss out on this one! Visit the above links for more details, and while I admittedly can't find a live video of The Steves in concert, here's a music video of theirs!



Also today, here's a new solo cover video from local/Manitoba solo hard rock musician Mike Haggith's Facebook page! Already keeping busy in Thompson via shows with his new band Between The Ditches and occasional coffeehouse solo sets, Mike shared this cover of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" yesterday, which is a song he's always loved. Bookended by rainy footage from out Mike's window, this is a fine performance that has a measured moroseness to it, if that makes sense, and it'll definitely please fans of his recent acoustic videos, so give it a look below!



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

• We have deleted the YouTube channel for SooToday's acoustic concert performance webseries Bare from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it quietly being taken down in recent months. A reason for the channel's closure hasn't visibly been announced, and while SooToday articles on the episodes remain online, the video links there no longer work. Bare hadn't been an active series since 2016, but it gave members of bands like Northwest, The Pixo Control, and many others a unique avenue to perform in a more intimate setting, and hopefully the prior Bare episodes return online down the road!
• We have also deleted inactive local music promotion/photography company For The Music Inside from our "Other Local Metal Links" again, following the quiet deletion of their Twitter (and only surviving online) page earlier this year. A reason for the page being taken down wasn't publically announced, but F.T.M.I. hadn't posted new content since 2016 either, and not from local shows since earlier still. For The Music Inside had promise and solid concert photography here and in Southern Ontario, and hopefully everyone stays active in related ventures! 
• Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that they'll be featured in a new split album called "War of Brutality" alongside 5 international crust punk and/or death metal bands! Release data is to be confirmed, but if this YouTube video is any indication, Shit Liver's included songs are "Wait" & "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops" from their new album "Hitting the Fan". If this is true, there's nothing new on the local end, but hopefully this makes Shit Liver some more international fans! Full disclosure, I can't confirm if the YouTube posting is 100% accurate with label consent.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Steves), New Album Releases, And New Videos!!

In what I project to be our final post of March 2018, we have lots of stories to touch on for this Good Friday, including some new videos, two long awaited album releases, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Regina punk/power pop quartet The Steves will make their local concert debut when they headline at LopLops Lounge on Wednesday, May 2nd! Possessing a slightly lo-fi sound that bridges the gap between punk rock and indie/alternative styles, The Steves should be a fine fit at LopLops in just over a month's time, so don't bypass this one if you can hit a midweek concert like this! Local openers will include alt-punk trio A Dire Setback in their first announced concert of 2018, and just their second since their lineup contracted & Chris Nielsen took over on lead vocals. This show comes following A Dire Setback's commencement of debut album recording sessions, so how much will be revealed regarding that or it's sessions on May 2nd? Be at LopLops to find out, but it's great to see them back on stage! Indie/hard rock outfit Vol. will open in their own announced debut show of 2018, so if you were sad to her that they dropped out of next week's Shit Liver show, then here's your next chance to see this talented band in action!

Presented by Six, Two, Oh. in a rare LopLops booking, this show has a 9:00 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. This should be a fun show for punk and indie rock fans alike, so visit the official Facebook event page for details as they roll in!

Next up, we have two album releases to note on here, as former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent has finally given his recent solo music a formal album release treatment! On March 20th and this past Sunday, Mike respectively packaged his prior and new original songs as albums for sale on a "name your price" model via his Bandcamp page, so now you can hear and listen to these as all of a piece rather than loose free song uploads! The former album is called "Ultimate Chaos", compiling songs he recorded in 2016 & 2017 for what were once intended as EPs called "Six, Six, Six" & "We Are Nothing", while the latter is called "Apocalypse" (pictured), which had it's last four new tracks posted in the past month, namely "Unit 731", "MK-Ultra" (no relation to the Sault Michigan band that later became NoXcape), "Annihilation", and "Infanticide". It's great to finally see Mike actually release his two solo albums, but can we expect to see reviews of them on the SMS?

Not next month, as I have Shit Liver's new album review coming to coincide with their show next week, but after that, we could see one as early as May! Between "Ultimate Chaos" (I'd go chronologically), The Din's "Suburban Sendoff", Abhorrent Forest's "To See Eternity", and newer SweetKenny releases, we're covered for new album reviews through the summer, even if nothing else comes out. In the meantime, stream or buy Mike's albums at the above links, and stay tuned for our review of "Ultimate Chaos" in mid-2018!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with defunct local alternative hard rock trio The Din, who shared this never-before-seen video onto their Facebook page from their headlining LopLops concert on January 27th of last year! This is of Mike, Tammy, and Brandan covering The Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy", which also recieved a studio cover from their "cover of the month" series in 2016. Filmed on a stationary camera, it's a high quality video of this lively rendition, and while the sound's a little muffled, it's nice to see this year+ old video at last! Give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's Facebook group, as posted by keyboardist Craig Harrison on Tuesday, and it features him performing a dramatic organ-esque selection from recent songwriting sessions. There's not much to reveal beyond the performance, but it's well done and would add a dark overtone to a completed song, so give it a look below also!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder), Pixo Control Updates, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Friday afternoon, and remember not to miss any concerts this weekend, there's a lot going down! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, lots of updates from a rising young band, and first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Havadder will return to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for one night only! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show yesterday via the Facebook event page. Fresh off of a recent one-nighter at The Rockstar Bar, this will be Jugga & company's first show at Studio 10 since Canada Day, and marks a rare show at the Hudson Street "gentlemen's club" from the guys to not fall over a holiday weekend (no word on why it's a one nighter either.) Aside from the band's classic favourites (and, yes, the "dancers"), the ongoing draw for AC/DC tickets in Toronto continues this weekend, so consider that as well if you're coming out for the entertainment tomorrow! A 10:30 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, and there is no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!

Next up, here's the latest from the alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control's camp! First, if you happened to have seen a concert poster advertising that they were playing with local folk/indie project Great Chamberlain at LopLops Lounge this Wednesday (complete with poster), you're not alone, but all of The Pixo Control's allusions to the show have quietly been deleted for unannounced reasons. The concert is still going on (source here), and will notably be Great Chamberlain's last local show before project leader Chris West moves to Ottawa, so keep that in mind if you're a fan and want to send him off in style! We will, of course, let you know if The Pixo Control are still playing, but their posts must have been deleted for a reason. Also, Pixo Control members Michael Mikus & Steve Edwards were interviewed by Boxes of Boom's Sam Decter on his blog The Tinderbox two weeks ago (in his first interview of a heavier local band), so what should you know from this interview?

Within, Sam asks the guys about what sets them apart from local bands, what local bands they currently like, how things are going with Tidal Records, how recording sessions for "Probably Not" went, their retro influences, the journey from Michael's earlier solo music, how he handles being a band frontman, why drummer Keeghan Rosso left The Pixo Control, and their future tour plans. In terms of scoops, there's nothing dramatically new to report, but Michael confirmed that Keeghan left as he's "just not really in the right mindset to devote himself to playing music right now", but they've got to keep moving forward as life won't always be the same (Matthew Thibert debuted as their new drummer on Sunday.) Solid and informative interview that shows the guys' maturity and musical knowledge, and it'd be interesting to see Sam interview more local bands! Read the full interview at this link, and get more from the guys above!

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

• Local celtic/punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will take a road trip out to Ottawa to play two shows at D'Arcy McGee's this weekend! Personal Facebook posts imply that My Son The Hurricane drummer Cooper Hannahson will be behind the kit this weekend, as he often is for the band's Southern Ontario gigs. Best of luck to the guys, and hopefully we see them back on a local stage soon! Our source is Tidal Records' concert listing page, which also notes a D.J.R.T. private event on Sunday, location not given.
• Long time Sault Michigan music instrument/lessons store Steve's Music Center quietly closed last year, as per posts on their Facebook page. A public reason for the closure of the Ashmun Street store wasn't announced, but personal Facebook postings note that owner/ex-Full Throttle guitarist Steve Pevarnic moved to Washington state at some point in the past year, so that could be related. Disappointing for fans, but best of luck to Steve with his new home, and if you need music gear in Sault Michigan, Grooves Music is seconds down the road from Steve's!
• In advance of TONIGHT'S first annual Superior Festival in Sault Michigan, SooToday's Donna Hopper interviewed Saving Abel guitarist Scott Bartlett for this article on the event, where Scott discussed why the Mississippi hard rock notables don't mind playing an smaller debuting event, the switch from Jared Weeks to Scott Austin on vocals (even though they already played with this lineup in the Soo in April), and the influence of southern rock on their music. Good article, so check it out above, and remember, if you're at The Superior Festival TONIGHT at The Savoy, you can hang out with Saving Abel post-show!

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

Destroilet, Music Depot, And Woods Of Ypres News, Plus This Week's Classic Video!!

The news keeps rolling in, and we have some interesting stuff to share today, but first, here's what to look out for through the weekend! Tomorrow, we'll preview this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts, and on Saturday, we announce the winners of the first four March Mayhem 1st round matchups and launch the next four for you to vote on, and by the day (maybe earlier), we'll unveil our next CD review! Now though, here's today's news!

A third local band are trying to qualify for an Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands slot on this year's Vans Warped Tour, and it's old school hardcore quintet Destroilet! As in the campaigns for Frightlight & Garden of Bedlam, Destroilet also want to earn enough votes to qualify for a slot on an upcoming Canadian Warped Tour event, where they can compete against other bands for big prizes, but there's one big difference: They don't want to play the Warped Tour's stop in Mississauga, which is what Frightlight & Garden of Bedlam are going for. Instead, Destroilet are hoping to make it on the July 16th stop in Montreal at Parc-Jean Drapeau! Why? I'm not sure, especially given that the field of bands is larger and have more votes, but maybe Destroilet didn't want to compete with the other local acts. Still, Destroilet on the Warped Tour anywhere would be awesome, so vote for them today! Click here to vote, and if you haven't registered for a Battle of the Bands account yet, do so, it won't kill you or cost you a cent. They only have 13 votes, come on guys, help them out! They deserve it, especially with their raised profile of recent months! Vote today, and for reference sake, Firefox 4 DOES allow the media player on Battle of the Bands pages to work, so you can check out "End Me" and "H.D.M." no matter what!

Next up, here's an odd question: Have you ever found a brand new video of a band because you made a typo? Well, because of that, I found two new videos of Woods of Ypres from their current East Coast tour, all because I accidentally typed "Wood of Ypres"! Luckily, someone made that error in the title of a video, so that was a cool find! These videos come from their show at L'Hemisphere Gauche in Montreal last night, which was coinicdentally the release date for the re-release of "Woods IV: The Green Album"! YouTube user xes1978 uploaded these earlier today on their YouTube channel, and they're of the band playing "The Shams of Optimism" & "Crossing The 45th Parallel" and "Everything I Touch Turns To Gold (Then To Coal)"! Good quality audio on these, though the angles should have been more varied, as I don't believe the camera panned to Joel Violette once. The videos are dark too, but again, there's that nice red ambiance that makes things look pretty good. Nice to see this footage as well, check the above links for more! I'll embed one of the videos here, so check out their performance of "Everything I Touch Turns To Gold (Then To Coal)" below!



Next up, here's some news from local music store Music Depot! Located at 137 Gore Street (close to the old GLOW location) It's a popular spot to get instruments, lessons, and gear, but only earlier this month did they launch an official website! We've known about their Facebook page since last month, but now, they have a website at http://www.saultmusic.com/, so what should you know? You can see the guitars, basses, drumkits, amplifiers, and mixers for sale, though some of the product tabs aren't active yet. You can't buy items through the site, but you can find pricing information and basic details on most listed items, as well as be diverted to their pages on Facebook and eBay. Many of the additional tabs and sections aren't finished yet, but in time, I'd expect spots for lesson info, used items, and product lines to pop up. Check the above links for more from Music Depot! While we're on the subject of music stores, I've edited the details for Sault Michigan music store Steve's Music, which has moved from 126 Ridge Street to 557 Ashmun Street, not far from the other music store across the river, Grooves Music. I'm not sure why they moved, or even when it happened, but to be fair, I don't hear a lot on Steve's Music, so maybe I've just been misinformed for a long time. If I hear some new stuff on them, I'll have it here!

And finally, here's this week's classic video! As always, I'm tying in the video with a band or performer at an upcoming concert, and in this case, it's River Witch drummer Ivan Schliska! Along with his more active recent work with River Witch, Ivan's long been a member of the hard rock trio Scofflaw, who've been rocking the area since 2007, despite sporadic band updates. We don't talk about Scofflaw much on here because they don't advertise many of their plans or shows, so I often don't hear about them, but I try my best! With that said, I found one video of Scofflaw in action, so here's what you should know! The band uploaded a video from a likely jam session onto their MySpace page on September 17th, 2008, as filmed by an attendee. It's of the band playing what appears to be an original song named "Love Destroyer", and it's not a bad performance, though there are elements I'd like to see corrected. Jeff Barnes' vocals seem to be too low, the song seems a bit too straightforward at points, and the location of the performance is mostly VERY dark, with only bassist Barney Gravelle being reasonably visible. Good stuff though, they have a grungy sort of unpolished feel that I don't see too much of from bands across the river, and it has a catchy element to it!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT OR HARM IS INTENDED WITH THIS VIDEO!! All credit goes to Scofflaw and the original filmer, they did all of the hard work! The original video can be seen at http://myspace.com/scofflawband/videos/love-destoyer/43013670. I want this video and Scofflaw to get more deserved attention, they could use it! With all of that said, enjoy Scofflaw's performance of "Love Destroyer" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for previews of this weekend's concerts tomorrow, along with March Mayhem updates, more news, and our next CD review in the next while! Thanks everyone!