New Din Concert Video, A Documentary Teaser, And More Updates!!

I have been behind on a few news stories as of late, so let's help remedy that with on this Sunday morning! This includes some live concert footage, a film teaser, and much more, so hopefully this will be an assist as we get caught up on the SMS! Here's what you need to know!

Last week, in their first YouTube channel upload in over a year, defunct local alt-hard rock trio The Din uploaded the (almost) full video from their Suburban Sendoff concert at LopLops Lounge from October 2017! Notable as the release party for their "Suburban Dream" CD, the source for the "Suburban Sendoff" live album, and as Mike, Tammy, and Brandan's final concert together as an active band (last year's one-off reunion aside), this video was shot by (ex-?) Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay across multiple cameras for Shaw TV's old OnStage series, and it's great to see that Christian and/or Shaw let The Din post the whole thing! This video doesn't quite capture the entire concert, as camera batteries died before the encore performance of "A Drive Through The Peninsula" (hear it here), but every other song makes it on this 92 minute-long video. In order, the video includes 2+ minutes of setup, then performances of "Give Me A Reason", "High Park", ...

"Alleyways & Apartments", "Out Of My League", "Weekend Delivery", "Missing", "Flux", "We Met As Surrogates/At The Circus", "In Search Of The Perfect Moment", "35s The Limit", "Up In The Air", "Remember", the brief intermission, "In The Moonlight", "The Price That You Pay", "Potato (Should've Known Better)", "75", their timely cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", and "Suburban Dream", so click each song name to directly check them out. The music on offer here is nothing new from what fans already heard on Bandcamp, but the video is the star here, and you get to see The Din in their element, leaving it all on the stage one more time before Mike's move west, with two stationary cameras and one live camera capturing every good and bad moment! Aside from "A Drive Through The Peninsula", the un-played "The Rose", and a few of Mike's solo covers from "The Din Does Laundry", this video covers all of The Din's recorded studio material, so what better way to remember them then by checking this out!



Next up, here's the latest from local punk/indie musician, artist, and filmmaker Christopher Shoust, who is bringing back his solo project Telephone & Address at the Oh!No festival this fall, but that's not what we're here to talk about today. Back in July 2016, we added his defunct local punk band F.F.B. to our band links, and at the time, there had apparently been discussions between Chris and ex-bandmates Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda and Kyle Grawbarger about making a documentary film about their run. Well, public details were exceedingly minimal for a few years, but this teaser video for the documentary was quietly posted to Chris' YouTube channel last month. It features some video clips of live performances from their 1999-2000 run (which lasted either 4 months or 16 months, depending on which source you read), though it's hard to tell what form the final product will take. Sonically, we can at least get a sense for how F.F.B. sounded at last, so how are they in these clips?

Not bad, they had an abrasive noise punk quality, a fitting look, and good attitude that would have helped them stand out in the punk scene of the era, but as I was 10 years old during their run, I can't speak first-hand as to what F.F.B. accomplished at the time. We do know what the band's name stands for at least, though if you're not as tuned for vulgarity, be warned. No word on when and how the finished product will be released, but give F.F.B.'s documentary teaser 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 artist name:

• In a rare Rotaryfest lineup change, country/folk trio The Crossroad Magdalenes have replaced indie rockers Man Feelings on the Stage 2 lineup on Saturday, July 20th, also now at 2:30 PM after most of the bands that day were pushed a half hour earlier. Our source is this new Facebook event page. A reason for Man Feelings' withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, they're a talented group! Of course, so are The Crossroad Magdalenes, who have impressed audiences since 2017, and hopefully their Rotaryfest debut is a hit in two weeks!
• Local punk trio Redundant resurfaced last week to play a private Canada Day party, location undisclosed, as per new photos on their Facebook page. The picture quality is mixed, but it does look like former Scary Uncles bassist Andrew MacDonald at least guested on bass again, though Redundant proper have not confirmed James' replacement publically as of yet. Hopefully the set went well!
• Classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's shows at Reggie's West this weekend were alongside guest bassist Cory Valentine due to another Paul Belair absence, as per members Glen Thomas and Terry Eaton's personal Facebook pages. Cory had filled in with Soundcheck last month for another Reggievelt weekend, and hopefully things went even smoother with the guys this time around!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

The Din - "Suburban Sendoff" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 108th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're finally taking a look at defunct local alt-hard rock trio The Din's posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff"! Released on February 16th of this year, this is their fourth paid release and their second live album (but first from a non-acoustic concert), with this album being recorded from the soundboard at The Din's farewell/CD release concert at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, 2017. Like on their prior three albums, The Din are represented here by singer/bassist Mike Haggith (now of Thompson, Manitoba's Between The Ditches and his revived solo project), Steeletown Girls guitarist Tammy Hill, and Re:Born drummer Brandan Glew. "Suburban Sendoff" is only available on their Bandcamp page on their "name your price" model, but consider supporting The Din's work by paying an amount for it! As usual, you can stream it there too, and song names linked below are to their live versions.

This album has 20 tracks running for about 98 minutes in length, but keep in mind that this is a live album, and with one (technically two) exceptions, we have reviewed nearly every song in the past via our reviews of The Din's studio albums "Give In To The Din" and "Suburban Dream", while we looked at the acoustic version of "We Met At The Circus" on "The Din Does Laundry", Mike's studio solo version on "The Warinside" notwithstanding. Given that, I am not re-reviewing most of those songs here, but I will compare them to their studio versions and as live performances. Visit the album names linked above for our original reviews of 9/10ths of this album's songs!

After a brief introduction, "Suburban Sendoff" kicked off in album and live form with the first song on their then-brand new album "Suburban Dream", namely "Give Me A Reason". The LopLops performance sticks close to the original version, which is a fun and upbeat hard rocker already, but I do like that the chorus vocals sound a little looser and less forced. Mild overkill on the cymbals at times, but fans of the studio version will have nothing to complain about in live form! Next on "Suburban Dream" and "... Sendoff" alike is "High Park", which again hews close to the original version, but is played a little faster here, which doesn't hurt things at all! Fans responded well to this steadily paced rocker, and while I'm still not a fan of the "Ooooh" chorus, they again only used it once. Third up is a rendition of "Alleyways & Apartments" from 2016's "Give In To The Din."

This live rendition honestly has a rawer, less grand feel than the original studio copy, but that suits the live setting and the energy within! It's not really any faster, but there's a loose and casual nature to it, especially when Mike tries to get some back-up assistance on the chorus, so fans will be right at home. After acknowledging their impending breakup and that night's release of "Suburban Dream", they launch into the next song from "G.I.T.T.D.", namely "Out Of My League.", itself a prior solo song of Mike's. Aside from his voice showing some strain compared to The Din's studio version, this live take is well performed again, showcasing the song's upbeat and hard rocking strengths to good effect! We flip back to the "Suburban Dream" album for the next two songs, with Mike acknowledging that they're going a little more intimate at this stage of the set, before referencing Shaw TV filming the show (has their footage turned up yet publically?), and introducing the band to the crowd.

The next track is "Weekend Delivery", which maintains it's short and soft nature from the studio version, but the vocals are the big change, as Mike doesn't sound quite as reserved and delicate in this performance, and Brandan's backing vocals don't mesh as well at the same time. I prefer The Din's faster and heavier songs, and this didn't alter that, but it sounds fine otherwise while it lasts! On both live and studio albums, that's followed by "Missing", and I honestly didn't notice this song's verse similarities to "Ahead By A Century" by The Tragically Hip (to me, at least) until today's review! The moody, mid-tempo original is mostly intact here, and it's well performed for fans of The Din's middle ground between heavy and light material! After thanking attendees and Mike's family for attending the farewell show, the guys tackle "Flux" from "Give In To The Din". A slightly faster rendition, this is fairly standard with the original song otherwise, but that's fine by me!

"Flux" was one of my favourite songs" on their debut, and I'm glad to see that it didn't suffer at all in this live setting! Next is the set's only original composition not on The Din's studio albums, namely "We Met At The Circus" (otherwise known as "We Met As Surrogates".) You could call this The Din's de facto studio version of that song, and for comparisons sake with Mike's 2015 solo version on "The Warinside", The Din dropped the highway and telephone sound effects, as well as the orchestral base, in favour of just focusing on the basics. That said, this version is much longer than the original due to some extended jamming that Tammy shines on, as well as Mike thanking all of his friends in Sault Ste. Marie before his big move. The Din's live versions always turned this song into a more energetic, heavy, and fun composition, and that's no different here. It's a shame this song never made one of a Din studio album, but this will do!

We return to their debut album for the next song, "In Search Of The Perfect Moment", which is another faithful live rendition, save for a pause for drama late and a moment where Mike jokingly forgets the last chorus. The Din handles their first album's opener with the requisite enthusiasm and chemistry, and for one of that album's highlights, it definitely deserved it's positive reception (and the mystery balloons that showed up during this song!) The first half of the album concludes with "35's The Limit" from "Suburban Dream", which is another lively and faithful rendition in structure, but it honestly sounds a little more aggressive than it originally did. I don't mind that approach at all, but either way, this is perfectly on pace with earlier songs on this live album! Another "Suburban Dream" track follows next, that being "Up In The Air", which maintains it's leisurely indie-inspired pacing, but slightly amped up for the live concert atmosphere.

Not one of my favourites from that album, but it holds up well live, and the crowd seems to like it! Next is another softer original, "Remember" from "Give In To The Din", which was arguably that album's pure ballad. Live, the instrumentation's a little more prominent, and it feels a little less like a campfire jam, but whether the less casual feel is an improvement or not is subjective. I'm undecided, but it's well performed! Then we have "A Brief Intermission",  where a friend of the band named Kyle Foster comes on stage to compliment and congratulate The Din for their run. Nice of them to include this on the album, but given that it's not a song and runs for just 52 seconds, why not just tack it onto the end of "Remember"? Two successive songs from "Suburban Dream" come on next, starting with "In The Moonlight", which is played a little faster, but primarily differentiates from Mike's voice starting to crack during the first chorus.

That shows how much intensity and passion Mike was giving for The Din's sendoff, and it just adds to the mood of the night! I always liked the slow burn as the song evolved from an intimate performance to having the full band rocking out at the end, and that mostly comes through in this quality live take! Next is "The Price That You Pay", and I'll be honest, this song came through better in studio. The progressive, grand nature of it didn't translate to the farewell concert, and while still well performed, it has more of an emotional, raw feel here that doesn't click the same to me. The song immediately segues into "Potato (You Should've Known Better)" from their debut album/Mike's solo catalog. Again, the studio version of this song is more optimal to hear this song, both via the inclusion of the noodling guitar intro and due to Mike's vocal fatigue and Tammy's guitar coming unplugged, but the hard rock energy is welcomed back after their quieter and more reserved sketch to help get the home stretch in high gear!

The band teases ending their set before calls for an encore prompt a few more songs, starting with "75" from "Give In To The Din" and Mike's old band Haggith's debut CD. Fans of this song dating back to Haggith's run will be pleased to hear that it survived intact with no edits or visible fatigue, and for The Din'a harder edged, faster-paced side, this is surely welcome news! The encore continues with a surprise (though very welcomed) cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough" in tribute to their frontman Gord Downie, who lost his battle with brain cancer just four days prior to this concert. The Din had already covered this song live frequently, so it's short notice inclusion felt natural and right on all accounts. Their rendition was really solid, it's clear that they know the song very well, and Mike injected emotion with a mid-bridge speech about Gord's impact on him as a frontman, while also adding some humor with the "some kind of Elvis thing" lyric.

A cover of "Blow At High Dough" would benefit from two guitarists just for the melody, but you couldn't ask for a more fitting tribute from one Canadian band to another, and kudos for managing to include this in the album! The show seemingly ends with the title track of the "Suburban Dream" CD, and this rendition is really solid, flowing with the original while better using the backing chorus vocals at the same time! The guys bottled up their energy and talents well to unleash here, and this was a great capper.... or was it? After soaking in the emotion and the fan response, they tackle one more song, namely their debut album's extended closer and prior Mike solo track "A Drive Through The Peninsula", which runs for an album record 11 minutes in this live form! Already an extended jam number, it's existing nature lends itself well to Mike reflecting on The Din's local career.

As a slight homage to their early days as an acid jam band, this song is a fitting closer and lets Mike, Tammy, and Brandan jam out and have a little fun to close out their local run! If you like The Din's studio version, you'll surely like this one, but if you dislike jam rock, you may want to stick to Mike's solo rendition from a few years back, which is much shorter.

So, what are my final thoughts on The Din's second (and final?) live album? Well, in terms of a "Suburban Sendoff", you couldn't ask for much more! With the exception of "The Rose" and three Mike Haggith solo songs from "The Din Does Laundry", this comprises virtually all of The Din's recorded (post-acid jam) originals for one extended farewell, and given the emotion and the hype, they delivered! It's impossible to compare this objectively to their past albums, as studio releases will be perfected compositions, and their first live album was acoustic, but the majority of songs here are true to their prior studio versions, while adding the usual live concert quirks and introductions. There are occasional flubs and missed steps, but as they noted on Bandcamp, this concert was unaltered for it's album release, and "the human element is on full display." A few songs don't translate as well to studio, or show noticeable strain from the lengthy headlining set, but The Din went out on top doing what they did best as a group!

Getting to hear fan favourite songs like "75", "Flux", and "We Met As Surrogates" one more time was a thrill, and the crowd and atmosphere was suitably cool on this fall night! As all of a piece, this is as good of a farewell as you could ask for from Mike, Tammy, and Brandan, and here's hoping that we hear more from them in their current projects for the foreseeable future! I hope you guys liked our extended review of "Suburban Sendoff", but what's coming on the site next? We're definitely reviewing a new album next, and I am currently leaning towards our first review of an album from another Mike, namely "Ultimate Chaos" by former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent! That could change (there are new albums from SweetKenny and the aforementioned Mike Haggith to take note of as well), but that's my current instinct. In any event, look for our next review at some point in July, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Big Wreck Concert Videos, The Din's New Live Album, And More!!

Happy President's/Family Day, depending on which side of the border you're on! Today's post on the SMS is loaded with some recent news and material from Sault Ontario, including a new album release and linked new solo video, and another new performance clip, but let's start with videos from last Tuesday's Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop! While videos from this one are surprisingly scant on YouTube, Rock 101's Facebook page has things covered again, with videos of both of last week's bands being uploaded mid-show. One was of opening Winnipeg alt-rock trio Attica Riots playing their song "Misery" from a distant corner angle to the stage, and while it sounds good and lively for the genre, the vertical camera angle and stage setup don't help the view (at least the filmer zoomed in!) As for the headlining Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet, WSUE filmed Big Wreck playing "That Song" and, as embedded below, "Look What I Found", so how'd they turn out?

Both filmed from the back of the crowd section, these are again on a vertical camera angle, but the audio comes through fine, and it's nice to see both a single and a deep cut from "In Loving Memory Of..." filmed for Rock 101's page!  Give each clip a look above and below, and hopefully there's some more footage floating around from this show!

Next up, here's another new album release already for this still-young new year, as defunct local alternative hard rock trio The Din released their posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff" to their Bandcamp page on Friday! They only announced the release date on Wednesday, so when they teased it was coming soon, they were true to their word! Recorded via soundboard audio at the album's eponymous farewell concert at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, this purportedly comprises of the entire concert's audio without edits, but as they noted in the description, "the human element is on full display." The extended 19 song setlist features every song from The Din's two studio albums, except for "The Rose", plus frontman Mike Haggith's old solo original "We Met At The Circus" (or "...As Surrogates".) In a mild surprise, they also left in the encore cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough", despite previously axing the four external covers from the Bandcamp release of "The Din Does Laundry" last year.

No word on if it's in continued tribute to Gord Downie, worth the copyright hassle to keep the set intact, or a combination therein, but it's welcome to see it make the final cut! "Suburban Sendoff" is available on a "name your price" model through Bandcamp, but consider paying an amount to support The Din's hard work, even after their breakup! With all of that said, when can you expect to see a review of "Suburban Sendoff" on the SMS? Honestly, with our self-imposed 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act, it can't come until June at the earliest, as we just reviewed "Suburban Dream" in December, which was itself delayed a couple of months for similar reasons. That said, our album review schedule is set for the first half of the year (May aside), assuming nothing gets delayed! Also, there is new solo cover video from the aforementioned Mike Haggith from his current Thompson, Manitoba home base, so what should you know on it?

The first posting on his YouTube channel in almost two years, this is an acoustic cover of Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With", and it's an entertaining cover of this folk classic, with the well-bearded Mike handling this with a light and optimistic air! Give it a look below, and check out his new Thompson pop rock band Between the Ditches!



Finally for today, here's a new video of local acoustic hard rock duo Rob Speers & Jesse Cook (a.k.a./p.k.a. The Kariokeheads) from their show at Room 21 on December 16th, as uploaded by the venue's Facebook page shortly afterward! However, the cover performed is not what you may expect, with the Elements bandmates playing a surprise unplugged version of Khia's "My Neck, My Back" alongside Rob's wife Christina (I think) on guest vocals, and Rob's Jack Spades bandmate Daniel Horton on guest guitar. I'll just say that everyone's got a sense of humour, and it's a nice casual performance, so give it a look if you want below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Archelon), New Video Postings, And Much More!!

Just to make sure we don't interfere with your Super Bowl plans, today's post is up well and early, so what's in this one? The return of the shorter items bumped from our second Thursday post, two new videos from local concerts last fall, and leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sudbury death/thrash metal band Archelon will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie with a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, March 10th! Most recently noted on the SMS when they and locals Jack Spades toured Northern Ontario together in the fall, this will be Archelon's first set in the Soo since the Devil's Night show at The Oddfellows Hall in October 2014. This brutal Northern Ontario quintet should be easily welcomed back to the local stage next month, so welcome their aggressive and crushing originals back on March 10th! The aforementioned Jack Spades will return from last fall's tour as openers next month in their first live appearance of 2018, while debuting local classic metal quintet Re:Born will hit the stage for the first time ever as the night's advertised openers (though members did open for Archelon with Project 421 and The Revolution back in 2014.) How will Re:Born sound in their first live go-around? We'll find out next month!

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce in his first self-promoted event in four months, this 19+ concert has a $7 cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time, and while it is advertised as being upstairs at The Rockstar Bar, the extreme metal nature of the headliners is more akin to what would be held downstairs at The Algonquin Pub/Spin Nightclub, so keep that in mind if the show changes floors. This should be a great show for metalheads to help ring in the spring months with, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for current & future details!

Next up, here's a new live audio track (albeit posted as a Facebook video) that I apologize for missing on the site for the past two weeks, namely the first official soundboard recording from The Din's farewell show last fall! Last month, the defunct local alternative hard rock trio announced that their posthumous live CD "Suburban Sendoff" (recorded at LopLops Lounge in October) is "finally ready to share", and they're starting with a few advance cuts to preview it's forthcoming full release. This is the cover artwork, obviously an adaptation of the front of their final studio album "Suburban Dream". The first preview track is actually their only cover from that night, aside from frontman Mike Haggith's prior solo material, namely their rendition of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough" from their encore. The Din weren't planning to cover any outside bands for their farewell, but as Gord Downie passed away just days out from the show, they added it into their set as a tribute, which was a nice gesture!

As a cover, will this make "Suburban Sendoff"? Given that The Din axed covers from the Bandcamp version of their debut live album "The Din Does Laundry", I can't see it, especially if Bandcamp is the primary sale location for this new live album, but I have been wrong before. In any event, this was a loving and welcomed tribute to Gord and The Hip at a time when fans would appreciate it the most, so give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more on the "Suburban Sendoff" live album as it rolls in!



Also today, here's the first video from local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church's new YouTube channel! Recorded at their set at Odeno at Sault College in September during their reunion celebration, I'm not sure why this performance of their song "Muddy Water" (no plural) took so long to hit the internet, but it's a cool way to launch their YouTube channel, so better late than never! Filmed on a stationary camera (albeit with minimal drift if you skip around), the audio's a little muffled, but Electric Church are in solid form from a nice camera angle, and hopefully we hear more from them live and in studio in 2018! Give their new video a look below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and yes, these are the ones bumped from Thursday's second post. They're not going anywhere now! As usual for these short-form stories, these are in alphabetical order by artist or company name:

• Former Haggith/Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie is looking to get back into the local scene in a new project. He noted that he can play guitar, bass, keyboard, and some drums, he has a complete jam space, his schedule is wide open, original songs are welcomed, and and he'd be interested in playing metal as well as classic, alternative, or pop rock. It'd be great to see Curtis again in a new band, but if you're interested in jamming with him or learning more information, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from January 19th!
• This probably goes without saying, but the band named Griphook that played an Orlando, Florida concert on Saturday is not the local hard rock cover quartet, despite their logo being erroneously used on the poster, and the Soo's Griphook sharing the poster on Facebook (presumably in jest.) The Orlando band that played that event is an old school punk outfit named Grip Hook, who made their live debut last fall. Aside from nearly identical names and both being veteran all-male rock quartets, there's no connection between the two Griphooks, but hopefully this clears up any confusion!
• Local recording studio Pretoria Hill Productions now has a Facebook page, so we have added them to our "Other Local Metal Links"! Best known here as the studio where The Din recorded their two albums (guitarist Tammy Hill's father Daniel Schmidt owns Pretoria Hill), the studio is currently home to recording sessions for Tammy's country duo The Steeltown Girls' debut CD. Daniel has done solid work with Pretoria Hill so far, and contact him above if you're interested in recording music there or gaining more details!

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

The Din - "Suburban Dream" Review!!

For our 102nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, we're finally taking a look at defunct local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's second and final studio album "Suburban Dream"! Though independently released on October 21st during their CD release/farewell concert at LopLops Lounge, we held our review until December due to having just reviewed "The Din Does Laundry" in June, as to avoid any bias accusations. Recorded at Pretoria Hill Productions with producers Daniel Schmidt and frontman Mike Haggith earlier this year, this album was somewhat abruptly recorded once The Din opted to disband this fall. Mike performs vocals & bass as usual, and is once again joined here by guitarist Tammy Hill (Daniel's daughter) and drummer Brandan Glew on all tracks. Copies of "Suburban Dream" were available for $10 at the farewell show and through band members, but they were advertised as a limited print run of just 50 copies. However, the album can be bought digitally on Bandcamp for $5, as well as streamed for free there.

If you have any hope of buying a CD copy, I'd contact band members on social media in case they happen to have any extant copies left, but I wouldn't assume they didn't sell them out. With 9 tracks running for 39 minutes in length, let's begin our final CD review of 2017!

The album begins with "Give Me A Reason", which has an up-tempo hard rock opening and nice audible bass, and it has a nice groove to it! Right away, I will note that Mike's vocals seem to be mixed a little high, but he sings with confidence, and uses his deep singing voice well. The guitar riffing is solid, and Tammy's guitar solo (while brief) gets the job done nicely! My big complaint is with the repetitive singing of the song's title in the choruses, which especially stands out on one of the CD's shorter tracks, but overall, a solid opener for this album! Second is "High Park", with Mike leading off with a nice showcase of slow bass picking and some more melancholy singing, with the mood remaining mid-tempo and deliberate throughout. Since it's live debut, I've disliked the "oooooh" vocals on the choruses, but on this version, only the first chorus has that, so it's an improvement! The best parts to me are the slight bumps in intensity before each chorus, and it's a good talent showcase for everyone, but I prefer their faster and more rock-based originals.

Next on the album is it's longest song, "Up In The Air", which opens with some solid drumming from Brandan before the full band kicks in, with the song's composition being a fair amount lighter and more reserved, almost like it's The Din took influence from City & Colour or a similar act. Honestly, this song would match well with an airplane flight (possibly intentionally?) I don't think the vocal harmonizing works as well here, but the leisurely pace works for what it is, and Tammy acclimates well for her guitar solo. For what it is, it's a nice change of pace and well written, but fans of their heavier songs may want to look elsewhere. "35's The Limit" is up next, which opens with a catchy bass lick and chugging guitar riff that helps easily identify this one to even casual fans. A return to their heavier roots, the song has some chorus vocals that are reminiscent of "High Park", but it's more of a complete song to me, even if Tammy's guitar solo is over before it really begins. Not a bad rocker, and with some unique verse instrumentation too!

The next four tracks are among The Din's last to be debuted live, including "Weekend Delivery", easily the CD's shortest song. Easily the softest and most ballad-like song of the album, this one feels like a natural evolution from "Up In The Air" (why not have it right after in the order?) Honestly, this song would probably work better as a true solo performance, as it sounds a little cluttered given it's pacing, but it's a good palate cleanser that fans of Mike & The Din's softer sides should enjoy! Also, did anyone else hear Brandan (I assume) saying 'I'm sorry" 85 seconds in? That's followed by "Missing", which is a mid-tempo rocker that bears some similarities to "High Park", but with stronger, fully sung choruses. Mike sings in a lower register for much of this track, which suits the mood, and Brandan has solid drumming in particular, and while the bassy richness helps things out, I do prefer The Din at a faster and more upbeat pace from other tracks. Not a bad number though!

Song #7 is "In The Moonlight", which has another melancholy intro from Mike that shows off his lyrical emotion and bass skill nicely, including some fitting vocal adjustments that really accentuate his range! The slow burn to full band involvement is well done, with Brandan's drumming well suited by the second chorus, and Tammy's guitar solo also fits like a glove! Unlike on "Weekend Delivery" this is an example of mashing the full band with an emotional softer performance that compliments itself without seeming too forced, and for that reason, it is honestly one of the better tracks on "Suburban Dream" (in my opinion!) The penultimate song on the album is "The Price That You Pay", which has the essence of a 1970s prog rock ballad for it's instrumentation, which hopefully isn't off base to say. This isn't hurt by featuring a keyboard prominently, and while Mike's vocals are melodic and strong, they build nicely into the choruses, and I like the dramatic tension that the song contains. Solid work all around, with a grandiose feel that calls to mind Mike's "Present Din" solo album at times, and it's a late highlight on this album!

This CD and The Din's studio recording career ends with it's title track "Suburban Dream", which brings things to a hard rocking conclusion with a fast Foo Fighters-esque pace that fans will surely take to! Nothing shocking to report here, it's a fun track that gives Tammy a nice showcase on guitar, and the upbeat mood is nice to see after the prior four tracks, and everyone performs to their best! My big complaint is just a nitpick: the backing vocal "Woah" and "Yeah" on the chorus are out of place and took me out of the rhythm. Fun closer to end the album & the band on a high note!

So, what are my final thoughts on The Din's final studio album? Well, it's a solid closer to their run that showcases their musical range nicely, from fast and upbeat to slow and serious! Aside from being entirely comprised of originals (their first CD was almost half re-recordings of Mike's old projects), the biggest difference here was the tonal shift, with much of the album taking on a softer and somewhat darker tone, especially on those four late songs that debuted in late-period concerts, though they may have reflected the band's imminent demise. Songs like "The Price That You Pay" really demonstrated that side at it's apex, but "Give Me A Reason" & "35's The Limit" were more my style musically. Everyone performed strongly on this album, with Mike Haggith's singing never sounding better (and his bass matching that), Tammy Hill's guitar work flowing well from sound to sound, and Brandan Glew's drumming a consistent compliment with some key timing and rhythmic moments along the way!

It would have been nice to have seen maybe one or two old originals of Mike's on the album ("We Met As Surrogates" being the obvious snub), and some of the choruses and backing vocal choices weren't optimal for the song's structure, but for their final album, you can't complain too much. Musically, I do prefer "Give In To The Din" for it's added focus on heavy and upbeat originals, but "Suburban Dream" is a fitting sendoff, and well worth it for fans to check out, and you can do so at the above links!

I hope you guys liked our final CD review of 2017, but what's coming to start 2018 next month? It's too soon to guess at this point, but here's what I do know. A new metal, hard rock, or punk album would get first preference, and this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post from this past Saturday will give hints as to what could be out next. Assuming nothing is by month's end, we'd dip into the archives for our next review, but it will not be one of Mike's old band Haggith's unreviewed CDs, as we're still within our 6 month anti-bias buffer period from our last review of theirs. If it's an archive review, we will tie it in with a local band or artist playing live in January 2018 if at all possible, so stay tuned over the next 2 months for ideas in that regard, as we have a lot of possibilities to draw from! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert preview on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

The Din's Suburban Sendoff Concert Review, Plus CD Information & More!!

Hey everyone, it's time for our review of last night's Suburban Sendoff, a.k.a. the final concert/CD release party for The Din and their new album "Suburban Dream"! Good turnout for the occasion at LopLops Lounge, albeit spread out in the popular venue, but by the end of the night, the floor was nicely packed to send The Din off! I do have some details on physical copies of the CD and an extra video from elsewhere, but let's get our review rolling!

Opening for The Din last night were local indie/hard rock/jam quartet Bizotic, who were a nice appetizer with their unique originals! Everyone played to their strengths during their well recieved set, with Brad Griffith coming more into his own on lead vocals, B.J. Swire handling the keytar with ease, and Travis St. Amour drumming nicely to the rhythm, while Louise Lamothe's trumpet playing and effects work added their own zest to songs like "Subway Delay" & "Echoes In Your Head"! If there's anything to nitpick over, it's that their six song set hasn't really been updated or extended since I first saw them live earlier in the year. They have a lot to offer, I'd be curious to hear some new originals or a longer headlining set from Bizotic! Overall though, Bizotic opened things well to kick off the Suburban Sendoff, and here's to more from them soon!

Then, it was time for local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's final concert set, and they delivered a home run for fans to go out with! Playing a packed setlist that contained every song on "Give In To The Din" & "Suburban Dream" (except "The Rose"), the guys also threw in frontman Mike Haggith's solo song "We Met As Surrogates" (well, "...At The Circus"), and in an encore bonus, a cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough" in memory of the late Gord Downie, which was more than welcomed! Of course, Mike is moving out west for work next week, and he did show some emotion and gratitude to fans, family, and friends while also keeping things light with amusing banter with drummer Brandan Glew, who also was on fire last night! Guitarist Tammy Hill shone as well with some excellent riffs and solos, and fans responded in kind, even via balloons and pom poms making their way onto the floor, so how's that for a way to help send Mike and The Din off?

The big surprise of the night was Mike's announcement that they were recording the show for a posthumous live album (presumably sans their Hip cover), and with that plus Shaw TV's filming of the show for an upcoming Din feature, we'll get to hear and see much more from the Suburban Sendoff down the line! This was a very entertaining show, and you couldn't have scripted a much better finale for The Din, so kudos to everyone involved! We have more on the show to come, but for now, you can check out our photos from the show at this link or via our Facebook page, and here's our videos of Bizotic playing "Dirty Time Machine" & "The Din playing "In The Moonlight"!

 

While we're on the subject, here's some extra details on the "Suburban Dream" CD that was released in a $10 limited print run last night! Of course, I bought a copy, and this is the cover artwork, which was amended for the concert poster. No word on why the band's name isn't on the cover, but it suits the title! Lots of band photos make the packaging, including a collage on the booklet's back page, and one of The Din walking away on the back cover, while the inside contains thanks from the guys to their fans and supporters (as previously seen on Facebook) & album credits. CDs also come with a business card with social media links, and the discs themselves are autographed by the band. Considering the relative rush, these are well put together, even without song lyrics! And no, the album doesn't have a bonus track.  In terms of when to expect a review of "Suburban Dream" on the SMS, I'm targeting early December, as we're not past our 6 month anti-bias buffer yet from reviewing "The Din Does Laundry", so look for our review in a little over a month!

To close our post on The Din's farewell show, here's a video from local promoters Live705's Facebook page from The Din's set! Nice to hear from Live705 again, I wonder where they've been as of late? Possibly filmed by A Dire Setback bassist Matt Quinn, this is of 71 seconds from the latter half of their newer song "Missing", and while filmed on a vertical camera angle, it's got solid audio, and you get a good look at Tammy's guitar solo in particular, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Live705!



That's all for both this post and The Din's active run, and while it's sad to see them go, they delivered lots of great times both in the last two years and in the acid jam days with Curt and early collaborators, and it was a great way to send them off, even with posthumous material likely to come! Best of luck to Mike, Tammy, Brandan, and other former members in the future, and hopefully we haven't heard the last from them musically, here or abroad! Thanks everyone!, and look for more news this week!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Faps & Vol.), Plus Din & Kraken Mara Updates!!

Here's another new news post for your Friday morning, and below, you'll find the latest updates from two local bands in very different stages of their runs, but first, here's two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month!

Local indie/hard rock trio (quartet?) Vol. will play their first ever acoustic concert set on Saturday, October 21st (one week from tomorrow) when they open for St. Catharine's bluegrass/folk quartet Dirtfight and Hamilton alt-blues duo Frankie & Jimmy at The Algonquin Pub! Apologies for the protracted delay in acknowledging this show in full on the site, we were waiting for confirmation on which floor of The Algonquin Hotel this show was taking place on, which only came yesterday on the Facebook event page. If this is accurate, don't go upstairs next weekend! If the touring lineup looks familiar, it's with good reason, as Dirtfight is the much milder side project from members of Shit Liver that fans saw here in May 2016, while Frankie & Jimmy came here two months later for a headlining date of their own, so if you're up for a folksy and jazz-inspired change of pace, don't bypass this one! Vol. will provide a hard rock edge in this rare unplugged set, so don't be late for their set either!

Note that The Algonquin Pub has been (partially?) rebranded as Spin Nightclub for dance club parties "every Saturday" since mid-September, though I don't know if the above concert will postpone next weekend's Spin night or if the show will end up being moved upstairs or off-site. If there's confirmation either way, we'll let you know! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this closing date of the touring bands' Northern Ontario Tour has an $8 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Next up, the aforementioned Six, Two, Oh. are at it again with another newly announced concert just two days later on Monday, October 23rd, as Saskatoon noise/punk duo The Faps will play here once again with a headlining date at The New American Pub! Occurring just under two weeks after they opened for K-Man & The 45s at LopLops, this surprise concert will cap off their "Good Tour" as they return home, and will mark their first stop at The New A since headlining there back in 2014. Whether you saw them on Tuesday and/or three years ago, or are new to The Faps, look for another explosive set of punk and math rock originals in a week and a half! Local openers are being sought, and for reference sake, rappers opened for them in 2014, while Bizotic did the duty on Tuesday, so don't assume a specific genre. We'll let you know when an opener is confirmed! A $5 cover charge (or "pay what you can", oddly) is in effect for this 19+ show, which has an early 8:00 PM start time given the Monday night timing.

Despite the scheduling and relatively quick turnaround for the encore, this should be a fun show for punk fans, so keep it mind if you're able to come out on a Monday night, and visit the Facebook event page for complete details!

Also today, here's the latest from local alternative hard rock trio The Din, who have clarified some lingering details on their upcoming farewell concert and second/final studio album, so what's new on both fronts? In terms of the album, the band has confirmed that it will be titled "Suburban Dream", and also unveiled the track listing and album artwork via their Facebook page yesterday. Alongside the title track (which will close the CD), the album will also feature their originals "Give Me A Reason", "High Park", "Up In The Air", "35's The Limit', "Weekend Delivery", "Missing", "In The Moonlight", and one song that's brand new in online references, "The Price That You Pay". As a result, the album will not feature any Mike Haggith solo covers that you may have heard in concerts, but at least some of those were on their live album. As for their final concert at LopLops Lounge next Saturday, it's now dubbed the "Suburban Sendoff", fittingly enough!

The local openers have finally been confirmed as well, as indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic will kick off the night's events, and they're a fitting selection with talent and originality, so don't be late for their set on October 21st! Finally for new Din news, another new single has been posted from the "Suburban Dream" album to their YouTube channel, that being for their more recent original "Missing", and while I'll still hold comment for our eventual CD review, give the song a listen below, and stay tuned for updates!

Finally for today, here's the latest from local progressive metal project Kraken Mara, so what's new from them? Well, in the latest teaser update on their website (and first there in three months), the guys noted that "the last of our tracks are being mastered as we speak" for their self-titled debut EP, which will be "available for all" when completed. As well, a new playthrough video of one of their songs is being filmed at some point this season, so keep an eye out for that on band pages, including their Instagram page, which isn't just for Dokken concert videos! Brendan and Jake actually posted five videos there last month before that concert, so what's uploaded there so far? This short video showcasing their jam room, this zoom-in clip of bassist Jacob Valois, this clip of Jacob performing in studio (though his shirt is focused on over audible music), and this video of guitarist Brendan Christie declaring that they're recording some tracks.

If you didn't know, Instagram has a one minute limit for video uploads, hence why these don't show a whole lot and are better served as previews, but hey, it's nice to see progress from the Kraken Mara camp! Embedded below is the most substantial video there (musically speaking), which features a recording of a new intro for a planned song being played on a laptop. As such, we're hearing it through laptop speakers, which is far from ideal, but it has an industrial tinge to go with pleasant keyboard work from what I can hear. See more from Kraken Mara above & below, and stay tuned for more from them as it rolls in!

Iñtro idea mark 2 now with piano and strings!! #musicislife #progressivemetal #writing #recording #gettingmyprogon #hardonforprogmõn

A post shared by Kraken Mara (@kraken_maraband) on Sep 3, 2017 at 12:15pm PDT

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on The Sault Metal Scene this weekend! Thanks everyone!