YouTube Channel Profile Series: 2010abstract's Channel & Chris Bardawill

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, as we once again shine another monthly spotlight on YouTube channels whose videos are at least half comprised of local metal, hard rock, or punk-specific content! There is a slight change of plans for this month, as the second randomly selected channel for this month (YouTube user ander101) is actually one that we already spotlighted back in 2016! I'm surprised that I don't err like that more often given how long this series has been going. In its place, I randomly chose a 100% unfeatured-already channel to round out this multi-channel installment, so here's what you should know!

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2010abstract's Channel (http://youtube.com/2010abstract)

Owner: A member or representative of defunct Sault Michigan hard rock band Abstract (formerly Aux and later renamed Tantrum and Tantrym Tyme), exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 10th, 2011; Videos uploaded that day and two days later

Channel Summary: The then-official YouTube channel for the Guitar Studio rock camp graduates (aged just 10-11 upon their 2010 launch), Abstract posted two jam session cover videos here from two separate locales

Why You Should Watch: While there's only two videos here, it is very interesting to see where the future Tantrym Tyme started, and even as pre-teens, you get the sense that they had bigger and better things ahead, as fans will know when comparing their mid-2010s Tantrym Time gigs to their humble beginnings as Abstract! This channel was succeeded by their later TANTRUMzone channel in 2012, which only ever had one video, with Tantrym Tyme-era videos largely posted on Facebook or by fans.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Abstract- Back in Black: The former Abstract's first and most popular video saw them cover AC/DC's "Back In Black" in a rehearsal space, with the band then-comprised of singer/guitarist Jacob Hotlen, guitarist Kyle Burton, bassist Mike East, and drummer Ethan Twardy (all but Kyle hung on through to the Tantrym Tyme years). Their ages absolutely have to be taken into account when gauging this performance and Jasob's vocals, which all undoubtedly improved by the end of Tantrym Tyme's active run, but for kids at their age, they did very well here, and Jacob nailed the solo!

Abstract- Woman: Two days later, the band's final upload here saw them cover Wolfmother's "Woman" in a new jam space with a new widescreen camera. While shorter, this is arguably a better showcase of Abstract's skills at the time, both from the more contemporary & faster song, as well as using more of Jacob's vocal range at the time. You can see why Abstract would have turned a few heads, but of course, check out Tantrym Tyme videos to see the culmination of all of their hard work as musicians as they entered high school!

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Chris Bardawill (http://www.youtube.com/@chrisbardawill281)

Owner: Sault Ontario resident Christopher Bardawill

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 6th, 2021; Videos uploaded that day through that September

Channel Summary: Alongside three non-musical videos of Chris and friends, his channel contains five videos from defunct local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession's set at the pandemic-restricted drive-thru Rotaryfest outside of the former Lowe's Plaza in July 2021. Obsession were represented here by singer Valerie Powley, guitarist Gabe Tessaro, bassist Jim Michaud, and drummer Steve Porco, with Rotaryfest sound tech Dan Belanger guesting for the set. The five videos include covers of Big Brother & The Holding Company's version of Erma Franklin's "Piece Of My Heart", AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You", Heart's "Barracuda", and in his most popular video, their set-opening cover of Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" with Gabe on lead vocals. Solid stuff all around from this missed local band, and they made the most of a screwy time, as nicely filmed by Chris!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This series will return on or around August 26th for another multi-band post, with three channels this time, as the first random selection just had three videos from across two concerts from the same band, so I randomly picked a channel with just videos from one show to fill things out with. As such, we will be looking at the channels of YouTube users Danabelle39 (featuring videos of Havadder live at the former Nicolet) and kilko8011 (featuring videos of Treble Charger playing in Toronto). Look for those next month, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Tantrym Tyme

Now is a good time to post this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, our monthly spotlight of a local metal, hard rock, or punk band (or two) that is not an active project at present, but deserves a look back for current readers! This month's randomly selected band comes from across the river in Sault Michigan, and was one of the most prominent young hard rock bands there in the early-mid 2010s, so here's what you should know on them!
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Tantrym Tyme

Genre: Hard Rock/Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics.)

Jacob Hotlen (Unleashed), vocals/guitar
Mike East (The MC Experience), bass/occasional guitar
Ethan Twardy (Meant To Last), drums 

Kyle Burton (OmegaRock), guitar 
Quinton Jacobson, guitar/bass
Michael McLeod, guitar

Audio/Video: Videos from Tantrym Tyme's run (under any name) aren't as plentiful as they used to be, partially due to the deletion of all videos from Jacob's YouTube channel, but there are still a fair amount of clips to check out! Their Facebook page has 5 sporadically posted clips from shows between 2012 and 2016,  and a few YouTube uploads exist from a couple of different sources, like like two early official channels under older names (here and here), and a pair of more recent videos from Christopher Paci's channel, with covers of everyone from Pantera to A Perfect Circle to Rise Against. Songwriting sessions and an album were also teased in 2015, but original Tantrym Tyme content hasn't surfaced online. Here's Tantrym Tyme covering Alter Bridge at The Savoy Bar in 2015!



Info/Analysis: Publically launching in 2010 via the former Guitar Studio summer rock camp, this group immediately gained recognition by their ages alone, each being around 10 or 11 years old at the time! Soon changing their name from Aux to Abstract, they made waves with a set at that year's Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival, and would become regular performers at community events, festivals, battles of the bands, talent shows, school functions, and sporting events around the E.U.P., and even at some nightclubs, plus a long association with Harmony Health Foods. After a brief name change to Tantrum in early 2012, they settled on Tantrym Tyme later that same year, coinciding with their first guitarist replacement. Online coverage of their shows was often on little or no notice, but concerts continued through at least August 2016's Downtown Days festivities in Sault Michigan. Tantrym Tyme quietly dissolved by 2017, with frontman Jacob Hotlen moving out of state that same year.

Arguably surviving longer together than any of the young hard rock bands that came out of the Guitar Studio, Tantrym Tyme improved with age from promise-laded kids to well rounded teenagers, and their musical evolution as they got older and more experienced is worth exploring! Jacob's vocal range and tone was a good sign of that, and he always had solid chemistry with Mike, Ethan, and their rotating second guitarist. I wish they'd promoted their shows with more advance notice online, but Tantrym Tyme were a young highlight in the E.U.P. in the early-mid 2010s, and hopefully everyone stays active in music in some form or another!
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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series returns to Sault Ontario next month for another randomly selected profile, and next month's selection is (assuming they don't return from hiatus in the coming weeks) inactive local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage! That should be an interesting profile, so look for it on or around July 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: The37533 & madrid77's Channels

It's the 22nd of the month, so it's now time for our first YouTube Channel Profiles of 2014! As usual, this monthly feature series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels that feature at least a 50% ratio of local metal/hard rock video uploads, so fans and readers can check them out and subscribe to and watch some new content from local events and bands. This month's randomly selected channels both concern bands and events from Sault Michigan, and there's two because the first channel we picked only had two distinct SMS-fitting videos. Now, let's kick off our first installment of this series with two Sault Michigan channels since April 2012!
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The37533's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/the37533)

Owner: Tantrym Tyme frontman & former Unleashed drummer Jacob Hotlen

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 31st, 2009; Videos posted from September 2011 through April 2013

Channel Summary: Though Jacob's channel is not the official Tantrym Tyme channel, it has basically served as such since the summer of  2012, with it now featuring three videos of this young Sault Michigan metal quartet during regional concert sets in 2012 & 2013. This channel also features two "Randomness" videos of Jacob and friends (including bassist Mike East) having fun and doing random stuff around the turn of 2012, but beyond their involvement, these videos have no direct connection to the band.

Why Should You Watch: I recommend checking out Jacob's channel to see some of Tantrym Tyme's newest official videos, especially knowing their early talent and chemistry that continues to improve and mature with time, and hopefully there's more to come from them in 2014! The "Randomness" videos are worth checking out for big fans, but the humour may not be for everyone. Also, keep in mind that Jacob hasn't visibly used this channel since last spring.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Tantrym Tyme Cowboys from Hell and The Trooper: The most viewed video on Jacob's channel, this June 2012 video of Tantrym Tyme (then still known as Tantrum) is one of two filmed at an outdoor event of some kind circa May of that year. Joining a separate cover of Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", the video below features covers of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" and Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell", with the latter song in the video featuring then-new guitarist Quinton Jacobson in one of his first live sets with the band. Both videos show the then-Tantrum's development nicely, with Ethan Twardy really impressing on drums, and Jacob definitely sounds better vocally on harsher and heavier songs at this stage of the band's run!



Tantrym Tyme at SAMS Talent Show: Jacob's most recent video is this footage from Tantrym Tyme's performance at an April 2013 talent show at Sault Area Middle School (more specifically, center court of the gym.) Featuring covers of Volbeat's "Heaven Nor Hell" and Rise Against's "Make It Stop (September's Children)", I appreciate the variety, and the guys sound even better and tighter as musicians, with Jacob's clean singing the best I've heard yet from him! Also, watch for the somewhat unique sight of people walking all around a local band during a set, but given the location, it's unavoidable to a point.


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madrid77's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/madrid77)

Owner: YouTube user madrid77 (identity unclear, but I don't think he's from the Soo)

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 23rd, 2006; Only video posted on January 9th, 2008

Channel Summary: Curiously, this channel 's only video is ripped straight from Donna Hopper's SooToday coverage of hard rock legends' Kiss' first local stop at their outdoor Kewadin Casino date in Sault Michigan on July 20th, 2007, albeit 6 months later. Originally entitled "KISS Video Hightlights" on SooToday, this YouTube copy was titled "Kiss Sault Ste Marie Resumé", with both the information there and madrid77's favourite videos mostly being in French. The video itself combines news audio of the band, black & white shots of fans prior to and during the show, and brief colour clips of Kiss' first three songs that night ("Detroit Rock City", "Deuce", and "Makin' Love") from multiple camera angles. Very nicely filmed and put together, this rip of the original is of lower quality, so while the YouTube availability is convenient, check the SooToday copy above for a clearer take on this highlight package! Note as well that madrid77 has not actively used this channel in a few years.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll profile a Sault Michigan channel in consecutive months for the first time in almost two years, as our February 2014 installment of this series will be on defunct Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids metal band End of Existence's YouTube channel, featuring 16 videos of their well done studio material from their early 2010s heyday! Watch out for that on or around February 26th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: hmm & TantrymTyme

It's time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, though with a slight change. I'd originally selected the first channel we're looking at today for a one-channel profile, but since I last visited this channel, a number of videos were deleted for unannounced reasons, leaving just 3 videos of 2 distinct types, which is too small to fill a post now. Rather than stretch it too far, I randomly chose a YouTube channel with just one local metal video to fill it out, so for the 4th straight month, we're looking at 2 channels' videos, information, and reasons for subscribing! Without any further adieu, read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! (Edited on October 16th, 2013)
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hmm (http://www.youtube.com/spt2112)

Owner: Former Amethyst/Meatplow drummer Phil Temporao, a.k.a. Sebastien Phily Temporao & Phily S. Tempo

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 31st, 2009; Videos posted between March & May 2011

Channel Summary: Prolific veteran local musucian Phil Temperao maintained this channel in recent years to feature media of his recent local metal projects, including the band originally known as Meatplow and a later solo project named Sebastien 6. Sadly, all of his Meatplow videos have either been deleted or privatized, including some very solid industrial metal jamming and a cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder" that all shown off Phil's uniquely gritty vocals, but now it just features solo performances under the "Sebastien 6" banner from the spring of 2011, including a drum solo and two studio original songs. All were recorded or filmed at his home studio Greentown Digital Studios.

Why Should You Watch: I'd give Phil's YouTube channel a look to see his recent solo material, which is definitely much different from his Amethyst days, but still well performed, and I hope he revisits his music again in the future! That said, I honestly preferred the Meaplow videos, as they were more aggressive and had a unique electronic angle, and hopefully Phil makes them available again down the road! As well, note that I don't think Phil's used this channel in over a year, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

drumzsolo.wmv: The earliest of Phil's surviving videos is also his only surviving live video, and it's a drum solo filmed circa March 2011 which appears to be a studio cut named titled "drum grooves/warmupz". Uploaded in a old movie-style sepia filter, it's just over a minute of Phil executing a very nice drum solo, if not blisteringly paced, and it shows his talent nicely! Note though that many of his deleted videos featured him on an electronic drum kit, rather than the more standard one in this video.



SEBASTIEN 6,,,RAIN: Phil's other surviving videos are studio recordings from his Sebastien 6 solo project, including songs named "Evil Drivin'" and (as embedded below) "Rain", which his his most viewed upload of the three. Compared to his Meatplow work, these songs (though heavy) are much softer and more varied in tone, with clean vocals and a bit more repetition in the song structures. I leaned more towards the Meatplow material, but Phil's musical range is at work here, and he can sing cleanly well (though the style used on "evil Drivin'" didn't gel to me.) Each features photo slideshows of Phil, musical instruments, and photos relating to the songs' lyrics, with plenty of effects, while "Rain" also features Phil's brother (and fellow Amethyst alum) Jose "Wales" Temperao on guest guitar, which he impresses on!


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TantrymTyme (http://www.youtube.com/user/tantrumzone)

Owner: A member of Sault Michigan metal band Tantrym Tyme from during their brief tenure as Tantrum following their name change from Abstract (identity otherwise unclear)

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 4th, 2012; Only video posted that same day

Channel Summary: This is/was the official YouTube channel for Tantrum/Tantrym Tyme, but since they updated the page to reflect their current name, there's been no major updates. As such, the channel's only video is of Tantrum playing at a talent show at Sault Area Middle School circa the spring of 2012, seemingly filmed in the school gym from the bleachers, and it has them covering The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know", and Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets"! Featuring singer/guitarist Jacob Hotlen, bassist Mike East, and drummer Ethan Twardy (guitarist Quinton Jacobson hadn't joined yet), the guys' talents for their young ages are on full display (though Jacob's singing is very quiet compared to the heavy covers), and it bridges somewhat from the Abstract era to their slightly heavier current work! Having the sound guy behind the band seems odd though. Note that for more recent & updated Tantrym Tyme videos, check out Jacob's YouTube channel!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, and I apologize again for the late addition this month, I literally only found out about the spt2112 deletions yesterday. So, what's coming up in this series next month? Well, the first channel I randomly selected didn't have three distinct local metal videos, but for the first time since July, we'll be looking at 3 different channels, as the second one we picked didn't have 2! The chosen channels for next month are Woods of Ypres' official VEVO YouTube channel (featuring their last music video), reneepaigefecteau's channel (featuring a Three Days Grace concert video from 2008), and ex-Sense of Truth drummer Ryan Haryett's channel (featuring an S.O.T. video from 2009), so watch out for this on or around February 22nd!  That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including lots of videos from the Sebastian Bach concert on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Tantrum Updates, New Live Videos, And A 3D Local Concert Video!!

The news keeps on rolling in, and today, we've got plenty of videos to go along with them, so here's what's on tap! Today, we've got a new dimension on local concert videos, our first live concert glimpse of a new band, and some cool new footage from a major recent show, but first, here's a bunch of updates on a prominent area band!

Firstly, here's the latest news from the young Sault Michigan hard rock band once known as Abstract! As you may know, they changed their name to Tantrum earlier this year, but in the last couple of months, they quietly changed their name once again to Tantrym Tyme. A reason for the name change hasn't been announced, but I figure Tantrum by itself is already used by existing bands, so this might be for the best, but are the gratuitous Ys needed? Regardless, I've updated our band links on your right to reflect the new name! As well, the band have finally returned to being a quartet, as they've quietly added Quinton Jacobson as their new second guitarist/bassist, replacing Kyle Burton. As far as I can tell, Quinton (who's in the middle in this picture) was added to Tantrym Tyme's lineup in the spring, and given their ages, he fits in well with the guys so far from what I've noticed! Their concerts are still very hard to source and count given the lack of notice and the settings of the ones that do happen, but alongside a pile of new photos from a July performance on their Facebook page, they do have some new video footage from a recent performance! Uploaded to YouTube user The37533's channel on June 2nd, it's of what was then still Tantrum covering Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" and Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" at an outdoor concert of some type!

On these covers, Tantrym Tyme definitely seem to be growing as musicians, and the heavier material than the old Abstract videos is helping them, especially for Jacob Hotlen's singing, as he sounds much better for harsher vocals than he does clean yet (I wonder how he'll sound when his voice deepens though?) Note that Quinton's not on their Iron Maiden cover, but it's good to hear a fuller lineup for their Pantera rendition, and given their ages, they tackle both of these songs pretty well! It'll be interesting to see their development in the coming years, but for now, check out Tantrym Time's newest videos below!



Next up, here's another new video from the Anvil concert at The Canadian Nightclub on Wednesday, this time of local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight's co-headlining set! 62nd Chamber Productions head/former local musician Boyd Rendell has uploaded a video that he and his crew filmed at the show onto his Vimeo page yesterday (though it's curiously not on his YouTube channel yet), and it's of Frightlight playing their original song "She Screams"! Featuring their full lineup (as Rick Styles was on guitar for this part of their set), the multiple camera angles help things for the quality, but the audio is somewhat scratchy, which Boyd blames on the lack of a mixer recording. Solid stuff though, and hopefully there's more to come, so check out this new Frightlight video below, and stay tuned later in the post for more of Boyd's work!



Thirdly today, here's our first live concert footage of new local grunge trio Haggith! Though an official proper live concert for them hasn't took place yet, and a bass player has yet to be obtained, the guys played two outdoor concert sets at a private party in Goulais River over the Canada Day weekend, and a video from the second day's performances is now online! Uploaded by YouTube user paperclipprojectX on Thursday, it's of Haggith playing their song "Yesterday's Frustrations" and it sounds pretty good! The camera work is solid and clear, and there's a nice grungier sound here, plus the guys seem to have a nice stage presence! This is a promising glimpse at what's to come from Haggith for sure, though I have to ask: Until they find a bassist, why can't Daniel Horton play bass? For now, check out Haggith's newest video below, and stay tuned for another new song of theirs in an upcoming post!



Finally for today, here's a special video that I recently came across! We've mentioned it on here before, but never like this. Back in December, I shared some videos by the former local hardcore band Barred 4 Life (featuring future Destroilet alumni) on the site, as uploaded (and likely filmed) by the aforementioned Boyd Rendell on his YouTube channel. Well, when I was browsing there to see if he posted the Frightlight video there too, I found this re-upload of Barred For Life's cover of The Dwarves' "Backseat of My Car" in 3D! That's right, a 3D local concert video, as it looks like Boyd Rendell converted the original video into 3D for a later upload in January of this year. It's in anaglyph 3D, so you'll need the red/blue 3D glasses to get the full experience (which I do have), and I have to say, he did a good job converting this! You can tell it's a conversion, but there's clear depth, and it gives this video a unique feel compared to the majority of other local concert videos out there. Almost makes me wanna get a 3D camera for SMS purposes (it's a future possibility), but huge kudos to Boyd for the work he did to give this old concert video an extra dimension! Check out The Dwarves (and guest singer Dave Stokes) in 3D below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Theatre of Night album review and more shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Powerslug), Plus News From Frightlight, LemmaFest, Acention, And More!!

Well guys, the weekend's schedule is largely quiet for metal and hard rock concerts at present, but is there anything heavy going down that I can verify? Yes, as we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a show TOMORROW (and a related lineup change), and that leads off today's post, but also stay tuned afterwards for a local band's recent interview, LemmaFest updates, a young local band's first video glimpse, and more!

Apparently, Sault Michigan hard rockers Powerslug will return to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill for perhaps the first time of the new year TOMORROW NIGHT! I actually learned about this show from a different source, that being prominent local musician Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten (Wearwithal, ex-End of Existence, etc.) on his personal Facebook page yesterday. As it turns out, he's actually their current drummer (replacing Ivan Schliska), and recent postings indicate that he joined the band around the time of their name change from River Witch last August. However, note that I haven't found any postings from Orb from before April referring to Powerslug, so take that for what it's worth. Either way, the band's lack of an online page precluded me from hearing about the change when it happened, and I apologize for being so late with word here, but it's good to see Bob drumming live again! He's definitely talented, and with Great Bodily Harm dissolved, it's nice to see him hitting the local stage still, even if details on Powerslug are hard to source! Best of luck to Ivan too, and though I don't know why he left, hopefully we hear more from him at some point! As stated above, this talented hard rock quartet will hit the stage at The Corner Pub tomorrow, and they'll be on at around 10:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit.

Though I wish Powerslug had an online page of some kind or video footage to keep fans abreast of any songs, lineup changes, or upcoming dates, there is clear talent in Powerslug's lineup, and I know that their show tomorrow will be a great time, so if you're in the mood for some hard rock on this quiet concert weekend, go chug your mug with Powerslug tomorrow night at The Corner Pub!

Next up, here's a new article on local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight! Lydia Peever from the fittingly named Ottawa horror culture website Ottawa Horror recently interviewed singer Johnny Pints towards an article/contest for their site on Wednesday, and it's a nice read! In the article, Johnny discusses the band members' love for horror movies, the inspiration for the Frightlight name, and some horror links to some of their tracks (including hinting towards a They Live-inspired new song), while Lydia also complimented the band's artistic style and the sound of their "It's A...Live" EP, and expressed hope that Frightlight will play in Ottawa down the road. My only gripe is that they incorrectly credited the Die Mannequin show earlier this month as drummer Chris FreakNStein's second live show with Frightlight, when it was his fourth (following the Misfits gig in Toronto, the Coch's Corner Halloween party, and Dead In The Van), but the rest is awesome and gives Frightlight some well deserved press! As well, a contest is also featured there where the winner will receive a large Frightlight t-shirt, two copies of their EP, three pins, and four stickers, so if you wanna enter, e-mail contests@ottawahorror.com with the name of your favourite horror-themed band before 1:00 PM TOMORROW!

It's great to see Frightlight spreading the dead far beyond the Soo, and it's a nice complimentary article all around, so give it a look at this location, and enter the contest if you can to win a cool Frightlight prize package!

Thirdly, here's the latest updates relating to the second annual LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes on June 23rd! There's been a change to the band order for the festival, as local metal trio Scofflaw and local cover rock quartet Chump Change have swapped slots, with Chump Change jumping back to a 3:00 PM set and Scofflaw now closing the outdoor stage at 9:00 PM. The switch was made due to a booking conflict for Chump Change, presumably due to an existing concert lined up that evening, as per drummer Jason VanLuven on the LemmaFest Facebook page. Not too drastic of a change, but it helps all parties, and it does stack the deck more for metal in the evening, so make note of this lineup alteration! Also, LemmaFest organizers have announced that some proceeds from this year's event will go towards the Grosse Pointe Music Academy's Guitar Camp in Sault Michigan this July, and there's an attached contest deal going on with this event, so click here for all the details on that! This could be a fun and rewarding way to get young prospective musicians in the area a chance to learn more on the guitar, and it's awesome to see LemmaFest supporting the cause! Check the above links for more on LemmaFest, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Also, here's some more recent updates from new Sault Ontario hard rock band Acention! Band members have frequently been updating their Facebook page with new stuff, so here's some of what's been posted over the last few days! They've confirmed that guitarist Dalton Boissineau is handling vocals at the moment (replacing Danielle Wierzbicki), and they've also posted a bunch of new band photos (including a new logo) to go along with a bunch of recent status postings. Most have been teasers for original material & covers they're working on, including a cover of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Strip My Mind", but most recently, they've posted their first video footage! It's a Facebook video (so I can't embed it here), but it's of Dalton and guitarist Josh Willet working on an original song on acoustic guitars, and this is a solid start, but I definitely wanna see this expanded on with bass and electric guitars and so on. Click here to check it out, and stay tuned for more news and notes from this promising young band as it all comes in!

And finally, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or festival name:

• Continuing their recent spring run of concerts outside of the Sault Michigan area, Kinross hard rockers Banned will hit the Trailhead Campground in Drummond Island (just under 2 hours from here) for a "job" TOMORROW NIGHT! Sure, it's a bit of a drive, but if you wanna see Banned live, keep their Drummond Island trip in mind this weekend! My source is the band's Facebook page.
• The official poster for the second Sewer Swampstravaganza concert on July 13th has been revealed! Like last year's, it was done by local artist & Ye Olde Mold Pickers accordionist Rihkee Strap, and the design this year is a bit cleaner and more artistic! However, Inhuman Methods isn't pluralized on the poster, but this isn't the first time that their name has been misspelled locally. Stay tuned for more updates on this 10 band all ages show!
• Sault Michigan hard rock trio Tantrum (formerly Abstract) are apparently playing a gig of some kind tomorrow at 6:00 PM "off 7 Mile Road", as per their Facebook page. They weren't any more specific, but I believe this is an outdoor show. I don't have enough information to officially "call" it on here, but if you're along East or West 7 Mile Road on Saturday evening, and you see Tantrum playing, go check them out!

That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the weekend rolls along, including this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Two New Local Metal/Hard Rock Acts & A Newly Renamed Band!!

Today's post is dedicated to new local metal bands, names, pages, and material, as a lot of new stuff related to a few local acts have came to my attention in the past week or so! There's a lot of new info to share today, so let's start with a new band, followed by a newly discovered solo project, and lastly, a newly renamed band and their latest material!

I sincerely apologize for not having anything on this band on here sooner, but our first new local metal act is a melodic death metal band named Crimson Crusade! Though active since the spring of 2010, I think I've bypassed them for this long because I thought they weren't based locally, which is partly true; While their hometown is listed as the North Shore area, half of the band lives in Sault Ontario, and their location on their Facebook page is a local address, so I can consider them at least half-based here. Their current lineup includes local singer/guitarists Devon Lucier and Brock Pinder, bassist Riley Marshall, and drummer Robert Crossley, who's perhaps better known as the drummer in the Desbarats death metal band Inhuman Methods. Notably, Robert's Inhuman Methods bandmate Curtis Moir sang with Crimson Crusade as recently as last fall, and is still featured in the band's posted photos on Facebook. Crimson Crusade have played scattered gigs since the summer of 2010 in the Algoma District, including shows in Hilton Beach, at the CASS Cafe gigs at the high school in Desbarats, and at least one local concert at the Bellevue Park Bandshell with local funk rock trio The Vertically Impaired last fall, which I sincerely apologize for missing for coverage on here!

According to their Facebook bio, Crimson Crusade are writing and recording original material, and playing "whatever we feel like playing", with at least 8 original songs currently in their setlist. Though death metal is their usual genre, their covers range from Black Sabbath and Metallica to Lamb of God and Children of Bodom material. A March 21st posting implied that guitar tracks were done towards presumably some type of recording project, but recent posts have been more scattered, and I don't think they've played live since Curtis left. That all said, how do Crimson Crusade sound? The only media I've found is a September 2010 demo recording named "Left For Dead" from their YouTube channel, and though the band takes some jabs at the quality, it's not bad at all! Definitely sounds more together for timing and originality than Inhuman Methods' Lamb of God covers did at Dead in the Van. Nice aggression and pacing, but I'd like to hear some guitar solos, and I hope they've progressed with their original material since this was posted. I hope to hear more (especially locally) soon from Crimson Crusade, but for now, check them out at the above links, and here's "Left For Dead"!



The other new local project with a metal relevance I wanted to introduce on here is the solo project headed up by local musician and artist Chris Shoust! You may know him best recently for his artistic work in the area in recent years, along with stints in journalism & radio, but he's also been in local bands like the punk trio FFB in the past, and he has maintained a solo musical project with hard rock influences in the past decade! You may in fact remember him as a performer at last year's Art In The Parking Lot event downtown. His website (which has many examples of his art, writing, and filmmaking) also features details on his recent music, including two unposted albums (one of which was recorded in 2002 after FFB disbanded), and another entitled "Telephone & Address" which he describes as a "response to the grunge era for a mentally ill person" that was "inspired by the lo-fi revolution of the '80s." The material is available for free streaming on his MySpace page (though I don't think it's ever been for sale anywhere), and it includes two covers, one of which is of a Nirvana song. Though the recording quality might be a turnoff to some, remember that it's intentionally lo-fi.

Chris' posted material is interesting, and if you appreciate grunge or outsider/indie music, you should enjoy his music! It reminds me of sort of a mix between Kurt Cobain and Daniel Johnston in style, which certainly isn't a criticism. The songs have some more aggressive stretches and a nice retro feel, and though a cleaner recording quality may help a few songs, I appreciate what Chris is doing here, and thanks to him for letting me know about his music! Check out more of Chris' work at the above links (along with his other artistic projects), and both he and Crimson Crusade are now in our Sault Ontario band links!

And finally for today, while this isn't a new band, they recently changed their name and posted new online pages, so here's what you should know! In February, you may remember when we discussed the issues going on with young Sault Michigan hard rockers Abstract, and while I don't wanna rehash anything negative, it led to the band parting ways with guitarist Kyle Burton last fall, and ultimately announcing an impending name change. Well, the band has since revealed that they've changed their name to Tantrum, and a new Facebook page and newly renamed website corroborate said news. A public reasoning for the name change was never announced, but I assume it's at least in part to signal a fresh start for the band, which still includes singer/guitarist Jacob Hotlen, bassist Mike East, and drummer Ethan Twardy. I don't mind the new name, but I still don't get why they had to delete the Abstract Facebook page entirely when you could just as easily rename it and delete things without losing the fans and material. That said, Tantrum are trying to get the new page back to "the former page's glory", and since the beginning of the month, bio information and photos have been posted, including one new live video!

Courtesy of Tantrum's new YouTube channel, this comes from what I assume was their first concert set under their new name, and it was at the Sault Area Middle School Talent Show circa April 4th. It features their covers of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know", and Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets", and it looks like they're steadily improving on their Abstract-era promise! Nice to see a slowly heavier sound, but the vocals need some development still, and I'm curious to hear original material as well. Plus, and this is more for the talent show organizers, but having the sound guy work behind the band still looks very strange and can draw attention away from the acts. Good stuff though, so give Tantrum's new video a look below, and stay tuned for more band updates from them as they come in!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post either tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!