LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tantrym Tyme), A New Local Band, And Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

I decided to double up posts today to make sure the Sault Michigan shows get enough attention, so this post relates to all-Sault Michigan topics, including previews of tomorrow's hard rock concerts in the area, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and leading off, a new band discovery, so read on below for what you need to know, and get caught up on Sault Ontario weekend previews and more in the post below this one! (Updated on Friday at 5:43 PM)

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Michigan band links, and it's an acoustic hard rock project named All The Dirty Words In One! Active since October of last year, their lineup includes singer/guitarists Josh Julch and Cody Rosebohm (ex-Elements of Madness) along with bassist/drummer Dan LaFord. They play hard & acoustic rock covers with original material plans, and their Facebook page is full of optimistic postings, including plans for an album named "Eddy the Skull" with an original song named "Break Down, Just Forget Me", but they've posted nothing on their page in 5 months. There are some live recordings of theirs on Dan's SoundCloud page, including covers of Tenacious D, Linkin Park, Eyeshine, and Gregory & The Hawk songs, but they're admittedly rough in quality. The guitar work is good, but Josh's vocals are not that refined, the recording quality is mixed, there's some pre-song talking left in, and Dan's doesn't appear to be featured as a performer from what I can tell. If they're still together, there's a lot of work to be done, but every band has to start somewhere, and become a fan of All The Dirty Words In One above!

Now to concert previews, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW NIGHT, as young local metal band Tantrym Tyme will play their (at least) third show at The Malamute Saloon in Kinross this evening! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced last night via their Facebook page. After two successful shows at this Kinross bar last month (no idea if they played an unannounced show there last week), the former Abstract are riding high partially thanks to their victory at this year's Rock Till You Drop battle of the bands at the Chippewa County Fair (as cited on their Facebook page), and in their second show of the day (more on that in a second), they should be good and ready to rock The Malamute Saloon with their fun covers! Like before, there's a 9:00 PM start time, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, don't miss this talented young band in Kinross tomorrow, and for a preview, here's the guys at a recent talent show!



Now to previously announced concert previews, starting with Kinross classic hard rockers Banned, who are returning to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Last seen at this frequent venue in May, this one night only gig is their first of the fall season, and before they play their Grand Rapids show, it'll be great to see the Traynors and crew rocking Moran again tomorrow! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and an earlier start time of 8:00 PM is in place. For more details, visit the band's Facebook page! Though their current lineup information remains somewhat vague, hopefully tomorrow's show is a hit for Banned, but of course, check them out next weekend at the Sault Kewadin if you can't make it to Moran for their Todd's Tavern return! For a preview of their diverse hard rock covers tomorrow, here's Banned covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy"!

Finally for this weekend (at least for previously announced heavier shows), we have the Walk & Rock Against Bullying, a fundraising & awareness event being held THIS SATURDAY outside of City Hall! Designed to raise funds and education for bullying and the cause of ending it, there will be bands throughout the day, along with food, 50/50 draws, face painting, and vendor booths, and a 1 mile walk in support of those who have been affected by bullying. Click here for information on the non-musical events going down! 5 bands are confirmed for the lineup, including local cover rock quartet Chump Change (whose members were recently promoting the event on local radio), the first local appearance in over a year from Munising metal quartet Infathom (featuring ex-Half A Man singer Dillion Semasky), newer local hard rock quintet RamWagon, the aforementioned Tantrym Tyme, and acoustic/indie rock duo The London Gentlemen, so there's some heavy tunes and more general stuff for everyone! Note that the event poster lists "...And More!", but no public confirmation is out on possible added bands or guest performers. A 12:00 PM start time is advertised for this ALL AGES outdoor event (which will run until around 8:00 PM), and there's no admission price announced.

Check the above links for more details! Preventing bullying is a great cause, and hopefully this event does big things to that end, so don't miss tomorrow's Walk & Rock whether you're rocking or walking! There's a solid lineup of local and U.P. artists playing, including a solid selection of heavier bands, so don't miss out on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Infathom covering Papa Roach at Pigfest in Ishpeming this summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes into the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Darwin Project, One Bad Son, The Thrill Junkies, And Banned), And More!!

(Updated at 12:57 PM) The news keeps on coming, so what's in store for today? Mostly LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the fall, including a live debut, an out of town package, and a pair of Sault Michigan-area shows, but we have some assorted other notes too, so read on below for what you should know, starting with the new shows in rough chronological order!

I apologize for the late notice on this, but Cheboygan hard rock notables The Darwin Project will return to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill in Sault Michigan TONIGHT! This show (which isn't on their Reverbnation page's schedule) was only just announced on their Facebook page this morning. Unless I missed any in the interim, this will be their first local stop in over a year, last playing a parking lot party at The Corner Pub in August 2012. At least this time, I heard about the show before it happened, so we can get a late push for it! With a growing profile, their "Beautiful" EP, and numerous Michigan and midwestern US dates under their belts in recent months, it'll be great to have The Darwin Project back in the Soo TONIGHT, so keep it in mind if you're across the river! A 9:30 PM start time is in effect, there's no cover charge announced, and you must be 21 to attend, though I'm not positive on if this will be an outdoor parking lot gig again or not. Check the above links for more details, don't miss the return of The Darwin Project TONIGHT, and for a preview, here they are playing their song "Saviour" live in Alpena in April!



Next up, local classic/hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies will make their Sault Ontario debuts this month with at least three shows, including their first ever stops at The Nicolet Tavern one week from today, followed by their Roosevelt Hotel debuts on September 20th & 21st! Though the band previously played in Spanish as part of the Rock N' Roar festival & their connected battle of the bands, these will be our first live local glimpses at this new band, who feature 4 of Turner Up & Havadder's collective 2012 members, alongside Redundant's Justin Langlois on bass. There's been a lot of advance hype for this new band (especially if you didn't see them in Spanish), but I'm hearing very good things for their heavier cover blend and their reported original intentions, so keep their Soo debut in mind! Both next weekend's Nic show and their Rosie dates have 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so click here & here for more details, and stay tuned for updates from their camp as they roll in!

And just for reference sake, Havadder have been resurrected with a new lineup, with longtime singer/guitarist Jason Roy joined by guitarist Jamie July, the returning Lucas Bugyra on bass, and Jack Spades/Asylum Country drummer T.J. Case. Nice to see Jason keeping Havadder alive, and stay tuned in case they have some metal or hard rock covers to feature on here!

Also in September concerts, Kinross, Michigan hard rockers Banned have announced their next local gig, though not for this weekend, as they'll return to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran on Saturday, September 14th (one week from tomorrow!) This will be their first announced stop at this regular venue for them since May, so if you've missed the Traynors and company in Moran, keep next weekend's show in mind! Admission should be free, you must be 21 to attend, and there's an earlier start time of 8:00 PM for it. Click here for more details on it and their other upcoming dates, including their previously announced Sault Kewadin stops on the 20th & 21st, and (in a completely new alert) a show in... Grand Rapids?! Yes, they'll play their furthest "job" yet on September 28th when they play at The Last Chance Tavern & Grill in Michigan's second largest city, so check the above links for more info on this huge opportunity! I have no idea how that came about, but best of luck for sure, and keep an eye out for this varied band's next news!

Finally in new heavier concert announcements, Saskatoon/Vancouver hard rock quartet One Bad Son will hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, October 18th as openers for Toronto rock supergroup Crash Karma! Almost 3 years after their first local stop at The Canadian, Crash Karma (featuring Our Lady Peace, Tea Party, I Mother Earth, and Zygote alumni) have a wealth of experience and talent under their belts, so don't miss their material and entertaining live show, especially if you love 1990s Canadian rock music! However, One Bad Son will inject a heavier edge into the proceedings like Desperate Union did in 2010, with a 1970s southern rock flavour to add to their hard modern rock sound, and they should be a welcome sight at The Rockstar Bar next month as well! Tickets are $12 in advance at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel or at The Rad Zone, while they'll cost $16 at the door. This event is 19+, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a great concert for rock fans, with a little hard rock to go around, so keep it in mind for next month, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

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

• Frightlight guitarist Rick "Styles" White is opening guitar lessons classes at Superior Hodge Podge at 138 Gore Street on September 15th! The basic rate is $15 for each half hour, but you can save a bit if you sign up early, so call the shop at (705) 450-1255 or message Rick at this link if you're interested in learning how to play guitar!
• Redundant bassist (and current Frightlight guest performer) James White is looking to write stuff for a new local music project, but any other specifics are vague. This could be intriguing if it does lead to new original material, so message James at this link if you're interested, or check out his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday!
• In a recent interview with the women's metal webzine Sonic Cathedral, Theatre of Night singer Gaby Koss briefly discussed her work with the local classical metal band among her numerous other foreign music projects, and there's some good discussions about her varied & prolific singing work there, so click here for the full article! (Note that it's shared with one of her collaborators in other projects, Carlos Mosquera.)

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news & notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (415E), Weekend Concert Previews, And Much More!!

Most of our current cached news items will be cleared in today's post, including some assorted recent news and notes, and new studio material from a recently visible local metal band, but first, we have local metal/hard rock concert previews for this weekend! Well, this is a slow weekend for heavier concerts, as I only have three known public concerts to get to (all in the Sault Michigan area), but if I hear of any late notice concerts, I'll be sure to have them online in some form! Now, let's begin with our first previews for concerts this weekend, including related LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Sault Michigan hard rock/metal quartet 415E will play their first shows outside of the Soo TONIGHT & TOMORROW when they make their debuts at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, and to go along with them, they're now scheduled to return there for shows on June 28th & 29th! My source for the new dates is Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, which also now confirms this weekend's shows too, which had previously been slotted for local country band Perry Hatch. No word on why they're out, but they'll be back in the area soon, so country fans need not worry! As you may remember, 415E made their non-Sebastian Bach debuts last weekend at the Sault Kewadin, and this new band featuring Nixxon Dixxon, Highest of Fives, and Splitshot alumni have a diverse lineup of music in store for this weekend (and next month), with everything from Ozzy Osbourne & Volbeat to The Foo Fighters & Johnny Cash planned (plus originals), so you won't wanna miss their St. Ignace debuts this weekend!

They'll be on at 9:00 PM tonight and tomorrow, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details on both St. Ignace weekends (including sources for some of the above info, and lots of brand new band and concert photos), visit their official Facebook page! 415E should rock it this weekend and next, as the talent's there, so don't miss them this weekend or next month, and for a preview of tonight & tomorrow's shows, here's the guys playing their self-titled original at the Sebastian Bach show in January!



Also in this weekend's heavier-leaning concerts, Kinross hard/classic rock quintet Banned will return to one of their favourite regional stomping grounds for a one night only gig TOMORROW at Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan! Currently their last scheduled show until July (no word on possible June dates), this will be this recently prolific local band's second stop at Todd's Tavern of this month, and though no returns to Moran have been announced at present, there's likely more to come if you can't make tomorrow's show! Even still, Banned's ever-evolving sound and prolific mix of covers & originals has been a consistent sight on the local scene for a while now, and hopefully Tara & the guys deliver another knockout tomorrow before what could be a month's break, which is an eternity given their recent concert pace. Tomorrow's show is a 21+ event with no announced cover charge and an early 8:00 PM start time, and for more details, click here! Don't miss Banned's return to Moran tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's Banned's current lineup covering Carrie Underwood earlier this year!

Next up, are you still curious to hear new original studio material from Sault Ontario/North Shore death metal quartet Crimson Crusade? Well, the guys have posted two tracks from their to-be-released EP (which will be titled "Upon the Eve of War") onto their new Reverbnation page and frontman Devon Lucier's YouTube channel, and the tracks are Crimson Crusade's originals "Pillage" & "Vanquish The Tyrant"! Their first posted audio recordings since 2010 (back when they were still a quintet), these were recorded in February with producer Dave Pihlaja at the Smoke & Oak Room Studios, though plans to upload the rest of the songs haven't happened yet. I won't fully comment on the songs now, as I hope to review the EP when it's released, but fans of their concerts with Devon on vocals shouldn't be disappointed, and the growth from their early gigs is clear! As it's longer, I've embedded "Vanquish The Tyrant" below, but check out both tracks at the above links, don't miss them at the Skeletonwitch show on June 3rd, and stay tuned for more EP updates!



Finally for today, here's some recent shorter news updates, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Kincheloe, Michigan metal project Chained Memories revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they're planning to have a full lineup again by the fall and play their first show by next year, while also explaining why their planned first song wasn't posted. Hopefully the guys can get the band off the ground soon, especially with how hard it's seemed to be for extreme metal bands to take off across the river!
• Sault Ontario metal standouts Garden of Bedlam will play their first concert outside of Ontario when they headline a concert at La P'tite Grenouille (French for The Little Frog) in Quebec City, Quebec on June 8th! They'll also be featured at Nissanfest there that day to promote the show and meet fans. This is an awesome opportunity, and hopefully it leads to more big chances to spread their reach and fanbase, so fingers crossed it's a hit!
• We forgot to mention this on here when first announced, but tickets for the June 3rd Skeletonwitch concert at The Canadian Nightclub are now on sale for $12 at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Music Depot, and The Canadian Motor Hotel, so pick them up A.S.A.P. or pay more at the door! This will be a huge concert, so don't miss out!

That's all for today, but in case there's not enough for a new news post this weekend, stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Giwakwa guitarist Chris Page's former London band Lead The Dead on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison & Driven), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

On day 67 of our posting streak at the SMS, we're mainly focusing on this weekend's announced metal/hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults and surrounding areas, and if I missed any, I'll let you guys know A.S.A.P.! Along with some recent updates to one of our monthly feature series', we have previews of 5 shows this weekend, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two of those bands, so here's what you need to know!

After a seven week hiatus from the stage, local metal/hard rock cover trio Caveman Morrison will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel! I apologize for the short notice, but these shows were only announced on Tuesday, and I didn't want to redundantly cover the same details twice in a few days. This will be the first full concert weekend from Caveman Morrison's full current lineup since February (as their show last month was a one-nighter with guest drummer T.J. Case), and while we have seen frontman Tym Morrison often in the interim at solo shows, it'll be great to see the full band back together to rock The Rosie with their widely varied covers again! Admission should be free for TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, you must be 19 to attend, and both nights have 10:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be some fun concerts, so don't miss Tym, James, and Johnny playing some great metal & hard rock classics again this weekend! For a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride & Joy" in 2011!

Also in new concerts, Cheboygan classic hard rock trio Driven will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on September 20th & 21st for their second regional concert weekend of 2013! These will also be just their third & fourth local dates since drummer Kurt Beard returned to the fold, so long time fans of Driven's cover onslaught should welcome that! However, you can see Driven in St. Ignace much sooner than September, as they're also playing at The Northern Pines Lounge TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, so we have this weekend's shows to preview as well! My source is this image on Driven's Facebook page, Kewadin Casino has yet to confirm fall concert dates. Always an entertaining band, don't miss Driven this weekend or in September for their varied covers and classics, and like usual, expect a 10:00 PM-ish start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge for tonight, tomorrow, and their September gigs.

For more details, check out the Facebook event pages via the above links! Don't miss Driven's regional return this weekend, keep their September shows in mind, and stay tuned in case we hear about some live videos or more local dates from them!

Finally for weekend concert previews (albeit with no attached new show announcements), Kinross hard/classic rock quintet Banned will return to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT for yet another concert at arguably their favourite recent concert venue! Their first of at least two shows in Moran this month (they'll be back there on the 25th), the Traynors and company should have a nicely varied set of covers & originals in store for their latest in a prolific string of recent regional concerts, so don't miss out tomorrow night for this show (and no, they're not playing anywhere tonight.) Admission should be free tomorrow, there's a 21+ age limit, and I imagine the earlier 8:00 PM start time will be in effect as usual for Todd's Tavern dates. For more details, click here, and best of luck to the Banned crew on yet another night of music tomorrow in Moran! Take the drive down there tomorrow if you can, and for a preview, here's Banned covering The Black Keys in the Soo in March!



Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past profiles in our Battle of the Bands Rewind series! In our profile of the Algoma University Battle from December 2009, I added trivia on competitors Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville (Bring The Fallen) & Terrence Gomes (Creedon & The Animal Detectives) in the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands last month with The Bear Hunters, Giwakwa, and The Northern Tragedy. Then, I updated our profile on the Sault College Battle from February 2010, to note third place band Sykotyk Rampage's own appearance at the Rockstar Bar Battle, and to add ex-bassist Brian Cattapan's new Sudbury band Zero Hour (plus Nebraska Arms' Guy Thiffault's new band Crawfather) to the section on competitors' later bands. Finally, I updated our Downtown Showdown profile to note the likely inactive status of 3rd place band The Tenagens, and to add Ottawa indie band Paterson Hall (featuring 3/5ths of The Tenagens) to the section on competitors' later bands. Plus, I added notes on the Rockstar Bar Battle appearances from Len Ward (who judged at both), B.T.F. frontman Josh Stephney, and The Fury bassist Tony Briglio (now of Sykotyk Rampage.)

We have one more to update, so look out for that in a future post, along with more news and notes to come, so stay tuned, and go occupy a venue this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge), Plus Previews Of This Weekend's Concerts & Woods Of Ypres At The Juno Awards!!

As our extremely busy stretch at the SMS continues, we have just our second non-preview/recap/feature post on the site since Monday, and it's got two functions. The latter half is to preview a major local band's Juno Award nomination this weekend, but first, we have previews of this weekend's known metal/hard rock shows, all in the Sault Michigan area, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!!

Marquette/Ishpeming hard rock quartet Nudge will apparently return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, but these were only just announced on Tuesday on Nudge's Facebook page (though oddly not through Facebook event pages), and these just couldn't fit into our posts since then due to how busy things have been on the site this week. The shows definitely are on Friday and Saturday, and they followed members' Danzo McCracken & Scott Kusmirek's usual acoustic gigs at The Frog on Wednesday and Thursday, which were their first acoustic dates here since last year, as their Soo dates last month didn't feature them. Look out for a packed weekend of metal and hard rock renditions from these local favourites tonight & tomorrow, and like usual, there's a 21+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, check the above links! These should both be good shows, so don't miss Nudge at The Frog TONIGHT OR TOMORROW, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Shinedown's "The Sound of Madness" in Negaunee last year!

Also in known heavier concerts this weekend, Kinross classic/hard rock quintet Banned will continue their highly frequent recent concert pace with a return to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT! Easily one of Banned's favourite concert venues since debuting there last year, hopefully there's a sizeable crowd for the Traynors and company's return to Moran (an hour south of the Soo, 30 minutes northwest of St. Ignace), so don't miss their varied blend of covers and originals tomorrow (and if you can't make it, they'll be back there next weekend!) Admission should be free for tomorrow's 21+ concert, and I'd expect them to be on again at the earlier 8:00 PM start time. For more details, visit Banned's Facebook page! This should be a solid "job" as usual for Banned, so head on down to Moran to check them out tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's the guys (and girl) covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" at the Sault Kewadin Casino last month!

Finally, we have a special sort of preview, as TOMORROW, we find out if defunct local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres will win a Juno Award for Best Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year! As covered in The Sault Star & SooToday, Woods of Ypres officially received a posthumous nomination in the Junos' (essentially Canada's Grammys) second-year metal category on February 19th, which is obviously for their fifth & final studio album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" (which came out too late into 2012 for consideration at last year's ceremony.) The Cancer Bats, Castle, The Devin Townsend Project, and Ex Deo are the other bands up this year, which should make for stiff competition like last year, when KEN Mode beat the likes of Anvil & Fuck The Facts for the inagural metal Juno Award. The ceremony itself (hosted by Michael Buble) will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan this Sunday live on CTV, but it's very unlikely that the metal award winner will be awarded live then (which isn't just a metal snub, as less than 10 of the 40+ awards will be given out on the televised ceremony.)

I'd expect the metal awards to be a part of the untelevised private gala dinner that's being held TOMORROW NIGHT at The Credit Union Eventplex in Regina, where the vast majority of awards will be given out, so we won't be able to see the presentation (unless there's a webcast I'm unaware of), but as soon as I hear anything or reports concerning the metal award, I'll let you guys know! Local news articles on the nomination confirmed that late frontman David Gold's family will be in attendance at tomorrow's gala, along with the band's final guitarist Joel Violette (the only surviving band member who played on "Woods V"), so there'll be some local, family, and band representation when and if Woods of Ypres win the Juno. This is obviously a huge weekend for local music, let alone metal, as it's not every day that a band or artist from here gets a Juno nomination! I believe this would be a perfect cap to David Gold's career and legacy in Canadian metal, and it's just a shame he's only getting recognition of this scale over a year after he died. As soon as I hear anything relating to the Best Metal/Hard Music Juno being announced, I'll let you guys know, and best of luck to Joel and the Gold family tomorrow! David would be proud!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for a huge post full of big new metal/punk show announcements, and our profile of last year's Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on it's one year anniversary! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned), Weekend Concert Previews, And Archive Band/Album Discoveries!!

As we approach the holiday weekend, there's no end in sight for the recent influx of news, so what's on the docket for this Thursday evening? Along with a cool archive metal album discovery, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for a prolific U.P. band's next regional gigs, and previews of that same band's Easter weekend gigs, but first, here's a new band discovery to eventually add to our band links, so here's what you need to know!

We have a "new" band to add to our inactive Sault Ontario band links, and they're the mid-2000s local metal quartet Batteries Not Included! Active primarily from 2003-2004, we've alluded to them on the SMS in the past, but I just discovered their Angelfire website yesterday, so only now are we adding them to our links. Their lineup included a few notable musicians from more recent local bands, including future Free Beer/M.O.B. & Creatures of the Night bandmates Keith Gagnon & Ryan Gray, and current Asylum Country drummer T.J. Case, alongside guitarist Ian Connell, who I don't believe has had any major later band roles. Though their website says that they played "a lot of vintage rock and older music", they were definitely heavier skewing, as David Helwig's SooToday article on them from August 2004 mentioned that they covered Metallica, AC/DC, and Ozzy Osbourne songs. Visibly active during the members' youths, their live shows appeared to primarily take place in mid-2004 at outdoor venues like The Roberta Bondar Pavilion & The Bellevue Park Bandshell, before likely disbanding by early 2005.

I can't add a whole lot on Batteries Not Included, as their website is full of dead and unfinished links, and I can't find any media of theirs, but the members are talented judging by their later work! In a way, they remind me of Garage Inc., in that they're a young metal band who played notable outdoor gigs and later dispersed into more successful non-metal acts, but that's likely just coincidental. Check out Batteries Not Included at the above links, and when Blogger's link add-on issues get fixed, they'll be listed on the site!

Next up, here are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Kinross classic hard rock quintet Banned have announced a bunch of new regional concert dates through the summer via their most recent Facebook statuses! Among the new shows, they'll return to The Sundown Lounge in Pickford (a half hour south of the Soo) for concerts on April 13th & August 3rd, while they've booked more dates at one of their favourite recent venues, Todd's Tavern in Moran (a half hour northwest of St. Ignace) on April 20th, May 4th, and May 25th! While no strangers to Todd's Tavern in recent months, the April 13th Pickford date will be their first at that venue in 8 months, and as a result, their first with their current lineup. All likely have 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges, and while the Sundown Lounge dates have 9:00 PM start times, the Moran shows will start at 8:00 PM, as is usually the case. Check the above links for more details!

It's nice to see a whack of new Banned show announcements, and I'm most surprised to see a confirmation this far ahead for August! It is sorta weird though that none of the dates are for full two night weekend engagements, but they've never been as exclusive to that concept as some other recent hard rock bands across the river. However, they do have a full weekend of music planned TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so here's our only hard rock/metal concert previews for the Easter weekend! The aforementioned Banned will make their first ever appearances (I think) at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino tomorrow & Saturday, which will cap off a busy month of concerts from this prolific band, and hopefully their current lineup brings some great and varied metal/hard rock covers to the table at the Sault Kewadin! These shows have 9:00 PM start times, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Again, check the above links for more details!

These should be some good shows, so keep Banned's Kewadin Casino debuts in mind this weekend, and for a preview, here's Banned covering a Carrie Underwood song recently, but click here for heavier covers with older lineups!



Finally for today, here's a neat find that you don't see enough of: A local metal band's cassette tape in full on YouTube! Back in the day, cassette tape albums were more common than CDs, but even some of the more obvious or notable ones (like Proposition 86's cassette or the Amethyst release with "Waste of Time") are extremely difficult to find nowadays. However, at least one metal cassette-only album has been posted on YouTube, and it's "Self Murder", the 1997 release by the defunct crossover/hardcore band Facedown! If I remember correctly, there were two local bands with this name, but I don't think it's the one that former Motion Carried drummer Jamie Whalen was in. I actually received this whole album in mp3 format a couple years ago from current Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy, but I never did anything with the songs for SMS purposes because I didn't have a label scan to compliment the album for public uploading. No matter though, as YouTube user Richard Dryfist took care of that when he uploaded the album last month, but what do we know about it?

Uploaded as part of a playlist at this link, the 8 songs are "Self Murder", "Facedown", "Beat Up", "Facelift", "Dismemories", "World of Hate", "Emotionless", and "Loaded", so click each link to check them out! I'm unsure of their full lineup, but this is a great find, and whoever Richard Dryfist is, kudos to him! (He also uploaded a Canadian punk compilation featuring a Spigots track too.) As this is a full local metal album that I have access to, I do wanna review it on the SMS (hopefully after I learn a bit more on them), but there's some quality hardcore punk and crossover sounds in these 8 tracks to enjoy, so check everything out at the above links, and here's the cassette's title track!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news & notes likely tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Rabid Whole & Banned), A New Local Hard Rock Band, And More!!

Today marks our 20th straight day with an update on the site, and thanks to everyone for reading along and supporting us during this surprisingly news-packed stretch of the late winter/early spring! In this post, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows next month on both sides of the border, plus the latest details on a metal concert going down one week from today, but first, here's a new band you guys should take notice of, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 2:01 AM)

We have a newly discovered hard rock band to add to our Sault Michigan band listings, and they are Full Throttle! Formed late last year, they're (as best as I can tell) an all-covers quintet that you may have seen frequenting The Bird (a.k.a. Golanka's Bar) since their inception. I have read conflicting things on their lineup, with only rhythm guitarist Jason Lamoreaux being credited on both lineups that I've seen online, so what do we know? On their Facebook page, Jason is/was joined by singer/guitarist Ryan Kitzmiller, Monkey's Uncle guitarist Nathan Switzer, bassist George Belleau, and drummer Mark Gillotte, but in a personal Facebook page post last night by Powerslug bassist Chris Leask, he indicated that Full Throttle's lineup currently included Jason alongside Absolute/Monkey's Uncle singer/guitarist Donny Newell (I think), Powerslug guitarist Chris Gurnoe, and Steve's Music Center owner Steve Pevarnic (instrument unclear), and while Chris Leask couldn't place the drummer, I've read nothing to suggest Mark Gillotte left. Of course, if I'm wrong, let me know!

The apparent overhaul of their lineup already is surprising, but given that their Facebook page hasn't been visibly updated since it's January launch, I wonder if a departed band member created it? I missed covering Full Throttle on here until now via a combination of a once-minimal online presence and no posted media, but while the former is now addressed, there's still no videos or audio recordings that I've found. However, ex-frontman Ryan Kitzmiller's personal Facebook page has some status updates and shared links indicating that they cover(ed) Black Stone Cherry & Staind in their live concerts, so their sound seems to lean towards modern hard rock covers. Full Throttle have been playing live somewhat regularly at The Bird in recent months, including a concert yesterday that I sincerely apologize for missing on here, but I only just found out that they were hard rock-leaning. I can't speak for how Full Throttle sound yet, but the things I've read indicate positive reviews, and their current lineup has a lot of talent, though I have no word on whether Donny & Nathan's separate participation in the band means anything negative for Monkey's Uncle's status.

I'll keep an eye on Full Throttle where I can for updates, but for now, check them out at the above links, stay tuned for more, and they're now in our active Sault Michigan band links!

Next up, here's today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with something a little different hitting The Roosevelt Hotel on April 11th, that being Toronto electronic/hard rock quintet The Rabid Whole! Described as "21st century alternative rock" on their Facebook page, The Rabid Whole mix modern alt-rock with techno & industrial influences to create their own sound that should please fans of bands like Nine Inch Nails, and it will be cool to see them in town next month! Promoted by local metal/punk frontman J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints), this show will be taking place on a Thursday night, making it J.D.'s fifth Thursday night Rosie concert in the past year, so if you still miss the regularly scheduled metal nights, this should help! Local support confirmation is forthcoming, but if you want to be a part, get a hold of Johnny Pints on Facebook to see if you can get on this one! There will be a $5 cover charge, 10:00 start time, and a 19+ age limit in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This could be one of the more unique concerts of the year compared to what's more frequently seen, so give The Rabid Whole a listen above, stay tuned for opener updates, and hopefully this show's a big hit in just under four weeks!

Finally for new concerts, Kinross, Michigan classic hard rock quintet Banned will return to Todd's Tavern in Moran next month! Fresh off of their weekend at the Dondee in Sault Michigan, they'll head south to Moran once again for shows on April 27th & 28th, continuing a recent pattern of at least one Todd's Tavern date a month, but this will surprisingly be the first time this year that they'll be playing two nights there on the same weekend. These shows were announced on Banned's Facebook page yesterday, and like their past Moran stops, I'd expect an earlier start time of 8:00 PM, no announced cover charge, and 21+ age limits for both dates. Check the above links for more details! Banned have been one of the busiest bands of recent months, and hopefully their next trio to Todd's Tavern is as big as their past ones! Stay tuned for any possible updates, and don't miss their Back Door debut this coming Friday night!

Finally for today, here's the latest updates concerning the Soul Killing Female-headlined concert at the new 180 Projects venue on Gore Street one week from today! A Facebook event page has been launched for the concert by AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent, complete with a poster on your left, and it confirms some more information on the bands and show itself, so what's new to report? This is definitely an ALL AGES concert (180 Projects isn't a bar, after all), and with that in mind, doors open at 6:00 PM with a 7:00 PM start time, so it'll be an earlier night. The admission price will also be $5 at the door, but I can't confirm if this is the general norm for concerts there. As well, while full information on openers AlgomA (featuring BeeFMouTH & Fuller alumni) has yet to be revealed, the Facebook event page does credit their genre as "Northern Yawntarian Eeyore-core from down the line". I might be overanalyzing, but judging by including "yawn", "Eeyore", and "core" in the description, does that indicate a doom/sludge metal sound, or was Jamie being creative (or tired) when he wrote that?

If nothing is launched or unveiled by next week to confirm anything, we'll for sure know how they sound one week from today, and hopefully I can make it out to see Soul Killing Female, AlgomA, and local folk rockers Honest Job at 180 Projects! Keep an eye out for more updates! That's likely all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow as we wrap up our third straight week of daily updates at the SMS with last month's poll results & this month's newest poll at the site! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Concert Previews, The End Of Inhuman Methods, And Much More!!

Keeping with our recent streak of new posts at the SMS, today features previews of this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts in the region! It's a quieter weekend than we've tended to have recently, but of course, we'll let you guys know if any are announced on short notice. We also have news on a local metal band breakup, and even more assorted news stories, but first, let's preview this weekend's two announced heavier-leaning shows! (Edited at 8:20 PM)

We'll start tomorrow at The Nicolet Tavern in Sault Ontario, where local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will play their first show in a month! Recently busy at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio working on their debut EP, the newer band featuring Bear Hunters, Wishbone, and Limelight alumni are promising some heavier new covers to go along with some new original songs at tomorrow's concert, which is a one night only affair (so don't accidentally show up on Saturday!) Admission should be free for this 10:00 PM show, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! The recent month's break from the stage has been an eternity compared to The Suicide Kings' initial pace, but they have a huge spring coming up (opening for 40 Sons, the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, the EP), so hopefully tomorrow's show helps kick everything off awesomely as they continue to build their local name! Don't miss out at The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow, and for a preview, here's the guys at Toystock last fall!

Also this weekend, Kinross hard/classic rock quintet Banned will kick off an (at least) 4 week marathon of weekend gigs in the Eastern U.P. with a return to Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan this Saturday! Easily one of their favourite venues of the past year, Banned's new lineup should be right at home with their mix of covers and originals on Saturday, but if you can't make the hour long trip to Moran (or 20 minutes from St. Ignace), Banned will be playing at varying Sault Michigan venues for all of the remianing weekends of the month! For this Saturday though, there's no announced cover charge, a 21+ age limit, and an early start time of 8:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! I've heard good early things from Banned's new lineup, and hopefully they rock Todd's Tavern to the core on Saturday night, so if you're in the E.U.P., don't miss out! For a preview, here's their newest video, a Carrie Underwood cover that's fittingly also from Todd's Tavern!



Next up, it looks like local/Central Algoma death metal band Inhuman Methods have broken up. No public statements or reasons have been announced, but the band's Facebook group was quietly deleted within the past few months, drummer Robert Crossley confirmed the news on his personal Facebook page last week, and singer Anthony Tverdal apparently moved out of town recently as well. Active since mid-2011, Inhuman Methods had shown steady improvement through their four local concerts last year (Dead In The Van, the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands, a Rosie metal night in July, and the F.A.T.I.L. Gathering in Laird), but news slowed in the latter half of 2012, with their last substantive updates coming in (I think) January. I admit that there was a lot of work to be done for Inhuman Methods, especially with their timing, but I had heard encouraging things from their summer concerts following their singer change, and they had good instrumental talents! I think if they'd stayed together longer (and found a permanent bassist), they could have worked out the kinks and became a major player among local death metal bands, but who knows what happened behind the scenes.

As their deleted Facebook group was their only online page, I sadly have to delete Inhuman Methods from our band links entirely (I wish bands wouldn't wipe their online pages like this), but if an old/posthumous page ever turns up, I'll be sure to add it here! Hopefully the guys all stay active in music, and best of luck to Anthony, Alex, Wesley, Robert, and Curtis in the future!

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

• Disregard our earlier mention of Sault Ontario metal project AlterWhite likely being inactive. According to a new personal Facebook page post from singer/drummer Mike Matthews, he's currently working on new AlterWhite material (as opposed to his similar sounding solo tracks from recent months), so AlterWhite is alive and well. Good to hear, so stay tuned for updates from them and Mike's solo work!
• According to their Facebook page yesterday, local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's EP recording sessions at The Smoke & Oak Room have finished, and they're hoping for it to "be around by later this month." When more details come out, I'll have them here, but I'm curious to hear the final product!
• If their latest Facebook status is accurate, Destroilet will play their first concerts in over two years this summer! According to their Facebook page on Friday, the local old school hardcore quintet is lined up to open for both The Dayglo Abortions & Bunchofuckinggoofs at yet-unannounced shows later this year, with the former bringing some deja vu, as Destroilet were briefly rumored to open for The Dayglo Abortions had they played here in late 2011. Stay tuned for updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as the month wears along, including a new show in our next post, and this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned, Powerslug, And Mama Kin), Plus Details On This Year's Hempfest!!

Fifth post in three days already, this is a good sign for how busy this month will hopefully be in the local metal/hard rock scene! Today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including two local hard rock bands' newest March dates (one of which is at a new venue for our coverage), and the return of heavier music to one of our local music festivals, so read on below for what you need to know!

Kinross hard/classic rock quintet Banned have announced two more regional concert dates for this month, including at a venue we've never covered on here before! First, they'll be back at one of their recent favourite venues (Todd's Tavern in Moran) this coming Saturday (March 9th), and after their previously announced Dondee Lanes gigs next weekend, they'll make their first ever appearance at The Back Door in Sault Michigan on Friday, March 22nd! That's right, The Back Door's not just a dance club anymore, as they've recently began booking "high energy" cover rock bands for Friday nights (Saturdays tend to have dance parties there.) This past Friday, they welcomed new local rock band Toast (3/5ths of Swayze Train + Powerslug drummer Bob Helsten, full genre/sound not yet clear), and now Banned will hit The Back Door themselves in two weeks time! For those unsure, it's at 313 Ashmun Street, just seconds down the road from Sault Michigan's music/lessons stores. Cover charges haven't been announced for either show, but there should be 21+ age limits at both Todd's Tavern this Saturday and at The Back Door on the 22nd, and while cover charges haven't been announced, bring cash just in case.

Now, Banned at least one show each weekend this month, so they're definitely keeping busy with their new lineup, and hopefully you guys have even more chances to check out their hard rocking and varied covers & originals all month long! Also, if you or your band are interested in playing on a future Friday night at The Back Door, click here or contact the above links for more information! Let's see Sault Michigan get another long term metal/hard rock concert venue!

Next up, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page has been updated to reflect concerts through April, and while most of the shows aren't for metal/hard rock bands (unless St. Ignace Kewadin performers Sir Charge skew that way), there are a few new to those listings, including Banned's previously announced Sault Kewadin debuts at the end of the month. That said, there's only one completely new concert weekend to us on there, as Sault Michigan hard rock trio Powerslug will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin on March 22nd & 23rd for their next Kewadin dates! It's always nice to hear of their shows at any Kewadin branches, as they offer some of the few advance notice gigs of theirs (why can't they launch an online page already?), so plan a trip to the Soo Kewadin in two weeks for some hard rocking covers all weekend long! Admission should be free for these 10:00 PM-ish shows, and you must be 21 to attend.  Check the above links for more details! With Clownsack, Kilacel, and River Witch alums, you know there's talent present, so make cure to chug your mug with Powerslug later this month!

Back in Sault Ontario, this year's Hempfest is scheduled for August 5th to 12th on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario, and it's sure to be another successful event for marijuana culture and awareness in it's 15th annual installment! Now three years into it's local return under current ownership, you may remember that the 2011 installment had a number of heavier bands among it's performer lineup, but last year's event saw a radically smaller lineup of bands, with no metal/hard rock acts in sight. However, this year's Hempfest sees a return to large lineup of bands (the largest since the relaunch), though with a caveat, as none of the full bands are local (maybe the scheduled DJs & rappers are, but I'm out of the loop for that scene.) In fact, of the 15 scheduled non-comedy/speaking performers, 8 are out of town tribute bands, and of the lineup for this year, we do have one heavier-leaning band, that being Toronto-based Aerosmith tribute band Mama Kin! Last seen in the Soo last April at The Canadian, their faithful blend of Aerosmith classics should get fans going this year at Hempfest, as they did last year! Aerosmith fans should be excited for this year's Hempfrst but when can you see Mama Kin this year?

They're actually the headlining band on the last day of performers this year (Saturday, August 11th), as they'll play two one hour sets at 7:30 & 9:00 PM that night! Their set bookends rappers (I think) Radar & J. Frost at 8:30, while Radar performs solo at 5:30 PM. The rest of the Saturday lineup includes (in descending order) a comedy act at 7:00 PM, Hamilton folk/ska quintet Blind Mule for two one hour sets at 6:00 PM & 4:30 PM, the finals of this year's Willy High Games at 4:00 PM, Newmarket punk notables The Salads (remember "Get Loose"?) at 2:15 PM, a speaker of some kind at 1:45 PM, and a Black Crowes tribute band named Remedy opening the day's music at 1:00 PM. The rest of the musical performers (Thursday-Saturday, August 8th-10th) include a widely varied selection of genres, including tributes to Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Bob Marley, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, plus past Hempfest favourites The Killing Time Band, Lo-Fi, and DJ Slim, plus earlier day's sets from Blind Mule, Radar, and J. Frost, and speakers, comedy, and games, so click here for the full lineup for all four nights of music!

Tickets for this year are $100 for the full week package, which drop $10 a day for every missed day (i.e. Thursday-Sunday would be $70, and Saturday-Sunday would be $50), but single day tickets can be bought for $40. Leashed pets can be brought for a flat $10 fee, and there are some advance ticket deals you can check out at this location. Minors MUST have an adult guardian to attend, people with federal marijuana exemptee status get FREE admission, and tickets can be bought online via this link! It's great to see some heavier music back at Hempfest this year, and while I do miss a large amount of local bands (and don't smoke marijuana), I hope this year's event is the biggest yet! Plus, if you love tribute bands, this is a great deal to check them out all in one local place! Check the above links for all current details, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly at the SMS! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Powerslug), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

News has been slow this week, but luckily, the weekend has a bunch of heavier acts playing live, so that makes up most of today's news post at the SMS! Today, we have 5 metal/hard rock shows in the Twin Saults area to preview, plus lineup notes from a Sault Ontario metal band, so let's begin today's post with a popular Sault Michigan act's weekend plans, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a newly announced show of theirs!

Sault Michigan hard rock trio Powerslug have a busy weekend coming up, including a newly announced show at Dan's Place in Rudyard TONIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, I only heard about this on frontman Chris Leask's personal Facebook page the other day, and you know how we only tend to hear about their shows on late notice without a band page to promote them. This new show in Rudyard (roughly a half hour between the Soo & St. Ignace on South Tilson Road) joins an already announced date at The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill in Barbeau TOMORROW NIGHT (as the venue promoted with their own event page), and while this is a bit more of a drive than Dan's Place is (40 minutes to an hour from the Soo or St. Ignace), either venue should handle Powerslug's hard rock covers well, and their talents speak for itself, even if there's no preview videos to back that up! Admission should be free for both of these gigs, you must be 21 to attend either, and I'd assume 10:00 PM start times are in order. Check the above links for more details!

It's great to see the guys staying busy this weekend, and hearing about more shows in Rudyard is good too, as Dan's Place hasn't been overly common for metal shows lately that I've seen (though Powerslug were there in December.) Go chug your mug with Powerslug in Rudyard or Barbeau tonight and/or tomorrow, and hopefully we'll hear (& see?) more from them soon!

Now to the rest of this weekend's announced metal/hard rock concerts, starting with Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's latest solo gig TONIGHT at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road! His second solo acoustic concert of 2013, Tym's been making The Roadhouse a favourite live venue of his in recent months, and though it is far in the East End, I'd say it's worth a trip to see him rock out with some proficient and entertaining metal & hard rock covers! Admission should be free for this 19+ concert, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym's solo concerts are usually must-see, so don't miss out on his latest solo unplugged this evening, and if you miss out, he'll be back at The Roadhouse two weeks from tonight! For a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" in 2011!



Finally for the weekend heavier previews is the next two gigs from Kinross hard rockers Banned, who have a similar itinerary to Powerslug for the weekend, that being Friday & Saturday gigs at two different bars in the Sault Michigan area! TONIGHT, this frequently seen outfit will return to The Runway Bar in Hessel for the first time in almost three months, while they'll hit Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT for the first time in 2013! Note that these are also Banned's first shows since they (possibly) confirmed lineup changes, as they now feature photos of singer Tara Starr & guitarist Denny Smith on their Facebook page. It would make sense for both to fully be in Banned now, as singer Mike Straw's band status was downgraded to "occasional" last year, and guitarist Alex Schrovenwever has largely been absent due to college out of town since August, so just in case, watch out for Tara and Denny this weekend in case they're indeed new full band members!

Both venues are roughly 50 minutes south of Sault Michigan, but Moran is 20 minutes closer to St. Ignace than Hessel is, so keep that in mind if you live that direction. There's no announced cover charge for either gig, you must be 21 to attend, and the shows start at 8:00 PM tonight and 9:00 PM tomorrow. Check the above links for more details! Banned should rock this weekend no matter where and how their lineup looks, so get ready for some entertaining covers and originals in the Eastern U.P. this weekend! For a preview, here's Banned covering a Guns N' Roses classic last year!

Finally for today, here's a lineup change relating to Tym Morrison's local metal trio Caveman Morrison! The band's early 2012 lineup has apparently been reunited, as they announced the return of Redundant bassist James White to their lineup yesterday, replacing his former Browbeat bandmate Dutch Vanderploeg. The news was broken on the band's Facebook group via edits to the group description, but a reason for Dutch's departure wasn't announced. This is James' second stint with the band, having replaced Jacques Marceau in late 2011 for a few months before initially leaving last year, which led to Dutch's own return to Caveman Morrison following his first run with the band in mid-late 2010. It's disappointing to see Dutch apparently leave the band again, but hopefully he returns to live music soon, as he's got a lot of talent that should be utilized! As for James, his skills on bass are undoubtedly good, and here's hoping he lasts for the long term in his second go-round with Caveman Morrison! Stay tuned for updates on their next shows in the coming weeks!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post hopefully tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Weekend Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

After a two day run of Kewadin Casino concert videos, we're back with a more general news post for the first time since Sunday, but what's in store? Today, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, along with some concert previews over the next two days, the latest from Sykotyk Rampage, and some more assorted stories, so here's what you need to know!

Kinross hard rockers Banned are returning to Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan THIS SATURDAY! I apologize for the short notice, as this fell through the cracks since they were announced on the band's Facebook page on Sunday. This will mark Banned's first show in Moran since New Year's Eve (and their first of two that have been announced this year, counting their Todd's Tavern date on February 16th), so if you're up for Alex, Don, Jim, and maybe Mike's mix of classic hard rock covers & originals, you know where to go on Saturday night! Admission should be free for this 8:00 PM concert, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! I'd expect Banned to be on their game on Saturday night, so if you're up for the drive to Moran (50 minutes from the Soo, 15 from St. Ignace), I'd consider it for sure! For a preview, here's Banned covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" last year at The Bird!



The other announced hard rock show of the weekend takes place TOMORROW NIGHT, as Sault Ontario hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will finally make their first live concert appearance of 2013! Following cancelled concerts at both The Rockstar Bar and Docks Riverfront Grill over the past two weekends, this frequently seen newer band will return to The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow night in what should be a high energy set of covers and originals, including some brand new songs to include in tomorrow's gig! This show, in what I believe is a one night only affair, will take place tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, with no announced cover charge and a likely 19+ age limit in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see The Suicide Kings finally back on stage tomorrow, and hopefully everything goes off without a hitch, so keep a trip to The Nic in mind for hard rock action this weekend! For a preview, here's The Suicide Kings playing their original song "Into The Fray" at The Canadian Nightclub last fall!

Now to some other recent news, starting with the latest updates from the Sault's resident crash band, Sykotyk Rampage! Fresh off the postings of streaming copies of their six new albums from last year, they've already announced at least three new albums to be recorded this year! As revealed in their cover photo on their Facebook page (and in scattered other online page postings), they have albums named "Eye For An Eye" and "Wonder About Baby" in the works, along with a yet untitled album (possibly self-titled?), and these three are currently labelled as their 38th-40th albums, despite having only released 35 to date. It sounds like there's at least two more in the pipeline, but official announcements should come out as more information is finalized. The 2013 album sessions will likely be their first with their current lineup, though track listings, content, and possible purchasing details are not yet known, so stay tuned for updates on this creative improvised hard rock band's latest material! Also, if you have an Android phone, click here for details on how to get Sykotyk Rampage's FREE official Android application!

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

• According to final Woods of Ypres lead guitarist Joel Violette in a recent interview with Headbang or GTFO, he says that another David Gold tribute concert will happen "at some point", as ensured by the quality and success of the two tribute shows last April, and he hopes that a future event would be held outdoors in June to coincide with David's birthday, with "Woods II" played there in it's entirety. This sure is promising, and if anything comes out about it, we'll have it here! (Also, check out the interview above for lots of information on his current band Thrawsunblat!)
• Though public details are minimal, Sault Ontario thrash band Pillory are apparently hard at work on their debut EP! Drummer Bret Shuttleworth has completed drum tracks for it, with bass tracking beginning yesterday according to postings on the band's Facebook page. Nothing's been announced regarding a replacement for the late Andres Duchesne, but I wouldn't be surprised if guitarist Robert Sartini was handling all guitar parts. Stay tuned for updates when & if they come in!
• Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night have posted a new version of their 2011 original song "Ragnorok Rising" onto their Reverbnation page to stream! Considered a "2013 demo", it's expected to be completed with vocals from Gaby Koss later this year, possibly towards a new original album. The new version has a heavier and grander feel, so give it a listen at the above links!

 That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all video post likely at midnight! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned) And New Queensryche Videos!!

Well, my plans for Sault Ontario news today somewhat got overshadowed, as today's post is very similar to yesterday's in content, so if you're a fan of Banned and Queensryche, good news! Nothing new related to Absolute though. This 100% Sault Michigan post features all of the latest videos from Saturday night's Queensryche concert (and there's a lot more), but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for across the river!!

Kinross hard rockers Banned have announced their first concerts of 2013, starting with what I think are their first ever live concerts THIS WEEKEND at Dondee Lanes! I can't find any proof that the Traynors and company have ever played a public show at the South Mackinaw Trail venue/bowling alley, so this will be very cool to see them rocking out at The Dondee on Friday & Saturday night! Following this weekend's gigs, they also confirmed a full weekend slate of concerts on February 15th & 16th, when they return to The Runway Bar in Hessel on the 15th and Todd's Tavern in Moran on the 16th! The Runway Bar gig will be their first show in Hessel in almost 3 months, while the Todd's Tavern date will be their first since New Year's Eve. Also, I'd assume these will be without guitarist Alex Schrovenwever again due to out of town college commitments, following his show with them over the holidays. All of these shows have no announced cover charge and 21+ age limits, and the start times for them are 8:00 PM (save for the Hessel show, which starts at 9:00 PM.) For more details, visit Banned's Facebook page!

It's great to see Banned rocking the area again (especially following their Manistique show last weekend, which is a bit far), and hopefully they deliver great nights of hard rocking covers and originals this weekend and next month! Stay tuned for updates and possible new shows as they roll in!

The rest of this post concerns even more videos from the Queensryche concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday, so if you missed it or wanna relive the action, we have even more footage to share, all as uploaded yesterday! First, we have four videos from YouTube user WIRycheFan62, who has uploaded a number of metal concert videos from the midwest onto his channel. These videos are of Queensryche playing their songs "Take Hold of the Flame", "Warning", "I Don't Believe In Love", and (as embedded below) "Child of Fire", so click each link to give them a look! WIRycheFan62 was in the front row, and his high quality camera adds to that nicely for a great vantage point of the band, but the audio quality suffers from his location, as singer Todd La Torre's vocals are extremely hard to hear. He cited where he was seated compared to the speakers for that, and while the quiet vocals are a disappointment, the quality & musical talent is otherwise excellent! I've embedded the longest of WIRycheFan62's videos ("Child of Fire") below, but give the rest of his videos a look above!



Also in new Queensryche videos are two clips from YouTube user Christopher Paci, who you may remember as an uploader of videos from last year's Buckcherry & Evans Blue shows at Kewadin Casino. This time, Chris filmed Queensryche playing "The Needle Lies" and (as embedded below) their concert opening song "Queen of the Reich", so what should you know about these videos? Chris was much further from the stage, and his camera work is noticeably jittier, but he still gets a good angle of the band, and Todd's vocals are much louder, so that's a bonus! If you can look past the somewhat muffled audio, you'll find some good quality stuff, so check out "Queen of the Reich" below, and the rest of Chris' videos above!



Finally for today, we have a single Queensryche video from attendee Kendall Jung (his first concert video, in fact), and this is of Queensryrche playing their classic "Silent Lucidity" at the show! Like the other new videos, it's in HD dimensions, and though he's similarly placed to WIRycheFan62, the vocals are fairly clear and loud! Maybe as a ballad, it helps to hear everything. The quality is great, but motions on the camera seem oddly jittery for some reason. Very nice though, so check out his "Silent Lucidity" video below, and don't forget about Danykins77's videos from the show either!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, and I promise (barring a Queensryche upload spree) we'll have new Sault Ontario stuff in our next post! Thanks everyone!