LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished), Mike Haggith's New Song, And Much More!!

With a special Wednesday night concert on the docket, it's only fair to preview it today, with that band's other shows this weekend and related LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS attached, but we also have a new song upload and some more recent updates to fill things out. Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished have a busy stretch ahead, with four shows in four days, most prominently including their debuts at The Double D Bar & Grill at Dondee Lanes TONIGHT, FRIDAY, and SATURDAY NIGHT! Yes, they are playing a rare Wednesday show here tonight, and no, they are not rocking the local bowling alley's on-site nightclub tomorrow for unannounced reasons. It's not immediately clear whether these will have the full now-quartet lineup or if these will all feature Alex (and company?) unplugged, but Tarnished should have three great nights of hard rocking covers in store, no matter what form they're taking here! These are all 7:00 PM shows with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charge. If you want to see Tarnished TOMORROW, then head to Biggby Coffee for the latest stop in their "every Thursday" run there, and while we're on the subject, let's add their likely matinee gigs on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th shows there to our calendar!

Approach the December dates with caution, especially if they/the coffee-shop have a holiday break, but "every Thursday" means what it means until otherwise stated. All of these dates, tomorrow included, have 12:00 PM matinee start times, no age limits, and no cover. Visit the above links and the Dondee Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Tarnished at Biggby Coffee two weeks ago (I think), courtesy of the venue's Facebook page! This video features frontman Alex Traynor alongside new rhythm guitarist Nathan Webber in his first footage with any version of Tarnished, and the two are seen here covering Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" for tips and coffee. The 2 minute video is well shot and framed well for the vertical camera angle, and Alex and Nathan sound good together, so give it a look below, and look for much more from Tarnished in the Soo tonight in the coming days!



Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario (well, technically Thompson, Manitoba), where local alternative/hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith unveiled the final studio copy of his new original song "The Best You Never Had" on his YouTube channel on November 1st! Apologies for the delay, this fell between the cracks for far too long. Planned to be the opening track on his upcoming studio album "If Ever Comes The Day", I will hold full comment pending our review of the whole CD, but the song will please long-time fans of his, especially if you've been craving some more upbeat, plugged-in material. Give it a listen below, and keep watch for more updates from Mike's camp!



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

• I have removed local death/trance metal solo project Black Cloud from our active band links due to the quiet deletion of all of their social media and online pages, sadly also including their "Abstract Sounds" album on Bandcamp. There was room for improvement, but Black Cloud had promise and a unique musical approach that would have been especially effective at the peak of Blood Shed Productions' live run, and hopefully Peytan resurfaces in a new project when the time is right!
• Popular downtown nightclub Reggie's Place apparently closed permanently on September 15th, as per Facebook advertising for Maxx Entertainment-affiliated concerts there that weekend. A reason for the closure has not been announced online that I know of, but Reggie's had only re-opened less than 4 months prior after lengthy renovations following the August 2017 fire above the venue. We only covered a handful of Mourning Wood & Soundcheck shows there due to it's country cover focus, but Reggie's was a long-standing and fan favourite bar for decades, and best of luck to Reggie and company at the still-open Reggie's West! 
• I have also removed defunct local alt-metal duo Troubled Mind from our inactive band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past year. Spiritual successors to Skull After Betrayl, this project was only sporadically active in 2015, posting one video and hyping some irreverent original content in the process. They had talent, and hopefully Mike & Adam stay active musically!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for full weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Band Camp Rejects), Id Iota Updates, And More!!

This will likely be our last news post of the month, and within, we're tackling some assorted recent notes, some recent updates and videos from a talented quartet, and first, let's start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Newer and online page-less local hard rock cover quartet The Band Camp Rejects will return to The Rednecks Saloon for their first solo concert there on Friday, December 9th (which is next week!) Our source for the booking is the former Nicolet Tavern's marquee board outside of the venue, and while they also advertised The Rejects as playing there on Saturday the 10th, guitarist Mike Muto confirmed in a personal Facebook comment that they are not playing on the Saturday, so if you want to see them, come Friday only! The Band Camp Rejects are coming off of a successful Rockstar Bar debut this past weekend, and it'll be interesting to see how they continue to evolve as a band outside of the confines of multi-band events, like their debut in the spring at The Rednecks Saloon's relaunch party. This talented quartet will be on at around 10:00 PM next Friday, this is a 19+ event, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from The Band Camp Rejects soon!

Next up, here's the latest from local alternative hard rock/punk quartet Id Iota! Last week, Adam Reeve of the British music blog Sounds Good interviewed an uncredited band member for this text interview, where they talk about Id Iota's influences and originals, their debut EP "Maudlin Fair" and it's fan reception, plans for their full length LP, and their opinions on the Canadian music scene and some favourite local bands. In terms of scoops, the band noted that their quiet stretch over the late summer was due to drummer Blair St. John playing with the Ceremonial Guard Pipe Band in Ottawa for a few months, while pre-planning for their full length CD is well underway. Material is ready for it, about 10 songs are planned, it's planned to be a culmination of guitarist Dustin Goodall's hard work in music engineering, their first ever music video has began filming, and a Canadian tour in support of it is planned too! No word on if this is the planned album cover or not, but it's been their Facebook profile picture since last month.

Id Iota seem to have things worked out well, and the interview is informative and a good read (though it does gloss over their earliest months a bit.) Give it a look above, and as for their most recent concert, here's a pair of videos from it, courtesy of their Facebook page! The first one is a 1 minute clip of Id Iota playing a newer original at LopLops Lounge on Saturday when they opened for ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus, and it's more of a laid back, lounge-style number that fans of Id Iota's slower songs will take to! Well shot, though sadly abbreviated, but give it a look below!



The other video was posted the evening of the show, and came too late to feature in a post at the time, so apologies for this being obviously late! This was a brief promotional clip where Id Iota, Mike, and his solo drummer Mitchell Harris each traded off one or two words to hype up the concert, a'la an improv game. Light but fun way to get the word out, and hopefully it got a few more attendees to take in Mike's solo project's live debut (and Id Iota), so give it a look below also!



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

•  A local metal guitarist named Adam Fahrer is looking for a drummer to join his new original metal project, with influences including bands like Gojira, Alter Bridge, and Pantera. No public word yet on this band, but Adam's personal Facebook page features teaser postings referencing studio sessions, and I believe he's of high school age. If you're interested in trying out, message Adam at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!
• SooToday's Donna Hopper posted this interview/recap article from last week's fifth annual Toystock fundraiser concert at The Grand Gardens North onto the local news website that same day. It features remarks from organizer/performer Greg Simpson about the event's growth and purpose, plus some extra promotion (given that it was composed and posted while ongoing), while pictures of attendees, volunteers, and bands Mojo & The Elements were also featured, and in colour! Solid little article for this very charitable concert event, so give it a look above!
• We have moved local metal duo Troubled Mind to our inactive links due to a year's inactivity. Successors to the former Skull After Betrayl, this band sporadically teased a variance of new material that they even said wouldn't make sense, but nothing has been posted to their Facebook page since their only video one year ago today. Mike & Adam had potential from their old bands, and it's a shame that Troubled Mind haven't accomplished what they had prior, but hopefully we see them again at some point!

That's all for today, but tay tuned for this month's CD review next, and much more next month! Thanks everyone!

AlgomA/Chronobot Split Pre-Release Promotion, A New Song, And Much More!!

In possibly our last news post before we post this month's CD review, today's post will lead off with details on what will likely be next month's CD review topic, as it's getting a lot of online press coverage and promotion this month! Alongside, we have a new-to-us song from a recent addition to our band links, and some assorted recent notes, so here's what you should know!

The forthcoming split EP from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan doom metal band Chronobot (which comes out THIS FRIDAY) is the subject of some advance media coverage, so what should you know on it? Parker Folse from the metal website No Clean Singing previewed the split for this article from March 20th where they officially unveiled one track from each band's half of the release, so if you want to hear the studio version of AlgomA's "Phthtisis" or Chronobot's "Red Nails", see the above links, or visit the featured Soundcloud page! Without giving too much away (as this split is very likely for next month's CD review), Parker reviewed "Phthisis" as a "raw, vicious onslaught" for those "in the mood to be trampled", among other graphic depictions. Given the genre, this should be taken as a compliment! Then on Thursday, the metal blog Doomed To Darkness Zine gave the split an 8/10 score in this review, positively reflecting on AlgomA as "a very great sounding mixture" of their subgenres.

Also featuring in-depth thoughts on both bands' talents and sounds, it's a solid review for the lead-up to the formal release on Friday, so give it a look at this link and more above! Most recently, AlgomA bassist Kevin Campbell and Chronobot keyboardist Darius Simonot were separately interviewed by Jill Girardi for this article from their label Dead Beat Media (who are releasing this split), so what should you know from that? In the interview, Kevin is asked about how the two bands hooked up for the release, the recording process for AlgomA's half of the split, the meanings of their contributed songs, the concept of the album art, why they opted for a vinyl release, future plans for their next split with Hooded Menace, touring plans, how the band formed, and much more, while Darius got basically the exact same questions concerning Chronobot. These interviews are solid reads for fans of both bands, so be sure to check out the full interviews above or at this location!

In terms of scoops, Kevin did note that Pixo Control/Id Iota bassist Dustin Goodall helped mix and master AlgomA's songs, "exciting news" regarding their second full length CD will apparently come later this year, and he revealed that "The Electric Fence" is apparently their first original where a character in the lyrics survives the story within. This is a big week for fans of AlgomA and Chronobot, so see above for more promotion of this split disc, stay tuned for details on it's release on Friday! Lastly, AlgomA posted their debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest" in full on their YouTube channel yesterday, so stream it free above & below as we await the split's release!



Next up, here's a new/old original song from new local experimental hard rock solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks! It's new to us via a share on their Facebook page last week, but Chase actually uploaded this to his personal YouTube channel in July 2014, so that's at least how long this project has been in the works before their public reveal a few months back. Entitled "One of Many", this techno-influenced number isn't as heavy as the Speedfreaks' later material, but it's well composed and creative, so give it a listen below!



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

• Local classic/hard rock veterans Havadder have quietly parted ways with guitarist Jamie July, as per his recent removal from their Facebook page's lineup. A reason for his departure hasn't been announced, but Jamie (who joined Havadder upon their late 2013 reunion) increasingly only played with them during summer gigs, so it hasn't been uncommon to see them play as a trio. Hopefully the split was amicable in any case, so best of luck to Jamie in the future, and stay tuned for more on Havadder's show this weekend when our next concert preview post goes up!
• In another musician search from ex-Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent, he's now looking for a bassist for what appears to be his band Troubled Mind (alongside fellow Skull After Betrayl alum Adam Brett), which he describes as "weird metal and fucked up rock". Mike has jam space, the band only plays originals, and both guys provide vocals, but they aren't opposed to having a new bassist sing as well. If you're interested in trying out, message Mike at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Thursday!
• SooToday's coverage of last week's VM Radio Battle of the Bands final round was posted online on Friday, where Donna Hopper mostly covers indie rockers K.I.C.K.'s victory, and includes remarks from K.I.C.K.'s Simon Shearsby & Kevin D'Orazio, where they talk about the experience, Kevin's addition to the band, and their plans to use their winnings to record a debut EP. Sadly, only one photo is included with the article, and Donna was unable to cover the semifinal rounds live, but it's a good write-up of the event, so give it a look at this link, and stay tuned for her Tuned episode on the battle!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and weekend concert previews in our next two posts, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!

Shit Liver's Documentary Teaser, And Much More Recent Updates!!

For our last post of this month (our slowest month on the SMS in almost three years), we're covering some recent news items, including a local band's long awaited first song, a new Tuned episode, and a trailer for a band's new online tour documentary, but we also have an acknowledgement of a stay of operations for one of our recurring series' at post's end. Now, here's what you should know!

Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver are planning to release a 3 part documentary of their Western Canada tour from part one of their Homeland Debauchery Tour this spring onto their YouTube channel next month, and a trailer from it is was posted there on Friday! Set to the studio version of their song "You're Scared", it features assorted footage from the full videos to come, showcasing concert footage, antics on the road, in cities on tour, and before & after their shows for the first half, before showcasing a brief clip of "a pretty good party", before closing with a 20 second clip from frontman Josh Penno encouraging fans to subscribe to their channel and watch their other videos (somewhat unique to see that from a local band's channel!) This is a very effective teaser, especially by withholding the actual audio so we're not spoiled as to the full content, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for part 1 of the full documentary in the near future!

Next up, the newest episode of Local2's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper went up on Saturday, and it's actually focused around an interview with local concert promoters/recording studio Six, Two, Oh! Filmed at the K'Man & The 45s concert at The New American Pub three weeks ago (click here for the episode revolving around the headliners), this features Donna interviewing Six, Two, Oh heads (and AlgomA bandmates) Boyd Rendell & Jamie Vincent on what they do as Six, Two, Oh, their work producing local albums, thoughts on that night's concert and how they got it booked, and their ideal bands to bring to Sault Ste. Marie, with footage from the show scattered throughout. I'm surprised they didn't mention punk rock bingo at all, but this is a fun (if short) interview that captures the former Oh! Right Arm's local work in a concise, informative way!  As we can't embed Local2 videos here, give this newest Tuned episode a look at this link!

Also, do you remember Troubled Mind, the newer metal project from ex-Skull After Betrayl bandmates Adam Brett & Mike Vincent? Well, it took nine months, but they finally have a video of them in action so we can check them out! On Saturday, the band uploaded this jam session video to their Facebook page of Adam & Mike playing an original song with the curious title "Richie, Why Are You Being So Fucking Bitchy?", which Mike noted might not be the best quality, may be weird, and won't sound like all of their future material. Featuring Mike on drums & Adam on vocals and guitar, Mike seemed defiant against potential criticism in the video's description, but it's hard to get a bead on Troubled Mind from the scratchy audio quality & lack of video footage after the first 4 seconds. Adam's vocals sound diverse, but I'd want to hear/see higher quality video before really judging. Still, it's nice to see the guys finally back, so give Troubled Mind's first recording a listen below!

Finally for today, I wanted to acknowledge our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series and the lack of our usual November post to update past entries in it. I've made the decision to put the series on hiatus for a while, mainly as I'm running low on known bands from outside of the area that feature Saultites in their lineup, and a break is be ideal to gather links and restock our future reserves. I guarantee that the series will return in 2016, but when it does, it may not be a monthly feature like it was, depending on how many non-profiled bands come to our attention by that point. To keep things spread out, I plan to move our YouTube Channel Profiles to the 26th of each month until the out of town profiles return. As for our annual post that outlines changes and updates to past profiles in this series, that's coming, but it's been delayed for two reasons: it's ever-increasing length, and my own personal commitments relating to family health matters

I will have that the update post up in due course, I promise, so keep an eye out for that, and thanks for your understanding! I always try to be forthcoming and honest on here, and the series will return! That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Band, Northwest News Coverage, And Much More!!

For this last post of the month, we're tackling some assorted news items, plus lots of recent news attention for a talented local punk band, and adding a new metal band to our links, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local metal band to add to our active band links, and they are Troubled Mind! Essentially the successors to the defunct Skull After Betrayl, their lineup features S.A.B. bassist Adam Brett on vocals & guitar alongside frontman Mike Vincent (also formerly of D.O.T.H. & The Bear Hunters) on vocals & drums. You may also recognize Adam & Mike from working together in past bands like Death Rise and Despised Eyes, though with Troubled Mind, they'll be playing more operatic and alternative metal. No word on potential bassist additions yet, but they have teased adding keyboards to original material, which apparently "do not make sense." Launched earlier this week via their Facebook page, Mike has revealed plans to post a video of Troubled Mind jamming so we can hear how they sound, and hopefully they can build on the steady promise that Skull After Betrayl had during their brief run! Stay tuned for more on Troubled Mind as it rolls in!

Next up, here's the recent Village Media-related news coverage of local indie/punk quintet Northwest, who as you may know, opened for The Poor Young Things at LopLops last night! SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand for their Rockstar Bar show last week to talk to Northwest for both this SooToday article and the newest episode of Local2's Tuned webseries, so what should we know within both? In the SooToday article (posted on Thursday), it's revealed that Northwest's name was indeed inspired by the name of Kanye West & Kim Kardashian's daughter (very much in the news when they were formed in mid-2013), while it was confirmed as well that Northwest's self-titled debut EP was created to gain exposure while they work on their proper full length debut album! Frontman Wayne Watkins confirmed in the article that they're focusing on writing right now and not rushing into recording, but this is promising to hear!

The article also includes positive remarks on their recording process and personal relationships, and it's a good read! Donna also included 9 photos from their set (albeit all black & white), and they're excellent in quality, as usual! Note however that neither the SooToday article or Tuned episode feature coverage of The Cover Up and The Pixo Control, who also played last week. As for the Tuned episode (also uploaded on Thursday), Northwest are the lead story, where Donna talks to the guys outside of The Rockstar Bar about their inception, EP, album plans, and why they don't play live all that often, among other topics. It's a good watch, though Wayne and guitarist Greg Callaghan definitely do most of the answering in the interview. There's also performance footage from their set interspersed during their segment, while the closing performance footage continues Tuned's 12 Musicians of Christmas spotlight from LopLops, this time via Case's Music owner/Lake Effect member Jay Case's set.

Also, the "News & Notes" segment on upcoming concerts is once again not in the actual episode, instead in text below it, which now appears to be a permanent change. Myself, I'd prefer to see it included in the episode itself, but this time, they did plug more shows than usual (four, in this case), including Northwest's LopLops show yesterday. Strong episode as usual, so give the new Tuned episode (which we can't embed here) a look above!

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

• After briefly being rescheduled to the same day as next week's Benighted concert at The Oddfellows Hall (which would have apparently begun before and ended after it, while featuring common bands), the postponed Blood Shed Productions 11-way split release house party was quietly cancelled earlier this week for unannounced reasons, as per the deletion of the Facebook event page. That said, the split was officially released earlier this week, so contact them at this link if you want a copy before the Benighted show!
• The One Bad Son-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar on March 21st will have a low admission price of just $5 (no advance ticket sales), so there's a great added bonus if you want to check out the return of this talented Saskatoon hard rock band next month! Our source is the new official Facebook event page.
• Local punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address will be joined by Boxes of Boom frontman Sam Decter for an opening set at the planned "Rust Orchid" CD release party at The Gore Street Cafe on March 12th, as per the official Facebook event page. This is a bit of a surprise, but Sam's music has creative qualities, and he should fit in on the 12th!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we begin a new month, plus our previews of both of this week's battles of the bands! Thanks everyone!