LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), The Return Of State Of Misery, And More!!

Hey guys, we have some good news today, and hopefully you guys caught my last minute note that Winnipeg hardcore quartet Method were also added to the Rosie metal night last night! If you missed the announcement or didn't make the concert, click here to check them out, they're definitely worth your time! Now to today's news, as we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a prominent band's return, a related band's apparent demise, and a new video, so here's what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is indeed back with acoustic solo concerts this weekend, starting with the continuation of his Service Grill Pizza weekly arrangement TOMORROW! I only just heard about the shows last night, so he'll definitely be back at the Korah Road restaurant tomorrow to deliver two great sets of acoustic hard rock covers! Again, this could be one of your last chances to see him there given earlier statements that the arrangement was for the summer only, so definitely go tomorrow just in case! He'll have two sets at 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and there's likely not an age restriction. Click here for more details, and remember that he'll be back at The Tilt'n Hilton in Hilton Beach on St. Joseph Island on Sunday afternoon again as well, so click here for details on that show! Bit far, but worth the drive! It's always good to see Tym rocking a local stage, and hopefully this weekend's shows go well, so don't miss him tomorrow at the Service Grill! For a preview, here's Tym Morrison covering Extreme's "More Than Words" in Heyden in 2008 with guest singer Luke LeBlanc!



Next up, it looks like local death metal quintet State of Misery are back! After a three month breakup that started in May, the popular (but initially short lived) band have left a few updates on their Facebook pages over the last few days indicating that they have in fact reunited. Drummer Nick Kainula said "Big things happening here!" on their Facebook page on Tuesday, their lineup on their Facebook group was updated that same day to restore their five-piece lineup from the spring, and in a comment there yesterday, Nick said "We're back, suckaas!" Plus, frontman Steve Rhodes confirmed he's back with the band on his Twitter page yesterday. Seems pretty clear that State of Misery are back on the scene, but aside from the recent statements about it, nothing's came out concerning a return to the stage or a possible resumption of their old demo plans. I'm glad to see the guys back together after their very rapid deterioration three months ago, as they were definitely a talented band with chemistry and lots of promise! I'd never have guessed this would happen so quickly, but I'm glad it did, so stay tuned for State of Misery updates as I hear them!

Also, I've updated our Defunct Local Band Profile on them from a couple weeks ago to reflect their return, and similarly to Life's Eclipse, I've added notes about their return and an asterisk (*) to the title of the post to reflect that State of Misery are indeed back. I have more updates to come in this series at some point too, so stay tuned for that!

While we're on the subject, I assume the reunion news effectively renders Unleash The Blackened Sky defunct, so I've moved them to our inactive Sault Ontario band links, though credited as Bring The Misery, as it's the only name they played concerts under. As you may remember, Bring The Misery featured State of Misery's own Steve Rhodes & Ray Cowan during the SoM breakup along with ex-members of Bring The Fallen, Fountain of Betrayal, and The Shit, though they only played two concerts in June. Notably, their second & last show was filmed as part of Shaw TV's interview with Dismembertainment founder Rich Moreland, which you can watch here. With the State of Misery reunion, bassist Tyler St. Amour's work with Social Suicide, and drummer Travis St. Amour's out of town college plans, their breakup seems extremely likely, if nothing else. They had promise from their old bands' reputations, but things didn't gel live like I'd assumed, and it looks like we won't know if they'd have been able to work out the kinks. That said, I think the members' current bands & goals will probably be the best moves for them, musical or otherwise. Best of luck to Steve, Ray, Daeson, Tyler, Travis, Dan, and Kory in their future plans, I know good things will come no matter what!

And finally, here's some new updates from Sault Ontario solo guitarist Mike Cliffe! Over the last little while, a number of songs I didn't recognize were posted onto his Reverbnation page to stream, so click here and head to the bottom to check most of them out! The songs vary in length, genre, and recording quality, but there's some very nice solo instrumentals here if you're willing to look for them! The "bgc" songs in particular have a nice classic rock groove, but there's much more than that on there! One of the newer songs is called "Talk Is Cheap (So Is Talc)", and Mike posted a video of him playing the song onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! Nice pacing and a catchy melody, reminding me of the solo section of a 1970s hard rocker. Mike mentioned on the video that he recorded this as a basement jam on an old cassette tape, then brought it back and redid it, and now we can check it out! Nice to see some video footage of him playing too, as overlayed onto fast moving landscape and water shots and photos, so give Mike's video for "Talk Is Cheap" a look below!



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

Two New Local Bands And More From Local High School Hard Rock Bands!

It's not often where we base an entire post around bands from and around a local high school, but hey, this post kinda just fell into place like that! Today, we have no less than TWO new local bands (one brand new, one newly found), plus videos of the latter and another recent video from a high school performance of a hard rock cover. So let's get back to school with this post, and check out this morning's post (below this one) for news on a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for THIS MONDAY, Sykotyk Rampage's next albums, and news from Sativa Rose, The Sugar Island Festival and Sneaky Pete guitarist Mario Carlucci!

We have a new local band to announce today, and their name is Social Suicide! They're a new local "death punk" trio who just launched their Facebook page this morning. The band members include Unleash The Blackened Sky/ex-Fountain of Betrayal bassist Tyler St. Amour on vocals & bass, Anthony Boudreau on guitar, and Keeghan Rosso on drums. Should be interesting to see Tyler fronting a band for a change! I'm not familiar with either Anthony or Keeghan's musical work, but from what I understand, they both attend Superior Heights Collegiate with Tyler. According to their Facebook page, their influences include bands from The Misfits & NOFX to Pantera and Amon Amarth, all good signs for their sound! Social Suicide apparently have at least 4 originals already in the works, along with covers. Now, when can we see this new young band in action? Apparently, Social Suicide want to jam and rehearse this summer, play at Superior Heights functions over the 2011-12 school year, then debut for actual concerts in the summer of 2012. Sounds like a good plan, that way they get lots of experience and practice in before their debut! I'll be interested to hear Social Suicide when samples or video are posted, and as soon as any band updates roll in, I'll have them here! Become a fan at the above links!

And in case you're wondering what this could mean for the future of Unleash The Blackened Sky, well... I don't know either. What I do know is that the band has not issued an official Facebook page update in over a month (not since the name change from Bring The Misery), the lineup posted there is now 2/5ths outdated (Steve Rhodes is still listed, Daeson Lesage still isn't), and I heard that drummer Travis St. Amour (Tyler's brother) is planning to move out of town for college later this month. Put together, it doesn't sound too good, but who knows what could happen. If I hear more, I'll let you guys know!

Next up, how's about another older local band with a local high school connection? If you went to the former Sir James Dunn Collegiate in the 2007-08 school year, you may remember seeing a Kiss tribute band made up of Grade 11 students at the old Dunnplugged concerts that they had! Yes, even high school students can pay homage to the hottest band in the world! Named Creatures of the Night, the band featured then-SJD students Andrew Addante on lead vocals/guitar (as Paul Stanley), Mike Gualtieri on bass (as Gene Simmons), and former Sindicate bandmates Nick Rhodes on lead guitar & Keith Gagnon on drums (as Ace Frehley & Peter Criss.) Active from the fall of 2007 through the fall of 2008, the band mostly played at Dunnplugged events during that school year, though they did play a 2007 Christmas concert there as well. We have a bunch of video glimpses of Creatures of the Night in action thanks to YouTube users soundguyjoe and Adam Gualtieri (Mike's brother?), who've uploaded six videos of the band from varying shows at their respective YouTube channels, so check their channels linked above to give the videos a look!

What do I think of them? Well, I'll say that for a high school production, the Kiss ambiance and lighting are good on the later videos! The costumes are hit and miss, with the occasional lack of costuming or wigs being really visible. Soundwise, it's an big contrast: The music is really good, especially from Keith Gagnon, but the vocals are not on that same level. Andrew doesn't have the volume or range to pull off songs like "Detroit Rock City", though he does do noticeably better on songs like "Strutter". Talented guys though, I wonder if they're still active in any musical projects? Nice to see some Kiss love like this from locals, so they're definitely worth a look! Here's soundguyjoe's video of Creatures of the Night playing "Strutter", but check the above links for much more from this former local Kiss tribute band!



Finally, while we're on the topic of bands with students at Sir James Dunn, you may know that the Sault's newest high school Superior Heights was formed out of a merger between the old Sir James Dunn and Bawating schools. Sir James Dunn was well known for it's Dunnplugged series of concerts (even producing CDs of the student's original music), and it looks the like Dunnplugged continued with Superior Heights last year! Well, it's now renamed "Hawkplugged" (referencing the school's team name, the Steelhawks), but last year, it was apparently called "Funnplugged" (fun + unplugged.) I prefer the current name, but no matter what name it was under, Dunn/Funn/Hawkplugged has given us some talented young musicians, and here's a newer example! This comes from an outdoor Funnplugged performance circa October 2010 outside the Sir James Dunn building (which was Superior Heights last year), and it's of an unnamed and uncredited student band covering Rush's "YYZ"! Interesting choice given it's complexity, but the band do an admirable job tackling a Rush classic! Sounds a bit empty, but the three guys have clear talent!

Anyone know who's in this band, or if they were named? It would be interesting to find out, cause I can't place the members offhand. Still, give this Funnplugged cover of "YYZ" a look below, and thanks to the Superior Heights YouTube channel for the upload!



That's all for now, but we'll definitely have a wider expanse of topics in our next post! Stay tuned, and enjoy today's post, Eagles and Steelhawks!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (NoXcape), The Alcoholic White Trash Preview, And Much More!!

Hey guys, I have a stacked news post today to help round out the month of July, so we have a departure in a local metal band, updates to one of our monthly feature series, more assorted news, and a preview of a big concert taking place tomorrow night, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a recently renamed new local band! Remember the new Sault Michigan metal band MK-Ultra (featuring former members of Absolute & Riot! By Night) that we've been mentioning here and there this year? Well, they're finally making their live debut next month, and with a new name to go with it! The band announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday night that they've changed their name to NoXcape (pronounced "no escape"), launching a new Facebook page to go along with it. It's bare at the moment, but what we do know is that NoXcape will make their live concert debut on Saturday at Dan's Place on South Tilson Road in nearby Rudyard, Michigan! The show will be at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Nice to see them finally debuting, especially with an improved name, but I wonder how they'll sound and look at the show next weekend? We know singer Nick Landreville, guitarist Ben Huyck, and bassist Bill Spence will be there to lay down some nu metal influenced originals, but we still haven't heard official word on their drummer or possible second guitarist, just that the drummer's first name is Justin (Lawless from Absolute?) Still, it's nice to see NoXcape on a local stage finally! Check the above links for more details, and I'll keep you guys posted! Next up, here's a concert preview for a concert taking place tomorrow night, and if you love hardcore punk and metal, you'll wanna be at this one! Two touring hardcore punk bands from Victoria, British Columbia will hit The Roosevelt Hotel's stage tomorrow night, including headliners Alcoholic White Trash and "gnar rockers" Lesbian Fist Magnet! They'll bring lots of crossover thrash goodness to The Rosie tomorrow, and I have a feeling you guys will really enjoy them! Two local openers are in store as well, those being local cello punk trio RedD Monkey and extreme metal quintet Winkstinger, who are both solid choices for this type of concert! Remember, this show was originally scheduled for The Canadian Nightclub as an all ages show, but with the massive flooding there two weeks ago, the show had to be moved, so kudos to The Rosie for having it now! However, this show is NOT all ages anymore, and now has a later start time of 10:00 PM, but the $5 cover remains the same. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a great show despite the venue change, and hopefully there's tons of punk and metal fans in attendance tomorrow to enjoy the high energy music in store! For a preview, here's Alcoholic White Trash rocking a Vancouver stage in July 2008! Thirdly today, it looks like local death metal band Unleash The Blackened Sky have parted ways with singer Steve Rhodes. No official statements have been made as to his departure, but his official Twitter page says his band is "none at the moment", and a recent posting on his personal Facebook page says that he's not "in a show playing band anymore". Seems pretty definitive that he's left the band in some fashion, and with no real band page updates in almost a month, this could be all the proof we get. Steve is the third member of their original "Bring The Blood" lineup to leave the band in their brief two month existence, following the departures of Kory Derasp & Dan Souliere. I don't know why Steve left Unleash The Blackened Sky, but it is disappointing, as he was a solid death growler and left a good mark in the local scene this year, particularly during State of Misery's half year run! His two shows with U.T.B.S. (as Bring The Misery) were works in progress, but the band had promise, and hopefully they come back soon with a full lineup again! Best of luck to Steve though, his growling talent would be an asset for bands looking for a death metal singer! Stay tuned for updates from Unleash The Blackened Sky as I hear them! Now, here's a few assorted shorter stories from the last little while. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or company name.

• I've regrettably moved internet rock radio station Energy Rock Radio into our "Other Local Metal Links" because, at least right now, they're no longer based in Sault Ontario. Owner Ryan Kaarlela moved to Castlegar, British Columbia earlier this year and bases the station from there currently. The station still rocks though, definitely listen to it (as I still do), but it's not really "local" at the moment. Best of luck to Ryan out west though, I've heard positive things from him since the move!
• Local hard rockers Half Past are now selling official t-shirts! I believe they're black with their current logo on the front. They're $20 in sizes S-XXL and women's sizes M-L, and can now be purchased at The Rad Zone, directly from guitarist Alain Fletcher at this location, or at their concerts, presumably starting at Hempfest in two weeks. Nice to hear, I should pick one up one of these days!
• I'm badly late with this, but defunct Sault Michigan hard rockers Nixxon Dixxon have an official Facebook page that I only just recently found! It was launched and briefly maintained last spring before falling out of use, so there isn't much there beyond bio information and photos, but become a fan anyway and show your support!

And finally, I've made some more edits to make some of our Defunct Local Band Profiles more current and accurate, so here's what's newly changed in this monthly feature series! Both the AtrophiA and White Knights profiles have had minor edits to reflect the name changes of bands that members were later in (Bring The Blood to Bring The Misery & Motion Carried to Redundant.) I edited Life's Eclipse's profile to reflect that their drummer's name is Casey Amo, now that frontman Jason Mills confirmed that they can now publically say who their drummer is. I made a minor addition to Bad Side's profile to note that former drummer Mike Vollman is now in a local Christian rock band named Seeking Reverence (also featuring Intrepid bassist Mitch Goetz.) Here's a video of them covering a Kutless song, which isn't a bad rendition! Interesting news, I wouldn't have assumed this would be their current band, but hey, kudos for following their faith! Finally, I've made a minor addition to Out Of The Mouth Of Babes' profile to note that they recorded "Take A Walk With Me" at idioRECORDS here in town with producer (and For July frontman) Dave Hunter. Check the above links for more on the now updated profiles! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and updates very soon, including our August installment of the "Where Are The New Albums?" series on Tuesday! Thanks everyone!

A Band Name Change, A Possible New Show, And Lots More News!!

Before we get to today's previously scheduled local metal stories, I wanted to take a second to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sault Star reporter Frank Dobrovnik, who suddenly passed away just recently while vacationing in Italy with his wife. Frank had been a well respected writer & reporter for The Sault Star since 1998, and regular SMS readers may remember us featuring articles he has written surrounding certain major Essar Centre concerts, along with the Kiss concert campaign and aftermath, although his body of work stretches far beyond just those topics. I never met Frank, but I've been a fan of his writing style & articles for some time now, and this is completely shocking news to hear, especially for his young children and his own young age. Click here to read Frank Rupnik's tribute article from the paper, and local news sites should keep you guys posted on arrangements and donations to the family as they are made public. R.I.P. Frank!

Now, we have some more positive news to share on this rainy Tuesday, including some new songs, a band looking to play here, and kicking things off today, a local death metal band has changed their name! Yesterday afternoon, Bring The Misery officially changed their name to Unleash The Blackened Sky, after just two shows under their old name. With the name change, their Facebook page's link is different too, so we've updated our band links to reflect the change as well. No reason was publically given for the name change, though I imagine it's partly due to Dan Souliere's departure, as the "band merger" style of the old name (Bring The Fallen + State of Misery) doesn't have the same meaning when only one BTF member is left in the current lineup. Plus, the new name is more original, and it sounds very metal, so hopefully it sticks! Curiously though, their page still doesn't mention Daeson Lesage as their new rhythm guitarist, you think that would be updated by now. Stay tuned to the SMS for when we hear about Unleash The Blackened Sky's next shows!

Next up, there's another band looking for a local booking, so here's what you should know! I got an e-mail yesterday from Chris Woodford of the Toronto metal band Titan (not to be confused with Titans Eve), and he's looking for a local booking this summer! The band, who play sort of a mix of sludge and hardcore metal, are hoping to play a local concert on August 5th, between their Toronto & Thunder Bay shows on the surrounding days, and are open to playing anywhere that will book them! Dismembertainment can't do the show due to prior engagements that day, so Chris asked me if I could promote their search on the SMS, and I happily obliged! Titan are inspired by bands like Converge and Neurosis, and they have a nice slow and heavy sound with lots of aggression and intensity to get some moshpits going! It'd be cool to see Titan here on August 5th, so if any of you guys are interested in booking, helping book, or playing with Titan for a show that night, give the band a shout at their MySpace page linked above or at titanslays@gmail.com! Remember, if you wanna see Titan here, consider messaging them, they'd love to play here, someone just needs to extend an olive branch to start the process!

Now to some new updates from new local metal band AlterWhite! The band has uploaded two new demo covers onto their Facebook page (and their brand new YouTube channel), which may seem a bit odd when you think of metal covers. One is a cover of Creed's "My Own Prison" and the other (believe it or not) is of Wham!'s "Careless Whisper"! Now that's unexpected, especially the latter! Both end up sounding similar to their originals, as in they have some musical promise, but are very empty and unrefined, but remember, the band has just two guys at the moment. I find with both songs, the songs are obviously ratcheted up in heaviness, but honestly, Mike Matthews would be better served to actually try and sing the covers, not go into James Hetfield-mode, as it doesn't flow consistently with Kevin McCarthy's riffing. That said, I've never been a fan of George Michael, so I find the "Careless Whisper" cover to be an improvement! I want to hear these songs with another guitarist and a bassist, and maybe some more controlled singing, cause there is something there with AlterWhite that they need to expose musically! Check out the new covers (and more) at the above links, and here's their "Careless Whisper" cover!



And finally, if you've been a reader of the SMS in it's various forms over the years, you may know that July 4th is not just Independence Day, it's also the SMS' anniversary. We're coming up on 4 years since I started The Sault Metal Scene on Monday, and you may have seen a bit of a "countdown" of sorts on our Facebook page lately. That's just to build suspense, as we have 4 "surprise" announcements to make! Two involve the SMS blog/website itself, though what is happening there is up to you to speculate. One involves monthly features (all I'll say is none are being cancelled), and one involves one of our external pages. Yes, I'm keeping things vague for a reason, cause I want you guys to speculate and not know what's up my sleeve! Rest assured, nothing bad is happening, nothing drastic is going to happen in terms of overhauling our goals and aims, and (as I often reiterate), it's not related to me personally booking a concert. These announcements are all good, and in at least one case, I'll be able to provide you guys with something more than just text and media. Let the speculation run wild, and on Monday, you'll know exactly what we're doing to celebrate our 4th anniversary!

That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW as our final monthly feature post of June is unveiled, where we profile Saultite Jeff Nisbet's solo work in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series! Stay tuned for that, and much more to come! Thanks guys!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

It's time for some more new local metal videos as we approach the midpoint of the month! We have enough to make up a post completely devoted to videos, and today, we have some newly posted footage from Late & Loud & Woods of Ypres, some Sault-relevant videos surrounding a recent out of town headlining band, and first, some cool studio updates from a band's recent studio sessions, so let's get all of this going! (Oh, and our weekly classic video will likely be up tomorrow, FYI.)

As you may remember, local hardcore quintet As It Stands hit the studio at the beginning of the month for some quick sessions at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga towards their forthcoming EP (as confirmed at the end.) Well, now we can see some of the happenings from the sessions, as the band have posted a studio vlog onto their YouTube channel, and you can watch it below! Clocking in at almost 10 minutes long, the video features assorted clips and footage from the sessions, including lots of in-studio clips that show the tracking and instrumental tracks already recorded. Only Justin Pregent is shown on camera actually recording his parts, which did include their "Stay Together For The Kids" cover! Outside the studio, we get everything from John Mignacca's acrobatics to a skateboarding & dancing chicken, so this is worth checking out even more so! The video clips are mostly focused on Justin & John, with the other members not getting extended time on camera. Also, the dimensions of the video are small & odd, flipping from narrow to wide views constantly, leading me to think a smartphone camera filmed everything. Solid stuff though, nice clear audio quality, and I really like what I'm hearing! Check out the vlog below, and stay tuned for updates on this EP!



Secondly today, here's one more Woods of Ypres video from their Saint Paul, Minnesota show on May 14th! Yesterday's post went up before this final video was uploaded by frontman David Gold onto his YouTube channel, but it's especially worth a look on it's own anyway! It's of their set-capping song "A Meeting Place & Time", and the quality and sound is as good as yesterday's videos! The only real difference is if you like the song more or less than the others, and regardless, it's a great song! Plus, there's a little surprise for an "encore", but what's the surprise? Watch and find out, as here's Woods of Ypres playing "A Meeting Place & Time" last month in Minnesota!



Thirdly, here's some newly discovered footage of local metal quartet Late & Loud! As their hiatus stretches into it's second month, band updates continue to slowly roll in nonetheless, and some of that is thanks to their YouTube channel! Now most videos there are from assorted "episodes" of random band happenings that were posted in October. Though having some musical moments, they don't have much in terms of full band performances in them, but they're worth a look! My main reason for bringing them up today is that they posted some live concert videos from a show at Foggy Notions onto their YouTube channel in March! One is of their original "Never Again", which was previously put on their Facebook page around February. Solid hard rocker, and good quality, though they really need a full time singer. I'm embedding their cover of Witchcraft's "Chylde of Fire" here because it didn't make it to Facebook before, so we haven't seen it beforehand! They have the song down well though, and Jonathan Tiberi's vocals, though limited, are used well! Awesome guitar work from Jon & Brendan Christie too, check out their "Chylde of Fire" cover below (and more at the above links!)



And finally, remember the Unleash The Archers-headlined concert at The Roosevelt Hotel on June 4th? Well, I don't have videos from it, but here's the next best thing! Two connected videos are now online from the time surrounding this show, including an official video from the band itself chronicling their tour through "The Astrowaste"! Uploaded onto Unleash The Archers' own YouTube channel on Wednesday, only about 20 seconds of this 3 minute tour vlog of sorts has a local relevance, but it's interesting nonetheless, as it features bassist Zahk Hedstrom smashing a guitar over Dismembertainment owner Rich Moreland's back! Why? I don't know, but they look like they're having fun! Check out the footage at the video embedded below or at the above links, and the local guitar carnage takes place 1:17 into the video. A second angle from a phone camera was uploaded that same day into a 10 second clip on the new Dismembertainment YouTube channel, so click here to see! Give both a look, especially the full tour video below, as it features three plus minutes of entertaining happenings from their tour, accompanied by a very solid song of theirs! Check it out!



That's all for now, but I have more news and notes to get to very soon, including this week's classic video, the return of monthly polls, and yes, our "Soo Stories" review, so keep an eye out! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Local Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's concerts on the local metal & hard rock side of things! I know eight, but if I'm missing any, please let me know at robertfigures@hotmail.com! So let's begin the previews for this weekend, but before that, remember that my Woods of Ypres video showcase from earlier today can be seen in the post below. Now, onto what you should know for this weekend! (Edited at 1:16 PM Thursday)

First, it's the 18th Roosevelt Hotel metal night, as 3 more metal bands take the stage for a night of hard hitting music for your Thursday, and there's a trio of firsts tomorrow with the included bands! The advertised headliners are Sykotyk Rampage, who'll bring their "crash music" stylings to The Rosie for the first time at a metal night, and the first time anywhere since their St. Patrick Day show at an old Rosie punk night! This show will also be a special event in honour of a Becker family wedding, so if you didn't get an invite, come rock out with Sykotyk Rampage's very unique brand of music tomorrow night! Also scheduled are the returning Bear Hunters, who are indeed playing despite reports to the contrary late last week. This will be their first show since adding former Bring The Fallen frontman Josh Stephney as their new rhythm guitarist, and how will they sound after a month of preparation for his debut? Time will tell! Listed to open are Bring The Misery, the debuting new death metal band featuring former State of Misery members Steve Rhodes & Ray Cowan, ex-Bring The Fallen members Dan Souliere & Travis St. Amour, and bassist Kory Derasp. What kind of sound and material will they have for us in their debut show? We'll all find out tomorrow night, but it should be interesting!

As usual, there's no cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at 9:30 PM or later. Check the above links and Sykotyk Rampage's event page for more details! I'll be there for sure, and I'm using this concert as a test ground for my new digital camera that I got for my birthday! Just as a preview, it can shoot HD video... I dunno how the quality will end up being overall, but I'm optimistic! I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Sex Toy, Oh My Baby" at The Rosie in March!



Now to a trio of weekend sets from some local hard rock acts, and first, it's the return of Full Circle this weekend! After seeing their shows at The Canadian Nightclub last weekend cancelled, the band formerly known as Turner Up will play just their second concert weekend under their new name on Friday & Saturday night at The Nicolet Tavern! These won't be their current lineup's first shows here though, as they played their last concerts under the Turner Up name here early last month. Full Circle's shows this weekend will be at 10:00 PM both nights, you must be 19 to attend either show, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's good to see Full Circle back out there, hopefully they extend the promise of their new lineup this weekend and beyond! Head on out to The Nic this weekend for some entertaining classic hard rock covers! I don't have any shareable videos to preview their shows with, but when something comes online, I'll have it here!

Alright, now we'll head to Sault Michigan for a few more shows before closing at The Rosie again at the end. First, we'll go to The Satisfied Frog, where Marquette hard rockers Nudge are hitting for the first of two consecutive local concert weekends! This frequently seen band will be sure to rock The Frog once again with their entertaining hard rock and metal covers, as they play locally for the first time since April! And yes, this weekend's shows are in fact preceded by Wednesday and Thursday night solo acoustic shows by frontman Danzo McCracken (go see him tonight!) As for Nudge, both of their shows start at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend either show. For more details, check out the official Facebook event page! Should be a solid weekend of hard rocking tunes from Nudge, so check them out this weekend if you can! If not, don't worry, they're back next weekend too! For a preview, here's Nudge covering the song "Good" by Better Than Ezra at a show in 2008!



Also across the river this weekend is the return of Splitshot after over a month away from the local concert stage! This is, of course, the local hard rock quintet featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard & Kyle Beaumont along with family members of theirs, and they'll return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino on Friday & Saturday night! These shows are both advertised on their Facebook page and on Kewadin's entertainment page, so they're definitely on as scheduled! These shows should have 9:00 PM-ish start times (or later), no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Check the above links for more details! Splitshot are still really an enigma to fans who haven't seen them live, having no audio, video, or detailed band information online to fill in any blanks. I don't know if that's intentional or not, but I know there's talent to be had, and they'll have lots of hard rocking songs in store this weekend for the fans who come out to Kewadin Casino! Stay tuned for more from Splitshot if I hear it!

And finally, we close the weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel on Saturday night, when a big package of metal bands take control of the stage for a devastating night of metal! This show got announced rather short notice, so PLEASE take note of what to expect on Saturday! Headlining this show are Vancouver progressive metal band Unleash The Archers, who'll stop at The Rosie during their "Tour Through the Astrowaste" to deliver a high impact set of metal that takes influences from power metal, death metal, and hardcore, with awesome singing from frontwoman Brittney Hayes! You don't see bands like this much locally, you should really like Unleash The Archers! Opening this concert are a pair of Winnipeg hardcore bands, including the more progressive leaning Wear Your Wounds and post-hardcore quartet Abstract & The Artist on their own "Eastern Canada Bro-Down" tour! They'll fit right in with their moshable hardcore sounds, and prepare for some fury when they're on! Though Wear Your Wounds' own tour poster hypes As It Stands as the local openers, we know they're in Mississauga right now (more on that tomorrow), so the local opening band will be hardcore quartet Changing Waves! Great to see them getting this opportunity, they won't disappoint on Saturday!

Admission is $5 on Saturday, which is more than worth it for the package of bands you're getting! You must be 19 to attend, and everything starts after 9:00 PM! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a great show, and fingers crossed, I'll drive down there too on Saturday to rock out! For a preview, here's Unleash The Archers playing their song "Destroyer" at a Vancouver concert in 2009!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow, featuring three new albums! And yes, I'll see you guys at The Rosie tomorrow night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Unleash The Archers, Lion Ride, WinkStinger, Sykotyk Rampage, And Tym Morrison)

Oh man, this might be our most stacked post in a long while for new concerts, as we have no less than FIVE new shows today, so let's not waste any time! Here's what you need to know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, in order by date!

Firstly, we have the next Roosevelt Hotel metal night, taking place this coming Thursday! Two bands are currently confirmed, as posted on Dismembertainment's Facebook page, including (in their metal night debut) Sykotyk Rampage! The "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet will take the stage for the first time since March as the advertised headliners on Thursday night, which is also being hyped by the band itself for a special occasion! The concert is taking place close to a wedding in the Becker family, and the concert's also going to double as a celebration of that event. Click here for their event page on the show! Also scheduled for Thursday are debuting local death metal quintet Bring The Blood, just over a week after their public launch! How will this band featuring Bring The Fallen & State Of Misery alums sound in their debut? Time will tell, but it'll be interesting! The third band, slotted in the middle for the show, is not known at present, though The Bear Hunters were briefly advertised before being dropped. As always, this has a start time of 9:30 PM or later, you must be 19 to attend, and there is no cover charge. Check the above links for more details!

This should be a great show with a lot of new sights, including two first time bands for these metal Thursdays, and I'll be there to rock out! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for details on the last confirmed band and anything else that could come up! Also, the June 9th lineup hasn't been revealed yet, but we'll have more on these Thursday nighters later in this post!

Just two nights later at The Rosie, a HUGE show is lined up for next Saturday, and I've been itching to promote this on here for a while, but didn't have official go ahead or complete details until just recently. Three talented out of town metal bands who we've promoted the local gig searches of on here are banding together next Saturday to rock The Rosie, including headliners Unleash The Archers! This extreme progressive quintet have a melodic and very heavy mix of styles to give us, including elements of everything from power to death metal, and they're touring "through the astrowaste" in support of their new album this summer! I'm digging these guys (and girl), and you should give them a listen! Also scheduled are two Winnipeg-area hardcore bands, those being Wear Your Wounds & Abstract & The Artist, who'll look to devastate with their hard hitting metalcore sounds! The local openers are hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off two straight Rosie appearances of their own! Good to see them getting an opportunity like this again, they deserve it! Admission is $5, but don't complain, as it's well worth it for this package of bands! Everything starts at around 9:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page!

There was a lot of talk, uncertainty, and preliminary word on this show in recent weeks, but now everything's locked in and official, and it sounds like it will be awesome! As with the show on Thursday, I should be at this one too, especially with bands this talented! Check the above links for all the details, spread the word on this show, and check out SooToday's article on it at this location!

Now to the last Rooosevelt Hotel concert I have for you guys today, and it's on June 16th for what should be the 20th Rosie metal night (assuming one is announced for the 9th.) Three bands are confirmed, including headliners WinkStinger, in (believe it or not) their first Thursday night Rosie show since January! Despite the wait, they'll do awesome at this show with their uniquely extreme sound! Backing them up are, in what I believe is their first Roosevelt Hotel show of any kind, Frightlight! The horror punk/metal quintet will add a different flavour to the proceedings with their heavy Misfits-influenced music, and they should get a warm welcome! Opening will be Sativa Rose, whose classic metal sounds and ever improving originals will set the tone nicely on the 16th! Nice to see a varied lineup like this, hopefully I can make it out! General rules apply, no cover charge, 9:30 PM-ish start time, 19+. Check all of the above links for more details, as well as Dismembertainment's Facebook page (check the "BandPage" tab) and as I hear more, I'll absolutely have it here on these (and future) Dismembertainment concerts!

The last two shows today are not from Dismembertainment, but they're still worth your time, so here's what you should know! Firstly, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is bringing his solo acoustic project back for a concert in Goulais River on June 17th! This will be Tym's first publically announced solo gig since the end of his bi-weekly Eagles Club engagement in March, and it will take place at a new venue for our coverage: The Zone Roadhouse on Highway 17 in Goulais River! I don't live in that area, so I can't comment on how it is as a concert venue, but it is a restaurant & bar of some sort, which would fit in the mold of some of Tym's past solo venues. This show has a 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and though an age limit isn't advertised, I wouldn't risk going if I was underage. You never know though! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Tym's solo project back out there, and The Zone should be graced with some great music on June 17th! Stay tuned for news from Tym (and Caveman) Morrison as I hear it, and head down there for the show if you can!

Finally for new shows, Lion Ride are coming home in July! The local/Toronto-based hard rock quintet are coming back to Sault Ontario on July 2nd for a concert at The Rockstar Bar! This will be their first local concert in three months, following their April 9th headlining show which was also at The Rockstar Bar. The news on this show was officially broken on the band's Facebook page yesterday evening, along with details on a few other scheduled shows. No other details have came out yet, but I assume it'd have similar rules to the April concert, which had a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. Openers (if any) haven't been announced yet, but if it's any help, The Billy Bastards have opened for them at their last two local concerts. For all current details, check the above links! Sounds like a great time, and this could turn out to be this year's "Sault Metal Scene Anniversary" concert that I like to hit around July 4th! Either way, I should be there, and hopefully you guys will be there too! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for more updates on this show as well as they come in!

That's all for now, but I should have a new news post either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone, and make note of all of the concerts we mentioned today!!

Bands Looking To Play Here, Bear Hunters Related News, And Our Musicans Union!

One more post for you guys before I head to The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT, full of some notable updates! We have three bands who have tentative dates in Sault Ontario that I'll go over, an update on our local musicians union, and first, here's some Bear Hunters-related updates, including a schedule change for tonight's concert!

WinkStinger are now the co-headliners for tonight's Icy Metal For Aborted Therapy concert at The Oddfellows Hall due to prior work commitments for at least one band member. This means that both The Bear Hunters (pictured) and State of Misery will be pushed back in the band order, though Sativa Rose & Bring The Fallen's slots are unchanged. Also, the concert has been pushed back an hour so it will now start at 6:00 PM with the doors opening at 5:30 PM. Nothing else has changed, but make note of these so you don't show up early or miss a certain band! Thanks to Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie for these updates, as sent to attendees in a Facebook e-mail. While we're on the subject of The Bear Hunters, they've talked about a lot of intriguing things for their future, including plans for both an EP and a full length album this year, with the EP to include a DVD in the package, and a planned tribute to the Big Four thrash metal bands for future shows! I probably won't cover any Bear Hunters albums here until recording officially starts, but keep all this in mind, as they have big hopes for this year! Check out their official Facebook page for more!

Now for three tentative local metal concerts, two of which need a venue, the other of which needs openers! We'll go in chronological order, and firstly, an out of town metal band looks to be the headliners at an upcoming Roosevelt Hotel metal night! Rosie owner Chad LaRoue was inquiring yesterday on the Metal Nights at The Rosie Facebook page as to local openers for a band named Skepsis on February 17th, which is a Thursday and two weeks after the next metal night on the 3rd. So I looked up Skepsis to see who they were, and believe it or not, there's at least THREE Canadian bands with this name, maybe more! None have definite dates listed for February in town though, and the only one that is hinting towards February shows doesn't even describe themselves as metal. I'm not comfortable enough to assume which Skepsis it is, but if you wanna open for them at the presumed February 17th metal night, get a hold of Chad at this location! When I hear more, especialy concerning which Skepsis this is, I'll let you guys know!

Now to shows without venues, and we'll start with a band we saw here last year! Toronto instrumental progressive trio The Isosceles Project are tentatively planning a return show in Sault Ontario on May 23rd! You may remember when they came here last August one night after the Kiss concert as one of the openers for Skull Fist at The Canadian Nightclub, or maybe you saw them on Disband on MuchMusic! A venue, additional bands, or any specific details aren't known yet for this show, so I take it nothing's finalized. Bassist Scott Tessier had told me that they are playing a longer set than they had last year, so that's a good sign! I take it the band doesn't have a finalized booking yet though, so if you're interested in booking or promoting The Isosceles Project for a local concert on May 23rd, message the band at their official MySpace page! I hope this gets finalized, as I was VERY impressed with The Isosceles Project last year, and their progressive instrumental attack will surely leave you guys wanting more as well! Stay tuned for updates if I hear them!

The other possible new concert has no specific date in mind, but maybe you can help secure one? When I was browsing the 705 Video Magazine forum recently, I came across a topic about a band's efforts to secure a local booking in May or June. The band is Vancouver progressive metal quintet Unleash The Archers, and singer/guitarist Brayden Dycszkowski posted there in the hopes of securing a booking for the band in that timeframe for their upcoming tour cycle in support of their new album. I like their sound, it's a creative mix of extreme death metal and melodic female-fronted metal, and they're pretty heavy to boot! The band has no real contacts in town, so I'll do what I can to help get them a booking in town this year! If you're interested in helping set up an Unleash The Archers concert in town later this year, contact the above links to show your interest! I'd like to see them here, how about you guys?

And finally for today, this is a new find for me, but we have mentioned this group on here before. In May, you may remember us talking about Sault Ste. Marie's own musicians union, The American Federation of Musicians, Local 276. When browsing links the other day, I found out that they actually have an official website! It mentions that one of the bands who is members of Local 276 is Woods of Ypres, though it doesn't name drop any other metal bands as members. The site is descirptive in talking about Local 276's history, why you should join, and all the benefits that becoming unionized can offer. This can go from playing in the United States to recording to even helping fill in for other musicians, there are many benefits to getting your band into the AFM! Definitely consider joining this union if you're in a local band, it could pay off in the future! Click here for details on how to join! Also, note that one of the executive board members is veteran local musician Ric Datson, now best known as the drummer for That's Chester!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall! Thanks everyone!b