LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Telephone & Address), New Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

After a couple of slow days, let's get back into the groove with a new news post for your Wednesday morning, which includes some concluding updates (for now) to one of our past feature profiles, some new videos from across the river, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring!

Local acoustic/punk solo project Telephone & Address will be among the local openers at a concert at LopLops Lounge on Thursday, April 21st, when they open for Toronto pop duo Moon King! Off hand, this is the first LopLops show that I can recall from Chris Shoust's solo act, but his punk originals should be a nice mood setter in two months' time, so keep his opening set in mind for then. Some fans may recognize Moon King's members from the defunct indie rock band Spiral Beach, who played here at least twice in the late 2000s, but Moon King's energetic and poppy sound should find an audience of their own next month, so give them a look if their sound is up your alley! Local indie/alternative band Aldous will join Telephone & Address as openers on April 21st as well, with Nick's recent electronic-tinged originals sure to leave their mark once again as well! Promoted by Ears & Eyes Online's Jackson Reed, this 19+ concert has NO COVER, and starts at 9:30 PM.

This should be a solid concert for indie rock fans, and while it definitely leans more that direction than most shows we cover, Telephone & Address will deliver some unplugged punk to start the evening, so whatever your pleasure, keep this show in mind for April 21st, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's some new video finds from Sault Michigan artists, including two new solo videos from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard's YouTube channel, as he has two new multi-instrument covers to take in from Monday! Both featuring Chris on guitar, bass, and drums in separate clips edited together, one is a cover of Van Halen's "Unchained" (joining last week's version of "Light The Sky"), but embedded below is his take on Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine". These are strong covers, especially the extremely faithful "Unchained", but it's interesting to hear his Van Halen-inspired take on GNR, and I wonder how these would sound with vocals? Give them a look!



Also today, here's a video that we recently found from the local cover rock trio Broke On Sunday, who covered Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" at The Merchant's Bar last spring! Uploaded in the fall to singer/guitarist Mark Bowen's YouTube channel, this is the only public video that I've seen from Broke on Sunday, who don't have a known online page, but their lineup includes Mark (formerly seen in The London Gentlemen) alongside Retro Troop/ex-Ten Kings bassist Barney Gravelle, and Chump Change drummer Jason VanLuven, who you may recognize as a former bandmate of Mark's in Bucksaw, and has also recently played with The London Gentlemen. I can't verify a whole lot about Broke On Sunday,  including on if their sets tend to lean heavier, but they do play live a fair amount, were a part of this year's 1-500 Pub Crawl with a set at Moloney's Alley, and I believe they generally play acoustic-only concert sets. On watching this video, Broke On Sunday definitely do a good job on this grunge staple!

Featuring Jason singing the Eddie Vedder parts and Mark handling the Chris Cornell parts (Barney appears to be absent entirely here), it's a nice casual performance with surprisingly accurate takes on the vocals, and while the lighting is very red, it's nice to see this video, and to see something from in The Merch for a change as well! Give this Broke on Sunday clip a look below, and hopefully more from them turns up down the road!



Finally for today, here's our final major updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles before we get into new profiles next month, as we're refreshing and updating our profile of Viva La Battle from November 2013! There, we restored all photos, and in the section on performers' later activity, we updated the details on recent work from winners The Bear Hunters and runners-up Northwest. For the section on performers' later bands, we replaced Haggith, The Sorrow Fields, and Urawk with Eclipse, Heavy Head, and Mourning Wood to get that updated, In the trivia section, we updated references to how third placers Punch's original songs were re-appropriated as Haggith originals during that band's 2014-2015 reunion (with "Road Rash" making their final EP.) Lastly, we added trivia notes concerning Punch members' second place run in 2014's Rock N' Roar Battle with The Suicide Kings, and notes on how The Bear Hunters and Punch alumni did in last March's VM Radio and Speak Easy Battles of the Bands. Hopefully that covers all major updates, and stay tuned for our profiles of last March's battles next!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Battle Of The Bands Rewind Profile: Viva La Battle

Hey guys, in a surprise second post today, here's our overdue latest installment of our Battle of the Bands Rewind series! As you may remember, we're profiled a selection of recent battles of the bands on the site in the last few years, in order to spotlight what happened, who competed, what were the stakes, and where the bands are now, with new installments coming a year after the original battle took place. However, we admittedly forgot about our profile on the most recent Sault Ontario battle last month, but with two new ones coming up in early 2015, now's better than ever! Remember, our battle of the bands profiles are strictly informative and do not feature reviews or criticism of the bands or their sets. With that said, read on below for our newest Battle of the Bands Rewind Profile! (Updated on February 17th, 2016)
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Viva La Battle (November 13th, 2013)

Background: Seven months after his successful Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce hosted Viva La Battle in November 2013 at The Canadian Nightclub. Much like his Battle for the Blood the previous summer, this was a smaller battle featuring less bands, fan voting rather than judges, and an opening concert slot for the winner being the only prize. In this case, the winner of Viva La Battle would be named as one of the local openers for Bam Margera's Fuckface Unstoppable at The Canadian on December 14th of that year, similarly to the past year's prize of opening for 3 Inches of Blood at The Rosie. All competing bands would play 30 minute sets, and after they wrapped up, concert attendees marked their chosen winners on a paper ballot to be tabulated after the show. The battle's name was inspired by Bam Margera's MTV reality show "Viva La Bam".

Prizes: Again, just the opening slot for Bam Margera the next month, where the winners would also join Detroit party/hard rock quintet Wilson and two other local bands on the lineup, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and hardcore punk notables Destroilet. There were no other announced prizes for the winners or runners-up.

Competitors: Though four bands were scheduled for Viva La Battle, only three would end up playing, including local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters, debuting local indie/punk quintet Northwest (then spelled as "North West"), and the debuting hard rock quartet Punch, a supergroup merger of Suicide Kings & Haggith alumni.

Results: The fans voted The Bear Hunters as the winners of Viva La Battle, scoring 21 of a possible 43 votes and giving them the right to open for Fuckface Unstoppable the following month. Northwest made a strong impression in second place with 13 votes, while Punch rounded out the podium in third with 9 votes. 

Aftermath: The Bear Hunters continued their success with a number of high profile concerts throughout 2014, and also released their debut CD "Eternal Hibernation" that same December, with more big concerts and recording sessions towards their sophomore album following! Northwest have played more sporadically, but have opened for the likes of Gob and The Sunparlour Players over the past two years, and also released a debut self-titled EP in mid-2014 with their original lineup. Finally, Punch played a handful of concerts over the following months, such as opening for Diemonds and playing at one of the Roosevelt Hotel's short lived Heavy Thursday shows, before falling inactive in mid-2014 due to members' other band projects.

Some Notable Performers' Newer Bands (Metal/hard rock/punk in italics):

Chronic Demonic (Nik Deubel from The Bear Hunters)
The Cover-Up (Clint Wilson from Northwest)
Eclipse (Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton from Punch)
Heavy Head (Daniel Horton from Punch & Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Jack Spades (Justin Lam & Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Late Shift (Clint Wilson from Northwest)
Lorrie Lynn & The Sinners (Greg Callaghan & Clint Wilson from Northwest) 
Mourning Wood (Steven Flint from Punch)
Project 421 (Daniel Horton & Curtis McKenzie* from Punch)
The Suicide Kings (Mitch Sirie from The Bear Hunters, and Steven Flint & Ben Boudreau from Punch)

Trivia:

• A new (and intentionally secretive) local band named Keep It Lit were originally scheduled to play this battle as the fourth band, but dropped out on the day of the show after an undisclosed band member broke their hand. Keep It Lit would never play a live concert, but their lineup was to have featured singer/bassist Paul Stanghetta, guitarists Alice Rose & Paul Fowler, and drummer John Mignacca. Had they competed, Paul Stanghetta & John would have had a chance to better their second place finishes at past battles with The Fury and As It Stands respectively, though Paul plays similar material in his current band The Apocalypse Afterparty, with that band placing in fourth place at 2015's VM Radio Battle.
• Local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings (later known as Beaumont Avenue) were originally slated to play Viva La Battle, but were replaced by the debuting Punch a few weeks prior due to frontman Mike Gaetano having external commitments, though Steven & Ben were also in Punch, and bassist Mitch Sirie was still playing the battle with The Bear Hunters. Had The Suicide Kings competed, they could have tried to win their second straight battle, following their Rockstar Bar Battle win that March.
• The Bear Hunters' victory at Viva La Battle was their first in three tries, following their 6th place run at 2012's Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands, and their finals run in the aforementioned Rockstar Bar Battle. Unlike at those battles however, the band played Viva La Battle as a quartet due to Josh Stephney's move to Brampton that summer, but Josh made a surprise return to The Bear Hunters at the Bam Margera show on December 13th, where the band debuted some new original songs in the process.
• While Punch are now inactive, members Daniel Horton & Curtis McKenzie carried over their original songs ("By The Hand", "Road Rash", and the self-titled "Punch") to their primary band Haggith after they reunited the next spring. Haggith continued to play these songs live until their ultimate demise in mid-2015, and later included a studio version of "Road Rash" on their final EP "XIV".
• While this was the first battle of the bands to take place at The Canadian Nightclub since the Kiss Battle of the Bands in November & December 2009, this was also the first metal/punk concert to be held at the Pim Street bar since their most recent major renovations following serious flooding during a major rainstorm last September. The new look features more of a rustic/garage motif, including a number of road signs on the nightclub's walls.
• Though they didn't have to compete in that show's battle to get on, The Bear Hunters also played the 3 Inches of Blood show in July 2012, which saw the Battle For The Blood take place the previous month to find the opening band (which was won by Winkstinger.)
• Along with being ballots for the Viva La Battle fan vote, everyone who voted was also entered for a prize package of merchandise from the pre-selected local openers of the next month's Bam Margera concert, Jack Spades & Destroilet. The winner of the draw was Christine Purvis.
• Though they didn't win Viva La Battle, Punch members Steven Flint and Ben Boudreau did finish in second place with The Suicide Kings at the Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish, Ontario in April 2014, earning the right to open for Randy Bachman at the annual summer concert festival that August (though under the Beaumont Avenue moniker by that point.)
• Surprisingly, this was the last local battle of the bands to be held in Sault Ontario until March 2015, when two battles of the bands were hosted, including the fan voted Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, and four-night-long, judged VM Radio Battle of the Bands, which was also held at The Canadian Nightclub. The Bear Hunters (sans Josh Stephney once again) competed in both battles, finishing in third in the former and two points out of first in the latter, losing both to post-punk quartet Gnaeus.
• Punch's Curtis McKenzie and Daniel Horton spread their resources out to three different bands when competing in both of the local battles in March 2015. The pair played together with Haggith in the VM Radio Battle, finishing in second in their semifinal (but not advancing to the finals), while they each played in both battles with separate projects (Curt as Mike Haggith & The Din's then-guitarist, and Daniel as Project 421's bassist), but neither band placed in these battles of the bands.

Videos:




Sources/More Info:
Viva La Battle's official Facebook event page
SooToday's review & photo album from Viva La Battle
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I hope you guys liked our newest Battle of the Bands Rewind Profile! Barring a mass information dump on an older un-profiled battle (like a non-2008 Case's Music Battle, or one of the old Bon Soo Battles), this series won't return until February 2016, which will be a year removed from the Rednecks Saloon Battle early next year, but be sure to attend both of next year's battles to see what we'll profile in 2016! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes to come over the next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Die Mannequin), Dank Fest Lineup Updates, And More!!

Happy April Fools Day, everyone! I have no secret plans or gags up my sleeve (I don't want to decieve readers in case it backfires), so everything below is 100% factual, including a new recent concert video, major lineup changes for an upcoming concert, and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the early summer, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 12:12 PM)

Just days after announcing the long awaited return of Random Killing to Sault Ontario in September, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce has done it again for another big Rockstar Bar show this year, as Toronto punk/hard rock standouts Die Mannequin will return to the Soo for the first time in over two years on Saturday, June 14th! Last seen at J.D.'s first Thursday show at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May 2012, this popular and fast rising quartet (featuring Hard Core Logo 2 star Care Failure on vocals) are hard at work on a new album, but they're sure to bring another high energy set of originals back to the Soo on in June, so if you loved Die Mannequin's 2012 local date, don't miss the next one! Two local bands are signed on to open, and both also feature female members, including the Rockstar Bar debut (barring interim announcements) of J.D.'s punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, as well all-female hard rock notables The Danger Cats, and both will be right at home at this show, while also be on the lookout for Jack Spades' EP in case it's out by then!

This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and tickets going for $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and while local advance ticket availability has not been announced yet, tickets are available online at this link, so pick them up there if you want yours before the local on-sale date! (For reference, Random Killing tickets are also available in advance online at this link through the same company, so don't wait until the last minute just in case!) Die Mannequin's 2012 show was a huge success, and hopefully their return in two months is just as big, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, the lineup for the massive Dank Fest all ages festival at The Oddfellows Hall on April 19th has seen it's second major overhaul, as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page on Friday, so what should you know now? Two bands have dropped out of the event, including local goregrind solo act Crucify The Whore & Borderline Divine successor trio Viva Emptiness, as per their removal from the event page's lineup. Reasons for their withdrawals weren't announced, but Viva Emptiness still have not seen a public acknowledgement outside of event advertising (hopefully we see them live soon though!), and C.T.W.'s Ringsnaps Gibson is still playing Dank Fest with Rotopsy, so nothing bad happened in their camp. Though Viva Emptiness were replaced on the lineup, C.T.W. were not, leaving Dank Fest with 13 bands, so to accomodate the shorter (though still huge) lineup, no bands will have to start playing at 1:00 AM anymore. However, there have been a ton of timeslot switches for reasons yet announced, so who's playing where now?

In a complete reversal of placement, local goregrind duo Rotopsy have jumped from the opening slot at 2:30 PM to the closing slot at 12:30 AM, while classic metal quintet Project 421 are now a timeslot earlier at 11:45 PM. North Bay headliners Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back are each 45 minutes later at 10:30 & 9:30 PM respectively, while local thrashers Pillory have dropped from the 1:00 AM spot to 8:45 PM, and sludge/doom trio AlgomA are the only band remaining in their old timeslot (8:00 PM.) Resurgent death metal trio Brutaly Fatal have jumped five slots into the 7:15 PM timeslot, while hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back fell five slots themselves and are now scheduled at 6:30 PM. Orillia metal band Like Animals and new local alt-rockers The Pixo Control are each an hour earlier at 5:30 & 4:45 PM, while local funk/metal band The Strange Coyotes fell 4 slots to a 4:00 PM start time, and the aforementioned Danger Cats will play an hour earlier as well at 3:15 PM. Viva Emptiness' replacements will indeed be local/Ottawa indie trio Like Father Like Son (who opened for Commencing Human Desperation from the same promoters last month) in the 2:30 PM opening slot, after being confirmed by promoters this morning.

Big changes (again), but hopefully everything works out this time and there aren't any more massive adjustments in time for Easter weekend! If it's added incentive (especially given the length of this show), Tyler did announce that they'll be making sausages and selling drinks behind The Oddfellows Hall concurrently with Dank Fest, though this is pending the weather conditions. Great idea, especially for fans who stay through supper, so stay tuned for more updates on this massive show as they come in!

Finally for today, here's a new video from last Saturday's Who Made Who show at The Rockstar Bar! Filmed by staff member Hayley Warnock and shared on the venue's Facebook group on Sunday, this is of the popular AC/DC tribute band playing the classic "Highway To Hell", and the floor was definitely hopping at this point in the night! The audio's a bit scratchy, and the angle could be better (especially due to fan heads), but it's great to see video of Who Made Who's long awaited local return, so check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?' post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dank Fest 2014) & More Assorted Updates!!

For today's post, we have a MASSIVE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (quality and quantity-wise) for in a couple of months, and that forms the bulk of this post, but we also have some extra notes at the end to touch on! Now, here's what you need to know!

In terms of the amount of bands, the biggest primarily-metal concert of recent memory is going down on the Easter weekend, as Heavy North Entertainment & Blood Shed Productions are hosting "Dank Fest 2014" on Saturday, April 19th at The Oddfellows Hall, with no less than 14 bands currently slated for this show! Sounds ambitious right off the bat, but let's run through the bands in reverse chronological order (though keep in mind that the performance order is expected to change shortly.) North Bay metal bands Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back, who are slated to headline at 1:00 AM & midnight respectively, in what appears to be their previously hinted makeup date following their weather-related dropout from January's Oddfellows Hall show from the same promoters. Nice to see these brutal Northern Ontario bands back just three months after the fact, and hopefully there's nothing to throw a wrench into their extreme sounds in April! Four local bands are currently slotted before them that night, including local thrash quartet Pillory at 11:00 PM, and they are alive & well despite dropping out of this past Thursday's Rosie show!

Also playing on the night of Dank Fest are local solo goregrind project Crucify the Whore at 10:15 PM, grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back (in their first Oddfellows appearance since last summer) at 9:30 PM, and funk metal trio The Strange Coyotes at 8:45 PM, and all should deliver brutal sets in their own style! The 8:00 PM slot actually belongs to an out of town band at present, Orillia progressive metal trio Like Animals, who you may remember from once being scheduled to open for Thekillingfield at The Rosie three years ago. It's a make up date for them in a sense too, and their unique technical sound should fit in that evening, so don't bypass them! Newer local classic metal quintet Project 421 currently hold the 7:15 PM timeslot, while the 6:30 PM slot is currently filled by a debuting band temporarily known as Viva Emptiness, but you'll know them better as 3/4ths of the former Borderline Divine, better known as Stillbroke! Almost two years after their last show, the band's last members (minus their relocated frontman Jesse Frigault) are picking up where they left off with this new band, but as of yet, fuller details are not public. Click here for what we do know though!

Local sludge/doom trio AlgomA will make their Oddfellows Hall debut that day, and currently hold the 5:45 PM slot, while local rock duo Re-Born (formerly Brutaly Fatal) will make their first live appearance since their name change that day at 5:00 PM, and we'll have to see how their sound has developed! Another debuting band is slated for 4:15 PM right now, that being a new local alternative/punk band named The Pixo Control, whose lineup currently features ex-Fever Tops frontman Michael Mikus and ex-Social Suicide drummer Keeghan Rosso, though a bassist addition has been teased. Their demos show promise for the included genres, so check their early demos out at this link! The lineup is rounded out by the Oddfellows Hall debut of local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats at 3:30 PM, with local goregrind duo Rotopsy currently slated to open at 2:30 PM, but remember, the lineup order is subject to impending changes.

This ALL AGES concert will have $13 admission at the door, but advance tickets will go on sale through members of Pillory & Rotopsy on March 1st. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! For just the second show for Heavy North Entertainment since their launch, I greatly admire Tyler's ambition putting together a 14 band marathon of a show like this, and I sincerely hope there's no hiccups along the way to this being a success! The Easter weekend is great timing too given that many people won't be at work/school, and we'll be sure to follow any changes and announcements towards Dank Fest as they roll in! Definitely stay tuned for updates, this will be a massive show if everything holds together!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last while (including lineup adjustments for another upcoming H.N.E. show), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by concert or artist name:

• There's been lineup adjustments for the Fuck The Facts-headlined all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on May 4th, as local funk metal trio The Strange Coyotes have been added as an additional opening band at 5:00 PM (I guess the fan campaign worked out well!), while North Bay's Empyrean Plague have moved up to the 10:00 PM co-headlining slot for unannounced reasons, bumping Shit Liver to the 9:00 PM slot, though this switch does make sense given that Empyrean Plague are from out of town. Click above for more info!
• Just to clarify something we mentioned above, local thrashers Pillory were replaced on late notice for the most recent Heavy Thursday at The Rosie the other day by local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings, reportedly due to personal reasons in the Pillory camp. There had been a related announcement concerning the lineup at next month's Anvil show too, but until something 100% public is stated, I won't get into more detail here yet. Hopefully Thursday's show went well!
• Dafter, Michigan solo hard rocker Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has uploaded three new original songs ("Bridge To No-Where", "It's All Up To You", and "Up & Down") to his Reverbnation page, and all will be included on his forthcoming new album "Ink!" I won't get into too much detail (as I hope to review the album upon release), but only "It's All Up To You" features vocals. Check out his new (and old) songs at the above links, and keep an eye out for updates on his next CD!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at Bon Soo around supper time for The Marquee at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, with a bunch of local hard rock & punk bands on the bill! Thanks everyone!

Viva La Battle Review!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for my review of last night's Viva La Battle, the first Sault Ontario battle of the bands in 7 months, but remember to check out our special look back at the former Roosevelt Hotel Thursday metal nights (to celebrate the third anniversary of their inception) in the post below this one! As you may know, last night's battle was the first metal concert event at The Canadian Nightclub since the newest major flooding over two months ago, and to go along with the re-opening, the Pim Street venue also had some cosmetic renovations, so what's different? The atmosphere in many respects, with the interior now having a vibe that recalls a garage, workshop, or man cave, with wood panelling, road signs, beer containers & signs, and more. I like what they're doing, and hope they expand the look more! In terms of bands, the stage is in it's normal spot still, but the soundboard is now on the stage's right rather than in front of the bar area. There's new lighting on the stage which is effective, along with road signs on the back wall, but I will admit that the reflective paint of the white road signs badly threw off the lighting on my camera unless I was very close to the bands (or had them out of shot.)

They look cool as a fan, but if you're taking pictures, be wary, but I do like the large orange construction sign behind the drumkit! In pictures, it looks like a permanently lit stage element, and it has a fiery look in the shots, so if anything's done about the signs, I'd leave that one alone. Now, let's discuss the bands in performance order, and remember, "secret" new local band Keep It Lit dropped out on short notice due to a band member breaking their hand, but promoter J.D. Pearce hopes to get them on another of his upcoming concerts!

Opening last night's battle was local death metal notables The Bear Hunters in their third local battle appearance (and first since rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney moved out of town), and they put out another sure-as-rain set of brutal classics for their fans! Their set included newer originals like "Servitude" and older classics like "Collapse The Sun" (plus their fan favourite cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard"), and their confidence from their three years of stage experience was in full display! I just saw The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall two weeks ago, and I'm glad to say that they performed just as well last night as they did then, with Nik Deubel's louder vocals being very helpful! Stage presences might have been somewhat stiff, and their sound wasn't as full as their earlier quintet appearances at battles of the bands, but The Bear Hunters delivered once again for fans of their devastating metal assault, though was it enough to finally win their first battle of the bands?

Second on the bill was new local hard rock quartet Punch (replacing bassist Steven Flint & drummer Ben Boudreau's other band The Suicide Kings), and while we knew their lineup going in (joining Haggith singer Curtis McKenzie & guitarist Daniel Horton), their sound was still somewhat of a mystery, so what did they play? They had a 6 song set that included originals named "Punch", "By The Hand" (which was a slower track), and "Road Rage", plus covers of Alice In Chains' "Them Bones", Van Halen's "Panama", and... Haggith's "Metal Cage"?! Yes, it looks like Punch are taking at least one Haggith original with them for after that band's impending demise, and overall, I'd say they sound closer to Haggith, but with a heavier, less grungy influence. I liked their set, especially their energy level and enthusiasm, with Curtis' stage presence noticeably more active and free-wheeling than I'm used to, and everyone shown their musical talents well! My big complaints would be that Curt's vocals weren't too strong on most of the covers, and "By The Hand" struck me as too soft of a song for the battle, but I was impressed with their debut!

Closing last night's battle was new local band North West, who I knew little on going into the show (having no online pages helps with that), so who all's in the band? They were essentially a merger of the partly local indie rock band The Small Town Rivals and the former local band Terminal, with singer/guitarist Wayne Watkins, bassist Mike Smykacz, and drummer Clint Wilson being joined by guitarists Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich (so the Facebook picture I thought was them wasn't this lineup.) Their set included 5 originals (like "All We Have Is Time", "We Want It All", and "Phone Calls"), plus a set-ending cover of Bruce Springsteen's "No Surrender", and overall, their sound reminded me of Wayne's old band Nebraska Arms a lot, taking on an alternative/indie punk sound that definitely got some good fan responses late! Despite Greg breaking a guitar string, this band of experienced local artists handled the crowd and their songs well, and their talents spoke for themselves, and Wayne's up to the task as a frontman, so hopefully we'll see more of North West (the band, not the baby) in the near future!

After North West's set, fans were encouraged to fill out their ballots received at the door to both determine the winners and enter a drawing for a Destroilet/Jack Spades prize pack (congratulations to Christine Purvis for winning that!), though a low overall attendance saw only 43 ballots returned. With that said, who won Viva La Battle and the right to open for Bam Margera next month? Here's the final results!

1st place: The Bear Hunters (21 votes, 49%)

2nd place: North West (13 votes, 30%)

3rd place: Punch (9 votes, 21%)

The third time definitely was the charm, as The Bear Hunters finally claimed first place in a local battle of the bands last night, earning them the final opening slot at the Fuckface Unstoppable concert on December 14th at The Canadian! The win was also the second straight local battle win for guitarist Mitch Sirie, who won the Rockstar Bar Battle in April as The Suicide Kings' bassist, so extra congratulations to him on that level! With their second place finish, North West members Greg Callaghan and Mike Yakasovich earned their best battle finish of recent memory (outdoing their Skid Row Battle run with Terminal in 2008), while Wayne Watkins equalled his second place run with Nebraska Arms at 2010's Sault College Battle. Though Punch did finish third, this is a step down from the members' finishes at the aforementioned Rockstar Bar Battle, where their members all finished either first or second, but they made a solid impression in their debut, and you'll be seeing them again later this month, so keep an eye out for news on that front soon!

Congratulations again to The Bear Hunters on their win at Viva La Battle, and check out SooToday's Donna Hopper's photos and recap from the battle at this link, featuring 18 quality photos from the event (albeit all in black & white), and get your Fuckface Unstoppable tickets before it's too late! My videos & colour photos from the battle can be seen at this location or at our Facebook page, and as it's a battle, I got equal shots and a video of North West too, even if they're not "hard rock", as it's only fair given the nature of the event. With that said, in performance order, here's The Bear Hunters playing "Transcend Judgment", Punch playing "Road Rage", and North West playing "I Got You"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for weekend concert previews and more! Thanks everyone!

Ray Brown Arrangements, Viva La Battle Updates, And New Mike Haggith Albums!!

I wasn't expecting to have a new news post today, but given our busy Thursday and some new notes on a recent sad story and a late notice lineup change for TONIGHT'S battle of the bands, I thought I should get another up tonight. Today, we also have album updates (including a surprise release) from two Mike Haggith-featured projects, but first, here's some follow-up on a well liked local musician's recent passing.

Former local metal/hard rock drummer Ray Brown's obituary has been posted onto SooToday at this link, where it confirms that his funeral will be held on Saturday at 2:00 PM at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, with visitation taking place Friday from 6:00-9:00 PM and Saturday from 12:00-1:30 PM, and cremation and internment planned at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. The obituary also adds that memorial contributions to the Algoma Residential Community Hospice and the Sault Area Hospital Cancer Care Fund would be appreciated, and he's survived by his fiance Candy, two brothers, and four nieces & nephews, among other extended family. I'll also note that his former The Chosen bandmate Taryn Bugyra has launched this Facebook group as a memorial to him, with the hope of obtaining pictures of him for use at his services, so if you have any pictures of Ray, join the group and share them if you want.

The outpouring of condolences and memories has been really nice to see, and though I won't pretend to have known him, it does reinforce all of the good things I have heard from his friends and bandmates. I hope the funeral on Saturday continues the recent good feelings, and I send nothing but the best out to Ray's family and Candy at this difficult time. R.I.P. Ray!

Moving to some lighter recent stories, a band has dropped out of TONIGHT'S Viva La Battle at The Canadian Nightclub, that being debuting "secret" band Keep It Lit. Promoter J.D. Pearce confirmed on the Facebook event page this afternoon that a band member broke their hand, and though I'm not sure which member it was, note that Keep It Lit's intended secrecy prior to their debut hasn't noticeably bowed despite their exit from tonight's battle of the bands. With their withdrawal being so short notice, a replacement band will not be secured (making this the smallest battle of the bands in recent memory), but J.D. did note that the remaining bands can play up to 45 minutes in their set now if they want. Disappointing news to be sure, especially knowing Keep It Lit's lineup and sound descriptions, but hopefully they'll have some public news or a new show date sooner or later! With that said, we still have The Bear Hunters battling with the debuting North West and Punch TONIGHT to earn the right to open for Fuckface Unstoppable at The Canadian next month, so don't miss out!

With one less band, there's now a 66% chance that a Suicide Kings member will win their second straight battle tonight, but will North West throw a wrench into those odds? Find out TONIGHT, and you can help win by entering your ballot! First band goes on at 9:30 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and the cover charge is $5! See you guys there!

We'll close today with some news relating to albums featuring prolific local hard rock musician Mike Haggith, starting with the latest from Mike's new band, local funk/metal/jam trio The Strange Coyotes! The Project Legion successors recorded a live in-studio album at PaperClip Productions a few days ago and released it to their new BandCamp page last night after some editing and trimming, and a YouTube upload of said tracks is also planned. With 7 songs spread across 27 minutes, the self titled album features all originals by The Strange Coyotes, and I don't think any of them are expanded versions of Chase Wigmore or James Watterworth's existing original songs. I'll note that like defunct Sault Michigan band Insipid Bruality's posthumous album, this is up on a name your price model, so while you can buy it free, I'm sure the band would appreciate if you paid a sum for the album! Knowing that it's on sale, I'll confirm that a review of "The Strange Coyotes" is now likely, but when can we expect it on the site?

Probably not until next year, as I've reserved this month for SweetKenny's "Perception", and I tentatively have Haggith's "Apocalypse II" planned for next month to go along with their impending demise (if it does come out for sale, of course), but stay tuned for it in early 2014, and give The Strange Coyotes' self-titled original debut a listen above!

Finally for today, here's some announcements on his upcoming 48th solo album! As per his solo project's Facebook page yesterday, tracking & mixing is underway for this album, which will be called "A Place Of Our Own" (album cover on your right), which will be a concept album. It replaces his original planned next CD "The Tower", which is now on "an indefinite hiatus", though he's pushed back planned album ideas before, so I wouldn't immediately assume that it'll never surface. A release date and samples/indications of the album's sound are yet to be confirmed, but Mike tentatively pointed towards a possible completion date in February 2014. I'll note that if "A Place Of Our Own" comes out on time from that projection, we won't review it (or "The Present Din" if it's heavier) until at least April, as it'll be within our 6 month buffer from our review of "Neighbourhood Watch II", but I fully expect to review a new Mike Haggith album by mid-2014, so stay tuned for updates on it and Mike's other solo work as it all comes in!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Canadian for Viva La Battle! Will The Bear Hunters, North West, or Punch earn the right to open for Bam Margera next month? Find out tonight, and stay tuned at midnight for a special look back at a popular former local concert series that recently celebrated it's third anniversary. Thanks everyone!

Viva La Battle Preview!!

TOMORROW NIGHT marks the first Sault Ontario battle of the bands in 7 months, as four local bands will gather at The Canadian Nightclub for Viva La Battle, with an opening slot at the Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert on December 14th on the line, so here's our extended preview of it! The first battle to take place at this central venue since the Kiss Battle almost 4 years ago, this will also mark the first metal-featured concert at The Canadian since their most recent post-flood renovations, and this is a nice way to return to normal on the concert front! Similarly to last June's Battle For The Blood, promoter J.D. Pearce is hosting this battle to fill the last opening slot for the aforementioned Bam Margera show next month, with the winners joining Fuckface Unstoppable, Wilson, and local openers Destroilet & Jack Spades on the bill. Like the Battle For The Blood, the winners will be chosen by a fan ballot, with all paid fans recieving a ballot to vote on at the door upon entry. After everyone wraps up, you can vote and submit your ballot, and the winner will be announced at the end of the night (no announced prizes for runners-up though), so keep all of that in mind!

Note however that unlike T-Rex Manning last year, there is not an announced non-competitive band scheduled to play tomorrow night. Performance order for the 4 bands will be determined tomorrow one hour before showtime, and each band has a 30 minute set to rock fans with. Like March 2009's YMCA Battle, this will be a good showcase for new bands, with 3 of the 4 making their debut at a live public venue tomorrow night, but there's some battle veterans in each band that will be aiming to win tomorrow night, so let's run through each in alphabetical order:

The Bear Hunters: By far the most experienced and well known of the competitors, local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters will look to continue their gradual improvement in their third local battle tomorrow night, following their 5th place finish at April's Rockstar Bar Battle. Though this will be their first battle as a quartet due to Josh Stephney's move, they're guaranteed a higher finish thanks to the lower band count tomorrow, but is first place finally in the cards for this brutal local band, and can guitarist Mitch Sirie's victory at the Rockstar Bar Battle with The Suicide Kings be beneficial?

Keep It Lit: Similarly to the now-defunct Sarah's Valley at the Rockstar Bar Battle, new local band Keep It Lit are intentionally going into tomorrow's battle as a "secret band", with no online page or public indications of their lineup & sound until showtime. Unlike Sarah's Valley though, I do know their lineup & genre, and while I'll respect the secrecy for now, I will confirm that their lineup features two local battle veterans who have both had runner-up finishes in the last 4 years. Will Keep It Lit hit the top of the votes in their debut tomorrow?

North West: Though they debuted on Halloween at a Oh! Right Arm!-promoted house party, this will be North West's first truly public live appearance. Currently sans an online page themselves, their lineup does feature recent solo acoustic favourite Greg Callaghan (who competed at 2008's Skid Row Battle with Terminal) and (I believe) Small Town Rivals bassist Mike Smykacz, which seems to point to an indie/alternative punk sound, but I've struggled to find out much else, including the identity of their other two members. We'll learn more soon hopefully, but will North West take the stage by storm tomorrow night?

Punch: An intriguing union of the top 2 bands from April's Rockstar Bar Battle, Punch sees Suicide Kings guitarist Steven Flint (moving to bass) and drummer Ben Boudreau aligning with Haggith singer Curtis McKenzie and guitarist Daniel Horton for what should be an anticipated debut set! It remains to be seen how they sound (or if they have original songs yet), but their members have had a lot of recent success both in concerts and at battles of the bands, so they're not to be overlooked! Will Punch "punch" their ticket for the Bam Margera show at tomorrow's battle?

Remember as well that the aforementioned Suicide Kings were replaced on the lineup by Punch, so they will not be defending their battle crown tomorrow, but they are still together, so stay tuned for updates from them! Though only 1 band tomorrow has extensive local familiarity, do not bypass the new bands! Both Sense of Truth and The Undead Warriors (later Bring The Fallen) won local battles in their live concert debuts in the late 2000s, and if they can do it, one of tomorrow's new bands can as well! Admission is $5 tomorrow night, you must be 19 to attend, there's an announced 9:00 PM start time, and as stated above, your admission will get you a judging ballot to help pick the winners (and an draw entry for a Destroilet/Jack Spades prize pack!) For more details, check the Facebook event page! It's great to have another local battle of the bands tomorrow night, and with a bunch of new (but often familiar) talent in store, you won't wanna miss out! The fan vote should be interesting to hear the results from, especially given the unknown variables of the new bands, so make sure to come to Viva La Battle TOMORROW NIGHT to help pick the winners!

Will the third time be the charm for The Bear Hunters at local battle of the bands, or can Keep It Lit, North West, or Punch debut with a bang and earn the right to open for Bam Margera? I'm very curious to find out, and I'll definitely be there tomorrow night to help pick the winners and see the bands in action! I won't post a preview video just to avoid showing bias (even if The Bear Hunters are the only band with a video), but I'll see you guys at The Canadian tomorrow night! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, Viva La Battle Updates, And New Videos!!

Keeping the news coming as we clear out our cache of backlogged stories, today's post features a new concert video from a recent high school event, a new cover and album sample from a talented Sault Michigan outfit, and the lastest updates on our next local battle of the bands, but first, here's a new band who will debut at said battle, so check everything out below!

We have a new local band to introduce on here, and they're a new hard rock quartet named Punch! Little is known on them so far beyond their lineup, which features Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie and guitarist Daniel Horton joining forces with Suicide Kings guitarist Steven Flint (on bass) and drummer Ben Boudreau. Promising lineup that merges members of the top two bands from the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands in April, so keep that angle in mind! Information on their sound isn't out yet, but they will make their live debut in under two weeks when they compete at Viva La Battle at The Canadian Nightclub on November 13th, where they will be among the bands competing for the last opening slot at next month's Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert! I will note that Punch replaced The Suicide Kings on the battle lineup, and while a reason hasn't been announced for their exit, bassist Mitch Sirie is still competing at the battle with The Bear Hunters, so I wouldn't be surprised if singer Mike Gaetano had an outside commitment.

The Suicide Kings haven't played live since August, so hopefully there's nothing bad concerning their status, but if I hear anything either way, I'll keep you guys posted! I would assume though that Punch are more or less succeeding Haggith after their December breakup, and their lineup is very promising on it's own, but how will they sound, what will they play, and how will they do at the battle? Find out on November 13th, where they're competing against the aforementioned Bear Hunters, "secret" debuting band Keep It Lit, and Greg Callaghan's new band project North West (info forthcoming, hopefully), and the deadline for band submissions has been extended too! Promoter J.D. Pearce revealed on the Facebook event page yesterday that submissions now end on THURSDAY, and he also confirmed that each band has a 25 minute set, performance order will be determined an hour before show time, and there will be a $5 cover charge that will gain you both entry and a ballot for the fan vote.

Check the above links for more details on Viva La Battle! This should be a great event, especially with three bands making their live public debut, but fans of The Suicide Kings and Haggith will wanna take notice of Punch, who are now in our active Sault Ontario band links! Stay tuned for updates on the battle, apply A.S.A.P. to compete at this link, and if you hear anything on North West's lineup/sound, let me know!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a YouTube version of Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's cover of the "Halloween" movie's theme song! Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Halloween (naturally) after it's prior Reverbnation posting, the cover is accompanied by their trademark slideshows featuring band members and assorted themed pictures in (mostly) red & orange filters to fit the seasonal theme, before closing with a credits and a teaser to their new all-original album in 2014, including assorted instrumental clips of the 13 songs to be on it. Everything sounds promising, and the "Halloween" theme's never been heavier, so check everything out below!



And finally, here's a new metal cover from a recent Superior Heights Collegiate event! Uploaded to Ashes to Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's YouTube channel (his first live concert posting there), this is not of Ashes To Dust (unless their lineup has radically changed), but it is of Alex and a few other students covering Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine", which turns out well! Possibly from a Halloween costume day (given what students in the crowd are wearing), this is a solid cover with nice vocals from the female singer (I believe her first name was given as "Kat"), and while Alex's guitar work is solid, the solo actually was done by the guitarist on the far left, who has talent himself! Check out this full Superior Heights performance below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Viva La Battle), New Concert Recordings, And Oh! Right Arm! Show Updates!!

Before we preview the Halloween weekend metal/hard rock concerts in the region, we have another news post today, including a bunch of assorted updates from upcoming AlgomA-related concerts, some very cool new live concert clips from a new local studio/sound company, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a previously announced event that now has an official date, so here's what you need to know!

A final date is set for next month's battle of the bands Viva La Battle at The Canadian Nightclub, where the fan-voted winners will open for Bam Margera's Fuckface Unstoppable at The Canadian Nightclub on December 14th! The battle will now take place on Wednesday, November 13th (almost a month before the show itself), and while the mid-week setting might be unfortunate to some, I'm just glad to see that The Canadian's back up and running to host everything! As previously announced, the battle will have ballots given to attendees at the door to vote on after the bands wrap up (similarly to last year's Battle For The Blood), and I assume it's a 19+ event, but details on admission costs, a start time, and any possible non-competitive performers have yet to be announced. A fourth band has been confirmed for the lineup though (joining Rockstar Bar Battle winners The Suicide Kings, fellow finalists The Bear Hunters, and new local band North West), and they are a new local band named Keep It Lit! From what I've been told, they're a "secret band" (similarly to Sarah's Valley from the Rockstar Bar Battle), but like them, I do know that they have battle experienced membership.

If anything public comes out on their lineup, sound, or anything else before November 13th, we'll have it here! It looks like promoter J.D. Pearce is hoping for more than 4 bands for the battle, and registration ends on November 1st (next Friday), so if your band is interested in competing to open for Fuckface Unstoppable at The Canadian in December, apply A.S.A.P. at the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more updates!

Next up, we have a new recording studio and live concert sound company that you guys might be interested in! As some of you may know, Caveman Morrison/Redundant bassist James White (a.k.a. Yimmy Blanco) has been providing sound at concerts and doing some recording sessions with local bands in recent months, but only last Friday did he launch a Facebook group for his work in this area, under the alliterative moniker White Wreckords. Full details on his work in this area isn't too elaborated on yet, but feel free to message James on Facebook or on the group's wall if you'd like to have White Wreckords to provide sound or recordings for your events! His work is good, as some mp3 samples there will indicate, given that James posted a pair of live concert recordings to the group as Facebook videos in the past week! These both come from the benefit concert at The Roosevelt Hotel on August 1st for Frightlight bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras' upcoming short film "The Kid Who Made The Face", one of which being a high quality audio clip of the original Chronic Demonic lineup's only live appearance!

A cover of The Misfits' "London Dungeon" (as previously seen here), this featured current guitarist Kevin "St. Mayhem" Powe & bassist Ryan Gratton alongside ex-singer Sabrina "Strange" Lavoie and then-drummer Rick "Styles" White. The only song they played during their surprise appearance that night, the quality's really good, and Sabrina's vocals are a nice change of pace with a solid tone, which is another positive sign for her current band Project Legion! Of course, the new lineup (featuring Bear Hunters alumni Nik Deubel & Mike Vincent) will likely sound very different at least vocally, but give the first Chronic Demonic live performance a listen below!



The other concert audio posting comes from Kevin & Rick's headlining set that night with their main horror punk/metal band Frightlight, featuring their performances of their original songs "Dead Town Anywhere" and "She Screams"! Their only concert since last fall featuring Eddie Fright on bass (and their last to date with this lineup), the songs are a bit messier than on some earlier dates, but their usual punk attitude and horror influences are clear as day, and they have been missed this fall! Check out the full video below, stay tuned for announced Bear Hunters studio clips from White Wreckords, and they're now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links!



Finally for today, here's assorted shorter notes relating to three upcoming concerts promoted by AlgomA frontman Darby Wigwaus' Oh! Right Arms! Promotions in a collective with/or drummer Jamie Vincent, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by the name of the highest slotted hard rock/metal band:

• The announced concert on Tuesday, November 12th featuring local grunge duo Bad Back opening for Calgary experimental punk band If I Look Strong, You Look Strong has been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page on Monday. A reason hasn't been announced, but the show never had a confirmed venue publically, which is why we didn't officially call it on here when still scheduled. Disappointing, but hopefully I.I.L.S.Y.L.S. try again for a local date!
• The Biipiigwan-headlined concert at The Moose Lodge on November 24th is indeed licensed for alcohol sale, so you don't have to worry about the all ages nature of it impeding any desire for a few drinks! My source is the show's Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more updates!
• If you're wondering why we haven't plugged the upcoming Halloween night concert featuring local grunge/acoustic project Telephone & Address (joining the aforementioned North West as openers for Winnipeg punk quartet Clipwing), it's because the show is taking place at Jamie Vincent's home, with the address only being given out on request. As a rule, we don't plug house parties on here unless they're treated as a publically available concert with a public address, but if you want more information, click here!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for Halloween weekend concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

A New Battle Of The Bands, Plus New Videos!!

Before we begin profiling the weekend's metal/hard rock shows in the area, we have some big news to tackle today, including new song uploads, new live clips from a recent band debut, and leading off, the return of a popular local concert format, so read on below for what you should know!

Sault Ontario is getting another battle of the bands next month, with the winner getting a guaranteed opening slot for Bam Margera's Fuckface Unstoppable at The Canadian Nightclub on December 14th! A firm date has yet to be pinned down (likely during the first two weeks of November), but the battle will also take place at The Canadian, likely making it the first hard rock concert to happen there since last month's flooding. Fittingly named "Viva La Battle", it will be held in a similar format to last June's Battle for the Blood (also promoted by J.D. Pearce), where Winkstinger defeated the now-inactive For All That Is Lost, Changing Waves, and Valentine's Day Massacre to earn the right to open for 3 Inches of Blood at The Rosie last July. Also like last year, a fan vote (with paper ballots obtained at the door) will determine the winner rather than a judges panel, and there are no announced prizes for runner-up bands. Details for admission and such will likely come when the show gets a firm date, but applications for competing bands are now open, so just comment on the Facebook event page's wall if you want to join the battle!

Three bands are now confirmed for Viva La Battle, and they include two of the finalists from April's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, including winners The Suicide Kings and fellow competitors The Bear Hunters! For The Suicide Kings, this will be their first announced show since August, while The Bear Hunters will be playing their first battle as a quartet after rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney's move out of town. Will The Suicide Kings defend their battle crown next month? Can The Bear Hunters continue their steady battle improvement sans Josh, and can Mitch Sirie deftly handle his roles in both bands again on the same night? We'll find out next month! The other confirmed band is North West, a new band from local solo musician Greg Callaghan. I know absolutely nothing else on them as of this writing (no known online pages yet either), but Greg has battle experience as a bassist in Terminal, including a run at the Skid Row Battle in 2009, so at least this won't be uncharted waters for him. If I hear more on North West, I'll let you guys know! Note that Destroilet & Jack Spades won't be competing, as they've already been named as openers for the concert.

At least one more band is being sought (Redundant frontman Justin Langlois had shown interest), but I don't know what the cutoff is for the amount of bands, how long setlists will be, or if any out-of-competition bands will be playing next month (for reference, last year saw 4 bands play for 30 minutes each, with T-Rex Manning playing separately.) There's a lot of details to fill in (not to mention, a final date), but battles of the bands are always a fun time, so stay tuned for continued updates, and if you're in a band that wants to open for Bam Margera, APPLY AT THE ABOVE LINKS!

We'll close this post with new YouTube uploads, starting with new footage of local classic/power metal quartet The Hydra's Teeth debut show at The Algonquin Pub from last month! Uploaded to frontman Brendan Christie's YouTube channel yesterday, these are of the guys playing their original songs "Live By The Axe" and (as embedded below) "In The Dead Of Night", as filmed by a concert attendee. The angle's slanted, but it's nice and close to the action, and it catches this promising newer band on some solid quality original songs (I'm told they're working on a lot more), though Brendan's vocals do come through very quietly on both clips. Very solid videos overall, and a nice sampler for until they play their next concert, so check out "In The Dead Of Night" below, and more at the above links!



Finally, here's notes on a couple of newer uploads from local goregrind/death metal label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel! One is apparently the last song from the now-defunct Tomgrindy, but I won't embed it or directly link to it here because it's a "diss track" relating to a band member and his apparent reasons for not being involved with the project anymore. I don't want to bring more attention to any issues than what is already online, out of respect to both sides, but if you want to seek it out, that's your call (musically, it's mostly spoken word over backing music & effects, with little grind.) Embedded below though is one of Crucify The Whore's songs from their "Grindshed" split demo with Tomgrindy, though I've embedded just the audio (and won't post the title) due to potentially offensive content. Even still, it's just 17 seconds long, and it mostly comprises of guitar riffing, programmed drums, and assorted vocal effects, so while it has some variance, it's too short to amount to a lot. Check out that song below, and hear more above!



That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!