Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Lee Thomas Maines & When They Fall

At last, here are this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, but be sure to check out late notice concert previews and more assorted updates in this morning's post below! Like usual, this month's installment of this feature series looks at 1-2 defunct or inactive local bands, all randomly selected, in order to profile their work, run, and successes for current readers! This month's two choices include a holdover from last month after the first act then proved to have enough info to sustain a solo profile, but we have two concise looks at intriguing though short lived projects, so here's what you should know for these profiles!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee Thomas Maines

Genre: Progressive Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Lee Maines (Gates of Winter), all instruments/programming

Info/Analysis: After previously manning a short-lived solo project under the name Septicon in the late 2000s, Gates of Winter frontman Lee Maines accomplished more under under his own full name from 2008-2009, where he was working on a 5 track EP that was "loaded with crushing rhythms and futuristic themes" that he hoped would "reach a new level of diversity & technicality", as influenced by acts like Meshuggah, Ihsahn, and Samael. The solo project's main activity coincided with Gates of Winter's 2009 hiatus, but after their return at year's end, Lee's solo act has fallen inactive, and he's focused on new Gates material since. Only one full solo instrumental ("Sol") made it online, which gives fans a strong prog-metal attack that showcases his multiple talents and progressive dynamics well, but it does lack vocals and a guitar solo. Give it a listen below, but of course, give Gates of Winter's newer material a listen too to hear what Lee's been doing since!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When They Fall

Genre: Metal/Screamo

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (This information may be incorrect concerning members' full identities, as all but Devon were credited solely by their first names. If you can correct anything, let us know!

Devon Richards, vocals
Dan Linklater (The Dirty Few, The Vertically Impaired), lead guitar
Jaime Jacques (The Boatload Killers), rhythm guitar
Tyler St. Amour (Them, Fountain of Betrayal), bass
Travis St. Amour (Bring The Fallen, Fountain of Betrayal), drums  

Audio/Video: When They Fall posted no media on their MySpace (and only online) page, but said page formerly described them as influenced by "anything that gives you a kick in the pants & makes you fall to your knees while we blow your eardrums straight out of your head." Later bands from the St. Amour brothers would likely harbour influences with When They Fall's sound, particularly the early 2010s deathcore project March Into Regression. 

Info/Analysis: A short lived hardcore metal band that only used their MySpace page from August-November 2007, When They Fall formed between friends & musical acquaintances, then all in high school, for something fun to do. While their MySpace page once noted that they played "one small gig" with an unidentified singer before Devon joined, few updates of major activity otherwise survive there, aside from photos of all band members but Tyler. When They Fall dissolved by early 2008, and members have diverged in wildly different musical paths since. With no posted media, it's hard to say how When They Fall sounded, but most members have found notable success in other later bands, so be sure to follow them to see where they went!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll stay in Sault Ontario, as our next random selection has given us... Ashes To Dust, a more recent local hard rock band who you may remember from the second Swampstravaganza and various Superior Heights gigs! Look for that on or around October 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Theatre of Night Updates, The Highest Of Fives' New Video, And More!!

After a day off, we're back with some big news today, and while we're focusing mostly on Sault Michigan, there is a shorter note relating to a Sault Ontario band's upcoming t-shirt plans. Among others, we also have a new video to take note of, and first, some long overdue news and updates from a talented regional band, so here's what you need to know!

Remember how Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night have recently been overhauling their online pages, which coincided with a de-emphasis on older material and drummer Greg Giles' sudden departure? Well, there's more to outline now, so here's what's been going on in their camp! New Theatre of Night pages and websites don't include the past art styles used in their media, which were largely Greg's work, and he's now compiling and featuring them as part of his new artistic company Giles Arts. Surviving regional T.O.N. members Craig Harrison & Steve Giles remain hard at work with the band, remodeling their website again, where they're readily referencing their "Christmas Night" and "The Dawn's Early Light" albums again, even offering free downloads of the latter! A release of their full song "The Killing" featuring Italian singer Ida Elena DeRazza is still planned (likely for this weekend), while their website now includes links to Craig & Steve's own artistic work, plus this interesting "behind the music" feature where Steve remarks on "The Dawn's Early Light".

Aside from retroactive mentions there and in their biography, the new website doesn't mention Greg too much, but he's staying busy with Giles Arts, which encompasses his work in photography, music, and other areas. Though his music work with End of Existence and Theatre of Night is acknowledged therein, Giles Arts (who are now in our "Other Local Metal Links") will also cover a new side project that Greg has yet to announce, so we'll have to see what comes of that! A new Theatre of Night E.P. is still in the works (likely still featuring Gaby Koss on vocals), while assorted newer songs have been posted on their Reverbnation page in recent days, including (but not limited to) the fast and heavy "Hellride", a "Metal Mozart" concerto, and a live version of the dramatic "The 11th Hour" with Craig and Steve's fellow I.S.O.M. alumnus Bart Rennels on guest drums. In terms of YouTube, it looks like all of the postings on their YouTube channel have sadly been either privatized or deleted (for what it's worth, the channel now links to Giles Arts rather than the band itself), but they now have a new active channel, so what's been uploaded there so far?

A mixture of things we've previously seen on Facebook and new uploads, but mostly surrounding recent studio sessions over the past month, so click here to give them a look! Mostly, these are straight jam session videos, with filming done by Electric Motor Fish alum Fran Blackwood, while Sault Realism's Eric Demaray is credited for guest appearances. Interesting fish-eye view of the sessions on most of these new clips, with the guys working well on these newer instrumental tracks, and it will be very interesting to see where things go from here! See above for Theatre of Night's newest uploads, and here's a 12 minute studio session video!



Also today, here's the newest video upload from Sault Michigan hard rock collective The Highest of Fives! In a short break from their recent "Bang!" short film postings, they posted this music video of their previously-uploaded song "Take My Time" from the upcoming "Bang!" album onto their YouTube channel, so what's to expect here? Directed by drummer Devin Anderson with singer Travis Theel receiving co-production credit, The Highest of Fives' in-video lineup features Devin alongside singer/guitarist Mitch Goetz (recently of The Bottom Line) and bassist Marcel Grengs (albeit out of his Crusty Puck character.) Like their other recent videos, this is very well shot, with performance footage, shots of Mitch singing in some very nice looking nature scenery, and even some interesting shots of what appear to be Chinese drummers (apologies if I labelled them wrong.) A light modern rock song with a nice melody, it's good to see the band continuing work on their upcoming album and original tracks, so check the full music video out below!



Finally for this post, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Sault Ontario death metal standouts The Bear Hunters are planning to release their first official band t-shirts as part of the early planning for their "Eternal Hibernation" CD release party, and with that, are looking for input as to what sizes to make for interested fans, specifically if they should make shirts smaller than medium or larger than extra large. Voice your opinion at this link!
• Sault Michigan metal band One Hour Till Dawn (formerly The Eleventh Hour) have changed their name once again, this time to When All Fell Silent. A reason for this newest name change hasn't been revealed, but it quietly happened yesterday morning. We haven't heard from the guys (aside from the name change) since February, but hopefully they have some more news coming soon!
• This is admittedly overdue, but I've promoted Sault Michigan concert venue The Savoy Bar & Nightclub to our active concert venue listings on the site, mainly due to their ongoing Summerfest series of concerts, featuring a number of regional hard rock bands (with that, I also updated their link to change it to their current active Facebook page.) Don't miss Plastic there this weekend!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile in our next post! Thanks everyone!

Sleep When You're Dead & Locals Concert Review!!

In our second post of the day, we have my review of last night's Sleep When You're Dead-headlined metal concert at The Oddfellows Hall, but of course, check out this morning's post below this one for a band's reunion, new videos, and new Sault Michigan-area concert announcements. Last night's show wasn't highly attended (I'll blame that partly on it being a Wednesday nighter), with only a few dozen paid attendees, but luckily, fans who were there did start some pits, and none of the bands mailed it in due to the crowd levels! Now, how were each band? Read on below to find out!

Opening last night's show was local punk trio (and late lineup additions) Redundant in their first Oddfellows Hall gig of the year, and despite being the arguable outliers on this otherwise metal show, they put in a fun & well received set that the early fans definitely enjoyed! Their set included a mix of originals like "Miles Apart" and covers of everyone from Rancid and NOFX (I think) to even some old local bands like Proposition 86 and The Scary Uncles, and though there wasn't a lot of banter between the guys, the crowd was involved and into each song, with even some light song requests and guest singers like The Bear Hunters' Nik Deubel and Winkstinger's Jason Bourcier! Musically, Redundant were on form from past shows, though Justin Langlois was a bit hard to hear vocally at times, but with an active crowd, some close interactions, and even a pit, things worked out well! Overall, Justin and the White brothers put in another fun set of punk rock songs, and hopefully they'll be back at it soon!

Next up was new-ish local sludge/death metal quartet Giwakwa in their third local concert (and first all ages one), and now that I've had the chance to see them without the pretext of judging them for a battle of the bands, I can be more in-depth with my public thoughts! Their set wasn't overly long, mostly comprising of originals like "Iron Lung", "Stoned To Death", and "Endless Bummer", and fans seemed to enjoy their brutality! Soundwise, they definitely remind me of a slowed down Bring The Fallen with no guitar solos, and though I've been told the lack of solos is intentional, I'd like to see Chris Page throw some in (if they can fit the tone and messages of the songs.) Their brutality was down pat, and Josh Stephney's growling is always fun to hear again, while Nolan Rainville's headbanging and clear bass skills helped immensely! Giwakwa will be a key addition to the local scene before long if they keep at this pace, and hopefully their next shows have longer sets and perhaps even some covers? Time will tell, but I'm curious to hear more!

Co-headlining last night's show was returning local extreme metal band Winkstinger in both their first concert in 10 months and in the debut of their new quartet lineup! It's been forever since we last saw them, but despite the wait, changes, and singer Alan Wells' apparent illness, the guys sounded as good as I expected, reeling off plenty of their amusingly titled originals for the gathered fans! Note that the covers that they played last summer didn't return, but new bassist Jason Bourcier did add something new to their sound last night: backing vocals! His work with Time of Ruin and so on should be a clue that he has solid metal vocals, and they added an extra something on many tracks, so hopefully he keeps that up in future gigs! Jesse Cook & Jonas Gasperas were up to their old tricks last night and were as impressive as usual, and Al's screaming overcame any impairment, but like last June, Winkstinger's sound does take a hit when there's only one guitarist, as it doesn't sound as full and melodic. It's great to have them back though, and hopefully the best is yet to come!

Headlining last night was Oshawa metalcore quintet Sleep When You're Dead in their first ever local concert appearance, and they put in a fun and energetic set that got the local crowd's attention despite a number of attendees remaining outside for much of it, but they didn't mail it in as a result! In their sound, appearance, and even pre-set rituals, they reminded me of As It Stands, so if you miss them, this might have had a level of familiarity to it! Originals like "Bust At The Chino" and "Hoop Dreamz" populated an energetic set full of crowd interaction, with Alex Leech particularly being a firecracker to get the crowd going and encourage clapping and responses to their set! Matt Szigeti & Jake Stauffer's guitar work also shined on this material, and I hope the guys made some new local fans in the process, but it's just a shame there wasn't more people, as hardcore and metalcore fans would have been right at home with S.W.Y.D. last night!

Overall, this was a fun and action packed concert, and it was good to see an out-of-town band headlining an Oddfellows Hall show again, but the attendance really hurt the atmosphere, though being on a Wednesday, it could have been a lot worse. Kudos to Jamie Vincent for putting this show on, and I know everyone there had a good time! I got a bunch of photos, so click here or visit the SMS on Facebook to check them out, as for videos, I got ones of the metal bands, so here's Giwakwa playing their lengthy original "Winter's Hunger", Winkstinger playing "Where'd We Go Wrong", and Sleep When You're Dead playing "Hoop Dreamz"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news TOMORROW, including at least one late notice show announcement! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Promonium Jesters), Sleep When You're Dead Preview, And More!!

As we slowly wind down the month, we're back with some news and notes today, with a lot to say related to three stories about upcoming multi-band shows, so what's on tap? We have new band confirmations for a major returning event this summer, and a preview for a special all ages show TOMORROW, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT in a little over a month that's unlike anything you've seen lately in the area, so here's what you should know!

A unique blend of genres and not-often-seen styles will hit The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, July 6th, including Uxbridge, Ontario psychedelic industrial rock band The Promonium Jesters in the headlining slot! A seven-piece band that had previously looked for a local booking in 2010, they mix techno influences and heavier Nine Inch Nails-esque sounds into a prolific (though hard to describe) package, but it's all definitely heavy and a nice change of pace! They'll be joined by Southern Ontario techno/electronic project Defense Mechanism, who aren't quite metal, but they have a lot of darker electronic imagery & cool use of samples (almost a mix of industrial, goth, and 1980s synth rock), and I'm into what they're doing! Two local bands will be in on this show, including local progressive rock quartet Machines Dream (featuring Gates of Winter alum Brian Holmes on bass & keyboards), and they're among the most talented bands in the area for musical ability alone, so don't miss their set! The other scheduled act is Johnny Dillinger, which is the alias used by As It Stands drummer John Mignacca for his instrumental electronic material!

Though far removed from his local hardcore drumming, this will be John's first live stage appearance in almost a year (where have A.I.S. been?), but hopefully Johnny Dillinger makes some fans at this unique concert! This 19+ show (which is promoted by J.D. Pearce) will go down at 9:00 PM on July 6th, but ticket prices and details have yet to be unveiled. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This could be one of the most original multi-band shows of the year locally (only the Rabid Whole-headlined show was remotely similar), so don't miss it come July 6th, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a preview for a special mid-week concert, as the first metal-headlined Oddfellows Hall concert of the year goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, including out of town headliners Sleep When You're Dead! A metalcore quintet from Oshawa, their energetic and brutal sound should appeal to metalheads and hardcore fans in the midst of their Tear It Up & Start Again tour, so don't miss their local stop tomorrow! Three local bands will open tomorrow's festivities, including the long awaited return of local extreme metal band Winkstinger, in their first local concert in 10 months! This will also mark the debut of their current four-piece lineup, which now features Jason Bourcier on bass (and no rhythm guitarist), but after such a long break and the obvious changes, how will things shape up? I'm curious to find out! Also joining them is local stoner/death metal quartet Giwakwa (replacing RedD Monkey) in their Oddfellows Hall debut, who should be ready to melt faces with their sludgy and brutal originals following their debut shows last month, so be there for their set!

Finally, local punk trio Redundant will open the festivities with their fun originals & covers, and despite not matching the other bands' genres, their talents will speak for themselves (and they have metal chops!) Redundant will open things at 7:00 PM tomorrow, there's an $8 cover, and like promoter Jamie Vincent's other recent shows, this is ALL AGES! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I will absolutely see you guys there for this hard hitting blend of hardcore, death metal, and punk, and how can you miss this relatively unique mix of bands at this price? For a preview, here's the music video for Sleep When You're Dead's single "Three Lights Madoc"!



Finally for today, here's the latest lineup news for the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall on August 21st, as two more bands have been confirmed for this all ages multi-band marathon concert, including young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! This will mark the guys' first non-Superior Heights concert since... last year's Swampstravaganza, so if you're not a Steelhawk, it'll have been 13 months since we last seen them, which is too long! As well, this will be A.T.D.'s first non-school show with their current lineup, which now features frontman Noah Morden on bass, and Liam Yeomans on rhythm guitar, but fingers crossed all lines up for a better set this time around! The other new confirmation is local punk trio The Northern Tragedy in what may be their Oddfellows Hall debut, and their rising original sound should be a fun addition to this concert! Note as well that it'll be drummer Terrence Gomes' second Swampstravaganza appearance, as he played at the 2011 installment during his debut set with Changing Waves.

Now 7 bands strong, I'd assume 3-5 bands are to be added to the lineup, so click here for current details, and stay tuned for updates! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news (and weekend concert previews) shortly, and if nothing comes tomorrow, I'll see you guys tomorrow night for Sleep When You're Dead and three exciting local opening bands! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sleep When You're Dead), New Woods Of Ypres/Juno Award Videos, And More!!

On day 62 of our posting streak, we have a lot of big stuff to get to, so what's in this post? It's half dedicated to new videos relating to Woods of Ypres, including embeddable clips from the Juno Awards and some awesome new rehearsal/practice footage from a few years back, but first, we have news from a newer promoter's upcoming concerts, including a lineup change and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know! (Updated on Monday at 1:22 PM)

A new ALL AGES metal/punk concert has been confirmed for The Oddfellows Hall on Wednesday, May 29th, and it will be headlined by Oshawa hardcore quintet Sleep When You're Dead! Though previously unfamiliar to me, this aggressive metalcore act have some really solid originals and stage experience under their belts, so don't miss this upcoming stop on their Tear It Up & Start Again Canadian tour! There will be at least two local opening slots, one of which will feature the first 2013 appearance of local extreme metal standouts Winkstinger! Dormant since July's Sewer Swampstravaganza, this will mark the live debut of the Battle For The Blood winners' new lineup, though public information on their new bassist (and new rhythm guitarist?) has yet to be revealed. I'll keep you guys posted if something comes out before the show, but it's great to see the guys back to incite more mosh pits after a 10 month stage hiatus! The other opening band was advertised to be local/Toronto classical/punk trio RedD Monkey in their own 2013 debut, but cellist Pete Mozarowski confirmed on the Facebook event page that they wouldn't be playing.

I don't know if the announcement was premature, or if RedD Monkey had to drop out, but it's disappointing, as their fast and unique punk sound has been missed since December! This concert (which is being promoted by AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent) has an $8 cover charge, a 7:00 PM start time, and is ALL AGES like Jamie's other concerts. For more details, check the above links! This sounds like a quality concert for hardcore/metal fans, and with no age limits and a familiar location, it's all the better, so keep it in mind for May 29th, and I'll let you guys know when/if a second opening band is confirmed! Also in news relating to Jamie's recent concerts, there's been a lineup change for his upcoming Royal Red Brigade-headlined punk concert at The Oddfellows Hall on May 10th, as new local punk band Crawfather have dropped off the bill, as per that show's Facebook event page yesterday. A reason wasn't announced beyond that they "had to cancel", but hopefully we'll get a chance to see/hear them soon! Replacing them (and giving an extra metal kick to this show) is local grindcore rockers Shit Liver, in their first local concert in almost three months!

Also playing The Oddfellows Hall for the first time since July, this should be a solid showcase for Josh, Mike, and Matt in a couple of weeks, so don't miss their crusty & grimy sounds amidst the punk and grunge acts on May 10th! It's great to see Jamie introducing some more local acts with established live track records into his shows, and hopefully his all ages promotion snowballs further into the summer! Stay tuned for updates and news on these and more of Jamie's upcoming hard rock-featured concerts!

We'll close today's post with some new Woods of Ypres-related videos, starting with embeddable footage of their acceptance speech for their Best Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year Juno Award from last weekend! On Wednesday, YouTube user Darcy Inness posted two takes of their speech onto his YouTube channel, including the video from Dropbox that we initially mentioned, and in a bit of a surprise, some pro-shot footage of their speech! Also featuring the actual announcement of the win and some pre-speech slideshow clips, it shows both guitarist Joel Violette and late frontman David Gold's mom Esther's speeches, and it's much nicer in video quality and angle, allowing us to see the genuine emotions and feelings expressed by them, along with a bit of the crowd partaking in Esther's horn-raised chant of David's name! I have no idea where Darcy found this video, but kudos to him, as it's great to see this in higher quality! Give it a look below, and see the original lower quality Dropbox video at the above links!

Finally for today, Gates of Winter/ex-Woods of Ypres guitarist Bryan Belleau uploaded 47 minutes of footage of David Gold and him practicing Woods of Ypres songs onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! Likely filmed in 2009 (possibly 2008), I believe these were shot in Sault Ste. Marie, and they feature David leading Bryan through some vocal & guitar renditions of songs from their second album "Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth", including tracks like "Shedding The Deadwood", "Summer's Envy", and "The Sun Was In My Eyes". Uploaded in two parts (the last few minutes are viewable here), this is really cool to see, as it shows David teaching how to play some quality Woods of Ypres songs, especially as "Woods II" songs weren't the most prominent in post-2007 concerts. It works on that level, and now we know how "Shedding The Deadwood" might have sounded if played live in the late 2000s! Kudos to Bryan for posting these finally, and give David & Bryan jamming some "Woods II" tracks a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the week rolls on and April wraps up! Thanks everyone!