We've fallen very behind on recapping episodes of Metal Morpheus on local internet radio station The Borderline, so let's dive into some more back catalog episodes! I was originally going to look at episode #17 from October 24th, which was all about local metal bands, including a few from Sault Michigan, but that episode was quietly taken down for unannounced reasons and re-aired as last night's episode with a heavily altered track listing. I have no idea why Josh overhauled it like this, but we will look at it on the site when we catch up to December in the timeline! Instead, let's stay chronological with the October 31st episode, which began a new theme for the series, as host Josh Amendola is starting to spotlight metal bands from around the world with country-specific episodes, weekly local bands aside! Rather than starting with prominent national scenes, it looks like he's going in alphabetical order.
Josh started this theme with a 64 minute episode all about metal bands from Afghanistan, and if you've ever seen Sam Dunn's excellent documentary Global Metal, you'll know about the cultural differences and persecution that metal bands can have in the Middle East, so it's nice to see Josh putting a deserved spotlight on bands from that region! The first half of the episode is entirely devoted to the same band, namely Kabul-based atmospheric black metal band Almach, who get four songs played on air, including "Battle of Tours" (1:00), "Dream Elegy" (10:00), "Sons of Umayya" (19:20), and "Kandahar" (25:45). The second half starts with New Jersey-based Afghani death metal project Strains of Bellum with their 2020 songs "Alive" (35:20) and "Children of Isis" (40:35), before closing the themed portion of the episode with masked groove/progressive metal band District Unknown.
That band is heard via two songs of their own, namely "64" (44:50) and "Portraits" (52:40), before Josh acknowledges the loss of two local soldiers from the Soo fighting in the war in Afghanistan. Nice of him to pay respect in this way! He wraps things up with that week's local pick, namely hard rock guitarist Tym Morrison's non-album original song "Mystical" (1:00:35), so picked due to its Middle Eastern themes. Solid episode to take us through three promising metal bands whose Afghani roots definitely impacted their music, and I especially liked Strains of Bellum, so give the whole thing a listen above! As for the following episode on November 7th, the 67 run time belies the fact that it's topic (music from Albania) doesn't really have a huge recorded metal output, but Josh does make up for that by starting the episode with a historical lesson on Albanian music and its cultural origins.
Kudos to him for sticking with alphabetical order despite the obvious challenges for certain countries, but he clearly has his limits, given that some countries were skipped before his Austria episode on Nocvember 28th (was there not enough bands from Australia? Parkway Drive would fit!). Unlike the vast majority of recent episodes, a song list is not given on the episode's page, but the first song played is by Albanian progressive death metal band Gverr, entitled "Fail Philosophy" (4:15), followed by speed metal band Thunder Way's song "The Order Executors" (9:50). Black metal band Nihil (not Nile, different band) follow with their entire 2014 EP "Nën thundrën e dhunës", featuring the songs "The Majestic Word of Darkness" (16:30), "The Dark Side of Lust" (19:50), and "Macabre Ruins" (22:55), though Josh doesn't credit any of those songs by name. Death metal solo project Ethernil are played next via the song "Age of Awakening" (26:50).
The first half of the episode ends with the ambient/black metal project Cryptorsatan via their song "Hymn Ov Sathanaa (Weapons Ov Death)" (31:25), while Josh jumps back to death metal to end the Albanian portion of the episode with the band Aten's "I Call Upon Thy Name" (37:40). Possibly as a consequence of a lack of Albanian metal songs, Josh spotlights five acts with local talent to end the episode, starting with his old extreme metal band Winkstinger, via an Alan Wells-era live recording of their original song "Sadist" (44:45) from 2011, though Josh doesn't credit then-rhythm guitarist Jason Ladouceur by name in the intro. Josh does allude to recording an album that was never put out during his stint with the band, but I never heard pray tell of that outside of this episode. The deleted October 24th local-only episode aside, the first ever Sault Michigan band on Metal Morpheus is next!
Specifically, Josh went with alt-metal trio Weed via their 2007 song "4:20" (50:55), but I think he got his wires crossed keeping all these band bios straight, as he credits Papa Fogals Chair's Andy Chillman as being in the band (they were definitely from Sault Michigan, featuring ex-Clownsack bandmates). Josh next plays a song by defunct local punk band Proposition 86, namely "Scapegoat" (55:40) from their self-titled 1998 cassette tape, though I'm surprised he never mentioned that their drummer was late Woods of Ypres founder David Gold! Soo native Jeff Nisbet's old Kitchener-based solo project is next via the instrumental "The Juice" (1:00:55), and the episode ends with inactive local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit with their quick original "Spiritual Warfare" (1:04:30), specifically the "Brace For Impact" re-recording from 2009. Well, that was a lot to take in, but this was also an entertaining episode!
While the Albanian bands are definitely more obscure as a rule with not a lot of back story to draw from, I applaud Josh for trying to put the spotlight on the ones that he could, and it will be interesting to see what he can wring out of other perhaps unlikely countries! Just needs to pin down correct details moreso, especially on some of the local bands. Listen to both of these episodes at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Metal Morpheus as the month rolls along, including the next live episode this Sunday at 9:00 PM on The Borderline! Thanks everyone!
Here is our last post of this exceedingly quiet month, namely our (delayed) newest YouTube Channel Profile! This monthly feature looks at the content on 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists and/or concerts, in order to spotlight their videos for current readers and encourage subscriptions. This month's randomly selected channel has lots of footage of a late lamented local metal band, so here's what you should know!
Channel Timeline:Launched on July 27th, 2009; Videos uploaded from January 30th, 2010 until May 23rd, 2012
Channel Summary:Jonas' channel features 9 videos relating to his old extreme metal band Winkstinger during their original run in the early 2010s, including seven from live concerts (two of which edited as music videos) and two early jam session clips. Though the concert videos were all posted in early 2012, only one was a brand new upload coinciding with a then-recent set. His last upload is a short video of a truck that Jonas called "the Winkstinger-Mobile", a.k.a. "Gertrude", but it's not otherwise musical. Why You Should Watch:This channel is absolutely worth watching for fans of Winkstinger's classic original era and their best known quintet lineup, and the videos on offer capture their loose fury well! That said, Jonas has not actively used his channel since 2012, so it does not feature content from Winkstinger shows through their first hiatus in 2013, nor their reunions with different lead singers from 2015-2018. While ostensibly a personal use channel, it doesn't feature any videos of Jonas' other bands.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
WINKSTINGER ...chuddnugget: After the demise of their 2009 band Operation: Killdozer, core members and long-time bandmates Jesse Cook & Jonas Gasperas launched Winkstinger, who first made a public presence in January 2010 via two jam session videos of them rehearsing original material, including live standby "Chudnugget" and two yet-unnamed tracks that you can see at this link. Also featuring singer Alan Wells (ex-Issues) and rhythm guitarist Jason Ladouceur (they were sans bassist at this point), these are promising glimpses at the live favourites that Winkstinger would become in the next few years! However, the dark lighting and poor framing do not help at all, especially with only Jesse not obscured from view and/or facing the camera (you can't even see Jason mid-song!)
winkstinger -feel all my hate: The only one of Jonas' Winkstinger concert videos to not come from The Rosie, this one was filmed during their set opening for Garden of Bedlam at the former Foggy Notions (now Coch's Corner) on December 18th, 2010 for Foggy's one year anniversary since their 2009 re-opening. Now featuring Ryan Sherman on bass, this was filmed by an attendee who shot at least one other video from Winkstinger's set for personal Facebook usage. The raw intensity of their original song "Feel All My Hate" comes through nicely here, and the contrast between the well lit stage and the largely darkened band members is effective! Winkstinger - Where'd We Go Wrong - THE VIDEO.wmv: Jonas' most popular videos are two pseudo-music videos that were edited (at least in part) by Paul Boyer, combining concert footage that I shot during concerts at The Roosevelt Hotel (now Reggie's West) with post-production filters, pictures, and clips from outside sources. One is just called "Winkstinger - The Video", and features footage from multiple concerts and many Batman cartoon excerpts, but features here is the more viewed video for "Where'd We Go Wrong", featuring the studio recording of the song from their unreleased album set to their Rosie set opening for Garden of Bedlam again in July 2011. Well edited, if a little out there from the non-sequitors of outside clips used, but it accurately spotlights the irreverence and humour Winkstinger were known for back in the day! Watch for Dragon Ball, Richard Simmons, and South Park, among other offbeat clips sprinkled throughout! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll end the year by looking at multiple channels again, due to the first randomly selected only having four relevant videos, 3 being from the same jam session. I'll source two to feature from that, and include a single channel video to fill it out. As such, we'll be looking at Marco Pedalino's channel (featuring footage of Airbourne and The Wing-Its) and Soufiane El's channel (featuring a Woods of Ypres lyric video.) Watch for these on or around Boxing Day, and for more news and notes on the site this week, hopefully at a quicker pace than this month! Thanks everyone!
It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, also our last monthly feature post of May 2020! This series looks at YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists or concerts, in order to spotlight these YouTube channels for modern readers and encourage subscriptions and views. As always, channels are randomly selected, and as the first only had four songs by one band, and the second only had two by another, we tripled up this month by picking a channel with just one video period. As such, there's lots of metal and punk content to take in, so here's what you should know!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- joeyvelcro's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/joeyvelcro) Owner:A member of inactive local extreme metal band Winkstinger (exact identity unclear)
Channel Timeline:Launched on May 1st, 2009; Videos uploaded from May 28th, 2010 until September 3rd, 2011
Channel Summary:Winkstinger's de facto official YouTube channel upon their 2010 launch, it primarily consists of four original song demos posted that summer, including "In Other Words", "Fuck The Rest", "Cheese Grader Face", and their most popular upload, "From Bullshit To Buzz (Lies = Weed)". I believe Winkstinger are represented here by their classic lineup, including singer Alan Wells, guitarists Jesse Cook & Jason Ladouceur, bassist Ryan Sherman, and drummer Jonas Gasperas. Winkstinger never released an album for sale, so these raw but intense songs will help fill the void for fans of this lineup, and Alan's Haunted-esque delivery is great to hear again, as is Jesse's full-force guitar work! However, they could have done more visually with these uploads. Aside from one last video (of lightning in Windsor), the channel was not visibly used afterwards, so it does not capture the rest of their original 2010-2013 run or their 2015-2018 reunions.
Channel Timeline:Launched on November 16th, 2008; Videos uploaded that day and on March 2nd, 2009
Channel Summary:There are no shortage of YouTube copies of Treble Charger's music videos, and this is one of them, so fans of their 2000 album "Wide Awake Bored" will be able to appreciate these uploads of "American Psycho" and (as featured here) "Brand New Low"! However, there are better quality sources on other channels, especially given the MusiquePlus bugs on the latter. We already looked at the "American Psycho" video on another channel in 2017, but the "Brand New Low" video is actually it's sequel, as Greig, Bill, Rosie, and Trevor go to trial over their actions in the prior video, and are seen performing in jail both in separate cells and together as a full band. Fun video with strong production values, and it captures one of their all-time catchiest punk era songs, but better quality copies (and more videos total) are viewable elsewhere if you know where to look.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ctburlington (http://youtube.com/channel/UCqGSur-Pq_1mxdUan2KszTA) Owner:A YouTube user possibly named C.T. Burlington (I doubt they are from the Sault Ste. Marie area)
Channel Timeline:Launched on May 14th, 2014; Only video posted that day
Channel Summary:Though it was uploaded 10 months after the fact, ctburlington's only video was shot at the Live Green Toronto Festival on July 27th, 2013, where the aforementioned Treble Charger performed on the main outdoor stage at Yonge-Dundas Square, opening for Shawn Desman & Kardinal Offishal. The video features Greig Nori, Bill Priddle, and touring members Darcy Yates & Jason Pierce playing "American Psycho", and while it only runs for 70 seconds, the performance is lively and well done overall for fans, and the video is shot from a good central angle!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This series will return on or around June 26th with more randomly selected channels, as the first one that I picked only has three videos from two artists' live sets, so I added one more single-video channel to round things out with. As such, we'll be looking at the Oh!No Collective's channel (featuring videos from last year's Black Mastiff concert in the Soo) and Jonathan Spike's channel (ironically also featuring a Treble Charger music video!) Look for those then, and for more news on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this post, I'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rush drummer and author Neil Peart, who passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 67, after a three year battle with brain cancer. The news spread quickly around social media and the rock music community, and understandably so, given Neil's impact as one of the greatest drummers of all time, and as a key member of Rush from 1974 through their final concert tour in 2015. Older local fans may recall seeing Neil play live with Rush at the former Sault Memorial Gardens thrice from 1975-1977, shows that received some renewed attention locally in the past week. Neil's passion and skill level was unrivaled, as was his courage to return to music & writing in the wake of his wife and daughter's deaths in the late 1990s. With his drumming ability and classic lyrics, Rush wouldn't have become what they were without him, and he will be deeply missed. R.I.P. Neil!
Today's post otherwise dives into recent video postings and an inactive band note, and we'll start there, as I have moved local extreme metal band Winkstinger back to our inactive band links. The group has not issued a public update since their last announced concert at December 2018's True North Talent Entertainment multi-genre Christmas concert at Soo Blaster (their Facebook page shared archive photos from the early 2010s last year, but it wasn't maintained during their last active run as a band.) After taking a year+ hiatus, Winkstinger returned for a third active run in August 2017, which saw the return of Ryan Sherman on bass and the debut of Twistory's Josh Amendola on vocals, taking the band into full death metal territory as a result. The new lineup played 7 recorded concerts in the latter halves of 2017 & 2018, including sets at the first two Oh!No festivals, the "Trading Faces" split release show, and concerts headlined by The Faps & The Costanzas.
Given their lack of an online presence in their 2015-2018 reunions, it's always possible that Winkstinger are just lying low again, but it's been well over a year since we last heard anything from their camp. Of course, you can still see constant members Jesse Cook & Jonas Gasperas with The Elements, while Jonas frequently guests with Jesse's acoustic band The Wyld Stallyns, so don't miss seeing them there, and best of luck to them, Josh, Ryan, and other former members in the future!
Next up, here's some newly discovered live videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck from one of their Reggie's West concerts earlier this month! Filmed by SaultOnline's Mike Caruso for his YouTube channel, these are the only heavier-leaning concert videos he has uploaded in the past month, but definitely give his channel a look to see other live videos from veteran cover acts as of late! Despite the outdated band photo at the beginning of each video, these do feature Soundcheck with their new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver. Regarding the covered songs, one has Soundcheck covering David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy" (with guitarist Terry Eaton on vocals), which is particularly notable because it's the full song, rather than the bookends of their Travis-era cover medley. The others have Cameron singing, and they are of The Eagles' "Take It Easy" and, as embedded below, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son".
Overall, these videos sound good, and Cameron seems to be acquitting himself well to Soundcheck so far! His distinctive voice works well on southern rock and country songs, which presumably bodes well for Reggievelt gigs in particular. Alas, bassist Paul Belair was largely obscured by that post on stage once again, I wish they could do something about that. Give Soundcheck's new videos a look above & below!
Finally for today, here's some new drum cover videos from former As It Stands mainstay John Mignacca! These were uploaded to his "Flo McNasty" YouTube channel in the past 6 months, which is otherwise focused on video gaming footage (more or less). John will be most familiar locally from his hardcore drumming, and was most recently seen as Jesse Merineau's new live drummer, but his new covers are largely distant from his band work. Since last summer, John has covered songs by A Day To Remember, Machine Gun Kelly, , Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, and Merkules, but embedded below is his cover of "2001" by Mike Froh, the former frontman of past Oddfellows Hall headliners The Holly Springs Disaster. John's videos are strongly recorded with good usage of multiple camera angles, and he plays with energy and skill, as you would expect! Very eclectic group of songs, but there are some glimmers of metal and hardcore within, so give John's new drum covers a look above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
The final concert weekend of 2018 is upon us, but before we begin this slate of concert previews, just some clarifications. Due to the amount of hard rock shows coming up, we'll be holding our preview of Saturday night's Project 906 show in Hulbert Township, Michigan for our next news post to spread things out. That will likely some on Saturday morning, in conjunction with previews of New Year's Eve shows on Monday night that hit our radar. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, two on SHORT NOTICE!
Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will end 2018 with a concert weekend at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the gigs via their Facebook event page yesterday, though unlike their Esquire Club shows over the November 3rd weekend, the guys at least plugged these online beforehand! Last seen at The Rockstar Bar this past Friday, Soundcheck are describing TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows as harbouring "post Christmas shenanigans", and if you like their hard rocking blend of classic hits, definitely consider a trip to this popular Second Line West venue this weekend! As usual for Soundcheck's Esquire Club stops, expect 19+ age limits, 9:30 PM start times, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live last month!
Next up, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street for acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but we'll also start adding his first announced gigs of 2019 to our concert calendar today as well! Yes, his long-term arrangement at Gliss will continue into the new year, with SooToday's events calendar confirming that he'll be back there on Friday, January 4th, while he will also play a nighttime concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill that same day. At press time, this is as far as Tym/Gliss have given for the new year on SooToday (not even for Saturday the 5th yet), but stay tuned for confirmation! Note that Tym's website still lists regular Gliss shows weekly through October 2032, as well as sporadic Road House gigs through June of next year, but again, we take Tym's shows a month at a time on purpose. You can take in Tym's skilled and prolific setlist tomorrow, Saturday, and on January 4th at 6:00 PM each night.
His 19+ Road House gig on the 4th is at 10:00 PM, and none of these have announced cover charges. Hopefully we see much more of Tym Morrison's entertaining solo shows well into the new year, but don't miss him this weekend before the new year's up! Here he is live, and stay tuned on Saturday for our preview of his advertised Gliss show on New Year's Eve!
Also this weekend... well, actually TONIGHT, local death/extreme metal quartet Winkstinger will make their Soo Blaster debut at True North Talent Entertainment's live (post-)Christmas show! The lone heavier act on a big hybrid genre concert at this fast-rising downtown venue, Winkstinger will end their 2018 calendar by delivering a metal blast on this largely rap-centric event, and if you like hip-hop, this concert will be right up your alley! Among the openers, there is one other band (surf rock quartet The Dynowaves), but a stacked lineup of rappers will make up the majority of acts, with True North Talent Entertainment co-owners Ryan "RRated" Derasp and Chuck "Kid Majick" Charrette advertised as headliners. Toronto rapper Gilly Gadan will also be in town for this one, with the remaining slots belonging to local MCs Trace Prince, Cyriouss, Mikey Thomas, Reeder, and Sawbe. Note that a performer named DQ is listed on the Facebook event page description, but is not credited elsewhere on promotional materials.
Emceed by "MC ShakaDoctor", this concert has $10 advance tickets, a $15 door charge, and a $150 VIP tickets for table seating for 5 and a complimentary bottle of champagne. Some sort of door prize draw is also expected tonight, a 10:00 PM start time is expected, and you definitely must be 19 to attend. This is an intriguing event, and it'll be interesting to hear how it goes over, especially at the still somewhat new venue and how metal and surf rock will fit on a large hip hop bill. Hopefully there's a solid turnout, and if you like rap, check out the above performers to see what they bring to the table! See above for more details, and here's Winkstinger live!
Finally for today, let's head to LopLops Lounge, where local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will headline TOMORROW NIGHT! Unless you saw them in Thessalon, this will be your first chance to see The Rising Tide on stage since Rotaryfest, and while this will just be their third local show of 2018, they've had a solid return year, with a newly expanded lineup, recent studio work, and some high profile dates here and elsewhere, why not help them send 2018 off with a bang? Before Dustin, Liam, the Jaaskelainens, and Chris hit the stage, your openers will be local country pop duo The Steeletown Girls (featuring ex-Din guitarist Tammy Hill), and this should be a strong opportunity for her and Morgan to make some new fans before the year's out! Presented by Dustin's own Tidal Records, this 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time, and admission is $10 at the door, at this link, and at a handful of in-person retailers (The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and Thomas Walls School of Music.)
As the last punk concert of 2018 in the Soo, genre fans will want to check out the action at LopLops tomorrow night, so don't miss out then, and I have a feeling The Tide have even more up their sleeves in 2019! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Dustin & company live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, followed by our Project 906 and New Year's Eve previews on Saturday, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!
Here's some news and updates for your Sunday evening reading, and these include some new video uploads from each side of the border, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for near the end of the year!
Local death metal quartet Winkstinger will return to the stage for the first time since Oh!No II on Thursday, December 27th when they make their Soo Blaster debut at that night's live Christmas show from local rap promoters True North Talent Entertainment! As Six, Two, Oh. and Blood Shed Productions have done in the past, this is a hybrid genre event with rappers on the same bill as rock bands, so if you like such a mixture, this would be a fun way to take it in after Christmas! The advertised headliners are T.N.T. rappers and co-owners Ryan "RRated" Derasp and Chuck "Kid Majick" Charrette, as well as Toronto rapper Gilly Gadan, while local openers will feature Winkstinger alongside surf rock quartet The Dynowaves, and a stacked suite of local rappers, including (but maybe not limited to) Trace Prince, DQ, Cyriouss, Mikey Thomas, Reeder, and Sawbe. There's some very familiar names here for followers of hip-hop locally, so visit above for more info on the performers!
Doors open at 10:00 PM on the 27th for this 19+ concert, which has $10 advance tickets, $15 at the door, or $150 VIP tickets for table seating for 5 and a complimentary bottle of champagne (how's that for a deal?!) Contact the venue or the phone numbers listed at the Facebook event page for details on advance admission. This sounds like an intriguing event with some high production value for your belated Christmas enjoyment, with Winkstinger and The Dynowaves adding their own diverse rock spin on the rap menagerie, so visit the above links for more info, and Soo Blaster has finally been added to our local venue listings!
Next up, Sault Michigan hard/blues rock cover quartet Project 906 will return to Hulbert Happy Hour in nearby Hulbert Township for one night only on Saturday, December 29th! Technically, the venue wasn't confirmed when they plugged the show on their Facebook page on Friday, but the shared photo is from there, so it's heavily implied if nothing else. This will be Project 906's first concert since playing at The Strongs Tavern on November 10th, a show that we regrettably missed for coverage on the site last month, despite being plugged by 906 earlier that week. I profusely apologize for missing it, hopefully it won't happen again, but I also hope that it as a hit for the band and fans alike! As for the Hulbert gig in two weeks, fans there have been waiting 7 months for a Project 906 return, so if you're up for a hard rocking night of tunes, keep this one in mind! A 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover are all in effect. Visit the above links for more details!
Also today, let's stay in the E.U.P., as local classical metal band Theatre of Night live-streamed another of their Christmas tour dates to their Facebook page, this time their headlining gig at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino branch last night! This will help you visualize the venue with it's table seating configuration early on, and it's great to see a large turnout, even with extra formality! The video proper is 1 hour and 46 minutes in length, but the first 20 minutes or so is just setup and people sitting down, before 10 or so minutes of speakers talking about The Lions Club, their charitable aims, and what to expect from Theatre of Night. Structurally, their set proper is basically identical to what we saw in the Grand Rapids live stream, which isn't a surprise considering the pre-recorded introductions and conceptual nature, so visit the post below this one for a breakdown of the song order. However, the Sault's live stream is an improvement in some ways!
This time, the filmer zoomed the camera in a lot more to get a better look at Theatre of Night themselves, the audio is a little clearer, and the larger crowd compared to Grand Rapids helps give a better ambiance and reception to the songs on offer. Fans of heavier T.S.O.-style Christmas carols will definitely want to check out Theatre of Night's 2018 tour live streams above and below, and if they do this at their Holland tour finale next week, we will let you know!
Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for a new original song from prolific local solo musician Tym Morrison! Believe it or not, this is his first posting of new material on his original YouTube channel in four years, so if you've missed new rock material from Tym as of late, don't bypass this one! The song is called "Living on Mars", which is about moving to the big red planet, and it has a solid heavy groove with a steady structure, but Tym sounds like he's forcing his lower register verse singing a little. Nice to hear new original material from him though, so give it a listen below, and don't miss Tym at Gliss this weekend and next!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
Today's first weekend concert preview post entirely covers SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, and due to the extended coverage of one event in particular, I've opted to push our previews of this weekend's (previously announced) Peril concerts to tomorrow's post. Yes, Ten Foot Pole fans, we'll give that concert full coverage tomorrow as well, we haven't forgotten about it! Now, here's what you should know to start for this Labour Day weekend's concert lineup, in rough chronological order! (Updated on Friday at 6:10 PM)
Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will reportedly be playing at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT, after having just played there last night! Profuse apologies for the short notice and for missing last night's show for coverage on here, these were quietly announced via their official Facebook event pages (linked here & here) on Sunday, and we only heard about them too late to acknowledge yesterday's show. Scheduling Kewadin lounge concerts on a Wednesday and Thursday is very atypical for Banned's frequent bookings there, especially after having just played regularly timed shows in St. Ignace last week, but fans may recall seeing Banned play Tuesday & Wednesday nighters at the Sault Kewadin last year in the I-500 leadup. If these gigs relate to special event previews or conflicts, the only one that makes sense is the Chippewa County Fair, but neither Banned nor the fair have publically hinted at a hard rock component this year, but if I'm wrong, we'll let you know.
For what it's worth, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page doesn't list these two Banned shows, let alone the regular acts for Friday and Saturday. As was the case yesterday, Banned will be bringing their classic and hard rock renditions back to St. Ignace TONIGHT at 9:00 PM, with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge in effect. Visit the above links for more details, and best of luck for a great show TONIGHT with a hopefully solid crowd to match! Here's Banned live, and apologies again for missing yesterday's show, we'd have covered it here had it received more advance notice!
Next up, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will keep busy in the lead up to the Gliss re-opening by returning to Room 21 for solo acoustic concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, followed by another trip east to La Terrazza Franzisi in Richards Landing THIS SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the Facebook event pages (linked here & here) for these concerts were only created on Monday. These will be Tym's first stops at Room 21 in over a month, and while I'm unsure if there will be any finger food, fishbowl, or sangira ties, his unplugged hard rock classics should provide a solid soundtrack regardless of promotion TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As for La Terrazza Franzisi (not the presumably auto-corrected La Terrance Frant), at least Tym gave SUNDAY's matinee gig there a few more days notice, so you have more time to plan a road trip to St. Joseph Island for Tym's dinner-time covers later this weekend!
None of these shows have an announced cover charge, and while his Room 21 concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY are 10:00 PM affairs with a 19+ age limit, SUNDAY'S La Terrazza Franzisi show is a 4:00 PM event with no announced age limit at the waterfront restaurant. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!
Finally in the realm of new concerts this weekend, have you missed all ages concerts at The Oddfellows Hall in 2018? Well, we almost had one on SATURDAY NIGHT, but it has been moved on a day's notice to The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies again for the short notice, public advertising for this concert only began on Wednesday, though it was privately hinted at all month without a credited venue. Co-promoted Blood Shed Productions head Tyler Gibson and Winkstinger frontman Josh Amendola in association with prolific alt-folk solo artist and metal band alum Chase Wigmore, this concert is entitled "Here We Go Again...", and was intended to see the end of a 15 month hiatus for Oddfellows Hall metal concerts, but scheduling issues that I won't go into here forced it's late relocation to The Rednecks Saloon. As such, this concert is no longer all ages, but a familiar lineup is still on hand for SATURDAY, so who should you look for then?
The lineup includes three previously announced acts, including death/extreme metal quartet Winkstinger (a week before their Oh!No festival gig), Tyler's goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore (in their first well-advertised non-house party concert since 2016), and the aforementioned Chase Wigmore, so this could be seen as the de facto release party for their recent split. Mid-2010s flashbacks here with a lineup like this, nice to see everyone back on stage at long last! The above poster credits death metal veterans The Bear Hunters as headlining, but they are not
playing on SATURDAY due to scheduling conflicts for singer Nik Deubel.
Hopefully we see them back at it soon, they've been missed on stage this
year! Two solo artists have been enlisted in their place, as per Chase on the the official Facebook event page, namely his old Strange Coyotes bandmate James Watterworth (who we haven't seen on stage in what seems like forever) and a new folk/punk musician named Wes Anderson, who I don't know anything on.
Despite earlier advertising of a $5 cover with proceeds going to ex-residents of the River Valley Trailer Park in Aweres, SATURDAY'S newly relocated concert now has FREE admission, and it is now 19+, but the 8:00 PM start time is now in effect. The short notice venue and lineup changes did complicate our coverage a bit, though with this familiar and aggressive lineup of metal and folk action, fans should definitely consider a trip to Albert Street West on SATURDAY! Visit the above links for ongoing details on "Here We Go Again...", and here's Winkstinger live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Peril previews and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
For our first news post of August 2018, we're mostly diving into weekend concert previews, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but we also have a new solo video to check out as well. Here's what you should know!
Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT as part of... Fish Bowl Friday?! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. After taking a month and a half off from public concerts, the Elements side project will return to the Low & Slow sister bar for another night of unplugged and fan-involved action TOMORROW, so whether you're a fan or thinking about joining in, you know where to be tomorrow! As noted above, this is not Finger Food Friday, and it's too late in the year to be a Fishbowl Festival reference, so what's the theme referencing? While the venue didn't elaborate on Facebook, other websites imply that drinks will be served in fishbowls as a special offer, so if drink specials and large receptacles are a drawing card, keep that angle in mind for tomorrow night!
As usual for The Wyld Stallyns' Room 21 shows, TOMORROW'S concert has a 19+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!
Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts, starting with Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906's trip to nearby Pickford TOMORROW NIGHT when they play at that town's annual Hay Days festival! As noted in the official program, 906 will be the featured musical attraction the outdoor stage on Main Street tomorrow at 7:30 PM, preceding a dance party featuring music mixed by Dance Commander DJ. There's lots of family entertainment going down at Hay Days tomorrow, as well as today, Saturday, and even some closing events on Sunday, so be sure to visit the above links for more on the non-musical events there and elsewhere! This year's Hay Days theme is actually "Making Music", and there are some more concerts going down on other days, notably including Thieves In The Night at The Sundown Lounge on Saturday. Private gigs aside, this will be Project 906's first public concert set since their Strongs trip a couple of weeks ago.
I can't confirm the other "local talent" teased for tomorrow's outdoor concert action, but Project 906's fan favourite hard rocking covers should be a boon for attending Hay Days fans, so don't miss out on the action in Pickford! This is a FREE & ALL AGES concert tomorrow evening, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live!
Lastly for known hard rock/punk concerts this weekend, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the local debut of Montreal ska/jazz punk quartet The Costanzas, who will headline at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Already making waves with their edgy but fun blend of sub-genres, The Costanzas' rocking punk originals should get a solid audience at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, so give them a listen in advance of this one! Local punk trio Stegadeth will play their first concert set since their Spiderfest road trip on Saturday, while the second opener was quietly confirmed late last month, namely extreme/death metal quartet Winkstinger, who will be making their first live concert appearance of 2018, in what could be a preview of their Oh!No festival set in September. Great to see them back at last! This concert is brought to you by Six, Two, Oh., in apparent association with The Killennials, a mysterious new agency or company that we await further information on.
This stop on The Costanzas' Canadian tour has a $5 cover charge, a 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit in effect. Punk fans would be well served to check out this concert, especially with a dash of metal for good measure, so visit the Facebook event page for more, and here's The Costanzas live!
Finally, here's a new video from prolific local hard rock musician Tym Morrison's new YouTube channel! Not sure why he'd launch a new one (or name it after his defunct band Caveman Morrison), but Tym's first video there is actually of an instrumental techno song named "Advanced Dance". This is definitely against his usual type, but as he noted in the description, "I'm not just a guitar shredder." The song is well programmed, and it's an interesting change of pace, so give it a listen bellow! Note that Tym has no advertised solo shows this weekend, but his personal Facebook page had mentioned a recent private gig, plus fill-ins with The Dorian Gray Band.
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!
