Pop Evil, Garden of Bedlam, Sense of Truth, and Nixxon Dixxon Concert Previews!

(EDIT 5:28 PM: I added a section about a conflcting lineup for the Sense of Truth show in the Sault This Week, and a band replacement for Saturday's Pop Evil show!)

Firstly before we get into the news, I wanna apologize for the lateness of the Pop Evil concert custom banner and Facebook logo, I should have had them up on Sunday but it completely passed my mind. I'd had it made up for a few weeks, but the rotating banner idea took over any of my thoughts about that. In response, I will likely leave them up late to make up time, so if you see them still up on Monday and point it out, it's intentional. Sorry everyone!

This weekend is quite notable for local concerts, there's only four unique shows, but there's some pretty big ones in that list, so it's time to preview what's going on this weekend!

Let's start in Sault Ontario, when tomorrow night, Sense of Truth return to the live concert stage at The Canadian Nightclub! The local hard rockers will play their first concert since last month at Coch's Corner, and will play their first live set at The Canadian since their finalist performance at the Kiss Battle of the Bands! As you may know, the band are wrapping up the recording of their debut E.P., so I wouldn't be surprised if we hear some brand new songs tomorrow night! Also joining them for this show are Groove Committee, a new local rock band featuring former Odd Man Out frontman Nick Roy, ex-Scary Uncles guitarist Matt Sibilo, bassist Alex White, and drummer Anthony Gagnon! I wouldn't say they're "metal", but they play a very wide variety of rock covers, from bands like Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a lot of Ween songs too! We'll have to see how they sound live, click here to check out some videos of Groove Committee! This show starts at around 10:30 PM tomorrow night with a $3 cover charge, nice affordable way to start the weekend! Click here and here to confirm your attendance on the two Facebook event pages, and click on both bands' names to check out their pages and hear them in action!

This should be a fun concert, but I am not saying I'm going because every time I say I want to see Sense of Truth live, something happens and ruins it for me. So I'm either not committing or saying I'm not going to avoid jinxing myself. Let's just say that if you see me there, my reverse psychology worked! In the event I'm there, I'll take videos and post a review either right after the show, or after I get to Detroit on Saturday. For a preview, here's a clip of Sense of Truth covering the Tool song "Stinkfist" from a show at (I think) The Grand Theater last year! And here's a fun fact to close: One of Nick from Groove Committee's bandmates in Odd Man Out was Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers!



Also, let me quell any possible confusion about the lineup for this concert: When reading this week's Sault This Week, you may notice that the Hot Spots section plugs a show at The Canadian tomorrow featuring "Sence Of Truth" with special guests "Rightous Roxid". Spelling errors aside, I believe Rightous Roxid are one and the same as Groove Committee, so if you're confused about the band lineup, don't worry, the internet hasn't lied to you!)

Then on Saturday, the metal will wreak havoc at Foggy Notions when Garden of Bedlam take the stage for the first time since Boxing Day at the same venue! Though a Garden of Bedlam concert is noteworthy in itself, it's even more special once you notice who's opening: Papa Fogals Chair!! Yes, the Saultite-comprised, London-based metal quintet will reunite for the first time in almost two years for this special show in honour of percussionist Adam Chillman's birthday, with drummer Derek Turner pulling double duty as member of both bands! It's also cool to see both bands playing together at Foggy's again, seeing as the two bands joined forces for Garden of Bedlam's first ever concert in the spring of 2008! How time flies, huh? Rounding out the lineup on Saturday are London punk/hardcore rockers Pistols At Dawn, who should deliver a high energy fury before the two main bands get into gear! This concert is sponsored by PFC bassist Joey Grisdale's local tattoo shop, Forsaken Tattoo Studio, and will take place at 11:00 Saturday night with the doors opening at 9:00 PM. There will be a $5 cover charge at the door, and yes, it's 19+ (Aren't most shows nowadays 19+ anyway?) Confirm your attendance for this show by clicking here!

This should be one hell of an awesome concert, all three bands are extremely talented (click on their names above to head to their MySpace pages), it's always great to see Garden of Bedlam, and how often will we get a chance to see PFC, one of London's finest metal bands, back in the Sault? I glowingly praised them on here before, so make sure not to miss them! But of course, Garden of Bedlam are headlining, and deservingly so, as they'll once again rock Foggy's to the core! I wish I could go, but I will be in Detroit, so do me a favour: GO TO THIS CONCERT!!!! Make it huge, make it the success it deserves to be! For a video preview, check out their music video for "The Truth Shall Set You Free"!



Now we'll head to Sault Michigan, where Nixxon Dixxon will be tomorrow night for a show at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! If you're wondering why I haven't mentioned a show on Saturday as well, you'll know why in a second. I believe there's no cover charge with a 9:00 start time, as I've read from earlier weekend concert descriptions at The Rapids Lounge. Expect another solid night of metal and hard rock covers (and likely some originals) from these rising local stars! Click here to check them out on MySpace! Go check this out if you're in Sault Michigan and need something to do on Friday night! For a preview, here's Nixxon Dixxon's entire preformance from night 1 of the Kiss Battle of the Bands in November!



So why I haven't I mentioned a Saturday show? Because they're playing something much bigger that night. Muskegon hard rockers Pop Evil will be headlining a special benefit concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino on Saturday night, of which Nixxon Dixxon are opening! This will be Pop Evil's second trip to Sault Michigan, after playing here last year as one of the supporting acts for Saving Abel! Also on the lineup are Toronto alt-rockers Evans Blue and Evart, Michigan's Graveyard Tan, replacing The Spider Rockets on the lineup! All three bands have varying levels of success, Pop Evil have been making some big inroads into the mainstream, and have released a number of hit songs like "100 in a 55" and "Hero"! Evans Blue have a solid radio rock sound, and it's been a long time coming for Graveyard Tan's return to Sault Michigan, they're a really good band! (Thanks to Chris McKee for the update on that!)

This concert is a benefit show for two young girls from the area that tragically died in recent accidents. Kim Rogers and Kelsey Raffaele died in separate accidents in December and January, and this concert will place all ticket proceeds to scholarships in their name. This is why there's black ribbons with their names in the current SMS banner. I never knew them, but they sounded like nice girls and this is a tragedy that they never deserved. The good will towards supporting this cause has been rapid, as many local businesses and people have bought tickets with no intention of using them all themselves, or even going, and then donating them free of charge to fans who will use the tickets. That is an unbelievably nice gesture, and it's great to see so many people jumping on the bandwagon!

I know many people got tickets free, but you can still buy them for the low low price of $15, a great deal in itself for four talented rock bands! Click here if you want to buy a ticket, and remember, even if you don't like the bands, you can do what so many others are doing and donate your ticket to someone that will! A start time of 6:00 PM has been announced. This should be a fun and emotional show, I can bet that Kim and Kelsey would be very proud and happy of all that is being done in their names! But don't forget the music, as a lot of mainstream hard rock standouts will rock this weekend as well! It's great to see Pop Evil back here, they have a lot of fans and some good songs! Click on all the names above in this preview to check out all the involved bands, and here's a Pop Evil video to get you psyched up, their video for "100 in a 55"!



I'll be back with a new post real soon with some stuff I've missed, so stay tuned! Remember to go see this weekend's concerts, and my review of "22" by Sykotyk Rampage is posted on Monday!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Nudge), A Cancellation, Plus Concert Updates & Videos!!

It's that time again, I have a bunch of new stuff to report today in the local metal universe! And we kick off today's post with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

Marquette Michigan hard rockers Nudge are returning to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for nine more shows in 2010! I was worried at their lack of Sault shows this year when I previewed their most recent dates at The Frog, so it's great to see them coming back up here! According to their official MySpace page, they will be playing three weekend sets on April 15-17, August 26-28, and November 4-6! Each set stretches from the Thursday-Saturday of their given week, and as is the trend with Nudge's Sault area shows, the Thursday shows will be acoustic! No cover charges are listed, though if there is one, I doubt it'd be pricey. These should all be good shows, maybe I can finally check them out in August or November, because then, I'll be legal to enter an American bar, we'll have to see! Keep these shows in mind if you want a concert to hit across the river, and check Nudge out, they're a very solid band!

Next up, we have a concert cancellation, although if you look between the lines, the band likely aren't at fault. Hamilton's 40 Sons will not be playing at The Speakeasy on March 4th. Their MySpace page still lists the show, but with the addition that it is indeed cancelled. Instead, they'll be playing at Kilroy's in Thunder Bay that night, so at least they got a show anyway! Now a reason for the Sault cancellation isn't given, but if you remember from my initial alert on this show, I did say that The Speakeasy had not announced the show, and had been closed since February 4th, according to their Facebook group. Well, it's still closed, as best I can tell, so that probably explains why 40 Sons got canned. I remember that all planned events at The Speakeasy (mostly pubs) in February were called off too, so if my assumption is right, they likely won't be back open until March 5th at the earliest. I don't even know why they're closed, but hey, there must be a reason! I'll keep you posted if 40 Sons reschedule!

Also, I wanna bring this up because it's conflicting information on another upcoming concert: As you may have heard, Montreal death metal band Derelict are scheduled to be playing at Foggy Notions on May 6th. I later reported that North Bay's own Thekillingfield would be supporting Derelict at this show. Thhekillingfield have confirmed this, but is it still at Foggy's? If we're to believe their MySpace page, maybe not, as it lists The Oddfellows Hall as the host venue instead. The Oddfellows did play host to Thekillingfield at last year's Cattle Decapitation show, so there is a precedent there, but I'm not sure which venue is hosting this show. I'll still list Foggy's as the venue in the concert listings, but if I get more confirmation pointing towards a venue change, I'll let you all know! I will give a potential move to The Oddfellows this much, it'd likely be all ages then, something we don't see nearly enough nowadays!

Speaking of upcoming local concerts, here's some smaller updates from this Friday's Sense of Truth concert! I figure some of you may have questioned if it was really going on as there was no official band statements about it, or an event page, but both are covered now! In fact, there's TWO event pages on Facebook confirming their show Friday night at The Canadian Nightclub with new local band Groove Committee! One was created by Matt Sibilo from Groove Committee, the other was created by the band's group itself, so click here and here for to confirm your attendance for this concert! And if you wanted word from Sense of Truth itself about the show, Ryan from the band sent out an e-mail to members of their Facebook group confirming the show, so there you go! The only things we don't really know are the start time and the cover charge, if there is one, maybe we'll find out by Friday, I'll keep you posted if I hear something! And finally for Sense of Truth-related news, the band's winding down recording of their EP, with Cory Murchison recording vocals this week at Stereo Soul Studios. I can't wait to hear the final results!

And finally for today, here's a new video clip I came across the other day that should please fans of Woods of Ypres! Frontman David Gold has uploaded two new clips of the band from way back in June of 2003 onto YouTube! These come from the early days of the band when David was still behind the drumkit, Robin Cross still fronted the band, and they were still a rising black metal outfit from Windsor! The videos are live concert clips of Woods of Ypres playing three of the songs from their debut album "Against The Seasons" from a set at The Gino A. Marcus Center in Windsor, and appear to be from the same concert that was featured in the 2003 CBC News piece that featured them! Decent videos, nice look back into their early days, though the crowd seems small and reserved compared to what I'm used to. Also, random inquiry here, who's the dancing girl on stage with the band? Here's Woods of Ypres playing "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", but check out two more live performances of this set at this location!



I'll leave it at that for today, I have stuff about Half Past to share too, but I'll keep that for tomorrow to help spread everything out! Tomorrow, I will preview this weekend's slate of local metal concerts, for what should be a very exciting weekend of shows! Thanks everyone, more news to come!

Sykotyk Rampage Show Update, Bands Looking To Play Here, And More!

Another day rolls by, another pile of news to get to! I have an update concerning an upcoming local metal concert, a few bands looking to play here, a preview of a new song from a local band, and the confirmed demise of another. Let us commence with the news! (Stay tuned to the end of my post for info on what will happen SMS-wise during my next Detroit trip)

The Sykotyk Rampage concert on April 3rd at The Rockstar Bar has had a lineup change, as planned openers Nebraska Arms have either dropped off or were removed from the lineup. No reason was given, but hopefully nothing bad happened! In their place are RedD Monkey, the Toronto/Kelowna based classical/alt-rock band featuring three Saultites in their lineup! I've never went into major detail about RedD Monkey on here before, but just picture a band with Smeltzer frontman Steve "Knuckles" Mozarowski and drummer Kevin Overton (you metalheads better know him from Gates of Winter), alongside Steve's brother Pete on the cello...yeah, you read that correctly! But don't write them off as Smeltzer 2.0, RedD Monkey are way more unique and experimental, they'll definitely be worth seeing! But of course, seeing as this is Metal Militia Wednesday, Sykotyk Rampage will bring all the metal you'll want and need! For full details on this concert, which will be $3 at The Rockstar Bar on April 3rd, click here! I'll keep you posted with any updates as I hear them!

Next up, we have confirmation of a band breakup that I had feared since last month. Sault Michigan grunge rockers Half Stupid have indeed called it quits, as confirmed by frontman Zac Crook in an e-mail to me on MySpace today. Zac assures me that he's still jamming and working on music for future projects, as is bassist Matt Williams, so we haven't heard the last from them! Still, it is disappointing, I was a big fan of Half Stupid's, they filled the grunge niche nicely while No Arrow's been inactive! It really seemed like they were on the rise in 2009, but hey, what happens happens. Either way, it's nice to hear real word that they've ended, rather than just a vague statement that could be varyingly interpreted. Check them out as we remember them at this location, and if I hear anything amout new grunge/hard rock bands from Zac, Matt, or Jordan Gendreau, I'll be sure to let you all know!

Ok, more positive news now! I sometimes get e-mails from bands looking to play shows here on tour, and today was quite active in that regard! Two different bands sent me e-mails asking if I could help them find promoters or any help at all with getting a booking for Sault Ontario! And you know me, I'm always willing to help, cause after all, the more local metal shows, the better! The first band is The Promonium Jesters, an industrial metal band from Uxbridge, Ontario! Not bad, kind of a techno/metal mix with a psychedelic flair, definitely not something we see here a lot from rock bands! Frontman Ethan Moseley tells me that they've been trying to get a show in the Soo for years, but not for the lack of trying. He's looking for a good local promoter to help get the band a booking here, so I shot him off some contacts and tips, but I'll go the extra mile to help! If you want to book The Promonium Jesters for a concert in Sault Ontario, e-mail Ethan by clicking here! Check out the band at this location to get a taste of their sound!

The other band is one that I know I've tried to help before, though I can't remember if a booking ever came out of it. Windsor metal band Aquila are planning a July tour from Calgary through Southern Ontario, and would love to play Sault Ste. Marie during that span! Frontman Mark Arruda e-mailed me on MySpace this morning asking if I could give them some contacts to try and get a local booking, so I did just that! But just like with The Promonium Jesters, I just point them in a good direction. That's where you come in, the bookers and venue owners of the Soo! Aquila flat out kick ass, hard hitting and thrashy and very headbangable! I've been a fan of them since I first got contact from the band last March, and it'd be great to see them here! If you're at all interested in booking or helping out Aquila in their attempts to play in Sault Ontario in July, message the band at their official MySpace page! Let's see if we can get both these bands (and Rusted Dawn too, they're still looking) here for shows!

And finally for new news today, Stillbroke frontman Jesse Frigault has posted a new video to YouTube, which features his own solo acoustic rendition of a new Stillbroke song! Entitled "I'm Still Hanging On", it's slower but it has some nice heavy vocals, I imagine this should be a very powerful song when amps and other instruments are added! Interesting effect put on the video, makes it look older! Check the demo out below!



Alright, so to close this post, those of you closer to me may know that this weekend, I'm heading to Detroit again for March Break. I leave Saturday morning and will be back later in the week, Thursday roughly. Now there's a bunch of stuff coming up, blog or local concert related, that may or may not be affected by this. I just wanna get it out of the way so you know what to expect, or not to expect:

Firstly, concerts: Sense of Truth are playing at The Canadian Nightclub on Friday. As keeping with my own reverse psychology stand to avoid jinxing myself out of another SOT concert, omit the words in red: I will not be at the show on Friday, I will not enjoy myself or take photos and video, and I will not post a review at some point afterwards. (Remember, reverse psychology!) I don't know whether it will be immediately after the concert or at some point after I get to Detroit, but my review will definitely not be up one at one of those points in time! Ok, now for shows I'm really seriously not going to, I can't make the Garden of Bedlam/Papa Fogals Chair show at Foggy Notions on Saturday, because I'll already be in Detroit, so GO TO THAT SHOW FOR ME!!!! Make it a huge success, how often are we gonna see PFC back together? And it's Garden of Bedlam! Come on!!

As for SMS-related events, the review of Sykotyk Rampage's new album "22" will be posted on March 1st as scheduled! Postponing it would be a disservice for an album I've bypassed too long already, although the computer I have access to in Detroit is horribly slow. So I'm likely going to type up my review this week, and will save it for an autopost next Monday, so that will definitely happen as scheduled! I likely will not post the newest profiles of out of town bands with local members until after I get home, so don't worry about that. And as always, I'll update as much as I can fathom as long as I get a clear computer, and the patience to deal with it's slowness! Just a heads-up for everyone in case you miss something or assume anything. And I WILL BE BACK AROUND NEXT THURSDAY!!!

That's all for now, I'll have lots more news and updates in the coming days, stay tuned!

Algoma Hope4Haiti At Nite-Life Review, Plus More From The Event!

Greetings everyone, hope you were all somewhere last night for Algoma Hope4Haiti! As you probably would figure, I was at Nite-Life last night for their portion of the event, so here's my review and what you need to know from there!

Firstly, I should discuss Nite-Life Dance Club, which hosted just it's second metal show last night, so it's not a venue a lot of metalheads have hit since The Other Place was remodeled under new ownership. This was my first time there under any case, and I was impressed by it! Come through the doors and there's an upper level right in front, and the bar's right there on your left! The walls are mostly lined with mirrors, which is interesting decor, though the flash on cameras doesn't mesh well with them. The floor has those cool colour changing lighted strips, however you refer to them! There's lots of tables and chairs and a pool table too! And that thing on the wall with the spinning Budweiser bottle is an eye grabber...yeah, I'm odd. I'm impressed with Nite-Life, they've put a lot of work into this, hopefully it succeeds where The Other Place and GLOW failed! (Oh, and they have a new Facebook page, click here to check it out!)

Opening the night's concert festivities was Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, in their live concert debut! However, you'll recognize 4/5ths of the band from the defunct local hardcore band As It Stands, and as a unit, those 4 have not performed live in over a year! As such, As It Stands comparisons will be inevitable, but this is an entirely new band, they didn't even cover any As It Stands songs last night! New frontman Matt Maccarone (who replaced Josh McNally behind the mic) shown off his very good hardcore singing last night! I hadn't heard from him in a long while, nice to see him in a heavier band than his older more screamo stuff! Also, his stage presence was excellent, he kept everyone moving! Compared to Justin Pregent (As It Stands' singer), I think his screaming is a bit higher pitched, and he seems more at ease with clean vocals, which is cool! Though I still miss Justin, Matt should prove to be a great addition! The rest of the band were solid, Garrett Masters surprised me with his guitar solo, he should play those more often!

The set wasn't without problems though, as Angelo Huckson had some bass issues on two songs: It wasn't plugged in for one, and it came unplugged on another, but for a first show back after over a year, I'm more than forgiving! Even still, the band have really good chemistry, after playing together for so long, you'd expect that! They played mostly new songs (including an instrumental), along with (curiously) a Carrie Underwood cover, but their set ran short for me. I actually feel that they should cover some As It Stands songs, maybe some A Fall From Innocence songs too, it'd both fill in their set more, and draw in fans of both bands to see this new group if they heard old classics like "Bush Raids" and "Angles Of A Casket" were being played! Nice solid hardcore sound, you don't hear it much live anymore, so hopefully they'll be back soon to fill the void! Maybe we'll get an old school all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall? Those don't happen nearly enough. Thumbs up from me, and thanks for flipping me off Angelo, it makes a great picture!

Not long after, Bring The Fallen hit the stage, and they were awesome! This prominent death metal band brought the goods once again! They opened with their cover of All That Remains' "This Calling" before switching to a setlist full of their originals! Josh Stephney's vocals are still as brutal as ever, my throat hurts just watching him growl like that! Andrew Chiarello was awesome on guitar, his solos have always impressed me! Same for Dan Souliere, he was great on guitar and backing vocals, though I do miss his hair! Nolan Rainville has got to be the best on-stage headbanger among local musicians, and his bass work was solid as well, while Travis St. Amour kept up nicely on drums! Josh tried his best to get pits going, but for some reason, a decent sized crowd mostly stayed away from the floor. Are death metal and mosh pits that evil? Who doesn't want to mosh for a good cause?

Again, like with Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, I'd really have liked a longer set from Bring The Fallen, but for what I got, I enjoyed it immensely! Instead, the bands were done around 11:00 PM, with DJ Spruceau hitting the stage last. We all thought he was opening with the bands after, but hey, whatever works for Nite-Life! This has to be the earliest I've been done a local show since Three Days Grace, but for a great cause like Haiti, it was more than worth it! Hopefully both bands will be back real soon, I'll wanna see both live once again! As you can tell, I got photos from the whole concert, click here to check them out, or visit the SMS' Facebook page! And yes, I got video, so check these out! First, it's Out Of The Mouth Of Babes' cover of Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" (Personally, it's a vast improvement, even with technical difficulties!), and then, Bring The Fallen's awesome original, "Defiling Despondence"!





So that's what happened at Nite-Life last night! No word has emerged yet concerning how much money was raised, but I sincerely hope it's a nice amount, Haiti needs all the post-earthquake help it can get! FYI, the door prize at Nite-Life last night was dinner for two at Cafe Natura on Elgin Street. I don't know who won, but hopefully the winner enjoys their prize! I'm not sure when we'll get word on what happened at the other venues last night, but I'd expect that soon! As for Friday's Hope4Haiti festivities on Friday, I can tell you a bit about that, as there is an article on SooToday about what happened Friday night! Carol Martin from SooToday discussed the event, including the work Donna Hopper put into this event, and all that the locals did to donate for the cause! I can confirm that the silent art auction at LopLops went on as planned too. There's a photo album with the article too, including live shots of That's Chester & Kathy O'Neill, along with various photos of the fans and musicians that played, including Brian from Gates of Winter, and many more!

As for the ongoing saga of just what would happen at Coch's Corner, here's the timeline: At first, we didn't know who would be playing. Then we heard it'd be Sense of Truth and The Fury. Then Sense of Truth dropped out and were replaced by Caveman Morrison. Then The Fury were announced as not participating, after which Caveman Morrison cancelled. Then Coch's Corner announced it'd be a jam night, and that's what I last heard before the concert. Well, as it turns out, Coch's Corner instead played host to a Tym Morrison acoustic solo set! I bet that would have been fun! I likely would have swung by after Bring The Fallen wrapped up, had I known. The night was still young, after all! I guess I should apologize for missing the announcement of Tym playing there solo, but in all fairness, no one really knew he'd be playing a set until I was already at Nite-Life. Just figured you guys would wanna know. If you were there, I hope you had a great time!

Now I do have more news, but we'll let that be in my next post. All in all, I hope Algoma Hope4Haiti was a huge success, I wanna thank Donna Hopper and The Sault Youth Association immensely for putting all this work and effort in to help the Haitians out in their time of need, their hearts and minds were totally in the right place, and the work they put in should not be forgotten! If I hear anything else coming out of Algoma Hope4Haiti (especially concerning Turner Up or Tym Morrison), I'll have it right here for you guys! Thanks everyone, more news to come!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sykotyk Rampage), Who's Replacing Sense Of Truth At Hope4Haiti, Garden of Bedlam Show Updates, And More!!!

Packed post today, everyone! We finally have confirmation on every band at Algoma Hope4Haiti, and some updates on next weekend's Garden of Bedlam concert, and lots more! But first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! (And thanks everyone for voting in the new poll so far!)

Your favourite local blue Chinese metal crash punk rockers are back! Sykotyk Rampage, fresh off of their third place finish at the Sault College Battle of the Bands, will be back on stage in the spring! In fact, they will be making their debut at The Rockstar Bar on April 7th, with special guests Nebraska Arms, who also competed (and placed 2nd) at that very same battle! If you're wondering why Sykotyk Rampage are headlining, it's likely because this is the first monthly Metal Militia Wednesday at The Rockstar Bar, which will (I assume) feature a metal band on the first Wednesday of each month! So it only makes sense for the metal band to headline the metal night! The show will be at 10:00 PM on April 7th, with a $3 cover charge! This should be a fun show, pencil me in to attend! Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page, and if I hear anything else about this show, I'll have it for you!

EDIT: The planned Caveman Morrison set for Algoma Hope4Haiti has been cancelled, due to a venue mix-up, apparently The Fury agreed to a show at a different venue. This has been confirmed by Paul Stanghetta from The Fury and from J.D. Pearce from Coch's Corner in his Facebook status and further e-mail discussion. That sucks, I thought I might swing by for some great metal covers after Bring The Fallen wrapped up! However, there will be an open jam night at Coch's, everything's set up if you wanna swing by and jam out some tunes! Just letting everyone know!

And now, five more assorted updates to the Algoma Hope4Haiti lineup, so check all this out! I'll see you guys tomorrow night at Nite-Life!

• Gates of Winter keyboardist Brian Holmes will be making a special appearance at TONIGHT'S show at LopLops Lounge as bassist during Craig West's set. Interesting to note that two past or present Gates members (including Kalle Mattson drummer Jimmie Chiverelli) will be performing there tonight! And for those of you who are unfamiliar with Brian's bass skills, click here to watch a Gates of Winter acoustic cover of a Demons and Wizards song, when Brian played bass in lieu of Steve Furgiuele, who just did backing vocals. Not bad! My source for Brian's involvement is his Facebook status.
  
• An event page for both nights of LopLops' Haiti benefit shows is online at this location! No word on the silent art auction, so I'm doubting if it's still on, but it does note that all servers will donate their tips tonight and tomorrow to the Red Cross for Haiti relief, which is awesome!
• It looks like the DJs weren't completely excised from Foggy Notions in tonight's set there, as DJ Seith is listed as performing alongside Nebraska Arms and Brad Example. So if you were hoping for some great dance mixes at Foggy's, it's not all completely gone! Click here for my source.
• SooToday lists Stillbroke bassist Kyle McKey as playing a solo set at Bottoms Up Lounge tonight at 10:00 PM. Note that this is NOT a Hope4Haiti show, Bottoms Up Lounge only has Haiti stuff tomorrow night. No word on how Kyle's solo stuff sounds, but keep it in mind if you wanna do something tonight elsewhere!
• A second event page for the Bring The Fallen/Out Of The Mouth of Babes/DJ Spruceau show at Nite-Life has been launched at this location! This one was created by the guys at Nite-Life, the original one has no listed creator, oddly. Keep that in mind!

Next up, a new band has been added to the lineup of next weekend's Garden of Bedlam/Papa Fogals Chair concert at Foggy Notions! Pistols At Dawn, a London Ontario punk/hardcore band, will open the show on February 27th, and you can check out more of their stuff at their official MySpace page! They honestly seem more like an Oddfellows Hall kind of band than Foggy Notions, but they're not bad at all, nice solid hardcore sound! Thanks to Buzz and Derek Turner for the updates! There also may be some other lineup stuff to announce, but we'll wait for official word. But I can tell you this, Crank Sound Distribution will be there doing sound, so everything will sound awesome! I wish I could be there for this one, but alas, we're going to Detroit that day. But damnit, I want you all to go for me, and make this show a huge success! Get full details on this concert as they come in at the official Facebook event page!

Next up, time to update you guys on Sense of Truth's new E.P.! As you know, they have been in studio recently working on their first release, and there's some cool stuff to bring up! Drummer Ryan Haryett posted on their Facebook group's wall to mention that the drum and bass recording is done, with some guitar soloing left to finish before that wraps up. Then it's just vocals left! He also says that their E.P. will have a song never before heard live or otherwise, and apparently, after hearing it "five gazillion times", it still has all the awesomeness! Now that sounds cool in and of itself! Remember, get your first glimpse of Sense of Truth post-studio NEXT FRIDAY at The Canadian Nightclub with Groove Committee! Now I won't commit to this show because every time I get excited about seeing Sense of Truth live, it backfires on me and I get screwed by outside forces. So, I'm going to use reverse psychology. With that in mind, I am not going to see Sense of Truth next Friday, I will not be headbanging and enjoying myself, and I will not have a review and videos posted the night after! Remember, reverse psychology!

And finally, more videos have popped up online from Half Past's recent sets at Foggy Notions! There's videos of Breaking Benjamin, Staind, and Sick Puppies covers, as well as (most excitingly to me) decent quality video of their original "War Inside My Head"! Thanks to drummer Chris Thompson for uploading these to his YouTube channel! Click there to check them all out, but here's "War Inside My Head"!



That's all for now, if you don't see a new post tomorrow, I will definitely see you guys tomorrow night at Nite-Life for Hope4Haiti! Thanks everyone!

Algoma Hope4Haiti Preview, Last Month's Poll Results, & This Month's Poll!

It's new poll day! But before that, something way more important, as there's a major concert event taking place tomorrow night and Saturday night! So here's everything I know and you need to know about what's going on this weekend! (There IS a metal-related cancellation, but we'll get to that when we come to the Saturday portion.) As you likely are well aware, a devastating earthquake hit Haiti on January 12th. Thousands have died and many many more are injured or without a home. In response to this, SooToday's Donna Hopper and The Sault Youth Association are teaming up to organize a huge concert event this weekend to raise funds for The Canadian Red Cross to donate to Haiti relief funds. Called "Algoma Hope4Haiti", it's unique as concert events go in that it's not all in one place, like at 2008's Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser at The Canadian Nightclub, for example. This event will be held simultaneously at 8 different local bars (7 of which are downtown) Saturday night, with a handful also holding concerts tomorrow night as well. Two (maybe three) of these venues will be hosting metal/hard rock bands on Saturday, but here's what to expect on Friday! (All my band/venue info comes from the official Facebook event page, unless otherwise stated) Remember to click on all band names to check out their material and get more information! Firstly, at LopLops Lounge, local indie band Kalle Mattson (featuring former Gates of Winter drummer Jimmie Chiverelli) will be playing there tomorrow night with special guest artists Kathy O'Neill and Craig West. If you like indie music, this will be a perfect spot for you to hit! Meanwhile, Foggy Notions will get rocked not by the previously announced DJs, but by these bands: local indie rockers Nebraska Arms (featuring two ex-members of Renderware), and solo artist Brad Example, who you'll likely recognize from Rock of Ages, and most notably, as the bassist for The Inner City Surfers! My source for the updated info at Foggy's is at the official event page, confirm your attendance there! Finally, if I'm not mistaken, local classic rock band That's Chester (featuring Greg Simpson from Stiffler's Mom & Sin Stereo) will be covering your favourite rock hits (and maybe some metal tracks) at The Rockstar Bar that night as well! Just in case you're not sure, tickets for the Saturday shows are good for Friday, so you don't need to buy two tickets. And despite what the poster for Hope4Haiti says, I don't believe The Algonquin Pub has bands on both nights. Then on Saturday, there's shows at all eight venues, and we'll start first by mentioning a cancellation: I just got word from Sense of Truth drummer Ryan Haryett that they will NOT be playing at Coch's Corner on Saturday. They were scheduled to be playing there that night, but are off due to scheduling conflicts. To the best of my knowledge, The Fury are still playing that night, but a replacement for Sense of Truth hasn't been announced yet. If and when I hear an update on the replacement band, you'll find it here! Well, while we're on the subject of The Fury, you'll likely find them very unique, what with the no guitars and two bassists and all. Very solid band, you'll recognize ex-members of Out Of The Mouth of Babes and DOTH in their lineup! Oh, and remember, if you wanna see Sense of Truth, head to The Canadian on February 26th! But for the metalhead in us all, one show will deliver all the goods! At Nite-Life Dance & Comedy Club, local death/thrash metal band Bring The Fallen will make their debut at the former Other Place on Saturday night! This will be their first concert since their short notice set at Foggy Notions earlier this month! The winners of 2009's YMCA and Algoma University Battles of the Bands, expect one heavy as hell set from these rising stars of the local scene! Joining them will be Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, the local hardcore band featuring what is essentially the final lineup of As It Stands, if you had Matt Maccarone from A Fall From Innocence singing in place of Justin Pregent! This is their first ever live concert, so I have no idea what to expect. Will we get all new songs, or maybe some AIS classics, or possibly some covers? We'll find out Saturday night after 9:00 PM! Rounding out the lineup is DJ Spruceau, who will mix some stuff on his turntables that night as well! That honestly does seem like a weird clash of genres, but I bet he's very talented! Get full details on this, the heaviest of the Hope4Haiti shows (and the one I'm attending) at this location! For a preview, check out this video of Bring The Fallen performing their original "Night Riders" from a show last year at The Oddfellows Hall! Meanwhile, if you wanna rock out with some great covers of your favourite hard rock songs, you'll wanna be at The Algonquin Pub and Sports Bar Saturday night, when Turner Up rock out for Haiti! Just a week after playing at The Nicolet Tavern for Bon Soo, they'll be downstairs at The Quinn for a nice long set of rock favourites! Sure, you can go see them Wednesdays at Foggy's for jam nights, but why not go see a full 100% concert from these guys? Plus, they're hyping giveaways, and who doesn't love free stuff? They will be on at around 10:30 PM. I wish I could tell you guys more, but I haven't seen them live yet and there's no posted videos of their stuff yet, but by all visible accounts, they have the goods! Confirm your attendance for Turner Up's set at Hope4Haiti at this location! Now for what's happening at the other 5 venues for Hope4Haiti on Saturday: That's Chester will be back at The Rockstar Bar that night, so they're playing two straight shows! I wonder who'll be louder, That's Chester upstairs or Turner Up downstairs? Confirm your attendance for That's Chester at this location! Also that night, local acoustic indie bands The Pine Cones and Broken House will hit The Bottoms Up Lounge for a night of more intimate music! If that's your thing, or you wanna mellow out, that should be a good bet, click here for the Facebook event page! Meanwhile, back at Foggy Notions, local indie band The Tenagens and punk rockers The Scary Uncles (featuring ex-members of SIGHdEFECT & Fitswitch) will hit the stage to rock out there! That should be a good show as well, especially for The Uncles! Confirm your attendance for that portion at the Facebook event page! The other show downtown will be at LopLops Lounge, when local funk band Big Wheel and The Spokes headline with special guests Shannon Moan and Honeythroat frontman Mark Kuntsi! And finally, local country band Thin Ice (featuring former Garage Inc. bassist Josh Donofrio) will rock out at The Canadian Nightclub, the only participating venue that isn't in the Queen Street East area! Confirm your attendance for Thin Ice by clicking here! None of the acts at the last two venues are genre matches for most SMS stuff, but they all have great audiences and have lots of talent, hopefully their sets are really successful! So that's the entertainment lineup for Hope4Haiti this weekend! Now, what else do you need to know? Well, tickets are $10 and are available at the following locations: Every single participating concert venue that I mentioned above, Top Hat Billiards, The Rad Zone at Wellington Square Mall (source here), MP Tony Martin's office on Queen Street, the Sault Youth Association office at Station Tower, and at the local Red Cross office on Allard Street! Your ticket not only gives $10 to Haiti relief funds, but it will guarantee you entrance to EVERY VENUE at no additional cost! So hypothetically, you could go see Out Of The Mouth of Babes at Nite-Life, then head all the way to The Canadian for Thin Ice, and you wouldn't need to re-pay! Also, your ticket entitles you to free pool at Top Hat Billiards all day on Saturday! To the best of my knowledge, every participating concert venue will be having door prizes and possibly more, so keep an eye out for all that! I also heard reports of a silent art auction at LopLops, but I haven't seen recent mention of it. For full details on Algoma Hope4Haiti, click here! If I hear anything else worth noting, I'll update everything for you guys! And yes, my presence is very likely! Looks like I'll be supporting the Haitian earthquake relief cause at Nite-Life, though we'll have to see who's replacing Sense of Truth at Coch's Corner too. First time seeing what is now Out Of The Mouth Of Babes since 2008, long time coming! And Bring The Fallen? Well everyone could use more death metal, and I'm no exception! Afterwards, I'll have a review, photos, and video of whoever I'm seeing, so stay tuned for all that! And as for you guys, please make it to at least one show, Haiti needs all the help it can get, so why not pitch in? $10 can go a long way if you just do your best to help! ----------------------------------------------------------- AND NOW, it's time to discuss the SMS polls! As it is the 18th of the month, we have a new one up, but first, let's go over the results of last month's poll! If you remember correctly, the question I posed to you guys was this: What was your favourite new album release from a Sault Ontario metal band in 2009? A record 73 people voted, thanks everyone! Here are the results, going up from last to first! In dead last with no votes were the two non-studio releases from Woods of Ypres in 2009, the "Allure of the Earth" vinyl and their best-of CD "Independent Nature 2002-2007". Not too surprising, seeing as both weren't full of new material, and "Allure of the Earth" didn't have a widespread CD release. In sixth and seventh respectively were both of Sykotyk Rampage's 2009 albums, "22" (2 votes) and "Moments of Misery" (1 vote.) I don't think that's indicative of their support level (I'm a fan!), but their sound can be a bit polarizing depending on the person, I can see why both albums placed lower. Now here's what puzzles me: "Other" got 6 votes....what'd I miss? Or did some people vote for something from 2008 or earlier, or something non-local or non-metal? I never expected it'd get that high of a total, but hey, people had reasons, and I respect that! In fourth place with 8 votes was Stillbroke's debut EP, "Never Enough", which doesn't really surprise me. I figured it'd be third or fourth, they are popular, but one could argue they aren't on a Garden of Bedlam-type recognition level yet. No matter, it was a solid EP and some great things are on the horizon! In third with 11 votes, which wasn't where I figured it'd place, was Woods of Ypres' new CD, "Woods IV: The Green Album"! I would have thought this would make first or second place! I know the album can be tough to get into without the right mindset, but it really is brilliantly done! Oh well, hopefully interest picks up in it in 2010! And in second place with 20 votes is the debut self-titled EP from Garden of Bedlam! I thought it'd be in the top two, and look where it was! Great first release, the future is super bright for these guys! And finally, in first place, with 25 votes, a whopping 34% of the final total, is the new album from Detroit, "Brace For Impact"! I didn't figure this would place first, especially given that it's had the least time to make an impression on us due to it's late release, but I think we have some loyal fans over at The705Scene Forums for helping get the votes up for it! More proof that Detroit have a great following and a positive future, in my opinion! I liked the album myself, congratulations to Detroit on winning! So there's your results for last month's poll, and now it's time to discuss a brand new poll, which I promise is the last in the category of "best something in 2009", but it may be the best one yet! Anyone who frequents local concerts should feel right at home with this one! So I pose this question to you: What was your favourite metal concert in Sault Ontario in 2009? I picked 20 concerts for you guys to vote on, including the only 6 to get votes from my mid-2009 poll in July, and 14 more high profile shows from the latter (and busier) half of the year! Shows got in as a selection by the bands' popularity levels, attendance, show notoriety, and they must have had at least 50% metal bands on the lineup That explains why the Three Days Grace show isn't a choice, but "Other" is there for a reason! Here are your 20 choices for your favourite metal show of 2009, in order by date! Bands: Blessed By A Broken Heart, As It Stands, Upheaval of an Exorcist, Breaking The Fourth Wall, and Deter Venue: The Oddfellows Hall Date: January 9th Info: Headlined by Montreal's own Blessed By A Broken Heart, this show was one of the first major metal shows of 2009, and featured the last live performance by As It Stands. Northern Rocks Magazine were also on hand at this show for some promotion! Lots of hardcore fans were there, but how good do you think it was? Bands: Ministry of Zen & Fingerbone (now Half Past) Venue: Coch's Corner Date: January 24th Info: In their first local show since the Rock 2 Roll benefit, London's own Ministry of Zen rocked Coch's Corner! Also featured locals Fingerbone, now known as Half Past in just their second live performance, and last with John Barber and Charles Gibson in their lineup. I was there, it was a great show, and it won the mid-2009 poll, but was it your favourite of the wh0le year? Bands: The Undead Warriors (now Bring The Fallen), Dirty Virgin, Operation: Killdozer, Sue Inside, The Glass Statues, Train Junky, and Waterslide (YMCA Battle of the Bands) Venue: The Grand Theatre Date: March 20th Info: In this showcase of local talent, the band now known as Bring The Fallen stole the show, winning first place, despite being undermanned for their performance! Dirty Virgin and Operation: Killdozer also took home prizes, while the other bands put on great performances! Also featuring an original YMCA rock opera, the battle was a success, despite no alcohol. What did you think? Bands: Cattle Decapitation, Psyopus, Beyond Within, and Thekillingfield Venue: The Oddfellows Hall Date: April 12th Info: On Easter Sunday, more death metal invaded Sault Ontario for this concert, headlined by death metal legends Cattle Decapitation, along with Psyopus and Northern Ontario headbangers Beyond Within and Thekillingfield! Despite venue issues, slow ticket sales, and Rose Funeral dropping out, it was one hell of a show! But do you agree? Bands: Who Made Who Venue: The Canadian Nightclub Date: May 15th Info: Who Made Who gave us their own brand of high voltage rock n' roll at this concert way back in May! The crowd loved every minute of it, and the band did a great job pulling off the AC/DC sound! I loved it, but did you, if you were even there? Bands: Today I Caught The Plague, Faceless Hulk, Norris, Constructed Apocalypse, and Loyalty Is Dead (now Lorax) Venue: The Oddfellows Hall Date: June 11th Info: More death metal bands hit The Oddfellows Hall in June on The Canadian Crusade Tour, including Thunder Bay's Faceless Hulk and Norris, and the locals now known as Lorax! It sounded like it was an awesome concert, but what do you think? Bands: Garden of Bedlam & Sense of Truth Venue: The Canadian Nightclub Date: July 3rd Info: In their first show of 2009, Garden of Bedlam celebrated the release of their first EP with a well publicized show at The Canadian, one of the last there before the summer renovations. Sense of Truth joined in as well, in one of their first shows since the addition of Ron Baxter on guitar! Always a treat to see both bands live, what'd you think of this show? Bands: Woods of Ypres, Inflict, and Necropolis (now Bring The Fallen) Venue: The Speakeasy Date: August 16th Info: David Gold and company made their long awaited return to the our burial ground on August 16th for a night full of metal mayhem! North Bay's Inflict and the Sault's own Necropolis (now known as Bring The Fallen) set the pace nicely as well! This was one of my personal favourite shows this year, fans of the more extreme metal types wouldn't have wanted to miss it! Do you agree? Bands: Lion Ride and Nebraska Arms Venue: Coch's Corner Date: August 28th Info: While in town for their slot on the last ever Hempfest, Lion Ride hit Coch's Corner for an energetic fast paced concert full of all their classics! A large and energetic crowd rocked out to them and Nebraska Arms, providing support with a solid set of indie rock! Lion Ride played here multiple times in 2009, was this your favourite? Bands: Ultraviolence Venue: Coch's Corner Date: September 3rd Info: Months before they hit the Sault twice in a two month span, Toronto "drunk n' rollers" Ultraviolence rocked Coch's Corner with a solid set of their AC/DC inspired classics! Always an entertaining band, how would you guys say this stacks up among this year's metal shows? Bands: Garden of Bedlam & Bring The Fallen Venue: The Canadian Nightclub Date: October 17th Info: When The Canadian emerged from it's top to bottom renovations, Garden of Bedlam and Bring The Fallen were there to greet it with a metal onslaught this past October! With great originals and covers from both bands alike, and a dedicated loyal turnout, it was as much of a success as it could be! The Canadian looked nice too! Where does this show rank? Bands: Grady & Domenica Venue: The Canadian Nightclub Date: October 25th Info: Though dogged by a low weekday turnout and a threatened boycott of the planned local openers, Grady and Domenica delivered a unique night of hard rock to the fans who did show up! Gordie Johnson and his Grady bandmates ruled with their brand of "country metal", while Domenica were great too and definitely displayed their talent! I know for a fact the people that were there had fun, myself included, but how about you? Bands: Upheaval of an Exorcist, Garden of Bedlam, Bring The Fallen, and The Fury Venue: The Oddfellows Hall Date: October 30th Info: After June, metal concerts at The Oddfellows Hall seemed rare, but Big Voiced Records brought some great stuff there on Devil's Night, when Sudbury's Upheaval of an Exorcist made their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie, with loads of local talent in tow! The scene has been shifting to bar shows in recent months, so this sure was a great night for Oddies fans, and Garden of Bedlam followers too! Was this your favourite? Bands: Frightlight, Half Past, and Glamoween Venue: Coch's Corner Date: October 31st Info: THE Halloween party (caps intentional) hit Coch's Corner when the horror-influenced Frightlight (featuring 3 ex-members of Fitswitch) made their live debut! It also marked the return of Half Past following months of inactivity, and featured the one-off local glam rock tribute Glamoween as openers! Lots of work was put into this special Halloween themed concert, did it work to make you vote for it? Bands: Garden of Bedlam, Lion Ride, Nixxon Dixxon, Sense of Truth, Bring The Fallen, Caveman Morrison, Dirty Virgin, Stillbroke, Sykotyk Rampage, The Billy Bastards, Blues Harvest, Flat Stanley, Gsis Murphy, Huckster, Middle of Nowhere, Nebraska Arms, Stiffler's Mom, Tiny Trebuchet, and Wishbone (Kiss Battle of the Bands) Venue: The Canadian Nightclub Date: November 30th-December 2nd Info: This needs no introduction, it was so huge! 20 local bands, 10 of which were metal/hard rock, played to a packed Canadian Nightclub all for the right to back up Kiss at their concert here in the Soo, now postponed until this summer! The energy was intense, the club was packed, and the emotions were running high in an event that lived up to all the hype! Oh, and Garden of Bedlam won, by a single point over Lion Ride! Despite short setlists, would this be your favourite local concert of 2009? Bands: Garden of Bedlam Venue: Madison's Pub Date: December 5th Info: To celebrate their Kiss battle victory, Garden of Bedlam made their way to Madison's Pub to party with their fans for the first time since claiming the top prize! Lion Ride's Marc O'Lion joined in for a memorable rendition of "The Trooper" at this show as well! Another fun show, where does this fit on your favourite shows list of 2009? Bands: Caveman Morrison Venues: The Rockstar Bar & Foggy Notions Date: Various dates Info: Since his local return, Tym Morrison began booking shows for both his acoustic solo act and his main metal cover band, Caveman Morrison, and after a return show in August, the Caveman and company got back into regular gigging mode in December, playing shows at The Rockstar Bar and Foggy Notions, notably at the Foggy's VIP party prior to the grand opening! I'll group these shows together in this unique case, were any of them your favourite? Bands: Sense of Truth & The Scary Uncles Venue: Foggy Notions Date: December 18th Info: After many long months, Foggy Notions held it's grand re-opening on December 18th, with entertainment from hard rockers Sense of Truth and local punk rockers The Scary Uncles! I know there was a huge turnout for this, as both bands are very popular and it's Foggy Notions! Couldn't make it, but I know both bands knocked it right out of the park! Was it your top 2009 metal show? Bands: Lion Ride & Nebraska Arms Venue: The Rockstar Bar Date: December 27th Info: A few weeks after their heartbreaking one point loss at the Kiss battle, Lion Ride returned for a concert at The Rockstar Bar with Nebraska Arms! A packed house of devoted fans followed, so really, who needs Kiss? Great show, the band were on fire as they always are, what do you think? Bands: Detroit, Destroilet, and Talk Shit Venue: Coch's Corner Date: December 29th Info: A night of metal influenced punk and hardcore was the spectacle at Coch's Corner on December 29th, as Detroit celebrated the release of their new CD, "Brace For Impact"! Destroilet made their live debut with a solid set, while Talk Shit kept the 100% punk fans entertained as openers! The show seemed like a big party, with band members guesting on each other's songs and the beer flowed readily! Great sendoff to 2009, what say you about this show? Other: Many other Sault Ontario shows happened this year, including the various punk/indie shows with metal bands on the bill, Three Days Grace, Garden of Bedlam at Foggy's on Boxing Day, the various out of town bands at Coch's Corner, the Algoma Battle of the Bands, and many more! Is your favourite not listed? Vote for it here! VOTE TODAY!!!! Let's see this hit 75 votes, it'd be awesome to break the record on this poll! Stay tuned tomorrow for my next post, which WILL have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this April, an update to this month's Garden of Bedlam/Papa Fogals Chair show, any updates for Hope4Haiti that I come across, and hopefully more! Stay tuned, and VOTE IN THE POLL!!!!