Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

While videos upload from last night's Sewer Swampstravaganza, I've got a local metal video showcase to touch on today! Gotta keep the news rolling, after all. This post features new songs from two very different local acts, some old drumming videos that now have a direct connection to a heavier band, and leading off, a new "album" of sorts, so here's what you need to know!

Local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith have posted a new live "album" onto their YouTube channel on Wednesday! Intended to be YouTube exclusive with no purchase options (at least right now), it's called "In Sesh" (short for "In Session"), and it's their first live in-studio recording in an album format. Recorded during practice at PaperClip Productions the day of it's upload, the performance lasted 33 minutes, and included (in order) covers of The Stone Temple Pilots' "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart" and Don Felder's "Heavy Metal", a "new" track named "This Is A Song Called Tuning" (which is exactly what you think it is), their originals "Leon The Janitor" and "Public Enemy", their cover of Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along The Watchtower", and both versions of their original "Wanko", so click each link to hear each song! Note as well that frontman Curtis McKenzie doesn't play guitar at all on "In Sesh", focusing only on vocals.

The recording quality is good, and it's nice to hear some quality versions of some of their covers and "Public Enemy" finally, so give this "album" a listen below, and stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for our review of their Swampstravaganza set!



Next up, here's the newest original song upload from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! Uploaded on Friday to his YouTube channel, it's entitled "More Love In The World", the song's about how Tym wants the title to happen, without judging people for their differences, which is a good message! The song itself (his first original posting in 3 months) is well played with a nice vocal range and very truthful lyrics, but the song feels unfinished and repetitive, almost like there's a missing chorus. Still, this is a nice lighter display of his talent and a good message to take to heart, so give Tym's newest original song a listen below!



Also in new song postings is a new original song from local grindcore project Crucify The Whore (featuring Austin McRae of Blood Shed Productions labelmates Brutaly Fatal), and it's entitled "Discipline Through Dismemberment". Coming from their joint "Brutaly Crucified" demo, this was uploaded to their label's YouTube channel on Monday, and it's (more or less) a combination of techno effects and grindcore, with a nicely fuller sound, and think Austin's growls fit better than Ringsnaps Gibson's pig squeals, but it's all a subjective matter of opinion. Check out the new "Brutaly Crucified" song below!

Finally for today, you know how former Lion Ride/Fuller bassist Nathan Sauve recently reemerged in the local scene as drummer for the grunge band Bad Back? If you're familiar with him personally or via his YouTube channel, his drum skills won't be news, but now we have a great reason to give mention to his "Nathan Sucks" series of drum performance videos from 2008. The common name is self-deprecating, but he really doesn't suck, as he has a lot of talent as a drummer, and they're definitely worth looking at! He posted 7 videos on YouTube in mid-late 2008, mostly of drum solos and improvisation, and he keeps things varied, fast paced, and well timed in each! The video I'll embed here is of Nathan playing the drum track of Lion Ride's "Slapdance" (well, for most of it), and even though Marc "The Italian Stallion" Muto was their drummer at the time, "Lionel Itchy" does a very solid job in this role too on one of Lion Ride's best originals! Check out Nathan not sucking on drums below, and see more at the above links!



That's all for now, but stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for my Swampstravaganza review! Thanks everyone!

Hempfest, BFGs, And Catgut Concert Previews!!

In our second post of the day, we're focused on more concert previews in an unusually drawn out stretch of shows, this time focusing on metal/hard rock concerts going down tomorrow and on Monday night! Yes, our Pop Evil preview is coming too, likely on Tuesday. Read on below for these previews (including a festival's return and two punk/metal gigs on Monday), and of course, check out this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Infrastrate in the post below this one!

Regional marijuana culture festival Hempfest returned for it's 15th installment (and third under it's current ownership) on Monday, and TOMORROW'S last day will see the return of hard rock! Sure, there hasn't been a sizeable contingent of local or metal bands since 2011, but the lineup's much larger than last year, and there's a mix of both regular Hempfest performers and tribute bands to take in, including headliners Mama Kin! This Toronto-based Aerosmith tribute band are a popular local sight (last seen here in April 2012), and they have a faithful and entertaining take on the original songs and look of Aerosmith, so they're worth checking out for sure! Mama Kin will actually have two sets tomorrow night at 7:30 & 9:00 PM, bookending a set by rappers Radar & J. Frost at 8:30 PM. The rest of the lineup in descending order includes a comedian of some kind at 7:00 PM, Hamilton folk/ska quintet Blind Mule at 6:00 PM, Radar & Blind Mule again at 5:30 & 4:30 PM, the finals of this year's Willy High Games at 4:00 PM, Newmarket punk band The Salads at 2:15 PM, a live speaker of some kind at 1:45 PM, and Remedy, a Southern Ontario-based Black Crowes tribute opening at 12:00 PM.

As usual, Hempfest is in it's usual home of Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario (an hour east of the Soo), and tickets are $40 at the door and $50 if you're going today too (click here for today's schedule, but there's no heavier bands), while attendees with federal marijuana exemptions get in free (if you show your paperwork on arrival.) This year's Hempfest is generally 18+, but minors can attend with a guardian. For all details for this year's remaining events, check the above links! While I'd love to see more local talent, the expanded lineup is great to see, and tribute bands have a lot of success, so hopefully this year's Hempfest is another hit, and don't miss the last days! For a preview, here's Mama Kin playing "Dream On" last year!



Now to a surprisingly busy Monday for original metal/punk concerts, starting with another new show at The New American Pub courtesy of local concert promoter & musician Jamie Vincent! While not all ages like his other concerts, an entertaining mix of grunge and punk will hit this Bay Street venue on Monday night, including headlining Edmonton grunge rockers Catgut! Featuring Jamie's old Flint bandmate Jesse Silkie on drums, Catgut's alternative sound and punk sensibility give them a solid 1990s-esque sound that fans should like, even if it's not the most aggressive sound! Jamie's own grunge project Bad Back (featuring him on vocals & guitar and his Fuller bandmate Nathan Sauve on drums) will open for Catgut in their second live concert set, while the show itself will begin with a half-Nebraska Arms reunion courtesy of an unplugged set from Wayne Watkins & Dave Prendergast (expect acoustic punk songs.) Admission will be $5 on Monday night for this 19+ show, and doors open at 8:00 PM, which is somewhat early. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Though the 19+ nature is odd given the promoter, fans of punk and alternative hard rock should find a lot to like, and the success of this show could be telling for future original hard rock/metal concerts at The New A, so don't bypass it if you're not going to see the BFGs! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Catgut live in Edmonton last year!



Finally for the regional metal/hard rock concerts through Monday, Toronto hardcore punk legends The Bunchofuckingoofs will hit The Roosevelt Hotel that night for a well anticipated concert in itself! Thirty years into their run, their aggressive, reckless, and heavy originals should get some great mosh pits going at The Rosie, and it will be awesome to see Crazy Steve Goof and company laying down their classic material in the Soo on Monday! Victoria garage punk trio The Last of the V8 Interceptors will join them for their first of two local concerts this year (they're opening for The Dayglo Abortions next month too), and while I don't know a lot on their sound, their Mad Max themes and punk talents should fit in well! Local support will come courtesy of hardcore punk quintet Destroilet (in their third show of the year) and the Rosie return of local grindcore/death metal trio Shit Liver, and both should fit in very well for this feast of hardcore punk and metal! Originally scheduled to be held at The Algonquin Pub before being relocated, this show is a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time and a $10 entry fee. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I won't recommend hitting either Catgut ot The BFGs preferably, as they're different kinds of shows, but The BFGs will appeal to the hardcore punk angle more, so if you prefer that, be at The Rosie, and keep in mind The BFGs notoriety and success over their lengthy run! Both should be great shows, so go occupy a venue, and for a preview, here's The Bunchofuckingoofs playing "Go Get Screwed" live a couple months ago!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Swampstravaganza review either tomorrow or early Monday! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Infrastrate

Before I head out to this year's Sewer Swampstravaganza, here's our first post of the day, and it's this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! As always, this monthly feature looks at one or two inactive or broken up local metal/hard rock bands, with information on their run, material, biography, and some thoughts on them and their sound! Never hurts to be refreshed on old local bands, after all. This month's band hit a lot of success in the mid-2000s in both of their home bases, even if their full material is hard to find, so read on below for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile!
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Infrastrate
 
Genre: Metal/Progressive Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/Ottawa, Ontario

Members:  

Joey Paciocco, vocals
Patrick Webb (Benjamin Wilks, Source Amnesia), guitar
Nick Ochoski, bass
Ben Ochoski (Shanahan, Benjamin Wilks), drums

Audio/Video: No live concert videos are known to be publically available from their run, but four songs of theirs are streamable on their PureVolume page! Two ("Hindsight" & "Smoke & Mirrors") were recorded at Cherry Valance Sound in August 2005 towards their debut and only EP "Phase I: Commencement" (which is unavailable in full online), while the other two ("Causal Nexus" & "Tyrannade") were likely recorded at Audio Valley Studios in Perth, Ontario in 2006 towards their unreleased second CD. I uploaded them to YouTube last year, and I've embedded "Hindsight" from their EP below, but give their songs a listen, and if you have or can find a copy of "Phase I: Commencement", let me know!



Info/Analysis: Launched locally in 2003, Infrastrate rose to solid prominence in the live Sault Ontario scene with numerous local concerts and original material during their first two years together, including shows at The Canadian Nightclub, Oddfellows Hall, and a slot at the June 2005 Heatwave outdoor concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion. They recorded their only EP "Phase I: Commencement" that August, and collectively relocated to Ottawa later that month to attend Carleton University, where they remained for the rest of their run. Their Ottawa tenure saw them play a number of concerts, sign with London label Laris Records (owned by Saultite Chris Rancourt), and begin work on a new album in 2006, but it was never released before they fell inactive by mid-2007. Though they moved from the area at their peak, Infrastrate blended metal, alternative rock, and progressive sounds to create an accessible but heavy sound with a lot of unique qualities, reminding me of bands like Sense of Truth, and it's a shame they didn't last longer! Solid musicians all around, with nice melodic singing from Joey Paciocco especially, so check out Infrastrate above and hopefully we'll learn more on them at some point!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! For the first time since May, next month's installment of this series will feature two bands due to the first band we randomly selected having only minimal public info, so next month, we'll be looking at defunct Sault Michigan hard rock quintet Blind Baby (featuring current members of Powerslug & Scofflaw) and late 2000s Sault Ontario experimental metal project Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes (featuring local solo musician Chase Wigmore), so look out for that on or around September 10th! That's all for today, but stay tuned for upcoming concert previews tonight and our Swampstravaganza review tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sugar Island Music Festival), Your First Look At Chronic Demonic, And More!!

Well, I wasn't expecting to have a second post today, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to get this up, so read on below for that (plus a new song posting, ticket availability for some upcoming shows, and the first video from a newer local band), and check out some new concert announcements (including one for tomorrow) and more Sault Michigan weekend previews in the post below this one!

I completely forgot about this (blame slow updates for the schedule), but there will be one hard rock band at this year's Sugar Island Music Festival, as Kinross, Michigan quintet Banned will be playing at this annual event once again TONIGHT! This probably explains why Banned are only playing in Hessel tomorrow night rather than all weekend. The guys (and girl) will be on at 8:00 PM tonight, with new Dafter classic rock band Thieves In The Night headlining at 10:15 PM, and they're preceded by Flint duo 3-Zip at 9:30 PM, The Fosters Sportsmen's Club Band at 8:45 PM, Banned at 8:00 PM, Junior and the Dinosaurs at 7:15 PM, Hillsdale indie quartet All Arms at 6:30 PM, 3 and a Half Men at 5:45 PM, and local pop duo Missy & Chelsea opening at 5:00 PM. Apologies for not knowing about some bands, this is a recurring theme for the Sugar Island Festival's schedules. The rest of the schedules feature no heavier leaning bands that I can source, but everyone playing today except Banned and Thieves of the Night have another set coming up tomorrow or Sunday, so keep that in mind.

Emceed by Rudy Villareal, admission is $10 for the weekend (no single day options), while kids 12 and under get in FREE. For more details on events, schedules, games, and advance ticket locations, click here! Sure, there have been heavier years for metal/hard rock bands, but The Sugar Island Music Festival is a consistent success in the region, and it gives an American alternative to Buskerfest and Hempfest, so don't miss Banned and the other bands TONIGHT and this weekend! Remember, it's about 45 minutes east of the Soo, and for a preview, here's Banned at the 2011 Sugar Island Festival covering AC/DC!



Next up, remember last week's benefit concert at The Roosevelt Hotel to fund Frightlight bassist Mike Gingras' short film "The Kid Who Made The Face"? Well, aside from the previously announced bands (Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Redundant), two newer local metal/punk bands played surprise mini-sets at the show, including Jack Spades and Chronic Demonic! The former (featuring T-Rex Manning, Bear Hunters, and Asylum Country members) was confirmed through personal Facebook posts, and while I don't know much on what they played in their second preview set, Chronic Demonic confirmed their brief performance on their own Facebook page the following day, complete with a video! Featuring members of Frightlight and Faithless Sin in their lineup, the video (which was uploaded to Facebook and is unembeddable here) was filmed by attendee April Fogal, and while the song's name wasn't given, my first thoughts point to what Frightlight would sound like if they had a female singer (Ririe "Sabrina Strange" Lavoie), and it works on that level!

The audio quality isn't great, and make sure your speakers are low, but there is something there, and I'm curious to hear more when they make their full debut! Click here to check out Chronic Demonic's first video, and don't miss the full debut of Jack Spades on September 9th at The Rosie when they open for The Dayglo Abortions! Speaking of concerts promoted by Frightlight/Jack Spades frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce, tickets for his upcoming Bunchofuckingoofs and Dayglo Abortions concerts are now on sale at both their host venue (The Roosevelt Hotel) and at The Rad Zone in the Wellington Square Mall, so get yours A.S.A.P., especially as the BFGs show is THIS MONDAY! J.D. also announced that if you buy tickets for the BFGs show and the Airbourne concert on August 19th, bring them with you to the Black Cat Attack-headlined show on the 17th and you will get in FREE! Sounds like a good deal to me, so keep that in mind, and don't miss the BFGs on Monday and the get more details on all of J.D.'s upcoming metal and punk shows at the above links!

Finally for today, here's a new YouTube song upload from defunct experimental/grunge trio SBD! Uploaded to frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel this past Saturday, it's of the No Arrow successors' original instrumental "Ess", though I don't know off hand if this is the same recording from their "Sonic Experiments" album. Nice psychedlic tinged take on alternative rock with solid instrumentation, but it does hint towards the largely instrumental nature of their album. I miss Dann's local music work since SBD's hiatus began in 2011, but hopefully this helps fill the void, so check out SBD's "Ess" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Infrastrate! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Battle Of The Bands & Pillory) & Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

Keeping our weekend concert previews rolling, we're mostly focusing on Sault Michigan today, but we also have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows TOMORROW and later this month, including Sault Michigan's next battle of the bands, so read on below for what you need to know, and if any late notice concerts pop up, we'll have them here A.S.A.P., if possible!

A night of grindcore and death metal will hit the P-Patch area TOMORROW NIGHT in honour of former March Into Regression/Fountain of Betrayal bassist Tyler St. Amour's birthday, in what is being called "Grinded Live In Your Ears"! Apologies for the short notice, the Facebook event page was only launched yesterday. To be held at 110 Pentagon Boulevard (Tyler's home?), this publically attendable concert is being hyped as an option for Sewer Swampstravaganza attendees to hit after leaving that concert, and it reminds me in ways of the old F.A.T.I.L. Gatherings, but who's lined up to perform? The headliners are local thrash band Pillory in just their second live show, first in over 8 months, and first since the passing of guitarist Andres Duchesne & addition of new bassist Cole Royal, and it's great to see them gigging again! Swampstravaganza performers Crimson Crusade are also lined up, while two death metal acts from local grind/horror rap label Blood Shed Productions will make their public concert debuts in the preceding slots, those being Crucify The Whore and Tyler's own long-gestating death metal project Social Suicide!

No word on if either have full lineups for these performances or if they'll be solo sets, but it's nice to see Ringsnaps and Tyler finally bringing these bands to a live audience, and hopefully it's just the next step in their evolution! The show will be opened by a solo performer credited as "Todd The Shitty Busker" at 11:20 PM, though I can't reliably verify his identity, sound, or genre at present. This show has free admission and no announced age limits, Blood Shed demos will be on sale, and doors open at 11:00 PM at 110 Pentagon (which is seconds from the St. Bernadette Elementary School.) Check the above links for more details! There's a lot of unknowns with this concert, especially given it's location and somewhat mysterious live forms for two of the bands, but it should provide attendees with death and grind intensity all night, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! For a preview, here's Pillory live at The Canadian last year!

The other new concert is this year's "Rock Till You Drop" battle of the bands at this year's Chippewa County Fair, which goes down on Thursday, August 29th at the grandstand at the Kinross fairgrounds, so what should you know? Like past years, three local bands will compete for votes from fans, with votes likely being determined in a busker style via cash donations in a bucket after each set, with the winning band being the one whose set raised the most cash. This year however, all donations will go to Team Jessica, the fund to help local high school student Jessica Jorgensen through her leukemia battle (which is also the cause behind next week's Pop Evil concert at The Dreammaker's Theater), which is awesome, so hopefully attendees give generously! The three bands include two returnees from last year's "Rock Till You Drop", as local classic hard rock quintet Banned and young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme will give this yearly battle another stab on the 29th, and note as well that Tantrym Tyme (then Abstract) won the 2011 edition, so are they the band to beat?

The third band (replacing pop duo Missy & Chelsea from last year) is new local hard rock quintet RamWagon, who should give a strong performance in what I believe is their first ever local battle appearance, so don't bypass them on the 29th! To be emceed by Rock 101's Allison "Alli J" Miller, "Rock Till You Drop" has a 7:30 PM start time and no age limits. For more details, visit the above links, and thanks to Tantrym Tyme for battle updates! The field's wide open for this year's battle, and hopefully lots of money is raised for Team Jessica! Who'll take this year's "Rock Till You Drop"? Be at the Chippewa County Fair to find out, and stay tuned for updates!

We'll close this post with this weekend's Sault Michigan concert previews (at least, the ones with advance word), and conveniently, both bands in question are among the "Rock Till You Drop" battle competitors! We'll start with RamWagon, who will make both their non-Sault and Kewadin Casino debuts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT when they hit The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin! RamWagon have been making a quick regional impression in the past month, and with more gigs and exposure imminent, this union of Full Throttle and Analog Deficiency members should impress with their blend of covers this weekend in St. Ignace! 9:00 PM-ish start times, no announced cover charge, and 21+ age limits are to be expected, and for more details, check the above links and Kewadin's entertainment page! RamWagon should deliver a fun weekend of hard rocking covers, so don't miss out tonight or tomorrow, and when we get some embeddable preview videos, I'll let you guys know!

Finally for the known advance hard rock shows across the river, Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned will play their next local concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Runway Bar in nearby Hessel, Michigan! Their second show at this venue in just over a month, watch out for the Traynors, Tara, Denny, and Jim to knock it out of the park with their own diverse blend of covers and originals, though remember that their 2011-2012 concerts are proof that they can deliver lots of metal still! Tomorrow's show in Hessel (a half hour northeast of St. Ignace, 50 minutes south of the Soo) will have a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. For more details, visit Banned's Facebook page! Banned continue to be one of the most entertainingly prolific bands on weekends in the E.U.P., so keep tomorrow's Runway Bar stop in mind, and for a preview, here's Banned's current lineup covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" earlier this year!



That's all for today, but barring late notice show announcements, we'll likely touch on some non-preview news tomorrow, with Hempfest and BFGs previews coming on Saturday! Stay tuned!

Most Of This Weekend's Sault Ontario Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

With metal and hard rock shows coming in the area daily from tomorrow through Monday, plus Pop Evil on Wednesday, there's very few breaks in the upcoming week's concert schedule and beyond, so let's commence with some upcoming concert previews in Sault Ontario for tomorrow and Saturday night! We have much more to come, but read on below for what you need to know on the first three heavier shows of the weekend on this side of the border, including the latest on the Swampstravaganza!

We'll start with one nighters in Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT, including the return of local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 to the stage at The Rockstar Bar! After a summer break of sorts since their Nicolet Tavern show in May, the band featuring Turner Up, Gully Yodelers, and Route 69 alumni should have a solid night of 1990s-leaning alternative hard rock covers in store for fans at The Rockstar Bar, and it will be good to see these talented veterans back on stage after a longer-than-usual break! A $5-ish cover is likely, you must be 19 or older to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a welcome return for Lucky 13, and they definitely have the talent and experience to deliver a solid night of covers, so keep this show in mind for tomorrow, and for a preview, here's Lucky 13 covering The Stone Temple Pilots last year!

Also tomorrow night, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill once again for a solo acoustic concert! His second show of his "every Friday in August" arrangement at this Trunk Road venue (and fourth Road House show overall in the past five weeks), it's great to see Tym's relationship with The Road House continuing successfully, and if you're up for some unplugged metal and hard rock covers in a more intimate setting, head east to Trunk Road tomorrow night for all of the action there! Admission should be free, this show also has a 10:00 PM start time, and I imagine there's a 19+ age limit in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you miss tomorrow's show, you have three more chances to see Tym this month, but keep tomorrow's acoustic metal covers in mind for your concert schedule, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Mill Square a couple of months ago!



Finally for this preview post, we'll head to The Oddfellows Hall this Saturday for the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza, the 10 band ALL AGES show promoted by local cello/punk standouts RedD Monkey! After two successful installments in April 2011 & July 2012, it's back for a third go-around on Saturday, which will also feature art exhibitions from local artists Charlie Metheany and Katie Huckson, but on the music side, 10 more acts will grace the Oddfellows Hall stage, and only 8 musicians have played in past years, so things will be very different! The lineup is definitely heavier than last year's event, with the first ever inclusion of out of town bands also, so let's explore the lineup in order from top to bottom! Montreal thrash metal trio Warsenal will make their local debut as headliners at 11:00 PM, with the aforementioned RedD Monkey bumped to co-headlining status for the first time at 10:00 PM for their first local date in 8 months. Fellow Swampstravaganza returnees The Bear Hunters will precede them at 9:00 PM, in what will be their first show following rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney's departure (though no word as of yet on if they have a replacement guitarist or will be playing as a quartet.) They have teased possibly debuting a new song on Saturday though, so keep that in mind!

Two Oddfellows Hall debuts will precede them at 8:00 & 7:00 PM courtesy of local grunge/alternative rockers Haggith and punk trio The Northern Tragedy, while late additions Goatface Killa (a grindcore band from Toronto) have replaced Giwakwa in the 6:00 PM slot, likely due to their recent member departures. "Blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage will make their own Oddfellows Hall debut(?) at 5:00 PM, with local solo artist James "Delusionair Lionhair" Watterworth replacing the departed Winkstinger in the 4:00 PM slot. Rising young death metal quartet Crimson Crusade will be on at 3:00 PM, and local folk solo artist Guy Smith (replacing Ashes To Dust) will open the Swampstravaganza at 2:00 PM. Note that Goatface Killa's own Facebook post about the show implied that Shit Liver would be playing, but this hasn't been confirmed elsewhere, so it's likely erroneous. Also note that The Bear Hunters have been looking to trade their timeslot with The Northern Tragedy, but this hasn't been finalized at present. Admission is just $5 (50 cents a band) for this ALL AGES show, so check the above links and the official Facebook event page for more details!

A nicely diverse (though suitably heavy) lineup of bands is in store for this year's Swampstravaganza, and though some bands were disappointing exits, the current talent, return of RedD Monkey, and out of town acts should entertain in this marathon show, so don't miss out on Saturday night! For a preview, here's headliners Warsenal thrashing up the stage last year during their song "Hit 'N Run"!



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

Swampstravaganza Lineup Additions, New Song Postings, And More!!

Keeping the news coming on this Wednesday afternoon, we have some assorted recent updates to touch on, mostly from Sault Ontario, so what have we got? New song uploads (both in an album format) from two very different bands, lineup additions for a large upcoming metal show, and much more, so read on below for what you need to know!

Replacement bands for THIS SATURDAY'S Sewer Swampstravaganza III have been announced to fill the spots vacated by Giwakwa and Winkstinger, so before we preview the full show in the next few days, let's give those some proper attention! Giwakwa's old 6:00 PM slot will surprisingly go to another out of town band (joining headliners Warsenal), as their replacements will be Toronto grindcore trio Goatface Killa, who will bring a noisy extreme sound to the table that grindcore and hardcore punk fans should take to, and this seems ripe for moshpits as well! Note that the band's Facebook page implies that locals Shit Liver are playing, but unless there's another lineup change that hasn't been announced, this is likely false (they didn't even play in the last two Swampstravaganzas.) Winkstinger's replacement at 4:00 PM is local solo musician James Watterworth in his second Oddfellows Hall appearance in under three weeks, and his considerable bass skills and easy going nature should be a solid addition to the afternoon lineup, so don't miss him!

Note also that the Facebook event page lists James under his alias Delusionair Lionhair, which he's namedropped when playing songs from that project live, though I didn't know he and Delusionair were one & the same in previous reviews of his shows. The rest of the lineup is unchanged for bands & performance order, so stay tuned for our extended preview of the third Swampstravaganza very soon!

Next up, we have some new YouTube song uploads, starting with the second "album" from local hard rock/jam trio Mike Haggith & The Din! Entitled "Chaotic Symphony", this was uploaded as a YouTube playlist of 13 songs on Thursday, and it was apparently recorded at Paperclip Productions one week ago as part of a private concert for a small audience. The included songs are called "Luigi", "Journey" (#1 & #2), "Trip To Spain", "Luigi (Another One)", "The Dog", "Flow", "Journey #3", "I Am", "The Ballad of K2/K3", "Climbing The Vine", "Journey #4", and "Analog Palace", so click each link to check them out! If there's a paid release planned for "Chaotic Symphony", I haven't heard of it, but if you like Mike & The Din's previous solo work and live appearances, this should be appealing for it's looser take on Mike's solo sound, with some solid adaptations present! I'll have to hear more before I really judge, but the recording quality's good, check out the first song "Luigi" below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's next local music work!



Also in new song postings, local goregrind band Tomgrindy (featuring Crucify The Whore's Ringsnaps Gibson) has their "full album" uploaded to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Sunday via two videos (links here & here), so if you're up for some goregrind originals, this is a prolific source! If you've heard Tomgrindy's past material uploads, it's more of the same, but there is a fuller sound compared to Ringsnaps' other projects that isn't as reliant on pig squeal vocals, and there is some promising lead guitar work to be found as well! Acquired taste still, but there is growth present, so check out the first half of Tomgrindy's "album" below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:

• Local bar/concert venue The New American Pub (who have recently begun booking heavier bands following renovations) are now fully linked in our active Sault Ontario venues on your left, as they launched their official Facebook page earlier this year! Not a whole lot to say on them for concert news that would fit here, but follow along just in case!
• According to Rock 101's radio ad for the show, the Pop Evil/Team Jessica benefit concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next week will feature local indie band The London Gentlemen and local pop duo Missy & Chelsea as openers. However, that this isn't cited online that I've seen, and The London Gentlemen haven't played live since May, with members Steve Sivret & Jake LaLonde (ex-Nixxon Dixxon) both moving out of state. If I hear anything local opener clarification, I'll let you guys know (and buy tickets A.S.A.P. for just $20!)
• In a bit of clarification from our Rotaryfest coverage, local hard rock quintet Sailor's Tongue's demo "Pierced" (that was sold near the Second Stage the day they played) was actually intended to just be a preview sampler for Rotaryfest attendees, and is NOT the final product of their recent recording sessions. As a result, I'll hold off on a Sailor's Tongue CD review until their formal album comes out (assuming all goes according to plan), and thanks to drummer Dean McKey for the information!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!