Local Punk Video Showcase (Part 5)

It's been far too long since our last one of these, so let's finally get a new local punk video showcase up on the site, our fifth in total! Like before, this will take a look at four punk videos from local artists and concerts, and though we're sticking with similar bands from past installments to balance things out, there's some very solid videos to share today! Including live concert footage, studio material, and a jam session clip, read on below for this newest showcase!

We'll start with a trio of videos from veteran local punk musician Mikey Hawdon's YouTube channel, specifically of his very successful punk quartet The Inner City Surfers! Though two of them (both uploaded in August 2006) are credited to this band, they're just of Mikey jokingly singing along with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air's theme song and Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al", and they're a fun light view from this channel's early days! Featured below though is (surprisingly) the only Surfers concert video that I could find on Mikey's channel, which comes from their last headlining gig at Foggy Notions (now Coch's Corner) on March 15th, 2008. The show was notable as one of the last concerts held at Foggy's during it's original run (then-owner Patrick Casey closed shop at month's end), and though the venue returned the next year under it's first of three new owners, the Surfers never returned for a show there to my knowledge.

The video itself is of The Inner City Surfers playing their song "Never Ender Bender" as filmed on a tape camcorder from a high side-stage angle, and though the video quality isn't fantastic, it does capture a great crowd and a nice energetic rendition of one of their classic originals! The Surfers were a frequent band at Foggy's on both Bay & Queen Street through 2008, and though I was 2 months away from legal drinking age when the original era ended, you can feel the energy of the old run even here, and I bet fans miss those days! Give this video a look below!



Next for this all-video post, we'll take a look at Mikey and Surfers bandmate Dustin Jones' current band, the Celtic punk favourites Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide! Uploaded by YouTube user KelFable on November 3rd, 2011, these are presumably from the Maritimes leg of their tour dates that fall (if these were uploaded shortly after the show), though I can't verify the exact location. Her videos are mostly of covers, including The Tide putting their own spin on The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" & House of Pain's "Jump Around", plus a snippet of their own self-titled original "Rising Tide", though all of these videos are incomplete (the latter running at just 23 seconds.) Embedded below though is Kel's longest video, a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me", and while these covers are all against type for their genres, they're well done and effectively converted to their existing sound without much issue!

Aside from being mostly incomplete, these videos suffer most visually, as the lighting is poor and honestly makes it hard to make out the guys at points, but it's definitely Dustin and The Tide. The audio's solid though, so give these D.J.R.T. videos a look above and below, and remember not to miss their local return next month!



Third for this video showcase is a jam session clip from YouTube user Jamie Penno's channel, and this will be of particular note for fans of the defunct local punk band Bankshot, as it features that band's guitarists Christian Pasiak & Lucas Schmiedendorf! Uploaded in January 2007 and apparently filmed in a church, this features the guys jamming an acoustic punk song that appears to be an original song about a girlfriend always on one's mind, but I can't place the name or original band. The lighting is awful, but the audio quality is good, if you can get past the background talking, so give this solid jam clip from Bankshot's guitarists a look below!



We'll close this post with local/Toronto indie punk favourites Treble Charger, and I knew when we started these punk showcases that we'd have to at least address YouTube copies of their studio albums. I won't ignite any debates about buying music here, but fans should know that all of Treble Charger's albums are easily available online, and pretty much all of their studio albums can be streamed on YouTube, so if you're on the free side of the issue, you're covered! If you actively stream songs there, the best channel for Treble Charger albums is that of Fletcher Holland, who has uploaded four of their five studio albums (1995's "Self Title", 1997's "Maybe It's Me", 2000's "Wide Awake Bored", and 2002's "Detox") there, though their 1994 debut "nc17" isn't featured, and none of the albums there are grouped into playlists. I highly encourage buying these albums to support Treble Charger's work, but give YouTube a whirl if you want a free stream, and here's the first song from "Self Title", that being "Morale"!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

Hey guys, it's now time for the results of last month's poll and the launch of this month's poll on the site, as it is November 18th! In case you need a refresher, last month's poll posed this question: What's your opinion on the large amount of metal, hard rock, and punk shows during the Halloween season each year? We only got 14 votes on this poll, which isn't high, but there is a clear result, so thanks to those who voted, and now, here are the final results for last month's poll!

 I love it, Halloween's a great season! (9 votes, 64%)

I don't pay attention to the time of year for concerts (3 votes, 22%)

It depends on the bands/themes (1 vote, 7%)

I don't like or celebrate Halloween (1 vote, 7%)

Can't they line up with a paid holiday, like Thanksgiving? (0 votes)

I prefer other seasonal events to metal/punk concerts (0 votes)

What do you guys think? In ascending order, I'm not too surprised with the choices that got no votes, as our reader base tends to prefer concerts over other Halloween events, and I know most people would rather spend Thanksgiving with family and friends. I did half expect at least one voter to not like Halloween, though I assumed more than one would vote for "It depends on the bands/themes" given everyone's varied preferences. I expected the top two choices to be the top two in this poll, with "I don't pay attention to the time of year for concerts" finishing in second being very reasonable, as some of you just want to hear the bands no matter when they're playing. That said, the runaway winner with 64% of the final total was "I love it, Halloween's a great season!", and given the turnout, enthusiasm, and participation of fans at concerts I attended over the end of October, it's easy to see that this time of year lends itself well to concerts and related Halloween fun! Thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, I wanted to address a recent trend in local concerts (all ages concerts in particular), that being the longer marathon sort of show featuring a large number of bands sharing the bill on the same day (for our purposes, 6 or more.) Possibly best exemplified by most of Heavy North Entertainment's recent shows at The Oddfellows Hall, such shows feature a number of varied acts that often start in the afternoon or at supper time, run all day like a normal show, and often see a fluctuating crowd size as people come and go based on their own schedules. You'll see more examples of large shows like this from other promoters too, like certain battles of the bands, Friday's Sault Band-O-Rama (with 12 acts), the 10 band Toystock on November 29th, and in the past, events like the Sewer Swampstravaganza, benefit shows like Rock For Dimes, Lemmafest in Sault Michigan, and summer concert festivals with live bands such as Rotaryfest, among others. Such shows offer lots of choice and options for the music fan, and a lot of bang for your buck, but do most of you guys like them, or do you have other ideas?

With that said, I'm posing this question to you guys: When it comes to local metal, hard rock, and concerts with a large number of bands (i.e. 6 or more), how likely are you to attend? Note that I'm not throwing these shows under the bus, I like the long marathon shows, I have since my teenage years, and they're great for efficiently covering many bands at once on the site. However, I know they can be a grind and not conducive to some fans' schedules, so I wanted to see what readers tended to think about them. I picked 7 choices for the poll that will hopefully cover fans' opinions on such concerts, so read on below for info on each!

Count me in, the more the merrier!: If you love long concerts with a high number of bands, you'll want to vote for this choice, as I can tell at 6+ band shows that there are a core group of fans that are there from bell to bell, enjoy most of the bands, and are in it for the long haul. Maybe you hate when concerts only book a handful of bands, and you wish they were far longer? If you prefer your concerts to be in the 10 band range, vote here!

It depends on the lineup: No concert is equal, and while having 8 or so bands implies a lot of choice for the fans out there, maybe few to none of the bands are your thing for certain ones? Toystock attendees who seek veteran cover bands won't necessarily have liked the Archelon concert at The Oddfellows Hall last month, and vice versa. Maybe you just want variety from similar preceding events to spur your attendance? Vote for this choice if you agree!

It depends on the ticket/door charges: Depending on the cause, promoter, venue, or scheduled bands, admission prices for a lengthy concert will vary, with some featuring formal tickets and raised door prices, others with a flat door charge, entry by donation, or even free entry in some cases. Money is tight, and maybe you don't have the cash for some of these shows, or will only attend if you have money to spare. This is your choice if you judge based on the cost of the event!

It depends on the event's theme or purpose: A large concert event of 6+ bands in this area generally has a reason for it's size, including charitable causes (Rock For Dimes), a benefit (the Ypres Metal Fest), seasonal timing (H.N.E.'s Devil's Night shows), all day entertainment for a festival (Rotaryfest), or established tradition from past installments (the Swampstravaganza), but as we've seen with shows like the Archspire concert, there doesn't have to be a true "reason" for a large show. Does your attendance depend on why the event is booked?

I can't be there all day, so I'd only go see some bands: Let's face it, most of you guys either work, go to school, have children, or some combination therein. Maybe you want to support the bands and promoters, but just can't swing being there from start to finish just based on your personal schedule.  Maybe you don't want to be at a show through supper time, or dare I add, maybe some of you would only go out to a show with 6 or more bands just to see bands that your friends are in? If you're in a situation where you can only realistically be at a large concert like this for only a part, vote here!

It's overkill, why not have many smaller shows?: I know that there are fans out there who find that seeing 10 or so bands at the same concert on the same day can be too much for their schedule and energy, but some have suggested to me in conversation that promoters of some of these events should break them up. Rather than promote one all day show with 8 bands, hold two 4 band shows with cheaper admission prices, then you can get more people who can actually go to see the whole thing in one or both cases. That does bring up the issue of doubling booking costs or working with two days worth of schedules, but is this the opinion you share?

I don't go to concerts based on the amount of bands: Do you go for concerts for quality, not quantity? Do you focus on the headlining and main local bands over the amount of performers?  Do you just love the concert experience and have no thought in mind at all for their length? If you go see concerts because of anything but the number of acts on the bill, here's your choice!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until December 18th to cast your votes in this month's poll, and be sure to do so at the red voting field on the right of the main page A.S.A.P.! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and previews this week! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Hard Rock Band, Sault Band-O-Rama Updates, And Much More!!

Today's post relates to bands and projects with clear ties to a few local artists in particular, but that's just how things came together on this snowy Monday, and it all fits together nicely! Along with some assorted recent notes, we have a recent concert video, lineup changes for an upcoming concert event, and first, here's the newest addition to our Sault Ontario band links!

It's about time that we rolled them in, so we're officially welcoming Mourning Wood to our full coverage at the SMS! We had previously been referencing them as country/rock, but given their setlist at Rock For Dimes (which included Metallica, AC/DC, and Billy Idol songs), that's a good sampling and indicator of how their longer shows would go. Debuting in August at The Rednecks Saloon, their lineup features Asylum Country guitarist Terry Eaton & drummer T.J. Case (both veterans of older metal bands) alongside T.J.'s Urawk bandmate Steven Flint (also of Beaumont Avenue & Haggith), and while Terry sings most lead vocals, Steven & T.J. take turns for certain songs also. Mourning Wood have been playing fairly frequently since debuting, splitting their solo gigs at The Rednecks Saloon, The New American Pub, and (in the first shows we've heard that fit on the site) Reggie's West, a.k.a. the former Roosevelt Hotel. The band is next scheduled to take part in this year's Toystock at The Canadian on November 29th.

Also, note that T.J. has had conflicts where Mourning Wood and his other hard rock band Havadder have played on the same weekends, but we've tended to see him play with Mourning Wood in these cases. Mourning Wood have a solid sound that has a lot of quality hard rock action and reliable covers, and while the guys could be livelier on stage, fans who see them live won't have a lot to worry about! Don't miss them at Toystock, and stay tuned for updates on their next headlining shows!

Next up, here's a new video from the aforementioned Rock For Dimes at The Delta Waterfront Hotel, and it's of fellow local classic/hard rock cover band The Thrill Junkies' set! Filmed by bassist Justin Langlois' father Michel and uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday, this is of their opening cover of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", as preceded by MC Lou Turco's introduction and some pre-set tuning and preparation. The video is of nice quality and shot close to the stage's right, and it captures this solidly done rendition well! Give it a look below, and we'll let you know if Michel has any Redundant footage!

Also today, here's some updates concerning the lineup of the Sault Band-O-Rama all day concert event at The Primavera Hall on Friday (as promoted by 2/3rds of Mourning Wood), including two band changes. One reflects the re-addition of local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements to the lineup as the opening band at 3:00 PM, as they've pulled out of the show again for unannounced reasons, as per co-promoter Terry Eaton on the Facebook event page on Saturday. Disappointing, but we'll be sure to see them again soon! The show will open at 4:00 PM again now, but with a new band kicking things off, as local experimental metal trio The Strange Coyotes will now open the show in their first non-house party gig since reuniting! As per co-promoter Steven Flint yesterday, they're replacing local doom/punk band The Revolution due to the recent departure of bassist Rainey Vincent (despite a guarantee that they'd play this show with or without a replacement), but hopefully things get sorted out, and the Coyotes should set the tone well on Friday!

There's still 12 varied local acts to take in on Friday (including the mystery project Infamous), and remember that this ALL AGES show has just a $5 admission, so keep it in mind for this Friday! Stay tuned for updates and our preview of it later this week!

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

• We've moved local hard rock quartet Punch to our inactive band links. While the guys posted on their Facebook page as recently as July, the band (who replaced Haggith during their brief breakup) have slim future prospects given that most of their members are now playing with the reunited Haggith, who have also taken on Punch's originals as their own tracks, even including the song named "Punch". Follow Haggith to keep tabs on where Punch would have went, and best of luck to Curtis, Daniel, Steven, and Ben!
• Following up on their mention of it at Rock For Dimes on Friday, Redundant frontman Justin Langlois has posted on numerous Facebook pages (including the Musicians Wanted group) this weekend to confirm that the local punk trio is working on finishing their long hinted debut album, and a CD release party for it is in the works. To that effect, the band is looking for at least one local opening band, so if you're interested in opening, or have a suggestion, message Justin at this link or above, and stay tuned for more on their CD plans!
• Don't cry for the end of Urawk (Beaumont Avenue & T.J. Case's live band karaoke series) just yet, as the grand finale at The Rednecks Saloon was just for their run there. A cover photo on the new Urawk Facebook page reveals that the series is moving from the former Nicolet Tavern to The Rockstar Bar in the coming weeks, though a reason for the move in venue hasn't been announced. Keep tabs on Urawk if you want to sing karaoke with a live band when they return!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and this month's new poll TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Rock For Dimes 2014 Concert Review!!

Hey guys, before we get to our review of Friday night's Rock For Dimes, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert on the site, as local alternative rock cover quartet Lucky 13 played at The Rockstar Bar last night, but the band never plugged it online, and the venue only did on their Facebook group an hour before showtime. We mentioned it on our Facebook page last night to at least address it for fans, but I sincerely apologize for not getting it on the site, and we'd have plugged it in our weekend previews had we heard about it! For what it's worth, the gig wasn't a replacement for the cancelled Whiskey Shits show, as that was going to be downstairs.

Now, to the concert review, as Friday night saw the second annual local installment of Rock For Dimes, the March of Dimes fundraising concert event, which took place at The Delta Waterfront Hotel rather than The Grand Gardens for the first time. I haven't been to this building for a concert since it was the Holiday Inn, back in the last years of the Bon Soo Battle of the Bands, but over the years and since the new owners moved in, things looked very different. The show itself took place at the hotel's Algoma East Ballroom, and in terms of non-musical aspects, there was a 50/50 draw, a door prize draw, a live auction for a guitar from Case's Music, and a number of silent auction prizes. The ballroom was nicely laid out with professional staging, an ongoing slideshow of bands and sponsors, a pleasant ambiance, and pizza, nachos, and drinks on hand for attendees to partake in, which was all a nice touch! Ward 4 councillor and local radio personality Lou Turco was on hand to MC the event, and while he was friendly and seemed happy to be there, you could tell that the bands generally weren't his thing.

The opening band was supposed to be The Damon King Band (the last remaining holdover from the cancelled youth battle of the bands), but they dropped out of the show for unannounced reasons on Thursday. Hopefully all's well with the guys, but it is a shame that every aspect of the youth battle completely eroded away. In their place, local alternative/hard rock quartet Late Shift (accidentally announced as "Last Shift") filled in on short notice, and it was nice to see them jump in, especially with how good their set was! Covering everyone from Led Zeppelin to The Offspring during their 6 song set (including an original song that I think was called "Freight"), the guys showed some good chemistry and talent, with John Barber's impressive vocals shining brightly, and Clint Wilson providing some dependably good bass! Though their shows are sporadic (and they lack an online page), Late Shift impressed, and don't miss them at Coch's Corner this weekend!

Also, as an aside, John was excellent in interacting with some of the younger kids in attendance during and after their set, he was a natural! Yes, this was an all ages event, remember that the battle of the bands would have featured high school-aged acts.

Though The Elements were advertised as the next band, they traded places with local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith on the lineup for unannounced reasons, but Haggith had a surprise in store, as they've apparently added Beaumont Avenue guitarist Steven Flint (also of Mourning Wood) to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing James White. While a reason hasn't been stated, James told me it was related to his personal schedule, and I'll leave it at that unless the band elaborates. It's not clear yet whether Steven is officially in Haggith now or just filling in, but given that he played with Curtis & Daniel in the similar & dormant band Punch, he fits in just fine! In fact, half of Haggith's six song set was comprised of songs that Punch played live (i.e. "Metal Cage"), which was nice and convenient! The bassist change aside, the guys were tight and energetic, and put in a solid effort as usual, so fans had nothing to worry about!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements were on next after the band trade, and though their set shared surface similarities with Late Shift's (both bands covered Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Led Zeppelin), they upped the funk rock quota with an entertaining set of their own! If there was any lingering feelings from bassist James White's exit from Haggith, it didn't show in his solid output, while Jesse Cook was predictably very good on guitar, and Rob Speers jumped genres well and made the most of his range! It was nice to see The Elements again, but compared to their surrounding bands, why'd they only play 4 songs? They could have slotted one or two more in, but beggars can't be choosers, and their set was still entertaining and delivered the goods for fans! Keep an eye out for The Elements at more upcoming shows in the coming months!

Newer local cover rock band Mourning Wood came on next, and they're one of three that I'd never seen live before, so how'd they do? Their 5 song set featured covers of Joe Walsh, Billy Idol, AC/DC, Metallica, and Black Crowes songs, with guitarist Terry Eaton generally singing lead on them, aside from bassist Steven Flint handling "Rebel Yell" and drummer T.J. Case singing "Highway To Hell", though across the board, the guys sang each track well! Honestly, Mourning Wood were heavier than I thought they'd be, and while there wasn't a lot of visible energy and movement, these are three very talented musicians who know a number of genres, and it showed well! Terry handled singing and guitar work very well, and while some songs sounded a bit empty without a second guitar, they have a good thing going so far! Stay tuned for more on Mourning Wood on the site this week!

Fifth on Friday was the local progressive/jazz rock quartet Mannapool, who were somewhat of an unknown commodity to many despite being together since 2012. They left a good impression though with a skilled sound that I don't think many people were expecting to see at Rock For Dimes! Playing four originals (I think), the songs went from slower and darker to more upbeat and lively, but all had a technical progressive vibe with good talent all around and solid effect usage. Locally, I'd compare them to Machines Dream, but is it wrong to say that they reminded me of a mix of The Black Keys and Anathema? Though I wasn't familiar with any of the members before hearing of their Toystock involvement, they all showed clear talent, with Josh Ingram's melodic vocals flowing very well, and bassist Michael Dempster kept up solid energy with his playing! Though not a "heavy" band, Mannapool were impressive, and I hope to see them again at Toystock!

Co-headlining this year's Rock For Dimes was local classic/hard rock cover quintet The Thrill Junkies, making their first live concert appearance since January, so 5 songs or not, this was a long time coming! The Turner Up successors covered Lit, The Foo Fighters, and Radiohead before tackling two Weezer songs, and while there was some minor stage rust, these local veterans were in their element, and it showed well! Travis Sharpe's versatile singing was on full display (nice to see him fronting a band again), and both Robert Brown and Jason Nisbet showed their guitar talents throughout their set! This was also the band's first show since Redundant's Rick White replaced Scott McLurg on drums, and he fit in pretty good with The Thrill Junkies, though we'll get more of a sense of the new lineup when they're back playing at bars. Solid comeback for The Thrill Junkies, and don't miss them at Sault Band-O-Rama!

Headlining in their second straight Rock For Dimes set was local punk trio Redundant, who capped the night with a 7 song set of covers and originals that definitely kept the remaining fans going! Encouraging everyone to join them on the floor (the only band to do that), their set featured cameo appearances by two of frontman Justin Langlois' sons, who ran around, talked into extra mics, and added a cute family element to their set! Redundant covered songs from the likes of Rise Against, Operation Ivy, and Weezer with the ease that you'd expect from them, and aside from a brief stoppage to announce silent auction winners, they had good momentum and definitely seemed to be having fun! It should also be noted that bassist James White indicated on stage that their debut album is planned to come out by February, which is the first I've heard of them making one in many months, so we'll have to see if that comes to fruition. If you left early, you missed a solid punk set, but you'll see Redundant again soon!

Though a "jam session" was teased to close the event after Redundant wrapped up, it didn't take place for unannounced reasons. Even without that, I'd call this year's Rock For Dimes a success based on what did occur on Friday, and it was nice to see a variety of local bands join forces to help support The March of Dimes and the United Way! It's just a shame that the youth battle of the bands didn't take place, but if they try it again next year, hopefully they advertise and promote it more locally (or maybe open invitations to adult bands?) SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand too for coverage of the event, so we definitely await her quality photos and more! Of course, we got lots of photos of each band that you can check out at this link or at our Facebook page, though I apologize for the quality on most, as I didn't want to impose on other fans by getting on the floor to get closer when no one else was.

As for our videos, here's Late Shift covering Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and Sublime's "STP", Haggith playing their song (formerly a Punch original) "Road Rash", The Elements covering The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Hump De Bump", Mourning Wood covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", Mannapool playing an original song whose title wasn't announced (let us know if you know it), The Thrill Junkies covering The Foo Fighters' "My Hero", and Redundant covering Green Day's "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?"!

Late Shift & Haggith

The Elements & Mourning Wood

Mannapool & The Thrill Junkies

Redundant - Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Detroit), New Videos, And Much More!!

Before we get our review of last night's Rock For Dimes rolling, here's a new news post featuring some assorted recent notes, new videos from two Blood Shed Productions-affiliated acts, and leading off, a cool LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the holidays!

Late 2000s local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit will headline a one-off reunion concert at The Algonquin Pub on Tuesday, December 23rd! To be their first local concert appearance in almost five years, the band featuring Destroilet co-singer Brenton Ellis, Cola Heads guitarist Curtis Faux, Cross Dog bassist Mark Rand, and Rising Tide drummer Mikey Hawdon will let the hammers fly one more time over the Christmas season, and if you've missed the guys since their 2010 breakup, their fast paced and short-lengthed originals should be welcomed back to the stage next month! Support bands will include the aforementioned Destroilet (who opened for Detroit at their last local show in December 2009) in what will finally be their first live appearance with Brent joining Mike Hull on lead vocals, so look out for their new six-pack lineup then! The bill is rounded out by local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back and local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, both of which are solid additions, so don't miss them either!

Promoted by Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy, admission will be $5 for this 19+ concert, which has an early listed start time of 8:00 PM, but that may prove to be incorrect. For more details, visit the Facebook event page! This is a neat surprise for what should be a stacked Christmas concert schedule in the Sault area, and while I'd have predicted that a Lion Ride reunion show would happen first, Detroit's hardcore punk fury will do the trick over the holidays! On December 23rd, brace for impact!

Next up, here's the latest from the recently reunited Strange Coyotes, as the experimental metal trio have now launched a new Facebook page (their first one was deleted during their breakup) and a new YouTube channel! As of yet, their Facebook page mostly has links to photos, videos, and songs of theirs with no confirmed upcoming shows yet, including a bunch of postings on their YouTube channel featuring songs played at past gigs, as filmed by myself and Heavy North Entertainment owner Tyler St. Amour and originally seen on his Facebook or SMS pages. Most of these have been seen on the SMS already, but two haven't, as Tyler shot The Strange Coyotes for two videos at the oft-moved house party show last week! Originally uploaded as personal videos on Facebook, they're now publically available on YouTube, and they include covers of The Residents' "Hello Skinny" & "Constantinople" and this unique jam clip!

A saxophone jam with bassist James Watterworth channelling his jazz side, it's a good video for audio quality, but it varies visually from a good angle of the band to a lot of expected crowd interactions getting in the way. For the record, this show (which finally settled on being hosted on Pentagon Boulevard) ended up featuring the full Strange Coyotes lineup plus Rotopsy, Crucify The Whore, and in place of Brutaly Fatal, rapper Phat Boii and a surprise reunion by Bring The Fallen's Dan Souliere & Travis St. Amour, which must have been a treat! Unless more videos turn up publically, give The Strange Coyotes' clips a look above and below!



Also today, new local noisegrind duo Das Skalpell Kampf, have another original demo track online to check out, courtesy of label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Thursday! It's similar in length and style to their earlier Bandcamp song "Never The Same", but lacks in production quality, so we have yet to get a full clear sense of their sound. Check it out below though, and stay tuned for more from the former Scalpel Fight!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• I apologize for this being late, but after a lineup adjustment, local funk rock quartet The Elements have been re-added to the Sault Band-O-Rama lineup at The Primavera Hall on Friday, as they'll now open the show at the new start time of 3:00 PM to accommodate bassist James White's work schedule, making the event 13 acts strong! Very nice to see, so don't miss their opening set on Friday!
• Former Frightlight drummer Jeff De Rose is looking to join a rock, metal, or punk band on rhythm guitar, as per a Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting on Monday. We haven't heard much from him since Fist Fighting Stephen Hawking disbanded, and it'd be nice to see him back in a new band, so message him at this link or above if you're interested!
• Local hard rockers Skeyes of Seven are featured in a number of new jam session photos by Vancouver photographer Melanie Jones on her Facebook page, which confirm that guitarist Alain Fletcher has moved to bass in place of the departed Mike Mannarino, which would make the band a quartet. This could be temporary, but Al's got a solid bass in the shots, so we'll have to see where this leads! Check out the great photos above!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Rock For Dimes review next on the site! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Band, The Exiled Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we head to The Delta TONIGHT for the Rock For Dimes charity concert, here's a new news post for this Friday morning, and it includes a new concert video, assorted updates, and the last of this weekend's concert previews, but first, here's a new local band to check out!

We have a new local metal band to add to our links, and they are Das Skalpell Kampf, a new noise/grind duo that's already signed on with Blood Shed Productions! Originally named Scalpel Fight before discovering that the name was already in use (and taking on a Das Bunkerfest/German inspired alteration of the name instead), the band joins the growing ranks of two-man acts in Sault Ontario, and is the newest project from AlgomA guitarist Boyd Rendell, though like his "Darby Wigwaas" stage name there, both members of Das Skalpell Kampf take on stage names. Specifically, the singer/drummer is "Fonzy Grozny" and the guitarist is "Chachi Grozny", with the first names playing off of characters from the sitcom Happy Days. I'm not 100% sure on which one Boyd is, but for what it's worth, Fonzy's vocals on their first demo track don't match Boyd's high screams from AlgomA and BeeFMoutH. A live debut date hasn't been announced, but where can you hear D.S.K.?

The band was already announced as contributing to Blood Shed Productions' upcoming 11 way split demo (details here), but you can hear Das Skalpell Kampf's first song "Never The Same" at their new Bandcamp page, and while the recording quality isn't great, it fits the Blood Shed mold for minimalistic grindcore, and we'll have to see where things go for this new band! Stay tuned for updates, and like them on Facebook to stay in the loop!

Next up, here's our last of this weekend's concert previews (barring any late notice announcements), as Rudyard, Michigan hard rock quintet Exiled will rock out at Dan's Place in their hometown TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I will note that Exiled haven't plugged these shows in the past month, but unless there's something explicit stated about these shows' status, we'll count them as still on. Last seen at the Highland Clan Motorcycle Club last weekend, these will be Exiled's first shows at Dan's Place since the summer, and if you've enjoyed their modern and classic hard rock covers since their debut (or just want some regional live rock), come out to see Exiled in Rudyard this weekend! 9:00 PM start times are in effect for both nights, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, click here & here, don't miss Exiled TONIGHT OR TOMORROW, and we'll let you know when sharable videos turn up!

Also today, here's a unique (if short) new video from local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith, more specifically, a drummer's-eye-view clip from their Devil's Night set at The Oddfellows Hall last month! It was shot during Curtis McKenzie's crowd warm-up before "Public Enemy", with camera work by drummer Mike Haggith, but it doesn't capture the full song, with Mike only manning the camera until he got ready to actually play the song. This video would have had more impact if the crowd was bigger, but give it a look below, and don't miss Haggith at Rock For Dimes at The Delta TONIGHT!



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

• As you may remember, local doom/punk trio The Revolution teased on their Facebook page earlier this month that they'd be opening at AlgomA's CD release party for their new album "Reclaimed By The Forest" TONIGHT at The Moose Lodge, but there has been no follow-up on that from AlgomA since. As it looks now, that appears to have been either a premature announcement, incorrectly dated, or very private, but if we hear anything concerning a local release concert from AlgomA, we'll let you know!
• Local all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will end a 2½ month break from the stage when they head to Toronto for their first ever out of town gig as a special non-competing band at this year's Govfest Battle of the Bands at The Velvet Underground this coming Thursday! Big opportunity for sure, hopefully it goes well, and that we see them on a local stage again soon! Click here for more info!
• Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton revealed the cover artwork for his 11th solo album "Slobber" on his Facebook page on Wednesday, which features an oddly pirate themed motif. Looks good, and keep an eye out for the album, which is scheduled to be released on January 15th, and an SMS review of that or "Amazonian" is likely then too!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Delta Waterfront Hotel for Rock For Dimes! Thanks everyone!

More Weekend Concert Previews, Including A Concert Cancellation!!

Hey guys, before we kick off this second weekend concert preview post, we have a big cancellation to announce, as the planned Whiskey Shits concert at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday night has been cancelled, as per promoter J.D. Pearce on his personal Facebook page and the deletion of it's Facebook event page. Reportedly, The Whiskey Shits' van broke down, hence the cancellation, and while J.D. recommended to the venue that local openers The Red & Black and Haggith (replacing Sykotyk Rampage) still play there on Saturday, that is not official as of this writing. If we hear anything, we'll let you guys know, but for now, let's touch on more weekend concert previews for this weekend, so here's what you should know!

With the Whiskey Shits' cancellation, we'll add this weekend's Banned concerts in Michigan's Easter Upper Peninsula to this post (Exiled are coming tomorrow), as the Kinross classic/hard rock trio have a busy weekend lined up, with three shows coming up in three days! First, the Traynors and Wayne will make their first ever stop in Goetzville (an hour southeast of Sault Michigan) when they play a special Thursday night show at The Raber Bay Bar & Restaurant TONIGHT, followed by a more typical weekend set of shows at The Runway Bar in Hessel (a half hour west of Goetzville) TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so if you're in those areas or up for a drive south, don't miss Banned's shows this weekend for some entertaining covers and originals! All three shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges

For more details, check the above links! It's nice to see Banned staying busy, and though I'm unsure of any special occasion to link with the Raber Bay Bar show TONIGHT, hopefully it goes well for this well traveled trio! For a preview of all three shows, here's the guys covering C.C.R.!

Next up, we'll head north to The Rockstar Bar, where Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who will return to Sault Ontario for another headlining night of high voltage rock 'n roll TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen here at this venue in March, Who Made Who are definitely one of the most frequently seen tribute bands in our area, and with their faithful sounding and looking AC/DC experience, fans of theirs shouldn't miss Who Made Who in the Soo! I wonder if they've added AC/DC's new single "Play Ball" to their set? Tickets for tomorrow night will be $10 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk or $14 at the door, everything starts at around 10:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If past Who Made Who shows here are any indication, fans should be in for a great night of AC/DC classics tomorrow night, so join what should be a packed house then, and here's Who Made Who's promo video from last year!



Also scheduled for tomorrow night is the return of local classic/hard rock quartet Griphook to the stage, as they'll be rocking The Rednecks Saloon TOMORROW NIGHT! Believe it or not, this one-nighter will be Griphook's first local concert set since Rotaryfest in July, and their first usual bar concert since rocking the former Nicolet Tavern in April, so if you've missed the guys this year, now's a good chance to see this union of 100 Gran, Hollow, Bigsuit, and Gsis Murphy alumni back on stage! For the record, I don't know why they're not playing tomorrow night, but I haven't heard an announcement regarding a different act that night either. You can take in their varied & often heavy covers at The Rednecks Saloon tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, don't miss Griphook's first show of the fall/winter, and here's the guys covering Bad Company at Rotaryfest!



Lastly for announced hard rock shows in Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT is Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's return to The Harp Bar & Grill for another one-night-only gig! After spending two of the last three weekends (including last week) away from the former Madison's Pub, Tym's ongoing weekly concert arrangement there returns to it's usual weekly schedule tomorrow night as he hosts (and plays at) their weekly jam night tomorrow night, though if you miss his usual double bookings there, he'll be playing next Friday and Saturday! For the better part of 11 months, Tym has been delivering reliably entertaining acoustic hard rock covers to The Harp, and tomorrow night will be no different from this prolific local veteran! There's no announced cover charge tomorrow night, everything starts at around 10:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's Tym live at Mill Square!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Exiled concert previews and more TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!