The Last Post of 2008!

Well guys, 2008 is coming to a close, and it's been another interesting year! There's been a lot of local concerts and band news, and let's recap some of the great events that happened this year!

A number of major out of town bands played in the area this year, like Blue Oyster Cult, Bret Michaels, Chevelle, Danko Jones, Econoline Crush, Helix, Jackyl, Seether, Seven Mary Three, Slaughter, Sons of Butcher, and Three Days Grace!

As well, many other lesser known, but very talented out of town bands like Fuck The Facts, Inflict, Ministry of Zen, One Bullet Resolution, Orange October, Three For Fallacy, Upheaval of an Exorcist, Wolven Ancestry, The Womb, and all the others I've missed mentioning here!

But most importantly of all, we can't forget about the local talent who've put all their time and effort in to succeeding as musicians, and playing shows and recording new material! This year, we've seen and heard great things from tons of bands, like Absolute, As It Stands, Bad Side, Detroit, Dirty Virgin, Fingerbone, Garden of Bedlam, Gates of Winter, Jager, Lion Ride, Nixxon Dixxon, Sense of Truth, Shift, Stillbroke, Woods of Ypres, and so many others who play the music they love in the Sault area!

This year has seen many great concerts, from the big Three Days Grace and Jackyl shows at The Essar Center, to the various hardcore shows at The Oddfellows Hall, and everything in between! There's been fundraisers, battle of the bands, free shows, all ages and 19+ concerts, with bands of every metal type you can think of! Gates of Winter and Woods of Ypres made their triumphant returns to the local concert scene, Garden of Bedlam made their debut, Bell Border Jam made a big splash in it's first year, while events like Rock 2 Roll, Hempfest, and Sick Jams For Sick Kids drew in dedicated crowds as well!

It's been another good year for the local metal scene, I do wish crowds were bigger at more shows, so we could get more metal shows in general, but this has still been a very good year! Here's to another great year for The Sault Metal Scene in 2009, and I hope you all enjoy the last day of 2008!

And just to end the year's last post, a local concert preview for you all! At 9:00 tonight at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino, Michigan hard rockers Bad Side will take the stage for a New Year's Eve concert! I dunno much else about it, but Bad Side are definitely a great band, and if you saw them at this year's Bell Border Jam, or another time at The Rapids Lounge, you'll likely be well aware of that! Hopefully, Bad Side will end 2008 with a bang!

Thanks guys, have a happy new year!

Here's some local concert updates!

Sorry about the lack of updates and posts this weekend, there hasn't been too much to speak of locally. But I do have some updates for some upcoming local concerts, so here's what you need to know!

I haven't really covered this show much here since I started the blog, but on January 9th, there will be a hardcore show headlined by Montreal-based glam/metalcore band Blessed By A Broken Heart! I mention this show in a concert updates post because there's been a lineup change! One of the main support bands, Toronto based hardcore band Abandon All Ships, have dropped off the bill for the Sault show (I'm not sure why), but a more than suitable replacement has been found: Local hardcore rockers As It Stands!

This concert will also feature support from Sudbury-based death metal band Upheaval of an Exorcist, Montreal hardcore band Breaking The Fourth Wall, and local indie/emo band Deter! The show, likely the first of the new year for Sault Ontario, will take place on January 9th at The Oddfellows Hall! Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door! If you're interested in advance tickets, contact Jeremy at 946-3445 or Sean at 206-3515!

And now, an update for a show across the river! As I'd previously reported, on the weekend of January 30-31st, Sault Michigan's own Jager 4.0 will be playing a pair of weekend dates at Dondee Lanes (yes, the bowling alley). Well I just learned of another band to be featured at these shows! Pickford based hard rockers Absolute will also be featured on these two concerts! Absolute are a pretty good band, with some covers ranging from Godsmack and Seether to Neil Young and Ugly Kid Joe! They're very similar to many other bands, but good enough to stand on their own! Check out 4 of their live cover songs at their official Myspace page!

And finally, if I find any photos, videos, or reviews of any type from this weekend's Detroit, Lion Ride, and Nixxon Dixxon concerts, I will let you guys know right here! And if you found or have anything to share, lemme know with a comment or by e-mail at rob_F_owns@hotmail.com!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (And Boxing Day Weekend Concert Previews)

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year! I hope your holidays have been going great! As I was hoping, I did get a new digital camera for Christmas, a black Sony Cybershot, and it's very slick looking, works great, rechargeable battery, and I will have it for pictures and video at the next local show I can make it to!

Now what was I gonna say...oh yeah, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! Michigan based metal band Peril are returning to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for TWELVE more dates in 2009! So keep a look out for Peril on the following weekends: February 27-28, March 13-14, June 5-6, July 31-August 1, September 11-12, and December 4-5! Check out 5 solid original songs by Peril at their official Myspace page!

Now, we shall get to the local concert previews for the four shows this weekend, so here's what you need to know for these concerts!!


The first show this weekend takes place at 9:00 tomorrow night, when Sault Michigan locals Nixxon Dixxon take the stage at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! They will also be playing at 9:00 on Saturday night as well, (The joys of double weekend bookings!) They have no listed dates yet for 2009, so I'll keep an eye out for updates on their next shows. I still don't know prices for admission or general runtime, but Nixxon Dixxon are really talented, and seem to have a pretty good profile already across the river. Check out some of their cover songs (of bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin) over at their official Myspace page!

Next up, tomorrow night at 10:00, Toronto based punk/metal outfit (and Sault natives) Lion Ride take the stage at Coch's Corner (formerly The Cellar Tap) on Bay Street! Direct support will come from local indie band Nebraska Arms! Admission is just 5 bucks at the door! From what I've seen online, they put on a good live show, and their songs are great too! I have yet to actually see them live, and I was hoping to come to this concert, but I caught the cold bug, and I dunno if I'll be up to making it to this one. But if I'm feeling well enough, I'll try and be there, with my new digital camera in tow! If you wanna see what Lion Ride are like before judging whether you'll go, here's a video featuring their original song "Cocaine Crazy"!


And finally, there will be some metal at a punk show on Saturday night! Toronto based thrash band Detroit will take the stage as direct support for the return of local punk stars Bin Hawdon and The Taliband! This show will also be only $5, and it all starts at 6:30 PM at The Oddfellows Hall! The other support acts include (once again) Nebraska Arms, Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band Free Beer, and local punk rockers Talk Shit! I had been planning to go to this concert too, but again, I can't predict how long my cold will last, so I won't commit to anything. But once again, if I feel well enough, I'll try my damndest to be there! Check out some originals from Detroit at their official Myspace page as well!

So, there you go everyone, local concert previews for this weekend and 12 new local shows to write down on your calendars! Hopefully we're all up to date for the year now! So, I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas, and if I don't have much to say before then, a Happy New Year too! And keep the metal blasting through 2009 and beyond!

Minor pre-Christmas updates!

Well, I'm back from Detroit! Fun weekend, I bought Metal: The Defintive Guide (fantastic read, you guys should check it out), as well as Metallica and Iron Maiden DVDs, among other crap. But, now I'm back in Sault Ste. Marie, and here's some updates for everyone!

Donna Hopper posted a review and photo album from Sick Jams For Sick Kids on SooToday, which you can check out at this location! Over $1,500 was raised for the Sick Kids Hospital, which is fucking awesome, and it was nice to see everyone at the show!

I'll update this when I hear more local metal news, though I dunno if anything too amazing will pop up prior to Christmas. If not, then keep an eye out for the local shows this weekend! Nixxon Dixxon play two nights at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino, Lion Ride hit Coch's Corner on Boxing Day, and Toronto thrash band Detroit hit The Oddfellows Hall at the Bin Hawdon & The Taliband show on Saturday!

And above all, if there's no other metal news this week to talk about, have a Metal Christmas!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (and one preview)

Hey guys, I have two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for everyone! I'm kinda late getting to both these concerts, but better late than never!

First off, on Boxing Day (a.k.a. December 26th), Lion Ride make their return to the Sault area for a show at Coch's Corner! Tickets will be just $5, and everything starts at 10:00 with an opening set by Nebraska Arms! I'm hopeful that I can hit this show, it depends what kind of Christmas family stuff I might be stuck with! But if I'm free, I'll be there!

Then, the very next day, there's a punk show at The Oddfellows Hall! Why do I mention a punk show on a metal page? Cause there's a metal band on the bill! Toronto based thrash/punk band Detroit will be directly supporting local punk cover legends Bin Hawdon and The Taliband! This concert will also feature fellow local bands Nebraska Arms, Talk Shit, and Free Beer! Tickets for this concert are also $5, and the doors open at 6:00! I'm getting bugged by a number of friends to go to this concert as well, so don't be suprised if I pop up!

So there's your concert updates! Adding to the two Nixxon Dixxon shows at Kewadin Casino next weekend, there's a grand total of 4 local concerts on Christmas weekend! And fingers crossed, I hope to bring the digital camera I hope to get for Christmas with me to the next local show I can hit!

Oh, and one more thing, Sault Michigan locals Free Refill take the stage at a Sault Area High School talent show at some point today! I don't know much else about it, but that's what you get for not being a student there. I'll assume it's mostly open to students only, so I doubt most readers can attend, but still, it's worth mentioning! If you wanna check out Free Refill for yourself, here's a live video of them covering the Wolfmother song "Joker & The Thief"!


That's all for tonight, updates will be limited this weekend cause I'll be out of town, for family Christmas stuff in Detroit, but I will be around just in case anything big happens! And check out my Sick Jams For Sick Kids review immediately below this sentence!

Sick Jams For Sick Kids Review!!!

Well, I have returned from Sick Jams For Sick Kids, and here's a rundown of everything that went on!

First off, the crowd was small. (Sadly, I wish more shows had big crowds.) And with many people staying on the balcony to drink, the floor population seemed even smaller than it could have been for most of the night. DJ Ryeman and Kevyn Kross from Energy Rock Radio were great MCs, getting us pumped for the bands and all. They even threw out free t-shirts and pictures to the crowd! I dunno how the webcast of the concert turned out, but hopefully it looked good!

The first band was Aftersight, and not knowing who they were going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, they were good! They had a modern rock/post-grunge sound, with a nice mix of originals and covers of bands like Godsmack and Alice in Chains! If I had to compare them to any other active locals, I'd compare them to Stillbroke and Fingerbone, though they're different enough to stand out!

The band informed us that this was their first show in like, 4 years, and they also gave copies of their CD to two fans! After some internet searching, I found out that Aftersight frontman Ed Vowels was also the singer/guitarist for Route 69, if you guys remember them at all! I'm suprised I never heard of these guys before, but they are definitely a band to keep an eye on from here on out!


Following them was Sense of Truth, making their return to the live scene, as well as their first show with new bassist Curtis Beauchamp! From when I last saw them, they honestly sound a bit heavier! They put on another good show, with some new originals, and the banter between the band onstage was amusing as well! Also, kudos to the band for raising $8 for Sick Kids, I dunno if they "won the night" or not, but they did have a good set!

There was a lineup change after this, as Garden of Bedlam and Scary Uncles were both bumped up an hour, and Fury were changed to start at 10:00. They were the other band I didn't know much about, and no, they aren't metal. But honestly, I was surprised by them. I'll describe Fury like this: A band featuring two bassists, one drummer, and no guitarists, who play rap influenced punk rock. It honestly wasn't that bad, and they got some more people on the floor, and the first attempt at a pit! However, the best was yet to come!

BUT FIRST, draws were held for some original paintings, Love Ink tattoo gift certificates, and a t-shirt! Also, they announced they'd raised like, $480 for Sick Kids Hospital, which is awesome, it's a fantastic cause, and it's always great to help contribute to something good like this!


Next was your headliners, the one and only, Garden of Bedlam! And they were INCREDIBLE! I missed seeing Buzz's megaphone, but his voice was in top form, compared to their last show at The Grand! Along with some awesome familiar covers, they also shown off some new originals that sounded great! The crowd finally started coming around for these guys, and it was well deserved! (Also, thanks Buzz for the shoutout on stage, that's a first for me!) Garden of Bedlam kicked ass, I was headbanging and singing along, and I can't wait for their next show, and their EP!

I couldn't stay for Scary Uncles, but if the last time I saw them is any indication, they probably tore the house down as well! The concert was great, and all the involved bands rule for playing and setting up for free and supporting the Sick Kids Hospital! Hope to see all of last night's bands live again in the near future!

FYI, I don't have photos. I wish I could, but my cell phone camera fucked up, and my digital camera's battery life is useless. I believe I'm getting a new digital camera for Christmas, and I hope to use it at the next local show after Christmas! The photos seen on this post are from the Facebook event page for the concert, which you can check out at this location! If you have photos, videos, or comments about the concert, feel free to tell us!

Sick Jams For Sick Kids Preview!

Hey everyone, sorry about lack of posting the last couple days, the end of the year tests were killing me. But I'm off for like, 3 weeks and 4 days now, so there shouldn't be any delays in getting you metal news as soon as I can get it!

TOMORROW NIGHT, metal bands hit The Lock City Grand Theater for a good cause! Sick Jams For Sick Kids will take place tomorrow night, and here's all the details you need to know!

Doors open at 7:00 PM, and the show itself starts at 8:00. Tickets are just $10 in advance from The Lock City Grand Theater itself, Charli Henshaw at 942-7897, and from CDPlus at the Cambrian Mall! If you're getting your ticket at the door, the price rises to $15!

All proceeds from this concert go to The Sick Kids Hospital, and the bands are performing and setting up absolutely free. This concert is for a fantastic cause, so I would recommend coming out and showing your support! As well, your MCs will be DJs Ryeman and Ashley from Energy Rock Radio, who will also be broadcasting ERR live from the show!

You headliners are local metal band Garden of Bedlam, who have recently been recording their debut EP! You might remember them from other recent shows at The Grand, The Other Place, and this year's Hempfest, among other venues! They always put on a great live show, and if you wanna check them out, here's a clip of them performing their original song "The Truth Shall Set You Free" from this year's Hempfest!


Also to be featured is Sense of Truth, a very talented local modern rock band who you may remember from some pretty high profile concerts this summer! They won the Battle of the Bands at Algoma University to back up Skid Row at Runway Park in June (sadly, that never occured), as well as supporting Econoline Crush at their concert at The Canadian this summer! If you wanna check them out too, here's live video of them performing their original "Anything At All"!


Also to be featured are local punk rockers Scary Uncles, and two other local bands, Fury, and Aftersight. I don't know too much on the latter two bands, but after tomorrow's concert, I should know a lot more!

The schedule is as follows: Aftersight will kick things off at 8:00, with each band playing one hour sets. They will be followed by Sense of Truth at 9:00, Garden of Bedlam at 10:00, Scary Uncles at 11:00, and Sense of Truth at midnight!

I'll see you guys there tomorrow night! I don't know if I'll be taking any pictures (I'm having big camera problems), but I will definitely be there and will have a review for when I get back!

Woods of Ypres Update/R.I.P. Adrian Bromley

Woods of Ypres, the local black metal band featuring the entire Gates of Winter lineup in it's ranks, will be taking the stage in Toronto on January 17th for a memorial concert honoring the life of Canadian music journalist Adrian Bromley. This concert will be headlined by The Exalted Piledriver, with Detsorgsekalf, Eclipse Eternal, Endorphins, Into The Void and Musk Ox also featured.

Nicknamed "The Energizer", Bromley was the creator of Unrestrained! Magazine and Chronicles of Chaos, and also worked for The End Records, among many other publications and projects to help promote and support numerous metal bands. This included Woods of Ypres, who were featured on the cover of Unrestrained! Magazine in April of this year (which you can check out to the right.) Bromley sadly passed away from complications of pneumonia on December 7th, at the age of 37.


"A Memorial For Adrian Bromley" will take place January 17th at The Opera House in Toronto. Admission is via donation, with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. Visit www.unrestrainedmag.com if you're interested in donating.

Also, Blabbermouth have picked up on this story, and you can check out their article on this concert at this location. R.I.P. Adrian!

And finally, I posted the official message board for Woods of Ypres in the "Other Local Metal Links" section, just in case you wanna head over there and check it out!

Local Concert Preview, Sick Jams Update, and New Local Links!

Just a reminder everyone, that there are two local concerts this weekend, so here's what you need to know!

Orange October, a modern hard rock band from Muskegon, Michigan, are playing two dates at The Satisfied Frog this weekend! One tonight, and one tomorrow! Both concerts will take place at 10:00, though I'm not sure of a cover or admission charge.

If you're interested in checking out Orange October, check out some of their original tracks at their official MySpace page! For a taste of their live show, check out this concert clip of Orange October covering Breaking Benjamin's "So Cold"!


After these shows, the next local concert (to my knowledge) is the Sick Jams for Sick Kids benefit on WEDNESDAY! I got some extra updates for you guys on the show as well! First off, the at the door price is now $15, so all tickets are now $5 cheaper, regardless of when you get them! As well, tickets are now for sale at CDPlus at The Cambrian Mall, as well!

Hope to see you guys there on Wednesday, as it should be a great concert, and IT'S ALL AGES NOW TOO!

And finally, I've added four new links into the "Other Local Metal Links" section! They are the official websites for local music-related stores and retailers! SO, now you can head to the sites for HMV, CDPlus, The Rad Zone, and Northland Music! More likely to come over the next while, just getting you all updated!

Sick Jams For Sick Kids is ALL AGES!!!

Just heard from Garden of Bedlam through Facebook, that the Sick Jams For Sick Kids concert is definitely ALL AGES! It's still a licensed event though, so the alcohol will flow freely, just as you 19+ guys would want!

Also, tickets are now just $10 in advance, which is a great deal! (As far as I know, it's still $20 at the door) You can also now get tickets directly from Garden of Bedlam, so contact them on Facebook if you want some tickets (Of course, you can still get them from The Lock City Grand Theater or Charli Henshaw). Keep in mind that this concert is for an amazing cause, as all proceeds go directly to the Sick Kids Hospital, so support the cause and come on out to the concert, which is one week from today! (The Scary Uncles, Sense of Truth, Aftersight, and Fury will also be playing!)

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott: August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004

4 years ago today, Pantera/Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was senselessly taken from the world. Keep Dimebag and his musical legacy in your thoughts, and have a shot of a Black Tooth Grin in his honor. R.I.P., Dime. Local metal news will come soon.

Garden of Bedlam and Sault Metal Video Bar updates!

Hey guys, hope you're enjoying your weekend! I got some Sault Ontario metal news for you guys, finally!

If you're a member of the Facebook group for local heavy metal band Garden of Bedlam (which you can check out at this location), you should have recieved an e-mail from frontman Erik Boissineau with some updates about the band! Well, if you didn't get the message, here's what you need to know!

Garden of Bedlam have entered Stereo Soul Studios to record their first EP, which will feature four new tracks! After recording is finished, the EP will be sent off to Silverbirch Studios in Toronto to be mastered! As well, the band plugged their upcoming headlining slot at December 17th's Sick Jams For Sick Kids concert at The Lock City Grand Theater (yes, it's still 19+), and the band has promised there will be no alcohol shortage this time! For more info on the EP and the concert, head on over to Garden of Bedlam's Facebook group! Remember to show your support for this great cause and go see this concert!
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Now, here's some blog updates! First off, I posted the link for Stereo Soul Studios in the "Other Local Metal Links" section, so you can go check that out if you want!


And, I added a bunch more YouTube channel links in the Sault Metal Video Bar! It still displays a few non-metal and non-local vids, even some fucking advertisements, but I can't customize individual videos on it, just channels. So, it's only mostly accurate, but it's better than nothing! The video bar mostly contains concert clips, but there's a few original tracks, music videos, and demos lurking around on there too! If I can find a more effective alternative, I'll replace it, but right now, it works well enough, so check it out if you get a chance!

HUGE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

Happy Saturday to you all! I have some MAJOR concert news for Sault Michigan, so here we go!

Skid Row are coming back to The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino on March 5th, with special guests Firehouse! Tickets will be just $33.50! Sounds like a good night of hair metal mayhem, even without Sebastian Bach in the band anymore. I'm sure you'll remember Skid Row for classics like "Youth Gone Wild" and "I Remember You", and maybe you remember Firehouse for songs like "Love of a Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes"! SooToday also posted an event page for this concert, which you can check out at this location!

Skid Row previously came to Kewadin Casino on June 17, 2006! Here's live video of the band performing "18 and Life" at that show! (All credit to YouTube user OldSkoolSoldier for the vid)

Coincidentally, both Skid Row and Firehouse both had to drop off local concerts this year, so it's kinda ironic that they're together for this show in March! Skid Row were to headline a major concert at Runway Park on June 28th with L.A. Guns, but that got cancelled days before showtime. Also. Firehouse had to drop out of a show with Poison frontman Bret Michaels at Kewadin Casino on March 15th, due to frontman C.J. Snare's wife going into labour (locals Nixxon Dixxon replaced them that night!)

While we're on the subject of major 1980s hard rock bands, there's more coming to Kewadin! On January 10th, Great White will be performing at The Dreammaker's Theater as well! Best known for their hit song "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", they will be supported by fellow 80s glam metal stars Britny Fox! Tickets for this show will also be $33.50, and both this concert and Skid Row start at 7:00! (To the best of my knowledge, this is the first Sault area show for both Great White and Britny Fox).

Did you think we were done with Sault Michigan concerts? Well, here's a bunch more! Bad Side, a Michigan based classic hard rock band that you might remember from this year's Bell Border Jam, are returning for ten dates throughout 2009 at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! So, keep an eye out for Bad Side on February 13-14, April 10-11, September 4-5, October 2-3, and December 11-12!

OK, that should be all for Sault Michigan concerts for a while! Hopefully we'll get some news from the Sault Ontario side of things in the next while! It's nice to see so many shows across the river, but there's gotta be some more for us up here!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (and some cancellations)

I got some concert updates on some bands from Sault Michigan! First, we have Jager 4.0, who have scheduled an entire YEAR's worth of concerts for next year at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino (one weekend a month all year), with a handul at Dondee Lanes as well! (yes, the bowling alley) So, here's all of their currently scheduled dates there in 2009!

January 2-3, Dondee Lanes
January 9-10, Kewadin Casino
January 30-31, Dondee Lanes
February 6-7, Kewadin Casino
February 20-21, Dondee Lanes
March 20-21, Kewadin Casino
April 17-18, Kewadin Casino
May 29-30, Kewadin Casino
June 19-20, Kewadin Casino
July 24-25, Kewadin Casino
August 14-15, Kewadin Casino
September 18-19, Kewadin Casino
October 9-10, Kewadin Casino
November 13-14, Kewadin Casino
December 18-19, Kewadin Casino

Just to add, Jager 4.0's concerts at The Bird for this weekend and Boxing Day weekend have been CANCELLED. Not sure why, but they haven't scheduled any dates next year for The Bird, so it might be a problem with the venue itself.

Also, fellow Sault Michigan locals Shift have booked a bunch of dates through May 2009 at The Satisfied Frog! They will be playing there on January 9-10, February 6-7, March 13-14, April 10-11, and May 22-23!

And finally, Free Refill will be playing at the talent show at Sault Area High School 2 weeks from tonight on December 19th! Not a "concert" by the normal sense, but they will be performing, so it counts! If you wanna check them out, they have some tracks on their Myspace, as well as some live videos at this location!

So, with the Jager 4.0 cancellations, there are NO local metal concerts (to my knowledge) this weekend. The next local show in either of the twin Saults will take place next weekend, when Orange October hit The Satisfied Frog for a pair of shows next Friday and Saturday!

Local Metal Updates for December 4th

As promised, here's some local metal updates for you guys! Nothing too major, but still!

SooToday has posted an event page for the Sick Jams For Sick Kids concert at this location! Also, notice the official poster? Nice and bright, hopefully it grabs people's attention! I don't have anything new to report on the show, but hopefully you guys make it on the 17th (if you're 19+), cause it should be a great concert, and it's for a great cause too!


If you were at the Nebraska Arms concert from November 29th, you probably remember seeing some local hard rock bands on the bill, including Fingerbone (in their live debut), and Dirty Virgin (in only their second concert, the first featuring new guitarist Ryan Spin.) Well, Fingerbone posted some pictures from their set on their Facebook fan page, which you can check out at this location! They did a great job, hopefully they'll be playing some more shows real soon!

Sault natives Lion Ride are hitting the road in Southern Ontario in the first weeks of 2009! They will be playing in Barrie and Toronto on January 9th and 10th with The Saigon Hookers! Hopefully the tour goes good, and they will be back playing a show up here in the near future!

And finally, I've been making some more group shuffling to accomodate the lengthening of the page, so you may have noticed the YouTube videos and a couple other features now on the sidebars. The look of the page isn't completely set, so keep a lookout for any changes. If you have any suggestions for features or design edits, let me know!

That's all for tonight, for now! If I get any more local metal news or updates, you'll hear it here!

This year's Grammy nominations!

I'll have local metal news tonight, most likely. But now, here's all the Grammy nominations that involve metal bands of any type! All the nominations were announced yesterday at some live concert thing, but here's the nominations you'll most likely care about!

Best Hard Rock Performance:
Disturbed - Inside The Fire
Judas Priest - Visions
The Mars Volta - Wax Simulacra
Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles
Rob Zombie - Lords Of Salem

Best Metal Performance:
Dragonforce - Heroes Of Our Time
Judas Priest - Nostradamus
Metallica - My Apocalypse
Ministry - Under My Thumb
Slipknot - Psychosocial

Best Rock Instrumental Performance:
David Gilmour - Castellorizon
Metallica - Suicide & Redemption
Nine Inch Nails - 34 Ghosts I-IV
Rush - Hope (Live For The Art Of Peace)
Zappa Plays Zappa - Peaches En Regalia

Best Rock Album:
Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Kid Rock - Rock N' Roll Jesus
Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
Metallica - Death Magnetic
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

Other nominations:

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Kid Rock - All Summer Long
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: Eddie Vedder - Rise
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group: AC/DC - Rock N' Roll Train
Best Recording Package: Metallica - Death Magnetic
Best Boxed/Special Limited Edition Package: Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Metallica producer Rick Rubin and Staind/Black Tide producer Johnny K

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant also recieved numerous nominations for his work with Alison Krauss, but it sure ain't metal by any means.

So, what do you guys think?

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT/New Local Band Links!!!

Anyone been looking at the local band listings? Nice to have so many pages and sites in one location for all of the metal bands of the area, past and present! Well, I did some searching today, and I found FIVE bands to add to the section! You can always scroll down to see for yourself, but I'll give you some info here if you don't wanna head down the page! (Also, notice I can put pics in posts now? Take that, Facebook!)

First off, from Sault Ontario, we have...Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes! Quite the unique band, hard to categorize. Their Myspace claims they're "Screamo/Country/Rap" and they sound like "Yoko Ono if she was a squirrel." I guess I'd describe them as a industrial/funk hybrid, with a metal influence, but it works! Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thesmilinggiraffes, where they have six original songs (and I mean, original!)

Next, from Sault Michigan, we have Half Stupid (http://www.myspace.com/halfstupidmusic or http://halfstupidmusic.piczo.com/), a three piece grunge band who have four original songs posted on their Myspace! In fact, they have a free concert tonight at 7:00 at the Christopher Columbus Hall, as part of a Border Control Christmas Party! (So, this is a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!...my bad for not finding out about it until today). They don't sound too bad, here's hoping they play some more shows soon!

Now we get into defunct groups (all from Sault Michigan). First, we have a pair of bands that share two members. They are Medicate (http://www.myspace.com/glass06) and Roadside Rebels (http://www.myspace.com/roadhouserebels). Only Medicate has a music player up, but the only song, "Beauty Is Pain", is unavailable. They're up for curiosity sake, but there's not much to say on either.

And finally, Hatred Of One (http://www.myspace.com/hatredofone). There's even less to say about these guys, but their influences indicate some promising metalness. Their page hasn't been updated since 2006, so I wouldn't hold out much hope on future activity for them.

This will be updated if I find any more bands tonight, all links are now in the band links section to your right, and in the Posted Links section over on the Facebook group!

Upcoming Concert Details/Is The Sick Kids Benefit Still 19+?

I got a couple updates for everyone!

I'm sure you guys have heard that the upcoming Sick Jams For Sick Kids benefit concert is NOT an all ages show, and on the Facebook event page (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=60534583416), a bunch of people are complaining about it, mostly underagers. Well, the only way it's gonna become all ages is with extra security. So, if you're smart serve certified, and don't plan on drinking the night of the concert, contact Charli Henshaw before 10pm at 942-7897.

If there isn't added security, the concert will remain 19+. But keep in mind, this is a SICK KIDS HOSPITAL BENEFIT, if nothing else, support the cause, donate money, show you care, don't bitch and moan about the age limit. Remember that the bands are playing for free, setting up merchandise tables, and donating half the proceeds. This is for a good cause, this isn't worth complaining about.

Remember that Sick Jams For Sick Kids will feature Garden of Bedlam (http://www.myspace.com/gardenofbedlam), Sense of Truth (http://www.myspace.com/senseoftruth), Fury, Aftersight, and local punk rock band Scary Uncles! The event will be emceed by DJs Ryeman and Ashley from Energy Rock Radio (http://www.energyrockradio.com/)! Tickets are $15 in advance from The Lock City Grand Theater or Charli Henshaw, and $20 at the door! Everything begins at 7:00, December 17th! I'll be there!

The first local metal show of 2009 in Sault Ontario will take place on January 9th, when Montreal's own Blessed By A Broken Heart (http://www.myspace.com/blessedbyabrokenheart) hit The Oddfellows Hall, with special guests Abandon All Ships (http://www.myspace.com/abandonallships), Breaking The Fourth Wall (www.myspace.com/btfw), Upheaval Of An Exorcist (http://www.myspace.com/upheavalofanexorcist), and local indie rockers Deter! Everything starts at 6:30 that night, tickets are $10 in advance from Big Voiced Productions, and $15 at the door!

December 2nd Updates!

Here's some local updates to start off the blog! (Read the first post below this one for some extra info)

The new issue of Northern Rocks Magazine (http://www.northernrocksmagazine.com/) should now be in your inboxes! This month, contributing writer Rude Poloponortio reviewed Woods of Ypres' "The Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues", giving it 4 stars! He also reviewed the Woods of Ypres/Wolven Ancestry concert from last month at The Lock City Grand Theater!

Also, Northern Rocks Magazine has now opened it's official message board! Check it out at http://northernrocks.21.forumer.com/!

Here's a rundown of the next local concerts scheduled! Sault Michigan's own Jager 4.0 are playing 2 shows at The Bird this weekend! Then, Orange October play at The Satisfied Frog on the 12th and 13th! And the next concert (to my knowledge) for Sault Ontario is the Sick Jams For Sick Kids benefit show on Wednesday the 17th at The Lock City Grand Theater, featuring Garden of Bedlam, Sense of Truth, Fury, Aftersight, and local punk rockers Scary Uncles ($15 in advance, $20 at the door, 19+)!

There's gotta be a few promoters out there looking to book some bands, right? Well, I found two! The Fitzpatrick Incident, a hardcore band from Markham (http://www.myspace.com/thefitzpatrickincident) and Contagium, a hardcore band from Halifax
(http://www.myspace.com/contagiumhalifax) have both scheduled concerts on upcoming tours for Sault Ontario (Fitzpatrick Incident on December 18th, Contagium on June 10th), but neither have a venue yet. So, in case a promoter looks at this and is interested, why not give them a shout?
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Now for some site updates, and notice the new theme and banner at the top of the page? Fancy, ain't it? (Thanks to Ryan McQueen from Energy Rock Radio for some help with the page's look!)

If you've followed the group over at Facebook, you should be familiar with some of the stuff I had featured! Well, I'm in the process of bringing them over to the blog! As you can see, the local concert listings are at the top of the sidebar, with all the links (minus videos) from the Posted Links section now right below the concert listings, neatly categorized and easy to access!

Also, I have successfully moved the metal news section to the bottom of the page, so the top 5 stories on Blabbermouth will continue to appear on here as well! Also, you might have noticed a Youtube video bar, which I added here as well! I linked every channel I could find on Youtube with multiple local metal videos, it's not entirely all local or all metal, but bear with me, I just started this blog!

Any ideas, suggestions, tips, or news to share, please let me know!

...and so it begins!

Welcome one and all, to the first post on The Sault Metal Scene's blog! My earlier attempts at a website, Myspace page, and forum all ended miserably, hopefully this will be the one that catches on with you guys. Plus, Facebook is acting unreliable for me, I recieved a warning that I had "exceeded my post limit", and my account would be disabled if I continued excessively posting. I'm hoping it's a mistake or a temporary thing, but even if it's not, I figured I should have a backup plan in case something unforseen were to happen.

It looks minimal now, but I'm slowly adding and updating this page to better reflect just what we're about. Just in case you didn't remember, The Sault Metal Scene is essentially an online community dedicated to anything metal in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Michigan! As such, you'll get updates on upcoming metal concerts, band updates, releases, news, and anything else that might relate to metal!

We've been going strong now for about 17 months, as of the current posting, the SMS Facebook group peaked at 323 members last month! There's definitely a great metal community in the Soo, but it's not perfect. Hopefully this blog will help extend it even further!

So, if you come by and see this blog, tell your friends to check it out! I'll be constantly posting and updating it with new band links, updates, videos, and anything else that seems interesting, maybe even some major metal news from outside of town, who knows! So bookmark us and get ready, cause (fingers crossed) we're far from done here!

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR METAL NEWS/UPDATES PRIOR TO DECEMBER 2008, HEAD TO http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2429742288 AND JOIN US THERE AS WELL!