Stillbroke Concert Preview!!!

First off, I should tell everyone that if you notice a relatively shorter post length recently, don't blame that on me being unmotivated. It's my last month of college, and the homework is slowly piling on. Don't worry about a thing, I'll try and get as much news to you guys as I can! Now, we have a local metal concert tomorrow night, don't we? As usual, here's your local concert preview!

Sault Ontario hard rockers Stillbroke are baaaaaack! Tomorrow at 6:00 PM, they will take the stage for a big show at The Verdi Hall! Fancy venue, not your typical concert spot, but it should work well! This is (to my knowledge) Stillbroke's first major local show since the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser last summer at The Canadian, so the anticipation is only growing and growing! There's been lots of work, planning, and promotion put into this concert, and I'm sure that it will all pay off tomorrow!

Now, there are videos of Stillbroke performing live and rehearsing and stuff on their official Facebook group (check them out, there's some great stuff), but for something I can embed, here's a YouTube video of Stillbroke frontman Jesse Frigault performing a solo acoustic version of their song "Forget"!



Now, aside from the customary concert, this show will also serve as a promo/launch for Stillbroke's upcoming studio release! Tomorrow night, they will debut and play many of their new original songs in front of a live audience! And to go along with this, there will be Stillbroke merchandise for sale, as well as products from New Era Design and Developments Canada Inc, a cash bar, and of course, raffles and draws!"

I'll give this it's own paragraph because there's literally TONS of prizes to be given out at the show tomorrow night! The door prize will be a $250 barbeque from The Hart Store (as seen to your left!) As well, there will be lots more to be raffled, including two toy baskets, a car care basket, a barbeque/patio basket, a Metallica watch, a Slipknot belt buckle, a guitar tuner, a pick holder with signature picks, a 6 in 1 Xbox 360 pro gamers kit, a pool cue, an electronic deadbolt, a champagne set, and a car detailing gift certificate, and who knows, maybe more! Pictures of some of the prizes can be viewed at Stillbroke's official Facebook page!

Tickets are $10, you can try and get yours in advance by contacting the Frigault family at 759-8696, Derek Pearce at 575-5171, or Sara Kutt at 253-8752! In all likelihood, there will still be tickets at the door, but still, get them while you can! I will try and go, hopefully it's an awesome concert! And let's see if my luck holds out for the prizes, cause the last time I saw Stillbroke live, I won a TV!

That's all for this post, hopefully I'll see you all at The Verdi Hall tomorrow night! To confirm your attendance, head on over to the official Facebook event page! And this week, I should have lots more news to talk about, including (saying I go), a review of tomorrow's concert! See you then!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! (Operation: Killdozer)

Guess who has another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT???!? Well, this isn't entirely "metal", so to speak, but there is a metal band on the bill, so let's get you all informed!

Remember Operation: Killdozer from the Battle of the Bands this month? Well, they've got a new show planned! These vicious rockers will be part of the lineup at a show May 5th at The Lock City Grand Theater, headlined by Canadian punk legends SNFU! Also on the lineup are locals Nebraska Arms and The Scary Uncles! Now, I know this isn't entirely a metal show, but if you heard Operation: Killdozer at the Battle, you'll know how awesome they sounded, and they'll only make this show even heavier!

Tickets are $20 (Steep, but remember, SNFU are punk legends), and the concert is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM on the night of the concert! There is a limit of 200 tickets for this show, so if you are interested in attending, send a message to jd_pearce1@hotmail.com! And, to confirm your attendance, head on over to the Facebook event page at this link!

That's all for tonight, just a small update, big stuff coming up soon, including a local concert preview tomorrow for the Stillbroke concert! So have a good one til then!

Cattle Decapitation and Stillbroke Concert Updates!

Hello everyone! I have got some more updates on some upcoming local concerts, so let's get right to it!

First off, new bands have been announced for the Cattle Decapitation/Rose Funeral/Psyopus concert on April 12th at The Oddfellows Hall! Now on the bill are Sudbury death metal band Beyond Within (it's nice to see them back here, it's been too long!), and North Bay tech/experimental metal band The Killing Field! Good to see some Northern Ontario representation for what should be an awesome show! And Crank Sound Distribution are doing the PA for this concert too, so it should sound even more metal than it would have!

Also, tickets are now available at many different locations, as you likely can already tell from the new show poster that's been released (Nice looking, huh?) So, if you want advance tickets, head on over to Northland Music, CDPlus, The Music Depot, Energy Rock Radio, or you can get them from Mathieu Villebrun at 257-0159! (Ignore the number on the poster, that's his old number.) Hope to see you guys there, this should be one hell of a show!

And finally, there's some more updates for the Stillbroke concert on Wednesday at The Verdi Hall! More raffle prizes have been announced, including a pool cue, an electronic deadbolt, a champagne set, and a car detailing gift certificate! Pictures for some of the raffle prizes are now on the Facebook event page for this concert as well! And remember, this is a concert first and foremost! Stillbroke will be playing some of their much anticipated new originals in front of what should be a huge crowd! Tickets are still on sale for just $10, get them while you still can, head to the Facebook event page for full details!

That's all for tonight, more to come very soon! And yes, I might be at the Stillbroke concert, depends on my schedule, but it sounds like a good time! Keep it metal!

OVERDUE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT/Preview, And More!!

Well, I fucked up again. Somehow, I completely missed a pair of shows occurring this weekend in Sault Michigan! So, before we get to anything else, here's a very overdue, almost late, LOCAL CONCERT ALERT/preview for this weekend!

Pickford Michigan's own Absolute are returning to Sault Michigan TONIGHT and tomorrow night at Dondee Lanes! Both shows will kick off at 8:00 PM! I can't believe I missed posting these shows, I didn't realize it until I heard an ad for the Dondee on Rock 101 this morning! I gotta stay better on top of these guys, especially with their talent level! They have some great covers on their official MySpace page, but how about checking out their live experience? Here's a video of Absolute from a show at The Satisfied Frog, performing a cover of Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name"! (And I again apologize for missing these shows until now!)

Absolute (live at the Satisfied Frog)


While we're on the subject of shows this weekend, let's head out of town for a second! Tonight and tomorrow night, Sault Michigan's own Shift will be rocking Negaunee for a pair of shows at Rookies! Best of luck on these shows! Shift will next be playing in Sault Michigan on April 10th at The Satisfied Frog, so keep an eye out for that!

...actually, let's not return back here for some news just yet, for some more locals are hitting the road! On April 24th and 25th, Sault natives Lion Ride are playing a pair of shows at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo, supporting The Saigon Hookers! Hopefully these shows go well too, and here's hoping they'll swing through the Sault area again in the near future! And of course, the Lion Ride shows are now in the Out Of Town Concert Listings!

That's all for this post, just some updating of the concert listings. More to come very soon, including possibly, a Stillbroke concert review?! You'll find out by Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

More Local Concert Previews, A Band Looking For A Show, And Some Painfully Overdue Local Bands!!!

Alright, as I promised, I have some more local concert alerts for you all! And after that, we have another band looking to play here! And finally, I've got some local bands to add to the link sections, so let's get this post rolling! (Remember, for the Sense of Truth concert preview, check immediately below this post! If you're going tonight, feel free to let us know!)

Tomorrow night, and Saturday night, Sault Michigan's own Nixxon Dixxon will return for a pair of shows at The Satisfied Frog! Both shows will start at 10:00 PM! As usual, these shows should go excellent, and if you go check out their songs on MySpace, you'll hear some great sounding covers by these rising local stars! After this weekend, they'll hit St. Ignace next month for a pair of shows, as well as two more dates at The Satisfied Frog the next week! And of course, if you go see Nixxon Dixxon this weekend, we'd love to hear from you!

Next up, we have another band looking to play in Sault Ontario! Windsor metal band Aquila are looking for a booking here in August, and drummer Matt McGuire e-mailed me on MySpace to see if I could help! I sent him a few venue contact links, but I can't say for sure how much that will help. So, if you're a booker, or know of a way to help Aquila play a show in the Sault in August, why not send them a message on MySpace? Check them out too, they're a great sounding band, and it'd be awesome to have them play here!

Alright, now let's get to some new local bands to add to our ever-growing listings! First off, here's a band that I've neglected for WAAAAY too long already. I think it was because I didn't see them as all that metal, but on repeated listens, there's enough to warrant including them! They are Sykotyk Rampage, a band who describes their genre as "Blue Chinese Metal Crash Punk"! If that sounds somewhat "different", then you'd be right!

I'd describe aspects of their profile, history, and biography, but I couldn't do them justice by summing it up, so check out their profiles on MySpace, SoundClick, CBC Radio 3, Facebook, SellABand, Mevio, Art Of The Mix, and iSound for everything you need! They have other pages too, but I just posted a few of the more notable ones! I recommend checking out their SoundClick page, where they have a total of......214 SONGS to listen to! It's all very unique, full of improvisation, strange and creative lyrics, and a one of a kind brand of hard rock/punk! In fact, they've been playing together since the 1970s, with songs dating back as early as 1981! So they have quite the reputation built up, and they have released a total of....16 CDs in their long history!

I honestly haven't heard too much from them in recent months, but if we hear more from Sykotyk Rampage in the near future, I'll make sure to keep tabs on it! I again apologize for not putting them on the SMS for so long, but that all ends now! Go check them out, you're in for something else! And for future reference, I have their SoundClick page (with all 214 songs) in the Local Metal Band Links now!

Finally, a band that, though not based in either of the twin Saults, are located within an hour of here, which is good enough for inclusion on the SMS! And hey, if I'll talk about Bay Mills Resort and Casino and Hempfest, I don't see why I can't talk about bands from the area too! So, we now have B3nt Rollercoaster, from Eckerman, which is just 45 minutes from Sault Michigan! They're a hard rock band with a female singer, and they have some great sounding stuff on their official MySpace page! You might remember them from the Rock Starz benefit show at The Sault Theater last summer! Go check them out, they have some pretty good songs! And as always, you can now find them in the Local Metal Band Links to your right!

That's all for tonight, more news to come very soon! Thanks everyone!

Local Concert Preview, New Local Band, & Stillbroke Updates!

Greetings and salutations, one and all! It's time for another post, and I got updates on an upcoming show and a new local band to check out, but first, there's a local metal concert TOMORROW! That being said, here's your local concert preview!

Tomorrow night at Coch's Corner, local modern hard rockers Sense of Truth return for a new live show! They'll be supporting Kitchener based alt-rockers Vacuity! They're not a metal band by any stretch, but they are the main attraction for the show, and who knows, maybe you'll like them, so check them out on MySpace! There is NO COVER CHARGE for this show, and everything kicks off at 10:00 PM tomorrow night! For more info, and to confirm your attendance, head over to this concert's official Facebook event page! I dunno if I'll make it, especially on a night where I have class the next morning, but if you guys are going, feel free to let us know!

Of course, you probably know Sense of Truth best for winning the skate park fundraiser Battle of the Bands last year at The SpeakEasy, but they've built a great profile for themselves over the past year, including supporting The Trews and State of Shock, and taking part in the Sick Jams For Sick Kids fundraiser in December! They're a great band, but don't take my word for it! Check them out on MySpace, and here's a live video of Sense of Truth from last year performing their original song "Everything Explodes"!



Now, here's the new local band I promised! I found about these guys from a Facebook note! They are M7K, a new project featuring Despised Eyes drummer and former Devastation of the Heavens frontman Mike Ladouceur! They have one original track, "Damien's Arrival", posted on their official PureVolume page! No vocals, but it does sound promising! Check out Mike's band pages above to hear what M7K might have to offer in the future! And of course, they're now in the Local Metal Band Links section to your left!

There, now let's get to some other random news updates! First off, we have some more updates on the Stillbroke concert on April 1st at The Verdi Hall! You can now get advance tickets for this show from Sara Kutt, who you can reach at 253-8752! Tickets remain $10, and you can also pick them up from the Frigault family at 759-8696 and from Derek Pearce at 575-5171!

As well, some more details about the prizes have been announced! Among the prizes up for draw, there will be two toy baskets, a car care basket, a barbeque/patio basket, a Metallica watch, a Slipknot belt buckle, a guitar tuner, a pick holder with signature picks, a 6 in 1 Xbox 360 pro gamers kit, and maybe more! Also, there will be PIZZA! But don't forget, Stillbroke are also playing a concert that night, so don't forget the main attraction! Check out even more about Stillbroke on Facebook, and confirm your attendance for this show at the Facebook event page at this location! I'm plotting my possible attendance, and you all know, I'll have a review and GOOD photos if I do!

Alright, that's all for now, I will have more this weekend, including concert previews for this weekend's Nixxon Dixxon concerts, and hopefully more, so hang tight for now! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! (Arsonists Get All The Girls)

So, how's everyone doing on this fine Tuesday morning? I have another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, with lots of death metal, so let's get this post started!

Arsonists Get All The Girls, a hardcore/death metal band from Santa Cruz, California, will be hitting The Oddfellows Hall on June 20th! They have a few studio albums, and they're touring Europe this spring, so they're slowly growing, and it's nice to see them up here! Support at this show will come from Nashville death metal band A Plea For Purging, Chicago death metal band Oceano, Atlanta death metal band Attila, and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec hardcore band Execute The Sinner! Click on each band's name to head to their MySpace pages, where you can hear some of their originals! All are very talented bands!

This concert is scheduled to start at 6:30, with tickets and door prices to be announced! Once I hear more about this show, you'll hear it here! And of course, head over to the Facebook event page for this concert to confirm your attendance! Thanks to Meghan Skyum for the info on this concert!

That's all for now, just a quick concert alert, more news to come later! Thanks everyone!

Cattle Decapitation and Stillbroke Updates/Blog Changes

Alrighty, back to some posts of a more decent length! I have some pretty big updates on the Cattle Decapitation concert scheduled for April 12th, among others, so here's what you need to know!

Due to Easter Sunday conflicts and some cost issues, the concert has officially been moved to The Oddfellows Hall, and will now start at around 6:00 PM that night! The date of the show and the ticket prices ($15 in advance, $20 at the door) are no different. I can imagine some of you will not like that it's been moved, others will approve, but either way, at least it's still going on!

Also, Sudbury's Upheaval of an Exorcist are no longer on the lineup, but never fear, they're still scheduled for shows this spring with Terrorhorse and The Fitzpatrick Incident, so you'll still get your chances to see them live here! As well, Energy Rock Radio will be present at this concert, and are looking to interview the bands performing!

And just as a refresher for this show, the lineup will also include Rochester-based tech/avant garde metal band Psyopus and Cincinnati-based death metal band Rose Funeral! Check out all the involved bands, they have some great sounding stuff! As well, the Facebook event page for this concert lists two "TBA" spots in the lineup. If you or your band are interested in playing this show, why not contact Rich Moreland through the event page and show your interest! I'm likely gonna go to this show, and I recommend all you guys go too!


Next up, here's some minor updates on the Stillbroke concert on April 1st at The Verdi Hall! The door prize for the show has been announced, and it's a....$250 barbeque from The Hart Store! There will be other prizes too! But don't forget, the main purpose of this show is Stillbroke's grand return to the local concert scene, where they'll perform some of their great new originals! Remember that this show is all ages, tickets are $10, and you can get them from the Frigault Family at 759-8696, or Derek Pearce at 575-5171!

Finally, you may have noticed some more changes to the blog's look! Most notably, notice the background is no longer blue? I found out how to alter the background, and I gave it a dark metallic background that I think suits the blog well! Also, you may have noticed that the little icon beside your address bar (or "favicon") is no longer the orange Blogger "B". Instead, I made it the SMS logo from the Facebook group! Little things go a long way to make this blog look better, right? Also, I signed up the blog with FeedBurner to track visitation and blog subscriptions, so if you wanna become a subscriber to our feed, click on the orange icon below the Billboard charts!

That's all for tonight, keep it metal!

TONS OF LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, And Lots More News!!!

This will be one hell of a post, trust me. Not only do I have a newly discovered inactive local band, a couple more bands looking for shows up here, and an update on an upcoming concert, among others, I have a grand total of.....THIRTEEN NEW LOCAL METAL CONCERTS TO ANNOUNCE! Sound the LOCAL CONCERT ALERT alarm, let's get this post going! (Remember, for my Battle of the Bands review, check immediately below this post!)

It's probably easiest if we go in chronological order for the concerts, so here's the first new show! According to their Myspace page, London Ontario death metal band Terrorhorse are scheduled to play a show on April 28th at The Oddfellows Hall with Upheaval of an Exorcist (I'm not suprised at that, but they are a great band!) This concert is scheduled to start at 8:00, but other than that, I know nothing about the show.

Other internet sources cite that Thunder Bay grindcore band Faceless Hulk are on tour with Terrorhorse during the stretch where the Sault show is taking place, but nowhere else does it suggest they'll be coming here, so I don't know. Also, there's no Facebook event page yet, and U.O.A.E. don't list it on their MySpace either. I'll call it a real concert from what I've seen, but I'll keep an eye out for any updates!

Now, here's the next show! On May 19th, Uxbridge Ontario metalcore band To Cherish are scheduled to play a concert at............The Arcadia Coffeehouse! Didn't see that coming, did you? Nice to see them booking some metal stuff there for a change! Support will come from Belleville hardcore rockers Amnesia Amnesia! Both bands do list this show on their respective MySpace pages, but The Arcadia's website doesn't list it yet, and there isn't a Facebook event page either. However, like the Terrorhouse show, I have enough info to report this show as I see it now, and I'll be sure to tell you guys any updates!

Next up, we'll head back to The Oddfellows Hall, where there's another death metal show pencilled in for June 11th! Your headliners will be Today I Caught The Plague, a progressive metal band from Ottawa! It's also scheduled to start at around 8:00! Suffice to say, I have absolutely nothing else on this show to mention. Other supporting bands aren't listed for the Sault date on their tour, and there's no Facebook event page for this show yet either! I have it in the concert listings, but if anything changes or is announced, you'll hear it here!

And finally, to close up this gigantic amount of local concerts, we have a grand total of TEN new shows for Sault Michigan, all from the same band! Michigan hard rockers Graveyard Tan have scheduled nine more shows at The Satisfied Frog throughout the year, all starting at around 8:00! The dates are: June 19-20, July 10, August 21-22, October 23-24, and December 11-12! You may have noticed that there's no show on July 11th, but there's a good reason for that! On July 11th, Graveyard Tan will perform in Sault Michigan at an American Legion Street Rally! Nice to see them with so many shows this year, check them out at their official MySpace page!

Ok, now we still have lots of news! First off, in my internet searching, I have came across a couple more bands that have a Sault Ste. Marie stop on an upcoming tour scheduled, but no booking here yet. The two bands are Toronto based hard rockers Brane (concert wanted for April 30th) and Winnipeg alternative metal band Domenica (concert wanted for July 4th, which is also the SMS's 2nd anniversary!) Both bands sound great, and it would be great to have them both playing a show here! So if you are interested in booking or helping out either band, let them know through their respective MySpace pages (just click their names)! The more metal, the better, right?

Next up, I have discovered another inactive local metal band! They were Caedis Omnis, a black metal group that hailed from both Sault Ontario and Echo Bay! Though there's no active songs on the profile, and it's been inactive since 2007, there's a biography, band logos, profile info, and a bunch of blog entries! Plus, you might know frontman Azathoth as Sault Area Wrestling superstar Kevyn Kross! So check Caedis Omnis out on MySpace, they're also now in the Local Metal Band Links to your left!

And now, here's some big updates on the Cattle Decapitation concert scheduled for April 12th at The Lock City Grand Theater! Ticket prices have been slashed by $5, so advance tickets are now $15, and they'll cost $20 at the door! There was a promoter shift for this show, and they're really in a crunch to get a lot of tickets sold very soon, or the concert may have to be moved or cancelled. So if you're a death metal fan, and you wanna help support the local scene, and maybe help make the case for even more big shows, then I recommend you get a ticket and head on to this one! And for all updated info and to confirm your attendance, head over to the Facebook event page for this concert!

And finally (yes, the post is wrapping up), Donna Hopper has posted a review and photo album from last night's Battle of the Bands on SooToday! There's a little write up on the battle itself and 10 photos from the performers, but a lot of it is about the rock opera, just in case you're wondering. But the pictures turned out great, way better than mine did! (I'LL HAVE BETTER PICTURES NEXT TIME, I PROMISE!) And of course, to read my review from the battle, check the post immediately below this one!

This post has went on too long already, if you survived til the end of it, thanks for reading all the news! Remember, your next local metal show is Thursday at Coch's Corner, when Sense of Truth take the stage! That's all for tonight, keep it metal!

Battle Of The Bands Review!!!!

DISCLAIMER: The pictures I took at the concert suck. My awesome new camera's batteries were completely drained, so I couldn't bring it to the battle. I had to retrieve my horrible old camera for the show. So yes, there are plenty of pictures, but the camera doesn't work well in dark lighting, and it really shows (especially for Operation: Killdozer.) So yeah, this camera is awful, but I promise to god that at the next show I attend (possibly the Stillbroke concert on April 1st), I WILL HAVE MY GOOD CAMERA!

Now that I have that out of the way, let's get to the review of the Battle of the Bands! It started off with the rock opera, "Nothing To Do In Sault Ste. Marie", and it was different! Not horrible, but it suffered from mic issues. The actors had singing talent, and they did a good job with the material. Not Broadway grade stuff, but it worked out well enough, and it had some funny moments too!

After that, the Battle kicked off with Train Junky, who had kind of an indie rock sound, I detected some southern influence too. Good for their genre, but not really my kind of music. Following them were The Glass Statues, and I must admit, I was suprised! Though not metal, they had a good classic rock sound, playing songs by bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cream! The singer did a great job, he had a unique look (He was shirtless and had a huge afro), a good voice, and had a great onstage presence, doing backflips and the splits and all sorts of stuff!

But after them was the first metal band of the evening, as Dirty Virgin took the stage, playing three songs! They sounded really good, probably the best I've heard from them yet! The band were tight, they seemed to enjoy performing at the show, and their originals sounded awesome! I can't wait to see them the next time they play a full set, if it's anything like this show, it will definitely be one to remember!

Next up was Waterslide! (The Outside Lights dropped out.) I gotta say, these guys definitely were...different! The band members wore blinking red lights, the drummer wasn't directly facing the crowd, there was no singing, and the music was just non stop indie rock. I wasn't feeling it, but for that genre of music, they did a good job!

The battle ended with a trifecta of metal mayhem, starting with the live debut of Operation: Killdozer! They performed two originals, followed by a cover of Dethklok's "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle"! They were very impressive, I haven't heard too many local bands with the sheer metal ferocity that these guys displayed! The band meshed well, they had lots of enthusiasm, and the first real pits started popping up around here too! I see big things for Operation: Killdozer in the near future!

The next band to take the stage were Sue Inside, and they also did good! Just like the last time I saw them, they only had two members, but really, they don't need any more, their sound works well enough to not need anyone else! Their performance was unquestionably metal, but it wasn't your typical "verse chorus verse" metal, it was unique and engaging! They might have gotten more points from the judges with a full band, but I enjoyed them still! Now, let's see if their next concert will be sooner to happen than this one!

Ending the battle were The Undead Warri....no, I'm sorry, The Undead Brown Pelican Warriors!!! Their normal frontman had to take the drums for this show, but even with the temporary lineup shift, they still tore it up out there! The crowd got really involved too, and the band displayed some really awesome originals for the world to see! The music was great, and the vocals, despite not being performed by their usual lead singer, still held up well!

Finally, the awards were handed out! There was a change to the awards, instead of three categories, they just gave out prizes to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place bands. Here's the order of the winners!

1. The Undead Warriors
2. Dirty Virgin
3. The Glass Statues
4. Operation: Killdozer

Congratulations to The Undead Warriors on winning the Battle of the Bands! Among their prizes, they get 8 hours of recording time at Stereo Soul Studios! I'm happy the metal bands got most of the awards, and The Glass Statues were my favorite of the other bands, so I can't complain too much about the results!

Overall, it was a good night of music! I would have corrected some of the lighting and sound issues, the chairs dotting the floor took away from the "concert" atmosphere, and the lack of alcohol likely affected the turnout, but those are minor complaints! Here's hoping this battle is a springboard for all the bands involved to get even more recognition in the local scene! I again apologize for the bad camera I had to use, but if you want to see more pictures I took at the show, head on over to The Sault Metal Scene's official Photobucket account to see more! And if any more pics, reviews, or videos appear online, I'll let you guys know!

Also, if you went to see Jager this weekend in Sault Michigan, let us know! That's all for tonight, more metal news will be on the horizon shortly, cause I got some big stuff to talk about!

Local Concert Previews For This Weekend (Battle of the Bands/Jager)

Now, if you just clicked on the blog today, and realized that things look different, check the post immediately below this one for full details. This post isn't to go over what I edited, this is to get you all informed on this weekend's local metal concerts! We have two shows in Sault Michigan, and one in Sault Ontario, so let's get right to it!

First, we'll start in Sault Ontario, where there will be a Battle of the Bands at The Lock City Grand Theater! Organized by The YMCA, admission is by donation (pay as much or as little as you want), with all proceeds going to YMCA Strong Kids! Preceding the battle will be an original rock opera, "Nothing To Do In Sault Ste. Marie"! It may not seem outwardly interesting, but they're promising an "army of the undead", so we'll have to see!

And before I get to the bands and the battle itself, plase, DON'T JUDGE YOUR ATTENDANCE BECAUSE ALCOHOL ISN'T BEING SERVED. Getting drunk should not be your #1 reason to attend a concert. You're going to listen to some bands, support local music, and in this case, support a good cause. The YMCA just wants to preserve their image, and we should respect that. Now, onto the battle! It should start at around 7:35, and will go until around 10:15, after which awards will be handed out for Best Original, Best Stage Presence, and Best Overall Performance! (I don't know what the prizes are though.)

Eight bands are scheduled to perform tomorrow night, with at least four of them playing metal or hard rock, so let's talk about them first!

First off, we have local glam metal/punk rockers Dirty Virgin, playing in their first show of the new year! They're not bad at all, and with their previous concert experience, they might be among the top contenders at the battle! You can check them out on MySpace, The Amp, and Facebook if you want! Why not check out this live video of Dirty Virgin covering the Joe South song "Games People Play" from their debut concert from last July!



Also competing are Sue Inside, a band that I haven't seen live in a looong time. They have their own unique style of hard rock, different than most stuff you're likely to hear in this town! Last time I saw them, they lost to Sense of Truth in a Battle of the Bands at The Speakeasy last year, and I enjoyed them! You can check them out on their profile on CBC Radio 3, but here's a slideshow featuring their original "Rips City"! (The metalness picks up around the middle of the song)



Two more metal bands are scheduled to compete as well! Neither have online pages or profiles yet, but hopefully we'll see something soon! One of these bands is Operation: Killdozer, a metal band featuring former Time of Ruin frontman Jason Bourcier and Devastation of the Heavens bassist Justin Lam! I've heard they have a mixture of originals and covers planned, and if you liked Time of Ruin, you'll definitely like these guys as well! As well, another metal band, The Undead Warriors, are on for the battle too! They feature former AtrophiA frontman Dan Souliere, and should put on a good show as well!

These bands will join indie rockers The Outside Lights, as well as three other bands, Train Junky (replacing The Retrofit Kettles), Waterslide and The Glass Statues. I don't know anything about these three bands, but I'll get an idea by tomorrow! Hope to see you guys there, cause I will be, with my camera in tow! (As for the order of the bands, it goes like this: Train Junky, The Glass Statues, Dirty Virgin, Waterslide, The Outside Lights, Operation: Killdozer, Sue Inside, and The Undead Warriors)

Now, we'll head on over to Sault Michigan, for the remaining two local concerts this weekend! Tomorrow night and Saturday night, Sault Michigan's own Jager will hit The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for two weekend dates! Both shows will begin at around 9:00 PM! I'm sure both shows will be of great quality, and if you're in Sault Michigan, why not go and check them out? But as usual, don't take my word for it, for you can see for yourself! Check out this live video of Jager performing the Nazareth classic "Hair of the Dog"!

Hair of the dog


And finally, best of luck to Sault Michigan's own Nixxon Dixxon, who are hitting the road this weekend for two shows at Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace! That's all for tonight, I'll be back with more news very soon, and of course, a review of tomorrow's Battle of the Bands!

Check Out The New Layout!!!

So, did anyone notice that The Sault Metal Scene looks slightly different? Well, I decided to give the blog a much needed facelift, and I'm pleased with the results (especially for someone who knows absolutely NOTHING about HTML!) Nothing's completely done, I might change a couple more things at some point, but for now, I'm happy!

The biggest change, obviously, is the layout. Using some HTML edits I found online, I was able to create a second sidebar on the left of the page, to better organize links, listings, and info! And, after I made the changes, the red/grey/red color scheme of the page wasn't clashing well, so I made all sidebar boxes black! So about half of the sidebar contents are now on your left, with all Sault Ontario concerts and bands on the left, and all Sault Michigan stuff on the right, and everything else scattered as necessary!

Other changes, I extended the title graphic to fit the page in full, now it features Bad Side and Gates of Winter. I might make a completely new title graphic down the road, but for now, this'll do. And finally, I edited the Sault Metal Video Bar section, so it will show even more local metal! I deleted all featured YouTube accounts that didnt have at least half local metal videos. So check it out, you're more than likely to get all the local metal you need now!

Just wanted to let you guys know on the new look, thanks for the support and feedback, and tonight, you'll get your local concert previews for this weekend! Have a good one til then!

New Local Bands, and Assorted News!!

Hello everyone! I have a bunch of random news items to share, but first, I found some more local metal bands in my internet searching! So here's what I found, and who knows, maybe you'll become a fan!

First off, I found an inactive local band called Divinity Collapsed. Now, I know next to nothing about these guys, but they are definitely local. Their MySpace page was created in December 2006, but there's been no activity since October 2007. Aside from some rather cryptic looking photos, and two local friends, there's not a lot to say. BUT, there are songs! The listed genre is "Drum and Bass", and that's basically what it is, kind of a techno/hard rock drum and bass sound. No vocals, but there's some good instrumentation, so check them out on Myspace! And if anyone has more details on these guys, let me know!

Next up, I've located an inactive glam metal band from Sault Ontario! They are Nite Wülfe, and amazingly enough, they were only active on their MySpace page for a total of ONE DAY in August of last year. But the page has some information on the band, including members' names, a blog entry, and best of all, some audio samples! They cover segments of some Poison classics acoustically, and they honestly don't sound too bad! Shame they didn't last, but their page lives on, so go check them out on MySpace too!

And finally, before we get to some concert updates, I gotta make a two month old correction. In January, I deleted Sault Michigan metal band The Grape Slushies from the Local Metal Band Links because of what I thought was a relocation, genre change, and severe lack of activity. Well, I was sure wrong. Either they changed their MySpace's URL, or I completely screwed up, but The Grape Slushies are still local, still metal, and still on MySpace (well, not actively since 2007, but still)! So, they're back on the site, my apoligies for my mess-up! And go check them out too, they're actually pretty amusing!

Now, onto some news about stuff going on in the near future. Firstly, there's been a few changes to this Friday's Battle of the Bands at The Lock City Grand Theater! One of the bands, Retrofit Kettles, has dropped off the battle, so there will be only seven bands competing. But for a lot of you, this change will mean more. Alcohol will NOT be sold at the show. The YMCA (who are putting on the battle) feel that alcohol isn't part of the "healthy lifestyle" that they promote, so the promoters won't be licensing the show.

Yeah, I know a lot of you guys would wanna get buzzed at the show, but keep in mind, you're not paying to get drunk. You're paying to see seven bands rock out, and you're also helping out a good cause (YMCA Strong Kids), so please don't judge whether you'll go or not by what drinks are sold.

Remember, admission is by donation, so even if you only have a penny, you can still likely go! The current band lineup includes glam/punk rockers Dirty Virgin, metal band Sue Inside, former Time of Ruin frontman Jason Bourcier's new band Operation: Killdozer, and former AtrophiA frontman Dan Souliere's new band Undead Warriors, as well as indie rockers The Outside Lights, and two bands I know nothing about, Waterslide and Glass Statues!

The battle will be preceded by the YMCA rock opera "Nothing To Do In Sault Ste. Marie"! Prizes will be awarded for best original, stage presence, and overall performance! Hope to see you guys there, cause I will be! I'll take pictures, hopefully my videos will work this time, and I'll have a review posted as well!

And now, a ticket update on the Stillbroke concert scheduled for April 1st at The Verdi Hall! Yes, you can still get them from The Frigault family at 759-8656 (they deliver too), but there's another way too! You can also now contact Derek Pearce from New Era Design and Developments at 575-5171, to find out where you can reach him for a ticket! You can also reach him at Sault College daily from 9- 4, and at The Station Mall Food Court nightly from 6-8! And remember, there will be PRIZES at this concert, and every person is entered for a door prize too! Also, notice the poster to the left? Very nice!

That's all for tonight, stay tuned for more local metal news as it comes in!

The Ghosts of Sault Music's Past Have Returned!

This is a special post, not typical by any means, because nothing here is about anything new. Instead, this is a bit of a time warp, so to speak. I got more interested in finding some more inactive, often forgotten local metal stuff after I located The Drift's site yesterday. So, I did some searching, and I've found some old stuff that might bring back some memories, and I wanna share them with you guys! The more information the better, right? Next up, we're gonna go back to a site that sadly died 3 years ago. Remember The Sault Music Scene? That was a website/community dedicated to shows and bands in Sault Ste. Marie of all genres, as well as bands and shows from all over North America! Though not totally metal based by any means, there was lots of metal stuff to go around! And, to be honest, this site was how I got the name for The Sault Metal Scene! I generally thought they should have focused more on local music, but either way, it was a great site that I figured ended too soon! But never fear, for we can still see it as we remember it! Thanks to The Internet Archive Wayback Machine, there are backed up archive versions of The Sault Music Scene from November 2002-January 2006! It's awesome that a site does this, so we can look back on old sites we can't find anymore! A few of the links on the archived pages were also saved, so you can do some backwards browsing! So check out The Sault Music Scene once again, and bring back some old memories, at this location! And of course, the official message board for The Sault Music Scene still exists to this day (now called The 705 Scene), and you can find it at this location! Finally, we're gonna dig even deeper into the Sault's past music scene! Facebook user Don MacDonald created a group called "Sault Music Scene (Centennial Lanes, Zombie-A-Go-Go, etc.)" in July 2007 dedicated to Sault Ontario's past music scenes, mostly the 1980s and earlier. A lot of this stuff is before my time, but it's really interesting reading the Wall and the Discussion Board, to see all the local bands that have came and went, the stories that are shared, and all the concerts that have came through the area! Now, it's not totally metal based, it's all genres of music, but there is metal and hard rock brought up, and there's plenty of nostalgic discussion, videos, photos, and even show posters (check out some vintage ones to the right!) Check it out at this location, and join if you fondly remember The Sault's music scene as it was back in the day! If you wanna relive some of the local music scene's history from the people who lived it, this is a great place to look! And, I've now got this and The Sault Music Scene Wayback Machine archive in the Other Local Metal Links section! That's all for this post, if it brought back some memories or got you interested in what the scene was like back in the day, then I did a good job! Regular news will be back very soon, cause there's lots of big stuff on the horizon! Have a good one!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, A "New" Local Band Discovery, and more!!!

Big post today, I have a new band for the links section, some house cleaning items, and a few random updates, but first, there's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!!!

Sault Michigan classic hard rockers Bad Side have scheduled two more dates at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for May 1st and 2nd! Both shows will take place at 9:00 PM! But before that, don't forget that Bad Side still have two shows on the weekend of April 10th! They're a great band, and as always, I recommend you check them out at their official MySpace page!

...speaking of Bad Side, they've also scheduled some more out of town dates, so here's where they're going next! On April 17th, they'll return to TNT's Bar in Clinton Township, Michigan, for a show where they'll back up Detroit rockabilly band The Orbitsuns! Also, they are playing two "private showcases" in Traverse City on May 29 and 30, but as they are private, I won't put those two dates in the concert listings! But, the show in Clinton Township is, so check it out!

We're not done with local metal bands on the road though! I haven't talked much about Sault Michigan hard rockers Clownsack lately cause they've been looking for a drummer and haven't done too much new stuff. But, that all changes next month! Clownsack have found a drummer, and they'll be playing at a big show in St. Helen, Michigan, on May 23rd! They'll be supporting West Virginia metal band Bobaflex, among other bands!

You guys should all check out Clownsack, they're a very entertaining band, and they have a pretty good profile around the area! They have an album, they have some great sounding originals, and they even were the support band for KISS when they came to Kewadin Casino in 2007! So head on over to their official MySpace page and their official website!

Ok, now onto other news! In my ongoing quest to find and document as many local metal/hard rock bands as I can to share with you metalheads, I have found a band that's been inactive for almost 5 years! However, their page lives on! They were The Drift, a hard rock quintet from Sault Ontario! You might remember them from various performances at the Dunnplugged shows at Sir James Dunn C&VS, as well as a number of concerts from the early 2000s at Foggy Notions! There's a bunch of live pictures, band bios, and original song lyrics over at their official website, which you can check out at this location! It's also now in the Local Metal Band Links!

While we're on the subject of local bands, I also deleted a band from the links. They were Ex-Oblivion, a former solo project from Gates of Winter frontman/Woods of Ypres guitarist Lee Maines, Their GarageBand page is no longer up on the site. But don't worry, you can check out Lee's recent solo material over at his current project's official MySpace page!

....I love how everything is seguing into itself, cause now, I'll talk about another thing I removed! I deleted the scheduled Jager concerts for June 19-20th from the concert listings. Jager removed them from their MySpace page, so I take it they were cancelled. But never fear, they've still got tons of shows planned at The Rapids Lounge this year, including two next weekend, so you'll get your chances to see them live!

I'll wrap things up here for today, more to come very soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and previews for this weekend!

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! Don't worry, the bad luck will NOT hit The Sault Metal Scene tonight, or at least, here's hoping it won't! I've got another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for you guys!! So, let's get to that first, and then we'll get to the local concert previews for this weekend!

Local hard rockers Sense of Truth are hitting Coch's Corner on March 26th! They'll be supporting Kitchener-based alternative rockers Vacuity (who aren't metal, but why not check out their official MySpace anyway!) There will be NO cover charge for this show, and everything will kick off at 10:00 that night!

This will be Sense of Truth's first show since the Sick Jams For Sick Kids benefit show in December, and here's hoping they sound as good at this show as they did then! If you need a refresher as to the Sense of Truth sound, head on over to their official MySpace page! And, I've updated the Local Metal Band Links section to reflect the fact that Sense of Truth now have an official website, which you can access at this location!

NOW, we'll get to the local concert previews for this weekend! First up, Sault Michigan hard rockers Shift are back at The Satisfied Frog for a pair of shows tonight and tomorrow night! Both shows will start at 10:00 PM, and hopefully they'll rock the house as usual! Check them out at their official MySpace page for more band information! And if you miss them this weekend, don't worry, they're back at The Frog in April!

Meanwhile, at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino, Michigan metal band Peril will return to the Sault for a pair of shows tonight and tomorrow as well! Both shows will start at 9:00 PM! They're a great sounding band, they've been out there for a while, and you should check them out, so head on over to their official MySpace page to hear some of their tracks!

That's your local concerts for this weekend, if you go to any, we'd love to hear from you guys! The next concerts after this weekend are next Friday's Battle of the Bands in Sault Ontario, and a pair of weekend shows featuring Jager in Sault Michigan, so stay tuned!

More to come this weekend, trust me, but for now, have a good Friday the 13th!