Fitswitch Concert Review!!!

So, as you probably heard, I went to see Fitswitch last night! And here's my review of the show!

I got there around 10:30 PM, I thought I'd be late, but luckily I wasn't! Decent crowd too, mostly for the birthday party, but they were into the music! This was easily Fitswitch's first show in a year or more, and the first time I've seen them in maybe three years! For this show, J.D. Pearce and Rick White from the classic lineups were back, with other musicians filling in, including (among others) Jason Bourcier from Operation Killdozer on bass and backing vocals, and Jeff Goertzen on drums! If you know who Jeff is, you'll know he only has one arm, but believe me when I say, he's a pretty good drummer, and he beat my expectations!

The band started their set with an eclectic set of covers, ranging from Danzig and AC/DC, to blink-182 and Bryan Adams, to Flock of Seagulls and Tommy Tutone! They even threw in a cover of VANILLA ICE! I'd say this was weird, but they played these songs in their typical punk/metal sound, and all was good! J.D. even gave me a shoutout during the first half, which was awesome, and completely unexpected! Rick even came to chat with me during the break, and even apologized for not being metal enough! But trust me, Fitswitch are metal enough to get covered here! They were as I remembered them, with the metal attitude and punk sound that got them famous around here!

The break was lengthy, but I'm honestly getting used to that at bar shows. Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison even came and said hi, and thanked me for all the press on the SMS! Awesome! The second half of the concert featured a more typical Fitswitch set, including plenty of Misfits covers, a couple originals, and some covers of songs by bands like The Bloodhound Gang, Gwar, and Judas Priest! Concertgoers were dancing and having shots, Rick was playing the guitar on chairs and tables, and everyone was having the time of their lives!

I have to say, they were great, but J.D. tried songs out of his vocal range a bit too much, and sometimes, they missed a few notes. But those are minor complaints, this was a fun show to celebrate Erin Goertzen's birthday party, and it was clear throughout the night that Fitswitch were having a good old time, even as the size of the crowd steadily dropped! I wasn't going to pass up the oppurtunity to see Fitswitch again, it's been too long, and I sure hope this won't be the last we see of them!

As you can tell by the photos, I took pictures at the concert! Visit The Sault Metal Scene's Photobucket page to view the rest of my photos! I don't know what concert I'll hit next, but when I do, I'll have another review and photos ready! Thanks everyone, more news to come!

Lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, Hempfest News, And More!!!

I'm sure you've all noticed the abundance of news lately? Well, today's no different, cause I have plenty of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!! Let us not waste time, here we go! (And remember, for news on Sense of Truth's next concert, as well as Garden of Bedlam, Kiss, and Stillbroke updates, check the post immediately below this one!)

How many local concerts do I have to share? SIXTEEN. And the first eight I'll mention will be featuring Sault Michigan's own Shift! These hard rockers will be hitting The Satisfied Frog on the weekends of June 5-6th, June 26-27th, August 7-8th, and October 30-31st! All of these shows will take place at 10:00 PM on their respective dates! As well, they've booked two additional shows at Foggy's Bar in Christmas, MI for the August 14-15th weekend!! Nice to see lots of dates for Shift on the horizon, hopefully you guys will go check them out at least once over the next few months! For more information, visit their official MySpace page!

Meanwhile, Pickford modern rockers Absolute will return to The Bird in Sault Michigan for eight shows over the next five months! So, you can go check them out on the weekends of June 26-27th, July 3-4th, July 10-11th, and October 30-31st! Like Shift's shows, all of these dates will take place at 10:00 PM! I think these are Absolute's first Sault shows since March, but I could be wrong! Hopefully these shows go well, they're definitely a good band! Check out some of their songs on their official MySpace page!

Also, just to add, Sault Ontario natives Detroit have scheduled a concert for June 9th at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto, with Mississauga screamo band No Alarms! That, as well as the new Shift shows in Christmas, are now in the Out Of Town Concert Listings at the left of the page! And of course, you can find all the new local shows featuring Shift and Absolute to your right in the Local Metal Concert Listings!

Next up, here's some news on this year's Northern Ontario Hempfest (which does usually feature a metal band or two in the lineup!) This year's fest is scheduled for August 27th-30th, at it's usual spot on Poplardale Road in Ophir, which is less than an hour outside of town. Sadly, it's been announced that this year's event will be it's last, due to increasing costs and stricter R.I.D.E. program enforcement. That sucks, especially to those that truly believe in decriminalizing marijuana, but I'm sure that Hempfest will go out with a bang! Details are to be announced, but once I hear about lineup announcements (especailly where it pertains to metal bands), you'll hear it here!

What else....oh yeah, an upcoming local metal concert has had a change in ticket prices! The concert on June 11th headlined by Today I Caught The Plague will now be just $5 at the door, which is half of the old admission price! How about that, even more excuse to go and support these bands! This show will also feature Thunder Bay death metal bands Faceless Hulk and Norris, Windsor's own Constructed Apocalypse, and locals Loyalty Is Dead! Click their names to check out their songs! Doors open at 6:00 PM on June 11th! For more details on this show, visit the official Facebook event page!

And finally, I've recently been in contact with Everett Mason, the frontman for Toronto metal band APE. They've been looking for a possible booking in Sault Ontario this summer, so I sent him some contact info! In return, I got a copy of APE's new CD, "Survival of the Fittest" in the mail! Never thought I'd see the day when I'd get free CDs, especially from an out of town band! Well, I plan on reviewing it on the SMS! They may not be local, but they might play here soon, so why not? Expect that in the coming days, I'm not reviewing it today cause it'd get lost in the shuffle of today's news. And, if you can help APE get a booking in Sault Ontario, send them a message at their official MySpace page!

That's all for today, remember to go check out Fitswitch, Jager, Kilacel, or Necropolis tonight! Lots of metal shows, might as well see at least one of them! Myself, I'll be seeing Fitswitch, and I promise a review and photos upon my return, so I'll be back with that (and the APE CD review) soon! Stay tuned!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sense of Truth), And Plenty More Updates!!!

Well, hasn't this just been an packed couple of days for news? Again, I'm sorry for completely failing to mention the All Else Fails show from last night, it just completely passed me by when I was looking for stuff until I saw it mentioned in Sault This Week. Oh well, I'm only human, I admit my mistakes, and if anyone has help or suggestions, I'm more than willing to listen! Plus, All Else Fails are coming back next month, and I'll be sure to try and redeem myself for that one!

Now, guess what? LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!!! On June 11th, local hard rockers Sense of Truth are back at Coch's Corner! They will be direct support for Edmonton-based screamo band On The Sidewalk Bleeding on this date of their Canadian tour! This show will start at 10:00 PM, and because it's Coch's Corner, I doubt there will be a cover charge! For more details on this show, visit the official Facebook event page! Now, On The Sidewalk Bleeding aren't really "metal", but I'm sure some of you would like em, so check them out on MySpace! As for Sense of Truth, you probably know how good they are, but if not, check out their MySpace page as well!

Next up, plenty of Garden of Bedlam updates! Later today, we might know details of their official CD release concert tonight, according to frontman Erik Boissineau's Facebook updates! If anything comes out later on, you'll be sure to hear it here as soon as I find out! Buzz is also looking for suggestions on where they should play! Look for "Buzz Ineau" on Facebook and send him a message with your suggestions! As well, Garden of Bedlam's new EP is still on sale at CD Plus, The Rad Zone, and even at Coch's Corner! Garden of Bedlam t-shirts are also in stock at The Rad Zone, so go check those out too! Stay tuned for more GoB news!

And finally, two quick news items. First off, Donna Hopper has posted another article on SooToday about the Kiss voting, mentioning everything about the new announcements! Check it out for details, or scroll down to the post immediately below this one to get the scoop! KEEP THE VOTES COMING, CLICK AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THE PAGE! And finally, Stillbroke's Facebook group has been shut down, though their new Facebook page has been launched in it's place! Get full details on upcoming Stillbroke concerts and their forthcoming EP there and on MySpace!

That's all for this post, I'll stay on the lookout for more news! And remember, 36 days until we hit our second anniversary! We'll have a new logo, a new Facebook presence, and new free CDs! Stay tuned, maybe I'll preview some stuff as the days go by!

EXTREMELY OVERDUE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (All Else Fails) And Major Kiss Fan Routed Tour Voting Updates!!!

Before I mention anything in this post, I should alert everyone to the post I made last night for news on Stillbroke's next show (a.k.a. a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), and previews for weekend shows featuring Jager, Kilacel, Necropolis, and Fitswitch! Get full details immediately below this post!

Now, I have an incredibly overdue LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!!! Remember earlier this month when I mentioned that Edmonton based metal band All Else Fails were looking to play in Sault Ontario on June 9th? Well, they're coming here on that date, to Coch's Corner...and they'll be there TONIGHT too! I can't believe I missed that, and I apologize in every way imaginable! All Else Fails will be playing tonight at 8:00! I guess this is a local concert preview too...how the fuck did I miss this show? Well, I'd say go check them out tonight, they're not bad, they have a pretty good sound! Check out this live video of AEF performing the song "Supernova"!



Now, here's some more big news you guys should be interested in! Kiss have announced more details on the fan routed tour, which as we're all aware, Sault Ontario is in third place for in the voting! First of all, the support band for the tour has been announced, and it is Buckcherry! As you know, they're a multi platinum hard rock band from Los Angeles, and are best known for hits like "Lit Up", "Crazy Bitch", and "Sorry"! So if Kiss do indeed come here, Buckcherry will be too!

Next up, The Sault Metal Scene have learned the cut-off date for voting! And it is June 30th, which is less than 5 weeks away! So all you Kiss fans keep the voting up, the more, the better the odds that Kiss will be here! Same goes for you Buckcherry fans, you get voting too! And hopefully we'll know the voting results at some point in early July...maybe around July 4th, which is the SMS' second anniversary? Probably just wishful thinking.

But remember, just because we're in third for total votes doesn't mean we'll still be in third once Kiss picks the winning cities. They're weighing the votes and city sizes equally, so smaller cities won't be shut out. And honestly, that benefits us, cause we're smaller than most cities in the top 60, so our totals could be better still!

Also, if you voted for Kiss, and they do come to Sault Ontario, you will get the oppurtunity for extra perks too! All who cast a vote will get exclusive pre-sale ticket access, discounts on Kiss merchadise, and the oppurtunity to submit your own Kiss fan video which could get shown on the big screen at the show! (Get more details at this link!) Buckcherry are getting in on this too, cause if you call 1-213-784-4536, and leave the band a message by Saturday at 11:59 PM, you could will free tickets to the Kiss/Buckcherry show if they come to your town! A member of Buckcherry will actually call you if you won! Want proof? Check the video!



That's all for this post! VOTE FOR KISS TODAY! We only have 5 weeks to go, so click the Kiss widget at the top right of the page to cast your vote for Kiss and Buckcherry to come here! Thanks everyone! AND GO CHECK OUT ALL ELSE FAILS TONIGHT!!!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stillbroke), And Local Concert Previews!!!

There's been a bit of a lull in local metal news over the last few days, but I can definitely share this with you guys: A LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!! And after that, you will get your local concert previews for this weekend!

Remember back in April, when locals Stillbroke were scheduled to back up Vancouver pop punk stars Marianas Trench at a show at The Canadian, that was later cancelled? Well, it's official, Marianas Trench are coming here on June 15th, and Stillbroke will definitely be backing them up at this show! Frontman Jesse Frigault broke the news on Facebook, just in case anyone wants a source on that! I don't know much else about the show yet, but the info should roll around soon! The admission price will likely be different, due to lineup differences, so don't expect the same ticket price!

Now, as I promised, here are your local concert previews for this weekend! We have a grand todal of five local concerts taking place over the next few days, so let us begin with the concerts in Sault Ontario!

First of all, there will be a bit of a local band showcase tomorrow night at The Speakeasy at Algoma University! And luckily for you guys, there will be some metal! Local metal band Necropolis will return to the stage at this show, alongside local punk bands The Fury, Good Morning Gorillas, and Stealing Kisses! It appears Caddy Street Avenue have dropped off of the lineup, so the promoters are now looking for a new band to replace them. Let Sara Kutt or Kevin Koprash know on Facebook if your band, or another band, would be interested in joining this show! Tickets are just $5, it is all ages, and yes, there will be an open bar for all to enjoy!

For more details on this show, visit the Facebook event page! And as a bit of a preview for this show, here's a clip from Necropolis' winning performance at the YMCA Battle of the Bands earlier this year, of their song "Night Riders"!



Next up, a well known local punk/metal band are back from the dead for one night only! Tomorrow at 10:00 PM at Coch's Corner, Fitswitch will make their return to the local scene as part of the birthday festivities for Erin Goertzen! Don't worry though, it's open for you guys to go see Fitswitch, even if you're not a guest to the birthday party! As this is Coch's Corner, there is no cover charge! Now, I can guarantee I'll try and get to this show! It's been years since I saw Fitswitch, and I don't wanna pass this up! I will post a review and photos if I do attend!

Of course, for full details (on the performance and the birthday party), visit the Facebook event page! For more on Fitswitch themselves, visit their official MySpace page! And for a video preview, luckily there were still Fitswitch videos kicking around the internet! Check out this video from 2006 of Fitswitch performing their song "Suicide Girl"!



Now, we'll head across the river to Sault Michigan, where they have three metal shows taking place this weekend! First of all, let us go to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill, where Muskegon, Michigan hard rockers Kilacel will take the stage! To my knowledge, this is Kilacel's first show in the Sault area. Hopefully, they'll put on a good show, as the songs on their MySpace page are very promising! Their set will begin at 9:00 PM tomorrow night! So give them a listen, they're pretty good! I don't have any concert clips or videos, but I did find this vid of Kilacel drummer Matt Millering delivering a drum solo, so check this out!

Matt Millering drum solo


And finally, local hard rockers Jager will return for a pair of shows this weekend! As has been the trend lately, they will take the stage at 9:00 PM tomorrow night and Saturday night at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! They will be back at Kewadin next month, but why not go see them this weekend? They're well worth the trip! Check out some of their original tracks at their official MySpace page, and this video of Jager covering the Nazareth classic "Hair of the Dog"!

Jager - Hair of the Dog


That covers it for concerts this weekend! Your next local metal concerts will be next weekend, when Necropolis and Peril rock the Sault area! If I find any more metal concerts taking place next weekend, and at any other time, you'll hear it here! That's all for tonight, I hope to have some more news for you guys very soon, so be on the lookout!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fitswitch), And More News!!!

Well, I graduated from Sault College on the weekend, and various other family shit happened, so now I must get caught up with some local metal band and concert news! No more slacking off! And what better way to start off this post than with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT?!

This Friday at Coch's Corner, a long inactive local punk/metal band will return to the stage! Which band, you may ask? None other than FITSWITCH!!!! I'm sure you remember these guys from back in the day, I was always a fan, and damned if I'd wanna miss this show! They will take the stage at 10:00, and it looks like there wouldn't be a cover charge! Sorry about the short notice, I just found out about it tonight!

Now, they're playing as part of a birthday party for Erin Goertzen, so I don't know if there's any preference to just guests or not, so I'll play it safe and find out more first. It does sound like fun to see Fitswitch again, but I don't wanna be a party crasher either, so I'll wait for info until I confirm I'll go! If you're a guest, get more info about it at the Facebook event page, which should also have any info about Fitswitch's performance!

Now here's some big news about a local hardcore band: According to a new blog post from As It Stands guitarist Garrett Masters on their official MySpace page, they have parted ways with frontman Justin Pregent. Reason? They want to "go after something bigger and better for us as a band." They have a new singer selected, but have yet to announce his identity. However, he is apparently "epic", so we'll have to see how he does! A demo from AIS is still forthcoming, with all new songs featuring their new frontman! I gotta admit, it's sad to see Justin go, but I'm more than willing to hear the new lineup! To read the full blog entry, head to this link!

Ok, what else? Oh yes, a band wants to play here, possibly! I was searching the Internet, and I came across Toxic Holocaust, a heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon! They are touring Canada as we speak, and have an open day for a show in Northern Ontario in June! Yes, they want a show for either North Bay, Sudbury, or Sault Ste. Marie on June 7th on the tour! So, if you are a promoter and would like to help get Toxic Holocaust to play a show in Sault Ontario next month, why not hit them with a message? Check out some of their original songs and send them a message at their official MySpace page!

Next up, a link change on here to update for you guys! Thanks to Brian Badelt for the info! The official website for Bell Border Jam has been shut down. You may remember this as the major summer festival from last August at Runway Park, featuring such bands as Blue Oyster Cult, Seven Mary Three, and Sault Michigan's own Bad Side, among many others! I'm not sure why the site was taken down, but if another Bell Border Jam festival takes place this year, I'm sure it will return! For now, I've replaced it in the Other Local Metal Links with it's official MySpace page!

And finally, votes for Sault Ste. Marie in the fan-routed Kiss tour voting have passed 10,000!!! As of 1:30 PM yesterday afternoon, we had 10,014 votes cast, still only behind Oshawa and Winnipeg! I doubt we'll drop from third at this rate, but keep the votes rolling in! The more we get, the better the odds that Kiss come to Sault Ontario! Remember to vote at the top right of the page, and check out SooToday's latest coverage on the Kiss campaign at this location!

More news to come sooner or later, so keep your eyes peeled for more local metal news! Have a good one!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nixxon Dixxon), And Local Concert Previews For This Weekend!

(EDIT, 8:32 PM: I was looking at The Sault Metal Scene's visitation statistics on StatCounter, and on Tuesday, we reached a new high of 94 hits in one day! THEN, yesterday, we shattered that with a brand new high total of....110 HITS!!! I don't know if that's due to the new poll, or higher interest in news lately, but thank you all so much for visiting over the last few days, I appreciate all of the support! Rock on!)

I was planning for today's post to be just local concert previews, but I actually have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to kick things off! Thanks to Cami Hubbard for the info!

As it turns out, Sault Michigan hard rockers Nixxon Dixxon are playing at The Satisfied Frog this weekend! So let this serve as a local concert preview as well! They will be playing at 10:00 PM both tomorrow and Saturday night! Now, when I looked at the listings, this conflicted with Shift's planned shows at The Frog for the same days and times, which suggests to me that Shift cancelled. Oh well, we'll get chances to see them again! And Nixxon Dixxon are a great band, so all should be fine and dandy for this weekend!

Oh, and Nixxon Dixxon have scheduled two more dates this summer in Sault Michigan, which I noticed on their MySpace page! They will return to The Satisfied Frog on July 31st and August 1st! So now, I think we're all caught up on Nixxon Dixxon shows! They're a great band, I recommend checking them out this weekend if you can! And guess what? I found another live video of Nixxon Dixxon to share! Here's a clip of them performing the Def Leppard classic "Pour Some Sugar On Me" from a concert at The Bird!

Nixxon Dixxon - Pour Some Sugar On Me


Now, let's get to the other local concert previews for this weekend! Two metal shows in Sault Ontario this weekend, and Stillbroke kick things off tomorrow morning! They will be playing at Korah Collegiate and Vocational School at 11:45, as a benfit to raise money for Justin Thibeault and Matt Clement, who were seriously injured in a car accident earlier this month out near The Trading Post. Tickets are $3. I can't go, it conflicts with my graduation from Sault College, but this is a damn good cause that I recommend you all support if possible! Visit the Facebook event page for this concert at this location!

Plus, Stillbroke are an excellent band, so seeing them for $3 isn't a bad deal either! For a preview, check out this live video of Stillbroke performing their original song "No Reason"!



And finally, there will be some metal at a big show tomorrow night at The Canadian! California based crossover thrash band Death By Stereo will be among the support acts for punk legends Strung Out! Also to be featured are Calgary punk rockers This Is A Standoff and Sault natives The Inner City Surfers! Sure, it's mostly a punk show, but there's something for everyone present here, so it wouldn't hurt to go!

Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door! You can buy them at the front desk of The Knights Inn, at CD Plus at The Cambrian Mall, or by e-mailing dustinjones@innercitysurfers.com! Doors open at 8:00 PM, and everything will start at 9:30 PM! Sadly, the show is NOT all ages. For more info, head on over to the official Facebook event page!

As for Death By Stereo, they're a pretty good hybrid of punk and metal, and they are worth checking out! Here's the music video for their single "I Give My Life"!



That should be all for today, more news to come this weekend, so stay tuned!!!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Necropolis) , And A Cancellation

How's everyone doing? Nice to see lots of quick voting on this month's Sault Metal Poll already, last I checked, we had 12 votes! Excellent, keep it up, guys! But now, I have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so let's get right to it!

First of all, on May 29th, local metal band Necropolis will be among the performers at a concert at The Speakeasy at Algoma University! You may remember them from Sara Kutt's Going Away Show, the RedD Monkey concert, and of course, the YMCA Battle of the Bands, and they're back to rock out once again! The rest of the lineup includes many other young local bands, including punk bands The Fury, Stealing Kisses, and Good Morning Gorillas, and local indie band Caddy Street Avenue! Tickets are just $5, and the bar will be open for all your alcoholic needs! Sorry for the short notice, I just found out about this show today! For more info on this concert, visit the official Facebook event page!

Next up, another new local concert with Necropolis on the lineup!!! On June 5th, they will be among the support bands for a punk show headlined by Waterloo's own Broadcast Zero! Check them out, they're not bad for punk! The Fury and Good Morning Gorillas will also be on this show, joining the other bands on the lineup, including local punk rockers Free Beer and a newer band called PRM (any info from you guys?) This show will take place at The Oddfellows Hall at 7:00, and tickets will also be just $5! And just like the other show, get more info at the Facebook event page!

Alright, now that we're caught up with the two Necropolis shows, let's get to mentioning a cancellation. Remember in March when I told you guys about a hardcore show coming up on June 20th featuring California deathcore band Arsonists Get All The Girls? Well, it looks like that show was cancelled. The event page is deleted from Facebook, and AGATG don't list the show on their Myspace anymore. Probably enough proof this show is no more. Shame too, it sounded like a good show!

And finally for today, a Facebook event page has been launched for this Friday's Stillbroke benefit concert at Korah Collegiate for Justin Thibeault and Matt Clement! Remember, tickets are only $3, and all proceeds go towards helping Justin and Matt in their time of need! That's all for now, I'll have local concert previews tomorrow for this weekend's shows! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Metal Poll, Plus Last Poll Results!

No real news for this post, I'll have plenty of that to come. But today, I've decided to close our first ever Sault Metal Poll, after a month's worth of voting, and I'll share the results and my thoughts! As you might remember, the question I asked you was "Why do you think many fans don't go to metal concerts in Sault Ontario?". Only twenty-seven votes were cast, but it's honestly higher than I was expecting, so thanks for taking part! Let's go over the results, and see what the general consensus is. (FYI, there was one vote cast for "Other", but I don't know what their specific answer was)

Lack of alcohol license (0 votes): THANK YOU FOR NOT PICKING THIS! Good on you guys for agreeing that getting drunk is not the main reason to go to local shows. Sure, having a beer or two is fun, but the music comes first!

Quality of venue (0 votes): Looks like you guys don't judge attendance by where a show is held, and I agree completely. People go to shows for the music and to have fun, not complain that the venue is small, or not well set up, or something.

Staff and security crackdowns (0 votes): The only other choice with no votes, and in all honesty, this should never be an issue for anyone as long as you behave yourself. Some staff and security will naturally be stricter or more watchful than others, but they just want to make sure the show is safe and doesn't have any issues. Nice to see you guys agree!

Friend's band isn't playing (1 vote): I sincerely hope this vote was a joke. I'd like to think people in this town aren't judging concert attendance on if a friend is in one of the bands. It's your decision, but really, you have to support the bands that come here and try and succeed, even if you don't know them. I mean, come on.

High ticket prices (1 vote): Here's a selection I didn't expect to see get such low votes. I figured high admission would be a bone of contention, but looks like that isn't the main factor. Though in all honesty, most metal concerts in Sault Ontario won't go past $20 admission except at The Essar Centre, and we all know metal shows don't happen there often. Most concerts here are reasonably affordable, all things considered!

Underage restrictions (1 vote): Well, I expected some votes for this one, but just one? Looks like 19+ age limits aren't that big of a deal. In all honesty, only those 18 and under will likely have a problem with them. But looking back on it, it's a lot safer and easier to keep shows restricted to 19+s, so I can understand the low total a bit.

General laziness (4 votes): Now we're getting into the popular choices! Some of you apparently believe it's just laziness that hurts attendance. I still don't think this is the reason. People are motivated to go to shows, it just depends which ones. Oh well, maybe there are some "lazy" people here, what could be done to get them at shows?

Not many big name artists (4 votes): Looks like many people want to see bigger names come here. Now here's the problem with that: If you don't go to shows and support the ones that DO come here already, how likely are promoters to bring bigger bands, given the already low turnouts? That's just my observation. As for shows at The Essar Centre, I'll put it this way: Jackyl and Slaughter got about 500 people. Heaven and Hell and Megadeth got 3,000+. You do the math. That's the kind of concert we need there.

Minimal advertising (5 votes): The second most popular choice and one I can agree with as well! The internet does wonders for band promotion, exposure, and concert info (hell, I get 95% of our concert info from there), but many people in the Sault don't use the internet to search for shows. Back in the good old days, there used to be show flyers and posters everywhere, maybe promoters should start spreading them out more? Anything to get more people at shows, cause a Facebook event page shouldn't be the only tool used to promote a concert.

And the top choice in the poll is......Don't like the bands, which ran away with the highest total in the poll! 10 of you, over 37% of the voters, said that the reason people don't go to local metal shows is that they don't like the bands. This is a matter of preference, for the most part. Some people are picky when it comes to what bands and genres they like, others just don't see enough of their favourite types of bands come here.

So I'm going to use this top result as the basis for the next Sault Metal Poll! I wanna know what YOU guys want to see in Sault Ontario, in terms of metal bands. So, I pose to you guys this question: "What genre of metal bands would be most successful for Sault-area concerts?" Here are your choices!

Black Metal
Classic Hard Rock
Death Metal
Glam/Hair Metal
Hardcore
Nu Metal/Modern Rock
Power Metal
Progressive Metal
Thrash/Speed Metal
I like all types of metal
Other

Vote today at the left of the page! I'm really interested to see what kinds of metal you guys want in Sault Ontario! I'll leave it at that for now, and I'll have more news for you guys in the near future! And remember, Death By Stereo, Stillbroke, and Shift will all rock the Sault area this weekend, so stay tuned for info on those concerts! Thanks everyone, VOTE TODAY!!!

Local Concert Preview (Blind Witness), And More News!!!

Hello, one and all! As I promised a few days ago, I have one more concert to preview for you guys, so let's start this post with, as usual, a local concert preview! Afterwards, I have some assorted news items, so allow me to begin!

So tomorrow night at The Oddfellows Hall, Big Voiced Records are putting on a concert jam packed with hardcore metal mayhem! Your headliners will be Montreal based hardcore rockers Blind Witness, making their long awaited return to Sault Ontario! They were to have played here in March with Carnifex, but a car accident scuttled that plan. Luckily, they're back and ready to rock at this show! As a bit of a preview, check out this music video for their song "Bleeding Blades"!



But that's not all! This concert will feature a total of five other bands! Uxbridge Ontario-based Christian hardcore band To Cherish, Calgary hardcore band The Fallacy, and Belleville's own Amnesia Amnesia will all make their way up here to entertain what should be an excited crowd! As well, two local bands will play support on this night, including the recently formed Loyalty Is Dead (any info from the readers on these guys? E-mail me!), and local punk rockers The Fury, who will open the concert at 7:00 PM! And remember, fellow locals As It Stands are NOT on the lineup anymore, just in case anyone didn't hear.

Doors open at 6:30, and tickets have been knocked down in price from $12 to $10! Advance tickets will NOT be sold, so if you're interested in attending, bring your money to the door! Click on each band's name to go to their official MySpace pages, and check out some of their quality original songs! And if anyone's going to the concert tomorrow night, let us know!

Next up, some Kiss updates! Yes, we are still in third in the voting for the Kiss fan-routed tour! As of 2:00 PM Sunday, there were 9,845 votes cast for Sault Ontario, still only behind Oshawa and Winnipeg. Keep the votes coming, everyone, and ensure Kiss make their way here on their upcoming tour! Vote today at the top right of the page!!!

On a related note, Tiny Bubbles on 332 Queen Street has a lot of new Kiss merchandise available for purchase, which you can buy at the store or online at their official website! As you may already know, Tiny Bubbles, formerly connected to Planetary Pride, sells lots of metal band merchandise, alongside other items, like jewelry, accessories, antiques, candles, and much more! I didn't know there was a site for Tiny Bubbles before, but now that I do, you can find it in the Other Local Metal Links!!!

And finally, I figured I should remind you guys about something coming up in terms of The Sault Metal Scene itself. On July 4th, we will be celebrating our second anniversary! So I figured I'd give you guys some preliminary info about what to expect! First of all, the Free CD Giveaway will return, with a completely new track listing, and I will make up another 50 to distribute for free as a promo to anyone interested! Also, I'm planning July 4th to be the official relaunch date for The Sault Metal Scene on Facebook, in a new format, be it as a reworked group, or maybe as a fan page. I'll withhold any information on that for the time being.

And finally, I have decided that on July 4th, I will unveil a brand new logo for The Sault Metal Scene. Why? Well, for one, the current logo is too Sault Ontario-centered, with no real cues to Sault Michigan. And two, it's not easy to manipulate and customize for specific concerts, events, and holidays. Plus, the Metallica font I've used for the wordmark isn't original at all. So I've been working on a new logo that will stand out more, be easier to manipulate, and not weigh in favor of either side of the Twin Saults, but still look metal and be awesome. That too, will be unveiled on July 4th, our second anniversary, so stay tuned for all of this!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, Who Made Who Review, And Skate4Cancer News!

Hello everyone! I do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for everyone, as well as some assorted news, but today, let us start with my review of the Who Made Who concert last night!

So I got there around 10:30 PM, not too far off from the start time, which was around 11:00. Would have been nice to know the start time, but oh well. But when they started, Who Made Who did a pretty good job! They sounded pretty much like you would expect AC/DC to! A few missed notes here and there, but certainly not enough to detract from the performance! The first half of the show featured a good amount of songs that you wouldn't hear on the radio, which surprised me! I figured the set would be just AC/DC hits, but it was cool to hear some songs you don' t typically hear!

The band itself mostly didn't try to replicate AC/DC's look, with the exceptions of the lead singer's Brian Johnson hat, and the guitarist's Angus Young getup! He had the full schoolboy outfit, and even did the bob and duck walk just like Angus does! It's little things like those that can really add to a tribute band performance! The band itself had appropriate energy too, and seemed to really enjoy playing here! The band took a break midway through the set, which was damn near an hour. I would have liked it to be sooner, but the crowd sure didn't care. Most of the fans were perfectly content with drinking and dancing to the 80s metal played over the loudspeaker!

The final half of the show had Who Made Who performing mostly AC/DC classic songs like "TNT", "Back In Black", and "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" in convincing fashion, and the crowd sure responded! Almost every song had the fans filling the floor and dancing the night away! They eventually finished with "Thunderstruck" as their encore, ending a great night of music! Sure, it wasn't a perfect copy of AC/DC, but I wasn't expecting that. I just wanted to hear some great renditions of the AC/DC classics, and that's what I got! It was overall a very fun show, and you all should have been there!

As you can tell, I took a bunch of pictures at the concert! My camera has a screen problem (Water got in), so if the angles are off, blame that on my inability to see the bottom half of the screen at the moment. So check out the rest of my photos at the SMS's official Photobucket page! I think the virus shit is over for it, but if anyone reports any problems with it, please let me know!

Now, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT I had just mentioned! On May 22nd at Korah Collegiate and Vocational School, locals Stillbroke will be playing a special benefit show to raise money for Justin Thibeault and Matt Clement, who were injured in a car accident earlier this month out near The Trading Post. Tickets will be just $3, and this show will take place at 11:45 AM on that day. It's just a damn shame that this accident had to happen, so hopefully you guys can go out and support Justin and Matt when they need it the most! To send your prayers to both of them, join this Facebook group!

Finally, Donna Hopper has posted a short review of last night's Skate4Cancer show from The Cure Is Knowledge Tour on SooToday! Apparently, there were around 150 fans (small for a free show), and by what was written on the article, the show appears to have went off pretty well! There are 15 photos on there as well, including 4 of local hard rockers Sense of Truth! Also, SooToday has posted a video from the show online, and yes, it features Sense of Truth too! Check it out below, a clip of their performance begins at 1:40, and lasts about one minute!



That's all for today, more news is on the horizon, including a local concert preview for this Tuesday's Blind Witness concert, so stay tuned! Thanks, everyone!

Local Concert Previews For This Weekend!!! (Sense of Truth, Who Made Who, And More!)

First off, thanks to any visitors that are coming here from the message I sent to the SMS Facebook group about why it's not used. Remember, Blogger gives me way more freedom to realize my vision for the SMS, Facebook is too limiting. I still wanna repackage the Facebook group to make it effective in another way as a companion to the blog, so if you have any suggestions, let me know at robfigures@hotmail.com!

Now, let us get to your local concert previews for this weekend! There were no concerts last weekend, but luckily we have a lot over the next few days, so let's get right to it! We'll begin in Sault Ontario, where Skate4Cancer's The Cure Is Knowledge Tour hits The Lock City Grand Theater tonight at 6:30! And among the scheduled bands are local hard rockers Sense of Truth! They will be supporting Aurora Ontario pop punk band Brighter Brightest at tonight's show, alongside local punk rockers The Scary Uncles and local indie artist Kalle Mattson!

Formed by Rob Dyer in 2004, Skate4Cancer does cross country skating tours to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. It's a great cause, and it's definitely worth supporting. This tour they're putting on features out of town and local artists coming together at free shows across Canada to help spread the word to support the drive for a cure for cancer. And tonight is no different! Admission is absolutely FREE, but I'm sure donations are more than welcome! It's ALL AGES too! I know it's not completely metal, but why not go and support a good cause? It won't cost you anything! For more information on Skate4Cancer, visit their official MySpace page! And for more info on this concert, visit the official Facebook event page!

As for Sense of Truth, you're likely well aware of what they'll bring to the table, they're a great band with lots of shows under their belt! Check them out on Myspace!! For a preview, check out this video from last year of them performing their original "Anything At All"!



Next up, we have a show that I thankfully have a bit more info on now! Tomorrow night, Who Made Who: The Ultimate Tribute To AC/DC will hit The Canadian for a night of high voltage rock n' roll! Sure, it's not the real thing, but this'll do the trick nicely until we get a chance to see them live! I had mentioned that I knew next to nothing on this show, but thanks to the new issue of Sault This Week, I can tell you all that the cover charge is only $5! Not bad at all! I don't believe there's other bands scheduled, and I doubt it's all ages, seeing as the show is at a bar. No word on a start time, but I'd say it won't be until after 9:00, maybe 10:00.

I've checked out Who Made Who, they do a great job replicating the AC/DC sound, so I definitely recommend going on Friday! I will be, and I'll have a review and pics afterwards too! Check out their official website for videos and information, and this live video of their rendition of "TNT"!



Now, we'll go over to Sault Michigan for our final three shows of the weekend! First of all, there will be metal at The Malcolm High School Music Festival tomorrow night! Local grunge band Half Stupid will be among the performers, alongside local ska-punk rockers The Pick-Me-Ups and local solo artist Mike Libertoski, who you might recognize as a member of local death metal band Slackjawed Rats! This festival will be held at The Big Bear Arena, which is across the road from Kewadin Casino, inside the Chi Muk Wa Community Recreation Center!

If you're interested in attending, tickets are $5, and you can get them by calling 588-7465, or you could probably get them at Malcolm High School or at the door too! Everything starts at 7:00! Half Stupid are also a pretty talented band, so check them out on MySpace! And yes, I have a video for these guys too! Check out this video for their song "The Pit and The Pendulum"!



And finally, we'll head to The Satisfied Frog, where the final two shows of the weekend will take place tomorrow and Saturday night at 10:00 PM! The band? Nixxon Dixxon! You know that these locals are extremely talented, and they always put on a great show, and these two should be no different! They'll next play here in June at Kewadin Casino, but why not check them out this month? You won't be sorry! Check out some of their covers on MySpace! And for a video preview, here's Nixxon Dixxon performing three acoustic covers (of Seether, Daughtry, and Puddle of Mudd) from a concert in St. Ignace!



So there's your previews for the weekend, there's no shortage of metal in the next few days! Just in case you were wondering, there will definitely be a preview for the Blind Witness concert on Tuesday in the next while as well! I'll leave it at that for tonight, I'll have more news for you all very soon, so stay tuned!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and Blind Witness Show Updates!!!

As I promised, I have more news very quickly! I don't wanna let four or five days slip like that again! So, here we go, for I have tons of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (And remember, for some news on Clownsack, Kiss, and Who Made Who, among others, view the post immediately below this one!)

I completely apologize for missing this one, I just passed it off as a 100% punk rock show, but as it turns out, there is a metal band on the bill! Well, as you may have heard, California punk legends Strung Out are coming to The Canadian on May 22nd! And one of the support acts is a metal band! California crossover thrash/hardcore band Death By Stereo will be on the bill for this show as well! Check them out on MySpace, it's a good mix of metal and punk, and they're definitely worth a listen! Also to be featured are Calgary punk rockers This Is A Standoff and Sault natives The Inner City Surfers!

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door (and keep in mind, Strung Out are pretty big, so the price isn't terrible!) You can buy them at the front desk of The Knights Inn (that's where The Canadian is located, on Pim Street), at CD Plus at The Cambrian Mall, or by e-mailing dustinjones@innercitysurfers.com! Doors open at 8:00 PM! Sadly, it's not an all ages show, you have to be 19 to go. For more information, check out the SooToday event page at this location, or this link to confirm your attendance on Facebook!

Next up, we have a concert coming up at (guess where)....Foggy Notions!!! Yes, the famous bar on the corner of Queen and East is back! And luckily, the metal concerts are coming back too! You may remember a while back when I mentioned that Winnipeg alt-metal band Domenica were looking to play in Sault Ste. Marie on July 4th. Well, they got their booking, albeit a day earlier! So on July 3rd at 8:00 PM, prepare for some metal!

Also joining them on this show will be fellow Winnipeg metal band Dreadnaut! Remember the name? They were scheduled to play at The Other Place many months ago with Garden of Bedlam, but cancelled due to a family emergency. I recall plans for a makeup show, but it never happened. Luckily, they're definitely coming in July, and hopefully I can make it down to Foggy's for this show! Click on each band's name to check out their music, they're both excellent bands! When more info is announced, I'll tell you all! And the Facebook page for Foggy Notions is now in the Local Metal Links to your right!

But wait, there's more! On July 22nd, there will be another metal concert in Sault Michigan! On that day, Lansing experimental metal band Mr. Denton will be playing at a birthday party at 8:00 PM at Kaine's Rink! That's the hockey rink and event center on East Easterday Avenue, and Mr. Denton will be there to perform for a person named Max's birthday. Their Myspace says more details are to follow. Seeing as it's a birthday party, I don't know how available it will be to the general public, but I figured I'd mention it! As for Mr. Denton themselves, they have a unique sound going for them, kind of a pop/funk/metal-ish style. Check them out on Myspace, and once I hear more on this show, you'll hear it here!

OK, that's all for new concerts! Now, I have some updates on an upcoming local show. One week from today, there's gonna be a hardcore show at The Oddfellows Hall headlined by Montreal hardcore band Blind Witness and Uxbridge hardcore band To Cherish. That hasn't changed, but some of the support acts have! Sadly, locals As It Stands have dropped off the show, but there have been two bands added! New locals Loyalty is Dead are now on the bill (thought I still don't know much about them), and Belleville hardcore rockers Amnesia Amnesia are now scheduled for it once again!

You may remember from my very first post on this show that Amnesia Amnesia were scheduled to play it when it was just with To Cherish at The Arcadia Coffeehouse. They appeared to have been dropped last I heard, but they're back on now! Aside from the new show poster, nothing else has changed, Calgary hardcore band The Fallacy and local punk rockers The Fury are also still on it, doors still open at 6:30, and tickets are still $9 in advance, $12 at the door! And remember, to confirm your attendance and get full details, head over to the official Facebook event page!

Finally, I realized I forgot to preview a pair of shows in April. I reported in February that Michigan hard rock band Nudge were coming to The Satisfied Frog for shows on April 24-25 and June 11-12. Well, I somehow forgot to give you guys a local concert preview for the April shows, nor did I include any of these shows in the concert listings. I apologize to everyone for that!!! I promise I won't forget the June shows, I have them in the listings now, and I will preview them next month! Fuck, how did I forget that?!

Well, I think we're all caught up now! And remember, your next local concert is Thursday night, when Sense of Truth rock out at the FREE Skate4Cancer show, followed by concerts featuring Who Made Who, Nixxon Dixxon, and Half Stupid! Last weekend was very quiet for local concerts, but this weekend more than makes up for it, so enjoy yourselves, and I'll have more news very soon, I promise!!!