LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Three Days Grace Are Coming Back!!!)

Well guys, I have a HUGE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Here's what I know so far!

Canadian alternative hard rockers Three Days Grace are coming back to The Essar Center! They will be there on December 8th for a stop on their upcoming Canadian tour! Support will come from Utah pop-punk band The Used and fellow Canadian rockers Default! I'd only really refer to Three Days Grace in "metal terms" on here, but I know there's fans of The Used and Default who check the SMS out too, so this should be even better news for you guys! Of course, you'll probably best know Three Days Grace from hits like "Animal I Have Become", "Just Like You", and "Pain", among many others! Tickets for this show will range from $39.50-$44.50 (not bad) and will go on sale THIS SATURDAY. You can of course stand in line for tickets at The Essar Center's box office, or you can get tickets by calling 1-866-775-9422 or online through LiveNation or The Essar Center's official website!

Now, before someone's like "OMG ROB 3DG ARENT METAL WTF SELLOUT", let me clear the air. I know a lot of you may debate Three Days Grace as being metal, or even hard rock, but again, I'm not exclusionary of anything you could call "metal", and multiple sites do indeed refer to 3DG as a metal band. I'm not playing favourites, and in the general "metal" range I use for bands I talk about, I intentionally keep it loose so bands that could be defined as metal or metal-influenced will get coverage. This way, everyone's happy and nothing's left out. Three Days Grace, at the very least, have a metal influence. They're not emo either. And, I covered their first show on the old Facebook group, why play favourites now?

It may be a bit out of character for me, but I've always been a fan of Three Days Grace, and I believe I'll get a ticket for this show! After all, I did see them the last time they were here! As most of you are aware, they played here way back on January 24th, 2007, with Seether and Econoline Crush! Fun show, it was especially cool seeing Adam from 3DG and Shaun from Seether do some duets! And aside from the highly underrated Jackyl concert in May 2007, there's been no major metal shows since then at The Essar Center. But that all shall change in December! As a bit of a preview, here's a video clip of 3DG playing the song "Home" from that show! (All credit to YouTube user Oshkabewisens1984 for the upload!)



So that's all I had to say this morning. It's a big show, after all, it deserved some good coverage! And with Kiss coming next year, things are looking up finally for hard rock and metal at The Essar Centre! Stay tuned for more details on this show as I hear them! Thanks everyone, enjoy your Monday!

A Pile Of Assorted News!!

As I promised, here's the rest of the news I had planned yesterday! Now that yesterday's stuff had time to sink in, I have a bunch more, so let's get you guys up to date!

First, a local band has made it's way to iTunes! Lion Ride's debut EP "Awesome" (which I reviewed in August) is now available for download there! If you have iTunes, follow this link to get to the download area! I don't have iTunes myself (no need for it), so I can't comment on the service itself too much. But I know a lot of you guys do download music (legal or otherwise), and if you can't buy the album or don't want to, now you have a way to legally get Lion Ride's EP! Also, anyone have word on any other local bands having their albums on iTunes as well? Give me a shout!

Next, I have some updates for the upcoming Sykotyk Rampage/Dysfunctional Kemystry show at The Outback on October 16th! Remember how the show is a Sault College fundraiser? Well, we know what the funds are going to now! Specifically, proceeds from this show will go towards next year's BScN graduating class, and towards sending students to Canadian Nursing Student Association conferences! Nice gesture! Also, this show will apparently also be a toga party! Not sure how much that will catch on, but it may be fun to play along with! No word yet on ticket prices, but I'll keep you guys posted! Get full details on this show at this location!

Now, I have some updates on two more local acts. First, Sault Ontario metal guitarist Brendan Christie has announced plans for his first solo album at his official MySpace blog! He apparently plans to call it "The Clock Is Ticking", and as you can see in the image to the right, this may be the album cover! He plans to have his song "The New World Order" as the first single, with "Get Out Of My Face" the only other confirmed song. Hopefully this can go all the way, I'd love to hear more from Brendan, he's a definite talent and it'd be great to see an album from him! Read his blog entry at this location, and check out some of his songs at his official MySpace page!

Two more quick news items to share before we get to some videos. Sault Michigan hard rockers Monkey's Uncle (formerly known as Jager) have announced their new lineup, which includes frontman Henry Switzer, bassist Jim Belleau (who was in the old Jager lineup) and drummer Ron Suchey from the Rudyard classic rock band Hair Trigger! Nice to see, hopefully they'll be back playing shows real soon! Also, Sault Ontario's own Stillbroke have re-posted their original song "Forget" on their official MySpace page. They had initially removed it last month and replaced it with "Tear Me To Pieces", but the songs have been re-replaced! If you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen, it's solid!

Now, I have some YouTube video-related updates, and firstly, I can finally upload videos onto YouTube! I recieved a new modem for my computer, and now, the internet doesn't cut out when I try to upload stuff! So now I can finally do more than favourite videos on the SMS YouTube account now! I will now begin to upload videos onto YouTube when the oppurtunity presents itself! Now when I say that, I will ONLY upload live video clips, songs that were never released for sale or are not sold anymore, and short preview clips of songs you can purchase. After all, I wanna expose everyone to our great local talent, but I also want you guys to support them and buy their songs too.

So I have begun by uploading Gates of Winter's debut EP onto YouTube, which is now out of print and not readily sold. Hopefully the upload of the EP will help give Gates some additional well-deserved exposure, even during the current hiatus. Stay tuned for more videos I'll be uploading onto YouTube, cause believe me, there's a ton of songs and bands that deserve additional exposure! Visit our YouTube channel for hundreds of local metal-related videos! And here's one of the songs off of the Gates EP, my personal favourite, "Hidden Enemy"!



But that's not all, for I found a ton of new live clips featuring Sault natives Detroit! YouTube user dnahahaha has uploaded SIXTEEN live clips from various Detroit concerts at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto! Lots of solid performances to be found there, check them all out at the SMS' channel or at dnahahaha's channel! And I'll leave you guys for tonight with Detroit's performance of the song "Random Eyes" from a show in May! Thanks everyone, I'll have more news in the coming days!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Spliff69), Two New Local Bands, And Another Band Wants A Show Here!

Before we start, I'll just remind you guys to check out my review of Bad Side's debut album immediately below this post, and vote in the current poll on the left of the page, to see what your favourite Woods of Ypres song is!

Now, let's get things going, for I have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!! Spliff69, a hard rock band from Canton, Michigan, will be playing TWO shows on October 15th! First, they'll rock Lake Superior State University for an acoustic set at what they claim is "The Gallery Coffeehouse", but I go to LSSU, and there's no such coffeehouse there. It's actually called The Peacock Cove, and it's in The Cisler Center. Despite the mix-up, it seems like a legit booking, multiple pages list it, and it's well detailed too. It will be an acoustic all-ages set at 4:00 that day, after which they'll hit The Satisfied Frog for a full-on electric set that night!

I hadn't heard of Spliff69 before today, but they have a good sound going for them! Accessible, but heavy and groovy all at once! I'd say they're worth seeing if you're in Sault Michigan that day, check out some of their original material on their official MySpace page! And if I hear anything more on these shows, I'll be sure to share them with you all!

Next up, I have located a new local metal band, and at the same time, found out about the possible end of another local band. In my searching, I found a Sault Michigan metal band named In Memorandum, and they happen to feature Integrated System of Machines frontman Orb Hearthstone and bassist Sven Giles on guitar! The band also features Giles' brother Greg from the Grand Rapids band Dissonant on drums! They appear to have been active since August 13th, and have some bio information too, but best of all, an original song! Entitled "Sun Is Gone", it's solid, but not as consistently heavy as I was expecting. Maybe it's the lack of a bassist at present. But it's worth checking out, and you can do so at this location!

This brings me to my next point, in the bio info for In Memorandum, it credits Orb Hearthstone in brackets as "ex-I.S.O.M." As well, I.S.O.M.'s MySpace page has not been updated since July 25th. Have Integrated System of Machines broken up? I haven't seen anything official on that front, but things don't look that good. If this truly is the end for the band, I gotta say I'll miss them, I've been a fan since I first heard them, and the fact they used an SMS quote as a review on their ReverbNation page was a very nice gesture! I'll cross my fingers that they'll be back though!

But I did find another band in Sault Ontario to share with you guys! Long since inactive, but worth mentioning! They were Orchestra of Wolves, a hardcore band that was active in...December of 2007. Normally I wouldn't talk about bands that had such a short shelf life, but they have a decent amount of profile info, so I can't just ignore them! Their band members were then-high schoolers (frontman Jamie MacDonald is pictured), and not in any other local bands I can think of off the top of my head, but they sounded promising! They say they sounded like "a pack of hungry wolves listening to a Robert Goulet mix tape." Influences ranged from Every Time I Die to Norma Jean. Maybe you remember these guys? Check them out at their official MySpace page!

And finally for today, we have a band that wants to play here, and a band that appears to have given up trying. Remember when I mentioned that Alberta metal band Calculating Collapse were hoping to play here on October 18th? Looks like they're not planning that show anymore, it's off of their tour schedule. But never fear, another metal band has tentatively lined Sault Ontario up for a show! Endast, a hardcore/thrash band from Montreal, are looking to play here on November 10th. Can you help? Send them a message on MySpace! They don't sound too bad, it would definitely be nice to see them here!

I had been plotting a huge post today, but I figured I'd break everything up to spread out the news and not overload you guys. Tomorrow will be a post of random news items, including news from Sykotyk Rampage, Brendan Christie, Detroit, Lion Ride, Monkey's Uncle, and some information about the SMS' Youtube channel! Stay tuned tomorrow for even more news and updates! Also, remember to check out my Bad Side album review! Thanks everyone!

Bad Side - "Bad Side" CD Review!!!

It's time for another local metal CD review, and for the first time, I'm going to review an album from a band from Sault Michigan, and it's none other than defunct local blues/hard rockers Bad Side! When I was exploring downtown Sault Michigan yesterday during a break from classes, I went into Grooves Music (nice store, by the way), and they happened to have some local music CDs, and luckily, they had all three Bad Side albums! So I bought their debut self-titled release, and now I have it to review for you guys! Released in 2005, it features core members Melissa Krahnke on vocals and Jason Mapes on guitar (both share percussion and keyboard duties as well), with session musicians Rich Blair on bass & Dan Furmanik on rhythm guitar & bass. Melissa, Jason, and Dan produced the disc, and it was later mixed and mastered at Hitmakers Digital Studio in Henderson, Tennessee. The album, which is now out of print, costs just $10 and you can find it online at CDBaby and iTunes, while physical copies may be floating around at Grooves Music or other local merchants.

There are 15 songs on this album (that includes two bonus tracks), so this'll be a long review, but I'll try and keep things to the point as much as possible. Remember, I'm not a professional reviewer, if something seems poorly worded, thought out, or researched, my apologies! These are just my thoughts and impressions! (Updated on November 6th, 2012)

The album starts with an instrumental intro entitled "Prelude To A Kill". It features some violin playing from Dan Furmanik with backing piano, and it sets a good tone for the album. Short and to the point, can't ask for much more out of the intro! The first real song is "Soulkiller", and it sarts of in a rocking way! Nice catchy classic riffing, which keeps up throughout the song. Melissa's vocals might not be what you'd expect, they're deeper and more soulful than you might expect but they totally fit the songs. Interestingly, the chorus is softer than the verses, which kinda kills the mood a bit. No guitar solos either, sadly, but the song is still a good listen, and will get your toes tapping! Also, nice use of the talkbox effect!

This is followed by "Revenge", which also has a great classic hard rock feel to it! It flows better than "Soulkiller" did, but there's no real "punch" to it, so to speak, it just flows along. The piano also seems a touch out of place, and the song's shorter than I'd have expected, but it's not a bad song by any means, just a bit lacking. But on the next song, "I Will Come To You", I was completely suprised! It's starts with a piano driven ballad-like opening, though it picks up slowly as the song goes on. Great vocal work from Melissa, shifting from soft clean singing to a heavier soulful style at will! Finally get a bit of a real guitar solo on this song, not bad work by Jason, and it suits the song by how it's played. Perfect example of a song to break out your lighter for at a concert!

Next is "Mission", which immediately sounds old school by the keyboards being used at the beginning! Has a bouncier feel, but it has the same kind of straight flow that "Revenge" had. Great singing, it's a good song, but compared to their later work, it's not as varied and dynamic. "Money Money" picks things back up, the energy level and musicmanship is great. Similar pace, but things are definitely a bit more up-tempo and groovable! It also has the best guitar solo on the album so far too, but it's a bit drowned out by the other instruments. I love this song, it's catchy and makes you get on your feet!

"Feel Me" is the next song, and sounds very familiar, but I can't place it. The piano work in this song really fits, and Jason shreds it up on guitar, especially on the solo! Things are slowly picking up for the album as a whole! After this is the song "You're So Hot", a song I really liked before picking up the album already! The band's firing on all cylinders with this song, the guitar work is excellent from start to finish, Melissa's singing is at top form, and you can't help but get into it! This is still my favourite song out of them all on this CD!

Then comes "See Now", which begins with an interesting double harmony vocal opening featuring both Melissa and guest musician Carol Lee Cooper, who chimes in throughout the song. The violin playing returns from "Prelude To A Kill", and it really adds more of an epic, grand feel to the song. I love symphonic elements in music, so this is awesome to hear from a local band! Another standout, and it's nice to see some variety like this!

After that, Bad Side turn things back up with "My Body Shakes", another up-tempo rocker that I like almost as much as "You're So Hot"! I can't really add anything new to say, it's just a great great song just as I've come to expect, you'd have to listen to it. But oddly, the song ends with what sounds like someone trying to find something to listen to on the radio by turning the dial to find a station. Odd, but I recognize some of the DJs from real local stations, which is cool!

Back to music, with "Filthy Nasty", which is different than most of the songs by the tempo and playing, things just sound a bit "different". Good song though, no dead parts and the band clicks real well! Nice pace to enerything, no complaints! Then we get "Done Anyway", which sees the return of the talkbox from "Soulkiller" (though it's a bit overused in my opinion.) It's a good song though, dependably heavy and catchy throughout, with interesting use of multiple vocal tracks near the end! Not my favorite, but by no means a bad song either!

Then we get the final song on the album (not counting bonus tracks), "I'm A Moron", which begins with an intro involving a guy encouraging his friend to go talk to to the singer of the band (probably referring to Melissa). The song seems to be a parody of loser guys at shows that try to hit on her after shows, but I can't prove if it's based on reality. The song's pretty funny, making fun of these types and bashing them. Melissa's singing also takes on a bit of a mocking tone too, it perfectly fits the lyrical content! Great song! The bonus tracks are a "piano mix" of "I Will Come To You" which just features Melissa and the piano & no backing instruments, and a "radio mix" of "Done Anyway" with swears substituted. Nice bonuses, especially when I could get them this easily!

Overall, it's a great first album from Bad Side! Now it's not perfect, some songs just float along without a lot of variety, and I really wish the instruments had a better mix, but keep in mind, this is their first album. The production values and instrumentation all will get better, and by the time "Bad Side II" came out, they were definitely sounding as good as we know them now. It's not as dramatic a production leap as Gates of Winter made from their original EP to Lux Aeterna, but it's really noticeable.

Even still, Bad Side proved their great talents on this debut album, and I recommend checking out "You're So Hot", "My Body Shakes", and "See Now", excellent songs! Can't wait to hear more from Bad Side, and I'll be sure to review their other albums down the road on the SMS! And check out Melissa on 99.5 Yes FM weekdays from 6-10 AM!

So that was this month's CD review, and next month, I've made no surprises about what's ahead! I will 100% be reviewing Woods of Ypres' brand new release "Woods IV: The Green Album"! Not sure what day it comes out, but believe me, that's what I wanna review! Then in November, saying that it's out by then, I'll review the new Sykotyk Rampage CD! Anything past then is up the air, but I'll update you guys to schedule changes as albums come out and get in my hands! That's all for today, news shall return this weekend (here's hoping.) Thanks guys! CHECK OUT BAD SIDE!!!

This Weekend's Concert Previews, And More!!

It's that time again, we have a few metal shows taking place this weekend, so here it is, your local concert previews! I'll have a couple news stories after too!

First this weekend, we have a triple shot of concerts at The Satisfied Frog from Michigan hard rockers Nudge! Unlike most weekend sets from bands in the area, Nudge will also be playing tonight, with a special "Nudge-coustic" set, followed by some more normal sets Friday and Saturday! Each show will take place at 10:00 PM! I don't know much else, and I haven't found any audio or video of these guys to share, but from everything I've seen (and their extensive tour schedule), they're very likely a great and talented band! Go check them out this weekend if you can, and visit their MySpace page for more info!

The other show this weekend (that I know of) is Saturday night, when local hard rock band Free Refill return to rock this year's Oktoberfest! (Am I the only one who thinks Oktoberfest should be in October?) It will take place on Portage Avenue from noon-midnight, with Free Refill playing at 8:00 PM according to their MySpace page! There will apparently be other live bands, farmer’s market, food, games and more! Nice to see some good music on the bill, hopefully Free Refill do a great job this weekend! For a preview, check out this video clip of Free Refill covering the Wolfmother song "Joker And The Thief"!



So there's your concerts this weekend, if I hear anything coming out of them, I'll be sure to share with you guys! And remember, next weekend, Tym Morrison and Bad Side will rock the Sault area, stay tuned for previews of those shows! Now, for a couple more news items!

First, a local concert venue that has hosted metal shows in the past is closing it's doors. The Arcadia Coffeehouse, located on 823 Queen Street East, will shut down on Wednesday due to "events/pressures which are beyond our control". For concerts, they had mostly bands of the indie/alternative variety, but there was the occasional metal band, one of which was Sykotyk Rampage earlier this year. The press release on their website (also on SooToday) expresses hope that Arcadia may return in some form. Well, that must suck, I'm sure there's a lot of people who'll miss The Arcadia, and it's one less option for bands to use for shows too!

And finally some great quality video has surfaced online from Quite Frankly's recent gig after The Sault Steelers' game! Check out some clips at YouTube user stumpypet1's channel! I recommend checking out this clip of their cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", and I just gotta say, Jacqueline Alisat has one hell of a voice. Check the video out, and I'll see you guys on the weekend with any more news I can find!

A New Local Band, And Much More Assorted News!!

Update time! I found a bunch of stuff yesterday, and heard some interesting news as well! So here we go with a new local band!

I discovered this band yesterday, and they are known as Silent Despair! From Kincheloe (which is just 20 minutes outside of Sault Michigan), they play modern hard rock/metal, with influences ranging from Motley Crue and Quiet Riot to Atreyu and Three Days Grace. They appear to have been active since April, and they have three songs posted on their MySpace page! But from what I can gather, they all appear to be generated off of a MIDI-style program, so I can't accurately judge on their material until I hear some actual band stuff. But they do have a mostly complete band, and are looking for a keyboard player and a female vocalist. Might you be able to help fill the void? Send them a message! They do sound like a promising band, and I'll be sure to keep tabs on them from here on out! Also, check them out on GarageBand and on Facebook!

Next up, I got some insights on some new Lion Ride material that I figured would be cool to share. Garden of Bedlam frontman Buzz e-mailed me and told me that when he was in Southern Ontario earlier this month, he was able to see Lion Ride live in London, and then visit them in-studio in Toronto and hear one of their new songs being recorded! According to Buzz, the song he saw get laid down is his favourite Lion Ride song yet and it may be their best one to date! He says it has a ton of punch, and he listened to it repeatedly on the drive back to Sault Ste. Marie! I gotta say, this gets me even more excited for new Lion Ride material, it should be well worth picking up upon release! Thanks to Buzz for the scoop on that!

Now, here's something interesting I saw completely by chance yesterday. As you guys know, I always update you all with today's metal news, which you can find on the right hand side of the page. I get my news from the 5 most popular stories on Blabbermouth.net, which is hands down the best metal news site going. And when I was checking it last night, the banner ad at the top of the page caught my eye. It was for the Noctis Metal Music Conference, an open forum next month in Calgary that will discuss survival in the music business, how to improve your profile and notoriety, and other things that would no doubt appeal to many rising metal musicians.

But why would I mention it here? Simple, because Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold is on the panel for the conference! How about that? He'll join such notables as former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, ex-Death guitarist Paul Masvidal, and noted metal journalist Martin Popoff, among many others! Now that's just cool, I have no doubt David will be a worthy addition to the panel, and it was cool to see his name listed on the ad! I'd love to see a conference of this type in the Sault, I'm sure it could help some local bands get some assistance to furthering their musical dreams!

And finally, we have new video online from Sault Michigan grunge rockers Half Stupid! Three videos of their performance at The September Music Festival from this weekend are now on YouTube! Check them all out at frontman Zac Crook's official YouTube channel! One features the band backing up fellow local singer Amanda Rairigh on a cover of the Radiohead song "Creep", but there's also two live clips of the band's original songs "The Letter E" and this one, "937 Years"! It will be on their upcoming EP too! Thanks to the band for giving me the heads up!



That's all for today, I will be back tomorrow with your local concert previews for this weekend, including shows by Nudge and Free Refill! Hopefully some more news too, stay tuned for more! And remember, I will review a new local metal CD by next Wednesday, keep on the lookout for that!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Garden of Bedlam), Plus Ace Frehley & Lion Ride Updates!!

Hey guys, short post today, but an important one, for we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! Let's get right to it!

Garden of Bedlam are back! On October 17th, they will hit The Canadian for their first show since Hempfest, and their first show at The Canadian since July's CD release concert! As far as I can tell, this is also the first metal concert of any type there since The Canadian's renovations, so this could be a chance to see all the stuff that's changed there! Support will come from local death/thrash rockers Bring The Fallen (formerly known as Necropolis), who you may remember were supposed to back up Garden of Bedlam at their cancelled all ages show from this summer!

A cover charge has yet to be announced, but doors for this show will open at 10:00 PM and Bring The Fallen kick things off at 11:00 PM that night! Garden of Bedlam merchandise will also be on sale! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and check out both bands' original material at their respective MySpace pages by clicking their names! And there is no conceivable way that I would miss this show, it sounds fucking awesome! And with Sykotyk Rampage the night before, it should be a great concert weekend!

Next up, I have a change to make on the upcoming Ace Frehley concert at Kewadin Casino in November. Apparently, Lita Ford will no longer be supporting Ace on this show, as she is touring with Queensryche during the time this concert would be taking place. So ignore Kewadin's ticket sales page, Lita probably won't be there. I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on any new details on this show, including if there's a replacement opener! Remember, tickets are $29.50 and you can buy them at this location!

And finally, according to a post on their official MySpace blog, local punk/metal rockers Lion Ride are back in the studio recording their new single! According to guitarist Marky Lion, the song is "boss"! Hopefully it sounds awesome, and if I hear anything more, I'll be sure to share with you guys! That's all for tonight, stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for more news and updates as I hear them!

(P.S. Congratulations to The Sault Steelers on winning the CMFL Championship last night! It was a 65-6 blowout victory and the perfect lead in to Quite Frankly's performance! Got feedback from it? Send it my way!)

Previews Of This Weekend's Shows, A New Poll, And More!!

It's time to update you guys once again, for we have two local metal shows this weekend to preview! Also, today's the day to post a new poll on the SMS, and go over the results from last month's poll! Plus, I have some blog updates and some Woods of Ypres and WLSO news, so let's kick things off with the local concert previews for this weekend!

Firstly, Sault Michigan grunge rockers Half Stupid return to the live scene tonight! They will be among the performing acts at a September Music Festival tonight at 6:30 PM at The Big Bear Arena! The show will also feature Sault-area solo artist Amanda Rairigh, and another guest act (which may be Cherubic Red, but I can't reliably confirm that.) Tickets are just $5, there will be 50/50 tickets sold, and if you can go, I recommend you do! Half Stupid are a great band with a sound you don't hear much in the Sault area (just them and No Arrow that I can think of.) I can't wait to hear new material from these guys! For a preview, check out this video for their original song "The Pit & The Pendulum"!



Meanwhile, back in Ontario, local rock band Quite Frankly will have quite the gig tomorrow, when they play live at The John Rhodes Center following the Canadian Major Football League championship game between the Edmonton Stallions and your Sault Steelers! It looks like you have to see the game to see the performance, so tickets for it are $10, and you can buy them at The Canadian, Four Seasons Collectibles in The Station Mall, The Duke of Windsor Sport Shop on Queen Street, and at the pro shop at The Soo Pee Wee Arena! The game starts at 4:15 tomorrow afternoon, with Quite Frankly taking the stage whenever it ends! Visit the event pages for the game and the concert itself by clicking the links!

These guys (and girl) are definitely worth checking out if you can, and if you like football too, it might be a no-brainer to head to The John Rhodes Center tomorrow! For a preview, here's a clip of Quite Frankly covering the AC/DC classic "Thunderstruck" from a recent show at The Speakeasy!



And if I hear anything out of these shows, I'll be sure to share them with you all! Now, it's time to shut down another monthly poll on the SMS! Now, if you guys remember correctly, last month's question was: What band merchandise would you be most likely to buy at local shows? Only 12 votes, but the results are quite clear: You guys want t-shirts! 58% of votes went to that choice, and I can see why! Band shirts are an easy way to show that you're a fan of a band, and they will last a while as long as you take care of them! Stickers and buttons finished second with 25% of the votes, with CDs 3rd with 17%, and every other choice (patches, hoodies, hats/toques, posters/pictures, anything affordable, and other) had no votes. I expected more votes for CDs and less for stickers and buttons, but hey, it shows what people want!

So now it's time for a new poll, and I figured that with their new album coming out next month, it's only fitting to do a poll about Woods of Ypres to lead up to that! And one question popped up in my head more than others. So I pose this question to you guys: What is your favourite Woods of Ypres song? I picked songs by their popularity and recognizability through some Google searching, with the picks weighted out by what albums they were on. Here are your choices!

Allure Of The Earth
Awaiting the Inevitable
Crossing the 45th Parallel
December In Windsor
Distractions of Living Alone
End Of Tradition
The Northern Cold
Shedding The Deadwood
Song Of Redemption
The Sun Was In My Eyes: Part Doom
The Will To Give
Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground
Other

VOTE TODAY!!! I wonder which song is the favourite. A couple seem more likely than others, but I wonder if you guys will pick something different? Let's see more than 12 people this month, OK?

Now, here's an update from local radio station WLSO: The Sounds of Lake State, which you can find at 90.1 FM. As you guys know, WLSO is the campus radio station at LSSU, so now that the fall semester has begun, the radio shows have returned as well! And although I can't confirm what genre some shows are, I do know that there are a couple of metal shows! One is The Delta Dial, which airs Tuesdays at 11:00 AM for 2 hours, and airs everything from classic rock to metal! This show also has a Facebook group, which you can access at this location! And immediately after that, the metal continues with A Touch of Class, which runs until 3:00 PM! No page for it, but according to WLSO's site, it's definitely metal! Finally, I can confirm that Fridays at 5:00 PM, Dentistry Before Novacaine is another metal show, and it runs untill 7:00 PM!

I don't know much about the other two shows, but The Delta Dial's Facebook group is now in the Other Local Metal Links, and all three shows (as well as any show on WLSO) have request lines! If you wanna call in to request some metal, call (906) 635-2863! And I'll update you guys if I find out any more about these and any other metal shows on WLSO!

Next, you may have noticed a bit of a difference to the SMS lately. Well, I did some more cleaning up to the Other Local Metal Links! I have created new link sections for local music stores/lesson shops, and they're now underneath the Venue Contact Info on both sides of the page! They include all the local music stores that appeal to us metalheads, including addresses and phone numbers. One new store has been added: Music Depot, on Gore Street in Sault Ontario. It lacks a site, but it's in that section now!

I also created a section for local rock radio stations, so for contact info for Rock 101, Energy Rock Radio, The Bear, and WLSO, you can find that on the right of the page under the Sault Michigan Music Stores section! Also, I'm experimenting with colour coding some links by which Sault something's in (red for Ontario, blue for Michigan.) Just testing to see if it looks alright, give me feedback if you like it or not!

And finally, remember when I mentioned that the special edition vinyl for Woods of Ypres' song "Allure Of The Earth" featured a special cover by Australian cellists Sebastian Simpson and Chris Doig? Well, if you don't wanna buy the vinyl to hear it, good news! It's been posted onto YouTube by user KSCIAA! It's really well done, and puts a more orchestral feel to an already great song! Check it out right below this paragraph! And if you want the vinyl of Allure of the Earth with this song, visit this location for details!



That's all for today, I'll be back very soon with more local metal news and updates! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Nixxon Dixxon), And Lots Of Assorted News!

Alright, today, I've got plenty of news, and kicking things off, I have a pile of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

Sault Michigan's own Nixxon Dixxon have booked a ton of new concerts! All the new shows are next year, stretching from January to August, with two shows a month throughout, all of which are being held at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! So here's all 16 upcoming dates on Nixxon Dixxon's 2010 schedule so far:

January 1-2
February 19-20
March 12-13
April 2-3
May 21-22
June 11-12
July 23-24
August 13-14

As well, Nixxon Dixxon are heading back to St. Ignace for 16 more shows as well! They'll be at Kewadin Casino there on January 8-9, February 26-27, March 19-20, April 9-10, May 7-8, June 18-19, July 30-31, and August 6-7! I've never seen shows booked so far in advance into a different year for any local band, but hell, it's nice to see that Nixxon Dixxon show no signs of slowing down! They're extremely talented for their age, and these shows should be excellent as usual! Hopefully once I'm 21, I'll get a chance to see them next summer! For more info on Nixxon Dixxon and to hear some of their songs, visit their official MySpace page!

Now, for a pile of random updates, and this will start with a pair of Sault Michigan bands that have changed their names. One is Bad Monkey, formerly known as Jager. According to their official MySpace page, they have changed their name again to Monkey's Uncle! Their URL has also been changed accordingly. Interesting new name, hopefully it sticks! Nothing else new from their front, but I'll keep you guys posted! The other change is to The Angel of Suffering, an originally Sault-based metal band who relocated to Colorado this summer. They are apparently now known as "From The Ashes Of Angels". Just a heads up in case the links look different!

Next up, I have a new link in the Other Local Metal Links (I still need to clean those up more.) It's the official website for The Thomas Walls School of Music, which serves as both a music school and as a store for music instruments and equipment! Located at 505 Albert Street in Sault Ontario, it could be of interest to all you musicians out there, whether you're new or a veteran! They have some good quality instruments and repair work as well! If you're not familiar with Thomas Walls, check out their official website, you may be interested!

Hey Woods of Ypres fans, here's another preview for their next release! According to the newest wall post on Woods of Ypres' Facebook page, their new disc, "Woods IV: The Green Album" is in it's final mixing stage, and a whole song had to be cut to have the album fit on one CD! Yes, you'll be getting almost 80 minutes of Woods on the new disc! Frontman David Gold says it "boils over with inspired expressions of DOOM...and hope." I can't wait to hear it myself! Get more Woods info at this location! And remember, you can hear a brand new song from the album by downloading the August edition of Canadian metal podcast The Governor's Ball at this location!

And finally, two small news items:

• Sault Ontario metal band Bring The Fallen have updated their official MySpace page to feature a new URL (http://www.myspace.com/bringthefallen) and have added a short bio section to the page as well! I can now confirm from that that their first EP will be entitled "Stand Before"! Stay tuned for any updates!
• New Sault Michigan band Cherubic Red have updated their MySpace blog as well with some new updates. They're on the lookout for a bassist and drummer, but are in the process of writing their first single! Head to their blog on MySpace for more info!

So there's your news for this Tuesday night! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for anything else I find out, and e-mail me at robfigures@hotmail.com if you have anything to share, suggest, correct, or give your opinion on! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sykotyk Rampage) & A New Local Music Act!!!

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posts this weekend, my computer access in Detroit is limited (i.e. way too old and slow to make a good post.) But I'm back, and guess what? I have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and a new local musician to add to the listings, so here we go!

Anyone out there wanna hear some blue Chinese metal crash punk? If so, there's a concert in October that will definitely interest you! Sykotyk Rampage are returning to the live concert scene on Friday, October 16th, at The Outback at Sault College! Don't hear too much metal shows from there! This will be Sykotyk Rampage's first local show in a few months, and will serve as both a fundraiser for a college chapter, and as the CD release party for their brand new album!

Support will come from Dysfunkshunal Kemystry, a recently re-united hard rock band featuring Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan & former Driving Dave Home drummer Steve Brogno, among others! Ticket information will be released in a couple weeks, but unless you're a college student, you'll have to be signed in by one. For more details on this show, visit the Facebook event page! I might very well hit this show, sounds like fun!

Also, now knowing that this show is the CD release show for "22", I have made an edit to the Local Metal CD Review Schedule. Seeing as the album likely won't be out this month, and I already have "Woods IV: The Green Album" scheduled for October, I will review the newest Sykotyk Rampage album in November, likely early in the month! As for what I'll review this month....only time will tell. Will it be an Ontario band or a Michigan band? A recent release, or something old? Wait and see, something will pop up in the next couple weeks!

And finally for this quick update, I have a new addition to the Local Metal Band Links, in the form of Sault Ontario solo artist Brendan Christie! He's a metal guitarist, singer, and songwriter who's played in a few local bands and now composes and records his own solo material, which is viewable on his official MySpace page, which he launched in July! I'm surprised I've bypassed it until now, maybe cause it looked like a personal profile on quick glance, but Brendan's got some great stuff on his page, including nine original songs, a nice bio, and lots of pictures! Definitely check Brendan out, he's a great talent and would no doubt be an asset to an interested band!

I promise to have a more detailed post at some point this weekend, but since I just got back, and have university to worry about, it could be anytime. Stay tuned for more news and updates! Thanks everyone!

Peril Concert Previews, A VERY LATE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, And More!!!

Short post today, but I always try and pump a new post out within 3 days of the last, and there's a pair of concerts this weekend to preview, so here we go! Oh yeah, there's a very late LOCAL CONCERT ALERT too!

Michigan hard rockers Peril are back in Sault Michigan this weekend for a pair of shows! They'll be performing tomorrow night and Saturday night at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! Both shows will start at 9:00 PM, and I'm unsure of any possible admission prices. Nice to see Peril back in the Sault area, they're a damn good band that I'd love to see live once I hit the legal American drinking age! Don't take my word for it though, check them out on MySpace to hear some great old school hard rock tracks! I have no videos to show you guys, but trust me, they're worth seeing this weekend! If you go and see them, we'd love to hear from you!

Next up, I screwed up again. As it turns out, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a show TOMORROW. Local metal guitarist Tym Morrison (from Caveman Morrison) will bring his solo acoustic show to The Big Cheese in Heyden (just outside Sault Ontario) tomorrow night at 9:00! I just heard about this today, when I told you guys about the new stuff Tym's been doing, this show WASN'T listed as an upcoming event on his group, so that's why I haven't posted it. Still, I screwed up, so yeah, if you wanna head out to Heyden, go see Tym, he's a great musician! Get full details at this location! His Facebook group also implies they play at The Big Cheese every second weekend, but it's sandwiched between out of date news items, so I'll wait before posting future shows from there. Check out Tym's music at this location!

Next, I've found another potential local concert that I (as of now) can't reliably confirm. Life In Me, the new Sudbury hardcore band featuring ex-members of Three For Fallacy, are apparently planning to play in Sault Ontario this fall! Their MySpace page lists a show on November 16th at The Oddfellows Hall, with additional bands to be announced. However, I can't find any additional confirmation of this show. I will keep you guys posted when and if I hear any more! If you can help, let me know!

Now, two assorted news items to let you guys know about:

• More info has been announced for Bad Side's appearance at this year's Mount Clemens Music Festival in the Detroit area! They will be playing on September 18th at Madison's Pub (NOT the one in Sault Ontario) on the Detroit Rock Review Stage! Their set begins at 9:00 that night. Get more details at the Facebook event page!
• Sault Ontario's own Quite Frankly have started a Facebook page to go along with their group! I'm a fan, why don't you become one too? Remember to check them out on the 19th after the Sault Steelers Game at Rocky DiPietro Field!

That's all for today, I'll be in Detroit this weekend so updates may be slow. But if I hear anything major, you'll be sure to find out soon enough! And thanks to Meaghan MacDonald for becoming our 3rd follower on Blogger!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Ace Frehley), Plus A Woods Of Ypres Update, And More!

It's time for a pretty big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! And for you Kiss fans still disappointed by the lack of a fall show in the Soo, here's a show that could just fill that gap! Original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley is coming to Kewadin Casino this fall! The Spaceman himself will bring his solo show to The Dreammakers Theater on Friday, November 13th! Though no longer in Kiss, Frehley has had some decent solo success over the past 30 years, including hits like "New York Groove" & "Into The Night"! Support at this show will come from 80s hard rock vixen Lita Ford, herself recently back on the music scene! You may remember Lita from her tenure as guitarist for The Runaways, or for hit solo songs like "Kiss Me Deadly" and her duet with Ozzy Osbourne, "Close My Eyes Forever"!

Now neither Ace nor Lita's respective sites confirm this show, so how do I know it's going on? The radio, of course! Ads were running for this concert on Rock 101, so there's my proof! Kewadin Casino also lists the show on their site, and yes, tickets are now available for this concert! Tickets are available at the flat rate of just $28.50 (a price which will likely be way cheaper than the actual Kiss show, FYI.) If you wanna buy tickets, visit this location to buy them online! Or, you can buy them at Kewadin Casino itself, or at the GraphixTwo box office beside A&W on Great Northern Road if you're in Sault Ontario! And as always, if I hear any updates on this show, I'll be sure to keep you guys posted! Check out new Ace Frehley and Lita Ford material by clicking on their names to visit their MySpace pages!

Next up, here's another interesting new item for sale from Woods of Ypres! A special limited edition vinyl copy of their 2004 single "Allure Of The Earth" is now available for purchase! Originally feaured on their second album "Pursuit Of The Sun & Allure Of The Earth", this record features both the original song and a cover by Australian cellists Sebastian Simpson and Chris Doig on the opposite side! You can view the artwork for this record on the right! Each copy is autographed and numbered, with a free download card to get the songs on the vinyl, and 12 Woods classics! There are only 500 available, so for you Woods fans who might be interested, here's how you can get a copy!

Just send $20 (or $35 for two) via PayPal to woodsofypres@hotmail.com, or you can send money via snail mail to:

David Gold / Allure 7"
44 Poplar Ave
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
P6B 2W7, CANADA

Get your while you still can, Woods fans! And for more details, visit Woods of Ypres' official forum! Now, onto an update from local bar/concert venue The Canadian, which recently re-opened it's doors after extensive renovations! A Facebook group has been launched for The Canadian to alert everyone to upcoming events there. I welcome this, as I often used The Canadian's original group for concert info back when it was around! And now that they're back, hopefully we'll find out lots of stuff there! Join The Canadian's official Facebook group now to get in the know! No metal concerts scheduled yet, but I'll keep you guys posted! And I've edited the Sault Ontario Concert Venue Info on the left of the page to reflect the new group!

I'l leave it at that for today, but I will have more local metal news in the coming days, including previews for this weekend's Peril concerts, and hopefully much more! Stay tuned for more news and updates! Oh, and invite your friends to become fans of us on Facebook! The more, the merrier!