LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Nixxon Dixxon), Half Past Concert Review, Plus More News On Nixxon Dixxon & Hope4Haiti!

Hey guys, enjoying your weekend? Remember, there's four metal concerts at local bars tonight, so go see Caveman Morrison, Half Past, Nudge, or Ultraviolence somewhere in the Sault area tonight and go rock out! All four are worth seeing! I have a review of Half Past's show last night at Foggy Notions, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

Sault Michigan's own Nixxon Dixxon have scheduled a date for March 26th at Dondee Lanes! No word on age restrictions or cover charges, but an 8:00 PM start time is given. Odd that they're just playing on the Friday of that weekend, but it's all good, the more concerts, the better! Make it out to that show if you can! While we're on the subject of Nixxon Dixxon, a couple more notes on the band. First, they have uploaded a new studio quality song to their MySpace page! They yanked their old Kiss and Black Sabbath covers, but replaced them with "High Life", an original song you may have heard at recent shows (including the Kiss battle, for you Canadians!) Sounds good, I wonder if there's an album in the works? Check out "High Life" at this location! Finally, Nixxon Dixxon have scheduled three more out of town dates in St. Ignace: Friday night at Driftwood Restaurant & Sports Bar, and two shows on the July 30th weekend at their Kewadin Casino!

NOW we'll discuss last night's Half Past concert at Foggy Notions! This was my first time seeing the band since they backed up Ministry of Zen at Coch's Corner in 2008 under the name Fingerbone, so it was a long time coming for me! The band started around 11:00 and played til damn near 2:00 in the morning! It felt kinda short, I agree that if they had two guitar players, they could go even longer! They played a nice selection of covers from bands like Godsmack, Shinedown, Seether, Alice In Chains, Tool, Helmet, and System of a Down, among many others! Definitely a set for any fan of modern hard rock, though some of their song selections seemed too similar to Garden of Bedlam's cover choices. That's not a problem though! As well, they thrown in their two originals, "War Inside My Head" and "Dead Again", both of which are really good songs, especially "War Inside My Head"! They definitely could fit in with any hard rock fan's setlist, heavy and catchy!

Now let's discuss the band, who have went through a lot of changes since I last saw them! Luke LeBlanc proved to be a more than capable frontman, he has a very good voice, he can hold his notes and keep a good melody vocally! Compared to his predecessor John Barber, his voice is more unique tone-wise, but that's not a negative comment on either guy! Also, from all the singers I've seen locally, Luke is by far the funniest in terms of on-stage banter! Alain Fletcher was very good on guitar, his playing was familiar to me, but heavy and well executed! Arthur Lacasse was on bass, having switched from rhythm guitar last year when the band couldn't find a new bassist. He was good too, he's at least as good on bass as he was on guitar, and he had some very good lines! Chris Thompson was wicked on drums, especially on their cover of "Aenema"! Don't overlook him! He also handled backup vocals on "Crackerman" pretty good too!

Overall, this was a really fun show! The crowd wasn't bad, not the largest crowd ever, but they were really into it, and added to the experience! The band looked to be enjoying themselves, especially Luke, and for just 2 bucks, it was a nice way to spend a Friday night! There were some mistakes here and there in some songs, but if you're having fun, that doesn't matter, and luckily I was! Let's hope it's not over a year before I next see them again! If you like modern hard rock and wanna chill with some great music, go see a Half Past show! Check out my photos from the concert by clicking here, or visiting the SMS Facebook page! And I took a video too! I was hoping to get "War Inside My Head", but a setlist swap accidentally made me miss the beginning, so I filmed "Dead Again" instead! Great song, check it out below!



Also, I wanna add that I was talking with Curtis from Sense of Truth at the show, and he shared some very cool news with me about the recording of their EP! I won't divulge details, but once things are worked out and announced, you'll know from me!

Next up, details are finally starting to trickle in concerning the Algoma Hope4Haiti benefit concert event scheduled for February 19th and 20th. Though a full lineup has yet to be unveiled, one venue's lineup one night is confirmed! Kalle Mattson, the local indie band featuring former Gates of Winter drummer Jimmie Chiverelli, will be headlining the concert at LopLops Lounge on February 19th, with support from local solo artists Craig West and Kathy O'Neil. Normally I wouldn't talk about this kind of show, but it is a part of Hope4Haiti, which no doubt has heavy acts, so it'd be ignorant of me to exclude it! Start time is 9:30 PM, though I can't confirm if that's the same start time that the other venues will have. Confirm your attendance for this portion of the benefit at this location! Tickets are still $10 and will be available on Monday at LopLops Lounge, the Sault Youth Association office at Station Tower, the local Red Cross office on Allard Street, and MP Tony Martin's office on Queen Street too! Still awaiting word on the rest of the venues and bands (all are supposed to have tickets on sale too.) Once I hear more, especially concerning metal bands, you'll find it here! SUPPORT HAITI!

And finally, local hardcore rockers Detroit have scheduled another out of town date, this one in Toronto at The Hard Luck Bar on February 16th! Should be a good show, best of luck to them! That's all for now, more news and updates are coming very soon! GO SEE A CONCERT TONIGHT, LOTS GOING ON AT THE BARS!