So last month, I asked you guys this question: "Four months after the postponement, what are your current feelings towards our future Kiss concert?" Of course, it's around five months now, but still. 35 of you voted, a decent number, enough to get a feeling for a general consensus on the matter, or two, or three. We now know Kiss are coming no earlier than August, but we still don't have a firmly stated new date for the show, so luckily, the results are still as relevant as they were last month! Let's go over how you guys voted, in ascending order. In dead last with no votes was "It will be a disappointment". Good, no one assumed Kiss will mail it in when they show up, that's promising! Tied for 6th place with one vote each were "The tickets are still to pricey" and "Other". I can't comment on "Other" without knowing what that person had in mind, but I'm surprised that more people didn't voice out over the ticket prices! $100 can't be considered reasonable to everyone, can it? 5th place was "It will be alright", which garnered just 2 votes. Looks to me like Kiss fans expect the band to deliver an excellent performance, rather than just being "alright" when they come here.
The top 4 feature the vast majority of the votes, and they seem to split in three different directions in regards to feelings towards Kiss and this show. Tied for third with 6 votes each are "It's still going to be awesome!" and "It's losing it's appeal". Nice to see a number of you are still interested in this show, I expected that, and I honestly did see people's feelings towards the show waning as the wait drags on. Remember, the campaign to demand Kiss started early last year, this must be an eternity to some Kiss fans! But the winning vote getters sure speak volumes of a section of local music fans. 2nd place with 9 votes was "Kiss sucks, I'm not going", and in 1st with 10 votes, 28% of the total? "I don't think they're coming at all". I hate sounding like a skeptic or a Kiss hater (cause I'm not), but I expected those choices to get some good vote totals. Kiss are somewhat polarizing to some, be it musical preferences or not, I know many who don't like them. And really, since day one, there's been skeptics all over claiming and suggesting that Kiss would not and will not play here, despite all evidence to the contrary. I'm not here to reiterate what we already know, but this really looks like SMS readership splits down three ways: People who like Kiss and are at some level anticipating this concert, people who dislike Kiss and wouldn't go see them, and skeptics who think they're not coming at all. What say you guys, is my assumption accurate, or is there one group more dominant?
So there are the results for last month's poll! And now, after a while to think about a subject last night for the new poll, I found one that's relevant to recent times in the scene, and I'm really interested to see people's thoughts on it! It concerns the battle of the bands. None in particular, just the concept of local bands taking the stage to wow the audience and judges to win prizes. We've seen a number of battles of the bands in the area, with bands like Garden of Bedlam, Bring The Fallen, and Sense of Truth taking top honours in some of the more prominent battles we've seen in the last three years! And with another, "Downtown Showdown", scheduled for May 28th, I thought the time was right to see what people thought of them. So I pose this question to you guys: Do you like attending or competing in Sault-area battles of the bands? I have given you guys 7 choices to vote from this month, hopefully they encompass most of your feelings on the subject! Here they are:Yes, I love going to/playing in them!: Are you one of those guys that just loves to hop on stage, play in front of local music fans, and attempt to win some prizes and gain some exposure? How about as a fan, do you just like to head to a venue, enjoy the music, and discover some new bands? Many people I know look forward to battles of the bands for the above reasons, no matter what! Are you among them?
Only if the bands are good: No battle of the bands is created equal. Extremely few have genre restrictions, so when you go to one, a mixed bag of bands is likely in store. For example, the Kiss battle ranged from death metal (Bring The Fallen) to punk/country (The Billy Bastards), while the recent Scotties Tournament/Sault College battle gave us everything from Sykotyk Rampage to Blackwater! This is a subjective choice, it depends on how you constitute a lineup worth attending. My personal criteria is if I enjoy half of the bands. No matter how you judge, do you only go for specific acts?
Only if the prizes are good: This choice is more geared towards the bands, but this can have an impact on ticketholders too. Does it really depend on what rewards lie ahead for the top bands for you to submit your name? Some offer cash prizes, others will have free recording time or new gear. Or how about the ones offering big time spots on major concerts, like the Skid Row and Kiss battles? Does the prospect of cash and prizes act as your main reason to enter? Does the ultimate prize act as encouragement for you, as a fan, to show up to see who wins?
Only if ticket prices/entry fees are reasonable: Battle organizers generally want to make a profit. This explains why at most, you pay to get in or enter your band. Some battles go for cheaper costs and fees, often using sponsorship to even it out. Others will raise the prices depending on the prizes, the venue, and the lack of sponsorship. Some have free admission for fans too, and who doesn't love that? Is the simple fact of the cost to attend/play the main deciding factor for your appearance at a battle of the bands?
There's too many of them: In 2009, the YMCA, Algoma University, and Rock 101 all held battle of the bands in Sault Ontario, with varying success levels. In 2010, Sault College already put one on, with the Sault Youth Association's own battle of the bands taking place next weekend. Some fans love to see more of them occur, but I know a few of you who feel that if there's too many battles of the bands, they'll be overexposed and not be as individually special. Would you be among this group in the voting?
No, I don't see the point of them: There are a number of you who don't like or see the point of attending or playing in battles of the bands. I've heard some who feel that bands shouldn't need to "compete" with each other, while others see better ways to get band exposure and new opportunities than enter these. From a fan standpoint, I know a few people that would rather see a few bands play full sets, rather than many bands play just a few songs. Are you a battle hater?
VOTE TODAY!!! I'm really interested in seeing your thoughts on this! And for the record, I love battles of the bands, they're great opportunities for so many local bands, but as always, I'm not voting. It's up to you!
Two quick stories
to cap this post. Firstly, have you still been wondering if that Doom Cannon concert scheduled for tonight was a go? Well, here's the story. The event page was deleted from Facebook, so at first, I assumed that they'd finally pulled the plug. Not true though! Promoter Jasmin Nott's Facebook page confirms that Doom Cannon are in Sault Ste. Marie today, and were hanging out at Station Mall selling merchandise and meeting fans! That's all well and good, but is there a show? Here's what one of Jasmin's status updates said today: "(Doom Cannon) GOT ROYALLY EFFED OVER FOR A SHOW HERE. PLEASE HELP OUT! WE NEED A BASEMENT OR OUTDOOR SHOW. IF ANYONE'S WILLING TO HELP, CALL ME AT 705-257-9413!" If we're to believe what Jasmin says, the planned booking at The Oddfellows Hall fell out at some point. At last word, a performance of any type from Doom Cannon in Sault Ontario tonight has not been confirmed, but if something new is revealed, I will let you guys know on The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page! And if you can help, call Jasmin!
And finally, remember yesterday when I uploaded Foothill Road's debut album "Seventy" to YouTube? Well, the fun doesn't stop there, as I have uploaded another Foothill Road album to The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel! This time, it's their self-titled second CD, which was released around 1996. It was produced by Andrew St. George at Toronto's Comfort Sound Studios, and later mastered at Le Mix in Etobicoke. It was the band's only album with second guitarist Mark Oliverio, who you may recognize from bands like Tripod The Dog and Boogie Fever! I won't share detailed opinions on it yet, that can wait for an eventual review of the disc, but if you want some quality mid-90s hard rock, you can't go wrong! Thanks again to guitarist Mario Carlucci for hooking me up with this album! I'll embed track one from "Foothill Road" here, which would be the song "Cavern", but click here to check out the other four songs from the CD! Enjoy, and stay tuned to the SMS to see if I have anything else Foothill Road-related in store!That's all for today, I'm anticipating another news post in the coming days, with some interesting updates in store! Also, expect my new profiles of out of town bands with local members (Summon and Human Disorder, if you're paying attention) by Monday, and sometime before then, my review of Duane Roy's first book, "Castle Stories: A Rock N' Roll Scrapbook"! Stay tuned for all this, and more!
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