Huge Woods Of Ypres News, Plus More From Riverin, Sneaky Pete, And CD Plus!!

Well guys, the news keeps on rolling in, and we have some huge news concerning a local band to get to today that will be sure to surprise and excite! Plus, I have the latest from Riverin and Sneaky Pete, and news on a local music store's impending closure as well. But first, here's the big story!

Since April, there's been a lot of talk and discussion over the apparent breakup of Woods of Ypres, starting with the announcement of the shutdown of frontman David Gold's independent label Krankenhaus Records and the band's mass merchandise selloff. Since then, through a lot of cryptic and carefully worded statements, we seemed to piece together the puzzle. It had appeared that Woods of Ypres were ending due to David's work/debt-related move to Kuwait, which is why all band merchandise and his guitars were sold off. As it turns out though, there's a LOT more to say, and it's completely positive! Yesterday, a post was linked on Woods of Ypres' Facebook page from the info stream page of British label Earache Records (home of bands like Annihilator & Napalm Death), which stated that Woods of Ypres had newly signed to Earache and would release "Woods V: You Were The Light" through said label. Now when I first read that, I assumed that this was just a distribution deal for the album, seeing as Woods of Ypres had apparently broken up. Or had they? Yesterday, following the Earache Records announcement, David posted a topic on Woods of Ypres' official forum where he confirmed that news and discussed the whole "Woods breaking up" topic. Definitely read it, but if you don't want to, here's the big story: Woods of Ypres NEVER BROKE UP.

The band decided to "experiment" with a fake breakup after all the work they've put in as a band by announcing that they'd be ending. That, and to give haters some temporary satisfaction. I thought it could be a cover to hide the impending label deal too, but that's not implied in the statement. David also mentioned that ending Woods of Ypres would be the saddest and most unfair thing they could do to their fans, before mostly went on to talking about his excitement over the opportunities that lie ahead with the band and Earache Records, and that "Woods V" is both the end of their indie career and beginning of their pro career, including an eventual "Woods VI"! It should be noted that David really did move to Kuwait for a teaching job there, but when he returns home early next year, Woods of Ypres will be back and stronger than ever! So, what do you guys think?

I, for one, am very happy to see that Woods of Ypres aren't breaking up, and I have to admit, I've had some doubts about whether the whole "break-up" was entirely what we saw publically. I had hunches things were hidden or not being said, especially with the lack of a formal "we are ending and here's why" statement. I think that this whole fake ending is a bit deceptive to fans who've supported Woods all this time, but you know something? The best is yet to come, and we'll be along for the ride! For full details on the latest from Woods of Ypres, check out all of the above links!

Next up, here's the latest news from Sault Ontario industrial hard rockers Riverin! On Monday, I recieved an e-mail from guitarist Matt Clement, where he told me that he and singer/drummer Matt Hicks are looking for extra musicians to play with them at their forthcoming debut/CD release concert! They're looking for a drummer, piano/keyboard player, and bass player to supplant them at the show, with the two Matts presumably handling lead vocals and guitar. So, if you, or someone you know, would be interested in playing with Riverin at their CD release concert, contact the band through their Myspace or Facebook pages! Hopefully they get some good musicians for this show, cause they definitely have a good and unique sound, so they need the best players possible! Matt Clement also told me that they're in the works of figuring out the CD development process to have their upcoming self titled EP pressed. He also told me about their newest band pages, including a new Facebook page (separate from their group) and a new page on Signmeto, Roadrunner Records' artist discovery site! Check them all out for the latest on Riverin, plus their Reverbnation page, now newly updated in it's own right! I'll keep you posted as I hear more, and remember, if you want to play with Riverin for their first show, message them A.S.A.P.!

Thirdly today, here's the latest news from local hard rockers Sneaky Pete! We haven't heard too much from them in recent months, save for some jam session recordings and the departure of bassist Dave Grimaldi. Well, the band finally posted an update on their official Facebook page on October 8th, where they announced that they are working with a new band member (presumably the new bassist) and are gaining momentum. They're planning to release the new bassist's identity soon, along with some brand new promo pictures of the band. That being said, Sneaky Pete are also looking for help and suggestions from fans as to a good setting or locale for their photo shoot, so if you know of something, click here and comment on their newest update! Nice to see they're still kicking around, and hopefully they'll be playing live very soon! Good stuff that I've heard so far, quality notwithstanding. Check the above links for more, and I'll keep you all posted on Sneaky Pete as I hear it!

And finally, I wanted to bring this to your attention before it's too late, because it does have a local music connection. A couple of my friends and contacts have been telling me that CD Plus, the music store at The Cambrian Mall, is apparently closing on Saturday. Apparently, it's an issue over the mall rent, though I don't know specifics. As a result, all items in-store are 30% off through Saturday. This will leave Sault Ontario with no CD Plus stores, following the closure of their Station Mall location years ago. This is especially SMS-worthy because CD Plus carried albums from local bands in their own section, and they had a pretty good selection of bands and genres (though I found it odd that Woods of Ypres CDs were in the metal section, not with the locals.) Really, we still have The Rad Zone (a great store, do check it out) and HMV for local CD stores, but HMV doesn't carry albums from local bands. So with CD Plus closing, that's one less store to buy albums of any type, and while you still can, I recommend heading down to The Cambrian Mall to take advantage of the final week sales while you can! Sucks to see it closing, but hey, maybe they'll come back somewhere some day!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news very soon, along with our newest Defunct Local Band Profiles on Wednesday, where we look at Death Rise and The White Knights in our first ever double feature in that series! And, of course, our next Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on L'Anguisette and Ninth Day Sin will be on Friday! Keep an eye out!