LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison, As It Stands, and That's Chester) And Two New Local Bands!!

Hey guys, here's a packed news post that should get your attention to end November! I'm projecting a very busy homework day tomorrow, so don't expect a post tomorrow, though we'll be back on Thursday with weekend previews and our December update to our "Where Are The New Albums?" monthly feature, featuring a record FIFTEEN upcoming albums we're outlining the current status of, including three brand new additions! For now though, it's business as usual, including some interesting news concerning a brand new local band, the LONG overdue addition of a local band to the SMS listings, and kicking things off, EIGHT LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! Here's what you need to know!

We'll start with the latest solo dates from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! His weekly arrangement with Foggy Notions for acoustic solo concerts every Sunday will continue through December, including concert sets on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and Boxing Day, December 26th! But that's not all, as he has booked concerts for THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY as well! So yes, it will be a Tym-packed weekend at Foggy Notions this weekend, with three concerts on consecutive nights! That amounts to no less than six new solo concerts this month, so if you're in the mood for some acoustic metal and hard rock hits, you know exactly where to go! His schedule on his official website doesn't list any concert dates in the Foggy's arrangement for 2011... yet, but stay tuned if and when they're announced! As is standard, all six of his solo shows next month will have start times of around 10:00 PM, they will all be 19+, and I don't believe they will have a cover charge. For more details, click here for the Facebook event page for the Friday & Saturday shows this weekend, and here for the Sunday show's event page! These all should be great shows, make sure to check him out this month, cause he has some great songs in store! Stay tuned for previews of this weekend's sets on Thursday!

The next new concert is a pleasant surprise: Another Oddfellows Hall concert! I hope this trend keeps up! It's also interesting to note that this is being booked by Jeremy Hannah, former Big Voiced Records head and singer for bands like Lorax and Windsor's own Constructed Apocalypse! Great to see him booking local shows again, it's been far too long! Now, for concert details! This concert will take place on December 28th at The Oddfellows Hall, and is entitled "Soo Music Mash-Up"! Why's it called that? Maybe because the lineup is such a mash-up of different styles and genres, and you can easily categorize them into three groups of two: Two extreme metal quintets, two unique trios featuring ex-Smeltzer members, and two acoustic indie acts! Your headliners are local hardcore band As It Stands, in their first announced concert since the first Roosevelt Hotel Metal Night! Expect a load of moshworthy metalcore from these guys in the headlining position! The other metal band, listed third on the bill, are local death metal band Bring The Fallen, returning to The Oddfellows Hall a month after killing the stage backing up Total Chaos! Their style of brutal heavy death metal will surely cause a stir, like it always does!

As for the non-metal bands, local rock trio The Fury will be the direct support band to As It Stands on the bill for this show, bringing their double bass attack to The Oddfellows Hall once again! They always entertain, so expect a great set from these guys! Also, local/Toronto based cello punk rockers RedD Monkey will be fourth on the bill, bringing their unique brand of punk music back to their local fans! Maybe they'll play "Ace of Spades" again? The lineup is rounded out and will be opened by local acoustic folk duo Tea With Lincoln and local indie band Ocean View. Tea With Lincoln have played many gigs in recent months, and feature half of the new local rock band Shenanigans, while Ocean View is the new acoustic indie project from Jeremy Hannah, which sounds like it will be similar to his old band Armistice. If there was ever a diverse local concert lineup, this would be it! This concert will very likely be ALL AGES, the doors open at 6:30 PM, and tickets are $8! Contact members of the above bands or Jeremy Hannah at jeremyhannah@hotmail.com to get hooked up! No word yet on if tickets will be available at the door, though they should be! Get full details and confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! This should be a very fun concert, here's hoping I can make it! I'm planning to go to this show, then hit The Canadian Nightclub for Lion Ride, which will be an awesome band marathon for the holiday season! Stay tuned for updates!

Now, for the last show we have, we'll tie it in to one of our new local band additions to our SMS listings, and the first band is one that, frankly, we should have featured here LONG ago. Finally, I'd like to announce the addition of local classic rock quintet That's Chester to future SMS coverage. Why did this take so long? Honestly, I wrongfully saw them as "not hard rock enough" in the past, despite knowing that they covered metal tunes live. In recent months, I've thought about adding them more and more, because really, they are heavier than certain bands we cover, and they have a good segment of metal and hard rock covers in their setlists, like songs by Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Sammy Hagar, some of which you can sample at YouTube user RFullyRox's channel from the band's tenure with singer Ritch Fullerton. Honestly, not featuring them on here was becoming quite an elephant in the room, so to speak, so I am gladfully adding them to our covered local metal and hard rock bands from here on out! In case you're unaware, That's Chester play live very frequently, and currently feature five talented local musicians, including Stiffler's Mom, Sin Stereo, and Bone Yard's own Greg Simpson on lead vocals, former Reptiles Band guitarist Gabe Tessaro, fellow guitarist Eugene Orlando, former Wailing Aztecs bassist Aubrey Falls, and Greg's Bone Yard bandmate Ric Datson on drums!

That all being said, That's Chester will be at The Rockstar Bar for ONE NIGHT ONLY THIS FRIDAY!! Apologies for the short notice as well! A 10:30 PM start time is hyped, there will be a likely cover charge of some type (I'd assume $5 or less), and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Expect some great classic hard rock covers from these guys on Friday, they always deliver, and it's about time the Sault Metal Scene gave them some well deserved attention! Check the above links for more, and stay tuned for alerts on their next live concert dates!

And finally, we present one more new addition to our local band listings, but in this case, it's a brand new band! They are a local metal quartet named Late & Loud, and they just launched their Facebook page earlier this month! The band features singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi (formerly of Losing Ground), local solo artist Brendan Christie on lead guitar, and former Glass Statues members Benn Garside on bass and Josh Hatherly on drums! All the members share backing vocals, though Jonathan appears to be their general singer. They may be the same band as Herityk, which Brendan alluded to on his pages earlier in the year, but I've seen no proof stating that. Late & Loud have influences ranging from Thin Lizzy and Rush to Dream Theater and The Sword, they've played together for over a year, and are apparently working on a demo! Late & Loud have yet to play an official live concert, but they did make their live debut at a recent open mic night at The Outback at Sault College! Three videos from the set have been posted on their Facebook page, including a cover of Witchcraft's "Chyld of Fire", an original named "Dark Sunrise", and an acoustic original from Josh Hatherly named "Down Like This"!

They sound good so far, they have clear chemistry and are pretty heavy, with Brendan's guitar work standing out especially! Jonathan's singing works for their material, but he doesn't appear to have much of a range yet. Still, these guys are very promising, and I can't wait to hear more! To check out the above linked videos along with a jam session recording of a cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", click here! Stay tuned for more from Late & Loud the very near future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned on Thursday for our new "Where Are The New Albums?" update and this weekend's local concert previews! Thanks everyone!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Splitshot), Another New Local Band Page, And More!!

Hey there, metalheads! Here's some local metal news and notes for this Monday night, including ANOTHER new local band's website, a lineup change in a local hard rock band, some more music discoveries from a local band, and more, but first, here are some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

New Sault Michigan hard rockers Splitshot have announced a pair of dates THIS WEEKEND at The Bird! This will be their second set of weekend dates since their inception, after playing at The Bird this past weekend. Details weren't specified, but judging by general tendencies of past shows at The Bird, this should have a rough start time of 10:00 PM with a 21+ age limit for both of these concerts, on Friday night and Saturday night. As usual for Sault Michigan bar shows, you must be 21 to enter. Apologies to everyone for the short notice, these shows were only just announced this afternoon on the band's Facebook page. Remember, Splitshot are the new local hard rock cover quintet featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard and Kyle Beaumont, so you know there's some talent and good stuff in store! No audio or video of them in action yet, but make sure to check them out this weekend if you're in the mood for some live hard rock! Check the above links for more, and I'll have more on Splitshot as it comes in!

Next up, we have a brand new local metal band page to share! They're not a new band, we first told you about them in August, but only now do they have an actual page. The band is Sativa Rose, the local metal cover trio featuring singer/guitarist Andrew Angelic, singer/bassist Adam Veale, and former Dreamscape drummer Alex Palmer, and they are now officially on Facebook, thanks to their new Facebook page! There's lots of band info there, including listed genres ranging from thrash metal to punk, booking info, some live photos, and information on their next live concert on Christmas at Foggy Notions! It's great to see them finally launch an actual page, maybe this will help get them some more well deserved exposure! There's no audio or video posted there, but check out Adam Veale's dad John's YouTube channel to check out live videos from Sativa Rose, including some with guest singers Jason Roy from Havadder and Tym Morrison! Stay tuned for more Sativa Rose news as it comes in!

Thirdly today, have you been wondering where Stillbroke have been lately? The only things we've heard about them since May have revolved around the bassist position, and in this new update on the local hard quartet, that's where we go right back to. Stillbroke have parted ways with bassist Nathan Bouliane (again) and replaced him with Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie! Nathan actually told me at the Total Chaos show that he left for musical differences, more or less, so that explains his departure, but I won't go into too much detail without online sourcing. Now, official statements from the band haven't been made, with their old Facebook page deleted and their MySpace page untouched since Kyle McKey was still on bass, but Mitch told me about his involvement in Facebook conversations. Those close to the band backed this up in the same conversation, and Mitch's personal Facebook page confirms his involvement. It will be very interesting to hear what Mitch has to offer in Stillbroke, as he has shown he's more than capable on bass with his April Eyes solo project (yes, it was re-renamed from Animas again.) I sense a heavier Stillbroke, am I alone in thinking that? Here's hoping they're gigging again soon, and that they update their MySpace page too! Stay tuned for more as it comes in!

Fourthly, remember yesterday when I shown you guys the various solo songs that Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison had posted on his official website? Well, I hinted towards some extra music from Caveman Morrison that I wanted to share later, and later is now! If you head to the music page on Caveman Morrison's official website, you'll get three Caveman Morrison studio quality covers, of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction", Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight", and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"! These have programmed drums and feature Tym Morrison's very talented guitar playing, but you may notice that the Judas Priest and Black Sabbath covers feature a different singer. It at least sounds like someone else, I know how Tym sounds both live and in studio. I think it's former Caveman Morrison singer Dean Duguay, who sang with the band through their last local run and in their Calgary period, but that's not stated for me to be verifiably sure. Still good though, the vocals suit each song, and each track is heavy! You can of course hear these songs in current Caveman Morrison setlists as well! Good stuff, Tym should make more studio covers of metal songs! There's also a sample of Tym's solo original "Moon Patrol" there from his "next album" that we saw on his solo music page, in case you're interested! Check it all out at the above links!

And finally, here's three quicker updates to get to. These are in alphabetical order by artist or topic name, as usual!:

• Anyone out there want a Lion Ride calendar? Their Facebook page is hyping sales of an official 2011 band calendar, and though I can't tell what form it'd take or if it's even a serious statement, it'd be cool to see! If you want one, click here and show your support!
• Local experimental hard rock solo artist Mike Cliffe has posted a new song on his Reverbnation page! Entitled "Gollum Jam", it's a straightforward bluesy rock jam tune, with one major difference: Gollum from The Lord of The Rings is singing! Actually, it's just some very strange vocal effects to create a robotic high pitched voice that sounds a but like Gollum. Very odd and original, but worth checking out, click here to do so!
• Here's a note for those of you who use MySpace for personal or band pages. Today, MySpace started changing ALL profiles to the new profile layout. Note this if you have a MySpace page you don't update frequently or haven't switched over, because this will basically kill your old custom HTML profile themes, though songs, photos, and information are left alone. Head to MySpace A.S.A.P. to re-customize your profiles and get caught up! Yes, it's an inconvenience, but hey, do you want a white blank shell of a MySpace page?
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news very soon, and our December update of our "Where Are The New Albums?" post on or around Thursday! Thanks everyone!
MIKEY BISHOP

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sativa Rose), Another New Local Band, And More!!

Hey guys, we have a packed new update for this final Sunday of the month! Today, we have some cool audio tracks from a local metal musician, the latest updates on two upcoming albums, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but let's begin today's post with the new local band!

Yes, our newest local band is Splitshot, and they are the new hard rock band from Sault Michigan featuring former Nixxon Dixxon guitarist Chris Hubbard and bassist Kyle Beaumont! Since their disbanding in August following Brandon Carr & Jake LaLonde's moves to California, we haven't heard too much from Chris or Kyle, but now they're back in a new band! Splitshot are rounded out by fellow members Dave Menard, Gary Beaumont, and Tony Hubbard, although I'm not positive on who plays what in this band, as their Facebook page doesn't say. I can't say I recognize any of them from other local bands, but Gary and Tony are indeed relatives of Chris and Kyle. Their sound is described as classic & modern Rock with "a couple boogie woogies", but judging by their influences on their Facebook page, I wouldn't be surprised if their setlist was similar to Nixxon Dixxon's. There's no audio or video yet, but they actually have played live, debuting at The Bird in Sault Michigan this past weekend! I apologize for missing those for SMS coverage, but you have my word that I would have plugged it if I'd heard of Splitshot before then! Stay tuned for more on these guys as I hear it, as they do have promise! Check out the above links for more!

Now, for that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! This show is packed full of local talent, and will take place (oddly enough) on Christmas! Yes, December 25th at Foggy Notions will feature five local bands hitting the stage, including two local hard rock/metal bands! Those two would be local metal trio Sativa Rose and local experimental grunge rockers SBD! This will be Sativa Rose's first concert appearance since September at GLOW, and they'll have loads of great metal covers in store! They should really launch an internet page though, it'd help them get the word out! As for SBD, this will be their first concert since August at Foggy's, and their unique brand of original music should turn some heads on Christmas night! Maybe they'll have albums on sale with them too? Three other bands have been announced, with Toronto-based classical/punk trio RedD Monkey returning to headline the show! Who doesn't love cello punk, after all? They're a very entertaining band, make sure to see them! Also scheduled are local guitar-less rock trio The Fury, who'll bring their unique style of music to Foggy Notions as well! The final band scheduled for this show is a new local stoner rock band named Whiskey Skidoo, who are scheduled to open the concert. They feature former Economy Studs bassist Jacob Maybe and local solo artist Jenny Gauvreau in their lineup, but I don't know too much on them yet.

This show is FREE on Christmas night at Foggy Notions at 9:00 PM! You must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a fun concert, with loads of local talent on display from varying styles, including some newer stuff as well! Not sure if I can make it or not, what with the Christmas timing, but make sure to go if you can! Check out the above links for more details!

Next up, have you noticed in recent months that we haven't had a whole lot of updates concerning Lion Ride's upcoming full length album? Well, aside from a posting of "Snail Trail" on BWC Studio's MySpace page, there hasn't been a whole lot of new updates since May or June, partly thanks to Iron Mike Bison's touring commitments as The Envy's manager. Earlier estimates of a "fall 2010" release were changed to "coming soon" as well. So what's up? Well, the band finally acknowledged the lack of news concerning their next album on their Facebook page last night, where they apologized for the sparse updates and stated that they were confident the album will be worth the wait. Possibly to help make up for the delays and lack of news, a video was posted there featuring recording session video clips set to "Snail Trail"! The clips show the band recording their parts, along with various other portions of the sessions, and it's nice to see this side of Lion Ride! Plus, the song is definitely a keeper, but again, I won't give full judgment until I review this album, whenever it comes out! I can't embed Facebook videos here, so click here to see the new video! Stay tuned for more updates on Lion Ride's new album as I hear them!

While we're on the subject of upcoming local albums, here's the latest from local solo musician Mike Haggith's upcoming 43rd album, "Suspended Animation"! The official cover art has been unveiled, replacing the old text-only placeholder image for the album. It's unique in that it's actually square CD dimensions, whereas many of his older solo album covers were rectangular. Looks good though! His personal Facebook page also features a back cover with credits and such, though I won't embed it here out of respect for personal privacy. Also, Mike's next planned live appearance will be another open mic night performance THIS WEDNESDAY at The Outback, so make note of that if you wanna check him out! And finally, Mike is looking to put together a local band to play his solo material live! I assume he'd be looking for a bassist, drummer, and maybe an extra guitarist, although he didn't go into detail on that front. If you guys want to get into a new local band, definitely consider working with Mike, as he is still trying to gain some footing in the local scene, and he's got some wide ranging and very prolific material in store that would be cool to hear with a full band! Check his Reverbnation page out and see what you think? If you're interested in playing live in his new local band, e-mail him at rotten_records_2008@hotmail.com!

And finally, here's some interesting updates concerning Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! Now when you think of the songs he plays, I'd assume your mind would go down two paths: covers and his "Solo Project" CD from 2006. Well, if you're looking for more solo material from Tym Morrison, maybe this will help. If you visit the music page on his official website, you'll find a music player featuring lots of music! The first 10 tracks are samples of the songs on the "Solo Project" album, but after that, there's lots of different stuff! Tym has a bunch of original dance songs on there that are well done, but not too metal, along with some comedy songs, like "Sheep Song" and "Punk Music Is", which show off his sense of humour! There's also a song about 9/11 which shows off his slower more passionate side as well! But the biggest story here on these extra songs are nine songs all credited with "Next Album" before them! All are samples, no full songs, but might Tym have a new solo album in the works? The samples do sound promising, but I can't recall Tym mentioning a new album too heavily lately. Regardless, check out these samples and all of Tym's posted material at this location! There's some extra music from Caveman Morrison on their page that I wanna share here too, but I'll leave that for later!

That's all for now, but I have some more news and notes to pass by you guys very soon, including our December "Where Are The New Albums?" update around Friday! Thanks everyone, stay tuned for more!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Updates!!

You may remember last month when I decided to skip November for a new Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile, as at that time, we had nearly exhausted the cache of metal bands from out of town that featured a Saultite in their lineup. I've found more that we can cover in the coming months, including newly found bands featuring local musicians like David Gold, Mike Haggith, and Ash Richtig, for example, but this series needed the month's break to regroup. However, I didn't want to let the series waste away the month, so I've decided to devote today's post to updating, correcting, and adding to the last 19 profiles that we've made in the last 10 months! Some need a clean-up, others have new band news to share, some are still perfectly fine, but either way, here's what's new and what's been changed!
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Phatstick: Firstly, their GarageBand profile has been removed, as GarageBand was shut down in July. I replaced it with their Facebook page and Facebook group, which surprisingly weren't posted when I first profiled them in January. Their band bio and my analysis have also been edited to reflect the fact that their current live setlists are now covers-only (shame when their originals are so good), and references to their recent concerts at Foggy Notions have also been added. I also elaborated more on their sound in my analysis, which seemed pretty bare, looking back on it now.

Will of the Ancients: I added a hyperlink to Woods of Ypres' MySpace page in the Local Info section, as it wasn't previously there. I also added a tiny referral to David Gold's work in other bands, but I didn't go into detail, as the profile's on Will of the Ancients specifically. Aside from that, little has changed, as the current lineup is no different, they still play frequently down South, and are still working on their next album. There'll be more to update next year though, I figure!

Papa Fogals Chair: I edited the band bio and my analysis from their profile to make it date-accurate, as I referred to their upcoming reunion show at Foggy Notions in February, which has long since came and went. Also, I had previously embedded three of their originals on there in lieu of a video because I couldn't find one. Well, I actually found one PFC live video on drummer Derek Turner's MySpace page a few months back, so it's now on the profile, and here! So check out this video of Papa Fogals Chair playing their original song "Truth"!



The Sexual Vigilantes: I edited the local info section to reflect the departure of bassist Brenton Ellis (a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther) from Lion Ride, and I also added the fact that he now sings for a Toronto punk band named Maximum RNR. Minor details like Brenton's stage name and a link to his and bandmate Curtis Faux's indie band The Labour Of were added as well. That's about all, the project hasn't been publically reactivated since we first profiled them.

Feral Noise: Nothing new to add. The project hasn't been reactivated since we first discussed them, and the bio and profile topics on Tym Morrison aren't incorrect or in need of a major update, but if something changes down the road, I'll have it!

Sadomasochism: I restored the first photo on their half of the profile (the original link expired), and I added links to drummer Mikey Bishop's MySpace page and his defunct local metal band Bludgeoned. The rest is still alright, to my knowledge. Sadomasochism are still broken up, and Mikey Bishop remains in Summon with no glaring changes to his current band status.

Levitate: No changes. Levitate have long since broken up, with the members all living in different provinces. As well, Cory Murchison's current local band Sense of Truth doesn't have a ton of new updates yet anyway, so everything's good still, I believe.

Necramyth: Again, no real changes. Necramyth have not been reactivated since we profiled them in April. I added a tiny bit referring to other unmentioned bands that drummer David Gold has been a part of, but that's the only real edit.

Human Disorder: No major changes, except for an edit to the price of their last album on Amazon, as they're going for as low as ONE CENT right now! Human Disorder are long since broken up, and the discussion about Jason Taillefer and Joe LaVergne's more recent work isn't in need of an update, so there's nothing major to change this month.

Summon: Aside from adding the same Mikey Bishop-related links that I did for the Sadomasochism profile, nothing has been changed. Their current status and membership hasn't changed since we profiled them in May, but there's some exciting stuff on the horizon!

The Disciples of Rock: Their official website has since been taken down, and now hyperlinks to frontman Yves Rock's EFR Studios in Blind River, so I removed it from the profile. As such, a photo originally taken from that site on the profile is now a dead link, so I replaced the image with a newer live shot. I also edited the local info section to reflect bassist James White's current work in the local hard rock bands Browbeat and The Quims, although I wasn't able to determine if fellow Saultite Aaron LeBlanc had resurfaced in a new band or not.

Violet Fuse: The only edit to their profile reflects the fact that their self titled debut album is now on sale! When the profile originally went up, we were still hearing about the CD release show in London in August. Well, you can now buy it at their official website if you wanna, there's some solid stuff there! Other than that, nothing needs to be changed, as they still gig frequently with the same lineup.

Jar.: I added guitarist Chris Gorst's nickname "Weasel", but for more major updates, I added in their band bio that Jar. have since resumed playing live concerts (at least two of them), and have started work on a new album, which they are currently in the process of recording! Promising stuff, I can't wait to hear what they have in store for us next!

Thrawsunblat: I added The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society to the list of David Gold's other bands in the local info section. Really, the only other new piece of "news" is that Thrawsunblat have recently sold a limited run of t-shirts (details here), but that's not really something you'd add to a band biography. That's all for their profile, as their status and activity really hasn't changed since we first profiled them.

Hellhitch: No changes. Honestly, with information so hard to come by on Hellhitch when I first profiled them, I couldn't say very much new unless an ex-member posted a posthumous page like some other bands have done.

Kilacel: The only real update is to reflect bassist Chris Leask's current role in the local band River Witch, which evolved from Blind Baby earlier this year. Nothing else new to say, as Kilacel are still on a hiatus.

Fifth Way: My only real changes are to make it more current, as the profile originally referred to their coming debut on iTunes and their upcoming music video premiere. Both have taken place, so both are referred to as such.

Marky Lion: His local info has been edited to reflect that we last saw Marky on stage with Lion Ride at Southern Ontario shows and will next see him locally with them next month. I also added the fact that Marky will join with local friends to make up "The Mark Rand Band" next month at Coch's Corner to play the Marky Lion originals live for the first time, which should be a great concert! My analysis has also been amended to reflect this show.

L'anguisette: No changes. Honestly though, their profile was only last month, what updates could there be? I imagine there'll be more next year when "Damning The Euphrates" comes out, so look out for it!
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There, hopefully things are more caught up and current now with our past entries in this series! So yes, after taking the month off from new bands, which band will be profiled next month? Well, I have decided that the band we're profiling next month will be Windsor, Ontario's S.C.A.R., one of the many projects by local guitarist Mike Haggith! Watch out for that around December 21st! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more local metal news and notes this weekend, hopefully! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Hope you American SMS fans are having a great Thanksgiving! If you can spare some time away from your turkey dinners, we have some news to get to today, so here's what's in store! Today, we have the latest news from Half A Man and Winkstinger, and previews of this weekend's known local hard rock/metal concerts, but kicking things off is a newly discovered local band!

So earlier today, I discovered a new local band named Traces, out of Sault Michigan. Originally named The Gaia Syndrome, Traces are a progressive metal project masterminded by local musician Tyler Tidwell, who plays guitar and handles the synths, programming, and engineering on their original tracks. He only just launched the band in April, announcing plans to write and record an album in the near future and round out the band's lineup. Since then, he's added Nathan Switzer (son of Monkey's Uncle frontman Henry Switzer) and his brother Cody Tidwell to the band on guitars. You'll recognize Nathan and Cody from their work in another local metal band, Analog Deficiency! Traces are currently looking for a drummer, bassist, and singer to round out their lineup, with plans in place to tour and release an EP next summer. So how do they sound? Actually, they sound very promising! The songs have great progressive riffs and good time signatures, and are actually pretty heavy and well written! I'm noticing a heavy Meshuggah influence too, which I welcome! Of course, it's hard to judge 100% without full instruments (especially with the drum programming sounding so unrealistic), but if they keep progressing higher, they'll be a definite band to watch out for locally! Check out the above links for more on Traces (The Gaia Syndrome's link has an interview with Tyler too), and I'll keep you posted with more as I hear it!

Now we'll preview this weekend's slate of local metal and hard rock concerts, of which I only know three. Sault Michigan could have something, but we don't tend to get as much internet notice over there, so if there's a show going on across the river, let me know! Firstly, local classic hard rock cover band Turner Up will return to Foggy Notions tomorrow night and Saturday night for the first time since the addition of new frontwoman Krista Marshall! The criteria at these shows is the same as it ever is, 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. The night's still young when it comes to this new era of Turner Up, so I'm sure many of you haven't seen the new lineup in action. All the more reason to go check them out this weekend, right? The voice up front may be different, but Krista's got some pipes, and their sound will largely be the same otherwise, so make it on out to Foggy Notions this weekend if you can! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and check out the above links for more! Remember, to get a taste of what you mighr expect with the new lineup, click here for some old Johnny Lunchbox videos with Krista and Jeff Gray!

The other new show this weekend is the third in Tym Morrison's weekly arrangement at Foggy Notions, as he returns there for a solo concert on Sunday night! As is usual, this will be an acoustic set from the Caveman Morrison frontman, who'll break out some of his favourite metal, hard rock, and other hits to play for fans in an intimate setting! Same ground rules as the above Turner Up shows should apply here, especially given that this is also at Foggy Notions. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Note that this is the last announced date of his Sunday agreement with Foggy Notions, but materials relating to it still say he'll be there "every Sunday", so there could very well be more announced in the near future! Either way, it should be a fun night on Sunday, so if you want to hear Tym in action while Caveman Morrison searches for another new bassist, then you'll wanna be at Foggy Notions on Sunday night! Check out the above links for more, and visit his official website to hear solo original material, including some newer surprises that I'll share in the near future!

Fourthly today, here's the latest from Brimley hard rockers Half A Man! We haven't talked too much about them since their Halloween party/video shoot, but here's what's been up! Their Facebook page now features tons of photos from that Halloween party (which featured a concert set) and decent quality live videos as well, including one video featuring frontman Erik Rintamaki singing "Freedom Ride" with a horse mask on! As well, the band posted a new promo picture and the video mix of their debut single "Drunk", which is what they recorded a music video for at that Halloween show. Heavy and catchy, it sounds good, and it has some nice aggression while still being accessible! The other new piece of news is that Half A Man are really hoping to play a live concert next month, and will open for anyone and play free! They were looking at The Satisfied Frog by name, but will play anywhere. Think you can help them out here? I'm not much help to suggest anything, as I know I miss a lot of shows from the lack of internet plugs for many on the Sault Michigan side of things, but if you can suggest something to help them out, send them a message at their Facebook page! I'll have more from Half A Man as I hear it!

And finally, Sault Ontario extreme metal quintet WinkStinger have quietly started two new internet pages! Their first new one is on Reverbnation, and aside from a photo, there's little to say there yet. The other new page is on MySpace, and it definitely has more going for it, including their lineup, some humorous sound descriptions, and audio postings of some jam session quality originals! I think these are the same ones we saw on Joey Velcro's YouTube channel, but don't quote me on that. Not bad stuff at all, including their songs "From Bullshit To Buzz (Lies = Weed)", "Cheese Grader Face", and "Chud Nugget", which wasn't on YouTube before, so it's a new one! Sounds good, very heavy and fast, with aggressive and very moshable vocals, and nice guitar work! This'll become a live favourite for sure, hopefully! Check out the latest from WinkStinger at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more very soon, cause I have some more intriguing news and notes in store! Thanks everyone!

Darwin Project Concert Preview, Plus A New Video, Concert Updates, And More!!

There, now with classes out of the way until Monday thanks to my American Thanksgiving break, I have more news on time today, and there's some good stuff to share this evening! So tonight's stories include updates on a major concert next month, three new Facebook pages from a trio of local bands, and a new concert video from a recent Kewadin metal show, but we will begin with an oddity: A mid-week local concert preview! Also make sure to check out my Total Chaos concert review below this post!

Just four days after rocking Rudyard, Cheboygan hard rockers The Darwin Project are coming back to Sault Michigan for a one night only concert at a venue we don't hear too much from! Yes, TOMORROW NIGHT, The Darwin Project will headline a show at The Savoy Bar on West Portage Avenue, which is in the same general area as The Corner Pub Bar & Grill, just in case you forgot where it was! I know they've hosted concerts before, but I can't think of any notable metal/hard rock ones off hand, but it should be cool! Now I don't believe this show has any weird or notable quirks compared to other local stops, aside from the weekday scheduling, so just expect some great hard rock if you go see them tomorrow night! There is a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and because it's a bar, expect a 21+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you're looking for some live music tonight, The Darwin Project's brand of alternative hard rock is a nice option! They come here often, but who knows when they'll be back, so make the most of it this weekend, as they have some great tunes in store tomorrow night! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Darwin Project playing their original song "Do You Want It" from a concert in January!



Next up, here's the latest updates on Lion Ride's local return next month! A new Facebook event page has been launched to hype their December 28th show at The Canadian Nightclub, replacing the old one which was deleted earlier today. The big news out of this is the announcement of the opening bands, and if you were expecting metal or punk, than you'll likely be a bit disappointed. Don't worry though, there is quality music! The first openers are local country/punk quintet The Billy Bastards, who've developed a good local following with their unique brand of music that definitely calls into the more extreme underground brands of country than anything commercial! Plus, John Conway & Aaron Gibbs of Harsh Heads fame are members, so that's notable on the metal side of things! Joining them as openers are the local indie band named The Pinecones. Just like Wojtek from the Zombie Walk afterparty, I have to admit: I've heard of them, but I've never heard them, so I can't share a lot on them. They played at this summer's Clusterfolk concert and at numerous acoustic shows, including a Relay For Life fundraiser, but I can't tell you much else about them yet. The only other real update is the poster on your left, which looks pretty cool! Hopefully I'll see you guys at this concert, it'll be a good one! Check out the above links for more, and note that on their MySpace page, they now say their new album is "coming soon", eliminating the previous "fall 2010" timeframe. Interesting, I'll keep you posted!

Thirdly, here's a brand new local concert video from a recent major concert at Kewadin Casino! This comes from last month's Sevendust concert, in just the second video we've seen on YouTube from it, but shockingly, it's also not of Sevendust! This is of another of the opening bands, Florida Christian metal quartet Since October playing their single "Guilty"! This comes from YouTube user iamdickard's channel, and it appears to have been shot with a cell phone camera. That being said, it's just 39 seconds long, the audio is VERY scratchy, and it's best you listen to this on low volume to make out the song the best. The video quality isn't bad, but it's darkness helps lessen the good angle it was shot from. It's not the clearest or longest video we've seen from recent major concerts, but it works well enough, and hopefully we get more from the Sevendust show soon! Check out this new video below!



And finally, here's three quick updates all revolving around the same general topic: Newly discovered Facebook pages of local metal/hard rock bands! Each band name below sends you to their Facebook page where you can become their fan! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Sault Michigan hard rockers Elipzis launched their new Facebook page this past weekend! It features individual event pages for their four upcoming Michigan concerts (none local) but I did add them to the out of town concert listings on the SMS! Aside from those, the information is mostly stuff we've seen on their other pages, but become a fan today, as updates are sure to roll in there!
• Fresh off of their debut performance on Sunday, local grimecore trio Shit Liver have launched their own Facebook page as well! It features some interesting quotes in their description, a photo from the Total Chaos show, and a discussion board topic on if the band should sell t-shirts. If you like these guys, become a fan today, help get the page going!
• Guitar Studio rock camp alumni Unleashed have a Facebook page that I only recently came across! Though information is sparse, it does confirm the band's current lineup and the members' last names, which weren't given on their MySpace page. Unleashed now features singer Isaac Terrian (Shift frontwoman Amy Beairl's son) who also now plays bass, replacing Maddy Lamma, plus drummer Jake Hotland & new guitarist Chris Verhagh (replacing Eli Riley.) No updates have been posted since June, but become a fan, cause you never know what'll be coming!

That's all for today, but I have more news and notes to come very soon, so keep an eye out! Thanks everyone!

Total Chaos Concert Review, Including A Brand New Local Band!

Hey guys, sorry for the delay on this, I've been horribly behind on school work. That being said, I am back from Sunday night's Total Chaos concert at The Oddfellows Hall! How did it measure up? You'll find out in this extended review, featuring reviews of all SIX bands that played, with four brand new videos from Sunday as well! So here's what you need to know from this concert!

First off, it was great being back at The Oddfellows Hall, it's been way too long for a non-battle of the bands, over a year in my case! I want to again stress a pet peeve of mine that re-emerged at the show, and that's the start time. Despite an advertised start time of 7:00 PM, it took over a half hour after that to get going, and I imagine people who were there at 6:00 PM wouldn't have been pleased. The Oddfellows Hall was just as it always was, but the concert atmosphere was enhanced by some good quality audio and lights from Nathan Bouliane's Bonology Lights & Sounds! Every band had a smoke machine and intense strobe lights that, though not conducive to camera quality, really added to each set!

Now, when we first heard about this show, there was only five announced bands, and no one I knew had heard any different. But when the first band took the stage, I knew it wasn't Shit Liver, the advertised first band. The four band members didn't look familiar at all, they looked around high school age, and I frankly didn't know what to expect. When they started, however, they sounded alright! Their name (as best as I could tell) was Changing Waves, and aside from that, I can't tell you anything else. No known internet pages, no idea who's in the band, no nothing, so if you guys have any information on these guys, PLEASE let me know at robertfigures@hotmail.com! They reminded me a bit of early As It Stands with their melodic hardcore style! For kids their age, they didn't sound too bad, and seemed to have a firm grasp of their original material! The singer has a nice scream going for him, but his stage presence needs work, as he spent almost the whole set singing towards the sound guys on the right, and didn't really engage the crowd beyond moshing with some fans late in the set. The guitarist had some nice solos too, I should add! Changing Waves have promise, and hopefully they'll play some more live concerts down the road, and launch a page of some sort!

After they wrapped up, Shit Liver hit the stage for their own debut performance, and let me say this out front: Their sound is very polarizing. From the reactions I heard, fans either loved them or they hated them. I remember getting some flack for plugging them on the SMS before, so I expected there to be some widely differing opinions on their set. In case you forgot, Shit Liver are the grimecore trio made up of 3/4 of the old local punk band O.B.C.D., but aside from a cover of that band, their sound was much dirtier and rawer, taking influences (and covers) from bands like Dystopia and The Capitalist Casualties, along with originals. Guitarist Josh Penno handled most of the vocals, which were mostly low death growls that, though often hard to make out, suited the music! They're honestly hard to describe, but I will say that Josh, bassist Mike "Ralph Brakk" Kyle, and drummer Matt Baic play this style well! I completely accept that many of you guys won't like them or find them any good, but you have to take it for what it is. Shit Liver aren't supposed to be a refined polished band, their sound is crusty and raw and grimy, and it succeeds on that level! Plus, they had a good segment of fans moshing too! I appreciate their sound and their style, but if you don't like what you hear, then I absolutely understand what you get out of them.

Third on the bill were one of my favourite local bands of the non-metal vein, RedD Monkey! And they're just as good as the last time I saw them, if a bit more random. They started AND ended their sets with "cello rap" songs, which felt a bit off for concert bookends, but they were oddly entertaining! But it was their standard punk-with-a-cello set in the middle, and very fun to listen to! Pete Mozarowski continued to be the most noticeable presence with hie cello playing, while his brother Steve shown good punk aggression and swagger himself! Once again, Kevin Overton was absent, I believe Joe Bumbacco from The Fury was back on drums for this show, and he was good as well! Solid set from RedD Monkey, who continue to impress my non-metal tastebuds, even on their extremely fast cover of Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades"! I should also add that because of a person's unfortunate "vomitory incident" on the floor, the majority of the crowd stayed far away from the stage for RedD Monkey's set, even after it was throuroughly cleaned up, so the fan atmosphere wasn't as fun as on the past few bands.

The second half of the concert kicked off with Frightlight in their first ever show at an all ages venue! It was cool seeing a band featuring J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) and Rick "Styles" White back at The Oddfellows Hall. I fondly remember seeing Fitswitch at all ages shows back in the mid-2000s, so it was like a flashback of sorts! Musically, Frightlight were right on form, though J.D.'s voice seemed a bit strained compared to the last few times I saw them. I also liked seeing the evolution of their stage getups at this show, adding to their horror feel, though where was Jeff De Rose's facepaint? Luckily, some people crossed the dreaded "puke line" to mosh close to the band for their set, punctuated by all the originals on "It's A...Live!", Fitswitch and Misfits covers, and more! Rick was on top form on guitar, and Eddie Fright/Mike Gingras' bass work stood out clear as day! I have to say though, as a comparison to the rest of the lineup, they were the most complimentary of Total Chaos as an opening band, just by similar styles. I'm all for metal, but when the opening bands are of a different genre and style than the headliner, it doesn't always clash well in my opinion. But the quality was good, so I didn't mind!

Your last local openers were Bring The Fallen, but before I discuss their set, I have two notes. First, Total Chaos didn't even show up until a little before Bring The Fallen started, which a lot of people there were relieved by. That being said, the delay resulted in no Total Chaos merchandise for sale prior to their set, but at least RedD Monkey and Frightlight were covered on that end of things! My second note concerns the photos I took for the last chunk of the show. My camera's battery was draining fast near the end of Frightlight's set, so my later photos are all without flash and are of low quality. You'd be surprised that flash photography is more of a battery drain than just leaving it idle while turned on. So my apologies to Bring The Fallen and Total Chaos for the photo quality, and I will make up for it next time around!

Now, to Bring The Fallen, and in a word, they were brutal! That is a complete compliment, but it left me a bit banged up in the process, and I wasn't even moshing! It was great to see the band back and in full, after bassist Nolan Rainville's spring absence and lead guitarist Andrew Chiarello's exit and return to the band, and luckily they were on top form! Josh Stephney's death growls were devastating in the best possible way, and he commanded the action as fans moshed like they hadn't moshed before! It got so hectic that one of Josh's microphones got busted during a more intense section of their cover of Slayer's "Black Magic", but luckily they had a spare on hand! Andrew Chiarello's guitar solos were wicked and very proficient, and the whole band were playing their hearts out last night! They broke out their hit originals like "Defiling Despondence" and "Stand Before", all the while encouraging a huge fury in the pits that rarely relented! It's also notable that Josh gave away two Bring The Fallen t-shirts, the only ones in existence, which looked cool, and hopefully they go on sale one day! Awesome set, and it seemed like it went by way too quickly, but in this case, it's a good sign. They ruled, and I hope they're playing live again soon!

And finally, your main band was California street punk legends Total Chaos, in their second local stop in their long history! I have to be honest, I haven't been to a ton of concerts where the headliner was a punk band from out of town, but then ones I have been to were good! I still remember the Propagandhi show from Halloween 2006 fondly, so it was nice to see some punk for a change on my schedule! I have to admit, I'm not terribly familiar with Total Chaos, but I liked what I heard! They had loads of punk attitude to go around, and the crowd moshed like mad in response! Rob Chaos' vocals sounded slightly harsher than I remembered from their studio tracks, but he looked to enjoy playing for the fans, as did the rest of the band! There was even some metal flashes, like in their initial jamming before their set, but they retained the punk feel throughout! I really enjoyed Shawn Smash's riffing especially, it complimented the music very well, and there was no relief or rest with their songs at all! Fun way to close the night, and sort of refreshing to see a straight up punk band for a change compared to the metal and hard rock I usually get! I just wish I wasn't so banged up from being near the pits!

Overall, this was a fun and diverse night of music, that delivered sizeable amounts of punk aggression, metal brutality, some new blood in the local scene, and a cello! I haven't seen a package like this at an all ages show in quite some time, and I hope it's not the last! We need more Oddfellows Hall shows, and last night was proof! I got plenty of photos on Sunday (apologies again for the later photos), so check them out at this location or at the SMS' Facebook page! And yes, I got videos of the four metal bands last night, so check them out below: Changing Waves' original "Divine Intervention", Shit Liver's cover of Antischism's "Greedy Bastards", Frightlight's cover of Fitswitch's "Rust Angel", and Bring The Fallen's original "Nostalgia"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for some more local metal news later tonight! Thanks everyone, and sorry again for the delay!

A Possible Upcoming Concert, Plus News From Half Past & Mark Rand!!

Hey there, metalheads! We have some big updates to get to today before the Total Chaos show, continuing a stretch full of big news stories in the local scene! Today, we have a possible upcoming concert that needs a booking, a bassist switch in a local band, updates to an intriguing concert next month, and the return of a local band's material to the internet, so let's begin today's update! (Edited at 4:17 PM) Yesterday, I recieved an e-mail from Alexandra Raine, who's looking to get a local booking for a pair of Canadian metalcore bands on their upcoming Canadian tour! As you can see on this poster, a local date is penciled in for December 17th (disregard the misspelling of Sault Ste. Marie) on their "WinTour Sucks" tour! The bands that are scheduled for this potential local date are Palms To The Sky and The Breathing Apparatus. Palms To The Sky are a melodic metalcore quintet from Saskatoon who have some hard hitting moshable music in store, while The Breathing Appartus are an experimental breakcore act from Ottawa who throw their own spin into their extreme metal sound with nice melodic sections as well! Check them both out, hardcore fans will be right at home with these bands! Now, here's where you guys come in. Alexandra asked if I could book this show, but because I'm not a booker, I forwarded her some contact info, and I'm letting you guys know as well in case you have interest in helping them secure a local show on December 17th! If you would like to book Palms To The Sky & The Breathing Apparatus for this show, or just want to help the cause in any fashion, e-mail Alexandra Raine at her personal Facebook page! This would be a cool hardcore package, hopefully a booking comes out of this! Stay tuned for updates if I hear them! Secondly, here's some updates on the planned Marky & The Motherfuckers show on December 29th at Coch's Corner! A Facebook event page for this show was launched yesterday, which will feature Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion) and some of his local musician friends playing the songs from Marky's solo project live for the first time. Firstly, the band's name has been changed to The Mark Rand Band, as evidenced by the poster on the left. Mark was discussing a possible name change on his personal Facebook page for personal reasons, so that's why there's a new name. It works well enough! Also, the opening bands have been announced, including local punk/metal quintet Destroilet! This will be their first live concert in seven months, and it's great to see them back after such a long break, so expect some raw and aggressive songs from them on December 29th! The other announced opening band is local punk band The Scary Uncles, making their long awaited local return after over a year away from the stage! I've been a fan of theirs for a while, and they feature Quims frontman Justin Langlois & former Fitswitch bassist Andrew MacDonald, so there's some good stuff to be had with them! A 9:00 PM start time is listed, and the 19+ age limit and lack of a cover remain from our past thoughts. Check out the above links for more details on what should be an awesome show! Thirdly, local hard rockers Half Past have announced the return of bassist Arthur "Chicky" Lacasse to the band, replacing Ryan Disano. Arthur announced his return by stating "I'M BACK BITCHES" on the wall of their Facbook page, and has since been re-added to their lineup on there. Of course, Arthur has played either guitar or bass for Half Past from their inception as Fingerbone to his initial departure in July, after which he was replaced by Ryan Disano two months later. A reason for Ryan's departure has not been posted, and though I did hear about why the change was made through personal discussions, I won't publicize anything unless the band does. I have to say, it's nice to see Arthur back! He's a nice guy and a very good bassist, and though I was interested to see Ryan with the band, it's great to see the classic lineup back together! Now, we wait for their live return and their debut album! Check out the above links for more on Half Past!  

 That's all for today, but I have more news to come very soon, along with our "Where are they now?" feature on past bands from our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series! Thanks everyone, and I'll see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT for Total Chaos and local metal openers!

HUGE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Buckcherry & Lion Ride), Plus Sneaky Pete & Riverin News!!

Hey guys, today's a huge news day, so let's not waste any time! We have news on a local band's new bassist, and the recording process of another local band, but first, we have two very exciting LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! One marks a local band's long awaited local return, while the other is a major concert you guys could be very excited over! Let us begin!

The first major metal/hard rock concert of 2011 in the Twin Saults was announced last night, and for you modern hard rock fans, this will surely get you excited! On March 14th, Los Angeles hard rockers Buckcherry will make their long awaited debut appearance in the Sault area as the headliners at this concert at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino! After false reports of them backing up Kiss on their later-cancelled 2009 local date, and inquiry about booking them for a show in August at Kewadin, Allstar Promotions finally have Buckcherry locked up for a local show! Now, you can hear them play hits like "Lit Up", "Crazy Bitch", and "Sorry" live at Kewadin in March, but that's not all, as there are opening bands! Firstly, California hard rockers Papa Roach will be in Sault Michigan for a second time after headlining at Kewadin in November 2009, and they'll have hits such as "Last Resort" and "Lifeline" in store for us once again! The other confirmed opening band is Ontario rockers My Darkest Days, who recently topped the rock charts with their hit single "Porn Star Dancing"! This is also their second local stop, following their show in September at Kewadin where they opened for Hinder. I wouldn't call My Darkest Days "metal", but Zakk Wylde does play on "Porn Star Dancing", so that's notable! Another opening band has yet to be announced. Check out all of the above links for details on the announced bands!

As previously stated, this show will take place on March 14th at The Dreammaker's Theater. Details such as the start time, certain house rules, and the other opening band aren't known yet, but Allstar Promotions have confirmed on their Facebook page that tickets will be about $38.50 (US dollars.) That being said, original estimates have tickets going on sale "at the end of the week", presumably meaning next week. I imagine it's all ages, but I'll let you guys know either way if it is or not. They've also said that this show will be a part of a Jagermeister sponsored tour of some kind, but I haven't found specific details on that front. I will of course keep you guys updated on this show as news comes in! This should be an exciting concert, and though I admit not being a huge fan of the three bands (save for Papa Roach's early years), there will be lots of rock to go around, and it'll be worth the money! Stay tuned for more news as it comes in!

The other new concert is smaller in scale, but a big deal nonetheless! On December 28th, Lion Ride make their long awaited local return! Yes, the local punk/metal rockers will be back home for a hard rocking concert over the Christmas break at The Canadian Nightclub! This will be their first local show since May when they headlined at The Canadian on the May 2-4 weekend, and after seven months away, they'll be back in the Soo to deliver some metal to their hometown fans! I'd expect to see Carmine Romano back as their touring bassist for this show, as he's played with them at their most recent Toronto-area gigs. Full details have not been announced yet, but it will be a Tuesday night concert with an announced 8:00 PM start time (that seems early.) I'd expect a 19+ age limit as well. The cover charge hasn't been announced yet, nor have the openers, though the Facebook event page hypes that the openers will be "wicked". More details will be posted there in the near future, so stay tuned over the coming weeks for updates! This should be a great show, pencil me in to be there! I wonder if we'll hear some stuff from their forthcoming full length album at this show? Check out the above links for more details, and while we're on the subject, they'll be playing a show in Barrie at The Foxx Lounge on December 3rd, click here for info!

Two more stories for today's update, and firstly, we have some big news from a local hard rock cover band. On Monday, Sneaky Pete announced the addition of bassist Sean Berlinguette (far left) to the band, replacing Dave Grimaldi, who left the band in July after moving to Sudbury. The band described him as an "active local recording & songwriting musician" who's worked with "some of the Soo's premier musical acts." I'll take their word on that, but I haven't found anything online concerning past bands Sean worked with. Still, the band glowingly praised his abilities on their Facebook page, so hopefully he's the missing piece of the puzzle! And yes, this photo is from the photo shoot they were hyping. The band added that they're ready to go public 'in the near future", they've been aggressively polishing their sets since Sean joined, and they might be playing live "when you least expect it". Nice to see their lineup complete again, and hopefully now they can finally play live! We've been waiting for months for them to make their debut, we'll have to see what's in store next for Sneaky Pete! Check out the above links for more!

And finally for today, local industrial hard rock duo Riverin are the latest subject of the "Attack of the Garage Bands" series on Glen Thomas' music blog The Barking Eye! This is the series that talks about how certain local bands self-record their own material, and it previously featured local metal acts Sykotyk Rampage and Tym Morrison in past installments. This time around, guitarist Matt Clement offers up info about how Riverin write their music, what instruments they use, how they record the material, and what programs they use. Lots of technical information to go around, and maybe some musicians out there can take some cues from Riverin for home recording! They also told Glen that they want to expand Quartertone Studios to a full basement recording studio in the near future, which sounds promising! There's also lots of info on the band and some embedded tunes to check out as well. Nice to see Riverin get some extra press, and hopefully we'll see the fruits of their labour sooner rather than later! To check out this post, and more, click here, and I'll have more on Riverin very soon!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned, cause I have lots more to share in the very near future, including a special post where we detail updates to past bands discussed in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile series! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Local Metal & Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Second post of a three post Friday, and it's your concert previews for this weekend! On the hard rock and metal side of things, we have seven concerts featuring five different lineups on both sides of the Twin Saults. Big weekend, let's begin the previews in Sault Michigan with the three concerts over there that I know of! (Check the post below for last month's poll results and the details on our current poll. VOTE TODAY!!) Firstly, we'll head to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino, which features the return of Northern Michigan hard rock trio Peril for one night only! Originally scheduled to play on Saturday as well, that date was cancelled a little while ago without a public explanation (as confirmed on their official Facebook page), but they will be in town tonight! This will be their first local date since last month, and this promises to be another fun night of hard rock and metal covers and originals! As is usual for their sets in town, Peril will be on at around 9:00 PM tonight, there will be no cover charge, and you must be 21 to enter. Even if it's only one night this time around, Peril have a great classic metal sound, and you guys should definitely consider going to Kewadin tonight to check them out! For more, including original audio and material from frontman Jeffrey Hudson's solo project, check out the above links! And for a video preview, here's a clip of Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" from a show in January! Meanwhile, in nearby Rudyard, Michigan, this weekend marks the local return of The Darwin Project! Yes, the Cheboygan modern rock quartet will be back in the area tonight and tomorrow night for two shows at Joe's Bar in Rudyard! I'm continually trying to include communities in the Sault Michigan area on the SMS, and Rudyard's only a half hour from Sault Michigan down the I-75, so make note that there's rock there this weekend! These shows will take place at 10:00 PM at this bar located on Main Street in Rudyard, with no announced cover charge, and a likely 21+ age limit. These should be fun shows, so if you want to make the trip down to Rudyard tonight or tomorrow to enjoy some very solid modern hard rock, then do it! For more details and material, visit their Facebook and MySpace pages, and don't worry about the Facebook event pages they made up for this weekend, because there's nothing noteworthy on them. And for a video preview, here's one of the most recent Darwin Project videos on YouTube, a live clip from a Cheboygan show in September where they played their original "The Dark"! Now to Sault Ontario for the rest of this weekend's heavier concerts, and we'll start at The Canadian Nightclub, where Turner Up will be playing for a pair of dates tonight and tomorrow night! This is their second weekend featuring new frontwoman Krista Marshall (seen here with bassist Jeff Gray from the Johnny Lunchbox days), and their first shows at The Canadian since she replaced Brent Royer earlier this month. These shows were originally scheduled for The Vibe Lounge, but were moved without public explanation earlier this week, so make sure you know where to go before you head to the wrong bar. As is usual, the show starts at around 10:00 PM tonight, there's no announced cover charge (but knowing The Canadian, they should have one, so bring $5 or so), and you must be 19 to enter. These should be fun, and it could be your first chance to see the new lineup in action if you missed them last weekend, so make not if you want to hear some live classic hard rock hits from these talented local veterans! Check the above links for more, confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page, and to click here to check out Krista in action in Johnny Lunchbox! The last two shows today are (oddly enough) Sunday night affairs, and we'll start at Foggy Notions, where Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison continues his new weekly engagement at Foggy Notions with another acoustic solo set! This is the second of an at least three week run of Sunday solo shows there, and it should be a fun night of mellow laid back acoustic covers of your favourite metal and hard rock hits, and more! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to enter Foggy's on Sunday night, and it all starts at 10:00 PM. While Caveman Morrison searches for a new bassist, it'd never hurt to check out very similar hits in a more intimate setting, so make note of Tym's show there on Sunday! For more details and original material from Tym & Caveman Morrison, check out the above links, and click here to visit the Facebook event page! And remember, if you miss him on Sunday, you can see him next Sunday as well! Finally, it's the big show of the weekend that has many local punk and metal fans very excited, and not just cause it's a rare all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall! The headliners have created a lot of buzz, and they are California street punk legends Total Chaos, who bring over 20 years of experience and classic anthems like "Punx Coalition", "What You Gonna Do", and "Complete Control" to the table! They have a nice aggressive punk sound that will be sure to attract lots of fans (myself included), but why is this getting SMS coverage? Well, it's because of the openers, who are mostly cut from the metal mold! Firstly, we have Bring The Fallen in just their second concert since May. Look for a death metal onslaught from these rising stars in the local metal scene, who are surely ready to melt your face off! Also scheduled are local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, in their first live concert appearance since their Halloween weekend release of "It's A...Live!" Their heavy punk sound will fit right in at a Total Chaos show, so expect some great stuff from their set! The other metal band scheduled are local grimecore trio Shit Liver, featuring former Bring The Fallen touring bassist Mike Kyle. How will their grinding death/punk sound work for their live debut? We shall see on Sunday night! The other supporting band are Toronto classical/punk trio RedD Monkey, who are one of my favourite non-metal bands with local members, so watch out for their cello-infused punk sound! Check out all of the scheduled bands at the above links! As previously mentioned, this concert will be at The Oddfellows Hall on Sunday night, in the first major show there featuring hard rock bands since May's Downtown Showdown Battle of the Bands (coincidentally, Bring The Fallen won that night with Mike Kyle on bass.) Doors open at 6:00 PM on Sunday night with a 7:00 PM start time. It costs $8 at the door to get in, which is a perfectly good price, especially at this value of bands! And yes, it's ALL AGES, but if you plan to drink, be responsible and covert about it, lest something bad happens. It's been forever since the last all ages Oddfellows show like this, so drink it in and enjoy it, cause who knows when we'll get another? Hopefully soon, but still, come on out on Sunday! I'll be there, with a review, photos, and videos to come on Monday, hopefully sooner than later! For more, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Bring The Fallen from the Downtown Showdown battle playing their original song "Stand Before", but don't forget about Total Chaos either! That's all for now, but go see some concerts this weekend!