Fitswitch (9 votes, 21%)
Other (9 votes, 21%)
Gates of Winter (7 votes, 16%)
Dirty Virgin (3 votes, 7%)
Sense of Truth (3 votes, 7%)
Detroit (2 votes, 5%)
Quite Frankly (2 votes, 5%)
SBD (2 votes, 5%)
Stillbroke (2 votes, 5%)
Renderware (1 vote, 2%)
Soldiers of Misfortune (1 vote, 2%)
Time of Ruin (1 vote, 2%)
AtrophiA (0 votes, 0%)
Browbeat (0 votes, 0%)
Driving Dave Home (0 votes, 0%)
Infrastrate (0 votes, 0%)
No Arrow (0 votes, 0%)
Paraside (0 votes, 0%)
Sue Inside (0 votes, 0%)
What do you guys think? Seven bands tied for last with no votes, and while I can see why there may be less fan support for some of them, I'm surprised that no one picked Browbeat or No Arrow! Maybe if you could vote for multiple bands. Of the four bands that tied for 10th place with a single vote, none shocks me more than Soldiers of Misfortune, who were extremely over in my teen years. At least they got some love! Four more bands tied for 6th place with 2 votes each, and it's refreshing to see bands like Quite Frankly & SBD getting some attention in the polls, but I really thought Detroit & Stillbroke would get more votes. Dirty Virgin & Sense of Truth tied for fourth with 3 votes each, which is about where I predicted them, though I figured Sense of Truth would finish a bit higher. Third place went to Gates of Winter with 7 votes, a predictably high finish, though I would have pegged them in the top two. But the poll's winners, tied for first with 9 votes each, and 21% of the results each were Fitswitch and "Other", but keep in mind that the people who voted "Other" likely didn't all vote for the same band. I'm surprised "Other" finished so high, but that could mean many things, from fan support for recently broken up bands like State of Misery to old school love for a band like Amethyst, or even a different genre! But as I said last month, I stuck to more recent bands, though not freshly broken up ones to avoid a possible bias, especially when similar new bands are around.
As for Fitswitch, it's great to see such support from fans concerning a possible return to the stage, though it's kinda odd for two reasons: A. Fitswitch do occasionally reunite on special occasions, and B. We have Frightlight now, who share three members of Fitswitch's classic lineup, cover them live, and sound very similar (if you refined their sound & added a horror motif.) That said, Fitswitch were very popular locally, I really enjoyed them in the mid-2000s, and they are a deserving winner of the poll! Who knows, maybe they will reunite more officially down the road, but I'd say enjoy Frightlight, they work extremely well! Thanks to everyone for voting in last month's poll, and as we've been hinting, this month's poll is becoming a July tradition at the SMS, so once again, I'll pose this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal concert in the first half of 2011? There were a lot of major metal and hard rock concerts from January-June of this year, and I've picked 19 notable and successful shows from the past half year to vote for this month, with the ever popular "Other" at the end as well! So without any further adieu, here are your choices!
Bands: Who Made Who
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: January 20th
Info: AC/DC fans were treated to some more high voltage rock n' roll in January when Toronto tribute band Who Made Who returned to The Canadian to deliver a night full of AC/DC classics in their first of multiple stops this year! No strangers to Sault Ontario, Who Made Who likely pulled in a great audience (as they will at Hempfest next month), but was this your favourite show of 2011 so far?
Bands: Bring The Fallen, Winkstinger, The Bear Hunters, State of Misery, and Sativa Rose
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: January 28th
Info: Originally scheduled to be a private birthday concert for then-Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent, medical reasons cancelled it, but bandmates saved the show and turned it into a public all ages event entitled "Icy Metal For Aborted Therapy"! Though a few bands were removed as a result, five talented local metal bands tore the house down in this all ages show, which included one of Bring The Fallen's last live sets. Was this your favourite show in the first half of 2011?
Bands: Maximum RNR, Frightlight, and Destroilet
Venue: Foggy Notions
Date: February 19th
Info: Hardcore and punk would collide at this well attended February show at Foggy's, headlined by Toronto hardcore punk mainstays Maximum RNR, who just happened to feature the Sault's own Brenton Ellis (a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther) on vocals! The former Lion Ride bassist & Detroit frontman tore it up with Maximum RNR at this show, with Frightlight & Destroilet rocking the stage as openers! I was too ill to go, but did you guys enjoy Maximum RNR?
Bands: RedD Monkey, The Fury, No Arrow, and Sounds From The Green Room
Venue: Foggy Notions
Date: February 26th
Info: An interesting mix of bands would populate "The Swamp Donkey Romp" at Foggy Notions in late February, including Smeltzer alumni in their unique local bands RedD Monkey and The Fury, the surprise return of grunge rockers No Arrow to the stage (with their Murder Playground-era lineup in tow), and the local debut of SBD bassist Brad Griffith's hard rock duo Sounds From The Green Room! Was this a standout show for you this year?
Bands: The Saigon Hookers & Brad Example and The Role Models
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 4th
Info: Kitchener hard rockers The Saigon Hookers have been known to Lion Ride fans for years through live and friendly association, but only in March did they finally come to Sault Ontario for a concert, their first of two this year! They delivered a high energy set of punk flavoured hard rock, with local punk supergroup Brad Example & The Role Models opening the festivities with their own well recieved set! Was this your top 2011 show so far?
Bands: Woods of Ypres, The Bear Hunters, and State of Misery
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: March 10th
Info: After 18 months away from the local stage, blackened doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres finally returned to our burial ground for a Thursday metal night at The Rosie! The first show on their "Woods IV: The Green Album" release tour (following it's re-release through Earache Records), David Gold and company brought a metal assault to fans in attendance, with some great local support all around! Was this the best show through June this year?
Bands: The Great Sabatini, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver
Venue: Foggy Notions
Date: April 2nd
Info: Dismembertainment brought us another high quality package of metal to help kick off April when Montreal sludge quartet The Great Sabatini rolled through Foggy's! Their uniquely slow & brutal sound won lots of local fans, while The Bear Hunters and Shit Liver proved more than up to the task as openers! I heard great things about this show, but was it your favourite metal show of the first half of 2011?
Bands: Sneaky Pete
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 8th
Info: After months and months of anticipation, local hard rock quartet Sneaky Pete FINALLY made their local debut at The Rockstar Bar on April 8th, and by all accounts, the show was a hit! This talented group of local veterans rocked the stage with some great covers, and firmly stamped their name into the local scene with further shows over the next few months, but was this the best of the half year?
Bands: RedD Monkey, As It Stands, Winkstinger, Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, Sativa Rose, Late & Loud, The Tenagens, State of Misery, Changing Waves, and Skull After Betrayl
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: April 9th
Info: What started as a show to pay for RedD Monkey's new tour van turned into The Sewer Swampstravaganja, an 11 band all ages concert full of great local talent, including 9 metal bands! The music was wall to wall, notably including the live debuts of Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti & Changing Waves bassist Terrence Gomes as well! Amazing show full of great bands, but is it your top pick of the first half of 2011?
Bands: Lion Ride & The Billy Bastards
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 8th
Info: There was no camping weekend in the way on April 8th, as Lion Ride made a triumphant local return to rock The Rockstar Bar with their energetic mix of punk and metal! A huge crowd took in this exciting high impact show, with country punk stalwarts The Billy Bastards delivering their unique musical blend to their fans as the openers! This show was awesome, but is it your #1 pick for 2011's first half?
Bands: Dead & Divine, As It Stands, The Bear Hunters, and State of Misery
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: April 29th
Info: Burlington hardcore rockers Dead & Divine made their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on April 29th for an intense night of hardcore and metal for all ages at The Oddfellows Hall! Three local bands opened the festivities, including promoter John Mignacca's hardcore standouts As It Stands and local death metal band State of Misery in their last local concert! Was this Oddfellows Hall show your favourite of 2011 so far?
Bands: Crued, Dirty Virgin, and Motion Carried (now Redundant)
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: April 30th
Info: If you wanted glam, you got it on April 30th, as Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued returned to The Canadian for another night of old school glam goodness! Always entertaining, a great crowd turned out to see Crued in action, with local openers Dirty Virgin (in their first show in 17 months) and punk trio Motion Carried delivering their own entertaining styles at the start, but was this your favourite show of 2011 so far?
Bands: Fuck The Facts, Shit Liver, As It Stands, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 9th
Info: Ottawa grindcore rockers Fuck The Facts made their triumphant return to Sault Ontario on May 9th, headlining a brutal Dismembertainment-promoted metal show at The Rosie that night! Their return was welcomed, and all the openers (including late addition As It Stands) threw down some heavy stuff to add to this concert, but of all the 2011 metal shows through June, is it your favourite?
Bands: Farewell To Freeway, No Bragging Rights, Hallows Die, and As It Stands
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 12th
Info: Who says a Rosie metal night has to have mostly locals? Three touring metal bands from two previously booked concerts joined forces on May 12th to deliver a devastating set of death metal and hardcore, including Guelph's Farewell To Freeway, California's No Bragging Rights, and Toronto's Hallows Die, with As It Stands fittingly opening the show! Was this show your top concert in early 2011?
Bands: Blizzard of Ozz & Motion Carried (now Redundant)
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 14th
Info: Continuing with their trend of entertaining tribute bands, The Canadian brought Blizzard of Ozz to the Soo on May 14th, and they delivered a great set of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath covers to the fans in attendance! Motion Carried again opened with their own solid set of punk rock, but did this show satisfy your Ozzy cravings enough for it to be 2011's best concert?
Bands: The Isosceles Project, Thekillingfield, The Endprogram, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 23rd
Info: Three touring Ontario bands returned to Sault Ontario after earlier well recieved concerts to rock The Roosevelt Hotel on May 23rd! With widely ranging sounds from instrumental progressive metal to experimental death metal to punk, these three bands tore it up on May 23rd, with local support Winkstinger making the most of their set with their own extreme stylings! Was this your top concert of 2011's first half?
Bands: Unleash The Archers, Wear Your Wounds, Abstract & The Artist, and Changing Waves
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 4th
Info: As Vancouver power/death metal quintet Unleash The Archers toured through the astrowaste, they stopped at The Rosie on June 4th for an awesome night of metal! Accompanied by Winnipeg hardcore bands Wear Your Wounds & Abstract The Artist, and locals Changing Waves, this show was a success with lots of metal to go around, but did you like it enough to pick it as the best half year concert?
Bands: The Dayglo Abortions, Frightlight, Skull After Betrayl, Sativa Rose, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 16th
Info: What started as your usual Roosevelt Hotel metal night took a major upgrade when it was announced that Canadian hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions would be headlining! And then it snowballed, leading to a HUGE audience, HUGE moshpits, and one hell of a concert from the legendary Dayglo Abortions! Also featuring four great local opening bands, including Frightlight's Rosie debut, was this your favourite concert of 2011 so far?
Bands: Garden of Bedlam
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 17th
Info: After seven months away from the local stage, prominent local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam returned to the stage for just the second time since opening for Kiss when they headlined a solo show at The Rockstar Bar on June 17th! With loads of newer material and some surprise new covers (Metallica, anyone?), Garden of Bedlam returned with a vengeance last month, but did this late June concert manage to top the half year for you?
Other: Perhaps your favourite concert of the first half of 2011 wasn't listed? Maybe I missed a major one, or you preferred one in Sault Michigan, or maybe even one with no metal bands? For reference sake, bands like 5150, Browbeat, Caveman Morrison, For All That Is Lost, Full Circle, Half Past, Phatstick, Sykotyk Rampage, That's Chester, Tym Morrison, Unleash The Blackened Sky, and We, The Undersigned played in local concerts not listed above, including many of the bands on the listed shows, so there's plenty of "other" options if this is your preferred choice!
VOTE TODAY!! You have until August 18th to cast your votes, so do so on the voting form in red on the left of the page! I'm curious to see what show you guys pick, so make your voices heard and get voting! We'll have a new news post tomorrow featuring some more news, so stay tuned for that! Thanks everyone!
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