LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Powerslug), A New Local Band, And Much More!!

I wasn't anticipating having a new post tonight, but we had some big stories to get to, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so I threw one together for tonight! That said, if you guys were curious, I don't think we'll encounter any cosmetic differences from what you're used to in future posts, as yesterday's looks fine despite the Blogger interface upgrades. Photos are a bit harder to fine tune the size of, but the status quo (with possible advancements) should otherwise be maintained. Now, to the news, including a band's status confirmation, updates to one of our monthly feature series, and a brand new local band page, but first, here are those new shows for THIS WEEKEND!

Sault Michigan hard rock trio Powerslug will return to the live concert stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! After over a month away from the stage (barring any short notice shows that slipped me by over the past month), the talented but pageless local band will bring their hard rocking sound back to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill for two shows this weekend for the first time since July! (I think.) As is often the case, I apologize for the short notice, but I only just heard about these shows via drummer Bob Helsten's personal Facebook page this evening. For the record, I don't know if Powerslug will be on The Corner Pub's outdoor patio stage or inside, especially given the rain today, but they should rock well and hard no matter what! Admission should be free for these 21+ concerts, and I'd assume 10:00 PM start times are in order. If I hear anything more, I'll let you guys know somehow! These should be fun concerts with lots of hard rocking covers to chug your mug with, so don't miss Chris, Bob, and Chris TONIGHT OR TOMORROW, and click here for the only video footage I can find of Powerslug in action!

Next up, we have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links... well, they're not completely new, but they only just now have an online page, and they are local thrash trio Pillory! First visible in July via YouTube video uploads, we've already covered them on the site from their videos, but it's nice to see them start a Facebook page to keep fans updated and make new ones! Their lineup currently features singer/guitarist Robert Sartini (ex-Roadkill), guitarist Andres Duchesne (ex-Bear Hunters/Social Suicide), and drummer Bret Shuttleworth, and though specific details on them are lacking, we do know a few things! Their Facebook page features a pile of influential bands and lists them as having been started in May, and as alluded to above, they do have videos (including three original songs and a cover of Megadeth's "Hangar 18") on Robert's YouTube channel, so check them out if you wanna!

I'm very curious to see where Pillory go from here, especially if they keep on a straight thrash metal path, as we don't have a lot of thrash bands here that aren't influenced by death metal vocally. Their videos have promise, and the members are talented, but Pillory do need a bassist, better video quality, and some more seasoning, but they are off to a good start! They're now in our active Sault Ontario band links, and go check Pillory out at the above links!

That said, while we do have one new band, we also have one to move to our inactive band links, that sadly being local classic metal quartet Late & Loud. Last seen on stage three weeks ago, the Sault Humane Society Battle winners had publically declared that they were going on a hiatus and/or break after that concert, but according to a recent posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, it looks to be more than that. Guitarist Brendan Christie revealed there last night that he's looking for a heavy metal/hard rock singer (no older than 40) with a really good range for upcoming band work, and in an added comment, he added that the singer wouldn't be for Late & Loud, because "we broke up." This confirms personal indications I had heard last month, but it's the first public acknowledgement that Late & Loud are done as a band beyond a hiatus. That said, I believe that the new band that Brendan is launching will feature most of the other Late & Loud members, but specifics have yet to be publically revealed. If you're a talented metal singer and would like to try out for Brendan's new band, message him at the above links or this location!

It's very disappointing to see Late & Loud end after a successful two year run, especially with the heights they hit as a band! By late last year, they had really come into their own as a classic metal band (despite the lack of a singer), and their original material and great stage presence secured them a solid fanbase & helped push them to their battle of the bands victory in their penultimate live concert! I hope this isn't an absolute goodbye, as they had so much promise and talent (including that unreleased EP), but best of luck to Brendan, Jonathan, Benn, and Josh in the future, and stay tuned for updates on the members' next musical projects!

Finally for today, here's some updates to our profiles in our Battle of the Bands Rewind Mini-Series, just to make them more accurate & current! In the profiles of the Skid Row, and Kiss Battles of the Bands, I edited the sections on newer bands with battle alumni to replace Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers' folk rock band Woody Sims with his newer & more active local band The Pesto Shirts. On both the 2008 Case's Music & Kiss battle profiles, I updated the current status of competitors Stillbroke (most recently Borderline Divine) to note their current inactive status, while I did the same for Late & Loud's current status on the Case's Music battle profile as well, as drummer Josh Hatherley played that one with Behind Society. Also on the Kiss Battle profile, I made a few switches to the section on newer bands with battle alumni, like replacing Lion Ride guitarist Marco Pedalino's recent punk band Brad Example & The Role Models with his current active country rock band High Road. There's more updates to come, but check the above links for the updated profiles thanks to this first batch!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for hopefully another news post this weekend, along with our latest YouTube Channel Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!