LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Zombie Walk Afterparty) And New Solo Performance Videos!!

It's time to get some more news and notes up on the site, and if you've been craving a metal/hard rock concert, we've got one sooner than you think, and it's our latest LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! We also have new solo covers from two local musicians with hard rock/metal ties to share after that, so let's kick off today's post!

The performer lineup for this year's Soo Zombie Walk afterparty on October 20th (one week from tomorrow) has been announced, and like the last two years, heavier music will be a part! Returning to The Grand Theater for a second year at the Zombie Walk's own homebase, there will be three bands and two other entertainment acts, and all of the bands have their own zombie ties, but who are they? They would be local horror punk quintet Frightlight, blue Chinese metal crash punk quartet Sykotyk Rampage, and new local grunge quartet Haggith, which is a solid and fitting core of bands! Beyond their own horror personas & material, Frightlight (who I think will be making their Grand Theater debut) also played the Zombie Walk afterparty at the former Foggy Notions in 2010, while Sykotyk Rampage played at last year's afterparty themselves. As well, both they & Haggith have albums concerning zombies in their catalog, including last year's "Zombiez" and Haggith's to be released album "Apocalypse", a concept release that the band plans to play in full on the 20th for their own Grand Theater debut! (as per their Facebook page.) Also note that this will join a very scary end of the month for Frightlight & Sykotyk Rampage, who are both playing at the Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub the following weekend (oh, and the Misfits show that Frightlight are playing in Toronto on the 25th), so keep all of that in mind as well!

The other scheduled performers for the Zombie Walk afterparty include local burlesque troupe The Salty Mollies (returning from last year) and a live DJ for a dance party of some sort, though I can't yet confirm if DJ Seith is returning from last year's afterparty to provide the music. Admission will be $10 for the afterparty itself, which will also secure you a ticket to see the very first zombie film (1932's "White Zombie", starring Bela Lugosi) at 8:00 PM, though if you want to see just the film, the price drops to $5. The movie is all ages, but you must be 19 to attend the afterparty after the movie concludes in the 9:00 PM hour. Of course, the Zombie Walk itself will see locals dressing up and acting as zombies to terrorize the downtown in the name of great charitable causes, so if you plan to channel your brain eating walking dead selves on October 20th, click here for full details on the entire day's events! As a veteran of two of the last three Zombie Walks, I fully plan on attending this year's event, and with arguably the biggest afterparty yet, you know I won't miss that either! I need to see some more live concert action as it is. Stay tuned for any updates as they roll in!


Closing today's post are some new videos from alumni of local hard rock/metal bands in solo settings, and we'll start with the newest clip from Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy, who uploaded this video of him covering the 36 Crazyfists song "Bloodwork" to his YouTube channel yesterday! 36 Crazyfists are a band I don't hear many local musicians cover, but from what I know of this song, Alex has a solid handle on it, and on a first glance, it does sound like the original song, if a bit more reserved. Solid stuff, so check out Alex's newest solo cover below, and keep an eye out for more from him & Ashes To Dust!

Finally, the other new cover is from a Sault Michigan musician named Travis Theel, who you may recognize as local metal project Hoist The Sails' original clean singer. Since leaving the band this summer, Travis has kept busy with his own solo material via his Facebook page and YouTube channel, and while his posted covers tend to stray far from his brief metal work, he does have one cover of a heavier band's song on YouTube! In his newest video (which also includes about a minute or so of studio updates), he covers Staind's ballad "So Far Away", and while he does have talent as a singer, I think this is the wrong song for him to do. His voice is a bit too high for Staind material (and his guitar's very quiet), but that's just me talking, and I appreciate the different spin on it! Travis' other covers tend to flow better for his singing talent, so give his stuff a listen if you want something a little mellower, and here's his cover of "So Far Away"!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes hopefully over the weekend! Thanks everyone!