LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Suicide Kings), Plus Plenty More News & Notes!!

Before we get to this post, I just wanted to send my condolences to everyone affected by the school shooting in Connecticut yesterday. To do that to children right before Christmas is just disgusting, and hopefully something's done to prevent something similar from ever happening again. Now, it's time to clear out much of my current news cache, so we have lots of updates on this Saturday morning! Today, we have a new drumming video, a band's local concert search, the latest Haggith news, and more, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from a band we've covered a lot on recently!

The Suicide Kings have yet another new concert on their ledger for this month, as the new hard rock quartet will return to The Nicolet Tavern one week from today! Just announced on Facebook yesterday, the band is hyping this show as a "survival party", given that it takes place on December 22nd, the day after the supposed Mayan apocalypse (note that there is no Friday show next weekend, as bassist Mitch Sirie will be in Sudbury with the returning Bear Hunters for the Doomsday Massacre metal concert that day.) This show comes just two weeks after their most recent stop at The Nic, and hopefully their originals and hard/alternative rock covers go over swimmingly once again next week! Admission is likely free for this 19+ show, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Now with 6 advertised concerts on the horizon, The Suicide Kings are definitely staying busy, which is great for fans, but hopefully they can plug future shows a bit closer together or in clumps, just for convenience sake. Stay tuned for more from The Suicide Kings soon, including maybe more new concerts?

Next up, here's the latest studio updates from local grunge quartet Haggith! According to their Facebook page on Tuesday, the guys have completed the conversion and post production for their projected live album "Flight 75", which is on track for a release in January. An album cover has been chosen, but has yet to be publically revealed, so keep an eye out for updates! They also noted that they're working on upgrading recording equipment so they can hopefully record material in an analog format, and then digitize it, which would offer better sound quality on future CDs. If this goes through, their planned third studio album "Deuce" would be the first recorded this way. I'm all for improving the sound if this will help, as their recordings are good but can be muddled at times, so we'll have to see what comes of this! Also, I swear I saw on a band member's personal Facebook page that they were currently on a minor break (partly because drummer Mike Haggith is in his hometown of Windsor for the holidays), but I can't find the post to source it or cull other details. Still, look out for lots more from the Haggith camp soon!

Also today, can you help bring a metal band here for a show on Monday? Short notice, yes, but I was only able to slot it into a post today. Reader Jeffery Mills brought to my attention in a recent e-mail that Vancouver hardcore quartet Machines were hoping to play a local concert on Monday during their current Canadian tour run, as they're passing between Hamilton & Thunder Bay that day. You may recognize Machines as featuring 3 ex-members of Callahan, who played at least once in Sault Ontario back in 2009, so there's a familiar sound and essence with this band, and it'd be good to see their melodic hardcore sound in town on Monday night! If anyone out there can help book, promote, or host Machines for a possible late notice concert on Monday night, message the band at this location, and give them a listen, as they have talent and a sound that would go over well with newer hardcore fans!

Let's not leave out Sault Michigan in this post, so here's a new solo performance video from London Gentlemen/ex-Nixxon Dixxon drummer Jake LaLonde! Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is his cover of Halestorm's "I Miss The Misery", as filmed above his kit (similarly to his other recent drum covers), albeit in a sepia tone for some reason. Jake's drumming is on form as you would expect for this recent hard rock hit, and his skills are clearly visible, so check out Jake's newest solo drum cover below!



Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted news stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:

• I've moved Coch's Corner from our Sault Ontario Concert Venue Info section to the Other Sault Ontario Metal Links, as its been a year since a hard rock band last played live at 708 Queen Street East. While the last Coch's Corner metal show at the old Bay Street location was only in February, the venue's current acoustic direction & recent slowed band activity haven't boded well for metal acts. Hopefully heavier music finds it way back to Coch's Corner/708 Queen at some point in the future though!
• Keeping with their recent onslaught of updates related to their new CD release, local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet have launched a SoundCloud page featuring streaming copies of the 10 tracks from the iTunes release of their self titled album! Nice little bonus to preview their work, so check the above links to stream the songs (and contact band members for the two unposted covers from the CD pressings), and if you like what you hear, buy Destroilet's new CD!
• A recent Facebook campaign has begun to try and get local horror punk/metal standouts Frightlight as an opening band for Marilyn Manson's Sudbury concert on February 1st! If successful, it would be Frightlight's first ever Sudbury show & their biggest concert to date, and there are already 48 likes in support of the idea, so if you want to voice your support of this goal, click here! Fingers crossed!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including this month's poll and our first Christmas surprise uploads beginning next week! Thanks everyone!