415E's Debut Concert, Woods Of Ypres Tribute CD Previews, And More!!

We're back with some assorted news stories on this Sunday morning, and luckily, they don't involve any cancelled shows! Today, we have a new solo guitar cover, new online pages from a prominent local company, and our first glimpse at full songs from an upcoming tribute album, but we'll start with a new local act's upcoming concert debut, and what a debut it is!

New Sault Michigan hard rock band 415E have announced their first ever concert, and it will take place on January 20th when they open for Sebastian Bach at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! This huge news was announced on the band's Facebook page last night, though I'll note that concert promoters Allstar Promotions have yet to confirm their addition. Assuming this is 100% official, this will mark the first live concert appearance from the new quartet featuring Splitshot alumni Dave Menard & Chris Hubbard alongside The Highest of Fives' Jack Slater & Devin Anderson, and it comes one year to the day of Chris' old band Trail's End's own live debut at the Soo Kewadin. Also, Chris is no stranger to opening for major bands at the casino, as he opened for Bret Michaels & Pop Evil (among others) with Nixxon Dixxon late in their run, so hopefully 415E debut with a bang in two weeks! It'll be great to see 415E's Van Halen-inspired covers & originals on stage, so remember to get your Sebastian Bach tickets at this location before they're gone (there are still tickets in the front rows to buy), and stay tuned for some hopeful information on some planned contests for concert tickets!

Next up, I really apologize for having these so late, but the first full songs from the Woods of Ypres tribute album have been posted online! On December 21st (the one year anniversary of frontman David Gold's death), three final versions of songs from "A Heart of Gold" were posted onto YouTube to stream by user Lord Scavenger, and they're covers of "Finality" by Kuhrzarth, "Lightning & Snow" by Earthen, and "The Sun Was In My Eyes (Part Doom)" by Anemic. I profusely apologize for these being so late, as I had them pencilled in for a post last month, but they just fell through the cracks somehow. I won't give a full analysis on the songs right away (as I plan to review the tribute album when it's released), but I will confirm that Earthen's cover features no harsh vocals, Kuhrzarth's cover features singer Paul Kuhr's daughter, and Anemic's cover takes on a harsher and more experimental essence. All are well recorded too, and these give me good hopes for the final product!

As well, Gaul metal project Catuvolcus' cover of "Thrill of the Struggle" was separately posted onto YouTube yesterday at this location, in a rare English-language song for them, and it throws a more chaotic spin on this "Woods III" track! Give these advance preview tracks a listen at the above links, and stay tuned for updates on "A Heart of Gold" as they come in!

Also in the news, a prominent local business finally has an online presence, as Crank Sound Distribution now has their own website & Facebook page! The George Ravlich-ran sound/lighting company hadn't previously operated any internet pages, but now, they have two that feature contact information, testimonials, a short biography, and more information promised, so follow and become a fan of them A.S.A.P.! As you may know, Crank Sound Distribution has ran locally since 2004, and is often called on to provide sound and lighting for many major local events, including many of the area's major hard rock and metal-featured concerts, so you're bound to recognize Crank's awesome work if you're a local concert regular! Their website already features testimonials from customers like Rotaryfest Second Stage organizer/LopLops owner Stephen Alexander and local musician/Maxx Entertainment owner Greg Simpson that attest to George's high quality & fair work, and hopefully Crank Sound Distribution's online homes continue to build in content and notoriety in 2013! Check the above links for more, including how to book Crank for your next event or concert, and they're now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links!

Finally for today, here's the latest solo cover from Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy! Posted on his YouTube channel last week, this is a cover of Green Day's "Basket Case", continuing with his recent trend of non-metal cover videos,and even still, he does a solid job! If anything, the twangy guitar vocal melody takes away from the cover (I'd rather he done this over the original song), but Alex knows the original and gives it some good punk energy, so check it out below, and watch out for a cameo from the Canadian Pickers!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, including this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Thursday and hopefully our review of Destroilet's new CD soon as well! Thanks everyone!