Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

Let's take care of the results of last month's poll and this month's newest poll on the site today, as it is the 18th of another month! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys for a fourth straight year last month: Which of these defunct or recently inactive bands would you most want to see hit the stage again? We got a solid 30 votes that produced an interesting spread of results, so thanks to everyone for voting, and now, here are your final results!

Other (4 votes, 13.125%)
Late & Loud (3 votes, 10%)

Gates of Winter (3 votes, 10%)

Lion Ride (3 votes, 10%)

As It Stands (2 votes, 7%)

Crimson Crusade (2 votes, 7%)

Giwakwa (2 votes, 7%)

Nixxon Dixxon (2 votes, 7%)

T-Rex Manning (2 votes, 7%)

The Billy Bastards (1 vote, 3.125%)

Bring The Fallen (1 vote, 3.125%)

Caveman Morrison (1 vote, 3.125%)

The Fury (1 vote, 3.125%)

Half A Man (1 vote, 3.125%)

RedD Monkey (1 vote, 3.125%)

Treble Charger (1 vote, 3.125%)

For All That Is Lost (0 votes)

Free Beer (0 votes)

Garden of Bedlam (0 votes)

The Inner City Surfers (0 votes)

Nebraska Arms (0 votes)

Sailor's Tongue (0 votes)

The Scary Uncles (0 votes)

State of Misery (0 votes)

The Valentine's Day Massacre (0 votes)

Winkstinger (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, I am glad that a wide array of bands got votes, and very evenly spread (all things considered), but I'm most shocked that The Inner City Surfers and the recently-dormant Garden of Bedlam didn't get a single vote. Their reputations speak for themselves, but it's all in who votes! Similarly, I was a little surprised that only one person voted for Treble Charger, but admittedly, their national success may remove them from the same sort of "local" attention. Overall, I'm happy to see 15 different bands in the poll get some love, though with "Other" narrowly winning, it's clear that some readers had a preferred inactive band that wasn't listed. I can't speak for them, but maybe they were aiming for older bands like Fitswitch or Fistmagnet, or perhaps ones of a different genre completely? If you disregard "Other", the three highest scoring bands were Gates of Winter, Late & Loud, and Lion Ride with 3 votes and 10% of the total each. All are great and missed local bands, but who "won" between them?

As is the case when ties in similar polls occur, the newest band will take said tiebreaker, as they had less time to garner the same number of votes, so we'll narrowly award Late & Loud a second straight "win" in this annual poll! They're the most recent of the three bands by both formation and their last show's date, and though their one-off reunion this summer was called their "last show ever", I know Loudmouths are hoping that will prove false once Brendan comes home. Hopefully we see them, Gates of Winter, and Lion Ride back down the road!

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, I wanted to touch on a specific part of the year where concerts seem to explode in prominence and number (at least, on the metal and punk side of things), so we're posing this question to you guys this month: What's your opinion on the large amount of metal, hard rock, and punk shows during the Halloween season each year? As long as I've been running the SMS, late October (and, where weekends line up, early November) has been arguably the busiest and most active part of the fall season for local concerts, with costumes, themed events, and shows both seasonal and general alike to take in, Between October 23rd and November 2nd, we have concerts headlined by Gob, The Rebel Spell, The Brains, Archelon, Frightlight, Havadder, and Tym Morrison to take in, plus the Zombie Walk bands to be announced, Peril, 415E, and Banned in Sault Michigan, and perhaps more to be announced on shorter notice, so fans have no shortage of live hard rock and punk to hit in "Punkrocktober"!

With that said, do you like, dislike, or have another opinion of the Halloween season's influx of concerts each year? I've picked six different choices that will hopefully cover all ranges of opinions on this topic, as even if there seems to be wide acceptance and anticipation for these shows, expecting a uniform opinion wouldn't be realistic. Now, here are your choices!

I love it, Halloween's a great season!: Do you just outright love Halloween and the trappings that come with it? Were you a devoted trick or treater (or maybe a parent of one?) that still watches the TV specials, hands out the candy, and dresses up in your best costume? Are Halloween season concerts absolute musts for the season? If Halloween is high on your list for the year, vote here!

It depends on the bands/themes: Of course, everyone has their own opinions on bands or the types of events that they like to attend, regardless of year. For example, fans of Gob aren't necessarily going to be fans of Archelon, and might not be expected to see both bands live this year. Maybe you just don't like going to the events that go too far into Halloween themes, or not far enough. In either case, vote here if your Halloween show participation varies!

Can't they line up with a paid holiday, like Thanksgiving?: As great as Halloween is, it's not generally considered a paid holiday by many employers, nor do students get time off for it if it falls on a weekday. Maybe you tend to not be able to attend Halloween parties and shows because of your work schedule, and wish that a paid fall holiday (such as Thanksgiving or Labour Day) was instead the destination weekend for concerts. If you'd prefer another holiday to get the same focus, here you go!

I don't pay attention to the time of year for concerts: Simply put, do you go to concerts because of the bands playing, not for the timeframe that they occur in? Do you rock out with the band, and see the Halloween accouterments optional or just a cherry on top? If you don't factor the time of year into your concert planning, this is the choice for you!

I prefer other seasonal events to metal/punk concerts: It'd be ignorant to say that there weren't other seasonal events going on in the Twin Saults that didn't involve bands. If you know where to look, there will be dance parties and club nights, house parties, and maybe a haunted house or corn maze to take in as well, not to mention just watching specials or scary movies at home. If concerts aren't high on your list for the Halloween season, give this option a vote!

I don't like or celebrate Halloween: Yes, there are people in the area who don't like Halloween for any number of reasons. Some don't like the commercial nature or it's deviance from it's original intent, some just aren't fans of the horror/spooky motifs & themes, or having to hand out candy, while others yet may have religious beliefs that call for them to not celebrate or acknowledge the season. If Halloween is not among your holidays for personal or religious concerns, we have you covered!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until November 18th to make your voices heard, so vote A.S.A.P., as I'm curious to see if most readers do really love Halloween, or if we just have a very vocal minority that makes the season so much fun (myself, I love Halloween, and plan to be at a few concerts for the occasion!) That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and so forth in the coming days! Thanks everyone!