Id Iota EP Updates, The Revolution's Only Studio Song, And Much More!!

On this Sunday morning, we have to keep the news rolling and get our cache of backlogged stories a little more cleared out, so we have some assorted notes, lineup notes on an upcoming concert, and a posthumous studio track today! First though, here's all you should know on a recent CD release!

With it's successful local release at Thursday night's LopLops Lounge concert, I absolutely purchased a copy of Id Iota's debut EP "Maudlin Fair", so what should you know about it? This is the full album cover, and as previously teased in official photos, the EP features 4 songs ("California Wasted", "Permanence In Pencil", "One Cent Vaudeville", and "Bitter Tea"), with the tracks running for just over 14 minutes in length. Performers on the album include singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and drummer Blair St. John, though recording sessions largely took place between bassist Justin Girardi's departure and the addition of Dan Linklater, so Blair handles bass on the studio tracks. Similarly to The Pixo Control's debut CD, Dustin recorded and mixed "Maudlin Fair", with mastering done in Toronto by Chuck Carvalho of Joao Carvalho Mastering. The EP appears to be an independent release, and the tray plugs their unlaunched website as http://www.id-iota.com.

Copies of "Maudlin Fair" sold for $5, and will presumably be available at future concerts, but online availability is yet to be established. That said, when can you expect a review of "Maudlin Fair" on the SMS? I have Id Iota tentatively pencilled in for next month, as the AlgomA/Chronobot split EP is coming in the next week, but stay tuned for much more on Id Iota's debut CD soon, and get a hold of band members if you want a copy beforehand!

Next up, remember The Revolution (formerly the second version of Brutaly Fatal?) They were the 2014-15 doom/punk band that played a few notable local shows and had began recording sessions at PaperClip Productions towards a debut EP named "Roll Call" before breaking up (twice) last year, but as part of a special 4/20 surprise on PaperClip's Facebook page, we can finally hear the only completed studio track from the recording sessions there! Recorded early last year, this is for the band's song "Get High With Me", and the Facebook video confirms the EP's planned cover art as well. The lineup here includes singer/guitarist Austin McCrae (now back with the original Brutally Fatal) and drummer Brandan Glew (The Din) alongside Pillory bassist Jordan Leach, who replaced Rainey Vincent on bass before recording sessions began, but never played live with The Revolution. With all of that said, how does The Revolution's only studio track sound?

Harbouring more of their punk sound than doom, it's lively and well written, but Austin's vocals sound a little forced at times, and the lyrics can be a little repetitive. Still, it's great to finally hear some of The Revolution's cancelled recording sessions make it out there, and it'd be interesting to see the band reunite again if the stars align! Check out "Get High With Me" below!



Also today, remember The Sky's The Limit, the May 5th all-ages concert at The Tech that's being headlined by The Pixo Control as part of Algoma Family Services Children’s Mental Week? As you may remember, promoters were filling the opening slots with auditions at The Tech earlier this month for artists 29 and under, but as of this writing, promoters have yet to officially announce any openers. That said, there have been some confirmations and hints from artists themselves to give us an idea! One is Tristan "White Noize" Goslow, a local Christian rapper whose involvement was confirmed by his dad on the Facebook event page. He's got good flow, and should impress rap fans on the 15th! Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din expressed interest in auditioning as well, but at a different date due to guitarist Tammy Hill being out of town, and an organizer apparently sent a message in reply. The Din haven't said if they're playing or not since, but they'd be a good fit if they are! Our last clue comes via this video that apparently came from the audition at the former St. Mary's College site, so what should you know?

This is of a group of three young musicians, including guitarist Spencer Pine alongside musicians named Elijah and Beau, and while I believe all are current White Pines Collegiate students, I can't 100% verify the others' full identities. Uploaded to what appears to be Spencer's YouTube channel on April 7th, this is of the three covering Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" at the audition, which Spencer says that they "nailed" in the video title, but again, promoters haven't publically confirmed the openers yet. The guys do a good job here, with decent vocals and a strong solo, and they'd be fun to see on the 5th, so see more on the possible openers above & below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Shawn Miller of The Metal Observer reviewed local doom metal trio AlgomA's split vinyl EP with Saskatchewan's Chronobot at this link, where he gave it an 8/10 score, saying that the split brings "a truckload of Sabbathian riffs that would make (Tony) Iommi smile like a proud father." Very positive overall review with few negative comments, so check it out above!
• The aforementioned Austin McCrae is looking to start a punk/grunge band that would play original and cover material, and needs guitarists and a drummer (he'd presumably be on vocals and bass.) He has practice space and spare equipment, though it's not clear if this is part of a Revolution revival or an entirely new project. If you're interested in trying out, message Austin at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last week!
• In a clarification & apology regarding new local death metal band Kaepora Gaebora's lineup, we can confirm that their new bassist is Jeph Brown, who I don't recall from any other recent local bands. We erroneously noted on the site earlier that Twistory's Josh Amendola was their bassist, so I apologize for that, I can be bad with faces sometimes (plus, the band still doesn't list Jeph on their Facebook page's lineup.) Stay tuned for more on Kaepora Gaebora's next concert later this week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and features this week! Thanks everyone!