At last, it's time to close down last month's poll and launch our newest poll at the SMS, but be sure to check out more weekend concert previews and updates in this morning's post below this one! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys last month:
What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the first half of 2016? Sadly, we only got 12 votes, but there is an interesting result to be had, so here's the final tally!
Redneck Rock Bash 2 at Rednecks on June 4th (4 votes, 33⅕%)
Project 421 & Eclipse at The Rockstar Bar on May 13th (2 votes, 17%)
Gorod & Bookakee at The Oddfellows Hall on April 15th (2 votes, 17%)
Go Skateboarding Day at Queen Elizabeth Park on June 21st (1 vote, 8⅕%)
Id Iota & The Pixo Control at LopLops Lounge on April 21st (1 vote, 8⅕%)
The Din at The Gore Street Cafe on March 4th (1 vote, 8⅕%)
Other (1 vote, 8⅕%)
Stereo North at The Rednecks Saloon on January 23rd (0 votes)
The Pixo Control at The Rockstar Bar on February 12th (0 votes)
Eclipse & The Din at The Rockstar Bar on February 13th (0 votes)
The VM Radio Battle of the Bands from March 9th-23rd (0 votes)
The Speak Easy Battle of the Bands on March 10th (0 votes)
The Rednecks Saloon's Relaunch Party on April 2nd (0 votes)
Black Tremor at The New American Pub on April 6th (0 votes)
The Metal Massacre house party show on April 14th (0 votes)
The Redneck Rock Bash at Rednecks on April 23rd (0 votes)
The Motherfuckers at The Oddfellows Hall on April 30th (0 votes)
Bon Jovi Forever at The Rockstar Bar on May 6th (0 votes)
Eclipse at The Rednecks Saloon on May 20th (0 votes)
The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall on May 21st (0 votes)
Foam & Twistory at The New American Pub on June 19th (0 votes)
What do you guys think? Well, in this poll, I'm most surprised that both of this year's battles of the bands attracted no votes, as well as the Rednecks Saloon relaunch, but it's all in who votes! Of the six shows that attracted a vote ("Other" aside, I can't speak for that person's choice), most of the choices aren't shocking given their prominence or reputation in the first half of the year, and with all taking place at different venues, that is a good sign for variety's sake! April's Gorod/Bookakee show definitely deserved the attention it got after the headliners' brutality and theatrics, and Project 421's return show delivered the goods, but the winner of the poll was arguably the biggest surprise. June's Redneck Rock Bash 2 clearly won the poll despite two late band dropouts, the absence of Curtis McKenzie from Project 421's set, and a relatively late notice public announcement, but fans must have really taken to this one, and hopefully another Redneck Rock Bash occurs down the road!
Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, I was inspired by Six, Two, Oh.'s recent punk shows with stand-up comedians to tackle a question that I've had in mind for a while now, so I pose this to you guys:
When attending a concert that doesn't solely feature bands, what kinds of entertainers would you most want to see? Most multi-band concert events in the area stick to musical entertainment, and given the themes of the SMS, we generally cover bands more than anything else, but that doesn't mean that other types of performers aren't welcome on shows when the time is right. Promoters can experiment, honour multiple art disciplines, maintain a theme, or fill time between band availability by inviting a variety of disparate performers to a concert, and in many cases, it helps set that event apart from other shows that just feature bands. That said, everyone has different preferences, so I was curious to see what you guys would prefer to see at shows that don't only feature musical groups.
As a result, I'm experimenting with this poll by allowing
multiple choices per vote, so if you have two or more that you like seeing at concerts, by all means, choose all that apply! Also, the poll window is white rather than the usual red due to a glitch with host PollCode, and I hope to address that shortly. Now, here are your choices for this month's poll!
Solo musicians/rappers: Likely the most frequent non-band performer at a local concert, solo artists like Telephone & Address and Shit Creek Survivor have provided their own more reserved but talented brand of acoustic music at many recent events, while we have also seen rappers and hip-hop artists like Mikey Thomas, Conika, and Killabeatz dropping beats & rhymes at some as well. Solo musicians can pack in some entertaining music to change a show's pace, but do you like seeing them with bands at local concerts?
Open mic/jam performers: Though you typically see an open mic or jam night as it's own standalone event, local promoters have hosted an open mic block as a scheduled set at a concert otherwise populated by bands, notably occurring at the last two Swampstravaganzas. There's an unpredictable element to an open mic or jam block before or during a concert otherwise containing scheduled acts, as you never know exactly who will perform and what, but that's precisely why some fans like them, but would you prefer it among a concert?
DJs/turntablists: On occasion, you'll see a DJ credited among performers on a concert, and recent years have seen the likes of DJ Seith and DJ Spruceau mixed in with scheduled bands to provide some turntable mixes for attendees, with DJ Seith in particular being a regular sight as a guest performer, disk jockey, and original music creator. That said, some may not find vinyl records on a turntable as an "instrument", but DJs can offer a fun break in the action, and can provide some entertaining mixes! Do you look forward to a DJ among bands?
Stand-up comedians: This is a relatively new sight for local concerts, but in the past few weeks, both Shane McGuigan and Ray Lemieux have been slotted on Six, Two, Oh.'s Debutaunt and Big Brother concerts at The New A, and given that they've now done it twice, then Shane and Ray must have been well recieved! You can see comedians opening for bands on occasion in bigger cities, and while every comedian is different, this can work well if they appeal to the audience. Would you want some stand-up in a concert?
Spoken word/poetry: Now, this admittedly isn't a frequent sight at local concerts with bands, but with spoken word performances and poetry nights having been held in the Soo in the past, the prospect exists that a poet could appear to recite their work at a local concert. If there was a poet or spoken word performer in between bands at a local concert, would you be in favour?
Performance art: You can lump anything that involves a non-musical or non-vocal demonstration of acting or special skills here, including magicians (Ryan McFarling, Aardvark the Magician), stage plays ("Nothing To Do In Sault Ste. Marie" from 2009's YMCA Battle of the Bands), sideshow acts (Karnival of the Grotesk), burlesque (The Salty Mollies), and even the War of 1812 moments from 2012's Rotaryfest Stage 1. Depending on the type of performance art, this can be a great fit or a surprise inclusion, but would this appeal to you within an otherwise musical event?
Bingo/live audience games: Most recently seen via Six, Two, Oh.'s experiment with punk rock bingo at The New A, some interactive scheduled games and contests can break with the flow and allow attendees a chance to be a part of the show and potentially win a prize or bragging rights. You could include trivia contests and the old audience games from Hempfest here as well, but as long as what you have in mind involves a live game of some kind as a block of a concert, vote here! (I wouldn't count draws, silent auctions, and door prizes here, as the live element is just announcing who won.)
I just want to see live bands: Do you go to concerts solely to see live bands, and don't really have a consideration or desire for any other types of performers in the lineup? Would you find any of these performers to be filler and/or not your style? If, for any reason, you don't want to vote for any of these choices, this is for you!
Indifferent/no opinion: If you don't have an opinion either way regarding seeing performers that aren't bands at a local concert, or go to a show just for the experience or a specific act and don't pay attention, vote here!
Other: Did we miss a style of live performance that we couldn't/didn't classify that you'd rather vote for? Is there a niche market you subscribe to that you'd love to see in a concert with bands? Did we just forget something? If you want some varied entertainment that we left out, check off "Other"!
VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until around September 18th to cast your ballots, so do so above on the right as usual, and remember,
you can vote for multiple choices! Hopefully we get a solid response for this month's poll, so VOTE A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!
Next up, here's a new video of local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades playing at the annual Spiderfest in Meyersburg, Ontario last month! No strangers to this annual punk festival an hour east of Peterborough, this was posted by YouTube user eatmills yesterday as part of their massive slate of uploads from the festival, and it's both the band's most recent concert to date, and if personal Facebook postings are accurate, their last before bassist Justin Lam cut his hair short. The 24 minute video features Jack Spades playing "They Live", "Rise", "Breakneck Speed", "Crossroads", "Motorwolf", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X" (with Paul Gott himself on guest vocals), "To The Left", and "Negative Headspace", so click each link to go to each individual song! Though the video starts with some odd post-production usage of band photos in the titles, and an introduced rendition of "Fear Corps" wasn't played, the video is well shot from a good angle, and fans don't get in the way much thanks to the raised stage!
