415E Concert Previews, Apocalypse Afterparty Updates, And More Recent Notes!!

Before we get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up here, let's cap off the weekend's concert previews, as well as touch on some recent updates on an upcoming album, a pair of bands that we have moved to our inactive band links, and more, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to the local stage for two shows at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Back on stage for the first time in over a month, this will be the former Hubbard-Menard Band's first concert weekend in St. Ignace since the summer, and unless there's an interim announcement, their second-last concert weekend of 2016 (they'll be back at the same venue next month.) Dave, Chris, Mitch, and Tony deliver a solid night of hard rocking action whenever they take the local stage, and hopefully their Van Halen-inspired sets get another solid turnout at The Northern Pines Lounge over the next two nights! As usual, tonight & tomorrow's shows are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and here's 415E live!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Ontario rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty! The eclectic masked outfit resurfaced after a two month break to reveal some more detailed plans regarding the release of their debut EP "Bufflesnort" via their Facebook page, so what should you know on that front? According to a schedule posting there, the band made a timeline for the public release of the EP's remaining 2 songs (one is out, one is forthcoming), to be followed by the commencement of album pre-orders via Facebook and their "house website", of which I don't have the URL. The rough plan is to have early bird orders fulfilled on December 8th, while the official public release is planned for February 1st with a CD release party, which would be their first public concert since last year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands. Again, the band indicated that "Bufflesnort" will not be released on CD, but they've tracked down the right release format, and it will still be "premium" (for reference, the band had teased USB thumb drives as a possible storage format in the past.)

Also, no word on if their newest status (which appears to imply that ex-Haggith singer Curtis McKenzie is their new drummer) is in jest or not, but Curt can drum, and The Apocalypse Afterparty were looking for a drummer. We'll keep you posted! As for the teased song releases, the third song from"Bufflesnort" was posted to "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta's YouTube channel earlier this week, and it's entitled "Stanley Cup (Top Dogs)", maintaining the EP's hockey theme. I'll hold full thoughts until the EP's release, but check out The Apocalypse Afterparty's newest studio track below, and stay tuned for more from "Bufflesnort" in short order!



Also today, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back. Though they haven't announced anything public regarding their status, they haven't posted an online update since releasing their digital album (entitled "ALbums") in September of last year. A fan favourite sight at local concerts from 2013-2015, and often under the Six, Two, Oh. banner, this union of ex-Fuller bandmates Jamie Vincent and Nathan Sauve opened for bands like The Archaics, Biipiigwan, and Like Animals during their heyday, as well as releasing two demo "VOLumes" in 2014, and even playing live with Jamie's other band AlgomA in Toronto. However, the guys haven't played an announced live concert since opening for Benighted in March of last year, later dropping out of last summer's SNFU and Ballot Burner shows. Bad Back's minimalist blend of hardcore punk and alternative styles made them a fun addition to many concerts in the mid 2000s, and while I don't know where they've been, hopefully we hear from Jamie and Nathan again in the future!

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

• We have also moved local metal quartet Chronic Demonic to our inactive band links, as they haven't posted anything directly referencing their own music or recording plans since 2014, only posting about members' other bands or general topics on their Facebook page since, and only once of that kind in the past year anyway. Aside from a surprise Misfits cover at The Rosie in 2013, Chronic Demonic have only unveiled sporadic studio updates, despite continually impressive band lineups. Hopefully Chronic Demonic can finally have a full launch at some point, and best of luck to Nik, Kevin, Ryan, and Jonathan in the interim!
• Local experimental metal solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks launched their own website via Webs in April, which features links to the project's free "albums", but also gives fans in-depth write-ups on the meanings behind both albums and the project's name's meaning, with another new album apparently in the works. Chase's creativity shines through here, so give everything a read above if you want, and stay tuned for more!
• Amidst various teasers and references to recording sessions, newer local progressive metal band Kraken Mara revealed on their Facebook page last month that they've sent a track off to be mastered, and to "stay tuned for the finished product." Nothing has been elaborated on since, but it's great to see that the Late & Loud successors are staying busy, so keep watch for more updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next, I promise! Thanks everyone!