Two Long Overdue Additions To Our Band Links!!

After some computer issues yesterday, we're back with a new post today, entirely devoted to the long overdue addition of two local acts (one current, one defunct) to our band links going forward! Here's what you should know!

We are finally adding local alternative folk/experimental solo artist Chase Wigmore to our full coverage on the SMS! This may be long overdue for many readers, given Chase's long association with metal artists, but Chase has recently begun recording more black metal material under his own solo banner, so any ambiguity between his solo and band material is more blurred than ever. Long time readers will recognize Chase from his guitar roles in post-2012 bands like The Strange Coyotes, This Is Your Band On Drugs, Them, Project Legion, and The Autumn Roots, plus solo projects like The Black Lodge Masters, The Coyote Speedfreaks, & Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes, while you may also know Chase from frequent Blood Shed Productions appearances and some dips into concert promotion this year. After a dormant period, Chase resurrected his own solo project with a new Facebook page in July, where he has posted solo material under his own name and as The Black Lodge Masters, so what should you know there?

Following the release of his 2011 debut solo album "The Good, The Bad, and The Strange", Chase has been posting a steady array of new videos and audio tracks onto Facebook and his YouTube channel, and has released the previously announced split demo "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" with goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore. While a few other album names and covers were teased in the summer without a visible release, Chase has recently been focusing on "Seven Curses", a black metal-influenced concept CD that has been billed as both a Black Lodge Masters album & under his own name, while also working on a "rock opera" that I believe is separate based on it's preview video being more along his usual alt-folk lines. Chase Wigmore has been a fan favourite sight for years based on his intense live show, but his guitar abilities speak for themselves, and even on a fully acoustic set, he could slide into a death metal concert with ease and put on a captivating performance.

Be sure to check out the above links to hear Chase's diverse, creative, and often improvised solo material, and the many genres it encompasses, and here's Chase playing his new black metal instrumental "Dragon Coaster", to be included on "Seven Curses"! Sounds brutal with some solid melodies, it'll be interesting to hear how this album and the rock opera progress! Stay tuned for more on Chase as it rolls in!



Next up, here's a very belated addition to our inactive band links, namely mid-2000s alternative favourites The Crossed! Like with Chase above, some readers have questioned their absence from our links before, and while other fans wrote them off as just "emo" at the time, they did partially identify as a pop punk and post hardcore band. In songs like "Paid Programming" & "Videotape The Fall", those influences were very much at the forefront, so this is long overdue. Active from roughly 2002-2007 (with occasional reunions through 2010), The Crossed's most familiar lineup included singer/guitarist Jordan Flesher (later of Cowboys & Indians), bassist/vocalist Adam Piriano (Station), drummer Pat Chisholm, and keyboardist Dan Iannelli, while their lineup circa 2003-2004 also included singer Josh McNally (Deter) & guitarist Nathan Bouliane (SleepWellCity), and I may be missing other names. The Crossed were the most popular Sault Ontario band on the old PureVolume site, and that wasn't accidental!

A very strong following in their mid-2000s peak carried The Crossed to many major appearances opening for bands like Ten Second Epic, Crowned King, and Burn The Eight Track, as well as a CD release in March 2005. While I tended to skew heavier for bands of the era, The Crossed had impressive range, with a sound that adapted to alt-rock, punk, screamo, prog, and (yes) emo with ease, and they always had a talented lineup with good chemistry, and their large crowds at The Oddfellows Hall was honestly obtained! Give The Crossed's Tripod and MySpace pages a look for surviving information and media, and luckily, there are a fair amount of surviving YouTube videos of The Crossed on YouTube, primarily from their channel and from Pat Chisholm's channel, among others. Here's a video of The Crossed playing their song "Favous" at at one of the last Club Princess shows back in 2005, and while the quality is mixed given the age, this is a good showcase of their live show and crowd engagement, so give everything a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!