LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned & The Wyld Stallyns) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

After a couple days of just feature posts while I attended to some personal concerns, we're back with regular news today to end the month, courtesy of (most of) this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due the amount of shows this weekend, I am holding our preview of Saturday night's Joni Radford memorial concert for tomorrow's post where it will get proper emphasis, so look for that then! Now, here's what you should know to start March 2019 off, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday. After a couple weeks off (Rob & Christina's "Me & The Missus" show at Johnny's Chophouse aside), this will be The Wyld Stallyns' first show at the bar above Low & Slow since early January. It's worth noting that the band's Facebook event page credits TOMORROW's show as their "usual monthly gig" there, but given that they didn't play a publically advertised Room 21 show at all in February, that strikes me as a generalization given their frequent shows there. The Wyld Stallyns' brand of unplugged, fan-involvement-friendly, and often heavy covers should go over well TOMORROW, so don't miss out then! There is no cover charge for this 19+ concert, which takes place at 10:00 PM. See above for more details, and here are The Wyld Stallyns live last year!



Next up, we'll take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned are apparently returning for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Double D Bar & Grill at Dondee Lanes! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were quietly advertised on frontman Alex Traynor's website, but they haven't been acknowledged on Banned's Facebook page at press time. For what it's worth, the promotional push for Alex's debut solo EP has been his primary focus as of late, so that may explain the Dondee gigs falling under the social media radar. Surprisingly, these will be Banned's first concerts at the local bowling alley since playing at the then-Sportsman's Lounge last March, so if you've missed Banned at a non-Kewadin venue in the Soo, you may want to circle TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows on your calendar!

You can take in their hard rocking covers at an earlier 8:00 PM start time both nights, with 21+ age limits and no cover charges expected. Assuming these are definitely on as advertised, Banned should put on a solid show TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so see above for details, and here's Banned live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's briefly head back to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has three more acoustic shows this weekend to kick off another busy month! You can see Tym continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT with two more acoustic matinees, while the shows bookend a traditional nighttime concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT as well. Whether you're at one or more of these concerts, Tym Morrison's unplugged hard rock and classic hits should garner a solid reception once again, so keep his downtown matinees and his east end Friday nighter in mind! As usual, the Gliss shows are st 6:00 PM with no stated age limit, the Roadhouse gig is at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit, and none have a cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today, let's go back to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E are scheduled to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Note that 415E have not directly plugged these shows on their Facebook page at press time, but they are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page, and are the only 2019 gigs at any Kewadin branch currently adverised for the former Hubbard-Menard Band. After returning from their lengthy hiatus and lineup retooling last month, this will be 415E's second concert weekend in this new era, and their first in St. Ignace since their last pre-hiatus concert weekend in July 2017, so if you didn't see Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason last month, here's your next chances! You can take in their Van Halen-influenced rock attack tomorrow & Saturday at 9:00 PM, with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and here's 415E live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Joni Radford benefit concert preview and much more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Mike McCleary - "Propaganda Model" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 116th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're continuing our year+ long streak of new album reviews by looking at local hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary's sixth paid album "Propaganda Model"! Independently released on February 18th, this is Mike's first studio output after an 8 month hiatus from new releases following his busy first half of 2018, and this does return to his political & social issues wheelhouse for lyrics. As usual, Mike performs on all instruments on "Propaganda Model", which is on sale on his Bandcamp page on a "name your price" model, and while you can stream the whole thing for free there, consider buying it to support Mike's work! As usual, song names below are linked to their Bandcamp copies. With six songs running for about 23 minutes in length, let's begin this review with it's first track, appropriately named "Intro"!

Related in name & track placement only to the 18 second intro on last year's "The Party Album", this is a full instrumental song that Mike says is inspired by the Puppet Master horror movies. Intended "to start the album off with an eerie feeling", Mike accomplishes that with a slow and ominous pace, upbeat yet stilted xylophone-esque sounds, and uncredited female vocalizations early. This honestly feels like something you'd hear in a Tim Burton movie, if that's fair, but it's an effective mood setter! The first traditional song is also the EP's longest track, namely "The Hand That Feeds", which is about climate change and the need to act and respond to it's effects. After a softer intro, the song proper kicks into a fast and heavy pace, noticeably moreso than much of his 2018 material, complete with more aggressive vocals that sound like Mike is trying to channel Serj Tankian a bit. The bass is particularly strong and clear, and the thrash-inspired riffing has a nice gallop to it!

This song showscases Mike's diversity and heavier edge really nicely, and it'd be very interesting to see fleshed out with a full band in a live concert setting, so fans of his more aggressive material (musically and lyrically) should find something to like here! That's followed by the album's shortest song "Opposite Opus", which Mike says is about the "rise in false personas, hate speech, and news from untrustworthy sources" in social media and how it can control our daily narrative. Harbouring a melody that's almost reminiscent of circus music in the verses, Mike bridges well into a harder rocking chorus, though here, his singing stays at a quieter tone, just grittier where needed. A spoken word interlude in the bridge felt tacked on, and the recitations of the song name struck me as too lackadaisical, but the song has solid qualities at it's peak!

Song #4 is the EP's title track, "Propaganda Model", inspired by Noam Chomsky's model explaining how propaganda & systemic biases factor into mass media. Like on "The Hand That Feeds", I get a System of a Down vibe from the lyrical structure, but Mike's singing is more deliberately paced here, and the song largely stands on it's own musically. The drum rhythm fits well, and Mike does a good job with the call and response vocals in the bridge, but to me, the song relies too much on the lyrics and verses over the music, and despite it's 3:25 runtime, that seemed to recur for too long by the end. Fifth is "Y.V.L.M.", which Mike says is about the xenophobic corruption of patriotism & nationalism. I try to keep politics out of the SMS unless it directly affects local musicians and concerts, so I won't comment further on the lyrics, especially given the partisan tone & strong language within, but the acronym's very blunt meaning is given in the song.

That all said, this is Mike's heaviest & hardest hitting original yet, and he even lets out some extreme metal screaming at one point, so as a musical showcase, this will definitely appeal to fans wanting to headbang! The abrupt drum-fill ending isn't great, and the guitar could be more pronounced, but as a musical composition, this does the job! "Propaganda Model" closes with "High Horse", which is basically about how people shouldn't be jerks to other people or pretend that they're better than you (as in, being on the title high horse.) The song has a nice steady groove to it, with strong guitar work and solid bass, but his vocals aren't ideally placed. The monotone verses don't project the anger and annoyance the lyrics imply, the swearing feels forced, and the chorus vocals feel like they should be in a song with more of a punk base. The message is there, but I'd have approached the vocal styles differently to better compliment the music.

So, what are my final thoughts on Mike McCleary's newest album? It's a strong release that showcases his heaviest solo work yet, but it's not flawless, and the very political nature won't appeal to everyone (if you're right-leaning and/or don't like adult language, tread very lightly.) On this EP, Mike tackled full on metal with songs like "The Hand That Feeds" and "Y.V.L.M." with a lot of vim & vigor, and while there weren't really any full-on guitar solos, he has a gift for strong riffs, and his vocal range strikes me as having more to show than what he had on offer here! No song here is badly composed, and I'm eager to see where he goes next, but there's things I'd address. The production could use some beefing up to better accentuate the guitar riffs, some songs had repetitive qualities, I didn't think the vocals meshed with the music at all on "High Horse", and I'd have been curious to see this album run longer than it did, as it felt like it ended too soon.

If you can get past the lyrics on display here, you'll find a strong dip into metal waters via "Propaganda Model" that I'd love to see Mike expand upon, and if he has more in the works for 2019, here's hoping he can build on this album! Give it a listen above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! So, what are we reviewing on the site next month? At this juncture, I'm leaning towards our first non-SweetKenny review of a Sault Michigan artist in many years, namely the debut EP from Banned frontman Alex Traynor, who is releasing his debut EP this weekend! Stay tuned for much more on Alex soon, and for concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: The Din

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This monthly feature series continues to look at 1-3 YouTube channels that are at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and punk artists and concerts, in order to spotlight them for current readers and encourage everyone to subscribe and watch their content! This month's randomly selected channel gives us one of the most prominent local hard rock bands of the mid-2010s, and they have a lot of content to go around, so here's what you should know!
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The Din (http://youtube.com/channel/UC1_PfKGJZ64QO5uEIYkZstg)

Owner: A member of defunct Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock trio The Din (specific identity unclear, but I believe it's singer/bassist Mike Haggith)

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 13th, 2016; Videos posted from the following month through October of 2017

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for The Din, 26 videos were posted there from their active heyday with their best known lineup. Videos here are roughly divided between live concert footage and studio performances (either audio recordings for their albums or jam session covers.)

Why You Should Watch: Fans of The Din and/or Mike Haggith's prolific solo career will want to check out The Din's channel, especially to relive the peak of Mike, Tammy, and Brandan's collaborative run in the local scene! However, note that this channel has not been actively used since The Din's breakup at the end of 2017, and while videos from their early 2010s acid jam/improv collective era are not featured here, Mike did upload a fair amount of content from this era of The Din onto his solo YouTube channel at the time.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Real World (Matchbox 20) - Cover by The Din: This channel's most popular uploads were nine cover songs recorded at The Din's home studio Pretoria Hill Productions & at Mission Control Studios, with only one falling short of 1,000 views. Alongside covers of The Foo Fighters, City & Colour, The Killers, The Gin Blossoms, The Tragically Hip, and two of The Barenaked Ladies, The Din tackled two songs by Matchbox 20, including "3 AM" & "Real World", which has been viewed over 7,200 times to date since July 2016. This cover at Pretoria Hill features Mike, Steeletown Girls guitarist Tammy Hill, and Re:Born drummer Brandan Glew in fine melodic form, and while everyone's a little stiff, the performance holds up well!



Our Diniversary (Compilation): To mark the one year anniversary of adding Tammy to their lineup, The Din celebrated their "Diniversary" in September 2016 with this 2 minute video highlighting their run together to that point. Set to clips from their "Give In To The Din" album, the video features highlights from select concerts (specifically at The Tech & at Rotaryfest Stage 2) and their often amusing non-performance videos from their Facebook page. Well edited, this covers a lot of visual ground from year #1 of the modern Din, and it's a shame there wasn't a sequel before they disbanded the following year! Note that the Rotaryfest footage was otherwise unreleased on this channel.



The Din - Live At The Canadian Nightclub (11 March 2017) Full Concert!: Footage from concerts were a constant sight on their channel, particularly via three videos capturing entire live sets, including at May 2016's Sky's The Limit fundraiser & their set opening for Sulfur City at LopLops that same month. Featured here is the last & longest of them, which was shot by Id Iota frontman Christian Lemay for Shaw Spotlight's OnStage series at Live705's March Mash-Up at The Canadian. Songs performed included "Flux",  "75" (with "Leamington, Ontario" intro), "In Search of The Perfect Moment", "Alleyways & Apartments", "35's The Limit", "High Park", "Potato (Should Have Known Better)", "Leon the Janitor", The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", "We Met As Surrogates", and "Suburban Dream". Excellent quality footage of The Din at their peak, with a nice cross-section of originals and covers of Mike's prior songs alike, so fans won't want to bypass this one!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our random selection will take us to the channel of Jack Spades/Stegadeth guitarist Tiffany Stocco, featuring a few dozen solo guitar covers, so look for that on or around March 26th! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Puddle Of Mudd), A New EP Release, And More!!

While we dig out from the latest blizzard, here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's in this one? Big updates regarding an upcoming concert and it's opener search, details on a new album and when you'll see it's review, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall!

A blast of early-mid 2000s hard rock and nu-metal is hitting The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 1st, with Kansas City alt-rock/post grunge quartet Puddle of Mudd headlining in their local concert debut! Best known from hit singles like "Blurry", "Away From Me", and "Psycho" among others, these Rock 101 staples should put on a solid show at this installment of their ongoing "Mudd Fest" tour run, so don't bypass this one, especially assuming that there's no on-stage issues! The stacked opening lineup will feature Memphis nu-metal quartet Saliva (of "Click Click Boom", "Always", and "Ladies & Gentlemen" fame), and while Josey's no longer their lead singer, they have plenty of familiar tracks to bring to the table! Two returning hard rock bands will also rock Sault Ste. Marie on November 1st, including Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel (best known for their hit single "Addicted"), in their fourth local concert appearance and first since 2015's Superior Festival.

The other returning band is California alt-hard rock quartet Trapt, who you'll best know from their debut single "Headstrong", and who last played here in 2013 when they opened for Hinder (a band that Saving Abel also opened for locally.) Finally, the lineup will be rounded out by Kentucky hard rock quartet Tantric (of "Breakdown" fame) in their apparent local debut. If this isn't a stacked lineup for fans of 2000s radio hard rock, I don't know what is, and it'll be great to hear so many hit singles live this fall! While not yet confirmed by Kewadin Casino proper, this is the first major concert announcement of 2019 for Allstar Promotions, who confirmed this show on their Facebook page this morning after word leaked out before Rock 101's planned announcement next week. Ticket prices are not out yet, but they go on sale on Friday, March 8th at 9:00 AM at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office.

Meet & greet packages are also planned for later announcements, as are ticket giveaways, so keep posted for details on those. Mudd Fest is looking like a huge event, reminding me very much of the P.O.D.-headlined Kewadin concert from July 2015 in scope, size, and genre, and hopefully this one lives up to the hype after Halloween! For more details, visit Saving Abel's Facebook event page and the above links!

Next up, Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary released his new EP "Propaganda Model" to his Bandcamp page last week! Apologies for the slight delay, but it's great to see Mike back to his usual prolific ways after an 8 month wait from the "What You've Done To Me" release! After prior material teasers, we can now confirm that this EP (his sixth paid original solo album) features six songs, including the previously shared "The Hand That Feeds",  "Opposite Opus", and "Y.V.L.M.", as well as "High Horse", a title track, and an untitled instrumental intro. If you are curious, each song has information on their lyrical and thematic inspirations on Bandcamp, though keep in mind that Mike's political and social messages are often very blunt. "Propaganda Model" is on sale on Bandcamp for a "name your price" model, and can be streamed free there too. With time ticking on this month, I will confirm that we will review this album by Thursday, so look for that this week, and buy/stream the whole EP above!

Finally for today, remember the plans for a battle of the bands at Soo Blaster this Friday to find an opener for the Killer Dwarfs concert there on April 27th? Well, that event has been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page yesterday, and local power rock quintet Re:Born have been acclaimed as the show's openers as a result, as they were the only confirmed entrants, according to their Facebook page. A public statement by organizers regarding the lineup never came out, hence why we never plugged their involvement, but the Project 421 successors did strongly hint that they'd be competing. As such, this is their first announced concert since Elly McWatters became their new lead singer, but will this be their first show with her on the mic, and will Frank be back from out of town in time for April 27th? This is a huge opportunity for Re:Born, and while the battle cancellation is disappointing, maybe directly gearing it to 1980s rock acts limited the pool. See above for more details on this well anticipated concert!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide), Blood Shed Concert Preview, And A New Video!!

In today's post, we have an extended preview of an upcoming metal concert happening slightly earlier than expected, plus a new video from an artist playing that show, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Local Celtic/punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will make their first public concert appearance of 2019 when they headline a St. Patrick's Day weekend concert at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, March 16th! Last seen at the same venue on December 27th, this holiday-timed show is nothing new for The Tide, who are known for playing live concerts on or around St. Patrick's Day in recent years, though they haven't played a seasonal concert of this nature in the Soo since their March 2015 tour, typically playing in Sudbury instead. It's great to see Dustin and company bring their Celtic punk attack back to LopLops next month, and one assumes green beer will be flowing if that's up your alley! No word yet on potential openers, we'll let you know if any are confirmed. Given their reputation and the seasonal nature, this concert is expected to sell out, and tickets are running for $15 at this link or presumably at the venue in advance and/or at the door.

This is absolutely a 19+ show, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. If you're up for some seasonally appropriate punk rock from this talented quintet (complete with presumed new material from their forthcoming CD), a LopLops trip to see The Rising Tide may not be a bad idea on St. Patrick's Eve! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's our preview of a special grindcore/death metal concert at The New American Pub THIS TUESDAY NIGHT, which will definitely be up the alley of long-time followers of Blood Shed Productions! As best as I can tell, this show was quietly moved up from Thursday the 28th to Tuesday, apologies for missing the apparent date change. Promoted (and headlined?) by resurgent local goregrind duo Rotopsy, this will be a return to form in many respects for the Blood Shed roster of minimalist death & grind bands, following a very quiet 2018, and it will be great to see everyone back at it! Previously announced solo projects on Tuesday will include Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson's goregrind act Crucify the Whore, the previously announced experimental metal project Awokest (in their first show since releasing "Enter The Nightlands"), and new local death/trance metal solo project Black Cloud, so if you like one-man extreme metal, here's a trifecta for your Tuesday entertainment!

Two previously unlisted bands are now advertised on the Facebook event page, including the surprise reunion of Awokest frontman Chase Wigmore's 2013-2014 grindcore duo This Is Your Band On Drugs after a 5+ year hiatus! I haven't heard anything specific on the return, or if Nick will be back on vocals, but Chase had been including T.I.Y.B.O.D. recordings in his recent discography compilation work, so this could stem from that. In any event, this should be intriguing for Blood Shed loyalists, and they're back in our active band links! The other advertised band/performer was listed under the moniker "PCxFascist", but they were quietly replaced or renamed on the Facebook event page with the project name "Full-Send". Same act or not, I know nothing on PCxFascist and/or Full-Send, but we'll let you know if anything comes out! A 19+ show, entrance at The New A on Tuesday will be via donation under a "pay what you can" model, and an early-ish 8:00 PM start time is advertised.

While unfortunately not at The Oddfellows Hall (despite what the Facebook event page's cover photo may suggest), this is a nice throwback event for fans of Blood Shed Productions & Heavy North Entertainment's heyday, and might this be just the start of a 2018 resurgence for the label? See above for more details on all of Tuesday's local extreme metal action at The New A, and for a preview, here's Rotopsy live!



We'll close today with a new video from the aforementioned Chase Wigmore's solo Facebook page, as uploaded there on Thursday! A solo instrumental performance in black & white, this is an excellent showcase of Chase's guitar abilities, complete with some progressive flourish, and it's heavy enough to appeal to fans of his metal work without scaring unaccustomed listeners. Excellent shredding here, so give Chase's new video a look below, don't miss Awokest on Tuesday, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site later this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison, Soundcheck, And Highway 63), Concert Previews, And More!!

It's now time to preview the last concert weekend of February 2019, and while the only hard rock shows coming up are all of the veteran cover variety, we do have a lot of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS intertwined, some on SHORT NOTICE, plus some recent updates from a prominent solo artist. With all of that said, ere's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet Highway 63 will return to The Double D Bar & Grill (formerly The Sportman's Lounge) at Dondee Lanes for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on the band's Facebook page on Monday. This will be Highway 63's first concert weekend at the Dondee since their new lineup debuted at the bowling alley's Christmas party, so if you haven't been to a Kewadin branch to see the Switzers, George, Justin, and Brian in the interim, why not swing by for TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts? The new look Highway 63 have been getting solid reviews since their first concert weekend, and hopefully they rock The Double D Bar with lots of familiar and hard hitting classics this weekend! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows have early-ish 8:00 PM start times, no cover, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Next up, we'll head to Sault Ontario, where fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, I only learned of these concerts via SooToday's events calendar this week, and the band's Facebook page has not confirmed the dates at press time. Fresh off of their Esquire Club gigs last week, this will be Soundcheck's first concert weekend at the former Roosevelt Hotel since early January. Fans of Soundcheck 1980s-leaning brand of classic rock and heavier hits should take to TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's west end action, so keep both shows in mind! Note that classic rock veterans The Algo Rhythms will be playing matinee sets at Reggie's West at 3:00 PM both days, but there's over two hours between bands, so they are considered to be separate shows.

Soundcheck's concerts are slated to begin at 9:30 PM TOMORROW & SATURDAY, these are 19+ events, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen live last year!

Finally for this weekend's currently announced hard rock concert previews, we'll touch on a couple of gigs that had advance notice, namely local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's regular acoustic matinee concerts at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but while we're in the business, let's roll his March gigs into our concert calendar today also! First, his long-term arrangement at Gliss will continue for solo headlining shows on March 1st-2nd, 8th-9th, 15th-16th, 22nd-23rd, and 29th-30th, so if you love his acoustic hard and classic rock covers, his Gliss run is scheduled to continue twice a week like clockwork through next month! If you's rather see Tym at a traditional nighttime slot, you have three chances next month, all on Fridays, including shows at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road on March 1st & 15th, followed by a concert at Room 21 on Albert Street West on March 22nd. Busy month ahead for sure, hopefully Tym has a great set each night!

Of course, if you can't wait for those shows, his unplugged covers will still be just as effective and prolific this weekend at Gliss, so keep tomorrow and Saturday's shows in mind! As usual, this weekend's and next month's Gliss matinees have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits (but mind the locale), while next month's Room 21 and Roadhouse shows are 19+ affairs with no cover and a 10:00 PM start times. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here , and here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Room 21 earlier this month!

Finally for today, here's some long overdue updates from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, starting with his new announcement that the title track from his upcoming studio album "Bridges" will be released on March 5th as it's second single! Mike confirmed on his Facebook page that the song will be themed along feeling isolated and it's relation to the mental health crisis, and you can tell it has personal meaning to him. Expect the song to turn up on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and elsewhere in a couple of weeks, and Mike promises updates on the "Bridges" album will follow. While we wait for both the song and album, Mike was spotlighted in a news article from The Thompson Citizen on February 11th, so what should you know there? Written by journalist Kyle Darbyson with interview remarks from Mike, the article explores how "Bridges" is expected to be his biggest release, his move to Thompson in late 2017, his integration into their music scene, ...

...his "The Nature of The Times" music video, the album's lyrical themes, and it's recording process, among other topics. Solid article that outlines Mike's musical background and current work in a way that Thompsonians will appreciate, and it sounds like his current material is progressing nicely! Read the whole article above, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

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

It's now time to wrap up last month's poll and launch a new one on the SMS, and with last month's turnout, I am more optimistic than I have been in a long time! As you may remember, we posed this question last month: What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk band of 2018? In a stunning turn-around from our last polls on here, 20 readers cast votes, which is extremely encouraging, and I thank all of you who voted! Maybe fewer choices helped? In any event, here are your final results!

Re:Born (9 votes, 45%)

Parabol (7 votes, 35%)

Coral Fang (4 votes, 20%)

Poison Girl (0 votes)

Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, in a small crop of debuting heavier bands last year, the results are pretty clear, and while last fall's crop of debuting tribute bands got a lot of attention, no one won more fan votes than Re:Born, the Project 421-succeeding power rock quintet who made a big impression in their first three shows. With pre-made chemistry, familiar old school metal and hard rock covers, and carried over 421 originals, the guys got off to a strong start last year, but how will they look and sound with Elly on vocals? Hopefully we'll know soon! A strong second place went to Parabol after their show-stealing gigs late last year, while fellow Halloween weekend debutantes Coral Fang also won their share of votes, proving that Tool and The Distillers have big followings around here! Unfortunately, no one cast votes for Coral Fang's sister HIM tribute band Poison Girl, but they also haven't played live more than once. Hopefully everyone stays busy in 2019, and that even more new bands turn up!

Congratulations to Re:Born on winning the poll, and thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month, we are continuing with our "favourite _____ of 2018" polls by posing this question to you guys: "What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk album of 2018?" Last year saw a surprisingly strong crop of local album releases, so there should be no shortage of choices for readers, but can we get a similarly good vote total this month? To make the poll, albums must have seen their initial paid release (including "name your price" offerings) occur between January 1st and December 31st of last year, with reprintings, singles, exclusively free albums, and paper-sleeve demos excluded. Notably, this affects Chase Wigmore's 2018 output, as his unfinished 12 EPs of Christmas series was solely posted for free before the 2019 calendar year began, but he does have an album in the poll still, and you can always vote for "Other" if need be. As well, artists with multiple similar releases are grouped together. Now, here are you 12 choices, plus "Other"!

Abhorrent Forest - To See Eternity: A return to their original black metal form after their late 2017 ambient EP "Ethereal", solo project Abhorrent Forest quietly released their third EP "To See Eternity" in March. Updates haven't followed publically since, so this could prove to be Wyrn's swan song for this project, but did you take to their dark instrumental metal onslaught the most in this poll?

Crucify The Whore & Chase Wigmore - A Couple of Degenerate Bastards: After a lengthy dormant period, goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore began ramping up public activity again last year, punctuated with the release of a split album alongside past collaborator and fellow prolific solo artist Chase Wigmore. The divided nature of the online release and the limited physical availability haven't helped exposure, but would you vote for "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" here?

The Din - Suburban Sendoff: Four months after ending their active run with their Suburban Sendoff farewell concert at LopLops Lounge, local alt-hard rock trio The Din released a live album of the same name featuring the whole 90+ minute show's soundboard recording. Featuring The Din's only electric album version of "We Met As Surrogates" and a Gord Downie tribute cover of "Blow At High Dough", this lived up to the hype, but does it earn your vote?

Any of Mike McCleary's 2018 albums: Prolific local hard rock musician and activist Mike McCleary had a very busy first half of 2018, which saw him release "Hourglass", "Weight of the Truth", a heavily revised re-release of "In Ruins", "The Party Album", and "What You've Done To Me", and don't forget his "Weight of the World" compilation either! There's a lot to take in from Mike in a short time, but his talent and messages speak volumes, and were any your individual favourite?

Mike Haggith - From The Nickel Stage: For his first solo album release in three years, Din frontman kicked off his Thompson, Manitoba era with "From The Nickel Stage", a live EP comprising his headlining set at last summer's Nickel Fest in Thompson. Also serving as a preview of his upcoming studio album "Bridges" (with only 2 performed songs not expected for it), this well received show comes through well on the live album, but was it your favourite local album of 2018?

Mike Vincent - Apocalypse or Ultimate Chaos: A familiar sight from bands like The Bear Hunters, D.O.T.H., and Skull After Betrayl, Mike Vincent released his first two solo albums on March 25th of last year. Showcasing his musical maturity across 22 instrumental tracks, these albums flew under the radar somewhat, but did one/both of Mike's debut solo albums top last year?

Northwest - Songs From 2015-2017: The last SMS-covered local album release of 2018 came from veteran indie/punk quintet Northwest, who launched their second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" on December 22nd at their CD release party at LopLops Lounge. Featuring some added musical diversity and maturity on their new material, fans enjoyed Northwest's sophomore effort, and it no doubt helped their 2019 CBC Searchlight run, but would you vote for it?

Redundant - Redundant: After years of recording sessions failed to lead to a proper release, Redundant finally recorded their self-titled debut EP last year, even giving the EP it's first physical release at their Vans Warped Tour stop in Toronto in July! Featuring three originals and two Scary Uncles carry-overs, "Redundant" was well received by fans of the guys' upbeat punk rock attack, but was this your favourite local release of 2018?

Shit Liver - Hitting The Fan: Arguably the highest profile local album release of last year from a heavier or punk band, fan favourite grindcore trio Shit Liver finally put out their second studio album "Hitting The Fan" in March, coinciding with a high profile Canadian support tour, including a well received headlining concert at The New A.  Exclusively released on vinyl for physical copies, fans of Shit Liver's brutal live show definitely took to their devastation, but would you pick it here?

Sykotyk Rampage - Live At The Paris Hilton: While their live concert hiatus has no end in sight, "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage re-emerged in April with "Live at The Paris Hilton", their first brand new album release since 2016. A faux live album combining new tracks and select re-recordings from their extensive back catalog, this was a fun return to form for the Beckers and company, but is your environ-mental suit ready to vote?

Any of SweetKenny's 2018 score albums: A quieter but still busy year from Dafter, Michigan solo artist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton saw him release four score albums, including "Escape of the Desert Rat", "Music For The Body", "Management", and "Monster", all intended for usage as soundtrack music for other media. The wait for a traditional follow-up to "In Your Face" continues, but did Ken's skilled and prolific score albums win you over compared to other albums?

Telephone & Address - Monster: Almost three years after being announced, garage/punk solo project Telephone & Address released their fifth CD "Monster" (no relation to the SweetKenny score of the same name) last February. An electric lo-fi album like it's predecessor, "Monster" would prove to be the Chris Shoust-led band's final public activity before falling inactive, but did he end this period on a high note via this album?

Other: Did we miss an album you'd rather vote for? Did I forget a metal, hard rock, or punk release from a locally-based act in 2018? Would you rather vote for an album from a band outside of our genre range, or even the Soo area? Maybe you liked a free album more than something that was for sale? If, for whatever reason, your preferred choice isn't here, "Other" is for you!

VOTE TODAY! You guys have until February 18th or so to cast your votes, and it'll be interesting to see how this goes, especially with the uptick in votes from our last poll! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Today's post features lots of new videos and some more recent updates from a handful of diverse local musicians, and we'll start with a new demo/highlight video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's second Christmas tour last year, as uploaded to their YouTube channel on Saturday! This clip combines audio and video footage from the tour dates, plus select photographs and band artwork, to create a best-of montage of sorts. Some of the zoomed in live concert clips don't look familiar, so hopefully that footage can find it's way online in a fuller form, but you'll recognize much of it from prior full concert videos they posted online. The quality is inconsistent, but this is a nice way to look back on the Christmas tour and presumably preview the third installment for later this year, and it looks like a good time was had throughout, so give it a look below!



Next up, here's some rare live concert footage of local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, as live streamed from Room 21's Facebook page during his acoustic show there on Friday! This isn't the first such concert of his there that the venue live streamed, but the prior clip was from an open mic night. Two songs were separately filmed on Friday, with Tym covering Oasis' "Wonderwall" and, as embedded below, The Tragically Hip's "Blow at High Dough". As this is a solo performance, the vertical camera angle is fine for these videos, and gathered fans seem receptive to Tym's skilled covers! Give Tym's new Room 21 videos a look above & below!



We'll close with some new videos and updates from both performers on the "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" split, including goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore! Two weeks ago, project leader Tyler Gibson noted on their Facebook page that he has "got some big show announcements" coming up, and he also had plans to upload another EP of some kind. Not much has followed on either front, but stay tuned for updates! Most recently, C.T.W. posted this new 100 second long jam session video on Friday, which features a strong guitar performance along with effective lighting. Vocals are still an acquired taste, but long time fans will want to check this out below!

 
Finally for today, here's the latest video postings on local alt-folk/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! One is an audio recording shared from Chase's personal Facebook page on Saturday entitled "Detective Dick Jerkins, P.I." (again borrowing his Awokest alias for the obvious detective pun), featuring Chase speaking in an intense narrator voice about the title character. Effective for what it is, it'd be interesting to see the story be fleshed out further! Embedded below is this 78 second original clip featuring Chase performing three separate instrumental tracks combined into one clip. Sort of a progressive metal jam, the song sounds very promising, and the separate video tints are a nice touch, but the clip ends too abruptly. Hopefully there's more to come like this from Chase and/or Awokest, and give Chase's newest uploads a look above & below!

 
That's all for now, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our newest poll on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Parabol & The Elements), The Studio 10 Fire, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday afternoon reading, so what can you find here? A bunch of assorted updates, some overdue coverage on a devastating news event from earlier this week, and leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month. Here's what you should know!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will reprise their role as backing musicians for another round of live band karaoke at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, March 16th as part of their St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities! An encore for this style of event that debuted last month, The Elements proper will rock out with karaoke singers (and Rob presumably when none are ready) on this night, though it'll be a special abbreviated gig, as they will immediately follow a triple header of out of town stand-up comedians, the first such booking from Six, Two, Oh.. It'll be interesting to see how that event does, so click here for full details on the performers and admission info therein! As such, The Elements' set proper will have a late start time of 12:00 AM, technically placing it at the beginning of St. Patrick's Day itself, so what better way to ring in the holiday? Yes, The Rockstar Bar will have green beer.

A presentation of (Choose) Maxx Entertainment, this concert is definitely 19+, and while the stand-up comedy show has a $5 cover charge, I don't think that would apply if you just came at midnight to see The Elements and/or sing karaoke with them. Looks like a fun night of diverse entertainment next month to get in touch with the Irish spirit with, and The Elements should deliver some hard rocking tunes, with or without karaoke singers! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, The Elements aren't done for shows at The Rockstar Bar next month, as they'll reprise their Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band alter ego on Saturday, March 23rd when they open for new local Tool tribute band Parabol once again! Basically a direct encore to the two bands' joint tribute concert at the same venue in December, this will be Parabol's third public concert appearance, their first of 2019, and first since confirming their permanent name. With this local supergroup's faithful sounding and technically proficient tribute to Tool winning them many fans last year, how will they perform for concert #3 next month? Of course, The Elements are no strangers to The Chili Peppers, but on March 23rd, they'll take on a temporary tribute band moniker, performing under the name Scar Tissue. Fitting name, but given Jesse Cook's involvement, I'm surprised they don't just recycle the name of his 2007-2008 Chili Peppers tribute band Sikamikanico.

Another presentation of Maxx Entertainment, this concert has a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a fun night of familiar tunes from two proficient and chemistry-filled tribute acts, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on Parabol and "Scar Tissue" returning to The Rockstar Bar next month!

Also today, I thought I should give some overdue thoughts on a recent major news event, namely the severe fire at The Dime Nightclub (better previously known as Studio 10) this past Sunday and Monday. As well documented in local news media, the 89 Hudson Street venue and it's on-site apartment buildings were destroyed by the fire, which police are not treating as suspicious, and the fire unfortunately took the life of a 60 year old tenant (our best thoughts and wishes are with his family and friends.) The remnants of the building have since been torn down, and you can read more on the fire proper and response on relevant news websites. Though primarily known in recent years for it's exotic adult entertainment, SMS readers will recall Studio 10 as the host of a handful of Havadder concerts from 2014-2016, while it was a far more active concert venue in the 1970s and 1980s, playing host to numerous bands back when it was known as The New Ontario Hotel.

As it wasn't a regular concert venue for most of my adulthood, I can't remark first hand on Studio 10/The Dime, but it's unfortunate to lose a familiar downtown venue that provided entertainment, employment, and a home for many locals. Visit local news websites for much more on the fire and response, and our best goes out to every employee, tenant, and customer affected by this devastating event.

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

• Algoma Ride For Autism is looking for bands to play during this year's charity motorcycle rally on Friday, June 14th. No word on location or timing, but for reference, local punk trio Redundant were among performers at last year's official afterparty at The Verdi Hall, while prior years featured live bands before the rally. If you're interested in playing this year, contact organizers at this link, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
• Local arts & culture Facebook page SooSpin is looking for local albums on CD or vinyl for an unspecified project. I have no insider knowledge on what they're doing, but if you're interested in donating or loaning any local albums, contact SooSpin at this link!
• A SaultOnline article by Megan Pounder from Sunday speculates that The Tech may have closed for good, based on inspection notices being posted on the front door, businesses moving out, and calls to building owners going unanswered. SMS readers will best know the former Lakeway/St. Mary's building and it's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium as an occasional concert venue for events like The Sky's The Limit, The Soo's Got Talent, and The Din's CD release party. A positive picture wasn't painted by SaultOnline, but hopefully things get resolved for all parties, and that 130 Wellington Street East finds a permanent use again down the road!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Highway 63, Project 906, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison!!)

Let's get this weekend's hard rock concert previews on the site today, and as luck would have it, all of today's covered artists have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS tied to this weekend's previews! I apologize in advance for that, I'd have covered them in advance had I known about them even last week! However, a couple of new shows in this post have advance notice, and three other previewed shows for this weekend had prior word too. Now, here's what you should know in rough chronological order!

Joining his previously announced Gliss Restaurant gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY and his Room 21 concert on SATURDAY NIGHT, local hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will play a special Valentine's Day matinee at Gliss TONIGHT as well! Apologies for the short notice on that concert, Tym only announced it via it's Facebook event page earlier this week, and it was definitely not previously announced with his early 2019 regular Gliss bookings, as he's not playing Thursday every week like he did at Gliss' old location from January-June. A busy stretch is ahead for Tym, who has a one week return to his old triple bookings at Gliss this weekend (including TONIGHT), while fans who prefer a traditional nighttime concert can see him at Room 21 above Low & Slow on Saturday, so you guys have plenty of options for his prolific batch of rock covers! TONIGHT'S Valentine's Day Gliss show has a special earlier start time of 5:00 PM, while the two regular gigs are still at 6:00 PM.

Those concerts remain free with no age limits, but again, this is a sit-down formal restaurant. Meanwhile, Saturday's Room 21 concert is a 10:00 PM affair with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only heard about these shows via the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page on Tuesday (as backed up by personal Facebook postings from band members), though there has not been a public acknowledgement of them via the band's Facebook page at press time. Last seen on a public stage at Bon Soo, this will be Soundcheck's first concert weekend at The Esquire Club in just over a month. With their brand of old school and fan favourite covers, Soundcheck should deliver another fun weekend of hard hitting tunes TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so keep these in mind if you're near the west end! Expect 10:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert last year!



Heading to Sault Michigan and area next, local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will make their debut at Snow's Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville TOMORROW NIGHT, before returning to The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, both shows were only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday. These will be Project 906's first publically announced gigs (last week's retirement party excepted) of 2019, with TOMORROW'S being the first show we've ever plugged at Snow's Bar & Grill, who only appear to book live bands infrequently. Oddfellow aside, Cedarville doesn't really turn up in our coverage, but 906 picked a good weekend to head to 1187 Park Avenue, as this is Snowsfest weekend in Hessel & Cedarville! Click here for details on non-musical events at this annual festival. Meanwhile SATURDAY'S Strongs Tavern show will be their first there since November.

Short notice or not, at least we caught wind of this one before it took place! If you're up for a hour's trip west, Project 906 should be up to their usual tricks there, and hopefully both of these regional shows are hits! As best as I can tell, both of these shows are 9:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live in Strongs last year!



Finally, local classic/hard rock quartet Highway 63 have more new gigs listed on Kewadin Casino's entertainment page for this year, starting with their long awaited return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Once again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of these shows in the past week, though unlike their last shows, the band has since acknowledged them on their Facebook page. This will be Highway 63's first concert weekend at the Soo Kewadin since the end of 2016, when the guys took a break from shows there to do "some travelling", and combined with their 2018 hiatus, they're only now returning to The Rapids Lounge over two years later. You can read into the "travelling" verbiage all you want, but it's awesome to see the Switzers and company back at this familiar venue TOMORROW & SATURDAY after far too long! This will also be their first Sault Kewadin weekend since George Belleau, Justin Lawless, and Brian Drumheller joined their expanded lineup.

Meanwhile, two more mid-year concert weekends at the St. Ignace Kewadin have also been announced for The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace, with Highway 63 returning there on May 3rd & 4th and June 14th-15th, so if you're up for a trip south, circle these dates on your calendar! TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and the St. Ignace shows are all at 9:00 PM with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Highway 63 should deliver a fun weekend of hard and classic rock covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so don't miss out then or later this year, see above for more details, and here they are live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Slaughter), Two Inactive Band Notes, And More SMS Band Link Updates!!

While the snow continues to pile on outside, here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening! We're mostly addressing updates to and removals from our band links today, but to lead off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!

Las Vegas glam metal veterans Slaughter will make their long awaited return to our area on Saturday, June 29th when they rock Kewadin Casino... in St. Ignace?! Best known from hit singles like "Up All Night", "Fly To The Angels", and "Real Love", this will be Slaughter's first regional concert appearance since opening for Stryper at the Sault Michigan Kewadin in 2012, and their third local gig since 2008, but now they're headlining with their high energy classic hard rock! Pasadena glam/hard rock quartet Autograph (of "Turn Up The Radio" & "Blondes In Black Cars" fame) will open with their own familiar brand of 1980s rock action, so don't bypass their set either! Clearly, the St. Ignace summer concert series did well last year, as this Kewadin branch is booking even more touring bands for 2019, though the Slaughter show appears to be indoors at the casino's on-site event center. The location may be atypical for Kewadin-booked hair metal, but how do $10 tickets sound?

Yes, tickets are that low, and you can buy them starting Friday at 9:00 AM at this link, the Sault Kewadin's in-person box office, the gift shop at the St. Ignace Kewadin, or presumably at 1-800-KEWADIN. This show has no advertised age limits, and an 8:00 PM start time, and is presented by Classic Rock: The Bear (whose 95.3 signal is easily heard in St. Ignace, but only gets fringe reception in the Soo.) It'll be very interesting to see how this show does given the non-Sault locale, but if you love the Hair Scare and 1980s glam rock, you won't wanna bypass this show, especially at this price! See the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, we have regrettably moved local death metal project Life's Eclipse back to our inactive band links. While no public statements have been made regarding their current status, the band has not issued an update to their Facebook page since January 31st of last year, well past our one year inactivity cutoff. The flagship band of local independent label Werehold Records (both led by singer/guitarist Jason Mills), Life's Eclipse reunited in 2011 after a few years' hiatus, and had been active to varying degrees ever since as a studio project. Long-time readers may be most familiar with Life's Eclipse from their regular involvement in Werehold Records' nine Friday the 13th new music posting events from 2012-2017, often featuring songs from incomplete and unreleased albums. It should be noted that Werehold Records proper haven't updated their own Facebook page since 2017, and of their roster of metal/hard rock artists, only Moss remain in our active links.

I know that personal commitments have been at least partially to blame for the slowdown in Life's Eclipse/Werehold updates in the late 2010s, so a resumption of public activity could happen at any time pending availability and scheduling.  Life's Eclipse were a brutal, technical, and well-composed band when firing on all cylinders, and Jason & the Werehold roster had a lot of talent and ambition to go around! Despite not being known for live concerts, they flew the extreme metal flag well for the E.U.P., and hopefully we hear more from Jason, David, Joe, and Casey when the time is right!

Also, we have one more band to move to our inactive band links, namely Sault Ontario rap metal/party rock collective The Apocalypse Afterparty. While the band did publically acknowledge that "hibernation is ending" back in October, their Facebook page has quietly been taken down since, which (Destroilet aside) is historically a bad sign. In any event, the band had only posted once on Facebook in the past 15 months, and in lieu of the apparent deletion, they are now linked here via their Wix website. Active since 2014, this eclectic masked group evolved from a duo to a full live and studio band, though concerts were selective, often at private bookings or via short notice "pop-up" gigs. The Apocalypse Afterparty may best be known from their quartet appearance at the 2015 VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub (surprisingly making the finals), while they released their EP "Bufflesnort" back in April 2017.

Whether or not you previously knew of X, Z, x, z, and company's real identities, The A.A. made their mark in the mid-2010s! With a unique stage presence, creative hybrid sound, gender-equal lineup, and imaginative back story, it's a shame that The Apocalypse Afterparty didn't play live more often, but hopefully we see Paul, Amanda, Sara, Sven, Rito, and former band members back out there down the line, masked or otherwise!

Finally, CBC Music closed it's artist page service on November 20th, due to the decrease in traffic and attention to band pages there compared to other social media services (you can read more on the decision at this link.)  This didn't receive the advance notice that PureVolume's closure had, so I unfortunately was unable to back up anything there from local artists, but much like PureVolume, I did recognize how little CBC Music (formerly CBC Radio 2) was used by local musicians in recent years. It was a useful and informative service in it's day, and I'll miss having it around! As of this month, we had only linked four local bands (all defunct) to CBC Music pages, so changes to our links are thankfully minimal, especially as only one didn't have an online band page elsewhere. With all of that said, I changed our links for defunct punk bands The 12 Gauge Ready and Glunk! to their MySpace pages, while replacing Burn The Past (previously known as Downshift) with their Bandcamp page.

The only removal was 2007-2012 local/Oil Springs metal band Sue Inside, who don't have a known online page outside of CBC. It's unfortunate to lose one of the oldest local death metal bands from our links, but hopefully Shane, Adam, and Jeff are still musically active out of town! Hopefully this all clears up the recent link changes, and in lieu of the CBC Music page deletions, maybe they'll bring their FM station here sooner or later? That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next. Thanks everyone!