WLSO 90.1 FM: A Look Back In The Wayback Machine, Part 2 (2001-2003)

It's now time for the second installment of our WLSO 90.1 FM retrospective posts, which kicked off this past Tuesday by looking at the station's Internet Archive remnants from the earliest possible date in 1997 through the year 2000. Today, we dive into the early 2000s in their last years before moving to their most familiar URL, and there's a lot of interesting surviving material from this era to look back on! Again, to set the mood, listen to Lake Superior State University's modern-day internet station Superior Radio while reading and exploring the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine links below.

We'll pick things back up with WLSO in 2001, with The Internet Archive logging six copies of the website that year, which you can check out at this link. The big front page news that year related to the station broadcasting live at Lake State's end of the year luau and that summer's Soo Locks Festival. While still managed by Bill Dawson, the station's genre directors had heavily changed compared to 2000, including new hires like Erik Isele (loud rock), Josh Palotti (punk/ska), and Lorin Kozlowski (alternative). Schedules for the spring, summer, and fall semesters that year are viewable at this link, carrying on the same layout as they had in late 2000. A lot of holes were present in terms of these archived schedules, but listeners that spring could hear Lorin host Fireball Music on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM, while Nick (no given last name) and Simon Moon hosted their own midnight punk blocks on Fridays and Saturdays each.

The previous year's metal show Brothers From Other Mothers returned over the summer semester, now hosted by Rustang & DJ Be Seedy, on Sundays at 8:00 PM. That fall, WLSO listeners could hear Erik Isele & Andy host a loud rock block on Fridays at 3:00 PM, while Andy & Robb co-hosted a punk/alt-rock block on Saturdays at 6:00 PM, and Josh Palotti manned a ska punk block on Sundays at 8:00 PM. Among non-heavy/punk shows, 90.1 FM fans could hear such DJs as B-X Rocket, Captain Moon Unit, DJ Spicy Chef, Kon Phusion, and The Tonemyster, while such creatively named shows as Stealthy Chicken Showcase, the possibly metal-focused Shredder's Eve, the returning Homemade Erratic Bear Bones, and What? (which aired "anything but Britney") also made the airwaves. As well, Frank Blissett's long-running Country Roads and Frank's Gay 90s Revue continued into this time period.

This article on WLSO's 2001-era site notes their then-criteria for prospective DJs, including how to sign up for a summer show, their 18+ age limit, priority selection for then-students, and even the dues on-air talent were expected to pay to maintain the station headquarters and events ($5 per semester with a show, though they were briefly $10.) As well, this link noted how you could air public service announcements on WLSO, as part of their FCC licensing. The 2001-era website is the only one to feature surviving photos of WLSO's Brady Hall station headquarters via this link, and while not all work, you do get a decent look at the offices for DJs at the time. Unfortunately, archives of WLSO's 1999-2002 website layout indicate that it didn't receive nearly the same amount of updates and and attention by 2002, with schedule archives not showing any listings, and no affiliated events listed after that February.

Circa November 2002 (and as first archived that December), LSSU's website received a heavy overhaul that only survived until around September 2003, though time has not been kind to it, as the barren white front page would indicate. In the 2002-2003 school year, the station's manager was Hollie Arman, while Kate Andary took over as the punk/ska genre manager. One major disappointment of WLSO's website that year was the station's schedule, which only listed blocks by the DJ's first name (Frank Blissett's programs aside), so hopefully listeners knew who was airing what! The most interesting website additions at this time were their automation charts (viewable here below "Music Department"), which list the most played songs on WLSO during three weeks in the fall of 2002, and which were not visibly updated in 2003. The charts are only listed by title with some exceptions, but if you look them up, you can see that such diverse acts as D.O.A., The Charlie Parker Trio, and Avril Lavigne got heavy airplay then!

Updates were few and far between on WLSO's website from 2002-2003, despite the layout overhaul, but things would tick upward for the station's internet presence when they received their permanent and final URL, http://wlso.lssu.edu, but that's a story for next time. I hope you guys liked this second installment of our WLSO retrospective series, and this will return at some point soon when we start looking at WLSO in the mid-2000s, but stay tuned for more a new news post next! Thanks everyone!

Live Streams From A Dire Setback & The Hair Scare, Plus More Assorted Updates!!

Here's another new post on the site today, and while I am running dry on topics to start the week, I guarantee we will have a new post each day through at least Thursday! This post has some assorted shorter stories of note, and a live-streamed video from a popular local radio show, but leading off, here's even more big updates relating a recently released punk album!

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and widespread concert cancellations may have wrecked A Dire Setback's plans for a CD release show at LopLops on Saturday, but the guys made due by live-streaming a release party on their Facebook page that night! As preluded by Facebook posts about their plans to get the gear set up for live-streaming, the local alt-punk trio ensured that the show went on (albeit from their jam room), and while an actual release concert with CDs in hand is still planned for the future, fans got the next best thing on Saturday! The whole thing is embedded below, though the video began rolling 19 minutes before the promised 10:00 PM start time, so fast forward as such to get to the actual start of the set. In performance order, the guys played "Everlasting", "Faded", "Forget This Memory", their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" with bassist Matt Quinn on lead vocals, "Catastrophe", "A Dire Setback", "Endless Dream", a cover of Green Day's "Longview", "Drop Dead", ...

..."Kicking & Screaming", "Nightmares", and covers of The Misfits' "Last Caress" & Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", both with Matt singing lead again. One thing I noted way too late while watching is that "Drop Dead" is actually the renamed version of one of A Dire Setback's earliest originals, "Wasting Away", apparently at the suggestion of producer Bill Priddle to make the song angrier. I should have caught on to that way sooner, apologies for sounding ignorant! Performance wise, the analog audio recording setup & warm lighting aren't ideal, and this is a very casual performance, but in light of what's going on in the world, how can you nitpick? The guys are clearly having fun, and I've never seen Chris so talkative between songs! The new covers ("Ace of Spades" aside) are nice surprises too, so fans will definitely enjoy this live-streamed set, as well as this thank you video for fans who watched, where they also reiterate plans for a real release concert, show off their gear, and ask for feedback.

Also, A Dire Setback's self-titled debut CD dropped on other services beyond Spotify yesterday, so you can now stream it on Apple Music and YouTube, and buy it on Bandcamp and Google Play (the latter two for around $9). Whatever your preferred source, definitely buy or stream it A.S.A.P., especially with the CD release in limbo! See above for much more the album, read our review of it in yesterday's post, and here's their full live-stream!



Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where long-running Rock 101 program The Hair Scare finally has it's own official Facebook page! Their official Facebook group is still alive & well, but that is more of an officially recognized fan club, compared to the new page, which host Scott Cook created back in January. Of course, The Hair Scare provides a 3 hour blast of hair and glam metal classics from the late 1970s-early 1990s every Saturday at 9:00 PM on 101.3 FM, and you can now see an hour-long glimpse of Scott at the controls from the newest episode via the live-streamed video embedded below, so if you've ever wanted an insider look at The Hair Scare in action, this will do it! In order, you'll hear Scott play Sven Gali's "Under the Influence" (joined in progress), Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", Poison's "Look What The Cat Dragged In", Skid Row's "Sweet Little Sister", Slaughter's "Mad About You", Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine", Trooper's "Raise A Little Hell", ...

...Whitesnake's "Judgement Day", and much of Tesla's "Modern Day Cowboy", plus all of the breaks in-between where Scott takes requests, reminisces about the Soo area and past concerts, and talks to fans tuning in. This is an entertaining inside look at this popular Rock 101 staple in action, if not as clear for audio as the actual show would be! If you're a hair metal fan, The Hair Scare is appointment listening every Saturday, and if you like when Rock 101 diverts from their standard playlist, both The Hair Scare and Scott Cook In The Morning are your best bets for anything with local DJs! Give this Hair Scare live stream a look below, and don't forget to tune in on Saturday!



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

• SooToday previewed the Facebook live-streamed Coronafest event on March 21st via this article earlier that day, featuring remarks from organizer Brian Cattapan and fellow performer Cory Murchison. The article neglects to mention that there were more than two Saultites on the bill (Brian, his wife Krista and Jason "J Wyza" Wysynski are all from here too), but it's great to see Coronafest get some local news attention! A sequel on April 18th is also in the works for Krista's birthday the next day, so click here for details.
• If Mike Haggith's CD release concert at LopLops goes through on May 15th, then his live backing band that night will include one more musician, as local folk/alternative solo artist Jacob Quarrell (formerly Shit Creek Survivor) will be the lead guitarist on this night, as per the Facebook event page last week. Jacob opened for Mike at his Outspoken Brewing acoustic concert in August, which Mike credits as "the show that kicked off this album in the greatest possible way." While his solo music isn't hard rock, Jacob's very talented and should deliver well with Mike and crew in May... I hope!
• Local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be interviewed tonight at 9:00 PM on The Taxi Passenger Revue, a radio show hosted by Mike Robillard on new local internet radio station The Borderline. The series features in-depth conversations akin to what you would have with a cab driver, hence the name, and if the Facebook event page is anything to go by, the interview with Tym will heavily deal in his recent conversion to Christianity. This should be an enlightening listen for fans, so check it out tonight at 9:00, especially if episodes aren't posted to stream afterward!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our second installment in our seven part WLS0 9O.1 FM retrospective series tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A Dire Setback - "A Dire Setback" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 129th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback's self-titled debut album, which was released on CDBaby yesterday! Recorded (at least partially) at Unsalted Audio, with production & mastering by Treble Charger's Bill Priddle and his Pointless bandmate Dustin Goodall, the recording sessions for this album took place between May 2018 & May 2019, and were intended to culminate in a postponed CD release concert yesterday, but in defiance of COVID-19, the guys did do a Facebook live-stream "concert" that we will look at on the site this week. "A Dire Setback" features the band's current three-piece lineup, including singer/guitarist Chris Nielsen, bassist/backing vocalist Matt Quinn, and drummer Nick Kainula. You can buy mp3 copies of the album on CDBaby for $9.99, and a free streaming copy hit Spotify this morning, but physical CD availability has not yet been announced.

CD copies are reportedly ready to go, but with the release party being scuttled, and local music stores that would carry it still being closed due to the coronavirus, it may be a while before you can buy CDs in town. If you want to inquire about physical copies beforehand, message A Dire Setback on Facebook. Featuring 9 songs running for about 34 minute, let's begin this review with the self-titled opening song! "A Dire Setback" leads off with a familiar guitar riff before the guys accurately shout "This is A Dire Setback!" and the song proper kicks into high gear. Compared to their live shows in the late 2010s, the clarity and mixing really accentuates this song off the hop, and Chris' melodic yet rough vocals really benefits, as do Matt's backing vocals. The guitar and bass mesh well here, and Nick' drumming is more than up to par! Honestly, the only fault I have is with the needlessly drawn out ending, but A.D.S. fans will have nothing to complain about here!

Second is "Everlasting" (formerly known as "Everlasting Despair"), which opens with Nick's steady drum track before his bandmates join in to this slower but still punk-infused live standard. Unlike the opener, this is a song that I feel lost something in translation compared to their concerts, with the song overall coming off as flatter and more melancholic. It's still a well composed song without major alterations, with solid guitar work and forceful drumming, but it just feels listless, especially after seeing it so often live. Next on the CD is "Kicking & Screaming", which will instantly be recognizable from the crowd response-encouraging chorus. This song injects the energy back into the proceedings with the in-your-face choruses and forceful verses from Chris and Matt, and everyone performs to their strengths, especially Nick's varied drum work. Again, the drawn out ending doesn't feel essential, and the vocals can drown out the guitar and bass a bit, but this song delivers the goods!

Song #4 is "Drop Dead", which will absolutely appeal to fans of the opening self-titled song, with it's fast skate punk-esque composition and Chris' strong melodic singing, which drives a lot of the song's melody and pacing, with Matt's nearly screamed backing vocals adding an extra punch leading into the choruses. The slow bridge with the building drums does feel tacked on to break up the rhythm, but the catchy vocals and strong punk flavour will win over listeners easy! Then we have the album's longest song, "Catastrophe", which gives Matt & Nick a nice showcase on bass and drums in the opening stretch before things fully kick into gear. This song is more reminiscent of "Everlasting" in overall tone, but it feels like it has more life and intensity, partially with Chris' purposeful chorus singing, with Matt matching it well in the background. Despite it's near 5 minute run-time, it never feels overly long (drawn out ending aside), and while I prefer their faster and more upbeat songs, this is a solid hit!

The sixth track is "Faded", which is also the album's shortest song. While not as instantly catchy as some of their earlier fast-and-aggressive originals, this well played and energetic song does seem like more of a platform for Chris to show off his vocal range, and he has definitely came into his own as frontman! The guitar riffs are strong, and Nick's drum work is particularly good here, but the song is almost too short, possibly because of the lack of a proper bridge. While it lasts though, it was a quality track! That's followed by "Forget This Memory", which has a steady punk-friendly structure that's well performed by all three guys, and the lyrics are well written from start to finish, but the vocals just don't have much life to them, almost as if they were meant for a slower/darker song, to a point where the chorus/bridge transition comes out of nowhere. The song proper is pretty good and lives up to the CD's standard, but the vocals (as performed here) don't match all that well to me.

The penultimate song is "Endless Dream", which opens oddly with pained backing vocals, but when the song proper begins, it delivers more of the alt-punk goods for fans, including another solid vocal-driven chorus that'd be very easy to sing along with if you know the words! Chris delivers well on the mic and guitar on this melodic, straightforward number, and Matt's bass lines fill out the low end very well, but there isn't a lot new to discover here, and again with drawn out feedback to close? Still, it's a late album highlight! "A Dire Setback" closes with "Nightmares", which abruptly begins with in-your-face vocals and guitar before the song proper kicks in, and I like the melodic structure and guitar riffing a lot, especially in the instrumental breaks! There are parts early where Chris' singing feels a little monotone compared to the music on offer, but his intensity ramps up in the back half, and here, the drawn out closing stretch actually feels essential to go with the title theme!

So, what are my final thoughts on A Dire Setback's debut album? Overall, this is a solidly composed and performed CD that existing fans and newcomers should easily take to! These songs showcase the guys in their element, playing high energy and mid-tempo punk rock with an alternative edge, and with strong production behind them, the songs mostly come through nicely in their final forms here! Chris Nielsen's vocals have definitely improved since his 2017 move to the lead mic, and he and Matt Quinn are a nice compliment singing and on guitar/bass, while Nick Kainula's proficient drumming kept the rhythm moving right along! Tracks like "Kicking & Screaming", "Faded", and "Endless Dream" are among my personal highlights, but there are parts that I would revisit. Too many songs have a drawn out ending segment that adds nothing to the composition, "Everlasting" didn't have any life to it in studio form, and there were times where vocals didn't quite match the song in tone

If you like modern punk rock, A Dire Setback's debut album will be right up your alley, so definitely buy it or give it a listen above, and hopefully the true release concert and CD copies on sale will finally show up later this year! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what will we review on the site next month? I'm not quite sure, but here's what I can say. Preference will of course go to a new local metal, hard rock, or punk album release, but I don't know of anything slated to come out in April 2020 at the moment. If we dip into the archives, we will not be reviewing anything from Chase Wigmore or Haggith (the band) due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same act. Normally, I'd tie an archive album review in with a band or artist playing a live concert next month, but COVID-19 had other plans. I have a few albums in mind to look at next month, but for now, all I'll say is that I'm leaning towards another major punk band. Stay tuned for that, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

A Full Concert Video, SMAC-19 Benefit Updates, And Some New Demo Tracks!!

Before we get to today's news post, just a heads up that A Dire Setback's self-titled debut CD is now on sale on CDBaby for $9.99! Of course, tonight's planned CD release concert was postponed, and while they haven't officially confirmed availability on streaming services, the band had mentioned on the concert's Facebook event page that it'd be available "everywhere" tomorrow. To give more time to listen and have the review ready, I'm planning to post our review either tomorrow or on Monday, so stay tuned for that, and for now, here's some new videos and recent updates!

Helping to fill time while they can't play shows, local power rock quartet Re:Born posted a full concert set of theirs from last year onto their Facebook page on Sunday! Specifically, this comes from their Rockstar Bar headlining show on June 29th, 2019, which served as a farewell party for guitarist Blair Burch's son Cory before his year-long move out west. If you want to read my review of Cory's Bon Voyage Party, including video footage of Re:Born and the opening bands, click here. The videos were originally intended for Cory's private viewing as a farewell gift, and the band did warn fans that this was more of a loose, freeform, and "slightly alcohol tinged" set than normal for them. Uploaded in three chunks due to Re:Born's camera having a 23 minute recording limit per video, the first chunk is embedded below, where you can see them tackle Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law", their original "Running Away", Guns N' Roses' "My Michelle", Kissin' Dynamite's "Sex Is War", ...

...Motley Crue's "Live Wire", and the beginning of Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years". That song is continued into the second video, which also features Re:Born playing Black Sabbath's "Children of the Sea", Edguy's "Lavatory Love Machine" (featuring guest singer Alandra Brooks), their original "Die Another Day", and Billy Talent's "Viking Death March", notably featuring drummer Brandan Glew on lead vocals. The set concludes in the third video with the end of "Viking Death March" and a cover of Halestorm's "Love Bites", and also includes the band leaving the stage and mingling for the rest of it's 10 minute run time. The video quality is pretty good, if not centred to the stage, and everyone's clearly having a good time on a bittersweet night, but the audio quality is the drawback here, as vocals can often be muffled and drowned out by the instruments. Still, this is our longest and most substantial look at Re:Born yet, ad hopefully we'll see them (and everyone else) on stage again soon! Check out the first part of Re:Born's full set below, and see much more above from it!



Next up, lots of talented local musicians will join forces for a special live-streamed "online benefit concert"called SMAC-19 (Sault Musicians Against COVID-19) on Wednesday! Coordinated by new local internet radio station The Borderline, this is similar in intent to last week's Coronafest, but all-local and much bigger in scope and length, with plans to support the Sault Area Hospital Foundation's emergency operations, which is even more important than ever nowadays, though I don't know if/how organizers are facilitating donations. The Mike's Lunch Music Facebook group lists a massive schedule of 20 local musicians and acts performing sets of 15 or 30 minutes apiece, and much like at last fall's The Soo's Got Talent, local rap/party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty are massive outliers as the only metal/hard rock band on the bill, with their 15 minute set scheduled for 11:15 PM as the day's penultimate performance (DJ Peter Florio will close SMAC-19 at 11:30 PM.) The other acts largely don't have obvious hard rock ties, but there are a lot of familiar faces!

Among artists you'll see on Wednesday (starting at 3:30 PM) are M.D. Dunn, Eric Brombacher (minus The Soo), DJ Seith, ex-Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone, Sault Michigan's Tyler Dettloff (ex-Insipid Brutality), Rising Tide guitarist Liam Seymour, Al Wood (minus The Woodsmen), Papa Fogals Chair alum Andy Chillman, Lindsay Pugh, and Jacob Quarrell. Facebook live-streaming has picked up a lot of steam this year as a stop-gap while concert venues remain closed, and hopefully SMAC-19 will deliver more entertaining music performances! Tune into Mike's Lunch Music linked above to watch!

We'll close today with the latest YouTube channel uploads from local death metal solo project Black Cloud, as Peytan quietly uploaded each individual song from his debut demo "Abstract Sounds" there earlier this week, though some have amended titles (like "Wanders" rather than "Wanderers".) However, two brand new instrumental demo tracks were posted there too, entitled "Bloodbaiting" and, as embedded below, "Ghost Stomp". It's not yet clear on if these songs will be part of his next release "Ambient Silence" or not, but if that title isn't ironic, these obviously wouldn't be applicable there. These are works in progress that would benefit from louder and more focused drums, but it's good to hear new stuff from Black Cloud, and while we haven't heard from them on social media in the past month, the new YouTube activity seem like a good sign for fans. Check out "Ghost Stomp" below, and hear more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for either our A Dire Setback CD review or part 2 of our WLS0 9O.1 FM retrospective series on the site tomorrow, but both are coming in the near future! Thanks everyone!

A New-ish Local Hard Rock Band, More COVID-19 Concert Updates, And A New Song!!

Here's another news post to check out on this Friday morning, and it includes a new original song and the latest wave of coronavirus-related cancellations and postponements on the local hard rock concert calendar. Leading off though, here's a new (kind of) local band to take note of this year!

We have a new-ish band to add to our active Sault Ontario band links, and they are Bad Chug, a hard rock trio that originally launched back in... May 2016?! As best as I can tell, I missed out on this band upon their initial launch because they were originally based out of Ottawa, but since returning just last month, they have permanently moved back home, so we're not that out of the loop. Bad Chug were originally active in mid-late 2016, and they were surprisingly busy during that time, including playing a handful of live dates, posting eleven videos on their YouTube channel (including live concert & jam session clips), and even releasing their original "Primal" on Bandcamp, though that song (album?) has since been taken down. Over three years after falling inactive, Bad Chug resurfaced locally last month with plenty of new studio material teasers, plus revealing that they will be the second local openers for the Buckcherry concert at Soo Blaster (more on that in a bit.)

Lineup-wise, Bad Chug features singer/guitarist Aaron Desmoulin and drummer Matt D'Ettore, neither of whom I'm familiar with from prior local bands. While in Ottawa, their bassist and co-vocalist was Kyle Dubé, who is not visibly part of Bad Chug 2.0, and they have yet to announce who has replaced him. Self-described as playing "old school hard rock", the best place to start checking Bad Chug out with is the video embedded below, featuring their 20 minute set at a June 2016 private house party concert in Ottawa. In order, the guys played their eponymous song, "Should Never Be", "Rockin' Hard Place", "Primal", and a cover of Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" with guest guitarist Kevin Hallarn. It's hard to say yet how Matt & Aaron have grown as musicians in the past three years, but from the material on offer, they had a strong hard rock base with a carefree attitude, and there is some real songwriting ability on display!

Much like Late & Loud, an achilles heel with Bad Chug is the vocals, as (at least in 2016) Aaron's singing didn't project too far, and Kyle overdid the aggression a bit, but we have yet to hear Bad Chug in 2020 to compare. For what it's worth, band biographies say that Matt sings too. I like where Bad Chug are going so far, and check out much more above & below!

 

As noted above, Bad Chug were quietly named as the final opening band for the Buckcherry concert in Sault Ontario, which would be a huge platform for their local concert debut, but that'll have to wait 26 weeks, as promoters have postponed the show from Wednesday, May 13th to Wednesday, November 11th due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Very unfortunate, but given that the news isn't getting better in the near future, it was the safest move. Yes, already bought tickets will be accepted for the new date, but you can also get refunds at point of purchase, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details. While we're on the subject, the last two hard rock concert holdouts over the April 10th weekend have also been cancelled, namely the Sandman concert at The Canadian on the 10th (as per the band's Facebook page) and the Just Heart concert at The Rockstar Bar on the 11th, as per it's Facebook event page. Of course, if you bought tickets and want a refund in the short term, contact the venues online for details, especially as promoters have not indicated that they were postponed.

The last domino standing on the April hard rock/punk concert calendar is the First Jason show at The Canadian on April 26th, which has not (yet) been cancelled as of this writing, but stay tuned for updates on it's status, increasingly negative it may be. With concerts in May starting to be affected, the big ones to watch in May include Mike Haggith's CD release party and shows from touring headliners The Anti-Queens, Numbing, and Peril. As of this writing, all are still scheduled for their original dates, but we will keep you posted if anything changes for these and other May concerts.

Let's end today's post on a happy note, namely a new original song from local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's YouTube channel! Though his regular concerts at Gliss & elsewhere are on pause due to the coronavirus-related restaurant & nightclub closures, Tym has kept busy writing new music, like this song named "Down With The Devil". While very reflective of his increased observance of Christianity, this is still a heavy track with a solid guitar solo and in-your-face impact (Stryper, this ain't!) However, starting with the chorus is a little surprising, and the processing on the vocals there is overdone to me. Give Tym's new song a listen below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: GnaeusMusic

Keeping our steady stream of new content going on the SMS, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This monthly feature series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels with content at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk concerts or artists, in order to spotlight their videos to current readers and encourage you guys to check them out and maybe even subscribe. This month's randomly selected channel features a very accomplished band from the past decade, so here's what you should know!
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GnaeusMusic (http://youtube.com/channel/UClp6tPgxTJnU2Py8vD-LCtQ)
 
Owner: A member of 2014-2017 local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus (exact identity unclear)

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 23rd, 2014; Videos posted from that November until November 2016

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Gnaeus, it features two live concert videos, a lyric video, a jam session performance, and two promotional videos, representing the majority of their active run.

Why You Should Watch: While not jammed with content, this is the most official source for Gnaeus videos, and it captures their talents and high points pretty well! However, if you want more footage from their run, visit Gnaeus' Facebook page and our own Facebook page, while a number of other YouTube channels feature Gnaeus live videos. Also, note that Gnaeus have been defunct for the past 3 years, and accordingly, their channel has not been visibly updated in that time.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Gnaeus - The Curse (Live): Two of Gnaeus' three live videos come from their set at Lopstock I at LopLops Lounge in June 2014, where they played their songs "The Sound" and, as embedded below, the non-album track "The Curse". Filmed by Jason Lloyd, these videos feature Gnaeus' original lineup, including singer/guitarist Aaron Alessandrini, bassist Matt Fronzi, synth player Brad Irwin, and drummer Brendan Garlick. Including nice close-up footage of the band in action (if being too warmly lit with muffled guitars), these are a nice early look at the guys in their first year together, and "The Curse" will appeal to fans of the "post-punk" side of their sound! Gnaeus also played at Lopstock II, and there are more videos from that set.

Gnaeus - Lovers: The most popular upload on Gnaeus' channel, this March 2015 video is set to the studio track from their fan favourite original song "Lovers", and it features the guys playing the song in studio, intercut with concert footage, the guys hanging out, making a sandwich(?!), and even talking about their then-recent VM Radio Battle of the Bands victory. Sort of an official music video, albeit well in advance of their CD's release the next summer, this is well edited and varied on the whole, and the faster, more up-tempo "Lovers" was one of  my favourite songs of theirs!



Gnæus - Meditations: Available in Galaxy Near You: Despite releasing their only studio album "Meditations" in August 2016, this promotional video only went online in late November of that year, and was the band's final YouTube upload. A creative and amusing commercial, this features the green screened floating heads of the band talking about the album, how to pronounce "Gnaeus", and more eclectic, not-always-relevant topics, with liberal cameos from their blank-eyed Pompey the Great mascot. Then-drummer Alex Proulx (who could fire lasers from his eyes!) is featured here despite joining the band after "Meditations" was recorded. While an amusing commercial for the CD, the guys' dialogue is too quiet compared to the music, so make sure to have the volume dial in hand when listening.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, this series will focus on another local punk band, as I have randomly selected innercit's channel, an apparently official YouTube channel for The Inner City Surfers in the mid-2000s!  Look for that on or around April 26th, and stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

More COVID-19 Coronavirus-Related Concert Cancellations & Updates For The Spring

After a two day sojourn into single topics from the E.U.P., we have a new news post today, including updates on an upcoming concert (we hope!) and a related video upload, but let's begin with the latest updates regarding the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and it's affect on local hard rock and punk concerts. On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued stay-at-home orders, ordering only essential services to stay open as part of the efforts to contain the coronavirus. Click here and here to read news articles from the province and state about these announcements, or visit your favourite news outlets. In Michigan, the executive order is for 3 weeks for the period starting yesterday and ending April 13th, while in Ontario, the stay-at-home period is just 2 weeks starting today and ending on April 7th, though those could always be extended if things aren't appreciably better by next month.

Of course, concert venues and nightclubs are not and should not be considered essential services, so concert cancellations in the above stay-at-home periods are now inevitable. That said, the only shows directly affected by this news that were listed on the site are Scarkazm's planned St. Ignace Kewadin Casino stops on the April 10th weekend. As such, they have been removed from our calendar, but look for the guys back in the E.U.P. this fall! The Ontario stay-at-home order ends sooner than Michigan's, so for now, the April 10th shows in Sault Ontario from touring tribute bands Sandman and Just Heart are not directly affected, but the status of either one isn't looking amazing, especially as Sandman's Thunder Bay show on the 11th has already been postponed. Neither the bands nor venues have announced that they are off as of this writing, but we will keep you posted. One concert that was definitely cancelled over the weekend was the Whoop-Szo concert at The Sault Ste. Marie Museum on April 16th, for very obvious reasons.

As well, Ottawa thrash quartet Lycanthro have postponed their upcoming Tour of the Wolf, including their planned Rockstar Bar stop on April 21st, as announced in this Facebook video regarding their upcoming plans, though local promoters have not corroborated this on social media. No word as of yet regarding the First Jason concert on April 26th, but absolutely stay tuned for updates. Just in case anyone was wondering, I am not listing Tym Morrison's usual weekly matinee shows at Gliss or Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's Thursday matinees at Biggby Coffee until we hear from either venue that their dine-in operations have resumed. I would have been mentioning their April slates in this weekend's concert previews, had we had any shows to preview, so I just wanted to be clear and up front regarding those weekly arrangements. Looking ahead to May, promoters The Diamond Mine Agency have revealed that they have a backup date in place for the Buckcherry concert at Soo Blaster on May 13th if they have to postpone it, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on that front.

Looking ahead to May, one concert that month that could very well be affected by COVID-19 is local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith's planned CD release concert at LopLops Lounge on Friday, May 15th. Last week, Mike posted on his Facebook page to clarify that, as of then, the release show was still on, but they would absolutely postpone the event to a later date if circumstances warrant it. However, like A Dire Setback this Saturday, Mike will still be releasing "If Ever Comes The Day" digitally and through streaming platforms on schedule, with in-person and mail delivery of CDs also available, so fans will have that to look forward to! Assuming the release concert goes on as planned, Mike announced his backing musicians for his set that night via the show's Facebook event page, so who's joining in? On drums is Re:Born's Brandan Glew, who was Mike's Din bandmate in their post-acid jam run and at his "The Warinside" release show in 2015.

Rather than his bass role with The Din and at the 2015 release party, Mike is playing live guitar this time, with A Dire Setback bassist Matt Quinn rounding out the apparent trio lineup in May. Solid and talented choice, though will this be the second release concert that Matt's involved with in a two month span to be postponed due to the coronavirus? I sincerely hope not, but Mike did elaborate on much of the above notes in this new Facebook video embedded below, where he also revealed that there could be a live-streamed event of some kind on May 15th if the concert is postponed, and he even teased plans to film a music video for a single from the album in the Soo if things level out. In any event, he is teasing a new single release and more info about the songwriting in the interim. Give Mike's video a look, and stay tuned for updates on the release show and "If Ever Comes The Day", plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

WLSO 90.1 FM: A Look Back In The Wayback Machine, Part 1 (1991-2000)

To help fill some time on the SMS in a slow period, here's the start of a special mini-series looking back at WLSO 90.1 FM, which was Lake Superior State University's college radio station from 1993-2017, before quietly moving to a stripped-down online streaming model, called either The 46th Parallel Radio, Laker Radio, or Superior Radio depending on your source. Literature about WLSO is slim nowadays, so I thought it'd be interesting to look back at the station's history, programs, and interesting information using the best available source: The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, which features archives of LSSU's website dating back 23 years, and as such, many variants of the WLSO website have also been archived through there, allowing us a snapshot into how the station looked and sounded once upon a time. This isn't intended to be a blow-by-blow history of WLSO, just a research project by a former student, so there will be gaps in the timeline.

As a way of setting the mood, I recommend listening to Superior Radio's ongoing 24/7 stream at this link, which still airs much of the adult album alternative & freeform music content that aired on WLSO in it's later years on the FM dial, though even if they had local DJs and hosted programs still, the university campus' shutdown due to the ongoing pandemic would have ensured that it was automated right now. Today's first installment will look at WLSO from it's first decade on air, so let's take a trip back in time!

LSSU first launched their radio station as a low-power AM carrier current station for on-campus listening only in 1991, before getting an FCC license and moving to 90.1 FM in 1993, originally under the call sign WLKR. Online materials relating to station activity from the early-mid 1990s are slim to nil, given the internet's infancy, but The Internet Archive's earliest copy of Lake State's website with a page dedicated to WLSO is from January 31st, 1997. At the time, the station was based in the basement of Brady Hall, and was overtly described as a student life "club" to allow students to gain experience in radio broadcasting. They weren't even running 24/7 yet, aspiring to be on the air for 12 hours a day that year, and having went off air temporarily due to reorganization. At the time, Tony Alati was station manager, while WLSO actually had a dedicated heavy metal music director, Carlos Hempe. At that time, they did not have an advertised schedule.

By November 9th, 1998 (archived on December 6th), WLSO received a new website as part of a web development course project by student Chris Bellini. By this point, the website described their on-air content in more detail, including genres of music, numbers and e-mails for requests, and even noting that non-students could be DJs at that time. Now featuring Dan Kobes as station manager, a full schedule for the fall 1998 semester is listed here, though no shows are described beyond the title. J&C In The Morning was their weekday morning drive-time program, while The Insomniac Show also aired for an hour each weeknight at 12:00 AM. Among the more curious late 1998 show names are Anarchy In The Soo, Fishin' On Da Reef, Lucid Lullaby, Manufacturing Cement, and Screw The Soo, plus various others. Carlos was still one of WLSO's musical directors, so metal likely was still a presence.

That website remained online until mid-late 1999, when WLSO's official website received another URL and visual overhaul, as first archived on April 21st, 2000. By this point, Bill Dawson was the station manager, and they had added many genre-specific musical directors, like Jen Hosafros (punk/ska), Joe Miskiw (loud rock), and Seraig Hopgood (alternative). This era of WLSO has a lot of archived program schedules that you can read by following this link, though highlighted text is essential to read any white lettering. At this time, the station happily allowed DJs to use nicknames or just first names on-air, and the eclectic show titles also continued. In the 1999-2000 school year, you could listen to programs like The Awesome Elmo & Cookie Monster Show, Noise Funnel, Where's My Pelvis, and Wrong Trousers, while DJs like Master O'Boogie, Doctor & Spacemodulator, Kid Icarus, and No Bad Cool were among the on-air roster.

Two programs from that school year have surviving pages through the Wayback Machine, both hosted by long-time country music DJ Frank Blissett, namely Country Roads and the vintage/archival music program Frank's Gay 90s Revue. Also, WLSO was offering mobile DJ services, and hosted live DJing at Dano's Pizza on Friday nights at that time. By the summer & fall of 2000, the WLSO schedule was expanded on to include some genre descriptions, and as such, metalheads may have been listening to Bob host Wednesday Aggression at 7:00 PM, Erik & Oz's untitled hard rock/metal block on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7:00 PM, or Slush Puppy's metal show Brothers From Other Mothers on Thursdays at 4:00 PM. At least in the fall of 2000, Monday was the destination for punk fans, courtesy of Angela's Raccoon Puppet Show at 6:00 PM and Spinach's Extra Butter at 9:00 PM. Also, don't forget about such bizarrely named shows as Subversion Is Sexy and Homemade Erratic Bear Bones, among others.

Our next installment in this WLSO spotlight series will focus on at least the early 2000s (starting from 2001), but I have not started writing it yet, so I don't know how much material is out there from that period, and whether or not I'll have to slow down the timeline or stretch things out. In any event, our next news post will be about current topics in the Twin Saults and area, so look for that tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Heavy Lies The Crown Video Showcase!!

With the pandemic ongoing, and updates from this band getting neglected for far too long, here's a post solely devoted to a few videos shared by St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal quintet Heavy Lies The Crown in recent months! Despite their lack of E.U.P. concerts since their late-2018 debut, this band has been very active with downstate concerts, their debut EP, and newer studio work, not to mention a surprising amount of video postings on their Facebook page. One 64 minutes long video from December 23rd is embedded below, and it features the guys (except drummer Cale Krist) in studio recording instrumental tracks for their upcoming full-length album, though there are some issues with the stream, hence why the video freezes at points. Don't worry, it's not you! The guys do acknowledge the camera at times, but this is mostly a fly-on-the-wall recording, and especially once the camera angle shifts. Very interesting perspective to see the guys at work like this, and the music is promising, so check it out below!



Next up, here's a 25 minute video from New Year's Eve of H.L.T.C. guitarist Ted Olson doing a "quick sloppy playthrough" where he performs along to the band's entire debut EP "Scatter Brain" front to back, before playing new or unrecorded material without a completed studio song in the background. He may call it sloppy, but Ted tackles the old and new songs in a proficient manner sith strong riffing and hard hitting melodies, and the audio quality holds up despite the setting, so definitely check this out below too!



If you thought the 64 minute video from December was long, how does an 82 minutes long video sound? This was posted on their Facebook page on January 7th, and it's very similar in concept and setting to the first video in this post, featuring the guys (minus Cale) working on studio material, though this one features no live performances. The guys do visibly interact with the camera a little more here (Ted even removes his thumb!), but this is more of an avenue to hear their new studio material in a more complete form, and you get a lot of nice teasers in this regard! Give this long video a watch below!



Of course, there have been other short teaser clips posted in between that you can seek out on their Facebook page, like this 15 second video of singer Brandon West screaming a snippet from one of their songs, and this clip of "Choke" getting radio airplay (not sure where 105.9 FM is based though.) We'll close today with this black & white rehearsal video from February 1st, reportedly the first time the full band had jammed since late last year. This features Heavy Lies The Crown playing a newer original song, and it sounds hard hitting and lively, but the video quality isn't amazing. The vertical camera angle isn't great (despite highlighting the tapered roof), Ted's often cut off on the far right, and the camera is actually shaking while they're performing. I mean, it shows how hard they rock, but it may be distracting for some viewers. Still, this video is entertaining, and hopefully their show in Warren on February 22nd was a hit! Give these and more a look above and below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon, including more stuff from Heavy Lies The Crown! Thanks everyone!

Livestreamed Facebook Performance Videos From Local Artists & More Updates!!

Let's keep this string of new SMS posts going with one mostly devoted to a run of recent live performances that you may have seen pop up on Facebook in the past few days, but to round things out, I do have a handful of recent news and updates. Here's what you should know!

Some readers may recall seeing Facebook advertisements for an event called Coronafest that took place yesterday, which was basically a social distance-friendly "concert" featuring live-streamed Facebook videos of performances by an assortment of mostly Ontario-based musicians. This was actually the brainchild of ex-Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan, who currently lives in Sudbury and performs there as a solo artist. Brian, his wife Krista, and his former Renegades bandmate Jason Wysynski (with a DJ set) were among the array of Coronafest performers, and though most do not have obvious local hard rock/punk ties, there's a lot of quality talent to see there! The best known local name here is former Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison, who contributed a half hour-ish set yesterday at 6:30 PM, with help from his fiancee Shelby Kerns and some nice stage lighting to spruce up the at-home setting.

The first video (embedded below) features Cory playing original songs named "Breaking Free", "Enjoy the Ride", "Ashes Fall", "Wasting Away", "Take The Heat", and the tenatively-named "Believe", which cuts out mid-song due to his phone suddenly disconnecting. He finished "Believe" in the second video (uploaded from Shelby's phone), before closing with "Rule the World" and a viewing angle flip. Cory's vocal & guitar work here was solid as ever, and this array of newer originals sound ready for a true live concert stage! Strongly done with good humour in peculiar circumstances, so give his and other Coronafest performers' videos a look above & below!

Next up, this was not all for live-streamed Facebook performances from familiar faces lately, as local punk trio Redundant had their own "concert" of sorts on their Facebook page on Friday! Prefaced by this short video where frontman Justin Langlois plugs their upcoming jam at 7:20 PM that day (fans had 22 minutes notice to tune in), we were soon treated to a half hour video featuring Justin, Andrew, and Rick in their headquarters, so what's on offer here? After 3 minutes of setup, Redundant tackled Nirvana's "Molly's Lips", their original song "That December", a brand new cover of Katrina & The Waves "Walking on Sunshine" (seriously), more covers of Weezer's "El Scorcho" (sans "No Scrubs" interlude), Rise Against's "Swing Life Away", Operation Ivy's "Knowledge", and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", and their own standby "What Will You Do". The audio quality is very rough, and the vertical camera angle is unfortunate, but it's nice seeing Redundant back at it!

Of course, Redundant were supposed to be preparing for their Toronto road trip this coming weekend for the Bout Music Festival competition, obviously cancelled due to the coronavirus, but at least local fans can see this video! That said, I am surprised that they only played two original songs despite having three more on their debut EP, but in spite of their recent break, the guys' chemistry is undeniable, and everyone kept their social distance for the set! Give Redundant's own livestream set a look below!

Also in the realm of recent live-streamed videos from familiar local bands, acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns recorded one of their own last night for their Facebook page, albeit not part of the Coronafest lineup. This 34+ minute video features singer Christina Speers and her husband/guitarist Rob in a rare duo appearance, with no sign of Jesse Cook (it's not clear whether that's due to social distancing or not.) According to Christina at the start, The Stallyns were planning to play an actual concert in an actual venue this weekend to celebrate Rob's birthday on Tuesday, but COVID-19 had other plans, so this home-shot video is a substitute, complete with a few fan-requested songs. In order, the Speers' can be seen covering Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved", Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss" & "Wishlist", Cee-Lo Green's "Fuck You", Madonna's "Material Girl", Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Radiohead's "Creep", and Dorothy's "Shelter".

The first three songs and the Green Day cover have Rob on sole lead vocals, while the rest have Christina taking the lead or in a full-on duet. This is the most casual and laid back of today's three live-streamed videos embedded on the site, but the audio quality holds up, and the covers are well done, even the ones that were clearly not established in their set, like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." This coronavirus stuff has thrown so much out of whack locally, but this will help tide Wyld Stallyns fans over in the interim, so give it a look below, and hopefully we hear more from them in the near future!



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

• On February 8th, local guitarist Michael McCormick posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group looking to join a rock band. He has 5 years of experience, and while he's influenced by The Eagles, Guns N' Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Motley Crue, he's open to playing anything. This may not be the best time to jam and rehearse with new musicians in the social distancing era, but if you want more details, message Michael at this link or above!
• Local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters announced on their Facebook page on March 5th that "we're back" and that a show announcement was "coming soon." Alas, "soon" may be delayed indefinitely due to COVID-19, but this is still a notable announcement because this theoretically means that they are planning to play their first non-benefit or Halloween concert this year, and aren't just a seasonal band. Fingers crossed that we see Jules and company out there soon!
• The Steel City Nerdcon at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center on April 26th has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, as per promoters Steel City Events' Facebook page yesterday, which is disappointing but not unexpected news. This is relevant to the SMS because Steel City Events is co-promoting that night's First Jason concert at The Canadian, and frontman Ari Lehman (the first Jason Voorhees) was going to be the featured guest at Nerdcon. As of this writing, the First Jason show has not been publically cancelled, but things aren't looking great for it. We'll keep you posted!

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

A Dire Setback Updates, New Chase Wigmore Videos, And More News & Notes!!

Still trying to keep regular updates on the site during the ongoing pandemic, so we have some assorted recent updates, a pair of videos from a prolific solo musician, and leading off, some big updates from a local band with an album nearing it's release. Here's what you should know!

Here's the latest updates from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback, who still plan to release their self-titled debut album on CDBaby next week, so that's something to look forward to despite the postponement of their CD release concert! SooToday's Chris Belsito interviewed the guys for this article yesterday where they talked about the release show being called off, the new album & it's recording process, how they met and formed the band, their lyrical subject matter (which is often darker than the music may suggest), and how they've developed their presences on the album and on stage. Very informative article that helps explore the A Dire Setback story from the past year or so, and it's well worth reading for fans above! The article also reveals that "A Dire Setback" will be available to stream on Spotify and comparable services, and the guys are planning a short tour and festival dates later this year.

In the meantime, A.D.S. posted on their Facebook page to reveal plans to film live-streamed videos from their jam room, but multi-track equipment availability has slowed that down, and they were looking for advice or gear to borrow to speed things along. However, one video has made it's way there since, albeit an 11 second clip of frontman Chris Nielsen discarding cheap headphones while working in studio. Hey, it's something, so give it a look below if you want, and get more updates above!



Next up, here's a pair of new videos from local experimental/metal musician Chase Wigmore's two active solo projects, starting with his first new performance clip on his eponymous solo project's Facebook page in over a month, where he acoustically plays a new(?) original named "The Ghost of Jane Doe." The video has some blurry ghosting to it, and Chase is awfully close to the camera, but his picking is sound and effective, and his distinctive vocals get as intense as ever, even if this isn't your textbook example of a "ballad." Fans will definitely want to check this out below!



Meanwhile, Chase made a handful of quiet updates last month on his extreme metal solo project Awokest's Facebook page relating to his next album under that name, which he calls "the fourth Awokest full length" despite "Enter The Nightlands" being mostly a compilation & "With Focused Psychosis I Wrote This" not getting released outside of YouTube as of this writing. Apparently, the new release is "halfway done", and the first released song from it is entitled "Human In Theory." Pending a possible review of it (if it goes on sale), I'll hold comment for now, but it is in the vein of the material on Awokest's prior albums. Give it a listen below!



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

• The Black Label Society-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 8th, where they, Obituary, and Lord Dying will resume their North American Crusade tour after the last half was postponed due to COVID-19. It's great to see one of the big concerts affected by the coronavirus back on track for later in the year, so visit the official Facebook event page for complete details! Yes, tickets bought for the original date will be accepted.
• I have restored Bridge Heads frontman Curtis McKenzie's solo project to our band links following the quiet reactivation of his Facebook page this month! Curt had actively performed as a solo artist in 2017, often at The Vape Escape, but he took the page down by year's end, coinciding with Eclipse's breakup and the beginning of his 2 year hiatus from live music. It's great to have his solo page back, and while he's now in our inactive band links pending updates to the contrary, he did tease streaming live video content on Twitch in his first post back there.
• This is admittedly old news, but we finally have concrete word that Lake Superior State University stopped broadcasting their campus radio station at WLSO 90.1 FM, as per this FCC filing by then-LSSU president Peter Mitchell to formally relinquish their FM license in November 2017. There was never a public announcement or reason given for ending their 24 year FM run, but I know 90.1 FM originally went dark early that year, and it's presumably much cheaper to just run the station online as an IBS Student Radio Network affiliate, as they have done since late 2016 as Superior Radio. Give it a listen for more eclectic alt-rock music!

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