Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

For the first time since this past Thursday, here's a post that has nothing to do with the news story everyone's talking about, as it has the results of last month's poll and the launch of our newest poll! As you may recall, we posed this question on the site last month: What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk album released in 2019? Only 7 votes, which is down from this poll last year, alas, but there are some interesting results ahead, so here is the final tally from the past month!

Mike Haggith - Ashes of K (Official Movie Soundtrack) (3 votes, 43%)

Other (2 votes, 29%)

Black Cloud - Abstract Sounds (1 vote, 14%)

Either of Chase Wigmore's formal debut albums (1 vote, 14%)

Alex Traynor - Crazy World (0 votes)

Either of Awokest's debut albums (0 votes)

Crucify the Whore - Crucifiction Inquisition (0 votes)

Heavy Lies The Crown - Scatter Brain (0 votes)

Mike McCleary - Propaganda Model (0 votes)

What do you guys think? I wasn't sure what to expect going in, as while a lot of albums were released on sale, none really had a massive physical push locally or a formal release party of note. As such, I can't be surprised that Mike Haggith's soundtrack for the movie Ashes of K won out by a single vote, but on the other hand, this was a compilation with no new material that did not recieve a physical release in the Soo. That said, Mike's a known commodity with lots of good will, and the material on the album was well recieved on his and The Din's prior CDs, so the shoe fits in that way! Second place went to "Other", and while it's hard to say what those voters had in mind, I concede in hindsight that Slumshine's debut album "SLMSHN" should have been included (this poll was constructed before we rolled them into our full coverage), so I wouldn't put it past Slumshine fans being the "Other" voters. Local death metal solo projects got the other votes courtesy of Chase Wigmore and Black Cloud fans, validating that their fanbases paid attention!

Of the albums with no votes, I'm not overly surprised that the Sault Michigan-area bands (less readership) and Mike McCleary (his album was de-listed online) fell this way here, and the Chase Wigmore voter may have went that route over Awokest, but C.T.W. not getting any love was the most surprising to me, given that project's devoted following and long track record. Interesting results all the same, and thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, we are posing this question to you guys once again: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2019? This 12 month period was as eventful as ever, and it'll be interesting to look back at this quarantine-free year of local metal, hard rock, and punk action! It was as tough as ever picking 25 distinct options (plus "Other") for the poll, but to be included, the story in question must have occurred or peaked in the 2019 calendar year.

As such, do not look for news stories from 2020 in the poll, especially not the pandemic. Also, just as a reminder, this poll is designed to judge you guys as to the biggest SMS-relevant news story of 2019, not necessarily the happiest or best. Eventful things that aren't good happen every year, it'd be dishonest to not acknowledge them. Now, here are your final choices!

The Apocalypse Afterparty place 3rd in The Soo's Got Talent: Despite being massive stylistic outliers, not to mention their lengthy preceding hiatus, local rap/metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty surprised many attendees with their podium finish at the second annual Soo's Got Talent competition last fall, with the Stanghettas and Alice leaving quite an impression with their high energy originals and creative covers! Would this event and The A.A.'s finish win your vote here?

Banned dissolve & are succeeded by Tarnished: After a successful 8 year run that saw them play numerous concerts in the Eastern U.P. and afar, Sault Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned announced their dissolution in March, though frontman Alex Traynor was far from finished, with his new hard rock band Tarnished launching that summer, and numerous unplugged and electric gigs followed well into 2020. Was this transition your big story in the poll?

Crooked Music moves across Ashmun Street: Compared to the music store upheaval in Sault Ontario, this pales in comparison, but it was still a huge adjustment for Sault Michiganders last year when Crooked Music moved from the long-time Grooves Music location at 540 Ashmun Street across the road to 539 Ashmun. The new (yet familiar) location seems to have been doing well for Zac & Christy, staff, and fans, but can you vouch for it this month?

Danger Cats alum Summer Stevens passes away: Many fans and friends in Sault Ontario were shocked by the loss of original Danger Cats singer Summer "Snow-Leopard" Stevens on Christmas Day at just 30 years of age. While not a member of the band for their peak, Summer's late 2013 appearances with the band were fondly looked back on in the aftermath, and she is still missed by everyone who knew her. Was this the biggest story?

Dave Evans (ex-AC/DC) rocks The Rockstar Bar: There were bigger concerts locally in scope to be sure, but a lot of interest and curiosity surrounded this one, as original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans made his way to the Soo in May for a headlining concert featuring both early AC/DC originals and his own later solo work, with Barrie tribute band Hells Bells returning as his backing band. This concert seemed to go over well, but would you concur?

Drowning Pool concert in Sault Michigan postponed: Back when postponed and cancelled concerts were a rarity around here, the biggest show to be lost locally in 2019 was the planned Drowning Pool concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch in August. Opening act Joyous Wolf rebounded quick by being added to the next day's Pop Evil show, but a new Drowning Pool date remains in limbo. Was this your #1 topic?

Dryer Fire open Bruce Street pop-up venue twice: While Sault Ontario promotion agency Dryer Fire have booked at many spots following The Gore Street Cafe's closure, they got a semblance of permanence again when they opened for a few months in mid-2019 at a rented Bruce Street location, returning for two more weeks in December. Fans seemed to enjoy the new space and the concerts & events that followed, but would you choose it here?

The Inner City Surfers reunite for LopLops Lounge concert: After being on public hiatus for the past 10 6½ years, fan-favourite local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers came back in August to rock a packed house at LopLops. It was 2005 all over again on this night, and the success of The Surfers' reunion show led to plans for a Toronto return gig in 2020, plus recording sessions for new original material. Did The Inner City Surfers' return rank as the most newsworthy option?

Joni Radford memorial concert held at Algonquin Hotel: After a lengthy battle with cancer, noted local punk fan and bartender Joni Radford passed away last February, leading to a huge memorial concert in her honour on both floors of The Algonquin Hotel simultaneously, with a stacked array of punk bands on hand, including downstairs headliners Jack Spades, Rockstar Bar headliners The Cover-Up, and many others. Would you vote for this show?

The Killer Dwarfs headline at Soo Blaster: In a year full of notable concerts at Soo Blaster, arguably none got as much buzz as The Killer Dwarfs' concert there in April, marking their first local appearance in decades. Wawa-News columnist Ernest Skinner did good in bringing the Oshawa hair metal icons back for a night of old school power rock, complete with new local quartet Re:Born opening in one of their first live gigs. Does our vote go here?

Late & Loud hold one-off reunion concert: Five years after their initial "farewell" show, local glam/classic metal quartet Late & Loud came back for one night only in October to help support bassist Benn Garside's wedding to Danger Cats bassist Jamie VanSchooneveld. Another large crowd turned out to The Rockstar Bar to congratulate the happy couple and enjoy one more night of heavy rockin' hard metal, but did it top all other stories in this poll?

Long & McQuade music store begins local operations: Musicians in the Soo got some very cool news in May when it was announced that Northland Music and the Thomas Walls School of Music would merge operations as the local branch of the Canadian music store chain Long & McQuade, with plans to move both locations to 647 MacDonald Avenue at some point in 2020. For inventory and name reccognition alone, this was a huge deal, but was it the #1 subject?

Michale Graves returns for rescheduled Canadian date: One year and one week after postponing his local concert due to severe winds closing the Mackinac Bridge, former Misfits frontman Michale Graves finally made his way to Sault Ste. Marie in September, complete with a set comprising of both of his Misfits albums played in their entirety! A very vocal crowd turned up on Saturday night for the horror punk action, but would you vote for it?

Mike Haggith releases "Ashes of K" soundtrack album: The somewhat surprising winner of last month's poll on your favourite 2019 album releases, prolific local/Manitoba solo musician Mike Haggith belatedly released the soundtrack to the 2018 independent movie he was a part of in April, featuring most of his last solo album "The Warinside" and four Din songs. The musical quality was sound, but would a soundtrack make noise over other stories listed in this poll?

Music City Sault Ste. Marie project launches: Last fall, music industry professionals from the Soo and elsewhere got together to launch Music City Sault Ste. Marie, an ambitious project designed to help grow Sault Ste. Marie's music industry and make the city a destination for music-related tourism, jobs and overall growth, perhaps leading to the Soo hosting the Juno Awards. There are a lot of question marks yet, but does Music City SSM lead the way for your vote this month?

Oh!No festival expands to 2 nights in Leeburn farewell: For it's third year at Robbie Adamson's church in nearby Leeburn, the former Six, Two, Oh. brought 25 musical acts to the stage over two days in early September, with such familiar acts as Cross Dog, Lightmares, The Therapists, and many, many more taking the stage that weekend. Organizers have announced that Oh!No IV will take place in multiple Soo venues, but would you vote for Oh!No III?

The Offspring & Sum 41 rock GFL Memorial Gardens: In the first major hard rock or punk concert at the newly renamed Gardens, punk fans got to enjoy The Offspring's local debut in November, with Ontario's own Sum 41 opening in their first local concert appearance in 15 years. Also featuring fast-rising English alternative trio Dinosaur Pile-Up, this concert was a big hit for fans, but would you say it was last year's top story?

Pop Evil & Buckcherry play outdoors at Kewadin Casino: One of the biggest local hard rock concerts of 2019 couldn't be contained indoors, as Muskegon's own Pop Evil and Anaheim hard rock quintet Buckcherry joined forces outside at the Sault Michigan Kewadin, delivering their own diverse takes on the genre to gathered fans! Also featuring Drowning Pool's planned openers Joyous Wolf, this was another big hit, but does it have your vote?

Puddle of Mudd headline Muddfest in Sault Michigan: Despite a lack of media attention in the lead-up, a nu-metal and modern hard rock feast hit The Dreammakers Theater in November when Puddle of Mudd's eponymous Muddfest tour rolled through Sault Ste. Marie, with Saliva, Tantric, and the local returns of Trapt & Saving Abel also on hand for good measure. These five bands have loads of familiar rock radio hits between them, but can you vouch for Muddfest here?

The Rad Zone announces move to Queen Street: Though their Wellington Square Mall location lingered on into February with close-out sales, Sault Ontarians were rocked in November when the local record/video games/skate/etc. store announced that they were leaving their home of the past two decades in advance of the mall's heavy restructuring. We'll get into the new location in next year's poll, but was the move and massive sales enough to win this poll for you?

Sailor's Tongue reunite for Rotaryfest Stage 1 set:  Six years after their last live concert set at Rotaryfest's Second Stage, local hard rock band Sailor's Tongue resurfaced for one night only at last year's Rotaryfest in July, albeit graduated to Stage 1 in it's increasing friendliness of original acts. It was great to see the McKey brothers & Jeff back together for at least one more night, but was their reunion your biggest story of 2019 in this poll?

The Sick Sons debut at Random Killing concert: Most local bands don't get this high of a platform for theier live concert debut, but for a local punk supergroup of this pedigree, it made perfect sense, even with their then-lack of a social media presence. The Sick Sons left a strong first impression in July when they opened for Random Killing at The Rockstar Bar, and with more big opening sets ahead, their future looks bright! Does your vote go to them?

Slaughter & Autograph rock the St. Ignace Kewadin: Major touring bands don't play often at the events center at the St. Ignace, Michigan branch of Kewadin Casinos, but hair metal fans got a massive exception to that rule in June when Slaughter played their third recorded local concert set in this headlining show, with Autograph tagging along for good measure! Admission was just $10, ensuring a cheap night of hair scares, but did this show highlight these 12 months for you?

The Tea Party returns for show at The Machine Shop: Almost two years removed from their free downtown ONTour gig here, Windsor hard rock icons The Tea Party returned to Sault Ontario for a paid indoor gig at The Machine Shop last March, garnering another strong reception from assembled fans for their established and newer originals alike! Also featuring an opening set by The Proud Sons, did The Tea Party's 2019 show here earn your vote?

Tripod the Dog permanently reunite: The seeds for this were planted when Mark Oliverio brought the ska punk/hard rock band back as part of Rotaryfest's Rewind lineup on Stage 1 in July 2018, but it wasn't until April of last year when Tripod the Dog returned in full with new headlining cover sets at The Esquire Club and The Rockstar Bar, as well as father and son Amendola backing Mark up. Time will tell when we see them again in 2020, but was their return your pick here?

Other: Did we miss your preferred metal, hard rock, or punk story of 2019? Did you want to vote for shows like Theatre of Night's Christmas tour stop in Sault Michigan, or perhaps the Anvil, Cancer Bats, or Monster Truck shows at Soo Blaster? Did Rock of Ages or the local We Will Rock You production get your attention? How about another album release, or perhaps a band's lineup change? If we missed our #1 story last year, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY! You have until April 18th to cast your votes, and it will be interesting to see what wins out, as usual, from this busy past year in the Soo area. That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!