Fuller & 20 Musicians Of Christmas Concert Previews, Plus New Northwest Videos!!

With this year's New Year's Eve weekend being busy as ever, especially post-pandemic, we have to break our weekend concert previews into three posts! We'll start today with two upcoming shows at LopLops Lounge, then we'll look at Friday-Saturday nighters elsewhere, before capping things off with New Year's Eve shows proper, so there's a glimpse into the upcoming post timeline, and we also have a YouTube Channel Profile, this month's CD review, and our year-end recap post ahead, so expect some busy times at the SMS to end the year! Let's lead off with those LopLops previews, with some new live videos from there to cap things off with!

For punk and emo fans of the early-mid 2000s, the New Years weekend begins in style TOMORROW NIGHT when Fuller reunite at LopLops for their first public gig in at least seventeen years! On this night, Fuller will be represented by founding singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent (last seen with No Funeral) and late-era bassist Mark Rand (now of Barrie's Cross Dog), with Pointless/All The Tired Horses drummer David Peredun taking over for the absent (and also blonde) Nathan Sauve. It will be great to see Fuller back for the holidays, and hopefully the promise of their jam session teaser videos spill over into tomorrow's set! Local punk supergroup The Gambit (née The Sick Sons) will return to the stage for their second gig as a quintet and under their current name when they take the stage tomorrow, in their first live set in exactly one year. Good to see them back after way too long, and they should have a fun set in store for old school punk fans tomorrow!

The opening band tomorrow is the debuting Honest Work (not to be confused with the defunct Honest Job), who feature the surviving members of Nebraska Arms alongside Rising Tide alum Sheldon Jaaskelainen on guitar. It's not clear who's singing here (Wayne?) or if they will sound similar to Nebraska Arms, but it'd help if they launched an online page! Regardless, they'll be a talented lead-off to tomorrow's SOLD OUT and 19+ concert, which begins at 8:00 PM, though tickets were $20 when still available. This should be a great time for punk and emo fans, especially those around in the 2000s scene, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Fuller live back in the day!

Next up, the holiday season program at LopLops ends on FRIDAY NIGHT when many familiar faces take part in the return of the 12 20 Musicians of Christmas! Since we first covered this special concert event on the site two weeks ago, when it was already inflated from the traditional 12 artists to 16, organizers have added four more local musicians to inflate this event to its biggest state yet! As you may recall, The 12 Musicians of Christmas was a holiday season-tradition at LopLops from 2005-2018, where musicians were (at least at the time) given three song sets where they were joined by assorted other participants for some tantalizing one-off supergroups throughout the night. How that format will look with an extra eight people involved is to be determined, but with this performer roster, you won't want to miss out! Unlike in the earlier installments, there are a number of punk and hard rock alumni performing, so who can you expect?

Fans of Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will be curious to check this out, as Dustin, Mikey Hawdon, Liam Seymour, Chris Johns, and new addition Marshall Jaaskelainen (good to see him back in town!) will all be taking part. No word on if we'll get a mini-Tide reunion or not, but don't bypass their involvement! Readers will also recognize Treble Charger/Pointless guitarist Bill Priddle, Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling, and ex-Generations guitarist Brandon Ruch among the roster of performers on Friday. The other twelve Musicians of Christmas are Frank Deresti, Al Wood, Lindsay Pugh, Cliff Alloy, Shannon Moan, Juliana Regan, Hannah Lindsay, Andree-Ann Dechesne, Chris Belsito, and new additions Gabrielle Dumas, Craig West, and Vince Feletti. That is a stacked lineup of local talent covering a wide range of styles, so it'll be very interesting to see who plays what and with whom!

This special concert begins at 7:00 PM on Friday, it has a 19+ age limit, and admission is $50 at the door or in advance (+ processing fees & taxes) at this link. Yes, it's a pricey event, but that is on par with past installments, and look at the value you're getting. While the 20 Musicians of Christmas are gathering four days after the fact, it'll be a big night for fans of local music to see this much talent together for the holidays, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Given the nature of the event, I'll forgo a preview video, as everyone is advertised on an equal playing field and it'd be tough to find one video to sum up 20 people!

We'll close today by staying at LopLops, where Honest Work's Wayne Watkins performed on Friday with his primary current indie/punk band The Northwest! Attendee Christopher Paci filmed three videos of their set from their 10th anniversary concert for his excellent YouTube channel, and for the record, I do not believe that Far From Fine (who were advertised as opening in some personal Facebook plugs) played on Friday night after all. A reason for their apparent withdrawal wasn't publically announced, but be advised that the band never confirmed their involvement on social media (granted, The Northwest didn't even promote the show publically on Facebook). Hopefully we see Far From Fine in the new year! Chris filmed The Northwest covering The Who's "Baba O'Riley" and playing their own originals "Unsober October" and, as embedded below, "Walls".

In a nice touch, Chris shot each Northwest video from a slightly different angle, and while I chose "Walls" to embed because of its length, it was also shot from the most central locale of the three. It's also one of The Northwest's punkier originals, and the guys sound good and lively across all three videos, though be advised of very purple lighting for most of the combined runtime. Give these a watch above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for non-LopLops concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

"Foggy Style Volume 1" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 120th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and we have another archive review for this month due to a lack of new hard rock and punk CD releases in June 2019. That said, we have quite the throwback this month, as we're finally taking a look at "Foggy Style Volume 1", the compilation album put out by defunct local nightclub & concert venue Foggy Notions during the peak of their run at 704 Queen Street East! The album proper is not finitely dated in the booklet, but the 20 included songs were originally released between 2000 and the fall of 2002 on their original albums, so I am estimating that this came out in 2003. Independently released during Jon Ferguson & Brendan Fyfe's co-ownership of Foggy's, this compilation features acts who played well received concerts at what's now Coch's Corner, and perhaps at Foggy's original Bay Street location beforehand. Of the 20 songs, six come from local performers, and overall, punk rock plays a huge component in it's makeup. No, there was no "Volume 2."

For the record, we're tying in this review with live sets this month in the Soo from album performers John Barber (Parabol), Dustin Jones (The Cover-Up), Al Wood (...and The Woodsmen), and Planet Smashers bassist Dave Cooper, so now is as good a time as any to finally review "Foggy Style"! Just for full disclosure, I was 13 or 14 years old when this CD came out, and would not be old enough to enter Foggy Notions for a concert until two months after it's initial 2008 closure, so if I miss an obvious factoid about a performer on the album, I apologize in advance, I truly wasn't there. Song names below are linked to YouTube copies of the songs, largely from prior uploads of the album via other sources, but I did post the stragglers on our YouTube channel with associated playlist. With all that said, this 20 song, 66 minutes-long album is packed with familiar live acts from Foggy Notions' heyday, so let's begin our "Foggy Style" review!

The compilation opens up with a song by Brownsfield, Alberta folk musician Carson Cole's song "Fryday" from his 2002 solo album "Sticky", but this song shares a lot thematically with punk rock, and he uses his raspy singing voice to good effect here! Exclaim's review of this album implies that Carson was exploring a number of different sounds on this album, and he seems to execute punk well, if with a Husker Du-esque indie bent. A free-wheeling party vibe suits this album well to start, but there's a missing authenticity compared to his later work. Second on "Foggy Style" is Guelph/Toronto pop punk quartet Flashlight Brown, who contributed their song "A Freak" from their self-titled 2001 CD. Matt Hughes' punk snarl is effective on this well performed song, but it's very vocal/drum-based at the expense of the guitar, and the "shoop-de-woop" backing vocals are sorely out of place. Straight forward and reliable punk track that nicely fits the album's range!

Song #3 belongs to the first of six local acts on the CD, namely standout punk rock quartet The Inner City Surfers, who perform their song "Booze and Doobs" here, as first seen on their 2002 album "Laughing on the Outside." This song was re-recorded for their 2007 self-titled album, but we'll talk about that version at a later date. I haven't reviewed "Laughing on the Outside" on the site yet, so I can't compare the song in this way, but this is a more laid back song in the Surfers oeuvre, harbouring more of a country/drinking song vibe that may appeal to Rising Tide fans. Myself, I think the song sounds kind of sleepy compared to peak Surfers tracks, with Dustin's vocals often lacking for clarity, and the ending is too abrupt for my liking. Not a bad song, and Dave gets some time to shine on guitar, but for my tastes, there are Surfers songs I enjoy more than this.

Fourth is our first full diversion from the punk path on "Foggy Style", courtesy of Winnipeg hip hop group Mood Ruff's song "Antarctica: Cold Cold World" from the 2002 album of the same name. I'm not a rap scholar, but from what I know of the genre, this song is well performed with solid rhymes and a nice beat! I think the song drags a bit with verses that are too drawn out, but fans familiar with their later hit single "Rocketship" should be right at home with this well performed song! If you're a punk diehard though, look elsewhere. Next up is "Live Wire" by Kindle, a Celtic rock group comprised of five cousins from Souris, Prince Edward Island. This may bring up Rising Tide comparisons, but Kindle are a different band altogether, with them having more of a true instrumental rock base, and the fiddle almost replacing vocals. Very East Coast flavour, and the song (from their 2000 self-titled CD) is very well performed for the genre!

Next is "Business As Usual" by Toronto roots rock band Staggered Crossing, courtesy of their 2002 album "Last Summer When We Were Famous." This is a upbeat rock song that reminds me in a way of early Lenny Kravitz material, but with a bluesier vibe, and it's a good match. I wasn't familiar with StagX going in, but this is a catchy number with strong vocals by Julian Taylor, a nice bouncy guitar riff, and a bit of a heavier edge, and this is definitely a sleeper hit on this compulation! That's followed by Ottawa alt-rock quartet Nectar's song "Modern Making" from their 2001 album "Somewhere That Way." Somewhat of a power pop song that reminds me a bit of Weezer, this is a good rocker that's in your face without being too aggressive, and the drumming's particularly effective in the background, but the harmonized vocals at the end did slightly take me out of it. Not a bad track, it's a shame Nectar didn't release anything after this album!

The second local act on "Foggy Style" is next, namely defunct local hard rock quartet Redefined, whose song here is "M.T. Bundies" from their 2001 demo CD "Risk & Uncertainty." I don't own the full demo, but if you're familiar with John Barber's later hard rock vocal work in bands like Parabol & Late Shift, this won't be far away in sound. Honestly, I was surprised by the ska-inspired verses, which are a complete and utter contrast from the heavy & loud modern rock choruses, but once I was used to them, I liked the jump in intensity! Matt Sibilo's guitar playing meshes well in both areas, Danno O'Shea's drumming is more than up to the task, and I like the bass lines that Josh St. Amour gets in the bridge particularly. Very solid track from Redefined, an accomplished hard rock band in their day (who survived long enough to have a page on PureVolume!)

The ninth song belongs to Montreal ska punk legends The Planet Smashers, whose featured song is "Blind" from their 2001 album "No Self Control". I don't listen to a lot of ska punk, but The Smashers are a top rank example of the genre, with a punk essence, strong musicianship, a lively appeal, and talented horn section combining well on this song, and if you prefer the "punk" side of ska punk, we have that in spades here! Matt, Dave, and company deliver a fun song here, and if you've missed The Planet Smashers live since 2005, this is a refresher of what they could do! The first half of the CD concludes with Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu punk quintet Subb, whose song here is "Daylight Saving" from the 2002 album of that name. This is a harder edged punk song with nicely thumping guitar in the verses, but with more of a melodic base, especially thanks to Jeff Quesnel's higher vocal register.

This song doesn't fully embrace Subb's ska punk base, but if you like pop and skate punk, this is a reliable song in that genre range to check out! We continue in the realm of punk rock with the eleventh song and third from a local band, namely Running With Scissors, an early-2000s punk band who recorded the single "Waiting" for this compilation. Public details on R.W.S. are extremely minimal nowadays, but they opened for Redefined often at Foggy's in 2001. Personal Facebook conversations indicated that their lineup on this recording included singer/guitarist Christian Pasiak (Bankshot), drummer Aaron Mooney (Bin Hawdon et al.), and either Clint Wilson or Curtis Faux on bass. The song proper has a nice swing to it's rhythm, and the guitar work is solid, but the vocals are somewhat muddled in this recording. There was promise here, as Foggy Notions indicated on their old website, and it's a shame we didn't see more studio work from Running With Scissors to build on that!

Track #12 is "Taken" by Toronto pop punk band The Getaway, via their 2002 album "What Can You Do?" Exclaim praised their natural sound and relatable lyrics at the time compared to "mall-punk" bands of the era, and this song has positive qualities! Solid catchy guitar riff while still being a laid back, casual song, but Matt Wesley's vocals are an acquired taste for me, the extended instrumental bridge goes a little too long, and I wish the song had a little more bite to it. Not a bad song for genre fans all the same! Next is "Steady As She Goes" by Riverside, California ska punk legends The Voodoo Glow Skulls, as seen on their 2002 album of the same name. On this one, the horn section sounds a little crackly, which is mildly distracting, and the song as a whole can get repetitive, but I like the hardcore punk influence on Frank Casillas' vocals! Genre fans will like this song's pacing and aggression contrasting with the melodic ska elements, and it hits more than it misses!

Afterwards is the album's shortest song, that being "You Have It All" by Kamloops, B.C. ska punk band Blinded, from their 2002 CD "Seconds From Reality."This has more of an authentic ska punk sound to it than preceding genre songs, lying heavily on the reggae touches and horn section, but the punk part of the song is a little flat to me, coming across as too laid back and not in-your-face enough. Well performed and lively, but more for the ska fan than the punk fan. The fourth local song on "Foggy Style" is next, and there's even more ska punk ahead, as this is "Sunshine" by fan favourites The 12 Gauge Ready! Not tied to a prior album in the booklet, this is the most laid back of the punk songs yet, evoking listening to this song by a beach with a margarita. They get good mileage out of the keyboard here, and the singing is a great match to the cool vibes, but if you want punk with your ska punk, this may not be what you're looking for. Still nice to hear Adam, Sal, Beano, and company again after all these years!

The sixteenth song comes from this album's biggest name in retrospect, them being Kingston ska/reggae band Bedouin Soundclash, who later went platinum with hits like "When the Night Feels My Song" and "Walls Fall Down", and won the Juno for Best New Group in 2006. Their song on "Foggy Style" is "Santa Monica" from their 2001 debut CD "Root Fire." I have admittedly never been a fan of Bedouin Soundclash, likely because of their sound tending to be a lot softer than I tend to like, but this has a folksy campfire vibe that is effective in it's way! The song is well performed by Jay, Eon, and company, but sound-wise, it's not for me. Next is Moncton folk rock band Chris Colepaugh & The Cosmic Crew, whose song here is "Bookmark" from their 2001 album "Trip." This is an upbeat song with a classic rock influence and some country touches, and it's got a deceiving simplicity to it. Chris is a talented performer, and I like the genre diversity, but sound wise, this again isn't my thing compared to earlier punk songs.

Eighteenth up on the album is the fifth of six local acts, namely Red Wood Central, the blues rock duo from singer Michelle "Red" April and Woodsmen frontman Al Wood on guitar. The song is "Suitcase Blues" from their 2002 album "Behind the Times", and this is a very straightforward, traditional blues song that genre fans will absolutely support! Red's got a smooth, soulful voice, and Al's guitar work is well established locally, so this is a nice pairing to add some extra zest to the album's variety! The album's penultimate song is also it's longest, namely "Gone To Stay" from the Vancouver indie rock band Radiogram and their 2002 album "All The Way Home." This song isn't my thing genre-wise, with a softer and more intricate style with some roots rock and horn flourishes, and a simple, frank style of vocals from Ken Beattie that would theoretically play well at LopLops. It's well performed, but again, this is out of my wheelhouse.

"Foggy Style" closes with "Cry, Baby, Cry", a single recorded by local folk musician Joe Kennedy. This has a well performed song with a frank, coffee-shop sound that has a delicate, emotional base, and he hit some good higher register notes on the chorus. I'm not sure that I'd have ended the compilation with an acoustic singer/songwriter, but Joe has clear talent and songwriting ability, and a little poignancy does add to the CD's variety. Note that this song skipped for me on my primary computer's CD drive, but played fine on my backup laptop (my CD copy is not scratched.)

So, what are my final thoughts on "Foggy Style Vol. 1"? As a compilation, it's hit and miss, but it has more than enough entertaining punk and alternative music to go around! Going in, I can safely say I didn't know half of the bands, but had I been born in 10 years earlier, I'd surely have been more familiar with Foggy's busy early 2000s schedule,  and this exposed me to what I missed out on! The dominant genre on here seemed to be (ska) punk, but we got dashes of blues, rap, Celtic, indie, and folk on here, and it covers a lot of ground to allow casual fans something they'd like! Myself, I wish a band heavier than Redefined could have snuck in, but Foggy Notions wasn't identified with extreme metal for most people. Of the out of town bands, I enjoyed The Planet Smashers, Staggered Crossing, and Nectar the most overall, while Redefined gave my favourite of the 6 local songs. My dislikes mostly revolve around personal preferences, which goes without saying that I would prefer the included heavier and punk songs.

The song order on the final product is worth revisiting, as I think it would have been laid out better without blocking the songs by genre (i.e. ska punk in the middle, softer/folksier songs late), and ending on "Cry, Baby, Cry" wasn't a great call to close the album compared to something more upbeat. Also, with the power of hindsight, there are different songs I'd have included from some of the local bands, particularly The Surfers and The 12 Gauge Ready, who offered more in the punk realm than was shown here.

Overall though, "Foggy Style" is an effective time capsule of busier days at 704 Queen, and it's a shame we didn't get a sequel before the owner and name changes! Give the whole thing a listen at the above links, and thanks to Jacob, Sal, Christian, and many others for the help on acquiring information on Running With Scissors! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming up on the site next month? Of course, I'll give preference to a new studio album if one pops up, but if not, I know precisely which archive album would be reviewed next: "Pierced", the 2013 demo CD from Sailor's Tongue that they released at Rotaryfest's Second Stage that year, which would be an ideal tie-in given their one-off reunion set on Stage 1 next month! Whether we're reviewing Sailor's Tongue or not, look for our next review in the coming weeks, and stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore's Last 4 EPs Of Christmas (At Last!!)

Before I head to The Algonquin Pub for TONIGHT'S Joni Radford memorial concerts, here's a special spotlight post where we are finally looking at the last four entries in local experimental/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's "12 EPs of Christmas" series! Over three months after beginning the run of free streaming EP uploads on his Facebook page, and after an admitted break due to concerns of overposting & turning off casual fans, he has finally concluded the series on Wednesday and Thursday with the last four EPs, but there was a slight change of content. Two of the previously teased EPs are not among the February postings, namely the one entitled "How To Totally Sell Out & Still Not Make Any Fucking Money", and an Awokest EP named "The Mostest Awokest", though I can't confirm if it became the paid compilation release "Into The Nightlands" or not. No word on why Chase dropped these EPs from the series, but hopefully it was for the right reasons!

The ninth EP of Christmas is the previously announced revival of his old comedic extreme metal solo project Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes, courtesy of this 13 minute EP "The Smiling Giraffes Have Their Revenge"! Possibly heavier and more distorted than Chase's prior work under this banner, the brutal noise metal attack and occasional humour flourishes come through well, and of course, the guitar work is a highlight! For the record, I'm not moving The Smiling Giraffes to our active band links at the moment, just in case this is a belated archival release, but that may change if Chase records more visibly new material. Give Squirrelboy & company a listen!



Next is the tenth EP of the series, namely the self-titled release by Chase & The Bastards, the band moniker Chase tied to his recent teasers of forming a full band that would be a greater focus in 2019. I don't know if that's still the plan, but the music on display here is definitely distinct from his Awokest or Smiling Giraffes output, harbouring more of a folk/punk sound akin to his past solo shows under how own name. The songs are are largely entertaining, and the band chemistry (assuming it's not just Chase) is cohesive, though if you prefer his extreme metal stuff, proceed with caution. Solid overall, so check out Chase & The Bastards below!



The last two EPs of Christmas are the two replacement EPs not credited in November as being part of the series. Eleventh is now his jazz instrumental sequel release "Stray Dog and the Son of the Holy Mother of Chaos Church Band", which is the longest yet of the last four EPs. In it's own eclectic way, this is jazzier in spirit than it's predecessor, if losing some of it's ethnic flair, and Chase is clearly having fun noodling on the guitar and experimenting with sounds on this EP. Casual fans may not appreciate the musicianship and free-flowing music, but give Stray Dog's encore a listen below as well!



The 12 EPs of Christmas series belatedly closes with a seventh free EP from Chase's techno/electronic solo project The Black Lodge Masters, entitled "The Chaotic Demise of Black Lodge Masters". Does the name truly hint that this is Chase's last release under this name? I couldn't glean anything blatant, but cryptic spoken word and sampling are very much present. This EP ranges from dark techno instrumental work to soft, deliberate, and almost ambient in tone, and it gets the point across well for fans of this side of Chase's musical oeuvre, so give it a listen below!



That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more from Chase, and for our review of TONIGHT'S Joni Radford memorial concert next! Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore's 12 EPs Of Christmas (Part 1!)

I profusely apologize for the delay in starting coverage on these, but let's finally tackle the first half+ of local experimental/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore's "12 EPs of Christmas", which began being posted on November 25th! Kicked off before December began as he was "sick of waiting", this was Chase's plan to record and upload 12 free streaming albums to his Facebook page under his own name as well as alternate project titles. As per Facebook updates, he planned to issue one bonus release on his 27th birthday last month, to total 27 canon albums that he has recorded, including prior releases with his old bands Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes, The Strange Coyotes, This Is Your Band On Drugs, and The Coyote Speedfreaks. Not all of these have seen a full paid release that I'm aware of, at least not with the cover artwork depicted on Facebook, but I recall seeing a few at Blood Shed Productions events in the past, and Chase did imply that some could get individual CD prints if there's demand.

As of this writing, Chase had only posted 8 of the above 12 EPs credited to the "12 EPs of Christmas" event onto Facebook (which he lampshaded via a Futurama screenshot already.) If he does conclude the series, the last four will be "The Mostest Awokest" by his late 2018 project Awokest (it appears "Dick Jerkins" is an alias of his), a belated(?) Smiling Giraffes release, an EP entitled "How To Totally Sell Out & Still Not Make Any Fucking Money", and an album credited to Chase & The Bastards, which is the band name he has attached to more recent plugs of live concerts, and who he has hinted will be a larger focus this year. We'll let you know if these surface! Chase had previously also indicated that the 27 canon solo albums of his will be reissued as "The CxJxWx Collection" in a flash drive collection to encompass his mid-late 2010s solo work, and it would be really neat to see that come to fruition, especially as a means of getting his solo oeuvre all at once!

As for the 8 EPs of Christmas so far, six of them are all tied to his techno/electronic moniker The Black Lodge Masters, including three linked releases ("The First Degree", "The Second Degree", and "The Third Degree"), plus three unrelated EPs ("Secret Rites", "Forbidden Sanctum", and "The Shadow Crowd".) Each runs for 15-25 minutes in length, so the EP branding is apt, but if you let these run, you'll have 2 hours of intriguing electronic action! Often dark and industrial tinged, these are more thematically heavy than instrumentally heavy, but Chase has fun with the production, effects, and musical performances within, and I like the progressively more ominous tone (on average) that the "Degree" EPs have as they go along! For heaviness, "Secret Rites" is arguably the leader in that regard, but these are hard to sum up in just one paragraph, especially without given song names. Check out "The First Degree" more, and hear much more above!



We'll close this look at (most of) Chase's 12 EPs of Christmas with "Stray Dog and the Holy Mother of Chaos Church Band", which is a 14 minute jazz EP. I can't confirm whether "Stray Dog" et al is the name of a real project of Chase's or just the EP's title, but this is definitely a departure in styles for him! The jazz influence is present, but the keyboard instrumentation gives this more of an ethnic European flair, and you do get a lot of electronic undercurrents as well. I don't know that this would be a clean fit on 98.3 FM overnight, but the experimental mashup is definitely an interesting listen, and showcases Chase's range nicely! Give this EP a listen below as well!



We have much more from Chase to cover, including the other remaining EP of Christmas (with 4 more still to come?), plus even more solo albums that he's working on that aren't attached to the 12 EP project. so stay tuned for all of that, and for more news and updates elsewhere! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Hoist The Sails & The 12 Gauge Ready

After a day's delay to verify lineup information for one band in particular, here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Our monthly look at 1 or 2 randomly selected inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands takes us across both sides of the border today, uniquely and ironically both being bands whose main lineup each had six members in it! As the first band didn't have substantial information, we randomly selected the second band (similarly lacking for surviving details) to fill things out. With that said, read on below for this month's Defunt Local Band Profiles!
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Hoist the Sails

Genre: Metalcore/Progressive

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Lucas Falkowski, harsh vocals
Travis Theel (The Highest of Fives), clean vocals
Nathan Switzer (Highway 63, Analog Defiency) guitar
Cody Reed (Analog Deficiency, The Eleventh Hour), guitar
Mitch Goetz (415E, The Highest of Fives), bass/guitar/clean vocals
Marcel Grengs (The Highest of Fives, Analog Deficiency), drums
Joe Niemi (Analog Deficiency), bass

Info/Analysis: Successors to the defunct Analog Defiency, the six-piece Hoist the Sails publically debuted in December 2011, and are one of the more recent visible attempts at an extreme metal band in Sault Michigan. Public activity was limited to studio work towards an unreleased debut EP, two preview videos of songs being tracked (here & here), this clip of Travis Theel jokingly recording vocals, and the departure of founding bassist Joe Niemi, resulting in Mitch Goetz moving to guitar & Cody Reed joining in his place. Only one song from the sessions ("Mind Over Matter") was officially unveiled in February 2012, and band activity slowed down after that April, with Travis, Mitch, and Marcel Grengs later joining forces in The Highest of Fives. Though Hoist the Sails never played live, they showed promise with their technical hardcore sound, powered with strong guitar work by Nathan and complimentary vocals by Luke & Travis, and it would have been very interesting to see where Hoist the Sails could have went! Give one of their tracking videos a look below!

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The 12 Gauge Ready

Genre: Ska Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Adam Hayward, vocals
Lucas "Dr. Sal Velinus" Schmiedendorf (Bankshot), guitar/vocals
Dave "Beano" Barrett, bass
Clint "Clinto" Wilson (Late Shift, Bankshot), drums/keyboard
Scotty "Lamar" Hill, keyboard/drums
"DJ Frosty" Jesef Monty Frost, turntables
Michael Wright, drums
David George, saxophone

Info/Analysis: Active from 2002-2006, The 12 Gauge Ready are arguably the biggest local ska punk band to come out of Sault Ste. Marie, and were a frequent, fan favourite sight at local concerts during the mid-2000s. Though information on their run is now minimal (to the point where surviving band pages don't even feature a band photo), they played many high profile headlining & opening sets at venues like Foggy Notions (opening for the likes of The Planet Smashers there), plus an appearance at Hempfest 2003, though the band broke up by the end of 2006. Their run in the local scene was largely before I became a concert regular, but I have heard many good things about The 12 Gauge Ready's live show, and their posted songs (5 across their CBC & PureVolume pages) showcase a fun, reggae-infused punk sound with catchy guitar work from Lucas & nice melodic vocals from Adam, so be sure to check out their material above & their track "Made In Canada" below!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! We will return to Sault Ontario for next month's random selection, and that is Punch, the recent but short lived hard rock quartet featuring members of Project 421 and The Suicide Kings! They'll have enough for a solo profile, especially thanks to the songs that Haggith and Project 421 later re-appropriated as their own after the fact, so look for that profile on or around August 10th, and stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (415E), New Album Updates, And More!!

Hey guys, let's keep things rolling on this Monday afternoon with a new news post! Today, we're filling things with a new concert video posting, new songs from a fast-approaching new CD, and some recent releases from across the border, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to the stage to close 2015 with a New Year's Eve concert at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Thursday, December 31st! As revealed on the band's Facebook page last week (though not yet confirmed online by the venue), this will be the band's first publically announced concert since drummer Tony Hubbard's birthday party event in August, and their first in St. Ignace since April, so if you've missed 415E's Van Halen-influenced blend of hard rocking originals and covers, don't miss their New Year's Eve gig to send the year out with a bang! No word yet on if they're playing the regular weekend gigs too or if another band will get them, we'll let you know if something's confirmed. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, which will have a 21+ age limit, and there is no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and definitely consider 415E's return to the stage at year's end!

Next up, Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has released two new solo albums to his Bandcamp page in recent months! Keeping with his exceedingly prolific nature, these albums are entitled "The Hitman Files" and "The Walkers: Rise of the Dead", as released in October and December respectively. Each has 12 songs (and fittingly costs $12 online), and each is wrote as if they could be used as a score for a video game or movie, as is the case for certain of his past albums. It should be noted that these are officially considered his 14th and 15th main solo albums, implying that his recent Spotify & Google Play releases like "In The Groove" & "The Island" are not considered to be part of the main series. Depending on your source, Ken's next album will either be titled "Cartoons", "Epic Music", or "Only Us Left Standing", but in any event, look for it (them?) early next year. With The Pixo Control next for our monthly CD reviews, look for a new SweetKenny album review on the site early next year!

As well, SweetKenny has began a subscription service on Bandcamp to get first crack at his new music, extended access to his back catalog, and an exclusive compilation named "Comic Book" that includes one new song ("Myra the Hunter") that is otherwise unavailable publically. It can all be yours for $30 a year, so if you're interested in subscribing, visit the above links! It sounds like Ken's staying very busy, and his prolific yet entertaining blend of hard and classic rock should find an audience as usual, so give all of his new material a listen above!

We'll close today with new videos, including more new studio tracks from The Pixo Control's upcoming debut album "Probably Not", which comes out at their LopLops Lounge CD release parties THIS SATURDAY! Since we last acknowledged "The 12 Days of Pixo", the local alternative hard rock trio have posted six more full studio recordings (tracks 3-8) from the upcoming CD to their YouTube channel in the past week, and in chronological order, they include "This Is Momentary, Forever", "Land of the Moles", "Reasons", "Vicinity", "60" (Extra Chances Called Minutes), and as embedded below, "Tall Ships".  In terms of the performers these tracks, they're largely identical to prior songs, but ex-bassist Steve Edwards is credited for additional fuzz bass on "60", so at least he will be featured somewhat on the final product! If there's a variance on "Vicinity", it's yet to be revealed, as that video has no description.

We'll hold comment on the songs until our full review of "Probably Not", but check out these songs above & below, and stay tuned for the final four "12 Days of Pixo" over the coming days, including the songs "Congratulations On Your Decision To Become A Pilot", "Scratch", "No", and "Potpourri"!

Lastly, here's a new video of local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester live at Rotaryfest a decade or so ago! Filmed during their early run with original singer Richard Fullerton, it was likely shot in 2006 (as it's at nighttime, and That's Chester closed Rotaryfest's Friday lineup that year), but I'm not 100% certain. Uploaded to drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel earlier today, this is of That's Chester covering Jackyl's "Down On Me", but not with Ric on drums, rather late guitarist Eugene Orlando's daughter Emily! She doesn't do a bad job at all, I wonder if she was involved in any band work locally? The performance is solid overall, with Ritch's rangy vocals an asset for that era of That's Chester, but the lighting is inconsistent, and the backing vocals could be stronger. It's nice to see some vintage That's Chester footage, and Eugene must have been very proud to share the stage with his daughter, so give it a look below!



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

Meet The (Inactive) Local Punk Bands!! Part 3

It's about time we roll in some more defunct & inactive punk bands to our local band links, so here's our third of this ongoing process to formally add older local punk talent to the site! Today, we're sourcing from punk bands with primary surviving pages on CBC Music and Sonicbids, and while information can be spotty for some, there's clear talent and memorable names throughout, so here's what you need to know! Like before, bands are presented in alphabetical order:

We'll start this punk band feature with defunct local ska punk band The 12 Gauge Ready, who fans are sure to remember from their early-mid 2000s heyday! Surviving information on the band is minimal, and that extends to their lineup, who were only credited by first names & nicknames on their CBC Music and PureVolume pages. Both list bassist "Beano", drummer "Clinto", and string instrumentalist "Lucas" in their lineups, while CBC lists singer "Hayward", keyboardist "Lamar", and "J Monty" as members, and PureVolume credits "Adam", "Scotty", "George", and "Michael" in their place (hopefully we get some clarification at some point!) Active from at least 2002-2006, The 12 Gauge Ready were notable from successful concerts at venues like the former Foggy Notions & Madison's Pub, along with at least one Hempfest appearance in 2003, though updates are hard to find after their exit from Rotaryfest's 2006 Second Stage lineup. Their pages (including on MySpace) feature 5 combined original songs, no videos, and no band photos (hence the Christmas concert poster), but how did The 12 Gauge Ready sound?

The ska and reggae influences come through very clearly in their originals, much more so than other local punk bands, and I presume the short lived Break The Violence were hoping for similar success with the genre! There's enough of a punk sound to go around too with nice faster stretches, and I like the use of nontraditional instruments too! I admit not being the right person to comment on their run (which largely took place before I became a concert regular), but fans will know their reputation, and ska fans should definitely check them out at the above links!

Next to add to the site is local/Guelph punk band Burn The Past, who may be more familiar from their earlier all-local run under the name Downshift! Launched in 1999, Downshift were originally a skate punk quartet that rocked the Sault area around the turn of the millennium until moving to Guelph for college in 2001, where they changed their name to Burn The Past, and later took on post-hardcore and emo influences. Burn the Past's last known full lineup featured singer/guitarist Steve Zuppa, guitarist Derek Wyatt, and drummer Mark Zurawinski, with Guelph area bassist Josh Hudman rounding that lineup, while Downshift-era bassists included Adam Turner & Gary Hazelton, and a bassist named Dan (last name not given) played with B.T.P. late in their run as well, not counting the 5 they cycled through before Josh joined. The band released two albums (2000's "Before You Knew Me..." and 2003's "Surviving the Last Day's of Autumn"), with the former retroactively becoming a self-titled Burn The Past CD after their move.

Downshift/Burn The Past opened for bands like A.F.I. Choke, and Moneen locally, and attained their own following in the Guelph area before falling inactive circa 2004, but fans of melodic skate punk will take to these guys, who had a solid talent base and good chemistry! Steve's vocals fit the material, and whether playing a fast song or one with a more indie-rock angle, fans wouldn't have much to worry about! Check out more from Downshift or Burn The Past at their Angelfire, Bandcamp, CBC Music, and PureVolume pages, and here's Downshift at the former Koolie's & Cues during their heyday!

Third to add today are Glunk!, a local alternative/punk trio that was active in Sault Ontario in the mid-2000s, roughly from 2005-2006. Their lineup featured singer/guitarist Angelo Tremonte, former Fitswitch/Scary Uncles bassist Andrew MacDonald, and drummer/current Toronto-area internet radio host Andrew Keachie, who quickly released a debut EP shortly into their run. Information on their live concerts aren't plentiful nowadays, but the guys did play at Madison's Pub with The Regal Beagle in January 2006, and I've found nothing 100% later from their run yet. A varied band who jumped from garage rock to more aggressive punk depending on the track, Glunk! had visible talenton their studio recordings, with solid bass work from Andrew especially, and Angelo's singing altered well to fit different tracks, but there can be some inconsistency in the tone of the members' performances, and the recording quality isn't perfect. I haven't found any videos of Glunk! from their run, but check out material and more from them at their CBC Music and MySpace pages!

Finally for today's punk band additions is the newest of these four bands, that being defunct local indie/punk quartet Nebraska Arms! Active from 2008-2010, their lineup featured singer/bassist Guy Thiffault (The Hangdowns), guitarists Wayne Watkins (Northwest) & Dave Prendergast (Gilmour), and drummer Adam Sauve (Renderware), so they definitely had a solid and experienced roster of local musicians! Runners-up at the Sault College Battle of the Bands in February 2010, fans may remember Nebraska Arms from opening for bands like SNFU, The Populars, and The Artist Life at bars and all ages shows alike, along with making the finals of the Kiss Battle of the Bands in 2009, and recording & releasing their CD "We'll Never Sleep Again" that year. Last seen opening for The Flatliners at Foggy Notions in April 2010, Nebraska Arms had a solid fanbase and notoriety during their late 2000s run, with a sound that was reminiscent of their past local music work, with a poppy rhythm mixed with punk aggression, and you can see some of their sound wore off on Wayne's more recent bands!

Fans of indie punk would be well served to check out Nebraska Arms' posted material at their Sonicbids and MySpace pages, and I think their album's tracks are also floating around online too. I wonder if we'll ever see a reunion down the road? They had a good stage presence and chemistry, and you can see some of that in this retrospective video from last year!



I hope you guys liked this newest post to roll in defunct punk bands to our coverage! Our next one this week will either take from MySpace, Bandmine, or PureVolume, (or a combination therein), but we're not done yet, so stay tuned for that this week, plus more news and such as well! Thanks everyone!