YouTube Channel Profile Series: Project 421

It's now time for our last monthly feature post of September 2020, namely this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This regular series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists or concerts, in order to spotlight what can be seen there for fans and potential subscribers. This installment features lots of strong footage of a fan favourite local band from the mid-2010s, so here's what you should know!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project 421 (http://youtube.com/channel/UCjffE-do3Kl5Lx1UUWSmdZA)
 
Owner: A member of 2013-2017 classic metal/power rock band Project 421 (exact identity not stated, but my guess would be guitarist/vocalist Blair Burch)

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 19th, 2015; All videos uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: Project 421's channel features 15 videos filmed at eight concerts and two jam sessions across their first couple of years as an active band, all uploaded on the channel's inception date. Concert videos here include performances at The Algonquin Pub, The Grand Theater, and The Oddfellows Hall, among other locales.
 
Why You Should Watch: If you were at all a fan of Project 421 during the first half of their run, this channel will be appointment viewing, and there is a lot of old school metal and hard rock renditions to take in, plus select originals! However, many of these videos were previously posted online on other pages (our Facebook page included), and this channel has not been actively used since these videos were posted, so nothing is included from their concerts in their last two years together.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out: 

"No One Rides For Free" - Project 421: Three videos here come from "The Basement Sessions", as filmed in 421's then-jam space on March 9th, 2014, featuring then-new singer Curtis McKenzie (The Bridge Heads) alongside guitarists Blair Burch (Re:Born) and Frank McGillivray, bassist Daniel Horton (Jack Spades), and drummer Larry Mousseau (ex-Fitswitch). Filming is credited to PaperClip Productions, the studio that Curt & Dan co-owned during their time in the band Haggith. Alongside covers of Black Sabbath's "NIB" and Iron Maiden's "Powerslave", the guys were filmed playing their original "No One Rides For Free", which is well performed and suits their sound nicely, and from an interesting camera angle too! However, note the dark lighting and occasional visual glitches. One more jam session video from August 2015 (of their original "Into The Darkness") is also on this channel.

"Am I Evil" - Project 421: The most viewed video on Project 421's channel comes from their fourth public concert, which saw them open for Anvil & Caym at The Canadian Nightclub on March 15th, 2014, where they covered Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" As filmed by yours truly (original URL here), I admittedly didn't have my best camera on hand for this concert, but the guys sound good on this lengthy live favourite, bolstered by Curt's strong vocal range! A higher quality video from a different filmer of them covering "Powerslave" at this show was also uploaded here.



"No More Mr. Nice Guy" - Project 421: In March 2015, a now Curt-less Project 421 took part in two local battles of the bands, including the Speak Easy Battle at Algoma University and the VM Radio Battle at The Rockstar Bar (both saw Gnaeus winning with 421 outside of the top 3.) Videos from both of these battle sets are on this channel, but the higher quality one is their Speak Easy set on March 5th, where they covered Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" as the final band of the night, complete with Daniel's new short haircut. Originally filmed by SaultOnline's Mike Caruso for his own YouTube channel, this multi-camera footage is well done and edited, and while not as rangy of a singer as Curt is, Blair's vocals are a good fit for this song!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around October 26th for another multiple channel feature, as the first randomly selected channel (death metal solo project Black Cloud's channel) only has three audio demos, not enough for a single profile. As such, I randomly picked two more channels who I could only realistically feature one video from each, namely Frank Thomas' channel (featuring an Offspring video from their concert here last year) and Dave Prendergast's channel (featuring a live video of his old band Nebraska Arms). Look for these next month, and for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Project 421

It's now time for our second Defunct Local Band Profile of 2018, as we're continuing our spotlighting of defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, and punk bands, so current readers can read up on their run and accomplishments, and see where members are now! As always, we randomly selected this month's band, and they are quite a prominent group for Sault Ontario metalheads of the last few years, so here's what you should know!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project 421

Genre: Classic Metal/Power Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

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

Blair Burch (Re:Born, Broken), vocals/guitar
Frank McGillivray (Re:Born), guitar
Daniel Horton (Jack Spades, Haggith), bass
Chris Thompson (Fitswitch, Frightlight, Half Past), drums

Curtis McKenzie (Haggith, Eclipse, The Din), vocals
Larry Mousseau (Fitswitch, Frightlight), drums

Audio/Video: Though loose plans to record a debut EP (perhaps with an April 21st release date) never came to pass, Project 421 are well documented online from live concert videos, which can be seen officially via their Facebook page & YouTube channel, while Christopher Paci's channel & our Facebook page have a good amount of videos as well, among other fan-shot sources. Most of 421's set was comprised of covers from bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Diamond Head, but originals like "No One Rides For Free", "Into the Darkness", and "Running Away" were also very prominent. Here's their 5-piece lineup covering Judas Priest back in 2014!



Info/Analysis: Debuting as a mystery band during Haggith's initial farewell show at The Algonquin Pub in December 2013, Project 421 soon became a prominent sight at local concert events in the mid-2010s. Soon adding bassist Daniel Horton's Haggith bandmate Curtis McKenzie for his first of two stints as lead singer, 421 arguably made their biggest early splash by opening for Anvil at The Canadian in March 2014, a role they reprised the following year. Fans will have also seen Project 421 open for bands like The Ripcordz, Diamond Head, and Broomfiller, play notable events like both of 2015's local battles of the bands, Medi-Fest, and Sault Band-O-Rama, and headline a smattering of headlining and solo nightclub events in their later years, though breaks from the stage became increasingly more common. Curtis, Daniel, and 421's second drummer Chris Thompson formed the modern hard rock side project Eclipse in 2015, which ran concurrently with Project 421 until both bands' disbanded for differing personal reasons in the fall of 2017.

Project 421 were succeeded by guitarist Blair Burch & Frank McGillivray's current new band Re:Born, who have taken on their predecessor's original songs, but Project 421 will be missed by their fans! Not many groups could feel right at home at an all ages Oddfellows Hall show and a solo Rockstar Bar three-set booking, but they pulled it off! Blair and Frank were an effective double threat on guitar, Curtis' excellent vocals were a bonus during his time in the band, Daniel's bass work stood on it's own, and both Larry and Chris each had good chemistry on drums! Project 421 had a good run, but be sure to follow Re:Born & Jack Spades for members' current projects!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month, we'll hit Sault Michigan for the first time in this series in 2018, as our next random selection will be inactive early 2010s metal band The Eleventh Hour (a.k.a. Angelic Genocide & Changing You For Better Days), and while I forecast that they can sustain a full profile on their own given their numerous updates and name/lineup changes, we'll add a randomly chosen Sault Ontario band with minimal info if we need to. Look for that on or around March 10th, and stay tuned for concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Electric Church), The End Of Project 421, And Much More!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to send our condolences out to the family, friends, and fans of Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who died last night after a 2 year fight with brain cancer at the age of 53. Though not a hard rock band, The Hip are a massive influence on numerous local musicians of multiple generations, with songs like "New Orleans Is Sinking" and "Blow at High Dough" showcasing their edgier side. Those and many others display Gord's unique singing voice and well thought out lyrics, many with heavy Canadian references, including a Soo reference in their song "Born in the Water". Local fans will surely remember The Tragically Hip's past concerts in Sault Ste. Marie, including Essar Center shows in 2007 & 2013, as well as at Algoma University's former library back in 1990, and at Sault Memorial Gardens in 1995, while many will fondly recall last summer's farewell show in Kingston from it's local screening parties.

Gord and The Tragically Hip are Canadian icons, and while they haven't gotten the radio play that they get in other markets here (at least Rock 101 airs some of their songs now), their impact and influence is ever present, from covers from bands like The Din, Griphook, and Caveman Morrison, to the Little Bones tribute concert here last month, and of course beyond across Canada. R.I.P. Gord, your music, activism, and presence will all be missed! As for today's post, we have a new video, a surprise band breakup, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will be one of the opening bands when indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. headline their long awaited CD release concert on Saturday, November 18th at LopLops Lounge! As first announced last week, this will see the Keep It Cool Kids finally launch their debut album to their loyal fans in exactly one month's time, so definitely follow K.I.C.K.'s online pages for continuing details on the album, and click here to check out the music video for their song "Silently Screaming" (directed by former Gnaeus drummer Brendan Garlick!) This will be Electric Church's first announced show since the Sault College reunion event last month, while they'll be joined on the bill by folk/country duo The Crossroad Magdalenes, in the first time we've covered a show of theirs (talented group for their genres!) Crank Sound Distribution will be on hand to provide sound for the release show, which has a 9:00 PM start time, $10 cover charge and a 19+ age limit.

This should be a fun time for fans of K.I.C.K.'s smooth blend of indie rock originals, with a dash of hard rock from Electric Church for good measure, so check the above links for current details on this anticipated release show, and early congratulations to K.I.C.K. on the impending release!

Also, we have some very surprising news, as local classic metal quartet Project 421 appear to have announced their breakup. In a lengthy post on their Facebook page on Sunday, singer/guitarist Blair Burch noted that "life has... been pulling us all in different directions" for the past year, "and it has come to a time where we must go our separate ways", also noting that he wants to "leave happy with what we've accomplished." The post also features his reflections on Project 421's run and accomplishments since debuting in late 2013, stating that "I would never change the last 4 years for anything", and he thanked bandmates, other local bands, promoters, and fans for making everything possible. Blair also recommended that fans follow Eclipse & Jack Spades for Daniel Horton & Chris Thompson's current projects, and hinted that he & guitarist Frank McGillivray "have ideas percolating, so you haven't seen the last of us."

This news is very surprising to hear, especially coming just three shows into their return from their winter/spring hiatus, but Project 421 had a solid run locally, and they made lots of fans with their old school covers and select originals! When your second-last show sees you open for Diamond Head, that's not a raw deal! It's a shame that their album plans never amounted to anything publically, but of course, hopefully Blair and Frank resurface in a new project when the time is right, so best of luck to them, Daniel, Chris, and other former members in the future!

Finally for today, here's a new video (of sorts) from Project 421's return show at The Canadian Nightclub in July, albeit of openers The Din, as uploaded to their Facebook page last month, and apologies for the three week delay in sharing this! The video is of a computer editing multi-camera footage from the alternative/hard rock trio's set in July, labelled as being done on at Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie, so it looks like The Din will get one more big feature on channel 10 at some point, possibly for an OnStage episode? The footage on-screen is of their song "35's The Limit", albeit amusingly sped up, so not much is given away from the concert yet! Just as a refresher, their set at this concert comprised of their entire final album "Suburban Dream" in order (sans "The Price You Pay"), with "Potato" closing the set as their encore. Check out this teaser video below, stay tuned for word on when the Shaw feature goes online, and remember, their final concert is THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at LopLops! Perhaps they'll cover The Hip one more time?



That's all for today,but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bret Michaels), Plus Diamond Head Concert Videos!!

Here's another new post for your Tuesday, and while it's mostly devoted to some long awaited video footage from a big recent concert, we're leading off with a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year, so without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

Poison frontman Bret Michaels will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for another headlining concert on Saturday, November 25th in what the venue is calling their "Thanksgiving Weekend Mega Party" during his The Party Starts Now World Tour! Make this concert Bret's seventh (at least) in the Twin Saults, having previously rocked The Eastgate Hotel in 2005 and the Soo Kewadin in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014 and last November, which is a clear sign of how well his local concerts go and are received! Falling over the American Thanksgiving long weekend, hopefully fans' turkey hangovers are gone in time for a night of hair metal classics from Poison like "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" & "Unskinny Bop", plus selections from Bret's solo career, so keep this huge show in mind for later this fall! As of this writing, there are no announced opening bands, though none were advertised last year either.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at the in-person box office, online at this link, and at 1-800-KEWADIN, and while tickets start at $48.50, expect higher prices depending on seating location and announced VIP packages. Expect this one to be another 7:00 PM event with no announced age limits. It's great to see Bret return to Sault Michigan for his sixth show here in the past decade, and if he keeps coming back, something is obviously clicking, so for all you Hair Scare fans, don't miss out on this one over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, and tickets go on sale FRIDAY!

Next up, here's some long awaited videos from the Diamond Head concert at The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario from earlier this month, courtesy of Christopher Paci's awesome YouTube channel once again! Uploaded yesterday despite a two week wait for his footage, Chris filmed 13 videos on September 2nd, including seven of the headlining British NWOBHM pioneers, including their songs "Streets of Gold", "It's Electric", "Set My Soul On Fire", "Diamonds", "Wild on the Streets", and of course, "Am I Evil?", complete with a mishap near the end where Chris says he "got decked". Hopefully he was OK! Given that song's local familiarity from 421 sets, I'll instead embed Diamond Head's rendition of "Helpless" below. While Diamond Head only retains guitarist Brian Tatler from their classic era, the current lineup sounds good from what I've heard, and singer Rasmus Bom Andersen is a solid fit, though the bass doesn't come through well in the videos, and earlier clips are shot at a worse angle from further away. Check our more from Diamond Head's local set above & below!



As for Chris' other videos, he got three each of the two local opening bands, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades playing their songs "Rise", "To The Left", and as embedded below, "Motorwolf". These are their first public online videos with Rob Speers on bass, but from what I can tell, the band was also playing as a four-piece with no sign of guitarist Anthony Orazietti. No word on why he missed their set, but we'll let you know if anything else is afoot! Yes, J.D. Pearce was there, he's just singing in the crowd once again. The guys sound good as usual, and Rob fits in well, but he could show more of the energy he uses when fronting The Elements. Check these out above & below!



Finally, here's footage of classic metal quartet Project 421's opening set, as they tackled covers of Iron Maiden's "Running Free" & "Powerslave" and as embedded below, Saxon's "Denim & Leather". This isn't an optimal view of the band, with guitarist Frank McGillivray often out of camera range, but it captures 421's sound well, and for a band that covers Diamond Head so regularly, you know they were firing on all cylinders for this one! Give their videos a look above & below, and kudos to Chris again for his hard work filming all of this footage, it's much appreciated!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week on The Sault Metal Scene! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 & Friends Concert Review!!

Before we begin this post, we have an apology for a missed show, as Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned also played a set last night at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark following the Memorial Invitational race. The show was only confirmed on Banned's Facebook page at supper time yesterday, missing our radar at the time, so our profuse apologies for missing this one, hopefully it was as big a hit as Friday's show! Now, here's our first concert review on the site in two months (good to be back!), as I was in attendance for the Project 421 show at The Canadian Nightclub on Friday night! Good attendance early for this one, though it did plummet before Project 421's set, floating around two dozen fans at that point. And no, the axe throwing competition cage(?!) on the far wall didn't get in the road of the concert, but how's that for an attraction? Live705 nicely handled sound for the evening, but how did the bands do?

Opening Friday's concert was the long awaited return of local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven for the first time since 2015, ending their second two year+ long stage hiatus, and I'm glad to say that they sounded great for their latest comeback! After the Eye of Horus concert & another unannounced show fell through, the guys finally got their moment in the sun with a high impact set that was half devoted to songs from their yet-to-be-released debut EP, with the remainder including new songs "Differences" & "Treading Water", plus covers of Audioslave and Mastodon songs. The latter was particularly surprising, but with 2 years of jam time and preparation, they had everything down fine! This was their first show with new rhythm guitarist Kyle Sweet, who asserted himself fine in their set (and had awesome shoes), while established band members didn't seem to lose a step either, including a strong vocal performance from Cory Murchison, reliable bass work from Al Fletcher and solid drumming from John Mignacca.

It's great to have Skeyes of Seven back, and while it remains to be seen when we'll see them on stage next (not to mention, when we'll finally see "Stare at the Sky" on sale), here's hoping we're not waiting until 2019 for their next gig, as they definitely made some new fans on Friday night!

The middle band on Friday was alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback in their first of two shows in under 24 hours (look for Oh!No Festival fallout when it rolls in), and they pumped out another strong set of original punk songs for fans to bridge the gap between the night's heavier acts! If you've seen A Dire Setback this year, their set won't have held many surprises, with familiar originals like "Nightmares", "Everlasting Despair", and "Faded" populating their timeslot, as well as their "Counting Stars" cover. Of course, the guys delivered musically as usual, with Matt Quinn's bass (and sound) work coming naturally, and Chris Nielsen was his regular sparkplug self on guitar, but Larry Babic's vocals did sound noticeably rougher in the second half of their set, with higher notes not coming as easily. Strong set overall though from A Dire Setback, and hopefully they had a great time in Leeburn!

And finally, your headliners were classic metal quartet Project 421 in their third show and second headlining date of 2017, and they sufficiently rocked remaining fans with a hard hitting blast of 1980s metal covers and select originals! Along with Alice Cooper, Saxon, and Judas Priest renditions, the guys also moved back to covering Diamond Head after opening for them last, while originals "No One Rides For Free" & "Into The Darkness" also made appearances. Blair Burch's singing voice continues to gain strength and confidence compared to what I've heard in the past, and he and Frank McGillivray kept the power guitar rolling nicely throughout their set, with Daniel Horton and Chris Thompson maintaining a solid rhythm themselves! There were some occasional hiccups, and it's a shame that more people didn't stick around, but 421 have restored their spot in the local scene with ease and retro flair, and here's hoping for much more from them soon!

Overall, this was a fun concert with lots of talented artists, including a big return to kick off the night, and hopefully there's more to come from these acts soon! You can check out our photos from this show at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for videos, here's Skeyes of Seven playing "Treading Water", A Dire Setback playing "Wasting Away", and Project 421 covering Iron Maiden's "Powerslave"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we get into this weekend concert preview post (sans the Oh!No Festival, which will get an extended preview tomorrow), note that I am well aware of a major local band's announced farewell/CD release show next month, and that will be a featured story in an upcoming post, perhaps tomorrow's, so don't worry, it's coming! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's non-Leeburn hard rock concerts, starting with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned will play a rare hometown show TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock... the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark?! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday, with the band even confirming that this was a "new booking" on their Facebook page. The unusual setting will see Banned provide musical entertainment after practice wraps up for Kinross Speedpark's 12th annual Memorial Invitational race, which is the Crazy Eight Racing Series' season finale, so if you love local stock car racing, get down to the West Fair Road race track this weekend! Alex, Don, and Wayne will play their fan-favorite covers to end day one of the weekend's events TOMORROW, and they should end things with a bang before the racing proper begins on Saturday!

Presumably all ages, Banned will take to the outdoor grandstand stage at 9:00 PM TOMORROW, and while admission for the races is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and free for kids 11 and under, I can't confirm if that applies to practice day and Banned's set. For more details on this weekend's entertainment, musical or automotive, check the above links, and for a preview, here's Banned live!

Next up, prolific Sault Ontario hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with matinee shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, but he will also return to new local bar Room 21 (above Low & Slow on Albert Street West) TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall for one night only THIS TUESDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Room 21 and Mark's shows, these were only announced via their respective Facebook event pages (linked here and here) on Saturday. Now playing six concerts in six days, Tym's busy schedule sees him playing at two newer local businesses over the next while that he's previously played at, with TOMORROW's Room 21 show helping serve as the kick-off event for the bar's official logo, so keep that specific angle in mind along with this very full weekend of shows, including three downtown matinees as expected, and the second Room 21 night on SATURDAY!

No word on why Tym's not playing at Mark's on Monday, but keep his special matinee show there on TUESDAY for more acoustic hard rock action this month! The Gliss & Mark's shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits (but remember that these are restaurants), while the Room 21 shows are 19+ events at 10:00 PM with no cover. Click here and visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym Morrison live!



Moving to entirely previously announced concerts, we'll next head to The Canadian Nightclub, where local classic metal quartet Project 421 will play their second headlining concert of the year and third total TOMORROW NIGHT! Still riding high off of last month's Diamond Head show, this will be another solid opportunity for fans to take in 421's 1980s-centric brand of metal covers and select originals, so don't miss out on this one for another nostalgic mindtrip! As previously announced, local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback will open in their first show in almost a month and first since the recent Live705 cancellations, so keep their return in mind for more of their strong originals! However, a third band was added on Monday, as hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven will make their long awaited return to the local stage tomorrow! After a 2+ year hiatus from concerts, this will serve as both their re-introducton to the scene and their live debut with new rhythm guitarist Kyle Sweet, so come see how Skeyes of Seven sound in their big return tomorrow!

And yes, A Dire Setback will also be playing at Saturday's Oh!No Festival in Leeburn, which will be previewed tomorrow, so keep watch for it then! Tomorrow's show has a 10:00 PM start time, is a 19+ event, and has NO COVER CHARGE, so there's all the more reason to come check out this blast of metal, hard rock, and punk action tomorrow! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 421 live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head back across the river for the latest shows from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, who are slated to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Keeping up their recent trend of monthly shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin branch, this weekend's shows should provide another solid opportunity for fans to take in the Monkey's Uncle successors' classic and hard rock cover selections, so keep these ones in mind if you're in the E.U.P.! Note that these shows haven't been recently plugged by Highway 63 online, but were among their shows in their schedule post on their Facebook page from January. Also, note that most of Highway 63 have recently formed a side project band (I assume) named Cousin Eddie that played a few shows this summer, and feature singer/guitarist Greg Smith in place of Henry Switzer.

No word on Cousin Eddie's genre range or online pages yet, but don't bypass them if you see them scheduled somewhere locally! This weekend's Highway 63 shows have no announced cover charges, 21+ age limits, and 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details on their first shows of the fall, and for a preview, here's Highway 63 live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Oh!No 2017 Music Festival preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyon

Diamond Head Concert Preview, Winkstinger's New Frontman, And Much More!!

The fall months are upon us, so for our first post of September 2017, we're tackling a big concert preview for tomorrow to round our our Labour Day weekend previews, but also, there's some assorted recent updates, some new concert videos, and a big lineup change to take note of as well. Now, here's what you should know!

TOMORROW NIGHT will see one of the most influential metal bands to ever play in Sault Ste. Marie, as legendary British metal quintet Diamond Head will make their first ever local appearance with a headlining set at The Rockstar Bar! One of the linchpins of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Diamond Head will be ultra familiar to many metalheads for their influence on newer acts like Metallica (who have covered a number of their songs), so it'll be a thrill to see them on a local stage tomorrow! Only two local opening bands are slated to play tomorrow night, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first date since last month's Ontario tour run, while classic metal quartet Project 421 will play an exceedingly fitting set to kick things off! I wouldn't expect to see them cover "Am I Evil?" tomorrow with Brian Tatler and company likely to play it themselves, but this is a huge platform for 421 as they continue their resurgence, so don't miss them either! Prior indications of a third local band have since been removed from the Facebook event page.

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, advance tickets are likely still available for $22.50 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, online at this link, and potentially through opening band members, and while a price hike at the door isn't indicated, have extra cash on hand just in case you chance it. This is a 19+ show, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. This is a can't miss show for classic metal fans, so if you can help it, get down to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow for what promises to be a great night of NWOBHM action over the Labour Day weekend! For a preview, here's Diamond Head live earlier this year!

Next up, here's a big lineup change, as reunited local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger have added Twistory frontman Josh Amendola as their new singer, replacing Keith Gagnon. Though not yet announced on the band's sporadically updated Facebook page, Josh debuted with Winkstinger at The New American Pub last week, and later confirmed his addition to their lineup on his solo Facebook page on Tuesday. A reason for Keith's departure has not been publically announced, though whether his band status factored into their year+ long hiatus is up for debate. Best of luck to Keith in his recent solo work though, he's a talented musician in multiple roles! Josh's debut with Winkstinger wasn't without it's hang-ups, as last week's concert saw the late drop-out of Saskatchewan grindcore band Dour after miscommunication with promoters, though the local bands played on, and hopefully Dour try to play here again here during a future tour!

No word yet on how Josh sounds with Winkstinger, or if he's bringing back rhythm guitar to their live repertoire, but it'll be interesting to hear Winkstinger material with a harsher death metal vocalist compared to Alan and Keith's higher screaming work. Stay tuned for more on Winkstinger's new lineup when it rolls in, and don't miss their next live appearance at the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in Leeburn next week!

Also today, here's our first known video footage from this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, courtesy of Sault Michigan alt-metal quartet The Karstens' set two weeks ago! Posted to their YouTube channel on Sunday, three videos were uploaded of the online page-less band's set at Rudyard Township Park, including a cover of The Stooges' "Down on the Street" and, as embedded below,  The Deli Creeps' "Binge & Grab". The Karstens deliver some solid performances in these videos, tackling bands you don't often hear in this area, and while dark, I like how the lighting adds to the mood of the songs! Note that the Stooges cover isn't filmed from a stationary angle, so while that video gets a closer look at the band, it's also a shakier view at the same time. The other video from the show is a 30 second clip of their rendition of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", uploaded to show vocal disparity between monitor and P.A. vocals that night, and it has a good chaotic sound from what we hear. Give these new Karstens videos a look above & below!



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:

• Sault Ontario hard rock quintet Halfway Loaded announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they've changed their name to The Twin City Saints. The band cited "some thinking" and throwing around "a lot of names" as contributing factors, though this isn't their first name change, possibly debuting as "2 Far Gone". The new name, if it sticks, isn't a bad one, but will it conflict with Twin City Sound & Entertainment? Time will tell, but stay tuned for more on this newer band as it rolls in!
• Former Frightlight drummer Jeff De Rose is looking for "a bass player with punk rock abilities", presumably for a new band project he's working on. Jeff's been missed in local bands, so hopefully he finds someone, but if you or someone you know are interested in trying out on bass, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• SooToday's Donna Hopper posted a promotional article onto the local news website on Sunday as coverage for next weekend's Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, so what's new to learn in it? Co-promoter Jamie Vincent is interviewed for the article, where he notes the festival's inspiration came from other regional music festivals in outskirt towns, plus noting how certain out of town bands signed on, as well as future goals and extra ground rules. Also, "Robbie's Church" is now a residence, but it was a church. Nicely detailed and laid out article, so visit the above links for much more on next Sunday's ambitious festival!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 421), Dour Concert Preview, And Much More!!

Another quiet weekend is now passed during our recent quiet stretch (is there a groundhog for the local music scene that saw it's shadow?), but we are back with a new news post on this Monday, so before you check out the solar eclipse, here's a new archive album find, a special Wednesday night concert preview some assorted updates, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic metal quartet Project 421 will return to The Canadian Nightclub for another headlining concert on Friday, September 8th! Marking just their third concert since their triumphant return to the stage last month, this show comes just under a week following their set opening for Diamond Head on September 2nd, so hopefully they're still riding high from that huge opportunity and deliver a solid night of old school metal renditions! Though ostensibly another toe into the water for The Canadian's return of solo bands on weekends, they will have an opening act, namely alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, who also opened for 421 last month at the same venue among other bands. Can't go wrong with a punk appetizer, let alone from a band with A.D.S.' already high profile! A cover charge has not been announced for this 19+ event, which has a 10:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and don't miss out on this metal and punk double act next month!

Next up, here's a preview of a special concert going down THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT at The New American Pub, as Saskatchewan grindcore band Dour will make their local concert debut! Possessing a crust and sludge-infused attack, Dour's brand of power violence should melt many faces at The New A on Wednesday night, so if you're up for some mid-week extreme music, you know where to be! Local support will include death metal standouts The Bear Hunters in their first of two shows in a five night span (look for our Eye of Horus preview on Saturday, in all likelihood), while extreme metal quartet Winkstinger will end their 15 month stage hiatus when they kick off the action on Wednesday! I have no idea where Winksringer have been in the past year, but how will they look and sound compared to their run of shows last spring? Find out in a few nights' time! Co-promoted by Slumshine's Brenton Ellis and Gore Street Cafe owner Nicole Dyble, this 10:00 PM concert has a $7 cover and a 19+ age limit in effect.

Making one of the final stops of their No Sign of Grief Canadian Tour before heading home, Dour should brutalize the stage with their hard grinding and sludgy originals, and with two opening acts you don't see on stage nearly enough anymore, don't bypass this concert if you can help it! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Dour live!

Also today, I am proud to say that I have finally purchased a local CD that I've been seeking out for years, and that is defunct hard rock quartet Infrastrate's only EP "Phase I: Commencement"! After years of coming up empty for the long out of print CD, I happened to discover two copies on the front counter of The Rad Zone for around $6, and I of course grabbed one, so what should you know on it? Released in late 2005 after being recorded at Cherry Valance Sound that August with co-producer & current Northwest drummer Marc Santos, "Phase I" arguably marked their final act as a solely local band before moving to Ottawa shortly after sessions wrapped up. In terms of content, the EP has 5 songs, including "Smoke & Mirrors", "Tyrande", "Detached & Tied Down", "Causal Nexus", and "Hindsight", and while all but the middle track had previously been posted on the band's PureVolume page, the copies there of "Tyrande" & "Causal Nexus" were not the EP versions, and I now surmise that they were pre-release demos.

Is a review of Infrastrate's EP imminent on the SMS? Probably not, as the band (including singer Joey Paciocco, guitarist Patrick Webb, and Nick & Ben Ochoski on bass & drums) aren't in any active local bands to tie one in with, though Patrick & Ben have been active recently in Ottawa-area bands. That said, their progressive-tinged hard rock sound and solid chemistry is very present on "Phase I: Commencement", and as someone who very much cares about local music history, it's great to have a copy at last! Give "Detached & Tied Down" a listen below, and hear more from Infrastrate above courtesy of old & new uploads on our YouTube channel!



I have one more very cool archive album find to share on here soon once I get the tape converted (you read that right), but finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• I have changed the link for local film production company 62nd Chamber Productions from their website (which was taken down earlier this year) to their YouTube channel, which is still up, but hasn't seen new content in three years. Ran by AlgomA frontman Boyd Rendell, 62nd Chamber was a prominent source of content from both local concerts and from short film production (remember "The Last Strand"?), and hopefully we see more from them soon in addition to much more from AlgomA & Six, Two, Oh.!
• I have moved local pop punk solo project Anthems vs. Oceans to our inactive band links, as the former For July have not posted a public update referencing their music since July of last year via their Facebook page (though, for full disclosure, posts have been made on non-musical subjects as recently as May.) Dave's a talented musician, and hopefully we hear some new updates on Anthems vs. Oceans material in the future!
• Just as a belated house-cleaning note, I have removed HMV from our linked pages entirely due to the now-closed music store chain's website now being reduced to an image and text about their final closures in April, a state that likely won't be reversed given the entire chain folding. HMV was a useful and reliable store when it lasted, but don't bypass Sunrise Records in it's old Station Mall location for your CD, vinyl, and DVD needs!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dokken), New Project 421 Videos, And Much More!!

We're back on this Monday evening witha  new news post, so what will you find within? Some assorted recent updates, new videos from a recent concert, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, so here's what you should know!

Platinum selling Los Angeles hair metal legends Dokken will return to the Sault Ste. Marie area for the first time in almost 12 years when they headline at The Essar Center on Saturday, September 30th! Last seen locally when they opened for Quiet Riot at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in October 2005, Dokken should have a set full of hard rocking hits like "Breaking the Chains" & "Dream Warriors" in store when they rock the downtown arena this fall! This will also be Dokken's first regional stop with Chris McCarvill on bass (Barry Sparks was their bassist in 2005.) Joining them are North Carolina glam rockers FireHouse in their third local concert appearance, last seen opening for Bret Michaels in Sault Michigan in early 2014, with last year's Superior Music Festival being cancelled in the interim. With hits like "Don't Treat Me Bad" & "Love of a Lifetime" still in their repertoire, this will be a great way to welcome Firehouse back to the Soo, so don't miss them either!

Opening this show are Los Angeles melodic arena rock quartet Love 'N Revenge, a newer project from former Rockarma frontman Damon Kelly, and they should provide a nice compliment to kick off the night! As announced this morning on SooToday, The Sault Star, and Rock 101, tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY for $55 (minus taxes and service charges) at this link, at the in-person box office, or by phone at 1-866-775-9422. Showtime is 7:00 PM, and this is an ALL AGES event. This should be an exciting show for Hair Scare loyalists, and remember, if this show is a hit, it'll encourage The Essar Center to bring in more hard rock shows! Check the above links for current details, and stay tuned for potential updates!

Next up, here's lots of video footage from the return of Project 421 at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday night! As posted to their Facebook page yesterday, the local classic metal quartet brought their original and cover onslaught back after a nine month stage hiatus, and their whole hour-long set was filmed on a stationary camera, so what songs can you hear within? In order, we have Iron Maiden's "Running Free", Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy", Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", Saxon's "Denim & Leather", Judas Priest's "Metal Gods", their original "No One Rides For Free", Iron Maiden's "Powerslave", Black Sabbath's "After Forever", their original "Into The Darkness", Metallica's "The Four Horsemen", and Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", so how's that for a nostalgia mindtrip (plus two originals)? The video quality isn't optimal, given that fans on the floor get in the way of the camera, which sadly wasn't zoomed in either, but the audio's fine!

You have to really crank it, especially if you're relying on laptop speakers, but the guys sound vibrant and energetic, and Blair Burch handles lead vocals fine and with conviction, though higher register songs like "The Trooper" fared worse. Of course, the Diamond Head cover is ever prescient given that 421 are opening for that band in September (details here), and it's great to see Project 421 back in advance of that highly anticipated concert, so give their full set from Saturday night a listen below!



Project 421 also shared two videos from a much closer filmer on the floor on their page yesterday including "Am I Evil?" again, and as embedded below, both "No One Rides For Free" and "Powerslave". The audio is louder, but not as clear, so keep that in mind when watching, but the visuals are much better, and you can see Blair, Frank, Daniel, and Chris back in action just as if you were on the floor that night! Give these videos a look above & below too!



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

• Local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback have been named as openers for THIS THURSDAY NIGHT'S Treble Charger return concert at LopLops Lounge, as per their Facebook page yesterday! Though not yet advertised on the Facebook event page for the sold out concert, their addition makes sense, given their recent work & advisement with guitarist Bill Priddle. Now publically confirmed as a "sneak peek" and kick-off show for Treble Charger's upcoming tour run, check the above links for more on this highly anticipated event!
• Local alt-hard rock trio The Din revealed the setlist from their portion of the aforementioned Project 421 show on their Facebook page on Saturday, confirming there that the 9 song set was almost entirely based around songs from their planned second CD! Three of the songs are newly confirmed titles to the online record, including "Weekend Delivery", "Missing", and "In The Moonlight", though I can't confirm yet on if one of those was the untitled new song from their demo vocal track videos. Hopefully the nearly-all-new set went well for The Din this weekend!
• After an almost 6 month hiatus from updating their Facebook page, local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven posted there on July 1st, but finally had a new update regarding the band proper on Thursday, noting that "the writing process has begun" and they can't wait for us to hear the material in question. Are they recording new songs, or perhaps re-recording their unreleased debut EP, or is something else afoot? Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as we continue the last full week of July! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a belated acknowledgement of a band switch on a recent concert, as local death metal trio Pillory replaced alt-hard rockers Bizotic (more on them in a bit) as an opening act during Monday night's Darsombra show at The New American Pub. A reason for the switch wasn't publically announced, but Bizotic never publically plugged the show that I ever saw. Hopefully Pillory filled in nicely in their return from the studio, and look for more from them in the coming months! Now, this post features a new video, weekend concert previews, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey on Queen Street East for a solo headlining concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, joining his regular weekly gigs at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on the Barrelhouse show, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page yesterday. Last seen at the popular downtown tapas restaurant for a regular scheduled concert on June 10th, this continues Tym's semi-regular run of nighttime shows at this venue, and he should have more unplugged hard rock classics in store for fans at The Barrelhouse on SATURDAY NIGHT, so don't miss out! Of course, Tym's regular matinees at Gliss will continue on this week for his third straight week with the return of a Thursday nighter for the season, while he will be back there on Saturday after skipping that night last week while in Toronto seeing Iron Maiden.

Double the chances to see Tym live this weekend, so keep all of these in mind for your weekend plans! SATURDAY NIGHT'S Barrelhouse show is at 10:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a presumed 19+ age limit, while his trifecta at The Quality Inn's house restaurant are all at 6:00 PM with no announced cover or age limit. Click here and here for the Facebook event pages at each venue, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Next up, we'll move to entirely previously announced concerts this weekend, starting with a Gore Street Cafe concert TOMORROW NIGHT that will be opened (or closed) by local hard/alternative/indie rock quartet Bizotic! Last seen opening acoustically for The Din at LopLops, this show will see Bizotic play alongside two Victoria, British Columbia touring bands, namely "lazy pop" quintet Bridal Party and shoegaze/alternative group Bright Boy. Neither band are heavy in sound, but both should be exciting for fans of laid back pop rock, including Bridal Party's indie tinged originals and Bright Boy's more ambient material, so keep them in mind if you're into such genres! Bizotic should add a harder edged flavour (complete with requisite keytar and trumpet) to the proceedings in their laundromat debut tomorrow, though I admittedly don't know if they're opening or closing. They're listed higher than the touring bands on the poster, for what it's worth.

Tomorrow's concert is a "pay what you can" event, in the usual Gore Street Cafe tradition, and this is an ALL AGES concert with doors opening at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Bizotic live earlier this year!



Lastly for currently announced hard rock concerts on this return to normal following Rotaryfest weekend, THIS SATURDAY NIGHT will see the return of classic metal quartet Project 421 to the local stage for the first time in almost nine months when they headline at The Canadian Nightclub! Also making their Live705 debut this weekend, this will be a great way to welcome this nostalgia mindtrip back to the local stage, complete with guitarist Blair Burch on lead vocals again for the first time since 2015, so don't miss their long awaited return on Saturday! A reversion to an all-local lineup after Live705's recent shows with touring headliners, a stacked opening roster this weekend will include alt-hard rock trio The Din as co-headliners, as well as jazz rock trio The Peach Thieves (featuring members of Pillory and Pointless), blues/hard rock trio Electric Church, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, and in a late lineup switch, Live705's own A Dire Setback in place of indie rock trio The Autumn Roots due to "circumstances beyond our control", as per the Facebook event page.

Hopefully nothing bad happened with The Autumn Roots, but it's great to see A Dire Setback filling in, especially as it was very weird to see a Live705 show without them on the lineup! Another licensed ALL AGES show from them, tickets are $10 at the door unless you have a $2-off voucher attained from one of the performers. A Dire Setback will kick things off at 7:05 PM on Saturday, and for more details, visit the above links! With Project 421's resurgence, two more Live705 debutantes, and a stacked lineup of local entertainment, fans won't want to miss out on the action, so keep this show in mind for Saturday night, and here's Project 421 live!



Finally for today, here's a new video from the aforementioned Din's Facebook page on Monday! There's newer and very significant videos of theirs to touch on as well, but this is a surprisingly rare video from this year's Rotaryfest, with The Din playing 11 seconds of an instrumental section at Stage 2 last week. The video is geared towards demonstrating a custom Snapchat filter that The Din made up in advance of their Second Stage return, and it fits well with the portrait orientated clip, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more videos from them soon!



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