YouTube Channel Profile Series: AlterWhite's Channel

As expected, it's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly look at 1-3 YouTube channels with at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock concert videos, so fans can discover, read up on, and check out the content on them! Our third straight installment with a single randomly selected channel, this month's profile is courtesy of a prolific and talented local musician who seemed to be on his way to good things in the early 2010s, so read on below for this month's profile!
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AlterWhite's Channel
(http://www.youtube.com/alterwhite)

Owner: Local solo musician & former AlterWhite singer/drummer Mike Matthews

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 10th, 2011; Videos posted from May 2012 through October 2013

Channel Summary: Originally the official YouTube channel for Mike's early 2010s metal project AlterWhite (whose main activity was limited to online song postings), 9 original songs under the AlterWhite banner were posted there through August 2012, with the channel switching to focus on original songs recorded solely by Mike starting that fall. 21 songs were uploaded over the following year, with all but the last four being designated as part of "albums", though none received a paid public release. As well, this channel featured some early AlterWhite originals (including select covers) in 2011, but all were deleted by the following year.

Why Should You Watch: You should give Mike/AlterWhite's channel a look for some solid and developing original material that it'd be interesting to see Mike revisit! While his James Hetfield-reminscent vocals often sound very overdone, he does have guitar and drumming skill on his song postings, and AlterWhite guitarist Kevin McCarthy also contributed well on those early songs. There was work to be done to shore up both projects' sound, but don't let them slip you by! Note however that Mike's uploads are all song postings only, and he hasn't visibly used this channel since last fall.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

AlterWhite - Watch With Eyes Closed: Before transitioning to solo material, Mike's band AlterWhite produced some promising (if incomplete) original songs in their 2012 heyday, with "Watch With Eyes Closed" from that August being possibly the best showcase for their diversity, with slower melodic verses & aggressive choruses. Though the vocals sound forced (especially in the verses), Mike and Kevin have good chemistry, and it'd be interesting to hear this with a fuller lineup and a tighter arrangement! For more from AlterWhite, check out songs like "Taking Back My Life" and "Wolfbane Blooms" via the above links.



Mike Matthews - Too Late: The planned third song on Mike's unreleased debut album named "Connected By Light" from September 2012, "Too Late" is the most viewed song at present on his channel. More of a straightforward metal rocker, his vocals are a stronger fit on this hard hitting original, but the lyrics can be very repetitive, and a guitar solo would have been a nice addition to shake things up. Fans of AlterWhite shouldn't be too worried though, and check out other "Connected By Light" tracks like "When You Left Me" and "Wasted" above for more similar material!



Mike Matthews - Fade Away: Mike's last original postings from last summer saw him diversify his sound a bit to include more softer acoustic material (as seen on songs like "One Week"), with "Fade Away" also showing his quieter side. He has nice command of the guitar on songs like this, and the lyrics fit the tone, but on a song of this style, his singing definitely sounds a bit out of place. Still, Mike was in a good place here, and hopefully he's still working on new music!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! So, what's getting profiled in this series next month? Through completely random selection, I've chosen a single channel for a fourth month in a row, as we'll next be taking a look at prolific local punk/metal musician Rick "Styles" White's YouTube channel, featuring videos from his work with Fitswitch, Frightlight, Redundant, and more, dating back 8 years! That's all for now, but stay tuned for some big news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Glitch), The Return Of Brutaly Fatal, And Much More!!

Keeping the news rolling on this Sunday morning, we have a lot of updates today, including some notifications of local band inactivity, major lineup adjustments for an upcoming all ages show, the return of a local death metal project, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Glitch will make a rare stop outside of The Rockstar Bar for a show on Friday, March 21st at The Harp Bar & Grill! Announced by guitarist Marco Pedalino on their Facebook group last week, this will be their first announced concert in over two months after taking February off, and just their second date at a location other than The Algonquin Hotel, but like their Toystock appearance in December, they're returning central for this show at the Food Basics plaza on Pine Street! I will note that this date conflicts with the usual Friday scheduling for fellow hard rock artist Tym Morrison's solo arrangement/hosted jam nights, but while possible March dates of his aren't out yet, he did bump two Harp dates last month to Saturdays, so the same could recur. Also, Glitch might be the first hard rock band to play at this venue in a non-unplugged setting since Garden of Bedlam headlined at the then-Madison's Pub in 2009, but if I hear differently, I'll let you guys know!

This 19+ show has a 10:00 PM start time, and there are no announced cover charges. For more details, check the above links! This could be interesting for more than just Glitch's entertaining experienced covers, as if it's successful, maybe The Harp will begin hosting more non-acoustic performers in the coming months? It remains to be seen, but keep Glitch's Harp debut in mind for the 21st, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, local goregrind/death metal project Brutaly Fatal is back... wait a minute, didn't they become Re-Born to go along with their move to a grunge/punk sound? Yes, but due to popular demand, singer/bassist Austin McCrae has resurrected Brutaly Fatal less than a month after the original version became Re-Born! Though the Re-Born Facebook page remains online, it hasn't been updated since February 7th, so it remains to be seen whether the two bands will operate independently (a'la Full Circle and the second Turner Up) or if Re-Born were "re-re-born". Also unknown is whether drummer Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson is back in the new Brutaly Fatal (for what it's worth, he's not acknowledged on the new version's Facebook page yet.) If anything comes out to clarify the status of Re-Born, I'll let you guys know! Austin has been writing new material for the new/old band, and is planning to record and upload some in the near future, while Brutaly Fatal have replaced Re-Born on the upcoming Dank Fest all ages show next month.

That makes sense, as Brutaly Fatal are a better fit stylistically (their timeslot also changed, which we'll elaborate on next.) This is surprising news, but hopefully the fans were right to get Brutaly Fatal back, and I'm curious to hear what's next, so stay tuned for updates, and they're now back in our active band links! (Also, seeing as this is the second incarnation, why not finally add the second L in "Brutally" to mark that?)

Third today, the lineup for the 14-band Dank Fest 2014 concert at The Oddfellows Hall on April 19th has had a major overhaul as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page on Wednesday, with only 1 of the 14 bands (Rotopsy at 2:30 PM) retaining their original slot! Reasons for the mass changes were not publically announced, but Tyler warned us they were coming, and scheduling conflicts had to play in somehow. In descending order, the show will now be closed by local thrashers Pillory at 1:00 AM, with classic metal quintet Project 421 preceding them at 12:15 AM, solo goregrind project Crucify The Whore at 11:30 PM, and hardcore duo Bad Back now at 10:45 PM, all of which were bumped up in the order (in Project 421's case, by 5 hours!) The out of town headliners (North Bay's Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back) are now earlier at 9:45 PM & 8:45 PM respectively, while sludge trio AlgomA's set is now later at 8:00 PM. The next 4 bands were all put earlier in the order, those being funk metallers The Strange Coyotes at 7:15 PM, Orillia metal trio Like Animals at 6:30 PM, new alt-punk trio The Pixo Control at 5:45 PM, and Stillbroke successors Viva Emptiness at 5:00 PM.

Hard rockers The Danger Cats have moved up a timeslot to 4:15 PM, with the aforementioned Brutaly Fatal replacing Re-Born in the earlier 3:30 PM slot, and Rotopsy are still opening at 2:30 PM. Sweeping changes for sure, but aside from the North Bay bands, Project 421, and AlgomA, no one moved more than 2 timeslots, so the general timeframe for most bands is still in effect. I assume the out of town bands are earlier due to having to get back on the road, but as you saw at last year's Biipiigwan show, the headlining bands aren't always the last ones. Check the above links for full current details on Dank Fest, as this should be an explosive marathon!

Finally for today, here's notes on three local hard rock bands that we've moved to our inactive band links due to either lengthy inactivity, page deletions, or members focusing on other projects. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name, and if we misjudged on any of these bands, let me know!

• Local metal duo AlterWhite are apparently defunct, as per the deletion of their Facebook page at some point in recent months, and with no substantial remaining pages beyond their YouTube channel, I've regrettably deleted them from our band links. Active from 2011-2013, they showed some promise from their studio material, but frontman Mike Matthews had focused on solo work since late 2012. Best of luck to Mike & Kevin in the future!
• I've moved local/Peterborough hardcore punk project Kidshit to our inactive band links as well due to a year's inactivity, as I've heard no finite information on the band since last spring, and with members Mark Rand & Jamie Vincent focusing on bands like AlgomA and Cross Dog in recent months, they're at least not a primary focus at present. We'll hear a lot more from both this year, but check out their free demo at the above link, and hopefully we'll see them back at it down the road!
• I've also moved local hard rock quartet The Side FX to our inactive band links due to their prolonged inactivity since last August, along with 2/3rds of their last members focusing on other primary projects at present (Rob Speers with The Elements and Derek Turner with Garden of Bedlam.) Notably featuring 2 alums of Papa Fogals Chair, The Side FX played live just once last July before activity stalled, but hopefully the guys stay active musically, and best of luck to Rob, Alex, Mike, and Derek!

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

This Weekend's Concert Previews, The End Of Inhuman Methods, And Much More!!

Keeping with our recent streak of new posts at the SMS, today features previews of this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts in the region! It's a quieter weekend than we've tended to have recently, but of course, we'll let you guys know if any are announced on short notice. We also have news on a local metal band breakup, and even more assorted news stories, but first, let's preview this weekend's two announced heavier-leaning shows! (Edited at 8:20 PM)

We'll start tomorrow at The Nicolet Tavern in Sault Ontario, where local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will play their first show in a month! Recently busy at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio working on their debut EP, the newer band featuring Bear Hunters, Wishbone, and Limelight alumni are promising some heavier new covers to go along with some new original songs at tomorrow's concert, which is a one night only affair (so don't accidentally show up on Saturday!) Admission should be free for this 10:00 PM show, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! The recent month's break from the stage has been an eternity compared to The Suicide Kings' initial pace, but they have a huge spring coming up (opening for 40 Sons, the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, the EP), so hopefully tomorrow's show helps kick everything off awesomely as they continue to build their local name! Don't miss out at The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow, and for a preview, here's the guys at Toystock last fall!

Also this weekend, Kinross hard/classic rock quintet Banned will kick off an (at least) 4 week marathon of weekend gigs in the Eastern U.P. with a return to Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan this Saturday! Easily one of their favourite venues of the past year, Banned's new lineup should be right at home with their mix of covers and originals on Saturday, but if you can't make the hour long trip to Moran (or 20 minutes from St. Ignace), Banned will be playing at varying Sault Michigan venues for all of the remianing weekends of the month! For this Saturday though, there's no announced cover charge, a 21+ age limit, and an early start time of 8:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! I've heard good early things from Banned's new lineup, and hopefully they rock Todd's Tavern to the core on Saturday night, so if you're in the E.U.P., don't miss out! For a preview, here's their newest video, a Carrie Underwood cover that's fittingly also from Todd's Tavern!



Next up, it looks like local/Central Algoma death metal band Inhuman Methods have broken up. No public statements or reasons have been announced, but the band's Facebook group was quietly deleted within the past few months, drummer Robert Crossley confirmed the news on his personal Facebook page last week, and singer Anthony Tverdal apparently moved out of town recently as well. Active since mid-2011, Inhuman Methods had shown steady improvement through their four local concerts last year (Dead In The Van, the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands, a Rosie metal night in July, and the F.A.T.I.L. Gathering in Laird), but news slowed in the latter half of 2012, with their last substantive updates coming in (I think) January. I admit that there was a lot of work to be done for Inhuman Methods, especially with their timing, but I had heard encouraging things from their summer concerts following their singer change, and they had good instrumental talents! I think if they'd stayed together longer (and found a permanent bassist), they could have worked out the kinks and became a major player among local death metal bands, but who knows what happened behind the scenes.

As their deleted Facebook group was their only online page, I sadly have to delete Inhuman Methods from our band links entirely (I wish bands wouldn't wipe their online pages like this), but if an old/posthumous page ever turns up, I'll be sure to add it here! Hopefully the guys all stay active in music, and best of luck to Anthony, Alex, Wesley, Robert, and Curtis in the future!

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

• Disregard our earlier mention of Sault Ontario metal project AlterWhite likely being inactive. According to a new personal Facebook page post from singer/drummer Mike Matthews, he's currently working on new AlterWhite material (as opposed to his similar sounding solo tracks from recent months), so AlterWhite is alive and well. Good to hear, so stay tuned for updates from them and Mike's solo work!
• According to their Facebook page yesterday, local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's EP recording sessions at The Smoke & Oak Room have finished, and they're hoping for it to "be around by later this month." When more details come out, I'll have them here, but I'm curious to hear the final product!
• If their latest Facebook status is accurate, Destroilet will play their first concerts in over two years this summer! According to their Facebook page on Friday, the local old school hardcore quintet is lined up to open for both The Dayglo Abortions & Bunchofuckinggoofs at yet-unannounced shows later this year, with the former bringing some deja vu, as Destroilet were briefly rumored to open for The Dayglo Abortions had they played here in late 2011. Stay tuned for updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as the month wears along, including a new show in our next post, and this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase, Including A New Album Release!!

After our first off day of November, we're back with news on this Thursday morning, and yes, weekend concert previews are coming tomorrow! For now though, we've got another local metal video showcase, and today, that includes this week's classic video, a new guitar cover, and a new original song, but first, we'll start with another local metal album release, so here's what you need to know!

Keeping with a surprisingly busy two months for album releases, we have another imminent one to note, and it's of local grunge band Haggith's second album "Apocalypse"! Previously forecasted to be their third album after 2013's planned "Deuce", drummer Mike Haggith confirmed on our Facebook page yesterday that it's already completed & available to stream online via the band's YouTube channel! Copies of it will be on sale at their concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center next weekend, which is awesome news (though an mp3 download copy through Bandcamp or any other sites has yet to be posted.) Expected to be their first installment of a planned concept album series, the zombie-themed "Apocalypse" runs 44 minutes long in total with 14 songs (some of which we've heard live), and they were generally composed by Mike and/or guitarist Daniel Horton, with Mike producing & mixing the album at Paperclip Productions, and singing on more songs. The same lineup from "Dragon Joy Ride" is present here, though new bassist Caleb Cachagee features on one song & guest backing singer Taylor Emlaw features on another.

It's great to see Haggith continuing their quickly prolific pace, even if this took us off guard slightly! I have yet to hear the studio tracks yet, but the songs from "Apocalypse" at the Soo Zombie Walk afterparty were encouraging, and hopefully this lives up to the hype! That said, I'll hold another Haggith review until next year to avoid biases (I tentatively have April 2013 lined up for our next Haggith CD review), but definitely stream it below and at the above links, and if you like what you hear, buy it officially one week from Friday at their next show, and hopefully online soon!



Next up, AlterWhite's Mike Matthews has posted another solo metal track onto the band's YouTube channel! Like his "Connected By Life" tracks from September, this is part of what he's calling his "second album" with a planned release next year (note however that "Connected By Life" was never released for sale as an album.) This song is entitled "Save It", which honestly almost borders on a rap metal sound combined with his Metallica-influenced earlier material, but it has welcome aggression, if being a bit repetitive. Solid enough though, so give Mike's new solo track a listen below!



Also new for videos is this cover of Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" by Ashes to Dust guitarist Alex Hemy! A bit light compared to Alex's usual cover repertoire, he uploaded this to his YouTube channel on Tuesday. His playing here is good, and he blends in pretty well with the original backing track, so if you like Bryan Adams or Alex's videos, give this newest cover a look, and stay tuned for more of Alex's guitar covers!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! With Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie playing his first gigs with his newest band The Suicide Kings THIS WEEKEND at The Nicolet Tavern, I thought it'd be fitting to tie this week's video in with one of his older bands, that being inactive local metal quartet Borderline Divine! As you may remember, Mitch played with them for the past 2 years (joining the former Stillbroke on bass in 2010), but their last major activity came in early-mid 2012 following their name change & Mitch's switch to guitar last year. A couple months before their first show as Borderline Divine, a couple of videos were posted on Facebook from a March jam session of two new originals (one being "Ride Of Your Life"), but this week, we'll start with their song "Lie To Me"! The band's final lineup is present here, including singer Jesse Frigault, Mitch on guitar, Skull After Betrayl's Justin Polutanovich on bass, and Sam DeDominicis on drums. Despite poor & dark video quality, this is a quality metal track that showed Borderline Divine's heavier evolution from Stillbroke's sound, and a lot of promise is here that I'd like to see resumed if Jesse ever moved back to the area!

Jesse originally uploaded this to Facebook on March 10th at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150578344527805 and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Borderline Divine, I'm just trying to share it with a deserving wider audience! It's a nice short metal song with clear talent and nicely developed metal singing, and it's just a shame that the Borderline Divine era didn't last longer! Check out their song "Lie To Me" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and possibly more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Haggith, Ashes To Dust, And AlterWhite News, And Much More!!

Happy October, everyone! The last quarter of 2012 is upon us, and after our quietest month at the SMS since the spring of 2010, hopefully this news post will be the first of many through Halloween. That said, there's no fallout from the Evans Blue show at Kewadin Casino yet (I expect some stuff to be forthcoming), but today's post does feature new videos and songs from some Sault Ontario hard rock projects, a bunch of assorted news items, and leading off, some Haggith updates, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Ontario grunge quartet Haggith have kept fans updated with more recent uploads and statuses, most recently including the cover of their forthcoming debut album "Dragon Joy Ride"! Seen on your right, it was posted on Facebook yesterday, and while I really like dragon/yin yang design, the font used for the title seems too generic & slapped on. A formal paid release of this album is forthcoming, so stay tuned for updates on that front! In another recent note, drummer/producer Mike Haggith indicated on the Facebook event page for the Soo Zombie Walk's pre-party on October 20th that the band are looking into securing a busking permit so they can play their planned third album "Apocalypse" from front to back outdoors during the zombie walk itself, which would be interesting to see & hear, so hopefully that works out for them! Finally for Haggith news today, they shared this photo on Facebook last month hinting towards a future concert at Algoma University, presumably referring to The Speak Easy. Nothing's been hinted at since, but stay tuned in case we hear more on that and other Haggith developments!

Next up, here's the latest updates from young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! We haven't heard much from them since they made their non-Superior Heights debut at the second Sewer Swampstravaganza in July, but they do have some recent news to cover, starting with some lineup changes. At some point recently (I'm guessing last month), the band parted ways with bassist Kyle Breckenridge for unannounced reasons. Disappointing, but I remember that he did need some work on his bass skills, so hopefully he'll come back stronger in a new band down the road! As a result of his departure, singer Noah Morden has taken on bass duties as well in the band, and Ashes To Dust have since enlisted Liam Yeomans as a second guitarist. I'm not familiar with Liam musically, but it'll be interesting to hear how two guitarists impact Ashes To Dust's sound, and hopefully Noah's bass skills work well for them going forward as well!

That said, footage of their new lineup isn't online yet, but some newer videos of their original lineup are, courtesy of their YouTube channel. Uploaded in late August, these include a short blooper video with some cute moments, and as featured below, a new jam session video of Ashes to Dust covering Judas Priest's version of Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust"! Featuring multiple camera angles & some visual effects, it's a solid cover that's familiar from their live concerts, and though it's not quite the best song for Noah's vocal style, the guys had a good handle on it! Check out Ashes To Dust covering "Diamonds & Rust" below, and stay tuned for more updates from them as they come in!



Also in the news, here's the latest updates from local metal project AlterWhite! Last week, singer/drummer Mike Matthews uploaded no less than 12 new original songs onto the band's YouTube channel, though curiously, they're credited under his name and not the AlterWhite banner. I don't know if he's phasing out the name for his original music, but it does look like he might have split with guitarist Kevin McCarthy, judging by the lack of mentions on the new videos and a recent posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, where Mike referred to looking for a drummer for a rock band. I'm to assume (if this is for AlterWhite) that Mike's moving to other instruments in Kevin's absence, but best of luck to Kevin in the future if he is indeed gone, and if you're interested in trying out as Mike's new drummer, message him at this location! That said, Mike/AlterWhite's new songs are entitled "Broken Window", "When You Left Me", "Too Late", "Connected By Light", "What Is Sane?", "Pray", "Consider", "World of You", "Play Still", "That's Rude", "Wasted", and "Don't Cry For Me", so click each link above to check these songs out!

Seemingly grouped in album format (judging by the "Connected By Light" title on each video's image), these songs are showing gradual improvement from past AlterWhite material, and there's some welcome diversity and energy on these songs! Mike's singing is slowly becoming less of a James Hetfield copy, and the songs tend to be fairly heavy with some catchy beats! I'd like to hear these songs (and the older AlterWhite songs) done with a fuller band, but Mike's improving each time we hear his original material, and his stuff is worth a listen, so here's the first song "Broken Window", stream the rest at the above links, and stay tuned for more news from AlterWhite as I hear it!



And finally for today, here's some assorted shorter stories from the last little while! As always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Sault Michigan hard rockers The Hubbard-Menard Band have announced the addition of Jack Slater to their lineup as their new bassist, as per their Facebook page on Saturday. An alum of bands like 7/47, Unleashed and The Highest of Fives, Jack does have bass talent, and I'm curious to see what kind of chemistry he has with Chris & Dave, especially with what appear to be live concert plans in the future! Stay tuned for more band updates as I hear them!
• Eckerman metal quartet Life's Eclipse have quietly re-emerged with a snippet of a new untitled song on mainman Jason Mills' SoundCloud page, and it has a lot of melodic heavy metal promise packed in it's 57 second length, so it's worth checking out! SoundCloud also alludes to it being in the section "The Dark Kingdom", but is that a possible album name? Time will tell!
• I've moved Sault Ontario industrial metal project Riverin to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band featuring Dirty Virgin alumni Matt Hicks & Matt Clement have not updated their online pages since May 2011, with the last direct mention on members' personal Facebook pages (that I can find) coming on September 29th of last year. Riverin had a unique sound compared to other local bands, so hopefully the Matts bring Riverin back down the road, and check them out at the above links!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Haggith), New Material From Them, And Much More!!

It's time for our first news post of September, and today, we have some intriguing recent news to get to, including new songs from a local metal band, the latest material and updates from a newer local act, and much more, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

New local grunge band Haggith will make their Sault Ste. Marie concert debut next week at The Roosevelt Hotel! The trio featuring local solo musician Mike Haggith alongside Havadder & 20 Pack of Marshmallows alumni will be one of two local opening bands at a punk concert at The Rosie on September 13th (one week from Thursday), in what will be their first proper concert outside of the outdoor Goulais River/Wawa sets they played last month. This show will be headlined by Vancouver pop punk trio Halfway To Hollywood, who have energetic sound that, though definitely not metal, should pull in some interested fans next Thursday! The other local openers will be local punk notables Redundant, who'll be nice to see back on stage following their exit from the Skull Fist show last month, and they'll fit in well with their punk originals and covers! Note that this show is being promoted by Frightlight/T-Rex Manning frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce, so despite the Thursday timing, it's not the next Rosie metal night, but if I hear anything on the status of that series, I'll let you guys know! There will be a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, with doors opening at 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's great to see J.D. bringing another punk show to The Rosie to help fill in the Thursday gaps, and if you liked the Die Mannequin & Shotgun Dolls shows, this might be up your alley! I'll admit that I'm not high on Halfway To Hollywood, but that's jut out of my personal preferences. Pop punk fans should enjoy them, and Redundant are always entertaining, but how about Haggith? Well, we're not quite done with them for today!

Beyond their forthcoming local concert debut, Haggith have been hard at work on recording sessions towards their debut CD, as we alluded to in our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post (below this one), but as it turns out, they don't just have one new album in the works... they have three! As it turns out, their debut album will be the aforementioned "Dragon Joy Ride", with an album named "Deuce" second and the album titled "Apocalypse" third. This may seem very sudden & ambitious for a band to be working on three albums after only a few months together, but if you're at all familiar with Mike Haggith's solo output, you'll know that this is par for the course. Just to put it in perspective, he has more recorded albums than Sykotyk Rampage, so the quick early pace doesn't surprise me! With that said, the band Haggith have posted a bunch of new photos and videos from recent recording sessions on their Facebook page, including this lyric writing video and this clip of Mike doing some vocal demos (implying that he'll contribute some singing on future recordings), but those are all Facebook exclusives and sadly unembeddable. However, their newest YouTube channel (do they need so many?) has some videos we can share here, including a pile of studio recordings and some re-uploads from another channel, but to spread everything out, let's start with their newest live video!

Shot during the same sessions as their acoustic version of "I Am", this is of Haggith members Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton playing an unplugged version of their song "Livin' It On The Run", as uploaded to their new YouTube channel on Sunday. Similarly to "I Am", there's some grungy alt-rock promise here, and some nice gritty vocals, but I'm curious to hear this in it's full electric glory (and with better lighting.) Check it out below, and stay tuned for much more from Haggith in our next news post!



Next up, here's the latest material from local metal duo AlterWhite! The band featuring local musicians Mike Matthews & Kevin McCarthy are continuing with recent activity with two more song uploads to their YouTube channel from this past weekend, those being tracks named "Taking Back My Life" and "Watch With Eyes Closed". Both are extending on their earlier promise, with the former sounding more like a high tempo thrash number and the latter sounding slower and more introspective while retaining a heavy essence. The overly Hetfield-esque vocals don't work well on "Watch With Eyes Closed", but they do fit better on "Taking Back My Life", which might be one of my favourite tracks of theirs! If they can tone down the singing a bit and get a full band, they'll have a good shot at attracting some big notice around town, but for now, check out "Taking Back My Life" below, and check the above links for the latest videos and updates from AlterWhite!



And finally, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while. As always, these are in alphabetical order by band, company, or venue name:

• Local old school hardcore quintet Destroilet appear to be re-emerging from their hiatus! Their Facebook page was recently updated with new band logos, which confirms recent personal Facebook postings by band members alluding to new developments & band work. Fingers crossed that we see them back soon, as it's been way too long since their last show and their quiet EP release last spring, so stay tuned for more updates as they come in!
• Are you or your band looking for a manager? Sault Ontario resident Stephanie Desjardins has started a managing company named Escape Into Music, and she's hoping to sign on with local bands to manage them, assist in production and booking, manage expenses, and the like that comes with expanding as a musical act. This could be beneficial for local artists without experience in non-musical aspects of being in a band, so contact Stephanie at this location for more info!
• Local concert venue/Algoma University campus bar The Speak Easy has launched new online pages on both Facebook and Twitter, so like or become a fan of each to keep in the loop on events there! Though slower in recent months for metal/hard rock shows, The Speak Easy is always a possibility for some metal, so follow the above pages just in case, and I've replaced our link for it in our local concert venue links section with their Facebook page!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Half A Man & AlterWhite News, And More!!

I wasn't planning to rush a news post tonight, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to scrape one together, so along with that, we have some Half A Man-related media, a new song from a local metal band, and more assorted stories. Also check out our Rotaryfest main stage/Tym Morrison concert previews in the post below this one, but for now, here's our latest news!

Kinross hard rock quintet Banned are apparently playing another area concert TONIGHT in a place we've never covered concerts in before! Continuing with their widely scattered shows at venues all over the Eastern U.P. (most of which aren't commonly touched on here), they'll be hitting Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan (20 minutes northwest of St. Ignace, an hour southwest of the Soo) tonight for their first ever stop at this venue! Todd's Tavern is new to us entirely (and not only because of our coverage expansion) as it was only launched in May, after current owner Todd St. Andrew purchased the former Bullwinkle's Bar & Grill, and now they're in operation & hosting live music! Whether Todd's Tavern will become a frequent destination for local hard rock/metal bands is to be determined, but this could just be among the wide array of venues that Banned have been playing this year in the region. Either way, they'll have lots of covers and originals in store for fans and revelers in Moran, and hopefully some of you guys can head out there for this show! I don't believe they're playing there on on Saturday, but tonight's show should have a 21+ age limit and a 10:00 PM-ish start time, and a cover charge has not been announced. Check the above links for more details!

And yes, I apologize for the short notice on this show, but Banned only announced it on their Facebook page earlier today. This should be a solid concert from this entertaining and hard working local band, so keep their Moran/Todd's Tavern debut in mind tonight! For a preview, here's Banned covering Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" in the Soo in January!



Next up, here's some assorted updates relating to Brimley metal trio Half A Man! Recent news has been slow, but some new Facebook-only videos have been posted this month to keep fans up to speed, including this one featuring words from frontman Erik Rintamaki and bassist Gary Croad mentioning some upcoming post-LemmaFest recording plans (and revealing some unexpected "temporary" drummers.) Nice enough video, and it's good to see some light humour in it! The other video is of the audio of their original song "Life Goes On" from LemmaFest, with assorted video footage from live concerts & practices (even from older lineups), so click here to give that a look! The footage is cool, though I'd have tried syncing up earlier videos of "Life Goes On" with it to make it look like it was all filmed together. Stay tuned for more Half A Man news as it comes in via the above links, and on a final related note, do you guys remember Set To Random, the mid-late 2000s acoustic rock trio featuring Erik on bass and Gary on drums? Well, as it turns out, they have one plugged in hard rock song named "Safe Mode" that sounds pretty good! The rest of their old material is on the softer acoustic side of things, but this has a slow deliberation that works in it's favour, and effective melodic singing from Jason Klein, so click here to hear it and more from Set To Random!

Also in the realm of newly posted media, Sault Ontario metal project AlterWhite posted a new song onto their YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "1950", it sounds pretty good compared to their earlier originals, with a catchy heavy riff and nice drumming, but the vocals still sound like a forced attempt to sound like James Hetfield, and the song itself is slightly repetitive. I like where they Mike & Kevin are heading though, so check out AlterWhite's new song below!



And finally for tonight, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Kincheloe metal band Chained Memories have quietly confirmed that only drummer Mike Rynberg is left in their lineup, meaning that Sean Roush, Ryan Nicklas, and Mikaela White have all departed. Not surprising given some of their recent news, but best of luck to all of them in the future, and if you're interested in trying out for Chained Memories, message the band/Mike at this location!
• According to Frightlight's Facebook page last month, local film production company 62nd Chamber Productions (ran by ex-BeeFMouTH member Boyd Rendell) will be on hand at WEDNESDAY'S Anvil concert at The Canadian Nightclub to film their set for upcoming media uses, and the guys wanna see some fans in Halloween costumes for the occasion! Keep that in mind for the concert, it'll be a cool sight ig people follow through!
  
• In recent Twitter postings, Redundant frontman Justin Langlois noted that his local punk band would be playing at The Roosevelt Hotel on August 2nd, which is a Thursday. Will that be the 48th Rosie metal night, or just a conveniently timed separate show? If it's indeed in the series, it'll be Redundant's first official Rosie metal night in almost 9 months, but I'll keep you guys posted with updates if I hear of them!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow before I head to the Second Stage for Garden of Bedlam! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

For the first time in over three weeks, we have a local metal video showcase for you guys on this last Monday of May! It's all about videos this morning, including a new solo performance, plenty of new songs by a resurfacing metal band, a look at a prominent local band's recording process, and leading things off, your first glimpse at a new metal quartet, so here's what you need to know!

It's about time for our first glimpse of new local stoner metal quartet Giwakwa... well, half of them! During a jam session yesterday, footage of Giwakwa guitarist Chris Page and new drummer Chris Thompson playing an original song named "Endless Bummer" was shot by an attendee and posted on to the band's new YouTube channel earlier today, but how does it sound? Catchy heavy riff with solid drumming, and there's definitely a good base here for an original song, but you can tell it needs some extra work. There's no vocals or bass (Jason Bourcier's not featured & Nolan Rainville's still out of town), and the guitar is a bit repetitive early (and lacking a solo), but I like where Giwakwa are going with "Endless Bummer"! If they can build on this with a fuller lineup and the talents they possess, they'll definitely be a band to watch when Nolan comes back home in a few months, so check out this jam of "Endless Bummer" below, and stay tuned for more Giwakwa updates as they roll in!



Next up, while Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands winners Late & Loud are still on their break, fans can be tided over via a new video on their YouTube channel! Along with a re-upload of a March concert video from another channel, they uploaded a short 59 second video filmed by guitarist Brendan Christie of their home recording setup at "the Tiberi Villa" yesterday, which also features the other band members doing everything from using a broom handle for a musical purpose to laying down. Nothing too shocking, but it's an interesting watch, especially to see the homemade operation for the production of their first demo! Also in recent news, Late & Loud recently indicated on their Facebook page that they're looking for a hot red muscle car to use for their first ever music video, which is planned to be directed by local photographer Allan Brunke, though specifics on the video (including which song the video will be for) have yet to be publicized. I'm definitely curious to hear more on this project, and as details come in, you'll see them here, but for now, give their new recording session video a look below!



Also today, do you guys remember a Sault Ontario metal band named AlterWhite? They were formed early last year by local musicians Mike Matthews & Kevin McCarthy, and were actively using & posting songs to their Facebook page & YouTube channel through last June, but public information on AlterWhite dropped off for almost a year. It was actually nearing time to list them as inactive on the site, but they've surged back into view this month with lots of new updates (including a "show" on May 19th at "Harrison's", that I knew nothing on), but the bulk of the new updates are in the form of six new audio tracks on their YouTube channel! In lieu of their 2011 demos (which were deleted from YouTube, though not Facebook), they've posted a new version of their song "Help From Above" and new tracks named "Anomaly", "Prison of You", "Half Breed", "Proud", and "Wolfbane Blooms" onto YouTube, so click each link to check them out! Note that their re-recordings of their song "Lost Souls" & their old covers weren't among the new uploads, but the band's promising more songs in the next few weeks, so they could be coming then. The new originals have definitely benefited from better recording quality and production, along with mixing the tracks to make everything sound like there's a fuller band, so they're a step above last year!

That said, there's work to be done still. I think Mike overdoes it at times on vocals (though his Hetfield-esque tone is nice to hear), and some songs can be a bit repetitive. Plus, some lack more than others in terms of needing a full band, but AlterWhite are definitely progressing forward well enough! I have no idea why public updates stalled for almost 11 months, but it's nice to see Mike & Kevin keeping at it, and hopefully they can continue to do the right things to move up the local metal ladder! Here's one of the new highlights "Prison of You", but check out more from AlterWhite at the above links, and stay tuned for more from them in the next few weeks!



And finally, here's a surprising new cover from ApocalyptiCDistroyeR frontman Jesse Middaugh, as he posted a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" onto the band's YouTube channel on Saturday! Jesse's vocals suit the song's mood, but it's too slow paced and simple compared to his talents, but admittedly, this is coming from a guy who isn't a fan of Elvis Presley's music. I might not be the right person to critique it on that basis, but if you wanna hear a well performed cover in a softer style, give Jesse's new video a look below!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and our Insipid Brutality album review this week! Thanks everyone!

A Band Name Change, A Possible New Show, And Lots More News!!

Before we get to today's previously scheduled local metal stories, I wanted to take a second to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sault Star reporter Frank Dobrovnik, who suddenly passed away just recently while vacationing in Italy with his wife. Frank had been a well respected writer & reporter for The Sault Star since 1998, and regular SMS readers may remember us featuring articles he has written surrounding certain major Essar Centre concerts, along with the Kiss concert campaign and aftermath, although his body of work stretches far beyond just those topics. I never met Frank, but I've been a fan of his writing style & articles for some time now, and this is completely shocking news to hear, especially for his young children and his own young age. Click here to read Frank Rupnik's tribute article from the paper, and local news sites should keep you guys posted on arrangements and donations to the family as they are made public. R.I.P. Frank!

Now, we have some more positive news to share on this rainy Tuesday, including some new songs, a band looking to play here, and kicking things off today, a local death metal band has changed their name! Yesterday afternoon, Bring The Misery officially changed their name to Unleash The Blackened Sky, after just two shows under their old name. With the name change, their Facebook page's link is different too, so we've updated our band links to reflect the change as well. No reason was publically given for the name change, though I imagine it's partly due to Dan Souliere's departure, as the "band merger" style of the old name (Bring The Fallen + State of Misery) doesn't have the same meaning when only one BTF member is left in the current lineup. Plus, the new name is more original, and it sounds very metal, so hopefully it sticks! Curiously though, their page still doesn't mention Daeson Lesage as their new rhythm guitarist, you think that would be updated by now. Stay tuned to the SMS for when we hear about Unleash The Blackened Sky's next shows!

Next up, there's another band looking for a local booking, so here's what you should know! I got an e-mail yesterday from Chris Woodford of the Toronto metal band Titan (not to be confused with Titans Eve), and he's looking for a local booking this summer! The band, who play sort of a mix of sludge and hardcore metal, are hoping to play a local concert on August 5th, between their Toronto & Thunder Bay shows on the surrounding days, and are open to playing anywhere that will book them! Dismembertainment can't do the show due to prior engagements that day, so Chris asked me if I could promote their search on the SMS, and I happily obliged! Titan are inspired by bands like Converge and Neurosis, and they have a nice slow and heavy sound with lots of aggression and intensity to get some moshpits going! It'd be cool to see Titan here on August 5th, so if any of you guys are interested in booking, helping book, or playing with Titan for a show that night, give the band a shout at their MySpace page linked above or at titanslays@gmail.com! Remember, if you wanna see Titan here, consider messaging them, they'd love to play here, someone just needs to extend an olive branch to start the process!

Now to some new updates from new local metal band AlterWhite! The band has uploaded two new demo covers onto their Facebook page (and their brand new YouTube channel), which may seem a bit odd when you think of metal covers. One is a cover of Creed's "My Own Prison" and the other (believe it or not) is of Wham!'s "Careless Whisper"! Now that's unexpected, especially the latter! Both end up sounding similar to their originals, as in they have some musical promise, but are very empty and unrefined, but remember, the band has just two guys at the moment. I find with both songs, the songs are obviously ratcheted up in heaviness, but honestly, Mike Matthews would be better served to actually try and sing the covers, not go into James Hetfield-mode, as it doesn't flow consistently with Kevin McCarthy's riffing. That said, I've never been a fan of George Michael, so I find the "Careless Whisper" cover to be an improvement! I want to hear these songs with another guitarist and a bassist, and maybe some more controlled singing, cause there is something there with AlterWhite that they need to expose musically! Check out the new covers (and more) at the above links, and here's their "Careless Whisper" cover!



And finally, if you've been a reader of the SMS in it's various forms over the years, you may know that July 4th is not just Independence Day, it's also the SMS' anniversary. We're coming up on 4 years since I started The Sault Metal Scene on Monday, and you may have seen a bit of a "countdown" of sorts on our Facebook page lately. That's just to build suspense, as we have 4 "surprise" announcements to make! Two involve the SMS blog/website itself, though what is happening there is up to you to speculate. One involves monthly features (all I'll say is none are being cancelled), and one involves one of our external pages. Yes, I'm keeping things vague for a reason, cause I want you guys to speculate and not know what's up my sleeve! Rest assured, nothing bad is happening, nothing drastic is going to happen in terms of overhauling our goals and aims, and (as I often reiterate), it's not related to me personally booking a concert. These announcements are all good, and in at least one case, I'll be able to provide you guys with something more than just text and media. Let the speculation run wild, and on Monday, you'll know exactly what we're doing to celebrate our 4th anniversary!

That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW as our final monthly feature post of June is unveiled, where we profile Saultite Jeff Nisbet's solo work in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series! Stay tuned for that, and much more to come! Thanks guys!

Two New Local Bands, A Band Looking To Play Here, And Shit Liver Updates!!

It's time for some more news, but before we get too much farther, I will wish all the Sault Michiganders well today as the first annual LemmaFest debuted this afternoon at Dondee Lanes! I hope it's a roaring success, and I hope to make next year's when I'll hopefully have long since gotten my vehicle insurance! Now to today's news, and we have a band looking to play here, new Shit Liver updates, and leading things off, two new Sault Ontario local bands, so here's what you should know!

Firstly, we have a new local metal band named AlterWhite, who I've actually heard about for a few weeks now since they launched a now-deleted "personal" Facebook page, but now they have a more general band page, and yes, they are metal! AlterWhite formed in January, and currently only have two members, singer/drummer Mike Matthews and guitarist Kevin McCarthy, neither of which I'm familiar with from recent local bands. According to their Facebook page, they currently play covers, but are working towards new original material. There isn't too much about the band specifically to say yet, but they have two original demos posted! They're of songs titled "Lost Souls" and "Help From Above", and were uploaded via Facebook videos. Both are obviously unfinished (only two members), but there is something promising there! Slower heavy riffs and James Hetfield-inspired vocals are cool to hear, but the production needs some work, and of course, a full lineup (and some solos) would fill out these songs better, which sound empty on their own. I have a hunch we'll hear more from AlterWhite sooner or later, so give them a look and see if you think there's something there! I'll keep you posted as updates come in!

The other new band I have today actually just broke up yesterday, but they also only launched their Facebook page in May, so they're kinda both old AND new! The band's name was T.E.N., which stands for the band members' first initials (a'la SBD.) The band featured singer Eric Weiker, bassist Nick Ritchie, and guitarist Tyler Gibson, who also handled drum programming. These guys appear to be high school students, so I don't think they did much before T.E.N. in local metal circles. This band appeared to be active for about seven weeks (May 10th through yesterday) but they managed to get a lot done in that span! Last month, they finished a demo CD of some type and sold it for $5 or less (I'm unsure of it's form or content), and I believe it was mostly distributed to fans and classmates. Plans were also in place for an EP called "When Play Time Ends" that apparently was close to completion before they abruptly broke up yesterday. Tyler did upload some original material samples onto his YouTube channel, so follow that link to check them out! The posted songs are short, and apparently take on a dark comedy/metal hybrid sound, but the comedy aspects are barely heard due to a lack of extensive singing on the posted songs.

Tyler's guitar work has promise though, but there isn't much to the posted samples. I hope their demo had more substance, It's surprising T.E.N. broke up so fast, though hopefully the members stay in music in some form, I'd be curious to see how far they could take a comedic metal approach locally! Check out the longest T.E.N. original demo below, and check out more on them at the above links!



Thirdly today, we have another band who's looking to get booked for a concert in Sault Ontario! On Thursday, James Bok (a.k.a. Mortis), singer from the Sudbury black/death metal band Before The Black Gates posted on our Facebook page inquiring about booking a show in town. I forwarded him to Dismembertainment, but in the event nothing comes from that, I opted to plug them on here to see if any of you guys are interested in booking them! Sudbury's proven to be a solid base for Ontario black metal (Wolven Ancestry are the best example), and Before The Black Gates sound like a really solid black metal band in their own right! They have some good guitar melodies intertwined with brutal black and death metal vocals, and really good drumming too! James/Mortis didn't specify a date for a local show, so I imagine the band are flexible for a possible local booking. If you're at all interested in booking, helping, or playing with James and Before The Black Gates in their local show quest, give him a shout at this location or the above links! And of course, if I hear anything from them on a local concert, I'll be sure to tell you guys when the coast is clear!

Finally today, here's the latest from local grimecore trio Shit Liver! The band posted no less than eight new videos onto their YouTube channel yesterday, all from Thursday's Roosevelt Hotel metal night, so here's what you should know! The videos are of their originals "Shit Liver", "Survival of the Shittest", "Friendly Old (Uncle Joe)", and "Contribute or Perish", their old band OBCD's song "You Speak of Weak, And We Don't Care", and three newly recorded songs, "You're Scared", "Fabricated Nonsense", and "Hateroleum"! The videos, in terms of quality, are actually worse than the ones they uploaded in January, because the filmer was much further from the stage (why didn't he/she get closer?), and with fans on the floor, the view's often obstructed. I did notice that Josh and Mike flipped spots, which is odd! The audio quality makes up for it though, if you like their sound! As well, all of their original songs (and OBCD covers) were also recorded on audio at this show using a different device and posted on their MySpace page yesterday as well! This includes two originals that went unfilmed ("Sooer Living" and "Drowning in Shit"), and the audio quality is actually really nice, so check out their posted live audio clips from Thursday at this location!

Nice to see new media from these guys, who leave an impression at every show they play with their crusty brand of death metal! Now this will likely be the last time we see Shit Liver on stage until maybe late July or August, as the band said yesterday on their Facebook page "cya guys in a month er so." Though a reason for the hiatus wasn't mentioned, I believe drummer Matt Baic is travelling east next month, though don't quote me, I may be wrong. When they come back though, they'll be out in full force! Check the above links for all the latest Shit Liver shit, and here's the longest of the brand new songs recorded on video, "Fabricated Nonsense"!



That's all for today, but I will see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for The Saigon Hookers! Thanks everyone!