Archelon/Doors & Fours Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is entirely devoted to videos from the Archelon-headlined Rockstar Bar concert from this past Saturday night, as debuting/opening local power rock quintet Re:Born's Facebook page has uploaded videos from each band's set! I believe these were shot (at least in part) by guitarist Blair Burch's son Cory, who I recall filming during the show. Better quality than my videos overall, and he got closer to the bands, which is helpful! Remember, I don't like getting closer to the bands if no one's really on the floor, as I don't want to be "that guy" blocking everyone's view. Re:Born's video of Archelon is of the headlining Sudbury groove/death metal quintet playing their song "Path to Darkness", which captures their brutal onslaught nicely, if with slightly staticy audio, and it's nice to see a vibrant fan response up front! Give it a look below!



Next up, Re:Born's channel also posted this video Hamilton punk/grunge trio Doors & Fours playing their song 'Take Your Life Away" on Saturday night, which is coincidentally the song I filmed for our review of this concert. That said, this is a higher quality version of this song, and comparatively a more reserved track than Doors & Fours chaotic, all-business set tended to contain! Give it a look below as well!



Moving to the locals, we also have a new video of Jack Spades playing their original song "Motorwolf", and in a surprise occurence that I forgot to mention in our review, the opening yell of the song's title was done by frontman J.D. Pearce rather than another past or present band member, as they're more typically known for. Energetic and suitably high impact rendition from this fan favourite punk/metal quintet, so check out their new lineup in action below!

 
And finally, Re:Born themselves were filmed twice for their channel, including their renditions of "Reckoning Day" & "Breaking the Law" by Megadeth and Judas Priest respectively, and asembedded below, their covers of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" & predecessors Project 421's "Running Away". Very solid debut for this new band, and Robert Nevitt has the pipes despite a lack of band experience until now, so hopefully they keep on an upward trajectory in 2018! Check our Re-Born's first official live videos above and below, and stay tuned for more from them!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Who Made Who), A New EP Release, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday morning delectation, so what's on the docket today? A band moved to our inactive links, a new concert video, and a new album release, but we'll lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who will return to Sault Ste. Marie for another headlining concert on Friday, April 6th at The Rockstar Bar! Though not yet advertised online that I have found, this poster at the venue proper confirms the show, which takes place the same day as Shit Liver's release tour stop downstairs at The Algonquin Pub, so keep that in mind as well for the 6th. Fans will recall seeing Who Made Who's faithful sounding and looking tribute to AC/DC at The Rockstar Bar last April, and numerous times prior in the early 2010s, so their brand of high voltage rock & roll has definitely found an audience in the Soo, and here's hoping their return next month provides more of the same! This 19+ concert will likely have a 9:00 PM start time, and while admission fees have not yet been announced publically, note that last year's Who Made Who show had $10 tickets that you could buy at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk. Both floors of The Algonquin will be rocking on the 6th, so see above for more details on this concert!

Next up, we have a surprise new album release to note on here, as local instrumental black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest have posted their third EP online, in their first public act since releasing their second ("Ethereal") last fall! Entitled "To See Eternity", this was posted to the project's Bandcamp page yesterday, and marks a return to Old Man Wyrn's black metal roots after "Ethereal" dove head first into ambient compositions. This EP is currently on sale on Bandcamp for $10, but you can stream all four tracks for free there as well. It's great to see Abhorrent Forest active and recording, even if we only seem to hear from them when they release a new album on us! That said, when can you expect a review of "To See Eternity" on the SMS? Not this month, as this is the last month of our 6 month anti-bias buffer since reviewing "Ethereal", and with Shit Liver's new album pencilled in for next month, I'm targeting May for it. Assuming nothing screwy happens, look for it then, and stream all of Abhorrent Forest's studio material above!

Also today, here's the first of the public videos that have turned up from Saturday night's Archelon concert at The Rockstar Bar, as drummer Keith Zwicker posted this video of the Sudbury groove metal quintet playing their song "Cut & Run" to his personal YouTube channel yesterday! Ostensibly filmed by someone on Archelon's crew, this video has a great close angle from the far corner of the stage, and while the audio's a little muffled, their brutal aggression is captured well enough! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Archelon and the other bands in an upcoming post!

Finally, we have an addition to note to our inactive band links, that being local death metal duo Brutally Fatal. While there have been no firm announcements regarding their status, they haven't posted a new public update since releasing their free "Blood of the Devil" "album" last February, though for what it's worth, label Blood Shed Productions have been very quiet in the past year as well. Active off and on since 2012, Brutally Fatal was an early flagship band for the Blood Shed label from co-founder Austin McCrae, who put out a few album-formatted releases of an often provocative nature, while also performing at scattered concerts in the mid-2010s as both a solo act and later alongside C.T.W.'s Tyler Gibson on drums. These notably included the final Swampstravaganza in 2015, and a number of Blood Shed-affiliated Oddfellows and house party events. Note that this is not the same band as The Revolution, which Austin launched in 2014 as a second version of Brutally Fatal during the original's brief punk turn as Re-Born (no relation.)

Whether you spelled "Brutaly" with one L or two, Brutally Fatal were a fittingly brutal band at their height, and while the minimalistic extreme sound wasn't for everyone, they did showcase growth and originality during their run! I don't know if Brutally Fatal are lying dormant while Blood Shed continues their quiet period or if they're effectively done, but hopefully we hear more from Austin and Tyler musically soon in this or other projects! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!

Archelon/Doors & Fours Concert Review!!

After a delay due to personal commitments, here's our review of Saturday night's Archelon/Doors & Fours concert at The Rockstar Bar! Nice to finally get back out to a show after a little too long, but unfortunately, the crowd was only about medium capacity. The fans that did make it out were vocal and invested, however, and by the end of the night, the floor was getting reasonably packed, which was nice to see! Now, onto the bands!

Opening this show were the debuting Re:Born, the new power rock quintet from Project 421, Eclipse, and Din alumni, so how'd they sound for their first public outing? So far, so good, in my opinion! Playing a set familiar to 421 diehards with originals like "No One Rides For Free" & "Into The Darkness" joining Iron Maiden and Diamond Head renditions, this new band also broke out a few new covers not done by the old band, including some AC/DC and Scorpions classics. Of course, Blair Burch and Frank McGillivray's pre-existing chemistry was on full display, Fred Dunn's bass work fit in well, and Brandan Glew's acclimiating nicely to this heavier sound (though the bass drum could be a little loud.) The great unknown here was with singer Robert Nevitt, who was making his debut in any band on Saturday, and while he needs to engage wit the crowd a little more and loosen up a bit, his voice is solid! I can see him handling hair metal covers with ease, and while I don't expect they're going that route, Re:Born are off to a solid start!

Despite being an out of town group, Hamilton grunge/punk trio Doors & Fours played next in their local concert debut (also a makeup date of sorts after dropping out of a show here last fall), and they made up for lost time with an entertaining and heavy set! Intense is one way to describe it, with the guys staying very focused and in the groove, uttering not one word to the crowd between songs, not even to announce a title. This does create a disconnect with the fans, but at the same time, Doors & Fours definitely held fans' early attention with songs like their new single "So Hard", and with their chaotic, always-in-motion stage presence, they were hard to keep eyes off of! Frontman Adam Peach could morph from a hardcore scream to a grunge throwback style with relative ease, and Rene Thivierge and Cody McAleney were well matched rhythmically for their set! It'd be nice to see Doors & Fours give and take more with the crowd, but hopefully this isn't the only time we see them on a local concert bill!

Co-headlining on Saturday were local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first public concert of 2018, and just their second show with their current lineup, and fans were treated to another entertaining, high impact set from this favourite group! Their set was mostly business as usual, with originals like "Fear Corps" and "Breakneck Speed" dotted with covers of acts like Turbonegro and The Ripcordz, but there was one new song unveiled on this night, a more upbeat punk number called "Sewer City Radio" which seemed to go over well! That song aside, there were no true "surprises", but Jack Spades delivered a quality set, with J.D. Pearce's voice on point no matter where in the venue he was (even on a chair for a stretch!) Tiffany Stocco and Johnny Belanger are fully back in the groove after coming back late last year, Daniel Horton shone on lead guitar, and Rob Speers' bass skills fit in just fine also! Here's to more planet-jacking from Jack Spades in this new year!

And finally, your headliners were Sudbury groove metal quintet Archelon in their first local concert appearance since October 2014! Compared to that Halloween themed, covers-heavy set, this fast-rising group has matured but kept a positive, face melting spirit that encouraged the most fans onto the floor of the evening, which was welcome to see at last! Playing numerous selections from their "Bound By Bloodlines" like "LifeDebt" along with non-album tracks like "Path of Darkness", the guys brutalized the Rockstar Bar stage (I'm honestly surprised this wasn't downstairs!), with their sound touching on elements of death, groove, and thrash with aplomb, and Bobby Cobras' vocals were well suited all around! Brady McCoy made good use of his beautiful Dean Razorback once again, and he was a good match with Patrick Mallette in this department too! Archelon have grown a lot since we last saw them, and hopefully they get a much better turnout when they come back!

Overall, this was a very solid concert from all four bands, and hopefully J.D. has much more in the works as the year rolls along! ou can check out our photos from Saturday night at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for videos, here's Re:Born covering Megadeth's "Reckoning Day", Doors & Fours playing "Take Your Life Away", Jack Spades playing "Sewer City Radio", and Archelon playing "Light Side" (and yes, I know that other videos from this show have been posted publically by other attendees, we will touch on them this week in upcoming posts!)









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

Weekend Concert Previews, A New Old Treble Charger Interview, And Sault Michigan Updates!!

In what may just be the calm before the St. Patrick's Day storm, this weekend's concert previews are very slight in number, with only two batches of hard rock shows to cover this weekend that have advance notice. To fill things out, we have a new-ish radio interview with a prominent local band, and some assorted Sault Michigan stories, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today's shorter than usual batch of concert previews with the return of prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison to Gliss Steak & Seafood for another pair of unplugged gigs TONIGHT & TOMORROW! As his long-term weekly arrangement at The Quality Inn's house restaurant marches on, Tym should have another solid pair of shows in store for fans and patrons alike, so keep an eye out for his skilled blend of classic and hard rock covers over these next two evenings! Note that Tym played Gliss yesterday as well on special request (if that was a public show, our apologies for missing it), while he has also confirmed that his hosting of open mic nights at The Canadian will continue on Thursdays rather than Wednesdays starting next week through at least May 24th, so keep the date change in mind if you like open mic nights! As usual for Tym's Gliss matinees, expect a 6:00 PM start time tonight and tomorrow.

Also, remember that while there are no announced cover charges or age limits, mind the locale, this isn't a traditional nightclub venue. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on these and upcoming Tym Morrison shows at Gliss, and here he is live a few years back!



Next up, here's this weekend's only other previously announced hard rock show, and it's a big one for metal fans, as Sudbury death/thrash metal band Archelon will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining date at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Almost 3½ years removed from their Oddfellows Hall concert on Devil's Night 2014, this show could be seen as a delayed final stop from theirs and locals Jack Spades' joint Northern Ontario tour last fall, which didn't have a Soo concert scheduled. Archelon's brutal onslaught should be welcomed back to the local stage tomorrow, so don't miss out on their original tracks then! The aforementioned Jack Spades are the advertised co-headliners in their first concert appearance of 2018, and their second since Tiffany and Johnny returned to their lineup, so look for more high impact metal-tinged punk from them! Might there be a new song to look forward to?! Hamilton punk/grunge trio Doors & Fours will also perform on Saturday in a makeup date of sorts following their drop-out of a headlining show here in November, also with Jack Spades.

No word on why they're playing between locals, but Doors & Fours old school-inspired hybrid sound should garner a solid audience of their own tomorrow night! The openers are new local power rock quintet (and Project 421 successors) Re:Born in their public concert debut, so how will Robert, Blair, Frank, Fred, and Brandan sound in their first live go-around? Find out tomorrow night! This show has a $7 cover charge, 10:00 PM start time, and 19+ age limit, and while the genres on display seem more suited for The Algonquin Pub downstairs, all advertising indicates it's upstairs. This should be a great night of metal and punk action, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Archelon live!



Also today, here's a new YouTube find for fans of local/Toronto indie punk veterans Treble Charger, namely an interview with singer/guitarist Greig Nori and then-bassist Rosie Martin on Calgary rock station CJAY 92 back in December 2000! Uploaded to YouTube user Colin MacDonald's channel yesterday, the interview was conducted by CJAY personality Stone Malone, the interview took place during Treble Charger's tour stop in Calgary on December 4th, 2000 alongside Eve 6 and Gob. In the interview, Greig and Rosie talk about how the tour is going, their beginnings as a band, their then-new album "Wide Awake Bored", working with producer Matt Hyde, tour experiences in the United States, their pinball-inspired website, their new music video for "Brand New Low", members' loves & hates, and more (Stone also throws to "Brand New Low" and "Funny", but both tracks and the commercial break are clipped out, likely for copyright reasons regarding the songs.)

Despite a 17+ year wait to see this interview come online, it's a fun listen, and both Greig and Rosie are completely at ease and having a lot of fun bantering and reminiscing with Stone (even joking that they'd be CJAY's new morning hosts), so this is definitely worth listening for Treble Charger fans! Do so below, and hopefully we hear more from Treble Charger in 2018!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all relating to Sault Michigan in some respect! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by venue, station, or program name:

• Classic Rock: The Bear in Cheboygan (WCHY 97.7 FM) is moving to 95.3 FM on a 5X stronger signal on Tuesday, as per their Facebook page! The move appears to involve the purchase of or trade for existing country station WWSS 95.3 FM in Tuscarora Township (which shares ownership with the Eagle classic hits stations in our market.) Though 95.3 is a much stronger signal, Tuscarora is a half hour south of Cheboygan, so how well will The Bear pick up in the Soo now, especially compared to KLT? We'll find out next week!
• In a name change for our "Other Sault Michigan Links", I have reverted the name of Rock 101's weekday morning drive program back to Scott Cook In The Morning, following co-host Brian Davie's second departure last year. To my knowledge, an online statement wasn't made regarding his exit, but on-air promotion of the show doesn't list Brian anymore, and I haven't heard him on air in months. Hopefully nothing bad happened, it was nice to have him back!
• A second musicians competition will be held at the Superior Cafe (inside Bird's Eye Outfitters on the former Golanka's Bar site) in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, March 27th! Ground rules are basically identical to January's competition, with gift cards awaiting the winning acts (bands and solo artists welcomed), so visit the official Facebook event page for details! For reference, 9 acts competed in January, including winning alternative quintet Midnight Logic and half of Project 906, among others.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Archelon), New Video Postings, And Much More!!

Just to make sure we don't interfere with your Super Bowl plans, today's post is up well and early, so what's in this one? The return of the shorter items bumped from our second Thursday post, two new videos from local concerts last fall, and leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sudbury death/thrash metal band Archelon will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie with a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, March 10th! Most recently noted on the SMS when they and locals Jack Spades toured Northern Ontario together in the fall, this will be Archelon's first set in the Soo since the Devil's Night show at The Oddfellows Hall in October 2014. This brutal Northern Ontario quintet should be easily welcomed back to the local stage next month, so welcome their aggressive and crushing originals back on March 10th! The aforementioned Jack Spades will return from last fall's tour as openers next month in their first live appearance of 2018, while debuting local classic metal quintet Re:Born will hit the stage for the first time ever as the night's advertised openers (though members did open for Archelon with Project 421 and The Revolution back in 2014.) How will Re:Born sound in their first live go-around? We'll find out next month!

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce in his first self-promoted event in four months, this 19+ concert has a $7 cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time, and while it is advertised as being upstairs at The Rockstar Bar, the extreme metal nature of the headliners is more akin to what would be held downstairs at The Algonquin Pub/Spin Nightclub, so keep that in mind if the show changes floors. This should be a great show for metalheads to help ring in the spring months with, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for current & future details!

Next up, here's a new live audio track (albeit posted as a Facebook video) that I apologize for missing on the site for the past two weeks, namely the first official soundboard recording from The Din's farewell show last fall! Last month, the defunct local alternative hard rock trio announced that their posthumous live CD "Suburban Sendoff" (recorded at LopLops Lounge in October) is "finally ready to share", and they're starting with a few advance cuts to preview it's forthcoming full release. This is the cover artwork, obviously an adaptation of the front of their final studio album "Suburban Dream". The first preview track is actually their only cover from that night, aside from frontman Mike Haggith's prior solo material, namely their rendition of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough" from their encore. The Din weren't planning to cover any outside bands for their farewell, but as Gord Downie passed away just days out from the show, they added it into their set as a tribute, which was a nice gesture!

As a cover, will this make "Suburban Sendoff"? Given that The Din axed covers from the Bandcamp version of their debut live album "The Din Does Laundry", I can't see it, especially if Bandcamp is the primary sale location for this new live album, but I have been wrong before. In any event, this was a loving and welcomed tribute to Gord and The Hip at a time when fans would appreciate it the most, so give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more on the "Suburban Sendoff" live album as it rolls in!



Also today, here's the first video from local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church's new YouTube channel! Recorded at their set at Odeno at Sault College in September during their reunion celebration, I'm not sure why this performance of their song "Muddy Water" (no plural) took so long to hit the internet, but it's a cool way to launch their YouTube channel, so better late than never! Filmed on a stationary camera (albeit with minimal drift if you skip around), the audio's a little muffled, but Electric Church are in solid form from a nice camera angle, and hopefully we hear more from them live and in studio in 2018! Give their new video a look below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and yes, these are the ones bumped from Thursday's second post. They're not going anywhere now! As usual for these short-form stories, these are in alphabetical order by artist or company name:

• Former Haggith/Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie is looking to get back into the local scene in a new project. He noted that he can play guitar, bass, keyboard, and some drums, he has a complete jam space, his schedule is wide open, original songs are welcomed, and and he'd be interested in playing metal as well as classic, alternative, or pop rock. It'd be great to see Curtis again in a new band, but if you're interested in jamming with him or learning more information, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from January 19th!
• This probably goes without saying, but the band named Griphook that played an Orlando, Florida concert on Saturday is not the local hard rock cover quartet, despite their logo being erroneously used on the poster, and the Soo's Griphook sharing the poster on Facebook (presumably in jest.) The Orlando band that played that event is an old school punk outfit named Grip Hook, who made their live debut last fall. Aside from nearly identical names and both being veteran all-male rock quartets, there's no connection between the two Griphooks, but hopefully this clears up any confusion!
• Local recording studio Pretoria Hill Productions now has a Facebook page, so we have added them to our "Other Local Metal Links"! Best known here as the studio where The Din recorded their two albums (guitarist Tammy Hill's father Daniel Schmidt owns Pretoria Hill), the studio is currently home to recording sessions for Tammy's country duo The Steeltown Girls' debut CD. Daniel has done solid work with Pretoria Hill so far, and contact him above if you're interested in recording music there or gaining more details!

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

Recent Heavy North Entertainment Concert Videos!!

Today's post is devoted to recent Heavy North Entertainment and Blood Shed Productions concerts, specifically videos from them, as some were uploaded to Facebook in the last week or so via the shows' respective Facebook event pages, making them publically available! Yes, I know there's more from these shows and the same filmers, but if they're only shared via personal pages, we wouldn't share them here just for sake of privacy. This special post kicks off with videos from the Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall late last month, as promoter Tyler St. Amour posted six videos from the show onto the show's Facebook event page over the last week plus! Three of them are of the opening rap sets, including footage of Miracle Man & Mikey Thomas' spitting rhymes, but I'll give special mention to the video of Phat Boii (a.k.a. former Tomgrindy singer Jean-Paul Archambault), as I was running late to the show and missed his set entirely, so how did he do on Devil's Night?

More energetic and angry sounding than his studio work often does, he definitely made the most of the stage, though at times, it did look like J.P. was blurring words together. Nice to see Chase Wigmore jump in on guest bass too, so give Phat Boii's video and the other rappers a look above! As for the videos of heavier bands, Tyler has only uploaded three to the event page, including this 18 minute+ video of the end of Sudbury metal quintet Archelon's set, including their cover of Pantera's "Mouth For War" and their last two originals. Solid audio quality of their entertaining set, but the lighting is dark, and the camera angles vary from close to the action to mounted on a back table and panning down to just people's feet for a stretch. Nice to see some more video footage though, so give it a look below! Remember, embedded Facebook videos still work despite only showing a black screen now for whatever reason, so just double click on it!



Also among Tyler's videos from this show is this almost 10 minute clip of Crucify The Whore's set,  which will definitely please Blood Shed loyalists and goregrind fans! Featuring songs like "Orthostatic Hypotension" and the ultra-short "Batch Cones", the video has similar quality to the Archelon footage, but it has better lighting and a worse view of the (one-man) band, as Tyler Gibson is obscured by the crowd for most of the duration. C.T.W. fans shoiuld enjoy though, so give this video a look below!



Lastly for Tyler's Devil's Night videos is this clip of James Watterworth and his newly-restored Strange Coyotes bandmates playing one of his existing solo songs, though regrettably, I forget the title off hand. Nice, energetic, and heavy though, and the camera angle improves late when Tyler joins the floor, albeit with some pit action to disrupt the angle, but it ends well! Strong clip, and it's great to have James, Chase, and Mike back together, so check out their video below!



We'll close this all-H.N.E. post with a video from the abbreviated "Bloody Basement Jam" held on Weldon Avenue this past Friday, as posted on that show's Facebook event page on Saturday! Filmed, uploaded, and shared by attendee Katie Stevenson, this appears to be of C.T.W. frontman/Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson jamming along with backing music, but the lighting isn't great. Not bad for what it is, so give it a look below!



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

Devil's Night At The Oddfellows Hall II Concert Review!!

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Gob & Archelon Concert Previews, Plus More Recent Updates!!

The Halloween weekend is creeping up ever closer, so let's kick off our previews of the seasonal punk and metal action with previews of two big pre-Friday shows! We'll likely have three Halloween weekend concert preview posts, with one for Sault Ontario shows from Friday-Saturday, and another for Sault Michigan in general, with The Brains show on Sunday also very much in mind for wherever it can fit, not to mention possible late notice events. Along with some assorted recent items, here's what you should know for our first of the Halloween previews!

One of the biggest punk concerts of the year goes down TONIGHT, when Langley, B.C. punk veterans Gob make their long awaited return to the Soo at The Rockstar Bar! The Juno nominees were last seen here when they headlined at the former Outback in January 2009, so it's been a long time coming for fans of their classic songs like "Soda" and "I Hear You Calling", and you won't want to miss the punk rock energy and enthusiasm like only they can bring TONIGHT! Also, for you Sum 41 fans, keep in mind that guitarist Tom Thacker is Gob's frontman. Unlike in 2009, local punk bands will open for Gob tonight, and they include local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (in what personal Facebook postings are hyping as their last set of the year), newer local indie/punk quintet Northwest (in their first set since the release of their self-titled digital EP), and local punk trio Redundant (in their first public concert of the fall), so all should be great fits to open for Gob tonight! Remember, Oakville punk band Seaway are not playing tonight (they were only on eastern Canada dates, the Soo not being among them), so Northwest were added last month to replace them.

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, admission for tonight's show is $20 in advance and apparently at the door too (a higher door charge isn't publicized), but if you pay $25, you'll get a copy of Gob's new CD "Apt. 13" upon entry, so keep that deal in mind! If you wanted to get your tickets online, you can also buy them at http://www.brownpapertickets.com. This is a 19+ concert, and everything starts TONIGHT at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! An almost 6 year wait for a new Gob concert in the Soo is too long, so I hope to see you guys there TONIGHT, and here's Gob live in Toronto in 2012!

Also on the Halloween concert schedule is the second annual Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall TOMORROW NIGHT! After last year's October 30th concert helped launch promoter Tyler St. Amour's promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment, he's going bigger and better for it's encore tomorrow, with H.N.E. (in association with Blood Shed Productions) hosting twelve different acts at The Oddfellows Hall, so who all is playing? The announced headlining band is Sudbury groove metal quintet Archelon in their local debut, and they should brutalize fans tomorrow, but they actually aren't the last act on the bill. The 1:00 AM slot actually belongs to local experimental musician Chase Wigmore, who will be making his long awaited return to the stage after a 5 month work hiatus, so welcome Chase back home by checking out his creative originals at night's end! Archelon will instead be second last at 12:00 AM.

As for the rest of the lineup, local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith will play before them at 11:00 PM (in their first Oddfellows set with their current lineup), while the rest of the bands have shorter half hour timeslots each. Local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore will take the stage for their own brutal originals at 10:00 PM, while local cover metal rockers Project 421 will play their first set since the departure of singer Curtis McKenzie at 9:15 PM, but will Blair handle lead vocals, or is there a surprise in store? The aforementioned Chase Wigmore's grind duo project This Is Your Band On Drugs will also return to the stage for a set at 8:30 PM, while Blood Shed Productions goregrind duo Rotopsy will hit the stage at 7:45 PM, and local doom/punk trio The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal) will rock out at 7:00 PM. Also, former Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth (credited under his Delusionair Lionhair alias) will kick off the rock band portion of the day at 6:15 PM.

The Devil's Night action will start at 5:00 PM with local rappers (a first for a Heavy North Entertainment show), with Blood Shed-affiliated rappers Phat Boii, Miracle Man, and Mikey Thomas splitting an hour to start the show, so if you want some hip-hop, be there early! Admission will be $5 in advance (through promoters) or $7 at the door tomorrow night, this is absolutely ALL AGES, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! This is a stacked lineup to be sure, and fans of last year's Devil's Night show will like the familiarity (all official performers but The Bear Hunters and Crimson Crusade are back), so again, I hope to see you guys there TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Archelon live in Spanish!



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

• In a neat surprise announcement, local death metal band The Bear Hunters have revealed that their CD release show at The Canadian Nightclub on November 29th will be ALL AGES! The news was revealed on the Facebook event page on Monday. No word on if the possibility of no age limits was a factor in moving the event from The Algonquin, but this is great for all Bear Hunters fans, so don't miss the show and CD release next month!
• I've again deleted Strongs, Michigan metal project East Branch from our band links, due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page. The Werehold Records-affiliated project was active as recently as June's Friday the 13th song posting event, but activity has been quiet since. Hopefully they reemerge at some point, perhaps on Friday, February 13th?
• I've changed the link for defunct local/Grand Rapids metal band End of Existence from their Reverbnation page (which has since been deleted) to their Facebook page, which is still used to promote drummer Greg Giles' solo company Giles Arts. I wish they wouldn't have deleted and privatized so many of their online links, but at least Facebook's still active!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Halloween concert previews in the coming days, and we'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for Gob! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Archelon), A New Local Punk Band, And More!!

Alright, we do have one more news post before TONIGHT'S Ripcordz concert, and it includes some assorted recent news & notes, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to go with an already stacked Halloween concert lineup, and first, a new local band to take note of, so here's what you need to know!

We have a new band to add to our active links, and they are The Red & Black, a new punk/grunge duo that are officially credited as hailing from Garden River. The newest in the increasing slate of two man bands in the area, their lineup features Telephone & Address founder Chris Shoust on vocals & guitar alongside talented local pianist Damjan Binda (a.k.a. Spider Fingerz) on drums. Information on The Red & Black is minimal so far, and it's unclear if they plan to transfer to the live stage, but two original songs are now online via their Bandcamp page, where both can be streamed and even bought if you so chose. One's named "The Army Song" (complete with repeated chorus shouts of "Left! Right!"), and the other is called "Talk Talk Talk". Both are reminiscent of Chris' recent Telephone & Address originals, just with guitar instead of bass and a live drummer rather than programmed drums, so fans of "Need Not Apply" will be right at home with The Red & Black! Stay tuned for more on The Red & Black as we hear it!

Next up, here's another LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning the Halloween season, as Heavy North Entertainment are putting on a second annual Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall on Thursday, October 30th! Last year's Devil's Night show wasn't the first under the H.N.E. name, but it launched Tyler St. Amour's promotional run at formal venues, so it's cool to see him turn this into an annual event! Though with such an extensive lineup, I'm surprised we're only getting just over two weeks notice. Subtitled "Local Mash-Up" (Oddzfest reference?), this show currently has 12 announced acts, and though Sudbury metal quintet Archelon (who have played with local bands at recent events in Cochrane & Spanish) are the nominal headliners, much of the advance press revolves around the local homecoming of experimental solo musician Chase Wigmore & his death metal duo This Is Your Band On Drugs, neither of which have been seen in town in 5 months due to Chase's out of town work commitments.

It's great to see Chase back in town, and his irreverent and very talented music should be welcomed back in both his solo and T.I.Y.B.O.D. sets on Devil's Night! The lineup will also include three bands with Paperclip Productions ties, including grunge/alternative notables Haggith, classic metal rockers Project 421 (in their first show since the departure of singer Curtis McKenzie), and local doom/punk trio The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal), while the heavy portion of the lineup is rounded out with Blood Shed Productions goregrind acts Crucify The Whore & Rotopsy, and former Strange Coyotes bassist James Watterworth (credited under his Delusionair Lionhair alias) in a solo set. Timeslots for all of the above artists are to be determined, but this second Devil's Night show will kick off at 5:00 PM with a three-way set of local rappers (the first time H.N.E. has booked that genre at a non-house party), and the rappers in question are Phat Boii, Miracle Man, and Mikey Thomas, so keep their joint set in mind if you're coming early for some hip-hop!

For reference & continuity sake, every official performer from last year's Devil's Night show is back this year, with the exception of Crimson Crusade (who went on hiatus after last year's show) and The Bear Hunters. This ALL AGES concert kicks off with the rappers at 5:00 PM, and admission will be $5 in advance (details to be announced) and $7 at the door, which is a fantastic value! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I've said it before, the Halloween season is the peak of the metal & punk concert calendar during the fall season, and this is continued proof of that, so don't bypass Devil's Night at The Oddfellows Hall during your seasonal concert plans! Stay tuned for updates!

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

• Bear Hunters guitarist/Beaumont Avenue bassist Mitch Sirie is again looking to start a side metal band project, this time one with an emphasis on natural, earthy songwriting and diverse unpredictable musical quality. He'll have time and jam space to start early next year, so if you're interested, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Thursday!
• In a comment reply on that very same Musicians Wanted group post, Giwakwa drummer Chris Thompson mentioned that the band (who is indeed still alive) is looking for a new singer and bassist, presumably still due to Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville's out of town work commitments. Mitch indicated clear interested in one or both positions, but if you're interested in trying out for either role yourself, message Chris at this link!
• After a three week break from studio work, Haggith drummer Mike Haggith revealed on his Facebook page on Wednesday that he is working on a new studio album called "The Warinside" (the missing space appears to be intentional), and though it deals with "relevant recent happenings", there's no timetable for it's release as of yet, and what this means for his announced third compilation album, the re-release of "Neighbourhood Watch", and the indefinitely postponed "The Tower" isn't clear yet. Get more info (including the cover art) at the above links!

That's all for today, but we'll see you guys at The Algonquin Pub TONIGHT for The Ripcordz! Thanks everyone!