Local Metal Video Showcase!!

It's time for some more new local metal videos as we approach the midpoint of the month! We have enough to make up a post completely devoted to videos, and today, we have some newly posted footage from Late & Loud & Woods of Ypres, some Sault-relevant videos surrounding a recent out of town headlining band, and first, some cool studio updates from a band's recent studio sessions, so let's get all of this going! (Oh, and our weekly classic video will likely be up tomorrow, FYI.)

As you may remember, local hardcore quintet As It Stands hit the studio at the beginning of the month for some quick sessions at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga towards their forthcoming EP (as confirmed at the end.) Well, now we can see some of the happenings from the sessions, as the band have posted a studio vlog onto their YouTube channel, and you can watch it below! Clocking in at almost 10 minutes long, the video features assorted clips and footage from the sessions, including lots of in-studio clips that show the tracking and instrumental tracks already recorded. Only Justin Pregent is shown on camera actually recording his parts, which did include their "Stay Together For The Kids" cover! Outside the studio, we get everything from John Mignacca's acrobatics to a skateboarding & dancing chicken, so this is worth checking out even more so! The video clips are mostly focused on Justin & John, with the other members not getting extended time on camera. Also, the dimensions of the video are small & odd, flipping from narrow to wide views constantly, leading me to think a smartphone camera filmed everything. Solid stuff though, nice clear audio quality, and I really like what I'm hearing! Check out the vlog below, and stay tuned for updates on this EP!



Secondly today, here's one more Woods of Ypres video from their Saint Paul, Minnesota show on May 14th! Yesterday's post went up before this final video was uploaded by frontman David Gold onto his YouTube channel, but it's especially worth a look on it's own anyway! It's of their set-capping song "A Meeting Place & Time", and the quality and sound is as good as yesterday's videos! The only real difference is if you like the song more or less than the others, and regardless, it's a great song! Plus, there's a little surprise for an "encore", but what's the surprise? Watch and find out, as here's Woods of Ypres playing "A Meeting Place & Time" last month in Minnesota!



Thirdly, here's some newly discovered footage of local metal quartet Late & Loud! As their hiatus stretches into it's second month, band updates continue to slowly roll in nonetheless, and some of that is thanks to their YouTube channel! Now most videos there are from assorted "episodes" of random band happenings that were posted in October. Though having some musical moments, they don't have much in terms of full band performances in them, but they're worth a look! My main reason for bringing them up today is that they posted some live concert videos from a show at Foggy Notions onto their YouTube channel in March! One is of their original "Never Again", which was previously put on their Facebook page around February. Solid hard rocker, and good quality, though they really need a full time singer. I'm embedding their cover of Witchcraft's "Chylde of Fire" here because it didn't make it to Facebook before, so we haven't seen it beforehand! They have the song down well though, and Jonathan Tiberi's vocals, though limited, are used well! Awesome guitar work from Jon & Brendan Christie too, check out their "Chylde of Fire" cover below (and more at the above links!)



And finally, remember the Unleash The Archers-headlined concert at The Roosevelt Hotel on June 4th? Well, I don't have videos from it, but here's the next best thing! Two connected videos are now online from the time surrounding this show, including an official video from the band itself chronicling their tour through "The Astrowaste"! Uploaded onto Unleash The Archers' own YouTube channel on Wednesday, only about 20 seconds of this 3 minute tour vlog of sorts has a local relevance, but it's interesting nonetheless, as it features bassist Zahk Hedstrom smashing a guitar over Dismembertainment owner Rich Moreland's back! Why? I don't know, but they look like they're having fun! Check out the footage at the video embedded below or at the above links, and the local guitar carnage takes place 1:17 into the video. A second angle from a phone camera was uploaded that same day into a 10 second clip on the new Dismembertainment YouTube channel, so click here to see! Give both a look, especially the full tour video below, as it features three plus minutes of entertaining happenings from their tour, accompanied by a very solid song of theirs! Check it out!



That's all for now, but I have more news and notes to get to very soon, including this week's classic video, the return of monthly polls, and yes, our "Soo Stories" review, so keep an eye out! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Local Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's concerts on the local metal & hard rock side of things! I know eight, but if I'm missing any, please let me know at robertfigures@hotmail.com! So let's begin the previews for this weekend, but before that, remember that my Woods of Ypres video showcase from earlier today can be seen in the post below. Now, onto what you should know for this weekend! (Edited at 1:16 PM Thursday)

First, it's the 18th Roosevelt Hotel metal night, as 3 more metal bands take the stage for a night of hard hitting music for your Thursday, and there's a trio of firsts tomorrow with the included bands! The advertised headliners are Sykotyk Rampage, who'll bring their "crash music" stylings to The Rosie for the first time at a metal night, and the first time anywhere since their St. Patrick Day show at an old Rosie punk night! This show will also be a special event in honour of a Becker family wedding, so if you didn't get an invite, come rock out with Sykotyk Rampage's very unique brand of music tomorrow night! Also scheduled are the returning Bear Hunters, who are indeed playing despite reports to the contrary late last week. This will be their first show since adding former Bring The Fallen frontman Josh Stephney as their new rhythm guitarist, and how will they sound after a month of preparation for his debut? Time will tell! Listed to open are Bring The Misery, the debuting new death metal band featuring former State of Misery members Steve Rhodes & Ray Cowan, ex-Bring The Fallen members Dan Souliere & Travis St. Amour, and bassist Kory Derasp. What kind of sound and material will they have for us in their debut show? We'll all find out tomorrow night, but it should be interesting!

As usual, there's no cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at 9:30 PM or later. Check the above links and Sykotyk Rampage's event page for more details! I'll be there for sure, and I'm using this concert as a test ground for my new digital camera that I got for my birthday! Just as a preview, it can shoot HD video... I dunno how the quality will end up being overall, but I'm optimistic! I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Sex Toy, Oh My Baby" at The Rosie in March!



Now to a trio of weekend sets from some local hard rock acts, and first, it's the return of Full Circle this weekend! After seeing their shows at The Canadian Nightclub last weekend cancelled, the band formerly known as Turner Up will play just their second concert weekend under their new name on Friday & Saturday night at The Nicolet Tavern! These won't be their current lineup's first shows here though, as they played their last concerts under the Turner Up name here early last month. Full Circle's shows this weekend will be at 10:00 PM both nights, you must be 19 to attend either show, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's good to see Full Circle back out there, hopefully they extend the promise of their new lineup this weekend and beyond! Head on out to The Nic this weekend for some entertaining classic hard rock covers! I don't have any shareable videos to preview their shows with, but when something comes online, I'll have it here!

Alright, now we'll head to Sault Michigan for a few more shows before closing at The Rosie again at the end. First, we'll go to The Satisfied Frog, where Marquette hard rockers Nudge are hitting for the first of two consecutive local concert weekends! This frequently seen band will be sure to rock The Frog once again with their entertaining hard rock and metal covers, as they play locally for the first time since April! And yes, this weekend's shows are in fact preceded by Wednesday and Thursday night solo acoustic shows by frontman Danzo McCracken (go see him tonight!) As for Nudge, both of their shows start at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend either show. For more details, check out the official Facebook event page! Should be a solid weekend of hard rocking tunes from Nudge, so check them out this weekend if you can! If not, don't worry, they're back next weekend too! For a preview, here's Nudge covering the song "Good" by Better Than Ezra at a show in 2008!



Also across the river this weekend is the return of Splitshot after over a month away from the local concert stage! This is, of course, the local hard rock quintet featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard & Kyle Beaumont along with family members of theirs, and they'll return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino on Friday & Saturday night! These shows are both advertised on their Facebook page and on Kewadin's entertainment page, so they're definitely on as scheduled! These shows should have 9:00 PM-ish start times (or later), no cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Check the above links for more details! Splitshot are still really an enigma to fans who haven't seen them live, having no audio, video, or detailed band information online to fill in any blanks. I don't know if that's intentional or not, but I know there's talent to be had, and they'll have lots of hard rocking songs in store this weekend for the fans who come out to Kewadin Casino! Stay tuned for more from Splitshot if I hear it!

And finally, we close the weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel on Saturday night, when a big package of metal bands take control of the stage for a devastating night of metal! This show got announced rather short notice, so PLEASE take note of what to expect on Saturday! Headlining this show are Vancouver progressive metal band Unleash The Archers, who'll stop at The Rosie during their "Tour Through the Astrowaste" to deliver a high impact set of metal that takes influences from power metal, death metal, and hardcore, with awesome singing from frontwoman Brittney Hayes! You don't see bands like this much locally, you should really like Unleash The Archers! Opening this concert are a pair of Winnipeg hardcore bands, including the more progressive leaning Wear Your Wounds and post-hardcore quartet Abstract & The Artist on their own "Eastern Canada Bro-Down" tour! They'll fit right in with their moshable hardcore sounds, and prepare for some fury when they're on! Though Wear Your Wounds' own tour poster hypes As It Stands as the local openers, we know they're in Mississauga right now (more on that tomorrow), so the local opening band will be hardcore quartet Changing Waves! Great to see them getting this opportunity, they won't disappoint on Saturday!

Admission is $5 on Saturday, which is more than worth it for the package of bands you're getting! You must be 19 to attend, and everything starts after 9:00 PM! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a great show, and fingers crossed, I'll drive down there too on Saturday to rock out! For a preview, here's Unleash The Archers playing their song "Destroyer" at a Vancouver concert in 2009!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow, featuring three new albums! And yes, I'll see you guys at The Rosie tomorrow night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Unleash The Archers, Lion Ride, WinkStinger, Sykotyk Rampage, And Tym Morrison)

Oh man, this might be our most stacked post in a long while for new concerts, as we have no less than FIVE new shows today, so let's not waste any time! Here's what you need to know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, in order by date!

Firstly, we have the next Roosevelt Hotel metal night, taking place this coming Thursday! Two bands are currently confirmed, as posted on Dismembertainment's Facebook page, including (in their metal night debut) Sykotyk Rampage! The "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet will take the stage for the first time since March as the advertised headliners on Thursday night, which is also being hyped by the band itself for a special occasion! The concert is taking place close to a wedding in the Becker family, and the concert's also going to double as a celebration of that event. Click here for their event page on the show! Also scheduled for Thursday are debuting local death metal quintet Bring The Blood, just over a week after their public launch! How will this band featuring Bring The Fallen & State Of Misery alums sound in their debut? Time will tell, but it'll be interesting! The third band, slotted in the middle for the show, is not known at present, though The Bear Hunters were briefly advertised before being dropped. As always, this has a start time of 9:30 PM or later, you must be 19 to attend, and there is no cover charge. Check the above links for more details!

This should be a great show with a lot of new sights, including two first time bands for these metal Thursdays, and I'll be there to rock out! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for details on the last confirmed band and anything else that could come up! Also, the June 9th lineup hasn't been revealed yet, but we'll have more on these Thursday nighters later in this post!

Just two nights later at The Rosie, a HUGE show is lined up for next Saturday, and I've been itching to promote this on here for a while, but didn't have official go ahead or complete details until just recently. Three talented out of town metal bands who we've promoted the local gig searches of on here are banding together next Saturday to rock The Rosie, including headliners Unleash The Archers! This extreme progressive quintet have a melodic and very heavy mix of styles to give us, including elements of everything from power to death metal, and they're touring "through the astrowaste" in support of their new album this summer! I'm digging these guys (and girl), and you should give them a listen! Also scheduled are two Winnipeg-area hardcore bands, those being Wear Your Wounds & Abstract & The Artist, who'll look to devastate with their hard hitting metalcore sounds! The local openers are hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off two straight Rosie appearances of their own! Good to see them getting an opportunity like this again, they deserve it! Admission is $5, but don't complain, as it's well worth it for this package of bands! Everything starts at around 9:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page!

There was a lot of talk, uncertainty, and preliminary word on this show in recent weeks, but now everything's locked in and official, and it sounds like it will be awesome! As with the show on Thursday, I should be at this one too, especially with bands this talented! Check the above links for all the details, spread the word on this show, and check out SooToday's article on it at this location!

Now to the last Rooosevelt Hotel concert I have for you guys today, and it's on June 16th for what should be the 20th Rosie metal night (assuming one is announced for the 9th.) Three bands are confirmed, including headliners WinkStinger, in (believe it or not) their first Thursday night Rosie show since January! Despite the wait, they'll do awesome at this show with their uniquely extreme sound! Backing them up are, in what I believe is their first Roosevelt Hotel show of any kind, Frightlight! The horror punk/metal quintet will add a different flavour to the proceedings with their heavy Misfits-influenced music, and they should get a warm welcome! Opening will be Sativa Rose, whose classic metal sounds and ever improving originals will set the tone nicely on the 16th! Nice to see a varied lineup like this, hopefully I can make it out! General rules apply, no cover charge, 9:30 PM-ish start time, 19+. Check all of the above links for more details, as well as Dismembertainment's Facebook page (check the "BandPage" tab) and as I hear more, I'll absolutely have it here on these (and future) Dismembertainment concerts!

The last two shows today are not from Dismembertainment, but they're still worth your time, so here's what you should know! Firstly, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is bringing his solo acoustic project back for a concert in Goulais River on June 17th! This will be Tym's first publically announced solo gig since the end of his bi-weekly Eagles Club engagement in March, and it will take place at a new venue for our coverage: The Zone Roadhouse on Highway 17 in Goulais River! I don't live in that area, so I can't comment on how it is as a concert venue, but it is a restaurant & bar of some sort, which would fit in the mold of some of Tym's past solo venues. This show has a 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and though an age limit isn't advertised, I wouldn't risk going if I was underage. You never know though! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Tym's solo project back out there, and The Zone should be graced with some great music on June 17th! Stay tuned for news from Tym (and Caveman) Morrison as I hear it, and head down there for the show if you can!

Finally for new shows, Lion Ride are coming home in July! The local/Toronto-based hard rock quintet are coming back to Sault Ontario on July 2nd for a concert at The Rockstar Bar! This will be their first local concert in three months, following their April 9th headlining show which was also at The Rockstar Bar. The news on this show was officially broken on the band's Facebook page yesterday evening, along with details on a few other scheduled shows. No other details have came out yet, but I assume it'd have similar rules to the April concert, which had a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. Openers (if any) haven't been announced yet, but if it's any help, The Billy Bastards have opened for them at their last two local concerts. For all current details, check the above links! Sounds like a great time, and this could turn out to be this year's "Sault Metal Scene Anniversary" concert that I like to hit around July 4th! Either way, I should be there, and hopefully you guys will be there too! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for more updates on this show as well as they come in!

That's all for now, but I should have a new news post either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone, and make note of all of the concerts we mentioned today!!

Bands Looking To Play Here, Bear Hunters Related News, And Our Musicans Union!

One more post for you guys before I head to The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT, full of some notable updates! We have three bands who have tentative dates in Sault Ontario that I'll go over, an update on our local musicians union, and first, here's some Bear Hunters-related updates, including a schedule change for tonight's concert!

WinkStinger are now the co-headliners for tonight's Icy Metal For Aborted Therapy concert at The Oddfellows Hall due to prior work commitments for at least one band member. This means that both The Bear Hunters (pictured) and State of Misery will be pushed back in the band order, though Sativa Rose & Bring The Fallen's slots are unchanged. Also, the concert has been pushed back an hour so it will now start at 6:00 PM with the doors opening at 5:30 PM. Nothing else has changed, but make note of these so you don't show up early or miss a certain band! Thanks to Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie for these updates, as sent to attendees in a Facebook e-mail. While we're on the subject of The Bear Hunters, they've talked about a lot of intriguing things for their future, including plans for both an EP and a full length album this year, with the EP to include a DVD in the package, and a planned tribute to the Big Four thrash metal bands for future shows! I probably won't cover any Bear Hunters albums here until recording officially starts, but keep all this in mind, as they have big hopes for this year! Check out their official Facebook page for more!

Now for three tentative local metal concerts, two of which need a venue, the other of which needs openers! We'll go in chronological order, and firstly, an out of town metal band looks to be the headliners at an upcoming Roosevelt Hotel metal night! Rosie owner Chad LaRoue was inquiring yesterday on the Metal Nights at The Rosie Facebook page as to local openers for a band named Skepsis on February 17th, which is a Thursday and two weeks after the next metal night on the 3rd. So I looked up Skepsis to see who they were, and believe it or not, there's at least THREE Canadian bands with this name, maybe more! None have definite dates listed for February in town though, and the only one that is hinting towards February shows doesn't even describe themselves as metal. I'm not comfortable enough to assume which Skepsis it is, but if you wanna open for them at the presumed February 17th metal night, get a hold of Chad at this location! When I hear more, especialy concerning which Skepsis this is, I'll let you guys know!

Now to shows without venues, and we'll start with a band we saw here last year! Toronto instrumental progressive trio The Isosceles Project are tentatively planning a return show in Sault Ontario on May 23rd! You may remember when they came here last August one night after the Kiss concert as one of the openers for Skull Fist at The Canadian Nightclub, or maybe you saw them on Disband on MuchMusic! A venue, additional bands, or any specific details aren't known yet for this show, so I take it nothing's finalized. Bassist Scott Tessier had told me that they are playing a longer set than they had last year, so that's a good sign! I take it the band doesn't have a finalized booking yet though, so if you're interested in booking or promoting The Isosceles Project for a local concert on May 23rd, message the band at their official MySpace page! I hope this gets finalized, as I was VERY impressed with The Isosceles Project last year, and their progressive instrumental attack will surely leave you guys wanting more as well! Stay tuned for updates if I hear them!

The other possible new concert has no specific date in mind, but maybe you can help secure one? When I was browsing the 705 Video Magazine forum recently, I came across a topic about a band's efforts to secure a local booking in May or June. The band is Vancouver progressive metal quintet Unleash The Archers, and singer/guitarist Brayden Dycszkowski posted there in the hopes of securing a booking for the band in that timeframe for their upcoming tour cycle in support of their new album. I like their sound, it's a creative mix of extreme death metal and melodic female-fronted metal, and they're pretty heavy to boot! The band has no real contacts in town, so I'll do what I can to help get them a booking in town this year! If you're interested in helping set up an Unleash The Archers concert in town later this year, contact the above links to show your interest! I'd like to see them here, how about you guys?

And finally for today, this is a new find for me, but we have mentioned this group on here before. In May, you may remember us talking about Sault Ste. Marie's own musicians union, The American Federation of Musicians, Local 276. When browsing links the other day, I found out that they actually have an official website! It mentions that one of the bands who is members of Local 276 is Woods of Ypres, though it doesn't name drop any other metal bands as members. The site is descirptive in talking about Local 276's history, why you should join, and all the benefits that becoming unionized can offer. This can go from playing in the United States to recording to even helping fill in for other musicians, there are many benefits to getting your band into the AFM! Definitely consider joining this union if you're in a local band, it could pay off in the future! Click here for details on how to join! Also, note that one of the executive board members is veteran local musician Ric Datson, now best known as the drummer for That's Chester!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall! Thanks everyone!b