Life Like Fire Concert Preview, An Upcoming Live Album, And New Videos!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday night delectation, so what's on tap? New videos, mostly, with one attached to album news from a prominent solo artist, but let's kick things off with a preview of a special Wednesday night concert featuring out of town talent that you can hopefully check out!

Calgary hard rock quartet Life Like Fire will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The New American Pub as part of an all-touring package of bands! This female fronted group have an edgy yet accessible brand of rock n' roll to bring to Soo fans tomorrow, and if you like bands like New Years Day or Halestorm, you might not want to miss this stop on their ongoing It's Too Spicy Tour if you can help it! In fact, this show is a merger of converging tours, with Life Like Fire sharing the New A stage tomorrow with Powassan, Ontario alt-hard rock band The Long Nines, also making their Sault Ste. Marie debut here. Solid, no-frills melodic rock sound from this rising Northern Ontario group, and they should put in a well received set also, especially with their new single "Northlander" now out! Temagami folk/indie rock solo artist James Crate will open as part of his ongoing dates opening for The Long Nines, and he should set the tone well with his reserved material!

Seemingly promoted in-house (albeit with involvement from The Long Nines' label Ego & Pessimism Records), this 19+ concert has an advertised 8:00 PM start time and a 10:00 PM start time. While the Wednesday night scheduling and lack of local openers may not be optimal for many fans, this should be a solid triple bill of performers, with a little something for every heavy music tolerance level, so consider a trip to The New A tomorrow! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Life Like Fire live!

Next up, here's the latest from prolific local alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, so what's he up to in his current Thompson, Manitoba homebase? You may have caught some of this already in last week's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, but either way,  Mike returned to Thompson's annual Nickel Days summer festival on June 22nd for a second solo set, and like last year, he recorded the set for another live album! Similarly to "From The Nickel Stage" (his first album release since the big move), Mike worked with Thompson's The Music Makers to record his whole headlining set, and while Mike disclosed some difficulty with the single tracking technique therein, he does seem pleased with how everything turned out. A sample video was posted on his Facebook page on June 28th featuring Mike's newer original "Come On Home", and the featured image, presumably the album cover, indicates that the live album will be called "Carnival: A Live Spectacle By Mike Haggith."

As precedence for our monthly CD reviews goes to studio albums, I won't immediately review "Carnival" upon release, due to the (hopefully) impending release of his upcoming CD "Bridges", but I can tell you that the audio recording sounds good, and this will be reminiscent of many of Mike's Thompson-era videos, where many of these songs were already in an acoustic setting. Give the live Nickel Days version of "Come On Home" a listen below, and stay tuned for more on "Carnival" & "Bridges"!



Also today, here's a new video from the Slaughter-headlined concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino last month, courtesy of attendee/Troy's Trail co-organizer Annette Chandler's YouTube channel on Sunday! Like her videos from 2017's Bret Michaels show in Sault Michigan, this is an untitled clip, but it's actually of opening Pasadena hair metal band Autograph playing their song "Send It To Me." Nice and melodic performance that suits their style well, and the house looks nicely packed for this one, so kudos to Annette for filming this one! Check it out if you want below!



Finally for today, here's a new video of Kinross/Mount Pleasant hard rock solo artist Alex Traynor live at Biggby Coffee in Sault Ste. Marie during his two most recent acoustic matinee gigs there! One is from his Independence Day show there on Thursday, where the ex-Banned frontman and an uncredited guest performer are jamming a familiar instrumental piece for the requisite tips and coffee. Short video on a vertical camera angle, but Alex and the guest sound good together, so check it out below! For what it's worth, the new video that wasn't working during Facebook's outages on July 3rd was actually a re-upload of his Stevie Ray Vaughan cover from March.



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Life Like Fire) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Now, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews (late notice possibilities aside), and if you're looking for previews of concerts that had a Friday component, check the post below this one! Today, we're looking at bands who are only playing tomorrow night, but to fill things out, we do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month to lead things off with! Yes, I am aware of the big rescheduled punk show this fall, stay tuned for more on that in our next proper news post. Now, here's what you should know!

A trifecta of hard rock-centric acts (all local newcomers) are coming to The New American Pub on Wednesday, July 10th, including headlining Calgary hard rock quartet Life Like Fire! Self-described as "a dirty, in your face, female fronted rock n' roll band", Life Like Fire have already attracted some local fans with their heavy hitting yet melodic sound that reminds me somewhat of bands like New Years Day, and if you can make it out for a mid-week concert, L.L.F. would be worth your time next month! Joining them at The New A on this night are Powassan, Ontario alt-hard rock band The Long Nines, who are on a separate Canadian tour, but the two bands' paths cross in the Soo on July 10th, hence the double bill. Ironically also a quartet with a female singer, The Long Nines aren't as heavy as Life Like Fire, but their melodic, to-the-point sound and new single "Northlander" should give them a good base!

The show will be opened by Temagami folk/indie rock solo artist James Crate, who is touring alongside The Long Nines. Much softer launch than you may expect, but James has talent, and he'll set the tone well before things get plugged in on the 10th! Apparently booked in house through The New A (though The Long Nines' label Ego & Pessimism Records will assist in production), this 19+ show has a $10 cover charge and an advertised start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this intriguing Wednesday nighter next month!

Next up, let's continue this busy weekend of hard rock concert previews by tackling three Saturday night-only concerts, starting with a huge (and surprisingly affordable) show at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT, as Las Vegas glam metal quartet Slaughter will play our area for the third time in the past 11 years! After previously opening for Jackyl in Sault Ontario in 2008 and Stryper in Sault Michigan in 2012, it's time for Slaughter to headline with their familiar blend of originals like "Fly to the Angels", "Up All Night", and "The Wild Life". If you Hair Scare loyalists are up for an hour's drive south to St. Ignace, then you should get a great show from Mark, Dana, Blando, and Zoltan tomorrow! Pasadena glam/hard rock quartet Autograph will also head north for this concert, and with "Turn Up The Radio" and other deep cuts in their repetroire, hair metal junkies should be more than excited to see them on a local stage as well, so don't miss either band then!

Presented by Classic Rock: The Bear (which can be picked up easily in St. Ignace on 95.3 FM), this rare major hard rock show at the St. Ignace Kewadin will be an indoor event at their on-site events center. Tickets for this 8:00 PM concert are surprisingly just $10, and lots are still available, so visit this link, the Sault Kewadin's in-person box office, the St. Ignace Kewadin's gift shop, or 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. At this price, how can glam metal fans in Mackinac Country say no? Slaughter put on a great show in 2008 and 2012, and hopefully there's more of the same tomorrow night, so see above for more details, and here's Slaughter live!



Also TOMORROW NIGHT in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, fans in nearby Eckerman can enjoy Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet Project 906 as they rock The Strongs Tavern! While this venue in the western half of Chippewa County is definitely a known commodity to Project 906 fans (who last saw them there on New Year's Eve), this will be just their second announced concert since taking a four month break earlier this year due to personal life commitments. A search to get a concert booking for tonight too didn't appear to have a public resolution, but fans can still see Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Tommy back at The Strongs Tavern for one night only. Hopefully the guys deliver a "strong" set of their own tomorrow, and that their open dates in August get filled soon! Tomorrow's concert has a likely 9:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live at the aforementioned Strongs Tavern!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head back north to Sault Ontario, where local power rock quartet Re:Born will headline a special going away concert party TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar in honour of long-time roadie, filmer, and supporter Cory Burch! The son of guitarist Blair Burch, Cory has been a steady presence at Project 421 and Re:Born shows since his dad re-entered the scene as an active performer, but he's moving out of province for work reasons in the very near future, hence this concert being announced, so that Re:Born and fans can give him a proper send-off. Cory's a good guy and he's always been very helpful and useful as a fan and roadie over the years, and hopefully this party sets out to achieve it's aims tomorrow before he flies out west! There will be at least two other bands performing, but Re:Born are staying tight-lipped on their identities, other than to guarantee that "it just got a bit louder and heavier", while a looser jam-night atmosphere is to be expected.

While this is a 19+ event with a 10:00 PM start time, Re:Born are not charging a cover to come down, so if you want some free Saturday night entertainment with a proven band and some mystery performers, you could do a lot worse! This should be a fun time before Canada Day festivities kick in, and hopefully Cory has a great time before the big move, so see above for more details, and here's Re:Born live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the long weekend, and this month's CD review by Sunday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Slaughter), Two Inactive Band Notes, And More SMS Band Link Updates!!

While the snow continues to pile on outside, here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening! We're mostly addressing updates to and removals from our band links today, but to lead off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!

Las Vegas glam metal veterans Slaughter will make their long awaited return to our area on Saturday, June 29th when they rock Kewadin Casino... in St. Ignace?! Best known from hit singles like "Up All Night", "Fly To The Angels", and "Real Love", this will be Slaughter's first regional concert appearance since opening for Stryper at the Sault Michigan Kewadin in 2012, and their third local gig since 2008, but now they're headlining with their high energy classic hard rock! Pasadena glam/hard rock quartet Autograph (of "Turn Up The Radio" & "Blondes In Black Cars" fame) will open with their own familiar brand of 1980s rock action, so don't bypass their set either! Clearly, the St. Ignace summer concert series did well last year, as this Kewadin branch is booking even more touring bands for 2019, though the Slaughter show appears to be indoors at the casino's on-site event center. The location may be atypical for Kewadin-booked hair metal, but how do $10 tickets sound?

Yes, tickets are that low, and you can buy them starting Friday at 9:00 AM at this link, the Sault Kewadin's in-person box office, the gift shop at the St. Ignace Kewadin, or presumably at 1-800-KEWADIN. This show has no advertised age limits, and an 8:00 PM start time, and is presented by Classic Rock: The Bear (whose 95.3 signal is easily heard in St. Ignace, but only gets fringe reception in the Soo.) It'll be very interesting to see how this show does given the non-Sault locale, but if you love the Hair Scare and 1980s glam rock, you won't wanna bypass this show, especially at this price! See the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, we have regrettably moved local death metal project Life's Eclipse back to our inactive band links. While no public statements have been made regarding their current status, the band has not issued an update to their Facebook page since January 31st of last year, well past our one year inactivity cutoff. The flagship band of local independent label Werehold Records (both led by singer/guitarist Jason Mills), Life's Eclipse reunited in 2011 after a few years' hiatus, and had been active to varying degrees ever since as a studio project. Long-time readers may be most familiar with Life's Eclipse from their regular involvement in Werehold Records' nine Friday the 13th new music posting events from 2012-2017, often featuring songs from incomplete and unreleased albums. It should be noted that Werehold Records proper haven't updated their own Facebook page since 2017, and of their roster of metal/hard rock artists, only Moss remain in our active links.

I know that personal commitments have been at least partially to blame for the slowdown in Life's Eclipse/Werehold updates in the late 2010s, so a resumption of public activity could happen at any time pending availability and scheduling.  Life's Eclipse were a brutal, technical, and well-composed band when firing on all cylinders, and Jason & the Werehold roster had a lot of talent and ambition to go around! Despite not being known for live concerts, they flew the extreme metal flag well for the E.U.P., and hopefully we hear more from Jason, David, Joe, and Casey when the time is right!

Also, we have one more band to move to our inactive band links, namely Sault Ontario rap metal/party rock collective The Apocalypse Afterparty. While the band did publically acknowledge that "hibernation is ending" back in October, their Facebook page has quietly been taken down since, which (Destroilet aside) is historically a bad sign. In any event, the band had only posted once on Facebook in the past 15 months, and in lieu of the apparent deletion, they are now linked here via their Wix website. Active since 2014, this eclectic masked group evolved from a duo to a full live and studio band, though concerts were selective, often at private bookings or via short notice "pop-up" gigs. The Apocalypse Afterparty may best be known from their quartet appearance at the 2015 VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub (surprisingly making the finals), while they released their EP "Bufflesnort" back in April 2017.

Whether or not you previously knew of X, Z, x, z, and company's real identities, The A.A. made their mark in the mid-2010s! With a unique stage presence, creative hybrid sound, gender-equal lineup, and imaginative back story, it's a shame that The Apocalypse Afterparty didn't play live more often, but hopefully we see Paul, Amanda, Sara, Sven, Rito, and former band members back out there down the line, masked or otherwise!

Finally, CBC Music closed it's artist page service on November 20th, due to the decrease in traffic and attention to band pages there compared to other social media services (you can read more on the decision at this link.)  This didn't receive the advance notice that PureVolume's closure had, so I unfortunately was unable to back up anything there from local artists, but much like PureVolume, I did recognize how little CBC Music (formerly CBC Radio 2) was used by local musicians in recent years. It was a useful and informative service in it's day, and I'll miss having it around! As of this month, we had only linked four local bands (all defunct) to CBC Music pages, so changes to our links are thankfully minimal, especially as only one didn't have an online band page elsewhere. With all of that said, I changed our links for defunct punk bands The 12 Gauge Ready and Glunk! to their MySpace pages, while replacing Burn The Past (previously known as Downshift) with their Bandcamp page.

The only removal was 2007-2012 local/Oil Springs metal band Sue Inside, who don't have a known online page outside of CBC. It's unfortunate to lose one of the oldest local death metal bands from our links, but hopefully Shane, Adam, and Jeff are still musically active out of town! Hopefully this all clears up the recent link changes, and in lieu of the CBC Music page deletions, maybe they'll bring their FM station here sooner or later? That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next. Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!!

Hey guys, it's video time at the SMS! Lots of new local metal-related videos to share today, thanks to some new uploads on YouTube! News will come tomorrow, but now, it's movie time, get your popcorn! Oh, and VOTE IN THE NEW SMS POLL!

We'll start with a new live video from locals Lion Ride! This comes from frontman Mikey Lion's YouTube channel, and it's a performance from their show on Wednesday in Burlington at The Red Rooster with The Saigon Hookers! Now do you notice that Diamond Brent Panther and Marco Lion are missing? Let me explain. You probably heard that Brent left the band, but Marco sadly had to miss this gig. Carmine Romano from The Saigon Hookers is filling in on bass for this tour stretch, and their frontman Tommy Smokes joined on guitar for this song. As Tommy only knows his band's stuff, Lion Ride covered The Saigon Hookers song "She Blows My Mind"! To my knowledge, the rest of the songs had Lion Ride as a four piece. Doesn't sound bad, it has good energy, reminds me of Lion Ride's own originals! I'm not too familiar with The Saigon Hookers, but this sounds really good, I'll have to check them out! And of course, you guys can check it out below!



Next up, while we wait for a new show announcement from local punk/metal band Destroilet, fans can be tided over with this new video that surfaced from their debut performance from this past December at the Detroit CD release concert at Coch's Corner! It's a cover of the song "Evil God Hater" by Fist Magnet, themselves a classic local band! This was just uploaded yesterday on the band's YouTube channel. The video could be better, it was filmed from pretty far behind the crowd, you get a better angle of the backs of everyone's heads then the band (You can make me out pretty easily, my long hair stands out.) Only 90 seconds, I don't think it's the full song, but it sounds good! The sound redeems the video, it sounds really clear! Heavy with a punk sensibility to it, Mike Hull sounds really aggressive vocally, and the guitar's really good too! Check it out for yourself!



Thirdly, we have a new commercial from local hard rockers Stillbroke for their first EP, "Never Enough"! This was uploaded onto Stillbroke's YouTube channel on Thursday. Here's the commercial's synopsis: Frontman Jesse Frigault smashes an old piano with a sledgehammer, with their song "Wash It Away" playing in the background! I think in ways, this symbolizes Stillbroke's musical approach, smashing an old instrument they wouldn't use in favor of their own style! Plus, if you're a fan of the heavier stuff, seeing Jesse destroy the piano is cool! The video ends with info on how to pick up "Never Enough" and a picture of the band's current lineup! I think the video works, what do you think? See for yourself, especially if you like Stillbroke and hate pianos!



Next, here's a type of video we don't see often in the local metal scene: An autograph signing! Sault Michigan fans will still likely remember the Pop Evil benefit concert at Kewadin Casino from February 27th, and as it turns out, the show was preceded by a meet and greet/autograph session! I believe this was in Kewadin Casino itself, but don't quote me, I wasn't there. The video primarily focuses on Evans Blue frontman Dan Chandler signing an autograph for one of the younger fans (Never too early to rock!) The video was uploaded by YouTube user KrisJamieson09, who also uploaded the "A Step Back" performance from the Sault show. This clip's only 25 seconds long, but it's cool to see a different side of a performing band from a local show for a change! Autograph signings should happen more often for major local shows like this, don't you think? Take a look!



The final two videos tonight come from a pair of local metal guitarists! Well, I say two videos because I'm only embedding two here, they have plenty more on their respective YouTube accounts! Firstly, we come to local metal guitarist Brendan Christie, whose solo work has impressed me in the past! He has a YouTube channel of his own now, previously his videos had been hosted on the next guitarist I'm mentioning's account. Compared to what we typically hear from Brendan on MySpace, most of his YouTube performances take a more classical bent, showing off his talent a lot! Never hurts to be diverse! Two of the videos I've seen before, three I haven't, and I'm still impressed! If he's not in a local band yet, he should be! Here's the coolest one he has uploaded so far, a 64 second free-style tapping solo! Thumbs up from me!



And finally, we come to a friend of Brendan's, and fellow local guitarist, Jonathan Tiberi (a.k.a. The Last Warrior of Rock!) You may recognize Jonathan as the guitarist for the local metal band Losing Ground, and for his own solo work, which you can check out on MySpace! Like Brendan, he has some good guitar skills, and hopefully we'll see more of it to come! He has lots of videos on his YouTube channel, ranging from his own performance videos, to videos where he talks to the YouTube audience, to some different clips like some Rock Band 2 gameplay and cooking videos, and more! Of the videos where he plays guitar, they're mostly covers, some acoustic, some electric, including a "Name That Riff" video, and even some bass stuff! He's good, though I'd like to see more original stuff on YouTube too. There's some originals, including one of Losing Ground, but let's see some more! I'll show you guys one of his covers, here's his version of "Wooden Cross" by Witchcraft!



Hope you guys enjoy these videos, there's more to come! And yes, there's news coming too, including photos from a big recent show, a local band's drummer search, and more! Stay tuned!