LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And Inactive Band Notes!!

Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! Before (or after?) you take in the parades and football, we have a new news post to take in, and while the U.P. side of things is naturally light over the holiday weekend, there's a big show to take in on Saturday there, plus a good slate in Sault Ontario, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Some bands being removed from our active band links are rounding things out, and we'll cover this year's Toystock in our next post. Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will hit the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. Fresh off of their return from hiatus last week, tomorrow's concert will be the first at The Rockstar Bar for the Mourning Wood successors since early June, so if you've missed Travis, Terry, Paul, and Steven at this popular downtown nightclub, you know where to be for some hard rocking but varied tunes TOMORROW! As well, this could also be seen as a tune-up event before Soundcheck rock Toystock VI on Sunday, so stay tuned for our extended preview of that charity concert in the coming days! Note also that TOMORROW'S show is a one-night-only concert, and while The Rockstar Bar's physical marquee board was advertising The Ride as playing there on Saturday, I have not seen online confirmation of that, so take that with a grain of salt.

In any event, TOMORROW'S Soundcheck concert has no announced cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a late start time of 11:00 PM. This should be a solid concert from this familiar veteran outfit, so if you can or can't make Toystock on Sunday, keep this one in mind as well, and hopefully some public videos of Soundcheck turn up soon!

Next up, here's the latest solo acoustic gigs from prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood as usual TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Playing his last full concert weekend of the month (next weekend straddles the start of December), Tym should have another triple header of entertaining classic and hard rock covers in store for fans at The Quality Inn's house restaurant over the next three evenings, so don't miss these matinees if you're up for some acoustic entertainment! No, Tym didn't play at Mark's Breakfast Plus this week, breaking a four week run there. Also, note that the Facebook event page for this weekend's gigs also confirms that Tym will be playing there throughout December, but due to the high amount of very similar shows in a short timeframe, we always take Tym's regular weekly bookings a month at a time, and will address his December shows next week.

(FYI, Tym's website's concert calendar lists consecutive weekly Gliss gigs through August 2031, so accurate or not, be glad we tackle these month by month!) Tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday's shows have no announced cover charges or age limits, and they take place at 6:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Lastly for this weekend's concert previews (Toystock aside), let's head to Sault Michigan for the highly anticipated return of Poison frontman Bret Michaels to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Marking his seventh local concert appearance in the past 12 years (all but one of which being at Kewadin Casino), this show is being billed as their "Thanksgiving Weekend Mega Party", so hopefully the tryptophan is out of your system in time for a night of classic Poison renditions like "Talk Dirty To Me" & "Nothin' But A Good Time", plus solo cuts from Bret's own albums! After all, Bret wouldn't come back time and time again if his shows weren't hits, so expect another good time for you Hair Scare lovers on Saturday! Tickets are still available from the second row and back, but in the prime center section, there was only 18 tickets remaining at press time, so act quick if you want the best possible seats in time for Saturday night!

Tickets are $48.50 unless you buy from the front six rows, then the price jumps to $58.50. This all ages show takes place on Saturday at 7:00 PM, so get your tickets if you haven't yet at 1-800-KEWADIN, the in-person box office, or at this link! A quiet concert weekend in Sault Michigan will end with a bang on Saturday, so don't miss round 7 of Bret Michaels in the Soo area, and here's Bret live earlier this year!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all relating to bands being removed from our active band links. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• First, we have removed prolific metal/folk musician Chase Wigmore's Coyote Speedfreaks solo project from our links due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page at some point earlier this year. A creative experimental extension of Chase's earlier solo work, he did note in January that the Speedfreaks were "a series of albums under a unifying name" moreso than a band, but it would be interesting to see him return to this project down the road. Stream some of his Coyote Speedfreaks material at this link!
• I have also moved local instrumental black metal duo Dullahan to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, not having posted on their Facebook page since last November, or given a written update since February of last year. Dullahan showed promise as a rare regional example of atmospheric black metal, so hopefully we see Sevriz and Wyrn back at it in the near future, and follow Wyrn's active solo project Abhorrent Forest too!
• Lastly, I have moved former Fitswitch/Scary Uncles bassist Andrew MacDonald's Likekissingbricks solo project to our inactive band links as well, as Andrew has not visibly posted any new updates or material for it since September of last year. Likekissingbricks were a work in progress, but had potential, and hopefully Andrew revisits this or other solo work in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend, including our Toystock preview! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Who Made Who, Peril, And Scarkazm), And More Recent News!!

On this Super Bowl Sunday, let's get a new news post up early so that everyone can focus on the game! Below, you'll find some assorted shorter stories, but mostly LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on each side of the border, so here's what you need to know!

Let's begin with the remainder of the new hard rock concert announcements from Kewadin Casino's newly updated entertainment pages (linked here & here), let's start with Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril, who have a reasonably busy slate of shows planned for 2017 at both of the regional concert-hosting Kewadin branches! Jeff, Adam, and Brooks will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace on April 7th & 8th, May 26th & 27th, August 11th & 12th, and October 13th & 14th, while they'll also return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on July 14th & 15th, September 15th & 16th, and November 17th & 18th. These shows don't include previously advertised gigs on March & June, which we'll elaborate on in a bit, while the Soo shows this summer will mark their first at The Rapids Lounge since September.

Peril's entertaining hard rock and metal covers should continue to find an audience all year at the Soo & St. Ignace's Kewadin lounges, and it's great to see them playing a little more frequently in the new year, so don't miss out on these new shows, or their already announced June gigs! All are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. See the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more details!

Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Ontario for the long awaited return of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who to The Rockstar Bar on Friday, April 7th! Just for clarification, this is not the same AC/DC tribute band that were forced to drop out or postpone Rockstar Bar shows twice last year, that was Hells Bells, so if you're feeling wary about buying tickets after last year, don't worry, it's not the same band (though hopefully Hells Bells can finally come back to the Soo at some point!) Who Made Who have played here a bunch of times in the past, but not since November 2014, so it'll be nice to get Who Made Who's faithful sounding and looking blend of high voltage rock & roll back on a local stage again in April! This 19+ concert will have doors opening at 9:00 PM on April 7th, and advance tickets are on sale for $10 at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, though no word on if the price will jump at the door (2014's show here had a $14 door charge.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and if you love AC/DC or missed this tribute, don't miss Who Made Who this spring!

Also, let's wrap up the new Kewadin Casino concerts with Peril's sister band, Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm, who also have a number of shows scheduled for this year at both branches! In terms of The Rapids Lounge in Sault Michigan, the casino's entertainment pages have Scarkazm (misspelled there as Scarcasm) returning there on April 21st & 22nd, August 25th & 26th, and October 20th & 21st, while they're scheduled to rock The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on May 5th & 6th, July 28th & 29th, September 29th & 30th, and December 15th & 16th! However, there are some inconsistencies between Kewadin's schedules and Peril/Scarkazm's own advertising. As per this photo's comment reply, Scarkazm noted Soo gigs on May 21st & 22nd in the Soo, which are actually on a Sunday & Monday, so it looks like the band mistakenly credited their April gigs as being a month later. Also, that picture and their early 2017 concert calendar lists the March 10th-11th St. Ignace and June 16th-17th Sault weekends as being Peril gigs, where Kewadin's entertainment page says those are Scarkazm gigs.

Who's right here? I believe the latter are now Scarkazm shows, as Peril didn't appear 100% certain about the date for them when they gave it, but given that the March weekend is on an official Peril concert calendar, I'll leave that weekend alone unless they/Scarkazm confirm otherwise. In any event, Scarkazm will be welcomed back to the E.U.P. this year, and it's encouraging to see them playing in Sault Ste. Marie much more than recently usual! Again, these are 9:00 PM shows with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for potential clarification on those March and June weekends!

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

• Last month, in their first Facebook page posting since April, Sault Ontario experimental hard rock solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks (led by The Autumn Roots' Chase Wigmore) noted  that while he considered the project "a series of albums under a unifying name" moreso than a band, "recent developments" may lead to him making a live band that plays some of their material. That would be cool to see, Chase has been missed in the metal and hard rock scene, so stay tuned in case there are updates!
• This is somewhat old news now, but music/video retail chain HMV is going out of business, with all locations (including the store at The Station Mall) liquidating stock, and all must be closed by the end of April, while extant gift cards can be used until the end of this month. You can read about the receivership and overall chain struggles leading to this news on major news outlets, but this is very disappointing for music fans, as this was always a prime stop at the mall to get new CDs, movies, and gifts, and it was the same when the spot was Music World prior. HMV will be missed, but take in the sales while you can, which are currently up to 30% off!
• We have moved Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie's Sorrow Fields solo project to our inactive band links, as that project hasn't posted a public update in well over a year (not helped by the deletion of their most recent Facebook page prior to that.) Previously known as Animas, April Eyes, and By the Gods, The Sorrow Fields had long been working on a pair of different studio albums, but what was posted was later taken down, and the albums haven't had any form of recent follow-through. Hopefully Mitch revisits his solo work again down the road, there was a lot of promise there!

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

415E Concert Previews, Apocalypse Afterparty Updates, And More Recent Notes!!

Before we get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up here, let's cap off the weekend's concert previews, as well as touch on some recent updates on an upcoming album, a pair of bands that we have moved to our inactive band links, and more, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to the local stage for two shows at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Back on stage for the first time in over a month, this will be the former Hubbard-Menard Band's first concert weekend in St. Ignace since the summer, and unless there's an interim announcement, their second-last concert weekend of 2016 (they'll be back at the same venue next month.) Dave, Chris, Mitch, and Tony deliver a solid night of hard rocking action whenever they take the local stage, and hopefully their Van Halen-inspired sets get another solid turnout at The Northern Pines Lounge over the next two nights! As usual, tonight & tomorrow's shows are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and here's 415E live!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Ontario rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty! The eclectic masked outfit resurfaced after a two month break to reveal some more detailed plans regarding the release of their debut EP "Bufflesnort" via their Facebook page, so what should you know on that front? According to a schedule posting there, the band made a timeline for the public release of the EP's remaining 2 songs (one is out, one is forthcoming), to be followed by the commencement of album pre-orders via Facebook and their "house website", of which I don't have the URL. The rough plan is to have early bird orders fulfilled on December 8th, while the official public release is planned for February 1st with a CD release party, which would be their first public concert since last year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands. Again, the band indicated that "Bufflesnort" will not be released on CD, but they've tracked down the right release format, and it will still be "premium" (for reference, the band had teased USB thumb drives as a possible storage format in the past.)

Also, no word on if their newest status (which appears to imply that ex-Haggith singer Curtis McKenzie is their new drummer) is in jest or not, but Curt can drum, and The Apocalypse Afterparty were looking for a drummer. We'll keep you posted! As for the teased song releases, the third song from"Bufflesnort" was posted to "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta's YouTube channel earlier this week, and it's entitled "Stanley Cup (Top Dogs)", maintaining the EP's hockey theme. I'll hold full thoughts until the EP's release, but check out The Apocalypse Afterparty's newest studio track below, and stay tuned for more from "Bufflesnort" in short order!



Also today, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back. Though they haven't announced anything public regarding their status, they haven't posted an online update since releasing their digital album (entitled "ALbums") in September of last year. A fan favourite sight at local concerts from 2013-2015, and often under the Six, Two, Oh. banner, this union of ex-Fuller bandmates Jamie Vincent and Nathan Sauve opened for bands like The Archaics, Biipiigwan, and Like Animals during their heyday, as well as releasing two demo "VOLumes" in 2014, and even playing live with Jamie's other band AlgomA in Toronto. However, the guys haven't played an announced live concert since opening for Benighted in March of last year, later dropping out of last summer's SNFU and Ballot Burner shows. Bad Back's minimalist blend of hardcore punk and alternative styles made them a fun addition to many concerts in the mid 2000s, and while I don't know where they've been, hopefully we hear from Jamie and Nathan again in the future!

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

• We have also moved local metal quartet Chronic Demonic to our inactive band links, as they haven't posted anything directly referencing their own music or recording plans since 2014, only posting about members' other bands or general topics on their Facebook page since, and only once of that kind in the past year anyway. Aside from a surprise Misfits cover at The Rosie in 2013, Chronic Demonic have only unveiled sporadic studio updates, despite continually impressive band lineups. Hopefully Chronic Demonic can finally have a full launch at some point, and best of luck to Nik, Kevin, Ryan, and Jonathan in the interim!
• Local experimental metal solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks launched their own website via Webs in April, which features links to the project's free "albums", but also gives fans in-depth write-ups on the meanings behind both albums and the project's name's meaning, with another new album apparently in the works. Chase's creativity shines through here, so give everything a read above if you want, and stay tuned for more!
• Amidst various teasers and references to recording sessions, newer local progressive metal band Kraken Mara revealed on their Facebook page last month that they've sent a track off to be mastered, and to "stay tuned for the finished product." Nothing has been elaborated on since, but it's great to see that the Late & Loud successors are staying busy, so keep watch for more updates!

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

AlgomA/Chronobot Split Release Information, Stereo North Updates, And Much More!!

Before this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post makes it's way to the site, let's keep the news rolling on this Saturday morning, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent updates, new covers from a recent album release, a local punk band's recent songwriting sessions, and to start, full details concerning a brand new and long awaited vinyl release, so here's what you should know for today!

Local doom metal trio AlgomA's split vinyl EP with Saskatchewan doom metal band Chronobot was officially released as planned yesterday, so what should you know on it? Put out through Dead Beat Media and with cover art by Adam Geyer (similarly to AlgomA's debut "Reclaimed By The Forest"), this is AlgomA's second release and Chronobot's third, following their own solo debut and a separate split. As previously announced, the split features two tracks from AlgomA and three from Chronobot, but given that one of the AlgomA songs is almost eight minutes long, their respective run-times are comparable. Digital copies of the split are available at AlgomA's Bandcamp page for $6, but full copies of the 12'' vinyl record (pressed in blue!) are $20 there, and they'll also be on sale during the Black Tremor/punk rock bingo concert at The New American Pub on Wednesday, so keep all of these purchasing options in mind! Also, AlgomA have dedicated the split to late local metal musician Sabrina "Strange" Pelchat, as per pictures of the liner notes.

Also, Sven Mihlan of the blog Doom Metal Front previewed two more songs via Soundcloud from the split in this article, namely AlgomA's "The Electric Fence" and Chronobot's "Jerry Can", leaving only Chronobot's "Sons of Sabbath" unpreviewed in this fashion (No Clean Singing previewed the other two.) As for our review of the split, you can definitely expect it this month, date to be established, so check the above links for more details on this release, and don't miss AlgomA at The New A on Wednesday!

Next up, here's the latest from local pop punk quartet Stereo North, who have been preparing their own original material since their VM Radio Battle of the Bands set last month, with a Facebook page posting earlier this week implying that the band is aiming to have enough setlist material to play 3 sets worth for solo concerts. Not a bad idea, Project 421 had made the move to play shows of that length themselves recently, so we'll have to see how a full night of Stereo North works! Also, the band shared this video from frontman Andrew Pucci's personal Facebook page of him demoing a planned original song for the band, tentatively named "Echoes", with the aim being to include this on their debut album. Sounds good so far, but it obviously isn't complete, and Andrew admits in captions that a Matthew Anich guitar solo at a key moment would be essential. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Stereo North!

Also today, newer local experimental hard rock solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks posted a new video onto mastermind Chase Wigmore's YouTube channel on Wednesday, and it's of ...."Strange Coyotes 3"?! As you may recall, his former band The Strange Coyotes posthumously finished the live album recorded at their final concert in November 2014 in February of this year, but Chase wasn't behind it's final release, and online postings implied that he wasn't in favour of it. As he noted with a Futurama reference on the Speedfreaks page, "War were declared", so he responded by covering three songs from the Coyotes' album/set ("I'm Gonna Love You" with an adult title change, "Sneeze", and "Kaylore"), all of which started off of James Watterworth's own solo songs, though Chase re-interpreted some lyrics if he couldn't make out the originals. Performed acoustically but with Chase's trademark chaotic & unpredictable presence, it's fun to hear him perform these songs again, and to give his own interpretation of these songs, so check them out below!



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

• The Gorod/Bookakee-headlined concert on Friday, April 15th has been relocated from The Algonquin Pub to The Oddfellows Hall, and is consequently now an ALL AGES show! Promoter J.D. Pearce noted on the Facebook event page that The Algonquin Pub "won't be ready in time" for April 15th, but it's not publically clear what's going on with the pub. With the new all ages venue, doors will now open at 7:00 PM, and J.D. may be adding an additional local opener, so see the above links for more details on this relocated metal show!
• After 4 years of local band involvement in the Rock 'N Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish, there were sadly no local bands registered to compete in tonight's edition of the event, as per the official Facebook page for the annual Spanish concert festival, which will be held in August. The Soo's not completely shut out though, as ex-Sykotyk Rampage bassist Brian Cattapan's Sudbury band Aggressive Acoustic will be the first performers tonight, so best of luck to them as they look to place high and earn an opening slot for Big Sugar or Haywire this summer!
• Local goregrind duo Rotopsy will end their nine month concert hiatus as the final local openers for the Reanimator-headlined concert at The New American Pub on Sunday, April 24th, as per the official Facebook event page! Given Tyler & Dylan's usual concert frequency, it's odd that they've been off stage for this long, but Rotopsy should fit in well with Reanimator and Pillory next month! Stay tuned for more!

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

AlgomA/Chronobot Split Pre-Release Promotion, A New Song, And Much More!!

In possibly our last news post before we post this month's CD review, today's post will lead off with details on what will likely be next month's CD review topic, as it's getting a lot of online press coverage and promotion this month! Alongside, we have a new-to-us song from a recent addition to our band links, and some assorted recent notes, so here's what you should know!

The forthcoming split EP from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan doom metal band Chronobot (which comes out THIS FRIDAY) is the subject of some advance media coverage, so what should you know on it? Parker Folse from the metal website No Clean Singing previewed the split for this article from March 20th where they officially unveiled one track from each band's half of the release, so if you want to hear the studio version of AlgomA's "Phthtisis" or Chronobot's "Red Nails", see the above links, or visit the featured Soundcloud page! Without giving too much away (as this split is very likely for next month's CD review), Parker reviewed "Phthisis" as a "raw, vicious onslaught" for those "in the mood to be trampled", among other graphic depictions. Given the genre, this should be taken as a compliment! Then on Thursday, the metal blog Doomed To Darkness Zine gave the split an 8/10 score in this review, positively reflecting on AlgomA as "a very great sounding mixture" of their subgenres.

Also featuring in-depth thoughts on both bands' talents and sounds, it's a solid review for the lead-up to the formal release on Friday, so give it a look at this link and more above! Most recently, AlgomA bassist Kevin Campbell and Chronobot keyboardist Darius Simonot were separately interviewed by Jill Girardi for this article from their label Dead Beat Media (who are releasing this split), so what should you know from that? In the interview, Kevin is asked about how the two bands hooked up for the release, the recording process for AlgomA's half of the split, the meanings of their contributed songs, the concept of the album art, why they opted for a vinyl release, future plans for their next split with Hooded Menace, touring plans, how the band formed, and much more, while Darius got basically the exact same questions concerning Chronobot. These interviews are solid reads for fans of both bands, so be sure to check out the full interviews above or at this location!

In terms of scoops, Kevin did note that Pixo Control/Id Iota bassist Dustin Goodall helped mix and master AlgomA's songs, "exciting news" regarding their second full length CD will apparently come later this year, and he revealed that "The Electric Fence" is apparently their first original where a character in the lyrics survives the story within. This is a big week for fans of AlgomA and Chronobot, so see above for more promotion of this split disc, stay tuned for details on it's release on Friday! Lastly, AlgomA posted their debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest" in full on their YouTube channel yesterday, so stream it free above & below as we await the split's release!



Next up, here's a new/old original song from new local experimental hard rock solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks! It's new to us via a share on their Facebook page last week, but Chase actually uploaded this to his personal YouTube channel in July 2014, so that's at least how long this project has been in the works before their public reveal a few months back. Entitled "One of Many", this techno-influenced number isn't as heavy as the Speedfreaks' later material, but it's well composed and creative, so give it a listen below!



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

• Local classic/hard rock veterans Havadder have quietly parted ways with guitarist Jamie July, as per his recent removal from their Facebook page's lineup. A reason for his departure hasn't been announced, but Jamie (who joined Havadder upon their late 2013 reunion) increasingly only played with them during summer gigs, so it hasn't been uncommon to see them play as a trio. Hopefully the split was amicable in any case, so best of luck to Jamie in the future, and stay tuned for more on Havadder's show this weekend when our next concert preview post goes up!
• In another musician search from ex-Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent, he's now looking for a bassist for what appears to be his band Troubled Mind (alongside fellow Skull After Betrayl alum Adam Brett), which he describes as "weird metal and fucked up rock". Mike has jam space, the band only plays originals, and both guys provide vocals, but they aren't opposed to having a new bassist sing as well. If you're interested in trying out, message Mike at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Thursday!
• SooToday's coverage of last week's VM Radio Battle of the Bands final round was posted online on Friday, where Donna Hopper mostly covers indie rockers K.I.C.K.'s victory, and includes remarks from K.I.C.K.'s Simon Shearsby & Kevin D'Orazio, where they talk about the experience, Kevin's addition to the band, and their plans to use their winnings to record a debut EP. Sadly, only one photo is included with the article, and Donna was unable to cover the semifinal rounds live, but it's a good write-up of the event, so give it a look at this link, and stay tuned for her Tuned episode on the battle!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and weekend concert previews in our next two posts, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, New Music Videos, And More!!

Before we get this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site, here's a local metal video showcase for your Saturday morning, and it includes a pair of music videos from two young local bands, a video from a recent private event, and to start, here's a new local solo project to add to our links!

We have a new local band to add to our band links, and they are The Coyote Speedfreaks, the newest solo project from local solo artist and Them singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore! Presumably taking their name in part from his old band The Strange Coyotes, we've actually been aware of this project since their Facebook page was launched in December of last year, but we only received confirmation of Chase's involvement or any local ties on Thursday. An apparent new signing to Blood Shed Productions (who also put out Chase's CD with This Is Your Band On Drugs), The Coyote Speedfreaks have two new "albums" that you can stream via new uploads on the Blood Shed YouTube channel, they being "Songs To Chew Your Leg Off To" (with 4 songs all running for over 7 minutes) and as embedded below, "Our Hero's Journey" (with 11 songs of a more typical length), though it remains to be seen if these will be pressed and sold in physical copies.

Chase has always been a creative, unique musician, and he keeps that going here! The Coyote Speedfreaks deliver some experimental, electronic-influenced hard rock that is never boring and jumps styles with relative ease, with a number of heavy songs to boot (and one song runs for 18 minutes), though this project is largely instrumental aside from some samples and post-effected backing work on select songs, and I don't know how well these songs would translate to a public concert given the sampling and effects within. Give The Coyote Speedfreaks a listen below, and stay tuned for more!



Next up, here's the long awaited debut music video from local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control, as posted to their YouTube channel yesterday! As you saw in earlier teasers, this is for their fast paced song "Scratch" from their debut CD "Probably Not", and was filmed with Sudbury's Here Kitty Kitty Productions at The Townehouse Tavern in Sudbury during the band's January tour run, as part of undisclosed "footage of all sorts" that they shot at the time. Of course, The Pixo Control are represented here by their current lineup of frontman Michael Mikus, drummer Keeghan Rosso, and bassist Dustin Goodall, who didn't play bass on the studio track, but did mix the album. The full video is well shot from many useful angles, complete with some trippy post-effects and suitably energetic performances, and it lives up to the hype, so give their "Scratch" music video a look below!



Also today, here's a new live video from VM Radio/Speak Easy Battle of the Bands runners-up The Din, courtesy of their private concert from this past Sunday at Outspoken Brewing on Queen Street during the Fishbowl Festival's closing party! Uploaded to The Din's YouTube channel on Monday, this is an acoustic rendition of their cover of the old Haggith song "75", and it's well adapted to the softer genre format, but the video is fairly fuzzy, and the old fashioned color tint, if intentional, doesn't work well to me. Give it a look below, and congratulations again on their 2nd place finishes!



Lastly, here's a new music video for local goregrind duo Rotopsy's short original song "Cops N' Moms", as uploaded to their Facebook page on Thursday! Featuring brief new video footage of Tyler Gibson & Dylan Taylor performing before transitioning to assorted live footage from public shows and house parties alike, it's fairly well edited, but the switch of camera angles can be jarring if you watch all the way through. "Cops N' Moms" is repetitive, but it's one of Rotopsy's more accessible songs, and funny if your recall it's origin story, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more material and show updates from Rotopsy!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!