LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stiffler's Mom & The Pixo Control) And Most Of The Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today at the SMS, we're kicking off the month of May with most of the weekend's hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next two nights, but with two caveats. One is that we're covering Sunday night's Fuck The Facts show on Saturday to give it proper emphasis closer to showtime, so look for it then. Also, Garden of Bedlam & a one-off Papa Fogals Chair reunion (and "more") are playing at PFC bassist Mike Bird's stag & doe at The Moose Lodge on Saturday night, but given the nature of stags & does, we don't traditionally call them as full public concerts on here. Click here for more details though, as the lineup is solid, and who knows when you'll see PFC again! Now, let's get to the rest of the weekend previews! (Updated on Friday at 5:34 PM)

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control will be playing a special outdoor concert set TOMORROW MORNING as part of this year's Passport To Unity multicultural festival in the Soo! Apologies for the short notice, we only just heard about this event earlier this week. We haven't touched on Passport to Unity on here before as it doesn't usually feature bands we cover, but this annual festival has grown greatly and seen a rightful positive response for it's diversity and awareness, so click here for full event details! The Pixo Control's set will be at the closed off block from Spring Street to March Street for a mid-day event known as Downtown Diversity, which will feature local arts and music performers alongside cultural food sales and other diverse events. They'll be playing at the 11:45 AM start time for Downtown Diversity, though aside from local pop rock quartet The Frasiers, I'm unsure of any other performers. Admission is FREE, and this is definitely an all ages event. For more details, check the above links!

The late-morning/early afternoon timing might be rough for attendees who have work & school commitments, but it should be an interesting change of this pace for this rising young trio, so if you're in the area or are off, go check out The Pixo Control's set around lunch time, and enjoy the start of this year's Passport to Unity festival! Besides, I hear they'll have a couple new songs to debut (one called "60 Extra Chances Called Minutes"), so keep it in mind, and for a preview, here's The Pixo Control live at Dank Fest!



The other late notice hard rock gigs that we have this weekend are from local party rock veterans Stiffler's Mom, who have two concerts at two separate venues TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I only heard about both shows earlier this week. Tomorrow's event will be a one nighter at The Rockstar Bar, which fans should be familiar with given that many of Greg, Mike, and Jon's recent gigs have been there! Like usual, their entertaining and decades-spanning covers can be seen tomorrow at 10:30 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely $5 cover charge, so click here for more details! There's no Stiffler's Mom gig at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday due to the Crued show we'll touch on in a bit, but never fear, as they'll still be rocking a live stage that night when they headline the Ride For Sight Vegas Night, a spring fundraiser for the annual motorcycle rally in support of blindness and vision loss, so what should you know on that front?

Held at the Garden River Community Centre at the corner of Shingwauk & Shannon Road, this event will raise money for this year's Ride For Sight in June via a poker tournament, other games, and a fish & pasta dinner, with Stiffler's Mom's set concluding the night. Tickets are $20, this is likely all ages, and while this event starts Saturday at 1:00 PM, Stiffler's Mom's set will begin at 9:00 PM. Click here for more details! It's great to see Stiffler's Mom supporting this great cause, so if you're up for a drive to Garden River on Saturday, help join in the fun, or go see them at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow! For a preview, here's Stiffler's Mom live at The Essar Centre!



Moving to previously announced shows, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill with (and we're positive on this) shows TOMORROW AND SATURDAY NIGHT! After two consecutive weeks of late word concerning the cancellation of his new Saturday half of his Harp run (following a Jay Case show and their UFC pay-per-view broadcast), Tym is definitely playing twice this weekend for the third time at the former Madison's Pub! Entering the 22nd week of this relationship, Tym's usual hosted open mic night is tomorrow, while Tym plays his usual acoustic unplugged gig on Saturday, so while you'll get his diverse hard rock covers either night, Saturday's will be most similar to his past solo gigs at other venues. Admission either night will probably be free, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect for each show. Click here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica at the former Smack Daddy's!



Finally for today, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will return to the Soo THIS SATURDAY for a headlining gig at The Rockstar Bar! After returning north in November for the first time since 2011, it only took 5 months for a return date for this notorious tribute band, whose faithful and explosive tribute to Motley Crue has always been well received when they've came to our area, so hopefully the same is the case on Saturday night! Like their November show at the same venue, there are not any announced opening bands, and admission is $8 via an advance ticket purchase at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, while the door price will jump to $12 (up from $10 in November.) You must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Hair metal fans would be well served to check out Crued for a great tribute to Motley Crue this weekend, so don't miss it, and for a preview, here they are playing "Shout At The Devil"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow, plus our Fuck The Facts preview and more on Saturday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crued & Cross Dog), Sykotyk Rampage Albums, And More!!

Before we take a few days out to focus on weekend concert previews, we have some more interesting news to get to on this Tuesday morning, including a prolific local band's next recording plans, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for mid-2014 returns by prominent out of town bands, and more, so here's what you need to know!

According to the calendar on their official website, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will be back in Sault Ontario on Saturday, May 3rd for a headlining date at The Rockstar Bar! Though not confirmed by the venue yet (probably because it's too early), this will be the notorious and well regarded quartet's first stop in the Soo in 5 months, and if you've seen Crued in town, you'll be well aware of their faithful and entertaining tribute set to Motley Crue (and hopefully they won't follow in the real band's footsteps by making this a "final tour"!) It's also too soon to know about potential opening bands like they usually had at some prior Soo shows, but for reference sake, they didn't have any local openers in November. A 19+ age limit and 10:30 PM start time are likely, and while ticket details aren't out yet, their last Rockstar Bar show had $8 advance tickets & $10 entry at the door, so it may be similar this time around. Sounds like a good time for you Hair Scare and Motley Crue fans, so stay tuned for updates at the above links!

Next up, and among two recent concert announcement for the new Heavy Thursdays series at The Roosevelt Hotel, Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog will return to the Soo for a headlining date on Thursday, July 24th! Last seen locally as openers for The Dayglo Abortions in their Rosie show last September, it'll be great to have this exciting guitar-less outfit (featuring prolific local punk/metal musician Mark Rand on bass) back in town, and hopefully there's no rainstorm to throw a wrench into this one like there was 10 months ago! Local openers are to be determined, but just in case it's a possible indicator, the local bands who played with Cross Dog at The Rosie last year were Destroilet & Jack Spades. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised, admission costs are to be announced, and I assume this will be a 19+ show. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! To be the 23rd Heavy Thursday if no weeks are skipped in the interim, it'll be great to have Cross Dog's extreme and unique sound back in July, so keep an eye out for more!

In terms of the other new Heavy Thursday announcement, that will be for April 24th (tentatively the 11th installment), and it will be headlined by Peterborough punk duo The Bumpin' Tacos, but announcements of local openers (including potential metal/hard rock acts) are not public yet. Follow this link for updates, and we'll keep you posted! No word yet on the teased Die Mannequin return though.

Also today, here's the latest from the original crash band themselves, local alternative hard rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage! The band unveiled a new slate of 2014 "albums" on their Facebook page last Thursday, which will push their discography to 50 official albums, so what should you know? In chronological order, they include "Wyrd Radio" (a double-length release that appears to feature cover songs), "Padre Pwadge with Ready for Revival" (described as "band doing covers of Sykotyk Rampage"), the previously announced "Environ-Mental Suits 2: Anvil of Antioch" (a space adventure concept release, artwork pictured), three general new albums named "Kitty Farts & Other Play Full Noises", "Who's Driving Spaceship Earth?", and "Santa's Night Out" (perhaps the Christmas release they hinted at years ago?), with the 50th album to be a live release named "Double LIVE".

Typically ambitious and prolific to go along with Sykotyk Rampage's recent material trends, so River Front Recreation Studios should be hopping in 2014! I wonder if album plans are partly to blame for them not playing live yet this year? Like their most recent albums, I don't expect these to have a paid release, but when finished, look for them on Sykotyk Rampage's Reverbnation page, and stay tuned for updates as they come in!

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

• Local rock drummer Glen Thomas' redesigned local music message board Freq's Music Planet has recently began helping cover and promote some local bands and the concerts they play via this calendar and threads in the "Music Planet" section. They mostly focus on veteran cover rock bands at present, but message Glen above if you're interested in some extra coverage! Note that I won't get into some of the more divisive discussions that take place there on here, but I'm aware of the local media-related discussions that have occurred there recently.
• In an update on tickets for the upcoming Heart/Jason Bonham concert at The Essar Centre on June 20th, tickets are still on sale at this link and the arena box office! Premium floor seats appear to be sold out, but some further back seats on the floor are still available for $74 (along with bowl seating for $44.50.) Get your tickets A.S.A.P., as this will be a huge show!
• In a post on his solo project's Facebook page yesterday, Strange Coyotes drummer Mike Haggith announced that his next solo album "A Place Of Our Own" will be postponed due to instrumental tracks still needing to be mixed. Originally scheduled for a Valentine's Day release, he said that it should be released in the next two months. Mike's always been honest & forthcoming for his albums' releases and delays, so hopefully this turns out great, and look out for it hopefully by April!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some mid-week concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American and Yooper readers, and happy Hanukkah to our Jewish readers! In our second post today, we're back to usual matters, mostly related to weekend concert previews in Sault Ontario (are all the American hard rock bands taking the holiday weekend off?), but we also have a new solo guitar video at the end of this post. We'll lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from a prolific local solo artist, one of which is SHORT NOTICE, so read on below to get caught up, and note that our preview of Sunday's Toystock event will be up by Saturday to spread it out and give it emphasis (and check out our whack of updates to our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles in the post below this one!)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has two more solo acoustic concerts lined up for the next two weekends, including another Roadhouse Bar & Grill show TOMORROW NIGHT, followed by his second appearance at The Harp Pub & Grill (formerly Madison's Pub) next Friday! Apologies for the short notice for this week's show, Tym only just announced these last night. Tym's been a prolific sight at The Roadhouse for months now, so hopefully tomorrow's show keeps that successful run alive in the East End, while next weekend's Harp show (centrally located at the Food Basics plaza on Pine Street) is his first stop there in 5 weeks, though no word yet on if this will lead to a regular monthly arrangement or not. If you go see him TOMORROW or next week, be prepared for solid and entertaining nights of unplugged metal & hard rock covers from this talented local veteran! There's no announced cover charges, 10:00 PM start times, and 19+ age limits for both shows, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event pages here & here! For a preview of tomorrow's Roadhouse show, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters"!



Now to previously announced shows this weekend, including the return of local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester to Docks Riverfront Grill TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen on a public stage at Rotaryfest (though they've played private gigs in the interim), these will be this veteran cover band's first appearances at Docks since March of last year, and they could be seen as warm-ups for their Toystock headlining set on Sunday night at The Canadian, so keep that angle in mind! According to the Facebook event page, the band has some new songs to play, and they're also hyping the addition of a keyboard to their live repertoire, but I don't know yet whether an existing band member will handle songs with keyboards, or if they've added a sixth member. A $4 cover charge is likely for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, with the shows starting at 10:30 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links!

It's great to have That's Chester playing more frequently following their breakup, so don't miss them this weekend, and for a preview, here they are covering Deep Purple at Docks a few years back!



And lastly for today's previews, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on SATURDAY NIGHT for their first ever stop (I think) at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at The Canadian Nightclub, this will be their first trip to Sault Ontario since April 2011, so it's good to have this talented tribute act back in town! Subtitled "The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute", Crued bring an authentic looking and sounding Motley Crue experience to every show (even playing songs live with singers Vince Neil and John Corabi), and if you've seen them live in town before, you'll know that for a fact! However, unlike their most recent local stop, there are no announced local opening bands. Tickets are $8 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel (the price jumps to $10 at the door on Saturday night), there is a 19+ age limit in effect, and a 10:30 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, check the above links! If you love The Hair Scare and the hair metal attack of Motley Crue, you won't want to miss this show, so be at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night, and for a preview, here's Crued playing "Too Fast For Love" last year!



To close today's post, here's another new solo performance video from local experimental/hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe! Almost a week after his first upload to his YouTube channel since the spring, he's back with this new clip named "dn2s", which is another solo instrumental track that he's performing. Again featuring a spoken introduction (45 seconds long this time), this video is a bit heavier than his last, albeit with a bluesy progressive feel and a raw unpolished edge to the recording quality of thr track. Very nice work as usual, so check out Mike's newest solo video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and our Toystock preview by week's end! Thanks everyone!

SweetKenny's New Album, New Solo Guitar Videos, And More!!

Before we post my review of last night's show at The Canadian Nightclub, we have a new news post on this Sunday morning! Today, we have assorted shorter recent news items, and a bunch of stories relating to local solo guitarists, including two new video uploads and a long awaited CD release, so here's what you need to know!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's new album "Cracks In The Wall" is finally on sale! After being delayed twice from the originally planned Halloween release date, his seventh original CD (and third of 2013) finally came out on Friday, and you can now buy it on CDBaby! The album goes for $12.97 on CD, $9.99 on mp3, or for 99¢ for each track individually, so check the above links to pick it up, or stream it for free at this location! Described as a "heavy rock blues style feel album", "Cracks In The Wall" (which was recorded this year at Waterfall Records) has just 6 songs, giving it the same EP length as "Doo Hickey" from earlier this year, but unlike it's preceding 2013 releases, the new CD is all instrumental with no credited guest performers. I got a good vibe from this CD on a first listen, so fans of SweetKenny's past work shouldn't be disappointed, but when is a formal review on the SMS coming?

As we just reviewed the slightly heavier & longer "Perception" earlier this month, a review of "Cracks In The Wall" won't happen until May 2014 at the earliest, as we don't review albums by the same band twice in a 6 month period out of fairness to other bands. Check it out though at the above links, as Ken's prolific and entertaining original material is well worth a listen!

Next up, here's a brand new video from prolific Sault Ontario experimental solo hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe! Though he's kept busy with his AudioFumes podcast and many Reverbnation song postings in the interim, this is his first video posting on his YouTube channel in 7 months. Posted on Friday, this video is the result of crowd-sourced suggestions to build an original song, and he got some chords and time signatures for this improvised jazz rock instrumental, which he acknowledges and thanks AudioFumes listeners for suggesting and helping with in a 90 second introduction. The song itself is slow and has a neat atmosphere and essence, but it's very well performed and progressive (complete with some psychedelic visualizations laid on top), and fans of Mike's vast array of original material should like his newest video! Check it out below, and hear and see much more of his original music above!



Keeping with the theme of solo guitarists, Ashes To Dust's Alex Hemy posted a solo acoustic cover of Def Leppard's "Two Steps Behind" onto his YouTube channel on Saturday! I'm not a huge Def Leppard fan, but this is a well put together cover with nice layered backing vocals and camera angles, and Alex's singing voice fits the song & mood, so check out his newest solo cover track below!



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

• According to the new official poster for the event by Destroilet drummer Matt Waples, the Crued concert at The Rockstar Bar next Saturday will have $8 advance tickets (they jump to $10 at the door), with no announced opening bands. Get your tickets A.S.A.P. at The Algonquin Hotel to see this exciting Motley Crue tribute band!
• Sault Ontario industrial metal project Riverin (featuring Dirty Virgin alumni Matt Hicks & Matt Clement) have had an official Twitter page since 2010, but we only just found it the other day! As of November 9th, they were working on new music and looking for label backing, so it's good to see the Matts staying active with this project, and here's hoping we hear more soon! Follow them at the above links!
• Prolific local drummer Johnny Belanger filled in on drums for T-Rex Manning in place of Rick White at Thursday night's Diemonds-headlined concert at The Algonquin Pub, as per bassist Bill Bennett on the Facebook event page. A reason for Rick's absence hasn't been publicized, but he hasn't played a live concert since getting injured in that Roosevelt Hotel incident almost 3 months ago, so that may be related. Sounds like the show went well though, and it's nice to see 3/5ths of Jack Spades together as a result!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for my review of last night's Amy Ellis benefit show at The Canadian later today, hopefully before the Biipiigwan show! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crued & Tym Morrison) And New Facebook Video Uploads!!

In our last post before TONIGHT'S Ripcordz-headlined Halloween Party at The Roosevelt Hotel, we have some more big recent news to touch on, including new audio samples that were recently posted on Facebook, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month in Sault Ontario, so read on below for what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will play his first ever concert at The Harp Pub & Grill at 701 Pine Street this Friday! Previously known as Madison's Pub before renovations, a name change, and a shift to an Irish theme this summer, this will also be the first hard rock-leaning concert at this central venue (in the Food Basics plaza) that I can verify since Garden of Bedlam played at Madison's in December 2009, so this is a long time coming! I will note that since re-opening, The Harp appears to have focused on acoustic bands, in a similar vein to Coch's Corner after moving to Queen Street, so Tym's acoustic hard rock covers should be a nice fit given their recent trends! Keep in mind though that The Harp's Facebook page lists Fridays as usually having an open mic night, but I can't confirm whether both are taking place, or if there's a schedule change for it this Friday. A 10:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, and I'm not sure if there will be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If The Roadhouse is too east for you, keep Tym's Harp debut in mind this coming Friday, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Also, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will return to Sault Ontario on Saturday, November 30th for a concert at The Rockstar Bar! My source for the news is this concert poster that Crued are tagged in on Facebook, so it has been publically announced through there, but no word on if physical posters are up at the venue yet. Last seen via a handful of early 2010s Canadian Nightclub stops, this will be their first local concert appearance since April 2011, so it's been a long time coming for "The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute" to return north to the Soo! If you've seen Crued in town, you'll know that their sound and look pay close homage and respect to the original hair metal legends, so you won't wanna miss this concert! If there's an opening band planned, they've yet to be announced, but for reference, Dirty Virgin and Redundant (then Motion Carried) opened for them at their last local date. A 19+ age limit and 10:00 PM-ish start time are to be expected, but I don't know if there will be a special higher cover charge or not. For more details, check the above links! Crued usually put on a good show, so don't miss this concert next month if you love Motley Crue, and stay tuned for updates!

Lastly, here's a few new Facebook videos (it's great we can embed these now) from some local hard rock/metal talent, starting with a new teaser video for local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters' forthcoming debut album "Eternal Hibernation"! As you may know, their most recent (and most fruitful) sessions have been done with Redundant/Caveman Morrison bassist James White at White Wreckords, and after hyping some audio samples for the CD shortly after launching the studio's Facebook group, James finally posted this 81 second video there yesterday featuring a handful of unmixed instrumental clips from the sessions (and yes, they do feature departed guitarist Josh Stephney, his parts were completed before he moved.) No timeline beyond "soon" was given for the release, but the clips do sound promising, and I can't wait to hear the final product when it's completed! Check out the full video below, complete with amusing anti-bear imagery!



Finally, here's a couple of new cover audio uploads from Project Legion/ex-Chronic Demonic singer Sabrina "Strange" Lavoie! As uploaded to her company Sabrina Strange Productions' Facebook page yesterday, they're covers of Sublime's "Santeria" and (as embedded below) Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", and they're not bad at all! She handles each well vocally (though "Rebel Yell" is clipped at the beginning), and I like the added soul she puts on these songs vocally, so check out her Billy Idol cover below, and don't miss the debut of her new band Project Legion at The Oddfellows Hall on Wednesday!



That's all for now, but stay tuned likely tonight during the Halloween Party at The Rosie for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Life In Shadow! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's concert previews, including the metal and hard rock concerts taking place tomorrow & Saturday night! Remember, for a preview of TONIGHT'S Roosevelt Hotel metal night, check the post below this one. Let's not waste anymore time, here's what you need to know! (EDITED: 12:17 AM)

We start with a major all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall tomorrow night, featuring the return of a prominent Ontario hardcore band! The band in question is Dead & Divine, who'll return to The Oddfellows Hall in Sault Ontario for the first time since 2008 to unleash some hardcore fury on their local fans! Their profile' gotten much higher since their last two local shows, and with a new album on the way this summer, they'll sound better than ever on Friday night! Three local metal bands have been pegged as openers, including hardcore quintet As It Stands (who also opened for Dead & Divine in their 2007 & 2008 shows), and rising death metal acts The Bear Hunters and State of Misery, who'll all be ready to set the tone with some brutal metal tomorrow night! Actually, this show on the whole is a lot heavier in terms of opener content than the last two were, which each featured indie bands and no death metal, so if you crave aggression, this one will bring it wall to wall! Tickets are basically SOLD OUT for this show, but from what I understand, a limited amount of tickets will be available for the $12 door price. Remember, this show is ALL AGES, doors open at 6:30 PM, and State of Misery open at 7:00 PM! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

With Crank Sound Distribution in tow, tons of hype, and four very entertaining bands, the buzz and anticipation for this concert is very high, and if I could be in town for this show, I would be! If you have your tickets, have a great time, and if you don't, try your best to find one! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dead & Divine's music video for their song "Like Wolves"!



Now to a pair of bands rocking the Sault area for weekend sets, and we'll start in Sault Michigan, where Marquette hard rockers Nudge are returning this weekend! Following a pair of solo acoustic shows from frontman Danzo McCracken yesterday and TONIGHT, the full band will rock The Satisfied Frog for two nights of hard hitting rock covers! These are actually their first local shows in a few months to feature the full band present, after their "three-piece" weekend last month and a cancelled February concert weekend, so there's added incentive to check them out either tomorrow night or Saturday night! Each show has a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and yes, they are guaranteed to be fully clothed, just as the poster says! Nudge are an entertaining band, and they should have some great covers and classics in store for local fans this weekend at The Frog! Check them out this weekend if you can, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama, I'm Coming Home"!




Also scheduled for this weekend is Turner Up's latest concert weekend, as they are scheduled to play Docks Riverfront Grill for the first time since their new lineup's debut, featuring new singer KT Antler, new guitarist Kyle McKey, and founding member Robert Brown now primarily on bass. The weekend shows are, of course, tomorrow night and Saturday night, with 19+ age limits, 10:30 PM start times, and a likely $4 cover charge either night. There was some ambiguity about these shows with the initial lack of promotion, but a Facebook event page was just launched a few minutes ago, so no need to fear! It also shows us the first photo we've seen of the current lineup too (also on your right.) It's nice to get a visual of the band's current formation! I've heard great things about the new lineup, and I'd expect a solid weekend of classic hard rock from them this weekend! Stay tuned for more from Turner Up as it comes in, especially where new video footage is concerned!

Finally for this weekend, how's about some glam metal to spend your Saturday night? After 7 months away from the Soo, Toronto based Motley Crue tribute band Crued are coming back to town for a night of hair metal mayhem at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday! No strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, Crued will bring a very authentic looking and sounding Motley Crue experience to fans this Saturday, and they are definitely the next best thing to a return show by the real deal! Unlike their last local shows, this one will have two openers, including (surprisingly enough) the return of Dirty Virgin! Absolutely one of the best genre matches you could make for this type of show, Dirty Virgin's 2009-2010 lineup will make their long awaited return after a 17 month hiatus to rock the stage with their glam and punk hybrid sound that we've missed locally! As well, local punk band Motion Carried will play their second opening set in four days as well, in what is sort of a curious addition to the lineup, but their talents speak for themselves, so don't miss them either! This is a 19+, it starts at 10:00 PM on Saturday night, and I imagine a cover charge of $5 or less will be in effect. Click here for more details!

Why sit at home listening to The Hair Scare (as great as it is) when you can enjoy live hair metal of this calibre? Go check out Crued, The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute, and talented openers on Saturday, I'd go if I could myself! For a preview, here's Crued playing the Motley Crue classic "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" in June!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for news from Woods of Ypres, this week's (overdue) classic video, and more very soon! Thanks everyone!

Dirty Virgin, Dutch Vanderploeg, State of Misery, And Woods Of Ypres Updates!!

Hey guys, it's time for some more local metal and hard rock news, and we've got some big stories today! You know we've had at least one post a day for every day since March 10th? This marks our 27th straight day with at least one new post, that has to be a record! I love the busyness though, and thanks for sticking around over the past month! Today, we have new songs and interviews from one band, new shirts from another, and a newly renamed solo project, but first, it's a local band's official return to the stage!

Do you remember when two new Woods of Ypres songs premiered on the December edition of The Governor's Ball during an interview with David Gold? Well, now you can stream the full, uninterrupted versions of both songs on Woods of Ypres' CBC Radio 3 page! The songs are "You Were The Light" (the original "Woods V" title track) and "Falling Apart", and they're now in even better quality and available to stream without any strings attached! I won't give detailed thoughts on either yet, but check the above links to listen to them, especially if you want to experience a more upbeat sounding version of the heavier "Woods IV" songs! Speaking of which, as you may know, these and the other three songs recorded at Stereo Soul Studios in August won't be "Woods V" due to Earache Records' preference for a full album, so what exactly is gonna happen to these five tracks? Well, I don't know about the three we haven't heard yet, but these two will see a special vinyl release through Practical Art Records! Limited to 500 copies, it will feature both songs on each side of the vinyl, with special artwork and vinyl colouring, guest cello from Raphael Weinroth-Browne, and mp3 download cards, as well as hand numbering and autographs for the first 150 copies.

Sounds good, at least it gives some of the new songs an official release! Hopefully all the songs from these sessions see a release as "Woods 4.5" down the road! This'll do for now though, but will I review it on the SMS? Not imminently, I don't like reviewing two albums by one band in a short timeframe, and I try to review albums and EPs before singles, but I'll get to this down the road! Only 500 copies will be made, so get on this! How can you pre-order this vinyl though? Preorders are $20, so if you want to pick up "You Were The Light/Falling Apart" from PayPal, send it to davidypres@gmail.com, and for a snail mail order, send a cheque, money order, or cash to this address!

Woods Of Ypres HQ
c/o David Gold
44 Poplar Ave
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
P6B 2W7
CANADA

Next up, Sault Ontario glam/punk rockers Dirty Virgin are finally returning to the stage! Three months after their quiet local resurgence, the band have announced that they will be one of the openers for Motley Crue tribute band Crued at The Canadian Nightclub on April 30th! To my knowledge, this will be their first local concert appearance in 17 months, having last hit the stage at the Kiss Battle of the Bands at The Canadian in late November 2009, so this has been a long time coming! The other opening band will be local punk rockers Motion Carried, who I still don't have audio/video from, but their members have the talent! I don't think they fit the "glam" mold, but I'm sure they'll do great as openers! Click here for full concert details! As for the return of Dirty Virgin, here's what else I know. The news of their full return to the stage came out yesterday, though details on if this is a one time event or not weren't stated. The band's lineup will be the same as their late 2008-summer 2009 lineup, which means that guitarist Ryan Spin and drummer Matt "Hixx" Hicks are both back in the fold. They'll of course rejoin singer Bobby Clement and bassist Lionel "Rocks" Quinton for this next show! I'm glad to see Dirty Virgin back together, here's hoping the reunion lasts beyond April 30th! Check the above links for more!

Now, here's the latest from Browbeat 101 frontman Dutch Vanderploeg' solo project! We first told you about this in November, but at some point between then and now, he deleted the page and relaunched it with a new name, or should I say, no name? Actually, both, as his solo project is now called Knownaym, and it's said how it sounds! The songs posted here include "Eyelids Fall" (as originally uploaded in November) and two newly posted originals, "Big Fat Liar" and "Information Overload". Basically, these are original songs that were either not written for Browbeat 101, or are no longer played by the full band. I praised "Eyelids Fall" last year for it's heard rock sounds and unique dreamlike chorus, but the new songs have merit themselves! "Big Fat Liar" has a Stone Temple Pilots vibe to it, with nice guitar work, but the production could have been improved a bit on it. Slower but with a hard rock bite! "Information Overload" reminds me the most of a Browbeat track, and it has a unique fast-paced, yet relaxed sort of style to it. Good stuff, hopefully we hear more from Knownaym in the future! Click here to check it all out, and I have updated our band links to reflect the above changes!

Finally for today, how would you guys like State of Misery t-shirts? The local death metal quintet have launched an online store through Wordans, and there is one item for sale there at present, a t-shirt! Featuring one of their more recent logos (the one with the eye as the O in "of"), you can buy it for $20.19 at the above links! Sizes through XXL are available, and the band has stressed that if you pick one up, the white box on the sample image will NOT be on the shirt. You can buy the shirt in alternate colours, but I'm not sure how the logo looks on those. Still, it's nice to see State of Misery selling merchandise, hopefully there's more in the pipeline! The band's Facebook page has also suggested that they'll be selling these at shows, so maybe we'll see some floating around at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday? Time will tell! Check the above links for more, and stay tuned for the latest from State of Misery when we hear it! Remember to buy your shirts today with PayPal or your credit card at this location!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sneaky Pete), Sativa Rose's New Guitarist, And Much More!!

Hello there, metalheads! April's already off to a quick start, and today, we have some news that's mostly backlogged stuff that I'm finally able to stick in a post, though there are some new stories! Today, we have stuff from Frightlight, Half A Man, Sativa Rose, and some shorter stories from the past while, but kicking things off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Just four days away from their debut concert, local hard rockers Sneaky Pete have already announced their second show, which will take place on Saturday, May 7th at The Roosevelt Hotel! The band officially announced the show on Saturday night with a status update on their Facebook page. Full details haven't been announced as of today, and there's no Facebook event page yet either, but I suspect it will have a 10:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit, much like their debut show on Friday night at The Rockstar Bar. It's great to see bookings for Sneaky Pete after so long, and hopefully they have much more in store than just a show a month! I've heard promising things from these talented local veterans, and they should deliver a fun night of hard rock on Friday and next month! Check out the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more Sneaky Pete news as I hear it!

Next up, here's a lineup update for a local metal band! Sativa Rose have announced the addition of guitarist Anthony Orazietti to the band, officially making the band a quartet. I don't know exactly when he joined (I'm assuming last month) but he was added to the lineup on their official Facebook page at around the same time as when they added some amusing changes to their band info. I'm not aware of Anthony's musical background before joining Sativa Rose, but bassist Adam Veale highly praised him to me in recent e-mail conversations, so I have faith that this will work out! They're smart guys, and they know this will only add to their sound! With that said, Anthony will make his live debut on Saturday night at The Sewer Swampstravaganja all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall, so if you're curious how Sativa Rose will sound with two guitarists, you'll find out on Saturday! Sounds good to me, and I'll be there on Saturday to tell you how Anthony does with the band! Stay tuned for more from Sativa Rose as it comes in!

Thirdly, here's the latest from Brimley hard rockers Half A Man, who've been keeping very busy lately! Firstly, the band have announced that they are now signed to Blackened Moon Records, the label that drummer Mikey Bishop's Lansing black metal band Summon are signed with! Details on the signing are kinda sparse, but the band are planning to record their debut album very soon, and release it through Blackened Moon Records afterwards, with attached CD release shows in both Sault Michigan and Lansing. Sounds good, hopefully we hear some concrete recording details soon! As well, the band have announced brand new t-shirts that honestly look better than the ones they were previously selling, and as you can see on your right, those are all the details on them! The shirts go for $15 or higher for larger sizes, and you can call (906) 440-8712 for ordering details! Plus, I assume you can buy these at their Merchant's Bar concert on April 16th. It sounds like Half A Man have things under control, and hopefully these big plans follow through, they deserve it! Check out the above links for more from Half A Man!

Fourthly, here's the latest from local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight! The band recently launched a brand new Facebook page, presumably to replace or compliment their Facebook group, and it does feature some new band information! A ton of concert photos have been added to the page, which you can check out at this location, and they include album "title cards" and assorted photos that aren't even necessarily of Frightlight. Good shots though! The page also includes what appears to be an updated stage name for drummer Jeff De Rose, as he's now credited as "Mr. Bates" rather than "The Count". I'll assume this is a reference to Norman Bates from Psycho, and maybe this will be a future on-stage costume theme? Check the above links for more details on their new Facebook page! As well, remember their Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands campaign to make it to the Vans Warped Tour stop in Mississauga in July? Since March 21st, they've catapulted from 22nd to 8th in the voting, and are only 856 votes away from the top 5! I'm very happy for Frightlight for getting this far, and I've been voting the whole way through, so let's help get them further in this contest! Click here to vote, you must have a free account though. VOTE TODAY!!

And finally, here's three shorter news stories from the last while, in alphabetical order by band/website name:

• In case you haven't heard, Motley Crue tribute band Crued are looking for openers for their show on April 30th at The Canadian Nightclub. If you or your band are interested, click here! This seems like it'd be up Browbeat 101, Dirty Virgin, or Sativa Rose's alley, but who knows who could get the gig? If an opener is announced, I'll let you guys know who it is!
• This is over a month late, but SooToday's Friday Hot Shot from February 25th was of Maximum RNR guitarist Keith Carman during their local concert six days earlier at Foggy Notions! Nice picture, thanks to Donna Hopper for taking it! Click the above links to check it out!
• If you noticed that our "Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles" list on the SMS was longer lately, it's because I visibly separated the links so that each profiled band gets their own link. The posts aren't altered, but now the last band alphabetically each month isn't listed last for each link. So if you were wondering what happened, there you go!

That's all for today, but I have much more tomorrow (maybe earlier?), so stay tuned! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crued, Tym Morrison, & As It Stands) And A New Local Band!!

Well, because I'm pretty behind on some larger news stories, I'm gonna treat you guys to THREE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a brand new local band! We'll start with the new band, and transition into new concerts from there. Let's begin, and check out this morning's post featuring this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews and another new concert below this post!

We'll start with the new local band, Sault Ontario's own State of Misery! They're a relatively new group, with the earliest materials I can find referring to their existence coming from October and November of this year. I don't know a ton about them yet, especially given that their only internet page so far is a Facebook group with the "invite-only" format, and it was only recently made open to the public. With that said, no official band information is there beyond wall conversations, but judging by the initial four members and later postings, I believe I know the band's lineup. If I'm correct, State of Misery are comprised of singer/guitarist Steve "Sykcy Ace" Rhodes, guitarist Ray Cowan, and former Stealing Kisses & Losing Ground bandmates Kevin Dorazio on bass and Nick Kainula on drums! Of course, if there is a lineup error, please let me know! State of Misery have kept busy jamming in recent months, and according to Steve Rhodes' Twitter page, the band have recently been working on original demo material, possibly to be included on a four song EP. I'm not positive on their sound, but they are metal, I guarantee you that! The band's live "debut" will be on Wednesday at the weekly jam night at Foggy Notions, but when can you see them in their official live debut? The answer is below!

For our first LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, we'll head to The Roosevelt Hotel, which will host it's second ever monthly metal night this coming Thursday! Sorry for the short notice, band confirmation was only made recently. Unlike last month's Breaking The Fourth Wall-headlined lineup, this one has no out of town bands (not yet, at least), but there are three confirmed local metal bands ready to melt some faces! Two are returnees from last month's metal night, including local hardcore quintet As It Stands and death metal rockers Bring The Fallen! Always great to see As It Stands on the stage, they'll bring lots of original devastation to the fans on Thursday, while Bring The Fallen will ride the wave of their brutal set at the Total Chaos show to The Rosie once again as well! The other confirmed band is the aforementioned State of Misery, in their live concert debut, not counting jam nights! Hopefully they'll set the tone nicely and leave a great first impression! This concert will have a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. I should note that there are three separate Facebook event pages for this concert, one by The Rosie, one by As It Stands' new Facebook page (become a fan today!) and one by State of Misery, so visit each for details! Those and the band's pages are my sources, though The Roosevelt Hotel's event page above hasn't been recently updated to reflect the current lineup.

This should be a brutally good lineup of young local metal talent, so make it out for this one if you can! Check out the above links for info and material on each band, and stay tuned for more updates on this concert, including possible band additions and more info on State of Misery as I hear it!

Next, here's another big show marking the return of a popular cover band to Sault Ontario! Crued: The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute will make their first local appearance since September when they return to The Canadian Nightclub for a night of glam metal mayhem on April 30th! To my knowledge, this is the first metal concert of 2011 in Sault Ontario that features an out-of-town headliner, so make note of that! Crued, based out of Toronto, will bring an authentic looking and sounding Motley Crue experience back to The Canadian Nightclub next spring for what should be a great show! Check them out for yourself at this location, their attention to detail is very good! A 9:30 PM start time is listed on the official Facebook event page, I'd expect there to be a cover charge of around $5, and you must be 19 to enter. The other big story about this concert is that Crued are looking for local openers! I've seen interest from bands like Bring The Fallen, Browbeat, and Half Past on the event page, but to my knowledge, an opener hasn't been selected yet. The door's still open if you or your band want to open for Crued in April, so contact the band at the above links to show your interest! This sounds like a perfect opportunity for a band like Dirty Virgin, but they've seemingly disappeared in the past year, so I figure the opening band that is selected won't be a perfect genre match. No worries though, variety is good! This will be a great concert for classic and glam metal fans alike, so circle April 30th on your 2011 calendars! Stay tuned for updates as I hear them!

The other new show is courtesy of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who's continuing his recent influx of acoustic solo shows with another new date, but this one isn't part of his Foggy Notions arrangement! This time, he'll be back at The Bottoms Up Lounge for the first time in almost two months when he heads there for a show on December 23rd! It's a Thursday night, so make note of it being a midweek concert, but this and Tym's Boxing Day show at Foggy Notions perfectly bookend the Christmas weekend, so it's good timing in that respect! This show will have a 10:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and like any other bar show, you have to be 19 to enter. Get full details at the Facebook event page! It's always great to see Tym live, and if you want a change of location from Foggy's, The Bottoms Up Lounge could provide a nice intimate atmosphere that could appeal to you over the holidays! So if you want some acoustic metal and hard rock covers later this month, here's another option! Check the above links for more details and information on Tym's solo project!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news very soon, including more new local bands, our next CD review, and much more! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

I'm back with a new post! Felt a bit odd not having enough for a new post last night, but today, we have some good stuff to share, all of which comes from new videos! I have four newly found videos with a local metal/hard rock relevance to share today, so let's see what's new on YouTube!

Firstly, we have yet another video from last month's Kiss show at The Essar Center! This comes courtesy of YouTube user shledge, who uploaded their video of Kiss playing "Detroit Rock City" at the show onto their YouTube channel! "Detroit Rock City" sure seems to be a popular choice for videos from the concert, and it's a great song, so I can see why! Honestly, this is one of the better videos from the Kiss show that we've seen, the audio's clear, and the video's shot a close angle in a nice quality setting! I wonder if shledge got any more videos at the concert, cause this is definitely a standout clip from what we've seen so far! My only real complain about the video itself would be to center the camera on Gene, Paul, and Tommy more, cause we do get a lot more bare staging in frame than we really needed. Still, this is one of the best clips so far from the concert, so check it out below!



Second today is another concert clip, this time coming from Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued's show at The Canadian Nightclub from this past Saturday! This was uploaded onto drummer Ziggy's YouTube channel on Monday, and it's a 1:13 clip of the band playing "Livewire", or as he put it, "73 seconds of mayhem"! I really like their stage setup, and they definitely have the sound and look going, but we don't really get a lot of the song or band here. This is just the outro to the song, so we don't get to hear any singing or get a sense of how they pull off "Livewire" in full. Still, it's nice to see a video from the show, even if we don't get to hear too much of it. Oh well, I bet the show was awesome! Check the video out below!



Thirdly is one of two videos I've only just recently discovered on a local musician's YouTube channel! As It Stands drummer John Mignacca is on YouTube, and he has two videos there that I'd never seen until he subscribed to the SMS' channel! One is a commercial for As It Stands' show at The Oddfellows Hall on December 16th, 2006, which also featured Blind Witness, April Silenced, Foxfight, and The Love and Terror Cult. It features the show's poster and techno music, oddly. I wonder how the show went? Check out the commercial at this location! But the one I'm embedding here is newly discovered live footage from the lone public show played by Out Of The Mouth Of Babes (pictured), from February at Nite-Life Dance Club (now GLOW Nightclub once again) at that venue's portion of Algoma Hope4Haiti! It's just 1:50 long, and it went through the trial version of Digital Media Converter Pro, so there is some text stamped on the video due to that, but try and ignore it. Quality's alright, and it was a good show, though some of the audio can be hard to make out. Still, check it out below, cause it gives one of the few video glimpses into Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, who filled the gap during As It Stands' breakup well! Also, get more from John's channel at this location!



And finally, here's two jam videos you guys might be interested in seeing! These were uploaded onto Integrated System of Machines keyboardist Craig "Tubesock" Harrison's YouTube channel on Sunday and Tuesday each. The one uploaded on Sunday is a jam session video involving Craig's I.S.O.M. bandmates Steve "Sven Gilesten" Giles (pictured) on guitar and Bart "Black Trab" Rennels on drums! Well, I assume they're the Steve and Bart mentioned in the video's title, my assumption makes sense. It was uploaded from Craig's phone, so there's no additional details on it, but they sound good in this clip, I like the riffing especially! Check it out by clicking here! The other, which I'm embedding below, features Steve and his brother Greg (you'll recognize both from End of Existence, more on them soon), and it also sounds good! The drums stand out more on this one, and the music just seems to go a bit heavier and faster, and for longer time too! Good stuff, regardless of if it leads to more I.S.O.M. news or not! Check the videos out at the above links, and the jam clip from both of the Giles brothers immediately below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene tomorrow for previews of this weekend's scheduled metal concerts, and more! Honestly, news is slowing a bit lately, but that hasn't stopped us before, and things are bound to get real busy real soon, so be on the lookout! Thanks everyone!

This Weekend's Local Metal Concert Previews, And Our Kiss Live CD Details!!

First off, make sure to check out our updated "Where Are The New Albums?" post right below this one! There's updated info on the whereabouts of 11 announced albums with at least some recording started, so check that out if you want more info on when you might see some of them! This post is dedicated to previewing this weekend's slate of known local hard rock/metal shows, not counting TONIGHT'S Endast show at Foggy Notions. If you want a preview of that show, it will be in yesterday's post, two below this one! So let's begin, and stay tuned afterwards for the info you should know about our live CD from the Kiss concert!

We'll start in Sault Michigan, where I know of at least one hard rock band playing some sets! River Witch, the new classic/modern rock band featuring ex-Blind Baby members Darian Causley, Chris Leask, and Ivan Shliska, will hit the stage at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for two nights of hard hitting music! They'll be playing tomorrow night and Saturday night at 9:00 PM, with both shows having a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Note that these shows were originally booked under the assumption that Blind Baby would still be together (as confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page), but with their break-up and the regrouping as River Witch, it looks like the new band will use the old bookings. I can't say too much about River Witch, no audio or video to speak of yet, but if Blind Baby's sound was any indication, then they'll do just fine! Check the above links for more!

Now, back to Sault Ontario, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison returns with another solo show! Head on up to The Bottoms Up Lounge tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, as Tym plays your favourite metal covers, among other genres, in an intimate acoustic setting! There is no cover charge for this show, and you must be 19 to enter. This is Tym's last solo show before Caveman Morrison return to the stage, so head on out to this show, cause you never know when he'll be back for an acoustic set! Tym's also said that his voice is "stronger than ever", so make note of that as well! If you wanna mellow out and enjoy some drinks with some great music, why not go to this show? Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! Click the above links as well for audio and video samples from both Tym and Caveman Morrison, though I still have yet to get a video of his live solo show.

Thirdly this weekend, local classic hard rockers Turner Up are back with another pair or weekend shows! For them, the end of summer continues for another week, as they hit The Nicolet Tavern for two more concerts celebrating the end of the season! Aside from that theme, these shows (tomorrow and Saturday night) doesn't appear to have much different from their typical weekend dates, with 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. So if you want to enjoy some classic hard rock songs from five talented local music veterans, you know exactly where to go this weekend! Confirm your attendance at this location, get more info at the above links, and for a video of their current lineup covering a Gavin DeGraw hit, click here!

Finally for new shows, it's a big one, as a notable tribute band return to Sault Ontario! Toronto's own Crued, the notorious Motley Crue tribute, will return to The Canadian Nightclub for a second time this year on Saturday night! Crued are winding down their Summer of Sleaze tour, and promise to bring the sights, sound, music, and debauchery that you're likely to get at a real Motley Crue concert! Take it from me, these guys do deliver a very good stage show and sound the part as well! This show will take place at The Canadian on Saturday at 10:00 PM, there's a 19+ age limit, and though there's no listed cover, most shows there have one, so bring at least $5 just in case. Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page! This should be an awesome show, though I dunno if I can make it. Believe me though, these guys bring it live, and Motley Crue fans will have a blast! Click the above links for more, and for a preview, here's a clip of Crued playing the classic "Looks That Kill"!



Finally for today, I have a new album note! Remember at last month's Kiss show, when Simfy Live (formerly Concert Online) recorded the entire concert to later be sold on an official live album? Well, I ordered a copy not long after the show wrapped up, and just two weeks later, I got it in the mail, so here's what you should know! "The Hottest Show On Earth: Live In Sault Ste. Marie" has two CDs with the ENTIRE show featured (view the setlist here), and I mean that, cause they included everything! Song intros, banter, crowd rallying, you name it, and there's no pause breaks between songs either, so it feels like you're there again, in a sense! The case is cardboard with clear plastic to contain the CDs, and you can see the cover on the right. Aside from the sticker identifying that this show took place on August 10th in Sault Ontario, and a paper setlist insert on the inside cover (with writing credits), there's nothing custom about the packaging, but I didn't expect that. I will say that without the stage show and effects, it's easier to pick up on musical errors and changes, if that's of note.

I want to review this live CD set on the SMS in the future, but I'll wait until a month where I have no new albums from local bands to review, cause they deserve the press and the plugs first and foremost, but add this Kiss live CD package to the review pile! After all, how often do we get to be the location of an official live album? In the meantime, buy this package if you want to own the Kiss concert in great quality audio! Click here to buy it in a 2 CD package, or here on a USB drive. Both are $35 plus shipping, and should arrive in two weeks, but take my advice: Get the CDs. There's effort put into those, the USB drive seems overpriced when you could put many Kiss live albums on a cheaper one for free. Also look out in case I post the concert online, now that I have the CDs!

That's all for today, I will see you guys at Foggy Notions TONIGHT for Endast, and I'll have a review tomorrow! Stay tuned! (P.S., I won't be able to tweet updates from the show, I lost my iPod charging cable and I'm on very low battery life, so I don't want to risk it.)

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Who Made Who & Crued), Plus Kiss News, And More!!

As promised, it's time for some more local metal news and updates, and kicking things off are LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! And since yesterday, I found another, so there's two new concerts to tell you guys about! Here's what you need to know!

Who Made Who, The Ultimate Tribute To AC/DC are coming to Sault Ontario... again! Just one month after their show at The Canadian Nightclub next week, the popular AC/DC tribute band will be back in town for a concert at The Rockstar Bar on July 24th! That will be Who Made Who's third local concert in a six month span, how about that? There's a twist to this one though, as there will be local openers! Wishbone, the local rock band featuring former Browbeat drummer Chris Smith on bass, will kick off this concert! Nice seeing them back booking shows, even if they're not metal, I'm a fan! The show starts at 9:00 PM on July 24th, it is 19+, tickets are $6 and can be bought at The Rad Zone and at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk downstairs from The Rockstar Bar! If you show up at the door with no ticket, it will cost $9 to get in. This should be a fun concert, and judging by the fact that there's ticket sales and an opener, it looks like there's a lot being put into this concert! Who Made Who are a great AC/DC tribute, click here to check out more, and make sure to visit the Facebook event page! If I hear more on this concert, I'll let you guys know!

So what's the second concert? Well, if you like tribute bands, you'll love this! Crued: The World's #1 Motley Crue Tribute Band are coming back to Sault Ontario this fall! The popular Toronto-based tribute band will return to The Canadian Nightclub on September 24th for their first show here since May 1st! A start time of 10:00 PM is listed on the Facebook event page, expect a cover charge of $5 or less, and you must be 19 to get in. I had to miss Crued in May due to a trip out of town, maybe I can make it to this one! They look and sound the part as much as possible, and they play tons of Motley Crue classics past and present! If you're a Crue fan, you're bound to have a good time! Check out more from Crued at their official MySpace page!

The Canadian's sure been ramping up on the tribute band bookings, haven't they? Just as an aside, you know what tribute band I personally want to see back at The Canadian? Sandman: A Musical Salute To Metallica. They had a great Metallica sound, some of the members were in Helix, and they played my first ever 19+ bar show in June 2008! Here's hoping they're back some day!

Next up, here are the latest updates on the Kiss concert on August 10th at The Essar Center! Sorry skeptics, I told you they would come here! First off, did you remember to get your ticket today at the box office? A limited number were released for sale today at the box office and online at this location! I imagine they went fast, but try for a ticket A.S.A.P. just in case! Now as you can see on your right, an official poster for this concert has been released, click on it for a larger version or click here for an interactive huge version. Notice who's listed as the special guests? Garden of Bedlam, of course! Cool to see them on a poster of this calibre, just wait until we see them opening this concert! Also of note: $1 from each ticket sold will go to The Wounded Warriors Fund to benefit wounded war veterans, which is an awesome gesture! No word though if it's for all tickets or just the ones since the new date was announced. And as best as I can tell, the live CD recording of the concert that we would have gotten from the cancelled December 15th Kiss show will NOT take place at this one, but if I'm wrong, I'll let you know! Remember, tickets are $99.50, tickets from the cancelled date will be honoured, and you can get refunds for those tickets at the point of purchase if you want.

While we're on the subject of Kiss, here's some more updates from local news sources on the show! SooNews.ca reported the news of the new date for the concert on Monday, click here to read the article! The Sault Star posted a similar article three days ago, click here to read it too! None of the articles tells us anything new or groundbreaking, but really, after over a year of Kiss discussion in the local media, can you blame them? Remember, Kiss and Garden of Bedlam at The Essar Center on August 10th, I will see you all there!

And finally for today, lots of news from Glen Thomas' excellent news site The Barking Eye! His newest article is his first "Attack of the Garage Bands" segment, which is particularly interesting to us at the SMS because it's all about Sykotyk Rampage! It features a lengthy write-up on Sykotyk Rampage contributed by guitarist Dirk Becker, including how exactly the band writes and records their unique brand of hard rock! Interesting to see their own take on the songwriting and recording process, I guarantee no other band does it the same way! Dirk also contributed some extra band news, including confirmation of bassist Brian Cattapan's departure (he moved to Sudbury, but he will be featured on the band's upcoming albums), and confirmation of the band's 24th album, which will be a double album coming out in September, entitled "Genius Mushrooms with Thoughts of Intellect"! Can't wait to hear that! Check out the entire Sykotyk Rampage piece at this location, maybe you'll learn a few things about how to craft your own brand of blue Chinese metal crash punk! Also stay tuned for the release of "Bella Disgusta" this summer!

Also new on The Barking Eye, a short article where Glen promotes Reverbnation, the popular music site that many local bands are finally using actively, a plug for the Kiss show on August 10th (with some skepticism), and an article featuring some old videos featuring local bands and Saultites! Two have a metal connection, including one featuring Saultite Keith Danby (a veteran of some local hard rock bands way back), and much to my surprise, the music video for "Puzzled" by Human Disorder (featuring Saultites Jason Taillefer & Joe LaVergne from Phatstick), which I uploaded to YouTube last month! Check out the new articles at this location, and for more Barking Eye updates, join the new Facebook group for it by clicking here!

I'll leave you guys today with a picture I scanned from Sault This Week on Wednesday, of a local metalhead accepting his diploma at a recent mature students graduation ceremony at Roberta Bondar Pavilion! You can tell he's a metalhead with the devil horns and the Jack Daniels hat! Looking back, I should have flashed the horns for my Grade 12 grad photos! I found the photo amusing, especially being on the front page of the paper, so I thought "Well, why not scan it? Metal's spreading locally as it is!" Tomorrow, I should have a new post with updates from Browbeat, Silver Dream, a local guitarist from a few of Tym Morrison's old bands, and maybe some stuff on Kiss, Garden of Bedlam, and Woods of Ypres. You'll have to swing by the SMS tomorrow to find out what'll be up! Also, remember that Tesla are playing tomorrow night at Kewadin Casino, my newest out of town bands (with Saultite members) profiles will be up by Wednesday, and the SMS turns 3 years old in just 9 DAYS!!!!!!