LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rotaryfest Main Stage), LemmaFest Updates, And More!!

Well, the news keeps rolling in, and in tonight's post, we focus on a number of topics we touched on in recent posts, including more LemmaFest updates & more on Bring The Misery's new guitarist's old local work, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to an upcoming local festival!

The official lineup for this year's Rotaryfest main stage (or simply "The Stage") at Clergue Park has been announced, and luckily for you hard rock fans, there's a couple bands up your alley for the Rotaryfest main stage schedule! We'll start on Friday, July 15th, as local classic hard rock cover quintet That's Chester will take the stage once again after rocking the Friday of Rotaryfest weekend last year as well! They headlined that night last year, but they year, they'll be at 8:00 PM on the 15th, but either way, they'll have lots of great classic hard rock covers in store at Clergue Park, in a rare non-Docks appearance! Actually, the top 3 headlining bands from the Friday last year are the same this year, just in reverse order, so here's the full lineup for Friday! The headliners for this night in 2011 are local country rockers Thin Ice, with local veterans Mustang Heart keeping the country going as the co-headliners! The Friday lineup is rounded out by veteran local bar band Fusion, blues band Lady Sings The Blues, and local bluegrass quintet Tyler Marshall, Brandon Ladd, and Tradition Continued opening at 4:15 PM on the 15th. Remember, this is FREE & ALL AGES, so head out for this varied lineup of talented local bands on July 15th! And now, to the Saturday lineup, also with a hard rock band!

On Saturday, July 16th, fellow classic hard rockers Full Circle will rock Rotaryfest for the first time when they play at 9:00 PM as the highest slotted local band! It's awesome to see them get such a high placement, they'll deliver a great set of classic hard rock covers for the Rotaryfest attendees on that night! Also note that, according to Rotaryfest's website, Full Circle frontwoman KT Antler will be co-master of ceremonies on the Saturday, which is cool to hear! For the remainder of the lineup, the headlining band will be Eagles tribute band Hotel California, with Full Circle co-headlining, and from the top down, the bands include local dance rockers Boogie Fever, country rockers Bone Yard (also featuring That's Chester members), veteran folk rock cover band Spyder's Web, local rock band Moneypenny (anyone have details on them?), veteran classic band Hat Trik, local cover party band Obsession, and ten-piece local band The Reptiles opening the festivities at 2:00 PM. Of the bands playing before Full Circle, only Moneypenny, Hat Trik, and The Reptiles were not among last year's main stage lineups, so everything should be familiar! Again, this is free and all ages, and check the above links for all current details!

As for the Thursday the 14th, it will be Jazz/Blues in the Park again, with headliners Matt Storch & The Usual Suspects from Cambridge, Ontario, and opening local bands Enviro Gyro, The Bob Jenkins Band, and The Sault Swing Band (the latter two are also returning from last year.) Not metal, but entertaining if you like those genres! Sounds like a great lineup of bands, check out all of the above links for details on these free outdoor shows for what should be another awesome Rotaryfest weekend! I'll keep you posted on the hard rock bands scheduled!

Now to some updates for TOMORROW'S LemmaFest at The Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan! Firstly, I can confirm that local metal band Great Bodily Harm & local comedy acoustic duo 2PumpChump did indeed swap spots on the lineup, so 2PumpChump were bumped back to 2:00 PM tomorrow and Great Bodily Harm are officially the highest slotted metal band at 8:00 PM, adding to a very heavy stretch of bands from 4:00-9:00 PM! The lineup is now completely official, click here to see the full times! Also, I wanted to go over the uncertainty I had concerning local acoustic band Electric Motor Fish's set at 9:00 PM. While LemmaFest's pages still list them for the lineup, everywhere else (even their own page) implies that a new local band named Swayze Train (get the Trailer Park Boys reference?) will play at 9:00 PM instead. Swayze Train feature half of Electric Motor Fish's lineup, including singer Melissa Strand and drummer Tony Rogers back on bass, with the lineup rounded out by guitarists Mike Libertoski (of Galactic Alignment & The Slackjawed Rats) and Scott Savoie (ex-Insipid Brutality), with Traces frontman Tyler Tidwell on drums. Apparently they play "rock and stuff", but not a lot is divulged. Check the above links for more on Swayze Train!

I still have no clue why Electric Motor Fish are apparently not playing (I assume Fran and/or Mark Blackwood are unavailable), but I have to ask, why aren't LemmaFest promoting Swayze Train as performing? You think a band switch would be addressed if they knew about it. Is it a surprise switch that even promoters don't know about, or is there something none of us knows? I have no clue, but as I hear more, including if I can prove the "metal-ness" of Swayze Train, I will keep you all posted! Remember, LemmaFest starts TOMORROW at noon, admission is $15, click here and here for all current details before you head out!

And finally for today, remember earlier today when I mentioned new Bring The Misery guitarist Daeson Lesage? Well, as I alluded to then, he has a bit of a past in local metal bands, and here's what you should know! For at least five months in 2009, Daeson was the guitarist in a local metal band named The Shit along with fellow guitarist Austin Pine and drummer Jordan Dubois. I may be wrong, but I can't recall these guys playing any major concerts outside of high school functions. Austin posted two live videos of The Shit in action onto his YouTube channel, including a jam session cover of Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes" & a live cover of Iron Maiden's "Phantom of the Opera" from what looks like a high school performance (White Pines, maybe?) The Iron Maiden cover sounds better than the Metallica one, which sounds off in quality and timing. There's talent there, but they needed more preparation, an actual singer (and a bassist too). I don't know what you guys will think, but I wonder what happened to them? Check out the two Shit videos at the above links, and here's their "Phantom of the Opera" cover from June 2009!



That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for new Shit Liver videos, my Saigon Hookers review, and much more this weekend! Thanks everyone, and I'll see you guys tomorrow night at The Rockstar Bar!

Half A Man, Bring The Misery, And Rotaryfest Second Stage Updates!!

Hey guys, here's some more local metal news for your Friday! We have three topics to get to: Half A Man's recent happenings, Bring The Misery's lineup, and the Rotaryfest Second Stage schedule, so here's everything you should know!

Hey Half A Man fans, I finally have some updates from them! I'm sorry for having these so late, but things got shoved back and back and they deserve a lot of attention, as they have some huge news! The Brimley hard rockers began recording sessions for their debut demo/album "Die In Disgrace" on June 12th! I believe they're at McNally Smith Studios in Saint. Paul, Minnesota, as they previously alluded to, but they're not divulging every detail from the sessions. The album looks like it will have around 10 original songs, and there's a poll at this location where you can vote on your favourites, so that looks like the rough track listing. That same link is also for a special "Half A Man - In The Studio" Facebook group where fans can stay updated on the recording sessions, though their Facebook page also has frequent updates. According to their updates on both pages, many of their songs have had some big changes for their studio versions. Plans include online releases in the fall (no word on a physical CD release), recording to wrap up next month, and artwork from local artists (hit them up at the above links if you want to submit some ideas!) Most of the ghost tracking and many of Mikey Bishop's drum tracks are done, with some bass tracks being laid down today, and vocal and guitar recording planned to start tomorrow.

Sounds good to me, I can't wait to hear the finished product! Keep in touch with the above links for all current updates on Half A Man's debut album! Also, a bit of bad news, as Half A Man's planned Fourth of July concert/barbeque in Brimley has been cancelled due to their studio plans. Click here for the official announcement. Sad to hear, but when this album's done, no one will be complaining! I'll keep you guys posted!

Next up, local death metal band Bring The Misery have added Daeson "Shred Bear" Lesage to the band as their new rhythm guitarist, replacing Dan Souliere. Daeson did in fact make his debut with Bring The Misery at last night's Roosevelt Hotel metal night, though only yesterday evening did the band confirm that they'd have a "new shredder". He's not currently listed on their Facebook page's lineup, but I've done a lot of detective work to check my sources, and I'm fairly positive that Daeson is the band's newest member, as I've seen discussions on his personal Facebook page relating to him learning BTM cover songs. I'm not overly familiar with his local musical background, but through some YouTube searching, I've found out that Daeson was previously a member of a short lived local metal band named The Shit in 2009 who actually have a few videos on YouTube! I'll save those for an upcoming post to give them proper attention, but Daeson does have some guitar skill! I couldn't make the show to hear how he did, but I think Bring The Misery know what they're doing when picking musicians, so hopefully he fills Dan's gap well! Stay tuned for Bring The Misery updates as I hear them!

Now to some big festival news, as the official lineup for this year's Rotaryfest Second Stage has been released! If you were hoping for metal to be back on the schedule this year, you will be disappointed, as no metal bands were announced. I will go over the schedule though, it's only fair of me, as I covered the Second Stage last year (Garden of Bedlam headlined on the Saturday), so you guys should at least know who's playing. As always, the Second Stage will be held at Square One of Queen Street East (likely outside The Grand Theater and Muio's again), and loads of great local and out of town talent are scheduled! Like last year, the Second Stage festivities start with a short 5 band lineup on Friday, July 15th, including headliners My Son, The Hurricane, an ensemble funk rap outfit from Toronto that feature Saultite Danno O'Shea on drums. The opening bands include local blues trio Big Wheel & The Spokes (one of three returning bands from last year's Second Stage), Halifax bluegrass band The Moonshine Ramblers, local indie rock trio Cowboys & Indians (featuring ex-Soldiers of Misfortune bassist Alex "Xander" White), and local rock quartet Wishbone (featuring veteran local drummer Glen Thomas & Chris Smith of Browbeat & Jar. fame) opening the Friday festivities at 5:00 PM!

Saturday, July 16th's lineup is, as usual, an all day affair, and will be headlined by Toronto pop rock quintet Sweet Thing. You may recognize drummer Tyler Kyte from the old series "Popular Mechanics For Kids", so if you grew up in the 1990s (like me), you'll find that connection pretty cool! Local folk rock quartet Kalle Mattson (also returning from last year's Second Stage) are the top local band on the bill for the Saturday, and the rest of the lineup includes (in order) blues/roots trio Al Wood & The Woodsmen, folk/country band Porter (the other returning band from last year), veteran local rockers Huckster (they were on the main stage last year), roots rockers Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, solo folk artist Shannon Moan, Toronto solo country singer Romney Getty, a local band of some type named Emma & Robot (anyone have details on them?), and local rock trio Mora Lee Sound (featuring Driver/Floyd Lee Band guitarist Joel Poluck) will open at 12:00 PM that day. For full details on these free & all ages shows, click here! The lack of metal is disappointing (Wishbone are the heaviest of the bands in my opinion), but there's a ton of great indie and folk talent to go around this year, so consider going to the Second Stage this year if you're into those genres!

As for the main stage at Clergue Park, or simply "The Stage", a lineup has yet to be released to my knowledge, but metal and hard rock bands aren't foreign to the main stage (That's Chester played there just last year.) As soon as I hear details, I'll definitely let you guys know! The actual Rotaryfest event page implies that "Jazz in the Park" (a one day theme last year) could be present each day on the lineup, though whether it will in fact be each day, or is subject to change is yet to be determined. I'll keep you all posted!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for LemmaFest updates and much more very soon! Thanks everyone!