LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Bear Hunters & Havadder) And Much More!!

Before we reveal last month's poll results and post info on this month's poll (which is up now, so VOTE A.S.A.P.!), here's a new news post for your Saturday morning! This includes some assorted recent notes, a surprise re-recording, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including for a new show TONIGHT, so here;s what you should know! (Updated at 12:33 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will play a rare set at The Moose Lodge TONIGHT, but there's a charitable air to the proceedings! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the event yesterday via it's official Facebook event page, though they had teased it beforehand. Tomorrow's event is a fundraiser for Valerie Belsito, a friend of the band who suffers from multiple sclerosis and can't walk, but it hoping to raise money tonight to travel to California for a stem cell treatment that may help her walk again. I won't get into any ethical debates here about stem cell treatments (this is a music site), but hopefully there's a great turnout tonight so Valerie can try this out and see if the stem cells can do what they're hoping! Admission is $30 (remember the cause behind it), and it's presumably all ages, and it kicks off today at 5:00 PM, while there will be dinner served and numerous prize draws.

Considering the intent and theme of the event, this might not be ideal for Havadder fans in general, but they're just donating their time to help Valerie out, and if she can walk again when all is said and done, everyone at The Moose Lodge will have helped the cause! Keep it in mind if you want to help Valerie, and for a preview, here's Havadder live last year!



Next up, here's another new concert taking place at The Rednecks Saloon, as death metal favourites The Bear Hunters are hosting a special Tuesday night concert on April 28th called "The Windshield Benefit"! The show is to help drummer Johnny Belanger replace his car's windshield, which was recently smashed, and while the show is free, you can donate to the cause! Almost like a live Kickstarter, there are incentives to donate, as $1 donations get you a "Thank you" acknowledgement in the booklet for the band's upcoming album "The Dead Testament" and $5 donations will get you entered in a draw for a free copy of said album upon release, and apparently a personalized letter and mini-comic from Johnny! As for the performer lineup, the newly announced headliners are local/St. Catharine's death/grime trio Shit Liver, in their Rednecks debut and first local concert since last summer! This is a bit of a surprise considering that the guys were aiming for their local tour date to be next week, but it's great to have them back any time, so don't miss them at 1:00 AM! The Bear Hunters will co-headline at midnight in their first set since their VM Radio Battle of the Bands second place run.

Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades are on at 11:00 PM, and local alternative hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din making their Rednecks debut at 10:00 PM. The opening sets will be acoustic, with Johnny & his Jack Spades bandmate Jesse Cook reprising their Sleigher turn from X-Mess 2 for a half-set, while Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie is slated to play a rare acoustic set as well, apparently named "Alan Strings" with a set of... Alicia Keys covers?! I assume that's a joke, but maybe we'll be surprised? This is a 19+ concert, and hopefully there's a good turnout to fund Johnny's new windshield, so click here for more details, and stay tuned as updates roll in!

Also today, here's a slight surprise from local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith, as they've revealed one final song for their upcoming EP "XIV"! Originally announced to have just the three songs recorded before Daniel Horton left the band, they've recently added a re-recording of "Rage Train" (originally on their 2012 debut "Dragon Joy Ride") to the track listing! You can hear it via their YouTube channel on Wednesday, and while we won't review the song here yet pending a likely review of "XIV", I will note that it is longer than the original version. For reference, this version features frontman Curtis McKenzie on all guitar parts (the returning Caleb Cachagee isn't featured), while Jordan Leach plays bass on the track. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more on Haggith's album release plans!



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

• The teased Dank Fest 2 all ages concert event at The Oddfellows Hall (presumably intended for this weekend) has been cancelled due to "current contract issues" with the venue, as per promoters Heavy North Entertainment's Facebook page yesterday. It's a rented hall, did the price go up recently? H.N.E. haven't shut the door on holding a second Dank Fest next year, and hopefully they don't stop putting on shows there!
• Frasiers drummer Devin Williamson is looking for a 16-24 year old guitar player with harmony vocal ability for his new local band, who would play originals and covers, and are influenced by everyone from Van Halen & Motley Crue to The Arctic Monkeys and Band of Skulls. Wide range there, but if you're interested in more details, message Devin at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• The presumed cover artwork for local doom/punk trio The Revolution's upcoming EP "Roll Call" can now be viewed at their official Facebook page! It might just be a teaser, but it leaves an impact, so give it a look above! Note that recent postings concerning a search for a full time lead singer have recently been taken down.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and this month's poll info next, and VOTE TODAY! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades' EP Release, New Dank Fest Videos, And Much More!!

Before we double up with weekend concert previews and our newest Battle of the Bands profile on the site tomorrow, we have recent band clarifications, new videos from a recent all ages show, and first, big news concerning another new album release, so here;s what you need to know!

Be prepared to jack the planet, as local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' debut EP saw it's digital release on Sunday! Entitled "The First", the EP is now on sale at the band's Bandcamp page for just $4, so if you want to buy it right now, feel free! In order, the EP's songs are "They Live", "Rise", "Breakneck Speed", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X", and "To The Left", so click each link to sample the songs as well. A physical release is not coming until mid-May, but early indications suggest that physical copies will be out on Friday, May 16th at the long-teased release party, which is tentatively scheduled for The Rockstar Bar pending venue confirmation. Early word suggests that it will feature sets from Jack Spades, the returning Destroilet, and Oshawa punk band the Black Cat Attack, but nothing is 100% official as of yet, so keep an eye out for updates! While this appears to be the album cover on your left, Jack Spades have indicated that local graphic designers will provide some elaborate artwork in the CD inserts.

As well, a Facebook contest is on where if you change your Facebook profile picture to the above image and tag frontman J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) in it, you'll be entered to win a free copy of "The First" and release party tickets, so keep it in mind if you want to win both! The songs sound great so far in terms of production, but when can you see our review of it? In order to time it with the physical CD release party, we'll give it a formal review next month, so look out for it then! As for April 2014, I'll confirm that we're reviewing Shit Liver's debut album (which also came out on Sunday) within the next week, so stay tuned for that as well! Pick up Jack Spades' album at this link, and Shit Liver's here!

Next up, we have some new public videos to share from Saturday night's 11 band Oddfellows Hall marathon known as Dank Fest 2014, starting with a new clip from local classic metal quintet Project 421's set! Similarly to some of their Medi-Fest footage, this was uploaded to attendee Joey Phuckel's personal Facebook page but publically shared by the band last night, and it's of their cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", so how does it turn out? Pretty well, Joey had a nice close angle to the band, though the house lighting is inconsistent in the video, and Curtis McKenzie's vocals aren't as loud as they could be. Solid metal action though, so give Project 421's newest live video a look below!



Also from Dank Fest are two new videos of local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore's set, as per their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Monday! One of the videos has a song title we won't repeat here to avoid possibly offending some readers, but the other is embedded below, and it features fans moshing to one of C.T.W.'s (presumably untitled?) songs. The filmer captured the chaos well, but with the vertical cell phone camera angle, jittery camera motions, and dark lighting, the visuals on each aren't optimal. Fans of their grind attack should enjoy there songs, so give them a look above and below!



Finally, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while (ironically all concerning unanswered questions about local bands from our recent concert coverage, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Remember how we didn't know anything concerning Habitat Shuffle, who are debuting at June's Great Sabatini concert at The Moose Lodge? Apparently, they're a ska-punk/alternative band featuring ex-Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall & Dirty Few drummer Blair St. John, though we await official word and online information on them and their lineup. Thanks to promoter Jamie Vincent for the information!
• Local hard rock/punk duo Re-Born (a.k.a. the original Brutaly Fatal) are indeed still alive, but have reportedly switched focus to playing mostly unadvertised surprise gigs at events, so keep that in mind if you're at any Blood Shed Productions-affiliated house party events or Oddfellows shows. Thanks to drummer Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson for the clarification!
• To answer another lingering question from our coverage of last month's Commencing Human Desperation show at The Oddfellows Hall, the new local band known as Them that were once on the lineup are apparently a ska-punk duo featuring Pixo Control drummer Keeghan Rosso, though like Re-Born, they also mainly stick to quiet unannounced shows. Thanks again to Ringsnaps for the info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for both the first of the weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews, and our newest Battle of the Bands Rewind profile on last year's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!

Dank Fest 2014 Concert Review!!

Finally, it's now time for our review of Saturday night's Dank Fest 2014, and I apologize again for the delay, but the slow video uploads and such pushed it back. Before we get to the bands, just some info on the event itself, including a notable band drop out, as advertised headliners TheKillingField dropped out of the event on short notice due to scheduling conflicts, though members didn't elaborate on that front. Very disappointing, especially as two shots at a local show fell through in a four month span, but they've always been great to the Soo, so hopefully the bad luck ends and they do play here at some point soon again! They were not replaced, so Dank Fest fell to 11 bands from the 14 it was originally intended to have. I had a sinking feeling that the original planned lineup wouldn't hold together, but we still got a huge bang for our buck! The weather mostly co-operated, but the talk of sausages being barbequed behind The Oddfellows Hall didn't come to fruition. The attendance varied as the day went on, but it peaked in the early evening for The Pixo Control and Like Animals' sets, and while I do get the timing of the event for 4:20, competing with the Easter weekend and Record Store Day may have affected the turnout. The fan activity was lively though, and there were some solid pits!

After a 45 minute delay (possibly due to TheKillingField's dropout?), Dank Fest kicked off with the former Like Father Like Son, local/Ottawa indie rock band The North Shore (replacing Viva Emptiness), though returning drummer Felipe Basoalto couldn't make the event, so frontman Jeremy Hannah and new guitarist Chase Wigmore played as a duo. Though clear outliers compared to the death metal and hard rock to come, Jeremy's a former local hardcore singer and promoter, and Chase brought a bit of the aggression for their set, which really struck me as a clash of two styles. While Jeremy was playing to his recent strengths in unplugged indie material, Chase's guitar work seemed like it belonged with a different heavier band, and it was an interesting contrast. Once you got past that though, The North Shore provided a nice softer beginning for this show, and they definitely seemed happy to be there, so hopefully we see more of them in the future, especially given how sporadic Jeremy's local gigs have been lately!

Second on Saturday were local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats, and though the rumours of them dropping out were false, they also played short-handed due to guitarist Paula Panther being away on vacation. With her absence, their set seemed a bit more deliberate and not as lively, though I'm sure part of that was due to playing in the late afternoon. A mix of originals like "Call Me" and covers of bands like The Misfits, The Offspring, and L7 populated their 8 song set, and while the energy of their full quartet sets wasn't fully there, the talent was, with Kate Kougar's singing effective when audible (she was often low in the mix though), and Jamie Jaguar's bass flowed well also! That said, they're most effective with two guitarists, so be sure to catch the Die Mannequin show they're opening in June for the full Danger Cats experience!

Third was supposed to be the return of local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes, but bassist James Watterworth couldn't make the event (if they have a new drummer yet, he didn't play either), so frontman Chase Wigmore played a solo set in their place. That said, he didn't stick to just his solo material though, performing a lot of harsh metal songs that probably would have been indicative of The Strange Coyotes's set had they played this show! Included within were some surprising acoustic covers of Megadeth songs (and even Del Shannon's "Runaway") along with some band and solo originals, and Chase definitely held our attention with his high energy and creativity, even almost looking possessed at points during his set! It was nice to see Chase back on stage, even if the rest of the band was absent, but his entertaining solo work got a lot of people going, even inciting the day's first mosh pit, which is impressive for acoustic material!

Due to having to get back on the road early, Orillia metal trio Like Animals swapped spots with The Pixo Control to play the earlier fourth slot at Dank Fest, and 3 years after dropping out of a show at The Rosie, they definitely made up for lost time with an impressive progressive metal set! Is it surprising that they were the first band on Saturday with no absent members? Playing to some of the day's best crowd numbers, Like Animals tore through a technical and aggressive blend of progressive and hardcore metal, and fans definitely seemed to enjoy everything! Playing a number of impressive songs (including songs from their new EP "The Wild"), I enjoyed Jamie Haffenden's guitar ability and singing range, and Myke Caouette's bass work and enthusiasm was a constant, but Jamie could show some more liveliness to match their songs. Impressive first stop in the Soo though, hopefully they come back down the road!

Following them was the Oddfellows Hall debut of local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control (our newest addition to our band links on the site), and after a successful Record Store Day set outside of The Rad Zone, the guys amped up the heaviness and left a solid impression on attendees! I was familiar with some of their YouTube postings and frontman Michael Mikus' past work with The Fever Tops, but The Pixo Control definitely benefit from a live setting for their grungy alt-rock sound, which had a solid passion, and they can be very heavy on the right song, including tracks like "Land of the Moles" and "Tall Ships". Michael seemed to channel Kurt Cobain at parts in their set, while Steve Edwards showed some solid bass skill, and Keeghan Rosso's drumming fit right in as well, and though they did have some rough moments, they're young and will definitely shore up those areas. I'm curious to see where The Pixo Control go from here, but if you love bands like Haggith and No Arrow, don't sleep on these guys!

Local hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back returned to The Oddfellows Hall as the night's middle band, and they were back to their usual tricks with an intense and well received set of original material, complete with a very surprising closing cover of Weezer's "Buddy Holly"! Originals like "Lung Bucket", "Breeding Weak", and "No. 1 Single" also made the rounds, and like at earlier gigs of theirs, the two-man assault got a very enthusiastic reception! They still don't really sound like a duo, their sound works that well, and Jamie Vincent (a.k.a. AlgomA drummer Geezer D'Artagnan) continues to develop a very solid presence as a hardcore singer and frontman! Nathan Sauve's drumming and backup vocals also fit as well as ever on this very heavy hybrid material! If anything, I'd like to see Jamie loosen up a bit on stage, but Bad Back powered through another brutal set, and hopefully we see them on stage again soon!

Local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore (replacing Brutaly Fatal & Re-Born) took the stage next, and while still polarizing for fans not accustomed to this style or the lyrical content, Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson handled things well for an unapologetic and very heavy set of original material! Like before, his set saw him on pig squeal vocals & lead guitar with a drum machine to handle backing rhythm, and despite the minimalistic nature, he has a solid command of the audience, and loyal fans of Blood Shed Productions were out in full force to mosh and headbang along to originals like "Orthostatic Hypertension", "People These Days", and the ultra-brief "Batch Cones". Tyler's music definitely fits live better than it ever has in studio, and while I do think he'd rise faster locally if he had a full band to support this material, he's doing what he wants for fans who love it no matter what, and it'll be interesting to hear what comes next, including the forthcoming C.T.W. album "Welcome To Earth"!

Local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA made their Oddfellows Hall debut next, and their slow and crushing original sound definitely got a great reaction from fans who stayed into the night! Lengthy and uncompromising songs like "Extinct Volcanoes" and "Bedsores" impressed on musical and heavy levels, and I like the added interaction with the audience and less aloof feel than they had at early gigs, though I'll admit that 180 Projects is probably the optimal place to see them, thanks to the video projector (they even used 3D glasses for it at the Skynet show!) Darby Wigwaus & Marty Chase's trade-off vocals and proficiently deliberate instrumentation kept things to a doomy premium, and their set definitely went by quicker than it was (the long songs help with that.) No word was announced at Dank Fest relating to their upcoming debut album, but their set should put in motion a lot of optimism for it's release!

Third last at Dank Fest were the de facto headliners following TheKillingField's exit, as North Bay death metal trio Buried Out Back made their second local appearance on Saturday night, after previously rocking The Canadian in mid-2012! Once again featuring a number of songs based around murderers (as to be seen on their upcoming album) like "The Prostitute" and "The Recluse", Buried Out Back brutalized attendees with a straight forward and gritty (yet melodic) death metal assault that was at least equal to their last trip here! Frontman Dave Strba (of Empyrean Plague fame) retains a brutal yet clear growl, and Kevin Lachance's drum work was excellent throughout their set, though I think they were hoping for more of a crowd reaction and reception throughout. Awesome set though, and fingers crossed we get more North Bay metal action around here soon!

The home stretch of this marathon show kicked off with local classic metal quintet Project 421, who were surprisingly the only band out of 11 at Dank Fest with more than 3 members! Coincidentally, the biggest band also seemingly got the biggest set, as they rocked out 13 songs, including their original "No One Rides For Free", covers of everyone from Black Sabbath to Dokken, and even some surprise Ronnie James Dio tracks that really showed off Curtis McKenzie's vocal range, which was particularly impressive early on (perhaps the best he's sounded live yet), but while "The Mob Rules" was great, his voice tired considerably by the time they tackled "Rainbow In The Dark". Aside from a hang-up where guitarist Blair Burch had to fix a guitar string (they added a surprise cover of "Smokin' In The Boys Room" in the interim), the guys made full use of their time and the space, with Daniel Horton really adding to his height with some mid-song climbs up the stage equipment! Everyone was on fire, and they delivered a solid late punch to the show!

Unfortunately, the length of Project 421's set may have impaired the closing set for local goregrind duo Rotopsy, who initially announced that they couldn't play, despite being the effective release show for their demo. I heard that both time constraints and a mosh pit injury of some type may have been the reason, but things worked out, as Rotopsy were apparently able to play 2 of their 5 planned songs to cap off the night! That said, I had no idea that they would manage to play anyway, so I'd actually left before that announcement, but at least we got to see singer Dylan Taylor provide guest vocals on one of Crucify The Whore's songs! We'll of course share any media from their brief set if and when it makes it online. Overall, despite the length and my own sore feet by the last few bands, this was a fun concert, and a nice primer for the Swampstravaganza next month (another marathon concert at The Oddfellows Hall that Rotopsy are playing), and despite the band dropouts, I think promoters and fans had a good time!

I got 10 photos of each band (minus Rotopsy, I'll make it up to you guys next month!), so check them out at this link or at our Facebook page! As for videos, they're embedded below (albeit smaller to avoid making this post far too long), but click here to see them in normal resolution. In order, here's The North Shore playing their song "Evening Strolls", The Danger Cats covering The Misfits' "Fiend Club", Chase Wigmore covering Megadeth's "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!", Like Animals playing their song "No Avail", The Pixo Control playing their song "The Great Salute to Radio Edits", Bad Back playing "Drum My Way Home", Crucify The Whore playing their short song "Seshing In June Bugs" followed by a new untitled track, AlgomA playing "The Electric Fence", Buried Out Back playing "The Intruder", and Project 421 covering Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight", so check them out above & below!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles tomorrow, plus more news soon, including all the info on Jack Spades' newly released EP! Thanks everyone!

Dank Fest 2014 Concert Preview!!

(Updated at 2:03 AM) A massive and well anticipated all ages concert will go down TOMORROW at The Oddfellows Hall, and it is Dank Fest 2014, as 12 mostly metal bands will descend for a day full of intense music, so here's our extended preview! Easily the biggest event so far to be put on by Tyler St. Amour since he launched his concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment, the event will be headlined by what amounts to a makeup date for North Bay extreme metal bands Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back, who were both snowed out of their planned headlining gig for H.N.E. in January at the same venue. With better weather and a far larger lineup, things are looking far more promising this time around, so be sure to welcome these guys back to the Soo, especially TheKillingField, who haven't been seen in town since the fall of 2011! Though the headline bands, they're not last on the lineup tomorrow, with Blood Shed Productions goregrind duo Rotopsy slated to go on last at 12:30 AM, fresh off of today's self-titled demo EP release, so pick it up tomorrow for $3 if you want! Local classic metal quintet Project 421 are second last at Dank Fest with a set at 11:45 PM, while TheKillingField & Buried Out Back will play at 10:30 & 9:30 PM respectively.

Local thrashers Pillory were slated to play at 8:45 PM, but were quietly removed from the lineup last night for unannounced reasons, though they've been quiet since the aforementioned Tyler St. Amour left the band last month. With the short notice, no band has been added to replace them, but the preceding two bands on the lineup have later start times. Now, local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA will make their Oddfellows Hall debut at 8:30 PM, while local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore (who returned to the lineup to replace the new Brutaly Fatal) will take the stage at 7:30 PM, and grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back will retain the 6:30 PM slot in their first Oddfellows gig since last summer. Another out of town band (Orillia progressive metal trio Like Animals) will make their local debut at 5:30 PM, three years after dropping out of TheKillingField's 2011 show at The Roosevelt Hotel, so watch out for their brutal technicality as well!

Newer local alternative rock trio The Pixo Control (featuring Fever Tops & Social Suicide alumni) will make their Oddfellows Hall debut tomorrow as well at 4:45 PM, and they've shown some aggressive touches, so keep an eye on them, as I've heard very good things! Local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes will make their first live concert appearance since the departure of drummer Mike Haggith tomorrow night at 4:00 PM, and while I'd assume his replacement will be unveiled then, remember that Chase & James play solo gigs often without the need for a drummer. All female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats are slated to play at 3:15 PM, though I'll admit having heard talk that they might not be able to play. Again, if anything comes out, we'll have it here! Opening the show at 2:30 PM (and replacing the yet-to-launch Viva Emptiness) is the local/Ottawa indie trio formerly known as Like Father Like Son, as they recently changed their name to The North Shore for unannounced reasons.

This will also be their first gig since replacing guitarist Nathan Bouliane with The Strange Coyotes' Chase Wigmore, and since drummer Felipe Basoalto returned to replace keyboardist Julien Desormeaux, so how will the new lineup sound tomorrow? Be there to find out! Also in terms of lineup notes, remember that local punk/grunge duo Re-Born (the original Brutaly Fatal) have long since been replaced on the lineup, and we await finite word on their active status. Tickets for Dank Fest are $10 in advance through Tyler or Blood Shed Productions-affiliated bands (the price jumps to $13 at the door), though if you show your ticket from the January show that the headliners couldn't come for, you'll save $5! Given the extended length of this show, there are plans to cook sausages for fans behind the venue, though I will note that the current weather forecast calls for a few showers tomorrow. This is absolutely an ALL AGES show, and The North Shore open things at 2:30 PM, so for more current details, visit the Facebook event page and the above links!

I applaud the ambition of this massive concert (which had 14 bands at one point, let alone 12), and I sincerely hope everything goes off without a hitch, so fingers crossed this becomes a huge highlight of the 2014 local concert calendar! That's all for today, but I'll definitely be there tomorrow night, and I hope you guys are too, so stay tuned in case there's any late updates (and for our post-show coverage), and for a preview, here's TheKillingField playing a few songs live in Alberta! Thanks everyone!

Pillory, Banned, and Mike Haggith & The Din News, Plus Recent Profile Updates!!

Keeping the news coming on this Tuesday afternoon, we have new audio postings from bands on each side of the border, more recent updates to our battle of the bands profiles, and leading off, some news concerning a local metal band and concerts they are/were scheduled for, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start today with some potentially disappointing news from local thrash quartet Pillory, including the news that they parted ways with bassist Tyler St. Amour last month. Tyler confirmed the news on the event page for next month's Fuck The Facts show that he's promoting, and he said that his exit was "a mutual agreement", though he didn't elaborate publically. Tyler had joined Pillory last fall to replace Cole Royal, and he played at their full return gigs earlier this year, but Pillory's Facebook page has only minimally covered their recent bassist changes. This is disappointing, as Tyler is a skilled bassist, but hopefully he turns up in a new band soon! Tyler also noted in his above event page post that Pillory have dropped out the Fuck The Facts show on May 4th due to a "lack of recent activity", and he also added that he is prepared to replace Pillory on this Saturday's Dank Fest lineup at The Oddfellows Hall if they drop out (with Brutaly Fatal on tap to replace them, just like at next month's Swampstravaganza), but we await official word before calling anything positively.

I'll note that despite the above news (and them dropping out of last month's Anvil show), Pillory had indicated that they were writing "crazy" new material as of March 29th, but we haven't heard anything since from their camp. Hopefully this all isn't a bad sign for Pillory's future status, as they have a lot of blistering metal talent that was only just coming back to prominence after a slow 2013, but we'll keep you guys posted either way, and stay tuned for word on Pillory's replacement at the Fuck The Facts show!

Next up, Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned shared a pair of live audio recordings on their Facebook page yesterday that you can now check out! Their first public media postings of the new year, these are presumably live recordings from their dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino this past weekend, which marked their return to the stage after a two month break due to drummer Don Traynor's recovery from a surgical procedure, as per a comment on the newer video, so it's great to see him and Banned back at it! Despite being uploaded via separate sources (one by Don's wife and frontman Alex Traynor's mom Hollie, the other on Banned's page), both videos have the same format, compiling slideshow footage from last weekend's shows with ending credits, and they are well put together! One is Banned's surprising cover of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" with Alex on vocals, while the other is their cover of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" with Don on vocals, so how does everything sound?

The Eminem cover is effective, if not really something that plays to their musical strengths, but the Joe Walsh cover works better for their skill set and usual sound! I would be curious to hear how Alex handles "Rocky Mountain Way" vocally, but it's nice to hear some new media of theirs that doesn't take from contemporary indie rock like their recent YouTube videos. Check out Banned's Joe Walsh cover below, hear more at the above links, and stay tuned as they hopefully add some more new concert bookings!



Also in new audio postings are half of a new "album" from the recently reunited local acid jam/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din! Entitled "Dinner With The President", only 5 of the songs considered to be part of the album are online at present via this playlist on Mike's YouTube channel, as uploaded yesterday. These songs were recorded at Paperclip Productions, and each video credits the song's composition and arrangement to their original lineup (Mike on guitar, Daniel Horton on drums, and Curtis McKenzie on bass), though it's unclear whether these songs were recorded during Curtis' original 2013 run with the band, or if he's returned to replace Tyler Gibson. We'll let you know if we get clarification! The 5 songs are "Craters", "Something Digestive", "Flow (Part 2)", "Odometer", and "Obamader", and like older Din matertial, the song length widely varies (from 28 seconds to over 12 minutes.) Possibly most distinctive of these songs compared to older studio sessions is that all 5 songs are instrumental, though it's not clear yet whether the other half of "Dinner With The President" will have vocals.

Mike & The Din display some solid jam rock here, and there's a lot of experimentation and effects to be had, but "Something Digestive" in particular seems too short and inconsequential to warrant it's own track. Fans of Mike's solo music should be right at home here though, so check out the first song "Craters" below, hear more at the above links, and keep an eye out for the second half of this album!



Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles! In our profile of 2009's Kiss Battle of the Bands, I noted that many performers at this battle (namely Wishbone, Lucas Bugyra, and Gsis Murphy's Anthony Fabiano) all competed at the last two Rock N' Roar Battles of the Bands in Spanish, though none made the top 5 to earn a Rock N' Roar lineup slot. I also replaced the now-inactive Side FX and Small Town Rivals (plus out-of-towners Lucky Widmore) with more recent local bands Northwest, That's Chester, and Viva Emptiness in the section on performers' later bands. In our profiles of the Algoma University & Downtown Showdown battles, I added The Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's current band Keep It Lit to the same section on these profiles (replacing Sounds From The Green Room in the latter), while also noting their near-participation in last fall's Viva La Battle before a member broke their arm. Finally for now, I also added Changing Waves drummer Alex Hagerman's new band The Elements to the later bands section on our profile of 2012's Battle For The Blood, while adding a trivia note on the closure of it's host venue The Roosevelt Hotel. Stay tuned for more updates soon!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews in our likely next post! Thanks everyone!

Blood Shed Productions Updates, Assorted News, And The Return & Story Of Haggith?

It may be a slow concert weekend compared to recent weeks, but the news hasn't slowed, so what's on tap for this Saturday morning? Some assorted recent items (including concert cancellations and another venue closure), some news & notes from a local independent label, and first, some new activity from a band who broke up last year, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today with some new developments from the camp of defunct local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith, starting with news that the band will apparently be playing a reunion show next month! Coinciding with a lot of throwback photo postings & reminiscing, full details are not out yet, but a post on their label Paperclip Productions' Facebook page confirms that it will be at a 19+ venue. I will note that while first word of these plans came out on April Fools Day, Haggith members have not detracted from the original posts since, so it doesn't look like a prank. Is this just a one-off reunion a'la Late & Loud's gig in February, or the start of renewed activity just 4 months after their supposed "final show"? We'll keep you guys posted! Also of potential interest to Haggith fans is a photo album that was posted on their Facebook page on Thursday that details the story of Haggith, from their May 2012 inception through their December 2013 farewell gig, and it gets very candid about backstage goings on, their successes & disappointments, and even band tensions.

Written by drummer Mike Haggith, I won't detail the story too much (it's 27 photos worth), but there's some interesting tidbits to take note of, like how the band's name was a reference to how bands are never named after the drummer, the complete synopsis of their "Apocalypse" album, that guest backing vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall was briefly an official band member, and the chain of events last fall that led to their breakup. It's an cool read according to this internet-based review medium, and I learned a lot, so check it out above, and stay tuned for more on Haggith's reported reunion concert!

Next up, here's the latest from some Blood Shed Productions metal acts, including goregrind duo Rotopsy, whose demo EP is now finished and will be released in just under two weeks on Friday, April 18th! Apparently self-titled, it will be on sale through personal contact and at their Dank Fest set at The Oddfellows Hall the next day for $3, and it features at least 3 songs ("Your Blood On My JR Shooz", and the new unveilings "Gore Splash" and "X-Hailed".) Note that while "Gore Splash" is a new upload to the Blood Shed YouTube channel as of Thursday, we'll only embed the audio here due to graphic cover artwork. The new song has a fuller sound that shows some progression from earlier recordings, but like before, Dylan Taylor's vocals are not well defined beyond scattered growls & grunts, and the song could stand to be longer and have some guitar input. Fans should be right at home though, so check it out below, and pick up their new demo in a few weeks!

Speaking of Blood Shed artists at Dank Fest, we have another possible band switch for the 13 band marathon coming up in two weeks at The Oddfellows Hall, as Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson's solo grind project Crucify The Whore are now listed in place of the returning Brutaly Fatal on the new event poster (as seen on your right, with C.T.W. credited as CxTxW), after previously dropping off the bill entirely prior to the last major lineup shifts. According to promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page, Brutaly Fatal "may see some difficulties being prepared for this one", though I'll note that frontman Austin McCrea countered that by saying they can be ready, and the lineup on the event page is not updated yet to reflect this possible change or any timeslot adjustments that could follow. This will/was to be Brutaly Fatal's non-house party debut with new guitarist Rainey Vincent and drummer Bret Shuttleworth (they've also recently teased adding a fourth member), and hopefully things are all good in their camp if they do indeed get replaced! Stay tuned for updates on Dank Fest as they come in!

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

• Local concert promoter J.D. Pearce has cancelled the planned Tribune & Bumpin' Tacos concerts that were scheduled for April 17th & 24th, as per the deletion of their Facebook event pages earlier this week. Both were slated to be part of the former Heavy Thursday series at the recently-sold Roosevelt Hotel, which is the primary reason for their cancellation, but there was a slight chance that they could have moved to a new venue. Hopefully we see both bands back down the road!
• According to a post on a concert promoters' Facebook group on Thursday, local musician/artist Rihkee Strapp (Ye Olde Mold Pickers) is looking to help recently relocated local death metal trio Shit Liver get a Southern Ontario tour run booked for next month. Given that our focus is on the Soo area, this might not hit the right audience, but in case someone who can help reads this, message Rihkee or the band above and at this link to see if you can get them playing somewhere down south in May!
• Pim Street pub & concert venue Smack Daddy's Bar & Grill reportedly closed last week. Online pages haven't been updated to confirm the news, but scattered reports say that the property was bought by new developers who plan to demolish the bar & put up new office buildings. Smack Daddy's had last been a frequent venue for heavier shows in mid-2011 when it was known as Bossy's Pub N' Grub, so it won't be a huge loss in the new concert sense, but this is still disappointing for staff and regulars. Best of luck all around, and if it's any solace, The Canadian's only seconds away!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news through the coming week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Die Mannequin), Dank Fest Lineup Updates, And More!!

Happy April Fools Day, everyone! I have no secret plans or gags up my sleeve (I don't want to decieve readers in case it backfires), so everything below is 100% factual, including a new recent concert video, major lineup changes for an upcoming concert, and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the early summer, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 12:12 PM)

Just days after announcing the long awaited return of Random Killing to Sault Ontario in September, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce has done it again for another big Rockstar Bar show this year, as Toronto punk/hard rock standouts Die Mannequin will return to the Soo for the first time in over two years on Saturday, June 14th! Last seen at J.D.'s first Thursday show at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May 2012, this popular and fast rising quartet (featuring Hard Core Logo 2 star Care Failure on vocals) are hard at work on a new album, but they're sure to bring another high energy set of originals back to the Soo on in June, so if you loved Die Mannequin's 2012 local date, don't miss the next one! Two local bands are signed on to open, and both also feature female members, including the Rockstar Bar debut (barring interim announcements) of J.D.'s punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, as well all-female hard rock notables The Danger Cats, and both will be right at home at this show, while also be on the lookout for Jack Spades' EP in case it's out by then!

This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and tickets going for $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and while local advance ticket availability has not been announced yet, tickets are available online at this link, so pick them up there if you want yours before the local on-sale date! (For reference, Random Killing tickets are also available in advance online at this link through the same company, so don't wait until the last minute just in case!) Die Mannequin's 2012 show was a huge success, and hopefully their return in two months is just as big, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, the lineup for the massive Dank Fest all ages festival at The Oddfellows Hall on April 19th has seen it's second major overhaul, as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page on Friday, so what should you know now? Two bands have dropped out of the event, including local goregrind solo act Crucify The Whore & Borderline Divine successor trio Viva Emptiness, as per their removal from the event page's lineup. Reasons for their withdrawals weren't announced, but Viva Emptiness still have not seen a public acknowledgement outside of event advertising (hopefully we see them live soon though!), and C.T.W.'s Ringsnaps Gibson is still playing Dank Fest with Rotopsy, so nothing bad happened in their camp. Though Viva Emptiness were replaced on the lineup, C.T.W. were not, leaving Dank Fest with 13 bands, so to accomodate the shorter (though still huge) lineup, no bands will have to start playing at 1:00 AM anymore. However, there have been a ton of timeslot switches for reasons yet announced, so who's playing where now?

In a complete reversal of placement, local goregrind duo Rotopsy have jumped from the opening slot at 2:30 PM to the closing slot at 12:30 AM, while classic metal quintet Project 421 are now a timeslot earlier at 11:45 PM. North Bay headliners Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back are each 45 minutes later at 10:30 & 9:30 PM respectively, while local thrashers Pillory have dropped from the 1:00 AM spot to 8:45 PM, and sludge/doom trio AlgomA are the only band remaining in their old timeslot (8:00 PM.) Resurgent death metal trio Brutaly Fatal have jumped five slots into the 7:15 PM timeslot, while hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back fell five slots themselves and are now scheduled at 6:30 PM. Orillia metal band Like Animals and new local alt-rockers The Pixo Control are each an hour earlier at 5:30 & 4:45 PM, while local funk/metal band The Strange Coyotes fell 4 slots to a 4:00 PM start time, and the aforementioned Danger Cats will play an hour earlier as well at 3:15 PM. Viva Emptiness' replacements will indeed be local/Ottawa indie trio Like Father Like Son (who opened for Commencing Human Desperation from the same promoters last month) in the 2:30 PM opening slot, after being confirmed by promoters this morning.

Big changes (again), but hopefully everything works out this time and there aren't any more massive adjustments in time for Easter weekend! If it's added incentive (especially given the length of this show), Tyler did announce that they'll be making sausages and selling drinks behind The Oddfellows Hall concurrently with Dank Fest, though this is pending the weather conditions. Great idea, especially for fans who stay through supper, so stay tuned for more updates on this massive show as they come in!

Finally for today, here's a new video from last Saturday's Who Made Who show at The Rockstar Bar! Filmed by staff member Hayley Warnock and shared on the venue's Facebook group on Sunday, this is of the popular AC/DC tribute band playing the classic "Highway To Hell", and the floor was definitely hopping at this point in the night! The audio's a bit scratchy, and the angle could be better (especially due to fan heads), but it's great to see video of Who Made Who's long awaited local return, so check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?' post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Glitch), The Return Of Brutaly Fatal, And Much More!!

Keeping the news rolling on this Sunday morning, we have a lot of updates today, including some notifications of local band inactivity, major lineup adjustments for an upcoming all ages show, the return of a local death metal project, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Glitch will make a rare stop outside of The Rockstar Bar for a show on Friday, March 21st at The Harp Bar & Grill! Announced by guitarist Marco Pedalino on their Facebook group last week, this will be their first announced concert in over two months after taking February off, and just their second date at a location other than The Algonquin Hotel, but like their Toystock appearance in December, they're returning central for this show at the Food Basics plaza on Pine Street! I will note that this date conflicts with the usual Friday scheduling for fellow hard rock artist Tym Morrison's solo arrangement/hosted jam nights, but while possible March dates of his aren't out yet, he did bump two Harp dates last month to Saturdays, so the same could recur. Also, Glitch might be the first hard rock band to play at this venue in a non-unplugged setting since Garden of Bedlam headlined at the then-Madison's Pub in 2009, but if I hear differently, I'll let you guys know!

This 19+ show has a 10:00 PM start time, and there are no announced cover charges. For more details, check the above links! This could be interesting for more than just Glitch's entertaining experienced covers, as if it's successful, maybe The Harp will begin hosting more non-acoustic performers in the coming months? It remains to be seen, but keep Glitch's Harp debut in mind for the 21st, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, local goregrind/death metal project Brutaly Fatal is back... wait a minute, didn't they become Re-Born to go along with their move to a grunge/punk sound? Yes, but due to popular demand, singer/bassist Austin McCrae has resurrected Brutaly Fatal less than a month after the original version became Re-Born! Though the Re-Born Facebook page remains online, it hasn't been updated since February 7th, so it remains to be seen whether the two bands will operate independently (a'la Full Circle and the second Turner Up) or if Re-Born were "re-re-born". Also unknown is whether drummer Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson is back in the new Brutaly Fatal (for what it's worth, he's not acknowledged on the new version's Facebook page yet.) If anything comes out to clarify the status of Re-Born, I'll let you guys know! Austin has been writing new material for the new/old band, and is planning to record and upload some in the near future, while Brutaly Fatal have replaced Re-Born on the upcoming Dank Fest all ages show next month.

That makes sense, as Brutaly Fatal are a better fit stylistically (their timeslot also changed, which we'll elaborate on next.) This is surprising news, but hopefully the fans were right to get Brutaly Fatal back, and I'm curious to hear what's next, so stay tuned for updates, and they're now back in our active band links! (Also, seeing as this is the second incarnation, why not finally add the second L in "Brutally" to mark that?)

Third today, the lineup for the 14-band Dank Fest 2014 concert at The Oddfellows Hall on April 19th has had a major overhaul as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page on Wednesday, with only 1 of the 14 bands (Rotopsy at 2:30 PM) retaining their original slot! Reasons for the mass changes were not publically announced, but Tyler warned us they were coming, and scheduling conflicts had to play in somehow. In descending order, the show will now be closed by local thrashers Pillory at 1:00 AM, with classic metal quintet Project 421 preceding them at 12:15 AM, solo goregrind project Crucify The Whore at 11:30 PM, and hardcore duo Bad Back now at 10:45 PM, all of which were bumped up in the order (in Project 421's case, by 5 hours!) The out of town headliners (North Bay's Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back) are now earlier at 9:45 PM & 8:45 PM respectively, while sludge trio AlgomA's set is now later at 8:00 PM. The next 4 bands were all put earlier in the order, those being funk metallers The Strange Coyotes at 7:15 PM, Orillia metal trio Like Animals at 6:30 PM, new alt-punk trio The Pixo Control at 5:45 PM, and Stillbroke successors Viva Emptiness at 5:00 PM.

Hard rockers The Danger Cats have moved up a timeslot to 4:15 PM, with the aforementioned Brutaly Fatal replacing Re-Born in the earlier 3:30 PM slot, and Rotopsy are still opening at 2:30 PM. Sweeping changes for sure, but aside from the North Bay bands, Project 421, and AlgomA, no one moved more than 2 timeslots, so the general timeframe for most bands is still in effect. I assume the out of town bands are earlier due to having to get back on the road, but as you saw at last year's Biipiigwan show, the headlining bands aren't always the last ones. Check the above links for full current details on Dank Fest, as this should be an explosive marathon!

Finally for today, here's notes on three local hard rock bands that we've moved to our inactive band links due to either lengthy inactivity, page deletions, or members focusing on other projects. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name, and if we misjudged on any of these bands, let me know!

• Local metal duo AlterWhite are apparently defunct, as per the deletion of their Facebook page at some point in recent months, and with no substantial remaining pages beyond their YouTube channel, I've regrettably deleted them from our band links. Active from 2011-2013, they showed some promise from their studio material, but frontman Mike Matthews had focused on solo work since late 2012. Best of luck to Mike & Kevin in the future!
• I've moved local/Peterborough hardcore punk project Kidshit to our inactive band links as well due to a year's inactivity, as I've heard no finite information on the band since last spring, and with members Mark Rand & Jamie Vincent focusing on bands like AlgomA and Cross Dog in recent months, they're at least not a primary focus at present. We'll hear a lot more from both this year, but check out their free demo at the above link, and hopefully we'll see them back at it down the road!
• I've also moved local hard rock quartet The Side FX to our inactive band links due to their prolonged inactivity since last August, along with 2/3rds of their last members focusing on other primary projects at present (Rob Speers with The Elements and Derek Turner with Garden of Bedlam.) Notably featuring 2 alums of Papa Fogals Chair, The Side FX played live just once last July before activity stalled, but hopefully the guys stay active musically, and best of luck to Rob, Alex, Mike, and Derek!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dank Fest 2014) & More Assorted Updates!!

For today's post, we have a MASSIVE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (quality and quantity-wise) for in a couple of months, and that forms the bulk of this post, but we also have some extra notes at the end to touch on! Now, here's what you need to know!

In terms of the amount of bands, the biggest primarily-metal concert of recent memory is going down on the Easter weekend, as Heavy North Entertainment & Blood Shed Productions are hosting "Dank Fest 2014" on Saturday, April 19th at The Oddfellows Hall, with no less than 14 bands currently slated for this show! Sounds ambitious right off the bat, but let's run through the bands in reverse chronological order (though keep in mind that the performance order is expected to change shortly.) North Bay metal bands Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back, who are slated to headline at 1:00 AM & midnight respectively, in what appears to be their previously hinted makeup date following their weather-related dropout from January's Oddfellows Hall show from the same promoters. Nice to see these brutal Northern Ontario bands back just three months after the fact, and hopefully there's nothing to throw a wrench into their extreme sounds in April! Four local bands are currently slotted before them that night, including local thrash quartet Pillory at 11:00 PM, and they are alive & well despite dropping out of this past Thursday's Rosie show!

Also playing on the night of Dank Fest are local solo goregrind project Crucify the Whore at 10:15 PM, grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back (in their first Oddfellows appearance since last summer) at 9:30 PM, and funk metal trio The Strange Coyotes at 8:45 PM, and all should deliver brutal sets in their own style! The 8:00 PM slot actually belongs to an out of town band at present, Orillia progressive metal trio Like Animals, who you may remember from once being scheduled to open for Thekillingfield at The Rosie three years ago. It's a make up date for them in a sense too, and their unique technical sound should fit in that evening, so don't bypass them! Newer local classic metal quintet Project 421 currently hold the 7:15 PM timeslot, while the 6:30 PM slot is currently filled by a debuting band temporarily known as Viva Emptiness, but you'll know them better as 3/4ths of the former Borderline Divine, better known as Stillbroke! Almost two years after their last show, the band's last members (minus their relocated frontman Jesse Frigault) are picking up where they left off with this new band, but as of yet, fuller details are not public. Click here for what we do know though!

Local sludge/doom trio AlgomA will make their Oddfellows Hall debut that day, and currently hold the 5:45 PM slot, while local rock duo Re-Born (formerly Brutaly Fatal) will make their first live appearance since their name change that day at 5:00 PM, and we'll have to see how their sound has developed! Another debuting band is slated for 4:15 PM right now, that being a new local alternative/punk band named The Pixo Control, whose lineup currently features ex-Fever Tops frontman Michael Mikus and ex-Social Suicide drummer Keeghan Rosso, though a bassist addition has been teased. Their demos show promise for the included genres, so check their early demos out at this link! The lineup is rounded out by the Oddfellows Hall debut of local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats at 3:30 PM, with local goregrind duo Rotopsy currently slated to open at 2:30 PM, but remember, the lineup order is subject to impending changes.

This ALL AGES concert will have $13 admission at the door, but advance tickets will go on sale through members of Pillory & Rotopsy on March 1st. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! For just the second show for Heavy North Entertainment since their launch, I greatly admire Tyler's ambition putting together a 14 band marathon of a show like this, and I sincerely hope there's no hiccups along the way to this being a success! The Easter weekend is great timing too given that many people won't be at work/school, and we'll be sure to follow any changes and announcements towards Dank Fest as they roll in! Definitely stay tuned for updates, this will be a massive show if everything holds together!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last while (including lineup adjustments for another upcoming H.N.E. show), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by concert or artist name:

• There's been lineup adjustments for the Fuck The Facts-headlined all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on May 4th, as local funk metal trio The Strange Coyotes have been added as an additional opening band at 5:00 PM (I guess the fan campaign worked out well!), while North Bay's Empyrean Plague have moved up to the 10:00 PM co-headlining slot for unannounced reasons, bumping Shit Liver to the 9:00 PM slot, though this switch does make sense given that Empyrean Plague are from out of town. Click above for more info!
• Just to clarify something we mentioned above, local thrashers Pillory were replaced on late notice for the most recent Heavy Thursday at The Rosie the other day by local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings, reportedly due to personal reasons in the Pillory camp. There had been a related announcement concerning the lineup at next month's Anvil show too, but until something 100% public is stated, I won't get into more detail here yet. Hopefully Thursday's show went well!
• Dafter, Michigan solo hard rocker Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has uploaded three new original songs ("Bridge To No-Where", "It's All Up To You", and "Up & Down") to his Reverbnation page, and all will be included on his forthcoming new album "Ink!" I won't get into too much detail (as I hope to review the album upon release), but only "It's All Up To You" features vocals. Check out his new (and old) songs at the above links, and keep an eye out for updates on his next CD!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at Bon Soo around supper time for The Marquee at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, with a bunch of local hard rock & punk bands on the bill! Thanks everyone!