LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bret Michaels), Plus Diamond Head Concert Videos!!

Here's another new post for your Tuesday, and while it's mostly devoted to some long awaited video footage from a big recent concert, we're leading off with a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year, so without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

Poison frontman Bret Michaels will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for another headlining concert on Saturday, November 25th in what the venue is calling their "Thanksgiving Weekend Mega Party" during his The Party Starts Now World Tour! Make this concert Bret's seventh (at least) in the Twin Saults, having previously rocked The Eastgate Hotel in 2005 and the Soo Kewadin in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014 and last November, which is a clear sign of how well his local concerts go and are received! Falling over the American Thanksgiving long weekend, hopefully fans' turkey hangovers are gone in time for a night of hair metal classics from Poison like "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" & "Unskinny Bop", plus selections from Bret's solo career, so keep this huge show in mind for later this fall! As of this writing, there are no announced opening bands, though none were advertised last year either.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at the in-person box office, online at this link, and at 1-800-KEWADIN, and while tickets start at $48.50, expect higher prices depending on seating location and announced VIP packages. Expect this one to be another 7:00 PM event with no announced age limits. It's great to see Bret return to Sault Michigan for his sixth show here in the past decade, and if he keeps coming back, something is obviously clicking, so for all you Hair Scare fans, don't miss out on this one over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, and tickets go on sale FRIDAY!

Next up, here's some long awaited videos from the Diamond Head concert at The Rockstar Bar in Sault Ontario from earlier this month, courtesy of Christopher Paci's awesome YouTube channel once again! Uploaded yesterday despite a two week wait for his footage, Chris filmed 13 videos on September 2nd, including seven of the headlining British NWOBHM pioneers, including their songs "Streets of Gold", "It's Electric", "Set My Soul On Fire", "Diamonds", "Wild on the Streets", and of course, "Am I Evil?", complete with a mishap near the end where Chris says he "got decked". Hopefully he was OK! Given that song's local familiarity from 421 sets, I'll instead embed Diamond Head's rendition of "Helpless" below. While Diamond Head only retains guitarist Brian Tatler from their classic era, the current lineup sounds good from what I've heard, and singer Rasmus Bom Andersen is a solid fit, though the bass doesn't come through well in the videos, and earlier clips are shot at a worse angle from further away. Check our more from Diamond Head's local set above & below!



As for Chris' other videos, he got three each of the two local opening bands, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades playing their songs "Rise", "To The Left", and as embedded below, "Motorwolf". These are their first public online videos with Rob Speers on bass, but from what I can tell, the band was also playing as a four-piece with no sign of guitarist Anthony Orazietti. No word on why he missed their set, but we'll let you know if anything else is afoot! Yes, J.D. Pearce was there, he's just singing in the crowd once again. The guys sound good as usual, and Rob fits in well, but he could show more of the energy he uses when fronting The Elements. Check these out above & below!



Finally, here's footage of classic metal quartet Project 421's opening set, as they tackled covers of Iron Maiden's "Running Free" & "Powerslave" and as embedded below, Saxon's "Denim & Leather". This isn't an optimal view of the band, with guitarist Frank McGillivray often out of camera range, but it captures 421's sound well, and for a band that covers Diamond Head so regularly, you know they were firing on all cylinders for this one! Give their videos a look above & below, and kudos to Chris again for his hard work filming all of this footage, it's much appreciated!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week on The Sault Metal Scene! Thanks everyone!

Diamond Head Concert Preview, Winkstinger's New Frontman, And Much More!!

The fall months are upon us, so for our first post of September 2017, we're tackling a big concert preview for tomorrow to round our our Labour Day weekend previews, but also, there's some assorted recent updates, some new concert videos, and a big lineup change to take note of as well. Now, here's what you should know!

TOMORROW NIGHT will see one of the most influential metal bands to ever play in Sault Ste. Marie, as legendary British metal quintet Diamond Head will make their first ever local appearance with a headlining set at The Rockstar Bar! One of the linchpins of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Diamond Head will be ultra familiar to many metalheads for their influence on newer acts like Metallica (who have covered a number of their songs), so it'll be a thrill to see them on a local stage tomorrow! Only two local opening bands are slated to play tomorrow night, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first date since last month's Ontario tour run, while classic metal quartet Project 421 will play an exceedingly fitting set to kick things off! I wouldn't expect to see them cover "Am I Evil?" tomorrow with Brian Tatler and company likely to play it themselves, but this is a huge platform for 421 as they continue their resurgence, so don't miss them either! Prior indications of a third local band have since been removed from the Facebook event page.

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, advance tickets are likely still available for $22.50 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, online at this link, and potentially through opening band members, and while a price hike at the door isn't indicated, have extra cash on hand just in case you chance it. This is a 19+ show, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. This is a can't miss show for classic metal fans, so if you can help it, get down to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow for what promises to be a great night of NWOBHM action over the Labour Day weekend! For a preview, here's Diamond Head live earlier this year!

Next up, here's a big lineup change, as reunited local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger have added Twistory frontman Josh Amendola as their new singer, replacing Keith Gagnon. Though not yet announced on the band's sporadically updated Facebook page, Josh debuted with Winkstinger at The New American Pub last week, and later confirmed his addition to their lineup on his solo Facebook page on Tuesday. A reason for Keith's departure has not been publically announced, though whether his band status factored into their year+ long hiatus is up for debate. Best of luck to Keith in his recent solo work though, he's a talented musician in multiple roles! Josh's debut with Winkstinger wasn't without it's hang-ups, as last week's concert saw the late drop-out of Saskatchewan grindcore band Dour after miscommunication with promoters, though the local bands played on, and hopefully Dour try to play here again here during a future tour!

No word yet on how Josh sounds with Winkstinger, or if he's bringing back rhythm guitar to their live repertoire, but it'll be interesting to hear Winkstinger material with a harsher death metal vocalist compared to Alan and Keith's higher screaming work. Stay tuned for more on Winkstinger's new lineup when it rolls in, and don't miss their next live appearance at the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in Leeburn next week!

Also today, here's our first known video footage from this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, courtesy of Sault Michigan alt-metal quartet The Karstens' set two weeks ago! Posted to their YouTube channel on Sunday, three videos were uploaded of the online page-less band's set at Rudyard Township Park, including a cover of The Stooges' "Down on the Street" and, as embedded below,  The Deli Creeps' "Binge & Grab". The Karstens deliver some solid performances in these videos, tackling bands you don't often hear in this area, and while dark, I like how the lighting adds to the mood of the songs! Note that the Stooges cover isn't filmed from a stationary angle, so while that video gets a closer look at the band, it's also a shakier view at the same time. The other video from the show is a 30 second clip of their rendition of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", uploaded to show vocal disparity between monitor and P.A. vocals that night, and it has a good chaotic sound from what we hear. Give these new Karstens videos a look above & below!



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

• Sault Ontario hard rock quintet Halfway Loaded announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they've changed their name to The Twin City Saints. The band cited "some thinking" and throwing around "a lot of names" as contributing factors, though this isn't their first name change, possibly debuting as "2 Far Gone". The new name, if it sticks, isn't a bad one, but will it conflict with Twin City Sound & Entertainment? Time will tell, but stay tuned for more on this newer band as it rolls in!
• Former Frightlight drummer Jeff De Rose is looking for "a bass player with punk rock abilities", presumably for a new band project he's working on. Jeff's been missed in local bands, so hopefully he finds someone, but if you or someone you know are interested in trying out on bass, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• SooToday's Donna Hopper posted a promotional article onto the local news website on Sunday as coverage for next weekend's Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, so what's new to learn in it? Co-promoter Jamie Vincent is interviewed for the article, where he notes the festival's inspiration came from other regional music festivals in outskirt towns, plus noting how certain out of town bands signed on, as well as future goals and extra ground rules. Also, "Robbie's Church" is now a residence, but it was a church. Nicely detailed and laid out article, so visit the above links for much more on next Sunday's ambitious festival!

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

Rock 4 Autism Fallout & Videos, Woods Of Ypres News, And Much More!

On this Monday afternoon, let's tackle some new stories and updates found and reported over the last few days! Today, you'll find assorted shorter topics, a new commercial for a prominent former band's  album re-release, and first, some fallout and footage from a recent charity concert, so here's what you should know!

As you may remember, Saturday night saw the Rock 4 Autism fundraiser concert take place at The Canadian Nightclub, and based on social media accounts, it was a hit, with $1,000 expected to be raised total, and plans to hold a sequel event next year are already being teased on the Algoma Ride For Autism Facebook page! SooToday's Jeff Klassen was also on hand, posting this article from the show on Monday, which also features five photos of The 3 Day Millionaires' set and one of a fan (sadly, the other bands weren't captured.) The photos he did get were solid though! As for videos, Algoma Ride For Autism live streamed three videos from the show onto their Facebook page on Saturday, including one of country rock cover headliners Bone Yard covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See". This is a fine rendition for genre fans, but the audio is unusually crackly, which somehow didn't afflict the other videos from Saturday night.

The aforementioned 3 Day Millionaires were filmed covering Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", and the classic/hard rock cover quartet handled this song well, as fans of their regular live sets have become accustomed to! Unfortunately, this is just 63 seconds long, is filmed on the vertical cell phone camera angle, and is shot at a far angle from the stage until the last 20 seconds, when the filmer got closer, so keep all of that in mind. Check out this new Millionaires video below, and stay tuned for word on their next concert, coming sooner than you think!



Lastly from this concert, punk trio Redundant's original "That December" was filmed on Saturday as well, curiously appearing to be a solo acoustic rendition from frontman Justin Langlois, with no apparent input from the White brothers (a personal Facebook photo also features Justin alone performing on stage.) No word on where James and Rick were, but Justin sounds good on this familiar original, though the filmer took this from a very far table in the corner of The Canadian, so Justin and the stage are barely visible in the background. Give Justin's solo clip a look/listen below!

Also today, here's a new commercial for the vinyl re-release of defunct local doom/black metal band Woods of Ypres' final album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! It's not every day when a new "official" Woods video makes it's way online, but this comes straight from label Earache Records' YouTube channel on March 3rd to hype what they're calling their "most requested vinyl repress in recent years", with new copies again going on sale last month to go along with existing CD stock. The video features an Earache representative displaying and opening up a vinyl copy of "Woods 5", with "Career Suicide (Is Not Real Suicide)" as the backing track, select lyrics on screen, and video clips from their music video for "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery" scattered within, before noting the pre-order link and closing with "R.I.P. David Gold". The vinyl copies of the album cost $18.59 (including taxes), and you can order your own copy by visiting this link!

We've now crossed 5 years since losing David, so it's great to see that Earache is still supporting and selling Woods of Ypres albums, and if there's the extra demand to get "Woods V" on vinyl once again, you know that's a good sign for their fanbase and legacy! Also, before anyone nitpicks that they used the video for a "Woods IV" song in the "Woods V" promotional clip, remember that they only made two music videos, and this one at least features David, Joel, and the doom metal ambiance. Give this new video a look below, and buy Woods of Ypres albums on vinyl or CD above!



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

• Ticket details are now out for the Diamond Head concert at The Rockstar Bar on September 2nd, and they went on sale online at this link for $22.50 (minus service fees) this morning, though a website issue was ongoing at press time. No word on in person local availability yet, but get your tickets A.S.A.P. when you can, especially as this will reportedly be the most intimate venue on the NWOBHM pioneers' upcoming tour! For what it's worth, prior listings of a third local opening band to be announced have been removed from the Facebook event page.
• Curious for information on debuting "drone/noise/psych" trio Pointless ahead of their first set at FRIDAY'S Soo Art Rocks concert? Though they still lack an online page or media, promoters Live705 revealed on the Facebook event page yesterday that their lineup consists of Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle, Pillory/Peach Thieves bassist Jordan Leach, and former Ashes To Dust drummer David Peredun. Intriguing lineup, but how will they sound? Find out Friday at The Canadian, and stay tuned for our preview!
• This is just a clarification note, but if you've seen physical posters around town advertising reunited punk quartet Talk Shit as the openers for next week's Alberta Intrusion concert at The New American Pub, note that they are old posters, and Stegadeth replaced them before the show had it's first public announcement online (a personal Facebook video from early March featuring this poster came weeks prior to the event page's launch.). If you haven't seen the posters listing Talk Shit, a tiny one is on the bulletin board at the Food Basics on Pine Street. Don't miss this trifecta of Alberta punk bands and Stegadeth next week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Diamond Head), Sky's The Limit Fallout, And Much More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, let's largely clear out our recent news backlog with lots of assorted shorter news and notes, fallout from a recent charitable concert, and to kick things off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for four months from now. Here's what you should know!

British heavy metal legends Diamond Head will make their local concert debut on Saturday, September 2nd when they headline at The Rockstar Bar! Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Diamond Head didn't have the mainstream success of some contemporaries, but are widely hailed as one of the most influential bands of the era, as seen with Metallica's numerous covers of theirs like "Helpless" & "The Prince", and it is awesome to see Brian Tatler and company make their way to the Soo this fall! Local openers will include punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (in their first announced show at this venue with their new lineup), and returning classic metal quartet Project 421, a perfect choice given how frequently they cover Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" in their sets. This is the first announced concert from Project 421 since Halloween last year, and while the band promises to "be out again before September" (source here), this is a huge way for them to re-emerge!

One more opening band is to be announced, and we will let you know when they're confirmed. Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, this 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and while limited tickets apparently go on sale this weekend, prices had not been announced at press time, nor have locations. Stay tuned for updates on that front, but this should be a huge show full of familiar classics and a nice wallop of old school heavy metal! Check the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, here's some fallout from Thursday night's Sky's the Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech's W.W. Baldwin Auditorium, so what should you know from the other night? As they did last year, Algoma Family Services posted an extensive photo album of the concert onto their Facebook page yesterday, which showcases all of the vendor and advertiser tables outside of the auditorium, and yes, the beach balls were back in full force! Compared to last year, the participating bands were smaller in rank (falling from eight to five), though whether this is due to a shorter scheduled run time, longer sets, or fewer auditioning acts isn't clear. The Din, Electric Church, and Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow were joined by a solo singer/guitarist and a youth group (neither credited in the album), and from what I can see, the on-stage interviews after sets did return, so hopefully everyone relayed their stories and thoughts well!

There is one video now available publically to check out, and it's of Electric Church playing for a solid 16 minutes on Thursday night, with "Muddy Waters", "Carey Baby", and a brand new original named "Cross The Line" featured. This was filmed by Bradley Shingwauk and shared to their Facebook page yesterday, and it captures this fast rising blues/hard rock trio in fine form for perhaps the best video sampler yet of their live set! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more possible fallout from The Sky's The Limit!



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

• We have moved Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People to our inactive band links, as they have not issued a public update to their Facebook page since sharing a YouTube upload there in March of last year. After a lengthy breakup, The C.L.C.P. reunited in late 2015, but only issued scattered updates and played live as guests before their last posting. The guys have a promising sound and history, so hopefully we see Bob, Art, Tony, and Troy again in the future!
• Swedish metal band In Flames have enlisted Ives bassist Bryce Paul for their upcoming American tour, replacing Hakan Skoger. This is locally relevant because In Flames are opening for Alter Bridge at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino one week from Tuesday, so it helps to know about any lineup changes! It's a shame that Peter Iwers left the band last year, but hopefully Bryce fits in with In Flames, and videos with him are floating around on YouTube if you're curious how he sounds!
• The aforementioned Jack Spades confirmed on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they will go on a "mini tour" this summer, joining their previously announced set at this year's Spiderfest in Meyersburg, though the new tour dates have yet to be announced. Sounds good, and this should be a solid way to introduce out of town fans to their new lineup, so keep that in mind! No word yet though on the identity of their new drummer.
• In a recent Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting, a woman named Tiffany Cuthbertson was referred there regarding a search for a local "rock/metal" band for an upcoming show of some type. She didn't go into specifics on the event, but she apparently has someone in mind already, and just wants additional input. The 3 Day Millionaires have already shown interest, but if you want to contact Tiffany as well just in case, message her at this link or via her group post from Tuesday!
• The second annual Rudyard Musicians Fest is looking for bands willing to donate their time to perform in nearby Rudyard, Michigan on Saturday, August 19th, with all proceeds going towards Rudyard Area Schools' band program. Last year's fest saw 12 acts playing for 12 hours, and co-organizer/Steelhead guitarist Mark Howland is hoping for this year to be even bigger and better, so message him at the above links if you're interested in playing! For reference, last year's Musicians Fest was country-centric, but did feature Project 906 & Stoned Ape Evolution.
• Southern Ontario-based Keith Urban & Blue Rodeo tribute bands Ultimate Urban & Blue Radio have quietly been announced as the headlining bands for Rotaryfest's all-covers main stage at Clergue Park on Saturday, July 15th, marking the fourth year in the last five that the closing night had two out of town bands. It's been a surprisingly long wait since the local summer festival invited out-of-town country bands to Rotaryfest, so genre fans should keep both acts in mind, especially as the groups both share two members! Stay tuned for the reveal of the local bands on their website!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

Rad Zone Anniversary Bash Fallout, Destroilet's Newest Member, And More!!

Here's our first all-news, no-previews/profiles post on the site in almost a week! Along with some assorted recent updates and new song uploads, we're leading off with the first fallout from this past weekend's concert that celebrated a great store's big anniversary, so here's what you should know!

We'll kick things off today with some long awaited fallout from Saturday night's Ripcordz-headlined Rad Zone anniversary party at The Rockstar Bar, including a new article and photo album from SooToday's Donna Hopper! Entitled "Some punk for Monk", the article (which went up on Wednesday) features a recap of the night's entertainment (though with no mention of DJ Seith's opening set, oddly enough), but mostly focuses on Rad Zone owner Paul "Monk" Muncaster, which reflects on his 30 years owning The Rad Zone and it's predecessors. The article does feature comments from Paul himself, including confirmation that he wants to retire from running the shop in around 10 years, saying that he wants to "sit & enjoy life with a fishing rod", and that he knows someone will pick up where he left off then. That will be a sad day when it comes, but make the most of his music and vinyl knowledge where you can, as he's been doing awesome work in this town for decades for the music & skate scenes (and beyond!)

Yes, Local2 video cameras were rolling too for a Tuned episode, but as of this writing, it's not online yet. We'll keep you posted when it's up! As for Donna's photos, which are all in black and white, she got 23 shots on Saturday, including 10 of The Ripcordz, 6 of Jack Spades, 4 of Destroilet (though none of DJ Seith), while Paul is the focus of three, one featuring the Rad Zone's birthday cake. Great shots as usual, so be sure to check them out above!

Next up, here's the big Destroilet lineup news that was publically revealed at the Ripcordz concert this past Saturday, as the band has added veteran local musician Brenton Ellis (a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther) to their lineup as a co-lead singer, who will share vocal duties with Mike Hull going forward. Brent is well known locally as a singer and/or bassist from bands like Lion Ride, Detroit, and Tha Bombed Squad, and for out of town bands like The Labour Of..., The Sexual Vigilantes, and most recently Maximum RNR, who Brent parted ways with last month prior to moving back to the Soo. It's not clear yet whether Brent will sing alongside Mike during shows or will trade off for certain songs/verses, but he will debut with the band at the Rebel Spell concert at The Moose Lodge on Thursday. This is an intriguing surprise for the now six-piece Destroilet, and I just hope it's not considered a demotion on Mike's part. It's great to have Brent back in the area, and we'll have to see how things sound next week, so keep an eye out!

Also today, here's the first completed song from Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's next announced studio solo album "The Warinside"! Entitled "September", this was posted on his solo YouTube channel yesterday, and it's an instrumental track that's "of particular significance" to him, but is not similar to the rest of the album, which will be heavier, though with something for everyone (source here.) Recorded at Galactic Records in Windsor, Mike's hoping to have this album complete by early next year. I'll hold comment for now as a review of this album is likely, but give this short interlude a listen!



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

• Though technically not a metal or hard rock note, Staind frontman Aaron Lewis will return to our area on November 22nd for a solo country concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino. Fans may remember Staind's well received headlining gig here in April 2009, and while this tour is definitely focused on solo songs like "Country Boy", he is known to cover Staind songs in this setting too. For more details, click here!
• New local punk/grunge duo The Red & Black posted two new songs onto their Bandcamp page on Tuesday, along with a higher quality version of "The Army Song". The new tracks are "Put Up or Shut Up" and a yet-untitled song, and while the former is reminiscent of frontman Chris Shoust's Telephone & Address work, the latter is an experimental drum/piano piece that Spider Fingerz fans should like! Check everything out above!
• This is admittedly late, as the show took place yesterday, but local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver were added on short notice to yesterday's Northern Horde concert in Toronto alongside fellow local bands AlgomA, Bad Back, The Apocalypse Afterparty, and Crucify The Whore, plus non-locals Fox (replacing Ghost Daze.) Sounds like a very solid concert, hopefully everyone made a huge splash! Our source is the Facebook event page.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and this month's new poll on the site TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Maximum RNR

Our special feature posts keep coming in, and as I promised, our next one is tonight! In our ongoing series on bands who feature Saultites but aren't from here, we've explored many bands and artists, and today, we're focusing on a band featuring a local musician that's both a year after our first series entry on their out of town work, AND in the lead-up to their next local concert! So here's what you should know, and as always, if there's anything wrong, missing, or in need of editing, please tell me! (UPDATED: November 26th, 2014)
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Maximum RNR (Toronto, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Keith Carman (lead guitar)
Keith "KK Mauronik" Maurik (rhythm guitar) 
Curtis Faux (bass)
Mike Childs (drums)

Louis Durand (vocals)
Gymbo Jak (vocals)
Brenton "Diamond Brent Panther" Ellis (vocals)
Mike Sidney (bass) 
Davey Dee (bass)

Official website: http://www.maximumrnr.com
Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/maximumrnr
Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/maximumrnr
Official Reverbnation page: http://reverbnation.com/maximumrnr
Official CBC Radio 3 page: http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/maximum-rnr

Local Info: Two Saultites reside in Maximum RNR's most recent full lineup, those being longtime bandmates Brenton Ellis on vocals & Curtis Faux on bass! They've been a part of numerous bands (local or not) in recent years, notably the Toronto indie punk band The Labour Of..., comedy metal project The Sexual Vigilantes, and the inactive local hardcore punk band Detroit, who sound very similar to Maximum RNR! You'll also be sure to recognize Brenton from his work as the former bassist in Lion Ride from 2008 to 2010, the late 1990s punk band The Bombed Squad, and currently as Destroilet's co-lead singer, while Curtis can also be seen in the Toronto bands The Cola Heads & Chainbreaker, so both have lots in the works!

Band Bio: Brenton Ellis joined Maximum RNR in the fall of 2010, replacing former Dayglo Abortions frontman Gymbo Jak in the band. With Maximum RNR, he still utilizes his "Diamond Brent Panther" stage name from the Lion Ride days. The next summer, Maximum RNR enlisted Brent's longtime bandmate Curtis Faux to replace Davey Dee on bass. Maximum RNR formed in 2002 in the Toronto area, and have toured and recorded frequently ever since, including a show at Foggy Notions in Sault Ontario with their original lineup in September 2002. The band's back catalog includes a number of seven inch vinyl singles, giving an old school flair to their musical output. As a result, they only have three official non-compilation CD releases, including June 2013's "Rough Side of the Dial". The band operates without major label support with mostly self-promotion to spread the word on the band, which has given them a noted cult following! They've played hundreds of concerts in the past 9 years, including some gigs in Europe. The band's lineup remained mostly stable through 2009, with numerous lineup changes leading to their current lineup's debut in 2011. Describing their sound as "ham fisted rock n' roll", their punk/metal attack continued to draw crowds through mid-2014, including two stops in the Soo in recent years, so check them out if you can!

I can safely say that if you liked Detroit, you'll love Maximum RNR! Their songs effectively ride the line between hardcore and punk, and are hard hitting, raw, and well played! Many of their songs are rather short (some clocking in at under a minute), but for bands of their style, this is something I've come to expect. Brent's aggressive punk-tinged singing will be familiar, and he was a great addition to the band, in a similar vein to original singer Louis Durand, though former singer Gymbo Jak's voice was heavier and deeper, so metalheads will probably take to his singing style more. It's all good though, and Brent & Curtis are fine additions to the Maximum RNR arsenal, with Brent giving them an intense one-man moshpit fury at live shows! Their songs are generally brutal, the guitar work from the two Keiths is a true standout element musically! With mostly vinyl singles, there isn't a high number of Maximum RNR originals, but if you enjoy aggressive old school hardcore punk, you'll get a kick out of these guys, and if you were at any of their local shows, you'll know why!

Maximum RNR's internet pages (linked above) have a high number of their original material, including their last album "Rough Side of The Dial" with Brent & Curt, so click here to buy it! Many old albums are out of print though, but click here for details on their releases' availability. There's a healthy number of videos on YouTube of the band in action, and now, plenty with their local-infused lineup, including this video of them playing two songs at a British concert!


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Hope you guys enjoyed this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month, we're going to focus on a band that we briefly mentioned on the SMS last summer when we discussed one of their old bandmates' local work. The band in question is Buster Cherry from St. Thomas, Ontario, featuring former Carbon Black alumni Terry Eaton and Vince Milosevich! Never hurts to explore all avenues of local metal alumni, and I better talk about them while I have them in mind! Watch out for this profile between March 10th and 16th! That's all for tonight, stay tuned for (hopefully) our next CD review and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Turner Up) And More Assorted News!!

Good morning everyone, this may be my last post before heading to Detroit, depends on if I'm at a concert tonight to need a review posted or not. We'll start with a VERY short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

According to a newly posted Facebook event page, local hard rock cover band Turner Up will be playing a normal concert set TONIGHT at Foggy Notions! Looks like this is their first non-jam night performance there since New Year's Eve, and will be their first full concert set since last weekend's Algoma Hope4Haiti set at The Algonquin Pub & Sports Bar! A start time of 10:00 PM is given, I'd expect a $2 cover charge at the door, as is standard at normal Foggy's concerts. Apparently they're back by popular demand, though I question it's short notice announcement, hopefully a good crowd comes in! I'll do my part though, so if you're not going to see Sense of Truth or Nixxon Dixxon tonight, you have a very good alternative! I'm tied up tonight for a concert I won't jinx myself by saying I'll go to, but you guys should head out there, it will be a fun night of your favourite rock songs! Confirm your attendance at this location, and even though the short notice isn't my fault, sorry it's a late announcement!

Next up, if what I see online isn't decieving me, it looks like Lion Ride may have a lineup change. According to their listed lineups on both MySpace and Facebook, bassist Brenton Ellis, a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther, may have left the band. He's no longer listed as a member on them, and on Brent's Facebook page, the only bands he lists as ones he's a member of are Detroit, The Sexual Vigilantes, and The Labour Of. Odd, especially without a full band announcement, though one may be soon, I don't know. I never saw this coming, especially with the new pro quality photos from Donna Hopper that were just posted this month! Brent had been a member of Lion Ride since 2008 when he replaced Lionel Itchy, and he is a very good bassist, but something must be up. Also to note: The band now doesn't list who plays what instrument on the current lineup, which leads me to think that maybe they're becoming a four-piece with Marky Lion moving to bass (he plays bass in Detroit.) But that could be me reading into stuff too much. Either way, potentially disappointing news, and if there's an official announcement made about Lion Ride's lineup, I'll be sure to share it with you guys!

Ok, more positive news now, as Woods of Ypres have launched a new band page! It's on CBC Radio 3, which is also the host site for band pages from local metal acts like Sykotyk Rampage and Sue Inside! David Gold says that this could become the band's primary page as CBC Radio 3's site is fast, stable, and has better music quality than MySpace and YouTube! And on my first listen, though I don't like the auto-play of what is airing on CBC Radio 3 when you open a new page, I do agree, the sound is really good! However, CBC Radio 3 is not a widespread site for Canadian metal bands to use, it's definitely widespread for almost any other genre though! It's a nice site if you wanna search underground Canadian bands, and you can join with your band and add songs you like to personal playlists, all of which are cool features! We'll have to see what happens, but take a look at Woods of Ypres' CBC Radio 3 page at this location!

And now, updates from local hard rockers Half Past! Firstly, I notice that on Facebook, frontman Luke LeBlanc was leading a campaign for fans of the band to create a buzz for them on the Facebook page for Simmons Records, the record label owned by (who else) Gene Simmons from Kiss! I notice that a lot of locals have joined (hopefully to support Half Past), but no one's writing on the wall to create a buzz either, which is odd. Join Simmons Records' Facebook page at this location, and hype them up, make Gene and company take notice! Also, one more live video clip of Half Past's recent weekend set at Foggy Notions has been posted online, of their 10 Years cover, "Wasteland"! Thanks to drummer Chris Thompson for the upload, and it's ok if Luke's voice isn't at it's best, I won't judge!




And finally, I was browsing SooToday the other day, and I came across an article talking about the newest appointee to the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority, the board that oversees operation of the International Bridge that connects the Twin Saults. Now why I would I mention this on the SMS? Simple, because the new appointee is Rock 101 DJ Brian Davie, who you'll likely recognize from his work on Scott and Brian In The Morning! According to the article, Brian hopes to use his media experience to promote and encourage the development of services that the bridge offers! It also mentions that Brian is the former executive director of the Easter U.P.'s Red Cross branch! Brian's a class act, and he'll be a great addition to the bridge authority! Great DJ too, he and Scott are how I spend my mornings heading to university! Click here to read this article, and congratulations Brian!

That's all for today, my next post will not be a review of TONIGHT'S Sense of Truth show! (Omit the not. Remember, reverse psychology!) Expect to see it, video, and photos tomorrow at some point, be it immediately after the show or after I get to Detroit! Hope the rest of the weekend's shows go well, rock out at Garden of Bedlam for me, support Kim and Kelsey's memories at the Pop Evil show, or go see Turner Up or Nixxon Dixxon tonight, just go have a great time this weekend!