Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Eclipse

Just to keep content rolling on the site before our next news post, here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profile a couple of days early! This monthly feature post looks at one or two defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, in order to spotlight and promote their run for modern day readers, and our September 2021 selection gives us a prominent and familiar attraction for hard rock fans in the mid-2010s! Here's what you should know!

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Eclipse

Genre: Hard Rock/Nu Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: 

Curtis McKenzie (Haggith, Project 421), vocals
Daniel Horton (Haggith, Project 421), guitar
Fred Dunn (Re:Born), bass
Chris Thompson (Frightlight, Jack Spades), drums

Audio/Video: While original songs were a frequent component of Eclipse setlists, including new tracks and carryovers from Curt & Dan's prior bands like Haggith and Punch, Eclipse never released a CD or album of any kind. A number of live videos can be seen from Eclipse concerts on their Facebook page and our own Facebook page, if you're curious to see Eclipse in action during their heyday. Their best quality videos are of covers, but here's Eclipse at The Rockstar Bar in June 2016 playing two of their own original/prior band carryover tracks, "Metal Cage" & "Wasted"!

Info/Analysis: Debuting on stage in late 2015, Eclipse were a modern hard rock band featuring three then-members of classic metal quintet Project 906, as well as half of the early 2010s hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith. In their first year together, Eclipse made an early splash via podium finishes at March 2016's VM Radio and Speak Easy Battles of the Bands, and they would play numerous all-local shows through the fall, while opening for The Ripcordz & The Hazytones that August. After a series of Halloween gigs that October, Eclipse abruptly broke up early the following month, but they reunited in the spring of 2017, and would play a few more gigs over the following months, opening for Speaker, The Raygun Cowboys, and The Hazytones again in the process. Like the previous fall, Eclipse reprised their tribute band turn as "SSM of a Down" in October 2017 before disbanding again, this time permanently.

While not supremely distinct from Curtis & Daniel's other hard rock-leaning local bands (including The Bridge Heads afterwards), Eclipse were a fun and talented ensemble during their two years together, and their blend of familiar modern covers and solidly composed originals was always welcomed, especially if you missed Haggith! Curt's excellent vocals, Dan's solid guitar work, Fred's skilled bass, and Chris' experienced drumming came together well, and it's a shame their run couldn't last longer, but hopefully we hear more musically from all four guys down the line!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month, our random selection has drawn inactive local grindcore duo Brutally Fatal, whose confusing split timeline will definitely help out a single band spotlight on or around October 10th, so look for that then, and for weekend concert previews and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: werehold's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we continue our ongoing spotlight features on YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk music, in order for readers to watch some entertaining and relevant content and hopefully subscribe for possible further updates! This month's randomly selected channel will be a familiar sight for fans of local metal in the E.U.P., especially at their mid-2010s peak, so here's what you should know!
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werehold's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/werehold)

Owner: Werehold Records founder Jason Mills, who's also well known as a multi-instrumentalist in numerous Sault Michigan area bands (all now inactive) that were signed to the label, including Life's Eclipse, Moss, Swampghas, The 1,000,000,000's Who Died, and Shatterhand.

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 14th, 2011; Videos posted from that day through March 2018

Channel Summary: Launched around the time of Werehold Records & Life's Eclipse's joint revival in the spring of 2011 (after both previously being active through the late 2000s), the Werehold YouTube channel would become the primary repository for new and old material from label acts, mostly on the metal spectrum, and many attached to albums that never received a contemporary paid release. Most of the 81 current uploads on the channel came from the nine Friday the 13th new music posting events held on every Friday the 13th (except one) between April 2012 and January 2017, largely comprised of audio recordings that were typically preceded with the Werehold logo and a title card for the song. A select few videos on the channel were for amusement factor and not related to local music, like this Star Wars video game parody that attracted over 1,100 views.

Why You Should Watch: This is a must watch channel for fans of Jason Mills' local music work as both an extreme metal guitarist and as one of the last major active proponents of local extreme metal in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, despite Werehold acts not being known for playing regular public concerts. I enjoyed a whole lot of Werehold's roster, even if many of the posted songs lacked vocals, and their roster deserves a lot more eyeballs than it got in it's original run or it's 2010s revival. However, note that both Werehold Records and all of it's signed musical acts have been publically dormant since early 2018 (earlier in the case of certain bands.) Also, note that this channel was not immune to certain old video deletions.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Swampghas - Bog (sync up version): From 2011-2015, a prominent band on the Werehold roster was Swampghas, a then-reunited death/thrash metal trio featuring Jason Mills on lead vocals & bass alongside East Branch guitarist J.R. Johnson and Drayton Fever/ex-Half A Man drummer Doug Reed. During this second run, Swampghas was very active in studio, recording for an unreleased debut album named "The Raco Tower Incident", and in a Werehold rarity, they actually recorded a music video for their instrumental song "Bog", which was released in September 2011. The black & white video features assorted footage of the guys exploring a farm at nighttime, and there is an eerie ambiance to a lot of it if you can look past the heavy riffs. You also see J.R. & Jason jamming in a field, though faces appear to be obscured on purpose. A brutal song while it lasts, you can also see behind the scenes footage from the shoot at this link, and many full songs are posted on this channel as well.



Life's Eclipse - Welcome to the Vortex: The most popular Werehold video that is definitely focused on their musical acts is of their flagship metal band Life's Eclipse's short song "Welcome To The Vortex", which was to have been the lead single for their unreleased album "The Chemicals To Make You A Better Person", and was belated posted in July 2013. Full credits aren't given, but Life's Eclipse's last stated full lineup featured Jason Mills & Joe Semasky on guitar, Jason's brother David on bass, and Casey Amo on drums. Recorded in 1996 or 1997, this archival track showcases Life's Eclipse's pounding metal attack well, particularly with the riffs, though like most songs on this channel, it is an instrumental. If you like this song, there's plenty more from Life's Eclipse to hear on here from an assortment of older albums!



The 1,000,000,000's Who Died - Horrible Laughter (9 string song): As Werehold collaborator activity died down in the late 2010s, much of their 2017-2018 output revolved around Jason's own material, such as The 1,000,000,000's Who Died, his progressive death metal solo project that was comically billed from Isle Royale. This project was the most uploaded of the Werehold roster from 2014 onward, and showcased a more technical, intense style than many of Life's Eclipse's older tracks. "Horrible Laughter" was The Billions Who Died's apparent swan song from January 2018, and it makes great use of Jason's then-new 9 string guitar, which you can see him model in this actual video from that same winter. Jason also broke this guitar out for one preceding song, "Long Walk Upright."


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around August 26th when we return to Sault Ontario for a double profile, as the first randomly selected channel we picked only had two distinct types of videos, so I randomly chose another channel with two videos much the same as each other to round things out. As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of users paperclipprojectX (featuring 4 early videos from the band Haggith) and Thelilspirit (featuring a couple of notable covers from prolific local drummer T.J. Case.) Stay tuned for those then, and for more news and updates this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Slaughter), Two Inactive Band Notes, And More SMS Band Link Updates!!

While the snow continues to pile on outside, here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening! We're mostly addressing updates to and removals from our band links today, but to lead off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!

Las Vegas glam metal veterans Slaughter will make their long awaited return to our area on Saturday, June 29th when they rock Kewadin Casino... in St. Ignace?! Best known from hit singles like "Up All Night", "Fly To The Angels", and "Real Love", this will be Slaughter's first regional concert appearance since opening for Stryper at the Sault Michigan Kewadin in 2012, and their third local gig since 2008, but now they're headlining with their high energy classic hard rock! Pasadena glam/hard rock quartet Autograph (of "Turn Up The Radio" & "Blondes In Black Cars" fame) will open with their own familiar brand of 1980s rock action, so don't bypass their set either! Clearly, the St. Ignace summer concert series did well last year, as this Kewadin branch is booking even more touring bands for 2019, though the Slaughter show appears to be indoors at the casino's on-site event center. The location may be atypical for Kewadin-booked hair metal, but how do $10 tickets sound?

Yes, tickets are that low, and you can buy them starting Friday at 9:00 AM at this link, the Sault Kewadin's in-person box office, the gift shop at the St. Ignace Kewadin, or presumably at 1-800-KEWADIN. This show has no advertised age limits, and an 8:00 PM start time, and is presented by Classic Rock: The Bear (whose 95.3 signal is easily heard in St. Ignace, but only gets fringe reception in the Soo.) It'll be very interesting to see how this show does given the non-Sault locale, but if you love the Hair Scare and 1980s glam rock, you won't wanna bypass this show, especially at this price! See the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, we have regrettably moved local death metal project Life's Eclipse back to our inactive band links. While no public statements have been made regarding their current status, the band has not issued an update to their Facebook page since January 31st of last year, well past our one year inactivity cutoff. The flagship band of local independent label Werehold Records (both led by singer/guitarist Jason Mills), Life's Eclipse reunited in 2011 after a few years' hiatus, and had been active to varying degrees ever since as a studio project. Long-time readers may be most familiar with Life's Eclipse from their regular involvement in Werehold Records' nine Friday the 13th new music posting events from 2012-2017, often featuring songs from incomplete and unreleased albums. It should be noted that Werehold Records proper haven't updated their own Facebook page since 2017, and of their roster of metal/hard rock artists, only Moss remain in our active links.

I know that personal commitments have been at least partially to blame for the slowdown in Life's Eclipse/Werehold updates in the late 2010s, so a resumption of public activity could happen at any time pending availability and scheduling.  Life's Eclipse were a brutal, technical, and well-composed band when firing on all cylinders, and Jason & the Werehold roster had a lot of talent and ambition to go around! Despite not being known for live concerts, they flew the extreme metal flag well for the E.U.P., and hopefully we hear more from Jason, David, Joe, and Casey when the time is right!

Also, we have one more band to move to our inactive band links, namely Sault Ontario rap metal/party rock collective The Apocalypse Afterparty. While the band did publically acknowledge that "hibernation is ending" back in October, their Facebook page has quietly been taken down since, which (Destroilet aside) is historically a bad sign. In any event, the band had only posted once on Facebook in the past 15 months, and in lieu of the apparent deletion, they are now linked here via their Wix website. Active since 2014, this eclectic masked group evolved from a duo to a full live and studio band, though concerts were selective, often at private bookings or via short notice "pop-up" gigs. The Apocalypse Afterparty may best be known from their quartet appearance at the 2015 VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub (surprisingly making the finals), while they released their EP "Bufflesnort" back in April 2017.

Whether or not you previously knew of X, Z, x, z, and company's real identities, The A.A. made their mark in the mid-2010s! With a unique stage presence, creative hybrid sound, gender-equal lineup, and imaginative back story, it's a shame that The Apocalypse Afterparty didn't play live more often, but hopefully we see Paul, Amanda, Sara, Sven, Rito, and former band members back out there down the line, masked or otherwise!

Finally, CBC Music closed it's artist page service on November 20th, due to the decrease in traffic and attention to band pages there compared to other social media services (you can read more on the decision at this link.)  This didn't receive the advance notice that PureVolume's closure had, so I unfortunately was unable to back up anything there from local artists, but much like PureVolume, I did recognize how little CBC Music (formerly CBC Radio 2) was used by local musicians in recent years. It was a useful and informative service in it's day, and I'll miss having it around! As of this month, we had only linked four local bands (all defunct) to CBC Music pages, so changes to our links are thankfully minimal, especially as only one didn't have an online band page elsewhere. With all of that said, I changed our links for defunct punk bands The 12 Gauge Ready and Glunk! to their MySpace pages, while replacing Burn The Past (previously known as Downshift) with their Bandcamp page.

The only removal was 2007-2012 local/Oil Springs metal band Sue Inside, who don't have a known online page outside of CBC. It's unfortunate to lose one of the oldest local death metal bands from our links, but hopefully Shane, Adam, and Jeff are still musically active out of town! Hopefully this all clears up the recent link changes, and in lieu of the CBC Music page deletions, maybe they'll bring their FM station here sooner or later? That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next. Thanks everyone!

Fluid 5ive Concert Preview, More Oh!No Festival Fallout, And More News & Notes!!

As promised, we're rounding out our weekend concert previews today with the remaining hard rock event tomorrow that didn't fit in yesterday's post, with some assorted stories and lots of fallout from a big event last month to fill things out. Here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive are advertised to return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be Fluid 5ive's first show since playing at the same venue in May, and will also mark their first publically announced concert appearance since Smokehouse alum Liam Vaillancourt replaced Joseph Miller on guitar. How will the newly restored Fluid 5ive sound in their return, and what kinds of hard rock covers will accompany their growing profile, perhaps with some keyboard and saxophone input? Be at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow to find out! There is no announced cover charge for this concert, which has an advertised 8:00 PM start time (though I imagine the band proper wouldn't begin until 10:00 PM or so), and you must be 19 or older to attend. There's still no public video footage of Fluid 5ive online that I'm aware of, but this familiar veteran quintet should have a fun night of rock action in store tomorrow, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, it's time to finally close out our fallout from last month's Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn, as the remaining content from it has routinely fell through the cracks in recent weeks. First off, if you recall photos taken at Robbie Adamson's church by Sudbury photographer Mimi Abitbol that were shared by a couple of the touring bands, you'll be glad to know that her full photo album can be seen in full at this link! This is admittedly from her personal account, but the link is intentionally publically viewable, and where else did performers get her pictures from? Though not comprehensive of every act, Mimi got photos of Cross Dog, The Therapists, Lightmares, Beaver Slap, Forest City Aurora, Pointless, Winkstinger, and The Elements, while also capturing lots of shots of the countryside, the attendees, the organ bonfire, and all of the camaraderie therein. If you want lots of colour photos from Oh!No II, definitely give Mimi's a look, she got a ton of great shots!

You can also check out 7 more colour photos via Thunder Bay psychedelic/desert punk quintet The Franquilizers' Facebook page, and while the new photos are somewhat blurry, it's nice to get a few new angles! Finally from Oh!No 2018, let's dive into the remaining videos from Christopher Paci's YouTube channel, as we haven't even touched on his local performer clips from last month! Though Chris missed the majority of the local metal and hard rock bands, his camera was rolling for the last 5 local acts. These include a rare concert video of DJ Seith's new hip hop project Planet Rock (featuring a familiar Rob Base sample), and he and rapper St. James have solid chemistry! Though credited to just Bill Priddle, Chris also filmed his rock trio Pointless playing a song I can't immediately identify, but it doesn't have the drone/noise qualities you might expect, harbouring more of a slow indie rock bent. Surf rock quartet The Dynowaves were filmed in instrumental action on this video, which fits their locally unique genre perfectly, if needing more energy!

FYI, the woman dancing on stage is a now short-haired Louise Lamothe, who joined The Dynowaves after Bizotic broke up, but it appears not all of their songs have a trumpet part yet. Indie rock duo and Vol. successors Mik & Steve (with Pointless' David Peredun on guest drums) were filmed in this clip playing an apparent original, which sounds good for the genre, and Mikaela has some soul to her voice! Lastly, here's 1:44 of punk/metal quintet Jack Spades playing most of their song "Rise", and while not as close to the stage yet, their intense live set comes through well while it lasts, and watch for some bubbles! Give Jack Spades' video a look below, and see more above!



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

• Defunct local hard rock quartet Eclipse's Facebook page was quietly re-activated in recent months, so they have been restored to our inactive band links! The band quietly dissolved after their Halloween party set last year, preceding this page and some of their related projects' pages being taken down at around the same time. At least Eclipse's page is back, whether or not we ever see them on stage again, so give it a look above!
• I have moved local progressive metal duo Kraken Mara to our inactive band links, as they haven't issued a public update since posting on their Facebook page one year ago on Tuesday, though their Reverbnation page's deletion may have been a prior tell anyway. Kraken Mara had big studio plans and clear talent, but with Brendan moving out of country again earlier this year, that can't help matters. Best of luck to him and Jake in the future!
• The Ten Foot Pole concert on Thursday, October 25th has been moved from The Harp Bar & Grill to the aforementioned Rockstar Bar, as per updates to the Facebook event page on Tuesday. A reason for the relocation wasn't announced, but The Harp is an atypical venue for a show of this style nowadays, given how their post-Madison's concerts have tended to be acoustic. The move shouldn't hurt for the electric punk action on display, so keep the new locale in mind for in three weeks!

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

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Project 421

It's now time for our second Defunct Local Band Profile of 2018, as we're continuing our spotlighting of defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, and punk bands, so current readers can read up on their run and accomplishments, and see where members are now! As always, we randomly selected this month's band, and they are quite a prominent group for Sault Ontario metalheads of the last few years, so here's what you should know!
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Project 421

Genre: Classic Metal/Power Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics.)

Blair Burch (Re:Born, Broken), vocals/guitar
Frank McGillivray (Re:Born), guitar
Daniel Horton (Jack Spades, Haggith), bass
Chris Thompson (Fitswitch, Frightlight, Half Past), drums

Curtis McKenzie (Haggith, Eclipse, The Din), vocals
Larry Mousseau (Fitswitch, Frightlight), drums

Audio/Video: Though loose plans to record a debut EP (perhaps with an April 21st release date) never came to pass, Project 421 are well documented online from live concert videos, which can be seen officially via their Facebook page & YouTube channel, while Christopher Paci's channel & our Facebook page have a good amount of videos as well, among other fan-shot sources. Most of 421's set was comprised of covers from bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Diamond Head, but originals like "No One Rides For Free", "Into the Darkness", and "Running Away" were also very prominent. Here's their 5-piece lineup covering Judas Priest back in 2014!



Info/Analysis: Debuting as a mystery band during Haggith's initial farewell show at The Algonquin Pub in December 2013, Project 421 soon became a prominent sight at local concert events in the mid-2010s. Soon adding bassist Daniel Horton's Haggith bandmate Curtis McKenzie for his first of two stints as lead singer, 421 arguably made their biggest early splash by opening for Anvil at The Canadian in March 2014, a role they reprised the following year. Fans will have also seen Project 421 open for bands like The Ripcordz, Diamond Head, and Broomfiller, play notable events like both of 2015's local battles of the bands, Medi-Fest, and Sault Band-O-Rama, and headline a smattering of headlining and solo nightclub events in their later years, though breaks from the stage became increasingly more common. Curtis, Daniel, and 421's second drummer Chris Thompson formed the modern hard rock side project Eclipse in 2015, which ran concurrently with Project 421 until both bands' disbanded for differing personal reasons in the fall of 2017.

Project 421 were succeeded by guitarist Blair Burch & Frank McGillivray's current new band Re:Born, who have taken on their predecessor's original songs, but Project 421 will be missed by their fans! Not many groups could feel right at home at an all ages Oddfellows Hall show and a solo Rockstar Bar three-set booking, but they pulled it off! Blair and Frank were an effective double threat on guitar, Curtis' excellent vocals were a bonus during his time in the band, Daniel's bass work stood on it's own, and both Larry and Chris each had good chemistry on drums! Project 421 had a good run, but be sure to follow Re:Born & Jack Spades for members' current projects!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month, we'll hit Sault Michigan for the first time in this series in 2018, as our next random selection will be inactive early 2010s metal band The Eleventh Hour (a.k.a. Angelic Genocide & Changing You For Better Days), and while I forecast that they can sustain a full profile on their own given their numerous updates and name/lineup changes, we'll add a randomly chosen Sault Ontario band with minimal info if we need to. Look for that on or around March 10th, and stay tuned for concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

A New Album Release, New Videos, And Much More!!

A quiet start to the month has been noticeable so far, but we have a full news post for you guys on this Wednesday, so what's here to check out? Some assorted recent news and notes, new videos from each side of the border, and leading off, a long awaited new album, so here's what you should know!

After an almost three year wait, local acoustic punk project Telephone & Address have finally released their fifth official album "Monster", courtesy of their Bandcamp page on Saturday! Frontman Christopher Shoust first announced this album on their Facebook page back in March 2015, but monetary concerns were partially cited for it's delayed release, and the later-recorded "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been..." would go on sale first in late 2016. Presumably released through Harmisntus Productions again, "Monster" features 13 songs, including the previously unveiled "I Can Bleed", and the album resembles "Are You Now..." in musical style, including full instrumentation and drums. That said, I believe this was recorded well before new drummer Jackson Reed signed on, and while no credits are given on Bandcamp, Chris did hint at productional involvement from AlgomA's Jamie Vincent back in 2015, so keep that in mind just in case.

No word yet on a physical release of "Monster", with or without their usual cardboard casing, but Telephone & Address next play live at The New A on March 18th, so check there in case CDs are on sale. Bandcamp copies of "Monster" are on sale for $10, while physical copies of their prior albums tended to go for $15. It's great to finally see this album released, and between this and Mike McCleary's "Weight of the Truth", our next two album reviews are set, but in what order? And will the long-delayed "Early Tapes" be next, or a full album with Jackson drumming? Buy "Monster" at the above links, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's the latest from local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, starting with a few new tour dates of theirs in Southern Ontario! Confirmation of their spring tour dates (including a hoped local return) are still forthcoming, but the guys will join Toronto grindcore project Truth of All Death for shows in St. Catharine's and Hamilton later this month, albeit missing that band's other three shows on this run. Great to see the guys keeping busy, so look for them this month in Southern Ontario via the gigs listed on their Facebook page! To tease their February shows (including four with Cruel Bloom, starting tomorrow in Owen Sound), Shit Liver posted this video to their Facebook page yesterday featuring the 16 second intro to an original song from a recent jam session. Tinted in a bluish monochrome, the guys lampshaded the clip's "horrible audio quality", but given their extreme sound and the opening's heavy focus on Matt's drumming, it's not bad at all for what it is. Give Shit Liver's new video a look below!



Also today, here's a new-ish instrumental track from Sault Michigan metal project Life's Eclipse, courtesy of their label Werehold Records' YouTube channel! Uploaded last week, this is a partial revision of "Evil Star" from their unreleased 1998 album "Deeper In The Woods", though now featuring frontman Jason Mills playing his new 8 string guitar. Very solid performance, and the new guitar slides in nicely to the original, so fans of hard hitting groove-inspired metal should take to this one! Give Life's Eclipse's new/old song a listen below, and stay tuned for more from the Werehold camp!



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:

• Hamilton, Ontario punk/grunge trio Doors & Fours have been added to the previously announced Archelon concert at The Rockstar Bar on March 10th, as per the official Facebook event page on Sunday. This will be a makeup date of sorts for Doors & Fours, who were forced to drop out of a headlining Algonquin Pub concert in November (also to have featured Jack Spades opening) due to their tour vehicle breaking down, so don't miss their long awaited local debut next month!
• The Gore Street Cafe will host their third annual Fishbowl Festival of Community, Food, Arts, and Culture from February 20th-March 5th (again during the Pisces stretch of the astrological calendar), and there are lots of varied events announced for it already that you can read up on a the Facebook event page! At press time, no events have been announced that visibly include hard rock or punk acts, but if you want to organize or play on one, contact the venue at gorestreetcafe@gmail.com. Best of luck for year #3!
• Musical acts are being sought for the Walk for ALS on Saturday, June 2nd at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion. I have no idea if organizers would be interested in heavier or original acts, but fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease is a a great charitable cause to support. If you're interested in more details, message co-organizer Brigitte Labby at blabby@als.ca or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

The End Of Eclipse, New Mike Haggith Songs, A Local Punk Video From 1987, And More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, we have lots of stories to touch on, including some assorted recent updates, a 30 year old video from a big local punk concert, and a revived solo project's new material, but first, here's a note on a removal from our active band links!

We regrettably have to remove local hard rock quartet Eclipse from our band links due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the past few months, which seems to signal their second and final breakup. A reason for their apparent demise hasn't been announced, but rumours of internal issues have came up more than once last year, so read into those if you want. This does mirror the recent deletion of frontman Curtis McKenzie's solo Facebook page, though I don't know if the two were deleted for the same reason. As you may recall, the Haggith successors initially reunited early last year after their tumultuous original split in November 2016, with the guys notably opening for bands like The Hazytones, The Raygun Cowboys, and Speaker in 2017, among other events, with their tribute turn as "SSM of a Down" at The Algonquin Pub on Halloween weekend appearing to be their last public appearance.

Eclipse were a talented band with good chemistry and a fun selection of originals and covers, and their disbandment (and page deletion, sigh) is disappointing even if you factor in certain rumours. Hopefully we see Eclipse back down the road (or their originals/prior bands' songs carry over to a new project), best of luck to Curtis, Daniel, Fred, and Chris in the future, and don't miss Daniel in Jack Spades!

Next up, here's the first new original songs from former Din frontman/Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's solo project since the release of "The Warinside" in 2015! As you may know, Mike moved to Thompson, Manitoba for work last fall, and announced that he was resuming his solo project shortly beforehand, so we're starting to see some new material from him in this new year. Both of these songs were uploaded as solo performance videos to his Facebook page, and they are titled "Come On Home" and (as embedded below) "An Act of Strength". Both are acoustic solo performances in this current form, but Mike has indicated that a proper album entitled "Bridges" (source here) will come out later this year, presumably with a full band structure. The former song is more of a downbeat soft ballad, and while the latter has backing instrumentation and a drum track, it also has serious subject matter about a friend who survived domestic abuse.

It's great to see Mike finally getting his solo career back into first gear with some solid first demos, and remember, he has dozens of official studio albums, so this is old hat for him! Most of the Windsor-era ones aren't on his official pages anymore, but he still has a good deal of solo albums online to listen to, including some songs later played by his local bands. No word on if he'll resume work on "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited" in Thompson too, but check out Mike's new songs above and below, and visit his Bandcamp page to hear his Sault Ste. Marie-era solo output!



Also today, here's a surprising YouTube find: footage taken during Toronto hardcore punk band Hype's local concert appearance way back in 1987! This was uploaded to their promotional company Reuben Kincade Productions' YouTube channel late last month, and features the band arriving in the Soo for their show, setting up for it, and leaving for Winnipeg (you can see more of the trip there at this link.) Unfortunately, no concert video footage survives from this channel, but you can see that from other stops if you check out the other six videos of the tour. I wasn't born until May 1989, so I definitely can't comment on the scene as it was then, but you see lots of familiar sights on Gore Street surrounding this concert, including Rad Zone predecessor Radical Records (Paul Muncaster himself was key for getting Hype here), and there is a funny moment when Hype run into some kids going to a birthday party.

This video is a nice time capsule of downtown Sault Ste. Marie, but the audio quality is it's achilles heel, often sounding like the camera is attached to a propellor. You can't complain too much, as this is over 30 years old and no one could have forecasted putting this on the internet back then, but overall, kudos for putting this online! Hype themselves were an explosive and fun band, as you can see through other videos on the channel, and they were apparently the first hardcore punk band from Toronto to release a full length album, so it was cool to see them here on their second tour! Give this a look below, and see more from Hype at the above links!



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

• The opening band for the Big Wreck concert at The Machine Shop on February 13th was quietly announced last month, as Winnipeg alternative rock trio Attica Riots will join them on their "In Loving Memory Of..." 20th anniversary tour! Playing more of an upbeat power pop/indie sound in support of their new CD "Sunshine & Hysteria", they'll add an interesting contrast next month, so give them a listen as well, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!
• A musicians' competition is being held at Bird's Eye Outfitters at 107 East Portage Avenue in Sault Michigan on Saturday, January 27th, with gift cards awaiting the winners! There is a $10 registration fee, but solo artists and full bands are welcome, drums & a PA system are supplied, and while the term "battle of the bands" isn't being thrown around, this sounds like a fun way to showcase some local talent, so click here for more details! Also, if an outdoor equipment store strikes you as a peculiar venue for this, keep in mind that Bird's Eye Outfitters used to be Golanka's Bar, a.k.a. The Bird!
• In advance of their live concert return TONIGHT at the Joni Radford benefit, Sault Ontario punk quartet Redundant announced on their Facebook page that they are recording their long awaited debut album at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones starting next month! This seems to imply that their 2012-2014 recording sessions are now completely discarded, but if they wanted to include Yannick, they'd have to rework things anyway.  Exciting news all around, Dustin is be a great choice to get this album sounding as good as possible, so stay tuned for updates!

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

Our Halloween Weekend Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

The Halloween weekend is coming quick, but unusually, there isn't a lot of hard rock shows going down this weekend for the occasion compared to past years. That said, there's some big shows going on downtown for fans to partake in and get their costumes ready for, so here's what you should know in rough chronological order!

We'll start this weekend's previews with the talented solo artist whom we started with yesterday, as prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his ongoing weekly concert arrangement back to Gliss Steak & Seafood for three more unplugged matinee gigs TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY to end the month with! No public word on if Tym's shows this weekend will have any Halloween themes, but expect more solid and extensive sets of classic and hard rock covers for patrons and fans alike this weekend, so don't miss out on all of the action at the Quality Inn's house restaurant over the next three evenings! Yes, we will acknowledge Tym's likely November gigs at Gliss next week. As usual for his shows at this downtown locale, expect 6:00 PM start times all three evenings, and there are no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, here's the weekend's main event if you want metal or punk entertainment in the Soo for the Halloween weekend, as local promoter J.D. Pearce (in association with the Northern Superior Brewing Company) is hosting his 13th annual Halloween party concert this weekend! Returning to The Algonquin Pub/Spin Nightclub for the fifth time in six years, he's going even bigger for year #13, with two parties planned for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT each, so what should you know on both? Toronto groove metal band Decatur (formerly known as Caym) will return to our area with new name in tow as headliners, and they should brutalize fans with the aggressive thrashy sound all over again during their Out of the Sewer Tour! No word on if they'll reprise their "MetalliCaym" set from 2015's local Halloween party, but the opening lineup will handle that side of things, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades covering The Misfits under the name "Spinal Remains", which will be right up their alley, so they should hit a home run!

Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will tackle Amon Amarth (including the entire "Twilight of the Thunder God" album) tomorrow under the name "Mount Doom", with Jack Spades' Daniel Horton filling in for Josh Stephney in a rare set of theirs with a guest guitarist, so prepare for some face melting from them too! The announced openers are new local Foo Fighters tribute band (and Cherry Crush side project) The Soo Fighters, and it will be interesting to hear them in their second live appearance, so don't be late! This show has an $8 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time, so visit the official Facebook event page for details, and here's Decatur live!



As for Saturday night's second half of the Halloween Party, this all-local lineup is more punk-based, and has more of an unpredictable lineup, so who all is on board? The advertised headliners are hard rock quartet Eclipse in a reprise of last year's "SSM of a Down" tribute set, while a (one-off?) Me First and the Gimme Gimmes tribute band named "You First & The Passive Aggressives" will also take the stage prior. A personal Facebook posting indicates that former Caveman Morrison & Winkstinger bassist Ryan Disano will be in their lineup, alongside trumpet player Will Newfeld, but I can't confirm anything else at press time on this band. Former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci will be joined by Long Shot alum Adam Dawe and former Gnaeus drummer Brendan Garlick(!) to form the Blink-182 tribute band "Enema of the Soo", while a mystery Nirvana tribute band named "Anavrin" (get it?) are the listed openers, though I know even less on this band.

Note that a planned Sublime tribute set by The Elements under the name "SSMtaria" for Saturday night is still listed on the Facebook event page, but is not on the poster, and the band has not publically acknowledged the party that I have seen, so it appears that they dropped out. If they are still on, we'll let you know! Like with tomorrow's half, Saturday's Halloween party action has a 19+ cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and despite the all-local lineup, a matching $8 cover, though buy yours online or message J.D. at this link for a discounted full-weekend pass while supplies are available. Also, as this is the Halloween weekend, expect nightly costume contests, with J.D. hinting at Northern Superior Brewing Company gift cards being on hand this weekend, presumably as prizes. Fans dating back to the mid-2000s know the quality & entertainment level of J.D.'s annual Halloween parties, and with double the action this weekend, you won't want to miss out, so get your costumes ready for two nights of tribute metal, punk, and hard rock action! Here's Eclipse covering System of a Down live!



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

Raygun Cowboys Concert Preview, Plus New Ripcordz Concert Videos!!

A busy week is likely upon us at the SMS, so let's get things rolling with today's post, largely devoted to new videos from a big recent concert, but first, here's a concert preview for a Tuesday nighter that you punk fans will want to pay attention to!

We'll start with a special Tuesday night concert preview, as Edmonton psychobilly quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Occuring about midway through their Canadian tour in support of their new CD "The Cowboy Code", this punk-infused rockabilly outfit should rightfully please genre fans, especially with the very Misfits-influenced lead vocals, so if you can come out on a work/school night, don't bypass The Raygun Cowboys tomorrow! Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will open in their first public concert appearance in three months, which could serve as a preview of their upcoming "SSM of a Down" tribute set on Halloween weekend, so keep that angle in mind, just in case! They were announced to open back on Thursday via promoter J.D. Pearce on the Facebook event page, alongside local punk trio Stegadeth, but J.D. confirmed in a personal Facebook posting the following day that they can't play tomorrow due to a scheduling conflict.

At press time, a replacement for Stegadeth had not been publically confirmed, but if you're interesting in being a late fill-in, message J.D. at this link or above! A 9:00 PM start time is in place for tomorrow at The New A, while there is a $7 cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the above links for more details on this psychobilly and hard rock fusion tomorrow night, and here's The Raygun Cowboys live!



Next up, here's some brand new videos from another recent concert attended by the very generous Christopher Paci, as he posted eight videos from the Ripcordz-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar two weeks ago onto his YouTube channel last night! Just after we wrapped up our Dokken video coverage, Chris is back with more, which is always welcomed, so what do we have from him today? Well, six videos come from The Ripcordz' headlining set, filming the Montreal hardcore punk legends playing their songs "X", "Ghosts of Griffintown", "I See The Light", "Girl In The Pit", "Anarchy", and as embedded below, "Elvis Death Cult". While reasonably close to the stage, fans on the floor can get in the way of the band, and camera angles are often a little crooked. That said, the performances are predictably strong and attitude-infused, and fans of The Ripcordz should enjoy these videos, so give Chris' new uploads a look above & below!



Chris also filmed one video each of the local openers, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades playing a new song labelled as "Zenobyte", but given J.D.'s penchant for horror movie references, I'd guess it's actually spelled "Cenobite", referencing the Hellraiser book and movie series. In any event, the song fits in with their sonic catalog, and is lively and aggressive, though fans completely cover up Tony and Chris, even with a less crowded floor. Solid new track, so give Jack Spades' newest song a look below!



Finally, Chris filmed one video of the aforementioned Stegadeth during their opening set, playing what I believe to be their original "The Song Not Called 'The Wire'", which debuted back in April. Sung by guitarist Tiffany Stocco, the short song isn't bad, and has a familiar catchiness to it that fans will appreciate! Despite being filmed the furthest away of Chris' videos, the lack of fans on the floor actually makes up for the distance, so it's worth watching extra on that basis, and you can do so below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Sault Michigan post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (The Final Friday!!)

(Updated on October 17th) Before we get too deep into this post, just a late notice heads-up on a band switch for concerts this weekend, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will replace sister band Peril TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT for their shows at The Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace. "Unforeseen circumstances" regarding Peril drummer Brooks Elliott were cited for the switch, as per Scarkazm's Facebook page, though seeing as both bands share a 2/3rds identical lineup, Scarkazm can slide in very easily. Don't miss Scarkazm's metal and hard rock covers TONIGHT & TOMORROW in St. Ignace, and hopefully all is well with Brooks!

Now, today's post is otherwise devoted to the ninth installment of Sault Michigan-area independent label Werehold Records' Friday the 13th music posting event, but unfortunately, this will also be the last installment. After 5½ years of delivering new label music on each Friday the 13th (save for November 2015), this is indeed "the final Friday", with Werehold owner Jason Mills confirming that in a personal conversation last month, noting that the events didn't take off like he thought they would. I find the news disappointing, as this was always a welcome and positive blast of metal on the supposedly unlucky day, but if it has to end, what better time than in October for the Halloween season? In fact, they're going out with a bang, as a record-tying nine new songs were posted today for the occasion! One song comes from Brimley artist Leonard LeBlanc's electronic solo project Palaver, entitled "You'll See Her Eyes, If You're Hungry", in his first Friday the 13th song since March 2015.

While not overly heavy, this song has a nice rhythm and 1980s-retro feel, so give it a listen if you're a fan of electronic instrumental music! On the metal side of things, four of this year's initial songs are actually from a debuting group named Shatterhand, so what is there to say about them? This is a new project from the aforementioned Jason Mills on guitar alongside Manton, Michigan-based singer/guitarist Timothy Simon Birdsall and Lansing-based multi-instrumentalist Mitchell Wells, who mans a solo project there under the name Mitch Michelle (or Barph Blahgo). As the band's only 1/3rd local, and don't have an online page yet, they won't be immediate additions to our band links, but it's great to see some new blood on the Werehold roster! Both the band and today's songs are all named after old NES video games, including songs named "Abadox", "Phantom Fighter", "Vice Project Doom", and "Nightshade", so how did they sound?

While these songs don't yet have vocals (which won't be a shock compared to usual Friday the 13th output), Shatterhand have promise, and I like the hybrid of groove metal with more of a progressive and electronic element, which has to be influenced by Mitch's own solo career, which is quite eclectic and varied. Unfortunately, all of the Shatterhand songs were quietly deleted for unannounced reasons a few days later, (very unusual for the label to do that) but hopefully they resurface, as I liked where Shatterhand were going!

Also, reports of the demise of Jason's solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died are premature, as they also returned for the final Friday the 13th event! We originally removed them from our band links in June when it was discovered that their Facebook page was taken down, but the page was quietly restored in recent months, so the page must have been automatically deactivated in a Destroiletesque fashion. Yes, The 1,000,000,000's Who Died are back in our active Sault Michigan band links! Last heard on the May 2016 installment, the Soo/Isle Royale project is featured with new songs named "Conquer the Rest" &, as embedded below, "Glass Coffin", which are both short, though this is par for the course with this act. An included bass solo adds some zest to the song, which both harbouring a technical aggressive attack and programmed blast beat drums for good measure, so give The Billions Who Died's new songs a listen as well!



Finally, I thought it was appropriate to come full circle with Werehold Records' Friday the 13th saga, by ending with the very first band we started our coverage of this event with, namely local metal project Life's Eclipse! They're featured in two songs from today's upload spree, including, "Houses" from the "The Dark Kingdom" album, and as embedded below, "A.C.L.D." from "Deeper In The Woods". The former again features Mitch as a guest musician, albeit here on a mellotron keyboard, and the song is a massive departure for Life's Eclipse, taking on a quiet, reserved sound that is honestly more reminiscent of medieval folk, but it's nice to see Jason and company spread their wings! As for "A.C.L.D.", that delivers more brutal instrumental metal action that existing fans will take to, and hopefully some of these albums will see a paid release at some point! Give Life's Eclipse's newest songs a listen above & below!



That's all for the Friday the 13th new music events from Werehold Records, which were fun while they lasted, but hopefully everyone stays musically active and keeps new material rolling when available on YouTube or other platforms! For what it's worth, the next Friday the 13th is in April, but unless there's a reversal of plans, don't expect anything special in six months, though stay tuned for more news here as it rolls in! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), AlgomA/Shit Liver Concert Preview, And More Updates!!

October is here, so let's dive into a new news post stacked with some big recent updates, including a local band's surprising contributions to a new feature film, a special preview of a concert tomorrow night in honour of a recent album release, and a new video from one of tomorrow's headliners, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

The first bands have been announced for the Taryn Bugyra benefit concert at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, October 14th, so who's signed on to show their support in her fight with kidney cancer? How do local classic/hard rock cover quartets Soundcheck & The 3 Day Millionaires, plus hard rock quartet Eclipse sound? They were announced on Friday by organizer and Taryn's mother Donna DeSimon on the Facebook event page. Notably, this will be both Soundcheck's and Eclipse's first publically advertised concert set in three months (unsually long for both bands) while we last saw The 3 Day Millionaires in August, so it's great to see them sign on to help Taryn out through this difficult time! Though not 100% official yet, Taryn's Cherry Crush bandmates might also play the event in their Foo Fighters tribute band side project The Soo Fighters, saying on their Facebook page that "we just may make an appearance." This would be that band's live debut if they did, and hopefully we'll see them confirmed for the occasion!

Donna has promised "a few more surprises too", but no word on if The Soo Fighters will be one of them. As was the case when this event first went public, tickets are $10 for this 8:00 PM benefit, there will be a door prize and raffles, and message promoters above if you need tickets delivered or if you can help donate prizes. Things are shaping up nicely for this benefit concert, which will hopefully be a great night to support Taryn and her family through this unfortunate medical crisis, so check the above links for all current details for this special concert in just under two weeks!

Next up, here's our preview of a special Monday nighter at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT that will serve as the finale of the release tour for the very album we reviewed on the site yesterday, local doom & grindcore trios AlgomA and Shit Liver's split cassette tape "Trading Faces"! After touring Ontario and Montreal in support of the split, Shit Liver will finally return home for their first local concert in a year & a half, which will be eagerly anticipated by fans, so welcome them home in style tomorrow! Of course, AlgomA were supposed to join them on tour, but after medical recommendations not to tour just yet, they pulled out of the dates... except this one, so we'll get the full launch party experience with the two bands delivering brutality at different speeds! Two local metal bands will open at The New A tomorrow, including death metal standouts The Bear Hunters (always nice seeing them share a stage with Shit Liver) and extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, so don't be late for their explosive sets tomorrow night!

A firm 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a $7 admission fee, while "Trading Faces" tapes will be on sale for $8 while supplies last. This is shaping up to be a brutal night of death metal action from these four established local bands (anyone else getting a Rosie metal night vibe?), and of course, with Shit Liver making a rare local appearance with tapes in hand, and with this being the only tour stop featuring AlgomA, you won't want to miss out! I believe Shit Liver are headlining, so for a preview, here's a brand new full-concert video from the tour! Uploaded last week by YouTube user Steve Reniewick of Stronger Than Ever Videos, this comes from their show last week in Hamilton at This Ain't Hollywood, headlining their "Sunday Slamfest" event in the tour's third stop. The 31 minute video features loads of originals and some selections from "Trading Faces" (complete with samples), but as is usual with their videos, it's hard to identify the entire setlist in between all the short songs that often continue into each other without introduction.

Filmed from a close angle, you get a nice brutal look at Shit Liver's intense grindcore onslaught, with solid video quality, though the venue lighting is very blue. This is a quality sample of what we'll get at The New A tomorrow, so check it out below, and don't miss Shit Liver's tour finale with AlgomA in tow to get your tapes before they're gone!



Finally for today, here's some surprising and cool news, as music from outgoing local alternative/hard rock trio The Din (and frontman Mike Haggith's solo project) is featured in a new independent movie that's getting award buzz! The film in question is Ashes of K by Windsor filmmaker Juan Alejandro de Armero Aguero (remember, Mike is a Windsor native), which is described as a "delusional ride to the brink of madness" about a woman with psychosis in love with an ex-cyber criminal working with a drug cartel. The movie has already been named as an "honourable mention" of the Original Story category at the Los Angeles Film Awards, and was an official selection there and at the Universal Film Festival in Kansas City, Missouri, which is all a great sign for Ashes of K! There is no distribution deal yet for the movie, so it's only had select screenings, but you can view the trailer below, featuring Mike's solo song "We Met As Surrogates" (a.k.a. "We Met At The Circus") from his final solo album, 2014's "The Warinside", with more of Mike's songs (including from "Give In To The Din") also made the cut.

In a comment from production company Noxtrom Film Studios on The Din's Facebook page, "music is a "HUGE" part of the film (and) it captured the audience & kept them in trance (sic)". That's a good sign, and I am curious to hear how the whole film turns out. In terms of the trailer, some of the edits to the footage and music are a little abrupt, but it looks like an interesting film, and might this be our first movie review on the SMS since Swearnet? Check out the Ashes of K trailer below, and congratulations to The Din on this honour, coming just in time before their breakup in three weeks!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Halloween Party), Plus A New Local Band Debuting There!!

Today's post is exclusively devoted to events surrounding some big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this fall over the Halloween weekend! These were announced last month, but I waited to cover them here due to lineup & venue ambiguity that, while not entirely cleared up, has been addressed to a point where we can give it full attention! That said, we're leading off with a new band debuting at this event, unusually so given the propensity for renamed existing or one-off acts, so here's what you should know!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and in a rarity for our area, the band in question is a tribute band named The Soo Fighters! Launching via their Facebook page last month, it should be obvious to readers which band they're paying homage to, so if you're interested in hearing a local band cover Dave Grohl and company, keep tabs on this group! A side project from members of local pop rock cover quartet Cherry Crush, their lineup features singer/guitarist Jules Cote, guitarist John Amendola, and his son Jonny on drums, with their ranks filled out by 3 Day Millionaires guitarist Jeremey Salatuk. Cherry Crush videos of more rock-based songs would be ideal for readers to check out to see what The Soo Fighters have in store, as they do have the chops to handle Foo Fighters classics! To my knowledge, they're just the second local tribute band in our band links, joining 2007-2008 high school Kiss tribute Creatures of the Night.

There's no media online yet of The Soo Fighters, but when can you see them live for the (presumed) first time? How does The Algonquin Pub on Friday, October 27th sound? For his lucky 13th year hosting a Halloween party concert in the Soo, Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce is doubling up with not one, but two Halloween parties on the 27th and Saturday the 28th! Returning to The Algonquin Pub for the fifth time in six years with these events, The Soo Fighters will open the Friday show, which will be headlined by Toronto metal band Decatur, who local fans will better know as 2015 Halloween party headliners Caym! They changed their name early last year, but will still bring a ferocious brand of original metal to the local stage for their first Soo gig in 2 years! Other local openers will include Spinal Remains (a Misfits tribute that, if not a renamed Jack Spades, will be fronted by J.D.) and death metal favourites The Bear Hunters playing an all-Amon Amarth set under the name Mount Doom!

As for the lineup on Saturday, October 28th, there's some more ambiguity on the performers, who appear to be all local. Advertised headliners are local hard rock quartet Eclipse reprising their turn as "SSM of a Down" from last year (any guesses which band they're covering again?) A tribute to noted punk cover band Me First & The Gimme Gimmes are also scheduled under the name You First & The Passive Aggressives, which may be a renamed re-booking from last year, when a Gimmes tribute under the name Hey, What About Us?! (with J.D. singing) were quietly removed as headliners without public acknowledgement. If this is indeed take 2, hopefully they deliver a fun set in October! I believe the opening band that night, a Sublime tribute named SSMTaria, are The Elements, also returning from last year when they covered 1990s songs as The Plaid Martens. Remaining bands include a yet-untitled Blink-182 tribute band and the newly confirmed Anavrin (Nirvana in reverse.)

I have absolutely no idea on if these two are separate local bands adopting a temporary name & tribute set for the night, or if they're new/one-off supergroups, but if we get any confirmation, we'll let you know. Sponsored by the Northern Superior Brewing Company (hence Jack Spades' recent "wolves from the north" teasers), expect costume contests and more seasonal fun for these 19+ concerts, which each have 9:00 PM start times. The admission prices for the shows vary depending on your source, so here's what is currently stated. According to the Facebook event page, admission will be $7 at the door each night, but other sources give the daily price as $10. For the advance tickets (which appear to be for admission on both nights only), the event page says $10 in the description and implies $14 in a comment by J.D., yet the online sale page says that the printable advance tickets are $12.50 ($13.93 with service charges), though the description prices them at $15. Hopefully that covers each angle!

Unless otherwise confirmed, I would prepare for $10 nightly fees and $15 for an advance weekend pass just in case. No matter what, this is shaping up to be J.D.'s biggest Halloween party yet in both quality and quantity, so if you're up for some metal and punk rock action to end October with, you know exactly where to be for a scary good time! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in, and check the above links for more on The Halloween Party, The Soo Fighters, and much more! Thanks everyone!