Single-artist post on this Friday morning, as local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's third and final live-streamed concert of 2021 aired on his Facebook page last night, and is now available for on-demand viewing! This episode immediately differs from last month's, as it is much shorter (well, only 93 minutes in length), and it was curiously filmed in vertical portrait orientation due to some sort of Facebook quirk last night. After introducing the episode and checking in with live viewers, Mike starts by playing his new original song "Twist of Fate" (3:20), as previously heard in October's live-stream. For the first time in his live-stream/#LockdownLive catalog, Mike interviews someone that he did not play in a band or record an album with, specifically former Bizotic frontman Brad Griffith, who has been more recently active with his retro video gaming and VHS collecting pursuits on YouTube and Instagram as Gortium85.
Brad starts by outlines his local music career (albeit without naming bands). After reminiscing on Pink Floyd and mutual interests, Mike tackles five acoustic covers of songs of Brad's, starting with "Hurry Up" (20:05), an old solo song of his recorded at the former Stereo Soul Studios that you can hear on his Soundcloud page. Next, Brad discusses his run with the 2016-2018 alternative rock band Bizotic, from which Mike plays two songs of theirs back to back, namely "Psychic Vampire" (31:20) and "Subway Delay" (40:10), with Mike confirming that the share contest to determine a mandatory cover is on, but personal commitments have forced him to delay his planned cover for yesterday's episode to next month. The second half of the episode begins with Brad discussing what he's been doing artistically since Bizotic dissolved, why his eclectic solo music is put out under different monikers, and the music he's recorded while living & working out of town.
The next song Mike plays is Brad's 2020 solo blues number "Cold Canned Beer" (56:30), which is also on Soundcloud, and after discussing Brad's recent focus on electronic synthwave music, Mike closes his suite of Brad covers with his "Demon Moves" (1:08:00), which Brad put out on Soundcloud under the handle Coax Chrome. The final song of the show was next, namely a new unreleased song of Mike's named "I've Seen It Before" (1:14:20), before Mike and Brad wrap up their conversation, even talking about paranormal shows, plus possible plans to improve Mike's live-stream format in 2022. Mike finishes the live-stream by giving some details about some medical concerns he had been going through lately, complete with a Dairy Queen cake congratulating him for a reason you may not expect. His finacee Tianna appears at the end, I believe this is her first appearance in one of these live-streams.
Entertaining episode, especially if you like Brad's local music career, though I was surprised he never directly brought up No Arrow or SBD at all. Mike's renditions of Brad's songs were solidly done in a stripped down acoustic format, and could Mike interview/cover other local musicians in live-streams next year? Give the whole live-stream a watch below, and stay tuned for updates on January's live-stream when they roll in!
We'll close today by sticking with videos involving Mike Haggith, who has been plugging a lot of reviews of his new album "Bridges" as of late, which I plan to get to shortly, but let's start with spotlights of individual tracks on the YouTube series You Rock! hosted by Thomas Christ, who features a bunch of home-recorded independent rock music and reviews them live on air, hearing the song in question with all of us. "Over Indecision" is featured in episode #12 from November 27th at 52:43, embedded below, while "The Catalyst" was similarly reviewed earlier this month in episode #13 at 47:28, and both episodes also feature songs by local indie rockers Man Feelings. Thomas strongly praises "Over Indecision" and is a little more measured in his praise for "The Catalyst", but he gives good in-the-moment comments on both songs, and I like that Thomas is giving so many rising musicians a platform like this! Give these a watch above & below, there's a lot of strong out-of-town talent to check out!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
I wasn't expecting to already have a new news post on the SMS (it hasn't even been 24 hours since yesterday's), but we have one more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related missed concert apology to touch on, but not from a band you may be expecting. To round things out, we have some new videos from both sides of the border and some assorted updates, so here's what you should know!
Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished returned to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branchlast night, and will return for one more go-around TONIGHT! I profusely apologize for the short notice on TONIGHT'S show and for missing yesterday's outright, the band only announced these gigs on their Facebook page yesterday afternoon, calling this "a last minute change to this weekend", implying that they replaced another band on late notice. For what it's worth, Kewadin's entertainment page does list Tarnished as playing this weekend, but I have no way of knowing how quickly they updated the listing, let alone which band dropped out. This weekend's shows were/are Tarnished's first since their '80s night at Bird's Eye Outfitters last week, but Rapids Lounge patrons will have just seen Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh there two weeks ago for shows plugged well in advance.
The late notice isn't convenient for many fans, but if you're available in the E.U.P. TONIGHT, and want to hear some hard rocking tunes from this talented foursome, go see them, and again, I apologize for missing last night's show on here, I'd have put these in yesterday's post had I seen their announcement in time! Yesterday's & TONIGHT's shows had/have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits, but please follow and honour Kewadin's public health recommendations and guidelines to ensure everyone's safety. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, here's a new music video from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night, who are apparently working on a second Christmas album! Of course, you'll likely recall their 2010 instrumental album "Christmas Night", but much of Theatre of Night's output since the mid-2010s has involved female vocalists (either as band members or guests), and it looks like they're finally working on a proper album of metal Christmas carols entitled "Dreams of Christmas" with (most of) the band that played their 2018 & 2019 Christmas tours! Both the video and this promotional image from Reverbnation do not feature bassist Scott Andringa, implying that he has left Theatre of Night, and while a reason for his apparent exit has not been publically announced, they also didn't acknowledge Chris & Stacie's departures either when they left the band a few years back, so this may be all we get.
Scott's a talented bassist, hopefully we hear of him in new bands again soon! As for the video, it features Craig, Steve, Rachel, and Erik performing "What Child Is This?" in pitch black aside from close-ups of them in dark shadows, which is a striking visual! This carol led off their live show in their three Christmas tours, so will it be track #1 on "Dreams of Christmas", perhaps with their concert setlist being redone verbatim in studio? Stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night's camp, and here's their new music video, as uploaded to their YouTube channel on Monday!
Let's head north to Sault Ontario to wrap up this post, starting with a new audio demo from new local punk quartet Vanity's YouTube channel on Tuesday! The song in question ("Black Flies") is by no means a new song for them, having posted an early demo of it four months ago, followed by a live recording from an apparent jam session, but this definitely more of a refined copy. Solid pop punk track that sounds finished or close to it, and Andrew's melodic vocals fit like a glove, but the instruments are a little muffled in this take. Nice to see Vanity keeping at it, and hopefully there's lots more promising stuff to come from them, but give "Black Flies" a listen 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 name:
Four years after his prior search on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, local bassist Ben Eder is looking to join or start a band, preferably one playing hard rock, alternative, or grunge, and he is open to playing covers or originals. He can also play guitar, and while he didn't mention his drumming ability this time, he has since added vocals to his own repertoire. If you're interested in getting more details, message Ben at this link or via his group post from Monday!
Former Caveman Morrison singer Dean Duguay has similarly posted on the Musicians Wanted group looking to join a new local band, preferably one who plays 1970-1990s rock music, and he has a list of songs he's open to trying out upon request. Media isn't plentiful, but I recall Dean had a solid voice, so message him at this link or via his group post from last month to get more details!
Prolific local/Manitoba alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith's next live-stream concert has a date, so tune into his Facebook page on Thursday, December 16th at 7:30 PM to check it out in it's original run! Mike announced the date on Thursday, though the theme is to be announced, as is a "featured artist" (does he mean a guest or a cover selection?) Keep watch on Facebook in case Mike says anything in advance!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
After a personal break from active updates on the SMS (my mom's COVID-delayed funeral took place on Saturday), we're back with a new news post on this Tuesday evening, including some recent updates from a popular local Facebook group, new videos from two genre-defying local bands, and a new publically advertised but privately located house party concert to keep in mind for next month. Here's what you should know!
Saskatchewan post-hardcore trio Alien To The Ignorant will make their local concert debut on Thursday, October 21st when they headline at The Apocalypse Afterparty's revived Mellow D's Underground private venue! Readers may recall seeing Mellow D's Underground turn up as a host venue for Apocalypse Afterparty-linked concerts in early-mid 2017, and again in October 2019, but the Stanghettas are bringing it back after another 2 year hiatus for an all-too-rare extreme metal show at this stage of the pandemic. The (new?) location of Mellow D's isn't publically advertised, but it is on posters circulating on personal Facebook accounts. Alien To The Ignorant have an intense modern hardcore sound that should attract a solid response from fans, to go along with a clear sense of humour, so consider coming out to see them, especially as local death metal band The Bear Hunters will open in their first concert set of any kind in two years!
This will also be The Bear Hunters' first live gig since releasing their new album "The Dead Testament" last year, though they have yet to confirm any CD pressings of it to sell, let alone if they still want to have a formal launch party. The Apocalypse Afterparty are also opening with a fun party metal attack, though if you were in the know, you may have seen them in fully private events earlier in the pandemic. Doors will open at 6:00 PM for this concert, which has no advertised cover charge, but vaccine passports will be mandatory despite the house party locale. Visit the above links for continuing details as they roll in, and while we're on the subject, The Apocalypse Afterparty posted a new video from their teased music video shoot onto their Facebook page last month! Apologies for the public delay, updates from their camp are sporadic. Back in March, you may recall seeing this clip of the band performing in a bathroom, but how about now?
The new 56 second video features what appears to be the end of the video in question being shot, in a room full of pink lighting and a LOT of smoke, leading to Amanda, Paul, and Spacebag Productions' Josh Penno (who was filming the shoot) leaving the building. The room here looked bigger than the bathroom, so is the basic idea of the video (assuming it's just one video) that the band is playing in multiple rooms of a house? Time will tell, but give it a watch below, and hopefully the final product goes live soon!
Next up, new local alt-hardcore duo These Magnificent Tentacles have posted two new videos on their Facebook page in the last two months to tease some recent studio recording work they've done with Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios! Brent & Steve started these sessions on August 9th, and other than saying that they're recording "some new tracks", they didn't specify whether these would be part of an album of some kind, or just to have some more studio content ready. The first 18 second video is a low-res clip of what appears to be the guys tracking material with Dustin behind the computer (you hear more of the metronome than the actual song), but embedded below is last week's video shared from Tidal Records' Facebook page, where Brent & Steve use all twenty of their magnificent tentacles (ie: their fingers) simultaneously on a keyboard while in studio.
Metronome-heavy again, but you at least hear the rather trippy-sounding instrumental track clearly, and it's great to see that These Magnificent Tentacles are working on new material so they'll hopefully have more than one song on social media! Will we hear these new songs when they make their live concert debut at The Klub in the Pall Mall on Saturday night? Be there to find out, and give these new videos a look above and below!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all via recent postings on the the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from local musicians looking for new bands over the past month! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
Toronto-area rock bassist Chris Ricci is moving to Sault Ste. Marie this month and is looking for musical projects in town to play in/with. He is an experienced musician in Southern Ontario hard rock acts like Cocked & Loaded and Black Sun, plus multiple tribute bands for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, and AC/DC, and multiple videos are on YouTube from his recent band work if you want to see what he brings to the table. Sounds like a very promising pick-up for anyone looking for an experienced bassist, but message Chris at this link or via his group post from two weeks ago for more details!
Former Suicide Kings frontman Mike Gaetano is looking to either join or start a new local band. His post from last month notes that while he can play guitar and piano, he wants to focus on singing unless absolutely necessary. Ideally, his band would be playing covers and originals equally and he's hoping to play live once every couple of months at first, though he did not specify whether he'd want to play hard rock like in his prior major bands or something else. It'd be great to see Mike fronting a new local band, but message him at this link or through the group for more info!
A local musician named Taylor McKay is looking to start an extreme metal
band with like-minded artists (who have gear), and he can play bass &
rhythm guitar, as well as provide clean vocals. He also has a
home studio for songwriting purposes if need be. I'm not familiar with
Taylor musically, but message him at this link or via his group post (like Chris, also from two weeks ago) for details!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
As was well publicized on social media, local/Thompson, Manitoba solo artist Mike Haggith released his 50th canon studio album "If Ever Comes The Day" yesterday, complete with a live-streamed release concert on his Facebook page! Of course, we all wish this could have been at LopLops with a full band, but the ongoing pandemic had other plans, so at least Mike found a way to make due! This live-stream also doubles as #LockdownLive VII, breaking from the Saturday pattern this week, but we are covering it on a Saturday, for what that's worth. Unlike past installments, this was filmed at "a top secret location" that may or may not be in Thompson, and you can tell that the spot is dolled up like a full concert stage. Before the set proper begins, Mike announced a contest for live viewers where the person who shared the live-stream the most times will get to request any song for Mike to cover next Saturday, and he has to cover it!
While this is not Mike's first live-stream to focus on the songs from "If Ever Comes The Day" (that'd be #LockdownLive II), this installment is very different in setting and approach, as you'll see across it's 2+ hour runtime, notably by narratively scripting much of the set, rather than going by the album's track listing. The set proper begins with Mike discussing the August 2019 local concert at Outspoken Brewing on the trip that kickstarted the album, before covering "Girl From My Dreams" by local folk musician Jacob Quarrell, who co-headlined that show and would have played guitar in Mike's backing band tonight if not for COVID-19. After jokingly turning off the nonexistent drummer, Mike plays "Take Back The Moon" from the new album, as tied into anecdotes about playing the song at the local show. He next covers Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", which folds right into his rendition of the album's title track, "If Ever Comes The Day".
Mike next covers Death Cab For Cutie's "I Will Possess Your Heart", which had a similar impact on Mike personally as the Tears For Fears cut. That is followed by the original "Into The Setting Sun", before Mike takes a call from ex-RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski, who recorded the instrumental track "This Page Intentionally Left Blank" for the new CD, and plays it on speakerphone held up to Mike's mic. These obviously isn't the ideal conditions, but it's nice to hear Pete's thoughts on the recording! In concert and on the album, this leads into "Back Away Slowly", followed by "Morningstar", and an old Din original that he played on August 10th, "Missing". The second half of the live-stream begins with another caller, namely Re:Born/ex-Din drummer Brandan Glew, and their conversation is just as irreverent as you may expect from his regular #LockdownLive commentary, if not moreso! Mike then covers Tears For Fears' "Shout", allegedly Brandan's 9th favourite song.
The personal emotion of the original material returns with "The Best You Never Had" and "Visual, Descending For The Field", before talking about local internet radio station The Borderline, who recently interviewed Mike on air and have featured his album in full (we are behind in talking about the station, stay tuned for more on them next week.) The set resumes with "Communique", which folds right into a surprise cover of Prince & The Revolution's "Purple Rain", before discussing the album's symbolic 8 & 10 second blank tracks, and then playing the last song on the CD, "2145". The final 20 minutes of the live stream include Mike playing Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" and his troll rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" (bookended by a story of his Windsor trip in the winter), followed by closing thoughts and thank yous to everyone who watched, though I did not catch if he announced who won the contest for most shares.
Kudos to Mike for making lemons out of lemonade with this release concert, wherever it was held, and we got a nice selection of original songs and covers with a unique presentation, and the balance between the emotional and personal lyrics and the humorous conversations with live-stream viewers was done pretty well! Time will tell how #LockdownLive VIII looks next week, let alone the rescheduled local release concert in November, but support Mike's new album and the work he put into it by buying or streaming "If Ever Comes The Day" watch the whole thing below, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Before we get into this post, just a heads up that tonight's Handsome Sandwich concert at The Rockstar Bar has reportedly been cancelled due to the inclement weather & related staff invailability, as per singer/drummer Johnny Belanger's personal Facebook page this afternoon. Tomorrow's concert is still on, but if you're hoping to see them, do not come out tonight. Disappointing, but not all is lost, so keep tomorrow's show in mind! However, you can stay warm with today's SMS post, featuring recent musician searches, a band moved to our inactive band links, and leading off, here's an overdue addition to our band listings, with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT too!
We have a new addition to our active band links today, and they are Slumshine, the current acoustic punk solo project from veteran local hardcore punk singer/bassist Brenton Ellis! Slumshine are nothing new, having debuted on stage back in September 2017, but early sound descriptions pointed to more of an alt-folk theme. However, as fans can attest, Slumshine are a full on punk act, just with one musician clad in the finest pink knit ski mask you'll ever find on a local stage! Brent doesn't use his name officially with Slumshine, and curiously uses plural pronouns (i.e. we/us) despite being a solo project. Initially making a splash via sets at the first Oh!No festival and by opening for The Faps, The Ghostly Hounds, and Dany Laj & The Looks in the fall of 2017, Slumshine went dormant throughout the following year, before returning to action in early 2019, appearing at Oh!No III and opening for The Faps again, Darsombra, Femur, and The River Jacks. Also, they released their first album "SLMSHN" on cassette tapes last July, and you can buy/stream it on Bandcamp on a "name your price" model.
Of course, Brent is among the staff of the Oh!No Collective, who distributed "SLMSHN" in their first release as a planned cassette tape-centric indie label, and his talents as a painter and artist are very evident in Slumshine's online marketing. Fans can see Slumshine back at it on Friday, March 20th when they open for The Sick Sons at LopLops (details here), but in a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, you can see Slumshine in a rare solo headlining appearance on Wednesday, March 18th at... Home Bakehouse Bed and Breakfast at 168 March Street?! This is a new downtown business whose name suggests what they do, so if you like homemade baked goods, or need a place to stay, Home is where the heart is! The locale is very atypical for an ostensible "punk concert", but Home has partnered with the returning Fishbowl Festival for sourdough classes, for what that's worth. This mid-week show has an early 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and a "pay what you can" entry model. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Currently also a bassist with The Dynowaves, Brent's vocal work here and in Toronto is well known, and musically, I get more of his earlier straight punk vibe here rather than his later hardcore punk screaming, albeit with the stripped down unplugged format. Solid lyrics and strong melodic vocals mesh together well, and I think these sounds would be a great fit with a full plugged-in band, but even in this format, it's easy to see why Slumshine turn heads even beyond the pink mask. A smattering of videos are on Facebook & YouTube, but here's Slumshine playing their songs "Back in Blue" and "Blue Shift" at Outspoken Brewing in December!
Next up, I have reluctantly moved local alternative/indie rock quartet Id Iota
to our inactive band links. The group has not issued a public statement
since their cover of Pup's "Free At Last" was uploaded to their Facebook page
one year ago today, though that performance was sans frontman Christian
Lemay, and regardless of his status with the band, they have not played
a live set since the 2018 Rotaryfest weekend. Active since mid-2015
when they succeeded the studio-only Habitat Shuffle, Id Iota quickly
became a popular sight at a variety of local concerts in the mid-2010s,
including at Lopstock II, three straight Rotaryfest Second Stages from
2016-2018, two Ontario tour runs in 2016 with The Pixo Control and Mike
Mikus, and opening slots for touring bands like Saturn Alien, Windigo,
and The Almighty Rhombus. Along the way, Id Iota also released their
"Maudlin Fair" EP in April 2016, and they were working on a full length
album as recently as April 2018.
I have no clue what
happened to Id Iota, but they were a creative band that had enough genre
diversity to slide into hard rock and indie shows with relative ease!
Genre preference-wise, I did take to their 2000s ska punk predecessors
Free Beer more, but Id Iota showed their growth and progression as musicians
very well, and they left a wide footprint locally and with their tours 4
years ago. Hopefully we see Id Iota and their planned full-length CD
resurface down the road, but best of luck to Christian, Dustin, Robert,
Blair, Justin, and Dan in the future!
Finally for today, here's three recent Musicians Wanted Facebook group postings relating to musician and band searches from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:
Former Half Past bassist Arthur Lacasse is starting an acoustic rock band with him on guitar, who would cover modern hard rock acts like Highly Suspect, Shinedown, Seether, and Three Days Grace. He already has a singer lined up, and is looking for a bassist, drummer (ideally on cajon), and maybe an extra guitarist. It'd be great to see Arthur back out there, but if you're interested in more details, message him at this link or via his group post from February 8th!
A local rhythm guitarist named Jayrald Micky is looking to join a local band, and while he is aiming to play guitar in said group, he does have drumming experience. He didn't give a genre preference, just that he was "looking for anything at this point" and that he just wants to jam again. I'm not familiar with Jayrald as a musician, but if you want more details, message him at this link or via his group post from February 12th!
Fluid 5ive guitarist Liam Vaillancourt posted here on February 11th looking for a keyboard player for "a gigging band" that is capable of playing signature lines from various rock, blues, and country cover songs. Liam did not specify in the post if this was for Fluid 5ive or another band, but if it is referring to the 5ive, we have not heard anything regarding Rob Irving's status with the group (note that Rob played rhythm guitar as well as keyboard.) In any event, message Liam at this link or above for more details!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
With our review of Saturday's January Jam now online, let's dive back into the news with an all-video showcase from four local bands, and coincidentally, three of the four played on Saturday night! These include some new assorted Facebook clips, recent live concert footage, and first, the debut content of a recent local TV debut, so here's what you should know!
As you may know, Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie premiered a new series called OnStage this past Saturday night at 9:00 PM, and in the first episode of the planned weekly program on channel 10, the featured concert was August's CD release concert from The Din & Gnaeus at The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium at The Tech! Fans may recall Shaw TV's Christian Lemay and crew filming the show live on multiple cameras, and with music clearances and red tape out of the way, we can finally see the finished product after a 5 month wait, so what should you know? Ironically, both bands were playing at The Canadian on Saturday during the premiere, but they, you, and I can now see the full original contents via Shaw TV's YouTube channel, and kudos to them for getting these online so fast! Starting with The Din's headlining set, the local alternative/hard rock trio can be seen below playing the band Haggith's "75" (with "Leamington, Ontario" intro), then their originals "Alleyways & Apartments", "In Search of the Perfect Moment", ...
..."Out Of My League", and "Remember", an abbreviated cover of Mike Haggith's solo song "Of Cars & Criminals", "Flux", Mike's own "Potato (Should've Known Better)", "The Rose", "A Drive Through The Peninsula", and for an encore, "Differences". Featuring their entire debut album plus two non-album tracks, this is a solid set of original alt-rock action, with great filming by the crew at Shaw to accentuate the scale, but at times, the audio can be slightly muffled, and The Din's covers of bands outside of Mike's career are not included. Still, this is an awesome extended look at The Din, so be sure to give it a look below!
Next up, here's the video of opening post-punk quartet Gnaeus, who were filmed first that night in their own Tech debut! Coming off of their own CD release show at the time (The Din opened for that one in return), Gnaeus mostly played tracks from "Meditations" on this August night. In order, the video features the guys playing their songs "Mountains", "Circles", "The Edge", "Exercise In Self Awareness", "Lovers", "Fire", "Electricity", and "The Sound", notably omitting "Calling Out" and "Where You're Gone" that night, while a performed Cold War Kids cover is not included in Shaw's public footage. Notably starting with Mike Haggith introducing Gnaeus and apologizing for delays (a fire alarm went off in the building before their set), this video is of comparable quality and stature to The Din's video, and given that they only covered one outside artist, it's is a fuller video for those that recall this set, so you aren't missing too much!
Solidly and reliably performed as usual, so check out Gnaeus' half of the OnStage episode below, and stay tuned for more on both bands' next concerts in the coming days, which are sooner than you may think!
Also today, here's a couple of new video finds from new local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback, and while they also have some new videos from Saturday's January Jam concert to share, these are actually from last month's YouTube Party at The Canadian Nightclub. Guitarist Chris Nielsen's wife Heather filmed these and posted them to A.D.S.' Facebook page a few days afterward, and they include renditions of their original songs "Wasting Away" and, as embedded below, "Catastrophe". The stage set-up seems to be a little standard despite the teasers and hype for the YouTube party, but Heather had a great view of the band, who were their usual energetic selves for these solid performances! For reference sake, a banner in memoriam to late Canadian Nightclub DJ Jay Perron (who died in October) can still be seen on the back wall of the stage in these clips. Give these "new" A Dire Setback videos a look above and below, and apologies for the month's delay!
Finally, here's a trifecta of new Facebook videos from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory! At the moment, these are Facebook exclusive, and aren't on Bret's YouTube channel yet. One video features bassist Jordan Leach (in fake voices) jokingly interviewing frontman Robert Sartini, with occasional asides by drummer Bret Shuttleworth, while another shorter video features Bret getting similar questions, before turning the tables and interviewing Jordan briefly. Both are light and amusing, and give you a more casual look at the band! The other video is a sideways jam session instrumental clip, and the band seemed to acknowledge that, titling the video "Sideways, 'The Foundational Esoterica'" If that is the case, I guess I'm out of the loop for understanding the angle choice, but the performance is suitably brutal and heavy, and fans of Pillory's recent work will enjoy the metal action regardless of angle! Give them a look above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!
August is already upon us, so let's keep things rolling with a new news post on this Monday morning! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, new video features from a talented rising band, and lineup shifts for an upcoming show, but first, here's some late major updates for what could be the biggest Sault Michigan-area show of 2016!
We have lots of big updates concerning THIS SATURDAY'S FireHouse-headlined outdoor concert in Sault Michigan, so what's new to report on it? In terms of location, the show has indeed been moved from behind Moloney's Alley to a proper street party locale on Ashmun Street, specifically the stretch between Harmony Health Foods and Zim's between West Portage Avenue and Maple/Ridge Street. Both listed establishments will act as sponsors and contributors for the show as well, with Zim's providing refreshments during the festivities, and hosting an autograph signing & afterparty inside their bar on Saturday at 10:00 PM. No word of if live hard rock bands will return to Zim's in the process, but it's great to see them going all out for the occasion! As for the lineup, Rochester post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris have quietly dropped out for unannounced reasons (for what it's worth, the band hasn't posted on Facebook since May), but the teased battle of the bands is on for this Saturday!
To take place at 3:00 PM as the opening sets for this ALL AGES show, promoters Superior Entertainment have yet to confirm the performing lineup or prizes at all, but might we see past local battle winners Tantrym Tyme back for it, especially given drummer Ethan Twardy's ties to Harmony Health Foods? If/when we hear anything on the battle lineup, we'll let you know, but visit the official Facebook event page for full details on this intriguing show! Updates have been slow to come for this event, but everything seems to be falling into place for the returns of FireHouse and Redburn, so get your tickets for $25 (less for children) at this link A.S.A.P.!
Next up, and staying in the realm of concert lineup updates, the full lineup for the Ripcordz-headlined all ages show on Saturday, August 13th at The Canadian Nightclub is now out, as Sault Ontario classic metal band Project 421 & their sister hard rock group Eclipse will return to the site of their most recent battles of the bands next weekend! Though neither skew to the hardcore punk stylings of The Ripcordz, both bands are very talented, and should set the tone well before Jack Spades and the headliners rock the stage! It should be noted that Project 421 (who were added to the lineup first) are a replacement for local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet, who have quietly withdrew from this concert for unannounced reasons, though note that they haven't played live since (ironically) The Ripcordz' local show last October, due to varying personal matters. Hopefully we see the guys back at it soon, but see above for more on next week's ALL AGES Ripcordz show!
Also today, here's some new features on local alternative hard rock trio The Din from two prominent local news video sources! One is the newest episode of SooToday's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, as posted online yesterday, so what should you know on it? Filmed at Rotaryfest's Stage 2 last month (where The Din opened the day's lineup), Donna interviewed all three band members about their formation, musical evolution, upcoming debut CD and release concert, their songwriting process, and frontman Mike Haggith's extensive solo discography, with clips from their set interspersed within as usual. In terms of scoops, the Tuned episode does give some extra info on Pretoria Hill Productions (where their CD was largely recorded), while drummer Brandan Glew did note that they hope to work with Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios again on future projects. Solid episode that covers a lot of ground, so give it a look at the above links!
As SooToday's video host doesn't allow external embedding, we can't feature it here, but this one is embedded below, courtesy of Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie's YouTube channel on Friday! Filmed at a jam session with interview segments in their van (Id Iota's Christian Lemay conducted it but isn't heard on camera), it treads some of the same ground as the Tuned episode, but it features extra insights on why they dropped "Mike Haggith &" from their name, the band's fast rise, The Din's efforts to involve the crowd in their sets, and their social media presence. Another solid feature that touches on their personalities well, so give it a look below too, especially if you missed it on channel 10 last month!
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:
In case you haven't noticed lately, Facebook has unveiled a new streamlined look and design for pages (including ours), which includes easier tab access and more of a vertical layout. It takes some adjusting, but it seems to address some problems with the earlier layout, so just a heads up on the update, which you can get more info on at this link! It wasn't my call, other Facebook pages should look the same on your computer!
Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus were spotlighted in this SooToday article from Donna Hopper on Saturday, where they discussed how they began working on their debut CD "Meditations" (out THIS FRIDAY) and their songwriting process, while also noting the spots where you can buy it, including one surprise spot: M&M Food Market, as bassist Matt Fronzi's parents own the frozen food shop chain's local branches, so if you buy groceries there, add "Meditations" to your shopping list! Solid read, so check it out above, along with 7 black & white photos from their LopLops show on July 22nd! Sadly, none of Long Shot's set are included.
This is probably late to the party, but I thought I'd acknowledge it. Local musician Kyle Derasp is looking for people to jam with at his place, which has a full set-up with drums. He has "beers & beats" every weekend, and requests those interested to not ask him to bring his drum kit to you. If you're interested in jamming with Kyle, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last month!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!
For our first full news post of the month, we're splitting things down the middle for two specific topics: An easier way to check out some of our earliest concert photos, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two summer shows at the same venue, so here's what you should know!
London sludge/punk trio Foam will make their local concert debut on Sunday, June 19th when they headline at The New American Pub! Citing many different genre influences, Foam's grungy, hard hitting, noise assault should get a solid response from fans in two weeks' time, so don't miss out! Local death metal duo Twistory (featuring ex-Pillory bandmates Josh Amendola & Robert Sartini) will make their New A debut as openers on June 19th, and while they still don't have an online page, fans have been receptive to their sets since debuting, so check out their attack as well! At least one more local opening band is to be announced, and we'll let you know when they're confirmed. Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this 19+ concert will have a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and don't miss the Grave Party show there the very next day!
Next up, local punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address will also rock The New American Pub this summer, as they'll be opening for Hamilton blues duo Frankie & Jimmy on Wednesday, July 13th! A rare appearance by Chris Shoust's acoustic solo act at The New A, this will be Telephone & Address' first set since their Fortnight Festival appearance at The Gore Street Cafe, and with Chris' talented and experimental originals in full effect, he should set the tone well next month! Frankie & Jimmy's bluesy yet avant garde sound has a lot of creativity going for it, and they should leave a good impression when they make their local debut next month in the second stop of their Western Canada tour! Apparently promoted by Chris, this 19+ show has a listed 8:00 PM start time, but a cover charge isn't given on the Facebook event page (have money on hand just in case.) Fans of acoustic rock and experimental music should like this show, with Telephone & Address handling the punk side of things, so see above for more details!
Finally for today, I wanted to note on here that I've done something that I should have done a long time ago: Move old concert photos from our inactive Facebook group and inactive Photobucket page to our current Facebook page! I've meant to migrate them over for a while, but only got around to doing it yesterday, but to make it a little more special and more in line with our concert photography work since, I fixed the lighting or colour on the photos where needed, and straightened out camera angles where possible. These shows took place between 2007 & 2009, early in the SMS' run, and while I didn't have a camera at each of our earliest shows (November 2008's Wolven Ancestry/Woods of Ypres show is a notable absence), a good number are now on our current Facebook page to check out! One album contains a Bellevue Park Bandshell concert from August 2007 featuring Sindicate, Atrophia, and two other bands, as well as select photos from April 2008's Skid Row Battle of the Bands at The Speak Easy.
The quality of these photos ranges from OK to mediocre, but using a succession of cameras and not being as experienced with photography as I am now, I'm just glad I did get photos at some of them, and it was fun to reflect back on the SMS' early days while cleaning them all up! Check out all of our "new" Facebook concert photos as the above links, and if you can help ID any of the bands or details on the Bellevue Park show from 2007, let us know! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week! Thanks everyone!
In what actually may be the last post of our 69 day streak (I have very little in the queue to guarantee a Monday news post right now), we have a bunch of recent news and notes to get to today, including updates to a few upcoming all ages shows, an archive album discovery, a new concert video, and more, but first, we'll start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!
Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings will play their first show since their win last month when they make their first ever Roosevelt Hotel appearance on Friday, May 17th! This is ostensibly a replacement for their planned Rosie debut last weekend (which was called off due to a double booking), though unlike those planned gigs, they are only playing next Friday, as the Greber-headlined death metal concert is already scheduled for the following Saturday (though Suicide Kings bassist Mitch Sirie will play that show too with his other band The Bear Hunters.) As for The Suicide Kings, it'll be great to see the battle winners back at it with their high energy hard rock originals & some newer covers, so don't miss their first stop at The Rosie come next weekend! Admission should be free for this 10:00 PM concert, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I hope to hit this concert and go check out The Suicide Kings' full concert set for the first time, so stay tuned for further updates!
Next up, local hard rock/metal supergroup Skeyes of Seven have posted a new video from their Garden of Bedlam-opening set at The Rockstar Bar on April 26th onto their YouTube channel on Friday, and it's of their new original song "Fallen Faith"! Filmed by an attendee on an HD camera of some kind, it's got nice video quality of this solid new track (I love the heavy choruses), though the lighting looks very reddish/purple through this camera, and the angle is a bit jittery early on. Very good stuff overall, and I can't wait to hear more, so give Skeyes of Seven's new video a look below!
Also in the news, here's the latest from all ages local concerts being promoted by AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent! Firstly, local death/stoner metal quartet Giwakwa have been confirmed as the replacements for RedD Monkey at the upcoming Sleep When You're Dead/Winkstinger concert at The Oddfellows Hall on May 29th! This will be their third local concert set and their first ever all ages gig, so be prepared for a brutal set of originals from this promising recent metal band! Also in recent Jamie Vincent-promotion updates, he indicated on his promotion company's Facebook group recently that Edmonton punk band Catgut (featuring his former Flint bandmate Jesse Silkie) are coming to town in August, which should be interesting, while he might be bringing in Vancouver drone metal duo Ahna in June, though this is NOT yet official. I know they've tried to get local dates here before, so hopefully this works out, but if you can help with a possible booking for Ahna's unique experimental sound around June 23rd, contact them at this link! Jamie's got a lot of big things coming up, so don't miss out, including the Royal Red Brigade-headlined punk/metal show on Friday!
In a bit of a shift, I wanted to let you guys know about an archive album discovery I recently came across that deserves a mention on here! During a trip to Value Village last month, I surprisingly found a local alternative hard rock CD among the used albums for sale, that being "How Empty I Am", an EP released by defunct local trio Sulfur way back in 1997! In case you're not familiar with them, Sulfur were essentially a predecessor to the early-mid 2000s London metal quintet Papa Fogals Chair (who featured all local/Thessalon natives), and the Sulfur lineup present on this CD includes singer/guitarist Andy Chillman (now of the London acoustic band Too Much Unsaid), bassist Mike Bird, and drummer Derek Turner (now of local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam), though future PFC bandmates Adam Chillman & Joey Grisdale are credited in the liner notes for other contributions. Recorded locally at Satellite Sound Studios, this 8 song album was in good condition, and it's proof that you should always have a sharp eye when browsing through a local used CD rack!
I definitely wanna review "How Empty I Am" on the site in the future, as it's heavy enough for SMS coverage (if a bit more alternative-leaning than PFC were), and when I do, I hope to post the album online for you guys to check out! That may depend on when I can get my computer's tempermental disc drive fixed/replaced, but stay tuned for more on this awesome find from the scene's past, and if you're at a store with a used CD section, don't take it for granted! Sulfur's album might be there, or more!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by profile, band, or site name:
According to a post on the SMS' Facebook page on April 23rd, Sudbury death metal veterans Catharcyst are looking to play a show in the Soo, though an intended date wasn't given. It'd be awesome to have Catharcyst back in town, but they need some booking help, so contact frontman Paul Cipriani on Facebook if you can help out!
In what's admittedly a minor update, Facebook event pages have listed weather forecasts for the timeframe of the event since March. This won't have a direct bearing on most local metal concerts, as few are outdoors, but keep that new addition in mind if you're planning around weather!
In our last update to this series for the time being, I've added info on the final placements for Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands performers in our profile of last year' Sault Humane Society Battle at The Grand Theater, along with amending notes on winners Late & Loud's EP releases. Stay tuned for updates to another of our special feature post series' hopefully this week!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post early this week, if all goes well! Thanks everyone!
Our nice pacing for new posts at the SMS continues on this Wednesday morning, so what's in the pipeline? Today, we have a band that is likely now broken up, a bunch of new band member searches via the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, and updates to some of our monthly CD reviews, but first, we have a new local band to mention, so here's what you need to know! (Updated on Thursday at 3:44 PM)
We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are Kidshit, a new-ish hardcore/thrash project from Sault Ontario natives & former Fuller bandmates Jamie Vincent & Mark Ranᶁ! Though active since at least April, they now count as local following Jamie's recent move back to Sault Ste. Marie after living in Edmonton for a few years, where he recently played bass in the hardcore punk band Flint. As for Mark, you're bound to recognize him from tons of recent musical projects, including Lion Ride, Detroit, Bondar, Bin Hawdon & The Taliband, and the soon-to-be-revealed Cross Dog, and while he currently lives in Peterborough, he's still very well known locally! Public information on Kidshit is fairly minimal so far, with their only current online page being this BandCamp page, which features five songs grouped as a free demo that you can check out or download! Much heavier than Mark & Jamie's old Fuller material, these originals clock in at just over 6 minutes in total length, and they remind me of Mark's Detroit and recent solo work the most.
I like where Kidshit are going here, and there's a lot of intense hardcore punk fury here that calls to mind some similar local bands! If these songs were longer, it might help for the overall substance, but I remember that longer wasn't always better (i.e. Detroit's originals.) Kidshit haven't played live yet, and there are some unanswered questions still, but do check them out, and I've added Kidshit to our Sault Ontario metal band links!
Next up, I'd like to note a band that we're regrettably moving to our inactive Sault Michigan band links, that being local funk/hard rock standouts Clownsack. An official statement on their online pages hasn't been made to confirm their end, but ex-bassist Tony "Slappy" Rogers' confirmed the news on his personal Facebook page on June 27th, where he said that "we are done" in a reply to a question on if they were still playing anywhere. Clownsack were one of the most prominent & successful metal bands in the Eastern U.P. dating back to their 2005 debut, which saw them release two CDs, open for Kiss & Meat Loaf at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, and play numerous shows across Michigan, and their clown personas & song themes helped them really stand out compared to similar sounding bands! However, they haven't played live since the fall of 2010, and have offered very few public updates since the release of their "Funny Farm" EP last year (most recently when Slappy left in April), so this all may have hinted at Clownsack's end to begin with. It's very disappointing to see Clownsack dissolve, as they were one of the most entertaining and well known Sault Michigan metal bands of the late 2000s!
I really enjoyed their albums (particularly "Rotten Candy"), and their stage personas & dedication to their clown characters was admirable & amusing in equal measure! I don't know why activity from their camp slowed down so much in the early 2010s, but as best as I can tell, most of their members are still active musically. Best of luck to Schloppy, Butter Cookie, Sparxx, Slappy, Skronko, and their former bandmates in the future, and hopefully down the road, fans will get their clown sauce once again!
Also today, here's three assorted notes from the Musicians Wanted Facebook group in recent weeks, as there are still Sault Ontario-area musicians looking for a band or musicians to work with! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by name of the artist who made the original post:
Local musician Jyles LeBoeuf is looking for progressive metal guitarists or bassists (preferably six string) for a new project he's starting, though public details are sparse as of yet. Could this be a Gates of Winter-style band? I don't know, but if you're interested in trying out, message Jyles at this location or read his post on the Facebook group from yesterday!
Former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent is looking for a drummer for his new local metal band, in his latest post on the group for band member searches. He's looking for a drummer with double kick and blast beat experience, but if you're at all interested, message Mike at this location or check out his post on the group from November 1st!
Asylum Country guitarist and local metal band alum Terry Eaton is looking to start a hard rock band that would cover newer bands like Three Days Grace, The Foo Fighters, Sixx A.M., and various others. He'd share vocals, and he's looking for musicians with lots of experience. This would definitely be an interesting contrast if it takes off, so message him at this link or comment on his Musicians Wanted group post from yesterday!
And finally for today, here's some more recent updates to our monthly CD reviews on the site! Remember as before that these include photo restorations for most of them, including some with no other changes. On our review of Woods of Ypres' last album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", I added a brief review of the producer's mix of "Finality", which is only available on the second disc of the album's vinyl pressing, and wasn't present when we first reviewed it in March. Moving to our Sault Michigan-area CD reviews, I edited our reviews of Bad Side's debut CD & their second album to note their breakup and the album's current availability (including that they're now on iTunes and out of print physically), while I also made very similar edits to our review of Clownsack's debut CD "Rotten Candy" & Integrated System of Machines' only album, with lineup updates made for both. Notably, I.S.O.M.'s CD isn't available on any major sites for purchase now, but free streaming links are up on the review! Stay tuned for updates to the rest of our Sault Michigan album reviews shortly!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes at the SMS shortly, including this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews in our likely next post! Thanks everyone!
Six posts in six days, that's a good way to start off the month to me! News has still been slow-ish from many of the usual sources from early 2012, but there is still stuff to cover, and today, that includes a rare vocal cover by a local metal frontman, our first glimpse at a local band's new lineup, and some assorted news and notes, but first, here's notes on another likely inactive local band!
First, I've reluctantly opted to move another band to our inactive Sault Ontario band links, that being local experimental grunge trio SBD. While we're not at a year's inactivity threshold for them yet (their Soundclick page was last visibly updated in December), they haven't played live since the end of 2010, and frontman Dann Pichette's move to Terrace Bay earlier this year leaves a reunion unlikely for the immediate future, especially with the "D" in SBD being out of town. SBD left a quick impact on the local scene, especially at their 2010 peak, which saw them play a few notable local concerts (including the Downtown Showdown battle of the bands & RedD Monkey's first Green Christmas Party), as well as releasing two versions of their only album "Sonic Experiments", before activity slowed to just song postings in 2011, with the band dropping out of some announced concerts. However, I will note that Dann is already working on a new solo project out of Terrace Bay named The Dann Pichette Multi-Track Recording Extravaganza, whose own Soundclick page features some similar original material and at least one older SBD track.
I've been a fan of Dann's local music dating back to No Arrow's peak, so I'm disappointed to see SBD fade out locally. While a lot more experimental and varied than his & bassist Brad Griffith's No Arrow work, there was a lot of heavier & faster material mixed in with SBD's originals, and the guys seemed to have good chemistry & momentum during their live heyday! Hopefully everything works out in Terrace Bay for Dann personally & musically, best of luck to Shane, Brad, and Dann in the future, and stay tuned for more on the members' next local work if I hear it!
Next up, here's the latest videos from local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! Uploaded to their YouTube channel yesterday, these are from a recent set at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, and make up the first video footage of the band with with new second guitarist Liam Yeomans & with frontman Noah Morden on bass. The videos are of Ashes To Dust covering Blink-182's "Up All Night" (sans Liam) and The Foo Fighters' "The Pretender" (with Noah on vocals only), so click each link to check them out! Not the heaviest songs in their repertoire, but from what I've seen, their school sets aren't as heavy as ones elsewhere. They handle both songs well, and Noah seems like a capable bassist on stretches when he's playing it only, but the choruses on "The Pretender" don't fit his vocal style. Liam seems to be a good fit himself on guitar, and he helps fill out their sound, but I have to ask, why were all the extra guys on stage during "Up All Night"? Couldn't the sound have been worked on before A.T.D.'s set? Check out their cover of "The Pretender" below, and stay tuned for more Ashes To Dust news as I hear it!
Also today, here's something we don't share much: A vocal cover by a local metal singer! Yesterday, Valentine's Day Massacre singer Steve Rhodes uploaded this video to his new YouTube channel of him covering the Black Dahila Murder song "Deathmask Divine" (as recorded at his current London homebase), and it sounds pretty good! I'm not a huge BDM fan, but Steve's growling and screaming fit well for the song, though I'd have boosted the original audio more if possible, it's very quiet. We haven't heard much from The Valentine's Day Massacre since they all moved to London for college last month, but it's good to see new activity from any of the members, so check it out below, and if you like what you hear, give Steve some recommendations for new songs to cover!
And finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or site name:
New Sault Michigan metal band The Eleventh Hour (formerly Angelic Genocide) have posted new band logos and art onto their Facebook page, all of which were done by clean singer Cathy Burgos. Not bad at all, so check them out above, and stay tuned for updates from them hopefully soon!
In case you guys haven't noticed lately, Facebook recently made new mandatory changes to photo albums on Facebook pages, personal or otherwise, to flow better with the Timeline profile format. This affects any local bands with Facebook pages, and while I'm OK with the changes, I wish the default photo page would be albums and not in direct order of upload (and a video tab would be nice too.) Other than that, it's clean and well integrated, so keep it in mind!
I recently added two new links to our Other Sault Michigan Metal Links section after we split them from the Sault Ontario links, and those are The Soo Evening News & The St. Ignace News! They are of course the regional newspapers in the Sault Michigan area, and both sporadically cover local metal/hard rock concerts and bands, and like Sault Ontario papers, articles do go up in print & online, so follow each to stay in the loop for local news and maybe some music talk!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for even more news and notes over the next while! Thanks everyone!
